Found Love

by Red Rose Publishing

  He’d ranted and raved about her losing out, having nothing—considering he had all the money—and that he would have given her anything she’d ever wanted. She’d realized Curtis didn’t want any kids and had no intention of giving her the thing she desired the most.

  Teresa had explained to her that things happened for a reason. Knowing Curtis’ view on children, maybe God saw fit for the miscarriages to occur and not allow her to be tied to a man that couldn’t or wouldn’t love them. And knowing Curtis like she did now, she determined that he had a serious problem with having to share her, something he also had no intention of doing.

  Andréa headed for her bathroom. She stripped out of her evening clothes and stepped into the shower. She smiled, remembering how Curtis thought she’d needed his money to survive. He had no idea she’d been investing as soon as she’d gotten her scholarship money for college. She’d purchased the cheapest supplies, had moved into the cheapest dorm room, and invested the extra money from her scholarship. Now, she’d been blessed with more money than she’d ever imagined. After her shower, she moisturized her body before slipping on her huge sleep shirt. In the kitchen, she prepared her evening tea before returning to her room to relax and read.

  Her phone rang, and she groaned. It could only be Teresa calling to make sure that she’d made it home okay. She’d forgotten to call her like she’d been instructed to.

  “I’m sorry, Teresa. I got home and headed straight to the bathroom for a shower,” she confessed as soon as she answered.

  Teresa sighed. “I figured as much, but I don’t appreciate you forgetting to call. You know how I worry. So what did you and that fine ass, Sebastian, talk about?”

  “We talked about me designing a house for him. I have a meeting with him tomorrow afternoon. I can’t wait. I’m ready for a new project; I’m getting just a little bored.”

  “I’m glad for you. I can tell you start getting restless once a project ends. I thought the painting you did as a hobby would help alleviate that, but I’m glad you ran into Sebastian. Mack says he’s a doctor, semi-retired.”

  “Well, I didn’t know he was a doctor, and he seems pretty young to be retired, but that doesn’t matter, considering his personal life is his business not mine. Now that I’ve confirmed that I’m home safe I’m going to crash. I’ll see you tomorrow morning at church.”

  Chapter Three

  Sebastian tossed Nico into the air. His son laughed as they walked out to their truck after services. He turned at the sound of his name being called and groaned, spotting Ramona Wingate coming towards them.

  “Sebastian! Why don’t you come over for dinner at my place?” she suggested.

  “Sorry, but we have an appointment at three, so I need to get home and prepare our dinner before my appointment arrives. But thanks just the same.” He ignored her pout and headed in the direction of his parents and brothers.

  Ramona knew her appeal and used her beauty. Although she pretended to be a friend, he wasn’t fooled. She wanted a husband and had her sights set on him to fill that position. Although he hadn’t ruled marriage out, Ramona didn’t have a chance of fitting the bill for him. She had a tendency to leave his son out of all the plans she had for him.

  “You turn down another dinner invitation?” Basil, one of his brothers, asked once he reached them.

  “Yes. I guess she thinks that I’ll get tired of her asking and just accept to get her off my back.” He gave his mother a kiss on the cheek.

  “Honey, I think it’s nice that she offers to prepare dinner for you and Nico,” Nola York commented.

  “Mom, she never invites Nico. She offers to prepare dinner for me alone.”

  At his words, his mother glared at the woman. She didn’t like anyone ignoring her grandson.

  “Are you coming to the house for dinner?” his brother, Rafe, asked.

  “No, I have an appointment at three p.m. today, so we’re heading home and I’ll make our favorite.”

  Nico yelled spaghetti, and everyone laughed.

  “What is this appointment about, son?” Nicolai York asked his middle son.

  “I think I found someone that will design the house that I want to build out near Miller’s Crossing. I’m going to see what she can do for me and if her ideas match mine.”

  After saying their goodbyes, he drove home to change and prepare dinner. Sebastian got Nico changed into play clothes while he went to work on the meal. Once he and Nico finished eating, they played video games on the Wii from boxing to bowling, so into the game that they almost didn’t hear the doorbell the first time it rang. The second time, Sebastian paused the game and went to answer the door.

  Andréa stood on the stoop and waited. She’d arrived a few minutes ahead of schedule, not wanting to be late in case she got lost. Sebastian opened the door, sweaty and smiling down at her.

  “I know I’m a little ahead of time,” she said. “If you’re busy I can wait.”

  He shook his head. “No, come on in. We’ve just been playing video games.” He stepped back and allowed her to enter.

  “Hi, my name is Nico, and I’m four years old. What is your name?”

  Andréa smiled down at the miniature Sebastian. “Hi, handsome. My name is Andréa, and it’s nice to meet you.”

  Sebastian showed her into the game room. “Will your wife be joining us?” she inquired, pulling out her sketchpad.

  “I don’t have a wife. It’s just Nico and I. His mother died during childbirth.”

  “I’m sorry if I brought up a painful memory,” she offered, placing a comforting hand on his arm. An electrical current raced up her arm at the contact, and she tried to ignore its rippling aftereffects.

  “You don’t have to apologize. Nico’s mother and I weren’t a couple. One of those one-night stands that resulted with the birth of my son,” he said, his voice low. “I thank God that I had a chance to be an active part of her life during the pregnancy. She had planned on turning custody over to me at birth; she’d never wanted children and didn’t want to be tied down. Now, how do we get started?” Sebastian asked.

  Andréa explained the process. He told her what he was looking for, and as he spoke she used her pencil to sketch a rough draft in her pad. She handed him the drawing and could tell that her talent impressed and amazed him. The expression on his face showed she’d captured his ideas and had brought them to life.

  “We’ll do the same exercise for each room in the house including the backyard,” she informed him, taking the pad back and instructing him to start with the entryway and foyer. As they worked, Nico joined them, sitting between them on the couch. On impulse, Andréa leaned down and kissed the top of his head before she continued with her drawing. Two hours later, her stomach let out a loud rumble. “I’m sorry. I didn’t get a chance to eat.”

  “Dad made spaghetti which is our favorite,” Nico offered.

  “I don’t want to impose,” she began, but Sebastian stopped her.

  “You aren’t imposing. I should have offered dinner as soon as you got here, and I thank my little conscience here for reminding me. Come on, I’ll fix you a plate,” he said, taking her hand in his and leading her down to the kitchen.

  After washing up, Andréa sat at the kitchen table. Sebastian prepared her a plate of spaghetti, a very handsome man with his jet-black hair and deep blue eyes that set off his Celtic features. It had been his eyes she’d remembered most the first time he’d come to her rescue. Now, she took in his tall, muscular build. She could tell he worked out on a regular basis. Hell, he had the body of a body builder or construction worker, and owned one fine tight ass. She glanced away from him as he turned. Not wanting him to guess her thoughts, she focused her attention on Nico.

  “I love your drawings, they’re very good,” she praised, ruffling hair the same color as his father’s.

  “I love to draw. My grandma says that Daddy loved to draw also. Did you like to draw as a little girl?” Nico asked.

  “Yes, for as lo
ng as I can remember I’ve carried paper and pencil around and draw anywhere I can.”

  “Did your mom or dad mind? Sometimes I forget to do chores because I’m drawing.”

  “No, I didn’t know my mom or my dad,” she responded.

  Sebastian must have seen the next question forming and sent his inquisitive son off to play. “Sorry about that.”

  “No need to apologize. He’s just being a typical kid. I wish I’d known my parents, but I grew up at an orphanage with a lot of other kids, and I met Teresa there. We became best friends and as close as sisters. Oh, man, this is real good,” she said after her first bite of food. “Where did you learn to cook?”

  “While Mack and I attended college, we worked construction and in a gourmet restaurant. Since we figured we’d be bachelors all our lives, we needed to know how to fend for ourselves.” He laughed.

  “Very smart on your part. I had no idea Mack could cook.”

  “Well, it’s kind of a guarded secret. You know, he doesn’t want anything to mess up his image,” Sebastian whispered, and she laughed.

  Her stomach filled, they returned to the game room to finish sketches for the house.

  “Okay, I think that is good for now. I’ll take these home and get working on the blueprints. We can meet at my place and I’ll show you a virtual image of what it will look like. If there aren’t any changes, we’ll get with Mack and his crew and get started.”

  Sebastian and Nico walked Andréa out to her car. He had the strangest urge to talk her into to staying a little longer, but discarded it, not sure where it had come from. Granted, she’d been on his mind from the moment he’d laid eyes on her the night he’d rushed her to the ER, but there wasn’t any reason for him to want more from her than her talent with designing his home. Was there?

  She squatted down and gave Nico a hug and a kiss before she climbed into her Dodge Nitro and drove away. Sebastian smiled.

  “I like her, Dad. She’s very nice,” Nico said as they went back inside.

  “Yeah, I like her too,” Sebastian responded, but the words somehow didn’t seem adequate enough to describe what he was beginning to feel.

  Chapter Four

  While driving, Andréa answered her phone without checking the caller ID. “Hello?”

  “Hi, beautiful! I hope I didn’t catch you at a bad time.”

  Andréa rolled her eyes wishing that she had checked the caller ID before answering. “What do you want, Curtis?” She maneuvered her vehicle onto the highway.

  “I just wanted to let you know how beautiful you looked the other night at Teresa’s party. It turned me on, and I wanted to take you in a secluded corner and fuck you senseless.”

  “Well, I’m sure that you fucked your current bed partner instead, and for your sake I hope she’s enough for you. After all, we both know how much of a one-woman man you are.”

  Curtis cursed and hung up the phone. He’d called to piss her off, but once again she’d turned the tables on him. He sighed. Why can’t I just let it go? She won’t give me the time of the day, let alone take me back. But it wouldn’t stop him from wanting her back—and he did. She’d been the best thing to happen to him, but because he couldn’t control his dick and her desire for kids, he’d committed the ultimate betrayal. If she ever found out what he’d done, she’d never forgive him.

  At home, Andréa took a quick shower, slipped on her nightclothes, and headed to her office to work on Sebastian’s designs. Immersed in working on them, she lost track of time and didn’t surface until well past midnight. With a deep sigh, she shut everything down, turned off the lights to her office, and retired to bed. Before she let sleep overtake her, she replayed the time she’d spent with Sebastian and Nico, and for that brief moment it seemed as if she had belonged—strange considering she’d just met them—but it had felt so right. As she drifted off, she realized how much she looked forward to seeing them again tomorrow.

  Sebastian sat up in bed, his mind too wired to settle down. He kept thinking about his beautiful designer. For the first time in a very long while, he’d enjoyed the company of the opposite sex—and sex wasn’t involved. He’d seen her beauty, but was surprised at her intelligence. And he’d known just from the rough drafts she’d done that she was a very talented woman. He couldn’t wait to see the virtual model.

  His mind drifted to the bastard she’d almost married. While talking with Mack in the parking lot, he’d spotted the asshole leaving with another woman, but he got the impression the prick would rather have been leaving with Andréa. He was positive that wasn’t going to happen, considering the way he’d witnessed her stiffen at the creep’s touch. Well, he hoped the guy kept his distance, because the hell he’d put her through was unforgivable.

  Monday morning, Andréa rose refreshed and ready to transfer the designs she’d worked on last night into her virtual program, ready for Sebastian’s appointment. By noon, she had everything entered and ready, and the presentation turned out very impressive, if she did say so herself. Her stomach growled, informing her she’d burned off her coffee and blueberry muffin. As she headed for the kitchen, her phone rang. She paused long enough to check the caller ID—her ex’s mother. She let the answering machine get it. The woman had only one reason to call—to ask her to give her son another chance—and she’d already explained to the woman that it wasn’t a possibility. From time to time, Curtis asked his mother to call and plead his case, saying that Curtis had changed.

  She’d fallen for that ploy after the first miscarriage—even after he’d shown up to get her from the hospital smelling of sex and booze. But after the last miscarriage, he’d hung up on her, and she’d had to face the fact the man would never change, no matter what he said to the contrary.

  Sebastian sat at his desk going over the files of a few of his remaining patients before he handed them over to the doctor taking them on once he closed his practice. His parents had asked if he’d been sure that he’d wanted to give up his career knowing how hard he’d worked for it. Hell, he had to admit that thirty-five seemed too young an age to be a retired doctor. He’d explained that he’d accomplished what he’d wanted and had worked and invested his money. Now he’d spend time raising his son full-time, and since Nico had started school at a young age because of his high scores on the state aptitude test, he wanted to be free to make sure his son had a normal childhood—even if the state considered him a genius.

  “Dr. York, you have a call from a Ms. Morgan on line one,” his secretary advised him over the intercom.

  “Hi, Andréa, how are you doing?” he asked, trying to ignore the way his heart sped up at hearing her name.

  “Great! I’m calling to see if you’re free tonight. I have everything ready for your virtual viewing and I wanted to know if you’d like to come over this evening to view it.”

  “Yes, I could, but I’d have to bring Nico with me.”

  “Oh, that’s not a problem. I’d love to have you both over, and since you fed me Sunday, I’ll prepare dinner for the two of you. You guys aren’t allergic to anything, are you?”

  “No we aren’t, but I don’t want to put you to any trouble—”

  “It’s no trouble at all. You don’t know it, but you’re helping me out. By living alone, I don’t often get a chance to do something that I love to do, which is cook, and now I have the opportunity to prepare a meal not just for myself, but for you and Nico also.”

  Andréa gave him directions, and they agreed on a time.

  Bernice Monroe put the phone down and turned to her son. “She’s not answering. She knows why I’m calling and doesn’t want to hear what I have to say,” she said, replacing the receiver.

  “I can’t give up, Mother. I need for you to get her to agree to come over and give you a consultation on an addition you want to make to the house. You set up the time, and I’ll make sure I’m here to meet her.”

  Bernice stared at her son, whom she loved to death, but he was just like his father—an unfaithful c
heat. She had liked Andréa and had hoped she would be able to handle Curtis and keep him happy, but he’d turned out to be a greater problem than she’d thought. Andréa wasn’t like her and wouldn’t put up with a cheating husband.

  “What are you begging for now, son?” Curtis Sr. asked as he walked into the living room, taking a seat on the Queen Anne love seat.

  “I’m trying to get Mom to set up an appointment with Andréa for me.”

  “I don’t know why you’re trying to get that girl back. You know that the one thing she wants, you don’t want, and even if you did get her back, if she finds out about that shit you pulled she’ll hate you more than she already does.”

  Bernice looked from Curtis to her husband, wondering what she’d missed. But do I want to know? “I’ll try to call her again later. Right now I have an errand to run.”

  “Dad, why did you bring that up in Mother’s presence? You know what her reaction would be if she had any idea of what I’d done.”

  “Boy, don’t worry about your mother, she has an art for turning a deaf ear and a blind eye to things. Now, what are you going to do with Andréa if your mother is successful in getting her here?”

  Curtis took a seat on the sofa opposite of where his father sat. “Once Mom gets her to agree to the time, I’ll make sure I’m here with her alone. We’ve always had chemistry, and I know once I get her in my arms again she won’t be able to resist me. And once I get her I’ll convince her to marry me as soon as possible.”

  “And once you guys are married are you going to give up all the other women?” his father asked.