by Mia Caldwell
We shared an exhausted laugh and, seeing his longing gaze, I climbed into bed beside him. I was careful to stay off of him, simply nuzzling carefully against his shoulder. He shifted position slightly, allowing him to slowly and painfully put an arm around me.
“How did I get here?”
“Alphonse and your driver half-dragged you in your pain medicated state.”
“Gregory? Remind me to give that man a pay raise…”
“And what about Alphonse?” I asked.
“Remind me to take his money. So, tell me, what did the good doctor say about my condition?” Cole asked solemnly, bracing himself for bad news.
“He said that there’s a good chance that it will not reoccur now that the effected tissue has been removed.”
“I…I see,” Cole nodded carefully. “I feel strange Kiona, as if I I am breathing through a fire hose.”
“The doctor said you were down to thirty percent lung capacity before the transplant. It was a miracle you were able to function,” I replied gravely.
“And I think I have you to thank,” he told me, gazing deep and longingly into my eyes. “I’d given up. I had resigned myself to this malady, this abomination inside me. My impending, early grave was already inevitable. I was making the proper arrangements to leave things as well as I could before I died and I had no intention of accepting a lung transplant.”
“You don’t mean that,” I replied, a concerned look flashing across my face.
“I did… But then I met you, and I learned what it meant to love. For the first time in my life, I understood what people meant when they talked about these feelings…these indescribable, insatiable emotions.”
“Maybe Alphonse had a point, then,” I responded slyly.
“Perhaps so. Even sanctimonious assholes can be right once in awhile.”
“That reminds me,” I told him, pulling myself from his grasp. Cole’s confused gaze followed me as I wandered from the room, returning a moment later with a large, legal-sized envelope. “Alphonse said to give these to you the moment you stirred from your rest.”
“Oh?” Cole took the envelope, unpinning the catch in the back and unsheathing the pages. His eyes quickly scanned everything as his eyes lit up with the brightest glimmer I’ve ever seen.
“Is that what I think it is?” I asked, barely able to contain my overwhelming excitement.
“Now it’s really over,” he grinned, holding up the final page. A large, magnanimous signature was scribbled along the open space on the bottom. “Alphonse Megami – the Megami Corporation – has officially bought Andrews Enterprises.”
I squealed with satisfaction and curled back into bed with him, planting kisses along his bare shoulder. “I’m so happy for you. Everything you’ve always wanted is here.”
“And I couldn’t have done it without you, my dear.”
Cole’s smile began to falter after he spoke the words, and he turned away.
“What’s the matter?”
“I…this is where I was going to die,” Cole told me, confessing his confusion and hesitance. “I didn’t think I’d have enough time to see this deal through, and now…I’ve sold the company I built from the dying promise of my fallen friend…everything has led up to this. But now…what do I do now?”
“Whatever you want, Cole. It’s all over,” I told him firmly. “You did it. You’ve fulfilled your obligations. You’ve honored the wishes of your friend, your employees will all be properly rewarded…everything is done. Now, I think that it’s time that you find your own path. And the best part is?” I grasped his hand, holding it up in both of mine. “You have plenty of time to figure it out…and I’ll be right here by your side to help.”
Cole thought on my words carefully, still gazing into space, but a crisp smile began to cross his lips.
* * *
A few weeks later, after Cole had bounced back enough from his surgery to move around independently, he snuck away from our penthouse bright and early in the morning. I thought about telling him that I’d woken up, but I decided to sleep in – I trusted him completely. When he returned an hour later and woke me again, I pushed down my curiosity, wondering what he had been up to.
Out of spontaneity, he wanted to go back to New Orleans and enjoy it again for the “first time.” I agreed, amused by his sudden enthusiasm, so long as he was fit for travel.
That night, after a delicious dinner at our restaurant again, he took me back to Frenchman Street and to the soul and jazz club that we’d visited – where I’d started to really fall for him. After a long night of powerful, soul-moving music, he revealed the contract again – the one that we’d signed that wiped our marriage clean from the books. Immediately, he dropped to a knee, producing the most beautiful engagement ring I’ve ever seen – with a stunning jade stone.
“Let’s do it all again,” Cole told me, “and let’s do it the right way this time. You and me – we’ll take what we have and we’ll make it better. Stronger. Proper. No contracts. No lies. No playing pretend. Will you marry me Kiona?”
The musicians blared into a passionate, perfectly happy jazz number as the crowd cheered us on. The horns danced in unison, the music attuned to our very souls, and time froze for that beautiful, magical moment.
“Oh God yes,” I grinned triumphantly, chucking the old ring over my shoulder.
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Epilogue
Kiona
The gondolier casually drifted us down the rivers of Venice as Cole and I relaxed, curled up in each other’s arms. The refreshing spring sun bathed us in warmth as I listened to his steady, strong heartbeat, smiling quietly to myself.
So much had happened in the last twelve months.
Larry Higgins funeral had been both a high and a low point. Hundreds of staff and family gathered to spread his ashes and honor his good nature. From a tragedy had come new life. His kidneys were now inherited by a young diabetic girl in Tulsa. His heart went to a thirty five year old father of four… And of course… His lungs had found a new life as well. In his own way, Larry was still with us. He may not have had the money or charitable influence that Cole boasted, but his sacrifice meant so much to so many.
Including me.
His miraculous tissue type match was a lucky break, but Larry’s type O blood had certainly improved the odds for all of his donor recipients. Four of his six key antigens were matched with Cole, enough for a successful transplant even in his weakened state. Thus far there hadn’t been any signs of organ rejection.
I’m not sure Cole could ever make total peace with the idea that Larry had given him the gift of life, but he worked hard to honor his fallen employee’s memory. The charitable foundation Cole wanted to start upon his death became the Larry Higgens Hope for Hearts organization. They specialized in making future transplant patients comfortable in the months leading up to a suitable match, and provided free emergency high-speed air transport for matched donors and recipients when distance would be a factor in their ability to receive a viable transplant.
Going with Cole to visit the very first recipient of the new foundation’s assistance was a high point. A little seven year old girl was alive because the organization was able to orchestrate immediate cross-country travel with no expense spared to shave seconds off her arrival.
In the meantime, Cole had returned to Andrews Enterprises to oversee the transfer to Megami and to weed out dissension in the ranks. With his health no longer a weapon to be used against his net worth and his company’s value, Coppersmith was Cole’s first target. After some impromptu and fearsome interrogations, surprising and horrifying details came to light. Deprived of his leverage, the careless and embittered Coppersmith found himself kicked from the board and removed from the company.
In the aftermath, Cole launched an investigation in interpersonal company communications in the months leading up to his near death experience. What stood out like a sore thumb was the massive amounts of communication between Coppersmith and Cole’
s executive assistant, Kylie. She buckled under the pressure revealed her role in the plot to sweep Cole’s company out from under him. Despite her cooperation, Cole took pity and fired her without involving legal counsel. She met the same disgraceful fate as her associate, but many in the building felt she deserved worse.
Turns out, they hadn’t taken into consideration Cole’s connections in the business world. No matter how powerful your friends are, the wrath of a young and vengeful billionaire will make them turn their backs. The last I heard, Coppersmith was retired and living on social security, and Kylie had taken up work as a waitress in a San Francisco Denny’s.
Partially out of punishment, partially out of necessity, the board was dissolved and reintegrated into lesser positions in the company. A number of them balked and resigned in disgust, but a few were willing to accept responsibility for the nest of vipers that their group had ultimately become. They were rewarded when the Megami deal went through and with it, the huge lump sum payments to all remaining employees. With some strong restructuring and under Megami’s intelligent leadership, the company was steeped to become more capable and productive than ever.
Of course, Alphonse had been made privy to Cole’s little magic box, and seemed to understand the importance of protecting Hunter’s algorithms. Surely he would use his newfound power to propel Megami corporation to new heights, but in his enlightened state, he agreed to pitch in matching funds for any of Cole’s future charitable endeavors. The world, it seems, would be a better place for their partnership.
And Cole’s former company prospered as a result. Surprisingly, a number of the staff elected to remain despite their large lump sum payouts even after the one-year deadline when they could have easily walked away. They worked well together, and were prideful of everything they had accomplished, with or without their founder.
However, all of this leaves out an important detail, something that you might already be wondering about…
Cole had family again.
Or at least he would, in another seven months… I thought to myself, moving my hand across my swelling tummy.
I had finally found my place, and I didn’t have to adapt or change to fit the next big opportunity anymore. This was just me, living my happy life with the man of my dreams. It was something complete in the now, something concrete.
I had Cole. We had each other. Forever.
And, as you’ve undoubtedly noticed…
I got that honeymoon in Venice after all, if only a little belated.
The End.
Author’s Note
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Here’s a little taste:
The Billionaire’s Desire…
She's even better up close.
Sanniyah is studying her surroundings like she has everything already figured out, her chin lifted to show off the graceful swoop of her neck. In the waning light of sunset, I first assumed her perfect skin was a smooth shade of caramel, but as I move closer, I can see the different colors under the surface; the ebonies, the siennas, the dark chocolates. I am staring at her, I can feel it. I have to look away.
She doesn't know how hard this is for me. She can't possibly know that the very act of allowing someone I don't know into my sanctuary is tearing me apart internally. It's not her fault that she is gorgeous and unnerving and I am already so on edge I feel like I might snap at any moment. So I keep conversation to a minimum, though it is clear she is unhappy with how I am avoiding talking about the wedding. She doesn't know that the just allowing her near me is the biggest step.
But she seems unnerved too. When I steel my resolve and make to touch her, she goes stiff and jumpy. I wonder if she can sense the damage inside of me. I wonder if she knows I am not right inside.
This bothers me.
"Come down here," I tell her. I am being too abrupt, ordering her around. I expect her to tell me to shove off, but instead she follows me, to my immense surprise. "I want to show you something."
She hesitates at the bottom step, wavering. "Oh, I got that," I say, reaching out to help her unbuckle her sexy, spindly heels. It's a problem I can easily solve, unlike my inability to handle a normal conversation.
She lifts her foot. The instant my hand circles her ankle, I feel it again. That bolt of possessiveness. That want. A fiery need I haven't felt in...forever perhaps?
I used to feel things. Hunger, drive. Ideas would come to me like bolts out of the blue. Inspiration would take hold of me and shake me like I am shaking right now. I am shaking so hard I can barely get her buckle undone.
My hand looks like it belongs there, wrapped possessively around her. Claiming her as my own. I know she is what I need. I know that she will make me whole again. I don't question it, just like I never questioned any of the ideas that led me to my incredible fortune. I just acted.
Her bare feet wiggle in the sand, and I feel another jolt. A different kind of jolt.
This one goes straight a very different part of my anatomy...
She's standing on the half-buried last step, which means our eyes are level with each other. "I'm glad you're here, Sanniyah," I say. And I mean it.
She looks startled for a minute. I can see a million different expressions flash across her face until she finally settles on one.
Delight.
Her eyes open wide; shocked and pleased. Her beautiful, kissably plump lips curve into a megawatt smile. Her face is so utterly transformed in that moment that I make a solemn promise to myself right now.
I want to delight her. Again and again. I will spend the rest of my life trying to make her smile the way she is right now.
"I'm pretty glad too," she laughs. Her voice is softer. "It's gorgeous here."
I look down at the shoreline. The waves are gentle, sighing into the sand. It's low tide. "Sometimes shells wash up," I tell her. "Over here."
They wash up everywhere, but I am using this as an excuse to take her hand. It slips into mine like it belongs there. "Okay," she says, her voice barely above a whisper. I'm not sure if she's saying it to me or to herself.
Darkness is gathering in the trees. "What was that?" she asks, startled by a sharp cry from the branches.
"Migratory birds," I tell her, picking my way carefully along the waterline. "This is a stop for a lot of them. Someday I'm going to learn all of their names, but right now I just think of them as happy surprises. This place is protected, you know. A bird sanctuary." I pause. "My sanctuary.”
Sanniyah stops, forcing me to look back. Her head is tilted to one side, exposing the curve of her throat to me. I eye it hungrily until her words catch me by surprise. "So why share it?"
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Author’s Note
Want more exclusive Mia Caldwell stories, including notification of new releases that are all FREE with your Kindle Unlimited subscription? Sign up for the Mia Caldwell mailing list by clicking right here!