“Oh my God,” she said, the ramifications of the misunderstanding finally hitting her.
“Why didn’t you just tell me, ask me?”
He didn’t look angry anymore, he just looked broken. “I really thought that’s what I saw, I believed that you cheated on me, Justin.”
“So there was never anyone else?” He asked.
She shook her head. There had never been anyone else, before or since, and she was pretty sure there never would be. “Never,” she said. “What is there to say? When people are young, they make mistakes, sometimes big ones. Maybe I was a little self-centered. When I went there that day, I was hoping you’d ask me to marry you; that we’d be a family. Justin I was only eighteen years old. I was a baby having a baby.”
“We would have been married if I found out. I would have gladly married you, you were everything to me,” he said.
“Was I? Then how come I’m still alone and you married someone else and had another child?” She couldn’t help but feel jealous. Destiny knew it was ridiculous to feel that way about a dead woman but she couldn’t help it. It was what it was, he couldn’t have been too in love with her if he’d run off with the first person who came along and started a new family. His child with this new woman had had what Sophia missed out on for nine years of her life. She had Justin for a daddy.
“That isn’t fair, I wouldn’t have met anyone else if you’d told the truth. I didn’t know there was a baby and I thought you’d moved on.”
“This is such a mess,” she said.
“The big question is where do we go from here?”
Chapter Four
“I don’t know where we go from here,” Destiny said. “I really don’t. I do know that I’m sorry, for a lot of things. I’m sorry that I ran and didn’t give you the chance to explain and I’m sorry that I lied about having met someone else, but I’m sorriest for keeping Sophia from you all these years.”
“We can’t change the past and for me to hang onto a grudge about us splitting up would mean that I was wishing that Lily-Grace wasn’t here. I love both my children. Yes, I know I just met Sophia but I can’t explain it. I fell in love with her as soon as I knew there was a possibility that she was mine, our daughter.”
“I know exactly what you mean, I fell in love with her the minute I felt those little butterflies and knew she was moving around inside me.” She smiled. “I missed you though. I used to wish you were there sharing it all with me.”
“Well, I’m here now and I’m not going anywhere.”
“Do you forgive me?” Destiny asked.
“Of course I do. I have a lot of lost time for me to make up for with Sophia,” he said.
Interesting, she thought. Did he just mean that he wanted to make up for lost time with Sophia or both of them? Was there a chance that they could rekindle what they had in the past? “Of course there is but what exactly do you mean by making up for lost time?”
“I want to be in my daughter’s life,” Justin said.
Destiny looked up into his face, trying to read him, only to find him looking back at her the same way. Nothing but pure lust was evident, his lips found hers and he kissed her, slowly deliberately. “I’ve missed this,” she said breathily.
“I missed this too.” His hand snaked its way up her t-shirt. “And I’ve missed you.”
Breath held in anticipation, Destiny shivered as his fingers slid over her warm skin, stopping to tease her when they reached the lace that was designed to decorate rather than cover. “Your skills have improved,” she chuckled as that garment and the jeans and panties that had still been at her knees were dispensed with. When he was a young man, he was often left clumsily fiddling for far too long with the fiddly clasps; that wasn’t the case here. When her breasts were free she lifted the t-shirt to give him access to her rosy nipples, straddling him to make it easier. “Oh yes,” she said when he took one and then the other between his teeth. Shards of pleasure flew in all directions, exciting every nerve ending as she emitted a high pitched hum.
“You’re still beautiful,” he said, claiming her lips for another long kiss, “I want you. We should move though.”
“Yes,” she said. He was right, but this was a dream and she was petrified; if they moved to the bedroom she might just wake up to find that none of this even happened. “Soon,” she muttered, tracing a line down his neck with her tongue. She ground her naked pussy against him; reveling in the erection that was trying to get to her through the fabric of his dress pants. It was such a turn on knowing he still wanted her.
He tapped her bottom none too gently and said the one word that was more important than any dream. “Sophia.”
For a few seconds, her mind cleared. “Bedroom, my bedroom,” she said, “I have a lock.”
* * *
In what seemed like seconds they were in her bed. Destiny went to resume their positions but Justin had other ideas.
“Lay on your belly,” he said, his voice thick with need.
She watched closely as he rid himself of the confines of his clothes. “So that wasn’t a gun in your pocket,” she said with a chuckle.
He lay a pillow down in front of her and flipped her onto her tummy, slapping her bottom hard. “You need to work on doing as you’re told,” he murmured in her ear, nudging her legs apart with his knee.
Destiny’s breath was held; she wanted him, expected him to take her then but his hand again connected with one cheek and then the other. They weren’t hard smacks like they'd been downstairs but hard enough to smart. “Justin? What the hell?”
“Hush,” he said, making the next few spanks a little harder and faster. “Just relax and enjoy it.”
“Um, I was ready to enjoy it, but then you started whacking me again,”
“Trust me,” he said, his hand resuming its rhythmic spanks. “Close your eyes.”
She did close her eyes, sighing as he rubbed gentle circles all over her bottom before starting to spank her again. Slow even spanks that felt better than she ever imagined a spanking could feel. “That’s nice,” she muttered.
“I told you.” He went back to rubbing and dipped his fingers between her puffy lips. “You certainly do like it I see.”
“Justin,” she said realizing what he meant and what he could see. “I want you inside me,” she said. I want your head up here and away from down there is what she really meant. It felt so good but she felt so— out in the open and exposed.
“If you’re sure that’s what you want.” He pressed his hardened member at her entrance. “I can’t believe we’re here again.” His hands gripped her hips hard and he surged deep inside her.
Destiny had forgotten how good it felt have this man take her like that. He covered her entire body with his own and grazed her with his stubble as he kissed her back, her shoulders, the silky soft skin at the nape of her neck.
His hands slid from her hips to cup each flattened breast. “Oh, Desi girl, I missed you so.”
“We were always so good like this,” she panted, pushing back against him, clutching his leg and urging him to go further, deeper.
“You’re getting close, baby, I can feel it.”
“I am.” Destiny squealed into the pillow as wave after wave of exquisite pleasure flittered through her. She peaked as he joined her, growling deeply against the back of her neck, filling her with his essence.
Well, that answers that, she thought with a grin. She was filled with real happiness and hope for the first time in a long time. That didn’t mean she hadn’t been happy with Sophia and their life because she had, but there was always something missing. Could this be the missing piece? If he still didn't want her, he covered it well. She looked at the man beside her, naked and tangled in her satin sheets. “You’ve grown into a very good looking grown up,” she said with a grin, “with skills.”
He chuckled. “Should I take that as a compliment or are you telling me I’m old?”
“Thirty-one isn’t old,” she said.
“So have I,” she admitted. “I think it was the lack of sex.”
“Were you serious then? You haven’t had sex with anyone else?”
“Never, you’re my one and only.”
“Wow, that’s really something. That’s a compliment I mean.”
“I guess it is, but I had Soph to look after, don’t get too much of a big head.” She gave him good natured shove.
“I doubt there’s much chance of that happening. Now, I hate to spoil the moment but we have important things we have to finish talking about. We got a little sidetracked.”
“If we must,” she said.
“I would like to tell Sophia and Lily-Grace; they should know that they’re sisters.”
That took her back a little. Talk about ruining the moment. It stood to reason, she guessed that he would want to tell Lily-Grace at some point, but it was so soon. She tried to soften what she was going to say by tracing circles down his arm with her finger tips. “Look, Justin, you can come and visit any time you like but I think we should take it slow. Sophia doesn’t know that you're her father, it may come as a shock. You can’t just jump in and change a little girl’s life like that overnight.”
“Of course not. We can tell her gently but I don’t want to leave it, Desi. I’ve been out of her life too long already. I don’t intend to leave a child fatherless,” he said. “Besides, I think she needs some help.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Destiny asked, pulling back her hand.
“It means exactly that. Her file shows that she is over precocious in some ways; she doesn’t play well with others and she doesn’t show respect for adults.”
“I hope just because you’re a principal you don’t think you’re going to turn our daughter into some kind of case study.” She was trying to keep the anger out of her voice but it wasn’t easy.
“Of course I’m not but I do want to help her. Kids need a good cop and a bad cop. They need boundaries. It makes them feel safe and secure. Even if they make a choice to do something against the rules, they know that there will be a consequence and know that consequence will make them feel safe.”
Destiny narrowed her eyes. “Are you trying to tell me that my daughter, who I might add has everything she could possibly need, doesn’t feel safe?”
“Of course not, it’s obvious that you love Sophia,” he said carefully.
“But! I definitely hear a but.”
“Okay, look I’m going to say it. There is a but, a big one. Sophia lives in a shaky world. You have tried so hard to be popular with her that you haven’t made any rules. All I’ve heard is what Sophia doesn’t like or what Sophia doesn’t want to do. Kids need a bedtime. Yes, they need to make choices but choices within boundaries set by the parents; such as choosing between cereal A and cereal B. They don’t get to decide that they’ll go to sleep at eleven thirty at night. That’s insane; how is she supposed to learn at school when she’s tired? I also think that having a sister might be good for her.”
“So everything is wrong with Sophia and it’s all my fault and everything is right with Lily-Grace because you raised her?”
“I didn’t say that, Desi,” he said softening his approach a bit. “And I’m not trying to insult you or put you down. All I’m saying is that you need to be more of a parent and less of a friend. And, I wasn’t saying that Lily-Grace was better than Soph; I meant that being the big sister might be a good responsibility for her, she might enjoy it.”
“Sure that’s what you meant. You’re criticizing the way I do everything; you haven’t stopped since you set eyes on me.”
“Desi, wouldn’t you like for Sophia to come running to the car in the afternoon, all excited because she has an invitation to a birthday party or someone wants to have a play date with her?”
“How do you know those things don’t happen?”
“She doesn’t have any friends, Desi. You make your kid into a nice person and the other people like them too. It’s as simple as that.”
Destiny was offended and she’d seen firsthand how Justin handled what he perceived to be bad behavior. That wasn’t happening at all to her child. “There is no way I’m going to allow you to spank my child,” she said.
“I would never spank a child.” He took her chin between his thumb and forefinger and made her look at him. “Spanking is for adults who slipped through the parenting crack and still don’t know how to behave, like you.”
His lips got very close to her ear, close enough that his breath sent shivers and tingles throughout her whole body. “Justin,” she squeaked.
“Sometimes, they’re just for people who like them,” he whispered.
He tried to kiss her but she pushed him away. “I think we better call it a night,” Destiny said. “I think we’ve covered everything.” She was overwhelmed with all of this and she didn't know what to do or say anymore but she needed some time to digest what had happened so far. She had been so happy and hopeful and now he’d just destroyed it all.
“If that’s what you want, Desi, I’ll leave in a minute, but there are still a couple of things I want to discuss,” he said. “The school issue has to be solved.”
“I told you, Justin, I’ll go and sort out the homeschool paperwork tomorrow, okay?”
“Not okay,” Justin said. “Look, honey, I know this isn’t going to be a popular decision but I want Sophia back in school tomorrow. She’s already missed the first day, and I want her to get back and settled in before kids have too much of chance to make friendships.”
“This is not up for discussion,” she said. “I made a promise to Sophia and I’m not going back on that. I promised her she didn’t have to go to school this year.”
“It was a silly promise, Desi, she has to go to school whether she wants to or not. Homeschooling works out just fine for some people but that isn’t at all what you were doing. You were extending summer vacation because you couldn’t deal with Sophia. I can understand that, you were doing it on your own but you’re not on your own anymore. I will help you, but this not going to school thing won’t fly with me. I will expect her there tomorrow morning or I will come and fetch her myself. If it comes to that though, after I get her settled in her class, I’ll be back to have a discussion with you, and I can guarantee you won’t like it.”
“You can’t threaten me!” she said.
“No? Then how about I make a promise? We both know how important you think those are, when it suits you, of course. Bring Sophia to school or else.”
“Do your worst, but don’t be surprised if we’ve gone out when you get here to fetch Sophia,” she said haughtily. Destiny was not about to be bullied into doing something she didn’t want to do.
“Let me make this very clear to you, Desi, you can’t hide from me. I will find you, and I will spank you. I am deadly serious about Sophia going to school. If she isn’t at school tomorrow and you take off with her, then I will call the board and tell them that Sophia is truant. It won’t bode well for you if you push me too far.”
“Get out of my house!” Destiny wanted to punch him but she knew that would only end with her once again facing downwards; this time on the bed. This man meant business and, as angry as she was, she knew instinctively that now wasn’t the time to push him any further.
She watched with absolute dismay as he stood to leave, completely unashamed at his nakedness. He actually strode to the bathroom and showered, taking his sweet time to leave. Before he turned the locked door to get out of the bedroom, he doubled back and pressed a kiss on the top of her head. “I’ll be back tomorrow night. Have a think of what you want to say to Sophia,” he said.
He walked out the door, leaving her with life as she’d known it in tatters.
* * *
“Soph, I have something to tell you and I want you to keep an open mind. Sometimes things that we think are going to be terrible turn out to be not too bad,�
� Destiny said from the spot where she had perched on the edge of Sophia’s bed. She had hardly slept. All night problems and solutions flashed through her mind but none of them were even remotely sane let alone doable. When she woke from a fitful couple of hours of rest, she had to face facts. Justin intended to make sure Sophia went to school and there was no way she could stop him. If she were honest with herself, she had bitten off a bit more than she could chew.
Sophia sighed. “You forgot to buy the chocolate pop tarts yesterday when we were at the market didn’t you?” she asked.
“This isn’t about pop tarts,” Destiny said.
“What time is it anyway?” the little girl asked, reaching for her phone.
Destiny slid the phone out of her reach. “Sophia, I know I said that we were going to do homeschooling but that isn’t going to happen.” She waited for inevitable storm that she knew was to follow but surprisingly it didn’t come.
“It’s too early for pranks, Mom,” Sophia said. “Can’t I get up in a little while, I’m tired.”
“No, not this morning, Soph. I wasn’t joking, you have to go back to school. Don’t blame me, blame the law. There was all kinds of paperwork to fill out and submit that I didn’t know about and they weren’t done, so, honey, we have to get you to school today.”
“That’s just stupid,” Sophia said grumpily. “I don’t want to go to that school and I’m not going to. I hate the law.”
“We don’t have a choice, Sophia, now get up, honey,” Destiny said. “If you’re not at school this morning, then Justin will come here and pick you up himself.”
“You would let me get in the car with a stranger?” Sophia asked, her voice laced with a mixture of shock and disgust.
How the hell did she answer this one? “Normally, no I wouldn’t but Justin…” There was no way this was going to cut it without actually telling her about their history and the fact that he was her daddy, but she had to try. “But this time I’d come with you in the car and walk all the way back. Wouldn’t you feel sorry for Mom having to walk all that way back?”
A Lie Unraveled Page 5
