Brutal Discoveries (15 page)

The heavenly scent of roasting turkey wafted through the house, and with every inhale, my mouth watered.  I stood on the opposite side of the kitchen counter to Jen, preparing vegetables while she was busy constructing a pumpkin pie and a caramel- chocolate pecan one that I had decided I needed to convert into a cupcake.  It looked so good, I couldn’t wait until dessert so I could taste it. 

I heard the doorbell ring and then Danni called out, “I’ll get it.”  She was in a bedroom changing Asher’s diaper.  A second later, the baby came tearing through the kitchen and ran out into the backyard to join his brother and sister in the game they were playing.  I laughed and then turned to see Danni coming into the kitchen with my parents trailing her.

“Mom! Dad!” I dropped the knife I was using and ran over to greet them in a big hug.  “You’re early.”

“We thought the drive might take longer than it did, but traffic was light,” Mom explained.

“Well, I’m glad you’re here.  You met Aden’s sister, Danni?” I asked and Mom nodded.  “This is Jen, Aden’s mother.  Jen, meet my parents, Eliza and Anthony.”  As was Jen’s way, she embraced them both warmly with a hug and then I took my parents into the family room to meet Georgia and her boyfriend Mitch, and Hank.  After all of the introductions were done, besides the kids who were still playing in the yard, I left Dad with the men, who were watching a football game, and Georgia, who was folding towels, and Mom and I moved back to the kitchen to continue preparing the feast. 

***

“Scarlett mentioned you host a Thanksgiving dinner at your home every year,” Jen said to my mother.  I had told Jen that earlier before my folks had arrived.

Mom nodded.  “Yes, we do.  It’s certainly grown in size over the years, but we enjoy it.  We considered cancelling altogether this year, but after discussing it with our guests and making sure they were comfortable with the idea, we decided to host the dinner tomorrow night instead.  A belated Thanksgiving, if you will,” Mom explained.

“That sounds wonderful.”  Mom and Jen were getting along like a house on fire, and Dad was chatting with the guys about the game they had watched on television earlier.  I couldn’t help but look around the table and smile.  When Aden’s hand found my thigh under the table, I turned my grin to him.

“Everything okay?” he asked.

“Perfect,” I responded, because it was.  So,
so
perfect.

After we had finished eating, we cleared the dishes and then Aden announced he was going to take me for a walk around his childhood neighborhood.  It was a beautiful afternoon, the sun was warm, but there was still a slight chill in the air, reminding us that winter’s wrath could descend any moment.  I wrapped a scarf around my neck and shrugged on a jacket before pulling my boots on and following Aden outside.

We strolled the streets and Aden pointed out places he used to hang out as the memories came to him.  He told me where he had fallen off his bike and skinned his knee so badly he didn’t heal for weeks, and where his best friends used to live.  He showed me the spot he thought was the best hideout for games of hide and seek, and he showed me the tree he had carved his name into when he was thirteen.  Finally, he led me down to a small stream.  It was secluded by tall trees that, along with the small hill leading down to the water, provided an amazing windbreak.  We sat down on the lush green grass, my head on his shoulder, his arm around me, and listened to nothing but the birds chirping and the water trickling. 

“Thank you for a wonderful day,” I murmured, not wanting to break the peaceful quiet, but needing him to know how much it meant to me.

He gave me a squeeze with his arm and kissed my temple.  “Anytime, Scarlett.”

I tilted my head up to find him looking down at me.  “Kiss me,” I demanded softly.  He obliged without further encouragement.  His lips met mine and moved in soft, slow precision, effortlessly moving through the dance as if they knew the steps by heart.  His tongue traced the seam of my lips and I opened, letting him sweep in and consume me even more than he already had.

I was breathless when he pulled back slightly, and with his lips still moving against mine, he said, “Baby, we’re not at ma’s house now.”  His voice was raspy and husky, intoxicating and mesmerizing.  And I knew I would never be able to deny him.  I didn’t want to.  He grasped my hips and shifted me until I was sitting in his lap.  Our kissing resumed and then he flipped us over and tugged my jeans down while gently biting my pebbled nipples through my knitted sweater.  The air surrounding us was cold and I felt the chill on my bare skin, but the instant Aden nestled between my legs with his strong body, I felt my blood heat once again.  His fingers stroked my clit while he kissed me until I was arching off the grass and shuddering, moaning his name softly.  When he slid inside me, I was ready.  Wanting him. 
Needing
him so badly I was aching.  He made love to me softly, slowly.  His lips never straying more than a breath away from my own, our exhales mingling with our inhales.  My soft whimpers combined with his guttural grunts made the most beautiful melody.  He showed me he loved me with his body and I gave him back just as much as he was giving.

When my body clenched tight around him, my legs constricting his waist, my fingers clutching his tensed shoulders, he thrust forward and stilled inside me.  “Aden!” His name fell from my lips on a whispered gasp as he groaned my own name, his voice dripping with utter desire.

***

“Is this where you used to take all your girlfriends to get some action?” I jokingly asked as I buttoned my jeans.

He zipped his fly and smirked.  “Only the special ones.”

“Is that so?” I grinned.

“Yeah, baby, and there’s only been one of those.”  He pulled me into his arms and kissed me, dipping me backward so far I was certain my hair was brushing the grass we had just made love on. 

“You’re very romantic, Mr. West,” I breathed when he righted me. 

“I have my moments,” he agreed arrogantly.

“Let’s get back.  I’m sure our parents are wondering what happened to us.”

He took my hand and we walked back slowly, our hands laced together, my head on his shoulder, our hips rubbing together with every step.  My heart was full to bursting.

***

Standing beside my parents’ car early the following morning, I hugged my mom.  Dad was already inside the warmth of the vehicle, having said goodbye to Aden and his clan. 

“You chose well, honey.  I’m happy for you.”  She touched my cheek.

“Thanks, Mom.”

“Is everything else okay… with, you know…” she trailed off, but she didn’t need to elaborate.  I knew what she was asking.  The fear in her eyes squeezed my heart.

“It is,” I said quietly.  “I visited him… Damon.  I needed to know the end of his story.”  I cleared the croak from my throat.  “He told me, and he had no idea who I was until that moment.”

“Oh, darling,” she whimpered.

“Please don’t cry, Mom.  It’s okay.  I’m okay,” I assured her.  “I’ve got a mom and a dad who I adore, a man who loves me and who I love, and a new family who I think are just wonderful.  Whatever happens with Damon, whether I decide to see him again or not, won’t affect all the good I have in my life.  If I didn’t have all that good, maybe I wouldn’t be dealing with this all so well, but I do.” 
And thank god for that.

“You’re such a strong girl, Scarlett,” she whispered.

“That’s a credit to my mom.  She’s a pretty amazing lady herself,” I remarked with a smile.

“Love you, darling.”

“Love you, too.  Travel safe.”  I kissed her cheek and waved them off as they disappeared around the corner.

“All good?” Aden asked when he came up behind me, his arms wrapping around my waist.

“Always,” I answered honestly.

“Good.  Let’s get inside. Georgia said you girls are going shopping soon?”

“Yep!  You guys are going to do your thing, and so are we,” I told him, grinning.  “But first, I need to call Ella and see how the bakery is doing.”

“Go do that, baby.  I’ll make you a coffee.”

“Thanks, honey.”  I touched my lips to his and made my way into his bedroom to make the call.

Throwing her hands on her hips, Georgia bent her knees, stuck out her booty, and threw us a smoldering pout over her shoulder.  Jen, Danni, and I burst into laughter, so Georgia did a turn and treated us to another pose that had us laughing harder.  We were in the third store on our shopping spree, and at each store we had all taken turns doing some outrageous modelling of the clothes we were trying on.  I hadn’t laughed so hard in forever. 

“Do you think this suits me?” Georgia asked innocently.  I covered my laughter as she turned around and let us see the back – or lack thereof as it was – of the denim shorts she wore.  Jen gasped and Danni hooted beside me.  Georgia slapped her ass cheek and strutted herself back to the dressing room.

“Your turn!” Danni said, her eyes on me.

I took the outfit I had chosen and walked behind the curtain as Georgia was exiting.  “Give it all you’ve got, girlfriend.  Throw some sass!  Make love to the audience with your eyes,” she coached, her cheeks almost splitting as she tried to get the words out without laughing.

“Got it.  Thanks,” I giggled.

The dress was tight.  Hot pink and white sequined. Short.  Not too ridiculous, except I was wearing it backwards.  I glanced in the mirror and tried my hardest not to collapse in a fit of laughter.  I looked utterly outrageous.  Schooling my features, I strutted out with a serious look on my face.  I stopped at the end of our makeshift runway, right in front of the girls, and cocked a pose.  Jen had tears running down her cheeks, Danni was red in the face, and Georgia was bent double, clutching her stomach.

I grabbed my boobs and pushed them up and then spun with a flick of my hair before I couldn’t refrain any longer.  I fell to the floor and giggled until I couldn’t breathe.

Once we had all recovered, we purchased a few items each and then moved on to the next store.  By the time we arrived back at the house, my cheeks were hurting from laughing too much but I had never had a better day.  I dumped all of my purchases in the corner of the bedroom beside my luggage and then returned to the kitchen to help Jen set out the leftovers for dinner. I saw I had a text.

Aden:
Hey baby, on our way home now.  Won’t be too long.

Me:
See you soon, honey.
  I added an emoji blowing a heart shape before I hit send on the text and then I tucked my phone back into my pocket.

“The boys will be home soon,” I told the girls.  “Aden just texted me.”

“Just in time,” Jen said as she placed a pile of plates on the counter. 

“I better go pick up my kids.  I won’t be long,” Danni said.  Hank’s mother and father, who apparently lived just the next street over, had watched the kids today so Danni could go shopping and Hank could do whatever it was the guys did.

After we had stuffed ourselves with the leftovers, we all lounged around in the family room and watched a movie.  Aden was lying on his side, his head propped up by his hand, and I was lounging against his stomach, using his waist for a pillow.  The fingers on his free hand idly ran through my hair.  We were going home the next morning, but right then, I wished we didn’t have to leave.  I had had more fun than I could have ever imagined, and I didn’t want it to end.  

***

I was slouched down in the leather seat, my feet tapping to the music filling the car, my head resting back, my eyes on Aden as he expertly navigated the highway.

“Thank you for including me this weekend.  I had the best time.”  He removed one hand from the steering wheel and placed it on my thigh, giving me a squeeze. 

“Glad, baby.  I did too.”

“I invited Danni and Georgia to the city sometime, I hope you don’t mind.  I also told them to bring your mom so I could feed her some of my cupcakes.”

“You’re something else, you know that, Scarlett?” His eyes got soft and his plump lips titled up in a smile.

“Is that a good thing or a bad thing?”

“Good, babe.  So good,” he assured me.

We arrived at my townhouse mid-afternoon, and after dropping me off, Aden left since he had an evening shift beginning in a couple of hours.  I washed my soiled clothes and got my outfit ready for the next morning.  After finding a recipe for a pecan caramel chocolate cupcake I wanted to try, I sat down and picked up my cell to call Ella.

“Hey, girlfriend! How was your weekend away?”

“Amazing.  How was your Thanksgiving?” I asked her while I poured myself a glass of white wine.

“It was good, actually.  I kind of spent the day with Will.”

“You did?” I shrieked.  “How was it? What did you guys do?”

“I went to his apartment and he cooked for me.  It was really nice.”

“I’m so happy for you, Els.”  I meant every word.  She deserved nothing but the best, and I just hoped Will knew what a treasure she was and didn’t toss her out with the trash.

We moved onto talking about Aden’s family and I told Ella what a hoot his mom and sisters were.  She was gasping for breath when I recited our shopping adventures.  She assured me the bakery was still standing and everything had run smoothly in my absence, which relieved a weight from my shoulders I hadn’t realized I was carrying.  According to Ella, Trent and Carrie had fit in so smoothly with the other girls, it was like they had always been there. That made me super happy and I was even more excited to get to work in the morning. 

Surely it wasn’t that normal to be excited about your job, but I couldn’t think of a single day that I had dreaded walking through the doors of ‘Sweet Treats’.  I was living my dream and it was nothing to complain about. 

“I’ll see you in the morning, chicky.  Sweet dreams,” I said to Ella.

“See you then.  Bye, babes.”

I set my cell down and moved into the kitchen to refill my wine glass and heat a microwave dinner.  When I was done, I decided to do something I felt like I hadn’t done in a while.  I filled my bathtub and immersed myself in the hot, lavender and rose-scented water.  On the small wooden shelf stretching from one side of the tub to the other, I set my glass of wine and chocolate bar, then I picked up my Kindle and began to read.  By the time the water turned cool, my glass was empty, my chocolate bar was gone, and I finished the book I had been neglecting for the past few weeks.  Life was good.  No, life was
great.