“Ah huh.” I am not liking the turn this day is taking.
“I never visited anywhere outside of the five boroughs and I really like it here, the whole small-town thing. I like your Mom. Did you know I’ve been playing the piano for her summer bible camp? I feel like… I don’t know…like I belong.”
“What about us?” Now, I sound just pathetic. Somehow, I thought we got past the stage where she and I would ever split up but I guess it was all one-sided.
“Can’t we work this out?” When she glances up, the truck swerves back and forth on the road.
“Sure.” She can’t be serious. How the hell will that work?
Catching my tone, she pulls off the road and stares, mouth open, tears in her eyes. “Wait. Are you breaking up with me?”
“What? You thought we could have a long-distance relationship? Me in New York, you down here? Maybe we’ll just screw every couple of months when I come to visit Mom. That would be nice.”
Blond brows crunch together as she clenches the wheel, and drives. “You know what? Fuck you. You just don’t get it. I don’t have a job. No money. I got nada.”
“Dammit. You know I said I would take care of you. I got plenty of dough and would spend my last penny on you.”
“Right. Buy me clothes, an apartment, and what? I pay you back with sex?”
“Shit, no, that’s not what I said.”
Her foot goes down on the pedal, driving over the speed limit. “You think I’m no better than my birth mother? A whore?”
Where the hell did that come from?
“I think we should drop the subject. You’re not being rational.”
“And you are?” She wipes her nose with the back of her hand.
“More than you. What can you possibly do here?”
“I already talked to Dr. Edelstein and I can continue if I can find a good forest with natural sounds. My God, you’re the one who said this was a good place to raise a family. I happen to agree.”
“Why? Are you pregnant?” I suck in my breath. If she is, I’ll spend my last penny making sure to get joint custody.
“For heaven’s sake, no. I’m not pregnant. What the hell is wrong with you? Why can’t I want to stay put?”
Because I’m in New York, that’s why!
“I’m happy if you’re happy.” That’s the best I can do on such short notice. Fuck it all to hell. I thought for sure she was the one. I pictured us with kids, going to graduations, growing old together.
I guess I totally read her wrong.
Chapter 19
Sienna
As I drive him back home, I swallow hard and blink back tears. I thought he’d be thrilled I wanted to live in his hometown. I guess he wasn’t anywhere as into me as I thought. Sure, he would stash me in a townhouse somewhere like some kind of mistress but did he ask me to marry him?
No.
I should’ve known he never really loved me. We’re in lust which is not the kind of thing that lasts a lifetime. Why the hell did I expect him to say he’d visit me on weekends, that no matter what, we’d work it out. Isn’t that what couples do? Work things out?
At his mom’s I follow him into the house, dreading the meal.
“Hi honey.” Mrs. Quinn gives Andy a big hug at the foot of the stairs while a handsome man stands next to him with a big grin.
The two brothers thump each other on the back until the famous football player turns to me and says, “So you’re Sienna. I’m Chance. My wife, Mel is nursing the baby but will be down in a bit.”
Even though his handshake is warm and inviting, I’m a bit overwhelmed. “I’ve heard a lot about you.”
“Don’t believe any of it. The paparazzi make shit up to sell stories.”
“Don’t I know it.”
He grins. “That’s right. You would. C’mon. Mom’s got dinner on the table.”
I follow him up the stairs, Andy behind me. Already I miss his touch on my lower back, his warm chuckle, his love.
It wasn’t love, stupid. Otherwise he would want to be with you.
His mom sits us down to a meal which goes by in a blur. Our hands touch when Andy passes me the potatoes but he quickly moves away. No one seems to notice we’re not talking or are maybe too polite to say anything.
Mel and his mom chat about kids and daycare, CJ and Andy talk football, and I stare at my plate, wishing the meal would end.
“Go ahead, dear. Bring out dessert.” His mom gives me this smile, the kind of smile I would’ve died for as a kid but I’m not that foster child any more.
I’m a grown-ass adult. I made apple pie, and damn it, I’m going to serve it even if I have to shove it down his throat.
I slide back my chair, saunter over to where the pie cools on a rack, and bring it to the table. Then, I get vanilla ice cream from the freezer.
“Pie, luv?” I turn to Andy, daring him to say no.
Now I see why he wins at poker and is such a good lawyer. He smiles as if everything is okay as he holds his plate. “Why, thank you, darlin’.”
“The accent is a bit much,” I mutter as I give him the first slice with a perfect scoop that melts over the top.
CJ’s wife smiles. “I can’t cook worth a damn, ah, sorry Mom, worth a darn.”
I laugh at her honesty and confess. “I never baked anything before.”
Mrs. Quinn says, “Surely your mother taught you something.”
“Foster kid. I got room and board, lucky to get that.” When I glance up, I guess I said something wrong because all mouths drop open.
“Sorry, that’s just the way it was.”
Andy stares into my eyes for the first time since the argument and my heart thaws but more than ever, I realize if I don’t stand on my own two feet, I could end up like my mom.
CJ looks at Andy with a frown, finally realizing that something is up with the two of us. He starts to open his mouth but Mel puts her hand on his with a gentle shake of the head.
She smiles sadly at me. “The pie was perfect. It’s Andy’s favorite.”
“Excuse me.” When my ex-lover stands and leaves the table, CJ frowns at me with a question mark.
I shrug. “I told him I was staying here in the south. I thought he’d be happy.”
CJ’s chair scrapes against the floor and in a heartbeat, the athlete’s footsteps bound up the stairs. The shouting that follows makes me want to crawl into a hole and die.
Andy’s voice echoes through the whole house. “None of your goddamned business. Stay out of this, CJ.”
When Mrs. Quinn cringes, I’ve had quite enough. “I’ll be right back.”
I stomp up the stairs, into the bedroom, and face the two brothers about to come to blows. “Stop it right now, both of you. The cursing is making your mother uncomfortable.”
One of CJ’s little girls starts to cry and he mutters something to his brother about being an asshole as he leaves. When he passes by me he says, “He’ll come around.”
Don’t hold your breath.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to embarrass you.” Andy frowns, turns, and just like that disappears from my life.
I keep waiting for a text that says he made a big mistake but it never comes.
By the next day, I know he’s gone for good and the sadness is so overwhelming I can barely get out of bed but the show must go on.
After a couple weeks of work, I’m able to rent a small room over a garage and leave Andy’s mom’s house. I stuff my few outfits into a knapsack, grab my guitar, and hug Mrs. Quinn.
“Thank you. You’ve been so nice to me, even after…” I still can’t admit that me and Andy are through. “You’ve been more of a mom than I ever had.”
“Hush now. Just because my stupid lunk-head of a son doesn’t know a beautiful soul, I do. You come by for Sunday meal, understand? Me and you? We’re friends, no matter what happens between you two.”
“I will.”
I’m sure she knows I’m lying. How could I stay in the house where A
ndy grew up? Everywhere there’s reminders of him. Even though she means well, I need to start over, find my own way. Maybe, I’ll save up enough to go back to New York someday.
Chapter 20
Andy
CJ: For fuck’s sake, text her.
Me: Leave it
CJ: You got shit for brains.
Me: She doesn’t want me
CJ: Check Facebook. You’re Welcome.
I’d turn off my phone except for this tiny thread of hope Sienna will try to get in touch. I miss her snarky remarks. Hell, I’d even love to get fired. However, because she didn’t, I file a lawsuit in her behalf. She deserves something for what Olafson put her through. He was a scheming, conniving bastard but a rich one.
And Sienna married him. What does that tell you, Quinn?
Sighing, I glance at my phone after hours of tossing and turning. I haven’t slept since leaving North Carolina.
Two AM. I groan with my head in my hands and take some ibuprofen. No matter how hard I try, I see her beautiful smile, feel her warm body as she cums. I remember taking her against my truck near Tanner’s barn.
How long does it take to shut this kind of shit down? I don’t know how much more I can take. I was so sure she would move in with me or at least live close by.
I open Facebook, the same thing I’ve done every night since leaving her in the south. I’m addicted to her face and the only fix is her band’s postings. When her status changes from single to seeing someone, I don’t know what I’ll do.
Someone posted a video of her singing that damn song she wrote. While she croons, tears run down her cheeks. She stares into the camera and a stab goes straight through my heart.
Oh fuck. She wrote a new verse about loving a man so bad, she can’t go on. How that man took a bullet for her only to leave her alone and broken. I pick up my cell phone and text:
Me: Hey
It takes her so long to answer I have time to book a flight.
Sienna: Hey
Me: I’m so damn sorry
Sienna: Me 2
Me: Coming to U
Sienna: ?
Me: Call me?
My phone rings just as I finish booking an Uber to the airport.
“Hi.” I hate how her tone has lost its warmth but I’ll fix that real soon.
“I saw your video.”
“What video?”
“On Facebook.”
“I didn’t post anything… Give me a second.”
There’s a pause while her keyboard clicks so I throw a few things into an overnight bag. My flight is at five AM. I’ll just make it.
“Listen, I didn’t mean for you to see-”
“I love you.”
“What?”
“Dammit, Sienna. I’ve loved you since the moment you propositioned me in the emergency room.” I rush out the door with the phone to my ear and wait for my ride.
Her voice cracks, “Then why did you leave?”
“I’m an idiot. I thought… Oh hell, it doesn’t matter what I thought. Will you take me back?”
“Take you back, no…”
My heart drops. “Why the fuck not?”
“Because I never let you go.”
My vision blurs but by squeezing my eyes tight, I manage to keep any water from rolling down my face as she sobs on the other side of the phone.
“Don’t cry, luv. I promise. I’ll make it up to you.” If I wasn’t so stupid, she’d be in my arms instead of three hundred damn miles away. “I thought you wanted me gone from your life so you could take up with that bass player.”
“Jasper? Seriously? He’s married with three little kids. He’s crazy about his wife. What made you think that?”
What do I say? That he smiled at her and touched her arm too much? Was I so much in love that I turned into a jealous cave man? I remember ridiculing my brother for just the same kind of behavior.
“Sienna, to be honest, I’ve never been in love before. You got me all mixed up. I haven’t eaten or slept for weeks. I almost argued the wrong case in court and had to get a postponement.”
“Oh yeah? Well get this. I forgot how to spell respect. I actually spelled it R E S P C E T. It was hilarious and people thought I did it on purpose… How do you suppose we’ll handle this long-distance thing?”
“Hold that thought. My Uber is here.” I climb into the small Toyota that’s pulled up alongside the curb and show him my phone.
A bearded millennial turns and asks, “JFK?”
“Can you hurry?”
“Sure, traffic should be pretty low at this hour.” His eyes go to the road as he eases onto my narrow street.
“Okay, I’m back.” I rest into the back seat, my shoulders away from my ears, and my jaw not clenching for the first time in weeks.
“Where are you, now?” I need to keep her talking on the phone, I can’t have her changing her mind about me.
She sighs and bed springs creak. “I just got home. I found a small room over a garage in Charlotte.”
“That’s great, Sienna, really great.” Thank God, I stop myself from saying how fucking dangerous that city is.
“Nah, it’s not great but I’m still looking.”
“Maybe I can help you find something else when I get there.”
“Yeah, I would like that.”
I say a small prayer to the Big Guy upstairs for looking out for me and helping me to shut my mouth. Me and Sienna may have a long way to go but we’ll get there.
Chapter 21
Sienna
As I wait in the airport terminal, I keep checking the flight board. It says Andy landed over ten minutes ago, so, where is he? There’s a gray-haired couple, a family with five kids, and the flight crew but no sign of a gorgeous man in a suit.
Suddenly, his handsome head appears, neck twisting as he searches the area for me.
“Andy! Over here.” I wave wildly.
When our gazes connect, he grins, and jogs while I make a mad dash. At the barriers he drops his bag and I jump into his arms. Warm, demanding lips meet mine as he lifts me off the floor and twirls me in a tight embrace.
If this is a dream, I hope I’ll never wake up. Last night, we talked until the stewardess insisted he hang up. Then, I slept for a few hours, the first solid shuteye I’ve had in days.
With his hand in my hair, we kiss until someone walks by and says, ‘Get a room, you two.”
“Damn, you taste good.” The boyish grin makes my stomach do flipflops and my clit swells.
Tugging his earlobe to my lips, I whisper, “I’m dying to have you inside me.”
“Let’s go.” He throws his bag over his shoulder, grabs my hand, and with long strides rushes to the escalator. “Where to?”
“My place.” I have to run to keep pace and outside, his hand slips to the center of my back.
We kiss at the stoplight, halfway across the lot, and again at his mom’s truck.
“You keep this up, I won’t be able to drive.” My hands reach around his waist as he presses his hard need into my abs.
“Mmm. Damn, I want you. Don’t think I’ve ever wanted anything more.” He nibbles my lower lip one last time before helping me into the driver’s seat.
His mom’s Chevy rattles above sixty, otherwise my foot would’ve been a lot heavier getting to my place, especially with his palm riding up my leg.
I’m desperate by the time I pull into my parking spot, jump down, and point to my curtained window over a body shop. “This is it, home sweet home. Stairs are in the back.”
Reminding me of one hot night under the stars, he pins me against the truck, legs on either side of mine, palms at my cheeks. Heat rises above the boiling point when our lips meld. With my butt against the warm radiator, I wrap my legs around his waist.
I’m on fire.
His tongue presses through my lips and we might’ve made love right outside on the street if a bunch of teen boys hadn’t opened their windows and hooted.
“Holy fuck.” With
face flushed above his light beard, he tugs me across the street.
At the top of the stairs, his hand cups my butt and we kiss some more. When we come up for air, my quivering fingers try to place the key in the hole. Finally, the door shoots open, he ducks under the frame, and pulls me inside.
My shirt rips as it flies over my head. He presses me against my door. his lower half gyrating into me with a groan. Craving more skin, I unbutton his shirt, unbuckle his belt, and unsnap his pants. More slowly, I work the zipper over his huge bulge while he struggles with the buttons at his cuffs. Once his shirt falls to the floor, he grabs me under my butt, carries me across the room, and drops me on my twin bed.
I kick off my boots and shimmy out of my jeans while he does the same, our eyes glued to each other. My gaze slips down to his thick member, straining toward me, and my legs open of their own accord.
“Ah, Sienna. You’re so damned beautiful. I’ve dreamed of this every night we were apart.” He kneels in front of my bed, his hands slip under my knees, and he lifts.
With his palms sliding up and down my legs, I arch for more, liquid pooling at my core. His touch moves up my calves, my thighs, fingers almost to where I crave him most.
“Andy, I can’t breathe.” I gasp when his breath warms my over-sensitive clit.
“Fuck, so damn beautiful.” Wet kisses follow and his prickly beard rasps against my inner leg. Then, his whole mouth surrounds my lady-lips and his tongue laves the swollen area.
I’m so worked up, my heels dig into the bed, my muscles clench, and I fist the sheet. Holy crap, I’m going to cum.
He hisses, one finger presses into me and curls into that spot that…
“Oh shit.” I buck and stars explode behind my eyes.
He rockets up my body, rests on his elbows, and presses into my pulsing opening. When he’s deep inside me, he flips us onto his back.
“Ride me babe.” He thrusts up, I shudder over him, and he groans.
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