Loves Second Chance

Chapter Eleven

Monday morning, Ryan made sure to wake up early. He had a few things that he needed to check up on, before waking Lacey. His first stop was to check out the Garage apartment to see if all the painting and decorating had been carried out. He wanted everything to be special for Lacey and Grace. When he walked into the apartment, he had to do a double take. Everything was freshly painted, and all the furniture was in its place.

The living room was painted an Oyster Shell white; Martha had placed an antique lace throw over the back of the sectional and had matching throw pillows all around. She'd also placed fresh flowers and candles on the end tables. The dining room was done in a café latte color as was the kitchen. Next, he went into the Grace room; Martha had decorated her room in soft violet colors. The walls were painted a Sugared Walters violet with coordinating curtains and bedspread. The last stop was Lacey's room. He'd bought the king size bed and cherry furniture for her room. Martha had chosen the bedspread and drapes, which were an Icy Waterfall blue; in fact, the entire room was decorated in varying shades of blue, just as Ryan had specified. This space had a very tranquil, restful feel to it. It was somewhere that he knew Lacey would be comfortable and he was pleased with Martha's work.

He would have never believed that this was the same apartment, the difference was remarkable. He knew as soon as Lacey saw this place, she'd love it; he just hoped she wouldn't be angry and thought he'd gone overboard. He noticed that the TV, Blue Ray and surround sound were set up, along with a rack of new Disney Blue Ray movies for Grace and a copy of Sweet Home Alabama for Lacey. Once he left her apartment, he went down to talk to Martha. He wanted her to bake several dozen cookies and have lunch ready for them when they arrived home with Grace. He wanted them to be comfortable in their new home. He knew Martha would adore Grace and Lacey and do everything in her power to make them feel welcome. Satisfied that everything was in order, he made his way back to his place to wake Lacey.

When he walked into the room, she was laying on her stomach, her hair fanned out around her on the pillow. She had her left arm and leg hanging off the side of the bed. He was mesmerized by the sight of her and just had to feel her soft skin under his fingers. Quietly, he sat down on the bed. He gently ran his hand up

her leg starting at her ankle and following it up to her thigh. She sighed softly but didn't wake up. Then he slipped his hand under her t-shirt to slide his hand up her back. He lovingly caressed her shoulders, her neck; then leaned down to place a soft kiss below her ear. She stirred in her sleep, flipped over onto her back and slowly opened her eyes.

"Good morning." She sleepily greeted him, a smile just touching her lips.

"Morning, Sweetheart." He whispered before leaning down to place a kiss on her soft lips.

Lacey pulled him closer to her, wrapping her arms around his neck. She ran her tongue along his bottom lip. He quickly took her into his arms and deepened the kiss. His lips left her mouth to blaze a trail of kisses down her neck towards her collar bone. He made the return trip a slow, sensual journey ending when he reached her lips. He knew that they needed to stop before it went too far; she lost sister and became a parent to a small girl. Her emotions were all over the place with all the twists and turns her life had taken in the last few days. He didn't want to take advantage of her when she was so vulnerable, so he reluctantly pulled back, and placed a kiss on the tip of her nose, before rising to stand next to the bed.

"You need to eat breakfast, Sweetheart and get a shower. As soon as you're ready, we'll head to the hospital and make sure Grace is all set to leave."

When they arrived at the hospital, a short time later, she mentally groaned at the sight of both her mother and Joe waiting in the Grace room. "Hi mom, I didn't expect to see you this morning," Lacey said, as she walked over to Grace bed.