by Simone Grey
I don’t take my eyes off him and he doesn’t take his off me.
“I’ve never seen you look like this.”
“Don’t worry about me. How are you feeling?”
I take stock of my body. “I feel…okay.”
“What happened? Wait,” I say remembering something else. “Weren’t you in LA?”
Levi blows out a breath before recapturing my hand and sitting down beside me.
“Yeah. I was in LA and then Mya called me in a panic saying you were in the hospital. I dropped everything and flew back.”
“What day is it?”
“It’s Tuesday, you were out for almost twenty-four hours. The longest damn hours of my life. You scared the shit out me baby girl.”
My chest squeezes at the pain in his voice and the look in his eyes.
“What happened? The last thing I remember is arguing with mom and then nothing.”
Anger flares to life in his eyes. “Mya filled me in on the argument and I wish I’d been there, so you didn’t have to defend our relationship against those bullshit accusations.” He blows out a breath as though calming himself down. “Anyway, apparently the chef used some chamomile oil in the mashed potatoes and you had an allergic reaction to it.”
“Ah,” that makes sense. The one and only time I’ve ever had chamomile was when I was a child. I had an allergic reaction to it then, but it wasn’t nearly as bad as this one.
“That’s it. It felt bigger than an allergic reaction. It felt like…” I trail off.
“Like what?” he asks.
I don’t want to tell him that it felt like I was dying. He already looks stressed enough.
“It just felt worse.”
“That’s what- “
“Oh, thank God you’re awake!” Levi’s words are cut off by Mya bursting into the room. Imani, my father and Levi’s brother are close on her heels. Soon my room is filled to the brim with people and I belatedly wonder how they got past the nurses.
Imani and Mya rushes over to the bed and throws their arms around me.
“We were worried sick!” Mya says.
“Yes, you scared the crap out of me!” Imani says and I see the tears glistening in her eyes which makes my own glisten.
Dad steps up to my bed laying a hand on my cheek. He’s dressed in his white lab coat.
“How do you feel baby?” he asks.
“Fine Daddy. I don’t know why my reaction was so bad.”
He shakes his head. “I don’t know either.
“I’ve looked over your charts and everything seems to be fine now. The nurses will be in soon to check everything again.”
As if he’s conjured her up a nurse comes into the room and checks my vitals and my blood pressure. All the while Levi doesn’t leave my side. His presence is a comfort.
Levi’s family converges on me giving me hugs.
The door opens and I look to my left to see my mother standing in the doorway. The room immediately quiets. She doesn’t look anything like she normally does, her clothes are wrinkled, and her hair isn’t as pristine as it normally is, she actually looks normal.
And I can’t even begin to decipher the look in her eyes.
She clears her throat. “Can you all give me a moment alone with my daughter.”
My hands tighten on the sheets. I’m not in the mood to fight with her,
Everybody starts to file out of the room except Levi. He parks himself in front of my bed and folds his arms across his chest.
“No,” he says.
She looks taken aback.
I sigh “Levi.”
“No, Mia. I’m not leaving you alone with her. Every time you talk to her, she hurts you in one way or the other. That shit ends now.”
My mother flinches and something akin to guilt crosses her features.
I grab Levi’s hand and his eyes meet mine.
“I appreciate you sticking up for me, but I need to do this on my own. Please?”
He searches my eyes before letting out a sigh.
“Fine. I love you.” My breath catches in my throat. It’s the first time he’s said it out loud. His gaze holds mine and I can’t help but beam up at him.
“I love you too.”
His answering smile calms me. H places a kiss against my lips before backing away from the bed.
“I’ll be right outside the door.” He gives my mother one last warning glance before leaving.
“Well I don’t think he likes me very much,” she says approaching the bed cautiously.
I hold her stare. “Can you blame him?”
She looks away running a shaky hand through her hair.
“It’s occurred to me that I owe you an apology.”
I still. “For what?”
She sinks down into the chair beside my bed. “Everything,” she licks her lips before meeting my stare. “After you and Mya were born, I went through an ugly bout of postpartum depression. Your father tried to help me, but it was never ending. Anything and everything I did seemed wrong. Anytime I touched you would start crying, yet when your father would hold you calmed down. It made me angry. The depression continued for so long that I had to start therapy.”
I sit perfectly still taking in her words.
“Like I said I didn’t think anything would pull me out of it. And then Mya started to take an interest in pageants, and we bonded. I didn’t realize I was pushing you away in the process until it was too late. I didn’t realize how bad it had gotten until I saw you passed out in your father’s arms. It terrified me,” her voice breaks on the last sentence.
And I find my throat tightening with unshed tears.
She wipes under her eyes. “Anyway, I needed to tell you that to say I’m sorry. I know it doesn’t make up for all the horrible things I’ve said to you over the years, but if you’d give me a chance I’d really like to start moving our relationship in the right direction.”
I stare at her for a moment contemplating and absorbing her words.
It occurs to me that this is the first time I’ve seen her look remorseful. Ever.
“Okay, we can try.” The genuine relief in her eyes makes me feel like I’ve made the right decision.
***
LEVI
“Easy.” I murmur helping Mia out of the car.
Before she can even blink I have her up and in my arms as I make my way inside of my arms.
She gasps clutching my shoulders. “Levi, I can walk.”
“Why walk when you have me?” I say striding towards my building. Gabe steps in front of me to open the door.
She spent another night in the hospital for observation and was released a little while ago. Since there was no way I was letting her out of my sight for the foreseeable future we headed straight to my place with Gabe in tow and Mya went back to Mia’s place to pack a bag for her.
I’ve never been as terrified as I was when I got the call that she had collapsed. On the plane ride home, hundreds of scenarios went through my mind, each one getting worse and worse.
I didn’t take a deep breath until she opened her eyes. “But--”
“Just agree with him. It’s easier that way,” Gabe says.
Mia sighs and lays her head on my shoulder as I carry her towards the elevator. A few seconds later Gabe is letting us into my apartment. I take Mia straight to the couch and lay her down on it.
“Well looks like yall are good. I have a few clients coming in this afternoon so I’m out” Gabe says.
He’s a tattoo artist and piercer at the hottest shop in Chicago.
I nod to him “Alright thanks bro, I appreciate your help.”
“Of course.” And then he’s gone.
We curl up on the couch. Kissing her head, I pull her closer knowing that there’s no place I would rather be.
Epilogue
MIA
Six Years Later
I clutch the brown paper bag in one hand and my growing belly in the other as I step off the elevator.
“Hey Cara,” I say smiling at Levi’s assistant. She’s an older lady with a kind heart.
“Hey. Oh! Look at you the baby’s getting so big.”
I beam. “Yep three more months to go. Is he in?”
She nods smiling.
I knock and then open the door.
A smile lights my face as I see Levi sitting behind his desk. He’s mid laugh as Jayce cracks a joke.
“I’m serious man. It was crazy.”
He looks up and that smile gets even brighter when he sees me. He gets up from the desk and immediately comes towards me. Butterflies swoop low in my belly.
I don’t know how he still has this effect on me after five years of marriage, but he does.
He proposed not long after he convinced me to move in with him and then we got married a few months after Liam and Ava tied the knot. It was a small intimate ceremony.
“Hey how’s my baby?” he asks placing a kiss on my lips and taking the bag out of my hands. His hands go straight to my belly. “Great.”
“How’s my other baby?” he says bending down to place a kiss on my stomach. My heart flutters. “Even better.”
I say running a hand through his hair.
He returns to his full height and lays another kiss on my lips I lean up on my toes to deepen the kiss as arousal swirls in my belly. Lately I’ve been hornier than usual, jumping Levi’s bones whenever I can. He doesn’t seem to mind; in fact, he embraces it.
“Ahem, I am still here you know.” I pull away sheepishly and meet Jayce’s amused eyes.
“Then why don’t you take a hint and leave.” Levi mutters taking the bag over to the table and taking the burgers out.
I swat him on the shoulder.
“Be nice. Hey, Jayce I didn’t think you’d be in or I would have bought you lunch too,” I say giving him a side hug.
He returns it. “Yeah. I hadn’t planned on it, but Imani got sick of me hovering, so I decided to come check on things.”
A smile lights up my face at the look of adoration on his.
He and Imani started dating about four years ago after she dumped Max. They dated for about two months before she got pregnant. They got married shortly thereafter and are now expecting their second child any day now.
Imani’s on bed rest and Jayce has been beside himself constantly checking on her and at her beck and call. Although she says it drives her crazy sometimes, I know she secretly loves it. He adores her and it shows.
I couldn’t be happier for her.
“Ah, I was going to stop by later and check on her.”
“Okay cool, I should be getting back soon anyway. I’ll catch you guys later.” He closes the door behind him.
“See ya.”
“So, how’s everything been going here?” I ask as Levi and I dig into our burgers.
“Good. I think I’ve found some good models to add to our company.”
“That’s great.”
About two and a half years ago, Levi and Jayce laid the groundwork for their own modeling agency. Through much hard work and long nights, they finally got things up and running about a year ago and business has been growing steadily over the past few months. I couldn’t be prouder of him.
We make small talk as we finish eating and as soon as I’m done, I find go to throw away our trash. Levi comes up behind me wrapping his arms around me. Arousal flares to life once more and I turn in his arms pressing myself against him. We go at each other and soon I find myself bent over his desk.
“Best wife ever” he mutters placing a kiss on the back of my shoulder as we fight to catch our breath a short while later..
“I was just thinking the same thing about you.”
Levi looks up at me amusement on his face “What? That I’m the best wife ever?”
I roll my eyes “No that you’re the best husband ever.”
He sets me on top of his desk and then steps between my legs.
“Hmm, well why don’t you show me how much I’m the best husband ever,” he says leaning down to brush his lips over mine. I feel his cock hardening against me again which sends my arousal surging through me.
I press my lips to his and proceed to do just that.
***
Now Available is LIAM, Book 1 in the Trace Brothers Series. Read below for an excerpt.
Chapter 1
AVA
They’re here again.
The same two college students that have come in here at least three times a week over the last two months. And at least once during each of those weeks I’ve caught them in a compromising position. One time they were making out in the computer room on top of the copy machine. Another time I found them making out in the fantasy section against a stack of Game of Thrones books. Last week, I caught them in the in the back of the children’s section of the library.
You would think they wouldn’t show their faces here anymore after getting caught and being asked to leave so many times. But no, they keep coming back.
Although I could never see myself attempting something like that, I do admire them in one aspect. They clearly have a lot of passion and love for each other. It’s almost palpable. It’s the kind of connection I envy yet I know I will never have.
“They’re here again” Claire whispers to me. Her blond curls bounce as she takes a seat at the desk next to mine.
“I know, I saw them too.” I shift around in my chair trying to get comfortable.
“You would think they would use the library on campus instead of coming all the way over to this one. Unless they got banned from that one, which is entirely possible,” Claire says before taking a sip of water.
“It wouldn’t surprise me if they did get banned.”
“Ah, the wonders of being young and in love. You know, my husband and I never tried anything in a library, but we were almost caught getting busy in a movie theatre once.” Her eyes are cast upward with a faraway look in them.
“The movie theatre? Really?” I ask laughing
Claire is in her late sixties and has worked at the Riverdale Library for over thirty years. With her long curly blond hair, clear blue eyes, athletic build, and the prominent laugh lines around the corners of her eyes she looks much younger. She was the first person I met when I started working here a little over a year ago and she is easily the coworker I talk to the most.
“Oh yeah. There are so many stories I could tell you from back in the day.”
“Shhh!” Looking to my right I see Walter glaring at us over the top of his cubicle with a finger pressed to his lips.
Claire rolls her eyes and whispers, “I’ll tell you about it later.”
I nod before going back to my current project. Working around books has been my dream for as long as I can remember. Reading helped me through some of the toughest times in my life. When you grow up in the foster care system, like I did, it’s easy to feel invisible and forgotten. The kids I lived with found different avenues to release whatever emotions they were feeling.
I found books.
Of the three foster homes I lived in, I always made it a priority to find a library. Anytime I needed an escape, which was often, I would go to the closest library to me.
The smell of books, old and new. The texture of the pages. The feeling of holding a paperback or hardback in my hands, it became like home to me. More of a home than anyone I’d ever lived in up until I turned eighteen and was able to go away to college.
That’s why it was a no brainer for me to major in library science and take a cataloging position at The Riverdale Library.
The large two-story brick building can be easy to get lost in if you don’t know where you’re going. Before I started working here full-time, I volunteered for two years while they upgraded the entire building. Even though the construction has been done for over a year now the place still fills new. The circulation desk sits in the middle of the floor when you first walk in. Behind the circulation desk is a wood partition that separates the staff work area and t
he breakroom.
To the right of the circulation desk are where several large and small study rooms are gathered. Some have glass windows and others have none to give people extra privacy. Next to the study rooms sits the nonfiction section, magazines, music, CDs, DVDs, and audiobooks. On the left side of the circulation desk is the children’s section, teen section and an area for all the different programs, including the children’s program I run here every Wednesday.
I’ve just finished cataloguing another book when my phone vibrates with a notification. Hastily picking it up, I go to put it on silent when the message on the screen makes me pause. My blood runs cold and my heart skips a beat.
Matthew King has sent you a private message.
What the hell does he want? I thought I’d blocked his number after…everything happened, but I guess I didn’t block him on social media. Shock is swiftly followed by anger. How dare he contact me after everything that happened?
I still remember that day like it was yesterday.
The stares.
The laughs.
The pointing.
The humiliation.
It all slams into me simultaneously.
No. My hand tightens around my phone as I quickly delete the message without reading it. I will not give him another thought.
I left that part of my life behind in college and I refuse to go back there. Grabbing the stack of books on my desk, I get up leaving my desk and that message behind.
***
Want more of the Trace Brothers? Check out LIAM now!
Amazon US
Amazon UK
Amazon CA
***
Also Available is LEVI. He’s finally met his match. Find out what happens when he develops feelings for his best friend.
He's a control freak used to getting what he wants. She's a good girl who's not looking for love.
Liam Trace thinks he has everything figured out. As the CEO of several successful businesses, work has always been his first love. His family and the occasional hook up are all he needs in life.
Or so he thinks.
Then Ava comes bursting into his life and everything changes for this former playboy.
Ava Richards thinks she has everything figured out. As a librarian she's surrounded daily by her one true love, the written word. Disillusioned after a failed relationship, she's vowed to steer clear of them. Everything is going according to plan.
