Broken Obsession - Part Two (4 page)

Eduardo stared at Amber as if she had three eyes in
the center of her head, “A factor? Are you talking about going back
to work again? Amber, you know how I feel about the matter.”

Amber wrapped her arms around his neck, “I know, but
I still want to do something in this marriage. What can I do?”

“You can contribute by continuing to make your
husband deliriously happy, that’s what you can do.”

Amber, for some stupid reason,
did not
like
his answer. “I live to make you happy?”

Eduardo gave her a small kiss on her lips, “Amber, do
you even realize how you make me feel?”

Amber gulped; her husband was about to cast out
sonnets of love again. “I know you love me—”

“Dear girl
...I love everything about you. I
love that you’re stubborn, I love that you keep me on my toes and
stand up to my big ego and me. All my life Amber, I’ve had this
dominant presence, intimidating men and dating women for the simple
fact that they succumb to my leverage. But for once in my
presumptuous life, someone has actually
conquered me
. I’m
mush when I’m around you and I’m in heaven in your arms.”

Amber’s breath was taken away. She wrapped her arms
around her husband’s neck tighter and began to cry in his shoulder.
Good Lord, she loved his man!

*****

Amber ordered Chinese food one night and setup
Peyton’s dinner with Mrs. Lopez and sent him off with her early.
Eduardo came home and wanted to go out to eat like they usually did
on Fridays, when Amber spat out unexpectedly, “Let’s stay in.”

Eduardo had always been spoiled and wanted to do what
he wanted to do, and usually got his way and nodded his head
“no”.

“We’re spending too much money eating out,” Amber
softly voiced, grabbing his yoke and leading him upstairs to his
surprise. “I want to stay home and have you all to myself.”

Mrs. Lopez helped her set up the terrace outside and
it was a gorgeous evening with the waves from the ocean in the
background as their music and the sea breeze rising up from the
ocean as their aroma.

Eduardo was pleased and gave his wife a smirk while
he sat down to eat a plate of pot-stickers, ginger beef and lo
mein.

After dinner, Amber put in a Kenny G CD and they
slowly danced and swayed to the romantic music.

“Where did you learn to dance?” Amber asked Eduardo
as if they never danced before. “You lead me like you know exactly
what you’re doing, like you’ve taken lessons before.”

“At dance clubs when I was younger,” he nodded, “And
the rest just naturally.”

Amber rolled her eyes and felt Eduardo’s hands
roaming her lower back and then down to her bottom. She pulled
apart from him and ran her hands up his chest. “I’ve never wanted
to touch a man the way I want to touch you,” she revealed in a
seductive timbre.

Eduardo nearly lost it and slid both hands down to
her derriere and squeezed each cheek into his formation. Amber was
instantly breathless. “How do you do that?” She respired, catching
her breath.

“Do what?” He rejoined in her ear, kissing the back
of her earlobe and continuing to sway her to the romantic
music.

“Make a woman want you.”

“Skill,” he let go without a hint of shame.

Amber lightly kissed him on his lips, “You are so
bad...but I’m so glad
you’re all mine
.”

Eduardo grabbed the back of her hair then opened her
up mouth with his tongue. Amber collected him with her wide-open
mouth accepting all he had to offer.

Eduardo broke apart from her immediately, “I’m
finished swaying on the balcony, want to dance in bed?”

Amber nearly started to hoot when Eduardo didn’t even
wait for her to answer and collected her up and ran with her body
back to the bedroom.

Maria Lopez was turning fifty-seven this year. She
never had any children and was married only once. But since the
death of her husband, she felt lonely and unneeded and decided to
become a caregiver. Having filled out job application after job
application, she finally came across a friend of hers who had been
a private nanny for a prevalent family in Beverly Hills and stroke
up a conversation with the Latina in between the cucumber and the
zucchini while at the grocery store. The woman told her about an
agency that placed women like her in wealthy households on one
condition – she needed to pass a series of qualifications: Good
credit, fingerprinting, no histories of physical or mental abuse,
alcohol free and a clear background check of any criminal history
through the Department of Justice and she was in.
No
problema
.

She met Mr. Sanchez through the placement agency when
he was looking for a full-time live-in nanny and she moved in with
them and had been Peyton’s nanny since the day he was born. So of
course she would feel a little overprotective of him, she loved
that little boy as if he were her own and felt bad when Mrs.
Sanchez (Amber) suddenly appeared after waking up from her
coma.

Peyton never looked at his mother, nor asked to be
near her and had no apparent bond with his natural birth parent. He
oftentimes cried for Sheila Thomas, Peyton’s grandmother, who
stayed with Peyton when he was just a few months old, but, then
moved out a few months later after Mrs. Sanchez arrived. But, nine
times out of ten, Peyton felt most comfortable with Mrs. Lopez, and
of course, his father.

‘Mrs. Lopez’ was what she liked to be called, and
oftentimes brought Peyton outside in the backyard to play in the
sand or swing on his swing set. Mrs. Sanchez would tag along, but
would never really enforce her son to hug her or talk to her, even
to be near her. Mrs. Lopez wondered about her motives, but soon
found out after spending so much time alone with Mrs. Sanchez, that
she seemed afraid—afraid of her own son’s rejection? That’s why she
didn’t push him to receive her so openly. Mrs. Sanchez would wait
patiently until Peyton accepted her touch; acknowledge that she was
his mother.

Mrs. Lopez was outside sitting next to Peyton while
he scooped up sand with his plastic bucket. In the corner of her
eye she noticed Mrs. Sanchez in the doorway, looking over at the
two of them. Mrs. Lopez waved her hand to bring her over and Mrs.
Sanchez began to walk toward Peyton playing.

Peyton instantly sprung to attention and noticed his
mother walking toward him. Alarmed and frightened, he stood up and
ran into Mrs. Lopez’s reassuring arms.

Amber froze at the sight of her son running away from
her advance and stared at Mrs. Lopez as she gently rubbed Peyton’s
black-haired head. Oh how she wished that were she!

Later, Amber tried again by offering him a toy but
then Peyton ran toward Eduardo when he arrived through their front
door. Peyton was totally at ease with his daddy and his daddy gave
his son a big bear hug, unaware of the envy brewing in his
wife.

“How was your day?” Eduardo asked his son, kneeling
down so that he could meet him eye-to-eye.

“Fine daddy, how wa’ours? Settle cases?”

Amber brought her hand up over her mouth and started
to cry and ran up the winding staircase.

Eduardo gazed over quizzically at Mrs. Lopez as she
just looked away indecisive.

“Peyton mehiò, come with me to change your clothes
for bed,” Mrs. Lopez asked the little boy, extending out her arm so
that Peyton could take her hand.

Peyton gazed up at Mrs. Lopez, “OK nanny.”

Eduardo shot a weird look at Mrs. Lopez and raised an
eyebrow at her.

Mrs. Lopez was taken-back, what did he just call her?
“Peyton mehiò, what did you just say?”

“What does he usually call you?” Eduardo asked
uncertain.

“Mrs. Lopez.”

“The lady up-stwhere’s told me to call her nanny,”
Peyton innocently responded.

Mrs. Lopez almost fainted at the endearment. How nice
of Mrs. Sanchez to ask her son to call her such a personal name.
For years now she often wondered if Mr. Sanchez ever considered her
part of the family, and now, as tears swarmed her eyes, Peyton just
proved how much he really cared.

“Well, you
are
the nanny,” Eduardo winked at
her. “But by those tears in your eyes, I’m thinking you’re hoping
it’s a word for
grandma
.”

Mrs. Lopez shushed him. “Peyton mehiò, let’s go
upstairs and try to find the lady.”

“Not before me,” Eduardo halted her. “Wait here, I’ll
call for you.”

As soon as he made it upstairs, Eduardo found Amber
on the bed crying. He walked over to her and wrapped his arms
around her shoulders and brought her in close. “What’s wrong?”

“Your son doesn’t even know me.”

“My son? He’s
ours
dear girl.”

“Yah, you keep telling me that. But he doesn’t even
know me. He doesn’t feel comfortable with me; he runs away from me
at all the times—do you know how that makes me feel?”

Eduardo wiped the tears away from her face and kissed
her lightly on her lips. “It’s only been a couple of month’s
sweetheart, it will take some time. Peyton is a strong-willed boy.
Just give it some time.”

“I don’t know if I can.”

“Sure you can. We have all the time in the world.”
Eduardo stood up and motioned for Mrs. Lopez to bring Peyton
upstairs and to his son’s room. “Now, go and wash your face and get
our son ready for bed. Mrs. Lopez has already started his
bath.”

Amber looked across from her husband. If this was
going to work, then she would have to be adaptable. “OK.”

A few minutes later, Amber filled the doorway to find
Mrs. Lopez pulling Peyton’s pajamas over his little tan body. He
was a perfect interlock between Eduardo and her, taking after
Eduardo physically, with black hair, hands, mouth like his mommy
and green eyes, nose and skin tone like his daddy. Oh how she loved
him so.

Amber noticed that Peyton was missing a button on his
nightshirt, and inquired, “Peyton baby...would you come here?”

“No,” he quickly said.

Amber rolled her eyes, “Come here Peyton, I’d like to
button up your jammies.”

Peyton hesitated and then slowly walked over to
Amber. Looking down at her hands, Amber carefully fastened the open
buttonhole on his pajama top.

“There now,” she smiled, “You’re all ready for
bed.”

“Would you weed me a stor-wee?” Peyton asked
wide-eyed and innocent.

Amber almost expired from the familiarity in those
green eyes. Amazing how she had never been this close up to him
before where she could really view his eyes. She had always been
able to study him from afar and now she had been given a great
opportunity. Those were most definitely, his father’s lashes and
most definitely his father’s hypnotic stare. Lord help those girls
when he gets a little older. Amber gazed over at Eduardo who was
filling the doorway now with his arms crossed, his legs crossed,
smiling an adoring grin. “I sure would, but would you come sit next
me?” Amber asked a stone-faced Peyton. “I don’t like it when you
sit so far away.”

“Nanny says not to sit next to strang’weres.”

Amber gazed down at the ground. Strangers? I guess
she would be considered a stranger to him. Why would he have an
instant connection with her anyhow? Birthing a child does not
always make you an instant parent or give you an immediate
connection—it took some desire, nourishing and a whole lotta love.
The only adults Peyton has ever known were his grandmother, Eduardo
and Mrs. Lopez. “Peyton, do you know what a mother is?”

Peyton walked over to his fake toy stethoscope and
wrapped it around his shoulders and laid it down on his pajamas. “A
mother is like a nurse, she takes care of babies.”

“That’s right Peyton,” Amber agreed. “Do you know who
I am?”

Peyton turned to look up at Mrs. Lopez first then
back at Amber and quizzically stared at her. “You’re my daddy’s
frwend.”

Amber giggled, “Yes, I am your daddy’s friend, but
I’m also your mother. I’m your
mommy
Peyton.”

Peyton continued to stare at the tall friendly lady
he’s been spending so much time with and he seemed confused, “My
mommy?”

“Yes Peyton baby, I’m your mommy,” Amber gushed,
trying to hold back her tears. “And I love you very much.”

Peyton walked over to Amber and placed his
stethoscope on her chest. “Can I wisten to your heart...mommy?”

Tears streamed down Amber’s face instantly and she
leaned down to his level—wanting to grab him into her, hold him
something fierce—but restrained herself and didn’t want to break
the comfortable bond she just created. “Like this?” She asked,
sticking her chest out feeling deliriously happy.

Peyton cautiously placed the device in the middle of
her shirt. “You have a hef-ee heart mommy; you don’t need an
oper-wation.”

Amber wiped away her tears, “Thank goodness for
that!”

Peyton was just about to walk away from her when
Amber reached down and grabbed his little hand and brought his body
into hers to give him a little hug. Peyton didn’t hug her back but
did allow her to give him a squeeze as he simply stared down at the
carpet.