Authors: Aliyah Burke
whisper.
―Never baby, never.‖ Her hand trembled beneath Ernst‘s.
―Take care of her, Ernst,‖ Adam mumbled, his eyes drifting over to
the handsome man standing on the other side of his bed.
―I will, Sport.‖ Ernst had to choke back his own tears. Kacy knew
Adam had captured Ernst‘s heart with his winning smile from the moment
he met him.
Those brown eyes landed back on Kacy. ―Thank you for loving me. I
love you. Love…‖ His eyes drifted closed as his monitor indicated he had
flat-lined.
Kacy sat there holding his hand as the tears streamed down her face.
She didn‘t even notice when the nurse came in and turned off the monitor. It
wasn‘t until Ernst moved around the bed and wrapped her in his embrace
that she came to. ―I couldn‘t save him, Ernst. I couldn‘t!‖ she sobbed into his
chest.
―Oh,
liebling
, I‘m so sorry.‖ He kissed the top of her head and held
her. He too had tears falling from his eyes.
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She remained holding the frail hand of the orphan boy she loved un-
til the nurse came in and said they had to go. It was with great reluctance that
Kacy left Adam‘s side. She leaned down and brushed a kiss over his sallow
cheek. ―Goodbye, Adam.‖ Her words were whispered as she allowed Ernst
to lead her out of the room.
Two days later at the orphanage there was a funeral. The day was
bright and sunny, but the mood was extremely somber as they laid Adam to
rest in the cemetery. Ernst stood beside Kacy in a black suit. She wore a black
dress and stood ramrod straight as the Father gave the eulogy, her hand
entwined with Ernst‘s strong one.
She was stoic until they lowered his small body into the ground.
Then her tears came. Unchecked they rolled down her face. As Adam was
being set in his final resting place, the loud cry of a hawk filled the air.
Ernst looked down at the woman beside him. He knew he was in
love with her; seeing her in pain like this killed him. Unsure of what to do, he
had called Scott for some advice; support her and be there for her was what
he had been told. So here he stood next to her dressed in a black suit and
watching a small boy he had come to love in a short amount of time being
lowered into the ground.
Afterwards, he waited beside Kacy‘s car as she kissed and hugged
each of the nuns and children there. When she looked up at him, his eyes
were gentle as he watched her. Ernst held out one hand and inside he smiled
as she moved easily to him and took it.
He drove her home and walked her into the house. Kacy still hadn‘t
said a single word. In fact for the past two days, she hadn‘t said much of
anything.
―I‘ll make some coffee,‖ her quiet voice said.
―I‘ll make it. You sit down.‖
―I need to stay busy,‖ she protested.
―Okay, you make coffee. I‘ll get us something to eat.‖ He understood
her need. He was experienced it as well.
Soon, they were sitting at the small kitchen table. Kacy‘s eyes were
empty as she stirred sugar and cream into her mug of coffee. Ernst had found
a cake and cut them each piece.
―What was wrong with him?‖ Ernst asked.
C H A P T E R E I G H T E E N
Taking a bite of the marble cake in front of her, Kacy remained silent
as she washed it down with a splash of coffee. Turning dull copper eyes to
Ernst she whispered, ―He had AIDS. Over the past few months, his CD4
count had been dropping rapidly.‖
―Why didn‘t you tell me?‖ he asked, holding his cup closer to his
chest.
―It wasn‘t my place to say. I knew he would never be an electrician.
That‘s why I let him do things with me. Why he got his own belt and I
sometimes took him on estimation calls. Nothing dangerous since safety was
primary importance.‖ She picked at her cake.
Ernst put his haunting eyes on her face. ―Is that why you couldn‘t
adopt him?‖
She nodded. ―They told me I wasn‘t a good choice for a boy with his
needs.‖ Her voice shook. ―So I did what I could with him.‖
He got out of the chair and gathered her into his arms, pressing her
face to his suited chest. ―
Liebling
, I‘m so sorry.‖
―I don‘t know what I will do without him in my life.‖ He felt the
dampness of warm tears on his chest. ―For seven years he has been a part of it
and now he is gone.‖
As if knowing there were no words that could take away her pain,
Ernst held her and allowed her to cry it out. Eventually, he picked her up and
carried her back to her bedroom where he laid them both on the bed and
continued to hold her.
Exhaustion prevailed and soon they were both sleeping.
The chime of her doorbell woke Kacy. Blinking, she untangled herself
from the strong man who held her. Wiping away dried tears, she shuffled up
to the door and opened it.
Ilanderae stood at the other side. ―Sweetie, I am so sorry I wasn‘t
there for you.‖ she said as she wrapped her arms around Kacy. ―I know how
much Adam meant to you.‖
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Hugging her friend back, Kacy blinked away more tears. ―Thank
you, Landi. I know you would have been here if you could‘ve.‖ Stepping
back, she pulled her friend into the house. ―Come on in.‖
―Hello again, Ilanderae,‖ a rich voice said.
Both women turned to see Ernst in the kitchen entryway. He had
taken off his suit coat, leaving him in the white dress shirt and black slacks.
His shirt sleeves had been rolled up to expose muscled forearms.
―Hello, Ernst.‖ Ilanderae responded even as her eyes flashed over to
Kacy. ―Nice to see you again.‖
―I was just going to make some dinner. Will you be joining us?‖
―I would love to,‖ she answered, grabbing onto Kacy and pulling her
back to the bedroom. ―Excuse me; I have to talk to Kacy.‖
Ernst nodded silently and went back into the kitchen.
Alone in the bedroom, Ilanderae crossed her arms over her chest and
said, ―Explain what Mister Gorgeous is doing here.‖
Heading to her closet for a change of clothes, Kacy told her. ―He
came to the funeral.‖ She shrugged out of her dress and slipped on a pair of
workout pants and a baggy tee shirt. ―That‘s all.‖
―Oh, please,‖ Landi scoffed. ―That man is here for way more than
that. Admit it, Kacy.‖
A faint blush ran up her dark cheeks. ―I admit nothing,‖ she pro-
tested.
Her brown eyes sparkled. ―You don‘t have to. I already know.‖
―Shut up, Landi.‖
Before she could say anything, Kacy‘s doorbell rang again. ―Do you
want me to get that, sweetheart?‖ Ernst‘s voice rang throughout the house.
―I got it.‖ Kacy yelled back, brushing away Ilanderae‘s mouthing of
the word ―sweetheart.‖
Her friend right on her heels, Kacy opened the door to come face to
face with another member of the Megalodon Team. Behind her she heard
Ilanderae‘s sharp intake of breath. ―Hello, Dimitri,‖ Kacy said, stepping back.
―Come on in.‖
Ilanderae Nycks was speechless, clearly approving what she saw.
The man in front of her was jaw-droppingly gorgeous. He had thick, black
hair trimmed to look disheveled. His tanned skin was stretched tight across
his muscular body. He was the same height as Kacy and his eyes were golden
like a lion‘s.
Eyes moving between the two who were staring at each other, Kacy
cleared her throat. ―Dimitri, meet my friend Ilanderae Nycks. Ilanderae, this
is Dimitri…‖
―Dimitri Melonakos,‖ the man finished as his eyes scanned the pink-
garbed beauty standing beside his Chief‘s woman.
―Nice to meet you,‖ Ilanderae said.
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―And you.‖ Those golden eyes moved back to Kacy and he held out a
bouquet of flowers. ―This is from the rest of us. We are sorry for your loss,
Kacy.‖ Dimitri nodded at the man who had materialized behind Kacy.
―Chief,‖ he said respectfully.
―Staying for dinner?‖ Ernst asked as he took the mixed bouquet from
Kacy to put in a vase.
―I wouldn‘t want to impose,‖ Dimitri began even as his eyes moved
back to land on Ilanderae.
―No imposition,‖ Kacy insisted. ―Please stay. And thank you for the
beautiful flowers.‖
―You‘re welcome and thank you for the invitation,‖ Dimitri said
coming fully into her house.
Dinner was a lighthearted affair, just what Kacy needed to lift her
spirits. The attraction between Dimitri and Ilanderae was unmistakable and it
left all of them wondering where it would lead in the future.
Landi kissed Kacy on the cheek and the two women walked out to
where Ilanderae had parked her car. ―You know I will come if you need me,‖
Ilanderae said as she unlocked and opened her door.
―I know.‖ Kacy nodded. ―Love you, Landi. Drive carefully.‖ Gently,
she shut the door after her friend had climbed inside.
With a smile, Ilanderae blew Kacy a kiss and started up her car. She
backed out of the drive and went down the street. Turning around, Kacy saw
Ernst and Dimitri behind her.
―Thanks for dinner, Kacy,‖ Dimitri said as he leaned in to kiss her on
the cheek, much to Ernst‘s dismay.
―Don‘t thank me; he cooked. But it was nice having you here.‖ She
smiled as she squeezed his hands.
―I had a really nice time.‖ Dimitri took in the glare that Ernst had and
added quickly, ―Unfortunately, I need to go as well. If you change your mind
about getting married, let me know.‖ He winked at her, knowing that Ernst
couldn‘t see.
―I‘ll do that,‖ Kacy replied with a smile. ―Thanks.‖ They both knew
she was talking about the flowers.
―Goodnight, Dimitri,‖ the masculine voice intruded on their conver-
sation. Ernst stood beside Kacy as he sent a meaningful look to his teammate.
―Night, Chief. Night, Kacy.‖ With one more squeeze of her hands,
Dimitri had climbed into his Jeep and driven off, leaving Ernst and Kacy
alone in the waning light.
Ernst and Kacy sat in the dark on her porch swing. The chirping
crickets provided the only noise aside from normal city sounds. His arm was
slung casually over the back of the swing and she was curled up against him.
―Welcome back,‖ Kacy eventually, said breaking the silence.
―Thank you.‖ His hand dropped to caress her shoulder.
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―And thank you for being there for me during these past few days.‖
―I loved him too,‖ Ernst said in a smooth voice.
Unable to form a single word as the tears threatened to overtake her,
all Kacy could do was nod. Wiping the first few tears away, she closed her
eyes and prayed for strength.
―Cry it out, sweetheart,‖ Ernst told her, pulling her even closer to his
strong body.
For what seemed to be the umpteenth time in the past few days, Kacy
gave in to the tears. She cried for the next thirty minutes. Ernst said not a
single word; he just sat there, offering silent support.
Smearing away the remaining streaks from her face, Kacy sat up.
There were no more tears left in her. ―Thank you,‖ she sniffed as she stood,
needing to distance herself from him for a second.
As if understanding her need to be alone, he remained sitting. ―Any-
time you need me, I‘m here for you, Kacy.‖
Turning back to him, Kacy touched his shoulder, in awe of the
strength she felt in his body, as always. ―I know.‖ Her words were whispered
but sure. ―I am going to go clean up.‖ She disappeared inside her home.
Ernst remained sitting on the swing for a few more moments. The
need to possess her totally was so strong. He didn‘t want to share with
anyone.
What the hell is wrong with me?
He rubbed his hands over his face.
Glancing up at the night sky, he sighed. Seeing her interact so freely with
Dimitri had been hard.
It wouldn’t have been if I was sure about her feelings for
me.
Their relationship wasn‘t defined. Standing abruptly, he moved to-
wards the door. That was going to change. Tonight. He needed her like a fish
needed water.
―Kacy,‖ he began, sliding open the door.
As she turned her head, the smile that crossed her face banished the
sadness that had lingered there. Her brown eyes remained on his face as she
waited for him to speak.
But he didn‘t speak, just stood there watching her with those stagger-
ing eyes of his. ―What?‖ Kacy asked, shifting under the intensity of his gaze.
―We need to get something straightened out,‖ his deep voice said as
he leaned one hip against the countertop he stood beside.
Kacy shook out the rag in her hand and draped it over the sink, rest-
ing her hip beside it. ―Okay. What about?‖
―About us.‖ Ernst crossed his arms over his chest, bringing her atten-
tion to the defined muscles in his arms. Even the material of his shirt seemed
to caress him tightly.
―So talk,‖ Kacy stated as she lifted herself up to sit on the now-clean
countertop.
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With a deep breath he started. ―I know I have been gone for the past
six weeks, and before that, we were just beginning a relationship. So, I don‘t
know what‘s happened these past few weeks with you and your love life.‖