Beautiful Ties (19 page)

“No,” I sighed, wishing I could watch him work all day instead. “I have to prepare for several meetings later this week, and I have a mountain load of paperwork to catch up on.”

“Oh,” he replied, sounding bummed.

I smiled at the thought of him being disappointed because he wouldn’t get to work with me this week. It was good to know that he’d miss me since I knew I’d miss him. “But my evenings are still free,” I offered.

“Mmm…” he said, emitting a rumble from his throat. “Well, consider them all taken then,” he said lightheartedly.

“Done,” I agreed.

He was quiet for a brief moment while still caressing my skin. His strokes moved to run up and down the length of my arm. “So, what I said earlier…” He paused as if lost in his profound thoughts. “About our relationship,” he clarified. “That’s what this is, right?”

Barely containing the butterflies threatening to explode from within me, I pivoted myself to face him. Raising my hand to feel the soft contours of his cheek, I allowed my inner feelings for him to surface. His eyes searched mine intently for answers. For being with him for such a short time, what I felt for him seemed surreal and overpowering. He had stormed into my life, taking over all my thoughts and seizing my heart in the process. But I was certainly not ready to voice all that out loud yet. I needed more time to get to know him better and be sure.

“Yes,” I said at last, “if that’s what you want, too.”

His eyes reflected the emotions I felt inside, and my chest constricted at the sight.

“I do,” he said in a sweet and tender voice, lifting his hand to brush the wet strands of my hair backward. “I don’t know what it is about you, but I’ve wanted this thing between us to be more since the moment I first laid eyes on you.”

“Me, too,” I responded, not wanting to say or feel any more out of fear that it was too soon. My heart wanted to pull him in and keep him close forever, but my mind pleaded to take it slow.

What he and I shared was perfect. I didn’t want to overthink past today.

After returning home from our overnight Sacramento trip, my days over the next two weeks were overtaken by business meetings, drawing up new contracts, and boatloads of paperwork. Kyle was keeping in regular contact with me, seeing how I was fairing without him and answering any questions that had come up.

Jason spent his days at the office on Lakeview Avenue and his evenings with me. Whether we snuggled on the couch and watched a movie on TV or I made him another god-awful dinner that he’d manage to choke down, I loved spending every spare minute with him.

He stayed over most nights and would kiss me good-bye when he had to leave in the morning. Then, he would rant while heading out the door, saying I needed to finish up my to-do list so that I could return to work with him because he wanted to kiss me throughout the day. As appealing as that sounded, I was pretty sure we’d end up accomplishing absolutely nothing all day, and then we’d both be jobless.

In the evenings, Pearl would also come over to my condo, and of course, Jason and I kept our actions kid-friendly in her presence. Her visits seemed to be growing more frequent as Diane’s own agenda appeared to be never-ending, but I didn’t mind in the slightest. I adored Pearl’s company, and I loved helping her with her homework. Jason even volunteered to help Pearl out with her math worksheets when she’d said my explanation didn’t make sense. Watching the two of them interact always sent my heart soaring every time.

On the nights Pearl stayed late, Jason or I would walk her home, so she wasn’t out alone in the dark. We lived in a safe neighborhood, but I still could not bear the thought of her walking outside so late by herself. I would never forgive myself if something were to happen to her.

I had even triple-checked with Diane to make sure Pearl’s frequent visits were still okay with her, and Diane had reassured me that I had her permission. She’d even admitted that she was happy Pearl had company. I’d thought her response was anything but normal.

My concerns for the little girl continued to grow. However, I had no idea how to go about intruding into her personal life. I did not want to further complicate Pearl’s circumstances. At the same time, I was beyond frustrated and growing impatient with the whole situation.

Tonight, since Jason was working late, I was going to surprise Pearl with some one-on-one time. After okaying my idea with Diane, I had picked up several items while shopping with Gail last week. I opened up all the packages I had purchased. I neatly laid all the hair bands, bows, ribbons, and barrettes on my bathroom counter, so Pearl could pick out her favorite colors. I was so excited to spend time with her tonight, just the two of us, and teach her how to French braid.

Nerves crept in while thinking about this upcoming Sunday. It was the first family get-together since Kyle and Lily’s wedding, and I was planning to ask Diane if I could take Pearl with me. We usually spent most Sundays together, and I didn’t want to leave her behind.

I also had yet to personally invite Jason to come along with me. I didn’t have the slightest idea as to why the thought of asking him gave me such butterflies in my stomach—other than the fact that I had never brought a man home to meet my family before. The two of us had planned to take our first motorcycle trip together around Lake Tahoe tomorrow, so I was going to ask him then.

When I had confirmed dinner plans with my mom over the phone earlier in the week, I’d told her I would hopefully be bringing Jason and Pearl with me. Of course, she’d said that was more than fine. She was always interested in meeting people in her children’s lives. My parents and siblings were the type to welcome anyone with open arms, but I was unsure how to handle the questions that were certainly going to arise by bringing Jason and Pearl. I was hoping that since Kate was within days of her due date with Annabel, she would take the attention away from me.

Since I’d been unsure if my cooking skills could create something edible for my girls’ night this evening with Pearl, I’d decided to pick up dinner on my way home from my last meeting today. I’d settled on a cheese pizza and breadsticks. Then, I had gone to a local bakery and bought cupcakes.

Knowing Pearl would be arriving any minute now, I arranged our dinner on my kitchen table, using paper plates for easy clean up. I also pulled out two clear plastic cups for our sparkling grape juice. When the doorbell finally rang, I had to remind myself not to jump up and down and squeal like a little girl. I was so excited that tonight was finally here. I happily skipped over to the front door and yanked it open.

Pearl’s eyes reflected my zest as she bounced lightly on her feet. “Yay! Tonight is
finally
here! I was so excited all day that I could barely complete my art drawing.” She beamed those emerald eyes up at me, and then she barreled forward to hug me fervently.

I embraced her back with equal exhilaration. “I know how you feel! It seemed like the clock was moving extremely slow today!” I responded.

“Yes, it did!” she replied, reaching back to slip her worn backpack off her shoulders. She unzipped it, grabbed a rolled-up poster board, and began sliding the rubber band down from the center. “Look what I have!” she shrieked, opening it and thrusting it toward me. “I made this for you today in Mrs. Shepard’s art class,” she added, her voice suddenly shy.

The white poster board had a drawing of a purple wall with squares of paintings and a white couch. It was one that I recognized as my own. A woman with brown hair and blue eyes had a pillow above her head while she balanced on her knees, ready to attack. A much smaller girl with green eyes beaming brightly was also in the same position. Both were smiling a larger-than-life smile. A man with ruffled dirty-blond hair looked to be laughing profusely as both of his hands were spread wide while holding a plum-colored blanket out slightly in front of him, ready to counter the blows of our pillows.

“Oh, Pearl,” I choked off, reining in my emotions while blinking back tears. “It’s beautiful.” I was at a loss for more words.

Pearl smiled. “Mrs. Shepard let us use, um…” She stalled, raising one hand and tapping it along her cheek. “Um…those oil things. They aren’t crayons, but they look like them, and they’re kinda slimy,” she added to her description.

“Oil crayons?” I asked.

“Yep! That’s it! Our teacher let us use them today!” she exclaimed, lowering her gaze back to the picture. “This is your big white couch. See?” She pointed. “And this is me and you with your big fluffy pillows in our hands.” She moved her hand over to a large figure and a blanket. “And that is Jason trying to shield himself with the blanket.” She giggled.

I could no longer
see
the picture. Tears had spilled over my eyes and onto my cheeks. The coolness of the liquid contrasted the warmth I felt in my heart. I hastily blinked the tears back and saw Pearl looking up at me with a heartfelt and thoughtful expression on her face.

“That was the best day ever,” she whispered softly.

I smiled affectionately at her as my chest constricted painfully while remembering the sounds of our laughter filling the room on that particular Sunday—Jason begging me to save him, me teaming up with Pearl, us bombarding Jason with our pillow attacks, and Pearl’s sweet giggling that had made me giggle, too.

I had no words to describe how much I treasured that day. I dropped to my knees, looking her in the eyes. Gathering my arms around her slender frame, I drew her into me, embracing her with all the love I felt inside. This second hug was so different from the last.

“For me, too, Pearl,” I breathed. “Me, too.”

After pizza and breadsticks, we went straight to our first hair-braiding lesson.

“So, you take the hair in your left fingers and put it over your right,” I said, teaching Pearl a simple braid first. I crisscrossed my hands as I held Pearl’s soft blonde hair in between my fingers. “Next, you pull your ring finger out, turning your hand, while you push your thumb down. Then, next time, you do the same thing with your opposite fingers,” I added, hoping I was explaining how to braid hair the right way.

It was much harder to teach someone than to just do it from memory.

She was sitting on my bathroom counter with two side mirrors opened, so she could see her back. She tilted her head to the left and then nodded. “Okay, left and then right. I think I got it! My turn!”

“All right, all right.” I laughed. I finished braiding all the way down the length of her long blonde hair and then tied a small purple rubber band at the end.

Pearl and I switched positions. She scooted the kitchen stool that I had brought into the bathroom earlier across the tiled floor until it was directly behind me. She climbed up onto it, grabbed the brush off the counter, and started brushing my hair.

After finishing, she set the hairbrush down, and I lifted my hands.

“So, first, you divide my hair into three chunks,” I instructed, helping her. My strands filled her tiny hands. “Next, take your right hand and loop in between the other two strands.”

Carefully concentrating, she did as I’d said.

“Then, use your ring finger to pull it back and outward. Finally, take the far left side, and put it in the middle of the other two. Then, you just keep going,” I added.