AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Damn, Becs, you are the piece of me I was missing. I love you so fucking much.” His thrusts are getting more erratic, and he pulls himself upright, watching his cock pump in and out of me.
I can feel he’s getting close. He puts his thumb on my clit, and I feel my orgasm rise again. How does he do this to me? I have never climaxed more than once during sex, except with Shane. I scream his name and that takes him over the edge.
Our breathing is labored, sweat dripping from our foreheads. He falls beside me, and we simply stare off at the ceiling, side by side. My eyes are now closed, and a satisfied smile stretches across my face. My heartbeat slows and my eyes get heavy. We somehow find the energy to move under the covers and he holds me tight. Both of our breaths begin to even out, and at some point, I fall asleep, more at ease than I’ve felt in years.
ChapterSeventeen
SHANE
December 1997
I finished up at the tree lot and bolted out of there. Mrs. Lewis had stopped by earlier to pick up her tree and told me the package I had ordered for Becca was in. I couldn’t wait to see it. I had spent a lot of time choosing the most perfect gift for the most perfect girl. I vowed the next time I bought her a piece of jewelry, it would be the ring I would propose with. I knew Becs would be my forever. I just had to gather the courage and have our future a little more laid out to propose.
I arrive at the jewelry store and find Mrs. Lewis standing behind the display. The moment she spots me, she smiles my way and rushes to the back to grab the necklace. It’s so hard to picture how this idea would come together without seeing the jewelry in person. The catalog showed a red rose, but it could be modified however I chose. I gave Mrs. Lewis all the details of what I wanted the purple rose to look like, removing the minuscule thorns that were featured on the stem. Becs always said purple roses were her favorite because they barely have any thorns. She said that much like love, it’s all about how you handle the rose, so you don’t get hurt.
Mrs. Lewis comes straight toward me when she retrieves the necklace. She looks like she’s the recipient of this gift with the energy radiating off of her. Once she reaches me, she puts the little box down on the glass. I look up at her and back at the box. My hands are shaking, I’m so nervous to see it. What if what I chose came out awful? I can feel the thumping of my heart through my chest.
I finally get the courage to pick it up and open it. I’m stunned by how beautiful the charm turned out. It’s delicate, shiny, and absolutely perfect for my girl. She doesn’t wear much jewelry, and the ones she does choose are those that have sentimental value to her. She wears a bracelet that her father gave her when she turned thirteen, which was the last gift she received from him before his passing. She never took it off and even sports a tan line around it every summer. She cherishes it and loves looking at it sparkle in the sunlight. She said each time she feels the pull to look down at her wrist, she feels like it is her father hugging her.
I smile and look at Mrs. Lewis. “It’s perfect. It’s better than I imagined. Thank you for making this happen for her. She’s going to lose her mind on Christmas.” I have to hold on to this a little longer, and I can’t wait to see her reaction. I know she won’t find someone else wearing this exact same piece, especially after I engraved our initials on the back of the pendant.
I finish up at the shop and head out. I can’t stop smiling, completely distracted when I bump into Ellie and Beau. The moment Ellie looks my way, I realize she saw where I walked out from. She’s smiling ear to ear, while Beau reaches over to me in greeting. I explain I was picking up Becca’s gift but to please not say a word. Ellie was jumping up and down, and I didn’t go into detail about what the gift was. I felt like this was something special between Becca and me, and I wanted her to be the first to react. She can show off her necklace to whomever she pleases once she has it around her neck.
* * *
The next two weeks drag by. I wish we got a month off of school for the holidays. I feel like as the weeks pass and the holiday break is approaching, the teachers become just as eager for the break as the students. We’re in our senior year, and I can’t help but feel like senioritis has hit us hard. Everyone has one foot out the door because all applications to colleges have been submitted unless you’re like me and already went through the process to join the Navy.
It was the Friday before break and the moment that bell rang, I was running toward the lockers. I had already retrieved and deposited everything I needed, so I went straight to Becca. I beat her to the lockers and waited for her. The moment she got close to her locker, she saw me and beamed. The love I have for this girl goes beyond any feeling I have ever experienced. She runs the rest of the way and leaps into my arms. She wraps her legs around my middle and kisses me for all to witness. Holding her gives me a high, and I feel myself come alive when I’m with her.
She unlatches herself from me and I already feel her loss. I steal another kiss and she starts to open her locker. “Ms. Bently tried to assign us homework during the break, but luckily we convinced her to leave it for January. And she went for it!” My girlfriend beams at me like she won the lottery. Ms. Bently is known for being quite a difficult Spanish teacher, and it’s been one of Becca’s toughest classes this year.
“I don’t know how you handle her for AP Spanish. She’s so obnoxious. Once I was able to stop taking a foreign language, I was happy to say adios to her.” I grab a candy cane from my pocket and peel the plastic back.
“Oooh, can I have a lick?” Something about peppermint and Becca runs toward it. She stocks up on so many candy canes at this time of year. She claims she needs to have enough to get through the year. I tried to explain she could just get a mint, but she said candy canes gave her more joy. To sit and argue this point seemed useless so I’ve let it go.
“I’ve got another thing you can lick.” As expected, she smacks me in the chest, grabs the candy cane, and looks around to see if anyone overheard me. I laugh because she makes it too easy.
I lean against the lockers and watch her remove things from her bag. “You want to go home, hang out a bit, and then head to the Holiday Bazaar?”
She looks at me like I proposed marriage, and I fall in love with her all over again. She’s my past, my present, and my future, and even after these last three years, I still find that I long to see her smile. She nods and says, “I would really love that. I’m in search of some fun homemade ornaments.” She finishes grabbing the remainder of her things, mostly holiday treats from friends who won’t be in Saddle Ridge during the holidays. I grab her hand and we begin our walk toward my truck.
Becs usually drives herself during the beginning of the fall season while I play football, but now that the season has ended, I enjoy these extra moments together, so I always offer to drive her home when Ellie brings them to school. Today I’m lucky enough to have undivided Becs time. No homework. No tree farm hours. No distractions. Just us together.
* * *
When we arrive at Becca’s house, we open the front door to the smell of fresh sugar cookies greeting us. Grant comes barreling toward us, most definitely on a sugar high. Grant has many of Becca’s features, especially in the eyes, but when I see pictures of Christopher, Becca’s dad, around the house, I see that many of Grant’s stronger features favor his father, while Becca’s softer features come from her mom. They both have the olive complexion, however, the shape of Grant’s face is longer, much like his father’s photos.
While their eye color is similar, Grant’s have more aqua than blue, much like the photos I see of the oceans in Fiji. Both Stanley children have mesmerizing eyes, and it’s hard not to lose yourself in their gaze. I will admit, when I see Becca and Grant’s similarities, my mind can’t help but wonder what our kids will look like one day.
Grant rushes toward me after greeting his sister, pulling me from my thoughts. I pick him up and he giggles. His hands are sticky, most likely not helping as much as sampling the desserts his mom has been making today.
He gives me a big hug and says, “Santa is coming soon!” He’s getting so big and tall already, only being four and really embracing the fun parts of Christmas. He wiggles in my arms, indicating he’s done with his greeting, and once he’s back on the ground, he’s back to running circles around the house. Although he is many years younger, Becs holds so much adoration for her brother, and she doesn’t find his presence irritating in any way. It makes me smile because I always longed for a sibling and having Grant around gives me a feeling of what that would be like.
We move to put our backpacks down, and I help Becca out of her jacket. After her mom stuffs us with enough cookies and other holiday concoctions she’s making, we collapse onto the couch. I don’t know what it is about Becca’s couch, but it’s a huge, worn sectional that simply swallows me up. Due to my size, at six-two, it’s hard to find seats that feel comfortable to relax in. This couch feels like it was made for me. The wide cushions allow for my legs to rest comfortably, with the back of my knees hitting the edge of the cushion. Becca is comfortable on anything because she fits on a damn dish towel, so she chooses to curl up next to me. She decides on watchingHome Alonebecause nothing says Christmas like Macaulay Culkin being left behind while his family travels to Europe.
Soon after the movie begins, I look down on my lap to find Becs sleeping soundly. I brush my hand through her hair and she smiles a tiny fraction. She looks so peaceful and her beauty makes my heart skip a beat. I see the way the other guys at school look at her and each glance over, they’ll find me by her side glaring back. But when we are like this, together with no one trying to grab our attention, I can’t help but wonder how I got so lucky.
Each candle I blow out of a birthday cake to make a wish, or each holiday season I’m asked what I want, I simply have no idea what to ask for. Everything I never knew I needed sits within this human who is curled up by my side. She is, by far, the best gift I could ever receive. She shines so brightly, much like our cluster of stars. She begins to stir and then whispers my name, but then she keeps talking and when I figure out what she’s saying, my heart stills for just a moment.
