Treasured (Embracing Series Book 1) (11 page)

“Okay, guys, I got to get going,” I say.

Whew, that was close. I would’ve had to take my shirt off had I not ended the game. I can’t get Evan’s package out of my mind.

~Chapter Fourteen~

I attend class every day and ask to do extra credit projects. I try to keep myself busy. Eric and Addison weren’t able to visit due to their schedules. I was upset, but I understood.

Nikki and Brody are still seeing each other and I still hang out with Evan. It’s been four months since I’ve seen and talked to Liam. I received three letters, but he couldn’t tell me where he was. He says he has a surprise for me that he'll show me when he comes home.

I wonder what it could be. It’s almost summer and everyone is making plans. I just want to continue classes so November can get here.

“Lila, I’m sorry to do this, but I’m going back home. I decided I would finish school there even though I love being here with you. I miss my family and my mom could really use my help with my little sisters.”

“Oh, Nikki, what am I going to do? What about Brody?”

“I haven’t told him yet!”

“So, he has no idea you're leaving? When are you leaving?”

“In a few weeks.”

I know Brody is going to be heartbroken. He loves her; I can tell. She says she loves him, too. I’m going to be so lost. Nik will be in Ohio, Addie in Boston, and Liam…? God only knows where.

“I’m going to miss you! You’re such a bitch. How are you just going to leave me out here all alone?”

“Oh, you’ll be fine! You have Evan and Brody, Heather and Margie. Oh, and don’t forget skankzilla Alyssa. If you need me, call and I’ll be on the first flight back to you.”

“Is that a promise, Nik?”

“You know it!”

***

The day after Nikki leaves, I decide to visit Addie and Eric. I’ve never been to Boston. Evan’s going to Utah and needs to be Brody’s shoulder to cry on since Nikki ended up breaking up with him. I feel so bad for him.

~Chapter Fifteen~

My plane lands in Boston. I’m so excited to see my brother and my best friend.

“Lila, we’re over here to your left.”

“Ads!” I yell.

“I’ve missed you so much. I’ve missed you too, Eric.”

I hug them both, then we head to their place. They have a beautiful loft. They're studying medicine and didn’t want to live on campus. Of course, when Eric got the place, I’m sure my parents didn’t know Addison would be living there too.

We go to dinner that night, but I don't mention Liam. I’m waiting for one of them to ask me if I've heard from him, which I haven’t. Our one-year anniversary is this week. I wish we were all back in California and still in high school. Everything has changed so much.

“How is New York? Are you still hanging out with Evan?”

“Everything is good. Yes, Evan is a great friend. Now that Nikki is back in Ohio, he and Brody are my only friends there.”

Addison and I go shopping, our favorite pastime.

“How are you handling not being able to speak to Liam?” Addison asks.

“It’s the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do in my life. I think about him constantly. I go to my classes and my grades are good, but I don’t see how because all I think about is Liam. I really wish he hadn’t went. I knew I was going to fall in love with him, Ads. Who wouldn’t love him; he's perfect!” I say, tears running down my cheeks.

“I'm so sorry. I know he loves you more than anything. After losing his parents, he went through a rough time. I’m not sure if he told you, but he almost dropped out of school. He wouldn’t open up to anyone, and then he met you. Although you were with Ashton, he knew someday he would have you.”

“What? He told you that?”

“Yes. He’s loved you since he met you.”

“Thanks, now I miss him even more.”

I stay with my brother and my best friend for a week. I love spending time with them. They are such a happy couple. I can see wedding bells in their future.

Evan texts me almost daily. He ran into some old friends while at home and they told him that Brynlea had been looking for him. I hope they find each other. I know how much she means to him.

***

When I get back to my dorm, I check the mail and find just what I was hoping to find—a letter from Liam.

Hey Beautiful,

I miss your face so fucking much, Lila. I can’t wait to hold you in my arms and to kiss all of that sexy body of yours. I've made a really good friend here. He has a fiancée and I think he loves her as much as I love you. He’s a good guy. Hopefully, you’ll be able to meet him; he’s from New York. How is school? Have you found anything out about my mother yet? You can write me back at the address on the envelope. I can get mail now. You can also send me some updated pictures. I would love to have some that shows that beautiful body you have.

I love you, L.

Always,

Liam

I’m so happy to see that Liam is okay. I call Addison as soon as I finish reading the letter. She calls her mom on three way.

“Lila, you take care of that nephew of mine. He’s one special man.”

“I know Mrs. Ellis, and I’ll take good care of him.”

Evan calls and wants to go to lunch. I’m starving, so I go.

“Were you able to get in touch with Brynlea? Did they give you a number or address?”

“No, they didn’t give me any info. I honestly don’t think I want to see her. She left me and never called or emailed. It's like she forgot I exist.”

“Evan, it was her parents, not her. Maybe she had no way of communicating. All I’m saying is, maybe you should hear her side of the story.”

“Thanks, you do have a good point. I'm still not sure I want to look at her after what happened, though.”

***

I need to focus on locating Liam’s birth mother. I haven’t told anyone about her. I really wish I could talk to Addison about it, but it’s not my place to tell anyone.

I call the adoption agency again, hoping to speak with someone different. I explain who Liam and I are looking for to the gentleman.

“Ma’am, would she be in her late thirties to early forties now?”

“Yes, she would, sir.”

I give him my number to call me back once he does more research. I know it will be at least a few days.

I want some alone time, so I rent my favorite movie,
The Notebook,
and order Chinese food. I curl up on the couch and eat. Throughout the movie, I laugh and cry.
The Notebook
always does that to me.

After taking a nap, I wake up and realize I haven’t turned my phone back on. I have four voicemails and ten texts from Evan. Before I get a chance to call him back, he’s at the door.

“Lila! Lila! Are you in there?”

I open the door, not realizing all I'm wearing is a lace thong and one of Liam’s T-shirts.

“Evan, what the hell is wrong? Can’t I have some alone time?” He pulls me into a tight hug. I notice he's crying. “What’s wrong?”

“My mom died.” He lets out another sob.

“Oh Evan, I’m so sorry, sweetie. Come in, sit down.”

“What am I going to do? She was in a car accident. My father said she was fine after the accident, and then several hours later, she died.”

I take in a deep breath. As shocked as I am by the news, I know that if we both panic, it'll only make the situation worse. The best thing I can do right now is try to get him through this.

“Breathe, Evan. I know how upset you must be, but you need to calm down and you need to go home,” I say as gently as I can.

“Can you go with me, please?” he begs. “I can’t do this alone.”

“Yes, I'll go with you. I’ll call the airline and get us tickets,” I say as I grab my phone. “Where's Brody?”

“He’s at the loft,” he says, sitting on my couch.

“Okay, I’ll throw some things together.”

I call the airline; the earliest flight is in the morning.

“Evan, you need to get some sleep. You can stay here. We’ll go get your bags before heading to the airport.”

I can’t stand to see this strong man like this; it’s killing me inside.

“Thanks, you’re such a great friend,” he says.

He leans in and kisses my lips. I know he’s hurting, so I don’t say anything. I just touch my lips when he pulls away.

“I’m so scared. My mom was my dad’s world. She was one of the strongest women I know. How is my dad going to live without her?”

“I don’t know what to say. I can’t imagine what you’re going through. Let’s get some sleep.”

As I lie next to him, I feel so sorry for him. He lies in my arms and cries. I have never lost anyone. I wish I could make all his pain go away. I know I'm crossing boundaries by lying in my bed with my arms wrapped around him. Liam would be so pissed if he found out that Evan kissed me. I don’t think Evan knew what he was doing when he did it.

“Thank you again, for being here for me,” Evan says.

“That’s what friends are for.” I try smiling through my tears.

“Lila, I really love you!”

“I love you too,” I reply. “You're one of my best friends. You've helped me deal with so much lately.”

He kisses my cheek and stares into my eyes. I’m hoping he doesn’t kiss me again. I don’t want to tell him not to; he’s already upset. Oh God, please don’t kiss me.

He rubs his finger across my cheek, lifts my chin up and kisses me again. Oh fuck, why me? I don’t know what to do. I want to stop him. It feels so good, but I know it’s wrong.

“What are you doing?” I ask.

“Please, can I just kiss you and hold you? I need you more than anything right now.”

I know I shouldn’t, but I kiss him back. I realize I'm not wearing anything but my thong and T-shirt when he starts rubbing my legs. He was so upset, I didn't have a chance to put anything on.

I notice his kisses are getting stronger and stronger. I want to tell him to slow down, but his kisses feel wonderful. His mouth feels so damn good on mine.

He runs his hands up and down my back, then sticks his hands up my shirt. I let him rub my breasts and kiss my neck.

“I’m so sorry; do you want me to stop?”

I shake my head. Did I just say no? I can feel how aroused he is against my leg. Damn it, what am I getting myself into? Still, I feel like I need him as much as he needs me. I can feel myself getting moist.

He takes my shirt off and kisses my breasts. It feels wonderful.
I can’t do this
. But I don’t stop him. He kisses my stomach, working his way down.

“Do you want me?” he asks. “Do you want me to make love to you?”

I don’t know what to say. I want him to fuck me so bad and so hard. I know it’s wrong; I’m in love with someone else. Evan is here, though. He can give me what Liam can't.

“Evan, promise me this won’t change things. I’m not going to tell you to stop because I want you as much as you want me.”

He pulls my panties off and starts rubbing my clit. Damn, I’m already coming.

“You're so wet, darlin’.”

I straddle his waist, kiss his neck, and work my way down his stomach. His body is so hot; he has more tattoos on his chest than I thought he did. I unzip his jeans, pull them off, and pull his boxers off. He's so damn hard. His beautiful package, the one I've been dreaming about for months, is right in front of me. I put him in my hand and stroke him up and down.

“Oh, that feels so good,” he says.

I climb on top of him and guide him through my opening. Once he's in me, I move as fast and hard as I can. I try to live for that moment and not let anything else come to mind, even though it's so hard not to. I do love Evan; he's a wonderful man.

I move even faster. He grabs my hips, brings me closer to him, and starts moving, pushing farther inside of me.

“Oh good God, I’m going to come.”

“E-E-Evan, right there, baby, come right now.”

As we come together, I fall on top of him, finding myself wanting more of him. I feel tears streaming down my face. I’m in love with Liam and just made love to Evan.

“That was wonderful and just what I needed. You're everything I thought you would be. I love you.” He pauses. “Are you okay?”

“We need to get some rest.”

He snuggles up to me and kisses my neck. I silently cry myself to sleep. What did I just do? I cheated on the man I love. When I wake up, I stand in the shower and cry my eyes out. I fucked another man while my man is God knows where.

Evan comes in to check on me and realizes I’m crying. I step out of the shower and wrap a towel around me. He holds me as we cry together. He cries for his mother, and I cry for Liam, but I know we're also crying because we can never make love to each other again.

***

We leave for the airport. Standing next to him and pretending we didn't have sex the night before is very awkward for me. He kisses me and acts like everything is okay between us.