THE

DOCTOR NEXT DOOR

The Next Door Bad Boy Series (Book 2)

LAUREN WOOD
Copyright © 2019 by Lauren Wood

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 CONTENTS

Prologue
1. Liz
2. Glenn
3. Liz
4. Liz
5. Glenn
6. Liz
7. Glenn
8. Liz
9. Glenn
10. Liz
11. Glenn
12. Liz
13. Glenn
14. Liz
15. Liz
16. Glenn
17. Liz
18. Glenn
19. Liz
20. Glenn
21. Liz
22. Glenn
23. Liz
24. Glenn
25. Liz
26. Glenn
Epilogue
Also by Lauren Wood
About the Author
EXCLUSIVE FREE OFFER
 AUTHOR’S NOTE

Hi! This is the second book in The Bad Boy Next Door Series, and
you’ll probably want to start with the first book here:

The Billionaire Next Door (The Bad Boy Next Door Book 1)
 PROLOGUE

GLENN

omething moved and I caught it out of the corner of my

S eye. When I went to see what it was, I knew that my

attention was exactly what was trying to be gotten.
“Glenn, glad to see you. Do you think you could help me with
my dress really quick? I don’t know why they make them so you
can’t get dressed and undressed by yourself.”
I looked around for a moment, like somebody was going to
jump out and tell me to stop. Maybe I was looking for her brother
Mario, to ruin the moment. I could see the smooth skin of her
back as it dipped low behind the zipper towards her behind. This
wasn't the first time that I had seen a bit too much of Liz, but
this time seemed to bother me even more than before.
“Sure Liz. Where are you going dressed like this? It looks like
you’re up to no good.”
The dress was too short, and I knew if she was my little sister,
I wouldn't want her leaving the house like that. Not when there
were guys like me that were going to lust after her. I swallowed
hard. Did she not understand how beautiful she was? I don't
think she really knew the damage she did to every man she met.
But, maybe she did.
I knew that Liz liked to play games and she had a mischievous
look in her eyes when our gaze gays finally met.
 “I was just going to go out to a party. You know how these
things go.”
Even though Liz was a year behind me in school, she was
already getting invited to senior parties. I know that it bothered
Mario, because he didn’t have a choice. There was no way for
him to do anything to stop people from noticing his sister,
though he tried his hardest. She was the type of woman that got
noticed, no matter if her angry brother was right next to her or
not. For most people it wouldn't matter. At this moment, it
almost didn’t matter for me and she was my best friend’s sister.
My hands were shaking, as I worked the courage up to do the
task. The zipper felt dainty in my hands and my fingers trailed
along her warm, supple skin as I did what she needed. I was
trembling from need, but I was confident that I had done a good
job of hiding it. Liz could never know what she did to me. If she
knew how much I wanted her, she would never let me forget it.
She turned around when I was finished. We were so close Liz
was practically in my arms. I wanted to pull her in closer. I
wanted to kiss her pulling the short skirt up the few inches that
it would take to put the rest of her in my sights. I knew once she
went to that party every man there was going to want to do the
exact same thing that I was thinking about doing now.
“Do you want to come out with me?”
“Mario and I are going out. You’re too young to be going to
these parties.”
Liz didn’t like my answer and her lip went out a little bit to
protest it. The plump pink skin torturing me further. I wanted to
give her a moment to get it out.
My proximity to her did something to me and the reminder
that she was my best friends’ sister, was enough to have me
pulling back. I couldn't do this, no matter how badly I wanted to.
“Come on Glenn. You know that you want to. You look at me
like all the other boy’s do. They don’t think I’m too young. I’m
old enough.”
It was then that I realized she knew explicitly what she was
doing to me. There was laughter in her eyes, and it bothered me.
Why was she so hard to swallow? Everything about her, felt like a
drug and I was addicted. The worst part was, I think she knew it
too.
“I’m going to have to pass Liz.”
“You might not get another chance.”
She was probably right. I was leaving for college soon and I
wouldn’t be around. I wouldn’t see her again for a long time, but
maybe it was for the best. She knew too much, made me want
her to much. It couldn’t be, no matter how badly I wanted her all
this time. I was going to be a doctor one day and I wouldn’t ever
have to worry about women again.
 CHAPTER 1
LIZ

was late. I knew that Mario would be fine with it. He knew,

I even though we lived next door to each other, I couldn’t

manage to be on time. I tried, I really did, but it was
impossible.
When I got over to their house, it was already full of people.
I’d seen all the cars parked out front and I knew that the
christening was taking place soon. I had to get in there. I was
supposed to be the godmother after all. I had to be there for it.
My dress was still a bit wrinkled. I’d found it deposited on the
floor from where I’d tried it on and discarded it before. My hair
was a mess and I knew that before long I was going to be in front
of everyone. Maybe I should have stretched out my tardiness
another five minutes to look more presentable.
“Hey Liz. Glad to see you could make it. Was traffic bad?”
Mario was smiling, but his tone told me that he was pissed. I
couldn’t blame him, not really. I knew that this was a big deal for
him and his wife, Latica. Her parents had died when she was
young with nothing in place, and she had gone from family
member to family member until she was old enough to live on
her own. She didn’t want that for their kids. It was an honor for
her to ask me, considering how much stock she put into it.
“Sorry Mario. Really I am.”
 “You look a hot mess. Did you just get in from a night of
partying?”
I shot him a dirty look. I didn’t look that bad, did I? I didn’t
party near as much as my family thought I did, but I just went
along with it. It was easier that way.
“No, I just woke up. My alarm didn’t go off, and then I looked,
and it was already late. You know I don’t ever use it for anything.
I am surprised I even got it turned on.”
He scoffed and we walked into the party together. Mario was
mad, but like everything else, he would forgive me, and we
would move on.
“Liz, one day you’re going to have to get a real job and get up
before noon like everyone else. You can’t keep pretending that
you’re still a teenager.”
I wrinkled my nose. Honestly, that didn’t even sound like a
very good idea. I don’t know why everyone was so happy to get
older to fill up their plate with responsibilities. I didn’t get it.
“Well, let’s hope that day never comes. I would rather paint
and write poetry.”
Mario just shook his head. I didn’t have to ask he meant; I
already knew. He’d made it clear for a very long time.
“Just be lucky that we both have a trust, or you would know
well the notion of what a starving artist is.”
“I sell stuff.”
“Uh huh.”
Mario never did take my art seriously and if I was honest with
myself, I didn’t really take it all that seriously either. He was
right to say that the trust fund from mom and dad had certainly
helped me do what I wanted to do, but I liked to think that I
could do my art as a job, if I really had to. But I didn’t.
“So, who did you pick for godfather?”
He looked over at me, with apology in his eyes. I knew before
he said anything.
“Don’t tell me…”
“You know who it is, so I won’t tell you. He’s back from his
residency and he’ll be staying with me for a while until he finds
something here. You know how the market is, or I guess maybe
you wouldn’t.”
I tried to pretend I knew, but we both knew better.
“Fine, as long as I don’t have to be around him.”
“He’s the godfather, you’re going to have to be around him.
Glenn’s not that bad. You just rub each other the wrong way.”
I wasn’t going to get into it with him. Glenn was every
woman’s fantasy, but the problem was that he knew it. It was
fireworks, every time we were around each other. I didn’t think
that this time would be any different. I didn’t like how cocky he
was, and he didn’t like how honest I was.
“I will play nice for Stephen, but that’s it.”
“Good enough sis. Now try not to hit the bar too early. Let’s at
least get past the holding the baby part.”
I was going to protest and tell him that he was just being
ridiculous, but we both knew that he wasn’t being silly at all. I
had been known to get a bit tipsy on occasion. That was, any
occasion and sometimes it wasn’t always at the best times.
“Don’t worry brother. I still have a hangover from last night,
so I am already a little tipsy.”
I slapped his chest once, hard and then walked away. Latica
was looking radiant and I could see that she was glowing. Her
dark brown hair was shining under the lights, as well as her
flawless light brown skin. She saw me and smiled. No matter
how much my brother thought I was a lackey, his wife didn’t,
and we’d formed a close bond. I tried to be more proper when I
was around her, so that was a good thing. I needed more good
influences in my life.
 “I am so happy you came.”
She smiled and hugged me. I knew that she wasn’t being
sarcastic. I lived next door, literally less than fifty feet away, but
Latica was that happy to see me. Sometimes I was humbled by
her spirit.
“I wouldn’t have missed it for the world. I know how much
this means to you.”
She started to get teary eyed and I pulled her in for a side hug.
Her family was very reserved. It had taken time for her to get
used to affection, but still she rested her head on my shoulder.
“If anything, ever happened to you and Mario, Latica, I would
take care of them as if they were my own. You know that. I will
always make sure they are safe and happy.”
Latica gave me a large, genuine smile. “I know, that’s why I
picked you. Mario picked Glenn because they go back really far,
but I wanted you.”
“Well, I am here for you Latica, just know that.”
She pulled away and cleared her eyes with her fingers. Latica
was saying something and her words were getting dimmer, as I
looked over and saw Glenn walking in. He was late like me, but
Mario had no reprimand. He clapped him on his back, smiled and
offered him a drink. I tried not to think about the double
standard.
I wanted to ignore Glenn. The problem with him was that he
was too damn handsome. His smile told the world that he knew
it. Glenn was almost a foot taller than me and he was nothing
but muscle from what I could see. His suit was tailored to his
body, and it hid none of the hard biceps or wide chest of the man
underneath.
Glenn’s green eyes pulled me upwards and I held his gaze for
a moment. There was something there, always had been, but we
ignored it and railed against each other instead. It was easier
that way.
I turned away, forgetting about the knowing look in his eyes
and the grin on his face. I could live without seeing all of that.
 CHAPTER 2
GLENN

really don’t know what I’m supposed to do Mario. You

“I
you know.”
know I don’t do this sort of thing.”
“It’s only a ceremony. It makes my wife feel better,

“So, what’s your sister doing here?”

“She’s the godmother. Did you really think that we would
leave his care to you? Come on.”
“I thought it was only a ceremony Mario.”
“It is, but you know, if we kick the bucket, you have to step
in.”
I wasn’t too sure about any of this, but of course I said yes. I
didn’t like kids and I wasn’t too fond of Latica, but Mario asked.
We’d known each other since grade school and there was no way
I was telling him no. We’d made blood pacts, fought battles with
each other, and against other. We’d been through a lot. When a
friend like that asks you to come over and agree to be a
godfather, you said yes.
“Will do, just don’t, you know, kick the bucket. I don’t know
how I would fit a car seat into my car.”
Mario clicked his tongue and told me that I was as bad as Liz.
“Take that back.”
He chuckled. “Come on, I know that the two of you can’t hate
each other as much as you claim. My sister is a spitfire, but you
can’t help but love her.”
“I don’t hate her, but since I never had a little sister or
brother, I got the full experience with her. She certainly made it
a point to aggravate me enough.”
Mario agreed. “Yeah, she is one hell of a demon when she
wants to be. But she has a good heart and that is what matters. I
would kill someone over her.”
I wasn’t so sure of that, remembering well the times when
she’d messed with my head. I was older now, immune to her
traps, but I hadn’t always been that way and Liz had come into
her power rather early. Now that she was older, I had to think
that her feminine wiles were even harder to resist than before.
“Nonetheless, we’re here, so where is the priest? I don’t want
to cuss in front of him. I probably got enough bad karma coming
my way from high school.”
Mario chuckled, but still pointed him out. It was a good thing,
because I was finishing up my drink and the older man was
walking my way.
“Good, best behavior. I don’t need any more bad press
upstairs.”
Mario laughed again, but we both knew that it was the truth.
I’d certainly fallen out of the ways that I’d been taught when
going to my parent’s church.
“Let’s get this over with. Priest leaves when it’s over, right?”
“Yeah and then we can party some. Latica’s aunt is here for
the weekend and I know that she’s ready for a little fun.”
“Good, we will get drunk, after we make promises in front of
God. This sounds a bit too much like going to bible study
before.”
“I know, but shut up, Father Kernain is right there and he still
thinks I am a good Christian.”
 “Wouldn’t want to ruin your rap.”
The priest was introduced, and he looked at me a little too
long. I was paranoid for a moment, sure that he could see all of
my thoughts and desires that I didn’t want him to know about.
He was a man of faith and I wasn’t. Hadn’t been for a while.
“It’s good to see that there is such a good turnout. I have been
to many that have a handful of people only. I like to see so much
of the community coming together to support a new life.”
I agreed and smiled, nodding on occasion when it seemed like
the thing to do. He asked me a little bit about faith and my own
thoughts on it, but I kept it short and sweet. I certainly knew
enough to get by. It was only when Liz came over and stopped
next to me, gushing at the priest, that I started to falter. She was
taking my mind off of what lines I was trying to push.
“Don’t worry father, baby Stephen is in good hands. You only
have to make sure that God does his part to keep his parents safe
and none of this will be necessary.”
She had a sarcastic tone to her voice, and I wondered why she
had let the words sound so vicious. Liz was usually better at
hiding that side of herself. Her blonde hair was pulled up high in
a knot at the top of her head and her dress was a little wrinkled.
Her blue eyes peering back at me weren’t as clear as they should
have been. It would seem that Liz was having a bit of a day. She
still looked beautiful, but she certainly wasn’t on top of her
game. When she was on point she could make men choke on
their own tongues, and then laugh about it as they tried to catch
their breath. I had seen and felt those feminine wiles before even
if right now they were nowhere to be seen.
Mario was eying his sister, noticing how off she was, just like
me. He suggested that we get started and I for one, was all for
that. There was no telling what sort of night she’d had, and I was
ready to get this over with for my own sake as well.
T HE PRIEST WAS MERCIFUL AND SPED UP THE CHRISTENING . F OR SOMETHING
that took only ten or fifteen minutes, there really was a lot of
hubbub about it. I didn’t see the big deal, but if it got Latica off of
Mario’s back, then I had done my part.
The after-party was about as good as any one that I could
remember. Latica’s aunt from out of town took the baby and
then as soon as the priest left, everyone got down. It was what I
had expected out of such an event. The longer I was there, the
more I noticed Liz. She paid no attention to me, but she danced
with as many men as she could.
Liz was a different sort of creature. She came across as the
easiest going woman that I had ever met. She wasn’t though, not
in the least bit. She was high maintenance. Liz was spoiled from
rich parents. She never had to work for a living. She lived
carefree, not realizing she was spending six figures every year.
Because of her carefree nature, she was an enigma and pulled
everyone in around her. I was one of those people being pulled in
and I tried to ignore her as best as I could.
“Do you want to dance?”
When I had my backed turned, Liz had come up to me and
tapped me on the shoulder. Her voice jolted me, and I realized
who it was.
“Why would I want to dance with you?”
“Because it’s tradition. We’re the godparents after all.”
“It’s just in name.”
“Latica takes it seriously. Are you really going to tell me no?”
She had a grin on her face I could have done without. Always
with the games. Liz knew she had me and I took her hand,
knowing that it wasn’t going to end well for me.
“Fine, one spin around for tradition.”
 Liz smiled liked she didn’t know that I wanted to refuse her.
She hid it well, almost convincing me, until her fingers played
with the hair at the nape of my neck. Two could play at that
game, and I pulled her closer, making sure that my body ground
against her.
“Just like old times, huh?”
Her body melted against mine, and she gasped as other parts
of me started to become known. She pushed me away and
scowled.
“Why do you have to ruin my fun?”
“Because you shouldn’t play with my head Liz.”
She scoffed and then snickered, not being able to hold a
straight face.
“You’ll be okay. I wasn’t messing with your head anyways. I
just wanted a little dance, for old time sake.”
The woman was gone before the dance was over. I had tried to
make her see that I was the one in charge, but I wasn’t. My
intentions backfired on me hardcore. I was starting to think that
I had overestimated my hand.
Liz looked back once, before finding a more suitable dance
partner. That damn woman, I swear, she still got to me, even
after all of this time. She’d always done something to my ego
and every other part of me.
Damn Liz.
 CHAPTER 3
LIZ

teve! Get up!”

“S “It’s Charles.”
“Whatever your name is, you got to get out of here.
I have people coming over for breakfast and you can’t be here.”
“Damn, I was hoping that we could finish what we started last
night.”
“Hardly, you wouldn’t leave me alone and then you got too
wasted to leave, so I let you sleep in here. Note that your clothes
are still on.”
“So then, why am I in your bed?”
“Because you passed out on it and wouldn’t wake up.”
“Oh.”
He was quiet for a moment, most likely trying to get his
thoughts together with a raging headache, but I didn’t have time
to coddle him. He had to leave, or I was going to be blamed for all
sorts of things.
“So come on, you got to go. My brother will not like you being
here.”
“Who’s your brother?”
“Mario.”
“Oh.”
That got him moving a little faster and I figured that I should
have led with that. It would have been easier that way.
He was almost out the door and it was almost averted, before I
heard the knock. The problem with my place, was I had
converted the back into a dressing room of sorts, and the back
door was impossible to get to.
“Shit.”
“Mario will be fine. We can just tell him…”
“No, you are going to leave and not say a thing. That’s what
you’re going to do.”
He tried to protest, but I was opening the door and half-
pushing him out of it. Charles, or whatever his name was, had
caused me enough trouble, as well as took over more than half of
my bed. Sleeping with someone was overrated as far as I could
see. I didn’t understand what the pull for it was.
I was almost to the kitchen when Mario and Glenn walked in.
I didn’t want to see either one of them. I wanted to see Latica
and the baby. When I asked about them, neither guy had much to
say for a moment.
“Is she coming or is this what I have to look forward to as far
as conversation goes for breakfast?”
“She’s coming. She just um… has to get dressed. Who the
hell was that? Was that Charles from my job?”
I could see that my brother wasn’t all that happy. I don’t
know who Charles was, but I didn’t like what he was insinuating.
I had just let him sleep here, that’s it. It was kind of the situation
where I had been too nice, and it had backfired. That happened a
lot in my experience.
“He just crashed here, no big deal.”
I could feel Glenn’s eyes on me as well.
“What?”
“Nothing.”
I didn’t want to know what he was thinking. He was a jerk and
most likely had something smart on the tip of the tongue. He
was better off just holding it in, because I had a strong feeling
that I didn’t want to hear it anyways.
“So, get out whatever you have to say now, because if you say
anything in front of Latica, I will kill you both. Okay?”
They both looked at me as if I might attack them. I was still
thinking about it, considering that my head wasn’t very happy
with me either.
“I have nothing to say Liz. You do you.”
I thanked Mario for his permission. Glenn, at least, was smart
enough to shut his mouth and not say another word about it,
because he’d seen it for the set-up it was. I was embarrassed if I
was honest with myself, but I would never let them know how
they made me feel. Glenn could never know how bothered he
made me. It was my mission to convince him that I wasn't
worried about him anyways. It could be hard at times and this
was one of those times. I wanted to explain myself and how I
wasn't that way, but it was no use.
Latica finally showed up and I was thankful to see her. She
brought over the baby and even though Stephen slept more than
he was awake I was still thankful to spend some time with him.
Having a baby in the house would guarantee that I didn't have to
hear anything else about my early morning visitor.
I was keeping myself busy talking to Latica. We had hit it off
since we first met, and I think that she was my brother's best
decision that he had ever made. She lit up every room that she
was in and it was literally impossible to not like her, she just had
that sort of personality.
The three of them left for the day and I stayed with the baby.
It wasn't something that I normally did, but since I was the
godmother now, I figured that I might as well learn something. I
knew that it was just a title and in name only, but a part of me
wanted to take it seriously. I knew that Latica took it seriously.
I took Stephen out on the front porch and we sat out there for
a while enjoying the weather. It was nice and sunny out, but not
too hot. It was the perfect sort of day and the only thing that
would have made it better, would have been if Glenn didn’t come
with my brother. It was bad enough that Mario had seen his
friend leaving, it was even worse that Glenn saw it. I don't know
why I cared so much about what he thought of me, but I did.
My brother and Latica left to do some errands together and
Glenn was washing his car. I knew that he did not see me on the
porch, and I liked it that way. All he needed to do now, was take
his shirt off and I think I would have been in heaven. Watching
him working, moving around, was the highlight of my day.
I was lost in a moment, watching my brother's best friend
and I was content to my day. It was only when Stephen started
crying, that the moment was ruined.
“Hey, I didn't see you over there.”
I didn't say anything to him, but I sure was thinking
something I was sort of glad that he could see me, because I
could certainly see him and there were definitely no complaints
my way. That man was built like a god. It wasn’t right that all of
that, was wrapped into one guy with an ego the size of Guam and
a mouth that never stopped.
It was a shame. It really was.
 CHAPTER 4
LIZ

eah, I’m hiding and enjoying the beautiful day.”

“Y “Are you enjoying the view?”

My face got hot and I looked down for a minute,
cooing at the baby in my arms.
“It’s perfect. Stephen is perfect to look at, so yeah, I guess
you’re right.”
It wasn’t what he meant, but now he couldn’t say anything
out of the way. It wouldn’t be right.
“You have the baby?”
“Yeah, while Mario and Latica are out.”
He started to come over and my eyes were pinned to his chest.
He was so damn sexy, and that knowing grin was growing on his
face. It was a face that I wanted to punch, more times than not.
He leaned over the edge of the porch and touched the baby’s
head.
“He is precious, isn’t he?”
“Yes, he’s adorable.”
“Does it make you want one?”
I shrugged. “One day.”
“You’re getting older Liz; you might not have forever. Life
will pass you by.”
“Is that what happened to you? You’ve been gone a while.”
 “I have.”
“And you’re a doctor now?”
“Brain surgeon.”
“Fancy.”
I didn’t know what else to say. His hand was still so close to
me, that it couldn’t have been me he was touching instead. He
was always hard to deal with, but after watching him for so long,
my body was trembling, and it was hard to pull it together. Glenn
could never know what he did to me. I just couldn’t let him.
“Not really, I just had to pick a specialty. You know I have
always wondered how our brains work.”
“I never thought that was what you were worried about
Glenn. You always seemed to have other things on your mind,
when it came to women. I don’t think that you’re worried about
their minds at all.”
“That is true. A woman’s mind is never to be understood. I
learned that a long time ago Liz. You helped me.”
I grinned a little wider. I knew what he was referring to. I
learned a lot from him as well.
“I was just cutting my teeth back then Glenn. I’ve learned a
lot as well.”
“I can see that. You look good. It feels like I’ve been gone far
too long.”
“How long do you plan to stay around here?”
“I don’t know. I am just going to see how it goes.”
The question was, did I want him to stay? What would it be
like, with Glenn at more and more functions, running into him
all the time? I had a feeling that it was going to be difficult.
Whatever had went on between us before, was still between us
now. It was residual and being around him too much, could prove
hazardous to my health.
“Well, nothing has changed.”
 “I am surprised that you’re still here.”
“It helps that my parents bought me this house. It’s their way
of keeping me close.”
“How are they?”
“Same as always.”
“Yours?”
He shrugged because he probably didn’t know. Glenn was a
good man, in spite of his parents, not because of them.
“I need to get him a bottle. You want to come in?”
The offer was out of my mouth before I could really think
about what I was saying. I found myself wanting to talk to him
and as much as I knew there was a tension between us, I didn’t
want him to leave.
“Sure. But not for long.”
“I was about to get some tea. Would you like some?”
He thanked me when I handed him a glass.
“You’re good with him.”
“Do you want to hold him?”
Glenn suddenly didn’t look sure, and he shook his head. He
watched me feed the baby and our eyes met for a moment. It was
the first time we’d been this close to each other in a long time. I
wasn’t trying to play games though, not now.
“I’m sorry if I messed with your head before. I didn’t mean
to.”
“That’s okay Liz. Like I said before, I learned.”
“What did you learn?”
“Well you taught me how to walk around for days hard, for
one thing.”
My eyes glanced down, and he laughed before getting up. He
was getting nervous and I knew that he was going to make up an
excuse to leave soon.
“But like you said, things changed.”
 “It hasn’t changed that much Liz.”
He walked towards the door and I did take a moment of glee,
watching him run away. Glenn was handsome and cocky, but I
could still make him nervous. That made me happy. I know that
it wasn’t a good thing, not really, but it felt great. I don’t know
why I was always so worried about what Glenn thought.
Living with him next door was going to be complicated. I was
going to have to make sure to keep my distance. It was fun to
play with him once and a while, but I knew that if he wanted to,
he could call my bluff and I would be the one floundering. He had
done it once before, and I didn’t put it past him to do it again.
Glenn had always been complicated. Fun, but complicated. I
couldn’t help but poke the bear every once and a while. But I had
to learn to do it with a little distance between us. That’s all.
 CHAPTER 5
GLENN

ell look Mario, I have a few more hours here and

“W then I'm going to take off to the conference. I

will be back in a couple of days and we can talk
about it then, if you want to.”
“Good, we are trying to figure out what kind of schedule we
can have. I want to see you before we take out for the vacation. I
wanted to see you before we take off.”
“Okay Mario. It will be good to see you. It's been awhile. We
have both been so busy, but as soon as I get back from this
conference, we will catch up and you can tell me what’s on your
mind.”
“Yeah, I cannot believe how much you work. We live in the
same house, but I barely ever see you. No wonder you're single.”
“I'm single, because women are too much drama for me. And
besides, can you imagine me with a family? I would never see
them.”
Mario told me to hold on a minute and I couldn't hear his
muffled words to Latica. I had been staying with them for almost
four months now and the two of them had almost given me hope
that relationships could actually work. They were always happy
and even though I could tell both of them were extremely tired
because of the baby, it didn't seem to matter. And as much as I
usually stayed away from kids in general, I had gotten attached
to Stephen. It was hard not to do.
“Well, whatever the reason is, you should start your own
family one day Glenn. You may even like it.”
“I don’t know about that, but I do know that if there was a
Latica out there for me, I would jump on the chance.”
Mario had that good-natured laugh that was contagious.
“Good enough. She is mine though. You will have to find your
own and I had to go far to find her.
We talked for another moment and I hung up with him. It had
been weird staying with them, but at the same time, it was
exactly what I needed. I needed to feel close to someone or
something, no matter how unconventional it was.
I got back to the scheduling nightmare that was on my desk
and tried to figure out how the hell I was going to get everything
done. I was taking over a practice from a doctor that had burned
out and I could see why. He saw way too many patients and he
would schedule surgeries almost twelve hours, every day. I don’t
know what he was thinking, but now I was going to have to fill
Dr. Foster’s shoes. I suspect that his sabbatical, was really a
treatment center because he would have had to have been on
some kind of drug, to get through the day.
The conference was important. It was in my field of neurology
and it was a fact-based mission that sent me there. I knew that I
wasn’t going to be very effective, if I was running ragged and
couldn’t make conferences to better my understanding of my
field.
The phone rang several times in the next half an hour, but I
didn’t answer it. Instead, I was trying to manage an already
unmanageable schedule, so that I could figure out a way to
squeeze in a few days for the conference, at the very least.
When I was done, I had a schedule made out and I was hoping
that it would do. Either way, I was going to be tired for the next
few weeks, but it would be worth it. Learning was what brought
me into neurology in the beginning and I knew that no matter
what I saw, treated and learned, there was always more to learn.

T HE CONFERENCE WAS FULL , AND I COULDN ’ T BELIEVE HOW MANY PEOPLE

had shown up. CSF leaks were not the biggest sector of our field,
but today, it felt like it was. It was all I talked about and I shared
information of a few patients of mine that had it. I learned a lot
and the day was winding down, when I got several calls back to
back. Usually, I would ignore them, but something told me to
check my phone.
I excused myself from the group of doctors that I was talking
to and I went to the hallway, to see who was blowing up my
phone like that.
When I didn’t recognize the number, I called it back and
waited for a response. I was feeling impatient and I was about to
hang up, when I got an answer.
“Dorian Hospital. Can I help you?”
I knew the hospital. It was one that I sent many patients to at
home. I was worried that something bad had happened with one
of my own patients. I’d just done a full-frontal craniotomy this
morning before I flew out.
I gave the woman my number and then asked what it was
about.
“I am sorry doctor, but I don’t have any notes for you. Are you
sure that there isn’t someone in the hospital that you know
personally?”
“I don’t have much family around, so I can’t think of who it
would be.”
 “Well, do you have anyone you would want me to check
about? I can’t really name off the people that have come in,
HIPAA laws and all.”
“I understand.” I racked my brain, trying to think of who it
could be, that would get me a call about. I had no family around
anymore, just Mario…
“Mario Ruiz.”
The woman told me that she would check, and I prayed that it
wasn’t him. I don’t know why they would call me, unless
something horrible had happened.
“Yes, but I am sorry to say, him and the woman he was
driving with came in DOA.”
My heart stopped. They were dead-on-arrival. I couldn’t hear
the rest of what the woman said. I hung the phone up, or rather,
it dropped out of my hand and I was just staring off into space,
trying to figure out what the hell had just happened. Had I just
lost my best friend. And the woman. Was it Latica?
Then my mind went faster and landed on the most important
tidbit. What about Stephen? I had to call back and ask about the
baby, but he wasn’t in the car. I was able to breathe again, but it
was still painful, with every breath going into my lungs, feeling
like fire.
My mind was whirling with what to do next. I had made
promises. My friend was dead. What the hell was I supposed to
do?
 CHAPTER 6
LIZ

ow are you?”

“H “Who’s this?”
The voice chuckled, but it was strained. Whoever
it was, they didn’t have anything good to share with me.
“Ouch. Do you really not know who this is?”
“I do now. What do you want Glenn? Did you lock yourself out
of the house again, because I’m about fifteen minutes away? I am
painting at the moment and I know you don’t think it’s all that
important…”
“So, you haven’t been answering your phone.”
“Not really. I just got back to the car. What’s going on.”
I heard him cuss under his breath and Glenn was starting to
freak me out. Not only had he called me out of the blue,
something that had never happened since I’d known him. But
also, he had this quality to his voice that made me nervous as
hell and I didn’t know what that was about.
“I am sorry Liz. I don’t want to be the one to tell you this…”
“Well come on, it can’t be worth all of this build-up Glenn. Is
this how you dazzle all your woman, because maybe they just
sleep with you to shut you up.”
“Seriously Liz, this isn’t a joke.”
“What isn’t? I have no idea what you’re calling me about, so
spit it out, because I have a lot going on today.”
“Not anymore Liz. I am sorry, but your brother and Latica got
in a wreck a little while ago. I got a call from the hospital and
they were both DOA.”
He was saying words, but they didn’t make any sense. What
did he mean DOA? It didn’t take long though, for me to figure it
out.
“I’m sorry. I really am. I didn’t want to do this over the
phone, but I’m in California and I can’t get a flight out until
tomorrow.”
“Why would you do that?”
“Stephen.”
Then it all hit me, and I felt like I was going to cry. I was still
trying to figure out what he had been talking about with my
brother and his wife, but then it really clicked. They were gone.
Their baby… my nephew was now an orphan. I couldn’t decide
which one my heart was breaking for. I couldn’t even imagine;
all I could think about was how my world was crumbling.
“Fuck. Stephen. Fuck.”
“Are you going to be okay? The hospital has someone trying
to track him down. Do you know where he is?”
“I do. He’s at the babysitters. They were just getting some
stuff for the vacation; you know little bottles for the plane. Oh
my God. I think I’m going to be sick.”
And I was. It all came up and I was shaky when I finally
realized he was still on the phone. “Shit, sorry. I need to go. I
will go get him.”
“Okay Liz. Call me tonight and let me know that everything is
okay.”
“Why would I do that Glenn? We can’t even stand each
other.”
He didn’t say anything for a moment and then his voice was
low.
“Because we’re the godparents Liz and we’re in this
together.”
His words brought me a small sliver of peace, but more
realizations in another. How had I known that this godmother
business would be more, than just in name alone? I had felt
something was going to come of it, but I had never guessed it
would be this soon. Stephen was barely four months old.
I sat there in my car, staring at my lunch on the ground and
the phone in my hand. I don’t know what I was going to do, but I
knew that I had to go get Stephen. I promised to raise him and
take care of him just like my own. I had meant it and I was not
going to let them down. I didn’t have time to grieve, because I
had to focus on Stephen. I knew that it was the only way that I
was going to be able to handle it.
Glenn’s words echoed in my mind and I wondered if he meant
them. He was a doctor, sure, but the rest of his life was carefree.
I never saw him when he was being serious and taking care of
business, but he’d told me that we would be in it together. I
needed to believe it. Even if it was a lie, I needed to believe that I
wasn’t going to be doing this all alone. I don’t know if I would be
able to handle that right now.
After a few minutes, I was able to pull myself out of the funk,
because I had to. I had to go get Stephen and somehow figure out
a way for this to work. I didn’t want to think about how this was
going to play out, not right now. I was still trying to manage the
idea of living without Mario. Our parents sucked and we’d moved
out as soon as we could. They gave us trust funds and every tutor
we could ever want growing up, but that was about it. They
hadn’t gotten to the part of love and trust. Me and Mario had felt
like we were all each other had.
Now I had no one and I couldn’t imagine how that was going
to feel going forward. Then I thought about my nephew and I got
even more misty-eyed. He wasn’t even going to remember
them.
Before I could go to get Stephen, I had to see my brother with
my own eyes. I had to know that what Glenn had said was real. I
wanted it to be a mistake, so I had to go see for myself.
The hospital wasn’t far from where I lived, so I stopped by.
When I got to the front desk and told the woman what I wanted,
she had sadness in her eyes. I wasn’t even able to really process
what was going on. I needed to. But I had to see Mario first. I had
to see that him and Latica were really gone.
“I am sorry Miss. They have been put downstairs in the
morgue.”
The words made me numb and I agreed.
“You want to identify the body?”
I agreed again, but this time, my eyes were misting up. I never
imagined that I would be in such a scenario.
“Yes, that’s what I must do.”
She gave me directions and I wandered the hospital for a
while, finally taking the elevator downstairs to the morgue. It
was cold in the elevator, or it was my own emotions making it
feel that way.
When I got down there, I was greeted by a gentle, older man. I
could tell he had done this before.
“Are you ready?”
He knew why I was here and though I wasn’t ready at all, I
nodded my head.
Carl went to a drawer and pulled it out. It was too similar to
the movies. He opened another drawer next to it, and I didn’t
have to pull back the sheet to know. Mario’s wrist was exposed,
and I could see the bracelet that I’d given him years before.
The color bands braided together was my undoing. I started to
cry right then and there. My brother was really gone and a part of
me wanted to lie down next to them and never wake up.

I WAS A MESS AS I DROVE TO GO GET THE BABY , EVERYTHING RUNNING

around in my head, no matter how badly I tried to stop it. I had
to pull over several times on the way back, just because my
emotions were getting the best of me.
It was only when I pulled up finally to pick him up, that I
started to actually panic. I didn’t know the first thing about
babies. What was I supposed to do? I don’t think I was even cut
out to be a mother, never had been in the ‘plan’. But now there
was no plan and I felt stupid for even thinking that I could bend
the will of the universe to me.
When I finally going out and got Stephen, I knew that I wasn’t
going to be able to say much without bawling and I didn’t want
to start out like that. That would be for later, when I was lying
awake at night, because at the moment, I didn’t think that I was
going to be able to sleep ever again.
I went back to my place and then realized I needed to grab
some stuff from Mario’s. It was hard to go over there, seeing all
of their things and knowing that they would never be back for it.
I was dying inside, and the only comfort left, was the baby that
was now holding onto me and looking at me like I was Latica.
An anguished sound came out from between my lips and I
knew a lot of that came with the idea that she had somehow
known that it was going to happen. Why would she have been so
insisted otherwise? That idea didn’t sit well in my stomach and I
didn’t know what to say or think about it. I was numb.
Deciding that the only thing to do was feed Stephen and get
him into bed, I did that and then laid in the nursery. I didn’t
think I would ever sleep again, but the raw emotions seemed to
make it easier to drift off. It didn’t hurt when I was sleeping at
least.
 CHAPTER 7
GLENN

got on a plane as soon as I could. I wasn’t worried about the

I conference or the surgeries stacked up back at the hospital

that I had to attend to, the patients, everything else that had
seemed to matter so much only hours before. Now all I could
think about was how much I wanted to be back home. How much
I wanted to see Mario again.
The christening played back in my head over and over again. I
know that Mario said it was in name only, but now it wasn’t. No
one would blame me for walking away, and there was a knee-
jerk reaction to send money and walk away. But then I thought
about his sister and his son. I couldn’t do it.
I knew that the only way that I was going to be able to help,
was to do what I had signed up for. It was done spur of the
moment, but I realized now that it was going to be something
that changed my life for good. Who would have known, that this
would happen?
Liz had been broken on the phone and I could only imagine
her trying to deal with everything. I wanted to be there for her. I
know that we had not seen eye to eye in the past, but that didn’t
mean that I would ever want to see her hurt in such a way. There
had been distance between us because of Mario. Now I wondered
how this was all going to work out, now that Mario was gone.
 I had to remind myself several times, before I got back home.
Mario was gone. The house was dark when I pulled up in my car. I
had been staying with them for months and they’d made me feel
like I was part of the family. I felt like I had lost some of my own.
I don’t know if I was ever going to be able to forgive the universe
for taking more away from me.
When I got to the door, it was unlocked. I pushed it in and
wondered why they hadn’t locked it before they left. They were
usually pretty good about that.
There was a light on in the kitchen and one from underneath
the baby’s room. I went to the closed door and pushed it open.
The lights were on bright, but it didn’t bother the two
inhabitants that were sound asleep. I don’t know why, but there
was a lot of relief to see the two of them together and to not
come home to a dark and silent house. I think that would have
been too much, given everything that was going on.
“Come on Liz. Let’s get you somewhere to sleep.”
I startled her and she jumped with my words. Then she
shushed me and looked towards the baby.
“I think he misses Latica, because it took forever for him to
go to sleep a while ago.”
She was looking at me as if I would be dead if I woke him up. I
had a feeling that she meant it. There was a wave of emotions on
her face and seeing it, made me move forward and pull her in for
a hug. She was stiff at first, but finally relaxed into it.
When I pulled away, I motioned for her to follow me out into
the rest of the house. I needed to talk to her. I didn’t know what I
needed exactly. Part of me wanted to make sure she was okay, or
was she someone to share all of it with? It was a lot to take on,
and the more I tried to think about it, the more I was lost in a
wave of emotions.
“I didn’t think you would be here until tomorrow.”
 “I caught the red eye to get here early. I didn’t know if you
would be here.”
“Stephen seems happier here, more comforted. I don’t know
what to do. I found one of Latica’s shirts in the hamper and I put
it on earlier. That seemed to help.”
I looked at the shirt in question and it was rather tight in
certain places. Liz was more top heavy, and it showed, but there
was no time for that, no matter how heavy the grief was. It
wasn’t going to be that easy to forget about what I was here for.
Why we had been thrown together in such a situation.
“That was a very good idea. It’s going to be hard for him, but
Stephen will learn that she is gone. Soon, he will forget about
her altogether.”
I was trying to comfort her, but it was impossible when her
face started to break. “I know. He isn’t going to remember Latica
and she was the perfect mom. This is all too much.”
More tears started to fall, and I pulled her into my arms.
Something about the sobs that racked her and me from holding
her, did something to me. I knew then, that I was never going to
be able to let her go. I had to stand by her and do my part, if not
for Mario, then at least for his sister Liz. I had to protect her
from all that was going to come, like I hadn’t been able to
protect Mario. I don’t know why everything seemed to fall in
place, but now I knew that no matter how tragic, we were going
get through it together.
I told her as much and she finally started to calm down.
“Why don’t we go get some tea or coffee, something to calm
you down?”
“I don’t think that it’s going to work. How about we raid the
liquor cabinet and see if he has anything good in the medicine
cabinet?”
Then she remembered the baby and sighed. “I can’t even do
that.”
“How about a glass of wine? We will be okay with just a glass
to wind down.”
She seemed to need that permission and I was happy to give it
to her. We went to the kitchen together and ended up sharing
stories about Mario for the next hour. We had a couple of glasses
of wine, but both of us needed it.
Stephen waking up for his bottle got us back to reality and the
conversation after that, was more focused on the specifics of
how we were going to get through this partnership that we had
together. I wasn’t sure the answer for it, but I knew that I had to
help in any way that I could.
“So where should we stay, here? It’s weird staying here, but I
know that Stephen likes it better. All of his stuff is here.”
“Yes, I would agree. I already live here, so that will help. Just
bring over what you want, take their bedroom over and then you
will have your place for when you want some quiet and I have
him.”
“Really, you’re going to let me just relax over there?”
“Of course. You’re going to need to do your art, have some
time to yourself. When I said that we were in this together, I
meant it.”
“But you have such a crazy schedule. I saw it posted on the
kitchen wall. It’s madness.”
“Well, I’ll have to fix that. I haven’t really thought about that
all that much yet. I haven’t gotten there. A job is a job and I love
it, but you guys come first, always.”
That seemed to calm her down more than the wine and I was
thankful to have said it. I wanted her to calm down, relax. She
needed to know that everything is going to be okay.
“Thanks, Glenn. I don’t know what I would do without you.
This is above and beyond what anyone would expect out of you.”
 “Why, you made the same promise I did? I am just holding up
my part of it, the same as you are.”
“I know, but Mario is my family…”
I didn’t like that answer. I didn’t like that we weren’t.
“He isn’t blood, but I’ve considered your brother my family
for decades.”
“I know, you’re right. Sorry. I know that you and Mario were
always close. I think I saw you more when I was a kid, then I saw
my parents. I didn’t mean that you’re not…”
I waved her off and told her that it was fine. I didn’t want to
say how much her words hurt. I didn’t understand the sudden
want I had to be her family, but I knew that it was complicated.
Everything with Liz had been complicated, especially during
senior year, when she started to blossom into a woman that no
one could ignore, not even me.
“I think I’m going to get some sleep. He will be up soon. I
don’t know how Latica did it.”
“I will take the next rotation. I will put the receiver in my
room. Get some rest Liz.”
I brushed my lips softly against her cheek, before releasing of
her from the hug. It was natural, but all of a sudden, it wasn’t.
Now I was paying attention, but she didn’t seem to notice.
“Good night Glenn. I’m really glad you’re here.”
I don’t know why, but something surged inside of me and I
had never felt better about a decision in my life. This was the
right thing to do, I could just feel it.
 CHAPTER 8
LIZ

slept for a long time. I didn’t know how long exactly, but it

I felt like the middle of the day when I finally came out of the
room. The baby was lying on Glenn’s chest and both of them
were fast asleep. Glenn’s shirt was off, and I could see all of the
perfect muscles that he hid. He didn’t have the body of a doctor,
not one that I would have recognized. Glenn was hard and lean,
cut abs and chiseled biceps. I couldn’t take my eyes off of him.
Not sure how long I was standing there, I heard a noise from
behind me and realized that someone was at the door. I started
to go quickly, but saw Glenn looking at me. My face turned red
and I cursed under my breath as I ran into the baby swing. I was
not used to this kind of environment.
Getting to the door, it was a basket of flowers and I knew what
they were for. Mario and Latica were gone, a few people knew. I
had to figure out the funeral arrangements and I felt
overwhelmed. My hands shook as I signed over the guy’s
paperwork and thanked him. The words sounded hollow, and
that’s exactly how I felt. I felt like I was completely empty, and
there was nothing else left inside of me. I wanted there to be, but
there wasn’t.
“Flowers already?”
“Yeah, people want to send their condolences I guess.”
 He didn’t say anything for a moment and then mumbled
something about people’s intentions. Glenn got up and put
Stephen in the swing without waking him up. I was starting to
think that he was a magic man. He could certainly do more than I
could. Glenn was magic with the baby and I was thanking my
lucky stars more than once since he came back.
“I don’t know how you do it. Every time I try to put him down,
he wakes up.”
“You’ll get it. I wouldn’t think that it would come to you all
that easy.”
“What do you mean by that?”
It was like we had forgotten all of the barbs that we had sent
each other’s way through the years. That loss of memory was
gone now. I knew that we couldn’t always live in the happy
bubble and I was okay with that. After everything that had
happened, it was nice to get back to reality for a minute.
“Well, I mean, you’re an artist and you are a bit spoiled. I am
surprised that you knew how to do the diaper.”
“I watched him a few times. I know how to do it.”
I was getting offended, but superficially. It was nice to argue
with him a bit.
He chuckled. “You have really surprised me Liz. Seems there
is more to you, then meets the eye.”
I didn’t ask him compared to what, knowing that I wouldn’t
like his answer. He was pushing it, but the smile on his face was
contagious.
“Thanks for letting me sleep.”
“Do you feel better?”
I shrugged, because I don’t think I was ever going to feel
better or good again. This was my new normal.
“I would feel even better if I got to take a shower first. I really
need to. I smell like formula.”
 “Well, you look good.”
That made me pause for a moment, though I don’t know why.
I’d known for a long time that he liked what he saw. It was part
of the reason that I’d messed with him in the past. But now, for
one reason or another, that compliment meant so much more. I
had no makeup on, no shower in a couple of days. I looked a hot
mess, but he still said something nice to me. Those times meant
more, than when I’d taken an hour to carefully get dressed and
put makeup up.
“Thank you, Glenn. I feel like crap, but it’s good to know that
someone can’t see it.”
“You will always be beautiful to me Liz. You know that. I have
always found you beautiful and now is no different. Go take a
shower, do what you need to do. I don’t have a shift until
tonight, so take care of what you need to.”
I wasn’t sure what all I needed to do, but I knew that I had to
get calls made.
“Thank you, Glenn. I really don’t know what I would do
without you. You’ve been, great. I don’t know what else to say.”
“You don’t have to say anything. This is what we signed up
for. I will be here for you both.”
He pulled me in for another kiss and it was me that took it to
another level. I don’t know why, but the feel of his mouth on
mine, his hands around me, made me feel safer than I had ever
felt before. I knew that I could pull strength from him and I
needed that right now. I felt so helpless, like everything was out
of control. I was certainly out of my control.
Something came over me and I wanted to deepen the kiss. It
wasn’t a mistake this time around, but more planned. My lips
pressed against his and it was only when I heard my own moan
of pleasure, that I realized what I was doing. This would
complicate our lives so much, that it was impossible to see a way
to get out of it. I don’t know what was going on between us, but
complications were not going to help.
I pulled away and apologized. I didn’t want to, but I knew it
was the thing to do and I was way out of line for kissing him like
that. It was already a hard-enough situation, without making it
any stranger than it already was.
“Sorry Glenn, I think I must still be tired.”
“You don’t seem tired Liz.”
He had something in his tone, that made me sure that I didn’t
want to really look at him. I walked into the bathroom without
looking around. I don’t know why, but there was something
about the kiss, the way he held me and the way it all made me
feel. The last thing I needed was more problems, but with Glenn,
I was starting to think that I didn’t really have a choice. I don’t
think there was anything I could do to change it.
The shower made me feel better, but I was thinking about the
kiss that I had started. I don’t know what I was thinking, but I
was starting to understand that it was time for me to figure some
things out. We were going to have to set up some boundaries, or
this was going to get confusing, very quickly.
When I got out, Stephen was up, and I didn’t want to bring it
up. I knew that he wouldn’t understand or anything, but it didn’t
seem like the time. I went to sit with them on the couch and
Glenn gently reminded me that I had things that I had to take
care of.
“I know that you don’t want to do it, but it would be best if
you took care of it now. A lot of people need to know, right?”
I agreed. I knew that he was right, even if I didn’t want to
think about all of the people I had to call and tell that Mario and
Latica were dead. There would be questions that I didn’t want to
answer, over and over again.
“To do that, I think I’m going to go over to my house for a
little while. Are you sure you’re okay?”
He said that he was, and I knew that he was trustable, but
what I didn’t know, was how I was ever going to be able to leave
him. I didn’t want to. I felt protective over the baby, it was as if I
was his actual mother, because now, I was.
“Yeah, I will be fine. If you need anything, I’m here.”
His eyes twinkled and I ignored the look that he was giving
me. I had to grab some things to bring over as well. There was a
lot to do. I had a shopping list of things to do, including
shopping. But first, I had to make some calls that I didn’t want
to make. It was just going to make it all the more real.
 CHAPTER 9
GLENN

t was almost time for me to go to work. Stephen was asleep

I and I was trying to figure out where Liz was. I’d seen her
moving around in her house, watering some of her plants
outside. But now, it had been a couple of hours since I saw her
and there was no sign of her. I needed to get to work, but I
couldn’t leave until she was back.
Taking the intercom with me, I went over there and knocked.
It wasn’t hard, but hard enough that she should have heard me.
When she didn’t, I decided that the only thing that I was going to
be able to do, was find her. The door was unlocked, and I went in.
The place was exactly as I remembered it, though it felt
different now. There was very little furniture, though plenty of
candles and plants. Paintings that were half done or in the
process of being framed, were scattered all over the dining room.
It occurred to me then how much of a change this must be for
her. It is for me as well, but Liz has always been centered on her
own pursuits. Now all of that was over.
When I found her, she was sitting in the chair crying. I asked
her what was wrong, and it looked like she was having a hard
time talking.
“You know, in all of my grief and worrying about everything,
do you know who I forgot to call?”
 “No, who?”
“My parents. I don’t know how the hospital called you and
not them. I had to call and tell them what happened. I didn’t
think it could be any harder, but I was wrong. They were
shocked. My mother actually started to cry. I don’t think I’ve
ever heard her cry before. It was strange.”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t think about it. I have known you two so
long, but I’ve only met your parents a handful of times. Now that
I’m a doctor, I guess they just called me.”
“It doesn’t matter. It’s done now. I’ve been sitting here for
too long, haven’t I?”
“I do need to go to work…”
“Sorry, shit. I was in my own little world or something. I
don’t know. All I know is that I will get the rest done tomorrow. I
am going to go lay down with the little guy and get some sleep.
All I want to do is sleep.”
I helped her back over and made sure that she was going to be
okay before I left. I didn’t want to go, but I had to. There was no
medical leave act for a best friend. And there wasn’t anything in
the handbook about becoming the real father, instead of the
godfather. There were no rules for this, so I was going to have to
keep it up, just like before.

W HEN I GOT TO WORK , IT WAS HECTIC . I HAD SEVERAL SURGERIES THAT I

needed to make up because of the conference and that meant
booking the OR for the middle of the night. I hadn’t had much
sleep, but I was used to that. Living with a tiny dictator that was
relentless, reminded me of my days in residency at the ER. Now I
was back in my element, even if now my home life was far
different.
 The kiss that I got from Liz lingered on my lips and one
person in particular, was not happy with the distance that I was
showing today. Claudia and I had been seeing each other
casually, but we flirted a lot when we had the same shift. She
was a good nurse and I knew from the start that I shouldn’t have
spent all of my time with her, because now I was stuck with her
giving me dirty looks all night.
“What is going on with you Glenn? We had almost forty
minutes in between surgeries. You didn’t even want to go find a
place to hide on the third floor?”
“I am only tired Claudia. Not everything is bad. I have two
more surgeries before the OR is taken back over by Dr.
Compton.”
She pushed her lip out in a pout. Her face so sour and
vulnerable would usually work for me. I would say something in
apology and try to make her feel better. It was a game with her,
but I didn’t have time or the mental capacity for her games. All I
wanted to do, was get through the shift and get home.
It still felt like home, even though Mario was gone. I knew
that a lot of it had to do with the instant family I was now
saddled with, though it didn’t even feel like a burden.
“Come on Glenn. You know how I get, if I don’t get my fix. I
need it.”
She was trying to convince me that the world was going to
end if she didn’t get her way. Again, it was a game and it was
spoiled. Maybe Claudia and Liz had more in common then I
realized.
“I can’t be the one tonight Claudia. I have had a rough couple
of days, and I don’t have time for this right now.”
I wanted to tell her that I didn’t have time for her bullshit
antics, but that would have been too harsh and none of what was
happening was her fault. A few days ago, when I had taken her
upstairs and fucked her on one of the empty beds, it had been
enough. Now, for one reason or another it just wasn’t enough for
me. Not by far.
“So, are you saying that you want it to be someone else?”
Finally, I looked at the woman. She wasn’t tall like Liz and it
was strange to immediately compare the two women, but that’s
all I was thinking about at the moment. How did the beautiful
Claudia, compare to the messy woman that had been there to see
me this morning? There was certainly a lot of differences and
while they were both pretty, I can’t say why, but I had always
been partial to Liz. She was forbidden fruit that I had only
thought about for many years. Too many to count really.
“If you are that eager to find someone else, then go for it. I
don’t have time for this today, so you do what you have to do.”
I turned to leave, and she stopped me. Her body was close to
mine, her breasts brushed up against my arm and sometimes, I
really think that she was a lot better at it than I was.
“Come on Glenn. I don’t want to argue with you. Please.”
“It’s doctor. It would make things easier for you to be
reminded what we are to each other. You’re a good nurse, one of
the best, but this, isn’t working.”
I pulled my arm away and ignored the red lips screwed up in
anger. There was something about the way she had demanded
my attention that really bothered me. It wasn’t the first time,
but now I didn’t want anyone to think that they owned me,
especially not her.
“Fine doctor, but you’re making a mistake.”
I probably was, but I didn’t comment one way or another. It
was easy for me to pretend that I didn’t care what happened, but
I did. I didn’t need her talking about our relationship and I
chided myself for being so quick to say something. I didn’t have
to go there. I shouldn’t have and I had a feeling that I was going
to pay for it.
The rest of the evening was less chaotic, and I was home
before the sun was coming up, but I was also miffed at the
conversation with Claudia. I was upset that I didn’t know what
the hell was going on between me and Liz. It was complicated,
always was with her, but now we were in close quarters, so it
wasn’t something that I could think about in my own time.
When I got back, Liz was in the kitchen and she had the baby
in the highchair. She was laughing with him and singing. It was
a sweet moment, that changed drastically when I saw what she
was wearing. The camisole and robe were thin and light in color.
Which meant, that I could see every one of her curves. She was
very tone, but from pulling her to me for the kiss, I’d learned
that she was yielding as well. Her ass was pert, but soft when I
grabbed it before.
How was I truly expected to live with her and not think of all
or any of this? It seemed impossible.
“Morning beautiful.”
Liz turned around and smiled. She almost leaned in and gave
me a kiss, but she stopped herself. I was a little disappointed,
but the very fact that she wanted to, told me that we were going
in the right direction.
“God, you scared me Glenn. I didn’t know what time you were
going to be home. I am making some breakfast if you want
some.”
“What are you making?”
She crinkled her nose up and looked at the pan. “I think it’s
oatmeal. Do you like oatmeal?”
I shook my head that I didn’t. It certainly wasn’t something
that I would choose to have.
“I don’t know, Latica made it for him, but he doesn’t seem to
like my version of it.”
 I looked in the pan and I could see black more than beige. She
didn’t seem to be very good at cooking either.
“Not the domestic goddess, huh?”
“Come on, you’ve known me long enough to know that I have
never been that way.”
“Well, good thing that he is little. By the time he cares, you
will have it down.”
She watched me work for a moment, talking to Stephen when
he started to get irate with the speed of his breakfast. I took the
pan and started making a fresh batch. I was exhausted from
work, but there was nothing else that I could think about
wanting to do more.
Liz never did put anything else on. She was already that
comfortable with me, which was nice, but also dangerous as well.
She didn’t worry about how she was dressed, though all I could
think about, was how much I wanted her to understand how she
affected me. Liz really couldn’t be clueless to her charm. She
used to tie me in knots with it and laugh about it. Now, it felt
different, though I was still in knots by the end of the night.
I went to bed alone, thinking about the choices I had made.
Maybe I should have taken Claudia up on her offer. It certainly
would have helped me sleep, as well as kept my mind off of bad
things that I shouldn’t be thinking about. If nothing else, it at
least would have taken the edge off.
When I woke up a while later, I went to the shower first. It
took me a minute to remember what had happened and all of the
changes that had taken place in my life the last few days.
I walked into the bathroom and the first thing I saw, was the
bra that was now hanging on the shower rod. It was Liz’s and my
hand was touching the fabric before I could stop myself. I
remembered the bra strap showing the day before on her and I
pulled my hand away, as if I had been burned.
 I took my shower quickly, taking care to relieve myself of all
of the frustration that was bottling up inside. I thought about all
of the times that I had been revved up by Liz and knew that I was
going to have to slow my roll. As much as I wanted her, I also
knew that she wasn’t ready.
Getting out, I was drying off my hair, when I heard her voice.
“Feel better?”
Did she know I had rubbed one off thinking of her? I took her
question the wrong way for a moment. Then of course, I realized
that she didn’t know, and I chuckled. “Much better. Sleep and a
shower does help, you’re right.”
It was around two in the afternoon. I didn’t need much sleep,
but I had a couple consultations that I had to get to. Liz had her
own agenda as well, so I let her take some more calls and run to
the funeral parlor, while I had my resident take care of my
consultations. We were going to stall them long enough, so that I
could give her some time.
She needed it, but there was also a peace that had come over
her. I don’t know if it was taking care of Stephen or not, but
something had changed her. I liked the way it looked on her.
When Liz left, I was able to think about how strange it was,
how easily we had fallen in line with each other. There was
always something between us and it had usually come out as
some kind of spite that we had for each other. I don’t know
where it came from, but none of that was present now. It was
like it had all fallen away and it was easy, maybe too easy,
because it made me think that there was something more going
on between us, but I could be wrong.
She came back after a few hours and I was able to get my
consolations done, even if they were a little late. I was more
surprised that there was a meal ready when I got home. That
wasn’t something I expected, not from her.
 Considering the oatmeal this morning, the meatloaf was a
vast improvement.
“See Glenn, I told you that I would get the hang of this.”
“Yes, you did.”
 CHAPTER 10
LIZ

iving with a man, wasn’t something that I was quite

L ready for in my life. Waking up next to one that had

stayed over because he was too drunk, was one thing.
Staying with Glenn was like something else altogether. He was
always there to help, and it was nice, considering Glenn knew
more about the baby then I did, but there was this familiarity
that came with living under the same roof and to me, that was
the hardest part. While I was trying to think of everything else, I
couldn’t think straight at all when he was walking around in
boxers without a shirt on.
Then I caught him coming out of the shower with only a towel
wrapped around his amazing body. Glenn was quite a sight and
though the snarky comments was toned down, there was still a
cocky swagger that couldn’t be dimmed. Even when he was
covered in spit-up, somehow, he knew how to be sexy as hell.
Seeing his hard body covered in sweat and glistening like he
was a god was too much, and my mind was back to mush.
“You alright Liz?”
I would have been alright, and I never would have said a word,
but when he wanted to throw it in my face and that was just too
much for me.
“No Glenn, I don’t think that I am.”
 He looked concerned and started to walk towards me. My eyes
were on the hard swinging going on between his legs. My mouth
was dry, and there was nothing that I could do about it. He didn’t
seem to get how nervous he made me. I can’t say that I blame
him really. It wasn’t his fault. It was new emotions because of
everything going on. That’s all. We were thrown into a situation
together and feelings were bound to result.
“So, what is the problem?”
He really didn’t get it.
“You really don’t know? How about the fact that you’re
running around like that?”
I couldn’t take my eyes off of him and that made me feel like
even worse. I should be able to hold it together, but I couldn’t.
“Oh really? Well what do you think it does to me, when you’re
standing in the kitchen when I come home, in practically see-
through silk?”
I hadn’t really thought about it. My nightgown was
comfortable and since I looked a mess, I hadn’t really thought
about him looking at me. Now I could see hunger in his eyes, and
it was disconcerting to say the least. I had to look away. His
attention to me was too much.
“It was satin, and I didn’t think that it was see-through.”
“I can see your nipples and the curve of your ass pretty damn
clear.”
“Well, now you are showing.”
He looked down and smiled, covering himself. “Sometimes it
has a mind of its own. You can’t blame me. You are one hot piece
Liz, always have been.”
I was in this moment with him and then he said something
like that. What was I supposed to say now? The ego side of Glenn
was coming out. He had that easy smile that I’d seen him take
with many women in the past and I couldn’t believe that he
would want to go there. He was reading the situation wrong.
“I will make sure to cover up better, if you will try to do the
same.”
I knew that it wasn’t going to help me now, but maybe it
would save me from moments like this in the future.
“Deal, we should both cover up a little bit better.”
“You say that, and you know that summer is right around the
corner.”
He had this look on his face and it was so smug that I wanted
to hit him. I don’t know what he was thinking about, but I would
have taken a guess.
“I am sure that we’ll be able to manage. I am getting more
sleep now, so I guess I should dress more. I never understood
moms not getting ready for the day, but I can see why now. I
don’t have time and during what time I do have; all I want to do
is sleep.”
“Well, there is also the funeral tomorrow. Is there anything
that I can do?”
“No Glenn, I think I got it all under control. My parents
helped with a lot of it. They always swoop in and take over. So, I
let them, because I figured that they have more experience and
we have Stephen. I never realized how much work babies were.
You would think that if other people knew about it, they might
rethink it.”
“Are you rethinking it?”
“No, not at all.” I sighed out loud. “It is just a lot of work. I
don’t think I have ever been this tired in my whole life.”
“I would agree, and I thought I knew long hours. But I know
that it’s what your brother wanted, so I don’t mind. It is calming,
if that makes sense.”
“Calming?”
“Yea, I don’t know. My mind is more focused now. Less
worries. It sounds weird, but I know this is what I’m supposed to
be doing, and who I am supposed to be doing it with. I’m sorry
this happened, but there really is nowhere else I would rather
be.”
“Come on Glenn. That’s sweet and all, but I’m sure that you
would rather be out with one of your many girlfriends. I’ve seen
them coming and going when you were staying here with
Mario.”
“Yeah, I know. But it is never as good as you want it to be.
Never really lasts. I don’t know. Things change.”
I agreed, but I wasn’t able to put it into words like that. He
had time at work to think about all of it, but I did not. All I had to
worry about was the baby. Stephen kept me busy, so I wasn’t
thinking about my brother and Latica, but there was an extra
complication when it came to Glenn. Now he was saying things
that were going to make living with him even more difficult.
“Besides Liz, what about you? I don’t think that you are so
innocent. I have seen guys over at your place, in the morning.”
“That was just one of Mario’s friends that had too much to
drink. He needed a place to stay.”
“What about the dark-skinned guy I saw last week?”
I don’t know if I should have been feeling weird about the fact
that he noticed so much.
“John is gay, so I don’t think you’re going to win this.”
“So, you’re telling me that you don’t date, anyone?”
“No, I can’t say that I have in a long while. I just wanted to
focus on my art. Guys make everything harder than it has to be
and I have a reason to believe that you’re no different.”
“I’m shocked you would think that.”
“Well you can be shocked all you want, but I know that you’re
bad news Glenn. You always have been.”
“So, that’s why you messed with my head?”
 I giggled, because I couldn’t help it, but his scowl made me
try. “I was young Glenn and you noticed. You were my brother’s
friend and I had a big crush on you. You wouldn’t really give me
the time of day. It made me a little angry, so I wanted you to
notice me.”
“Oh, I did.”
I remembered the night well and smiled. “Yeah, I know you
did. But it wouldn’t have lasted long. You were already a player
back then. You wouldn’t have been interested very long, so that
was as far as it went. I guess noticing me wasn’t enough, I
wanted you to really see me.”
“I see you now Liz.” He took a step closer and I sucked in a
ragged breath.
His words made me wonder if that was true or not. I certainly
wanted to believe that it was true. All I could think about, was
how badly I wanted things to have been different. But not like
this.
 CHAPTER 11
GLENN

don’t know when it happened, but I fell for Liz. She was

I staring back with those bright blue eyes of hers, her lips
quivering a little bit. She wouldn’t even look at me for a
time and I had no idea why not. I wished I knew what was going
on in her mind, it would have made things easier.
“I never pursued you, because I thought you were playing
games.”
“Even if I wasn’t, Mario was around and there was no way
that he was going to let you date his little sister. You know how
protective he was of me.”
“I know, very well. He caught me looking once and told me
that we were friends, but he would kill over you.”
She smiled, “Yeah, that sounds like Mario.”
There was tension between us, more specifically identified,
but at the end of the day, I was still trying to figure out my next
step. Tomorrow was the funeral. We couldn’t be doing this, and I
had to say as much to her. “Why don’t we finish off this funeral
tomorrow, and then we can figure out how to move forward? It’s
only been a week.”
“Seems so much longer than that.”
I had to agree. It felt like a day ago I saw him, but then at the
same time, it felt like I hadn’t seen my best friend in years. Time
had a funny way of changing, depending on the perspective.
“I know. Let’s get through tomorrow and then we can figure
out what comes next.”
She agreed, but for a moment, I thought that she was going to
kiss me. I leaned down to kiss her instead and she kissed me
back, but Liz hadn’t seen it coming. To be truthful, neither had I.
One thing that I knew for certain, I wanted her as badly now, as I
ever did. But it wasn’t the right time. I had to wait.

T HE FUNERAL WAS A BIG AFFAIR . L ATICA MAY HAVE BEEN AN ORPHAN , BUT
she had touched many people in her life, and so many of them
came to say goodbye. Mario was well-liked and loved by all too
and it was a full house.
All of the attention was being heaped on Liz. I knew that part
of it was because she had Stephen, so I decided to take him for a
little while. I knew that there was nothing I could do about most
of the attention going her way, but having the baby did pull some
people my way.
“It’s good to see you again Glenn. I am sorry that it happened
this way. I have known Latica for years and I am glad to see that
Stephen looks well. Is Liz taking care of him? I knew that she
would.”
“Yes, we’re both staying at their old house, trying to figure
this out.”
“Both of you?”
I looked at Amber and though we’d known each other for a
while, I also knew that she was a bit nosy. “Yes, both of us. We
are the godparents, and this is what we said we would do.”
Amber blushed. “Right, that is good to hear. Latica was very
adamant about having them. I sometimes wonder if she knew
something that no one else did.”
I had thought the same myself, but this wasn’t the time and if
it was, I wasn’t ready to have those conversations yet. It was still
too soon.
“Well, no matter what, she is lucky to have picked you. I
know most of us didn’t think that you would stick around, but
here you are.”
It was strange to think people were already talking about us.
It hadn’t happened but a few days ago, the wreck that changed
everything, but apparently news travels very fast.
“Well, I made a commitment to my best friend, no one could
keep me away.”
Amber smiled and I tried not to be offended. Was my
character so shaky in other’s eyes, that I would just walk away
from such a thing, from Stephen? That had me wondering if it
was brought on by my own actions and if I deserved it.
My mind went back to what Liz had told me before. She had
said that she did feel something but knew that I wouldn’t be
good for the long haul, thus why she had never pursued us. Was I
really that bad?
I knew the answer to that, before the question was posed. I
knew what I was, and I was honestly ashamed that it was my own
actions that made people think that of me. I should have known
that there was a reason why she had always been so hot and cold
with me.
But I shouldn’t even be thinking about any of it. I was holding
the baby, at my best friend’s funeral. Guilt washed over me,
when I realized that I was the cause of the tension between us.
We were going to have to work it out, because I was here for the
long haul and I needed Liz to believe it. Then maybe things could
change.
“Oh, what a beautiful baby boy. He looks just like the two of
them…”
A woman to my left started crying and I tried to comfort her. I
didn’t even know who she was, but it was a distraction, a good
one and I was able to let her get it out, while I tried to pull my
head together as well.

“W HAT A DAY .”
“Yea, it was a bit much.”
“I can’t believe how many people showed up. I had mom do
all of the calling, she probably hired it out, but she somehow
found his girlfriend from middle school. This was crazy.”
We were sitting down for a drink; the baby was asleep after all
of the attention from the funeral and we were both beat. I had
taken the day and night off, so that I could stay with Liz and I
figured it was a good time to clear the air.
“I want to talk about what we were discussing yesterday.”
She smiled and then looked nervous. “What did we talk about
yesterday?”
Liz was playing coy and I took a page out of her book. It was
obvious that she didn’t want to talk about it, though I couldn’t
think of anything else to say. I wanted to get right to it, but this
wasn’t the time. I was rushing. I had to slow down, even if it was
incredibly hard to do it.
“You know, just about the old days.”
“I do remember them well. It’s weird staying in this house, I
can still feel Mario. Can you?”
The conversation was quickly so far away from where I
wanted it, but there was nothing that I could do about it. I had to
let it play out. I had to pull back, even though every part of me
was ready to see what would happen next. There was a little
guilt, enough to hold me back, but I don’t know if that was going
to work or not. How long, could we live together and not talk
about the elephant in the room?
“I talked to Amber today; do you know her?”
“I think so. She was in the same class as you and Mario,
wasn’t she?”
I agreed. “She was rather surprised that we were staying here
together.”
“I bet. She always had something to say.”
“I think she was surprised that I stayed.”
“Well, you’ve been great. She must not know you very well.”
Her comment made me smile. There was still a part of me
that wanted to push past the pleasantries. There was a lot more
that we could speak about, but I was trying to keep it together.
The look in her eyes, the vulnerability on her face. She made me
want to keep her safe and it was all I could do. I was going to
have to hold off on the rest of it.
“Why don’t we just get to bed? The baby will be up soon.”
She agreed, but there was some hesitation. I don’t know what
it was about, but I didn’t want to ask. If I did, then I was going to
get into territory that I was telling myself I wouldn’t. There was
just a part of me that was finding it hard to wait. How long was
the appropriate time for something like that? When was it going
to be right, because I don’t know how much longer I was going to
be able to wait?
 CHAPTER 12
LIZ

don’t know why tonight was the hardest one yet. Even

I though I knew Glenn was right down the hall, I couldn’t

help feeling like I was alone. I wanted to be with him, next
to him, so that I would know that everything was going to be
okay. He had a way of making sure that I felt that way and I
needed it now more than ever before.
After staring at the blackness above me for a very long time, I
decided that I needed to be near him. I knew that it was going to
make things even stranger. I had to take the chance, because my
thoughts weren’t ones that I push away. I needed some
distraction, but I knew that it would come at a price. Most likely
it would make things even more difficult between us.
That didn’t stop me from moving forward though. It didn’t
stop me from knocking on his door softly, before realizing that
he wasn’t going to answer. So then, I moved into the room,
hoping he would be awake or maybe hoping he would be asleep.
Then I could just slip in next to him and go to sleep, without him
ever knowing about it.
Unfortunately for me, he was asleep, but he was on top of the
covers and wearing absolutely nothing at all. My face was
burning, and I should have looked away, but it was all right there
in front of me and I couldn’t help but look. It was all I could do,
see the hard body a few feet away. Sliding into bed with him,
would have been a very bad idea. That was clear by looking at
him. I knew that I shouldn’t look. I should get out of the room.
Before I was caught. But I didn’t want to pull my eyes away, I am
not sure if I would be able to or not.
I finally found the ability to turn away and I was going to
leave. I don’t know how I was even able to walk currently. My
legs felt like rubber and they didn’t want to work.
“Liz?”
My heart stopped and I froze. I don’t know why, but I was
convinced for a moment that if I didn’t move and I didn’t say a
word, then somehow, he wouldn’t see me. I heard a rustling
behind me, and I hoped that it was Glenn covering up.
“Sorry, I didn’t realize you were sleeping. And then I saw
you… I was just leaving.”
I still hadn’t turned around, afraid of what I would see and
then what I would feel. I didn’t want him to see me like this. My
hands were shaking, my voice was quavering, I was a mess.
“Did you need something?”
“I um…I just couldn’t sleep. I wanted to see if I could lay with
you.”
“You can. You’re more than welcome to.”
There was no way that I was going towards his bed. There was
no way that I was turning around. I know that I would see more
than I was supposed to, and my senses couldn’t handle it. It was
just that simple.
“No, it’s fine. I am sorry to have bothered you Glenn. I don’t
know what I was thinking…”
I wasn’t thinking and now I was lost. My head was full of so
many things that I wasn’t supposed to be thinking about. This
wasn’t how I wanted this to go. I was trying to leave with
whatever pride I had left, and it wasn’t much.
 “Come on Liz. It’s fine. What’s the matter?”
“I just can’t sleep, dreams. I really didn’t want to bother
you.”
“You could never bother me. Come to bed. I will throw on
some boxers, if you want. You can always come to me, for
anything that you need. You know, that right?”
“No, I want you to be comfortable. You’re fine, if that’s how
you sleep.”
“Well, then come on.”
I wanted to tell him that he didn’t have to worry about that,
but I couldn’t form any words. I was still thinking about the hard
body that was now so close. I could still see every bit of him in
my mind and it wasn’t the right situation at all.
“Are you sure? I don’t want to impose.”
“You’re fine Liz, really. Let’s get some sleep. Stephen will be
up soon.”
He was acting like it was no big deal. When I finally turned
back towards him, he had the sheet pulled around his waist, but
the cloth was low, and it didn’t hide much at all. I was still beet
red from seeing too much and I wasn’t sure how I was supposed
to deal with it. I couldn’t look him in the eyes right now.
Glenn laid down and I was thankful that he was making no big
thing about it, but it didn’t change my reaction. I was still
nervous as hell and there was nothing that I could do about it. As
much as I wanted to believe that I was immune to all of this,
above it even, I was starting to realize that it may not be true.
“Why are you shaking?”
“I saw too much.” I blurted out the words before I could stop
them. It was that simple and now I was embarrassed.
He chuckled and I liked the sound of it. He was full of
confidence I don’t think I was ever going to feel. Glenn liked my
response too much and I told myself then, that I was going to
have to be more careful when I said things. It was no longer the
space where we could be snarky with each other. I knew that
things had went past that line a while ago and as far as I could
tell, there was no way for me to fix it.
“It’s okay, I saw too much of you too. You’re beautiful Liz.”
His words weren’t helping the awkwardness of the situation. I
wanted to believe that there was something that I was going to
be able to do help it, but I don’t think that there was.
“Well, thank you, but we both know that this isn’t going to
make it any easier. We can’t think about stuff like that. It’s just
better if we don’t.”
“Better for who?”
At the moment it was better for my mind and well-being, but
he didn’t seem to be too bothered by it.
“For both of us. This is already a trying time.”
“Then why are you trembling?”
“You think too highly of yourself Glenn. I was just trying to
get a little comfort. It has nothing to do with what you’re
wearing underneath the sheet. That’s a bit more than I wanted
to get from you.”
He chuckled again, but this time he didn’t seem as sure of
himself as he had been before.
“Fine Liz, go to sleep and I will make sure that the bad dreams
don’t find you.”
That made me smile and I knew that if I wasn’t going to say
more, it was just going to make it more complicated. I closed my
eyes and tried to go to sleep, but it was still hard. It felt
impossible.
“You’re going to have to stop tossing and turning Liz.”
I was bumping up against his body a lot and that seemed to
really bother him. Just because I hadn’t done it before, didn’t
mean that I didn’t know how I effected men. He had already
made himself rather clear to me and I wanted to believe that it
would muddle things. But what if it didn’t? What if…? I had so
many questions and not enough answers.
“Sorry, maybe I should go back to my room. I didn’t mean to
make it so that you couldn’t sleep either.”
He sighed loudly. “You don’t even know what it is that you
need, do you?”
“No, I guess I don’t.”
“Well, you’re going to be fine, just come here, relax and you
will be asleep soon enough.”
It sounded all find and dandy, until he started to pull me into
his arms. I didn’t want to like the way he felt, but there was
nothing that I could do about it. His arms were around me and I
was nestled against his hard chest, before I knew what I was
doing. This was all just to make me feel safe and it did. I could
feel his heart beating against me from behind and it helped to
steady my own racing heart.
The last feeling and memory I had of the night, was how
happy he made me feel. I was safe and protected and I know that
this relationship was all just happenstance, it didn’t mean that I
didn’t want more out of it than ever before.
 CHAPTER 13
GLENN

he was finally asleep, but my night of torture was just

S beginning. I had been completely asleep when she had

first come in. But my time in the military made it
impossible for me not to wake up when she entered. I didn’t let
her know that I was awake, but I’d watched her through the slits
of my eyes. She had stared for quite some time and I have to say
that it was humbling to be so interesting to her.
I was confused on how far Liz had went. A week or two ago, I
would have thought that she was much like me, sampling what
she wanted from a buffet, but now I was starting to think that I
had been far more wrong then I realized. She wasn’t worried
about anything like that. There was lust in her eyes, but not the
beguiling grin I was waiting on. It was the one thing that I was
used to with women, but it never came.
Instead, when she’d gotten into the bed with me and the
opportunity was there, she’d done nothing. In fact, she had been
so nervous that she was trembling hard enough for me to feel it
on the other side of the bed. That bothered me. I wanted her
lusty and needy, not afraid.
Now I wasn’t sure what to do. I could feel the body heat
coming off of her, and I would have been lying, if I would have
managed to say with a straight face that I didn’t need to be
inside of her, but none of that was going to help me. The only
thing that was going to help me, was exactly what I needed. This
was not it.
Her smell filled my nostrils and she made small sounds as she
shifted in my arms. Liz was already having dreams and they
didn’t sound like they were any fun. I held her a little tighter, but
I knew that there was nothing I could do. I wanted to take them
away from her, pull them right out of her mind, but that was not
possible. So, all I could really do was just hold her.
Liz finally settled down and I knew that I had a long night
ahead of me. I was thinking about what was going to happen
next. We couldn’t stay in Mario’s house forever. We needed
something that was more suited to us and even though she had a
place next door, I wanted us to have a place big enough all under
one roof. When she was working, it would be easier for her and
Stephen both, if she could just go from one room to the other.
Right now, she wasn’t able to work while the baby was asleep.
My mind was filled with all sorts of ways to make it more
comfortable for the both of us. I think I had convinced myself
that as long as I could keep her happy, she wouldn’t want to go.
This situation as it stood, could only go on for so long. I had to
make her want to change it, make it official in other ways.
I I fed Stephen and then he went back to sleep and so did I. It
was light outside, so I hadn’t done as well as I should have when
it came to time, but that was going to be okay. A few hours was
something that I was used to. I didn’t need much sleep.

I DISENTANGLED MYSELF FROM L IZ ’ S GRASP WHEN MY ALARM WENT OFF .

She just snuggled closer with the sound and I had to pull her
arms away. I didn’t want to leave the warmth of the embrace,
but I knew that I had to. I had a job that I needed to do and no
matter how much I wanted to pretend like the world had stopped
for our personal tragedy, it hadn’t. I had patients to see and no
matter how badly I wanted to stay home with my little
impromptu family, I knew that I couldn’t.
Kissing Liz on the forehead before I left, I studied her face for
a moment. She looked like she was in peace and that was the
best expression that I could get. I was going to think about her all
day, so it was a good image to trap for later.
The thoughts that had ran through my head the night before
were still there as well. I wanted to find us something that was
more our own. Neither place that we had currently would work,
but that could change. I could just get us a bigger place and then
we can leave these two houses behind. I wanted to be closer to
her, in all ways and my first thought was that it would be happen
when I got us all under one roof full time.

“I T ’ S GOOD TO SEE YOU BACK AT THE OFFICE . I MISSED HOW THINGS USED TO
go in here.”
Claudia was on it again and I knew what she wanted, but I
wasn’t biting. I had lost my interest in her. It wasn’t her fault of
course, it wasn’t mine either, I didn’t like to think anyways. I
was going to have to let her down again. This time, I would have
more tact. Then maybe she wouldn’t be hurt about it.
“Well, things are just changing Claudia. I am back in the
office, but things aren’t going to go like they used to. It wasn’t a
good idea and I am going to rectify that now.”
She pouted and I knew that it was the calm before the storm.
“You know, I went out to find some fun Glenn. It was hard to
let someone else touch me. It didn’t turn out the way I wanted it
to.”
I didn’t know what to say to that. I had come in here to do
business and to keep things professional, but it was impossible
for that to happen with the way she was talking. She wasn’t
going to let it happen. All I could think about was Liz and the last
thing that I wanted to do, was deal with Claudia. She just didn’t
understand anything.
“Good for you Claudia. I am glad you’re getting yourself out
there. I knew that it wouldn’t be hard for a woman like you.
You’re beautiful and you have much to offer.”
“That’s not what I meant Glenn. I tried to find a replacement
for you, but I just couldn’t do it.”
I was confused. I wasn’t sure what it was that she was trying
to say.
“Well Claudia, we really need to start letting the patients in.
We have a big day and we don’t have time to continue this
discussion.”
I was trying to hurry her along, but she wasn’t getting it. She
went to the door and locked it. “The patients will wait, they
always do. You’re the best in the field and area, so where else
would they go?”
Before, I would have jumped at the chance. I would have
pulled her scrubs down and slammed into her from behind.
There were many surfaces around the office that I could have
taken her on, but that’s not what was on my mind today. It was a
new day and I was only lusting after the vixen that I shared a bed
with last night. Liz was the only one on my mind.
“No Claudia. I mean it. This is done between us. Now please
unlock the door and bring the first couple of patients back. I
don’t want to discuss this again. No more.”
Now she wasn’t pouting, but she was upset. I could see that
there was something on the tip of her tongue, but whatever it
was, she decided to go against her urge and said nothing.
Claudia did as I asked, and I breathed a sigh of relief. The last
thing that I needed, was for her to make a big mess of things
with her attitude. It was hard to ever really know what she was
thinking, but I had a feeling that it wasn’t over. She felt miffed
and that was going to be something that I was going to pay for
later. I could just feel it.
Work kept my mind off of my women troubles. It was nice to
have some time that I could think, but soon enough, I was on my
way home. I wanted to be there, but there was a part of me that
was nervous as hell. Being around Liz for long and having to
fight the urge that I am sure every man felt around her, was not
easy. It was especially hard when I had a feeling that she wanted
it too.
When I got back, the place was empty, and I started to panic a
little bit. I didn’t know what was going on. The lights were out,
and no one was home. I saw the lights on next door and some
music playing. I didn’t like the feeling that came over me. It was
a hard one to have and before I knew what I was doing, I was
going over to see Liz. I don’t know what I expected to see when I
got there, but not this.
“Hey Glenn, come in and have a drink. I didn’t know what
time you would be home, but I am glad you’re here now.”
“I got off early, so that we could do some things.”
I was looking around the room. There were four other guys
and a couple of women. They were all wealthy by the looks of it,
so I assumed that it was some of her friends. I didn’t like her
here with all of them and I was pissed that there were other guys
there. What were they doing here?
“Oh, well I needed to unwind some. This is certainly not what
I expected out of my week.”
“Where is the baby?”
 “My mother wanted to take him over night. I think she wants
the connection to Mario.”
“And you let her?”
She shrugged. “Yeah, she’s the grandmother. Why not?”
I don’t know what was wrong with me. I could see that all
eyes were on me, even if I was trying to focus solely on her. It
wasn’t possible.
“Because we’re supposed to do this together! You didn’t even
say anything to me, I come home to a dark house…”
I stopped short because I had started to raise my voice. I was
in her house, the baby was taken care of, I had no other say in
any of it. As much as I liked to believe that she was mine or
something like that, she wasn’t. We were connected by the baby
and that’s it.
I left and didn’t look back. I was so embarrassed by all of it. I
knew that I had just made an ass out of myself and I took a hot
shower to relax. I felt a little better when I got, until I saw her
sitting on the couch. She had a drink in front of her and I could
only imagine this wasn’t going to be good.
“Still running around with that thing swinging, huh?”
“I thought you would be over there.”
She was staring at it and Liz didn’t look like she was offended
at all. Hardly. There was a twinkle in her eyes and the bit of
alcohol, made her lips a little chattier.
“Well, I am here now.”
“If you’re so offended Liz, you could stop looking.”
“Yeah, I wish I could…”
Her voice trailed off and her baby blue eyes met mine. Now
there was desire, but I was still worried about what I’d witnessed
next door.
“You are going to leave them over there?”
“No, I sent them home. I am not allowed to have friends over
it would seem.”
“It’s not like that.”
“No, you didn’t just get jealous and make a scene?”
I frowned and my lips pressed tightly together. That’s exactly
what it was, but that didn’t mean that she had to word it like
that.
“It really wasn’t like that Liz.”
“If I wasn’t like that, tell me what it was.”
Shit, she had me there.
 CHAPTER 14
LIZ

don’t know what told me to come home. I should have

I ignored his little outburst, because he was out of line, but I

just couldn’t. I wanted to find out what was going on and
now that we had the house to ourselves, I thought it was a good
time to really work it out.
“I just was worried about you. I expected you to be here and
you weren’t. There was no note, text, call and then I saw you
partying over there with all of those guys.”
“They are just friends Glenn. That’s it, though it’s not really
any of your business. We can’t live together, raise Stephen
together and never get romantically involved with anyone else.
That doesn’t make any sense.”
“What if I don’t want you to get involved with anyone else?”
“That’s a lot to ask, don’t you think?”
“Not really. I want to be with you, and I want you to be with
me. This all didn’t just happen for no reason. What if there was
more to this and we are supposed to be together?”
“That can’t happen.”
“Why not? I know that you want me just as badly as I want
you. I can feel it from you every time we’re close. Don’t deny it.”
He was right on all accounts. I did want him, was heavily
attracted to him and that had only gotten stronger since we’d
been staying together, but the truth of the matter was, that I was
pulled back for many reasons. Number one being I was afraid. If I
fell for him or let him know that I was falling, he would surely
end up making me out to be crazy like all the other woman.
I had seen his exes and they all wanted him back. It was
something that he did to them. I am not sure really what it was,
just that I didn’t want to have anything to do with it. All I wanted
to worry about, was the next day. The rest was all just too much
to take in all at once.
“Whether I like you or not, doesn’t matter. We’re very
different and I don’t think you know how much.”
“Yes, you’re living on love. An artist, that has always had a
trust fund, I’m a doctor. I am responsible and you’re flaky. Those
things don’t matter. We work together.”
“Geez, I meant in other ways. You are a player and I have told
you before that I am not. At all. I haven’t even really dated all
that much. You’re too experienced for me and I think you would
chew me up and spit me out. I see what you do to girls. You make
them crazy and I don’t want to be that way for you. It would
make it hard for this to work.”
“So, you’re telling me no to it all, because some of my exes
were crazy?”
“No, because I don’t date casually. I don’t get intimate with
people casually, or at all really. I am inexperienced in all of that
and you’re the king. I don’t think it would be a fair match-up.”
“Oh.”
He was sitting next to me on the couch, but now he was
frozen where he was. It was almost funny, if it wouldn’t have
bothered me so much. I didn’t want to tell him that, but it felt
like my only shield, not just from him, but my own desires as
well. I needed to be reminded that he was bad news.
“Yeah, oh. So, you see, you don’t have to be jealous. I am not
even thinking about any of that. I think you’re hot, you know
that, but that’s as far as my mind takes it.”
“It’s not as far as mine goes.”
More words to make it harder to breathe. Did he know that he
bothered me in such a way?
“I know.”
“Then what are we supposed to do with all of this tension
between us?”
“Ignore it. That’s what I have been doing.”
“How is that working out for you?”
Glenn shrugged and his chest jumped with the action. I don’t
think he knew how hot he was, but then again, maybe he did.
That knowing smile was back on his lips and I was finding it hard
to deny the smile back.
“Not very well. I don’t think I am going to be able to stop
thinking about it, when you’re running around half-dressed and
saying such sweet and sexy things to me. It makes me think that
you’re trying to play with my head.”
“I am not, but you seem very uptight.”
“You seem pretty uptight yourself. Maybe you need some
release, so that you can relax. Maybe that’s what we both need.”
“This sounds like a trick.”
“It’s not, I promise. I want to help you. That’s all.”
“You can’t touch me. I won’t let you.”
“Why, it would make you feel better? Just because you don’t
want to have sex, doesn’t mean that we can’t do other things
that will make you feel good, give you the release that you need.”
“Because I don’t do that sort of thing, Glenn, no matter how
benign you make it sound.”
His brow went up. “You don’t, huh? You haven’t ever let a
man touch you? Please you?”
I shook my head that I hadn’t. I know that he didn’t believe
me, but that didn’t matter. I knew what the truth was. I had
never let someone touch me in such a way, but I didn’t have to
explain myself. I knew that as well, even if I still wanted to,
knowing be damned.
“No, I haven’t.”
“Do you touch yourself?”
I wasn’t ready for that question, so I tried my best not to meet
the greedy eyes in front of me. It was almost impossible to deny
them entry into my mind. It was like he could read it just that
quickly. No matter what was going on, I knew that I was going to
have to keep my wits about me, especially around him.
“Why would you ask me such a question?”
“I really want to envision you touching yourself. It would
really put a smile on my face.”
I don’t know why, but the answer was a bit more than I was
prepared to handle. I had not saw this coming, even if there had
been something between us, simmering just beneath the
surface.
“What good would that do?”
“It would give me many nights of pleasure.”
I snorted, because it was so unexpected, and I knew that I
must have ruined the moment.
“Yes, I do on occasion.”
“Why don’t you do it now?”
That was another request I didn’t see coming and I tried not
to see the hungry eyes leveled at me. I wanted to pretend like I
didn’t see how much he needed me.
“Are you serious?”
“So dead serious right now Liz.”
I finally snuck a glance at his face, and I couldn’t believe that I
was even thinking about it. How had I gotten myself in this
situation?
 “I am not going to sit here and play with myself, while you
watch.”
“Do you want me to do something? I would be more than
happy to help you.”
I knew that the last thing I needed was his hands on me,
helping me in anyway. That would be a slippery slope and before
long, I would want more. I knew what more would lead to and I
hadn’t been saying no all of this time for no reason. There
certainly was a reason, even if it was hard to explain at the
present moment, when my whole body was alive.
“If you want me to touch myself, I want you to as well.”
His grin got wide and he was quick to agree. He started to
unbutton his pants, but I stopped him. “No, you can’t show
anything. Just slip your hand in.”
“And you will as well?”
I bit my lip, knowing that is as going to be damned for it, but I
agreed. I wanted to touch myself badly, would have done it as
soon as I was away from him, if that would have been an option.
This idea was kind of hot and I actually liked the thought of it. If
he wanted to play these games, then I was going to play along as
well.
“You want me to touch myself?”
“It’s for your own good Liz. You are wound up so badly. You
need a release and I know that I can give it to you.”
“I thought you weren’t going to touch me?”
“I won’t. Just close your eyes.”
 CHAPTER 15
LIZ

hen someone like Glenn says to close your eyes, my

W first thought was nothing good was going to come of

it. He wasn’t the type that good things came from. He
was taking me down a road that I knew was going to end with
heartbreak, but I told myself, rationalized, that it wasn’t going to
be like that. We wouldn’t really do it, so there was nothing that
would come from it. I was going to be safe, or so I thought.
I closed my eyes and listened to the sound of Glenn’s voice.
He was telling me I was beautiful and that he wanted to see all of
me, but I wasn’t going down that road. It didn’t seem like it
would be a good one for me to go down, not when it was so hard
for me to tell him no., I knew that there was something about
Glenn that I wasn’t going to be able to refuse. He’d always been a
lady’s man and that was something that was hard to fight off.
The experience he had, was catching up with me quickly.
“Now, put your hand into your pants and tell me if it’s nice
and warm?”
His words were deep and gravely and they sure the hell did
something to me. The way he sounded was hot as hell and I
wasn’t able to stop myself. I did as he suggested or commanded,
however I wanted to see it.
I wasn’t warm, I was hot, and I didn’t want to have to tell him
that, but I did. I was glad that I did, because the reaction on his
face was priceless. He was not waiting for that answer. I then
watched him put his own hands in his pants. It was my turn to
say something, to cheer him on, but I knew that I shouldn’t.
“Are you hard?”
“Every time I am around you.”
I moved my fingers a little bit more and moaned softly. I
wanted it to be his hands on me, but if I looked at him while I
was doing it, it was almost like it was. His green eyes were deep
and dark. They were more emerald than the sea now and I liked
how his face changed when mine did. He was getting more off of
my expression, then he was touching himself. I think I was
feeling the same way. Having him here, next to me, was really
messing with me and it made it feel more intimate than I could
have imagined.
“Start rubbing yourself Liz, nice and slow. I wish it was me. I
would press down onto your little button harder and harder each
time, picking up the pace when your breath started to hitch in
your throat. I would make you teeter on the edge for so long,
until you were begging me to finish you off.”
I did as he suggested, and my eyes closed. He was already all
over me and I couldn’t take it. Seeing him watching me, was too
much. I couldn’t help but run from him. When I closed my eyes, I
couldn’t see his hard body and eyes that called to me. It helped
some, but there was nothing to stop the sound of his voice.
There were also other sounds coming from him, a low groan
really threw me off and I had to open my eyes to see. I wanted to
see what all of the ruckus was about, and I wasn’t disappointed.
He had his pants open now and I could see his hard length. It
filled up my mind and my hand stalled.
“Don’t stop now Liz. It’s almost time.”
I didn’t know what he was talking about. My mind was too
much on what was in front of me. The hard, smooth member
that was in his hand. The way he stroked it, making it change,
was fascinating to watch and made me throb between my legs
even more. It was hard for me to take my eyes away, but it was
impossible for me to continue what I was doing, watching this.
Glenn didn’t miss a beat. He kept telling me to move my
hand, rub on myself, but I was frozen in place. I’d never seen
anything like this up close and it was taking away all of my
attention.
“I can’t.”
“Yes, you can Liz. I want to watch you come. Show me.”
His words didn’t help at all. I was frozen in place,
overwhelmed with how hard and fierce it looked. This wasn’t at
all what I had expected, if anything at all. The night was taking a
turn that scared me down to my core. The things I wanted to do
were wrong and unlike anything that I’d ever felt before.
Finally, he touched his hand on my arm and then he covered
my hand with his. I didn’t know what he was doing at first, until
he started to move my hand for me, rubbing against me in such a
way, that I was starting to jerk when it brushed over certain
places. He still wasn’t touching me, not technically, but it was
even more intimate.
I managed to follow my gaze to his face and the desire there
left me trembling. He picked up the pace, plying more pressure,
making me gasp as I started to squirm away from my own touch.
“Show me Liz.”
He was closer now. I could feel his breath on me. I knew that
he wouldn’t do anything that I didn’t want him to do, but he was
so close. He could move a few feet and be right inside of me. It
felt like it was where he belonged, and I throbbed more.
Glenn was moving both arms quickly, bringing us both to
pleasure, but I was the one that was moaning and calling out his
name. I couldn’t help it. I needed it badly, far worse than I
realized. The sound shocked me it was so loud, but I couldn’t
stop. It felt so good.
I managed to push his hand away and was able to breathe
again. I moved away from him, giving us a little room, because it
was all too much. I think he knew that too, because he started to
move faster on his own desire.
“Let me see Liz. Let me see how wet you are.”
This wasn’t what I had expected. I was barely able to move,
my whole body relaxed, but he wanted more. Needed more by the
looks of it and I couldn’t say no to him, not after what he had
done to me, it was impossible.
I stood up, my eyes on his movement and I pressed my legs
together. I was so wet.
“Please?”
He sounded desperate, so I pulled my pants off a little
quicker. I let my panties fall to the floor as well.
“Touch it, if you want to see.”
Now it was Glenn’s turn to pause. Something darkened his
eyes and I knew what was about to happen. I wanted him to feel
it before he did, to be the reason his world exploded like mine
had. I grabbed the stray hand that had helped me, and I pressed
it between my legs. “Do you feel that?”
He groaned loudly and I saw white stuff spew out and hit him
on the chest. It was a lot and I couldn’t help looking at it. I was
transfixed.
Glenn started to move his fingers on me, strumming me
quickly and I tried to move away, but he grabbed onto me,
pulling me closer. The way he touched me, felt so different than
what he had done before. It wasn’t my hand anymore, it was his,
thick, hard and calloused.
I came quickly and I held onto him as I came. There was
nothing else to do and only when I was pushing back, harder
than I was calling out to him, did he finally let me go. Glenn
helped me back down to the couch and I started to say
something, when the phone started to ring.
My mind was numb, and I couldn’t think. I certainly couldn’t
do anything at the moment. It took me a minute to get my feet
back underneath me and I saw him moving towards the phone.
He was back dressed, with his stained shirt off.
“I will get it. You just relax. A bath would feel good.”
I nodded, because it did sound good, but it was the moving
part that sounded pretty damn tricky. What had he done to me?
What had I allowed him to do?
 CHAPTER 16
GLENN

hen I got back from the phone call, I didn’t find Liz in

W the tub like I’d imagined. I thought that it would be a

good time to give her what it was that she desired
most. I could see it in her eyes. There was a moment when she’d
wanted everything and be damned, I’d wanted her badly.
I imagined getting back to her, playing with her in the tub and
pushing Liz to her limits, where she begged me to take her.
That’s how it played out in my head, but that wasn’t the case at
all. Instead, she was asleep on the couch. She hadn’t even put on
any bottoms, so I could see all of her. It was all it took, for me to
cover her up and walk away, then I cared to admit. It wasn’t what
I wanted, but it was going to have to do for now.
Laying down, I tossed and turned, even though I’d been
satisfied. It felt good, released a hell of a lot of pressure, but I
needed more. It wasn’t enough. I don’t know if any one moment
with Liz was ever going to be enough. My concept of that idea
was drastically changing with every encounter of her. She was
worried about getting hurt, while I was falling down a rabbit hole
I had never been down before. These feelings were foreign and
hard to adapt to.
I was almost asleep, when I heard my name being called
lightly. I thought it was a dream.
 “Glenn, can I please lay with you? I sleep so much better
when you’re next to me.”
It wasn’t a dream. She was standing by the end of the bed, in
one of those damn robe things I warned her about before. Liz
looked delicious enough to eat and that was all I could think
about. I could literally eat her right now.
I wanted to tell her no. If she laid down next to me, I was
going to have another night of no sleep. I knew that I was a
comfort to her, but she wasn’t a comfort to me, certainly not in
the same way. I wanted to think that everything would be fine,
that I was strong enough, but I wasn’t sure.
“Sure, come on.”
I was hesitant and that made her hesitant as well. I didn’t
know how to be any other way. She was driving me crazy and I
don’t know what I was going to do with her. She was already
making me hard again. The sight of her was usually enough. I
had been telling the truth when I said that.
“Are you sure? You don’t sound like it?”
I sighed and told her that it was fine. I wanted her to believe
me, but it was hard when I knew I was lying. She would be fine,
but I was going to be in torture again. That is what happened
when I was with her, but not in the way that I wanted. She made
me think about things that I shouldn’t, like how little I would
have to push, to get my way. I know that it wouldn’t be all that
much. She was ripe for the taking and she didn’t even know it.
Liz settled down next to me and she moved around a few
times, before I heard her soft voice.
“Will you hold me, like before?”
I think that was the moment that I knew I was in trouble, real
trouble. I pulled her in and didn’t say a word, I couldn’t. For
once, I was speechless.
I was also hard though, so holding her was a lot more
complicated. I didn’t want to scare her. I had seen the way she
eyed me before. Liz wasn’t ready, no matter how much I was.

“D OCTOR , I WAS HOPING THAT WE COULD TALK ?”

I was glad to see that it wasn’t Claudia. I had been avoiding
her like the plague. Dr. Wallace was an old colleague and it
looked like he had something that was bothering him. Since I
was thinking about Liz nonstop, it would be good to get my mind
out of the gutter and back to work.
“What can I do for you Benny?”
“It’s this patient. I was wondering if you could talk to her. She
needs to have surgery, but she doesn’t want to. It’s scary, you
know, all of that.”
“Well, it’s brain surgery Benny, no one wants to have it.”
“I know, but she’s young and I was hoping that you would
help me convince her that it’s for the best. She needs to have it
done.”
“What am I supposed to do Benny?”
“You know, wave that magic wand of yours. I have seen you
do it before. No woman can deny you.”
“You want me to date her?”
I wasn’t getting his point.
“No, but I know that you can convince her. Just talk to her,
that’s all I ask.”
“When is she coming in?”
“She’s here now.”
I wasn’t prepared, but I got her file in my hand as we were
walking to the door. She did need surgery, but Benny wasn’t very
authoritative. He had a mind of a genius, but it left out a lot of
room for people skills. He was a bit pudgy, acne-scarred and that
didn’t help people to have much faith in him. I would go to him
if I ever needed a surgeon. While it may be right to come to me, I
wondered if I would have been able to eat my ego as well as he
had. I wanted to believe that I could have, but I don’t really know
if I would have or not. Benny was always looking out for his
patients.
Moving into the room, I introduced myself, taking a seat next
to his patient. The woman was in her early twenties and I could
see fear all over her freckled face. I also noticed that she didn’t
have anyone else with her. A parent should be here, but it wasn’t
my place to judge. I couldn’t.
“I know this is hard for you, but I promise you that this is
what is best. You’re young and that makes it scary, but it also
makes your healing time less. You’re going to get through this
Julie.”
The woman in front of me, was still scared, but she felt better.
I could see it in the tension of her forehead. I was probably
telling her the exact same thing that Benny had been telling her,
but she related almost immediately. Whether he was right or
wrong, Benny knew how to get the best result. I thought again
how I could learn from him. I needed to pick up some of his
patience, because I had a lot of that going on right now. It was
not near as easy as I thought it would be.
When we left, everyone was feeling better and the nurse was
going through the tests needed before surgery. I hated to see
someone so young, needing such an extensive surgery, but I
knew that she was going to be in good hands.
“You always remind me why I do this Benny.”
“I do it because I thought it would be a good career. I like to
help people and it’s interesting work.”
I shook my head. Genius, but his people skills were still
heavily in need of improvement.
 “You want to get a drink? I’ve had one of those days.”
“No, I need to get home. I promised Liz that I would be there
to take Stephen for a while. She has work to get done as well.”
“What does she do?”
For a moment, I almost felt embarrassed to say anything. It
wasn’t important work, not like ours. It was important to her,
but the world would be fine, without another painting in it.
“An artist.”
“Ah.”
That was all I had to say. He didn’t ask any more questions,
because he wasn’t interested. To a guy like Benny, anything that
wasn’t saving lives, was a waste of time. I felt that was to some
extent as well. I didn’t get why she was an artist and what
benefit it had to the world, but I know that she came back
looking more relaxed. She needed that in her life right now. It
was up to her, how long that was going to take. Her job right now
was taking care of the baby anyways. I made more than enough
for all of us.
I was thinking about them as my own family already. It was
such a strange realization.
“You seem distracted. Am I to believe that it is because of this
godmother?”
Straight and to the point. Benny never let me down.
“Yes, I would certainly say that it would be a correct
assumption.”
“Then I will assume away.”
“You do that Benny. Let me know how Julie is.”
“Julie?”
“The patient you had me talk to five minutes ago?”
“Right, semi-frontal.”
I just sighed and waved to him as I went back into my office.
Sometimes he really was hopeless.
 CHAPTER 17
LIZ

ell you look like you’re in a good mood.”

“W I was bent over, picking up some little cereals

that the baby had thrown. I looked up to see the
smile on Glenn’s face. He looked happy. When I was finished
and I stood up again, the expression and demeanor of the man
had changed. He was no longer looking so happy. His appetite
was back, and I was nervous how he was looking at me.
“What, I can’t wear shorts now either?”
“They are pretty short Liz. I can see a lot of your leg and the
rest of you.”
“You’re a mess. I have to be able to wear clothes Glenn, no
matter how much they bother you.”
“You can just say to hell with all of them if you wanted to. I
wouldn’t say a word.”
“I bet. So, what has you so happy?”
“I was going to tell you over dinner, but I want to tell you
now. I want to show you now.”
“Show me?”
I had no idea what he had going on. He was excited about
something, but with him, there was really no telling. As much as
I wanted him to be happy, it made me nervous as well for some
reason. There was no telling what was behind that smile of his.
 “Yeah, let’s get Stephen ready and go for a little walk.”
His happiness was hard to ignore. His smile was crossing
from one side of his face to another. What made a man like
Glenn smile like that?
We got the baby ready and then went for a walk with the
stroller. I had no idea what he was going to show me. I know that
Glenn had something going on that he was on the phone a lot,
but I figured that it just had something to do with his job. He was
always consulting to other doctors and sometimes that meant
that he would get files and scans sent to him in the middle of the
night and he would have to give his opinion for a surgery that
was in progress sometimes.
“So, what is the big surprise?”
We had gone about a block and we went down another block
before we stopped in front of a house. It had a sold sign on it,
and I had a feeling that I knew what was going on. I couldn’t
believe it, but then again, I could. This was Glenn we were
talking about after all.
“Do you like it?”
“You bought this house, didn’t you?”
“Yes, I did. I thought that it would be nice to have a place that
we could all fit. You have room for a studio, so you can paint
whenever you want to. The upstairs is perfect for it, great light
and I had them put in a sky light. I remember you saying once
that you loved all of the light that came from them.”
I was speechless. I didn’t know what I was supposed to say to
this. He had bought a house, a whole house.
“I can’t believe that you bought a house for us Glenn. I
thought we were doing okay over at Mario’s.”
“We are, it’s just, I thought that it would be better if we could
all do what we needed under the same roof.”
I wondered if it had something to do with the guys that had
been over. Was this jealousy or was it a sweet gesture? I was still
stunned. How was I supposed to react to all of this?
“I thought you would be happy.”
“I am, really. It’s a lot to take all of a sudden Glenn. I mean,
we’re together because of…”
“You don’t have to say it. We know why we’re together, but
that doesn’t matter now. What matters is that we’re together
and there isn’t anything I would rather do, then make sure that
you’re happy. I want you to do what you love and still be here for
Stephen.”
“I know. This is really sweet. Let’s go take a look at what you
bought. I mean, but when most people say they have a surprise,
it’s usually not a half a million-dollar house.”
“It wasn’t that good of a price, not in this market. But it will
be perfect for us, just wait and see.”
I smiled back at him and tried to be as excited as he was. This
was just a lot and before I could really think about it, I knew that
I was going to have to say something. This was going too far. I
had let it go too far that one time and now I think we were both
confused.

T HE HOUSE WAS BEAUTIFUL , AND I HAD TO GIVE IT TO G LENN , HE CERTAINLY

knew what I wanted. He’d never asked, but I was starting to
realize that he listened. We’d been living together over a month
now and things had really gone to new heights between us.
We hadn’t gotten together sexually again, but we’d kissed a
few times. He said that he didn’t mind waiting, but it was hard
not to see the need in his eyes and the perpetual hard-on that he
sported. What I found even more disconcerting, was the images
that flashed in my head every time. I of course, knew what was
going on underneath his clothes. I knew what he looked like
when he was hard and stroking himself. I would remember how
badly I wanted to climb on top of him and it would make me
throb.
The house seemed to make things even worse. When we
moved in, the set-up of the house meant that we were right next
door to each other, and the shower was next to mine. That meant
that I heard him in both rooms, and I’d learned to hear the
muffled gasps for what they were. He would groan low in his
throat when he was completed, and it would make me want to go
to him.
Fear kept me away. Before, I hadn’t really wanted to do
anything. I was just learning my body’s powers when I’d messed
with Glenn before. Things were different now. There was no
more playing around with Glenn, because I was too affected by
him now. Touching myself in front of him, had changed me in
one way or another. It was all I could think about and that wasn’t
good for my mental state.
This night was going to be no different. The baby was down
for the night and since he was home, we would watch a movie or
something on the couch. The couch that made it all come back to
me. We would sit close, but not touch. It was all just a new form
of torture.
“Are we watching Start-Go?”
“Sure.”
He was looking damn good and I was already throbbing. This
was going to be a long night. It was always a long night, when I
kept pretending that I didn’t need Glenn. I needed him, even if I
didn’t want to admit it to myself.
 CHAPTER 18
GLENN

omething was different, but I didn’t know what it was. Liz

S was being quiet, something she wasn’t known for. Her

mouth was almost always going and today she was silent. I
wanted to tell her that it was all going to be okay, but there was
something playing on her head today. It was best to get it out of
the way and out in the open. I’d learned that much from living
with her.
“Is there something on your mind Liz?”
She didn’t answer me right away, but I saw her eyes flit over
to my lap. I didn’t have to look down, to know that I was going to
be hard. I could feel it of course, but also, I had been hard for
some time because of her. I had been in dire need of what she
could give me. I wanted to believe that everything was going to
work out between us, but it might not. Being in this state all of
the time, couldn’t be easy for her. It sure the hell wasn’t easy for
me.
“No, not really. It’s just been a long day. How was your day?”
She was reflecting and I wasn’t going to let her do it today.
“Work was alright. I was happy to get home to you and
Stephen.”
That got a smile and I hoped that I wasn’t reading into things
that I wasn’t allowed to. I wanted to say more, but I needed to go
slow.
“We are always happy to see you home.”
“How are you liking the house and the studio?”
“It’s great. I think you know me too well sometimes. I don’t
think I would have been able to come out with something better
than that. It’s like a dream.”
Now, I was the one sidetracked because there was such
pleasure and passion in her eyes. It wasn’t for me unfortunately,
but she loved her art. It brought out another side of Liz, one that
I was always happy to be privy of. I don’t think that there was
one thing in this world, that made me as happy as she was, when
it came time to talk about painting.
“You’ll have to show me what you’re working on soon. I bet it
will be good.”
“I will show you when I have one done. I really don’t like to
show them off when they are in progress.”
I agreed. Hell, for her, I would have agreed to about anything.
“So, is there anything else you want to talk about?”
“No, why?”
“I don’t know. You just don’t seem like yourself today Liz.”
She smiled and agreed. “I don’t think I have been myself in a
while.”
“No, I mean, like different than normal.”
I knew that she was holding something back. Liz wasn’t very
good at it and she would look like she was going to explode if she
didn’t get it out. I don’t know what it was that she was trying to
get out of her, but I knew that it was something.
“It’s better if we can talk about these things. I want this to
work.”
“Not everything can be talked about.”
“I am a doctor. Come on, of course we can talk about
anything. I am sure that I have heard it all before.”
 “It’s not like that at all.”
“Then what is it?”
She was holding it in, but it was building up. I just had to be
patient. I had lived with her long enough, to know that I could
get it out of her, if I just gave her some time. I was going to give
her all that she need, even if it hurt.
“There is a lot of tension between us right now Glenn, that’s
all.”
“Tension? What do you mean?”
Liz was exasperated and asked me if I was just being thick.
“No, what do you mean?”
“I mean that there is a lot of sexual tension in this house. You
are walking around hard half of the time. What do you want me
to say?”
I smiled at her, because honestly, there was nothing better
that she could say. I was hard all of the time and if I was going to
have to survive blue balls for the foreseeable future, it was good
to know that she noticed. She might as well, since it’s because of
her anyways.
“I can always take care of that for you, if you want me to.”
Liz was not too enthused with the idea of that, but I think a
part of her was. Maybe it was the darker side, but I would play to
any side that got me the girl.
“The thing is, that I do want you. The things that you did to
me, keep me up at night Glenn, but I guess you already know
that. That’s why your exes are crazy. I get it now.”
“Things are different between us Liz. you’re not just some
girl.”
“What am I to you then?”
If it was any other woman, I wouldn’t want to have this
conversation with her. It wasn’t usually a woman that needed to
be convinced. Women liked men with money. I was a doctor with
one, so no, wasn’t something I heard often. She was telling me
no, but in a whole new way. And then asking me a question that
usually signified it was time for me to leave a situation.
“You’re a lot of things to me. You have to know that. You’re
Stephen’s godmother, we live together.”
She shook her head a sighed. “That’s why we can’t be
together. You’re thinking about our circumstance. That will
change and I can’t make decisions based on something that is
going to change so quickly.”
“How I feel about you isn’t going to change, and these
circumstances aren’t going to change. We’re together now.”
“Everything you say is sweet and you’ve stuck by me and your
promise to Mario, far more than anyone would have expected
you to, but are you really going to sacrifice the next eighteen
years to do it?”
“Being with you, certainly isn’t a sacrifice. I thought you
would know that by now.”
“How would I know that?”
She was frustrating to a fault and I don’t even think that she
realized she was doing it. Liz was thinking about things all wrong
and she was right, I’d never told her about the slow change that
had been taking over me since we were put in this situation.
“Because I love you Liz. I thought that was obvious, but I
guess I was wrong.”
“You love me?”
“Why do you look so surprised? Did you really not know?”
Liz didn’t and I was a bit shocked. I had showed her in every
way, but the words had failed me. Now I could see that the words
did in fact matter. I knew that they had, but it was always so
complicated. I’d never said such things to a woman before and it
was alien to my tongue to say it.
“No, I guess I didn’t. I hoped that you cared about me, but I
didn’t know.”
“Do you feel the same way?”
Liz looked away for a moment and I knew that there was
something on her mind. Now I was nervous that I had read it all
wrong. What if she didn’t feel the same way about me, as I did
about her? It seemed impossible, but I knew that there was
always a chance.
“Yes, I think I have loved you for a long time Glenn, and the
way you have helped me and been with me, I don’t think I could
ever have done it without you. You have to know how I feel. The
things we’ve done together…”
Her voice trailed off and she got the prettiest blush on her
face. To me, that was just a snack in the grand scheme of things.
It was almost PG-13 as far as I could tell, but to Liz, it had meant
something much more. I’d known it, before I’d touched her, or
she had talked about her experience.
“Then what makes you so nervous around me?”
“Come on Glenn, we both know how you are. You are used to
a different woman every night and I’ve never done anything like
that. I know that you want more, but I don’t think I can give you
what you need. I am not a girl that knows how to please a man.”
“That’s where you’re wrong Liz. You have pleased me and not
even touched me. I think you have no idea the power that you
have Liz.”
“I want to believe you, but you aren’t the one that’s
trembling.”
“I am Liz, it’s just you can’t see it. I want to touch you so bad
that my hands shake. When I’m around you, my mind doesn’t
work right. I forget what I’m doing. You have so much control
over me, and you don’t even know it.”
 CHAPTER 19
LIZ

don’t feel like I have much control at all. Every time I

“I am around you, I can’t think straight and all I can think

about is last time we were together.”
He grinned and I knew where his mind was. It was always the
way Glenn was. He had a moment where he wasn’t cocksure, but
now that moment was gone, and I was left still shaking. I don’t
know if what he said was true, but it certainly felt like he was
messing with my head.
“Maybe because we didn’t finish what we started. I know that
you’ve waited a while, but that doesn’t mean that we have to go
there. I want to touch you, please you. It doesn’t have to be more
than that.”
He was playing these deal games again and I couldn’t do it. I
knew what happened if he got his hands on me, I would want to
take it further. Last time, it had taken everything inside of me,
to ignore the tiny voice inside of my head that was telling to go
for it. I knew it was wrong, but I wanted to so bad. I didn’t want
to wait. I wanted him right now, but in that situation, when he
pushed me to the limits, I wasn’t going to be able to deny him
and that scared me.
“And that’s it? You don’t want anything out of it?”
“I get so much more from your pleasure, then I do my own.
Being with you in that way, able to touch you, I am sure that I
would be quite pleased by it.”
He was giving me a million reasons why we should move
forward, while my mind was trying to come up with one good
reason not to. All I had, was that I had never done it before. I had
waited all this time for a reason. Almost twenty-three years I
had waited for the right man. It wasn’t like I hadn’t been asked,
many times, but I’d always said no without even thinking about
it. I realized now; it was because I didn’t want to. Now I wanted
to, and I was trying to think of a reason to say no.
“I’m afraid Glenn. That’s all.”
“You already know what is going to happen. I am not going to
hurt you and I would never force you to do anything that you
didn’t want to do. No pushing. I wouldn’t even make love to you
if you begged.”
That got him a look, but he was serious and swore anyways.
“So, you are telling me that I could beg you for it and you
would deny me?”
“It will kill me Liz, know that, but no, I will not go any
further, even if you beg for it.”
A couple of months ago, I wouldn’t had been able to imagine
it, but now I could. If I let him get a hold of me, I had a feeling I
was going to be begging for it soon enough.

I WOKE UP THE NEXT MORNING AND HE WAS RIGHT NEXT TO ME . I DIDN ’ T

need to look down, to know that neither one of us were wearing
any clothes. I would have liked to not remember each and every
time he made me scream last night, but it was all rushing back to
me. I wanted him and badly. The night before, I had begged for
it, like I knew I would. He had done so many things to my body,
using his tongue and his fingers. I was never going to be able to
get the throbbing to go away, if we didn’t do something about it.
I knew that I had to have him, one way or another, even though
it was going to go against all of the things that made me wait.
When I realized that he wasn’t up, I also remembered the
words that he had spoken. He had said that he wouldn’t give me
any last night and he had been true to his word. But it wasn’t the
night anymore and I had something to offer him, that I hoped he
wouldn’t be able to turn away this time. I really needed him to go
with it. I was shaking inside from the idea of it, but it didn’t
matter. All that matter was that we finally did what was needed.
It was time for both of us.
I just had to figure out how I was going to do it. For once,
when I looked at him, he wasn’t hard like he had been before. I
didn’t like that extra information. It would have been easy if he
was already hard. Then I would be able to get on top of him and
feel him deep inside of me where I needed it. He wasn’t wearing
any clothes, so there was really nothing that kept me from doing
that very thing.
As much as I thought I knew about it all, in the end I don’t
think I knew much. I thought that a man had to be awake to be
hard, but I was learning quickly that it wasn’t the case. It seemed
like as soon as I moved the sheet to get a look at him, his cock
seemed to respond almost immediately. Before I knew it, it was
twice the size as when it started and still growing. I knew from
seeing it before, that it had way more potential, but it seemed far
more manageable at the size he was right now.
My mind went to all of the things that he had done to my
body. I lightly touched it, running my finger down the long
member, looking to his face every couple of seconds to make
sure that he wasn’t awake. I really don’t know what I was doing.
All I had to say in my defense, was that it was fascinating to me
and I liked how it jerked and grew in my hand. It was really more
than I was able to deny myself.
Before long it was even harder, but not quite there. I wanted it
standing up straight, because I figured that it would go in easier
that way. I was wet as all get out, but I hadn’t put together why
that was going to make it easier. I really did know very little
about sex and what I had learned was from sketchy sources at
best. I was starting to feel like I really didn’t know anything at
all.
Then I remembered how good it felt when he put his mouth
onto me. It had been some of the best pleasure in all of my life. If
I wanted to get him hard, then it stood to reason that a few
minutes in my mouth and he would be right where I wanted him.
The plan was so simple in my mind, but then when it came
time to wrap my lips around him, it was then that I realized that
he was bigger than he appeared. In my hand, he felt big and
massive even. But when I tried to put him into my mouth and my
jaw had to get so much wider it hurt, I started to see that maybe
it wasn’t going to be as easy as I thought.
When I finally got my lips around the head of him, he made a
groaning sound that touched every part of me, and I paused
because I didn’t know what to do. I was trying to get him ready
without waking him up. When I looked up, he was whimpering
and making sounds, but it was very clear to me that he was still
asleep. Glenn wasn’t going to stay that way too long, if I didn’t
chill out.
I slowed down, taking as much of him into my mouth and
down my throat as I could, but it wasn’t enough. The throbbing
going on between my legs was still there, even worse now and I
wanted to climb on top of him. He was ready. I was ready and I
couldn’t think of any other reason to do so.
The taste of his rod was ripe in my mouth, overwhelming my
senses and making me want more. It was like I couldn’t get
enough of him. that’s how he made me feel and I knew that it
was because of that, that I took him and put him back in my
mouth.
I couldn’t stop myself and before long, I was no longer
looking at his face. I didn’t care what he was doing now, I guess I
didn’t even care if he woke up or not. At this point, all I was
thinking about, was the pulsing between my legs and the fact
that I knew that he could make it all better. I really wanted him
to make it all better.
 CHAPTER 20
GLENN

thought it was a dream, a really good dream. Liz was in it,

I but that wasn’t anything different. She was always in my

dreams lately and she wasn’t going anywhere. I could do to
her in my dreams, what I couldn’t do to her in real life.
I cherished the dreams I shared with her, but this one felt
different. This one felt real and I was going to milk it for
everything that I could, because I knew that when I woke up, I
was going to be facing the same frustrations that I’d been facing
with her for over a month now. I would go to work and think
about her, come home and see her and even play bed games with
her, but never what I truly wanted to happen. There was nothing
that I could do about it.
Now though, I looked down and Liz was on her knees in front
of me. She had my cock in her mouth and her eyes were closed.
She was making the same small sounds when I first started to
touch her. No woman would make such sounds, when she was
gobbling me up. I knew that this had to be a dream, because it
was too perfect to be anything else.
My hand went to her head and she jerked a little bit, her blue
eyes opening to meet mine. I couldn’t stop the way she made me
feel, but I didn’t want to. I’d fallen for her, head over heels and
that wasn’t going to change. Nothing was going to stop those
feelings from rising up, no matter how problematic they could
be.
“Fuck that feels good Liz. I wish I could have this dream every
night. I don’t think I would ever want to wake up again.”
I heard her giggle, but I didn’t want to hear that. I wanted
more from her. I wanted to take her, all of her. I needed her and I
pressed her head down more. The dream was the only time that I
could truly have Liz and I wasn’t going to mess that up for
anything. I had to have her and now that I could, I was going to
take advantage of it before I woke up and all was lost.
The giggle was now a gurgle and I could see she was
struggling. Even in the dream, I didn’t like that, and I stopped
forcing her down. I wanted to feel the ends of her throat, but not
if it was going to hurt her. I would do anything to stop that. I
knew that I couldn’t do that, even in a dream.
“Sorry, shit, you feel so good. Your mouth is so hot. I want to
feel all of you Liz. Come here. Climb on me and let me please you
in all ways.”
Liz agreed and I knew that it had to be a dream. There had
been a minute that I had figured that it wasn’t, but now I knew
better. Now I knew that the only thing that I could do, was to
enjoy it all that I could. It would be over soon.
“You look so real.”
She was climbing on top of me and I couldn’t stop her, I
didn’t want to. I encouraged her along, lining her up above me
and watching as she slowly started to descend. Her eyes were
open and concentrated, but then they snapped shut as I surged
upwards. She was moving too slow and I couldn’t wait any
longer, for her to move at the snail’s pace that she was going.
“Please, fuck!”
Liz had never cursed in a dream. She had certainly never said
anything like that. It was only then, that I touched her face and
really looked at her. She was breathing hard and when I lifted
her up, I could see her innocence was left stained on my shaft.
This wasn’t a dream. It was too damn real, and I could feel her
insides clutching me. It made it hard to move, but I didn’t want
to.
The idea that this was real, fell over me in droves and I
couldn’t believe it. This was supposed to be a dream, where I
could have my way with her and there would be no
consequences. That was obviously not the case. I was really
inside of her. This was real.
“Liz?”
Her eyes were still shut tight and I knew that she was feeling
every inch of me. I was a lot to take for most experienced
women, so I could only imagine how I felt inside of her. I was
stretching her; I could feel it and I knew that this was what was
supposed to happen. I knew that she was going to be mine all of
this time, but I had never considered that it would be like this. I
never wanted it to be like this.
Finally, her eyes opened, and she was pressed up against me.
I knew that she was trying to stop me from moving anymore. I
was too much for her, but there was something different in her
face. She wasn’t in pain. She wasn’t scared. Liz looked like she
had a lot of wonder. I knew that I had seen that face before. She
wanted more, even if she didn’t know how to get it.
Liz started to move on top of me, clumsily at first and then
when she started to moan, I helped her. My hands went to her
hips and guided her hips deeper than I had been before. She
called out to me and I have to say, it was one of the sweetest
sounds. But it was also going to be the reason that I was made to
stop and that was too much for me. I needed her, badly and the
only thing that was going to end this, was when she begged me
to, or I finally filled her full. It was a need that I had,
overpowering everything else.
“Are you really here?”
Her eyes closed as his hips started to press up inside of her,
deeper than before. She gasped as he pushed in hard, yanked out
faster and then slammed back in. Now he was dominating all of
her senses and she was at my mercy. I knew how good it was
going to feel, but something was coming over me. I couldn’t help
it.
“Yes, what do you think?”
“I thought this was a dream. It was a damn good one, but this
feels too good to be a dream.”
She smiled and I thought she was going to laugh, but it would
seem that other feelings were coming over her at the moment.
She called out my name and I felt her body tensing up. She tried
to stop movement, but I held her up above me and slammed
upwards as many times as I wanted to. I don’t think I was ever
going to get tired of that feeling, when she came and her whole
body tightened up.
It was like magic to my ears and id isn’t trying to slow down
the sound. I didn’t need to, and I didn’t want to. I didn’t care
about repercussions and that was most likely why I was with her.
I knew that it would be complicated, women always were, but Liz
wasn’t something that I could deny myself. I had to have her and
that was the end of it.
“I can’t Glenn. Please.”
She wanted me to stop and I knew that I should. Liz was going
to feel our coming together for days to come and I know that I
should have been gentler. Now that I knew that this was real, I
was worried about how it had all come across to her. I wasn’t
finished, could go on for a lot longer, but she wasn’t going to be
able to last. It was going to take her some time, before she would
be able to fulfill all of my needs. Right now, I was going to have
to rush.
I started to move faster, and she got even louder. Liz was
starting to get hysterical. It effected my body and I let it. Usually
I would fight the feeling until it hurt, but I didn’t want to. I
couldn’t. If I didn’t finish now, I had a feeling that I wasn’t going
to be able to tonight. There was too much going on and Liz
wasn’t going to make it.
A few more pushes and she was screaming in pleasure again,
and I went with her. It was one of the single greatest reliefs I’d
ever felt before. I wanted to think that everything was going to
be different now. I would be able to have her whenever I wanted,
as soon as she recovered.
She moved to get off of me, but she was fumbling more than
anything else and I groaned when she fell down onto me. I was
still inside of her and now getting hard again. I knew that she
could feel it as well, because her eyes got wider, and she
scrambled off of me.
Now I was the one laughing and I couldn’t help it. She was
running like I was going to take her life, instead of her body.
“Where are you going?”
Liz didn’t answer. “Nowhere, but no more Glenn.”
I could understand why she was acting that way. I’d
overwhelmed her and now I was going to assure her that
everything was okay. This was how it was meant to go, no matter
how complicated it may appear.
“Fine, let’s sleep until Stephen gets up. I just want to hold
you for a while Liz.”
We had a lot to talk about later, but now wasn’t the time.
Right now, all I could think to do, was get her in my arms and
never let go. After what just happened, I knew that losing her
was no longer an option. I wanted it to be, but it simply was not.
Liz was mine and I was never going to let her go.
 CHAPTER 21
LIZ

watched him go and I couldn’t believe what had happened

I between us. There was no one else to see me but the baby,
though the memories still made me a little shaky. My face
was red, and my lips were still trembling where he had kissed me
before he left.
Life was good. Really good and I couldn’t help but hum as I
made breakfast. I didn’t get much sleep the night before, but it
was quality sleep apparently, because I felt better than ever
before. I felt like I was ready to take on the world. That was a
feeling that would last me until I got a knock on the door and
then everything changed.
There was a woman at the door, but she was also accompanied
by a police officer. I didn’t know what to say, but I didn’t have to
wait long to figure out what the two of them were doing there.
“Elizabeth Ruiz?”
“Yes, can I help you?”
“We’re here to talk to you about Stephen Ruiz. It is our
understanding that you have been taking care of the child, since
your brother’s passing.”
“Yes?”
Now I was starting to get a little nervous. The sun was no
longer shining in my life. There was a knot that formed in my
stomach and it didn’t feel like it was ever going to go away. This
was not going to be good.
“May we come in?”
I didn’t want to let them in, but I felt like I had to. Stephen
was sleeping in his room, so at least he wouldn’t be awoken
because of the intrusion. And this was going to be an intrusion.
“So, what is this about?”
I shut the door behind my guests, as they made their way to
the living room. I was nervous and I wanted to know what was
going on. What was the world throwing at me now?
“It has come to our attention that you have your brother’s
child and that you may not be the best fit for Stephen. Your
lifestyle has been described as sporadic and I’m here to assess
the facts, to make sure that the baby has the best home that can
be found for him.”
“And what is he doing here?”
I gestured towards the police officer. He looked menacing,
even though I doubted that he was trying to appear that way.
Sometimes it was impossible to hide what was right in front of
you.
“He is here to make sure that everything goes smoothly.”
I didn’t like the sound of that at all, but I still wasn’t sure
what this was all about.
“Do you have legal rights to the child?”
“My brother and his wife died in an accident. I am his
godmother. This is what I promised them I would do, if
something ever happened.”
“Yes, but did you have it put in writing, legally signed?”
“No, I didn’t think that it would be a problem. We are blood
and this is what my brother wanted.”
“While I sympathize with your plight and you can be
respected for your help in taking care of your nephew, it has to
be legal.”
“Well, I am family, so who else would he go to? Latica doesn’t
have any family.”
“Yes, but Mario did. Your brother has other family.”
I knew exactly who she was talking about now. The no-
nonsense older woman was here because of my parents, but it
didn’t make any sense. Why would they not call? They were
never very doting as parents, hardly ever around, so why now
would they worry about it?
“So, you are here because of my mother?”
“The child’s grandmother has brought it to our attention that
you have the child illegally and has made it apparent to us that
she would like to take over the responsibility of the child. Since
your mother is very adamant about the unclear nature of your
relationship with your housemate and the hours you keep, she
wants to make sure that the baby is in the best place possible.
That is what we want as well. We only want what is best for
Stephen.”
The woman was looking around the place and I could see it
through her eyes. The baby had been keeping me busy and it was
a little messy. Usually I wouldn’t really think about it, but today I
couldn’t help it. Not when the woman was suddenly judging me
as a mother.
“My mother has seen Stephen once since my brother’s
passing. We stayed in his house for several weeks before moving.
She has no interest in him for all this time, so why now?”
“I do not know the answer to that. Where is the baby now?”
My heart constricted and I knew that they were going to take
him. I didn’t know why or the details, but the final outcome
wasn’t one that I could deal with. I couldn’t let this happen.
“I need to make a phone call.”
I picked up the phone before they could say anything one way
or another. I called Glenn, praying that he would answer, and
everything would be okay. He didn’t answer though. All I got was
a nurse that promised to give him a message. He was in surgery
and couldn’t be disturbed. I was going to have to do this alone
and I didn’t know if I was going to be able to do it or not.
I hung up the phone and tried to plead my case. I don’t think
it went that far. The law was on my mother’s side and she would
have Stephen until we went to court in the next couple of days.
They were going to bring in my finances and the care-free
lifestyle I had, the fact that I had no job, I know that there was a
lot that they could say, and sadly most of it would be true. I had a
good life and I had fun. I wasn’t a mother a month ago and even
though I don’t sleep around, that doesn’t mean that I haven’t
had more than enough to drink, more than once.
Numbness spread over me and I tried to call my parents, to
talk them out of their plans, but I realized quickly that it
wouldn’t matter. She wasn’t going to listen to me, because she
didn’t have to. Maybe this was her chance at parenthood again. I
don’t know what her problem was, but she was breaking my
heart again.
After setting up an appointment to see a lawyer in the
morning, I laid down and tried to get my mind off of all of the
problems that were coming my way. As much as I wanted to
believe that everything was going to be okay, I was starting to
see that maybe that wasn’t the case.
Sleep never did come and if it did, it was such a short amount
of time, that it was gone in a blink. It was only when I heard the
door opening, that it all sunk in. I was going to have to tell Glenn
about all of this. I had failed to keep Stephen safe. He was now
with my parents, the king and queen of failed parenting. It
didn’t make me feel good in the least bit.
“Liz? Are you home? Why is it so dark in here?”
 I could hear him talking and only when he was in the hallway
by the room, did I say anything. “I’m in here.”
“What are you doing in here? Are you okay? The lights are off
and there is no dinner made. I mean, I don’t care if you didn’t
cook, but you always do. Are you feeling alright?”
He was so worried about me and I don’t know why, but it
made me burst into tears even more than before. He was so
sweet and kind and caring and I had messed everything up. What
if he didn’t forgive me? I saw him with Stephen, and I knew how
much he cared about him. He was family, but in another way.
“Sit down Glenn, we have to talk.”
“I don’t like the sound of that.”
“And with good reason.”
“Now you’re starting to scare me.”
“I don’t want to do that, but I have some really bad news to
tell you. I don’t know how to say it in a way that’s going to be
easier to take, so I am just going to say it.”
“Wait, where is Stephen? He shouldn’t be sleeping right now.
Is he okay? Is he sick?”
I could see the panic in his face, and I could hear it in his
voice. I wanted to calm him down and tell him that everything
was going to be okay, but at the same time, I didn’t want to lie to
him either. He had been the one to give me bad news not so long
ago and now I was the one that was going to have to do it this
time. It was not a task that I was looking forward to at all.
 CHAPTER 22
GLENN

y mind was shifted very quickly after I got home. One

M minute, I was thinking that I was going to have some

time to take the woman that I’d fallen for. It was all I
could think about at work and even Claudia couldn’t put me in a
bad mood. Everything was rainbows and daisies my way, even
though that was not usually how I was at all. I was usually the
jerk, but not today. Today, I was light as a feather.
Then I got home, and it wasn’t as full as when I’d left it. The
baby was gone, and our little happy family had been broken up.
It was bad enough that it happened, but worst yet when I realized
that it was her own family that was doing it to her. It really was a
shame.
“So, what are we going to do?”
“I don’t know. I guess I will meet with my attorney in the
morning and we will figure something out. I can bring in all of
the people from the christening that saw the ritual. It’s not
binding legally, but it shows that it was their wishes. It might get
rough, because they are going to bring up my past.”
“I know for a fact that you can’t have much of a past Liz. I
mean, come on. You were a virgin when we got together.”
“Why is that synonymous with being bad or good? I got into
quite a bit of trouble that my parents made disappear. A few
drunk driving, once I hit someone. They were okay, but still. I
had one too many drinks, many times and that resulted in doing
stupid things. I was in a rebellious stage, I guess. They still think
that I’m like that, but everything has changed. I know that you
felt the same way. You told me all the time.”
I had said that very thing. She was a bit too much all of the
time and I’d said before that she was spoiled. Liz was not that
way at all now. She took good care of the baby and she didn’t
deserve it.
“I have a lawyer. We will use mine. He is good and he’s on
retainer.”
“Why do you have one on retainer?”
“It’s better that way. The type of surgeries I do, it’s better for
any malpractice suits of any kind.”
“Have you used him before?”
“No, but a good friend has, and I am confident that he will be
able to help us.”
“I’m sorry Glenn.”
“Why are you sorry? I should be the one saying that. I can’t
imagine how you feel right now.”
“I feel like crap, if I am going to be perfectly honest with you.
I never knew I wanted to be a mom and then I did. Now I feel like
a part of me is missing.”
I could see it in her face. Her heart was breaking and mine
was breaking right along with hers. I held her for a while, kissing
her hair, trying to soothe her.
“It’s going to be okay Liz. We’re going to figure something
out.”
“What if we don’t get him back?”
I wasn’t even ready to think about such a thing and I didn’t
want her to either. I wanted her to understand that things
weren’t near as good as they could be, but they could always be
worse.
“Latica and Mario wanted us to raise their son if something
happened to them. It’s not only you that needs to go to court to
fight this. It’s both of us.”
“How are you going to take off all of that time? It’s not going
to be easy. My parents have far too much money and time on
their hands now.”
“Well, we have got to hope that sense prevails.”
“What if it doesn’t?”
“We will worry about that when we get there.”
“Will there still be a we?”
“Why would you ask that?”
“Because we’re all together because of their death. We are
here, together, because of Stephen. What happens if all of that
changes?”
I didn’t want to think about that. Losing Stephen or Liz was
not an option. I wasn’t even going to entertain the thought at all.
I couldn’t. It would bother me far too much.
“It’s not going to change. We are going to get him back. We’re
stable and we are what the parents wanted. Their wishes has to
have some legal basis in court. I wish they had a will or
something like that.”
“I don’t know why they wouldn’t. The way that Latica was,
she wouldn’t have left anything to chance.”
“Then that’s what we need to do. We need to figure out where
the will is, if they have one or what lawyer they used. We’ve been
so wrapped up in everything else, we need to get our house in
order. This is going to work out, you’ll see.”
“I wish I was as positive and confident as you are.”
I smiled at her. “Sometimes you’ve got to fake it, until you
make it.”
“I don’t want to fake it Glenn. I want everything back to the
way it was, before Mario and Latica got in the wreck and
everything got complicated.”
I knew what she meant, but I still felt a sting from her words.
If none of that would have happened, we never would have
gotten closer, and I can’t say that I liked the idea of that at all. I’d
wanted her badly and the more I tried to understand her, the
harder it became for me to do so.
“I know what you mean Liz. Life has certainly changed. But I
am happy here, with you and Stephen. I want to get back to that
and our family here.”
“I like when you call us that.”
“What?”
“A family.”
“Well, that’s what we are Liz. This is our little family and I
will do whatever it takes, to make sure that nothing happens to
disturb that. We will get Stephen back and soon, don’t worry
about that.”
She snuggled up against me and a wave of protection filled
me. I never wanted to see her so upset again. I didn’t know how
yet, but I was going to make sure that everything worked out the
way we wanted it to. I had to. Liz looked to me for answers and
while I liked the gesture that she trusted me, there was also a
huge part of me that worried I would somehow mess this all up
for her and me. I didn’t want to believe it to be true, but I
couldn’t lie to myself anymore.
It was hard enough, lying to Liz.
 CHAPTER 23
LIZ

tried again to talk sense into my family, before we had our

I first court date. I didn’t want to fight with them, and it

wasn’t like I wouldn’t let them see Stephen. I would always
let them see him, but they didn’t want that. I don’t know what
they wanted. They didn’t want to raise him. Mario and I were
raised by nannies and I didn’t see any of that changing. I don’t
know what this was about, but mom said she wanted another
chance. It was said like we had been so messed up, that now she
was trashing me and going to try again with Stephen.
My father was a little easier to understand. He wanted a son,
or a boy with his DNA to leave his empire to. I knew a lot about
his business when I was younger, learned everything that I
could, but he was never interested in how smart I was. It was
always Mario that was going to take over.
It was Mario that was groomed, and I was only there. He’d
told me more than once, that he wanted another boy. Now that
Mario was gone, Stephen was his only option. But my mother,
that was harder to swallow.
Glenn was there for me, while I tried to figure it out. He went
to the meetings with the lawyers and everything that I asked of
him, he did without hesitation. We hadn’t gotten physical again,
but we had shared the same bed since they took him. It was a
comfort for him to be so close, even if we weren’t doing
anything, but laying there in each other’s arms. It was certainly
enough for me.
When the time for court came, Glenn was next to me as well.
When it was brought up how my past had been, he didn’t even
flinch. I am sure that it was a lot for him to take. I didn’t seem
that sort of girl, but a long time ago, danger was always fun for
me. I wanted to believe that there was nothing that I could do
about it, but now I knew that there was. I hadn’t had a reason to
change. That had been the problem. The rest of it was all in the
past now.
Glenn looked like the model citizen. He’d lived a good life,
never got in trouble and he was the one that added the stability
to the situation. I wanted to think that we would get Stephen
back that first time, but then I realized that things weren’t going
as planned. We had another date, with a lot of things to do in
between. We were getting there, but I wasn’t going to rest, until
we had our family back together.
“This is just the first date. It’s okay.”
“I know. I thought that we would have gotten him back. We
had all of our ducks in a row, testimony from over twenty people
that were at the christening. I don’t know why that wasn’t heard
today.”
“More of your optimism?”
“Something like that. I think we need to put more effort into
tracking down your brother’s will. It has to be around here
somewhere. I found out who the lawyer is, maybe he will have an
idea.”
“Sounds like a plan.”
He smiled at me and kissed me. Glenn made me feel special,
like I was the only one, but I knew that it was going to work out.
It had to. We were going to get our family back, sooner rather
than later I hoped. I did better with all of them around me.

I T WAS A LONG WEEKEND OF TRACKING DOWN M ARIO ’ S LAWYER . H E DIDN ’ T

have a copy of the will but knew that the couple had been
working on one. There had to be something at the house,
because the lawyer had given them some paperwork to fill out. I
was convinced that we would find this paperwork, and
everything would work out.
The lawyer also suggested what ours had not. He suggested
that we get married, so that we would look even more stable,
especially because of my past. If they thought that Glenn was a
permanent fixture, then they would trust that Stephen would be
even better off. It would look good to the courts. I wasn’t really
considering it, but I was starting to think that maybe it would be
a good idea. Glenn seemed to think so.
“So, you’re telling me that you would marry me?”
“Of course. Why wouldn’t I? Any man would be more than
lucky to be with you. You have everything that a man could ever
want and then some Liz. You have to know that. I was your first
and I would love to be your last.”
His words made me blush. We had been together through this
tragedy and he hadn’t even brought it up. Our encounter had
certainly been on my mind, but he hadn’t even tried to make a
move. With everything swirling in the air, the unknown far
closer than I would like it to be, I was starting to think that now
was the perfect time for that sort of thing. We both needed to
take our minds off of things, I know that I certainly did.
I wound my arms around his neck. “You know, that is sweet
to say, but I want a real marriage, not one in name only to make
the lawyers and a judge feel good about this. I don’t want to
promise forever to someone.”
“I never said that would be the case, did I?”
“No, no I guess you did not.”
“If we get married Liz, it’s because we’re in love. Are you
going to tell me that us don’t feel what is going on between us?”
I wanted to deny it, but he knew that I couldn’t and that was
why he had this smug look on his face. He knew that I was
hooked, but I also knew that he was as well. Was it really so bad
to fall in love, when the other person loved me just as much?
“You know that I love you Glenn. I never would have slept
with you, if I didn’t.”
He grinned at me and pulled me in for a kiss. It was the sort of
kiss that I had been waiting on. It was the kind of kiss that left
me breathless and before long, I was trying my best to pull him
into the bedroom with me.
“Where are you taking me?”
“To bed.”
“It’s still early. Are you tired?”
I shook my head that I wasn’t tired, not in the least bit. I
wanted to believe that something was going to happen when we
got there, I needed it to happen.
“I am not looking to sleep Glenn. I think it’s been long
enough.”
“Since what?”
“Since you put your hands and mouth on me. I want you to
please me Glenn. You’re so good at it and I need to get my mind
off of this.”
He grinned widely. “I thought you’d never ask.”
I would have asked sooner, if I knew I was supposed to. Why
was relationships and all of this so complicated?
 CHAPTER 24
GLENN

know that you have a lot going on Glenn, but you have

“I to get to work.”
“I can’t. I have court for the next couple of days. I
would not ask this of you, if I had another choice. You know that
I always work when I am needed and take on more surgeries than
anyone else pro-bono for your hospital.”
“Yes, but when you don’t come in on your shift, then we have
to bring in and pay double other doctors. I have to have a
neurologist on call at all times. If you’re not here, trauma can’t
come here. You know how this works. This isn’t something that I
want to do Glenn, but I need someone that is going to be here.”
I was a bit shocked that Bill was taking such a hard road on it.
I needed a few more days. Granted, I had missed a few days that I
worked at the hospital, but that shouldn’t be a reason to kick me
out altogether. It would take time to get another association with
another hospital. This was a bigger pain than I could have
imagined. It wasn’t that I had a choice. I couldn’t lose Stephen
and I didn’t want to let Liz do it on her own. It wasn’t right.
“What are you going to do then, just hire someone else?”
“Yes, we have been looking at resumes. I knew that this was
going to happen, as soon as you told me about the kid.”
That pissed me off, but I knew that it wasn’t going to be
directed at him. It wasn’t his fault. I knew the drill and I had put
him in a tight spot recently, several actually, so I could
understand why he would feel the way he did. But it didn’t mean
that I had to like it.
“Well Bill, I don’t regret it. If I have to lose this post and
hospital, I will find another. I have an impeccable reputation.”
“I agree, but we need a surgeon. It’s law.”
“I know. Well, then I guess that will be the last time I work
here. It was good to work with you Bill.”
It wasn’t and when I shook his hand, I went a little heavier on
the grip than I would have done, but that was the only way I
could show my complete displeasure in the whole situation. I
don’t know what was going on, but I did know that this was
another blow.
I wasn’t going to let it get to me. I wasn’t going to let it ruin
my day. I had to be there for Liz, so I was going to have to stuff
down those other feelings for now. I would worry about my
career later. Family came first.

“Y OU ’ RE LATE .”
“Yeah sorry. I had something to take care of at work. It’s no
big deal, but I’m sorry that I am late. I wouldn’t want to be
anywhere else, but here, right now.”
She smiled at me and me and I knew then that I had made the
right choice. I would open a practice in a hut somewhere if I had
to. I never wanted to leave Liz’s side again. When she kissed me,
there was a moment that I forgot that we were in the courthouse.
It wasn’t the place for such displays of affection, but considering
why we were here, maybe it would make sense that we would be
this way. We were here to get married after all.
 “Are you sure about this? I mean, I know that you say you love
me and everything, but marriage? Is it a bit too much? We
haven’t really known each other that long.”
I waved her off. I knew why she was nervous, hell I was as
well. The last thing that I thought I would worry about, was ever
getting married, but now it seemed like the easiest decision that
I could come up with. There was nothing else that mattered at
the moment.
“You are not backing out of this Liz. When they call our
names, we’re going to get married and that’s the end of it. I
don’t want to ever go another day without being your husband.
And if it helps us when we go back to court tomorrow, then that
was a bonus. I would marry you without all of this happening,
but I think it made me realize how much I can’t live without you
and Stephen. Tragedy brought us together, but we’re meant to be
together.”
“I feel the same way. I guess I am just scared. I didn’t think
this would ever happen and now I don’t know how I am supposed
to go on without you. I know that I don’t want to ever be away
from you. I have never been so happy, as when I’m with you. I
just want you to know that.”
I pulled her to me, and I knew that there was no one here in
this place, that was going to stop me from kissing her.
Then our names were called, and I pulled away. I didn’t have a
lick of guilt on my face. I was only going to stop kissing her for a
time, because as soon as this was over, she was mine until court.
What a strange thought…
The courtroom was exactly like in the movies. It wasn’t the
sort of wedding that I would have thought about, but then again,
I had never really thought about ever getting married. It was
strange. Not traditional at all, but somehow, it was right for me
and Liz. Our love wasn’t traditional, so it made sense that our
wedding wouldn’t be.
The words were the same, but I didn’t hear any of them. I was
only waiting for the part where I agreed to this all and then the
part where I got to kiss her. That was all that was on my mind
and everything else was only noise.
I knew what it meant. I was choosing her to have and to hold
for the rest of my life. I hoped that was for a very long time. I had
to hope in the back of my mind, that it would somehow work out
the way I wanted it to, the way it was supposed to.
“You may now kiss your bride.”
I pulled Liz to me and told her that she was now mine, before I
planted a wet kiss on her lips. It felt good to finally kiss her,
knowing she was mine forever. It felt really damn good.
Everything else fell away and it was only Liz standing up on the
altar with me. There was nowhere else that I would ever rather
be.
“I can’t believe that we did this Glenn. Are we as crazy as it
feels right now? I’m married. I can’t believe that I’m married.”
I smiled and kissed her again, halfway out of the courtroom. It
wasn’t the wedding that most people wished for, but this was
perfect. We were in and out in twenty minutes and I left with the
most important thing at all, my wife.
“I can believe it. This is what was supposed to happen and
now we’re going to go back to the hotel, and I’m going to show
you what else is supposed to happen.”
She giggled and then pulled away when I tried to grab her
again. “Let’s get out of here first, before you do that.”
Liz had a serious look on her face, but I knew she wasn’t
metal. She would bend to my will and before we left the
courthouse, I thought it was a good idea to consummate the
marriage. It was done in the stairwell, quick, hard and full of
intensity. Both of us were walking a little different when it was
all said and done.
“You’re right Glenn. I can think of how else this could be any
better or any more right. I have to wonder though, what would
have happened if we would have done this years ago? If I
wouldn’t have teased, you and you wouldn’t have distanced
yourself. What would have happened I wondered?”
I shrugged, not really having time to think about it. I did at
one point want her, she teased me relentlessly for a time and
then recently, but what if it would have been another way? If I
would have tried harder or she would have conceded?
“I don’t know. I doubt that we were ready for each other then.
Sometimes the person is right, but the timing is off. I have to
believe that this is how it was supposed to happen.”
“I don’t know if this was how it was supposed to happen or
not, but it sure does feel right.”
We kissed again and finally made it to the car. It was a new
day and I was feeling more optimistic than ever before.
 CHAPTER 25
LIZ

ife was sweet one moment and the sour the next. The

L day of court was upon us and it had been almost two

weeks since my parents had gotten Stephen taken away
from us. I had stayed up every night worried about him. Glenn
had stayed up with me, worrying with me and it seemed fair that
we would do this together. All I could do was wonder how was it
all going to turn out. I was happy, but I knew that my true
happiness hinged on getting my family back together. It was all I
could think about and all that I wanted.
The day dragged on and I had to hear about every exploit that
I had ever done, and my parents had gotten me out of. Our
lawyer didn’t think that I should go on the stand. He was afraid I
was going to lose my cool, but Glenn had faith in me. It was
enough to help me keep my mouth shut when it was supposed to
be. I wanted to say more, but I knew that I would say what
needed to be said, to get our baby back.
When it came time for me to take the stand, I focused on
Glenn and it was enough to calm me down. I was worried about
what was going to happen if we weren’t able to take Stephen
home, but I couldn’t think of that. It hurt too much. The last
couple of weeks had been the longest of my life. It was like losing
Mario and Latica all over again.
 The questions posed to me, were obviously hand-picked from
my parents. I answered them as truthfully and honestly as I
could. I didn’t embellish in any way, because it wouldn’t have
added any value to what I was saying. I kept my cool, even when
some of the questions were rather harsh. All and all, I thought I
did pretty good when I stepped down, though that didn’t stop me
from shaking down to my core because of it.
All I could think about when I was getting back to my seat,
was the question that I asked myself the most, what if it wasn’t
enough? What if I said the wrong thing and ruined my chances?
It was going to kill me, if I didn’t know soon what was going on.
The waiting was something akin to torture. It had to be torture,
Because I couldn't imagine anything hurting as much as this.
It was time for Glenn to take the stand and I wasn’t near as
worried about him as I've been worried about myself. Glenn was
squeaky clean, and I couldn't imagine him doing anything that
would be seen wrong. He was picture perfect and was almost as
good in person. Glenn was a doctor after all. Glenn had plenty of
money and he had also purchased our house. Not to mention
that he was my husband. We were a stable family and I was
certain that when he walked off of the stand today, everyone in
the courtroom was going to think so as well.
It didn't go like I thought it would though. Glenn lost his cool
several times and it was because of questions that were asked
about people that he worked with. He apparently had an affair
with one of the women at work and sure enough, she was the
next one to take the stand. The happily married couple was
quickly fading and everybody else was looking at Glenn
differently. It didn't change the way I felt about him, but I hated
that he lost himself, and was so completely misunderstand.
The results of the day were pretty easy for everybody to guess.
I knew right away, that we had lost Stephen and as much as it
pained me to say it, I knew there was nothing else we could do. I
could try to reason with my parents and at least see him as much
as possible. Maybe they would even let me watch him. It was
strange how quickly I had gotten so attached to him.
When I got home that evening, Glenn didn’t speak for a long
time. I had learned living with him, that he needed some time.
There was most likely a million things going on in his head and
the best thing that I could do in this situation, was give him
some space. There was no sense telling him that it wasn't his
fault. I didn't believe it was his fault, but he was going to think it
was anyways. That's how he was. He took responsibility for
things, even though it may not have been his fault. It was part of
the reason I loved him, but right now, I wished that he wasn't
that way, because it was hurting him inside.
“It's going to be okay, Glenn.”
“How can you say that? We lost him.”
“We didn't lose him. He is still in the family and we can see
him whenever we want. This is only how it's going to be right
now.”
I tried to pull him towards me to hold him, but he resisted. I
finally let him go. He wasn't ready yet. We were both hurting,
and this was the first time that I didn't have Glenn to hold on to.
I think that was the hardest part of all of it.

A FEW DAYS LATER , I GOT SICK SEVERAL TIMES IN THE MORNING . I T HAD
been going on for a few days prior to court, but I explained it
away as nerves. It had been a very stressful time and I had a weak
stomach.
I was more than a little happy to find out that it wasn't the
case at all. Stress was not the cause of my sickness; it was
something else entirely.
“Sorry that I'm late, I had a couple of interviews that I had to
go to.”
“How did they go?”
“I don't know. I was hoping that I’d get an offer right away,
but I didn't. I'm not going to think negative about it though.
Something is going to come up.”
“That's my line. Everything is going to be fine.”
I knew he was worried about mortgages and how we were
going to pay for everything, but I have started selling my
paintings again. He may not ever say anything negative about
my art, but I was excited that I was finally getting paid for it. The
trust fund that my parents had put aside for me so long ago, was
now gone. It was apparently part of my punishment, though I did
not know for what.
“It’s going to be fine. I have you and that's all that matters.”
He hugged me to him and for a moment, I felt moisture build
behind my eyes. It was exactly what I needed to hear.
“You’re always going to have me. But I don't know if it's
always going to be just us.”
“What are you talking about? Have they decided to come to
their senses about Stephen? Is he coming home?”
His question bothered me for a minute, and I knew why. It
wasn’t because Stephen was coming home, but because I wanted
him to. Having another baby was going to remind me of Stephen,
but we were just going to have to move on as best as we could. At
least now, we would be building our family, but without Stephen
there would always be a piece missing.
“No, it's not Stephen coming back. I haven't heard anything
from my parents.”
“Then what are you talking about?”
“Do you really not know?”
 I smiled a little bit, because he was completely befuddled.
“I guess I really don't know what you're talking about.
Explain it.”
“I'm pregnant Glenn. We're going to have a baby.”
His face went through a wide variety of emotions and I wasn't
sure which one he was going to land on. There was shock,
pleasure, but there was also something else.
“It would have been Stephen’s brother or sister. We have to
get him back, you know, that right?”
“I know baby. For right now we have something else to focus
on.”
The loss of Stephen had really messed with Glenn and I hoped
that one day soon, he would be able to get through the day
without having that pained expression on his face. I hated to see
the person I loved, so upset. Especially when there was nothing I
could do about it.
“It's going to be alright now. I can just feel it.”
 CHAPTER 26
GLENN

he idea that Liz was going to have my baby made me

T happy. It made be happier than I think anything else

had ever before and I didn't know what to do with
myself. There was a bitter sweetness to it of course. I was still
thinking about the child that we had lost and even though he
was only a few miles down the road, it wasn’t the same. He
wasn’t here with us and I wanted him back.
My mind went from one thing to another. I couldn't believe
that Liz and I were going to have a kid. It was all that I ever
wanted, before I even knew I wanted it. I never knew that I
wanted to be married, until I was married to the woman I loved. I
never believed in love, until I found Liz. I never knew that I
wanted a child or a family, until I had one thrust upon me and
put in my lap. It was one of the scariest times, but also turned
out to be one of the best times of my life. It had changed me in so
many ways and I knew it was all for the better.
What kept eating away at me, was the fact that our family was
not all the way together. We got to see Stephen once in a while,
but it wasn't enough. Every time we left her parents’ house for
our visit over from having dinner with them, I could tell that it
was hard for Liz to leave. It was never enough time for her.
As she got further along in her pregnancy the emotion
seemed to overcome her even more. I wanted to keep her steady
and keep her safe, but there was nothing I could do about this. I
couldn't go against her parents and as much as I had tried to
explain the situation so that they could understand it and
relinquish the rights to Stephen, it had not worked well. They
insisted that this was the best thing for him. I knew otherwise,
but because it was Liz’s parents, I didn't push it any further.
There were other things that I started to do differently. I was
late from work a few times each week, but it wasn't because I
was staying late. In reality, I was over at Mario’s house, combing
every last bit of paperwork that I could find. I was still hoping
that he had done enough of the application for the will and all
the information we needed would be there. Then we could go
back to court and finally win this.
After a couple of weeks of doing this, I still haven't found it
though. I was starting to think that it was all lost, but then I
found what I was looking for. I had waited for weeks to find it
and now it was sitting in my hand and it almost didn't feel real.
I got all the way back to the house, before I actually looked at
the papers. I had been so caught up in the moment, that I was
sure it was going to have everything that we needed on it. This
was a smoking gun that we needed to change everything, but by
the light and the paperwork that I had in my hand, it was not
what I needed. It was the application for the will, but it had not
been filled out near as much as it needed to be.
More importantly, the part about what was going to happen
to their children, was not filled out at all. This was not the new
evidence that I'd hoped it would be and I felt crushed. I don't
think I've ever felt so upset in my life. I wanted to bring this to
Liz and tell her that everything was going to be fine now. I
wanted to fix this for her, so that she would never have to be
pained again. I didn't want her to spend another night away
from Stephen if she didn't have to, but now, I had nothing again.
“Hey baby, I was hoping you'd be home earlier. I was thinking
that we could watch one of these videos that they gave me at the
birthing class.”
That didn't even sound good, but it was better than dwelling
on the fact that I was no closer to getting Stephen back, then
when I started. It had all gone so differently in my head and right
now I didn't know what to do. How was I going to get Stephen
away from her parents, without doing anything negative directly
to her parents? It was a conundrum that was literally breaking
my brain.
“Sure Liz. Let me change and take a shower and I will be right
there.”
“Okay honey. I'm going to heat up dinner for you. I made
meatloaf, your favorite.”
I gave her a kiss on the cheek and then went into the
bathroom before any of my emotions could spill over. I had just
been so sure that I had finally gotten this licked and now... I
didn't even want to think about it. It was even harder for me to
realize that I was upset about losing Stephen for myself, just as
much as I was upset for her. It wasn't just that we had lost him
but that we were never getting him back. That was a very hard
pill to swallow.

“I T ' S FINALLY TIME G LENN . W E NEED TO GET TO THE HOSPITAL .”

“What?!”
I was jolted out of bed with Liz’s frantic words. I didn't even
understand what she was saying at first, but I did understand the
tone. Something was wrong and I was here to protect her. I just
didn't know that I was protecting her from my own child.
 “Are you sure?”
She slapped me on the shoulder and told me to get up. I guess
she was sure enough for the both of us.
“No need to panic. We have everything ready to go, right?”
“I think so. Do you know where the keys are?”
I looked around the room. Losing a set of keys, was going to
somehow make everything go wrong. I have never had this much
happiness in my life, except for the time that we shared as a
family. Now that we were going to start our own family, I was
practically giddy. There was no other way to describe it. I was
ready to get this ball rolling.
I found the keys and said a little prayer to the man upstairs,
sure that he was the one that helped me. I need a lot more of
that help, and a little bit of luck and so I drove far too fast to get
to the hospital. I drove like a madman and got us there in plenty
of time. When I was driving and freaking out, Liz was calling the
doctor, to make sure that he knew we were showing up at the ER.
I still couldn't believe that this was finally happening.
“You have to slim down Glenn. We want to get to the hospital
in one piece, don't we?”
“Of course, of course. We're here now.”
I was trying to find a parking spot in the front, but it was
becoming clear that it wasn't going to happen. Problem with the
front entrance, was that I would have to leave her, and I didn't
want to leave her for even a second.
When I didn't find something right away, I decided to pull
him in front of the doors and just leave the car. I left the keys in
it; in case anybody wanted to move it or steal it. Whatever the
case may be. I didn't even care about any of that stuff anymore.
My little family was about to multiply, and my focus was on that
only.
The doctor was waiting for us when we got there, and
everything happened so quickly. One minute our little family
was two people, just me and Liz, and the next moment, there's
three of us. There was a moment of nostalgia with me holding
her, reminding me of Stephen.
It took time for the room to clear out and it was only then that
we had a moment to herself. Our little family.
“Liz, I just want you to know that you have made me the
happiest man alive.”
She kissed me and smiled.
“Good, because you’ve done the same. I don’t even know how
I went on before you.”
“What are we going to name her?”
“Amber, Stephen would like that name for his sister.”
“You don't know if we're going to get him back.”
She smiled at me in the funniest way and told me that it was
all going to work out just fine. “We will have him back soon
enough. Wait and see.”
 EPILOGUE

LIZ

mber was the balm to all of the hurt I had felt in the last

A year. I knew when I looked down at my baby girl, that

everything was right with the world. I still missed
Stephen terribly, but she was a delight to have around. It was
nice to have our family back.
Glenn had gotten himself a good job. At first, we thought that
he was going to have to open his own practice and we might even
have to move out of the house that he bought, but he finally
found something on the other side of the city. And it actually,
turned out to be better, because the hours were more conducive
to a family. I wanted him home every night and unless there was
an emergency with one of his patients, there were no more
nights working in the hospital.
Everything seemed to be working out perfectly. Amber was
down for a nap and I was going to take a shower, before I started
doing some cleaning in the house. I was content where I was,
even though a year ago, I never would have imagined this kind of
life. Who would have thought, that I would be such a happy
homemaker?
But I loved it. I loved Glenn and I loved Amber. I still held out
hope that one day Stephen will come to me, even if Glenn
thought I was being silly. How could it be a silly thing?
 When I heard the doorbell, I didn't think much of that. I had a
couple packages that were coming in that I had ordered, and I
figured that it was just the delivery guy bringing them. I did not
expect to see my mother on the other side of the door.
“Mom? What are you doing here?”
“I have been trying to call you for a while.”
“Awhile? Do you mean today?”
“Yes. I have decided something, and I really wanted to talk to
you. You don't really answer your phone anymore.”
I was still hurt about what she had done. She could a came to
me and we could have talked about it. I don't know if it would
have turned out any better, but the way she went about it, turned
me sour and our whole relationship. I didn't understand why she
couldn't get that.
“Well, it's been kind of busy with the new baby and all. I was
going to come on Wednesday to see Stephen, like I always do.”
“That is what I came here to talk to you about. Me and your
father decided, and we want you to be the first to know.”
This did not sound like it was going to be a good thing. She
was building it up in such a way that made me nervous.
“What's going on?”
“We want Stephen to come back and live with you and Glenn.
To be honest, I don't know what I was thinking. I had this vision
in my head of redoing all those years of parented, but I don't
have it in me anymore. I thought I did, but I don't.”
There were so many things that I wanted to say to her and
none of them were nice. I wanted to be rude and I wanted to yell
at her. She had put me through hell when she had taken away
Stephen. It was all just an experiment to her. And now
apparently, the experiment had failed, and she wanted to back
out of it.
“Bring him over, sign over custody and we will never breathe
a word of it again. You can always visit him whenever you want
to.”
My mother got the biggest smile on her face and for a
moment, I almost did say all the nasty things that I was
thinking. She looked relieved. After all that fussing and fighting
and taking away Stephen from a home that was happy, she was
relieved.
“Good. That's what I wanted. I knew that you would do the
right thing.”
And I knew that she wouldn't. As much as I wanted people to
change and I hoped that they would at some point in their life do
the right thing, I was constantly reminded by my parents, that
that was not the case at all. Sometimes people were who they
were and that wasn't going to change. I should have learned my
lesson before, but I keep telling myself that I will learn it now.
“Was there anything else?”
“No. I think that's it. We may not come to visit for a little bit,
because we were talking about going on a cruise for a month or
so, but I am sure it'll be fine. We will call of course.”
“Of course.”
She would call and send money. That is how they'd always
parented.

G LENN WAS GETTING HOME FROM WORK AND I COULD SEE BY THE LOOK ON
his face, that he had a long day. Mondays were usually hard for
him and as much as I wanted to listen to his day and everything
that had happened, I just couldn't do it. I was about to burst and
if I didn't tell him right now what was going on, I just might.
“Guess what happened today?”
He looked at me for a moment and smiled.
 “I hope you got some good news, because I could really use
some.”
“My mother came over today.”
“I told you that I wanted good news Liz. When a sentence
starts out with, my mother came over today, and it's coming out
of your mouth, that is never a good thing.”
“Well, maybe this time it is.”
“Oh? What is it that your mother wants? Does she want to
give Amber a tiara? Or a trust fund?”
“No, she wants to give her something even better than that.”
“What could be better than a trust fund?”
I was literally going to burst.
“She gave her a brother.”
There was a moment of confusion and as much as I wanted to
just blurt out what I meant; I was rather enjoying the process at
him taking it all in. Then there was a light bulb moment and I
could literally see it in his eyes.
“You're not saying, what I think you're saying are you?”
“I am, Stephen is coming home. We're going to have our
family back together again.”
He ran towards me and I knew exactly what he was going to
do. He picked me up and kissed me, twirling me around.
“You're right, that is some really damn good news. Actually, I
think that is the best news that I’ve heard in a very long time.”
“Does it help make your day better?”
“Yes. It makes my life better. I can't believe that we're finally
getting him back. Now we can all be together again.”
He hugged me to him again, this time he squeezed a little too
hard and I had to push away. I couldn't help myself, but to tip-
toe over to him and get another kiss. This really was the best day
and Glenn was right, this was going to make our lives better all
of us.
 “What would I do without you Glenn?”
“I told you before Liz, that is something that you never have
to find out.”
And that was the perfect answer. Glenn always knew just
what to say to make me feel better.

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Thanks again for reading!
Love,
Lauren

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