New Love (28 page)

Tessa was painting the girl
’s nails, listening to Audrianna. She learned more in those ten minutes from Audrianna than in the game she and Lucas played at her mom’s apartment back in the fall.

“Will you sleep in our room t
onight Tessa?” Alexandra asked.

Tessa looked at
Lucas, and he was shaking his head no.

“I would
love to,” she laughed.

Tessa and
Lucas read them a few stories. Tessa lay down with them.

“When they fall as
leep, please come outside, we’ll be there,” he left, and the three of them fell asleep.

She woke up at about three in the morning and snuck in his room. She climbed into bed and wrapped her arms around him. He woke and looked down at her.

“Hey Tessa, you finally made it out?”

She smiled, “Go to sleep
, Lucas.”

At about six thirty
, Landon came in and saw Tessa lying next to Lucas. He cleared his throat, and she jumped up, and Lucas smiled.

“Hey Dad.”

“Good morning Lucas,” he said trying not to smile. “Tessa thanks for getting all my Princesses to sleep last night, but if the other two wake up and you’re gone, they’re going to be very upset.”

“Okay I’
m sorry, I really am --nothing happened I promise, I have my,” and she stopped and put her hand over her mouth.

Why the hell am I telling him all this
? Her face turned bright red, and she looked at Lucas who was shocked and very amused.

“Oh God I’m sorry,” she said as she ran out the door.

Landon and Lucas laughed, “She is a treat, Lucas.”

“Yeah
I know,” Lucas said. “What’s up?”

“Breakfast, is what’s
up. Let’s do this,” he rolled his eyes.

Lucas
pulled in the driveway with the breakfast food and tiptoed in the house. Landon made a little mess of the kitchen to make it look like they had cooked and not gotten takeout. Ryan and Alex came into the room.

“Everything already done?” Ryan asked.

Lucas and Landon looked at each other and smiled, “Yes.”

“You guys have this
… I’ll be serving my wife breakfast in bed,” he smiled.

The girls came down and ate.

“Great job guys,” Phoebe said.

Tessa ate and smiled,
“Lucas it tastes great, what spices did you use?”

“Well
, what ones do you taste Baby?” he asked completely avoiding eye contact.

She
laughed; he grinned and shook his head. The boys cleaned up, and Tessa went and showered as Lucas played Candy Land with the girls. Audrianna and Landon came downstairs, and both were showered and ready for the day. Lucas smirked, and Audrianna smacked him as she walked over to Tessa.

“Breakfast
was good huh?”

Tessa laughed, “Yes it was actually.”

“So I’m taking the day off,” Landon announced.

Audrianna looked shocked.

“We’re all going to go see the Yankee’s play, but before that I thought we could do a little shopping and a show?”

The girls jumped up and down and clapped.

Tessa looked at Lucas, and he smiled. They went upstairs, and Tessa went in the bathroom and shut the door in his face and he opened it laughing, “Can we shower?”

“No,
” her face turned red.

“Ok sorry baby, privacy right?” he asked as he shut the door.

She came out, and he kissed her.

“Sorry Tessa.”

“Well thanks but it’s not your fault,” kissed him back.

~

“Tessa will you ride with us?” Alexandra asked as they all walked outside.

“O
f course.”

“D
itching me again Tessa?”

“I’
m of no use to you right now,” she laughed.

“So not t
rue,” he ran his finger across her lower lip.

~

In the car, Tessa sat between the girls as they talked about going to their favorite doll store. She learned about all the different hysterical characters, (which Tessa knew were actually historical characters) and that they all came with books. They had tea parties and photo shoots and could get their doll’s hair done.

“You don’t have a doll?” Ally asked.

“No, I don’t I’m kind of an outdoor person. You’re so lucky to have such beautiful things; you better make sure you are super good for your parents.”

“Were you bad and that’s why you didn’t get one?” Alexandra asked.

Tessa laughed, “No, I just come from a much different kingdom.”

“Well what’s it like?” Ally asked.

“Well I live on a farm, and we work a lot.”

“Well what do you play with?” Alexandria asked.

“Well when I was your age, I played with lots of things. With my sisters, I played Barbie's. With my Dad, I learned to drive tractors and well –shoot a bow. With my Mom it was always fun to bake and play in the garden, in the dirt with worms,” Tessa tickled them.

They laughed.

“Well now that you’re older what do you play with?” Ally asked.

“Well I love music and theatre. I help at our church, I actually have a little group of kids that sing in front of the church,
and I get to play with them once a week. I still love all the things I did when I was little, but it’s just much busier now,” Tessa explained.

“Do you like to play with
Lucas?” Alexandra asked.

“Well sure I do,” she
saw Landon smirk, and Audrianna squeezed his hand and shook her head.

“What do you play with him?” Ally asked.

“We talk a lot, mostly about our families and friends. He talks about you two all the time. When he is in a sad and wants to be happy he thinks or talks about the two of you. He’s much happier now that you’re in his life. We rode snowmobiles once, and we go to each others games and sometimes out to dinner.”

“But mostly talk?” Alexandra asked.

“Yes, actually,” Tessa laughed

They pulled into a parking lot, and Landon opened the door to get Ally out, and Audrianna got Alexandra.
Lucas pulled in and smiled when he saw his father holding the door for Tessa.

“Tessa, have you ever seen the play Wicked?” Landon asked.

“No, but I’ve read the book,” Tessa said.

“Well
it starts in an hour and the box office is holding tickets for the six of you,” Lucas stood next to them and held Tessa’s hand, “And we are going to take the girls to an extremely overpriced,” Audrianna looked at him and raised her eyebrow, “but worth every penny, doll store. After that, we will meet and have an early dinner and do a little touring, and then it’s off to watch the boys win one at home.”

“Thank you,” Tessa said, knowing the whole theatre experience was for her.

~

The show was amazing.

“You’re going to be up there someday,” Lucas kissed her as they walked out.

Tessa laughed “I don’t think so, that doesn’t fit into my future plans.”

“Well why not?”

“I’
m a farm girl, remember? I like the much simpler things in life,” she smiled.

They did some shopping and went to dinner in Time
s Square. The girls played with their new dolls. Ally had gotten the one that lived with her uncle and aunt in New York City and Alexandra got her best friend, the one who had two sisters and was orphaned. They were beautiful dolls and the books were very much based on historical events.

The baseball game was amazing. Their seats were behind the Yankees dug out. The Yankee’s won the game by four runs. Tessa and Alex bought hats and tee shirts for their siblings and parents, Tessa also snuck in a Onsie for Jade’s baby. Audrianna took lots of pictures throughout the day.

~

Tessa was tired and very crampy when they got home. Jade looked exhausted.

“You okay Jade?”

“Just tired, but I had so much fun today,” Jade smiled. “I think I should let Phoebe and Alex sleep in the girl’s room tonigh
t, I can crash in with Ryan.”

Tessa and
Lucas helped his dad and step mom carry in all the bags. Audrianna made the girls take baths after being in the city all day,
germs everywhere
she had said. Tessa and Lucas finished reading the book from the car to them, and they fell asleep as soon as they knew everything was going to be okay with the orphaned girls.

She followed
Lucas into his room, and he smiled, “You’re going to stay with me all night?”

“Is that okay even though we
can’t… well, you know.”

“Baby there are other things we could do,” he said reaching his hands down the back of her pants.

She scowled at him, “Oh hell no.”

He laughed, “Someday you’ll be begging for it.”

“Let’s get one thing, well two things straight, not there ever! And not during this week, got it?”

He smiled completely focused on her
mouth. She laughed.

“I am going to take a shower, you know
germs everywhere,” he laughed.

“Can I join you?” she smiled.

“Sure.”

She put on the bottoms of her swim suit and climbed in with him. He smiled.

She went down to her knees and grinned up at him.

“You
are so awesome,” his deep lust filled voice cracked when she took him into her mouth.

They got dried off, and she put on her nightgown. He held her and kissed her.

“I love you Tessa,” he whispered as she fell asleep.

~

In the morning, Jade was up with a pen and paper writing in the kitchen.

“Good morning
,” Tessa said as she walked by.

“Good
morning, how was last night?” Jade grinned.

Land
on walked in and laughed. “She has her period, so it was probably uneventful.”

Tessa instinctively smacked him in the stomach as he walked by, her jaw dropped whe
n she realized she had hit him.

“Oh God
, I’m sorry,” she turned bright red.

Landon laughed loudly, “No
… I completely deserved that.”

He walked up and put his arm around her.

“It’s the hormones right?” he whispered.

She
laughed. “You think it’s funny now. You’re in for a rude awakening when you have three in the house all at the same time and you have to deal with it.”

“
I am not looking forward to that. But that tree fort can be modified” Landon smiled. “Tessa Ross, I like you.”

Lucas
walked in the room and saw his Dad smiling at Tessa with his arm around her shoulder.

“Wow w
hat’s going on here?”

“Well I was just telling Tessa she
’d better hurry up and cook me breakfast,” Landon smiled.

“And I was just going to teach your Dad how to make breakfast,” Tessa shot back.

“What do you mean? I made it yesterday.”

“Yeah
… okay,” she giggled.

Audrianna came downstairs and laughed when she saw Landon and
Lucas making breakfast, Tessa was sitting on a stool near them telling them what to do as she and Jade laughed.

“Wow you’re actually cooking brea
kfast today?” Audrianna smiled.

“What do you mean?” Landon said.

“Did you think I didn’t know?”

“Busted,” Jade said, and they all laughed.

The girls bound through the doorway with their dolls and hugged Lucas. He smiled and sat down and let them tell him all about the tea party and photo shoot.

“Tessa, would you read this and tell me
what you think?” Jade handed her the letter she had written that she intended on reading at the sentencing that was on Friday for the drunk driver that had hit them and killed Tommy.

Tessa sat and read the four page letter and tears rolled down her face.
Lucas looked over at her and asked Jade what was up. She told him, and he hugged her.

“You okay?”
Lucas asked Jade

“I will be. H
e can’t walk for this Lucas, he just can’t,” Jade started to cry.

Tessa finished the letter and looked
at Jade who was hugging Lucas.

“It’s perfect Jade,” she said qui
etly.

Ryan, Phoebe, and Alex walked in.
They all had their bags packed.

“Is everything alrigh
t?” Ryan asked looking at Jade.

She shook her head no and stood up and walked towards him, and he hugged her. She wrapped her arms around him and cried.