Brutal Discoveries (19 page)

Eighteen months later

“Trent, can you take these cupcakes to the ladies at the window table?” I asked, as I continued making the eight to-go coffees that had just been called in.

“Sure can,” he replied.

As I sprinkled the chocolate on the foam, I caught sight of my wedding band, sitting against my engagement ring, and I smiled, like I always did when I looked at them.  Aden and I decided not to have a long engagement, so we had married eight months ago in a small ceremony in my parents’ garden.  Will was Aden’s best man, and Ella was my bridesmaid.  After Will standing her up on the night of our double date, he explained he had stopped to help at a fatal car collision, and she had forgiven him.  They had dated for a few months and then one day just decided
not
to be together.  I hoped they ended up together because I was certain Ella still had a thing for him, though she resolutely denied it.

Aden and I had honeymooned in idyllic Tahiti, and it was there, during our two-week-sexathon, that we conceived the baby who was currently booting me in the ribs.  A boy, the doctor had told us.  Paying homage to both our fathers, Aden and I had chosen the name Thomas Anthony West for our little boy.  Every night since I found out I was pregnant, I’ve dreamed of a boy with dark hair and soulful indigo eyes.  I couldn’t wait for him to be born, to hold him in my arms, and shower him with so much love he won’t ever doubt the depth of our feelings for him.

“You should go sit for a minute,” Carrie said, concern lacing her every word.  “I’ve got these.”

With my feet and back aching, I decided I could use a ten-minute rest, so I waddled out to my office and sat in my chair, propping my feet up on the footstool Aden had insisted on buying when I came home from the bakery one day with swollen ankles.  He had wanted me to take maternity leave right then and there, but I had argued I wanted to work up until the baby was born.  He had relented once I agreed that I would rest as much as possible.  My eyes caught the envelope on my desk and I picked it up and studied it, making sure I had written the address correctly, before tapping it on the desk and letting my mind wander.

I hadn’t been back to visit Damon since he had read me the last entry in his journal, confirming irrefutably that he was my birth father.  I wasn’t sure if I would ever be ready to see him again, but that didn’t mean I had deserted him completely.  I hadn’t.  Shortly after Mom and I had opened the box that Christmas Eve, I had sent Damon a letter, thanking him for the pictures and the bracelets.  He had replied, a short and sweet letter, telling me he was glad I had received them and that he wished me well.  When Aden and I got married, I sent him a picture, and when we found out we were expecting a baby, I sent him a grainy black and white ultrasound image.  Aden told me Damon had both photos displayed proudly in his cell beside his bed.  Inside the latest letter I was sending him, was a picture of a large frame I’d had made.  Behind the glass was the contents of the box Damon had kept in storage for me all those years, including the dainty gold bracelet.  It hung in the family room of the house we had purchased shortly after we married, after selling his loft and my townhouse.  That frame was a reminder of a time in my life I couldn’t remember, yet knew I had experienced.  The baby kicked again, making me wince and rub my tight stomach.  The next picture I sent to Damon would be one of my baby boy.  That thought made me smile because I couldn’t wait to meet my little man.

***

I was finishing up the payroll when Sammi knocked on my office door and poked her head through.  “We’re all heading out now, Scar.  Everything’s done, so rest up.”

“Thanks, Sammi.”

“You need anything, let me know.  Aden will be here soon, right?”

I nodded.  “He won’t be too far away.”

“Okay, see you tomorrow.”

I waved her off and then got back to paying my employees.  It wasn’t long after I had finished that Aden arrived fresh from his shift at the prison.  He stopped at the door and let his gaze travel over me, taking in the pale yellow top and mint green apron that covered my protruding stomach, my black maternity pants and black sneakers.  His indigo eyes blazed as he stalked toward me.

“Hey, sweetheart,” he murmured, his lips brushing mine.

“Hey, hubby.”  I kissed him, deepening the kiss until I was panting.  My cheeks were flushed, my breasts were achy and since becoming pregnant, I was more turned on than I had been in my life.  I needed him so badly, I whimpered.

“Stand up,” he commanded. 

“Okay,” I replied, as I stood.

“We’re going to get adventurous,” he informed me with a sinful wink.  “Sit your ass on the edge of the desk, baby.”

I did as he said and let him remove my shoes before he peeled my pants and panties down my legs.  He tossed them to the side and instructed me to lie back.  Wearing just my apron, work shirt, and bra, my bottom half completely exposed, I did as he said.  He pushed my apron up over my stomach.

“So fucking beautiful,” he muttered reverently as his eyes roamed over my sex.

“Aden,” I whispered urgently, my clit throbbing with need.

“Patience, baby.”  I felt his breath skate over my aroused flesh, teasing me, taunting me, and I lifted my hips to convey what I desperately wanted… what I desperately
needed
.

“Please, honey,” I whimpered.

The instant I felt his tongue connect with my pussy, I moaned, deep and throatily.  My hands went to his head, feeling the prickly stubble of his buzz cut against my palms.  My legs opened as wide as possible, giving him all the access he needed. 

“Aden,” I moaned.  “Honey.”  His tongue swirled around my swollen clit, flicking the tender nub, driving me crazy.

“Never tasted anything as sweet as your cunt, baby,” Aden groaned before spearing his tongue inside me.  I arched up and cried out his name as my orgasm blasted through my body bringing with it waves of shudders that shook me to my core in the most delightful way possible.

“Been wanting to do that since the first moment I laid eyes on you, baby,” Aden growled as he rose up between my legs and fisted his throbbing cock, his eyes on my pussy, his lips glistening with my arousal.

“Aden,” I whined, my body clenching.

He positioned himself between my legs and I felt the blunt head of his dick press against my tender aching flesh.  His hands went to my stomach and he held me there tenderly before his eyes found mine.

“You okay?” he asked, his gentle tone at odds with the hunger in his eyes.

“I need you,” I whispered hoarsely.  “Take me. 
Please
,” I begged.

“Wanna see your tits, baby.  Get them out,” he commanded huskily and I quickly tugged the apron and my shirt up over my breasts to expose my beige maternity bra.  I popped the clips at the front and pulled the fabric open so I bared myself to him completely.  “They’re getting so big,” he said, reverence in his voice.  My nipples puckered and I raised my hips, silently begging him to take me.

He shifted forward, and then inch by heavenly inch, he submerged his cock in my warmth, stretching me, filling me in a way I knew I would never tire of.  A guttural moan escaped my mouth as my eyes closed and the sheer blissful feeling of being entirely
complete
overcame me.  When he was fully seated inside me, he paused for a moment to take a breath, then he withdrew right to the tip, before sliding back inside in the most delicious, torturous fashion.  Each pull and push of his cock grazed the tender nerves inside me and had my body pulsing in delight.

“Honey,” I breathed, feeling the fire inside me nearing eruption.

“Feels so good, Scarlett.  Never had a better pussy than yours.  You fit me so fucking tight, baby. 
So tight
,” he rasped as he continued his slow and steady erotic agony.  His thumb found my clit and he pinched the swollen nub ever so expertly and then I was whimpering his name as my orgasm rippled through me. As Aden glided inside me and stopped, a rumbled roar left his lips as his cock twitched inside me, pulsing with his release.  “
Scarlett!”

“I love getting adventurous with you, Mr. West,” I whispered, my eyes half mast, my body completely sated.

“There’s plenty more where that came from, Mrs. West,” he replied, kissing me softly.

Aden helped me stand up, then he bent down and helped me put my pants and shoes back on before he drove us home. 

“I’ll order some Chinese food,” I stated, craving Hot and Sour soup.

“Okay, babe.  Meet me in the nursery.  I’ll start assembling the bassinet.”  I smiled at Aden, my heart fuller than it had ever been, my life utterly complete and set to become even sweeter with the birth of baby Thomas in just under five weeks.

“I love you, Aden,” I murmured as I slipped my cell from my pocket.

“Love you, too, baby,” he replied softly, placing a tender kiss to my forehead before his hand stroked my stomach.  “Nursery,” he stated.

“Nursery,” I confirmed.  I watched him disappear into the bedroom adjacent to ours that we had converted into the baby’s room over the past few months.  Aden had painted the walls a soft blue and we had filled it with an array of baby furniture and knick-knacks I hadn’t known existed until we had taken a trip to Baby Kingdom.  Everything was ready for Thomas to arrive, and I couldn’t wait.  Not only would our baby have a mountain of love from me and Aden, he would have three grandparents doting on him, plus his aunties Georgia and Danni, and uncles Hank and Mitch.  Not to mention the abundance of love he will receive from his three very excited cousins: Izzy, Miller, and Asher.  The life waiting for him was going to be magical.

***

Damon looked down at the 4x6 sized photograph he held in his hands.  He flipped the picture over and saw Scarlett’s thorough cursive.

Thomas Anthony West - May 16
th
– 7 pounds 4 ounces – 20 inches long

Damon grinned at the chubby cheeked, black haired baby in the picture.  His heart ached with the pride and love he felt for the grandson he couldn’t claim.  Still, he tore off a piece of double-sided tape and pressed the photograph onto the wall of his cell beside the others that Scarlett had sent him over the past year and a half.  Then Damon lay back on his bed, his hands behind his head, and he closed his eyes.  He no longer saw images of his parents, coupled with the vicious need to cause them pain to fuel the monster inside of him.  No, now he saw Scarlett and the love that shone brightly from her.  The love she showered on her husband, Prison Guard West, and the unconditional love Damon knew she would provide for her sweet baby boy.  Knowing that, Damon fell asleep, a contented sense of peace washed over him, and he hoped like hell Scarlett would continue sending photos to him, because as insignificant as the pictures were, to Damon, they meant everything.  Every single one was like a hot ember, warming the darkest depths of his cold heart.  And Damon wouldn’t have it any other way.  He grinned again and fell asleep.

Happy.

The End.