Slow Burn (Boston Beauties #2)

by Dawn Edwards

  ‘I know, cupcake,’ he groaned. ‘We need to get you on the pill soon. I can’t wait to feel all of you again.’

  He hoisted me up and I wrapped my legs around his waist again. Shower sex was raw, fast and hard. We didn’t take time for any foreplay. By the time he pushed into me, I was always wet for him.

  We left our lovemaking for the bed, or the sofa, occasionally the kitchen table, but the shower was always quick. I felt myself building my release just around the corner.

  ‘Drew…’

  ‘Yeah, cupcake, that’s it,’ he growled, pulling my hips closer to him, as he let out a cry as he finished deep within me.

  He held me there, kissing me softly for a few moments before setting me on my feet and rinsing me off before I jumped out of the shower. I had a feeling if I stayed any longer we’d end up late for dinner.

  ‘Your mom messaged me just as I was leaving the house, they’re on their way,’ Drew told me as I was drying off and he was washing his body.

  My father was released from the hospital this morning and I was planning on making dinner tonight for them at their house.

  Their house.

  Before I left it had been our summer house. Now I had my own summer house, but it was feeling more like a fulltime house to me. It was something that Drew and I hadn’t really discussed. Where we would live full-time once I came back to live permanently.

  His business was predominately on the Cape, but he did have a few clients in Boston and could easily do both if he had two crews. I had been thinking about running my business out of Boston as that was where a bigger population base was, however, if I looked at a retreat style, the Cape really was more of an ideal location and a possibility down the road.

  These were conversations Drew and I would have to have in the coming months.

  I changed into a pair of tights and my now-oversized Harvard hoodie I had taken from my room in Boston. I dried my hair and put it in a straight ponytail. Drew was casual in blue jeans and a long-sleeve Bruins shirt.

  I looked at him, ‘Bruins fan now?’

  ‘When in Rome…’ He smirked. ‘Actually, I think your dad got this for me last year when he took me to a game for my birthday.’

  ‘February?’ I questioned, hoping I remembered right, and he nodded, holding up two fingers. February second. I’d have to do something great for him this year.

  I took out the bag I had in the fridge with everything I would need to make dinner, along with a bottle of white wine I’d had Drew pick up earlier.

  Even though it was right next door, we drove as there was a lot of snow out, and I still didn’t have proper footwear. Had I been smart, I’d have brought a pair with me from Boston. He carried the bags into the house, and I followed him as he unlocked the door. Not much had changed. ‘I see she’s still holding on to the floral patterns,’ I joked.

  I hated the interior design of this house; my mother had impeccable taste, yet this house did not reflect it at all.

  ‘Stop,’ Drew chided, he hated when I teased my mother. ‘She’s actually planning on changing everything before the summer.’

  ‘She’s been saying that for years.’

  ‘Yeah, well, she’s been a bit otherwise distracted,’ he stated elegantly. It was true that before my brother died, she had wanted to change things up, but we didn’t even venture out here the year after his death. When we did, the focus was on the outside of the house as Dad had Drew and at the time wasn’t sure for how long. Lucky for me, he seemed like a permanent fixture. Then there was my so-called disappearance, and it had to appear that she was once again in mourning. But she’d had last summer.

  ‘Why not last summer?’

  ‘I was run off my feet last summer, then in the fall they traveled a lot, and now...well, I guess we'll have lots of time to discuss things now that they will be here for a bit, that makes it easier.’

  ‘So Christmas break is going to be real life HGTV, great.’ I rolled my eyes, turning the oven on to heat up. ‘Can’t wait.’

  I was cutting up zucchini and peppers to make grilled vegetables to go with the salmon I was making for dinner. I made a dill sauce earlier from yogurt and would serve mashed cauliflower.

  When they arrived, Drew went out to get all the bags, while my mother inspected the room that had been set up for my father while he used the washroom.

  He was moving slowly and looked like he was also stiff. ‘You ok, Dad?’ I asked him when we walked by the kitchen.

  ‘I’ll survive.’ He came in to give me a hug and a kiss.

  ‘I can help you do some stretches, you’re probably stiff from lying in the bed all week.’

  He nodded, looking around the kitchen. ‘Are you cooking?’

  ‘Don't look at me like that,’ I pointed the knife towards him, smiling. ‘I am, I’ve taken several classes and can make some pretty decent and healthy meals,’ I told him proudly.

  I had never been very domestic in the past, but living on my own with Breton, without any help, forced me to learn. I couldn’t say I was a fan of cleaning, but I had discovered that I actually loved cooking and enjoyed the challenge of trying to make some of my favorite meals and snacks as healthy as I could while keeping the taste.

  It was something I was hoping to incorporate into the business I wanted to start.

  ‘I better go find your mother and make sure she’s not freaking out too much over my new accommodations,’ he chuckled.

  My mother had been a big stress ball the past week, and I honestly couldn’t blame her. My father's home office had been turned into a makeshift bedroom, with a bed put in there. It was next to the family room, where we all used to watch TV together. There was a full bathroom with shower and tub combo that separated the rooms, so it was ideal for my father.

  Drew walked into the kitchen. ‘Did it meet her standards?’

  I looked up from mashing the cauliflower with some vegan cheese. ‘She didn’t say otherwise, other than asking where we put the sofa that was in there.’

  ‘That’s good then.’ He started to pull the dishes from the cupboards in preparation for setting the table. ‘Do you think they will want to sit in the dining room or just at the island here?’ he asked me.

  ‘The island is fine,’ my mother said walking into the kitchen. ‘I don’t have it in me to set that table with everything else going on.’

  She looked at what I was mashing and picked up the package of vegan cheese and just raised her eyebrows but didn’t say anything to me.

  ‘It’s good, really,’ I tried to assure her. ‘I’ve got the fish baking in the oven and I just need to sauté the veggies,’ I announced, turning back to the stove as Drew set the dishes out, poured water and wine and started to talk shop with my father when he made his way back into the kitchen.

  ‘No working,’ my mother said firmly.

  ‘I’m just talking with Drew,’ my father winked at my mother.

  ‘About work.’

  ‘His work,’ he corrected her.

  ‘That you fund.’ My mother was flustered and shook her head, while my father leaned over to kiss her.

  We enjoyed a nice meal, where we discussed my father’s recovery, then we retired to the TV room to watch some reality show my father enjoyed, and we chatted more about the holidays and arranged a call with Breton soon.

  ‘Breton’s home on the twenty fourth or fifth,’ I informed them, based on the latest information he’s sent to me the other day. ‘Depending on when he can catch a flight out.’

  ‘I can charter one,’ my father suggested.

  ‘I think he’s in a no-fly zone,’ I said in a low voice and heard my mother gasp at the news.

  ‘Does Deb know?’

  ‘I don’t even know for sure, but I do know he goes to some places where it can take a day or more to get out,’ I admitted. ‘But, for the sake of Deb’s sanity, how about we not say anything. He usually says he’s going to Dubai and that’s enough to make her nervous.’

  I started to
yawn, and Drew looked over to me. ‘Tired?’

  I nodded, ‘Yeah, we should get going before I fall asleep.’ Even though I was now used to the time change, I still wasn’t one to stay up late and woke up with Drew early each morning. I saw that my mother was watching us from where she sat across from me.

  ‘We are here now, darling, you don’t need to stay over there any longer,’ my mother said eyeing the both of us.

  ‘I know, Mom, but that’s my house,’ I replied, standing, and looked up to Drew, who was absolutely no help to me at the moment, as his facial expression told me that I was on my own to handle this one.

  ‘Well, Drew is living there, surely he wants…’

  ‘Are you really playing dumb?’ I laughed looking at her and then to my father.

  I took a step back, until I was standing next to Drew. I took his hand and looked up at him in his eyes and he nodded. ‘In case you missed it, Drew and I are together. I love him and will be living with him for my stay and when I finally return for good.’ If I wasn’t in jail, but due to my father’s condition, I bit my tongue.

  ‘Yes, but…’ my mother started.

  ‘But nothing,’ I interrupted. ‘Listen, I know Dad’s recovering and all that. I’m not trying to make things difficult, but this is how it is. We’ve been apart far too long, and I’ll be leaving again in a few weeks. In the meantime, I’ll be living with him at our house.’ I stood my ground.

  ‘With all due respect,’ Drew started, ‘Jessa’s done a lot of soul searching to find her footing as an adult, as a woman. Being her own person and making life decisions is something that we need to support her in. Let's not take away her voice or her free will after she’s fought so hard to finally find it.’

  ‘He’s right,’ my father started from the sofa, speaking up for the first time, looking to Drew and nodding, clearly giving us his blessing to move forward together.

  ‘Drew,’ my mother looked up at him. ‘I’m sorry, it’s not that we don’t want her with you, quite the opposite. It’s just hard for me to register she’s ready to move out, and it conflicts with my values, is all.’

  I rolled my eyes; it was the twenty-first century for crying out loud. ‘Mom, I’ll be back in the morning ok?’

  CHAPTER 23

  JESSA

  While Drew worked during the day, I spent most of the time at my parent’s house whenever the therapists or Kathy were not around. After my morning run, shower, doing some laundry and face timing with Breton to catch up I walked over to my parent's house to make lunch and eat with them.

  CUPCAKE: Walking to my parents, do you want to join for lunch?

  DREW: Absolutely. x

  CUPCAKE: What do you want for lunch?

  DREW: YOU

  CUPCAKE: I’m your dinner feast, sandwiches are on offer for lunch.

  DREW: All I need is a lick of your buttercream frosting to keep me going

  I rolled my eyes at his one-track mindedness. Since our first time, our lovemaking had been pretty constant and off-the-charts intense.

  I looked at the time, still only eleven, when I walked into the house. Dad was at the dining room table looking over some papers.

  ‘Where’s Mom?’ I asked.

  ‘Went to the store to refill my prescription.’ He looked up to me with a smile.

  ‘I’m going to start lunch,’ I informed him, walking back towards the kitchen and turning on the small TV. I had missed American daytime TV and enjoyed the background noise as I started to chop some vegetables and prepared some sandwiches for when my mother and Drew arrived home.

  While I was waiting, I went to my old bedroom to finish the packing I had started a few days ago. There were so many clothes that I had to get rid of. I already had four large bags to be donated to Goodwill. Along with two boxes of shoes and purses that I really had no use for any longer as I didn't care for them often. In the spare suitcases I had under my bed, I packed up the shoes, purses, and other items I planned on keeping. Some of the shoes were a bit big on me, but I could make them work. They were too beautiful to toss, and the purses I was keeping were some of my favorites.

  In addition to the two suitcases, I had a box of personal items to take with me next door. I picked up a framed picture of Breton, Josh and myself as kids and another of Zoe and me which had been taken a few years ago at some university dinner we had attended together.

  I had such a desire to see her. I knew I couldn’t just call her up, that would be too weird. Too cryptic, like returning from the dead. But Drew had a point, Zoe couldn’t find out from someone other than myself.

  My chat with Breton this morning was exactly along these lines, and in the next few days, we would be informing Abby that I was still alive and seeking out her professional counsel.

  ~

  I was setting up my laptop in the kitchen when I heard the doorbell ring; Abby was finally here.

  My father walked by the kitchen, nodding at me and Drew as my mother was making a fresh pot of coffee for us all.

  ‘I am well, thanks, just taking it easy,’ I heard my father say from the entranceway as the front door closed.

  ‘Showtime,’ Drew whispered to me making jazz hands to lighten the tension in the kitchen. It took everything in me not to laugh.

  I could hear Abby and my father walking towards the kitchen. ‘So what is it that you need from me today?’ Abby asked, getting straight to business. I was there when my father called her yesterday, asking her to come out to the Cape.

  ‘Please, let's talk in the kitchen,’ my father said walking in.

  I was wearing a new pair of skinny jeans I’d recently ordered and a new tight-fitting sweater. When Abby first walked in, I could tell she didn’t recognize me. She took inventory of the room, hugged my mother and Drew and extended her hand to me as she stepped closer. When her eyes settled on me, I could see it all register on her face.

  ‘Jessa?’ she asked in complete and utter shock, looking me up and down. ‘Jessa,’ she said again in fear. Then a tear escaped her eye, ‘Jessa,’ she cried in joy.

  ‘Hi, Abs,’ I greeted her, stepping forward to embrace her in a long tight hug. She squeezed me back just as much, likely to make sure I wasn't a hallucination.

  ‘Are you really...?’ she asked. ‘I mean, I thought…’ she looked around. ‘How long have you known?’ she asked my parents.

  ‘A while,’ my father said sitting down, still feeling the effects of the heart attack nearly two weeks ago. Standing for any amount of time was still a struggle for him, but he got up as much as he could without overdoing it.

  I could see on Abby’s face it was all registering. Breton was already on FaceTime on my computer with us as we all took a seat at the table. Abby got out her notebook and pen.

  ‘Ok, where do we start?’ she asked me.

  I looked to Breton on the laptop, which Abby was only now realizing was on. ‘From the fireplace,’ Breton instructed.

  I told Abby everything, about the passports, the cons, the stolen money, my brother’s death. I knew by the end of it, she was fully on board.

  ‘So what now?’ my father asked Abby.

  She paused, ‘Well, Jessa’s going to have to turn herself in, a man is in jail for her murder…’

  ‘That asshole stood by while his sister killed Josh,’ Breton shouted from the laptop.

  ‘I know,’ Abby raised her hand. ‘But in the eyes of the law, tax payers’ dollars were used in the investigation, and a trial for Jessa’s alleged murder, not Josh’s.’

  ‘I have money to repay the search and rescue and any judicial fees if requested,’ I muttered.

  ‘Breton, if you can send me all the files you have so I can start reviewing and helping you with a plan for when Jessa turns herself in and how best to present the information to the DA. We’re pretty close, so we’ve got that on our side. With all the work you have done, let’s hope he will see this as a win, and not look for retaliation,’ Abby informed us.

  ‘You let him know if he
decides to retaliate, then he can kiss his re-election goodbye,’ my father threatened. It was no secret that while my father wasn’t a political figure, he had a lot of pull with local politics and his social circle even more so.

  ‘Will she go to jail?’ my mother asked, worry evident on her face and in her voice.

  ‘Not if I can help it,’ Abby reached out towards her, squeezing her hand. ‘But you should be prepared, there will likely be charges of some kind. We can use the threat of Matt, that you felt threatened, that you were protecting yourself and your family.’

  ‘I was,’ I confirmed. ‘That’s not a lie, that is one hundred percent the truth.

  ‘I know, we’re going to pin his ass and his accomplices.’

  ‘Can we meet for dinner sometime?’ I asked her.

  ‘Yeah, that would be nice, it would be good to catch up,’ Abby said looking at me with hopeful eyes of a friend and loving cousin, not as my lawyer.

  ‘Excellent,’ Abby said, looking at her watch, it was already two thirty. ‘Sorry, I really do want to stay, but it’s our work Christmas thing, and I’m expected there.”

  ‘No worries, sweetheart,’ my mother said touching her arm, leading her out of the kitchen as we all followed. ‘I think we’ve covered all we can today.’

  ‘Okay, get Breton to email me those files,’ she reminded us, slipping on her heels and designer jacket.

  After Abby left, I was so shaken at seeing her. While she didn’t think I would go to jail, it was a possibility. It was also likely that I was going to be charged. Worst of all, Matt could get out because I was alive, if anything, and I wasn't prepared to hear that. If the judge, DA or a jury didn’t believe his brother's confession regardless of how it was obtained, then Matt would be a free man, able to come after me. But for the sake of my father’s fragile heart, I put on a brave face.