Heart's Surrender (23 page)
EPILOGUE
SIX MONTHS LATER
The flesh beneath Sam’s fingers was hot. Her heart raced, her muscles trembled. This was heaven. Or at least as close to heaven as she would ever get. Minutes ago she had finally managed to pin Gillian up against the kitchen door and now she had one hand on a soft breast while the fingers of her other one were rubbing small circles over Gillian’s clit. “I. Love. You.”
Gillian moaned. “Yes. Yes.”
“I want you to come. And I want to see you explode.”
A groan was her answer.
Sam slid two fingers inside Gillian. So slick, so wonderful.
A door banged.
“Shit.” Gillian’s eyes were wide.
“No. No.” Sam whimpered and pressed closer against Gillian. “They aren’t supposed to be back before five. This is not fair.” She had wanted to cross sex in the kitchen off her bucket list.
Damn. Damn. Damn.
Gillian exhaled audibly. “I’m sorry, sweetheart.”
“Me too.”
“Mom? Where are you?”
“It could have been worse.” Gillian smiled. “Two minutes later and I would have considered giving them up for adoption.” With that she planted a soft kiss on Sam’s lips and stepped away. “We’re in the kitchen.”
Sam rubbed her face, trying to calm down. Gillian’s smell was all over her fingers.
Shit.
She confined the traitorous hands into the pockets of her jeans. A trip to the bathroom was in order. As soon as possible. Dating a mother of two really had its downsides. They had agreed to not be too explicit around the children. Occasional kissing was okay, holding hands was fine, and hugs and cuddles were mandatory. Anything PG or above, however, was not.
The smile on Angela’s face couldn’t have been brighter. “I got the new book. Look.” She held out a cover that showed a dragon and a girl with a sword on it. “Grandma bought it.”
“I’m happy that you’re happy, dear.” Margret’s fake smile was darkening the kitchen. Her eyes found Sam’s. “Hello. What a nice surprise.”
Sam sucked in a breath and stiffened.
What’s she doing here?
The dragon lady was a total bitch whenever their paths crossed. Tonight was supposed to be the first barbecue of the season and they had planned to have fun and family time. And now she was here. Sam lowered her eyes to the floor, slowly counting to ten. She would stay calm whatever was thrown her way.
A hand around her waist drew her closer, until her side was pressed against Gillian’s. Sam looked up.
The smile on Gillian’s face sent several messages—the most important one being ‘I’m here at your side.’
Sam couldn’t help but mirror the smile.
“Mom, look. Look.” Michael stormed into the kitchen, a tablet in his hands. “Grandma gave me an iPad.”
The hand around Sam’s waist tightened. “That is great, Michael. Why don’t you put it down in your room? And Angela?” Gillian addressed her daughter. “Please take your book to your room. We’re going to start the barbecue a bit earlier than planned. Michael still has to put the finishing touches on the deck. With Sam.”
“Yeah.” Michael turned around and hurried to his room.
“And Angela, you wanted to paint the new chair. If you do it now there’s a chance that you can use it tomorrow.”
“Oh, yeah. That would be great.” She left without another glance at her grandmother.
The laser beams coming out of Margret’s eyes were meant to pulverize but the smile on Gillian’s face didn’t falter for one second. “Thank you for bringing the children back.” She looked at Sam. “I’ll start with the salad. I thought maybe a light green one and I prepared the potato salad this morning. Is that all right? Or would you like anything else?”
God. She wanted to kiss Gillian senseless. But that would have to wait until tonight. “No, thanks. Steak, potato salad, and a cold beer sound perfectly fine to me.”
A muscle in Margret’s left cheek ticked. “Gillian.” Her voice had the quality of fingernails on a chalkboard. “Do you have a minute?”
“I’m so sorry Margret. But no. We really need to get on with the preparations if we don’t want to eat late. Maybe you could give us a call the next time you’d like to come over?”
Sam had to bite the inside of her cheek to keep from laughing. This was priceless.
“I don’t—”
“That’s right, Margret. You don’t get it. But that is your problem.” She planted a kiss on Sam’s cheek before facing her former mother-in-law again. “Sam is part of this family. She shares our lives. The children love her. And I love her. So, if you want to stay in the children’s lives you better try harder.”
“Excuse me?” Margret’s facial expression reminded Sam a lot of the moment several weeks ago when Michael had sucked on a lemon.
Gillian didn’t respond. She just stared at Margret as if daring her to say more, to finally cross the line.
Margret opened her mouth but no words followed. Her lips clamped together before she turned around and left the kitchen. Shortly afterward, the slamming of the front door echoed through the house like a gunshot.
“Wow.” Sam faced Gillian. “Wow and double wow.”
“What?” Gillian frowned. “I’m fed up with her obnoxious behavior. We’ve tried to be nice. We’ve invited them to dinner. Several times. First they didn’t show up, and then they started fight after fight.” The dark look on Gillian’s face was the one reserved for whenever they talked about her parents-in-law. “Enough is enough. Either they come around or not. But I won’t try anymore. I think she realized today that no matter how expensive the presents she can’t win against us.”
“Us?” Happiness filled Sam.
“Yes. Us. We are their family.” Gillian said “I won’t ban their grandparents from their lives. But I won’t make excuses for them anymore.”
Sam tingled all over. Gillian had said ‘us’ and meant it. “Thank you.”
“No.” Gillian shook her head. “No. Thank you for coming into my life.”
“I think we found each other.”
“Yes, I think we did.”
The smell of grilled meat and charcoal hit Gillian’s nose as she stepped through the double glass doors, balancing two salad bowls and a plate of cheese on a tray. Sunlight slid through the trees’ canopy, bathing the newly installed wooden deck and the new teak furniture in a warm light. It was a wonderful May day with just a slight breeze. Perfect for a family barbecue.
She walked over to where Sam and Michael stood at the glowing grill, talking about the perfect wooden deck they had built over the past couple of weeks. Michael sported two Band-Aids on his fingers but had otherwise escaped unharmed.
“Hello, beautiful.”
Michael made a gagging noise.
Sam shot a grin his way. “I’m so looking forward to you having your first girlfriend.”
Michael gagged. “Never. I hate girls.”
Sam ruffled his hair. “Yeah, well. Believe me…that is going to change.”
The look on his face reminded Gillian of Margret’s earlier today. “How much longer do those need? I’m starving.” She pointed at the steaks that were slowly searing on the grill.
Sam took a gulp of her beer. “The burgers are just about ready.”
“Great. Michael, go and get Angela, please.”
“Okay.” Michael sat his glass down and hurried inside.
“Teasing him when he shows up with a girl will be great.” With a twinkle in her eyes, Sam tipped the bottle and emptied half of it in one swallow.
“And I’m looking forward to you teaching him all he needs to know about contraception.”
“Me? Why me?”
“Why not?” Gillian couldn’t help but laugh at the panicked expression on Sam’s face. “Want a kiss?”
Sam’s mouth curved into a slow, satisfied smile. “Always.”
Gillian’s mouth moved gently over Sam’s, not deepening the contact. “I’m looking forward to continuing what we started earlier.”
“Behind closed doors.”
“Absolutely.”
Sam chuckled.
With lots of laughter Angela and Michael stepped out on the deck.
Sam planted another kiss on Gillian’s lips before grabbing a plate. “All right. Who’s hungry?”
Gillian sighed. Maybe her life wasn’t all happily ever after—but it was damn near perfect.
ABOUT EMMA WEIMANN
Emma Weimann knew at an early age that she wanted to make a living as a writer. She knew exactly how and where she wanted to write the books that would pay for her house at the beach and the desk with a view of the ocean.
Even though she has had those dreams for over thirty years now, neither the house nor the desk exist. Not yet. But she’s making a living producing books, not just as a writer but also as a publisher, establishing Ylva Verlag and its international pendant, Ylva Publishing, in 2011 and 2012.
Connect with Emma Weimann online
Blog:
http://emmaweimann.wordpress.com/
E-mail:
[email protected]
OTHER BOOKS FROM YLVA PUBLISHING
WHEN THE CLOCK STRIKES THIRTEEN
Lois Cloarec Hart, L.T. Smith, Emma Weimann, Joan Arling, Diane Marina, Erzabet Bishop, R.G. Emanuelle
ISBN: 978-3-95533-126-9 (mobi), 978-3-95533-127-6 (epub)
Length: 57,000 words (175 pages)
Midnight Messages
by Lois Cloarec Hart
Luce Sheppard can’t ignore it any longer. She has to make a decision and time grows short. But refusing to make a decision is a decision, and she retires to bed, prepared to accept the results of her non-decision. That night an unexpected midnight visitor lands on her doorstep. Keira Keller, a distraught teenager, has lost her way home after a disastrous party. Luce steps in to help and in doing so receives answers to questions she didn’t know she’d asked.
Batteries Not Included
by L.T. Smith
Alex Stevens is a workaholic and a loner. Nothing and nobody can get past the cool exterior and solitary walls she has painstakingly created.
Until one night in October. One night that makes her step back and reassess what it means to be alive.
Lost and Found
by Emma Weimann
Laura Sullivan flees to her grandparents’ old cottage to escape the haunting memories of finding her brother in bed with her girlfriend. But even in rural Ireland, tranquility is easier to find than peace—especially when she meets an otherworldly being that leaves her a reminder she didn’t count on.
Chrysalis
by Joan Arling
Tara is a nice little girl. Her friends, on the other hand, are... peculiar... A breeze of a story. Or the other way ‘round.
Sisters of the Moon
by Diane Marina
The week before Halloween, Nicole joins her friends on a local ghost tour. In addition to visiting spooky sights and haunted grounds, she meets an enticing woman who makes her spine tingle. Who is the mysterious stranger? And how will the encounter end?
Wolf Moon
by Erzabet Bishop
Seeking diversion from her job as a bookstore manager, Lindsay goes to a Halloween party at a convention center—and finds much more than she bargained for.
Werewolf Detective Taggert responds to a bomb threat at the convention center. An explosive situation, especially when raw chemistry hits them full force.
Can Lindsay open her heart and accept the fierce love of a red-hot shifter, or will they go their separate ways?
Love Bites
by R.G. Emanuelle
New Orleans. Vampires. Jodi goes to the former and finds the latter. She feels a mysterious pull that leads her to The Big Easy and to freedom, passion, and the startling revelation of what having too many daiquiris can make her do.
HEARTS AND FLOWERS BORDER
(revised edition)
L.T. Smith
ISBN: 978-3-95533-180-1 (mobi), 978-3-95533-181-8 (epub)
Length: 72,000 words (291 pages)
A visitor from her past jolts Laura Stewart into memories—some funny, some heart-wrenching. Thirteen years ago, Laura buried those memories so deeply she never believed they would resurface. Still, the pain of first love mars Laura’s present life and might even destroy her chance of happiness with the beautiful, yet seemingly unobtainable Emma Jenkins.
Can Laura let go of the past, or will she make the same mistakes all over again?
Hearts and Flowers Border
is a simple tale of the uncertainty of youth and the first flush of love—love that may have a chance after all.