Lessons from a One-Night Stand
Page 18
“You don’t understand.”
You’d have to be in this town to see and understand what Bailey Timber Corp means to this place. You’d have to have seen the devastation in Austin’s features when he fit all the pieces together.
“The better question is what are you two going to do when you both have to leave?” she asks.
I fall back onto the couch. “I don’t want to broach the subject, but before all this happened tonight, Austin brought up the idea of me going to California with him, and I shut the conversation down.”
She laughs. “Then why are you calling me to tell me you really like him now?”
I massage my temple with my free hand. “You know the whole ‘take it away and you want it more’ thing…”
She laughs again. Good to know my disaster of a life is amusing to someone. “Gotcha. Now that you think he’s not going to come back, you realize how much you love him?”
“I didn’t say I was in love with him. I’m just saying I like him a lot and I could maybe want more than…”
“His dick. You can say it. It’s me you’re talking to.”
My doorbell rings.
I groan. “For fuck’s sake, someone’s at my door.” I paddle over and stare out the peephole. “I’ll call you back.”
“I knew I liked—”
I hit End and pull open the door. Austin steps in, kicks the door shut, and his hands are on my hips, lifting me as he smashes his lips to mine without a word. I match his pace, my hands running through his hair.
Eventually he rips his lips away from mine. “It doesn’t matter who the hell your dad is.” He kisses me again then pulls away. “To hell with my family. They won’t care, and even if they do…” He stares into my eyes, and it’s there. What I’m feeling is staring right back at me. “I don’t.”
Now it’s me smashing my lips to his. He walks us to the couch, lowering me as his lips sprinkle kisses down my neck and his fingers fumble with the buttons of my blouse.
“You’re so beautiful,” he says, his palms pushing the silk off my shoulders.
He places open-mouthed kisses to my collarbone while fiddling with the button and zipper of my slacks. I sit up, helping him as my hand grips the edge of his T-shirt. He takes his neckline and tugs it over his head, then my back is on the couch and he’s on top of me.
I place my hands on his face and pull him down, not wanting to ever let a day go by again when his lips aren’t on mine. He smiles through our kiss and I melt into the couch, feeling as though I have it all with him in my arms. To hell with the world falling apart around me. This is all I need right here.
Twenty-Seven
Austin
The television illuminates the dark living room, and Holly’s breathing is steady and low, her chest rising and falling next to me. Neither of us had the energy to make it up to her bedroom afterward, so we settled into the couch. As I gaze down at her, I wonder if she looks in the mirror and sees the gorgeous woman I do?
I wasn’t in Jack’s more than a couple of minutes before Francie pointed at the door and told me not to come back until I’d fixed it.
I’m still shocked that she’s Clint Edison’s daughter. The undercurrent of worry that spurred my initial reaction is still there, but I refuse to let it have power over me. Savannah’s going to flip. Not that it’s Holly’s fault. If anything, she’s a bigger victim than we are—the bastard abandoned her at birth.
The cutest purr sounds from her throat and she nuzzles closer to me, her hand running down the front of my bare chest.
“Why couldn’t you have come into my life years ago?” I whisper, my knuckles dragging down her side. “We could have been something more.”
“Hmmm,” she mumbles and flips around so her back is to me.
My dick responds to her ass pressing against it, and I’m struck again by how easy she would be to fall for if I let myself.
I’m not some romantic who believes our life would be as easy as it is right now. Hardships come. Life puts rockslides in your way to force you to change lanes. We might only fit now because there’s no pressure—we don’t have kids, mortgages, in-laws. Not to mention Holly would be going from a family that consists of her mom and herself to my crazy family. There’s sure to be obstacles.
My head falls to my bicep, and I turn off the television. Wrapping my arm around her and pulling her flush against me, I try to push it all from my head and live in the moment. If my parents’ accident taught me anything, it was to enjoy the moment you’re in because there may not be another one.
That’s my only excuse for why I asked her to come to California—I was living in the moment. What was I thinking?
The annoying twenty-one-year-old who still lives inside me answers my question—you think you can have it all.
Then my thirty-year-old brain schools its younger self on the truth—no one gets to have it all. Take the baseball and run.
As the two versions of myself argue, Holly’s little noises become my lullaby and I fall asleep.
* * *
KNOCK.
KNOCK.
“Holly!” a woman screams from the other side of the front door.
Her phone rings on the table.
KNOCK.
KNOCK.
KNOCK.
“What the hell?” I open my eyes and squint at the light streaming in.
Holly’s still passed out in front of me on the couch.
I nudge her hip. “Holly, someone’s at your door and your phone is ringing.”
She moans and flips over, putting the pillow over her head.
“I guess I’ll get it.” I laugh, standing up, and realize I’m naked.
KNOCK.
KNOCK.
“Holly!” The voice grows more impatient, and her phone rings again.
“Coming,” I say.
How in hell is Holly sleeping through this? I pick up my pants from behind the coffee table and shrug them on before walking to the front door. I peer through the peephole and spot a short woman with blonde hair, a phone to her ear, staring back at me.
I open the door. “Can I help you?” I run my hand down my face, trying to fully wake up.
Her eyes widen. “You can put on a shirt for one.” She steps past me, rolling a suitcase behind her. “Holly! Get up!”
“Ugghhh!” Holly throws the pillow.
The woman catches it. “She’s been like this since birth.” She smiles back at me then points at my bare chest. “Shirt?”
I blink out of my daze and hurry across the room, where I pick up my T-shirt off the floor.
“Who are you?” she asks.
My gaze flicks to Holly who’s somehow rolled over, so her face is pressed into the back of couch. “Austin.”
Her gaze flows down my body and her jaw clenches. “I guess it’s safe to assume…”
Our attention moves to her naked daughter on the couch, nothing but a blanket covering her.
“Well.” I shrug.
“She’s thirty, it’s not like I think she’s a virgin, but… are you the one who pushed her to come here?”
“What?”
“Sorry. Not sure why I would assume that.” She throws the pillow at Holly and steps over to me with her hand out. “Karen Radcliffe, Holly’s mother.”
I figured, but the confirmation makes my face heat. “Austin Bailey, Holly’s… friend.”
Her mom smiles at me. “A good friend, I hope. My daughter is not some hussy who sleeps around.”
“We’ve developed a friendship,” I answer.
“Holly!” Her mom screams one more time.
Holly jerks and turns around, her dazed eyes searching the area.
“Like I said, she’s been like this since birth. I mean, she slept all the time, which was awesome for a single mother, but scared the heck out of me a few times too.”
“Mom?” Holly rubs her eyes and sits up, the blanket falling to her waist and exposing those delectable tits I feasted on last night.
I hear Karen pick up Holly’s blouse and toss it to her. “Here.”
“Thanks.”
I turn back around to see that Holly’s still half asleep as she buttons one button and then falls back down to the couch.
“You’ve not seen her like this before?” Karen asks me, her eyebrows raised.
I shake my head. “I haven’t.”
Karen sits on the couch, placing her hand on her daughter’s arm. “Holly, sweetie, your mother is here with your boy…” She looks at me. “Friend. I’m fairly sure you don’t want me telling him embarrassing stories.”
Holly’s head turns to me. I wave.
Her eyes widen and shift to her mom. Her mom waves.
She cringes. “This is a dream, right?”
“Nope. Although I appreciate the early morning eye candy, it’s time for some answers,” Karen says.
Holly slowly slides up the couch as her eyes soak in what’s happening. “Oh.”
“I should let you two have some time alone.” I slide on my socks and shoes.
“It’s okay,” Holly says, and her eyes are begging me not to go.
“Holly’s mistaken. I need a little time with my daughter,” Karen clarifies.
“I understand.” Picking up my coat on the chair, I look at Holly. “I’ll see you at school.”
She nods. “Yep.”
I put my hand in front of Karen. “Nice to meet you. Maybe we can have dinner one night while you’re in town.”
She shakes my hand. “I plan on being here until Holly returns to Florida with me, so I’m sure we can arrange that.”
“No, Mom, why would you stay?” Holly asks.
“Because…” Her motherly lecture voice starts, but then she smiles sweetly at me. “Have a good day, Austin.”
I wave goodbye and step out onto the streets of Lake Starlight.
Let’s hope that doesn’t make it onto Buzz Wheel.
Twenty-Eight
Holly
My eyes follow Austin as he winks goodbye before closing the door.
I smile. We broke the agreement and slept together all night, but I don’t think I’ve slept that soundly since college.
A pillow smacks me in the head.
“Mom!” I scream.
“Get that look off your face. We need to talk about the fact that you lied to me.”
I flip my legs to hang off the couch. “Can I get dressed first?” I stand and secure the blanket around me.
“Fine. I’ll make us some coffee.”
“What time is it?” I look for my phone and find it on the table. “It’s six in the morning.”
“I took the red-eye.”
“You didn’t have to do that.” I head over to the stairs.
“When my daughter lies to me, I do.”
“I have to get ready for work.” I climb the first two steps. “This will have to wait.”
“It will not. I’m making coffee, hurry up. We’re having this conversation.” She disappears into the kitchen and banging around commences.
I groan and head up the stairs, my mind far away from my father and on the fact that Austin spent the night and my mother is now here.
When I’m in the shower, I close my eyes. Austin never far from my mind as I wash my body, remembering his hands exploring me last night—both times we had sex. The way his thumb lightly strummed my clit, or when he slowly inserted one finger, then another, surprising me. His magical tongue that sent shivers up my spine every time he licked me. His deep groan when he sank into me. The dilation of his pupils. How soft his hair is.
KNOCK!
“Stop daydreaming and get out here,” my mom yells from the other side of the door.
I miss how peaceful it was, living by myself.
I step out of the shower, dry myself off, and rub lotion into my skin, the same thoughts plaguing me. By the time I’m dressed and heading downstairs, I’m preoccupied with wanting Austin and his mouth, hands, and dick again.
“Finally,” my mom says, pouring my coffee and setting it in front of me. “I’m going to the grocery story today.” She opens the fridge. “How do you survive on white wine, beer, and leftover pizza?”
“I go to the diner a lot,” I mumble over my coffee cup.
My mom makes the best coffee in the world, and I exhale in satisfaction after my first sip. I guess when it’s the main thing you serve at a diner, you master it.
“I told you, diner food is so unhealthy.”
“You work at a diner,” I argue.
“Exactly. Mother knows best.” She sits down, shooting me a smile.
I raise my eyebrows. “Maybe in this case.”
My relationship with my mother is the easiest relationship in my life. She’s my friend when I need her to be and my mother when I need her to be. She can weave the two roles masterfully, and when I become a mother, I hope I’m as good at it as she is.
She shakes her head, but a smile plays on her lips. “I did miss you, sweetie.” Her hand covers mine on the table.
“I missed you too.”
“I thought we didn’t lie to one another?”
I look at the table, circling my coffee mug with my hands. “I didn’t want to worry you.”
“So, you’d rather have me charge a last-minute ticket to Alaska and worry about you for twelve hours?”
“Mom,” I sigh.
“Hol, I get the fascination with your dad. I wouldn’t have liked you coming up here, but I would’ve understood your reasons.”
“I just… I didn’t want anyone to know because…”
She squeezes my hand and nods. “You were afraid if he pushed you away, you’d have to tell people.”
I nod, a tear slipping down my fresh layer of makeup. “It seemed easier to face the disappointment without seeing it on your face.”
She squeezes my hand again. “I understand that, but I’m your mom, and my disappointment comes from seeing you hurt.”
“It’s embarrassing. Having a dad who really doesn’t give a shit whether he knows me.” I swallow back a sob. “I mean, you should’ve seen him last night. There was no remorse.”
She exhales a deep breath. “I can’t say I’m surprised.”
“Why doesn’t he care whether he knows me or not?”
“I wish I could answer that, but…” She places her hand on my cheek, meeting my gaze. “Don’t let your father’s faults devalue your worth. You are the best thing that ever happened in my life. You are the light I find every morning—my sun rising in the east.” She repeats the mantra she’s told me since I realized I had a father who didn’t want to be a part of my life. “I know he’s your father, but… he’s an asshole.”
I laugh.
“I’m serious, and not just because he doesn’t care for you like he should. That’s just him. He thinks only of himself.”
“Did you know he’s married with three kids?”
The widening of her eyes answers my question.
“Did you really send him pictures and a letter every year?”
“He told you that?”
“Yeah.” I sip my coffee.
“I’m surprised. Thought he’d play the victim and try to tell you that I’d denied him visitation and kept you from him or something.” She leans back, bringing her coffee cup to her lips.
“I followed him for a few nights before I reached out to him. He took his young daughter on a date.” I stare at the table, the mug warm between my palms.
“Oh, Hol.”
I nod. “I thought I was well-adjusted, but I’m starting to think I’m messed up.”
“You’re just still that little girl who wants a daddy to take her to the dance. Maybe I should’ve tried harder to find another man. One who would’ve stepped into his place.”
I look at my mom. She’s
always been independent. There have been men, a few serious boyfriends for a while, but no one she ever wanted to settle down with.
“Are you scared to love?” I ask.
She chuckles. “No. I just have high expectations, and when you were little, I didn’t want to sacrifice any time with you. I’m selfish.” She shrugs like who the hell cares.
“I’m glad you were selfish,” I admit.
“Me too.”
We sit in silence for a moment. Just like when I was a little girl, there’s nothing she can do to change the situation. You can’t force someone to care about you. You’d think since I’ve always known my dad didn’t want anything to do with me, I wouldn’t still seek out his love.
“Are you going to tell me about Austin?” My mom smiles over the rim of her coffee mug.
My head falls to the table. “That’s a whole other dilemma I don’t need in my life.”
“Didn’t look like much of a dilemma when he answered the door half-dressed.”
I laugh, sitting back up.
“He’s definitely a cutie, and although I’d prefer never to walk in on my daughter’s sexual escapades again, I do want the details about the boy.”
“It’s a long story.” I check the clock.
“Well, I have nowhere to be.”
I nod and tell her everything, minus the fact her daughter made the Buzz Wheel blog. Some things are best kept to yourself.
Twenty-Nine
Austin
Once school is dismissed, I drive over to Bailey Timber Corp. Savannah needs to be the first to hear the news about who Holly’s dad is.
I walk down the hall toward Savannah’s office. All the employees are in their last couple hours of work, trying to finish everything before they go home. I get a few waves and a couple heys, but no one stops to talk to me, which I’m thankful for. Right now, my mind is set on getting this out of the way.