Forever an Eaton: Bittersweet LoveSweet Deception

by Rochelle Alers

  When she’d been informed of her son and daughter-in-law’s death Gloria had stopped eating. It was only after Griffin threatened to have her force-fed that she had begun eating again, and then only small portions but enough to keep up her strength.

  Now that Lucas had come back into her life, she’d managed to regain some of the weight she’d lost. When he’d asked his mother whether she was sleeping with her ex-husband, Gloria had come out with an unequivocal “no.” She claimed all Lucas was good for was companionship.

  “Do you know what perfume Belinda wears?”

  “Yes. It’s Dior’s J’adore. Why do you want to know?”

  “Dad’s putting together a list of souvenirs he wants to bring back.”

  “I’m done with my list.” She smiled at Lucas. “Please bring in the coffee. It should be finished brewing.”

  Reaching for Gloria’s hand, Griffin seated her on her favorite chair. He sat on the matching ottoman, cradling her feet in his lap. “If you come back from Europe carrying my little sister or brother,” he teased quietly, “I’m going to give Dad a serious beat down.”

  Throwing back her head, Gloria laughed until tears rolled down her face. “You don’t have worry about beating up your father because it’s not going to happen.” Gloria sobered. “Speaking of children, Griffin.”

  “What about them, Mom?”

  “I know you’ve adopted Grant’s children, but do you see yourself having children of your own?”

  There came a long silence as he pondered her question. “If I were to be completely honest I’d say I don’t know. Playing daddy is still too new for me to make a decision. But I must admit I’m enjoying what little I’ve experienced.”

  “How are you getting along with Belinda?”

  “We’re doing okay. It’s obvious she’s going to be the stricter parent, while I’ll probably let the girls do whatever they want—except when it comes to boys. If it were up to me they wouldn’t have a boyfriend until they graduate from high school.”

  Gloria shook her head. “That’s unrealistic. Your father was my first boyfriend and you see how that ended. My granddaughters should have boys as friends so they learn to differentiate between the good guys and the ones who only want to sleep with them.” She paused, seemingly deep in thought. “I believe if I’d had a daughter, Lucas wouldn’t have been such a philanderer.”

  Griffin wanted to tell Gloria that she was wrong. Lucas would’ve cheated on her if they’d had a dozen daughters. Unfortunately, it’d taken a catastrophic incident to bring Lucas Rice to the realization that he’d misused and mistreated the best woman he’d ever had and would ever hope to have. Perhaps, he mused, it wasn’t too late for his parents to start over.

  * * *

  Layla and Sabrina were waiting on the front porch for Griffin when he maneuvered his SUV into the driveway and parked behind their aunt’s Volvo. They were bundled in down-filled jackets, bracing against the rapid twenty-point decline in the temperature. The past week the weather had challenged the late-March season, and won.

  He smiled as he got out of his car. Maybe it was the profusion of hair flowing down and around their shoulders that made them appear older, as if they’d become young adults virtually overnight.

  He wasn’t disappointed when they raced off the porch to launch themselves at him. The spontaneity reminded Griffin they were still young, and as they’d done when they were children, they wanted him to catch them in midair.

  “Whoa!” he cried out when he collapsed to the floor of the porch under their weight.

  The front door opened and he looked up to find Belinda smiling down at him as Sabrina and Layla held him down while pinning him with what they thought were wrestling holds. Lamps flanking the door flattered her slender body in a pair of fitted jeans she’d paired with a chunky pullover. She’d also changed her hairstyle. Instead of the usual curly look it was smooth, the feathered ends curving under her chin and down around the nape of her neck.

  “Do you give up?” Layla shouted, tightening her headlock.

  “Yes!”

  “Count him out, Aunt Lindy!” Sabrina said excitedly.

  Playing along with her nieces, Belinda went to her knees and slapped the porch close to Griffin’s head. “One, two, three. You’re out!” The girls released Griffin, falling back and gasping in surprise when he reached for their aunt, pinning her under his body.

  Burying his face against the column of her scented neck, he pressed his mouth to the silken flesh. “Come with us this weekend,” he whispered near her ear.

  Belinda swallowed a moan. There was no way she could ignore the hard body molded to hers, the solid pressure of bulging muscle between Griffin’s thighs. She closed her eyes when a gush of moisture bathed the area between her legs.

  “I... I can’t.” She could hardly get the words out.

  “If you give her a headlock she’ll give up, Uncle Griff,” Layla suggested.

  Griffin eased his arm under Belinda’s neck. “Give up, baby,” he crooned for her ears only. “Are you coming with us?” he asked loud enough for his nieces to overhear his entreaty.

  “No-o-o-o!”

  Sabrina went to her knees. “Please, Aunt Lindy. Please come with us. Uncle Griff said we were going to have a movie night.”

  “Pul-eeese,” Layla moaned melodramatically.

  Belinda closed her eyes. Oh no! a silent voice shouted when Griffin ground his groin against hers. She couldn’t believe what he was doing to her—in front of their nieces no less. If she didn’t stop him, then she was going to embarrass herself. Her long-celibate body indicated that she was on the brink of climaxing.

  “Okay. I’ll go.”

  “Pinky swear?” Griffin asked, grinning triumphantly.

  She nodded. “Yes. Pinky swear.”

  Layla and Sabrina exchanged high fives as they turned to go back into the house to retrieve their overnight bags. They’d spent most of the afternoon exchanging text messages with their uncle to enlist his help in getting their aunt to join them for the weekend after she revealed she hadn’t planned to do anything but read and watch DVDs.

  As soon as the door banged behind them, Belinda said between clenched teeth, “Get the hell off me!”

  Griffin eased up, but not enough for Belinda to escape. He didn’t want to stand up until his erection went down. He hadn’t expected his body to betray him, nor had he expected Belinda’s response.

  “Watch your language, baby. You don’t want our children to grow up using foul language.”

  “They’ve heard worse,” she said flippantly, “and no doubt from their classmates.”

  “I know you hear it at the high school, but I’d prefer that Sabrina and Layla not hear it at home.”

  Belinda affected a facetious smile. “Please let me up, Griffin.”

  He smiled. “That’s better, darling.”

  Waiting until Griffin moved off her and helped her to her feet, Belinda caught the front of his sweatshirt. Standing on tiptoe, she thrust her face close to his. “If you ever hump me in front of the girls again I’ll hurt you, Griffin Rice.”

  Griffin winked at her. “Would you prefer that I hump you in private? I know I don’t appeal to you, but your body is saying something else.”

  Her fist tightened. “What exactly is my body saying?”

  “That regardless of how we may feel about each other, our bodies are in agreement.” He leaned in closer. “I could smell sex coming from your pores.”

  Belinda let her hand fall at the same time her jaw dropped. “How dare you! Your arrogance just supplanted whatever common sense—”

  “Cut the act, Belinda!” Griffin said angrily, cutting off her tirade. “It’s only a normal reaction between a man and woman, so don’t confuse sex and desire with love. I’m not in love with you,
and I doubt whether you’ll ever be in love with me. Circumstances beyond our control have forced us into a situation we never would’ve or could’ve imagined. I didn’t ask to be a father but I intend to make the best of it, and if that means making sacrifices to keep my vow to my dead brother then I will.”

  “Pray tell, Griffin, just what are you sacrificing?”

  The seconds ticked off as he stared at the woman who intrigued him more than he wanted. The sexy godmother who made him want her when everything said that she was so wrong for him.

  “Having a normal relationship with a woman.”

  “Don’t you mean sleeping with other women?”

  “That, too.”

  “My heart bleeds for you, Griffin. If you think I’m going to become a replacement for your other women, then think again, mister. I don’t play house.”

  His eyebrows flickered. “Do you play at all?”

  “Yes,” she retorted. “What I do play is for keeps.”

  “If you play for keeps, then where is your so-called boyfriend?”

  Oh, you’re trying to be slick and get into my business, Belinda mused. “You’ll get to meet Raymond when he comes up from Florida this summer.”

  “Why do I have to wait for the summer?”

  “That’s when he’ll be able to get away.”

  “Don’t you mean that’s when he’ll be paroled?”

  “Oh, no you didn’t!”

  “Yes, I did, Belinda. Is your Raymond in a Florida jail? I’m asking because I don’t want that type of element around my daughters.”

  “Why are they always your daughters, Griffin?” Belinda shot back, the timbre of her voice escalating along with her temper. “Aren’t they also my children?”

  “I thought we now belong to both of you.”

  Belinda and Griffin spun around. They hadn’t heard Sabrina when she’d come out of the house. They were so busy going at each other that they hadn’t realized they weren’t alone.

  Belinda went over to hug her. “Of course you belong to both of us. You and Layla are my daughters.”

  “What about Uncle Griff?”

  “You’re his daughter, too.”

  “If that’s true, then why were you fighting?”

  “We weren’t fighting, sweetheart.”

  “It sounded to me as if you were fighting.”

  Belinda met Griffin’s knowing gaze over Sabrina’s head. As new parents they’d made an unforgivable faux pas—argue in front of their children. “There’re times when adults don’t agree with something, so it may sound as if we’re arguing. Your uncle and I love you and your sister. We made a promise to take care of you and make certain you’re safe. I’m going to ask you and Layla to be patient with us because we’re newbies playing mom and dad.”

  Sabrina smiled. “You already sound like a mom even though Uncle Griff needs more practice at being a daddy.”

  “Well, excuse me,” Griffin drawled. “What do I have to do to sound like a daddy?”

  “First of all you have to learn to say ‘that’s enough, young lady.’”

  Griffin forced back a smile. He’d lost count of the number of times Grant had issued his favorite warning. “What else?”

  Sabrina narrowed her gaze. “There’s ‘did you do what your mother told you to do?’”

  Belinda pressed her palms together. “I like that one.”

  “You would,” Griffin mumbled under his breath.

  Layla, carrying a large quilted tote, joined them on the porch, frowning. “Aunt Lindy, I thought you were coming with us.”

  “I am. I just have to put a few things in a bag. Don’t leave without me.”

  “We won’t” came three voices.

  Chapter 5

  Proper attire for movie night in Paoli was pajamas and fuzzy slippers. Belinda, her head supported on a mound of overstuffed pillows, lay on the carpeted floor beside Griffin, while Layla and Sabrina were huddled together, sharing a large throw pillow. They were watching Akeelah and the Bee for the umpteenth time. The film had become a favorite of the twins, along with most of the feature-length animated films from Disney/Pixar. Sabrina, who’d demonstrated promise as a budding artist, had expressed interest in becoming an animator.

  It was only Belinda’s second trip to Griffin’s house, and there were a few changes since her last visit more than five years before. He’d added an in-ground pool, expanded the outdoor patio to include a kitchen and added another room at the rear of the house that served as a home office. File folders bulging with contracts, strewn over a workstation, were a testament to a less-than-efficient filing system.

  Griffin made a big production of preparing for movie night when he taught the girls how to build a fire in the fireplace. Refreshments included popcorn, s’mores, bonbons and cherry Twizzlers.

  “Who wins the bee?” Griffin whispered to Belinda.

  Layla sat up. “Don’t tell him, Aunt Lindy!”

  Belinda tickled Griffin’s ribs through his T-shirt. “I’m not telling.”

  Griffin caught her fingers. “Don’t do that.”

  “Are you ticklish?”

  Not releasing her hand, he stared at Belinda for a full minute before lacing their fingers together. “Yes.”

  Smiling, she winked at him. “Do you have any other weaknesses I should know about?”

  Griffin closed his eyes rather than let Belinda see how much she affected him, how much she’d changed him and his life in less than a few weeks. How could he tell her that he liked her because she was different from the other women he’d been involved with, that he wanted what she gave Raymond—her Sunshine State lover—and like Belinda, if he had to play then he wanted it to be for keeps? Spending a Friday night at home watching movies with Belinda and the girls was the highlight of his week—and something he could very easily get used to.

  “That’s it,” he lied smoothly, redirecting his attention to the large plasma screen mounted on the wall. Griffin pretended interest in the movie when it was the woman pressed to his side that he found so intriguing.

  * * *

  Belinda had just dozed off when she heard the soft knock on the door. Sitting up, she turned on the bedside lamp. “Who is it?”

  “It’s Count Dracula, and I’ve come to suck your blood” a deep voice crooned in a perfect Romanian dialect.

  Belinda smiled. “Sorry, count, but I’m all out of blood.”

  “Curses!” he snarled, this time sounding like a pirate.

  “Come in, Griffin.” The door opened and Griffin walked in, wearing a pair of black pajama pants and matching T-shirt.

  Friday night at the movies had not only been enjoyable but also enlightening. She had seen another side to Griffin’s personality, the opposite of the aggressive and competitive attorney who’d become notorious for holding out until he got the best deal for his clients. He had a really wicked sense of humor, telling jokes and deliberately flubbing the punch lines. Sabrina and Layla had adored the attention he lavished on them and they, in turn, reciprocated in kind.

  “Is movie night over?” She’d found herself dozing off and on until she decided it was time to go to bed, leaving before the end of the film.

  Griffin nodded. “When I told the girls they had to brush their teeth before turning in, they said I sounded like Aunt Lindy.”

  “Is that a good thing?” she teased, smiling.

  “I’d say it is.”

  “What are you doing?” she shrieked when he ran and jumped onto the bed, flopping down on the mattress and pressing his back to the headboard.

  Crossing his bare feet at the ankles, Griffin gave Belinda a sidelong glance. “I came to talk.” Before settling down to watch the movie, he’d watched as she brushed and pinned Layla’s and Sabrina’s freshly relaxed hai
r, covering theirs with bandannas before doing her own. Her smooth transition from aunt to surrogate mother was nothing short of amazing.

  “What’s so urgent that you can’t wait until tomorrow?”

  “What do you think about getting the girls a dog?”

  Belinda went completely still. “What kind of dog, Griffin?”

  “Don’t worry, Belinda, it won’t be a pit bull or Rottweiler.”

  “What kind of dog?” she asked again.

  “A Yorkshire terrier. One of my neighbors has a purebred bitch that whelped a litter of pups about three months ago. She’s sold off all but two, and I told her that I would have to talk to you before offering to buy one.”

  “A puppy,” she whispered. “You want me to take care of a puppy?”

  “Sabrina and Layla will take care of it.”

  “I don’t think so, Griffin. You’re fooling yourself if you believe girls their age are going to take care of a dog. I’ll wind up feeding, bathing and walking it. And what’s going to happen when it gnaws on my rugs and furniture?”

  Griffin dropped an arm over Belinda’s shoulders, bringing her cheek to his chest. “You’ve got it all wrong.”

  “No, I don’t.”

  “Please don’t say no until you see them. They’re adorable.”

  “I’m certain they’re adorable but—”

  “Baby, please,” he crooned softly. “Grant promised the girls they could have a dog.”

  Tilting her head, Belinda stared at Griffin looking down at her. The soft glow from the lamp flattered the contours of his lean face. “Donna didn’t say anything to me about getting a dog.”

  “Grant wanted to surprise them. I’ll buy the cage, wee-wee pads, food and chew toys. I’ll also commit to covering the vet and grooming expenses, and of course the pooch will need one of those designer puppy carriers that cost an arm and two legs.”

  She smiled. “Why does it sound as if you’re running a con on me?”