Lost in Time (Forever and Always #20)

E. L. Todd

This is a work of fiction. All the characters
and events portrayed in this novel are fictitious or used
fictitiously. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be
reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means,
including information storage and retrieval systems, without
written permission from the publisher or author, except in the case
of a reviewer, who may quote brief passages in a review.

Lost in Time

E.L. Todd

Copyright E.L. Todd 2013

Smashwords Edition

Chapter 1

Sean

The next three months passed by without any
incidents. Mike and Cassandra had a wonderful honeymoon and
returned to their mansion down the road. If she weren’t already
pregnant, I would suspect he knocked her up.

While this time has been wonderful for my
brother, it hasn’t been wonderful for me. After losing one baby, I
was determined not to go through it again. Scarlet stayed home like
I asked, and I was there for her every step of the way, but shit, I
was scared something horrible would happen. The doctor said
miscarriages happen in the first trimester, not after, usually. I
wanted the time to go by fast so we could cross the finish line.
Every day that passed pushed us a little further to our goal.

Scarlet was in bed when I got home from work.
I knew she hated lying down all day. Even though the pillows were
propped up and she leaned against the headboard, she was still
restless. I didn’t blame her. I’d hate doing nothing all day.
Scarlet loved to move around and be on her feet. This was killing
her. But she didn’t complain, knowing it was necessary.

I sat at the edge of the bed then gave her a
soft kiss. My lips pressed to hers longer than usual, feeling the
warmth and softness of her mouth. “How was your day?”

She shrugged. “It was okay.”

I stared at her computer and her notebook. I
knew she was getting a lot done in bed while Olga took care of the
house. “Can I get you anything? I got UNO on my way home.” I opened
my bag and handed her the cards.

Her eyes lit up. “This will be fun.”

We’d been playing a lot of games since she
became pregnant. It was a fun activity that required no movement.
After being at work all day, I just wanted to come home and lay on
the couch with her cuddled beside me, but I knew she was bored and
restless. I needed to spend time with her and distract her mind,
not that I minded.

“Are there any other games you’d like to
play? I’ve pretty much cleared out the toy store.”

She shook her head. “None comes to mind. At
least our kids will have everything when they have friends
over.”

“Yeah. And they’ll be pros.”

She left the box of cards on the bed. “How
was your day?”

“The same as it is every day.”

She studied my face, looking into my eyes and
glancing at my tight lips. “Are you stressed out at work?”

“No.” Work had nothing to do with it.

“Then what’s troubling you?”

“When I’m at work I’m not here.”

Understanding came into her eyes. “Sean, I’m
fine. Olga takes care of me.”

It wasn’t that either. “I’m scared.” I hated
admitting I was weak, but she was the only person I could be honest
with.

She knew what I meant. “I am too.”

I took a deep breath. “But it’s been three
months. I’m sure everything is fine.” I had to be brave for her, to
give her hope. She was almost at her second trimester when we lost
the baby. I didn’t want to repeat history.

“We’ve been very careful, Sean. I’ve been
lying in bed, relaxed, every day. I’m not stressed out. Everything
is going really well.”

“Yeah.” There was nothing more I could do. “I
made a doctor’s appointment. We’ll get checked out.”

“Okay.”

I pulled back her covers then lifted up her
shirt. I kissed her distended belly, loving the roundness. Her arms
and legs were still small and toned. Her neck and ribs still had
the same slenderness. Just her stomach had expanded. And it was a
sexy sight. And her breasts were much bigger than they used to
be—much to my pleasure.

Her fingers moved through my hair. “She’s
excited to meet you.”

I moved my lips to hers and kissed her.
“She?”

“It’s a girl.” She said it without
hesitation.

“Why do you think that?”

She shrugged. “I just know.”

My hand moved across her stomach. “I would
love a little girl. She’d have brown hair just like you and eat
dirt off the floor.”

She smiled. “Just because I didn’t have class
doesn’t mean our little girl won’t.”

“Who are you kidding?” I teased.

“We’ll both raise her into an amazing
woman.”

“Who will never have sex.”

She raised an eyebrow. “You better be
joking.”

“Of course, I am. When she gets married at
the age of thirty then she can have sex with her husband.”

“Do you think we’re having a daughter in the
twenties…?”

“No…”

“Then you better be joking.”

“My daughter isn’t going to be a slut,” I
said firmly. “We’re going to raise her to wait until marriage.”

“Um…you weren’t a virgin when you got
married.”

“That’s different.”

“Why is that different?” she snapped

“Because I’m a guy.”

The anger brewed in her eyes. “You better
knock off that sexist shit.”

“It’s not sexist. It’s just a fact. Guys
sleep around and it doesn’t ruin their reputation. If a girl does,
she’s a whore. I’m not saying it’s right, but it’s how it is. And
my daughter won’t have sex with a man until he commits to her for
the rest of his life.”

“I had sex before marriage. Does that make me
a whore?”

“Well…for me you are.”

She hit my arm. “I’m being serious, Sean. You
will not act like this when she’s becoming a woman.”

“Too bad,” I said. “If any guy comes near
her, I’ll show him my shotgun.”

She rolled her eyes. “When our daughter is an
adult, she can do whatever she wants. She’ll be smart and know how
to make smart decisions and be safe. That’s all we can ask of her.
Her personal life is none of our business.”

“We’ll see about that…”

“When she goes off to college, you won’t be
able to watch her all the time.”

“It’s called a private bodyguard. He’ll keep
the dogs away.”

Scarlet sighed, growing more irritated. “If
you act like that, I will slap you in front of her.”

“I’m just trying to protect her.”

Scarlet shook her head, crossing her arms
over her chest.

“I’ve been a dog my whole life. I’ve used
women and lied to them. I’ve hurt a lot of people. When I fucked
girls, they didn’t mean a damn thing to me. I took so many
virginities then never called. I told girls I loved them just so I
could get my dick wet. I will not let that happen to my little
girl.”

“In case you didn’t notice, all the girls you
were with were whores. I only slept with guys I was in a
relationship with—except you. And I’m sure our daughter will be the
same way.”

“I’ll just get a chastity belt.”

“I understand you’re protective of your
daughter. I do. But when she’s old enough, you’re going to have to
let her make her own mistakes and her own decisions. That’s how
people grow. Sleeping with you broke my heart and damaged me, but
that mistake ended up being the greatest thing in my life.”

My eyes softened slightly, my breathing
returning to normal. “I just love her so much.” I put my hand on
her stomach. “I haven’t met her, I don’t know what she looks like,
and I haven’t even heard her voice. But I already know she means
the world to me. I have to protect her. It’s an instinct I can’t
get rid of.”

“And you will.” She massaged my hand then
brought it to her lips, kissing it.

“I don’t want some asshole to make my little
girl cry…”

“It’s inevitable, Sean.”

I shook my head. “I wouldn’t survive it.”

“But she’ll be stronger because of it. Now
let’s stop talking about being parents in eighteen years and start
thinking about all the years in between. We don’t even have baby
clothes yet.”

“You’re right.” I kicked off my shoes then
rested my elbow on the bed while I leaned back. After preying on
women my entire life, I was determined not to let it happen to my
own daughter. But after all the sins I committed, I deserved it. I
just didn’t want my little girl to suffer. I loved her so much even
though she wasn’t here yet. I didn’t even know if she was a girl.
Scarlet was clearly irritated by my attitude toward fatherhood, but
I couldn’t change the way I felt. It would probably make my life
easier to have a boy.

Scarlet pulled the covers back then moved to
the end of the bed. “What do you want to do tonight?”

“You choose,” I said.

“I always choose.”

“You’re always pregnant.”

“Can we go out to eat?”

“Of course, baby. I’d love to take you out to
dinner.”
Did she even need to ask?

“I’m just sick of being home.”

Understandable.
“Let me shower and
we’ll go somewhere nice.”

“Okay,” she said happily.

I gave her another kiss before I got into the
shower.

We went to an Italian bistro in the city.
Scarlet loved anything edible, but she was particularly fond of
Italian. It was the place we used to go as friends.

“I’m surprised you picked this place,” she
said with a smile.

“Back in time.”

She tightened her coat around her then
approached the door. I opened it for her, like always.

“We’re still friends, right?”

“For the most part,” she said playfully.

I pulled out the chair for her then scooted
her in before I sat across from her. She wore a loose sweater with
leggings. Her clothes hid her bump, but she still looked beautiful.
I had a feeling this pregnancy was going to last but I didn’t want
to get too optimistic just in case I was wrong. “What are you
getting?”

She looked through the menu. “I don’t know…I
want the pizza but I want the chicken masala. Ugh, they give you
too many choices.”

I smirked. Sometimes I wondered if she was
Italian because she loved food so much. I was getting a salad and a
soup. I didn’t go to the gym today so I had to cut back on calories
somewhere.

The waiter approached our table, ready to
take our order.

I automatically ordered for both of us, just
as my dad did with my mom. “I’ll have the soup and salad and she’ll
have the chicken masala. Also, we’d like an extra large combination
pizza to go.”

“Very good, sir.” He took the menus and
walked away.

“You ordered both?” Scarlet asked
incredulously.

“You wanted both, right?” I gave her a cocky
smirk.

“You’re going to make me fat.”

“Impossible,” I said.

“If our baby is overweight, I’m blaming
you.”

“Good. I hope our baby is cute and fat.” I
sipped my water while I stared at my wife across the table.

Even when she put no effort into her
appearance, she was breathtaking. I loved how loose strands of her
hair would sometimes escape across her face. She tucked them away,
showing her small hands and perfect nails. Her eyes shined bright
even though it was dark in the room. She was lovely.

“What?” She caught me staring at her.

“I just like to look at you.”

“You weren’t looking at my chest—I’m
surprised.”

I smirked. “Your face is stealing my
attention.”

She averted her gaze then sipped her
water.

“Sean?”

I turned at the sound of the name. It was a
skinny brunette with too much makeup. She was a little shorter than
me, and her hair was pulled back, revealing golden earrings. She
was nothing special, but more importantly, I didn’t recognize
her—at all. “Hi…”

She came closer to me like we were friends.
“I haven’t seen you in a while.”

“Yeah, just work and stuff.”
Who the hell
was this girl?

She grabbed my tie and played with it. “You
look good in that suit.”

My hand automatically pulled her hand off me.
“Don’t touch me.” I said it harsher than I meant to.
Did she not
see my wife sitting right across from me? My pregnant wife?

Her eyes widened. “Geez, what’s your
problem?”

I wanted to introduce Scarlet, but since I
didn’t even know this girl’s name, that was impossible. “I just
don’t like it when women touch me in front of my wife.”

“Your wife?” she asked in surprise.

“Yeah,” I snapped. “She’s right next to
you.”

“Oh.” She looked at Scarlet. “Um, hi.”

“Hi,” Scarlet said pleasantly.

“Now if you excuse us, we’re about to have
dinner.” That was the nicest way I could dismiss her without being
a complete asshole. The last thing I needed was Scarlet to think I
was having an affair or being flirtatious at the office when she
wasn’t around. That wasn’t me, but when women hit on me like they
knew me and then acted surprised when I said I was married, I
wouldn’t blame Scarlet for jumping to conclusions.