Page 3 of Fated

“Yeah okay. Let’s go.” What do I know, maybe it will be better to talk about it.

Grabbing my water bottle, I walk with them to the Coffee Shop and get our drinks and muffin. Lavinia orders a caramel mocha frappe and a chocolate chip muffin. Sadie gets water and a croissant. Me, I don’t want anything. “Sadie, that’s all you want?” Vini asks with a mouth full of muffin.

“Yeah. That is all that will agree with me right now.” She ducks her head when she says it like it slipped out. The words play around in my mind for a moment and then Vini and I look at one another in what I imagine are identical expressions.

“Sadie, are you pregnant?” I ask her, half shouting half whispering. Blushing, she nods slowly and leans over the table.

“I wasn’t supposed to say anything. It’s early yet. My cycle didn’t come, and I took one of those early tests. I’m barely six days if it is accurate so we promised not to tell anyone until I am further along.” Oh my goodness. Before I can stop myself I am out of my seat hugging her like a crazy person.

“I’m so happy for you.” I tell her basically weeping as I squeeze her so hard. She eeks a little bit and I pull back realizing I might be squishing the baby. “Oh shoot. I’m sorry.” I bend down even with her belly. “Sorry little guy. Auntie Rachel didn’t mean to squish you.” When I sit up both of them are looking at me like I have lost my mind.

“Alright Rachel, tell us what is going on. You are acting weird, and this is not like you. You seem…frazzled.” Lavinia says, patting the seat next to her. Sighing, I give in to the truth.

“I don’t really know. Lately I just feel unsettled. I feel anxious and unsure of everything. I’m not even finding joy in my painting right now.” It feels good to let that go but it is not close to being all of it.

“You have no idea why?” I look at Sadie and shrug my shoulders. I constantly feel like I am betraying my sisters everyday by not opening up to them, but the cloud that hovers over me should not be shared by them.

“Sort of. I guess I just, I don’t understand why I wasn’t matched already. As the oldest, being the last one makes me feel like there is something wrong with me. Maybe no one wants me. I mean I get it; I’m plain compared to all of you, but I would make a good wife. To someone. Even though that might be it.” Tears stream down my face and I wipe them away immediately, not wanting to do this in public. Sadie touches my leg and looks at me stunned.

“Is that what you think? Rachel I am sure there is a reasonable explanation for this. But what I am most concerned about is this idea that you are not stunningly beautiful. I used to sit in our bedroom, staring at you, wishing on all the stars in the sky that I was as petite as you, or had your flowy golden hair, or slim figure or your talent. Heck your heart is worth more than any man will ever be.”

“Thanks.” I tell them not convinced but also ready to not be talking about this anymore. “Should we head home?” Nodding, we all leave the Coffee Shop.

The ride home is quiet, like my admission somehow dampened everyone’s day. Lavinia is dropped off first at her and Alton’s place before Sadie and I go on to the ranch. As I park the car, I can’t help feeling more and more like the third wheel every time I come home here. Like I am intruding on their time, their new life. Definitely not in the mood to feel like that right now, I look in the back seat, see my bag with all my stuff in it and breathe a sigh of relief. “Aren’t you coming?” Sadie asks, looking back at me when she gets out.

“No. I think I am going to grab my stuff and go for a drive.” Just then the front door opens. Jasper comes out and makes the walk down the driveway.

“Did you ladies have fun?” He asks both of us, but his eyes are on his wife. I can’t help noticing his hands are on her belly as he kisses her from her neck.

“Yeah. It was fine. I am going to go for a drive.” I start telling him, but he cuts me off.

“Actually Rachel, do you mind coming inside for a moment?” I look at Sadie, but she shrugs her shoulders.

“Is everything alright?” I ask him, feeling nervous while getting out of the car.

“Yep. Just come on in.” Grabbing Sadie’s hand, they walk inside side by side leaving me behind them, to wonder what the hell is going on. I am so busy feeling sorry for myself, looking at the ground, counting the thousands of pebbles I walk across, I almost run right into their backs and miss the gasp on Sadie’s lip.

“What’s going on?” I ask them. Sadie moves to the side, and I walk in. Heavens swallow me whole. There, standing in the mudroom, holding a bouquet of flowers, staring at me like the steak in his lion den. “Mayor Hollow?” What the heck is happening?

“Rachel, my Rachel. I have been waiting foryou!” Is this for real?

ChapterThree

Lloyd

I have always considered myself a patient man. I have to be the Mayor of a failing town. I have the daunting yet rewarding task of trying to resurrect a town named after my family and founded by my family, in a position held by the men in my family. I intend to do this by any means. I have bided my time, made partnerships with corporations to bring in revenue to the town and I have major plans to open the town with new housing. But all of it takes time and patience. See, a patient man.

That patience I am so proud of stopped existing or should I say was in short supply the moment I laid eyes on Rachel. To those on the outside, it would seem waiting four weeks was patient as hell, but it is far from the truth. All that four weeks served to do was turn me into a horny fucking stalker who followed her around and jacked off while watching her do nothing at all.

I have turned into a fucking lunatic, pictures I have taken of her cover my office damn near from top to bottom. Somedays I sit in there, naked as the day I was born, stroking my cock, spitting all over the fucking place including on the walls covering her pictures. On any given day there is a stream of salty release dripping down the walls like the icing I want to be licking from her pussy. Thank fuck for the discretion of my cleaning crew.

Now that I am sitting here, well standing here waiting for her, the minutes feel more like hours even more than before. “This must be the girls now.” Jasper says, getting up from his chair. I could follow him, but I think I need to stand here and collect myself. I am in serious danger of throwing her over my shoulder like a damn caveman and fucking her up against the first surface I find and shouting my conquest to the world. Yeah. I need to relax.

The seconds I spend inside of his kitchen waiting for her to come in, my blood pressure rises and so does my possessive need to have her in my arms now. “What’s going on?” I hear her voice drift in from the outside like sprinkles of magic dust twirling around me, reminding me to be calm. I shift the flowers in my hand and stare at her, willing her to come to me. “Mayor Hollow?” God I just want to hear her say my name while she is screaming for me to go easy on her.

“Rachel, my Rachel. I have been waiting foryou!” I walk closer to her but far enough that my restraint remains in place. I hold out the flowers and hand them to her. “These are for you, Tink.” The name I call her in my head slips past my lips. She blinks a few times; I’m sure trying to figure out the name. Her eyes leave mine for a moment, long enough to look at and smell the flowers, but it is still too long for my liking. I am literally counting the seconds until she is back looking at me.

“Thank you.” Her cheeks turn pink, and I imagine her entire body that color after a night of endless fucking.