REBORN (Metamorphosis Book 1) (10 page)

I stopped reading and took a sip of my tea.

"I see a smile on your face," Kayden said with a smile of his own.

"I was thinking about how much I want to know about you, how much we need to learn about each other."

  He pointed to his lap and said, "It seems I have heard that before.  Come here." I took the hand he extended to me and he pulled me to his lap.

"We don’t know the little stuff but we know the important ones."

"I was thinking the same thing," I told him.

"Nevertheless we need to make it a point to get to know each other better; I already know your outside pretty well and quite a bit of your inside," he said with a smirk, his voice playful.  I mock hit him on his shoulder, turning red despite myself.  I didn’t know I could still be embarrassed about such things; for God's sake I am a mother!  He grabbed both hands and kissed me deeply, passionately, and everything was forgotten.

"One thing I know is that you get lost in my kisses; they are a major turn-on for you."

I felt him twitch under me. "I think they are a turn-on for you too."

"They certainly are," he responded.

And then there was a knock on the door. "Saved by the door."  Kayden sat me back on my chair and went to open the door.

I stared at him as he walked away.  He was such a gorgeous man!  He was wearing loose-fitting black drawstring linen pants that fell just below his waist, a grey T-shirt that accentuated his muscles, and nothing else.  His dark short hair was still wet, and when he turned back I could see his dimples when he smiled; shaking his head he asked,

"Ready?"

"Not by a mile," I responded.

"It's going to be another long day," he said with a smirk.

And I knew exactly what he was talking about.

We drove to the hospital in silence.  Kayden decided to stay behind, claiming he had too much work to do.  I knew better, I knew he wanted to give the kids some privacy with their grandmother.  I appreciated him for that.  We arrived at the hospital just a few minutes after nine thirty.  Having Paul drive us made all the difference in the world; he was able to maneuver through the insane rush hour traffic with the finesse of a maestro.  The hotel had arranged for a limo instead of the Town Car so that we could all fit comfortably, or maybe it was Kayden who arranged for it.  He thought about every detail to make the circumstances more bearable.

Kayden was right; it was a very long day!  I missed him terribly, and I expected any minute to feel his hand on my shoulder as I leaned into him.  But he stayed away, which made everyone but me more relaxed. 

The kids all had a chance to say their goodbyes to their grandmother.  They each had some individual time with her to tell her about their lives and their dreams. I ran around looking for the doctors and nurses who could give me more information about her prognosis.  It was not good; her primary physician did not expect her to make it past the weekend.  We all cried and hugged each other. 

I was still in shock when I arrived at the hotel.  Kayden was on the phone as he looked at me. "I'll call you back later," he said to whoever was on the other end and then hung up.  He came up to me and just took me in his arms; he hugged me so tight that I thought he had squeezed all the air out of me.  But I held onto him as if holding for dear life; then for the second time in a few days I just cried until my tears drenched his shirt.  No words were spoken; he knew instinctively that I needed his strength, I just needed to be held, and he gave me what I needed.

After what seemed like hours we walked to the sofa and he lay me down.  He went to the bedroom and got an extra blanket and covered me, then off to the small kitchen and made some tea.  I did not say a word, and neither did he.  He came back to the sofa, and lifted me so he could get in under me.  My head leaned on him while I sipped the hot tea; it was warm, sweetened with honey and a touch of cream, just the way I like it.

Finally Kayden took a deep breath and then spoke, "I made a dinner reservation at Azul for eight thirty, I figured it would be good to get out of the room, but I can cancel it if you want."

"No, I agree with you, we need to get out of here before we start getting claustrophobic.  Is the reservation for the two of us or for six?"

"I made it for both, I figured I'd let you decide."

"Six, I think we need to be together."

"Six it will be."

Turning my head so that I could look at him in the eyes I said, "Thank you," in a way that we both knew how much his gesture meant to me.  And he responded with the most gentle of kisses, a healing kiss that told me much more than words could convey. 

Dinner at Azul is quite a gastronomical experience under different circumstances; tonight it felt over the top.  How could we be having a good time at an extravagant restaurant while my mother's life was in jeopardy?  And yet I knew that my mother would want me to go on with my life.  Regardless, I felt guilty by the mere fact I was there while she was in a near-by hospital.

Kayden sat next to me, his arm over my shoulders in a possessive way, claiming his territory.  Julian sat next to Damien, who looked at me with daggers in his eyes.  When the waitress came for the drink order, Kayden ordered sake for us and a selection of sushi and maki rolls for the table, while Julian ordered scotch on the rocks for himself and iced tea for the kids.

"I've never seen you drink scotch before," I told Julian.

"I never knew you drank Sake," he responded.  I just shook my head.

Kayden squeezed my shoulder as if to say let it go.  I did not respond, did not have the energy to get into a debate with Julian in front of everyone.  Julian gulped down his drink and ordered another.  Vickie admonished him, and he stopped.  Fortunately the waitress returned for our order.  Despite my lack of appetite I had to admit dinner was delicious and I ended up eating most of it, from the appetizers to the last dessert.  We ate mostly in silence, making small talk and remembering stories about my mother, laughing about her quirks, just being glad that she had been part of our lives.  Kayden rubbed my arm throughout the meal, letting go of me only to cut his steak.  He knew how much I needed his touch and he didn’t spare me from it.  In that moment of total unselfish devotion, I think I fell in love with him.  I knew it was too soon and perhaps it was just a figment of my imagination, but I felt loved in his touch. 

Chapter Eight

Julian had arranged to pay the bill when he excused himself to go to the bathroom; it was a matter of pride for him.  No other man was going to pay for his family, especially not one accompanying his ex-wife.  Kayden understood and did not force the issue.  After dinner we went to the bar where I ordered a Baileys on the rocks and Kayden ordered Zacapa XO straight.  He took my hand and walked me to the beach.  We walked along the shore sipping our drinks and talking about the place.  It was a beautiful night; the stars were out and a wonderful breeze caressed our skin.

"Tell me about your mother," he said.

"What's to say?"

"Anything that comes to mind."

"My mother was born in Puerto Rico.  She grew up in an extremely poor matriarchal family where the head of the household was her maternal grandmother.  Her mother died when my mother was only fifteen and she had to quit school in order to help support the family.  At sixteen she met my father, the son of a very well respected local merchant.  She was beautiful and considered a catch, he was handsome and considered well to do.  They married a year later.  I was born before my mother's eighteenth birthday.  The reality is that had my mother had different circumstances she would have never married my father.  She always said that it was a marriage of convenience, not of love."

"Lucky me she married him and therefore had you."

I smiled and snuggled to his side.  "It was a difficult marriage to say the least.  All I remember was the fighting.  One day the fighting stopped. I was five years old.  Imagine a round-faced shy little girl all alone in the middle of a huge house.  My mother had left and it was hours before my father came home from work.  The next day we moved to my grandparents' house.  I did not see my mother until I was eight and only for a few minutes.  She had come to celebrate my birthday and my father kicked her out of the house.  The next time I saw her again I was eleven and my father had died." 

He stopped walking abruptly and hugged me.  And then he said, "Let's go back to the room, we can talk another time."

With those words we left the beach and my family, who had gathered outside at the terrace.

In the distance I heard Julian's voice, "What does he want from her?"  Vickie answered, "She looks happy with him, don't you want her to be happy?"

The next morning I woke up with an excruciating headache and a physical need to exercise.  I had been sedentary for the last few days, and if I continued to eat and drink the way I had last night I was going to end up weighing two hundred pounds.  I had to get moving!  Kayden was sound asleep. I got up quietly and headed for the bathroom to get ready; before I realized it I felt his arms around me. 

"So you thought you were going to escape from me." I turned around in the circle of his arms and found him looking down at me wearing nothing but a smile.

"I have to get some exercise, you won't like the way I get when I don't work out.

"Let me help you with that then."

"Oh no; I'm going to the gym to hit a treadmill for at least an hour."

"Don't you think I can keep your heart rate up for at least an hour?  I am wounded."

"Stop trying to distract me.  I need to workout in a non- sexual way for at least an hour before going to the hospital."

"You are definitely no fun this morning; give me five minutes to get ready and I'll go with you."

Kayden and I ran side by side for forty-five minutes.  For a forty-three-year-old-man he looked amazing.  He had the body of a twenty-year-old and the stamina of an eighteen-year-old.  I certainly hoped I could keep up with him because I had neither the same body nor the stamina.  Perhaps Julian was right; what did he want from me?

"Hey, come back to reality.  Where did you go?"

"Just thinking about something I heard Julian say last night."

"Stop; please don't pay any attention to anything that nincompoop has to say.  The man was a fool for letting you go and an even bigger fool for thinking he can get you back now.  You are mine now; there is nothing I will not do to keep you.  I don't intend losing you."

"Why me, Kayden?  You could have just about any woman you choose.  You are very attractive, wealthy, healthy, and great in bed.  I would have thought you would want some twenty- something by your side."

"Now you are offending me.  I had several of those twenty- something who all they wanted was the status a wealthy man can bring them.  They kept my attention for about forty-eight hours, if they were that lucky.  This is the first time I have been seriously interested in a woman since Megan died.  I didn't think I could find what I had with her with anyone else; I knew I could find it with you the moment you bumped into me and I looked into your eyes.  I can't explain it, not even to myself, but I felt kindness and need in your eyes."

"I knew that my clumsiness would pay off one day!"

"Let's go upstairs and take a shower." Then he leaned to my ear and said, "and if you are really good we can continue our exercise session in the shower."

I must have been exceptionally good, because that session lasted quite a while. 

Unfortunately by ten both my cell and the room phones were ringing off the hook.  Kayden and I had laid down for a short nap after almost two hours of physical activities and had fallen asleep.  I answered the room phone first; big mistake, it was Julian.  "Are you okay? We have been calling all morning."

"Of course I am okay Julian, I just went to work out and after took a shower and decided to get back to bed."  Kayden laughed at my omission of our other activities; I had to cover the receiver so that Julian would not hear.

"What do you need, Julian?"  My voice was curt, impatient.

"We just wanted to know if you would like to eat before going to the hospital, but since we didn't hear from you we went down for breakfast and started without you.  We have a seat for you if you want to join us."

"One seat?"

"Yes."

"In that case, no thank you."

"You are making a big mistake in choosing a stranger over your family."

"For the record, I am not choosing Kayden over my family.  I'm choosing Kayden over you."