by E. Ayers
Dallas fell into a round of giggles. “Don’t make me laugh. I’m trying to paint fine lines!”
“Well, it’s true.” Cassie finished making the bed.
“Do you read them?” Dallas asked.
"Read what?"
"Romance novels?"
“Of course I do. Don’t you?”
Dallas shook her head.
“I’ll loan you a few. They’re quite addictive.”
“When do I have time to read?”
“I promise, you’ll find the time.” Cassie laughed and then left the room in search of Amanda. Cassie asked her friends, as she walked into the kitchen, “What are you doing?”
“Sorry, we took a vote and we all decided that you weren’t going to move in here with this awful wallpaper and dingy yellow woodwork,” Amanda answered. “Clean, fresh, white paint is better than what was here.”
“Oh, I agree, but it wasn’t on my list of things that really needed to be done.”
“We know,” Amy said.
“Trent said he wanted to renovate the kitchen. So we weren’t going to do anything to it until then.”
“Well, at least it will be a tad bit nicer with white walls until he does,” Amanda said.
“How am I ever going to repay you guys for all that you’ve done?”
~~31~~
Cassie tiptoed into her apartment, then into the shower. Every muscle ached and she still had things to pack from her kitchen and bathroom. Now she was thankful that she didn’t own much. Keeping life Spartan meant less clutter and less to clean. She washed her hair, and let the hot water run over her shoulders and down her back. Normally she could take a three-minute shower, but tonight the water pummeling her back felt so good that she didn’t want to leave. Finally, she turned the water off. She towel dried her hair and wove it into a single braid. She was too tired to even dry it. Then very quietly, she slipped into bed beside Trent.
“Did you think you were going to sneak in here without waking me?” Trent asked.
“I was trying. You need your sleep.”
“I’ve got a problem, and until it’s fixed, I won’t get another minute of sleep.”
“What’s wrong?”
“Snuggle over here and you’ll discover what I need.”
As she tucked her body next to his, her hand slid over his tummy and she instantly realized what required servicing. A groan escaped from her throat.
He chuckled. “What’s the matter? I thought you liked sex as much as I do.”
“Oh, I do.” She slid her body over his, pressing his erection against her tummy. “I was hoping for a solid six hours of sleep, considering every muscle in my body aches.”
“We don’t have to do anything, if you’re that tired.”
She grinned at him as she slowly pushed herself up and then grabbed his erection with both her hands. “Do you really think I’d turn down such an offer?”
“If you are that tired--”
“I’ll compromise. I get an extra thirty minutes to sleep, and you make the coffee.”
“Oh, that’s more than fair.”
“Good, because there’s nothing I love more than the feel of you inside me.”
“There’s one slight problem.”
“What’s that?”
“You’ve got my path blocked.”
“Grr!” She rolled off of him.
“Hey, that’s my job!” he said as he moved her hands away from the jewelry that obstructed him. Taking great care, he undid the clasps and removed the chain. “I love touching you.”
“I love what you do to me.”
“You’re going to hate my bringing up Colleen’s name at a moment such as this, but we were such kids, and she never allowed me to touch her or intimately know this part of her anatomy. I love the fact that you open yourself to me.”
***
Cassie reached up and touched his chest. Her hand felt warm and soft against his skin. Her eyes were half-closed as she whispered, “I love you…I trust you…” Her hand fell away. “You’re touch is tender and…”
He watched her eyelids close and he knew she had fallen asleep.
He gazed at her body in the midnight darkness of her bedroom. He gently caressed her body. She never even stirred. He plucked the small chain and pendant from the sheets and put it on her nightstand. Then settled back to gaze at her sleeping so peacefully as he knelt between her legs. His erection had not waned one iota, as he watched her.
His thoughts wandered to Colleen. Cassie was right; he and Colleen were teenagers. Now he had his Cas, and she was open and… Trusting. He smiled. If his shoulder wasn’t a problem, he would have leaned over her and taken her. Instead he sat back and worked his hardened rod. Her breasts rose and fell with each silent breath. Her virtually hairless pelvic region only contained a small keystone of blonde curls. He imagined her wet walls around his aching shaft. His desire to reach out and touch her, fueled the firestorm brewing within him. He closed his eyes as his seed spilled over her tummy.
He couldn’t comprehend what she did to him, only the fact that she excited him as no other woman had ever done. Letting go of his waning erection, he ran his fingers through the puddle he had made on her, spreading his milky fluid over her small, shapely breasts.
She caught his hand and mumbled something about being cold.
Carefully, he lay next to her and pulled her to him wrapping his good arm around her. He belonged to her, and that thought stirred several emotions in him. He’d often heard the expression of a kept woman, and he realized that he was a kept man. He was her toy, and that bothered him.
***
As the dawn broke, Trent awoke. His eyes gazed on Cassie covered in the dried flakes of his semen. He grinned as he gazed at her. She’ll discover it soon enough. He went into the kitchen and made the coffee. He was getting good at doing things one-handed, but when he checked her cabinets, he realized she still had plenty to pack, and it was more than he could do with one hand.
Once the coffee began to brew, he took his shower. As he dried off, he examined his shoulder in her large mirror. Prodding it in several places sent sharp pain down his arm, the skin was tender, and his collarbone hurt to touch it. The whole arm hung limply and ached without the support of the sling. Wide bands of tape crossed his shoulders and back. They itched.
He put his sling on and grabbed his razor. He missed Shawn mimicking him. At least I still have him.
With care, he pulled on his boxers and then his jeans. The only clean pair he had were the ones he had ripped. Swallowing some pride, he pulled them on. Memories of growing up poor flooded his mind. The only thing his mom had was her house, and many a time he wore pants with patches or shirts that were long past their prime. He hated the outward signs of poverty and vowed he’d never allow his family to go without. Then he was forced to accept the help of strangers so that his son would have a chance to live a normal life. That was the hardest blow to his ego. Then along came Cas.
He poured a cup of coffee and looked around the almost naked apartment. It was no ordinary apartment. It was high dollar, and it showed. Even her furniture screamed money. Noticing that her walls were stripped bare, he wondered what she would do with all her artifacts that she once had hung. I don’t belong in her world.
“Penny for your thoughts,” Cassie asked.
“Mmm, just thinking about the move. I was trying to let you sleep.”
“Sorry about last night. Looks as though one of us still had fun.”
He chuckled.
She grinned at him. “If the movers weren’t coming in another half hour, I’d offer to pick up where I left off, or fell asleep.”
“It doesn’t take me a half hour.”
“Oh, that was bad!” She grinned at him before she poured a cup of coffee. “I don’t have five minutes to spare. Are you going to the hospital this morning?”
“I thought I’d stay with you until the movers left, then I’ll go to Shawn. Do you need help at the house?”
“Dallas promised to be there to help. She was going to run over to her gallery first, and said she’d be at the house by nine o’clock.” She wiggled her finger at him. “Follow me. I’ve got so much to tell you.”
She had just finished stripping the bed when the movers knocked on her door. Trent made mental notes on how they moved everything and what they did to protect each piece of furniture. It didn’t take them very long to empty the apartment.
Trent followed Cassie over to the house and was completely surprised to see the kitchen painted a crispy, clean white. So much had transpired during his absence. When he peered into Shawn’s room, his heart skipped a beat. She has said that she bought a trundle bed, along with a bureau and chest of drawers, but what caught his attention were the beautiful murals that Dallas had painted. He’s going to love this.
Then another thought ran through his brain. He had no idea what something like that must have cost her, but he knew he’d never afford it, and he didn’t think Dallas had done it for free. She was an exceptional artist, and her paintings were expensive.
He peeked in what Cassie called the master bedroom and wondered about the colors she had chosen. One wall was deep plum and the others were light green. Colorful striped curtains hung at the windows over sunny yellow Roman shades. He shook his head. He couldn’t imagine why she had chosen such colors.
The other bedrooms were untouched, as was the small room that she had deemed an office. He stood in the center of that small room and imagined it filled with a desk and file cabinets. The image of him sitting and studying for an exam hit him in the gut. Could he do it? Could he really go to college? Why not?
“Trent?” Cassie called.
“Up here.” He walked to the top of the stairs.
“Oh, good. The guys are going to bring in our bed.” She ran up the steps and snagged a quick kiss. “Our bed goes here. The bureau goes here, and I think the highboy will fit perfectly here. Do you think the bookcase can go here?”
“Would you rather put it in the office?”
She shrugged. “Doesn’t matter. If we put it in one of those rooms, we’ll wind up moving it when we paint.”
“Then put it over there for the time being.”
She grabbed another quick kiss and flew down the stairs. He grinned at her energy.
***
Trent listened to the doctor and nodded. Making sure Shawn had therapy twice a day for the next week and then once a day after that, wasn’t going to be easy. But he wasn’t going to complain. His son was going to grow up to be a normal kid, and that was all that mattered.
As soon as the doctor left Shawn’s hospital room, Trent began to pack up the boy’s belongings. Everyone they knew seemed to have brought him some sort of toy. He filled three large plastic bags and still had things to pack.
The phone in the room rang and he picked it up.
“Hi. What time will you be bringing Shawn home?” Cassie asked.
“He should get back from therapy about four o’clock. I’m trying to pack everything up.”
“Super! Tate is here and the rest of the gang should begin to straggle in any time. We're planning a little party for him.”
He shook his head at her words. “I’m not so sure a party is the best thing.”
“Why not? He’s up to it.”
“It’s a lot of excitement.”
“Trent, don’t coddle him.”
“Yeah, I know.”
***
Cassie hung up the phone as Ari and Berto came through the kitchen door.
Smiling at the guys, she said, “We’ve got at least another forty-five minutes.”
“Good. It’s going to take us a few minutes to assemble everything.” Ari opened the refrigerator door and grabbed two colas.
Cassie smiled as the men went outside.
“Was that my husband I heard?” Tate asked as she walked into the kitchen.
“Yes.”
“I think I’ll see if they need help. Can you handle what’s left?”
“It’s mostly kitchen items. I’m not worried about the other stuff. I’ll put those boxes in the closet.”
“I already did that.”
“Tate, I don’t know what I would have done without your help.”
“You can pay me back in babysitting.”
“You know I love that daughter of yours. Babysitting her is fun.”
“I see Pamela Wendy’s got you hoodwinked, too,” Tate said as she opened the back door.
Cassie returned to unpacking the boxes of kitchenware and soon she had everything in place. She made a quick tour of the house, and as she was coming down the stairs, she heard a car pulling in the driveway. The minute she opened the front door, she realized it was not Trent and Shawn, but rather her friends Dallas and Rick.
“Hi,” Dallas called. “Come help.”
“Ohmigod. Look at that cake. Did Tess Martinez do that?”
“Of course. Do you think I’m capable of doing some thing that looks this good? Rick’s got ice cream in the bag.”
“Balloons and everything, he’s going to be thrilled.”
A few minutes later, Trent opened the front door.
“This is home.” He watched his son’s eyes as the boy entered the house. “Cas?”
“Trent, Shawn!” Cassie ran to Shawn. “Welcome to your new home, sweetie.”
“Wow, it’s so pretty!”
Cassie put her arms around him and gave him a hug.
“Can I see my room? Daddy said I’ve got a big surprise in it.”
“Of course you can, and you may see your room.”
Trent scooped his son into his arm and carried him up the steps. “This room is for Cas and me, this is the office, and your room is right here.”
Slowly, he put his son down and turned him loose.
The child opened the door and squealed in delight. “Dinosaurs!”
“Don’t touch them. Dallas just finished painting them,” Cassie warned as she wrapped her arm around Trent’s waist.
Trent put his arm around her shoulder and beamed. To see such joy on Shawn's face, and on Trent's face, warmed her very soul. She wanted the feeling to last forever.
~~32~~
Dallas covered Shawn’s eyes and marched him into the backyard with Trent right behind her.
“Ready?” she asked, as she took her hands away.
Shawn’s mouth opened wide when he saw the wooden pirate ship in the yard, and Cassie noticed that his father had the very same expression.
“Berto?” Trent asked.
“And Ari,” Cassie answered. “I think they’ve spent every spare moment on it. The lumber store had the plan and the fancy supplies.”
Shawn wasn’t quick at scampering, but he was doing his best. “May I?” he asked, from the top of the bright blue sliding board.
Trent nodded and caught his son at the bottom.
“I want to do the ropes!” Shawn took off again, climbing the ladder.
Trent shook his head. “He could really get hurt. It’s too soon.”
“Then go up there with him, but let him enjoy it.” Cassie walked backward, trying to keep an eye on her two men.
“I think he’s going to have a blast,” Ari said, with a big grin on his face.
“Saying thank you isn’t enough.” She didn't want to take her eyes off Shawn or Trent.
“We had fun building it. Now, I’m going to have to make one for Pamela,” Ari said, referring to his daughter.
“Another pirate ship?”
“Probably not. They have several different designs.”
She held her breath as Shawn struggled to climb the rope-knotted sail, but Trent stood behind him.
Ari hissed between his teeth. “If he falls and Trent catches him with that arm…”
Cassie put her hand on Ari's shoulder. “Shawn will be fine. From what Trent said, the doctor okayed Shawn to play as any normal child. He needs to build coordination and strength. This will help.”
/>
An hour later, they all had paper plates filled with food, and Shawn was anxious to have a piece of cake.
“Not so soon, sweetie. You need to eat the good stuff before you have cake and ice cream.”
“When?”
“Oh, maybe another fifteen minutes. Did you thank Dallas for painting your room?”
He nodded and then smiled up at Cassie. "Can I…May I have a fish tank?”
“A fish tank? I thought you wanted a puppy?”
“Well, I do. I want both.”
“Daddy and I need to discuss that a little more. We’re not really settled into the house yet.”
“Okay.” Shawn wandered off.
“What was that about?” Trent asked as he came up behind Cassie.
“Fish tanks and puppies.” She giggled. "Have you considered either one?"
***
Trent shook his head and turned when he heard someone propose a toast to Berto and Amy.
Berto thanked everyone. “Last weekend as a single man. Then I will have Amy as my wife, and we can make a few babies.”
Amy stood beside Berto and blushed.
Cassie poked Trent in the side. “What a way to spend their wedding night, his parents are coming from Mexico and staying with them for several weeks.”
“I overheard Mac and Amanda offering a fancy condo to them so that they’d have some privacy.”
“That was nice of them.” Cassie wrapped her arm around Trent's waist.
Trent looked at Cassie and his grin tugged at his cheeks. “I thought so, too. You really do have some wonderful friends.”
They listened to the chitchat of the upcoming wedding, and small knot began to grow in Trent's gut. He put his arm around Cassie and fought with the thought that continued to grow along with the knot. He put his cheek against her head and sniffed her sweet scent. Giving her a little kiss on the top of her head, he walked into the house.
He looked around the rooms and into what he hoped would become his mom’s apartment. Then he went out to his car and pulled a manila envelope from the trunk. That small package seemed as if it weighed a ton in his hands. It would change everything.