Forgiven (Touched Series #2) Read online

  “I’m fine. Really. It’s just, Ricco’s still out there. Not knowing when he’ll show up or what he’ll do and then the dinner tonight. It’s just got me all messed up right now. But I’ll be fine.” She gives me a cheery smile but one that doesn’t reach her eyes. She’s hiding something. I can feel it. But it won’t do me any good to press her right now.

  Later, everything seems to be running smoothly. I haven’t seen much of Stormy as she is running back and forth from the kitchen to the hostess desk and then talking with people at different tables. I’m walking around proudly without my cane and keeping an eye on things when I feel a soft hand clasp mine and look down to see my girl smiling up at me. “This is my boyfriend, Bo Dunway. Bo this is Mr. Garver, the president of the restaurant food critics here in town.”

  The man stands from the table and reaches out his hand. “Ah, Mr. Dunway. A pleasure to meet you. I’ve known you’re father for several years.” He releases his grip and looks at Stormy, smiling. “You have a wonderful girlfriend here. I have to say, it’s the best food I’ve tasted in a long time and her unique recipes are most delicious.” Stormy smiles back at him and then me.

  “Well, Mr. Garver. It’s a pleasure to meet you as well. You don’t have to tell me how great her cooking is. Why do you think I have to work out so much?” He laughs as I pat my stomach with my free hand and Stormy lets out her cute giggle.

  “Yes, I can certainly understand that,” he responds, still laughing. “Well, I must get back to this wonderful food. A pleasure.” He reaches out for my hand again, shaking it quickly and I watch as he tips his head at Stormy and returns to his seat.

  “Well, things are certainly going well.” I look at Stormy to see she is blushing profusely, but her smile has finally lightened her gorgeous green eyes, and I’m relieved.

  “Stormy, I need you at the hostess desk, please,” Pearl’s voice shrills over the crowd in the room and Stormy turns her head and nods.

  I lean down and kiss her quickly on the lips, and she smiles again as she turns and walks towards the front of the restaurant. Now, what can I do with myself? I’m feeling a little out of place walking around when I hear Pearl call my name from across the room. My head snaps to her, and the look on her face tells me something’s wrong. I walk as quickly as I can with my slight limp to the front entrance, but Pearl points down the hall to the bathroom. I veer off and head that way. I don’t even check to see if anyone is inside the woman’s restroom when I push through the door and look around. There sitting on the floor, her back up against the wall, is Stormy with her head down in between her legs. It only takes me two steps to reach her. I crouch down, my hand laying on the top of her head causing her to look up quickly. I sit down hard when she throws herself into my arms, her soft crying is muffled into my chest, and we sit there as I try to soothe her and find out what happened.

  I look down as I raise her head with my hand under her chin. “Stormy. What is it? What happened? Help me out here.” She sniffs and wipes her eyes quickly but her chin keeps quivering.

  “Flowers. They were delivered at the front but Emerson intercepted them. He looked at the card and took them out front. Bo. They were from a man who says he’s my father?” What?

  “How can that be? How do you know? Are you sure?” My eyes search her watery ones as my heart beats hard against my chest. She raises her hand, unclenching her fist and there is a wadded up note. I take it from her and sit down on the floor next to her, her head leaning against my shoulder, her eyes closed, and I straighten it out, smoothing it against my leg.

  Congratulations on your fine establishment. I look forward to eating here again.

  Best wishes and much success!

  Your father,

  James Lewis

  Owner of The Daily News

  I look over at her and her eyes are open now, but she has such a confused and worried look on her face. She sits up, her head against the wall and looks up at the ceiling. “Mom once told me my Dad’s name is James. She said she never told him about being pregnant because they were young and he had told her he never wanted kids. I never asked anymore about that, figuring he didn’t deserve to have a kid if he felt that way.” Her eyes travel over to mine, and she lets out a big sigh. “Oh, my God! He was here!”

  “But why would he show up now? Did Emerson think the flowers were from Ricco again, another bomb scare?” She only nods. I look across the room, my mind moving a million miles an hour, and then I look back down at the note. “He was here tonight? Why didn’t he just come up to you and talk, introduce himself or maybe he thought it wasn’t the right time?”

  She sits up and turns her body to me, crossing her legs and seems more relaxed. “That’s just it. I don’t know. But it would make sense. I just wonder since he obviously knows who I am why hasn’t he tried to get ahold of me before? Why would he wait until now?” She looks down at her hands in her lap and sighs again. “I’m just so confused. It all doesn’t make sense.”

  I reach over and bring her face up with my fingers under her chin, again and smile. “Maybe he’s trying to now and doesn’t know the best way to go about it. Maybe he’s just as confused as you are and wants to know you but doesn’t know the right way to do it.” She smiles sadly and lets out a little laugh.

  “Mom said I was like him. Your theory would make sense if that’s true.” She pushes against the wall, stands up and walks over to the sink, turning on the facet and splashing some water on her face. Reaching over, she takes a paper towel and dabs over her face with it then looks in the mirror, runs her fingers through her long hair and turns around. “Well, I’m not going to let this get in the way of our night. Everything’s going too well and I’m not going to let anything get in the way. We only have an hour left and more people were coming in when the flowers were delivered. I’ve been in here long enough. How do I look?”

  Standing, I walk right over to her, press my mouth against hers and then lean back smiling. “You look gorgeous. I’m so proud of you.” Her smile is genuine and lights up her face as she nods and we walk out of the bathroom hand in hand.

  ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

  The evening was such a success. I had three food critics come up to me, congratulating me on a job well done and telling me they can’t wait until we open in a couple of weeks. The flowers from the mysterious man, claiming to be my father, are sitting on our entry hall table in our apartment and the note is in my nightstand. I’ve been trying not to take it out every five minutes to reread it over and over, but I can’t stop myself. The owner of a newspaper. Well, at least now I know two more things about him. What he does for a living and that his name is James Lewis.

  I’m in the kitchen making pancakes when Bo walks over to me, kisses me on the cheek and then walks over and sits at the table. Smiling, I turn around to see him opening a newspaper, spreading it on the table and then looking at me, smiling and giving me a wink. “What?” He crooks his finger at me, still smiling, so I turn around, turn off the burner, moving the skillet to the other burner and tilt my head in confusion as I walk over to him. He pulls out the chair next to him, sliding it over to close to his side and pats the seat. “Okay, now what’s this…?” I stop when I look down at what he’s circled with black magic marker, my eyes widening and nervousness creeps into my body.

  Best new restaurant in town!

  By James Lewis

  Owner and Food Critic

  Want a delightful meal that’s not only affordable but is unique in taste? You’ll find such meals at the new restaurant ‘Reece’s Restaurant’, opening in just two weeks. I attended this fine establishment last night for a ‘sneak peek’. Not only was the cuisine divine but the unique recipes were not only tasty but different from any other place I have ever eaten. The prices are quite affordable, the staff friendly, the place very clean and decorated to suit the restaurant that had stood in its place seve
ral years ago, run by the owner’s mother, Celia Reece. I recommend this new restaurant and suggest you visit it often and as soon as it opens. Stormy Reece has a gold mine here and one you will not want to miss out on.

  My hands fly to cover my mouth as my heart beats wildly. I look over at Bo whose smile brightens up his face. “Well? I can’t tell if you’re pleased or just in shock,” he winks and leans over giving me a quick kiss as I remove my hands.

  “I… I don’t know what to think. I’ve been trying to rack my brain all night thinking about all the people there last night and I just don’t remember seeing anyone who could be him. Mom always told me I looked just like him but I can’t place seeing anyone like that there.” He takes my hands in his and looks down at them, rubbing his thumb over the top of my good hand and then looks back up.

  “Well, maybe this is his way of letting you know that he knows about you and wants to meet you. Maybe he’s as scared and nervous as you are and thought this would help open the door, so to speak.” My brows lower as I contemplate this. “Question is, are you willing to meet him if he approaches you? Are you willing to let him in that door?”

  I stop and think. Am I? I mean from what Mom told me, he’s never known about me. What if she was wrong? What if she would have told him and he wanted me? But how does he know about me now? I’m so confused and don’t know whether to be happy, excited, sad or angry. My head snaps to Bo when I feel a tap on my bare leg and notice he’s been patiently waiting on me to say something. “Well, I’m not sure. My head’s all mixed up.” He kisses me again, stands and walks over to the stove, gathering up all the pancakes onto a plate and then brings it over then goes back to get the syrup, bacon and orange juice and returns to his seat.

  “A man could starve waiting on you, woman,” he laughs. Giving him my best smirk, I punch him on his shoulder and get up to get plates and silverware. “I’m sure you’re all confused about all of this. Hell, I don’t blame you. But it’s kind of cool, after all this time, for him to want to try, ya know?” He shrugs his shoulders and after setting down his plate and handing him a fork, he dives into his food, closing his eyes and humming. I put my elbow on the table, my chin in my hand and just watch him. Maybe he’s right. It does take a lot of guts to try to come into my life and maybe he’s got his reasons for not doing it before. Or maybe he’s after something. Now, I’m even more confused and don’t know what to think.

  We both do our own things the rest of the day and into the evening. Him in his office and working out while I’m in the restaurant working with the staff. I’ve taste tested so many things I feel like I could explode. Emerson is keeping watch at the front door, as usual, but I still don’t feel completely safe. Again, we haven’t heard anything from Ricco and that normally means he’s up to something.

  The next few days are uneventful but in a good way. Nothing still from Ricco and the restaurant is coming along nicely. Everyone’s been great coming by and letting us try out new recipes on them and they are all getting rave reviews from my family. I’m exhausted and I took another pregnancy test, just to make sure, and it still came out positive. I should really tell Bo but with everything going on, I just haven’t had time to think. After a nice hot bath, spraying myself with my favorite spritz, brushing out my long hair and getting my teeth clean I climb into bed, next to my sleeping man and cuddle up close to him, falling into a deep sleep.

  “Mmmmm,” I moan. My eyes open to dim light and Bo in between my legs and doing the most marvelous things with his mouth and tongue. My head tilts back into my pillow, my hands fisting the sheets as his tongue delves deep inside me while his thumb rubs the place that’s making my body burn in desire. “Ungh!” I squirm underneath him as my inner muscles begin to clench but everything stops when he does and I open my eyes just in time to see his thick cock move up and then pushes into me quickly. “Bo!” I yell as he pulls out to the very tip and then back into me with a force. As he continues my hips meet him every time and beads of sweat start to form on my body along with the heat that develops from inside me. “I can’t….”

  “You can, Peaches,” his voice whispers in my ear. My mouth finds his and our tongues dance to the beat of his thrusts. His moan enters my mouth as he starts moving faster, my hands move around his shoulders, and my nails start digging into his flesh. Finally, we both release, one shortly after the other, and soon he’s lying beside me, his arm thrown over my waist, and we lay there trying to catch our breaths. “God, I’ve missed you. I’ve missed this.”

  I turn my head and look into his eyes. He’s on his stomach, his face turned my way and his baby blues are sparkling in his after-climax bliss. “I’ve missed you, too. I’m sorry I’ve been so preoccupied lately. I don’t like that it takes me away from you so much.” My lower lip jets out as I pout and he leans over and nips it with his teeth.

  “Hey, we’re young and have all the time in the world with each other. Things will die down in a while and we’ll find more time for each other. It takes a lot of work getting things up and running. Don’t worry.” He turns over, pulling his sleep pants back on and gets under the covers. I nod, lean to him and kiss his luscious lips and then slide out of bed, feeling the coolness without his arm around me and head into the bathroom. After taking a much needed potty break, I run my fingers through my hair and look at myself in the mirror. My face is glowing in light pink and I definitely look like I’ve just had the fuck of my life. Quickly, I splash some cool water on my face and grab the hand towel, dabbing my face. Smiling at myself I turn off the light, open the door and stop dead at what I see.

  Bo is still lying in bed but there is smoke everywhere. It’s not too thick but enough to make me cough. I wonder why the alarms didn’t go off. I walk closer to the bed and gasp when I see blood running down the right side of his face. “BO!” I scream and start to run but am captured by strong arms and thrown across the room, hitting the wall across from the bed. “Oh!” Landing on the floor with a ‘thump’ I raise my head when a fist hits my face, and I’m knocked back down, closing my eyes as pain sweeps through me. I groan as I begin to choke and cough and open my eyes to see the smoke has gotten thicker. I start to get up, my body struggling with the pain, but suddenly a hand moves around my throat, cutting off my air supply, and pushes me against the wall.

  “It’s time, whore. You haven’t gotten me the money and I’m sick of you fucking with me. I’m done.” My eyes widen, the smoke stinging them, when I feel something hard press against my stomach. I look down to find the source and see he’s pressing a gun against me. I raise my eyes to him quickly as I struggle to get free, my hands pushing on his hand around my throat but with my cast on I can hardly put any pressure on it. “I’m done wasting my precious time on you. You’re not good enough to walk this earth anymore, trying to make something out of yourself when you still owe me so much. YOU OWE ME!” His spit hitting my face as he screams. My mind is trying to come up with a way out, but it’s so hard to think as I try to get air into my lungs, and at the same time the smoke is making it worse. Finally, my reflexes take over and my knee bolts up, hitting him near his nuts and his hand pushes on my neck harder. “God dammit, bitch! You won’t win. This will be over quickly if you’ll cooperate. Consider it me doing you one last favor,” he snarls. The gun is suddenly gone, but then I see dots when his fist hits my stomach so hard that I almost pass out. My body drops to the floor when he releases me, and I’m on all fours choking, coughing and spitting while I take in the smoked filled air.

  Still gasping for air, I look up and see him standing before me, his gun pointed at my face, then everything happens so fast. My eyes snap up to see Bo lunge at the gun, grabbing it as Ricco’s head turns quickly. He pushes Bo away, but Bo holds on and grabs around Ricco’s wrist with his other hand taking them both down to the floor. I move back against the wall. My body is shaking in fear and pain as I watch them struggle for the gun. I scream when Ricco finally gets
the gun from Bo’s grasp and hits him on his forehead with it. The adrenaline shoots through me with anger, and I rise, holding onto the wall and grab the first thing I can reach. I take the few steps needed and hold the object over my head bringing it down on Ricco’s upper back, which knocks him down to the ground. The gun flies out of his hand, landing on the floor right by my feet. I pick it up quickly, holding it with my good hand. My index finger on my casted arm around the trigger and aim it directly at Ricco.

  He turns over, gasping and coughing, looks right at me and starts to laugh. “Ha, ha, ha. You can’t pull that trigger. You can’t help your lover now.” I look at Bo, whose body is still and then back at Ricco. “Give me the gun. Maybe I’ll let you live,” he sneers. He tries to get up, but I pull back on the piece at the top, making a clicking noise, and he stops still.

  “He’s the man I intend on marrying and I’m done with you, you sick motherfucker.” Closing my eyes, I pull on the trigger and fall back onto the floor, dropping the gun, when it shoots. The wind is knocked out of me, but I struggle to sit up, my eyes full of water as the smoke burns them. I rub them finally able to see Ricco’s lifeless eyes staring at me, blood seeping through the front of his shirt. I lean over to my side and start vomiting, my arm around my waist and the pain stabbing me in my stomach where he punched me. A loud crash echoes in the room and I feel someone leaning over me, but I can’t turn my head as I continue to get sick.

  “Stormy. Stormy, it’s Emerson. I’ve got to get you outta here, girl.” I shake my head wildly and when I can’t throw up anymore, I turn my head as I continue to choke on the smoke, my eyes squinting at him and cry out.