Pierced: Pierced Trilogy Boxed Set (103 page)

“Thank you,” I say, shaking her hand. And as we wrap up our interview, the photographer covering the event with her begins to snap away, taking shots of Lola and me, of Josh and me together, and of the two of us with my mother. It’s a very surreal moment.

As Lola finishes up with the reporter I slip my hand in Josh’s and turn toward my mom, not really knowing what to say. “I’m surprised to see you here, Mom. I know how you feel about my artistic endeavors,” I say quietly. She says nothing as she stares at me, and I get the feeling she’s not exactly sure what to say.

“It’s quite a turnout,” she says finally, glancing around the gallery. “Your father would be so delighted with what you’ve done here.”

“Mom…”

“Samantha,” she says, turning back to me and cutting me off. “I know you probably don’t want me here, and I suppose I can’t blame you after the deplorable way I behaved at the wedding. Not to mention … the way I behaved toward you, Detective,” she says quietly, glancing at Josh. “And if you really want me to go, I will. I have no intention of ruining your big night, Samantha. But I’d like to stay for a while. Have a look at your artwork. If you’ll let me.”

“I suppose you’re welcome to stay, Mom,” I say softly, lightly squeezing Josh’s hand as I talk. “But I’d like to know something first.”

“What?”

“The things you just said to that reporter. Did you mean any of that or was it just good press?” My voice sounds wary, and I know it’s because I’m not sure I want to hear her answer. But she surprises me.

“I meant every word, Samantha. And I’m here tonight because I know that I owe you a huge apology. Both of you,” she says glancing at Josh once more. “I realize that the tension in our relationship over the years has been mostly my fault, Samantha. It is
your
life, not mine. And as Lucas keeps pointing out to me … if I want our relationship to improve, then I need to take a step back and embrace the fact that you’re going to live your life as
you
see fit. Not as I do.” She pauses for a brief moment and then says, “I’m not saying things will change overnight but … I am attempting to take Lucas’ advice. And I just wanted to tell you that,” she finishes quietly.

“I’m not sure what to say, Mom.” My voice is small and unbelieving.

“Then don’t say anything, sweetheart,” she smiles sadly at me. “Just give me a hug?” I chew anxiously on my bottom lip for a moment, wondering frantically if I can trust this change of heart she’s professing to have, and step timidly into her embrace. “I really am very proud of you, darling. And I know you’ve made your father very happy tonight.”

Her words are my undoing and the tears fall unbidden down my cheeks. I pull away, embarrassed, and Josh hands me his handkerchief. And as I’m dabbing at my eyes, I hear Mom say, “I hope you’ll accept my apology, Detective. I would very much like a do-over with you.”

One glance at Josh and I can clearly see the wariness and distrust in his eyes as he glances from Mom back to me. And I notice Lucas standing by listening, watching the scene closely.

“I don’t blame you for being skeptical, Detective,” Mom says. “My behavior toward you has been deplorable. I had no right to try and exploit your family’s sorrow.”

Josh stares at her in silence for a few seconds more. Finally, he takes a deep breath, and the caution in his eyes is easy to read. “If you’d like to start over, Mrs. Colby, why don’t you begin by just calling me Josh.”

I actually see the hint of a smile on Mom’s lips and she stares at him. “All right. Josh. And you can call me Lois,” she offers timidly. “Perhaps you would like to introduce me to my daughter’s work?”

Josh looks momentarily stunned, and I wonder how he’s going to maneuver his way out of this. But he shocks me when he steps forward and offers my mother his arm. “I’d be honored to, Lois,” he says quietly, holding her gaze with a slight scowl. I watch in awe as she takes his arm and he leads her away, and I wonder which one of them I should feel more afraid for.

“Do you think one of us should rescue him?” I say to Lucas when he wraps his arm around my shoulders.

Lucas chuckles at me. “Nope. I think we’re just gonna have to let the two of them figure out who’s top dog.”

I feel a small frisson of fear at his words and I want to follow them around the gallery but, I am quickly besieged by various people, all wanting to chat with me for a few minutes. I talk to my coworkers from the museum and others from the art community, I chat with Dave and Lindy Conner for a while and with my Grandma. And when I tell Lee Parson that Josh is escorting my mother around the gallery, I can see that he’s as shocked as I am.

I point them out to him and we watch for a moment as Josh and my mom have what looks to be a very involved conversation about the drawing I did of two lovers embracing, and I remember him saying that it was his favorite of all my sketches. They are standing arm in arm as they talk, gazing from the sketch to each other and back again, and the discussion appears to be riveting. I would give anything right now to know what they’re saying and how they’re faring with one another.

“Well, they’re both still in one piece for now,” Lee says softly, voicing my unspoken fears.

At the end of the night, Lola gets everyone’s attention and thanks them for attending my debut art show, and she announces that the proceeds from tonight’s opening will be going to help fund the art and music programs in the city’s public school system.

“From the very beginning of this little project, donating all of her proceeds from tonight’s opening is something that Samantha felt very strongly that she wanted to do,” Lola tells the crowd. “Something she felt her father would have done. So, I am very pleased to announce that, with the sale of fifteen of your sketches, Samantha, and seventeen of your paintings … we have raised just over $90,000 tonight for the school’s art and music programs!”

There is an audible gasp from the crowd and I am floored at this news. The applause sounds deafening to my ears and I feel slightly lightheaded from the excitement of it all. I feel Josh’s arms go around my waist from behind, and he kisses my temple as I am congratulated by various family members and friends. What an amazing feeling!

When the gallery finally clears out about a half an hour later and Lola is busy with end-of-the-event duties, Josh and I finally have a few minutes to ourselves once more. I leave Lola’s office and find him standing in front of the sketch of two lovers embracing. His arms are folded across his chest as he studies it and I wonder what he’s thinking.

Walking up behind him, I wrap my arms around his waist and he caresses them with his hands. We stand this way in silence for a few seconds before he says, “It’s sold. Someone bought it.” His voice is soft, and I am touched at the level of disappointment I hear there. He said before that this sketch was his favorite and that he’d like to have it.

“I know it’s sold,” I answer quietly. “But we’ll have to wait until the show closes in two weeks before we can take it home and hang it.”

He turns around and stares at me in disbelief. “You bought your own sketch?”

“I prefer to think of it as donating to a worthy cause,” I smile coyly at him. “Besides, I had to. My boyfriend told me that this sketch was his favorite. I couldn’t just let it go to some stranger when I knew that you wanted it.”

“You are something else, you know that?” he smiles at me and takes me into his arms. “And in case I haven’t said it before now … I am so proud of you, Sam. For having the courage to do this show and put your artwork out there. And for donating all of the money and starting the scholarship. You’ve done an amazing thing, baby.
Two
amazing things!”

“I couldn’t have done any of it without you, Josh.”

“Yes, you could. I didn’t do anything, Sam. This was all you.”

“No. I couldn’t. Josh, your encouragement, and your undying belief in me. You gave me the confidence to believe that I could do this. And you gave me the courage to get through it. I couldn’t have done any of this without you,” I tell him simply. He kisses me then, a slow, deep, passionate, romantic kiss that I feel all the way down to my tingling toes.
Wow!

“What do you say we go home now and celebrate?” he whispers, looking into my eyes with a sexy grin.

“Can we celebrate by christening a few more rooms?” I ask shyly. And I know that I’m blushing slightly.

He smiles wickedly at me. “Oh, absolutely, baby. I’ll even let you choose the rooms.”

“Hmm? How about … the kitchen and the library? And the deck outside our bedroom?”

“I’ll race you to the car,” he whispers, biting my earlobe, and I giggle.

Chapter Eleven

Joshua

Her back arches as her body convulses around me, her fingers twisting in my hair and her right foot pushing against my left shoulder.

“Joshua!”

My name is a garbled moan on her lips as she shatters, screaming out in ecstasy. God, I love the taste of her! I trail soft, languid kisses up her torso, past her breasts and to her neck as she slowly surfaces from her third orgasm of the morning. Each one delivered courtesy of my relentless tongue – a personal best!

“You are so incredible,” she whispers, caressing my face, and I smile as I kiss her deeply.

“Tit for tat, baby. Just my way of saying thank you for such an uplifting morning,” I whisper with a raised eyebrow, and she giggles, blushing a pale rose color. No doubt remembering her early morning oral escapades which woke me out of a sound sleep.

I roll over, taking her with me, and we snuggle up together, holding one another closely. “What would you like to do today?” I ask as my fingers find their way into her hair and she sighs contentedly.

“Well, first … I want to get today’s paper and see if there’s a review of the opening,” she answers a bit nervously. “And then, good or bad, I want to go hiking.”

I smile at her request. Hiking has quickly become one of her favorite things to do, and I’m glad. I like spending time outside with Samantha; it’s a nice way for us to enjoy each other’s company. I tighten my hold on her as I kiss the top of her head. “Hiking it is.”

We get up and get moving then, dressing in our standard hiking gear – athletic pants, t-shirt and jacket for me. Yoga pants and a long-sleeved t-shirt for Sam. And after we’ve dressed and are sitting at the kitchen table, eating bowls of cereal and fruit, Samantha’s phone rings. As she talks, I look out through the huge floor to ceiling window that sits in front of the kitchen table, looking over our new back yard.
This mini palace is really your place, Pierce. You actually live here!

Shaking my head slightly at that thought, I suddenly hear Samantha gasp. I can only hear her side of the conversation but, from what I gather, Lola has already read the reviews of Sam’s gallery opening and they are stellar. Samantha is over the moon with happiness and she hangs up and throws her arms around me. Once she calms down enough to finish her food, we talk about the show and the reviews as we eat, and she is so damn adorable I can’t stand it.

It’s sprinkling when we climb into the truck and back it out of the garage. But it soon stops as we get underway, heading to Lake Hills Greenbelt. Sam continues to chatter on and on about the events of last night, and I can tell that she is both relieved that it was such a success and happy that it’s finally over.

“Before we hung up, Lola actually asked me to be thinking about another show! Can you believe that? She said next time we should feature my landscapes and portraits. Is she crazy?”

Her voice sounds panicked and I frown as I look over at her. “Well, you do want another show, don’t you?”

She blinks at me for a second, like my question has caught her off guard. “Eventually! But not right on the heals of the first one; I need a little time to recover here!”

I laugh at her and keep driving. When we reach the park, we get out and choose a trail, walking hand in hand. We’ve never been to this park before but, it’s fairly close to our new place so, I thought we should check it out. We walk in silence for several minutes, and then I look down at her.

“I’ve decided that I’m going to take that Sergeant’s exam in a couple weeks,” I say quietly.

“Really!” She sounds excited and she beams up at me, and I nod.

“I like the idea of helping to guide the younger guys coming up. Mentoring them … showing them the ins and outs of the job. Like the old timers did for me,” I shrug.

“Josh, I think that’s wonderful! Have you told Lee yet?”

I shake my head and look down at her. “I wanted to tell you first.” She smiles at my words and I let go of her hand and wrap my arm around her, pulling her close as we walk, telling her more about the exam and what happens after I pass it. Assuming I pass it.

We walk in silence for a little while then, and suddenly it starts to rain. Not a gentle little sprinkle like before. Now, it is coming down in buckets and Sam and I are instantly drenched. We look at each other with goofy grins and I take her hand before we bolt for the nearest shelter. As we reach the wooden structure, she is overcome with giggles and I can’t help but laugh with her. I love that sound so much! Wrapping my arms around her, I pull her close as our laughter subsides and I look down into her enchanting green eyes. She is so beautiful!

“I think we’re stuck here for a while,” she smiles, referring to the downpour.

“I can think of worse places to be stuck, baby,” I say, smiling back at her. She laughs again and looks out at the rain coming down and I feel her shiver in my arms. She’s only wearing those sexy little yoga pants and t-shirt; she must be freezing now that she’s soaked. “Here,” I say, unzipping my jacket and pulling it off. I swing it around to drape it over her shoulders and something falls out of the inside pocket.

“Oh, you dropped something,” Sam says.

I place the jacket around her shoulders and look down with a start. I know exactly what fell to the ground and I have to recover it immediately. I spot it instantly lying on the ground and I kneel down to pick it up, and as I do it hits me like a bolt of lightning. I have been carrying this thing around with me for days now – since poker night when she made me those amazing peanut butter cookies. Looking for the right moment … trying to figure out the right thing to say, the perfect thing to do. And my heart starts pounding in my chest as I realize that
this
is the right moment and I have somehow ended up in the perfect position – on bended knee!