Resplendent (31 page)

“I don’t blog, but I think it’d be better for you because you can tell a story with your images — I can’t,” he said. I jotted down the websites he recommended on a sticky note before closing my folder. I was so thankful for his help. He’d become a really good businessman.

“Do you think you’ll try again for Orlando?” I hoped the fight we’d had while he was over there hadn’t soured his plans to try again in the future.

He rubbed his jaw. “It’s not crossed off my list yet.” I exhaled and waited for him to finish. “I’m not in a hurry either.” He reached for my stomach. “I have better things to take care of now.”

“I’m proud of you, Dre,” I told him earnestly.

His eyes widened. “For what? You’re the one doing all the work.”

“For finishing school, expanding the type of work you do, and taking care of your family.” I placed my hand on top of his. “Your parents must be smiling down on you right now.” I smiled.

His eyes were wistful. “I can’t believe it’s been five years since my dad died.”

We held hands and I snuggled back on his chest. “I thought about you that day. November first, right?” I asked.

I felt him freeze.
Crap, did I get it wrong?
“Dre?” I asked tentatively.

“You remember the date?”

I could barely hear him, and I looked up at him.

“Yes, Peach, you’re right.” He hugged me tightly. “You’re
so
right.”

We talked to close the bridge between us.

“I thought I was going to have a boy,” he said, solemnly and rubbed at his stubble.

I squeezed his hand. “I’m sorry,” I responded. I wasn’t sure what we were having, but I knew it must’ve hurt him to realize he’d been deceived.

I played with the lint on his shirt. “I trusted her too,” I mused.

He placed his hand over mine and entwined our fingers. “She didn’t confirm or deny, but we never had sex,” he said.

I swallowed and ran my tongue under my lips. We were quiet for a few minutes. He stroked my hair. “You have nothing to say?” I could feel his chest rise and fall a beat faster than normal. I didn’t want silence to fill in the gap between us.

With everything that had happened in the past, and knowing what Carmin had done, I knew it didn’t matter. It was Carmin that had betrayed my trust and put our relationship to the test. Ultimately, we had a lot of work to do, but I knew we would survive. I cleared my throat breaking up the silence.

“I’m ready to move forward, Dre … if you are.” I sat up and turned my body to face him.

“I am,” he agreed. His hand ran down the arm that was holding me up. It was my turn to give him the closure he wanted.

“I talked to Sebastian,” I said and tilted my head. His arm stilled for a beat, but his eyes remained on mine.

“When?”

“After I found out I was pregnant…” He gritted his teeth but didn’t say anything. “I needed a friend,” I finished.

Dre stood up slowly so his head was level with mine. We were inches apart.

“And?” he whispered seductively.

I licked my lips; he didn’t miss it.

“And, we talked, but…” He moved a little bit closer. “But…” I forgot my vocabulary. His fingers teased my throat.

“But?” Warm lips hovered over mine.

“But, my heart shattered a long time ago, and you kept the biggest piece.”

He closed his eyes and exhaled. “But are you ready to let go of the past?” When he opened his eyes again, I saw myself. He was my counterpart. My other half.

“I am.” I nodded once.

He kissed me once: soft, sweet, and smooth.

We talked for eight hours. My voice was hoarse by the time we started mumbling snippets of pointless conversations. My iPod played soft music in the background. I can’t even remember what playlist we were listening to; it had become white noise. It was still too early to be going to sleep, but exhaustion was taking over me and I turned my body. When he started rubbing my lower back, I was completely knocked out in minutes.

I pressed my hand on my stomach and groaned. My bladder was full. Ugh, I was only halfway through pregnancy and already getting up once in the middle of the night to pee. I rubbed my eyes and noticed the only light in the room came from my alarm clock.

A shift on the bed caused me to glance down and my eyes teared up when I saw Andres with his forehead pressed against my stomach. He wasn’t even curled under the covers, but it was clear he was snuggling, in the only way possible, with our baby.

I slowly lifted the covers and crawled out of bed as quiet as a mouse. I grabbed my phone as I tiptoed my way to the bathroom. Our phones had been turned off within minutes of hearing Carmin’s confession so there’d be no interruptions. I used the restroom while I waited for the screen to light up. Sure enough, the ping of messages stole my attention and I glanced down. Two voicemails and three text messages. I washed and dried my hands then picked up the phone again and punched in the code to listen.

“Nena, it’s Lola. Mi amor, I just talked to Carmin and she told me what happened. I’m assuming Andres came to see you. If he hasn’t come by, please give him a call and hear him out. I don’t even know what to say, but I hope you understand that I had no part in this deception.”

I placed a hand to my chest to stop the trembling. She hadn’t known. I rested my back on the door and let out a breath of relief. The second message was Lola again, just a couple hours after the first.

“Savannah, I’m so sorry about everything. (I heard her sniff and I closed my eyes) Please call me as soon as you can. I just want to make sure you’re all right. I never told them about your baby, but I know Andres figured it out somehow. Call me.”

I quickly deleted both of them and typed up a text message:

Madrina, I’m ok. Me and Dre talked. I’ll call you later this afternoon. Te Quiero. XO, S

I knew she hadn’t told Andres anything based off of the P.I. information he’d shown me.

The other text messages were from Brittany. She had been trying to come down to visit me for weeks. I responded quickly and told her I’d talk details with her later.

I opened the door and peeked outside. The silhouette of Dre’s body hadn’t moved an inch. What else had Carmin been up to these last few months, playing the role of wife with her traitorous mouth? I might have cleared up the past with Dre, but Carmin was far from being forgiven. Did he go to all of her doctor appointments, while I sat in each of mine as the single knocked up mother?
Did you enjoy playing house with him, Carmin?
I got a dirty image of her seducing him and it burned in my mind. They might not have had sex, but that didn’t mean that she hadn’t tried. I couldn’t take it anymore!
I
was the one that deserved him! He’d come to
me
time and time again. How dare she try and take that away? What if she touched him in places that only
I
should be touching?

I closed the door behind me so the light wouldn’t wake up Dre and quickly padded to my dresser. I knew I had a black lace bra and thong that I’d bought earlier that year, and after I found it, I snuck back to the bathroom. I placed my phone on the counter and pulled out my curling iron. The screen told me it was 4:36 in the morning, but nothing could get me to sleep now. My hands were frantic as I undressed and threw my yoga pants and T-shirt in the hamper.

I fished for my eyeliner. I didn’t want to overdo it but a little color wouldn’t hurt. It seemed like I was crazy, but I didn’t care. Whatever memory or experience he’d had these last few months was going to be replaced by something
better
.

I put on my bra and thong and tested the iron. It was nice and hot, and lucky for me, my hair already had naturally thick curls — I just needed to perfect the ends and make them sexier.

Fifteen minutes later, I twirled my head and glanced at myself in the mirror.
Not bad.

As soon as I put everything back in its place, I took in a deep breath, rubbed my belly and opened the door.

A light feathery touch tickled my face and I turned my head. Then warm satin brushed my lips. I slowly opened my eyes and saw my goddess. The satin was actually her lips that now hovered over mine. I could see the outline of her face through the sliver of light that sneaked in the room.

She rubbed my nose with her own and I tilted my chin to tug on her bottom lip. We stared at each other. Her eyes, deep and loving. Her hair — thick and silky. When I lowered my eyes and saw what she was wearing, I swallowed.

“Am I dreaming?” I asked, my voice still thick with sleep.

Lately, it seemed as if something like this would only happen in my imagination. We were so still, and it was so quiet, the only thing I heard were the crickets outside her window.

“Only if you want it to be real,” she whispered and licked my upper lip. Shit, I’ve been wishing for that for too long now. My lips connected with hers as we got lost in each other. I sat up so she wouldn’t have to put pressure on her arms as I held her close to me and tasted heaven.

I would never get tired of kissing Savannah. Her long fingers brushed along the waistband of my shorts under my shirt. I pulled back to remove it. I wanted to feel her hands all over my body. When the shirt landed on the floor, Peach crawled over my lap and pulled my face forward to continue what we started. She wrapped her arms around my neck and pulled me closer. Our kisses, hot and feverish; we were both on the same page.

My fingers ran up and down her back, slow and teasing. I could feel the goosebumps rising, and I unclasped her bra, throwing it to the side. I felt the weight of her heavy tits in my hand as I threaded her hard pebbled nipples. Her boobs had grown during our time apart. It made me hard as a rock. She pulled on my hair to break us apart and leaned her head back.

“Oh, God,” she said.

I kissed her neck repeatedly in different spots as I played with her boobs.
Mine
.

She pushed me down so my back rested on the bed and moved her hips off of me. When she pulled down my shorts, my erection sprang free and Savannah grabbed it in her hand. Her thumb swiped the wet tip before she lowered her head to lick it. I tried to breathe. Her warmth was driving me crazy and I placed my fingers through her hair. I closed my eyes, but I could still see her dark hair on either side of my thighs as her hot little mouth worked me over. She’s the only girl whose mouth I wanted around my cock.

“Peach, I’m going to come in your mouth if you keep doing that,” I warned her, not sure if that was what she wanted.

She pulled back, but only to trail her silky tongue from my balls all the way to my shaft. My dick bounced when she let go and she kissed the tip.

“I can handle my man,” she said seductively and wrapped her juicy mouth around my cock again.
Well, fuck
.

It took all I had to hold it together. I should have jacked off before coming here and relieved some of this tension so I’d last longer. I tugged on her hair as I fucked her mouth. Her eyes closed as she licked, teased, and sucked for minutes. A trail of saliva ran all along the edge of my dick and down my balls.