AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Then her thoughts turned darker, and she wondered if he missed Rita and was sorry she was out there crying and that she was inside here with his kids right now. She didn’t know if she should offer to leave and let this family sit and talk and heal this wound or what she should do. Then a strong arm came around her shoulders, and Matt softly said, “She’ll be fine now. When she gets super stressed, she gets super bitchy, and once she cracks, she cries, then she’s better.”
Leesa and Chris both turned to her, Leesa smiling. “That’s true.”
Chris then added, “When I first met her, she’d just lost her job, and they’d just bought the house they’re in now. She had a meltdown when Leesa asked her why she didn’t mention that she didn’t have time to make dessert and she would have. Kinda had a show just like this one.” He shrugged his shoulders, and Matt began laughing. “Oh my God, I’d forgotten about that.”
Leesa giggled. “I didn’t think you’d ever look at me again.”
Chris sweetly kissed her. “I love looking at you, and it would take much more than that to push me away.”
34
Stretching in the morning sunlight, he looked over and smiled at how lovely Kiera looked when she was at peace and sleeping. Her soft breathing was calming, her light brown hair lay across the pillow, the sun touching each little wave. Her soft mouth, which he’s always thought of as kissable, looked even more so now, and he fought the urge to do just that. She needed the sleep. She’d been wired after Rita left last night. It had already been difficult for her talking about her life after David, then Rita’s outburst, followed by Rita’s breakdown, followed by the kids hastily eating their chocolate cake and leaving. Quietly cleaning up the table he could tell she was bothered by the whole weird-ass scenario, but she didn’t voice her opinions on it. Any of it.
She looked damned beautiful too. Her slender figure hugged by the tan slacks and black sweater tank. Her hair gleamed as it hung loosely around her shoulders and down her back just a bit. She’d applied a slight bit of makeup, just enough to make her sensual hazel eyes appear sexy and yet demure if that were possible.
When the kids were addressing her or chatting with her, her soft voice and submissive demeanor put them at ease, and he watched happily as their guard slowly lowered. Until Rita. But, oddly, that made them appreciate Kiera all the more because now she’d endured what they’d endured all their lives. And, she’d done it with class.
Matt seemed to reassure her more than Leesa, but they both had been apologetic of their mother and further explained that it was just something she did occasionally and then it was over. Until the next time.
She inhaled and rolled toward him, then her eyes fluttered open slowly. When she’d looked into his eyes, a soft smile parted her lips. “How long have you been awake?”
“Just a bit.” His hand moved over her shoulder, slid down the dip at her waist and rested on the slope of her hip. He leaned in and kissed her lips, enjoying the hum of appreciation she made.
“How are you feeling today?” He watched her eyes widen, then return to normal before she raised up on her elbow.
“I’m fine. Are you?” She turned her face to him, her expression one of concern.
“Never better. But you were very quiet last night, so I left the subject alone, but I’ve been concerned about the whole episode and how it affected you.”
Raking her fingers through her silky locks, she seemed to contemplate his comments, exhaling loudly before responding.
“She … Rita reminded me so much of Carleene that it twisted my stomach. When Carleene gets upset and feels out of control, she lashes out just like that. So, I guess I did what I’ve always done and just remained quiet as can be and tried not to draw attention to myself.”
He sat, pulled her into his lap and scooted to put his back to the headboard. Tightening his arms around her, he kissed the top of her head, laid his cheek against her face and softly responded, “I’m very sorry Rita behaved as she did. I’m very sorry she frightened you. I’m very sorry she interrupted our meal with the kids.” He kissed the side of her face. “She told me yesterday that Harold is not happy in their marriage. I don’t know what that means or what will happen, but she’s feeling insecure and scared right now. So, she lashed out.”
He felt her relax in his arms. “I’ll bet she is insecure. And now, after all these years, you have someone in your life, and it probably hurts.”
He chuckled. “If you’re implying that we’d get back together if her marriage didn’t work out, that’s not an option. In the beginning, we had a decent marriage. It was mostly an amicable arrangement of sorts. We got along, had common interests, common friends. It was easy. But, there was never a burning love.”
She scooted from his arms and turned, kneeling before him, between his legs. “That’s very sad.” Leaning forward, she kissed his mouth, and his heartbeat increased. When she initiated contact with him, it was such a turn on. When she opened herself up to him, emotionally and physically, it made his heart grow two sizes with all that filled it up.
“Do you like this house, Kiera?”
She sat back and tilted her head to the side. “Of course, it’s simply beautiful.”
“Let’s live together. Move in here with me.”
Her brows rose. She opened her mouth, but nothing came out. She cleared her throat. “David, are you sure? We have so much baggage to unpack, do you think this is a good step?”
She rested her hands on his legs, and his cock twitched just because she touched him.
“I think it’s a great step for us. It brings us back to where we would have been thirty years ago. We would have moved in together in just a couple of months, right after we graduated college.”
“But, we didn’t. All that has happened since has changed both of us in so many ways.”
He scooted down onto the bed, pulling her with him, so she lay on top of him. “If you need us to go to couples counseling, I’ll do it. If you need space at times, just tell me. But, as we unpack our baggage, as you say, we’ll unpack it together.”
He rolled them over and her legs naturally wrapped around his ass. His cock had already lengthened and hardened just being near her. Each moment he spent talking with her, looking at her, smelling her, was a treasured moment for him, and the thrill of having her back in his life, even though there were still so many unanswered questions, made him praise the Lord for his good fortune. Finally.
