by Roya Carmen
Aiden is busy setting the table. “She is pretty amazing. It’s one of the million reasons I’m marrying her.”
Amber blushes. “You guys… knock it off… it’s just breakfast.”
I help myself to a glass of milk. “How are the wedding preparations going?”
“Don’t really know,” Aiden admits.
“I can’t wait for the wedding,” Trevor chimes in, his attention temporarily distracted from his Rubik’s cube. Ruby, on the other hand, is still focused on hers – I think they have a race going on.
“It’s going great,” Amber says as she slides some fried eggs on a few plates. “I have the menu picked out and I’ve had a meeting with the decorator. I’ll need you to come to a fitting with Ruby and Anna and I soon. Anna is Aiden’s sister… you’ll like her.”
Ruby pauses, Rubik’s cube half completed. “You’re working with David?”
Amber smiles. “Of course.”
“How is he?” Ruby asks.
“He’s great.”
“So he’s over you?” she teases. “He was pretty hung up on you.”
Curious, I cling to their words.
Ruby turns to me. “David is the man Amber was dating when she fell for Aiden. They’ve known each other since college. He manages the estate and they work together. She totally broke his heart—”
“I did not,” Amber scoffs. “That’s it. You’re not getting any eggs.”
“C’mon, sis,” Ruby laughs. “I need sustenance. I have a big day ahead.”
Yes, she does. Ruby is taking Trevor to the park, and then to town for lunch followed by the library, which should give us plenty of time to get everything ready for his party. He’s expecting something small with a few friends, but I suspect it will be quite the grand affair.
I think about Flynn and I wonder if he’ll show up for breakfast. I get giddy at the thought but as I count the place settings at the table, my heart sinks a little – only five settings.
“Ta-da,” Trevor exclaims, stretching his arm across the table, completed Rubik’s cube in hand. “I win!”
Ruby throws her hands up in defeat.
I laugh. “Good job, Trevor.” I’m truly amazed by this kid. “I can’t believe you can do that. How old are you turning today?”
“Eight,” he says proudly, his face beaming.
“Happy birthday, by the way. I hope you have a great day.”
His grin stretches wide when he says, “Thank you, Jade. I will.”
So darn adorable.
Amber and I have outdone ourselves. The party is dinosaur themed and we’ve thought of everything. Green and orange streamers hang from the ceilings, matching balloons float about, and fake tropical plants dot every corner. A table is covered with gifts; colourful boxes topped with curly ribbon, blue tissue paper pouring out of gift bags, and loot bags filled with goodies and dinosaur hats bought at the dollar store. Amber is busy in the kitchen – the smell of a freshly baked cake permeates the air.
As I wrap the rest of the streamers around the stair banister, my mind is full of Flynn. I haven’t been able to get him out of my head since…
That kiss…
It was a hell of a kiss. I can’t stop thinking about it – the taste of his mouth, the feel of his beard on my hands; so much softer than I’d imagined. I was completely lost in him. There was nothing else in my world but him at that moment. I had wanted so much more. He’s the only man I’ve craved since Michael. Before Flynn, there has only been Michael. I honestly thought there’d never be another man who could light me up, who could fill me with such fire.
But that kiss…
Damn.
You have no clue what you do to me, Jade.
When he said those words, I felt them press against my stomach, the heat of them settling deep down to my core. I close my eyes as I relive the moment. I know I can’t do this – I can’t continue with the therapy. I can’t see him every day when I want him so much. I don’t remember ever feeling such hunger for another human being; the pang of desire is almost unbearable.
Once the streamers are done, I put the final touch on the decorations as I tether the giant helium filled dinosaur balloon to the stair post. The ribbon slips from my clumsy hands and it escapes me quickly, floating to the ceiling, just out of my reach.
Darn it.
I’ll need a chair. I turn to head to the kitchen, and the front door bells clangs as it opens. Flynn smiles at me shyly and my breath hitches at the sight of him. His cheeks are rosy from the cool October air and the suave wave of his hair is perfectly tamed as always. He’s wearing a gorgeous camel coloured jacket with stylish black buttons. Could the man look any better? Is he purposely trying to send me into an unfulfilled longing induced coma?
He grins, almost as if he can read my thoughts. “I thought I’d pop in early and help out,” he says as he hangs his jacket and slips off his boots. You’d think the butterflies in my stomach would settle down now that the gorgeous jacket is off, but no, it only gets better; a slim fitted black turtleneck and dark designer jeans. Flynn Riverstone is not your typical cowboy – when he’s off the field, he’s stylish as they come; probably his sisters’ influence.
The butterflies are whirling up a frenzy. I’m so worked up, I can barely speak. “W-what did you get him?” I whisper, my eyes fixed on the present in his arms.
He inches closer and whispers, “I got him the Breyer’s deluxe camper. It was on his list.” His breath is warm against my ear, and my insides melt a little. I don’t know why we’re whispering – Trevor is nowhere near us. But I really, really like the whispering.
The chemistry between us is off the charts. This cannot lead anywhere good. I back away an inch or two. He looks up and grins. “You can’t reach that, can you?”
I look up at the dinosaur balloon and laugh. “Are you making fun of me?”
“Just making an observation.” He grins as he reaches up high for the balloon and hands it to me.
I smile shyly and pull my gaze away from his to fasten the ribbon to the stair post.
“I’ll go see if Amber needs help in the kitchen,” he tells me.
“Sure,” I say, glad to be able to breathe again for a minute.
When I’m done, I head to the kitchen to join them. “Can I do anything to help?”
Amber’s gaze darts across the both of us and a slow coy grin traces her lips. “You two can work on the apps… I still haven’t gotten to those.”
“Sure, sounds fun,” I say, delighted by the idea of working with Flynn and getting to spend more time in his company – I am so far gone, it’s mildly embarrassing. Thank god people can’t read my thoughts.
Amber quickly grabs a bag of pretzels and dried apple chips. “These are for the fossil snack mix.” She grabs two apples from the refrigerator. “I also need you to cut these up for the dino teeth punch. Peel them first,” she adds as she hands me a knife. “Make the cut-up pieces look like dinosaur teeth.”
Damn, I can’t peel apples without a peeler. Umm… how hard can it be?
I start slowly but I’m really useless without a peeler.
As I continue working on the apples, Amber hands two trays to Flynn and a variety of deli meat, cut-up vegetables, and a bag of baby carrots. “Arrange the meats on one tray and the veggies on the other.”
“Sure, sis,” he says and turns to me. “Amber can be a little bossy when she’s planning a party.” He smirks. “’Don’t mind her.”
I smile. “I’m enjoying myself.”
He stares at me for the longest time and I’m brought back to that amazing kiss. “Me too,” he says softly.
Damn. He’s certainly not making this easy.
He laughs softly. “How are you doing with that apple?” he teases. “If you keep going like that, there won’t be any apple left.”
I blush. “I don’t know how to peel without a peeler,” I confess.
He smiles wide. “Oh… you’re one of those people.”
I ca
n’t help but laugh. I am. “Sorry if I’m not a farm girl who grew up baking apple pies with her mother.” I smirk.
He grins as he takes the knife from my hand. His fingers graze mine lightly, the barely-there touch drives me wild. “Well, I am,” he says. “A farm boy who grew up making apple pie.”
“The knife looks good…” He winks. “It’s your technique that needs a little work.” He grabs the other apple. “Start right at the top, at the stem, and glide the knife down in a smooth motion.”
He’s obviously done this a thousand times. I watch him intently as his hands work pure magic and the apple peel ribbons down to the table. The man is good with his hands. Damn. Who knew apple peeling could be so sexy. Forget motorcycles, guitars and three piece suits – I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything as hot. But then again, he could be filling out tax forms, and I’d probably still get worked up watching him. I have a pretty serious crush.
He smiles playfully when he catches me staring. I swallow hard and look away.
“Why don’t you try it?” he says as he walks away from the table. “I’ll grab another knife and another apple.”
A moment later, we’re standing side by side, and I’m mimicking his slow movements. And it works. Well, sort of. He laughs at me as I struggle. And I laugh too. There is only this moment. There is no fear, no stress, no anger, no uncertainty, and no regret – none of the emotions that usually immobilize me. There is just me and him. In the moment. This is happiness.
It feels foreign and elusive. I dig through my memories and struggle to find a time I felt this with Michael. I never truly did. The thought almost brings tears to my eyes. I swallow and shake the thoughts out of my head as we chop the apples into pointed tips made to look like dinosaur teeth. We plop them into the dark red punch Amber has made.
Amber presses a black Sharpie against a notecard and writes: Bloody Dinosaur Teeth Punch.
Very cool.
Flynn and I are both quiet as we busy ourselves finishing up the trays. He works on the meats and I work on the veggies. I wonder what he’s thinking about. I wonder if he’s replaying that kiss like I am – the taste of my mouth, the sound of our moans and whimpers, the sensation of our bodies pressing and grinding together. God, he almost made me come – another five seconds, and I would have been there. No, instead, he shot up like a jack-in-the-box. So damn frustrating.
Amber takes a seat at the table. “Wow, thanks you guys,” she cheers. “You guys did a great job with the trays.” She takes out her Sharpie again and writes: Herbivores on one notecard and sets it in front of the veggie tray, and Carnivores on the other for the deli meats. So clever – she really has thought of everything.
The doorbell rings and she jumps to her feet to welcome the first guests. Quite a few of Trevor’s school friends have been invited.
The guests seem to all arrive at the same time. Aiden takes the gifts from the guests as Amber offers handshakes and smiles. The place quickly gets chaotic and loud; chatter and squeals fill the air. We’re all steadying ourselves to yell out “Surprise!” I can’t wait for Ruby and Trevor to get home.
My gaze finds his through the crowd – his eyes are fixed on me, full of what looks like desire and longing. The house is full of people; parents and children, but as far as Flynn and I are concerned, there’s just the two of us.
As Ruby opens the front door, Trevor peeks his little head in, and we all yell, “Surprise!” His face lights up like a fireworks display. My heart swells with joy at the sight of him.
Trevor squeals as he rips through the wrapping and discovers the Lego helicopter I got him. “Thank you, Jade,” he cheers as he bounces off his chair and dives into my arms for a hug. I squeeze him tightly for a good two seconds, almost brought to tears again. He’s so sweet. “I love it,” he says as he pulls from me, and heads back to his birthday-boy chair to open the rest of his presents.
Flynn shoots me a grin. I smile and look away, shy. For some silly reason, I can’t quite bring myself to look at him after the kiss we’ve shared. I wonder when I’ll get over that. I’m riveted as I watch Trevor dig into his other gifts. I study all the faces around him; the sweet children standing in a circle, eager to see how he will respond to their gifts; their parents sitting in a larger circle behind them on the sofas and chairs; friends of the family. I’ve had the chance to meet quite a few of them. Elaine and her husband sit right next to me; they’re Trevor’s grandparents; his late father’s parents. I feel so torn up for them – it must be unimaginable to lose a son.
And of course there’s Flynn, and Ruby and her fiancé Eric. As my gaze darts across the room, I study the faces; so many new faces in my life, each with their own story I’ve yet to learn.
As my eyes travel to the back of the room, my heart stops cold.
Jade
The hairs prickle at the nape of my neck. My throat tightens and my stomach turns to stone. I can’t breathe. I blink, not believing my eyes.
Michael leans casually against a wall, just outside the room, just out of sight. He’s as foreboding as always, tall and brooding, dark hair slicked back, dressed in black from head to toe. He’s not a man who usually goes unnoticed, but today, standing just outside the crowd, no one sees him. No one but me.
When his gaze fixes mine, chills trickle down my spine. I want to go to him and explain, but I’m frozen to my seat, a half-eaten slice of cake still sitting on a paper plate on my lap. His features are laced with a strange mix of emotions; anger, hatred, longing… love?
The room is full of children’s squeals and laughter, but it is deathly quiet in my head. I inhale a deep breath as I slowly stand. My hands tremble as I set the paper plate on the coffee table. My breath runs away from me and I desperately struggle to even it out. I fear my legs will betray me – they’re just about to give as I steady myself, my hand pressed on the sofa arm.
“Are you all right, dear?” Elaine inquires, her face full of concern.
I glance at Michael who hasn’t moved an inch. “I’m fine. I think I’ve just had too much cake. I just need to walk it off.”
She smiles. “I often do that too. Blame it on Amber’s wonderful baking.”
I nod as I inch away slowly, not wanting to face the man I fear most in the world, but knowing I absolutely need to.
Flynn
I’ve been watching her all day. I can’t help myself – the woman is just so damn beautiful. Her long dark silky hair, her soft white skin, her emerald eyes – she’s fascinated me since the first time I saw her.
Yet today, there’s something more captivating than her beauty. Her smile. That sweet grin is a rare occurrence and when it makes an appearance, it absolutely transforms her. When she smiles, she is no longer just beautiful, she becomes amazing.
My attention is divided between Jade and Trevor. He’s adorable as he rips into his birthday gifts with the force of a wild animal digging his teeth into prey. I can’t take my eyes off him when he opens my present. I know he will love it and I eagerly anticipate his reaction.
As expected, he goes absolutely crazy. “The Breyer camper I wanted,” he squeals, the pitch of voice eliciting winces across the room. The squeal is followed by jumping and dancing in circles. He dives over the mountain of gift wrap and ribbons and abandoned gift bags to come and give me a hug. I wrap his tiny frame into a big bear hug, not wanting to let go.
When I do, I spot Jade’s expression. Something’s wrong with her. She looks as if she’s about to be sick. She puts her half-eaten cake on the coffee table and she can’t seem to stand straight as she steadies herself on the couch. I’m paralyzed for a moment as I watch her. Elaine mutters something to her and Jade nods and looks off in the distance.
I follow her gaze across the room and at the sight of him, my stomach hardens. I know instantly who he is. I was never given a physical description, but it doesn’t take a genius to figure this one out.
He’s finally tracked her down.
I follow her closely as she slo
wly inches toward him. He towers over her – he’s a large and arresting man. He commands all her attention and seems to steal the breath from her lungs as she gazes up at him, defeated. All the work we’ve done seems to have been destroyed in this one single moment.
He reaches for her, a large hand on her cheek. She stares into his eyes and there’s something there – something I don’t believe, something I don’t want to see. She still has feelings for the man, even after everything he’s put her through. It’s understandable – the heart forms attachments and they are not easily broken. Years of moments, shared experiences – one cannot turn their backs on this easily.
I can see what she sees in him – he’s quite attractive, and full of intensity. A strong square jaw, a serious mouth and a piercing dark stare. My stomach tightens at the sight of them together. I hate the man, not only because of what he’s done to her, but also because of the control he has over her. It’s clearly not just fear that renders her pliable, it’s a strong attraction too.
I’m shaken by my reaction to this man. I have yet to utter a single word to him, but I despise him with a passion I never knew I was even capable of. I’m not an emotional man – I don’t think I’ve ever felt this before. At first, I can’t quite put my finger on this foreign emotion – jealousy.
It’s a horrible emotion.
“I’ve missed you so much, princess,” he says softly, his voice is surprisingly kind. “Why did you go?”
She is wordless at first, but after a long beat… “I-I’m sorry.”
Her words make my heart sink – she’s still afraid of him.
“It’s okay, baby,” he tells her. “I’ve found you now. And we can start all over. I forgive you. You’ve been through a lot lately.”
“H-how did you find me?”
He smirks – his gleaming smile sends chills down my spine. “You were hard to find. I had a good investigator and you sure made him earn his paycheck.”
Her body seems to go rigid in his hands as her gaze lowers to the floor.
He presses closer against her. “You’re a clever little thing. You’ve been a very bad girl, princess.” His words are playful when he adds with an impish grin, “I think I’ll have to teach you a lesson later, baby.”
