by K. S. Martin
“I hope you got shampoo and not more conditioner.” He made a face and rummaged through the sacks.
“Forgot it.” He pushed his cart around to the end of the counter and darted back through the aisle toward the shampoo.
“Is that all hun?” The cashier name Kandy with the blue striped hair asked me. I handed her some coupons.
“He’ll be back in a second with the shampoo, hang on.” I turned to look back over the gum rack for Jamie. “Here he comes.” She finished deducting the coupons.
“Did you finish yet?” He asked her.
“Nope, we were waiting for you handsome.” I reached up and patted his cheek. She totaled my groceries after adding his shampoo. I pushed my cart through and turned to go out of the door. Jamie followed behind me. We loaded the bags into the back of the SUV. “I’m starving. Do you want to grab something at the drive thru on the way home?” I started the engine once we were inside.
“Yeah, Taco Bell? I could wipe a twelve pack out right now.” He said and it sounded good to me. I pulled out into traffic and headed for the restaurant two blocks over.
We shoved the cold items inside the refrigerators quickly and left everything else. He came through my door and headed for the taco box. “Wait for me,” I complained. I put the milk on the top shelf and jogged to the other side of the counter and hopped up on the stool. “Gimmee.” I grinned. He handed me a crunchy taco. I unwrapped and inhaled it. I was starved! I stopped after the second one knowing if I didn’t I would pay for it later. I love taco bell but it does not love me. Jamie had six of them. “Where do you put them?” I giggled handing him a Tums and water. “You may as well be prepared.” He sank back into the couch and took the remote to click through the channels. I finished putting my groceries away then went to his place to do the same. When I came back Jamie was asleep on my couch. I covered him up with a blanket and turned the lights off but left the TV on with turned the sound down low. I braided my hair and tied it in case he came to bed later. I crawled into bed. I was exhausted and fell asleep almost instantly. I felt Jamie crawl in behind me a few hours later. He spooned behind me and I fell into a much deeper sleep. I was glad he was there because I never had the nightmares when he was with me. I woke late the next morning. I stretched and noticed how sore I was, everywhere. It was a nice sore, but if I moved just right I would be reminded of everything that we did yesterday. I eased out of bed, Jamie still slept. I brushed my teeth and put some sweatpants on. I started breakfast and made coffee. Jamie came up behind me and took the spatula. His chest was against my back and his arms worked around me. He didn’t say anything but he took over the breakfast. I ducked out of the way and took my coffee to the small balcony. I sat on one of the dusty white chairs, I rarely came out here but I wanted to feel the sun on my face. I used the solid clay colored wall to prop my bare feet on and lifted my face to the sun. I cradled the coffee against my belly. I closed my eyes and sat that way enjoying the warmth on my face not caring about sun damage right now. I heard the door slide open. Jamie put my plate down on the small table with the fork and napkin beside it. He went back inside for a second then came out with his own plate and coffee.
“Al Fresco.” He sat down easily in the other chair. The view wasn’t great if you stood up but the low wall blocked buildings and traffic. All I could see from my seat was birds and sky. “What are you planning for today?” Jamie asked when he was finishing his breakfast.
“I guess the same thing we always do. Farmer’s market, lunch, Netflix and pizza then bed.” I forked some egg into my mouth. I could see him watching me out of the corner of my eye. “No?” I turned and asked him. He shook his head. “Uh, Ryan’s and a game?” He shook his head again. Now I really didn’t know what to say. “Farmer’s market and Ryan’s.” One of his eyebrows lifted. I threw up my hands and bit my toast. “Run through the park, then Ryan’s for a game?” He picked up his plate and coffee and went back inside. I leaned back and cracked the door. “You don’t have to be mad because I can’t read your mind.” I yelled through the door. I slammed the door and finished eating my breakfast.
“You promised to help Mom with the fundraiser car wash and then you are supposed to stay for the barbeque at the house. He dropped my sexiest bikini in my lap.
“What’s this for?” I held it up with two fingers.
“Because you are supposed to wear something to attract attention.”
“Does this get your attention?” I asked a few minutes later when I had changed from the sweats into the bikini.
He swallowed hard. “Uh huh.” I went back to the bedroom and got my sweats and a hoodie to wear over the suit. I kicked into my sneakers then grabbed my keys, my coffee. “Are you coming? I’m leaving in five minutes if you want a ride. I won’t wait.” He sprinted to his apartment.
I waited curled up in the passenger seat of my SUV sipping my fresh coffee. He got in with less than thirty seconds left on the clock.
“I want to tell my parents that we’re together today.” I melted then. He leaned across the seat and kissed my cheek lightly.
Chapter 5
We spent three hours washing cars and collecting money. We went back to Jamie’s Mom’s house and went straight to his old bedroom to change out of our wet clothes. He checked the other rooms on the way up and looked out of his window down into the back yard. People milled about with cool drinks and his parents were busy with the grill. He went back and locked the bedroom door. “I’ve been waiting all day for this.” His voice was low and sexy almost a growl.
“Really? I’ve been waiting for this since I was ten.” I peeled the suit off slowly until I stood in the middle of his old bedroom naked. He watched me, his eyes never leaving me as he peeled his own clothes off. He came at me, his eyes still not leaving mine. Jamie ripped a condom open with his teeth and rolled it on. He pushed me down on the full sized bed and kneed my thighs apart. Staring into my eyes. He pushed into me, filling me, stretching me and burying himself inside of me. His dark eyes never left mine.
“Put your arms around my neck.” I did as I was told. He brought me to a hard climax quickly. “Shhh…” He whispered when I started to make a lot of noise. It was hard not to the orgasm squeezed and clenched as everything burst into nothing but white light. My hands squeezed his shoulders and my fingernails dug into the flesh there. My breaths calmed as did his. We got up and dressed saying nothing. I put the sweats on over the suit and got an old tee shirt from one of the drawers and pulled it on over my head. His mouth was on mine when my head popped out of the neck. “Thank you, sweet heart.” I rested my hand against his cheek and smiled up at him.
“I love you.” I got my jacket from the bed and followed him downstairs.
“What have you two been doing?” Jamie’s sister Francine asked. She was a year younger and the coolest of his sisters. He had five of them but Franny was my favorite. Wise beyond her years, she got all of our stupid jokes, loved hockey and did not judge us. Fran looked like a catholic school girl with long ash blonde hair, a porcelain complexion and big blue doll’s eyes. She was beautiful and looked ten years younger than she was, and best of all, she had a mouth like a drunken sailor. I absolutely adored her.
“Nothing.” I answered and hugged her.
“Then why are you wearing my brother as cologne?” My eyes went wide, and Franny laughed loud, raucous.
“What? Are you serious?” I was horrified.
“He’s all over you girlfriend. How long have you been screwing him?” She grinned and waggled her eyebrows.
“Since yesterday.” I whispered.
“Fucking –A! Alright, it’s about time. Is he any good?” She was laughing and had a huge stupid smile on her face. I turned puce. “Way to go big bro!” She punched my arm. “I am so fucking proud of you guys. When are you getting married?” I made a face. “The fucker hasn’t asked you yet?” Her eyes narrowed and her lips pursed.
“We just started yesterday, give us a minute Fran.” I giggled.
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“Bull shit, you two have been eye fucking each other for fifteen years. I had hopes while you were away at college but you two are so stupid that you couldn’t even pull that off living together.” I smiled and looked away.
“Oh shit Mom’s coming, she’ll know, she can smell pot at two hundred yards, she won’t have any problem smelling her favorite child on you.” Fran started laughing and threw an arm around me spilling her beer all down the front of me. “Holy shit, Shell I’m sorry.” Fran apologized loudly. She hurriedly got a paper towel and smeared beer all over me as best as she could. When her head was turned so that her mother couldn’t see, she winked at me. Jamie rushed at us with paper towels.
“Damn it Fran, are you drunk already?” Jamie scolded her taking her beer from her and dragging me toward the house.
“She did that on purpose.” I told him once we were inside. “She said that she could smell you on me.” He stopped and looked around for prying ears. He smiled that adorable lopsided grin of his.
“Oh yeah?” His brows waggled much like his sister’s. I nodded.
“She wanted to know how long we’ve been having sex.” He grinned again when I said this.
“Nobody can slip anything past Fran. She’s like a damn blood hound.” Jamie laughed.
“Now I smell like beer and sex.” I made a face. He pulled me toward the stairs and up to his room where he gave me another tee shirt, a pair of shorts that would be big but good enough and a towel.
“Go take a quick shower, then you won’t have to worry about it, you’ll smell like soap.” He kissed my cheek and slapped my rear end. “I should come in and supervise.” One corner of his mouth curled up. I shook my head. He rolled his eyes and left me alone. I showered quickly and hung my towel up neatly. I had always loved this house. It had more interesting rooms than my own. My house had people who were always sad and who always carried a tissue with them usually tucked inside a shirt or sweater sleeve. My mother had never recovered and for as much as my Dad tried, she was never able to work her way through it. I always felt like it was my fault because I was after all a constant reminder of the child that died, the child that I couldn’t save. I tried my very best to save her and I nearly died myself trying to do just that. They never thanked me for my efforts, and nobody was thanking God that I lived. They only mourned Jenny. I don’t think that Jenny would have liked it any more than I did if she knew what happened after she fell in the water. I never felt like it was fair to any of us that I looked exactly like her so I made myself as scarce as I could. That meant spending a lot of time here. Mrs. Flanagan understood, at least she said so during the only conversation that we had about it. She said that it was probably very difficult for my parents to be haunted by me. That it probably ripped my poor mother’s heart out every time that she looked at me know that I wasn’t Jenny and knowing that she had nearly lost both of us. She said that she was very grateful that Jamie and I were okay and that we hadn’t all lost our lives to the icy water. She said that Jamie must love me very much to risk his life like that for me and that I must be very special. And that since Jamie loved me so much and thought that much of me that I was welcome here anytime, day or night, no questions asked. I was a member of the family and that I was as much a Flanagan as I could ever be. Her blue eyes that were Jamie’s eyes winked at me. I smiled at the memory. She was so sweet, and I did love her. I came here a lot of days to do my homework in Jamie’s room while he was at whichever sport practice he was participating in depending on the season. I had my own key and was welcome to snacks in the fridge or to Jamie’s room, whatever I needed. Usually when Jamie had practice, Franny and I would walk home together and she did her best to shock me and make me laugh. She would never admit it but she was exactly like her Mom in looks and personality, just an x-rated version, she got that from her Dad. He was always cussing at someone or something, especially in the car. Riding with John Flanagan in traffic was a lesson in vulgarity and it cracked me up. Jamie said that he only did that when I was in the car, that my laughing at him made it a lot worse because it encouraged him to put on a show. I didn’t care, I learned a lot of words from John Flanagan and whether Jamie liked them or not, I did, they were freeing. I went outside to the barbeque and spotted my own parents Mom was in her usual white sweater with embroidered flowers and Dad was in a lawn chair with a beer. I went over and kissed his cheek.
“Hi Daddy.” I squeezed his arm. “How have you been?”
“Been alright girlie, fetch me another beer would you?” I smiled and went to find the beer cooler. I dug through the ice and got two. I stopped and pecked my mother’s cheek as I passed her. She was helping Jamie’s Mom set the food out. I gave my Dad the beer after I opened it and squatted beside him. “How’s the big city treating you?” He asked.
“It’s okay.” I sipped my beer.
“Are you and Jamie getting along alright?” I nodded. “You need to eat girlie, you’re getting too skinny.” I smiled at that. He wanted me heavier, Jamie wanted me lighter. “Do you need any money for groceries?” He asked looking out over the yard. I shook my head.
“No, Daddy, I make decent money.” A little boy about ten feet in front of me with the looks of a Flanagan had a rock in his hand and had his sights set on a beautiful little girl with white curls that did not look like family and not far away. I set my beer down and hurried to him. “Hi there slugger.” I picked him up, disarming him as I did so. “You don’t want to throw that at her. Girls are really mean when you make them mad and they never forget either.” Jamie’s oldest sister hurried over to us. Mary Ann was five years older than I was and got married the day after she graduated high school to the captain of the football team.
“Is John- John misbehaving?” His eyes widened at his mother’s voice.
“No, Mary Ann, John- John is a good boy. Aren’t you?” I asked him. He couldn’t have been more than three. He nodded and put his pudgy arms around my neck. “Is that one of yours?” I pointed to the little white haired girl. She shook her head.
“No, she belongs to uh….” She turned scanning the back yard. Paul and Kristy over there, they live across the street. “How have you been Michelle?” She turned her full attention to me now. “Are you and Jamie doing okay on your own? I already know that you are, but I thought that I would ask just in case.”
“We’re fine.” The little boy John-John was resting his head on my shoulder now. Mary Ann smiled strangely at me now. She looked around me to see his face. Jamie came over to us.
“That kid is asleep. Damn Mich, you have a knack, nobody can knock that monster out.” He chuckled. “Come on, I’ll help you put him down.” He put his hand on my back.
“Oh I can take him.” Mary Ann offered. Jamie waved her off and pushed me toward the house. He put a baby blanket on the couch to protect it from drool and let me lay John -John down on it. I blocked him in with pillows. He was small enough that he could get hurt if he fell. Jamie covered him with another blanket and pulled me into his arms.
“You’ll make a good mama and you looked so sexy holding a kid.” His mouth covered mine, exploring, his hands supported my back. I melted against him.
The little boy stirred in his sleep but faded quickly when I rubbed his back. Jamie and I went outside. I didn’t see Jamie’s other sisters and found out later that one of them, Lucy was working and the other, Ruth was still at college. The youngest, Tammy was talking with a boy she brought to the car wash and now to the barbeque. She was the fifteen and very interested in herself. We ate hot dogs, potato salad and the like until we couldn’t move then relaxed in lawn chairs with beers until the mosquitoes started to bite. Nearly everyone had gone home except my parents and me and Jamie. Mom and I were helping Mrs. Flanagan clean up and our Dad’s were reminiscing about neighbors that had come and gone. The Dads came in from the dark yard and sat at the kitchen table. Mom and I helped Mrs. Flanagan wrap leftovers then dish out apple pie and ice cream. Jamie carried lawn chairs through to the garage
off the kitchen.
“Son, come sit down, I’ll make Tammy do that tomorrow. Tell us what goes on in the white collar world.” John Flanagan had drank one too many. I saw the eye roll Jamie’s Mom gave him but she didn’t say anything. She obviously loved him, because although she rolled her eyes once in awhile, she gave him other hotter looks too, which explained the six children. If he were anything at all like Jamie, I couldn’t blame her. Jamie sat down at the table with the men. I put pie and ice cream in front of the Dads then him. He caught me with his arm and held me still. Our mother’s came over to sit at the other end of the long table with their pie lost in their own conversation about the bad turn the produce section had taken since they put a ‘kid’ in charge of it at the local grocery store. John Flanagan had moved onto baseball scores and my Dad was agreeing and shoving pie in his mouth.
“Everyone, I have an announcement to make.” Jamie’s voice rose above the din. All eyes were suddenly on him, I tried to squirm away but he held onto me. His fingers were digging into my hip.” He was going to tell them that we were dating and suddenly I was more bashful than usual. I’m not sure why, but I just didn’t think it needed to be announced. “I spoke earlier to Mr. O’Brien,” I looked over at my Dad who was beaming and a little glassy eyed. “I asked for his permission to ask Mich to marry me and he said that I had his blessing.” Jamie looked at each of our parents in turn. My mother looked younger suddenly than she had in a very long time. What he said wasn’t registering properly in my brain. It suddenly occurred to me that he’d said marry. I looked down at him now because Jamie had gotten off the chair and was on one knee at my feet. I was trembling all over and I couldn’t think straight. “Michelle, I can’t imagine spending more than a minute away from you. You have always been my best friend and I want to spend the rest of my life with you. I know that you thought I was going to say that we started dating, but in truth, what I am going to say is this. Mich, will you be my bride? Will you spend the rest of your life with me and have children with me, a house and maybe a dog?” He opened a small blue velvet box that held a good sized sparkling diamond. I laughed nervously at the reference to the conversation we had in the truck a couple of days ago. My mother and Mrs. Flanagan came around the table to me seeing what Jamie could not, the blackness closed in on me and I fainted. When I woke in Jamie’s arms he looked very concerned.
