Forgotten Awakenings (Awakenings #2) Read online

  “But you know he loves you, though, don’t you?” Derek asked, the need in his voice was shocking.

  “I do now,” she admitted. “But when I was younger, when I started pushing his limits, I didn’t feel it. He never told me, never said much of anything to me. My mom, on the other hand, never failed to remind me how much I disappointed her.” Elle shook her head. “I don’t want our children to ever feel that we don’t love them for who they are.”

  “Hey,” Derek murmured, pulling her hands up to his lips. “They won’t, because every day we’re going to tell them how loved they are. How no matter what they do, we will always love them. Flora and the new baby, and any other children we have will never doubt that they are perfect and wanted.”

  Elle struggled to keep her tears from falling as the door to the bathroom opened. She looked over her shoulder, finding Callum helping Sadie out. Almost as if Flora knew her mother was in the room, soft whimpers trickled out of the cradle.

  Elle leaned over and lifted Flora into her arms, nestling her against her chest. “Shh, it’s okay, love. Mommy’s got you.”

  “She’s probably hungry,” Sadie said, walking across the room and sitting on the bed next to Elle. She placed her hand on Flora’s back. “Have you noticed that she doesn’t really cry? More like she sniffles.”

  Elle smiled and pressed her lips against Flora’s head. Her peach fuzz was a mix of blond and red. “Bet it doesn’t last long.”

  “No, probably not.”

  “I’m going to change her diaper and then you can nurse her,” Elle muttered, holding the baby with one arm and grabbing her cane.

  As she tried to stand up, Derek’s hands automatically shot out to brace her.

  “I’m okay,” Elle murmured, looking back down at him. “I’ve got her.”

  “Sorry,” he mumbled, sheepishly.

  Elle carefully carried Flora out of their bedroom and into the nursery, laying her on top of the changing table. Flora whimpered again as Elle unwrapped the blanket and tossed it into the laundry hamper.

  “Did you make a mess, sweet girl?” Elle asked, grabbing a diaper and wipes from the shelf on the bottom of the table. “I’ll get you nice and clean. Then you can have some breakfast.”

  Flora’s mouth opened into an ‘O’. Elle smiled as she quickly changed her diaper and put on a clean set of footie-pajamas, this pair with an attached hood with ladybug antennas. Wrapping her in another blanket first, Elle lifted her off the table, nestling her against her chest once more before grabbing her cane and heading back to her bedroom.

  Sadie was leaning against the headboard, her hands resting on her abdomen. Flora’s birth had caused a dramatic weight loss, but she still carried a good ten pounds more than she had pre-pregnancy. Though, she still looked beautiful to Elle: happy and content with their lives.

  “She’s ready for breakfast now,” Elle snickered, sitting on the edge of the bed and handing Flora to Sadie.

  “Thank you,” Sadie murmured and got Flora latched onto her breast before shifting her eyes upward. “Derek and Callum are in the shower, if you want to join them.”

  “Are you saying I stink?” Elle asked, laughing.

  “No,” Sadie exclaimed. “But you and I know they’re sucking cock or fucking in there. Thought you’d like to join them.”

  “Ah.” Elle smiled. “As much as I’d love to be in the middle of that sandwich, I think I’m good here.”

  “Okay, have it your way. If it were me, I’d already have a cock in my pussy and one in my mouth.”

  “Sadie!” Elle gestured to the baby. “We’re really going to have to work on our language now.”

  “She’s too little to know what a cock or pussy is,” Sadie snickered. “But you’re right. Do you know how hard that’s going to be? Pun, entirely intended, by the way.”

  “I do.” Elle smiled and reached over, placing her hand on the back of Flora’s head. “How do you think our parents are going to react when they see her?”

  “After they get done squealing and cooing over her, I think they’re going to be fighting about whose turn it is to hold her.” Sadie shifted her eyes down to the baby. “I’m kind of scared.”

  “About what?”

  “I don’t know. What if Derek is Flora’s father?” Sadie asked. “Will Samuel and Lydia still want to be her grandparents? Will Callum be able to help raise a child that isn’t his biologically? Or vice versa.”

  “Yeah, I —”

  “Stop!” At the sound of Callum’s forceful voice, Elle jolted upward and spun around on the bed. He and Derek were standing just inside their bedroom, towels barely draped around their hips. “Stop that bullshit right now.”

  “What are you talking about?” Elle asked, trying to keep calm.

  “You know damn well what I’m talking about,” he snapped. “Flora is our baby. Mine, yours, Sadie’s, and Derek’s. And it doesn’t matter whose sperm made her. We are her fathers. My parents know that, Derek’s parents know that, and both of your parents know that. The only two who don’t seem to get it, is you two.”

  “That’s not true,” Sadie argued.

  “Bullshit, honey,” Derek rebutted. “We heard you.”

  “That’s not what I meant.” Sadie huffed as she switched Flora from one breast to the other. “I know that you love Flora as much as I do. But there are a lot of men out there that said they’d love a child no matter what, but when it came down to it, they couldn’t handle raising someone else’s child.”

  “We’re not like other guys,” Callum argued, pulling his towel off and tossing it into the hamper. He pulled out a pair of boxer-briefs from the dresser, but when he turned back toward Elle and Sadie, he smiled when he caught them staring at his cock. “Oy, my eyes are up here.”

  “We know.” Elle smirked and climbed off the bed, gripping her cane as she turned and faced him and Derek, who had discarded his towel, but hadn’t made any effort to dress. “Put some clothes on. Can’t fight with you when you’re all sexy and naked.”

  Callum and Derek laughed, but they both threw on their underwear, jeans, and T-shirts. By the time they were dressed, Flora had finished eating and was sound asleep. Derek carefully lifted the sleeping baby from her arms, keeping one hand under her head while the other braced her tiny frame.

  “You think I can look down at this sweet, beautiful baby girl and not call her mine?” he asked, his soft voice thick with emotion. “That I can hold her in my arms and not call her my daughter?”

  Derek looked over at Elle and Sadie. “Flora Hope. That’s my daughter’s name. Flora in honor of me, of the love my family has for us. And Hope because she’s our hope for a future filled with peace and understanding, where we don’t have to worry about how our relationship is going to be perceived. Flora Hope Davis is my daughter. Mine and Callum’s. Yours and Sadie’s, Elle. This sweet little miracle is ours. Don’t you ever doubt for a second how much this sweet angel means to us, do you hear me?”

  “We haven’t,” Elle said, shaking her head. “Sadie and I know that you love Flora, and that’ll love our new baby, too. Don’t we, Sadie?”

  “Yes,” she replied. “Yes, of course we know that you love her.”

  “Then how could even think I wouldn’t want to raise her if Derek is her father?” Callum asked, sitting on the far side of the bed. “How many more times are we going to have to prove ourselves to you?”

  “It’s not about proving yourselves.” Sadie sighed. “We’ve fought so hard to get to the point where we’re not afraid to step outside and be judged. But parenthood changes everything, doesn’t it? People are going to look at her, look at us, and wonder what type of world we’re raising her in.”

  “Fuck them,” Derek said, seriously. “Fuck anyone who dares judge us. Our daughter, and any siblings she may have, will be raised in a loving home. That’s all that matters.”

  “You really think so?” Elle asked.

  “Hell yeah, I do,” Derek boosted, puffing his chest out t
o prove it.

  “I wish I had your confidence,” Elle murmured, mostly to herself.

  “I’ll have enough for all of us.” Derek placed Flora in Callum’s arms before he walked up to Elle and cradled her face between his hands. “I’ve told you this before, but I guess you need to hear it again. You, me, Cal, Sadie, and now Flora — we’re a family, and I will not let anyone keep me from my family.”

  Elle leaned into his touch, tears spilling down her face. “You always make me cry.”

  “I’ve always had that effect on women,” he joked before pressing a kiss on her lips. “We need to leave for the airport. Will you two be okay without us?”

  Biting the inside of her lip, she nodded. “Be safe, okay?”

  “I promise.” Derek released her and looked over at Sadie, who was now holding Flora. “We’re trusting the two of you together.”

  “We’ll be good girls,” she vowed. “I’m too sore to eat her pussy, and mine is out of commission for the next several weeks.”

  Derek threw his head back and laughed. “You … Oh, you and your smart-ass mouth.”

  “You love me,” Sadie teased.

  “I do. I really, really do.” Derek reached for Callum. “Come on, babe. Time to pick up the parentals.”

  Callum chuckled as he took his hand. “Love you both.”

  “We love you, too,” Elle and Sadie echoed, waking Flora in the process.

  After changing her diaper again, Elle and Sadie headed downstairs and awaited the arrival of Flora’s grandparents.

  —FA—

  “Where are they?” Samuel grumbled, causing Lydia, Sadie, and Elle to laugh.

  He was seated on the smaller of the two sofas with Flora sleeping peacefully in his arms. He and Lydia had arrived not long after Derek and Callum left for the airport. While he’d been content to spend the last two hours holding his new granddaughter, he was frustrated because Elle and Sadie had refused to tell them her name. They’d agreed to wait until all of their family was together before they shared that little detail.

  “You could share her, you know,” Ivy hinted, glaring at him from the other side of the room, where she was helping Elle fold the load of laundry she’d done that morning. “She’s not just yours.”

  “I’m sorry, Ivy; I didn’t hear you over the sound of this sweet baby sleeping,” Samuel teased.

  Elle rolled her eyes, annoyed with the way he was goading her sister. Ivy and Nick had shown up about five minutes after Samuel and Lydia, with Lucia and Aaron right behind them. As thankful as Elle was for her family, her head was beginning to ache from their relentless arguing. Yes, Samuel was hogging the baby, but it wasn’t like Flora was suddenly going to disappear. Besides, in a few months, they’d have another baby to snuggle with, too.

  Nausea rolled over her at the thought of the new baby. They hadn’t had a chance to discuss when they should announce that they were expecting again. Elle still struggled with the idea that there was a baby inside her, and the constant bickering around her did little to help.

  “You’re hiding something.” Elle shifted her eyes to Aaron, who was seated on the large couch with Nick and Lucia, but was staring at her.

  “What?” she scoffed. “No, I’m not.”

  “Yeah, you are,” Aaron accused, shifting so that he was looking back at her. “It’s a big secret, too, isn’t it?”

  “I’m not hiding anything,” she groused as the doorbell rang. “I’ll get it!”

  Elle gripped her cane and hobbled to the front door as fast as she could, ignoring the peeling laughter erupting around her. Prying the door open, she found herself face to face Kenny. He’d worked in the mail room for the last two summers, and was now a sophomore at UC Berkeley. Derek and Callum teased Elle that the boy had a crush on her, which he did. His ears would turn bright red every time she spoke to him. He was nice, though, and a hard worker.

  “Hey, Kenny,” Elle said, smiling at him. “I didn’t know you were working as a courier.”

  “Only part time, but I can work around my class schedule, and it gives me some extra cash,” he explained.

  “That’s great.” She gestured to the small envelope in his hands. “Is that for me?”

  “Oh, yeah, sorry,” he muttered, pulling out his electronic handheld. “Need a signature.”

  Elle nodded and took the device from him, scribbling her name across the bottom. Handing it back to him, she took the envelope in return, feeling her shoulders tense when she saw it was from Dr. Kemp’s office. She’d agreed to be discreet when she ran the paternity tests for them.

  “Everything okay, Ms. Reid? I mean Mrs. Davis,” he stammered. “Sorry, I forgot that you just got married.”

  “Why don’t you just call me Elle?”

  He laughed. “Okay, sounds like a deal. But you’re good, right?”

  Elle smiled. “Everything’s great, Kenny. Hold on one second.”

  Tucking the envelope between her arm and body, she reached into her purse, which sat on the table next to the door, and pulled out a five dollar bill.

  “Here,” she said, offering it to him. “A tip for our favorite courier.”

  “Oh, I can’t take that.” Kenny took several steps backward. “But thanks, anyway.”

  “You’re welcome,” Elle said. “Be careful. A lot of crazy drivers out there.”

  “Yes, ma’am,” he laughed as he turned and rushed out to his car.

  Once he was out of sight, Elle closed the door and walked back into the living room. Sadie was now sitting on the smaller sofa with Flora in her arms.

  Their eyes met and Elle waved the envelope at her, silently letting her know she’d gotten the results of the paternity test. Of course, they’d wait to open it until they were with Derek and Callum, but just knowing that she had information that could potentially change their lives was a bit daunting.

  “Do I need to change her before you nurse?” Elle asked, trying to keep her voice even as she joined Sadie on the couch, placing her hand under Flora, who was staring at Sadie with wide, grey eyes. “Look how alert she is.”

  “Lydia just changed her,” Sadie explained, sliding the baby into Elle’s arms. “I think she needs some snuggles with you.”

  Elle smiled and propped the newborn on her knees. She was in awe of the innocence in her eyes, the ease of her being. She was perfection, love, and everything beautiful in the world, and by some grace of God, she belonged to them.

  The sound of a car’s tires on the gravel pulled Elle’s attention away from her daughter. Placing Flora back in Sadie’s arms, she pushed herself to her feet and hurried to the front door, throwing it open just as her mother climbed out of the backseat of Callum’s SUV.

  “Mom!” Elle cried out, hobbling down the steps and meeting Helina halfway. She threw her arms around her mother, unable to keep her tears from falling. “I missed you.”

  “I missed you, too, sweetheart,” Helina soothed, rubbing her back gently.

  She was vaguely aware of Derek, James, Carlos, Felicia, Claudia, and Bruce surrounding them. There was so much she wanted to tell her mother, but instead of being able to speak, she found herself in hysterics.

  “Elle, honey, calm down,” Helina soothed.

  “I … I … You … I …” Elle’s sobs made no sense, and a moment later, she found herself being pulled into Callum’s arms. She gripped the front of his T-shirt.

  “Go on inside; I’ve got her,” Callum told everyone. Murmured agreement filled the air and a minute later, Elle heard the front door close. “What’s going on, honey?”

  “I don’t know,” Elle wept, leaning away from him, unsurprised to see Derek standing next to Callum. She reached for his hand, which he took. “Just felt really overwhelmed, and seeing my mom, I just … I really miss her when she’s not here.”

  The confession fell off Elle’s lips like acid, the truth in her words shocking even her. As much conflict as she’d had with her mother, Elle had reveled in the way they’d been able to tease a
nd joke without worry.

  “This might have had something to do with it.” And when Elle turned toward the porch, she saw Sadie holding the envelope with the paternity tests in her hand. “It arrived about five minutes before you did.”

  “And?” Callum asked, his voice shaking with nerves. “Did you open it yet?”

  “Not yet.” Sadie walked down the front walk, sliding her arm around Elle as she held the envelope out to Callum. “You want the honor?”

  “Um, not really.” But he took the envelope from her anyway. He toyed with the flap as he looked up at Derek. “No matter what it says in here, Flora belongs to both of us, right?”

  “That’s right, babe,” Derek said, sliding his arm around Callum’s waist. “She’s our daughter.”

  Callum nodded and ripped open the envelope and slipped out the letter. Taking a deep breath, he unfolded it, his shoulders relaxing as he sighed. “I’m Flora’s biological father.”

  “Congratulations.” Derek leaned in and kissed him.

  “I love you,” Callum murmured, bringing his hand up to cup Derek’s face.

  He smiled. “I love you, too.”

  “You know,” Sadie said, drawing everyone’s attention to her. “We should have bet on this.”

  “What? Why?” Elle asked, laughing. She felt silly for having been so worried about getting these results. Nothing had changed between the four of them.

  “Just think about it. If we’d bet, say winner gets to control the losers, we could have really had some fun,” Sadie explained, wiggling her eyebrows. “In six weeks, anyway.”

  “You’re a sex addict,” Elle snickered, her attention drawn to the front window as the curtain got pulled back. “We’d better get inside. I don’t think Samuel’s going to wait much longer to learn the name of his granddaughter.”

  “The man has no patience,” Sadie scoffed, wrapping her fingers around Elle’s as the four of them headed toward the front door. “I thought he was going to tackle my mom to the ground when I let her hold Flora.”

  Derek and Callum laughed with them. When they walked into the house, they found Helina and Felicia gathered around Claudia, who held a fussing Flora It was the first time Elle had heard her really cry, and wondered if she, too, felt overwhelmed with all the attention.