Reawakened: The Unexpected Series

by Roberts, S. E.

  She climbs into her car, and I walk to mine as I watch her drive off. That woman has no idea what she does to me.

  20

  Sierra

  “Uno!” Auggie yells as he slaps a green card onto the coffee table sitting between him and Caden. The vision before me is doing something to me that I can’t explain.

  “There’s still time,” Caden jokes before he takes his turn. They’ve been playing this silly game for the last hour, but I’m sure it’s been the highlight of my sweet boy’s week. My other boy is somehow sleeping soundly in my arms. Swimming must have worn him out.

  After our coffee date... yes, I’m admitting that it was in fact a date... Caden sent me little texts each day letting me know he was thinking about me. I can tell he’s trying really hard to keep to his promise about taking things slow, but I don’t think I would mind if he decided to speed things up a little.

  “And the winner is August Greene!” Auggie beats on his chest like Tarzan and runs around Caden’s living room, clearly proud of himself for winning their very intense card game.

  “Augs, shh.” I laugh, shaking poor Jayce in my arms. How the kid sleeps through just about anything is beyond me.

  “I call a rematch. You totally cheated.” Caden laughs as he heads my way. “Dude can sleep.” He leans down, kissing me on the cheek, sending shock waves through me.

  I haven’t told the boys that we’re dating yet, so I was a little worried when he kissed my cheek as we walked into his front door tonight. Luckily, neither seemed to mind, but I may be having that conversation with them sooner than later.

  “You want to lay him on my bed?” he asks as he runs a hand through my still damp hair. I feel gross after being out in his pool, but he has a way of making me feel like the most beautiful person he’s ever seen. That’s a relief because I’m hideous in the morning. Whoa. I don’t know where that thought came from, but it’s a bit early to be thinking about sleepovers.

  “Yeah, I’ll do that if you’re sure you don’t mind.”

  He grins at me. “Not at all. It’s the first door on the right, across from the bathroom.” He lifts Jayce out of my arms as I stand from his recliner.

  “Thanks.” I mentally pat myself on the back because admitting I can’t do everything myself doesn’t come easy to me. It never has.

  “Do you want me to take him?” he asks quietly. I glance behind him and see Auggie engrossed in SpongeBob.

  “I’ll get him, but thanks.” I reach for my son and head toward Caden’s bedroom.

  His cute little house is painted in neutral colors. Masculine, but clean and comfortable. I’ve seen little touches of his daughter, but I’m guessing she’s not home a lot. I don’t know much about her, besides the fact that she is now dating and he is not exactly thrilled about that.

  The walls in the small hallway are covered in picture frames. I immediately spot an old photo of Caden with an adorable little blonde girl with pigtails. It’s clear that it’s Mackenzie. She’s sitting on his lap at what looks like a park. They’re looking at each other as she stuffs a strawberry into his mouth. He’s staring at her with so much awe, the sight nearly causes my throat to clog. I haven’t met her yet, but I can tell that he’s an amazing father.

  His bedroom door is open, so I carry a still sleeping Jayce inside. This was not how I imagined my first time in his bedroom, but I still appreciate him wanting to make us comfortable. Gah. I have got to stop having these inappropriate thoughts of this man. We’ve only officially been together for three days. He doesn’t even know how insane I am yet. He may get tired of us quick and decide he doesn’t want to deal with our crazy. That would completely destroy me, but I can’t say I’d really blame the guy.

  There’s a king-size bed sitting in the middle of the floor. I don’t know why a single man would need such a large bed, but the thought of him having other women in here sends a pang of jealousy through my chest. I have no reason to feel this way, considering we only just got together. Has he been with anyone since we met? I wouldn’t be surprised since I pushed him away for so long and insisted that we only be friends. Stupid, stupid me. Don’t get me wrong, I’m still a nervous wreck about dating, but I’m relieved that I finally took that step toward something I wanted. Claire and Avery are always telling me it’s time to do something for myself. Well, I finally did.

  I lay my boy down on the bed and grab the throw blanket resting at the foot, covering him up, and then I lean in to kiss his cheek. I’m guessing he’ll be out the rest of the night. It’s hard work being four. I’m sorry… four and three quarters. His words, not mine.

  I quietly pull the door shut, leaving it cracked in case he wakes up.

  “Is he good?” Caden asks, standing in the hallway waiting for me. I can’t help the smile that takes over my face, knowing he came to look for me.

  “Yeah.” He wraps his arms around me in a strong hug, and I’m pretty sure I could stay like this forever. This man makes me feel safe and has the power to make me the happiest woman alive, or break my fragile heart. I don’t think I’ll ever be strong enough to get married again, but he makes me feel so content. He’s thirty-seven and has never been married, so I can’t imagine him ever wanting that now either. But I’ve been known to misjudge people, so I could be completely wrong about Caden Harris.

  I stare up at his handsome face, wanting to run my hands through his hair and pull his delicious lips to mine, but I refrain.

  “Thank you for having us,” I say shyly, looking down at my feet, but he lifts my chin so I’m forced to look at him.

  “Thanks for coming to see me. I’ve loved getting to know you and the boys better.” He runs his hands through my hair, which gives me courage, so I stroke the day-old scruff on his handsome face, and I can tell my touch is affecting him.

  “Is Auggie still watching that annoying sponge?” I ask, bringing him out of his trance.

  He chuckles. “Leave the poor sponge alone. He’s the shit.”

  “That show is so ridiculous, but I’m pretty sure they’d start a riot if I ever banned it from our house.” I rest my finger on my chin, pretending to be in deep thought. “I know! I’ll send them here when they want to watch it. Maybe I can regain a bit of my sanity.”

  “Will you come too?” He leans in closer to me, his nose grazing my cheek. It’s an innocent move, but he has me ready to come undone.

  I pull away from him, trying to regain my composure.

  “Well, that kind of defeats the point, doesn’t it? I mean, I think if you like the incredibly infuriating creature, you should get to watch it with them.”

  He moves his face so now his lips are even closer to mine and my breath catches. He pulls away, looking at me with trepidation.

  “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to make you feel uncomfortable.” He pulls his face away from mine but doesn’t let me go. He doesn’t seem to be upset with me but only worried. This man is always thinking about me and it melts my heart.

  I grab his face with both my hands so now he is forced to look at me.

  “You didn’t make me uncomfortable. Not for one second.” I take a deep breath, stealing myself for what I’m about to admit to him, although he already knows I haven’t been with anyone since Miles. “I just haven’t kissed anyone in a very long time.” I immediately internally kick myself because what if he wasn’t actually planning on kissing me?

  He grabs my hands and brings one to his mouth. My heart nearly stops, and it causes a dampness between my legs. I don’t think I’m ready for sex, but I would give anything to have his lips on mine right now.

  “I don’t think there’s any way you could possibly be bad at kissing, but if you’re not ready, I’m willing to wait until you are.”

  Is this man real? I’ve never known anyone like him. I know there’s a lot of good men out there, but Caden always knows the right things to say. I have to turn away from him because my eyes are now glossed over with tears. Damn my ridiculous hormones. Why can’t I just smile an
d thank him like any normal woman would?

  “You okay?” He turns me back toward him and wipes at the wandering tear that betrayed me by slipping down my face.

  I look up at the ceiling and puff out a breath. “I’m sorry. You’re just too good to be true. Nobody has ever treated me so wonderfully.”

  He rubs at my cheek. “You’re mistaken. You’re the one who is wonderful. I don’t know what I did to deserve a chance with you, but I’m going to thank my lucky stars every day for it.”

  Swoon.

  I pull away from him, peeking into the living room and see Auggie now sleeping on the couch.

  I go back to his waiting arms and once again, grab his face.

  “Please kiss me,” I whisper up at him.

  He searches my eyes, looking for any sign of doubt in them, but he won’t find it. I think I want this more than I ever wanted anything in my life.

  He doesn’t answer me with words but hovers his mouth over mine. Close, but not as close as I’d like, so I stand on my toes to make the next move. I’m not usually this brave, but something about this man makes me want to live like I never have before.

  In the next instant, his warm, wet lips are on mine and time seems to stop in its tracks. I’m kicking myself for not taking this leap sooner, but glad I finally did.

  The kiss starts out slow but quickly becomes much, much more. His eagerness is apparent in the way he slips his tongue into my mouth, meeting mine. He tastes of peppermint gum mixed with the chocolate ice cream we just had. If I never tasted anything else for the rest of my life, I’d die a very, very satisfied woman.

  He pulls me closer to him, seeming to not be able to get enough, and runs his hands through my hair. He’s gentle but tugs a little, causing my nipples to harden and the ache between my thighs to intensify.

  He pulls away, and we both pant, trying to catch our breath. That was the best kiss of my life. That was only our first, but I can’t imagine what else he’s capable of, but the thought alone has me very needy. I have a feeling I won’t ever get enough of this man and his mouth.

  “Wow.” He smiles down at me. “You are definitely a good kisser.” He leans into me, once again, capturing my mouth.

  “You’re not too bad yourself, Officer Harris,” I say breathlessly as we pull away from each other.

  He laughs, and I can feel the hole in my chest mending more and more. I don’t know how he does it, but he’s already started healing me. But that also means that he holds my heart right in the palm of his hand. As much as that scares me, it excites me even more.

  21

  Caden

  “Ma, this is delicious,” I say to my mother who is sitting across from me at her and Dad’s large table. Me and Kenz have been coming here for Sunday dinner since before she could walk. Jasmine never was a fan of my family, but the feeling was definitely mutual.

  “It’s just meatloaf.” She winks as she takes a sip from her sweet tea. I don’t know what I would have done without the two of them, and I’m thankful that I’ve always had a good relationship with them.

  I smirk at her.

  “Well, it’s damn good.”

  “How’s work?” my dad asks between bites.

  I nod. “Good. Nothing too exciting lately.”

  Kenz stands from her chair, walking to the island for seconds.

  “He’s been keeping busy with his new girlfriend though.”

  My fork drops onto my plate, and the heads of both my parents turn toward me.

  I look up and see my traitor of a daughter raising her eyebrows at me, waiting for an explanation. I had no clue she knew about Sierra.

  “You have a girlfriend?” my mom shrieks out. God love her, but the woman loves to pry.

  I shake my head, ignoring her. “How did you know that?” I suddenly feel terrible for never saying anything to Kenz, but I wasn’t sure how she’d feel about me dating. I’ve never had a serious relationship since Jasmine, and I guess I just didn’t want to upset her.

  She continues filling her plate to the brink. The girl hardly has any meat on her, but she sure can eat. She’s a bottomless pit.

  She shrugs. “I’ve heard you on the phone talking to her.” She looks up from the food. “Dad, our house isn’t exactly big and the walls are paper thin.” Well, she’s not wrong. “Oh, and I noticed there was a card game out. You would never play cards with Uncle Tony.” She’s the only one allowed to call Anthony that. He’s been “Uncle Tony” since she was little.

  I smirk. “Yeah, we definitely don’t sit around playing cards and painting our nails.”

  She rolls her eyes. “But you do with this woman?” She joins us back at the table.

  Now is my turn to stand from the table, but I’m only using this to buy myself some time. I grab a homemade brownie off the stove and shove it into my mouth. I wish I were eating some of Sierra’s baked goods right now instead, but I’d never tell my mother that.

  “Son? You going to tell us about this new woman or not?” my father asks. “Please do or I’ll have to hear all about how you’ve been holding out on your poor mother.”

  I chuckle because that’s exactly how Vivian Harris is.

  I grab my water from the table as I take my seat and down the cool liquid before answering them. I can feel three sets of eyes on me. I’m not embarrassed about being with Sierra. Not one bit. But this is all new territory for me, and I have to navigate lightly.

  “Her name is Sierra.” I set the glass down on the table and fold my hands in front of me. “I met her a couple months ago when her car broke down on the side of the road.” I pause, gauging their reactions but they are all just gawking at me, waiting for me to continue. “I gave her and her two sons a ride home.”

  Mackenzie is the first to chime in. I shouldn’t expect anything less when I’ve kept her in the dark for so long.

  “You’ve been dating her for two months and never told me?” She sounds more annoyed than angry, which I’m glad for. But I don’t want her to think I’ve kept some big secret from her.

  “Kenz,” I grab her arm, “we’ve only been together for a week.” I take a deep breath. “She’s been through a lot, and honestly, I was surprised when she finally agreed to be together.”

  “I’m not mad, Dad.” She shovels a bite of mashed potatoes into her mouth. “I want you to be happy, but you don’t have to keep that from me.”

  I run both hands through my hair. “I’m sorry. I just wasn’t sure how you’d feel since I haven’t really been with anyone since your mom.”

  I hate talking to her about Jasmine, but she’s not dumb. She knows that she left us because she didn’t want to settle down with a family. Well, it was a little too late for her to be making that decision, but her loss was my gain. Kenz is the best thing that has ever happened to me.

  She rubs at her face in frustration. “Dad, I’m moving out in a year. What then? Are you just supposed to be lonely the rest of your life?”

  Her words are like a sock to the stomach. Of course, I know that she’ll be off to school next year, but the thought of not having her around doesn’t sit well.

  “Thanks for the reminder,” I grumble but then look at her again. “You promise you’re not mad?”

  She chuckles. “Not at all, but don’t get mad at me next time I don’t tell you about a new boyfriend.”

  I grunt under my breath, which has the entire table erupting in laughter at my expense.

  “So, when can I meet her?” my daughter asks. I can’t explain the amount of relief I feel, knowing she’s okay with this.

  “Oh, I know!” My mother claps her hands in excitement. Lord, what does this woman have up her sleeve? “Why don’t you bring her and her boys to dinner next week?”

  I nearly choke on my drink.

  “Hell, no. I just got her to agree to go out with me. I’m not ready to scare her away yet.” I grin at my mom, but it’s apparent that she finds no humor in my joke.

  She scowls at me as she throws her cloth
napkin onto the table, as if the object will actually cause any kind of noise.

  “I have never scared any of your girlfriends away.” She coughs into her hand. “Okay, besides Jasmine.”

  We all find this humorous, even my daughter, because everyone knows about my mother’s feelings for the woman.

  “I’ll talk to her, and we’ll set something up. You think you can actually pencil us in?” I question her, because I have never known a teenage girl who has more of a social life than her.

  She gasps, like only Mackenzie Diane Harris can. “Yes, Dad, I will pencil you in.”

  Kenz finishes her plate and then stands from the table, leaning down to kiss me on the cheek.

  “I told Nan and Pops I’d come by tonight.”

  She makes her way around the table, hugging both my parents.

  Nan and Pops are what she calls Jasmine’s parents. We haven’t seen her in fourteen years, but they have been a constant in both our lives. Right after she left us, they helped me just as much as my own parents did, and there’s no way I could ever repay Ron and Cathy for all they’ve done.

  They love their daughter, but as soon as she walked out on us, they pretty much disowned her. She’s tried contacting them in the past, but they won’t have anything to do with her. Their number one priority is to make sure that Kenz is taken care of, and I love them for it.

  “Tell them I said hi, and I’ll be by soon to see them,” I tell her before she walks out of the room.

  Now is a good time to make my exit as well. There’s a woman I’m dying to see.

  I tell my parents goodbye and walk out to my truck with a smile on my face. I don’t think the muscles in my face have ever worked so much, since I’ve been with Sierra. I’m not complaining though.

  22

  Sierra

  “I feel like you’re kidnapping me,” I say as I look out the window, trying to figure out where we’re at. “Are you kidnapping me?” I turn toward my handsome chauffeur and see his shoulders bouncing up and down as he silently laughs.