Complete Indelible Love Series

by Cee, DW

  “I wanted to finish what I started with you and Roland.”

  “Your Grace, I am ready to do your bidding. Since we’ll be family in a little more than twelve hours, I won’t even charge you my $1500 an hour billing rate.”

  “How generous of you,” I drawled, heavy with sarcasm. “Can we do all this tonight, you think? I’d like for all documents to be signed after the wedding.”

  “We can do whatever you like, Grandpa. Tell me what you want.”

  I proceeded to give Donovan specific directions on how my money, properties, and other holdings were to be divided when I passed. Most of this had been taken care of in the past, but I had struggled to find an answer to how to divide the properties.

  “Are you positive you want Michael to receive every single piece of property you own? Won’t your two sons and two other grandchildren wonder where they went wrong?”

  “I know it sounds wrong to give so much to one person, but that’s how my grandfather wanted things done. He gave everything to my father and my father gave everything to me. Grandfather believed that if we chose one responsible person to take care of everything, then everything would stay intact and the rest of the family could enjoy all the benefits.”

  “Gotcha. Harry, it’s up to you how you want to dole out your possessions. I’m just excited this marriage benefits us all.”

  The conversation went long, but in the end, I was content that when I passed, my family, new and existing, was taken care of.

  *******

  Estelle

  “Gigi.” My impatient Elizabeth Reid implored. “The boys are eating all the dessert and Auntie Bee just came down with the new baby. Is your story finished, yet?”

  “Elizabeth!” Her mother was always admonishing this girl, attempting to teach her to slow down and smell the roses.

  Emily didn’t need to say another word. Her daughter knew better. “I’m sorry, Gigi, but we’ve been sitting in the same position for almost two hours listening to your story. While I find your life fascinating, I’ve been dying to meet my newest cousin. Plus, I spent hours making the brownies by myself, and I’ve yet to get a taste. If I don’t go now, the boys will have finished every last piece.”

  My oldest great-granddaughter was one of my greatest joys. Though I had eleven other great-grandchildren, this one spoke to my heart the loudest. She was impetuous to a fault and testing her parents’ limits as a ritual. Initially, I worried for Emily. The tenderhearted woman that she was, I didn’t think she’d be able to stand up to her twelve-year-old daughter once she entered the ugly teenage years. Contrary to my beliefs, Emily stood firm in her beliefs and never wavered in her discipline. I knew Elizabeth would grow up beautifully and take her pride of place in the next generation of Reids.

  “Are you asking to be excused, Young Lady?” I arched my eyebrow in pretend-reproof.

  “May I please be excused, my beautiful great-grandmother? I would love to meet my baby cousin. I promise to return to this very spot once I’m done saying hello. Would that meet your approval, Gigi?” She was never short of words. Even before she turned two, she coined me, Gigi, when the word great-grandmother didn’t work.

  This twelve-year-old had the looks of a beauty queen, patience of a tween, the brilliance of a heart surgeon, and the charm of a diplomat. Heaven help the man who came courting.

  “Gigi. I’ll tell the rest of the story to Ellie. It’s OK if she leaves. I promise I’ll remember what you say.”

  “And do you want to leave with your cousin, Delilah?”

  “No, Gigi. I want to hear your story. You didn’t get to the part when the prince comes and rescues the princess.”

  “Lilah.” Ellie’s bossy tone surfaced. “Did you not hear Gigi talk about the two princes who’ve already come? She married both of them.”

  “But Gigi’s not married. I think you’re wrong, Ellie. Gigi has to end the story with a happily-ever-after and she hasn’t yet. I promise to remember the story for you if you want to go eat a brownie.”

  Elizabeth stopped talking to Delilah and gave me her beseeching eyes.

  “All right, Elizabeth. You may go.”

  With a quick squeal of joy, my oldest great-granddaughter left.

  I was left with the three granddaughters who lived on the cul-de-sac, and Delilah.

  “Mommy, is Gigi finished with her story? What did Ellie mean when she said Gigi married two princes? Can a princess marry more than one prince?”

  Donovan picked up his daughter and tickled and kissed her until she hollered for him to stop. “You, my baby princess, may never get married. I’m going to lock you up in your tower and keep you with me forever.” He nuzzled her soft blonde hair.

  “Daddy.” This beautiful little girl spoke, “Just because my hair is long and yellow like Rapunzel’s doesn’t mean you can lock me up in the tower. I have to meet my prince and live like a princess.”

  “No. Never.” He adored her some more.

  Delilah Rose Taylor was the apple of all of our eyes at this moment. Born seven years younger than her cousin Ellie, Delilah, or Lilah as we liked to call her, was the only other girl in this generation. As Elizabeth was the only female Reid for the first five years, Lilah was the only female Taylor, ever. Both were adored and cherished by their grandparents, aunts, and uncles. Though eventually, both would feel stifled by the protectiveness of their brothers and male cousins.

  “Why don’t we all go and see how Uncle Nick and Aunt Bee are doing with their newborn,” I suggested.

  “When will you finish your fairytale, Gigi?” Lilah jumped into her mother’s outstretched arms.

  “Baby, Gigi’s not done with her story because there’s more to come. Her fairytale continues with the latest prince coming to make more of her dreams come true.”

  At the age of ninety-three, I had the good fortune of living with two outstanding men. My life with Jerry was as ideal as any first-time marriage could be. He loved me completely and made me want for nothing. There was not a woman on earth who could say she was more cherished than I. When Jerry passed away, after more than sixty years of marriage, I didn’t know how I’d survive. I was only living physically as he’d taken the emotional part of me with him to the grave.

  But, as I’d learned with life, when one passed away, a new life appeared. I didn’t expect Roland Ascot to reappear and to breathe a new life into this old body. Though we didn’t quite live a decade with one another, our love was no less sweet. Surprisingly, there was enough love in my heart to start again. My almost-decade with Roland equaled the years I spent with Jerry. I was blessed to have been loved by both men, and I missed both of them dearly.

  “Hello, Gram.” My grandson Nick and his wife Bee came home from the hospital with their newborn baby boy, yesterday. Ten years since their wedding, Nick was now firmly entrenched in the world of research, working on a joint-effort project between the university and a private research company he founded with the help of three of his schoolmates. Bee’s company grew yearly and with the busy lives these two lived, we thought Nicky Jr. would be their only child. Bee greeted her fortieth birthday with a whopping baby surprise and stirred the hopes of all Reid men.

  Bee handed me their bundle of joy.

  “He’s precious.” My newest great-grandson looked like a Reid. He had jet black hair and sparkling blue eyes like his father before him and he laid calmly in my arms. “Where’s Nicky?”

  “He’s already in the pool with his cousins. Donovan had the love of his life and Nicky in a football hold and he threatened to jump into the deep end with them in that position.” Bee explained while watching her nephew attempt the feat.

  “By the sounds of the screaming before and after the splash, I’m sure Donovan will have to do more of that football move.” Every great-grandchild I held, I thanked God Above for giving me so many years with my family. The blessings only increased. “How are you feeling, Bee?”

  “Old.” She laughed. �
�I can’t get up in the middle of the night like I used to with Nicky. At thirty-five, I thought I was too old to have a child. At forty, I know I’m too old to have a child.”

  “Where’s my baby nephew?” Jane came out of the pool and greeted her brother and sister-in-law. “Let me pin up my hair so I don’t drip water on Nathan.” She did as promised and splayed her hands. “May I, Gram?”

  I handed Nathan to his aunt and sat with the rest of the women in Jane’s backyard.

  “I’m glad you and Max decided to move into the cul-de-sac. Is the house to your liking?”

  “It’s perfect, Gram. I wish Gimpy would’ve lived longer. I wanted you both to live with us.”

  Before Roland passed away in his sleep, he had a house built on the very plot of land where the park and wading pool existed. With the kids growing older, Donovan and Jake built a deeper pool in conjunction with the wading pool and added slides for all the children to enjoy. Roland told everyone that the house he was building was for us, but I knew he wanted to bring Jane and Max and their boys into the fold of Reid Place.

  By the time Jane was pregnant with their second, they knew they couldn’t last in their two-bedroom home. Foreseeing the necessity of a move, Roland started to build without much of an explanation to anybody.

  Roland always had a weakness for Jane.

  As Jerry gifted his house to Jake, Roland gifted his to his granddaughter.

  The surprised couple insisted we move in with them, but we were content to watch the boys grow up on the cul-de-sac.

  “How’s work?” I asked both granddaughters who juggled two lives.

  “Missy’s holding down the fort again for me, while I’m technically on a maternity leave. The warehouse is fairly self-sufficient so everything is OK, for now.”

  “What about you, Jane?”

  “Every AAP building is profitable and since Donovan decided to become a boutique firm, life is manageable. Except for the occasional traveling, we’re both able to come home for dinner every night. It’s really all thanks to Donovan that I live such a good work life.”

  A few years back before Roland’s passing, Donovan had accomplished what he set out to do since he sold AAP Europe and married my granddaughter. He purchased a building for each AAP and moved them with much fanfare. With a good management company handling their buildings like a foremost Upper West Side high rise, other companies happily paid the high rent to be part of the glamour and prestige.

  Once accomplished, Donovan instituted another major change. With Roland’s blessing, Donovan turned AAP from one of the largest law firms into one of the smallest and most exclusive boutique law firms. They let go of underperforming lawyers and companies and focused on the ones that mattered to the bottom line.

  Initially, AAP’s bottom line was at the lowest it had been in a long time. But with careful branding and re-imaging, they had raised their cachet to the most elite level. Now, they were making almost as much money with half the clients. Fortune 500 companies begged Donovan and Jane for an audience. They were in an enviable position to refuse work.

  “Let me hold him,” Laney insisted. “Aren’t you a beauty,” she cooed and kissed him on the head. “I love this newborn stage.”

  Of all my grandchildren, I thought Laney would be the one to have a bus-full of kids. When she had her twins right before her second year of med school, I thought for sure she’d be forced to quit and raise her boys. Not that I didn’t understand my granddaughter’s fighter instincts, but I knew how impossible it was to attend school and raise children.

  The first few years flew by and even the parents admit, they were all a blur.

  Scott and Jamie, as well as Barbara and Henry, helped their children raise two very handsome, very strong, and very big boys. Laney brought the boys with her to school until she stopped nursing. Then, she left them at home with the grandparents and finished out the third and fourth years. At the start of her residency, she felt confident enough to have another child and hoped for twin girls. God only blessed her with one.

  Donovan was a mess again. He begged his wife not to have another child knowing the organized chaos another child, along with a set of active twin boys, would bring into their lives. As expected, Laney won and she gave birth to a blonde-haired, blue-eyed beauty. Delilah Rose looked identical to her mother. It was as if God had taken a Laney-mold and stamped it on her daughter. Donovan Taylor was in love all over again and Laney was in danger of falling off the favorite spot in the Taylor family.

  The grandparents couldn’t get enough of their baby girl. At age five, Delilah was a delight to watch and get to know.

  “How’s the practice, Laney? Your dad said you performed a rare and difficult surgery.”

  “Pshaw.” Laney abashedly smiled. “I couldn’t have done it without Dad, Jake and Max. They do all the work. All I do is suture at the end. I’ve a mean hand with a needle and thread, now.”

  The four practicing doctors took a detour in their hectic schedules to make their lives more accommodating to their ever-growing families.

  Max, who was always going into pediatrics, decided to specialize in pediatric cardiology. Laney, who always knew she’d be some form of a surgeon, liked Max’s professional choice and also chose to specialize in pediatric cardiology.

  When Laney was pregnant with Delilah, Henry wanted to help his only daughter excel as a doctor and a mother. He discussed at length with all the involved parties, especially Jake, and decided to form a private cardiology group. Henry and Jake still worked part time at the hospital and the university, but they each put in a day or two at their private practice. Max quickly joined this practice. This gave him time to spend a day at Robert and Scott’s free clinic. As for Laney, upon the end of her residency, she, too, joined the three cul-de-sac doctors. With the four of them in practice together, none had to work full-time. There was always a cardiologist to help those who sought medical attention.

  “My turn?” Emily asked Laney, who carefully handed the baby over. “He looks just like his daddy.” Emily, too, was in love.

  “Emily, what will you do now that you finally have your culinary degree?”

  My sweetest granddaughter decided to head to culinary school as soon as all four kids attended school full time. Elizabeth and her responsible brother, James, were in middle school. JR, the easiest-going kid I’ve seen in my long life, was only a grade below them and was smart as his siblings. Jake and Emily loved the first three, but secretly, I could tell their deepest love was for their fourth child. Ian followed no tradition, no custom. By their fourth child, the parents found the freedom to raise him without much structure, and they delighted in their youngest. Knowing he was probably the last child, they spoiled him with the combined love they had for their first three.

  Ian, for all the spoiling, was an even-tempered child who caused no trouble. All the gray hairs would come with Elizabeth. Jake and Emily were spared with their next three.

  “Well, Gram, I thought about trying my hand at a few desserts and possibly opening up a small bakery. You know how much I love my coffee and cake.”

  “That sounds wonderful, but can you do that with the four kids and a husband who depend on your every guidance?”

  “I thought it was now possible, but my dream might have to wait a little longer.”

  “Why?”

  “Because, my dear grandmother,” Jake walked over and embraced me before sitting next to his wife, “I am in the middle of negotiating with my wife.”

  “What are you negotiating?” I inquired.

  “Hello, Gram.” Max also sat with us after a greeting. Donovan followed.

  “Who’s watching the kids?” Laney asked her husband.

  “Your cousins. I told them if they wanted to eat dinner, they needed to help with the kids.”

  “So you were saying?” I urged Jake.

  “Seeing Nick with another child makes me think we should have another one.”

&nbs
p; “I agree.” Donovan didn’t differ much in thought from his best friend.

  “Me too, Babe.” Max pulled his wife onto his lap. “Let’s have another one. I want a girl.”

  “Yeah. Let’s all have another girl. We don’t have enough of them in any of the families.”

  “Do you know how old I am?” Emily complained. “As much as this little one tempts me, I don’t know if I want to go back to the diapers and nightly feedings.”

  “Look at Bee. She’s handling motherhood like a twenty-year-old.” Bee laughed at Jake’s statement. “That’s what Nick tells me—you’re even thinking of having another one right away.” The volume of Bee’s laughter rose.

  “At the end of the day, all we are left with is each other. Think of how wonderful family gatherings are right now between your parents’ generation, your generation, and our kids’ generation, Gem. It’ll be sad when our kids grow up and find that they don’t have enough cousins.”

  “Max. I’m too old for more kids, now.”

  “Babe. I think Roland built this large house so we could fill every room with sons and daughters—preferably daughters at this point. What do you think, Gram?”

  I returned Max’s conspiratorial wink. “I think you might be on to something.”

  “I want an Elizabeth or a Lilah. I need a baby girl in my life who looks just like her mother and who’ll give me grief just like her mother.” Max knew his wife well as he wrapped her tightly in his arms to ward off an assault.

  “Princess, I want one more girl, too. The boys are strong and healthy, Delilah will start school this fall, and you’re only in the office two to three days a week. Maybe we can have another set of twins?” Donovan looked happy begging his wife for another offspring or two. He soon took to whispering in his wife’s ear and she looked like her daughter, giggling away.

  “You see, Emi. We’ve started a trend. Let’s beat everyone and get pregnant first. We can all have another wave of children. Poor Nathan needs cousins his age.”