Beginning with Forever

by Lan LLP

  ____________________

  “Wake up Beautiful. Captain Franco wants us in our seats, securely belted. We’ll be landing in Boston in fifteen minutes.” I rub my drowsy eyes to see Carson cozily dressed in a heavy navy wool sweater. He helps me slip on his light jacket. “We didn’t pack for cold weather for you. This will have to do until we get back to our place.” There he goes again with that ‘our’ word. I don’t consider anything that belongs to him, mine. I need to correct him before he says it in front of Kat and gives her a heart attack.

  “Carson, we need to set something straight here. Your wealth and assets are not mine. Please don’t say ‘our’ in regards to your things.” He appears offended, maybe even hurt.

  “Lily, wealth is of no value to me if I can’t share it with you and our baby. I know you love me unconditionally whether I’m rich or not. Money should never be an issue for us. This will be the only discussion we’ll have about it, okay?” He stares sternly into my eyes for submission. I nod my head to please him, but I still don’t agree with it entirely or at all.

  The jet lands safely under the commendable flying skills of Captain Franco. I glance out the window and see delicate snowflakes whimsically floating around. I didn’t think I would ever miss the snow, but it’s actually welcoming. Owen is standing by a black BMW SUV, exactly like the one Carson left for me. I didn’t want to sound ungrateful, but it’s much too large of a vehicle for me to comfortably drive around the island. Carson taps my shoulder lightly, “Angel, are you ready to go?” He offers me his hand and lifts me up to him. “My parents will be meeting us for lunch at our place. I thought it’ll make you feel more at ease, and there’ll be no surprise guest this time.” He smiles guiltily.

  “What are we going to make for them to eat, your infamous grilled cheese sandwiches? I’ve never divulged this information to you before, but after that first bite of your delicious sandwich, I knew you were the one for me,” I tease him.

  He wraps his arms around my waist and gently embraces me. “Lily, are you telling me you fell for my mad cooking skills and not my mad love making skills?” He chuckles and playfully shakes his head. “Let’s get going, so I can convince you that my latter skill is far superior.”

  Owen considerately greets us at the bottom of the steps with a down coat in his left arm for me. “Good morning, Mr. Bradley and Miss Ly. Let me help you with this coat.” He holds it up to allow me to slide my arms through the sleeves and then lifts it over my shoulders. The warmth feels wonderful.

  “Good morning, Owen. Thank you for this coat. It’s very thoughtful of you.” He politely nods his head and smiles. I’ll never get over how much he reminds me of Dwayne Johnson. Just once, I want to ask him to impersonate The Rock and yell out his famous line. Maybe one of these days when Carson isn’t around and Owen’s professional guards are down, I’ll be brave enough to ask him. It might loosen him up and give us both a few chuckles.

  “Owen, thanks for thinking of Miss Ly. Is everything under control at the office?” He nods his head, but gives Carson the I have something to tell you in private eyes. Carson’s spirited demeanor quickly becomes guarded. We quickly enter the backseat together. Owen sits in the front with the driver. Carson has an alarming expression on his face. I know it’s none of my business, but I wish they would just discuss it freely in front of me and get it over with. “Carson, what’s going on? Your mind is a million miles away from me ever since we stepped into this vehicle.”

  “I’m just pondering about what to order for lunch.” He attempts to disguise his real concerns, but I’m not falling for it.

  “Oh, is that all?” I reply sarcastically, so much for not having any secrets between us. I decide to refrain from asking any more questions because it’ll only upset me more if he fails to answer them truthfully. I sit completely still and quiet all the way to his penthouse.

  The driver drops us off in front of the Zen. Carson hastily steps out and cautiously assists me like I’m nine months pregnant. Is he seriously going to be this overprotective for the next seven months? I’m not sure if I can handle being smothered. He holds onto my hand and shields the snow from my eyes with his newspaper. The doorman greets us while propping the door open for our entrance. I briefly wave hello and part with a smile. Carson hurriedly paces through the lobby, almost dragging my arm to urge me to keep up with him. Will I ever get use to his fickle mood? I ask myself for the nth time. I’m not sure if he’s excited or upset. He presses the up button impatiently three times, knowing that it won’t hasten the elevator any. What’s making him so antsy? Thank goodness the doors finally open. He enters first and then pulls me into his arms and depresses the penthouse floor button. I see a middle aged man casually dressed in khakis and a heavy pullover fleece racing to our elevator with a grocery bag in his arms. I swiftly break away from Carson’s embrace to intercept the doors before they close all the way, and the man jumps in with us.

  “Thanks for holding the doors,” he says with a grateful smile.

  “No problem,” I grin. Carson gently pulls me back against his body and doesn’t verbally interact with either one of us. He stands aloofly while the man makes small talk to pass the shared awkward confined space. Carson’s jealousy is evident through his demeanor.

  “I’m Andrew. My partner, Stewart, and I moved into this building a few months ago.” I feel Carson’s grip loosen around my waist and a vague smirk appears across his face as I stare at his reflection off the shiny metal doors. Carson can rest assured that Andrew will keep his distance from me. I bite down on my lower lip to refrain from laughing. Andrew has a clean-cut appearance with wavy blond hair, grayish blue eyes and a confident smile. He flaunts a well-groomed goatee and sideburns on his defined face. He stands slightly shorter than Carson.

  “I’m Lillian and this is Carson. Welcome to the Zen.” Carson reaches his hand out and welcomes him, too.

  “Maybe we can meet up for dinner one of these weekends. We’re still trying to get acclimated to this part of town and make new friends. We’re on the fourteenth floor, second unit to the left of the elevators.”

  “Sure, sounds like a lot of fun,” I respond. It’ll be nice to have some new friends when I eventually make this place my permanent residence. The doors open to his floor, and he prances out with his groceries. I wave good-bye to my first new Boston friend. “Hope to see you guys around.” He waves back and the doors close.

  “You wouldn’t mind if Andrew and I hung out occasionally, would you?” I mumble under my breath, trying not to laugh.

  “Not at all, you may have as many boyfriends like Andrew as you want,” he answers lightheartedly.

  We arrive on his floor with his moodiness nearly dissolved. He opens the door to his penthouse and like a gentleman, he gestures for me to enter first. The door is closed behind us, and he takes my hand again. I survey the place, imagining my life here with him. How will I adjust to this kind of elaborate lifestyle? It’s excessively over the top and unrealistic for me. This place is much too expansive even if we fill it with several more kids.

  “Come with me. I have something to show you.” He enthusiastically leads me down the same hallway as his bedroom. Instead of entering his room, we stop in front of an adjacent one. “Close your eyes for me.” His mood is lighter yet and cheerier. I do as he requests. He steers me into the room. “Now open your eyes.” I see a beautiful solid mahogany crib and a matching upholstered rocking chair and ottoman.

  “Carson, I don’t know what to say. How did you manage all of this so quickly? You just found out yesterday.”

  “All I want to know is do you like it? If you don’t, I can have them sent back and then you can choose something else that appeals to you.” He searches eagerly for my approval.

  I turn around and hug him tightly. “I love you. Of course I like it,” I excitedly tell him.

  “We’ll visually break our baby news to my parents rather than verbally share it. It might be easier this way. I can already see my mother
crying happy tears, standing here in this room.” He caresses my abdomen with his hand. “Welcome to your room, Peanut.” I’m more anxious than ever for my baby bump to grow bigger as I see the excitement in Carson’s eyes.

  “I hope you’re right about Kat welcoming me and our baby. Do you have a backup plan if she doesn’t?”

  “Don’t be ridiculous, Lil. This is her grandbaby. Let’s not talk about this anymore; stress isn’t good for your pregnancy. Would you like to freshen up while I order lunch?”

  “Yes, I’d love a hot shower.” Maybe it’ll warm me up since I’m freezing cold.

  “I’ll make it quick and join you.” He gives me a naughty grin as he walks off.

  Showers with Carson are never quick, but always pleasurable. And as if that wasn’t enough, he carries me over to his bed and has his way with me again. I’m completely out of breath, but sated with my fill of Carson. The doorbell sounds off and I panic, pulling the sheet over my chest. We’re both naked and not ready for company. Carson checks his security screen and sees his mom and dad. We’re like two high school kids shamefully caught in the act by his parents. Carson casually slips out of bed and wraps his hard lean muscular body with a plush white robe. “They’re here early. I’ll go let them in while you get dressed.” He gives me a frisky smirk.

  “Carson, you can’t greet them in your robe. They’ll know that we’ve been doing you know what,” I panic, trying to hide my embarrassment.

  “We’re both consenting adults. They know that we do you know what, and I hope they know that we do you know what a lot of times.” He laughs.

  I jump out of bed and rush to his closet. Thank goodness Carson still has clothes hanging in here for me. I feel terribly guilty as I run my fingers through the many outfits he’s made room for in his personal closet. My judgment of him was completely wrong. His commitment to our relationship never once faltered while I allow my insecurities of Bianca tear us apart. I vow that I will never let that woman come between us again.

  What should I wear? Dang it, here I go again stressing about what to wear to impress his mother. I grab a pair of skinny jeans, but they’re too skinny for this pregnant girl. I see a suede button down dress, this will do. I pull my hair back into a sloppy wet bun, apply a thin layer of mascara, blush and lip gloss. It’s the best that I can do in five minutes. Carson casually strolls back into the room. He walks into his closet and pulls out a dark pair of denim jeans and a long sleeve cotton shirt. He finger combs his wet hair and is effortlessly handsome.

  “Lily, are you ready to face my parents?” God knows I’m not, but I agree to follow him into the living room anyway. His father throws his arms affectionately around me and pats my back with military strength. I wince and flinch unexpectedly from the hard blows, but try to maintain an embracing smile.

  “Lillian, how are you, kiddo?” Carson’s father genuinely asks me while Kat keeps her distance. Her eyes follow my every move, glaring at me. The heat in her stare causes me to sweat nervously.

  “I’m fine, Mr. Bradley, and how are you both doing?” I attempt to include Kat into my weak greeting.

  “Mom, dad, Lil and I have something we want to share with you both.” Holy crap, what is he doing? What’s his rush? I’m not ready for this yet. I give Carson a pleading look, but he doesn’t see it. He walks over to me and grasps my sweaty hand. The moisture from my palm seizes his attention. He looks into my eyes and delays our trip down the hallway. “Mom and dad will you please excuse us for a minute?” We rush over to the kitchen. I reach in the refrigerator for a cold water bottle and pour it down my dry, choking throat. “Angel, let’s break the news to them and deal with the consequences together. Whatever it may be, it won’t change us, I promise.”

  “Your mother doesn’t like me. I can sense her animosity as soon as I entered the living room.”

  “I’ll handle my mother. You don’t need to stress about how she feels about you. I’ve already told you that stress isn’t good for our baby.” He intertwines our fingers and leads me back to his parents as I drag my feet.

  “Will you both please come with us?” He reaches for his mother’s hand with his free one. The length of the hallway stretches endlessly as we walk down it with tension and hesitation. Carson releases his mother’s hands to open the door and reveals our secret.

  “Oh my heavens, son, is it true? Are we officially going to be grandparents?” His father is the first to excitedly appreciate our news. His mother is still in shock, I think. She doesn’t utter a single sound or word. “Kat, my dear, you will finally have a grandbaby to spoil.” She still refuses to make any sounds. Am I possibly seeing tears in her eyes? Carson was right. I’m hoping she’s crying tears of joy.

  “Mother, please say something,” Carson pleads for a response.

  “May I have a word with you, son?” she bluntly demands.

  “You can talk to the both of us. Lil and I have no secrets between us.” I squeeze his hand, signaling him to stop antagonizing her. It’ll only make matters worse, especially for me. Kat isn’t accepting our news well.

  “Carson, I’d like to catch up with your father.” I create an excuse for him to speak with his mother and figure out what’s upsetting her.

  Carson Bradley

  I lead my mother into my office and slam the door shut. My voice is abrasive. “Mother, I can’t understand why you can’t accept Lily into your life. She is and will be forever a part of mine, so you’ll have to figure something out or we’ll have more issues to deal with. I thought our baby news would make you the happiest grandmother in Boston, but I was wrong.”

  “If the baby is really yours, than yes, I’d be exceptionally happy.” She narrows her eyes; purses her lips tightly and crosses her arms defensively in front of her chest.

  “And what are you implying mother?” I angrily question her.

  “My sources tell me that she’s involved with another man. This baby could be his.”

  “And did your source offer you incriminating pictures?” Her blue eyes grow surprisingly large. She’s alarmed that I know who her source is. Bianca is really digging a deep hole for herself, but I’ll deal with her later.

  “Yes, a picture is worth a thousand, even a million words. She only wants your money, she doesn’t love you.” She grumbles her angry words at me.

  “Have you shown Dad these pictures? I’m guessing not, since he’s still cordial with Lily.”

  “Your father refuses to listen to anything that I have to say about Lillian, so I didn’t show him those disgraceful pictures. He prides himself in being a good judge of character. Well, personally, I think he’s way off about her. She’s not what she seems.” She narrows her sneering eyes and breathes faster.

  “Mother, it hurts to hear you say these awful things about Lily. Like you, I was also deceived. Lily hid her pregnancy from me until I damn near beat it out of Richard.” She rolls her eyes at me in disbelief. Her body language tells me she’s going to fight me to the end about Lily’s innocence.

  “He could be lying to you, too. They’re scheming together to get your money,” she haughtily retorts.

  “Richard comes from an exceedingly wealthy background. He doesn’t need to scheme for money,” I counter her arguments. She looks puzzled, not sure what to believe anymore. “I think you just fell for one of Bianca’s schemes.”

  I hate to expose my personal details to her, but it’s necessary to substantiate the absolute truth. “I took Lillian’s virginity. It was my recklessness that has put her in this predicament, interfering with her schooling and goals. I’ve turned her innocent world upside down, and I’m struggling to make amends.”

  “You took a young girl’s virtue? What were you thinking?” She turns the table around, implying that it’s my entire fault now. I can live with that as long as she welcomes Lil into her life. This is all that matters to me. “How far along is she?” Her temperament goes from cold to warm. I think she’s on the fence.

  “Lil is about five week
s along. We have ultrasound pictures of your grandbaby if you’re interested.” She attempts to fight back a delightfully huge grin. I’ve cracked her hard shell.

  “Finally, I’ll have a beautiful grandbaby to spoil and brag about.” She pulls me into her arms and emotionally embraces me while tears spill down her cheeks. I believe I’ve successfully convinced her. “We have a lot of baby shopping to do. This grandma is more than ready to spoil her grandbaby rotten.”

  “Maybe you can take Lily with you. This will give you two an opportunity to start over fresh, but just to forewarn you, she’s very frugal and doesn’t enjoy spending my money.”

  “I’ll use this time to make it up to her. I haven’t been kind to her since we first met. She probably thinks I’m a nasty old biddy.” She playfully winks her eye at me and walks over to the mirror to check her makeup, my mother and her vanity.

  Lillian Ly

  I’m not sure what Carson told his mother, but it changes everything between us like heaven and hell. She returns to the room happier and uncharacteristically pleasant with me. “Lillian, I would love to take you shopping for baby gifts after lunch today.” I shoot Carson a skeptical look. He shrugs his shoulders and smiles innocently at me.

  “Sure, I’d enjoy that very much,” I respond politely with subtle hesitance in my voice. In actuality, I’m terrified to death to be alone with her. We haven’t had much luck bonding. What will we talk about for several hours?