by Ali Parker
“Is everything all right?” Dad asked in concern, joining me at the table.
“Yes,” I quickly answered. “I want to share, um, something. As Mom knows, I’ve been dating someone.”
Now I spared a glance at my mother, whose lips were still pursed in disapproval.
“The older man?” Dad asked.
My eyes darted back to Mom, and she threw her hands up in exasperation. “I had to tell him,” she insisted.
“Yes,” I slowly said. “But he’s not that much older than me.”
“How old is he?” Dad demanded. He didn’t look unhappy, but he didn’t seem happy either.
I gulped. “Forty-five.”
“See?” Mom quickly said.
Dad rubbed the back of his neck. “What’s that? A seventeen-year difference?”
“It’s too much,” Mom answered for me.
“It’s not that much,” Dad said.
Silence filled the kitchen as Mom and I both stared at him.
“It’s almost twenty years, Bob.” Mom’s words were laced with venom, suggesting that if he didn’t agree with her, there would be problems.
Dad shrugged. “If she were twenty, then it would matter. But she’s not. She’s almost thirty.” Dad looked at me. “You like this guy?”
“A-a lot,” I stuttered, unable to believe how well things were going so far.
“He’s a good guy?”
“One of the best I’ve ever met.” My chest swelled with pride as I realized the words were true.
Mom shook her head, going back to work in the kitchen, although not without an aggressive amount of banging of cupboards and drawers being involved.
Dad lifted his face and inspected me. “I guess you two are getting pretty hot and heavy.”
I choked on an inhale. “Hot and heavy?”
“Yeah, like serious.”
“I don’t think that’s what hot and heavy means.” I laughed.
He waved his hand. “Aw, you know what I’m getting at. Are you bringing this guy over here anytime soon?”
“Um.” I bit down on my bottom lip, accidentally tearing a layer of skin. “There’s something else you need to know. You already know this guy.”
Mom’s noise-making abruptly stopped, and she turned to look at me.
Dad cocked his head. “What do you mean?” he barked. “We met him already?”
Just say it, I told myself. The sooner you let it out, the sooner it will be over with.
“He’s Andrew Marx,” I spilled, talking faster than usual. “I met him because his daughter, Raven, goes to my school. Weeks ago. We met weeks ago.”
The tension in the room was unprecedented, my breathing all I could hear at first. Dad’s eyes were wide, his jowls rapidly turning red.
“Andrew Marx?” he repeated.
“Yes,” I peeped, feeling like I was shrinking inside my sweater.
Dad licked his lips. Looked away. Ran his palm over his mouth. “How? When? Damn it, Lanie.”
I flinched at his harsh tone. My father had only cussed at me a few times before, and only when I did something really, really bad—like sneak out of the house in the middle of the night or clog the toilet with all of Mom’s lipsticks after we fought.
The disappointment and anger in his voice had me shaking. “We met weeks ago.”
“You said that,” Mom snapped.
I resisted sending her an angry look. Any aggression on my part would only make things worse.
Dad gruffly cleared his throat. “He hasn’t said anything about this to me.”
I eagerly leaned forward. “That’s because we didn’t know you two were friends until last weekend at the fundraiser. And I wouldn’t let him tell you. I wanted to let you know myself.”
Dad’s eyes squinted. “So you two paraded around that ballroom, making me look like a fool?”
“What?” I shook my head, not understanding. “No, Dad. It has nothing to do with you.”
“Right, I can see that.” He pushed his chair away from the table with more force than necessary. “I’ll be back later.” Grabbing his coat, he left, the front door slamming behind him.
“Dad,” I gasped, though he was no longer there to hear it.
“I hope you’re happy.” Mom’s eyes flashed with anger.
I couldn’t take it any longer. I’d done the right thing, only to have the people I depended on most in the world act like I’d committed a crime. Standing up, I stared her down.
“I was honest. What else can I do?”
Surprisingly, her expression softened. “Oh, Lanie,” she sighed. “I already told you why I don’t like this. But Andrew Marx? Your father’s friend?”
“We didn’t know.”
She nodded tiredly. “I see that.”
I hugged myself, feeling completely off-balance. “I’ve never seen Dad that angry.”
“Andrew is one of his closest friends.”
“How was I supposed to know that, Mom? He’s never home. He never talks about his life.”
A pained look crossed her face, reminding me that I wasn’t the only one who suffered the effects of my dad’s busy lifestyle.
“It just feels like you were lying to us.”
“You get that I wasn’t though, right?”
She inspected my face. “Yes,” she finally answered. “I believe you.” With a sigh, she folded and refolded a kitchen towel. “Your father and I are going to need some time. This is a lot to take in. We’ll have to talk about this soon, you know.”
“Yeah,” I numbly agreed, pushing my chair in.
“Where are you going?”
“I have plans. Remember?”
“Oh. Right.” She quickly looked away, leaving me feeling even more alone.
Shouldering my purse, I left the house, taking note of the empty spot where Dad’s car should have been.
I kept it together until I got to the car, but once the door was closed, I dropped my face into my hands. A dry sob wracked my body, but the tears wouldn’t come. The situation was too unjust for that. As much as my parents’ reactions hurt, I knew I hadn’t done anything wrong.
I was their only child. They were the only mom and dad I had. How could they let such a small issue come between us?
Taking another shuddering breath, I pulled out my phone.
“Hey.” Andrew’s warm voice brought immediate ease.
“Hi,” I whispered.
“How did it go?”
“Not that good.” I covered my mouth with my palm so I wouldn’t cry out.
Andrew inhaled sharply. “Fuck.”
“I’m sorry.” I looked mournfully back at the house, wishing things were different.
“Don’t apologize. None of this is your fault. Where are you?”
“I’m still at my parents’. My dad stormed out, and my mom is still inside. What are you doing?”
I held my breath. Right then, I needed him almost as much as I needed oxygen. We had loose plans for the evening, but if he wasn’t ready to see me yet, I would break. I’d reached my quota for disappointments for the day. Two hot tears rolled down my cheeks. They’d been a long time coming, and they burned like fire.
“I’m at home,” Andrew smoothly answered. “Waiting for you to come over.”
“Yeah?” I smiled through the pain.
“Yeah. Now get your butt over here.”
Chapter 30
Andrew
I darted around the living room, fluffing pillows and putting stray books back on the shelves. Lanie had been over to the house before, but something was different about tonight. There was no Karen. No Raven. Just me and the woman I craved.
She was upset, and she was coming to me. Which meant it was my duty to make her feel better.
The doorbell rang, making me spring around and bolt across the room and into the foyer. Lanie stood under the porch light, her eyes puffy.
“Hi.” She sadly smiled.
My heart cracked in two. “Oh, Lanie.”
She shook her head and stepped inside. “It’s not that bad.”
“Really?” I closed the door and turned to face her.
Lanie’s lips pressed hard together, and her chin quivered. “No,” she gasped.
Out of nowhere, tears flowed. Without thinking, I crossed the foyer and pulled her into my arms, pressing her head against my chest with one hand and wrapping my other arm around her waist. Her chest heaved with a couple of thick sobs, but then she pulled away.
“I’m sorry.” She frantically wiped her face. “I didn’t mean to break down.”
I grabbed her hand. “Don’t apologize. I already told you that.”
“Yeah, but Raven might come down and see.”
“She’s spending the night at a friend’s house.”
Lanie sniffled. “Oh.”
“Come here. Sit down.”
Leading her into the living room, I set her on the couch before grabbing some tissues and putting the tea kettle on.
“What kind of tea do you want?” I yelled from the kitchen.
“I don’t need any. Thanks, though.”
“I’m making you some anyway!”
Rifling through the tea cupboard—a place I hardly ever ventured—I found something called Calming Elixir.
“Seems about right,” I shrugged, dropping a bag into a mug and pouring steaming water to the brim.
By the time I brought the tea into the living room, Lanie’s face was dry, but she still clutched a tissue, as if she were afraid of suddenly breaking down again.
“Here.” I set the mug on a coaster on the coffee table.
“Thanks,” she murmured.
“It was that bad, huh?”
Her wet lashes fluttered as she looked my way. “I don’t think we’ve been lying to them.”
I leaned into the couch and put my arm around her waist, noting how natural the move felt. “I don’t think so, either.”
“That’s what they said. They think I’ve been keeping this from them, even though I was clear that we didn’t know Dad knew you until a week ago.”
“I should have been there,” I spat, angry with myself.
“That wouldn’t have helped, Andrew.”
“Yeah, well, you doing it on your own didn’t go so well.” Realizing the statement could be misconstrued, I rubbed her back and sat up straighter. “Not because you did things wrong. I didn’t mean it that way.”
“It’s okay.” Lanie smiled sadly. “I know what you meant. And I wanted to do it on my own.”
“What did Bob say?” My throat grew dry over the question. Bob had always had my back, and it stung like hell to realize I was, however inadvertently, hurting him.
She grimaced. “Not much. He stormed out.”
“Shit.”
“Yeah,” she nodded, looking at the tea but making no move to drink it.
“I’ll talk to Bob myself.”
Lanie uncomfortably wiggled against my arm.
“I have to,” I told her.
“I know. I don’t want him to freak out on you like he did with me.”
“Don’t worry.” I ran my thumb down her jawline, savoring her soft skin. “I can handle it.”
She didn’t look convinced. “I don’t get why they’re mad, Andrew. I’ve never made any major mistakes. Everything I’ve done, they should be happy with. And it’s not like I’m eighteen. I’m twenty-eight. I can make my own damn decisions.”
“I know.” I squeezed her arm, getting that she probably wasn’t looking for answers so much as she was looking to rant.
Sometimes, women needed to talk and not be given advice. That was probably one of the most important things I’d figured out about them.
“Do you want to tell me about your mom?” I asked.
Her eyes rolled. “I can hardly ever do anything right in her eyes. So what can I say? I pretty much expected her to be disappointed in me.”
I could feel anger rising like steam in my chest. “Your father knows me. He should understand I would never do anything to hurt you.” I pressed my lips together, stopping myself. Ranting wouldn’t help the situation.
“I know,” Lanie whispered. “Exactly.”
Her hand fell on my knee as she looked earnestly into my eyes. She seemed unaware that she was touching me, but the shivers of pleasure running through my leg took up all of my attention.
I licked my lips and got my brain working again. “Maybe you should take that kid from the coffee shop home. They’d probably like him.”
“Oh my god,” she groaned. “Was that a joke?”
“Maybe.” I made a pained face. “Humor was never my forte.”
A chuckle slipped from her. “It was decent. For someone who doesn’t know what they’re doing.”
“Gee, thanks.”
“Sorry,” she said, laughing.
“I’m just glad to see you not crying,” I softly said, trailing my fingers down her cheek.
Lanie sharply inhaled, and the sound made goosebumps rise on my arms.
“Are we doing the right thing?” she delicately asked.
I had to swallow before answering. Her hand was still on my leg, and my arm around her waist. In that moment, the “right thing” was happening. We were together, and it seemed nothing else mattered.
“What do you think?”
Her gaze jumped around my face. “It feels right.”
I slowly nodded. “Agreed.”
Lanie sighed, and her body shook against me.
“You’re brave,” I told her. “It’s hard for anyone to stand up to their parents.”
“What would yours think? You know, about us?”
I turned that thought over. “They’d be happy,” I finally decided.
“Really?” her incredulous voice asked.
“They’re fairly laid-back.”
She nodded. “Lucky.”
“Hey.” I squeezed her waist a little tighter. “Your parents are good people. Your dad has been there for me when no one else was.”
Lanie blinked. “When you say that, it makes me feel like you’re talking about a stranger.” She gulped. “I don’t think I know that man.”
I stumbled in my search for the right words. “He loves you, Lanie.”
“I know.” She squirmed against me again. As I was quickly learning, when Lanie felt put on the spot, she found it hard to sit still. “We don’t have to talk about them anymore.”
“I would hate to spend the whole night doing that,” I agreed, tucking a wisp of hair behind her ear. She sighed in pleasure at the touch, making heat rush into my core.
“This feels nice,” Lanie cooed.
“It’s been so long.”
“Not that long.” She smiled.
“Yes.” I solemnly nodded. “It’s been very long.”
Our eyes held each other’s attention, and I felt myself slipping away into some kind of trance. With Lanie in my arms, the rest of the world melted away.
“I don’t care about the age difference,” I said. “Let’s just be clear about that one more time.”
“Same here,” she breathed.
“From the first day I saw you, I haven’t been able to get you out of my head.”
Lanie blushed and ducked her face, looking up at me from under her lashes.
“This is right for me,” I finished up. “And I hope it’s the same for you.”
“Yeah,” she rasped, the answer full of heat and desire.
Need rolled through me, and I lowered my face to hers. Her lips parted against my mouth’s pressure, giving themselves over to me right away. Putting both arms around her waist, I pulled her closer and slipped my tongue between her teeth. The concept of taking it slow no longer existed. I’d almost lost Lanie for good. Now that she was here with me again, I intended on taking what was mine.
Sliding one arm lower, I hoisted her into my lap. Her legs pressed on the outsides of mine, and her pelvis pushed against my groin. My hands took on a mind of their own, running over La
nie’s back then under her sweatshirt.
She moaned slightly, rocking her hips forward and grazing against my hardening bulge. Pleasure popped through me like a light bulb going out, making stars flash behind my closed eyelids.
My tongue went deeper. My hands held tighter. I wanted to seal the woman in my lap to me, to brand her with my mark and let everyone know she wasn’t going anywhere.
Between my arms, Lanie shivered.
“Is that a good shudder or a bad one?” I asked, pulling my sore lips away from hers.
She smiled. “The former.”
I twisted the end of her sweatshirt. “I want you, Lanie.”
Her pupils grew wide. “Yeah?” came her breathy response.
Eyes on her, I slowly nodded. “Come to my bedroom.”
“What’s up there?” she teasingly asked.
In response, I ran my palm across the crotch of her jeans. Her mouth fell open, and she curved her back, driving her tight little body harder down onto mine.
“Well?” Slowly unbuttoning her pants, I cocked an eyebrow.
Lanie pretended to think about it. “I guess I could check it out. You know, if there’s something up there you want me to see.”
In a heartbeat, I was up, tossing her over my shoulder like a caveman.
Lanie shrieked. “What are you doing?”
“Wait and see.” Laying a playful spank on her ass, I carted her across the living room.
Chapter 31
Lanie
“Let me down!” I cried, unable to stop the laughter bubbling from my throat.
“Not a chance,” Andrew answered, his strong arms around my legs.
Up the stairs and down the hallway we went, passing closed doors. A door opened with a bang, and we were in a bedroom. Andrew’s bedroom.
A small lamp on a side table softly lit the room, but that’s all I got to notice before I was gently dropped onto the bed. Andrew’s weight pressed down onto me, his hands twisting in my short hair and his nose brushing against mine.
I wrapped my arms around his neck, studying his eyes. This close, they were dark pools sucking me in.
Slowly twisting a strand of my hair, Andrew dropped a quick kiss on my lips before taking his mouth higher. My forehead. My cheeks. My chin. His lips didn’t miss any part of my face.
