“Hey babe,” his voice steals my breath. I’m afraid to turn around, afraid it’s a dream because if it is, I will melt right into the floor in my own puddle of tears when I wake. I turn around and when my eyes land on him, my face breaks out into a smile, and one spreads across his face to match. It’s beautiful and brilliant, and I missed it so much. My first instinct is to run over to him and jump in his arms and breathe in his scent. I want to study his face, every perfect inch of it and run my hands through his hair which is perfectly messy, similar to how it was when we first met, but my feet are frozen.
“Are you okay? You didn’t escape did you?” My voice is only above a whisper and his eyes crinkle at the ends, and he lets out a deep glorious laugh. His dimples are deep and they wink at me.
“I signed myself in, gorgeous. No escape plan needed.” His eyes take me in like I’m his most favorite gift, and I start to tremble when he begins to approach me. I’m afraid to move. The sun is hitting him, making him look ethereal. His eyes are grey with a green back drop.
“Are you better?” I ask him my voice breaking as I look up at him. I close my eyes and pray that it’s yes. I couldn’t bear it if he says this is just a visit, that he has to go back. He lifts me up by the waist, so we’re eye to eye. His presence envelops me, causing electricity to shoot through me but peace, too, wraps it’s way around my skin.
His eyes narrow in on mine and the mischievousness in him causes me to bite my lower lip.
“Better than ever.” My lips gravitate to his, and they enrapture mine. I feel the tenderness of Chris’s soft kisses, the expertise of Collin’s tongue, and the domination of Cal’s grip on my waist holding me against his hard chest. I wrap my arms around his neck as one of his hands moves widely through my hair and the other holds me up. When I break away I’m breathless, light-headed, and I feel high like I’m dreaming but if I wake up I’ll scream. I lean my head against his, and I want to ask so many questions. But the moment I feel the signature trace of his name on my back, and his lips on my neck, and he sings a part of my favorite song— tears of joy fall from my eyes. He sets me down, and goes in his back pocket to pull out a ring. My hands cover my mouth as he gets down on one knee.
“I was supposed to wait, but I want another run at this. A fresh start where you have the man you should have had from the beginning.”
I shake my head. “No,” I tell him, and he frowns but he’s wearing an amused grin. “You’ve always been perfect.”
Chapter 34
…Almost 2 years Later
“Oh my gosh, I think they’re having a soccer match in there.” I rub my stomach to try to calm the twins down. My standard position has been sitting with a pillow behind my back since it feels like a watermelon is tied to my stomach.
“Mommy, can I kiss the babies,” Caylen asks sweetly before puckering her lips and kissing my stomach before I can even answer.
“She’s so cute…” Lisa says watching Caylen and Willa run around the gallery, playing some new version of cops and robbers I’m guessing. We closed an hour ago, and the gallery has become a second home for me since I spend so much time here. We have been so busy that we expanded to the lot next door.
“So you’re sure that all that you’ve told me, you want to share with the world? And you want me to be the person to write it?”
“You’re the perfect person, Lisa. You actually can convey who he is so people will understand.”
“You might as well since you made my family’s story a best seller,” his voice is sarcastic, but that’s a step-up from how upset he was when Lisa’s story hit the best sellers list. Names were changed to protect the innocent and the guilty but feelings were hurt, and memories that were buried that we had learned to mourn in silence, were brought back from the dead.
“You’re an amazing writer, babe. Who better to tell the story than someone who was smack dab in the middle of it.” Aidan flops down next to us on the sofa and lays his head on Lisa’s lap.
“I wasn’t in all of it, Aidan. I got left out of the last chapter,” she teases him, with an elbow to the chest and he gives her a quick kiss on the lips. I smile at them, glad that they found happiness with each other. I can’t say that I saw that coming but once she moved in with Aidan and I saw him starting to look like a sad puppy whenever her name was mentioned, I knew where it was going.
“You have love, romance, family drama, and a little bit of suspense after Dexter Sr. went to jail,” Aidan adds.
“If you call that soft, cushy federal prison punishment,” Cal grumbles, and I pull him by the neck to me to kiss him. There’s a knock on the door.
“We’re closed,” Cal yells out as if they can hear him. “Go get the door, Aidan. If I see you swap spit with Lisa again, I’m going to throw up.” He says inhaling a bag full of Skittles, and then picks up the Harry Potter book he had read to the girls earlier.
“Chris, old buddy you’re closest to the door.” Aidan teases him.
“Babe, can you go see?” I pout to him. He throws his head back and grumbles before getting up. Lisa grabs her phone and hits record.
“I’ll get it, so we don’t have to hear him bitch about it all night,” Aidan teases him, and I don’t warn him in time before Cal stretches his leg out to trip him. He catches his fall and snatches Cal’s bag of Skittles. Lisa and I trade amused glances at how childish they are.
“I think the best place to start… is… after Cal pulled a gun on his step-dad,” she says casually.
“Well… after Cal came home, he was distraught. I’d never seen him like that. I couldn’t sleep, my heart felt like it was in my throat the entire night…” He rubs my stomach spelling out his full name.
“How can we help you?” I hear Aidan ask.
“I-I’m looking for Calvin Scott.” All of our attention turns to the door. A beautiful girl is standing there, long dark hair, tall, and striking. I swallow the lump in my throat as my eyes dart to Cal who gives me a questioning look because he doesn’t know who she is. He better not. I push myself off the sofa and stand.
“I’m sorry, who are you?” I ask as politely as I can, trying to keep the worry and jealousy out of my voice.
“I know this might be… it might seem strange but…. I’m pretty sure I’m his sister.”
Fin…
I can say thank you a million times and it wouldn’t be enough but still I’ll say it once more. Thank you for reading and following along with the crazy lives of the Scotts. I thank God for each and every one of you. Special thanks to my girls in the Twisted Party Posse and Kelly Giannini for spit shining this for me and Lashawnda Glover, because she knows why. As a special thank you I’d like to gift you Cal’s sister story free because you’re awesome if you’ve read this far. Before you dive into her story I’d love for you to join my reader group on Facebook here- https://www.facebook.com/groups/Portiaspartyposse/
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