Crain's Landing

by Cayce Poponea

  “When Momma called to tell me about you and Grant, I decided it was time to let Dale know about Greyson. Time to tell my momma, face to face, there would never be anything between me and Grant. Time to finally introduce Greyson to his grandma.”

  I knew exactly how she felt. Running from life when it got too hard was something I had experienced first hand. Holden would never get to have that introduction with Peyton, too much had happened.

  “So I came into town, sat down with my momma, and she yelled and screamed until I let her see Greyson. Something inside her changed instantly and she hasn’t let him out of her sight since.” She laughed as she looked in Peyton's direction, her memory giving her joy.

  “Calling Dale was a little more difficult. He admitted he had been seeing Janice and several other women. He’s even had his eyes on you.” She turned back to me with her admission. “We talked and cried, but in the end we want to be together, raise Greyson together.” Again, the smile on her face was enormous.

  “I was actually waiting on Dale last night when I saw Grant. I hadn’t intended on approaching him while I was here, but once I saw him I couldn’t avoid him.” Her hand returned to my arm, the touch warm and welcomed.

  “He finally said something about the time you rounded the first booth. He asked me what the hell I was doing there. The reaction he should have shown while you were still present,” she added with a small smile.

  “The man I left behind all those years ago was not the same man I spoke with last night. The Grant I knew was soft spoken and never let anything get to him. Your Grant, the Grant who tossed his phone against a tree in frustration, called me some pretty colorful names, and then sped away in his car.” Her amusement peaked; she found her description to be funny.

  “I know he should have handled things differently, but I caught him off guard. Once he got to his house, he called Momma’s and apologized to me. Told me he was so caught up in the moment the two of you shared, he forgot the world around him.” Her hand was patting mine. I looked to the grain of the table, embarrassed now for taking off.

  “We talked for several hours last night, I told him about Greyson and he told me about you and your daughter, Peyton. How you have been a very difficult person to get close to. I commend you for that by the way.” She took a deep breath before she removed her hand from my arm.

  “Natalie, I can see why you are angry. As a fellow mother, I would have bolted just as quick.” She paused. “But as Grant’s friend, listen to what I am saying; don’t toss away a really great man for the mistake of another.”

  Not even a minute after she finished telling me her side of the story, the doorbell rang. Peyton tried to open it, but it was too much or her. I scolded her slightly about opening the door without Mommy to help. Standing in jeans and a T-shirt was Sheriff Dale. Attached to his hip was the cutest little boy, a mini me of Dale.

  “You ready to go, babe?” Dale questioned as he held out his hand to Rebecca.

  “Just about. Why don’t you take Greyson and put him in the car. I’ll be just a minute more.” She kissed both of them and then waited until Dale was opening the car door.

  “Grant knew I was coming over to see you. I made him no promises, but said I would try. He is a good man, Natalie. Never told a soul where I really went. Even after I hurt him the way I did.”

  We hugged as she left to join her family. I waved as they drove away in his cruiser. I looked down at Peyton, who was wrapped around my right leg, her wide eyes looking back at me. She was the most important person in my world and I needed to make her as happy as possible, including giving her the best mother I could be.

  “Hey, Peyton, do you think Grant has any ice cream?”

  FINAL REMNANTS OF THE SUNLIGHT glowed dimly behind the tree line. As much as a new day dawning gave me promise of change, I hoped the ending of this day would bring me back to Grant. In hindsight, I never should have left like I did. It was a rash decision full of emotions; tiny invisible flaws which tend to rule us. In the future, I would try to have more concrete evidence before reacting.

  My first instinct was to run into his house, wrap my arms around his neck and confess how sorry I was. My father's car parked in the driveway alongside Martin and Carolyn’s, negated that idea. I pulled over to park in front of his house, instead of the driveway, avoiding blocking anyone in if they needed to leave. Peyton finally noticed we had arrived at Grant’s house and immediately began chanting, “Ice cream! Ice cream!”

  Just like this morning, I stood on the porch of a Crain home, knocking with the same apprehension. My nerves increased when I heard no movement coming toward the door. Grant’s front entrance, a solid wooden door, gave no avenue to look inside to investigate why no one was coming. I swallowed hard and captured every ounce of bravery I possessed, then I reached for the door handle. I twisted it to the right, with breath held and proverbial fingers crossed, to see if the door was unlocked. I felt as if half this battle was won as the latch released and the handle turned, allowing me to open the door.

  Now that I was inside, I could hear faint voices coming from the back of the house. With the room so still, even Peyton had grown quiet. “Let’s go find Grant,” I whispered to Peyton, reassuring myself in the process. It was my father’s voice I heard the loudest, giving me a direction where to find them.

  I traveled down the long hallway between the front door and the kitchen. I began to feel the anxiety leaving me. I couldn’t explain what was happening, almost as if the closer I got to Grant, the more my body felt alive.

  “Becca left her house nearly twenty minutes ago, should I call her?” Grant’s voice sounded like that of a man broken and bleeding. It made me feel like I wasn’t moving fast enough to get to him, comfort him and tell him everything was okay.

  I hated the sadness and worry in Grant’s voice. The prideful nature I possessed, I had to swallow hard, shoving it to the bottom of my gut. This was my doing, and I intended to do everything I could to make it right again.

  Everyone was sitting in the lounging area just off the kitchen. My father beside Martin, with Carolyn behind Grant, rubbing his shoulders, trying to ease the tension caused by my actions. Grant’s eyes were focused on the empty pasture where the horses had been the last time I visited. Carolyn’s face hard with worry, while Martin and my father, both with reading glasses on their noses, shared the screen of one of their smart phones.

  “Papa!” Peyton called, breaking the silence in the room. All eyes turned in our direction, Grant springing to his feet, his white dress shirt wrinkled and untucked. Grant was a man who prided himself on his appearance. Standing before me was the shell of the man I was falling for.

  “We wants ice cream!” Peyton announced from her spot between Martin and her grandfather, nodding her head in affirmation, her hair bouncing with the movement. Carolyn’s face finally returning to the sweet and sassy she normally wore.

  “Ice cream?” My father adds. “Don’t you have ice cream at your house?” He finishes as he beings to tickle her. “N-N-no Papa, we wants G-g-grants ice cream.” Martin got a finger into the game as she bent in his direction to get away from Dad’s tickling. Carolyn ran her hand over Grant’s shoulders as she crossed the room to join them.

  “Well, I happen to know your Papa ate all the ice cream in the house, just before you and your momma got here.” Peyton’s eyes became huge, her bottom lip protruding as she crossed her arms in a huff. “Papa!” She shouted; her tiny hands reached for his shirt. “You is ‘posta share!” Her voice rose three octaves as she climbed farther into his lap.

  “You’re correct Peyton, Papa should have waited for you.” Carolyn kneeled beside the chair, plucking Peyton from Papa’s lap. “How about we all go and get more ice cream and let Mr. Grant and Momma stay here and watch for the horses.”

  Poor Peyton was torn, as much as she loved ice cream, she adored horses. “Okay,” she finally relented after looking at the three adults before her and then to me. I watched with apprehe
nsion as Martin took Peyton from Carolyn, tossing her into the air, inducing another round of giggles.

  “Can we gets Savannah?” Peyton questioned as she hugged Martin around his neck. Carolyn placed her hand on her chest as she answered her, “Oh darling, that is a great idea. We’ll go get the other kids and all go to the ice cream shop.”

  With the horses forgotten, a new destination in her mind. How I ever thought I would be able to pull away from this family was beyond me.

  I kissed Peyton’s cheeks as Martin carried her past me. “Take my car, it has her car seat in there already.”

  Carolyn stopped abruptly and turned, glaring at me. She raised her finger in my direction. “Natalie Elizabeth, I’m going to ignore what you just said. Implying I wouldn’t have a car seat in my car for my grandbabies.” She turned back and walked in the direction of the door, pausing only when she was about to leave to look over her shoulder, send me a wink, and mouthed the words “good luck.”

  As the sound of the closing door echoed down the long hall, I hesitated, taking in a deep breath. This was the moment, a slice of time, which would define who we were to one another. I could choose to walk out the door, never seeing Grant as anything other than a professional. Or, I could follow my heart and show him exactly how I felt about him.

  “Natalie?” Grant’s masculine voice reverberated behind me. It was all I needed to boost my confidence. I knew what I needed to do to make this right between us. Ignoring anything else he was about to say, I turned abruptly and ran as quickly as possible in his direction and launched myself into his embrace. My lips captured his, arms and legs wrapped around him. He wasn’t responding, but I kept kissing his stubbled face, chanting, “I’m so sorry,” over and over. I knew I was overwhelming him, but I wouldn’t consider the possibility he might not want this, which he confirmed as he has grasped my ass cheeks. His body finally responded to mine, as he returned the kiss with as much urgency as I was giving him.

  “I should have said something, done something.” His admission, while noble, was also completely unwarranted.

  “Grant, you didn’t know she was coming and, honestly...” I took several deep breaths to get my thoughts together, clear the lust-filled haze we were currently in. “It doesn’t matter why she’s here, because I won't let her get between us, or separate what I feel for you.”

  Grant’s eyes searched mine, finding only need there. I didn’t know how much time we had before our parents returned and, while I knew we needed to talk, in this moment, I needed to feel his touch.

  It was still dark outside when I woke from my slumber. It took me several minutes to gather my thoughts and remember where I was. The warm leg that was resting between mine gave me all the confirmation I needed that last night had really happened.

  “If you tell me this is too soon, I’ll completely understand.” His lips were placing open-mouthed kisses on my collarbone, his hands and lips causing me so much pleasure I couldn’t make myself respond. “Natalie, tell me you want me as much as I want you, but dear God, if you don’t, please stop me now.” He pulled away to look into my eyes, keeping his hands on either side of my face.

  “Has anyone ever told you that you talk too fucking much?” My brash words surprised even me. I was never one to verbalize my wants or desires. Holden had always just kissed me a few times and jumped on for the ride. I had assumed he was doing what every other man did. Grant, however, was not any other man.

  I gasped as he kneeled down, placed me over his shoulder, and then sprinted up the stairs. Once in his room, he slowly placed me back on my feet and resumed the kisses he had started downstairs. I was so overwhelmed by his passionate kisses that I didn’t realize we had moved across the room and now stood by his bed.

  The feel of Grant’s fingers, as he began to unbutton my shirt, was enough to cause my first orgasm. The pressure he was creating in my lower region was something I had read about, yet never experienced. I shivered slightly as my shirt fell from my shoulders and landed on the floor.

  “Don’t worry, babe, I’ll warm you up.” His wanton voice nearly did me in. My shivering had nothing to do with the temperature of the room; it was my body’s reaction to Grant’s skilled actions. He broke away from kissing my neck long enough to raise his hands above his head and tug at the top of his shirt. As we stood with bare torsos touching, Grant cupped my cheek as he began to lower me to the mattress.

  “The first time I saw you, I knew I had to get closer to you.” I didn’t need to say anything back. Grant was speaking his thoughts to me, letting me inside his head. “When you turned me down time after time, it made me want to be with you that much more.” His fingers made quick work of the button of my shorts. “I watched as you treated everyone with such kindness and grace.” His fingers came in contact with my heated and, embarrassingly wet, core. I jumped at the sensation as he continued to explore my folds.

  “When you stood in those tiny panties on your deck, you have no idea what you did to me that day.” His fingers stopped as he began to kiss me lower and lower. “Then I watched as you stood beside Peyton’s bed and I let my mind wander to a time where it was our baby you watched over.”

  My eyes shot wide open as I realized where his mouth was going. I had no issues with his words, but the thought of having Grant’s mouth in such an intimate area suddenly had me panicking. Holden had always commented on how disgusting the act was. How pussy had a rancid smell that was so unpleasant, he would never put his mouth anywhere near it. He never had a problem with me sucking him off, but it was something he refused to do in return.

  “G-Gr-Grant,” my voice was a little louder than it needed to be, but I had to stop him before he discovered for himself the unpleasant smell.

  His face came back up to mine, and he placed gentle kisses along my cheek. “Don’t worry. I’m far from done with you.” He smiled as he tried again to descend. However, I grabbed his shoulders and brought his face back to mine. “Grant, you can’t be serious.”

  His smile was gone as he shifted his head back to look into my eyes. “Do you not...did I...?”I placed my hand against his face.

  “No, Grant, I want you, so much.” His head turned to the right slightly, his confusion clearly written on his face. “It’s not you, Grant. I don’t want you to have to do that. I know it can be...” I couldn't find the words to use. Grant was a doctor after all, and I was certain he had experienced firsthand some pretty awful smells. I just didn't want my crotch to be one of them.

  “Babe, if you don’t like having that done, I won’t do it,” he tried to resume kissing me. “No, Grant, it’s just...I know the odor down there can be...less than pleasant.”

  His face took on the look of humor.“Wait,” he interrupted, placing his index finger against my lips. “Let me guess, Holden didn’t like going south of the border. No one has ever done this for you, have they?”

  I found the hair that rested on the top of his ear very interesting. “No, he told me he couldn't get past the smell and the thought of having his mouth anywhere near it was enough to make him sick.”

  Grant lowered his head and began to kiss my face gently. “Just when I thought he couldn’t have been more of a complete moron, he proves me wrong.” I couldn’t help myself as I let out a laugh. “First he gives you up and denies that amazing little girl. Now, to find out he ignored the opportunity to make you scream his name. Oh, well...his stupidity is my delight.”

  I didn’t have time to react as he quickly pounced, his body landing between my legs, his hands holding my legs apart as his tongue ran from my slit to my clit. I had no control of the scream that escaped my lips as I arched my back. The feeling of his tongue as he licked and sucked was enough to drive me mad. With my hands fisting the sheets and my head going from side to side, I swore to God I saw heaven. He knew what he was doing, and he showed his skills as he slid two fingers inside me, hooking them as his lips and tongue continued to attack my swollen clit. I didn’t know how many times he hit that spo
t inside of me, but out of the blue my body began to tremble and I felt this overwhelming warm sensation fill my body. I couldn’t move or say anything as wave after glorious wave passed over me.

  Grant’s mouth once again claimed mine, his tongue invading my mouth. His tongue had a new flavor, it wasn’t a bad one, slightly tangy and there was no real smell. I felt my chin slide against his; he hadn’t wiped my orgasm from his face. If it didn’t bother Grant, then I wouldn’t let it bother me.

  His very talented mouth was now wrapped around my left nipple, his teeth making tiny nips. My hands fisted in his hair as I tried to get him closer. I could feel that warm sensation beginning to build in my pelvis again. He switched to the other nipple, causing me to cry out his name, as I felt the wetness increase between my legs. “That’s it, pretty girl.”

  His fingers were once again rubbing up and down my folds, while his face was buried in my neck. I could feel the head of his cock waiting to enter me. I wanted this, him, so badly. With what he was able to do with just his fingers and tongue, I couldn’t wait to see what that appendage was able to do.

  He gently slid the head between my folds, then slowly pulled back only to repeat the process several times. “Oh, Natalie, you feel better than I ever imagined.” With his tender words, he slid into me, filling me completely. The sensation of having him resting inside me caused me to wrap my legs around his waist.

  “Uunnnng,” was the most coherent thing that came out of my mouth. His thrusts increased as his breathing became labored. My hands ran up and down his sweat slicked back. Again, that warm sensation began to build, as my pelvis met his every thrust. His movements became erratic, his breathing was more grunt-like. I worried briefly that he would finish before I did. However, this wasn’t the case, as it hit me completely out of left field and I came hard.