Lost & Found, page 26
They pulled up to the curb at the airport, and Graham got out and assisted her. “Yes, I am one man, but I’m not without friends. I’ve programmed my number into your phone. Should you ever need me, don’t hesitate to use it, and I’ll be there.”
Edith gave him a big hug and wished with all her might that she’d had the strength to do right by her son and stand up to her husband and buck a terrifying tradition. Perhaps, her boy would have turned out like the man before her. “Aren’t you going to ask me where I’m going?”
Graham lifted her hand and kissed it briefly. “Only if you give the answer I told you to use.”
“Oh…pffft!” she waved her hand at him with embarrassment. “Go on then, boy!”
“Where are you going, Ms. Edith?” Graham challenged her.
Edith took a deep breath and regally tilted her head at him and sucked her teeth. “Don’t worry about where the hell I’m goin’! This my goddamn life, and I’ll live it the way I see fit and without answerin’ to anyone! You don’t like it; you can kiss my ass!”
Graham gave her a two-finger salute and grinned. “Yes, ma’am. Take care.”
***
“I can’t believe we really did this! Thank you guys for trusting and believing in us,” Eliza said and pulled away from Wade to hug her brother tightly with one arm and motioned for Georgie to join them.
Georgina broke free from Max’s arms to hug them as well. “It’s like we’ve come full circle.”
And as Nate watched them from the across the room, he was overcome with emotion that the siblings were together, happy, and well-adjusted. They’d come a long way from when he first saw them twenty-two years ago.
The siblings’ love for each other was heartbreaking and evident in the way the oldest girl clutched her brother and sister desperately while the big man-child’s strong arms encircled them protectively. The youngest held tightly to her older siblings who were her anchors, for fear of drifting away.
Yes, they were all going to be all right, he thought as his eyes drifted around the room filled with people who loved and cared about his family and showed up to support them on this special occasion.
A car door slammed outside, and then he heard light steps before a voice that he never expected to hear in Baymoor again rang loud and clear, chilling him to his bones. “Well, my goodness! Isn’t that a cute goat?”
He watched the siblings look toward the door with growing revulsion before moving toward it with angry expressions as their guests looked on curiously.
“Who are you?” Camille asked politely, but even Nate could hear the suspicion in her voice as he, too, headed in that direction and willed the woman not to answer truthfully.
“Why, you must be Camille! Your pretty eyes are just like your mama’s!” the woman trilled. “Well, don’t be shy! Come give your granny a hug! I’ve been waitin’ on this day forever!”
***
One week later…
She watched his relaxed stride and was glad that her aviators hid her eyes from the tall, well-muscled man. He was too fine for words with his rich brown skin, almond-shaped brown eyes, and bald-head. A goatee lined his firm square jaw and emphasized his firm, supple lips. His short-sleeved, button-down white linen shirt revealed tattoo sleeves on each arm, and his white linen cargos showed off his thick calves. Oozing confidence and swagger, he had every female’s eyes on the beach on him, but he seemed oblivious, or maybe he was just use to it…
This was the second time in just as many days that she’d seen him on the beach, and it was bothering her. He was trouble, pure and simple, she told herself and quickly averted her eyes to stare down unseeingly at the magazine in her lap. Although he gave the appearance of being on chill mode, he was anything but. Like a large black panther on the hunt, stealthily on the move.
As he approached her lounge chair, the desire to flee was quickly rising within her, and she obeyed it, dropping the magazine and sitting up to slide her feet into her flip flops. She hadn’t gotten as far as she had without following her instincts. But it was too late. He dropped down on her chair next to her, and she was assailed by the alluring scent of his cologne. Those dark, penetrating eyes roamed over her bikini-clad body slowly, and she forgot to breathe as his gaze touched her like a physical caress.
His voice was so deep, smooth, and rich that it was like a fine wine that she wanted to get drunk on, and that realization stunned her into silence, which was why it took her a moment to process his words.
“It’s nice to finally meet you, Annabelle Gaines. You’ve led me on a long and not so merry chase, but it’s time to stop running. My name is Graham Carlton, and I’ve come to take you home to Baymoor.”
THE END
COMING SPRING 2017
GRAHAM & ANNABELLE
(BAYMOOR BOOK THREE)
D. A. Young, Lost & Found
