Crown's Chance at Love (44 page)

Tess came out, her wild brown curly hair was bouncing on top of her head. She was about five-seven, and had curves that would have made Jennifer Lopez green with envy.

“Hey Sabrina! How are you?” she asked brightly, coming over to give me a hug. I had brought her and Liz different clients regularly, especially for weddings.

“I’m good.”

“So is this a new happy couple?” she asked looking at Mike and Holly. They looked so incredibly uncomfortable, I wanted to laugh. Mike quickly recovered and stepped closer to me wrapping his arms around my waist.

“Sabrina is actually my girlfriend. Hi I’m Mike.”

“Nice to meet you Mike.” Tess said smiling, slightly blushing as she shook his hand.  

“This is Holly Montgomery.” I said introducing Holly to Tess. Tess apologized for the mistake.

I explained the event to her and what we were thinking and she brought us to the back, into the kitchen where Tess’ business partner Liz, was creating incredible sugar flowers. After explaining what we were thinking Liz suggested bringing in an assortment of goodies to the meeting to help persuade the committee. Before leaving Liz packed us a box of goodies and made us go to the patio area in the front of the shop along with coffees.

We sat and continued to talk. Holly was funny and in her own outrageous way, she was sweet. She told me about her twin boys and her husband Robert. In the middle of our conversation Hollys’ phone rang and when she looked at it, she smiled brightly and excused herself, walking away from us talking on the phone.

“You okay sweetheart?” Mike asked me and I looked at him and smiled.

“Yeah. Why?”

“Because I know Holly can be a handful babe,” he said also frowning at me.

“Are you okay? I mean your ex fiancé having lunch and dessert with your girlfriend, is that too much for you?” I asked raising an eyebrow.

“It’s interesting to say the least,” he said and I wondered if it was because he could now see how different we were; how he was somehow slumming with me, now that he saw us side by side. Before I could ask, Holly came back to let us know Robert would be picking her up since he was close by on sound stage.

***

Mike

She is about to say something, I can see it in her eyes but Holly comes back. We wait with Holly until Robert comes by to get Holly. I am surprised at how they seem to get along. Holly and Sabrina are both beautiful women, but Sabrina is the one I can’t stop looking at. The only one I can see.

About fifteen minutes after Holly returned, Robert showed up to pick up his wife. Holly introduced them, and Robert smiled and charmed Sabrina with his Irish accent. I hate Robert’s fucking accent. Now I finally have her all to myself since Robert’s Irish ass took Holly away with him to whatever soundstage he is working on for the rest of the day.

“Finally I have you to myself,” I tell her grinning like an idiot as I pull her close to me. I lean in kissing her neck. She leans her head back a little bit to give me more space.

“Mike…”

“Let’s go back to my place…” I suggest, thinking about all the dirty things I can do to her there.

“I have to get the kids, take Penny to dance, Chris to football, and pick up Mark from practice, then run back to get the other two, then head home and cook dinner,” she blurts out and sighs.

I slightly step back from her looking at her and smile.

“How about I take Penny to dance, Chris to football, stay there, and then go pick up Penny. On my way home I will pick up dinner. That way all you have to worry about is going to pick up Mark and maybe resting a little bit. After dinner I’ll help you with their homework,” I say surprising myself and her from the look she’s giving me.

“Mike…”

“Babe… let me help. I want to be here,” I tell her honestly and she frowns, a worry line showing up on her forehead.

“I know but you don’t have too. I have been doing this on my own, I can…”

“You don’t have to do this alone. Not anymore. Let me help. I want too,” I tell her hoping that she let’s me. I’m not stupid enough to think that after everything that came to light, I didn’t have a shit load of things to make up to her.

She bit her lower lip, and her eyes show me she is obviously conflicted. My strong girl. I lean into kiss her, her mouth opening up for me, letting me taste her a little.

“Okay,” she sighs parting away from the kiss, giving me a small smile.

Sabrina

Packing up my huge bag at the office I look out my window and realize how late it really is.

It’s mid August, and during the Summer I’m supposed to be leaving work earlier, but here I am, nine at night, barely starting to pack up for the day. But finally everything is wrapped up for a long weekend away with Mike and the kids.

Laney had hired on two new planners and I had even scored, getting an assistant that would be starting Monday. Kate was a cute new college graduate who was looking to start her career. She was smart, bubbly and extremely bright. Hopefully with the extra employees I’d be able to cut back working long hours.

I grab my keys and phone, it buzzes at me, and I smile at the text I receive from Mike.

K
IDS ARE READING IN BED, CAR’S ALL PACKED, GLASS OF WINE IS READY FOR YOU.
C
AN’T WAIT FOR THIS WEEKEND.
C
OME HOME!

So I text him as I get into my car:

O
N MY WAY. XOXO

Mike had started to spend the nights. He stayed in the guest room and most of the time, in the middle of the night, he’d sneak into my room and make love to me, kissing me or covering my mouth everytime he took my over the edge. A month after officially being together we seem to be doing great. We are even going away for the three day weekend with the kids to his beach house.

Driving home, I thought about the different events I had on my books, particularly the Breast Cancer Gala. Holly had somehow convinced the older ladies of the committee to agree to Izzy Tizzy’s catering at Venetian Hour. We had even gone to lunch a couple of times, somehow becoming somewhat friends. I like her. She is sweet and genuine and really funny in a Lucille O’Ball sort of way, but after every time I hung out with her I wondered if Mike noticed how I’m not like her.

Finally home, pulling into my driveway, I try to grab all my things at once so I don’t have to make another trip out, only to crash into Mike’s broad chest.

“What are you doing?” he asks looking at me slightly amused as he leans in to kiss me hello. I love when he kisses me, even small chaste kisses that make me realize how accustomed we are growing to one another. Thankful at the way things have changed between us, now that the truth had been laid out. Mike’s more open with me emotionally and physically now that there is nothing looming over us.

“Getting my stuff,” I tell him raising an eyebrow.

“Babe, I could help you with all this,” he says grabbing stuff from me.

“I know, but I just didn’t want to bug you, especially if I could do it,” I say as we start to walk to the door, but he stops, pulling me into his body with his free hand.

The night is clear with a warm breeze flowing by us. My head tipping up to him, his pale blues clear and honest, not hiding anything anymore, he leans in cupping my face with his large warm hands.

“I want to do these things,” he says seriously and my heart feels like it flipped a little. For some reason I have a feeling he is talking about a little more than just helping me with my bags tonight. The thought makes me a little nervous and it must be showing on my face.

“Hey what’s the matter? Where did you just go right now?”

“I… umm… Are you sure?” I blurt out not really sure about what I am trying to ask and he frowns.

“Sure about?”

“What we are doing… all  of this? I mean all this must be a little daunting to you,” I say my heart racing almost in a panic. Sure my life is getting easier by how hands on he is, how helpful and giving of his time he is, but what about his life? We are taking time away from him; he has been here constantly, only having had lunch with John once.

“Wait what?” he asks looking really confused, not that I can blame him. I am throwing all this at him from left field.

“I mean… us together. Are we taking too much of your time away?” His serious expression turns into an amused look I haven’t seen before.

“You’re freaking out about us,” he says smiling brightly, letting all the bags he is holding fall onto the grass in my front yard and I frown.

“I’m not freaking out! Look it’s just that I realized that you spend all your time with us instead of what you used to do. I don’t want you to regret doing that.”

“Or you don’t want to get used to me helping you?” he asks suddenly becoming perceptive. No that isn’t true, he is always perceptive I just usually don’t freak out.

“I’m scared,” I admit so softly I’m not sure he heard me, but when I look at him, my heart racing and beating profusely in my ears, I know he has.

“What are you scared about?” he asks pulling me up so close to him, I have to arch my neck to look up at him.

“Getting too comfortable with you doing things for me and you realizing I don’t measure up to Holly or the slew of women you dated after her. That this situation is harder than you need to deal with.” After I finish confessing what I had been chewing over I put my face in his chest, too chicken to see what I might see in his eyes.

His chest starts to rumble is silent laughter, until he can’t hold it and starts to laugh out loud. I look up at him and he looks so carefree, I almost forget what it is that he is laughing at… almost.

“Sabrina…” he says between hearty laughs and I scowl at him feeling too vulnerable and slightly hurt, I bend to get my bags from the floor. But Mike is too fast and grabs my wrists, somehow managing to pick me up. My body reacting to him the way it always did when he did this by wrapping my legs around him, my hands go to his neck to play with his hair.

He brings me to the hood of my car, sitting me down gently so that we can be eye to eye. I realize he has stopped laughing and looks at me seriously.

“First off you have to know I am not the type of man to be somewhere he doesn’t absolutely want to be at. I want to be here Sweetheart. You have to believe that. This last month, things being out in the open and everything clear between us… Shit Sabrina, it’s been a fucking dream for me. As for not being able to measure up baby, you don’t hold a candle to them babe,” he says his hand coming up to caress my face so gently, my eyes get teary and I almost cry.

“They all pale when compared to you baby,” he says softly, his hand still caressing my face. “Look at me Sabrina,” he says his voice slightly hoarse. I open my eyes to look at him.

“I don’t know how I lived without you in my life… You and the kids light up what was nothing but darkness. Sweetheart I have never, in my forty years of life, been as happy as I have been this last month.”

“You sure?” I whisper, and he cracks a smile and nods.

“Okay,” I say bringing him closer to me, kissing him deeply, his hands tangled in my hair, leaving me breathless and aching for more, we both carry the bags into the house.

It is now Sunday and we are making Smore’s for dessert after our picnic lunch on a firepit in the public beach in front of his Manhattan Beach home. Sitting in front of him on the sand. His legs on either side of me, his large body right behind me. His face at my shoulder laughing at something Chris had just said. His laughter filling my ears, his warm breath on my neck sending endless tingles down south. I lean in to steal a kiss and he smiles brightly at me. He looks so damn good in his black swim trunks, white T-shirt, and cornflower blue hoodie that did incredible things to his eyes.