by Natalie Ann
“When do you start your nights again?”
“Saturday, why?”
“Before Easter?”
“That’s Sunday,” he said, confirming.
“Mom wants to have a Sunday dinner on Saturday for Easter. I’ve got someone to cover the house for me.”
“Maybe I’ve got plans?” he said, grinning. He was never one for turning down a home-cooked meal.
“She wants Rene there too, so alter your plans.”
His grin faded. This was what he was trying to avoid. Why, he had no clue. No, that wasn’t true. After that dinner party and the looks and comments he and Rene were getting, not to mention Celeste asking her to dinner, he’d kept his distance from his family.
Celeste wasn’t stupid, though. She knew what he was doing, which was why she would only let him get away with it for so long.
The last time he avoided her was when she was dating Caleb, and he slipped and told Celeste that he felt everything she did when she was sick as a kid. And that even though she’d moved on, he couldn’t. He never had closure or a healing feeling, and it ate him alive. She’d been shocked to hear it, but he walked out the door before he could say anything else, or fear slipping and saying more than he ever wanted to.
Then the guilt of avoiding her starting to eat at him. He could never stay away from her long. She was his blood, his bond, his twin. He’d brushed those few weeks off when she questioned him on it back then, then she let him go, though he knew she knew better. She always did.
“I’ll see if she is interested or not,” he said.
“She said she was when I brought it up. Don’t make me go corner her at Max’s office.”
Celeste would do just that. The same way she cornered him before he left for the Air Force after high school.
She was healthy then, going off to college herself, not far from home, just an hour away, but far enough to live on campus. With her gone, he felt it was his time. College never appealed to him but the Air Force did.
At first, his father was proud of him. A pride he’d never experienced before. Then something changed with his father. Maybe it was that Cole was trying to distance himself from Celeste before he left. Trying to make the transition easier for them both. Either way, he never knew what caused the start of the rift between father and son.
Instead his father only came down on him harder and meaner. Told him to grow up and take responsibility for his actions, to not be so selfish. Harsher words were said, and Cole left for basic training with a wedge driven deep between his father and him.
Celeste didn’t let the avoidance of her last long. She didn’t let it fester and she kept communications open enough that they didn’t miss each other too terribly. Not enough to break his heart, just enough to crack it.
Things with his father were never the same again. They mended fences for a few years, but then something else would come up. The last fight was the worst, and it still ate at Cole that those were the last words he’d ever spoken to his father before he died.
“Don’t go out of your way and pester Rene,” Cole said to his sister just now. “I’ll talk to her tonight and see what her thoughts are. Maybe she isn’t ready to meet Mom. Did you ever think of that?”
“Don’t put your cowardly traits on Rene,” she said, laughing.
That word again. Cowardly. One his father called him. It wasn’t just once his father had said it to him. It was a lot of times. And one time too many that had Cole saying it back. The last time they fought. The time his father had him against the wall. He wanted to fight back, but he didn’t. He wouldn’t. Instead he walked away.
“We’ll be there,” he said with finality. Celeste had no idea what her words did to him and he’d never tell her.
***
“I’d love to go see Ginger again. I was hoping to, but didn’t want to bring it up,” Rene said later that night after Cole picked her up at her grandmother’s and they were seated at a restaurant, waiting for their food to arrive.
“You should have said something.”
“It’s fine. I didn’t want to put any pressure on you. I mean, we’ve only been dating a few months and I don’t want you to get the wrong idea.” Was she putting her foot in her mouth? It sure felt like it.
“What idea is that?”
“Meeting the parents. That’s kind of a big step, right?”
He picked his beer up and grinned at her. “We’ve both met each other’s parents before.”
“True, but not under these circumstances.”
“What circumstances are those?” he asked.
He was smirking at her. Sometimes she knew he just loved to pick on her. For once, she wanted to try to shock him.
She leaned forward and lowered her voice. “The circumstances where I touch myself and you watch me and tell me what to do. What do you think our parents would say about that?”
He spewed beer out of his mouth, some of it going up his nose, and she burst out laughing. “Geez, Rene. What’s come over you?”
Her smile faded. “I thought you’d like it if I talked dirty. You do in the bedroom.”
“I do. I like it a lot, but you’ve never done it before like this. It’s almost like you need to be in the zone to let loose.”
She laughed a little. “The zone, huh? What zone is that? Is it between your legs?”
He set his glass down. “Okay, you’ve made your point.”
“Have I?” she asked, feeling powerful for a moment. He was almost blushing. “You’re looking a little warm there. Are you okay?”
“I’m fine. And if you keep talking like that, we’re going to leave and forget about dinner.”
“Why?” she asked, confused.
He shook his head. “You’re almost there, but not quite.”
“Meaning what?”
“Meaning you can talk the talk, but you forget about the walk.” He leaned closer to her and quietly said, “We’d have to leave so I could take you home and slowly undress you, then lick every inch of your body, especially those places you love the most.” He paused, then his voice took on a deeper, huskier tone. “You know those places, don’t you? Then I’d tell you where to touch yourself and where to touch me, because I know you like that, too.”
She gulped slowly, the heat rising to her face. Yeah, she was learning, but she wasn’t as good as he was. “Maybe that’s what I want you to do to me.”
“Right now? You want me to get up right now and take you home?” The waitress walked over with their dinners and placed the plates in front of them. “Just say the word.”
“Is everything, okay?” the waitress asked, looking back and forth between them.
“Yes. Everything is fine. We’re just hungry. Thanks.”
Cole laughed at her when the waitress walked away. “I’m hungry, all right. Just say the word on what I get to eat first.”
“Food. Let’s eat the food first and build up our energy.”
“I can get on board with that.”
They were lying in bed two hours later, after a lot of rolling around and plenty of promises that Cole had made good on from the restaurant.
“So, since I agreed to go to your mom’s for dinner on Saturday, how about you have dinner with my family at Mallory’s on Sunday?”
“Easter Sunday?” he asked.
“That is this Sunday. Is that a problem? I’d ask if you had plans, but I know your family is celebrating on Saturday and you don’t go to work until Sunday night. I know you need to sleep, but we planned on eating early afternoon.”
“No, no problem,” he said.
She didn’t believe him though. “Convince me of that then.”
“Meaning?”
“Meaning, you look uncomfortable.” She reached her hand under the sheets, found her target and gripped him tight.
“You’re awful, using sex that way.”
“What way?” she asked, stroking him now. She never knew she could be this way. Not just so active in bed, but so pla
yful, too.
“The way I love it,” he said, rolling her over and taking her mind off of holiday dinners.
Changes
Rene was partially excited and partially scared to death over dinner with Cole’s family. This dinner was a big step in their relationship; she knew that and had a feeling Cole did, too.
He’d picked her up at her grandmother’s and now they were driving to his mother’s. She expected Cole to be quiet, but he wasn’t. If he was nervous over this meeting, he wasn’t showing it.
“My mother won’t bite,” he said, smiling at her.
She forced a smile out. “I don’t remember her being that way.”
“She hasn’t changed much. She’s still mild mannered.”
“I remember that. And that your father wasn’t so much.” He frowned and looked away, and she regretted voicing those words. “Sorry, that was meant as a joke, but maybe it didn’t come off as such. I just meant that your parents were opposites. I mean no disrespect.”
“They were opposites,” he said quickly.
“So does your mother still work? I’d like to know a few things to help with the conversation.”
“Don’t worry about the conversation lagging, that won’t happen. But my mother works part time. She always did. Between caring for twins, Celeste’s illness, and my father’s hours, she needed to be able to come and go more freely. Be the flexible one in the family.”
There was sarcasm there, but she chose to ignore it for now. “What does she do? I can’t seem to remember.”
“Now she works from home processing medical insurance claims.”
“Sounds…kind of boring.”
“She’d tell you it is. It gives her something to do with her time in the comfort of her own home, and with the ability to come and go as she pleases. Right now, she’s thrilled to be planning Celeste’s wedding, so rest assured that will probably be the bulk of the conversation at the table.”
“Rene,” Ginger said, hugging her tight when they arrived at her house. “It’s so good to see you again. Haven’t you turned into such a lovely young lady. Cole, you didn’t tell me she’d changed so much.”
“She hasn’t changed all that much, Mom,” Cole said, threading his fingers through hers. It felt warm and secure at the same time. Comforting, even. She needed every little bit she could get.
“Changed enough,” Rene said. “It’s a progressive thing, but I’m up for it. Cole’s been helping.”
“Has he now?” Ginger asked. “He’ll have to fill me in on that at some point. For now, let’s go in the kitchen where Celeste is finishing up her dessert. Dinner is almost ready, but we can relax around the table in there.”
She’d never been in Cole’s childhood home before. Only his grandmother’s house, but never here. It was an old home, probably too big for one person, but well maintained. Someone kept up on things.
“Is there anything I can do to help? Oh, here,” she said, handing over the two bottles of wine she’d brought.
“Thanks, dear, but we’ve got it covered. Let’s go get a glass of wine and relax. Cole, if you don’t mind looking at the furnace before you leave, I’d appreciate it. It’s been making a ticking sound again.”
“I’ll go check it out now,” he said.
“Caleb,” Ginger said, “why don’t you give Cole a hand? Not that he needs one, but I’m sure you’d like to get away from all the wedding talk.”
“Gladly,” Caleb said, pushing back and quickly jumping up.
Rene watched the men walk down a set of stairs and settled herself at the table while Ginger brought over three glasses of wine. “So, tell me, how is Cole as a boyfriend?”
“What? What you do mean?”
“Come on, Rene,” Celeste said. “He’s never dated anyone this long before. Not as an adult. We just want to know if he’s taking care of you or not.”
“I don’t need anyone to take care of me. I’m good on my own,” Rene argued. What the heck?
Celeste reached her hand over and placed it on hers. “I know you are. And Cole doesn’t need to take care of you. I asked before my mom could. It’s driving her insane to find out, but she was too polite to voice her concerns. I figured it would ease it, coming from me.”
Rene turned and looked at Ginger. “Cole is a perfect gentleman.” Both of them burst out laughing. “He is, he really is,” she argued.
“We know that,” Ginger said. “He was raised to be. I want to know if he’s paying attention to your wants and needs. Is he fulfilling you the way a significant other should?”
She was afraid to ask Ginger to clarify the question. Terrified to see if she would say it had to do with sex. She turned and looked at Celeste and just saw her smirking over the rim of her wine glass. “Caleb had to go through this. Now it’s your turn.”
Okay, it couldn’t be about sex then. Thank God. “Cole and I have a nice balance right now. It’s early yet, as I’m sure you know. Both of our jobs tend to consume us, but we’re making it work.”
“Happy now, Mom?” Celeste asked.
“For now.”
***
The next day, Cole was trying not to sweat over seeing Rene’s parents again.
He had no reason to be worried or nervous.
He was a grown man.
He’d been to war.
He had a badge and carried a gun.
Rene’s father was as mild tempered as Nick, so no worries there.
Only now, Cole was sleeping with John’s daughter, so maybe he wouldn’t be so mild mannered.
If truth was told, he was leerier about what Trixie might end up saying. Though honestly, she’d been fine so far when Cole had been to the house.
Even Nick had been good after their last one-on-one months ago.
Rather than pick Rene up at Trixie’s, he was meeting her at Nick’s. Going in alone. With no backup. And no shield.
What the heck was wrong with him?
He knocked once and the door was rapidly opened by Rene. She smiled brightly at him, wrapped her arms around his neck, and pulled him down for a kiss. “Your turn,” she whispered.
That didn’t make him feel any better.
Neither did Susan giving him the third degree at the dinner table. He’d forgotten that for as relaxed and laid back as John was, Susan was like a tiny terrier with a bone in her mouth that she wasn’t about to give up. Damn lawyers were always that way, and he wondered how he could have forgotten that.
“Rene says you’ve been dating for a few months now. I’ve noticed a lot of changes in my daughter over that time.”
Was that good or bad? “Like what?”
“She seems more outgoing and sure of herself,” Susan had said.
“That’s a good trait.” He looked over at Rene and saw her giggle. He was glad she found this funny, but he was starting to feel warm at the moment. He didn’t ever remember feeling like he needed to pull his shirt away from his chest in order to breathe, but right now he was squirming to not do just that.
“It is. She also seems happier,” Susan said, picking up her glass of wine.
“Even more mature,” Nick said, elbowing Rene at the table.
“Cute, Nick,” Rene said. “Yes, Mom, I seem happier because I am. I love my job, and I love living here. I hate the snow, but you take the good with the bad.”
“Is Cole part of the good or the bad?” Mallory asked, laughing a little.
He held his breath waiting for her answer. He was sure it was good. It had to be good, right?
“That’s a stupid question,” Rene said, without answering directly, causing Mallory to snicker.
Everything seemed to be going well. The questions were less and less about him and Rene, and more about life in general. Nick’s company, Mallory’s newest book. He didn’t even know she was an author and when she confided to him who she was, it took him a moment to put it together.
He’d never been one for reading, especially adolescent books, but when Nick proudly showed
off the cover of her newest adult mystery, he recognized the cover as having seen it on the bestseller list. Not that he looked at bestseller lists, but the dispatcher was talking about it the other day and pulled it up to show him. Why, he had no clue. The women in his office tended to pull him into the stupidest conversations at times. He just learned to go with the flow.
Still, he started to drop his guard at the table. He was even touched when Rene gave him a small Easter basket with chocolate inside. It was whimsical and cute, something in line with what Celeste would do.
All was going well, and he figured the dinner couldn’t have gone any better. Until he was getting ready to leave and John stopped him and said, “Don’t you be breaking my baby’s heart. I’ll come after you myself if you do.”
What do you say to your girlfriend’s father who was half a foot shorter than you, weighed fifty pounds less, but had thirty years over you?
“Dad,” Rene jumped in to say. “That’s not very nice.”
“Rene,” Cole said, “it’s fine. I’d probably be the same way if I had a daughter.” He turned to John. “I’d never intentionally do anything to harm her.”
He sat in his truck and swore. That wasn’t so bad. Not really. And he was glad he’d only had to do that once in his life and hoped to never have to again.
Messed Up
A few weeks later on a Saturday morning, Cole leaned down and kissed Rene goodbye. “I’ll talk to you on break. Will you be here when I get out tonight?”
“Do you want me to be here?”
He didn’t hesitate at all. “Yeah. I’d like that. I mean, you don’t have to stay here all day if you don’t want to, but you can.”
“I’ll play it by ear.”
She turned over quickly and he shook his head. She’d never been much of a morning person, but today she seemed almost grouchy. Maybe she was tired. He did keep her up most of the night. Not that she was complaining. Neither one of them could get enough, it seemed.
He was opening the door to his truck when he started to pat his pockets and realized his phone and wallet were still in the house.