by C. A. Harms
I made a quick stop in the bathroom, and then I found Maria at the bar waiting for me. Reed was at the other end of the bar, flirting with a pretty brunette. I felt a pinch within my stomach at the sight, but tucked it away as quickly as it came on. I had no say-so in his life. It didn’t make it any easier to watch, but it was true.
“You ready to get out of here?” I asked Maria as I grabbed my keys out of my purse.
She followed my line of sight, and her face fell slightly. “Hey, asshole, we’re leaving. Make sure you wrap it up tight, wouldn’t want you catching something.”
She never waited for him to respond, she grabbed my elbow and led me to the exit. Just as I was opening my car door, I felt him approach. I spun around to face him, and he looked worried.
“I’m not taking anyone home with me. We were just talking.” Reed’s hand skimmed over my arm.
“Why are you telling me this? It’s really none of my business. Have a good night.” I smiled reassuringly and crawled in my car.
The situation had taken an uncomfortable turn, and I just needed to leave.
Chapter Sixteen
I felt a whisper of a touch over my shoulder, and I stretched my neck up a little higher, welcoming more. A fingertip grazing over my collarbone and up to meet the softness just below my ear. “Does that feel good, baby?”
“Yes,” I whispered. “Feels so good, I love when you touch me.”
The gentlest of kisses began to rain over my shoulder, and I whimpered. “Well, that’s good, because I love touching you too. You’re my light, Kori, my love. I will always treasure you.”
Chills covered my body as Blake continued the delicious torture. I was lost within the touch, the kiss.
I woke up to the sound of my phone. It rang three more times as I tried to control my racing heart. My dreams of Blake always seemed so real. It was as if my skin still tingled from his touch and the pressure of his fingertips grazing my skin. It was there, it was real.
My heart shattered when I accepted that it was once again just another dream. It was a tease of what life could have been, what my life should have been.
I struggled to drag myself out of bed and fumbled with my phone as I grabbed it from my dresser. One missed call from Reed, followed by a new message.
Dialing my voicemail, I keyed in the password and waited.
Hey, Kori, listen, I hope you’re not mad at me. I was going to ask if you and Rhett wanted to come over today. I was gearing up ‘Old Benny’ for a day of fishing. I’d love it if you two could join me. Call me when you get this message. If you don’t wanna fish, we could do something else. Just call me.
I walked toward the kitchen and leaned my hip against the counter. Holding my phone in my hand tightly, I tried to decide if spending the day with Reed was a good idea.
I wasn’t sure why he thought I would be mad at him. Okay, so seeing him flirting with the girl at the bar hurt a little. Then there was the nasty scene with Kimberly. The bottom line was I had no right to worry. Reed and I were friends, that was it…just friends. We had once again grown close over the last few weeks and it felt nice. If he wanted to hook up with random girls from the bar, that was his business.
A light tapping on the front door had my stomach tingling with nervous energy. I wasn’t sure I was ready to face him. I needed a few minutes to pull myself together and to get over this crazy feeling of possessiveness I had for Reed.
When the tapping came once more, I decided to go for it and face him. This time the knocking came a little harder. I took a deep breath and walked toward the front door.
I gave myself one last pep talk before I opened my door and immediately felt my stomach drop to the floor. I stared into the face of a man I never thought I would see again.
“Hello, Kori.”
I was shocked into momentary silence. My hands began to shake, and my chest ached. I stumbled over my words. I honestly felt as if I could not breathe. “I, uh, what? Where did you…?” I paused, taking in another deep breath, trying to calm my racing heart. I gave it another attempt.
“What are you doing here?” There wasn’t a thing I owed this man. He was a cruel, heartless individual who never even considered giving me a chance. Making him feel welcomed was the last thing on my mind; he was an unwanted visitor.
“I didn’t expect a warm welcome.” He stood tall, and it hurt that he looked so much like Blake. His eyes were the same, not only like Blake’s, but like my son’s eyes as well.
“Good, because you’re not getting it. So you can leave now.”
I started to shut the door in his face, but his hand came up to stop me. “Please, just five minutes. That’s all I’m asking for. I know I don’t deserve it, but I’m begging that you allow me just five minutes of your time. Please.”
I took a deep breath and nodded as I crossed my arms over my chest. He wasn’t coming inside my home. He could say whatever it was he came to say right there on my front porch.
I watched as his throat bobbed from the deep swallow he took before he began speaking once again.
“I had a young man show up at my home about a little over a week ago. I wasn’t very kind to him at first, but he didn’t seem to mind. In fact, he was on a mission, and there wasn’t anything he was going to allow to get in his way.” I had absolutely no idea where he was going with this. Mr. Harrison was acting completely out of character. The entire time I had dated Blake, he never said more than ten words to me. To have him show up on my doorstep after he tried paying me off was a complete shock. This was so unlike him.
“The young man said a lot of things to me that day. No matter how many times I threatened to have him removed from my property, even to have him arrested, he stood strong. I have never in my life had anyone speak to me the way he did.”
“Mr. Harrison, I don’t understand what any of this has to do with me.” I was confused. Why had he come all this way for a conversation that made no sense?
“This has everything to do with you, and my grandson.” At the mention of Rhett, my stomach tightened with an uneasy pain. “This young man helped me come to understand just how wrong I’ve been, how wrong my wife has been. Turning you away and refusing to acknowledge that our son did live on…in his son. We were so wrong to treat you the way we did. I’m not asking for forgiveness, that’s something I must earn. I’m just asking for a chance. A chance to get to know my grandson and the woman my son loved with everything he had inside him.”
Tears now ran heavily down my cheeks. Words were not possible right now. I knew if I attempted to speak it would only come out as a sob.
“I brought some things for you, some things of Blake’s. I was hoping you would allow me to leave them, for both of you.” He stepped back from the door, and I followed as I stepped onto the porch. Looking out, I noticed the back seat of the car held a number of boxes. Lifting my hand up, I covered my mouth, attempting to muffle my sob.
Following him, I watched as he began removing item after item from the car. “These things belonged to Blake while he was growing up. Things I’m sure he would want his son to have.” He shrugged. “Things that would help him learn about his dad.” Mr. Harrison’s voice cracked when he spoke the word dad. He quickly looked away to hide his emotions.
“My flight leaves tomorrow afternoon.” He paused. “I was hoping I would be allowed to meet my grandson before I left. Maybe I could take the two of you to breakfast?” I agreed by nodding as I took in the boxes and items he had given us.
“Thank you for allowing me another chance. I know I don’t deserve it, Kori. I can never take back all the things I put you through. I can never wash away the pain of my past words.” He met my gaze once more before continuing. “I could stop by in the morning and pick you both up, around eight?”
“Okay.” It only came out in a whisper. This entire scene still felt completely surreal to me. This man standing before me was not the same man I knew before. This man was kind and felt remorse for his past actions. This ma
n was a man I would be proud to call my son’s grandpa.
I watched as Blake’s father walked around the back of the car and opened the driver’s door. He paused for a moment, looking over the top of the car. “What’s my grandson’s name?”
“Rhett.” My voice cracked, but then I finished, “Rhett Harrison Foster.”
He nodded his head, and a grin spread out over his lips. “Good name, Blake would have loved it.”
The thought only made me cry harder. As the car pulled away, I lowered myself to the ground next to the boxes. I placed my hand over the top of one and let my head fall forward, sobbing as I let the last ten minutes sink in.
When my tears had stopped and I felt like I could stand, I lifted myself from the ground.
One by one I carried the boxes into the house and sat them next to the kitchen table. I was afraid of what they contained. Was I strong enough to look inside? Could I do this alone?
The entire conversation with Blake’s father played over and over in my mind.
I had a young man show up at my home about a little over a week ago.
My heart began to pound rapidly in my chest. I stood from the chair and grabbed my phone from the countertop. Typing out a message I hit send and waited…
Where did you go a week ago? When you left town, where did you go? K
His response was quick.
Had a few things to take care of. Why?
He was being evasive, and right now I needed him to be honest. I had to know if this was all because of Reed.
Please just tell me where you went? Please. I need you to be honest and just answer the question. K
There was a long pause, and I began feeling very anxious. What was taking him so long? My phone vibrated once more.
Boston.
It was one word, but the word I needed to hear. I knew it had to be him, but I had to hear it. Reed had packed up and flown thousands of miles to a place he had never been. He searched out Blake’s parents’ home and did all he could to bring me peace. He knew how hard it was for me not to have anything to pass on to Rhett. He knew my biggest fear was that Rhett would never truly know the man his father was.
Why did he go to all that trouble? He didn’t owe me anything.
Why?
You already know the answer to that, sweetheart. R
I gathered myself up the best I could and locked up before driving straight to Reed’s place. I needed to see his face, his eyes, when I asked him what I needed to know.
Pulling onto the gravel road, his house slowly came into view. Putting my vehicle in park, I crawled out of my car. I never once took my eyes off the set of cowboy boots dangling from the truck bed before me. Reed was sitting on the tailgate, shirtless and watching me in return. A small grin pulled at his lips as I walked closer.
He slid from the truck with me only a few feet away and took a step toward me. His gaze watching me intensely, trying to gauge my mood. I let my eyes rake over his chiseled abs and perfect chest, taking in his shapely shoulders and strong arms.
“Why?” I whispered looking up into his big, gorgeous, brown eyes. “Why did you do it?”
“Because I knew it would make you happy. I knew Rhett needed something of his daddy’s. I wanted him to be able to remember him and for you to have the chance to make sure of that.”
I took the last step toward him, closing the distance between us. Placing my hand on his chest, I rested it over his heart. I could feel the rapid thump beneath my palm. “What other reasons do you have for going to all that trouble?”
Reed’s hand came up to hold the side of my face. Gently stroking my cheek, his voice trembled as he spoke. “Because I care about you. I care about both of you so damn much, and if there is anything I can do for either of you, I will. I wanna give both of you all I can. Knowing that those people had the key to something you so desperately needed and wanted…I had to make them see the error of their ways.”
Maria was right, she was so right. Reed was not the same boy he was when I left. He was not the selfish ass I left behind. He was a man, a man with so much love to give. He was the man I needed to fully forgive and completely let into my heart.
Without thinking twice or overanalyzing the situation, I stood up onto my tiptoes and placed my lips against his. I wrapped my arms around the back of his neck and pulled him closer.
Reed’s hands gripped my hips as he held me against him and moved his lips with mine. It was not a heated kiss, there was no hunger. It was a gentle passionate kiss, one that allowed him to feel everything I was unable to say.
We stood there in his driveway, holding one another close as our lips danced. Someone cleared their throat, breaking the moment, and I stepped back quickly. I placed my fingertips against my lips as they tingled from his stubble.
“Well, I’ll be damned, it’s about time you two see it. I’ve been telling her daddy for the last month it was just a matter of time.” Reed’s dad chuckled, and he walked toward the barn, shaking his head. “You two have been dancing around one another for weeks now.”
Reed looked back at me with a grin. “Looks like our daddies have been carrying on about us. Old farts are like a couple of gossiping women.”
I smiled and twisted my hands together nervously.
“I better get going.” I looked down at my attire. I was still sporting my pajama bottoms and a t-shirt. I rushed over here so quickly I never even took the time to change. “I need to get myself cleaned up and then go get Rhett from my parents.”
Reed followed close behind as I walked toward my Escape. I crawled inside, and his big, beautiful frame filled the opening, stopping me from being able to shut the door.
“You should bring Rhett back, spend the day with me. We can go out on the boat, or just hang out at the house.” He bent his head down closer to mine. “I’d love to have you two over. We can cook out, watch a movie, whatever you want.”
“Give me a couple hours, I’ll see ya then.” He lowered his lips to mine for a soft, gentle kiss. His manly aroma engulfed my senses. He made my entire body tremble from just one kiss.
He pulled back too soon, and I thought I might have groaned out in protest. He chuckled. “Hurry back.”
I only nodded as he shut the door and backed away from the car. I forced myself to start the car and drive away.
My body was feverish and was on overload. The heat he caused to erupt inside me was extreme.
Chapter Seventeen
I was nervous as I lifted Rhett out of his car seat. I tried to fight it off as I walked up Reed’s porch steps, but it was useless. Whether I wanted to admit it or not, things had changed. He and I were now different. Before, we had the distance between us, the boundary of an agreed friendship, but now it was crossed. The friendship line was voided the moment I kissed him. I took what we had to an entirely different level, and I had to admit there was no regret. That acknowledgment didn’t make it any less intimidating.
I took a deep breath and rang the doorbell. Almost immediately Diesel began to bark, and Rhett grew excited. I could hear Reed’s deep voice trying to calm Diesel. The moment the door opened and that gorgeous smile spread out across his lips, all the nervous energy disappeared.
“Hey you, come here, little man.” Reed held his hands out to Rhett, and in no time at all my son was lunging for him. Rhett gripped Reed’s shirt tightly and kicked his legs as he looked down at the big dog who was spastically wagging his tail. A loud squeal escaped Rhett when Diesel barked, and the sight was one I would always have etched in my mind.
If you had asked me six months ago if I would be falling for Reed, I would have laughed. I promised myself I would never go there again. Once a cheater, always a cheater, right? Now here I was, standing in his doorway, while he held my son and tickled his tummy. I could see the adoration in Reed’s eyes as he looked at Rhett. I had to accept that he had changed. Reed was no longer that selfish young boy. He had changed, things had happened that forced him to grow.
“You
gonna come inside?” Reed tilted his head toward the house, and I took a step in through the doorway. His house was beautiful, and surprisingly clean. It was nothing like I expected. It had that homey feeling, the one you got when you walked into a place you belonged.
I could feel Reed against my back as he stepped up behind me. “It feels good having you here, both of you.” He kissed my head softly and nudged me forward.
“Thanks for inviting us.” I spoke softly, still not trusting my voice. I had mixed emotions right now. It felt so right to be here with him, yet I felt guilty for that. Was I moving too fast?
We decided to stay in and make something to eat. A movie on the big screen was the plan. It felt so natural for Rhett to be hobbling around the kitchen while Reed and I made dinner. Diesel was attached to my little guy’s hip. It really was the sweetest thing. If Rhett stopped walking, Diesel sat back on his hind legs next to him and waited patiently. The moment Rhett was on the move again, Diesel jumped to follow close behind.
With no highchair here, Reed chose to eat with Rhett on his lap. I offered to hold him myself, but the two of them decided his current position was exactly where he was staying. Watching Reed help my son eat overwhelmed me with emotion. I tried not to feel bad for the things Blake missed. Instead, I tried to focus on the fact that Rhett had a man in his life, one who clearly loved him. In turn I allowed myself to believe Blake would want that. He would want Rhett to feel a man’s love. If it couldn’t be him, then I had to believe he would be happy it was a man like Reed.
Before the movie had even started, Rhett was passed out. I stood next to the couch looking down at his tiny form curled up against the big beautiful husky that had now claimed Rhett as his own. It really was one of the sweetest things I had ever seen. I couldn’t stop myself from capturing the moment with my phone.