Perfectly Loved

by Lacey Silks

  “You remember all the words.”

  “I do. And let me add something else to that. I promise you’ll be the only woman I will wake up next to, and I promise to ease that pain in your heart. I’ll find its source and crush it, even if it takes me a lifetime to do so.”

  Oh, Dave. How could I not love this man? How could I deny all that love I had for him any longer? While I couldn’t yet say it, I lifted my gaze and met his, and gave him a kiss that would hopefully communicate all those feelings I had for him. He was only protecting me that day. He didn’t know.

  “You belong with me. There’s no other way.”

  If Fate let me, I would try to make us work. I’d do it for him and all the love he had for me.

  “So, should I expect a winter wonderland when I go downstairs? Or a full-out snow storm?”

  He laughed. “I suppose so, but you’re not going anywhere.”

  “Why would you say that?”

  “We have some work to do.”

  “I thought we worked all night,” I chuckled.

  “We did, and we’re not done just yet. Look what I found.”

  He pointed to the little box that had dropped to the floor when he was pounding into me last night. Inside was that photograph I’d found last week. Mrs. Bowers had climbed up here and tucked it into a little box, along with a pair of baby booties, a few dried leaves between the pages of a pocket Bible, and a handkerchief.

  “What if we enlarged the photograph for her and hung it downstairs?” he asked.

  “I think she’d like that. She’ll deny it, of course, but I really think she’d like it. This is the only happy memory she has of her family.”

  “Are you going to look for her daughter?” he asked.

  “I’m not sure yet. Maybe we could find her granddaughter. I mean, if she dies, we’d need to anyway, right? This place will belong to her.”

  “Well, we have a clue now. Maybe if I enlarge the photograph, someone will recognize her.”

  “Okay, do it. We’d better know what we’re up against with Molly, because if she turns out to be anything like her mother, then we’re in trouble.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Well, what if she’s mean and hates Mrs. Bowers? What if she doesn’t want the farm? I mean, some folks are city people. Oh, my god! What if she wants to sell it for the money? The land alone is probably worth almost a million and then the farm would be gone, Dave. We’d never be able to be back here again.” I panicked.

  “Whoa, slow down, sugar. Let’s take it one step at a time, okay?”

  “Yeah, I guess.”

  I was just nervous for the old witch. The thought of not having Mrs. Bowers here any longer made me sad. But the day was coming. I wasn’t sure when it would be, and I didn’t want to think about it, because it would mean that all the memories we created here would be passed on to a stranger.

  I drew my hand up his naked thigh to his stiff cock and wrapped my fingers around the heated skin. I remembered the first time I’d asked him if I could touch him. It seemed so long ago. Little did I know that the innocent strokes through his pants that aroused him would soon become one of my favorite activities. Dave leaned back against the pitched roof and closed his eyes. I licked the glistening drop that was perfectly centered on the crown of his cock, and he drew in a sharp breath. With extra patience, stretching the skin downward, I drew the tip of my tongue underneath the rim of his smooth crown, ridged in veined patterns.

  “You’re going to kill me,” he said.

  “What do you want me to do?”

  “Put me in your mouth. Please suck me before I explode.”

  “Are you offering me a facial?” I teased, gripping his sack in my other hand, watching him twitch at the touch.

  “For all things that are natural, I swear if you don’t put my dick in your mouth right now, I will make you pay.”

  Part of me wanted to test his patience a little longer, but I remembered the time when I tried to do so in the past – I’d been cuffed and shackled to his bed, and he had his way with me until I begged him to make me come. Perhaps I’d better schedule that test for a different time.

  I slid my lips over him and tightened them around him, taking him fully into my mouth as deep as I could, grasping his balls more firmly in my hand. His sack was warm and felt full. I bopped my head up and down and saw him grasp the sheets at the sides. Oh, this wouldn’t take long at all. As I blew him, I felt his hand on my boob, massaging it and squeezing, letting me know with an impatient tug that he wanted it quicker. I sped my hand on top of him, my saliva leaking down his length, providing enough lubrication for the relentless tugs. His groans were louder and breaths shallower. Tasting the first essence of him, I tightened my grip and he spilled inside my mouth, letting out a sound of relief, his muscled thighs bunching underneath me as he let go of a long exhale.

  “Unbelievable. You’re… you’re… a cock-sucking vampire.”

  “What?” I laughed.

  “It’s like, you latch on and won’t let go. Like a vampire.”

  “You’re delirious. Definitely too much sex.”

  I wiped my mouth with a tissue and pulled on a pair of jogging pants Dave must have brought from downstairs.

  “What are you doing?”

  “I need to pee. And probably shower as well.” I pulled his t-shirt over my head.

  “Okay, but you’re going down at your own risk.”

  “You could have warned me five minutes ago.” I winked and headed for the stairs, secretly praying that perhaps Mrs. Bowers was taking an afternoon nap.

  Unfortunately for me, she wasn’t. In fact, if I were to bet, I’d say that she had purposefully set that chair she was sitting in right in front of the staircase, waiting for me, dressed in her jacket, hat, earmuffs, and a scarf.

  “I knew it!” She pointed.

  “Dave was here this morning. I’m sure he told you more than your old ears could handle.”

  “Now instead of being nice and toasty when I die, I’ll freeze.”

  I laughed. “So, hell has frozen over? It could always thaw out.”

  “Don’t say stupid things like that. Marry that boy before he changes his mind.”

  “Okay, it was just one night. Trust me, there won’t be any wedding bells ringing while you’re alive.”

  For a moment, I thought I saw sadness flash through her old eyes, as if us getting married was her last wish.

  “I never thought I’d hear the sound of the bookshelves hitting the wall in my bedroom again.” She grinned.

  “Why would they hit the wall?”

  Her brows rose.

  “Oh…”

  I guessed after all these years, Mrs. Bowers knew what we’d been up to in the attic after all.

  I took my time in the shower. There was so much running through my mind, I wasn’t sure what to do with everything that had happened between Dave and me. And then there was Savage. The good part was that he no longer had anything on me. Except for his dire obsession with me that I couldn’t explain, I should have been happy. But the fear he instilled in me wouldn’t ever let go.

  When I stepped out of the shower, Dave took my hand. “Come, I want to show you something.”

  I’d have a difficult time wiggling out of his grasp, so I didn’t try. It felt nice and familiar. Actually, much more than nice. The touch caused my heart to pick up its pace and the blood to pump more quickly through my veins.

  “But my hair is wet.”

  “It’s a nice day outside.”

  So why was Mrs. Bowers wearing all the hats and gloves and scarves? Was she really trying to be that funny? Because she definitely looked the part of a joker.

  I let him lead us to the barn. Truthfully, I was a bit freaked out being alone like this with him. The things we’d done in that barn — well, let’s just say that if Mrs. Bowers ever caught us after we almost burned it down, she’d be long dead because of a heart attack. Maybe I should have let her find us. And why wa
s everything suddenly reminding me of us, together?

  Stop it, Millie. She wasn’t that bad. In fact, I had always secretly liked her; but I wouldn’t let her know that, of course.

  Gravel crunched underneath our soles. The sun was low and the air filled with bird songs, tuned by the changing gusts of the wind.

  A few feet before we reached the door, I yanked Dave’s hand and stopped in my tracks. “Did you hear that?” I asked.

  “Yes. Come on, or you’ll miss the rest.”

  I picked up my pace, almost jogging. Inside, the air was much warmer. The smell of hay and dust filled the air, and I sneezed.

  “Shh, you’ll scare her.” Dave pointed toward the partly shaded corner of hay and fur.

  I crouched closer. Three wet kittens rested by their mother’s tummy as she braced for another push, birthing her fourth.

  “Oh, my god! Are they going to be okay?” I asked.

  “I hope so. I called a vet. He’ll be here in an hour.”

  I felt my throat tighten and my eyes sting with tears.

  “Hey, are you okay, peach pie?” He wrapped his arm around me, bringing me closer to his body. I leaned against him and it felt so right.

  “Yeah, I… It’s just beautiful.”

  “I like seeing you like this, Millie.”

  “How?”

  “Vulnerable. Letting me take care of you.”

  I wanted to say something to push him away, but I didn’t. In all honesty, I didn’t want to push him away ever again. I’d had enough of running and holding back. So instead of barking back something stupid, I squeezed his hand and smiled.

  “You brought her a blanket.” My heart was melting. Of course, he would have.

  “Come on, let’s not stress her.”

  “We should stay by the barn until the vet gets here.”

  “Okay. We’ll do that, then.”

  We waited outside. Mr. Brody checked over Dorothy and then each kitten, and we moved the litter inside the house. The last thing I wanted was for a coyote to sniff out these newborns.

  “You bitch!” Mrs. Bowers called Dorothy. “All these years, nothing. And now you bring me more mouths to feed?”

  “We’ll get them adopted into good families. And if you’d like, we can spay Dorothy.”

  “Would you want someone to spay you?” she asked.

  “Well, no.”

  “Then don’t do it to Dorothy.”

  I leaned against Dave, who had his arm around me, watching Mrs. Bowers admire the five kittens and smile. It was a beautiful and rare sight – Mrs. Bowers smiling that is – but she seemed to be doing that more often recently.

  “I don’t want to go back.” I sat in his lap by the fireplace with a glass of wine in my hand. Today and last night were so perfect, I felt like I was living someone else’s life.

  “Then don’t.”

  “I can’t hide out here forever.”

  “Do you feel safer here?”

  “Yes.”

  “Then stay. It’s the same driving distance to work. I’ll bring your stuff.”

  “You would?”

  “Sure. Let me stake out your place for a couple of days, get the photo enlarged for Mrs. Bowers, and we’ll see where we stand.”

  I sighed. “I have to face him some day.”

  “No, you don’t, Millie. He’s always been the reason for your pain, and I like having you far away from him.”

  “Okay, but don’t leave yet. Please?”

  “Not until tomorrow. I’ll drive behind you to work, and then you know the way back.”

  Was it possible that things would work out? Could we finally put the past behind us and move on?

  Chapter 20

  Dave

  Eight years earlier

  It had been three long months of Millie ignoring my phone calls. My sister came back to our apartment to pack Millie’s stuff and asked me to give her some time. For days I parked outside of Dad’s lab like a stalker, anxious to at least see her, but she was never there. I assumed she was staying with my sister and working from there. She had shut me out of her life, and there was nothing I could do about it. I had neither seen her nor talked to her, and we’d only communicated through my exhausted sister, who a week after Millie had left gave birth to her son, Parker. That connection didn’t last long, because the one and only Simon, her husband, threatened to change phone numbers if I kept calling and waking up the baby. I hadn’t liked the guy the night I’d met him at Millie’s prom, and now I officially despised him.

  “She’s coming, isn’t she?” I asked April for the tenth time. She covered Parker with a blanket before turning to me.

  “Of course she is. But Dave, you promised not to harass her.”

  “Harass? Is it too much to ask why she left?”

  “It is today. It took everything I had to convince Simon that you were the right godfather; please don’t make him doubt me.”

  “And she’s the godmother, right?”

  “Yes, she is. She refused at first, but agreed after I cried.”

  “You had to cry to convince her?”

  “No, I cried because I really wanted her to be Parker’s godmother. Geez, Dave. Not everything is about you. Look, now you made me leak.” She pointed to her boob, where a wet patch had appeared.

  “Gross. Please put that away.”

  “It happens when I get emotional, okay? I can’t help it. Please behave. I promised Millie you wouldn’t bring up your situation today.”

  We were a ‘situation’?

  What the hell had I done? And while I didn’t want to bring it up with April, I wanted to know why Millie had missed her graduation. A month ago, I’d waited for her to show up to receive her administrative diploma, but she never showed. Was it because of me?

  “Are you okay, April? I mean, I didn’t think you’d have a baby so soon.” It still concerned me that my sister was with Simon. They’d eloped as soon as April had gotten pregnant, and didn’t even tell anyone.

  “Yes, I’m fine. I’m just full of new hormones, and managing them is not easy.”

  “Well, at least Simon can provide.” I looked around the exquisite home. I might have considered April’s husband a jerk, but he was a rich jerk. Was that why she’d married him? No, I was pretty sure that Parker was the reason. I wished I could have met Simon’s parents, to gauge the kind of relationship they had, but they lived on the West Coast and couldn’t make it to the christening. That definitely didn’t sit right with me, or with our dad. He’d made it well known that there was no excuse for first-time grandparents to miss such an important event — and I had to agree.

  “I didn’t marry him for his money.”

  “I know. Listen, you know that if you ever need to talk about anything, I’m here.”

  “I think you’re the last person I’d want to ask for advice. Your ex-girlfriend hates your guts and you don’t even know why. Dave, I really think she’s set on this. Whatever you did, she’s not going to forgive you.”

  “I don’t know what the hell it is that I did!”

  “Shh, you’ll wake Parker, and I can’t have him restless. I need this day to go as smoothly as possible.”

  Ha! With myself and Millie in one room, I was willing to bet that we wouldn’t be able to omit an adventure even if we tried. I heard my father greet Millie downstairs, and I straightened my back. I had promised to be on my best behavior today, but honestly, I didn’t know what I would do when I saw her. It had been three fucking months! All I wanted was to take her into my arms and hold her there until she finally told me what was wrong.

  And that’s when I heard the male voice booming from downstairs. “It’s nice to meet you, Mr. Mayers.”

  “She brought a date?”

  “Hey, I didn’t know, I swear.” April raised her hands. “She’s been acting weird, and I’ve been too busy with Parker to talk to her about it. I doubt he means much.”

  I peeked over the railing. “She’s hanging onto him like a fuc
king monkey.”

  “Don’t swear in front of your godson.”

  “He’s sleeping. I’m going downstairs.”

  I heard my sister call out after me, but I had no time to listen. Millie was here, and hopefully I wouldn’t just get hard the moment I saw her, and we’d finally get a chance to talk. Squaring my shoulders, I walked downstairs and cleared my throat.

  Millie’s body went rigid as soon as she saw me, and she scooted toward the bulky guy at her side, clinging to his arm. Was this really happening to me? I felt like I was in some sort of a nightmare. My girl, with another guy.

  Fuck!

  Looking at him, standing there all smug, I had to admit that he was pretty good-looking, but was she really over me? Over us? How the fuck did that happen? Was I not a good boyfriend? Did she need something more than I could offer? No, that couldn’t be it. We’d talked about us all the time. Jesus, when I saw a future, it was only with her, no one else. I felt like someone just kept stabbing me right into my heart, over and over again.

  As had been requested of me, I introduced myself to Brian and exchanged a few short words before leaving them in the hallway. I headed into the dining room, where Simon was re-arranging the chairs.

  “You okay?” he asked.

  “Not really.”

  He reached into a cabinet and poured me a glass of orange liquor. It could have been scotch. I didn’t really care. I took it from him and downed it in a few gulps.

  “Another one?” he asked.

  “Maybe after church. Thanks.”

  “Okay, listen. She’ll come back. Maybe not today, or tomorrow, but she’ll come back.”

  That was the only time I could remember where I rather appreciated his company. Things must have really been bad if I preferred standing beside Simon to creating fake chitchat with Brian.