by Skye Turner
I’ve never made love to anyone before. AnnaBeth is the first.
I’m in love with the woman who just tilted my entire world on its axis.
I’m in love with a woman who makes me crazy but who the thought of being without scares me more than taking on the devil himself in the bowels of hell.
Jesus, Ty. Now you’re a fucking poet?
Oh, shut the fuck up. That was the most intense thing in my life.
No matter what it takes and what people say, I can’t lose her again.
She had to feel that too… right?
That’s the once in a lifetime shit that movies are made about.
Dude, shut up. You sound like a pussy right now.
Yes, I do. But if loving AnnaBeth makes me a pussy and means I can keep doing THAT for the rest of my life… I’ll embrace it!
A drowsy, “I’m dead. I just died from pleasure,” interrupts my thoughts.
Turning my head as my chest continues to heave, I see that she’s come to.
I chuckle lightly and roll to my side. “You did experience le petite mort.”
Her eyes are as wide as saucers. The moonlight illuminates them. She exclaims, “That’s real?”
With a laugh, I hug her to me. “Apparently. You blacked out as you crested, princess.”
Slapping my chest, she coughs. “Oh my God. I passed out from sex.”
That wasn’t just sex, princess. That was the real deal. That was two souls becoming one.
Jesus, Ty! What is the shit you’re spouting?!
Keep that shit in your head or they’re going to revoke your “man card.”
Like I really even care. I am a man and I feel like beating my chest! I did that! I made love to the woman I love so completely that she passed out.
Revoke my card!?
As if! They’ll build me a fucking monument!
Ha, take that!
Jesus, I sound like an idiot. What is happening to me?!
AnnaBeth sleepily snuggles into me and her faint voice says, “You wore me out, lover. I’m beat. But I’m so… so happy.”
With the last word, she passes out.
Within minutes, I join her.
*
Light kisses on my chest wake me from the delicious dream I’m having.
Dammit! I don’t want to wake up. In my dream, I’m in bed with AnnaBeth… we made love all night and she told me she wanted to be with me, regardless of her stature and my social status. She came out to find me and she told me she wanted me.
Dammit… who am I in bed with?
Shit? Did I get drunk last night?
With serious apprehension, I open my eyes and focus on… AnnaBeth Bellaforte.
A huge sigh of relief escapes my chest.
It wasn’t a fucking dream! I’m in bed with AnnaBeth! She’s kissing my naked chest and yes, yes that is her warm hand stroking my very hard shaft.
It wasn’t a dream!
An hour later, I look out the windows at the cane field. There’s a slight breeze wafting along the tops of the cane. AnnaBeth is tracing delicate circles on my chest and my hand is lazily resting on her naked hip.
Remembering I do have to work the evening shift tonight, I roll my head and glance at the clock. 9:37AM.
I guess it’s time to get up and face the day.
A phone rings across the room. It sounds like a landline. With a sigh, AB gets up and crosses the room, not bothering to cover her nakedness. “Hello… Yes… I’m home… I answered the phone, didn’t I?… Ok… Yes, I’ll be there in about half an hour… Mom, I have something to talk to you and Daddy about… Oh, he is… Ok then, we’ll be there in about half an hour… You might want to make certain he has bourbon handy… No, I’ll be there in half an hour and everything will make sense… Ok…”
Where are WE going in half an hour? That was her mother. I gathered that much…
She told her mother to make certain her father had bourbon.
SHIT!
Are we doing this like right now then?
I’m watching her as she hangs up the old fashioned marble handled phone. I see her back straighten and once again, I can’t help but notice her perfect heart shaped ass.
Shit! Stop it, Ty. You’re about to walk into the house of people who hate you… with their daughter… who you’re in love with…
It’s never bothered you before!
Yeah, well, I was never encountering a fucking high ranking Louisiana politician and hitting him with the news that I’m screwing his perfect daughter!
No, I’m not screwing her. I’m dating her.
I love her.
He’ll just have to get over it.
AnnaBeth turns around and looks at me from beneath her lashes. She smiles sheepishly. “Ok, well that was my mom… We’re needed at the house in half an hour.”
Shit! Do they know I’m here?
Swallowing and choking down the sudden fear that I’m about to be thrown into a wolf’s den, I nod. She looks nervous enough. I don’t want to add to it. “Ok then. I need to shower.” My gaze rakes her naked perfection. “Um, so do you. I don’t think you should walk in there reeking of… well, me.”
She grins and runs her hands down her body. My breath catches. “Reeking? I do not stink, Ty Boudreaux!” I can’t talk. I just watch her as her hands trace her curves. “Stop staring at me, lover and come on.” She laughs. “The Bellafortes aren’t used to waiting on people.”
I shake my head to clear it and cuss under my breath. “Stop tormenting me then, princess. If you don’t, we’ll be late alright. Very late and you’ll walk into that house full of my semen and smelling like you’ve been freshly ravished.”
Her blue eyes go wide. She shivers and turns on her heel before heading into the en-suite bathroom. I follow her. As I walk in, she turns on the taps in the glass shower. Crooking her finger at me, she says coyly, “Come on, I need you to wash my back.”
Who the hell is the temptress and what the hell am I going to do with her?
*
AnnaBeth
Ty is quiet as he drives the short distance to the main house from my place. Looking at the dashboard, I see we have five minutes to spare. We hurriedly showered, stopping only to steal a few kisses. Then, as he ran out to his truck to grab a duffle bag he keeps in there with a change of clothes for when he goes out after work, I quickly blow-dried my hair and put on light makeup. We brushed our teeth together while staring at each other in the mirror, and then Ty pushed me against the wall and kissed me until my knees went weak.
He parks on the side of the drive under the oak trees. Reaching over, I take his hand. He squeezes my fingers and brings my hand to his mouth to kiss the top.
My heart melts.
He smiles faintly and asks, “Ready to crush your father’s dreams?”
I nod. “Yup. But he’s living his dream. It’s past time he accepts that I’m entitled to live my own life the way I see fit.”
Ty smiles at me and his eyes darken to forest green. I can’t decipher the message in them. I’m too scared to over-think it…
He nods. “You are. Everyone is entitled to live their life the way they choose to.” He opens the door and gestures for me to stay put. I do and he rounds the truck. He opens my door and extends his hand. I take it as he says, “You know he’s not going to just accept this though, right?”
I nod.
I do know that.
My whole life I’ve been the dutiful daughter. I’ve been the one who did exactly as he bid because I just wanted him to be proud of me.
But, no more.
He can still be proud of me. Ty is a good man. He’s loving and loyal. He’s hardworking and he respects me. That’s more than Stanton ever did.
He has to see that. He will see it. I’ll make him see it.
If he loves me, then he’ll respect my choice even if it isn’t what he wanted for me.
Grabbing Ty’s cheeks, I lean down and gently press my lips to his. His mouth clings to mine as he gently brushes h
is lips back and forth.
I sigh against his mouth and pull back.
With renewed courage and a sense of anticipation, I allow him to help me down and, hand in hand, we head to the house.
The door opens as we reach the porch, and if the housekeeper is surprised to see Ty with me, she hides it well. She smiles at both of us and greets us pleasantly. “Good morning, Miss AnnaBeth. Mr. Ty. It’s a pleasure to see you.” She gestures for us to enter the house. “Your parents and grandmother are out on the terrace.”
I nod and tighten my hand on Ty’s. He squeezes lightly and whispers, “It’ll all be ok. At least one person on the terrace likes me.”
I can’t help it, I laugh. I also see Mrs. Dolores smile as she overhears Ty.
As we reach the French doors leading outside, Mrs. Dolores smiles at us again. She winks. “This pleases me. Stand firm, Miss AnnaBeth. They love you. It’ll be a shock, but they love you and you deserve to be happy.”
I blink back tears as I mutter, “Thank you.”
She nods and opens the door. My parents are talking at the table and Grandma Clarabelle is watching the door. She smiles as she sees us. Both of my parents stop mid-sentence as they notice Ty and I holding hands. Their mouths drop open.
He squeezes my hand once more and we step out to face the firing squad.
My father’s mouth is opening and closing like a fish and my mother is wringing her napkin as she stares at us in disbelief. Grandma is just grinning like a fool.
Crossing the patio, we head in their direction. Ty releases my hand as I reach my parents and he rounds the table to kiss Grandma’s cheek. She pats his face and I hear her say, “Thank you, Jesus. Finally!”
She did know!
He grins down at her as I lean down to kiss my stupefied parents’ cheeks. She laughs delightedly and calls out across the table, “Close your mouth, Richmond. You look like an idiot. Rosalind, what did that damn napkin ever do to you?”
Both of my parents snap out of their stupor. Daddy sputters, “AnnaBeth… Wha—what is the meaning of this? What’s going on?” Momma clears her throat and looks from Ty to me as if she can’t comprehend what she’s seeing.
Straightening my back, I walk over to Ty and once again take his hand. Both of my parents just watch the display. Ty looks at me and smiles as he entwines his fingers with mine. His support is all I need to push forward. “Momma. Daddy. I’m seeing Ty.”
Daddy blinks and stands up so quickly, he jostles the table. He says, “Now, wait just a minute. Were you fooling around with him while you were engaged to Stanton, AnnaBeth? Is he the reason you ended your engagement?” He glares at Ty. “And you…”
I cut him off with a raised hand and a calm voice. “Daddy, sit down!” He stares at me, but doesn’t sit. “You’re going to listen to me. Don’t speak! Just listen!” He slumps back into his chair with a shocked expression. I’ve never spoken to him this way before. “Yes, I’m involved with Ty, but it’s not what you think. I didn’t cheat on Stanton with him.” My eyes waver between both of my parents. “The fact is… I was involved with Ty before I was involved with Stanton. I’d been seeing Ty in secret… for months… when Stanton proposed.”
I look at Ty and I can see the strain on his face as he hears me explain to my parents. “I cared about him. So much. Yet…” I look at my father. “I didn’t want to let you down.”
Daddy swallows and utters, “AnnaBeth…”
“No, Daddy, let me finish.” He nods, though his face has lost all color. My mother is sitting there looking horrified. “I care about Ty. I… I fell in love with him.” Ty gasps and I feel him staring at me. Turning my head, I talk to him and my parents both. “I was in love with him, but I was too scared of what you would say. You had all these plans for me… Since I was a little girl, once Tifanie made it obvious that she wanted no part of this life… it was all on me. I didn’t want to let you down. I thought that my loving Ty would upset you. So… I—I ended things with him. I broke his heart, Daddy. And in breaking his heart, I broke my own. Stanton proposed and you were overjoyed… I didn’t feel like I had a choice. So, I accepted.
“I realized right away that I would be miserable and I missed Ty so much, but I’d made a choice and I intended to stick with it, no matter how unhappy I was. But, as time went on, I realized how much I actively disliked Stanton.
“The day of your party, Grandma…” I look around the table and Grandma nods at me in encouragement and understanding. “I knew I couldn’t marry Stanton. The way he talked to Tifanie and Cruz… it disgusted me. Then he made some ridiculous comment about this being ‘our’ house and the nerve of Ty speaking to him that way… I blew up on him and left him in the sitting room. I ran out to the maze to get some air and Ty followed me.
“We fought and he screamed at me all the things I already thought about myself.” I look at him and a tear runs down my cheek. “He was so right. I was so involved in trying to be the perfect daughter, in being the daughter you wanted… I was ignoring the most important person… I was forsaking me.”
Momma is crying and Daddy’s face has no color. I push through the tears and finish with what I need to say. “I love you, Daddy, so so much. But I deserve to be happy. I deserve to live my life the way I want to. I deserve to love who I want to love… And that’s Ty. I’m going to be with him. We’re together.” I look at Ty and I can see how my words are affecting him. “He’s what I want. I ended things with Stanton and went looking for him. Against all odds… and even though I hurt him profoundly… he’s giving me a second chance.
“I’m taking it. And I’d really like it if you two would support us.
“He’s a good man, Daddy. He works hard. He’s best friends with Tifanie. Your daughter and my sister. And most importantly… he cares about me. Isn’t that what you want for me? Someone who respects me and who cares about me over someone who wants to simply be tied to the Bellaforte name?”
I stop and I feel like I’m going to faint. I’ve never spoken to my parents that way…
They don’t say anything, they just look from me to Ty and back again.
Chapter Sixteen
Ty
Wow… AnnaBeth just laid it all out there. She said she loves me.
SHE. JUST. TOLD. THE. BELLAFORTES. SHE. LOVES. ME!
AnnaBeth loves me?!
YES! AnnaBeth LOVES me!
That was rough on her. I can see how hard that was, but she was honest.
I need to be honest, too.
Terror be damned… if she can tell her parents what she feels… I need to man up, too.
I’d have preferred to tell her this first, but oh well, life’s about taking opportunities when they’re presented, right?!
Take the shot to sink the hole, Ty.
Looking down at the beautiful woman standing beside me, I feel my chest burn. I’m so fucking proud of her.
My voice comes out before I can think through what I want to say. “Sir. Ma’am.” They both look from AnnaBeth to me. “I know this is a shock to you and I apologize for waltzing in here and hitting you with this. But, I’m not going to apologize for loving your daughter.”
AnnaBeth’s breath whooshes out as she turns her exultant gaze on me. Her expression shows her complete and utter shock. Cupping both of her hands in mine, I look at her as I speak to everyone on the porch. “I love AnnaBeth. I think I’ve loved her forever. I never expected this and if someone had told me the first time that I met y’all that I’d be standing here right now… well, I’d have laughed in their face.” I look at the Bellafortes. “The truth is… I’m not like y’all. I’m a paramedic not a politician. I don’t have money by the bucketful in the bank. Hell, I don’t make in a year what y’all spend on one party. I regularly drink beer, not bourbon. I can be a jackass, but I’m hardworking and I can say I own what’s mine. I’m not into anything bad and… I love AnnaBeth. She’s the princess and I’m the pauper, but for some reason… she wants me. I can’t buy her an island, but I can
love her. I can respect her and support her. I can deal with her quirks. I love those quirks.
“I know I’m not what you expected for her, but she chose me. She chose me and I’m not going anywhere. Either you can respect it and support us, or you can’t, but know this… I’m not going anywhere.”
I finish and wait for a response. Any response. I look at the faces around the table before my gaze settles on the face of the person who matters the most. She smiles at me shyly and whispers, “You love me?”
I nod. “I do. I have for a long time, princess.”
She smirks at me and says, “You know… I love when you call me princess.”
I laugh lightly. “I thought you hated it?!”
Leaning up, she hugs me and presses a kiss on my neck, right under my ear. “I used to think you were insulting me. But now… now I get why you call me that. I love it.”
A cough breaks into our moment.
Shit! I almost forgot why we were here.
Both AB and I turn to face her parents. Her father is standing and watching us both. I assume he’s who coughed. Her hand tightens on mine as we wait for what he’s going to say. “AnnaBeth… Ty…” He looks at both of us before he looks at Mrs. Bellaforte. She nods and he turns back to the two of us.
I’m twenty-seven years old and I feel like I’m suffocating as I wait for punishment from the principal for vandalizing the gym.
He clears his throat again. “This is unexpected. First, AnnaBeth breaks her engagement with Stanton. Now, she shows up here… with you. You’re not a stranger to us. My mother adores you.” He looks over at Grandma and I turn to glance at her. She winks. He turns back to me. “However… I… we had no idea you’d been involved with AnnaBeth, son.”
He looks at AnnaBeth and his face softens. “You’re my daughter and I’m ashamed of myself that you think you couldn’t be honest with me… with us. It’s my fault. I’ve pushed you. I’ve wanted so much for you and I selfishly assumed you wanted it, too.
“I don’t want you unhappy because you’re doing what you think makes me happy, AnnaBeth. Yes, I want things for you, but the most important thing to me… to your mother and I… we want you to be happy, AnnaBeth. That’s all we want for you.”
