Either way, I knew I couldn’t be with Paul. No matter what happened with Nic or didn’t happen with him, I couldn’t fit myself back into the box of who Paul expected me to be. Too much had happened. My sisters tried to convince me to wait until the next day before I went to see him, but I didn’t want to end another day with the weight of our engagement on my shoulders.
Elaina drove me to the Garcias house and offered to wait outside. It felt so bizarre to be back there...to walk through their front garden and ring their doorbell. It all looked the same, but I was completely different. And just beyond their house, on the far edge of their property, was where I first met Nic. It was where my baby was conceived.
The butler didn’t recognize me when he first answered the door. He stepped outside, firmly planting himself between me and the entrance. “Can I help you, miss?”
“It’s me. Jada Chavez.”
His face dropped, and he looked terribly embarrassed. “Oh. Oh ma’am I do apologize. It’s dark, so I couldn’t see.” It was polite of him to try and pretend like it wasn’t my beaten face or ragged appearance that threw him off.
He led me into the house where the rest of the Garcia family had similar reactions. They looked confused, afraid, relieved, then happy. Though Mrs. Garcia never quite made it to the happy expression. I had a feeling she would have waited until I looked all polished up again before I showed my face there again.
I let the frenzy fade away before turning to Paul and asking the forbidden question. “Paul, do you think that we could be alone? I need to talk to you.”
Mrs. Garcia looked purely mortified. Apparently, even if you had been abducted by knifepoint in the middle of your wedding and reunited with your fiance after so long, it was still not permissible for you to be alone. But thankfully, Paul pulled me into a private room before she could protest.
“This is so wonderful, Jada,” he gushed the moment the door was shut. “I have been so devastated and worried about you. I was starting to think you might never come back. But now you’re here, and we can finally be together. I want to skip the whole wedding this time...whenever you’re ready. Father and Mother agree that it’s appropriate and acceptable under the circumstances. We can call a clergyman to the house and…”
“Paul. Paul, listen to me. I said I needed to talk to you.”
“Oh, yes, Forgive me. I’m just so excited. Go on.”
“I do care about you, Paul,” I explained slowly. “But you can understand that everything I’ve been through...it’s been rather traumatic. And it got me to thinking about a lot of things. I just...I just don’t think I can marry you...or anybody right now. I hope you can understand.”
I was expecting him to look upset, but he stared back at me with a stubborn smile. “Oh, Jada. I do understand. And I will wait. However long it takes. We will find a way to turn this misfortune into our happiness.”
I shook my head ‘no’ and it finally seemed to sink in with him. “No, Paul. I may never want to get married. I don’t know, but...I’m afraid...it’s just...the window for us has passed. I think it would be best for you to move on and find another bride. I know how important the tradition of marriage is to you and your family.”
He slowly accepted the reality of what I was saying, and was a real gentleman about it. I would have expected no less. I snuck out of the house without facing his parents again. Even after all the time away, I still couldn’t stand how stiff and rigid they were. And it would have been too awkward to face them after ending things with Paul.
Elaina was waiting up for us when I got home. Mama was trying to as well, but she had fallen asleep in a living room chair. Even all of her motherly love and concern couldn’t always override how tired she was getting with old age.
My sisters and I piled into my bed like we were teenage girls again. I told them more about Nic and how everything went with Paul. They wanted to stay with me all night, but I told them I needed to be alone. I had been holding back tears from the moment I walked away from Nic, and I needed to finally let it all out. I cried myself to sleep, hating myself for the way I missed that stupid little shed I had been locked up in. I missed it because it held the promise of seeing Nic every day. It brought a whole new meaning to the phrase, “Home is where the heart is.”
The next morning, the sun was shining and my sisters were busy preparing a big breakfast. I teased them about learning how to cook since I had been away, but we were all quickly distracted by the news reports that were flooding in about me being found. It was all over the TV and papers.
Things only felt more surreal when the cops came to question me. I never mentioned Nic, as promised, and neither did my sisters. When the police left, the doctor came and gave me an exam. He said everything appeared to be perfectly healthy with the baby, and he tended to a few of the deeper wounds on my face. He said no real damage had been done and that I would look like my old self again in just a few weeks.
I was exhausted by the time it was all over and found myself sitting on the floor in front of my mother’s chair. I laid my head in her lap like a child while she stroked my hair. I had to break the news to her about breaking up with Paul.
Once I finished explaining everything, I looked up at her and asked. “Are you disappointed in me?”
Her face lit up with this certain smile she got when she thought you asked her something dumb. “Oh, mi amor...I only want you to be happy.”
We stayed like that for a long time with her petting my head in her lap until a knock came to the door. Lucia ran to answer it and reappeared around the corner a few minutes later with a strange look on her face.
“Um, Jada? There’s someone here to see you.”
“If it’s a doctor, cop, or reporter, tell them I did,” I groaned, prompting my mom to swat me on my cheek. “Ow! Okay. I’m going.”
“It’s not any of those,” Lucia said, looking at me intently.
My heart skipped a beat. There was only one thing that would make her look at me like that. I gulped and took a deep breath before slowly peeking around the corner towards the front door. Standing there in my mother’s doorway was my Nicholas, looking as tall and handsome as ever. He looked as good as he did when I first met him, now that he had time to clean up more.
I was completely speechless. I just knew looking at him, right in, that moment, that I wanted to be with him more than anything, and I had to believe he felt the same way. Or else he wouldn’t have come. I rushed forward and leaped up into his arms, wrapping my arms around his neck and pressing my lips to his.
He pulled back after a moment with a huge smile on his face. “I wasn’t so sure you’d still want me.”
“More than anything,” I sighed against his mouth. We kissed a moment longer before he let me go, and I pulled him by his hands into the house. “Come with me. There’s someone I want you to meet. A few someones’s actually.”
He tensed up and turned to smooth his hair in the mirror nervously before looking back to me. “Are you sure? They don’t hate me?”
“Mama doesn’t know everything, which is probably for the best. But no...they don’t hate you. They’re going to love you...because I love you.”
Epilogue
Nicholas
My old manor had taken on a new life ever since I returned to it. I didn't keep any of the guys that worked for me staying there anymore, and I had hired new staff to help keep it in good shape. New touches had been added, too. Little things that made it a home in a way it had never been before...like plants and framed photos. The "feminine touch" as some might say. Most of it had been redecorated, and the gardens outside had been expanded. Even though it was the same structure, it felt like a whole new home.
I stood out front and admired it for a moment before making my way down the stone path to the front steps. Jada was waiting for me in the parlor with a big round pregnant belly out in front of her and her feet propped up on the coffee table. I bent down to kiss her with a big bouquet of flowers in my hand.
/> "Welcome home," she smiled.
I ran my hands across her stomach. "How's the little man today?"
She took the flowers from my hand only to playfully smack them against my arm. "You don't know that it's a boy."
I laughed and kissed her again. We lived a small, humble life now for the most part. As small and humble as I would ever accept for a growing family. I was determined not to raise my children in poverty the way I had grown up, but I wasn't so willing to break the law to make a fortune the way I used to be. I had a lot more to lose now.
I never heard from any of the men I had hired to help with the hostage deal. I assumed they were too afraid of me to ever show their faces around me again, and rightfully so. As much as I was walking the straight and narrow, I wouldn't have beaten anyone of them to a bloody pulp if they ever came around after what they did to Jada.
My new life with her made me see things in a whole new way. I let go of a lot of my old resentments as I realized that while my parents may have never had a lot of money, maybe they weren't as miserable as I always thought. Jada and our soon to be born baby brought me happiness and hope. They were certainly worth more to me than any amount of money ever could. I hoped that maybe my parents had felt the same way, and I was just too blinded with bitterness to ever see it.
"Did you have a good afternoon?" I asked Jada as I hung up my coat.
"I haven't done anything," she shrugged. "I've been sitting here just like this."
"Good. You should be taking it easy. Especially since the doctor says it will be any day now."
"I suppose so. But I am getting restless. Why don't you let me make us some tea?" she suggested.
"I should be the one making you tea. You should be sitting right there and relaxing."
She rolled her eyes and leaned back into the couch as I went into the kitchen. I returned a little while later with two saucers and a steaming pitcher along with a tray of her favorite snacks. I had to admit I did go a little over the top sometimes in spoiling her. It wasn't so much any one thing I did, unless you counted all the jewelry and clothes I had bought her. It was more so the constant need to be doing something for her. The way I saw it...I had a lot to make up for. Even if she had sworn she had forgiven me for everything.
We sat there for a while sipping our tea when I remembered something I had bought her that afternoon while I was out. I went over to my jacket hanging on the wall to fish it out of my pocket when suddenly I heard Jada's cup crash to the floor. I turned around to see her buckled over, clutching her stomach with a low groan.
"Are you okay!?" I shouted, sliding back over beside her.
She took a few deep breaths and said, "I think...maybe...it might be time." As soon as she said it she buckled over again and started writhing in pain. "Okay, it's definitely time."
* * *
Many hours later Jada was half asleep in the hospital bed, cradling our precious daughter in her arms. I kissed both of their foreheads and took the baby from her so she could rest.
"I told you it was a girl," she quipped, looking up at me with a devilish grin.
"No, I believe you told me neither of us knew what the baby's gender would be. So, technically...no one won that bet."
"You're so full of shit," she laughed.
"Hey. Watch your language around the baby."
I carried our little angel over to a chair in the corner and sat down to cradle her, admiring how much she looked like her mom.
Jada sat up in bed and announced, "I thought of the perfect name."
"Oh? Do tell."
"Jasmine. After the flower. You know, I figured because of where she was conceived and all, a flower name was appropriate," she winked.
"Okay," I chuckled. "But maybe that stays between you and me. I have a feeling she wouldn't appreciate the whole story behind her name."
A couple of days later, we returned home and adjusted to life with our new baby Jasmine. Sometimes I would go into her room at night and just watch her sleep. It was the most peaceful thing I had ever seen, but it still somehow filled me with terror.
One night, Jada found me like that and came in to kiss me on the shoulder. "What do you think about when you spend all this time in here watching her sleep?" she whispered.
"I wonder if I can be the man she needs me to be...If I can be the man you need me to be," I confessed.
"Of course you can. You already are."
She pulled on my arms to lead me to the bedroom where she made love to me until I forgot about all of my worries. The next night we went to her mother's house for dinner. Just as she had promised me was possible a long time ago, her family did actually like me quite a bit. At least I liked to think they did.
Jada and her sisters had agreed on hiring a caregiver for her mother so she wouldn't be alone and so she would have all the help she needed with the house. It took the burden off of Jada and freed her to start her new life with me. It also helped with some of the resentment she had built up towards her sisters.
We would all get together once a week and sit around the table laughing and drinking. It was just as great as Jada always told me it was, and I felt honored that I got to be a part of it. It was the first time I had really let myself feel like I was a part of a family since my parents died. It gave me a new sense of belonging and purpose that I didn't realize I had been in such desperate need for.
When Jada returned home to put the baby to bed afterward, I found myself overwhelmed with a need to make sure she had everything she could ever want and then some. I never felt like I was doing enough for her, even though she swore I did more than enough.
I helped her rock the baby to sleep and then pulled her into our bed. "You know, I've been thinking...Why don't we leave Jasmine with your mom and her caregiver for a week soon? Or maybe hire a nanny to stay here with her?"
"A whole week!?" she shrieked. "I don't know if I could stand it…"
I smiled. "I'm sure you would miss her, but it would be okay. I want us to take a trip somewhere."
"A trip? Where? And why?"
"Because you told me that before you met me you were longing for an adventurous life," I replied.
She groaned and rolled her eyes. "Yes, but you are my adventure. You and Jasmine. I have everything I want right here. Besides...everything that brought us together was more than enough adventure for a lifetime."
"Come on, baby. Please consider it. You went from taking care of your mother to taking care of me and Jasmine. I want you to be able to see the world, and I want to be with you when you do."
Her eyes softened as she stared back at me from her pillow, rubbing her hands through my hair. "Okay. A trip does sound nice. Just promise me no kidnappings will be involved."
"I'll only force you to go with me against your will if you refuse my invitation."
She wrinkled her face and leaned in to kiss me. The feeling of her plump lips and her soft body against mine never failed to turn me on within seconds. I rolled over on top of her and swept my tongue through her mouth, taking in as much of her as I could.
As her tongue rolled across mine, I removed her silk nightgown with one stroke of my hand over her shoulder and down her body. I relished in the sight of her naked skin and couldn't believe that she was all mine...to have and to hold every night for the rest of my life.
Suddenly, I stopped and pulled away. "Oh shit. I'm so sorry. I just...I just remembered something." I jumped out of the bed and ran to my jacket, still hanging in the front hallway.
"What the hell!? Nic!?" Jada yelled after me.
I slid back into the bedroom with a small box in my hand. "I'm sorry! I got this for you before you went into labor. I was going to give it to you that afternoon, but then your contractions started and... everything's been so hectic since then I nearly forgot all about it."
"Don't ever undress me and run out of the room again," she barked playfully. "I was worried my post-baby body scared you."
I admired her sprawled out across the bed.
"I assure you that body does many things to me...but scare me it does not."
She laughed and sat up as I held the box out to her. "So...what is this mysterious gift that you nearly forgot about?"
"It's not that I forgot about what it means or represents. Sometimes I just feel like you're so perfect for me...like I've known you my whole life...I almost forget that I haven't done this already." She looked confused as I opened the box to reveal a big sparkling diamond ring. "I forget that you're not already my wife. I've known for so long now that I wanted to spend the rest of my life with you. But I want to make it official. Jada Chavez, will you marry me?"
Tears welled up in her eyes, but then she looked awkwardly down at her chest. "Umm...I'm suddenly very aware of the fact that I am naked. Even more so than I was before."
I laughed and handed her nightgown back to her. Once she slipped it back on, I placed the ring on her finger, but then stopped suddenly. "Wait, is that a yes? You didn't answer!"
She smiled wide and leaned in to kiss me. "Yes, it's a yes. Of course, I will marry you."
I knocked her down to the bed with a long kiss before she pulled away to hold the ring up to the light and dance it's reflecting light around the room. "It's beautiful."
"You're beautiful," I hummed against her ear. "Can we take that nightgown back off of you now?"
I slid my hand under the silk once again and lifted it over her head. I was anxious to kiss her neck down to those perfect breasts of hers, rounding each nipple in my mouth as she moaned out with excitement, clutching her fingers into my hair. After I had worked my way down in between her legs and made her cum several times, she pulled me up and grabbed me from behind, begging me to slide inside of her. I was always happy to oblige.
While we still had rough sex from time to time, especially after we had a small fight, most of the time it was tender and passionate. It was as if we didn't need to fight and resist anymore now that we fully accepted how we felt. Most of the time, our time in bed together resembled the last time we were ever together in the shed. Giving and selfless, gentle but fervent.
Stolen Pregnant Bride (Olive Skin Devils Book 3) Page 14
