by Cat Brown
“I will do whatever I can to make her want to stay. We both know how she is though Julie. No matter how much you or I or anybody else wants to make the decision for her, she is going to be the one to make it based on what she feels and thinks is right. There isn’t any one of us that could change her mind.”
We say our goodbyes and Julie drives away. I head into the airport and book the next flight out to Alabama. I am lucky enough to find one that will take off at eleven this morning so I book it and sit around and wait until it’s time to board.
Chapter Nine
Courtney
I am sitting in a taxi taking the trek to Dexter’s house when I start to think this is a bad idea. Not because I don’t want to see Dexter but because what if he might not be home. Or what if he doesn’t want to see me? It’s too late for any of those questions though because my taxi has just pulled into his long drive. Luckily I remember the code to his gate. It’s freaking awesome having my memory back. I’ll never take my memory for granted again, that’s for sure.
When we pull up in front of his house I see his SUV parked out front so I take that as a good sign that he is here. I pay the cab driver and walk up the steps unto his beautiful wrap around porch. I knock but there is no answer so I walk along the porch to check out back to see if he is back there.
No Dexter back there but I do see Cooper running or should I say pecking his way over to me at lightning speed. He is barking and everything. He acts like he is excited to see me. What is up with this rooster? Luckily I know that he is friendly and that he has had his spurs removed or I would be high tailing it out of here by now.
I am not going to be getting all buddy buddy with Coop and start petting him and treating him like a dog like Dexter does. If he just keeps his distance I think we can get along just fine.
I walk over to Dexter’s back door and knock on it just in case he is in the back part of the house but he still doesn’t answer. I try the knob and it turns so I make a decision to head on inside. Maybe he is in the shower or something. I walk through the house looking in all the different rooms trying to find him but the house is quiet. I come to the conclusion that maybe he is not here after all.
I grab a bottle of water out of his fridge. I am parched after the plane ride and exhausted too. I grab my phone from my purse and realize I have missed a call.
Of course it’s from Dexter. He didn’t leave a message so I go ahead and try to call him back to see when he might be home. Maybe he is just at Robs or something.
He answers on the first ring.
“Hey Courtney I am so glad you called. You will never guess where I am right now.” He says.
“Where are you Dexter? I bet you will never guess where I am right now.” I say in a teasing tone.
“Sweet girl I know exactly where you are. I was just at your house in North Carolina and your mom told me where you were. I can’t believe you flew all the way to Alabama to surprise me at the same time as I tried to come surprise you.” His booming laughter echoes through the line.
“Oh my gosh you’re in North Carolina? Dexter do you want me to come back home so you don’t have to fly all the way back out here?”
“No babe you just stay there and I will come to you. I am already back at the airport and have a flight booked for eleven so it shouldn’t be too much longer before they start boarding. I am so glad I got to talk to you before I got on the flight. The back door is unlocked so you can go ahead and go on inside and make yourself at home. I will take a taxi home from the airport as soon as I can.”
“I am already in your house.” I laugh out. “I have already made myself at home too. I can’t wait to see you Dexter. Have a safe flight.” He laughs again and I picture him sitting in the airport throwing his head back and laughing. It brings a smile to my face.
“I like the idea of you making yourself at home at my place. I love you Court. See you soon.” Dexter hangs up and I realize I didn’t say I love you back.
I guess he still doesn’t realize that I have my memory back. This should be a lot of fun when he gets home.
I take my bags up to Dexter’s room and unpack a few things. I go ahead and hop in the shower to wash off the grime from the airport. After I get out of the shower I curl up on Dexter’s bed that smells like him and take a nap.
Chapter Ten
Dexter
When I finally arrive back at my house in Alabama I walk in to find Courtney asleep on my bed. Cooper is curled up next to her in a little ball of feathers. Huh I wonder how he got in here and I wonder if Courtney knows that he is sleeping beside her. Looks like Cooper has made a new best friend.
I snap a picture of the two of them. I will have to show it to Courtney later when she is awake so she can see how sweet of a rooster he actually is. I scoop up Cooper and put him outside because I don’t want Courtney waking up and freaking the hell out when he is in bed with her.
After I put Coop outside I head back upstairs and lay down on the bed next to Courtney. I put my arms around her and pull her close to me. She doesn’t stir. She must be exhausted so I let her sleep. I lay there thinking about how special she is to me and how funny it was that we both wanted to surprise each other. Our planes probably flew right past each other this morning and we didn’t have a clue.
Laying here with her like this feels amazing, so amazing that I soon find myself drifting into a peaceful sleep.
Waking up from a nap with my beautiful girl in my arms is the best feeling in the world. I gently push her hair away from her face and kiss her nose. Her eyes pop open to reveal her pretty baby blues. She smiles up at me and I smile back down at her. We are both just staring and admiring each other. No words are needed. Our love for each other is shining back through each other’s eyes.
“You remember me now pretty girl?” I ask while I trace an imaginary line back and forth across her stomach. She nods shyly.
“I don’t know how I ever could have forgotten someone as incredible as you Dexter.” She places her hand on the back of my neck and pulls me down for a sweet kiss. I pull her closer and run one hand through her hair as the other runs down her back with a feather like caress. When I reach the hem of her shirt I slip my hand underneath and trace her bare skin at the line of her shorts with my fingertips.
She lets out a soft moan and arches her chest into me. I take that as a sign to move forward. My hand that was in her hair trails down her jaw line. I then run a finger down her neck and my lips follow its path kissing down her neck as well. When both hands are under her top I begin to slowly lift it off her body. My hands never leave her skin as they make their way up her torso.
Once her shirt is off I kiss my way down her stomach to where her shorts meet skin. I unbutton the shorts and slide them down her legs. My lips never leaving her body following the path her shorts are taking. I kiss my way back up until my lips find hers again. She opens up to me and I deepen the kiss. I trail kisses down to the hollow of her neck. My tongue licking and exploring every inch of her. My lips meet the tips of her breasts that are still covered with her bra.
“Oh Dex. Please don’t stop.” She cries out. Wasn’t planning on it sweetheart. Nothing could stop this moment from happening now.
I pull her up into my lap so she is straddling me so I can unsnap her bra. Dangerously slow I slide the straps down her arms. My fingertips tingling with fire the whole way down her arm just from touching her skin.
“Dex please.” She must like what I am doing if the deep moans she keeps letting out are any indication.
“Courtney baby you are so fucking gorgeous.” I groan out.
She reaches the hem of my shirt and rips it from my skin and begins trailing sweet kisses along my chest. She pushes me down onto my back and removes my shorts, my boxers go right along with them. When she is done I grab her and gently lay her down on her back before me.
I hook my thumbs into her panties and pull them down past her knees and ankles until they are free of her body. I toss them onto
the growing pile of our clothes on the floor. I crawl between her legs and bend down until we are chest to chest. I give her a few soft kisses to her lips and take one of her breast in my hand softly touching and exploring. I want to get to know every inch of her body.
I run my thumb over her nipple and it hardens beneath my touch. Courtney arches into me and I can’t take another second. I need to be inside of her. I enter her in one smooth thrust and she calls out my name as I call out hers. She feels so fucking good. So I tell her as much.
“You feel so fucking good Court.” I say as I continue to thrust in and out of her softness. She feels so good beneath me like this.
I take it nice and slow making love to my girl. When we have both reached our peak I collapse on top of her and then roll over beside her taking her with me. She is laying half on and half off of me. When I look down at her she has tears in her eyes. I know in that moment it affected her as much as it did me. That was the most mind blowing experience in my life.
“Dex that was amazing. Mind blowing.” Courtney says on a sigh.
“Yeah baby it was earth shattering. I have never felt that before. Everything is just better with you. I just can’t explain it.” I just can’t put into words how much I love her. It’s indescribable.
We lay there in silence for a few minutes reveling in what we just shared together. A thought occurs to me and I let out a curse.
“What is it Dex?” Courtney eyes me curiously.
“I was so wrapped up in making love with you that I forgot to put on a condom. I am clean I swear and I trust that you are too babe. It’s just that… ya know that didn’t protect us from you possibly getting pregnant.” I hate the way that came out. It sounded weird leaving my mouth. Courtney just looks amused.
“It’s okay Dex. If I end up pregnant then it was meant to be. I think we should be okay though as far as dates go.” She goes on to explain something about the monthly cycle that I only half follow along with. I am too busy wondering what we would do if she got pregnant. I know I love her and I would love to have kids with her but there is still the little issue of Dave to consider. What if she leaves and then finds out she is having my baby.
Hopefully after what we just shared together leaving would be the last thing on her mind. I push all thought of her leaving aside for now because I want to be able to enjoy our time together.
“I need to hop in the shower. Would you like to join me?’ I stand up and reach out my hand to help her off the bed.
“Of course, lead the way.” She says and I take her into the shower for another round of love making, just not as slow and gentle as before. I show her just how much fun taking a shower with me can be.
Chapter Eleven
Courtney
What Dexter and I just shared back there in that bedroom rocked my world. He was so gentle with me and took care of my body like he was worshipping every inch of me. His touch lit my skin ablaze. My skin was still tingling from the kisses he trailed down my body from my lips to my toes. I have never felt anything of that magnitude before, not even with Dave.
After another round in the shower he washed my hair and my body with ease. He loved to take care of me and I loved that he did. It made me feel cherished and loved.
When we were dried off and dressed we headed down stairs to the kitchen in search of something to eat. Neither of us had eaten at all that day and we were starved. We had worked up quite the appetite after all.
“Oh Court I have to show you this picture I took of you when I got home. Rule number one: The back door doesn’t latch well so you have to close it extra hard or it pops back open. Look at this picture.” He shoves his phone in my face and I gasp.
“No freaking way. You have got to be shittin me.” I shriek.
Dexter is laughing hysterically with tears pouring down his face from laughing so hard.
He showed me a picture of myself curled up on his bed and beside me curled up like a sleeping puppy is Cooper. I am so glad I didn’t wake up and see him lying there. I would have freaked the hell out.
“I can’t believe your weird ass rooster puppy curled up in the bed beside me. What the hell? That is a puppy in rooster skin.” I say to Dexter.
“He likes to do that. Sometimes when I am on the porch in the swing or even just in one of the chairs he will hop right up in my lap and just lay there for hours. Wait until you hear him at the crack of dawn tomorrow morning trying to cockadoodle. You’ll get a kick outta that.” He says still laughing.
“Anyway, I don’t think I got to tell you how beautiful your new hair style is. That color on you is amazing. It brings out your eyes.” My face flushes with his appraisal.
“Thank you. I was ready for a change.” I shrug.
“So how long were you planning on staying? I know you probably need to get back to the kids. I was planning on staying in North Carolina until I had to come back here. I wrapped up filming yesterday so I am a free man until August.”
“I was planning on going back tomorrow. I need to get back to the kids and I guess I should get back to work too since I am feeling better and actually remember that I have a job. I just wanted to surprise you and let you know I got my memory back in person. I wanted to see your face when I told you. I guess we could catch a flight together instead or we could drive back. I love road trips.” I suggest driving because it would be that much more time we would have alone together instead of a couple hours on a crowded plane.
“A road trip sounds good. That way I won’t have to rent a car the whole time I am there. Honestly the only reason I was flying to begin with was because it was the quickest way to get to you, but if I can get you to myself for nine hours straight in a car then I am all for that.” So Dexter agrees with me there.
“My thoughts exactly.”
Later that night we watched a movie and shared a bowl of popcorn. During the movie I fell asleep on his shoulder and I woke up the next morning curled up next to him in his bed. He smelled so good I could stay curled up by him forever but I knew we needed to get up and get going so we could hit the road.
I am about to get out of bed when I hear something from outside that startles me. It sounds like an animal is being attacked. I carefully sneak from under Dexter’s arm and head for the window to peek outside. I see Cooper out there and continue to scan the yard to see if anything looks amiss.
I hear the sound again and I am shocked to see that the sound is actually coming from Cooper.
What in the hell?
Oh this must be the weird ass cockadoodling Dexter was talking about. I shake my head. This rooster is just too much. I wouldn’t call that barking either. He just sounds plain creepy.
I look over at Dexter and he is still sleeping so I head to the kitchen to start the coffee pot and cook us some pancakes for breakfast. A few minutes later Dexter’s bare feet pad into the kitchen, he is wearing only a pair of briefs and he looks completely edible in them. Almost enough to say screw the pancakes I will have Dexter for breakfast instead, but my stomach rumbled and I knew I was hungry for real food. As enticing as his body was I would have to wait to ravish him.
“Good morning baby.” Dexter says as he comes up behind me and wraps his arms around my waist and buries his head in the crook of my neck.
“Morning hot stuff. I figured I would make us some pancakes and coffee so we could hit the road pretty soon.” I flip the pancakes over to finish cooking the other side and turn around in his arms and give him a good morning kiss.
“Sounds like a plan. I am going to go change into some clothes and I will be right back down to eat.” He kisses my forehead and leaves me to finish cooking up the pancakes. I stack up some pancakes on a plate for him. I pour him a cup of coffee just the way he likes it, black with very little sugar. I sit them both down on the table for him and go back over to make my plate and coffee as well.
When we are done with breakfast Dexter tells me to go get ready while he cleans up. We work like a well-oiled machine when we are t
ogether. It makes things much easier. We hit the road thirty minutes later headed toward North Carolina.
We are a couple hours into our trip when Dexter finally brings up the elephant in the room-or should I say car? Either way he brings it up. Which totally sucks because I was enjoying living in this fantasy where everything is honky dory. Now I have to face reality and put my big girl panties on and deal with life. These are the kind of decisions no one should have to decide on. How can I choose between the kids’ happiness and my own when I know if I choose to go with Dave my heart will always ache for Dex.
“So what do you think you will do about Dave? You have some big decisions to make baby girl.” Dexter says as he turns down the radio.
“Honestly, I am so confused on what to do. No matter what I do some one gets hurt and I don’t like having a decision like this on my plate.”
“Well if it was just you and you didn’t have anyone else to think about, what would you do?” He asks. His question is easily answered I don’t even have to think about it.
“I would stay. There is no doubt in my mind that I would stay.” I tell him honestly.
“Okay so now add the kids into the equation. How do you feel then?”
“I feel like the kids should have their dad in their life but as of now they don’t even know he is alive. I don’t want to leave my family and I sure as hell don’t want to leave you Dexter. I just don’t want to be selfish and choose my own happiness over the kids having their dad back again.” Tears blur my vision but I don’t want Dexter to see how weak I am.
“I have faith that you will make the right decision baby.” Dexter tells me.
“I sure hope so. In a way I don’t want to uproot the kids’ lives. I know they will miss their friends and they will miss all of our family. They will never be able to see their grandparents or aunts again. Do I take all of that away from them so they can have their dad back? Then what will something like this do to them learning that their Dad has been alive this whole time. They would be so confused. My heart aches thinking about making this decision.” I let out everything that I have been feeling. I am in tears now, full on sobbing all over the car.