Her Chocolate Fantasy (12 page)

“But he told me he would come and visit when he could
.At first, I was angry, but then I realized how selfish I was being, going around pouting and feeling sorry for myself, and I told him that if opportunity knocks at your door with something like this, he shouldn’t let it go.”

“What about
you
letting
him
go? You never know what will happen when he gets to New York. He’ll be too busy with work to call, too tired to call you, and as far as flying in, he won’t have time for that. I think it’s time, my dear, for you to do what you said you were going to do a long time ago.”

“What do you mean?”

“Open your own shop! Moving to New York would be great, and there are schools that will teach you more than what we’ve been teaching you. That way, you both can make a new life, but you will be together. Have you at least talked with him about that?”

I shook my head
. Charlotte and I had talked years ago about me opening up my own chocolate shop. I showed her some recipes I had concocted ,and we even tried some of them out. Some were good and some were pretty awful. If you must know, the Dark Fire Truffle was my idea. I had talked and talked about what I would have in my shop, how my shop would look, inside and out. It was always my dream, but of course, I would need to go to school. “I really never thought about us living in New York together. I don’t know how he’d feel about that idea.”

“Well
, when you two are alone, you talk it out and see what he says. That’s the best you can do to seal your faith and your future together.” She quickly started her breathing exercises and the machines went off, sounding some kind of alarm.

“Should they be going off like that?”

“Only when my contractions are like they are right now.” She continued breathing as she muttered something in French that I really didn’t understand.

Andre came back into the room
.“Darling, vousallezbien?”

“Has the doctor come yet
? Her contractions are coming along.” I asked.

“I just talked with her at the nurses’ station
and she’s on her way in here now. Ma chérie, ilsuffit de tenir le.” Andre walked over to her and took her hand as he looked into her eyes.

Soon
, a middle-aged woman with short, brown hair, wearing a white doctor’s jacket and a stethoscope around her neck, came walking in. She had a smile on her face and her brown eyes lit up when she saw Charlotte.

“Hello
, my dear. The nurse said you were three centimeters dilated the last time she checked you. I had to remind them that you are supposed to be having a C-section since you are having twins. I am going to have the anesthesiologist come to start the epidural in about thirty minutes or so. How have the contractions been for you?”

“Oh
, my back is killing me. I swear they are kicking goals in my stomach. They want out. Ever since they gave me that stuff to make the contractions stronger, it’s like the World Cup in my stomach.”

Everyone laughed a bit at Charlotte’s comment
, and I could only imagine how much pain she must be going through. But I knew that she and Andre had been trying for years to conceive a child, and after dealing with in vitro, they finally got pregnant. The fact they were having twins was double the blessing, in their eyes. I was happy for them. No couple deserved more happiness than Andre and Charlotte did.

“Well
, in thirty minutes, I’ll have Steve come and do the epidural for you. Just keep doing your breathing. Once you get that epidural, you’ll be able to relax and sleep a bit.” She patted Charlotte’s hand and looked over at the machine before leaving us alone again.

“At least you’ll get some relief,”
I told her.

“Yeah
, but remember what I said. Think about it, and when you feel it’s the right time to tell him, then go and tell him. But don’t wait too long, or he’ll be gone.”

Letting out a sigh, I nodded
, just as Max walked into the room. He carried a vase of red roses and a Mylar balloon that said CONGRADULATIONS in bold, colorful lettering.

“Oh my,
look at the cute balloons and the roses, how beautiful. Thank you so much, Max, for the flowers and balloon,” Charlotte said.

Max set the gifts
on the small nightstand next to the bed.

“How are you feeling?”
he asked.

“Oh
, I’ll feel better once the pain is gone.”

Max looked over at me, giving me that sweet smile and a wink
, and I smiled back at him.

“Why don’t you two go into the waiting room and talk for a bit, Max
? Sarah has been dying to talk with you about something that’s been on her mind.”

I shot Charlotte a look
, but she had that mischievous smile on her face. She was up to no good, even though she was having contractions.

“You wanted to talk with me?”

Lord, what did she get me into? I made my way over to him.

“Why don’t we go
and talk?” I gave Charlotte the eye, but she just giggled, all happy and pregnant.

I swear
, you got to love that woman’s tenacity.

We walked down the hall, hand in hand
, to the huge waiting area. I decided we should sit over in the corner, away from other people that were sitting around.

“I’m glad we are getting the chance to talk
. I’ve missed seeing your face these past couple of days,” Max told me, gently rubbing my cheek.

God
, my skin missed his touch. I held his hand tightly. “Really, well, what I’ve wanted to talk with you about is something I’ve had on my mind for a long time but never had the chance to go forward with.”

“Would you think about moving with me to New York
, Sarah?”

Damn
, was he reading my mind, or what? “What did you say?”

“Listen, I’ve been giving it some thought these past couple of weeks. I don’t want you out of my life for a second
. I want you around…near me all the time, 24/7. My place is big enough for both of us. Plus, there is plenty of work and opportunity for you to do what you want. I have you in my life, and if I was to move to New York and you stayed here in Georgia, then I wouldn’t know what to do, sitting around thinking about you and what you are doing and not being able to hold you when it starts to thunder outside. Who’s going to be here for you when that happens? I can’t have you away from me, and we are getting to know each other day by day. I want you with me in New York. So what do you say?” He was smiling and obviously serious about what he was saying.

I honestly couldn’t help but laugh a little
. I swear it was like he had been reading my mind. “You know, before you came back here, Charlotte was telling me about how I needed to move with you to New York. She told me not to let you go now that I’ve got you. How if we were apart, you would be too busy with work to be able to come and see me, much less talk to me as often as I would want you to. You see, I’ve always wanted to learn how to do more with chocolate. I’ve been going to the shop for years, and Andre and Charlotte have showed me what they know, but of course, I need to learn more. I need to go to school.”

“So
, why don’t you come with me? This is great. We can find you a school that will be able to teach you about being a chocolatier. After you’ve finished school, we can find you a shop, and you can get started being what you really want to be. I know you can do it, Sarah, from what you’ve told me and how well you did that day at the shop. You’ve got a gift. And really, you are wasting it away working in an office. So what do you say? You can come and start this new adventure, and I will be there for you every single step of the way.”

This was crazy
. Honestly, the whole idea was crazy, but when I looked into those eyes of his, eyes I couldn’t stop staring at for a second, eyes I could only imagine waking up to each morning, I knew I was hooked. Who wouldn’t want to run away with someone like Max? “If I was to go, it will take me a while to get things situated here.”

“You can take all the time you need to get your things in order
. I’ll be waiting for you once you get off that plane at Kennedy with open arms and plenty of kisses.” He gave me a kiss on the lips.

We stopped to look at each other, our foreheads
resting together, and I smiled. “What in the world am I going to do with you, Mr. Taylor?”

“Anything you want to do with me
, Ms. Alexander, anything you want.” He punctuated his words with a chuckle. “We are going to make something of ourselves in New York, sweetheart, just you wait and see.”

Chapter
Fourteen

Andre Basile Lamoure Junior and Armand Fabien Lamoure were born at 8:25 and 8:30 a.m. the following day. Andre was seven pounds, ten ounces, and twenty inches long, while Armand was seven pounds, eleven ounces, and twenty and a half inches long. Both were cute as a button. I finally had the chance to hold them after the doctors thoroughly checked them out.

“They are both adorable,” I said
, holding a sleeping Armand. He held my finger in his little hand, and he already had a strong grip.

Only
Charlotte and I were in the room, since she was breastfeeding Andre, and the men decided to give her some privacy.

“So
, did you guys talk?” she asked me, adjusting herself with the baby.

“Yes
, we did.”

“And the verdict was
?”

“Well
, it looks like I’ll be moving to New York and going off to school.”

Armand coo
ed a bit and yawned, as if he approved of what I was saying.

“Good, I’m glad
. Even though we will miss you at the shop, I honestly think it’s for the best.”

I could tell she wa
s sad by the look in her eyes, but this was a new adventure in my life, as well as a new beginningof a better life with a man I’ve loved for what seemed like forever. “It’s not like I won’t call to check up on my godsons and to chat with you and Andre. Plus, Max and I can come visit, so it’s not all bad.”

“Oh
, I know. It’s just I’m so happy that you’ve found love at last; you are deserving of it.” Charlotte looked down at Andre, who was now moving away from her breast, which meant he was done feeding.

The baby
started to cry a bit when she wiped his face, his little arms flailing in obvious frustration at her unwanted attention.
Poorlittleman
, I thought. I would want my mommy to stop wiping my face too.

“Let’s trade off
because it’s time for Armand to be fed,” She wrapped Andreup.

I got to
my feet and handed Armand to her, as she handed Andre to me. Boy was he a fussy little booger, I thought, while he continued to kick and fuss.

“Now
, we won’t be having that, little man.” I walked over to the window, holding him on my shoulder, and he slowly started to calm down. “All this fussing and stuff is not going to do. Your godmother said so.”

I started to laugh and looked over to see Charlotte giggling. But you know what
? He did stop a bit and looked at me with brilliant blue eyes just like his father’s. He started cooing and gurgling, as if he were trying to flirt with me, the little booger. I gave him a small kiss on the forehead, smelling that baby smell along with the smell of the baby powder from the wipe his mom used on his face. I think he enjoyed my kiss, because started cooing even more.

“I think you’ve got a flirt in the making here
, Charlotte.” I sat down in the chair, letting him lie down along my legs, which I had put together so he could be comfortable while I undid the blanket a bit to let him fully wiggle around. His little legs went up in the air, and his feet and arms went going left and right.

The door slowly opened a bit
, and Andre asked, “Is it alright to come inside?”

I looked over at Charlotte, who had gotten a small blanket and covered her chest while Andre was feeding. She nodded and I said, “Yes
, come on in.”

In walked Andre and Max
. Max walked over and knelt before me while I played with the baby.

“Look at the little booger go
.” He let the baby grab hold of his finger. “How are you feeling today?”

“Oh
, I’m a bit tired but fine. We are going to have to be leaving soon, even though I’m having too much fun with the babies. But I think Daddy needs to have some alone time with his sons.” I looked over at Andre.

Hecame
over to me and smiled as I slowly gathered his son and handed the bundle to him. I then got up and went to Charlotte.

“I’ll give you a call later on to check up on you. Get yourself some rest
, alright?” I gave her a kiss on the forehead, went to Andre and gave him a kiss on the cheek and small hug, and then Max and I left the happy family alone.

“What did Don say when you called into work?”

“I told him I was going to be putting in my two weeks’ notice. He was shocked, but I said this was something that needed to be done. He didn’t completely understand, but he told me I was going to be missed, because I really helped him out and such with new employees and all. I told him I would be in tomorrow, since I had something I needed to take care of today.”

We walked out into the afternoon air
as I took a deep breath in and slowly started to feel a bit refreshed.

Max wrapped an arm
around my waist.

“Still going to cook me something to eat?”
I asked.

“Of course I will
. Let’s go to your place.”

W
e headed toward the parking deck.

Later, a
fter a lovely salmon salad lunch, we just lounged around on my couch. I lay up against Max’s chest, my feet propped up against the arm of the couch. I didn’t have the television on to distract us; this was our time together after being away from each other for days. I watched while his arm extended with mine, our fingers entwined into one fist.

“
I talked with my friend about using his place in Florida for the weekend, and he said it was a go.”

“That sounds great
. I honestly can’t wait to get away from here and be alone, just you and me, sitting along the beach,” I told him.

He gave me a little squeeze, and I sighed, enjoying having
him with me. I’d really missed him.

“Are you excited about coming to New York with me?”

I smiled and said, “I’ve never been more excited about anything in my life. I admit I’m a bit scared, but in a good way. We’re about to embark on a whole new adventure, and I know it’ll be worth all the changes. As long as we have each other, things will be just fine for us both.”

“Indeed
, they will be, sweetheart.”

The rest of the evening we
spent lying on the couch, and then in the bedroom, where we once again held each other. Sure, we could have made love that night, but that night, I just wanted him to hold me, to feel his warmth as he enveloped me in his arms. To have that feeling of being safe and loved by the beautiful man. I don’t know how the hell I ended up getting so lucky, but I did when I found him. Now, we would be enjoying our life together as a couple.

* * * *

“Oh, my God,” Darla exclaimed.

I had just gotten in to work and
told her I planned on leaving my job.

“You can’t be serious about leaving
, Sarah.”

Letting out a huge sigh, I looked at her and could tell she was about to go into emotional mode
; she was already starting to tear up. “Don’t start crying, Darla. Damn…”

“But I didn’t think you were going to leave your job
! Why are you going to leave?”

“
If
you
had the opportunity to find love
and
you were able to live out your dreams with the man you love, you would go for it, too. I have that opportunity with Max. I’m going to go to school to become a chocolatier, and then I’ll have my own chocolate shop where I can sell my own candies. And I will be with the man I’ve loved for years now. I don’t want to lose what we have together; things wouldn’t be the same if he went to New York and I stayed here. You would probably do the same thing if you were in my situation,” I told her.

“You know you
’re crazy, running off like this.”

“Why am I crazy? What if you were in my
situation and it was Erik, and he was the guy you had wanted for years? Then all of a sudden, he was told he had to up and move to another city, right when you two were getting to really know each other. All of a sudden, you can’t see your life without him being in it, and he feels the same way. Plus, if I go, I’ll be able to live out my dreams, but I won’t be alone. I’ll be with the man I love. So, even though you might think I’m crazy, I’m not.”

Darla just looked at me
for a moment, then slowly she smiled while nodding. She apparently understood…finally. “Well, I hope you call me and let me know how you are, or maybe even come back to visit.”

“You know I plan on coming to visit
. I have to; I’m a godmother, now, to the twins. Plus you’re one of my best friends, so I can’t forget about you.”

I held her hand,
and she gave me a halfhearted smile, but then she pulled me in for big hug. Suddenly, I got all emotional, and we found ourselves sobbing in each other’s arms.We must’ve made some noise, because Erik came wheeling around the corner.

“What’s wrong?”
he asked.

We
jerked away from each other, and I went into my desk to find a napkin or something to wipe the tears from my face. Lord knows, I hadn’t planned on coming into work and starting the day off crying like a baby, but my emotions got the better of me.

“Oh
, sorry, Erik dear, but we were just talking and all,” Darla told him.

“I’m sorry
you’re leaving, Sarah. I hope wherever you go, you’ll find what you’re looking for.”

“Thank you
, Erik. I know I will. Well, let’s get back to work, then.”

My phone rang, and
I sniffled a little before I picked up the receiver. “Hello, this is Sarah.”

“Hello
, Sarah, this is Don. Listen, I wanted to let you know I really hate that you will be leaving us. You’ve been with us for a number of years, and you’ve been a huge asset to the company. Some of us here in the office have decided to give you a party at the end of your time here.”

I honestly didn’t know what in the world to say
; lord knows, I wasn’t expecting any kind of sendoff from the office, let alone a party. I mean, yeah, they did that kind of thing here, but usually only for employees who’d been with the company for like twenty years or so. I hadn’t been there anywhere near that long, and I sure as heck didn’t know they considered me such a huge asset. “This is totally unexpected, Don, but very much appreciated. I want to thank you, as well, for being so nice to me over the years.”

He
sighed. “You’re welcome, Sarah, and I’ll let you know when and where we plan on having the party.”

“Thank you
.Goodbye.”

After disconnecting the call
, I decided to check up on Charlotte, since I didn’t have anything else to do at the moment. I rang the hospital’s main number.

“
Yes, Mrs. Lamoure’s room, please. Thank you,”I said to the receptionist. A moment later, Andre answered Charlotte’s phone.

“Hello?”
he said.

“Hello
, Andre, it’s Sarah. How’s the proud papa doing today?”

“The papa is doing great
. How are you, my dear Sarah?”

“Doing just fine
. I was calling to see how everyone was doing.”

“Well
, Charlotte is resting right now, and I was about to leave for the shop; Charlotte asked me to go get some of her favorite chocolates.”

“How long would it take you to get to the shop?” I asked.

“Probably ten minutes. Why do you ask?”

“Well
, I need some dark and milk chocolate to make some sauces for something I’m making this weekend. I wanted to come by on my lunch break and get some. Would that be okay?”

“Why
, sure. When is your break?”

“Oh
, not for another fifteen minutes or so. Do you think you’ll be there then?”

“But of course
! I’ll meet you at the shop at noon.”

“Thanks
, Andre, goodbye.”

“Getting ready for the weekend
, I see,” Darla said me, having obviously eavesdropped on my conversation…as always.

“Yes
, I am. Max and I are going to Florida to a bungalow along the beach. I really can’t wait for us to be alone again. He has to leave two days later, so I might as well make the best of the time we have now, until I wrap things up here and join him. So, I plan on having my ultimate fantasy with him.”

“You don’t mean the”
—she wheeled over next to me and whispered—“human sundae?”

I gave
her an evil grin, then turned back to my work, work until it was time to go to the shop to get the chocolate.

* * * *

After dealing with numerous calls, an argument with someone in Dallas over a report, and trying to find a missing file—that I finally realized, after searching for over an hour, wasn’t lost at all; it was right there on my desk the entire time—it was good to be home with my man.