Derek (Hunter PI & Security #1)
Page 48
Jenny ran into the baby's room and looked around. She walked over to the dresser and looked at the picture we'd placed there. It was a picture Jean had taken of the fours of us. It was just after I'd had gotten home from the hospital. We were all snuggled together in his bed watching a movie. It was my favorite picture. When Jenny was done looking around, she walked down the hall to Gabe's room, and we followed quietly behind her. She looked on Gabe's dresser and picked up the frame sitting on it. Then she walked over to the bed and sat down, studying the picture. It was a picture of Gabe's dad, the same one that had been on the mantle at Gabby's. We wanted both of the kids to remember the parent they'd lost. That was very important to both Bridget and me.
“That's Gabe's dad,” I said, as I sat down next to Jenny. “You know how your mommy went to heaven, right?”
She nodded.
“Gabe's dad did too,” I said. “Remember me telling you?”
She nodded again.
“Is mommy's picture in my room?” she asked.
“It sure is,” Bridget said, as she sat down on the other side of Jenny.
“Can Gabe and me have a picture of us too?” she asked. “Like the one in the baby's room. Can we have one of those?”
“If you want one,” Bridget said.
“I really do,” Jenny said. “I want Gabe to have one too.”
“Sure,” Bridget said. “I'll get them done tomorrow.”
“You're going to be my mommy,” Jenny said. “We're a family.”
“We most certainly are,” Bridget said.
“Would it be okay if I called you mommy like Gabe does?” Jenny asked.
I could see tears in Bridget's eyes and felt them in my own as well.
“Of course,” I said, knowing that Bridget didn't know what to say.
“I can have two mommies?” Jenny asked.
“You sure can,” I answered.
“Will you put me to bed?” Jenny asked Bridget.
“I sure will,” Bridget said.
“I love you, Daddy,” Jenny said, as she hugged me.
“Love you too,” I said, as she got down and grabbed Bridget's hand.
Gabe climbed up onto my lap as Bridget and Jenny were walking out of the room.
“It's me and you bud,” I said. “I love you, Gabe.”
“Love you, Daddy,” Gabe said.
He wrapped his arms around my neck and hugged me, and I could not stop the tears from slipping from my eyes.
I tucked him in and walked into the hallway to see Bridget standing against the wall.
“You okay?” she asked.
“He's my boy,” I said, wiping the last of my tears away.
“You okay with that?” she asked.
“More than okay,” I said, as I wrapped my arms around her and hugged her tight. “I want to adopt him, Bridget. The second we're married, I want it done.”
The look she gave me told me she might not be willing.
“Woman,” I hissed.
“Before you say a word, Derek Hunter,” she said sternly. “Let me speak. I'd love for you to adopt Gabe. I want him to have your last name.”
“What's the problem then?” I asked.
“What do you think Gabby will say?” she asked.
“Gabby,” I said without thinking. “Why does it come back to her?”
“Gabe was her brother,” she said. “Little Gabe is her nephew.”
“He has your last name,” I said, and she nodded. “Then it shouldn't be a problem. It's not like we're changing it from his dad's to mine. Besides, I want all of our kids to have the same last name.”
“I could adopt Jenny, and” she began, and I cut her off right away.
“Do not finish that sentence, Woman,” I warned. “If you want to adopt Jenny, I would love for that to happen, but you and Gabe will have my last name. Do not even test me right now.”
“You are so damn bossy sometimes,” she mumbled.
I pulled her close and covered her mouth with mine.
“You love me that way,” I said with a smile.
She shook her head and smiled.
“I really do,” she said.
“Would you really want to adopt her?” I asked.
“Yes,” she said with a smile, as she nodded. “Do you think Jean would be okay with that?”
“She'll be fine,” I said, “ and so will Gabby. Now, how about we go kick my brother out of here. Then I'll take my woman to bed and show her just how bossy I can really be.”
“I like how you think, Mr. Hunter,” she said, as she grabbed my hand and took off down the stairs.
We got to the living room, and my brother stood up.
“No offense, Drake,” I said. “Your ass needs to go. I'm about to.”
He scrunched his eyes closed, shook his head, and laughed.
“Really?” he asked. “You two are something else. I'll see you tomorrow.”
“Thank you so much, Drake,” Bridget said. “You've helped us so much.”
“Anything for my family,” he said.
His phone rang and he hurried to answer it, mouthing an “I'm sorry” my way.
“Hello,” he said.
“This is Drake Hunter,” he said, as he waved and turned to leave.
“My mom,” he said with a laugh. “Is she having you call me now to ask for money?”
What the fuck was he talking about, asking him for money? I reached out to grab his arm but his ass hit the couch before I could reach him. When he looked up at me, there was no way not to notice the emotions shooting through him as the tears began to fall.
“How?” he asked. “When?”
The End.
Be sure to watch for my next serial “Out of My League”. There will be three parts total.
Please continue on for the Prologue and Chapter 1 of “His Assistant, Part 1”.
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His Assistant, Part 1
Prologue
Brooke
As I sat in the front row of the funeral home, I could not help but think about her life. My mom passed away just two days before. A chill ran through my body, as I sniffed in the smell that surrounded me. I was glad there were only three flower arrangements delivered. It would have been hard to get any more than that back to the house. People came in and out of the room, letting me know how sorry they were. They all stood around telling stories about my mom. The entire room acted as if they knew her so well. She had been such a good friend to each of them, they claimed. I had to laugh, as I listened to the bullshit going on around me. None of them knew her. Not a single one of them were there for her. I can't remember any of them offering to help through those two long, painful years. If they were such good friends, where the fuck were they when we needed them?
My mom was an amazing woman. She was a single mom at only twenty. I have no idea how she raised me alone. My father passed away in a car accident before she even had the chance to tell him she was pregnant. She admitted that I was a product of a one night stand but still planned on letting him know. There were no pictures of him for her to show me, and she didn't really know anything about him. My birth certificate did not list anyone as my father. How sad, right?
I always loved to watch my friends with their dads and wished I could have met mine. I was always Brooke Smith, the little girl without a father. There were so many kids in the world with only one parent, but all of my friends had two.
My mom worked her ass off making sure I had what I needed. Sure we struggled all the time, but she made sure I had the necessities. I knew there were times she went without so that I could have something I really wanted. She had more than one job at a time for as long as I could remember. I knew she was often tired, but she never let it show. Dinner was always ready. I might have had to heat it up, but it was there each day when I got home from school. Thinking back, I didn't ever remember her dating. She was always so busy working and raising me. It was just the two of us, but we made it work.
When I was fourteen, we moved to Michigan. That was where my mom's parents lived. We had only visited a few times when I was younger, so I didn't really know them very well. I talked to them on the phone sometimes, but that was about it. They seemed nice enough. We moved into their house with them. My mom said she wanted to be there to help them, because they were getting older. I really think she was tired of working so hard, and it was cheaper to live there. They were very loving right from the start. My grandmother made sure I ate well and rode me every day about my homework. It was nice to have two more people to love.
Everything was great for four years. My mom worked one job, so I was able to see her more. It was nice to see her with her parents. They seemed so happy to have her home. I often wondered why she moved away in the first place. Mom always said it was better for us to live in Florida. I thought it would have been better with them. She must have had her reasons, right?
My high school years were great. Keeping my grades up was difficult, but I did it and was looking forward to college. I wanted to go into business and planned to eventually own my own company. Working for someone else didn't appeal to me at all. It felt good planning for the future. I would be able to take care of my mom one day. Then she wouldn't have to work. She would be able to do all of the things she never had time for while she was raising me. I had been accepted to University of Michigan. It was going to be awesome to live in the dorms and be on my own.
Two days after my graduation, my grandparents were killed in a car accident. They were hit by a drunk driver who had crossed over the line. I never understood how people could make such bad decisions. Why risk other people's lives? I get that they want to drink, but why get behind the wheel of a car? My mom had a very hard time with their death. I did too. She felt bad for not being there for them before and regretted staying away for so long. It was horrible. I had just gotten to know them. They were such wonderful, caring people. I really missed them and always would. It would have been nice to have known them longer. We should have been there.
They willed the house to my mom and me. We wanted to stay there. It was where she had grown up and where I had gotten to know them. I decided to stay home and commute to school, so my mom wouldn't be alone. It wouldn't have been that long of a drive each day, but my mom was adamant that I still dorm my first year. She didn't want me to miss out on experiencing the fun side of college life. I knew I would make sure to go home most weekends. It was going to be strange being away from her.
I jumped when I felt someone touch my leg. It was the funeral director. I had almost forgotten where I was. It was easy to block out all of the noise around me. I wanted the day to be over more than you can imagine. It was so hard to sit there while everyone talked about my mom like they knew her. They were all going to leave that day and go on with their lives. By the time they got home, they would be done thinking about her and be busy thinking about what they were going to make for dinner. She deserved better than that. I was relieved when the director asked me to go into his office to sign something. It was tiring being around all of the fake people surrounding my mom's ashes, pretending to care.
The viewing would be over in fifteen minutes. Then, I would take my mom's urn and ashes home where they belonged. Before she passed, we agreed to only one day of visitation. I wanted her to have a large funeral and burial, but she refused to agree with me. She wanted to be cremated and have just a short visitation. I know she thought it would be easier for me. After sitting all day in a room full of strangers, I had to agree with her. She always knew what was best.
I know it wasn't fair of me to think negatively about all of the people who came to pay their respects, but that didn't change the way I felt. She had worked with some of them. A few of them were my grandparents' friends. Some of my mom's high school friends came. I'm not sure how they found out. I didn't put anything in the paper. My mom was strict on her direction for that. It was not to happen. I couldn't figure out why. Again, I'm sure she had her reasons.
She was never one to explain her feelings over decisions she made. All she ever said was “I have my reasons.”
When the last person left, I was so relieved. It had finally ended. Everything that I had known for so long was over. What was I going to do with my life?
Chapter 1
Brooke
Two Weeks Later
As I sat in the reception area of Luke Technologies, I could not stop my hands from shaking. I was waiting to interview for a secretary position. Would I see him? Would he be there for the interview? His compa
ny was in a very nice building. I was surprised to find out it was only twenty minutes from my house. It took me a week to gather the nerve to apply for a job there. I was so relieved to find something available that fit with my resume. My legs shook as I waited patiently. Hopefully, I wouldn't start sweating or embarrass myself. I didn't want to give anything away.
You're probably wondering how I ended up there. I was surprised myself.
The day after my mother's viewing; I woke up and remembered what she had said to me the night she passed away. I was snuggling next to her in her bed. She hadn't spoken for most of the day and was very weak. I felt her squeeze my hand and looked over at her.
“I love you so much, Brooke,” she said. “You know that right?”
I could barely understand her words.
“Yes, mom,” I answered. “I love you too.”
“In the attic is a box with your name on it. It's right inside the door. After I'm gone, I want you to open it. Promise me you'll wait until after my viewing.”
Her voice was so weak. What could she have in a box? It was probably stuff from my childhood. Maybe it was something she had saved for me.
“I promise mom. What is it?” I asked.
“I love you. You'll always be my baby girl. You're my everything,” she said. “Please remember that. Everything I have ever done was for you. I want your dreams to come true, Brooke. I love you.”
“I love you too. You're the best mom a girl could have. I could never doubt your love.”