“I don’t see how you could ever want to possibly put yourself through that again,” she said then wiped her nose with the back of her hand. “I can’t even contemplate the pain you felt when that happened. All I know is, I don’t ever want to feel that.”
Weston pulled her with him to the bathroom, getting her some tissue and helping her blow her nose and wipe some more tears away. “As much as it hurt, peach, I wouldn’t have changed the fact that I helped bring that boy into the world. I got to hold him, touch him, feel him. I got a glimpse at what real love is. He gave that to me in a matter of two months.”
“Then that all was taken away, West. How can you ever want to take that chance again? I didn’t even live through that, and I don’t want to take the risk.” She looked at him for his answer as she had no idea why he’d do such a thing to himself.
“We’re not here to go through life with no pain, no worry, no fear, no regret. Life is all about feeling things. Love isn’t the only thing there is to feel. You’ll be a miserable person if you try to keep those things out of your life. I can’t stand by and watch you be an unhappy person, peach.”
“Why can’t you?” she asked him as she had no idea why he put so much time and energy into her.
“Because I love you. You’re my life. Can’t you see that?” He ran his hand through her dark hair then kissed her with a tender kiss.
She cradled his face in her hands as they kissed. Then he ended the kiss, and she asked, “How can you love me? I’m such a mess. I can’t handle the simplest emotions without trying to get away from what’s causing them.”
“Love isn’t always easy,” he said then picked her up and carried her to the bed, sitting on it and holding her on his lap. “Now, you’re going to pull yourself together. Want to know why?”
She nodded. “I think you’re going to say that I need to be there for my sister.”
“Yes, you do. It’s time to put on the big sister pants and leave that only child in the past. You’re a big sister. As a big brother, I can tell you, the job never ends. You’ll be there for Hope through this trial, and more will follow. Her first heartbreak, she’ll come to you and want to know why her heart hurts so badly.”
“And I’ll tell her because boys are mean and should be avoided at all costs,” Aulora said then sniffled.
“No, you will not tell her any such thing,” Weston told her then kissed the tip of her nose. “You’ll tell her that heartbreak comes to us all and it should never stop her from trying love again and again until she finds the right one for her. Just like you gave me a chance that you were afraid to give me. I love you so completely that I’ll never let you hurt yourself again.”
“So, I’m not going to be going off to Italy to turn into a hermit?” she asked him. “Because that was my plan.”
“No, you will not be turning into a hermit anywhere. I’d find you. I love you far too much to allow you to hurt yourself that way. You’re wonderful. It would be a crime to hide from all of those who love you.”
She had no idea why he loved her. Aulora only knew she was one of the luckiest people on the planet. “I suppose you’re my backbone, West.”
“I can be whatever you need me to be. Now, promise me that you’ll never run off again and make me chase you down.” He kissed her damp and warm cheek then pushed her hair away from her face.
“Seriously?” she asked him as she wasn’t sure she could make that promise. “I can tell you now that my mind takes me over sometimes and it sends my feet moving.”
He slipped the engagement ring back on her finger. “Your mind needs to stop doing that to you.” He laid her back on the bed and ran his fingertip along the side of her long, slender throat. “You have a place in my life that no one can ever fill. You have places in the lives of many people, Aulora. Try very hard not to forget that. You would be more than missed, you would be mourned.” His lips found hers, taking her away from her worries and selfish ideas.
Aulora was needed by people. For the first time in her life, she was an important piece of a family puzzle. She wasn’t sure she was up for it, but it seemed she had no real choice in the matter.
Weston was dead set on her. She had a baby sister who would need her around. Running was no longer an option. How in the world would she learn to control that part of her brain that had the fleeing instinct so deeply embedded in it?
A month down the road, Aulora and Weston went to Sunday dinner at her father’s house. When the butler answered the door, they saw Clara walking into the entrance room, holding Hope.
“There you are, big sis. She’s missed you,” Clara said then placed Hope in Aulora’s arms.
“Hey, pretty baby,” Aulora cooed at her sister. “How are you doing today?”
The three moved off toward the dining room. “She’s doing so much better,” Clara said. “You were so right about giving breastfeeding a shot, Aulora. Hope’s made great strides since I started doing that. You seem to have a natural knack with babies.”
Weston ran his arm around Aulora and kissed the side of her head. “I have to agree with Mum about that. You do have a certain knack.”
Aulora kissed Hope on the forehead. “Well, she and I have this great connection. I know what she’s thinking is all.”
Weston was more than pleased with how well Aulora was dealing with things after her breakdown. He’d been a bit afraid of having to fight her to come back around. When he didn’t, he was pleasantly pleased. But he’d have done it if necessary. There was no backup plan. She was his future, no matter what.
Taking their places at a lovely table filled with gorgeous white flowers as the centerpiece, they found Charles waiting on them all. “There they are. I got a phone call from the Four Seasons, they can get you in for the reception party on the date you wanted. The wedding is on!”
“Really?” Aulora asked as she held her baby sister up. “You should be walking by then, Hope. Do you want to be my flower girl?”
“That’s a year from now,” Clara said. “I’m sure she’ll be over the moon to walk down the aisle, tossing flowers around.”
“Do you think they could make her a replica of my wedding gown?” Aulora asked. “Wouldn’t that be so cute?”
“I bet we can make that happen,” Weston told her then kissed her cheek. “So, one year and three weeks from now, you will finally be my wife. It’s about time we have a date set for that.”
“Pity, you couldn’t get a date sooner than that,” Clara said. “Wedding venues in New York are nearly impossible to get on short notice.”
“Nice ones, anyway,” Weston said. “But that’s okay. It’s better anyway. Hope will get to be a bigger part in it. I know Aulora wants that more than anything else.”
Aulora smiled at him and caressed his cheek. “You know me better than I know myself, West.”
“I do, peach.” He kissed her lips with a light kiss, making Clara sigh.
“You two are so cute!” She clapped her hands and laughed. “I cannot wait for you two to make me a grandmother!”
Aulora laughed. “How silly you are. If you didn’t look so young, people would swear you were fifty. The way you talk and think is off the charts.”
“Sorry for loving my family,” Clara said with a smile. “So, the bachelorette party, the wedding shower, the honeymoon, we’ve got a lot to do, don’t we, Aulora?”
“I guess we do. All of those plans and reservations need to be made too,” she agreed.
“And the invitations have to be sent out. My family in England will need plenty of time to get their affairs in order, to make the trip. We’ll have to get the reservations for the hotel rooms,” Weston added.
Aulora went tense with the realization about how much work needed to be done for the big wedding. “Perhaps we should scrap the whole thing and run off to Vegas.”
Clara’s jaw dropped. “No way! You can’t do that to yourself. You should have a huge wedding. You deserve one, honey!”
“You do,” Weston a
greed. “You’ve never had anything big. You wouldn’t let me give you a big graduation party. Your last birthday you also wouldn’t let me give you a big party. I want to give you a wedding to remember. The sky’s the limit.”
Aulora wasn’t used to being the center of attention. The fact was, she was nervous about the whole thing. But she did have a little secret, she did want the grand gesture of a gorgeous wedding. She did want pictures of her and her family all made up sweet and beautiful.
“Okay, I’ll shut up and go along with this thing,” she said as if she was conceding to them. But she was actually conceding to herself. She’d always fought herself about stuff like that. It was time to turn over a new leaf and let her light shine.
She had money, and so did Weston. She had a family who wanted to be a part of her life now. The poor and lonely days were fading into the past, rapidly. The future was anything but poor or lonely.
Aulora was on a path she’d never even dreamt of, all because of Weston’s persistence. She beamed at him as she thought herself lucky. “I’m glad you found me, baby.”
“Me too,” he agreed then kissed her again. “Now to eat and then we can get to making some plans, peach!”
Toddling down the long aisle with Clara following close behind her, Hope tossed out white rose petals as she smiled at everyone. Decked out in a small white wedding dress that matched Aulora’s, the little girl was on cloud nine as she shared her big sister’s special day.
Clara picked her up as they got to the end of the aisle and took her to sit down on the front row. “Look, Hope, Daddy’s about to bring out, sissy,” she whispered to her little girl.
Hope smiled and pointed as her father and sister stepped up to the back of the large church, and the music changed to that of the bridal march. She clapped as they came down the wide path, she’d sprinkled the flowers on.
Aulora couldn’t help but smile at her baby sister. She’d woken up to a gorgeous day. Everything about the day was glorious. Birds were chirping, and the sun was shining in warm rays that streaked the morning sky. At the end of the path was the most handsome man she’d ever seen.
When Aulora’s father handed her off to the man she’d spend the rest of her life with, she felt a chill run through her. Weston took her hand in his, and they turned to look at the preacher who was about to make them man and wife.
A shrill scream came from behind them. The next thing they knew, they’d been upstaged by the little one-year-old who was bound and determined to be a bigger part of their union than they’d planned.
Weston had to pick Hope up as she tried to climb up him. Safe in his arms, she ran her small hand over Aulora’s face as the preacher continued to ask them to repeat the things he said.
Aulora’s eyes were brimming with tears. It was the happiest day of her life, and she was pleased to share the center of attention with the little girl she grew to love more with each passing day.
No longer did she fear becoming a mother. Thanks to the birth of Hope, she felt pretty confident that she did have what it takes to be a mom after all. And she knew Weston had what it would take to be a dad.
Before she knew it, the wedding bands had been slipped onto their fingers, and they were kissing while everyone clapped, and Hope added her kiss to theirs. A wet sloppy one that left spittle shining on their cheeks.
“Sweet girl,” Weston said with a chuckle.
“Think she’ll let us go on our honeymoon alone, West?” Aulora asked him as Hope clung tightly to her new brother-in-law.
Clara came to them and pried her little girl off him. ‘Come on, baby girl. They have things to attend to.”
Hope looked a little mad at her mother but soon was okay when Aulora pulled a grape sucker out of her bouquet and gave it to her, easing her anger at being pulled out of the spotlight.
Off the newly married couple went to have a party at the Four Seasons then off to Italy, they’d go for a month-long honeymoon. A time in which they hoped to become pregnant, starting their own family.
Somewhere deep inside Aulora, fear still trickled through her, making her wonder if she was a fool for taking such risks. She’d gone with Weston to Los Angeles on the anniversary of his son’s death a few months earlier.
Standing at the foot of a grave that should never have to be made so small, was sobering. For two months, the baby had been there. Filling the lives of Weston and Hayley. Their dreams were all about him. Their thoughts were all about him. In an instant, he was no longer there.
Aulora didn’t know how Weston could take it. How it didn’t kill him too. But she knew it had given him a strength most never know. Weston’s love was complete. No matter what she threw at him, he caught it and made it into something beautiful.
With him in her life, her artwork had flourished. He constantly told her how he couldn’t wait for her to become a mother. He wanted to see how feeling that particular love affected her art. Weston was sure it would become even better.
If she hadn’t been a wealthy woman before, she’d have been one anyway. Her art was selling as soon as she got another painting out on the wall. No longer did she have two walls to fill at the gallery. They never stayed on them long enough to make it necessary for two of them. Instead, she had space behind the front desk. It was large enough to house three paintings at on time. And she was always asked if she’d be getting right back to work, as it was certain there would be an empty spot within the month.
Aulora had changed. She was no longer the quiet, little, cynical young woman who thought darkness and drudgery were all that life held for her. She’d blossomed under Weston’s love, into a butterfly who knew there was a hell of a lot more to life than she’d allowed herself to ever believe before Weston had come into her life.
After the reception, they spent the night in the hotel, sleeping instead of making love as they were way too exhausted to do anything but sleep what was left of the night away.
But early the next morning found them not quite so tired and more than ready to get to the baby-making.
Aulora’s dark hair had been done up in a fancy updo. It was a rat’s nest of tangles, and her makeup that had once been perfect was a mess of black around her eyes and red smudged lips.
“Good morning, beautiful,” Weston said as he pulled her up to his chest.
He too had seen better mornings. The gel that was used in his hair to keep it in place was holding it straight up on one side and plastered to his face on the other. His eyes were swollen from drinking too much and too long. They had to laugh as they looked at one another.
“Lord, Weston. What have we become?” she asked as she pushed his hair back and found it standing at attention as the gel held it up.
“I think the shower is where we need to start this marriage thing.” He climbed out of bed and picked her up, carrying her bridal style to the bathroom.
In the shower, the warm water ran over their bodies as they ran soapy washcloths over the other’s body. Washing the tons of product out of their hair, they began to resemble the handsome couple they’d been before the long day of wedding festivities. “Remind me that I only want to ever get married once,” Aulora said. “That was too much work. I never want to go through that again.”
“Don’t you worry,” he told her as he scooped her now clean and fresh body up in his arms. “I will never allow you to marry again.”
Pressing her against the warm shower tiles, she wrapped her legs around him as he buried himself inside her. She moaned, her nails ran over his back, and she found he fit her better than he ever had.
“I love you, West,” she purred as he stroked deftly. “I want all of you.”
“You have all of me,” he told her as he looked into her eyes.
“I want you inside me,” she said with another moan.
“I am inside you, peach,” he told her then kissed up one side of her neck.
Trailing soft kisses over his shoulder, she whispered, “I want to feel your baby moving inside of me.”
It invigorated him, making him take her with more force. With the slightest twinge of her body as she began to climax, he held back his orgasm until she was nearly through. Then he let his go, filling her up with his love.
Their mouths come together as they exchanged their love. Then he left the shower, taking her to the bed. Laying her back on it, he moved back in for more.
She spread her legs, inviting him in and hissed, “Do it again, baby. Damn, it’s good to be your wife.”
“Not nearly as good as it is to be your husband,” he said then thrust into her hard and swift.
She cried out with pleasure as he pounded her body with his. Faster and harder he went until they were quivering again and he spilled more of himself into her. “Oh, this month is going to be so much fun,” she said as she tried to catch her breath.
“You can say that again!”
It was their first morning as a married couple, and they were set on doing it right!
“Grab him, he’s getting away!” Weston called out to his wife as their three-year-old son streaked through the main living area.
Aulora put down their one-year-old daughter to go after their little nudist. “Come here, Brady!”
With a squeal of laughter, the boy zipped past her and headed out of the room, apparently seeing fit to give the staff a looksy at his goods. “You can’t catch me!”
“I’ll take Bree over,” Weston shouted. “You go chase him down. The kid is super speedy!”
Aulora chased their son down the hallway as he laughed like a maniac. Suddenly, he stopped when a door opened. “And what do we have here?” Laura asked as she scooped up the naked bundle.
“Yes! Great teamwork, Laura,” Aulora said as she stopped running and walked up to get her son.
Dirty Money Page 24
