by Laura Del
“I know,” I comforted him. “It wouldn’t have gotten that far.”
“I know, it’s just—” he stopped talking, but he started to rub the top of my arms. Then he leaned down, kissing me gently on the mouth.
Grabbing onto the back of his neck, I pulled him down to me, kissing him harder than ever before. He pulled back for a second, yanking my sweats and underwear off in one go. Then he lifted me up onto the counter, where I kicked my pants and panties off while taking the belt out of his jeans. He growled a little when I unzipped him, and we kissed again. This one was more longing and passionate than the others.
As quickly as he could, he pulled the protection out of his back pocket, ripped it open, placed it on, and we were off. When he went inside it felt like an electric shock, and I realized how much my body ached for his. I was vaguely aware that the microwave dinged in the background. All I was focused on was him thrusting into me, and me thrusting back.
“I love you, Patricia Anne Wyatt,” he breathed against my neck.
“I know,” I moaned as he pushed deeper inside me. I grabbed hold of his hips, controlling his thrusts, and then I could feel it coming. No pun intended.
I let out a silent cry of pleasure while he muffled his own ecstasy with my hair. We stayed like that, neither one of us wanting, nor daring, to move or speak, until Mike whispered, “Glad I wasn’t the only one who needed that.” And all I could do was laugh.
chapter
TWENTY-TWO
I woke up the next morning thinking that what happened was a dream until I looked around me to see a bunch of bodies lying on the floor with blankets and pillows. Tina was next to me on the bed and Fang was between, breathing heavily. But as soon as my eyes opened, he licked my nose. I kissed him back, getting out of bed as quietly as possible. Then I picked him up off the blanket he was laying on and took him downstairs as gently as I could.
Looking in the living room as I passed, I saw Mike was still asleep on the couch. After everything that happened with Bobby, and then us having sex on the counter, he insisted that he stay in the house so he could look after us better. But really, I thought it was just to get out of the cold rain that was coming down outside. And when I walked to the sliding glass doors, I was glad he didn’t stay outside. There was a layer of snow, at least three inches, which had covered everything during the night.
I opened the doors to the cold and the awful dark clouds above. The clouds themselves would have been fine if it didn’t feel like negative forty degrees out. I rolled my eyes and placed Fang gently out into the snow. As soon as he was on the ground, he went crazy and started galloping and playing. With his white coat, he blended in, so I gave him a minute to play, then told him to go to the bathroom, and he obeyed like a good boy.
When he trotted back inside, he was wet so I had to find a towel to dry him quickly, especially with his bandage, which needed to be changed. Rummaging through the cabinets, I found where Moms had put his medication and the extra bandages. Then after doing what I had to do in order to get him to swallow the pill, I had him sit still while I changed his gauze one handed. At last, I fed him from container in the refrigerator marked Fang. I even heated it up for him, and he thanked me by licking my cheek as I placed the bowl on the floor. It was nice to do the normal things in life again, and I relished in the tasks.
Taking a deep breath, I sat down, closing my eyes. This was the first time in days that I had a moment to myself, and I delighted in the peace. Sitting there in silence, I thought of another day of quiet, but back then, I was more nervous.
“You okay, Pat?” Madison asked as she sat next to me trying to get me to focus on the flowers that we’d gotten for my big day. We were just sitting at the kitchen table getting everything ready, and my mind was a million miles away from where it should have been. I was thinking bad thoughts. Jimmy had been distant in the few days leading up to the wedding, and I was wondering why. I was also thinking that I was going to make the biggest mistake of my life if I didn’t figure it out.
I nodded after a second or two. “Yeah, I’m fine. Just a little headache.”
She shook her head, her naturally light red hair falling into her face. She was sans broken leg and cast, and her hair was a lot shorter, but other than that, she looked exactly the same. “You are not fine,” she huffed, folding her arms. “Is this about Jim?”
I sighed. “He’s been really distant lately, and I can’t shake the feeling that something’s wrong.”
She turned her face away from me and then bent over grabbing something from under the table. “If you tell Sandy I gave you this before tomorrow, she’ll kill me, but it looks like you’re going to need it.” Mad handed me a box, and I just looked at her. “Open it,” she insisted, so I took it from her. “Then you go over to Jimmy’s and give him a little afternoon delight.” She wagged her eyebrows, and I could feel myself blush.
As I opened the present, I could feel her eyes on me. When it was torn all the way open, I looked up at her. She was smiling. Inside the box were a black lacy bra and a matching thong. Nothing else.
“Mad,” I said, shocked. “What the hell? How did you even know my size?”
She rolled her eyes. “Please. We’ve been friends forever. I think I know what size underwear you take. Now, go get dressed in nothing but that and a coat, and go over there.”
“But it’s bad luck,” I protested.
She shook her head. “Patty Melt, just do it.”
I took a deep breath and nodded. I was going to do it. And so I did. It was hot outside, which wasn’t unusual considering it was July, so I found a gray, light, knee-length jacket that my mother had bought me for my birthday and ran all the way to Jimmy’s.
He was staying in his parent’s basement until we could find a place of our own, and the basement stairs just happened to be around the back of the house. As a result, I walked around, pulling my hair up in a ponytail in the process. He always liked it when he could take my hair down, and I wanted to do anything so he would at least talk to me about what was bothering him. Sex was secondary.
Placing my best smile on, I walked down the stairs ready for anything. Except, when I got to the bottom, I heard some noises from inside. A female voice screamed, “James! Oh, James!”
I slammed the door open to find Jim and my sister in a very compromising position. He looked over at me, and his eyes grew wide. He said something like “shit” and scrambled to get his clothes on while my sister just laid there smiling at me. I remembered he came toward me with his boxers on, but I backed up the stairs and threw up in the trashcan by the railing.
He was saying something beside me, but I never heard him, and when I finally looked up, he said, “You had to have known this was coming, Pat. I mean, I need a woman, not a blueberry.”
I looked down at myself, feeling the anger course through me. Before taking his ring off, I did something that I promised myself I would never do again. I opened the jacket up, showing him what was underneath, and his eyes widened. “Does that look like a blueberry to you?” I asked, and I could see that he wanted me, even though he’d just had my sister. He walked closer, but I buttoned the jacket back up, slapping him across the face. Then I threw his ring in the garbage along with my vomit.
Running home, I cried. Making my way through the front door, I sank to the floor. My mother rushed over, asking me, and then begging me, to tell her what was wrong. I just sat there next to the door, and every time I tried to bring myself to say what happened, I would crumple again. I finally managed to get out, “The wedding’s off.”
At that particular moment, my father and Bobby walked in the front door. Pops took one look at me, and he knew in an instant what was wrong. “I’m gonna kill him,” he screamed, and Bobby tried to stop him, but they were outside before I knew it. Moms ran out, trying to talk him down, but she wasn’t having much luck. Then I heard Jimmy’s voice and I stood u
p, walking out into the mess.
Jim stood there, trying to explain to my father what had happened and how he was deeply sorry. But as soon as he looked at me, and saw that I was crying, he looked away. The coward couldn’t even look me in the eye.
“Get off my property,” Pops boomed as Bobby just stood there looking confused. However, when Jessica came waltzing up, grabbing onto Jim’s arm, looking disheveled and pleased with herself, he understood.
“How could you do that to your own sister?” Bobby shouted as she stood there smiling.
“It was easy,” Jessica answered.
In that moment, my mother walked up to her, grabbed her away from Jim, and slapped her across the face. She had never hit us before that day, but the way she looked at Jessica, she would have killed her if she had the chance. “You get in that house right now, young lady,” she hissed in my sister’s ear, the smile gone from Jess’s face. Then Moms threw her toward the house, and before my sister could protest, my mother screamed, “Move!”
Jessica walked by me without a word, but I could feel the daggers she bore into the back of my head before she shut the door. I ignored her as best I could while I stared at Jim. The tears where gone, and what replaced them was so much anger that I just wanted to go up to him and punch him in the face until he felt as bad as I did. Only Bobby beat me to it. He walked up to Jim and the next thing any of us knew, Jim was on the ground, bleeding.
“You heard what Mr. Wyatt said,” Bobby yelled in his face. “Get off his property. Before I kill you.”
Jim scrambled to his feet, looking at me pathetically. Like I was going to run up into his arms and tell him that all was forgiven. “That was the first time,” he explained as if that made any difference. “I swear, Patty Melt.”
“You have no right to call me that anymore,” I said softly, but clearly, so that everyone heard. “Now,”—I stepped down off the porch—“get the fuck out of here! Go!” His face fell, and he walked out of my life.
Moms came up to me with a look that I couldn’t quite understand. “I’m sorry for cursing,” I apologized.
She shook her head, pulling me into a hug. “You say whatever you want, darling,” she soothed. “You deserve better, and right now, you deserve to be as angry or as sad as you want.” After she said that, I just cried on her shoulder for the rest of the night.
Fang licking my hand brought me back to the present, and I picked him up so he could sit in my lap. “So many horrors, Fang,” I said as I petted him. “So many memories this place brings back. It’s like my own personal haunted house.”
“It’s only haunted if ya make it, bébé,” Mike’s voice made me jump as he walk into the kitchen, stretching. Fang barked at him and then whined until Mike petted him. “Good boy,” he said as he scratched the puppy behind the ears. Then he looked up. “You feelin’ okay?”
I shrugged, and my hand started to hurt. “I could use some painkillers, if you don’t mind getting them.”
“On it.” Mike walked over to the counter and when he couldn’t find them, I pointed to the median where the bottle was. He smiled, bringing them over to me with a glass of water. Then he sat down next to me while I popped a pill. “Better?” he inquired.
I tried to smile at him, but I knew it had come off as a grimace, so I just looked outside and replied, “It snowed.”
“Yeah,” he laughed, “not a very good thing for an outdoor weddin’. What are they gonna do?”
“I don’t know. But I’m sure Pops will think of something. He’s very resourceful like that.”
Mike touched my shoulder, making me look at him. “Are ya sure you’re all right, bébé?”
“No,” I answered, shaking my head. “I have this feeling that something horrible is going to happen.”
“I’m sure it’s just the week catchin’ up to ya.”
I shook my head again. “I don’t think that’s it,” I sighed, taking a deep breath. A second later, all the girls were downstairs looking for me.
“Patty,” Tina called from the hallway, and as she walked into the kitchen, her eyes widened. “Oh,” she said, surprised, “nice to see you, Mike. How’d you sleep?” When she asked him, she winked at me, and I just rolled my eyes.
“Great,” he smiled in reply, “and yourself, Chrissie?”
“Good,” she told him and then she looked outside. “Shit!”
“I know,” I agreed.
“What is it?” Moms said in Cindy’s voice, and when she looked out the glass doors, her face fell.
“Don’t worry, Cindy,” Mad soothed her as she limped in on her crutches. “I’m sure Mr. Wyatt will think of something.”
Sandy nodded. “Yeah, Mr. Wyatt always knows what to do. Who’s this?” she asked, pointing to Mike.
“Mike Wolf, these are my friends, Sandra and Madison. Sandy, Mad, this is Mike,” I introduced them, and they shook hands.
“You didn’t tell us he was so handsome,” Mad said with a smirk toward Mike.
“You got that right,” Sandy laughed. “I think handsome is an understatement. Fuckin’ hot is more like it.” We all laughed along with her, except for Mike. He turned beat red, rubbing the back of his neck.
“Look at that,” Tina pointed out, “he’s embarrassed.”
I held up my hands. “All right, ladies, that’s enough. Poor Mike has been through hell lately. Let’s try not to make too much fun of him.” They stifled laughter, and I smiled at them. Only my friends and my mother could make a compliment seem like a joke.
After that, Moms started making us breakfast while everyone else sat down. Mike got up and insisted that he would be the one to make it. Moms tried to protest, but there is nothing like a southern gentleman literally trying to charm the pants off you, especially when he amped up the accent as Mike did.
Moms sat down at the table wagging her eyebrows at me, and I had to stifle a laugh. “Can he cook?” she whispered to me in her voice.
“I have no idea,” I answered truthfully. “I’ve never known him to, but if he says he can, I believe him.” She nodded, and we all watched.
He was actually very entertaining. He mixed and flipped, what looked like pancakes, like a pro, and he even scrambled eggs at an alarming speed. We talked about nothing in particular while we sat there almost memorized. Just when I thought he couldn’t surprise me, there he was making all of us breakfast. He even turned around and winked at me a few times.
It started to smell incredible in the kitchen when there was a clatter in the garage. We jerked around in our seats, and Fang growled. I handed him to my mother, getting up to see who it was. Mike started to walk toward me, but I held up my good hand, and he stayed. As I walked over to where the sound came from, the clattering grew louder. My heart was beating in my ears, and I held my breath as I opened the door. I turned on the light quickly and saw my father, rummaging through his tools.
“Pops?” I said, and he looked up at me, swaying a little. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine,” he slurred, going back to looking through his stuff.
I watched him for a second as he tilted back and forth, and then he dropped something on his foot and laughed. My father was drunk. “Oh my God,” I sighed. “Pops,” I shouted. “Come inside, it’s freezing in here.”
“I gotta find sumthin’,” he said belligerently.
“Cindy,” I called her, “could you come over here. Now.”
Moms put Fang down on the floor, and he sat by her chair as she walked over to me. “Yeah,” she said as Cindy, “what is…” her voice trailed away, and her mouth dropped open. “You have got to be kidding me,” Moms hissed in her normal voice. “Richard,” she switched her voice back to Cindy’s like it was nothing, “what are you doing, sweetie?”
“There’s my girl,” he yelled, pointing at her. And then he pointed at me. “You’re boths my girls. I was lookin�
� for a present that I bought Pat, can’t seem to find it.” With every word, he became harder to understand.
Sandy walked up behind us, looking at my father, who was smiling like an idiot at the three of us. “Is he…” she paused for a second, “drunk?”
“As a skunk,” I added.
“I’m tryin’ a keep the vampires away from my baby girl,” Pops blurted, and my eyes widened.
Sandy just laughed. “I think he’s a bit drunker than that.”
“Mr. Wyatt,” I heard Mike say from beside Cindy/Moms, “I think ya need to come in now so we can get some coffee into ya.”
Pops eyes narrowed. “You. You took care of my daughter, and she loves ya, so I have to not hit you, but I wanna, you werewolf.”
“Jesus Christ,” Sandy sighed, “he’s wasted.”
“What are we gonna do?” Mad asked, hobbling up beside me.
“I have an idea,” I said, “but we have to get him in here first. Pops,” I called him, and he smiled at me, “where’s Mortimer, Bobby, and Andrew?”
He blinked slowly at me. “Hotel.”
“Okay,” I said to him and then whispered to Sandy, “Get them on the phone. We need to have a meeting.”
She nodded. “On it. Hopefully, Bobby remembered his phone.”
“Come on in, Mr. Wyatt,” Mike beckoned as he gently pushed Moms aside. I grabbed his arm, shaking my head, but he just smiled at me. “It’s freezin’ out here, even to me. The werewolf.” He walked slowly up to my father, and Pops didn’t fight him.
“I’m gonna be sick,” Pops announced and then promptly threw up all over the garage floor.
“Well, now,” Mike laughed a little, “I bet that feels better. Now, come on, Mr. Wyatt,”—he walked my father into the house—“let’s get you some nice hot coffee and then we’ll get ya into bed.”
