From Dust

by Freya Barker

  “DEX!” I wave wildly when I see him scan the crowd at the sound of his name. Finally spotting me, a big smile breaks out on his face and with a big sigh, I settle back against Gunnar’s chest, which is shaking with laughter. Bending over my shoulder, he says for my ears only, “You are such a mom.” I elbow him in the side, but the smile on my face is beaming.

  And it’s still there moments later when Dex’s lanky body slams into me from the front, trapping me effectively in a Lucas-men sandwich.

  Dex’s laundry already swirling in the washer, it’s almost five when there’s a knock on the door. Gunnar is out back, cleaning the grill in preparation of dinner tonight and Dex is down the street at his friend’s place, regaling him with the camp stories he’s already treated us to.

  All I see is part of an arm in the narrow mottled window beside the front door. Pulling it open, I’m faced with an older, greying lady, a suitcase standing by her feet and a smile on her face. Holy fuck, I’m not ready for this—I am nowhere near ready. If I didn’t already know from the evidence she’s planning to stay a while, the voice would’ve given Gunnar’s mom away.

  “Oh, honey. So nice to meet you face to face. I see why my boy took a shining to you.”

  Before I have a chance to respond, I find myself wrapped up in arms that I bet could challenge Gunnar’s in an arm-wrestling competition.

  “Mom,” I hear from behind me as Gunnar walks up and plucks me from his mother’s breath stealing grip. “You’re early.”

  “Missing my babies,” her only explanation for showing up a week early, accompanied by a shoulder shrug before she holds out her arms to envelop her son. Despite easily towering over me, she’s still dwarfed against Gunnar’s big frame. He winks at me over his mom’s shoulder when he sees the panic on my face. I’m still trying to figure out how to get Dex’s laundry sorted and put away, as well as prepping the office/spare bedroom for his mom before dinner when she releases Gunnar, bends to pick up her bag, and moves easily past us and into the house.

  “Close your mouth, baby. Flies are gonna get in.”

  With a snap, I close my mouth and glare at Gunnar, which only seems to add to his amusement.

  “Where are my babies?” comes from inside the house as he walks in to join his mother who seems to be inspecting every corner of the downstairs. I follow closely behind after closing the front door.

  “Dex is down the street at a buddy’s house, and Emmy won’t be back until tonight,” Gunnar offers.

  “Good, gives me time to bake some of my chocolate chip cookies for dessert.”

  Gunnar just chuckles while I frantically search my mind to the last time I cleaned the oven, which was well before the kids went away on their respective trips. Shit.

  “Uhh, Gunnar?” I look for help from the man who a couple of months ago, couldn’t crack a smile, and now seems to have one permanently glued to his face. Even under the invasion of his mother a week before she was due.

  He walks over, tags me around the neck and plants a hard and wet one on my lips, making me momentarily lose my train of thought, before a chuckle, not unlike the man’s whose lips are making a feast out of my mouth, pulls me firmly back to earth. Now if only it would open up and swallow me whole. Embarrassed at having been caught by his mom, I push off his chest and stare at the floor. Almost forty-years old, and reduced to this. Mercy.

  “Yes, I can see why he’s gone over you. Damn boy is virtually giddy; don’t think I can’t remember him like this since he fed his dog kibble soaked in rum, wanting to see what he’d look like drunk. He got his wish and a spanking from his dad that had his ten-year-old butt blue for a week.”

  I couldn’t help it, I cracked up laughing at the story and the way she deadpanned it. And then, she melted me.

  “Ahhh, yes. There it is. The sound of happiness. You’ll do fine, girl. Just fine,” she says with a smile before turning on her heels and taking possession of the kitchen. Stunned into silence with her words, I again turn to Gunnar for help, but he’s just looking at me with hunger in his eyes.

  “Told you about that laugh of yours. Fuck me, even my mother can hear it.”

  Gunnar

  With mom in the kitchen, turning it into a sure disaster, and Syd upstairs, scrambling to create a ‘comfortable space’ for mom, I turn back to the cleaning of my grill. The panic on Syd’s face was priceless, finding my mother, who on her best days is overbearing, standing on the doorstep a week early. She’d had plans to rip the spare room apart and clean it top to bottom for when mom came, something she had planned on taking a week for, but now only had half an hour, tops.

  I know what has her so worried; the fact that I haven’t formally announced Syd’s living here to mom, but she doesn’t realize it’ll likely only make my mother happier.

  Suddenly guilty for leaving her to deal with mom’s early arrival by herself, I abandon the grill and go to find her. Instead of the spare room where I expected her to be, I find her face down on our bed, crying by the sound of it. Dammit. Sitting down beside her on the mattress, I rub a tentative hand over her back, trying to ignore the sight of her plump ass sticking up in the air. I thought she was irresistible before, but with the curves that have been gaining on her recently, I’ll be damned if I can keep my hands off her at all.

  “What’s wrong, Bird?”

  When she doesn’t respond, I flip her over and lean down in her tear streaked face.

  “Talk to me, Syd.”

  “I ha—had plans,” she hiccups, not giving me anything more.

  “I know you had plans, babe, but why the tears?”

  “Because she’s being so sweet to me and I don’t want her to be disappointed when she finds out I’m shacking up with her son and his very impressionable young children. AND, on top of that, I haven’t even got a spot ready for her yet.”

  Before I can set her straight, my mother comes walking into the room, unannounced. “Really mom?”

  “Oh hush,” she says, pursing her lips and her hands on her hips. Syd is doing her best to hide under the covers by now. “I could hear her crying downstairs. Now you toddle off to your grill and let me set this straight. After all, it’s my fault for coming early she’s upset anyway.”

  The groan Syd emits from behind my back has me chuckle, but I still ignore the fierce little hands digging into my sides, trying to keep me from getting up and exposing her to my mother.

  “I’m sorry, I—you didn’t upset me. I mean, I love that your early, it’s just ... Argh!” With a frustrated groan, she throws her hands in the air dramatically, setting mom laughing. Turning to me, my mother reiterates her directive.

  “Go on, get out of here. I’ve got your girl.”

  With a kiss on Syd’s forehead, I leave, turning back at the door, only to see my mom sitting on the bed in the spot I just left, stroking her hair. Yeah, she’s got her.

  A few hours later, with Syd smiling and yapping with mom in the kitchen over a cup of tea, Dex and I are shooting the shit on the deck.

  “Dad?”

  “Yeah, kiddo?”

  “Did you love mom? I mean, I was trying to remember when we all still lived in one house if you smiled that much then too.”

  Christ. My kid too? I turn to face him. “I did. I never loved her more than when she gave me you and your sister. Those days I swear I couldn’t get the smile off my face if I tried. So yes, there were times when I would smile, but Dex, your mom and I? We were hoping for different kinds of things from life and were not smart enough to discuss those before we got married and had you guys. So in the end, it just wasn’t helping you guys to live under one roof with parents who were constantly at each other’s throats. I won’t say there weren’t happy moments, because there were, but those had mostly to do with you or your sister.”

  He nods his head in a show of understanding, although I’m not sure how much of what I’m saying really hits home. I wonder what brought this on, and specifically now, but with his next words, it becomes crystal cle
ar.

  “Is it bad that I like Syd living with us better than mom?”

  “I don’t think so. If that were the case, then it would be bad of me to feel that way too and I don’t think it is. You don’t get a lot of chances to do this ‘love’ thing right, so I consider myself a lucky man. I had one woman give me the best kids in the world, and another woman whom I couldn’t love any more than I do. That’s why I smile so much; I finally have everything I want, right here.”

  Emmy’s squeals from the front of the house are a clear indication she is happy with her Grammy’s early arrival, just like Dex was. Although in his case, I don’t know whether it is his grandma, or the tray of hot chocolate chip cookies she had waiting when he walked in. Regardless, the arrival of the prodigal daughter has effectively put an end to Dex and my little man-to-man, but Dex gets the last word when he gets up and runs for the back door while shouting over his shoulder, “I love her too, you know,” before slipping inside.

  “Yeah, I know, buddy. I know,” I whisper to myself as I trudge along behind him at a much slower pace.

  The rest of the evening is spent munching on the saltwater toffee Emmy brought bags full home of—everyone but me, drinking beer, and this would be me exclusively, and listening to the kids regale stories of their two weeks away.

  “And what did you do while we were gone?” Emmy asks. Luckily the question is directed at Syd, because first thing that pops in my mind is Syd bent over every surface in the house, naked as the day she was born. Undoubtedly knowing where my mind went, she pinches my leg in silent warning before smiling at Emmy.

  “Actually, your dad took me to see Daniel,” she says brightly.

  “But isn’t he dead?” my smart son from earlier tonight has morphed back into the tactless, ten-year-old clodhopper he really is.

  “Dex!” his sister hisses, making him realize what just popped out of his mouth.

  “Oh shit! I mean shoot. Sorry Syd, I didn’t—“

  “It’s okay, bud. Yes he’s dead, but I had never been to visit his grave. I didn’t even really know where it was until your dad took me there.” She says, swallowing hard.

  “Was it sad?” Again, my filterless boy in action, and I wonder if he has that from me. Ouch.

  “Yes, it was, but it was also really good to have a place to visit him and to really say goodbye.”

  My beautiful and much too sensitive Emmy is blinking away tears. “Do you think we could come with you one time? To visit him, I mean?”

  Instantly Syd’s eyes well up, and to be honest, I feel a little soft myself. Clearing my throat to hide the raw emotions of that day welling up, I address my girl. “I think that’s a great idea, sweet girl. And I’m thinking—“ looking over at Syd, I see she’s valiantly fighting tears, “—I’m thinking Syd would love that idea too. It’s actually a beautiful cemetery with lots of mature trees and a shallow, but fast moving creek running not too far from his grave.”

  “Cool,” Dex says, but his eyes are on Syd who’s lost the battle with the tears and smiles apologetically.

  “I’ll come too, if that’s okay.”

  Every eye turns to my mom, whose chin is wobbling with the effort to maintain composure.

  “I’d really love that,” Syd says, smiling through her tears. “And I really love you all for making room for him ... or his memory, anyway.”

  “Shhhh...”

  I have my hand loosely over Syd’s mouth as she whimpers through her release on my fingers.

  It took me a while to get her mind off my mother sleeping at the other end of the hallway, but at least she’s forgotten about her ‘new rule’ of no sex in the house while Grammy is here. Yeah, right.

  Shifting slightly, I settle myself between her legs and as I replace my hand over her mouth with my lips, I slide my cock inside her tight, warm, and extremely wet pussy, groaning when my balls hit her ass. Jesus. Every fucking time it’s this good.

  With slow, deliberate strokes, I bring her back to the edge of orgasm, never losing eye-contact. Never wanting to leave the world that plays behind her eyes, or the body that welcomes me freely. And with everything that I am, I pour myself into her as she gives herself completely, clenching down on my cock until the last drop is spent.

  CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE

  Syd

  “Syd,” the voice I had missed every morning of the past few weeks is whispering in my ear. “Wanna come have Grammy’s pancakes? She makes them with chocolate chips.”

  I turn my head to look at Gunnar, but he looks to be still asleep. After the day we had yesterday, and night, he deserves to sleep a little longer.

  “Go on down, buddy. I’ll be right there,” I tell him softly, watching him sneak out the door.

  The minute I turn back the covers and slide my legs over the side, Gunnar’s arm tightens around my waist.

  “Don’t go.” His voice croaking from lack of use overnight, he peels up one eyelid before closing it again with a smile. “Okay, now you can go. I just couldn’t face waking up without seeing your face first thing. Go and eat mom’s pancakes, they’re the bomb.” Slowly he pulls back his arm, releasing me. But instead of getting up, I lean back down in bed and kiss his smiling lips.

  “I love you, Gunnar Lucas.”

  Then I get up and make for the bathroom for a quick shower, leaving Gunnar to fall back asleep, smile still on his face.

  “Morning,” Gunnar’s mom Emily is stacking pancakes on a plate. The stack’s high enough to feed all the neighborhood kids.

  After my little meltdown last night, any discomfort I might have had was long gone.

  She had come into our bedroom, basically kicked Gunnar out, and sat on the edge of my bed. I was absolutely mortified and swore I’d make Gunnar hurt for leaving me alone with her, but she grabbed my hand and told me that over the past years, she’d come to visit Portland at least twice a year and loved staying with her son and his kids because they didn’t care she was a notoriously bad housekeeper. Great cook, but lousy in the cleaning department.

  “It just never was my strength, and to be honest, for most of my married life, we lived and breathed the pub. A cleaning lady once a month to clear the cobwebs and the dust, and that was about it.”

  She smiled at me and stroked the hair that was plastered against my tear-streaked cheeks out of my face.

  “You see, Gunnar’s house is the one place where I don’t have to be anything other than who I am. Don’t have to do anything other than what I want to do. But if I’d known you had moved in...”

  At my flinch, she continues stronger. “If I’d known, I would have called first, given you a chance to do what you feel you needed to do. Even though that spare room is plenty good the way it is and I don’t care—heck, I don’t even see dust or cobwebs, or less than pristine surfaces. If everyone in this house is happy, then so am I. Now, we have some talking to do, you and I, but now is not the time. Someday though, I’d like for you to trust me enough to share some of your painful history with me.”

  The warm smile on her face had me with a fresh batch of tears running down my face and a decision to take a leap in my heart. The moment she got up to grab tissues from the bathroom, I stopped her. “Can I just tell you one thing? Actually, two things. They’re the worst things I’ve done and if you can still look at me after that, the rest will be easy.”

  Sitting back down, she grabbed my hand and simply said, “I’m listening.”

  -

  “Morning. That’s quite an impressive stack you have there,” I point out with a smile.

  “I know. I always go overboard when I do get to cook again. In Arizona, I only have a hotplate and a microwave, and my little kitchen is more set up for heating than it is cooking. Every time I visit Gunnar and the kids, I make sure to get my fix of cooking and baking. Hope you don’t mind?” She stands with the spatula raised, as if the thought just occurred to her. Not having the heart to take away her few weeks of cooking, I shake my head.

  “I don’t min
d. I mean, I love cooking, but with the time I spend in the kitchen at The Skipper preparing the daily and weekly specials, I get my fill anyway.”

  “Get out! Dino let’s you at his stove? Already? It took Viv three years before he trusted her with the simple lunch requirements. And then, only on strict instructions, and he has you create and make the specials? You must be a miracle behind the stove.”

  I shrug my shoulders. “Just caught him on a good day, I guess.”

  “Well that makes me even happier,” Emily grins widely while flipping the next batch. “Cindy was absolutely useless in the kitchen and besides, I never liked her enough to pass the traditional family recipes over to. Dino begged for years, but I just couldn’t hand them over, no matter how much I like him. These are recipes, some of which date back three generations or more, but you—I can give them to you.”

  “But I’m not—“ A flick of the spatula has me snap my mouth shut.

  “Don’t you dare say you’re not part of this family. You should know better and I don’t want to hear it.” Her mouth is drawn tight in a straight line, making it obvious there is no argument to be had. The kids each have big smiles on their faces, apparently used to their Grammy’s willfulness.

  “Well, all right then. I’d be honored.”

  “Good. Now with that settled, sit down, grab a plate and load up. I have twenty-two pancakes ready to go and at least another ten or twelve to make.” With that, she turns back to the stove, leaving me sitting with my mouth open. A stifled giggle beside me reveals Emmy slapping a hand to her mouth and beside her is Dex, who is grinning broadly. I bulge my eyes and mouth ‘Twenty-two’ at them, causing both of them to burst into fits of giggles.

  “I saw that,” Emily says, having never turned her head. I takes me two minutes to figure out she’s checking us in the reflection of the kitchen window; smiling at least as wide as Dex is.