Silk

by Heidi McLaughlin

  38

  Lily

  I could see the anger in his eyes as he stormed off into his office. Maddie looked over at me with tears in her eyes.

  “He’s so angry, and he has so much hatred for Adam that I don’t think he’ll ever accept him.”

  As I gave her a hug, I told her that I would talk to him. We walked back to the table where Adam was talking to Charley. Maddie excused herself as she pulled out her phone to make a phone call. When she came back to the table, she told Charley to get her things ready, because Mrs. Clements was coming to pick her up, take her to dance class, and then home with her so she could play with Allie for a while. Charley whined, and she said that she didn’t want to go.

  “You have to go to dance class if you’re going to dance for me,” Adam said to her.

  “But I want to stay with you,” she whined.

  “I want you to stay too, but dance class is a little more important. So, I’ll tell you what, you go to dance class, and tomorrow, when you get home from school, I’ll take you and your mom out somewhere really fun.”

  Charley’s eyes lit up as she looked over at Maddie. “Can we, Mom?”

  Maddie smiled and patted her head. “Yeah, that sounds great,” she said as she looked at Adam.

  Charley gave Adam a hug and a kiss goodbye as Maddie took her outside to wait for Mrs. Clements. I looked Adam over as he watched Maddie and Charley walk out of the bar. As much as I hated to admit it, he was hot. He stood over six feet tall with a nice build, and he wore his light brown hair short. I saw a lot of him in Charley, especially in their bluish-green eyes.

  Adam turned and looked at me. “Regardless of what everyone tells you, I love that little girl more than anything in this world, and I came back here to make things right with her.”

  “Listen, Adam, I don’t know you, and I’m not judging you. But, you have a track record and a history. I came from a father that was somewhat like you, and he fucked me up, and now I’m in therapy because of him. So, I just want to let you know that I love that little girl too, and I won’t stand by and let you ruin her if you decide to go back to your old life.”

  Luke came walking up behind me just as I finished my sentence. “Are you ready to go?” he asked me.

  “Yes, I am. Adam, we’ll see you later for dinner. Maddie will fill you in on the details.”

  He looked down and nodded his head. “Thanks, Lily, Luke; I’ll see you both later.”

  Luke just shot him a look and put his arm around me as we walked out of the bar. “I heard what you said to him,” he said.

  “Ok, and?”

  “Nothing, I just thought you were pretty bad ass.” He smiled as he brushed his lips against mine.

  As I climbed into the Explorer, Luke got on his bike, and we headed home.

  ***

  “You better be nice at dinner,” I said to Luke as he was in the shower, and I was touching up my makeup.

  “I can’t make any promises when it comes to that douchebag.”

  “Luke, I swear, I’ll be so mad at you if you don’t let him talk and explain everything.”

  “What’s to explain, Lily? He’s a drunk, a drug addict, and a thief. He’ll always be those things to me.”

  “Wow, I never took you for the grudge type.”

  “Only with him, babe.”

  I took the towel that Luke had waiting for him off the counter, and I hid the one that was on the towel rack. As he turned off the shower, I stepped out of the bathroom. “What the hell,” I heard him say as he opened the shower curtain.

  “Lily, where’s the towel that I had sitting on the counter?”

  As Luke stood there, dripping wet, I stopped in the doorway of the bathroom and held up the towel.

  “Do you mean this one?”

  He tilted his head and knitted his eyebrows. “Yes, that one,” he said as he held out his hand.

  “Sorry, but you’re not getting this towel until you promise me that you’ll give Adam a chance.”

  “Damn it, Lily, just give me the towel,” he said with irritation.

  “No! Not until you promise me.”

  “Jesus Christ, I’m cold.”

  My eyes wandered down to his flaccid cock. “Yeah, I can tell.” I smiled.

  “That’s it!” he exclaimed as he stepped out of the tub and started coming towards me.

  “Oh shit!” I said as I ran down the hall and out the apartment door, knowing he wouldn’t open it.

  Sam was coming out of his apartment, and he looked at me. “What’s going on, Lily?” he asked.

  “Oh nothing; how are you?”

  Sam gave me a strange look and he said he was good. Just as he was about to ask me why I was standing in the hallway with a towel in my hand, my apartment door opened, and Luke grabbed me from behind, pulling me into the apartment and shutting the door.

  “Now you’re in trouble, babe,” he said as he took me to the bedroom and threw me on the bed.

  He was in a pair of sweat shorts and no shirt. His hair was dripping wet, and he looked as sexy as hell. As he pinned me on the bed, he climbed on top and sat on my legs so I couldn’t move. He took both my hands and brought them over my head as he tightly held my wrists with his hand.

  “Tell me how much you love me.” He smiled.

  “No,” I said as I tried to wiggle myself free.

  “What do you mean, no?” he asked as he leaned down and smashed his lips against mine.

  His kiss was rough as I parted my lips and his tongue slipped into my mouth. He stopped and looked at me.

  “Tell me how much you love me.”

  “Let go of my wrists and I will.” I smiled.

  As he let go of my wrists, I brought my hand to his face, and I stared into his beautiful brown eyes. “I love more than anything and anyone in this entire world.”

  “I promise you, Lily, I’ll be nice tonight, and I won’t get out of line.” He smiled.

  I pulled him down to me as I wrapped my arms around him and whispered in his ear, “Thank you, baby.”

  ***

  We met Maddie and Adam at a restaurant called The Falcon’s Landing. As the hostess led us to the table where Adam and Maddie were already sitting, Luke tightened the grip on my hand when he saw Maddie laughing.

  “You promised,” I whispered.

  “I didn’t do anything,” he said as he looked over at me.

  We arrived at the table and took our seats. I was amazed that Luke shook Adam’s hand. Maddie looked over at me and smiled.

  “Adam is moving to Los Angeles, and he’s going to attend UCLA,” Maddie announced.

  I looked over at Luke as he clenched his jaw. I squeezed his thigh under the table, and he loosened it.

  “That’s great, Adam. What are you studying?”

  “Drug abuse and alcohol counseling,” he answered.

  “You want to counsel drug addicts?” Luke asked.

  “Yes, I do. I already have a year of classes under my belt, and they’ve all transferred to UCLA. I’m starting over, man. I’m walking away from my past, and I’m stepping into a brand new life; a life that includes my daughter and Maddie.”

  “Where are you going to be staying?” Luke asked him calmly.

  “I’ve rented an apartment by UCLA. That way I can be close to Charley and the campus.”

  “I’m sorry, man, but I have to ask this: how the hell are you affording all this?”

  “I’ve been working the past year as a computer tech, and the owner was paying me under the table. He warned me that if he caught me using drugs, he would report me to the state. He did a drug test on me once a week. I saved every dime I made so I could go to school and make something of my life.”

  “You always were a genius with computer.” Luke laughed.

  It was at that moment that Luke realized maybe Adam was telling the truth, and we had a great dinner and good conversation. As we walked out of the restaurant, Adam put his hand on Maddie’s back. Luke looked at me, and I squee
zed his hand. We hugged, said our goodbyes, and Luke and I climbed into his Jeep.

  “They have a chance at being a real family,” I said.

  “I guess.” Luke sighed as he pulled out of the parking lot.

  As we were on our way home, my phone rang. I pulled it from my purse and saw it was Giselle calling.

  “Hey, girl, what’s up?” I answered and put her on speaker phone.

  She was sobbing so hard, I could barely understand her. She said something about an accident. Suddenly, Lucky’s voice came through the speaker.

  “Hi, it’s Lucky. Gretchen and Sam were in a car accident, and they’ve been taken to the UCLA Medical Center.”

  I started shaking, and instantly I felt sick.

  “Lucky, how bad is it?” Luke asked as he quickly turned the Jeep around and headed toward the medical center.

  “I don’t know, man. The hospital called Giselle, said there had been an accident, and to get to the hospital right away. I’m freaking out, Luke. What if—”

  “Stop it, Lucky, they’ll be fine. We’re on our way.”

  With shaking hands, I ended the call. Luke reached over and took my hand and brought it his lips.

  “They’re fine, babe. I know they’re fine,” Luke said nervously.

  39

  Luke pulled into the medical center parking garage and quickly found a place to park. As we got out of the Jeep, Luke grabbed my hand, and we ran to the entrance of the emergency room. When we approached the reception desk, Giselle came running up to me, crying.

  “Lily, they won’t tell me anything,” she sobbed.

  “Giselle, you have to calm down. Think of the baby,” I said as I tried to console her.

  Suddenly, Sam came walking through the automatic double doors. He had a white bandage on his forehead, cuts on his face, and his hand was wrapped.

  “Sam, are you ok?” I asked.

  “How’s Gretchen?” Giselle cried.

  “I don’t know. She’s still in surgery.”

  Luke hugged him. Giselle couldn’t handle hearing that Gretchen was in surgery. Lucky grabbed a hold of her, and he made her sit down in the chair.

  I looked at Sam because I needed to be strong, not only for Gretchen, but for him as well. “Sam, what happened?” I asked.

  “I’ll tell you as soon as we get back upstairs to the surgical waiting room.”

  “Did anyone call Gretchen’s parents?” I asked.

  “I did,” Lucky said. “They’re on their way down.”

  Lucky helped Giselle up, and we all rode the elevator to the third floor where the surgical waiting room was. It was quiet and empty, and we were the only people in there. I sat down next to Giselle and offered her some water. She wouldn’t take it as she continued crying on Lucky’s shoulder. I walked over to the coffee machine and put in some change. I pressed the button and nothing. The damn thing was broken. I pounded on the machine as I pressed my forehead against it and started crying. Suddenly, I felt Luke’s arms from behind.

  “Babe, it’s ok,” he whispered as he laid his head on my back.

  “All I wanted was a cup of coffee,” I sobbed.

  Luke turned me around and took my face in his hands. “I can get you a cup of coffee.” He smiled as he wiped away my tears.

  I was scared shitless that Gretchen wasn’t going to make it, and I felt like I was on the verge of an anxiety attack. Luke went to get me a cup of coffee, and I walked over and sat next to Sam. He looked at me with tears in his eyes.

  “She’s going to be ok,” I said, grabbing his hand.

  “She has to be ok, Lily. If she dies, I don’t know—”

  “Don’t talk like that. Nobody is dying here. She’s a strong person, and she’ll pull through.”

  Just as Luke walked back in and handed me a cup of coffee, a doctor in blue scrubs followed behind him.

  “Are you all here for Gretchen Williams?” he asked.

  Giselle jumped up from her chair. “Yes, I’m her twin sister.”

  We all stood up and walked closer to where the doctor was standing. “Gretchen is going to be fine.”

  We all let out a sigh of relief as he continued telling us about Gretchen’s condition.

  “She had some internal bleeding, so we had to go in and repair that, and we also had to remove her spleen. Her right leg is broken in four places, and we had to put in some pins and screws. I also believe there may be some nerve damage. She’ll have to be in a cast for several weeks while the bones heal. There may be a chance she’ll have to go through physical therapy to learn to use her leg again.”

  “When can we see her?” I asked.

  “I can take you to her now, but I want you to be prepared. She’s very swollen, and she’s hooked up to some machines. We’re keeping her comfortable on pain medication, and she hasn’t woken up from the surgery yet.”

  As Luke put his arm around me, we all followed the doctor to the room where Gretchen was. Giselle ran to her and started sobbing. Lucky walked over to her and tried to calm her down. I instantly fell sick to my stomach when I saw her lying there. I barely recognized her since her face was so swollen.

  “Are you ok?” Luke asked me.

  “I’m fine. Are you?”

  “Yeah, I’m just glad they’re both ok.”

  “I know this must be bringing back a lot of memories for you,” I said as I kissed his hand.

  “It is, but it’s cool. I’m just thankful Gretchen’s going to be fine,” he said as he kissed my head.

  We walked over and stood at the end of the bed. Sam pulled up a chair, grabbed her hand, and brought it to his lips.

  “Please, sweetheart, please wake up,” he pleaded.

  It broke my heart seeing Sam like that. A few moments later, Gretchen squeezed Sam’s hand, and she slowly opened her eyes. Lucky had to hold Giselle back from throwing herself on top of her.

  “Let her wake up and focus, Giselle,” he said to her.

  Gretchen tried to talk, but could only mumble a few words.

  “Don’t try and talk, sweetheart. You’re going to be fine. Just get some rest,” Sam said.

  She took her other hand and laid it on Giselle’s arm as she mumbled, “Stop crying, I have a headache.”

  As we all started laughing, Sam leaned over, gently kissed her lips, and told her how much he loved her. I took a few steps back, and I looked around the room at the people I called my family. As I looked at Sam, I remembered the first time I met him and how he held the door open for me as I was bringing in my boxes. Then I looked at the twins, remembering the day they moved next door, and how we instantly became best friends. As I looked at Lucky, I was remembering the night we met. I couldn’t help but smile at how he tried to flirt with me, thinking he was going to get lucky.

  “You ok, babe?” Luke asked with a smile.

  As my eyes looked into his, I remembered the first time he told me to watch my mouth, and I knew at that moment, he was the one I needed to complete my life.

  “I’m wonderful.” I smiled as I leaned into him and softly kissed him.

  My Unexpected Forever

  Heidi McLaughlin

  Chapter 1

  Harrison

  The music sheet doesn’t make any sense. I’ve been over it a hundred times or more and it’s still all a blur. I know the lyrics and the beat, but everything I put down is a mess. Liam is expecting something from me by the time band practice starts in an hour, and I’m not going to be able to deliver. My mind is consumed with thoughts of love and lust and there isn’t jack shit I can do about it.

  I rip my ears buds out and move away from my computer. I can’t do this, not today. Not after seeing her last night. I hate that I can’t tell her how I feel. I hate that when another man looks at her, I feel nothing but murderous rage. I want to be the only one looking at her.

  I’m a fool to think she wants me, with my full-sleeved tattoos and rocker lifestyle. I know I can offer her more than those other men. A stable home, financial secur
ity and a man who will worship and kiss the ground that she walks on. But I’m not the one you can take home to mom or to the school PTA meetings without being stared at. I know she doesn’t want that. Enough people stare at her now.

  I pull out a clean sheet of paper and write down more lyrics. More touchy-feely shit that I wish I could tell her. Instead, I show up almost daily with something to offer her; coffee, lunch, or a free lawn mowing job because I can’t, for the life of me, get it through my head that I’m nothing more than just a friend to her, and that’s all I’ll ever be.

  I write down six words before tearing the paper up. I know why Liam tasked me with putting the music down for these songs, but they’re mine. I hadn’t planned on sharing them with the band. I think he’s trying to get back at me for all those things I said about him falling in love when he returned home for his buddy’s funeral. Now that it’s my turn, he’s sitting back and laughing his ass off. I ought to write some heavy shit. The head pounding scream-your-lungs-out shit that I sometimes think about. Either way, we need new songs and we’ve all been taxed with producing something.

  But no, that isn’t who we are. We’ve skyrocketed with Liam’s heartfelt ballads and rocking personal stories that make women fall in love with us. They all think we’re tortured souls and in need of companionship. Little do they know that Liam has only written about one woman. Hell, even I didn’t know about it until he upped and left Los Angeles for the quiet, mundane life of Beaumont.

  I can’t blame him. I’ve done the same thing. This is the best place to raise Quinn. He’ll go to school with Noah, and when Liam and I have a gig, Josie will take care of him. She’s really filled the role of mother for Quinn and for that, I will forever be thankful to her. That and she gave my best friend a whole new life and we’ve since had a string of number one hits, putting us back at the top of the charts.

  Now, if I could just get the one I’m infatuated with to just look in my direction. I’m firmly stuck in the friend category, though, and I don’t know how to get out of it. I’m afraid to tell her how I feel because the look on her face will break me. I know she doesn’t want me the way I want her, and I’d rather be her friend then not have her in my life at all.