Perfume Ch. 09

"No, Eric, I'm not hurt. You were wonderful. I'm...these are happy tears," she whispered. "You make me so happy."

Breathing a sigh of relief, he cradled her in his arms and placed warm kisses all over her face. "I do all this because you make me happy, too; and I'm in love with you. Remember that," Eric said quietly.

Wynston snuggled deep into the downy softness of the bedding, laid her head on Eric's chest and promptly fell asleep.

***

For weeks now, Rob had searched for Ethan to no avail. He was rather proud of his baby brother. It meant Rob had taught him well how to stay hidden.

After his trip to Switzerland, Rob had made his way to Amsterdam; but Ethan's trail had run cold. Rob knew he'd definitely been there, but Ethan was long gone.

At that point, he'd sat in the small bistro and gazed at the map of Europe. Where the fuck had his brother gone?

"You are American?" a heavily accented voice asked, interrupting his thoughts. At first, Rob scowled at the woman for barging in on him. Then he closed his eyes and remembered he was turning over a new leaf.

"Yes I am," his deep voice rumbled.

"There seems to be a lot of you here recently, even more than usual...and with maps," she said as she poured a cup of coffee.

"Only a few weeks ago one broke my heart. Took me to his bed and when I awake, I find he is gone. Tell me, this is a common, American practice?" she asked, sounding wounded.

Rob really didn't have time for this bullshit. What the fuck did he look like, some relationship expert?

"It's universal," he replied. "Men are the same everywhere."

"Hm," she mumbled. "This man, Ethan, seemed so sweet. He was a bit boyish and I did not have thought him to love me and then leave. Bastard. Must have been that Black woman he was with. Always, she was with him."

She sucked her teeth and was about to leave when Rob caught her wrist.

"Tell me more about this Ethan," he said. As incentive, he reached into his wallet and produced a crisp 50 Euro note. He discreetly placed it on the table and slid it toward the waitress.

The woman's eyes lit with interest as she looked over her shoulder and sat down at the table...but not before tucking the money securely into her bra. "What is it you would like to know?"

"Did this man mention where he was going next?" Rob asked.

"France. I remember because he and the Black woman were looking at a map of Europe. I overheard that woman say she could now afford to go anywhere she wanted; and that she had wanted to visit Paris all her life," the waitress explained.

Rob nodded and mulled over this new bit of information. "How long ago was this?" he asked.

"Maybe three weeks. Not more."

"Good. And was there anyone else with them? Another male perhaps?" Rob asked.

"No...no one. Why are you asking these questions? You will not hurt him will you?" The woman had begun to squirm uneasily.

Rob watched her for a moment and decided to ease her fears. "No, I'm not going to hurt him. He's family."

He placed a 5 Euro note on the table for the coffee and left.

***

Ethan took a deep breath and looked at Octavia. If he wasn't so numb, he'd feel sorry for her.

"If you hear gunshots, hit the floor," he said.

Octavia paled.

"It was a joke. Sorry. Just stay here while I go talk to him. Be right back," Ethan said not so reassuringly.

He walked over to where Rob sat at the bar and took a seat near him.

Ethan was catching hell trying to read Rob's face. He thought maybe that was a good sign. Usually Rob's anger was blatant and there was no wondering whether or not he was pissed.

"How are you little brother?" Rob asked.

Ethan continued to eye him doubtfully. "I'm good...you?"

"Never been better. You know, that wasn't very nice what you did in Mexico," Rob said. He took a sip of his brandy.

Ethan's face became infused with red. "I – uh...I know, Rob. You—I just..."

"Calm yourself, Ethan. I deserved it."

Ethan looked up with surprise, half wondering if he'd heard correctly. "You deserved it?" he asked.

Rob looked down at the amber liquid and ran his finger around the rim of the glass. "Yeah, I deserved it. I treated you like trash...you didn't deserve that shit," Rob said quietly.

Ethan was amazed.

"You mean you didn't come here to fuck me up?" he asked.

Rob chuckled. "Nah. It took you leaving me in that boat for me to realize what an asshole I've become. You're the last person I should've treated the way I did; and for that, I'm sorry."

He looked up at his baby brother, all the emotion and sorrow in his face.

Ethan immediately embraced his brother and ran his hand over his head affectionately.

The two men didn't speak for a moment as they both sat, enjoying each other's company. Ethan turned to look at Octavia. She would glance over at them every now and again...no doubt she was watching for a gun to be produced.

Ethan waved his hand at her and gave the thumbs up sign.

She looked at him confused for a moment, but waited patiently for Ethan to rejoin her.

"You been in touch with Mike?" Ethan asked.

"Yeah. But you know we have to lay low. I did pose as his lawyer a few times over the phone. He's looking at serving 20 years," Rob replied.

"SHIT!" Ethan exclaimed. "What the fuck?! We have to go back there!"

"Yeah, I know. But we need a plan. I've already found him a lawyer. Should've been in contact with Mike by now. I have to go back in order to pay the man and make sure everything's on the up and up. You joining me?" Rob asked.

"Hell yeah!" Ethan said. There was no way he would leave Mike behind to suffer for something they all had a part in. "If only that dumbass hadn't shot Wynston."

Rob looked at Ethan sharply. "You're on a first name basis with her?"

Ethan nodded. "Yeah. I stopped by Eric's to talk to him the day after all that shit went down. I was in the lighthouse that night, too. I was the one who drugged Mike, but I didn't use enough aspirin. So when he woke up, he popped her. He was obviously aiming for Eric, but Wynston got in the way."

Rob breathed deeply. His little brother was proving himself to be full of surprises.

"I almost got arrested, myself. Apparently Eric is best friends with the sheriff. He was going to arrest me but Eric stopped him," Ethan continued.

Rob nodded his head, listening to the story. "I had a little chat with Eric myself," he said.

"I know," Ethan replied. "That's the day I spoke to him, too. We uh, talked a little bit about burying the hatchet."

Ethan once again fidgeted in his seat. He didn't know how generous this new Rob was going to be.

Seeing his discomfort, Rob clapped him on the shoulder. "So did I baby brother. I'm done with all that shit."

Ethan's jaw dropped. "I wondered what you'd said to him. You mean you two are cool now?!"

Rob shrugged. "I guess. We're not friends, but...we're better."

"I'm proud of you man. That shit was eating you alive."

As Ethan regarded his brother, he was glad to hear that Rob was changing for the better.

"I spoke to Hector, too," Rob said quietly. "Now THAT shit didn't go well at all."

As Rob proceeded to tell Ethan about his conversation with their father, Ethan was completely engrossed in what Rob was saying. His eyebrows snapped together when Rob recounted what he said to Hector.

When Rob finished, Ethan just sat there for a moment. He was surprised Hector was alive after the things Rob had said to the old man. Ethan idly wondered if their father had had a stroke or heart attack after the harsh words.

"You may very well have killed the old man," he murmured. "At least you stuck up for us. I think – I think when we go back, I'm going to visit him. I'm ready to put all this shit behind me," Ethan said warily.

He wanted Rob to know up front what his intentions were. Ethan just wasn't sure how his big brother would react.

"Do what you feel is best. As for me, I'm just not sure when I'll be ready to forgive him. I'm not saying never...just not now," Rob said.

Ethan nodded and once again looked over his shoulder at Octavia. "I'd better get back to her. She's probably pissed her panties by now. She thought you'd come to kill me. Want to join us?" he asked.

Rob looked in Octavia's direction and asked the obvious question.

"Are you fucking her?"

Ethan guffawed. "Nah, man. My brother's leftovers are off limits...at least for me, anyway. Something you might want to consider."

Rob smiled at the jab. "Touché."

He looked over at Octavia once more. He did owe her an apology. Might as well get it over with, he thought. At this rate, he would never be done with all these fucking apologies.

Rob downed the rest of his brandy and nodded his head. Dropping a Euro note onto the bar, he followed Ethan toward the table.

"Hey, what did you end up doing with that 10 mil?" he asked curiously. He didn't need the money but wanted to know what Ethan had done with it. Rob was sure it was going to be something wild.

Ethan didn't disappoint.

He glanced at Rob and stuck his hands in his pockets. "I gave it to Eric as sort of a 'my bad,'" he said sheepishly.

For a moment, Rob just looked at Ethan as if he was insane. Then he did something he hadn't done in years. He laughed.

Ethan's eyebrows shot up. The sound was so raspy and unfamiliar that it made Ethan laugh as well. He couldn't recall the last time he'd heard Rob laugh. It was a very welcome sound.

When they got to the table, Octavia looked unsurely between Ethan and Rob with eyes rounded like saucers. It was amazing that she and Rob had been lovers. Now, it seemed as if they were strangers meeting for the first time.

She supposed that was an accurate description. It wasn't like she and Rob had ever talked. Their relationship had been purely physical. Neither had shared dreams and goals or their pasts; it was entirely Octavia who had made things more than they were.

So yes, they were essentially strangers.

"It's okay, Octavia. He comes in peace," Ethan assured her.

She eyed Rob skeptically anyway.

Rob looked at her squarely in the eye and spoke quietly to her. "I got those cuff links and ties you'd bought me back in Mexico. I'll be sure to wear them first chance I get," Rob said.

Octavia simply nodded. She didn't know why, but she was choked up. Maybe because she had been hurt very badly that day when she'd found Rob and Lena together.

Rob looked down at the table, getting his thoughts together.

"I know our – relationship meant a lot to you. And I know you wanted more than I was willing to give. Even so, I should've been upfront with you and I shouldn't have hurt you the way I did," Rob said. He had tried to choose his words very carefully.

With widened eyes, Octavia stared at him. "You're apologizing?!" she asked.

Rob chuckled. "Am I that bad at it?" he returned.

"No, I just wasn't expecting that from you. I was expecting you to come with guns blazing."

"No, nothing like that. Like I said, I wanted to apologize for the pain I caused you...and the pain I was planning on causing," he said honestly.

"Thank you," Octavia whispered.

Proud of his brother, Ethan again clapped him on the back, grinning from ear-to-ear. "You keep this up, you just might make it into heaven," he teased.

For the second time that day, Rob laughed.

***

For one glorious week, Eric and Wynston spent their honeymoon in their quiet little oasis. They didn't do much of anything except make love, eat, sleep, laugh and talk. They bathed together in the huge garden tub and a few times they went out and walked along the Battery and boardwalk of Charleston Harbor.

When it was time to get back to the real world, Wynston admitted that she was a little sad.

Being able to spend that much uninterrupted time with Eric had been paradise, and she had gotten spoiled. But they had a baby to prepare for, so she sucked it up and got ready to put in a lot of hard work.

And that's exactly what she and Eric did.

They put in a ton of work and decorated the house the way they wanted. They ended up combining their furniture, so there wasn't a whole lot more they needed to buy...just a few items here and there.

During the fifth month of Wynston's pregnancy, she and Eric learned that they were having a baby girl. So, Wynston immediately bought paint in soft, buttercup yellow and mint green. She had stayed away from the traditional pinks and purples, finding them to be too cliché.

When they told their parents, the toys, clothes, stroller, crib and other special deliveries constantly found their way to the house. And by the time Wynston had a baby shower, the baby had everything she would ever need.

Wynston didn't complain...she knew the grandparents only wanted to help; and she found their smothering to be very endearing.

Thanks to all the help they received, the baby's room was done within two months, and Wynston was ecstatic.

At the end of her final trimester, Wynston gave birth to little Eryn Summer Torres.

Eryn had her father's complexion and her mother's big, doe eyes. Their golden color belonged to Eric, of course; and the eyes were framed with ridiculously long lashes. Her little head was full of dark, curly hair.

Eric called her their little masterpiece and was hopelessly in love with their little angel.

Every chance he got, Eric held his daughter as if she was the most fragile thing in the world; and he spent many hours of the day just staring at her in wonder.

He was an excellent helper, too.

Wynston admitted to herself that she was afraid Eric would tell her to kick rocks whenever she asked him to feed the baby at night. Terry had promised that he would help with the baby, but after Wynston's C-section, he had left her high and dry.

It had been mostly up to her to care for Terrence. Wynston could only count on one hand how many times Terry had helped.

But once again, Eric proved himself to be as different from Terry as night was from day. He allowed Wynston to sleep when she couldn't find the strength to get out of bed.

One night in particular, Wynston heard the baby crying. "Just one second, precious," she had mumbled drowsily.

She had instantly fallen back asleep. Later that morning, with the sun shining brightly through the windows, Wynston bolted upright in bed, remembering that the baby had cried at some point during the night.

She whipped the covers back and stumbled to the crib.

It was empty...so was Eric's side of the bed. She padded hurriedly into the den and found Eric sitting on the floor with baby Eryn nestled against his shoulder. With his other hand, he was sketching furniture drawings in a pad on the floor.

He looked exhausted.

Never far away, Terrence sat beside Eric, eating cereal and milk while watching cartoons. "Eric can I hold the baby?" he chirped, never once looking away from his cartoons.

"Ummmm, maybe a little bit later if mommy says it's okay," Eric replied.

Relieved, Wynston grinned, leaning against the doorframe. As she watched her little family, she once again couldn't believe her luck. Eric was simply too good to be true.

She tiptoed quietly from the room and went to take a shower and throw on a t-shirt and a pair of cotton pants. Wynston wanted to relieve Eric so he could get some rest.

Freshly bathed and well-rested, she walked back into the den.

"HEY MOMMY," Terrence called. He scared the baby and caused Eryn to let out a lusty yelp.

"Oops! Sorry," Terrence whispered, covering his mouth.

"It's okay, baby. Just try to remember to be a little quieter." Wynston said.

She caressed Terrence's head and sat on the couch beside Eric. Leaning over, she kissed him on the lips and took the baby off his hands.

"Thank you for juggling the kids for me. You, my darling husband need to sleep. I'll take over," she said.

"Thank you baby," he replied tiredly as he got up off the floor. "FYI, I was kinda out of it earlier. I'm not sure if I put cow's milk or breast milk in Terrence's cereal. Shouldn't hurt, right?"

"ERIC!" Wynston shrieked. This time it was she who scared the baby.

"Mama! You suppose to remember to be a lil quieter!" Terrence exclaimed. He rolled his eyes as if Wynston understood nothing, and continued shoveling cereal into his mouth.

Wynston smirked and quieted Eryn, gently rocking her back and forth.

***Epilogue***

And so, Eric and Wynston lived their lives together, ruling their household with love, humor and passion.

They argued, and there were times when they wanted to strangle each other, but never once did they utter harsh words that could not be taken back. Their mutual respect for one another was too powerful for that.

And when their fights were over, the two made up by making love, sweeping each other away with the tides of ecstasy.

Everyday, they laughed and confided in each other, knowing that their secrets were safe, tucked away in each other's hearts. Eric and Wynston were best friends and everything special to each other.

Theirs was a singular bond that was rare. And they owed it all to fate and the intoxicating fragrance of Wynston's perfume.

***

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Wow, I can't believe this is it! It's been a long, tiring, exciting, wonderful adventure. Thank you so much for those of you who have stayed the course with me for the entire ride. Those e-mails and comments have kept me going long after I wanted to give up (and I thought about it, trust me).

There are some mean people in the world, and there were some hurtful comments/e-mails sent to me. But then I thought about those of you who build me up, and I finished "Perfume" just for you...I owed that to you.

Your enjoyment of my writing has encouraged me to keep story-telling. So this isn't the end for Eric and Wynston as Rob will be getting his own story. He and his brothers still have to work out issues with Hector. Also, Wynston still has to deal with that whole Detective Mowry mess. So this is not goodbye to Eric and Hughes, just a "See ya later" for now.

Special, special thanks to Brownskingurl. She listened to my problems and encouraged me; she really was my cheering section and I SO appreciate you, girl.

I'm writing other stories, so keep watching the Bio page for updates. I love you all, and I sincerely hope you enjoyed "Perfume."

Hugs,

LaLa