Left Together (34 page)

His
final surprise for the weekend is a massage on the beach at sunset. The cabana is
set up at the water’s edge. While the waves crash in, a gentle breeze blows,
and the sun glistens off of the surface of the water. Of course, he has to add
his own personal touch by having the sand sprinkled with white and pink
daisies. He may occasionally be a jealous fool, but he’s mine and I’m never
letting him go.

We
thought we were going to leave the hotel for dinner that night, but it never happens.
Evan ends up ordering room service, while I nap after the relaxing massage.
When the food comes, he brings it in the bedroom and we eat curled up under the
blankets. For dessert, I have a healthy dose of the man I love. As a matter of
fact, I have the same thing for a late night snack, then again for an early
morning breakfast. He makes me wish we could live out the rest of our lives in the
room.

***

Being
wrapped up in nothing but Evan for three straight days should have been enough
to make me sleep for a week. Perhaps it would’ve been if I wasn’t so stoked
about starting the rest of my life. The moment a hint of light pokes into my
room, I hop out of bed and quietly run for the bathroom. Evan doesn’t need to
be at work until after I’m done for the day, so I plan on letting him sleep in.

As I’m
standing in front of the mirror, fastening the necklace that holds my locket,
his groggy voice startles me. “Please tell me you realize it’s completely
against human nature to be this excited about going to school.”

When I
look over my shoulder at him, I’m thrown off balance. His hair is a crazy mess
on top of his handsome, sleepy head. He’s wearing those basketball shorts that
sit so low on his waist, it shows his sexy V. If he gave a shit about my
concentration, he would’ve put a shirt on. Jerk.

“How
about if I was
your
teacher? Would you be excited then?”

His
lips curl into his famous smirk. “Fucking right. I’d be hard the whole damn
day,” he says, coming toward me. “I highly doubt I’d be able to learn anything,
especially since you’re dressed like that.”

I look
down at the dress I bought for today. “What’s wrong with how I’m dressed?”

He
wraps his arms around me from behind. “Absolutely nothing. You look fucking hot
as hell.” He leans down to kiss my neck. “Every time you wear a dress, we
somehow manage to have sex without having to remove it.”

“Not
every
time.”

“Does
it count if it happens in my head?” He watches my reflection in the mirror. “Because
if that’s the case, then every time is very accurate.” I spin around so he can
hold me. “Seriously, though. I’m so happy for you. I know you’re going to have
a wonderful first year.” He kisses my nose, then taps the locket at my neck.
“Taking Gram with you for luck?”

“Not
luck. Just comfort. Are you going to miss me?”

“Yup.
I’m also jealous of all those little guys who get to stare at you all day. It’s
not fair.”

“Evan,
they’re six and seven. They aren’t looking at me the way you do.”

His
eyebrows shoot up. “Even if I was a toddler, I’d be looking at you this way.”

“You’re
impossible.” I roll my eyes. Good thing I didn’t put lipstick on yet because he
would have smudged it.

He
follows me around while I get ready, and even makes us breakfast. I tell him he
doesn’t have to, but he insists, then offers to drive me to work. Although I’m
tempted to take him up on it just to be able to spend a few more minutes
together, I know there’s no reason I can’t drive myself. He has things to do,
as well. We part at my car door after a long kiss goodbye, which I’ll be
thinking about all day.

The
butterflies in my stomach set in as I pull into the parking lot of Shining
Stars, and last all the way until the first cute little face peeks into my
classroom. Parents bring their kids directly to the teachers on the first day.
Gram always thought it would make it easier for the kids, especially the
younger ones. I think parents appreciate being able to physically see the
person who will be watching over their child from day one, rather than at “Back-to-School”
night in a few weeks.

Seeing
that first little girl at the doorway erases my nerves because I can see hers.
She’s wearing a pretty pink dress and sparkly pink shoes. Her brown hair is
pulled to the side in one of those fancy braids all the girls are sporting
lately. She’s latched onto her mom so tightly, her knuckles are white and her
head is partly behind her mom’s arm. I’m actually relieved she came in first.
By the nametag she’s wearing, which I sent her, I know who she is and that
she’s the only one of my students who didn’t attend this school for kindergarten.

“Good
morning,” I greet her and her mom. “I’m Miss Foster.” I kneel down in front of
her. “Welcome to first grade.”

“This
is Lily,” her mom says. “She’s a little nervous about starting at a new school.
We moved to the area last month.”

I wink
at Mom. “It’s very nice to meet you, Lily. Do you want to hear a secret?” She
nods her head, but doesn’t open her mouth. I lower my voice. “Today is my first
day here at Shining Stars, too. I don’t really know anyone, either, but I know
you and I are going to be really good friends. Want to know how I know that?” I
ask, touching her arm with my finger. “You’re wearing my favorite color and
those are the cutest shoes I’ve ever seen.” She smiles, despite trying to
conceal it. “Is pink your favorite color, too?”

“Yes.
My big sister likes it, too.” Her cute little voice matches her cute little
smile and her cute little outfit.

“Do
you want me to show you where your new desk is?” I hold out my hand and watch
as she places her tiny fingers inside it. Mom smiles and tears up, clearly
relieved. “Let’s see who else we can meet today, okay?”

“Okay…,”
she says.

I go
through similar greetings thirteen more times until every one of the desks are
full. It’s easier for the rest of them because it’s their second or third year at
the same place. Shining Stars also has a Pre-K program some parents take
advantage of. Being such a small school, everyone knows everyone. As the
parents begin to filter out, not one of the kids sheds a tear. A sigh of relief
escapes me and all fifteen of us begin our new journey.

If I
scripted my first day of teaching, it wouldn’t have gone nearly as smoothly as
today did. As I stand here in the auditorium, dismissing my students to their
parents, I realize I’m already attached to each and every one of them. I knew
it was going to happen. It was a big fear of mine before accepting the position.
Their voices and smiles have woven their way around my heart.
Little stinkers!
I was born to do this. The best part of the day comes as I start to head back
to my classroom after releasing the last child. Two tiny arms encircle my
waist. I had to tilt my head down to see the sweet brunette in pink.

“Hey,
Lily,” I chuckle lightly. She hadn’t said much today, but she was definitely
paying attention.

“I’m
so glad you’re my teacher, Miss Foster.”

She doesn’t
give me a chance to respond. As quickly as she appeared, she runs back to her
mom, who’s hanging back with another little girl wearing the same dress as
Lily. Mom mouths,
Thank you.
I smile because I don’t want to be the only
one who sheds a tear on the first day of school.

***

When I
shift my car into park, I see Evan sitting on the step outside the front door. When
he sees my expression, he grins and shakes his head. He waits patiently for me
to collect my bags and stroll up the steps.

“Hey,
handsome.”

“Hey,
sweetheart. Looks like your day went well.” I bend over to kiss him.

“It
was everything I thought it would be and more. Now it has the perfect ending.”
I take his hand and pull him up from his spot. He leads me inside.

“I
can’t wait to hear all about it.”

I drop
my bag and purse down on the table inside the foyer. “I don’t want to talk
about my day. I want to hear about yours. I missed your sexy ass.”

He
chuckles. “Bullshit. Judging by the fact that you’re still practically bouncing
after being in those heels all day, you can’t wait to tell me every juicy
detail.”

“Speaking
of these heels, I’m going to run upstairs and change. How long do you have
until you leave for work?” I head toward the stairs.

“About
twenty-six hours or so.”

I stop
and turn around. “Huh?”

“I’m
not going in tonight.”

“Why
not?”

He
smiles. “Because you had a really important day. I’m going to sit here and listen
while you talk about it all night. Well, for part of the night, then we’ll
celebrate it for the rest.”

I slip
off my shoes and set them on the bottom step before extending my hand to him.
He closes the small gap between us and takes it. His body presses against mine.
“We could celebrate now and talk later.”

“Mmm.
That sounds like a good idea, but we should eat first. I have dinner cooking.”

“You
took the night off
and
cooked for me? You’re spoiling the shit out of
me.” He lifts me up and carries me into the kitchen. He sets me down on the
stool at the counter and kisses me again. Who the hell needs dinner when he’s
offering that?

“Get
used to it. I’m going to spoil you forever.” He looks as though he’s going to
say something else, but he only smiles and bites his lip. “You’ll see,” he
mumbles.

While
Evan finishes preparing dinner, he lets me ramble on about my students, what
happened with Lily, how welcoming the staff and other teachers were, and about
my lunch with Dr. Kelly. For this year, he’s going to take on most of the
administrative duties, slowly introducing me to things I’ll need to know. He
arranged for my office to be set up and I decided to use the furniture Gram had
in her office. Evan throws in a comment of how he can’t wait to break it in.
When he looks at me that way, I’d actually consider it.

After
dinner, we take a glass of wine out to the garden and relax. It would be so
damn easy to get used to this, but it will never happen. Our conflicting
schedules won’t allow for this to be a normal occurrence. We’ll just have to
enjoy it when we can. We finish off the night exactly the way it was promised
to me. I fall asleep thinking how bright our future looks. How there’s no
possible way anyone or anything will ever come between us.

Kacie

The
first few months of our relationship were pretty harsh. Most people don’t have
that much shit happen to them in a lifetime but, for some reason, Evan and I
were tested more than any new couple should’ve been. Our “honeymoon” period was
royally fucked up, which pissed me off. It was supposed to be all about us. We
were supposed to be falling in love and forgetting about the rest of the world,
not worrying about who would be attacking next or from which direction they’d
be coming. Haven’t I had more than my fair share of life experiences stolen
from me? Didn’t we suffer enough?

Once I
started school, things settled down considerably. We weren’t able to spend as
much time together, but we made it work. In the morning, we’d have breakfast
and, at least three nights a week, we’d have an early dinner before Evan went
to Skyline. There were plenty of weekends he’d get Keith or his uncle to run
the club if it felt like we hadn’t had much time for us. Those were my favorite
times, even if all we did was spend the two days at our house. Evan has told me
repeatedly that if I wanted him home more, he could promote Keith permanently.
While having him around on a consistent basis would be quite nice, I wouldn’t
ever ask that of him. As much as I love Shining Stars and every one of my
students, he lives for Skyline. Being in charge of running that place and
witnessing its success week in and week out makes him tick like nothing else.
The confidence his uncle has in him is his driving force.

The
holidays came and went. It was the first year without Gram, but also the first
year with Evan. Thanksgiving wasn’t all that bad because we were so busy. With
the night before being such a big party night, I went to Skyline with friends.
The next day, Evan and I had dinner with Aunt Grace, Uncle Tim, Meg, Luke,
Jade, Jake, and Kyle. Seeing Meg with someone who would treat her properly was
a pleasant surprise. It looked like things with Connor were finally over. After
the shit he had to deal with, Luke deserved it, too. After dinner, Noah and
Addison stopped over. For the first time since I was a kid, I spent a holiday
with my big brother.

Christmas
wasn’t as simple. Gram absolutely loved everything about the winter holiday.
The lights, the decorations, the baking, the shopping, even the wrapping of
gifts and the songs. Each and every year, she’d go overboard with all of it.
She made it so much fun that I didn’t expect it could ever be enjoyable without
her. Even last year, as she withered away before my eyes, she made it memorable
for me.

When I
came home for winter break, the house was completely decorated inside and out.
I had flown home the weekend prior, as I had since she took a turn for the
worse. Enlisting the help of Jade and Jake, they transformed the house in less
than a week. Being the suckers they are, they did everything Gram asked them to
do. Lights were strung out front on the house and in the trees the same way
Gram and I had done it previous years. Almost every surface of the living room
and kitchen was decorated to her liking. I walked in to Christmas music playing
and my frail grandmother sitting in a wheelchair in the kitchen, waiting for me.
Every ingredient for her delicious cookies was spread out on the counter.

“What’s
going on?” I asked, setting my luggage down.

“What
the hell does it look like? It’s six days until Christmas and I haven’t had a
homemade cookie yet,” she said, smiling. Her nurse was nowhere in sight. It was
just the two of us.

“Gram,
I can make them. I don’t want you to wear yourself out.”

“You
are going to make them. I’m only here to supervise. I don’t want ruined
cookies.”

We
spent the next two hours laughing, telling stories of past Christmases, and
making another holiday memory I’d cherish forever. As I mixed batter after
batter, she reminded me of all her baking tricks and secrets one last time. She
even made me promise that I’d never store homemade cookies without a slice of
bread to keep them fresh. As the last tray came out of the oven, my grandmother
started coughing. The nurse came out and we got her back into bed. That was the
last time I saw Gram outside of her room.

The
next afternoon, Jake carried the tree into her room. He had it set up in the
living room for us to decorate, but Gram wouldn’t be able to enjoy it there. As
she sat on her bed, Gram pulled the ornaments from the box and I took them to
the tree. There were a few special ones she kept from when my grandfather was
alive that had to be put in certain spots. She did it every year. I offered to
help her stand so she could do it, but she said it was time for me to take over
the tradition. It broke my heart to hear. When I went to plug in the lights
after all the decorations were on, Gram stopped me, saying I forgot something.
She pulled out a neatly wrapped box from her nightstand and handed it to me.

“What’s
this?”

“Your
new ornament,” she told me. Another tradition that would be broken once she was
gone. We added one to our collection every year. With everything going on, I
had forgotten. Gram
never
forgot.

I
climbed in bed beside her and slowly unwrapped the package. Inside the box was
a crystal angel hanging from an ivory ribbon. It was the prettiest ornament I had
ever seen.
Forever In Your Heart
was engraved on the back. It sent me
into an uncontrollable fit of tears. Most of the time, I kept them tightly tied
up, but that was too much. She collected me in her arms and let me cry it out.
Once I finished, she instructed me to put the angel in its new place, front and
center on the tree.

When I
slid back into bed after switching on the lights, Gram smiled proudly. “This is
the prettiest tree we’ve ever had.”

“I
agree,” I whispered.

The
rest of that week, we spent eating cookies, watching Christmas movies and
specials on TV, and wrapping the gifts I had picked up for Gram to give out.
Jade and Jake brought over dinner a couple of nights, but most of the time, it
was just me and Gram. Christmas morning came with plenty more presents. My
favorite was the photo album filled with pictures of the two of us, places we
had been, things we had done. I still treasure that book. I always will. Gram
forbid me to get her anything, but I didn’t listen. There were a few smaller
gifts, but the most important were the blanket I had someone make for her and a
heart necklace she had told me she liked, both of which are still with her.

Needless
to say, Christmas wasn’t something I was looking forward to. While at school
with the kids, I was all smiles and excitement, but once I got home and Evan
went to work, the sadness overtook me. I desperately wanted our first Christmas
to be special. I knew it was only going to be as memorable as I made it, so
things needed to change.

The
second week of December was coming to an end. I was a little late getting home
on a Friday and expected Evan to be at the club already. When I walked into the
living room, he was cursing at the tree he was fighting with.

“What’s
going on?” I asked, trying not to laugh at the sight in front of me. He was
sprawled on the floor underneath a huge tree, trying to get it in the stand.

“Fuck!”
he yelled. I bit my lip to hide my amusement. “This was supposed to be a
surprise.”

“Need
some help?” I wandered over and reached in to grab the trunk, steadying it for
him. He mumbled his thanks and went back to twisting the bolts into place.

“All
right. Is it good?” he grunted.

I
squeezed my eyes closed and hoped it would stay up. Thankfully, it did. “Looks
like it.” He crawled out and I pulled him to his feet.

“I’m
sorry. I was trying to have it ready for you.” He kissed my cheek. “You’re not
mad, are you? I’ve never had a real tree before and thought it would be the
perfect year to get one.”

“No.
I’m not mad. It’s the first real one I’ve had, too. I love it,” I said,
wrapping my arms around his neck.

“I
know this is a rough time of year for you. I’ll do anything to make it better.
Just tell me how.”

“You’re
already doing it. I know I’ve been a little down and I’m sorry. I hope you
realize I’m thrilled I get to spend it with you.”

He
brushed my face with the backs of his fingers. “I love you, no matter what.”

“I
love you, too.”

“What
do you say? Should we go buy some stuff for this damn tree?”

“Actually,
would you mind if we used things I already have?”

“I was
hoping you’d say that.” He kissed me and bounced away, coming back with a red
gift bag. “And I’m adding this.”

I
pulled a new ornament out of the bag. “How did you…?”

His
lips on mine prevented me from finishing the question. “Jade,” he answered
after he pulled back. Of course. “I would’ve gotten you one anyway, though.
Especially since this is a special year.” He pointed to the dated ornament.
Our
First Christmas Together
was etched into a silver heart.

Evan
was around more than usual. When I brought it up, he blew it off and distracted
me. I wasn’t arguing with him because if I was going to be honest, I needed
him. He made me feel better by being there. Jade and Jake visited a lot, too.
It was obvious I wasn’t the only one who missed Gram.

My
first Christmas morning without Gram ended up being just as memorable as those
I spent with her. I woke up to Evan running his fingers along my arm.

“Merry
Christmas, sweetheart,” he said.

“Merry
Christmas,” I replied sleepily.

“Is it
time for presents now?” he asked.

“How
old are you?” I chuckled at his enthusiasm.

“Old
enough to know you’re going to love your present so much that what you give me
later is going to be fucking awesome.” I laughed harder. “Come on!” He reached
out a hand to me. When he pulled me up, I kissed him. “Damn. You’re making me
regret the gift that’s waiting for you downstairs.”

“It
can wait a little longer.”

“I
wish it could.” He smiled and dragged me from our comfortable bed.
Bastard
.

He led
me down the stairs like a little kid. My eyes still weren’t open all the way,
so when I saw what he was talking about, I didn’t believe it right away. I took
a few steps into the living room and froze.

“Merry
Christmas, Kacie!”

“Mom?”
She smiled as tears came to my eyes. Before I could go to her, I turned back
toward Evan, who was standing with his arms folded over his chest, leaning on
the wall and grinning. “Thank you,” I whispered as I ran to him. He squeezed me
for a moment, accepted the kiss I offered, then released me. For the first time
in my life, I spent Christmas day with my mom.

***

The
beginning of January flat out sucked because it marked one year since Gram was taken
from me. On the actual day, I locked myself in her room and sobbed. She
would’ve preferred we went out and celebrated, but it was all I could do.
Eventually, Jade let herself in, crawled into bed, and bawled right along with
me. Long after the sun went down, Evan and Jake came in with a pizza and frosty
beer. It smelled too delicious to pass up. Who knew you could work up such an
appetite from crying for hours? The four of us spent the rest of the night
sitting in Gram’s bed, laughing and carrying on. She would’ve been so pissed
that we were eating on her comforter.

The
following day, Jade helped me tackle the clothes in Gram’s closet. We folded
and bagged more dresses, skirts, shirts, and pants than you’d find in a
department store. There were some things I’d never part with. Her wedding gown,
for instance. It had been preserved and boxed up for over fifty years, but it
was something for me to hold on to. Something that was important to her. I’d
save everything, but the women down at the shelter needed the items more than
me.

By the
middle of the month, my life had turned around. I was packing up my things at
my desk, getting ready to leave school, when Noah called.

“Hey!
What’s up?” I answered, shoving my laptop into its bag.

“I
know you’re probably getting ready to go home, but I thought you’d like to know
that we’re at the hospital. The baby should be here in a few hours.”

“I’m
on my way!” I said, not caring if I had anything else to do. “Do you need me to
bring you anything?”

“Just
you. I only need you, sis.” His voice shook. He was usually the calm one.

“You’re
going to be a great dad. No worries, okay?”

“Okay.
Drive safe, but get your ass here as soon as you can.”

“Noah?”

“Yeah?”

“I
love you. This will be a walk in the park compared to dealing with me.”

He
laughed. “I love you, too. Let me know when you get here.”

After
hanging up, I sent Evan a text that I wouldn’t be going straight home. It was
one of those days he had to go into Skyline early, so it wasn’t like he was waiting
at home.

I
found the waiting room easily enough. Addie’s parents were already there. Mr.
Morgan was watching the news, and Mrs. Morgan paced along the windows that
overlooked the parking lot. They greeted me warmly. I had only been in their
company a few times, but they were very sweet to me. Not that far behind me was
Luke, and Meg came shortly after that. After Noah came out to give us an
update, Evan showed up.