It Must Be Love

by Nicki Night

  “Well...that’s very nice.” El didn’t seem impressed at all. “Tell me more about your company.”

  Sterling obliged, relaying the story of how he and his brother came up with the idea and started the business.

  “Hmm.” El put her fork down and looked directly at him. “And your daughter’s mother...where is she?”

  “Chicago, pursuing her PhD.”

  “Interesting. So Kylee lives with you?”

  “I have her during school breaks and summers.”

  “I see.”

  Sterling smiled and put down his fork. “With all due respect Mrs. Chandler.” Jewel’s stomach tightened at his words. “I completely understand your concern. I’m a self-made man who comes from a great, modest and loving family. I married my girlfriend because we thought it was the right thing to do. We realized shortly after that it wasn’t the best move and now our goal is to be the best parents we can be for this amazing little girl.” Sterling looked at Kylee and his adoration for her was evident. She smiled back. “I’m rather careful in dealing with women since my daughter can be quite impressionable. There’s something very special about Jewel and we’d love to see where our relationship will take us. I only hope we’re able to do that with your blessing. I’m pleased to answer any of your questions. Rest assured, I’m well able to care for your daughter in every way possible.”

  Jewel wanted to jump into his lap and kiss his entire face. That wouldn’t have gone over well with her mother or her dad. Instead she squirmed proudly in her seat, hoping it went unnoticed. She glanced up in time to catch both Jade and Chloe’s lips quiver slightly, holding back smiles.

  El eyed him for several moments without responding. “And I’ll be watching.”

  Sterling smiled. “If I had a daughter as incredible as Jewel, I’d watch closely, too.”

  Bobby Dale sat back. “Young man. You remind me a lot of myself.”

  Jewel breathed a sigh of relief. It meant the world to her that Bobby Dale respected Sterling. El would eventually come around—she hoped.

  After dinner, they dropped Kylee by Sterling’s mother’s house and headed back to his place. Jewel planned to show Sterling how proud she was of the way he handled himself with her parents. Instead they fell asleep, tangled in each other’s arms after binge-watching a season of one of Jewel’s favorite shows.

  Chapter 26

  Sterling kissed Jewel’s face until she awakened. Stiff with desire, he pressed his erection against her side and smiled as she squeezed her eyes shut against the glow of the morning sun. Sterling pecked her lids.

  “You sure can sleep.”

  Jewel covered her mouth. “You sure know how to keep a girl up at night.”

  Sterling winked. His erection flinched as he remembered the night before. He’d made love to Jewel until both were slumped across the bed—no energy left for anything but slumber. He woke in the morning, still naked with the lingering scent of sex clinging to their bodies.

  Sterling ran his finger across her nose and mouth. Jewel puckered, kissing the tip of it as it passed her lips.

  “Tell me how you did it,” Sterling said.

  “How I did what?” Jewel wrinkled her nose.

  “Get here. Now. With me. Making me not want to be anywhere else in this world.”

  Jewel smirked and shimmied, shuffling the bed sheets. “I’m irresistible.”

  Sterling’s head fell back as he laughed. “True, but seriously, I’ve asked myself so many times. How did we get here?”

  “I know what you mean.” Jewel looked into his eyes.

  Sterling leaned forward and kissed her. His eyes closed instinctively as he savored the feel of her soft lips. Something happened—a foreign but wonderful feeling mushroomed in his chest. Sterling had never felt that way about a woman in his life. Without scaring her off, he needed to tell her how serious this was for him. He couldn’t see himself without her.

  “After my divorce, I avoided dating for a long time. I thought it would distract me from being a good dad. Being a divorced man and an active father wasn’t easy. I’d seen many other men have issues managing new relationships with exes and children. I had tried and it didn’t go well. Then I avoided getting too involved with woman and kind of ‘moved on’ when things looked like they could get serious. But then you came along. With you I wanted to take the risk.”

  Jewel’s stare was intense. Sterling tried to choose his words carefully.

  “I wanted you. I wanted you to accept Kylee and for Kylee to accept you and with that, I’d have the approval to move forward.” Sterling paused to let his words sink in. He watched Jewel blink and swallow and continue to stare back at him wordlessly. “Do you think you can handle Kylee and me on a long-term basis?”

  Jewel’s neck shifted like a lever. She swallowed again and cleared her throat.

  “I didn’t want to.”

  Her candor struck him.

  “When I heard that you had a daughter, I immediately ruled you out, but that obviously became hard to stick with. Then I met her.” Jewel smiled “And she’s just as amazing as you. I won’t lie. I still struggle with it at times. I never wanted to deal with the problems that come with exes when children are involved. I can’t see living with that type of drama.” Jewel huffed. “But I’m here.”

  Sterling appreciated her honesty. “I’m glad you’re still here and I plan to take advantage of that right now.” Laughing, he slid his arm under her body and pulled Jewel to him. He didn’t underestimate what it took for Jewel to stick around.

  Again, Sterling pressed himself against her, waking his erection. He held his body over hers and planted several pecks on her lips. She puckered but kept her mouth tight.

  “Who cares about your morning breath?”

  Jewel giggled under her palm. “Me!”

  Sterling moved her hand away and kissed her passionately until she relented. An immediate wave of heat washed over him. Ravenous kisses explored her mouth, down her torso, between her legs and back up to her lips. Her scorching skin seemed to sizzle under his touch. Jewel wrapped her arms and legs around his back. Her own back arched hard. He craved her. His taste for her was insatiable. Sterling guided himself into her cavern. A gasp. A hiss. Jewel moaned deep in her throat. She grabbed him from behind. Pulled him to her. Their tempo was insistent. Grunts and groans collided. A sensual, guttural cacophony ensued. A clamoring crescendo was reached. They collapsed—sated, panting until they could just breathe. Jewel snuggled against him. Sterling held her closer.

  Sterling knew they had to get out of the bed, but being wrapped in her arms felt too good. He savored the moment for a little while longer, glad that she was there. He knew accepting him and Kylee and even Raven as a package wasn’t easy. Yet she’d met his parents and he’d met hers and at that very moment, Jewel was in his arms. Sterling made careful decisions and Jewel was one of them.

  “What time is it?” Jewel asked after a while.

  “We should probably be showered by now. The bouncy house guys should be here any minute.”

  Jewel propelled forward, squinting toward the clock on his nightstand. “Sterling! We’d better get up. There’s so much to do before Kylee gets here.”

  “Come here.” Sterling pulled her back down to him and held her one more time. “Now let’s go,” he said, as if that was what he needed to get going.

  Jewel shook her head, got up and started for the adjoining bath. “Race you to the shower.”

  “Cheater.”

  “Ha!” Jewel’s laugh trailed behind her.

  They dressed and sprang into action, running all the necessary errands for Kylee’s birthday party. When they returned. The bouncy house was set up in the yard and the receipt was in the mailbox.

  By the time Taylor and his mother, Patti, arrived with Kylee, the rest of their family was in the yard, burgers and h
ot dogs were on the grill and music flowed through the outdoor space. A few kids from the neighborhood whom Kylee played with before going to Chicago with Raven joined the festivities. Kids with painted faces like cute animals laughed when Jewel joined their dance contest. Kylee gushed and took to the center of the circle with Jewel and they danced together. Contagious giggles wafted in the air.

  The entire scene brought warmth to Sterling’s heart and a broad smile to his face until he looked over and saw that Raven was the only one on the patio who wasn’t smiling.

  Sterling flipped the last burger and headed inside to bring out the rest of the food his mother had made so everyone could eat.

  “Hey.”

  “What’s up?” Sterling said over his shoulder as Raven followed him inside. She’d arrived back in New York that day to attend Kylee’s party just like she had for the past two years.

  “Nice job on the party this year. It’s so much bigger.”

  “Yeah. I had a little more help with the planning.” Sterling put the pan with the burgers on the countertop and covered them with aluminum foil.

  “Your girlfriend seems nice.”

  “Yes. She is.” Sterling kept milling about, gathering the cold items from the refrigerator. He thought about calling Taylor inside to help but sensed that Raven had more to say than how nice Jewel seemed.

  “I wanted to talk to you.”

  “I figured as much. What about?”

  “Her.”

  Sterling stopped moving and tilted his head. “What about her?” He and Raven had never truly been in love. This couldn’t be jealousy. Sterling wondered what she was up to.

  “I’m just concerned.”

  “About what?” Now Sterling faced her.

  “How long have you known her? How long have you two been dating? You never mentioned her before that day at your house.”

  “Raven!” Sterling placed the oven mitts in the counter. “Where is this coming from? We’ve never done this.” He waved his hand around.

  “What do you mean by this?”

  “We’ve never questioned each other about our lives. You’ve been dating since you got to Chicago. I’ve never interrogated you about your boyfriends.”

  “Because I never introduced them to Kylee.”

  “Oh!” Sterling paced a circle in the kitchen floor. “Do you think I’d just bring any kind of woman around our daughter?”

  “I’m not saying that.”

  “Then what...” Sterling paused and lowered his voice. “What are you saying?”

  “I told you, I’m just concerned. I’ve never heard of you dating this woman before and the first time I run into her, you tell me she’s your girlfriend. You have her around our daughter...” Raven stammered. “Obviously all of the time since Kylee seems to know her so well,” she spat sarcastically, her frustration now on display. “Kylee is my daughter. If you’re going to have this woman around her you should have said something to me. She just pops out of nowhere and I’m supposed to be okay with that.”

  “Ra—!” The second part of her name failed to pass his lips when he looked past Raven and saw Jewel standing in the door with hot dog buns in her hand.

  Raven rolled her eyes upward and lowered her head. Jewel stared past Raven and directly into Sterling’s eyes. His mouth opened but nothing came out. The tension in the air was thick and noxious like smoke. Closing the space between them, Jewel took calculated steps toward Sterling. She placed the rolls in his hands.

  “The girls asked for hot dogs.”

  With that she turned and walked outside. Sterling knew that her exit was bigger than just her physically passing through the door.

  Chapter 27

  “Jewel!”

  “Huh? What?”

  “I called you like six times,” Jade groaned.

  “What’s going on, Jewel? You’re not with us today,” Harper said.

  “Oh. It’s nothing.” Jewel shrugged. “I’m fine.”

  “You don’t look fine.” Dominique sat on the settee next to Jewel. “You look like a sick puppy sitting here staring out this window.”

  “You guys are ganging up on me?” she teased, but didn’t feel as light as she portrayed.

  “Chloe is looking for you,” Jade said.

  “And she sent out a search party.”

  “Pretty much.” Jade squatted in front of her. “What’s wrong, Jewel? You haven’t been yourself all week.”

  “I’m just tired. This bridal shower was a lot of work.” She tried putting her mood off on the shower but the twisted lips and sideways glances she received from her sister and friends showed her they weren’t buying it. Jewel breathed deeply and released it with a groan. “Really, I’m fine. Let’s get back outside before Chloe comes looking for all of us.” She looked at her watch. “It’s time to open the gifts. We’ll need to wrap this up before our time runs out. Help me grab the rest of these gift bags so we can hand them out as people leave.” Jewel pointed at the favors on the parlor floor at the old Victorian Hillcrest Mansion, but hung back as the girls took handfuls out with them.

  They’d rented the venue out for Chloe’s bridal shower because it offered the perfect setting for a vintage tea party. Each attendee donned a hat and fascinators in honor of the theme. Several tables were set up outside in the center of the garden. Vases filled with fresh-cut flowers served as centerpieces with fine china expertly set around the table. Despite the beauty surrounding them and the cheerful vibe permeating the atmosphere, Jewel couldn’t shake her mood.

  Sterling called later the night of Kylee’s party, suggesting they talk. That’s when she’d given in to her fear and told him she didn’t think a relationship between them would work. Sterling tried to convince her otherwise and said he’d talked with Raven as well but Jewel was insistent. She spent much of the week kicking herself for falling for Sterling in spite of his situation.

  It turned out to be exactly what she attempted to avoid in the first place.

  If she allowed herself to be completely honest, she’d admit to being heartbroken. Sterling had etched himself into so many aspects of her life. Now that he was no longer around, she felt the hollowness of all the empty spaces his absence created. Several times, she’d absentmindedly picked up the phone to run an idea by him. Jewel would call him and then end the call a moment later when she remembered that what they had was no more. The night before she reached for him in her sleep and woke with a start when her arm landed on the empty side of the bed.

  Jewel surprised herself with how much she’d come to care for him in such a short period of time. It was definitely going to take time to eject Sterling from her system.

  “Jewel,” Chloe called softly. “Are you okay?”

  “Sure.” She tried to sound convincing. “I was just making sure we got everything out of this room before it was time to leave.” Jewel stopped milling about long enough to take Chloe in. Her coral tea-length dress made her look innocent. “Happiness looks good on you, sis. You look beautiful.”

  “Thank you. It was looking good on you, too.”

  “Was?” Jewel was heading toward the door but halted and looked back at Chloe.

  “Yes.” Chloe placed her hand on Jewel’s shoulder. “Have you spoken with Sterling?”

  Jewel sighed. “No.”

  Chloe pursed her lips. “It’s clear that you guys have something special. Don’t give up on it too easily.”

  Jewel forced a smile but couldn’t promise her sister that she wasn’t going to walk away.

  “Come on.” Chloe took her by the hand. “We can talk about that later. Right now, we’re supposed to be having fun.” Chloe led Jewel back to the garden where the festivities were taking place.

  For the remainder of the shower, Jewel tried her best to settle into the fun, but couldn’t keep her mind from straying. To stay foc
used, she busied herself cleaning up the wrappers after the gifts were opened, tidying up and tending to Chloe.

  On her way home, she found herself absentmindedly making a turn toward Sterling’s direction. With a grunt, she made a U-turn and headed home. So much of her routine was automated around him. Once she made it inside, she almost called to let him know she’d made it safely. She even missed Kylee—her cute giggle, their silly dance routines and most of all her warm, tight hugs. Yet she refused to go into a situation with the challenges of a man with an ex-wife and child. Relationships were hard enough to maintain without interference—especially if they were potentially problematic. She recalled the small part of Raven and Sterling’s conversation. It was clear that Raven wasn’t happy about her being in Sterling and Kylee’s life. As the mother of his child, Raven would undoubtedly have a strong influence on their relationship.

  After a fitful night of minimal sleep, Jewel woke tired. When the jolt of two cups of strong coffee finally kicked in, she decided that’s just what she needed in life as well—a refreshing restart. When she got to work, she was going to call Kevin and set up a meeting about the offer. She would have to work on letting Sterling go, as well. Her feelings were too tender to consider a friendship. Since it couldn’t be all, it would have to be nothing until she could handle more interaction with him.

  By the time Jewel reached the office, she’d worked herself into a new perspective. She called Kevin and to his disappointment declined his job offer and his immediate attempt to counter. Kevin had let her know that he understood and respected her decision.

  Jewel then composed an email to Sterling expressing her feelings and apologies for not being able to be with him. Whether or not to send it was a decision she would make later. Right now, the purpose was to help her work through her emotions. She didn’t feel any happier, but did feel less heavy. Maybe she’d send it someday.

  The last thing she did before diving into work was call Chloe to apologize for putting a damper on her special day.