Crown's Chance at Love (45 page)

Mark’s listening to his I-pod as he helps Chris make a sand castle and Penny is taking pictures of all of us with a camera my sister had bought her earlier this year. Some are posed, but for the most part they are random. Mark covers his face when she tries to take the twentieth picture of him. In true teenage fashion, Chris sticks out his tongue, and Mike and I make funny faces at her. The last two days she has been non-stop with the camera, and I know it is just her way of trying to express her creativity, but I am about to ask her to put it down and go play when I see her walk towards an older couple that had been walking by us. The older gentleman smiling nods his head; she runs back to us, with the couple right behind her.

“Guys lets take a picture altogether!” she says happily as we all huddle together. Even Mark , graciously takes out his ear buds and smiles for the pictures that we’re taking. Then Mike stands up and goes to thank him.

“You guys have a great looking family,” the older woman with almost white hair says and I am caught off guard only able to smile, noticing that Mike thanks her smiling brightly, not correcting her. I glance back at the kids, but they hadn’t even noticed the comment the older lady had made. Mike comes back to cuddle with me behind me, leaning forward, whispering into my ear.

“Thanks for this weekend babe.” Kissing my cheek his goatee slightly tickling me, all I can do is smile bright, because I think my heart might burst with how happy I feel.

Sabrina

“Sweetheart she just wants to get to know you,” he says as I sigh.

Mike’s mom, Gail, had called him and asked us over to her home for dinner.

“She knows me Mike. We have been working on the Gala, don’t you remember?” I say, knowing I sound snarky and petty.

There was something about Gail Crown that had rubbed me the wrong way. I didn’t know why, but there was something about being around her during meetings for the Breast Cancer Gala that made me awfully uncomfortable around her. Especially after I found out about Patrick, and once she found out that I was Mike’s girlfriend. The way she looked at me made the hairs on my neck stand up. Her stare was always full of disdain and anger, almost hatred. But she was Mike’s mom and a client, so I had to be nice.

“Please. For me… and my dad? The kids don’t have to go if you don’t feel comfortable bringing them. It could just be the two of us,” he says, as he pulls my back to his front holding me close pressing his mouth on my neck making me shiver. He isn’t playing fair.

“Afterwards I can show you this make out spot I use to know in high school.” His lips lightly kiss my neck, and my eyes close enjoying every sensation and sound. The raspiness of his voice mixed with his breathing against my ear makes me ache for him. There is something about him that makes me feel like a horny teenager. Never able to get enough of him. Completely insatiable.

“Fine. I’ll call Emmi or my mom. Cara is too far along now to ask her,” I say with a smile on my face. I doubt there would be anything I could deny this beautiful man.

“Thank you baby, it’ll be fun, you’ll see,” he says as he walks away with his phone calling his mom back, leaving me with a fake smile pasted on my face. I’m not sure if fun is the right word, but it will be interesting to say the least.

***

Two days later we were on our way to Calabasas to go have dinner with his parents, after having dropped off the kids at my mom’s house for a sleepover. Cara and Jerry had been there visiting, and thankfully she had been polite to Mike.

Cara was still on the fence about my relationship with Mike, but she was trying. I could tell that she was making an effort to get to know him for who he was, and not for being Patrick’s brother. I knew it had nothing to do with who Mike was as a person; it was about how Sean had been like a brother to her and partly her pregnancy hormones. Jerry was his normal easy going self, joking and talking to Mike.

My parents had surprised me by not even having blinked when I told them who Mike was related to, or the fact he had lied. They supported me completely. Maybe they saw how happy the kids and I were, and how easy things seemed to be between us. Whatever it was I was glad that it hadn’t been a problem.

It had been almost two months since Patrick had shown up at my front door and I had found out that Mike was his brother. It had completely taken me back that Mike had lied to me. I wasn’t naive or just throwing it to the side. I had been hurt that he had lied to me, since he had gotten me so close to him. But the more I thought about it, the more I understood where he had been coming from. If I had known who he was from the start I more than likely would have shut the door on any possibilities of anything happening between us, and that would have been a shame; because things with Mike were beautiful.

There was an extraordinary pull that drew me to Mike, and I figured he had lied because he had felt that same draw to me. When I had told him I forgave him for keeping the truth a secret, I had been completely honest. At the end of the day Sean had died because he had been in the wrong place at the wrong time, Mike had had no control over what Patrick did. Patrick had been the one that had decided to drive that morning completely blitzed, not Mike. I knew he still carried some feelings of guilt for having made Pat drive that day, but there was no way that Mike had known that Pat was THAT inebriated and I hoped that with time he would let that guilt go.

Pat hadn’t shown up again, and I was thankful. I made it a point to ask occasionally about him to Mike. Mike said they spoke about once a week, which was better than my own relationship with my own brother. Mike had told me that Patrick was doing good, and had even found a job. I was glad for him, that he had got the help he needed, I just wasn’t ready to embrace him or see him.

I was falling hard for Mike. Any hesitations I might have had after finding out about Mike lying to me had quickly vanished.

The kids loved him. They enjoyed having dinner with him and having him around. We had grilled at his condo and swam at his condo rooftop pool once a week, and we were all sporting great tans because of it. They knew about who his brother was, but being kids they didn’t let that influence their judgment on who Mike was as a person, which only made me extremely proud of them.

Now September, and the Breast Cancer Gala quickly approaching in a couple of weeks. My assistant Kate has been a gift! She helped make sure I left work early enough, and now was even taking charge of actual events, leaving my weekends a little more free to spend with the kids and Mike.

Penny has a dance recital that she is extremely excited about that is a week away. She has made all the boys, including Mike promise to dress up in suits for, and Mike surprised the boys with tickets to see the San Diego Chargers play their first home game of the season with the condition they not complain about wearing suits for Penny’s recital. I personally think it’s just an excuse to go watch a football game, but either way my boys are excited, especially Chris. Everything is great.

I was deep in my thoughts about how genuinely happy I was getting to know Mike, when I felt his eyes on me, and I looked at him and smiled.

“You’re quiet,” he states, his voice rich and silky smooth. “Nervous?”

I shake my head, “No. I mean yes I am but that’s not why I was quiet.”

He raises an eyebrow so I continue, “I was just thinking about how happy I am. This thing between us, you and me, we are good right?” I ask, and I see a smile slowly reach his eyes, a smile that makes him look younger, more relaxed and approachable.

“Hell yeah,” he responds and I laugh. “We are better than good Baby.” Hearing the confidence in his voice melts over me and I reach over to hold his hand.

“Did I tell you that you look beautiful tonight?” he says his pale blue eyes warm and kind.

“Yeah, but I don’t mind hearing it again,” I say with a smile. Dinner is going to be casual, so I decided to wear a slate colored sweater with a purple marble scarf, pair of black skinny jeans, and black leather riding boots with a silver buckle on the outside of them. My hair is straightened and down, because Mike loves to run his fingers through it, and if I am being honest I love when he does that.

He got out of the car and I took a deep breath as he opened my door and we walked towards his parents house.

“You look stunning, only thing better would have been you in a skirt,” he leans in to whisper in my ear. “For easy access later when I show you that make out spot I told you about.” Shivers go down my spine. He knows the effect he has on me, because he has a wolfish grin pasted on his face.

“You are no fair,” I say smiling as we stand at the door and he smiles as he rings the doorbell. His arm pulls me close wrapping his arm around my waist, pulling my front to his front, our bodies pressed so close together. He makes me feel so safe, wanted, cherished and for a split second, I forget where we are as his warm lips touch mine. Just as our kiss starts to heat up, I hear someone clear their voice. I shut my eyes closed harder leaning my forehead to his chest, slightly feeling like I am sixteen again, getting caught kissing my boyfriend. He notices my embarrassment, because when I open my eyes again, they are warm and sweet as he leans in and kisses me again. How did he make me forget where we are?

“Michael,” his mother’s stern voice snaps us out of the moment. He lets me go slightly moving me to his side with his hand still on my waist and with a strained smile he says, “Hello mother, you remember Sabrina?”

“Yes. You look lovely dear, why don’t we go in,” she says almost rolling her eyes. She is in a beautiful cream colored pant suit that looks extremely expensive.

“Thank you for the invitation Mrs. Crown.” I look at her as she stares at me, her eyes are serious, almost angry.

“Of course dear. Seeing as my son spends so much time with you I figured we got to know one another.”
Mommy dearest 1, me-0.

“Where’s Dad?” He asks as he heads towards the living room, my hand in his as I drag my feet as we go further into the huge house.

“Upstairs, he will be down in a minute.”

“No, I am already here. Michael it is so good to see you.” An older gentleman appears from behind us, and we turn.

Mike’s dad is as tall as him, if not maybe even an inch taller than Mike. When women talk about how unfair it is that men age gracefully, they obviously are talking about men like Mike’s dad. Walt Crown is roguishly handsome. Tall, lean and obviously in great shape are all wonderful qualities he possesses, but his face. OH MY… It is a mix of kind and sweet with “I used to be a bad boy once-upon a time,” and the way he carries himself- he knows how attractive he is, but isn’t smug or arrogant about it; he has pale blue eyes just like Mike’s, only older, wiser and his hair is completely gray.

“Hey Dad,” Mike says smiling. He goes over to his dad and they hug, then Mike is at my side. “Dad, I would like you to meet Sabrina Miller.”

“The woman of the hour!” he says smiling as he comes over and hugs me shocking me a little, but I hug him back. “I have heard so much about you Darling. I am so happy you were able to make it tonight. Thank you for bringing my son. He seems to have forgotten his parents exist, but now having seen you, I understand why,” he says sweetly and I laugh.

Something about Walt gives me the opposite reaction of his wife. He is warm and inviting and extremely charming.

“Let’s go to the dining room so we can eat. They are already late as it is,” Gail hisses and Mike frowns.

“Oh that was my fault I apologize. I caught traffic on the way to drop off my kids at my parent’s house.”

Gail makes a face and opens her mouth to say something when Walt comes over placing my hand in the crook of his elbow leading me towards the dining room.

“Tell me about them. You have three correct?”

“Yes. I do. Mark is the oldest. He just turned thirteen. Then there is Penny, she is nine, and the baby is Christopher at six.”

“You certainly have your hands full. Enjoy them, time flies by so quick. One day they are little, then next they are forty bringing a girl home for you to meet,” he says jokingly and I smile at him.

“So Sabrina, how are the details coming along with the Gala?” Gail asks abruptly.

“Gail…”

“Mom…” both Walt and Mike say at the same time their voices sounding mildly frustrated, but I don’t want them to have to deal with her on my account so I look at her.