A Fresh Start
Chapter One Hundred Twenty Five
When Jeffrey and Sam finish touring the wineries, they head back to their room. On the way back, Sam falls asleep. When Jeffery pulls up to the inn he gets out and walks around the car to Sam's side. Opening the door, he unfastens her seatbelt. When he picks her up, she mumbles something. "Shhh, it's okay." He says picking her up and closing the door with his hip, he turns for the inn.
As he walks up the steps another guest is leaving and holds the door for him. "Thank you." Jeffrey says, as he walks in. The clerk looks up and seeing him in the doorway walks around the counter.
"Do you need some help, Mr. O'Neill?" She asks.
"Yes, thank you." Jeffrey replies, turning for the stairs. The clerk follows him and then takes the keys from him when they reach the room. She unlocks the door and opens it for him, stepping back to allow him to carry Sam inside. As he walks over to the bed and lies Sam down he says. "Thank you."
The clerk lays the keys on the table by the door. "You're welcome." She replies, backing out and closing the door.
Jeffrey pulls the throw up and lies over Sam, he stands beside the bed, watching her sleep for a few moments. Walking around the bed, he sits down on the other side, pulling his boots off, he lies down beside her. Rolling to his side, he reaches over to brush a strand of hair from her cheek. "I love you so much." He whispers.
Sam sighs as she moves over to her stomach and he smiles, thinking about the baby growing inside her. Even though they've been together for about two months now he's still sort of overwhelmed that they found each other again, spending the last couple months with her has been the best weeks of his life. She turns her head away from him as he moves closer to her, laying his arm across her back. "I'm never going to leave you." He whispers, brushing her hair back. "Either of you."
As he lies there, he fights the urge to wake her up. He wants her so much, but he's also worried about her. This morning was the worst bout with morning sickness he's seen her have and he was more than surprised when it happened. He sort of forgot that it was still possible for her to get sick like that. And he could also tell as they where finishing the tours that she was getting tired. He wasn't surprised when he looked over and found that she had fallen asleep. An hour later, he is still lying beside her, watching her sleep when she rolls over as she wakes up. "J." She says, in a sleepy voice.
"I'm here." He says, as she turns to look at him.
"How did I get up here?"
"I carried you up from the car."
"You carried me. Why didn't you wake me up?"
"You were tired." He says, moving so that she can lie beside him.
"I would have walked upstairs." She says, laying her head on his chest.
He puts his arms around her. "I know you would have walked upstairs, but I didn't want to wake you." He says, turning to kiss the side of her head.
"Alright." She say, dropping it but realizing that the reason he didn't wake her was more than him not wanting to wake her. "What were you doing?"
"Nothing really, I was watching you sleep." He says, playing with her hair.
"Watching me sleep, why?"
"Because I wanted to, you're beautiful when you sleep."
"I'm beautiful when I sleep. Are you sure you're okay?"
"I'm fine. I like watching you sleep."
She watches him for few moments before she asks. "Do you want to do anything tonight?"
"Why don't we stay in?"
She pulls back to look at him. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing is wrong, why?"
"Because you haven't wanted to do anything today."
"I want to stay here with you. We can have them bring our dinner up, and we can spend the evening watching movies and being alone."
She looks at him for a few moments before she says. "You're worried about me and this morning."
"I want to take care of you."
"I'm fine, I promise." She says, moving to sit up and he reaches for her.
"Just stay here with me." He says, pulling her back down beside him. "I want to hold both of you."
"Are you sure you're okay?"
"Yes."
"Okay."
They lay there for several minutes, before Jeffrey says. "There is something that I want to do."
"What's that?" She asks, laying her arm across his stomach. When he doesn't answer she looks up.
He leans over, softly kissing her. After a few seconds, he whispers. "I want to make love with you."
"Umm, we have been a little off today." She says, smiling as he leans in.
"I was giving you time to relax." He whispers, moving over to her neck.
Nibbling gently, he moves up to her ear. Teasing her with his lips and tongue, he smiles when he feels her shiver. "I love you." He says, leaning back to look at her.
"You love me, why do you love me?"
"Because you fit with me and all I have to do is look at you and I know how much you want me. I can kiss you and taste desire on your lips. And I can hear it in the beat of your heart." He says, leaning in to kiss her again.
She pulls away from him after a few moments, looking at him. "I can't be with anyone else, because I'm always with you."
"Let me love you, slow and gentle." He says, slipping his hand under her shirt.
"Can we do slow and gentle?"
"We can try." He says, with a smile.
Reaching for the bottom of her shirt, he begins to pull it up. After a few moments, she reaches to help him as she leans in and kisses him. They work together, pushing her shirt up as he reaches up and buries his other hand in her hair. After a few moments, she leans back and sitting up, she crosses her arms and pulls her shirt up, tossing it to the floor as he rolls to his back.
Holding out his hand, she moves over to him. Leaning over him, she nibbles on his chin as he laughs softly. Reaching around her, he moves his hand up her back slowly, caressing her until he reaches her bra and then he unfastens it. Sweeping his hands up her back, he brushes the bra off her shoulders and down her arms. Sitting back, she lets the bra fall to his stomach before she looks down and then up. "Is this what you call slow and gentle?"
"Umm, yes." He says, reaching for her.
Cupping her breast in both hands, she looks down watching him, sighing softly when he gently pinches her nipple, rolling them between his thumb and forefinger. He looks up after a few seconds and says. "I want to taste you." She leans over him, waiting as he leans up. Slowly taking one nipple into his mouth, he gently rolls his tongue over it, the heat of his mouth adding to the desire burning through her.
Letting her head fall forward, she sucks in deep breath, holding it as he reaches up. Wrapping his arms around her, he continues playing with her nipple. Nipping and suckling while he listens to her breathe. Waves of desire rush through him while he listens. Moving his hands down her back and around her waist, softly caressing her as he moves up her stomach, cupping her breasts he gently squeezes them, reaching for and playing with her other nipple with his mouth.
Releasing her, he moves his hand down her stomach after several minutes. She moves around till she's sitting on his lap. Pulling away, he looks up, watching her. Her eyes are a pale blue-green and she has a look of intense desire burning there. He pulls himself up as she leans in to kiss him as she kneels over him. Wrapping his arms around her again, he pulls her back down, settling her against him. "I love you." He whispers, pulling her closer.
Wrapping her legs around his waist, he sucks in a deep breath as he feels her pressing against his desire. Leaning in, he softly kisses her neck while she buries her fingers in his hair, pulling his head back deepening the kiss. The moment their lips touch, he can taste the desire in each of them. He sucks in a deeps breath as she wiggles closer to him.
After a few moments, she leans back, seeing the pale green of his eyes and feeling his desire pressing between them. He watches her, slowly moving his eyes over her face, watching as she licks her lips quickly. Leaning in, he kisses her, softly licking her lips until she opens her mouth. Deepening the kiss, he slowly moves his hands up her back, caressing her while her hair brushes against his arm.
She moves her hand down his back, softly caressing. When she reaches his waist, she moves them along his waist till she reaches the center. Bending her finger, she moves her hand up his chest, scratching him as she pushes his t-shirt up, tossing it to the floor. Reaching for his waist again, she plays with his navel for a few moments, feeling his stomach clinch. "Sam." He groans his voice filled with desperation.
"I know." She whispers.
"I want you so much I hurt." He says, shifting his hips as he moves his hands around her, reaching for her breasts, lifting them. Lightly moving his thumbs over her harden nipples, feeling them harden even more while she sucks in a deep breath. "You're beautiful, Beca. I love your body. You're perfect." He says, as she chuckles softly. "Why are you laughing?"
"I'm not sure I'm perfect and I certainly won't be in a few months."
"Of course you're perfect, now and you will be then. Your skin is soft and smooth like silk. Your mouth is soft and sweet. You taste like warm honey and your scent is intoxicating. You make me feel like I'm the most important person in your life and you're the only who has ever made me feel that way."
She leans in to kiss him. "Of course you're the most important person in my life. I love you, even when you miss the laundry basket or you forget to put the milk back in the refrigerator."
"Or when I forget to put the seat back down."
"Now, that's going to take some negotiation."
"I'm your husband you're supposed to think I'm perfect."
"I think your perfect, but you do have flaws."
"That's a complete…."
She leans into kiss him. "I think we're getting off track here." She says, pulling away.
"You're right." He says, leaning in to kiss her again, wrapping his arms around her, taking her with him as he lays back.
He's totally focused on kissing her until she starts to move against him. "Beca." He groans, releasing the kiss and letting his head fall back, closing his eyes, as he reaches for her hips, holding onto her. "Baby, I need you." He gasps, sucking in a deep breath while a crushing wave of desire crashes against his soul.
"How much do you need me?" Sam whispers, pulling back and breaking the kiss to watch him.
"I hurt, Beca." He groans, feeling his desire stiffen even more, pulling his jeans tighter around him, gushing waves of warm desire rushes through her, hearing the desperation in his voice. Looking up, he watches her and finally realizes what she's doing. "You want to drive me to the point that I loose control." He whispers.
She doesn't answer, looking down at him while she continues to move against him, pressing closer to him. He reaches for her, moving his hands down her side, he smiles as she shifts away from him, realizing that the caress is tickling her. Wrapping his arms around her, he rolls over until she's lying beneath him. Sitting back, he looks down as she stares up at him, her breathing coming in deep gasps. He leans over her, nibbling over her heated body, moving down to her breasts, he stops for a few seconds to play with her nipples before he moves on. He softly kisses her lower stomach, kissing the baby growing inside her. He reaches for her jeans, popping them open as she reaches to help and he brushes her hands away.
Once he has her jeans open, he pulls them down, panties and all as she lifts her hips. He looks up, slowly moving his eyes over her body, taking in the flushed heat, the rapid breathing and the hot steamy look of desire in her eyes. He leans over her, kissing her before he sits back and pulls her pants and panties down.
Kicking them off as her hands settle at his waist, moving to the front, she scratches him. Pulling the first button free, she looks up, watching his face while each button releases the building desire inside him. When she has his pants open, she lays her hand on top of him, feeling him grow. She reaches for his pants and begins to tug on them while he watches her. He gasps softly when she frees him and looks up in time to watch her quickly lick her lips. It's no more than a gently swipe of her tongue over her luscious and soft lower lip. "Beca, I know you want to continue playing, but I can't. I need you too much.
He moves into position. "Take everything off first." She says, looking up as he looks down.
He gets up, pushing his jeans and boxers down. He kicks them away as he lays down on the bed, moving over to her as she opens her body to him. She moans softly when she feels his desire nudging against hers. He slowly slips inside her, feeling them both with wonderful waves of desire. Slowly he begins to thrust, savoring each caress. Pressing his body deep inside her, filling her, he clings to the sheets beneath her as she closes around him, pulling him deeper.
He pulls away and she raises her hips, meeting his desire. He thrusts again and again, building the heat between them until several minutes in, she begins to push against him. He looks up, seeing the desire in her eyes, he leans in to kiss her, as he slows down.
Wrapping her arms around him, he rolls to his side and onto his back. He looks up. He didn't think there would be a time that he would want her more, but when she rolls her hips, rocking her body over his and taking him deep inside her, he feels his desire expand even more. He begins to thrust, holding onto her hips while he tries to bury himself deep inside her.
Before they realize it, staggering waves of desire rush through them, overflowing the desire burning so hotly between them. "Beca," He groans, as her body clinches around his squeezing him tightly.
"J." She cries, desire rolling over her until she feels her body shatter into a thousand pieces.
He follows her, thrusting once before he feels his desire rushing through him, flowing into her, feeling her with warm fluttering waves of her release, gently caressing him over and over again.
After a few moments, Jeffrey feels her sigh softly. "Lay down beside me." He says, moving her off him. She lies down beside him, turning to look at him as he rolls to his side. "Why don't you go to sleep?"
"No, we're going out." She says, pulling away from him.
"Sam." He says, reaching for her.
"I'm fine." She says, leaning over to kiss him, hearing the concern in his voice. She gets up and walks into the bathroom as he sits up, sighing softly.
A few minutes later, he hears the water start to run. Getting up, he walks into the bathroom. Using it, he turns to watch her before he walks over to the shower and opens the door.
She looks up and then sighs. "I'm fine J." She says, as he closes the door behind him.
"I know you are, but we both need a shower." He says, reaching for the soap.
She watches him for a few moments before she finishes washing her hair. He watches her while he's washing himself and when he's finished, he reaches for her saying. "Don't be mad."
She sighs again and then looks at him. "I am fine."
"I know you think you're fine, but we've been going pretty hard and doing everything since we got here and maybe we need to take today and relax."
"What happened this morning was normal? And being tired after the tours was normal."
"And can you tell me that you're not tired now."
"I'm…."
"You're tired."
She sighs softly and then says. "I was when we left the wineries, but the nap helped. As for this morning and the morning sickness, it's going to happen and it will probably happen like this morning again, so I can't simply stop because of it."
"Alright, we can go out." He says, giving in.
Thirty minutes later, he is pulling the door closed behind them. Putting his arm across her shoulders, he pulls her to him as she puts her arm around his waist. When they get downstairs, she stops at the front desk. Looking up, the clerk asks. "May I help you?"
"Yes, we were wondering if there are any events going on tonight." Sam asks.
"Yes, there are concerts in the park tonight. Tonight is the last night for the season."
"Okay, thanks." Sam says, taking Jeffrey's hand
They leave the inn. When they reach the parking lot, Jeffrey asks. "Do you want to drive?"
"No, let's walk." Sam says, taking his hand
They start towards the park and when the get there they find a place to sit down as one of the local bands come on stage. Jeffrey settles down with his back against a tree with Sam between his legs, leaning back against him. For the first couple songs, they sit and listen and then when the band begins to play a slow song, Jeffrey leans forward and whispers. "Do you want to dance?"
"Sure." Sam replies, getting up with Jeffrey's help.
He follows her and taking her into his arms, he holds her close as they begin to sway to the music. Her head laying on his right shoulder with her hand lying over his heart. He has his head propped on top of her head. He moves his head back and forth on her head before he says. "I love you."
"I love you too." Sam say, glancing up.
"Don't be upset with me because I want to protect and take care of you."
"I'm not upset with you. I know you have to take care of me. But you need to understand that I can't be coddled."
"It's my job to coddle you."
"It's your job to take care of me with I need you too. Right now, I don't need you too. Everything that's happened so far with this pregnancy is normal and you have to trust me to tell you when it's not normal."
"You scared me this morning."
"I know it did and I understand that you want to protect me, but as I said I can't simply stop what I'm doing because I was sick this morning. I'm going to wake up a lot of mornings and I'm going to be or get sick."
"Do you want to go back to the inn now?"
"Don't you want to stay for the rest of the concert?"
"No, not really. I really want to be with you, alone. And it's not because of this morning I simply want to be with you."
"Alright, we can go back." Sam says, taking his hand. They walk back to the inn, arms around each other.
Reva is waiting as the Lewis jet taxies up to the Lewis hanger. When it stops, she gets out of the car as the crew opens the door. A few minutes later, Rusty walks out first, followed by Hawk. She walks towards them as they walk down the stairs, meeting Rusty first. They hug and then she turns to Hawk. "Hello darlin." Hawk says, hugging her.
"Hi, Pop." Reva says feeling and almost overwhelming urge to cling to him. She releases him as the crew begins to unload their luggage.
Rusty picks up the suitcases and they start towards the car. "Where's Cassie and Josh."
"Cassie is probably at the farm."
"Is Josh with her?"
"You know he's not Rusty." Reva says, glaring at him.
"I'm looking out for my little sister." Rusty says, putting the luggage in the car and getting in.
"No, you're being difficult." Reva replies, getting in as well and starting the car.
"Someone has to. You just let her back into your life and she slept with your husband."
"Cassie wasn't completely at fault in what happened. Josh and I both had a part in it too." Reva says, driving through the gate and onto the road leading to the freeway.
"Maybe not, but I'm sure she was the one to make the first move."
"You refuse to see that there was more than her to blame."
"And you refused to see that your sister took your man and slept with him."
"I know what happened. I also know that I had my own part in it as did Cassie and Josh. I've forgiven both of them."
"Then you're too forgiving."
"Cassie…."
"Stole your man, why can't you simply admit that?"
"…tried to stay away from Josh and Josh went after her." Reva says, ignoring his question and getting onto the freeway.
"Let it go, Rusty. Reva's forgiven them and so should you." Rusty starts to say something but then changes his mind. "So, where is Josh?"
"He's at Lewis, working."
"Are you…." Rusty says, and then he glances at Hawk. He sits back and is quiet the rest of the way home, while Reva feels Hawk in on what's been going on around Springfield and with the family.
When they reach Cross Creek, they unload the car and once everyone's settled, they met back in the den. "Speaking of Cassie, she came by the other day and asked that we come to dinner tonight at the farm. She said she has something she wants to tell us."
"Did she find another man to run around with?"
"You just won't let it go." Reva says.
"No, I won't. She slept with Josh and you're a fool to just let it go, as you put it."
"I didn't just open my arms to her. It's taken us a long time to get here. Richard helped with that."
"Yes, because you think you don't have to worry about them trying to sneak around behind your back."
"I trust my sister. She made a mistake and I've made enough of my own to know that forgiveness is sometimes the only thing that will make a situation better. I certainly know that hanging onto grudges will not help."
"This isn't about….
"I think it is. You won't let it go because of what happened with Jackie. I wonder how Shelly feels about constantly being compared to her."
"Let's drop it. And Rusty if you can't pretend to be happy for Richard and Cassie then maybe you need to go back to Oklahoma." Hawk says.
"Anyway, she asked us to dinner tonight. Said she has something she wants to tell us."
"Okay."
"Good, I'm going to go take care of some things and I'll be back." Reva says, turning for the study.
Rusty walks outside as Hawk turns to follow Reva. She's sitting down at the desk when he walks in. "Okay, so are you going to tell me what's bothering you?"
"Nothing's bothering me."
"Come on girl, I know you and I know when some thing is bothering you." Hawk says, sitting down on the couch. Reva looks away for several seconds. "You might as well tell me, I'll get it out of you one way or another."
"I've got a problem with Josh."
"Okay."
Reva walks over to the couch and sits down beside him. "A few months ago, I flew to Washington DC to help a friend out with a problem he had. Josh asked me not to go, but Jeffrey needed my help so I went."
"Is this when you found out about Richard being alive."
"Yes, Jeffrey's girlfriend at the time had her apartment broken into and he wanted to use the Lewis jet to reach DC as quickly as possible. I told him he could and I went with him to help. He didn't ask me to go, but I knew that I needed to. When I got back, Josh was furious and he's been riding Jeffrey ever since then. Shortly after we got back, Sam, that's Jeffrey's girlfriend, she's his wife now moved to Springfield and even that didn't get Josh to lighten up. A few weeks after that, I was at Lewis to see if Josh would like to have lunch and I overheard him telling one of our attorneys that he would make sure a file was destroyed and to make sure that Billy or I didn't find out about it. When I heard, I confronted him about it. He wouldn't give me a convincing reason for the order and Billy overheard us arguing and came to see what was wrong. He and Josh got into a huge fight and Josh walked out.
After Josh left, Billy ordered Wanda to look into all of the files in Lewis to try and find out which file Josh had destroyed and why he had ordered it be destroyed. Wanda didn't find anything, so Billy dug a little deeper and began to look into HB's private affairs. Wanda was able to track down the son of one of the private attorney's HB used and Billy went to Tulsa to talk to him, but the man couldn't tell him anything or allow access to his father's files.
During this time, Josh was riding Jeffrey really hard, and demanding that we have nothing to do with him. And whenever we would question him, he would only tell us to trust him. A few weeks after Billy returned from Tulsa, he receives a call from the man. He now has access to the files and asks Billy if he wants to see them. Billy of course says yes and the man ships them to him. When Billy receives them, he calls to tell me and asks if I want to go through them with him, so we did. And we found a file that has an amendment to HB's will in it and a report from a private detective that HB hired to find a son that he had."
"Billy."
"No, another son, when we found the file we confront Josh again and he admitted that he knew about the son, that it this was the file that he had destroyed. When we press him to tell Jeffrey the truth, he flatly refuses, saying only that we will not tell him and to trust him."
"But you think there's another reason he won't tell him."
"I know there's another reason." Reva says, getting up and walking over to one of the windows.
"So what's the reason?"
"Me." Reva says, turning to look at Hawk.
"You!"
"Yes, yesterday I stopped by Lewis to tell Billy about Cassie's dinner and to make sure he would be able to come. While we were discussing that, Billy mentioned us having a dinner to welcome Jeffrey and Sam to the family. Josh overheard us talking and he came up to ask us what we were talking about. Billy told him, and Josh started his usual stuff and I'm tired of listening to it, so I told Billy goodbye and I left. He and Josh stayed in the front lobby and I overheard Josh demand to know why Billy kept pushing me to include Jeffrey in the family. Billy denied it and did a little questioning of his own."
"Where were you when this was going on?"
"Standing around the corner, listening."
"So what did you hear?"
"I heard Josh's true reason for not wanting Jeffrey to be told and I'm behind it." Reva says, as Hawk looks at her.
"Why are you behind it?"
"I heard Josh admit to Billy that he's afraid that I will leave him to be with Jeffrey if we tell him about being a Lewis."
"That makes absolutely no sense."
"I know that. But that's what he's afraid of. He's afraid of loosing me and he's refusing to tell Jeffrey the truth because of it."
"Have you given him any indication that he should be jealous of Jeffrey?"
"No, of course not, Jeffrey is a friend and we've worked together."
"Why did you go to Washington with him, if he didn't ask you?"
"Because I had a feeling that he would need my help and he did."
"And you've told Josh about what happened on the trip?"
"Yes, I told him about the trip. I told him everything that went on."
"So, what are you going to do?"
"I don't know. But Jeffrey and Sam will be back from their honeymoon in a few days. I'd like to have this resolved before Jeffrey comes home, but if it's not we still have to tell him the truth."
"Maybe you need to think about how Josh feels? For whatever reason, he believes that he'll loose you if Jeffrey is told the truth."
"He believes that because I was with Billy and HB, that's the only reason he believes it."
"You know that for sure?"
"He told Billy that."
"And how, do you know that's the reason, maybe he was only telling Billy that." Hawk says, as Reva shakes her head no.
"I could tell by the tone of his voice. The reason he doesn't want Jeffrey to know the truth is because he's afraid that if we tell him, I'll leave him for Jeffrey and that's not even possible."
"Have you said anything to him about it?"
"No." Reva says, turning back to the window.
"Don't you think you should?"
"Of course I should, but right now. I want to shake him for being so incredibly stupid." Reva says, looking at Hawk.
"Reva girl, you can't do that."
"I know I can't do that. But this is absolutely the most ridiculous reason to not tell Jeffrey the truth. He…."
"He believes he's fighting for you."
"He doesn't have to fight for me. He has me. I'm his and Jeffrey belongs to Sam and he belongs in this family."
"What are you going to do about Marah?"
"We haven't discussed that, but Josh and I can help her through this." Reva says, as Josh walks in.
"Hello, Hawk."
"Hello, Josh." Hawk replies, getting up to shake Josh's hand.
"Did I interrupt something?"
"No, we were just discussing the wedding?" Reva says. "I thought you were going to be working all day."
"I was but I finished early, so I thought I would come home and visit before we go to Cassie's."
"Alright, well I've got some work to do so I'll let you visit." Reva says, leaving the study.