“Please,” he begs again as tears begin to well in his eyes. “Firefly.”
“We’ll try again tomorrow,” I promise.
“Tomorrow never comes,” he replies defeatedly.
“Our tomorrow will,” I offer. “It’s already here.”
“Then, stay,” he requests, kissing my palm.
“It doesn’t feel right to…not after what happened,” I remind. “What if she and her husband come back?”
“I don’t give a fuck if they do,” Henry replies heatedly. “This is my land. I do what I want on it.”
I shake my head, knowing that if I stay, it could make things worse. “We’ll see each other tomorrow,” I offer.
“Firefly,” he pleas. “Stay.”
I pull at the back of his neck and kiss him. “Tomorrow.” I let go and back the truck up so I can pull out onto the driveway properly, knowing that if I take any longer, he won’t let me leave.
“Firefly,” Henry calls after me. “Firefly!”
I look back in my rearview mirror and pain sears my heart at the sight of him so sad, but I continue forward, knowing that we need to pace our time together for a little while. As soon as I’m on the road, I push the speed limit to get home just in case Mrs. Summerlin is waiting to follow.
“What’s wrong?” Momma asks as soon as I get inside the house.
“Nothing,” I lie.
“Something’s wrong. You’re back and without Henry,” Momma says, calling me out. “Did you and Henry have a fight?”
“No,” I reply.
“Then, what happened?” she pries.
“Nothing really, Momma,” I state. “Just some work challenges that I need to take care of.”
“Oh no,” Momma sighs. “Can you fix it?”
“Yep,” I lie. “I’ll be upstairs if anyone needs me.”
When I reach my room, I hesitate to call Henry, realizing that I don’t have his number. I go into the kitchen and check to see if Momma still has her list on the side of the fridge. I find Henry’s and dial it on the landline, but it goes straight to voicemail. I leave a message telling him I’ll see him in the morning.
I change for bed even though it’s early and then call Cece on my cell. We chat for a few seconds before my son hogs all the attention as soon as he sees me on the video. He shows me several of his toys, tries to kiss me through the phone, and makes Cece and I laugh several times when he repeats certain things we say. Cece lets me vent like the good friend that she is. We talk for over an hour, being able to really chat once my son falls asleep on the couch next to her. When we hang up, I turn on a movie.
I suddenly hear a weird noise outside my window and climb out of bed. I check the time and suddenly realize that it’s suddenly after eleven. I’ve got to stop binge-watching the new Vikings television show, especially this late at night. Ragnar gets me all hot and bothered.
I look out my window but don’t see anything right away. I try to listen for something, but I don’t hear anything over my fan. I get back on the bed with the thought to have a little fun with Ragnar as I continue watching. Right as I’m about to hit the play button on my iPad, I hear the noise again, louder this time. I shift, hoping to find out if it’s a bird or other animal that might be on the roof. Looking out the window, I almost scream when I see him.
“What the hell are you doing?” I ask Henry as he climbs up the side of the house. To get a better view, I lift the screen window.
“I needed to see you,” he says, flinging his leg so he can get through the window.
“Henry,” I sigh, trying to keep my emotions and the situation in check.
I’m happy to see him, flattered actually, but I was serious about wanting to keep our distance a little because of what happened with Mrs. Summerlin. She’s a gossip freak and I wouldn’t be surprised if half the town has already heard a bunch of rumors about me.
Before I get the chance to say anything else, Henry wraps his arms around me, holding me tight. He lets out a heavy breath into my neck. “Already better,” he confesses.
“Good,” I reply, stretching my arms around his ribs. “You’ve got two minutes and then you have to leave.”
“I need you,” Henry declares in a low, husky voice. “I need you, Firefly.”
“Ummm…my parents are just down the….”
“I just need to hold you, okay,” he states. Henry presses his lips to mine, keeping them there as long as I allow.
“O-kay,” I mumble, surprised by how he’s acting.
Henry scoops me up and delivers us to my bed. He curls into me, holding me as if I might disappear. We’re quiet for a long while as our bodies are entangled. In time, his head is on my chest and I’m stroking his hair.
“I can hear your heartbeat,” he announces lowly.
I smile, enjoying this newer side of Henry. We’ve cuddled when we were younger, but he’s opening up more emotionally than I’ve ever known him to do. I wonder if this is who he really is, finally showing me all of him after all the years apart.
“Your head is right above it,” I tease.
Henry pats my breast. “They’re comfortable,” he claims.
“So I’ve heard,” I snicker.
“By who?” Henry asks, jerking his head up and looking at me.
My mouth opens, not sure how to answer the question.
“They’re mine now,” Henry directs. “No one else’s, got it?”
“Umm,” I breathe out. “What if I had a kid?”
“When we have kids, I won’t mind,” Henry confirms. “They’ll get to breastfeed and so will I.”
“Excuse me?” I laugh.
“It’s a turn on,” Henry admits.
“Have a lot of experience with mom’s?” I inquire with a nervous giggle.
“None,” Henry states. “But, with you, it would be very erotic.”
“Okay,” I return, unsure of how else to respond.
We continue to lie quietly, just taking in the closeness of our bodies. Henry doesn’t try to have sex, only offering sweet kisses to my hand, arm, or lips on occasion. We exchange a few glances in the low light and I can see the turmoil in his gaze. My heart breaks seeing him like this. I wish things had turned out better than they had. We might have been like this, naked in his bed, and at a point where I can tell him my secret.
Henry looks deep into my eyes and suddenly says, “I know you just got back. I know things between us are just getting started. But, I need you to know that I know what I want. I want you. I want us.”
I nod, not expecting tonight to go down this path.
“I will do whatever it takes so that we’re always together,” he adds. Henry laces his fingers with mine. “I know what I want, and not having it for so long, makes everything more intense for me which I know could possibly scare you.” Henry looks away.
“I’m not….”
“I’ve just wasted so much of my time being unhappy,” he continues as if he didn’t hear me. “When I’m with you, you brighten the darkness I’ve had for so long.”
“Like a firefly?” I ask.
Henry smiles. “Just like a firefly and more.”
“It’s intense for me too,” I share. “Which is why we need to take things a little slow.”
“I know,” Henry sighs. “I’m sorry.”
“Don’t apologize,” I say. “We just need to be mindful of our past habits to prevent them from surfacing again so we don’t ruin this.”
“I agree,” he confirms.
I smile, excited to know we’re on the same page. Now, it’s just the matter of catching up on everything.
“Julianna and I talked a lot once we found out she was sick,” Henry shares all of the sudden.
My eyes widen, curiosity brimming on the edge. My stomach flips and I’m not sure if I’m ready to hear what he wants to share with me about their life.
“She knew…” he adds, pausing for a long while. Henry places his other hand over mine.
When Henry doe
sn’t explain, I ask tentatively, “Knew? Knew what?”
“She knew about us…every time you came back,” Henry explains. “She knew about our last night together, what we did, just before you told me it was over between us.”
My mouth falls open, unsure of what to say or how to console him.
“I didn’t know she knew about that…not until we talked the night she passed. Julianna said she was hurt in the beginning, but when she got sick and other things happened, she said she couldn’t blame us,” Henry continues. “She understood what love really was when she started having feelings for someone else.”
I nod and offer a small smile every time he looks up at me, encouraging him to keep talking if he needs to, but still unsure if I want to know more.
“She wanted a life with him, and he her, but she refused to put him through any kind of pain, knowing that she was dying,” Henry adds. He pauses for a long moment. “She made me promise…swear, that if I had the chance to have you back in my life where you and I could truly be together, to fight until my dying breath. She didn’t want me to have regrets like the ones she had.”
I wipe the two tears that slip past my eyelids as my heart breaks for him and her.
“That’s why I’m pushing…pushing so hard,” Henry admits. “I know it’s intense for you…it’s intense for me.”
My head bobs a little.
“I’ll do my best to not push you away again,” he continues. “But, I will not stop fighting for you…for us. I didn’t even try before…thinking you’d just come back. I want you…need you in my life, Ivy.” He takes a deep breath. “I know you want it too. I can see it in your eyes, feel it when you kiss me, feel it when we make love.”
I nod, unable to speak. I wish I could open up to him like he is to me right now, but I can’t I’m too scared.
“I also know, that you’re scared,” he adds.
My brow furrows, unsure of what he means, hoping that he’s not about to call me out on my secret. How could he have found out?
“I know that you’re scared that I really haven’t changed, but I will prove to you every day that I have and will continue to prove it to you. I know you need your time too. We’ve both changed,” he says.
“Right,” I let out on a heavy sigh.
“I meant it earlier,” he shares. “I’ll build you whatever house you want…I’ll give you whatever things you need…I’ll go wherever you go, as long as that means that we can be a family.”
My heart breaks, scared more than ever to reveal myself completely to him. I know I need to, but I need more time—just a little more time.
22 Henry
“Ivy,” I mumble as I feel her get out of the bed.
“I need to pee,” she says lowly in my ear.
“Hurry up,” I whine, taking her pillow and pulling it into me.
“I’ll need that when I get back,” she claims.
“You’ll have to work for it,” I tease.
“Do not,” she heatedly whispers.
I roll over to see her. “You’re sexy when you’re grumpy in the morning,” I state with a grin.
“Don’t start with me,” Ivy whines, or else I’ll sick Papa on you.
“I’m dressed,” I remind. “He won’t think anything of it.”
“Not unless I say otherwise,” she giggles.
“You better go pee or else I’ll tickle you until you wet the bed,” I threaten playfully.
Ivy darts out of the room, quickly closing the door behind her.
I take a long, deep inhale of her pillow, enjoying the pleasant assault on my nose that is Ivy. This is how my life should have been all these years. I’m just glad that it didn’t take any longer to have her back in my life. Shifting to relieve pressure off of my balls and cock from the hard-on I’m handling, I take Ivy’s pillow with me as I rotate. Once I’m on my other side, I soak in the feeling of her pillow in my arms and the smell of Ivy everywhere.
“Give me that,” she says, trying to get the pillow back after coming back to the room.
“No,” I return, jerking it away. I grab a hold of her arm and pull her into me.
“My parents are up,” she informs.
“Then, you better be quiet,” I direct, flipping on top of her.
“Henry!” she says through a clenched jaw, trying to not be heard.
“Here,” I offer, handing her the pillow. “You might need this to cover your mouth.”
“Plan to suffocate me?” she questions.
“Nope,” I laugh. “But, I’m sure you’re gonna need it with what I’m about to do to you.” Without giving her a chance to process my words, I yank down her shorts and bury my face between her legs.
Ivy tries to fight me off but surrenders easily. Just as I suspected, Ivy covers her whole head with her pillow as I make her scream in pleasure. Before she gets a chance to recover, I push down my underwear and slip inside her warm, wet pussy. Aware that we have limited time, I plow into her to get Ivy going. I reach down and stimulate her clit, wanting her to tighten down on me as well as to come faster. Her nails dig into my back when she begins to orgasm. I’m only a few seconds behind her.
“I can’t believe we just did that,” Ivy says as she huffs.
I grin. “I can.”
She hits me. “That was not cool.”
“Sounds like it was better than cool,” I goad.
“You know what I mean,” she whines, pushing me off of her.
“No one barged in on us,” I remind.
“I locked the door,” she states.
“So, you were planning to fuck me too?” I ask with a smile.
“No,” she sighs. “I just know you…and I didn’t need Momma walking in to tell me breakfast was ready.”
“She still does that?” I check.
“No,” Ivy sighs. “But, you never know with Momma.”
I laugh. “Do you regret the two orgasms I just gave you? ‘Cause I don’t.”
“You’re not funny,” Ivy whines.
“I thought so,” I tease.
“Not,” she huffs.
I shift and get off the bed. I toss my pants on and head to the door.
“What are you doing?” Ivy asks nervously.
“I need to piss,” I state.
“You can’t go that way!” she shouts through a whisper.
“Why not? The bathroom is this way,” I remind.
“Because, someone might see you,” Ivy claims. “Go out the window.”
I snicker. “Yeah, like that’s the better option of not being seen. Besides, if I go that way, I’ll pee down the side of the house.”
“Wait!” she says, jumping off the bed with the sheet wrapped around her. Ivy opens the door and looks both ways. “Go. Go now. Fast.”
I wade through the hallway as Ivy gives me evil eyes. Smiling, I whisper, “That’s what she said.”
Ivy grunts and then closes her door. I relieve myself, wash my face and hands, and make myself a little more presentable. Right as I get the bathroom door open, I’m greeted by Grady who appears to be waiting to use it.
“Hey,” I greet.
Grady stares at me for a second and then looks back to his sister’s room. He looks back to me, lifts a brow for a second as he shakes his head, but doesn’t say anything as he brushes past me. He closes the door without saying a word.
I take the few steps to be back in front of Ivy’s door and jiggle the handle when it doesn’t turn. That saucy minx has locked me out. I chuckle to myself.
“‘Mornin,’ Henry,” Ivy’s father greets as he comes out of his bedroom. He walks by me, only to pause for a second to place his hand on my shoulder, and then continues down the steps.
“Open the door, Ivy,” I command.
Silence from the other side.
“I will break it down,” I inform.
Still, no reply.
“Just wiggle it, pop it to the right, and then bang your hip on the door,” Grady instructs. “It’s the easiest w
ay without damaging it.”
“How do you know that?” I ask.
“From when I needed to sneak in there for things when I knew she went out through the window,” Grady claims.
“Good to know,” I laugh. “Thanks.”
“See you at breakfast,” Grady says, heading downstairs.
“See you,” I return. I look back to the door. “Ivy Lynn, open this door or I’ll break it down.” When she doesn’t reply, I go through the motions that Grady told me. Right as my hip moves to hit the door, it flies open and I almost fall down. “What the fuck, Firefly.”
“Serves you right,” she replies, turning her nose up at me.
“You’re sexy when you’re trying to be mad,” I state.
“I’m not trying to be mad…I’m mad,” she says, shoving past me.
I put my arm against the frame, blocking her from getting by. Ivy tries to duck, but I shift so she can’t slip past. “Going somewhere?” I check.
She glowers at me.
“Keep that shit up and I’ll fuck you again,” I caution playfully.
Ivy’s fist collides with my chest.
I look down to see where she hit me, feeling barely anything, and look back up at her. “Is that all you’ve got?” I tease.
Ivy’s eyes narrow.
I take a step toward her. “I’m more than happy to fuck that attitude out of you,” I state.
“Not happening,” Ivy returns.
“What’s got your panties all twisted?” I check.
“You,” she states.
“Me? What did I do?” I inquire.
“You know what you did,” Ivy claims.
“Would you have preferred that I pissed on your parents’ house?” I ask, trying not to laugh.
Ivy stares me down. “Move.”
I smile, loving how she’s trying so hard to be mad. “No,” I challenge.
“Move, Henry,” she directs.
In just two seconds, I close the door behind me, grab Ivy by the arms, and pin her against the door. She stares at me, trying to remain claim and pissed rather than hot and horny. My eyes drift to her lips and I take note as to how they’re slightly parted.
When my gaze returns to hers, I say, “Keep this shit up and this….” I place her hand over my cock, “…and this will not go down unless he’s back inside you again.”
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