"Eric! Eric!" Tanya called out to him. "Only you...." her words were drowned out by the roar of his car engine as he took off without aknowledging her.
He never heard the last part of her sentence. He opened the car door threw his bag in and dropped quickly and effortlessly into the seat as if he was three feet tall and not six feet, four inches. Eric pulled away from the house as fast as he could. He heard her call out to him, but he did not have the courage to look back or respond to her. She didn't need him. He didn't know how long it would take, but until he accepted that she was lost to him, he could not deal with her.
Tanya stood numb as she watched the car drove away. She told herself that he couldn't have heard or seen her. 'Did he see me ? Did he hear me calling to him?"
Her eyes fill with tears. "I want only you." She whispered to herself.
As Eric drove along, he was fill with trepidation that he had just made things worst between him and Tanya. And he tried to justify what he had done.
'How long has she known me? I am her husband, the father of her children, yet she sees me as a monster, something created in a lab...someone she could never have an intimate relationship with again. If I say that it didn't cross my mind that Luke and I were part of an experiment, I would be lying. But what if I was? All I have ever done is love her since the day I laid eyes on her... and I have given her every fucking thing she ever needed or wanted, including my heart. Friendship Lloyd had suggested? No fucking way. I love her too much to be just her friend.'
He didn't know how some people did it ...become friends with their exes. He wanted no part of the friend zone with her.
'I should go back. See what she wants.'
The tears were coming faster than he could wipe them away. He was just driving without any sense of direction. He pulled off the road and came to a stop. He wept...for her, for them, for their children. 'I love her so fucking much.'
He heard a car braked and stopped behind him. He looked up through the rear view mirror.
'Who the fuck is driving my truck? Lloyd?'
The truck door slowly opened, and he soon realized it wasn't Lloyd. 'Fuck, it's her!'
Tanya stood by the driver's door of the truck as if she was afraid to move. Eric quickly wiped the tears from his face. He got out from the car. He noticed, that there was another car stopped direcly behind the truck. It was Robert, Tanya's body guard, the guy Eric vetted and asigned to Tanya and the kids. He watched as she turned and signaled to Robert with her hand to leave, but Robert knew better. He refused to leave her alone...even with Eric, his boss.
'If I wasn't so heartbroken, I would find this shit comical.'
Tanya turned to her body guard. "Go! This is my husband; I will be just fine with him."
"I know who he is Miss Will. He hired me."
Tanya looked from one man to the other. 'I should have known that Robert was his choice.'
Eric thought Robert did the right thing not leaving her. After he and Lloyd had put together the security firm, he had given the team strict orders on 24/7 security for Tanya and the kids.
Tanya turned towards Eric. "Eric could you tell him to go. I need to...talk to you in private."
Eric looked over at Robert. He was a hot head, very much like Eric. There was even a rumor that Robert might be Rick's son. Of course Rick denied it, maybe because Robert's mother was a married woman and neither of them needed the scandal. But Rob was perfect for the job. Two years in the military and four years on the police force, he was the perfect recruit for their security business. He took his job extremely serious. He didn't take any bull shit from Tanya or Ericka.
Eric called out to Robert. "Rob, it's okay, I will see my wife safely back to the house."
"You sure about this boss?"
"Yes Rob, I am sure and what did I tell you about calling me boss?"
"Ssorry boss...I meant Eric,"
Robert reluctantly took off, and Eric and Tanya were left alone...still standing and staring at each other in a standoff position.
'It is hard to read him from this distance. Why is he looking at me like that? He hates me. I just know it. And if he doesn't now, then I know he will later.'
Eric also kept his distance, still standing by his rental car as if he was cemented to the sidewalk and staring back at her with the most serious demeanor. There was not a hint of joy or even a smile at seeing Tanya for the first time in several weeks. He leaned against his rental car, feet crossed, arms folded and waited for her to make the next move.
He was dressed in his usual casual attire, jeans, button down long sleeves shirt rolled to his elbows and combat boots. A large beanie hat covered his locs. With his hair covered under the beanie hat, Tanya wondered if he had started dread locking his hair again. She could tell that he had a lot of hair under that hat. Even from a distant, she could see the stubble on his face, which was a sign that he hadn't shaved that morning. Tanya noticed that he still wore the Rolex watch, she had given him, but the necklace with her name was missing. Even with the serious expression on his face, she still thought that he was the most gorgeous man on the face of the earth.
Eric waited and waited for Tanya to say something, do somethiing. 'Why is she just standing there looking at me? What is it she wants to tell me now? She looks different, but I can't tell for sure what is different.'
She looked disheveled as if she just rolled out of bed. She wore a loosely fitting blouse that looked several sizes too big and a pair of denim shorts peeked out from under that huge blouse. Her hair was pulled on top of her head into a high messy pony tail. She put her hands across her face to shade her eyes from the hot morning sun. Eric thought that she couldn't look more desirable.
'Down boy, she doesn't want you.'
**************
Tanya began to tear up. She could not believe his lack of emotions after not seeing her for two months. 'But why did he stop by the side of the road? Did he know that I was following him? I couldn't let him leave again without talking to him. He looks mad. I should just go. He doesn't love me anymore. I can tell.' She turned and reached for the truck door.
Eric wondered what she was thinking. 'Is she leaving?'
But something else caught his attention...her profile. 'That can't be, could it be? No fuckng way, Lloyd would have told me. Wouldn't he?'
Eric rushed to her side with mixed feelings. He was angry...at her and at Lloyd for keeping such a life altering secret from him, yet he felt relief at the same time. "Why you never told me that...?"
She shook her head as the tears flowed like a faucet. "Tell you how Eric? It's been so hard. You refused to talk to me. Lloyd said that he asked you to call, but you were not ready to talk to me." She kept rambling on, and crying at the same.
He never could bear to see Tanya in tears. Her tears were his kryptonite. He picked her up. Tanya wrapped her legs around him and burried her face in the side of his neck. He could feel the wetness on his neck from her tears. "Please don't leave." She cried. He held her tight and he just broke down and cried too. They stood like that for a long time...with Tanya wrapped around him. After a while he disentangled her from him and gently placed her to sit on top of the truck. With his thumb he wiped away any remaining tears from her face. She hesitantly reached up and did the same to him.
He gazed into her eyes and cautiously touched her belly. It was hard. He thought that she had to be at least five months along. He closed his eyes and sighed deeply with relief. "How are you really? How are you feeling?"
"I am well. The baby is growing well."
"Why Tanya? Why did you make me believe that...the baby was gone?"
"If you know me at all, you have to know that I would never do that to any child of ours."
'Am I crazy? Didn't she say to me, there is no baby? What the fuck was I to think?'
"But that was what you alluded to and when I called you out on it you never denied that was what happened."
"And if I recall correctly I never admitted to doing that Eric."
Eric closed his eyes. They were both getting agitated. 'Calm the fuck down Eric before you blow this again.'
"Look, I am sorry. You are right, when I asked about the baby, you didn't answer and I just assumed that you did...get rid of her when you said there was no baby."
Tanya was puzzled. "Her? How do you know...it's a girl?
Eric gently reached over and pushed her hair behind her ear and out of her face. "I saw her in my dream. A beautiful little girl that looks exactly like you. I think we should call her Angel, short for Angela."
Tanya smiled. "Angel? I love it. I am just happy that I will have one that looks like me. Ericka and EJ look exactly like you."
"Yeah, poor kids." Eric said.
Tanya gazed at him. "What?" He asked
"You look different."
Eric chuckled. And that sound warmed her heart. "I hope it is different as in good. So, are you ok now or do you still need more time? If that is what you want, you can have it. I don't like it, but you can have it." Eric said.
"No, I don't need more time. Eric when I found out what your mother did, I was traumatized by the whole thing...about the little girl...about you. I just needed some time to process things."
"I understand. You thought that I was created in a lab and might be an experiment."
"I don't care if you are. If that is what Sahita did, then I thank her for making you just for me. I love you, only you."
Eric's head spun around at hearing that. That is all he ever wanted to hear her say. He slammed his mouth against hers, kissing her with such passion.
He finally released her lips. He pressed his forehead against her's. "And I love you. It always ever will be you."
"Do you really believe that Stephanie is Sahita?" Tanya asked after several minutes passed.
Eric looked at her. "Between you and me, there is a strong possibility that she is somehow a replica of Sahita. She looks exactly like her, but no one knows how it came about. She is a complete mystery."
"And you are sure that Mila is not her mother and you are not...?"
"Her father? Positively sure on both. All the tests prove that Mila is not her mother and I am not her father."
Tanya looked perturbed.
"Babe, I don't want you to worry. I will be keeping a close eye on Stephanie and I will stop her again if I see the slightest hint that her peronality is anything like Sahita's."
'Stop her again? Does he mean Stop Sahita? Did he really get rid of his mother as the rumor says? I don't care, and I don't want to know.'
He touched her face then her lips. His countenance suddenly changed. "Don't you know me yet? I will do any fucking thing to keep you safe." He said as if he knew what she was thinking.
He pulled her to him and hugged her tight. He kissed the top of her head. "I missed you so fucking much." He whispered.
"I missed you too." She whispered back.
Tanya suddenly pulled away and looked at Eric. "The party! Ericka's party!"
Eric smiled and shook his head. "Let's go, we must not disappoint our daughter."
*************
After Ericka's party Eric accompanied Tanya and the kids back to the apartment. Tanya stood at the door to the children's bathroom and watched as Eric gave EJ his bath. "He missed you Eric. I have never seen him this happy to have his bath."
Eric picked up EJ from the water and Tanya grabbed a towel and wrapped the baby. "Did you notice that Ericka was not interested in her presents? All she wanted was to show you off to her friends and be with you." Tanya continued. Eric kept Silent, not responding to anything much of what she said. Tanya followed him around as he tended to the kids and put them to bed. Then finally they were alone in the main suite. Eric was quiet and reserved throughout the evening and Tanya wondered what was going on with him. 'Is it the baby?'
"Shower together?" Tanya asked.
"Sure." Was all he said
"You shouldn't be mad at Lloyd. I asked him not to say anything about my pregnancy to you. I didn't want you coming back just for the baby..."
Eric slipped out of his shirt exposing his muscular tatooed chest. "I am not mad at him or anyone. We are both guilty of making Lloyd play referee between us. We should stop that."
Tanya nodded in agreement. Eric pulled off his beanie hat and threw it on the chair. His hair fell to his shoulders. She thought that he looked like a King straight out of a fairytale.
'Wow his hair has grown a ton since he left the island. He is as gorgeous as ever.'
Tanya felt hot even though the air condition was at full blast and she had only her panties on. She batted her eyes and bit under her bottom lip. Eric's eyes went straight to her lips.
'She is a damn tease.'
Eric backed her up against the wall and gazed at her with raw passion in his eyes. He wanted to take her right there, but he needed to go easy on her. she was pregnant and it had been a while since he had sex. His lips hovered over her's without touching. Tanya yearned for him to kiss her but he didn't. She smiled up at him. 'So he wants to play.'
Tanya reached up and passed her hand through his hair, then pulled hard and he groaned loudly. They touched, felt , caressed and explored each other. Tanya tried to kiss him, but he pulled back each time, torturing her. She noticed two new tatoos on his arm. One was EJ's birthday, the other she had no clue, but would find out from him later. They both knew that there was something that needed to be addressed before they could proceed further.
She played with a strand of his hair. "Eric...you were right. I did put the idea in your head that there was no baby...I needed time to sort out things and I knew that you would not give me that time if you knew that I was having another baby so soon after having EJ. I am sorry."
Without answering, he slammed his lips to hers kissing her breathless. He pulled away, then picked her up and took her over to the bed.
Tanya smiled mischiviously up at him. "No time for a shower my king?"
Eric hovered over her and smiled. "No. We take a bath AFTER my queen."
***************
This is the final chapter in book 3. I will post the epilogue soon. Thanks for reading Eric and Tanya's story. I hope that you enjoyed reading it as much I did writing it. looking forward to your commentary and on to Book 4 :)