Love Resisted (The Real Love Series) (5 page)

Each kid stopped and gave flowers to their grandmothers and aunts, before making their way over to their mothers. This was something they all did together and Allie loved it since it allowed her to celebrate the holiday with all of them instead of everyone doing it individually. She happily accepted flowers from Jonathan, Madison, Dylan, and Ryan as well as a card full of scribbles from Morgan and Sean’s kids. It was beautiful and touching to be loved by so many adorable kids. She had been taking a whiff of her
flowers and thanking her oldest nephew when Jake tapped her on her shoulder.

“You might want to watch this,” he said as he gestured in the direction of where Gillian sat, while he squatted his large frame next to Allie’s, camera in hand.

The noise level around the table slowly died down as they all became aware that something big was about to happen at the end of the table. With all attention directed toward Gillian, Jake was filming it as his son handed Gillian a single gerbera daisy with a bow tied around it. Gillian said, “Thanks, buddy. You remembered that these are my favorite, didn’t you?”

Ryan nodded proudly as he said, “And I remembered that you like the pink ones, too.”

Allie watched as Gillian leaned over and kissed him on the cheek saying, “Thank you so much. I know just where I want this to go.” Then there was a long pause and Ryan just stood there with his hands behind his back. Allie could tell he was nervous about something. Gillian gave him a questioning look before asking, “What’s wrong Ryan? Is there something else?”

The young man was silent, but nodded slightly as he pulled a handmade card from behind his back, and thrust it in Gillian’s direction. She glanced down at the card then back up at Ryan’s face as she took it from him. “Thank you sweetie. I love when you boys make me stuff.”

Ryan just stood there and watched Gillian as she looked back down at the card. It was very obvious that there was something the boy was worried about, and for the life of her, Allie couldn’t figure out what it was. She had never witnessed the young man look so nervous. She inwardly laughed as she thought that maybe his nervousness was due to the fact that Dylan wasn’t there to speak on his behalf. Smiling at that thought, she watched as Gillian opened the card. There was a few seconds of pause before Gillian gasped, and her hand flew to her mouth in surprise. Tears instantly filled her eyes and poured out the sides as she looked over at a still-nervous Ryan.

When Gillian moved her hand from her mouth, she smiled at him and said, “It would be a great honor for me if you did.” Allie watched as Ryan’s eyes filled with tears, too, and he flung himself around Gillian’s neck and held on tightly.

Gillian sat there holding him as Allie said, “I'm about to cry over here people, and I have no idea why!”

Gillian lifted the card in her hand and held it up and open so that they could all see what was inside. It took Allie a moment to focus past the sheen of tears that formed just from watching the exchange. When she heard the intake of breath next to her confirming what she was reading, the tears filled to abundance and poured out. Simultaneously, all the women dissolved in silent tears as they read the handmade card … from an eight year old boy … to a woman … asking her, “Can I please call you Mommy?”

Allie blinked rapidly and fanned her eyes in an attempt to stop the moisture from falling out and ruining her make-up. Just thinking about that scene was like having a Lifetime movie on repeat in her head—got you choked up every damn time. Even if they were happy tears, she was ready to move onto the celebration at hand today. “All right, tell me where you want these so we can get this party underway. I do believe we have an eighteen year old boy to pay a ton of attention to. So much that he is going to regret deciding to move away for college.”

Gillian gave a sad face and another supply of tears welled up at the mention of her son going away to college.
Damn, screwed up on that one!
“I’m sorry, sweetie, I didn’t mean to bring that up, too. It’s going to be a long day for you, isn’t it?”

“I’m okay, just hormones. I can do this,” Gillian said in a clear attempt to convince herself.

Being one of her usual cheerleaders, Allie chimed in, “Hell yeah you can! Now get yourself in gear and boss these people around so you don’t overdo it. Where’s Jake? He should be fanning you and feeding you grapes or something. Jake!” At the mention of his name, Gillian giggled and snapped out of her hormone-induced tear fest. She smiled even bigger when Jake came trotting into the room.

“What’s the matter? Were you crying? Are you in pain?” Now was Allie’s turn to giggle because there just wasn’t anything funnier than watching Jake Michaels turn into a panicky lovesick puppy dog whenever Gillian was concerned.

“She’s fine Jake, just hormones.”

Allie watched him visibly relax as he rubbed Gillian’s upper back with one hand and her baby-bump with the other before continuing, “But it’s a good thing you’re here. She was saying something about climbing a ladder and attaching these balloons everywhere. I tried to tell her that you wouldn’t be happy about that, but she ignored me.”

Gillian sucked in an indignant gasp before defending herself, “Allie Baxter! What the hell is the matter with you? I’m lucky he doesn’t have me wrapped in bubble wrap, and you go and spout shit like that!”

Allie smirked and said, “Well, you know you were thinking about doing all that stuff. But it’s not like he believes me, do you Jake?”

Gillian answered instead, “No, he doesn’t believe you, but that doesn’t mean he isn’t visualizing me doing all that crap, and now he probably won’t let me out of his sight!” Allie looked to Jake whose face was drawn up in tension. Apparently she had taken it a little too far.

“Oops, my bad. I better go put these balloons out so they don’t go to waste,” she said as she made a hasty retreat from the glares they were both aiming at her.

CHAPTER FOUR

MIKE made his way into the house and the direction of the party that was going on. He had been to Gillian’s house more than a few times and knew where he would most likely find everyone. There was music playing, people were mingling, and from the looks of the packed driveway, there were plenty of people there to celebrate. Carrying a small bundle of flowers for Gillian, since she was the host, and a card in the other hand for the graduate, he tried to locate his target. Allie had to be around somewhere. He just needed to get his eyes on her and he’d be able to relax—well not entirely, but some. While gazing around, he spotted Gillian making her way toward him with a smile on her face.

Once she reached him, she once again rose up on tiptoes and placed a gentle kiss on his cheek. “Congrats on having a high school graduate.” She pulled away and added, “Did you bring Zane with you? Or is he too cool to hang with us old folks?”

“Congrats to you, too. And what are you talking about … old folks? I’m the old one here, not you,” he replied.

With a snort and playful slap on the shoulder, she said, “Give it a rest, there’s only a few years between us, and you’re not even forty.”

“Thank God for that.” He visibly shuddered at the thought of being forty. “These are for you.” He handed her the
flowers, which she accepted before promptly stuffing her nose down into them. “The card is for Jonathan; is there somewhere I should put it?”

“How sweet of you, on both counts, but you didn’t need to do that. You can put it in that basket over there.” She pointed in the direction of a table that had the cake, a basket of cards, and various presents on it. He discreetly tried to take in the people around him but still hadn’t found Allie. Not wanting to rude, he turned his attention back to Gillian as she hooked her arm in his and said, “Come inside with me so I can put these in water.”

He dutifully escorted Gillian inside; slightly disappointed he’d not spotted Allie yet. Once in the kitchen, she pointed to a cabinet over the fridge and asked him to retrieve a vase. “I would totally get it myself, but if someone sees me reaching up there and tells Jake, I’ll be covered in bubble wrap and placed in a chair for the rest of the evening.” Shaking her head as she said that, he laughed and watched her fill it with water.

“Is the pregnancy going okay? Seems like Jake is awfully concerned.” He couldn’t help but wonder if there was a reason Jake was overly protective of her.

Gillian sighed and smiled. “Yes, the pregnancy is just fine. Poor Jake’s nerves haven’t recovered from when I was injured at the beginning. I don’t blame him. He spent pretty much the first three months wondering if it would all end.” She looked down at her distended abdomen and rubbed it. “But I am well past the point of risk due to being shot. He just hasn’t been able to calm down about it.” Mike considered what Jake had to endure, and he couldn’t blame the guy. He hadn’t realized how at-risk Gillian had been, but it definitely made sense. He would think that it wasn’t uncommon for a woman to miscarry a pregnancy after suffering a gunshot wound. It truly was a miracle that she was still successfully carrying their child.

Shaking his head, he said, “I feel like an ass for asking now. I hadn’t even considered the big picture. In fact, maybe you really should sit down.” He tried ushering her to a seat, but she caught up on his humor and laughed at his attempt.

“No, really, if that happened to my pregnant woman, nine months of bubble wrap and tissue paper for sure.” He attempted his best
I’m serious
face as he said that.

“All right, Mr. Comedian, you better not say crap like that when Jake is in ear shot or I’ll sick Allie on you.”

Mike raised his eyebrows. “So, does that mean she’d do whatever you tell her to do to me? ‘Cause I have some ideas of how that can go down.”

“Oh hell, you’re as bad as the rest of them. Here I thought I reeled in a normal one to balance out the group,” Gillian said as she huffed out a laugh and shook her head before finishing, “Now tell me what Allie said that had you confused or concerned.” Recalling Allie’s words brought him out of his joking mood as he told Gillian how Allie made reference to her husband’s death being her fault.

Gillian shook her head in confusion. “Marc died in a car accident on his way down from Los Angeles. Allie had nothing to do with it. I know she felt guilty about the fact that he used to have to make that drive a lot, but nothing was her fault. And now I’m irritated with her.”

“Well you can’t say anything to her, or she might stop talking to me all together. She just started, and I don’t want her to stop,” Mike said in a tone that he hoped conveyed his pleading need for Gillian to keep quiet. She picked up on it and patted him on the arm.

“Calm down, I won’t, but that doesn’t mean I’m not irritated by her saying stupid crap.”

Mike relaxed and asked, “Is she here? I haven’t seen her yet.”

With a nod, Gillian said, “Last I saw, she was in the pool house holding my niece. She has a perimeter set up around her, ready to take down anyone that attempts to take the sleeping baby from her. If they ask for a password, I would try Lego-guy.”

Mike had to see this for himself, but first made sure Gillian didn’t need any more help from him. Saying hello to a few people along the way, he shook hands with Sean, Gillian’s brother, gave a wave to Jason from across the distance, congratulated Jonathan on graduation, and got a hug from Morgan, Sean’s wife, before opening the door and entering the pool house. The building ran the length of the pool and boasted screened windows that allowed an
unobstructed view of the pool from pretty much anywhere in the structure.

At one end there was a kitchenette that took up the whole wall, complete with indoor grill and sink. The opposite end held a door, which he assumed was a bathroom or changing room, and cabinetry took up the rest of the wall, more than likely for towels and other outdoor type toys. Somewhat in the center of the room, there was a table and chairs, and just beyond that, on the back wall, was a sitting area complete with a couch and loveseat, with complementing tables.

Allie was on the couch, reclining with her legs perched on the table, eyes closed and her hands were idly rubbing the back of the sleeping child draped over her chest. He just stood there, taking her in.

The sweetness of the sight was not lost on him, even if you didn’t pay attention to the fact that she had indeed set up a perimeter of protection. Her nephews, Dylan and Ryan, sat on each side of her, both armed with several Nerf guns of varying sizes. They were both staring at him, weapons aimed. Mike fought to conceal the laughter that was bubbling up inside of him at the sight. Dylan, Gillian’s youngest, spoke first, “This is a password secured area, nothing to see. Move along.”

He said it in a fully authoritative tone, like he was a six foot tall man going toe to toe with him. Mike noticed Allie peek open an eye and wrap her arms more securely around the baby, before seeing it was him and relaxing. She smiled and closed her eye again as she nuzzled her face down in the baby’s soft hair. “Stand down Captain, he’s a friendly.” Both boys lowered their foam-wielding weapons and sat back to watch whatever was on the TV screen mounted on the wall behind him.

Slightly pleased she called him a
friendly
, he smiled as he made his way closer. Amusement obvious in his voice, he said, “So I won’t need my password?” She smiled, but her eyes remained closed.

“You aren’t planning on taking this baby from my possession, are you?”

“Only if you deny me the pleasure of sitting with you,” he said. After a few seconds of silence, she opened her eyes and looked at her nephews before saying, “Gentlemen, you are relieved of duty. Please leave your weapons and proceed to have fun.” Both young men jumped up and saluted their aunt with a “Ma’am, yes ma’am,” before marching out of the pool house.

“Got them pretty well trained I see.”

Allie snorted before replying, “What can I say, they love me and would do anything for me. Besides, the people around here are ruthless and will stop at nothing to steal poor defenseless babies.” He laughed at how she made it sound like her family was up to no good, instead of spoiling their youngest addition.

“Should I be honored that you have dismissed your protective detail and allowed me this close to the baby?”

“Let’s just say that I’m pretty sure you know the deal. If you make a play for the baby, or assist any of the others, you will be completely cut off. It’s an unforgiveable act of treason.” She opened her eyes and gave him an assessing look, before smirking at him. “And something tells me you don’t want to be cut off.” Closing her eyes once again, he watched as she took in a long deep breath of the baby’s scent before letting out a deep, contented sigh. “It really is the best smell in the world.”

Mike had to agree. He may be a guy, but he remembered that smell—the one that it didn’t matter which baby you inhaled, they smelled the same. It may have been a very long time since his son was born, but he remembered it clearly. He also had the luxury of spending plenty of time with his niece so the scent was easy to recall. It was one thing that his wife said instantly made him relax. So on the days he came home from work, all stressed out, she would thrust Zane into his arms and force him to sit. Worked like a charm each time. Of course, things were a little different now—he didn’t go around smelling other people’s babies, or his son for that matter. But he did always feel pretty good when he was around him.

Right now, though, there was someone else whose scent was both relaxing and intoxicating. It was a citrusy smell, more orange than any other scent; it almost made her seem edible.
And very arousing
, he thought as he sat down next to her and took in a slow deep breath of his own. Or at least he hoped it sounded like he was relaxing, otherwise it would come off as creepy. He didn’t think creepy would help his case. Picking up one of the abandoned assault weapons, he gave it a once over making sure it was loaded, before pointing it at the door to assess his aim. Lowering the toy back to his lap, he looked over at Allie, who was watching him and said, “You’re correct, I don’t want to be cut off. So I totally got your back.”

She smirked back at him. “A guy and his Nerf gun, how cute.”

“Hey, this isn’t cute. It’s an assault weapon. A pretty cool one, if I do say so myself. They didn’t have crap like this when I was little. We had stupid little dart guns with suction cups on the ends.” He shook his head at the difference.

“Wow, Lawson, next you’re going to talk about how back in your day, you didn’t have video games like these youngsters do. I bet you even drank water from the faucet.” She let out a mock gasp at the horrifying thought of doing just that.

Raising his eyebrows, he said, “You dare mock me, woman? I am armed you know.” He lifted his weapon to remind her. She only smiled back.

“Armed and dangerous for sure.”

ALLIE couldn’t think of a more appropriate phrase to describe the man sitting next to her. He was dangerous with a capital D, and she could only fantasize about what he was
armed
with. The fact that there was fantasizing going on only made her glad for the baby sleeping on her chest, essentially holding her down. Though she wasn’t exactly sure what the baby was preventing her from doing to Mike. And thinking about what that might be only led her down a path she didn’t want to travel.

“Nice, the lady thinks I’m dangerous.” Mike paused to smile. “Isn’t that code for hot and sexy? I mean, women speak in codes and alternate meanings, right? So I think armed and dangerous should translate into something like … charming and irresistible. Oh wait, how ‘bout sexy and badass? Or you could just call me a
sexy badass
, that works, too.” Then he winked at her. But this time, it was less irritating than she recalled from earlier in the day. This time, in combination with the charming-sexy-badass comments, it warmed her. She might have even blushed a tiny bit.
Time to change the topic!

She gave a slightly uncomfortable laugh to cover up her blush and said, “Okay,
sexy badass
, where’s Zane?”

He smiled triumphantly, “See, it has a nice ring to it, doesn’t it?” He nodded as if he was agreeing with himself before continuing, “He didn’t come. Had a party of his own to go to.”

“Oh, bummer. I was hoping to congratulate him in person, and I have a card for him,” she said in a slightly disappointed tone. Even though Zane wasn’t one of her nephews, she had the opportunity to meet him on several occasions, and he seemed to be a great kid—one she wouldn’t mind hanging out with. Allie watched the arrogant smile on his face fall away, quickly replaced with a warm happy one.

“You have a card for him?”

“Yes, of course I do. He’s my neighbor, isn’t he? Plus I like giving gifts.” She turned away from him and focused on the baby who now stirred a little, slowly waking up.

“I
’ll have to let him know. He works tomorrow ‘til about four. Maybe you could stop by tomorrow after work and give it to him then. I could even feed you for your troubles.”

The hope she heard in his voice as he mentioned feeding her tugged on her heartstrings. It was an instant reminder that she needed to say no. Her conversation with him right now was nowhere near the bitchy sarcastic manner it needed to be to keep him at arm’s length. She was attempting to muster up that attitude when her niece, Madison, came into the pool house. Allie watched as she came in and went straight to the DVD player. Unsure what was going on, she asked, “Hey Maddie, what’re you up to?”