Lost Until You (The Sorrentino Brothers Series Book 1)

by Grant, J. R.

He left the room, giving Jazz the perfect opportunity to tear me a new asshole.

  “Please tell me why we’re here? I don’t have a good feeling about this.”

  I lifted my finger to tell her to give me a minute. I slipped off my coat then draped it over the other chair and pulled my shirt over my head. Jazz gasped when she saw two bandages, one on each side of my upper chest.

  “Oh, God, B! What happened?” she panicked, jumping up from the table.

  “Sit down, baby. I’m going to show you in a second.”

  Jazz took a seat, anxiously waiting while I ripped off the gauze and tape. Once the first strip peeled off, it took a few seconds for the others since they were medaled to my chest hair.

  “You always said you wanted us to get tats one day that meant something for the both of us. Something that symbolized our love. Well, I stopped by here earlier this afternoon and had Jay draw mine up. He had an opening tonight, so I told him I would bring you back to get yours. That’s why we’re here.”

  She put her feet back on the ground, resting her hands on my stomach, bringing her face in closer to see the tattoo on my left.

  “It’s a star,” Jazz mumbled, her eyes filling up with tears. She tilted her head back and looked at me in shock. “You did this for me?”

  “Who else would it be for?”

  Jazz swatted my ass, giggling.

  I had two stars, one on each side, tattooed on the top of my chest, sitting directly in front of each shoulder. The stars symbolized guidance—bringing you back to the one you love.

  I moved Jazz back against the table, resting my hands on each side of her body. Then I looked into her eyes, explaining why I chose those particular tattoos.

  “They’re there for you, baby. Only you.” I wiped her tears away. “What they mean is that no matter how near or far the two of us are, our love will always carry us through and bring us right back together.” I lift my finger to the star on the right. “This one’s a little different. Can you see why?”

  Jazz looked closely at the right tattoo, dropping her jaw. I pulled her up, setting her down on the table, then crashed my lips against hers. She opened her mouth willingly, deepening the kiss, showing me how thankful she was.

  I pulled back and pushed a few strands of hair away from her eyes.

  “My…..my name,” she cried. “I can’t believe you had my name put in the star.” Throwing her arms back around my neck, we sat there, holding on to one another, until Jay came back in the room.

  “I love you, baby.”

  I felt her smile against my chest. “I love you, too.”

  **

  “You hanging in there?” Jay asked Jazz, as he wiped off the ink on her arm.

  “Yes, I’m good,” she smiled hesitantly.

  I couldn’t wait to see the finished piece. I knew she was going to love it.

  Jazz decided to go with two hearts intertwined together on the inside of her forearm. Savanah’s name was in the middle of one heart, and my name in the other. I was stunned when she told Jay she wanted my name inked on her skin. Not that I ever thought less about the love she had for me, because I didn’t. I knew Jazz loved me—there was no doubt. I just didn’t want her to regret it once it was all said and done.

  The gun stopped buzzing and I stood to my feet. I looked down at my wife. Her eyes were closed as she listened to the iPod I snuck in my pocket before we left the house. See? I thought this one through perfectly.

  “Is she all set?” I asked Jay, not wanting to get Jazz’s hopes up. I knew she felt uncomfortable, but Jazz had a good way of hiding things to those who didn’t know her well.

  “She’s done, man. Go ahead and get her up.”

  I pulled one ear bud out of Jazz’s ear. She jolted up fearful that something had happened but relaxed when she saw my face.

  “He’s all done, baby.”

  Jay walked over to the sink and took off his gloves. Washing his hands, he grabbed a few paper towels and wiped off Jazz’s arm some more.

  “So…what’cha think?”

  “Oh my, Goodness! B, come look at this.”

  Jay laughed at my girl’s excitement. I stepped around the table to view her new ink. My girl was sexy as shit no matter what but having my name on her arm in ink made her look even more hot, if that was possible.

  I turned around and adjusted my pants, hoping Jay didn’t see what was going on between my wife and me. No matter how long we were together, the girl could make me hard as a fucking rock in a matter of seconds.

  “Looks good, baby,” I kissed her lips. “Do you like it?’

  “I love it. Thank you so much!” she smiled big.

  Jay gave her instructions on how to take care of her new tattoo. When he was finished, we got our coats on and paid for our services.

  “Thanks, man. It was good meeting you both. I hope to see you back sometime soon.”

  “Thanks again, Jay. I’m pretty sure we’ll be back.”

  I opened the door and followed Jazz to the truck. We got in and cranked up the heat, eager to hurry up and get home.

  “Thank you for all of this.” Jazz smiled. “I can’t believe I actually have ink now.”

  I threw my head back and laughed. “Well, for what it’s worth, you look fucking hot.”

  Jazz scooted across the middle and leaned her head on my shoulder. She lowered her arm, cupping my balls in her hand, then glanced up at me.

  “How about a little payback on the ride home?”

  “Fuckin’ A.”

  Jazz didn’t waste any time unzipping my zipper. She stretched her legs out on the seat and then lay down. Wetting her hand with her mouth, she slid my dick in as far as she could, while stroking her fingers up and down my swollen shaft. She twirled her tongue between each suck, pulling me in as tight as she could.

  “Stop, baby,” I grabbed her shoulder. “I’m going to cum in that sweet little mouth if you don’t let up.”

  Jazz ignored my plea, continuing at a steady pace. A few more strokes, then I threw my head back and growled, squirting my cum inside her mouth. She shocked the hell out of me when she licked every drop of my release. She wiped off her lips with the back of her hand, and then sat up in the seat.

  I grabbed her leg, pulling her closer toward me, and rested my hand between her thighs.

  “This is mine when we get home. Don’t fall asleep on me.”

  Jazz laid her head against my shoulder with a smile on her face and nodded.

  “I won’t,” she replied, but I knew it was too late.

  Not even twenty minutes later, her snores rumbled against my body.

  Go figure.

  Chapter Ten

  Jazz

  I was in the middle of an interesting dream when an annoying beeping sound woke me up. Pushing Brax’s side, he sat up and rubbed his eyes.

  “What’s wrong?”

  I threw my head back on the pillow and pulled the blanket over my face. “Make it stop. It’s too early.”

  Brax snickered, thinking it was funny. He knew damn well I wasn’t a morning person, especially when the baby was still asleep.

  I felt the bed dip as he stood up and walked into the bathroom, shutting the door behind him.

  Today was the big day. After talking with Brax, Stone, Brix, and the girls over the last week, I decided to go ahead and meet the Lander’s. I contemplated on calling before I showed up, but what would I have really said? “Oh hi, I’m your granddaughter, would you talk to me?”

  I think Tanya was right. Showing up at their house, not bothering to give them time to shut me out, would be better. It had to be. But that still didn’t make me feel any less nervous.

  “Momomomomomommmmm,” Savanah called from her room.

  Thanks, B. I was hoping to lay here pondering for a little while longer before I had to face the day.

  On a normal day when I didn’t have to get up and run into the studio, we usually slept in until seven thirty, but not this morning.

  I got out
of the bed and put my housecoat on. Walking to the bathroom, I brushed my teeth and went pee before greeting my beautiful daughter.

  “Momomomomomomommmmmm.” Savanah was standing in the crib reaching her arms out for me.

  “Good morning, baby girl! Did you sleep well?”

  She held on to the railing, jumping up and down, showing off her little white teeth. I leaned down, picked her up, and laid her down on the floor. “My goodness. Someone went potty a lot last night. You’re soaked, honey.”

  I took Savanah’s diaper off and wiped her down. I changed her clothes and then brought her into the kitchen. When I was just about finished fixing breakfast, Brax came to the table, dressed and ready for work. I set his plate in front of him then walked back to the counter to grab his drink.

  “Are you sure you can’t stay home today?” I asked Brax, needing him here with me.

  We’re not heading to Milford until six this evening, but with the way my mind had been running this morning, I could already tell it was going to be a long, emotional day.

  Brax picked up his fork, shoving eggs into his mouth. “I wish I could, Jazzy, but I have a lot to get done.” He looked across the table at me. “I’ll be back, I promise. Go take a shower and try to relax.”

  I understood why he had to go, but I still didn’t want him to leave me. Brax had always been my biggest supporter. Sure, I had Tanya and Kelly to turn to and I loved them dearly, but Brax knew me inside and out. He knew how to calm me down when I worried, and when to tell me to stop overreacting. Brax was my lifeline. I would never survive without him.

  “Call the girls. Brix said T took the day off. I don’t know about Kelly, though.”

  I picked up a fork and continued feeding Savanah her eggs.

  “I talked to Kel last night. She gets off around three thirty. I think I’ll take a shower first and then play with our little princess. She told me that she needed some Mommy time.”

  “That’s my girl,” Brax winked, then continued eating.

  When breakfast was done, Brax told Savanah and me goodbye and headed into the shop. I cleaned up the dishes, turned on the dishwasher, and pulled Savanah’s activity center into our bedroom.

  Whoever invented this thing was a pure genius. If I needed a few minutes to shower or to get something done, the activity center kept my girl busy, giving me time without her running all over the place. She was moving around faster than lightning these days.

  I turned on The Wiggles, set Savanah down with her toys, and hopped in the shower. On a normal day, she would usually give me about fifteen minutes before she started screaming my name, so I tried to hurry as fast I possibly could.

  Turning the faucet on, I stripped off my clothes and tested the water. Once it was warm, I climbed in the tub and stood under the showerhead, running through everything in my mind.

  Since I was a little girl, I dreamt of this day. I pictured happiness, tears, and maybe a little sadness. I was reluctantly hoping for the best. I was almost positive that it wasn’t going to be easy on my maternal grandparents; however, it was something that needed to be done. If they didn’t want anything to do with me today, maybe I would get some sort of closure at least by just seeing what they looked like. If anything, I wouldn’t have to wonder if we shared the same features or if I would look like a stranger sitting next to them.

  Anxiety started to creep into my mind, giving me second thoughts, but I tried my best to force them away. I have suffered through panic attacks for many years, and for the most part, I had learned how to work through them.

  My counselor helped me understand that anxiety and fear were all in the mind. And she was right. If we let our thoughts dwell on the negative, the fear will rule and reign our lives. So today, I was going to stand strong, no matter how badly I wanted to take my daughter, run away, and hide.

  But I had to remember that I wasn’t just doing this for me. Savanah had the right to know her family, too. She deserved to have the best life, and as her mom, I needed to stay focused on just that and remain determined to give it to her.

  **

  The afternoon passed by in a blur and before I knew it, Stone, Tanya, and Brix walked through the door. I had just laid Savanah down for a nap a little while ago, so we should be good to talk for at least an hour.

  “Hey, guys.”

  The first over to me was Tanya. She sat down next to me on the couch and pulled me into her arms. “Hey, sweetie. How are you holding up?”

  “I’m okay, I suppose. Just ready to get this over with.”

  Stone and Brix came in and took a seat.

  “Where’s Kel?” I asked everyone. “She texted me last night and she said she was trying to get off around three thirty, but she would have to let me know. I haven’t heard from her today.”

  “I talked to her right before we got here. She said she’s been trying to text you, but that she’ll be here in thirty minutes,” Tanya responded.

  I felt around the couch for my phone. When I couldn’t find it anywhere, I quickly remembered where I had left it.

  “Shit.”

  I jumped off the couch and ran back to the bathroom, finding ten missed calls and six text messages on my phone. I scrolled through the feed and viewed each message. The missed calls were from Brax. Kelly texted me three times and so did Brax.

  Kelly 2:30pm: Hey girl, I’ll be off at 3:30. Call me. LY♥

  Brax 2:45pm: Call me

  Kelly 3:00pm: Do you need me to grab anything b4 I come?

  Brax 3:09pm: Where are you, baby? I’m worried.

  Kelly 3:15pm: I’m on my way, bitch. I got out a few min. early. Call me back. Hooker.

  Brax 3:20pm: I’ve tried calling you, Jazz. Please call me back.

  I quickly sent Brax a text, letting him know that I was okay. When the text went through, I dialed Kelly’s number.

  “What the hell, girl? I’ve been blowing your shit up. You good?”

  “Sorry. I took a shower and left my phone in the bathroom.”

  “Gah…you scared the shit out of me,” she whined. “I’m almost there; do you need me to stop for anything?”

  “No, I think I’m good. I’ll see you when you get here. Be careful.”

  I peeked in on Savanah then walked back to the living room. Everyone was still seated in the same spot.

  “I was in a hurry to get a shower earlier before Savanah started fussing.” I held my phone up. “I forgot it in the bathroom.”

  Stone and Brix continued watching the sports channel, ignoring me, and Tanya grabbed my leg. “Jazz, it’s fine. Seriously. I’m sure everyone was just worried. That’s all.”

  I pulled the foot of the recliner out and lay back. A commercial came on and Stone stood up, walking over to where I was seated.

  “You good?”

  “As good as I’ll ever be, I guess.”

  He looked at Tanya and then back at me. “Can we go talk for a minute? I have a few things I want to show you before we go.”

  I pushed the foot of the recliner in and made my way into the kitchen. Stone grabbed his briefcase next to the loveseat and followed behind me. He pulled out the stool from the island and took a seat, setting the briefcase on the counter.

  “Can I get you anything to drink?”

  “A water, if you don’t mind.”

  I grabbed us both a bottle of water from the fridge, placing one down in front of him.

  “What’s going on?” I asked as I took a drink from the bottle.

  Stone grabbed a piece of paper and handed it to me. “Here.”

  I took it from his hands, shocked at what I saw. “Is this…is this them? The Lander’s, I mean.”

  My heart was racing crazy fast. My nerves were flying all over the place. My hands were so shaky that I could barely contain myself.

  Stone unscrewed the top of his bottle, gulping down the water. “Yeah. They don’t look old enough to be grandparents, do they?”

  I glanced over their pictures attached to the paper and read
the lines beside both of their names. “Not at all.” I shook my head. “This is really something, you know. I guess I never fully understood what all a private investigator does. But, this…wow. This is…this is crazy, Stone. You’ve answered so many questions for me. Questions I begged to know for years.”

  He laughed, probably at my stuttering, but I couldn’t help it. I was a nervous wreck.

  “It’s my job, girl,” he insisted. “For what it’s worth, I went ahead and got a feel for the type of people they were, just so we knew ahead of time. I’ve watched the both of them interact with friends and amongst themselves, and I have to say, they don’t seem like the push-away kind. I think today is going to go a lot better than you envision.”

  “You…you’ve followed them?” I asked shocked.

  Tears leaked from the corner of my eyes, as I stood there dumbfounded. My grandparents. My family. I couldn’t believe this was really happening today. I studied Phyllis and Pat’s features closely, trying to compare them to my own.

  Stone grabbed my hand, interrupting my racing thoughts. “That’s part of my job—to have them followed. They didn’t see me or anything, so you don’t have anything to worry about.”

  “Do you think I look anything like them?” I looked hesitantly at Stone. I didn’t look at myself enough in the mirror to be able to compare all that well, but from what I gathered here, just by their pictures, I thought we might share some kind of resemblance. I could be wrong, though.

  “Mrs. Lander is short, probably about your height, and has brown hair, a pixie style cut, and brown eyes. Mr. Lander, on the other hand, is around six-foot-two. He’s a big guy. His hair looks to be almost black, and his eyes are blue. As far as facial features, there’s no way I wouldn’t be able to tell you and Mrs. Lander apart. You’re almost identical.”

  My heart dropped in my chest. I threw my hand over my mouth and cried. Except this time, I didn’t wait for Brax to come and save me. I didn’t hold anything back. Stone let go of my hand and walked around the island, pulling me into his arms. He rubbed the back of my head while I sobbed into his chest, and for the first time in my life, I felt like everything was going to be okay. That it was all going to work out.