by Kate Gilead
In my heart, I think I’ve met my Forever Love. And it’s more complicated, marvelous, scary and sexy than I ever imagined!
“I was glad it turned out that we kind-of know Rob,” Mom says, after a while. “He comes from a good family and he does seem like an awfully decent guy.”
“Yeah,” Dad says. “I think things are moving too fast between you two though, Bren. And, frankly, I’ll be happy when this ex-wife business gets settled.”
Obviously we’re all sitting here thinking the same thing. I feel an almost physical rush of gratitude. I’m so lucky to have the support and love of my parents!
“I admit that things are moving fast, Dad.” I answer quietly. “But I believe him when he says he has no romantic feelings for Valeriss. I’m more worried that he feels like he owes her.”
“Yes,” Dad says. “and I think he means, he owes it to her to not abandon her in her time of need, not that he owes it to her to get back together with her. But…that’s partly what bothers me, I guess. He looks after his obligations, pays his debts, takes care of people…that’s the mark of a decent guy. A good man. Sometimes, people take advantage of that.”
“Yeah. And I wonder about her money,” Mom says. “People do strange things for money. I wonder if she’ll try to manipulate him with it, like her father did.”
“That too,” Dad says, “but he has a good job and his own money now. A man who has his own money is not that easily tempted. Especially if he’s happy with what he has. And apparently, neither his ex-wife or her money made him happy.”
“How could it? I don’t see how anyone can be happy in a situation where they’re being bought and paid for,” I say. “It’s no different from being chained.”
“Exactly,” Dad says. “And he says he worked to get himself out of it. That’s a man who can’t be bought. He does the right thing. I like that. Whatever else is going on with him, I like that. ”
“Yeah, me too.” Mom says.
“And you know what else I like? I like how good he is with dogs. Did you see how his Rottie watches him? And how that dog waited for permission to take food from me?”
Mom sits up and takes a sip from her mug. “I didn’t notice that!”
“I didn’t either,” I say, “and I already know how good he is with dogs.”
“Yep. That dog looked at Robert before he’d take his treat. And Robert just ducked his head and the dog knew it was okay. I mean, come on! What dog waits for permission to take food? There’s something special about a guy like that, Brenda.”
I couldn’t agree more.
Mom looks over at me and smiles. “He’s so handsome too, sweetie. He can have any woman he wants,” she says, “like someone else I know.”
She gives Dad a smoldering look. He glances at her, looks away and then looks back quickly, catching the glint in her eye.
Whoa! That’s my cue to leave.
“Okay, I’m going up to my room now,” I say, laughing. I give them both a hug and kiss. “I’m so glad you’re home. Thanks for…you know…being so cool.”
“No problem, baby,” Mom says. Dad gives me an absent thumbs-up and turns his attention back to Mom.
I pick up Princess and go up to my room, hearing Mom giggling as I head upstairs.
The next day, Rob texts me to ask if I’m still planning to come by for dinner and to maybe stay the night. When I confirm, he sends me a kiss emoji and says “can’t wait, come whenever”.
When I arrive at his place just after four o’clock, I’m nervous, not sure what to expect…except perhaps, chaos, dog fights and a sobbing, grieving child-woman.
My knock on the door produces the deep, resounding woofs of two big dogs barking in tandem. After a moment, they both fall silent and Rob opens the door, his wide, white smile showing that one elusive dimple.
“Hi! Come in, come in,” he says, standing back to let me in. Tiny and Meff stay a polite distance away, ears back and entire bodies wagging. They’re standing side by side with not a ruffled hair in sight.
“Oh, this is encouraging,” I say, smiling up at Rob. He grabs me around the waist and picks me up, kissing me with a resounding smooch.
I wrap my arms around his neck tightly and return the favor, my heart racing a little at his touch.
“Yes, they’re always fine together when I’m here. But, we’re all feeling a little better today. Come on,” he takes my coat and hangs it on the coat rack. “We’re in the kitchen, looking up dinner recipes online.”
The living room needs to be picked up a little but there are no more moving cartons. Everything seems to be unpacked. I’m relieved to see it’s not the disaster zone I was expecting.
It’s the same in the kitchen. There are papers and a laptop on the table, but the counters are clean and the sinks are clear of dishes. A big package of pork chops sits on the counter, next to a bag of potatoes and a bag of carrots.
At the kitchen table, Valeriss looks up at me over the open screen of the laptop. “Hi Brenda,” she says, solemnly, in her Tinkerbell-small voice. She’s wearing retro-hippy clothing again. An orange, ribbed turtle-neck paired with seventies-chic houndstooth trousers in burnt sienna and avocado.
“Hi.” I feel shy again, and awkward, which is unlike me. I am so out of my league in this situation, all I can think to do is to try not to make it any worse. “So, um, how’s it going today?”
“Bit better, thanks. How about you?”
“I’m good, thanks Valeriss,” I say.
“Call me Val, if you want. Where’s your dogs?”
“Oh, they’re with the ‘rents. They’re back from Florida for a bit. They don’t mind dog-sitting.”
“Ah. They seemed like nice dogs. I’m sorry I didn’t pay any attention to them when they were here.”
“Oh, no, no, that’s…I mean, you weren’t in any shape.”
“That’s true. Hey, did Robbie tell you that I contacted my grandmother on Facebook?”
“No,” I glance at Rob. “When? What’d she say?”
“This morning. I got a really good sleep last night and I…felt up to it today. She was saddened to hear the news but, she called me and we talked for two hours!”
Suddenly, she smiles. It’s the first time I’ve seen her smile and it transforms her. It makes her face crinkle adorably, her eyes becoming two mirthful, elfin crescents.
I take a seat at the table next to her and up close, I see that her eyes are still puffy and surrounded by a web of weary-looking wrinkles. Her smile is cute, but she’s tired and frail.
“Oh, that’s great.” I have no idea what to say. What can I say that isn’t too patronizing, or too breezy or indifferent, is still respectful and authentic, or even real enough to make any difference to her?
I feel awkward and uncouth, grasping for something to say. There’s a moment of awkward silence before I say, “So, do you think you’ll get to know that side of the family now?”
“Yes. I’d like to.” She bites her lip and looks down, and the silence stretches out. She flicks her eyes back up at me. “This is weird for me, too,” she says, so quietly I almost don’t hear her.
But I do, and it just about breaks my heart.
“Oh, dude!” I put my hand on her arm and just…let it out. I just say exactly what I’m thinking. “You know what? All I can think about how hard this must be for you. I literally have no idea what to say to you. Or what to do. I’m totally out of my league here. But I…I…really, really feel for you. Last night, I was bummed out all night imagining what this must be like for you.”
She stares at me. I’m very aware of Rob, standing against the counter, watching us both.
“Dude?” she says, and that smile comes back, this time with a tinkly little laugh. “The last time anyone called me that was in high school.” She looks at me, really looks at me, turning her body towards me. “Thank you,” she says, putting her hand over mine. “It means a lot to me that you were thinking of me. I appreciate it, very much.”
; She stands up and leans over me for a somewhat awkward hug, which makes us both giggle.
She sits back down and looks at Rob. “You have a nice girl here, Robbie.” Her smile comes back, such a sweet, diminutive smile. But I see a shimmer of tears in her eyes. “She’s very kind, isn’t she? Just like you.”
“Aww,” I look down now, fighting a shimmer in my own eyes. I can’t look at Rob. “Right now, though? I’m very hungry. I get kind of grumpy when I’m hungry, if you wanna know the truth!”
“Believe her, Valeriss,” Rob says, grinning. “I’ve seen her eat and she means it. You don’t wanna get in her way.”
We all laugh, and just like that, everything feels better.
Turns out, they went grocery shopping that day and stocked up on staples.
Now, Valeriss is looking online for ways to cook the pork chops they bought. She turns the laptop so I can see it too, and together, we settle on a simple recipe using a can of cream of mushroom soup.
None of us has done it before, but the directions are clear, and in no time, we have the chops cooking in a sauce made with the soup, plus some onions, garlic and spices. And the potatoes and carrots are peeled, quartered, and boiling away.
“You know, just hanging around the kitchen while other people cook has been educational,” I remark. “I’m realizing that I sort-of know what to do. This is all easy-peasy.”
“Yeah. Ain’t no thang,” Rob agrees, turning the heat on the potatoes down to a simmer.
Valeriss is a little more lost at first but she catches on quick. And why shouldn’t she, it’s not like it’s rocket science.
“I wasn’t allowed in the kitchen,” she says, pointing at the empty space on the stove that used to house a burner. “You see what happens when I try.”
I make a comical “oops” face and she and Rob both chuckle. “As soon as I have access to money again, I’ll pay Robbie for that.”
She opens a jar of parsley and brings it over to me. “When I was growing up, the kitchen was for staff only. Honestly, my dad was so dismissive of cooking, for a while there I though kitchen duty was some kind of punishment for being bad or something. Ha!” She sniffs the open jar suspiciously. “Umm…this doesn’t smell that great.”
She holds it out to me so I can take a sniff. “I think that’s just how it smells. Throw a pinch of it into the sauce. It’ll be good once it melds with all the flavors.”
Judiciously, she sprinkles some of the dried spice and then stirs it into the sauce. “It’s kind of cool, doing this,” she says, banging the wooden spoon on the pot happily. “I like it. It feels…satisfying.”
“It does, doesn’t it?” Rob says, smiling at me. “I can’t wait to eat.”
When the meal is ready, we all dig in. The chops turn out to be a little tough, and the potatoes are on the mushy side. But the sauce tastes perfectly delicious, and we eat everything slathered in that.
“My mother always said that a good sauce covers a multitude of sins,” Rob says.
“Damn straight,” I say, “this stuff is the shit! But, next time, I’ll turn the heat down on the chops and let them cook slower.”
“And we’ll drain the potatoes sooner, before they get too waterlogged,” Rob says.
“Mmmm,” Valeriss agrees, mouth too full to say anything else. She’s eating ravenously, and it’s good to see. She’s so thin and frail, the food is bound to do her good, over-cooked or not.
Tiny and Meff have been waiting patiently outside the kitchen doorway the whole time we’ve been in there. Rob doesn’t allow dogs into the kitchen but that doesn’t stop them from hovering as close to the doorway as they can. They’re in close proximity to each other but they’re calm and serene, and getting along just fine.
After we eat, Rob gets the dog’s food prepared and serves it to them in the mud room off the kitchen. Together, Valeriss and I clear the table, load the dishwasher and tidy up. Valeriss does her share, doing a pretty good job for someone who’s never had to pick up after herself.
We don’t talk much but we’re not uncomfortable. When she’s not in distress, she’s not such a bad person to be around. But I think that she’s probably different now that he dad is gone, than she’s been in the past. The death of your only family has to change you.
She’ll survive. She won’t be the same, but she’ll survive.
Later, we light a fire in the living room and relax. I enjoy getting a chance to get to know and play with Meff, who’s a fine and affectionate animal now that he’s minding his manners. Tiny accepts him completely, and as the three of us settle in to watch a movie, the two dogs share the Rottweiler’s bed amiably, with Meff’s long gangly legs hanging off to the side.
Valeriss curls up in the overstuffed chair, her tiny body all but swallowed up in the cushions. Rob and I share the couch, cuddled in each other’s arms. As the movie ends, we hear gentle snores coming from the direction of Valeriss’ chair. She’s fast asleep.
Rob turns off the TV and nuzzles my neck. “Would you come to bed with me, sweetheart?” His whispered voice in my ear sends shivers along my flesh.
“Thought you’d never ask,” I whisper back. “What about Val?”
His eyes gleam. “If you’re saying you want a threesome,” he jokes, “I’ll have to decline. Unless I get to pick someone else?”
I give him a light punch him on the arm. “No! I mean, aren’t you gonna wake her up and tell her to go to bed?”
“Nope. She’s a big girl, she can tell herself to go to bed.”
He stands, takes my hand, and leads me down the hall to his bedroom.
Chapter Seventeen
Brenda
I’m already hot and steamy, anticipating getting naked with my delicious, sexy honey.
Shutting and locking his bedroom door, he turns to me. Those blue eyes lock on mine, the dimple appears and then disappears again.
He comes close, puts his arms around me and and rests his forehead on mine. “Are you tired, sweetie?” he whispers.
“Yes. Tired of waiting to get naked with you,” I say. I’m joking but I mean it, too.
He chuckles and runs his hands up and down my waist, then down and over the curve of my ass. His fingers grip my butt-cheeks and knead them appreciatively.
His hands are so warm and strong, they make shivers follow where ever they touch.
We kiss, softly, leaning into each other, supporting each other. Our lips, as they touch, and tease and feel each other, fall into a rhythm of their own, and we both give in to it, letting it build the fire that makes our breath come faster, and our bodies come alive.
I push my belly into Rob and I can feel how hard he is already, how much he wants me. It makes me moan as I grasp his hardness through his pants.
His lips on mine, then on my jaw, my neck, my earlobe, his hand lifting my shirt and massaging my breast. Electric sparks flow from his hand straight to my pussy, which pulses with a slow, wet throb.
He helps me pull my shirt over my head, then kisses and nibbles along my neck where it joins my shoulders. Slowly, he unhooks my bra and pushes it off my shoulders to the floor, letting his fingertips trail lightly over my skin.
Both hands push my jeans and panties down my legs to the floor, where I step out of both.
I’m naked in his arms again.
“Ahhh, he whispers, “look at you. So beautiful.”
One hand fondles my left breast, pulling on the nipple, while the other reaches between my legs.
“Mmmm,” his lips back on mine. His fingers pet my aching pussy softly, teasingly. I open my legs to his probing hand. He uses a finger to part my lips and then pushes his middle finger into me, overcoming the soft resistance of my labia with the help of the creaminess that he finds there.
He curls his finger inside me, stirring hot, slow pleasure into my tunnel. I arch my back and squat a little to give him better access.
“Mmm, yeah,” he murmurs, “let me into that sweet, juicy pussy.”
He gently steer
s me towards the bed and urges me down on my back. “I want a taste,” he whispers.
Greedy for his mouth on my clit, I lay back and spread my legs, looking down as he positions himself between them.
Without further ado, he lowers his head and feasts. And ohhh yes, his hot tongue plunges into me, making a fleshy hook of itself and licking, digging, slurping my hole, making it flutter and clench. He makes quiet moans and sighs and each one is like music to my ears, expressions of delight that edge me closer and closer to orgasm.
I’m trying so hard to keep quiet myself! I grab a throw-pillow and hold it over my mouth, breathing into it, letting it catch my moans and whispers.
When he has my thighs jumping and my juices running down my ass, I let my quivering legs fall all the way open, like the leaves of a book.
That’s when he moves his tongue to my clit, and his finger takes its gentle, inquisitive place inside me, tapping and rubbing that secret inside spot that causes such a delicious response.
I clutch the pillow to my face and chest as he stimulates my clit and g-spot. He peaks my pleasure as he licks and sucks my tiny erection and his careful, insistent finger gives my hungry, soaking pussy something to suck on as well.
My hips start to rock involuntarily, their downward motion trapping his hand. He sits up and moves his finger more quickly inside of me now, drawing erotic sounds of smacking juices from my creamy pussy.
“Mmm yeah,” he grunts, his eyes intent on my face. Ahhh shit, he’s sucking my clit into his mouth now, sucking it hard and then soft, surrounding it with his warm mouth and then using the tip of his tongue to lash it.
My hips and ass are jumping and rocking…he won’t stop, he won’t let up and uuuhhh uhhhhh oh god oh jesus hhnnnnnng, I scream hoarsely into the pillow. My body is bucking and jumping, knees rising, feet and toes curling in time with the strong, rhythmic orgasm wracking my pussy.
Breathing hard, lips drawn back from his teeth, he kneels in front of me, cock in hand. He wets the tip within my drenched folds, working it back and forth until my body swallows it into my still-convulsing hole.