by Ashlee Price
“It’s the best thing that’s happened to me, actually,” Dani goes on as she combs her hair back with her fingers. “Not just the marriage, but being with you guys and then Solstice.”
At the image of that beautiful, red-haired and green-eyed girl with the cutest chubby cheeks, I smile.
“What did I tell you? The best things happen by accident.”
“Not all,” she tells me as she places her hands on my shoulders. “You didn’t win that Best Supporting Actor Oscar by accident, did you?”
“I hope not.”
“And look at this. We’re finally on a beach and it’s not by accident. We made it happen.”
“Finally.”
Finally, I managed to pull myself away from my work schedule, which got busy after I won that Oscar, and I managed to pull Dani away from Solstice.
“My mom’s thrilled to babysit Solstice,” I say.
“I saw. And here I thought she didn’t want to be a grandmother.”
“She didn’t,” I agree. “But who can resist Solstice, really?”
Dani grins. “Not me.”
“She insists Solstice is my child, actually, because of her blue eyes.”
She frowns. “We’ve been through this. Right now, it doesn’t matter who Solstice’s real father is. When she’s ready to know and if she wants to find out, we’ll have the test done.”
“I know, I know. And even if she wasn’t mine, I love her too much to not think of her as my child. It’s just… I can feel it, you know. She’s mine.”
“Whatever.”
“I guess we’ll find out when we see her dance.”
Dani’s eyes narrow. “And what makes you think that she got her dancing skills from you, hmm?”
“Okay, fine. Maybe when I hear her sing, then. After all, we know you can’t carry a tune.”
She pulls away and splashes water on me.
“Hey!”
She just laughs and makes another splash at me.
I wipe my face and frown. “Oh, it is on.”
I splash water on her and she squeals and then gets back at me with a bigger splash. Afterwards, she runs to the shore, laughing.
I go after her. “I’m coming to get you.”
I catch up to her as she gets out of the water and wrap my arms around her. She keeps running until we both tumble on the sand. I climb on top of her and tickle her.
“Stop! Stop!” she squeals and laughs at the same time. “I yield, okay?”
She raises her hands in surrender.
“Do you?” I pin them down beneath mine as I let my face hover over hers.
Dani nods.
I grin before letting my mouth crash down on hers. She kisses me back and my heart races. She parts her lips, and our tongues begin a dance of their own as I grind my hips against hers.
I’ve dreamt of making love to her on a beach for so long.
The breeze blows in our hair. The sand clings to our damp skin.
I let go of her hands so I can touch her breasts through her wet bikini top. Then I let go of her lips so I can move lower.
I kiss her neck, the valley between her breasts and her breasts. I kiss the belly where Solstice used to be and then I kiss the front of her bikini bottom, licking her through the nylon that is salty from the sea water and sweet from something else.
Through it all, she’s been gasping, but now she moans. That sound is carried off and scattered by the breeze, and then those moans turn into cries after I take her bottom off to kiss her there, to lick her and to delve my tongue inside.
She trembles and her hands go to my hair. I feel the grains of sand against my scalp.
“Reilly,” she whispers my name, and my hard cock throbs.
I pull her off the sand and onto my lap. I kiss her as I lower her onto my cock.
Dani breaks the kiss as she gasps, then clings to me as I start moving both her hips and mine. Her nails rake across my back.
The wind blows her hair against my face and I plant my lips on her neck.
“Reilly!”
She clings tighter to me as she trembles, and I begin to shudder as well. She lets out a cry as she throws her head back, and I muffle my groans against her skin as I manage one final thrust before spilling myself deep inside her.
Out of breath and feeling a little numb, I fall back on the sand and Dani collapses on top of me, her chest heaving. I feel her heart pound against mine.
Still gasping, she lifts her head to look at me. “Hey.”
“Hey.” I touch her cheek.
She reaches for the bottom piece of her bikini as she plants a kiss on my cheek. Then she gives me a mischievous grin.
“Race you to the water.” She pushes herself off me and runs off.
I lift myself up on my elbows and see her splashing into the water moments later.
“No fair!” I shout at her.
She just sticks out her tongue at me.
Then again, this isn’t bad, I think as I watch her bathing in the ocean with the sun beginning to set beyond her.
In fact, it’s perfect.
Epilogue Three
Noah
A year after…
“Congratulations,” Dani tells me for the hundredth time as we leave the Tokyo hotel where I just received an award for my latest book, a comic book that I wrote and illustrated myself.
As we go outside, the neon lights from the buildings on both sides of the street stream down on us. The cool autumn breeze blows against my cheeks and I tighten my scarf around my neck.
Being here in Tokyo feels like a dream.
Then again, lately, everything’s been like a dream—the awards, the traveling, and most of all, Dani and Solstice.
It’s a beautiful dream that I never want to wake up from.
“Shall we go back to our hotel?” Dani asks. “I think I’d like to check on Solstice.”
“Sure,” I say. “I’d love to talk to her, too.”
Now that she’s two, she’s fun to talk to. Even though her vocabulary and her attention span are still limited, I love watching her expressions and hearing her babble. She’s just so…
“Noah?” A voice breaks into my thoughts.
I turn my head and see a Japanese woman in her late forties to early fifties standing there in a thick green coat over a black turtleneck. I don’t recognize her at first, but then I see the ruby pendant hanging from her neck. I gaze into her eyes again and something hits home.
My mother.
She takes a step forward. “It is you, isn’t it, Noah?”
“What are you doing here, mother?” I ask her.
I hear Dani gasp behind me.
“I heard about your award,” she tells me. “And I heard you were going to be here, so I came to see you. And I saw you earlier when you were giving your speech inside. You were great.”
I frown. That still doesn’t explain why she’s here.
“Why did you want to see me?”
Her eyebrows straighten up. Sadness flickers in her eyes and she looks down.
“I know I’ve been a terrible mother to you, Noah. I…”
“Terrible?” I interrupt. “You abandoned me.”
“I’m sorry.” She bows her head. “I’m so sorry.”
“Now you’re sorry.” My temper rises. “Why? Because you’ve realized how famous and successful I am? Because you think I’ve forgotten everything you’ve done?”
“I’m sorry,” she just repeats, her head still low.
I snort and shake my head. “Those words won’t bring back or fix anything.”
I grab Dani’s hand. “Let’s go.”
~
I beat my fists against the wet tiles as the warm drops of water from the shower trickle down my back.
Why did my mother have to show up now? Does she think I’ve forgotten what she did? Does she think I’ll ever forgive her?
Everything in my life is going well. I’m not afraid to leave the house anymore. I can feed myself. I can
write better stories.
I thought I’d already left the past behind.
As it turns out, that’s not true.
One look into my mother’s eyes and all the pain from the past comes flooding back. One word from her and I’m back to being a scared little boy again.
I beat my fist against the tiles again. Tears of frustration streak down my cheeks. The water washes some of them away.
Why did I have to see her again?
“Noah?” The shower door opens.
I don’t answer, nor do I face Dani. I can’t when the tears are still trickling down my face.
“Leave me alone, Dani,” I whisper.
I don’t hear the shower door close, though. I’m about to do it myself when she steps into the shower with her underwear still on. Stepping under the water, she wraps her arms around me from behind.
“Shh,” she says as she hugs me tight. “It’s fine.”
I stay still. For a moment, we just stand there in the shower as I let the tears fall and my thoughts roll, the heat from the shower and from Dani’s body seeping into my skin.
Then, as the mist builds in the stall, a different kind of heat stirs in my veins. I become aware of Dani’s breasts press against my back, of her hands on my chest, of her breath against my nape.
Something in me snaps.
I turn around and capture Dani’s mouth as I push her against the wall. She whimpers, then parts her lips to let out a gasp. I push my tongue in between them and deepen the kiss.
As my tongue explores her mouth, my hands explore her wet body. I squeeze one of her breasts through her damp bra, then slip my hand beneath it so my fingers can rub her nipples. She shudders in response and my cock throbs.
I slip my hand beneath her underwear next. My fingers find her nub and play with it. She grips my shoulders and moans into my mouth.
I break the kiss and force air into my lungs as I turn her around. I pull her underwear down to her knees, then I grab her hips and enter her.
She lets out a cry that bounces off the walls.
I cup her breasts, letting the mounds of flesh press against my palms as I pound into her. The drops of water continue to fall down on me but I ignore them.
Dani is clinging to my cock tightly, and the friction sends sparks of heat all over my body.
It’s good. So good.
But it’s not enough.
I pull out of her and drag her out of the shower. I throw her wet body down on the floor and I claim her lips as I enter her once more.
She wraps her wet arms and legs around me. Her nails dig into my back as she returns my kisses with equal fervor.
The fever within me rises. My mind is in a haze and my body goes out of control.
I tear my mouth away from hers and pound into her with all I’ve got.
I’m close. So close.
And then I’m there.
I bury myself deep inside Dani and let out a groan as my body quakes and my cock sputters. She moans as she throws her head back and trembles beneath me.
For a moment, I stay still with Dani limp in my arms as I catch my breath. Then, as quickly as the fever seized me, it breaks.
I pull away and sit on the floor.
“I’m sorry, Dani,” I apologize as I realize what I’ve done.
She sits up and shakes her head. “It’s fine. You needed to let it out.”
“But I shouldn’t have let it out on you.”
“Shh.” She holds a finger to my lips. “I can handle it. I can handle you.”
I grab her hand and plant a tender kiss on it. “I love you.”
“I love you, too,” she tells me. Then she glances toward the bathroom. “You better turn that water off.”
I nod. “I think I need another shower, though.”
She glances between her legs. “Yeah. Me too.”
“Do you want to do it together?” I invite her.
Dani smiles. “Yeah. Sure.”
I grab her hand and we help each other stand up, wobbling at first. Then we head back into the shower. I step back in first while Dani takes off the bra she still has on and closes the shower door.
“Now, about your mother…”
~
I stare at my mother as she sits across from me on the opposite side of the low table we’re sharing. Her hands are holding her pair of chopsticks, but her food is untouched. She hasn’t spoken a word since she got here and neither have I. I don’t really know what to say.
I didn’t really want to meet her again, but Dani talked me into it. She told me it would do me good, so here I am.
What did she tell me to tell my mother again?
Oh right. She told me to tell her how I felt.
“When I saw you yesterday,” I begin as I gaze down at my bowl of steaming rice, “I wasn’t ready. I never thought I’d see you again, and I didn’t want to. When I was growing up, all I ever felt from you was your disappointment at having me. I was a punishment for you, an obstacle.”
My mother says nothing.
“I may be doing fine now, but when you left me alone, I stumbled. I crawled. I sank. I broke. I felt like dying, and I think I might have died a few times over. Yes, I survived, but you don’t know what it took me to survive. You don’t know the price I had to pay, the price I should never have had to pay.”
She bows her head. “I’m sorry, son. You may not believe me, but I regret what I’ve done.”
“Yet you never came back.”
“I didn’t know where you’d gone.”
“Did you even bother looking for me?”
She doesn’t answer.
“Just admit it. You never wanted me.”
“No,” my mother admits. “But I should never have treated you the way I did. I was weak, but you were strong. You’ve always been strong.”
“I’m not strong.”
She reaches for my hand. “I’m proud of what you’ve become in spite of everything. I know I don’t have a right to be, but I am anyway. I’m not asking you for anything, not for your forgiveness or your love. I just wanted you to know that.”
I draw a deep breath. “That’s all?”
She nods. “I just wanted you to know I’m sorry and that I’m happy that you’ve grown into such a fine man.”
The words should mean nothing after all these years, after all she’s done, but they do. Somehow, I feel a weight evaporate from my chest.
Dani’s right. No matter what happened, no matter what she did, she’s still my mother.
And the past doesn’t matter. Only the future does.
It’s time to let my past go.
Strange, but it seems like all along I’ve just needed to hear those words for me to move on.
I squeeze her hand. “It’s fine, Mom.”
Her eyes grow wide.
I look away. “Let’s just put it all behind us, okay?”
To my surprise, she throws her arms around me as she starts sobbing. I pat her back and wait for her to stop. When she does, she looks at me with a smile, the first smile I ever remember seeing from her.
“I’m sorry.” She wipes her tears. “I just couldn’t help myself.”
I shake my head. “It’s okay. Let’s just eat now, shall we?”
I pick up my bowl of rice, which is no longer steaming.
She nods, picks up her chopsticks and starts eating. I eat as well, and as I do, I get the sense that everything is back in place again.
Everything is a dream once more.
And it’s all thanks to Dani.
Epilogue Four
Hector
Yet another year after…
“Thanks again, Dani!” Sam waves at Dani from the backseat of the car in the driveway. “And give Solstice a hug for me!”
“I will,” Dani promises as she waves back.
“Bye!” I shout.
I place my arm around Dani as we watch the car drive out of sight. Then I usher Dani back inside the house.
“It was nice of
you to give Sam dancing lessons,” I tell her as we walk down the hall.
“It’s nothing.” Dani shakes her head. “I love dancing, after all. Plus, Sam is practically my stepdaughter.”
I shrug. “I guess.”
“If I had known she was going to be here, though, I would have brought Solstice,” she says. “You know how she loves Sam.”
“She loves everyone,” I point out. “And everyone loves her.”
“Yeah,” she agrees.
“But it’s a good thing you didn’t bring her. After all, today is our day together, and now that Sam’s finally gone…”
I scoop her in my arms.
“Put me down.” Dani makes a halfhearted attempt to wriggle free.
“Nope,” I tell her firmly as I carry her to the staircase and up it. “Now, be a good girl and stop moving.”
I have to admit she’s heavy and I’m not as young as I used to. I still have a lot of strength left in me, though. Besides, this way, we can get to bed faster.
“Where are you taking me?”
“To the bedroom,” I answer.
“No.”
I throw her a puzzled look. “No?”
“Take me to the Rose Room.”
I stop, my eyes wide.
We haven’t been to the Rose Room since Dani got pregnant.
“Are you sure?” I ask her.
Dani nods and whispers in my ear, “I want you to tie me up and make me scream.”
That makes me go up the stairs even faster. I take her straight to the Rose Room and throw her down on the bed. Before I’ve even caught my breath, I grab the collar and fasten it around her neck.
The sight of her with that leather collar on takes me back.
She may be a mother now, but she’s still that brave, defiant woman I used to know, if not more so.
And she’s mine.
I sit on the chair. “If you want me to punish you, you have to misbehave first, princess.”
“And how exactly do you want me to misbehave, sir?” she asks.
I put my foot over my knee and narrow my eyes at her. “Take your clothes off.”
Dani pushes down her pants and kicks them away. Then she undoes the buttons of her blouse one at a time as she holds my gaze.
I suppress a grin.
She used to tremble when she did this. Her hands used to shake and fumble. She used to look away, to blush. But now she’s just popping out one button after another, and my chest swells with pride even as another part of me swells with desire.
