Finally, after about five minutes, Hollis’s father came walking around the corner, wiping his mouth with a napkin. He breathed deeply, skulking across the living room, and for a minute, I thought he was going to hit me too. He stopped midway to me and stared as his wife came scrambling up beside him, giving me a look of death. I nodded my head and opened my mouth to talk, but Hollis shook his head in the background. I closed my mouth and nodded at them instead.
“Aly isn’t here,” he said firmly.
“I think it’s important I talk to you first anyway,” I said. “I spent the last few days going over and over in my head what I would say to Aly if I had the chance. I came up with speech after speech, some heartwarming, some assertive, and some were, honestly, just really pathetic. I gave one of the better ones to your son out there on the street. That being said, to put it all down in simple terms, I love Aly. I love her with everything in me. I know it took me too long to figure that out, but that doesn’t change the fact that she’s the only woman in the world that I want to be with.”
“You should have thought about that before she left,” Hollis chimed in.
“You’re right, I should have,” I said. “But I didn’t so I’m here now, standing here begging for another chance. I know I’m much older than Aly, and probably too old in your eyes. And I know I live way too far away as well because you’re all so close. And I know that I already have a son, but not one of those things changes the fact that at the end of the day, Aly is the only woman I want standing beside me, helping me raise my children, loving me as I’m loving her. Love is strange, and it doesn’t always make sense or come at the right time, but I cannot walk away from here without knowing one hundred percent that Aly doesn’t love me and that she doesn’t want to be with me. I have to try, and I am asking that you let me.”
That was it, and now I had to face the firing squad.
38
Aly
Before the sun was even fully over the horizon, I had snuck back out to take an early morning walk. I loved San Francisco in the morning when the trolleys were running full-speed, the fog was burning off, and the street vendors sold croissants. I used to go out three or four times a week to clear my head, just walk the pathways, watching the people hustling and bustling through the town. It had become my ritual and the only thing I was really enjoying after coming back. Blake was still strongly on my mind, and I woke up thinking about him. I tried to call him again when I went out, but it only rang twice before going straight to message.
It was nearing eleven in the morning when I made my way back to the house. As I approached, I slowed down, noticing an unfamiliar truck parked in front of my brother’s car on the street. It had California plates, but I’d never seen the truck before. I took a bite of my croissant and shrugged my shoulders. Apparently, my house had turned into the one stop shop for everyone in town while I was gone. Maybe they were my mom’s friends coming to wish me luck in my quest through single motherhood. I sighed and walked up to the front door, pausing as I heard voices right inside. The voice was familiar, but I was sure I was mistaken.
I carefully turned the doorknob and crept in, looking up to see Blake standing with his back to me, telling my parents exactly how he felt about me. He hadn’t heard me come in, too focused on what he was saying, but every word was music to my ears. He loved me. He actually said it out loud, and I thought it would only be in my dreams. When he finished, I nodded at my father, reaching up and touching Blake on the shoulder. He turned around and stared at me wide-eyed and all I could do was smile. We stood there for several moments, just looking at each other, both of us not believing that we were actually in front of each other again.
“I love you too,” I finally said.
“Ha,” He laughed. “Ha ha!”
I giggled and screeched as he lunged forward and wrapped me up in his arms, staring at me for a moment before pressing his lips against mine, right in front of the whole family. I smiled as he kissed me, wrapping my arms around his neck and kissing him back. It felt so good to be in his embrace, to feel him close to me again. I loved him so much, and I was so relieved that he came for me. We continued to kiss until I heard my father in the background faking a cough.
“Sorry, sir,” he said, pulling away but keeping his arm around my waist.
“She loves him,” Hollis whispered in my dad’s ear.
“Yes, yes,” my father said, stepping forward and adjusting his pants. “It’s all well and good that they love each other, but there’s still a lot for them to talk about. There is more than just you two to worry about here. There’s Blake’s son and the new baby as well. I understand it all starts with love, but I think it’s important for the two of you to hash out everything else as well. There are a lot of decisions to be made, and there’s not a lot of room for error with it. I guess I can say we appreciate you coming to us first.”
He turned around and looked at my family, blinking his eyes at them, assuming they caught his drift. My mother stared at him blankly and so did my brother. I giggled to myself as my father sighed, motioning with his hands for them to clear out of the room. He turned back and nodded over at me giving me a wink. I knew then that everything was going to be okay, that all my father wanted was for me to be happy and taken care of. Blake had stood in front of them, quivering in his shoes, spilling his heart out in hope of just the chance to talk to me. It was literally the most romantic thing I had ever seen, and it was directed at me. When we were finally alone again, he turned back around and kissed me one more time, acting like a kid. I laughed, feeling the excitement in the air, knowing that we both felt the same way toward each other.
I took his hand and led him over to the couch in the middle of the room. We both sat down close to one another. He reached over and pulled me into his lap, wrapping his arms around my waist and pressing his forehead against mine. For several moments, we just sat there like that, enjoying being that close to one another again. I had missed him so much, and this was the first time we’d been alone since I was at his house. I didn’t know whether to hug him, kiss him, or cry. My emotions were wildly out of whack, and I knew it was the hormones, but it made it difficult to really think straight.
“I tried to call you,” I said.
“You did?” he asked. “Oh, I turned my phone off on the plane and guess I forgot to turn it back on when we landed. It’s still in my carry-on back at my parents’ house.”
“I thought you just didn’t want to talk to me,” I said with a smile.
“All I wanted to do was talk to you,” he said. “I couldn’t get you off my mind.”
“You either,” I replied.
“I have to tell you so that another minute doesn’t go by without me making it right,” he said. “I’m sorry for the way I treated you, or better than that, for the way I didn’t treat you. Never once in my mind did I think of you as just a woman to sleep with, as a toy, or as a convenience. I fell for you almost instantly, but I fought myself on it and didn’t fully recognize the fact until you were gone and my son pointed it out to me. I’d been hiding those feelings, pushing them to the side because I was scared. I should have treated you with more respect, shown you how much I cared about you, told you I sat at work every day thinking about you. I should have said you gave me butterflies the first time I saw you in the airport and that I couldn’t stop thinking about that little red tank top and frying pan.”
“Oh God.” I giggled. “That was mortifying.”
“That was the best night of my life.” He laughed. “It was exactly what needed to happen to push me from my shell, to open me up to something other than grief. You saved me from all of that, and for that alone, I owe you an eternity of love.”
“That’s one hell of a speech,” I said, drying the tear from my eye. “And while we’re at it, I have something to say too.”
“All right,” he said, sitting up straight. “I’m all ears.”
“I’m sorry for not telling you about the baby,” I said
, watching him shake his head. “Really, I knew about it for days before I let it out, and I should have come to you straight away.”
“No, don’t apologize for that,” he said. “I was careless with my words. I didn’t think things through when I should have. You came to me and asked me about kids, about families, and marriage, and I answered it without even thinking. I answered it based on knee-jerk emotion, not real thought. To be honest with you, I don’t care if we have ten kids as long as you’re by my side. We can build a football team if you want.”
“Whoa,” I laughed. “Slow down. How about I get through this first pregnancy, the poopy diapers, the late nights, and then we can discuss more kids.”
He laughed. “I mean it, I would have as many as you wanted, as long as the two of us were there together as a family.”
“You mean the three of us.”
“No, wait. I mean the four of us,” he said, laughing. “I’ve done given our kids away and scooped you off to a deserted island.”
“Speaking of Cooper, did you talk to him about all of this?”
“More like he gave me a talking to.” He laughed. “He knew I loved you before I even knew I loved you. And he’s happy about this. He told me he loves you, and he’d be okay with having you in our lives because he knows wherever his mom is, she would be glad someone was taking care of him as good as she was.”
“Aw,” I said, another tear rolling down my cheek. “That makes everything so much more perfect. I was terrified he wouldn’t want me in his life like that. I was worried he would think I was trying to take her place. I fell in love with Cooper before I even fell for you. He is the sweetest, kindest little boy I have ever met. We get along so well, and I’ve missed him so much. I was terrified I’d damaged him by leaving like that. I felt like such an asshole.”
“Yeah, well, rest assured, he was not letting it go down like that,” he said. “He helped me orchestrate this whole thing, coming to get you back. He’s at my parents’ house right now.”
“He came with you?” I smiled. “What about school?”
“Meh,” he scoffed. “He’s a straight-A student who never misses school. He’ll be fine. He deserved a vacation anyway, and he needed to see my parents. They’re getting older, and I never brought Cooper to California.”
“Well, I’m glad you did, and I can’t wait to see him and give him a big hug and a thank-you for setting his dad straight.” I giggled.
“I know, right?” he said, taking a deep breath and looking around.
I stared straight at him watching the laugh lines on his face as he glanced around the room. I loved this man so much, and I knew I wanted to spend the rest of my life with him. This had to be the best surprise ever, and now all I wanted to do was get him alone.
“Hey,” I said, pulling his chin toward mine. “Do you wanna get out of here? Maybe go somewhere where we can be alone?”
“You read my mind.” He chuckled. “Should I say goodbye to your folks?”
“Nah,” I whispered, getting up and grabbing his hand.
We tiptoed through the house and out the front door, holding hands as we ran through the yard toward his truck. We jumped inside and laughed, feeling like we’d broken free from jail. I put my hand up and twirled it through the hair on the nape of his neck as he put the truck in drive and headed out.
39
Blake
I drove through the city, one arm around Aly, the other on the steering wheel. She scooted closer to me and laid her head on my shoulder, the smell of her vanilla and lavender body spray wafting into the air. It was like being home again, wrapped in each other’s arms, dying to be alone together. Only now, there were no secrets, no questions, everything was out in the open, and I knew I loved her, and I knew she loved me just as much. It had been the picture-perfect ending to that dramatic search for her, and I couldn’t have imagined it coming out any better than this.
We drove through San Francisco looking around, taking in the scenery, but mostly looking for a place where we could be together in private. As we approached the business district, I recognized a sign for one of the super swanky hotels they just built out here. I pulled up in front and gave the keys to the valet, opening Aly’s door and walking inside, hand in hand. I checked us into the hotel as she wandered around the very posh lounge area, smiling at the bellhop, acting like a fool in love. I smiled over at her as the receptionist ran my card, feeling those butterflies all over again.
When they gave me the key, I walked over, giving her my arm and walking her over to the elevator. I pressed the button to the top floor and looked over at her winking. She made a face like she was impressed with the penthouse suite, and I just laughed, shaking my head.
“Nothing but the best for my baby,” I said in a fake rich man voice.
“Of course,” she replied, pretending to smoke a cigarette.
I shook my head and pulled her close to me. She turned toward me, her lips pressed against my neck. Immediately, chills ran up and down my spine, and my cock started getting hard. The joking had stopped, and I couldn’t will the elevator to go fast enough. I wanted it to hit supersonic speed, so I could take this woman, the woman I loved, and have hot crazy sex with her.
When the elevator finally rang, I let out a sigh of relief and pulled her out into the small hallway. I fumbled with the key card, trying to get it in the door, groaning as she nibbled on my earlobe. Finally, she reached down and took it from me, laughing at my inability to focus. She carefully slid the card in the box and waited until the light turned green before opening the door and ushering me inside.
The second that door closed behind us, my hands were on her, cupping her face and pressing my lips against hers. We backed into the penthouse, not even looking around, stripping clothes off one another. I stopped her in the middle of the floor and grabbed her, pulling her to me with force. I was a bit rough in my haste, but I knew she didn’t care, and in fact, she was rough right back at me. We had been apart too damn long, and we were making up for all the lost time. This woman drove me absolutely wild, and all I wanted to do was taste her skin again.
I stepped back and pulled her shirt off, leaning against her and unclasping her bra. Her breasts spilled out into my hands, and I grabbed them roughly, squeezing them hard as I pushed her backward toward the bedroom. She moaned into my mouth, turning me on even more. We stopped at the foot of the bed, and she frantically fumbled with my belt. I smiled, pulling my pants down and stepping out of them. She returned the smile, undoing hers and dropping them to her feet. I licked my lips and pushed her backward on the bed, watching her bounce up and down. I reached forward and ripped her panties right off her, flinging the fabric across the room. She tried to sit up, but I wouldn’t let her. Instead, I pulled off my boxer briefs and stood in front of her, stroking my cock.
She smiled and licked her lips, patting the bed next to her. I nodded and lay down, watching as she sat up on her knees and turned around, straddling my face. I groaned, immediately grabbing her by the hips and pulling that perfect, wet pussy down onto my mouth. She screamed out in pleasure, rotating her hips against my tongue. Slowly, she leaned forward and grabbed my cock in her palm stroking it up and down as she rubbed the tip against her lips. I turned my face back forth in her pussy as she lunged forward, opening wide and taking my cock all the way down her throat.
I growled into her mound, feeling her body moving over me, her top half bobbing up and down while her bottom half ground against my face. I couldn’t get enough of her, of the way she tasted, the way she moved. I licked up and down her lips, sucking on her clit, feeling the vibrations of her screams against my shaft as she sucked my cock with purpose. Suddenly, she sat up straight, grabbing onto her tits and moaning loudly. I could feel her body shaking above me as she exploded in orgasm, exploding her juices all down my chin. I moaned, lapping her up until her body began to relax again. She shivered on top of me, my tongue flicking against her nub. She laughed, lifting up, but I pulled her back d
own, torturing her a little more before letting her go.
Instead of moving off me, she moved down me, keeping her thighs tight against me as she inched her way down toward my cock. Slowly she lowered herself down, taking me deep inside of her, riding me reverse cowgirl. I swiped my fingers down her back as she bounced up and down, looking back at me with a coy grin. She shoved her body downward and spread her thighs apart, pulling my cock all the way inside. Slowly, she began to bend over, inching her way down, grabbing onto my calves before slapping her hips up and down, over and over. I groaned, grabbing onto her ass, feeling her juices rolling down my shaft and over my balls.
She screamed out in pleasure as I slapped her ass, grabbing and jiggling it hard to take away the sting. As she slowed her hips down and rocked forward and back on my big dick, I slid my hand over and pushed a finger inside of her ass. She gasped and groaned, pushing back even farther, loving that I was filling her holes. She moaned and wailed and came almost to a stop, her pussy vibrating against my cock as I finger fucked her ass. She dug her fingernails into my calves and then started moving again, her body fully into everything I was giving her. She was close to another orgasm, and I wanted to feel it so badly.
I pulled my finger out and lifted her up, tossing her over on her back on the bed. I flipped over on top of her and leaned down, kissing her passionately on the mouth. I pushed my hand between her legs and rubbed her pussy as I swiped my tongue through her mouth. She moaned and screamed when I pushed two fingers inside of her and moved them forward and back as fast as I could.
“You gonna come for me?” I said, close to her face. “Huh?”
“Yeah,” she wailed. “I wanna come on your cock.”
Men in Charge: A Contemporary Romance Box Set Page 20