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“I give up on sleep and kiss the man beside me. He smiles and rolls on top of me.”
“Do you both fuck or make love?”
“A little of both.”
“And when you’re done?”
I smiled leaning against his back. “We want to go at it again but our kids start banging on the door.”
“Cock blockers,” he whispered and I giggled.
“Welcome cock blockers…ahh…the man besides me gets up, and only after we have on our robes, he picks our son and daughter up in his arms. They’re laughing their heads off and I can’t wipe the smile off of my face. We’re going to have a family picnic.”
“A picnic?”
“Yes, not just for us, but a whole family picnic. We will dance around a fire pit in the middle of the park while our kids play with their cousins. I’ll plan the whole thing.” The more I thought about it, the more I wanted it.
“It sounds like the perfect happily ever after.”
I stopped, and turned on the stool to face him. “It isn’t a happily ever after, it’s just the beginning of a new story.”
“How do I read it?”
“Just fill in the blanks in your head,” I said and reached up to touch his face. He hadn’t shaved since he’d gotten here. While I liked the little scruff he had going, I also liked it when he was clean-shaven too. “You said you would shave before we headed back.”
He nodded. “My aunt prefers all of us to look clean and proper.”
“Let me do it?”
“Later.”
And then he kissed me.
DECLAN
It was midnight and she sat on my lap, her legs on either side of me, dressed only in my shirt. My whole shaving kit was on the table, washcloth, straight razor, and shaving cream. Using the brush, she gently spread it all across my chin and cheeks.
“Hey, head up,” she demanded, as she grabbed the razor blade. “You trust me, right?”
“I’ll let you know,” I lifted my head for her. I had never been shaven by anyone. I preferred to be the only person who held a knife to my throat. But I couldn’t say no to her. She was so serious, concentrating only on my skin as she pressed the blade from my neck to the top of my chin slowly.
“You’re beautiful,” I whispered.
“Don’t distract me.” She smiled without meeting my gaze.
“Yes, ma’am.”
She bit her bottom lip, and I could see myself in her brown eyes.
“Close your eyes. I can feel you burning a hole in the side of my face.”
“You’re really going to deny me the sight of you?”
“For only for five more minutes.”
“Fine,” I whined, and as I closed my eyes, I found that I was even more aware of her. She smelled like fresh jasmine.
Our flight was in five hours. I wanted to stay with her longer, but I couldn’t. Sedric would want me back before the family went to church. There were two things the Callahan family always did together; dinner and noon mass…
“Done.”
I grabbed the hot towel and cleaned the rest of the shaving cream off of me. Opening my eyes, she handed me the mirror.
“What do you think?”
Shifting my head side to side, I touched my smooth skin and smirked. “I might employ you full time.”
“Come on, we should go to bed.” She stretched out her hand for me.
Taking it, I followed her into the bedroom and allowed her to crawl into bed before I slid in beside her. She rested her head on my chest, as I put my arm around her.
“You never asked me what I hoped for, or where I saw myself in ten years,” I whispered, staring up at the ceiling.
“You distract me too easily,” she said as she yawned, “tell me in the morning.”
I waited a few minutes, and sure enough she started to snore, but I had gotten used to it…funny enough it made me feel comfortable that she could sleep so well in my arms.
“I try not to think of the future,” I whispered. “In my life I’m not sure what will happen tomorrow or if we will even make it to tomorrow. But for now, Cora…I want to be that guy next to you in ten years. You deserve a good man and I’m not good, Cora. I can’t change that about myself. But I still want to be that guy next to you in ten years.”
These last seven days…they weren’t nearly enough. I wanted more.
I was going to hurt her.
She was going hate me.
I knew it. I could see it happening.
But I wanted her anyway.
NINE
“Love, like fortune, favors the bold.”
?E.A. Bucchianeri
CORALINE
I stared up at the large, white house in front of me with the perfectly trimmed lawn and I wanted to crawl back into his Aston Martin. I already missed the warm Cancun air, the heat of the sun, and the sand under my toes.
“You’re coming to mass right?” he asked, drawing my attention away from the house in front of me.
Glancing at my watch it was only ten a.m., which meant I had more than enough time to get ready. “Yeah. We made it back faster than I thought.”
“Good. I can’t wait to feed you again.”
“Declan!”
“Feed you the host, Coraline.” He laughed at me and I knew he held back on purpose.
“You can’t make church dirty, Declan.”
“Of course I can’t, the Bible already did that.”
I shook my head at him. “I’ll see you—”
“I’ll pick you up?” He stuffed his hands in his pockets and it was the first time I had ever seen him look a little nervous.
“What happened to just one week?”
“You don’t want me to?”
“No. I really want to, but…” I wanted to know what was happening between us.
“Okay then, I’ll pick you up at eleven thirty. We can go to lunch afterward. Our second official date?”
I nodded and he leaned in and kissed my cheek before he moved over to the driver’s side door.
“See you later.” I waved.
“Later.” He winked getting in.
I watched him drive off before heading inside my house. The very first person coming down the stairs was none other my Aunt Trisha.
“Are you leaving for your trip now?” She yawned and stretched her neck. “We’re going to need some money before you go.”
Wow.
“Aunty, I already left…I’ve been gone for a week. I left money for you all before I went.”
Her eyes glanced me over once before she turned back up the stairs. “You son of a bitch! Where’s the money at, Adam?!”
She yelled so loud I had to plug my ears.
“There ain’t no money!” he screamed back down at her.
“You a fucking liar!” She stomped back up the stairs. “What you do with it, huh? You spent it getting your cocked sucked ain’t you? Going to the club pretending you some big ass man when you can’t do shit.”
“Coming from the bitch who’s so drunk she ain’t even know what day it is…”
“Welcome home, Coraline,” I whispered to myself as I headed upstairs to my own room and they continued fighting.
Over the years I had gotten used to it. My aunt would never leave my uncle no matter what he did to her. It was partially because of the money, but mostly because she loved him despite everything. And my uncle…well he had some good traits. I think in some way, he really cared about her…they were so dysfunctional, that they somehow made it work.
