Champagne Romance (Romance Novel) (15 page)

After all the emotional upheaval, Slater was
hungry and grouchy. He started the engine and reached over to take
Swan’s hand. She clutched his as well. It was a good sign that they
had a truce for now even though it remained a fragile one.

CHAPTER 34

They were a stunning couple. Individually
they would have turned heads--together, they were smashing! Every
eye in the entire bar was following them. Neither Slater nor Swan
noticed as each of their thoughts and emotions were in total chaos.
Fortunately, they were seated in a secluded area and everyone
around them went back to business.

The cushy cocktail seating gave a comfortable
peace to their first date. They had had a normal conversation over
the dinner table and now they were relaxing with drinks. Slater
leaned over and casually draped his arm over Swan’s bare shoulders.
His thumb made circles on the edge of her shoulder blade, relaxing
her. She still remained somewhat tense. She was beginning to
realize that he went to direct interrogation when he was making her
feel the most vulnerable.

“
Did you have a hard time?”

Swan blinked a few times wondering if she had
missed part of the conversation as she sipped her champagne
cocktail and looked up at the stars. “Wwwhat?” she stuttered.

He repeated the question, “Did you have a
difficult time delivering Quinn?”

“
Yes.”

We’re back to one-word answers again, he
thought. “How so?” he pressed.

He wanted to hear every detail of the birth
that he had missed.

“
He was breech.”

Slater sucked in an audible breath between
his perfect teeth and his thumb stopped circling Swan’s shoulder as
he imagined her all alone and blind, birthing their son breech. He
had helped with enough animals on his Malibu ranch to get through a
difficult birth to know it was not a pleasant way to go whether you
were animal or female woman. Sometimes neither made it.

He swallowed, “I should have been there.”

Swan looked right into his soul and replied
serenely, “I wish you would have been there, too. I needed you.”
She looked away.

“
I’ll be there the next
time.”

At that comment, Swan’s head jerked up and
she stared directly into Slater’s eyes. Slater leaned down and
tenderly kissed her lips. It was an apology for the things that he
had had no control over in the past and the way things might be in
the future. Her response told him that she understood and accepted
the way things had been and would let time take care of things to
come.

CHAPTER 35

Slater arrived at Swan’s condo the next day
with a handful of trucks, planes, and GI Joes. He had missed two
birthdays and he was determined to make up for lost time. Slater
came the day after that and the day after that. He totally fell
into the role of being a daddy. Quinn soon fell under his spell and
was greeting him with open arms. Slater would throw him up in the
air and tickle him making laughter and happiness while adding a new
dimension to the life of a young boy with a new daddy.

Slater soon was a permanent fixture. The
female condo began to change with the constant presence of male
company. Maria was a little skeptical at first and remained
constantly vigilant; always, hovering subtlety nearby. Slater knew
that he was being judged and evaluated. He was pleased that she
watched over his little family so carefully. It wasn’t long,
however, before Maria realized his commitment and devotion was the
same as hers and accepted him as part of their daily ritual. She
was pleased with what she saw and the happiness that he generated
for the family. When she began to retreat more and more into her
own quarters, Slater knew he had passed her evaluation test.

Slater was elated to hear that Quinn would
soon be having his third birthday. He found himself planning to
bring an entire circus to preschool. He was a little disgruntled
that his practical mother quickly squished the thought. A simple
birthday with family and cake was exciting as it was going to get.
So, the following Saturday he planned their first trip to
Disneyland.

It was a comfortable clear day when Slater
and his little family arrived at 8:00 A.M. at the Disney theme park
in Anaheim along with a score of other families. They took the tram
from the parking lot and were now standing in line for tickets.
Slater carried Quinn who was perfectly comfortable in Slater's arms
as though his daddy had always been a normal part of his life. With
big gray eyes, he was soberly observing the chaos around him.

They soon were through the turnstile and
grabbing a coveted baby stroller. It wasn’t long before they were
making their way down the crowded Main Street USA with Quinn taking
in all the sights. He squealed with delight when he saw Tigger and
Mickey Mouse. Both of them squatted down for pictures with him.
From then on, he was a declared “Disney Groupie”.

The morning passed quickly after several
kiddy rides and standing in line for Snow White, Peter Pan, and
It’s a Small Small World. Mom and Dad waved and smiled indulgently
as Quinn flew by on Dumbo and scooted along on Donald Duck.

Time out was finally taken for lunch. Slater
was more than a little distracted when Swan leaned over in her
little white shorts to lift Quinn out of the stroller. Her cute
little tush was outlined very distinctly as she did so. He had
watched her backside swish back and forth all morning and now that
he had an opportunity, it was just too tempting not to touch. Swan
swatted his hand away, continued with her task as though it were
normal, and then turned to glare at him. Slater returned her glare
with a dimpled grin letting her know that he was not the least bit
contrite.

Swan handed Quinn to Slater saying, “Here,
let Daddy carry you, he needs something to do with his hands.”

After a late lunch, Quinn began to yawn.
Crawling into the comforting arms of his mommy, he was soon sound
to sleep on Swan’s plump breast. Slater watched in fascination as
he snuggled his head close and stuck his thumb in his mouth. He was
so close to her nipple that it was hard not to imagine Quinn
sucking at her breast. All too soon, he was wondering what it would
feel like for him to do the same. He was convinced that at the end
of the day, he would find out.

The evening concluded with the Electric
Parade and Tinker Bell flying down the wire. Then, the
entertainment was over and suddenly all the strollers in the
amusement park seemed to be trying to converge and funnel into Main
Street USA simultaneously. By this time, everyone was tired,
cranky, and no longer amused. Stroller road rage had begun and
Slater was the leader of the pack. Finally, they passed through the
exit gate and mounted the trolley that took them to the parking
lot. An hour later, they walked into Swan’s condo.

Slater had Quinn’s routine down by now. A
quick dip in the tub, a bedtime story, and Quinn would be out like
a light. The anticipation of taking a shower himself and crawling
under the covers with Swan generated some extra energy. Swan
appeared at the doorway of Quinn’s room in a white terry robe.
Thanking him for getting Quinn ready for bed and for the
entertaining day, she asked him to lock the door on the way out as
she was going to bed as well.

“
Good,” thought Slater, “that’s right
where he wanted her.” Kissing their son good night, he softly
treaded his way down the hall to Swan’s bedroom. He turned the
doorknob only to find it bloody well locked. There was no way that
a locked door would keep him out if he chose to be on the other
side, but for now he gave Swan a reprieve.

“
Swan, darling, you can’t keep me out
of your bed forever,” he spoke in a husky menacing
voice.

He didn’t know if Swan heard him as there was
no reaction on the other side of the door, but he felt better for
saying it. Swan did indeed hear his deep voice and each word he
spoke. She tossed and turned for over an hour after he left while
visions of another night danced in her head before darkness claimed
her in a restless sleep.

Slater left the condo and arrived at his own
luxury pad fifteen minutes later. He poured himself a scotch and
went out on his balcony. Standing at the railing overlooking the
Pacific, he began drumming his fingers on the edge as he thought
about Swan. She was not going to make this relationship easy. He
was not averse to plying her with liquor and getting her a little
tipsy if that is what it took to lower her defenses. However, he
knew that she would blame him in the long run and that that would
probably not be his most creative idea. Besides, he wanted her
alert and ready the next time they made love. He wanted her to want
him as much as he wanted her. And yes, there would be a next time
whether she realized it or not.

CHAPTER 36

The next afternoon Slater arrived on the
doorstep with two dozen red roses. He had given roses before; they
just were never red. Red was only for lovers and the mother of his
child. No one had ever been that special to him before this.

Swan graciously accepted the flowers and put
them in a crystal vase of water. She wore a white linen halter-top
that showed a lot of cleavage; especially, when she leaned down to
place the flowers on the table. Slater, being as horny as he was,
was not averse to ogling every jiggling movement. When Swan looked
up, she caught his glance and became a little flushed. Good, he
thought, maybe he was inching under her skirts after all and it was
time to press to his advantage.

He pulled Swan reluctantly onto his lap. “So,
did you get a good night’s rest?”

Slater was amused as he watched a little
blush came over her face. He was beginning to realize that when she
was on the defensive, she met his eyes unwaveringly with much more
bravado than she probably felt.

“
I slept like a log,” she stated
without as much as a twitter of an eyelash.

At least they were getting past the one-word
answers, he thought.

“
Good, because Babe, you’re going to
need it tonight.”

He made sure that there was no doubt what he
wanted from her by pulling her close to his hardness and pressing
her breasts against his chest as he lips came down in a demanding
kiss. She responded without a struggle, but when his hands began to
wonder, she immediately put a stop to them and climbed off his lap
putting space between them.

There was not an opportunity to pursue the
romance farther as Quinn was soon in the middle of both of them. He
was always excited to see his daddy and today was no different. He
began tugging on his hand hoping to go to the beach and build sand
castles. It wasn’t long before they were all sitting at the
shoreline, each trying to “out do” the other with a little sand
art.

The day soon turned into evening. They
returned to the condo with a box of pizza and a six-pack of beer.
Soon, they had eaten and it was time for Quinn to “hit the hay”, an
event to which Slater had looked forward to all day. It wasn’t long
before sleepy eyes closed after indulging in a duo read from both
parents. They kissed him good night and tiptoed from the room.

Once the light was flipped, Slater backed
Swan against the hall wall and resumed where he had left off on the
couch earlier that day. The passionate kiss that followed was
supposed to set the mood for the rest of the evening. Unfortunately
for Slater, the angels gave a nervous Swan another reprieve.

They had just sat down in front of the
fireplace with a glass of wine when Slater’s cell phone rang. It
was from Juanita in Malibu. Jake had had an accident on the ranch.
One of the cattle had not been particularly uncooperative during
dehorning and he had gotten gouged in the belly. Juanita’s English
was never the greatest under the best of circumstances and under
duress; she was having a difficult time communicating. Slater
immediately lapsed into fluent Spanish. After speaking with the
hospital doctor he understood the seriousness of the situation as
Jake was bleeding profusely and they may not be able to get it
under control. He might not make it. Slater ran an agitated hand
through his hair. Assuring Juanita that he would be on his twin
engine within the hour, he hung up the phone. A quick explanation
and a kiss on Swan’s upturned lips; he immediately exited out the
door.

CHAPTER 37

The next day passed slowly. Swan’s concern
for Slater and his friend were making her a little worried as she
had not heard from Slater all day. When the phone finally did ring,
she jumped in anticipation of bad news. Slater gave a brief
description of the events of the day. By the time that Slater had
reached the hospital, the doctor had been able to stop the
bleeding. Jake was not in immediate danger, but because of the
seriousness of the wound, he would remain in intensive care
overnight. He would probably be in the hospital for the rest of the
week. Slater had held and soothed Juanita the best he could trying
to reassure her that all would be well.

When Jake seemed to be holding his own,
Juanita could not thank Slater enough for coming. She promised to
bake him a peach pie if he would only stay a while longer. Slater
had no intention of going anywhere until his friend returned home
and was totally on the mend; however, it never hurt to have a
homemade pie dangled in front of his nose. Besides, he never in his
life turned down Juanita’s home cooking.

Slater finally arrived back at his hacienda
towards the end of the day. He settled onto the cowhide couch with
the fireplace burning and gave Swan a call. He explained Jake’s
situation while Swan listened with relief. Then, she made the
mistake of asking if there were anything she could do.