Playing the Hand You're Dealt (33 page)

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Authors: Trice Hickman

BOOK: Playing the Hand You're Dealt
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Ed traced my mouth with the tip of his finger, gently grazing my lips back and forth. I sucked his index finger, applying gentle pressure as my tongue slid up and down his skin. He moaned, removed my blouse, unhooked my bra, and buried his head in my bare chest. My hips rotated as I felt him harden under me. My skirt came off, then his shirt. He slid my thong down my thighs as I tugged at his zipper, opening his pants as I rubbed my wetness against his satisfying thickness. I rose up from Ed's lap, but he stopped me in midair. “We don't need those anymore.” He smiled.
I moved because I automatically thought he was going to retrieve a condom from his overnight bag. But he was right, we no longer needed any barriers. He pulled me back down to his lap, and slowly and happily, I eased my way home.
Chapter 32
Ed . . .
 
 
 
 
Out in the Open Where It Belonged
 
I
watched Emily as she slept beside me.This was the way I wanted to spend the rest of my life. I thought about tonight, and it was still hard for me to believe that I was going to be a father all over again.
When Emily told me she was pregnant, half of me felt panic, but the other half felt like I was king of the jungle.There's a certain amount of bravado a man feels when he knows that he's planted his seed, and even more so at my age. But aside from my ego's satisfaction, and the initial shock, I could honestly say I was happy that Emily and I were going to have a baby.
We had a long discussion on the subject the night after her birthday. I was a practical, straightforward man. Once I knew the full details of a situation I approached it without second-guessing. My situation with Emily was simple. I wanted her, and having her meant having more children. End of discussion.
My mind drifted to the phone conversation I'd had with Ross several weeks ago.
“So, was it worth the wait?” he'd asked.
I shook my head when I thought about how good it had felt to finally be with Emily. I'd never been the kind of man to kiss and tell, but Ross and I got pretty graphic about things. After a few minutes of mildly scandalous conversation, I laid the heavy guns on him; the part about Emily and me being together and having kids.
“Shit, you're really gonna do this?” Ross asked in disbelief.
“Yeah, man. I love her, and it comes with the territory.”
“More power to you, bruh.”
“Damn, is that all the advice and wisdom you have to offer?” I was surprised because Ross usually had an answer, rebuttal, or debate ready on the spot. I wanted his insight, and beyond that, a part of me wanted his blessing.
“Listen, man. No matter what I say, you're gonna do what the hell you want anyway.”
“Yeah, but honestly, I want to know what you think.”
Deep down, Ross was a sensitive guy, and I knew the fact that I wanted his opinion meant a lot to him. “All right,” he said as he cleared his throat. “I think you're in for a lot of bullshit and major drama. The situation is fucked up, no matter how you slice it. So you just gotta make sure you keep your head on straight and your money in your wallet so you can survive the storm ahead.”
I thought he was finished but he continued. “Ed, even though you're in a situation that I wouldn't wish on Satan . . . I'm happy for you. I saw the passion in your eyes when you talked about Emily, and after meeting her I could see why. She's good for you. She's allowed you to take a chance, step out on faith, and build a new life. That's a rare opportunity at our age. But you're doing it, and I'm with you all the way, my friend.”
“Thanks, Ross.”
“You know I got your back.”
Ross and I talked constantly since that conversation. I gave him updates while he gave me his typical, straight-no-chaser opinions and advice. So tonight when Emily told me that she was carrying my child, I didn't flinch.
I remembered how I felt when I learned that Brenda was pregnant with our first child. Duty and obligation had dominated my feelings about our upcoming marriage and my impending fatherhood. But when Emily quietly told me her news this evening, my reaction was completely different. In spite of the fact that our relationship and circumstances were far more precarious than the one I was forced into long ago, all I felt was excitement about the baby growing inside Emily's stomach. I wondered if we were having a boy or a girl.Would the baby look like her or me? Would our child want to follow in my footsteps and build a career in law, or go into education like their mother?
Those were questions that would be answered in time, but right now I knew one thing for certain—as soon as Brenda discovered that Emily was pregnant, all hell would break loose. I knew her, so I had to act fast. I planned to call Longfellow first thing Monday morning and inform him that things had changed. I needed to divorce Brenda right away and get everything out in the open where it belonged.
Chapter 33
Samantha . . .
 
 
 
 
Wow, That's Crazy
 
M
y flight to Atlanta was going smoothly, but the thoughts in my head were making for a bumpy ride. I'd just found out that my father was having an affair and that my best friend had been dumped and was now heartbroken. Daddy had found a new love, and Emily had lost one. I didn't know which one had me more on edge, but if I was honest, I'd have to say Emily's situation trumped Daddy's . . . and I'll explain why.
I knew that my father had engaged in affairs in the past, so it really wasn't a surprise. And actually, I was happy for Daddy. As long as his new woman wasn't some gold-digging, hot young thing who was after his money, she and I would get along just fine. But poor Emily. It nearly broke my heart to see her cry. To know that Bradley had used her really pissed me off.When she broke up with him she handled it with class and kindness. Not once did she lead him on or play games. Sure, she accepted his phone calls, but she put the brakes on things by telling him the deal from the jump. She never called him, it was his fingers that dialed her number. And to think that he persuaded me to help him in his plan to woo her back made my blood boil.
What Bradley did was vicious, and it reminded me of some devious shit my mother would pull. He reeled Emily back in so he could make her feel the hurt he had endured. I understood the desire to teach people a lesson, but only if they deserved it—Emily didn't!
I felt awful that I had been a part of bringing him back into Emily's life, because now, he was the reason why she was no doubt sitting alone on her couch at this very minute, crying her eyes out. I couldn't wait until this plane landed. I knew where Bradley lived, and I had his home and cell phone numbers. I was supposed to be making better choices in my life, so I hadn't quite decided what I was going to do, but there was one thing I knew for sure . . . when I finished with his deceitful ass, he was going to be sorry that he ever made my best friend cry. And I meant that!
I grinned like a little kid when I saw Tyler waiting for me at baggage claim. I'd spent the last hour of my flight trying to formulate a plan for the best way to deal with Bradley, so I was fuming when I stomped off the plane. But when I saw my man, all my anger melted away. I ran up to Tyler and planted a long, wet kiss on his soft lips. There was no greater feeling than having someone to love.
After Tyler and I gathered my things we walked out of the terminal and into the dark, cool Georgia night. Tyler put my bags in the back of his Navigator and headed down Highway 400. “What do you want to eat tonight?” he asked.
“I'll let you decide.”
Tyler smiled. “I was hoping you'd say that.”
We had eaten at nearly every restaurant in his town and mine. I wasn't a good cook. Hell, who was I fooling? I couldn't and didn't cook at all. I couldn't even make toast without burning it, so restaurants were our saving grace.
It was eight o'clock, and usually when I arrived in town this time of night, we'd head straight to a restaurant and then to Tyler's house afterward. But this time we went directly to his place. I was hungry but I controlled my appetite for food, because hey, he had other things I could munch on, if you know what I mean.
When I walked through Tyler's front door I instantly knew why he didn't want to go out. “Oh, Tyler.” I smiled as I looked around the room and saw the romantic setting.
He walked over to the stereo, hit the remote, and let Ledisi serenade us in surround sound. His recessed lights were dimmed low, the dining room table was set with elegant china, and a beautiful bouquet of flowers served as the centerpiece. I inhaled and caught the aroma of what smelled like utopia.
“Let's get you situated so we can eat.” Tyler smiled, taking my luggage back to his bedroom.
He'd hired a personal chef to prepare our dinner for the evening. We settled at the table to enjoy a feast of ginger-infused rack of lamb, roasted new potatoes with red pepper relish, a vegetable medley with dill sauce, and for dessert, a scrumptious crème brûlée. It was sinfully delicious. After we finished our meal, we stretched out on the couch, put on a DVD, and opened a bottle of champagne. “To our love and the infinite possibilities,” Tyler toasted.
I tapped my glass against his and took a small sip. I watched him as he enjoyed the chilled bubbly, and that was when my heart confirmed what I felt in my spirit the moment I walked through his front door.This was the night that it was going to happen.Tyler was going to ask me to marry him.
A calm, happy feeling spread through my body. A month and a half ago I wouldn't have felt that I deserved to be treated this well, especially not by a man as good as Tyler Jacobs. But he loved me, in spite of myself, and had shown me that I was worthy of good things. His belief in me inspired a change in my life that I never saw coming. I wanted to be a better mother for CJ, I wanted to be a better partner for him, and I wanted to be a better person for me. The love and faith that I saw in Tyler's eyes made me feel like I could do anything.
My good fortune and blessings made me realize that I needed to let go of my ill intentions for Bradley. Creating a scene with him would only set me back on the destructive path I'd walked my entire adult life, and I owed myself more than that.
“What're you thinking about?”Tyler asked, rubbing my shoulder as I lay in his arms.
“How good this feels.”
“Yeah, this is nice.”
I tilted my head and kissed him softly. “I love you, Tyler.”
We ignored the DVD that was playing and kissed for what felt like hours. Finally,Tyler led me by my hand to his bedroom. He removed my clothes, I peeled away his, and we lay across the sheets of his king-sized bed. Tyler kissed my neck, then slid his tongue across my collarbone as he parted my legs with his right hand. I let out a soft moan when I felt two fingers slip inside me.
“Mmm,”
I purred.
“You like that, baby?”
“Oh, yeah, Tyler. I like that.”
I ground against his fingers as he kissed me, then he slowly moved his mouth down to my breasts, softly sucking when he found my nipple. The combined sensations he created above and below my waist made me weak. He removed his fingers, licked them, and then eased his way down to my middle. He spread my legs farther apart, giving him full access as he inserted his tongue where his fingers had been, going to work like a soldier. I let out another moan when I felt him gently probing, licking, and sucking me into his mouth. He knew exactly what he was doing, and he took his time showing me.
He devoured me, making sure he ate every inch of me. I could feel my clit about to explode. “I'm gonna come,” I panted, nearly out of breath as I continued to grind my pelvis against his face. When I felt him swipe my clit with his tongue and then nibble it with delicate yet steady pressure, I arched my back and let out the mother of all screams.
I was still panting, almost delirious, when I felt Tyler's cheek against mine. He brushed his soft lips close to my ear. “I love you, Sam,” he whispered. He reached over to his nightstand to get a condom and I readied myself for what I knew was going to be the very best sex I'd ever had. But instead of a condom, he pulled out a small black box, the one that I knew was coming.
Tyler rested beside me and propped himself up on one elbow. We looked at each other in silence, letting the smiles on our faces speak for what we couldn't get out.
“You do it for me,” he finally said, “and I want you to be my wife.” He sat up, pulled me to an upright position, and opened the box. The room was dark and I couldn't see the ring very well, but I didn't need to. The size of the stone didn't matter, neither did the other three Cs I would have normally concerned myself with in the past.What mattered to me was that this wonderful man who'd walked back into my life and had given me a second chance at love was telling me that he wanted me, and he was showing me by his actions. “Will you marry me, Sam?”
“Yes, Yes, Yes!”
I shouted. I held out my hand as Tyler slipped the ring on my finger. I hugged him tight and lay back on the bed as my fiancé and I made beautiful love.
The next day, Tyler and I slept in, resting from our marathon lovemaking the night before.We didn't venture out until late afternoon when we visited his best friend, Victoria Thornton, and her family, to share our happy news. She eagerly welcomed us into her opulent home, which looked like something straight out of a magazine and could even put Mother's decorating to shame. She introduced me to her handsome, blue-eyed husband and their two adorable, well-mannered children.
Victoria had actually helped Tyler pick out my ring. She was happy for us, which filled me with a great sense of relief. I'd been a little nervous about seeing her again because she knew all the dirty details of my past, and how I had cheated on Tyler in what felt like another lifetime. But she didn't judge me. She was a successful businesswoman, wife, and mother, but she'd also made mistakes of her own. “I know what it's like to fall down,” she told me. “The power lies in getting back up.” I was grateful for Victoria's approval and support because she was like a sister to Tyler, and her opinion meant a lot to him.
I was also touched that Victoria asked about Emily. Emily had been her daughter's teacher when she lived here in Atlanta. After telling her that Emily was adjusting well to her new life in DC, which was mostly true, the strangest thing happened. Tyler and I were saying our good-byes when Victoria's daughter, Alexandria, walked up to me and put her hand in mine. “Ms. Samantha, I'm sorry about your sister,” she said.
I stared at the eleven-year-old girl. “What do you mean, sweetie?”
“Your sister who died,” she said, tilting her head to the side as she gave me a sorrowful look. “I'm sorry that your sister died.”
I was baffled, and more than a little unnerved by her comment and serious tone. “Alexandria, I don't have a sister.”
“Yes, you do . . . your younger sister,” she said in a matter-of-fact tone.
Victoria stepped in, apologized for her daughter, and explained that Alexandria had a vivid imagination and often said unusual things. Tyler nodded in agreement, saying that he'd known her to be that way since she was a toddler. We all managed to laugh it off, but there was something in that child's voice that put me a little on edge.
It was raining heavily when we left Victoria's house a few minutes later.We stopped by Barnes & Noble so I could pick up a few bridal magazines, then we were on our way to one of our favorite Thai restaurants. I managed to calm myself and put Alexandria's words out of my mind as I prepared for a good meal. Tyler and I settled into a cozy booth near the window and discussed wedding plans. I decided that I wasn't going to tell Emily or my family until I returned to DC, and we both agreed that we wanted a small but very nice ceremony with all the elegant trimmings.
“We need to make sure we rein in your mother,” Tyler said. “She'll probably come up with a guest list the size of a small city.”

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