Page 19 of Finding Gwen

“It’s okay.” I tried to add reassurance to my words with a small smile.

“I know you want things to be perfect. Trust me when I say Oliver has not been this outwardly happy in a very long time.” He pointed to where Ollie was running around the yard laughing, a large smile on his face, when he stopped and waved to us. “You did that, Gwendalyn. None of this would have been possible without you. Our little family would not be complete without you.”

His fingers interlocked with mine, giving my hand a quick squeeze before he released it and turned back to the grill. “Now, I need to make sure these burgers and hot dogs don’t burn or there may be a riot.”

I chuckled as I walked away. Smiling at guests as I made my way through the yard, I tried to shove down the uneasy feeling rising from my stomach. There was still so much anxiety surrounding Matthew’s arrival, then sudden disappearance. I was on edge, waiting for him to do something. For so many years, I was convinced that what Matthew had to offer was the best I could do. It was like I had been an observer of my own life.

Lost in my thoughts, I ran into a hard chest, my body tensing as hands grabbed my upper arms and steadied me. Immediately, I pushed away, my chest rapidly rising and falling. So much for being able to keep my anxiety under wraps.

“Easy there,” he said. “I’m Jason, Anthony’s partner.” My eyes flew up, landing on the chiseled jawline of a man nearly twice my size. His dark brown hair was pulled back into a small man bun, while the sides were shaven. His lips were formed into an easy smile. Movement caught my eye, and I followed it, finding his hand outstretched between us. Taking it, I was caught off guard by the tattoos littering his forearm, my eyes drawn to a black and white vine of ivy. The leaves were weaved expertly around the other designs. “You good?” I returned my gaze to his face.

“Oh, yeah,” I gulped, releasing his hand and taking a step back. Jason rocked on his heels, tucking both of his hands into his pockets, looking down at me. “Sorry for my clumsiness. I’m Gwendalyn, but everyone calls me Gwen.”

“Oh, I know who you are,” he chuckled, adding a wink. My stomach fluttered, thinking about Anthony talking about me to his partner. It no longer felt like an elephant was sitting on my chest, knowing there was no way Anthony would invite him if he wasn’t completely trustworthy. “Thanks for taking care of our guy. We both know he was a mess before you came into the picture.”

My head turned, looking over my shoulder to eye Anthony still standing at the grill. As if sensing my eyes on him, he turned and his eyes searched the crowd until they landed on me. I could just make out the corner of his mouth curling into a smile. Shifting my gaze back to Jason, I laughed, thinking back to the frantic man I had met a few months ago. “Well, someone had to do it.”

“Jason.” Anthony’s deep voice startled me, causing me to jump back into him. His calloused hands on my skin were unmistakable. They held me in place, in a way that told me he wanted me near, but that I could easily walk away if I wanted.

Jason put up his hands in a defensive motion, putting even more space between us. “I was just introducing myself to your girl,” Jason said, keeping his eyes on me. “It was great meeting you, Gwen. Hope we can chat more soon.” He looked over my shoulder, a silent communication going on between Anthony and him, before he turned and walked away.

I spun in Anthony’s arms, ready to tell him off for whatever had just happened, but was immediately distracted by his eyes burning into me. One of his hands rested on my cheek and I leaned into him, my skin warming from his touch. His fingers trailed up and down my arm, a chill running down my back. Our embrace was intimate and my mind screamed at me to walk away, but my body wouldn’t let me. I knew we had both been avoiding each other, putting physical distance between us since that day in the kitchen. This was what I wanted and trying to deny myself this little pleasure was torture. His eyes softened, his lips parting as if he wanted to say something.

“Gwendalyn, I need to–” Anthony started, but our bubble was burst by the overexcited shriek of a woman’s voice.

“Ollie, baby, come see mommy!” The shrill voice carried across the yard, silencing nearby conversations. Everyone turned their attention to the women standing over a frozen Ollie. Anthony’s body tensed up, and I pulled my gaze away from the scene unfolding behind him. His eyes darkened, his hand on my arm tightening.

“Anthony.” I let out a strangled gasp as tears formed in the corner of my eyes. Anthony’s eyes were still on me, but it was like he was looking through me, not seeing what was right in front of me. Without acknowledging me, he let go, turning and stalking toward the woman, who was now holding a fearful Ollie in her arms.

Quickly following behind, I reached the scene just as Anthony pulled Ollie away from the woman. I quickly grabbed him, tucking him against my chest. Sensing there was about to be a nuclear blow up of some kind, I put a few more feet between us, backing up until I hit a hard chest. Peeking over my shoulder, I recognized Jason. His face was forward, watching Anthony, but his hands came up to my arms to steady me.

“What the hell are you doing here, Kimberly?” Anthony’s loud voice had me whipping my head back. He was livid, the anger coming off of him palpable in the air. My heart rate increased, wanting to shrink and hide behind Jason, scared Anthony would turn his anger to me. I was frozen in place against him. Ollie’s shaking body grounded me, and I squeezed him tighter as he buried his face into my neck. A sudden wetness on my skin told me he was crying, and the concern for myself was quickly thrown to the side. I was debating if I should take him into the house when the woman Anthony had referred to as Kimberly started screaming.

“It’s my baby boy’s birthday party! I’m his mother and I’m allowed to be here!” she screamed.

“You certainly are not! We haven’t heard from you in two years. You need to leave now.” Anthony placed himself between her and us, blocking my ability to see anything that was happening in front of him. Several of the cops in attendance stepped forward, everyone preparing to back up Anthony.

“No! I want to see my baby!” Kimberly shouted as she tried to get around him. Anthony put out his arm, blocking her attempt to get near us. She snapped, slapping Anthony across the face. Jason quickly shifted around me, grabbing her by the arm and dragging her toward the gate that led to the backyard.

“There are about a dozen cops in this backyard alone and you just assaulted one of their fellow officers,” Jason hissed. “Get back in your car and leave before one of them decides to arrest you.” Her protests were muffled as Jason dragged her down the driveway. Whispers filled the air, the tension slowly draining from everyone in the aftermath of what had happened.

Anthony had yet to turn around, still looking at the spot where Kimberly had just been standing. I wanted to reach out, to touch him and comfort him. Before I could, Jason walked up to him, speaking to him in a hushed tone.

Anthony turned his head toward Ollie and me, the rage on his face quickly melting away, but I recognized the battle happening behind his eyes. He needed to run, to put space between him and what had just happened. I wanted to plead with him to stay, to comfort his scared son, to comfort me.

Before I could blink, he sauntered toward me, grabbing my face with his hands and forcing his lips onto mine. I was too stunned to do anything more than let him in. I wanted this. My dreams had been consumed with his lips. Everything else melted away and my heart hammered in my chest as Anthony deepened the kiss, shoving his tongue into my mouth. It took every muscle in my legs to stay standing, remembering Ollie was still wrapped in my arms. God, I needed him. A rush of warmth settled throughout my body, the intimacy of this moment not lost on me.

Then his teeth caught my bottom lip, and I wanted to moan, to beg for more. I squeaked in surprise when the pleasure quickly turned to pain and I tasted blood. Anthony pulled away too fast, his eyes wide as regret washed over his face. Before I could say a word, he turned around, walking away with an intensity that had anyone standing near him to move away quickly.

“I have to go with him,” Jason was standing in front of me, whispering as I blinked away the haze that followed Anthony’s leaving. Unable to form words, I just nodded, then watched as he followed the same path Anthony had. Looking around at the guests still in the backyard, I plastered a smile on my face. Everyone seemed to be politely ignoring the fact that some psycho woman had just crashed the party and the father of the birthday boy had made a hasty exit. Katie quickly walked up to me, offering me silent support as I tried to think of a game plan.

Ollie pulled away from me suddenly, his face red from his tears, and my heart broke. He looked at me as if waiting for answers to all the questions running through his little mind. If only… Letting out a frustrated sigh, I wiped his tiny cheeks free of the stray tears and wrapped him up in a big hug.

“How about we pull out the cake and ice cream?” Katie suggested. The children still in attendance started dancing and jumping in joy. Ollie wiggled out of my embrace, joining the dancing with his friends. As I turned to go inside to gather everything, Katie caught me in an embrace of her own, tightly squeezing my arms. When she pulled away, a stray tear slipped down my cheek. She didn’t comment on it, though, simply nodding her head, then turning her attention to the dancing turned mosh pit of tiny humans.

I walked inside, grabbing the kitchen island for support as more tears fell silently down my cheeks. Closing my eyes, I resigned myself to letting it happen, knowing it was better to let them fall so I could slip back into hostess mode. Even without Anthony, I was determined to make this party a success, one way or another.

Chapter Thirteen

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