Unbroken Promises (23 page)

“No, right now I just want to take her home and see if you could find away to get her car home,” Jordon stated but was wondering why Susan didn’t mention anything about the man whispering in her ear. Jordon was thinking he would deal with the schoolteacher later. Right now, he had to get rid of Lola and take his wife away from this stinking place.

“Jordon!” Jesse called loud enough to be heard over the music.

Jordon stopped and turned back to Jesse. “What?”

Jesse bobbed his head towards Lola. “Would you have gone through with it?” Jordon gave a sardonic chuckle and ran his hand through his hair. “I might have made it all the way to my truck before I returned like some wild caveman and carried my wife outa here.” Jordon walked up to Lola; but, before he could say a word, “That’s your wife isn’t it?

Jordon, I want you to listen to a woman who has known heartache. If you love that beautiful lady over there, don’t you dare let anything come between that love. True love is too precious and too rare to lose without giving everything you have to keep it,” Lola said as she gave him a quick tight hug and left.

On the way home in his truck, Jordon was going over everything in his mind. Now that his anger was dissipating, Jordon was almost as giddy as he used to get when he was a little boy at Christmas. After 16 years, they were finally going to have a baby.

“Do you know for sure? How far along are you?” Jordon asked in a dry tone, not ready for her to know of the excitement that was building in him.

“Well, I took a home pregnancy test this morning; and, when it registered positive, I called my doctor and he fit me in for an appointment not long after I called. I guess it was because he knew how long we’ve wanted a baby. Anyway, the doctor confirmed that I am indeed pregnant.

He said, as far as he could tell right now, it looks as if I’m close to three months. I told him I had two small cycles before I noticed missing completely. He told me it happens like that sometimes. You know what else, Jordon?” Susan said pausing to make sure she had his full attention.

“What, Susan? Don’t leave me hanging,” Jordon said impatiently.

“He said he wouldn’t be able to tell for sure until I had an ultrasound, but it may be twins!” Susan rushed out excitedly.

Jordon couldn’t say a word; he was truly speechless. He wanted to burst out laughing, but he held himself in check.

They had pulled into the driveway and he stopped the truck. “You go inside and wait for me.

I’m still going to have to teach you a lesson,” Jordon said but without much heat.

Susan got out, went into the house and upstairs to their bedroom, not worried in the least about his threat. She had seen the way his mood had changed after she told him about the baby.

She had him right where she wanted him, she thought adoringly. She slipped off her clothes and into the red thong teddy she had bought at the toy party. She took down her hair and arranged it in a sensual fashion that always seemed to stir Jordon. And waited.

Three vehicles pulled up as Jordon was cutting a switch. After Jesse waved thanks to his friends for dropping his truck off, he walked up to Jordon and laughed out loud when he saw the switch in his hand. It was so small and skinny it would snap before the first swing.

“You must not be as mad as I thought you were, big brother,” Jesse said grinning as he nodded toward the tiny stick.

Jordon held up the switch and ran his hand up and down the length of it. “Naw…don’t want to take a chance in hurting the baby,” Jordon drawled dryly, but his eyes were sparkling.

The grin was instantly wiped off of his Jesse’s face. He was thunderstruck, his eyes bugged out, and his mouth hung open. Then, after about 10 seconds, he snapped out of it. “Wooohooo!” He hollered as loud as he could “Ah, man, this is just too sweet,” Jesse continued as he hit Jordon on the back. “I believe, dear brother, you might as well throw that twig away because you lovely wife has you right where she wants you,” Jesse continued laughing. “Hey, can I tell Beth and Cody? They really need to hear some good news about you two. Beth was crying tonight worried to death y’all were going to split up.”

“Yeah, go ahead and tell them. Gotta’ go, little brother, I’ve got a beating I have to deal out,” Jordon said as he grinned at Jesse, who was mirroring his exact grin. Then Jordon left him and went inside.

When Jordon opened the bedroom door and saw the vision looking back at him, he was so stunned he couldn’t move for a few seconds. “Jesse is right; she has me right where she wants me,” Jordon thought as he chuckled to himself. He dropped the switch and slowly started unbuttoning his shirt as he sauntered over and pulled her willing warm body into his embrace for a night of long slow lovin’.

Jesse was so excited he could hardly stand it; he was finally going to be an uncle. He couldn’t wait to tell Beth the good news that Susan and Jordon were back together and were going to have a baby.

Beth she was so upset tonight. He didn’t blame her; he was getting pretty scared himself.

She was going to be thrilled to know she was going to be an aunt. Ever since Susan and Jordon started their quarrel, he began to spend a lot of time over at her apartment. Cody was gone most of the time, so it was usually just the two of them. They would do as they used to do and watch old movies on television. She cooked for him everytime he came over. He never knew she was such a good cook.

On the way to Beth’s apartment Jesse thought about the events of the last month. One afternoon he after he had loaded his horse in the horse trailer to take up to the hill country for a pleasure ride, he thought how Beth might like to go with him. So he called Beth and asked her if she wanted him to load her mare, too, and then drive over and get her.

He inhaled deeply as he remembered the image of her riding the tall black thoroughbred, her long black hair flying behind her. She had let it grow ever since that one time she’d cut it. She looked so sexy to him. The wind blowing against her shirt as they galloped gave him a clear view of her full and well-rounded breasts, as they bounced so enticingly. Beth wasn’t skinny, but there wasn’t a misplaced ounce of fat on her. She didn’t have on any make-up and Jesse thought she was much prettier that way. He felt a stirring such as he’d never felt when she turned her multicolored blue eyes, with those long thick black eyelashes, on him. She was gorgeous, plain and simple; there was no other way to describe her body or face. Her legs were slender and so-o long.

His mind tried to envision her long legs wrapped around him, as they were wrapped around her horse, but he immediately banished those lustful thoughts. He wasn’t quite ready to see her through those eyes. Yet, when she was climbing out of the saddle, he had put both hands on her waist to help her down. He remembered the sudden overpowering urge to haul her up against him and run his hand up and down the front of her to see if she felt as soft as she looked. He didn’t; he just took a deep breath and released her.

Although he didn’t think about it before, Jesse knew one of the main reasons he started going over to her apartment. It started when Jordon scolded him about Beth and told him not to keep her hanging on with false hopes and that he needed to let her know one way or another if he was ever planning to have a serious relationship with her.

Jesse realized, by him saying that, that Jordon wouldn’t object to him and Beth as a couple.

Jordon was also saying he thought Beth was old enough for the two of them to become serious.

In fact, Jordon made it plain that he was ready for Jesse to do something.

Beth’s obvious love for him was something he and Jordon had never openly discussed. It was an issue they both knew was always under the surface but neither brought it up until that day. Jesse had to admit he was relieved to know Jordon wouldn’t object to his dating Beth.

Jesse hadn’t advanced that far yet. His being here now was just as her friend, but he was feeling comfortable with the idea of shifting the gears in their relationship. He could tell she had matured a lot. She would soon be 20. Many girls married at 19 or even 18 for that matter.

Heck, Susan did. He would go slow and take one day at a time.

He knew without a doubt Beth was still in love with him. Donna was right. It was right there in her eyes everytime she looked at him.

Jesse couldn’t wait to tell Beth about Susan’s pregnancy. When he got to her apartment he knocked on the door, there was no answer. He knew both Cody and Beth were home, so he used the key he she’d given him, opened the door and went in.

After seeing Cody half drunk at the bar tonight, Jesse knew he was now probably upstairs in his bed asleep. Jesse made his way around the small dimly lit apartment looking for Beth. The refrigerator’s steady hum was the only noise he heard. Everything was neat and tidy as always.

He called her name quietly so he wouldn’t wake up Cody. After not finding her in the living room or kitchen, he went to her bedroom. The door was partially opened so he peeked in; when he didn’t see any moment, he pushed the door all the way open to see if she was in bed asleep. A strong mulberry fragrance whiffed up to him, he looked for the source and saw that a small candle was left burning on top of her dresser. Jesse opened the door and stepped in. His intention was to blow out the unchaperoned candle, but as soon as he took a step, the bathroom door swung open.

Beth was wearing nothing but a wine colored towel on her head. She was still inside the bathroom when she looked up and shrieked. She grabbed the door to shut it but stopped when she recognized him and stood up straight.

“Good grief, Jesse, you almost scared me to death,” was all she said. She didn’t even try to cover herself as she boldly walked out and stood by the side of the bed where her nightclothes lay. Her body glistened from the moisture that remained from her shower. Jesse noticed her nipples tightening, probably from the coolness of the bedroom. She unwound the towel from her head, laid it on the glass top nightstand, and picked up a brush. Jesse knew she was purposely giving him full view of her body as she arched and brushed her damp hair. When she finished she went to the bed, sat down, and slid her lacy white underwear on. Then she picked the T-shirt up and stood. She faced him again as she raised her arms and let the T-shirt slide down her body.

Jesse’s first instinct was to turn around and beg her pardon, but he did neither. He allowed himself the pleasure she was allowing him. What a pleasure indeed. She was magnificent. Her breasts were large with dusky pink areolas and nipples. Her waist dipped in from her smooth ribs and accompanied a flat, firm stomach. Her hips that flared out from the small waist were full. Jesse’s imagination accidentally slipped to thinking how they would so perfectly cradle his more narrow ones.

Beth’s legs were long and firm with the gracefulness of an athlete. She wasn’t skinny; no bones were showing. She was smoothly rounded perfection. Before she slid on her underwear, Jesse saw that the curly down between her thighs, still damp from her shower, seemed even darker than the glossy black hair on her head. When she turned to face the bed, he had a side view of her butt. It was pretty big, nicely rounded and “oh, so firm.” He had an instant hard-on, a hard that was so achingly hard, he had to grit his teeth and pinch his lips tight.

He was aware Beth watched him watch her, more like absorb her. He also knew this was the beginning of the end of the way things were between them. This was the point of no return. He could never go back to the “uncle” position he played in her life. He only hoped they were both ready for what they were about to be opening up.

As soon as Beth recognized who it was, her heart started racing so fast she found it hard to breathe. And, when he didn’t turn away, she knew something big was happening, something she dreamed of for a lifetime. Jesse was seeing her as a women and not only physically. She had looked as she did now for years; but, with Jesse allowing himself to look; she knew he didn’t think of her as a child anymore so she went about as if he’d seen her naked everyday. She wasn’t about to act like a shy child and have him think she wasn’t ready; that was for sure, not when she had waited for an opportunity like this for so long.

She prayed he liked what he saw. By the way he was looking at her with nothing moving on his body but his partially closed, smoldering eyes, she couldn’t be sure, but she thought that he did. When she finished putting on the T-shirt, she walked over to him.

“Hey, that’s my shirt you got on. I was looking for that yesterday,” Jesse teasingly accused but his voice held a sensual, smoky edge to it. One that she’d never heard, that is, directed toward her.

“Yes, this is your T-shirt and over there in the corner are four of your others. I’ve washed, dried, and folded them for you. You should have known I had it when you couldn’t find it. I’ve been sleeping in your semi-clean Tshirts every night since I was eight years old. I’ve always loved the way you smelled so I’d take the ones you wore that still had your scent and sleep in them. Then I’d wash and switch them out.”

Beth could have added she wanted to rip into pieces then burn the ones that smelled like perfume, but she didn’t. That was an unpleasant fact she had learn to live with while waiting to be old enough, but no more. He was soon to be solely hers even if he had yet to accept it. “To me you always smelled like home. When I was away at school, it was harder to do so I would sleep with one beside my pillow to make it last longer.” Jesse shook his and chuckled. “I knew you used to wear them when you were a kid, but I didn’t realize you still wore them every night.”

“Jesse, I’m so glad you’re here, but I know you didn’t come here to talk about shirts. Did you need me for something?” Beth whispered to herself, “I know what I need from you.”

“Did you say something’?”

“Oh. Um-no.” She shook her head innocently. She sure didn’t want to scare him off.

“Yes, I most certainly do. I needed to tell you the good news because I couldn’t wait, and Jordon said I could. Susan and Jordon made up, but the best part is…Susan’s pregnant!” Beth screamed, and then threw herself in his arms. Jesse held her and they both laughed at first.