Redemption

by Jaimie Roberts

  My eyebrow rose. She knew exactly what that did to me. I had shown her often enough.

  “Jeremy, would you mind taking your sister to her room for a moment? I need to have a little chat with your mother.”

  Jeremy smiled a little and shook his head. “I don’t mind.” He patted me on the shoulder. “Good luck,” he whispered before taking Isabella’s hand and leading her up the stairs.

  As soon as I knew they were gone, I went in for the kill. Tyler stepped back, but her back soon met the wall. “Hmmm… Just where I want you.”

  “Don’t touch me, Dean. I’m still angry with you.”

  I trailed my finger down her cheek and watched as she shuddered. It made me smile that I could still have this effect on her even after all these years. “I’m sure I can convince you otherwise.” I nibbled her ear a little and heard her breathing speed up.

  “I hate you sometimes,” she whispered.

  “And I love you all of the time.” I kissed her neck tenderly and gently brushed my thumb over her nipple. It was rock hard, just aching for my mouth to be on it. I wanted to oblige, but not with our son and daughter only a few feet above our heads.

  “Dean, you’re not playing fair,” she moaned as I cupped her breast in my hand and squeezed her nipple.

  “When it comes to you, Tyler, I will never play fair. You should know that about me by now.” I brushed my thumb over her nipple again and she trembled.

  “Please, Dean. Don’t do this to me. You know my hormones are all over the place at the moment. One more touch and I’ll drag you into the toilet myself. That new sink still hasn’t broken yet.” She raised her eyebrow at me, as if in challenge. I would accept that fucking challenge any day of the week.

  I was about to answer when the doorbell rang. I placed my head on her shoulder and groaned. “Oh fuck. I forgot they were coming over.”

  Tyler slapped me. “You play nice, Dean. You know they’re still a little sore.”

  My eyes widened. “Tyler, it’s been ten fucking years and almost three children later! You think they would have tried to find it in their heart to forgive me by now.” I groaned again. “Give me Pinzano any day, but not this. Please, Tyler.” I took her hand. “I’ll give you anything you ask.”

  She looked at me, shaking her head. “Don’t joke about that, Dean. It’s not funny.”

  I very nearly pouted. Me? Fucking pouting? I must be getting old and soft. “I’m sorry, Rosey.” I gave her a smile that I knew would get me away with anything. She was a sucker for my smiles.

  Her lips curved up and I knew I had her. “Okay, okay, but you go answer the door.” She walked away and her hand slipped from my grip.

  I groaned again, but dutifully did as my adoring wife asked of me. I opened the front door and relief immediately washed over me. “Jimmy, thank fuck. I thought you were the wicked witch of the–” Jimmy moved out of the way and my heart sank.

  Fuck!

  “Mrs. O’Shea, how lovely to see you again.” I think my balls shriveled up and died. One look from her was all it took. It didn’t help that Jimmy had this shit-eating grin on his fucking face. What I wouldn’t give to wipe that off right now.

  “I’m sure,” she grunted. “Are you going to let us in?”

  As if from nowhere, Derren and a very pregnant Tara appeared. How the fuck did that happen? Did Jimmy purposely hide them all from me? I was going to have words with him later.

  I moved out of the way. “Sure, come in.” As soon as I moved, I heard a squealing Isabella running down the stairs.

  “Pumpkin!” Derren shouted.

  Saved by my ray of sunshine. Hopefully the pressure was off me now. Maybe now would be a good time to hide in the corner somewhere whilst Tyler’s mum thought of the next potion she could stir in her cauldron. I guess now I have another fucking ten years of hard work. Great. Just fucking great.

  “Granddaddy!” Isabella shouted.

  I saw Derren’s bright smile. He was just as much a sucker for the O’Shea women as I was. I looked over at Clara and saw her scowl.

  Well, maybe not all the O’Shea women.

  Isabella rushed into his arms just as Jeremy came down the stairs. I gave him a Please, help me look, but all he did was smile and shake his head. Do I not have any allies in my own home?

  Just as I thought this, Tyler came up from behind me and laid a gentle hand on my back. I immediately relaxed when I saw her smile. She was beautiful.

  “Aha!” Derren exclaimed. “My other pumpkin. How are you, sweetheart?”

  Tyler smiled brightly and gave both Derren and Clara a hug. “Fine, thank you. Getting bigger by the day, but fine.” She looked over at Tara. “Tara, look at you.”

  Tara shook her head. “Please don’t mention it. I feel like a house. I just want them out of me already. Jimmy failed to mention the part about his grandmother being a twin.” She glared over at him and Jimmy almost cowered. I raised my eyebrow at him as if to say, Yeah, it’s a bitch, isn’t it?

  But where would we be without them?

  “Have you brought presents?” Isabella asked, excitedly.

  “Isabella, don’t be rude. They’ve just got here.” Tyler laughed and Clara shook her head.

  “That’s okay.” She bent down to take Isabella’s hand. “Now, why would we be bringing presents today?”

  Isabella swayed her hips back and forth, making her little frock sway. She was quite the girlie girl. She wanted all the latest fashion…shoes, dresses, you name it. She was costing me a bloody fortune, but she was worth every cent.

  “It’s my birthday!” she cried.

  Clara gasped. “No! Is it really?”

  Isabella jumped up and down. “It is. It is!”

  Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Derren walk out the door, pick something up, then came back in. “It’s a good thing we brought you these then.” In his hand were about six presents. They were so big, he could hardly fit through the door. It would seem everybody was putty in Isabella’s hands.

  Isabella squealed and clapped her hands. “Yay! Daddy…Daddy, look!”

  Her look was so animated, I couldn’t help but smile. “I know, Bella. You’re a lucky girl.” I winked at her and she turned her attention back to the presents.

  Derren laid them on the floor for her, but Isabella hesitated. “It’s okay, pumpkin. You can open them now.” Derren smiled, but Isabella was now focused on the task in hand. The only sounds were her ripping the paper off. She was practically shredding them.

  “So how’s business, Dean?”

  I smiled at Derren. He was friendly towards me now. I didn’t know how much of that was just tolerance, or whether he was actually warming up to me.

  “Doing good, thank you. We’re expanding to the west coast so, all-in-all, it’s not bad at all.”

  Derren smiled and it looked genuine. “That’s great news.”

  My property business had somehow taken off. I think the market recovering helped. Between Scott Cooper and I, we’d set up a little goldmine. Not that I needed to. With virtually all my investments gone in the UK, Tyler and I were set for life. There was no need for us to ever work again. Tyler still did, though. She was devoted to her job as a kindergarten teacher. It worked well for us because she worked whenever the kids were at school. I suppose, despite the fact we didn’t have to work, we both needed to.

  I left Humphrey with the rest because I felt I at least owed him something, but Tyler and I never had to worry about a thing. Our kids never had to worry about a thing.

  “And Tyler… How is work?”

  Tyler smiled. “Good, Dad.” She was about to elaborate, but Isabella squealed.

  “Mommy! Daddy! Look!” She held up the latest Barbie that had a bag she always wanted. They were hard to get. According to Tyler, she couldn’t find it anywhere.

  Tyler looked shocked. “How did you…?”

  Derren tapped his nose with his finger and winked. “A Grandfather never reveals his secrets.”

  **
***

  Later on that evening, Tyler was inside the house with Jeremy, Isabella, Tara, and her parents, whilst I sat drinking a beer with Jimmy.

  I took a swig. “So, how’s Tara with her pregnancy?”

  Jimmy sighed with a smile. “It’s a fucking bitch, man. Every time I touch her, she practically growls at me. It’s fucking scary.”

  I laughed, thinking how similar Tyler and Tara were. I guess I was lucky because she was only in her second trimester and she wouldn’t leave me alone. Hell, who would complain about that? I knew it wouldn’t last, though. She would eventually get heavier and more uncomfortable, but I would be there. All I could do was hold her hand and pray that she wouldn’t cut my dick off. Even thinking about it made me wince.

  “What the fuck’s wrong with you?”

  I shuddered. “Nothing… I just had an unwelcome thought, that’s all.”

  Jimmy laughed. “Women are fucking scary, aren’t they? Give me a little chump beating all levels of crap out of me any day, but Tara?” Jimmy shuddered.

  I laughed. “I said something similar after you knocked on the door, but that was about Tyler’s parents.”

  “What about Tyler’s parents?” Tara was standing in the doorway, Tyler right behind her. Both looked eager for my answer.

  I straightened up. “Nothing.”

  Tyler walked out and came to sit on my lap, Tara did the same to Jimmy. She wrapped her arms around me, snuggled her head into my neck, and bit me.

  Fuck me, she was a little vixen. And, as per usual, my dick reacted. Tyler obviously noticed because her eyebrow rose. She was in so much trouble later. And, to be honest, I wouldn’t have it any other way. Life was just as it should be right now.

  “That’s not what you were telling me earlier.” Jimmy raised his eyebrow.

  I was going to kill him. In fact, if Tyler wasn’t on my lap and Tara wasn’t on his, I would have wrapped my hands around his fucking scrawny little neck.

  I glared at him and he shrugged. “Hey, if I’m going down, I may as well bring you with me.”

  Tara stared at him. “What is that supposed to mean?”

  I laughed and winked at Jimmy. He was dead.

  Jimmy made a kissy sound at Tara. “Nothing, sweetheart. I love you.”

  Tara placed her hand on his face and pushed him back. “Please.”

  I laughed even harder.

  “Bitchface,” Jimmy sneered.

  “Douche fag.”

  “Arse licker.”

  “Knob jockey.”

  “Dick breath.”

  “Turb burglar.”

  Tyler covered my mouth and sighed. “Would you two cut it out!”

  We all laughed, as I snuggled my head into my Rosey’s neck. I was the happiest fucking man alive.

  Yeah, I thought, as I sighed contentedly. Life is definitely as it should be.

  Bonus Chapter

  Jimmy

  Yesterday, I flew into Dulles. I had promised Dean I would do whatever it took to help him win Tyler back. I was edgy, though. Ever since I got back to the UK, I had been thinking about Tara. I couldn’t get the images out of my head. Her eyes closing when I touched her, the way her sexy lips parted when I hit that sweet spot, and the way she screamed my name when she let go beneath me.

  I couldn’t stop thinking about her soft brown eyes and the way they seemed to penetrate my soul. She had the most amazing eyes and body. Shit, I didn’t even want to get started on her body. Her skin felt so soft and smooth, I thought I could easily get lost within her. Her moaning just about fucking did me in every time. Despite all this, I thought I could go home and carry on as normal. Both Tara and I spent every waking moment together when I was in the US, but we both knew it wouldn’t last. What was the point when we lived so far away from each other?

  But yet, here I was, standing outside her door like a lovesick puppy, wondering whether I should knock. I had been standing there for the last five minutes. I was surprised no one had shouted at me or called the police yet.

  It was silly of me to come here, but I couldn’t help it. When I left, both Tara and I agreed that what we had was just a little bit of fun. We liked each other and couldn’t seem to take our hands off each other, so why not? What was the harm? Well, it seemed the harm was finding out how much of a good thing I was losing. The harm was me kidding myself that I could ever keep away from her.

  I stood there, laughing at myself. It was funny, really. I had always been kind and courteous to women. At the end of the day, they gave us life, made us happy, and possessed the one thing that could bring a man to his knees. But I had never committed. I told any lady I came into contact with that I was never a sure thing. If they accepted that, bring it on. If they wanted more, it was “Nice to meet you, but I’m off”. I had never promised to be anything more than what I was. I was transparent, but that had kept me out of hot water. It had kept me in the lifestyle I had been accustomed to.

  No one to love. No one to cause me pain. No one to rip my heart out when they vanished from my life.

  I had been happy with this for years. I could be wild, free, single, and I’d never have to answer to anybody. I could go where I liked. Stay out as long as I wanted. It worked for me. But the truth behind it all? I hated coming home to an empty house. I hated waking up without the feel of a woman next to me. I had lost my “Grace from God” and, ever since then, I had been the loneliest, most pathetic creature alive. I always thought Grace and I would settle down, marry, and have kids. I always thought she was it for me and nobody else could compare.

  Until I met Tara.

  Suddenly, she appeared like my beacon of light. She was a breath of fresh air. I had met some characters in my time, but nothing like Tara. She had this energy about her that screamed lively, gutsy, and in control. At the same time, there was a vulnerability there that screamed to be nurtured. And every single part of me wanted to answer her cries.

  But standing outside her house, I couldn’t help but think that no matter how I felt, it wouldn’t change the fact that we had agreed to never see each other again. No matter how much I wanted to see her, Tara may not reciprocate.

  And it was that thought which made me turn and start walking towards my car. It was that thought that had me reaching out to the car door to open it.

  “Jimmy?”

  I froze, unable to move. It was her voice. That voice which made me close my eyes for a moment and savor it like it was the only word I’d ever hear.

  “Jimmy?” she called again, and I knew I couldn’t stand like that forever.

  I turned and saw the face that had haunted my dreams for the past three weeks. She looked absolutely stunning. Wearing a light blue chiffon dress that looked like it was made for her, Tara looked more beautiful than I remembered. She had her hair up in a bun, but it highlighted her perfect chocolate brown eyes and caramel-colored skin. Every part of me wanted to touch that skin right now, but I held back. She may not even want me there.

  Completely stunned, she stood there. Then, as if she composed herself, her hands went straight to her hips. “So, you’ve flown four thousand miles just to stare at my door for five minutes and then leave?”

  I couldn’t help it. My dick reacted.

  Finding my voice, I smiled. “I didn’t know whether you would want to see me again. You know, after we had that talk.”

  She shook her head. “I don’t care about that. Why are you here?” She stepped forward a little, waiting for my answer. In fact, she seemed really keen to know. It was probably because she thought I was with Dean and she was worried about Tyler. I could understand that, considering she was so close to her.

  “I won’t lie to you, Tara. I’m here on business but, truth be told, I wanted to see you.”

  Tara’s eyebrow rose. “Business? What business?”

  I smiled. “I can’t say.”

  She crossed her arms in front of her. “Hmmm… As long as Dean’s not with you.”

  I shook my head. “No. Dean
’s back in the UK. He has been for the last three weeks.”

  Tara sighed with a smile. “So you’re here on business, but wanted to see me?”

  I saw a little glint in her eye and, by fuck, it wanted to make me take her in my arms. “Another truth?” She nodded. “I haven’t stopped thinking about you.”

  Tara smiled widely and my heart started thumping. Suddenly, her smile faded. “Do you want to know the truth?” I nodded, but I wasn’t sure I really wanted to hear. “Me, either.” She laughed and I shook my head with a smile.

  Without another thought, I raced to her and scooped her in my arms. Tara giggled loudly and it was like music to my ears. “So how about letting me in, Tara? It’s been a long journey and my horse and I are very tired.”

  Tara laughed again. “You and your horse? I know I said you were hung like one, but I didn’t think you would take it seriously.” Tara shook her head.

  I laughed. “Believe me when I say that when a women says that to a man, he takes it very seriously.”

  Tara smiled, then looked down at my lips. Her smile faded and it was replaced with a heated stare.

  The moment she looked at me like that, my lips were on her. She tasted just like I remembered, but the more I tasted her lips, the more I wanted to taste something else. “I’ve missed kissing you,” I breathed, reluctantly pulling away. “I’ve missed kissing you all over.”

  Tara moaned. “Jimmy, you know just how to make an entrance, don’t you?”

  I raised my eyebrow. “I would like to make an entrance, but I’m not sure if I’ll be shown an exit.”

  Tara laughed. “Keep talking about kissing me everywhere and an entrance it most definitely will be.”

  I didn’t wait any longer. I picked Tara up in my arms and she happily hopped up, wrapping her legs around my waist.

  Once inside, I shut the door with my foot and made my way to her bedroom. At the foot of the bed, Tara grabbed my neck and pulled me in for a kiss. Our tongues danced and her body quivered when I traced my fingers down her back. I could feel my dick straining. It had been so long since I had been inside a woman. In fact, Tara was the last woman I had made love to. I was starving for her.