by Sandi Lynn
I opened my eyes and noticed Ellie wasn’t in bed. Looking at the time on my phone, it was two a.m. I got up and walked into the hallway where I saw the light filter from under the closed door of the room where she painted. When I opened the door, I found her sitting on her stool and softly stroking the canvas with her paintbrush. Walking up behind her, I wrapped my arms around her and softly kissed her neck as she continued to paint. She set down her paintbrush and turned her body around, so she was facing me.
“Why are you up?” I asked.
“I couldn’t sleep. It happens sometimes.” The corners of her mouth curved up into a beautiful smile. “Do you want to paint?”
“I don’t know how.” I smiled. “I can paint walls, but that’s about it.”
“I’ll help you.”
She got up from the stool and told me to sit down as she handed me the paintbrush.
“Dip the tip of the brush in the gray paint.”
From behind, she wrapped one arm around me and took my hand that was holding the brush and lifted it to the canvas. Her hand guided mine as we made prominent waves amongst the blue color that was the sea.
“See. It’s easy,” she spoke.
I set the brush down and turned around and faced her. She straddled me as her arms wrapped around my neck.
“I love you, Ellie,” I signed and spoke at the same time. “I’m so in love with you.” I placed my hand on her cheek.
It was the first time since we’d met those words escaped my lips, and it felt so good to finally tell her.
“I love you, too, Henry.” She smiled as our lips met.
I still hadn’t told her about Kirsten. Ben and Frankie were on my ass every day, but I was too worried about what she’d think or that she wouldn’t want to see me anymore. Every day we spent together was magical, and I didn’t want to ruin things. It just never seemed like the right time. But I knew I had to do it soon, because the longer I went without telling her, the worse it was going to be when I did.
Ellie
I walked Henry to the door and kissed him goodbye. He wrapped me in his arms and held me tight before walking out of my apartment. I went to the kitchen, poured myself a cup of coffee, and stared out my living room window while I sipped it and thought about Henry. Even though he’d just left, I already missed him. He was the perfect man and he made me the happiest woman alive. I thought I was happy before I’d met him, but I was wrong. I didn’t think this type of happiness existed. My mom and James loved him already. We’d met them for dinner a few times over the past month and the three of them clicked instantly. Joni, on the other hand, was happy for me but still skeptical. She felt things were moving too fast. I tried not to hold that against her because I knew she meant well.
“Henry told me he loved me last night,” I signed as I sat across from her in the café.
“Wow. Did you say it back?” she asked.
“Of course,” I signed as my brows furrowed.
“That’s great, Ellie. But….”
“Don’t, Joni,” I signed. “Just don’t. I’m so happy.”
“And I’m happy for you, but it’s only been a little over a month.”
“It doesn’t matter if it’s been a week. When you meet the one, you know immediately.”
“Why haven’t you met his parents yet?” she asked.
“I don’t know. You know guys don’t bring a girl home to meet his parents until they’re sure. I’m sure I’ll met them soon.”
“He’s already met us including your mom and James. You’ve been out to dinner with them a few times already and it just concerns me that you haven’t met his family yet.”
“I’ve met his sister,” I signed.
“Only because you ran into them at the hospital.”
“It seems as if you don’t like Henry.”
“It’s not that I don’t. I think he’s a nice guy who’s extremely wealthy. Usually, guys like that are hiding something or have skeletons in their closet. He’s too perfect, Ellie. That’s all I’m saying. Nobody is that perfect.”
I was getting irritated, and I needed to change the subject. So, I did. When we finished lunch, I gave her a hug goodbye and headed back to my apartment to get some painting done. I was all caught up with my work for my client’s websites and I needed to finish a painting I promised Frankie for his gallery.
Henry
“June, can you tell my sister I need to see her.”
“Of course, Henry. I’ll send her right in.”
A few seconds later, my office door opened, and Addison walked in.
“You wanted to see me?” She smiled.
“I want to show you something I bought for Ellie,” I spoke as I reached into my desk drawer and pulled out a blue box from Tiffany and opened the lid.”
“Wow, Henry. That is beautiful. She’ll love it.” She grinned. “When are you going to give it to her?”
“I was thinking of giving it to her tonight. I’m taking her to dinner at Per Se and then I arranged a horse and carriage ride through Central Park afterwards.”
“Damn. I didn’t know you were such a romantic.” She smirked.
“Only the best for her.” The corners of my mouth curved upward.
“She’s a lucky girl to have you. Lillian and Carlyle, not so much. What are you going to do? Never introduce her to them?”
“I will when the time is right, and when they’ve had a chance to settle down.”
“Good luck with that. It’s already been a month.”
“You haven’t by chance heard anything around the house, have you?”
“I haven’t really been home much. Last night I went into their bedroom to talk to Dad, and all he kept talking about was Abigail.”
“What was he saying?” I furrowed my brows.
“He was telling me stories about her and how if she was still alive, she’d be a doctor. And a damn good one.”
“She always wanted to help people,” I said.
“I got so sick of hearing about her that I told him if she was still alive I wouldn’t be here. He looked at me and told me I was right.” Tears filled her eyes. “Ugh. I won’t let him do this to me.” She looked up at the ceiling.
It infuriated me how they treated her sometimes.
“What did you say?” I asked.
“Nothing. I walked out of the room, changed my clothes, and met my friend at the bar. There’s nothing a lot of alcohol can’t fix.”
I stood up from my chair, walked over and gave her a hug.
“Don’t let them get to you.”
“I’ll never be good enough for them because I’m not her.”
“You are good enough. You’re my sister and I love you.”
“Thanks. I love you too, big brother.” A soft smile graced her face as she broke our embrace.
After I left the office, I quickly went home to change and then headed to Ellie’s apartment. When the door opened, I stood there breathless at the beautiful woman smiling at me.
“You look incredible,” I signed with a smile.
“Thank you. You look very sexy yourself.” She reached up and kissed my lips as I stepped inside.
I wrapped my arms around her and held her tight, taking in the lavender scent of her hair.
“Are you ready to go?” I signed.
“I just have to grab my purse.”
I watched her walk away in a sexy black fitted dress with a deep V-neckline and thin straps complemented with a pair of black high heels. Just looking at her made my cock rise. After we finished eating, Christian drove up to where our horse and carriage were waiting for us. Ellie had no idea what I’d planned. She thought we were going back to my place for the night.
“Why are we here?” she asked as she looked out the passenger window.
I opened the door, held out my hand and helped her out of the limo.
“Your horse and carriage await you, my queen,” I signed.
“Are you serious?” Her face lit up with excitement.
/>
Taking her hand, we climbed in, and the coachman took us into Central Park. It was a warm, calm night, and the bright moon was nestled amongst the stars that twinkled like little pulses of light.
“I have something for you,” I signed. “Close your eyes.”
A smile graced her lips as she closed her eyes. Reaching into my pocket, I pulled out the Tiffany box and placed it in her hands. When she opened her eyes, she looked at the box and then up at me.
“Go on. Open it,” I signed.
Opening the lid, she placed her hand over her mouth when she saw the platinum open heart pendant encased in diamonds.
“Oh my God, Henry. It’s gorgeous,” she spoke as she ran her finger over the heart.
Taking the box from her, I removed the necklace and placed it around her neck.
“This is my heart and I’m giving it to you,” I signed as I watched the tears fill her eyes. “You stole my heart, Ellie, and I have never been more in love with anyone as I am with you.”
“I love it so much and I love you,” she signed as she spoke. “No one has ever given me anything like this, and I’m never taking it off. Thank you, Henry.” She placed her hand on my cheek as her lips met mine.
Chapter 19
Ellie
I stood in front of the full-length mirror in Henry’s bedroom and ran my finger over the heart pendant he’d given me. As I was admiring it, I felt two hands grip my hips from behind as his lips pressed against the flesh of my neck. I took in his masculine scent of earth with a touch of spice before turning around in his arms and meeting his lips with mine.
“I have to get to the office. Delilah made breakfast. So go and enjoy it and stay if you want.” I studied this moving lips.
“I wish you were staying with me.” I smiled.
“So do I.” He kissed my lips.
“When am I going to meet your parents?” I asked out of the blue.
“We can talk about that later. I have to go.” He kissed my forehead.
I walked him down to the elevator and told him goodbye. Walking into the kitchen, Delilah poured me a cup of coffee and set it on the island.
“What a beautiful necklace. Did Henry give that to you?” she signed.
“Yes.” I grinned as I placed my hand on it. “He gave it to me last night.”
“He has excellent taste in jewelry,” she signed before plating a couple pieces of French toast and setting it down in front of me.
Henry took me to the Hamptons, where we spent the weekend on a yacht. Being alone with him and away from the city on the open water where it was just the two of us was incredible. We ate, drank, had a lot of incredible sex, swam, and just enjoyed each other before we docked and before Ben and Frankie were to arrive to spend our last hours on the boat with us.
As I was laying out on the deck soaking up the warm sun, I opened my eyes and saw Henry pacing back and forth while he was on the phone. He looked angry and his lips were moving a mile a minute. I tried to make out what he was saying, but he was talking too fast. When he noticed me staring at him, he turned around and a knot formed in the pit of my belly. He obviously didn’t want me to know what he was saying, and it bothered me. After he ended the call, he placed his phone on the table.
“What was that all about?” I asked.
When he turned and looked at me, I saw the anguish all over his face.
“It’s nothing. Just a business deal that isn’t going the way I thought it would. Nothing for you to worry about. We should probably go and get dressed before we dock and Ben and Frankie show up,” he signed before walking away.
Since I’d met him, I’d never seen him upset like this. Something inside me wondered if it was more than just a bad business deal. I went down to the bedroom to change into a sundress and found Henry lying on the bed with his hands tucked behind his head. The way he stared at me gave me an uneasy feeling. I turned away and opened the closet to get out my sundress. Suddenly, I felt his hand wrap around my arm. He turned me around and pulled me into a tight embrace. I gasped at the feel as my head rested on his chest. We had hugged a million times since we’d met, but this time it felt different.
Henry
“I know you can’t hear me, but I’m so sorry,” I softly spoke as I held her tight against me. “I love you so much and I don’t want to lose you.”
She broke our embrace and our eyes met.
“Are you sure you’re okay? You know you can talk to me,” she said.
“I’m fine, Ellie. I just want to apologize for having an attitude with you earlier. I didn’t mean to.”
“You did?” She cocked her head. “I guess that’s one of the perks of dating a deaf person. We can’t hear the attitude in your voice.” The corners of her mouth curved upward and made me smile.
“I love you,” I spoke as I signed.
“I love you, too. I’m going to take a quick shower to get this suntan lotion off me before Ben and Frankie get here.” She kissed my lips.
“Okay. I’m going to change and head up on the deck.”
A sickness washed over me, and I felt like my head was going to explode. The phone call I took earlier was from Kirsten. She’d been blowing up my phone all day and when she left a message saying it was an emergency. I called her, and I never should have.
I changed my clothes and went up to the deck where the captain had just docked the boat. The chef and his crew had arrived to cook a gourmet meal for the four of us. Pouring myself a scotch, I threw it down the back of my throat and poured another one just as I heard Frankie’s voice.
“There you are,” Frankie said.
“Hey, bro. Pour me one of those.” Ben grinned.
“I need to talk to you guys, and we need to make it quick before Ellie is done getting dressed and comes up here,” I said as I handed each of them a drink.
“What’s going on?” Ben asked.
“Yeah, Henry. You don’t look so good.”
I swallowed hard as I spoke the dreaded words that would change my life forever.
“Kirsten is pregnant.”
“Damn. She sure moves fast,” Frankie said.
“Oh shit, bro. Is it yours?” Ben asked.
“Yeah, so she says.” I leaned against the railing.
“Jesus, Henry. Now what?” Frankie asked.
“How the fuck should I know?” I spoke through gritted teeth. “This ruins everything.”
“You still haven’t told Ellie about her, have you?” Ben asked.
“No.”
“Damn it, bro,” Frankie scowled. “We told you—”
“I know what you fucking told me. It just wasn’t ever the right time.”
“No.” Ben pointed at me. “You should have done it at the beginning. We warned you, and now look. And you’re sure it’s yours?”
“It has to be according to the timeline she gave me.”
“You weren’t using protection?” Frankie asked.
“We always used a condom, but there was one night we didn’t. I had been drinking—”
“Hi guys.” Ellie smiled as she walked over.
“Hi, Ellie,” Frankie signed and gave her a hug.
“You look beautiful.” Ben grinned as he hugged her.
“Thanks. What are you three talking about?” She placed her arm around my waist.
“How amazing this yacht is!” Frankie exclaimed.
I dropped Ellie off at her apartment after we got back from the Hamptons. As much as I wanted to be with her, I also needed to be alone to think. So, I used some bullshit excuse about having to go home and do some work for a meeting tomorrow. She understood and that’s what I loved about her. She never questioned me, and I felt like a bastard for lying to her. What the hell was I going to do? How was I going to tell her that my ex-fiancée whom I was still with when we met was now pregnant with my child?
Chapter 20
Henry
I’d sent Addison a text message asking her to come over because I needed to talk to her. I w
as home about a half hour when I heard the ding of the elevator and she stepped into the foyer.
“What is so urgent?” she asked as walked into the living room and set her purse down.
“You need to sit down.”
“Okay… You’re freaking me out,” she said as she took a seat on the couch.
“Kirsten is pregnant,” I blurted out.
“WHAT?!” She instantly stood up.
“I’m fucked, Addison. Totally fucked.”
“No. No way. You can’t trust her, Henry. Are you positive that kid is yours?”
“As far as I know. She never would have cheated on me.”
Addison placed her hand on her forehead and sat back down.
“Why the hell weren’t you using protection?” she asked.
“It was one night. The night of her parent’s anniversary party. I’d drank too much because I didn’t even want to go. When we got back to my place, I reached in my nightstand for the condoms, and they weren’t there which I thought was weird because I’d just bought a new box. She said it didn’t matter and it was safe. I was drunk and tired, so I didn’t even give it a second thought. I am so fucking stupid.”
“Have you told Ellie?”
“No. Ellie knows nothing about Kirsten period.”
“Oh my God. You never told her? Henry.”
“Don’t, Addison. I already got the third degree from Ben and Frankie. This ruins everything. My relationship with Ellie, my life. I don’t know what to do,” I said as I sat down next to her and placed my face in my hands.
She reached over and hooked her arm around me.
“You may think this ruins everything, but you can’t look at it like that because it doesn’t have to. Ellie is an amazing person and she’ll understand. Just because Kirsten is pregnant doesn’t mean shit. It only means you’re going to be a father. It’s not like you’re getting back together with her because of this. Right, Henry?”
