The Lily (The Flowering Series Book 1) (4 page)

We had just gone to dinner and I had dressed confidently in a short, tight black dress. Jake’s eyes had been undressing me the entire night and the elevator ride back to our room was spent groping each other hoping no one else needed a ride. When we finally got into the room I barely got my shoes off when Jake had my back against the windows. The cool glass was a welcome sensation on my heated body.

His kisses were insistent and his tongue traced my jawline and neck as his hand found its way up my thigh to my own little surprise. Not only was I soaking wet but I was not wearing any panties. I had contemplated a thong when I was getting dressed but had a feeling going without would feel more sexy and I was right. Jake moaned into my mouth as he discovered there was nothing between him and what he hungered for.

Without words he spun me around and I heard his zipper. His knee spread my legs wider and his hand pushed my dress to my hips. I heard the crinkle of the condom wrapper and with no ceremony Jake entered me from behind pushing my cheek and breasts up against the window.

Jake’s movements were furious and my body met him every step of the way. There was nothing soft and loving about this and I loved every minute of it.

One of Jake’s hands reached around and pulled my right breast from my dress pinching the nipple and sending a direct message to my core that I was his. My head flew back to rest on his shoulder and his teeth gave me small nips across my back.

Then Jake whispered in my ear, “Do you think they can see us Morgan?”

Fear came first as I struggled to look out at the hotel right next store but this lasted only for an instant because pure lust quickly replaced it. The chance that we could be caught was turning me on and Jake knew it. He took advantage of my distraction to quicken his thrusts and reach around to put pressure on my clit. I began to explode around him as he came holding my hips for stability.

I felt shy the next morning but Jake made sure I understood just how much it turned him on when I had let go and let him have complete control. He explained that it was important to him that I trusted him with all of my desires because he planned on making sure I wanted for nothing the rest of my life.

We used the trip as a refueling time and when we returned it was as if the level of our love had intensified to a place I did not even know was possible. Physically we had rekindled what the stress of school had taken from us but the real charge was the emotional connection strengthened by our trust.

Back at school we spent every free second together daydreaming about our future together and the graduation trip Jake’s parents had given him. Jake had chosen to take me to Maui where we could spend our time together knowing that once Jake began working our lives would change. The amazing trip was for three weeks and I bubbled over with excitement at the prospect of being in such a beautiful place with Jake on such a fantasy-inducing trip.

I had chosen to advance my graduation date to meet Jake’s so I could move directly with him to Japan. Even the mention of being apart made my heart hollow.  While the school allowed me to move my date forward it was not as easy as it sounded.

I was slammed with classes and focused on maintaining my grade point average so that I could be in the running for the position of valedictorian. Jake may have come early in my master plan early but I was still determined to complete the rest of it, starting with graduating college at the top of my class.

It would be the ultimate validation for me and although I was nervous about the speech that went along with the honor, I knew that I had a supportive network with Jake at the helm. Some days I would look around and wonder how I got to such a lucky place. Where did I turn on my path or whom did I meet that introduced me to these wonderful friends I have grown to know and love.

I was honestly burning the candle at both ends and having a difficult time making it through to the end of each day. Exhaustion was not a strong enough word for how I was feeling by the time I laid my head down on my pillow next to Jake each night.

Jake was constantly worrying about me becoming too thin and the dark circles under my eyes were not helping matters. He fussed over me constantly bringing me food at the library when I was studying and making sure I was in bed by a decent enough hour. He was just being his thoughtful self but I hated being a burden.

I thought for sure it was just the pressure of graduation that must be catching up with me. I had so much to do before we could finally board the plane to Hawaii and celebrate not only our graduation but also our deepening love.

Since we returned from Las Vegas the full court press from graduation had not let up and sometimes I was seeing Jake only the minute I woke up, and the minute before I closed my eyes. A large part of our relationship was physical affection so we always made time to squeeze in a quickie here and there to keep our bodies in tune with one another but even those times were getting harder and harder to come by.

Through all of my school obligations I was also working an extra job at my favorite restaurant Don Pappies’ owned by the only other two people in the world that I trust, Carmine and his wife Nancy. I still had unpaid tuition fees and preparing for Japan turned out to be much more expensive than I imagined so working was non-negotiable.

To say that I was lucky to have found this generous couple would be an understatement. I met them before my freshman year when I travelled to campus to move in and set out to finding a part time job. From the second I met Carmine and Nancy they opened their hearts and wallets for me.

I was scheduled like all the servers who went to school, severely part time, so whenever I was in a financial bind they were kind enough to let me work at the bar for some extra cash. As usual I was cautious with their kindness shielding myself from any hurt I thought they could bring me.

It had taken a while but after I spent time with Nancy following her breast cancer diagnosis, I knew that these were two people I could truly be loyal to. I was drawn to their warmth and unconditional love towards me. I told them about my family one night after a few glasses of wine and they shared that they always wanted a daughter but could not have children.

The world works in mysterious ways and looking back it was obvious why we were brought together. Each of us filled a void in the other’s heart. Carmine and Nancy became my family even though I believed I would always in some shape love my biological parents.

They were kind enough to invite me to holidays and were always just a phone call away if I needed help. Of course I latched onto the attention being starved by my own parents. Often they tried to give me money but I preferred to work for what I needed rather than take handouts. That was a vulnerability I refused to show again.

The first time I brought Jake to Don Pappies’ Carmine grilled him about his intentions and Nancy skeptically watched how he treated me. By the end of the evening Jake had them eating out of the palm of his hand and I could swear Nancy was already planning our wedding in her head.

Jake and I spent many a romantic evening tucked away at Don Pappies’ sipping wine and feeding each other dessert. The restaurant and bar held lots of fond memories for us.

I was trying very hard to maintain my positive attitude when I was rushing from the library to work then back to the library to study late into the night but it was weighing on me.

Carmine and Nancy noticed my stress level rising and insisted that I take the rest of the semester off and they would pay me for the vacation days I never took. I knew this was just a scam to convince me to take their money but based on my heavy eyelids and pulsing head I was not about to look a gift horse in the mouth.

Chapter 5:

Even with the break from work I was waking up feeling nauseous and exhausted each day. Jake did not hide his displeasure at my refusing to take care of myself. I never actually saw Jake angry but he was very talented at showing irritation.

So as graduation day loomed in the near future Jake finally convinced me to see a doctor. I would have argued but frankly I was too tired. Jake made the appointment and insisted on attending with me. Normally I would have refused his help because I hated to bother him when I know he is so busy himself, but I knew this was one battle I should let him win.

It was a beautiful Friday in April and I actually woke up feeling much better. It was the first day in a while that I did not have to force myself out of bed. The sun on my face was doing wonders for my pale skin and my body soaked in the Vitamin D like a desert when it rains.

Doctor Joe, as he instructed us to call him, was a kind soul and directed Jake to wait outside while he completed the examination. I could see Jake thinking about arguing with him so I just laid my hand on his arm and squeezed so he would know I was all right.

The examination took longer than I thought and I knew Jake must be at his wits end outside. The doctor talked to me and explained the next steps but all I could hear was a ringing in my ears as fear gripped me. I became numb as he led me to Jake handing me a few prescriptions and telling me to make an appointment to see another doctor soon. I barely saw Jake as I began to walk outside. I was not thinking about how worried he could be, only about what his reaction would be when he found out what was truly going on.

It was not until he grabbed my arm and with tears in his eyes begged me to talk to him that I realized how worried he really was. I knew then that I owed it to him to be completely honest. As I gave him the news his face grew pale and he became frozen in place. I started to panic afraid that he was upset with me.

Finally after what felt like an eternity he picked me up spun me around and held me tightly to his chest. I finally breathed a sigh of relief. Jake was not going to walk away from this new challenge. Even though we had made every effort to be careful we both had to accept that it was God’s will. Jake and I were set to have a baby on Christmas Eve.

Jake never missed a beat and there were times I thought he might float into the sky he looked so happy while I sat on the edge of straight fear and excitement. I was young and we had plans and my being pregnant right now was not one of them. Yet one look at Jake and I knew that I could not ask for a better father for my child and this thought alone helped me through several panic attacks.

Since I still had to see the gynecologist to see if the dates were correct and make sure both the baby and I were healthy I asked Jake to hold the news until after graduation. At first he wanted to scream it from the rooftops but I convinced him to agree to tell everyone it was just a virus.

Of course later on I found out he immediately told Mike and even though I wanted to be angry it just would not work when he was bouncing off the walls with excitement. I knew he had to tell someone and since Mike was a steel trap I did not harbor any bad feelings.

I made the appointment to see the gynecologist and the recommended doctor was fantastic at answering all of the hundred questions I had brought with me and assuring me that both the baby and I were healthy and on track. She talked to both Jake and I about what we could expect in the next few months and made us a follow up appointment.

Just hearing from the doctor gave us both a sense of peace and the reality that by Christmas we were going to be parents began to set in. It was real and we spent hours talking about what kind of parents we would like to be. Of course I had little to add from my side of the family but I quickly became enamored at Jake’s description of how he had been brought up.

I felt like I was walking in a bubble and the world was continuing around me but I had come to standstill. I had always wanted children, but mostly so I could show my mother how a real mother should act. However, I never envisioned having a child this young and the prospect that I had a life growing inside me almost paralyzed me.

The morning after the appointment I woke up before Jake and watched him sleep. It was in these few moments of morning quiet that I realized that this was not just a baby, this was a baby created out of love. This child represented the incredible bond Jake and I shared and he or she would have a part of each of us.