Drawn Deeper

by Brenda Rothert

  It was quiet in here, which was rare. Usually, there were kids underfoot when I was in Mom’s kitchen, and my brothers were often carrying on conversations over the noise.

  Mom set a glass of tea down for each of us and then started arranging cookies from her jar on a plate.

  “You don’t need to do that, Mom. Sit down and relax.”

  “I don’t mind a bit, though.”

  She put the plate of oatmeal raisin cookies down, and I took one.

  “Meredith tells me you came by yesterday,” I said, tearing the cookie in half and putting one half in my mouth.

  “I did. Of course, I wouldn’t have if I’d known she was there. I assumed when you didn’t ask me to watch the boys that you’d asked Stephanie.”

  “No, I asked Meredith first.”

  She held my gaze for a few seconds of silence.

  “I like Meredith a lot. So do the boys. She and I are together now, and I need to know if you’re going to accept it.”

  “Together? It’s only been about a month, Kyle.”

  “I didn’t say ‘married’ or anything, Mom. We’re dating, or whatever the hell people call it these days. If I come over for a family dinner, you should plan on her being with me.”

  “It’s a little sudden, don’t you think?”

  I shook my head. “The four of us—me and Meredith and the boys—we’re good for each other. I thought at first that I needed to shield them from seeing me in a relationship that may or may not work out, but that’s not right. This is life. I got knocked on my ass by my disaster of a marriage, but I’m not quitting. I didn’t know what it was like to be with someone who cared about my happiness the way Meredith does, and now I’m not giving that up.”

  She arched a brow. “Well, at least you acknowledge that it may not work out.”

  I laughed and leaned my elbows on the table. “That’s what you got out of that?”

  “I’m just concerned for you, that’s all. And I guess it’s good that Meredith and I finally got our cards on the table.”

  “What cards might those be?”

  She squirmed a little in her chair. “She called me spiteful and bitter.”

  “Uh-huh. After you said what to her?”

  She sniffed and looked away. “I’m not proud of some of my behavior, I will admit that.”

  “You know what, Mom? This can’t possibly be only about her not marrying Reed. I chose Meredith and I’m right on the edge of being completely in love with her, so if you want to see me over here, she needs to be not just allowed, but welcomed. And I think you need to think about why you’re carrying around all these hard feelings for her and figure out how to let go of them.”

  She looked down at the table. “I have been thinking about that, actually. Being around Meredith yesterday brought back memories for me.”

  “You two used to be inseparable when she was with Reed. It drove Kim completely nuts. She said she felt like the Cinderella daughter-in-law.”

  Mom laughed at that. “Well, that sounds like something Kim would say. Cinderella in diamonds and designer clothes.”

  “I don’t want to talk about Kim. My point is that you and Meredith used to be close. Can’t you see that all the things you used to love about her are still there?”

  She refilled both our glasses as I waited for her to respond. The seconds passed, and I knew she was thinking about her answer.

  “You know . . . I think that’s the problem, actually. I loved Meredith like my own daughter. Especially after her mother passed away. She was the girl I never had—inviting me out shopping and baking cookies with me—and never because she had to, but because she wanted to. When she ran out on Reed, in my heart, I felt like she was running out on me, too. Like somehow our family wasn’t enough for her.”

  The deep-set wrinkles in the corners of her eyes reminded me that my mom wouldn’t be here forever. And like the rest of us, she’d had her share of disappointments.

  “She doesn’t have many people who love her, Mom,” I said softly. “Me and the boys and her dad. That’s it. She’s still shunned and left out of things in this town, and she doesn’t deserve that. Meredith could really use you back in her corner, but the decision is on you.”

  “I’ve behaved terribly.” She shook her head and looked out the window.

  “So do better. Let’s put all this behind us.”

  She smiled. “I’d like that. You know, it did my heart good to see her with the boys yesterday. She’s very good with them.”

  “Yes, she is.”

  “Why don’t you and Meredith join us all for family dinner Friday night, then? The boys can stay after, and you two can go out and have some fun.”

  “That sounds great, Mom. Thanks.” I stood up, taking another cookie from the plate. “I’d appreciate you apologizing to her before Friday. Just to clear the air.”

  “Of course.”

  She stood up and I hugged her.

  “Oh, it’s a hell of a thing when your kids get smarter than you,” she said.

  “I love you, Mom.”

  “I love you, too.”

  I took a bite of the cookie in my hand. “These are good.”

  “Take as many as you want.”

  I grabbed a few for the road and headed for home, finally feeling like everything was falling into place.

  Meredith

  Sliding on my dark sunglasses, I pulled out of the Hobbs Auto Plaza parking lot and headed for Kyle’s house. Leaving work early for once to go be bad felt really good.

  It was early afternoon on the Wednesday after Kyle’s trip to Montana. Jordan and Eric were both at an all-day Boy Scout day camp until five, and Kyle had texted me over lunch that his afternoon office hours had been canceled due to his nurse going home sick.

  That meant we had the house to ourselves. I’d had nothing but Dickory to keep me satisfied since my erotic pelvic exam from Kyle, and I was hot and bothered for the real thing.

  Kyle’s Range Rover was in one of the three garage stalls attached to his house, and another one was open for my Jeep. I parked and went inside, finding him in the kitchen.

  He was wearing the blue scrubs that always got me going, drinking a bottle of water, and looking at something on his phone.

  “Hey,” he said, setting the phone down when I walked in.

  “Hi.”

  “I like your hair up like that.”

  “Oh, thanks.” It was just a simple, high ponytail, but one of the things I liked best about Kyle was that he complimented me on small things like that.

  “C’mere,” he said, putting a hand on my lower back and pulling me close.

  As soon as he kissed me, I felt a spiral of warmth low in my belly. It swirled and grew stronger as his lips traced their way down my neck.

  “I missed this,” he said, his voice husky.

  “Me too. God, you feel good.” I ran my hands over the slight ridges and valleys of his biceps, up to the back of his neck, and into his hair.

  He squeezed my ass and nipped at my lower lip. At the sound of my moan, he leaned his forehead on mine and spoke against my mouth, his breath hot on my skin. “You remember that thing you said you want to do? Involving my dick and your mouth?”

  “Of course,” I murmured.

  “I’ve jerked off daily to that fantasy in the shower.”

  I smiled and found the strings at the waist of his scrubs, untying them and sliding his pants and boxer briefs down.

  “Let’s make that more than a fantasy, then.”

  With a deep exhale, he pulled his shirt off over his head and tossed it to the ground as I got on my knees in front of him. It was good that his kitchen blinds were drawn because once again, we weren’t going to make it into the bedroom.

  I drew out his anticipation, licking my lips, and then teasing the head of his cock with the top of my tongue. Slowly, I unbuttoned my blouse and took it off, looking up at him through my lashes.

  He stroked his hand up and down his erection as he
watched me, his gaze hungry. I took his balls in my hand, rubbing them as I slowly took as much of his length into my mouth as I could fit.

  “Ah, fuck,” he said, groaning. “Feels so good, baby.”

  He wound a hand into the top of my hair then, taking a firm hold and thrusting himself into my mouth.

  I moaned against him, loving the force of him pounding into me. He grunted and pulled on my hair as he fucked my mouth, sounding blissfully out of control.

  The rhythm was perfect—hard and fast—and I felt him getting close to coming. I cupped his balls and tugged on them gently, making him groan loudly.

  “No,” he said under his breath, pulling himself out of my mouth. “Not yet.”

  He stood me up and unfastened my pants, tugging them down forcefully and then ripping the clasp of my bra apart.

  “Bend over,” he said in a low tone.

  I put my naked chest against his kitchen island, and within two seconds, he was buried inside me. The fullness of him was everything I needed in that moment.

  “Oh, God!” I cried. “Just like that, baby. Yes, yes . . . Ahh.”

  “I fucking love the way you take my cock,” he said, his voice strained. He grabbed the back of my neck and squeezed. “You look so goddamn sexy bent over like this for me.”

  “So the rumors are true, then,” a cold, unfamiliar female voice said. “Isn’t this a fine homecoming?”

  I looked up from the island and screamed. Kim Lockhart was standing on the other side of the room, arms crossed, staring at us.

  “What the fuck are you doing in my house?” Kyle roared.

  He pulled out of me and picked up his shirt, handing it to me, and then got his pants and stepped into them.

  “The house with the cabinets I toiled over choosing for three weeks?” Kim yelled back. “The one I brought my babies home from the hospital to?”

  “This is my goddamn house, and you know it. I bought out every penny of your equity and then some. How the hell did you get in here?”

  She shrugged one shoulder. “I just came in through the garage. It was open. But that’s not the point, Kyle. The point is why are you banging your brother’s ex on our kitchen island?”

  “My kitchen island,” he said hotly. “And my girlfriend.”

  “Jesus.” Kim gave me a look of disgust. “I couldn’t believe it when I heard you were fucking her. I had to come see for myself.”

  “Get the fuck out of my house,” Kyle said, his eyes flashing dark with anger.

  I’d never seen him get mad. Wearing only his pants, he looked like a fighter about to enter the ring. The veins in his neck stood out slightly, and he scowled at Kim.

  “I want to see the kids,” Kim said, staring up at him fearlessly.

  She was maybe five-foot two, more than a foot shorter than him. Her giant boobs were out of proportion on her tiny, tanned frame. Long, bleached-blond hair trailed all the way down her back.

  “You’d better have your attorney reach my attorney about that, as we agreed in the divorce.”

  “I miss my boys.” Her voice wavered with emotion. “It’s been a year, Kyle. I miss all of you.”

  I felt the weight of everything come crashing down on me as I silently put my clothes back on. Things had started to feel perfect in my life recently, and now Hurricane Kim was here to make it all blow up around me.

  “You left, Kim. It was your choice.”

  “I was sick. You know I was. I’ve been in rehab.”

  “I don’t give a shit if you’ve been on Mars. You don’t abandon your kids for a year without so much as a letter or a phone call.”

  “I didn’t abandon them. I knew they were safe with you. I had to get help.”

  My throat was tight as I put my purse over my shoulder and edged toward the door. I was an interloper here, intruding on family issues that didn’t involve me.

  “Don’t leave, Mer,” Kyle said, still glaring at Kim. “She’s the one who’s leaving.”

  “Mer?” Kim grimaced and looked me up and down. “You’ll just spread your legs for whichever Lockhart brother asks you to, apparently.”

  Kyle put his hands on his knees, bending down slightly and shaking his head. When he stood back up, he locked his hands behind his neck.

  “I’m calling the cops if you don’t leave,” he said to Kim. “Don’t come here ever again.”

  “We need to talk.”

  “The only talking I’m doing with you is through my attorney.”

  “Who, Reed?” She rolled her eyes. “Your brother who fucked your new girlfriend before he passed her to you?”

  She was disgusting, and so much worse than I remembered.

  Kyle took out his phone and dialed the police.

  “Really nice,” Kim said dramatically. “Fine, I’ll go.”

  She walked over to me and pointed in my face, angry tears shining in her eyes. “This is my house and my family. I was sick. How dare you come in here and—”

  Kyle moved to stand between us. “Stay behind me,” he murmured to me. “She can be violent when she’s drunk.”

  “Drunk?” Kim practically screeched. “I’ve been sober for eight months, you bastard. Eight months without a single drop.”

  Kyle turned toward me. “The cops are on their way. Just don’t engage.”

  I nodded, my heart pounding so hard I could hear it whooshing in my ears.

  “I’m going to find my kids,” Kim said, storming toward the door to the garage.

  That got Kyle’s attention. “You better not. I have sole custody, and you aren’t allowed any contact without a judge’s order or my permission.”

  “You’d deny us that?” She scrunched her face in disbelief. “After all this time, you’d deny my boys the chance to see me?”

  Kyle wouldn’t even look at her. “Have your attorney call my attorney,” he said flatly. “You knew the deal when you took the money.”

  “What money?” she said, her tone icy and disgusted. “Do you know how much rehab costs?”

  I felt the tension in the arm Kyle had around me. I wrapped my arms around his waist and pressed my cheek to his chest.

  “It’s all right,” I whispered. “I’m here.”

  I heard the sound of the door opening and closing, and then, silence.

  Kyle exhaled deeply and leaned against the kitchen counter, looking shell-shocked.

  “Are you okay?” I asked him.

  He shook his head. “I don’t . . . I can’t fucking believe she came back here. For one point two million, I thought she’d be partying on some island for the next several years.”

  “You paid her more than a million dollars?”

  “I had to.” He shrugged. “I had to buy out her equity in the house and my retirement, plus a lump sum of alimony. It would have been two million, but Reed got it down with a one-time cash payment up front.”

  “Holy crap. That’s a hell of a lot of money.”

  “I make good money. I’ll recover.”

  “I know, but . . .” I looked up at the ceiling, feeling helpless. “I just don’t understand how she can come back here and be so horrible to you after . . . everything.”

  “That’s Kim. She lives in a world that revolves entirely around her.”

  He pushed off the counter and walked across the room, hands locked behind his neck again. “I don’t know how to handle this. The boys are finally in a good place emotionally. She could ruin that so damn fast.”

  “I’m so sorry.”

  The doorbell sounded, and Kyle met my eyes across the room, looking somber. “The cops.”

  “Yeah.”

  “I’m sorry about all this, Mer. You shouldn’t have to deal with any of it.”

  I shook my head. “You shouldn’t, either. Let’s just take things one step at a time, okay? First, the police report.”

  He nodded and turned for the door, then looked at me over his shoulder. “Will you call Reed and tell him I need him or Mason to go get the boys from camp? I can�
�t risk her finding out they’re there and going to get them.”

  “Sure.”

  I took out my phone and looked up the number to Reed’s office. I already knew this phone call wouldn’t be awkward at all. There were much more important things at stake now.

  Kyle

  I’d never felt anger like this before. Though I hadn’t missed boxing much since giving it up when I graduated medical school, it was all I wanted to do right now.

  The urge to pound this rage out in a physical way, until I was too exhausted to feel it anymore, was strong.

  “Do you want me to go?” Meredith asked me.

  I turned to her, and some of the anger softened. She was visibly shaken, her brow creased and her arms crossed protectively over her chest. It was hard to decide what had been the worst for her about the past hour—being seen naked by my ex-wife while we were fucking, Kim’s bitchy comments toward her, or our experience recounting the whole thing to the cops.

  “No,” I said, putting my arms around her. “Not unless you want to go. I’m so sorry, Mer.”

  “It’s not your fault.”

  I sighed heavily, wishing I were intuitive enough to read her state of mind right now. “How are you feeling?”

  “I don’t know. Still kind of shocked, I think. And just . . . I’ve got a sense of dread.”

  “She won’t come between us. I won’t let it happen.”

  “But . . . what if she stays in Lovely? What will that mean for you? And for the boys? What if she really doesn’t have any more money? Will you be okay with that, if the boys know she’s got nothing?”

  So many questions. And they were all swirling in my mind, too.

  I turned around and resumed the pacing I’d been doing earlier around the kitchen and living room.

  “She has no legal claim to the boys,” I said, thinking out loud. “I have sole custody, and I have to think that, given her history, no judge would let her change that.”

  “What about visitation, though?”

  “It’s at my discretion.”

  She sat down on the edge of the couch, resting her elbows on her knees. “Will you tell the boys she’s here?”

  “I have to, yeah. I made a deal with them when she left that the three of us would always be straight with each other.”