by S. Nelson
To my heart, my love and my soulmate. I’ll love you forever.
“It’s nothing compared to what you just gave me, but I thought you would like it.”
Cupping his cheek, I assured him his gift to me was as touching. He thought of me as he shopped for my present, knowing me so well, he’d been able to pick the perfect gift. “This is the best present anyone has ever given me. Ever,” I said, squeezing his hand in mine.
“Even better than the Audi?” He was teasing me and I knew it.
“Even better than the Audi,” I answered, giving him a quick kiss before placing the necklace on my dresser. I was going to wear it that evening, and I wanted it out in the open to gaze at while I dressed.
~~~~
After a fantastic dinner out, we made our way to Throttle for a quick drink before returning home, no doubt to engage in a night of ecstasy.
We were heading through the crowd when we spotted Matt, sitting at the bar. He looked to be alone, but there were so many people around him, it was hard to tell. As the crowd shifted, I took notice of a beautiful woman walking toward my dear friend. She smiled brightly as she drew near. Who was she? When I looked back to Matt, I noticed he was just as happy to see her.
Then they kissed.
And it wasn’t platonic. Even from where I was standing, I picked up on the sexual heat passing between them. What the hell?
“Sara? Did you hear me?”
I was too wrapped up in the scene unfolding in front of me to even answer. Looking to see what drew my attention, he saw Matt, but their embrace had already ended.
“Matt’s here. Can we say hi really quick before we sit down?” My curiosity was getting the better of me.
“Sure.” Alek entwined his fingers with mine as we walked toward him and his mystery woman.
He saw us approaching and smiled. Big. Whoever she was had certainly put my dear friend in a great mood. I think I like her.
“Sara,” he greeted, standing from his seat and giving me a kiss on the cheek. He then turned toward Alek and they shook hands. Thankfully, they had become friendly with one another, even grabbing the occasional beer now and again.
Matt glanced to the woman on his right, then back to us, before saying, “Sara. Alek. This is Isabelle.” We exchanged greetings. Okay, so I knew her name, but who was she to Matt?
Alek handed me a drink as I decided to find out what was going on. “So, tell me, Isabelle. How do you know Matt?”
There was no hesitation when she answered. “I’m his fiancée.”
The words hadn’t even registered in my brain as Alek choked on his drink. Looking to me to see if it was a joke, I told him I knew as much as he did with a simple shrug.
“I KNEW it!” Alek shouted, pointing a finger in Matt’s direction. “I knew you weren’t gay!”
“What?” Matt exclaimed. Looking back and forth between the two of us, he was thoroughly confused himself. “You thought I was gay?” Before I could even answer him, he blurted out, “I’m not gay. I’ll show you right now I’m not gay.”
“Hey,” Alek grunted. “Watch it.” He was smirking, but there was a serious tone to his words.
How could I have been so off the mark? “Can I talk to you for a second?” I asked, grabbing his hand and pulling him through the crowd before he even had a chance to answer me.
Placing my untouched drink on a nearby table, I dove right in. “What’s going on? Who is Isabelle? How long have you known her, Matt? And why didn’t I know you had a freaking fiancée?” I fired off question after question, fully expecting an answer for each one of them.
“It’s complicated, Sara,” was all he said as he ran his fingers through his hair.
“Really? Can you give me a little more than it’s complicated?”
“Not before you tell me why you thought I was gay!”
Sudden embarrassment crept over me as I fumbled to find the right words. “Well, for starters, women hit on you all the time, yet I’ve never known you to show any interest. Then there’s the way I would catch you looking at other men.”
“And what way was that, pray tell?”
“I don’t know exactly. It was the way you huddled close while talking to them, or the way you watched them.” His inquisitive stare made me nervous for some reason.
“Sara,” he started, “I never showed any interest in other women because my heart belonged to someone else. Isabelle. She was the only one for me, and even though we hadn’t been together in years, I still couldn’t bring myself to be with somebody else. And as for the way I watched other guys, you obviously read into something which wasn’t there.” Huffing out a quick breath, he finished what he had to say. “I miss my friends back home. I was simply looking for someone to hang out with, you know, someone to do some male-bonding with. With our clothes on, of course.” He was making fun of me and I didn’t blame him.
“So…what’s the story with Isabelle then?” I wanted to know more about the woman who had my friend all twisted-up.
“That’s a story better told another day. When we have more time.” When he saw how disappointed I was, he threw me a bone. “We dated all throughout high school, but some stuff happened, we broke up and I moved here, to Seattle, to escape everything.”
I knew no matter how much I pushed, he wasn’t going to reveal his whole life story in the middle of a crowded club.
So I left it alone.
After saying our goodbyes, we headed back home. It was definitely going to be a long night because there was something else I needed to talk to my husband about.
~~~~
Moving toward the bed, I held the pregnancy test behind my back as I approached. Alek was already lying down, watching me, the desire he held for me written all over his face.
Crawling on top of the covers, I moved as close to him as I could while still maintaining some necessary distance. “Alek, I have something I need to talk to you about.” The look on my face told him I was serious.
Instant worry stole his previous expression. “What is it? What’s wrong?” He noticed I was hiding something behind me and he moved to pull me close, his impatience heightening my worry. “Show me what you have in your hand, Sara.”
I never said a word as I handed him the test. I nervously bit my lip, not quite sure what to say to him.
“Is this what I think it is?” he asked, a hopeful look in his eye. “Does this plus sign mean you’re pregnant?”
I nodded.
I didn’t know what else to do.
I’d been trying to come to grips with what those results meant all night.
“But how?” he questioned. “We’ve been using protection this whole time.
“Well…not the time in the shower last month. Remember? When you pulled out?” I smiled as the memory dawned on him. “Apparently, that method of birth control is not so effective.”
“I guess not,” he smiled. Quickly taking on a more serious look, he asked, “How do you feel about it?” I hated he hampered his excitement at the news of me being pregnant. But being the wonderful man he was, he was more worried about my well-being than his own enthusiasm.
“I’ve been thinking about it all evening, and I think I’m…happy.” A small smile tipped my lips as I voiced my thoughts again. “Yeah, I’m happy about it.”
What had threatened me the most over the years wasn’t Samuel, or even his sister. It was the fear something bad was always lurking around the corner. Being too engrossed in that way of thinking blocks out all the good life has to offer.
“So, we’re going to have a baby?” he practically sang.
“Yes. We’re going to have a baby.” Although the words sounded foreign to me, I was happier each time I said them.
As I laid my head on his chest later that evening, hearing his heart beat in sync with my own, I traced the scar on his stomach. Without even realizing he was doing it, his finger found the one on my shoulder. While our fingertips danced over the puckered skin, I couldn’t help but think.
We both bore the scars of my past while our future grew inside me.
The End
Acknowledgements
Thank you to my husband for being patient with me as I released one book after another, spending countless hours locked away in my office. Thank you for giving me the time I needed to get these characters out of my head and onto paper. I love you!
A huge thank you to my family and friends for your continued love and support. I don’t know what I would do without you!
To the ladies at Hot Tree Editing, I can’t say enough great things about you. You continue to amaze me and I can’t wait until our next project together. You have been truly fantastic!
I would also like to thank Clarise at CT Cover Creations. Your work speaks for itself. I’m absolutely thrilled with the book covers for this trilogy. They are beyond gorgeous!
To Beth, the best PA ever! Your love and support is truly priceless. I’m beyond thrilled we’ve become such dear friends. I don’t know what I would do without you, woman!
To all of the bloggers who have shared my work, I’m forever indebted to you. You ladies are simply wonderful!
To all of you who have reached out to me to let me know how much you loved the first two books in the Addicted Trilogy, and are anxiously biting your nails for their conclusion…here you go. Enjoy!
And last but not least, I would like to thank you, the reader. I hope you enjoy the final installment of Alek and Sara’s story.
About the Author
S. Nelson grew up with a love of reading and a very active imagination, never putting pen to paper, or fingers to keyboard until two years ago.
When she isn’t engrossed in creating one of the many stories rattling around inside her head, she loves to read and travel as much as she can.
She lives in Pennsylvania with her husband and two dogs, enjoying the ever changing seasons.
If you would like to follow or contact her please do so at the follow:
Email Address: [email protected]
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/S-Nelson/630474467061217?ref=hl
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/12897502.S_Nelson
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/S.-Nelson/e/B00T6RIQIQ/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1
Other books by S. Nelson
Stolen Fate
Redemption
Addicted (Addicted Trilogy, Book 1)
Shattered (Addicted Trilogy, Book 2)