by Iona Rose
The chief of the fire station came and spoke to us, and took us to the police. They asked Brooke a few questions and jotted down her address and other details.
They finally allowed us to go but not before we saw two men carrying a stretcher from the house.
Brooke covered her mouth with her hand. “My God!”
I tried to feel sorry for Mason and failed. Society was better off without men like him. Brooke had told me that he’d intended to rape her.
We left. I tucked Brooke into the car and drove home. She looked so frightened and lost. I just wanted to wrap my hands around her and take care of her.
In the house, we took a shower together and afterwards, we slipped into bed, and I held her in my arms.
She cupped my face. “This is the second time you came to my rescue.”
“I’ll always come to your rescue Brooke,” I replied.
“Make love to me,” she said.
I proceeded to do just that. I kissed her everywhere, taking my time as if it was our first time.
When it was over, I held her in my arms, as she dozed.
I couldn't sleep immediately. All I kept thinking was, what if I hadn't gone after Brooke? Tears filled my eyes. I held her tightly. She was so precious to me.
I must have made a noise because she opened her eyes and looked up at me. “Are you crying?”
“No,” I said but my voice gave me away.
“What is it?”
“I was just thinking, what would I have done if I'd lost you?”
“You didn’t,” Brooke said in a firm voice. She wiped my face.
“I love you so much Brooke,” I told her.
“I love you more,” Brooke said. “I was a fool not to realize it before. You’ve completed my life. You've made me happy. You filled that hole of loneliness I always carried with me. You've made me a whole woman.”
“And you've made me a whole man.”
We sealed our words with a long lingering kiss.
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Brooke
I stretched out on the balcony lounger and moaned with delight, as a slight breeze tickled my feet and the sun warmed my body. Below, happy voices lifted up to the balcony as couples, and people walked by on the beach.
We’d gotten the same room we’d had a year earlier.
The balcony door swung open at that moment. Blaze stepped out carrying two glasses of lemonade.
“Can you believe it's already been a year?” I asked him as I sat up.
“It's been a beautiful year, the best year of my life,” Blaze said. “You’ve made me so happy, Hot Sauce.”
I grinned as he handed me my glass of lemonade. As our fingers brushed, sparks flew between us. We were still madly attracted to one another.
All Blaze needed to do was to give me a certain stare, a certain look and my whole body came alive.
So much had happened in the last year. My dad had more or less recovered and Blaze and I had gone to Florida twice to visit them. With Blaze acting as a buffer, the relationship with my parents had improved.
We were never going to be as warm as other families were, but we cared about each other. And for me, that was enough. I reserved love and passion for Blaze.
I had a little something growing in my tummy but I hadn't told him about it. I’d brought a pregnancy test with me when we came to Hawaii the previous day. This morning, I had done the test and two pink lines had sprouted.
Now, I held the test kit behind me on the lounger. When Blaze settled down, I removed it and handed it to him.
He peered at it and his eyes grew wide with wonder. “Do these two lines mean what I think they… do?” his voice broke with emotion.
“Yes,” I said. “We’re going to have a baby.”
“We’re going to have a baby, Hot Sauce!” A grin split his face in two, then his face grew solemn. “There is something we need to do before we do anything else right here in Hawaii.”
“What?” I asked.
“We have to get married,” Blaze said.
I burst out laughing. “Is that your idea of a marriage proposal?”
Blaze looked at me sheepishly. “I’d planned something a little more elaborate but this has come as a surprise.”
“It doesn't matter. I don't need anything elaborate. I just need to know that you love me.”
“I do,” Blaze stated. “More than life itself.” He got up and pulled me to my feet. “We’re going to have a baby!” he repeated and twirled me around.
“Yes we are,” I said laughing.
I would do things differently with my child than my parents had done with me. I want our baby to know he or she is loved and is wanted so much.
I tipped my chin up and Blaze brought his face down to mine.
“I want you,” I said to him after we’d kissed for a few minutes.
“We have to be careful from now on, Hot Sauce. None of that rough stuff that you like,” he said. “We’ll be careful for nine months.”
I made noises of protests. “We only need to be careful for the first three months.” I felt glad he wanted us to be gentle for a while but after the first trimester, he and I were going to go back to our usual passionate way of making love.
“Have I told you today how special you are to me?” Blaze asked, breaking the kiss to look into my eyes.
“You have but I don’t mind hearing it again,” I said.
“I love you.” Blaze kissed the tip of my nose.
I couldn’t believe it was possible to feel as happy as I did in this moment.
His hand dropped to caress my stomach.
My dreams had indeed come true. Our family was complete.
Coming Soon: Sample Chapters
Crushing On My Doctor
Chapter One
Erika
I pick my phone up when a text message pings in. I roll my eyes when I see who it’s from. Jeremy. My ex-boyfriend. I broke up with him three days ago and since then, he’s texted and called me constantly. It’s ironic really because I think he’s contacted me more in the three days we’ve been separated than he did in the full four months we were dating. And that’s not because he ignored me while we were dating. It was just because while we were dating, he didn’t show me this crazy, desperate stalker like side to himself.
I already know I won’t be responding to his text message. I tried that with the first few messages I got off him after we had broken up. First I politely reminded him of why we had broken up and I told him multiple times that I didn’t want to get back with him. After that kind of message being ignored several times, I resorted to telling him in no uncertain terms not to call or text me again. And when that didn’t work, I just stopped responding. I blocked him on all of my social media accounts and I started to just ignore his calls and texts. And still, they keep coming. My God. There are some people who just can’t take a hint. And then there’s this.
Despite knowing I’m not going to be answering the message, I can’t resist taking a peek at it. I roll my eyes again when I read it. Jeremy starts out by calling me baby which I hate and he knows it. And the message only goes downhill from there.
“Baby, please just give me one more chance. I know you say it’s over, but for me it will never be over. I miss you so much and I swear if you just agree to take me back, I’ll be a better boyfriend. XXX”
The trouble is, there’s nothing Jeremy can do to change my mind about this. I didn’t end things with him because he was a bad boyfriend. I ended things with him because there was just no spark between us. He’s a nice enough guy and we did have fun together in the beginning, but there was no chemistry between us, no magic or spark when we kissed. When I saw him, I didn’t go weak at the knees or feel much of anything really. When we had sex, it was fine, but that was all it was. I don’t want to spend my life having sex that’s only fine with someone I quite like as a friend but nothing more. I want the real deal. And it seems pointless to drag our relationship out when I know for
sure that Jeremy isn’t the one.
Another text message pings in while I am reading the first one. Jeez. Give me a break. I read the next message. It’s pretty much the same thing, only this time, Jeremy is pleading for me to answer the text message. He claims that he just wants to know that I’m ok, and if I say I still don’t want to get back with him, he’ll leave me alone. It feels like a trap. Like if I open communications with him again I’ll be inviting him back into my life.
I tell myself that’s stupid. If I tell him one more time we’re done, then he’ll have to accept it and then we can both move on. And if he still doesn’t get the hint, then I’ll just stop answering him once more and never get suckered into breaking my rule on that one again. I think for a moment and then I type out a response.
“I’m sorry Jeremy, what you feel I do not. It’s over. Please stop contacting me and move on with your life.”
It’s short and to the point and there’s no way Jeremy can read anything more into it than what’s there. I nod my head in approval and send the message. It’s barely left my phone when I hear another message ping in and I moan out loud in frustration. I laugh at myself when I see the name on the screen though. Jennifer. My best friend.
Her text message is much more welcome than Jeremy’s.
“Drinks later? Carl will be here to have the kids so I am freeee x.”
I type back an instant yes. It’s Sunday tomorrow so neither of us have to be at work and it’ll be good to let my hair down and have some fun, something I don’t feel like I’ve done enough off lately. I realise then that Jeremy and I rarely went out anywhere – we also seemed to be either at his place or mine. Yes, I definitely need a night out. And Jennifer and I are overdue a catch up. Since she had her second baby, we didn’t get to see each other half as much as we used to. I get it, but it’s great to know I’ll be seeing her later on today.
Jennifer texts back quickly saying she’ll pick me up around seven. I check my watch. It’s barely even eleven am and I have a feeling it’s going to be a long day now.
***
I am just starting to think about going to take a shower and starting to get ready for tonight when there’s a knock on my door. I shake my head. I know Jennifer has a thing about always being early, but three hours early is a big thing, even for her. It’s not so bad though. I can be ready in an hour if I push it and at least then I can stop itching to get out. I am practically skipping when I get to the front door and pull it open. My heart sinks when I see who is standing on my doorstep.
“Jeremy? What are you doing here?” I say coldly.
I really thought my last text to him had worked. He hadn’t called or text since I sent it. But clearly, he still isn’t getting the hint.
He smiles at me, a lopsided smile and I realise from that grin and the slightly glassy look in his eyes that he’s been drinking. That explains why he’s got one hand pressed against the door jamb. He’s probably trying to stop himself from swaying.
“Is that any way to greet a friend,” Jeremy says with a wide grin, slurring his words.
“I …” I start.
“You said we could still be friends Erika. Did you mean it or not?” he says.
“Well sure,” I reply. But I didn’t mean the sort of friends that drop around each other’s places unannounced and uninvited. “What’s up?”
“I just wanted to see you,” Jeremy says.
“Well you saw me,” I grin, aiming for a light hearted tone but really just wanting Jeremy to leave.
“I need to talk to you,” he slurs.
I open my mouth to tell him I’ve said everything I needed to say to him and that I was actually on my way out, but Jeremy pushes himself off the door jamb and pushes past me, entering my home. He walks down the hall as I stare after him in open mouthed surprise at his rudeness. He doesn’t look back to see if I’m following him or not. He just goes off into the lounge.
I shake my head and slam the door closed, following him into the lounge where he stands in front of the couch, swaying slightly with nothing to hold on to.
“Look Jeremy this isn’t a good time. I’m going out soon and I need to get changed,” I say.
“Don’t let me stop you,” he says with a lecherous grin that makes my stomach turn over and not in a good way. Jeremy must see my expression change because he sighs. “God I was joking Erika. Lighten up.”
I decide the quickest way to get him to leave will be to hear him out and then tell him yet again that we’re over.
“Well I’m all ears. What do you want to talk to me about?” I say.
“About us obviously,” he says, his tone implying that I’m the stupid one here.
“There is no us,” I point out.
“Sure there is,” Jeremy says, undeterred by the obvious fact that I want nothing to do with him. “There will always be an us. Stopping responding to my messages doesn’t change what we have.”
“I stopped responding to your messages because you weren’t getting what I was saying Jeremy. And you’re still not. We tried it. It didn’t work. And I don’t want to be with you. Please just accept that and move on.”
“Baby, what can I do to make you change your mind?” Jeremy slurs.
“There’s nothing you can do. It’s over. Now please leave,” I say.
“Leave? So you can go out and find someone to replace me? I don’t fucking think so.”
Jeremy’s voice has changed. He’s shouting loudly enough that I know my neighbors will be able to hear him. I just hope they’re at work or out somewhere so I don’t have the embarrassment of seeing them nudging each other next time I see them.
“Well?” Jeremy demands.
I don’t know what he wants from me. It wasn’t like he asked me a question I am going to answer. Jeremy sounds angry now, and when he glares at me, I feel suddenly afraid. He ignores me for the moment and walks towards my TV. He swipes out with one arm, knocking it from the cabinet and onto the ground where it smashes in to a thousand pieces.
“What the fuck?” I shout, anger over taking my fear for a moment.
Jeremy turns back to me, his face a mask of anger. I have never seen him looking like this before. He looks through me like I haven’t spoken and then he begins to march around the room, throwing my ornaments to the ground and smashing my favourite lamp. He stomps on my coffee table until the legs give away and it crashes to the floor. I watch, my mouth open in shock as fear courses through me. He’s lost the plot completely and I have to get him out of here before this goes even further.
“Do you know why I’m doing this Erika?” Jeremy demands.
“I … No,” I say, unsure of what answer he is looking for, what answer will calm him down.
“I’m doing this to show you how serious I am about you. And that you can’t just blow hot and cold on me. You responded to my message earlier, gave me hope that we had a future and then nothing all day,” he says.
He isn’t shouting now. I almost wish he would go back to shouting. This quiet, calm voice that thrums with anger is much more dangerous than the yelling.
“I told you we were over. How is that blowing hot and cold?” I say when it’s clear Jeremy is going to just stand there and stare at me until I answer him.
It was the wrong answer. Rather than calm him down, it makes him madder. His face contorts and turns red and then Jeremy roars like an animal. He pulls the painting I have above my fireplace down off the wall and slams it down on the back of one of my armchairs. He slams it over and over until the canvas splits and then he throws it angrily away. He closes the gap between us in three long strides, his sway no longer as pronounced as earlier. I can tell he’s still pretty wasted though. His pupils are huge and when he presses his face into mine to yell at me, I can smell the alcohol fumes radiating off him. I don’t think he’s even close to sober enough for me to be able to reason with him. I have to try though. I move backwards slightly, but he follows me. I open my mouth to say something, anything. Jeremy beats
me to it though.
“Who the fuck do you think you are Erika? Why do you think you’re too fucking good for me huh?” Jeremy screams. His face is almost purple now he is so angry. A vein pulses wildly out of control on his forehead. I have never seen Jeremy like this before and it’s truly scary.
“Well? Why do you think you’re too good for me?” Jeremy screams again, grabbing my upper arms and giving me a little but rough shake when I don’t answer his question quickly enough for his liking.
How about because you think it’s ok to smash my place up and then get in my face and yell? That’s what I’m thinking but it’s not what I say. I’m not that stupid. I need to calm Jeremy down before this gets even more out of hand, not make him madder.
“I never said that I was too good for you,” I start.
It’s true. I didn’t. And I wasn’t even thinking it until this moment.
“No but you were thinking it weren’t you? Princess Erika, waiting for her knight in shining fucking armour to come and give her a fairy tale ending. Well guess what? He’s not coming. Because if I can’t have you, then no one can,” Jeremy yells.
As he says it, he reaches out for me again, but this time, he doesn’t grab my upper arms. This time is so much worse; his hands grab me around the throat. The hands that used to caress me so gently are now choking the life out of me and I have no idea how this whole thing escalated so quickly.
I can feel panic gripping me as I struggle to breathe or get free. Preferably both. Instead of both, I get neither. My airway is well and truly cut off, and Jeremy is far too strong for me to push away. Even without my head being spinning and my lungs burning from the lack of oxygen, I think he would still have been too strong for me to push off me. I slap at the hands around my neck, but Jeremy just carries right on squeezing as though my slapping does nothing but tickle and my panic is nothing but amusing. I think that’s the worst part. I can see the amusement in Jeremy’s eyes as he chokes the life out of me.
