It had been too long. Maybe the wire on Edgar had stopped working when Damien punched him? As much as I wanted to hope for the best, it seemed anytime I thought something good would happen, I turned out to be wrong. Dreadfully wrong.
That voice, the turning of the door knob, I knew it was Damien coming to take the people I love away from me. To use me for his sick gain. I didn’t even want to think about what he would do once he found out I was pregnant.
It opened and it took a moment for my eyes to adjust. He was tall, in a gray T-shirt, with short brown hair and had a gun in a holster tucked under his arm. Another one of Damien’s thugs come to take care of us? I turned to my mom fearful this would be the last time I would be able to lay eyes on her.
“Jagger,” Edgar said.
FORTY-SEVEN
Edgar
“Well, if it isn’t the man with the tiny balls.” Jagger smirked at me, folding his arms.
“And if it isn’t the asshole . . .” I said narrowing my eyes at him. I wanted to charge him and throw him to the ground, but I knew Damien’s men would be on me in seconds. I didn’t want to risk being taken away from Evaleen and her mom.
He shook his head. “The asshole what?”
“That’s it. You’re just an asshole.”
He laughed, his body shook from the surprise merriment. Reaching behind his back, I moved quickly in front of the women. If he was about to pull a gun or knife, at least I could use my body as a shield.
Jagger pulled something small and black, like a cell phone but with only one button. He clicked it and I realized it was a walkie-talkie.
“This is Agent Morrison, I got them. They appear to be safe but have an ambulance ready just in case.”
My mouth fell open. He was an agent? I glanced around and saw Evaleen crying, holding her mother.
Jagger’s eyes fell to them and he walked past me, bending to their level. “Don’t worry, ladies; I’m with the CIA, we have Damien Rosen and his associates in custody. No one will hurt you anymore. You will need to be checked out by the medics. I know you are shaken up, but if you could come with me and give a statement that would help move our investigation along.”
“Anything to put that man away,” Evaleen’s mom said as fierce determination laced her words.
I was still in shock and walked over to Jagger. “You kicked me in the nuts.”
He stood and shrugged. “I was undercover.”
“But no one was there. You didn’t have to kick me.”
“No, I didn’t have to.” He turned just as some other agents entered the room.
He may be an agent but he was still an asshole.
We helped the ladies up. I took Evaleen in my arms before she could go off with one of the agents. “I can’t tell you how happy I am that you’re safe.”
Her hand came to my temple. “Your eye, how does it feel?”
Grasping her wrist, I lowered it, brushing her fingertips over my lips. “I would take a thousand punches to this beautiful face of mine if it meant you were safe.”
She rolled her eyes but a shy smile bloomed. “I love how you still flatter yourself while talking about me.”
“Well, it’s a big sacrifice, but if you enjoy it so much I’ll give myself much more praise in the future.”
Her face grew serious. “Edgar, you have to know. That file in Jacob’s office. The Attraction file. It was mine and some of those documents about the employees were from me. But those photographs of you and the women with you, they planted that. I only had a few background checks from employees that had some issues in their past, but I felt they understood their mistakes and were good workers. Also—”
I stopped her before she could go on. “You don’t have to explain, Evaleen. I understand. When you freaked out when I told you I had security cameras in my place I kind of figured that you couldn’t have gotten those pictures from years ago. It did take a moment of doubt, but once the surprise of everything wore off, I knew you couldn’t have done anything as terrible as that.”
I pulled her close for a kiss. Despite the chaos of the past day, her hair felt soft and so welcoming curled in my fingers as I pressed her to me. My lips joined hers and it felt like home. Nothing urgent, just relief and tenderness.
A few sweet kisses to let her know I wasn’t ever going to walk away from her. Evaleen grasped at her blouse at her chest and turned to go with an agent.
I went to make sure her mom was taken care of. Jagger chose to walk with me as we made our way out of the warehouse.
The sun was fading as dusk fell and it didn’t take long for my eyes to adjust and find swarms of cars and an ambulance.
“You can thank your brother for me,” Jagger said
I glanced at him. “My brother?”
“He called me after you talked to him. I made sure my agents got to you before you went to that warehouse and did something crazy. I was too busy keeping an eye on Lucy Bechmann and following Trey Larson to get to you in time.”
I shook my head in disbelief. “So, you’re the CIA agent my brother has been talking to these past few months.”
He stood a little straighter. “Yeah, and it hasn’t been easy for him to keep all this a secret. He said many times he wanted to tell you. But if he did it would have possibly compromised our investigation and his company.”
I felt ashamed for not trusting my brother. When he told me about keeping it a secret I was still a little pissed he couldn’t confide in me. But then I realized how long I have kept my feelings about Evaleen a secret from him.
I let my youthful resentment for my brother easily paint him as a bad guy. There was no other way around it, I felt ashamed.
“My brother is a good guy. I should never have doubted him.”
Jagger slapped me on the back. “Sometimes in life we have to imagine the worst in people before we can see their best.”
I nodded and shook his hand. “Thanks for all that you have done.”
“No problem, small balls.” He winked and turned to go.
I walked over to find Evaleen and her mom with blankets around them sitting on the back of the ambulance. Evaleen took off her blanket and threw it at the medic.
“It’s ninety degrees. Do you want me to have heat stroke?”
I couldn’t help but smile at my sassy woman.
“If it isn’t my sweet lady.”
She groaned. “More like sweaty lady. They want me to come to the hospital since I’m pregnant. Make sure everything is all right with the baby.”
“May I?” I showed her my hand and glanced at her stomach.
Evaleen nodded. “The only thing you are going to feel is the rumbling from my stomach. Kidnapping makes a woman hungry.”
“I’ll make you some soup for when you get home from the hospital,” Ms. Bechmann said as she handed over the blanket and stood.
The medics were packing up and assisting Evaleen into the ambulance.
“No, Mom. Ever since I got pregnant I can’t eat your soup.”
Her mom smiled up at her. “It’s all right. I’ll make anything you want.”
“You know what I could go for? A Chicago dog.”
“Got it. I’ll take your mom home and pick it up on the way to the hospital.”
Evaleen fist pumped the air. “I finally want to eat something other than crackers. Man, that’s the best feeling in the world to want real food.”
Her mom gave her a hug and went to talk to one of the agents.
“I wouldn’t call a hot dog real food,” I noted.
“Edgar, don’t ruin this for me. You know how I love my tubular meat. And I’m going to love that tubular meat all night long, or at least until I throw it up.”
“Well, I was hungry.” I laughed.
I reached up to take her hand before they had a chance to close the door to take Evaleen to the hospital.
“I love you, Evaleen.”
Leaning down I kissed the back of her hand when I thought I heard her whisper something.
Raising my head, I saw her beautiful smile. Her face flushed and a lone tear fell off her cheek.
“What, Evaleen?”
“I said, I love you, Edgar.”
I tried to step up on the ambulance but one of the medics grabbed my shoulder and pulled me back.
“Okay time to get her to the hospital. Sir, I’m going to need for you to step back.”
“But, but . . .” I pointed to the woman of my dreams waving from the window.
He turned to me after securing the door. “I said step back, sir.”
“You obviously have a heart of stone for stopping me from whisking my true love up in my arms Princess Bride style and giving her the kiss to end all kisses. Don’t you understand, she finally told me she loved me?” I pleaded with him to see reason.
He folded his arms and looked me up and down. “You get drugged in there? You want me to check your vitals? How many fingers am I holding up?” The medic nodded toward the warehouse while lifting three fingers.
“No, I wasn’t drugged. Haven’t you ever been in love? Like really in love.”
“Nope.”
“You never married or lived with someone you loved long-term?”
The guy must have been in his fifties. Surely, he had to have experienced love at least once in his life.
“Now, I didn’t say that.” He held up his left hand to show me the silver ring around the finger next to his pinky. “Married thirty years this October.”
“Oh. Okay.”
The guy came over and placed his hand on my arm. “I’m going to give you some advice. Something I should have realized when I was your age. Never marry anyone based on their looks.”
I began to frown. That poor guy.
“I’ll keep that in mind. Thanks for the advice.”
“Thought you could use it.”
The ambulance pulled away after a minute and I stayed rooted to the spot until it disappeared. Evaleen’s mom finally came over.
“You did well today, Edgar. That baby will have a great father. I wished Evaleen’s dad had been there for her. Seen how wonderful she is. But she now has you.”
She took hold of my hand with tears in her eyes. “Loving someone is hard and raising a child is even harder, but don’t be so foolish as to think you can find something better than my daughter and the life inside her. You haven’t learned this yet and neither has Evaleen, but you will realize that love earned through blood, sweat, and tears is the truest and deepest love there is.”
I nodded and pulled her into my arms. “I can’t wait to find out.”
FORTY-EIGHT
Evaleen
Seven Months Later
“I love you so much right now.” Edgar was crying holding my hand. His eyes focused on me and all I wanted to do was punch him.
“You loved me too much, Edgar. Too much. And now look at me.” I grunted.
A head lifted from between my legs. “Just one more push.”
I felt something touching my head and I swatted at it. That damn nurse was wiping the sweat on my brow with a cloth. I had informed her many times not to do that. And by informed, I meant I screamed at the top of my lungs.
Giving birth sucked. I won’t sugar coat it. It hurt like hell. Not just that, but I had already thrown up. Yeah, they don’t tell you that part. When you give birth, you can get sick and puke all over your hospital gown, twice.
I don’t even want to know how terrible I looked down there. I’m sure my vagina was more like a war zone now. Poor Edgar, this baby was going to destroy what he loved most. He was left with rubble now.
From what I have been told I had a typical pregnancy. No complications. Nothing that made the doctors worry or put me on bed rest. I didn’t agree.
Pain, mood swings, gas, and heartburn plagued me the entire time. Making my life, and anyone I came in contact with, miserable.
Surprisingly, Payne and I got along great during my pregnancy. I hung out a lot with Tiffany over the past several months to get a feel of what motherhood was like and to ask her questions. Payne stopped by often to watch movies and hang out with David.
I think we both came to appreciate each other’s moodiness. It was our little bitch sessions. I needed to have someone around me who wasn’t so positive all the time.
Plus, my mother had started to date someone so she was gone a lot. I found myself hanging out with the ladies of SWIM Meet more and more.
My mom and I found out the flowers delivered to her weren’t from Damien, but her old flame Ronald the gymnast. He had moved back to Chicago and was dropping hints he wanted to see her. A good hint would have been leaving his name and not scaring the shit out of us thinking a crazy person was after us. But, my mother thought it was romantic so that’s all that counts.
The pressure was too much and I gave a push and squeezed the life out of Edgar’s hand. Like a trooper, he took it and didn’t say a word.
“Touchdown. We have a girl.” Dr. Kingston Marks held up the pink wrinkled baby covered in slime and my heart had never felt so full in its life. The baby began to scream and cry and I broke.
Uncontrollable sobs spilled forth as I had never heard anything so beautiful. I hadn’t even held her in my arms and the love was so intense that all I could do was cry.
“Cut the cord, Edgar?” Dr. Marks asked holding up our baby.
I narrowed my eyes at Edgar, warning him not to hurt that child, but he couldn’t see me anymore. His eyes were glued to our little girl.
“I, uh, I don’t think that’s a good idea, King. I might hurt her.” Edgar’s face paled at the sight of the metal scissors presented to him by the nurse.
The doctor shrugged. “Suit yourself.”
The doctor quickly snipped the cord and the baby was whisked over to a lit table near my bed. I kept my eyes on her the whole time.
What felt like forever but was only a few minutes before my little girl was brought to me. I untied my gown and let her rest on my bare chest.
“So beautiful. I never thought I would see something that could make me so happy.” Edgar bent down to kiss her sweet head.
“She is the loveliest thing in the world.” I couldn’t take my eyes off her.
The doctor came over and slapped Edgar on the back. “Congratulations, Edgar. I never thought I would see the day where you became a father. Do you remember that one time when Kelly from dorm 5C kept—”
“Okay, King, maybe now’s not the time to take a stroll down memory lane.”
Dr. Marks nodded. “Right, right. Well, I’m glad I could be here to catch her.”
Edgar frowned. “Yeah, good thing you were on call.”
He nodded. “Right. It was lucky Dr. Louis was on vacation. Ringing in the New Year in the Big Apple.”
Edgar slid his eyes sideways toward me. “Yeah, so lucky.”
Dr. Marks was a bit crass and silly, but I’m happy my daughter is healthy and safe in my arms. That was all that was important to me. When Edgar found out our doctor was on vacation he was upset but accepted it. Until he discovered his old friend, Dr. Kingston Marks, was the one helping in the birth.
I had to spend the first few hours of my labor calming him down.
Time seemed to fly by holding our daughter and before I knew it, all the nurses and the doctor had left, leaving us alone as one family.
“So, the first most important question of the day, what’s her name?” Edgar asked as I handed her off to him for some father-daughter bonding.
We came up with a plan. If it was a boy, he got to name the baby. If it was a girl, I got to name her.
“Lucille Amelia Mimir. Lucy for my mom and Amelia for your mom.”
“I love it. Our little lamb,” he cooed to her as he swayed her gently in his arms.
“I don’t like nicknames, Edgar.”
“Then don’t give our daughter a name with that acronym.”
I reared my head back. “Oh, I didn’t realize that when I thought it up.”
She was so sweet and her
baby skin so soft.
“Maybe I can make an acceptation for her.”
“So how about it, Evaleen? I have the baby, I bought the sedan you specifically picked out for safety, and I already had the home. What do you say now?”
Of course, he would ask me this when my hormones are going crazy and I haven’t slept in twenty hours. It was about time I gave him a definitive answer. He has been wonderful to me and supportive.
Jacob wanted me to come back to Mimir after the incident with Damien this past summer. Even after I told him that some of the things in the Attraction file were from me and not just planted by Damien’s mole.
I admitted to Morgana and Payne’s stuff as real and a few of the background things I had on some workers. At the time I got that information I thought I was being protective of the company. Now I realize I was being paranoid and overstepping my bounds. I gave him my resignation and put all my efforts into writing.
As much as I miss Mimir, I think I’m happier now making my own decisions and doing what I loved, writing. Plus, I get to spend as much time as I want with my little Lucy since I am in charge of my own schedule.
“Fine.”
Edgar glared at me. “That’s your answer? You act like I’m asking you to take out the trash. Instead of asking you for the fifth time to marry me.”
“You blindsided me. The first time you made this big romantic gesture with dinner and flowers. The second you were naked and covered in rose petals with the ring box covering your penis. What was the third one again?”
“I hired that guy to dress as a bear to sing for you. I didn’t expect you to chase him down the street with a knife.”
“I opened the door to a bear. Who wouldn’t be freaked out from that? He actually growled at me.”
“It’s the costume they had available. The fourth one was good though.” Edgar spoke in baby talk to little Lucy.
“Yeah, you bought the car and I thought that was my Christmas gift, but then when I opened the glove compartment I found the ring. It was snowing and I was so big that I wasn’t even cold. You knelt in the snow and asked me to marry you. I did like that one.”
The Attraction File (Cake Love Book 2) Page 24
