Touched Read online

  Stopping midway on taking my second bite I look up at her. “No, it’s not that, it’s just… Well, I can’t get enough of Jade. I thought I was a horn dog before but this does not compare and knowing she’s carrying my baby is making her ten times more attractive. I just can’t stop myself. I think I about did her in yesterday.”

  She breaks out in laughter and quickly covers her mouth with her hand. When she finally regains herself she gives me a serious look. “Jade doesn’t look the type to just do something she doesn’t want to. I’m sure the feeling is mutual, well except you’re not expecting, ha!” I give her a questioning look and she reverses. “What I mean is, she loves you and wants you just as badly. To think you all fell in love as children and then to find each other again. That’s just…” She looks up like she’s dreaming. “Romantic,” she signs.

  We both startle when the door flies open and then slams shut. “It’s fucking hot is what that is,” Amber yells as she walks over to us and then plops down on the stool beside me. Her head moves from me to Tabbie then back to me. “What? It is!” Tabbie starts laughing and I just stare at both of them incredulously. Women!

  “Ok, I hate to cut this short as I’m certain both of you would love to gossip about me and Jade’s sex life some more but I want to get back to her.”

  “To have more sex,” Amber says matter of fact.

  “Ahem. To make sure she’s ok. I don’t like to be away from her for long,” I replied but the looks on their faces are killing me.

  They give me puppy dog looks and here come the ‘Awwww’s’. They are definitely best friends now, no doubt.

  I shift in my seat uncomfortably. “Ok. Well. Here’s what I’d like to do and if you have any ideas or suggestions I’m all ears but know I have the final say on everything.” They both nod, giving me smirks, but I know they’ll do it my way, well, I hope they will. There could quite possibly be some arguments in my near future. Tabbie is all official as she gets out a tablet and a pen, taking notes as I speak and every once in a while one of them would interject with an idea or thought but most of the time they actually loved my plan. I was kind of shocked actually. But the few suggestions they had were really great. I made the call I needed to make as well, and that went rather smoothly too. Maybe my luck is changing and things will be normal for once in our lives. We could sure use some normal.

  A couple of hours later I’m heading home to my sweet girl, the excitement growing in seeing her but also all that I’d accomplished. She’s going to be so surprised when the house is all done. When I walk in the front door, I head to the kitchen but no Jade, so I walk down the hall, and as I am passing by her room, I stop and see her laptop is on, but she’s asleep in her chair. Creeping into the room I stand before her and just look at her. She looks even younger while sleeping, her hair is fanned out all around her, and she has the most adorable pout on her lips. The notepad she has everything written on of what we want for the house is laying on her stomach with one of her hands covering it. Instead of moving her and possibly waking her up in the process, I decide to go into the bedroom, grab a blanket and cover her. She doesn’t stir but let’s out the cutest sigh. Heading back into the bedroom I change into my workout clothes and go to our gym. After the stairs at Tabbies apartment, I’m in need of some major working out. I called Phillip on the way home to ensure I wouldn’t be hurting myself, and he just told me to take it easy. So when I get to our gym, I turn on the treadmill and walk. Guess that will start me out slow until I get all my strength back. After walking for a half an hour, I’m sweaty and worn out. Yeah, totally out of shape. I walk to our bedroom and straight into the bathroom, turning the knobs in the shower and strip. I step in and close the door and move under the hot spray, the water feeling so great on my sore and aching muscles. So lost in the feeling, I startle a little when I feel hands wrapping around my waist. I turn my head to see Jade smiling up at me and turn in her arms quickly. She leans up, pressing her mouth against mine and my feelings change in a heartbeat to pure love and longing. A loud guttural moan escapes me when she grasps my hard cock in her hand and begins stroking, but I can’t take it for long and push her up against the tiles, lifting her up and her legs clasp around my waist. Our kissing becomes heated fast and hard as I push into her quickly, the next moan coming from her, muffled by my mouth. We both start breathing heavy, my balls becoming hot and my dick starts to clench up tight in anticipation as my pending release nears and I feel her muscles tighten when we hear a voice, our hearts beating fast with our adrenaline as well as the fear of being caught.

  “Pardon, Knox but there’s a woman in the entryway to see Miss Jade.” Ralph’s voice is unmistakable from out in the bedroom, and I can barely hear his footsteps fade with the water echoing around us and the sounds of our panting.

  I look back at Jade to see her eyes wide, brows raise high and the look of shock on her face. “Does he do that often?”

  My body shakes with laughter as I look at my beautiful yet a bit frightened girl. “He’s not used to having a woman in the house. At least he didn’t just walk into the bathroom like he would have before when it was only me.” Her eyes blink rapidly and then she sighs.

  “Well, I guess we’d better get used to interruptions. When the baby comes I’m sure we’ll be interrupted quite often.” She hisses as I pull out of her and the feeling of emptiness flows through me. She opens the shower door and turns her head back to me over her shoulder. “We’d also better get a lot of ‘us’ time in before the baby comes too.” I stand there, my cock still very hard and erect and watch her cute ass sway out the door. Yeah, we most definitely need to get in a ton of ‘us’ time.

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  I quickly get dressed, throwing on some yoga pants and one of Knox’s t-shirts. It swallows me, but it has his smell and is so comfortable. When I get near the end of the hall, my mom comes into view. I stop short, holding my breath, and when she looks over at me, and I see the tears in her eyes, mine well up too. I run the rest of the way and about knock her over as I barrel into her, our arms hugging each other and both of us crying into each other’s shoulders. “Mom! What are you doing here? How?” My voice is muffled by her shoulder and her crying. It seems our weeping will never stop, but finally, I move from her arms but keep ahold of her hands. “How did you know where I am?”

  She pushes some hair away from my face and smiles. “Knox called me.”

  My head whips around to find him leaning against the adjacent wall. I run over to him, throwing my arms around his waist as my head lays against his chest. “Thank you,” is all I can manage to get out through my tears. When his arms come around me the feelings I have are all over the place. Love, caring, tenderness, joy; so many hitting me that I’m completely overwhelmed.

  He finally pushes me back and looks into my eyes, his full of love, and I’m lost in him again. “Angel, go spend time with your mother. I’m going to work for a bit and will meet you all in the kitchen for lunch. Go show her your special room and catch up.” His smile makes my heart swell. I can only nod and turn away from him only to turn back and kiss him quickly. I run back over to my mom, our arms going around each other, and I lead her down the hall but look back to see Knox watching us, and give him a smile, then turn back to my mom.

  “He seems like he’s turned into a loving man, Jade. Why does his name sound so familiar to me and this is the penthouse, right? Must be doing quite well for himself.” We are sitting in my room, in my comfortable chairs and Mom started right into our conversation.

  “Oh, Mom. He is the best person I’ve ever met. He’s so loving and treats me like a queen. He owns a design company that is top in the field. I can’t believe how smart he is, a great head for business and designs as well. Mom, who would have thought that sweet little boy would turn out to be one of the wealthiest and most successful men?”

  “Oh, my! That’s wonderful, dear. How proud his parents must be.” Her smile is sweet but there’s so much she doesn’t know.
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br />   I get up and walk to my desk retrieving the pictures laying there and take them to her. “Mom, I was unpacking boxes and found these. Look at the ones from the playground.” She takes them, and her smile broadens. “He doesn’t have any parents.” She looks up at me and a frown quickly replaces her smile. “His stepmother just passed away and she was the most cruel and vile person to him. His dad committed suicide years ago.”

  “Oh, the poor boy. It’s a wonder he’s turned out so well with such a sad life growing up.” She lays the pictures in her lap and looks down. “We’ve always loved you and I hope treated you well but it’s in excusable that we didn’t support you with what you went through.” She looks up at me with tears in her eyes. “I’m so very sorry, Jade. I’m just as horrible as his stepmother.”

  “Mom…” We turn our heads when Ralph walks in with a tray of drinks and snack foods. “Please excuse the interruption but Knox thought you ladies might like some refreshments.” I smile and nod at him as he walks across the room and places the tray on my desk. “Is there anything else I can get you?”

  “Thank you, Ralph. We’re good.” I give him a small smile as I watch him leave. Then I turn back to my mom. “Mom, you don’t have to…”

  She sits up straighter in her chair. “Oh, yes I do. I have no reason to have let your dad do that to you. I’m just as at fault as he was for allowing it. I’ve always followed him, done anything and everything he asked and most of the time he’s made good decisions, the right choices but not that time.” She turns in her seat and frowns at me. “I don’t know what got into him, embarrassment maybe, I’m not sure but whatever it was it wasn’t right. No one should treat someone they love like that. No one. When I think of what you went through, all alone…”

  I rise from my chair and squat down in front of her. “Mom, let’s put this behind us please. I have.” I take her hands in mine and give her a concerned look. “Now, tell me about Dad. What’s happening?”

  “They’re getting ready to transfer him from the hospital to a rehabilitation nursing home. From the blackout and the dementia he needs physical therapy to be able to walk again and he just isn’t the same. He keeps thinking you’re still a young child and that we are back in Philadelphia.” She wipes some tears from her eyes, and I grab a tissue, handing it to her. “It’s just so sad. He’s not in the present much at all. It breaks my heart.”

  “Mom, where are you staying? Do you want me to come to Colorado with you? I do want to see him. I… I need to see him before… Do they have an idea of when or if…?” I can’t even finish my sentences. All I can think about is my dad needs me, and he may not even remember me or anything that happened that caused him to shun me away.

  She looks at me with such sadness. “I’m staying at the Hilton down the street and yes, I’m planning on returning tomorrow evening. I can order you a ticket too if you really want to come.” I pat her hand and smile.

  “Of course I want to come, Mom. I need to see him. I need to try and make peace before… I’ll let Knox know and he may even want to come so don’t order the ticket yet, ok?” She nods and smiles.

  We spend the rest of the afternoon reminiscing of better times. We had lunch with Knox and spoke about leaving tomorrow night, but he insisted on cancelling her ticket and taking his jet. The feeling of dread at seeing my dad after all these years starts weighing heavily on me, but I must be strong for my mom and hope that dad will forgive me before something happens to him. I can only pray that he will.

  Knox left a little bit ago to go to the site of our castle and make some arrangements before we leave tomorrow. I walk Mom to the front door and say goodbye until we leave tomorrow. After hugging and kissing goodbye, I decide I’d better do a little laundry and begin packing a bag for the trip. I’ve got most of it packed except those things in the dryer when I hear the doorbell ring. Ralph had told me he was running to the grocery store, and I know I shouldn’t answer it without him or Emerson here but whoever it is keeps ringing it over and over, and it’s beginning to piss me off. Finally, I decide to go see who it is and when I look through the peephole, I see a beautiful woman. I figure she can’t possibly do me any harm, so I open the door.

  “Yes, may I help you? Knox…” She interrupts me immediately.

  “I would like to speak to Knox. Now.” My mouth drops open when I scan down her body to find she is very pregnant. What the hell?

  “He’s not here right now.” My arms cross over my front pushing up my girls a bit higher and my stance changes to defense mode. “I’m his fiancée, what can I help you with?”

  Her brows raise but then lower quickly and her entire body language changes to bitchiness. “Tell him Maria stopped by and I need to speak with him about his baby,” she snarls.

  My hand moves to my hip and my inner bitch just appeared. “Prove it. You got DNA results?” Her face changes for a split second to worry but then back to her attitude. “I thought not. Tell ya what, get those and then maybe he’ll talk to you. Don’t get them, then leave us the fuck alone. Got it?”

  “Yeah, well get this. Knox is the daddy and here’s proof.” She pulls out a sonogram picture, and it shows Knox’s name and the baby’s name of Trevor Dunway on it, plain as day. My brows burrow and my heart begins racing. My stomach is doing flips, and I feel nauseous. Then my dander rises again.

  “Anyone can put a name on a sonogram, bitch. Doesn’t prove anything.”

  She pulls out a piece of paper from her purse, shoving it in my face. “Fuck you, whore. Here’s your proof,” she growls. Grabbing the paper, I scan it quickly, tears forming in my eyes blurring the words and my heart just dropped. The paper is signed by Knox confirming this is his child with a Maria Torrent as the mother. As the paper drops from my hand and onto the floor, she picks it up laughing. Standing again, she looks up and down my body until her eyes stare daggers into mine. “Yeah. Tell him I stopped by and to call me. You’re nothing more than one of his many whores. Not even good enough for him, are you? Me? I’ll be living the life soon with him and his son. Get your shit outta his house, whore, cos I’m gonna be moving in.” She turns and walks to the elevator, the doors opening immediately. After walking into it, she turns and a smug smile of satisfaction is on her face.

  I’m shaking. I’m so pissed and so hurt, but I manage to get to the bedroom, pack the rest of my things and close up the bag. Forget the things in the dryer. I grab the bag, call a cab and head down to the main floor of the building. The cab was quick, thank God, and I tell him to take me to the hotel Moms at. I pay for a room and then once I find out her room number, I quickly drop my bag off in my room and then walk to hers. Thank goodness it’s only a couple of doors away from mine. Tears are streaming down my face when she answers the door and all I can do is fall into her arms.

  “Jade. Honey. What’s wrong? What is it?” She leads me inside and I sit on the edge of a bed, still crying as she hands me tissues.

  I look up at her, my chin quivering and I’m still shaking. “Oh, Mom. A woman showed up at Knox’s door claiming to be having his child. He was such a womanizer before we found each other again and she showed me a paper he signed confirming the baby is his. I’m just… I’m just so… Why can’t anything go right in my life? I’d finally found peace and love and now this.”

  She sits down beside me, her arm wrapping around my shoulder, and I lay my head against her arm. “Oh, my! I don’t know what to say. What are you going to do? Jade, you should really talk to him. I’m sure there’s a logical explanation.”

  I begin to cry harder but when I start to calm down my dander rises. “I’m going to call the airlines and get two tickets on an early flight, without him. Then I’m going to head over to my bank and withdraw all my money.” I sit up and turn to her. “Then, I’m coming home.”

  And I did just that. After getting our tickets for tomorrows flight set up, I called a cab and withdrew all my money. Knox began calling and texting my phone every couple of minutes, so I had to turn it off. T
hank God he doesn’t know where Mom is staying. I can’t talk to him. I don’t want to hear all the excuses, all the lies he’ll tell me. That evening I lay in my bed at the hotel and wrote a letter to Tabbie and Amber, explaining what happened, and that I’d be in contact. After placing them in envelopes and addressing them, I place them on the nightstand intending on giving them to the front desk in the morning to mail for me. Our flight is at eight o’clock in the morning, so I lay down on the bed in hopes that sleep will take me but all I can think about is Knox and how broken my heart feels and how messed up my life is.

  Mom and I leave early in the morning taking a cab to the airport. The flight takes off on time but there are reports of bad weather in Colorado. There is torrential rain and gusting winds, and I pray we are able to land. After the five hour flight and having to circle the landing strip twice, we finally touched down and another hour later got our bags and found Moms car, heading home. I haven’t been back in seven years but after pulling through the front gate and into the circle drive, it feels as if I had never ever left.

  When I get my bag upstairs to my old room, I look around and see that nothing’s been changed, nothing has been moved. I sit down on my old bed while the memories rush through my mind. I’m exhausted and emotionally spent so I curl up into a ball, throwing the covers over me and close my eyes.

  “I don’t give a shit, Teresa! I wanna see my Angel! Get her or I’ll go looking for her!”

  My eyes open with sudden dread when I hear Knox screaming downstairs. It’s darker now, but it was not real light earlier due to the rain. I look over at the alarm clock. Five o’clock. Wow, I slept for a long time. Rising quickly, I walk out of my room and to the top of the stairs. His eyes snap to mine, and he starts to move but I head down the stairs and begin to walk passed him. He grabs my arm, halting me abruptly. My head turns to him, his eyes full of concern and confusion but mine are wide with anger. “Let me go,” I snarl.