Walking Among the Cherry Trees: The Cook Brothers Series

by Heather D'Agostino

  “It is kinda hot,” she mused as she lifted a shoulder.

  “Come on,” I grabbed her hand, and tugged her after me letting the screen door slam behind us.

  “Taylor,” she gasped. “You’re only wearing boxers.”

  “And I live in the middle of nowhere with no neighbors. No one can see me!” I shouted as I spun in front of her. She giggled like a young girl as she half skipped half ran behind me. It was like watching a grown up version of what we used to be.

  I led us through the tall grass until I reached the swimming hole along the back of the orchard. Morgan’s house was close by, and I wasn’t even sure if she’d been by yet tonight. She’d had her luggage with her when she showed up at my door, so I thought probably not.

  “Come on,” I coaxed as I shoved my boxers down, and raced into the icy water of the creek. I’d just been here a few hours ago, but honestly I could live here in the summer.

  “I don’t have a suit,” she tipped her head to the side as she watched me. Her eyes flared in recognition as she toed off her sandals. This was one of the first conversations we’d had before we’d become lovers under the cherry trees.

  “So swim in your underwear.” I shrugged as I sunk down to bring the water up to my chest. I tried to look innocent. I really did, but taking this trip down memory lane while I watched her sundress cling to her heated body was taking my mind to other things I’d rather be doing.

  “I don’t know,” she stared at her feet before glancing around. The moon was full tonight, and its rays shone on the rippling water creating a glass like appearance.

  “Take the dress off, Morgan, or you’re coming in with it on,” I growled as I moved closer and sent a small amount of water splashing her way. She squealed and jumped back as she crossed her arms over her chest.

  “Don’t act like a little boy, Taylor,” she grumbled as I watched her fingers slowly inch the dress up. A coy smile slipped into place, and I knew she was playing me. After pulling the dress over her head, she hung it from a nearby branch. I nodded approvingly as she nibbled her lip and watched me. Her fingers soon reached behind her as she unclasped her bra and tossed it onto my boxers lying on the ground. Her skin flushed with the attention I was giving her before she hooked her thumbs into the small piece of silk that was covering her and inched it down over her hips.

  My mouth opened and closed a few times as I watched the vision in front of me. Her golden hair was spilling over her shoulder, and every tan inch of her was pure perfection. “Surprise!” she giggled as she pressed her thighs together. She began to wade into the water, and I couldn’t stay still any longer.

  I pounced faster than I ever had as I dragged her into my arms, and crushed her body to mine. “When did you do this,” I hissed as I trailed my hand down her flat stomach, and between her legs. She was bare. Fucking bare and so soft. I swallowed to try and grasp some form of control, but my dick wasn’t having it. It hardened faster than when I was teenager and demanded that I give it what it wanted, and right now that was Morgan.

  “Thought I’d change things up a bit,” she flirted. “You like?”

  “Fuck yeah!” I groaned as I pressed my mouth to hers. Her lips parted on a gasp, and I took full advantage as I plunged my tongue in. She groaned as her arms wrapped around my neck and her legs around my waist. “I’ve missed you,” I murmured against her lips as I moved us into deeper water. It was cold, and she shivered in my arms. “Cold?” I snickered as she nuzzled into me. She nodded before running her fingers up the back of my head and gripping my hair. “Won’t be for long,” I moaned as my eyes closed. She was unraveling me right here, and as the heat between her legs brushed over my straining dick, I snapped.

  My hands moved to her waist, lifted her onto me, and as I speared her, she gasped. “You ok?” I watched to make sure I wasn’t moving too quickly.

  “Mmm hmm,” her eyes fluttered closed and I felt her inner muscles squeeze me as her thighs flexed at my waist.

  I planted my feet in the soft sand of the creek bottom before beginning to lift her on and off my cock. Her head dropped back as her mouth opened and a hoarse groan spilled out. It was a sight to behold and caused what little control I had left to vanish. Her hands clamped down on my shoulders to brace herself as she joined the effort in moving us. Her entire body trembled as the water splashed around us, and before I knew it, my release rushed to the surface causing me to shout out loud in pleasure as she shook one last time before falling against my chest.

  We stood there linked together for several minutes before we dared to look or say anything to one another. It was a poignant moment that neither of us wanted to end. “I love you,” I whispered as I brushed some wet strands of hair out of her face. “So much.”

  “I love you, too.” She lifted her eyes to meet mine and a small tear escaped one corner. “Promise me it’s going to work this time. Tell me I didn’t make a mistake coming here.”

  “You didn’t make a mistake coming here. I won’t push you away again. I promise.” I leaned forward and kissed her lightly on the lips. “Ready to head back?” I motioned in the direction of my house. “I think we need to get some sleep before CJ comes home in the morning. We’ve got a lot to tell him.” I smiled softly as she nodded.

  Tomorrow, I would introduce my son to his mother. We would begin our life as a family by moving into the Cooper home. Morgan could finally begin to heal as she bonded with the son she’d never known she had. It was going to be rough, but I knew with time and our history, it would be worth it. We’d once again be able to spend our days walking among the cherry trees.

  IT DIDN’T FEEL like we’d been asleep that long, but when morning came, I got the surprise of my life. Morgan was curled on her side in my bed, wearing one of my t-shirts, when my bedroom door flew open so hard it hit the wall and bounced off.

  “Dad!” CJ stood in the doorway grinning as I shot to a sitting position, and tried to keep Morgan covered. “You gotta come see!” He turned and ran back down the hall, leaving me sitting there in shock. He didn’t say a thing about Morgan being in bed with me. He didn’t even flinch. I sat there trying to slow my heart rate as I pushed on Morgan’s back to try and wake her.

  “Hey, Baby?” I leaned down to get close to her ear.

  “Five more minutes,” she groaned. “So tired.”

  “CJ just came in here,” I whispered. This got her attention, and her eyes flew open as she grasped her chest and sat up.

  “Did he see me? Oh god. This is bad.” She shook her head in a panic as she scanned the room. “What is he gonna think? Crap!” she hissed as she climbed out of bed and raced over to where her suitcase was sitting. She grabbed a pair of shorts and turned to face me. Her hands were on her hips as she narrowed her gaze. “Why aren’t you upset?”

  I chuckled as I watched her. “He didn’t even seem to notice you. I wouldn’t worry.”

  “This is a big deal, Tay!” she squeaked.

  “Yeah, I know.” I nodded as I swung my legs over the edge and shuffled to stand in front of her. I was only wearing my boxer briefs, and they weren’t really hiding much. “Relax, baby, it’ll be fine,” I soothed as I placed my hands on her shoulders. “Let’s see what he wants,” I smirked. “Then we can have breakfast together and talk.” She nodded as I grabbed a pair of shorts, and we made our way out to find our son.

  When I walked into the kitchen, CJ was sitting at the table shoveling a bowl of cereal into his mouth. He mumbled some sort of apology about his entrance into my room before directing his gaze back to his bowl. When Morgan came in behind me, he paused in his eating to stare at her. “Are you my dad’s girlfriend now?” Morgan blushed as she darted her eyes between the two of us. I don’t think she knew how to answer that.

  “Cooper,” I lowered myself in the chair beside him.

  “What’d I do?” His voice sounded defeated. “You only call me that when I’m in trouble.”

  Morgan released a nervous giggle as she sat down on the
other side of CJ. “Your grandpa was the same way,” she tipped her head toward me. “He only called your dad Taylor if he was in trouble, otherwise he was just Tay.”

  CJ smiled as he looked at me, “Is that true?”

  I nodded, “Yep.” CJ placed his spoon on the table before leaning back in his chair. I couldn’t read his face, and I wasn’t sure what might be running through his mind. “I want to talk to you about Morgan.” I scrubbed my hands over my face. I knew this was going to be hard, but I had no idea how hard. Morgan reached across the table and grabbed my hand. She laced our fingers together and slowly nodded.

  “So you are my dad’s girlfriend,” he nodded at our joined hands.

  “I met your dad when I was twelve,” Morgan’s voice was soft. “We were summer friends. I came here every summer to spend time with my grandmother,” she pushed on, but her voice was very tentative. “He was my boyfriend when I was seventeen.” She looked up at me as her voice began to tremble. This was the hard the part.

  “CJ,” I sighed. “Morgan and I had a baby when we were eighteen.”

  CJ’s brow furrowed as he looked between us. “I have a brother?” it came out quiet and unsure.

  “No, buddy.” I closed my eyes before pushing forward. “You were that baby.” I stared at him for a moment as I watched the information swirl around in his little head. His eyes held confusion as he tried to make sense of what we’d told him. I could tell when the pieces finally fell into place. He turned to look at Morgan and then back at me. “Do you understand what I’m telling you?” I waited for him to say something.

  He turned to face Morgan again before he started to stand, “So you’re my mom?” His lip quivered as his eyes filled with tears.

  She nodded as she released my hand and reached for him, “Yes.”

  “Didn’t you want me?” The tears spilled over and trickled down his face.

  “Oh, CJ, I loved you before you were even born. I didn’t know about you. They took you away the minute you were born. I never even got to hold you.” By this point, Morgan was crying too but she wiped at her eyes furiously.

  “What about now?” CJ scrubbed the tears away as he tried to be strong. “Can I hug you?”

  Morgan opened her arms, and I watched my son fall into them. He buried his face in her chest as his tears fell freely. His arms came up to wrap around her neck as she hugged him to her. I’d never seen my son look so vulnerable. Seeing him like this made me hate Ben McGregor even more. My son had been deprived of having his mother for ten years. I’d done my best raising him, but there’s something about a mother’s embrace that a father can’t provide. CJ was loved, don’t get me wrong, but seeing Morgan comfort him was my undoing. I rose from my seat, rushed around the table, and wrapped my arms around the both of them.

  When CJ finally got a hold on his emotions, his head tipped up. “So what do I call you?” His eyes were red and swollen from the tears.

  “You can call me whatever you want. It’s ok if you don’t want to call me Mom right away,” her voice was choked, and I knew telling him that was killing her.

  “I’ve never had a mom before,” he sniffed as a grin slipped into place. “I think I like that… Mom.” He leaned in and placed his head back on her chest; and I knew right then we were going to be ok.

  IT BROKE MY heart to hear him cry. To see the little boy who’d told me months ago that he didn’t have a mom, all of sudden find out that he did. The emotions that played over his face as his new reality sunk in was heartbreaking. My anger toward my father grew with every tear that fell from my son’s eyes. He was an innocent child and my father’s deception had caused both him and me years together. Hearing him tell me that he’d never had a mom only solidified what Taylor had said. There had never been a woman to take my place in his heart. He’d never been serious enough to let one bond with his son.

  We sat there wrapped in each other’s embrace for several moments before CJ began pull away. “Wanna see my room?” He grinned at me as Taylor chuckled from where he was kneeling on the floor.

  “Sure,” I smiled as CJ reached for my hand. “It’s kinda messy, but Dad made it real cool for me. I think you’ll like it…Mom.”

  Hearing the words come out of his mouth was so surreal. It caused me to stumble slightly as he tugged me along behind him. When we rounded the corner, I stopped in my tracks. The walls of his room were covered in trees. A stream ran along the bottom. It looked like you were standing in the middle of the orchard. “Aunt Sharron did it,” he grinned. “Dad said it reminded him of my mom,” he tugged me to the corner. “This tree is yours,” he pointed to a tree that was slightly larger than the others and filled the corner of the room. Just like our tree in the orchard, this one had a heart with our initials carved in the trunk. “I’ve seen the real one. Isn’t it cool?” He beamed as he turned to face me. I gasped as I stared in wonder at the master piece Taylor had created for our son. I didn’t have words so I only nodded. “I gotta go tell Dad something.” He raced to the door. “Be right back.”

  Once he left, I slowly shuffled around the room. Taylor had to have given Sharron a picture in order to get the details right. I knew she had talent, but this was amazing. I was surprised that CJ was ok with it. Most little boys liked trains, or cars, or dinosaurs, not trees.

  “I didn’t have her put the pink blossoms on since he’s a boy,” Taylor’s voice was quiet behind me.

  I turned with tears in my eyes, “It’s beautiful, but why?”

  “I’ve always told him about his mother. He just didn’t know it was you. I made sure he knew he was loved, and he knew that the orchard was special to us.” Taylor moved to stand behind me. He wrapped his arms around my waist as he lowered his chin to my shoulder. “I remember how peaceful it was, out there with just the two of us. I thought if I put it in here I might be able to get some of that back.”

  “How can I ask you to move to Virginia’s house and leave this?” I sniffed as I wiped my eyes. “How can I take this away from my son?”

  “You won’t be,” Taylor pressed a kiss to my neck. “He’s gonna have the real thing in his back yard. He’ll be able to walk out back just like we used to. He can sit by the tree with our names in its trunk. He can spend a night under the stars with his friends. He won’t need the paint because he can look out his window and see it.”

  “How do you know just what to say all the time?” I peered up at him as I looked over my shoulder.

  “I love you,” he shrugged. “I just say what’s in my heart.”

  “And what’s it saying now?” I turned in his arms and rose up on my tip toes. Just as he started to answer me, CJ came thundering into the room.

  “So are you coming or what?” He laughed as he watched us.

  “We’re coming,” Taylor groaned as he reached for my hand and began leading me outside. “I’m going to have to have a talk with him about privacy now. He’s used to just barging in.”

  When we stepped outside, Trevor, Sharron, their two boys, Kenneth and Michael, along with CJ were all standing in the driveway around what appeared to be a rocket. “See?” CJ jumped excitedly. “We’re gonna launch it to see if it works and then we’re going do it again on the 4th.”

  “Is this what you’ve been up to lately?” Taylor laughed.

  “Yeah, Mikey wanted to make fireworks, but Ken talked him into this,” CJ pointed to where the rocket sat ready to launch.

  “Good idea,” Taylor murmured as he looked over at his brother and rolled his eyes. “I don’t think it would be good if one of the sheriff’s deputy’s kids got arrested for playing with fireworks.”

  “That’s what I said,” Ken shook his head as he pushed the younger boys back out of the way.

  We stood there and watched as the rocket soared up into the sky, and headed straight for the orchard. It disappeared from sight as the sun slowly blinded us, and Trevor and Sharron headed back inside.

  “Aw man,” Ken toed his sneaker against the ground. “You tw
o can go look for it. I’ve got practice,” he pointed at CJ and Mikey. They laughed as they took off running. “See you later Dad…Mom,” he waved as we watched him race across the grass.

  “He reminds me so much of you,” I sighed as I leaned against Taylor’s shoulder.

  “Really?” He began leading us inside.

  “Yeah, except he doesn’t seem as daring,” I mused as I opened the screen door.

  “Yeah, maybe, but he does stay out all day like I used to,” Taylor grinned as he turned me toward the hallway. “I’ve got an idea for what we could do while he’s gone.”

  “Oh yeah? What did you have in mind?” I giggled as he pushed me through the bedroom door and kicked it closed behind us. “Get naked and I’ll show you,” he smirked before shoving the shorts he was wearing down and out of the way. “We can work up a sweat, and then go swimming. We can spend all day in the orchard if you want,” he shrugged. “Maryanne’s taking care of the store today. I’m all yours,” he flopped down on the bed and grinned at me.

  “Huh,” I grinned as I climbed over him. “I know exactly what I want to do.”

  “Yeah,” his hands came up around my waist as he tried to tug me closer.

  “Yeah,” I reaffirmed. “I want to walk among the cherry trees.”

  WINTER CAME EARLY to Cherryville this year. As much as I enjoyed watching the snow fall, I wasn’t enjoying the wet slush that permanently graced my doorway. Taylor had set up a boot rack, but CJ was usually in so much of a hurry that he just tossed his things wherever he could. He and Taylor had moved in right at the beginning of the school year, and things had been great so far. It felt odd, but I was adjusting. It was the first time I’d ever lived with anyone. My time with Taylor was filled with a lot of firsts. I’d never shared a bed for more than a few hours with someone. I’d never been a mom to anyone. I’d never been the one cooking dinner or cleaning up after anyone. It was a good odd, but odd none the less. After leaving McGregor Enterprises, I’d spent the summer getting the house the way I wanted. I helped Taylor in the store once Fall arrived, but now with the holidays fast approaching, I knew I’d be busy.