Photobucket has stopped file sharing, apparently. So, all my stories are messed up. I’m going to be slowly working on updating them but this will take time. Intro is now updated. Thanks for reading and your patience!
Liebster Award
This morning I was nominated for the Liebster Award by Jazen, As Life Goes On ,one of my favorite bloggers and Sim Story writers ever. I really appreciate the nomination for my story, The Secret Life of Jewell. I was also nominated by TotalSimmer518, Big City, for my other story, Arrangement of Love. I honestly can’t believe I would be nominated for anything like this, I just enjoy playing and trying to tell a story. Thank you both soooo much!!
The Liebster Award is given by bloggers to bloggers, to promote the blogging sites we love and support.
Accepting the nomination comes with these conditions:
1. Post the award on your blog.
2. Thank the blogger who presented the award and link back to their blog.
3. Nominate 5-11 bloggers whom you feel deserve this award and have fewer than or equal to 3,000 followers.
4. Answer 11 questions posted by the nominator, and ask your nominees 11 questions.
My Nominations:
Most of the stories I want to nominate have already been nominated! I’ll still list them because they really are awesome! Some haven’t been updated in a while, but are still good, nonetheless!
Questions from my nominees:
1. How long have you been writing?
I began my first Sim story in June 2011. This was my first attempt at writing anything. It started very simply and I hope I have improved a little since then.
2. What was your very first story?
The Hostage
3. What other hobbies do you have outside of sims?
Reading, spending time with my kids, and enjoying the outdoors.
4. Of your sim stories, which one is your favorite and why?
I would have to say The Hostage. I fell in love with my characters and it’s kind of an ongoing story. I haven’t updated it for awhile, but I’ve left it open so I can always continue whenever I feel like it.
5. Do you remember the very first sim story you ever read?
I don’t remember the first one I ever read, but the one I remember being completely hooked on is by Jazen. Kiss of a Vampire.
6. If you could make 1 sim character a real person who would it be and why?
I would choose Merrilee Land. She’s a super strong lady who has been through so much, yet she always comes out on top and puts her family first.
7. What’s your favorite song?
I love all types of music, but anything by Michael Buble is my favorite.
8. What’s your favorite blogging platform and why?
I use WordPress. It’s the only one that I’ve tried and it works pretty simply.
9. Where do you get the ideas for your stories?
My stories usually just come from me playing the game. An idea will just pop into my head about a certain sim and I’ll run with it and do all sorts of crazy things.
10. If you won the lotto, what would be your first purchase?
Not really a purchase, but I would travel!
11. What’s your favorite supernatural to play and why?
My favorite supernatural has to be Vampire. There’s something about them, that I’m drawn to. I’m a sucker for Twilight!
- What gave you the idea to write your story? It just came to me to start a story about an older man wanting to start a new life.
- Who is your favorite character? Who is your least favorite? Merrilee Land is my favorite. I’m not sure I have a least favorite, I truly like all my sims. Moe, from The Hostage, was a bad, bad man, but I still loved to hate him!
- What are some of your hobbies other than simming? Reading, spending time outdoors and with my kids.
- What is your favorite Sims game? The Sims 3 is my favorite, although TS4 is growing on me. TS2 will always be a classic.
- Do you pull from your personal life experiences when writing out your story? Not really, my stories are mostly fantasy.
- What is your favorite trait in the Sims 3? Charismatic
- Favorite Expansion pack? World Adventures or Seasons
- When you first started play the Sims, which game did you start with? 1, 2, 3, or 4? I started forever ago with The Sims 1
- Favorite aspect of the Sims (do you like building, interior decorating, Create-a-sim, or actual game-play)? I love to play. I build a little, but I’m not great.
- Best place you ever lived? I’ve only ever lived in Kentucky, but I do love it here!
- What snack food do you like to eat when you’re writing? Popcorn
My Questions
- 1. How long have you been playing The Sims?
- 2.Which is your favorite The Sims Game?
- 3. Who is your favorite character that you’ve written about?
- 4. Which trait is your favorite for a sim?
- 5. When did you start writing stories for The Sims?
- 6. Are you the only “Simmer” in your household?
- 7.Do you play other games?
- 8. How do you come up with ideas for your stories?
- 9. Do you write first and then take photos’s or vise versa?
- 10. Have you ever killed a sim on purpose?
- 11. Do you “play” the game more, build, or write stories?
Something New!
I’ve made a new story. I hope you will take a minute to read it!
The Wedding
“Mommy! Mommy!” I hear two little voices waking me up from a deep sleep, I look down and see Mason and Jonathan standing next to my bed, their little eyes wide with excitement. I stretch and smile as I remember that today is the day. My wedding day.
Somehow, almost 3 years have passed and Mace and I still have not made it official. Mason, who is now 4 and Jonathan, almost 3 climb into the bed and snuggle close to me. I spy Mace standing in the doorway with a tray of food, breakfast in bed with my 3 favorite men, how wonderful.
The boys talk at the same time exclaiming how excited they are about the wedding. I don’t think they really know what a wedding is, only that we are having a party and they get to spend the week with the grandparents afterward. I’m not sure what has taken us so long to finally tie the knot, only that life with two small boys has kept us busy. I run my hand along my still flat stomach and wonder if this one will be a girl. Mace insisted once I told him about the new baby that it was time to get married.
After we finish eating, Mace scoops up Jonathan and exclaims, ” It’s time to let Mama get ready for the wedding.”. Mason relaxes on the bed as Mace offers a hand to help me up, ” Honestly, Mace. I’m not even showing yet. I think I can mange to get out of bed by myself”. He only grins and pulls me to my feet, planting a tender kiss on my cheek. ” I love you”, he says simply before I shoo him out of the room. ” It’s bad luck to see the bride on the wedding day, you know”, I scold. He grins again, “I don’t believe in bad luck anymore”, he says as he slowly wanders out of the room. I run a hot bath and relax in the bubbles. I think about how far we’ve come and everything we have been through. I must have dosed off for a few minutes because the next thing I know, Patrice, Zoe, and Allie come barging into the bathroom. “What on earth?”, Allie exclaims. ” You’re going to be all wrinkly!”. Patrice hands me a towel as I climb out of the tub. “Just make yourself at home, ladies. I don’t mind a bit that I’m naked,” I tease as I slip my nightgown back on.
They laugh as they start pulling me in three different directions to help me get ready. They all work on my hair and makeup, then help me pull on the dress. The girls put on their dresses and fix up their hair. After lots of laughter and a few tears they finally declare me ready.
Mace calls up the stairs that he and the boys are heading on to the church, they will meet us there. We pile in the limo that Mace hired and head to the church. The lot is full of cars which surprises me because I thought only family and close friends were coming but I guess when you marry into the Dawson family in Dragon Valley you can expect a crowd. We enter the church and hear the music playing, I peek through the half closed-door and see Mace standing at the alter adjusting the tie on Masons shirt and Jonathan watching intently. Mace’s parents have arrived and are talking to him before finding their seats.
Patrice and Grayson were married soon after Jonathan was born and they had their daughter, Grace, the following year. She and Jonathan are two peas in a pod when they get together. They are only almost 2 and 3 but Patrice and I still fantasize about them being together when they grow up. The music changes and the girls start the wedding march. Allie, Zoe and then Patrice walk slowly down the aisle.
I take a deep breath before making my way slowly up the aisle. Mace looks amazing in his tux, one that looks exactly like the one he had on the first time we met. He still makes my heart flutter even after all this time. He smiles as I stand before him and he takes my hand. Mace looks deep into my eyes as he recites his vow to me.
“Jewell, our road has been long and hasn’t always been easy, but I knew from the first moment I laid eyes on you that you were special, that you were mine. I pledge to you my deepest love, I pledge to always put you first before anything else, to always be faithful, to protect you and always be kind to you.I can’t wait to see what the rest of our lives hold. I love you.”, Mace says sincerely.
I wipe a tear from my face and take a deep breath, “My dear Mace, I chose you a long time ago, even when I couldn’t remember anything I still had dreams of you. There is something unbreakable between us, we have proven that. Today, I pledge to love you, to honor you, to give everything I have to you, to always be faithful and never doubt your love for me. I love you.”, I say tearfully. It’s like we are the only two people on earth. Mace pulls me in for a gentle kiss then dips me low into a deeper kiss and I lose my breath.
Everyone claps and stands as the ceremony comes to an end. Looking at the faces of all our friends and family, I can’t imagine a better day. We gather out in the church lawn for the reception. Mace makes a toast and I cut the cake. Mason entertains the little ones, while everyone relaxes and socializes.
Mace’s parents gather up Mason and Jonathan, they are keeping the boys for the week so Mace and I can have a honeymoon. It’s been a while since we have had any time alone and keeping the boys is their gift to us, along with the week vacation in Paris. I kiss the boys goodbye and then Mace and I take off to start the rest of our lives as husband and wife.
**Extra photo’s from the wedding ( I took way too many pictures!)
Chapter 31: Adjusting to a New Life
I sit in the office typing an email to Patrice. She and Grayson recently left to go back to Isla Paradiso. They came to see the new baby, I finish my letter and attach a photo of my little family. I lean back in the chair and take a deep breath. So much has changed in such a short time.
We brought home our beautiful baby boy, Jonathan Mace a few months ago and also brought his older brother Mason home a short time later. Mason had been staying with Mace’s parents during the last several months. Mace allowed me time to get used to the fact that he had a child with another woman. Also time to get used to being a mother to Jonathan. Mace divided his time between the two homes, but I couldn’t let him continue. Little Mason had nothing to do with what happened and I couldn’t see keeping him apart from his father and brother any longer.
It’s been an adjustment, I won’t lie, but honestly everyone is happier this way. Although, the grandparents did spoil him rotten, we are slowly getting into a routine. Mason is accepting me as his mother, he never really got the chance to know Victoria anyway, she was too consumed with jealousy and rage towards me that she paid little attention to him. I’m working on teaching him his skills now and it seems to be going well. He can already say a hand full of words, the first being dada, which made Mace so proud.
We also had to move houses. My beautiful little cottage was just too small, we had converted a small room into a nursery but it was barely big enough for one baby, let alone adding a toddler. Mace found us a comfortable home just around the corner on a quiet street. It has 2 large bedrooms, plus a nursery right off the master bedroom. It’s not as cozy as my stone cottage but it’s nice and large. At first Mace wanted a much larger home, similar to the size of his parents. I guess he thought that’s what I wanted, but I don’t want the boys to grow up in a castle. I’d like them to become normal little boys, without thinking they deserve everything handed to them. This house will be fine for a long while, at least until we decide if we want more children.
I’ve decided to stop working to stay home with the boys. It’s really not like I had been doing much anyway since coming back but they were kind enough to offer me my position back. With two small boys it was just too much. Mace and his father, Vincent, made sure Victoria was banished from Dragon Valley forever. She was also given an elixir that completely dissolved her vampire powers. Now she is only a mere human, something she despised more than anything. I thought for a short time about confronting her, to let her know that I survived her torture but decided to be a.bigger person and just let it go.
Mace on the other hand was not so easy-going. He made sure that she will spend the rest of her human life in a work camp, and not a cushy low security prison. Zeke and Rosa were also imprisoned. Zeke got life and Rosa, 25 years for being an accomplice, both have been moved far away from here. I did reach out to Rosa and let her know that even though she made some bad choice that I didn’t think she was a terrible person. She just fell in with the wrong crowd. Her imprisonment won’t be as harsh and allows for education and job placement when she gets out. Her only condition on release is to stay far away from Dragon Valley. Since Victoria was convicted of crimes against a human, Mace was able to appeal for an annulment, which thankfully was granted. So he is no longer a married man, at least for a while anyway. We’ve talked about getting married and will once life slows down just a little. Maria has now accepted me as Mace’s partner, she apologized for forcing the marriage between mace and Victoria. She realizes now that true love is more important than pure blood lines. She and I have become very close and even her relationship with Vincent has improved. There’s nothing like a tragedy to bring people together.
I stand up from my desk and listen to the quiet in the house. It’s not normally this quiet, usually at least one of the babies keeps me on my toes and most often both of them. I tiptoe up the stairs to peer in on Mason. He’s sleeping comfortably in his room. This room is large enough that when Jonathan becomes a toddler we will move his crib in here. They will share this rooms.as they grow. I pull the blanket up just a bit before softly touching his head. He looks so much like Mace it’s unbelievable. He has his dark hair and his complexion.
Walking on down the hall, I reach the nursery and see sweet Jonathan sleeping soundly. His features haven’t shown up as defined as Mason yet, of course he’s still an infant. I’m eager to see who he will look like once he becomes a toddler. As of right now, we don’t think he has the vampire gene. He definitely has my skin tone and not the translucent glow of his father. I don’t mind that he may not be a vampire but I hope it won’t cause problems between him and his brother.
Mace walks in and puts his arm around me and we stare at Jonathan for a few moments, he starts to speak but I stop him with a kiss. All of my memories have returned, at least I think they have. I don’t feel lost anymore. No more fogginess. I remember all the things that matter, Mace and my love for him. Our boys. Our friends. Our life. Mace takes my hand and leads me into our bedroom, smiling he closes the door.
Chapter 30 Date Night
I pace the floor nervously and glance at the clock again. It’s now 5:30, I’ve been ready for an hour and I’m anxiously awaiting for Mace to get here. I can’t belive I feel so nervous. I walk into the bedroom and fiddle with my hair, checking my makeup one last time. I smooth my, dress down around my large waistline and look in the mirror. 
Not bad for a big pregnant lady. I look at the clock again, only 5:40. I hear a knock on the door and rush quickly into the front room. I fling the door open and Mace stands there nervously clutching a small bouquet of flowers. I smile, “Hi!” He holds the flowers out in front of him and grins, “Hello. You look beautiful.”
I accept the flowers and place them on the table, then turn around to look at him. “Are you ready to go?”, he asks. I nod my head and take his hand, he leads me outside to the car. He squeezes my hand as he opens the car door with the other and helps me into the car.
Quickly, he climbs in and takes off down the road. I smile nervously and wring my hands as we quickly roll on down the street. Mace smiles and takes my hand in his, “Are you nervous?”, he asks. “No, of course not.”, I reply, then smile. “Well, maybe just a little.”. We pull into the restaurant parking lot and walk in together.
I notice there are no other customers as several waiters line the entry way. I glance at Mace but he doesn’t even seem to notice why I’m staring at him. “You rented the whole place?”, I ask. ” Well, I didn’t want any interruptions on our date. I was thinking only of myself, of course. I wanted you all to myself.” he replies with a grin. We enjoy a wonderful meal with all my favorite foods.
Mace entertains me with stories of our past. They seem like a dream, I can sort of remember the things once he tells me, but it’s foggy. After a delicious dessert, we take a walk down the street. Hand in hand, we walk and laugh about how everyone on the street stops and stares. I realize now why he rented the place out. Mace alone gets a lot of attention but, then with my story combined with him, well we are stopping traffic. Literally one car stopped to wish us well. Everyone is so friendly and thankful that I’m home safe.
Finally, I say it’s late and had better get home. Mace drives me home and walks me to the front door, nervously taking my hands in his. ” Thank you for agreeing to go with me tonight. It was great spending time with you.”, he says sweetly. “I had fun, maybe you’ll ask me out again sometime. “, I say teasingly. “Maybe I will”, he says with a smile. He leans down and softly kisses my lips, for a brief second before quickly pulling away.
I touch my lips and smile as he backs down the stairs, smiling. “I’ll call you tomorrow.”, he says as he jumps in his car. I walk into the house with a huge grin on my face. He just may succeed in making me fall in love with him again.
The next few weeks pass quickly. Everyday Mace sends me flowers or love notes and takes me on a date. Each time leaving me with only a small kiss at the end of the night. I admit to wanting more but he insists in taking it slow, which apparently we did not do the first time around. He seems to be thoroughly enjoying himself. I’m having fun too, getting to know him better and falling in love with him again, but I’m ready to move to the next level. Sure, I may be 8 months pregnant but I want more than a peck on the lips at the end of the night.
Tonight, Mace does the usual routine. He kisses me lightly, but this time I grab his neck and hold his face close to mine. I kiss him again as I look into his eyes. At first he tries to pull away, but I tell him no. Hungrily he pulls me close and kisses me deeper. I moan loudly my approval and kiss him back. “Come in”, I demand.
He scoops me up into his arms and pushes the door open, still kissing me. My hands are wrapped in his hair, trapping his face to mine. He kicks the door shut with his foot and sets me down, never stopping, his hands wandering down my body.
Gently caressing my belly before wrapping around to my backside pulling me into him. I moan again but for a different reason this time. “Mace!”, I moan. “Jewell, I love you.”, he responds. “Mace!”, I say again urgently this time. He pulls away and looks at me. A pained expression in my face scares him,
” I’m sorry. I got caught up, I’ll go now” he says. “Mace. No!”, I practically shout. ” The baby’s coming, I think.” I try to breathe but the contractions start coming even harder. I grab his hand and squeeze as I cry out. “Ohhhh!” “Jewell! The baby! Oh, wow! What do we do?”, he questions. All I can get out is “Hospital!” He scoops me back up and runs to the car settling me inside. He races to the hospital arriving only moments later. He carries me inside and hands me over to the doctors. They quickly get me in a room and thankfully it doesn’t take long before the baby arrives.
Chapter 29 Picking up the Pieces
It’s been 3 days since the blow up with Mace. Patrice has not left my side, but her plane is scheduled to go back to the island tomorrow. She has confirmed Mace’s story. Apparently, I was aware of everything and even encouraged him to marry Victoria. I still don’t understand. Have I changed that much? I lay on the bed, having no desire to move. I wonder if it’s all worth it, maybe I’ll never get my memory back. I’ll go through the rest of my life not being able to trust anyone. Never knowing why I would choose to let the “love of my life” marry another woman. Patrice knocks on my bedroom door. “Come in”, I whisper. 
She stands next to me, “You have to leave your room at some point.”, she says as she shakes her head. “I know, I just feel so lost. I thought once I got back, everything would fall into place and my memory would return. I just don’t know who I am.”, I say with tears feeling my eyes. She climbs on the bed and sits next to me, “I know, but Jewell you’ve only been home a few days. You were gone for 6 months. You had a vampire wipe your memory. Needless to say, it’s gonna take some time to feel normal again. Have you thought about letting Mace influence some of your memories?”, she asks quietly.
“No, I didn’t know he could do that. He never mentioned it, but I guess he never really had a chance. The doctor told him, told everyone to not reveal too much information about my past, I pressured him to tell me what he did the other day. I think I would be better off not knowing.” I shrug my shoulders as I look at Patrice. “No, of course you wouldn’t. Once you remember everything you will realize how much you loved Mace. You’ll remember why you agreed to this arrangement.”, she touches my hand. “I’m just not ready to see him again. I feel like I’ve been betrayed. It’s all crazy, he told me the truth, but I could see that he didn’t want too. He knew I wouldn’t accept this as the truth. I still have a couple of months until the baby gets here. I… I think I want to go home.”, I look down at my hands in my lap.
“Go home? To the Island?”, Patrice questions. “Yes, I can’t stay here alone. I’m not ready to be here with Mace. You all are going back tomorrow, I can’t expect you to stay here indefinitely. You have a life to get back to. Didn’t we have a house together? Did you get another roommate?”, I say quickly. “Um, no I don’t have another roommate. Of course you can come back with us. How did you know we roomed together?”, she asks. “Well, I don’t know. I just assumed, I guess. So, I can go home with you?”, excitement filling my voice. “Of course you can, but do you think that’s the best idea? What about Mace? He won’t let you go that easily, he loves you.”, Patrice says with concern.
“I’ll explain it to him, I’m sure he will understand.” Patrice just shakes her head, “I don’t know. He just found you, he’s gonna go nuts.” Patrice leaves the room and I start packing some clothes, which didn’t take long since I don’t have many things that still fit. Nervously, I pull out my phone and decide to call Mace and let him know my decision. I punch in the numbers and wait, the first ring he picks up.
“Hello! Jewell, are you alright?”, he quickly answers. “Oh, Mace. Yes, I’m fine. I just thought I should tell you that I’m going home with Patrice. I think it will be good to get back home and see how things feel.”, I try to explain. “Home?”, he asks. I can hear the sadness in his voice. “Well, yes.”, I say shortly. “Oh, I thought you considered this your home. You used too, anyway.”, he sighs.
“Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean anything by that. I’m sure you understand. I think when I’m surrounded by my friends, I’ll feel more at ease, not so much pressure.”, I explain. “Alright, how long do you expect to be gone? Do you want me to come with you?”, he says hopefully. “I think I should go on my own and I’m not sure how long I’ll be gone, but of course I’ll stay in touch.”, I say as I look out the window.
“Alright, of course. When are you leaving?”, he asks. “In the morning.”, I respond. Silence fills the distance between us, “Mace, are you still there?”. I hear him sigh, “Yes. I’m here. Just let me know if you need anything. I’ll be there in a minute, I swear.”, he promises. “I will, I’ll talk to you soon. Goodbye”, I say softly. I can barely hear his response as I hang up, “I love you”, he says.
The next morning, Patrice takes our bags to the porch. Grayson, Allie, and Zoe are all ready to go and have pulled in to take us to the airport. Grayson walks up the steps to get my bag, “Good morning, Jewell. I hope you’re feeling well today.”, he says properly.
He gives Patrice a quick hug, but the intensity is there and I look away. I walk outside and see Allie and Zoe waiting by the car. As I’m walking toward them, I feel light-headed for a moment. I grab my head and stop walking. Everyone stops and looks at me with concern. “Jewell, are you alright?”, Patrice asks as she walks closer to me. I nod my head as I fall to my knees. An image fills my mind, a memory.
I hear a voice in my mind, “Our first kiss.” I stop and focus on that memory. I can remember that night! I gasp as more images fill my mind, dancing and seeing Mace for the first time. Another memory of him playing the piano later that evening.
I remember feeling overwhelmed by my feelings that night. He was so handsome and mysterious. The whole evening rushes back to me. I feel dizzy and sit down on the ground. I see Patrice wave the others away as they start to rush toward me. She walks slowly closer to me, but doesn’t say anything. I remember how gentle he was later that night when I gave myself to him the first time. My first time ever.
My eyes fill with tears, “Patrice, I can’t go. I need to stay here.” Patrice hugs me tight,”What happened? Are you alright?”. I nod my head, “Yes, I just…I remember something. Mace and I, together. I think it was the first night we met. It was amazing, Patrice I have to stay here and see if I can remember more.” I hug Patrice tight and look around, everyone is staring at me and smiling. I’m assuming they think I’m making the right decision.
Allie finally comes up to me, “Thank goodness, girl. You’re finally coming to your senses. We all know you belong here. Good luck with getting your memory back. I love ya!”, she says as she hugs me tight. Zoe walks over to me and gives me a quick hug, “You know we are here for you, whatever you need. If you need to come to the Island, you come on. Anytime!” Grayson looks awkward, but quickly hugs me and says, “Zoe’s right. If you need anything. We are here for you, all of us.”, he says and quickly walks back to the car. Patrice joins him and they hold hands, I look over toward them, “I’m not sure if I told you before, but you two are perfect for each other.”, they both smile. Patrice looks embarrassed, but smiles broadly. They all pile in the car and I wave at them as they drive away. I miss them already, but I know I need to figure out Mace and my memory. I feel a chill in the air as I walk back in the house. I have a feeling that Mace was behind that memory somehow. I recall Patrice mentioning that he could influence my memory, I wonder if that’s what happened. It was a strange feeling, but I’m really glad it happened, I can’t run from my past. As I’m walking through the house, my phone rings. “Hello?”, I say as I pull the phone from my pocket.
“Jewell, it’s me, Mace. Everything OK, there?”, he asks innocently. I smile as I hear his voice, “Yes, everything is fine. How are you?”, I ask, playing along with his game. “I’m well. So…”, he hesitates. “Mace, I know you know that I didn’t go to the Island. You can drop the act.”, I smile as I reply to him.
“Oh, well… OK”, he says quickly. “Are you close? Can you come over? I’d like to talk.”, I question. “Actually, I’m outside.”, he says nervously. I laugh, “Well, come on in then.” Before I can even stuff the phone in my pocket, Mace is standing in the doorway. “Hello”, he says casually. I walk closer to him and smile, “Thanks for the memory.” He looks away, “Um, thanks. You’re not mad?”. I take his hand in mine, “No, I think it was just what I needed to encourage me to remember. I was feeling so discouraged before. Now, I got a taste of what I’ve been missing and I want more. So, no. I’m not mad. Thank you.”.
Mace smiles for the first time, a real smile and I realize I want to see more of that smile. “I have an idea. Would you go on a date with me tonight?”, he asks quietly. I smile again, “A date?”. He leans toward me, “I thought it might be too much to try to just carry on like nothing was wrong. You can’t remember how we fell in love or our life together before, so maybe we need to start over. I’ll just have to make you fall in love with me again.”, he grins. “Ok. That sounds perfect. I’d love to go on a date with you.”, I respond.
“Great! Ok, then. I’ll be back at 6:00 to pick you up.”, he says as he backs toward the door. “You’re leaving?”, I ask. “Yes, I have to get ready for my date tonight.”, he says with a grin as he disappears quickly. I shake my head and decide that I better start getting ready for my date too.
Special: Patrice Falls in Love
I was sitting at home, bored out of my mind when Grayson called, “Hey, Patrice! Whats up this weekend?” I smile when I hear his voice, “Not much. Allie and Zoe, both have to work all weekend.”, I complain. “I rented a boat for the weekend, I thought maybe you’d want to go with me. We could do some snorkeling and head to Zoe’s campground. It’s been awhile, since I’ve had some time off and couldn’t think of anyone I’d rather spend it with.”, he says.
My heart rate picks up, should I spend the weekend with him? I shake my head, we are only friends. Jewell is happily off in Dragon Valley with Mace. It’s been a few months since I’ve seen her, but we keep in touch by phone. I’m not sure what she would think about the feelings I’ve started having for Gray. Nothing has happened and he doesn’t know how I feel. Realizing that I haven’t answered his question, I turn my attention back to the phone in my hand, “Yea, that sounds fun. I’ll leave Allie and Zoe a message and let them know where we will be in case either of them wants to join us”, I say trying to keep things light. “Ok, sure. That sounds fine. I’ll pick you up in a couple of hours in front of your house. See ya, Patrice.”, he says. Did he hesitate or did I imagine that? Quickly, I throw a change of clothes in a bag and put my bathing suit on. I think about calling Jewell before leaving but then stop.
What am I going to say? “Oh, hey Jewell. Just wanted to let you know that I’m going camping with your ex for the weekend. Hope you don’t mind, plus I think I’m in love with him. Yea. That won’t work. Did I just say love? I am not in love with Grayson. That’s crazy. Ok, really what’s really crazy is me talking to myself. “. I jot down a quick note and leave it on the table. Allie and Zoe both have keys to my place and will find it if they have extra time.
I grab my bag and head outside to wait for Gray. I try to calm my nerves telling myself that we are only friends. He hasn’t expressed any interest in me at all. A million thoughts run through my head. If I had been at work, would he be taking Allie or Zoe instead? Allie has a boyfriend and I couldn’t see her spending the weekend with anyone else, even as friends. Not alone anyway. Zoe probably would but those two act more like brother and sister than anything else. I see a large boat coming closer, so I try to stop the voices in my head and wave as Grayson pulls closer. He reaches his hand out to grab my bag, throws it in the boat and then reaches for my hand. As our fingers touch, I swear I feel electricity. I look up at him and smile. ” This is going to be so fun, I’m really glad you called.”, I say quickly, trying to hide the fact that I’m blushing. ” Yea, me too. I’m glad you could come.” he replies as he takes his seat behind the wheel.
The wind picks up as we cruise along the water, after about an hour of just riding around he pulls the boat to a stop in the middle of the ocean. He slips out of his clothes, down to his swimsuit and jumps in, ” What are you waiting for?” He calls out. I just laugh and jump in next to him. The water feels heavenly, it’s so hot outside but the water is nice and cool.
We splash each other for a bit before putting on out goggles to snorkel some. We point to some of the colorful fish we see and laugh about how funny some of them look. ” We better head on to the camp before it gets dark”, Gray says and I climb in the boat nodding my head. Just a short time later, we reach the campsite. Grayson unloads the supplies and sets up the tent. I swallow as I see how small it is. He builds a fire as I grill some hotdogs, please don’t let me burn them I pray.
Grayson lights the torches before sitting down, its later than I realized seeing how dark it has become. We both eat a couple hotdogs and I clean up the mess. Gray sits at the fire pit poking it with a big stick, I warm my hands by the fire even though I’m not cold,
” I guess I’ll turn in now, thanks for such a great day!” I say as I walk toward the tent. ” OK, I’ll probably just grab that sleeping bag and sleep here by the fire. I’m not quite sleepy yet,” he responds still staring at the fire. “Alright, then. Night!” I toss and turn until finally I fall asleep.
The next morning, I’m up before Grayson. I see him curled up in the sleeping bag sound asleep. I quickly make my way to the outhouse to try to clean up a bit before he wakes. I wash my face and brush my teeth for good measure. On the way back, I notice he’s awake and sitting in a chair, silently watching the ocean. I tiptoe behind him and cover his eyes with my hands ” Guess who?”, I whisper in his ear teasingly.
I feel him smile as he takes my hands in his, stands up and pulls me closer. “That would work better if we weren’t the only two people here.” he whispers back and smiles. He puts his arm around my waist and I quickly smile and kiss his check before realizing what I had done.
I catch my breath as I realize our faces are only inches apart. I feel him holding my hands and rubbing small circles with his thumbs. “Grayson,” I begin to say as he pulls me even closer then his lips are on mine and he’s kissing me. Softly at first, then once I realize what he’s doing I respond. His hands wrap around my waist and we are melting together. Its everything I imagined it would be, kissing him is like heaven.
All too quickly though my brain kicks in, you can’t kiss Jewel’s boyfriend. I pull away and take a step back. He’s not her boyfriend. She choose Mace, she’s happy, I think to myself as I pull him to me this time and kiss him hungrily. Gray is unaware of my internal war and seems pleased that I am kissing him back. I swear I can feel him smiling while he’s kissing me, “Patrice, I’ve wanted to do this for so long. It just never seemed the right time to bring it up, until now”. I groan as I pull away again, “Gray, we cant do this. I honestly have felt something for you for a while now, but Jewell is my best friend. My sister almost. I have to talk to her first. “. He runs his hands through his hair, ” I understand. I don’t think she’ll have a problem with this though. She’s happy. I deserve some happiness too and you make me happy. ” I feel like I’m on air, I can’t believe he just said that. “Let’s still have fun today and tomorrow when I get home I’ll talk to Jewell. “, I say. Now he groans, ” I’m not sure I can keep my hands off you all day and especially tonight, now that I know you feel the same way.” I feel a rush of heat as he takes my hands again.
Grayson slowly leans in and kisses me softly, “Come on, let’s cool off!”, he runs to the beach and jumps in the ocean. We snorkel and swim for several hours, before getting out and drying off. We spread towels out on the ground and rest. The sun feels fabulous, Grayson pulls out a book and starts reading. Although, I can feel him watching me over the book. I smile, “Are you really reading that book?”. “Of course!”, he says with a smile. “It’s very interesting.” “Really? What’s the name of it?”, I tease. “Um, well… “, he laughs and puts the book away.
I challenge Grayson to a game of horseshoes, neither one of us have ever played. It was a lot of fun, but we didn’t know how to keep score so we called it a tie. We also fish for a little while, all the while Grayson keeps stealing glances at me. The tension in the air is palpable, I’m not sure how I’ve not noticed it before.
After a while, we sit by the fire and talk. We’ve been friends forever, so just sitting and talking comes naturally for us. Although, this time, Grayson reaches over and often and caresses my cheek.
He starts to tickle me and somehow I end up cradled in his lap. He kisses me softly and I can’t move. I really should scoot over and off of him but I want that connection. I want to be close to him. We talk for hours until we noticed the sun going down.
I kiss him longingly, ” Its late. I’m going to head to bed now. ” he nods his head, as he watches me climb in the tent. ” Goodnight, Patrice “. I lay in the tent staring at the door. Wanting him to come in and also hoping he doesn’t. My heart races as I hear the zipper on the tent going up, he peeks his head in and smiles. I can’t resist his smile. ” Room for one more?”, He asks innocently. I can’t speak so only nod my head. “I just want to be near you, I’ll behave. I promise. “. I pull him to me and kiss him ” I’m not sure I can behave though.” The look he gives me almost makes me combust. “Only a few more days. I don’t want you to have any regrets when we are together. I don’t want you worried about Jewell. I want us to be perfect. So, we can wait a few more days”, he says before adding ” I think” with a grin. I lay my head on his shoulder and fall asleep as he rubs small circles on my back.
Chapter 28 Truth revealed
The next morning after eating a huge breakfast that Mace made, we sit at the table talking. “Will you tell me what you know, tell me what happened to me?”, I plead. Mace looks worried, “The doctor told me not to force you.”
“I need you to tell me what you know.”, I say. He takes a deep breath,” I don’t know exactly what happened but what I can figure out is that you stopped by the hospital that morning, you must have suspected you were pregnant. You were heading to work, you manage a small band here in town and stopped there before going to a concert they were performing. Somehow, Victoria must have found out that you were pregnant and was very unhappy about it. I’m not sure how she took you or what happened next. She was able to block that from me, but I suspected something was wrong when I couldn’t get a trace on your mind. “, he hesitates but I urge him to continue,
“I raced home, nothing was missing. Everything was just as it was that morning, nothing out of place. I went to Victoria’s but she wasn’t home and I couldn’t track her or… I knew something was wrong then.”, he stops and looks at me nervously. “So, I went to my parents house and they said Victoria had been there earlier in the day and dropped, um… something off. Anyway, when I got back to the house the next morning after searching all night, I noticed a letter on the table. I knew it wasn’t there earlier and there was no trace of you. I knew you didn’t leave that letter. The letter said you weren’t happy here anymore and wanted to go back to Isla Paradiso and your old boyfriend, Grayson. I didn’t believe that for a minute. I could tell how happy you were. I called Grayson right then and of course he hadn’t spoken with you in months. Then, I called your friend Patrice. She had spoken with you a few days before, she said you didn’t mention anything about going back. You told her how great things were and Patrice told you that she and Grayson were dating. You mentioned it to me after that phone call. You were happy for them. Once they knew something was wrong, all your friends came. Of course, the police got involved. A massive search was initiated, but I knew who was responsible.”, Mace takes a deep breath, “Do you want me to continue? It’s a lot of information, maybe we should take a break. “, Mace says.
“No, please go on. I want to know everything. I need to know.”, I plead. “Alright, so the next few days pass. The search is in high gear, when Victoria suddenly shows back up. She was trying to act all innocent, like she didn’t know what was going on. We were all gathered at my parent’s house, all of your friends from the Island, your band members and some family friends.
I could tell she was trying to hide something though. She tried to join in on the search, but she was causing more stress for your friends and for myself so I took her by the arm and lead her outside. ” “Victoria, where is Jewell. I know you had something to do with her disappearance!”, I yelled at her. “Mace, darling. I have no idea where she is, but I’m so concerned for her. What can I do to help?”, Victoria asked. “Nothing! You can tell me where she is. So help me, I will destroy you.”
Victoria looked nervous. “Honestly, I don’t know.”, I grabbed her around her neck and yelled, “Where is she? I’ve been blind to your games but this is beyond anything I could imagine you would do. If you have harmed one hair on her head, you will pay with your life!” Victoria tried to escape from my grasp, but she only struggled. I’m much stronger than she. I honestly wanted to kill her, but I stopped myself. I couldn’t destroy her when she was the only one who knew where you were. I had some of the guards take her to the prison, she has stayed there since but she still won’t confess. She is in some miserable surroundings, but she still thinks she was winning, by keeping you from me. I knew deep down that you were alive, I knew if you could you would find your way back. Now that Rosa and Zeke have been arrested, they both confessed everything. Telling the police that Victoria was behind it the whole time. I just hope you will get your memory back so you will know how much I love you and how much you love me.”, finally Mace finishes his story.
“Wow. I can hardly believe all this. I’m just confused about a couple things. Why would this Victoria care so much about me being pregnant? I’m must be missing something. I mean, I know you are a vampire. I figured that much out. I’m assuming she was too, but what was she to me? To us?”, I ask as he reaches across the table to hold my hand.
The look on Mace’s face worried me, “Victoria is, was… Jewell, it’s hard to explain and it’s not going to sound right.”, he starts. “Mace, I need to know. What are you keeping from me? I have a right to know.”, I say feeling more upset by the minute. He pulls away and squeezes his temples with his hands, running his fingers through his hair.
“Victoria was… my wife, but it was just in name only. I had to marry her, some stupid family tradition thing. It’s stupid and I never should have agreed with it.”, he rambles on and on. My heart sinks, “Stop, just stop talking. You were married to her? I was your mistress? Is that right? Well, of course she was upset about finding out that I was pregnant. What kind of person am I? What kind of person are you?”, I pull away from him and walk to the window, staring out.
“Jewell, it’s not like it sounds. This was all out in the open. Victoria knew everything, she knew I married her for my family only. We were together first and then we decided I would do this. It’s sounds crazy, I know but we made it work. Victoria and I were not together like you’re thinking. I lived here with you, all the time. We were happy.”, he explains. “So, is that everything then? I want the truth. I can’t remember who I was if you lie to me.”, I demand. He looks down, “No, it’s not everything. I have a child… with her. My heir, the whole reason for the marriage. We were together the one night and thankfully that was all. I have a son to carry on the family name.”, he says softly. “No!”, I cry, my hands covering my face as I wept.
“I can’t trust anyone! I though I could trust you, but you were married to the woman who kidnapped me. You have a child with her? This is ridiculous! I can’t imagine I would agree to this, why would I do that?”, I demand. Mace walks toward me and tries to take me in his arms. “Don’t touch me. “, I say recoiling from his touch.
“Jewell, you agreed to it because you love me. You didn’t want me to shirk my duty of carrying on the family name. We agreed to this. It was hard at first, but once we knew she was pregnant she was more of an after thought. We didn’t have much to do with her. She had her own house, her own life.”, he tries to explain. “She must have wanted to be more than just an after thought. She went so far as to wipe my memory and move me 2 countries away. She wanted you for herself.”, I yell. “You’re right. She did, but she knew I didn’t want her! I love you! I’ve always loved you.”, he says with a sob.
“I can’t do this. I can’t be here with you. This all sounds so wrong. I need to be alone.”, I say quietly as I walk away from him, putting more distance between us. “I just got you back, Jewell. Please, I can’t lose you again.”, he pleads. “I’m sorry… I need to be alone. Please just leave, just leave me alone!”, I shout as I run to the bedroom and slam the door.
“Jewell! Please! “,Mace says as he pounds on the door. “Just leave!”, I yell as I collapse on the floor in tears. “Alright, please don’t be upset. I’ll go. I’ll be at my parent’s house. The information is in the drawer by the stove if you need me, please just call. Will you be ok here alone?”, he asks. “I’ll be fine.”, I say quietly as I hear him walk away from the door.
I cry silently in my room, before realizing I’m not alright alone. I pick up my phone and call the only person I think I can trust. I dial the number and wait. “Hello? Jewell, are you ok?” “Patrice? Are you still in Dragon Valley? Can you come over?”, I cry. “Yes, of course! I’m still here, we are all still here. Our flight home doesn’t leave until later this week. I’ll be right there!”, she responds. Just a few moments later, I hear the doorbell ring. I fling the door open and Patrice is standing there. I breakdown in tears when I look at her, she wraps me in her arms and leads me to the couch.
Chapter 27 Back Home
Mace walks me down the long hallway to the doctor’s office. He holds my hand and leads me to the door. “Are you sure you want to go in by yourself?”, he asks. I look into his eyes and shake my head no, “But, I think I should. I can do this.”, I reply. “I know you can. You are the strongest person I know. “, he kisses the top of my head. Nervously, I knock on the door and hear the doctor tell me to come in. “I’ll be right here, waiting until you are finished. If you need anything…”, Mace says as he points to a chair right outside the door.
I nod my head as I open the door. Inside the office, is a well dressed lady sitting behind a large desk. She jumps right in as I look around the office and pick a chair to sit in. “Welcome Jewell or do you prefer Dolly?”, she asks in a soft voice.
“Jewell is fine, Dolly never felt… right.”, I explain. “Oh and how does Jewell feel?”, she asks. “Jewell feels.. good. Not strange.” I reply, after thinking for just a second. “So, tell me what you remember.”, she prompts. I stop myself from rolling my eyes, “Well, before waking up in Moonlight Falls, nothing.”, I say abruptly. “Ok, so tell me about waking up that morning.”, she questions. I cringe, “It was terrible. I can remember waking up and not having a clue as to where I was. The house was a complete dump. I didn’t even recognize my own reflection. This strange man tells me that we are living together and I didn’t even know his name.”, I explain.
“You weren’t afraid of this man though?” I pause to think about the question. “Well, of course at first I was. I mean, imagine waking up and a nearly naked man comes into the room and you don’t know who he is, where you are, or even how you got there. I hid behind the dresser, but he seemed so calm, amused even at me hiding. So, then I felt silly for being scared, even though I still didn’t know who he was. He never hurt me, he acted somewhat concerned about me, I guess.”
“Tell me about Rosa.”, she prods. “Rosa acted like my best friend. When she confirmed who I was and gave me some insight on who I had been, or who they wanted me to think I was. I trusted her, but now I see that it was all a lie, a set up. They, someone, planted that library card in that purse knowing I would check it out and Rosa played her part beautifully. The concerned best friend, ha!”
After an intensive therapy session, I walk out of the office feeling completely worn out. I don’t feel like we accomplished much, I still don’t have any memories, but Dr. Light says everything went well. We made plans to meet 3 times a week. She gives me a card with her name and phone number on it and tells me to call her anytime I need to. Mace stands up and hugs me as I leave the office, he leads me back to my room. We convince the doctor to let me go home, physically I’m fine, the baby is fine. I can work on my memory at home. I’m anxious and nervous to go home, I pray that I’ll remember something once I get around familiar surroundings.
I pull up to the house, my house. Mace tells me on the drive here that he bought this house for me, we lived here together before I was taken. He won’t tell me any more details. I walk in the house and look around. It’s just about the cutest cottage ever. It’s not much bigger than the house in Moonlight Falls but it is so different. It’s neat and tidy and honestly feels like home. I wander through the rooms looking at everything.
Pictures hang on the wall. Photos of me and Mace, of my friends, I recognize them from the pictures Patrice showed me on the way back. Flowers in vases on the mantle and counter tops. Artwork hanging on the wall. I stop and stare at one painting, studying it closely.
It looks unfinished. “You were working on that one before…”, Mace clears his throat. I look up at him, “Maybe, I’ll be able to finish it sometime soon.”, I smile. He takes my hand and leads me to the couch, “Jewell , can you tell me what happened? It’s been killing me not knowing, not knowing how I missed the signs.”
I take a deep breath and tell Mace what I remember. He clenches his jaw tightly as I explain to him about Zeke. When I finish, Mace looks at me sadly, “I’m so sorry, Jewell. I should have been more careful. Victoria was able to block all of her thoughts and even when I realized you were gone, she was able to hide you so well. I couldn’t find your thoughts, I searched for you. I never realized how powerful she was.” I shudder a the sound of her name, a flash of an image of a beautiful woman pops up in my head and I know it’s her. A vague memory of her yelling at me flashes through my mind. I grasp Mace’s hand, ” I remember her. She grabbed my arm and yelled at me… well, not really yelled but she was very threatening. I remember being scared of her.”
He looks stunned, “You remember her? Do you remember what happened?”, he asks. “Not really everything, but like a memory of her face and her grabbing my arm and threatening me. It’s something though, right? It’s a memory.”, I say with a hopeful smile. “Yes, it’s a start. Maybe being back here will help you.”, he says hopefully.
Trying to ease some of the tension, I look at the chess board, “You want to play a game?”. He smiles and we sit at the chess table and begin a heated game.
I have a strong suspicion that Mace let me win the last game. I yawn quietly, “I think it’s time for you to head to bed. You’re about to fall out of the chair.”, Mace says teasingly. I smile, “I’m not that tired. I think I’ll have a bath first, if that’s ok. “, I respond. “Um, yes.. Sure.. whatever you want to do.”, he stutters. I giggle and head toward the bathroom. I start the water and pour in a cup full of bubbles. Stripping off my clothes, I lay back in the water.
It feels so good to have a bath, instead of rushed shower. I slink under the water to my shoulders and lay back and relax. Eventually, the water starts to cool. I climb out of the tub and slip on a night-gown, it barely fits over my enlarging waistline. As I’m snuggling into bed, Mace comes in with a pillow in his hand, ” I can, um sleep on the couch if you’d rather. I don’t want to make you uncomfortable.”, he says quietly. I look at him and shake my head, “It’s fine for you to sleep here. I think I’ll sleep better knowing you are close.”
Mace carefully gets into the bed and we both lay staring at the ceiling. Slowly, I turn to look at him and find his hand under the blankets. “Goodnight, Mace.” “Goodnight, Jewell. I love you.”, he says looking at me as I drift to sleep.
The Secret Life of Jewell 