by Lisa Simmons
My hand rose to run my fingertips along his jaw, relaxing the tight muscle there beneath his skin. He finally blew out the breath he’d been holding while I let my thumb run along his chin. “You okay?” I asked quietly. His chest expanded as he drew a solid breath.
“Yeah,” he muttered, squeezing the hand we still had linked.
“Ignore it,” I said, shaking my head slowly. “We can talk about it later if you like but for now, just let it go.”
He sniffed once before nodding, wetting his lips with his tongue before speaking. “You’re right.”
I shot him a soft smile, pleased he’d calmed down so easily.
“Just love having the family together,” Gemma said, breaking down the invisible barrier that had formed around Reece and I. Reece surprised me by snorting a laugh, his serious expression breaking into a grin that crinkled his eyes at the corners. He looked away from me to flash his dazzling smile at his sister. I smiled with relief, thankful for Gemma and her blunt intervention. “Let’s finish eating before all this good food gets too cold to enjoy,” Robin said, his expression empathetic as he looked to his wife. She returned his glance with a grateful expression, squeezing his arm lightly before settling back in comfortably. Reece and I sat down, both of us largely ignoring the now empty seat at the head of the table. “So, Abigail,” Anne said, smiling easily at me now that the dark presence was removed from the room. “Tell me about yourself.”
I took a tiny breath, settling the remaining nerves in my body that continued to jump around. Anne, Robin, and Gemma were genuinely curious about me as I spoke, listening intently and asking follow up questions quickly. They all made me feel so welcome, and it felt natural to be there with all of them. It surprised me how well they seemed to be handling my presence considering I was the first girl Reece had ever seen more than once, much less brought home to meet his family only to get into an argument with his father. The topic of Dan was widely avoided, everyone carefully steering clear of the subject. We talked about anything and everything that came to mind, and the conversation flowed easily. Reece didn’t speak much unless spoken to, but his hand had landed on my knee somewhere between dinner and dessert, squeezing gently every now and then as he watched me interact with his family. Gemma was in the middle of telling a story about her friends, aimed mostly at Anne and Robin because I didn’t know whom she was talking about when Reece leaned toward me, bringing his lips to my ear. I turned toward him in my seat, leaning forward to listen carefully.
“I love you so much,” he whispered, lips tickling my ear as he spoke. I grinned even wider than I had been before, my heart fluttering at his simple confession. His hand remained on my mid-thigh, heating my skin even through the layers of clothing. My hand settled on his forearm, tracing my fingertips lightly over the rose tattooed over his elbow. He pulled back enough so his face was inches in front of mine. I took in the way his eyes seemed to be sparkling as he looked at me, the soft grin on his face practically radiating how much he loved me. “And I love you,” I whispered back, my words almost inaudible. I wanted nothing more than to lean forward and press my lips to his, but I could feel three sets of eyes settled on me. Reece, however, didn’t seem to mind as he closed the few inches between us to press a light, sweet kiss to my lips. He lingered only for a second, but it was enough to cause my heart to flutter. “Abigail?” Anne said gently, drawing my gaze in her direction. I pulled back from Reece, suddenly feeling extremely shy in front of his family.
“Yes?”
“Would you like to join me in the back for a moment?” she asked, smiling at me kindly. I swallowed nervously before nodding.
“I’d love to,” I responded. Reece squeezed my leg once before allowing me to stand up. I looked at him and widened my eyes silently as he flashed me a beautifully reassuring smile, nodding his head and pursing his lips together encouragingly. “Lovely,” Anne said, standing from her chair before leading me out of the kitchen. I followed her down the hall until she opened the back door that led to a patio, lit by a rope light strung along the base of the deck. The night air was warm and crickets chirped softly in the background, making for a relaxing atmosphere. We sat down on a set of lounge chairs and I waited for her to speak. “Well Abigail,” she started, her voice gentle. “I have to say I didn’t know what to expect when Reece said he was bringing someone home.”
I pulled my lips into my mouth, unsure of what to say to that so I just nodded, hoping she’d continue. My heart thumped nervously.
“I must admit, you’ve blown my expectations out of the water,” she said honestly, grinning at me softly. My stomach flipped over in my abdomen at her words, thrilled to hear her say so, especially after what had happened with Dan. “That’s a relief,” I said honestly, my voice laced with a breathy laugh as I returned her smile.
“I just want you to know that what you said in there... it really touched me. Dan’s always been hard on him and until now he’s had no one to really point out the best bits of him in his defense. I want to thank you for that,” she said sincerely, warming my heart with every word she spoke.
“I meant every word of it,” I replied honestly. “There’s no need to thank me.”
“Every word?” she questioned, raising an eyebrow just like Reece did.
“Every single one.”
“Even about being in love with him?”
My heart pounded in my chest and my nerves jumped beneath my skin. I’d almost forgotten I’d said that because it felt so natural to me now.
“Especially about being in love with him.”
Anne was quiet as she studied me, her face set in a pleased curiosity. I was quiet as I let her process the words.
“And he’s in love with you,” she stated, nodding as if she knew she was right.
“He says he is,” I replied happily, a bubble of giddiness rising inside me.
“Oh, Abigail, dear, he is. Without a doubt, he’s completely in love with you.”
She spoke with such certainty and confidence that I felt like skipping around the yard in joy. I already knew this to be true- I trusted every word Reece said to me and I could feel it in every single thing he did- but to hear his own mother say it with such affirmation after only spending such a short amount of time with us meant the world. “I don’t know how you did it, but you’ve done something to him. He was never a bad kid, but he was never...” she paused, searching for the right word. “Happy.”I bit the inside of my lip, saddened deeply at the thought of a younger Reece moving through life without any real joy. I took a deep breath and swallowed as I prepared to speak, but Anne continued, making my words unnecessary. “He’s happy with you. I can see it in the way he watches you and the way he trusts you. After all that with his father, you calmed him down in seconds. That’s not something many people can do,” she said wisely, nodding at me as if impressed. “He’s that for me, too,” I admitted. “He’s whatever I need, when I need it.”
Anne smiled and I thought for a moment I saw her eyes glittering with tears before she blinked them away. “I’m so happy he found you, dear. He’s... settled.”“I like that,” I admitted, my happiness bubbling over as my grin nearly split my face in two. I felt so suddenly overwhelmed with love for not only Reece, but his family- excluding his father- that I almost started crying. Anne, it appeared, had started to cry as a single silent tear streaked down her cheek. She sniffed once and wiped it away hastily, shooting me a watery grin.
“Oh my, look at us,” she said, laughing at herself. “Getting all worked up. Let’s head back inside before we completely melt into puddles.”I laughed, nodding in agreement as I stood up. “Good idea.”
With that, she stood and I followed her back inside. Reece, Gemma, and Robin had started clearing the dishes off the table and were nearly done when we arrived back in the room.
“Oh, god, Mum’s been crying,” Gemma noted, rolling her eyes playfully as she rinsed off dishes in the sink.
“Oh hush,�
� Anne said good-naturedly, waving her off easily. She shot me a quick wink before moving to help them. I followed her lead but was stopped by Reece coming to meet me.
“They’ve got it,” he announced. “Let’s go get our bags and put them upstairs.”
“Are you sure? I can help,” I offered, glancing around him only to see nothing much for me to do.
“They’re fine,” he said, shaking his head before guiding me out the front door. The warmth of the night settled over me once again as we moved to the car to get our things. “What’d my mum want?”“Just to chat,” I said vaguely, grinning mysteriously at him.
“Hmm, right,” he hummed skeptically, pushing his lips together and tilting his head back disbelievingly. “Crying for no reason, was she?”
“Exactly,” I laughed, opening the trunk for Reece to pull out our bags. They were small since we were only staying for one night.
“Fine, don’t tell me,” he said lightly, dodging me when I tried to take my own bag.
“Just girl stuff,” I answered as we made our way back inside. We passed the doorway to the kitchen before heading up a flight of stairs. I wondered suddenly if we’d have to stay in separate rooms. Reece pushed open the last door down the hallway, revealing a relatively sparse bedroom. A double bed, a dresser, a desk, and a few remnants of his youth remained in the room that had otherwise been relatively cleaned out. Most of his things, it appeared, were in his house he lived in now or gone.
“Do we get to stay together or am I going to have a room to myself?” I asked, hoping for the former. Ever since spending so much time away from him, I never wanted to spend the night alone again. “Dunno,” he shrugged, dropping the bags on the floor. “But we’re both staying in here regardless.”
I grinned, pleased he’d said so but slightly apprehensive about what his mother would think. After the amazing talk we’d just had, the last thing I wanted her to do was think any less of me. She had to know that, as college students, we most likely spent the night together all the time, but it was different to know such a thing and to see it under her own roof. “You don’t think she’ll care?” I asked, frowning slightly.
“Nah,” he said, shrugging. “Come here.”
He opened his arms, stepping toward me to meet me half way and fold me into his chest. My cheek settled against his chest while my arms wound around his torso, enjoying the familiar warmth of his body pressed to mine. I sighed contentedly, surprisingly relaxed after the roller coaster of a night we’d endured. I squeaked suddenly as Reece surprised me by tipping onto his bed, falling flat to his back and hauling me with him. I landed on top of him with a soft huff, body resting on top of his. When I managed to prop myself up, I was happy to see a wide grin on his face. “What?” I asked with a light laugh. His hands smoothed down my back, tracing their path over and over again while I grinned down at him.
“Nothing,” he lied, shaking his head teasingly. I nudged him playfully with my elbow, earning an exaggerated groan from him. “Ow!”
“Oh please,” I laughed, nudging him again, harder this time.
“You’re mean,” he grumbled, pinching my bottom lightly causing me to squirm into him.
“Mean!” I scoffed. “I’m the nicest girlfriend you’ve ever had.”
“You’re the only girlfriend I’ve ever had,” he countered smugly.
“All the more reason to be nice to me,” I said, grinning cheesily at him. He chuckled deeply, resuming his hands’ gentle tracing of my back.
“You really wanna know what I was thinking?” he asked, reaching to tuck a stray strand of hair behind my ear.
“Tell me, oh mysterious one.”
“I was thinking how much fun it’s going to be to fuck you in my childhood bedroom,” he whispered, his tone dropping as he smirked. I sucked in a breath at his blunt confession but couldn’t deny it sent a tingling shock through my body. “No way,” I said, shaking my head. Every cell inside me screamed in protest.
“Why not?” he asked as if he genuinely couldn’t think of a good reason not to.
“Because,” I argued. I was unable to suppress the grin on my face despite my attempts at defiance. “That’s just wrong.”
“No, wrong is you laying on top of me then telling me I can’t have you later,” he said, keeping his voice low.
“This,” I said, pointing around us with a grin, “was all your fault.”
“Hmm I don’t recall,” he hummed, frowning off into the distance as if deep in thought.
“You’re such a loser,” I muttered happily, thrilled my lighthearted, playful Reece was making an appearance after the tension earlier.
“Hmm,” he murmured before bringing his hand to my face to cup it gently. “If you say so.”
My eyes flashed between his and his lips before the distance disappeared as he drew me to him, cutting off my contented smile with a kiss. His neck strained slightly as he leaned toward me, tucking his lips around my lower one before parting them gently. I sighed quietly when his tongue pushed lightly into my mouth deepening the kiss as he continued to hold my face with his one hand. I could feel the buzz starting to spread through my body as it woke up cell by cell, and I knew we had to stop before I reached the point of no return.
I was saved from making the conscious decision to break apart from him, however, by his mother calling our names from the foot of the stairs.
“Reece! Abigail!” she called. Reece groaned as her voice drifted into the room. His lips broke from mine and his head fell back with a soft thud against the bedding as he relaxed beneath me. He threw his hands out dramatically by his sides, releasing me to forming a cross with his lanky limbs. I giggled at his exasperation and watched while he closed his eyes as if silently fending her off.
“Reece!” she called again. “Don’t make me come up there. I’m being fair, here.”
I giggled even more, only slightly embarrassed at her correct assumption. We’d been gone longer than necessary to simply deposit our bags even if all we’d done was goof around and kiss. “Alright, alright,” he called, his eyes still closed. I pushed myself off his chest, holding myself in the push up position over him while I waited for him to open his eyes. The tips of my hair tickled across his face as I playfully trailed them over his skin. He puckered his lips and blew out a heavy breath, dramatically brushing my hair off his face.
“Hey,” he muttered, peaking one eye open at me. “Quit it.”
I laughed again and sat up to my knees, which were straddled on either side of his hips, before extending my hands to him. He grabbed them reluctantly and allowed me to pull him to sit up, being absolutely no help as body remained limp. “Come on, you lug,” I giggled, tugging even harder on his dead weight.
“No,” he said before mumbling something inaudible. Despite his protest, he finally allowed me to sit him upright. Resting on my knees, I was a bit taller than him as he sat beneath me on the bed. My hands reached up to push his hair off his face, revealing his forced grumpy expression. He looked up at me, meeting my gaze beneath furrowed brows.
“If you stop pouting and come downstairs, I’ll make it worth your while,” I said quietly, watching with amusement as his eyes sparked.
“Oh really?” he said, smirking up at me. I nodded, raising my eyebrows playfully. He grinned at me conspiratorially before placing his hands on my hips.
“Well get off me, then. We have a family to bond with.”
"Lights will guide you home and ignite your bones, and I will try to fix you."
Chapter 80
"Reece, you idiot, that's still wrong," Gemma scolded giddily from across the table. The dishes had been cleared off from dinner to be replaced by several bottles of wine- some of which were now empty- a cake, and a battered deck of cards. Reece frowned at the cards in his hands, his brow furrowed and lips puckered out as he tried to figure out what he'd done.
"What'd I do?" he asked, reaching for his wine to take a drink. He'd grumbled
audibly when Anne had said that was the only thing they had to drink but seemed to have forgotten his complaints after downing three glasses. Now he drank it easily and if I didn't know better, I suspected he was enjoying it more than he'd care to admit.
"You can't lay that if you only have three cards in your hand," Gemma said, shaking her head before taking a swig of her own wine. She kept repeating the rules of the game but I found it more and more difficult to concentrate as I imbibed more of the sweet, red liquid. It seemed I wasn't the only one with the problem as Reece repeatedly messed things up beside me.
"This is the worst game in the history of games," Reece mumbled, picking up his card again to put it back in his hand. I giggled next to him, a bit too loudly thanks to the alcohol running through my veins. No one seemed to notice or care, however, thanks to Anne's generous supplying of our drinks. Two empty bottles sat next to a third that was nearly gone, the liquid split between the five of us doing more than enough to loosen everyone up after the tense dinner. Robin was still working on his first glass, claiming he wasn't a major fan of red wine, which meant Anne, Gemma, Reece and I had drank the most.
"Reece you should know the rules," Anne said, her words stringing together just enough to hint at her tipsy state. She grinned proudly at him just as she had been doing ever since returning from our talk. It seemed that our talk in combination with the alcohol had put her in a very emotional and giddy mood. "We used to play all the time when you were little!"
"Well I forgot, apparently," he said, setting his cards down with a sigh and a sheepish grin. I sat there quietly, my mind spinning a bit while I giddily let the scene carry on around me. It was absolutely incredible to see Reece around his family and they way they interacted. A light banter carried on throughout the night, particularly with Reece and Gemma as the ragged on each other. Robin didn't say much, but it was clear he was just as much a part of their family as anyone else despite being the stepfather. It warmed my heart to see the way they all looked and spoke with each other. Aside from Reece's father, his family was absolutely amazing.