We Belong Together

by E. L. Todd

  I knew my mom wasn’t bluffing. “I’m sorry, okay?”

  “No, you aren’t,” she hissed. She turned back to Trinity, her anger evaporated. A smile was on her face. “Can I get you anything? Some water or juice?”

  “I’m okay,” Trinity said. “But thank you.”

  “I’ll take a water,” I said.

  My mom turned to me, a fire blazing in her eyes. She slapped me again then carried Trinity’s bags into her room.

  I rubbed my cheek, feeling it turn red.

  My dad smirked at me. “At least it’s over with now…”

  “How do you put up with her?” I asked.

  He shrugged. “I’d tell you but it would just gross you out…”

  I cringed. “Yeah, I’ll pass…”

  My dad grabbed the rest of the bags and carried them into my old room.

  Once we were alone, Trinity turned her fury on me. “You fucking dick!”

  “I forgot to tell them, okay? Sorry. But I told you they’d be cool with it.”

  “Arghh!” She looked like she wanted to do more than slap me. “I hate you. And I don’t mean it in a playful way. I. Hate. You.”

  “I. Hate. You. Too.”

  She growled and hissed at the same time.

  “Damn, you need to get fucked.”

  She threw her weight into her arm as she slapped me across the face. “It won’t be by you.” She marched into my room, leaving me standing there as I rubbed my cheek.

  ***

  After dinner, we gathered around the TV and watched a game. Trinity sat beside me and I put my arm around her like I usually did. She squirmed slightly, uncomfortable with affection in front of my parents.

  “Chill,” I whispered in her ear.

  My dad yelled at the ref for making a bad call.

  Trinity fell silent but didn’t pull away from me. I could tell she was still mad.

  “Trin, do you have plans tomorrow?” my mom asked.

  “No, just reading.”

  “You want to go shopping?” my mom asked.

  “Sure,” Trinity said with enthusiasm.

  “Why don’t you ask to go shopping with me?” I asked.

  My mom rolled her eyes and ignored me.

  “You don’t like to shop,” my dad said. “Remember?”

  “It just seems like Mom likes everyone else more than me,” I said.

  “Because I do,” she hissed.

  My dad rolled his eyes because my mom couldn’t see him.

  When the game was over, they retired to bed.

  “Good night,” my dad said. “Be ready at nine.”

  “Okay, Dad.” I stayed on the couch beside Trinity.

  “Good night, Trinity,” my mom said.

  “Night,” Trinity said back.

  “Um, Mom? Aren’t you forgetting me?” I said.

  My mom ignored me.

  My dad patted my shoulder. “She’ll come around. You know your mother.”

  “Yeah,” I said. “And she’s a hard ass.”

  He winked. “Why do you think I stick around?”

  “Because she makes you,” I countered.

  “Definitely not.” He chuckled then disappeared into the hallway.

  “Ready for bed, baby?” I asked.

  “You’re sleeping on the couch.” She stood up and left my embrace.

  “Uh, no.”

  “Uh, yeah,” she hissed.

  “You aren’t kicking me out of my own room.”

  “Fine, I’ll sleep on the couch.” She grabbed a blanket from the back of the couch and laid it out.

  “Don’t be annoying.” I grabbed her arm and dragged her to bed.

  “I’m still so mad at you!”

  “You think I care?” I got in her face. “You need to start living your life and stop caring what others think. You get so worked up over the dumbest things. You and I are a lot alike, but we are different in that regard. You need to let me rub off on you and calm down a little. You’ll live longer.”

  “You lied to me.”

  “I didn’t lie,” I snapped. “I know my parents. They are cool.”

  “It was still rude to show up with me in tow.”

  “Like I said, they don’t care.”

  “I hate you, Slade.”

  “And I fucking love you,” I hissed. “I wouldn’t put up with your bullshit if I wasn’t crazy for you. Now shut up and let’s go to bed.”

  She finally shut her mouth and stopped arguing with me.

  We went into my room then undressed before we got into bed. Trinity turned on her side, her back to me. She clearly didn’t want to have sex.

  Too bad.

  I came behind her then lifted her right leg. Before she could protest or move out of the way, I was inside her. Once she felt me stretch her, she gave in, rocking back into me while I thrust inside her. We both stayed quiet, and despite how annoying she was, she still sent me to the edge and made me come hard.

  When we were finished, I didn’t pull out of her. I stayed behind her and hooked my arm around her waist, pulling her close to me. My lips moved into her hair and I inhaled her scent. “I know we don’t always get along, and I know I do things that piss you off, but I wouldn’t change what we have for anything.” I tightened my hold on her, not wanting to let go.

  “Me neither,” she whispered.

  ***

  I went down to the shop with my dad and saw it buzzing with business. People sat in the plastic chairs against the walls, waiting for their turn to get their ink. The artists were busy, working at their stations.

  “Dude, this place is still booming.”

  My dad shrugged. “I’m not sure why.”

  The place was old and didn’t look the best. The tile looked like it hadn’t been clean since the day it was installed. The walls were worn and bare. The windows looked foggy, not from the cold, but from dirt. But people seemed to like it.

  Razor, a guy with a nose piercing and tattoos up his neck, fist-pounded me. “Hey, man.”

  “What’s going on?”

  “Saving the world, like usual.” He laughed then adjusted his leather jacket.

  “Hey, some people need you.”

  He nodded to a group of girls who were chattering and giggling together. “I hope they are some people.”

  “They got tramp stamp written all over them,” I said.

  He laughed. “Speaking of tramps, I told my sister you were going to be down here.”

  Trixie was similar to her brother. She was covered in tattoos, had sleeves like mine, and she had a tongue piercing. Her body was rocking and curvy and she was good in the sack. Razor didn’t seem to care that I tapped his sister on and off for years. “Cool.”

  “She might stop by.”

  I hoped she didn’t. The last thing I needed was for it to get back to Trinity. It would be another fight that would give me a headache. But I’m sure the make up sex would be off the hook.

  I moved to Radio, one of the newer guys. “What’s up?”

  “Same old shit on a different day.” He organized his station while he spoke to me. “I heard through the grapevine you were going to run the second shop.”

  “You’d be right.”

  He winked. “Your dad is a dick so can I come work with you?”

  “I can hear you,” my dad said from the other side of the shop.

  I laughed. “Sure thing. The shop will be full of chicks on spring break.”

  He patted me on the shoulder. “And you’ll ruin them all.”

  My first instinct was to blurt I had a girlfriend but I guess I should keep that to myself so I wouldn’t be teased for it. I greeted the rest of the guys then went to the counter with my dad. We did the bookkeeping and finances for the shop, and I saw how much dough he made in a single month.

  “Shit, you’re loaded!”

  “Keep your voice down,” he hissed.

  “Oh, sorry.”

  The door rang overhead when it opened, the sound I’d been he
aring all day. When I looked up, I saw Trixie. She wore a shirt that showed her flat stomach and pierced naval, and her body was still a perfect ten. A leather jacket was over her shoulders, adding to her hotness. When she spotted me, her eyes flashed in recognition then she sauntered over to me.

  “Hey, college boy.”

  “Hey, Trixie. How’s life?”

  “It’s alright.” She chewed her gum then flipped her hair back.

  My dad walked into the back with his clipboard in hand.

  She eyed me for a moment. “You’re looking good.”

  I didn’t say it back. “What brings you here?”

  “Just wanted to say hi…among other things.”

  I didn’t deny my attraction to her, but it wasn’t what it used to be. Now I was almost indifferent to her. Trinity hogged all my attention and focus. It was hard to be attracted to someone else in that way. “Well, it was nice seeing you. Thanks for stopping by.” I walked around the counter, about to help Razor with his station.

  She grabbed my arm and yanked me to her. “Playing hard to get or what?”

  “No. Actually, I have a girlfriend.”

  She laughed. “You’re too funny.” She hit my shoulder, still laughing.

  “I’m not joking. I really do have a girlfriend.” I kept my voice serious so she would believe me.

  “I’m sorry. I just can’t picture it.” She was still smiling.

  “It’s hard to believe but that doesn’t make it untrue.” I took my arm back.

  “Well, that’s too bad.” She pouted her lips and leaned closer to me. “Because I really wanted a night with you in my bed.”

  I stepped back. “It’s not going to happen.”

  She sighed and rolled her eyes. “Then at least help me decide where I should get my new tattoo.” She pulled up her shirt, exposing her bra and big tits. “I was thinking right under my ribs…”

  I looked even though I knew I shouldn’t. “Uh…”

  The bell rang on the door but I couldn’t pull my eyes away.

  “Hey, baby,” my dad said. He only said that to one person, my mom.

  And if my mom was here, so was Trinity…

  Oh shit. This looked bad.

  I tore my gaze away and spotted Trinity by the door.

  She was flashing me a violent death threat.

  “That’s my girlfriend!” I panicked and pointed Trinity. “Right there. I love her. She’s the most beautiful woman in the world. I’m taken. Sorry.”

  Trixie pulled down her shirt and rolled her eyes.

  I came to Trinity, knowing I was going to be slapped the second I reached her. “It’s not how it looks—”

  She hooked her arms around my neck and gave me a hard kiss. Her fingers dug into my hair and I relished the touch. Then she pulled away. She gave Trixie a glare. “He’s mine. So show your fake tits to someone else.”

  I smirked, loving the way Trinity was being a hard ass.

  Trixie walked out, swaying her hips like she was on the runway.

  Trinity sighed. “Am I going to have to deal with this every day?”

  “Probably.”

  “Why did you have to be such a manwhore?”

  I shrugged. “I liked it.”

  Her eyes widened in anger.

  “I mean, I was miserable,” I blurted. “I hated it.”

  She smirked and a light laugh escaped her lips. “You’re lucky you’re so cute.”

  “Cute?” I grinned. “You think I’m cute?”

  “When you panic because you got caught staring at some girl’s rack you are.”

  “I wasn’t staring at her chest. She was asking where she should put her next tattoo…”

  Trinity didn’t seem pleased with that response.

  “Nevermind. I’m just glad you aren’t mad at me.”

  She sighed. “I realize that being with you is going to be an ordeal every single day. I’ll have to be patient. And I’ll have to trust you.”

  I liked that statement. “Me too.”

  She moved closer to me, not seeming to care that my parents were watching us. “Are you going to take me out to dinner?”

  “Of course. Where do you want to go?”

  She leaned close to me, putting her lips at my ear. “Somewhere where we can have sex in the bathroom.”

  I grinned then looked her in the eye. “Trinity, I think you might be my soul mate.”

  “You think? Or you know?”

  I kissed her forehead. “I know.”

  Chapter Six

  Trinity

  When I woke up the next morning, Slade was fast asleep. We were leaving today but I had a feeling we’d have a late start since we were up so late. I always woke up with the sun, a habit that started long ago.

  His arms were wrapped around me, holding me like a teddy bear. I gently pulled myself away and moved to the edge of the bed. He groaned quietly but didn’t wake up. His hair was messy and out of control, and his body was defined with muscles and lines. I stared at him for a moment, admiring his cuteness. Then I leaned over him and kissed his bare shoulder, feeling the warmth of his skin. Slade drove me crazy and pissed me off, but he gave me so much joy that I overlooked all of his flaws. I knew a relationship with him would take a lot of work but I decided to be with him anyway. I’d have to cut him some slack. He wasn’t going to be a perfect boyfriend overnight. If Cayson were hit on by a girl, especially an ex, he would just walk away. Slade still had to learn the ropes.

  I changed then walked into the kitchen, looking for coffee. After Janice and I hung out yesterday, I realized dating Slade wasn’t weird at all. She treated me exactly the same. It was like nothing had changed. His father didn’t act differently either, but then again, he had more time to adjust to our relationship.

  After I made myself a cup of coffee, I poured nearly an entire cup of cream into it.

  “I like my coffee the same—white.” Janice flashed me a smile then poured her own mug.

  I didn’t realize she was there. “My dad teases me for it.”

  “And Ryan teases me.” She carried her cup to the table then sat down. “Leaving today?”

  “Whenever Slade decides to wake up,” I said with a laugh.

  “In that case, plan to stay another night,” she teased.

  Slade was never a morning person and I didn’t think he’d ever change. The only time he did wake up early was when I made breakfast. The smell drifted down the hall and into the bedroom, waking him up gently.

  Janice sipped her coffee while she watched me. “You guys are really cute together.”

  We are? The only thing she saw us do was fight. “Really?”

  She nodded. “Yeah. Ryan thinks so too. I never thought my son would settle down.”

  I shrugged. “Neither did I.”

  Her eyes hardened and she pressed her lips together. “Trinity, if he ever does anything to hurt you, let me know. I will beat the shit out of him and straighten him out. He’s my son and I love him more than anything, but I know how he gets. Just say the word and I’ll scare him off with his tail between his legs.”

  I smirked, knowing Slade was afraid of his mom. He seemed to be fearless with his dad, knowing he could get away with anything. But his mom was the authority he respected. He wouldn’t cross her. “Your son is nothing but sweet. He’s not the same guy he used to be. Your services are appreciated, but unnecessary.”

  She smiled. “Slade is sweet?”

  I nodded. “He’s always sweet to me. I mean, sometimes we argue—about nothing most of the time—but he treats me like a princess in every other instance. I know he’s faithful and loyal to me. And…he’s my best friend.”

  Janice’s cheeks blushed slightly. “I guess I did a good job with him after all.”

  “Slade just has a hard outer shell. Believe me, he’s a sensitive guy underneath. He has fears like everyone else, dreams and hopes, and he has a heart bigger than anyone else I’ve ever known.” I felt self-conscious talking about him like
this to his mom. “Sorry, I could go on and on…”

  “No.” She patted my hand. “It’s nice to hear someone compliment my son instead of raving about how much of a shit he is.”

  I laughed and tried to keep my voice down so I wouldn’t wake up Slade. “He’s extremely complicated and he’s got a lot of layers to him. It took us months to peel them away. But I have layers too. When I couldn’t walk, he was always there for me. When I got depressed, he refused to let me mope around. He pushed me to get better and not to give up. He cooked for me and told me I was beautiful when I felt hideous. When I was better, he still waited on me hand and foot. He’s one of the best people I’ve ever known and I’m lucky to have him.”

  Janice sighed while she watched me. “I’ve always known Slade was a good guy. I just ever understood why he was so adamant to hide it. I still don’t, actually. He’s a mystery, even to his father and I. But I’m glad there’s one person in the world who understands him at such an intimate level. I’m glad your relationship has progressed and become powerful. Slade needs a strong woman in his life that won’t put up with his bullshit. It’s good for him.”

  “And I need someone who puts up with my high-maintenance attitude and clinginess.”

  “Neither one of those are true.”

  I shrugged. “Slade reminds me every day.”

  “I doubt he minds the clinginess. He’s with you all the time. Therefore, he enjoys it.”

  “Maybe…”

  Ryan came to the table and joined us. “Girl talk?”

  “Slade talk, actually,” Janice said.

  “Sounds good,” he said. “I think Slade is a jackass. What do you think?”

  Janice laughed. “That’s your son you’re talking about.”

  “I know,” Ryan said. “I’ll say it to his face.”

  I laughed, loving the way his family was so laid back. I’d always known it, but it was different to be a part of it in a different way.

  Slade came out of his room, his hair messy and his eyes squinting against the light. “Why the hell are you guys up so early?”

  His dad smirked. “Slade, it’s nine.”

  He tried to block out the sun with his hand. “Shit, it’s not even noon yet. I’m going back to bed.”