Chapter Twenty-Two
Grace
Devon meant business when he said I wasn't allowed to leave his house while the kids were away. When he picked me up, he took me straight there. He opened the door and motioned for me to walk in first, and I was greeted by four bouquets of one dozen roses each, one red, one pink, one purple, and one white. He said there was a dozen roses for each month since we'd met for the second time.
There was champagne, strawberries, and then there was Devon. He'd gone out of his way to give me a romantic evening, but all I'd needed was him.
For two days he held me captive.
Two gloriously wonderful and sexy days.
But eventually I convinced him we needed to leave the house and get some fresh air.
We went to a movie.
We went out to dinner.
We went on a champagne cruise around the marinas and coastline, all the while Devon's hands never left my skin. He was either holding my hand, grabbing my waist, or pulling me into his side with a strong arm around my shoulders. He wanted me near and I wanted the same thing.
At night he made love to me, telling me over and over how much he loved me, how glad he was we'd found each other again, and how he couldn't see his life without me in it. He held me close, spooning me as we slept, and made love again to me in the morning.
We video chatted with the kids every day, and I loved hearing about how much fun they were having with Evie and Nate, how exciting it was to be at Disney again, and all the rides they enjoyed. What made me smile the most though was how they seemed just as excited to talk to me as they did to Devon. They told me they missed me, and I with tears threatening told them how much I missed them too.
Talking to them made me emotional and on the second day I broke down.
"What wrong, babe?" Devon asked as soon as we hung up.
"I'm not sure. I just miss seeing their faces and talking to them, I guess. I miss the way Jaxy irritates Ruby and how Ruby rolls her eyes at you," I said through a mixture of laughter and cries.
"Ah, baby, I miss them too. They'll be home soon."
He said the word home like it included me, and deep down I hoped it would.
The day the kids were supposed to fly home was lazy. Devon went in to work, kissing me soundly before he left, grumbling about how the last night of an empty house had passed, but I remained in his bed, soaking up one of my last free days before I would have to go back to work at the school. I picked up a book I'd been trying to read all week, but hadn't because Devon wouldn't let me get a minute to myself. I smiled at the memory of him ripping the book from my hands and throwing it across the room before rolling me onto my back and keeping me otherwise occupied.
Without shame or regret, I stayed in his bed reading for hours.
I knew I'd have to get up eventually, but those hours were precious. The plan was for Devon to pick the kids up at the airport when he got off work. After their first flight, both the kids felt comfortable flying home on their own, so all the adults figured it would be okay to save Evie the time and the money, and let them fly as unaccompanied minors.
My phone rang an hour before their flight was to come in. I smiled when I saw it was Devon.
"Hey, you on your way to the airport?"
"Not quite," he said, sounding frustrated.
"What's wrong?"
"My mom was sick yesterday, and now my dad is sick, so there's no one here to watch the store. Usually, I'd just close up early and call it a day, but the computer system crashed and the software company's customer service line is only open for a few more hours."
I sat up from the bed and started looking for my shoes.
"I'll go get the kids, it's no problem."
"I appreciate that, but when Evie took them to the airport she gave them my name so no one else can get them now. I called the airline and checked. Only the person who was listed can pick them up, and I have to show ID."
"Oh, well, that sucks for us at the moment, but I understand. It's a good call on their part."
"Yeah."
"How can I help?"
"Do you think you could meet me at the airport? I'll get the kids off the plane, then you can take them home while I go back to the store to try and get the computer system put back together."
"Of course. I'll leave in just a minute."
Devon let out a sigh of relief.
"You know, I've done this for three years by myself, and I love you for a lot of reasons, but right now I love you for just being there. You'll never know how much your help and support means to me."
"Hopefully you'll never have to do it by yourself again," I said softly, letting all my insecurities take a back seat. It made me indescribably happy that Devon called me when he had a problem and wanted me to help him fix it. It had been a long time since I'd felt like someone's partner, or like someone needed me.
"Not if I have anything to do about it," he replied. "I love you, baby. I'll meet you at the baggage claim at the airport."
"Okay, I love you too."
When I saw Devon round the corner by the baggage claim, my face lit up. Then, from behind him, Jaxy came running toward me, arms outstretched and smile wide.
"Grace!" he exclaimed as he lunged for me. "I got to sit in the cockpit!" His arms wrapped around my waist and his face burrowed into my belly. I leaned down and squeezed him hard, thankful to be able to hug him again. He leaned back, but just his head, and looked up at me. "They said maybe next time I could help fly the plane!"
I laughed, but chose to go along with it. "Sounds amazing!"
"He kept asking them a million questions about flying so I think they just told him that to make him stop," Ruby said, trying to sound annoyed, but I could tell otherwise when she reached out and ruffled his hair.
Ruby stepped up next to me and wrapped one arm around my back, giving me a side hug. I wrapped my one arm around her shoulders and pulled her closer, pressing my cheek against the top of her head.
"Hey," I said to her softly. "How'd it go?" I asked the question quietly, not wanting to embarrass her in front of the boys by talking about her period. "Any issues?"
She looked up at me and smiled. "Nope. It was gone by the time we went to Disney." A smile broke out across her face and then she leaned into me again.
My eyes met Devon's as I had both his children wrapped in my arms and he mouthed, "I love you."
All I could do in response was pull his children closer and mouth back, "Thank you."
With their bags loaded into my car and the kids buckled into my backseat, Devon kissed me soundly on the lips and said he'd be home as soon as he could.
The drive home was filled with story after story of their time in California, all the fun things they'd done with Evie and Nate, and how they couldn't wait to visit again next summer. I sat quietly and listened, loving the way they were sharing everything with me, uncensored, without thinking. They trusted me and wanted to share things with me, and that made me unreasonably happy. Happier than I'd been in a very long time.
Along the way, I happened to notice a small white car make a really quick lane change behind me, squeezing in where there was hardly any room. The white car's driving made me nervous, so I sped up to put some distance between us. For the rest of the way to Devon's house I noticed the white car made all the same turns I did. By the time we were on the outskirts of their neighborhood, I was starting to worry.
When I pulled into Devon's driveway, I watched as the white car drove past. I let out a breath of relief when it turned at the end of the block, but my pulse was still racing.
Jaxy and Ruby climbed out of the car, arguing about who got control over the television remote first, as I went to the trunk to unload their bags.
"Ruby, will you please go unlock the door and leave it open so we can get everything inside?" I said, handing my keys to her.
"Sure," she said with a smile.
I opened the trunk and grabbed Jaxy's tiny suitcase that had Ninja Turtles on it and handed it to him.
"Here, Jaxy, take this inside. And if you could, before you fight over the TV with your sister, take all your dirty clothes to the laundry room so I can start a load."
"Okay," he said, happily taking his Ninja Turtle suitcase from me.
Just then I saw the same white car coming back toward the house. Panicking, all I could think of was getting the kids inside.
"Jaxy," I said, trying to keep the sudden terror from my voice but doing a horrible job. "Go inside and lock the door. Do not let your sister come out. Call your father and tell him to come home immediately."
"What?" His eyes were round with worry and confusion.
"Jaxy, baby, you have to do as I say." I looked over and saw the white car coming closer still. "Go inside. Now!" He ran from me, terrified, and my heart hurt for scaring him, but I had to keep him safe. The white car pulled to a stop across the street and I watched as the door opened and a man got out. Distantly, I heard the door lock behind me and Ruby yelling at Jaxy, trying to figure out what was going on, and the only thing I could think was that I was the last thing standing between whoever it was in the white car and those kids.
As the man stepped closer, I finally recognized him and my heart stopped cold.
"I only want to talk," he said, now in the middle of the street, walking straight toward me.