Georgia Pine (Southern Promises Book 3)

by K. G. Fletcher

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  The Southers home teemed with friends and family, the brick mailbox out front decorated with a dozen pink helium balloons indicating the girlie party inside. Tim was thankful to be out of the hospital, recuperating under the watchful eyes of Jessica, her girls, and her parents. The home where she grew up was huge and comfortable, framed photos of her Southern life spread out on walls and bookshelves by her proud parents in every single room. He loved looking at pictures of her as a baby and in her youth, the numerous cheerleading and prom queen photos of a much younger Jessica filling him with melancholy for his own youth as a rising football star. There was still a wedding photo of her and Stephen tucked up high on a shelf, the giant headpiece she wore and over-the-top makeup obscuring her natural beauty. She was almost unrecognizable next to the stiff, unsmiling Stephen Kaufman. It was a premonition of sorts that the marriage wouldn’t last. The rest of the framed photos spread throughout the home were of the Kaufman girls, a testament of the Southers love for their granddaughters.

  Jessica’s childhood room hadn’t changed much, the frilly canopy bed and striped pink and white wallpaper a little girl’s dream. Over the years, Mrs. Southers had added another bed with a trundle to accommodate her daughter’s growing family. She had even turned a spare room into a nursery, complete with a crib and rocking chair. The Kaufman girls were comfortable being at their grandparents. It was, after all, their home away from home, loaded with familiar toys and grandma’s comfort food.

  They had talked about moving into Tim’s house in the woods while he recovered, but his modern home was entirely too barren and secluded for Jessica’s energetic brood. It made more sense for them to stay with the Southers until they could make plans for renovations or decide on a brand new home altogether.

  Tabitha’s husband, James and their two daughters, Ava and Emma, had arrived the day before the party and were staying at his house for the rest of the week until they headed back to California. Tim was indebted to his only sibling for being there for him during this tumultuous time. Ava and Emma fit right in with the Kaufman girl club, Julia and Ava becoming fast friends. The word “cousins” popped into his mind, making him smile.

  Martin Hernandez and his daughter Luanna were part of the celebration along with Mrs. McDonald, Elizabeth and her husband Jacque. Even Nurse Trudy made an appearance, insisting her prize patient needed a dose of her famous fried chicken she added to the bounty of food laid out on the dining room table. The home was a buzz of birthday activity—Jo-Jo’s sisters helping her open the colorful gifts that surrounded her on the floor.

  For reasons unknown, Stephen Kaufman arrived solo and was entirely flustered as he tried to speak with Tim for the first time since the storm. It was as if he were star struck, stammering out an apology, his face turning beet red in the process. Tim assured the man he was forgiven and shook his hand firmly before Stephen presented him with an expensive bottle of Pappy Van Winkle Bourbon.

  “I should have offered you a glass that first day,” Stephen grieved. “I only drink this on special occasions. You saving my daughter Julia, and my ex-wife for that matter, is indeed a special occasion.”

  “Well, when the doctor gives me the all-clear, I’ll be sure and save this for when we can have that glass together.”

  Tim sat in a comfortable chair most of the afternoon and was doted on by all the women and girls. He couldn’t help but watch Jessica flit about the space, her cheeks flushed with the color of love as they celebrated his homecoming and her youngest daughter’s birthday. She caught him staring on more than one occasion and would bite her lip demurely before coming over and giving him a quick kiss on the mouth.

  When it was time for the happy birthday song, Tim sat at the head of the kitchen table with baby Jo-Jo on his lap. Elizabeth humorously placed a pink pointy birthday hat over his beanie-covered head, so he matched the rest of the children. Holding Jessica’s baby girl in his arms, his heart flooded with gratitude and he smiled with adoration as the entire group sang happily around them. He helped blow out the single candle on the cake and dipped his finger into the frosting, touching it to Jo-Jo’s tiny mouth. When she realized what was in front of her, both hands smashed into the cake amidst a roar of laughter, and she was soon covered in the confectionary treat.

  “You have cake behind your ear,” Jessica teased, wiping his face after the baby was taken from his arms to be cleaned off. He had cake all over him, Jo-Jo offering him fistfuls of pink and white frosted morsels as friends and family looked on. He had never been happier in his life.

  “I have cake on my lips too,” he whispered.

  “Oh, you do?” she asked, gazing up into his face. Being this close to her, he was more than ready to lie in bed and count the freckles peppered across her nose.

  “Yep,” he licked his mouth.

  “Well, let me get that off for you.” Standing on her tiptoes, she thrust her lips against his, sending a shockwave of pleasure straight to his groin. Too bad the doctor said it would be a few more weeks until they could have sex. “Mmmm. You taste delicious.”

  The late afternoon turned into evening, and an exhausted Tim found himself in the family room recliner showing Jo-Jo one of the new picture books she’d received from her father. She laid her sugary head against him, tired from all the people and activity, slowly turning the thick cardboard pages of the book with her dimpled hands. One by one, his friends and family said goodbye, and the household quieted down with only the low volume of a broadcaster calling the Atlanta Braves game on the television amidst a light snore coming from Mr. Southers who was passed out on the sofa. Jessica and her mother cleaned up the remnants of the party as the girls played outside, catching fireflies in the fenced backyard under Elizabeth’s watchful eye. When Jo-Jo’s hands went limp, and her tiny head rolled across his chest in slumber, Tim closed his eyes and sighed contentedly.

  ***

  “That is just about the cutest thing I have ever seen in my life,” Elizabeth said, looking over at Tim and Jo-Jo sound asleep on the recliner.

  “I know. He gets tired easily. The medication doesn’t help. I’m glad he made it through the party.”

  The two friends were sitting at the kitchen table that looked out into the living room, coloring with crayons on sheets of paper the Kaufman girls had abandoned before going down to the basement playroom.

  “I still can’t believe you didn’t tell me who he was.” Elizabeth’s eyebrow arched as she concentrated on her drawing.

  “I said I was sorry. You know I would have told you in a heartbeat if he had given me permission.”

  “I know. It was just surprising, that’s all. Your little hints were good, but never in a million years would I have guessed he was Tim Ryan, quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers. This is straight out of one of my romance novels.”

  Jessica couldn’t help but giggle. “Well, don’t be thinkin’ I’m going to give you details from the bedroom.”

  “Oh, come on!”

  “Nope. That’s between Tim and me.”

  Elizabeth laid her crayon down, a look of seriousness crossing her face. “For what it’s worth, I’m so incredibly happy for you. You of all people deserve an epic love story.”

  Jessica’s lips turned up in a smile as she realized she had been drawing numerous hearts on her page. “Epic is an understatement.”

  The girls were tuckered out from the long day, and it didn’t take long to get them bathed and ready for bed. Jessica was thankful for the extra help from her mother, ready to retire to the guest bedroom on the main level with Tim by her side. When she came back downstairs, she was surprised to see him sitting at the kitchen table.

  “You’re awake,” she said happily. “Did you have a nice nap? You slept through all of us clamoring to get the girls upstairs. I was afraid we’d wake you.”

  His emerald gaze crinkled in a smirk. “I was knocked out. Thanks for letting me sleep.”

  Jessica noticed he still had a pink cray
on in his hand and giggled. “Have you been coloring too? It’s kind of hard not too with all this mess on the table.”

  “I have.”

  “Let me see,” she curiously insisted.

  Tim froze for a moment, and she watched his Adam’s apple bob in his throat as he swallowed before passing her the sheet of paper across the table. Her forehead creased with concern and she looked down at the familiar page covered in hearts she had drawn earlier. In the right-hand corner were two words that caused her heart to flip in her chest. Her eyes darted to his face and back to the paper several times.

  “Is this for real?” she uttered, her breathless tone an indication she was about to come undone.

  “It’s as real as it’s ever gonna get, baby.”

  Her hand shook as she held the paper and watched Tim slowly get up and come around the table. He kneeled in front of her and held her hand.

  “Marry me, Jessica. Make all my dreams come true.”

  Placing the sheet of paper carefully on the table, she lowered herself to the floor and gently ran both hands across the sides of his knitted beanie, holding his head. Her throat had closed up, and she was on the verge of another emotional cry-fest as she realized her fairy tale was coming true. She bit her lower lip and nodded.

  “I need to hear you say it.” His green eyes were gorgeous, his gaze imploring. She was ready to dive into his forest.

  “Yes,” she whispered.

  “Say it again.”

  “Yes, Tim. I’ll marry you.”

  He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her taut against his chest, their two hearts finally beating as one.

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Jessica looked out the giant window at the impressive view of the Santa Cruz Mountains, the vibrant fall leaves striking against the backdrop of the California sky. It had been exactly three months to the day of the storm that had forever changed the trajectory of her life—three months to the day when her entire world pined for a beast of a man she almost lost.

  Looking down at her sparkling engagement ring, her mind was flooded with snapshots from the past few months during Tim’s recovery, the most memorable being the night he proposed. The piece of paper colored with pink and red hearts with the simple question, “marry me?” was safely tucked in a box, awaiting the perfect frame before being hung on the wall in their new home in Atlanta. He had told her later that Tabitha had been instrumental in helping him secure the diamond engagement ring she now wore. It was a family heirloom. It was the ring his late father had given to his late mother many moons ago.

  They had decided to rebuild in the country club neighborhood where they met. It was close to good schools and convenient to all the necessary freeways one needed to navigate the city. It was also the only place her children had ever known. Friends and neighbors had rallied in the subdivision after the storm, coming together after the tragic event. There was something about a community that came together in times of devastation and celebration that made Jessica want to stay. That and the fact her best friend Elizabeth would kill her if she moved away. Tim was ecstatic with their decision, ready to move on with his life in the south and start anew with his beautiful Southern belle and her four daughters. There would be no more secrets and no hiding from the world, their love story a beautiful testament to the odds that had been against them.

  They watched as the bulldozer came and demolished what was left of the Kaufman home, the last pile of rubble topped off with the remnants of a pink feather boa that appeared out of nowhere, drifting in the late summer wind and landing in a whisper atop. Moving forward, they were eager to design and build the perfect home for their new family, one that included a bigger pool, a home gym, and a state-of-the-art storm shelter. With that decision made, Jessica could concentrate on taking care of Tim as he continued to recover and of course, plan her wedding.

  They wanted a spring wedding with the girls involved and lots of beautiful roses from Mrs. McDonald’s garden. It would be a small ceremony with only close family and friends. They hadn’t set a date or decided on a place yet. They chose to honeymoon with the girls at Disneyworld, the all-inclusive vacation Tim won at the silent auction the night of the storm a total surprise. She was also surprised when he told her he wanted another baby; a child from his bloodline. At first, she was shocked and couldn’t fathom being a mother to five children. But the idea grew on her. Tim was incredible with her girls and having his child would be special. She was eager for this next chapter, but for now, they were reveling in being newly engaged; Tim finally on the cusp of some much-needed closure.

  The diamond on her hand sparkled in the early morning light. The time change was a bit of an adjustment, and they had awakened in the five-star hotel very early according to the clock on the bedside table. Tim suggested room service and they enjoyed a spread of chorizo, black beans, sunny-side-up eggs, avocado and salsa near the windows of the expansive seven-hundred square foot suite. The San Francisco 49ers owner, Stuart Harding, had put them up in the luxurious Four Seasons Hotel in Silicon Valley. They had flown in the day before on his private jet, Stu insisting they would be out of the media attention not traveling commercial. He was right. When they landed, they were whisked away in a private car from the San Francisco Airport to the ultra-contemporary hotel without so much as one flashbulb from the paparazzi. The hotel was twenty minutes from Levi Stadium, home of the NFL franchise, the San Francisco 49ers. Tonight was the long-awaited ceremony to retire former quarterback Tim Ryan’s jersey.

  “Did you get enough to eat?”

  Tim’s question startled Jessica out of her thoughts as he wrapped his arms around her waist and leaned his chin on her shoulder. She covered his hands with hers and squeezed.

  “Yes. It was delicious. Did you take your meds?”

  “Mmhmm,” he muttered, placing innocent kisses across her earlobe.

  Jessica turned around and looked up at her handsome lover, his emerald eyes glowing with intensity. He kept his face shaved and his hair had grown out significantly, his handsome looks resembling that of a California surfer rustled from his bed. His latest battle scar was hidden, and all traces of the scariest night of their lives gone. Dr. Olson had given him the green light to travel, workout and have sex, much to Tim’s delight. The fact that they were alone in a hotel room, far, far away from the children, was an invitation to ecstasy.

  Gripping the lapels of her white, complimentary hotel robe, Tim yanked them to the side, exposing Jessica’s breasts in the light.

  “What are you up to, Mr. Ryan?” she giggled.

  “You know damn well what I’m up to. We aren’t leaving this room for hours. You’re all mine, baby.”

  His mouth made a trail of kisses from her neck, across her collarbone down to her breasts. Jessica rolled her head back and closed her eyes, relishing the pleasure he was giving. His other hand ran down her belly, his middle finger curling through her soft mound and flicking her wet nub. She felt him smile against her chest as if satisfied he could induce the surge of warmth that penetrated her inner thighs.

  “Tell me you want me,” he whispered hoarsely, the stroke of his finger moving faster.

  “Yes…yes, I want you.”

  Tim pulled back and stripped her of the robe before struggling out of his own. His Phoenix tattoo stood out on his flexed arm, a reminder of what he had survived. He had risen from the ashes of defeat and was strong and thriving once again.

  He guided her to the king-sized bed where she lay and looked up at him with anticipation. Grabbing his cock, he positioned himself at her opening but stopped and leaned down to her ear. His voice was gravely and low.

  “I’m not using any protection this time. I want to get started on our baby.”

  Before Jessica could object, he thrust himself inside her wet folds, the exquisite pressure thick and hot, causing the blood to pound in her ears. He was in total control, his massive hands gripping her hips as he made powerful love to her. She worried for a moment that it wa
s too intense; that he could hurt himself pushing so hard. But her thoughts were quickly dashed as he moved faster and faster, his engorged cock hitting her pleasure center, the build-up intense and blinding.

  “I’m about to come,” he roared, the hard planes of his chiseled chest slick with sweat. Tim had no control over his orgasms that had come fast and hard since he was given the green light to have sex. They had gone so long without, and he needed time to build up his incredible endurance.

  “Yes,” she screamed as the orgasm ripped through her. Every last sense was heightened at the moment as he poured into her and screamed her name.

  She knew Tim was going to be pleased with her news. She would tell him before the televised ceremony at the stadium. It happened before the storm. Tim’s recovery and her children had been her only focus those long weeks afterward. She thought she was overdoing things, her appetite and energy waning, the ongoing nausea intense. It wasn’t like the other four times.

  Jessica was already pregnant—and she was having his son.

  ***

  Surrounded by bodyguards, 49ers fans recognized Tim immediately in the crowded passageways of Levi Stadium. He clutched Jessica’s hand, waving and nodding at the exuberant folks who were shouting, “We love you!” and “Welcome home!” The sights and smells took him back to a time when he was on top of his career. The 68,500 open seat stadium lit up in the night sky and he was told it was a sold out game, the 49ers playing the Chicago Bears. The ceremony would take place during half-time which seemed eons away. Jessica looked up into his face, the familiar crease on her forehead indicating her worry.

  “Are we almost there?”

  His fiancé was absolutely gorgeous in a soft, pale yellow off-the-shoulder sweater and white skinny jeans. Several of his former teammates heartily congratulated him on finding such a beautiful Southern Belle. Because she was born and bred in a relatively secluded area in Atlanta, he knew she felt out of place, not ever being subjected to this kind of media and fan frenzy before. Their life in Atlanta was quiet and serene compared to this. His decision to plant roots in the Southern state was a good one.