I raised one brow and asked, “And if I don’t go?”
She put her hands on her hips. “I won’t come see you next week.” The look on her face was stern and I knew she was trying to manipulate me.
“One dinner. If I want to leave, I can at any time.”
She reached over and hugged me. “They’re going to love you.”
I didn’t want to go, but knew she was giving me no choice. I wanted to be with Sky, and meeting her parents was what I had to do to make it happen.
After calling my cousin, and making sure I had a ride home, Sky and I got ready to head to her parent’s house. I think she knew I was worried, but she didn’t get how nervous I was. I needed a cigarette, bad.
When we walked out to the car, I grabbed my smokes and lit one up. Sky started shaking her head. “I’m not going to kiss you.”
“I’ll brush my teeth.” I winked when she shook her head in disappointment.
While running back up to clean my mouth, I got an idea that would stop her bossy butt from forcing me to do things. I climbed in the car next to her and cleared my throat before giving it to her straight up. “You know, if I’m miserable, I can leave, right?”
“No! You have to stay.”
“I could always tell your parents what you had pierced last night.” I laughed at myself, knowing I had her right where I wanted her.
She looked at me instead of the road. “You wouldn’t!”
“Why not?”
With a smile on her face, she pulled over and looked right at me. “Because if you leave before dinner is over, I will never sleep with you again.”
She looked so serious. I couldn’t tell if she was bluffing, but being raised around a bunch of rednecks, I decided to call her on it. “You can’t resist me.”
“We’ll see about that.”
Okay, maybe my plan wasn’t going as well as I expected. “Yeah, we will.”
Chapter 21
Skylar
It was funny to me that someone like Ford could get nervous. He was acting weird, that’s for sure. He changed his shirt four times and went into the bathroom applying, taking off, and reapplying shaving cream on his face. Then, after he’d shaved some of his stubble, but not all, he decided that his hair was too long and that he’d need to wear a hat. Once that was decided, he then couldn’t pick one to wear, so I had to do it for him.
By the time we made it to the car, he had on a pair of khaki shorts, a button up shirt with a navy blue t-shirt underneath and a baseball hat that matched, which he ended up wearing backwards. I thought he looked great, but he still complained about not being good enough.
Since he obviously had never been to my house, I decided it would be best if I drove. We lived about an hour away from each other. Ford lived in the lower part of Maryland near Virginia. It was also the main route to get to the beach, so we got stuck in a little bit of traffic on the way back to my house. I didn’t mind, since it meant that we were alone, but Ford was more anxious than I’d ever seen him. He tapped on the dashboard, changed the station a million times, and talked more than a normal man was capable of.
In the one hour and fourteen minute drive, he’d discussed the first fifteen years of his life, in detail. I talked about my early years, when he took a second to breathe and listen. He also smoked three cigarettes, with the window down all the way. I stopped and got him a pack of gum, then sprayed him with a bottle of car freshener to make sure he didn’t smell of smoke.
When I pulled up in the driveway of my parent’s house, Ford got even worse. “There is no way I’m goin’ in there. Look at your house. Why didn’t you warn me? My God, why are you drivin’ that piece of shit car around, when there are two BMW’s in the driveway?”
I looked at my house, but saw nothing out of the ordinary. We lived right outside of the town of Easton in a place called Royal Oak. My parents had money, but it wasn’t like I bragged about it. Sure, my house was pretty large. It was professionally landscaped and the driveway had just been redone in a circular shape. Our ten-acre lot was small compared to some of my neighbors on either side.
“Just because my parents have done well doesn’t mean I am a snob, or rich. My car used to be my mom’s. They kept it in the garage and gave it to me. It wasn’t bad when they first gave it to me. I’ve neglected it a little.”
“You think?”
I smacked him on his leg. “Would you calm down? You’re going in.”
He grabbed my arm as I was about to climb out. “Seriously, Sky. I can’t meet your parents. Why didn’t you tell me you lived in a house like this?”
“What do you mean? It’s just a house. Ford, please. You’re being ridiculous.”
I walked to his side of the car and literally had to pull him out. He held my hand even as I opened the front door and started to walk in. “It’s just me!”
“We’re in the kitchen, honey!” My Dad was an amazing cook and I was sure Ford would be impressed, if he could calm down enough to communicate.
I pulled him into the kitchen like he was a kid going to the dentist. When he saw my parents standing there looking at him, he froze.
My dad walked over and stuck out his hand. “It’s good to finally meet the infamous Ford. My daughter has told me a lot about you.”
Ford was quiet for a few seconds, and then finally he smiled. “It’s good to meet you as well. I hope she said nice things about me.”
“If they were bad, you wouldn’t be standing here, would ya?” My dad could sense that Ford was nervous, so he was trying to break the ice.
I think Ford took it as a threat. “Yes, Sir.”
My mother walked up. “I can see why Sky couldn’t stop thinking about you. You’re a very handsome boy.”
“Thank you, ma’am. I think your daughter is great. I mean, she’s real fun to be around.” He shook his head. “I enjoy her company very much.”
I couldn’t help myself. I burst into laughter. It got so out of control that I had to grab Ford. “Come with me.”
When we got upstairs I showed him to my room first. As soon as the door was shut, I grabbed him and pushed him onto my bed. “Stop being weird! They like you. It isn’t necessary to try to impress them. If I like you, they like you. My parents are cool. They know we’ve slept together. We are adults, you know?”
He laughed at himself. “Yeah, I don’t know what’s gotten into me.”
I leaned over and kissed him. “Ford, I want them to know you, because I want this to work out. I didn’t expect to meet someone so soon after my last breakup, but there you were. I don’t care what anyone else has to say about it. I want you and that is all that matters to me.”
He grabbed both of my hands and pulled me on the bed, while looking around my room. “So this is where you cried yourself to sleep thinkin’ about never seein’ me again?”
I laughed. “Yeah. It sure is.”
“It’s a nice room.”
“Do you want to see the rest of the house?” I didn’t want to be rude and keep my parents waiting, but I knew Ford needed some time to calm down. He’d gotten himself so worked up over nothing.
“You can show me later. Let’s not give them any reasons to think my intentions aren’t proper.”
I laughed again. “They aren’t.”
“Darlin, they don’t have to know what I do to you when you’re naked in my apartment, do they?”
We kissed one more time before joining them downstairs. To be honest, I don’t even think they noticed we’d been gone. They were caught up in a conversation about one of my mother’s trips.
When Ford finally sat down, he seemed to relax. My dad got them both a beer and they turned on an Oriole’s game and started discussing baseball. When dinner was ready, we all sat at the table and discussed a variety of things. Thankfully, neither my mother nor father discussed any private details of my relationship. However, they did ask him about his family, which made Ford clam right up again. I helped him out by explaining that it was a conversa
tion for a different time and they were fine with that.
After dinner, we retreated to the billiard room, where he and my dad played a few games. My mother kept telling me how attractive Ford was and comparing him to the way my father looked when they first met.
In no time at all, it was late and they both went up to bed. I knew it was getting near the time that Ford would have to leave and it made me sad, so I did what any good girlfriend would do in my situation. “I don’t want you to go. Will you stay here with me?”
“Sky, your parent’s were so nice. I don’t want to piss them off.”
I moved my head to the side and yelled up the stairs. “Can Ford stay the night so he doesn’t have to drive?”
“Sure, honey!” My dad replied.
I grabbed Ford’s hand and started pulling him up the stairs. “Please?”
He tried to fight me, I’ll give him that. In the end, I won. Within minutes, he was sitting on my bed watching me change in my pajamas. “I feel like I’m goin’ to get in trouble,” he whispered.
I climbed into bed and leaned up on my elbow. “Take off your pants and get in here with me. If you’re going to drive an hour to work, we should go to bed soon. It’s almost midnight.”
He shook his head, but did as I told him. Soon he was holding me. “Your bed is comfortable. Maybe I should get one like this.”
“Maybe you should.”
“Sky, I need to tell you somethin’.”
I sat up and looked right at him. “What’s wrong?”
He smiled. “Nothin’. I just want you to know that I’m glad we found each other again. I know it’s early in this thing we got goin’ on, but I care about you. I just want you to know how special you already are to me, that’s all.”
I pressed my lips over his and kissed him slowly. “If I let myself fall for you, do you promise not to hurt me?”
He got a real serious look on his face. “As long as you promise not to hurt me.”
I nodded. “Okay.”
He kissed me one more time. “Goodnight, beautiful.”
Ford
She was beautiful, and even if it didn’t last forever, she was mine. I’d never felt so connected to a woman before and it scared me. Having feelings for someone after shutting myself off for so long, made those feelings even stronger. I thought about her all of the time, especially when we weren’t together. Finding her was a blessing and I wondered if my sister had something to do with it. I wasn’t normally a spiritual person, but something or someone, besides Shayne, had brought us back to each other.
My phone rang first thing in the morning. I had to laugh that I had service on my cell phone at the worst time possible. Sky and I both woke up and reached for it.
My voice was raspy. “Yeah?”
“Where the hell are ya?”
“I spent the night at Sky’s. I’ll be in later!”
“You think that you can just skip out on your responsibilities just for some new pussy!”
“I just decided to take the day off. See you tomorrow, old man.”
Sky rolled over and leaned on my chest with her chin. I kissed the top of her head. “Go back to sleep, darlin’.”
She wrapped her arm around me and closed her eyes, while I lay awake thinking about my life. I looked around Sky’s room and had to appreciate her upbringing. She had two parents that had stayed together. They’d given her a good life and were able to offer her a top-notch education.
My dad had done his best after my mom left, but when Harley passed away, everything went to shit. He used my college money to pay for her funeral and his other bills while he was too drunk to work. The sad reality of it left me with nothing in the bank and a future fixing cars, which I didn’t want.
It was the reason that I had shut down.
That first night with Sky changed me. It made me see that I could be happy again if I just let myself. I stroked her hair and wondered if deep inside she thought I was a loser, who wasn’t going anywhere. How long was she willing to be held back by someone like me?
It made me sad thinking about losing her, which also made me realize how invested I already was in this relationship. It scared the hell out of me.
Being that I knew I couldn’t sleep, I scooted myself out of bed and quietly got dressed. After finding the bathroom and using Sky’s toothbrush to brush my teeth, I headed downstairs.
I could hear her father’s voice coming from a closed door, but got distracted by the smell of fresh coffee. Not wanting to be nosey, I headed into the kitchen to make a cup. His voice caught me off guard. “Good morning, Ford.”
“Good morning, sir. Thanks for lettin’ me crash here last night.”
He handed me a coffee cup and smiled. “My daughter thinks you’re great and I’m happy to see her smiling again.”
“I think she’s great too.”
He refilled his cup and leaned against the counter. “Not going to work today?”
“I had planned on it, but we aren’t busy enough to worry about it. It’s just me and my dad there.”
“Do you like working on cars?”
I sipped at the hot coffee and thought about how to answer. Obviously, he wanted to know about my future. “It’s alright. It ain’t my first choice, though. I was in college for business. My uncle owns an auto detail shop. I thought about doin’ somethin’ like that; being a business owner, that is.”
“Did Sky tell you what I do for a living?”
“No, sir.”
“My company manufactures the specialty parts for imported and custom vehicles. We also specialize in restoration and have a whole new division starting up for that purpose.” I could tell from the way he spoke that he was a businessman. It was impressive.
“Wow, she didn’t tell me that.”
“Do you see yourself being a mechanic forever, or would you like to do something else?”
I sighed. “It’s not really up to me. My sister died last year and my dad sort of lost it. I dropped out of college to get him back on his feet, but I can’t see things gettin’ better for him.”
He sat his cup down and pulled out his wallet, handing me a card. “It takes a real man to do something like that for his family. I’m sorry about your sister, Ford. It’s a real shame when people we love are taken too soon in life. This is my card. If you ever change your mind about doing something different, I can get your foot in the door. My company also pays for certain certifications, so you not finishing college won’t be a deal breaker.”
I looked down at the card. “I appreciate this, sir. Like I said, I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to walk away, but this means a lot. My life hasn’t turned out the way I wanted it to, that’s for sure.”
He put his arm on my shoulder. “I’m not asking because you’re seeing my daughter. Her last boyfriend was a tool. He probably didn’t know the difference between a hammer and a wrench. He sure as hell couldn’t change a tire. Anyway, I’m always searching for new talent to add to my company. Someone young like you would be a good addition.”
I put his card in my own wallet and saw Sky walking into the kitchen. She was wearing a pair of long pajama pants and a tank top. As much as I liked her naked, she looked cute this way too.
Her dad started to walk out of the kitchen, but not before kissing her on the head. “You two have a good day. I need to go make some calls and pretend to own a business.”
Sky walked over and wrapped her arms around me. “Hi.”
I reciprocated her embrace and kissed her tenderly on the lips. “Good morning.”
“You should have woken me up.”
“You looked so cute sleeping.”
“Are you tired?” She looked up at my face.
“I feel more awake than I have in a long time.”
It was because, for the first time in a long time, I had hope.
Maybe I could have the life that I’d dreamed of. It was up to me to make the changes for it to actually happen.
Chapter 22
Skylar
Being with Ford was so easy and I was glad to say that after nearly three weeks, we were still going strong. Since he was only an hour away from his house, he’d sometimes stayed at my house and then he would drive in to work the next day. Some weeknights we’d meet halfway and have dinner. I didn’t care how far I had to drive as long as it led me to him.
My heart was full again and I loved looking forward to each weekend when we’d be inseparable.
As far as his family went, well his mother didn’t get to come home like they thought she would. She ended up having to stay another three weeks. The only good part about it was that it was her decision, because she wanted to make sure she was prepared to face the world.
Her party had been moved to her new release date and even though Ford still didn’t want to attend, he was going to it with me by his side.
The morning of the party, his whole family started arriving to help set up, while his father went to pick her up from the hospital. Ford was in rare form as he was forced to participate.
I was a little jealous of the amount of cousins that he had. I didn’t have many cousins my age, so to see him with all of them made me envious. It wasn’t like they were all best friends. Ford kept to himself, while the others goofed around. Sometimes I wished he would not be so uptight all of the time, but Ford was Ford and it was something that I also loved and appreciated about him.
Joey tried to flirt with me every time he got a chance. It drove Ford crazy. On this particular day I was wearing a dress. Joey came up in front of Ford and deliberately asked me if I was wearing panties under it. Ford put him in a headlock and forced him to apologize, just as the car pulled up with his mother in it.
I’d never really met the woman, but had heard so much about her that I didn’t know what to think. She was just a little lady, maybe a couple inches shorter than me. I’d seen pictures of Harley and could see where she got her beauty from. Sure, she’d had some hard years and it really showed on her face, but underneath I could see where she was once a stunning woman.
Ford let go of his cousin and stood up as she walked toward him. I grabbed his hand, trying to make sure he didn’t turn away and lock himself in his apartment. He was dreading this moment and she was doing it in front of the whole family. The look on his father’s face showed hope and I didn’t want him to be hurt by his son’s actions.
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