Don't Say Goodbye (Taphouse Blues Book 2)

by Heather Lyn

  “Garret—”

  She breaks off when I lick straight up to her clit, sucking it roughly into my mouth. I’m not gentle as I devour her, my tongue and fingers moving in sync with each other. Curling my fingers, I stroke the spot that makes her shatter every single time. I’m greedy for her pleasure, and I need her to come now.

  I can tell the second she does, her body taut and her back arching. My name ricochets off the walls, and her grip on my hair tightens to the point of painful.

  Wiping my mouth on the inside of her thigh, I straighten up, my cock aching to be inside of her. Reaching over to the end table, I grab a condom and rip it open, rolling it down my shaft as fast as I can.

  “How do you want me?” she teases, sitting up to unhook her bra.

  “You’re trying to fucking kill me, woman.”

  “Nah, I’m just really turned on, and I have this hot-as-hell man in front of me.”

  “Oh, well say no more, then.”

  Climbing onto the bed, I slide her down so she’s in the center, then flip her onto her stomach. Moving behind her, I take advantage and run my hands down her spine to that perfect ass. Gripping the base of my cock, I rub the head up and down her wetness, teasing her clit on every slide.

  “Stop screwing around back there,” she groans and I take mercy on her, driving in balls deep on the first thrust, causing us both to moan in unison. I start a steady pace, reaching up to grip her shoulder, the other hand on her hip. The bed shakes with the force of my thrusts, and she cries out with each.

  “Fuckin hell,” I moan, head dropping back onto my shoulders. Her pussy is gripping me so tight, and I know she’s close to coming again, so I slow my thrusts, not wanting this to end yet. I slip my arms under her body and pull her upright so her back is flush with my chest.

  Sadie’s head falls back onto my shoulder and I bite down on her bare shoulder, my free hand cupping her breast, fingers pinching her hardened nipple.

  “Oh my God, Garret. Yes.”

  “So good, baby.”

  Grunting louder than before, I begin canting my hips harder, the hand on her breast slipping down to finger her clit. The tingling in my spine is growing stronger, and I can’t hold on for much longer. Moving both hands to her thighs, I spread her legs even wider and slam into her as hard as I can, her cries turning into shouts as she begins to milk my cock, coming harder than she did before.

  The harsh groan I release vibrates off her skin, and I bury my face in the crook of her neck, my release tearing through me, my legs shaking with the pleasure. Slowly I lower her onto the bed and pull out, falling next to her.

  Panting, she turns in my arms and kisses my bare chest.

  “Fuck, that was good,” I tell her, running a hand up and down her sweaty back.

  She laughs and rests her head on my chest, tangling her legs with mine. A moment later, I force myself to climb off the bed and take care of the condom, returning with a warm washcloth so I can clean her up. After throwing it into the hamper, I come back into the bedroom to find her lying in the middle of the bed wearing the T-shirt I had on tonight.

  “Aw, did I wear someone out?”

  “Yes, you and that giant dick,” she whines, rolling over when I climb in behind her.

  “Well, my giant dick and I are more than happy to oblige.”

  “So lucky I love you, jackass,” she mutters.

  Within minutes I hear her breathing even out, and I know she’s asleep.

  “Yeah, baby. I really am.” Placing a kiss to the top of her head, I pull her close and settle down, falling asleep almost instantly, dreaming of the short-haired beauty in my arms.

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  Sadie

  It’s been three weeks since Garret passed his detective’s exam, and life couldn’t be better. He’s coming to my therapy appointment tonight finally, and I’m starting to get nervous about it. I know what Dr. Klein wants me to come clean about, because I’ve only given her slight hints about the one thing I can’t get past. To be honest, I don’t think I ever will. And I’m scared to see Garret’s reaction.

  Pulling my short hair back into a ponytail as best as I can manage, I head back into my living room, reaching for my purse on the couch. Today is also my day off from work, so I’m off to run errands. I want to make something different for dinner tonight, and I’m armed with my mom’s recipe book, hoping there’s something in there Garret will love. He’s very much a meat-and-potatoes kind of guy, but my mom made amazing food.

  Driving to the local grocery store, I notice a car following me. They’ve been behind me almost since I left my house. Knowing it’s just my imagination, I focus on the road and breathe a sigh of relief when I turn into the parking lot and the car continues on.

  It's clear I’m on edge with the anxiety of tonight, and I wish Garret wasn’t at work. Just being with him calms my entire being, and right now I need that. But since I can’t have it, I’ll settle for baking the day away.

  Parking near the entrance, I hurry inside, my decision made about both dinner and dessert: mom’s recipe for baked mac and cheese and a simple blueberry pie. It’s closing in on early fall, so it'll be perfect.

  Grabbing a shopping cart, I begin loading it up with what I need when my phone dings with a text from Garret.

  Garret: Tonight will be fine, sweetheart.

  Sadie: How’d you know?

  Garret: Just a feeling I had. I told you, I’m in this. Nothing you say will ruin that.

  Sadie: I love you.

  Garret: Feeling's pretty mutual. I’ll meet you there tonight.

  Sadie: See you then.

  Guiding the cart through the store, it doesn’t take me long to get everything I need. Ten minutes later, I'm leaving the store with a handful of bags, the sun shining brightly. Popping the trunk, I get everything inside and slam it shut.

  Heading back home, I pull into my driveway and park the car, carrying everything inside. Placing all the bags on the counter, I plug my cell phone into the wireless speaker and crank some Blake Shelton. Dancing around, I begin work on the pie, putting everything I need for dinner in the fridge and cabinets.

  An hour later, the house smells like heaven and it’s almost two in the afternoon. Our appointment with Dr. Klein is at four thirty, so I decide to get ready now.

  Hurrying through a shower and blow-drying my hair, I forego any makeup and dress in a pair of legging and an oversized sweater. Swinging into my bedroom to grab the latest paperback I’ve been reading, I get comfortable on my couch, flip to where I last read, and settle in.

  §

  Pulling into the parking lot of Dr. Klein’s office, I spot Garret’s Jeep toward the back, his frame leaning against the side of it. Parking next to him, I climb out and he puts his cell back into his pocket, smiling at me.

  “Hey, beautiful.”

  “Hi. You ready?”

  “Yeah. Are you?” He reaches out to play with a strand of my hair, and I can’t help myself. Stepping forward, I wrap my arms around his waist, taking a deep breath, his cologne the only thing I can smell.

  “Yeah, I am,” I say into his chest, rising on tiptoes to kiss him.

  He takes my hand and we stroll inside. While my nerves are high and I’m silently freaking out, I know this is the best thing for me. For us. Every week, I spend an hour talking to Dr. Klein about some of the hardest moments of my marriage, and while she knows each and every one, we still talk about it in depth, finding a way for me to move on has been hard.

  Arriving in the lobby, we make our way to the receptionist and I give her my name. The woman tells us Dr. Klein will be with us shortly.

  Garret walks us over to a group of chairs and we sit. My knee bounces up and down, and he snakes an arm around my shoulders, pulling me in close.

  When she comes out to greet us a few minutes later, Garret squeezes me and we head into the room.

  Dr. Klein smiles warmly. “Garret, thank you for joining us today. It’s so nice to meet you.”
<
br />   “Thanks, ma’am. It’s nice to meet you as well.”

  Garret sits next to me on the couch and Dr. Klein takes a seat across from us, a notebook on her lap. “So, Sadie and I have been seeing each other now for a couple months, and after we discussed the basis of why she came here, every week we talk about something that's been painful for her to move on from. Her mother is a large topic that we discuss every time.”

  My eyes are already burning. Garret leans his elbows on his knees, reaching out for my hand. “Yeah, when she told me about her passing, we spent a few days together talking.”

  “She told me that. Now, Sadie, is there anything you would like to talk about?”

  “I do, but I’m just unsure of what to begin with,” I respond.

  “You can tell me anything, babe. I told you that,” Garret says.

  I nod at him and release his hand, moving over on the couch so we’re no longer touching.

  “Sorry, I need space for this.”

  “It’s okay.”

  “So, Garret, from what I gather, you and your family have a good relationship?” Dr. Klein asks, folding her hands on her lap.

  Garret nods. “We do. I have a younger brother and my parents, and we’re all very close. Always have been. I grew up in a large family with tons of cousins and aunts and uncles.”

  “Now, I believe that's Sadie’s biggest hardship. She’s afraid to take things farther or more seriously, because she doesn’t have any family of her own. She doesn’t have a way to properly grieve her mother.”

  Garret looks over his shoulder at me, his eyebrows knit in concern. “What’s she talking about, Sades?”

  I guess it’s now or never.

  “I never got to say goodbye to my mom.”

  “I don’t—"

  “She was gone when I got to her. Doctors said she had an aneurysm and there was nothing anyone could've done. After the paramedics pronounced her, I went to the hospital where they gave me the items she had on, and they told me they’d be in contact after the autopsy.”

  Tears are already pouring down my cheeks, and I can tell how badly Garret wants to have me in his arms.

  “Okay. So what happened? Why didn’t you get to say goodbye?”

  “Because Graham took her away from me. He ruined everything.” Reaching for a tissue on the coffee table in front of us, I wipe my eyes and try to get control of myself, but I can’t.

  “I don’t understand, sweetheart.”

  Forcing my eyes to Garret’s, I clench my hands together, gently rocking back and forth.

  “I lost my mom. I was inconsolable and wasn’t able to deal with anything. I didn’t take calls, because I needed just a little bit of time. Just a few days. I wanted to have a service for her, to have a burial so I could have a place for her. To visit her, to miss her.”

  “That’s understandable. So what happened next, Sadie?” Dr. Klein presses, writing something in her notebook.

  “Graham wouldn’t pay for it. Said she wasn’t his mother, so why should he waste his money?”

  “What an asshole,” Garret grumbles, and I can’t help the tiny laugh I let out.

  “I begged and pleaded with him. I told him I hated him, and he didn’t like that. Grabbed me by the throat and threw me against the wall.”

  Garret’s hands clench into fists, but I ignore it and push on. “He told me I had no idea what hate was, and that I could go down to the morgue and get my mom from the—”

  My voice breaks and I fold over, crying into my knees. Garret rubs a hand up and down my back and just lets me cry, silent while I work through my emotions.

  “It’s okay, Sadie. But you need to let this out and find a way through it. It’s eating you alive, and you need to let go of the guilt. Embrace the truth that it wasn’t your fault.”

  Dr. Klein’s soothing words comfort me, and I sit up straight, knowing she’s right.

  “I’m okay. Sorry.”

  “Take your time, baby. We aren’t going anywhere.” Garret rests his hand on my knee and I grip it tightly, so damn grateful for this man.

  “Thank you, Garret.”

  Grabbing another tissue, I blow my nose and count to ten.

  I’m ready. I can do this.

  “He told me that while I had been so busy throwing fits, he had taken the call from the funeral home and told them I was unable to speak with them, but that my mother was to be cremated and there would be no service. My mother, the only person who ever really loved me, the only person I could count on, was in a goddamn cardboard box down at the funeral home, and there was nothing I could do. My husband took her away from me, and I never got to tell her how much I loved her. How much I missed her. He took everything from me, and it hurts more than her dying.”

  Through my tears, I look up to find Garret with his head hanging down, his fingers laced behind it. I can’t see his face, but I forge on, needing to say everything.

  “That night, after I got home from the funeral home, I put the box in a safe place and went to bed in the guest room. I couldn’t even look at him, and to be honest, I didn’t trust myself not to murder him. I was so devastated, and I knew no matter what I did, it wouldn’t change who he was. I was married to a monster, and I couldn’t do anything. I had nobody to live for anymore.”

  I have to stop to breathe, looking down at the tissues I’ve shredded. The courage to speak is greater than ever, though I'm still unable to look at Garret, fear of his reaction strong.

  “That night, I woke up and found Graham sitting in the armchair next to the bed. He had this menacing smile on his face, and I sat up and told him to get out. I was done with him. Graham came and sat on the bed next to me, and before I could react, he grabbed my arms and pinned me to the bed. He straddled me so I couldn’t move and gripped my jaw in one of his hands. He leaned down so he was in my face and told me I was to never speak to him how I had. That I was his wife, and I was to do as he said. I told him I would never forgive him for doing what he’d done.”

  I finally muster up the courage to look at Garret, and I’m not surprised to find him staring right at me, his eyes red-rimmed and sad.

  “He said if I ever did it again, he’d give me something to cry about, and he’d make sure that I wished I was dead like my whore of a mother. I went to bed with bruises on my arms and face, and an even bigger one on my heart. My mom was dead, my husband wished it had been me instead, and I had nowhere to go. Two weeks later, Mitchell Hale called me, letting me know about my mother’s life insurance policy and her will. Two months later, I moved here.”

  Reaching out for Garret’s hands, I hold them tightly and look into the blue eyes of my boyfriend. The man I love more than life itself. The man who helped heal me without even knowing it.

  “I met you, and I wasn’t looking for anything. I convinced myself that I couldn’t heal with you. I was scared of you, Garret, and I’m so sorry for that. You’re big and tall, and I saw Graham in you so many times. I’m so ashamed of that, because you’ve been nothing but kind since day one. That’s why I reacted that way to you that first night in the bar. I was so scared, and I couldn’t help holding you at arm’s length. But now I know I was only keeping my future away, and for that I’m so sorry. For over three months, you’ve done everything you can to make sure I know I have you in my corner, and you were respectful enough to even be friends, no matter how much you wanted more. And I risked all of it because I was scared. I’m so sorry, Garret.”

  “No.”

  My eyes widen at his hoarse voice, and he scoots on the couch so he can cup my cheeks, my face only inches from his.

  “You don’t need to apologize for anything. For a whole month, I talked to you every single day. You told me stories about work. You talked about your favorite things. Every day we talked, and I fell in love with you. I knew there was a chance that you and I would be nothing, but I didn’t care. I needed you in my life, Sadie. I needed you. And I still do. I’m not even half the man I want to be without you.”
>
  I start to cry, but he doesn’t stop. “I’m not sure there are words to ease the pain of what that animal did to your mother. My heart breaks for you, baby, and I wish there was something I could do. But I can promise you this. Every day, I’m going to do everything in my power to show you that you aren’t alone. I’m in this with you forever, and I’m never going anywhere. I promise.”

  His forehead drops to mine and I sob quietly. Finally, I wrap my arms around his neck and allow him to give me the comfort I ache for. He holds me close and doesn’t let go, not for even a second.

  I’ve been so scared of disappointing him for so long that I never realized that maybe I hadn’t. Maybe I was just what he wanted all along.

  Broken pieces and all.

  §

  Tonight was emotionally exhausting. As I follow Garret on the way to his house, my mind drifts to the session. Despite how hard the whole discussion was, Dr. Klein was right. I feel a sense of peace knowing there are no more secrets about my life, about my past. Garret knows everything, and when he tells me he’s in this with me, I believe him.

  Turning into his driveway, I park next to him and climb out. My plans for dinner have gone out the window, wanting to just climb under the covers and sleep for ten years.

  Garret gets out of his Jeep and meets me in front of my car. He walks me inside, and while he’s kicking his boots off, I head up the stairs to his bedroom. Sitting on the edge of the bed, I stare down at the floor, the space between my feet suddenly so interesting.

  I see Garret’s feet appear a few minutes later, and I look up to his sad eyes staring right at me. He doesn’t say anything, just leans against the doorframe, hands shoved in his pockets.

  “Do you think Mom was disappointed in me?”

  “Of course not. Why would you think that?”

  “Well, she wrote me this letter. She left it to me with her will. Said she hated that she never got the chance to get me away from the life I was trapped in, and she was sorry. I tried so hard to hide everything from her because I was so ashamed that I stayed with him. All I could think was that if I hadn’t been trying so hard to cover up my bruises with makeup, maybe I’d have gotten to her in time. It’s silly, I know.”