by C. Morgan
“If ten is half, that means he got twenty. That must be some hell of a job. A twenty-thousand dollar signing bonus.”
“I guess so.” He hadn’t told me anything about it other than he had an amazing opportunity. He hadn’t been lying.
“You mean he hasn’t told you anything about this?”
“He did, but he didn’t really tell me any details. He said he didn’t want to jinx it. I thought it was just another gig.”
“Yeah, well, if this a signing bonus, that means he’s got a contract. Way to go, Clay.”
“You’re right.” I glanced at the divorce papers and held them to my chest. “I guess now that he’s made it, he didn’t want me anymore.” I had pushed him away when he had no reason for coming back to me. “I guess it’s really over.”
“Beth, I think you need to talk to him. I know you’re pissed at him, but you know you love him. And if that love always there means anything, it’s that he does too.”
I closed my eyes, squeezing out tears. “I can’t. I screwed it all up. He was actually trying to do something good for us, and it’s just like he said. I pushed him away. He’s never going to forgive me for being so mean to him.”
“You know, there’s one thing I know about Clay, and that’s how nice and forgiving he is. He’s going to understand. Call him.”
I let out a long breath and took another, feeling that weight back on me. I sent a call his way and waited for him to answer.
On the fifth ring, he did. “Hey, Beth.” He didn’t sound as upbeat as he had been. “Is everything okay with Jack?”
“Yeah, he’s good. And we’re back home. I got the papers.” I walked into the other room to have some privacy.
“Yeah, I heard they were about to release you when the nurse asked me to leave.” He had probably been embarrassed.
What had I been thinking? I really was a bitch sometimes.
“I’m sorry.” Even saying it didn’t feel like enough.
Clay cleared his throat. “Well, you should be happy. Things went well with the surgery, and you got what you wanted.”
“I guess it doesn’t matter if I’m not sure about it anymore.” I had been so glad to have things back like they were, but right then, they were worse than ever.
“You’re the only one who can answer that, Beth. I’m not going to try and convince you anymore. I did what I needed to land that job and still be there for Jack as much as I could, and I’m not going to apologize for that.”
“I know. And I don’t expect you to. I guess I should say congratulations. I’m really proud of you and for you, Clay.”
His breath made static on the phone. “Funny, I don’t feel like celebrating today.”
It sounded like he was barely keeping it together.
“Can you come over?” If he came over and we talked, I was certain we could work it out. “Please?”
Clay was quiet for a moment. The silence only made the distance in our hearts seem farther as I waited on his response. “How about you get to make the next move? You know where I am. I’m not going anywhere just yet.”
The word sent up a red flag. “Just yet? Are you leaving? Like moving away?” What if he moved away and moved on with someone else?
“No, Beth. The company I work for wants me to go on a tour of their other complexes and get my name out there. They want to build my brand while the Williston center is built. I’ll also be managing and booking shows for the location.”
“That’s great.” I thought of how wonderful the opportunity was for him.
“Yeah, I’ve finally got the job we’ve always wanted. And I even get to do shows of my own. Not to mention the connections I’ll make. And it’s a good environment. No more drinking on the job and staying out late nights. I get to set my own schedule.”
“That’s great. I’m happy for you.”
“Thanks. Maybe I’ll be happy soon enough too.”
I let out a breath, feeling like it was my last. “Clay, if we could just talk…” If we could talk about us and everything and if he’d let me apologize, things would be better. We had been doing well together. “I need to talk to you.”
“I’ll talk to you. But it’s like I said, babe. The ball is in your court now. You know how to find me.” He hung up the phone, and the silence in my ear made more tears in my eyes.
I walked out to where Della was sitting with Jack in her lap. My sweet little groggy boy was still bandaged, and I could tell by the look in his eyes that he was tired.
“He’s worn out,” said Della. “Usually this time of day, he’s playing on the floor and crawling all over the house. It’s hard to see him like this.”
“Yeah, but the doctor said he’d sleep a lot to heal up, and we just have to give him time.”
“Did he say how long he’d be like this?”
“Dr. Lenz said he should be back to himself in a few days, but he should be making progress. We just have to watch out for a fever, so I have to give him his medicine on time.”
“I’ll stay and help you if you want. Is Clay going to come over and talk?”
“No, he’s not. He said the ball was in my court. And I guess that means I have to go to him.”
“Then why don’t you?”
“Because I have a child who is recovering from surgery.”
“He’s going to be okay. I watch him every day, and besides, you and Clay need the time alone to talk and work it out. Jack’s fine. Go.”
“I don’t know.” I wanted to work things out with Clay, but I felt selfish, wanting to do it when Jack needed me.
“Tomorrow, he might need both of you,” she said. “You have to fix this, Beth. Trust me. You don’t want him to go through life with one parent. I mean, you’d make a hell of a strong single mother, but why do it when you don’t have to? And honestly, honey, you don’t want to. You want a family. And like it or not, that man of yours is doing great.”
“I know. I can’t believe he got that job and didn’t tell me. He should have just said so.”
“Well, it’s a little hard to get a word in when you’re pissed off.”
“I meant before that,” I said, rolling my eyes. “He could have told me before.”
“Beth, that’s not a reason to divorce him. You’re going to have to learn how to work out your problems. That’s part of love and marriage and having a family. I’m single, and even I know that.”
“My wise bestie.” I got up and walked over to where I’d left the papers. “Are you sure you can handle him? I don’t want to put him off on you if you are nervous about his condition.”
“He’s fine. I’ll call you if I need you. Now go get your man back. I can’t stand much more of you crying over him.”
I gave her a pointed look and walked to kiss Jack with the divorce papers in hand. If I could help it, this was the closest my son would ever come to divorced parents. I had to at least try and get my man back.
Chapter 37
Clay
When I got off the phone with Beth, I wiped my eyes and took a deep breath, knowing I’d done the right thing. I had done all I could to get her back, and now it was her turn.
I couldn’t go through life being the only one getting called out for their actions, especially when I was doing all I could to please her. To make it work, it was going to take two, and we had to both step up and trust the other and do all we could to make it good.
I showered and trimmed my beard, which had a couple of days of extra growth. I had to get out of that cramped room and thought about heading down to LeRoy’s and telling him all about the contract. I wanted to thank him again for putting in that call and getting me noticed. I owed him everything.
But by the time I got cleaned up and put on my robe to find something to wear, there was a knock at the door.
I let out a sound of frustration, hoping it wasn’t housekeeping again. “Who is it?”
“It’s me.” Beth’s voice was soft through the door.
My reaction to hea
ring her formed a hollow pain in my chest, and it was soon followed by a lump in my throat as I opened the door and found her standing there with the divorce papers. Had I not signed them correctly, or was she just there to fight some more?
“Can I come in? I want to talk.” She smoothed back her hair and sighed, and I could tell it was hard for her to be there. She didn’t seem angry, though—at least not at that moment.
“Yeah, sure. I was just about to head out, but I’ve got a few minutes.” I really had all night for her, but I knew in my heart of hearts that was over.
“Oh.” She looked a bit dumbstruck, and I could see the red in her cheeks. “If you had a date or something, I could—”
“Of course, I don’t. It’s not important. I was just going to go down to LeRoy’s and thank him again. He’s the one who introduced me to Lloyd, who helped me get the job with Mr. Hawk.”
She nodded as if she suddenly understood things a bit more. “I wish I’d known more about it. I guess I didn’t think it was important because you didn’t make a big deal out of it.”
“Yeah, I didn’t really know if I was going to get it or mess it up as usual, so I didn’t want to let you down again. I thought if I started talking big money and success, it would look like another pipe dream when it failed.”
“I know I make it tough.” She glanced around the room. “This is nice. I mean, you really seem to be doing well and have it all together.”
I was glad I had taken the time to tidy up. If she had come around a few days ago, I would have had a mess of laundry lying around. Housekeeping had given up on me weeks ago.
“Well, it’s not much, but I’m going to find an apartment now that I have a little money put back.”
“Oh.” She looked around, shaking her head. “You know, I think that’s a terrible idea.” She was tapping her foot. She was so nervous, but I could tell she didn’t want to fight.
“Well, I can’t stay here forever.” I rocked back on my heels and looked away. I stole another glance and found her looking down at the divorce papers.
“I know, but I thought maybe you’d want to come home with me. You know, to see if we could give it another go.”
Just hearing those words made me choke up, but I needed to make sure she was sure what she was saying. “Beth, if this is just going to lead to me coming right back here in a few days or weeks, then I can’t. I love you and Jack, and I want to come home more than anything. It’s been great rekindling. But the back and forth tug on my heart doesn’t work for me.”
“I know. I meant for good.” She let out a breath of frustration. “I should have trusted you. I’m sorry I didn’t. We have just been so close lately through all of this, and when you didn’t show, I guess I felt like a fool. Like you’d duped me. I hate feeling like that. You’ve done it to me so much in the past. I want to believe you have changed, but I guess some of my wounds are still tender. I think they’d heal a lot better if you were a bit closer.”
“I’m sorry, but you have to learn that I don’t do things trying to hurt you. I love you.” I stepped closer. “I only signed those because you asked for it. And I didn’t think there was any going back since it’s so final. I thought you didn’t love me anymore.”
“Of course, I do.” She threw the papers on the bed and hugged me. “I don’t want to lose you, Clay. Nearly losing Jack made me realize I need us all to be together. I just don’t want to go through the tough times alone. And I don’t want Jack to have to either. He needs us both.”
“I know. The good thing is Mr. Hawk told me the next time I needed some time away for my family, he would give it to me. As it turns out, it’s a family-friendly company. I just didn’t know that. I didn’t want to cancel the gig and blow the deal and—”
Beth kissed me before I could go on. Her hands snaked into my robe and landed on my bare hips. “I know,” she said. “I don’t want to keep repeating the same arguments. Will you move home with me?”
“Right now?” I glanced over at the bed and got an idea from the feeling of her hands on me. I wanted nothing more than to go home with her, but it wasn’t often we had a babysitter and a hotel room all to ourselves.
“Yes, tonight. And before you say no, know that I’m not going home without you.”
“Hmm. Well, my room is paid for through the night.” I put my hands on her waist. “Why don’t you call and check on Jack, and then we can get a few hours of private time?” I moved my hand up the back of her shirt. “We can make up. Make sure there aren’t any lingering frustrations to take home with us.”
She giggled. “Do you have a lingering frustration, Clay?”
I looked down to where my robe had fallen open, exposing my erection. “You tell me.”
She took a peek and looked back up at me with a gleam in her eyes. “It would be a shame to let this nice room go to waste, wouldn’t it?”
“Yeah, it would.” I took off the robe, letting it fall to the floor.
She reached for her top and pulled it up over her head. Then she undid her jeans, and I peeled them down on my way to my knees. As she held on to my shoulder, I helped her with her shoes and pulled them off her feet.
She looked down at me, but I moved to kiss her tummy and picked her up, pulling her against me as I carried her a few steps to the bed. I laid her on her back and moved to kiss her.
Our mouths crashed together in a passionate kiss as our hands began moving along each other’s bodies. Beth was still wearing her bra and panties, and I reached between her breasts and popped the clasp before moving to kiss her nipples.
I teased and played with them, flicking them as they turned to little pebbles under my tongue.
Beth licked her lips and reached her hand down to the elastic of her panties. “Are you going to undress me?”
“I’m taking my time.” I moved down, kissing down her tummy, over her panties, and to her thighs.
She moved beneath me, slithering as the lust intensified between us. “Clay.”
“Shh,” I whispered against the lace as I hooked a finger in the elastic between her legs. I pulled the lace to the side and dragged my tongue up her middle.
“That feels amazing.” Her voice was always a few octaves lower when we had sex, becoming raspy. It had always turned me on.
“I want to make you feel good.” I put my fingers in her mouth, and she sucked them soft and supple.
I slipped them inside her sopping-wet channel and tended her sweet spot with my fingertips as I licked her clit. The taste of her honey was heaven in my mouth and the sounds of her breathing was like music to my ears. I was so turned on, my cock was rock hard and ready for her. I couldn’t wait to be inside her again, right where no other man belonged. Only me.
But I needed one more thing from her to make it perfect. I pumped my hand, finger-fucking her faster as I flicked her tender bud and brought her over the edge.
She writhed beneath me as she came, and I looked up and met her eyes. The lust-filled look there lit a fire in me. I pulled my fingers away and stroked my cock with her nectar. I couldn’t wait anymore. I centered it at her entrance and nudged my way in.
When my head parted her folds, the rim pushing inside her, I felt my head spin. She was so perfect. Made just for me.
This was no time to rush, so I took my time, inching inside of her, our flesh hot and slick against each other when I hit her depths. Beth responded to my length, tapping that sweet spot.
We became one body, mind, and spirit. A well-oiled machine that worked to do nothing more than bring the other pleasure.
“I’m glad you thought of this,” she said. “I needed this. I need us. Always.”
“It’s going to take work,” I said, pumping my hips with a slow grind. “I’m willing.”
“Me too. I promise I won’t ask you to leave again.”
“Good, because I’m never going anywhere. You’re my girl, and I love you and our little family.” I wanted it to grow. But I didn’t want to scare her away with
talk of having another baby. But imagining her pregnant with my child was another turn-on. Beth was as sexy as hell when she was pregnant.
She ran her hands down my back and gripped my ass as it moved up and down, plunging in and out of her. “I love you too, Clay. I never really stopped. And I never will. I’m sorry it took all of this to make me realize that.”
“It took all of this to make me realize a lot of things too, Beth. You were right. I was holding on to things, like my youth and partying. I was immature and needed to grow up. But we’re both better now, and we came out of it together, and that’s all that matters to me. I’m never going to let you down again. Not if I can help it. I know what’s important, and I don’t mind growing up and growing older as long as I get to do it with you.”
I continued the slow grind as we kissed hard, and I knew one thing at that moment with certainty.
I had never loved her more than I did at that moment.
Chapter 38
Beth
I had come to the hotel hoping to take him back home with me, and while I knew we needed to get back to Jack, I trusted Della could take care of him while I spent a little time with Clay.
Both of us needed the release, and I wanted to make sure there wasn’t any pent-up anger that would follow us home. With him buried deep inside me and consuming my heart, I knew we were going to be okay.
Clay kissed my neck and whispered in my ear. “Come for me, Beth.” He moved his hips, and I could feel his cock swelling inside me as my pleasure grew.
“I’m close,” I said, throwing my head back. “But I want to be on top.” I loved straddling him, feeling his thick base spread me wider.
He moved to roll us both over, and before I could blink, I was astride his hips, my body stretching to accommodate the extra girth.
Clay reached up and massaged my breasts, rubbing my nipples with his thumbs as he looked me in the eyes with so much passion that I couldn’t look away.