He gets harder with every stroke, until he reaches down and lowers his zipper, his fingers fumbling. I chuckle at his urgency, then wrap my hand around his cock. I slide my fist up and down his shaft, moving faster as I tighten my grip. He shifts positions, and then kisses me, his mouth roughly pressing against mine. And then his phone rings again.
“Are you fucking serious?” he hisses.
I smirk at the frustration in his voice. He curses to himself as he digs through his pocket, answering it just in time.
“Hello?” he growls. “Yes, this is Adam.”
I sit on the bed while he paces the room, the roughness in his voice making me crave him even more. I swallow, wanting nothing more than to wrap my lips around his shaft and tease him until he releases, hard into my mouth.
He turns around and raises his eyebrows at me. I frown at him, wondering who it is.
“I really appreciate you calling to discuss my inquiry into gender reassignment, but unfortunately I’ve had a change of heart.”
Oh shit.
I cover my mouth with my hand. I’d totally forgotten about that.
He eyes narrow at me, but they sparkle with amusement. My soft giggles turn into laughter. They get progressively worse, until I’m lying on the floor, clutching my stomach. I’m barely able to breathe as I wipe the tears from my eyes. He glares at me, but the corners of his mouth keep lifting into a smile.
“Yes, thank you. I’m sure,” he says. “I’m very attached to my penis.”
He puts his phone down and then raises his eyebrows, which sends me into another round of laughter.
“Gender reassignment?” he asks, shaking his head.
“I’m sorry,” I gasp trying to catch my breath. “But the look on your face …”
“Come here.”
He puts his hand around my wrist and pulls me into his arms
“I’m not done with you yet …”
Epilogue
Six months later
Katie
“Are you ready?”
I nod, even though I don’t feel ready. I slip my hand inside Adam’s as he knocks on the door. The door swings open, and a woman stands there. She’s older than I was expecting, and more petite, but I can definitely see the resemblance. He steps forward and hugs his mom. She looks at him in confusion.
“Adam?”
“Hey, Mom.”
“Why didn’t you tell me you were coming?” she chastises. She looks embarrassed as she glances at me. “The house is a mess and I haven’t had a chance to go to the store.”
“I did tell you.” He speaks softly. “Last week and then I called this morning to remind you, too. Remember?” She shakes her head slightly while he glances at me. “This is my girlfriend, Katie.”
“It’s lovely to finally meet you, Mrs. Jenkins,” I say.
She nods, ignoring my outstretched hand, then she turns around and walks back inside, mumbling something about her show. Adam and I follow, walking into the living room. I sit down on the couch.
“Would you like a drink, Mom?” Adam asks.
She nods, but doesn’t speak, her gaze fixed on the television. I glance at Adam, who looks worried.
“I’ll be right back,” he says. “I’ll just be in the kitchen, through there.”
I nod and watch him leave. My stomach churns. This is going even worse than I imagined. I look around, trying to think of something to say to fill the silence, but when I open my mouth to speak, I realize she’s fallen asleep.
She sits in her chair, her head bowed, her eyes closed.
I quietly stand up and walk over to a small display of photos that sit on top the cabinet in the corner. I smile at the photo of Adam when he was younger. He looks about seven, and he’s cradling a little boy, who looks about three. They both look so happy.
“My favorite picture.”
I turn around. She smiles at me and puts her hand out for it. I give it to her, watching as she traces her finger over the glass, tears in her eyes.
Adam walks in carrying two coffees. He sets one down next to his mom, then he hands me the other one. His mom holds the photo up.
“I love this picture, Adam.”
“Me too,” he murmurs, a pained look in his eyes.
Without a word, she gets to her feet, leaving the photo on the table, then she walks upstairs. Adam sighs and sits down next to me. He sits forward, resting his arms against his thighs, his head bowed.
“I better check on her.” He gets up. “Tom is a difficult topic for her.”
I carry the cups into the kitchen, then I sit down to wait for Adam. My phone buzzes. I pull it out of my pocket, my heart racing when I see a text from Lily, along with a photo of her new little baby.
Lily: Say hello to Anthony.
I smile at the sweet little face. He looks perfect.
“Everything okay?”
I hold the photo up for Adam and wipe away tears.
“She had a little boy. Anthony,” I murmur.
“Wow. He’s so tiny.” He smiles. “Shall we go to the hospital?” he asks.
“How’s your mom?” I frown.
“Tired. They’ve altered her dosage, which is why she’s so vague. She’s asleep. We’ll come back next week.”
I nod. “Okay, then. Let’s go meet Anthony.”
“How long was she in labor?” he asks as we walk outside.
“I’m not sure. I spoke to Mom before and she wasn’t. Julian was on a plane, flying home. Maybe he waited for his daddy?” I grin.
“Maybe.”
I catch the flash of sadness in his eyes at the mention of his friend. They still hadn’t managed to repair the damage to their relationship.
Julian moved back to Seattle a few weeks ago, to be closer to Lily and the baby, but he was still tying up loose ends over in Vegas, which mean a lot of traveling back and forth.
He and Lily weren’t together, but they were determined to bring up their son together. I respected both of them a lot for that. The change in Lily over the last few months has been incredible. She’s like a different person. I guess having someone else to put first does that to you.
I get into the car when Adam opens my door. He walks around the front, then slides into the driver’s seat. I keep thinking about that photo and that little boy. I knew parts of the story, not really enough to be able to piece together what happened.
“It must’ve been hard for you, growing up.”
He glances at me, surprised by the sudden change in subject, but then he nods.
“It was,” he admits. “I lived with my aunt, not my mom for most of my later childhood, but the earlier years, before Tom …” His voice trails off. “It was hard, because we were too young to understand she wasn’t well.”
He stares straight ahead, as if he’s trying to find the right words. I reach over and slip my hand into his. I still shiver at the feel of his touch. I wish I knew what to say to him, but I don’t.
“I remember lying in my bed, listening to Tom cry out for Mommy, who’d locked herself in the closet because the voices were back,” he murmurs. His other hand grips the wheel tightly. “I took my anger and frustration out on other things. I did whatever I had to in order to survive. And then to forget.”
“What happened to Tom?” I ask softly.
“She killed him.”
He sighs, his jaw clenched. He breaks his hand free from mine and places it on the wheel too. He shakes his head, then rests it back against the seat.
“That night, she was convinced people were after us, and that they were going to torture us.” He swallows, pressing his lips together. “She thought if she did it first, she could spare us the pain. I came around. I woke up and saw Tom curled up on the floor next to me. I tried to …” He pauses. “It was too late.”
“God, I’m so sorry,” I whisper.
He shrugs. “Mom was upstairs, in bed. She was unconscious, but they revived her.”
“I don’t know what to say,” I whisper. He s
miles at me and slips his hand into mine.
“You don’t need to say anything. It is what it is.” He shrugs.
“So many times, I blamed myself,” he whispers. “I was an angry kid. I know I made things even harder for her.”
“You were just a kid,” I remind him.
“I know, but I promised him I’d be there for him. Earlier, on the day he died, I was getting high in the park. At age seven,” he says with a harsh laugh. “I came back and she was out of control. Maybe if I’d stayed home …”
“It probably wouldn’t have made a difference,” I finish for him.
He shrugs. “I’ve forgiven her, but I know she’ll never forgive herself. The guilt eats away at her, until she gets so depressed that she’s suicidal.”
“I’m sorry,” I say honestly. “I hate that you had to go through all of that.”
“Now that I’ve succeeded in making this the most depressing six-month anniversary possible—”
“Anniversary?” I repeat, cutting him off.
My cheeks heat as I smile at him, because I had no idea. He winks at me and then he chuckles.
He nods. “Yep. Six months ago, today, you serenaded me—”
“You know, I really hated you that first day.” I grin. “So, unless we’re celebrating that, it’s not our anniversary.”
“You didn’t hate me,” he replies confidently. “You were head over heels for me the second you saw me. It was written all over your face.”
“I’m pretty sure it was shock and horror all over my face.” I laugh. “But okay. Happy anniversary.”
I lean over and kiss him, grazing my lips past his. He caresses my neck and presses his mouth firmly onto mine. I shiver, loving the way my heart still races when he kisses me.
He pulls back, then he reaches forward and starts the car.
“As I was saying. Now that I’ve succeeded in making this the most depressing six-month anniversary possible, let’s go meet this kid.”
Adam
I glance at Katie, who sits next to me in the waiting room at the hospital. Apparently, we’re not the only ones keen to meet little Anthony. It takes her a few minutes to notice me looking at her, because she’s talking to her aunt, but when she does, she grins at me.
I smile back, but I feel bad, laying all that family shit on her. I know she asked, but it was still pretty heavy. My complicated history was something I’d been wanting to speak with her about, but I couldn’t find the right time. It’s not exactly first date talking material, and then after Vegas, the time we had together was so precious.
“I love you,” she whispers in my ear, kissing me on the cheek. I raise my eyebrows at her. “What?” she asks.
“You’ve done that ten times since I told you about Tom.”
“I’m sorry.” She winces. “It’s not that I feel sorry for you, I promise … I just …” She sighs. “I guess it just makes me realize how lucky I am to be surrounded by people I love.” She pauses. “Your mom loves you a lot, you know.”
“I know she does,” I say. “But a child needs more than love. It needs support, guidance. stability,” I say.
“When did you get so wise?” she asks, leaning up to kiss me.
“I’ve always been wise,” I assure her. “Maybe you just haven’t been open to seeing it?”
She laughs and nudges me in the side, the she looks up as Julian bursts through the door. He beams, his expression a mix of happiness, anxiety and relief.
“You should go and talk to him,” Katie suggests.
I shake my head. “No. This is his and Lily’s day. I’m not making it about me.”
We haven’t spoken properly in months, unless you count a few passing words here and there, when it couldn’t be avoided. There wasn’t even anger there anymore. There was nothing. That was worse than if he hated me, because at least then he still gave a shit. I sit up a little straighter when he walks in our direction.
“Hey.” He smiles.
“Hey.”
He sits down, just as Katie stands up.
“I might go talk to Aunt Jane,” she says, pointing to a lady opposite us.
I raise my eyebrows at her and she nods her head at Julian.
Could she be any more obvious?
She walks off, leaving us alone. Neither of us say much for a while, but for once, the silence doesn’t feel forced. I catch Katie’s eye. She smiles at me, then her expression turns to confusion. She fumbles through her bag for her phone, glaring at me as she pulls it out. I’m confused too, but then I start laughing.
“You could’ve had it all, I would’ve given it to you raw,
You’re all I thought about, I wanted you without a doubt …”
Fuck. I’d forgotten about that.
I look down, trying to hide my amusement. Judging by the soft ripple of laughter, everyone else is doing the same. I had such high hopes for our relationship that I left one memo on her phone, just as one final reminder of me. Of course, the plan wasn’t for it to go off in the middle of a crowded waiting room, consisting mainly of her family.
“You?” Julian grins at me.
“Yeah. She’s gonna kill me,” I say with a laugh. “But I’ll make up for it later.”
He raises his eyebrows. I laugh. “That too, but not quite what I meant. It’s six months today since I knocked on the door of that hotel room and she opened it.”
Which also makes it six months since Lola and he broke up.
And six months since Louis dug his family’s grave.
It turned out Lola was a major player in the family business, too. All the trips she took where she told Julian it was to further her aspiring modeling career were actually her recruiting vulnerable, poverty-stricken women in Russia, to come over to the states.
All three of them pleaded guilty, along with another ten people, who played varying roles. But Alberto, Louis and Lola were the main players, and they’ll be spending the next thirty or so years in prison because of it.
I grin, picturing Alberto with his own Tiny.
“You never did tell me how you knew they were at the hotel,” Julian reminds me.
“That’s a long story.” I chuckle. “Maybe I could tell you over a drink one night?”
“I’d like that.” He smiles at me, then gets to his feet. “Now, do you want to meet my son?”
“I can’t wait.” I grin. “Just like I can’t wait to tell him stories about his father.”
“I won’t have you being a bad influence on my kid,” Julian grumbles as we walk down the corridor, collecting Katie along the way.
She raises her eyebrows at me as Julian and I talk. I roll my eyes and wrap my arm around her waist, hugging her. She’s so nosy.
Lily looks up as we walk in.
“Meet Anthony.” She smiles, then looks down at the tiny bundle in her arms. “Do you want to hold him?” she asks Katie.
Katie nods, tears welling in her eyes. I chuckle at how clucky she suddenly is. Lily eases the little boy into her arms and Katie’s face lights up.
I swallow, because that smile …
It’s the same smile that caught me when I first saw her in that video. That was the moment I knew she was something special. I just wish I’d figured it out earlier.
I walk over to her and put my hand on her back, then I smile down at the little man of the hour. He scrunches up his little face and lets out a loud cry.
“He’s probably hungry.” Lily smiles. “He’s like an hour old and already getting hangry.”
“Hangry?” Katie repeats.
“Angry hungry.” She giggles.
“Just like his dad,” I quip.
We hang around for a little while longer, until Julian’s family turns up, then we quietly excuse ourselves and sneak out of the room. I smile at Katie as we walk out to the car. Out of nowhere, she pushes me, nearly sending me flying into some bushes.
“What the hell was that?” I chuckle, brushing myself off.
“That was for making th
at fucking song a memo,” she cries. “Why would you do that to me?” She laughs.
“Because I didn’t think you’d put up with me for this long,” I admit.
She smiles as she leans up to kiss me.
“Again, with knowing just what to say. You could talk your way out of anything.”
“So,” I say, slipping my hand into hers as we walk. “Six months is a big deal, you know? I got you something.”
Her phone beeps.
She opens it, glancing at me suspiciously when she sees my message. I laugh, because most women show excitement, or happiness as their first reaction, but Katie knows me better than that.
Adam: This is what you’ve been missing.
She laughs. “Really?” she narrows her eyes at me, but she’s laughing. “Are you kidding me? There’s no way I’m opening that.”
“Trust me. You want to click on that link.” I smirk.
“I’ll kill you if you’ve done something stupid,” she grumbles.
“Me?” I gasp, like the idea shocks me.
She presses on the link, then gives me a sideways glance as the video starts.
“Hi Katie.” I wave at her. “I wanted to do something special for you for our anniversary. Since you wrote me a song, I thought I’d return the favor. Hope you enjoy it. Love you.”
I sway back and forth, snapping my fingers, then I begin to sing;
“Together, we’re twice as strong,
You’re always right I’m always wrong.
I’ll never let your heart get broken.
Or leave you with words unspoken.
I just wanted you to know one thing.
Stick with me and—”
The video abruptly stops. Katie stares at her phone, then at me,
“Hey, what happened?” She gasps through her laughter. “Did I press—Fuck!”
She screams when the video suddenly starts blaring “Never Gonna Give You Up” through the speakers, ten times louder than the volume I was singing at.
Don't Go There (Awkward Love Book 5) Page 17
