Imagined Love (33 page)

“Landon, I’ll be there in like ten minutes, okay? Let me say bye to Pierce right quick and I’ll be on my way. Okay . . . boy, shut up of course we’re dressed! I’ll see you in a few minutes,” she laughed then hung up and went right into Pierce’s arms. They held each other for a few minutes, neither wanting to let go. “I’ll call you tonight, okay?”

“Okay,” Pierce sighed.

It was with a sense of sadness that they finally let go of one another and drove off to their separate destinations. Pierce felt bad for trying to guilt Jade into canceling her plans but he just didn’t want to be without her. He could still smell traces of her perfume in his car and it drove him crazy. Every time they talked or spent time together he wanted her even more. Jade felt the same way. She was in love with Pierce and her heart ached whenever he wasn’t around. Even though she knew it was too soon, Jade daydreamed about being his wife and coming home to him and Dane everyday. She didn’t dare say it, though, for fear of scaring Pierce away. If only she knew how often he thought the same thing.

The week leading up to the Halloween party was unusually busy and Pierce and Jade didn’t get to see or talk to each other as much as they wanted. Landon and Jade were having every problem imaginable in regard to the upcoming wedding. Shipments were delayed, orders lost, and the bride who’d become suspicious of her groom-to-be was threatening to call the whole thing off! Jade had to work late nights to pull it all together and get everything back on track.

Pierce had to fill in two nights that week when Blake, the swing shift clerk, called in sick with the flu. He also had to meet Ms. Mathis for a parent-teacher conference at Dane’s preschool and find another Batman costume since the one he bought no longer fit. The ice machine broke and had to be repaired and some of his vendors didn’t have everything he’d ordered. It was all a bit overwhelming but not being able to have time with Jade was what frustrated Pierce most. So he decided to take some time with her even if it was just for a few minutes.

“Hey,” Jade smiled, after Landon escorted Pierce to her office. “This is a nice surprise.”

He placed the bags of food on her desk and squeezed her tight when she got up to hug him. “I miss you,” he whispered.

“Aw, I miss you too, babe.”

“Yeah I can vouch for that, brotha. If Jade’s not talking about you then she’s staring at your picture like a goofy ass teenage girl.”

“Was anybody talking to you? Get out of here,” she snapped.

Over their Kentucky Fried Chicken lunch Jade asked Pierce how the conference went with Dane’s teacher. She was proud to hear how well he was doing and how much Ms. Mathis adored him. What nearly made her cry was hearing how Dane told his whole class that his mommy wrote the best stories in the world! Jade’s heart melted knowing he thought of her that way. She definitely thought of him as her son and said as much when clients asked about the picture of him on her desk. Pierce thought Jade would flip out once she learned Dane had volunteered her to come to his class to read one of her stories, but she was fired up about it. She even asked him to get a list of all the students so she could use their names in a story she planned to write specifically for them.

“You’re awesome, you know that? Thank you so much,” Pierce said, as he planted a soft kiss on her lips. “Ooh, tastes like chicken,” he laughed. “Well, I know you’re busy so I’m gonna head out. I just wanted a few minutes with my favorite girl to let you know how much I miss you. I’m looking forward to the party Saturday. I can’t wait to meet Laura Charles,” he smiled. “So I was thinking I could pick you up at around seven. I’ll take Dane to his party and to my mom’s for

the thing she has planned for the kids. Then I can take off to come get you and we’ll go the grownups’ party.”

“Oh, okay,” Jade said, looking close to tears.

“What’s wrong, babe? Why are you about to cry?”

“I’m sorry. I just assumed I was going with you to take Dane to his party. But I’ll wait until you come to get me at seven.”

“Come here, babe,” Pierce cooed, taking Jade into his arms. “I would love for you to come with me and Dane. I always want you with us. So please don’t look at me with those sad eyes. I can’t take it. Shoot, you almost had me about to cry up in here.”

A panicked phone call from the caterers brought their lunch to an end. Jade thanked him for bringing her favorite KFC meal and kissed him goodbye. Despite all of the issues she had at work that day, Jade couldn’t wipe the smile from her face. It was wonderful to feel loved.

Things ran a little late at the reception and Jade didn’t get home until nearly six o’clock. She ended up missing Dane’s party anyway after making such a big deal about it and she felt bad. Pierce told her not to worry about it and that he’d be there to get her within the hour. Jade rushed to get showered and dressed in the black leather outfit Laura Charles wore in The Last Dragon when she asked Leroy to be her bodyguard. She was just about to put on her wig and makeup when Pierce knocked on the door.

“Oh babe, look at you,” she cooed and rubbed his clean shaven face. “You look so cute,” Jade smiled, admiring him in his black karate uniform. “But you look like you’re about fifteen years old! Folks are gonna think I’m your sugar mama in this tight leather while you’re standing there looking all innocent and pure,” she laughed. “You look good, though, babe . . . my Bruce Leroy Green.”

“You look hot! Shoot, you might need to wear this around the house sometimes,” Pierce said, rubbing his hands across her hips. “Yeah, we could have fun with this.”

Jade invited him to join her in the bedroom while she finished getting ready.

“So this is the queen’s lair, huh? And look at that bed!” he marveled, taking in everything. “Wow, it’s like a resort in here.”

“My dad always used to say your bedroom should be the best, most comfortable room in the house. So I put a lot of time and energy into making sure my bedroom is.”

“I see,” Pierce said and was about to hop on her bed but changed his mind.

“It’s okay, babe,” Jade chuckled. “Nobody’s slept on those sheets and comforter but me. It’s safe.”

“Aw man, am I that obvious?”

“I can’t lie. I thought the same thing in your room that night we took Dane to the emergency room.”

“Really? Well, there’s nothing to worry about on my end. My little guy is the only other person that’s been in my bed. Well, I hope so,” Pierce frowned, as a disturbing thought came to mind. “Hawn and Roland have stayed at my place to watch Dane and . . . ugh, I don’t even wanna think . . . yeah let’s change the subject.”

Jade giggled at the expression on Pierce’s face like he had a nasty taste in his mouth. “I’m sure hearing about my past isn’t the most appealing thing right now but I don’t want you to think I’ve been knocking back a string of dudes in here because it’s not like that. In fact, a lot of things you might assume have happened haven’t. But I just want you to know that even though I’m not innocent, I’m not a whore either.”

“I never thought you were, babe,” he said then took a seat on her bed. “But you don’t owe me any explanations. We both have pasts. And I don’t mind talking about it, but I don’t want you to feel like you have to explain or defend yourself. I’m not in any position to pass judgment on you and . . . whoa, what is this? Oh, so it’s like that? I told you to show me all your pictures but you got a private stash back here! Umm huh, I see how you do me,” Pierce teased, admiring the provocative shot of Jade on her nightstand. “Where did this come from?”

“Tamara wanted to get these boudoir shots done as a present to Jamel. She said she was nervous to go by herself and asked me to go with her. The truth was she just wanted me to take some too. I thought it was like porno type junk at first but when I saw some of the pictures the photographer had taken I thought they looked nice. And at that time I was still trying to get over the whole baby thing so I needed a pick me up. I felt really low and unattractive and just bad, you know? So I took the pictures.”

Pierce asked why she hid them in her room and if he could see the rest of them. Jade stared at him for a moment trying to decide if she should share that part of herself with him.

“They’re in the top drawer right there,” she said, pointing to her nightstand. Then she turned back towards the mirror to apply her lipstick.

“These are magnificent, Jade. Each and every one of them is amazing,” Pierce said after he’d taken his time savoring each of the six shots of her. “You are definitely one of the true beauties of this world and I don’t know how you could ever not see that.”

“It can happen, trust me. When I look at those pictures the first thing that comes to mind is the baby. I should’ve had a little bump but instead I had just lost the weight and was trying to forget the whole thing. And you know the crazy part about it is before that I was too scared to exercise and I was really careful about

what I ate because I didn’t want anything to happen to the baby. Then I was the monster that . . .” she began to cry.

Pierce got up to embrace Jade. “You have to forgive yourself, babe,” he whispered in her ear. “We’ve all made mistakes and did things we regret but it doesn’t make us bad people. It just makes us human. You’re not a monster, Jade, you just made a mistake. So cut yourself a break, okay?” he asked, holding her closer to him. “You’re one of the sweetest, most wonderful human beings I’ve ever met and my life is so much better because you’re in it. I don’t know what Dane and I would do without you.” Pierce wanted to tell Jade he loved her but feared it might scare her off. She’d said numerous times how little faith she had in those words because of her experiences with the men who’d said them to her. “Now stop this crying because you know I can’t take it,” he smiled and wiped away her tears. “But I promise to do everything in my power to help your heart heal. Will you let me?” Jade nodded at him. “Uh uh, what are you supposed to say?”

“Oh lord . . . yes, Pierce,” she smiled.

“That’s right. Now let’s go have some fun, alright? Come on, sugar mama, let’s roll.”

They had a wonderful time at the party and by the end of the night Pierce wanted nothing more than to make love to Jade. However, after the meltdown she’d had at her apartment he knew she still needed more time. And he was more than willing to give it to her. As far as Pierce was concerned, Jade was definitely worth the wait.

Over the next few weeks Pierce, Jade, and Dane spent as much time together as possible. They made it a priority to have dinner together most nights. After homework and bath time Jade snuggled with Dane and read her stories to him. His favorite one was the Halloween caper she read to his class. He was the hero who solved the case of the missing candy with the help of his classmates. Ms. Mathis was thoroughly impressed and told Jade people would buy her stories in a heartbeat if she ever chose to make a career of writing for children. Jade was incredibly flattered but for the time being was content just writing for her little guy and seeing the pride and happiness in his face when she read to him.

“I love you, Mommy,” Dane had said one night as he drifted off to sleep in her arms. Jade whispered she loved him too as she rocked him and ran her fingers through his hair. Pierce snapped a picture of the two of them which she kept on her living room table. It still amazed her how much Dane looked like he was really her son. And she sometimes wondered if having him in her life was a chance to make up for the horrible mistake she made. Perhaps loving him like her very own would finally free her of the guilt she still carried in her heart. Whatever the reason, Jade loved Dane very much and his daddy too and she hoped they could be a family.

Both Jade’s and Pierce’s family and friends already viewed them as such. Landon, Gabrielle, and Willa spoiled Dane rotten and referred to him as their nephew and grandson. And whenever Jade was with Pierce’s family she was constantly called sister, daughter, or Dane’s mommy. Though, the one person she wanted to call her future wife had yet to say it. Out of all the many things Jade and Pierce had discussed, marriage wasn’t one of them. He always said they had a future together and he wanted her in his life but he never talked about marrying her. She tried not to read too much into it. After all, they’d only been together for three months. And Jade knew they weren’t ready to get married anyway. However, she couldn’t help feeling hurt that maybe Pierce didn’t see that as part of the plan.

On Saturday morning Dane called to invite Jade over for breakfast. After they ate, Pierce asked her to join them for a movie that afternoon but she needed to do some work at the office and run a few errands. True, she could have done it later but thought it was better for father and son to have some time alone. They’d been including Jade for guy time ever since the three of them had their first dinner together. And even though she loved being with them, she thought it was important for Pierce and Dane to have their special time. Things didn’t quite work out that way, though.

“Ugh, I’m tired of this dude,” Pierce vented when Blake called in sick again. “Hey, little man, I’m sorry but Daddy has to go work at the store. I’ll try to take you to the movies tomorrow, okay? Go get your things together and I’ll call Grandma. Hopefully she’s at home and you can hang out with her.”

“Okay, Dad,” Dane said then ran to his room.

Jade followed Pierce to his bedroom and closed the door behind her. “Hey.”

“Hey,” he smiled, not quite sure what was about to happen.

“I was thinking Dane could come with me if you don’t mind. I’m going to the office for about an hour and then to the store and back to my apartment. He can hang out with me, I mean, if you’re comfortable with that.”

“Of course I feel comfortable. You know I trust you with Dane. I’m starting to think he likes you better anyway,” Pierce laughed. “But seriously, thank you for wanting to take him. I really do appreciate it, sweet lady,” he said then kissed her cheek. “I’m going to make some phone calls and set up interviews for Monday morning. I’ve tried to be patient with Blake because he’s Mama’s so called godson but this is just too much. I need somebody who actually wants a job.”

Jade was listening but she couldn’t stop staring at Pierce’s body as he changed from a jogging suit into a pair of jeans and a sweatshirt. Captain America indeed, she thought as her mind went straight to the gutter! Thankfully Dane came knocking on the door before Jade did or said anything to get herself into trouble.

“Okay, boy, be on your best behavior. I’m serious. Jade has my permission to beat your butt if you act crazy. Then I’m gonna beat your butt, you hear me?”

“He’ll be fine, babe, don’t worry. You’re my good boy right, Dane? So say bye to Daddy so we can go have some fun.”

They both kissed Pierce goodbye then headed out to her office. Landon and Gabrielle were thrilled to see Dane and they spent an hour running around the house playing with him while Jade finished her work. They tried to convince her to stay for dinner but she wanted time alone with her little guy. They went shopping at Wal-Mart, rented a movie, and picked up a cheese pizza from Little Caesar’s. Dane was a joy to have and he and Jade spent the majority of their time talking and laughing with one another.