Being In Love (Siri's Saga Book 5)

by Cindee Bartholomew

  After a few minutes, I break the silence. "We make beautiful music together, don’t we?"

  "We do, but I didn’t hear you coo this time. Did I miss it?"

  "No, I was talking about the percussion and the song that started playing on loop in my mind."

  "What song was that?"

  "Bang, Baby, Bang! Oh bang my thang!"

  He chuckles in that deep throat hum as he straightens his arm out. "Did I bang your thang good?"

  "Oh yeah!" I tell him with southern girl twang as my hand finds his. "You always bang my thang real good." His big hand cups mine, then his thumb strokes me absentmindedly. A few more minutes pass in silence, then I say. "This was really sweet, Aurelius. Bringing me here."

  "Ummhmm." He agrees. "I thought it would be the perfect place to talk."

  "What do you want to talk about?"

  "The future."

  Oh shit! My breath hitches in my throat. The goddess gown flashes in my mind. Don’t panic blasts my thoughts. Calm down! When I speak, only a moment has passed and my voice is cool as a cucumber. "The future? What’s there to discuss?"

  "Let’s eat. We can talk over our meal."

  I breathe deep and try my best to act as if I’m not scared shitless. We sit Indian style with the plate of food between us, then he starts to talk. At first I eat like a pig, distracting myself with the food plus I was more hungry than I realized, and the BBQ is delicious, but the more he talks the more business like he becomes, and the less appetite I have. Finally I hold my hand up to stop him. "Are you serious?" My incredulous tone is evident.

  "I’m dead serious."

  "Have you lost your mind?"

  "No, I haven’t." He shakes his head and starts to laugh.

  "Bart and Cat agree?" I look away into the darkness. "Obviously they do." I answer my own question. When I look back on his handsome face, he smirks at me. "Hell! Am I the last to know?"

  He laughs now. "Not exactly."

  "I can’t image whose left? Even James knew before me. No wonder he’s walking around like he’s on crack!"

  He smiles. "It’s something to be excited about for sure."

  "So what you’re telling me is." I hold up my fingers as I recall the points he made. "You made this 'mind blowing' discovery." My fingers make the quotes for emphasis. "and came up with this crazy ass idea, ran it by your venture capital partners, and virtually overnight had the funding. Then when you contacted Bart to run it by him, he told you he had already been working on the same idea. That he had sold the "show" to the other parties months ago, but they had insisted that it be a live performance and that the star had to be convincing?"

  "That’s correct."

  "Now ... all the parties are on the same page and ready to go. All except one."

  "Yes," he smiles. "The most important one."

  I look at my feet and draw my legs up under me. "Let me think about it."

  "What’s there to think about?" He looks at me with complete confusion now.

  "If I want to."

  "What?" He picks the plate up and moves it to the side, then opens his legs and beckons me to come to him. "Come here, Wild Thang. Tell me what you are thinking. I thought you would be excited. Blown away."

  I look at him frowning. "I don’t know if I’m hurt or happy, Aurei."

  "Well, either way, you look like you need a Sugar Bare hug."

  I scoot into his embrace and draw my knees up to my chin. He wraps his arms around me. His scent fills the air, and I inhale deeply. "I feel so safe here in your arms."

  He nuzzles my neck and kisses my shoulder. "Talk to me, Siri. Don’t shut me out."

  "You and your damn secrets! How could you keep this from me?"

  "I wanted to surprise you."

  "Well, you sure as hell have done that! I’m gobsmacked!"

  His cheek finds mine and presses. He speaks softly in my ear. "I thought you would be happy, thrilled to do it!"

  "I should be. Honestly I’m not sure why I’m not." I hide my face in my knees and try to breathe. "I thought...." The Goddess gown flashes again. My hand goes to the inscription and rubs. "Never mind."

  "Tell me." He commands.

  "Maybe it’s because you will be here and I’ll be there."

  "Sometimes our schedules won’t sync, but we will do this together or not at all, Baby Thang. Okay?"

  "Promise?"

  "I promise."

  "Just hold me and let me absorb it." I tell him as I turn to hide my face against his chest.

  "Take your time." He cradles me and I hear his heart beating. It’s loud. So strong. I breathe deep while my mind darts all over the place trying to sort through the shock and the awe of what he just shared.

  "Tell me why you think I can do this."

  "I don’t think you can. I know you can. Bart and Cat know you can. James knows you can too. But more than all of us, you know you can. Think about your life so far, Siri. If you believe in Karma the way you say, you know your whole life has been playing out to prepare you uniquely for this role. This is an opportunity of a lifetime! And you are perfect for it!"

  "This is a big f-ing deal, Maximus Aurelius Moore!"

  "Yes, Siri Wild Thang Wright. It is."

  "It will change my life forever!"

  "Yes, it will. But you were not meant to be a runway dancer. You were meant for more. You are a Superstar who just found her venue."

  I take a deep breath, then let out a long sigh and think out loud. "Okay…. If this venue is going to happen, and everyone in the world knows it will someday, then I’m going to have to be the one who does it, because I would never forgive myself if I passed this up and saw someone else doing it poorly." I look him in the eyes. "Okay. I’m in. I’ll do it. You were right."

  Aurei kisses the top of my head. "I usually am."

  Chapter Thirty-Five

  Watching the dogs gobble up the meat isn’t as fun as it should have been. Aurei does his best to make me laugh. He throws bits up in the air and makes them jump for it. Some are graceful, but some are complete klutzes and I should have been giggling like mad, but I only chuckle.

  Walking back to the party hand in hand, I feel very uncharacteristically clingy. The enormous stress weighs heavy on my mind. Here I was thinking I was going to be giving up an important part of my life to be with Aurei and made peace with that, only to discover that now I’m taking on an enormous, once in a lifetime opportunity and my life will never be the same and never simple again.

  Aurei stops every so often and pushes a stray hair behind my ear, or kisses me until I breathe in sync with him, or kisses my hand, but whatever he does, he looks into my eyes the whole time. Analyzing and concerned. Finally he cups my chin and holds it still. He leans in and his gorgeous green eyes drill into mine. "Stop worrying!"

  I roll my eyes. "I can’t help it."

  "Sure you can."

  "But there is so much to think about."

  "And your team will handle it. Don’t you trust them?"

  "Of course I do."

  "Then stop worrying."

  I laugh, embarrassed. "I think I’m in shock!"

  "That’s understandable."

  I frown. "Our lives are unbelievably even more complicated now." I sigh and shake my head.

  "Affirmative. But we’ll work it out." He kisses my eyes closed. "Listen. We don’t have to go back to the party. We can go back to the cabin if you want."

  "No, no, I’ll be fine. I am fine. I’m fine."

  His arms draw me tight against him. My face presses his chest and the soft, firmness reassures me he has my back. He kisses my head and simply holds me. I push my nose to his armpit and inhale his essence.

  His scent is so grounding.

  I begin to feel better and lift my face to his. I smile sweetly up into his concerned face. "I’m fine, really. Besides, you have to be there when Zita makes the big announcement. You can’t exactly skip out on that. And I need to dance! I need to get lost in the music!" I pucker my lips and
he gives me the butterfly kiss I need.

  "I need to get lost in your dance." His hands drop to my ass and squeezes, then he swats one. Pow! "Let’s go show off your moves."

  He takes a step back and grins at my surprised "Oui." I open my mouth again, but his boyish happiness makes me realize I should do just that because it’s who I am. The future will be what it will be. The present is the gift. Live in the moment! I sigh again, shakes my shoulders to release the stress, and then I just 'let it go!'

  "That’s my good girl!" His eyes crinkle with his pleased smile. Then they narrow when my mischievous twinkle appears.

  Bouncing up, I kiss his lips. "Be careful what you wish for! Don’t forget you still owe me a karaoke song too."

  "I haven’t forgotten." He taps his head, making me giggle. "Steel trap."

  I hook his arm and squeeze it while we start the walk back to the party tent. "What are you going to sing?"

  "It’s a surprise." He pulls his arm out and I slip under it.

  I roll my eyes up at him. "You and your secrets!"

  He yanks my ponytail.

  "I would like your hair down now."

  I smirk at him, but I take the holder out and shake my hair out. "Hey," I stop in the middle of the road suddenly remembering the poor man in the barn he clobbered. "Why did you nail that guy in the barn?"

  "Because he was spying on us." He says nonchalantly and keeps walking.

  I frown, but follow. "Why?"

  "Mia sent him."

  "What the hell?" I stop again. "Aurei!" I call after him.

  He stops and looks at me with a 'we are going to have this conversation even if I don’t want to' look on his face, then he says. "Listen, Mia realizes she’s lost her control over my life, and Ann’s life too for that matter, so she sent someone to spy on me to try to gather Intel for her. I told you before not to worry. I’ll handle her."

  "But why deck him?"

  "Because he knew better."

  "That seems harsh."

  "He’s a grown man that made a bad decision and it cost him. Would you rather I fire him?"

  "No."

  "Then let me handle it my way. Mia needs to know that I’m not bullshitting, and that I will protect you."

  "But he was out cold!"

  "That’s why I poured water on him." He pulls me to him and my hand slides down into his pants pocket. As we walk, I feel his muscle move up and down. He looks down on me and his face looks so serious and sincere. "Siri, I’m correcting a mistake I made years ago. It seems harsh, but she’s family and I don’t want to fire her either. I just need to rein her in. I let her have too much control over my business while I was preoccupied with serving my country and chasing too much tail. But Ann is right. I have to look after me and mine now too, and that’s you. I got this. You have to trust me."

  "I do. Everything you do has been carefully thought out. You’re the most competent person I’ve ever met."

  "Not everything, but I try to stay one step ahead." He hugs my head and we walk the rest of the way in silence.

  As we approach, the music seeps through the night. Suddenly my heart fills light and carefree. I’m about to take on the biggest adventure of my life, and I have the best man in the world by my side! I breakaway and skip ahead. "The music is calling me. Come on."

  He jogs up beside me, smiling. "That’s my Golden Dancer."

  I grin at him. "Life is good, Aurei Moore. I can’t imagine it getting any better."

  He chuckles. "Stay tuned."

  When we arrive, the lights under the tents have been dimmed. "Free Ride" by Edgar Winter is the song playing as we snake through the maze making our way back to our seats. When we squeeze through, everyone has smiles for us. Everyone, but Mia. I can still hear her screaming at Aurei on the phone, calling me a whore. Coming into the cabin uninvited to call me a whore again. And now sending someone to spy on us, probably to take pics of me being a whore. My hand twitches when I pass her. It would love to wipe that resting bitch look off her face, or snatch a hand full of her hair out. The thought of smashing her face on the table occurs to me, but I let them all go. Her icy glare tells me she received Aurei’s message.

  When we sit, we put our backs to her and Aurei pulls my chair between his legs. He leans forward to tickle me. I squirm and kiss his cheek.

  Thank you, Karma. I can’t believe how lucky I am.

  Zita makes her way to the platform stage set up for Karaoke. She steps up to the microphone and says. "My heart is overflowing with joy. I can’t wait any longer to share this announcement with my family." She smiles over at our table.

  Aurei shifts and I sit up straight. The excitement and tension in the air gets thick quick. I look at my man’s handsome face. What a beautiful being. I lay my hand lightly on his thigh. You are going to make a fantastic CEO. I smile proudly on him. He stares confident at the stage.

  Zita clears her throat, but when she speaks, her voice is thick with emotion. "For many years, my lovely daughter has called Bee her significant other." There is a collective pause in the excited tension as her unexpected words surprise us.

  As my eyes move toward Ann and Bee, who are sitting across the table from us, I notice Antonio and Gio are sitting side by side. Antonio’s arm is draped over the back of Gio’s chair. It’s an intimate position, but they are very stiff, almost formal with each other.

  My eyes move on to Quintus. He is leaning back in his chair, relaxed and completely at ease. When my eyes touch his, he smiles at me. I smile back and he looks back at Zita.

  I move on to Mia and Angelo. Angelo’s posture is of someone who is alone. He looks comfortable in his skin. No tension. Then I look directly at Mia. Her eyes are narrowed and they are honed in on me. For the first time, I have the opportunity to stare her down and get a feel for who she is. What I see actually surprises me. Instead of the hateful, childish girl I thought I would see, I find a cold, calculating business woman who runs a tight ship with an iron fist and plays a game of chess with the people around her as pawns in the game. She is cold, distant, mean and bitchy, but she plays to win. Definitely a force to be reckoned with, but I don’t have to deal with her. She has to deal with me. I smile confidently at her and her eyes narrow even more.

  Then I turn my attention to Ann and Bee. They are smiling at each other and the love between them is obvious to everyone. Zita continues, "The laws in the United States have recently changed. Ann and Bee have officially married. Bee is now my daughter-in-law." There is applause and Zita beams at them. When the clapping dies away, she adds, "And Bee is expecting our first grandchild! We are so excited and can’t wait to find out if it will be a boy or a girl!" More clapping and more smiles around. I look at Aurei and he is grinning from ear to ear at them.

  "You’re going to be an Uncle!" I tell him. "Congrats!"

  "I know." He smiles.

  I laugh at him. "You and your secrets!"

  He winks, then looks past me and offers his hand to someone to shake. I sit there while some of his family come over to congratulate him while they wait for their turn to congratulate the newlyweds and soon to be parents. Mia rises from her chair and offers Ann a hug and nods at Bee, then she comes to us. She leans over and gives Aurei a kiss on each cheek. "Congratulations, Maximus, you will make a wonderful uncle."

  "Thanks, Mia." He says as he studies her face. Someone leans between them to shake Aurei’s hand, and she looks at me with eyes of steel. "We haven’t been introduced yet. I’m Mia."

  "Yes, I know. I’m Siri." She shocks the shit out of me when she leans down and offers to kiss my cheeks too. Then I hear her whisper in my ear. "Your presence is damaging to his image. You should do us all a favor and leave."

  My poker face locks down in a death grip and I stare straight ahead waiting to meet her bitch eyes with my own, cold, steely defiant stare. But when she stands, her head is turned away and she smiles sweetly at everyone and no one, ignoring me dismissively. So, that’s the way she is going to play. Making sure my
eyes do not connect with Aurei’s, because I don’t want to ruin his joy, I turn away from her too.

  When Angelo arrives laughing, Mia drifts away into the crowd. "Zio Maximus! Congratulations!" He shakes Aurei’s hand and they laugh together.

  The first strands of the song, "Love Story" float to us. It’s a good rendition of the original version by Andy Williams. Everyone becomes more subdued, but not quiet.

  "Is that Big Al singing?" I ask Aurei.

  "Yes." He grins. "We recorded him so he could still continue their love story after death because he knew love was eternal."

  "Oh My Golden God! That is so romantic!" I put my hands over my heart.

  He chuckles as he stands and pulls me up. "Let’s dance."

  "Let’s do." I twinkle at him.

  People begin rising from their seats and moving to the dance floor with us. He takes us to the front and holds his hands out to me. I place mine in his. He cinches one, and lays the other on his shoulder, then smiles down on me with the most beautiful face full of love. His hand slides around my waist, then down to rest on my ass. We step simply side to side as the song plays. Our eyes caressing each other. When it finishes, he spins me around to face the stage, then hugs my body tight to his. His big arms crossed over my shoulders, hugging my tits tight. His hard-on pressing into my ass. There is light applause as Zita and Bob take the stage again.

  Aurei nips my ear. "You look simply stunning tonight, Siri."

  I twist my face and kiss his cheek. "You look very fly, Aurei."

  Zita takes the mike and quickly reminds us of the Karaoke rules. "Text your song choices now."

  I give Aurei a dirty look.

  "What?" He asks.

  "I don’t have my phone. How can I enter my song?"

  "I’ll text for you." His grin is full of evil innocence.

  "Umm. Hmm. NOT!" I sass him.

  Zita and Bob stand facing each other and wait for a new song to start. "From This Moment On" by Shania Twain and Bryan White begins to play and they sing to each other. The love they have shines strong and it feels like they are renewing their wedding vows right in front of us. Aurei hums with them in my ear. I put my hands on his arms and sway with him. Their harmony is perfect and it’s overwhelming. As music does, it touches my heart and I realize that even though Aurei and I will have a long distance relationship, we can make Us work. I blink back tears when they kiss and Aurei cups my chin, pulling my lips to his. His breath is sweet and his lips taste even sweeter. He whispers the Italian inscription to me and says. "I’m going to tell you tonight what that means."