Meant For Her (29 page)

Chapter 56

Evan made arrangements for Sierra to travel with him throughout the post-season. She scheduled her shoots for the home stands and took a lot of pictures during the away games to sell as stock images. Much as Lane had figured, the benefit resulted in a flood of new business. Fortunately, most of the new clients were flexible with the scheduling and could wait until November for her to begin working with them.

The bump in her business led her to officially turn down Bastian’s offer to partner with him. She still wanted to work with Z Studios as often as she could, but she knew she couldn’t give his business the attention it deserved. She encouraged him to consider grooming Camille for a future partnership, though. Since Camille had shown remarkable dedication and an increasing talent over the past month, he said he’d think about it.

Although they traveled quite a bit over the next few weeks, Sierra’s injuries continued to heal. By the last week of October and the start of the World Series, she was able to walk without crutches and sit in the stands, screaming like a rabid fan just like the rest of her family.

The team was on fire. Despite the grim predictions about their chances due to the late-September upheaval, the players rose to the occasion.

They took the Series in five games.

It was a good thing, too. Everly went into labor two days before her due date…just an hour after the win. Well, Sierra later found out that the labor had started that morning, but Everly didn’t want to say anything to Cole since he was the starting pitcher. As a result of the delay, Grace Victoria Parker was born seven minutes after her frazzled father reached the delivery room.

The happy family returned home on Halloween. Sierra wanted to get some photographs of Grace and her parents in these first early days to add to the pregnancy portfolio, so Cole and Everly invited her over. Evan obediently carried in the mountain of gifts she’d been collecting, only complaining once.

“Seriously, why does a baby need a tutu?”

Okay, twice.

Grinning, she used a hand to lower the frilly pink tutu currently blocking half of his vision as they waited for someone to answer the door.

“That’s a prop for the shoot,” she said. “But I might leave it for when she’s big enough. Little girls love tutus.”

He gave a long-suffering sigh, but didn’t argue. Cole answered the door a minute later.

“Hey, guys,” he said, accepting Sierra’s hug. “Come on in.”

He looked happy, Sierra thought. Thrilled, really. Exhausted, but thrilled. She imagined life couldn’t get much better than this.

World Series champion. Husband. Father.

Awesome.

“I’m so happy for you,” she said with another hug. “Where’s Everly?”

“She’s nursing Grace.”

Her eyes widened. “Up in the nursery?”

“Yeah.”

“I’ve got to get a picture,” she declared, pulling her camera out of her bag and moving quickly in the direction of the stairs.

Behind her, she heard Evan explain, “She loves pictures.”

It made her laugh. She could only imagine the look Cole exchanged with him when he saw how excited she was to photograph Everly nursing.

Guys definitely wouldn’t understand.

She got some beautiful images over the next couple of hours. Everly would be a weepy mess when she received the album Sierra created for them. Hell, Cole might be, too, she thought. The way he’d looked at Grace when he was unguarded…yeah, he’d shed a tear or two.

“They already seem like a real family,” Evan said after they’d had lunch with them and headed home.

“I agree. Cole seems to think selling the Maserati was a reasonable tradeoff for becoming a father,” she said, rubbing the dashboard.

“Sure didn’t let go of it cheap,” he said dryly, but he grinned and hit the gas.

She couldn’t help but laugh. His smiles and good humor were coming more easily these days. The appointments with the grief counselor had helped.

It took her a while to realize they weren’t driving to the rental house. “Where are we going?”

“Home,” he said.

“But…”

She trailed off when the apartment buildings came into sight. She stared at them, waiting for her surprise to ease.

For weeks, she’d feared coming here. She’d feared that she wouldn’t ever want to go back to the apartment she’d loved so much for so long. She’d feared that all of the good memories would be overshadowed by one dark one.

When a smile pulled at her lips, she knew she’d been afraid for nothing.

He didn’t say a word as they parked. She stayed seated so he could open her door and help her out. It was a habit they’d gotten into while she was healing, and neither of them seemed inclined to change things now. She took his hand and didn’t let it go as they crossed the parking lot into the entrance courtyard.

Evan’s bike was already there, she realized, as was her car. Considering they’d only been gone from their rental for a matter of hours, she couldn’t imagine the money and manpower this quick move had entailed. Their rental home was just a few miles down the road, but this was still impressive.

Oliver stood behind the desk. He smiled when he saw them.

“Welcome home, Ms. Sierra. Mr. Evan.”

“Hi, Oliver,” she said, giving him a tight hug. “I’ve sure missed you.”

“We’ve all missed you, too. There’s going to be a big welcome home party tonight. Costumes optional, candy not optional.”

She laughed. “That sounds wonderful. I can’t wait.”

Evan led her to the elevator. She realized the code had changed when he entered it. Before she could dwell on why it needed to be changed, he leaned down and kissed her. He touched her jaw to encourage her to part her lips, then he swept in with his tongue, thoroughly distracting her. She barely registered when the elevator came to a stop.

She was aware, however, of the three dogs tumbling into the elevator once the doors opened. Miller and Beck moved just as quickly as ever now that they’d both fully healed.

“What are you guys doing…?”

She looked up and trailed off.

The walls were gone. No longer was she peering down a long hallway leading to two separate apartments, but she stood in an expansive, single apartment. Rich hardwood floors stretched in front of her. Floor-to-ceiling windows punctuated three of the walls. Two sets of double French doors led out to the two balconies. The single kitchen was twice the size of the one in her old apartment, beckoning her with gleaming commercial-grade appliances and gorgeous granite and tile work.

She loved everything about it.

“Come on,” he said. “You have to see the rest.”

Not speaking, she walked with an open mouth, taking in the large family room as they moved through it. She didn’t recognize most of the furniture. When she saw the photographs of Miller and Beck on the wall, she nearly burst into tears.

“We’ve got three bedrooms plus a studio for you and workout room for me,” he said as they walked, opening doors so she could look in. “Three baths. Hardwoods throughout. Zoe helped with furnishing everything. She said you’d love it.”

She did. So much so that she was speechless. He’d known she wouldn’t want to come back to the same place she’d been attacked, so he’d changed it for her.

For both of them.

“Caroline sold this place to me outright,” he added as they walked to the master bedroom. “I figured it made more sense than renting. I’ve also bought the Tybee Island rental from your parents.”

“You did?” she whispered.

“Yeah. I know you’re going to be commuting there a lot for your business now, so it made sense to have both places. Plus, I’ve found that it has a special meaning to me.”

Her heart couldn’t seem to stop aching. He’d really done it. He’d put down roots for her.

“I figured you’d enjoy doing the design work with Zoe on that property,” he said, “so she’s expecting a call.”

Sierra just smiled and gave a watery laugh. She’d be on the phone with her dear friend first thing tomorrow.

When they reached the master bedroom, she gasped over how gorgeous it was. Zoe had done a magnificent job of blending beauty with functionality. It was feminine, but not so much that Evan would feel uncomfortable. The photo she’d taken of the stadium once again hung over the bed.

The bed itself was covered with a blue-gray duvet. In the center of it sat a distinctive box bearing the Dee’s Designs logo.

She watched as Evan walked to the bed and picked it up. Her heart flew up into her throat when he moved back in front of her.

“Back in July,” he said, “I asked you to think of me whenever you wore the jewelry set I bought you. Since then, I’ve seen you wear nothing else.”

“I don’t want to,” she said in a voice made husky with emotion.

He smiled. “What if we added to the set?”

He opened the box, revealing a ring nestled among the velvet. Instead of a one-carat green tourmaline in the center like her necklace, the stone was a diamond. Set into the band around the diamond were a number of small green tourmalines. The platinum setting swirled in the same pear-shaped infinity knot as the pendant on her necklace.

She’d never seen it in the jewelry case at Dee’s and knew he’d had it made for her. Her hand went to her chest as he removed the ring and held it up. Sunlight gleamed on the stones.

“Sierra, we met almost a year ago, and I think we both knew on that day that we’d somehow get here. We’ve only really known each other for half that time, and for some people, that’s not nearly long enough to get to know one another. But what I’ve learned is that life holds no guarantees, so we need to embrace the things that make us happy and never let them go.”

He lifted her left hand. “You’ve brought light back into my life. I love you. I want to spend the rest of my life with you. I want to marry you.”

Love for him almost overwhelmed her. “Nothing would make me happier,” she whispered.

She waited for him to slide the ring on her finger, then she put her arms around him and looked into his eyes.

“Thank you, Evan.”

“No. Thank you, Sierra.”

The happiness she saw on his face reflected what she’d seen on Cole’s earlier. She thought of how far he’d come in the last year…the progress he’d made. She knew his mother was smiling down on them right then.

“What do you say to trying out this beautiful new bed before we go out and buy enough Halloween candy to stock the Ghirardelli factories?” she asked.

He grinned. “You’ve always known me better than anyone.”

“Yep,” she said, pulling him down for a kiss. “And I always will.”

~~~

If you missed Cole and Everly's story, make sure you check out
For Everly
.
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Turn the page for an excerpt from
Indelible
,
a New Adult Contemporary Romance from Bethany Lopez.
Available now.

Indelible

I’m twenty-two years old, wear a size twelve, and am a single mom – things that don’t make me the most popular girl on campus.

I live in family housing. It’s cheap, has a washer and dryer, and makes it a little easier to juggle going to school full time while raising a two-year-old daughter.

Her name is Karrie, and she’s the smartest, funniest, and sweetest child I’ve ever met. I never imagined I’d be pregnant at nineteen, let alone raising a kid by myself. But I guess life doesn’t always go according to plan.

At least, that’s been my experience so far.

When I went away to school, I was your typical first-time-away-from-home, irresponsible, and crazy party girl. I had a blast my first year. Didn’t go to many classes, and partied way too much. You’d think that was when I got knocked up.

Nope.

My sophomore year I straightened up. After a series of long lectures from my parents and the arrival of my final grades for my freshman year, I realized I was making a lot of mistakes. I actually started going to my classes. I stopped partying every night and only went out with my friends on the weekends.

Things were going great, until one night I met this hot guy at a frat party and we hooked up.

That was all.

No great love story, no blossoming relationship.

Just a one-night stand.

When I found out I was pregnant, I was scared and devastated.

It had been six weeks since the party that changed my life. I’d been feeling nauseous and extremely tired. It wasn’t until I got lightheaded in the shower that I decided to go to the doctor and see what was wrong.

I wasn’t prepared for the diagnosis.

I felt a myriad of emotions that day: disbelief, anger, sadness, and finally terror.

I worried about what I’d tell my parents, and what it would mean for my future. But first I had to share my terror with the one person that I assumed would feel my pain. I went to the frat house and told my hookup that he was going to be a father.

He laughed and said I was mistaken. He had no intention of being a father to anyone.

I had expected disbelief, and possibly anger, but I’d never expected that. He said no matter my decision, he didn’t want to be a part of the baby’s life. He told me not to even put him on the birth certificate.

I eventually told my parents and they were surprisingly supportive.

“Don’t worry, Sam,” my mother had said as she cradled me in her arms. “Everything happens for a reason. Your father and I are here for you and our grandbaby. You aren’t alone.”

My mom took me to all of my doctor’s appointments and helped me get on the waiting list for family housing. By the time Karrie was born, I had our small home in order and ready for her arrival.

I thought I was ready and knew what to expect.

I was wrong.

The past two years have been the most challenging years of my life. I’ve learned a lot, and am a better mother and person because of it. But I’m tired…and lonely.

The friends I used to hang with are living the single life. I’ve made some new friends here, but we all have kids and they're our top priority.

About once a month my mom takes Karrie for the weekend and I get the opportunity to have some alone time. I usually clean up the house and take advantage of the quiet to do homework, but sometimes I go out.

I learned my lesson though. I haven’t had sex since I found out I was pregnant with Karrie. Not only am I still carrying around some excess baby weight, but the thought of getting pregnant again is terrific birth control.

I’m not saying I never date or anything, because I’ve gone on a few. But I never go past a couple dates with the same guy, and I’ve never introduced any of them to Karrie. No way am I bringing random guys into her life.

I’ll hook up. I love that feeling that comes from first kisses and anticipation, but any real satisfaction comes from my own hand. Unfortunately, I’ve gotten really good at pleasing myself.

I missed the touch of a man, but on the upside, I found my G-spot the other day.

This was one of the weekends where Karebear was with my mom. I’d cleaned the house as much as possible and got caught up on all of my homework, so I had no excuse not to go out with my friend, James. Her parents wanted her to be a boy, hence her name, but it actually fits her perfectly.

I met James in my Religious Exploration class last semester. We sat next to each other on the first day, and have been hanging out sporadically ever since. She’s a hard person to tie down. She doesn’t like making plans or having relationships that involve commitment or planning. She’s my polar opposite, and that’s probably why I enjoy hanging out with her. She brings out a totally different side of me. When I’m with her I’m free of responsibility, it’s a nice feeling.

When I pulled on my tight jeans and low-cut blouse, I smiled at the way my assets were displayed. I certainly never filled out jeans this well when I was a size four. I kind of enjoyed the ass and boobs that came from bearing a child. Some of the perks, I guess.

After my eyes were perfectly smoky and my hair was flat-ironed until it couldn’t get any straighter, I headed out the door to meet James.