Never Expected Love

by S. M. Stryker

  'I want to thank you for the most generous offer to work for you, but due to some unforeseen family issues and with much regret, I will have to turn down your offer.'

  'I'm really sorry to hear that, is there a timeframe that you are looking at? I'm sure we can work something out. As you know we would really value your contributions here.'

  'Unfortunately, I am not sure when my situation will change.'

  'Ms. House, if your situation ever changes, will you please keep us in mind.'

  'Yes, I will definitely give you a call. Thank you again. Goodbye.'

  "As she hung up the phone, the tears broke loose again. Now for the real hard part, she had to tell her parents she was moving down to Oregon. Her parents knew she had been offered the job of a lifetime, but now she was going to have to lie to them. She only had a week to get her apartment packed and be in Oregon to start to work come Monday. Her family had a ritual of having Sunday dinners together so she would tell not only her parents but her sister and brother-in-law as well and see her beautiful little niece one more time. She knew it would be at least a year or so before she would be able to see her family again.

  “Her heart was heavy with the decision she had to make. May God forgive her? She knew she had options, but she knew abortion wasn't an option for her. Her only options were to keep the baby or give it up for adoption. She had always wanted a family, actually longed for one, but she didn't want to raise a child on her own. But more than that, she was afraid if she kept the child that she would eventually resent it.

  "When she arrived at her parents’ home, her niece Harlow came running out the door jumping into her arms, 'Auntie Nicole, Auntie Nicole, I've missed you, why are you crying? Are you sad?' She squirmed out of her hands and hollered for her mother. 'Mommy, mommy, Auntie Nicole is sad, she's crying.' She walked into the house as everyone came to see what was wrong and why she was crying. 'I've decided to take a job in Oregon, and I start work next Monday.' Her mother gasped and her sister's eyes filled with tears. 'I think it is the best opportunity for me right now. Please don't try to make my change my mind, I have already accepted the job and turned the other one down. This is something I need to do.' Rachael, her sister, had tears streaming down her face. They were always close, only two years between them. Rachael knew, she could always read her sister. She knew she was going to have to tell Rachael what happened."

  "After a tearful goodbye, Nicole left to start packing her apartment. There was so much to be done in a week. She picked up some boxes from the local grocery store on her way home, tossing them into the back of her car.

  "The week went by in a blur. She was just finishing packing when there was a knock on the door. She had hired movers to take her belongings and load them into her rented moving truck; she would drive the truck and tow her car behind. Looking at her watch, she figured they were early. Looking through the peephole, she saw her sister Rachael on the other side of the door. She knew now the story was going to have to be told."

  "She invited her in and she told her sister the story of the last two months. Through their tears, her sister came up with an idea; she knew her husband would go along with it once he knew what happened. As Rachael was leaving the movers arrived. Nicole and Rachael kissed and hugged their goodbyes as the movers started filling the truck. A couple of hours later and she was driving south down I-5 and a new life she wasn’t sure she was ready for."

  I glance at Nicole, she's still staring down into her lap as she continues her story. The tears have now stopped, but her cheeks are tear-stained and her eyes swollen.

  "Months went by and she had settled into her new way of life. She was starting to show, but she hid it under baggy clothes. Rachael, her sister, had talked to her husband Michael about adopting the baby when it was born, and without hesitation, he happily agreed."

  "The months flew by and before she knew it, she was eight months along and feeling as big as a house...no pun intended since that is her last name. She was relaxing on the sofa reading Holding the Dream by Nora Roberts when she felt a gush of wetness.

  “Surprised, she went into the bathroom and realized it was blood. She rushed to the phone to call her doctor, but since it was the weekend, she got the answering service. She left a message and then called Rachael, who told her to call an ambulance. She didn't want her to black out on the way to the hospital. She felt something trickling down her leg again and looked down to see she was standing in a puddle of blood. As she talked to her sister, she began to get dizzy when suddenly everything faded to black and the phone dropped.

  Nicole's voice got quiet, almost a whisper as she continues. I reach over and take her hand in mine.

  “She woke up feeling someone rubbing her hand, it was Rachael, and her eyes were red from crying. Nicole tried to move, but she was in too much pain. Then she remembered. Her hand went to her belly, that wasn't hard anymore and she felt bandages. Her eyes shot up to her sisters, 'the baby, where's the baby, I need to see my baby.' She started to get agitated and a nurse ran into the room. 'Miss House, calm down, I've called your doctor and he will be here shortly.' Nicole looked at the nurse, 'Please, I need to see it, please.'

  Nicole is crying again, sobbing is more the word for it as her body shudders. I can't take it anymore; I lean over and pick her up, setting her on my lap rocking her as I brush her hair out of her face. I don't try calming her by telling her it will be okay because I know it won't be. I just hold her and rock her, letting her know that I am here for her.

  After some time, her crying subsides, but she hiccups a few breathes from the intensity of her tears. I kiss her on the temple and continue to rock her.

  She wipes the fallen tears as she resumes her story. "When the doctor finally came into her room, he explained that she had placental abruption that the placenta had come away from the uterine wall. By the time the ambulance got to my apartment I had lost a large amount of blood. They performed a cesarean delivery but she was still hemorrhaging and the only way they could save her was by doing a hysterectomy. All of her dreams were lost with those spoken words. Her dream job, the dream of having a family of her own one day, all shattered. Then there was the baby, her baby. This was her fault, she had prayed so hard that she wouldn't be pregnant, and he took it all away, not only the baby that she had grown to love, but the ability to have another child, just because she was selfish."

  She starts to cry again, and this time I intervene. "I remember a very smart lady that once said something to me about 'maybe there was a reason this happened' Do you remember that? Nicole, this didn't happen because you prayed not to be pregnant after a horrible assault." I lift her chin to look me in the eye. "One thing I've learned in the last few years is that things do happen for a reason. I know it doesn't seem fair, but it wasn't your fault."

  I wiped the tears from her face as she continues her story. "She looked up at the doctor with a questioning look. 'My baby?'"

  "'The baby had been without oxygen for so long...he won't survive. He is on a ventilator to keep him alive long enough to say goodbye to him,' The nurse entered the room with a wheelchair. She helped her into the chair as Rachael and Michael, followed behind. Michael was crying now. She hadn't ever seen him cry. Not even when his own daughter was born."

  "The nurse wheeled her into a room with her baby and a rocking chair and sofa. The nurse pulled the curtains closed and helped her to the rocking chair. The nurse turned off all the machines that were beeping and blipping around the room, and then removed a tube from the baby's mouth, picked him up and handed him to her.

  "He was beautiful, long dark eyelashes and curly dark hair, he looked perfect, ten fingers and ten toes, a cute little nose, and sweet pouty lips. He would have been a little heart breaker. She watched as his chest moved up and down slower and slower. She kissed him on the forehead as she handed him to Rachael and Michael since he was going to be their son."

  "The nurse left us in the room allowing us our private time with my baby. As he took his las
t breath, we all cried for the loss of innocence once again. We buried Nicolas Alexander three days later in a quiet little ceremony. Michael and Rachael are still the only ones that ever knew."

  "Nicole, I don't know what to say." I tuck a strand of hair behind her ear and caress her cheek with my thumb. "I think about what happened to me, and I know it doesn't even come close to the loss and devastation you had to live through. I can see now why you've made your work your life.

  "But don't you see, Richard, even if we were to get together and maybe tried to have a child I can't!" Tears stream down her face. "I can't have children," she whispers.

  "Nicole, I don't care as long as I am with you. If we do get together and we want a child, there are a lot of children out there looking for a good family."

  "But I'm not whole."

  "Nicole, you're not going to push me away that is unless you don't want to be with me, but I don't think that's how you feel. I like you, Nicole, you make me feel alive. I like that feeling and I don't want it to end. Nothing that you've told me is going to make me run. My God! I don't know how you came out the other side without going crazy."

  I turn her face to mine and softly kiss her lips. "We'll take this one day at a time, okay?"

  "Okay."

  "Richard, will you please stay with me tonight, I really don't want to be alone."

  "Nicole, even if I stay, I wouldn't make love to you tonight. I can tell you're not ready, and this is a big decision that shouldn't be taken lightly. So when you are ready, you will know it in your heart."

  "Does that mean you're not staying?"

  "If you want me to stay, I will stay. But nothing will happen tonight," I say as I run my thumb over her cheekbone.

  "Thank you, Richard. I've had a strange feeling as if someone has been watching me lately."

  Her revelation about feeling watched makes the hair on the back of my neck stand up. Maybe it's nothing, maybe it has something to do with what Beckett told me about Harlow's ex-boyfriend. I don't know. But the last thing I want is for someone watching either of the ladies.

  Before we walk back to the bedroom, I check all the windows and doors to make sure they are closed and locked. "Thank you, Richard, for staying with me. I don't know why I'm so unnerved. Are you sure you are okay with staying here?"

  "Of course I am. The last thing I would ever do is leave you somewhere where you are uncomfortable. I realize it might be woman intuition, but I know there's truth behind it.Now just show me the spare room or sofa and point me in the way of the bathroom..."

  "No, Richard!" she interrupts me. "You're not sleeping on the sofa, that is unless you're not comfortable sleeping in the same bed as me." Nicole walks over to me and takes my hands in hers as she looks up at me. "Please? I've just told you my life's story with my deepest darkest secret. Please, I just want to be held."

  "Okay, I just don't want you to be uncomfortable, so if at any time you are, just let me know." I place my hand on her cheek and pull her to me as I place a soft kiss on her forehead.

  I wonder how this will work out. I've never stayed the night with anyone and no one has ever stayed the night with me. I follow her back to her room. It's a good-sized room. Other than the bed having a lot of pillows on it, it's not a frilly room. Actually, I kind of like it, it's painted in natural colors. On the way to the bedroom, Nicole stops at linen closet taking out a toothbrush and towel for me.

  I let her use the bathroom first and when she comes out, I know it's going to be a long night. She's in a pink tank top and shorts. I try not to stare, but goddamn, her tank top is tight and the outlines of her erect nipples tease. I quickly raise my eyes back to hers hoping she didn't notice as I lick my lips. I know I'm busted as a smile spreads across her face. I quickly turn as I start to smile at being caught and walk to into the bathroom.

  When I finish in the bathroom, I enter the bedroom in just my boxer briefs. It's dark in the room except for a night light sitting on the nightstand next to her. I turn toward her and notice the way the light shines on her beautiful face. Her eyes scan my body stopping at my briefs, and I catch her licking her lips this time. My cock twitches, and I hear a sudden intake of air coming from her. I point at my member slowly moving it to my eyes as I watch her follow my movements, and I start to chuckle. She shakes her head as if to get the thoughts out of her head.

  "God, Richard, you look...your body is...my God," she stammers. "You're ripped!"

  "Are you going to be okay with this?"

  "Shit, Richard." She skates her eyes up and down my body again. "I might not sleep, but I'm good with that too." I look down and see that my flag is flying high staff as I pull the blankets down to slide into bed. I glance over at Nicole and see her hard little nipples pressing against the thin fabric of her tank and my cock twitches again. Yep, it's definitely going to be a long night.

  Nicole switches off the light when I get into bed. I reach over taking her by the waist and pull her back to my front as I place my head between the nook of her neck and whisper into her ear. "I can see how easy it would be to get used to having you in my arms like this." She sighs as I take her earlobe into my mouth and suck. With each small nibble of her flesh a small moan escapes her mouth, and she wiggles her bottom into my now throbbing erection. Holy hell, this is going to be torture.

  I don't know how long it takes me to fall asleep, but I wake to the sound of someone playing with the front door. My heart is racing; thank God, I stayed here tonight. I slip out of bed and quietly walk to the front door. Nicole doesn't have windows on the front door or a peephole; I'll have to fix that. Part of me wants to open the door, but that would be stupid, I don't even know if he's armed, and I would never take that risk with Nicole. I flick the front door light on and hear someone running then a car engine starting. By the time I think it is safe enough to open the door, he is speeding away.

  I walk back to the bedroom and make a mental note that Nicole needs a motion detector light, better deadbolts, a peephole installed, and not to mention an alarm system. I slip under the covers and it only takes a moment for Nicole to turn and cuddle into me again. I lie there thinking of how my life has turned, the amazing woman I have in my arms and what she has gone through. I wonder what life has in store. A week ago, I would have never thought I would be in this position, hell, three days ago I wouldn't have thought that. I breathe in the scent that is only Nicole and feel something that I've never felt before, possibilities. I tilt my head and kiss her forehead and drift.

  I wake to Nicole wrapped around me like ivy. An arm and leg are wrapped around me as the other arm is over my chest. I lay there savoring the feeling. I slowly try to remove myself as nature and morning wood calls.

  Once removed, I go into the bathroom to take my shower and get ready for the day. I have another day of fun planned for Nicole.

  I walk back into the bedroom, sit at the end of the bed, and watch her sleep. She looks so young lying there. The sadness that I saw just beneath the surface is gone. I don't know if it's gone for good because of her little bedtime story or maybe just because she's sleeping, either way, she looks at peace.

  I walk into the kitchen and look through her cabinets for the coffee and filters so the coffee it will be ready when she wakes up. I pour myself a cup and pull out my phone. I send a text to Mitchell and tell him I would like to get Nicole's home more secure. I then walk back into the bedroom and sit on the bed, this time with my back to her headboard. I slide a strand of hair out of her face and marvel at her beauty.

  She starts to stir and slowly opens her eyes and smiles up at me. "Good morning, beautiful," I say as I stroke her cheek.

  "Good morning to you too," she says with a sleepy voice. "How long have you been up for?"

  "Just a little while. I made coffee, would you like some?"

  "Oh yes please."

  Going into the kitchen, I pour a cup of coffee and take it to her. "Are you excited about our day today?"

  "Where are you taking me today?"
r />   "It's a secret, but wear something casual and bring a hoodie, just in case it gets cold." I look at her and smile because I know her mind and she's thinking of all the places I would take her.

  She eyes me suspiciously. She finishes her coffee and goes into the bathroom to take her shower, and fuck if I don't want to go in there and lather her up.

  There's a knock at the door while she's in the shower and I go to answer it. "Mitchell." I reach my hand out to shake his.

  "I hope you don't mind, I got your message and thought I would take the chance you were here. So tell me what happened."

  "How did you know where Nicole lives?"

  "Harlowlives here too. Where Harlow goes, I go, and since she is at Beckett's, I know she'll be safe so I headed over here to make sure your lady is safe."

  "Oh, that makes sense. In the middle of the night, I heard someone at the front door. I had no way of seeing who was out there. She has just a standard deadbolt, but I think they need something that can't be easily kicked in."

  "Give me thirty minutes and I will be out of your hair."

  "Thank you, Mitchell, after last night I didn't want either of them here without extra protection."

  "What did you do to get rid of him?"

  "I turned on the front porch light, and he ran."

  "I'm surprised you didn't just open the door and take him out."

  "Believe me I thought about it, but I didn't know if he was armed, and I didn't want Nicole to get hurt."

  "Very wise thinking. Let me get my tools." Mitchell gets his tools and is in and out before Nicole is even ready for the day.

  As we walk to the front door Nicole looks at me then back at the door with a confused look on her face, then she turns as if she is making sure she is in her own home.

  I have a smile on my face as she says, "I know this is my house, I've owned it for almost fifteen years, and I know I never had a peephole in the front door."

  "Well I can tell you the truth or I can lie to you, which would you prefer?" I say with laughter in my voice.