Here Comes My Woman: Book Three (The Woman I Love Series 3)

by G S Binkley

  Mark released a troubled sigh. “Nope.” It disturbed him slightly but Gage was a grown woman. After meeting her ex-lover, Gage practically gulped down a full bottle of wine and Mark was unaware of it until it was too late.

  With Mitchell Stone encouraging her, Gage polished off the last drop out of her wine bottle. Jutting the bottle out in the air, she yelled. “Hey, Mark, you got any more of these things?”

  “Excuse me, Ryan. Maybe I should step in before….”

  Mark froze when Ryan placed a hand on his shoulder and then nodded to the front door.

  Being the only woman at Mark’s bachelor party, Gage had felt out of place at first but was warming up to the gaiety and raunchy jokes some of the men were telling. When Mitch told one of his off color jokes Gage laughed so hard, she dropped to the floor grasping her side. Wrapping a strong arm around her waist, he helped her up and pulled her close.

  An alcoholic haze shrouded her mind from thinking clearly. The only thing Gage was aware of was the soft soothing music playing in the background coupled with the sway of the strong body next to hers. She smiled allowing her totally relaxed body to mold against her dancing partner.

  Seeing Lacy enter the room, Mark tracked her keen blue eyes immediately search and landed on her partner who was presently being easily guided around the room by her six-foot dance partner.

  Mark torpedoed quickly toward her and his fiancée. He arrived too late as Lacy was on a mission herself, heading straight for her lover. Both Julie and Mark watched as Lacy tapped her finger on the tall man’s shoulder.

  Finally getting the handsome man’s attention, Lacy declared. “Excuse me. You have something that belongs to me.”

  Gage’s blonde head flopped around Mitch’s arm. She squinted in a vain attempt to bring the hazy tall sleek form into focus. Blinking her green eyes several times, Gage grinned from ear to ear when she recognized her lover. “Lacy!” She practically screamed. “Hi! Wanna dance?”

  Eyeing her partner who was still clinging to the man holding her, Lacy reckoned he was not about to relinquish the blonde in his arms. Gage swirled around in his arms but he refused to completely let go of her as his arms were wrapped loosely around her. “Come on, Lacy. Dance with me?” Gage held out her arms.

  Cocking a hand on her hip, Lacy spat out sarcastically. “Are you into threesomes now?”

  Gage hiccupped. “Huh?” Through squinted eyes, the blonde saw Lacy look past her to her friend. “Oh?” Swinging her head slightly around to the man holding her, she said. “Mitch, this is…….” Gage turned back toward the younger woman. Looking at her partner again, Gage was lost in her lover’s beauty. God is she beautiful. The drunken blonde blinked her eyes wide open again a few times trying to focus on Lacy. Something’s not right. She looks… looks…… uh oh, she’s pissed.

  “Lacy! My name is Lacy.” The dark haired woman fumed.

  Swaying in Mitch’s arm, Gage tried to stand on her own. “I know that.”

  Pointing at the man still holding her woman, Lacy demanded. “Does he?”

  Mitch released one of his arms around his old friend offering a hand to Lacy. “Mitch Stone.” Nodding at Gage, he revealed. “We’re old friends.”

  A very menacing grin appeared on the younger woman’s face. “Old friends or close friends?”

  Mitch easily recognized the overt yet thinly veiled inquiry as to his relationship with the blonde he was holding. “Both.” Pausing only a moment before he proffered his own inquiry to Lacy. “What are you to her?”

  “Her? She belongs to me.” There was no misunderstanding in Lacy’s words as she staked her eternal claim on the inebriated blonde.

  Gage smiled at Lacy then turned completely around to acknowledge the truth of her lover’s words to her old friend as she jerked her thumb over her shoulder at Lacy. “Yeah, I belong to her.” When Gage turned back around, the person she belonged to mind, body, heart and soul was nowhere to be seen. Uh oh, I’m in trouble.

  ***********************

  Dani along with Derek stood at the foot of their mother’s bed. The young girl frowned at the lump still lying sound asleep in bed then turned to her mother and declared. “Then there’s only one thing to do.”

  Derek nudged his sister and he saw her nod her head. “Yippee. Tickle fight.” The six year old boy dove on the bed and was soon followed by his sister.

  Once her two oldest kids swarmed over her partner, Lacy let Sammy down to join in the fray. Tangled up in the covers, Gage sprung awake as the three kids bombarded her. “Hey!” She yelled then suddenly grabbed her throbbing head. In a much softer voice, she whispered. “Oh, God, my head. Shhhh….”

  Dani crawled over her and landed on Gage’s right side as Derek took up residence directly on top of her. Both mercilessly tickled her beyond what even the most evil and vile person would call torture.

  “Serves you right.” Lacy climbed in bed next to her partner, pulling Sammy on her lap.

  Fighting off the four tickling hands, Gage begged. “Okay, okay. Hey!” Gage gave Derek a mock glare when he pinched her. “Now, please…… pleeease stop.”

  “No.” Relentlessly, Derek continued.

  Dani cracked up at the suffering Gage was taking under their assault. “You made us miss our outing for the day. Come on, Derek more.”

  Balling her body up, Gage squirmed under their onslaught. “Lacy? Lacy, please have them stop. I give… anything. Please?”

  “Anything?” Dani quizzed. “Hold on, Derek.” Giving the blonde a short reprieve, the twelve year old girl found herself in a good bargaining position. “What do you have to offer us?”

  “I’ll buy breakfast.” Postured for another attack, the two kids readied when Gage stopped them again. “Wait! What do you want?”

  Leaning back, Dani mused. “Derek?” Getting her brother’s undivided attention, Dani continued. “We’ll need to think on this first?”

  “I already know what I want.” Derek declared.

  Dani quickly whispered in his ear. “You can get that and…. more.”

  “Okay.” Derek sat up on top of Gage.

  Stella entered the bedroom and announced. “Room service is here.” She walked over to the bed and gave Gage a disappointed look before taking Sammy from his mother’s arms. “Dani, Derek, come on. I’m sure your mother wants to talk with her…. alone.”

  When the door to their room closed, Gage peeked up at Lacy. “Is everyone mad at me?”

  “I’m not happy with you.” Lacy admitted. “Dani and Derek think it’s funny and Sammy thinks you stink.”

  Gage squeamishly sniffed herself. “He’s right. How did I… who..”

  “Ryan….. I asked him to bring you home.”

  Gage noticed Lacy was sitting next to her on the bed but they were not touching. Reluctantly, Gage asked. “You want to talk about it?” The blonde’s memories of the events were distorted but not enough that she knew this would take some time for them to sort out.

  “Not now but we will talk. What I’m going to do now is get some food.”

  Gage tried to sit up and not agitate her pounding head. “Guess I could eat some breakfast.”

  Lacy turned to her lover. “It’s lunch and you need a shower more.”

  With those words, Lacy left Gage alone on the bed.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  When they arrived at Mark’s grandfather’s home, the whole household rushed around in orderly chaos preparing for Mark and Julie’s wedding along with getting things ready for their Christmas celebration.

  Samuel Calico greeted the woman he claimed as his granddaughter and her family. “Lacy, come here.” He hugged the dark haired woman. “Your beauty graces my home and your presence illuminates an old man’s heart.”

  “Why thank you, Sam. It’s nice that someone cares.” Lacy cast a quick glance to her partner whom she had nearly ignored the whole trip over. Lacy deliberately maintained a civil distance with her partner since unexpectedly finding out about Gage’s ex
-lover. She vowed to do so until they talked it out.

  “And, looky here.” The old man leaned forward to the child in Stella’s arms. “Looks just like me.” Samuel winked at Gage. Out of the corner of his dark blue eyes, the old man spied the young boy climbing on the staircase banister. “Derek!” Caught, the young boy slid off the banister slowly then heard the ninety-two year old man suggest. “If you’re going play on it, go all the way to the top and slide down. It’s fun.”

  “Samuel…don’t encourage him.” Gage admonished her ‘adopted’ grandfather.

  Ignoring the blonde, the old man smiled at the woman holding his grandson. “Guess I’ll have to introduce myself… my name’s Samuel Calico welcome to my home and you are?”

  Accepting the warm hand offered by the gentleman before her, the nanny introduced herself. “Stella Smith. I’m….”

  “Family.” Lacy interjected.

  “You can never have enough family. Why don’t we take my grandson and I’ll show you around.” Before Stella could answer, he took her arm and called to Derek. “Come with us son…. I’ve got some new ponies.”

  Sliding head first down the banister, Derek was caught just in time by his mother. “Thanks mom.” He said before heading off with Samuel and Stella.

  Lacy threw a sideways glance at Gage. “He gets that from you.”

  “Lacy, where’s Dani?” The grand old man asked.

  Lacy shrugged. “She saw Jessie as soon as we pulled up… who knows.”

  Before he disappeared with his small entourage, Samuel ordered his granddaughter. “Get the luggage and you make sure Lacy gets some rest after that long flight. I’ll have some food sent up.”

  It seemed to Gage that everyone was against her at this point. “Yes sir.” Grabbing two of the carry-on bags, Gage followed Lacy up the stairs and to their room. Dropping the bags on the floor, Gage gently grasped her lover’s arm and directed her to the bed. When it looked as if Lacy was going to protest, Gage said. “His orders.”

  Lacy watched Gage pick the bags back up and place them on the bottom of the bed. She started to unpack a few things sparing a few sad looks at Lacy. Feeling sorry for the way she was treating her partner, Lacy considered giving in. There was really only one thing that held Lacy back from fully making up with Gage over the incident at Mark’s pre-wedding party. Lacy reasoned in her mind that if Gage would have revealed her past as she had encouraged the blonde to do so many times then it would not have floored Lacy upon the discovery of seeing Gage practically plastered to her tall and handsome ex-lover. Lacy was not happy with the way she handled herself. The jealousy surging through her body was nearly overwhelming and being pregnant with Gage’s child only further allowed her emotions to rage out of control.

  As if Gage could read her partner’s mind, and with her own thoughts resonating with those of Lacy, she addressed it directly. “I’m sorry, Lacy. I know if I would have only… talked to you about my past……”

  With open arms, she beckoned her lover. “Gage, come here.”

  Not even a nanosecond passed before Gage was in her lover’s arms. “I love you.”

  “I know.” The feeling of holding her lover soothed her soul. “Tell me about him.”

  Gage shifted her body up next to Lacy pulling her closer. “It was so long ago.”

  “Go on.” Lacy was not about to let Gage off the hook.

  “It was a mistake. We were more friends than…. lovers.” Gage revealed as she sorted through the events of so many years ago. “It was after I looked for my mom and talked with Grace. Couple of years later. I met Mitch at a youth services facility. We worked together helping kids… boys that had gotten in trouble with the law.”

  Lacy stroked her lover’s arm and leaned her head on Gage’s shoulder. “Did you like it there?”

  Gage shrugged. “Yeah…. it reminded me of things.”

  Raising her head, Lacy asked. “What kind of things?”

  “Lacy, which story do you want the one where I was a wild teenager and got into a bit of trouble myself or the one about Mitch. I don’t think I can do both.” It was hard enough for the blonde to relive parts of her life and the taxing emotions welling up insider her now was nearing a frightening level.

  Sensing her partner’s overwhelming emotions rack her body, Lacy relented. “Tell me about Mitch and you.”

  “As I said, we worked together and got along great. We thought alike. Anyway, we worked on the same shift and so we started to hang out together. Going to ballgames, playing tennis… you know, that kind of thing.” Gage rubbed her head and was relieved Lacy had allowed her a brief moment to compose herself. “One night we… found ourselves taking our friendship to another level. It was good….. sharing that part of yourself with someone who you knew cared about you.”

  This was one time Lacy knew her partner needed prompting. “What happened then?” The younger woman kissed Gage’s cheek before nuzzling up against the blonde’s neck. When Gage remained silent, Lacy offered her own assumption about what happened next her partner. “He wanted more?”

  “Yeah. I knew I wasn’t in love with him. I loved him but… not like that.”

  “And, you figured you didn’t deserve a family?”

  Unconsciously, Gage’s hand wandered to Lacy’s stomach, rubbing it. “Correct. I knew he wanted a family. So, I quit my job and moved away and got another job. That’s about the time I started writing.”

  Lacy placed her hand over Gage’s as her lover continued to run her hand over her swollen belly. “Just picked and left everything and everyone?”

  “I had to. Mitch wanted a family and I couldn’t give that to him. I knew he would pursue it but I just couldn’t.” Gage brushed her lips against the dark haired woman’s head. “He told me last week that he did marry but they never had any kids and blamed each other. Now, he’s married again… well, separated from his wife. You know the story Mark told us about with them.”

  Nodding, Lacy remained silent. Although when she first learned about Mark’s VP marital problems, she didn’t know that same person was associated with her partner in a very intimate way. Neither of them did.

  “That’s it.”

  “And meeting him after all these years somehow drove you to drink?”

  Covering her eyes with her hand, Gage squirmed under that direct question. “I’ve buried so much of my past that it…. seeing him unexpectedly. Mitch and I used to hit the bars a lot and I guess I flashed back to another time.” Gage hooked a finger under her lover’s chin, lifting her head. “Lacy, there’s no excuse for my behavior that night. Mark had just brought me a drink I refused and put it down but then… he was there and it was handy and I….”

  “Sweetheart, it’s okay. I understand.” Lacy grasped her lover’s hand, intertwining their fingers.

  “Do you? Do you really?”

  “I think so.” Lacy kissed her lover deeply willing all the love she had for Gage in that kiss.

  Praying the conversation had ended, Gage released a heavy sigh and then it happened. Lacy asked one more question.

  “Anyone else I should know about?”

  Gage shivered at the question her lover asked as an uneasy rumbling stirred in her in the darkest, deepest part of her memory. A distant recollection tried to scratch its way to the surface bringing with it an overwhelming and crippling pain so great that Gage pushed the dark remembrance back. Bolting the door to the secret that was so dark and profound, it had changed her life drastically. The lock and chain she applied so many years ago to restrain this memory from every reaching her conscious state now laid dormant again as Gage tossed the key away for good and prayed it would never return. Her simple answer did not put to rest the uneasy feeling that still hung in the air between Gage and her lover. “No.”

  ***********************

  For a small wedding, Samuel Calico spared no expense. At one point, Mark swore to Gage that there were more servants than there were guests. The wedding was beautiful and everything ca
me off without a hitch. At the wedding reception, Gage made the customary toast and the newlyweds led the first dance.

  Dani was sitting next to her mother at the table when she quite unexpectedly caught sight of a young boy on the dance floor. “Mom!”

  “What? What is it?” Lacy asked quickly.

  Pointing at the young blonde headed boy, Dani gulped. “That’s him.”

  Blue eyes spotted a handsome young man dancing with Jessie. “Lane?”

  Dani nodded. “He’s the one from my school…. you know.”

  “Oh, he’s the boy that likes you.” Lacy said.

  “Bothers me.” Dani corrected her mother. “How did you know his name?” The young girl was careful never to mention his name as the kids at school made fun of it and she wouldn’t have been able to stand it had her mom done the same. I don’t know why I’d ever thought that…. she married someone named Gage.

  “Honey, that’s Dash and Lexi’s son.” Then it dawned on her. “You know, they moved to St. Troy last summer. I thought he was older than you.”

  “No. He had his birthday right before school break for Christmas.” Dani supplied easily.

  “What color are his eyes?”

  Without hesitation, Dani answered. “Brown.”

  “Hmmm… like his mom’s.” An arched eyebrow to her daughter sent an unspoken knowing.

  It was then Dani realized she revealed her hand. “Oh, okay. He’s like kinda cute. Don’t you think?”

  Lacy winked and hugged her daughter. “I do. Why don’t you dance with him?”

  Dani nodded to the couple on the dance floor. “He likes older women.” Even though Lane Grayson was four years younger than the sixteen-year-old Jessie, he was taller. “Besides, he’s obnoxious.”

  “Why do you say that?”

  Dani threw her mother a perturbed look. “He thinks I like him.”

  “And, you don’t?” Lacy noticed Dani’s eyes never left the young boy as he danced across the floor.

  “I didn’t say that.” Dani shrugged as if she didn’t care. “I just don’t want him to think I do.” After one song ended and another tune started, Dani noticed the couple continued to dance. Seeing her brother run across the dance floor only to drop down on his knees and slide over the hardwood floor, Dani took the opportunity that presented itself. She looked at her mother. “I guess I’ll have to go and show him some social skills.”