by Aubrey Cara
“Assholeness?”She asked.
“Yep, my assholeness. Maybe you should spank me.” He didn't find the prospect of getting spanked nearly as appealing as spanking her, but he admitted it was only fair. And if it made her feel better, he'd suffer just about anything.
“Jake, be serious.”
“I am. I’ve had a long day too. Yesterday I found out that the love of my life is married to another man. And this was after she had tried breaking up with me, completely shut me out, and today she was almost killed.”
She muttered, “That bitch.”
He felt a grin splitting his face. Her joking around with him was tantamount to forgiveness. “I’ll wrestle ex-husbands, and drunk gun-wielding mamas anytime for you. I'd certainly take a spanking.” He could see the gears turning and knew he was in for it when she smirked.
“You want me.” She pointed at herself. “To spank you?” She pointed at him. He nodded. In for a pound.
“Okay, over the tailgate,” Del said.
“Here?”
“Here is as good a place as any.”
Jake shrugged. It certainly was. He doubted anyone would be coming down the dirt lane of a driveway anytime soon. Fair was fair. If he could spank his sweet little star shine, he was certainly man enough to let her spank him. He opened the tailgate before undoing his jeans and shrugging them down to his thighs. The birds were chirping, the sun was shining, and he could smell the sweet grass on the breeze that was blowing. All in all, it was a beautiful day to lose his dignity. Bracing his hands on the opened tailgate, he looked straight ahead and said, “All right. I'm ready.”
*** ***
Delia stood dumbfounded for a moment staring at Jake leaning over his tailgate, bare-assed. She had thought it befitting for him to have to take a spanking, but now she wasn't sure if she was the right person to do it.
Squaring her shoulders she took in a nervous breath, rubbing her hands together in preparation. Then rubbing her suddenly sweaty palms down the front of her jeans. She hopped in place for a moment, like a boxer. He looked back at her with a brow quirked. “Just warming up,” she said. “I don't want to hurt my hand.”
He pulled a face, and she could hear him choke back a laugh. “You're supposed to feel guilty,” she said. “This isn't funny, Jake.”
At this statement he really did laugh. She huffed behind him. Folding her arms across her chest, she waited for him to pull himself together. “Are you done now?” she asked.
His, “Sorry, yes, go for it,” came out choked.
“I don't know why you think I'm so funny,” she said. “You're the one with your naked ass bent over a tailgate.” At that his sniggering abruptly stopped. “That's what I thought.”
She sidled up to him, rubbing her intended mark. She wasn't sure why this was so difficult. He never seemed to have a problem dishing out the spankings. She was making herself nervous again, so she drew back her hand, forcefully slapping it down on his bottom. His hard bottom. Her hand stung. She suddenly felt like crying as she shook out her poor limb.
She had to remind herself why she was doing this. “This is for thinking I'd lie to you,” slap, “and try to get pregnant.” She pulled back and did it again. Her mind ran through the past two days as she spanked Jake. Unbidden tears came to her eyes, having nothing to do with her stinging hand. “And this is for driving through the night to chase after me,” slap, “and coming here,” slap, “and seeing this place. And my mama,” weak slap. Her throat clogged and her breath hiccupped on a sob “And telling me you love me. And that you'd want me to have your baby.”
She couldn't spank anymore. Once one tear trickled down, then another. The flood gates opened. She cried as if her heart were breaking. Big sobs shook her frame. It was all too much. All the emotional ups and downs of the past twenty-four hours broke free. She was barely aware of Jake fumbling up his pants. Then she was pulled onto his lap as he sat on the back of the tailgate. He rocked her, making soothing shhing sounds, stroking her hair. She felt so loved, and that made her cry harder. She had completely overreacted.
“I'm sorry Jake. This place, along with all that happened. And stupid Connar. And I don't like spanking you. That wasn't like getting spanked. I didn't enjoy it at all.” She knew she was rambling.
“Shhh, nothing to be sorry for, star shine,” Jake said. “For the record I prefer to be the spanker, rather than the spankee. But if you ever say I'm getting spanked, I'll know you mean business. I'll be carrying your hand prints for a while.”
She smiled through her tears. Holding her injured hand palm up, she said, “I think I hurt my hand. Your butt's like a brick.”
He chuckled kissing her hand. He pushed the hair out of her face and kissed her forehead as she pulled in a shaky breath. Then he laid a gentle kiss on her lips.
She sniffled, feeling all cried out. “Did you really drive seven hours just to say you were sorry?”
He nodded.” I said I'd chase you down if you ran. I'd drive a hundred hours to apologize to you. And if you just can't help but run off on me again, I'll drive across the country. Wherever you may go. I'd hunt you down in a jungle, if I had to. Then I'd spank your sweet bottom, so you'd know all is forgiven.”
She thought that sounded appealing in ways she didn't understand as she curled up to his chest, with his arms wrapped around her.
“What if I don't want to get spanked?” she asked. Which was a ridiculous question, but she didn't want him thinking he could be high handed with her any time he wanted.
“The minute you say you don't like it anymore, it stops. Not because I don't want to, or because every time I see your ass I don't think about spanking it, 'cause I do. But I want you in my life more than I want to spank you Del. Just you. Just as you are.”
His words made her feel more whole than she had ever felt. It was on the tip of her tongue to tell him how desperately she loved him too, but the words got stuck. They were unwilling to leave her mouth. She stayed silent, feeling awkward.
“How about we go get some food and head home,” he said, breaking the moment.
She really looked at him, taking in his exhausted state. Now she felt horrible knowing he had done that to himself in order to track her down. “You look done in, Jake. Are you sure you don't want to stop at a motel and get some sleep?”
“I'm ready to head home. Besides I pulled over around two and got some shuteye. I've functioned on a whole lot less sleep before. I'm assuming that Ford Focus over there is your rental?” At Del's nod Jake continued, “All right star shine, how about we take that back to town and turn it in. We can grab some grub and head home.”
Del thought that sounded just about perfect.
CHAPTER TWELVE
The drive home didn't feel nearly as long as it had chasing after Del. Having someone to talk to helped, but even their quiet time listening to music was peaceful. Del seemed to relax once they got on the road. She hadn't said anything as they drove through the town she'd grown up in, but her nervousness showed. Her gaze had darted around as she shrunk down in her seat. It was apparent she didn't want anyone she might have known noticing her. After the morning they'd had with her mother he also would rather the rest of their journey be uneventful. After they left town limits he felt content and he was pretty sure Del felt the same way, if her little relaxed grin she wore was any indication.
He thought back to the first time they rode in his truck together, after he picked her up from the hospital. She had been as jittery as a cat in a rocking chair store; battered and bruised from her accident. Now she was markedly different, easygoing and happy as she surfed radio stations. The only thing that was the same was the way her boobs jiggled. He loved her breasts. He was sure in that moment, that was the real reason men drove old trucks. Just to see their women's tits jiggle. And what fine jiggling tits they were. He'd love to take them out and...
“Jake Forrester, are you staring at my chest?” Del asked.
He grinned unrepentantly. “I was just
thinking how good you look in my truck.”
“I bet you were. Eyes on the road.” She scolded him, but ruined it by grinning. She grew quiet and pensive before saying, “You think Connar filed our divorce papers?”
“I made sure he called your lawyer first thing.”
She blew out a breath. “Good.”
He didn't want her to get her hopes up too high. She needed to prepare herself for the unexpected. “It may not be cut and dry. You may have to sign new papers if the lawyer didn't keep yours on file. If Connar had told him to throw them out, he probably did just that.”
At her groan he took her hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze. “Don't worry. I'll be right beside you the whole time. You don't ever have to deal with that asshole by yourself again. You'll be divorced, for real this time, before you know it.” He waggled his brows. “Then you'll be free to marry me.” He said it in half jest, but wasn't sure if they were ready to joke that way when she sucked in a surprised breath. Trying to dispel the moment he continued with, “Besides me, you have a town full of people who love you.”
And she did. In the short time she had lived there she had become Hope Springs' sweetheart. She helped the homeless and needy families by setting up a food and clothes donations box outside of the bakery for the local church. She'd started bringing baked goods down to the station to the delight of everyone working. And one evening while he was working, she'd taken poor Steven to the community center to volunteer with her for bingo night.
Jake believed she would be the sweetheart of any town she lived in. She just had a giving heart.
She was the polar opposite of her parents. Ever since he found out she hadn't known about her father, the mystery of her parents kept playing in the back of his mind during quiet moments. They still had an hour yet to drive and he figured now was as good a time as any to broach the subject. “Del, now that you've...” He wondered how to put this politely. “Talked to your mother. I was wondering. Do you want me to find your dad? It should be pretty easy.”
He watched as she opened then closed her mouth. She began wiping her palms on her jeans like she always did when she was nervous. When she didn't say anything he was ready to drop the subject, for the moment.
He reached to turn the music up a little to distract them both when she said, “Yeah, yes. Yes, I would like you to find him. I don't know if I want to meet him. I have no idea what I'd say to him. I think I'd like to see what he looks like. I always wondered what my father would look like. As you saw, I don't look much like my mother. I always dreamed there had been a mistake at birth, and I had been switched. And my real parents would find out and come get me. Not that they would have given the other girl back. They would have kept her too.” Del gave a little shrug, “I was little. That made sense to me at the time. I had plenty of fantasies where my 'real' wonderful family came and got me.
“The first time my mom left I was real little. I wandered for about a mile to the nearest neighbor's house, because I was hungry. It was a cranky, old lady that lived in a dilapidated farm house. The county tore it down after she died. Or maybe the bank. I think she had owed back taxes. The land is still for sale.” Del flipped her hand. “Anyways, I'm thankful it was just a mean, old lady that found me. She called child services. I was taken to a group home. It was terrifying. There were a handful of other kids. I wasn't used to being around all those people. I was so little, I don't remember much. Before I knew it, I was back home and my mama was hugging and kissing me, apologizing for leaving me.
“After that when she left I tried to take care of myself. I'd live off whatever odds and ends we had in the pantry. Then when child services came for me, it was because my mom got arrested. And I was in the system after that first time, so they'd come and get me. That's when I started going to foster families. Some were nice. In their own way. There is nothing scarier or more uncomfortable than being dropped off at the home of strangers. If they had kids, their kids would always stare at me like an oddity. Most of them had taken in so many kids over the years I was just left to myself. I'm not sure if it was the area I lived in or what, but all the foster parents were religious in an—I don't know,” she floundered for the right word.
Jake waited her out, afraid of saying anything. She hadn't opened up about any of this and he wanted her to feel comfortable getting it all out.
“An unhealthy way,” Del said. “They were religious in an unhealthy way. The kind of people that are so obsessed with their specific beliefs, it makes them blind to everything else. They thought they were helping when they pointed out how badly I needed to pray. For my poor bastard soul, not to get set on the same path as my mama's. For forgiveness for my wicked mother, and for my mama to find the Lord. And I did. I prayed hard. But I didn't pray for my soul. Or my mama's. I prayed that my real family would come and get me. I prayed that I would run into my father, and he would recognize me on sight, and I would recognize him. And he'd take me away.”
She grew quiet and he thought she was done when she started talking again. “The county stopped coming and getting me when I was about fourteen. Maybe I got better at evading them. My mom stopped getting arrested as much. Which was kind of surprising. She still took off, to do Lord knows what. Sometimes she brought men home. One tried to come into my room, and they got into a fight. He beat her up pretty bad. Surprisingly my mama had paid the phone bill, so I called the police and crawled out the window. She yelled at me for existing and driving off all the men in her life. I was so angry at her, but I kept it to myself. I always kept it to myself. I should have yelled. I should have told her she had too many men in her life. Told her she didn't even know who my father was. Maybe she would have said something then. She never directly told me she blamed me for my father leaving her. Not until today. I never really believed my mother actually knew who my father was. Even when you told me she was married. A part of me didn't believe you.”
“Didn't you ever wonder why your grandparents had a different last name?”
She shrugged. “It never really came up. They were already dead and gone by the time I could remember anything. We never went and visited their graves. I don't even know where they're located. I always assumed they were Myers. My mama talked more about her mama. She died when she was sixteen. She believed if her mother had lived, things would have been different for her. I guess my grandfather kicked out my mother when she got pregnant.”
Jake took that all in. His parents had always been supportive, and they had been his rock when he had Steven, but he knew in his heart he would have risen to the occasion had they not been in his life. For the millionth time he was thankful Chey had left Steven with him. He could very well imagine Steven's fate would have played out much like Del's, had Chey kept him.
All of this just proved how Del was meant to be in his and Steven's life. Taking her delicate hand in his he kissed the back of it. He wished they weren't driving down the highway so he could kiss and hold her. Instead he just held her hand tight in his. She leaned into him and he kissed the top of her head, breathing in her familiar scent.
She looked up at him with stars in her eyes, poised to say something. When she stuttered out, “I, I...” Jake grew hopeful she was going to say she loved him. Instead she said, “I thank you. For being you. I've never told anyone all of that. Connar was most interested in Connar. I guess in his mind I didn't really exist until he met me, and I'll probably cease to exist once he signs the divorce papers and goes back home.”
When she pulled an awkward face, he knew that wasn't what she meant to say at all. He could wait. They had plenty of time.
*** ***
When they got back to Hope Springs the hour was late, and Del was glad when Jake asked her to stay the night at his place. He had said after the day they had he just needed to crawl in bed and hold her. Del couldn't think of anything that sounded better than that. Kat and Steven were still up watching TV when they got home. Jake told Kat she could crash on the couch, but she headed out after givi
ng Del pointed looks that translated, we will talk and you will tell me everything.
Which she did that following day after the morning rush. She told Kat, Macy, and Sally all about her visit with her mom. Jake being at her mama's place. How her mama shot at her. And how— although she may not actually ever meet him— she was having Jake find her father for her. Of course she left off spanking Jake and having a meltdown.
Everything that happened was awful, but she felt good to have it all off her chest. She felt lighter. It was a relief Jake knew where she came from and what her mother was like and still loved her. She felt closer to him than ever before.
Confronting Connar had been necessary, but not as ugly as she had expected it to be. They had stood at the back of the musty old police station after Connar had been processed. After two nights in jail Connar was ready to sign the divorce papers and be through with Delia and Hope Springs as quickly as possible. Not that she could blame him. If anything, Connar was cold and withdrawn. Thankfully everyone on duty had given them space and privacy. She was sure having an audience for their final breakup would have made things so much worse. He was clearly angry and upset, but he seemed to grasp that things were really over between them.
She had gone to a divorce attorney in town and gotten papers drawn up. She didn't want to wait for any to get mailed. She wasn't about to let him leave town without things really and truly finished between them. There was one moment when he was about to leave the station that Connar's anger dropped, showing nothing but resigned sadness. She actually felt bad for him in that moment. Then he looked at Jake standing right behind her, and his walls went right back up.
“So this is the way you want it?” Connar asked.
Del nodded. They were over and had been for a while. When he walked out the door Jake wrapped his arms around her from behind, making her feel whole in a way only Jake could.