A Love We Deserve (True Love Book 2) (22 page)

After the sun goes down, the temperature drops to an ungodly low as we’re walking back to his place. We look at each other when we walk past his favorite Chinese place.

“Grab it to go, and eat in front of the fire again?”

Shit, yeah.

“Sure, that sounds great.”

After we inhale our dinner, we get busy wrapping our gifts for one another. He tries his best, but his packages look as if he wrapped them with his feet.

“I know it’s not the prettiest gift on the outside, but I really hope you like what’s in it.”

His eyes light up when he hands me the small box. I have no idea where he shopped when we agreed to separate for an hour. We were on Michigan Avenue so the possibilities are endless.

I almost break a nail getting past the barricade of Scotch tape, but I get the corner open. I see a green box, and the letter x. I know exactly what it is. A Rolex watch. Holy crap. I get the rest of the wrapping off, and hold the box gently in my hand. He’s waiting for me to open it.

“Oh, Brian, this is too much. I can’t accept this; these cost a fortune!”

He looks a little hurt. Crap. This is why I hate to get gifts.

“Please, just open the box. It struck me when I saw it; it looked like you. Please.”

I open the box, and find the most stunning watch I’ve ever seen, a platinum Rolex, with diamonds around the bezel. How in the world can I accept something like this?

“I know what you’re thinking, and if you don’t like it you don’t have to keep it. I went in the store looking for something else, but when I saw that, I had to get it. It’s stunning, strong, with just enough sparkle, just like you.”

He takes it out of my frozen hand, and puts it on my wrist. I’ll have to have a few links taken out, but he’s right; it’s stunning.

“Brian, I love it, I really do, and what you said was so sweet. It’s just so expensive. How am I supposed to explain a gift like this to anyone?”

“Look, I understand, but I don’t care about things like that. I’ve been making a lot of money for years now with no one to spend it on. My mother always refused anything extravagant, and I don’t really spend on myself. I’ve never had a wife and kids, so my money has been accumulating and earning interest for a long time. I’ve made good investments so I can retire anytime I’m ready. This gift is a drop in the bucket, and it made me happy. Please take it.”

I’ve honestly never thought about his money. I know someone can make a lot playing football, but I just didn’t think about that with him. He drives a modest, but nice, truck, and his place is very nice but sparse. The only time Chris spent any of his millions on me was when he felt guilty about something he’d done. Of course, he rarely felt that way, but when he did I’d have a Tiffany box waiting for me. I never wore anything he got me. It was a glaring reminder of what an idiot I’d been to ignore his behavior. Brian did this out of love and generosity. How can I say no?

“You’re right, and I’m sorry. I love it and I love you for thinking of me this way. I might not ever take it off!”

It flops around my arm as I move, and I can’t wait to get it sized, but it’s the most beautiful gift I’ve ever received. Now I’m a little embarrassed to give him his present.

“Since we didn’t have much time, I just did something fun. I’m embarrassed to give it to you.”

“Hand it over, woman. As long as you thought of me while you were choosing it, I wouldn’t care if it was road kill.”

He takes the small wrapped box, and laughs when he sees what’s inside.

“Silk Superman boxer shorts?”

He looks puzzled, but happy.

“Well, you remind me of Superman, you know, your body, and how you’re always helping everyone. They’re silk so they’ll be comfortable.
And
I thought they were super sexy.”

He jumps up and runs out of the room. A few moments later, he runs in the room, arms out in front like he’s flying. He stops in front of me and put his hands on his hips, just like Superman.

“What do you think, Lois Lane? Turn you on?”

He’s joking, I know, but holy hell. He fills them out
very
well. The silk drapes over his magnificent body, and makes it look like an oil painting.

“Why yes, Clark, they do.”

I fan my face like I’m swooning. He smiles, and kneels down next to me, very close.

“Thank you, Melanie. It’s humbling that you think of me that way. I certainly never do. You have a way of making me feel like I can do anything. My world has opened up since the first time I met you. I’m going to miss seeing you on Christmas. It’s always been one of my favorite days. Even though we never had much, my mom always did her best to make it special. I wish more than anything I could see you that day, but I know you need to share it with your boys. I’m just being selfish.”

I reach up to kiss him, and his face makes my heart melt. He looks sad. I pull him down so that we’re lying side by side in front of the fire. We fall asleep in each other’s arms: no sex, just sound, deep sleep.

In the morning, I say my goodbyes. I have presents to finish wrapping before the boys get home today. We’re shuffling around, not saying very much, delaying the departure.

“I have to go, Brian. I’m going to miss you and the little bubble we’ve been in the last couple of days. I don’t know if I’ll get a chance to see you before the game on Sunday.”

I start to tear up, and he looks away. I know he’ll start too, and I don’t want that to happen. My heart will break.

“I love you, Melanie. I want you and the boys to have a wonderful Christmas. I’ll be thinking of you.” He kisses my hand. “I’ll be counting down until Sunday.”

We kiss one last time at my car. He fakes a good smile, just enough to get me in the car without throwing myself at his neck. I pull out of the garage, and start to cry again all the way home. I’m much happier this time than I was the last time I made this drive. I’m just going to miss him so much on Christmas, and knowing he’ll be alone kills me. I know he’s missing his mother.

I pull onto my street, and I see Katie and Jason having a snowball fight in their front yard. Those two really are too cute. She sees my car and is jumping up and down, running down to the street to greet me. I can’t even get out of my car, before she’s got her arms around my neck.

“I’m so happy for you, Mel! You and Brian are perfect!”

“How do you know anything? I haven’t said anything to you about Brian.”

“Well, Jason
may
have been texting Brian to find stuff out for me. The only way he joined in on the babysitting ruse was if I swore to give the two of you space. I bugged him to finally ask Brian if everything had gone OK. He told Jason that things were perfect between you two, and that he was in love. Can you believe it? He told Jason that! Oh no, It just dawned on me maybe he hasn’t told you that yet. Mel, I’m sorry.”

“Calm down, Kat. He did tell me. Many times, and I told him the same. I’m in love with him, Kat, I really am. He’s sweet and he makes me happy.”

She looks like the cat that swallowed the canary. She’s dying to take credit for this, and she deserves some of it, so I give it to her.

“Thanks to you and all your conniving, we’re together. I owe you my life, Kat. You
and
Jason. Thank you for everything you’ve done for me, and for us.”

We stand in my driveway and hug for the longest time.

“We love you, Mel, you know that. We just wanted to see you both happy. You deserve each other. Now get your butt in your house before you freeze!”

Chapter 20

It’s Christmas morning, and I start my day with an early morning text from Brian:
Good morning, love. I just want to tell you how much I love you and miss you today. I hope you, John, Luke and Matthew have a very special Christmas. Please let them know about Sunday, I can’t wait. I’ll be thinking of you all day. Love, B

*

I told them last night, and they are beyond excited just like I knew they’d be. I really missed them when they were gone. I miss you today too. Soon, we’ll be able to all be together, I just can’t rush it. Please understand; I’d give anything to see you today. I love you, and Merry Christmas. M

I hit send, and that’s the last quiet moment in the house. All three boys are rushing downstairs to see what Santa brought. I was up so late last night putting the final touches on everything, I’m exhausted. My excitement picks up when I hear their laughter; it’s the best sound in the world.

Christmas morning is over in a blur. The boys did some shopping on their own. I guess Chris took them, and they bought presents for each other, and one for me. That was the best part of the morning, watching them proudly give the gifts they picked out on their own. The three of them together chose a charm bracelet for me. It has three little boy heads on it. I love it so much, my waterworks start and won’t stop. They all look at me like I’m nuts, but I don’t care. I squeeze them all as hard as I can. I’m so blessed to have three, healthy kids who seem to be turning out OK. I pray every day that Chris’ influence won’t hurt them.

I put my bracelet on my right wrist, as my new watch is on the left. I have reminders of the things most important to me where I can always see them. After breakfast and some cleaning up, I hear my phone buzz. I’m thinking it’s Brian, but it’s Kat:
Good morning/afternoon and Merry Christmas! Zach and Grace got the new Xbox and wanted to play with your boys. You guys want to come over later? I’ll make some munchies and we can hang out while they play. Sound good?

*

Katie, thanks, that sounds perfect. I’m a little lonesome today for someone special. We’ll be over in an hour or so?

*

I’m sure you both are. I’m sorry. See you soon!

I tell the boys, and they’re excited. I throw on some yoga pants, and my ugly reindeer sweater. It’s the last time I can put it to use for a while, so I may as well. I pack some cookies and wine in a basket to bring over. The boys run ahead of me as we walk out the front door. I look over at their house, and my heart skips a beat. Brian’s truck is out front. Oh, I owe my Kat once again. I break into a slippery sprint on the icy sidewalk, trying my best to rush, but not fall with my basket of goodies. I’m so excited, I can’t stand it. I wonder if he knows we’re coming? He’s going to meet the boys! I have to be there when he does.

I slip and slide up the driveway to the front door. I look like crap, but that doesn’t bother me in the least. All care about is seeing him. When Kat opens the door, she laughs at my disheveled appearance. My cheeks are red from the cold, and my hair is all over the place. I push past her into the house, and throw my basket in her arms.

“Where is he?” I ask as quietly as I can. I don’t want my boys to hear me. I don’t know why I bother being quiet; the raucous laughter coming from upstairs is deafening. I hear my boys, Zach, Grace, Jason, and a familiar laugh. My heart does a somersault. I follow Katie to the kitchen.

“Oh God, Kat, I’ve missed him so much today I thought my heart was going to burst.”

More laughter sounds come from upstairs.

“What the heck are they doing up there?”

“Let’s go see. Maybe some introductions are in order.”

Kat smiles, and grabs me by the hand. We walk up the stairs to the playroom, and the noise gets louder still. She and I peek in and all five kids are sitting in front of a giant TV. Jason and Brian are playing a football video game, and talking trash. The kids think it’s hilarious. Jason looks up first and sees us. He elbows Brian to look up, and his face lights up when he sees me. I don’t know if I’ll ever get used to someone looking at me like that. He looks happy.

“Hi, ladies. Are we being too loud for you?” Jason asks as he pauses the game so the kids will look up, too.

“Hi, Mom!” John pops up first and acknowledges me. “Did you meet Mr. Eyre? He plays for the Bears! He’s one of my favorites!”

He’s thrilled. I can’t remember the last time I’ve seen him like this. It makes my heart swell.

“Yes, John. I have met Mr. Eyre. Remember how I told you we are going to the game on Sunday? Well, my friend here, Mr. Eyre, got us the tickets. In fact, y’all get to go on the sideline with him and Mr. Jason. Isn’t that cool? What do you say to him?”

He turns around and the other boys get up as well. They walk over to him and extend their hands to say thanks. It’s the cutest thing, and Brian looks overwhelmed.

“I’m happy to do it, guys. When you’re mom told me how much you like the Bears, I had to. We’ll have to talk Georgia football one of these days, too. Your mom tells me you’re big fans.”

John’s eyes just about pop out of his head. He throws his arms around Brian’s neck, and screams, “Yes!” right into his ear. He can’t say I didn’t warn him. He gives John a tight hug back. His eyes are misty when John breaks the hug.

“OK, kiddos, I think you can have your toy back. We’ll go talk to the boring moms.”

Jason hands the controller back to Zach, and Brian hands his off as well. Jason looks like he doesn’t really want to leave, but Brian is all but sprinting toward the door. Katie closes the door behind us all, and we go downstairs. Once we’re out of sight, Brian grabs my hand and hurries us out to the garage. He slams the door behind us so we’re alone. He wraps his arms around me so tightly I can barely breathe. His heart is pounding. His hands go to my face and he pulls me to him for a long, deep kiss. We know we’re safe out here, so we melt into each other out of longing. He’s grabbing at me desperately and I hear him gasping for air. I feel wetness on my cheek, and I know he’s crying. He doesn’t want me to see.

“Brian, it’s OK. Please, look at me.”

I gently force him to look me in the face. Tears are staining his cheeks. He quickly drops his head down.

“Don’t look at me like this. I don’t know what’s come over me. I can’t begin to tell you how much I’ve missed you today. I was miserable until Katie called and asked me to come over. I thought I would feel better just being around friends, and being nearer to your house. When I got here, I sat in my truck and watched your house for any sign of you. No way was I going to interrupt your Christmas. Katie saw my face when I got here, that’s when she sent you that text. I know she didn’t want to bother you since you’ve been away from the kids, but it looks like she did both of us a favor.”

“I missed you today, too, so much. I had no idea how hard it would be to be away from you today. Don’t get me wrong, the boys and I had a great morning, but all I could think about was how much I wanted to share it with you. They usually think I’m nuts anyway, so they weren’t surprised at my weird behavior. Are you doing OK? I was so worried about you being alone. I know this is a hard day for you.”

He’s drying his eyes with the sleeve of his shirt. It’s so damn cute I want to scream.

“Yeah, I’m fine. I miss her so much, but it’s OK. We were able to say our goodbyes, so I’m grateful for that. Thanks for worrying about me. It’s nice to know someone’s thinking of me.”

His face is full of emotion; I can’t help but kiss him again. We’re deep into it when I hear Kat purposely speaking loudly.

“Yes, kids, I have ice cream in the fridge in the garage. I’ll get it, you don’t need to go out there!”

They’re probably all wondering if she’s suddenly lost her hearing, but I certainly get the message. We break apart, and I swing open the freezer door, stick my face in to cool myself down and grab the ice cream bars. Just in the nick of time, because the door opens.

“Hi, Mom! Are those for us?” Matthew asks while looking at Brian who’s pretending to look at Jason’s car with great interest.

“Yup, they are. That’s so funny! I thought you guys might like some ice cream so I came out here to grab some. Isn’t that funny, Brian?”

I don’t think he can turn around just yet, due to a circumstance in his pants.

“Yes, that’s funny. Strange coincidence. This is a great car.”

The kids grab the box of ice cream, and go back inside. Brian leans down and puts his head on the car.

“Holy shit, I thought I was going to have a heart attack. I need a minute.”

He tightly squeezes his eyes shut. He exhales the large breath he’s been holding in. I can’t help it; I start to laugh. The situation is crazy. I walk over and stand beside him.

“Kids always seem to know when parents are having fun, I swear they have radar, and it’s their mission in life to wreck it. No harm, no foul. Now, where were we?”

“No way. I can’t risk having a hard-on like that again and running into anyone. Go ahead inside, I’ll catch up. I have to think about baseball.”

I go inside, and Katie and Jason are smiling.

“Where’s Brian, Melanie?”

Jason is grinning from ear to ear.

“Oh, shut the hell up, mister. You should be so lucky.”

I walk over and swat him on the butt. He and Katie lose it. Thank God the kids went back upstairs. After a few minutes, Brian enters the kitchen. The three of us are sitting at the table drinking some much-needed wine.

“Hey, buddy, can I get you a glass?” Jason asks, with a smirk on his face.

“Yeah,
buddy
, thanks. And you can stop smiling. Just because it’s been a while, if ever, that you’ve had that problem yourself.”

He walks over to the table, and sits next to me, making sure not to touch me in any way. Great. What’s the term for blue balls for women? I’m in agony, too, but no one can tell.

The four of us talk and laugh for hours. Every so often, when he’s sure no one can see, Brian grazes my hand with his fingers. This is torturous. It takes every ounce of strength I have not to jump his bones, and I can tell he’s fighting the same feeling. The sexual tension in here is so thick; you could slice it for sandwiches.

“I have an idea you two. After the game on Sunday, why don’t you let us take the boys home with us? You guys can stay at Brian’s place. The kids don’t have to know; we’ll make up something special for us to do.” Jason says, to my shock and surprise. From Katie, I would expect it, but not him. I guess I’m staring at him, because Brian’s the first to speak.

“Melanie, what do you think? I know you’ve been away from them the last few days, so it’s your decision. I don’t think anyone has to guess what my choice is.”

He’s smiling, and I continue to appear confused.

“Mel, wake up!”

Katie snaps in front of my face.

“Yes! Oh God, Jason, thank you!
Thank you
!”

I’m crying. What the hell. I hug Jason.

“OK there, I know you’re frustrated, but he’s mine,” Katie says to make us all laugh. It works. My tears are replaced by hearty laughter. Brian and Jason go back upstairs to challenge the kids in some games. They leave the door open, and Katie and I sit quietly so we can hear the dialogue. Jason is talking about Brian a lot in front of the kids. His stats, his college days, his injury, and the kids are eating it up. My boys are peppering him with questions. John, my most inquisitive, asks a doozy: “How did you meet my mom? I like it that you guys are friends, it’s cool.”

I feel sorry for Brian. This wasn’t how I anticipated their meeting, let alone them asking him questions like that without me in the room. He sounds very calm when he answers.

“I met your mom at your house during the fundraiser they held for the shelter. She’s a pretty neat lady, your mom, don’t you think?”

“Yeah, she’s the best. I like that she and Miss Katie are trying to help people have a place to live. I’d be so scared if I didn’t have a house.”

“It is scary, buddy. You don’t ever have to worry about that, you know that, right? Your mom will always make sure of that. She loves you guys more than anything.”

“I know she does. She tells us a lot. I love her, too.”

My heart has melted. In all of our years of parenting, Chris never once had a conversation like that with our boys, especially about me. My boys all tell me they love me, but I’ve never heard it second hand like that. It’s a parent’s dream to be loved and appreciated by her kids. I get a rash idea, and I act on it. As Katie watches, perplexed, I go upstairs to the playroom. Brian sees me first.

“Well, well. Your ears must have been burning. We were just talking about you.”

“Jason, Brian, can I have the room alone with my boys for a second? I promise, y’all can get right back to your game.”

Brian looks a little worried.

“Sure. Come on, Zach and Grace. I’ll race you downstairs!”

He pretends to start running, and they take off past him.