Dramatic, Mushy, Complicated Love

by Leah Sharelle

  “Now, hang on a minute!”

  “Mother, apologise right now!”

  Luca and I yelled at the same time, me louder than him.

  “Luca, I will not be spoken to in this manner. Your father, God rest his soul, would be appalled at your behaviour right now.” At the mention of his father, Luca deflated right before my eyes. His hand dropped from my body, and he took a step away from me, leaving enough space between us that spoke volumes.

  “Mum, please, I didn’t mean to shout at you. But this isn’t exactly fair to Meadow, and she got hurt yesterday and—”

  “And what son, you rushed to her instead of coming home to see me, your sisters?”

  “Mum, it wasn’t like that. Meadow is my girlfriend, and we love each other.”

  “Luca,” the Naomi chick cried, rushing out of the kitchen, heading to the front door.

  “That takes care of the interloper,” I snickered, four sets of brown eyes glaring at me.

  Jesus, get a grip ladies, your son and brother is a grown arse man. Cut the strings, for bugger’s sake.

  “Baby, not the time,” Luca leaned down and whispered in my ear, his teeth grazing my lobe in a sexy warning.

  “Luca, if you don’t mind, I think we should talk as a family,” a younger version of the mother sniffed, not even bothering to look at me.

  Great! Another sniffer. What, do they all have allergies or something?

  Soft sobs broke the silence, and to my horror, it was coming from Mrs Donatella. Luca rushed to his mother, his head lowered to hers, and murmured something I couldn’t hear in her ear. Every now and then, she nodded her head, sniffed loudly, and continued to sob as her daughters entered the fray and circled around their mother and brother.

  This whole situation was so whacked, and I couldn’t begin to make sense of what was going on. The Donatella matriarch had so much control over her son, getting him to leave my side with her tears, effectively shunting me to the background, and gaining back Luca’s attention.

  Okay, this is something you haven’t had to deal with before, girlie, but nothing you can’t handle. You just have to get inside her mind and beat her at her own game.

  The impromptu pep talk sounding positive, but it did nothing to ease the ache in my chest seeing Luca completely surrounded by his loved ones, focused on them.

  I needed to think, lick my wounds, metaphorical and physical ones.

  I needed Trish and Spring, and maybe Prue if she could make it home for another emergency meeting.

  Spying my mobile phone over on the coffee table in the open plan dining room, I quietly slipped out of the kitchen, completely undetected. Grabbing my phone, I sent off a message to Spring to come and pick me up. Clocking my handbag and shoes, I picked them up and headed for the front door, slipping out without looking back at the scene still going on between the family members.

  I wasn’t giving Luca up, he loved me and I loved him. The Donatella’s may have won this round, preying on Luca’s love for his family and the promise he made his father. The difference between them and me, I didn’t want to own and control Luca; I just wanted to spend the rest of my life with him.

  So you better suck it up, buttercups, because this commoner isn’t going anywhere.

  Sending another text, this time to Luca, telling him to spend the morning with his family and that I would see him at my place later today. I added that I loved him because I really fucking did.

  Today had been nothing short of disastrous. What began as a perfect morning with the love of my life finished with her leaving with just a text for an explanation, which left me with my sobbing mother and judgemental sisters. Even Naomi returned to the house to demand why I was seeing another woman behind her back.

  To be truthful, I’d rather deal with the twilight zone that was Meadow’s family than deal with the emotional and demanding females in mine.

  I hated that my mother brought Naomi without consulting me first because I would have told her no. I didn’t appreciate the chilly reception Mum and my sisters gave Meadow, and I fucking really hated that Meadow felt so uncomfortable she left the house, then finding out through a text message.

  That was on me, though. I’d virtually ignored her once Mum started her meltdown, but I knew if I didn’t nip it in the bud right away, her performance would have escalated to downright unbearable levels. Meadow didn’t need to see that after what she had seen in just a few minutes.

  I did manage to calm Mum down, then read her the riot act. My sisters and Naomi too.

  I told them in no uncertain terms Meadow was part of my life, a huge part and they either accepted it or not; I didn’t care which. So far, Meadow and I were fine not visiting my childhood home. I’d juggled my family commitments and my relationship pretty easily up until now, and I could keep it going. What mattered to me was Meadow—losing her because of my difficult and meddling mother was not acceptable to me.

  She was it for me, and the women in my family were going to accept it or shut up. Those were their only options.

  Driving to Meadow’s nine hours later pissed me off, but after dealing with my family, I had to head to the office and meet with a new client. Of course, Kayla found menial tasks for me to do that she could have easily delegated off to other workers and had done so many times in the past. I knew what she had been up to; she was trying to keep me occupied at the office as long as possible so Meadow would feel ignored. I had a feeling Naomi was behind Kayla’s deceitfulness but couldn’t prove it. I texted and called Meadow throughout the day, but all my texts went unanswered, my calls were sent straight to voicemail. It made no sense for her to deliberately ghost me after she told me in her earlier text she loved me, ending the message with two rows of X’s and O’s.

  Reaching her house, I saw that Spring’s car was there as well as Prue’s, Meadow’s best friend.

  “Great, two more women who probably want to kill me,” I muttered out loud, putting the car into park and reaching over to the passenger seat to grab Meadow’s sling. She’d left it on the kitchen bench when she went, conveniently or because she was in a hurry didn’t matter. She should be using it.

  Jumping down from the cab, I marched up the newly graded driveway, thanks to Boofa, who I’d asked to use one of the companies loaders to scrape and flatten out the bumpy drive in readiness for a fresh load of fine gravel I’d ordered to be delivered next week. I was slowly helping Meadow fix up her place, not too much that it looked like I was trying to take over but enough, so I didn’t have to worry about her breaking an ankle walking down her drive. I convinced her to let her dad and me, along with a few of my work crew guys to finish painting the house and fix the guttering, not replace it because she point blank refused to allow that. As well as source her a second-hand aerial, which she paid for, and put it up on the roof.

  My motivation was purely selfish; fixing her place is a means to an end—getting Meadow to sell her house and move in with me. I was yet to ask her or even talk to her about it. In fact, I wanted to bring it up with her this morning, but the minx distracted me when she decided to put on a show at the fridge. Fingering my girl was one of my favourite things, making her come that way, with both of us fully dressed and just my hand down her pants, turned me the fuck on a lot.

  Getting inside her would have been nice too after brunch, but …

  Sweeping a critical eye over the driveway as I made my way to the house and happy with the job, I took the steps three at a time, reaching the landing just as the front door swung open, revealing a very pissed off duo of Prue and Spring.

  And so it begins.

  “You utter wanker!”

  “What were you thinking, douche?”

  They both yelled at me, both pushing past me, the door left open—a good sign I was allowed to go in. Spring ignored me as she walked down the steps, but Prue stopped to deliver a punch in my upper arm. I felt nothing more than a prod but the meaning behind it was received loud and clear.

  “I have never seen
Meadow so in love or so upset. She isn’t a dirty secret, she is to be cherished and shown off for the beautiful creature she is,” Prue hissed at me, keeping her voice low.

  “I love her more than anything, Prue, believe that.”

  Prue’s expression softened, but her eyes were still narrowed and heated.

  “I know you do and that is why I am leaving her alone with you. It was a stupid decision to leave it this long to introduce your family to her, and you will have to live with that. But hear me, Luca, when I say Meadow won’t allow any man to treat her like she is an embarrassment, and neither will her family.”

  “She isn’t an embarrassment to me,” I clipped, “she is everything to me.”

  “She better be, Luca, because I know people. And trust me, the police won’t find your body.” With that ominous warning, Prue sashayed down the steps to her vehicle and got in without glancing my way.

  “That was pleasant,” I mumbled, “she knows people, hey?” Laughing silently while entering the house to find it quiet. Shutting the door, turning the deadbolt, and engaging the chain, I was here for the night so locking up now means I didn’t have to get out of bed later to do it.

  Guessing Meadow was in the bedroom, I did a quick run around checking windows and the back door, then headed back into the lounge to shut off the lights when I noticed the couch was not empty. Lying on her side with a blanket pulled up to her chin, my beautiful stunner was asleep. A worrying notion crept into my brain, all the noise I’d made stomping around the house going from room to room, and Meadow didn’t stir once. What if it wasn’t me but someone breaking into her house? If the noises didn’t wake her and they were happening in the same room as her, she definitely couldn’t hear all the way down the back of the house in her room. My idea to get her into my place cemented right there and then. My timeline also shot up as well as my heartbeat.

  I would literally die if something bad happened to her, something that would take her away from me forever. Her arm was tucked under the blanket, so I couldn’t see the bandage, which suited me just fine. Any reminder that I was not always going to be there to protect her always haunted me.

  Walking quietly to the couch, taking off my shirt, shoes and jeans along the way, thanking god that Meadow decided on an oversized deep couch for her lounge. I carefully pulled back the blanket and slowly wiggled onto the cushions, positioning myself, so I was facing her, the blanket over both of us.

  “You mean the world to me, baby, you have to know that,” I whispered, bringing my hand to her face and tracing the line of her nose with a finger.

  “I knew the minute you smiled at me, you were the one. I knew that you would make it impossible for me to live without you in my life.” A tiny shudder left her lips, a frown appearing on her forehead.

  “I didn’t handle things well today with Mum,” I admitted quietly, using my fingertips to smooth away the frown lines from her perfect skin. “I didn’t deal with any of what happened this morning very well; in fact, I fucked up so bad you felt like you had to leave.” The gutted feeling that Meadow ran from what was going to be her home one day soon stayed with me all day and still now. Doubly now, seeing her face pale and frowning even in her sleep.

  “I’m going to make this up to you, baby, and I already told Naomi she is no longer welcome in my house, then read the riot act to my family. They aren’t going to be rude anymore, and they have agreed to accept our relationship and that you are incredibly important to me and that I love you and you love me. I promise, from now on, it is going to be different.” The lies tumbled out of my mouth, not the part about our love that was true, the lies I told about my family. Saying them out loud, putting them out there, I was suddenly overcome with a desire to make it happen. Mum and the girls were going to accept Meadow as my life choice, come hell or high water.

  “You lie, but I love you for thinking it can happen,” Meadow whispered, startling me.

  “Baby?”

  Green sparkling eyes looked at me through lowered lashes, still lazy with sleep but green and bright.

  “Hey you,” she sassed in that way that made me glad to be alive.

  “Meadow, I don’t know … what to say to you other than I am so sorry,” I stammered, cupping her face gently.

  “I don’t know, what you said already was kind of perfect.”

  “You heard me? I thought you were asleep.”

  Meadow scoffed, her face turning to kiss the palm of my hand.

  “Spunk, you made so much noise when you locked the door, I could have heard you at Lennie and Trish’s house.”

  “Spunk? Not arsehole, wanker or douche?” I asked hopefully.

  Meadow smiled again, this time accompanied by a sweet giggle.

  “No, that is for Spring and Prue to call you. You know, best friend code? They have to give you a hard time because they had to listen to me complaining about your snotty family all day.”

  “Ah, I get it and totally agree.” Getting serious, I pressed my lips to hers, loving the way she melted against me.

  “I would apologise for their behaviour, but that would be a waste of time. Meadow, baby, I can’t guarantee that won’t happen again. My mother is stubborn and my sisters are the same way. Mum has strong ideas and a plan for me and has since my birth. She pushes and pushes, and sometimes, in the past, I gave in to keep the peace. She .. they have a tendency to—"

  "Derail you like a freight train on a path of destruction?” Meadow quipped, laughing, “Yeah, I kind of got that impression when she looked me up and down with distaste then sniffed so many times I was tempted to offer her a tissue or an antihistamine.”

  “She does do that a lot, doesn’t she?” I laughed along with her, snuggling deeper in against Meadow.

  “Well, you did warn me, I guess. The bigger issue is how do we move forward with our relationship?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I mean, they obviously hate me, Luca,” Meadow sighed, “they may take some time to accept us if they ever do. I can see now why it took you so long to get us in the same room. While it hurt me a lot at first, I do understand your reluctance, but we have to work something out, honey, because I am not going anywhere. They need to understand and get that; otherwise, Trish is going to unleash unholy hell on the Donatella women.”

  I pretended to shudder at the thought of Trish and my mum in the same room, then mentally added Lennie to the mix, and just like that, I was smiling again.

  “How about we take this one day at a time,” I suggested, kissing her forehead. “If Mum doesn’t accept us, then she doesn’t. Whatever the outcome she chooses, it doesn’t change us, who we are to each other, or our love for each other. Okay, baby?”

  “Okay, honey,” Meadow agreed, trailing a hand down my chest. “You know this couch is quite large.”

  “Hmmm, it is yes.”

  “Big enough for me to be on top and ride you, so you don’t have to worry about my arm?”

  “Yesssss,” I hissed when her small hand found its way inside my jocks, grabbing hold of my thick shaft and pumping it slowly twice, her thumb running over my cockhead, smearing the precum over the tip.

  “Big enough for you to straddle my chest and feed me this giant cock until you are balls deep in my mouth?”

  Groaning deep in my throat, I could only nod as waves of desire seared every nerve in my body.

  “I reckon so, yeah.” Oh God, please don’t let me come just yet.

  “How about we start with your mouth sucking my nipples, then we—”

  My mouth descended on hers, cutting off the last of her dirty suggestion, which I was totally going to do.

  “Watch your arm, baby.” Reaching under the blanket, I helped her move it over to the back of the couch, letting it rest in the up position against it.

  “I’m happy to see you have a button-up shirt on, mine?” I asked, slipping the buttons through the holes, spreading it apart to reveal her gorgeous tits.

  “You know it’s yours, I ca
n’t seem to sleep in my bed without you or your smell. That is why I am out here wearing your shirt,” Meadow rasped her nipples already hard peaks just from me removing the garment.

  “Good to know.” Leaning forward, I took one pebbled bud between my teeth and bit down gently.

  “Why is me not being able to sleep with you good news?” Her arm dropped from the couch, her hand grabbed the back of my head, holding me firmly in place.

  “Meadow, arm!” I growled around my tasty morsel.

  “Shut up about my arm and make me come just by sucking my nipples,” she demanded breathily, losing control with each bite from my teeth and soothing lap of my tongue.

  “It’s good to know because …” Changing to the other breast, I did the same to the other nipple, getting more of the same response. “… when it comes time to convince you to move in with me, you might not give me a hard time and just say yes.”

  Meadow stilled, her gasp laced with what I wanted to call hope, but I knew better than to predict anything with respect to my stubborn, independent girlfriend.

  Her hand tightened around my neck, prompting me to look at her face. A smile gracing her gorgeous mouth. “First, we get your mum to stand the sight of me, tattoos and all, and then we talk about shacking up, Spunk.”

  My pulse tripled, my heart soared. For the first time since this morning, I felt that everything was going to work out. Meadow being the reason for it all.

  “How about first, I make love to the love of my life, then we tackle the rest.”

  Meadow’s mouth covered mine in a kiss that burned me clear down to the soles of my feet.

  “So mushy,” she panted, writhing against my hard cock.

  “Only for you, baby.” Then the talking stopped and the loving took over.

  Sitting on the back deck overlooking Luca’s backyard, I hugged a steaming cup of hot tea in between my hands, staring over the rim at the landscaped yard. It was a month to the day since my accident and a month and one day since Luca predicted and promised everything would be okay. Despite his and my hard efforts to accept me as part of Luca’s life, that had not come to fruition. The situation with Mrs Donatella and I had morphed into a full-blown turf war—Luca being the turf.