by Dawn Edwards
We all looked up to her. ‘How nasty?’ my father asked.
‘Fifteen to twenty inches of snow and nor'easter winds.’
‘Wow,’ I commented, digging my phone out to send off a few text messages. The guys would be really busy with snow removal over the next few days. The truth was, it made sense for me to head home, but I wasn’t about to leave here without Jessa. Business or not, I was staying with her.
The nurse took Steve's lunch order form, recorded his vitals and changed his urinal bag.
When she was gone and we all settled into our respective chairs around his bed, Colleen had Steve tell us all everything that the doctors had said on their rounds this morning. He mainly went on about his surgery tomorrow and that he would have some ultrasounds later this afternoon.
When his lunch arrived, I looked to Jessa. ‘Want me to run out for anything?’
‘Drew,’ Steve said, ‘I think you should head back to the Cape before the storm hits.’
I looked to Jessa at the same time she looked up to me. ‘And I think it’s safest if you take her with you,’ he finished.
‘But I want to be here for your surgery tomorrow.’
‘I want that too, sweetheart,’ her father reached out to her, taking her hand. ‘Drew’s going to be needed by his crew over the next few days, and I don’t want you at the townhouse alone. It is likely safe, but I'd feel better if you were on the Cape, that way your mother won’t have to worry about you and me. I’ve also been thinking that it’s time to connect with Breton, and I want a plan to bring Abby in. This needs to end soon.’
Jessa nodded and for once, I didn’t want to protect her feelings. I wanted her home and I was being selfish, but I’d waited long enough. I was allowed to be a bit selfish once in a while too. But I also saw what Steve was doing, he was using his sick card to get Jessa and Breton to push their timelines up. And knowing the love they had for him, they would do just about anything for Steve, especially at the moment to keep his stress levels down. It was a manipulative move, but one I could get behind if it meant being able to keep Jessa with me.
‘Besides, your mother and I were thinking that when I’m released, it’s probably better for us to stay out on the Cape for a while, as the townhouse has too many stairs for my heart at the moment,’ he added.
Jessa looked surprised. ‘I didn’t even think about that,’ she said in a low voice.
‘It was something the nurse said yesterday. I’ll discuss it with the occupational and physiotherapist in the next few days,’ he lifted her hand and kissed it.
‘Drew, can you take me back to the house so I can pack a bag and some things for the next few days?’ Colleen stood up. ‘If we’re getting a storm, I want to be prepared.’
‘Sure, but maybe we should go now?’
When I dropped Colleen off at home, Jessa and I went in to get our things. Colleen wanted to drive herself back to the hospital, so she would have a vehicle. On the way to the Cape, we stopped off to pick up a few essential food items for the next few days, as I hardly had anything in the house foodwise.
Stop and Shop was crazy busy. By the time we left to head over the bridge to the Cape it was already snowing pretty heavily and getting dark.
My phone had been buzzing in my pocket. When it started to drive me nuts, I pulled it out and handed it to Jessa, ‘Can you please read me the messages?’
She held it out to me, ‘It’s locked.’
‘One. Nine. Nine. Two.’
‘Your birth year?’ she laughed entering my lock code. ‘Original.’
‘Who’s messaging me?’
‘You have a few from Joe, one from Carlos, Deb and one from Lisa…’
‘Lisa?’ I asked looking to Jessa. ‘Open hers, what is she saying?’
‘“Sorry to contact you, but Dad’s back is acting up, if you guys have time, can one of the guys plow his driveway and add it to the Bar’s tab please?”’ Jessa read.
I nodded, ‘Reply, “Sure, I’ll ask Joe to add you to the rounds.”’ I looked at her and she didn’t seem upset with the message from my ex, though I knew Lisa was a sore spot for her. ‘Next?’
She read and replied to them for me as I drove down the Cape to our house.
I pulled into the driveway that already had a bunch of snow accumulated.
‘Welcome home,’ I said.
CHAPTER 21
JESSA
It was too dark out when we arrived back to the house on the Cape for me to make out all the work Drew had done to the exterior of the house. The house was set back from the road. The last I remembered from when the Koplands owned it, was that it had high hedges near the road and there were a few trees at the entrance of the property. There were no cars around, which I took as a good sign.
We pulled into the driveway of our beach house. It looked the same, but different somehow. Perhaps knowing Drew was making it ours changed my perspective. Knowing that before I didn't want to share this house with Matt, but now, I wanted nothing more than to turn it into a loving home to grow with Drew in.
The driveway was already covered in snow but he pulled up to the attached garage and pulled the Audi in as much as he could, given the tools being housed in there. I appreciated that I didn't have to walk out in the snow in my ankle booties.
‘Thanks,’ I smiled at him before getting out of the car and opening up the rear door to pull out my carry-on bag and his duffel bag, while he grabbed the grocery bags from the trunk.
‘Home sweet home,’ Drew announced, as he opened the door from the garage into the entryway. ‘This is still very much a work in progress, so keep that in mind,’ he told me, leading me into the house. It opened onto a mudroom where the laundry room and a large pantry were, located between the kitchen and what would become the formal dining room.
I placed his duffle bag on the new washing machine I had picked out a few months ago, and my carry-on on the floor next to where I took my shoes off.
Drew walked into the kitchen with the grocery bags as I started to look around.
The layout of the house was slightly different from when I last saw it, but the feel was completely different. I’d seen pictures of the progress over the past 8 months, but being inside it, to see all the small things that Drew had done, really made me emotional. He listened to me, the details had a purpose, and it was the small things that made it functional, practical and livable.
It seemed like a lifetime ago since I was last here. I was no longer the young naive girl with a verbally abusive, manipulative fiancé. I was happy to see, that just like me, the house was not only changing on the outside but also inside. While I was working at replanting seeds of the woman I wanted to be, with the hopes that the roots would take ground, Drew was building me a place where I could bloom. It was a relief to see that all the things I’d asked for were being implemented as best as the floorspace would allow.
As Drew started to put the things away in the kitchen, I walked around, first walking through the dining room; the walls looked to be primed, but the floorboards and crown molding laid in the middle of the room to be installed and a few paint swatches were taped to the walls. Across the foyer was the front room, where all the walls were still bare and the floor was unfinished, only the rough subfloor was laid down.
‘That’s my next project,’ Drew announced as he followed me around, stopping in the foyer and looking into what would become our home office.
I looked at the stairs leading up to the second floor; they were covered in plastic sheeting. He followed my eyes up and offered an explanation. ‘That’s so there’s not so much dust down here, it’s a mess up there. You can look, but maybe when it’s light outside, otherwise it's too dark right now.’ I couldn’t wait to start exploring what else had been done.
I had seen the pictures from the kitchen and living room that he had already finished, and they looked really good. I walked towards the back of the house.
As I rounded the corner, I saw the full effect. Pictures didn
’t do it justice. The area had been extensively redone; I would have never thought that this space could look like it did right now. The kitchen was completely open to the living room, and he had these two areas completely finished and furnished. It did not look like a house in the middle of a renovation at all from where I stood.
‘Oh wow,’ I exclaimed, walking over to the beautiful kitchen. ‘You’ve really made progress here,’ I admired, running my hand over the charcoal granite countertops, looking at the glass backsplash and stainless-steel appliances. The white cupboard doors completed the look. It felt so much bigger than it looked in the pictures, and I knew I would be at home preparing meals here.
There were no curtains on the floor-to-ceiling, wall-to-wall windows along the back of the house. The stonework on the fireplace was complete, and he had driftwood along the front and on the mantel, which he had found on the beach. Above it, mounted to the wall, was a very large flat-screen TV. He had two brown leather sectionals in the living room, making a horseshoe shape, and a matching round ottoman in the middle.
‘Yeah, I’ve been busy. Your mom’s been a huge help too, and she’s picked all the furniture. The TV and surround sound were all me, though,’ he said looking at the entertainment unit with pride. There was a desk with a large Mac desktop and a bunch of papers in front of the window off to the side.
‘Your office?’ I asked.
‘Yeah, of sorts for now, until we get the front room finished.’
‘Well, I bet you spend a lot of time in this room.’
‘When I’m actually at home,’ he offered.
‘Want to see your room?’ he asked me.
‘You mean our room?’ I corrected, causing him to give me one of his panty-melting smiles that I loved so much. ‘Please,’ I nodded, following him through the open-concept kitchen and living room to a room off the side. The room, which would become one of two master bedrooms, was tucked behind the living room. It had an unmade bed and clothes strewn over a chair in the corner, but other than that, the house was clean and tidy.
‘Sorry, I wasn’t expecting you, or anyone,’ he said a bit embarrassed, picking up a pair of pants and a sweater off the chair as his phone started to ring in his pocket. ‘There’s another set of sheets in the closet that are clean.’ He opened the door and tossed the clothes in a hamper on the floor. ‘I can help you change them if you want.’
‘Are these ones not clean?’ I asked with a raised eyebrow.
‘I changed them...um...Sunday?’ he thought about it. ‘Well, a week now.’
‘I’m sure we’ll just make them dirty, leave these on for now.’ I winked at him which granted me another smile as his phone started to ring again.
‘Jesus,’ he cried. ‘Cock-blocked at every corner.’ He dug into his pocket, ‘Hiya,’ he answered, sounding less annoyed that he had a second ago. ‘Yeah sure, I’ll meet you there in half an hour, I just got back to the Cape.’
He hung up the phone, reaching out to me. ‘I’m really sorry, but I have to go meet the guys,’ he leaned over to kiss me, something he hadn’t really done much since my first day here. I had been expecting him to sleep in my room with me last night but was disappointed to wake up alone this morning.
I kissed him back and wrapped my arms around him. ‘It’s ok, I understand.’
‘You need anything before I go?’ he asked.
‘No, I’ll just put the food away, have a snack, a shower, and head to bed. It’s been a long few days, and I’m still on England time.’ I nuzzled into his hard chest.
‘Alright, I’ll be a few hours, text me if you need anything.’ He bent over and kissed me again. ‘Fuck…’ he moaned into my mouth. ‘The very last thing I want to do is leave you.’
I smiled as I kissed his neck, ‘I’m not going anywhere.’
‘Still…’ he sighed.
‘Go work.’ I pulled away and looked to the bed. ‘I’ll be right there when you’re done.’
His smile went from ear to ear and all the way to his eyes, ‘Yeah you will.’
~
The sound of running water woke me a few hours later. I was on my side with a direct view of the bathroom, where I saw Drew taking a shower. He rested his head against the tiled wall with one hand over his head and the other I could tell was pleasuring himself.
If I had any energy, even an ounce, I’d have joined him. It wasn’t for lack of want—the jet lag was still seriously kicking my ass, along with all the emotional shit over the past few days. I didn’t even have the energy to reach over to check my phone for the time. Instead, I gave into the pull of sleep, closing my eyes and let the soothing sounds of the shower lull me back to sleep as I waited for Drew to join me. I knew I wasn’t going anywhere, and I still had lots of time with him.
The next time I woke was probably only a few hours later. I finally felt well-rested but knew it was still the middle of the night or early morning by the blackness of the room. I turned over and was disappointed to find the bed empty next to me. I thought for sure Drew would have joined me. A glimpse of light was peeking through my door, and I could tell the TV was on in the living room.
Grabbing my phone showed it was 3:00 am local time but 8:00 am London time, the time my body was currently adjusted to. I had never been good with jet lag. I checked a few messages on my phone and replied to the ones from Breton and wasn’t able to get back to sleep. The flickering TV light was annoying me, and I was in need of some water.
I was only wearing an old nightdress I had taken from my parents’ townhouse, it was one of the least sexy things I owned, but it was comfortable.
I opened the door further to find Drew, passed out, lying on his back on the sofa, towel half around him, his laptop next to him, a folder with papers having fallen on the floor, and the TV on a sports station with the volume low. The poor guy must have been exhausted. He didn’t have a shirt on, and it was nice to see that some things hadn’t changed, but only improved. Like a fine, fine wine.
I walked back into the bedroom to take one of the blankets off the end of the bed to cover him up. I wasn’t mad that he didn’t come to bed, as it appeared it wasn’t intentional, but that he just crashed after the grueling weekend at the hospital.
As I walked back into the living room with a blanket in hand, Drew moved, causing the towel to come undone and falling away, exposing him, full frontal. I couldn't read minds, but I was positive he was having some kind of naughty dream, based on the erection saluting me.
In one quick fluid movement, I stripped off the nightshirt I wore and removed my undies, leaving them on the floor with the blanket by the bedroom door.
Drew was still on his back, one arm across his chest, the other resting over his head. One leg was lying down the length of the sofa, while the other was now bent at the most convenient angle. I stood over him and bent just slightly at my waist to be able to take him in my mouth. It roused him when I gripped him, sucking him with my mouth. He let out the most wonderful moan.
It was then that I felt him move, his hands coming to my head. ‘Jessa,’ he said my name, longing, questioning.
I looked up at him, took him out of my mouth, but worked him with my hand. ‘Let me,’ I pleaded with him.
He rubbed the back of my head, ‘I wasn’t going to ask you to stop.’
I smiled and continued the task I set forth to accomplish. It didn’t take long. I knew when the caressing touches to my head turned urgent and he gripped my hair he was close.
‘Jessa,’ he said my name in a low warning, but I wasn’t going to pull away. Like the times in London, I wanted to finish him completely, but I did appreciate that he gave me notice in case I had changed my mind on that. I wasn’t going to, there was something erotic about finishing him with my mouth. The intimacy and the trust that went with feeling him explode in my mouth made me so turned on.
When he came, he moaned out in pleasure. Knowing I could bring this man to his knees was the most intoxicating thing I could ever do.
He tossed the towel on the floor and scooped me up, so I was lying next to him on the sofa. He kissed me so passionately, that when he pulled away, it took me a few moments to catch my breath. He picked me up, laid me down on my back on the ottoman a few feet away. He kissed me, moving to my neck, to my secret spot behind my ear, then down to my chest. He hovered, kissing the incisions where I had my implants removed a few months ago. ‘Don’t ever damage yourself again,’ he whispered as he kissed the last inch of the still healing incision.
He made his way down my stomach and when he got to the bottom, he knelt on the floor and looked at me. ‘Don’t ask me to stop,’ he said with a wicked promise attached to it. I spread my legs to him in welcome.
‘I wouldn’t dare.’
‘Atta girl,’ he told me and dove right in. He flicked his tongue over and over my clit, making me squirm and moan. His tongue was as magical as I remembered it had been. How I had longed for this, for over a year I’d been missing out on this. When he slid his finger inside me, stroking the inside of my wall, it sent me over the edge in mere moments.
‘Drew,’ I called his name as my whole body started to tremble, my orgasm exploding. He didn’t stop until he was sure I’d taken all I could.
He slowly slid his finger out of me, kissing my thighs before crawling up to meet my lips with his and I could still taste myself on his tongue. I was sensitive between my legs, where I felt his long erection poking at my apex, even though he was hovering over me. I ran my hands through his hair, then along his back, over his abs, and ended up instinctively reaching for him. I took him in my hand, slowly working him. He was already hard, despite the blow job I had just finished him with. He lowered slightly, allowing me to better grip him. His tip, rubbing up against my ever-sensitive clit, causing me to moan.
I was wet, I could feel my wetness on him on my next stroke, and even more on my next one. I rubbed him up against me, positioning him at my opening, arching my back to allow him entrance.