Ew, okay, the ending was cliche and sucked, but its almost 4 in the morning. Plus, I had a nasty fight with my mother and my brain has been working over time trying to take apart every single detail of it so I could get a better understanding of the altercation, but I really wanted to get this chapter out. It's the weekend and school has started for me, so when Monday comes, I probably won't be able to write a lot. And my updates will be less frequent and around every weekend possibly, maybe earlier if I don't have homework.
Anyway, sorry for the wait!
This chapter is dedicated to esoteric918 because she's another one of my favorite writers on Wattpad!
-
I stared at the mirror. My eyes were bright with tears, cheeks flushed with color and my chest was rising and falling as I breathed heavily. My hair was a mess, in tangled curls and completely frizzy.
Tessa?" Cash's mother called, knocking on the bedroom door. We were at her home while Cash was back at his apartment with all the other men in our families.
Sniffling, I ignored her pleas to open the door and hugged my knees as I sat forlornly on the bed.
"Tessa, darling, please open the door." That was my mother, sounding worried. "Please tell us what's wrong."
I didn't reply and turned my head down, my halo of blonde hair falling around my face.
"She hasn't come out, yet?" That was Cash's cousin, Diandra or just Andi. She was brutally honest, close to being just downright rude, a little too violent and so beautiful, she had gotten countless offers to be a model. However, she was my favorite out of all of Cash's cousin and I loved her.
I didn't hear my mother's response, but I did hear footsteps fading away. I began to sob again, tears running down my cheeks. I don't know how long I cried helplessly like that in front of the mirror, but then I heard a soft knock on the door.
"Baby?" Cash called through the door. My head snapped up at his voice. What was he doing here? Then, like he had heard my thoughts, he laughed lightly and said, "Andi drove by and dragged me here. Said that you were crying. Tessa, what's wrong? Is something the matter? Did I do something to make you cry?"
Hesitating for a moment, I got up and opened the door slowly. Cash stood there, biting his lip, looking incredibly nervous and a little upset.
"Tessa," he murmured, stepping inside and closing the door behind him. "I hate seeing you like this." His arms wrapped around me. "What's wrong, sweetheart?"
"I'm scared, Cash," I sobbed. "What if we're moving too fast?" He stiffened. "What if getting married is a mistake? What if in one year, you realize that you're tired of me and we get divorced? What if-," I was cut off by Cash's finger against my lips.
There was an almost amused look on his face. "Tessa, tell me this. Do you love me?" he asked seriously, moving his hands to my shoulders and gripping them.
I nodded numbly.
"I love you, Tessa. I love you a lot. Everything is going to be okay." He pressed a kiss to my forehead and looped his arms around my waist.
Breathing in deeply, I nodded. "You're right. You're right," I whispered, trying to calm my accelerated breathing.
"Now, stop lingering on the 'what if's," he told me. I laughed a little and hugged him tighter. He was right. We loved each other. That was all that mattered.
-
Waking up in Pierce's arms felt like heaven. He was holding me to his body and my head was on his chest, both our legs tangled together. I could hear his heartbeat and the sky was still dark, the soft light of the moon caressing our skin.
I stared up at the sky. It was going to be dawn soon and I remembered that I hadn't even called my mother to tell her that I wouldn't be able to pick up Tanner until morning. I found my phone in my purse and a found a text from her. It seemed like she had gotten the gist of what went on and I smiled the slightest. I sent a reassuring text to her and then crawled back to Pierce, resting my head on his chest.
Shifting a little, I turned my head up towards him and watched him sleeping. He looked so innocent. His lips were parted a little as he breathed in and out evenly, chest rising and falling. His flat black hair was brushing the tips of his eyebrows. I could see his eyes moving under his closed lids and I wondered what he was dreaming about, especially because his lips curled up the tiniest bit.
After a few minutes of me staring at him, the smile grew a little. "Stop staring, it's creepy," he said, eyes still closed.
I shuffled a little so I was in a much more comfortable position. "How did you know?" I asked.
Pierce peeked one eye open. "I can almost feel your eyes burning holes into me," he told me, laughing.
Giggling, I got up, holding my dress up to cover myself. But he tugged it away. "Pierce," I gasped.
There was a mischievous smirk on his face and his eyes were twinkling with amusement. "Come on. I want round two," he said, trying to tug me down on top of him.
"Come on, Pierce, we have to go," I said, trying not to let him pull me back under his spell again. I pulled on my dress until he finally let go and slipped it on again. It was slightly wrinkled, but I didn't really mind. It wasn't one of those expensive, designer dresses Cash had insisted on buying me.
"Please?" There was a pout on his lips and I tried to hide my smile, but failed.
"We're in the middle of a lake. Maybe when we get home," I said, teasingly. There was a spark of interest on his face and he got up lazily, pulling on his boxers, then pants. He didn't bother with his suit jacket and only put on the white shirt. I tried not to stare at the muscles flexing on his stomach and arms, the same muscles I had memorized with my hands just few hours prior.
"You're staring again." Pierce strode forward, gathering me up into his arms and kissing me fiercely before walking off. He started the boat again and began to steer back towards the dock while I smoothed out the fabrics covering my body.
I leaned against the edge with my back against the railing, hair billowing out behind me as the breeze blew across my face. Pierce looked so at home as he steered the boat and I felt a rush of emotions sweept through me as his dark locks brushed over his eyes. Mine. He was mine. Maybe I was jumping into a relationship too soon, but hadn't Cash already moved on from me? He had brought another woman to a family affair. I had been replaced. So it was only fair that I got to do the same. Besides, Pierce was a man I'd known practically my entire life. People moved on in different paces - sometimes it took years, other times it was only a few months. Having feelings for someone else so quickly didn't make me a bad person.
When I felt the boat stop, I was surprised. I had been so lost in thought that I hadn't even noticed we'd already reached the dock. Pushing away from the railing, I slipped on my heels and let Pierce help me off. He scooped me up in his arms and I giggled as I wrapped my arms around his neck.
With a smile in my voice, I said, "I can walk, you know."
Pierce glanced down at me, corners of his eyes crinkling. "I know. But I like holding you."
A laugh escaped bubbled up from my throat and I buried my face in his shoulder. "You're such a dork."
"But I'm your dork," he replied adorably and my eyes flushed. How had he not found some perfect, loving woman already? He was...he was every woman's dream man. But still, I couldn't help the tinge of sadness at that thought. There was a time when I had thought Cash was my dream come true and he had only ended up splitting my heart open.
As Pierce set me down in the passanger seat, I grabbed his face between my hands and pulled him in closer. At first, he thought I was going to kiss him, so he leaned in, but I held him back. "What are we, Pierce?" I asked, staring at him in the eyes. I don't know what I would do if he said something along the lines of a 'fling'.
He looked back at me for a few silent minutes. I began to get nervous and couldn't help, but fidget a little. I was beginning to get a little unnerved. I shifted, biting my lip and turned away from me, but he held my chin and kissed me lightly.
"I wouldn't mind being your boyfriend again," he murmured against my mouth.
Winning a million dollar lottery ticket wouldn't have made me happier.
-
Seeing Tanner after a whole day of not seeing him made me realize that I had missed him a lot.
"Baby!" I cried as I arrived at my parent's house. Tanner began to gurgle as his arms reached out to me. I beamed and gathered him up from my mother's arms and pressed kisses all over his face. He giggled and grabbed onto my cheeks. "I missed you, darling," I cooed.
My mom smiled at me. "He missed you, too. How was your date?" she asked, a knowing look in her eyes. My cheeks colored.
"It was great. He took me to this new restaurant and then we went out on his friend's boat," I gushed. "I loved it." I didn't see the point in adding what happened after that since it was most likely she already knew, so I didn't say anything about Pierce and I making love.
She chuckled a little. "Well, I'm glad you're not letting Calvin get in your way, Tessa," she said, patting my cheek.
I swallowed and the sparkle in my eyes died just a little bit, but I replaced it quickly. "So, was Tanner good?" I asked, changing the subject. "He didn't cause too much trouble, did he?"
My mother shook her head. "No, he was an angel. At first, he was a bit fussy - he probably missed you, but then I just put him in his bouncer seat and turned on the TV and he watched it like he understood." Mom had an astonished look in her eyes.
I ran my hand over Tanner's hair as he chewed on my shirt. Pierce had dropped me off and we did end up doing our extra curricular activities before sleeping for a few more hours. Then he went home and I had changed and come to pick up Tanner. "My baby is smart, isn't he?" I cooed.
Laughing, my mom just shook her head. "Of course he is. You're his mom, aren't you? And you're my daughter. So of course he has to be smart."
I rolled my eyes playfully before leaning over to kiss her cheek. "Thanks for watching him, Mom." We said our goodbyes and I buckled Tanner in his carseat. Then I walked around to the driver's side and got in. After waving one more time to my mom, I drove home.
The entire ride, Tanner babbled away in his baby language and I listened to my music, watching him occasionally. He was just so lovely to look at, with his puffy, rosy cheeks and pouty pink lips. Those gorgeous emerald green eyes and the honey brown hair he had inherited from his daddy. He was a chubby baby with an adorable, heart stopping toothless smile. Having him as my son was a blessing.
When we got home, I held Tanner on my hip and opened the door, walking inside. The house was perfectly clean, so I basically had nothing to do except make myself something to eat. I put Tanner in his bouncer seat and turned on the TV, putting him right in front of it. I turned the channel to Nickelodeon and Spongebob Squarepants was on. A smile made its way onto my face when I saw how Tanner seemed to be capitvated by the moving images on the TV screen. My mom was right. It was pretty cute, for a three month old baby.
I was beginning to feel really lonely after I finished eating, so I called Devin, the teen parent I had met that day in the park. It was Saturday so I knew he didn't have any classes. We made some plans to meet up at Damien and Shay's diner. He was brining Bailey and of course, Tanner was going to accomany me. I took him almost everywhere.
I dressed Tanner and myself before walking out of my house to the car. After buckling him in, I got into the car and drove towards the diner. It wasn't busy, which surprised me because I remembered it being crowded on the weekends.
The teenage waitress I had talked to the day I talked to Damien about working there, was there. Lucy - that was her name. When she saw me, she smiled and came over. "You're the new waitress, right?" she asked.
I nodded. "Yup. I'm Tessa," I held out my hand.
"Lucy," she replied. I didn't bother telling her that I already knew because of her name tag. "I'm glad you're going to start working here. Some of the other girls are...ugh." She shuddered.
Chuckling, I took a seat and put Tanner next to me. "How old are you?"
"I'm eighteen," she replied. "Graduating in June."
"Any college in mind?" I asked, letting my chin rest on my open palms.
Lucy drummed her fingers on her thigh as she glanced periodically at Tanner. "I got accepted into Harvard. I want to be a lawyer like my dad."
I chuckled. She was talkative which I liked, but I was glad she didn't speak too much. "Ivy League. That's pretty cool. Far away, though. What do your parents think about it?"
"They're kind of upset I'm moving all the way up to Cambridge, but they're happy for me." She was beaming with joy. If I had gotten into Harvard, I probably would have been, too.
"Well, congrats. That's definitely something to be proud of," I said. Then the door swept open and I glanced over to see Devin walk in, holding the hand of his adorable daughter. I smiled and waved to him. When he saw me, his lips curled up as his eyes lightened and he came over.
"Hey, Tessa," Devin greeted, leaning in to kiss my cheeks. I chuckled at his cute display of affection and ruffled Bailey's hair.
"Hi, little lady. How are you doing today?" I cooed before turning to Devin, only to see that his attention had been quickly captured by Lucy who was blushing furiously.
Looking at them both now, I noticed that they'd probably make a pretty good couple. While Devin had the whole curly blonde hair, hazel eyes and tan skin going on, Lucy was pale with short black hair and light brown eyes. They were completely different in appearance, but that was what made them look appealing as a couple.
I had originally been hoping to just socialize with Devin and see how things were going, but instead, I introduced them and just watched slyly as Lucy took little breaks in between her duties as a waitress to come talk to us, well, mainly him. She didn't even mind Bailey and seemed taken with the little girl. I bit my lip to hide my smile, watching them. It seemed like I wasn't the only one who had caught the love bug.