“Stacy? What are you doing here?” he asked.
“Hold her, Zaine. Don’t let her go! Security is on the way,” I yelled.
He grabbed Stacy, then looked around the room. I was laying on the floor and blood was everywhere. “Stacy, did you do this? Why are you here? Answer me, damn it.” He shook her.
Stacy started to cry. “She took you away from me, Zaine, I just wanted you back. I was going to make sure we could be a family- you, me, and the baby. I should be your family, not her.”
The security guards came in and Zaine handed her over to them. He asked the nurse to call the police. Before security took her out of the room he stopped them. “Let me get one thing straight, Stacy. You and I will never be together, ever again, and my child will never ever know who you are. You will never be his mother, you twisted fuck.”
The guards led her away and Zaine rushed over to me, now on the bed. The nurse was trying to clean up all the blood and check my incision to make sure it hadn’t opened up. “Baby, are you all right? I am so sorry Landrey. I am so sorry. I didn’t know she was capable of anything like this,” he said with a trembling voice.
“She was the one Zaine. She was the one trying to kill me, not Ryland. It was her.” I showed him the syringe on the floor. “I told you I didn’t trust that bitch.”
“Yes babe, you did.”
“Zaine, I’m sorry that this happened. You don’t deserve any of this. This is why I stayed away from you all those years ago. There is always someone or something out to make sure I’m not happy.” Tears filled my eyes as I spoke. My old demons were threatening to come back.
“I don’t think you have to worry about that anymore, babe. No one is ever going to hurt you like that again,” he said, holding me close.
I leaned my head against Zaine and looked at him. “Can we live happily ever after?”
“Babe, I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
Adapting to Finn’s daily routine was interesting. The boy loved to eat. I started out breastfeeding, but could not keep up with his need for the boob, so I switched to formula. Zaine loved my breast feeding for one simple fact; they got huge and I whipped them out at a moment’s notice. All and all everything had gotten back to normal—at least as normal as things could be with a newborn around the house. The wedding would be in September, and we wanted to do it by the weeping willow tree behind the house.
I was a stay-at-home mom for now, but I was aching to go back to work. Though I loved my little guy I had been trapped in the house for months, and I needed to speak with someone that didn’t spit up on me. Zaine stayed home with us for a few weeks after we came home from the hospital, which was nice. He loved Finn a lot. The baby was his pride and joy. I almost got a little jealous when he would get home from work and walk past me right to the baby. But I loved that he takes pride in being a dad.
Tayla and Aaron had been seeing a lot of each other and I was hoping for something more stable from them in the coming months. Maybe helping to plan a wedding would get her in the mood for real love.
Shay had taken a liking to L.A--and to Ryan--and we were trying to convince her to move here for good. She didn’t want to leave her brother, but we told her to bring him along with her. Johan even offered her a job at the boutique. He’d decided that we had done such a good job on it that we should stay on here, so we were now Californians. I liked it and so did she--I think.
After Stacy went crazy we had to deal with some court hearings and listen to what the police found at her apartment. There were pictures of Zaine and me at the house and pictures of me alone from the boutique, the house, and L.A. in general. The detectives told me she had so many pictures of Zaine and me that it was clear she’d been stalking me. I knew it would of really have frightened me just to look at them. Some of the pictures of me had x’s through them, while the ones with Zaine had hearts around them. She had been stalking us for almost a year and all the while we’d blamed Ryland. It made me feel a little badly, even though he deserved everything he got for what he had done to me.
Stacy had to undergo a psychological evaluation and pleaded insanity as a way to stay out of prison. The psychologist didn’t buy it, and the judge didn’t either, so she received 20 years in prison for attempted murder--twice. She actually had the nerve to smile at me in the courtroom when they walked her away in handcuffs. She wasn’t our problem anymore, and I would never live in fear of someone like her again.
We were celebrating our engagement and all the clan was at the house, except for my mother. She couldn’t make it. My grandmother was very ill and has taken a turn for the worse, but I talked to her all the time and she gave me her motherly advice. She sent care packages to us at least once a month. They were more for the baby, but she always said they were for all of us.
I finally got to meet Zaine’s father, Charles, and could see why Diane was still in love with him after all these years. He had a distinguished look about him, with the same blue eyes as the other men in the family.
“Let me have my grandson,” Diane said, and grabbed the baby away from me. That will probably be the last time I see him for the rest of the night, I thought. Between my mother and Diane that boy was going to be spoiled rotten.
“Lan, where is the wine? Shay and I need more,” Tayla said, coming up behind me in the pool yard. She hadn’t changed.
“In the kitchen, Tayla. You act like you don’t practically live here on the weekends,” I grumbled lovingly.
“Hey I am a guest. Be nice.” Tayla was one of my best friends and I didn’t know what I would do without her. I wanted to smack her sometimes, but I would never change the way she was.
“Hey, babe.” Zaine came up and wrapped his arms around me. He was my rock and I loved being with him. Just as we were about to enjoy a tender moment, a whoop went up from the partygoers.
“Let’s get this party going,” shouted Aaron, coming in from the driveway. “I’m here.” Aaron grabbed the baby away from his mother. He was a good uncle, and I was glad he was going to be my brother soon.
“Hey, let me see the little man,” Ryan said, squeezing Finn’s chubby cheeks.
“Back off, dick. Finn knows I’m the best uncle. You’re boring,” Aaron joked. “I’m going to teach him how to get women.” Little Finn had them wrapped around his finger.
I never had such a crazy, lovable group of people around me, and they were all family to me. I had a beautiful little boy and a man that gave me everything and anything I could want--not just material things, but emotional and physical ones as well. They were my life and I could not imagine a day without them.
My life had been tough at times, and I never thought I would end up in such a happy place. I was always a fighter and always believed that life is what you make of it. But what I have done, the people I have met, they were all part of my destiny--my beginnings and my end. That was one thing, believe it or not, I would never change in a million years.
First off let me say that if it wasn’t for the help and push from these individuals my book would still be on chapter 3. First I want to thank Author Nikki Worrell. Nikki you pushed me and helped me when I was going to pull my hair out of my head and always told me if I didn’t do it I never would, I appreciate you so much and I can not stress how much you mean to me for helping me and I am glad I have a friend like you.
Author Rachel Rae you are my sunshine you are always helping me with promotions and a good laugh when I need it. I thank you for holding my hand and being a friend.
Author Blakely Bennette, thank you for your amazing suggestions and for always offering to help me. I appreciate everything you do for me and you are an amazing beautiful person.
Amanda Fisher - Alberson Thankyou for helping me come up with the character name Finn I love it. And once again to Rachel Rae for the name Jamison.
To Robin from Wicked by Design for my AMAZING book cover, you have such an amazing talent and knew just how to tie everything I wanted together.
To m
y amazing Amanda Swan for always telling me to “use my damn thesaurus”, and for always knowing how I should put things together. I appreciate you and for taking time out from your life for me.
To Wendy Woods- Daroczy for being my main person who helped me set things up, and telling me “ Girl I love you. But what is this mess,you got a period where the question mark should be and a quotation where the period should be.” I love you crazy women.
To my crazy and always honest beta reader Natasia Deleon, I knew I could count on your opinion and it means so much to me that you went through this new and exciting journey with me and there is still more to come so get ready. I love you.
To all my friends and family that always told me to “shut up and do it already.” I thank you all for your encouraging words and I love all of you.
And I also wanted to thank the book blogs that helped me out and gave me some New Author Love. Most of all Bonnie Thompson, and Bobbi Vaughan from Lit- Junkies Book Blog and Keisha Carpenter from Chicks Looking For A Book Fix. Thank you, you guys: Book Vigilante Reviews, Worth the read, Naughty mom’s story time, All Tied up Book reviews, Sarah’s book reviews, Steamy book Momma, The bookish Laurel, Crazy Daisy book Whore, Sexyways of reading, Crazy Ass Bitches, BookObsessed, I Heart Romance, Crazy Beautiful Reviews, Triple T Nerds, One Girl Lost in Romance Books,The Pleasure of Reading Today Red Cheeks Reads.
And a special shout out to Bobbi Vaughan and Keisha Carpenter. For all the extra little things you did for me. Hugs and kisses to you guys.
Forever Waiting Page 18