Forgiven (Touched Series #2) (13 page)

“Hey. Stormy, are you ill or is there another reason you got sick?” My eyes open slightly as I turn my head when I hear Pearl’s voice. “I’m just wondering if maybe there’s another reason your stomach is so upset. Well, other than the note and what happened in the kitchen. You know you can tell me anything.” She brushes back some long strands of my hair away from my face. Her eyes are soft and her face contains a small smile.

I try to think what she could be referring to then it dawns on me. “Um, I’m a little late for my period this month but I think it’s just all the stress and nerves,” I whisper as I look around, making sure no one else is in my room. “But when I saw the dead…. And then the note… My stomach just couldn’t take it. I’m sure that’s all it is.” Her face softens, and her smile grows wider. She pats my shoulder and winks.

“Well, it could be the stress and yes, I can see how what happened in the kitchen could churn anyone’s stomach but have you thought about taking a pregnancy test? You know, just to make sure?” The nauseous feeling that had left has now returned. I swallow hard. My mind racing with possibilities but then I look at her and shrug.

“Can’t be. I’ve been on the pill for years. There’s no way,” I whisper again thinking if I say it too loudly it could be true.

She crawls over me and sits back against the headboard. I turn over and she takes my hand. “Sweetie. You must know that isn’t one hundred percent full proof and you can even get immune to it, just like any other kind of pill.” The lump that’s formed in my throat will not allow me to swallow and my stomach just did another flip. “Don’t look so worried. I know Bo wants children and I know even more he wants them with you. If you are pregnant I also know you’ll love it even though you may not be ready yet.” My eyes close as I nod slightly, a lone tear leaks without my permission that I hadn’t known was there. I open my eyes as I feel her tender touch on my face and she smiles. “Would you like me to run down the street and get you a few tests, you know, just to put you at ease?” I look up at her and see the genuine caring on her face and feel so loved and comforted knowing I’m not alone.

“Would you mind?” My voice cracks with dryness and the huge lump is still lodged in my throat. She leans down kissing me on my forehead and climbs off the bed.

“Of course I don’t mind. What are sisters for? I’ll be back in a jiffy and don’t worry. Your secret is safe with me.” That makes me cringe. She’s the worst at keeping secrets even I know that. She stops at the door, her hand on the knob and turns back to me. “Oh, quite. I mean it this time.” She winks as she opens the door, closing it behind her and leaving me with so many things swirling through my mind. Happiness, fear, love, dread, are just a few that plague me. Would I be happy? I know Bo would but am I ready for that? So much responsibility.

I must have dozed off but startle when I feel the bed dip and open my eyes to see Pearl sitting beside me with several pregnancy tests in her hands. The lump is finally gone in my throat so I swallow hard and push myself up until I’m sitting cross legged. “So, you think I need to take like fifty tests?” She giggles and shakes her head.

“It’s only five and different brands. Doesn’t hurt to have more than one. I read on the back of some of them and they all say that they are ninety-nine percent accurate and that you don’t have to be but a few weeks along for it to register.” My brows crease as I try to think how long ago Bo and I first made love then the queasiness returns when I discover it’s been more than three weeks ago.

Before she can ask I take all the tests from her hands as I uncross my legs, moving them off the bed and then walk straight for the bathroom, locking the door behind me. I look at the toilet, the tests in my hands and then lay them on the counter quickly like they had bitten me. Taking a step back I just stare at them. My heart pounding and my stomach churning again but then something hits me. What if I am pregnant? What would be so wrong with that? I’ve always wanted kids and I know Bo does too and we love each other so why am I so nervous about it? With determination, I slide my pants off, grab one of the tests and sit down on the toilet. Once I’ve used them all, I clean myself up and lean against the wall across from the counter and just watch. Why is it that only ninety seconds seems to take forever when you’re waiting for news that might change your entire life? My eyes squint at the counter when I see colors changing on them one by one. My heart feels like it’s about to explode when I take a step closer and lean down and then jump back, hitting the wall full force.

“Stormy? What happened? Are you ok in there?” Pearl’s voice makes my head snap to the door remembering I locked it. Slowly I push myself away from the wall and numbly walk to the door, fumbling with the lock, and then slowly opening it until she pushes her way inside shutting it behind her. “Well?” She looks into my eyes that are glazed over and full of bewilderment and then puts her arms around me, holding me tight. “Congratulations, sweet pea. I’m so excited! I’m gonna be an aunt!”

“Don’t….” I choke out. She moves back a bit and gives me a concerned look. “Don’t tell anyone, please. I…. I’m not ready for that, yet. I can’t….” She pulls me to her and rubs the back of my head, trying to comfort me.

“You’re not ready yet. I get it. But even Bo? Are you at least okay with it?” Her voice comforting.

I nod my head and tighten my hold around her waist. “Especially not Bo. Not yet.”

“Okay. Good. It’s all going to be just fine then.” God, I hope she’s right.

Chapter Thirteen

It’s the day of the big trial dinner at the restaurant and I’m worried about Stormy. I know she’s anxious and nervous but the last couple of days she just doesn’t seem herself. She keeps pacing around, twirling her long hair and biting her fingernail. She’s not bubbly, laughing at my jokes (and they were damn funny) and she hasn’t even wanted sex. Something is wrong, and I aim to find out what it is. It’s about time to go down to greet the guests, and she’s still in the bathroom, so I walk over and lightly tap on the door. “Peaches? Are you ok in there? It’s time to go down.” The door opens and there in front of me is the most beautiful woman I’ve ever laid eyes on. She’s wearing a gorgeous green dress, making the color in her eyes more vivid, black high heels, and she’s glowing in radiance. I take two steps and capture her mouth, her arms moving around my shoulders as mine envelope her waist. After a much heated kiss I move back just enough to look at her and smile. “You are a vision of loveliness.”

She looks at me almost shyly then reaches up and moves her finger over my lips. “You, my darling man, have lipstick on your mouth.” She finishes and then grasps my arm. “Thank you. I’m a bundle of nerves and too much energy. I hope everything goes well tonight. It will make all the difference in the grand opening in a couple of weeks.”

I give her waist a squeeze and grin. “It’ll be great. Quit worrying. Is that all that’s bothering you? You haven’t been yourself lately and you’re starting to worry me.” She looks down at her hand on my arm and then back at me.

“I’m fine. Really. It’s just, Ricco’s still out there. Not knowing when he’ll show up or what he’ll do and then the dinner tonight. It’s just got me all messed up right now. But I’ll be fine.” She gives me a cheery smile but one that doesn’t reach her eyes. She’s hiding something. I can feel it. But it won’t do me any good to press her right now.

Later, everything seems to be running smoothly. I haven’t seen much of Stormy as she is running back and forth from the kitchen to the hostess desk and then talking with people at different tables. I’m walking around proudly without my cane and keeping an eye on things when I feel a soft hand clasp mine and look down to see my girl smiling up at me. “This is my boyfriend, Bo Dunway. Bo this is Mr. Garver, the president of the restaurant food critics here in town.”

The man stands from the table and reaches out his hand. “Ah, Mr. Dunway. A pleasure to meet you. I’ve known you’re father for several years.” He releases his grip and looks at Stormy, smiling. “You have a wonderful girlfriend here. I have to say, it’s the best food I’ve tasted in a long time and her unique recipes are most delicious.” Stormy smiles back at him and then me.

“Well, Mr. Garver. It’s a pleasure to meet you as well. You don’t have to tell me how great her cooking is. Why do you think I have to work out so much?” He laughs as I pat my stomach with my free hand and Stormy lets out her cute giggle.

“Yes, I can certainly understand that,” he responds, still laughing. “Well, I must get back to this wonderful food. A pleasure.” He reaches out for my hand again, shaking it quickly and I watch as he tips his head at Stormy and returns to his seat.

“Well, things are certainly going well.” I look at Stormy to see she is blushing profusely, but her smile has finally lightened her gorgeous green eyes, and I’m relieved.

“Stormy, I need you at the hostess desk, please,” Pearl’s voice shrills over the crowd in the room and Stormy turns her head and nods.

I lean down and kiss her quickly on the lips, and she smiles again as she turns and walks towards the front of the restaurant. Now, what can I do with myself? I’m feeling a little out of place walking around when I hear Pearl call my name from across the room. My head snaps to her, and the look on her face tells me something’s wrong. I walk as quickly as I can with my slight limp to the front entrance, but Pearl points down the hall to the bathroom. I veer off and head that way. I don’t even check to see if anyone is inside the woman’s restroom when I push through the door and look around. There sitting on the floor, her back up against the wall, is Stormy with her head down in between her legs. It only takes me two steps to reach her. I crouch down, my hand laying on the top of her head causing her to look up quickly. I sit down hard when she throws herself into my arms, her soft crying is muffled into my chest, and we sit there as I try to soothe her and find out what happened.

I look down as I raise her head with my hand under her chin. “Stormy. What is it? What happened? Help me out here.” She sniffs and wipes her eyes quickly but her chin keeps quivering.

“Flowers. They were delivered at the front but Emerson intercepted them. He looked at the card and took them out front. Bo. They were from a man who says he’s my father?”
What?

“How can that be? How do you know? Are you sure?” My eyes search her watery ones as my heart beats hard against my chest. She raises her hand, unclenching her fist and there is a wadded up note. I take it from her and sit down on the floor next to her, her head leaning against my shoulder, her eyes closed, and I straighten it out, smoothing it against my leg.

Congratulations on your fine establishment. I look forward to eating here again.

Best wishes and much success!

Your father,

James Lewis

Owner of The Daily News

I look over at her and her eyes are open now, but she has such a confused and worried look on her face. She sits up, her head against the wall and looks up at the ceiling. “Mom once told me my Dad’s name is James. She said she never told him about being pregnant because they were young and he had told her he never wanted kids. I never asked anymore about that, figuring he didn’t deserve to have a kid if he felt that way.” Her eyes travel over to mine, and she lets out a big sigh. “Oh, my God! He was here!”

“But why would he show up now? Did Emerson think the flowers were from Ricco again, another bomb scare?” She only nods. I look across the room, my mind moving a million miles an hour, and then I look back down at the note. “He was here tonight? Why didn’t he just come up to you and talk, introduce himself or maybe he thought it wasn’t the right time?”

She sits up and turns her body to me, crossing her legs and seems more relaxed. “That’s just it. I don’t know. But it would make sense. I just wonder since he obviously knows who I am why hasn’t he tried to get ahold of me before? Why would he wait until now?” She looks down at her hands in her lap and sighs again. “I’m just so confused. It all doesn’t make sense.”

I reach over and bring her face up with my fingers under her chin, again and smile. “Maybe he’s trying to now and doesn’t know the best way to go about it. Maybe he’s just as confused as you are and wants to know you but doesn’t know the right way to do it.” She smiles sadly and lets out a little laugh.

“Mom said I was like him. Your theory would make sense if that’s true.” She pushes against the wall, stands up and walks over to the sink, turning on the facet and splashing some water on her face. Reaching over, she takes a paper towel and dabs over her face with it then looks in the mirror, runs her fingers through her long hair and turns around. “Well, I’m not going to let this get in the way of our night. Everything’s going too well and I’m not going to let anything get in the way. We only have an hour left and more people were coming in when the flowers were delivered. I’ve been in here long enough. How do I look?”

Standing, I walk right over to her, press my mouth against hers and then lean back smiling. “You look gorgeous. I’m so proud of you.” Her smile is genuine and lights up her face as she nods and we walk out of the bathroom hand in hand.

♥    ♥    ♥    ♥

The evening was such a success. I had three food critics come up to me, congratulating me on a job well done and telling me they can’t wait until we open in a couple of weeks. The flowers from the mysterious man, claiming to be my father, are sitting on our entry hall table in our apartment and the note is in my nightstand. I’ve been trying not to take it out every five minutes to reread it over and over, but I can’t stop myself. The owner of a newspaper. Well, at least now I know two more things about him. What he does for a living and that his name is James Lewis.

I’m in the kitchen making pancakes when Bo walks over to me, kisses me on the cheek and then walks over and sits at the table. Smiling, I turn around to see him opening a newspaper, spreading it on the table and then looking at me, smiling and giving me a wink. “What?” He crooks his finger at me, still smiling, so I turn around, turn off the burner, moving the skillet to the other burner and tilt my head in confusion as I walk over to him. He pulls out the chair next to him, sliding it over to close to his side and pats the seat. “Okay, now what’s this…?” I stop when I look down at what he’s circled with black magic marker, my eyes widening and nervousness creeps into my body.

Best new restaurant in town!

By James Lewis

Owner and Food Critic

Want a delightful meal that’s not only affordable but is unique in taste? You’ll find such meals at the new restaurant ‘Reece’s Restaurant’, opening in just two weeks. I attended this fine establishment last night for a ‘sneak peek’. Not only was the cuisine divine but the unique recipes were not only tasty but different from any other place I have ever eaten. The prices are quite affordable, the staff friendly, the place very clean and decorated to suit the restaurant that had stood in its place several years ago, run by the owner’s mother, Celia Reece. I recommend this new restaurant and suggest you visit it often and as soon as it opens. Stormy Reece has a gold mine here and one you will not want to miss out on.

My hands fly to cover my mouth as my heart beats wildly. I look over at Bo whose smile brightens up his face. “Well? I can’t tell if you’re pleased or just in shock,” he winks and leans over giving me a quick kiss as I remove my hands.

“I… I don’t know what to think. I’ve been trying to rack my brain all night thinking about all the people there last night and I just don’t remember seeing anyone who could be him. Mom always told me I looked just like him but I can’t place seeing anyone like that there.” He takes my hands in his and looks down at them, rubbing his thumb over the top of my good hand and then looks back up.

“Well, maybe this is his way of letting you know that he knows about you and wants to meet you. Maybe he’s as scared and nervous as you are and thought this would help open the door, so to speak.” My brows lower as I contemplate this. “Question is, are you willing to meet him if he approaches you? Are you willing to let him in that door?”

I stop and think. Am I? I mean from what Mom told me, he’s never known about me. What if she was wrong? What if she would have told him and he wanted me? But how does he know about me now? I’m so confused and don’t know whether to be happy, excited, sad or angry. My head snaps to Bo when I feel a tap on my bare leg and notice he’s been patiently waiting on me to say something. “Well, I’m not sure. My head’s all mixed up.” He kisses me again, stands and walks over to the stove, gathering up all the pancakes onto a plate and then brings it over then goes back to get the syrup, bacon and orange juice and returns to his seat.

“A man could starve waiting on you, woman,” he laughs. Giving him my best smirk, I punch him on his shoulder and get up to get plates and silverware. “I’m sure you’re all confused about all of this. Hell, I don’t blame you. But it’s kind of cool, after all this time, for him to want to try, ya know?” He shrugs his shoulders and after setting down his plate and handing him a fork, he dives into his food, closing his eyes and humming. I put my elbow on the table, my chin in my hand and just watch him. Maybe he’s right. It does take a lot of guts to try to come into my life and maybe he’s got his reasons for not doing it before. Or maybe he’s after something. Now, I’m even more confused and don’t know what to think.

We both do our own things the rest of the day and into the evening. Him in his office and working out while I’m in the restaurant working with the staff. I’ve taste tested so many things I feel like I could explode. Emerson is keeping watch at the front door, as usual, but I still don’t feel completely safe. Again, we haven’t heard anything from Ricco and that normally means he’s up to something.

The next few days are uneventful but in a good way. Nothing still from Ricco and the restaurant is coming along nicely. Everyone’s been great coming by and letting us try out new recipes on them and they are all getting rave reviews from my family. I’m exhausted and I took another pregnancy test, just to make sure, and it still came out positive. I should really tell Bo but with everything going on, I just haven’t had time to think. After a nice hot bath, spraying myself with my favorite spritz, brushing out my long hair and getting my teeth clean I climb into bed, next to my sleeping man and cuddle up close to him, falling into a deep sleep.

“Mmmmm,” I moan. My eyes open to dim light and Bo in between my legs and doing the most marvelous things with his mouth and tongue. My head tilts back into my pillow, my hands fisting the sheets as his tongue delves deep inside me while his thumb rubs the place that’s making my body burn in desire. “Ungh!” I squirm underneath him as my inner muscles begin to clench but everything stops when he does and I open my eyes just in time to see his thick cock move up and then pushes into me quickly. “Bo!” I yell as he pulls out to the very tip and then back into me with a force. As he continues my hips meet him every time and beads of sweat start to form on my body along with the heat that develops from inside me. “I can’t….”

“You can, Peaches,” his voice whispers in my ear. My mouth finds his and our tongues dance to the beat of his thrusts. His moan enters my mouth as he starts moving faster, my hands move around his shoulders, and my nails start digging into his flesh. Finally, we both release, one shortly after the other, and soon he’s lying beside me, his arm thrown over my waist, and we lay there trying to catch our breaths. “God, I’ve missed you. I’ve missed this.”

I turn my head and look into his eyes. He’s on his stomach, his face turned my way and his baby blues are sparkling in his after-climax bliss. “I’ve missed you, too. I’m sorry I’ve been so preoccupied lately. I don’t like that it takes me away from you so much.” My lower lip jets out as I pout and he leans over and nips it with his teeth.

“Hey, we’re young and have all the time in the world with each other. Things will die down in a while and we’ll find more time for each other. It takes a lot of work getting things up and running. Don’t worry.” He turns over, pulling his sleep pants back on and gets under the covers. I nod, lean to him and kiss his luscious lips and then slide out of bed, feeling the coolness without his arm around me and head into the bathroom. After taking a much needed potty break, I run my fingers through my hair and look at myself in the mirror. My face is glowing in light pink and I definitely look like I’ve just had the fuck of my life. Quickly, I splash some cool water on my face and grab the hand towel, dabbing my face. Smiling at myself I turn off the light, open the door and stop dead at what I see.

Bo is still lying in bed but there is smoke everywhere. It’s not too thick but enough to make me cough. I wonder why the alarms didn’t go off. I walk closer to the bed and gasp when I see blood running down the right side of his face. “BO!” I scream and start to run but am captured by strong arms and thrown across the room, hitting the wall across from the bed. “Oh!” Landing on the floor with a ‘thump’ I raise my head when a fist hits my face, and I’m knocked back down, closing my eyes as pain sweeps through me. I groan as I begin to choke and cough and open my eyes to see the smoke has gotten thicker. I start to get up, my body struggling with the pain, but suddenly a hand moves around my throat, cutting off my air supply, and pushes me against the wall.