Tough Love (Hidden Secrets) (28 page)

“I
love you,” I breathed breaking the kiss.

“I…love…you…too,”
she breathed out with my thrusts.

She
began to clench around me as she began to orgasm. My balls pulled tight and my whole body hummed with the anticipation of release. As she dug her nails in my back when she climaxed, I found my release and screamed out her name.

We
laid there just clinging to each other. Rolling over to my side, I held her as she began to shake with silent tears. It was going to be a slow recovery, but she will recover and I will be forever grateful to my family and everyone else involved in rescuing her.

* * *

It has been a week since Shannon came home. We still haven’t told anyone about Shannon’s pregnancy. We wanted the bad to disappear first. The whole family was here today for the first time. Mom and Dad loved what Nick and Kylee had done to it. Shannon was talking and smiling. The door burst open suddenly. Danger shoved through everyone and enveloped Shannon in his arms. She glanced at me with worry in her eyes. Shrugging my shoulders, I had no clue what was going on, but my gut told me something had happened. I stepped closer, tapping his shoulder.

“Dude,
what the hell is with you? Let her go,” Jason whisper/hissed.

“Are
you okay?” Danger asked, worry in his face.

Shannon
started to visibly shake. As I wrapped my arm around her, I glared at Danger. “Look, either you tell me why you came here, and it better be a good reason to scare her like this, or get the fuck out.”

“They
released Rachael today. The husband called reporting her missing,” Danger looked between me and Shannon. “She’s not been here. You’re okay? The baby’s okay?”

“No,
she hasn’t been here. How could she possibly have gotten released?” I hissed, looking at my dad.

“Probably
an insanity plea,” my dad said, sadly.

“I
thought I could help her,” came a voice from near the door. When everyone stepped aside, it was the same guy from the restaurant, Rachael’s husband.

“How
did you get here?” I hissed.

“I
followed the gentleman there. Please I’m not here to cause trouble. I want to explain something, then I will leave.”

Looking
down at Shannon, I wanted her to decide if she wanted to hear anything. After all, she was the one that had been through it all. When she nodded her head, I turned back to the man.

“You
have ten minutes,” I snapped.

“Fair
enough. I already told you that my name is Michael and that Rachael is my wife. It turns out the day her and I met, she saw you in Milan’s Bar and Grill. She continued to see me and I fell in love with her. Actually, I think I was in love with her the day I saw her in the bar and when I met her for the first time. God help me, I still love her even knowing the things she’s told me she’d done to get to you.”

“You’re
running short on time,” I hissed.

“Okay,
there was a car accident she caused that took a girl away from you then. She said she was protecting you.”

“She
killed Hannah!” I roared.

“Um,
I don’t know the name, sorry, but yes, she did,” he said it as if it was no big deal.

Grabbin
g his shirt and pulling him to my face, “She was pregnant you asshole. We were going to have a family and you act as if it were no big deal that she
killed
someone.”

“I
never said it was no big deal. I’m trying to get through this so maybe you can see my wife is not as bad as she looks.”

“I
don’t care to hear anymore. That day in the grill when she says she met me. It wasn’t even me!”

Jake
stepped forward. “It was my stunt double getting food for me. Your crazy ass whore of a wife tormented people that weren’t even the ones she saw.”

“Oh
God, I’m so sorry,” he hung his head. “I just don’t want my girls to lose their mom.”

My
mom stepped forward. “As hard or as mean as this may sound, your girls may be better off without their mother around. She’s not stable and not exactly the role model I’d want my kids to see. Don’t you agree?”

Tears
streamed down the man’s cheeks, “Yeah,” he squeaked.

After
a few minutes longer he left and we were left to just us again. Danger hugged a crying Shannon. I cleared my throat.

“Brother
or not, can I comfort my girl?”

Danger
laughed and stepped back. Wrapping my arms around Shannon, I held her tight against me as she both laughed and cried.

“Wait
a second, you’re Shannon’s brother,” Jason asked shocked.

Danger
laughed and started to tell them yes, but my mom interrupted him. “I’m sorry dear, I don’t mean to interrupt, but you said something a bit ago that I need to know if it is true or not.”

It
was my turn to laugh. “Yes, Shannon and I are having a baby,” I smiled widely.

Shannon
pulled her head from my chest and wiped her eyes. “This isn’t exactly how we had planned for you all to find out. We were just waiting until everything had calmed down.”

My
mom pulled her into a hug and held her tightly. The back door opened and the boys came inside. Quickly, I moved over to them and kneeled down to get eye level.

“Do
you guys think you can do something for me?”

“Yes!
We love helping you.”

“Well,
I have someone I want you to meet. He was lost for a long time, but he’s someone very special to you and your sister. You think you can be brave and meet him?”

“Why
is he special?” Sebastian asked.

“Because
he’s our brother,” Shannon said as she squatted down next to him.

Atreyu
smacks himself in the forehead. “Doesn’t God know we are overloaded on brothers?”

We
laughed and heard the family laugh too. Sebastian didn’t look so sure. Lifting him in my arms as I stood. “What’s up, buddy?”

“I’m
not…It’s still there,” he sighed.

“So
what? Would you rather have someone like you at your worst than only at your best?”

He
thought about it for a minute. “You’ll hold me?”

“Always.”

“Okay let’s do this.”

Shannon
and I walked the boys over to meet their brother.

Danger
kneeled down to shake Atreyu’s hand. “Hi. I always wanted a brother.”

“You
look like my dad,” Atreyu says thoughtfully. “With you around I’ll never forget him.”

Sebastian
asked to be put down. He stood with his head down and his hand out. “Hi. I’m your other brother.”

“
Hi, Sebastian. My name is Danger, but I hear you’re really good at giving nicknames. I’d love it if you could give me one.”

Sebastian
beams. “Jack says I’m awesome at it. Hmm, I don’t know you well enough. Give me time.

I
pulled Shannon into my arms and held her close to me, watching as our family welcomed yet another member. It seems everyday our family grows more and more, but the best addition was yet to come. I lower my hand over her belly. Our little family was growing. Life couldn’t get better than this moment.

Epilogue

Jacob

Two
weeks later…

“And
cut!” The director yelled on yet another movie coming to a close.

It
just wasn’t giving me what it used to anymore. Life as an actor was both the best and worst thing to ever happen in my life. I’m a family man and I barely see my family. So many of them are marrying off and starting families and I feel like I’m losing the closeness our family once held. The place I once held in the family.

This
last movie was about a boxer. Thankfully, that gave me time with my brother Carson and my niece Colbie. She is the cutest little thing. The older she gets, the more and more she starts to look like my brother with her mama’s hair. She’s started crawling now. That was entertaining to see my hardcore brother falling to his knees when Colbie would try to walk and get hurt. Colbie has that man wrapped around her little finger, but of course so does her mama.

Walking
out to my trailer, I sat down looking at all the pictures of my family. I was glad to  finally have this movie behind me, but at the same time it gave me more time to think about what my lack of being around has caused. Kayla was hurt for sixteen years, Carson had gambling problems at a young age, Mary gets beat by her manager, Jackson loses a girl he loved and she was pregnant and Eli. Eli is what has pushed me over the edge. This is my oldest brother. So I’ve spent my life in this man’s massive shadow and now… Now he’s what? Dying? I’m not losing my brother.  My brother has too much to live for, too much to still do. I’d give him my heart if only he’d take it.

Actually,
I had talked to Eli yesterday. He sounds good. Wherever he had snuck off to was doing him good. I just hoped he didn’t stay gone long because we wanted some time with him too. I promised him that I wouldn’t treat him like he’d break. I then updated him on what was going on at home.

“You
guys never thought to tell me about Shannon,” he roared.

“Calm
down, man. There was so much happening all at once, really no one was called.”

“I’ll
come back home for the cookout. We’ll all catch up, then okay?”

“Okay
brother. See ya then. Love ya,” I said before hanging up and calling to check in on Kayla.

Kayla,
I called and checked in on her often. She was the sibling I was closest to outside of Jackson. Her being pregnant had me freaking out. Kayla is to the point that she will not be around Jason and me at the same time because we fuss over her so badly. I miss her. Hell, I miss my whole family.

Sighing,
I gather my stuff and head to the hotel. It was time to reconnect with my family. The closer I got to my family the more the urge came over me. My failure, my let downs, my not being there was all too much. I turned my car around and went to my normal hangout. It was time to forget for a while.

TURN THE PAGE AND ENJOY A SNEAK PEAK INTO
NEVER ME
BY KATE STEWART…

Available July 22
nd
2014

Never Me

By Kate Stewart

Prologue

I was a thief of men … a whore.

Not the conventional type that got paid for sex. I was the girl you talked about in your sad inner circle. The girl you shielded your boyfriend from as you cleverly covered him with your body when I came near.

I was a threat to you. I dressed like sex. I knew how to get the attention of any wandering eye. I saw how hard you tried to keep his eyes from me. But they were … on me, filled with longing and curiosity. Keeping him safe in your grasp was smart. I would happily sleep with him if given the chance. It’s not that I wanted to out of spite to hurt you. Half of you would not ever know my motive or catch on. It’s that I needed to do it. I needed to see that want in his eyes—the kind of lust and need you only see in a man’s eyes the first time they had you. It was perfection. It was lust. It had nothing to do with love. It was animalistic and I made sure they brought their A-game.

Every.

Single.

Time.

It would never be better than the first time. No, I didn’t have daddy issues. I loved my father, though he was no saint himself. He showed me the ropes. I took my best cues from him, though he was unaware. It was simple. I loved sex and I loved men. It wasn’t an addiction. It wasn’t a hobby. I wanted what wasn’t mine. No, I wanted to borrow what wasn’t mine. I gave him back to you and you were never the wiser. I was that whore.

If your man glanced my way, I was going to thank him with my own personal brand of gratitude. I would let him take me the way he wanted. When he was done, I gladly returned him to you. He may have asked to see me again, but I would never do it.

They all came to me willingly.

Every.

Single.

One.

I simply extend the invitation.