by Tina Martin
I sit beside him now, taking his right hand into mine. I study his dark red, bruised knuckles and rub my thumb over them. “You need to put ice on this.”
“No, I’m good.”
“Are you sure,” I ask looking at him. He still looks upset. “Trevor?” I say his name to get him to look at me. It’s the first time I’ve ever done such a thing but I feel I need to in this instance. I’m not at all nervous about looking into his eyes and I’m not focused on how attractive he is. Something is seriously wrong with this picture and I want to do whatever I can to help him fix it. “Are you sure you’re good?”
He turns away from me, thus answering my question. He’s not good. He’s upset, just as I suspected.
“You should probably go talk to him, Trevor. I know you don’t like him and clearly, he gets under your skin, but he’s still your father, and if your mother, bless her heart, finds the strength every day to forgive him, then I think you should at least try to get along with him.”
“Really? You think so, even after he called you chocolate?”
“Well, he ain’t lying,” I say, giggling. “I am chocolate.”
Trevor smiles.
“So, you’ll talk to him?”
“I guess so.”
“You may as well. I’m looking forward to having a good day with your folks tomorrow.”
“You mean with my mother. I’m sure my father is going to be busy chasing one of his hoes.”
“Really, Trevor?”
“It’s the truth.”
“That’s why you’re so angry with him, isn’t it, because he’s been cheating on your mother?”
He nodded.
“And you’ve tried talking to him about it before?”
“Many times, even as a teenager. I was in high school and had have to suffer through my mother crying her eyes out because the man she loves ain’t worth nothing. It’s why I never wanted to get married because I saw what it did to my mother—what it’s still doing to her. She’s gotten good at hiding it over the years and he’s gotten more careless. He hurts her and doesn’t care at all. What kind of man does that to a woman he’s supposed to love?”
I’m still rubbing his knuckles when I respond, “No man would do that to a woman he loves.” I look up at him to find his gaze settled on my lips. I shy away, release his hand and say, “Go talk to him.”
“I will.” He stands up and says, “Tomorrow will be better, Ellie.”
“I hope so.”
“Goodnight.”
I stand up, step in front of him and wrap my arms around him, embracing him with everything I have and with my face pressed against one of his pecks, I say, “Goodnight, Trevor.” And then he wraps his arms around me and squeezes. Oh, my goodness does he squeeze…
I’ve never been crushed in muscles before and I love this feeling. I have to literally bite my tongue to prevent myself from moaning and I feel so good with his arms around me, that suddenly, everything that happened tonight is forgiven. Everything. I’m calm in his arms. I trust that it’s a safe place and I know he’ll make an effort to make the rest of this visit enjoyable.
When we part, he looks at me, more specifically my lips and swipes the pad of his thumb across them. I close my eyes to contain the sensation of his touch, then I open them again when he cradles my face with his hands.
“I’m in the room next door,” he tells me. “You know that, right?”
“I do now.”
“If you need me for anything, don’t hesitate. Okay?”
“Okay, Trevor.”
With that, he releases me and exits the room and I return to bed, get comfortable beneath the covers and ponder over how I think my time with his family will be tomorrow. It has to be better than it was tonight. At least I hope so.
Chapter 20
Trevor
“What are you doing standing out here getting snowed on?” Trevor asked Elsie as he stepped out onto the snow-covered patio packing down snow to the wooden boards beneath his feet.
“I happen to like snow,” she said. “I like seeing it fall. How’d you know where I was, anyway?”
“Mother told me. She’s been watching you.”
“Has she?”
“Yes. She’s a lot like you. You should really get to know her.”
“Get to know her as Rachel, you mean.”
Trevor glanced up at Elsie, his eyes stalking her lips again. No, he didn’t mean as Rachel. He wanted her to get to know his mother as herself. As the woman who had enough common sense to convince him to talk to his father. And he’d taken her advice, spoken with his father last night and even though they hadn’t resolved their differences, at least he got a chance to apologize. It took a lot of pride swallowing, but he did it.
“Did you hear me?” she asked him.
Trevor brushed a melting snowflake from her nose. “Yeah. I heard you. I want you to get to know her as yourself. You’re going by Rachel, yes, but it doesn’t mean you can’t take a genuine interest in my mother.”
“Okay. I’ll do my best then, Trevor,” Elsie said, opening her gloved hands, catching snowflakes.
Trevor smiled. “She’s watching us right now.”
Elsie glanced at the window and caught Lana’s stare.
“You should kiss me,” he said smoothly.
Elsie swallowed hard. “Kiss you?”
“Yes, or hug me tight, like you did last night…whichever one you’re most comfortable with.”
“To be honest with you, I’m not comfortable with neither,” Elsie responded.
“Then, I’ll make the decision for you,” Trevor said swooping down on her lips, kissing and tasting the sweetness of her, unbothered by snowflakes drifting upon them. He didn’t wait for her to surrender her tongue before he decided to take it. He just did it, took it, and savored it along with the moans that eased from her throat. And then he cradled her face in his hands and forced her to helplessly surrender to the control he had over her mouth. He’d completely seized her as if he had ownership of her lips and tongue for that matter and he didn’t want to let up. He didn’t let up.
He placed a hand at the nape of her neck, the other alongside her jaw while he concentrated on deepening the kiss, relentlessly tasting her quivering lips as he pulled them inside of his mouth one-by-one. Then he greedily snatched both of them between his lips and somehow still managed to wiggle his tongue inside of her mouth. He’d never kissed a woman with such desperation. Such greed. Such intensity.
The kiss ended only when Elsie slipped after losing the feeling in her legs and it had nothing to do with the bone-chilling temperature. It had everything to do with the spine-tingling kiss that Trevor had delivered – a kiss so potent, it made her lose her footing on the snow-covered porch.
“I got you, baby,” he said, helping her regain her balance.
Elsie breathed in cold air as her heart pounded in her chest. “Um…was that good enough?” she asked, still catching her breath.
“What?” Trevor frowned. He wasn’t kissing her to mislead his mother as he made it seem. He was kissing her because he wanted to kiss her. He needed to know what kissing her felt like as equally as he needed to know if he could actually have feelings for a woman again. The answer was yes, but not just with any woman. It was her. Elsie.
“Trevor?”
“Oh,” he blinked. “Yes. That was perfect. Let’s go inside now. Mother’s almost done with breakfast.”
“Okay.”
“Oh, and by the way, she likes clean plates, so don’t take more than what you can eat.”
“Got it. Thanks for the warning.”
* * *
“These biscuits are impressive, Lana,” Elsie said.
“Oh, honey, I’ve been making biscuits for years. They’re nothing special,” Lana said, waving off the compliment.
“Stop being so modest, mother. You’re the best cook in western North Carolina. My mother has won several cooking competitions, El—Rachel.”
Elsie
glanced across the table at Trevor when she realized he almost called her by her real name. A half smile touched her lips. “What’s your specialty, Lana?”
“Sauerkraut.”
“Oh,” Elsie said, not expecting that response. Usually, when you ask a woman what her specialty is, she says something like chicken, homemade macaroni and cheese or banana pudding. Not sauerkraut. She didn’t eat the stuff simply because she didn’t like the name of it. “Trevor tells me you’re also a master at cooking rutabagas.”
Lana frowned. “Rutabagas?”
Trevor chuckled. “I think Rachel means brussel sprouts.”
“Oh, right,” Elsie said, mortified that she got it wrong. “Brussel sprouts.”
“Yes, honey. Those were Trevor’s favorite as a child.”
“Is that right?”
“Yep. He loved his vegetables.”
“What was Trevor like as a child?” Elsie glanced up at Trevor, watching him smile.
“He was a quiet kid. When he hit the teenage years, he was more outgoing—started to open up more. And when I say open up, Rachel, my young man was into everything. He played soccer, basketball, volleyball, he mastered chess and can figure out a Rubik’s cube in a matter of minutes.”
“Really?”
“Yes. You didn’t tell Rachel much about your past, huh, son?” Lana asked.
“Not things like that. I was so young.”
“So, what if you were young? I like hearing about your past,” Elsie said. “It’s great to know that my soon-to-be husband is a man of many talents.” She sent him a bright smile across the table, all while Lana watched. Elsie was playing her Rachel role well now that she was starting to get the hang of it.
“I have a question for you, Rachel,” Lana said.
“Yes, ma’am.” Elsie bit into a slice of crisp bacon.
“What is it about Trevor that attracted you to him?”
Oh, snap…
Elsie’s whole body tensed. She wasn’t expecting a question like this. It had completely caught her off guard. “Um, he um...” She took a breath. Just say something, Elsie. You know him. What do you like about him?
“Well, he’s adventurous.”
Lana smiled. “That he is.”
“And he’s kind. Respectful. He won’t say anything to hurt my feelings. He’s an overall good man. And he’s handsome. That’s definitely a bonus.”
“Trevor, I’ll ask you the same thing,” Lana said. “What attracted you to Rachel?”
“Oh, that’s simple.” He wiped his mouth with a piece of paper towel, then said, “El—” He caught himself yet again and continued, “Rachel is sweet. When I met her, she was having breakfast with a friend and I waved at her. She was so shy, she didn’t wave back.”
“You didn’t wave back, Rachel?” Lana asked.
Elsie smiled uncomfortably because she knew what Lana didn’t – that Trevor wasn’t relating a story of how he met Rachel. He was telling the actual story of how he met her. But why? She hid the confusion and said, “No, I didn’t. I was so nervous, Lana, I didn’t know what to do.”
“Yeah, and she didn’t know me, but I knew her,” Trevor said. “I’d seen her working while visiting one of the towers in Uptown.” It was a lie, but he couldn’t retract it now.
“What do you do for work, Rachel?” Lana asked.
Since she had no idea what Rachel did for work, she decided to tell Lana what she did. “I’m a mailroom clerk.”
“Okay. Continue, son. This is interesting.” Lana was all ears.
Trevor went on to say, “I saw Elsie coming out of the building one day, so I asked her out to dinner. She said no.”
“And your son wouldn’t take no for an answer, Lana, so he took me by the arm and demanded I have dinner with him.”
Amused, Trevor said, “I didn’t demand you.”
“Oh, yes you did. Anyway, I went and had the time of my life, even though I never thought I’d see him again.”
“You really thought that?” Trevor asked her.
“Yes. I could immediately tell I wasn’t your type.”
“But you are. You’re everything a man would want. Everything I want,” he added with a softened voice.
For a long, quiet moment, their gazes locked. Held. Elsie’s stare was one of trying to understand if what he was saying was actually true or part of the act. His was to analyze whether she took to heart what he said because he meant every word of it.
“And now, you’re getting married,” Lana said, interrupting their silent stare down. “Have you set a date?”
“No,” Elsie said. “I was thinking sometime this summer, but Trevor wants a fall wedding.”
“Aw,” Lana said, bringing her hands up to her mouth to contain her excitement. “Either would be nice.”
Elsie nodded. Marrying a man like Trevor would be nice no matter what the weather was like. She glanced up at him to see if he was going to respond to his mother. It didn’t look that way. His gaze was glued to her at the moment.
“What about your family, Rachel? Any brothers or sisters?”
“No. I’m an only child.”
“Are you close with your parents?”
“Not so much since I moved away from home. I’m originally from Boston.”
“Oh, then you’re used to the snow like we get up in these North Carolina mountains.”
“Yes. Growing up, I think I’ve made a record amount of snowmen and snow angels.”
“Yeah,” Trevor said. “In fact, she’s made so many snow angels, she’s become one of them—an angel—my sweet angel.”
“Aw,” Lana crooned, placing a hand over her heart. “So sweet.”
Elsie smiled uncomfortably, then glanced over at the bay window where she saw the snow steadily falling. The snow always reminded her of home. Of happier times with her parents. Now, they were in a weird space and she didn’t know how to get back to being the happy family they once were.
“Well, I’m going to start cleaning up a little,” Lana said. “I’ll leave you two lovebirds to yourselves. Maybe you can come up with a wedding date.”
“Maybe,” Elsie said, then glanced up at Trevor and frowned. As soon as Lana was out of sight, she whispered, “What the freak, Trevor? You left me out in the cold.”
“I didn’t. I—”
“You were staring at me while your mother hammered me with questions.”
“So what? You held your own.”
“I don’t feel like I held my own. I didn’t know how to answer—didn’t know if I was being myself or Rachel, and then you…” She narrowed her eyes. “You had the nerve to tell your mother the story of how you and I met. You were supposed to tell her how you and Rachel met.”
“No, that’s irrelevant.”
“Why? Because it’s too painful to relate? Because you’re still in love with a woman who broke your heart?”
“I’m not in love with her.”
Elsie stood up, walked over to the coffee pot and refreshed her warm coffee with more hot coffee. After she added a little more cream and sugar, she took a sip, then leaned against the counter with the cup in her hand looking at Trevor. “You’ve been different since we’ve been here,” she told him.
“No, I haven’t,” he said, biting into a buttery biscuit.
“You have. It’s like—um…I can’t even put my finger on it.”
“Because there’s nothing to put your fingers on, Ellie. Come sit down and finish eating.”
“I am finished. My plate is clean, just the way your mother likes it.”
“I’m not finished. Come sit with me.”
His request sounded demanding, yet sexy at the same time. Elsie walked over to the table and when she did, he pulled out the chair next to him. He didn’t want her sitting across from him. He wanted her within arm’s reach.
Elsie took a seat and watched him eat for a moment, thinking this could be a pastime, then asked, “So, what’s the plan for the day?”
“Mother usua
lly starts cooking around three.”
“Three? Why so early?”
“She likes to prepare big meals so she needs the extra time. While she’s busy doing that, I figured I’d take you on a hike.”
Her lips transformed into a smile. “That sounds like fun.”
“It will be. Just be sure to dress warm.”
“Yes, Sir. What time are we heading out?”
Trevor glanced at his watch. “In about thirty minutes.” He scraped up the last of his eggs.
“Then, I gotta go get ready,” she said standing. “Come get me when you’re ready to go.”
“Okay.”
* * *
“We’ll be back shortly, Ma,” Trevor said as he and Elsie exited the back door.
“Okay. Have fun, Rachel,” Lana said.
Trevor closed the door, then asked Elsie, “Ready, snow angel?”
She laughed. She had on two layers of clothes, two pairs of socks, some boots, a thick, white bubble coat, two scarves, a pair of gloves and a hat. “I’m ready. I see you’re ready to with your backpack and all. What you got in there?”
“Hey, don’t worry about all that,” he said, then smiled.
The snow had stopped for now, and the fresh layer gave the landscape a beautiful, picturesque appearance. “Where are we going?” Elsie asked. “Back here in the woods?”
“Yes, Elsie.”
“Are you familiar with these woods because I ain’t trying to run up on no bear, elk, wolf, sasquatch…nothing.”
He laughed. “Even if we do, nothing can harm you with all those clothes you got on.”
“Stop laughing at me,” she said, amused. “You told me to dress warm.”
“Yes. I didn’t tell you to put on everything you packed for the entire weekend.”
“This isn’t everything, silly.”
“Anyway, you’ll be fine. Stop worrying and just be free,” he said, looking up at the tall, barren trees. “And yes, I know these woods. Me and my father used to hike all through here.”
