by L. M. Carr
“Oh, baby, I always pay my debts.” He smirks and licks his lips before lowering his head.
Adam Lawson pays his debts and then some.
ADAM TAKES EVERY opportunity to protect me from Gina and anyone else who would try to hurt me or his family. Our nights are never spent apart—every night we are together, just the four of us, splitting time between his house and mine. The kids love sleeping at my house, it’s like sleep away camp.
My encounters with Gina are minimal because she doesn’t come in to pick Sophie up at school anymore, she sends Chris or Samantha, a nasty bleach-blonde snotty bitch who works for her. At first when I would see Gina’s car driving slowly around my neighborhood, it would piss me off. Is she stalking me now? But then the realization hits me like I’m an idiot. She’s a realtor who happens to be selling a house on my street. I think maybe I should mention it to Adam but then decide against it. It’s really not important. She’s not important.
***
BY FRIDAY AFTERNOON, Adam and I are looking forward to dropping the kids off to visit their grandparents since they won’t see them for Thanksgiving. We’ve decided to fly to Texas to visit my brother for the holiday even though my mom won’t be there.
I spend the entire hour long ride with my eyes closed, trying to sleep off the migraine I feel coming on. I could vaguely hear the conversation Adam is having with his mother. I wonder what she’s like. I wonder if she’d like me. Deep breaths do little to quell my nerves which are on high alert as we drive to the suburban town where Johanna grew up. The children’s grandparents have asked to meet me because apparently I’m all they talk about. Adam’s constant circling on my thigh only serves one purpose and I don’t think it’s what he was going for.
“Why are you so nervous?” He smiles and questions me.
“I don’t know really. I guess I just want them to like me.” I tug at my pendant.
“I don’t care what they think. Why is it so important to you, Mia?”
I turn in my seat and nod toward the back where the kids are watching a movie. “Because I love those two kids and I want them to always feel love, to always be surrounded by people who love them.”
I continue, “And I guess I don’t want them to ever think that I could or that I would ever try to replace their mother. I’m sure it’s hard for them. Johanna’s parents have never had to deal with another woman loving their daughter’s children.”
“You’re incredible, you know that?” he says, leaning over to kiss me.
I wasn’t sure what I was expecting, but it certainly wasn’t this. The simple white Colonial was warm and welcoming—a grandchild’s refuge filled with genuine love. Adam parks the Escalade and we get the kids’ bags out of the trunk. Walking up the slate stairs and into the house, a sweet aroma of cinnamon and apples infiltrates my nose, reminding me of my own childhood.
A tall, statuesque woman and an equally tall man appear from what seems like a formal dining room. Luke and Madison drop their bags and run into the awaiting arms of their grandparents. Adam steps forward to shake hands with the older gentleman and then kisses the woman on the cheek. I stand there awkwardly as they share a tender moment. For some reason, I feel like I’ve seen them before; they look oddly familiar to me.
Adam reaches back and extends his hand to me, calling me forward to join him. Hesitation falters my steps, but I quickly gain my confidence when I see his eyes beckon me. I slip my hand into his and smile.
“Nathan, Katherine. This is Mia. Mia Delaney.” He presents me as though I’ve just been awarded first prize. I extend my hand to them. “Hello. It’s a pleasure to finally meet you both.” The woman he called Katherine just stares at me, thoughtfully but doesn’t speak. Nathan, the grandfather, gently places his hand in mine. “Mia. Welcome. The pleasure truly is all ours.”
Katherine shakes her head slightly as if waking from a daydream and smiles. “You’re very beautiful. Welcome to our home.” Her arms reach around to embrace me, but she holds on a second longer when I start to pull away.
Adam encourages the kids to put their things away upstairs and come back down quickly so they can say goodbye to us before we leave. The expression on Katherine’s face falls. “Oh…I thought you were staying for dinner.”
“I’m sorry Katherine, but Mia and I have dinner reservations already. Thank you for the offer though.”
Without thinking or looking at him for consideration, I blurt out, “I don’t mind cancelling our dinner plans.” Adam’s eyes dart to mine curiously and he swallows hard, his jaw beginning to tick. “Mia, may I have a word with you?” He pulls me into the foyer, away from prying eyes. “What are you doing?”
“I’m sorry I blurted that out, but I think we should stay for dinner. Did you see the look on her face?” I counter.
“Did you see this?” He pulls his jacket back and points to where his pants are tenting between his legs. “You’re killing me here.”
“Baby, I’ll make it up to you. I promise,” my voice whispers in his ear as I nibble on jaw.
The six of us sit at the formal dining room table to enjoy Katherine’s homemade dinner of roasted chicken and baked macaroni and cheese. This feels like a family. And I’m happy to be a part of it. Maddie and Luke keep dinner interesting with their stories of dance class and football practice. Nathan promises that he’ll come to one of Luke’s games.
After dinner, Adam, Nathan and the kids head outside to toss the football around while Maddie plays on the tire swing that looks like it may have belonged to her mother. I stay inside to help Katherine clean up even though she insists that she is fine. We work side by side while she washes the dishes and I dry them, placing them on the dish rack. From the kitchen window, we can see them running around, playing in the big backyard as the sun begins to set.
“I knew it was you.” Katherine dries her hands on a dish towel, turning to face me. “That phony woman was almost comical, fawning over Adam, doting on the children as if she really cared about them. Anyone with eyes could see it.”
“Excuse me? I’m not sure I understand,” I tell her honestly.
“At the birthday party. I saw the two of you talking. I knew he was in love with you. It was the subtle touches and the stolen glances. I watched him as he watched you. Every move you made, his eyes followed you. I knew you were more than just Madison’s teacher.”
Holy shit! That’s it! That’s where I saw them. They were the older couple standing quietly off to the side. I never put it together, but now it all makes sense.
“Wow. I don’t know what to say.”
“I saw what you gave Maddie for her birthday. I knew right then that you loved her. And I think you know my grandson quite well, too.”
I smile warmly. “Madison had shared with me that her mother was a ballerina. I thought she would like the jewelry box. I had one just like it when I was a little girl. Luke is a wonderful boy.”
“You’re very considerate, loving,” Katherine declares, staring out the window to the yard below.
“You remind me a lot of my daughter. Bless her soul. You even look a bit like her.”
“Johanna was very beautiful,” I state. I never really considered that we looked similar, although Madison could be my mini-me with her long dark hair and brown eyes.
“But she was very troubled, always wanting to live in a fantasy world.”
I wait for her to continue, I can sense there’s more to come.
“I remember when she finally told him that he fathered those babies, boy, was he livid! He accused her of lying and demanded a paternity test.” She shakes her head at the memory. “What did she expect? Those babies were almost three years old when she revealed their existence.” This revelation is nothing new, but instantly, anger flares within me for the lost years that Adam could never get back.
“He tried to do the right thing. He asked her to marry him and everything.”
A loud sigh escapes Katherine’s thin body as she hangs the towel to dry on the fro
nt of the stainless steel stove. “She was so damn stubborn. So strong-willed. She didn’t want anything from him. Except his money.”
“He became a wonderful father, providing everything for those children, but it was never enough for her. What she wanted most in this world was to dance and she hated that motherhood had taken that away. She resented him for that.”
Suddenly, I feel as though I’m violating Adam’s privacy. Why hasn’t he ever told me how she felt about him? I know he feels guilty for what happened, for not being there when she needed him.
“I think a small part of him loved her, though. He obviously liked her enough to take her to his bed.” Katherine’s eyes open wide and then roll. “I think he loved her for giving him two beautiful, healthy babies even though they were quite the surprise.”
I watch through the window at my handsome man who loves his children more than anything.
“That man out there, he’s completely in love with you. And more importantly, Mia, so are his children.” Tears pool in the corner of her aged eyes.
“Be a good mother to those children.”
I want to correct her and tell her that I’m not their mother, but the hand she lifts, causes me to halt my words.
“You are their mother now. Love them. Take care of them. Protect them. Always.”
***
AFTER WE SAY GOODBYE to Nathan, Katherine and the kids, my heart swells and overflows with love. Adam’s expression was one of surprise when I was welcomed back anytime by his children’s grandparents. The ride back home is dark and quiet; Adam and I are each lost in our own thoughts. It’s amazing how content I am just to be with him, to feel him near me.
Justin Timberlake’s sexy voice sings about falling in love with him. That’s exactly how I feel. I know without a doubt that being in love with Adam Lawson and his children isn’t such a bad thing. Our fingers are laced together, taking and giving what we need.
A loud ringing breaks our moment as Adam reaches forward and taps the screen to take the call. I send up a silent prayer, thankful that it is not Nora or the Wicked Witch. It is, however, a DeGennaro. This time it’s her brother, Chris, who calls.
“Hey, Chris. What’s up?” Adam asks as we turn onto the highway. An angry voice booms through the speaker, making me flinch and shift in my heated leather seat. “Where the fuck are you? What’s your fucking problem, bro? I don’t know what you think—”
Immediately, my hand is released so Adam can hit the button, silencing the call. A somber look crosses his face and then he stares straight ahead at the road. My carefree, loving Adam is gone, now replaced with a tense, irritated man.
“What’s that about, Adam?” I ask tentatively, my head motions in the direction of the screen, my hand reaching for his, wanting to soothe away his tension.
“Nothing,” he snaps, pulls his hand away, running it through his dark hair, inhaling sharply.
“Adam, don’t lie to me.” My words are careful and controlled, my eyes search his face for a clue.
“It’s nothing for you to worry about. Just drop it.” Dark eyes beg me to heed his words as he lets out a deep breath.
“Don’t shut me out. Talk to me.” The thought of Adam tangled up in some kind of problem with the DeGennaro family doesn’t sit well with me. I know this family. They are ruthless and will stop at nothing to get what they want.
Adam reaches down to the center console to retrieve his phone when Chris’ name appears again on the screen, but what he does next shocks me. Instead of answering the phone, he powers it off. Adam never, ever does that. It’s his lifeline to those he loves most in the world.
I don’t know if Adam realizes that he’s just voiced murmured words about “no one being able to help,” which scare the living shit out of me. I know this can’t be good. Fear and anxiety race through my pounding heart as I conjure up every possible situation that he may have found himself in with this family.
***
FLICKERING CANDLES PLACED all around the deep, porcelain Jacuzzi tub provide the only light for us. Snow Patrol floats through the steamy air, calming us. Our bodies rise and fall as I lay my back against his chest. Warm, wet hands caress my arms, my neck, my breasts and even my belly. Down my neck and ear, his soft lips kiss, nibbling, sucking and tasting along the way.
“If I lay here, if I just lay here, would you lie with me and just forget the world,” with a quiet, almost whispered voice, I sing to Adam.
“I wish I could.” Adam’s stubble skims across the top of my head, then down my cheek. “I never thought I would ever feel this way. I never thought I could love this much.”
I turn around and kneel between his legs so I can face him. I caress his face through his scruff and smile. His eyes fall longingly to my breasts, then back to my eyes. “I love everything about you.” His wet hand caresses my face. “I love this.” Pointing to my temple, he says, “And I love this.” With his hands sliding down to touch my hips and then continuing lower to the neatly waxed sex, he whispers with a sly smile, “I absolutely love this.”
Warm water splashes when I lean forward to kiss him. With his mouth crushed against mine, he says, “But what I love the most,” he pushes me away gently, “is this.” He sits forward and kisses the spot above my left breast where my heart beats. “I love your heart.”
I move quickly, desperate to feel him in me, to taste him. I want all he has, all he is willing to give me. Forcing him up onto the side of the Jacuzzi, I love him completely with my mouth. His fingers weave through my hair as his hands grip my head, guiding me as I lick, suck and swallow along his thick shaft. Electricity courses through me, sending every blood vessel between my head to my toes on high alert. Before he climaxes, his thrusts become harder and deeper. I relish everything he’s doing, everything he’s giving me.
When he frees himself from my mouth, he pulls me close, smiles before he kisses me hard, his tongue tasting his own remnants. “Your debt has been paid.” I owed him a debt? What the hell is he talking about? “You made me wait. You agreed to dinner with Nate and Katherine, remember? I ached all throughout dinner. You have no idea.”
I smile. “Ah yes, I remember now. It was worth the wait, wasn’t it?”
“And now you owe me again.” His wet hands slip and slide all over me, over the swell of my heavy breasts to the curve of my backside, reaching up exploring me. “Nate and Katherine fell in love with you tonight. I want you all to myself.” With his hands exploring my hidden parts, Adam showers me with his love. I close my eyes and enjoy the ride before I leap off the proverbial cliff into the abyss of utter satisfaction through release.
IT SEEMS THAT EVERYBODY and their mother in the tri-state area decided to fly out on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving. The slow-moving traffic that we found ourselves stuck in from Connecticut to New York’s JFK International Airport was utterly insane, earning Adam a few sideway glances from me when he shouted some choice words to errant cab drivers who cut him off.
“Dad, Maddie won’t let me have it,” Luke complains, tugging the iPad away from his sister, who sits next to him in the back seat of the Ford Explorer we rented once we arrived at San Antonio International Airport. Needless to say, we just need to get to my brother’s house and chill out.
Josh insisted that we stay at his house for Thanksgiving, saying that it would like old times. I wasn’t sure how Adam would feel about sharing a full size bed in my brother’s home with the kids on an air mattress in the kids’ room. He certainly could have afforded to put us all in a luxury suite for the weekend, but he surprised me when he said it would be great to get to know my family. Could I possibly love him anymore?
Luke plays outside in the backyard with my brother’s kids, Ashley and JJ, while Maddie takes a nap because she doesn’t feeling well. The guys bond over a game of football on the TV. I help Araceli in the kitchen, peeling potatoes, chopping and slicing away as needed.
“He’s so freaking hot, chica.” She winks at me, elbowing me gently to get so
me juicy details, which I, unlike Shelby, will not share. “How can you stand to look at his face? Ay dios mio! He gets me all warm and fuzzy and you know my wooha is loose from giving your brother those two big-ass babies.” Oh my God! Listening to my sister-in-law talk about her “parts” being loose is just…gross because I know that Josh is the reason they’re like that. From what she’s told me, they’re almost as bad as Shelby and Mike.
“Ewww, you’re disgusting, chica,” I tease, throwing a piece of cubed celery at her, hoping to change the subject.
“C’mon, give me something…”
“Okay, okay, you perv. He’s a very generous man when it comes to showing his love for me.”
“Que mierda! No me digas, por un momento, que no hay mas que eso, chica!” Oh boy, when Araceli switches over to her native tongue telling me that she knows I’m withholding information, I know I’m in trouble. There might be a sandal or two that whiz past my head next. “I can’t believe you won’t tell me. Pero, nena, somos hermanas. You’re like my sister!” Oh no, here comes the Spanglish!
A knock on the back door diverts our attention. “Hello, anyone home?”
The sliding door leading out to the patio opens and in walks my brother’s best friend, Max. Yes, the best friend who I thought was heading back to Germany. Yes, the best friend I had sex with last summer in the back of a Land Rover. My eyes, wide with shock, travel down his body as I try desperately to remember if he looked this good in the summer. The muscles of his upper body are covered by a t-shirt and an unbuttoned long sleeve shirt, rolled up at the sleeves. His face, perfectly tanned, reveals that sexy smile. My cheeks redden with embarrassment as I vaguely remember lowering his pants and pulling him down on top of me. I swallow nervously.
Max’s face lights up when he sees me standing next to Araceli as he walks over, kissing her cheek and placing a pecan pie on the counter.
“Happy Thanksgiving.” He smiles at me. I wonder if he’s thinking about that night. I was so drunk, you would have expected me not to remember it, but I did and I still do. Sort of.
