Kori's Angel Heart (A Completed Steamy, Romantic Comedy)

His Kisses

We had a lazy Saturday watching movies and we ordered Chinese for dinner. It's actually been kind of nice seeing Gavin outside of his office, and we've made it a whole 24 hours without fighting. He seems like a completely different person this weekend.

We watched 'Pearl Harbor', and when it ended, we had a good tickling match in his bed, which, once again, left me straddling him in his bed. What started as innocent, quickly escalated when I couldn't resist those lips any longer. He probably thinks I'm crazy, but I love his kisses.

I sat up and looked down at him. "Is this what it would be like with us as a couple? Spending our weekends inside this house and never going out?"

He looked at me like he was completely lost. "Why do you think we wouldn't go out?" He asked.

"Just something Claudia said. She said I wasn't of the right breeding to be with you."

He shut his eyes and sighed. "Why would breeding matter? Just forget everything she said to you that day. She has no idea what she's talking about. My mother was a teacher and grew up in Brooklyn. My grandfather built this company with his own two hands from the ground up. He was raised in an orphanage right here in Chicago. Hell, if bloodlines meant anything, I wouldn't be here right now." He answered.

Perfect answer.

He flipped me around and held my wrists above my head while he laid on top of me. "I don't want to give you an ego or anything, but you're the one, Kori. You don't have to worry about my family, but yours just may be the one that's hard to impress. Your father is a priest, and you were raised, literally, by nuns." He pecked my lips.

"My family is very kind. My father is sweet, but I will admit, he's protective. My grandparents are kind people. I don't see them often because they're down south, but good none the less. Can I ask you a question?"

Curiosity gets the best of me.

"Okay," he answers reluctantly.

"Is your mother still alive? I know you said she's Catholic, but your dad is remarried."

He nods. "She is around, but not as much as she once was since dad married Stephanie. In her mind, they're still married. She's hurt, and I only see her when I'm in New York. After Patrick graduated high school, she went home to take care of her parents. It's too painful for her to see my dad."

Wow

"So, she is right. If she's deeply religious, I could see why she's so hurt. There is no such thing as divorce in the church." He rolled next to me and his hand landed on my belly.

"It was a shock to all of us. We all lived here in this house. My parents, Patrick, and Sarah, even my uncle David and his wife. My dad and David had a business trip to California, and that's when he met Stephanie. They had an affair and David told Mom. The whole family was torn apart. Mom was willing to forgive, but then my sister was diagnosed with cancer. He never cut ties with Stephanie and was with her when Sarah had a seizure and fell down the steps. She died a few hours later, and the only one not with her was my dad. He was busy I guess, and Mom was broken. Hell, Dad was broken and the guilt was just too much. He moved out and was forced to step down as CEO. He never left Stephanie, divorced Mom, and lived a life outside this house. David and my father haven't spoken in years. It's been 15 years, and you know my mother is still faithful to my father?"

Poor woman

"Don't get me wrong, Dad isn't a bad man and I forgave him years ago. Stephanie is nice enough and her kids are okay. Stephanie has been very good with Keegan and helps whenever Nina isn't available." His thumb starts rubbing my belly.

"Does your mom have an active life? I mean, she isn't depressed still is she?" I asked.

He shook his head. "My grandparents and church are all she worries about. She never even went back to teaching, other than CCD classes at the church. She lives with my grandparents in a tiny apartment in Brooklyn. I'm not sure where she gets money, since she always returns Dad's checks he sends. She took a very small settlement, and Dad never felt right about it, so he still tries to take care of her. Stephanie, of course, hates it."

"Your Mom sounds like a good woman, but I'm sorry to disappoint you, but I'm obviously not as devout as she is, which is weird, I know."

He laughed. "I could tell the first time you cursed at me. So, how does a widower with a young child become a priest?"

"My mom is from Birmingham, and my dad is from here in Chicago. Dad had actually started the process to be a priest before he met Mom." I laughed. "She wanted to be a nun, but things happen and mom got pregnant with me, so they got married. Dad got a degree in engineering while he worked, and Mom worked as a waitress. I used to love going to work with her.

One day, I stayed with Sister Mary Margaret, who was my moms closest friend. We spent the day decorating the church for Christmas, but Dad never showed up to get me. I fell asleep that night next to her and she held me tight and we prayed. I didn't find out till the next day that my mom was attacked outside the diner. They beat and raped her, then left her for dead. She was in a coma for a month, and I rarely saw Dad. He thought he was being punished and blamed God. When she died, he took off and I stayed with the nuns."

"Wow, I'm sorry, Kori."

"It's fine, he finally found himself and decided to devote his life to Christ. Although I was sheltered and I've lived a very mundane life, I didn't do it because of religion. I just didn't know how to live or who to trust. Horrible men took my mom away, so trusting can be a tough one for me."

He gasped. "That's why you freaked out with Kellen?"

"Part of it, but I didn't like his kisses and he was supposed to be my friend."

He rolled back on top of me. "But you like mine?"

I put my hand over my face to hide it and just nodded yes.

"So, you're not holding out for your wedding night? You just never trusted anyone enough the let them in?"

I shrugged my shoulders and removed my hands. "Partially that's the reason, but I can be pretty shy about those things. I mean, other than Church, I wasn't around boys. Some of the girls in my dorm were pretty wild and I heard them talk about it and saw many of them cry themselves to sleep at night. I didn't ever want to rely on anyone else to make me happy."

He pecked my lips. "Are you happy? I mean with yourself?"

I smiled. "Yeah, I got a great education and lived the way I wanted, no matter how much pressure I got from everyone else. I always did it my way, and I guess I'm pretty proud of my achievements. I love children and I've spent years helping, and that always felt right. My dad wanted me to consider being a nun, but I always wanted to be a Mom."

I looked at him and, he just smiled. "You just turned up your degree of hotness by a lot." He laughed. "A lot of women, or people, I should say, measure themselves by the amount of money they have and their social status. You're amazing, Korilee Heart."

"You aren't to bad yourself, when you're not Gavin Hardwick, CEO." I laughed, and he tickled me.