by Frankie Love
Dottie reaches for my hand, squeezing it tight. "Oh, Dane," she says, gasping at the words the doctor has spoken. Words that breathe life into a deadly situation.
"We must move immediately," my doctor explains. "There is no time to waste, you're already at the cusp of being too far gone for this to work."
"It's a risk then?" Dottie asks.
"It's a very high risk."
I look at Dottie, she seems to be deciding something, then she kisses my hand. Leans over and kisses my lips.
Then she looks into my eyes and whispers, "I love you, Dane. I know we just barely met but I know you were made for me. This may be the end, but you gave me a reason to live. And I have to tell you, before your surgery, you are a—"
I want to hear her words, but I can't manage to listen, my body is too weak, and she feels so far from me. My eyes close and the rest of her words lost on me. My body sinks deeper into the hospital bed.
There is a flurry of movement around me, but I'm in a fog, reaching deeper into the darkness that seems to swallow me whole.
"I love you," I say, but no sound comes through my lips. "I love you, Dottie," I say again, not knowing if anyone can hear me.
I fall into sleep, praying her words will carry me through this operation... or even possibly, carry me into whatever comes after this life.
Chapter Thirteen
I'm pacing in the surgical wing when Lexi arrives with Asher. He's fussing in her arms, all red-faced and trying to wriggle his way out of her grasp. Seeing him takes away some of the heartache I feel. It's been such a long day.
I pull them both into a hug, tears streaking my cheeks as I explain everything that has happened since this morning.
"Oh my God, did you tell him?" Lexi asks.
We sit in sterile hospital chairs as I open my top to allow Asher to nurse.
"I gave him a bottle an hour ago, but of course he's been crying for you," Lexi says, setting the diaper bag on the chair beside her.
"Thank you for everything. I couldn't have done this without you." Asher finds my breast and begins nursing, instantly calming himself. "But no, I don't think Dane heard me. He was...," I shake my head remembering the way Dane looked when he was wheeled away for the operation. "He looked like he was on death's door."
"Oh, sweetie, it's too much."
"I know," I say, blinking back tears. "But I told him I loved him and I know it's been only a few days... but I do. I really do, Lexi."
Sobs wrack me as I hold Asher close, imagining Dane on that hospital table... as I imagine him not making it through the operation.
"It's not crazy, Dottie," Lexi says soothingly. "Love isn't black and white. You made Asher together... he opened you up in a way you'd never allowed another man to do. He must be something special to have done whatever he did to you in Miami."
"He didn't just screw me, Lexi, and I know that's what everyone thought when they found out I was pregnant. When he made love to me... that first time... it was magical... so meant to be."
"It's okay to fall in love with a stranger," Lexi says. "Hell, I've been married a year and some days it still feels like I don't know my husband."
I manage to crack a smile through the tears. "If he dies without knowing Asher..." I press my lips to Asher's head. He's fallen asleep against me, milk drool on his mouth. I pull up my shirt and let Asher rest against my shoulder, patting his back softly.
"Don't think like that, Dottie. Right now Dane needs you to believe in him. Believe in the power of your love. After all, the fact that you and his brother were in that accident... the crash that brought him a kidney. It seems like fate."
"But his brother died, Lexi. It's too bittersweet, too tragic to be considered destiny."
"Dottie, sometimes life is like a sunset. Things have to come to a close for the sun to rise the next morning."
Her words make sense, even if they are sad. But maybe not every love story is written in the stars... maybe some love stories are written on the sun.
I close my eyes, praying that Dane makes it out alive, hoping on a ray of sunlight that he comes out of this so he can meet his son.
So he can meet Asher.
The day turns into night, and Lexi, Asher, and I are all asleep when a doctor comes to find us.
I open my eyes when he pats my shoulder. When Asher wakes, offering us a smile—revealing a front tooth that finally broke through while he slept—it's as if I can already sense things are going to be okay.
"He's in recovery and has been asking for you," the doctor tells us.
Lexi sits up, wiping the drool from her mouth. "So, he's okay? He's alive?"
"Very much alive. The kidneys arrived in the nick of time."
"It's a miracle," I say, breathlessly. My world comes back into focus. He is alive and I love him and Asher is in my arms and whatever the world throws at us next, I know deep down that we are going to be okay.
"It truly is," the doctor agrees. "Would you like to see him now?"
I nod, standing, Asher in my arms.
"Infants aren't permitted in recovery rooms.”
I shake my head. "I'm sorry Doctor, but this must be an exception. Dane needs to meet Asher."
I don't ask for permission, I just walk ahead, knowing I will never hold anything back from Dane again.
It's time he met his son.
I stop outside the door, suddenly nervous. My stomach is in knots, and even though I'm relieved beyond belief, this moment holds so much importance that I'm trembling.
Through the glass window, I see Dane sitting slightly upright in bed. Lexi stands behind me, and she nods, pushing me toward the love of my life.
"You can do this, Dottie. Don't be scared, you're going to make this man the happiest father in this city."
She's right, of course. When I walk into this room I am going to give Dane the most surprising gift in the world... which is saying something considering he's just received a kidney donation that saved his life.
"You hold Asher for a second, and I'll go in and tell him I have a present for him making it through surgery."
"You sure?" Lexi asks.
"I'm sure."
Smiling, I hand her Asher and pull open the door.
"Dane?" I say tentatively.
"It wasn't all a dream?" he asks, reaching out a hand for me.
"It's real." I smile, sitting in the chair next to him, savoring the feel of his warm hands against mine. His chiseled jaw, his unforgiving eyes. I memorize him, knowing this face is the face of the man I love and not wanting to miss a single thing about him.
"I remember you telling me something before I left for surgery..."
I smile. "Good. Because I couldn't bear for you not to know how I feel for another second."
"I love you too, Dottie. It might be crazy—"
"Shhh." I cut him off. He loves me. My heart fills, it expands. The lens in which I see the world is different knowing I am not in this alone. "It can't be crazy if we both feel this way."
I lean over and kiss him softly, knowing he still has a long road of healing ahead of him. "I'm so sorry about Thomas."
Dane nods. "So much time had passed, he was a wanted criminal and had removed himself from my life. I'd have sworn he was only here for my money. Yet his dying words saved me. I owe him my life, yet he's already gone. It feels wrong to accept this gift knowing it meant he died."
"I can only imagine what you're feeling, Dane." I squeeze his hand. "But I have another gift for you."
"I don't need anything from you Dottie except your love."
I smile. "Sorry, Dane, but I refuse to accept that."
"Oh really, is this a bossy side of Dottie I didn't know about?"
"Maybe, but I'm betting there are a lot of sides to both of us we have no idea about. Does that make you change your mind about loving me?"
He raises an eyebrow. "Nothing could change how I feel."
I swallow. "This gift is going to change a few things."
"Real
ly?" he asks. "In that case. I have to ask you something before anything else changes."
"But when things change, it might cause you to reconsider your question."
He scoffs. "I'm a man who always knows what he wants. And I want you. Nothing you give me could change that."
"Is that so?" I bite my bottom lip knowing that me introducing him to his son is something he has not considered. But his confidence in our love makes me brave.
"It is." He takes both my hands, kissing the tops of them. "Marry me, Dottie. Marry me knowing that in life there are no guarantees. This moment might be all we get. I don't want to lose any more days with you. I want them all. I want you forever."
I cover my mouth, not expecting this, but I want it with all that I am. "Yes, Dane. I will marry you. I will give you all of my days and I will give you my heart. But now, you must let me give you my gift."
He pulls on my hands, not wanting to let go.
"I promise, it's good." I move to the door and step out of it. Lexi's eyes meet mine. "He proposed. We're getting married."
"After you told him about Asher?"
"I haven't told him yet."
"He really, really loves you."
"I know. And I really, really love him."
I kiss Asher's head, open the door again and step inside.
Dane looks at me with confusion.
"Who's this?" he asks.
I sit back in the chair, turning Asher to face his father.
"This, Dane, is my little boy Asher."
"You have a child?" Dane looks puzzled as I nod.
"I do. I didn't know how to tell you—"
"It's okay, Dottie. It doesn't change how I feel about you, about our life. I can be—"
"No," I say, stopping him. "He is your child. Your son. Asher is our baby."
Dane's eyes widen, the same way Asher's do when he's surprised.
"You got pregnant in Miami?"
I nod. "I didn't know your name, how to find you... but when I saw your picture on the news, I finally knew your name."
His eyes glisten with tears. "If I hadn't been dying I would have never known I had a child," he says reaching for our son.
"I know, it's bittersweet but beautiful."
"A few days ago I didn't think I had anyone in the world to leave my fortune to, and look at this now..." Dane shakes his head. "I'm the luckiest man to have ever almost died."
"But you didn't."
Dane kisses Asher on the cheeks, inhaling his perfect baby scent for the first time. My heart melts at the sight of them together.
"You gave me a reason to live, Dottie."
I look at my boys, knowing they are my reason for everything.
Epilogue
ONE YEAR LATER
The Miami sun shines down on us. We're on our honeymoon, and damn, this wife of mine makes me so fucking hard.
"I can't believe you rented this entire club for us tonight."
"Well I can't have anyone else looking at my woman, can I?" I ask, pulling her toward the pool where we first made love. The lavish cabana is just the first of the surprises I have for my wife. Sunset cruises, shopping sprees, and sex.
Plenty of sex.
"Jealous, are you?"
"You know it," I say, pulling her to me. I reach for the ties holding up her bikini top, letting it fall to the patio surrounding the pool. I lean down, kissing her luscious breasts, her tits so round and perfect, I could suck them for hours.
"The wedding was perfect," Dottie says, pulling down my swim trunks. The palm trees sway in the summer breeze, the smell of coconut oil and the salty sea intoxicating. We are brought right back to the day we met.
But so much has changed since then. Our lives have become so rich, so full, so fucking beautiful.
"It really was perfect," I agree. Dottie's hands are on my hard cock, stroking my shaft the way she knows I like. "And Asher stole the show in his little tux."
At the mention of our son, Dottie sighs. "I miss him, Dane," she says. "But I'm so glad we are alone for the week. I needed time alone with you."
"I know, baby, me too," I say, kissing her lips softly, when our mouths part and our tongues meet, we sink into the kiss. Hard. I pull the ties on her bottoms, letting them fall, and then I press my hand between her thighs, needing to feel her warm pussy against my hand.
"Oh, Dane," she moans, her pussy slick with desire. "I'm so wet for you."
"Yeah, you are," I say, kissing her neck, massaging her tits, knowing my baby likes to take her time when she fucks, never rushing a moment. Dottie knows life is precious, and she realizes the importance of taking her time with the things that matter.
God, I love her.
I pick her up, her naked body a temple I get to worship for the rest of my goddamn life. I carry her to the pool, my cock throbbing and ready. Her legs wrap around me and I know she'll never let go. She wants me to take care of her, and lucky for her, I need to be her protector, her security.
I live my life focused on being the kind of partner she deserves. A husband, a father, a real man.
In the water, I pull her to my lap. I pluck her hard nipples and watch her face as she melts under my touch.
"Dane, I love you so much," she says, her hands pressed to my chest. Her fourteen-carat diamond ring sparkling in the sunlight. This woman in my lap though, she is the real gem. I may have bought her a penthouse apartment overlooking Central Park and made sure she has a private driver—but I know none of that matters to her. When she looks in my eyes, I know she loves me for the man I am: Hers.
She lifts her ass, needing my cock to fill her nice and good, and when she sinks down on my shaft, she moans without inhibition. She is not timid or shy, no longer an inexperienced virgin. No, now she is my wife and she knows exactly what she likes.
She likes to fuck long and hard. She can go for hours, her cunt dripping as she comes over and over again, and I know our honeymoon is going to be a week of tangled sheets and a tender pussy, because I know I plan on licking her up and down until my face is coated in her come, until she shakes from pleasure and trembles from my cock hitting her core, over and over again.
God, I'm fucking hard thinking about it, and as I fill her tight pussy, I thrust hard inside her, knowing my baby likes it deep. She holds tight to my shoulders as I move against her, her hips swiveling as she rides me like she was born to do it.
"I fucking love you, Dottie," I tell her, pulling back her hair and watching her tits bounce like the fuck toys they are.
"I have a present for you, Dane," she moans as I grab her ass, squeezing her cheeks so hard, nearing release. I don't want to come yet, I want to keep fucking Dottie right here, like this. With her back arched and her lips swollen and her heart mine.
"It's a wedding present, Dane," she groans, coming against me with bated breath.
"You didn't need to get me anything, baby. What is it with you and gifts?" I remember her surprise present after my kidney operation. Introducing me to the second great love of my life. Our son.
I can't imagine why presents are on her mind at a time like this when I'm fucking her, but Dottie is always full of surprises. Like when she started a nonprofit in NYC to help train public school counselors to help low-income students apply for college. Like when she started running the Westbrook Charity for single parents. She is nothing but a dream, this wife of mine.
And right now, as I fuck her into oblivion, as my cock explodes, my come shooting inside her like it was made to do, I can't begin to imagine what surprise she has for me now.
"Oh God, Dane," she whimpers, her pussy throbbing as she orgasms against me. "Oh, yes, yes, ohh." She closes her eyes, a smile spreading across her mouth. "Thank you, Dane," she whispers, catching her breath.
I pull her to me, loving her so damn much.
"So, are you ready for your present?"
I look into her eyes, I see her soul. This woman is my fucking wife and the mother of my child. There is no present on Earth I deserve—
I already have everything I ever dreamed of.
"I'm pregnant, Dane," she says, her hands on either side of my face. "We're having another baby."
Her words catch me off guard, and I pick her up by her tight little ass, and spin her around and around in the pool, whooping and hollering because she just made me luckier than any man deserves.
She laughs, telling me I'm crazy and she’s right. I'm fucking insane for her and our life.
Then I pull her mouth to mine, wanting to freeze this memory in my heart, not wanting to miss this moment or the gift that it is.
About the book
Sampson never wanted to settle down — that’s why he became a sailor.
Then he meets Sweetie, with her pouty pink lips and innocent body.
For the first time in his life he’s ready to drop anchor.
But Sweetie’s burly brothers won’t let their little sister be taken so easily.
Punches are thrown and lines are drawn in the sand—and Sampson is sent off to sea before anything can be set straight.
Sweetie is alone, longing for her sailor.
She needs him more than ever.
Especially now that she is carrying his child.
Dear Reader,
This patriotic story is sure to set off fireworks! Sampson is more than a sailor—he’s a hero worth fighting for!
With a body like that, he can board my ship any day!
#ClimbMyMast #FullSteamAhead #AllHandsOnDeck #AnchorsAweigh #NiceBuoy
xo, frankie
Sweetie
I need to get my own place.
Nights like this make that fact more than crystal clear. The music booming from the five-foot-high speakers grinds on my last nerve. The raucous laughter of dozens of people I’ve never seen before has me clenching my jaw, and the smoke, oh the smoke. Why exactly do these strangers feel the need to leave the front door open while they smoke on the porch?