Just Perfect

by Lynn Hunter

  “Well,” Sarah said as she and Glen settled on the couch. “Are you glad to be back Jake?”

  “It feels a little strange right now but I’m happy to see my dad again.” He smiled good-naturedly. “I was worried he was lonely, but I can see he’s doing just fine.”

  Sarah blushed, and Glen chuckled.

  Lily stayed silent and was intent on staring at her wine glass. She was uncomfortable with her mom dating and she didn’t want to comment on the happy couple.

  “Lily, those were the best red velvet cupcakes I’ve ever had. The chocolate ones too. How in the world do you get them to taste so good?” He asked.

  “Well..um..I know everyone has heard it before, but you have to use the best quality ingredients. Like real vanilla bean instead of extract and fresh, organic eggs. Every ingredient is the best quality we can afford. Even down to the flour. It makes a huge difference in the taste and texture.” She shrugged. “No one would come to us for cakes if they can get the same thing cheaper at the grocery store. You have to have an edge.” She took another sip of wine. “That reminds me, Glen, Sam said the drivers that came in Saturday didn’t get any cupcakes. I’ll make another batch just for them. Would you make sure they get some?

  “Sure thing. That’s very thoughtful.” He shook his head. “We just need to hide them from Dean.”

  “What kind do you think they would like?”

  “Carrot cake,” Jake answered. “I haven’t had carrot cake for a really long time. My favorite.”

  Lily smiled brightly. “Cream cheese frosting?”

  “Oh, yeah. Why don’t I just order a whole cake for myself. Then I won’t have to hurt Dean and risk pissing off Sam.”

  “I’ll set a couple aside for you and give them to Glen on Friday. You’re in for a treat, carrot cake is my specialty.”

  A while later she excused herself and went to the kitchen to rinse out her glass. Jake appeared at her side with her mom’s glass and his empty beer bottle.

  “Just set them here, I’ll take care of it,” she instructed.

  After doing what she asked, he braced his lean hip on the counter and crossed his arms over his chest.

  All of the sudden, she was nervous. She went years without being around men, now they were everywhere she turned.

  “Your mom’s a very kind lady.”

  Lily swallowed hard. “Yes, she is. Your dad seems nice too.” She added when Jake remained silent.

  “Hi is. He’s the best man I know. If fact, he’s the best man most people know.”

  She just nodded for lack of anything to say. She knew he was getting something.

  “You couldn’t pick a better man to spend time with your mom.”

  “Except for my Dad.” The words slipped out before she knew what was happening. Her shocked eyes went to his. “I-I’m sorry…” She stuttered. What was wrong with her? “That was very rude, Jake.”

  To her surprise, Jake’s eyes were understanding, not angry. “It’s alright. I know it’s hard to lose a parent. People think it’s easier if you’re an adult but it hurts all the same.”

  Lily nodded, thankful that he wasn’t offended. “It’s not your dad. I just never thought life would change like this.” It felt good to be honest about how she felt about her mom dating.

  “Just let them spend time together. They look happy.”

  He was right. They did look happy. “You sound like Sam, he’s bossy too.”

  He gave her a questioning look.

  “What?”

  “Is John Burke Johnathan’s dad?”

  Her heart squeezed. “Did you know him?”

  He nodded slowly. “Yeah. He was a couple of years younger than me in school. I spoke to him before I left for basic training.” He paused as if debating on what to tell her.

  She waited patiently knowing he wanted to say more.

  “He told me he met a great girl and her name was Lily. He was a good guy. I was sorry to hear about his death when I came back on leave.”

  Lily blinked back tears. “Yes, Johnathan is his son.”

  “His mom lived up by the lake. Do you ever see her?”

  Sadness filled Lily at the reminder of what she took away from the poor woman. “No. After John died, she moved to Chicago to be close to her sister. I’ve sent her pictures of Johnathan but she’s never seen him in person. She said it was too painful.”

  Jake sighed. “Well, it’s her loss. He’s a great kid.”

  “Thanks. He’s my whole world.”

  “You have your mom and Sam too,” He said gently.

  “What about me?” Sam’s deep voice vibrated through the kitchen.

  Jake straightened. “I was telling Lily her she’s got a nice guy, even if he’s bossy. I bet Dean’s glad you’ve got someone else to dictate.” He winked at Lily. “Takes the pressure off.”

  Sam put his hand around Lily’s waist and tugged her close. “I have strong suggestions.”

  A startled laugh left her. “Good thing I have suggestive hearing.”

  “You ready to go, Son?” Glen asked, entering the kitchen with her mom. Looking closely at her, Lily noticed her cheeks were pink. That meant Glen must have snuck a kiss. “Let’s get out of these ladies’ hair.”

  “Yeah, let’s go. Thanks for having us, ladies, I’m sure we’ll see each other again soon.”

  “Are you leaving too? She asked Sam.

  “Do you want me too?” He asked back for her ears only.

  She shrugged lightly. She didn’t want to sound needy and ask him to stay, but she wanted more time with him.

  He tipped her chin up to meet his gaze. “That’s not an answer.”

  “I want you to stay for a while unless you need to get home,” she whispered.

  “I’ll stay a while.”

  “Okay.” She smiled.

  She turned and followed her mom to the door to say their goodbye to Glen and Jake.

  “I’m off to bed you two.” Her mom said once the door was shut.

  “Mom?”

  Stopping in the kitchen doorway, she turned questioning eyes on her.

  “I’ll be in the other room.” Sam left them alone.

  “I’m sorry, Mom,” Lily said after a few seconds of pondering what to say. “I have no reason to stop you from seeing Glen.” Except she was afraid of losing her.

  “Oh, Lily.” She wrapped her arms around her. “That’s all you have to say. Thank you.” She pulled back and brushed a curl out of her face. “You do know I would never leave you alone, don’t you?”

  No, she didn’t know that. “Yes. I know.”

  “Good. Now go in there with that handsome man. I’ll check on Johnathan before I go to bed.”

  “Okay, goodnight.”

  Finally, alone with Sam and she didn’t know what to do. He looked big and intimidating when she was the focus of his attention.

  “Do you want to watch TV?”

  “No.”

  “Oh. What do you want to do?”

  He smiled at her and her heart skipped a beat.

  “Come here.”

  She settled herself next to him on the sofa. “I didn’t know Glen and Jake were going to be here tonight. I should have told you since you were bringing dinner. They showed up just a few minutes before you.”

  “No problem.” He slid an arm around her and lowered his head to kiss her lips gently. “I wanted to talk to you about something.”

  She didn’t want to talk. More of his kisses sounded like much more fun. He must have read her mind because he chuckled quietly.

  “My mom and dad are coming here for Thanksgiving.”

  “Your mom?” That was the last thing she expected him to say.

  “Yeah. I do have one.”

  She flushed. “Of course, you do. I didn’t mean it like that.”

  “Anyway, I want you to meet them.”

  “Really?”

  “Of course, really.”

  “Well, we would invite you here but I don’t think
we’ll be here.”

  “You’ll be here.”

  “No, really, Sam. The closing is supposed to be in about thirty days. We have to be out of here and into another house by then.”

  He stared into her eyes for so long she started to fidget. Finally, his arm squeezed her tight. She felt tension in his body.

  “Are you okay?” She asked.

  “I really like you, Lily. I plan on this relationship lasting.”

  Pleasure filled her. “I hope it lasts too.”

  “No, Lily. It will last. No other option.”

  “Are you sure everything’s okay?” She sensed he wanted to talk about something. “Is there something you want to talk about?”

  He shook his head. “So you’ll have Thanksgiving with us?”

  “I’m sure that’s fine. With the way things are going with Glen, Mom will want him there. Jake too of course.”

  “Glen spent Thanksgiving with us a few times before.”

  “Well, sounds good then.” Other than feeling nervous about meeting his mother. What if she didn’t like her? Would it bother her that she already had a child? She wouldn’t let anyone be unkind to Johnathan. “Do you think she’ll like me?” Lord, she was pathetic. She wanted to be a strong, confident woman. The truth was she wasn’t confident at all. She was wary of everything that was different from her everyday routine.

  “She’ll love you.”

  Still worried, she could only nod.

  “You have a lot in common with her.”

  “How so?” She wanted as much information as he would give.

  “She was a single mom when she met the man she’s married to.”

  “Really?”

  “Yeah. It was just the two of us when she met Alan.”

  “He’s not your dad?”

  “No. My dad left us when I was about Johnathan’s age.”

  “I’m sorry.” What made people do horrible things like abandoning their family?

  “Things turned out a hell of a lot better than they would have if he stayed.”

  “Well, Samson Fuller. Your mom did a great job with you. You turned out pretty good.” She bumped him with her shoulder.

  “Thank you. You’re not so bad yourself.” He growled and gave her tickling kisses on her neck.

  His thumb grazed her cheekbone. “You’ll like her. Don’t worry. Everything will be fine.”

  His mouth brushed over hers before he thrust his tongue deep. Both his arms came around her and held her tightly. Within seconds, she was panting and trying to press her tightened nipples against his chest.

  Remembering her son and mom were upstairs, she turned her face away. “Sam, we can’t do that right now. Someone might come down.”

  His warm hand made long sweeps of her body from ribs to knee and it felt so good she wanted to purr.

  “I left you needing to come yesterday.” His voice grew husky.

  “It’s okay.” The tips of her ears burned with embarrassment.

  He lifted his head. “It’s okay? Hmm. Were you a bad girl last night, Lily?” He pushed her to her back and settled himself heavily on top of her. “Did you touch yourself?”

  “N-no.”

  “No?”

  She shook her head. Were they really talking about this?

  “So you still need it? I could slip my fingers inside you right now and you’d come for me?”

  “Yes,” she whispered breathlessly.

  He immediately attacked the zipper on her jeans.

  “No! Someone might come down.”

  He groaned and dropped his head to her shoulder. Bringing her hand to his hair, she tried to soothe him.

  “I know it’s frustrating. I’m sorry.” He might find her living situation an inconvenience. She doubted he would want to schedule sex for the rare occasion Johnathan was on a sleep over. Sam was a grown man if he wanted a woman he could go out and get one. She didn’t want him to feel obligated to her because they already slept together. It would kill her to lose him, but she didn’t want him to resent her either.

  “Sam?” Her insides clenched “I know my living situation isn’t ideal. I won’t be upset if it’s not convenient for you.” Lily couldn’t believe she got the lie out in a steady voice.

  He jerked his head up and his eyes burned into hers.

  “You wouldn’t be upset?” He asked darkly.

  That was the wrong thing to say to him. Unsure how to defuse the situation, she patted his chest. “I just want you to be happy.” She gulped. “Us not having privacy is frustrating for you.”

  “Is it frustrating for you?”

  Lily had to think about it. Would saying yes mean she was unhappy about her son and mom? She wouldn’t change being with them for anything. Even if it meant losing Sam.

  “I wouldn’t change my situation. I love my family.” If he didn’t understand then, she didn’t need to be with him but that didn’t stop her from wanting to cling to him.

  “I love my family too but I wouldn’t hesitate to hide away for a few hours to be with you.”

  “I won’t leave my son to have sex with some guy. What kind of mother would that make me?”

  “Some guy?”

  “Yes.” She snapped. “What kind of mother would that make me?”

  “A satisfied one?”

  “If you don’t like the way my life is, Sam, you don’t have to deal with it.”

  “So defensive.” He tangled his fingers in her hair. “I never said I couldn’t deal with it. Calm down.”

  She stiffened. “I’m not defensive.”

  He scowled at her and sat up. “What do you want out of this relationship, Lily?”

  What did she want? “I guess… um..I suppose I never really thought it through.” She took a deep breath and sat up. “To be honest, when I’m with you I don’t think about the future. All I can think about is that moment.

  He just stared hard at her like it would make her say what he wanted to hear. Was he deliberately misunderstanding her or had she hurt his feelings? She assumed it was a little bit of both. Were men usually this sensitive?

  She tentatively reached for his hand. “Sam. This is new for me and there are so many things going on right now. Sometimes I don’t know if I can handle one more new thing happening in my life.” His eyes narrowed on her face. “I am glad I met you, though. I wouldn’t change that.”

  She must have said something right because his tense body relaxed.

  ***

  For the first time in his adult life, Sam was unsure how to handle a situation. He made so many mistakes with Lily. Every time he was with her he was lying. He needed to tell her about the house soon. But damn, he really didn’t know how she would react. She just said she didn’t think she could handle one more thing happening.

  He would think about it for a few days. Maybe an opportunity would arise. He felt her soft fingers run up and down his arm. “Sam? You look upset. Did I say something wrong?”

  Hearing the worry in her voice, he lifted her by the waist and brought her to his lap, burying his face in her hair and breathing deeply.

  “Lily, I have to tell you something.” He let his eyes roam her face and then rest on her beautiful brown eyes. To him, her eyes look like warm maple syrup. He never wanted to be without her. He wanted to hold her like this forever.

  “What, Sam? What do you want to tell me?” Her small hands rubbed his shoulders.

  He swallowed a lump in his throat. Sam was so worried about being rejected by her that he manipulated her life to suit him. When did he become so insecure and pathetic? If anyone else did this, he would say they were a worthless piece of shit. Damn.

  “You’re making me worry.” She started to scoot off his lap and his hands clamped down on her hips.

  “It’s okay. I just wanted to let you know I want this relationship to work. If we don’t have much privacy right now, it’s fine. We’ll work it out.”

  The smile she gave him made him feel like a world class asshole. She tu
cked her head under his chin and rested quietly. He never realized he was the type of man who would lie to get what he wanted. What was it about this woman that made him so desperate to her? Sam knew she belonged with him. He felt it in his bones. But if he didn’t handle this right she would hate him.

  Chapter 14.

  Over the next three weeks, they fell into a comfortable rhythm. Sam and Glen spent most evenings at the farmhouse. Sam even brought his brother, Dean, on occasion. Dean was fun to be around and Johnathan thought he was hilarious. It was nice to see Sam with his brother. They looked so different. Even their mannerisms were different. Where Sam was broad and muscular with dark hair and blue eyes, Dean had a lean strength with blond hair and green eyes. Sam was calm and controlled and Dean was the life of the party, always making everyone laugh.

  She even met most everyone at the shop including Willa, who Lily turned out to really like, and the big scary Rick, who had a surprisingly gentle smile.

  On Halloween, her mom stayed at the house with Glen so they could watch a movie and have dinner. Lily was a little envious. She hadn’t been alone with Sam since the one time they had sex. She wanted him. She seemed to be in a perpetual state of arousal especially when he was around.

  She made plans with Candace to take the boys trick or treating in a large neighborhood in Falls. With her little ninja master in the backseat, they drove to town to pick up their trick or treat partners. Candace seemed unsure about going, but Lily managed to talk her into it. She still didn’t know what was going on with Derek’s mom but maybe she could get her to open up. They could both use a friend.

  “What is Derek going to be for Halloween?”

  “He’s going to be a ninja, like me. We’re going to get lots of candy. Hurry up, Mom! All the little kids will get the good stuff!”

  “It’s not even dark yet, kiddo. I’m sure there will be plenty of candy.”

  They pulled up to Candace’s apartment and she was already coming down the stairs with her little ninja. Derek and Johnathan started talking excitedly about the upcoming evening. Derek’s voice was quieter but no less enthusiastic.

  “Hi, Lily. Thanks for picking us up.”