Made by Us: Giselle and Liam's Story (The Made Series Book 3) (2 page)

Wow! I’m unsure how to feel with business partners being the first thing he thinks of when it comes to us. We’re in a relationship as well.

“Everything will be fine. When are you leaving?”

“We’re flying out on Monday morning.”

“Okay.”

He leans in to kiss me but I move my head to the side, causing his lips to miss mine.

Quickly I state, “I think I’m coming down with something.”

He clenches his jaw.

“Whatever, Giselle. I’m going to call Mike and let him know I accept his offer. I hope you feel better.”

When the clock strikes 1:00, I get ready for my upcoming reunion with Ethan. After I apply moisturizer, I put on some foundation and
Sinnamon
lip gloss, since this is a special occasion.
God I hope I don’t sin.
Before I head out, I spot a note on the kitchen counter:

            Went to Mike’s.   

            -Liam                    

“Good,” I say and take one last look at myself in the foyer mirror before exiting.

Walking into Starbucks, I become uneasy with seeing Ethan after all this time. It’s 2:50. I order a green tea and have a seat in the far back corner. This is pathetic. I’m acting like a teenage girl again, sneaking around to meet with Ethan. He better not be late, maybe I shouldn’t be here. Grabbing my purse, I realize being here is an unwise choice. Then in walks Ethan. Time has been really good to him, he looks the same but hotter. Still has that gorgeous long dark hair and is wearing his signature bad boy black leather jacket. Our eyes lock as he heads towards me.

His baritone voice asks, “Giselle, you weren’t trying to leave were you?”

“No, I was getting situated.”

He chuckles, “You know I can always tell when you lie. Have a seat.”

Ethan pulls my chair out and I sit down. This is the man that I fell in love with and his bad boy image.

“Why did you want to see me?”

“I miss you.”

“Ethan, I don’t have time for your games and lies.”

He reaches for my hand and lays his on top. I don’t make him move it.

“This is no game. I’ve been waiting a long time for this day.”

“How did you find me?”

“That doesn’t matter. All that matters is we’re back together.”

I jerk my hand away.

“We are not together! You deserted me years ago and never gave us a second thought.”

“Leaving you was the hardest decisions I ever had to make. But I couldn’t give you all the things you deserved.”

Quietly I respond, “All I wanted was you, nothing else mattered.”

“I know. That’s why I had to choose the outcome for us. Love wasn’t enough.”

“You still should have said something.”

He grabs my hand, “Let’s take a ride.”

I throw my empty cup away as we walk outside. He leads me to a black Harley Davidson. 

Smiling, I say, “Some things never change.”

Ethan hands me a black helmet, then pulls his hair back and puts his on. He assists me as I climb onto the back of his motorcycle, but I think he was only trying to cop a feel.

When he gets on, I wrap my arms around his waist. The engine roars and we’re flying down the road. Riding with Ethan has always been my high. We used to go riding for hours and I would always miss curfew. Back then I did whatever I wanted and was completely reckless with him. When I was 17, Ethan dared me to go into 7-11 and steal something.
“Something small, because I know you’re scared.”
So I decided to steal a bottle of wine and that’s when he started calling me “little rebel.” He was such a bad influence, but always a good time.

I don’t know of how long we’ve been joy riding, but the sight of my car, brings me back to reality. Climbing off the bike, Ethan helps with removing my helmet.

“My hair’s probably a mess.”

He runs his hands through my shoulder length hair and fluffs my bangs, “No it’s perfect, like you.”

He has a longing look in his eyes. I know what this means and should stop him, but I don’t want to. He leans forward and kisses me. His soft lips against mine, reminds me of all the things he used to do with his mouth. I wrap my hands around his neck as he caresses my back. This must stop, but it feels so good. Liam enters my mind. I push Ethan off of me.

“I can’t do this. I’m with someone.”

“It’s obvious he isn’t making you happy.”

“That’s not true.”

He kisses my cheek, “We both know you’re lying.”

I don’t respond.

“Have dinner with me.”

“I can’t. Need to get home to Liam.”

Ethan glares and asks, “You live with him?”

“Yes, we live together but we don’t share the same room.”

Why did I tell him that?

He grins. “I’m going to call you tomorrow.”

He hops back on the motorcycle.

“It was good seeing you. Hopefully, next time I can see all of you.”

I should smack him, but I smile like a fool.

Driving home, I ponder on what I allowed Ethan to do. Kissing him is a huge no no. At 23 years-old, I know better and this isn’t proper behavior. Ethan’s the past and Liam’s my future. I just don’t understand why Liam isn’t interested in having sex and there’s a chance another woman may be in the picture. Oh my god, I hope he isn’t one of those down low men. Okay, I’m being stupid. The speakers let me know I have an incoming call from Liam.

“Hello?” I answer.

“Hey, where are you?”

“On my way home.”

“Are you feeling better?”

“Yes.”

“Mike has invited us to dinner, do you want to go?”

“Yeah, sounds like fun.”

“He made reservations for 7 at Waldorf’s.”

“Okay, see you soon.”

I take a quick shower and ready to go in no time.

“You look beautiful, Giselle.”

Tonight, I’m wearing a white shirt dress elaborated with gold sequins around the V-neck and cuffs. My wedge sandals are satin sheen gold with an ankle strap, the opened toe shows off my recent shellac nail polish.

Pleased, I reply, “Thanks, so do you.”

Liam looks handsome in his charcoal sweater, which has a white button down shirt underneath it and khaki pants. As we head to the door he slips on a metallic gray blazer. In the car, I apply
C-Thru
lip gloss.

“I love that you aren’t a high maintenance women who wears tons of makeup.”

“Don’t let the girls hear you say that. They hate that I really don’t wear it.”

He grabs my hand, “Who cares what they think; you’re perfect the way you are.”

Now I really feel bad for spending time with Ethan.

At Waldorf’s, we walk hand in hand and Liam tells the hostess that we’re here with the Walker party. Mike Walker stands once we reach the table. He’s a very attractive man, but I’ve heard that he’s a player. Marcia said that he sends his women to her boutique and spends a lot of money on them. Figures Liam’s friend would be a whore.

“Giselle this is my good friend Mike.”

He takes my hand and kisses it.

Looking at Liam, he says, “She’s very beautiful.”

“Back off, she’s mine.”, replies Liam with a smile. 

Liam pulls out my chair for me as the waiter comes over. Mike orders us champagne.

“Giselle, thank you for letting me steal away Liam for a few days.”

“It’s no problem; he’s the best.”

There’s a lot of business talk throughout the evening. They try their best to include me in the conversation but my thoughts are on Ethan.

“Giselle, it’s such an honor to meet you. Liam always speaks highly of you. I understand that Marcia is a friend of yours.”

“Yes, she’s one of my best friends.”

“I’ve been conducting a lot of business with her recently.”

Yeah, I know, you send your slut of the evening there
.

“Oh yeah?”

“Yes, I’m rather fond of her boutique and salon.”

I just smile and take a sip of my champagne. Once our entrées are ordered, I excuse myself to the ladies room. I really don’t need to use the restroom, I just want to see if Ethan texted me. My phone shows a message from him. The blood rushes to my cheeks and I can’t control the smile on my lips.                                                                                             

Ethan:
Little Rebel, I need to see you again.                                                                                             

Me:
I’m free on Monday after 2 pm.                                                                                       

Ethan:
Perfect and you will be staying the night.                                                                              

I throw my phone back in my purse immediately before I change my mind and make my way back to the guys. Dinner seemed to drag on and finally after dessert we leave. Mike thanks me again. He and Liam are meeting again tomorrow; darn I could have told Ethan I would see him then. On the ride home, Liam thanks me for joining him for dinner. He asks what I thought about Mike.

“He seems nice enough.”

We make small talk until we enter the apartment.

“I’m going to take a bath and go to bed. Care to join me?”

Liam sighs, “I’m going to catch up on some work. I’ll see you in the morning.”

Chapter Four

Early morning is my favorite time of day. Everything is peaceful and quiet. Running at this time relaxes me and helps me focus on what needs to be accomplished. Today my mind is racing: should I go see Ethan again? What about Liam? I don’t want to hurt him. I never got over Ethan. But he did break my heart.

It was Tuesday, May 16
th
, 2000. I woke up in a fantastic mood and excitement filled the air. It was my wedding day and I was going to marry the love of my life, Ethan Thomas. We had been together for three phenomenal years. He was my first in everything, relationship, love and sex.

Ethan was every parent’s worst nightmare. He was a rebel and didn’t respect authority. He drove a motorcycle, wore a leather jacket, smoked cigarettes and sometimes weed in public. They didn’t approve of our relationship and weren’t going to support this marriage. They just didn’t understand our connection. Ethan and I had so much in common. We both had crappy birth parents and were adopted by families outside of our race. Ethan was born in Japan and adopted by an older American family.

The night before, my father told me if I went through with this marriage they would cut me off. My mother kept saying we were too young and needed to go to college and experience life before marriage. I told them they wouldn’t change my mind, Ethan and I were meant to be together. My father stormed out of the room and my mom cried.

I was 18 years old and legally able to do as I pleased. I took my time in the shower and made sure my legs were silky smooth. Normally, I would wear cotton undergarments. Since this was my special day, I put on a white lace bra and panty set, it’s not every day you become a married woman. My wavy brown hair was placed in a high bun to show off the studded heart shaped earrings Ethan had given me. My dress wasn’t traditional, it was a short sleeved knee length white lace dress and I wore gold strappy sandals. I stared at myself in the mirror for a long time. I was sad that my parents weren’t going to be there, but that’s life. I pinched my cheeks and put on clear lip gloss, I was never interested in wearing makeup.

Before I walked out the house, my parents were in the kitchen whispering. Of course this stopped when they noticed me. My mother stated, “Please think this through Giselle. You don’t need to marry Ethan today. What’s the rush, if you guys are really in love?”

I placed my hands on my hips, “If we’re in love? Mom, you know I love him with my whole heart. He makes me happy and I’m marrying him today.”

My father shakes his head and said “You’re wasting your life away on that loser. If you marry him, don’t come back.”