by Liz Durano
From the corner of my eye, I see Dax lower his head as Harlow reaches for his hand under the table. Next to him, Benny pulls Sarah to him and kisses her on the forehead.
“My love is no longer here in physical form, but what is here is the home she built for family and friends, her love for company, and good food,” Daniel continues as he raises his glass of wine. “Thank you for being here, for gracing the walls of our home and for choosing to spend a few hours on this day of love with us. And for those of us who are, um, romantically unattached yet–” He cocks his head toward Todd who clears his throat and Gabriel who makes a dramatic show of straightening his collar, “as the young people say, Happy Single Awareness day to us.”
Lunch includes meat dishes like carne adovada, pork spare ribs marinated in red chile sauce and then baked, burritos, and green chile stew. There is even a vegetarian option for the burritos, filled with calabacitas and topped with vegetarian chile. Bowls or black beans or frijoles are everywhere together with what Nana calls papitas or pan-fried shredded potatoes. There are also platters of sopaipillas, which I assume double as tortillas.
I’ve never seen Campbell so happy surrounded with so much food. The green chile is spicy, but he doesn’t care. He simply wipes the perspiration that gathers along his brow and keeps eating. Knowing him, he’ll burn all those calories on the slopes tomorrow… or later tonight when we’re finally alone in our hotel room. It’s Valentine’s Day, after all.
After lunch, Daniel gives us a tour of the house which ends in his casita, a small building at the back of the property that serves as his office. When the conversation between him and Campbell shift toward financial markets, I excuse myself and head back to the main house where I find everyone in the living room.
On the couch, Addison is showing off the pictures of our travels from her iPad to the kids while Jordan and Dax are discussing cabinetry. At the dining table that’s now bare except for a big vase of sunflowers and a few mugs of coffee, Gabe, Sawyer, Todd, and Benny are talking about sports. I find a free spot on the couch next to Harlow and sit down.
“I’m glad you and Campbell could make it. I’ve heard so much about him from Daniel,” Harlow says after I sit on the only empty spot on the couch next to her.
“Thank you so much for inviting us.”
“You guys got engaged last year, right? Just after Addy and Jordan’s wedding?”
I nod. “We would have gotten married sooner but Addy’s mother said it was bad luck for siblings to get married in the same year so we scheduled ours this year.” I pause, chuckling. “It’s a Filipino superstition, but Cam and I didn’t want to take any chances. Cam has also been so busy since he changed jobs around the same time, so it worked out.”
“That’s when he started working for Daniel?”
“Yes. He loves it although it keeps him busy. Very busy.”
“He works directly under Daniel, right?” Harlow asks and I nod. “Then yes, I imagine Campbell’s got a lot on his plate. Daniel’s been spending more time here ever since Atsa was born. He’s loving being a grandfather, and he’s been pretty busy with projects around the house like converting Dax’s old room as the twins’ room so they can spend the nights here.”
“That’s just like my dad. He’s converted Jordan’s old bedroom as Piper’s room and she has her own bed and everything,” I say. “He can’t wait to do the same thing with my old room as soon as Campbell and I have kids.”
We spend the next fifteen minutes talking about the house, from its New Mexican influences to the beautiful hand-thrown pots that decorate the mantelpiece. Harlow tells me that Daniel’s late wife, daughter of a local well-known potter, made most of them.
Campbell and Daniel return to the living room ten minutes later. Campbell’s face is pale as he walks toward me but he says nothing. He only takes my hand and squeezes it.
“You two have a wonderful time on the slopes,” Daniel says. “It’s amazing up there this time of year. Actually, all year.”
“Pawpaw, I’m tired,” says Ani-Pea as she tugs on Daniel’s hand. Next to her, DJ rubs his eyes and yawns.
“Looks like someone needs a nap,” Daniel says as he lifts his granddaughter in his arms. Next to him, Harlow lifts DJ who instantly leans his head on her mother’s shoulder.
“Nana tells me they’ve been nonstop since Tyler arrived at ten this morning,” she says as I look across the living room where Tyler is already nodding off on Sawyer’s shoulder and Drea is fast asleep in Alma’s arms.
Daniel chuckles. “Looks like the party’s over for these munchkins.”
Sarah and Benny emerge from the other wing of the house just as we say our goodbyes. I love how everyone treats us like they’ve known us forever—and maybe they have via Daniel, Addison and Campbell—but it gives another dimension to our trip, one that’s already filled with so many wonderful memories. It makes me understand why Harlow left everything back in New York the moment she met Dax and why Daniel is spending more time here.
It’s all about family.
4
Campbell
“Everything okay? You were quiet for most of the drive here.”
I set down our luggage on the floor and look at Caitlin. As she shrugs off her coat and steps out of her boots, she looks concerned and rightly so. I’ve been operating on automatic since we left the Drexels an hour ago, barely talking in the car and even as we checked in the hotel and told Jordan and Addison that we’d meet up with them in the morning. That’s when the four of us will move into a two-bedroom suite for the rest of our stay, accommodation that wasn’t available when we first made our reservations.
“Daniel… I mean, Mr. Drexel made me an offer.” The words tumble out of my mouth before I can stop myself. I didn’t want to say it in the car. I wanted Caitlin to hear it from me first. “He expects an answer by the time I return to work next week.”
“That’s great news, Cam!” Caitlin says as she wraps her arms around me before stepping back, her expression perplexed. “But why aren’t you happy?”
“It’s overseas.”
She takes another step back. “Where? And for how long? Is it permanent?”
“Paris. A year. And no, it’s not permanent, not unless we want it to be,” I reply. “He’s been planning on opening an office in Paris ever since I came on, but he never found the right people to run it. Now he says he has and I’ll be heading the team.”
“When?”
“In three months. Everything will be paid for. The apartment, transportation, all expenses towards the move there and back.”
“That’s a month after our wedding.” Caitlin pauses. “Did you say yes?”
“I don’t want to go without you, Cait,” I say. “And I don’t want us to be a long-distance thing either.”
She frowns. “You’re not doing it?”
I take a step toward her, my heart pounding. How can I tell her that as much as I want the job, I don’t want to take it without her? She’d have to leave her job to come with me and if she decided not to, then that would mean we’d spend the first year of our marriage apart.
I’d also been watching her throughout lunch at the Drexels. When Sarah handed her Atsa to hold, my chest tightened at the sight of her face as she gazed at him. Awe and love rolled into one. Caitlin is amazing around children, Piper especially, whom we babysit once a week. Practice, she told me once before catching herself.
Watching her holding someone else’s baby made me realize I don’t want to wait to start a family of our own. With our wedding in two months, I want to start as soon as possible. Hell, if it were up to me, I’d run to the nearest wedding chapel and be done with the legalities of it. But I also want to see Caitlin in her wedding gown walking down the aisle with her father beside her. I want our friends and family to celebrate our love the way Jordan and Addison celebrated theirs last year.
“I’m not taking it, Cait, not if it means I will end up being away from you,” I say. “You love your job. You
’ve worked so hard just to get it. All the schooling–”
“I’ll go wherever you go, Cam.”
I stare at her. She has a Master’s degree in Microbiology. She had job offers in the west coast before she graduated but applied for one in the east coast so we’d be together. “You’ll leave your career?”
“In a heartbeat,” Caitlin replies. “Cam, I like my job but I’m not married to it. True, once upon a time, I thought it was the only thing I ever wanted, but that was before I realized that what—or who—I really wanted was you. And wherever you go, I’ll be right there with you.” She pauses, biting her lip as she smiles. “And honestly, Cam, Paris? The city of love and cafes, of croissants and the Louvre. La ville lumieres. The city of lights.”
“You’ll be away from your family. Friends. Your brother,” I murmur. Who am I kidding? I’ll miss them all, too.
“You are my family, Cam, and in two months, you’ll officially be my husband,” she says as she holds up her hand, showing me her engagement ring, its diamond glittering in the fluorescent light above us. Positano at dusk. The night she said yes. “It’ll be an adventure. You, me… Paris.”
I bring her hand to my lips. “Paris it is then.”
“And if you’re worried about me being alone, my parents can come visit,” she adds. “And your mother, too, if she wants.”
“And Jory and Addy.”
“If Addy can get away from work and plan her itinerary, yeah,” she says, laughing. “And I’ll make friends. I’ve always wanted to practice what little French I know and there’s also French cooking. I could learn that while you’re working.”
I grin. It’s just like Caitlin to be positive about everything. I’d worried for nothing.
“You have no idea how proud I am of you, Cam,” she says. “You’ve worked so hard for this.”
And Caitlin should know. When I took the job at Daniel’s firm, I’d promised myself not to do twelve-hour days and reserve the weekends for us. I’d only been able to fulfill one of those promises, needing to work late into the night whenever I needed to. Sure, the job got done and my commissions meant we’d be able to afford our own house sooner than we’d planned, but there were days when Caitlin and I barely saw each other, catching up only as we lay in bed.
“So when are you going to tell Mr. Drexel your answer?” she asks.
“Definitely not right this minute.” I glide my hands across her back to her round ass and pull her to me as she giggles. “Or tonight. Maybe not even tomorrow.”
I need her. Right now. This minute. For the next few hours, even. Hell, we’re probably staying in for dinner, too. We’ve been around people for days and days, and right now, all I want is to spend the rest of the day with Caitlin. Recalibrate.
I press my lips against hers, pushing all thought of job promotions and transfers away. We’re going to be together and that’s what matters. She opens her mouth, letting me in, my tongue pushing against hers as I pull her closer.
Caitlin wraps her arms around my neck, clinging to me as I grip her ass harder. She whimpers, her soft breasts, her hard nipples pressing against my chest. We’d slept late this morning, the texts from Addison waking us up, telling us they were already downstairs waiting for us. I’d only glimpsed what Caitlin was wearing just before she slipped on her sweater and jeans. A pink lace bra. A matching thong.
“You’re so beautiful, Cait,” I murmur as I pull away to study her face. “Gorgeous, smart, and so fucking beautiful.”
I’d made reservations for dinner at the hotel restaurant but that’s not for a few more hours which means we’ve got time to play house. I cover her mouth with mine, urgent and needy now, my tongue taking control, going deeper. I bring my hand to her breast and squeeze as Caitlin whimpers against my mouth.
When I pull away, she is breathless. “Let’s take this to the bedroom.” I take her hand and pull her into the spacious bedroom, the windows open to reveal the Sangre de Cristo mountains and snow-covered evergreens. It’s a beautiful sight but one I’ll appreciate more when we’re on the slopes in the morning. I see only Caitlin and she is all I need.
But there’s no rush. I don’t want us to hurry. I want us to take our time. Throughout this whole vacation, we’ve been in a hurry to go from one place to another. Another sight, another meeting with friends, another adventure. But not tonight.
I kiss her again, sucking her bottom lip and giving it a little nip as I gather the bottom of her sweater and tug. She pulls away, giggling as I pull the sweater over her shoulders and toss it on the bed. As I watch her, she unzips her jeans and slides it down her hips, revealing the matching lace thong.
I blow out a ragged breath, taking a step toward her and running my finger along a hard nipple beneath the lace fabric. “Fuck, Cait, I’ve been wanting to see you in this thing again.”
“You only got a little peek earlier,” she murmurs. “So what are you going to do now?”
“This.” I unsnap the back of her bra, kissing her shoulder as I pull it free of her and toss it on to the floor. “And this.” I lower my head and kiss the skin between her neck and shoulder, feeling her body sigh as I gently nudge her toward the bed and lay her down. Cupping her breasts, I take one nipple in my mouth, sucking and rolling my tongue in circles as she moans, her fingers digging into my shoulders. I move to the other breast, my hand sliding lower and rubbing her clit through the lace of her thong. She’s so wet, so ready.
But not yet.
I need the feel of her skin against my own, her heat against mine. As I sit up and pull off my sweater, Caitlin unzips my jeans and pulls it and my boxers down my hips. My cock stands in attention in front of her face. She bites her lower lip, wrapping her hand around the shaft and squeezing it.
“Lick it,” I murmur as she does what I say, licking the drop of precum on the tip with her tongue. I watch her swirl her tongue around the head, licking me softly and taking her time. I pull her hair to one side as she licks and sucks up the shaft, her tongue pressing against the underside of my cock.
I close my eyes, allowing myself to let go for a few moments even though I don’t want to come yet. I love feeling the warmth of her tongue as she licks my shaft from root to tip before taking it down her throat.
I hiss out a breath between my teeth when she sucks my balls into her mouth and rolls them over her tongue. Any more of this and I’ll be coming. Groaning, I pull her off of me.
“My turn,” I say, pushing her down on the bed. “I want to taste you.”
I push her legs apart and position myself between them, kissing the inside of one thigh and then the other. I want to taste her and feel her grind her hips on my face, her body pulsing with need. I kiss her clit through the pink lace and Caitlin moans, lifting her hips off the bed as I slide off her thong in one swift motion and slip a finger inside her. I slip another finger, hooking it inside her as I flick my tongue across her arousal.
“Cam…” she breathes, arching her back as she clenches the bed covers.
I run my tongue along her sensitive folds, tasting her and taking my time. She groans when I take her clit between my teeth and flick it with my tongue, the sounds of her gasps and moans filling the room. Slow and fast, fast and slow, a rhythm we’re both familiar with yet each time it feels like the first time. I know Caitlin’s body so well, every gasp, every moan escaping her lips setting my blood on fire as she comes, her release sweet on my tongue.
“I want you inside me,” she gasps when I crawl over her and kiss her hard, letting her taste her own arousal as I line up my cock against her opening and push. I gasp as the slick walls of her pussy clench around me, sucking me in as I go in balls deep.
Oh, fuck. I almost lose myself as the sensations hit me, overwhelm me. Her taste and her scent are enough to drive me out of my mind, making me almost lose control. I take a moment to gather my wits about me as I begin to move, feeling Caitlin lift her hips to meet every thrust.
I pump my cock, feeling the pressure inside me
building as Caitlin rides every thrust with me, our eyes meeting, our mouths pressing together as she clings to me, her nails digging into my skin. I can feel my balls growing tighter and know I’m not going to last much longer. So much for wanting to take my time.
I reach down and press my thumb against her clit, rubbing it in circles as Caitlin tightens her thighs around my hips. She turns her head to the side as the walls of her pussy tighten around my cock, her release so close.
“Look at me when you come, Cait,” I groan as she does exactly that, crying out my name as she milks my cock and I lose myself in her eyes. I explode right along with her, my orgasm so intense the world around me blurs.
I take a few moments to recover as I rest my head on her breasts. I’m breathless, speechless as I return to the reality of the moment.
“I love you, Cam,” she whispers. “I can’t wait to be your wife and the mother of our children… wherever we may be.”
“And I love you right back, Cait,” I murmur as she smiles, her eyes sparking. “I’ve loved you long before I knew it and I’ll love you forever.”
As I look at Caitlin, the truth hits me. I’m a man madly in love with the only woman he’s ever wanted that the thought of being away from her makes him crazy, makes him wonder if she’d really leave everything behind for him.
And she is.
5
Jordan
“I can’t believe you booked us a couples' massage.”
I turn to look at Addison on the massage table three feet away. With relaxing flute music playing in the background and a therapist working on her feet, she should be relaxing. “Why? You don’t like it?”