Do Over

by Mari Carr

  “Your mother came by earlier and set this all up for us. I picked the key up from the guy yesterday when I supposed to be golfing and gave it to your mother while you were changing into the T-shirt and letterman’s jacket. I told her to leave it under the flowerpot on the front porch on her way out.”

  “My God. You thought of everything.”

  Troy shrugged. “You’ve always teased me about over-planning.”

  “I’ll never do that again. Troy, this is wonderful.”

  They walked over to the blanket and sat down. Faith filled their plates with her mother’s scrumptious homemade picnic lunch while Troy poured the wine and pushed Play on the small CD player. Neil Diamond’s “Hello Again” filled the room.

  “Another one of my CDs?”

  Troy nodded. “Snuck them out of your car a couple days ago. Kept worrying you’d realize they were missing.”

  They listened to the music, relaxing as they ate. It had been a long, busy weekend and yet Faith didn’t feel a bit tired. Instead, she was energized. She felt more alive than she had in months.

  “Jenna was conceived in this room,” Faith said as she finished the last of her potato salad and wiped her mouth on a napkin.

  “That was quite a night.”

  She laughed. “You’d just come home from Billy Tucker’s bachelor party and you were drunk.”

  “I was barely tipsy. I’d had three beers the whole night. And those were only consumed in hopes of making the women at the strip club your cousin Rodney dragged us to, look better. Never been to such a dive.”

  Faith narrowed her eyes and pretended to be annoyed. “You came home at two in the morning, crawled into bed and woke me up by putting your freezing feet on me.”

  “It was the middle of January. I was hoping you’d warm them up.”

  It was amazing to her how clearly she could recall that night. Half the time, she struggled to remember what had happened the week before and yet, she could remember the night they’d created Jenna like it happened yesterday instead of nineteen years earlier. “You pulled me into your arms and kissed me.”

  Troy nodded. “I said, ‘Let’s make a baby girl.’”

  “And we did,” she replied.

  “And we did.” The look Troy gave her was so reverent, so filled with gratitude she had to swallow past the lump in her throat. “Of course, you got pregnant during the first damn attempt, fertile Myrtle.”

  Faith laughed. “Yep, you thought you were gonna start getting sex all the time.”

  “Instead, two weeks later, I was holding your hair while you threw up your breakfast.”

  She shrugged. “Morning sickness sucked.”

  “I know you miss the kids.”

  His words caught her unaware and all she could do was nod.

  “I know I’ve been working long hours lately with the Higgins’ project. I wish I could be home more, Faith.”

  She closed her eyes, shook her head. “No, your work matters, Troy. I understand that.”

  His face darkened and she saw shades of the same anxiety he’d displayed yesterday at the diner when he looked at her engagement ring and again in the truck when he revealed his concerns about their first time. “I leave you alone too often.”

  “I’m a big girl, babe. I have lots of friends, lots of hobbies. I don’t expect you to entertain me 24/7.”

  “Even so—”

  “Even so, nothing. Troy, you’ve devoted your life to climbing the ladder in that company so you could help provide a good life for me and the kids, so you could afford to put them through college. Now you have a chance to become part owner and believe me, there’s nothing I want more than to see you accomplish that goal. I’m so proud of you, of all you’ve done. So no more about this leaving me alone too much. I’m not lonely—honest.”

  He narrowed his eyes and she knew he didn’t believe her words, so she tried to clarify them. “I mean there are times when I feel a bit alone, but that’s true of every single person on earth. I know I’ve been a bit blue lately, but my girlfriends who’ve had kids go off to college say my feelings are normal and that they’ll pass. It’s empty-nest syndrome. It’s as simple as that.”

  “Problem is I don’t ever want you to feel alone, even for a minute.”

  She smiled at his sweet words and leaned forward. “Then I guess you’re just going to have to make sure I have lots of red-hot memories to keep me warm for those times when you can’t be around.” She kissed him, knowing her words had struck a chord when Troy quickly took charge of her lips, pushing her back on the quilt and coming over her.

  They kissed for several moments, content to simply explore and enjoy each other’s mouths, lips. When Troy pulled away, he rested his forehead against hers.

  “You know, I think I can deliver on those spicy memories.”

  She grinned. “I know you can.”

  Troy looked around the room and then back at her. “Seems to me there’s no time like the present. Stay there. Don’t move.”

  He rose, standing as she reclined at his feet. As she watched, he shed his pants and boxers, but left his T-shirt on. She licked her lips when the image of his erect cock emerged from the denim and she started to rise up on to her elbows.

  He shook his head. “I said don’t move.” His voice had taken on the commanding tone of the previous night and she went wet at the sound.

  “I want to take my clothes off,” she said, when he knelt beside her. “I want to suck your cock.”

  “No, not this time.” He reached down and unhooked the button on her pants, pulling down the zipper. “Lift your hips.”

  She obeyed and he helped her shimmy her jeans and panties off as she remained lying on the blanket.

  “Roll over,” he directed. “Get up on your hands and knees.”

  She followed his directive, curious about his intentions.

  “I like the idea of fucking you from behind while we’re both half dressed.”

  Faith closed her eyes and groaned softly as his hand brushed the sensitive skin of her ass. He shifted until he knelt behind her, but he made no move to take her. Instead, he caressed every inch of her bottom and upper thighs with his hands until she was panting with need. She arched her back, hoping the position would tempt him, beckon him to proceed.

  His fingers delved between her legs and he shoved three inside her wet pussy without warning. She cried out at the shock, the glorious intensity as he roughly fucked her with the thick digits.

  “Yes,” she hissed as he pounded harder, deeper.

  “Come for me, Faith. Let me feel that pussy of yours clench against my fingers.” His words prompted the reaction and she came hard, trembling as he continued his assault, refusing to lessen his speed, the power of his fingers as they pummeled her needy flesh.

  He slowed only as her climax began to wane. His fingers left her and she felt immediate relief. He would take her now. Despite her orgasm, her body wanted the main event, wanted his cock filling her.

  When he didn’t move, she looked over her shoulder, surprised to find him studying her ass intently.

  “Troy?”

  He looked up at her, his face lined with seriousness. She thought he looked as if he wanted to say something, but instead his gaze dropped once more. This time when his fingers stroked her, it wasn’t her pussy or clit, but the tight pucker of her ass he started to rub.

  “God,” she murmured on a breathless sigh.

  “It’s been a long time since I touched you here.”

  She nodded. It had been years since they tried any of the things they’d toyed with when they’d been young and adventurous in bed. “I know.”

  “I want to try it again.”

  Her mind flashed back to the early days of their marriage. They’d experimented with pretty much everything in bed, but somewhere along the line, the kinky games gave way to sneaking in morning quickies before the kids woke up.

  His finger, still damp from her juices, wiggled on her anus and she pushed back
in invitation. “Is this another do over?”

  He shook his head. “Hard to do something over that you’ve never done before.”

  “You’ve put your finger in my ass before.”

  Troy leaned over her back, his lips grazing her ear. “I’m not going to stop with just a finger this time. I want to fuck your ass, Faith.”

  She shivered at his admission, and then struggled to respond. “Troy—”

  “Not now. Later. I want to buy you a butt plug and we’d need lubrication, lots of it, which I don’t have here. I just want you to think about it. Decide if you think that’s something you’d like to explore too. For now—” As his words drifted away, he pushed a single digit inside her tight hole. He moved forward slowly, retreating several times to gather more moisture from her pussy to ease his way. After several moments, he had it fully lodged and Faith squeezed her eyes shut, savoring the dark, compelling sensation.

  He thrust shallowly until she began moving back to meet his finger. Troy seemed to take her participation as her acquiescence and he started thrusting harder, deeper. She gasped for breath, amazed by how good he was making her feel with just a single finger in a place she would have considered off-limits. She cried out when two more of Troy’s fingers entered the dance, moving inside her pussy. She was being doubly fucked and the feeling was like nothing she’d ever experienced before. Reaching around her hip with his other hand, Troy began rubbing her clit and she disintegrated. Her body flew apart and she felt as if she’d turned into a multitude of shooting stars, each nerve-ending flashing into brilliant white light and heat and scattering around the room.

  It wasn’t until she felt Troy’s cock prodding at the entrance to her pussy that she realized once again, her husband had thrown her into a sort of orgasm oblivion. He’d fucked her unaware and she sincerely hoped he’d drive her there again. It was an awesome place.

  Troy shoved his erection deeply in one hard thrust and she trembled under the impact. Somewhere along the line her arms had given out as she now rested on her elbows, her cheek lying against the soft quilt, her ass the only part of her still up and ready for action. Troy lost no time in claiming it.

  “God, you’re sexy, Faith. You have no idea how fucking hot you look right now. All tousled and flushed. I wish—” His grip tightened on her hips and she knew he was struggling to hold back his own climax, trying to drag out their play.

  “Fuck me,” she said, lifting her head to look over her shoulder at her handsome husband. Their eyes met and she was overwhelmed by the passion etched in the lines on his face. “Take me,” she whispered. “Take me hard.”

  His jaw tightened for only a second and then his eyes drifted closed as his body took over, took her at her word. He used his large hands to pull her hips toward his as he thrust forward. It was intense, glorious, amazing. She felt herself coming again and this time, Troy came with her, calling out her name.

  Turning to his side, Troy lay down, careful to stay inside her, spooning her as they both tried to catch their breath.

  “My knees are killing me,” he said after a few minutes.

  She laughed. “Every muscle in my body is screaming.”

  Troy collapsed onto his back and she turned to face him, her arm wrapped loosely around his waist. “You think we’re getting too old for this?”

  Troy looked at her, shock written on his face. “Hell no. We’re just out of practice. But now that the kids are away at college and we have the house all to ourselves again, I intend to make sure that oversight is corrected. We just have to build up our stamina. It’s like training for a marathon. You can’t go out and run twenty-six miles the very first day. You have to work up to it.”

  “Are you planning to work up to having sex twenty-six times a day? Because if so I can tell you right now, some of those miles will be done solo.”

  Troy broke into loud laughter at her jest. “I’ll keep that in mind. Maybe we could just try for a half marathon.”

  “I’m thinking more along the lines of a 3K. You’re going to be forty-four on your next birthday. Wouldn’t want you to have a heart attack or something. How would I explain it to the kids?”

  The twinkle in Troy’s eyes told her he was enjoying their conversation too much. “Jackson would probably be damned impressed with his old man if I kicked the bucket while fucking the hell out of his mom. I mean my reputation with my son could be made.”

  Faith sat up, shaking her head. “More likely you’d put him in therapy for the rest of his life. Find another way to impress him. Besides I’m determined to drag you in to a ripe old age with me here in the land of the living. There will be no fucking anyone to death.”

  “Spoilsport.” Troy reached up, tickling her ribs as he spoke and she swatted his hands away.

  “So what’s next?”

  Troy glanced at his watch. “Well, we need to clean up all this stuff and then I thought we’d head back to the hotel and grab showers before the next stop in the anniversary tour.”

  Faith was feeling twinges in muscles she didn’t know she had and the thought of a long, hot shower sounded like paradise. “Sounds perfect.”

  They got dressed, before putting the picnic leftovers in the basket Faith’s mom had left behind for them. Faith folded up the blanket and they loaded everything into the truck. Troy locked up the house and they stood in the front yard, looking at the place they’d called home for a decade.

  “Are you sorry we left Carlysle?” Troy asked.

  Faith looked up at her husband, surprised by this question. “You had a good job with the construction company. The transfer was a promotion and raise we couldn’t turn down.”

  “That’s not what I asked. I could have found another job, Faith.”

  “We took the right path. It may have been hard at the time, but looking back, I know deep in my heart, we were right to leave.”

  Troy’s face cleared and suddenly she realized her husband had carried around the weight of the move for a long time.

  “Why didn’t you ever talk to me about these things, Troy?”

  His brow furrowed. “What do you mean?”

  “I mean, it seems like you’ve been carrying around a hell of a lot of baggage these past twenty-five years.”

  “Baggage?”

  “The engagement ring, taking my virginity, the move. Troy, our life together has been nothing short of perfect. I’ve always thought that and I thought you felt the same way.”

  Troy reached out to pull her close. He rubbed his nose against hers, his typical gesture of affection, and he grinned at her. “If you wanna know the truth, I never worried too much about any of that stuff until I started planning this anniversary weekend. You know me, Faith. I’m a man of few words. I don’t always find it easy to say what I’m thinking, let alone what I’m feeling. The letters were the easiest way for me to gather my thoughts, tell you some things I thought you should know. Thing is I started writing those letters and I started remembering things I’d forgotten. After awhile, I realized I was the luckiest bastard on the planet and I was sort of amazed you stuck with me this long.”

  She laughed at his admission. “Thank God. I was starting to worry you’d been living with all these guilt issues for years.”

  Troy pulled back and gave her an amused look. “Oh, hell no. You’re still hitched to the same caveman you’ve always been stuck with.”

  “You’re no caveman and you don’t appear to have been oblivious to anything these past twenty-five years. Heck, I’m starting to think you’re more observant than me.”

  Troy laughed, but after listening to her husband’s concerns, she felt as if she needed to make a few amends, as well. “Troy, I think I sort of lost my way these past few months. Let myself wallow in my depression over Jenna leaving without taking your feelings into account. I’m sorry about that.”

  “No apology necessary.”

  She smiled. “You know. Home has never been a physical place for me. It’s never been a specific dot on the
map. Home is anywhere you are.” She looked back at the first home she’d secretly been heartbroken to leave and she realized the truth behind those words. It hadn’t been as hard to leave Carlysle as she’d thought because she was with Troy and the kids.

  He sighed contentedly as he took her hand and led her to the car. “Ready to move on?”

  She nodded. She already had.

  As they pulled out of the driveway, Troy gestured to the photo album. “Time for the next page.”

  Faith,

  The hardest thing I’d ever had to do was tell you that the construction company was expanding and we would have to move to Parksville. Asking you to uproot from your hometown, to leave your parents and to start from scratch in a city full of strangers felt like way more than I had the right to request. You’d already given me two healthy, beautiful children and you’d worked hard to make our house on Anders Street into a home.

  After our wedding, we’d chosen to live in Carlysle because we knew it was a safe place and that we would always be surrounded by our families. We said Carlysle was where we wanted our kids to grow up. I worried for days before I could actually bring myself to say the words aloud to you.

  And, in your typical fashion (you would think I would have known better after twelve years of marriage), you smiled and said let’s go. You treated it as an adventure and I think it was your enthusiasm that made it so easy for the kids to accept. Hell, it made it easier for me to accept. All of us were nervous, afraid of what the future would bring and yet, you made certain our adjustment to a new city and our new lives was painless, easy.

  Once again, with your quiet confidence, you gave me the courage to make a fresh start somewhere else. You helped the kids adjust to their new schools, you made our new house warm almost from the first week we moved in, and you never made me feel like you were anything other than completely happy with our changed circumstances.

  You’re my home, Faith. You always have been and God-willing, you always will be.

  Love,

  Troy

  Chapter Six

  When they entered the hotel, Faith dropped down on the bed and closed her eyes. “What a weekend.”