21. Lovers at Peace
854 Words
“Cissy… She’s not you daughter… she’s your niece!”
Summer closed her eyes and nodded slightly.
“My parents didn’t want to allow it. So… I played dirty. I managed to tape an argument between us in which they admitted to know about her whereabouts when she was missing, her wild lifestyle, that they had disowned, that they knew she had placental deviation… she needed the best medical cares out there, and they denied it to her, just to prove their point. She didn’t need to die… Autumn deserved for a chance to live, to see her baby…”
She closed up her eyes and whispered:
“For me, they killed her. They murdered my sister due to their prejudices. And they wanted to do the same to the baby… I couldn’t allow it… and so they cut me off too.”
“They what?”
“It’s okay, I had some savings… and by then, and unlike Autumn, I had access to my trust fund… so they couldn’t really affect me like they affected her.”
“What did you do then?”
“I needed more than a tape to keep my parents at bay… so I went to Caleb.”
“You already knew Caleb Harvell then?”
“Yes. He was friends with the director and he wanted to offer me a job. I didn’t tell him everything, but hinted that I wanted to adopt a newborn. He knew people. When my parents heard, I was legally Cissy’s mother.”
“And her father?”
“Never knew him. I don’t know who he is, or what kind of relationship he had with my sister. Autumn never told me. And now she’s well beyond that.” She added ruefully.
“Now I know what you meant when you said he wasn’t in the picture since he ejaculated…”
“Yeah, well… I don’t know who the guy is, so… and I think if he really was on the picture, he would want to exercise his parental rights… I can’t put Cissy through that!”
“Cissy or you?”
His question surprised her. She looked up to him and insult, rage and denial passed through her features before she jerked his hand away.
“How dare you?” she hissed in an outrage. “I love my daughter, I’m everything she has!”
“I know you are. I know you do. You did everything right for your sister’s daughter… and that makes of you one hell of a woman… but Summer? You’re terrified that someone takes her away from you… even if you legally adopted her.”
“At the time of the adoption, her father was listed as unknown. I wouldn’t put past my parents to search him and poke him to claim Cissy just to spite me.”
“Why would they do that?”
She paused for a moment.
“My parents called. They want me to return home, my mother used my father’s mild heart attack to summon me. But they still don’t want anything to do with Cissy.”
“So…”
“So, screw them. I’m not going to throw away the best thing that ever happened to me due to their… living arrangements…!”
Her words made him stifle a laugh. His arms were around her, her head safely nestled in his chest. His heart was beating wildly but at the same time she found it oddly comforting.
“You are a very brave woman, Sunshine.” He said in a low voice, kissing her temple. Summer lifted her head, her lips slightly apart, her breathing uneven. He caressed them with the tip of his tongue and she lost it. After her emotional catharsis, she wanted to exorcise her demons. She sucked his tongue, mimicking what she ached to do with another part of himself. Immediately, he assumed control. His tongue dived in her mouth, caressing, exploring, demanding. Need was raising within her, and she grinded her pelvis against his. There was a hunger, a thirst that only he could quench. His hand was already inside her pants when Cissy’s soft voice echoed:
“Mommy?”
Startled, they broke the kiss apart, with Aidan adjusting himself with a grimace of pain. Out of breath, Summer cleared her throat before asking:
“Yes, honey?”
“My tummy hurts.”
Summer got up and went to her daughter, speaking so softly that Aidan could hardly hear. He saw her pick Cissy up, cooing softly while taking her to the bedroom. It took her a while to rejoin him in the couch, and when she did, she had a frown.
“What’s up?”
“I think she heard something.”
“Why do you say that?”
“She seemed… unsure… she wanted to know if I would love her no matter what…”
“Sunshine, you’re her mother. It has always been the two of you. Now I’m in the picture. She’s just a child who wants her mother, who needs her mother. It’s normal. She just needs to know that you’re still her mother, no matter what.”
She raised her lips to his and whispered:
“When did you get so wise?”
“Five minutes ago.”
He felt more than saw her smile. He picked her up bridal style and took her to the room. He wanted her. He needed her. And she needed him, he could feel it. She was one hell of a woman, and he was proud of her. So, when he tenderly laid her down, he decided that night was hers. When his body covered hers, he worshipped her with everything he had.
He was falling for her. Hard.
- Writer
