“I guess that’s natural. I don’t know what went down inside the building but he must have seen some scary things.”
“He did.”
I didn’t elaborate on what Gerry saw for one reason only—I didn’t want to be reminded of it.
I closed my eyes and raised my face to the sun absorbing it’s warmth. It surprised me to realise how good it felt to be outside.
****
Perhaps I’d dozed off but I opened my eyes to see Gerry walk from the house. He seemed a little pensive. Katrina stood at the doorway and beckoned to me. I wanted to be sure Gerry was okay before I spoke to her. He walked towards me and buried his head in my stomach before wrapping his arms around my waist.
“You okay?” I asked. He nodded.
We stood like that for a little while until he pulled away. “Can I play soccer?” he asked.
“Of course you can. I’ll find dad then come and watch. Gary is here. He’d love to watch you too.”
Gerry looked over to Gary who had left the bench and was leaning against the side of the car.
“I fancy a kick about. Want to show me what to do?” Gary said.
With a small smile, Gerry nodded and I watched the two of them walk towards the boys. Gerry was greeted with high-fives and hugs. Within a minute he was kicking the ball and running across the lawn towards the goal.
“How was he?” I asked Katrina as I joined her by the front door.
“A lot better than yesterday. Still a way to go, of course, but more open.”
“Did he say anything specifically?”
“He’s focused on the safety of Robert at the moment. He doesn’t seem to be reliving his own experience, only what he saw. It’s a hurdle easy to overcome because Robert is spending time with him. We’ll work on his own trauma in a few days. I’m not saying he’s going to get over this any time soon but he does seem to have come to terms with it a lot quicker than I expected.”
“Is that a good or bad thing? I mean if he seems to be unconcerned, has he bottled it up?”
“I don’t think he’s unconcerned, just resigned to what happened.”
Robert joined us and Katrina brought him up to speed. Robert and I stood for a while watching Gerry. Although he wasn’t his usual self, I did hear him laugh a little.
I felt Robert’s hand search for mine, his fingers brushed across my wrist. I laced my fingers with his. Just that simple touch had me blinking back tears.
“I’ve missed you,” he whispered.
“I’ve missed you too.”
“Did I tell you today that I loved you?” he said.
“Not yet, but I’m sure you will.” I smiled up at him.
“Let’s sit for a while, let him play.”
We took a seat on the bench.
“We’re you scared?” I asked.
“Scared?”
“You know, when…”
“I’d be lying if I said no, but not scared in the way you think. I knew we had a plan. It was a matter of timing, that’s all.”
“What would have happened if Rocco hadn’t arrived?”
“Then we would have shot our way out of there and hoped we made it. I don’t go down without a fight, Brooke.”
A shiver ran over me.
Gerry scored a goal. He didn’t run around with his jumper over his head as normal but did seem pleased with himself. He made his way over to where we sat.
“Are we going home now?” he asked.
We hadn’t indicated it was time to go but stood. He’d obviously had enough for the day.
After saying goodbye to Ted and the boys, we climbed into the back seat of the car and made our way home. As we pulled to a stop onto the drive, Travis and Harley were leaving the garage. Gerry smiled, he raised his hand to his friend, who turned on his heels and walked back the way he had come. I watched Gerry’s hand stop mid-air and his brow furrow.
Robert opened the car door and walked over to Travis. Heads bent together, they kept their voices low, I’m sure no doubt talking about what just transpired.
“Doesn’t he want to be friends anymore?” Gerry asked.
“I think he might still be poorly. Why don’t we go in,” I replied.
As Gerry kicked off his shoes in the hallway and walked up the stairs, I fished around in my bag for my phone. I sent a text to Katrina asking if she’d spoken to Travis about seeing Harley.
As much as I was concerned for my son overcoming his kidnapping, I was equally as concerned that their friendship was affected by it.
Chapter Fifteen
I was sitting at the breakfast bar with the laptop when Robert and Franco walked into the room.
“I’m leaving shortly, Brooke. I wanted to say goodbye,” Franco said.
I rose and met him halfway across the room. He wrapped his arms around me. He felt like he’d lost some weight, he’d certainly aged over the past couple of weeks. I could feel his bones through his shirt.
“Will you let us know you’ve arrived home safely?” I asked.
“Of course. Now, where’s Gerry?”
Gerry had been lying on the sofa reading his book. At the sound of his name he popped his head up.
“Come and say goodbye,” I called over to him.
With one arm extended, Franco pulled Gerry to his side.
“I'll see you again, I hope,” he said. Gerry nodded his head.
“When will that be?” Gerry asked.
“I don’t know. Soon, though.”
Franco and Evelyn had arranged for a service to be held in New York, and then Sofia was to be taken home, to her village in Italy. Robert and I had already decided we would not attend the New York service, and Franco understood.
He released us from his hug, and with a kiss to my cheeks, he left. Robert accompanied him to the front door. I watched from the window as he embraced Evelyn and wiped a tear from his eye. Evelyn stood on the drive and watched him leave before heading for the house.
As she got to the stop of the stairs, Gerry had walked towards her.
“Is Harley still sick?” he asked.
“Not that I know of, why?”
He looked to me. “You said Harley was sick.”
“Travis said Harley was poorly. Maybe he hadn’t told Evelyn yet.”
Evelyn looked over to me. I gave her a slight shake of my head, hoping she’d understand.
“Oh, I haven’t seen Travis today. I know he was poorly yesterday. Poor thing, I didn’t realise he was still sick.”
Gerry seemed to accept that and headed back to the sofa and his book.
“Cup of tea?” she asked.
“I’ll help.”
We walked around the breakfast bar and hopefully out of earshot.
“What was that about?” she asked.
“Harley doesn’t seem to want to see Gerry.” I told her what had happened earlier that day.
“Oh, that doesn’t sound good. I know Robert’s over at the apartment, maybe he’s talking to him.”
“I hope so.”
We took our tea and sat on the sofa. I replied to some text messages. Sam wanted to visit, and I thought it might be a nice idea to start to have people over and invited him and Scott for an early dinner later in the week.
Taylor, Patricia and Suzie had met for lunch. Taylor had texted that they had missed me. As I was about to reply, I noticed a text from Katrina. I opened her message.
I’ve spoken to Travis, meeting tomorrow to discuss.
Short and to the point but I was pleased. Progress was being made.
****
The afternoon had dragged. Gerry was bored until I offered to take him outside and he could bounce on the trampoline for a while. I sat on the bench, not wanting him outside without me while he somersaulted and exhausted himself. Robert hadn’t returned for lunch and Evelyn insisted on cleaning the house. I guess she wanted to keep busy too.
“Jump with me, mom,” Gerry called out. I hadn’t been on a trampoline for years.
I
kicked off my shoes and climbed through the netting. Holding hands, we bounced around. Gerry laughed, really laughed, as did I. It felt so good to do something so silly, and a memory flashed through my mind. Collapsing on our backs, we lay looking up at the clouds.
“I made your dad slide across the floor in his socks once, as if he was surfing. Uncle Sam and me used to do that all the time when we were kids.”
“Did he fall over?”
“Nearly. He hit the side of the sofa and fell onto it.”
“What was it like where you lived?”
“Do you mean before I came to America?”
“Yeah. Are your mom and dad still there?”
I never really spoke about my parents to Gerry, or to anyone for that matter. I wrote once a year and never received a reply.
I told him about the house I’d grown up in, a small terrace with an old lady next door. I told him about my imaginary friend, the boy who sat on my bedroom floor and played with me when no one else would.
“Maybe we can go there one day,” he said.
“When you’re older. It’s a long way to go.”
We lay side by side as Gerry pointed out shapes in the clouds, a dragon and an elephant charged across the sky fighting an imaginary battle. He became animated as he spoke, the old Gerry crept back as he told me stories. He had the most amazing imagination.
I enjoyed spending time with Gerry but that hour felt extra special. It felt as if we had re-bonded. We held hands as we made our way back to the house, pausing when we saw Robert leave the garage. He smiled at us and took Gerry’s other hand as we walked.
“Go wash up before dinner,” I heard as we kicked off our shoes. Evelyn was leaning over the banister at the top of the stairs.
“Yes, Ma’am,” Robert said with a salute. Gerry giggled.
“How about you wash your hands and see if Evelyn will let you have a snack before dinner,” Robert said. Gerry bounded up the stairs.
Robert took my hand and led me into our bedroom.
I sat on the edge of the bed as he paced, although more in sadness than his usual agitation.
“Harley can’t seem to face being around Gerry. He told Trav that he didn’t do enough to save him. He seems fixated on that.”
“Oh, poor boy. There was nothing he could do. Did Travis arrange for him to speak to Katrina?”
“Yes, I thought we might take both boys to the home together. Separate cars because they’re used to that but if they’re both there at the same time, who knows, they might connect again.”
“Does Travis agree?”
“He does.” Robert sat beside me on the bed.
“Is it so wrong that I want to spend time with you? I want an hour. Just us. In here. You naked.”
“Only an hour?” I said suggestively.
“I doubt I’d last any longer. It’s been too long.”
“It’s been a week.”
“Yeah, like I said, too long.”
He placed his arm around my shoulders.
“But then I feel guilty because all our attention should be on him. I feel selfish, as if I’m pushing him out, even for that short period of time.”
I sighed. I understood exactly what he meant. I too felt selfish for spending just five minutes checking emails or text messages. Perhaps it was our ability to overcome trauma quicker. Perhaps it was the fact that, although what had happened was terrible, it wasn’t the first time we’d been fighting for our lives. The thought saddened me. How terrible it was to have become used to that kind of situation.
I heard our names being called. Dinner was ready, I guessed. Hand in hand, we walked up the stairs and joined our family. The breakfast bar was set for four, bowls of pasta and meatballs lined the counter top. Gerry was already helping himself and was scolded by Evelyn for not waiting. Robert and I sat on either side of him; Evelyn took a seat at the end.
We ate, drank some wine and chatted about the day. I’d thought we would never get back to ‘normality’ but for that moment, it felt like old times.
****
It was the sensation of fingers running over my stomach that woke me. The bedroom was hot and I’d kicked off the covers. I opened my eyes to see Robert leaning over me.
“Before you ask, he’s fast asleep,” he said as he dipped his head so his tongue could follow the path his fingers trailed.
It felt so good to have some intimate contact, to have Robert lay in bed beside me until a small pang of guilt hit me. But I needed him. This is what we did. We fought, and then we fucked—our way of reconnecting.
Robert’s tongue ran over my hipbone, circling my navel and then traveling further down as he moved until his body was between my legs. I ran my hands through his hair, gripping as he buried his face between my thighs. I heard him inhale before he gently teased my clitoris and his hands held my hips on the bed. His fingers dug into my skin as he licked over my opening, more so as I raised my hips slightly, wanting him inside me.
He licked, he sucked and he bit until that heat travelled from my toes to my head. Static coursed over my skin, and I bit my lip to stop myself from screaming out loud. He stopped before I reached my orgasm. He raised his head, giving me that wicked grin before crawling up my body and kissing me. He liked that I could taste myself on his lips. I wrapped my arms around him, digging my nails in his back as his kiss deepened, became more possessive and aggressive. I raked my nails down his back when I felt his hand slide down my side and lift my thigh so my leg hooked over his waist. I couldn’t stop the moan as his fingers slid over my ass until he found my sensitive clitoris. He teased before inserting two digits inside me.
While he kissed me, while his tongue ran across my jaw and to my neck, his fingers fucked me. It was as he sunk his teeth into my shoulder that I came. I tried to arch my body off the bed but he was too heavy. I tried to shout out his name but he covered my mouth with his.
Before I’d come back down from my high, he held my wrists above my head and pushed into me. He stared at me for a second or two without moving.
“Look at me, Brooke,” he whispered.
I kept my eyes open. I watched him and saw the concentration, saw the furrow of his brow and the biting of his own lip as he moved slowly in and out. I wrapped my legs around his waist and dug my heels into his back. I tilted my pelvis, wanting him deeper.
“Faster,” I urged.
On command, he fucked me hard, slamming into me so much my body was pushed up the bed, and I loved it. I loved the way his eyes darkened until they were black. I loved the way he hissed out a breath and the way the veins on his neck bulged. I loved the urgency. I loved it more when he gave in to his release at the same time as I did.
Robert sank to his elbows, his body rested on mine.
“Told you,” he said.
“Told me what?”
“I wouldn’t last an hour,” he chuckled.
“You know what we’ll do? Not yet, but soon, we’ll go on a date. You can court me again.”
“Court you? Did I ever do that in the beginning?”
“No, you demanded I met you for dinner if I remember. I need you, Robert. I need us.”
Robert rolled to one side and wrapped an arm around my shoulders, pulling me into his side. I lay my hand on his chest, feeling his heart beating under my fingertips. How could I have thought of leaving him? I was safe; Gerry was safe when Robert was around. To know he’d trade his life for us made me love him more.
It was a scream that had us both bolting from the bed, struggling to put on clothes and rushing to our son. As previous evenings, he hadn’t woken but cried out in his sleep. I sat on the edge of the bed and soothed him. Robert slumped in the chair. It took a little longer than normal to settle him again.
“You’re safe, darling. You’re at home,” I whispered over and over to him.
We sat in silence until the sun rose.
****
“How long do you think his nightmares will go on?” Robert asked.
�
��I have no idea. He doesn’t seem to remember he’s had one when he wakes up, which I guess is a good thing.”
“Do you think it was made worse because we weren’t in the room?”
“You know what, I don’t. He settles quick if we’re there but he has nightmares every night.”
I wondered if Robert was feeling the guilt he talked about by wanting to spend some time alone together.
I dressed and headed to Gerry’s room. He was still sleeping so I left him and set about my morning. While I waited for the coffee machine to filter, I made myself a cup of tea. My hands shook as I held my cup and saucer. Night after night of broken sleep was catching up on me. I calculated that I hadn’t had more than 12 hours sleep in the past few days.
Robert joined me. He looked about as bad as I felt. The only one who seemed remotely perky was Gerry, who bounded up the stairs two at a time.
I poured Robert a coffee and a glass of milk for Gerry before putting some pastries on a plate. I needed sugar to give me a boost.
“We’re off to see Katrina again today,” I said.
“Do we have to go every day?” Gerry asked.
“Just for a little while. It’s important that you talk about how you feel.”
“I can talk to you though, can’t I?”
“Of course you can, but sometimes it helps to talk to someone who wasn’t there.”
“Fine,” Gerry replied with a slightly sulky tone.
Robert looked over to me. “He’s fine like your sister says.”
“One day you need to tell me exactly what that means.”
“You don’t know?” he said.
“No, I hear you and Travis say it but you’ve never told me.”
“Years ago, I can’t remember when or what was actually said, but I was asked a question and replied with ‘fine’. Travis wanted to know if I was fine, as in okay or fine as in I don’t want to talk about it. He said something like, his sister always said she was fine when he knew she wasn’t but didn’t want to tell him her problem. Hence, fine like your sister says.”
“Travis has a sister?” Gerry asked.
Fallen Angel, Part 4 - A Mafia Romance: Fallen Angel Series Page 17
