Circle of Deception 2 (29 page)

Ben stepped aside and revealed a petite older woman heading their way, and Maria gasped with tears running down her face. She couldn’t contain herself. Before she knew it, she was in a full stride, pulling the tiny woman in her arms. “Mom! Oh god I’ve missed you.”

The rest of the group besides Ben were looking trying to figure out what was going on. Meg clutched Jordan tighter and Alex put his hand on her waist to keep her balanced. When Maria finally turned around, she pulled the woman up to her three daughters and stopped. “Gio, son, you and Marco get over here too. I would like for you all to meet your grandmother, Avo. She has been dying to meet all of you for quite some time now.

The girls and Gio were all stunned into silence, and it wasn’t until Alex stepped up and removed Jordan from Meg’s arms that she made a move. Meg stepped forward and extended a hand for Avo to shake, and the small woman, pulled her into a firm embrace. It took Meg a second to register what was going on, and when she finally did, she melted into the hug and shed a few tears.

“This is crazy,” Meg sobbed. “I always wondered what you would be like and now you’re here. I feel like I’m dreaming.”

“I’m here my sweet girl and I love you all so much.” Watching the heartfelt scene before them, Gio, Maddie, and Melia all joined the hug each releasing their own tears. “All of my babies, god how I’ve waited for this day.”

Despite all of Ben’s good intentions, Alex still stared him down with hatred in his eyes. “This changes nothing, old man. I still want you out of here. As soon as you say your goodbyes to the children, take yourself out of here.” Ben looked defeated and sank his head until Meg pulled out of her special moment to witness the interaction between them.

When Meg approached the pair, she smiled at Ben and pulled Alex by the arm. He looked at her angrily, and she began to laugh hysterically. When the others heard her, they looked over in confusion. “Angel, what’s so funny? This is hardly a laughing matter.”

“Oh, but it is Alex. This family is so messy and screwed up, but you have to admit, when things get bad, everyone steps in to help each other. Your dad helped us find Alli and helped mom, and your mom helped him. I know he’s made mistakes, but he has given us something I never thought we would have today. He gave us our grandmother, and I thank him. You might not want to admit it, but we stick together when it counts.”

“Yeah, attempted murder aside,” Alex growled.

“Baby,” Meg placed her hands around his face. “Life is too short, he is your father. As screwed up as he is, he is the only one you have.”

Alex looked at the way Cienna and Allison were hanging all over Ben and softened his expression. He looked back to Meg, who was wearing a huge smile and held on tighter to Jordan. When he walked over and placed Jordan in Ben’s arms, the old man looked at him in shock. “Are you sure, son?”

“I’m sure,” Alex replied. “Hold your grandson.”

Watching Ben with Jordan must have sparked a compromise with everyone because soon, they began taking their seats and fixing plates. Richard dropped his angry scowl and took a seat next to Maria and Emilio, while Avo sat with Maddie and Melia fawning over their beauty. When Aiden and Emily appeared in the yard, he looked back and forth at the gathering of people and sighed.

This is an interesting collection of people all in the same place.”

“Sit down, shut up,” Alex laughed. “It’s family time.”

“One jacked up ass family,” he laughed.

“True, but it’s ours.”

As Meg stared around the table, she looked to her two beautiful children and sighed. They were so amazing, and they were happy. Then she looked to Emilio, who was staring at Maria with eyes full of love, and then to Richard, who was bragging to anyone who would listen about how smart his grandchildren were. She was overcome with joy, now not only did she have her mother and grandmother back, she had two dad’s that were both great in their own way. She let a tear fall from her eye and as if sensing her mood, Alex pressed her head against his.

“Baby, we did good. Getting this bunch to sit here together without killing each other is a real accomplishment.”

“Yeah,” she giggled. “But our real accomplishments are those two right there,” she pointed to Jordan and Allison.

Jordan was still with Ben, and as if sensing their conversation, he looked at them and said his first word. “Dada!”

“What?” Alex asked happily. “What did my little man say?”

“He said Dada,” Allison giggled.

“Yes! You know what this means, don’t you, baby?” Alex turned to Meg.

“What?” she asked, sounding confused.

“I want my five bucks,” he laughed and kissed her on the cheek, causing laughter to ring through the whole yard.

Meg sat back and grabbed his face, caressing him tenderly. “No cheeks, you kiss me like you love me, and keep the drinks flowing. I have a feeling we are going to need them.”

Alex looked over at Ben and sighed. “Marisol, just bring the bottle please.” The group erupted in laughter once again as the various conversations persisted. Meg looked down at her mom who was wearing a tearful grin. When she smiled, Maria mouthed the words thank you and Meg mouthed I love you. Meg knew everything was far from resolved, but at least for now, they could be a family. A very different kind of family, but a family nonetheless.

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Megan Marie Cardoza is a twenty-six-year-old media CEO with a less-than-impressive personal life. When Meg's best friend, Emily, returns to town, she and Meg's siblings shake things to the core. This prompts Meg to reveal her true feelings for her ex, Alex, and to give in to the needs that she's been suppressing for six long years. After a steamy reconciliation between her and Alex, everything seems to be falling back into place, until their past comes back to slap them in the face; at their engagement party no less. With the arrival of Meg's parents and the continued interference by Alex's father, who hates Meg, secrets much deeper than they ever expected float to the surface and threaten to rip Meg and Alex apart  with fatal results for some. When everything she thought she knew is in question, Meg must decide if the secrets are too much to bear and enough to walk away for good.

After his past bad relationship, twenty-nine-year-old, newly promoted, record label CEO Jackson Whitmore vows never to love again. With his best friend and vice president, Eric, at his side, Jackson's main focus is the business, until a beautiful woman, Milan Wells, waltzes into his life and is introduced as the new president. While Jackson wants to object to the decision, it becomes difficult when Milan brings forth bold and fresh ideas, catching both his and Eric's attention; for different reasons. Tensions soon arise when Milan and Eric's competitive natures collide forcing Jackson to intervene causing a rift between the once inseparable duo. With rumors of Milan's abusive relationship surfacing and Eric spiraling out of control, Jackson finds himself stepping up to protect Milan and entering an intense physical relationship. While Jackson and Milan are slowly falling for one another, Eric's jealousy erupts into a vicious quest for revenge that plunges the lovers into danger they never imagined.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

In her novels, M. Skye likes to evoke strong dramatic story lines, with strong romantic content. She loves to throw twists and curve balls you won't see coming into her stories, with racy encounters at every turn. She has two published works, and it won't be the last from this imaginative writer. She spends her free time writing and with her large family. She is married and lives in Texas with her husband.