Key To My Heart (Love Conquers All) (19 page)

Tender statements like the one Langston had just made, and the way he was looking at her were the many reasons Ava found it so hard to resist this man. It was becoming so hard for her not to allow herself to be pulled into his web. Ava wasn’t an airhead. She knew exactly what Langston was doing and what he wanted. Every action he demonstrated shouted that he wanted her. He didn’t want her for just a few romps between the sheets. Brother wanted her for keeps. Ava had freely given him her body, but was she really willing to give more, to give her heart?

Maintaining her vow not to get involved with Langston was becoming a fierce struggle of tug of war. Ava’s entire world changed the evening she found Langston standing on her doorstep bringing her a gift her heart had been wanting for seven years. And every moment she spent with her little girl told Ava that Zoe had been waiting for her too. After the tender way Langston had just made love to her, she knew he’d been waiting as well. But still, was this enough to trust him with her heart again?

“That’s really nice of you to say,” Ava whispered as she followed Langston into his bedroom.

Shrugging broad shoulders, he said, “It’s the truth.” And it was the truth. Langston noticed the sadness that would briefly overshadow Zoe’s countenance whenever they’d be out and a young girl the same as she would go walking by hand in hand with her mommy. Or the time last spring he had to rush over to the school to console a crying Zoe because she didn’t have a mommy to participate in the Mother-Daughter Tea.

In his effort to be both mother and father to Zoe, he’d showered her with love and affection, hoping and praying it would be enough. However, over time he realized his daughter needed the loving touch of a mother. She needed someone that would love, nurture, and guide her into one day being a young, respectable woman. The moment Langston witnessed Ava cradling Zoe close to her heart and Zoe responding by snuggling into her mother, his little girl had become whole. She no longer had to wonder if she had a mommy that loved her.

Langston didn’t bother to turn on the lights as he led Ava to his king-sized bed. Standing at the edge of the bed, he began to undress Ava again. As he was undressing her, Ava returned the favor. Lifting her off her feet, Langston pulled down the crisp sheets before laying her in the center of the bed.

Joining her on the bed, Langston pulled Ava to him in a spooning position. Ava snuggled into the embrace without hesitation as he wrapped his arms around her waist, holding her close. The only sound that could be heard in the room was their breathing.

If anyone would have told Ava that she’d be lying in Langston’s arms after just making love to him, she would’ve called that person a stinking liar. But here she was, in the last place on earth she thought she’d be. And guess what? It felt so darn good.

Tonight she wouldn’t think about the past. No, she wouldn’t allow her mind to go there. What for? It wasn’t going to change anything. Asking him why he’d allowed his parents to manipulate him into thinking her unplanned pregnancy was going to ruin the Warrington name or his career as a young attorney wasn’t going to take the pain away. It surely wasn’t going to give her back all those precious years she missed out on raising Zoe.

Tonight Ava’s thoughts would dwell on how special her first Mother’s Day had been. This day hadn’t started off with her lying in bed crying her eyes out as she held the tiny undershirt to her bosom. Langston and Zoe had worked so hard to make her first Mother’s Day with Zoe an unforgettable event. A small smile touched Ava lips when she remembered Zoe excitedly shouting and jumping up and down on the bed, “This is my first Mother’s Day too, Mommy!”

All the years she missed and wanted to be with Zoe, it never occurred to her that Zoe wanted the same thing until Langston brought it to her attention.

Snuggling further into Langston’s warm body, Ava softly whispered, “Lang?”

“Yeah, baby?”

“Tell me about when Zoe was a baby again.”

Ava became hypnotized by Langston’s deep, soothing voice as he began to tell his story. Eyes closed, she imagined that they had always been a family.

Rays of sunlight filtered through the closed blinds, bringing in a new day. Attempting a lazy early morning stretch, Ava’s body was sensually held captive by the muscular arm that was snaked around her waist.

Ava let out a contented sigh as her eyes fluttered open. Then a sharp gasp stole her breath away. Not so much from Langston’s huge erection firmly pressing against her backside, but from the photo on the nightstand staring back at her.

Rolling over, she wasn’t sure if Langston was awake yet. He was. He was staring down at her, the beginning of a smile curving his full, sexy lips. “Morning.”

Ava didn’t bother to return the greeting. Her heart was pounding in her chest as she stared at Langston, tears in her eyes.

“What’s the matter, baby?” Langston asked, concern lacing his words.

“That,” Ava pointed to the nightstand. “That picture. Where’d you get it?”

Leaning up on his elbow as if he didn’t know what she was talking about, Langston peered at the nightstand table. Summer had sent the picture of himself, Ava, and Zoe last week. It was taken the afternoon of Zoe’s party.

The picture was beautiful. At least that was what Langston thought. The three of them looked so perfect together.

He had to tread lightly. He wasn’t quite sure if Ava was upset by the photo. When he spoke, his voice came out tender. “You don’t like the picture?” Langston smoothly sidestepped answering who had given him the picture. She’d probably hit the ceiling if she knew her friends came to see him and that was when he requested Summer send him the photo.

Shaking her head from side to side, she said, “I love the picture. I think it’s beautiful. It just took me by surprise.” Letting out a shaky breath, she continued. “We look so happy…” she said, her voice trailing off.

That afternoon had been like a fairy tale. Everyone she cared about and loved had come together to celebrate Zoe. By the time she, Zoe, and Langston had showed up at Summer and Nick’s home, all the guests were in attendance. Even her brother Dominic Jr. had come home to be with his niece

Ava hadn’t worried about Zoe being accepted. Everyone would love and adore her. However, she was worried about how her family and friends were going to accept Langston. Why she cared, she didn’t know. She just did.

For that day, they were all one big happy family. Her best friends’ husbands had easily accepted Langston into the fold. You could have knocked her over with a feather when she spied her father and brother on the other side of the lawn having what looked like a civil conversation with him. And later that evening when she sidled up next to her father, Dominic hugged her close, telling her, “Honey, everything’s OK. Your brother and I were just having a little talk with Langston.”

Ava laughed. “You know me so well, Daddy.”

Dominic hugged her tighter as he laughed with his daughter. “That I do. Today is about Zoe. You’ve waited a long time to have your baby back.” Kissing her on both of her cheeks, he assured her, “I want you to be happy. Now get going. Your friend wants you.”

Summer, with Zoe at her side, was waving Ava over, signaling that the photographer wanted to get some shots of her and Zoe. The brief talk she had with her dad left Ava feeling so warm and fuzzy that she didn’t balk at Starr when she dragged Langston by the hand like an overgrown toddler. It was obvious that her friends wanted the three of them to take a picture together.

Coming out of her musing, she admitted, “I was happy that day.”

Langston gently guided Ava onto her back as he settled himself on top of her. Staring down into her face, he wanted to make love to her so badly. All night he’d struggled to hold on to his control as he held her close. Every time she shifted in her sleep, rubbing up against him, he shuddered from the torturous contact. So many times he came so close to entering her and satisfying the ache in his loins. However, the last thing he wanted her to think was that he wanted her just as a bed partner. Of course their lovemaking had been incredible last night, but he wanted more. He wanted her heart and soul. “So was I.”

Tugging her bottom lip between her teeth, Ava returned the sultry stare. Her belly was quivering, and between her thighs was tingling. “You were?”

“I was,” Langston confessed as he slanted his mouth over hers, kissing her deeply.

Ava groaned as she slightly spread her legs open, welcoming him to enter.

Disappointment washed over her when Langston pulled back. “It’s almost time for Zoe to get up.”

“Oh,” Ava mumbled, embarrassed she’d been shot down.

eee

After quickly showering and getting dressed, Ava made her way down the hall to Zoe’s bedroom. The clock read 6:55
am
on Zoe’s nightstand. Turning off the alarm, Ava carefully sat on the bed next to Zoe, waiting for the next five minutes to pass.

When the clock read exactly seven
am
, Ava began to place butterfly kisses all over the child’s tiny face. “Zoe, my little Zoe, it’s time to get up,” she sang.

Langston chuckled from his post in the doorway when Zoe let out a disapproving groan and rolled over.

Ava jerked her head back and looked over her shoulder at Langston. Raising an arched eyebrow, she snorted out a laugh. “Oh, no, little miss thing didn’t.”

This time Ava began to tickle Zoe. “Wake up, sleepy head. Come on, wake up. It’s time to go to school.”

Wiggling, Zoe tried to get away from the tickling fingers. She rolled over and was about to tell her daddy to stop tickling her before she wet the bed. The look of surprise on her little face when she saw Ava was priceless.

Leaping onto Ava’s lap, Zoe threw her arms around Ava’s neck. “Mommy!”

Ava’s heart melted as she held Zoe tightly. This felt so good. Kissing the top of Zoe’s head and inhaling the soft, sweet smelling strands, her eyes locked with Langston’s. She mouthed to him,
Thank you.

You’re welcome,
Langston mouthed back, and then turned around, leaving his two favorite girls alone.

eee

“What do you mean Langston isn’t coming in this morning?” Beatrice snapped at Christina as she towered over her from her standing position. This little heifer was useless! She hadn’t accomplished anything in the few weeks she’d been at the firm. The way she jumped in and out of bed with every Tom, Dick, and Harry while in college, she should have had Langston’s mind off of Ava by now.

The only reason she had strongly
suggested
that grinning goof of an office manager Grace hire Christina was to lure her son away, but it wasn’t working. Every weekend he was off playing the family man with that little whore and their bastard child.

It was sickening! Downright sickening! Every Monday morning around ten thirty she came by the firm to see how things were going, and Langston was always walking around whistling like his damn father after he’d been lying up with his whore all night.
Damn fools.
Beatrice wasn’t stupid. All those overnighters Langston Jr. claimed he was working on a big case, she knew he was with Lydia. Even having a child she didn’t want hadn’t kept him from continuing his straying.

Christina shrunk in her chair a bit from Beatrice’s blazing eyes boring into her as she questioned her son’s whereabouts. She didn’t like the way the woman was glaring at her. What did she want from her? Langston wasn’t interested in her, which was fine with her. Christina was just happy he had given her a chance. Her main objective had been to be a diligent employee, proving to Langston that he hadn’t made a mistake by keeping her on.

Sitting upright and squaring her shoulders, Christina spoke calmly. “Mrs. Warrington, Mr. Warrington called into the office this morning to inform the staff that he would be taking a vacation day today. I don’t know what else you want me to say.”

Beatrice’s glare intensified. “Don’t get sassy with me! If it weren’t for me, you would be out on the streets or living in that rundown apartment with your trifling parents!”

Embarrassment flushed Christina’s cheeks. She heard the gasps coming from Grace and Cheryl, the other secretary who had just walked up to the reception area. Her mother had warned her that Beatrice Warrington had a mean strike to her when rubbed the wrong way. Christina’s feelings were beyond hurt. She truly believed in spite of this woman wanting her to hook up with her son that she had meant her well.
I guess not.

Humiliated, Christina stood and turned to her coworkers. “Cheryl, would you please cover the phones while I go to the ladies’ room?” Christina didn’t wait for a response as she hurried off so no one could see the tears that were threatening to fall.

Wide eyed, Cheryl looked as if Christina had asked her to go to the gas chamber. But relief swept over Cheryl as Beatrice huffed away from the desk, jabbing at the elevator button.

“Just as I thought,” Beatrice snarled as she whipped her vintage Mercedes Benz into a parking space.

The vehicle with the Pennsylvania license plate told her everything she needed to know. Getting out of the car, Beatrice dug into her Salvatore Ferragamo handbag, searching for her other set of keys. Beatrice didn’t care that her son had forbade her to come to his home unannounced. She’d be damned if he ran Warrington and Warrington into the ground. It was bad enough he left the office early every day to take care of that brat of his. Now he was taking
vacation
days to lay up with his whore.