Pieces of You

by Kate Benson

  “I know,” I sigh, giving her another appreciative smile. “Thank you again.”

  “You’re welcome again,” she smiles, leaning over to give me a quick kiss before she rises, collecting our bowls. “I’ll be sure to call you after if they say anything. You know they don’t tend to tell me a whole lot, but I’ll call you anyway and let you know how it goes.”

  “Yeah, thanks,” I nod, standing and following her to the small laundry room nearby, both of us dressing quietly.

  “What time do you think you’ll be done at work?” she asks as I move toward the kitchen, pulling my boots on.

  “Six? Maybe a little before,” I guess. “It’s been pretty dry, so I shouldn’t be too late.”

  “Okay. Well, don’t rush,” she reassures me, reaching for her keys and taking one of the coffee-filled travel mugs from me and thanking me with a sweet smile. “We’ll be here when you get back.”

  “Good,” I smirk, giving her a firmer kiss and calling for Rocky to come with us before I lock the door and pull it shut behind me.

  I follow her inside my mom’s and say hello, grateful to find her awake and seemingly in good spirits. I don’t stay long and leave them both with a smile, but before the engine in my truck has roared to life, I’m already wishing I was back here.

  Ava

  By the time Nate pulls back up on the curb outside Mary’s house, it’s nearly dusk and the exhaustion is clear in his features. Still, he manages a pretty heart stopping smile as he steps over the threshold, bending to greet Rocky before he makes his way to the kitchen.

  “Hey,” he beams, kissing his mom’s cheek and immediately reaching for me to do the same. “How are my girls?”

  “Good,” I smile, returning my attention to the stove. “How was your day?”

  “Long as hell,” he admits, a humorless chuckle leaving his chest as I glance over at him with a sympathetic smile. “One of the clients called Dale this morning with three new add-ons, which is good because it’ll mean more work, but you know,” he shrugs, smirking again. “More work.”

  “Yeah.”

  “At least the job isn’t too far away so I’ll be able to stay close-by,” he allows, glancing at his mom for a minute before he gives her a wide smile. “You’re being awful quiet over there. How are you feeling today?”

  “I’m alright,” she smiles back at him, patting his arm on her way to the table. “I’m just tired today. I didn’t sleep very well last night, and Ava and I have had a busy day ourselves.”

  “Yeah?” he asks, pulling a nod from her. “Well, you look pretty,” he remarks, taking in the remnants of her lipstick and her newly styled hair. “You must’ve had an appointment with Doctor Good Lookin’ today.”

  “Oh, stop it, you,” she swats him away with her dishtowel, her blush making us both chuckle. “I did, but that’s not why I look nice today,” she argues, still shaking her head at our laughter. “We had a little time to kill between my morning and afternoon appointments, so Ava took me into town to have lunch and to get my hair done,” she explains, his smile going softer. “Then I went to see Doctor Good Lookin’.”

  “That explains the lipstick,” Nate teases, laughing when she winks her reply. “Well, that was nice of Ava and they did a good job. You look beautiful.”

  “Thank you, honey,” she pats his cheek before reaching to give my arm an affectionate rub. “And you’re right. That sure was nice of our Ava. She’s a real sweet girl. We’d better make sure to not run her off.”

  The playfulness of her tone can’t be denied, but when I feel Nate’s eyes on me, I glance up and find them saying all the things he simply can’t right now. It warms my soul.

  “Yeah,” he whispers, slowly leaning over to press his lips to mine as he takes my hand and gives it a gentle squeeze. “Yeah, Ma. I think I’ll keep this one around for a little bit.”

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Nate

  “So, everything went well today?” I ask as we make our way across the grass.

  “Yeah,” she nods, unlocking her front door and stepping inside. She kicks her shoes off and moves toward the kitchen, checking Rocky’s bowls before pouring us both a glass of tea. “I wrote everything down,” she continues, pulling a paper from her purse and handing it over. “The biggest thing is on Thursday night, they want her to go in for a sleep study. She’ll have to stay overnight, and we’ll have to keep her awake all day before she goes.”

  “Okay,” I nod, scanning the detailed list and notes she took. “She’s been sleeping a lot more, that might be tricky. I’ll talk to Dale and see if I can’t do a half-day Thursday and…”

  “Already covered,” she cuts me off, kissing my jaw. “I traded shifts with one of the girls at work and traded my Thursday and Friday shifts for their weekend, so I’ll be around to help out.”

  “Ava,” I start, relief filling my chest as I feel a sliver of the weight lifting from me. “You didn’t have to…”

  “I know,” she shrugs, waving me off. “But I don’t want you to use your sick days if you don’t have to.”

  “Thank you, baby,” I whisper, pressing my lips to her forehead. “I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

  “Well, keep being sweet to me and you won’t ever have to find out,” she promises, smiling as she winds her arms around my waist and nestles into my chest. “I think everything else is on there. The doctors don’t really ever tell me much, but I did schedule two of her follow-ups on your lunch hour. You’ll probably want to tell Dale about those, so you can take her and talk to them then.”

  “Okay.”

  I follow her as she makes her way toward the bathroom, her clothes falling onto the floor. Her alabaster skin calls to me, begging me to touch it, claim her. I want her bad, more than I’ve ever wanted anything, but she’s still not ready. She’s shared parts of herself with me I wasn’t sure she ever would, and no piece of my heart feels slighted, especially now that I know everything she went through with her ex. I get her needing time. Hell, I think I’d be more worried about her if she didn’t. But on a physical level, I’m not sure I’ve ever been so frustrated in my life.

  I know when she’s ready, it’ll be amazing between us, just like everything else has been. Right now, though, taking in the soft curves of her body as she peels the last of her clothes away, her tight nipples as they peek through the long strands of her auburn hair, it’s all I can do to not fall to my knees and beg.

  “You comin’?” she asks, her voice pulling my eyes to find her already watching me, her cheeks lightly tainted with a blush at my brazen staring.

  “Yeah,” I manage, stripping in record time to join her under the hot spray.

  We take our time washing each other and I savor in this little piece that belongs only to us. The taste of her skin, the feel of her body beneath my fingertips as her breathing shallows has become an addiction, my name on her lips washing away my long day in ways this water only wishes it could. By the time the water runs cold over our shoulders, there isn’t a piece of her I haven’t touched or silently begged to be mine.

  The rest of the night, we spend peacefully, her legs stretched out over my lap as she leans against the arm of the couch, tapping away on her laptop. When she folds it shut two hours later, she yawns quietly, pulling my eyes from the television.

  “All done?”

  “No,” she admits, her lips curving up slightly on either side. “No, but I’m nearly caught up. I’ve got one more assignment due tomorrow night, but I can do it in the morning at your mom’s.”

  “That’s not so bad,” I offer, giving her thigh a gentle squeeze, returning her smile as she burrows herself further into the worn cushions beneath her. “Hey, you know what I was thinking about while you were working?”

  “Hmm?”

  “My bed,” I admit, making both of us snort despite the apology in her eyes.

  “I’m sorry,” she says quietly, giving my hand a squeeze. “I know it sucks sleeping on this couch. I’m
working on my nerves to get up there,” she gestures toward the second story where her childhood bedroom is. “I just haven’t…”

  “It’s okay,” I cut her off, my voice soft to match hers. “But I think on Thursday when my mom goes to her appointment, we ought to spend the night at my place,” I continue, pulling a nod from her. “The paper says she needs to be there by seven-thirty, so I’ll drop her off and you can get all gussied up,” I wink, the old-fashioned term making her giggle. “I’ll take you on a real date.”

  “Yeah?”

  “If you want,” I nod. “I think we could both use a night of normal, though. Don’t you?”

  “Absolutely.”

  “Good,” I say, giving her leg another squeeze. “Well, think about what you want to do. We can go into Lumsford and see a movie… dinner, bowling. Whatever you want.”

  “Okay,” she smiles, tightening her grip on my hand and pulling herself upright to press her lips to mine. “Thank you.”

  “Don’t thank me yet, baby,” I smirk. “I suck at planning shit so if you don’t come up with something good, we might end up at the Taco Bell,” I tease, making her smile widen.

  “Well, that’d be alright with me,” she chuckles. “Even if we do, I’ll still have fun because I’ll be with you.”

  “Yeah,” I smile soft, bending to kiss her once more, my chest warming when she keeps me from returning to the end of the couch and instead, shifts so I’m hovering over her. “I’m gonna make you feel like a queen.”

  “Yeah?” she smirks.

  “Mhmm,” I promise, pressing my lips to hers as I hold her eyes. “Big daddy’s gonna buy you all the tacos you want, sugar.”

  “My prince,” she teases as her laughter rings out through the darkness, cut off only by my lips returning to hers as quickly as she’ll let them.

  “You play your cards right, I’ll throw in some cinnamon twists,” I husk against her neck, her breathy laugh coming out in pants as my palm slides up the side of her thigh before it comes to a stop at her panties. My fingertips trace the edge of the fabric, teasing her entrance as my head dips low, my tongue tracing her collarbone. A low moan of pleasure leaves her, and I glance up to find her eyes heavy on mine. God, I need her like I need air. “Feel good, baby?”

  “Yeah,” she rasps against my mouth. “You had me at tacos.”

  A low chuckle leaves me, and I kiss her harder, something deep inside my chest seems to bleed out all over my limbs as I fall further under her spell. It isn’t long until things get heated, our bare bodies begging us both for things I know her heart just isn’t ready for, but I can’t stop craving. I crave this woman like the shore craves the taste of the water as it crashes onto land. It’s in this moment in the dark with her that I realize I’ve never felt this way about anything, anyone, ever before.

  I love her.

  I love her in ways I didn’t think my soul would ever let me love and as she pulls away, I feel like I’m finally seeing clearly for the first time maybe ever in my life.

  The waiting, the need, the want, the fear… none of it matters to me at all anymore.

  I’m in love with Ava.

  As her eyes flutter open to find mine taking her in, something tells me her heart’s not far behind.

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Nate

  “Hi baby,” I smile, my voice low and uneven as I make my way into the kitchen. “Did you manage any sleep last night?”

  “Not much,” she admits with a yawn, reaching onto her toes to press her lips to my jaw before handing me a cup of coffee and turning back to our breakfast. God, she’s so pretty. “How about you? I’m sorry I kept you up so late. The thunder just…”

  “It’s okay,” I shake my head, leaning against the counter and watching her, saddened by the dark circles beneath her eyes. “Are you feeling any better this morning?” She answers with a nod as I sip my coffee, my heart still pounding from my silent realization the night before. “Good, baby. I’m glad,” I reply, swallowing the words I’d just tasted the night before and ache to tell her now. “Go sit and finish yours. I can finish this up.”

  “Thank you,” she smiles, reaching for her cup and kissing my shoulder on her way toward the table.

  We make small talk over breakfast, but my mind keeps the night before locked right in front. Just after she pulled away from me, saying she needed to stop before we went any further, the rain started. I think if it had stayed as it was, she would have been okay. She’s been slowly getting a little more secure over the last few weeks, but when the brash clap of thunder rang out, loud enough to vibrate through us both, she clung to me, silently sobbing into my chest until it was over.

  My heart broke for her… it still breaks… thinking about the trauma she’d had to go through for it to still affect her like it does. She’s getting there. I know eventually, that horrific part of her life will fade enough that she can sleep through it or at the very least, not tremble in terror at the very thought of it.

  For now, though, I’m just glad I was able to hold her broken heart together and tell her everything would be okay.

  The rest of the day passes without incident, life not knowing or caring about our exhaustion enough to slow down for even a moment. We rely on our routine, taking turns caring for my mother while I thank God for rewarding me for whatever good deed I’d done in a past life to be blessed to have Ava by my side.

  By the time Thursday rolls around, we’ve both noticed more progression in my mom’s symptoms. While there was a piece of me that knew this all was coming, it’s still hard as hell for me to drive away from her appointment, not having her leave with me for the first time.

  I guess I just thought I’d have more time.

  I take a moment to myself before I step out of the truck and make my way back up the steps to Ava’s. When I walk in, all the worry and fear I’d been harboring the whole drive home seem to drift into the back of my mind as I see her stepping out of the bathroom.

  She’s wearing a red dress and a pair of simple but sexy as hell boots I’m not sure I’ve ever seen her in. Her hair is down and flows over her shoulders in soft waves and as the light tinge of her perfume hits me, it’s all I can do to keep my hands to myself.

  “Well, shit,” I groan, my voice low but judging from her blush, loud enough that she heard me plain as day. “I can’t take you to Taco Bell lookin’ like that, baby.”

  “Do you want me to go change?” she smirks, glancing down and taking stock of her appearance before her eyes move back up to find me shaking my head.

  “Hell no,” I insist, loving the way her full lips curve up into a smile. “I just hope you came up with something a little better than I did.”

  “I might have,” she shrugs, her smile widening.

  Ava

  “So, you’d just make him stop whatever he was doing to watch you?” he asks, the nod coming from me making him laugh even harder. “That’s funny as hell, baby.”

  “Yeah, I think by the time I outgrew that record, he wouldn’t have cared if he ever heard another Beach Boys song again.”

  “I guess not,” he smirks, taking another bite from his taco before he crumples up the paper and drops it into the bag between us. “Did you get enough to eat?”

  “Yeah,” I nod, rubbing my belly for emphasis. “I’m good. How about you?”

  “Mhmm,” he returns my nod, smiling when I reach over to wipe the remnants from his beard with a giggle. “Thanks.”

  “You’re welcome,” I smile, noticing the subtle sadness in his eyes for a brief moment as he gets lost in some faraway memory before returning to me.

  He leans in to kiss my hair before his eyes move back out toward the lake, taking in the sunset as it lingers lazily over the water. The music leaving the cab of his truck hums low in the background, the breeze blowing through the oak trees hanging overhead complementing the melody perfectly.

  When Nate had suggested we take the night to ourselves and not worry about all the other thin
gs that had taken over, this lake was the very first thing that popped into my mind. Not only has it become a very special place to us both over the course of the last few months, it seemed like the best place for us to enjoy the simple things we’d both been missing.

  At the end of the day, it didn’t matter where we went or what we did. What mattered is that we did it together.

  For the first time in weeks, we’d been awarded the gift of time, the luxury of enjoying each other for more than an hour before we passed out on my couch from exhaustion. We needed to savor in that time without distraction, without interference.

  We needed to just be us for a while.

  “Thank you for thinking of this, Ava,” he whispers, his soft voice breaking me from my haze as he seems to mirror my thoughts. “It’s perfect.”

  “Yeah?”

  “Best date I’ve ever been on,” he nods, leaning close to give me a sweet kiss.

  We sit in comfortable silence as the sun makes its descent behind the water, the darkness slowly falling over us as the fireflies make their appearance into the night sky. We talk for hours about nothing and everything, the occasional break in our voices saying all the things our lips haven’t yet found the courage to speak. When the low sound of Patsy Cline begins to fill the cool night air, neither of us can stop the slow smiles as they spread over our lips.

  “Where are you going?” I ask as he rises from his spot on the tailgate, turning to face me with a mischievous grin.

  “My side chick is on the radio, baby,” he teases with a wink. “There’s no way in hell we’re not turning this up.”

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  Ava

  The familiar chords begin to fill the air and he returns to me, reaching for my hand and pulling me to my feet. He spins me into a gentle twirl in the soft grass before pulling me close, the smell of his cologne combined with his strong embrace intoxicating me to my core.

  Slowly, we begin to sway and Nate hums along with the melody. When she begins to sing, his deep voice joins hers in a low husk. As he holds my eyes, his perfect green gaze illuminated by the stars and gentle twinkle of fireflies still dancing around us, he sings the words so sweetly it feels like I’m hearing them for the first time.