Forgotten Awakenings (Awakenings #2) Read online

  Callum glared at his parents, but didn’t say anything as Sadie scooted forward and began ripping the paper off the box.

  “Oh, my God! It’s adorable!” Sadie peeled the rest of the paper off, showing them the baby swing with little ladybugs. The box said the seat was adjustable and there were several speed settings. “Thank you!”

  “You’re welcome,” Lydia laughed, clearly enjoying how excited she was. “We weren’t sure you were going to use one. Now days, so many parents don’t like them, but when I had Callum, the five minutes a day I put him in his swing were heaven.”

  “We hadn’t really thought about it, to be honest,” Sadie said. “But I’m sure she’ll love it.”

  By the time Sadie opened all the gifts, the baby would have a full closest of the best and most frilly dresses, tops, and pants, a pack-and-go play pin, which would be handy to leave downstairs, and even more diapers.

  Finally, there was only one gift left, but it wasn’t wrapped. It was covered in a bright pink sheet. Bruce and James carefully lifted it and placed it in front of Sadie, whose fingers were trembling as she reached out and pulled it off.

  “Oh, my!” Sadie gasped, her fingers grazing the side rails of the bassinet in front of her.

  Elle recognized it. It’d sat in the corner of Sadie’s childhood bedroom for years. She’d used it to hold all of her stuffed animals.

  “Mom?” Sadie whimpered.

  “Your grandfather built this for me when I was expecting you. It took him almost six months. In fact, when I went into labor, he still wasn’t done.” Claudia laughed, kneeling next to the cradle. “But when Daddy and I brought you home, there it was in our bedroom, ready for you. I loved it because I could keep you close. Made middle of the night feedings so much easier. Anyway, Daddy and I thought you might like it.”

  “It’s prefect,” Sadie cried, reaching for her mother, who immediately welcomed the chance to hug her daughter. “Thank you, Mom.”

  —FA—

  Just before seven, the four of them stumbled into the house, exhausted and full of cake. Elle’s car had been packed to the brim with all the gifts they’d received at the shower, and they’d all indulged in a second — and third — slice of cake, at Lydia’s insistence, of course.

  Elle shared a look with Derek and Callum before slipping her hand in with Sadie’s and leading her upstairs. However, instead of turning toward the left, and taking Sadie to bed, Elle veered to the right, pausing outside of the door leading to the nursery.

  “Am I finally getting to see our daughter’s room?” Sadie teased.

  Elle laughed, remembering the huffing Sadie had done over the last two weeks at the fact that neither she nor Derek and Callum would allow her into the room. But they’d wanted the nursery to be a surprise.

  “Close your eyes,” Elle instructed.

  “But,” Sadie protested, but Callum slapped his hands over her eyes. “Fine. Just hurry!”

  Derek reached around them and turned the door knob, pushing the door open. Elle led Sadie into the room and released her hand as Callum uncovered her eyes.

  “Oh, my God,” Sadie whimpered, one hand dropping to her stomach while the other flew to her lips. “It’s beautiful.”

  Derek and Callum spent two days painting the nursery a soft, sage green. They then added a gorgeous oak crib, matching dresser, and changing table, all of which had been bolted to the wall at Elle’s insistence. An oak rocking chair sat in front of the window overlooking the city. Lacy white curtains had been pulled to the sides.

  But it was the painting that hung over the dresser that Sadie was staring at. A field filled with wildflowers, birds flying high in the bright blue sky, lady bugs resting on the pedals of the flowers — a painting of hope and happiness to watch over their daughter.

  “I think she likes it,” Elle said.

  “I love it,” Sadie sobbed, turning and looking at each of them. “Now, we’re finally ready.”

  “Come on.” Callum took Sadie’s hands and pulled her toward the door.

  “Where to?” she asked, coyly.

  “I want to make love to my wives, and my husband,” he told her, stroking her cheek. “I love you, Sadie.”

  “I love you, too,” she murmured.

  Elle turned off the light and closed the door to the baby’s room before following Derek, Callum, and Sadie into their bedroom. Derek swept her off her feet and carried to their bed, laying her next to Sadie, who had already peeled her sundress off and was lying on the bed in only a pair of panties.

  Elle rolled onto her hands and knees. “I want to taste you, lover.”

  Sadie moaned and grabbed the back of her head, pulling her lips down against hers. Elle slowly kissed her way down Sadie’s body, feasting on her breasts.

  “More, Elle! More!” Sadie begged, lifting her hips upward. “Please!”

  “Patience, my love, have some patience,” Elle teased, kissing the top of her belly.

  “Fuck being patient! I want you to eat my pussy now!”

  Elle responded by slowly peeling her panties down her leg, tossing them on the floor. Pressing Sadie’s legs apart, she flattened her tongue against her labia, lapping at every inch of Sadie she could. Her lover moaned, her hands gripping the bedcovers. Elle slipped her tongue between Sadie’s folds, flicking her clit.

  “Oh, Jesus fuck!” Sadie cried.

  “Hot damn,” Derek groaned, and when Elle shifted her eyes to him, she found him lying on the bed next to Sadie. He and Callum were already naked, the latter lying behind Derek with one hand wrapped around his swollen cock. “Eat her pussy, Elle.”

  She shifted her eyes up to his as she began to fuck Sadie with her tongue.

  “Oh, yeah, that’s it.” Derek groaned again. “Make her come, beautiful.”

  “Fuck me, they’re so sexy like that,” Callum murmured, pressing his lips against Derek’s shoulder. “Unafraid of being themselves, lost in the love they feel for each other. Do you like watching them together, babe?”

  “Mmhmm,” Derek moaned. “Almost as good as being inside them.”

  “Almost, but not quite.” Callum released him and climbed off the bed. He walked to the other side of the bed, kneeling next to Sadie’s head, tangling his fingers in her hair. “Come on, baby.”

  “Gladly.” Sadie smirked as she leaned over and slipped just the tip of his cock into her mouth. “Delicious.”

  Sadie placed her hands around his hip as she engulfed him in her mouth, causing Callum to cry out, his head falling back. “Oh, fuck.”

  Sadie pulled away from Callum and Elle, shifting on the bed so that she was on her hands and knees. “Sorry, but I need a cock in me now.”

  Callum laughed and placed his hands on her hips, climbing on the bed behind her. “I’m happy to give you one, love.”

  And in one, quick shift, Callum was deep inside her.

  “Oh, yes, yes, yes,” Sadie murmured, her fingers wrapping around the blankets.

  “Hey,” Derek said, drawing Elle’s attention to him. “Come here.”

  Elle smiled as she crawled over to him, kneeling on the bed in front of him. “Now that I’m here, what are you going to do with me?”

  “Love you forever.” Derek closed the distance between their lips as he worked to remove her clothes.

  “And you’ll never stop?” Elle whispered, tangling her fingers in his hair, pulling his head back so she could look him in the eyes.

  “Never,” he promised, letting his hands roam over her nude body. “You’re mine, Elle. Mine and Callum’s and Sadie’s. Just like we belong to you.”

  “Show me,” she murmured, crushing her lips against his again.

  Derek shifted them so that they were lying on the bed, him hovering over her. Keeping his eyes locked on hers, he wrapped his hand around her thigh, pulling her leg up over his hip, and thrust himself inside her.

  “Ugh,” he groaned, dropping his head into the crook of her neck. “So perfect, so fucking perfect.”


  As it was every time she made love with one of her lovers, Elle felt strong and brave.

  Seventeen

  “Fuck, fuck, fuck, we’re going to be so late,” Elle muttered to herself as she hobbled out of the closet with her favorite pair of black pumps clutched in her hand. She tossed them onto the bed, next to her dress bag, and turned her attention to her jewelry box. “Diamonds or pearls? Or maybe I shouldn’t wear any jewelry.”

  “Talking to yourself is the first sign of insanity,” Sadie laughed, and when Elle looked over her shoulder, she saw her lover leaning against the doorframe to their bedroom, one hand on her stomach and the other supporting her back. “Or so they say, but who really knows who ‘they’ are, right?”

  “Right.” Elle turned back to her dresser. “How are you feeling?”

  “Oh, you know,” Sadie replied coyly.

  “No, I don’t. That’s why I asked.” Elle selected the diamond pendent her father had given her just weeks before and turned to Sadie. “You didn’t sleep much last night. Maybe you should stay home and take a nap.”

  “If I stay home, I’ll end up organizing the kitchen, or cleaning out the closet,” Sadie grumbled and walked over to the bed, bracing herself with her hands as she leaned back. At thirty-seven weeks, she was more miserable than ever, yet she’d had bursts of energy, resulting in the reorganization of several rooms in their house.

  “Again,” Elle teased and sat next to her, sliding the gold chain around her neck and fastening the clasp. “I worry about you.”

  “I know, but once we get to the office, I’m not planning on getting off my ass for the rest of the day. Have to be ready to party like it’s 1999!”

  Elle snorted. “Do you even remember 1999? We were what? Ten? We didn’t even know each other yet.”

  “Good point,” Sadie admitted. “I can’t believe Alvarez Park is actually complete. Seems like we just presented our plans to Samuel yesterday, and now it’s done!”

  “Me, either.” Elle ran her fingers through her hair. “So much has happened in the last fifteen months.”

  “We sold our company for a ridiculous amount of money.”

  Elle nodded. “We fell in love.”

  “Madly in love with two boys. Who would have thought?” Sadie laughed. “After hiding our love for each other, we said to hell with it and came clean with our parents, and by some miracle, they don’t hate us.”

  “Anymore, at least,” Elle murmured. “You got pregnant. Sometimes I have to pinch myself to make sure I’m not dreaming.”

  Sadie laughed as she reached over and pinched Elle’s arm, causing her to squeal. “Guess you’re not dreaming.”

  “Suppose I’m not.” Elle sighed as she stood up and offered her hand to Sadie. “Come on, preggo. Time to go to work.”

  Sadie groaned, but accepted the help. Elle scooped up her dress bag and shoes, holding them with one arm while gripping her cane with her other hand, and followed Sadie downstairs. Callum and Derek were waiting for them by the front door, looks of exasperation on their faces. Yes, they were running late on the most important day of their careers.

  “Sorry,” Elle muttered. “I couldn’t find my shoes.”

  “I’m pregnant,” Sadie stated, blankly and when Derek and Callum raised their eyebrows at her, she added, “What? I have a human baby inside of me, and she’s not a small one. I think I’ve earned the right to be a little slow, don’t you think?”

  “Of course you do,” Callum automatically replied. “You look beautiful today, too.”

  “And sexy,” Derek threw in to help, but Sadie scoffed.

  “Dude, the last thing I am right now is sexy. My ankles are swollen. I’m not sure I’m wearing matching shoes, and I can’t find the energy to care. I’m gassy, I have to pee all the time, and even though I took a shower and put on both deodorant and perfume, I’m already sweating, which means I probably smell,” she ranted, huffing. “So not sexy.”

  “Oh, sweetheart.” Derek shook his head as he wrapped one arm around her waist. “Swollen ankles, mismatched shoes, a little gas, all of that just makes you sexier.”

  “You are one sick and twisted man,” Sadie derided. “But thank you. I don’t always feel it.”

  Derek kissed her chastely. “I’ll always be here to remind you.”

  “Okay, I don’t want to be a dick, but we really do need to go,” Callum urged, opening the front door. “The Asciari Brothers and Gabriel will be at the office at nine, and it’s going to take us at least half an hour to get to the office, and that’s with no traffic.”

  Sadie sighed. “Yeah, yeah, let’s go.”

  —FA—

  Forty-five minutes later, Elle rushed into the conference room with Derek, Callum, and an agitated Sadie behind her. Samuel was seated at the head of the table, an annoyed look on his face.

  “Sorry. Traffic was a bitch,” Elle murmured, pulling out a chair for Sadie. “I’ll be right back. Just have to run to our office and grab my paperwork.”

  “I’ll go,” Callum insisted, and when Elle began to protest, he held his hand up. “No, just tell me where your stuff is. Your leg is already bothering you.”

  “No, it’s —”

  “I saw you rubbing your thigh while we were driving to work,” he said, plainly.

  “Oh.” Elle bit the inside of her lip. “Fine, whatever. It’s on the left side of my desk, under the Anderson file.”

  Callum gave her a look before he turned and rushed out of the room. Elle settled in the chair next to Sadie, leaning her cane against the table and tried not dwell on the fact that once again her leg was impeding her job.

  “So,” Samuel said, drawing everyone’s attention to him. “I don’t really have anything to say. The quiet was just bothering me.”

  Elle smiled. “We know.”

  “What’s that supposed to me?” he asked, lifting an eyebrow.

  “Oh, come on,” Sadie tittered. “You’re not serious, are you?”

  “Completely,” Samuel said. “Are you saying that I talk too much?”

  “Not too much, per se,” Sadie explained, leaning back in her chair, her hands resting on her belly. “More that you need constant attention.”

  “No, I don’t!” Samuel insisted with a laugh.

  “Yeah, you do,” Derek agreed. “But that’s not a bad thing.”

  Callum rushed into the room with his arms full of folders. “I wasn’t sure if you needed all of the ones marked Alvarez Park, so I brought them all.” He placed them on the table on front of Elle, and looked around. “What’s I miss?”

  “Nothing much,” Elle told him. “Just informing your father that he needs attention to survive.”

  “Ah, it was bound to happen.” Callum settled in the chair next to Derek.

  “I don’t need attention!” Samuel exclaimed as Greta opened the door to the conference room, a smirk playing on her lips.

  “Mr. Alvarez and the Asciari Brothers are here, sir,” she said, and Elle could tell she was trying to stay professional in light of Samuel’s outburst.

  “Thank you, Greta,” he replied curtly.

  She smiled and nodded before stepping out of the way and allowing Gabriel Alvarez to enter the room, followed by the Asciari Brothers: Tank, Duke, and Gunner. All three had short cropped dark hair and black eyes, a habit they’d picked up after serving in the Marines.

  “Gentlemen, it’s nice to see you again,” Elle said, gripping her cane as she stood up and offered them her hand.

  Duke was the first to grip her hand. “You as well, Mrs. Davis.”

  “Could have sworn I asked you to call me Elle,” she groused.

  “You did,” Tank added, smirking. “But you get this look in your eyes, like you’re considering thumping us in the forehead, and I guess we’re just a gluten for punishment or something.”

  “You’re a strange, strange man,” Elle murmured, shaking her head. Clearing her throat, she gestured toward the table. “If you’ll have a seat, we can get start.”<
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  Tank, Duke, and Gunner settled on the other side of the large table, while Gabriel placed his hand on Elle’s elbow, drawing her attention to him.

  “Before we get started, I just wanted to say thank you for all your hard work. You took my dream and made it a reality.”

  Elle smiled and covered his hand with her own. “I’m just glad I got the opportunity to work with you on this project.”

  “The pleasure was mine.” Gabriel squeezed her hand before releasing her and joining the Asciari Brothers on the other side of the table. “Now, let’s wrap this up. I’m sure we all have business we need to get to.”

  Elle braced herself against the table and opened the top folder and pulled out copies of the final paper work that would be submitted to the city now that Alvarez Park had been completed.

  “I need signatures on pages two, four, and six.”

  She passed the pages to Tank first. Once all four of them had signed, Gabriel passed them back to Elle, who added her signature on each page. Then, she opened the folder again and pulled out a large check, sliding it across the table to Duke.

  “I know I speak for Samuel, Derek, Callum, and Sadie when I say working with you and your crews has been amazing. You’ve been open and honest, met our deadlines, even working ahead of schedule. We hope to have more chances to work with you.”

  Gunner laughed. “Well, we do still have the Anderson house, so it’s safe to say that we feel the same.”

  “Speaking of,” Duke added, opening his own folder and sliding a handful of photographs across the table to Elle. “Since you haven’t gotten out in a couple weeks, we thought you’d like to see the progress. I’d wager we’re about halfway done. Maybe more.”

  “Wow.” Elle flipped through each picture, amazed at how much work they’ve gotten done in just over six weeks. “These are amazing. I just talked to Amanda yesterday. She’s thrilled with everything she’s seen so far.”

  “They’ve been so easy to work with,” Tank said. “If only they all were, you know?”

  Elle nodded. “I do. Thank you for the update. I appreciate it.” She picked up the stack of files before gripping her cane. “Are you coming to the party tonight?”