Forgiveness Creek: The Creek Series (3 page)

I stopped at the last McDonald’s on the way home and used their bathroom to put on my naughty number and covered it with a long coat. Praying nothing happened the last hour of my trip where I would have to explain my dress code. I could just see the story’s caption reading, “Woman arrested for DMTHN, driving-more-than-half-naked”.

I turned my lights of and coasted my car down Stephan’s drive, barely able to control my excitement. I hoped he was pleasantly surprised by having a late night visitor.

Shutting the car door quietly, I tiptoed across the front porch, hoping my heels didn’t give me away. Even with the barrier of the cedar siding, I could hear his Bose stereo playing his iPod at full throttle once I got close to the door. He wouldn’t hear me open the door, even if I threw it into the next room. I dropped my overcoat on the porch and cracked the door, but saw his recliner empty. I didn’t have a clear view of the kitchen, but I couldn’t see anything or hear him, so I opened the door and made a sneaky entrance.

I’d made it to the middle of his living room when he came out of the hall, wearing nothing but a towel. Beads of water covered him, but I could only focus on his smile. Beautiful white teeth surrounded by full, rosy lips.

“You’re stunning.” He approached me with open arms and wiggling a brow. “What are you doing here?”

“Returning the favor.”

“If you were trying to one-up me, you win.” He took my hand and raised my arm above my head, twirling me for his own appreciation. “Outfits of this nature suggest some open-ended promises. Do you agree?”

“I do.”

“Then, lead the way.”

I led us to his bed with our pinky fingers tightly linked together and pushed him to a sitting position on the end of the mattress.

“Don’t move.” I shook my finger in front of him.

“Babe, don’t worry.”

The iPod was playing in the kitchen, and I searched through until I found the perfect song. With Def Leppard singing about some sugar in the background behind me, I strolled back into the bedroom and gave my best attempt at a seductive striptease routine.

Happy to take the heels off first, since they were killing me, I put my foot in his crotch and motioned for him to remove the fish net stockings, one at a time. The man was a master at garter belts and tried a couple of times at stealing third base with his thumbs, but I slapped his hands. Unfastening the matching black leather corset was more of a challenge than I thought. I was sort of sad to see it go, it gave my waist more shape than I ever knew I had. It was definitely going back into my lingerie drawer.

The only remaining clothing items were his towel and my black lace bra and matching thong. He was in a race to get them off… I was in a race to leave them on and torment him with enticing anticipation.

When I yanked at his towel, he was a willing participant. “What do you want?”

“Everything.”

After we made love, he held me in his arms. When I tried to roll over to sleep, he pull me tighter.

“I don’t want your back to me. I want to be able to see your eyes, even if they’re closed.”

I angled my neck, so I had a better view of his face. “What’s wrong?”

“Hard to close my eyes on the perfect moment.”

We continued talking, but I couldn’t stay awake and finally drifted off to sleep on his chest. I woke to his fingers stroking my arm.

“Hmm, my angel awakes.”

Through the crack of one barely opened eye, I could see the outline of his face with the lamp behind him; apparently, he’d never turned it off.

“Angels have a hard time sleeping when the devil is tormenting them.”

In a swoosh, he’d pulled me on top of him. “I’m the devil? You’re the one showing up at my door wearing nothing but naughty.”

“Admit it, you loved it.”

“I did and I want an encore, but we have to go see your mom. First, let’s go watch the sunrise.”

“Now? Sure, let me get some clothes on.” I tried to roll out of bed.

“We only need a blanket. I’ll keep you more than warm.” He met me with a grin that would melt ice.

“You’re what?” Mom squealed and shut the oven door.

“Engaged. Don’t pretend like you didn’t know it was coming. Stephan told me he asked for your blessing.”

I watched her eyes go up to his and back down to mine before she gripped both of my hands. “I couldn’t be happier for the two of you. Have you made any plans?”

“No. Maybe this summer, there’s just a lot going on right now to plan much.”

She pulled out two chairs at the table. “You two sit. I made biscuits and gravy. Justin will be in shortly to join us. Welcome to the family, Stephan, not that you haven’t been part of it all these years, but now it will be official.”

When Stephan grabbed my mom’s wrist as she walked by and stood to kiss her cheek, I had a swooning moment.

Once the
love spaceship
dropped me back to reality at school, a routine was hard to find. I wasn’t focused, leaving my grades to suffer. After bombing two important tests, my advisor pulled me into her office and asked what was going on with my studies. Her concern was that work was too much, and I wasn’t able to study.

“It’s love. I’m in love, and I can’t focus, Ms. Sheridan.”

“Well, I suppose you better tell that boy of yours to stop distracting you. All jokes aside, Wrenn, you’re one of our better students, and your grades have fallen off from high A’s to some C’s and the courses just get harder the further you get in the program.”

“Yes, ma’am, I understand.”

She laid her pen down on top of my file and removed her glasses. “I don’t want to see you back in here, unless you are handing in you final paperwork for graduation, are we clear?”

I stood from my chair and faced her across the small room with my shoulders tucked back. “Very.”

With my book bag in hand, I closed her door behind me and propped against the wall outside her office. Stephan and I would just have to be patient; school had to come first if I wanted to finish.

Later that night, Karina and I made a pact to help each. We were to time our phone calls and support the other with staying focused. I also confessed to Stephan and Mom, so they would understand I was slipping and why I would need to shorten our communication, as painful as it was going to be.

Stephan offered his apology and concern, uttering his guilt over and over for coming down and distracting me, but the choices were clearly mine to make, and I accepted the fault. Missing a couple of pop quizzes hadn’t helped my GPA. No more skipping class.

Every time I looked down at my hand, I knew of his promise to me. It was the inspiration I needed to keep going and complete the promise I’d made to myself and finish school.

I was looking forward to spring break more than ever. I just had one more week to get through.

I was in the middle of stocking supplies at the hospital when Becky opened the door to the supply closet. “Wrenn, there’s an urgent call for you at the desk.”

“Okay.”

She held the door open for me, and I rushed passed her, but not before seeing a ghostly look on her face.

“Hello?”

“Wrenn, honey, you need to come home.” Mom’s voice sounded urgent on the phone.

“Why? What’s wrong?”

“It’s Stephan. I’m sorry, baby—” The rest of her words were lost in a visceral cry.

“What, Mom? What?”

There was a long pause. “He was killed today in an accident at work. You need to come home. Call me when you’re on your way. And please drive carefully.”

I slid down the wall and puddled on the floor. There was nothing in my life that had prepared me for this moment.
Why did God allow us to find each other again just to take him from me?

Becky wrapped her arms around me and pulled me from the floor. “I’m so sorry, honey. He seemed like a wonderful man, and he loved you so much.”

I cried for some time, and Karina came down to comfort me and cried as much as I did. She held me in arms as the nurses looked on.

When I was able, I drove to the dorm and packed a few clothes, then called Mom to let her know I was on my way.

It was the longest damn drive of my life to an endless point. Emptiness prevailed…