Beautifully Done

by Riley Mackenzie

  “His smile and those eyes, they were a daily reminder of everything I left behind. I missed you all so much. You don’t know how many times I wanted to contact you. I even looked you up … you were easy to find. I saw you won Boston’s junior associate of the year.”

  She smirked and something stirred within me. She looked me up, not Chase, not her son’s brother. Damn, I wished she’d made that call. I received that stupid award years ago, around the time I heard about her dad passing. Maybe we wouldn’t have lost all this time.

  “But even with the threat to my dad gone, I couldn’t do it … I couldn’t risk Tack’s happiness. He was so well adjusted. I couldn’t risk that bastard screwing with his life. Besides so much time had passed I was sure you and Chase were settled. To be honest, a part of me was afraid you might not want me traipsing back into your lives.”

  “You could have, I wish you would have-”

  “Believe me when I tell you, there wasn’t a day that went by that I didn’t somehow weave you all into our lives. I shared an infinite number of stories with Tack. Some funny ones, some serious. But all focused on the importance of hard work—nothing comes easy, finding a passion and pursuing it, and the significance of friendship and how valuable it is. He hasn’t really met you, but trust me he already knows you.” Moisture built behind her eyes. “You know how Kimi loved Chase so much, they had this pure and selfless love that only a brother and sister could have? It was beautiful; it was something that could never be broken. I think she would have loved Tack just as much. I miss her. I wish she were here to meet her brother.”

  “She knows, Tal, I believe that.” My own eyes welled. The sheer magnitude and range of emotions released from both of us was both physically and mentally exhausting. We were spent and needed a break. This day from hell needed to be over.

  “I believe it, too. I have to. It’s gotten me through a lot of rough patches over the years. I wanted Tack to know the truth. He deserves to know he has more family than me and I don’t want him to miss out anymore. I’m done living this lie, this secret. Jack’s dead and I don’t have to and I don’t want to. I want us ... and if I made you question us before, I am so sorry, I never meant to. More than anything, I want all of us.”

  Was this her way of telling me what I’d been dying to hear? I sighed and finally breathed without the crushing pain shooting through my ribs. I loved this woman.

  “I think you’re going to love Tack. He’s us.” He’s you, that was enough. “All of us in one, well, not-so-small package.” I smiled for the first time tonight. Her description of her kid was adorable. He towered over her. But then again, he wasn’t really a kid anymore. She just kept rambling, nothing but pride in her eyes. “Everything. Including all our favorite obsessions. I taught him everything. Guess what his favorite candy is?” I smiled. “Yep. And guess what’s the only ice cream he’ll eat?” I smiled a little bigger. “Yep. And guess what instrument he plays?” My damn cheeks hurt. “Yep. And the craziest thing … he wants to be a surgeon.”

  “Not crazy, Teeps,” I grinned even wider. “You brainiacs all seem to stick together. Falling from the same tree and shit.”

  She laughed.

  Best sound ever.

  “I love you, woman.” It needed to be said.

  She swallowed her laughter, her eyes drinking in my every word.

  “You are it for me. I’m done. It’s been the two of you long enough; I’m squeezing my way in. Being that Tack’s gotten nineteen years of your undivided attention, I’m thinking he’s not going to mind, especially seeing how he looks at you like you hung the sun. And if he does, trust me, I’ll convince him otherwise. I’ve had plenty of practice with his personalities.”

  That beautiful smile turned to lip quivering, eyes wide and full-blown tears. I tucked her into my chest, kissed her forehead, and this time, I laughed.

  “Stop laughing.” She mumbled into my tear soaked shirt.

  I laughed harder, and it felt great. She squeezed me tighter. She didn’t need to say anything back. I knew she loved me. Some things never changed.

  “Lili’s called me twice and texted me double that. You think she’s nervous?”

  “It’s dinner.”

  “It’s more than dinner.”

  “It’s dinner, Teeps. With friends.” It was more; we both knew it. She circled the kitchen island and refilled her glass of Prosecco. She was nervous. Hell, I was nervous.

  True to her word, Talia had confessed everything to Tack the day she met him at the hospital. Well, almost everything. Some things a son never needed to know. She admitted that her greatest fear had always been that he’d resent her for growing up without a father, not to mention a sibling. All things considered, Tack handled the truth better than she expected. He was furious at first, but not with her. He was having a harder time swallowing what his mother had been through and sacrificed than accepting his DNA. Join the club, kid. Her eyes had an indescribable weightlessness when she shared his reaction. ‘I never needed a father. I never knew I missed out. I didn’t care, you were more than enough for me, Mom, and still are.’ She described Tack as overprotective when it came to her. Yeah, I liked him already. Unfortunately he wasn’t feeling as “Kumbaya” about his new extended family, especially after the revelation that Chase was old enough to be his father. But no one could be shocked by his fiery stubborn trait; he was a half brother to Chase after all. Luckily there was female DNA shining through and he promised his mom he would think about the whole let’s-meet-and-be-one-happy-family event. This was a tough one, I felt for the kid. The whole situation sucked. For everyone involved. Tal believed he just needed a little time to digest and would eventually come around. Who was I to question? And since we both knew what would happen as soon as Chase found out, boundaries not being part of his vocabulary, I agreed to give the kid the time he deserved and keep their secret.

  The last two weeks had dragged like two months, especially since I hadn’t seen Tal since our talk. We hadn’t missed a weekend since New Year’s, but she had a speaking commitment at a medical conference, and I wasn’t able to fly out to see her. Damn work and high maintenance clients cramped my weekend. I was also stuck avoiding my best friend and his wife like the plague. Torture. Honestly speaking, I wasn’t exactly known for my ability to keep my mouth shut. I actually sucked at it. And Chase liked to remind me often how bad I sucked at it, since every time I was left alone with Lili I pretty much proved it by letting shit slip, especially that first year when they were getting to know each other. I always had good intentions, but I couldn’t help myself, diarrhea of the mouth. If I got started, shit just poured out. I liked to blame it on my livelihood. I did solemnly swear to always tell the truth, nothing but the truth, yada yada. Whatever, it all worked out in the end and now she was family. Luckily time was up, I didn’t have to worry about spilling the beans on this situation to them anymore. They were coming over tonight for dinner, Tal’s idea. She called it; enough was enough.

  I peeked down at my watch, an hour and twenty-three minutes. I tried to keep chopping, but the jasmine and mint radiating off her scrumptious body was too distracting.

  “Ace,” she whined when I slipped my garlic stained fingers under her silky robe. “I’m going to smell like garlic and ginger.” I found her mouth and tongue and took my time. “Let me go,” she mumbled into my mouth, but did nothing to push me away.

  “Nope,” I groaned back. “We have time.” Kind of. Not really. Her desire to ‘soften the blow’ involved asking Lil what their favorite foods were. I bailed on rolling my own sushi, well, because that was just dumb. With my luck I’d serve bad raw fish and everyone would wind up puking and shitting their brains out. No thanks. But I made a mean teriyaki sauce. Add in a few dumplings that I had yet to roll and we were serving a full Japanese spread. Wasn’t my first choice, nor did I think either one of them was going to stomach eating after Tal said what she had to say, but it didn’t matter. Menu prep kept Tal busy and distracted most of t
he day, now it was my turn.

  “I just dried my hair.”

  “Not a problem,” I chuckled, loving that she couldn’t turn me down, “that’s what a genital shower is for. Won’t mess up a strand.”

  She burst into laughter. “The huh?”

  I loved her laugh.

  “You’re wasting time. I’ll show you in a few.” Because that was about how long I was gonna last with her looking so sexy. Did I mention it had been two weeks? Two really long weeks. I carried her back to my room. Her giggles slowly diminished to an open jaw when she saw how hungry I was and not for a bento box. Or well—I meant not that type of box. Um, I meant for her box. Fuck, you know what I meant. She coaxed me closer, pulling me down on top of her, connecting our mouths. Damn, she was just as starved and more than ready to get down to business. I slipped the silk material down her shoulders and kissed her neck.

  “I like that you’re not dressed yet.” Her pulse quickened under my lips.

  “I should be, they’re gonna be here soon.” I nipped and sucked my way toward her tits. She arched in response. I smiled. She wasn’t worried, or at least not right this second. I continued my downward track. Her nipples peaked under my warm breath. I traced her sexy abs with my tongue and dipped below her lace underwear. She lifted her back off the bed forcing our eyes to meet. She cupped my chin and connected our mouths. “Let’s do this together.” I felt her smirk against my lips. “Saves time.” Hell yeah. She flipped her body and pushed my sweats down my thighs. “Mmm, I like that you’re commando.”

  “I need you the same.”

  “Not a problem.” She smiled, parroting my words.

  I rolled to my back and made her just as commando as me. Positioned her knees on either side of my head, I inhaled the only smell that mattered. Screw Heineken—bring on the single malt scotch. She rocked back slightly, giving me better access as she gripped me at my base. She dragged her thumb up and down my underside before swirling her tongue along the tip. Her long blonde hair brushed against my thighs as her head dipped up and down, taking my dick deeper into her mouth. An incomprehensible curse left from somewhere in the depths of my throat. I tugged her thighs back and lifted my head, starved for her taste. Forget finesse, I lapped and plunged as if it were my last meal. Her taste, her smell, the sounds of her stifled moans, the feel of her warm mouth working my cock. Sensory overload. I was so close. But there was zero chance I’d let go before her. I dragged my thumb through her wetness and back toward her tight ring. Seeking entrance, her entire body tightened and her movements stilled. Her moan vibrated against my dick and her thighs started shaking. Somehow in my frenzied haze, I made a mental note. I followed her cues and continued my assault. The ache in my balls intensified while my hips unconsciously bucked begging for her to continue.

  “Yeah, TP, I’m close.”

  Her wet hot mouth started sliding over my pulsing erection again and I felt her smooth slick walls begin to clench. I clamped down over her sweet spot and that was all either of us needed to fall over the edge. The edge where slipping over always ended in complete ecstasy. We swallowed each other’s climax without holding back, shuddering and moaning in satisfaction. The arm she was holding herself up with gave way and she rolled off of me, collapsing on her back, her hair tangled between her arm and my thigh.

  “How’s your hair?” I couldn’t help it.

  “Fuck it.” She panted.

  I burst into laughter. “That a girl.” My girl.

  She bounced back from her bliss and hopped up looking so serious, yet frazzled. “Shit, how much time do we have?” She hardly ever swore. Her eyes were glassy, her high cheeks were rosy, and her lips were a little swollen and cherry red. I loved that I made her that way. “Get up, we’ve got to hurry.”

  “What? No post sex cuddling? I’m missing out on you telling me how amazing that was.”

  “Asher,” she snapped, obviously not feeling the post cuddle.

  “Okay, okay, I’m coming. Well, not really. I already did that.” I laughed again. It was just too easy.

  “God, Ace, seriously. This is important.”

  “Just trying to keep it light, Tal.” I might have been able to erase her nerves temporarily, but they were back with a vengeance. “You go rinse off and get ready. I got this. It only takes me five minutes to shower and dress. We’ll be ready, promise.”

  “Thanks.” She smacked my lips with hers and ran toward the bathroom. “Hey, Ace?” She stopped at the jamb and turned around. “That was better than amazing.”

  She closed the door, and damn, did that smile creep up my face. Together, we had come so far. We were in a good place right now. Strike that, we were in a great place. No more secrets, no more lies. We had a few obstacles ahead—me winning Tack over being one of them, the other getting through tonight. But I knew once it was off her chest we would both feel lighter. Chase was one intense son of a bitch, but with a heart of gold when it came to those who mattered. And Tal mattered, no doubt. He’d eventually forgive. My only concern was how much of a prick he was going to be in the meantime. Best friend or not, he wasn’t getting much leeway. None, to be precise. Tal was mine. He’d just have to deal.

  I threw on a pair of shorts and sighed, running my fingers through my hair. The lingering scent knocked me right back to reality. Sex and garlic. Yup, I had a job, back to dinner prep. On second thought, I joined my woman for a quick shower.

  Talia paced the kitchen on her second glass of Prosecco when the bell rang. “I’ll come with you. It’ll be weird if I just sit in here. Or should I hang in the living room, or should I…”

  “Talia.” I interrupted her total ramble freak out. “It’s Chase. You know him. Stop it. Just come to the door with me.” I grabbed her hand and pulled her with me.

  “Hey, guys … come in.” Lili wasted no time enveloping Talia in a tight hug.

  “You look amazing. I love this.” She fingered Tal’s long necklace while grabbing a white box from Chase.

  “Thank you. What happened to not bringing anything?” Talia lips curved up finally and she took the box. Chase stood back, unreadable, watching the small talk transpire between the women.

  “We couldn’t resist. Everyone loves Mike’s cannolis.”

  “Yum, maybe we should skip dinner.” Talia smirked at me, knowing I slaved in that damn kitchen—mincing, filling and frying the damn dumplings. “Let’s go right to dessert.”

  Chase stepped around his wife. “Nice to see some things never change. Still got your sweet tooth I see.” He kissed Talia’s cheek. No one else noticed her freeze, but I didn’t miss it. “Great to see you, Tal. It’s been way too long, not that you could tell. You look exactly the same. Sorry I missed New Year’s. My wife said you guys had a great time.” Between his awkward use of the word ‘wife’ and his Tarzan grip on Lil, he looked just as uncomfortable as Talia. Hmm, maybe this wasn’t a good idea.

  “Great to see you too. I know it’s been too long. But I’m glad I’ve gotten to hang with your wife. It’s been fun to have some girl time again.” Her voice drifted when she said again. She obviously regretted it the second it slipped. If we weren’t all thinking about Kimi, we were now.

  Chase flinched but quickly recovered. “I can only imagine, especially if she subjected you to Sierra.” We all laughed. Okay, that wasn’t so bad.

  “Drinks?” I asked because I sure as hell needed a double. Everyone nodded. Good. “I’ll grab some, meet you in the living room. Go get comfortable.”

  “I’ll help you.” Tal didn’t hesitate. We both retreated to the kitchen. I popped the top off two beer bottles and grabbed the edamame and cheese tray. Tal poured Lili a glass of Prosecco.

  I stepped in front of her and kissed her forehead. “Look at me. I’m here. It’s going to be fine. Trust me.”

  “I just need to tell him. I feel like I’m acting awkward.”

  “You’ll find the right time.”

  We joined the happy couple in the living room and thank God for
small favors, we easily fell back into old times. Lili was a trooper, listening to us reminiscing. She actually encouraged us to keep talking. She loved hearing Chase stories. And there was no shortage of those. At first we subconsciously avoided stories involving Kim, but that didn’t last long. The first time we mentioned her name, the air felt heavy, but we breathed deeper and it felt … right. She belonged here, in more ways than one. The alcohol flowed and the conversation stayed light. Sensing that my woman was finally relaxed, I headed for the kitchen and finished up dinner. And since my pool table inhabited the dining room area of the loft, I set the granite-topped island that jetted between. Whatever, it worked. After all, this was technically my first dinner party. I made my second mental note of the day, after Tal enjoying anal play of course, to ask Tal if she wanted me to change out the pool table for a real table.

  “Guys, this smells delicious.” Lili stuck her face in the dish of steak teriyaki.

  “Not me.” Talia pointed in my direction. “This was all Asher’s doing.”

  “When did you become so domesticated, asshole?” Chase joked.

  He knew me. My kitchen looked great, partly because I never touched it. I hadn’t shared that cooking for Tal was a new favorite pastime, among other things.

  “Ooh, let’s toast.” Lili interrupted, waving her husband off and raising her glass. We all followed suit. “To TACK!”

  My head not-so-subtly jerked toward Talia, who had just lost all color in her cheeks. Ouch, wasn’t expecting that. Of course she wasn’t talking about Tack Tack, but it hit fast and it hit hard, covering that raw, gaping wound with a layer of unwanted salt. If my heart sunk, Tal’s must have been in her stomach. What happened to ‘To friends’? Lili must have noticed our shift. Chase was too busy gazing into his wife’s eyes. He was rod straight as well, obviously for different reasons. Old stories were one thing, but reminders of Kimi’s missing presence were another and would probably always be a trigger for him.

  “Wait, that’s the name of your old band, right?”