Falling Together (All That Remains #2)
Page 27
“Point taken.”
“Do you still want to check the traps?”
“No, I’m going to see Julie for a miracle cure for PMS.” Swallowing the last chunk of potato, I rinse the bowl and place it in the sink.
“Good luck with that. It’s hard on Abby, you know. I’m grateful to be a man.”
“Who told you you’re a man?”
“My mom, that’s how I know I’m handsome, too.” Downing his glass of tea, he hops up. “Come on, let’s go see what we can do for our girl before she tears our throats out, then bandages the wounds and kisses them better.
* * * *
I hate to wake Abby, but it’s clear she’s in pain, curled into a ball with her knees pulled up to her chest and a frown on her face. With a low whimper, she opens her eyes when I kiss her forehead. “Sit up, sweetheart. Julie sent you some painkillers.”
“I took some ibuprofen,” she says, shaking her head at the two white pills in my palm.
“These have codeine. They’re much stronger,” I reply, handing her a glass of water and watching her swallow the pills. Joseph breezes into the room carrying a cardboard box with FALLOPIAN FALLOUT KIT printed on the side in bright red marker.
“Real cute,” Abby says with a chuckle, curling back into a ball in the center of our bed.
“We brought some stuff to make you feel better,” Joseph says and places the box on the nightstand.
“A hysterectomy?” That’s my girl, a smart ass even when she’s miserable.
“Before you give us a few more babies?” Joseph quips.
“Air, I’m too tired. Would you kick him in the balls?”
“Later, darlin’. Let’s see what he has for you.”
“Thanks guys, but I really want to sleep. I told you we could swap nights. The kids are gone so go have fun. I’m fine.”
“Nope,” Joseph replies cheerfully and begins unloading the box. A stack of movies, a heating pad, a trashy romance book, and a few copies of old entertainment magazines land on the bed.
“Airen.” She turns to me. “Really, you guys don’t need to…”
“Shut up, Abby.” With a book in one hand and a DVD in the other, I crawl up beside her and ask, “Chick flick or mommy porn?” I’m pleased when I get a laugh out of her, plus a smack on the ass.
“It’s not porn, it’s romance.”
Rolling onto my back, I flip through the paperback. “Really? Let’s see. Hmm…you have quite a few folded pages.”
“Our dirty girl.” Joseph laughs, sitting on the edge of the bed.
Abby grabs for the book, but I hold it just out of her reach and read a few lines aloud. “Sebastian slid his throbbing member through her wet heat and pleasure radiated from the apex of her thighs to the tips of her fingers.” Abby snatches the book from my hands before I can read any more, and Joseph cracks up.
“Does pleasure radiate from the apex of your thighs?” he asks with a grin.
“Not today.”
Joseph’s face softens and he plugs in the heating pad. After popping a movie in the DVD player, we lie on either side of her. The heating pad rests against her abdomen while Joseph massages her lower back. She looks up at me with glazed eyes as the pills take effect.
“I love you so much, and you, too, Joseph,” she adds, turning to give him a kiss. “I’m the luckiest woman to have you both.”
Joseph nuzzles her ear and grins at me. “She’s so sweet and affectionate when she doesn’t feel well.”
“She’s high.”
“Stuff it, Airen,” she says, not unkindly.
“Ah, there’s our girl.” Joseph chuckles.
“You forgive me for being a bitch earlier?”
I caress the back of her head as she turns her face into my chest. Her hair is as soft as her breath on my skin. “You’re not a bitch. And yes.” Joseph stares at us like a father who just watched his son get his first home run in little league. “Are you imagining me naked, again?”
“You two are unbelievable. You don’t even see how you’ve changed, do you?”
“Joseph’s talking crazy, darlin’. You didn’t slip him one of your pills did you?”
“Really?” Turning to his side, Joseph props his head on his arm, gazing at us with amusement. “In the kitchen, earlier, I swear I saw you give Abby some space when she was angry instead of your usual response of getting pissed and starting an argument. And then…” His gaze moves to Abby. “I must have been hallucinating because I thought I saw Abby go to you instead of hiding, apologize, and then reach out for comfort while sharing her feelings.”
Eyes tightly closed, Abby fakes a snore, a light blush on her cheeks, and Joseph chuckles. “It’s fine. Deny it all you want, but I see the change in you, and I’m proud.” He drops a kiss on Abby’s cheek, then reaches into the Fallopian Fallout Box and produces a huge bag of chocolates. It takes Abby about three seconds to dig into them, her eyes rolling back with a sensuous moan.
I know the bastard is right. After all the warnings and fear that our relationship would implode my marriage, it had the opposite effect, bringing me and Abby closer together. A relationship between three people takes a lot of communication to make sure no one feels neglected or jealous, and we walk a precarious line, attempting to keep things balanced and equal between us. We can never achieve complete reciprocity, but that’s where our confidence and trust in our love for one another fills in the gaps. Maybe it isn’t normal, but it’s our normal.
Epilogue
Abby
August again. After the events of the past year, the last two months have been a welcome respite. Joseph seems to have recovered, as much as one can recover from being twice rejected by family. His anger has faded and that adorable smile has returned, but there are times when I see sadness and regret flicker through those beautiful green eyes. I suppose that’s to be expected. We move on. We heal. But still, we take it with us. We carry every hurtful remark and slight against us as a shield against the world. A way to be assured, the next time we’re knocked down, we really should rise again, even if it’s the same view from the ground.
When I think of my life before the plague, it seems like it happened to someone else. Was that really me? Did I used to have a job, worry over money, wish for some miracle to come along and make me happy? Looking back, all I see are the long, lonely years. Endless nights of burying my face in books, hiding in the lives and problems of others to forget my own. To make the time pass. It seems such a hollow existence when compared to my life now.
We’re so focused on our losses we sometimes fail to see what we’ve gained. The quiet joy of being surrounded by nothing but nature, with no man made noise to drown it out. The gorgeous hue of the sky just after the sun sinks below the horizon, leaving a hazy ethereal feel in the air. Things found again among so much loss. The taste of catfish caught in the lake, and fresh crisp vegetables grown in our garden. The sweet smell of grass and wildflowers, and the feel of the cool wind drying the sweat on my neck. This is the way life was meant to be lived, rediscovered after years of burial.
Just waking to the sight of my wonderful men is enough to make my day. Seeing their smiles, listening to their smart mouths as they tease each other, giggling while they play fight over who gets the first kiss. I’m filled with a joy and contentment I’ve never known before.
Simply put, I’m happy.
THE END
Dear reader,
Thank you for reading! This is not the end of Abby, Airen, and Joseph’s story. I hope you’ll join us for the conclusion of their post-apocalyptic journey in Book Three, releasing in January 2015.
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Special thanks to my beta readers and reviewers who make sure I don’t embarrass myself with plot holes and ridiculous mistakes. Lissa Jay, Jamie Lauritano, Jennifer Byrd, Allie Lackenbach, and Vicky Bennett, you ladies are awesome.
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