ROMANCE: Paranormal Romance: The Valley (Book One) (Fun, Sexy, Mature Young Adult Vampire Shape Shifter Romance) (62 page)

Owen

Owen Azevedo sat on the deep leather couch in his living room, the volume on the television off and subtitles highlighting the details of the soccer game along the bottom of the screen. He took a swig of his beer, less than icy cool now, and choked in excitement when his team clinched the winning goal. Sputtering, he looked down to make sure he hadn’t awoken the sleeping boy in his lap. The four-year-old furnace remained asleep, and Owen risked another sip of lager in an attempt to cool off.

The little bungalow was warm to begin with, original hardwood floors refinished, and neutral earthy tones on the walls. In the living room, directly off the front door, there was a big bay window with cedar shutters overlooking the porch, and two wide, overflowing bookshelves framed the large entertainment unit. With feet set on the coffee table, Owen looked down at tiny head full of thick, dark curls. Pride and love surged through him, as well as anger.

He was furious with Marcelo’s mother. It’s not that he had big plans that night, or any night, for that matter, but he had his routines, and it frustrated him to no end when they were altered. Never mind the fact that she had abandoned her children to rush off and meet some loser for a date.
Who goes on dates on Monday nights, anyway?
he wondered.

Karla was a grown woman, allowed to make her own decisions and mistakes, and he knew that. She was smart, beautiful, and kind, if a little naïve. She was a hopeless romantic, and more than entitled to do her best to move on. He loved her deeply, and wanted her to be happy, but Owen had a hard time supporting that when so many hearts were at stake.

At that moment, a tiny gurgle rose from the car seat on the arm chair. Marta was stirring; it was time for a snack. Gently, he got up, setting the curly head on a throw pillow, and moved to tend to the infant. At only eight months old, Marta was swiftly developing into a contemplative and curious little girl; she rarely cried, and had the most charming giggle. Owen bent down to scoop her up, and brushed a lock of hair out of her eyes. It wasn’t as dark or as curly, and for that he was grateful. It had taken a good many years for he and her mother to master their own curls, and didn’t wish that on this little peanut. One out of two kids with those troubles was more than enough.

She cooed up at him as he carried her to the kitchen, retrieving a bottle from the fridge. He switched on the front burner, and as he’d been instructed a hundred times, he filled a saucepan with water to heat up the bottle. He leaned against the island countertop, rocking the little babe gently, and got lost in his thoughts.

He could remember everything about how these two little souls were brought into the world. He could still see the joy in Karla’s eyes each time she told him she was pregnant; remembered the pride that swelled in his chest. Could remember the feel of her as he hugged her, spun her in the air; hear her giggle in his ear. He remembered his surprise when he found out he’d been the first person she’d told, and remembered marching her to his mother’s house to share the wonderful news.

He remembered sitting in the hospital waiting room, with his stomach in knots the first time, and a busy and confused three-year-old to entertain the second. Remembered how tired she looked each time he joined her in her hospital room, tired but so lovely. He remembered every moment after, every birthday, and every boo-boo, and every crunchy work of art that hung on his refrigerator door. Marta and Marcelo, they’d both been through so much in their short lives. Owen wondered what else life had in store for them.

The cooing transformed into a whine, and Owen was brought back to real life. He held the bottle in the boiling water and after a moment, tested it on his wrist. Perfect. After turning off the stove, he made his way back to the living room, Marta slurping hungrily at her bottle. He peered down at Marcelo, still sleeping soundly on the couch, and decided to put Marta to bed.

He entered his bedroom, a makeshift nursery and, after burping and changing Marta, set her in the sturdy wooden crib next to the queen-size bed. Owen glanced at his wristwatch, the face reading 10:30, and probably time to get to sleep. The kids would be up early, and if he knew Karla as well as he thought he did, he knew it would be him that they’d be waking. He crept back into the living room and turned off the T.V., lifting Marcelo up into his arms.

He lay the pajama-clad child down in the bed, covering him up with the blanket, and Owen was grateful that he’d been successfully potty-trained for years. He got himself ready for bed and climbed in next to Marcelo, moving carefully so as not to disturb him. As Owen got settled and comfy, Marcelo turned over and nuzzled into his chest. Barely audible, the drowsy toddler whispered, “Goodnight, daddy.”

Though the kids remained asleep, the soft, steady breathing the only thing heard in the darkness, Owen was certain the sound of his heartbreak had been loud enough to wake the entire neighborhood.

Jade

The next morning, Jade awoke having only hit snooze twice which, for her, was a huge accomplishment. She rolled over and hugged Lewis, asleep on his side, and kissed him lightly on the shoulder. It was his ‘rest’ day, and she didn’t want to disturb him. As softly as she could, she slid out of bed and into the shower.

She could barely contain her laughter, smiles erupting on her face at random; she very nearly sang, though she knew she should not. Lewis had mentioned in not so many words that she should stick to her day job, and she agreed. As she lathered her shampoo, she thought of their fight the previous night.

Why
had
Dr. Avezedo popped into her mind and, more importantly, why had he stayed there? Sure, he was handsome, but she had no idea who he was. He could be a drug dealer or a mass murderer, or who knows what!
Well, probably not, but still!
she thought. The point was she knew nothing about him besides the fact that he was astronomically handsome.
And I guess that’s really all you need to be to fulfill a sex-fantasy
. Though she did begin to wonder what it would actually be like to feel his lips on her skin.

She shook her head and finished bathing.
Quit thinking like that, or you’ll start another fight.
She stepped out of the shower and began toweling off, head to toe, the sparkle of her ring twinkling in the mirror. She twisted the towel around her head and threw on her bathrobe, intent on getting the coffee started. It had been a long while since she’d felt awake this early in the morning, let alone motivated. She puttered around the kitchen and getting her oatmeal together as the coffee brewed. It was alarming, really, how productive she felt. Maybe this was the ring; she was finally growing into wifehood.

Jade sat at the kitchen table, eating her breakfast and sipping her coffee, as Lewis shuffled in rubbing his eyes.

“Good morning, sleepy head!” she cheered. “I made some coffee!”

“I can’t believe it!” Lewis yawned. “You’re up before me
and
you made coffee? Have I died?”

“Very funny,” Jade smirked. “I think I’m just feeling very domestic on account of this ring on my hand! If you need to shower or use the bathroom, I’d do it now because I have to start getting ready in about ten minutes!”

Yawning again, Lewis filled a mug with coffee and made his way to the bathroom. While Lewis used up every last second of that ten minutes, Jade finished her breakfast and cleaned up the kitchen. She even made the bed, got dressed, and prepared her lunch for the day – leftover chicken parmesan.
What is going on with me, today?
she wondered. She passed Lewis on her way to the bathroom, who took her by surprise, and pulled her into a deep, luxurious kiss.

When she was finally allowed back into the bathroom, Jade encountered the first speedbump in her otherwise smooth morning. How was she going to look today? Recalling her gorgeous, man-eating coworker, she thought perhaps a little bit more was called for on her second day.

She plugged in her curling iron, intent on starting her makeup while the rod heated up. She didn’t want to look like she was trying too hard, but also didn’t want to look as plain as she had sitting next to Hospital Receptionist Barbie the entire day prior. She settled on a look that was fresh-faced, with a slightly more dramatic eye; a little bronzer. Just enough to look like some actual effort was put in without competing with Alexa. Satisfied, she put her brushes and creams away and began curling her long, light-brown hair. The wide barrel of the iron left big, romantic curls, and she pulled it back a bit to keep it out of her eyes. When Jade had finally finished, she gave herself a contented smile. She was grateful for the extra time she had had that morning – she felt like she could go out and conquer the day.

The clock on the microwave read 7:04, leaving her just enough time to gather her things and kiss Lewis before heading out the door to catch her 7:16 bus. As she began the former, Lewis snuck up and hugged her from behind.

“You look gorgeous this morning,” he murmured, kissing her neck. “Who’d you get all gussied up for?”

“Who do you think?” she laughed. “You, of course! Ever since you put this ring on my finger, I’ve been feeling so beautiful, and I decided I wanted to look it, too!”

“You always look beautiful, but I’m glad you feel like it, at last!”

She spun to kiss him. “I was thinking, maybe we could go for lunch today! There’s a great sushi place just around the corner from the hospital.”

“Isn’t that your lunch sitting on the counter?” he asked.

“Yeah,” she smiled. “But it can wait until tomorrow if I’ve got a hot lunch date today.”

“I’d better not, babe,” he confessed. “I’ve got three back-to-back lectures today and have that essay due on Thursday. But maybe next week?”

Disheartened, she barely smiled when he kissed the tip of her nose. He strode into the bathroom as she gathered her knapsack and her leftover lunch, and with her hand on the doorknob, she paused.

“Okay, bye! Have a great day!” she called.

A muffled, “You, too!” was the reply.

I refuse to let him kill my buzz
, she thought triumphantly, and she marched to the bus stop.

***

In what she was sure was the first time in history, Jade was the first to arrive that morning. Not even the sun had beaten her that day, adopting her usual lethargy. Unsure of what else to do, she went about the office, turning on the lights and booting up the computers. After starting the fax machine, she took her place at the desk to log into the databases. With twelve minutes to spare before the clinic opened, she really hoped someone else would show up soon, even Alexa; as confident as she was in her abilities, she was definitely not ready to go it alone on her second day.

Two minutes before the doors opened, Alexa sauntered in, a Frappuccino in both hands, and plopped down into her chair.

“Here,” she muttered, thrusting one of the frozen drinks at Jade. “Susan went into early labor this morning, so it’s just you and – OH MY GOD!”

Alexa all but spat out her Frappuccino as she snatched up Jade’s hand to inspect the ring.

“You got engaged?! When? OH MY
GOD
!!”

The girl hit decibels Jade didn’t even know existed. Despite herself, a smug smile crept to her lips.

“Yeah, Lewis proposed to me last night after work.”

“Oh my god, no way! How did he do it?”

So Jade told her the story of how Lewis asked her to marry him. She spared the details of what happened immediately after, and skipped to the midnight smorgasbord of chicken parmesan.

“And I brought the rest for lunch today,” she finished.

“Wow, he sounds amazing! How long have you two been together?” Alexa gushed.

“Three years,” Jade answered, blushing. The more she thought about it, the further she realized that she and Lewis had been together for quite some time. Sure, three years didn’t seem like a whole lot in the grand scheme of things, but the amount of stuff they’d been through in that three years made it feel like a lifetime.

A slow trickle of patients ended their idle chatter, the first few having had appointments, but the waiting room soon filled with walk-ins and Jade struggled to keep up. The morning of her second day flew by. It was clear that Alexa’s warm welcome ended with that morning’s Frappuccino when she announced that she was hungry, and was taking her lunch break. Jade didn’t mind, however, since she had brought her lunch with her. She sat at the desk, eating and working, and idly playing solitaire when a low
ahem
caught her attention.

When she looked up, she was caught by such surprise that a rogue linguine noodle escaped her fork and landed on her maroon scrub top. Considering her from above an outstretched napkin was none other than Dr. Owen Azevedo.

“Oh my god,” she stammered, wiping the her top clean of marinara – at least, on maroon, it wouldn’t stain too badly.

“If it makes you feel any better, it’s barely noticeable,” he consoled. “I’m Doctor Azevedo.”

She blushed, taking his offered hand and shaking it.

“Jade Evans,” she replied. “It’s nice to meet you. I --”

What was she going to say?
I’m sorry for staring at you yesterday, Dr. Owen. I’m sorry you caught me creeping on you, Dr. Owen. I’m sorry I thought about you while I made love to my fiancé, Dr. Owen. No,
she thought.
I’m not sorry about that.

“I’m sorry if I made you uncomfortable, yesterday,” she began. “I didn’t mean to stare.”

His eyebrows raised in surprise, a smirk brushed his gorgeous lips.

“Not at all, Miss Evans. If anything, I’m flattered.”

With the color in her cheeks, a silence rose, and Jade scrambled for something to say. Anything to say.

“Alexa tells me you’re a terrific surgeon; you must have worked very hard to become so renowned so young.”
Nailed it.

A wide, bright smile spread across his face and crinkled his eyes. Jade thought she might combust.

“I did work very hard, yes. But hard work pays off. Susan tells me you’re a nursing student. That is very admirable; a demanding profession, as well.”

Jade nodded, taking a deep breath. “I was studying nursing, yes, before my mom got sick. Now I’m just taking a few distance courses to slowly chip away at my degree.”

“I’m very sorry to hear that your mom is ill,” Dr. Azevedo offered. “I wish her a speedy recovery.”

“I appreciate the sentiment, but she died six months ago.” Jade bit her cheek, and peered up at him.

His eyes softened, studying her. Locked on hers, his glorious emeralds swam as another silence approached crescendo.

“Surprise!” came an announcement from behind Owen. Dr. Azevedo.

Lewis approached the reception desk, a brown paper bag clutched in his hand.

“I felt bad about how things ended this morning, so I thought I’d swing by and eat my lunch with you --” he stopped when he got to the desk.

Standing right next to Owen, Lewis really did pale in comparison. Not as much in physical looks, Lewis was definitely an attractive man, if not so ruggedly handsome as Owen, but quite literally; next to the glow of Dr. Azevedo’s tan, Lewis could have been a ghost.

The light of recognition lit a fire in Lewis’ eyes as he looked at the tall, handsome doctor he was certain was the cause of the fight the night before.

“Hi, I’m Lewis,” he forced through a tight smile. “Jade’s
fiancé.
”

As they shook hands, both men turned to look at her, one in surprise, and the other with a victorious smirk. Unconsciously, she fingered her ring, rotating it with her thumb. She smiled up at them, nodding.

“Yes, Lewis proposed to me last night, after work,” Jade started.

“And she said ‘Yes!’” Lewis finished, striding around the desk to plant a big, wet kiss on his fiancée.

“Honey, you can’t be back here,” Jade cautioned.

“It’s all right,” Alexa beamed. “I’m back from lunch, so you’re free to go canoodle in the lunch room!”

She sat daintily on her office chair, adjusting her scrubs slightly and gazed up at Owen.

“Good afternoon, Dr. Azevedo,” she crooned, batting her eyes.

“Good afternoon, Alexa,” he returned. “Well, I’d better be getting back to the O.R. It was nice to meet you, Jade.”

And as the handsome doctor strode away, Lewis pulled Jade up from her chair, and threw his arm around her.

“That was fun. Shall we go eat lunch?”