by Lia Lee
She grinned back and let her hand stray low to find his dick. “Actually, I think I’ve got a lot more energy than I thought.”
Chapter Twenty
Jessica
“Well,” the doctor said, “I’m happy to see a fuller house this time.”
Jessica nodded to the chairs by the examining table. Cara was sitting on Brent’s lap and already squinting at the ultrasound screen even though the procedure hadn’t started. “I had a long, hard talk, and things are going really well, doc. I mean, not perfect.” She had to stop as she choked up a little, thinking of her father’s anger. “Still, this is my fiancé, Brent Sanderson, and his daughter, Cara.”
The doctor smiled broadly. “Are you excited to be a big sister, Cara?”
“I cannot wait to know what is cooking in there,” she replied. “Can you get the gel on her now?”
“I live to serve,” the doctor replied. She spared a minute to shake Brent’s hand. “Mr. Sanderson, a pleasure to meet you. You’ve donated quite a bit to our organization and some of the antibiotics we rely on today were funded by your foundation. The honor really is all mine.”
“You make sure my twins are in good hands, doc, and we’ll call it even,” Brent said.
The doctor nodded and walked over to Jessica. She hissed as the cool gel touched her stomach. It wasn’t painful in the least, just a little awkward and exceedingly chilly. The doctor was just about to touch the sonogram wand to her body when a knock sounded on the door.
Jessica frowned and looked at Brent. “Hmm, that must be Ashley. I know she had an audition scheduled, but she must have gotten done sooner than she thought. Hey! Come in!”
When the door opened, it wasn’t Ashley standing there. Instead, it was her dad with two teddy bears – one canary yellow and one mint green – clutched to his chest. “I heard there was a pretty big exam going on today. Are old fools still invited?”
Cara hopped up instantly and took both bears. Then, she pointed to the seat next to Brent. “Good, Allen. I’m glad you could join us.”
Brent exchanged a look with her before he spoke with Cara: “Wait, how did Allen even get here? Why? And you don’t seem surprised at all. Explain, Cara.”
She shrugged. “I might have also taken an Uber from my friend’s for a few hours to Allen to explain how important everything is. Don’t worry; he drove me back to the sleepover. And now! Look who’s here.”
Jessica shook her head. Even if her heart was bursting, she couldn’t also clamp down that hint of fear. Cara was a smart girl, far smarter than most kids her age. However, all sorts of things could happen, and Uber wasn’t always as safe as it could be. “You can’t just get a ride to my dad’s house.”
Brent nodded. “Cara, do you have any idea how crazy and dangerous what you did could have been?”
She nodded. “I read the ‘Let’s Not Read’ thread on Reddit. Trust me, I got it. Jessica was so sad. She’d helped me all summer while I was. The last thing I wanted was for her dad not to be here or for the babies not to have their grandpa around.”
Brent eyed Allen. “You didn’t have the decency to call me when my daughter showed up at your home in the middle of the night?”
“Actually, I did try and call, but it went straight to voicemail, so I stopped. She talked things over with me, mentioned her grandfather might have the ability to make me disappear forever and begged me to come. How could I resist such a cute little bit of guilt tripping and, uh, possible blackmail?” Allen said, his tone droll.
Jessica frowned. “You didn’t really say that.”
“I did mention Grandpa Donald could be super persuasive,” Cara admitted. “But, really, I wouldn’t actually have him do anything.” She beamed. “Not that Allen knew that.”
“Well, I was just impressed that Cara seemed so invested in all of this. She made me realize what an ass I was being, and if she can be ready for her family to grow then…” Allen strode forward and stroked Jessica’s arm. “I can be as well.”
“That’s amazing!” Jessica said, then she shot Cara a look. “I’m really glad, but we will be talking about Uber rules later.”
“Oh, you bet we will,” Brent said. Then he turned to Allen. “I’m sorry about everything. There was never any plan or any goal to hurt you or to hurt Jessica.”
Allen nodded. “It’ll take time, but I’m not giving up on her, this family or the company. It’ll just be longer before I trust you again.”
Brent nodded and clapped him on the shoulder. “I can live with that.”
“Now, we don’t have too long for this appointment,” the doctor reminded them, her tone gentle. “Can we get to the big reveal?”
Jessica said, “Yes,” and found three other voices echoing with hers. Soon, the wand was back over her belly, and she watched, squinting along with Cara at the screen. The two squiggles appeared on screen, but she could barely make out spines and fingers. She was hopeless at figuring out the sex. Breathlessly, she waited for the doctor to tell her.
“Well, it looks like you only have to do this once,” the doc replied. “You have one girl and one boy. Congratulations, Miss Billings and Mr. Sanderson, and also, good luck on your engagement.”
Brent squeezed Jessica’s hand. “I love you. You know that, don’t you?”
She nodded. “Always.”
Allen took Cara by the hand and walked with the doctor toward the door. “I think you two might need a minute.”
“I can stay,” Cara said.
“No,” Brent replied, tone soft. “If we can just have a moment, then we can get some extra copies of pictures and make our next appointment. For right now, I just… It’s amazing.”
Her father grinned. “It is. The best feeling on earth.”
When they were alone again, Brent turned to Jessica and kissed her lips. He tasted of mint and the apple juice he’d drunk this morning over breakfast. “I have never been happier in my life. You have to know that – except the day Cara was born. This is… I never dared to hope for it again.”
She kissed him again and made sure to nibble his lower lip a little, too. “Somehow, I never believed love could be so good. I was more alone than I realized, always studying, feeling like the world was passing me by. I just… Thank you.”
Brent brushed some of her hair back from her face. “No, Jessica, thank you.”
Epilogue
Jessica
Five years later
“And the Oscar for best picture goes to… Oceans Deep, produced by Brent Sanderson and Allen Billings.”
Tears sprang to Jessica’s eyes as she rewound the DVR for the third time that evening. Her husband promised, if he lost, to be home as soon as the ceremony was over. If Brent won, he swore he’d try and just do the bare minimum number of interviews he had to and skip the Vanity Fair party. It was getting close to 9:00 p.m., and their twins – Hazel and Finn – had passed out long ago on the bed. They were four and any time past about 7:30 was way too late for them.
Jessica had to smile at the twins. They were inseparable. While they adored their big sister, Cara, the two of them were also so very close. She’d find one of them always snuck from their room to curl up with the other in bed by morning. Right now, Finn was holding Hazel tightly to his chest. His dark brown hair was a riot of curls over his head. He desperately needed a haircut, but his hair was too cute to cut. It was one of the few points she and Brent ever sort of fought over. It was unruly, sure, Brent was right about that, but it was totally Finn. In contrast, Hazel had inherited Cara and Brent’s coloring completely. Her golden hair was tied back in pigtails, and, if she opened her eyes, they’d be even bluer than Brent’s fathomless Arctic depths.
“You know,” Brent said on the DVR clip, “I need to always thank my wife, Jessica. She brought me so much. I was lost without her. She helped bring me a beautiful family and also helped foster my daughter, Cara’s, interest in the sea. I created Oceans Deep because I was as fascinated by submarines and marine life as Cara an
d it all was the seed for an amazing idea and journey.”
The reporter thanked him, and the clip ended, and, okay it might be a little shameless, but she restarted the clip again.
“If you’re happier with the TV version, I can always leave,” Brent said as he strolled into the den. The kids were still sleeping, and once he realized that, he lowered his voice to a whisper as he sat on the sofa beside her. “So,” he practically hissed out, “did they get my good side?”
Jess kissed him, her tongue tangling long and lovingly with his own. After years of marriage, the heat and passion between them had never dimmed. “Both sides are your good sides.”
“Well, did they get Ashley’s? We couldn’t have made it without her performance, so I’m glad the Academy recognized her, too.”
Not as glad as Jessica. Taking on that project was a godsend for her friend. Brent didn’t want an emaciated lead so he’d actually asked Ashley to get a therapist to deal with her poor eating habits and asked her to gain weight for the role, so she was healthier. Production had even halted until she could get well. It was just another generous side of her husband, and it had all paid off for them.
“She was great, too – looked amazing in green.”
“Redheads. Of course they do.” He smiled and kissed her cheek. “I have one that’s just been taped with Good Morning America. I called you ‘my muse’.’”
Jessica’s heart sped up at the moniker. “I’m your muse? You really mean that?”
Brent placed his hands on either side of her cheeks and forced her to look at him. Those deep Arctic eyes could never lie to her, would only hold the truth. Tonight was no exception; all she could see was the sincerity brimming in her husband’s eyes. “Nothing I have would be possible without you. Cara’s so happy now – has friends and a passion you helped me clue in to. I can’t imagine life without Hazel and Finn and would never want to. My film is a hit between your friend’s performance and your passion guiding me the whole way. Yes, babe, you couldn’t be a better muse even if you were part Greek goddess.”
“You know how to flatter me.”
Brent smirked and kissed her cheek. “Let’s put the kids to bed – because I also know how to worship you, and I want to do that. All night long.”
“I think that’s a big boast considering how tired you might be,” Jessica joked.
He put her hand in his and then guided it to his firm erection, so like steel. “Trust me, babe, I want to make love to you till sunrise. I want to watch the first light crest over the harbor view outside, watch the sky turn orange and gold.”
“So, all night long?” she asked, her voice a low and husky purr.
“Yes, I’m going to worship you till the morning light.”
And so he did.
THE END
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Chapter One
Sandra Gaines sighed and leaned against the bar. The Atlantis downtown was the place to be for Washington, DC’s movers and shakers. They all came here after work on Capitol Hill to grab a drink, flirt shamelessly with each other, and sometimes share secrets from each other’s respective congressional office. Oh, and it was definitely the place where they acted like junior masters of the universe and lorded it over the staff. Sandra would know. She’d been a waitress there, serving gin and tonics and shots to the lobbyists and aides, for almost three years.
Normally, she’d be anywhere but Atlantis on her night off. The clientele wasn’t really her sort. Some could be nice, but often the guys there were just too smug. However, her best friend, Tonya, had a bartending shift that didn’t end until midnight when Mitch would come to relieve her. Once she was off, they’d be hitting The Grinder down on New York Avenue to see The Grilled Lincolns.
She had to kill a couple of hours. Not a huge problem, as she already looked cute in her stilettos and short, black lace dress. However, her mood had soured considerably since that morning. Her boyfriend, Zane, had given her the short shrift. She’d gone to lunch with him, hoping that he’d agree to come with her to meet her parents for Thanksgiving in a few weeks. Instead, he’d decided that he wasn’t ready for more commitment, even after almost a year.
To say she was upset was an understatement. To say she was more depressed than she’d been in her entire twenty-four years of life might be a bit much, but she did feel like crap. If she hadn’t already spent fifty dollars on the tickets, Sandra would have called the whole thing off with Tonya and crawled under her covers with a carton of ice cream.
But she was committed now.
She was also drinking more than she usually would at a bar, starting on her third shot of tequila. Her heart hurt, and there was nothing she wanted more than to numb the pain from losing Zane.
“Hey, you should pace yourself,” Tonya said, frowning. “I know you’re not technically drunk enough for me to cut you off as a bartender, but as your friend I think you need to stop drinking till we get to The Grinder. You’ve powered that down in like thirty minutes.”
Sandra shook her head. “Zane’s an asshole.”
Tonya’s face brightened. “I’ve been telling you that for months! What changed your mind?”
“Hey, ladies, this isn’t social hour!” Daryl, the club manager, called from the floor. “Tonya, keep working. And Sandra? I hope you aren’t trying to pull ‘employee discount’ on the drinks.”
“I’d never,” Sandra replied, knowing full well that Daryl never let anyone get a discount on anything at all. “I just needed something to soothe my soul.”
Daryl twitched his mustache thoughtfully but kept his eyes narrowed on her. “Good. Don’t distract Tonya, and then you can buy whatever top-shelf stuff you want.”
Sandra laughed and held up her shot with a mock toast. “I can barely afford the stuff that burns my throat.”
“Then at least keep paying,” Daryl said before returning to work.
Sandra set her drink down and rubbed at her temples. A headache was flaring up that had nothing to do with her tequila and everything to do with the stress and sadness of the day overwhelming her. She closed her eyes and took a deep, shuddering breath. She barely noticed the man who sat down next to her until he spoke.
“Are you alright?”
Frowning, she picked her head up and looked at him. She expected the usual hipster-age dude with a skinny tie complementing his suit. The usual eager intern or new congressional staffer that tended to come early in the night to Atlantis.
Instead, what she saw as she turned around was a man with high cheek bones that were set in a swarthy face with just a hint of stubble at his chin. Green eyes glittered back at her with a piercing gaze she couldn’t resist, and his thick, jet-black hair was kept overly long so that it curled over his ears and down toward his chin. His classically tailored suit fit his muscular frame like a glove.
For a minute, Sandra almost forgot how to speak. “I…uh…what?”
He chuckled and then spoke again. “Are you alright? I have some aspirin if you need anything.”
She shook her head. “No, it’s just been one of those days.”
“We’ve all been there.” He extended his hand. “I’m Xavier Clifton, and you are?”
“Sandra Gaines,” she said, taking his hand and expecting him to shake it. Instead, he surprised her again by k
issing the back of it. “Oh, you didn’t have to do that.”
“I find it rude not to compliment a beautiful woman. You deserve more than a handshake.”
She sighed and forced herself not to glance down at her curvier than average hips, or to run her fingers through her wavy auburn hair. Sandra had spent her whole life wishing she was a bit more…anything, really. She just wasn’t Tonya with her long legs and cascading blond hair. Frankly, it was a point that Zane had picked at with her—that she was lucky to be with him because other guys wouldn’t look her way.
She wouldn’t let herself feel like that tonight. She was already a bit more than tipsy, and she was determined to at least have a few nice words with Xavier.
Smiling back at him—hoping it approximated sultry—she spoke, “That’s very sweet of you. Not exactly like the usual guys around here.”
He nodded over to a couple of younger guys on the floor. “I usually don’t come here. I prefer some of the quieter places, like The Capitol Hill Club.”
“Then why are you here?” she asked.
“I’m here because I’ve had a bit of bad luck of late, and I wanted a change of scene.”
“I hear you. That’s about where I’m at.”
Xavier eyed her, concern coloring his green depths. “A woman as beautiful as you are shouldn’t be drinking alone. Do you want to talk about it?”
She sighed and slumped down. “It’s one of those old-as-time stories. I trusted someone and they let me down. The usual. What about you?”
“I’d say just the same, so I didn’t want to be in my usual haunts. Felt like I needed fresh air in a place I wouldn’t be recognized.”
Sandra glanced back at him. Those rakish good looks stood out even among this crowd, and in a town where image was everything, she seriously doubted that Xavier would ever just blend in.
“See,” she replied. “Then it’s just another tale that you hear every night in every bar.”
