Stand By Me (30 page)

Authors: Cora Blu

Closing his eyes to her words, he had to stop zipping up his pants for fear of catching himself. That's all he's ever wanted was to be a good father and have a wife that was proud of him. Opening his eyes he zipped up then grabbed his shirt from the floor. “I told you Kenya, I love you because you’re alive. Everything else you do is just the sun shining on my day.” Jonathan snapped the closure on his pants, turned the knob on the nursery...the room he grew up in until they moved him down the hall when he was five. Crossing the thick-carpeted floor, Jonathan leaned over the railing of his son's crib watching Ethan wiggling on his back.

The fierce slurping rose from the crib. Ethan sucked hungrily on his fist balled up at his mouth and for the first time in his life, Jonathan felt a measure of peace. Brian would never get his hands on Ethan. Hefting his son up off the mattress, he held the first generation of Blakemore-Claiborne to his chest savoring the moment with his son.

“What are you two doing in here?” Kenya asked sweetly, strolling into the room. Hands snug around his son, Jonathan grouped Kenya to his body, holding his family to his heart. “Look at my two men so handsome...and hungry.” Kenya eased the baby from his arms, putting his son to her breast until Ethan worked his mouth around her swollen nipple.

“Mothering looks natural on you Kenya. No one would guess a year ago you didn’t care for children.”

“Let's eat dinner in here tonight. The receptions in four days and Seamus will officially announce his retirement turning over the estate to me. The castle will be full of family and I want a quiet evening with my wife and son.”

Kenya padded over the thick carpet, smiling as Ethan locked his fingers onto her robe, “I appreciate you understanding why I don’t want another wedding. Big or small, the day I said those vows was special, regardless of who was or wasn’t there to see it. This reception will be the first party to bring all the families together.”

He kissed her shoulder through her robe running his fingers through the length of her wet hair. “I have a feeling we’ll be saying our vows again or Marcus will show up in a plaid polyester suit.”

“Don’t say that,” she frowned. “Don’t even joke like that. You haven’t seen my father’s golf collection. It’s hideous.” She shivered and Ethan flipped his bright eyes up to her. Kissing his fingers she continued, “Anyways having a party will give me a chance to get to know, Steve and Salma more, before they leave to go spend time with Michael in Maryland.” Kenya let Jonathan walk her and Ethan to the rocking chair in the corner getting them settled as he walked to the door of the nursery. “I’m glad Morgan and Rick are patching things up and she and Julian are moving back to the States with him.”

“Without your sister’s testimony, I doubt Brian would’ve seen more than five years in prison. Thirty years is enough to make him good and angry.” Jonathan leaned against the doorjamb ankles crossed as Judge trotted into the room to lay beside Kenya’s feet. He smiled at the beautiful sight. “Isn’t this the way we met with you under a cover and Judge at your side?”

Kenya laughed. “That's the way I met you, honey,” she corrected switching Ethan to her other breast. “You’d already groped me in my sleep.”

He shrugged. “It was those damned blue panties, Pretty Lady. And those legs of yours still got my boy down here drooling.” He pushed away from the door. “I’ll go get us something to eat. I love you, Kenya Blakemore and our son.”

“Give me an hour and I’ll make him drool some more.”

He held up a hand and went out to the living room, grabbed the bundle he'd forgotten he'd brought home and returned to the nursery.

“I nearly forgot about these. It's an apology for lying to you,” he told her setting the roses on the table beside the chair.

Her head shot up, eyes wide. “Lying...Jonathan?”

His dreams in prison never did the picture sitting before him justice. Kenya was a living masterpiece there with his son. Elegant and beautiful smiling up at him, she became the epitome of his every fantasy.

Slurp! Ethan's greedy noises roused his wandering mind.

“That day in the elevator, when you heard me talking to someone on the phone about the kids and the ski trip,” he started and leaned along the doorjamb.

“...go on,” she said rocking side to side, caressing his son's face as he nursed.

“I was texting the parking lot attendant telling him to stall you while I thought of something.”

“You sent Doctor Weaver out to my car?”

“I told you, Mo Ru'n, I'm accustomed to getting what I want. I never said how I get it.”

Kenya tilted her head giving him a wicked smile. “You sneaky dog,” she said covering her son’s ears.

“Be naked when I come back, Mrs. Blakemore.”

“Bring the shortbread and ice cream and you, Blakemore--be naked.”

“Whatever my wife wants...”

“I have another request for you lying to me, Mr.”

“What’s that?”

Kenya cocked her head to one side. “Share your stroganoff recipe with me.”

Jonathan laughed heartily letting his body slump along the doorjamb shaking his head. Of all the requests she could've made she wanted his prized recipe. “If ye wear the red soled heels and one of me ties, I'll teach you me self.”

“I'll wear them under my reception dress if you bring the bow tie.”

“And what shall I tie it around, Mrs. Blakemore?”

“Wherever you want me to start.”

Jonathan rubbed a hand over his chest pushing at the fire that vision shot through his body. “Aye, Ethan, yer gonna spend the night with your grandmother after the party.” He grew stiff just looking at her breast. “It's gonna get noisy as we'll need a new bed by the morning.”

Epilogue

The early summer sun warmed over the estate, highlighting the rows and rows of white linen covered chairs lining the field out in front of the castle. The flowing river sputtered along carrying the gazes up to the center. The arch stood stately on a platform swollen with white and green roses and blue hydrangeas twisting around the thick columns.

The isle covered in a wooden walkway dusted with blue petals scented the air down to the silk rope blocking it off from anyone crazy enough to stick a foot out of the row and walk on a petal before the bridal party does.

Kenya and Jonathan stood under the alter hand in hand exchanging vows while their family’s watched under faces full of smiles and tears.

Jonathan turned to the sea of faces holding his wife and son.

“I would like to take this opportunity to personally let each and every person here know how much Kenya and I appreciate you being here today. Although we said our vows almost a year ago, we felt we needed to bring everyone together. I want to thank everyone for standing by my wife’s side as she fought to make me a free man.” Brushing thick waves off her shoulders, he kissed her nose, keeping his eyes locked on Kenya’s. “Sitting in that cell the only thing that got me through those days and nights, outside of phone sex...”The audience exploded laughing and clapping, men hooted and howled as Kenya blushed profusely. “The only thing that made it bearable was knowing this woman here.” He paused visibly fighting the emotion behind his words. Kenya raised her hand to cover his heart. He dipped his face and touched his mouth to hers then stood up straight. “This amazing woman was waiting for me with my child growing inside her beautiful body and if not for her I would never know that Calder Blakemore was me father.”

Kenya held a hand over her heart, and turned out to the audience her other hand in the air, her voice soft, “Before I totally melt down, we just wanted you all to know how much we love you. Some of you faced your demons to stand at my side and that's all we wanted was to be a family.” Emotion rode her hard. “I got my sister back,” her voice thick with tears, she fanned the air, then blew out a breath as Morgan blew her a kiss from the audience. “Every one of you has brought something to our lives and we cherish you in our hearts and...Just...” She started to wipe back the tears on her lids and Jonathan grabbed her hand then lifting her chin to kiss the tear from each eye slow and gentle, before doing the same to her fingers.

The audience gasped in pure love. The sound brought their heads up in time to see Karla hand Ethan to her mother. What was she doing?

Karla hurried up onto the platform, petals fluttering out over the walkway, with her wadding a tissue around her finger. “Get your freak on later...hold still, that's how you got Ethan, kissing with your mouth open,” Karla chastised shooing Jonathan away and dabbing the corners of Kenya's mascara lashes. “Lord Child, I went through too much trouble putting this face together. Don’t go crying all your make-up away before you take pictures.”

Jonathan laughed. What else could he do, this was his family now. Karla waved a dismissive hand, kissed her face, and went back to her seat in the audience.

“All we want is to say thank you.” Kenya turned on her heels to Jonathan holding the edge of her dress to keep from stepping on the hem. “And to my husband…the man that showed me my backbone was still there and that I deserved to be happy and the man that refuses to share his stroganoff recipe with me, I want to say, Cion. It means affection and he asked me to say it to him once I found out what it meant. When you have affection for someone, you’ll find a way to be in their lives. I love you Jonathan Blakemore. Thank you for loving me and giving me a piece of your heart, our son Ethan.”

As the couple stood in a heated kiss, the crowd migrated across to the dance floor across the parking lot to the large white tent where the music flowed from the party starting and the food's delicious aroma filling the air, and liquor flowed.

The two families danced and ate. Farmers came in formal wear and some in farming duds, but Kenya had her men by her side. Her family intact and more love than she could’ve dreamed she’d ever have in her life. Holding Ethan Jonathan walked around the space thinking how much his life changed since meeting Kenya and the little man in his arms was proof that it was worth it to stay on the right side of the law.

“How do you feel about Sophie and Calder getting married in the states next month?”

“They deserve some time together. It was a nice gesture on your mother's part to offer the banquet hall she'd reserved for us.”

Kenya rubbed a hand on Ethan's bald head, still only a dusting of red hair and kissed his fingers. “After next week he won't have his grandparents around as much. I'm gonna miss not having momma here with me.”

“We’re less than ten hours from the states where we have a second home. You’re not chained to the castle, Mo Ru’n. Your parents are me family now and our home, both of them, are always open.

Jonathan held his little family close and moved out onto the dance floor swaying them in a circle. The guests clapped and sighed and he couldn't have been any happier. Kenya’s face pressed to his chest, the beat of her heart in time with his made its own song. One he could listen to for the rest of his life.

Jonathan bent over brushing his mouth over Kenya’s face inhaling her sweet scent deep into his lungs imprinting her flavor throughout his body. “Have you thought about what you wanna do with your apartment in the states?”

Kenya slid a slow glance to Randall standing behind Fiona an arm around her waist as he spoke with two of his brothers. She held her face up, her eyes sparkling bright, and said, “Fiona's subleasing, says she and Randall are taking things slow.”

“Good, Fiona needs someone strong like Randall.” Turning Kenya in a slow circle watching Ethan’s tan skin flushed as he started to laugh and Jonathan laughed along with his son.

Jamie strolled over a hand in his pocket and Julia by his side. “Let me see my nephew. He's a handsome Blakemore,” he said cradling him in his arms his back snug to his chest. “If you two wanna go hide for a minute we'll watch, Ethan.” He grabbed Jonathan's arm. “A minute, that's an hour, not all night.”

His dress pants gripped across his groin as the thoughts began to fill his mind. “Well, wife where would you like to go now that we have an hour?”

“For an hour, upstairs,” she moaned into his chest then leaned back to wink at Julia.

He stopped dancing to peer down into her face. “Do ye have on yer red bottom shoes, woman?”

Kenya nodded toward his throat. “Is that the tie I'm supposed to wear?”

He scooped her off the floor and whispered over her mouth, behind hoops and howls from the guests. “I put in an order for a new bed.”

“Plan on breaking the one upstairs?”

“Or me back trying.”

The End

Thank you for sharing your time with the Blakemore’s. Although this is the last volume, there’s a reason I didn’t kill off Brian. I can’t close all the doors.

Sincerely, Cora Blu

www.corablu.com/blog

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Stand By Me