Salvaged (Embracing #2) Page 2

  “I love carrying you. Do you know how lucky I am? I’ve almost lost you twice. We’re never flying anywhere ever again.” I stand up and reach for a towel.

  I dry myself off and then dry her off as she laughs at me. I know we need to talk, so I’m planning on taking her away for the weekend. My mom loves watching the girls. She said she missed out on my childhood, so she wants to see the girls as much as possible.

  “How are our girls this morning?” Lila asks. She starts brushing her teeth. Damn, watching her stand in front of me with nothing but a towel on while brushing her teeth is making me hard as hell.

  “They’re still sleeping. I’ll start breakfast before I wake them,” I say. I kiss my beautiful wife.

  Addie and Maddie are like her. They’d sleep all damn day if you let them. They will be four years old in a few months and we’re planning on having a party at the Bounce House. I promised AJ he could go with us. He is a few years older than the girls, but he loves to hang around them. Although he’s their cousin, he’s like a big brother to them. They remind me of Ashton, Addison, and I when we were all that age. We were always together.

  I check on my girls again before heading down to make breakfast. Miss Rosa, the housekeeper, only comes in on the weekends. Rosa was the same housekeeper my parents had for so many years. The girls fell in love with her instantly, as did Lila. When Lila was in the hospital, Rosa stayed here and took care of everything.

  “Hey, handsome. What are you thinking about?” Lila says. She grabs a cup of hot tea and makes me a cup of coffee. Her hair is in a messy bun and she’s wearing a little makeup as well as a pair of yoga pants and a thin tank top. Fuck, she’s gorgeous.

  I grab her waist and pull her in for a kiss. I look in her beautiful blue eyes with a smile and say, “You, as always.”

  She smiles and kisses me. “I love your lips and kissing you. I need to call Megan about a case. I have to appear in court Tuesday. We will be back from our trip by then, right?”

  “Call her. Yes, we will. I’m going to get the girls so they can eat. You know they love blueberry pancakes.”

  “Okay, I’m going to call her and then meet you at the breakfast bar.”

  I walk up the stairs. I know the girls are probably still asleep. They each have their own bed, but most of the time they sleep together. Before Lila’s accident, they slept with us most nights. When I open the door, I find them playing with toys.

  “Hey, girls. Are you ready for breakfast? Daddy made your favorite pancakes,” I say. I help them get dressed.

  Addie runs and grabs her stuffed rabbit. “Hmm, did you make the blue cakes?”

  “Yay, blue cakes. And apple juice?” Maddie says, placing a hand on each hip.

  “Yes, and apple juice,” I reply. “Come on, Mommy is waiting for us.”

  I pick both girls up and carry them downstairs. As I round the corner, I see Lila. She made the girls’ plates using their favorite princess plates. She also cut bananas and strawberries and put a smiley face on their pancakes with chocolate syrup.

  “Hey, where’s my smiley face?” I laugh as I lean in and kiss her cheek. “We can use that chocolate later,” I joke.

  Rolling her eyes, she gently smacks at my hands. “Aww, does Daddy want a smiley face? Girls, do you want to help Daddy make his pancakes look like yours?”

  Both girls jump up and down, screaming.

  “I do! I want to put the face on the cakes, Mommy,” Addie says.

  “Me too. Let me do it too, Addie,” Maddie says, trying to grab the strawberries.

  I hand Maddie the bowl of strawberries and smile. “You both can.”

  Chapter Two

  Liam

  I haven’t told Lila where we’re going for our weekend trip. I pack our bags and the girls’ bags and load Lila’s SUV. My mom lives about a half hour away. We’re dropping them off and I’m taking Lila to a little resort. I’ve heard nothing but good things about this place and know she will love it. I’ve already called and made arrangements for them to lay out rose petals, chocolate-covered strawberries, and sparkling grape juice.

  I booked two nights, but we may stay an extra night. Lila isn’t going back to work until Tuesday and I work from home. I took over my father’s role at Ellis Winery, one of the largest wine companies in California. I run it with Ashton and Uncle Gill. I rarely go into the office.

  I’ve been thinking about becoming a private investigator, something I’ve wanted to do for a long time. My cousin, Kade, is thinking about moving here from Texas. He’s a great private investigator.

  “So, you still aren’t telling me where we’re going, are you?” a curious Lila asks after we drop the girls off at my mother’s house. My mom knows where we’re going, but she promised she wouldn’t tell Lila anything.

  “Nope, you’ll see,” I say with a wink. She crosses her arms like a five year old and makes a pouty face, then sighs.

  “Fine, do you really want to know?” I ask as I place my hand on her leg.

  “Yes!” She squeals and claps her hands. The twinkle in her eyes makes me smile. All I can do is laugh. She looks at me and says, “Well, are you going to tell me or laugh at me all day?”

  “You are so damn cute. You know that, right?”

  “Yeah, so I’ve been told,” she says. She leans over the console and starts rubbing my leg. Damn, she makes me hard just by touching me.

  “Okay, miss won’t-let-me-surprise-her. We’re going to a small resort. I thought it would be a good getaway, a good place to talk. We haven’t really had much alone time since you’ve been home. I heard about this place and thought it would be the perfect time and place to be alone with you.”

  “Sounds like you know exactly what I need, Liam. It’s been so crazy since I’ve been home, and with us having a new baby, I think we need this too. I miss our girls already, though. They were so excited to see Nana. That’s all they kept talking about last night.”

  “I miss them too. I had to promise them that we would take them to the Bounce House when we get back. Ashton said he and AJ would join us there. Speaking of the devil, he’s texting me right now. I’ll call him when we get there. He and Christa are going at it again. We’re almost there. You hungry?”

  “Not for food.” She licks her lips and winks at me.

  I love when her pregnancy hormones kick in. When she was pregnant with the twins, we had sex everywhere. Hell, we even went to a steakhouse and made love in the women’s bathroom. All her idea, of course. I’d never been as turned on as I was that night.

  “Trust me, when we get there, I will be eating.” I laugh.

  “Oh,” she says, pulling at her bottom lip with her teeth. I love the way she bites down and sucks her lip between her teeth.

  As we pull into the parking lot at the resort, she smiles and gazes out the window, taking in all the beauty of this amazing resort.

  Our room looks like something out of a magazine. Lila stands in the center of the room, taking everything in. It’s a large suite with a small boardwalk that leads to the ocean. Sheer white material surrounds the canopy bed. Rose petals are everywhere, including all around the hot tub.

  “Liam, this is absolutely beautiful. Thank you so much, babe. We’re going to have a great weekend.” She giggles.

  “I know I am. The things I plan on doing to you this weekend will have you screaming my name. Glad we’re the only ones around.”

  I laugh as I kiss her lips. Her kisses are sweet. Every time we kiss, it’s like the first kiss. I’ll never forget our first kiss and how long I waited to feel her lips on mine.

  “Oh,” she says as she twirls a string of hair between her fingers. She places her head in the crook of my neck. “Have I told you how much I love you? And how lucky I am to be your wife?”

  I kiss her forehead. “Love, I’m the lucky one. I always knew I would marry you and we would make beautiful little Liams and Lilas.”

  I notice she’s crying, and not just a few tears, either. It’s like som
eone turned on a sprinkler. I lift her chin and look into her ocean blue eyes. “Baby, what’s wrong? Why are you crying?”

  “I’m sorry, I was just thinking about some things. I’m so glad we’re here. I feel kind of hungry now. Can we call room service?” she asks as she wipes her tears.

  Immediately, I know what she is thinking about and who. I kiss her and grab the room service menu. I try to hide my pain and not let her see that her connection with Evan and the things she’s done with him is destroying me…and us.

  Once our food arrives, we eat and talk about the weather. Me and my beautiful woman are all alone in a secluded resort and we’re talking about the goddamn weather. When we finish eating, I can tell she’s still thinking about her previous thoughts.

  I want to take away all of her pain and tell her I know she slept with Evan. I don’t have proof; I just know my wife. She slept with him the day she ended things with him in New York, then when he came to California, and three months ago, I believe. I want to hate him. I can’t, though. He’s a nice guy and I know he’s moved on. He just needs to stay away from my family.

  “You know you can tell me whatever you want. Whatever is bothering you, let me in. Let me know what you’re feeling,” I say as I rub my hand up and down her back.

  “Thanks. I do need to talk to you about some things. I’m just not ready yet. Can you give me time? I need to process everything I’m going to tell you. It may change our lives. I don’t want to lose our family because of my mistakes,” she says. Sobs escape her and she falls into my arms. I hate seeing her like this; it isn’t good for the baby, either.

  “Whenever you’re ready. And Lila, nothing will change. We will be a family for the rest of our lives. Anything you have to tell me can wait until you’re ready. It isn’t going to change the way I love you or our kids, including the one in your belly.”

  As I kiss her, she lets out a small gasp. Taking my hands in hers, she says, “How can you love me after everything I have done?”

  I don’t say anything. I just hold her as she cries in my arms. When she’s ready, she will tell me everything. Until then, I won’t pressure her into telling me. We’re here to have a good time and that’s what we’re going to do.

  I take Lila’s hand in mine. As we walk outside, I grab a blanket with the other hand.

  I lay the blanket down, pull her into a deep hug, and lay her down on the blanket. I kiss her so hard, her breathing becomes rapid. I look down into her eyes. When she sits up, I pull her shirt over her head. She slips my shirt off too. I cup her breasts in each hand and kiss her neck. Then I lift her up to unhook her bra. I slide her yoga pants down and notice her baby bump is showing a little. She is fucking beautiful.

  As I lean down to take her panties off, I kiss her stomach. Big tears are forming in her eyes. “I love you, baby bean, and no matter what happens, I will always be your daddy,” I whisper.

  Lila gasps and lets out a small sob. I kiss her stomach again and work my way farther down. I can feel the heat from her pussy. I know she wants me to taste her as bad as I want to. I take my pants off, then slide my boxers down. I’m fully erect and ready to take her, but I want to give her what she needs first. I love pleasing her.

  I spread her legs open and kneel between them, kissing her lower lips. I love that she’s always shaved. As I suck on each one, I hear her moan.

  “You’re so wet already. You taste so sweet.”

  I lick her inside and out. I slide a finger inside as I wrap my tongue around her clit. Both of her hands are in my hair, pulling hard as she rocks back and forth on my face. She arches her back and throws her head back, screaming my name over and over as she pushes my head into her as far as she can. I’m so fucking hard, I don’t know if I can go another second not being inside her. I kneel between her legs and position myself. I slide inside of her and she comes instantly.

  “Oh God, you feel so good, baby,” she says as she kisses my neck. I don’t try kissing her since she doesn’t like to kiss after I go down on her, but she grabs my head with both hands and pulls me into a deep kiss. She kisses me so hard, I know she can taste the saltiness and sweetness of herself.

  We hold each other tight as we make love. With every thrust in and out of her, I feel my release building up.

  “Come in me, baby,” she says as she rocks back and forth on my dick.

  “You ready, beautiful? You want it now?” I feel my swollen dick getting ready to explode inside her.

  “Now, please!” she screams. I grab her hips and lift her up so I can sink deeper inside of her. “Please, I need you in me now,” she begs. “I can’t wait any longer.”

  I thrust in and out of her wet pussy. “Baby, you ready? You want all of it?”

  “God, yes. Harder, harder,” she moans. With every thrust, I can feel her getting tighter as she milks my cock.

  “I. Fucking. Love. You. Lila. Ellis.”

  I pull Lila into my arms and hold her as we stare at the water. I know I should be hurt and mad at her, but I can’t be. I love her too much to treat her any differently.

  “How about we go for a quick swim, then head back in to watch a movie and eat popcorn?” I ask as I stand up.

  “Sounds good to me. I love you, too, Liam Ellis! Always have and always will,” she says as she kisses my chest.

  Chapter Three

  Ashton

  Some people will never change. You try to give them every goddamn thing they want and they take you for granted and show no appreciation. I married my wife five years ago, only because she was pregnant with my son, AJ. I met Christabella at a strip club. You ever hear the saying, “You can’t turn a hoe into a house wife”? It’s so fucking true! I’ve tried; believe me, I’ve tried. She was wonderful at first. Hell, I even started loving her, but things started to change and all that good shit flew out the window.

  When I wake up, I notice she’s nowhere to be found. We don’t even sleep in the same room anymore. I sleep on the couch or with AJ. He’s been having awful nightmares, and I’m pretty sure it has a lot to do with his mother. I try not to fight and argue with her in front of him, but the way she acts makes it so goddamn hard.

  I look outside and see her car in the driveway. I run to the garage. Just as I feared, my new Harley is gone. I’m ready to choke her. No one messes with my cars or bikes other than my son. They’re my life.

  I have no fucking clue where she is and what she could have done with it. I try calling her and it goes straight to voicemail. Of course she wouldn’t have her phone on. She’s probably too damn high to even know where the hell she is. I need to contact Liam to see if he and Lila can keep AJ.

  “Liam, dude, the bitch has gone crazy and took my bike. I need you to watch AJ for me.”

  “Seriously, you need to just get rid of her ass. You and AJ would be better off. Call my mom. We are out of town, but you know she will watch him. Be careful man, and I’ll call you soon.”

  “Thanks, brother, I owe you one. Tell Li I said hey.”

  “Will do. Talk with ya later.”

  ***

  I wake my boy up and get him ready to go to Miss Sofia’s. He loves hanging out with her; she spoils all the kids. I tell him we will stop and have breakfast—sausage biscuits, AJ’s idea of a breakfast for champions.

  “Daddy, where is your new bike?” he asks as we enter the garage.

  “It needed some work, so it’s in the shop. We will take Old Blue today. Is that okay?”

  I can’t tell him the truth. He’s already afraid of his mother and it breaks my fucking heart. What kid is afraid of their own mother?

  “Well, can we take Big Red instead?” he asks, referring to my Chevy Silverado.

  “Anything you want, buddy. Now, you may be at Miss Sofia’s for a while, so I packed you extra toys and snacks. Also, a few of your movies you like to watch. Are you okay with staying there?” I ask, knowing he’ll say yes.

  “Yeah, Daddy. I like her. How come she isn’t my nana like she is Addie and
Maddie’s? I call her Miss Sofia and they don’t.”

  “That’s because she’s their grandmother. She isn’t yours. Gram is your grandmother.”

  “Well, they have two. Why do I only have one?”

  This is the first time he’s asked about this. His mother should be the one to explain, but she probably wouldn’t make any sense to him.

  “Do you remember when I told you about Aunt Addison and how she lives in heaven with Jesus? Well, that’s where your other grandma is. She went to heaven when your mommy was really little, so that’s why she never talks about her.”

  “Oh, maybe she and Aunt Addison are watching TV together in heaven. I wish I could’ve met Aunt Addison. Aunt Lila really misses her. She showed us a picture of all of you in school.”

  “Yeah, buddy. She would have loved to meet you. She and Aunt Lila were best friends. You know, like how your friend, Jay, is your best friend?” I say, choking back tears. Talking about my sister always chokes me up. She sure was one of a kind. She hated Christa and I know she would have already killed her.

  “I wish we could visit them. I think Aunt Addie would like me. Can we go back to her park? You ’member? We went there before. We put flowers there.”

  “Yeah, she would like you. You know she will always watch over you. We can’t go today, but I will take you soon, okay?”

  “Thank you. I’m glad you’re my daddy. You are the best ever.”

  “I’m glad you are my son. I’ll always be here for you, buddy. Anything you need, all you do is ask. Okay?”

  “Okay, I will. I’m hungry.”

  “We’re almost there, and we’ll get breakfast.” I feel tears ready to spill down my damn face.

  AJ is one of a kind. I am one lucky man. His mother doesn’t know what she’s missing. I can’t believe the shit she’s pulling. Thinking about how much she has changed makes me so sick. AJ used to adore her. He rarely asks about her anymore. Hell, he would rather it just be the two of us.