Circle of Deception 2 (28 page)

When he stepped into the water with her still wrapped around him and sat down, she sighed at the feeling the water provided. Her eyes closed as he raised a sponge drenching her neck and shoulders with the soapy water. She sighed in relaxation, but then gasped when she felt him enter her from that position. He had her arms pinned to her side and he pushed her down against him. When he slid down and positioned his legs to the edge of the tub, planting his feet firmly against it, she knew she was in trouble. He gripped her tightly and thrust up sending a wave of pleasure shooting through her. When he took possession of her nipple, she screamed. She tried to move her arms up to touch him, but he held her in place thrusting into her forcefully.

Meg tried to find the rhythm and follow him, but he didn’t give her the opportunity. He held her in place as he drug her closer and closer to ecstasy. He pushed into her for as long as his body would allow before pausing for a second to observe her. She was climbing the wall to fall off that invisible edge, and then he took her breast in his mouth causing her to burst. She throbbed against him and said his name in a thick unrecognizable voice. He knew she had flown over the edge, but he continued to push still caressing her breast with his tongue. She began to rock and he finally let her go. She laced her arms around his neck as he plunged deeper inside her, causing water to spill over on the floor. Her legs started vibrating and he delivered one last thrust and buried his head in the crease of her breasts.

“Baby,” he screamed. “Oh baby!” She collapsed against him still holding on to his neck. He kissed her forehead and gripped her tighter. He couldn’t bring himself to lift her just yet. He was reveling in the feeling, and truth be told, he didn’t know if he had the energy to stand. They sat in the tub until the water was too cold to stand, and then he finally lifted them out. He still had her draped around him, and he kissed her forehead while wrapping a towel around them.

Alex knew their little reprieve had made her feel better, but it couldn’t solve her dilemma. As he put her down and dried her body off, he started up the inevitable conversation. “How did your talk with Emilio go?”

Meg sighed and pulled the covers back on the bed climbing underneath. “He says he’s okay with me getting to know Richard. He wants to be supportive, but I’m still not sure, Alex. How can I just let him in my life? And what about our children? Should I trust him around them? I know nothing about him, and I’m afraid to allow him access to them.”

Alex climbed in bed and pulled her to him. “Sweetie, I think your fear has nothing to do with the kids. You’re afraid to get close to him and have him turn out to be less than what you expected. I know after you found out that there was a Richard, you had to have envisioned what he would be like, and now, the real thing might not live up to the fantasy. Well, even if that’s true, at least you tried, and you have one thing in your favor.”

“What’s that?”

“He isn’t Ben Hanover,” he laughed.

“Alex,” she sat up nervously. “I know you have your issues with him, but without his help, we wouldn’t have our little girl back. I think you should try to make some sort of peace with him.”

“Are you serious? He was an ass to you, and he shot your father. One good deed doesn’t wipe out all the madness he has caused over the years.”

“Maybe not, and I think what he did is despicable, but it was almost thirty years ago.”

“If you can forgive that, then why can’t you try to find common ground with your father?”

“Richard,” she corrected him.

“Yes, Richard,” he acknowledged. “I just think you should give it a try. Take Jordan, no one can resist our little man.”

“Do you really think it will be okay?”

“Yes, and if not, you still have us.”

“I love you,” she replied and rested in the crook of his neck. “Wrap those strong arms around me.” He pulled her to his chest and exhaled. He ran his hand up and down her spine stroking her slowly as she drifted into a dreamless sleep. While she slept, he was awake thinking. Maybe she was right, maybe he needed to extend an olive branch to his father. With all the blessings in his life, he felt strange harboring such hatred for anyone; even him.

Three Months Later

Meg shifted Jordan to her other hip and brushed Allison’s hair down as they waited on the lawn for Richard to arrive. She had spoken with him and decided to finally have a sit down to get the ball rolling. With Alex’s support she suggested that he come to their house, and the rest of the family would be joining them soon. For the first few hours or so, it would be just her Richard and the kids, and the rest of the group would join them for a barbecue shortly afterward.

Meg watched as Richard pulled up and pasted on her most convincing smile. She was a nervous wreck and Allison must have noticed because she held her hand tighter, pulling her arm to whisper in her ear. “Mommy, he looks like you.”

Meg smiled and nodded her head. “He sure does, sweetie. Say hello to Mr. Richard.”

Allison looked to Meg and shrugged. “Hello Mr. Grandpa Richard.”

Both Meg and Richard laughed at her silliness thus breaking the ice between them. When Meg extended a hand for him to shake, he accepted it graciously. He took her hand and shook it holding it a little longer than she expected. His eyes studied her intently and he grinned happily. “My god, you’re so beautiful. I can’t believe I’m really standing here with you.” Meg blushed at his words and moved away to lead him to the setup they prepared for his visit.

When they reached the table, Richard kept looking at her in astonishment. Although he hadn’t been able to recall anything about himself before now, he knew he had missed so much by not being there when she was growing up. He couldn’t believe the child, he fought so hard to protect was standing before him with a family of her own.

Richard kept eying Jordan, and when he reached out, Meg held him up. “Would you like to hold him? He is really a good baby, sometimes he takes a little while to get adjusted to new people, but you might as well get started.” Richard’s eyes widened in surprise, and he threw his arms open to receive his grandson.

Meg watched in amazement as Jordan went right to him and instantly started playing with the buttons on his shirt. She had never seen him take to a stranger so willingly. He seemed comfortable with him, and she finally concluded in her mind, he wasn’t a stranger, he was her father, their grandfather.

Meg sat back in awe as Jordan drooled on his buttons and Richard didn’t seem to mind. He just kept raising Jordan up and down swinging him around as he kicked his legs in the air. Jordan was reveling in the attention he was getting, and Allison had made her way over to soak up her own time with her new grandfather.

Richard played with the kids for a little while longer and turned to see Meg with a huge smile on her face. “So, tell me all about yourself. I seem to be at a loss of information,” he chuckled.

She laughed at his attempt at humor and sat up. “Well, you know I’m married, I have my two wonderful children, and I run a media company. Well, it’s actually been running me lately. Between the kids, Alex, my family, and the business, I’m running all the time, but I love it all. I love being a wife and mother, and I love what I do at work. Honestly, my life is great, even with all the bad, good things have come out of it.”

“Wow, you’re amazing,” he smiled. “You’re everything a father could want in his daughter. I’m glad your life is good, it’s all I ever wanted for you. When I found out your mother was pregnant, I knew you were going to be a girl, I could just feel it. Every time you kicked in her stomach, I would put my hand there and talk to you. I swore you could hear me, and I used to read stories to you every night before...” he trailed off and turned his head away. When she saw the emotion in his eyes, she put her hand on his for support. “Anyways, you turned out beautifully. Your mother did an excellent job with you, with all of you girls, you’re all amazing women.”

“Yeah, mom and papa did great.” Richard looked hurt by her comment. “I’m sorry if that’s insensitive. I know it must be weird to know he raised me, but he was wonderful to me. He treats me like his own, and I love him like my own.”

“And you should. Him stepping in and raising you was admirable and I have nothing but respect for him.”

“I wasn’t sure how to feel about you, but now I’m glad I invited you here. I didn’t want to hurt papa, but he showed me that I could love you both and not feel like I’m cheating anyone.”

“And how do you feel about that?”

“It’s going to be an adjustment, but I want to know you. There is so much time to make up for between us, and I’m willing to try if you are, but I have to know something.”

“Anything, I’m an open book.”

“How is it that you care so much about getting to know me, but you don’t seem the least bit interested in Bianca and Sean? I can’t help but to wonder why, and I’m also puzzled as to how you could just leave them to run off with my mother.”

Richard sighed and moved Jordan to his other leg and dropped his head. “It wasn’t one of my finer moments. Amanda and I had been having problems for quite some time and when I met your mother, she was a breath of fresh air. She was caring and vibrant, and even though she was going through hell because of Ben, she was able to keep me smiling. I would come home on cloud nine the whole time I was around her during her hospital stay. One day, she broke down and told me the whole story about Ben, and I came up with the plan to run away. We planned on taking Sean and Bianca with us, but when Amanda realized what we were planning, she sent them away. I didn’t know where they had gone or where to look, and we couldn’t stick around to find out, Ben was closing in on us and we had to make a move quick.”

“They always assumed you didn’t know about them. I guess that’s what Amanda told them.”

“They were babies back then, they wouldn’t remember. Amanda was awful to them, she never wanted children, and she let it show. She was never nurturing or affectionate the way a mother should be. I wanted my children, I wanted them to be with me. I never intended to leave them for good. I had every intention of finding them once I had your mother settled. Things just didn’t work out, and look what happened.”

“Mom never told us this part of the story, so she was going to help you with them?”

“Yes,” he smiled. “I always knew she was quite a woman. Amanda was just poisonous.”

“Why is it that after all that time with Amanda, you couldn’t remember anything, but just one look at mom, you remembered everything?”

“It’s simple, your mother meant the world to me once, so did you.”

“And now? I don’t want to hurt you, but mom’s happy with papa.”

“I care about your mother, I always will, but at the moment, I’m more focused on my children. You’re amazing, and I’m so proud, but your brother and sister,” he sighed, “I just wish I could have been better when it came to them.”

“I’ve learned, you can’t blame yourself for other people’s actions. They could have chosen to go a different route, but they chose to be the way they are. They have no one to blame but themselves.”

“You’re so insightful,” he smiled. “You’re so much like your mother it isn’t funny. I see so much of her in you.”

Meg grinned and looked to Allison. “I just hope I can be the mother to them that she was to us. At first I didn’t understand how she could leave us, but now, I commend her sacrifice.”

Meg and Richard continued their conversation for what seemed like forever. Allison interjected her cute little comments and they enjoyed the nice time together while waiting for the others to arrive. Alex watched from the back door of the house smiling. He was enjoying the scene before him when Maddie and Nathan walked up surprising him.

“So, how’s it going with the new dad?” Maddie joked.

“Okay, I guess,” Alex turned to face them. “They’ve been out there for hours, and Jordan hasn’t cried once.”

“Well, he’s in,” Maddie laughed. “How weird is this? Our dead mom comes back to life, and now her dead dad. What’s next?”

“Oh, don’t say that. You know it’s always eventful around here, anything could happen.”

“Well, let’s let them have a few more minutes alone while we mix up some drinks. The others should be here soon.”

“Well hook it up, sis. I’m ready to kick this party off.”

While Maddie turned to head into the kitchen, other guests began to arrive. Melia and Matt were next with Cienna who ran out to the yard to join Allison. Melissa was the next to arrive with Rogelio at her side. They all gathered around the pool as Marisol began to bring the food out, lining it up on the tables.

When Meg finally realized the time, she jumped up and Richard gave Jordan to her. “Wow. We’ve been talking so long, I forgot about my own party. Let me get Jordan changed and we will be right back. Feel free to join the others at the pool.”

Richard smiled as she rushed off. He had really enjoyed his time with her, the only thing that could make this better was seeing Maria again. He didn’t want to tell Meg, but he knew he would always have feelings for her. He knew it would be ridiculous to think he could just appear back in her life and pick up where they left off, but he still longed to see her. Her presence would just have to be enough to satisfy his need for her.

As Richard continued to look across the yard, he saw Maria emerge and nearly lost his breath. She was as beautiful as the day he last saw her. She was walking towards the pool hand in hand with Emilio, wearing her radiant smile. He could tell she was happy, he envied Emilio, but he was also drawn to the connection they had.

As Richard continued to watch from afar, he noticed that most of the guests had arrived. He noted that everyone was there except Meg’s brother Gio and his boyfriend Marco. She had mentioned some other person that was due to arrive, but he couldn’t recall the name. When she was listing the guests, he had blanked out on half the names just staring at her. He was so proud of the woman his daughter was, he could hardly contain himself. When he saw her heading back to the pool area, he started towards her.

On his way, Richard watched the interaction between Meg and Alex. He noted the way Alex looked at her, and the gentle way he touched her when he talked, and grinned. He could tell the boy absolutely adored his daughter and felt overjoyed. She had really built a wonderful life. The children were beautiful and well mannered, and her marriage seemed to be rock solid. As Richard approached the pool, Emilio and Maria appeared before him. She was wearing a genuine smile, and Emilio extended a hand for him to shake.

“It’s nice to see you again,” Emilio supplied.

“Likewise.”

Emilio nodded and walked away, leaving Maria to issue her own greeting. He knew they must have so much to talk about, and he wanted to give them privacy. “Richard,” she grinned.

“Maria, I must say, you’ve done an excellent job with our daughter. She is fantastic.”

“She is, I’m glad you got to spend some time with her.”

“Me too,” he smiled. He looked at Maria admiring the woman that had stolen his heart so long ago and stood frozen. She was just as amazing as he remembered. He continued to watch her until he looked up and saw the other guests. He noted the way they all interacted and felt a sense of jealousy. He only dreamed of having that type of connection.

The guests were all mingling and mixing it up, getting reacquainted Maddie and Nathan had appeared with the drinks and were passing them out while the children were all headed to the bounce house with the exception of Jordan. He was getting fussy after watching the other kids run off, and Alex stepped in front of him and started playing to calm him. They were all lost in the precious moment until Marisol came barreling across the lawn.

“Mr. Hanover,” Marisol yelled, looking to the front point out a car pulling into the driveway.

“What is going on?” Meg huffed.

Alex directed his attention to the front and looked up to see a man bounding across the lawn. He kept watching as the figure got closer and the whole yard turned their attention to the man heading towards them. Alex squinted his eyes and when he realized who it was, he gasped. “What the hell?”

In a few short moments, Ben was standing in their back yard wearing a huge grin. Allison and Cienna rushed to hug him, and everyone else stood in shock. Richard stopped his conversation with Maria and glared at him, and Meg placed a hand on his shoulder to calm him down. Ben laughed at Richard’s stance and crossed his hands over his chest. Before anyone could make a comment, he bent down, placing kisses on both Allison and Cienna. He looked to the group of hate-filled eyes with his smuggest expression. “Anybody miss me?”

“How in the hell are you here? You tried to kill a man and left him for dead,” Alex snapped.

“Aawh son, I wasn’t expecting a party,” he scanned the yard. “You shouldn’t have.”

“Cut the bullshit. How are you here?”

“Well, a confession is only relevant when there is a crime. You of all people should know how tricky the law is. The state would have to file new charges against me, and since they didn’t, I’m free. I happened to help them nail Bianca, Sean, and Amanda for Carmen’s murder, so I’ll ask one more time, did you miss me? Because baby,” he eyed Melissa and then Maria. “I’m home to stay.”

“Like hell you are.” Alex growled. “I’ll make a call and get you sent right back.”

“Well, if you did that, you wouldn’t see the surprise I brought. I think you all will find this interesting.”