“I wasn’t really here to dust, Sterling,” Lexi says from behind me, and I look over my shoulder at her.
“I think I get what you were here to do, Lexi. What I don’t understand is why the fuck you are here to do that with Bradley?”
“We’re dating.” There, I said it. Just like a Band-Aid they always say, you just have to rip it off real quick.
“Dating.” He shakes his head. “You aren’t dating my sister.”
I stand up straight now. “You’re right, I’m not dating your sister,” I say out loud, “We are more than dating.”
“Seriously, now is not a good time for you to be all Mr. Hulk,” she says to me.
“What the fuck is going on? Can someone please just explain this to me?” Sterling throws his hands up.
“Okay, fine,” she says from behind me. “I’ll tell you.” She then asks me, “How much has he had to drink?”
“Oh, for crying out loud. We met at the airport three weeks ago when I went to Vegas. Then when we got there she lost her luggage, and her reservations were somehow cancelled. So we shared a room. And then…”
“And then you fucked her just to fuck her.”
“No!” we both yell at him.
“I’m leaving. Lexi, let’s go,” he says, grabbing his stuff.
“She’s not going anywhere,” I say the same time Lexi says she isn’t going anywhere.
“This isn’t a thing,” I tell him. “I love her.” I hear her gasp out behind me.
“No. I’m not standing here while you do this shit. We all know that next week you’ll have a new flavor of the week,” he says, pushing past me and slamming the door on his way out.
“I’m so sorry. I didn’t even think to tell you I was coming over,” she says behind me while she starts to cry.
“Love, look at me.” I prop her chin up with my fingers for her eyes to meet mine. “He’s just mad. I’m going to go over and talk to him now.”
“What if he punches you?” she asks while wiping the tears from her face.
“He isn’t going to punch me in the face, and if he does, he does. I have to let him have one.”
“What? Why?” she shrieks.
“I’m sleeping with his sister. He gets to have one punch. Guy code.”
She wraps her arms around my neck. “Okay. It’s stupid, but just one and not in the face.”
I kiss her and then start toward the door. “Oh, and, Lexi? Don’t you dare fucking change out of that.” I wink at her as I walk out.
I make it to Sterling and Camryn’s apartment, knocking on their door. She answers and opens the door for me.
“He’s really mad,” she says to me. “He said he’s changing his will.” She winks at me, letting me in.
“Where is he?” I ask, kissing her on the cheek.
“Pouring two glasses of scotch. Somehow he knew you would be coming.”
I walk past her to their living room and stop when I see my best friend, the only family I have. Well, besides Lexi now.
“She’s like a sister to you.” He glares at me as he says the first thing on his mind.
“Trust me when I tell you, I have no sisterly feelings for Lexi whatsoever, and I never did.” I sit across from him on the other couch.
“You’re going to break her heart.” He swills his glass of scotch, brings it to his lips, and then drains it all before pouring himself another.
“I can’t promise you that I won’t.” I lean forward, laying my arms over my knees and steepling my fingers as I talk to him. “But I can promise you that if I do break it, I’ll make damn sure to mend it again.”
“We said we would torture her husband, do you remember that?” He reminds me of the long ago pact we made when she started dating. “We even had the spot picked out where we would bury the body.”
“I love her,” I tell him. “With everything I have. She weaved her way into my heart and she’s staying there.” He looks at me while I continue, “I want to make her smile every single day, and if there is a day when she isn’t smiling, I want to be the one who holds her.” I sit back on the couch, crossing one leg over to rest my ankle on my knee. “She makes me smile, she makes me happy, she makes me want more, and most importantly, she makes me a better person just by being in my life.”
“She’s amazing,” he tells me. “She works her ass off and refuses to take any of my money. Did you know that?”
“I did,” I tell him, nodding. “She’s already turning my apartment into a home, and I don’t think she even realizes she’s doing it.” I shake my head, and then I look him square in the eyes and tell him the truth. “I can’t breathe when she’s not there, mate.”
“I will kill you,” he says, draining the last of his scotch. “Make no mistake about it.”
“I know you will, and I’ll let you,” I say. “Just so you know, I never wanted to keep us a secret from you.” I take a deep breath. “We were just waiting for the right time.”
“I figure her naked, in I don’t even want to guess what kind of costume that was, wasn’t the way you intended to tell me then?”
“No, it wasn’t.”
“I need to bleach my eyes. Jesus. That was my little sister.”
“She doesn’t always dress like that.” I try to change his image that is floating around in his head. I get to my feet. “I’d love to stay and discuss how your sister dresses, but she’s probably freaking out right about now,” I tell him, offering my hand to shake his, but he pulls me in for a hug instead.
“Make her happy, Bradley.” He claps me on the back.
I look him in the eye and promise, “Every day.” I turn to leave, calling out a goodbye to Camryn.
When I finally get back home, I unlock the door and walk in, throwing my keys on the table near the door.
Lexi gets up from the couch, coming right to me. “You changed, love. I thought I told you not to change.” I look at her. The maid’s outfit is gone, and she’s now in one of my T-shirts.
She laughs, a bit forced and nervously, as she looks me up and down, presumably for injuries. “You’re in one piece?”
“Did you have any doubts?” I reach for her hand, bringing her back to the couch where I throw myself down and rub my hands over my face.
“I’m so, so sorry. I had no idea he was even here,” she says as she sits down next to me, tucking her legs underneath her.
“It’s fine.” I put my hand on her leg. “Well, not the fact that he saw you naked.”
She rolls her eyes to the ceiling.
“But that he knows. It was time.”
“Maybe.” She puts her hand over mine.
“So, are we going to talk about the fact I told your brother that I’m in love with you?”
“Oh, that.” She waves a hand and tries to brush it off. My hand is stills in hers, forcing her to look at me. “You don’t have to explain. It was said in the moment so he wouldn’t freak out. I get it.”
I look at her incredulously, my eyes glaring into hers as she quickly averts them. “In the moment. Yes, I felt a lot of things at that moment. Confusion wasn’t one of them, though. I love you, Lexi.”
She stills as her eyes dart back to mine and her breath hitches.
“I told your brother tonight that I love you, and I fucking bloody well meant it. I do. I told him I want to be the one who makes you smile, and I want to be the one who helps you up when you fall. I told him you make me smile, you make me happy, and you make me a better man. Because you do, love. I can’t breathe when you aren’t here, and I told him that, too.”
“Bradley,” she whispers as a tear runs down her cheek.
“I promise to wipe your tears and to make you smile when you’re frowning.”
She puts a finger on my lips to stop me from talking.
“I love you,” she whispers. “Since I was eight years old. Through all the anger and hurt I felt toward you, my heart still loved you.” She laughs. “Every time I saw you, my heart would beat faster. My heart
always knew since I was a young girl, my heart knew. It’s you, Bradley, it’s always been you,” she says, and I pull her onto my lap so I can hold her and kiss her.
Epilogue
Six Months Later
Lexi
“Good evening, Mrs. Fitch,” Harold, our doorman, greets me as I get home from work.
I know, you just did a double take, didn’t you.
Yup, that’s me now. I’m Mrs. Bradley Fitch.
It’s only been a month, but shortly after he proposed, we hopped on a plane and went back to where it all began—Vegas—to get married.
“Hi, Harold! How is it going?” I smile at him as he calls the elevator for me.
“Well, Mrs. Fitch, thank you. It was a beautiful day today, wasn’t it?”
I smile at him. “It really was.” I get in the elevator, pressing the floor for home. After Bradley told Sterling about us, I just started bringing more and more of my stuff over. Every single time I tried to sleep at my place, he would show up in the middle of the night and then be cranky the whole next day. It was silly to keep my place, so I let it go. Plus, he did build me a brand-new walk-in closet, so it really was a no-brainer.
I open the door, and I’m shocked by what I see.
There in the middle of the living room—the one with the beautiful light gray, U-shaped sectional sofa, with the lovely brown and white throw pillows and the large, black coffee table where a black iron candleholder sits with glowing white candles that are all lit up—is my husband.
“Surprise!” He throws out his hands.
I put my purse down on the table by the door as I walk in. “What is all this?” I look around to see dozens and dozens of roses in crystal vases all over the room. I smile, like I always do, when I see our wedding picture hanging on the wall. It’s bigger than I initially intended for it to be, but it captured the moment beautifully. Me looking at my husband, a huge smile on my face, as he looks down at me like I am his whole world. It’s our favorite picture of us ever.
“It’s our anniversary,” he says, coming right up to me, his eyes shifting from soft to lustful the closer he gets. “One month ago today, you said you would love me forever.”
“Well, that was before you left your dirty gym socks in my closet,” I tell him as I circle his neck with my arms.
“I have a present for you.” He grabs my ass, pulling me tightly into him as he presses into me so I can feel my present.
“Really, is it small?” I laugh while he looks at me with a scowl.
He points to his crotch. “There is nothing small about it, love.”
I laugh as I walk back to my purse and pull out a square piece of paper. “So I have a present for you, too,” I tell him, walking back over to him, his eyes on the paper in my hand. “Do you remember last month when I told you to pull out because I messed up my pills?”
“Yeah.” He smiles like he won the lottery. “I couldn’t. It was too good. Plus, you had the butt plug in, so tight.” His eyes glaze over a bit at the memory.
“Well”—I unfold the paper—“turns out, I’m pregnant.”
He grabs the paper from me, turning it as he looks at it. “I have no idea what any of this is.” He looks at it upside down and then spins it back around and looks up at me.
I walk over to him and stand at his side. “See this dot right here?” I point to the dot that is barely the size of a pea, and he nods. “That’s our baby.”
He looks at me with tears in his eyes. “He’s so beautiful.”
I smile at him, my own eyes filling with happy tears. “It could be a girl, you know.”
“No, I can see it’s a boy.” He looks back at the ultrasound picture.
“You can’t see anything. It’s the size of a pea!” I grab the picture and stare at it myself, thinking that maybe he did see something.
I look up and see him smirking at me. “Cheeky,” I say right as he takes my mouth with his, showing me exactly how happy he is.
Epilogue Number 2
Bradley
Six Years Later
The minute I turn the keys in the lock, it’s yanked open, leaving the keys to dangle there. “Luke found my treasure chest.” My wife of six years looks at me with a half mortified, half annoyed expression on her beautiful face.
“How do you know?” I walk in, shrugging off my jacket while I try to calm her down.
“I found my pink butt plugs on your chess board!”
I try not to laugh at the image of this in my mind.
“Apparently, he wanted to teach Abigail. Why he couldn’t use the real chess pieces is a mystery.” She huffs out exasperatedly.
I smile just thinking of our five-year-old son, Luke, who is a chip off the old block, and our little three-year-old princess, Abigail, who is the spitting image of her mother, God help me. He thinks she is the best thing since candy, and she thinks he hangs the stars.
“Love, it can’t be that bad,” I say as I pull her to me, my face right up in hers before I kiss her lips softly.
“He drew a face on the big one and then said king me. It’s bad, Bradley.”
I laugh at the image of him running around the house yelling ‘king me’ with Lexi’s beloved butt plug, now with a smiley face, in hand. We moved back to London as soon as Luke was born. It was important to both of us that they grew up back home.
It was a bit of a change for my city girl, but we’ve settled into our version of domestic bliss. She’s finally learned how to drive again, so now she is always on the go.
Plus, we visit the States at least twice a year, so the kids get a taste of the US while they visit their uncle Sterling, aunt Camryn, and auntie Mely. There is no ocean big enough to keep Lexi and Melanie apart. They must Facetime at least fifteen times a day, if not more. There has even been a few occasions where we had our dinner while the phone rested against a bowl so she could eat her lunch with us. The kids are so used to it they don’t even think anything of it.
They love going to visit, but love coming home more.
“Daddy, Daddy, Daddy!” Luke runs in the house, stopping to kick his shoes off at the back door. “Mum took away Abigail’s chess pieces!” He runs right up to me, throwing himself into my waiting arms.
I pick him up, kissing him on his cheek. While he may be just like me, he has Lexi’s eyes.
“Did she, now?” I pretend I don’t know exactly what happened.
“Yes.” He nods while glancing sideways at his mother, who is standing there holding Abigail in her arms.
Abigail’s head is nestled on Lexi’s neck. My ginger-haired daughter is the apple of her mother’s eyes. She came into the world screaming and hollering and demanding to be heard, and she hasn’t stopped that since. If there is mischief to be had, you will find Abigail right there in the thick of it.
“She no fair,” Abigail says, her eyes glancing up at her mom, while her head still lays on her shoulder. “Is pink, is mine.” My daughter loves the color pink in all its shades. I don’t think she owns any clothing in any other color, and if she does, she doesn’t wear it.
“Not everything pink is yours, Abbi,” Lexi tells her as she kisses her head. “Now tell Daddy what you guys did after I took away the pink toys.”
She looks at both children, while Abigail’s eyes close and she snuggles in closer to her mum. Luke looks down at his fingers that are twisting together in a most uncomfortable looking way. “Go on, you two, tell your father.”
Luke speaks up first, “We ran away from home.” His chubby fingers continue to twirl together. “It was me no Abby.” He always but always protects his sister, no matter what she’s done or what the punishment will be.
“They packed their bags and ran away.” Lexi tries to hide her smile. “To the tree house,” she says, looking at me. “I didn’t know until the dog started yapping at them.”
“Did you two scare Mummy?” I look at both of them and try to channel my fatherly stern voice. “That is unacceptable, not to mention very, very dangero
us. What if someone took you?” It would never happen, our house is gated with security cameras everywhere. Call me old-fashioned, but my kids will not be going anywhere without us knowing about it.
“Now go wash up so we can eat.” I put Luke down while Lexi puts Abigail down. Luke grabs Abigail’s hand as they go to wash their hands.
“How long?” I ask my wife. “How long before you freaked out when you couldn’t find them?”
“Three minutes, tops. I almost called the police.” She walks over to me. “Until I checked the video. They were barely settled in the tree house when I checked it.”
“See? And you said having them was totally unnecessary.” I egg her on. When I first had them installed, she thought I was out of my mind, but she isn’t thinking that now, is she? Her eyes roll as I continue, “So, what are the chances of us using those anal plugs again?”
Her eyes glare at me. “None. I threw them out.”
I gasp out loud. “No, love! You didn’t!”
“Bradley, they had our son’s drawn smiley faces on them. I most certainly did throw them away.” She shrugs her shoulders, leaning into me as she adds, “But I also got the new ones that we ordered today, and the chances of us using them are very, very good.” She smiles at me and winks.
“Cheeky,” I tell her as my lips come down on hers.
The Bloody End
About The Author
When her nose isn't buried in a book, or her fingers flying across a keyboard writing, she's in the kitchen creating gourmet meals. You can find her, in four inch heels no less, in the car chauffeuring kids, or possibly with her husband scheduling his business trips. It's a good thing her characters do what she says, because even her Labrador doesn't listen to her...
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Imperfect Love: Cheeky (Kindle Worlds Novella) Page 13
