Searching for Moore

by Julie Richman

  She took his hand from her stomach and moved it down to her clit. With his forefinger in hers, she pressed her clit hard and started moving in circles until their fingers found just the right spot that sent electric volts scattering through her.

  She started to quake under his finger, muscles convulsing around him, squeezing him hard. “Oh fuck yeah,” he hissed pulling her over the edge with him as he drove up into her, deep and rough.

  She collapsed back against him, panting and quaking with aftershocks.

  He kissed her shoulder, “I love you, Baby Girl.”

  She rolled over and placed a hand on his cheek and kissed him softly, “I love you too, Schooner,” she said, breathlessly.

  She stroked his cheek and looked directly into his beautiful clear eyes, “I have something I need to tell you.”

  He looked at her, “Ok…”

  “I didn’t tell you earlier, because I didn’t want to ruin your day and because I didn’t want you to get pissed off and go ape shit.”

  “What’s going on?” Concern shadowed his eyes.

  “CJ called me this morning.”

  He pushed back from her and screamed, “What? And you are just telling me this now? Why didn’t you call me this morning? Immediately,” his face hardened in anger, a total transformation from the man who had been laying next to her mere seconds before.

  “I didn’t tell you because I knew you’d be pissed off and call her and I didn’t want to give her the satisfaction that she was even important enough for me to go running to you about.”

  “What exactly happened?” He ran his hand through his hair, clearly exasperated.

  Mia recounted the details of the phone call and Schooner listened silently. After she finished, it was a moment before he spoke.

  “On one hand, I want to kiss you for handling her so brilliantly,” he leveled Mia an angry glance, “but on the other hand, I cannot even begin to verbalize to you how pissed off I am that you did not call me about this immediately.”

  “I think you should just kiss me for being brilliant.” Mia said, softly.

  He shook his head no, “I’m really pissed at you, Mia.”

  “Schooner, she wanted a reaction and I didn’t want to give it to her.”

  “That’s all good and well, but that was a decision we should’ve made together. First, you need to tell me these things, so that I can contact my lawyer immediately, who will contact her lawyer, and have her stop her harassing you. More importantly; however, is you not keeping things from me — especially where CJ is concerned. Last time you did that it cost us twenty-four years of our lives, Mia.”

  She felt sick. To hear Schooner verbalize that her actions or inactions had cost them twenty-four years felt like a huge wet slap in the face. She rolled away from him and went to get out of bed.

  “Where are you going?”

  She didn’t answer, but instead continued to walk into the kitchen to get a glass of cold water. She leaned against the breakfast bar and sipped the water.

  Schooner joined her in the kitchen and stood in front of her. “Are we going to finish this conversation?”

  “I’m listening,” she looked up at him, full blown New York attitude on her face.

  “You can’t hide stuff from me, Mia. Why is it that you feel you can’t come to me?”

  She shrugged, “Look, I once told you, I’m not very good at relationships.

  “Bullshit,” he screamed, startling her.

  She put her glass down on the breakfast bar and crossed her arms over her chest. “Well, I’ve never had a successful one,” she scoffed, maintaining her defensive pose.

  He shook his head and rubbed his forehead, “Listen, I’m sorry I screamed at you, but here’s the deal. I need you to be totally honest with me all the time, not hide anything from me — especially where CJ’s concerned — and have enough faith in me that I will handle situations appropriately and always do what is best for us. Us, Mia.”

  “I’m sorry, Schooner. I understand why you are so upset, I really do. Especially with a situation where CJ pulls something and I don’t tell you. I get it — it will always be a big gaping wound for us. My poor handling of it in the past fucked up both of our lives. I get that. I just didn’t want her to win this time and by treating her like her call meant nothing helped me marginalize her. Does that make sense?”

  “Yes, Baby Girl, it does,” he walked toward her and she stood still, arms still crossed in front of her, “but you have to promise me that you will always come to me immediately with everything. Give us a chance to work it out together, Mia. You always want to take on everything alone. You are not in this alone anymore.” He put his hands on her shoulders, “Look at me, Mia. I’m not going to always get it right. I’m going to fuck up. Sometimes royally. I’m going to react with anger or I’m going to want to protect you. And that is exactly why we need to do it together. No secrets. Let’s learn from our past and then leave it there.”

  He was right. Seth and Kami were right. Holding back anything from Schooner had been and would continue to be their undoing if she didn’t start thinking of them as a team in every aspect. This man, who willingly was giving up half his world, starting a new life 3,000 miles from the only home he had ever known, and told Katie Holmes that she was his fiancé was asking for a little faith and she would be the biggest fool in the world not to give him all that he was asking of her. Losing him again was not an acceptable option.

  She uncrossed her arms and wrapped them around his waist. “No more secrets,” she looked up into his eyes. “I promise.” And then whispered into his chest, “ever.”

  He smiled and whispered into her hair, “You really told her you were recording her?” She nodded and he tightened his hold. He laughed, “You are so freaking awesome.”

  CHAPTER 17

  Mia sat at her desk, reviewing Excel spreadsheets of operating expenses when the text alert on her cell phone sounded. She looked at the display. Schooner, texting from LA. She smiled.

  Schooner: Sitting across from her now.

  Mia: You’re at the lawyer’s office?

  Schooner: Yes

  Mia: And you’re sitting at the table texting?

  Schooner: LOL — that I am!

  Mia: You’re so bad!!

  Schooner: That I am!

  Mia: It’s part of your charm.

  Schooner: So you tell me.

  Mia: So … how is it going?

  Schooner: She’s going to drag her feet. Nothing we didn’t anticipate.

  Mia: :-(

  Schooner: Don’t be sad, Baby Girl

  Mia: Sad for you. Hate anyone making you unhappy.

  Schooner: LOL she’s clearly pissed I’m texting

  Mia: LOL… tell her I say hi.

  Schooner: Not!

  Mia: Still seeing your parents tonight?

  Schooner: Yup

  Mia: Please send my love.

  Schooner: I want your love.

  Mia: You have my love.

  Schooner: I hate being out here. Can’t wait to come home.

  Mia: :-) love having you home.

  It was close to 10 minutes before her cell text beeped again, surprising her as she was absorbing the spreadsheet’s numbers.

  Schooner: This whole thing is starting to piss me off.

  Mia: Oh no :-(

  Schooner: Tell me something good.

  Mia: Ummm… I love you

  Schooner: That is very good. And it’s smoochal, Baby Girl.

  Mia: :-) yes, it is.

  Schooner: God, she’s such a huge bitch.

  Mia: No comment! Do you need me to come out there and scratch her eyeballs out (or just hang the phone up on her again). LOL

  Schooner: Lol. Oh, that embarrassed her good when she was told to stop harassing you (I think I was smiling).

  Mia: God, I love you.

  Schooner: Oh God, she is laying it on really thick now.

  Mia: And you’re texting.

  Schooner: Yeah :
-)

  Mia: So you know how you always want me to share things with you?

  Schooner: Yeah…

  Mia: It may be nothing, but…

  Mia: I barfed my guts up this morning.

  Schooner: Holy shit! Have you taken a test?

  Mia: No, will wait until you get home to do that. Want to do it together.

  Schooner: I have to leave this meeting now and come home

  Mia: You’ll be home in two days.

  Schooner: I want to be home NOW!

  Mia: Soon and forever…

  Schooner: Soon and forever (never going to be able to concentrate now! If she ends up with the business it is your fault, Baby Girl)

  Mia: Lol… go concentrate. Call my ass when you get out of there.

  Schooner: Call your ass hot.

  Mia: :-) Bye! Concentrate.

  Schooner: Bye :-( Never going to be able to concentrate after the barfing bombshell.

  Mia: Hmmm … Barfing Bombshell … I think you called me that after too much tequila in college.

  Schooner: LOL… ok about to stick it to her and not in the way she wants. Bye.

  Mia woke to his arms wrapping around her and his long leg slung over her, pulling her into him, kissing her beneath the ear.

  “Mmmmm,” and through her cobwebs, “you’re back?” It was a question more than a statement.

  “I couldn’t stay away,” he nuzzled into her neck, his fingers finding her nipples and pinching them. She moaned and ground her ass into his hard cock.

  He pulled her beneath him, his hands on either side of her face, he could see she was half asleep and couldn’t keep her eyes open. She was dozing off. He spread her legs with his thighs and without any foreplay rammed into her hard. She gasped, her eyes opening and a smile overtaking her lips.

  “Morning, Baby Girl,” he growled and kissed her hard while fucking her at a punishing rate. He rammed into her relentlessly, taking what he wanted. This was going to be quick. When he was through, he curled up behind her and pulled her close. They were both asleep in a matter of seconds.

  When Mia woke, she found a surprise on the bathroom counter. Inside a Duane Reade Drugstore bag was a package containing not one, but two pregnancy tests. She smiled and thought, how very Schooner. She unwrapped one of the sticks, and as she was taking the test, thought that this was the first time ever in her life that she was hoping for a positive result.

  She watched as the pink line started to form and within a minute it turned into a cross. She clicked the cover back onto the test stick and crawled back into bed next to a sleeping Schooner. She bit him on the shoulder. As good a way as any to wake him, she thought.

  He rolled over to look at her and with a shit-eating grin she waved the test stick in his face. His eyes shot wide open as he realized what she was doing and he grabbed her hand mid-wave.

  “Very good hand-eye coordination, I’m impressed,” she laughed.

  He focused in on the stick and saw the plus sign and looked up at Mia, who was nodding her head and smiling.

  The look in his eyes melted every inch of her. “Baby Girl,” he whispered hoarsely, as she smiled at him. He pulled her head down to his chest and kissed her hair. She peeked up at him and could see his mega-watt gorgeous smile, but he was lost somewhere.

  “Where are you, Schooner?”

  He smiled at her, “Thinking. I want this divorce NOW.”

  “Don’t worry about that.” Mia reassured.

  “But we have a baby coming,” he was verbalizing it for the first time and she could see the enormity bursting in his every thought.

  “I promise I’ll put your name on the birth certificate.” Mia gave him her devil grin.

  “Bitch!” He laughed, grabbing her and tickling her until she yelped. He then smiled at her and took her face in his hands, becoming serious again. “Mia Alyse Silver, you are having my baby.”

  “Schooner James Moore, yes I am.”

  His smile was so beautiful that Mia thought if there is one moment she wanted to take with her into the next life, this was it right now. The feeling in her heart and the look in his eyes and his smile, made her think, this is all I want from this lifetime. It doesn’t get better than this.

  “Hand me my pants. They’re on the floor by your side of the bed,” he asked. Mia rolled away from him, grabbed his jeans and flung them at him, whipping them into his face, “Ouch.”

  He pulled his jeans off of his face and smiled at her. “You know,” he began, “sometimes parents are very smart. Take my parents, for example, they are very smart people. They loved you the minute they met you. Me, well, I was not quite as smart. I was totally intrigued from the moment I met you, but I was also more than a little intimidated by you. You were different and cool and you totally embraced it and you clearly didn’t give a shit. Me, I was afraid to be different, even though deep down, I knew I was. So I did everything I possibly could to fit in. I didn’t quite know what to make of you, Mia, and frankly, I didn’t know how to act around you because I thought you’d see right through me and my bullshit. I was afraid you would know what a fraud I was and that you wouldn’t like me. You were this total enigma, this cool New York girl and I already knew you were so much fun to be with, just from the time we’d spent together and from watching you around campus.” He nodded his head with the admission, “Yes, I watched you — in the dining hall, on The Quad. And I envied the fun you and everyone around you were always having. But you, you were always at the center of it. So on that first day of Interim, I was thrilled when I saw you sitting there, because I knew I was going to have a chance to get to know you and that was something I really wanted. And later that day, you called me out on my shit and I went back to my dorm that night and laid in my bed thinking about you and how you made me feel. It was like the fairytale where the wooden boy comes to life,” he laughed, “except I was a plastic boy and you made me feel real. That magic that I had watched all first semester, well now I had a front row seat in that magic circle. And I just wanted to be with you all the time. You were my high, Mia. You taught me how to let me be myself and to like that guy and that is probably the greatest gift anyone has ever given me. Ever. And you liked that guy too and that made my heart soar. I wanted you to like me, not Mr. Hotshot Tennis God. I wanted you to like me. And it was when we were on that mountaintop together, that I was actually able to put it all together. I was in love and it hit me like a brick or maybe a snowball. I had fallen in love with you.” Mia stroked his face and smiled at him, her eyes filled with tears.

  “So, yesterday afternoon I sat down with my parents and told them everything for the first time. And they are thrilled that you are joining our family,” he reached out and brushed away Mia’s tears with his thumb. He stuck his hand in the pocket of his jeans, “Mia Alyse Silver, the minute, and I mean the minute, that my divorce is final I want you to be my wife, forever.” Out of the pocket he pulled a ring box. “This was my grandmother’s. My mother wants you to have it and I want you to have it.” He opened the box and removed a platinum and diamond art deco ring. “Marry me, Baby Girl.” He slipped the ring on her finger and then held her hand tightly in his.

  Mia was momentarily lost in his eyes swimming through the turquoise blue waters to that island where lost souls find happiness. It was finally their turn, she was almost at the shore.

  She smiled and nodded, “Schooner James Moore, aka Baby Daddy,” they laughed through their tears as Mia found her voice, “I guess we can just face the fact that I am smarter than you because I was totally smitten from the moment I first laid eyes on you. You were so damn pretty, your eyes and a smile that should be outlawed. And I was so shy meeting you, but I remember thinking that we could be really good friends and have the best time together, like crazy adventures good times. And although I was seriously crushing on you, I knew you were looking for a prom queen type, which yes, we can both admit, I was not,” they laughed, “and I didn’t quite know how to deal with you, so aloof was a very safe
and easy way for me to relate to you. And interestingly enough, I have been told by more than one man in my life that I am aloof. But I digress… So when I looked up in that lecture hall that first day of Interim and saw you, my heart skipped a beat. Then you came and sat down next to me and my heart was pounding in my chest. I was afraid you could hear it and I was also afraid you could read my mind, so cool girl came in and took over to protect me. I needed someplace to hide and she always provided the perfect ruse. And then Rick said that we had to break into groups and at that moment, I just took control because it meant I’d get to spend time with you and I might really get to know you. And what surprised me most of all was how you just fit in with us right away, you just came and took your place. And it was easy and I didn’t need cool girl there, because I could be me with you and we were totally on the same wavelength. And that night after the mountains, you kissed me for the first time,” she smiled at him, his eyes bright with tears, “and I slept in your arms and from that moment on, my life was never, ever the same. I remember thinking “The realization of a secret dream” which was this horoscope that came packed in some lip gloss I got when I was a really little girl, like 5 or 6 years old, and I hid it and held onto it for years and years. And that is what I was thinking that night as I dozed off with my head on your chest. The realization of a secret dream.” They both had tears streaming down their cheeks. “I can’t wait to be your wife, Schooner.”