Gloria's Forever (Gloria Book 3) (12 page)

A sheepish smile splayed on my face. “A tattoo.”

“I have the same one,” chimed in Jaime, twisting his left wrist to display it.

Proudly, we both showed off identical hearts that were intersected by the infinity symbol.
Toi et Moi forever.
While Kev and Ray were honeymooning, we decided to get them inked. To remind us of our eternal love. Since my near-death birthing ordeal, there wasn’t a day that went by that I didn’t think about God giving me more than the gift of my beautiful children. He had given me once again the gift of life. In truth, we were more than just a
toi et moi
. Along with Kevin, Ray, Kashunna, and Ty, we were a family. I would love them all till the day I died. I’d learned that forever is more than a word or a measurement of time; forever is a place in your heart where your loved ones will always dance even when you’re gone. As I soaked in the people so near and dear to me, the beautiful truth hit me. Forever was happening right now. A tear of happiness flickered in my eye.

“What are you two lovebirds doing to celebrate?” asked Ray, breaking into my rapturous thoughts.

“We’re having a picnic on the beach with the babies. Come join us,” replied Jaime.

“Count us in!” said Kev with a big smile.

Our first anniversary fell on a Sunday, so none of us had to work. Well, at least go into an office.

Jaime continued. “And I’m taking Gloria out for dinner tonight.”

Kev kissed the top of Paulette’s head again. “Aww, are Mommy and Daddy leaving my two cutie pies all alone?”

My sensitive Paulette, who sometimes suffered from separation anxiety, was on the verge of tears, but leave it to Kev to tickle her just in the nick of time. She burst into a fit of laughter. There was nothing more beautiful than a baby’s laugh. Although my husband didn’t agree with that.

Jaime’s sultry voice mingled with her laughter while his eyes held me fierce. “And I also have a special surprise for my wife.”

My ears perked up. This was news to me. I traced his strong stubbled jaw with my hand. “Really, darling? And what might that surprise be?”

“Something sparkly?” crooned Kevin.

“Maybe.” My gorgeous husband eyed me sheepishly.

“Tell me!” I pleaded.

He playfully tugged my long braid. “Angel, a surprise isn’t a surprise if I tell.”

Tingles rushed to my core. I was definitely looking forward to what he had in store. I even had an idea.

*

The early September weather couldn’t have been more perfect. We were having an Indian summer. The temperature was in the low eighties, and the gentle ocean breeze offset the hot, beating sun. We’d all gathered on a large blanket, close to the very spot where Jaime and I had made endless love time and time again. The two of us often joked that there was a permanent outline of our bodies etched in the sand.

Come in the water with us,” begged Kevin a little after we devoured the scrumptious chicken Creole Kashunna had prepared for lunch. In addition to being a dream nanny, the New Orleans native was one hell of a cook. I joked she was going to make me fat again. It had taken me almost six months to lose all my baby weight, and now my body was almost back to normal. Including my belly button to Jaime’s dismay. I was now able to wear a string bikini and wanted to keep it that way.

“Maybe later,” I said, though an ocean dip was unlikely. I was just enjoying sitting still and soaking in the rays.

“What about you, Jay-Z?”

He adjusted his Ray-Bans. “Thanks but no thanks. I think I’m just going to hang out here with Gloria and the twins.”

“Okay, you party-poopers. We’ll let you know how the water is.” Together, he and Ray leapt to their feet, and holding hands, they ran toward the roaring Pacific, shrieking like two little kids as they hit the water. They were so adorable together, and I was so happy that my Kev had found true love like I had. In no time, they were frolicking in the big, crashing waves.

My gaze shifted to Paulette and Payton. They were sitting nearby on the sand, contently playing with their plastic pails and shovels. They loved the beach. The sand, the waves, the squawking seagulls, and the schools of leaping dolphins we’d often see. Through my sunglasses, I drank them in. They were truly the two most gorgeous children I’d ever seen, and wherever we went people agreed. Paulette was indeed the spitting image of me, her platinum tendrils peeking out from her sunbonnet. I could only surmise I looked just like her as a baby as my crack whore mother sadly never took a photo of me. The only feature she hadn’t inherited was my dual-colored eyes. Hers were both cerulean blue, just like her brothers. Payton, on the other hand, was a mini-Jaime and looked just like the childhood portrait painted by his father that hung in his office. And the resemblance wasn’t just physical. He’d inherited his cocky attitude, and for sure, he was going to grow up to be a player just like his father had been before he met me. Jaime and I were going to have to teach him a thing or two about love.

Jaime dusted my chin with the tip of my braid, hurling me out of my mental ramblings. “I’m going to show them how to build a sandcastle. Want to help?”

I stretched out my long legs and leaned back on my elbows. “Pass. I’m just going to watch.”

I kept my eyes on him as he scooted over to the blissful twins and got right into sandcastle-making. His tousled sun-flecked hair glistened in the afternoon light, and his sculpted biceps flexed each time he scooped a shovelful of sand onto the ever-growing castle. The babies were giggling, tossing sand at it. Their laughter was contagious. Jaime was laughing too. It melted my heart to see how much he loved our children. And to see how much they loved him. I simply couldn’t ask for a better husband or father.

In no time, Mr. Creativity built an elaborate castle with tunnels and turrets. I got off my lazy ass and kneeled down next to my trio of builders, giving big smoochies to my little darlings.

“Oh my goodness!” I gushed. “What a beautiful castle you made with Daddy! High five!”

Big smiles spread on Paulette and Payton’s adorable faces. My precocious children had just learned how to do that. I held up my left hand and high-fived their deft little hands. My
toi et moi
ring glimmered in the sun.

A wave of melancholy washed over me. My magnificent intertwining heart-shaped diamonds had survived the passage of time. But sadly, the sandcastle wouldn’t likely last past midnight. It would be swept away by the ocean, blown away by the wind, or stamped on by some vagrant passerby. People could be so mean.

But this moment would never leave me. Regretful I hadn’t brought my iPhone along with me, I snapped a photo with my eyes, storing it in my mind. And when Jaime told me he loved me and smacked a fierce kiss on my lips while our babies looked on, I knew this was
forever.
Forever
was now. Unlike the sandcastle, our love would last beyond a lifetime.

*

Jaime

Between our crazy work schedules, the babies, and the completion of our Malibu house, it had been a while since Mr. Creativity had done something truly outrageous with Gloria. In fact, the last time had been in Paris when I fucked her on the Grande Roue. It was fucking amazing. I’d set her off just as the Eiffel Tower burst into a fireworks display of sparkling lights.

Tonight for our anniversary, I had something equally spectacular planned. All day she’d been bugging me about what I had in mind, but I was good at keeping secrets. It was all part of my plan.

“You promised never to keep a secret from me,” she purred over our romantic candlelit dinner at the oceanfront Hotel Casa del Mar in Santa Monica. Their seafood restaurant, Catch, was one of our favorites, and we were given a table with a picturesque view of both the Pacific and the lit up pier.

“You’ll find out soon.” I fed her another oyster and watched as she sensuously savored it. Oysters, like strawberries, were a natural aphrodisiac. Bearing an uncanny resemblance to female reproductive organs, the raw mollusks contained amino acids that increased libido. I was horny as hell and couldn’t wait for our next activity.

“Fine.” Squirming, she screwed up her face. I knew she was all hot and bothered.

She licked her upper lip and reciprocated, dangling the oyster above my mouth. The tease! I clamped my lips around it, and as I sucked on the tender meat, my eyes stayed riveted on her. She looked positively stunning. Her shimmering mane of hair was loose the way I preferred it, and she was wearing a chic little black dress, accessorized only by the dangling diamond heart earrings I’d given her on Valentine’s Day and a matching pendant necklace I’d surprised her with on Mother’s Day. It hit her just above her breathtaking cleavage. The sparkling, flawless heart-shaped diamond that dangled from the platinum chain weighed a little over nine carats—signifying the combined weight of newborn Paulette and Payton. It cost a fucking fortune, but was worth every penny. I loved spending money on Gloria. And our children.

We ordered dessert. A flourless, rich chocolate pastry that would arouse her further. After taking care of the check, I escorted her to the entrance of the hotel.

“Why aren’t you asking the valet to bring your car?” she asked as we stepped outside.

“Because we’re going for a walk, my angel.” On my next breath, I reached inside my breast pocket and pulled out a lace mask. Before she could say another word, I slipped it over her eyes.

“What are you doing, you crazy man?”

I snickered silently. Too bad, she couldn’t see the smirk on my face. “What does it look like I’m doing? I’m blindfolding you. Now, don’t take it off or you’ll ruin the surprise.”

“Fine.” She pivoted on her stilettos and scrunched up her nose. She was fucking adorable when she did that. I was loving every minute.

Taking her by the arm, I led her away.

“Where are we going?” she asked, walking stealthily in her stilettos and clinging to me.

“For a ride.”

“You’re not taking me to the Santa Monica Pier, are you?”

“No, something way more fun.” But when I thought about it, getting a blowjob on the amusement park’s wicked rollercoaster could be pretty mind-blowing. Mental note: next year.

Crashing waves sounded in my ears as we headed toward the beach. To my surprise, Gloria was cooperating with the mask. She secretly liked all the kinky things I did to her. If she didn’t behave, I was prepared. A pair of handcuffs was sitting in another pocket.

“Take off your shoes,” I ordered as we were about to step onto the sand.

She reluctantly kicked them off. “We’re going for a walk on the beach?”

“A very short one.” I bent down to pick up her gazillion dollar stilettos and then I removed her mask.

Gloria gazed at the white-crested ocean before looking up at the starry sky. A loud gasp escaped her throat.

Hovering above us was the Goodyear blimp, with its panel of multi-color LED lights. I’d had the blimp operators customize my message to Gloria:
Happy anniversary, my angel. To toi et moi forever.
The last word was followed by two entwined hearts that resembled our recent tattoos. The lit up words scrolled across the side of the blimp.

Gloria was still speechless. Finally, she managed to find her voice.

“Oh my God, Jaime! This blimp is going to fly all around LA?”

I nuzzled the back of her neck. “No baby,
we’re
going to fly all around LA.”

She spun around and glared at me. “What?”

“Yup.” I grinned wickedly. Very few people in the world were allowed to take a ride on the famous blimp. Usually just corporate guests and members of the press. My ad agency had recently done a very successful Goodyear tire campaign that had aired during the Super Bowl to worldwide accolades, and this was my reward.

Gloria still harbored a fear of flying, but that was going to make our journey all the more fun. Holding her in my arms, I watched as the huge aircraft slowly descended onto the wide sandy beach. Like a giant whale floating in the sky. I’d read it was close to two hundred feet long (twice the length of a blue whale), fifty feet wide, sixty feet tall and weighed close to thirteen thousand pounds.