Then There Was You: A Single Parent Collection

by Gianna Gabriela

  I’ve never been nervous about a date before, but I guess this really isn’t a date—or is it? I suppose Ripley and I could’ve just talked on the phone or at my grandparents’ house, or hell, I guess we could’ve even talked at her place.

  After I asked her to dinner, she and Alex didn’t stay much longer. My grandma got home right before they left, so she met them both and was smitten with them immediately, of course—how could you not be?

  I pull up in front of her place, and thankfully that fuckhead neighbor of hers isn’t outside. I climb out of my truck and rub my sweaty palms on the legs of my jeans. Why am I nervous? I feel like I did the day I picked her up for our first date back in high school. That night, she came to the door in a pink dress that stole my breath. I nearly got an erection when she stood on her tiptoes and gave me a kiss on the cheek.

  There was never any awkwardness between us either. Once we started dating, things just clicked into place. I was the ying to her yang, and she was my everything. A part of her always would be.

  As I reach the door, it opens, and there she is, looking about as nervous as I feel. She looks beautiful, and I wouldn’t expect anything less or anything different. Her face is free of makeup; she’s never really needed it. Ripley’s hair hangs down in soft blonde curls that frame her face, her lavender V-neck shirt hangs off one shoulder, and a white tank top peeks out from under it. She’s wearing jean shorts that show off her slender, tanned legs.

  “Hi. Come on in.” Ripley holds the screen door open for me. A light floral scent hits me as I walk by her, willing my cock not to get hard. I move until I’m standing in the living room.

  “Where’s Alex?” The pounding of little feet brings my attention to the stairs and Alex comes flying down them.

  “Brock!” That sweet little boy runs at me and jumps. I catch him and my breathing hitches when he throws his arms around my neck and hugs me tight. My arms tighten around him, and I watch Ripley watching us. She has a look on her face that I can’t place, but it’s breaking my heart. Alex starts talking a mile a minute and I feel bad because I don’t know what he’s saying; I’m focused on the war waging inside Ripley right now.

  The door opens and whatever was going on with Ripley is now hidden under a fake smile. Her mom freezes when she steps inside and sees Alex in my arms, but why? I know he’s not my boy, but fuck me, I wanted him to be mine.

  “Brock.” It comes out as a soft sigh. “It’s good to see you honey.” I set Alex down as she approaches me and then she wraps her arms tight around me. She pulls back and looks at me closely. “Such a handsome man you’ve turned out to be.”

  “I’m so sorry about…” I can’t even say it. Ripley’s dad saved me from myself so many times and I feel the loss of him deep within me.

  Her eyes turn glassy and she cups my cheek with her soft hand. “Thank you. He thought the world of you. While you were gone, he worried so much.” She sighs. “He’d be so happy to see the man you are now.” I pull her into a hug because she doesn’t know how much those words mean to me. Ripley watches us, and I don’t miss the tear that slides down her cheek, though she quickly wipes it away.

  She pulls back and then looks to Alex. “Are you ready to go to Grandma’s house? Kiss Mommy goodbye and grab your bag.”

  Alex attacks his mom and their laughter is like a balm to the soul. I wave goodbye too and stay inside while Ripley walks them out. I scrub my hands up and down my face, and the pain in my chest ebbs as I take some deep breaths.

  “Hey.” I turn with a start and find Ripley standing inside the door. “Sorry, didn’t mean to scare you. Alex says bye, and the next time you come over you’re supposed to bring Tiny because that’s his best friend and Tiny probably misses him bad.”

  “I’ll remember that.” I move until I’m standing in front of her. “Are you ready to go?”

  “Yeah, let me just grab my purse.” My eyes follow her toward the kitchen and I can’t help but stare at her ass. Control yourself, idiot, I think to myself. She comes back and I instinctively grab her hand in mine as we head out.

  Conversation is nonexistent at first, and I watch her fidget with her hands as she stares out the passenger window. Without thought, I reach out and place my hand on her hands. “Your mom looks great.”

  She offers me a smile. “Thanks. She’s been a lot better lately. Helping with Alex helps keep her busy.” She’s quiet for a minute and then sighs. “It was so sudden. I was at work and he and Mom were watching Alex. Mom had called me, hysterical, and I could hear Alex crying in the background. I got there right after the ambulance did, and Jonah had gotten the call from Jessica so he dealt with Alex while I held my mom. He suffered a massive stroke, and they couldn’t save him.” I squeeze her knee as I hear her sniffle. She laughs, but it sounds hollow. “Sorry to be such a downer. How’s your mom?”

  “She’s like a whole different person now. She’s so happy and bubbly. Her job at the florist has been great for her, and I think her boss has a crush on her.”

  Ripley covers my hand with one of hers. “That’s great, and I’m not surprised—your mom’s beautiful. Maybe she likes him too.”

  “It’s actually a woman, and I figure she’s old enough to do whatever makes her happy.” She squeezes my hand and gives me a smile.

  We reach the restaurant and I tell her to wait as I hop out and come around to her side. I open her door and help lift her out. It’s not lost on me that the front of her body slides down mine, and my fingers find their way up into her hair without me telling them to. Ripley tips her head back and looks up at me, licking her lower lip nervously. Before I can talk myself out of it, I bend down and brush my lips against hers.

  Ripley’s lips taste like strawberries, and I deepen the kiss. She eagerly opens her mouth for me and our tongues entwine. Her hands grab at the sides of my t-shirt, pressing her tits against my chest. I pull away reluctantly and watch as her eyes flutter open.

  “We should go inside.”

  She nods her head and lets me lead her in.

  15

  RIPLEY

  Hands clasped, Brock and I step up to the hostess and ask for a table for two. The girl grabs a couple menus and leads us toward a table by the windows, and when we reach our table, Brock pulls my chair out for me. I don’t even need to look at my menu, so I look at Brock instead; his menu is closed too. He reaches across the table and grabs my hands.

  While we wait for our server to come, we just stare at each other. We’ve always enjoyed a companionable silence, never needing to fill it with meaningless words. As my eyes scan his face, I take in the male beauty that is him. Before I can open my mouth to speak, our server comes. We order our drinks and drunken noodles with beef.

  “So tell me about having Alex. Was your pregnancy an easy one?”

  One of these days, I’m going to have to tell him everything about Alex, but not today, and not any time soon. “It was easy. I was never sick and felt great the whole time.” Our server sets our drinks down and then disappears. “I was staying with my parents temporarily, and they were out to dinner. I didn’t feel good, just felt icky and tired, so I just rested on the couch and took a nap.

  “I woke up and felt like I was having bad stomach cramps, and when my parents came home, I stood up and my water broke. Of course Dad freaked out and was running all over the house, doing what, I still have no clue. Once we got in the car, we called Jonah and he was still at school, so he said he’d get to the hospital as quick as he could. It took them about an hour to get me in my gown, hooked up to the monitors, and my IV started. Alex was born at six in the morning the next day. The moment they placed him in my arms, I felt like things were going to be okay.” I grab my water and take a big sip.

  “He’s really a great kid Ripley.” He squeezes my hand before letting go. “Jonah seems different from what I remember—how’d that happen?”

  Our server sets our food down in front of us and I take a bite before answering him. “He felt so much guilt fo
r what happened. He blamed himself for provoking you and for me getting in between the two of you. At first I wouldn’t speak to him, but he was relentless. He checked on me every day, bringing me stuff, and he even had his parents pay my ER bill. Even though I forgave him, he’s never truly forgiven himself.

  “Every time I went looking for you, passing out flyers and then going to your parents’, he was there. He lost a lot of friends after that night and I thought at first his persistence was because he was lonely, but over and over he’s proven to be my best friend. When I decided to have Alex and then to keep him, Jonah was there for every appointment and was in the room when he was born. We kissed once. It was the first Christmas after you were gone and I had just found out I was flunking my freshman year. He’d come over for dinner and presents, and I started crying. He hugged me and then we were kissing, but a few seconds in, we realized that anything we felt was friendship and nothing more.”

  I take a bite of my food to stop myself from saying any more. Can we say information overload? When I’m nervous, I tend to babble, and that’s clearly what I just did. I don’t know what’s happening, but I thought he should know the truth—at least some of it. I’ll tell him the rest another time, or maybe I should just get it out now—that way he can run away as fast as he can. I’m damaged goods, and he deserves better.

  “Hey.” Brock pulls on my hand to get my attention, and my eyes focus in on him. “Where’d you go?” His voice is soft and soothing.

  “Sorry, I just spaced out for a minute.” I take another bite of my food and then a sip of my water. “Sorry about babbling.”

  “You didn’t babble. I asked and you told me. What happened with you and Kat? You two were thick as thieves in high school.”

  “She didn’t like it that I was spending so much time with Jonah, and she didn’t understand why I spent so much time looking for you. She thought I should just move on since you were the one to leave.” I take a deep breath. “Listen, this isn’t easy for me, but when you left, I was in a bad way for a while and she couldn’t handle it—granted, I’d already begun to count on Jonah for a lot of support. Even after she graduated from college and came back, she ignored me. I thought maybe Alex could smooth the way for us, but no.”

  I poke at my food, figuring I’ve ruined the night. Why did I have to have verbal diarrhea tonight? Maybe I just need to get him talking for a bit. “What was it like being in the Marines?”

  He wipes his mouth with his napkin. “At first it was hell on earth. I was in shape from playing football, but nothing prepared me for boot camp and combat training.”

  “Is it as bad as they show in the movies?” I lean forward.

  “Yes and no. I won’t bore you with it all, but I’ve gotten deployed twice.” I hate the thought of him being in a war zone. A part of me wants to hear about it, but another wants to hear none of it. “The second time I was deployed was when I was shot.”

  My stomach turns and my body locks up tight. His eyes widen almost comically, like he didn’t mean to say it. “You were shot!” I hiss. “Oh my God! Are you okay? Where, when, tell me—I want to know.”

  “Rip, I’ll share with you, I promise, but not tonight. I don’t want to go there tonight. Is that okay?” His dark brown eyes plead with me, and I can give him that for tonight.

  “Whatever you want, but you’re okay…right?”

  His eyes soften. “Yeah I’m okay. I promise.”

  Brock pays, we get to-go containers for our food, and then he holds out his hand to me. As we walk through the restaurant, I see Kat. I hadn’t noticed her before, but she’s watching us. I can’t read the look on her face, but it doesn’t matter, because our friendship is over and has been for a while.

  We stop by the drugstore on the way back to my house so I can stock up on my Rolos. Brock insists on paying, which leads to us arguing in the checkout line. “Brock, I have money. Let me buy my candy.”

  “Maybe I just want to do something nice for you. Don’t be stubborn.”

  I suck in a breath. “You did not just call me stubborn.” He’s trying to fight a smile, I can tell. “Don’t you laugh at me, Brock Timothy James.”

  His arm winds around my neck and he pulls me close, kissing my forehead. My eyes slam shut as I savor the feel of his lips on my skin. “I’m not laughing at you baby.” His voice is soft and makes my belly flutter.

  In the end, I let him buy the damn Rolos. There is no sense fighting with him about it, but damn I’ve missed it. We had the best fights, and then the best makeup sex. Our fights were always over silly stuff, and I think sometimes we fought just to make up. With an arm around my waist, he leads me outside to his truck. I’m not sure what to expect when we get back to my place; Mom’s keeping Alex all night, so we’ll have the place to ourselves.

  We pull up in front of my duplex and I wait for him to come around and get me. I hand over the keys, we step inside, and I turn on the lamp next to the couch. I take my candy out of the bag and set it on the coffee table. Brock comes up behind me, wrapping his arms around my waist and resting his chin on my shoulder. “Do you want to watch a movie?”

  I turn in his arms and put my hands on his chest. “A movie sounds good.”

  We put our leftovers away and I grab us a couple of waters. Brock’s sitting in the middle of the couch, and I have no choice but to sit right next to him. I hand him the remote and reach over him to shut the light off. He wraps an arm around my shoulders and pulls me into his side. We decide on an action movie, which I’ve never minded. Brock grabs my candy and sets the bag in my lap.

  Resting my head on his shoulder, I settle into his side. His musky, earthy scent wraps around me and makes my nipples hard. I want to bury my nose in his neck, but I don’t. I unwrap a caramel-covered chocolate and hold it out to Brock. Instead of grabbing it from my hand with his, he grabs it with his lips. He takes a few more from my fingers and then sucks the tips of each digit. Then Brock grabs that hand, lacing our fingers together and resting them on his hard stomach.

  I stretch out my legs until they’re intertwined with his and feel my eyes get heavy.

  I come awake slowly as I feel myself being lifted off of the couch. Brock’s familiar scent wraps around me like a comfortable blanket, and my arms find their way around his neck. He’s silent, and so am I. For a second, I just want to live in the fantasy world that he’s my husband, that he’s carrying me to our bedroom and our children are all tucked into their beds, sleeping soundly and having nothing but sweet dreams.

  We’d undress each other slowly, even after babies, and he’d look at me like I was the most beautiful woman he’s ever seen. Back in reality, I feel my back hit my mattress. I can tell he’s going to leave when he pulls the blankets over me, and I feel his lips touch my forehead before he goes to stand up.

  “Don’t go. Please.” I don’t mean to beg him, but I can’t let him leave. “Will you just hold me?” I hear the rustling of his clothes and feel the bed compress when he climbs on. Brock pulls me until I’m snug against his front, and it takes only seconds before I’m out.

  BROCK

  The sound of crying wakes me. It takes a second to figure out where the hell I am, and that it’s Ripley’s forehead resting on my shoulder where I got shot. Her tears are almost silent, and she keeps kissing the puckered skin. “Shhh…baby it’s okay.”

  “Someone sh-shot y-you.” Her words are almost unintelligible. I wrap my arms around her and with a bit of maneuvering, she’s underneath me and I’m between her legs, a strip of cotton the only thing keeping me from thrusting my cock into her. My eyes adjust to the dark, and I can see the tears leaking from hers.

  I kiss each tear away until I reach her mouth, and our lips move together in a natural dance. She’s always been an amazing kisser; we used to spend hours just kissing, and I never got tired of it. Ripley’s legs wrap around my thighs as I start grinding my hard dick against her sex, and my lips make their way down her neck, nipping at the point where her shoulder
and neck meet. She rolls her hips, moaning—she’s still as responsive as I remember.

  My hands find the hem of her shirt and work it up and off of her body. Next is her bra, and my lips immediately seek out her nipple, sucking it into my mouth with heavy pulls. Her back arches, pushing more into my mouth. I switch to the other, giving it the same treatment. Back and forth, I move between her breasts a few times before I begin kissing and licking down her stomach to the apex of her thighs.

  I take a big whiff and can smell her arousal. I grab the sides of her panties and pull until the sound of fabric ripping echoes in her bedroom. With a swipe of my tongue, her flavor explodes on my tongue. Her hips fly up so I grip them with my hands to pin them down. For every swipe, I suck her clit into my mouth, and I remove one hand from her so I can work one finger, then two inside her.

  Ripley is so wet that my fingers have no problem moving in and out of her. She’s babbling incoherently and I smile against her pussy. She whimpers as I pull my digits from her, but the whimper dies down and she screams as I spread her wide and thrust my tongue deep inside her. It doesn’t take much before her back arches and a guttural moan rips from her throat.

  After I let her legs go, I move up and over her body. I attack her lips, letting her taste our combined flavors. “Condom?” I whisper against her lips.

  “Nightstand.” I don’t like the fact that she has them, but I push those thoughts away as she hands me the unopened box. “I bought them after the night on the couch.”

  I rip it open like a maniac, pull the long sleeve out, and rip one off, then tear open the wrapper with my teeth. She takes it from me and slides it down my dick. As soon as I ease my cock inside of her, I want to come. She’s so fucking tight, wet, and hot, I can’t fucking stand it.

  “God Rip, you feel fucking amazing.” She moans and starts moving her hips. I take the hint and begin to slowly work myself in and out of her. I want to make this good for her, not some quickie on the couch. In and out, I move with purpose. Adding a little swivel with each thrust, I watch her pert breasts jiggle. She pushes on my shoulders until our positions are reversed, and my hands go to her hips as she starts rocking back and forth, bouncing up and down. Her nails dig into my chest as she throws her head back.