Sweet Love

by Lolah Lace

  I wanted a new diaper changing future with Jagger. I never imagined that my dream of three kids would happen this late in life. If this happens it would be just want I always wanted. I didn’t think I had room in my heart to love another man but Jagger walked into Sweet Treats. I know I have enough room in my heart to love a baby, Jagger’s baby.

  Chapter 31

  KATRINA

  Today was a new day. This was my second day in London. All the trips and vacations started to shrink down to none after the first few years of my marriage. Erik and I honeymooned in Hawaii and it was nice at the time.

  Being with Jagger was a completely different experience. I hated to admit it but it was like I felt young all over again. Jagger suggested that when school was out Aaron could come on tour with the band and do a documentary feature on Toxic Shock. It would give Aaron a real filmmaking credit. I was going to consider it. I wasn’t going to get Aaron’s hopes up before I was sure about it.

  Jagger’s time at the Abbey Road recording studio yesterday lasted a few hours. He came back to the suite excited. He’d meet and jammed with Roddy Ricch. I didn’t know how that was but he told me he was a rapper.

  After morning sex and breakfast in bed we showered and got dressed. We both wore jeans and hoodies. Jagger always wore a baseball cap when he was hiding from people and trying to go unnoticed. He had nice silky and recognizable wild hair. He nixed the jewelry, earring and anything flashy. It made sense.

  Jagger was driving me out to the countryside to meet his aunt Linda. She was his mother’s only sister. She had a wife and an adopted daughter that was seven. I wasn’t sure if I should feel nervous or not. I’d never met anybody that Jagger was blood-related to. As far as I knew he didn’t have any other blood relatives but Linda. He never mentioned grandparents.

  We were in a black SUV with tinted windows and headed to Beaconsfield in South East London. The steering wheel on the other side was a lot to get used to. Driving on the left side of the road was also pretty odd for me. The flow of traffic made me nervous but I didn’t let Jagger know. He was a good driver. It wasn’t him it was everyone else that made me anxious.

  After a long drive, we pulled off a paved road to an open metal gate. The road was dusty and wooded just like in scary movies. Jagger stopped on the other side of an opened gate and put the truck in park. He hopped out of the truck and closed the gate behind the truck. We drove down the one-lane dusty road and after a few seconds we came upon a large cottage sitting in the middle of nowhere.

  The place was made of rust-colored bricks. It looked old but very well kept. It was almost like a little castle hidden away on farmland. The land around the house was bright green and pristine.

  Jagger stopped the truck only a few feet from the front door. “You ready?”

  Not really. “Yes, I’m ready.”

  “I can get our bags later.” He leaned over and pulled me into a kiss I gladly welcomed.

  “Did you tell your aunt we were coming?” I’m not sure why I was just asking this question.

  “Yes, she knows. She’s thrilled to meet you. Here’s the Letts. The blonde is my aunt Linda. Her partner is Joann. Little bad bugger is Mandy.”

  He smiled at me and I was comforted by the excitement in his eyes.

  We both stepped out of the truck at the same time. I grabbed my purse and closed my door. I looked at the front door and it was open. I little girl with bright red hair was standing there smiling widely. She waved at me. I waved back. Soon Jagger was at my side. He grabbed my hand and we walked up the steps to the door.

  Jagger let go of my hand to scoop the freckled face little doll into his arms.

  “Mandy, this is my girlfriend Katrina.”

  “Please to meet you, Katrina.” The little girl stuck out her hand for me to shake.

  I took her hand. “I’m very pleased to meet you, Mandy.” She blushed red and buried her head in Jagger’s shoulder.

  My stomach fluttered. I had the fever. I wanted a baby with this man.

  “Where’s aunt Linda?”

  Mandy pointed somewhere inside the house and we all entered. Jagger closed the door. He walked inside with Mandy in his arms. She put her head on his shoulder and watched me as I followed them. Was fiery red hair a thing in this family? I quickly remembered Mandy was adopted. I’d never seen a picture of Jagger’s mother and father. I wondered what they looked like.

  I laid eyes on Linda. She had mid-length dishwater blonde hair. Her thin nose was a dominant feature on her round face. Blue eyes softened her look. Her clothing was comfortable and cozy for her thick build. She looked like a cool aunt— the aunt that smoked cigarettes and had been married five times. She didn’t resemble Jagger at all. I didn’t see it.

  “Katrina Sweet, this is my aunt, Linda Neilson.”

  “Oh hello. Come in. Oh, Jagger.” She gushed.

  Aunt planted a kiss on both of my cheeks just like British people did in movies. She ended her greeting with a hug. She clasped her hands together and waited for Jagger to place Mandy on her feet. She wrapped him in a tender bear hug.

  “Please take a seat.” I sat on the couch in a room that didn’t have a TV.

  “Joann isn’t here. She’s at work. She’s a chief inspector.”

  I looked to Jagger for guidance. “A cop supervisor.” He sat beside me.

  Aunt Linda sat in one of the two plush chairs in the room.

  “I’m so happy you’re here. You’re staying over?”

  “Yea, just for the night. I have to get back to work.” Jagger glanced over at me.

  “Katrina, how do you like the English countryside?”

  “It’s beautiful, your place is really nice.”

  “Thank you. It’s nice and peaceful out here.”

  “Thanks for letting me stay the night at your place.” I added.

  “Of course dear. Jagger has never brought a girl home.” I was far from a girl and sure we were probably close in age but I was going to take it.

  “Am I the first?” I smiled warmly.

  “Yes, and I’m so excited and you’re an American. Fancy.” She grinned.

  “She’s definitely an American.”

  Mandy slipped into the small space in the chair next to her mother. Linda supplied me with a few childhood stories about Jagger. There was the time when he was three, he stripped nude and he peed on a tree like a doggie. She also showed me a few pictures of Jagger as a child.

  She gushed over him. “He was such a handsome lad.” She was right. He was the cutest little boy with his sleepy eyes and pouty lips. He had grown up to be a very handsome man. There weren’t any pictures of him in an awkward stage. He started his acting and singing career on Kiddie Kingdom and she even had a few candid pictures from the show. There were family pictures and Linda traded spots with Jagger to fill me in on the history of the pictures in the photo album.

  Aunt Linda supplied the wine. It was clear she wasn’t aware of Jagger’s addiction problem. He didn’t drink wine only water. He came up with some Hollywood reason.

  “No thanks, I’m detoxing for the tour.” He told her and she believed him.

  She made a joke about famous people being all vegan and healthy. I assured her that I wasn’t one of those people and let her fill my glass with wine.

  Linda gave me a tour of the property. We used a go-cart to get around. There was a fishing pond on the property and acres upon acres of land. She pointed me all the security cameras on the property. She also made mention that although Jagger purchased the home it was in her partner’s name. It was a precaution so that his fans couldn’t find her, his only living relative.

  After she parked the cart we walked up the trail back toward the house.

  “Katrina, I’m happy he’s found someone he cares about. I really worry about him. Can I have your opinion on his welfare?”

  “He’s doing very well.”

  “He looks good, healthy. He’s had so much tragedy in his life and he’s never had any prof
essional help as far as I can tell.”

  I didn’t bother to mention Dr. David Glass. It wasn’t my place.

  “My nephew is a bit of a workaholic, very ambitious and very focused.”

  “Yes, he is,” I added.

  “But he’s fragile. He holds a lot inside and he’s never had any real outbursts. It’s sort of unnatural given the circumstances. I’m not trying to panic you off or anything. It’s just the past is so bad and I never know how he deals with it on the inside. Do you think he’s really okay?”

  “I do.”

  “Does he talk about my sister, his mum? When he rings round here I can barely get two words from ‘em.”

  “Sometimes, yes he mentions his mother.”

  “Okay good. She’d be so proud of him. She loved him to much.” The wrinkles in her forehead smoothed out. “I didn’t know if it was okay to show you the old pictures. I didn’t want to upset him. But I can never read his mood. I don’t know what upsets him. He was always such s good actor. He still is. I don’t want to do anything that would upset him. He’s been through enough. I just want him to be happy.”

  “I think he’s happy. He’s writing music and he’ll be touring with Toxic Shock soon.”

  “This is good news. He doesn’t come here often. I’m happy he’s swung back for a holiday. I’m happy he has a girl.”

  “I’m happy he’s in my life.”

  When we returned to the house Jagger had our bags in the room we were staying in. Joann arrived a few hours later and we all sat down to filling hot dinner. I was fond of his unconventional family. Joann was with the police force. Linda was a housewife and she sold fresh fruits and veggies at the farmers market on the weekend.

  The property was huge and Linda farmed the vast land in the back. She grew her own food and it was impressive. She was nice and welcoming to me. I wondered why Jagger didn’t mention her much and why he didn’t come here often.

  When nightfall came Jagger and I had the quietist sex in the history of mankind. I felt like I was in that movie A Quiet Place. He was able to go slow and keep me quiet while making me come so hard I was sure I would be embarrassed by how wet I got those sheets.

  Chapter 32

  KATRINA

  The morning air was brisk and frigid. I woke up still in the spooning position. Jagger’s was behind me with his dick still inside of me. We both must’ve been tired to fall asleep right after an orgasm and never even change positions any time through the night.

  Linda called up down for breakfast. She made so much food there was no way we could eat it all. After breakfast Mandy, Jagger and I went for a walk on the grounds. She skipped ahead of us while we walked a narrow trail on the property.

  “I like it here. Your aunt is adorable.”

  “She is rather cheeky.”

  “The pictures of you as a little boy were adorable. Your mother was really pretty.”

  “She wanted to model, dance and act but she got pregnant with me right out of secondary school. I was born and her dreams died.”

  “A career is great but being a mother is better for some women.”

  “Well her dreams didn’t go to waste. I’m all of the things she wanted to be.”

  “And I’m sure she’s proud of you.”

  “I just wish she could’ve been here to see it. My mum’s entire face would light up when I got a gig. I got a tele advertisement when I was three. I was a tot but I remembered how excited she was. When I landed Kiddie Kingdom she danced around. She helped me learn all my lines and all the songs. She tried her hardest but she couldn’t play the piano for shit. I learned to play just so she wouldn’t struggle so badly. She had a beautiful voice. She was always so happy and pleased with me. That kind of encouragement is valuable to a young lad. I want a kid of my own. No matter what happened you have to promise you’ll give me that.”

  “I will. I promise.”

  “You want it too right?”

  “I do.”

  Jagger took my hand. His smile sent tingly currents into my heart.

  “We’re going to be awesome parents.”

  I was already an awesome parent but I didn’t have to remind him.

  We walked the trail and turned back just in time to be hungry for lunch. We both decided that we would stay another night. Linda was happy to hear it. She made it clear to me that Jagger didn’t visit often. When I asked it about it he just said. “Blending my old life with my new life was sometimes difficult.”

  When the sun went down Jagger offered to watch Mandy while Linda and Joann went out dancing at a local pub. We had a tea party with Mandy and all her stuffed animals. We had an early dinner that Linda left for us to warm up. After we eat we went back into the photo albums and took a few snapshots of some of the pictures. I couldn’t be believe Jagger didn’t have any photos of his mother or father. It was like he just left that life behind and stepped into another life. I couldn’t blame him. Losing his mother at ten and his father at thirteen was a lot to deal with. I could see how you would want to run away from that pain.

  His backstory just made me appreciate my parents that much more. I really understood why he wanted a child of his own. He was the end of his family. Without a child his entire bloodline would perish. It wasn’t a big deal if you didn’t care about such things. If you did I could see how the thought of everything ending with you could be all consuming.

  We sat on the floor in the living room while we went through the old photographs. I noticed there weren’t many of Peter, his father.

  “There aren’t many photos of your father.”

  “He didn’t like taking pictures. He was usually the one behind the camera. He took a lot of pictures of my mother. He worshipped her much like I worship you. I never understood why he did it.”

  “Did it?”

  “Why,” He whispered so that Mandy couldn’t hear us. “Killed himself.”

  Oh! His eyes were locked into mine and I couldn’t read what he was thinking. I could be wrong but he didn’t look sad. He looked perplexed. I didn’t have an answer.

  “Maybe he was mentally ill or depressed. Did you have any addictions?”

  “He drank a lot. I don’t think he did anything else. After mum died he stopped working. I had loads of money so it was a financial burden. He drunk a lot so much that my aunt Linda took guardianship of me. I went back to work. It’s what I wanted to do. My mum was dead but she told me to never stop no matter what.”

  “How did he do it? It could’ve been an accident.” I hoped it was an accident. I couldn’t imagine any parent voluntarily departed this life and leaving their only child behind.

  “I was only thirteen. I remember a neighbor found him in his garage with the engine running. There was a burial. My aunt cleaned his things out of the old house.”

  “Do you have anything that belonged to him?” I had my grannies old lace gloves. The ones she wore to church and I cherished them more than anything I’d ever bought out the store.

  “I don’t. I have the guitar my mum got me for my tenth birthday. I don’t have anything that personally belonged to my mum or my dad. I wish I had something to could touch. I was too young to take something.”

  “What happened to all your old family things? Your aunt has pictures maybe she has some items she saved for you. You should ask her.”

  “I will. She cleaned out the old house. I hope she didn’t get rid of all my mum and dad’s things.”

  “She didn’t.” Mandy’s little voice cut from across the room. My kids were old. I forgot how little kids where always listening to grown folks conversations.

  We both looked out at Mandy.

  “She didn’t what?” Jagger asked.

  “My mum didn’t toss your mummy and daddy’s things.”

  “Really? And how do you know that?”

  “The things are all in the attic.”

  Jagger’s eyes left to stare at me. He stood. “In the attic.”

  “Uh-huh.”

  “W
here in the attic?”

  “In the boxes that say Jagger’s mum and dad. I can read words. I’m seven years old.”

  Jagger’s reached down and took my hand to help my stand. We both looked like we just found out where the hidden treasure was located at the end of the rainbow.

  “Mandy, stay here. We’re going to be back. You stay put.”

  “Are you going to go somewhere and kiss?”

  “Exactly.”

  Mandy giggled. We left her alone and went upstairs. He knew where the hatch was for the attic. We walked up the stairs and I had to say it was the cleanest attic I had ever seen. No spider webs, no dust just clean and organized. There were usual items like old furniture, a baby crib, two wooden rocking chairs, bins of toys that Mandy had out grown and cardboard boxes.

  At the rear of he room were boxes that read Jagger’s Mum and Jagger’s Dad in bold black magic marker. Jagger grabbed the top box that had Jagger’s Dad on it. It didn’t seem heavy they way he lifted it and placed it in front of the closet rocking chair. The box was taped shut. He looked down at it.

  “I’ll go get a knife from the kitchen.” I dashed out of the room before he could say anything. I went down to the living room and gave Mandy a look. I was making sure she was still playing with her dolls. I went to the kitchen and got a steak knife. I noticed where Linda kept them. I hurried back up to attic. Jagger was sitting in the chair with the box between his legs. He looked so delighted and that warmed me from the inside out.

  I handed over the knife. He took it. “Thanks, love.”

  I stood there and watched him dig into the tape with the blade.

  Jagger hands rummaged through the open box.

  “I had a talk with Winston. He apologized to me.”

  “That’s good.”

  “He said some things that made me think he wasn’t really into women.”

  Jagger looked up at me smiling. “I can’t believe Winston came out to you.” He removed a fedora from the box and placed it unevenly on top of his head. He looked sexy in the hat. Looked like his dad had a little swag.