by N. K. Love
Last night I surfed around online, checking out what property rentals are available within a reasonable commuting distance from Next Chapter. I want to keep Jax, Wills and 24/7 nearby.
I honed in on a couple of possibilities that I think I’ll go and view, even just to get a feel for what you get for your money in rentals. The bonus being that if I rent a furnished property at first, I only have to buy the other bits and pieces I need like bedding. I’m already fighting the urge to write a ridiculously long list! Maybe even a list of lists; things to buy, things to do, people to contact…Okay, I’m not doing this now.
After packing the last of my belongings, I move my suitcases and bags to the top of the stairs just as the doorbell goes. Wills has gone to collect Sonia from the airport but they’re not due back for a while yet.
I jog downstairs expecting to find a salesman. The peephole reveals the back of a tall, stocky man.
“Who is it?”
“Smiler, it’s Will.”
I unlock the door and swing it open to welcome Wills’ dad.
“Hey you, it’s great to see you.” He hasn’t changed a bit and wraps me up a bear hug. “Come in, come in. I wasn’t expecting you… is Wills?”
We walk through to the kitchen.
“If you’re asking if Sonia knows I’ll be here, then yes, she does.”
“Sorry, just trying to work out if I need to get out of the way sooner rather than later.”
He takes a stool at the island.
“Don’t be daft.” Will nods when I point to the kettle. “So, Wills just told me you’re shacking up with your new man.” My jaw drops and I purse my lips at him. “What?”
“She definitely gets her straight talking from you, huh? And no, Mr Sedgwick, I’m not shacking up with anybody. I’m just staying with a guy until I find a place to rent.”
“Don’t go all ‘Mr Sedgwick’ on me, Smiler. Nobody’s judging here.” He holds his palms up in surrender. “You do what makes you happy. That’s what I always tell Willow. Life’s too short to live with regrets. I wish I’d realised that when I was your age—believe me.”
“Everybody has regrets, Will. That’s kind of an unavoidable trait of life isn’t it? How else do you learn and grow?”
“You’re right. If you learn from your regrets then you’re not living with them, are you? So if you have a chance to right your wrongs, I say go for it.”
“Why do I get the feeling we’re not talking about me anymore?”
“Ah-ha. I see Willow has rubbed off on you. You never used to say boo to a goose.”
“I’m getting there. Tea or coffee?”
“Tea please, no sugar.”
“I’m sweet enough.”
We chime in unison and laugh. It’s something Wills says, which she evidently also gets from her dad.
“I hope this new man of yours can handle a strong independent woman. Is he gonna come and pick you up today, so I can meet him?”
I burst out laughing at the thought of having Will vet Jax for me. I can only imagine what an impression Jax would give him.
“No he isn’t, thankfully. And quite frankly, the thought of having two testosterone pumped men eyeing each other up on my behalf—doesn’t fill me with much hope of a positive outcome.”
“I’m just saying, I’ve a knack for spotting a wrong’un—Wills gets that from me too.”
“Well then, I’m sure Wills will tell you her verdict on her own accord. He’s a good guy.”
“Is ‘good’ good enough though? Look, we both love my daughter and she loves the bones of you. You’re a sweetheart who deserves to be happy. So I don’t care who this guy is as long as he treats you right.”
“Well, thank you. That’s sweet of you. And yes, his kind of ‘good’ is more than enough for me.”
My phone starts vibrating on the island in front of Will as I bring him over his drink. He passes it to me and trades it for his cup of tea. I see Jax’s handsome face lighting up the screen and my stomach somersaults in that delicious way he is completely responsible for. It’s a selfie of the two of us sitting on the bench in his yard, with the sun beaming across our faces, but still failing to outshine our smiles.
Will looks halfway between curious and serious but I do appreciate his thoughtfulness because I know it’s completely sincere.
“I’m just gonna take this.”
Will has already zoned out, reaching for his own phone to make a call. I skip out of the kitchen and into the lounge.
A short phone call later and the excited butterflies are fluttering harmoniously around my tummy, at the prospect of driving over to Jax’s in a couple of hours. Hearing his voice always has the same girly effect on me. I feel the pull to be near him, to touch him and be surrounded by him.
That reminds me, I’ve got a cute little surprise for him that was delivered to the doorstep this morning. I may keep hold of it a while longer though. I don’t think I’ve got the patience for anything that causes me to have to hold myself back tonight. I’ve said good riddance to my period for another few weeks and I’m eager to make up for lost time. Hallelujah!
Jax only called to ask me to pick up some Guinness on the way over. Apparently, Jack is there and he’d picked up a load of ingredients for Jax yesterday but now he wants to make some kind of punch drink. The lovely thing is, he is cooking me his favourite meal tonight. He has been marinating the meat since yesterday and if it’s his favourite meal, I’ve every faith that it’s going to rock my taste buds. Then afterwards, he can rock my taste buds again.
Startling me out of my dirty daydream, Will appears in the doorway.
“Hey, you want me to bring your things down?”
“Ah yes please Will. We can take them straight into the garage and pack up the car now if that’s okay?”
I follow him upstairs and grab the smallest case whilst Will takes the heaviest. We make our way up and down the stairs over a couple trips, taking everything out to fill up the car.
Job done. I shut the boot and turn to head back inside.
“Beth, hold on a minute.” We stand on the threshold of the garage and the look on his face makes me feel nervous. Not frightened, but anxious for some reason. “I wasn’t trying to pry earlier. It’s just, I care about you. My daughter may be the life and soul of a party with plenty of friends but you’re the only true friend that she’s ever let in and kept hold of. You’re the kind that sticks for life and that means a lot to me, as a parent.”
“Well, you and Sonia sure did make a wonderful child together.”
Will looks off to the side, reflectively. The power of his presence reminds me of Jax. They have a similar energy. One that calmly states; ‘Don’t fuck with me, my power reaches way beyond strength’.
“Circumstances have meant I’ve not been in Willow’s life consistently—like I’ve wanted to. But we’re still close and I’ve never stopped watching her back, although from afar. I have eyes and ears wherever I need them to be and she’ll always be protected by me, even when she doesn’t realise it.” The way he speaks reminds me again of Jax again and the way he’s able to make me feel untouchable. “How else would she have grown up to be such a tough cookie, huh? Well anyway, I’m telling you this in confidence because part of protecting her means protecting those that she loves; you. Give me your phone.”
Mesmerised, I take my phone out the back pocket of my jeans, unlock it and put it in his outstretched hand.
“What are you doing?”
I hear his phone ring once and then he hands my phone back to me.
“Giving you my number. Now listen carefully—” God, you could hear a pin drop. I can’t help but listen when his mannerisms command my attention in some Godfather figure type way. As he’s about to continue, we hear the horn of Wills yellow Beetle honking out the front, announcing their arrival. “—I want you to call me if you ever need anything. Anything at all. Do you understand what I’m saying to you, Beth?”
“Erm… Nope.” I answer hone
stly. “Unless this is a really inappropriate and lame attempt at hitting on me…”
Will shakes his head at my sarcasm and laughs.
“Trust me, Smiler, there wouldn’t be any confusion if I was. I’m not that rusty!” I don’t doubt him for a second. “Okay. What I’m saying is that if you are ever in trouble and you need somebody, no matter how… legal your predicament, I want you to call me without hesitation. Even if you don’t want Wills involved.” My face possibly looks bewildered with a smidgen of ‘what-the-hell?’ He clearly doesn’t realise that my version of getting into serious trouble is being caught smoking a spliff. “I’m serious. Okay?”
“Hello. Beth. Dad. Where are you?”
Wills shouts from the front door, but Will still has his eyes determinedly fixed on me. He is waiting for an answer.
“Okay, Beth?”
“Yes. Okay, I understand… And thank you, I think.”
What the fuck was that? He’s talking as though danger is looming. I guess he means well and I suppose it’s handy to know if I need anything dodgy, he’s my man. Somehow I think that stretches further than buying a bit of weed too.
2:20pm
“Sonia, it was great seeing you. I’m so pleased you’re back to stay.”
She is so full of natural beauty like Wills, with her free spirited vibe that echoes through her daughter also. She really is a beautiful balance of her parents.
“Aw thanks Beth. It’s going to take some getting used to, but it feels good to be with Willow in the UK again. I think it’s what Dad would’ve wanted for me.”
Sonia stands to give me a hug, reminding me of how long it’s been since I’ve hugged my own mom. I almost get choked up, which she must sense because she gives me an extra squeeze, keeping her arm around my waist.
“And Will, always a pleasure. As you’ll be sticking around the West Midlands for a while, we can hopefully all get together soon. Maybe go for a drink or a bite to eat. I know Wills would love us to.”
“Sounds good to me Beth, especially if you’re bringing male company to even out the ratio a bit.”
I roll my eyes at his persistence as we all head out the front door.
Wills is already outside, having moved her car off the drive so that I can pull out of the garage. I’ve left some boxes in storage here. They’re not in the way and it saves me having to take them to Jax’s. It’s just ornaments, memory boxes, DVDs, photo albums, all that sort of stuff.
“Hey you, why are you crying?”
Wills is leaning on my bonnet with tears streaming down her face. I leave Sonia and Will by the door and go to give her a cuddle, which ends up nearly having me in tears again.
“I don’t know, I don’t know. Everything’s just moving fast. It’s all good though, so these must be happy tears. God, I’m going to miss you. I’ve loved having you here.”
“I loved it too and we’re closer than ever. Nothing will change that. Your mom’s here now and apparently your dad’s gonna be around for a while too…” I lean forward and whisper. “For the record Wills, your mom and dad—two words; Sexual. Chemistry.”
Wills simply widens her eyes and nods in agreement.
“I know, yeah. I knew you’d pick up on it too. All those little looks and touching, accidentally on purpose. What’s that all about? I told you they might have unfinished business but damn that was borderline Cringe City in there.”
On cue, her mom and dad make their way over to us. Sonia gives me a kiss and hug, whilst Wills squeezes me from behind and tells me she loves me. I’m caught in a spiritual peace and love sandwich.
Sonia comically drags Wills off me and they walk back down the driveway towards the road. Will gives me a half hug-half kiss on the cheek, saying discreetly, “Don’t forget Beth, any time.”
They wave me off and I shout ‘I love you’ out of the window. Now I can focus on getting to Jax’s. I’m too excited see him.
6:04pm
Jax
“Oh wow. Mmm. God Jax, this—this is so good. What are you doing to me?”
“I don’t know Angel, but if you keep talking like that, that mouth of yours is gonna get you fucked earlier than anticipated this evening.”
Beth sucks at her bottom lip unconsciously. With her fork poised halfway up to her mouth, she crosses her fingers and silently holds them up to me.
How am I supposed to eat when she’s having foodgasms like that beside me?
“Excluding you, this is the best thing I’ve ever had in my mouth.”
“I’ve warned you Beth, you won’t get to finish eating, trust me.” She flashes me a mischievous smile. “I should cook this dish more often. It’s my late grandma’s recipe, which is the equivalent to our family heirloom, it’s that precious! Curried goat, rice and peas with fried dumplings and homemade coleslaw. My all-time favourite.”
I’ve set us up to eat in the kitchen overlooking the fields and the pool. Not quite a candlelit ambience but I did pick some flowers from the garden for a vase on the table.
“This is homemade too?”
Beth scoops up some coleslaw with a piece of dumpling.
“Uh-huh. I kid you not… Pun absolutely intended.”
“Huh? Oh, kid-goat, I get it.”
Beth rolls her eyes and continues to tuck into her plate enthusiastically. I love watching her eat.
“I don’t know which I’m enjoying more; the food or the distraction of seeing you enjoy it. I didn’t realise how satisfying it is watching you eat.”
She keeps closing her eyes and rubbing her lips together. Not to mention the sounds she keeps making.
“Well, I love eating your food and I love watching you cook. I wish I’d been here to admire the view in here today.”
“Me too. But you’re here now and I’ve got you all to myself for days and days.”
“Yes, you have. So I’ve got plenty of time to drool over the way you handle yourself in the kitchen.”
“Oh, that can definitely be arranged.”
“Mmm, that too.” Beth leans over and kisses me swiftly. “But seriously though, all those chopping and stirring and kneading skills—that’s handporn at its finest. You with your inked up, veiny forearms and—”
“Wow. I didn’t realise I could get you so wet without laying a finger on you.” Beth pouts out her lips. “Okay, yes, yes I did. You know that works both ways though. Although, as I’m sure you can imagine, I’m not so keen on the whole ‘Beth wielding a knife’ routine. Just normal things like dancing, stripping, masturbating… breathing… Yeah, I’d say anything along those lines will get me hard, Angel.”
It’s the first time since we started eating that she’s paused for so long.
“Jax, don’t tempt me into letting this tasty food go cold. I’m not wasting it. So, no talking of fucking, whilst I’m tasting your cooking. Yeah, I’m a poet and I know it... Let’s just change the subject. Did your grandma teach you how to cook this? Or, your mom maybe?”
“Definitely not my mother. My grandma was a genius in the kitchen and a great teacher. Nobody quite managed to master her flavours except me. She always said I’d got her father’s flare for cooking. I haven’t cooked it in a few years but it’s soul food, so it always comes flooding back.”
I’ve loved every minute of cooking today and I wasn’t even anxious to see if Beth would like it. I already knew she’d love it. We have similar tastes in food and she always prefers spicy food so I made sure to use a large scotch bonnet pepper to give the gravy an extra lick of heat.
We eat in comfortable silence for a while, watching the ducks swooping in to land on the pool, whilst others take off on a journey to God, knows where. After what happened yesterday, it feels good to just sit back and appreciate sharing my home and myself with somebody else, with Beth. It helps reinforce my recent decisions.
“Mmm… This is so delicious. You’re a talented cook, Jax. Thanks for doing this.”
“I wanted to cook something special for you and this is the ultimat
e dish for me. I’m pleased it’s hitting the spot.”
“Oh it is. You’ve gone to so much trouble, I really appreciate it.” Beth takes a sip from her glass. “Can I ask you something?”
“You can always ask, B?”
“Will you tell me some more about your family, please? I mean, you don’t have to but I just wanted to ask.”
I understand her hesitancy but this won’t actually be as difficult as it would have been before because I’ve been thinking about them on and off throughout the day. I sigh deeply, then take a full breath in and go for it.
