Love's Wall

by Karen Deen

  As we reached the front gate, I tuned out to the exciting squeals and giggles from the back seat. I placed my hand on Emily’s leg and waited for her to look at me.

  Fixing on her eyes, I made sure I had her full attention. “Welcome home, Emily.” Those three words carried so much emotion for us both. Tears swelled in the corners of her eyes, threatening to escape down her cheeks. She sucked in a breath to help get herself under control. I knew at that very moment there was no going back from this. Neither of us was going to be the same again. Friends might be the title that we were using, but there was always going to be something more. Nothing could stop that.

  Emily was trapped in the moment with me, imagining our lives if they could be different, when a little head popped through the seats in front of us.

  “Hurry up, you guys, we want to get out and explore everything, pretty please.” There was so much energy in one little boy. I never knew what it was like to have kids around, but Samuel gave me a good indication that it could be exhausting. The puppy dog eyes were also going to be a killer for me. I would not be able to refuse him, and I could only imagine if Sophia tried them on me. That little girl already had my number.

  Samuel broke the moment and Emily smiled, reaching for the handle. “No, wait. Please.” I jumped out of the car and rushed around. I knew it was only a little thing, but it meant a lot to me, and especially today, to show her she deserved to be treated like a lady.

  “Thanks, Zach. Let’s get these kids out of the road before the truck gets here”

  “All right, gang, let’s go and explore your new home.” I held out my hand for Sophia and Samuel to take, that way I could keep track of them. Emily took Sophia’s other hand and we headed up along the driveway to the stairs at the front of my house.

  “Is this our new house, Mommy?” asked Sophia looking up to Emily with wide eyes.

  “No darling, this is Zach’s house. Our new house is out the back. It’s a little smaller than this one, but still very beautiful. You will love it.”

  You could see the mind of a seven-year-old taking it all in and trying to make sense of something. Then she spoke, and I knew exactly what she was trying to work out. “Zach, are you a prince because you live in a big castle like princes do?”

  “No Princess, I am not a prince. I can pretend to be your prince if you like. Can I tell you something important?”

  She nodded slowly, looking at me, waiting.

  “Having a big house, a fancy car or lots of money does not make someone a prince. Being nice to people, looking after them and being a gentleman, that is what makes someone a prince.”

  “So, you are a prince then, but not my prince. You are Mommy’s prince. You are nice to her and look after her. You are a gentleman and open her door, so you must be her prince”

  I looked to Emily who, not for the first time today, had tears in her eyes from something the kids had said. Thankfully there was a beautiful smile to go with it. “I’m not sure I am Mommy’s prince, Soph, but I know I would like to be.”

  Emily’s breath hitched, and her cheeks flushed a shade of pink that made me have thoughts that were not right to be having with little ones around me. It didn’t stop me wanting to imagine that flush on her cheeks when I had her aroused, laying her out on my bed preparing to be loved like never before.

  “Sophia, how about Zach be a prince for both of us, would that be okay if we shared him?” Emily spoke with a low sexy tone I hadn’t heard before, but it was making my blood head south and making me hard. I needed to get a grip on this before the kids saw and also before my brothers arrived. Luke would take great delight in calling me out on it. Luckily, Samuel broke the tension again with his excitement. I was starting to learn he was very good at focusing attention on himself, although it was not in a bad way at the moment.

  “Zach, can we see our house first? Please, please, please,” he ased, jumping up and down on the spot. Who was I to deny his excitement? And to be honest my house wasn’t as big an attraction as Emily’s.

  “Okay, let’s go then. Lead the way, Emily. Show these two little munchkins their new home. I will race you all around there. Come on, Em, run with me!”

  Emily let out a big laugh, breaking the tension, and took off towards the back of the house. “Catch me if you can!” she yelled over her shoulder. Samuel took off after her as fast as his little legs would carry him. I grabbed Sophia’s hand and we started to run together. She was giggling all the way as we headed to the cottage. By the time we got there, Sammy was already in the front door and running from room to room, yelling to Sophia to come and look at everything. I stood next to Emily who had love all over her face watching the kids. They were the happiest they had been in a long time, I guessed.

  By the time the truck arrived, the kids had calmed down a little and Emily had given them the boundaries of where they were allowed to play while we unpacked. Emily was in the cottage while we unloaded and it didn’t take long for her to put her mark on the place. It already looked much more like a home than a caretaker’s cottage.

  The kids had claimed their beds and were waiting for the box with their toys to be unpacked from the truck. We didn’t really think too much about it and those boxes were at the back of the truck. Luke had found Sammy’s box and had already taken it in. Sammy ran around Luke’s legs in circles as he tried to carry it to his room. From what I could hear, I think toys were hurtling out of the box quicker than you could blink. Sophia was patiently waiting, but never made a fuss. She just sat on the front step watching the activity around her. I watched as Grant came out of the truck with a box marked Sophia’s toys. The smile lit up her face as she spotted him carrying it towards her. You could tell she was still a little hesitant around my brothers. I stood at the corner of the truck watching as he approached her. He bent down on one knee and spoke quietly to her. I had never known Grant to interact with any child, however I think Sophia and Samuel had a magic spell when it came to Stevenson men. I don’t know what Grant said, but Sophia was giggling and stood up, taking his hand. I stood in absolute shock. Neither of them was good with strangers, but there was something beautiful forming between this hard, silent man and the quiet little princess. This would be fun to watch. Lilly and Alesha would never believe me when they got here. I was actually surprised they weren’t already here. Unlike Mom, who I had given a specific time to, I’d asked the girls to rock up whenever they were ready. Knowing them, they were still probably asleep after being out partying last night. Friday night was usually their girl’s night out and they hit the bars in town. Lilly was a party girl, whereas Alesha just got dragged along for the ride. I am sure she enjoyed it, but I knew she would rather have a night at home in front of the television in her sweat pants and oversized t-shirt.

  As I carried the next box out of the truck I heard the crunch of tires down the gravel drive and assumed it was the girls arriving. It was only 11am and I had told Mom and Dad to come at 1pm for lunch break. As I jumped down from the back of the truck, I turned to see Mom power-walking from the car when it had hardly stopped moving. Dad was calling out to her, but she was on a mission to get to the cottage as fast as she could. God help Emily and me. And the kids, for that matter.

  “Hi Zach, how’s it all going? Where is Emily and the little ones? I want to meet them.” She rushed over excitedly to me, wrapping me in a hug.

  “Mom, you are very early. We are still shifting boxes and unpacking. I thought you and Dad were coming at 1pm?”

  “Good one, Zach! You should have known you could never keep me away that long. I told your father if he didn’t get in the car and start driving me here. I would drive the truck myself. You know he never lets me drive his truck so here we are.” She chuckled to herself “Now, where are they?”

  “Sorry son, I tried. You know how she gets with you kids,” Dad grumbled as he crossed the lawn.

  “Hey, Dad. Yep, I know, and I feel your pain,” I reached out to shake his hand and gave him a hug. Mom swatted me
on the arm for being cheeky.

  Just then, I heard Luke and Grant coming out of the house with Emily, and the kids behind her. I could hear Luke warning Emily to take cover as she was about to be smothered by the mother. Emily laughed, and that beautiful sound echoed straight to my chest. I loved to hear her happy, especially from feeling at home around my family. Mind you, Luke needed to back off a bit. He didn’t need to be so close to her!

  I walked over to them and took Emily in one hand and Sophia in the other. Sophia cowered a little behind my leg, like she did with anyone new. Samuel, however, never shied away from anyone. He ran across towards my Mom and Dad.

  Emily called him to slow down, but there was no stopping him. That kid had so much energy. The farm was definitely the right place for him to burn it off in a safe place. He stopped just short of Mom and Dad, unsure of how to proceed. When we caught up to him, I grinned over at my parents and started the introductions.

  “Mom and Dad, this is Emily and my little Princess Sophia. This little man full of energy is Samuel, the man of the house. Guys, this is my Mom, Sophia, and the big gruff man behind her is my dad, Mitch.” All the adults had a chuckle as Sammy rushed over to Dad.

  “Hello, Mr. Gruffy! My name is Samuel, but you can call me Sammy if you want. Zach does sometimes. Did you know we are going to live here with Zach and he said we can learn to ride a horse. Can you ride a horse? Is that your truck, because I like trucks?” Again, Sammy was talking without taking a breath. My Dad just grinned down at him and held out his hand.

  “Well, Mr. Sammy, it is very nice to meet you. You sure sound like you are pleased to be here. Yes, that is my truck over there. Maybe one day I can take you for a drive in it. Every man should own a truck if you live around here. Isn’t, that right boys?” He winked at us. My heart then skipped a beat as I saw Mom crouched down next to me to speak to Sophia, who was still hiding behind my leg. She kept peeking out, so she didn’t miss out on anything.

  “Well hello there, little Princess Sophia. What a beautiful name you have.” Sophia let out a little giggle.

  In a little whisper, she looked at my Mom and said “Your name is the same as mine. You are very pretty too.” My heart exploded but I knew my Mom would be almost in tears. She had longed for grandkids for so long and instantly she would become the grandparents that Sophia and Samuel never had.

  In her soft voice, Mom continued trying to encourage Sophia out of her shyness. “So, it sounds like Sammy has given Mitch the nickname of Gruffy. What would you like to call me, sweetheart?” The love in my mother’s eyes had Sophia finally creeping out from behind my leg.

  “But your name is the same as mine,” Sophia whispered. Mom laughed and reached out to touch the hand that wasn’t holding mine.

  “Yes, and you are me too. So, we are both me, aren’t we?”

  Sophia giggled and spoke with more confidence this time, “Then you are Me-me and I can be Sophia. Is that okay?” This little girl just added another two people to that little ring of adults she had wrapped around her finger. My dad bent down to Sophia’s level and smiled at her

  “Nice to meet you too, Sophia. Apparently, you can call me Gruffy, if you would like.” He then gave her the biggest smile I had seen on Dad’s face, except for when he looked at my Mom. She still always had that effect on him. That had never changed, her taking his breath away. I had always hoped that one day I would have that sort of marriage but now it wasn’t meant for me. I loved knowing that my parents were still madly in love after all this time.

  Sophia giggled at my dad and ran over to where Sammy was jumping around with Luke in the back of Dad’s truck. The day was still early and these two kids had already had so many new experiences, they would have lost count. This gave Mom and Dad time to say hello to Emily. What was it about being a parent that meant that you were always left to last?

  “We are so glad to finally meet you, Emily. Your two children are just adorable. You should be very proud of them.” My Mom had her arms wrapped around Emily by this point of the conversation. I forgot to warn Emily that my family were huggers. My Dad came forward, and leaned in and gave Emily a kiss on the cheek and hugged her lightly. Then he stood back to put his arm around my Mom’s shoulders.

  I was sure Mom would love for the kids to call her Nanny and my Dad Poppy, but she understood this would be too confusing for them. So, jumping onto Samuel’s little introduction of Dad as ‘Mr. Gruffy’, which, actually suited him down to the ground, Mom knew she wanted a name too. She was never going to be happy with the kids calling them by Mr. and Mrs. With her having the same name as little Sophia, it would be confusing for the kids, so everything fell into place.

  I looked over to Emily, who looked unsure of what was happening. She looked at my Mom and said “Are you sure it is okay for them to call you by those names? I don’t want to offend you or for them to be rude?” I couldn’t help but burst out laughing.

  “Emily, it’s fine. You will learn my family are pretty easy to get along with. Trust me, we are going to get so much mileage out of ‘Gruffy’ that we’ll be thanking Samuel.”

  Luke piped up and agreed. “We all know it’s true, hey Dad?” Dad walked passed and clipped him over the back of the head. Grant just smirked. That was about as much as you got from him, but you knew he thought it was funny. Emily seemed to relax a little but was still eyeing off my parents, waiting for their thoughts.

  “Emily, it is fine. I think it’s kind of cute. The kids will soon see the name doesn’t fit me at all. I am sure they are angels compared to these boys when they were growing up. Hence the reason I became gruff with them.”

  Dad winked at Em and I saw her breathe out. She was obviously holding it in. Of course, Mom was already fussing over the kids and making plans on getting them to help her prepare lunch. My brothers and I all groaned at Dad and then started getting back into moving Emily into the cottage. With Dad helping and Mom occupying the kids, it made it easier for Emily to get things unpacked. She decided what would go into storage in the barn and what furniture she would use in the cottage. By 12.30pm we were just about finished when I heard the crunching of the gravel on the driveway. A car came from the road up to the house. I knew it would be the girls because they didn’t rise early on a Saturday morning. They would never miss out on being here while Emily and the kids moved in. Though their timing was perfect, as per usual, showing up when the work was done and the lunch feast that Mom had have prepared was ready.

  Before they got to the cottage. I managed to grab Emily alone for a few seconds to check on her.

  “How are you holding up, Em? I know my family can be a bit overwhelming on top of the massive change that you are going through. Are you doing okay?” Looking at her, she was clearly tired but still had a sparkle in her eye as she smiled up at me. As I ran my hands over the tops of her shoulders, she shivered slightly, and I knew she wasn’t cold.

  “I think your family is great, Zach. I have never felt so accepted and welcomed in such a short time. The way everyone is being so beautiful with the twins makes my heart bleed.” Emily looked up at me and in a small whisper said, “Sophia and Samuel have never known family or the safeness of being part of a family. I will never be able to thank you for everything you have done for us. I am not sure I understand why you are doing it or what we have done to deserve your kindness.” As she finished her sentence, she looked down. I knew it was to hide the tears in her eyes. Instinct took over and I wrapped my arms around her shoulders. Giving her a hug. She buried her head in my shoulder and I felt her relax under my touch. It felt like she was made to fit as part of me. Her breathing settled just by leaning into my hug. God what I wouldn’t do to have her as mine.

  “My family thinks you and the kids are pretty special too, just like I do. I am so glad you are happy here and the kids will now grow up feeling the love of a big family. Like I told you, we will always be here for you, and that means the whole family.” I lifted her chin up to look at me again. “Anyway, you t
hink my Mom is going to let those kids go anytime soon? You will be lucky to see them again before next week!” We both giggle.

  It broke the tears and I wiped Emily’s face dry, reluctantly releasing her from my hold. She was just getting herself together when my two sisters came bowling through the door like the whirlwind they were.

  “Zach!” Lilly yelled and then stopped when she saw us standing there together. “Oops, probably didn’t need to yell, huh?”

  “So, what’s new, Lilly?” I smirked as I walked to her, kissing on the cheek and then Alesha.

  “Well, I had to make sure you were decent and let you know I was on my way in.” Alesha and Emily both gasped at the same time. I just laughed and kept walking. Nothing I said was going to stop Lilly in her thoughts. Poor Emily. I left her to deal with it, but then she was going to have to get used to it. Then again, it was just what she needed - two close girlfriends that she would be able to talk to and have fun with. I was already thinking that after things had settled down, I’d get my sisters to organize a spa day with Emily and I would watch the kids. I doubted she’d had time for herself in a very long while, if ever.

  As I walked out the front door, I could hear the girls laughing behind me. Alesha was having a go at Lilly for her comments. That sister of mine had more confidence than she would ever need. God help the man who tried to tie her down in the future. Lilly had no idea how close to the truth it was that I would love to be in that cottage with Emily in a state of undress. I had given myself a huge challenge to keep my hands to myself, but it was one I had to win. For my own sake and Emily’s. No one wanted to get hurt and, by the sound of our conversation this morning, that could very easily happen.