by Brent, Amy
Our informal dinner seemed oddly romantic. His foot slid against mine underneath the table as we finished our meal. His hand kept a hold on mine as we sipped our drinks. He smiled at me every once in a while, continuing his line of questioning about my pregnancy, about Brody’s birth, about how my recuperation was.
If I didn’t know any better, I’d say he genuinely cared about it.
He escorted me to my car with his hand on the small of my back. I wanted to ask him what it meant. I wanted to ask him if things were okay with us. I turned to him and gazed up into his eyes as his body heat beat down upon me. He dipped his head closer. I felt his breath pulsing against my lips.
Then he moved and kissed my cheek.
“Thank you for meeting me for dinner,” Tyler said.
Disappointment settled in my gut as I nodded.
“Anytime. Just, you know, give me a call,” I said.
“I’ll keep that in mind,” he said.
He squeezed my hand before he turned and headed to his car, leaving me more confused than ever. So many intimate gestures in such an informal atmosphere, and yet no mention of his love or my love, or anyone’s love really. I leaned against my car as the imprint of his lips burned my cheek. My eyes followed him all the way out to the main road, and I stood there alone until his car faded off into the distance.
I had no idea what was going on between us. Our dinner had served to give me more questions than answers. I was more confused than I had ever felt in my entire life.
Tyler
My cell phone vibrated against my desk as I typed out some things on my computer. Ever since my dinner date with Ana a few days ago, I couldn't get her off my mind. I’d seen Brody a couple times since then. My father and I took him to get the largest slushy he’d ever had, and then the two of us went to see a movie. Every time I pulled up to pick him up or drop him off, Ana would be there, smiling and waving, her dress of the day fluttering around her body and her hair wafting in the summer breeze.
She took my breath away every time, and I felt my anger toward her slowly fading away.
I picked up my rattling phone and muted it. I needed to concentrate, needed to think. I wanted to get some paperwork out of the way to free up my Friday afternoon. I wanted to see if I could convince Ana to let me take Brody overnight. Nothing special. Just a night at my place with snacks and movies.
I really felt like my relationship with Brody had blossomed to a point where he would feel comfortable doing something like that, especially since he had mentioned to Ana right in front of me that he wanted us to spend more time together. But I knew it would be a big step for her, for Brody, and for me.
So, I wanted to make sure I did it right.
My phone buzzed against the desk again, and I sighed. Apparently, whoever it was had something important to talk about. I finished up my last paragraph before I saved the document. Then I picked up my phone and answered the call.
“Tyler Browning.”
“Tyler, it’s me.”
“Dad?”
“Tyler, you have to listen. I have incredible news.”
“Dad, what’s going on?”
“I just talked to your mother’s doctor, and guess what?”
“No. They found a donor?” I asked.
“Yes! We have a donor! A near-perfect match, Tyler. They’re getting all the paperwork together now, but the anonymous donor has agreed to do the transplant as early as the end of this week!”
“Wait, this week? As in a few days?”
“Yes! Can you believe it?”
“You said an anonymous donor. Can we not know who’s doing this for us? For our family?”
“No. It’s confidential for a reason. But if everything goes according to plan, we’ll be in the operating room saving your mother’s life come Thursday morning.”
I couldn't believe it. I was shocked, utterly floored. Tears of happiness sprang to my eyes as I rose from my seat. I paced my office, running my hand through my hair. I wanted to celebrate. I wanted to shout my happiness from the rooftops. I wanted to tell someone, call someone, hug someone.
Kiss someone.
“Give Mom every single kiss for me, okay?” I asked.
“I will, Son. I will. We are ordering in a nice lunch for ourselves to celebrate. Do you want to come by later?”
“I’m going to give you guys today to celebrate. There’s someone I want to tell first.”
“Go get her, Son. Let her know how much you care about her.”
“I will, Dad. I will.”
I hung up the phone and immediately called Ana. She was the only person I wanted to talk with, wanted to tell this good news to. She picked up the phone and I practically yelled it at her. I could no longer contain my excitement. She cheered with me and cried over the phone with me. She told me how happy she was and how she wished she could hug me.
Then she did the one thing I was hoping she would.
“Come have dinner with us. I’ll cook and we’ll celebrate your mother’s life.”
Four hours later, I was knocking on her door.
“Daddy!”
“Hey there, big guy.”
“Are you staying for dinner?” he asked as he hugged me.
I picked him up in my arms and stepped into Ana’s townhome for the first time.
“I am. Is that okay?” I asked.
“Of course it’s okay! You can tuck me in. Will you tuck me in?”
“I would love nothing more,” I said.
“I hear a very happy Tyler,” Ana said.
She came out of the kitchen with the brightest smile on her face. I opened my arm for her and she came in to hug me, wrapping her arms around both of us. For the first time ever, I was hugging the family I had created eight years ago. And while it brought me such great joy, it also instilled a piece of sadness as well.
I had been too selfish as a teenager, so selfish that I’d missed all the signs. Her nausea. Her headaches. Her constant fatigue. It should’ve been easy for me to pinpoint. Hell, at one point she even mentioned being shocked she hadn’t started her period yet.
It had never occurred to me that anything was wrong.
It might have been her fault that Brody had been hidden, but it wasn’t her fault for not telling me. Between being so preoccupied with my own life and not paying enough attention to hers, I had missed what I should have seen clearly. I had misheard what should have been clear as a bell.
My selfishness got in the way of us, and I wasn't going to let that happen again.
“Something smells wonderful,” I said.
“Steak and potatoes always smell wonderful,” Ana said as she pulled away.
“You eat steak?” I asked Brody.
“I eat macaroni and cheese with potatoes,” he said proudly.
“Ah, I figured.”
“I can make you some as well, if you want some,” Ana said.
“What you’ve done is more than enough,” I said.
“Can I take the potatoes out?” Brody asked.
“Of course. You know where the pot grabbers are. Slip them on and let’s get the oven open.”
I walked into their kitchen and sat down at the table. I watched Ana get behind Brody, steadying his arms as he opened the oven. He reached in with his skinny little arms and grabbed on tightly to the pan of potatoes. They were diced and covered in garlic sauce and butter. The smell permeated the entire house and made my stomach growl. I watched as she talked to Brody, speaking lowly in his ear, guiding him toward the stovetop.
“Now set it down gently. Just like that. You’ve got it, Brody. Oh! You’re so strong. Look at those muscles.”
“Can I flip the steaks in the pan now?” he asked.
“Let’s close the oven. Then you can grab the olive oil. You know where it is.”
I watched Brody and Ana move around the kitchen as she taught him how to cook. She showed him how to douse the pan in oil and let him salt and pepper the steaks. He giggled when the oil sizzled a
s he tossed the steaks in, and he squealed every time a hot drop popped up and hit him in the arm.
Watching, I was in awe of their bond, which tugged yet again at my guilt. I was just as responsible for what had happened between Ana and me as she was, and I had treated her like a pariah. I’d made her the scapegoat for all my insecurities and stress, and it wasn’t right of me to do that to her.
I watched her hold Brody’s hand as they flipped the steaks, cooking them to perfection and filling the kitchen with wonderful smells. My stomach growled, and it made Brody turn and look at me.
“It’s okay, Dad. I’m hungry, too.”
“You want to help us set the table?” Ana asked.
I stood, eager to help my family with dinner.
“Where is everything?” I asked.
“Those three cabinets to the side of you. Plates, cups, and napkins. Silverware’s in the sliding drawer at your hips,” she said.
I set the table while Brody helped his mother carry the food over to the table. Dinner felt easy between the three of us. Ana regaled me with how things were going at the shop, and Brody talked about how he couldn't wait to see his “second grandpa” again.
I gave him the great news that it looked like his “second grandmother” was going to be okay, and he smiled from ear to ear. He kept asking when he could see them again, and I was filled with joy when Ana said my son could see them whenever he wanted.
“Can we go see them now?” Brody asked.
“Not now,” Ana said, giggling. “Right now you’re going to put your plate in the sink and get ready for bed.”
“Awwww. Now?” he asked.
“Brody, your mother said it’s time for bed.”
Ana’s eyes fell quickly to me as Brody sighed. He picked up his plate and carried it over to the sink, then dumped it into the stainless steel cavern. Ana went to get up, but I put my hand on her shoulder and eased her back into her chair.
“Finish dinner. I can tuck him in,” I said.
“Are you sure?” she asked.
“I’m positive. Please, let me do it. Enjoy your dinner. It tasted phenomenal by the way.”
“You ate two steaks. I hope it was phenomenal.”
I followed Brody up the stairs to his room, and he walked me through his nightly routine. I stood outside the bathroom while he took a shower. Then he brushed his teeth while he dried off. He wanted me to pick out his pajamas for him, so I dug around and found an awesome set of race car pants. I tossed them to him in the bathroom, and he came out running, taking a head-first dive into the sheets of his bed.
I laughed as I jumped into bed with him, then wrapped my arms around him and pulled him close to me.
“Can you tell me a story?” he asked.
“What kind of story do you want to hear?”
“Any kind. Tell me a story grandma used to tell you.”
My heart soared as I pulled the blankets up over our bodies.
“Well, when I was little, your grandmother used to tell me a story about a little boy who went fishing.”
“Why did he go fishing?” Brody asked.
“Because he enjoyed it of course. Every morning, the little boy went fishing. And every morning, he came back with enough fish to feed his whole family for dinner.”
“How many people did he have to feed?”
“Lots. He had uncles and cousins, brothers and sisters, and all of them would come over to eat his fish.”
“What happened?”
“Well, one day he went fishing and he couldn't catch a thing. It was the first time the little boy ever came back empty handed.”
“Why didn’t he catch any fish?” he asked.
“He didn’t know. And his family was so disappointed. But the boy was determined to catch fish the next day. So, he got up in the morning really early and went fishing again.”
“Did he catch anything?”
“Nope. Not a thing. It went on like that for days. The little boy went three whole weeks without catching any fish, and his family had to eat nothing but peanut butter sandwiches.”
“But I like peanut butter sandwiches.”
“Me, too. But this little boy’s family didn’t. But he refused to give up. The little boy refused to believe that he would never catch any fish ever again. So, every morning, no matter what, he got up and went fishing, day after day, staying his same course. And do you know what happened?”
“What, Dad?”
“The fish started biting again, and he came home with four pails full of fish. Enough to feed his family for days!”
“Wow! Why do you think the fish stopped biting?” he asked.
“No one knows. But the point of the story is this: Never stop what you’re doing because it gets hard or disappointing. In the end, pushing through the hard times is always worth it.”
“That was an awesome story, Dad. Thank you.”
Brody turned over and wrapped his arms around me, and I closed my eyes. I held my son in my arms, feeling his small little lips kiss my cheek. Tears rose to my eyes. I loved this little boy more than life itself, and I knew in that moment that I’d do anything he ever needed. I would run to the ends of the earth to get him what he wanted. And if the moment ever came, I’d give my life for him in a heartbeat.
Anything to make sure he was happy, and healthy, and loved.
“You get some sleep. Okay, Son?” I asked.
“Will you be here in the morning?” he asked.
“I don’t think so, but how about this? When you get up in the morning, have Mom help you give me a call. We can talk while you eat breakfast.”
“Really? Is that okay?”
“Anything’s okay, Brody. You can call me anytime, day or night.”
“Thanks, Dad.”
I hugged him one last time before I slipped out of bed. I tucked him in tight like my father used to do with me. Then I bent over and kissed the top of his head. I drew in a deep breath before I turned out his light, glancing back at him one last time before I walked out of his room and closed his door.
And I ran straight into Ana.
“Oh my—Ana, are you okay?” I asked. I reached out to steady her only to see that she had been crying.
“Ana? What’s wrong?”
Her eyes fluttered up to mine, searching, but I didn’t know what she was looking for. I reached up and brushed her tears away.
“Are you all right?” I asked.
Her skin flushed underneath my touch. Her pupils dilated. I took a step closer to her, my body gravitating into her orbit. Her back hit the wall, and I pressed my body against hers, needing her warmth, needing her scent.
Needing her strength.
“Ana,” I whispered.
Her eyes fell to my lips as our heads moved closer together.
“That was perfect,” she said breathlessly.
And in a heartbeat, our lips connected.
Ana
My door closed with a thud, and I brought my finger to my lips. The two of us could barely keep quiet through our giggles and our laughter. We stripped one another of our clothes, stumbling in our shoes and tripping over our damn feet. I fell into Tyler’s arms before he fell onto my bed, and the giggles that filled my room brought my heart back to life.
“Brody’s going to hear us,” Tyler said, chuckling.
“Then I really should shut you up.”
I crashed my lips to his as our skin connected. His body sank into mine on my bed, his throbbing cock painting my skin with his precum. The moment he kissed me in the hallway, I was done. Gone. Lost in a sea of endless bliss.
The two of us giggled between our kisses, rolling around on my bed. I scooted myself up, my legs spreading to accommodate his body. His lips fell onto my neck, and he chuckled into my skin as he blanketed me with his muscles. I ran my hands up and down his back. My toes folded into his calves. He kissed down my chest, taking my nipples between his lips and sucking them to painful peaks.
My giggles soon turned to moans
as heat pooled between my legs.
I twisted my hands in his hair as he kissed my thighs. I couldn’t control myself. I couldn't control my need for him. His tongue lapped up my slit, and I rolled my hips against his face, needing more of him as my body begged. He sank his tongue into me. His warmth found my pulsing clit. I raised my hips off the bed, making way for his hands as they slid underneath my ass cheeks.
“Oh shit, Tyler. Yes.”
He moaned into my dripping-wet heat as his tongue pressed into my clit. He swirled it around, forcing my toes to curl as my hips bucked against his. He massaged my ass. My juices dripped down the cracks of my body. His tongue slipped into my entrance and caused my back to arch so deeply, my tits slid off to the side.
I felt myself spiraling off the edge as his tongue flicked my clit.
“Just like that. Just like that. There. There. There, Tyler. Tyler, yes!”
My thighs convulsed around his face, clamping down around his cheeks. He groaned into my body, forcing more juices to slip from my pulsing entrance. My jaw unhinged in silent pleasure. My eyes screwed shut. My heels dug into his strong back as his hands dug into the meat of my ass.
He lapped at me deeply, allowing me the thickness of his tongue so I could grind against it. My head soared and my body floated as he held my hips to his face, like I was a dessert buffet he wanted to feast upon. He allowed me all the control. I gripped his hair and pulled him deeper, grinding my wanton clit against the surface of his tongue.
“I’m gonna come again. I’m gonna come again. Oh, Tyler, thank you. Yes. You feel so—shit.”
He buried his face into my pussy as I came against his lips, only this time I tried to push him away. It was too much. It felt too good. But the more I pushed, the more he followed. I scrambled up the bed, begged him to stop, moaned and groaned as stars burst in my vision.
Pain blurred with pleasure as his tongue kept going, kept lapping at my fluids as he swallowed my juices down. I sat up in bed and pressed my back against my headboard. His eyes fluttered up to mine as he pinned me between his lips and my bed, my legs jumping with every lap he took.
“It’s too much. I can’t. Tyler, I-I-I—I can’t.”
