by Anthology
“That would be a travesty.”
“Travesties are for losers. We’re not losers.” Wade tickles my stomach, and I’m squealing like a pig. Pigs. I’m hungry.
“I want bacon.”
“Bacon? You’ve worked up an appetite for bacon?”
“Absolutely.”
“I’m not paying your medical bills when you’re old if you voluntarily consume bacon.”
“OK, fair enough. I still want bacon.”
I feel Wade growing hard against me. “You’re already hard again?”
“I have needs, remember? Keep up, woman.” Before I can dispute his needs, he’s putting on another condom.
“Who were all these condoms for?” I ask. “Never mind. I don’t want to know what you were thinking.”
“Goldilocks, people with needs are always prepared.”
Wade thrusts into me, and I sigh from the full feeling. It’s amazing, and I’m realizing what I’ve been missing all these years.
Like the first time, his eyes are fixed on mine, and it’s considerate. Wade’s considerate. He’s also kind, funny, generous and loving. Love. Is it even possible to be falling in love with him so soon?
He rocks into me, slowing a fraction as he kisses my forehead and cheek. It’s intimate like the first time, and I’m overcome with emotion.
Our tongues tangle, and this heats up the moment, creating a surge of electricity that scores through me. I squeeze his ass and lift my hips. Our bodies join deeper, and I come more intensely than I ever have before.
I know he’s reached his orgasm, too, once his eyes flip closed. His face nuzzles my neck once again, and he kisses it softly.
We’ve had sex twice, and the way he seems so in the moment takes it to an entirely different depth of intimacy. Things are happening fast.
He rolls off of me, and we’re both filling the room with our ragged breaths. I shift onto my side and place my hand on his chest.
“Aren’t you worried about how different we are?”
“How are we different?”
“I don’t know. You’re more carefree.”
“Laney, you’ve showed in two days that you’re genuinely that way. You’re only defensive when you’re trying to protect yourself.”
“OK, but what are your goals and dreams?”
“What? Do I have to meet a certain checklist?”
“No.”
“Are you sure?”
“I’m only trying to get to know you better.”
“Would you have asked Nick the same question, or since he’s already a big shot CEO would you not feel the need to ask?”
I pull away from Wade.
“Now who’s being defensive?”
“I’m only asking.”
“Look, I’m grateful Nick slept with Laurie. I’m thrilled that we ended up on this trip together, so please don’t doubt what’s happening between us.”
“What do you mean Nick slept with Laurie?”
“Nick and I were supposed to go out when I returned from California, but I found out he slept with Laurie after we’d had a good time together.
“That’s why I was storming out of the restaurant when I smacked right into you, but it doesn’t matter now. I want to be with you.”
Wade climbs out of bed and finds his boxers.
“It totally matters. You did have a standard, but he blew it, so you decided to use me. When I told you that I wanted to be Nick to get to know you, you said you felt the same, but it turns out I was your second choice or back-up plan.”
“Oh, my gosh, what is happening?” I sit up and hold the sheet over my chest.
“You tell me, Goldilocks. If I’m not going to be a CEO, do my hopes and dreams even matter?” Wade dresses and takes a drink from his flask. I’m stunned that our perfect evening has derailed.
“I was trying to get to know you, but it looks like you’ve put up your own damn walls!” I launch a pillow at him, which seems to be the trend.
He grabs the keys and heads out the door without a backward glance. Is he going to leave my ass here?
No, because he would’ve at least taken his fifth of Jack and flask with him. Asshole!
Wade
Once Laney told me Nick only walked her back to her room after the rehearsal dinner, I assumed she wasn’t into him. I guess I had it all wrong.
I plan on returning to college and running my own company one day. It’s why I work my ass off, but I want to know Laney wants me for me, not for the money I could have or my job title.
I can’t understand why right after sex she asked about us being too different. I thought our sex meant something. It did for me, anyway, but I guess she felt differently.
I head down to the hotel bar and order two shots.
“Are these seats taken?” a woman asks, motioning toward the two barstools next to me.
“No, have at em’.” I manage a smile before I throw back one of my shots. “What are you drinking?” I ask her and the female friend joining her.
“Whatever you’re buying,” the blonde one says. Unlike Goldilocks, this chick’s hair is straight. I have them order what they want and tell the bartender to put it on my tab.
The other woman has strawberry blonde hair, and they both look to be about my age.
“What are you two in town for?” I ask them.
“We’re here for a concert. We’re killing time before we take a taxi to meet our friends,” the blonde says.
“Well, here’s to pre-party festivities,” I say, holding up my shot glass. I throw it back and ask for a third. I guess I better slow down after that.
I still have to finish driving Laney’s ass to California tomorrow, so the last thing I need is a hangover.
Laney
“I’m hungry,” I mumble as I click off the television in our room. Wade’s been gone for over an hour, and since I have no clue when he might return, I decide to go down to the hotel restaurant for dinner.
After putting my hair up, I take a quick shower. I put back on my sundress and head down to the lobby to find the restaurant.
Once I’m off the elevator, I round a corner and spot Wade. Holy shit. He’s with two women, and they’re walking toward the exit of the hotel.
That son of a bitch. I let them get ahead of me and then follow them out. Wade helps them into the truck, and I think smoke might actually be shooting from my ears from how angry I feel. Every move he makes with the women only fuel my flames of rage.
Didn’t our sex mean anything to him? I guess I was another girl to add to his long list of conquests, but how could he have a threesome on the same damn night?
I glance around, and outside of the entrance are some large rocks lining the landscaping. I grab two and charge toward the truck.
Wade’s now inside, and I watch as all three sets of eyes widen. I launch the first one, and it flies over the windshield and lands on the top of the cab.
The three of them hunch down, so I launch another one, and it hits the top of the hood. Wade jumps out of the truck and barrels toward me.
“What the fuck’s wrong with you?”
“How could you?” I ask. My hands are balled into fists, and tears are streaming down my cheeks.
“This isn’t what it looks like, Laney.”
“I’m supposed to believe that? You can head back to South Carolina because I don’t want to see your face another minute!” I swipe the tears from my cheek. “To think I was falling in love with you.” As I storm back toward the hotel entrance, I hear Wade groan loudly.
I get inside the elevator, and over and over I push the button to the ninth floor until the doors close in front of me. I don’t know what I’m going to do now that I’m likely stranded. I might have to break down and call Will.
***
Morning comes, and I see that Wade has never showed. I pack my stuff, along with his, and head downstairs to the lobby. I turn in my room key, and once I step outside, I notice his truck is still there. Deciding to leave h
is duffel bag in the bed of the truck, I stroll toward it.
Once I’m to the cab, I notice Wade is asleep inside of it. Shit. My heart feels a pang of guilt until I recall him leaving with the two bimbos.
I pound on the glass, and his eyes fly open. He hurriedly starts to open the door, so I step back.
“I wanted to give you your things.”
“Laney, please let me explain.”
“Why? You already decided I was using you and making you my second choice, so what’s the point?”
“Yes, but you said you were falling in … in love with me. I had no idea.”
“Yeah, well it slipped out. I won’t let it happen again. Take your stuff and leave. My brother is wiring me money to get to California.”
Wade grabs my shoulders and kisses me. I try to resist, but he only holds me more firmly. His lips pull free, and he rests his head against mine.
“I met those women in the bar. I was only going to give them a ride to a concert, so they wouldn’t have to take a taxi. I spent over an hour crying to them about you. It was nothing more than that. Nothing.”
“But that doesn’t change what happened in the room. You don’t trust me.”
“I do after what you said. You were right. I was putting up a wall. What happened between us … it meant something to me, too, and that scared me.”
Wade cups my cheeks and ducks his head to stare closely into my eyes. “Laney, I’m falling in love with you, too.”
“Really?” I smile faintly at his sincere face.
“Really, Goldilocks. Please let me drive you. And let me make this up to you with the most fattening, artery-clogging breakfast we can find.”
I grin before I throw my arms around his neck.
“No more bullshit.”
“I promise. No more bullshit,” he says.
“Let’s go back inside. You can take a shower before we leave.”
“Could I bribe you to take one with me?”
“No bribing necessary.”
Wade
“Let’s play another game,” Laney says on our last travel day to California. We’re way off schedule, but I don’t mind.
She hasn’t said if she’s going back with me to South Carolina, so I’m fine with stretching out my time with her.
“OK, what’s this one?”
“We’re going to pick a car and make up a story for those inside.”
“Since I’m driving you can pick,” I say. She shifts in her seat, so she can see out the driver’s side.
“I’ll pick the vehicle, and you can make up the stories. There’s a car coming up next to you. It has two hot looking chicks inside and a young boy. Quick, look.”
I glance out my window about the time the BMW rolls up next to me. The girls look about eighteen or nineteen and the boy maybe twelve.
“You’re right. The girls are hot.” This earns me a swat on the bicep. “OK, uh, that boy is the brother to the driver. He pretends he wants to tag along with her everywhere she goes, so she thinks she’s this amazing sister.
“In actuality, he has a crush on her friend. When she’s staying over, he steals panties out of her sleepover bag in his sister’s room.”
“Please tell me you don’t have a sister,” Laney says with a giggle.
“I told you I’m an only child.”
“A perverted only child. OK, let’s do another. This one is a pickup with a man and a son. Ooh, look, they have fishing poles in the back.”
By this time, I’ve watched the males ride by. The boy doesn’t look happy, so I frown as a thought comes to mind.
“The man is the young boy’s father. He took him fishing this morning, so the son was pretty excited before they left.
“He’s sad now because his father was a controlling asswipe the entire time they were fishing. The son couldn’t do anything right. He wonders why his father even takes him along.”
The cab is silent, and I wonder why all that spilled out of my damn mouth.
After an awkward minute of silence, Laney shifts even more in my direction. Her left hand delves into my hair and her right clutches my thigh.
“I’m sorry your father is an asswipe. I can already tell that you’d never treat your son that way. He’d have the happiest, most understanding father in the world.”
I smile over at her. “You think?”
“Yeah, I’m sure. His eyes would light up so bright over how proud you are of him and the fish he caught. It would make his day, and he’d never forget.”
My eyes are getting watery, so I clear my throat.
“Laney, my father owns Collins Construction.”
“The Collins Construction around town?”
“Yep, but I don’t have much to do with my old man. I’m planning on going back to college to get my business degree, so I can have my own construction business.
“Thankfully, he and Mom had me late in life, so he’s not far off from retirement. I’d never compete with the old turd. I have to give the man credit, though, for teaching me everything he knew while I was growing up, especially my teenage years.
“I only wish I could’ve done something right in his eyes. When you asked me what I would change in my life, the answer was to have a better relationship with him.”
“Wade, I’m sure he’s proud of you. He has issues that are all his own. It’s not you. I hope you see that.”
I glance over at her and smile.
“You’re pretty special, Goldilocks.”
“We’re in California. You have to give me a new name.”
“How about Malibu Barbie?”
She frowns. “That’s what I call my dad’s young girlfriends. Although, as young as some of them are, we could probably nickname them Skipper.”
“I’m sorry. You have daddy issues, too, huh?”
“You could say that.”
Chapter Fourteen
Laney
IT’S ALMOST TEN o’clock at night on our fourth day of traveling before Wade and I pull up at my father’s sprawling property. His Mercedes is parked in his circle drive, right in front of the door.
Wade pulls up behind it, and I blow out a deep breath. “We made it, and we didn’t kill each other.” I have to giggle. We sure had our ups and down, but the last two days have been wonderful.
“If you don’t mind, I’d like to go in first since he’s not expecting us.”
“I understand. I’ll be right here.” He slides a hand into my hair and pulls me close. He gives me a passionate kiss, and it’s backed with so much intensity. It’s as if he’s afraid he’s telling me goodbye.
“Wade, I plan on keeping my trip short. Even if I stay behind, it won’t be for long. I’m looking forward to returning to South Carolina … to you.”
He grins at me, and as his hand cups my cheek, his fingers massage the space above my ear. I can see the relief in his deep blue eyes.
My father’s front door is unlocked, so I step inside the spacious foyer. A chandelier hangs above my head, and for the first time, showing up here doesn’t feel like home.
I have quite a few negative memories with my father, and now that I’m seeing a future in Clemson with Wade, this feels like such a far-off place.
“Dad, I’m home!” He doesn’t answer, but I hear the television from the great room. I stroll inside, but he’s not there. “Daddy!”
Not finding him anywhere downstairs, I climb the steps to the upstairs. There are three guest bedrooms down the long hallway to the left, and Dad’s master bedroom is on the right, just at the top of the stairs.
The door is ajar, so I cautiously push it open as I say his name. Fear crawls through me so fast that I picture it as a spider moving through me.
That’s when I see his legs sticking out from the bathroom doorway. “Dad!” I run to him and check his pulse. He’s alive. He’s in black and tan striped pajamas, and his grey hair is disheveled.
Sitting on the floor, I pull him into my lap and pat his cheek. “Dad, wake up. Wake up
.”
“Princess, is that you?”
“Oh, thank God.” I hold a hand to my chest.
Smelling something awful, I look down and see vomit on his shirt. My eyes shift to inside the bathroom, and it’s all over the commode and floor.
He also wreaks of alcohol, and I am fast realizing that nothing with my father has changed.
“Let’s get you up.” I tug on him, but he doesn’t move.
“Sienna,” he mumbles.
“What?”
“Sienna. She took it all.”
“Who’s Sienna? Is she your latest girlfriend?”
“Ex-girlfriend,” he says with slurred speech.
“Shit, Daddy. When will you learn?”
I try to stand him up, but I can’t even get his head off my lap. Finding my dad like this and the exhaustion from the last four days of traveling leaves my eyes burning with tears. I don’t want Wade to meet my father like this.
“Please, you’re scaring me. Can you get up at all?” All I get from him is mumbling. I lean back against the door and stroke his hair. Maybe in a few minutes he’ll get up.
Wade
Almost thirty minutes have passed, and I sense something is wrong. I’ve seen no movement in the home, and only one light is on upstairs. I’m beginning to worry, so I approach the front door and knock.
No one answers, so I let myself in.
“Laney!” I wait in the foyer, but I hear nothing. “Laney, are you OK?”
“I’m up here!” Her voice comes from the upstairs, so I head that way. “Wade, don’t come in,” she says desperately as I reach the top of the wooden stairs.
“I’m worried. What’s wrong?”
“I don’t want you to see my dad this way. He’s a mess.”
“Let me help you. I’m worried.”
“No, Wade.”
“We’re sharing our shit, remember?”
I hear her groan. We agreed two days ago that we were going to truly get to know each other and hold nothing back, so she needs to let me in.
“Fine. Come in, but I warn you, it’s bad.”