Catching Raindrops (The Sutter Family #1)

by H. D'Agostino

  “You realize that you still have to tell your mom about all this, right?” he nudged me in the side bringing me out of my daydreams.

  “Yeah,” I let my shoulders drop. Mom would probably not take the whole baby thing as well as Dad did, but I had hope. I mean, I didn’t expect him to react this way and it almost seemed like everything was going to be ok. “So,” I turned and smiled at him “what other stupid stuff did you do to try and impress Mom?”

  “A lot more than you’re ready to hear. One confession at a time,” he chuckled. “Wanna go grab a pizza at Grandpa’s for lunch?” he pushed himself up and brushed the dirt off his shorts. “I’ve been meaning to stop in for some time now. I’m sure he’d like to see you.”

  “Sure,” I smiled. I hadn’t seen Grandpa since Christmas and pizza did sound good. I couldn’t help but wonder what Brock was doing though. Was he thinking about me? Worrying? Would he call like he promised?

  “Come on,” Dad waved as he began walking toward the truck. “He’ll call. Stop worrying,” he shouted over his shoulder.

  “How did you?” I trailed off when he turned to look at me.

  “I used to be him. Trust me. He’ll call as soon as he gets his head out of his ass,” he chuckled as he opened the door and climbed in.

  Brock

  Shit that was close. I’d just woken up and felt his stare. Five more minutes and I probably would have been putting the moves on her right in front of him. I’ve never left a girl as fast as I did Emma. I felt like such a stupid ass walking down the beach. If I hadn’t been battling morning wood, then I would have run but my dick had been primed for her. He felt her press up against him all night and he didn’t understand why she didn’t want to play.

  “Fuuuccckk!!! Get your fucking head on what you’re doing Foster,” I growled as I slammed my car door and rushed into the club house. Cam was already there ushering the team out onto the practice fields as I barreled through heading to my office.

  “Isn’t that what you had on yesterday?” he shouted at my back and I raised my hand in a middle finger salute and fought to ignore him.

  After grabbing my notes, I rushed to join the team on the field. I had a freshman quarterback to get ready for the season. Our starter had been having a rough time lately and we needed to have a backup that could hang with the big boys.

  “What’s got you in such a tizzy today?” Cam glanced over as I stopped beside him. The guys were stretching and going through their morning routines. “You’ve been on-edge for weeks.

  “Guess I might as well tell you,” I grumbled. “You’re going to know after today anyway,” I pinched the bridge of my nose as I muttered, “I’ve been dating Emma.”

  “What?” his head snapped over to look me in the eyes as water sprayed out of his mouth from where he’d taken a big gulp.

  “Your brother found us by the pool this morning,” I closed my eyes before letting my arms drop and tipping my face skyward.

  “That explains a lot,” Cam chuckled.

  “Huh?”

  “He called me this morning; Said he’d be late. He’s out with Emma now,” he started laughing as he stared at me. I could feel the blood draining from my face. “Dude, you just need to go write your letter or resignation now. He’s never gonna let you two date. Have you thought about that?”

  “It’s all I’ve thought about,” I sighed.

  “And yet you still pursued her? Are you fucking crazy?” Cam threw his arms in the air. “We are talking about the same person, right?”

  “I love her,” I shrugged. “He can fire me, but I’m not going anywhere. I love her,” I smiled broader as the words fell from my lips. ‘I loved her. I really did.’

  “Good luck with that,” Cam rolled his eyes. “I’ll have the ice ready when he finishes beating your ass because there’s no way he’s going down without a fight.”

  “We’ll see,” I shrugged again.

  “Oh yes we will, and I’m getting a front row seat for this along with beer and popcorn,” he cackled as he turned to walk down the field leaving me there to stew in my worry a little more.

  Fucking hell. What did I just get myself into?

  Chapter 17

  Emma

  By the time we got back to Wilmington it was getting dark. Dad and I had spent the day talking with Grandpa, and discussing my plans for the fall. Dad told me not to worry about working and saving for school. He said he and Mom would figure it out. They didn’t want me worrying about money. I felt guilty putting all my expenses on him, but Dad insisted. The worst part was if I stayed in town and went to Wilmington, I could go for free. Dad had been working for the university long enough that any family member could get free tuition. I argued with him about that fact, but he wasn’t having it. I think part of that was over Brock. If I stayed in town, Brock and I would see a lot more of each other and Dad would have to watch it. I know it bothered him, but he was doing really well hiding it.

  “Hey Em,” Dad cut the engine and stopped me as I was getting ready to climb out.

  “Yeah?” I paused with my hand on the door handle and stared at him. He had this weird expression on his face, and I wasn’t sure what to make of it.

  “I’m trying to be cool with you and Brock, but I wanna have a little fun with him,” his lip curled up on one side and the dad I remember playing jokes on Mom with began to appear.

  “What kinda fun?” I groaned. “You’re not gonna beat him up or anything, are you?” I was apprehensive and knew whatever Dad was planning was going to be bad.

  “I don’t know yet,” he scratched at his chin. “I’ll think of something,” he shrugged before opening his door and climbing out. I shook my head as I watched him walk to the door. “If you tell him I’m gonna do something, I won’t be cool with it anymore,” he shouted over his shoulder as he jogged up the steps.

  “Daaadddd!” I whined as I stood there watching him.

  “I mean it,” he laughed as he opened the door and disappeared inside. I stood there staring at where he’d gone. I didn’t really know how to react. I was happy that this went better than planned, but I was scared about what he was going to do. My dad was a prankster. I’d been witness to it many times, and Mom had usually been the punchline of whatever he’d planned. Now I was going to have to sit back and wait for whatever bomb he was going to set off, and then hope that Brock wasn’t pissed that I knew about it.

  It was still early night when I walked down to the beach. It was fairly empty, and when I got to my usual spot, I was pleasantly surprised to find Mel sitting there. She was dressed in a pair of shorts and a bikini top with her hair piled up on top of her head.

  “So how was your day?” she laughed as she continued to stare out at the water. The sky was darkening by the minute and soon the moon and stars would be our only source of light.

  “Surprisingly good,” I shrugged. “What have you been up to?”

  “Oh you know,” she lifted a broken seashell and tossed it toward the water “watching jerks make goo-goo eyes at everything in a skirt, but whatever,” she grumbled.

  “Mel,” I sighed as I shook my head. “I’m sorry I left you here today. I feel terrible. You’re going home tomorrow,” I muttered.

  “No worries,” she laughed humorlessly. “I came for the beach. You were just an added perk.”

  “Gee thanks,” I rolled my eyes as I leaned closer and bumped her with my shoulder.

  “No, really. I’ve had fun here. I know you’ve got a lot going on,” she picked up another shell and began rolling it around in her palm. “I just thought he’d be different.”

  I growled internally. I knew exactly what was going on here. She’d fallen for him, and he was playing her. “There are too many guys out there that would love to date you. Please don’t let Aaron Sutter take any more of your time,” I shook my head. “He’s never going to settle down. He doesn’t know how to.”

  “I thought I could be the one,” she whispered it so quietly that I almost missed i
t. “I thought I’d be enough.”

  “What!” I gasped.

  “I wasn’t enough to make him settle down,” she turned to face me and I really saw it for the first time. The damage that my cousin’s brush off had caused was worse than I thought. Mel looked as if she was ready cry. Her eyes were glassy, and her lip trembled. “I thought he really liked me, Em.”

  “I’m gonna kill him,” I grumbled as I wrapped my arm around her in a tight hug. “Seriously Mel. Don’t even think about him.”

  “Can I be there when you kick his ass?” she cried and laughed at the same time.

  “Sure,” I giggled as I hugged her tighter. “What exactly did he do?”

  “We were supposed to spend the day together. I took my stuff down to his lifeguard stand. He had girls coming up to him all day. The only time he’d talk to me is when they’d walk off. Whenever someone approached him, he’d clam up and ignore me. When he got off shift, some girl that had been hanging around all day asked for help with something. I don’t even know what it was. He just told me he needed to help her, and he’d be right back. I brushed it off as I began packing up my things. I thought I’d be nice and get us a cold drink while I waited for him to come back. He’d been in the hot sun all day after all. So,” she shook her head as if she should have expected what was coming next. “I went up to the snack bar to get drinks. I heard moaning and what sounded like Aaron’s voice. I walked around to the back of the snack bar to check it out, and there they were. He was leaning against the wall and she was on her knees in front of him sucking him off. He didn’t see me because his eyes were closed, but she did. She grinned around his dick with that satisfied look that bitchy girls get before ignoring me and going back to him. I rushed to get my stuff and leave, but I didn’t make it to my car before he saw me.” She shook her head as anger took over leaving the hurt in the dust.

  “Em, all I want to do is remove his dick with a dull knife,” she growled. “He acted like he didn’t know what was wrong and why I was in a rush to leave. I mean, I know he didn’t know I saw him but he obviously wanted her instead.”

  “Whoa!” I laughed as I stood up. It was dark now and the ocean looked so inviting. “I’m not saying that what he did was right, but you two aren’t even dating.”

  “I get that, but the asshole’s been texting me all night. He wants to meet up,” she rolled her eyes as she turned and faced me with her hands on her hips. “What are you doing?” she wrinkled her nose just as I lifted my shirt over my head and tossed it on the sand.

  “Swimming,” I shrugged.

  “You’re not wearing a suit,” she muttered.

  “Um so,” I shrugged. “A bra covers the same thing and look around. No one is out here,” I waved my arms around before reaching for the button on my shorts. I shoved them down and kicked them to the side before turning to face the water. “Coming?” I giggled as I took off squealing in delight. I always felt like a little kid when I was on the beach, and even after today’s heavy conversation with my father I was still able to capture that feeling.

  Mel laughed in response but came running after me. We stayed out in the surf for quite some time. I let the waves wash away my nerves from the day, and it almost took my mind off of Brock. He still hadn’t called, and even though my dad assured me that he would I still worried.

  “I’m gonna head inside and shower and go to bed. I’m tired,” Mel yawned but I could tell it was fake. My head snapped back in confusion as she grinned and began wading through the waves back toward the beach. “Later,” she waved when she reached the sand.

  I waved back before turning around and sinking below the surface. When I was little I would pretend I was a mermaid. I made my dad be the prince and we would play Little Mermaid on the beach. My mom even bought me one of those mermaid tails at the Disney store. I would swim in it, sleep in it, I even remember trying to sneak it to school one time. I won’t discuss the time I tried to dye my hair red like Ariel’s. I had orange smudges on my face for a week. It was a disaster and a lesson learned, at least for a few months before I tried my next stunt. Mom always said I tested her patience regularly. She says she’s cursed me with kids just like me, but I don’t believe her. When I do start a family, they’ll perfect especially if Brock’s involved.

  Brock

  I could hear them from the minute got past the dunes. Em and her friend were splashing and laughing in the surf, and I stood there watching them for a few moments. I’d never really paid attention to her when she didn’t know I was there. Usually she’d ignore me to keep her dad from finding out about us, but she knew I was watching. Now I could see the real Emma; the Emma that was carefree and young.

  When she stood, the waves crashed around her hips, and I could see the moonlight reflecting off her wet skin. A fire began to burn deep within me as I stared. I unknowingly crept closer staring at the material that was covering her. It was translucent, almost as if it were underwear and not a bathing suit at all.

  “I’m gonna head inside and shower and go to bed. I’m tired,” her friend yelled before connecting her eyes with mine. It caught me off guard, but she winked and grinned. Emma hadn’t noticed me yet, and her friend was trying to help me out. I felt bad for monopolizing all of Emma’s time, but Mel seemed to understand. “Later,” she called out before grabbing her things off the sand and running toward the house. She stopped momentarily beside me and wiped her hair out of her eyes. “She thinks you’re ignoring her. Fix it,” she narrowed her eyes on me before poking me in the chest. I nodded, and Mel left me there as she raced inside.

  When I turned back towards Emma she had her back to me. She bobbed a few times before sinking under the water. I used this to my advantage as I began ripping at my clothes. I half ran, half jumped down the beach as I tugged at garments and tossed them in my wake. I paused when I got down to where Emma’s things were. All I had on at this point were my boxers. I thought for a second about leaving them on, but after looking around and seeing the beach deserted I said, “fuck it” and yanked them off too.

  I bolted toward the water and sucked in a deep breath when the waves lapped at my feet. It was fucking cold compared to the air. “Shit!” I hissed under my breath as I waded deeper. I wanted to get to her before she noticed me, but I also wanted the water to cover my junk before someone caught me with my pants down, so to speak. The minute the water reached my balls I think they climbed up inside me. I could feel them protesting the cold and was rethinking this surprise immediately.

  I was able to get right behind Emma without her noticing and hearing her squeal when I touched her shoulder was priceless. It was worth the cold water and the possibility of getting caught naked. “Hey,” I grinned as she turned to face me and that’s when I noticed that it wasn’t a bikini she was wearing, it was her underwear. “I missed you,” I wrapped her in my arms and pressed my mouth to hers. She sighed as she sank against my chest and linked her hands behind my head.

  “I missed you too,” she mumbled against my mouth. “I thought you were going to call me.”

  I pulled back and smiled at her, “Isn’t this better?”

  “Much,” she giggled as she hugged me tighter. The longer she stood there pressed against me, the harder it was to keep my dick from poking her. After all, I wasn’t wearing any pants. The thought of her dad making her stay away from me put me in action as I trailed my hand down her back. I cupped her ass and tugged her closer letting her feel my hard-on. “Brock?” she panted as she shifted closer and pressed her body as tight to mine as she could get it.

  “God Em. I need you so much,” I tipped my head to the side as I connected our mouths but this time it wasn’t slow and sweet. This time it was hungry and demanding. I needed her. I wanted her, and I was going to have her even if it was our last time together. I may have to walk away come morning, but tonight I was taking what I wanted. Tonight, she was mine.

  Chapter 18

  Brock

  When I awoke the next morning I had san
d in places that no one should have sand in. Emma and I had made love in the ocean, and then on the beach before she convinced me to bring her to my place. I didn’t think about the repercussions at the time. All I wanted was to have her as many as times as I could before this ended. I knew that like the night, we had an expiration date and it was approaching. I opened one eye enough to see the sun beginning to seep through the crack in my curtains before I closed it and groaned.

  “What time is it?” Emma mumbled from beside me as she snuggled further into my side. We were curled up on top of my bed naked.

  “Early, go back to sleep,” I whispered as my lips searched blindly for hers. I didn’t want morning to be here. I didn’t want to have to take her home. Maybe, just maybe, if I ignored the signs she would too.

  “I need a shower,” she grumbled as one hand trailed down my stomach and paused right above my cock. He hardened at the thought of her being so close.

  “Not yet,” I rolled onto my side and pulled her close. One hand traveled down her back and hooked her leg over my hip as my fingers danced up her inner thigh. Right before they sunk into her, she pulled away.

  “I’ve got sand everywhere,” she blinked her eyes open and stared into mine.

  The most beautiful brown orbs stared back at me with the hint of a smile in their corners. Her lips curled up as she cupped my cheek and nuzzled my nose. “I had fun last night,” she whispered. “Can I stay here today?”

  I had to work, but hearing her ask this made me completely forget. All I could concentrate on at the moment was that she asked to stay. She didn’t make up an excuse to go home, and she wasn’t panicking like I thought she would. Maybe she thought she was dreaming and didn’t realize that we still had to deal with the whole parent situation.