“I’m really happy for you, Gina,” I said. “Weird how everything worked out between you and Mike.”
Gina patted my back. “It’s going to work out between you and Sue, too. You’ll see.”
I smiled. “I hope.”
Chapter 20
Sue
Tom dropped us off. Our plans had changed. He was going to make the lasagna at his house and bring it over later. First, he had to go to Gina’s to get the groceries he had put in her refrigerator.
“There’s Dad,” Chloe said as Tom pulled into the driveway.
Steve was waiting for us at the house.
“See you later,” Tom said. “And if plans change, just call me.”
“Hi, Dad,” said Chloe, bounding into his open arms.
“How’s my girl?” Steve asked.
Chloe held up her hand. “Guess Mom told you. Stupid, huh?”
Steve nodded. “Next time, when you want vanilla ice cream, don’t try cutting the wafer off an ice cream sandwich.”
Steve looked at me. “How are you doing?”
“Okay. But I need some coffee.”
I put on the coffee while Steve and Chloe sat down.
“Are you guys going to ground me?” Chloe asked.
“That depends,” I said. “I want to know why you lied to me about being with Robin.”
“Today?”
“Chloe,” I said. “I talked to Tammy. I know that Robin is away at a church retreat with her cousin. All weekend.”
Chloe covered her face with her hands and started to cry. “I’m so sorry, Mom. Dad. It’s just that you guys wouldn’t let me go out with Rob and I really, really, really wanted to go out with him. I’m the only one of my friends who isn’t allowed to date. Even Robin can date. And I feel like a baby when everyone at the lunch table talks about dating, so I decided to go out with Rob, but I swear that nothing happened, not even a kiss. We just went to the movies and then he brought me home and he didn’t come inside. I swear.”
Steve looked at me, then hugged Chloe. I knew I was going to have to play the heavy.
“Chloe,” I said. “I’m disappointed. I’m disappointed that you lied. I’ve told you over and over again that the worst thing you can do to me is lie. You’ve broken the trust I had in you.”
Steve shifted in his seat. I could tell I was making him uncomfortable, too.
“I’m sorry, Mom.” The sobs shifted into high gear. “I promise. I won’t ever do it again.”
“I’m going to count on you keeping that promise.”
Chloe nodded. “Am I grounded?”
I crossed my arms. “I’ll think about it.”
“Hey kiddo,” Steve said. “I know it’s not your night to be with me, but I’m feeling like some daddy/daughter time.” Steve looked at me. “You okay with that, Sue? I’ll drop her off at school tomorrow.”
I looked at Chloe. “It’s up to Chloe.”
***
Tom
I was making the lasagna when Sue called. There was a change in plans. Turns out Chloe was spending the night with her dad so Sue was coming to my house for dinner—and to finish the discussion we started earlier.
I put the lasagna in the oven and then jumped in the shower. I remembered the last time Sue was at my house. We had great shower sex. I missed making love to her. I had never felt this way about anyone before and it scared me a little. It scared me to think that I could care about someone this much. It was a lot easier when I was more concerned about my life and my needs than someone else’s. Guess that’s why they call it love.
Klondike barked when he heard Sue’s car pull into the driveway.
“I brought dessert,” said Sue, getting out of the car with a bakery box.
“Let me guess. Tiramisu.”
She playfully slapped my shoulder. “How’d you guess?”
“Figured you’d want to keep the Italian theme going.”
Sue sat the box on the kitchen table. “So what do you need me to do?”
“The lasagna’s not quite done. I have the salad made. We might as well enjoy a glass of wine.”
I poured the wine and we went into the living room.
“So, everything go okay with Chloe?”
Sue sighed. “Yeah, I guess. She lied because she wanted to go out with Rob. She said nothing happened, not even a kiss, and when he dropped her off, he didn’t come inside the house.”
“Do you believe her?”
“Yes, I do. But I told her that I was very disappointed that she lied. I hate liars. She knows that. I’m still undecided if I should punish her. On the one hand, I want to, and on the other, I was thinking about cutting her a break.”
“What’s Steve think?”
“Hell, he’s useless. When it comes to Chloe she can do nothing wrong, even though he agreed she was too young to date.”
“Does he still feel that way?”
“I’m not sure. I guess it’s a conversation I’m going to have to have with him sooner or later.”
“You’re probably right.”
Sue slipped off her shoes. “Can we talk about something else?”
“Absolutely,” I said. “What do you want to talk about?”
***
Sue
“Can we continue our talk from earlier?”
Tom smiled. “Do you remember where we stopped?”
“You told me that you went to see Rachel after my accident. And that you told her that you held her responsible for what happened. That if I wouldn’t have found her at your house, none of this would have happened. I wouldn’t have been mad. Our fight never would have happened. And the accident would not have happened.”
Tom ran his fingers through his hair. “Do you remember what you asked me?”
I did remember but I didn’t want to repeat it. It was like having a gift and hoping that it’s a particular thing but being anxious to open it in case it isn’t.
I shrugged.
Tom’s blue-gray eyes swallowed mine. “I think you know,” he smiled. “You asked me if you meant that much to me.”
My lips trembled and I could feel my body begin to quiver for Tom’s touch.
Tom’s eyes stayed glued to mine. “And I told you that I had something I’ve been meaning to tell you for awhile.”
I gulped.
Tom’s eyes became glassy. “I love you, Sue. I think I’ve always loved you, ever since seventh-grade science class.”
I smiled.
“And I don’t want to lose you. Ever.”
I couldn’t stop the tears from coming. This gorgeous man loved me, really loved me. And I knew at that moment that no man had ever loved me the way Tom did. It was so weird, but I could feel it. And it was something I had never felt before. I thought I had loved Steve, and I’m sure that on some level I did. But it was different with Tom. Just different.
“I love everything about you,” he continued. “The quirky things you do, like putting notes on the underside of the toilet seat. I love the way you look first thing in the morning and the way you take a Q-tip and stick it in your mouth and wipe off mascara that gets on your eyelid when you apply your makeup.”
I sniffed and dabbed my eyes with a tissue.
“I love the way you laugh at my jokes even when they’re lame, and the way you make me feel when I’m lying next to you. Christ, I miss that.”
***
Tom
I brushed Sue’s hair off her face and we kissed hard and deep. I wanted her so bad.
Her breath tickled my neck and she nibbled on my ear. “I love you,” she whispered.
I pulled back. Now I was the one with tears. “You’re not saying that just because I said it, are you?”
Sue shook her head. “I’ve wanted to tell you for awhile. But I was scared, scared to love someone again, afraid that I might get hurt.”
“I’d never hurt you,” I said. “I’ve waited my whole life to find someone like you, and now that I have, I never want to let you go.”
We kissed again and I felt Sue’s hand slide up my thigh and over my crotch. She tugged at my zipper, all the while kissing me. “You drive me crazy.”
Our hands were all over each other. Ripping off shirts, pulling down pants. Sue’s bare chest was against mine and … Shit!
The timer on the oven went off.
“The lasagna’s done,” I said.
“Forget about the lasagna,” said Sue, pulling me toward her. “I’d much rather have you for dinner.”
“But it might burn.”
“I don’t care,” she said. “I’m burning.”
“Tell you what. You race upstairs. I’ll take the lasagna out of the oven and meet you in bed.”
Sue grabbed her shirt and bra and took off for my bed and I took off for the kitchen.
Chapter 21
Sue
I ran upstairs and went to the bathroom. I swished a swig of mouthwash around in my mouth. I was naked in bed by the time Tom came up.
I watched as he dropped his boxers and I could see he was just as excited as I was. When he climbed into bed, we picked up where we had left off on the couch. I felt his lips on my neck, planting a trail of kisses down my chest, taking each nipple in his mouth, sucking gently, going lower and lower. I moaned. “Please. Stop teasing me.”
“I’m not teasing you,” he whispered, spreading my legs with his hands. “I just want to take it slowly, build your desire.”
“I’m there,” I moaned. “Please.”
And then I felt him enter me, so easily. My body arched up and I grabbed his back.
“Do you want to be on top?” he asked.
He rolled over and I was on top and he was so hard and so deep and I came multiple times. I rolled over and he was on top and I matched his rhythm and our bodies were one once again and I had another orgasm, coming at the same time as Tom and feeling like I had never felt before.
“God, Sue,” Tom said. “You’re incredible.”
He lay beside me, slipping his arm around me and pulling me as close to him as he could. I lay my face on his chest, next to his heart. It was still beating fast. “I wish this would last forever,” I said.
Tom kissed the top of my head. “There’s no reason it can’t. I know I’m not going to be the one to walk away.”
“Me, neither. I think I’ve finally found the love of my life. I’m just sorry it didn’t happen sooner.”
***
Tom
Sue and I fell asleep and when we woke up, the lasagna was cold. We decided to save it for the next day. Sue would take it home, heat it up for dinner, and I’d take the salad to her house after work and we’d eat with Chloe.
“And bring Klondike, too,” Sue said. “Or Chloe will be very disappointed.”
We grabbed bowls of cereal and went back to bed, finding each other again and again.
“I’m going to be sore in the morning,” Sue said.
“Do you want me to stop?”
Sue pulled me back to her. “Never.”
I couldn’t remember the last time I had made love so many times in a row. To be honest, I kind of surprised myself. At my age, I wouldn’t have thought I’d be able to perform. But it wasn’t a problem.
I felt so comfortable with Sue. With other women I’ve been with, I was self-conscious about having only one testicle. They always said they understood about the cancer, but I always felt like I had a defect. With Sue, it was different. She actually made me feel sexy, not ashamed or embarrassed. It felt great not to feel like I wasn’t whole. If a guy can feel beautiful, Sue made me feel that way. Strange, I know. But that’s how she made me feel.
Sue had asked me if she had to have a breast removed, would that change the way I felt about her. Of course I said no.
“It’s no different for me when it comes to you having one testicle,” she said. “It’s part of who you are, what you’ve been through, the struggle you’ve faced and the mountain you’ve climbed. You fought cancer and you won. So what if you have only one testicle? There’s more to a man than what hangs between his legs. A lot more.”
I will always love Sue for saying that. Talk about feeling like you never quite measure up. She made me feel like one of the sexiest men in the world. I loved her for that.
***
Sue
Gina texted me the next day while I was at work.
Everything go okay last night with Tom?
It was perfect.
Great. Call me later.
Will do.
It was hard concentrating on work and it wasn’t only because I was tired. It’s true, I hadn’t slept much the night before. But the real reason for my lack of concentration was Tom. I kept thinking about last night and the incredible sex we had. And how much fun we had. I had never eaten cereal in bed with a man before. And I’d never been with someone who made me laugh so much. He could turn something serious into something funny as quick as you could flip a light switch. Me? I could never think that fast on my feet. I admired that about him.
At work, I’d remember one of his one-liners and smile. Nancy caught me smiling more than once.
“What’s all the smiles about?” she had asked.
I shrugged my shoulders.
“Must involve a man. No one smiles as much as you do unless there’s a man involved.”
Chloe had texted me during lunch and I told her about Tom coming to dinner. She asked if she could invite Rob. I think she felt that if I got to know him I might feel differently about the whole dating thing. I knew there would be plenty of food and I thought that maybe Chloe had a point. Maybe I should give the kid a chance. Maybe he wasn’t out to just sleep with my daughter. Maybe he was someone like Tom.
Tom said it was no big deal. He’d just add to the salad and make sure there was plenty. And he thought Chloe might have a point.
“I’m not taking sides,” he had said. “But what would it hurt getting to know Rob better? I see his name in the paper all of the time. Kid’s a good ball player.”
I hadn’t even realized he played baseball. Guess there were a lot of things I didn’t know.
***
Tom
“So, Rob,” I said, when we started to eat. “From what I read in the paper, it sounds like the season’s going pretty well.”
He nodded. “Yes, sir. It’s been good. I was worried when we moved here that I wouldn’t get any pitching time. But as it turned out, the coach has really been using me. Kind of feel bad for Josh, though. He used to pitch all of the time. Now, coach mixes it up a bit.”
“Great lasagna, Tom,” Chloe said.
“Thanks.”
“Mom, can Tom make dinner every night?”
Sue smiled. “Am I that bad of a cook?”
“No offense, Mom, but you’re a pretty bad cook. Except pancakes. Pancakes you can do.”
We laughed.
“It is really good,” said Rob, reaching for another piece of Italian bread.
Sue sipped her wine. “Any college plans yet, Rob?”
Rob cleared his throat. “Yes, ma’am. I have a few I’m thinking about.”
Rob was way more polite than any kid his age I knew. Everything was Ma’am and Sir and thank you and no thank you. I could tell by the way Sue smiled and how her body relaxed more and more through dinner that she liked Rob. And I knew that I’d get her full report later.
Looking around the table, I suddenly felt like an old man. Seeing Chloe and Rob reminded me of Sue and me when we were their age. They had their entire lives ahead of them, and along with that would come the good and bad, the ups and downs, and the wisdom that comes from having navigated through it all.
I looked across the table at Sue and I couldn’t help feeling like I had found my home. It’s weird how it hit me, like an unexpected gift that when you unwrap it, you find way more than you had expected.
Love and family. A sense of belonging.
And I was happy. And I knew that Sue was, too.
Sue’s classmates
***
Brad (Yearbook post)
Sue, to a hot chick that I would have liked to have gotten to know better. Take care of yourself.
Brad
Gina’s right. Brad always thought he was God’s gift to women. I about died when I saw him at our 20th year reunion. His bald head looked like a pig’s ass without the crack. And his gut hung over his belt. Definitely not one of the guys who got better looking with age. Karma sucks. That’s all I gotta say. Serves him right for being such a jerk to every girl he ever dated.
***
Karen (Yearbook post)
Sue, to a really flipped-out chick that I met in eighth grade. Remember all the fun we had in gym class and take care of that special someone. Keep your personality and good looks and you’ll go far.
Love, Karen
Karen was an amazing athlete. Most of us thought for sure she’d go to college and become a gym teacher. She ended up getting pregnant our senior year. She married the guy but it didn’t last. She and her daughter, Sarah, lived with her parents. They helped raise Sarah while Karen worked her way through school, first earning a marketing degree and later an MBA. Karen met Mia, her partner, while studying for her MBA.
They make a great couple. And they have the most adorable little boy. Karen got pregnant, using Mia’s egg and donor sperm. He looks just like Mia, same almond-shaped eyes and shiny black hair.
It was great to reconnect with Karen and Mia at our high school reunion. I think Karen felt good that we all accepted Mia and that her being gay was no big deal.
***
Tom (Yearbook post)
Sue and Tom (The Yearbook Series Book 2) Page 12