by Daya Daniels
Ty
Madison stepped into the shower under the water behind me, wrapping her arms around my middle. It was late, nearly twelve o’clock. I soaped myself up, running the loofah over her skin and then mine again. Madison pushed up on her tippy toes to press a kiss to my lips and then she smiled.
She ran her fingers over my arms and then down my abs, feeling my skin.
“This is beautiful,” she whispered admiring me.
“Thank you.
“It’s what two hours a day in the gym gets you.”
She laughed and then narrowed her eyes at me. “Did you promise the kids you would take them to Disneyland?” she chortled out.
I let out a long sigh, slumping against the wall under the water. “Not exactly but I guess I did.” I laughed. “I told them they had to ask you first.”
“Ty.”
“I don’t know what you want me to say, Mads. It’s hard for me to tell Kacey no.”
“Yeah, and she knows it,” she said giving me the side eye.
She ran a bar of soap over her skin. I narrowed my eyes watching her, taking in the curves of her incredible body. Her eyes drifted to my hard cock and then back up to my eyes. I shrugged and she laughed loudly.
“Do you want me to take care of that for you?” she teased.
“Yes, but not here.”
She arched a brow at me.
“I want to dry off and crawl into bed and then make love there.”
“Really?”
I gave her an offended look, grabbing the shampoo. “Yes, then I want to go to sleep.”
“You sound like a senior citizen.”
I laughed, wrapping my arms around Madison and pulling her to me.
“Maybe I like this family life, Madison, that I have now with you. It’s nice. You, me, and the kids.”
She turned to look up at me. “Really?”
“Yes,” I whispered softly against her temple.
“You ever wanted kids?” she asked.
I only shrugged. “I don’t think I ever cared either way but I was never against it. I used to be a kid. I like kids.”
She laughed. “I’ve only ever been surrounded by kids it feels like.” She laughed.
“I don’t mind, Mads.”
“Okay.” She shut off the water.
Ty
The last few weeks went by quietly. Madison and I spent Thanksgiving at home with the children. She was set to start UArts after the Christmas break. She kept her job at the car wash and spent a few afternoons during the week teaching dance at the academy. Madison’s divorce was granted two weeks ago, without Dominic’s signature of course, since no one was able to locate him.
I was spending more time with Dylan, who had almost become like my little brother. Everyone else had settled in nicely to the new house and our new life together. We spent some Friday nights at my apartment, after eating out at the After Hours diner, but tonight was different.
Taking in Madison’s beautiful face, I slid my hand into her lap while we sat at the dinner table across from Patrick and his new girlfriend, Ramona. Patrick had been begging for this double date for over a month. I finally caved and agreed to it, hoping that Ramona and Madison would hit it off. We sat in a restaurant in a Rittenhouse brownstone called Vernick Food & Drink. The vibe was casual and the atmosphere was lively and full of couples bringing in the weekend.
“So, Patrick, what do you do?” Madison asked, leaning in and taking a sip of her cocktail.
“I’m a financial guy,” Patrick said taking a chug of his beer, slamming the bottle back on the table. “For a trading company—stocks. It’s nothing exciting.”
“He makes a lot of money,” Ramona added, snuggling in to Patrick’s shoulder.
Madison laughed and I smiled at the sparkle that seemed to be in her eyes nowadays. It was something that I’d hoped the ease of the last few months together had put there. I held her hand under the table, listening to Patrick’s stories and partaking in some of the friendly banter.
After the main course was served, which was a healthy portion of lobster thermidor and baked potato, we ordered more drinks. Madison and Ramona seemed to be off in their own conversation. Eventually, they stood to go to the bar, ordering a few shots. I declined the offer to join, feeling content to watch them have their fun. Patrick and I clinked beers for the umpteenth time tonight and chugged the liquid back. He eyed me over, strangely, and then did it again when I turned away to scan the restaurant.
“What?”
“Nothing,” Patrick said throwing an arm up in the air. Then he sat forward.
I placed my bottle down slowly.
“I like Madison. She seems good for you.”
“She is good for me.”
Patrick nodded. “Yeah, yeah definitely seems that way.
“Will you be at your parents for Christmas?”
I shuddered at the thought and sighed, feeling the heartburn coming on. “Yeah, probably.”
“Good, good. I don’t know how Ramona will fit in.” Patrick laughed. “She probably won’t.”
“I don’t think anyone fits in with them, Patrick. All Malcolm does is sit around talking about those goddamned horses.”
Patrick laughed heartily. “I used to think they were his fucking kids.”
“Yeah, me too.”
Madison and Ramona were across the room, slamming back shots of what was likely tequila. Madison waved a hand in our direction and I shook my head. Then she did it more enthusiastically. I groaned, looking at Patrick and then stood up from my seat, heading over to them.
“What are you two ladies doing?” I asked, looking at two shots placed along the bar that were on fire.
“We’re drinking,” Madison slurred out.
“I see that.”
Patrick banged on his chest like Tarzan and tossed one of the flaming shots down his throat. I sighed, feeling the peer pressure coming on thick and heavy.
“Come on, Ty!” Patrick roared.
Madison and I were staying at my apartment tonight and we’d taken a taxi here, so a little drunken fun wouldn’t hurt.
I put the shot glass to my lips and threw it all back.
Madison
We giggled, falling through the door of Ty’s apartment. It had to be around four in the morning when we left Patrick and Ramona, who were just as drunk as we were. I hadn’t had this much fun in years. I was full to the brim with tequila shots and so was Ty.
A small yelp escaped my throat when he nearly slammed me against the wall, pushing his tongue hungrily into my mouth. I ran my hand through his soft hair and pulled off his sweater while I scrambled out of my own, desperate to have him inside me.
Ty unsnapped my bra, squeezing my breasts and suckling my nipples.
I hadn’t been in this place for over a week. It had become our very own little fuck pad in the city.
Ty carried me towards the kitchen counter, pulling away my panties, letting his jeans fall to his knees. I spread my legs wide while he eased in between them. I tasted the lingering sweetness of bourbon on Ty’s tongue when his kissed me eagerly. He rubbed the head of his cock along my wet slit and groaned.
“Ty.”
“Yes,” he whispered with droopy lids.
“You have to get a condom.”
“What?”
“A condom.”
“I heard what you said, Madison, but why?”
“Because I just got off the shot and just got back on the pill but there was a gap, so you have to, Ty, just to be safe. I told you already.”
“I’ve been using those fucking things all my life, Mads. I hate them. I don’t have to use them with you,” Ty whined, sounding like a rotten child.
“Yeah, you don’t, but you do now just for a little while.”
He mumbled a few swear words into my neck, pressing kisses along my collarbone and squeezing my breasts.
“Go and get one.”
He pressed his lips into my neck, nibbling on my skin. “I
will pull out,” he said while the head of his cock pushed into me.
“No, Ty. You won’t. Get a condom,” I whined while he dragged his fingers up the insides of my thighs, crushing his mouth to mine again.
“Ty,” I mumbled into his shoulder. He yanked me forcefully to the edge of the counter. “Ty,” I hissed through his hungry kisses, feeling his flesh parting me own.
“Okay,” he said sliding into me, groaning. “Just the head. Just a little, then I will stop.”
I rolled my eyes. “Promise, Ty,” I said firmly.
“I promise,” he whispered.
He gave me a sly look, just as the city lights coming through the windows dusted his handsome face.
“Okay,” I breathed out feeling my own anxiety fall away when his cock slipped all the way inside me.
Madison
“Are you still mad at me?” Ty asked, pressing his face into my hair.
It was ten in the morning and we were in Overbook, parked on a quiet residential street, lined with bare trees.
I shrugged him off and let out a deep sigh while I sat in the passenger seat of his Aston Martin. Thick snow covered the sidewalk and the path leading up to my old house.
“Do you want me to come in with you?”
“I don’t know,” I babbled out, feeling like I was about to hyperventilate.
“I will give you a few minutes and then I will come in after you.”
“Okay,” I said opening the door with a shaky hand.
The frigid air hit my nostrils and stung my skin, which helped to keep me in the moment. I was going to do the very thing I’d been avoiding for so long. I needed to do this.
I listened to the sound of my boots when they crunched in the snow along the walkway. I took the four steps to the top of the deck that I’d done so many times as a child. When I reached the door, I spun around, meeting Ty’s eyes and then took my hundredth deep breath this morning. I pressed the doorbell and listened to the ding- dong of it twice, until heavy footsteps on the other side of the door caused my heart to pound.
The door swung open, revealing a familiar handsome face but the thick, white head of hair attached to it was oddly foreign but still intriguing. Ray’s large frame stepped forward, staring at me over the reading glasses that teetered on the edge of his nose.
“Madison,” My father said with a trembling lip.
“Hi, Dad,” I said stepping forward, yanked nearly out of my skin from Ray’s powerful grip.
“Madison,” Ray said again, kissing me on the cheek, ushering me inside.
He stood looking me over, breathing through his tears that I felt overwhelmingly responsible for.
“I can’t believe you’re here. You came back.”
I hugged my father again, holding him tight. Everything felt the same from his deep, husky voice and the way he hugged, to the lingering cigarette smoke on his clothes.
“Felicia! Come down here!” Ray shouted, pulling me by the arm further into the house.
I spotted a bare Christmas tree in front of the fireplace and boxes of decorations lying around. The small house was as cozy as I remembered.
“What is it, Ray?” my mom yelled from upstairs.
She ran to the steps and then froze when she stepped down the first two, looking at me while I wiped my tears.
“Madison,” she said placing a hand in the center of her chest. “Oh my God,” Felicia said stepping down the stairs sideways as fast as she could. “Madison, honey.”
When Felicia reached the bottom of the stairs, she hugged me tight, kissing me all over the face. I giggled and cried at the same time, taking in her appearance that hadn’t changed a bit. Her brown hair was still curly and kept short in a bob and her skin was radiant.
“Madison,” Felicia said blinking her blue eyes at me.
Ray stood to the side, wiping his face with his hand as he observed the two of us.
Felicia held me tight. “I didn’t think you would ever come back, Madison.”
“I’m sorry,” I mumbled into her shoulder. “I was so stupid.”
When my mother pulled away, she shook her head vigorously. “No, we’re sorry, Madison. We are the ones that should be sorry. None of it was worth not seeing or hearing from you. We’ve been so worried about you but we thought you hated us.”
“No.” I sniffled. “I could never hate you both. I’m sorry, Mom.”
Felicia cupped my face in her hands while she spoke. “We love you, Madison, no matter what. I’m sorry we were angry when you left, but we only wanted the best for you.”
“I know,” I said giving her a nod. “I know.”
“Are you here alone?”
“No, my boyfriend is on the porch, waiting.”
Felicia and Ray eyed each other strangely, but didn’t question what I’d just said.
“I will let him in,” Ray said in his deep voice.
“Let’s go in the kitchen and talk,” Felicia said placing a hand on my shoulder while Ray followed behind us.
Madison
After talking for nearly an hour of talking over mint tea, I’d explained almost everything to my parents. Almost.
“You’re divorced?”
“Yes,” I said while my mother ran her hand down my arm.
“I can’t say I’m sad about that, Mads,” Ray said standing up.
Even after eleven years, the dislike my father had for Dominic was unchanged.
“Would you like a malt?” Ray offered to Ty.
“Yes, sir. Thanks,” Ty said.
“Let’s go into the den, so these ladies can have some privacy.”
“Sure,” Ty said following behind my dad.
“You’ve been dating long?” my mother asked in a hushed tone.
“No, not really, only a few months but it’s like I’ve known him all my life.”
“You live in Society Hill?”
“Yes.”
“That’s a good area. It’s only about twenty minutes from here. We want to come and see the kids, Madison.”
“Of course, Mom.”
Felicia nodded, stirring her tea. “You’ve been struggling, haven’t you?”
“A little.” I chuckled. “Actually, a lot, but things are a bit different now.”
Felicia met my brown eyes with her blues. “Because of him?” she asked jutting her chin in the direction of where Ty had just exited.
I gave her a small nod, taking a sip of the warm liquid in my cup.
“We thought of reaching out to you, many times, Madison, but we were angry and you hated us, it seemed like everything was about Dominic. I couldn’t talk any sense into you.”
“I know.”
“Your boyfriend seems like a good guy.”
“He is. I was surprised I was able to get one, considering all my baggage.”
Her brows shot up to her hairline while she nodded slowly, confirming her agreement.
“You live together?” she asked.
“Kind of, sort of. Ty has an apartment on Market Street that he had before I moved to Society Hill. He stays with us most of the week though.”
She nodded. “That’s nice.
“Five kids are a lot, Madison. I don’t know how I would have managed myself.”
“Dominic always wanted a big family.” I laughed, remembering the setup.
Felicia sighed. “That asshole. And then when he got it, he bailed.”
“Yeah,” I said, letting out a breath. “He was good to me at first and then he just changed. Or maybe that was how he already was. I don’t even know anymore. The years have been a blur.”
“I’m sorry, honey.”
“It’s okay.”
“You’re still drop-dead gorgeous, Madison. Dominic didn’t take that from you.”
“Thanks,” I said softly.
“It’s incredible. It’s like you’re some sort of weird science project.”
I laughed out loud at my mother’s joke.
“Thanks, Mom,” I said in a sarcastic to
ne.
“It’s from the dancing and some of it, I’m sure you get from me.”
When I looked up Ty was leaning against the doorframe, with his fingers over his watch. “I’m just being mindful of the time, Mads. We have to pick Dylan up.”
“Yes,” I said standing. “We should probably get going.”
“Okay, honey. Please come by any time. I’m terrified that when you walk out that door, we won’t see you again.”
“Please, Mom, that won’t happen. That’s why I’m here this morning.”
Felicia hugged herself and nodded, with sad eyes. “Okay, Madison.”
“You have my address and all my numbers.”
I stood and thought of something. “Do you mind if I go upstairs?”
“Of course not,” Felicia whispered.
“Okay.”
I pulled on Ty’s arm, taking him through the small house and upstairs to my bedroom that still had a New Kids on The Block poster taped to the front of it. I brushed my fingers over the tattered paper and pushed the door open, inhaling the scent that was always my bedroom.
A single bed rested right where it always was. Only now it was covered by a single sheet. Posters of Michael Jackson, Ginger Rogers, Fred Astaire, Vaslav Nijinsky, Martha Graham, Sylvie Guillem, and old family photos littered the walls.
The closet was empty, but three boxes on the floor of it were all labeled “Madison’s things.” I stooped down to pick up my jewelry box that I’d left behind, opening it to see the ballerina pop up out and the pretty bell song play.
I wiped my tears looking at the gift that my father had given me when I was ten- years old. I told him when I grew up that I wanted to be a professional ballerina and he encouraged me. Ray told me I could be anything that I wanted to be and that he had faith that I would be one of the greatest ballerinas there ever was. Of course, he was being a little extra, but it didn’t matter to me. My father’s words meant so much and I knew he shelled out a lot of money out of his mechanic’s salary to fund my extra-curricular activity of dance.