Indelible Love Series + Entwined Bundle

by DW Cee

  Max leaned closer and hugged me. “You know I’ll always love you, Em.”

  I wanted to reciprocate, but saw Jake return with his sister. I turned to Jane. “Um, Jane? Do you mind changing partners with me? I’d like to be back in my husband’s arms.” With this, I leaned over and kissed Max on the cheek and whispered, “I love you too, Max. Debt repaid.”

  I fell back into Jake’s arms and watched the happily surprised Max and Jane dance with one another. Jake looked at me with an appreciative smile.

  “You are the most incredible woman in the entire world!” Jake exuded with joy. “Thank you for putting a smile on my sister’s face.”

  The evening wore on, and we finally got to my wedding gift for my husband—the fireworks. Everyone sat in chairs laid out on the grassy field. The DJ announced to everyone to look out for Jake’s wedding gift during the fireworks display. Jake kept distracting me with his lips and I had to force him to watch the show.

  “Honey, your wedding present is coming up. You need to pay attention or you’ll miss it.”

  “What does that mean?”

  I gave him a stern look and pointed to the fireworks display.

  Toward the end of the display, I saw a happy face light up and this was my cue to have Jake watch his present on display.

  “Here it comes,” I announced to everyone with excitement.

  There lit the letter I,

  Then came the shape of a heart,

  Then the letter U,

  Then they spelled out JAKE one by one.

  Afterward, they shot off many more hearts and big explosions to end the display.

  Our guests all clapped and cheered for us. Jake had an incredulous look on his face. This time, I leaned over and kissed his shocked lips and declared, “I love you, Jake.”

  “How did you do that? That was the coolest present ever!” Jake said, as his family members gathered around us.

  “It wasn’t easy. Once I got the name of the company in charge of the display, and after numerous calls, I finally got the name of the owner of the company. I called and begged him daily, asking him to add this to his show. He refused me for two straight weeks. Eventually, I wore him down and he agreed to do this for me under a few conditions:

  I am to never call him again, and

  I am to never give his information out to anyone.”

  I also told Jake, “I also promised him excellent heart care if he ever needed it. I promised him just about everything, but our first child.” Everyone chuckled at this last comment and we all went out to the dance floor again.

  By 10:00 p.m., Jake badgered me to leave the reception so we could get on to more pressing matters.

  “Jake, we’re not leaving already. I’m only getting married once. This reception is amazing. I don’t want it to end yet.”

  “Then, can we go upstairs to our bedroom for a little bit and come back and rejoin the party?” He looked like a child begging for candy. I waited for the “please, please, please” to happen.

  “No. I can’t exactly get in and out of this dress easily. You’ll have to wait. What are a few more hours? We’ll be together for a lifetime.”

  He let go of me and walked away pouting. I grabbed Nick and Doug and danced with them instead.

  “What’s with Jake?” they both wondered.

  “Oh, he wants to move on to the next portion of our wedding,” I answered giggling.

  They both understood a little too well what I conveyed. By the end of our dance, all the cousins played keep the bride away from Jake the rest of the night. Everyone, man, woman, and child, wanted to dance with me to keep us from leaving for our wedding night. The aunts and female cousins also did a good job keeping Jake occupied.

  By 3:00 a.m., I wanted to leave. Pretending to give into Jake’s pleas I whispered in his ear, “I’m ready.” He was more than ready.

  Most of our guest started eating and drinking again. The party continued as Nick put our suitcase in Jake’s car and we showed our appreciation to Jake’s parents and Aunt Barbara.

  “I don’t know how to thank you for this amazing wedding and reception. You two could go into the wedding business. We’ll make sure to bring back a huge gift for both of you from our honeymoon.” We kissed all three of them and sprinted from our house to the car without getting too much rice in our hair. I chose to stay in my wedding dress even though Gram brought me a trousseau from London. We hugged everyone good-bye and left for our hotel near the airport.

  During the ride over to the hotel, Jake couldn’t stop talking about our wedding night.

  “Which negligee did you bring?” Jake asked with a puppy dog look.

  I decided to be coy and not give him any straight answers. “Oh my gosh! I forgot to pack the negligees. I only brought my flannel pajamas,” I answered nonchalantly. I also yawned and said, “I’m exhausted. I couldn’t sleep a wink last night. Aren’t you tired?”

  Jake gave me a you can’t be serious look.

  I turned my head toward the window and held back a laugh.

  “You can sleep on the plane all you want tomorrow.” Jake’s voice sounded like a pleading.

  “Will you allow me to sleep on the plane tomorrow, or will you be making out with me again in front of ten strangers? I tell you what. I’ll give you a choice. You can have your way with me tonight in private with my full participation, or you can try to have your way with me tomorrow on the plane, with me fighting you the whole way. Your choice.” I knew the obvious answer but I thought I’d put it out there and hear his response.

  “I pick tonight! So answer me, which negligee? Is it that red one that I picked out in London? It’s not that boring white one Gram picked out, is it?”

  Jake kept bobbing his head from me to the road often enough to make me nervous so I gave in.

  “I’ll give you two clues. Tonight’s outfit was not purchased in London, but you’ve seen it before.”

  It took him all of two seconds to figure it out.

  With way too much enthusiasm he shouted, “You kept that one from Paris? The one that was supposed to go to Sarah?” His grin was from ear to ear.

  “Possibly,” was my only answer.

  I looked out the window reveling in our conversation and thinking how just a few weeks ago, I was alone in Japan. Funny how life had a way of untangling itself for the best.

  Jake reached over to hold my hand and asked what I was thinking.

  “Are you OK? Am I making you nervous about tonight?” He, himself, sounded nervous.

  “I’m fine—a bit scared, but happy to be here with you.” I leaned over to kiss his cheek. I knew that this was where I belonged, as Mrs. Jake Reid.

  “Sweetheart, you have nothing to be afraid of. Although it was frustrating at times, I’m thrilled you have been with no one else. I consider it a real honor to be your first and only man.” He held my hand till we got to the hotel.

  With some difficulty getting out of the car in a wedding dress, I surfaced to a throng of cheers from hotel guests. Jake checked us into the honeymoon suite and we walked hand in hand up to our room. When we arrived, Jake stopped me right outside the door as he opened it with his keycard. He grabbed the Do Not Disturb sign and hung it on the doorknob with a heavenly grin. He lifted me up and carried me over the threshold. We gazed into each other’s eyes knowing this was just the beginning of our happily ever after.

  Indelible Love—Jake’s Story

  DW Cee

  Copyright © 2012 by DW Cee

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be copied, reproduced, transmitted, or downloaded, whether electronic or mechanical, without the written consent of the author.

  This story is a work of fiction. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  Smashwords Edition

  To Ryan

  My Max, My Jake

  I love you

  Chapter 1 Who Is This Girl?

  Exhausted! That was the only word that came to my min
d after working an eighteen-hour shift. I was sure it was illegal for anyone to work so much, but in these life and death situations I suppose I had no choice. This was the life I had chosen as a heart surgeon. Though, I probably would have been better off working at a different hospital. The chief purposely worked me harder to prove to others that he was not showing any favoritism to his nephew.

  Hungry. That was another word that never left my mind when working so much. My stomach grumbled from a lack of food, as I’d had one meal all day and it was almost midnight. What were my options? Drive home and stop by a fast-food joint on the way? If I hit the freeway now, I should be able to reach my house in the Valley in twenty minutes. Or, go to Mom’s down the street and hope that she had food in the fridge? I decided to forgo both options and stop by the market to pick up a protein shake before heading home.

  Walking into the store, the most beautiful woman walked by, and I couldn’t help but follow her from afar. She turned into one of the aisles and started looking for cereal. I paused to stare. She was gazing intently at the boxes in a peculiar way. It was comical how serious this decision was for her. Her long brown hair was pulled back into a ponytail and her porcelain skin would put dermatologists all out of business.

  There was something about the way she looked—innocent, angelic, scared? She intrigued me. I decided to stand next to her, pretending to buy cereal as well. She had no clue anyone was watching her even though I stood two feet away. Closer up, she was even more stunning.

  What was wrong with me? I was staring at a stranger in the market at midnight. As drawn as I was to her, I decided to go get my protein shake and come back later. It would give me some time to muster up the courage to ask for her number. It had been a few months since I’d been on a date. It’d be nice to meet someone new.

  Walking past her, I noticed she had precariously stepped on the bottom shelf to reach for the Captain Crunch box located on the top shelf. I thought about getting it for her when she suddenly fell and knocked us down to the ground. She was embarrassed. I was grateful for the opportunity.

  “I’m so sorry!” Her voice sounded almost as sweet as her face. “Are you all right?”

  “I’m fine. Are you OK?” Hopefully she had broken something so I could take her to the hospital.

  “I think I’m OK. My ankle feels a little weird, but I’m sure it’s nothing.”

  Yes! Here was my chance. I would force her to go with me to the hospital regardless of how minor the injury might be.

  “Do you want to try to get up?” I asked while holding her hand and helping her to her feet. Giddy, I felt like a boy holding a girl’s hand for the first time. Her fingers were soft.

  “Ouch!” She almost fell back to the floor, and I couldn’t believe my luck tonight. “I guess it hurts a bit more than I thought it might. It’s OK. I’ll be all right.” She pulled her fingers away while finishing her sentence and tried to walk down the aisle. I didn’t know where she thought she was going without me.

  “Wait. Let me help you.” In two steps I reached her five hobbling steps. “Let me take you to my hospital just down the street and let’s X-ray your ankle.”

  “No, that’s so not necessary. I’ll just go home and rest it. I knew I shouldn’t have been out here this late.” It was cute the way she was scolding herself. She was right though. What was she thinking coming out here at this hour?

  “Please, let me help you. By the way, my name is Jake, Jake Reid.”

  “Hi, I’m Emily Logan.” Her lips curled up into the most beguiling smile, sucking me into her world. Where had this girl been all my life? Being a cardiac surgeon I knew a thing or two about hearts, but I couldn’t explain what was going on in my own. My pulse beat faster, my blood rushed, and my excitement level shot through the roof. We’d barely spoken, and I felt like this was the girl of my dreams—the one I would love the rest of my life. Perhaps I’d lost my mind.

  Ignoring her scared look, I forced her to General Hospital and wheeled her into the ER.

  “Will you be OK waiting for me here while I get some paperwork filled out?”

  She nodded yes like a young schoolgirl. Oddly I sensed through her wide brown eyes that she trusted me to take care of her. My entire being felt this wonderful burden—a loving responsibility—to make sure that this Emily Logan would be OK. I had never felt such a strong desire to take care of someone like I did right now for his girl.

  Practically waltzing into the front office, I had to figure out a plan to ask this girl to go out with me.

  “Dr. Reid, what are you doing back? Aren’t you done for the night?” asked Linda, the head nurse.

  “Yeah. I came back in with a patient. She might have sprained her ankle.”

  I saw all the residents heading my way.

  “Who’s that hottie you just walked in with?” asked one of the residents.

  “Who she is does not concern you. If any of you as much as talk to her, I will make sure you’re doing midnight shifts in ER the rest of your stay here at our hospital.”

  “Oooh! You’re so scary, Dr. Reid.” Jeffery, our youngest intern at age twenty, attempted a joke. I gave him a be-scared-of-me look, and he backed off.

  “I’m going to go back out and stay with her. Take your time calling her in. Treat her like any other patient who comes into this ER. I don’t want to be out of here anytime soon.” I gave them all my most serious doctor look. I didn’t think any of them bought it. Laughter erupted behind me and I followed suit.

  “What’s so funny?” she asked with curious enthusiasm.

  “Um…those residents were harassing me.” I smiled at my inside joke. Placing myself as close to Emily as possible, I gingerly elevated her legs and hoped for hours of uninterrupted conversation.

  “Do you work here?” Her trusting eyes made me want to tell her my whole life story. “Are you a doctor or a nurse?”

  I guess I had forgotten to explain to her who I was. “I’m a doctor here. I work up in the cardiac department.”

  “Are you working right now? If you’re busy, I can stay here by myself. Please don’t let me keep you from your job.”

  I thought to myself, are you kidding me? You would need a crowbar to pry me away from you right now.

  “No, I just got off at midnight and I was at the market hoping to pick up a bite to eat when you fell.”

  “I’m so embarrassed. I can’t believe I did that. I’m very sorry.” I took a mental snapshot of her beautiful smile and saved it in my memory. “I feel bad you haven’t had dinner yet. You must be starving. Please go and get something to eat.”

  “I’m all right. I’m sure we won’t be here long. I told the ER doctors to take good care of you.”

  “That was really kind of you. I would feel much better if you went and ate something though.”

  “Would you like to grab a bite to eat with me later?”

  “Um…” I heard the hesitation I feared. Before she could answer, those pesky residents called Emily’s name already. We had been there less than ten minutes. This had to have been an ER record.

  I wheeled Emily into the ER and saw a guffaw in the eyes of each one. Two residents, one intern, and one nurse waited to attend to Emily and waited to see my reaction. The staff was having a good time at my expense.

  “Ms. Logan? How does this feel?” Michael began feeling her ankle.

  “It doesn’t really hurt there…Ow!... That’s where it hurts.” Tears dotted her eyes as Michael poked into a tender spot. She looked childlike when she hurt. Instinctively my arms went around her shoulders and gave her a light squeeze.

  She looked up at me surprised, and I retracted my arms. I could see the staff wanting to howl at my faux pas.

  “So, Ms. Logan? How old are you?” Jeffery the intern asked.

  “Twenty-four.”

  “I’m twenty!” I don’t know why he sounded so excited revealing his age to Emily.

  “Aren’t you a bit young to be a doctor?” Emily asked in amazement. Her in
terest spurred him to continue.

  “I’m what you call a genius. I graduated from medical school last year and this is my first year in residency.” He had a smug look on his face. I tried to give Jeffery a back-off look, but he purposely avoided my eyes. “Ms. Logan, do you want to go out on a date with me?”

  Emily and I both looked at him shocked! I vowed to make Jeffery’s life miserable when he got to my department. The other two residents wisely chose not to say anything.

  “I don’t think it’s a good idea for us to go out.” Thank God she was turning him down.

  “Why not?” he persisted.

  “You’re really cute, but I don’t think it will be possible with our age difference and all.”

  “We’re only four years apart.”

  “Well you’re too young to even go and have a glass of wine with me. Plus, my ego couldn’t take people carding me all the time while you got a pass for the next decade.”

  We all roared in laughter. She had a good sense of humor. I liked that.

  “What about me, Ms. Logan? Would you be willing to go on a date with me? I’m off in thirty minutes, and we can go grab a burger and a beer.”

  “Wow…tempting but I don’t drink beer. Sorry!” She gave him an apologetic puppy dog look. Enamored with her, I couldn’t even get mad at Al for trying.

  All of us stared at Michael to see if he would try.

  “I guess I have to throw my name in the hat as well, even though I have a girlfriend,” Michael decided.

  “Ms. Logan, I’d be honored if you’d like to go out on a date with me.” That two-timing jerk!

  “Sorry, I definitely don’t date two-timers.”

  “Yes!” I thought. That’s exactly what I was thinking.

  “Thank you all for your kind offers. I haven’t had a date in almost a year and a half. Go figure, I should have hung out in the ER more often.” She shrugged her shoulders, and her eyebrows arched up. “But, if you don’t mind, I think I need my ankle examined more than I need a date right now.”