Uninhibited (Unlikely Lovers)

by Brooks, Cheryl

  “I don’t see how. It’s not like your mother and your boyfriend would never meet—not unless you lived in Outer Mongolia or something.”

  “That’s a thought. Since I didn’t change my name back to Stewart after my divorce, I can understand how he might not know Todd and I were related. But Todd and Mom have the same last name—although it isn’t all that unusual.”

  “Knowing him, he might not have known Mom’s name.”

  “Oh, he knows it all right. Looked me right in the eye and told me he’d never tell me or anyone else who she was.”

  Emily was convinced now. Whether Alan realized that she and her mother were related or not didn’t matter. His description of the “sweet, lovely woman” who’d given him a pity fuck fit her mother to a T.

  “He told you about her, too? Jesus, I think I’m going to be sick.”

  “Yeah, well, you go right ahead and puke your guts out if you think it’ll help, but this doesn’t have anything to do with you. Alan was a total wreck after Carol left him. He told me about the last woman he slept with. The timing is right because it was after Carol left him that Mom told you about it.”

  Emily was surprised her brain worked well enough to figure that out.

  “How could he not know you’re her daughter if he knows Todd is your brother?”

  “Maybe he never knew Mom’s last name. Hell, maybe he doesn’t know Todd’s last name. Maybe he was too wigged out after Carol left him to know anything. All I know is, a very nice, sweet woman—probably our mother—took pity on him, and he was so upset afterward that he swore off sex altogether.”

  “Pity, huh?”

  “Yes, and he must’ve been pretty damn pitiful or Mom wouldn’t have done it.” Oddly enough, Emily still believed what she’d told Alan about that woman being the right thing at the right time, although the infidelity thing had her bugged. “I always thought Mom was faithful to Dad. I mean, he’s as understanding as they come, but—”

  “I guess that was why she felt she had to confess.”

  “Yes, but why would she tell you and not me?”

  “Don’t make it sound like such an honor,” Janice said with a snort. “I was simply telling her why Carol was staying with us, and it came up in the conversation.”

  “What did she say exactly?”

  “Now that you mention it, she wasn’t too pleased with Carol—said she’d been unnecessarily cruel.” For the first time, Janice’s laugh seemed genuine. “I have to admit, there are better ways to break up with a guy—even a slimy little horny toad with a nasty mouth.”

  Emily counted to ten. “Was that Carol’s description or Mom’s?”

  “Carol’s. Mom only said he could go longer than anyone she’d ever seen or heard tell of and she wished she’d met him when she was young and single.”

  “That sounds more like something Mom would say.”

  Imagine that… A man with my mother’s seal of approval...

  Surely that had to count for something—no matter how weird it was. And, no doubt about it—it was weird.

  “I still don’t understand why Mom would do that. I mean, I know he was upset, but what about her? Surely she didn’t do it just because she felt sorry for him.”

  Janice’s deep breath and subsequent sigh took a good thirty seconds. “She was having a few problems herself—sort of a mid-life crisis. Having gotten Dad through his a few years back—remember when he was acting so weird and kept saying his life had no meaning?”

  “Yeah, I remember.” Emily didn’t understand how her father could see himself as being useless and unimportant to the lives of those around him, but apparently, he had. Whether it was a hormonal thing or a developmental task he had to achieve didn’t matter. What mattered was that he’d worked through it and was pretty much back to normal.

  “Well, Mom was going through the ‘I’m getting old and unattractive’ phase. I guess she and Dad were still sort of—oh, I don’t know…taking each other for granted or not as much in love as they used to be. He was traveling a lot back then, and maybe she was feeling neglected. Who knows? Anyway, she saw how upset Alan was, and after she’d sat and talked with him for a while, she offered to take him home.” She blew out another breath. “I guess one thing led to another, and she did the only thing she could think of that would help him. Obviously it didn’t help him—or her—very much. Then again, she and Dad have seemed a little more…chummy since then. I mean, they did take that trip to Jamaica.”

  Sighing deeply, Emily made one last, desperate attempt to disprove her sister’s story. “You don’t think Mom made that up, do you?”

  “Why in heaven’s name would she do that?”

  “I have no idea,” Emily replied. “Great. Now that I may have finally found the love of my life, you have to ruin it by telling me that. Thanks a whole big bunch.”

  “I’m sorry, Em, but you needed to know the kind of man you’ve taken up with. Really, he’s been around more than—” She paused as though trying to come up with a good comparison and failed. “Anyone.”

  “Oh, come on, Janice. Surely, you can do better than that. I mean, he’s been around more than a ’39 quarter, or an offering plate in an old church, or a hot chick with a ’64 Mustang, or—”

  “Oh, hush up. This isn’t funny. And you are not—and I repeat, not—bringing him to my house for Christmas.”

  “Then you won’t be seeing me, either. I’d much rather spend Christmas with him anyway. Sure beats an evening with you and Ned and your kids all yelling at each other.”

  “What about Todd?”

  “Are you kidding? He was all for waiting until Mom and Dad came home. I practically had to beg him not to wuss out on me. You guys aren’t much fun these days, you know. Like I said before, you’d all behave better with Alan there.”

  “But he had sex with our mother,” she wailed.

  “So has our father,” Emily reminded her. “You don’t hold that against him, do you?”

  “Of course not. I—”

  “Look, Janice, I know Alan has been with a lot of different women, and they’ve all thought he was over-sexed and too needy. Even I was a little overwhelmed at first until I realized he was exactly the kind of man I’ve been craving all my life. I’m not an afterthought to him. He actually listens to me and we have fun together. The best part is knowing he’s not always thinking about who won the big game or how much beer he’ll drink when he’s out with his buddies. He’s thinking about what he’ll do when he gets me in bed.”

  “Sounds like Ned.”

  “What? I thought he was only concerned with retirement plans and such.”

  “He is—most of the time. The rest of the time, he just wants to get laid.”

  “And what’s wrong with that? Don’t turn him down, Janice. Whatever else goes wrong with people’s relationships, if the sex is good and the love is there, you can cope with anything.” She paused, recalling the last conversation she’d had with her sister. “What happened to you, anyway? You used to like sex as much as anyone.”

  “Too busy, I guess. And he’s so unromantic. One minute he’s talking retirement accounts, and the next, he wants to get it on. It doesn’t work that way for me. Thinking about getting old enough to retire does not make me feel sexy.”

  “Well, then, what would?”

  “Oh, I don’t know…maybe if he wanted to take a vacation—just the two of us—or go for a drive, or brush my hair, or rub my back—”

  “Feed you when you’re hungry, take care of you when you’re sick, rub your feet when you’ve had a hard day, and give you as much love as you could stand?”

  It took her a moment to digest all that, but when she did, her reply was a breathless whisper. “Oh, God, that sounds fabulous.”

  “That’s what Alan said he’d do for me on the day we met. And he does it, too. Now do you understand why I love him and want to keep him and spend Christmas with him—whether he nailed our mother or not?”

  “Okay, but how do y
ou think Mom will feel—or how he will feel when he realizes you’re her daughter? That’s got to be weird, and you know it.”

  “I’m sure it will be. But right now, Mom and Dad are in Jamaica, and I’ve already invited Alan to have Christmas dinner with us. Let’s try to get through this without making a big issue out of it. Can you do that for me? Please?”

  “Okay. I can’t promise anything, but I’ll try.”

  Her response lacked conviction, but given the circumstances, Emily couldn’t expect much more than that.

  It’s a start.

  Moments later, Alan staggered in laden down with an enormous container of tofu salad and an assortment of bags and packages.

  “Great. I’ve got to go,” she said, taking a couple of bags from him. “We had a wild day at the office, and I have to get ready for the party tonight. I’ll see you tomorrow.” Emily added that last bit with a very firm tone. She wasn’t about to let Janice talk her out of dating Alan. Every relationship had problems, and this one wasn’t insurmountable.

  At least, she hoped it wasn’t.

  Chapter 25

  How in the world did anyone tell their new boyfriend that they knew he’d done the deed with her mother? Her happily married, never-cheated-before mother? She would have to tell him before—

  Before what? Before the next sunrise? Before they actually met each other in the context of being her mother and her boyfriend? Emily had never considered herself to be cowardly, but this went beyond the usual need for courage.

  Travis had warned her that Alan was fragile and to be careful with him. Her mother, on the other hand, wasn’t the least bit fragile. Emily would’ve bet any amount of money that she would greet Alan without batting an eyelash. Alan would probably have a meltdown, which might lead her father to suspect the truth—something Emily would prefer to avoid.

  One glance was enough to convince her that giving him up was not an option. He had snowflakes in his hair, a twinkle in his eyes, and a mischievous smile that wreaked havoc with her heart.

  “Hey, sweetie,” she said, giving him a smooch. “What’d you do? Buy out the store?”

  “Not really.” Grinning, he carried his burdens into the kitchen and set them down before taking her into his arms for a ruthless hug. “Not sure I ever thanked you for last night. I’ve wanted to fall asleep like that for as long as I can remember. That’s the first time I ever did it.”

  She nipped his earlobe. “I sort of liked that, myself. Got any other ideas?”

  “Lots of them. But we can’t do anything now or we’ll miss Christmas. Maybe when we get home.”

  Considering what he’d done upon his arrival the evening before, Emily thought he showed admirable restraint. She laid a hand on his forehead. “Sure you’re not coming down with something?”

  He chuckled. “I can hear you now. ‘I know he seems okay, Doc, but he hasn’t fucked me in the past twelve hours. He must be sick.’”

  Emily consulted her watch. “Has it really been that long?”

  “Actually, it has—and believe me, I’ve been counting every minute. The store was an absolute madhouse. I practically had to fight for the stuff I brought home.”

  “I know the feeling. I spent the last hour scrambling to finish, and then I tripped over Stephen and spent the next twenty minutes trying to help him fish a document out from underneath the filing cabinet.”

  “Yeah, I was about to pack up and leave when I had to stop and talk to a guy about painting the store. No worries, though. We’ll settle down and have a nice Christmas Eve dinner with my folks, and then we can come home for our own celebration.”

  Comparing those plans to what Emily would’ve done without him almost had her bawling like a baby. “Sounds wonderful. Just let me change clothes real quick, and we can head out.”

  “Can I watch?”

  “No, or we’ll never get there. Don’t have to dress fancy, do I?”

  “Not at all. This is family, remember?”

  With a nod, Emily darted into her room and donned her favorite Christmas sweater—hunter green with white pine trees on the front—black slacks, and a pair of red flats.

  She returned to the living room just in time to catch Alan putting presents under the tree. “How’s this?”

  “Perfect.” He nodded at the tree. “We did a good job on that, but next year, we need to get a real one.”

  Emily’s heart took a nosedive as it struck her that once he figured out he’d been intimate with her mother, he might not be around next Christmas.

  Maybe not even New Year’s Eve. Holy shit…

  She swallowed around the lump in her throat. “That sounds great.”

  Blinking back sudden tears, she thought about the fun they would have picking out a tree. Would he have a particular type in mind, or would she be the choosy one?

  Then she realized she might never know.

  She glanced up to meet his quizzical gaze.

  “You okay?” he asked.

  “Yeah. I guess I’m a little nervous about meeting your folks.”

  “Don’t be. They’ll love you.”

  Clearing her throat, she went on, doing her best to sound normal. “I’ve got a couple of bottles of wine I can contribute to the party. Do I need to bring anything else?”

  “No, that’ll be fine.” Cocking his head, he scanned her face again. “Are you sure there isn’t something wrong?”

  Obviously Emily wasn’t as tough as her mother. She might not bat an eyelash, but Emily wasn’t that strong—or as good an actress. Especially with Alan asking questions.

  Not now. I can’t ruin this now. I can’t. I just can’t…

  “I’m okay. Really.”

  Or I will be as soon as I’ve downed a bottle of merlot.

  He nodded. “I’ll drive. My stuff is already in the Jeep.” He picked up her coat. “Ready?”

  “Let me grab the wine out of the fridge and I’ll be right with you.”

  She hurried into the kitchen, thankful to be out of his sight for a few minutes. Barring trips to the bathroom, he would be by her side all evening. She had to get a grip on herself if she didn’t want to blurt it out in front of his parents.

  That would go over real well, wouldn’t it?

  Meet the Fockers in reverse.

  Good God.

  She leaned against the counter, staring at the clock on the microwave. How many more hours would she have with him? Two? Twenty-four? Even if she made it through this party and the one at his cousin’s, Janice was bound to say something while they were at her house. No way would she be able to keep quiet or disguise her attitude toward Alan. Even if he’d never met their mother, he’d still been the one to drive her friend Carol up the wall and out the window.

  It would’ve been different if Alan had been abusive. There would be no question about staying with him then. His fault was just the opposite. He loved too much, too hard, and with too much passion.

  How could there be any such thing as too much love?

  There wasn’t. At least, not for her.

  She straightened up and opened the refrigerator. After selecting the wine, she got out a couple of grocery bags and wrapped the bottles so they wouldn’t rattle together. Then, with a deep breath, she picked up the bag and headed for the front door where her adorable Alan was waiting for her.

  “All set?”

  “You bet,” she replied. “Let’s go.”

  * * * *

  Alan had been accused of a lot of things with regard to women, but he’d never been told he was insensitive. Emily was hiding something. He could feel it.

  Did she regret having to meet his family tonight? She’d seemed hesitant when he first introduced the idea. Was she simply having second thoughts, or was there more to it?

  He’d pushed her pretty hard. He knew that. In a very short time, they’d reached a level of intimacy most people never even came close to achieving. Was it too much too soon?

  Probably. He didn’t even need to ask himself t
hat question. The answer was obvious.

  He helped her into the Jeep and then got in on the driver’s side. Leaning over the console, he cupped her cheek. “I love you, Em. I truly do.”

  The words were out of his mouth before he knew he’d said them—before he even knew he even intended to say them.

  “Please don’t be nervous. This is gonna be the best Christmas ever. You’ll see. And next year and the year after that on into infinity. I never want to spend another Christmas without you.”

  It wasn’t exactly a proposal—more like a letter of intent—but for him, he might as well have asked her to marry him.

  Live with Emily for the rest of his life? Yeah. He could do that. No problem.

  Endure the rest of his life without her?

  No fuckin’ way.

  He didn’t even wait for her reply. Words weren’t enough, nor could he say how he felt with his dick. His kiss said it for him. Sliding his hand to the back of her neck, he pulled her close, his lips brushing hers lightly before deepening into something almost…spiritual.

  Alan melted into her embrace, his tongue slipping past her parted lips as powerful emotions washed through him. Joy, peace, fulfillment, and love. No other words came close to describing the way he felt. The fact that he’d only met her a few weeks before didn’t matter. He’d never been more certain of anything in his life.

  When the kiss finally ended, although she was smiling, tears glittered on her lashes. “I love you too, Alan—more than anyone in the world. I really want this to work out for us. But sometimes things happen that we don’t always expect. Promise me you won’t—” Her voice broke on a sob. “If there are ever problems, we can work through them. I know we can. We just have to believe in each other.”

  “I do believe,” he said. “I never thought I would, but I do.” Alan wasn’t completely sure what kind of problems she meant, but at the moment, he didn’t care. “I promise not to go off half-cocked if something goes wrong. Please, don’t ever leave me without saying goodbye. I don’t think I could stand that again.”

  “I won’t. I promise.”

  Cupping her cheeks, he wiped her tears away before kissing her again. “And for the record, love really does look exactly like you.”