Intertwined Hearts Series (4 book collection): (Intertwined Hearts, An Exceptional Twist, Tangled Paths & Grafted Vines)

by Kimi Flores

  Oh this is absolutely divine.

  Just as I started to wind down, I heard a knock on the door from Stefen's room.

  Covering my chest with my hands, I wondered if he was going to bolt in. “I'm in the bath. Don't come in.”

  He spoke softly from the other side of the door. “I know. I just wanted to say thank you—for everything. Abby’s right, your compassion has no boundary. It—well, you—mean a lot to me.”

  I do?

  I blinked, swallowing hard. “Not a problem.”

  “Good night,” his deep voice rumbled.

  “Good night, Stefen,” I whispered.

  “Oh hey, Leah?”

  “Yeah?”

  “Your mom totally watches porn!” He sounded like a little boy snickering on the other side of the door.

  His laugh was contagious, and I found myself busting up again. “Go to sleep, Stefen.”

  His laughter gradually faded as he stepped away from the door.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Aim for the Drain

  Leah

  What’s that sound?

  My subconscious nudged me awake, but I was bushed and just wanted to stay curled up in the warm bed. The room was dark. Why on earth would I need to get up?

  Oh yeah, I had to go to the bathroom. There was a sound streaming in my ear, making it more difficult to ignore the urge. My eyes popped open, my brain registering the disturbance—someone peeing. It sounded like Niagara Falls, it went on forever.

  “Man, how much did he drink?” I mumbled, having a hard time holding my own in.

  Finally, the toilet flushed, and I was thankful to hear the faucet running.

  I wanted to dash in, but waited just a few more minutes, in hopes he’d fall back asleep. The idea of him hearing me pee, was giving me stage fright.

  I stood by the door, swaying back and forth until the need was unbearable. Then I peeked in to make sure the opposite door was closed, and I tiptoed into the dimly moonlit room. Hastily, I turned and pulled my pajama bottoms and underwear down in one sweeping motion as I squatted over the toilet.

  The first thing I felt was the wet rim touching the back of my thighs. When I lost my balance, my entire butt hit the freezing cold water. Squealing, I scrambled to get up as the opposite door flew open and the light flicked on.

  “Are you all right?” Stefen asked.

  That. Did not. Just happen.

  I timidly looked up to find Stefen standing in the doorway. He was covering his eyes, wearing plaid pajama pants—and nothing else. It didn't matter that we had this whole friendship agreement, I couldn't help but take in the sight of his messy, freshly cut hair and his bare torso. But the bright pink scar on his collar bone brought me back to reality.

  Looking down I cringed, realizing that I was standing next to the toilet with my cotton pants and panties around my ankles. The only clothing I had on was a T-shirt, barely long enough to cover all the important stuff.

  Panicking, I used my dance skills and quickly freed my feet from the undies and bottoms, then I jumped over the tub’s edge, wrapping the shower curtain around me.

  “Fine, I’m fine,” I stuttered. “I just—fell.” Now go away!

  Squeezing my eyes shut, I nervously nibbled on my bottom lip as I stared at the fabric shower curtain.

  “Where did you go?” He must've opened his eyes.

  “Shower,” I squeaked.

  “Why didn't you just pull your pants up and stay out here?”

  I smacked my forehead. Oh shit, he’s probably staring at my chonies on the floor.

  “You scared me and this was quicker.” What the hell am I saying? I squeezed my legs together tighter. Crap I still have to pee!

  “Um, okay.” Then it must've registered. “Oh shit, Leah. Did you fall in the toilet?” His voice sounded like he was wrestling between fits of laughter and remorse. “I'm so sorry.” I could hear him snickering. Bastard. “I'm not used to girls going after me.” Then a chuckle with a slight snort broke free.

  Peeking my head out from behind the curtain, I saw him hanging on to the sink, his shoulders bouncing with hysteria. We made eye-contact in the mirror, and I tapered my eyes.

  He quickly straightened and cleared his throat. “I apologize. I'm such a jackass for laughing, but I can’t help it. It’s pretty damn funny.”

  If it had happened to someone else, I probably would’ve laughed, too. “Do you mind, leaving,” I grit out. “I have to shower now, thanks to you. And I still have to pee!” How I’d held it this long, I had no idea.

  He shrugged. “Just go in the shower—or is that just a guy thing, too?”

  Horror flashed across my face as I jumped out of the tub, struggling to keep the curtain wrapped around my lower body. He, of course, thought this was freaking hilarious.

  Catching his breath, he said, “If I’ve ever done that, and I’m not admitting that I have, I would aim directly for the drain.” He pointed down to demonstrate. “I wouldn't want to stand in my own urine, either.”

  Chuckling, barely, I told him with a little less attitude, “Fine. Whatever. Go so I can, you know.” I nodded toward the seat-less toilet.

  Stefen lowered the seat for me, apologizing once more on his way out. “I’ll see you in the morning.”

  As soon as the door was closed, I sat down and looked at my clothes on the floor.

  How embarrassing. Oh well, he’s seen much more than that, and at least they’re cute panties.

  I still felt the urge to go to the bathroom, but knowing he could hear gave me real stage fright. “If only I could aim for the drain,” I muttered.

  Through the door, I heard the muffled sounds of his laughter again, and I smacked my forehead. He must’ve heard me.

  I should’ve never unlocked the door after my bath.

  ⁂

  Stefen

  No matter how hilarious last night had been, I still felt bad. I’d tried my damndest not to laugh, but failed miserably.

  It took me a while to get down the stairs by myself this morning, but I was determined to start being as independent as I could. I’d overdone it the day before and planned on taking it easy the rest of the day. For now, I could at least make coffee for everyone.

  Leah sauntered down the stairs with a knowing smile on her face. Damn. Even with her messy morning hair and no make-up, she was beautiful.

  I closed my mouth, so she wouldn’t catch me drooling. Adjusting the strap on my sling, I flicked on the coffee pot.

  “Is your shoulder bothering you?” Leah pointed to my suspended arm.

  I’d worn the sling off and on to keep my muscles from getting stiff, but I probably should’ve taken it with me yesterday. “Yeah, I think I slept on it wrong, so I figured I’d wear this today.” I rubbed my sore shoulder lightly.

  She couldn’t hide the concern in her eyes or her voice. “Have you taken any pain meds for it this morning?”

  I smiled to myself, loving when she doted on me. Then I swallowed as I started to think about everything that was missing from my life.

  “Nah, it’s just a bit tender,” I played it off. “I’m trying to only take something when I can’t stand it. I feel like my body is still pumped full of all the medication from the hospital.”

  I knew she understood because she’d once shared that Abby turned her onto more homeopathic remedies.

  “May I?” she asked, and I nodded as she gently moved the neckline of my shirt to the side.

  I would never turn down her touch. The sensation of her fingertips tenderly gliding on my skin was a balm to my pain.

  “It may not help a whole lot, but it can’t hurt.” Pulling a vitamin-e bottle from her pajama pants pocket, she smeared a bit of oil directly on my scar, then looked up at my eye as she dabbed a little on the small mark on my lid.

  Did she plan this ahead of time?

  My body hummed as her fingers lovingly traced my new imperfections. I closed my eyes taking her in and loving her closeness. Opening my eyes, I w
ondered what was on her mind as she closely examined my blemishes. “How bad are they?”

  “Healing nicely.” She backed up and rubbed her hands together to blend the oil into her skin.

  “No, I mean do they look horrific?” My chest tightened, all the raw emotions inside of me threatening to burst out. This was the first time I had shared my insecurities with her.

  Leah’s face softened, tenderly placing her open hand on my cheek. “Don’t worry about how you look and what people think.” She cocked her head and smiled. “Personally, I think scars are sexy.”

  “Sexy?” I smirked. She thinks my scars are sexy?

  But her face became serious. “They remind us of where we’ve been and what we’ve overcome.” Staring at each other just a little too long, she removed her hand, and we both turned away from each other.

  In search mode, she opened the fridge and cupboards. “I think I’ll give Abby the morning off and make breakfast before I go into work. I found everything I need to make some chilaquiles.”

  Confused, I inquired, “Chila-wha?”

  She laughed at my pronunciation. “It’s a traditional Mexican dish with fried corn tortillas, onion, scrambled eggs and cheese. For the brave at heart, you can add chili or salsa.”

  I leaned against the counter, “How can I help?”

  “Have a seat and keep me company.” Pointing to the bar stool at the breakfast counter, she continued, “I can tell you’re in pain. Don’t even try to hide it from me. You overdid it yesterday, didn’t you?”

  Damn, she knows me so well. I took a seat, changing the subject. “I didn’t know you were going in today.”

  She cracked a few eggs in a bowl. “I have a wedding on Saturday, and I need to prepare for it. It was kind of last minute. The other florist flaked, and it’s the first one I’ll be doing at Evanwood Vineyard, so I want to make a good impression. I’d love to do more weddings there, and Zachary said he’d refer brides to me.”

  I leaned on the counter with my elbow, resting my jaw on the palm of my hand. “I forgot you were going to work with him. He seems like a stand up guy.” Now that I know he isn’t interested in you.

  She poured oil into a pan on the stove, then added shredded up corn tortillas. “Madison was at the shop when he came in, and I think she has a bit of a crush on him.” Leah mumbled the last part as we noticed the groggy little girl coming down the stairs, rubbing her eyes.

  “Argh, matey,” Madison greeted me with one eye closed. She went in for a hug, then jumped up on my lap. “Where’s your patch, pirate?”

  “I left it upstairs for now, squirt.” I kissed her on her forehead just as she noticed who was in the kitchen.

  “Auntie Leah!” The little girl leaped down and bounded toward Leah.

  “Hola, mi chiquita.”

  Madison came to a dead stop and put her little fists on her hips. “Auntie Leah. I told you. I’m not a banana.”

  Leah mirrored the little girl’s stance. “And I told you, Miss Sassy Pants, that if Uncle Stefen can call you squirt because you peed on him, then I can call you chiquita because you’re my little chica.”

  Giving in, Madison rewarded her with a huge hug, grinning up at her. “Okay, but not in front of my friends.”

  “Huy, it starts at such an early age.” Leah shook her head, eyeing me as I filled our mugs. “Why don’t you go watch some cartoons while I make breakfast, then we’ll wait for mommy and daddy to come down.”

  I handed Leah her coffee and we both took huge gulps as Madison strutted toward the living room. At the edge of the kitchen, the little girl twirled around. “Mommy and Daddy aren’t coming soon. They’re humpin’ in their bedroom.”

  Thankful that I’d already swallowed my mouthful, I watched Leah spit hers out. She started choking, unable to catch a breath.

  Madison stared with wide eyes, mouth gaping open.

  Once Leah was no longer wheezing, I couldn’t resist. “Sweetie, do you know what that means?”

  “Yeah.” She nodded. “My friend Casey said it’s when your parents are in the room with the door closed. You’re supposed to leave them alone because they’re makin’ brothers and sisters for you by humpin’.” Madison scrunched up her eyebrows questioningly. “I don’t understand why they still do that, though. Mommy already has a baby in her belly.” She shrugged. “Oh well, I’m going to go watch TV.”

  She skipped over to the television, leaving us behind as we attempted to pull ourselves together. Unable to control her hysteria, Leah doubled over, meeting my eye to tear-filled eye.

  I was also bent over.

  Gasping for air, Leah wiped under her eyes. “I can’t believe she just said that! Stop laughing. I can’t take anymore.”

  It took a few minutes, but we had just regained control of ourselves when the newlyweds appeared at the top of the stairs, making googly eyes at each other, holding hands as they walked down.

  Abby ducked her head bashfully, while Caleb’s face lit up when he spotted us in the kitchen gaping at them. “Good morning, guys. What a beautiful day.”

  Oh yeah, Madison was right. These two were just going at it. Caleb’s way too happy for seven a.m.

  Abby smiled when they reached the bottom step. “We could hear you laughing all the way upstairs. What’s so funny?”

  Leah and I looked at each other, then fell into an even louder fit of laughter.

  ⁂

  The food we’d gobbled up for breakfast was delicious. I was impressed by Leah’s cooking, yet again. We men agreed to take care of clean up while the ladies sat, within view, in the living room and talked.

  Caleb smacked my bicep with his knuckles. “Hey, what’s up with you two?”

  Apparently, he’d caught me watching Leah. “What do you mean?”

  Damn, am I that obvious?

  “I see the way you guys look at each other, and it’s—different from before.” Caleb grabbed for the pan off the stove and put it in the sink before running hot water on it.

  Shrugging my good shoulder, I continued to load the dishwasher. “I don’t know. It is different. I’ve never had this before.” I felt a smile creeping up my face. “We’re friends. It’s nice. I’m not used to having a girl—friend.”

  Caleb gave me his ‘don’t bullshit me’ face. “I know you better than that. There’s more to it. But I commend you. I’m proud of you for giving her the real you.” He gave me a shot in the shoulder. “You know, the one I’ve been telling you was there the whole time.”

  I stood dumbfounded as I stared at him. “I don’t know about all that, but it is nice not having to keep up a façade with her. I still don’t get how she can be so forgiving, when I treated her the way I did.”

  Stiffening, he stared me down. “Yeah, what’s the whole story with that anyway?”

  “Let’s just say,” I paused, choosing my words carefully, “I did exactly what you told me not to do. But that woman is a fighter. She doesn’t put up with my shit. I think that’s what I’m so attracted to, I mean was. That’s what I was so attracted to.” Turning my back, I reached out for a set of glasses.

  Crap, I hope he didn’t catch that.

  “Yeah, she won’t put up with any in the future, either.” Snickering, he tapped my forehead. “Keep that in mind. You don’t want to screw it up. Again.”

  I took a quick glance at Leah, who sat by Abby, laughing at something they were talking about. “I get it.”

  Leah placed her hands on Abby’s tiny baby bump, then made eye contact with me. I saw joy and pain in her eyes. Her best friend was living the life she wished she had, and I found myself wanting to be able to fulfill that for her.

  But no matter how much I wanted to be her ‘one’, I knew I wasn’t. I may have shed my arrogant shell, but I still wasn’t good enough for her.

  Never will be.

  She smirked at me, and I mentally shook my head, realizing she was about to tell Abby what Madison had said earlier. I watched as Leah whispered to Abby, then Abby’s face
turned as red as a tomato.

  Turning my head to share the same story with Caleb, I found my cousin staring at me with raised eyebrows. “You two speak telepathically?”

  “Something like that.” I snickered. “So apparently, Madison knew you guys were upstairs having sex when she first came down this morning.”

  A look of shock covered his face. “What? How does she even know what that is?”

  “Evidently, she has a very knowledgeable friend.” I smirked as I continued to load the dishwasher.

  “Shit,” he muttered under his breath. “What did she say?”

  “Well, she didn’t understand why you guys were ‘humping’,” I put quotes around the word, “because that’s how you make babies and Abby’s already pregnant. Thank god, she didn’t talk about the mechanics of it, just the whole baby-making part.”

  He ran his thumb and index finger through the scruff on his jaw. “I guess she’s going to learn a bit at a time anyway. But she’s just going into first grade. I can’t believe how much kids know nowadays.” He handed a slippery plate over to me and I nearly dropped it.

  “You didn’t just say nowadays, old man. Next thing I know, you’ll be throwing some ‘back in my days’.” I chuckled, hoping that didn’t happen anytime soon—I was only a year younger than him.

  I glanced back at Abby, wondering. “I have to say, though, I don’t get it either. She’s pregnant. How can you be attracted to her when she has your kid growing inside of her?” I couldn’t fathom having sex while an actual developing human was right there with us in the mix.

  Turning, Caleb leaned back against the counter, sighing as he took in his wife. “Stefen, there’s nothing sexier than a pregnant woman carrying your child. You have no idea what a turn on it is knowing she’s walking around, carrying a piece of me with her wherever she goes.”

  Glancing toward the living room, he caught Abby’s eye, which made her shyly smile. With desire in his eyes, he continued, “I can’t wait for her to start showing more. The beautiful curves of a pregnant woman’s body are mesmerizing.”

  “I still don’t get it. But more power to you, brother.” I patted his shoulder, “Now stop devouring her in front of me. You’re making me uncomfortable.” I locked eyes with Leah momentarily, and I muttered, “Extremely uncomfortable.”