The Truth She Knew

by J. A. Owenby

  His fingers dug into my thighs as I brought myself down harder and faster. His thumb found my clit and he massaged me in gentle circles. The wave built inside me, but I didn’t want it to stop. I needed him to stay inside me. I tightened my core around him and he moaned in response as he dug his fingers into my ass.

  I arched back allowing him full access as I continued to rock against him.

  I couldn’t stop the moan that escaped my lips. I couldn’t hold out much longer. I leaned forward and dug my nails into his chest as he rubbed my clit. The combination was too much.

  “I . . . oh my God,” I panted. “Don’t stop, baby. I need you.”

  Walker arched his hips and thrust deep inside me.

  “Come on, baby. I want to feel you come with me.”

  He quickened his pace as we gasped and moaned. The intense pleasure was too much, and my body tightened around him as I arched my back. I bit my lip so I wouldn’t scream as he released with me. The thought of him coming inside me sent me into another spasm. Nothing in the world existed except Walker at that moment.

  I collapsed on top of him. He wrapped his arms around me as we took a moment to catch our breath. He remained inside me as we relaxed and relished the moment, the night air playing against our sweaty, naked bodies. My heart filled with emotion and a tear slid down my cheek and landed on his chest.

  “Are you okay?” Concern filled his voice as he rubbed my back.

  “I love you so much.”

  “And I love you muches and muches and muches,” he whispered as he wrapped his arms around me.

  Chapter 35

  Monday arrived too fast, and even though I had time off work, I still had to go to class. I couldn’t hide with Walker forever, no matter how much I wanted to.

  I’d called Joss and Emma so we could have lunch together. I needed to catch up with them. If I was forced to leave my cocoon, then I needed my friends.

  I entered the crowded student center and found a corner table. Those were often difficult to come by, as they provided the most privacy.

  Joss arrived first, followed by Emma. We exchanged hugs and settled in at the table.

  “Okay, spill it,” Emma said.

  “I know, right?” I said. “It feels like I haven’t seen either of you in years! So much is going on. Emma, I already told Joss that Mama’s in the hospital. I’m leaving after this to go visit her.”

  “What? What happened and why didn’t someone call me?” she asked, exasperated.

  “I don’t have your number, or I would’ve called you,” Joss said.

  “I’m sorry, Emma, I’ve been so wrapped up in everything and when I did think about calling you, I was in the car or nowhere near a phone.”

  “Well, we’re gonna take care of that right now while Lacey continues to fill us in.” Emma scrambled in her purse for a pen and paper and then wrote her number down for Joss.

  “Now there are no excuses—I better hear from somebody when something like this happens,” Emma said.

  “Yes, ma’am,” Joss and I said at the same time. The laughter that followed reminded me that I was surrounded by people who loved me and wanted to hear about what was going on in my life.

  I continued to fill them in about Mama’s seizure, the hospital visit, and the follow-up with the doctor.

  “Lacey, there’s no way you could’ve caused your mom’s seizure,” Joss said. “I had no idea you even thought that. I would’ve sent you straight to Emma so she could smack some sense into you.”

  “I got scared, and when Krissy accused me of causing it, I got really scared. You didn’t see how pissed Mama got when I told her about Walker.”

  “I told you I didn’t want to be anywhere near that conversation,” Emma chimed in.

  “I didn’t have a choice after Krissy caught us together in the parking lot after work.”

  “Leave it to Krissy,” Joss muttered. “I thought my brother was a pain in the ass, but Krissy is a piece of work. That girl lives to get you into trouble. The kicker is, you’re eighteen!”

  “Can’t argue with that,” Emma said.

  “I know. I still haven’t talked to Mama after everything that happened. I hope I can catch her alone and awake this afternoon. Krissy has already flown out, so it’s only Patsy I have to deal with.”

  “Good! Good riddance,” Emma said.

  “How are you and Walker?” Joss asked.

  “Good.” I couldn’t hide my grin. My face burned crimson red at the thought of last night.

  “Ah hell, you did it,” Joss said. “I should’ve realized it the moment I joined you for lunch, but I was worried about you and your mom!”

  “What? What am I missing?” Emma asked.

  “How was it?” Joss asked, ignoring Emma’s questions.

  “It hurt like hell,” I said between bites of my salad. “It’s gotten a lot better though.” I giggled.

  “You! Lacey Anne, you’re not a virgin anymore!” Emma sputtered.

  Joss laughed and shook her head. “He loves her, Emma. It’s sweet how protective he is over her. The night after Lacey’s mom knocked her out, Walker was at my door discussing the safest place for Lacey to be. He’s crazy about her.”

  Emma sighed and took a drink of her Diet Coke. “I’m so relieved to hear that, but I’m a little miffed I haven’t met him yet. I get that you have a lot going on, but I’d really like to meet him. If you two are this serious, then it’s important to me. What can we do to make that happen?”

  “I have no idea—he’s leaving for the military in a few weeks.”

  “What?” they asked in unison.

  I put my fork down.

  “Yeah, boot camp in freakin’ Texas for six weeks. Susan said I can continue to spend nights and even make trips with them to visit Walker, but he’s leaving.”

  “Well, shit,” Joss said. “I guess that calls for a goodbye party then.” She smiled. “We can have it at the same place you two met.”

  My eyes grew wide at the idea. It was perfect.

  “Emma, are you okay coming to a party for a little while?” I asked. “I get that obnoxious drunks aren’t your thing, but Walker and I won’t be drinking. Joss usually only has a few, and then she herds everyone to the bathroom or out her front door as needed.” I laughed.

  “You got it, count me in,” Emma said. “I’ll be fine since you guys aren’t really drinking either. I might not stay for hours, but I’d love to be there. Great idea, Joss.”

  “Well, we gotta do something for Lacey and Walker. What night works, Lacey?”

  I grabbed my pocket calendar out of my purse and saw the big X on the day Walker would be leaving. He had family plans with and without me in the few days before he left, which meant that next Saturday night was the only night available.

  “Do you think we can pull it off for a week from this Saturday? I’ll talk to Susan and get a list of his friends and their numbers to invite them too. Is that okay?”

  “Yup, we’ll invite them all.”

  “Okay, I’ll just make up some excuse and get Walker there. Too bad we can’t hide the cars, but I’m not sure where they could park out of sight.”

  “Leave it to me,” Joss said. “Emma, can you come over early and help me set everything up? We need a going-away cake, I’ll take care of the alcohol, but maybe you can get the list of snacks and decorations?”

  “On it,” Emma said as she scribbled everything down. “You have my number, so call me and we’ll plan everything in detail. This is going to be fun!”

  “All of it except the part about him leaving,” I said, sighing.

  “I know, and it sucks, but he’ll be home pretty fast. You’ll be busy with work and school, and you’ve got my house and Emma’s to go to if it gets crappy at home. We’ll have girl’s nights and make plans every weekend. We’ll be with you,” Joss assured me.

  “Thank you both—I don’t know how I’d get through it all without you.”

  “Well, you don’t have to,” Jo
ss said. Emma nodded in agreement.

  We wrapped up our lunch and Joss and Emma headed off to class, but I was already finished with my classes for the day. Anxiety prickled through me at the thought of returning to the hospital, but I had to go. At least Krissy was gone; I might get lucky and catch Mama alone.

  The hospital was only ten minutes away from campus, and the traffic was light. I paid attention to the parking lot level and entrance since Walker wasn’t with me to help find my car this time. Even though I was nervous, it wasn’t as bad as the first night I’d come here to see Mama.

  I entered the elevator and the numbers lit up as we passed each floor. The doors slid open and I stepped out onto the fifth floor. I rounded the corner to Mama’s hall cautiously. I didn’t see anyone outside her room, so I continued. Her door was closed. I knocked gently and pushed the door open just enough to stick my head in.

  “Mama?”

  “Lacey?”

  Mama’s voice sounded raspy, but she didn’t seem mad that I was there. I stepped all the way in and closed the door. I leaned against it, unsure if Mama even wanted me there. Her color was better even though she was still connected to machines.

  “Come in, honey.”

  “Are you sure, Mama?”

  “Yes, there’s a chair. How are you? You haven’t visited since I got here.”

  I brought the chair closer to her bed and sat on the edge. I held my bag tight in front of me. I was ready to bolt if I needed too.

  “I’ve been here, Mama. The first few days Krissy wanted time with you before she returned to school so I didn’t stay long. I’m sorry.”

  “It’s okay, I was just worried about you.”

  “You were?” I asked and hugged my bag closer to me.

  Mama reached out with the hand that didn’t have any IVs or needles in it and patted my arm.

  “Yes, honey. It was scary for everyone.”

  Genuine concern filled Mama’s face, which I hadn’t seen in a long time.

  “How are you feeling?” I asked as I reached for her hand and squeezed it.

  “Okay. Exhausted, though. They say you’re supposed to rest in a hospital, but they make it impossible by waking you up several times a night. They took my blood every few hours. It was a little ridiculous,” Mama said as she attempted a smile.

  “When are you coming home?”

  “They say if I’m still stable tonight I’ll get a regular room tomorrow. They think I could go home sometime next week, but it just depends on my progress.”

  “Okay, that’s good. I’ll get the house cleaned up so you can come back and rest. Patsy will be tired too, so I’ll take care of that.”

  “That would be wonderful.”

  “I’m sorry, Mama.”

  “I’m going to be fine, sweetie—don’t worry, okay? All you need to remember is that I’m coming home soon and I love you very much.”

  “I love you too.” I leaned over and kissed her cheek. “Do you or Patsy need anything?”

  “Patsy’s at the house now getting some things together for us, but thank you.”

  “Okay, I’ll get the house cleaned before you come home then. I’m staying with Joss and some nights with Emma. I don’t want to be alone at the house. I hope that’s okay.”

  “Of course—I don’t want you to be alone either. I’ve got great doctors and nurses taking care of me, so don’t worry. I’m doing better every day and the blood pressure medicine is already helping.”

  “That makes me feel a little better, but I’m still scared. I don’t want to lose you, Mama. I want things to be better between us.”

  “Me too, honey. We can talk about all that later, though, alright?”

  I nodded.

  The door creaked as Patsy entered.

  “Hey, Patsy,” I said.

  “Hi there, how are you?” she asked.

  She still looked tired, but she smiled as she talked to me. I took that as a good sign.

  “Okay, you?”

  “Better now that your mom has started to improve,” she said and smiled at Mama.

  It wasn’t just any smile, though. For the first time, I saw something between them. Patsy leaned over and kissed Mama on the forehead and sat in the chair on the opposite side of the bed. She took Mama’s hand and gently rubbed her arm. I’m not sure why I hadn’t recognized it before; why I’d believed Mama when she said they were only roommates. Even though everyone already knew it, I didn’t realize it until that moment. As screwed up as their relationship was, they loved each other.

  I leaned back in my chair as I pretended to watch TV with them. I glanced at them again as the last several years began to fall into place. The fights, the kisses, Mama controlling Patsy . . . it all made sense now.

  I laughed out loud at my naivety.

  “What are you laughing at, silly?” Mama asked.

  “Oh, I thought they said something funny on TV, Mama. I guess I didn’t hear them right,” I said and grinned. “I need to go, but I’ll come back tomorrow, okay?”

  “Okay, thanks for coming by and also for cleaning up the house. I love you, Lacey.”

  “I love you too, Mama.”

  Chapter 36

  It sucked that the weeks passed by so fast. My days were filled with classes and Walker filled me every night. Our lovemaking had become more comfortable since the evening at the pond. I wasn’t shy or embarrassed with him as we explored each other’s bodies and what we liked. The more I was with him, the more I loved him. He gave me a freedom I’d never experienced before.

  I fell asleep in his arms every night exhausted and happy.

  Mama had taken longer to improve than the doctors had thought, but she was scheduled to come home tomorrow, which meant that I needed to clean the house. I was on my own since Joss and Emma were busy planning Walker’s surprise party. He remained clueless unless I’d talked in my sleep, but I didn’t think I had. Surely it would’ve come up in conversation if I were a talker.

  Susan and Garrett had written down the names and numbers of Walker’s friends for me. Garrett invited the guys that Walker had gone to school with, which helped cut back on the work I had to do. Although I’d met some of Walker’s friends, I hadn’t realized he was so popular. As the party list grew, I appreciated Joss and Emma even more for all their hard work. I would treat them to a manicure and dinner after Walker left.

  Walker offered to help me clean the house, but we both knew that was a bad idea. I promised him I would see him tomorrow. It would be the first night away from him in a while, and although I was happy that Mama was coming home, my heart broke at the idea of not waking up next to him.

  I packed my clothes and belongings as Walker sat on the edge of the bed. I wasn’t sure who was feeling emptier, him or me.

  “Leave a few things, Lace. Just . . . don’t take everything. You’ll be back before I leave and you’re staying some even when I’m gone. So—” his voice faltered. “Please, leave as much as you can.”

  My heart sank as we both tried to cling to the time we had left, even if it meant leaving some of my clothes in the corner of his dresser drawer. But he was right, I would be back. A faint smile tugged at the corner of my mouth as I unpacked my duffel bag and put my clothes back.

  “Walker, we’re going to be okay, right?” I asked as I sat on his lap.

  He pulled me in for a gentle kiss.

  “Don’t you doubt it for a second. We’re going to be more than okay. The six weeks I’ll be away will be hell, but I’ll be home as fast as I can. I love you muches and muches and muches.”

  We took our time and made love. It was slow and gentle, and filled with every emotion we couldn’t articulate: fear, desperation, love.

  A few hours later, I said goodbye to everyone with promises that I’d return tomorrow; sooner if hell broke loose at home.

  I pulled out of Walker’s driveway and headed back toward my house. I hated this—I hated leaving. My heart broke every minute I spent without him. I sighed as I real
ized this was nothing compared to what it would be like in another week.

  It took me the rest of the afternoon to clean the house. At least it would sparkle when Mama and Patsy came home. I hoped Mama liked it and it helped her feel better.

  The car pulled into the carport around 6 p.m. and I rushed out the front door to hug Mama and help Patsy bring in her overnight bag. Mama’s face held some color, but she still seemed tired. Patsy helped her up the front steps and into the house. Mama got comfortable in her recliner as I started the washing machine. I’d cooked dinner earlier, so Patsy warmed it up in the microwave. I’d followed the meal plan from the doctor and baked chicken breast with fresh green beans. I made a quick salad on the side and served a low-sodium salad dressing.

  “This looks fantastic, Lacey! All of it—the house, the dinner. Thank you so much, honey. It means a lot to me,” Mama said.

  Mama hadn’t said such nice things to me for a while, and I couldn’t help but be proud of the work I’d done. All I wanted was for her to be proud of me.

  “I’m just glad you’re okay and at home, Mama. I rented a comedy for us and bought some popcorn if you want to watch it tonight?” I asked.

  “What’d you rent?” Patsy asked.

  “Big, with some guy named Tom Hanks. Have you watched it?”

  “No, I don’t think we have,” Patsy answered.

  “Good,” I said.

  I cleared the table and cleaned the kitchen after dinner as everyone got settled in the living room for the movie. I wasn’t about to let my hard work get messed up already.

  I popped popcorn and we started Big. I hadn’t spent an evening at home with everyone laughing in a long time. It had turned into an excellent night.

  After the movie, I kissed Mama good night, said good night to Patsy, and made my way downstairs. I smiled as I thought about the movie and walked through the family room. I reached up and turned the light on to my bedroom and my face fell. Not only was this the first night away from Walker, but I’d once again forgotten that I still had no furniture. I would have to shake out my blankets, sleeping bag, and pillow before I even sat down on the floor.