Breathless (Meadowlarks) (12 page)

I text
ed my mom.
I found my phone, it was in my purse. Are you still in PB?

A few minutes later she respond
ed.
I am. Meet me here?

Me:
Be there in 10 min.

Time to call Addison. And now that I’m alone, I’m able to spill about Dane and what has happened in Maine.

“Addy!”

“Ry, is everything okay?”
She asked, sounding nervous.

“Yes, I can talk now, can you?”

“Yeah, the kids are both napping, what's up?”

I s
at on the bench in the middle of the mall, people bustling past me and I spilled my guts to Addison about everything. I didn’t leave anything out—she was getting all the gory details this time, whether she liked it or not.

I look
ed at my watch and got up to meet my mom at Pottery Barn. Addison was quiet for a moment, then she spoke up after she had processed all the information I had dealt her.

“Okay, so. What you're telling me is that Dane is some crazy rich stalker, who ravaged you in the back of his limo. Stole your panties, dropped you off at your parents looking like shit, and then just stalked you again the mall?”

I laughed. “Don't forget he just so happens to own the building my dad's doctor is in, and he sent his Italian P.A. to intimidate me in the elevator.”

“Ho
w much of this does Alex know?”

“Everything except the last part, and what just happened in Victoria's Secret.”

She sighed loudly. “Oh, shit, Riley. I don't know what to tell you. I feel like you guys need to come home now though.”

“I know, we're going to leave tonight.”

“The kids will go crazy, they really miss you.”

“I miss them too. Hey, my mom's here now. I'll call you later this afternoon, okay?”

“Kay, tell your mom I say hello,” Addison said before she hung up.

“I will, bye
Addy.”

“Bye.”

“Well, what did you get at the store, Riley?” Mom asked, smirking as she approached me.

“Nothing, I didn't like anything they had there.”

“That's surprising, you used to come out with bags from that place.”

“I’m ready to go if you are.
Did you get everything you wanted?”

She
held up three more bags. “I did!”

“Addison
said hello. The kids miss me, so I think we should go home tonight.”

“
Awe, I wish I could have spoken to her,” she said, frowning. “I’m sure they do. Well, we're so happy you came to see us, your dad really needed this. Even though he'll never admit it.”

I texted
Alex.
We're done shopping. How's golf?

Alex:
U found your phone?

Shit, how am I going to explain this one?

Me: Dane had his assistant bring it to me.

Alex:
How did he know where you were?

Me:
I don't know. Anyway, at least I have it back. Want to come pick us up now?

Alex:
Be there in a bit, your dad is getting tired.

Me:
I love you.

Alex:
Love u.

My mom
drove us back to Bangor, my dad slept off and on during the drive. Alex sat with me in the back of the car, holding my hand and gazing out the window, watching Maine fly by.

“You
haven’t visited your parents since we got here, do you want to see if they would like to have dinner with us before we leave?”

Alex
squeezed my hand. “Yeah, I want to see them.”

We
met Alex's parents for dinner at one of their favourite restaurants. I ordered salmon and even though I hadn’t eaten since our early lunch today, I simply pushed around the fish on my plate. My appetite was scarce and I wasn’t in the mood to even talk. I was thankful for that because Alex's parents were chatting him up so much, I really don't need to communicate at all.

“Riley, do you think Addison is ready to go back to work in a few weeks?” Lillian ask
ed from across the table.

Damn.

“Yeah, I think so. I’m pretty sure she's been chomping at the bit for a while now. Scarlett will love having Seth around,” I said.

“It's so sweet of you to watch him for her when she goes back to work,” Lillian smil
ed at me. “Do you think you'll want to get back into real estate? What's the market like in Wyoming?”

I shrug
ged. “I'm not sure, I haven't really looked yet. I'd love to do it again, but I’m not sure if Sheridan is a place for agents to thrive.”

“Well, maybe you two will just have to have a few more babies then!”

I sputtered in my sparkling water and looked across the table at Alex, he turned to his mother and grinned.

Richard, who
was sitting beside me, leaned over and said quietly, “Don't listen to her, Lil would have twenty grandchildren if she had a choice.”

“
I guess we’ll have to go home and start practising,” Alex said, chuckling slyly to himself.

“
Alexander Richard Cole!” Lillian gaped at her son, astonished at his forwardness. “And here I thought you've turned into a gentlemen thanks to Riley and that nice town in Wyoming.”

Oh, Lillian, if you only knew how un-gentleman-like your son
could be
. I blushed as Alex reached across the table to rub my knuckles with his thumb. He excused himself to use the bathroom, and left me at the table with his parents after making such a lewd comment. I'll have to remember to take my frustration out on him later...

My phone vibrate
d in the pocket of my dress pants.

Alex:
I want to crawl under that table and taste you. Fuck dessert. I want you.

I
tried not to let my face give away my instantly turned-on state just as Alex sent me another torturous text:
One more night in Bangor. My house. My pool.

I
didn’t reply, I couldn’t. My hands were shaky and I was sitting right next to Alex's father, for crying out loud.

On the drive back to Richard and Lillian's house, my phone vibrate
d again and I answered the call.

“Mom! I'm back! I had the best time, I can't wait to show you all the pictures I took. There were geysers and springs, and man! Mom it was awesome!
” Isaac gushed into the phone.

“Wow, baby! That's awesome. I am so glad you had fun.”

“Yep, now Addison and Blaine are taking us to dinner at Lake's. When are you coming home?”

“Tomorrow morning
Isaac. Early. I promise I'll be there by the time you wake up for school.”

“Okay, good. Can I talk to Alex?”

I smiled and handed the phone to Alex, he put it up to his ear. “Hey, buddy! How's it going? How was Jellystone?”

I laugh
ed, and turned to lean my head against the back of the seat, watching Alex talk to my son on the phone.

“Oh, yeah. My bad,
Yellowstone
. Did you see Yogi?”

Isaac must have said something funny to him because Alex roar
ed and Lillian turned in her seat to see why he was laughing.

“Isaac went to Yellowstone for a class trip,” I sa
id quietly to Lillian.

She smile
d and nodded.

“Are you being helpful with Scarlett? I bet Addy loves having you around, eh?” Alex tap
ped his mother on her shoulder. “Ask Addy if she wants to talk to her mom, I’m in the car with her.”

Addison
got on the line and Alex handed the phone to Lillian. She sighed when she heard her daughters’ voice, and she asked Alex how she can switch the phone onto the speaker setting so Richard could talk to her at the same time.

I
sat back in my seat and took everything in. My parents, Alex's parents, my children, Addison and even Blaine. What would I do without these people in my life? I cannot believe how stupid I was with Dane.

Lillian and Richard bid us goodnight after we all indulge
d in a nightcap—a shot of brandy each. Probably not the greatest idea since I was ready to jump their son. When they had gone upstairs, Alex and I gave it about ten minutes before we both scrambled through the kitchen and out the double doors leading to their pool.

Oh, the memories I have of this place.

Alex turned off all of the outside lights and stripped out of his clothes. He jumped into the water, sending cool little drop shooting all over me. I giggled and took off my clothes, keeping my bra and panties on just in case his parents weren’t sleeping yet.

“Off, missy. All of it,” Alex growl
ed from the pool, and clipped the water with his hand, splashing me.

I
shook my head and pointed up at the house.

“So?” he grin
ned.

“So, nothing. Not yet.” I
sat on the edge of the pool and let my legs adjust to the cool temperature of the water.

“If you don't get in the pool right now, you can't have any of this.”
  Alex motioned to himself with his hand.

I smirk
ed. “Don't make promises you can't keep.”

Alex
swam over to me and grabbed my hands. He pulled me into the pool and I squealed loudly. I held my breath before I slipped under the water, and when I got back up I took a long and deep breath of air.

It wa
s so dark that I couldn’t see where Alex was, but I felt the water move behind me and then his hands on my shoulders. His mouth bit my neck and licked under my ear as his fingers unclasped my bra.

“Remember the first time we kissed in this pool, baby?” he breathe
d.

“Yes,” I answer
ed, almost in a whisper.

“Even with everyone around us, I wanted
to rip off your bathing suit and take you right here.”

“I wanted you too,
badly
.”

“I wish you would have said something then, instead you ma
de me wait four more years until I could taste you again.”

I turn
ed and kissed him deeply, my tongue delving hard into his mouth, and the stubble on face scratched against my smooth skin.

“Patience is a virtue,” I breathe
d between kisses. “Now, stop talking and make love to me.”

***

The month of May
flew by. My mom called almost daily to update me on my dad's condition; his cancer hadn’t spread and so far he was reacting as expected to the radiation treatment. He has lost his hair, and when she sent a picture of him to my cellphone I had to cover my mouth to keep my cries from waking up a sleeping Scarlett.

Oh, daddy.

I sobbed, and prayed with all my might that this was all worth it.

Scarlett's second birthday
is May 31
st
, only three days away, and I haven't had a second to plan anything. Well, I guess I have had the time, I have just been procrastinating like usual. My parents are unable to come as my dad's not up for the flight and my mom doesn't want to leave his side—obviously I understand and as sad as I am that they will miss this, I know their reasons.

Richard and Lillian
had flown in a day early and stayed with us, since we had more than enough room. Lillian bent with outstretched arms as Scarlett walked over to her.

“Oh, my little girl is all grown up!”
Richard kissed Scarlett's cheek when Lillian stood next to him with her in her arms. “Riley, what have you been feeding her? She's so tall!”

“She'll be tall just like her
beautiful mama.” Lillian smiled and kissed Scarlett's forehead. “Won't she?”

The entire family show
ed up for Scarlett's birthday. For some crazy reason I let Maria and Kelsey, Blaine's sister's-in-law, party-plan. The house looked like a princess’s dream. Pinks and gold’s all over the place. Balloons wrapped around each post on the porch and they had even rented a big inflatable castle.

“You guys really need to start your own busine
ss, this is just insane!” I gushed as Maria hugged me.

“A perfect princess party for the perfect princess!” Kelsey beam
ed. “Where are Blaine and Addison?”

“Oh, they're on the way. Addy just texted me,” I
told them.

A few minutes later Addison's car pull
ed into the driveway and parked behind the Dodge. Addison climbed out of the driver's seat and smiled widely when she saw me. “Hey, Ry!”

“Hey, you!” I call
ed over to her and picked up Scarlett, placing her on my hip.

Addison
took Seth out of his car seat and carried him over to meet me. We kissed each other on the cheek and swapped babies. Seth smiled at me and grabbed onto my necklace, twisting the gold in his fingers. Scarlett kissed Addison's cheek and then instantly wanted to be put down.