A Torey Hope Novel Series: The Complete 4-Book Box Set

by A. D. Ellis

  “I know it’s wrong, I know you shouldn’t even be here; having you here in my room, so close to me, is almost more than I can handle. I know we’re not ready for much more than kissing, but can we touch each other tonight? I want to feel you under my hands.” Her big, bright eyes gazed up at me and I wanted nothing more than to take her as mine. But, she was right, we didn’t know what we were doing and we had no business venturing into that territory just yet. But, touching? Surely that wasn’t out of the question. My hormone laced brain ignored the fact that her parents slept just down the hall; I nodded my head, giving us the go-ahead to explore a little further.

  She slid the chemise over her head and let it fall to the ground. My body felt like it would explode as she removed the light pink colored bra that held her small yet perfect breasts. My breath caught as her fingers reached to unbutton my shirt and slide it off of my shoulders. My trousers were next. By unspoken agreement we left our underwear on, perhaps feeling a bit safer in this explorative adventure having a layer between us. Unable to resist her, I reached for her and pulled her warm softness against my chest. Her breath caught when my mouth crushed onto hers and her hands immediately went into my hair. My hands itched to touch her, my mouth wanted to taste her, but my eyes saw my fifteen-year-old girlfriend in front of me and I knew that now was not the time. Ignoring the need between my legs to grind myself into her, I kissed her softly and whispered, “Hey, beautiful girl, we’ve got all the time in the world for this. Let’s not push it or rush it. Let’s let it happen when it’s right.” I tucked her into bed and snuck back to my own room with new meaning to the words hard as a rock. That night I dreamt of soft white skin and all that I would have liked to do with her. It was a very long night.

  Two weeks later, on graduation day, Richard showed up at Lois’ home asking for her. I was there and I held her close to me. Her parents seemed conflicted and confused. On one hand, who was this demanding man asking their daughter to leave with him. On the other hand, it was evident that he would be much more successful than me. They turned their eyes toward their only child and waited on her answer. My beautiful girl stood strong, with me by her side, and spoke directly and confidently to my brother.

  “Richard, I’ve always wanted to consider you a friend because you are Robert’s brother, but you’ve never been a friend to me or him. The way you treated me two weeks ago made it glaringly obvious what you think of me. I love your brother dearly and plan on making a life with him one day. However, even if your brother weren’t in the picture, I would never submit myself to being your trophy wife or yours to use and abuse as you see fit. I will not be leaving with you today or ever. Please go.” I heard the trepidation in her voice, but I don’t think the others did.

  Richard laughed in her face. His vicious words dripped with vilification of both my beautiful girl and me. He shouted insults and promises of regret. If I had ever hoped to salvage a relationship with my brother that day showed me that it would be impossible. He was lost to me, and I’m not sure I would have had the strength or the desire to fight to bring him back. I had my girl by my side and that was all I needed.

  Richard left that day, and I never heard from him again. My parents kept tabs on him, and I knew that he had several extremely successful businesses all over the United States and overseas. He split his time between his four biggest businesses; his year was divided among the west coast, the east coast, Tokyo, and London. He married a society woman and they climbed the ladder of social and business success. When my parents had both passed away, no one was there to keep tabs on him or update me on his whereabouts. I completely lost track of him. I’m embarrassed to say that I hadn’t thought of my brother in years.

  Lois would mention him from time to time. She was such a lovely, big-hearted person that it hurt her to think of him being miserable and she always hoped that he would change or find happiness. Our marriage was far from perfect, but we loved hard and forever. Losing her seemed like the end for me at that time; I lost the vision we had for our family and our life. I let my baby girls down and I let Lois down. I’ve spent many years trying to fix my mistakes. I will spend the rest of my life making up for the years that I checked out of reality. Having a niece I didn’t know about show up gives me the chance to fix something else. I may not have had a relationship with Richard, but I can have that with my niece.

  The Captain paused and spoke his next words directly to his niece.

  “Josie, I don’t know what brings you here or what you’ve been going through, but I want you to know that you’ve found family here with me.”

  Chapter 3

  The adult family members had been submersed in Captain Decker’s story and they all began to move and stretch as if to shake the story from their heads. Cindy and Judy’s eyes were glistening as they thought of how easily his story could become theirs; nothing was guaranteed and they could lose their spouses at any moment. This really hit home for these two women.

  Libby and Audrey sat still on the couch, tears clearly drying on their cheeks. They missed their mother terribly and the pain of losing her at such a young age doubled their heartache. The story had only served to increase their thirst to hear more about their mother. Standing, they walked to their father, “Daddy, will you tell us more stories about Mom sometime?”

  Captain Decker gathered his girls in his arms. “Girls, I’m so sorry that I’ve not shared stories about your mom with you until today. I was so afraid of how badly it would hurt to talk about her, I didn’t even think about how important it would be for you to hear the stories. It did hurt to talk about her, but it also felt good; it was like learning to walk on a leg that’s been broken and healed, it felt strange from not being used and it hurt, but it was something that had to be done. I promise, girls, from now on I will tell you every story I can think of. But, right now, I think we need to concentrate on Josie. I can’t imagine my brother as a parent, and I doubt that being his child would have been very easy. I know it’s strange to welcome a perfect stranger into my home, but she looks like Richard and I just have a gut feeling that she’s not been treated well. Will you girls help me with her?”

  Libby and Audrey didn’t even have to look at each other to know what the other was thinking. “Of course we’ll help you and Josie, Daddy.” After a group hug, the three of them walked to find Josie and welcome her into the Decker/Morgan/Jordan clan.

  Judy, Cindy, and Carly went to check on the children. As expected, all seven of them were conked out on beanbags and couches while the DVD ran on a continuous loop. The women headed back up the stairs to enlist the help of daddies and grandpas to carry the children to vehicles. As they cleared the top step they overheard Libby, Audrey, and Josie making plans to spend some time together very soon. It was apparent that Libby and Audrey were welcoming Josie into the fold.

  All of the children were carried to their respective vehicles; the adults exchanged hugs and shoulder claps. Goodbyes weren’t usually hard; they all knew they’d see each other at least by the next weekend if not sooner. But tonight, after the captain’s story, it seemed more emotional as they all departed.

  “Well, Josie, it looks like we’ve got a lot of time to make up for. Come on, I’ve got a spare bedroom and it’s got your name written all over it. Let’s get you settled in.” Captain Decker was taken by surprise when his niece threw herself at him, wrapping her arms around his middle, “Thank you so much, Uncle Robert. I didn’t know where else to go, and I was so scared you’d turn me away. You’ve treated me more kindly in the two hours I’ve been here than my parents treated me my entire life.”

  With his arm around her shoulders, the captain carried her single bag into the house. “I’m sorry about your past, Josie. I’m glad to have you here; you’re family.”

  *****************

  “So, you’ve got a cousin you didn’t know about. You lost an uncle you didn’t even know existed. Your dad told a beautiful story about your mom. How you doing with all of this, Libby-girl?
” Nate’s words at her ear sent shivers up her spine. The boys had gone down without a fight and Abby had only asked for a glass of water before going back to sleep. Part of her wanted to talk and process the evening, part of her wanted to just enjoy her ever gorgeous husband. She decided on a compromise between the two.

  “I absolutely loved hearing that story. It’s weird, the thought of anything sexual between parents usually creeps kids out, but I loved hearing about their relationship. I don’t want explicit details, but I’ve never seen that much emotion in my dad. It’s obvious he was very affected by the telling of that story. I’m not sad about losing an uncle I didn’t know; he sounds like a complete jerk, and I don’t think he was very kind to Josie. She seems like a very sweet girl; I think she’s about four years younger than me. She seems like she’s hiding behind a persona that isn’t her; I think she’s been through a lot. I have the same gut feeling that my dad has; she needs us, and I’m happy to welcome her in.” Libby spoke from the bathroom as she washed her face and changed her clothes. She was exhausted from the chaos of Thanksgiving and then shopping all day, but one look at her husband pushed the tiredness aside and brought a lust-filled twinkle to her eyes.

  Nate noticed her look and smirked. “So, are we done talking for tonight, Lib? You look like you’ve got something else in mind.” He walked over to where she stood and took her in his arms. Bending his head down, he nuzzled her neck and breathed in her scent. “Ahh, Libby-girl, you do it to me every time. Let’s have a little fun before we get some much-needed sleep. Whatdya say, pretty girl?”

  Libby’s mouth on his and the trace of her tongue against his lips told him that she was in agreement with his plan.

  Knowing the kids were 99% certain to stay in their beds for at least the next hour or so, Nate took advantage and walked her backwards until they hit the bed. Recalling the last time one of the twins had walked in on them and the awkward conversation the next morning about sleeping naked and wrestling with Mommy, Nate left Libby long enough to lock the door. She laughed, knowing the memory that had prompted the door locking.

  “What? Do you want to tell the boys or Abby why Daddy had Mommy bent over the bed naked? I’m not sure what I have in mind for you could be explained away with wrestling this time.” Nate’s eyes had darkened and he walked with a purpose towards her. Libby licked her lips in anticipation and felt her body warm. Once his lips touched hers there was no more thinking, there was just heat and passion and completeness.

  Chapter 4

  The next couple weeks were a whirlwind as is usual with holidays. Nate was dealing with a lot of behavior/social issues at the middle school. Jeremiah found that the IT department always seemed to get busier around the holidays, and Audrey had almost more parties than she could handle. Carly and Nicky didn’t notice much difference at The Center, but they enjoyed decorating for the holidays with the students.

  Beckett, Abby, and Megan were anxious for school to release for Winter Break. None of the four four-year-olds complained about their preschool classes, but the excitement of the approaching holiday was evident in their eyes and their actions.

  Audrey had convinced the whole family that a Christmas party was a great idea. The plan was to have the party on Christmas Eve. She was making arrangements for a catered meal, decorations, gift exchange game, and games/prizes for the children. All of the Morgan/Jordan/Decker clan would be there along with some staff members from The Center. Dale and Jenny Morgan, Nate and Nicky’s uncle and aunt, were also invited. Audrey was swamped, but she was totally in her element and loving every bit of it.

  Before the party could take place, there was a lot of other work to do. Some of that included wrapping presents. The women in the family had perfected gift wrapping procedures over the last couple years. On a specified day the men would take all seven children while the women met at one house and they wrapped every single gift. It was a long day but it left plenty of time for chit-chatting, laughter and love between the women; the men always had a good time and enjoyed spending the day together and with their children.

  This year, Saturday had been deemed Gift Wrapping Day. The men and children would be meeting up at Captain Decker’s home because he had the best basement for the kids to play and he was closest to the park. The day was cold but not too cold for a quick jaunt to the park for some swinging and sliding before heading home for naps. Before that happened though, the men had the children settled in at the table for breakfast. Libby, Audrey, and Carly didn’t love for the children to eat a lot of sugar; the huge box of assorted donuts that the Captain had picked up from his favorite baker at The Cakery was something that the girls would just have to overlook if they ever found out. All the mommies had quickly learned that daddies and grandpas do things differently and different isn’t always a bad thing. The men knew the children would be on a sugar high for a while so as soon as donuts were eaten, milk was slurped down, powdery fingers were wiped, and sticky mouths were cleaned, they packed the seven spawns up and headed to their favorite bounce spot.

  Bouncin’ Bananas was pretty dead on this particular Saturday morning. Having been here enough, the dads and grandpas knew that business would pick up in an hour or so; they planned on having their kids worn out and ready for lunch by that point, so the timing couldn’t have been more perfect. Beckett, at age ten, felt he was just a bit too old for bouncing, but he enjoyed helping the little ones; he also still struggled some with his physical limitations though he didn’t let it keep him down. He really enjoyed the putt-putt golf and laser tag; Jeremiah secretly loved when Beck played laser tag because he’d ask his dad to join him which usually led to Nate playing too. Big boys and their toys. Nicky wasn’t fond of the dark or the flashing lights in laser tag, but he was always first in line to play putt-putt.

  Captain Decker, Jack, and John had brought along coffee and they sat off to the side where they could see the four-year-olds easily; Megan and Abby would run by sporadically, enough for the men to know they were having fun and doing just fine. The three men chuckled at their grandchildren and their dads. Jeremiah, Nate, and Beckett were playing laser tag and could be heard from the outside of the game. The whoops and hollers were evidence that Jeremiah and Nate were having as much fun, if not more, as Beckett. The grandpas just shook their heads; if they were honest, all three would have probably been happy to have played a quick game of tag. Give a boy of any age a weapon and they turn into a child of about six-years-old.

  The laser tag game ended and Beckett emerged sweaty and exuberant that he and Nate had ambushed Jeremiah. After a quick fist pump to his Uncle Nate he ran off to join his Uncle Nicky for a competitive game of putt-putt.

  Jeremiah and Nate were sweaty as well and grinning from ear-to-ear as they rehashed the game of laser tag. Jeremiah claimed that his laser shooter just wasn’t working properly; Nate called bullshit and laughingly stated that he and Beckett had beaten him fair and square.

  Decker and a crying Sawyer came over to Nate. “Hey, what’s wrong, big guy?” Nate instantly picked his son up and hugged him close.

  “I fell when I was running and hurt my knee.” Sawyer’s tears fell as he told of his injury. Decker, looking very concerned, stood stoically to the side not wanting to leave his wounded brother.

  Nate took a look at the injured knee which was red with a carpet burn and declared, “That’s quite the strawberry you’ve got there, Saw!” The term strawberry made Sawyer giggle and with a quick drink he was back to playing in no time. Nate never condemned the boys, or Abby, for crying if they were upset or hurt; though he did try to help them differentiate between big problems and little problems. He knew that Sawyer’s knee hurt but he also knew that the child would rather be playing than sitting with a hurt knee. He smiled as his two boys ran off to play for the remaining half hour they had left.

  Megan and Abby had made up a silly game that involved hiding and running and giggling. Jeremiah just rolled his eyes at Nate as their two girls ran past their table screaming a
nd laughing. Those two cousins could play for hours with no problems; they were the best of friends.

  When the time came to pack up and head to lunch, Kendrick was the only one to cry. He wasn’t quite four, although he claimed to be four like his three cousins; he didn’t want to leave, he wanted to eat lunch at Bouncin’ Bananas. However, the men knew they had pushed it with donuts for breakfast so they declared a sit-down lunch at a local home-style restaurant so that all of the children could get some real food in their bellies; that would make the mommies happy.

  Lunch with seven kids and five adult men could have been a chaotic scene, but the children were mostly well-behaved, and the men had it all down to an exact science. Jeremiah took all the boys to the restroom. Nate helped them wash and dry their hands. Nicky walked them back to the table. Captain Decker stood outside of the women’s restroom waiting on the girls (this was more difficult when they were tiny; the girls sometimes saw more than bargained for when they were taken by daddies into the men’s restroom). John and Jack kept everyone settled at their table.

  Once this process was completed, it was time to get orders. The daddies proclaimed it was Milk Day so there was no arguing over who was drinking what. The kids’ picture menu made it easy to order; each kid knew they had to find an entrée and a vegetable to go with it, no questions. It was a given that there would be trading and sharing between the seven children and the grown-ups knew that they’d be giving up bites from their own plates as well. Such was life with children.

  After lunch, which was accomplished with no tears and only one spill, the crew drove to the Captain’s house, bundled the kids up against the cold, and headed to the park. Like most kids, the little ones barely noticed the cold other than to continually have to sniff or wipe their noses. The adults, however, knew that this would be a 15-20 minute playtime, and they would have to head back home; thank goodness for hats and mittens.