Rob had been staring at Brock during his tale, hoping for some facial recognition, but so far, Brock simply sat and listened quietly.
“When my friend was twelve years old, her mother and grandmother were killed in a car accident. She was raised by her aunt. They’re very close, and again, she and her aunt were happy together. When she was eighteen, there was a gift that her mother had left boxed up for her to open when she became an adult. Inside, it contained an Army T-shirt, with the nametag inside saying Brock T. Sinclair. Her mother’s letter said that she kept the shirt because she wanted a memory of the man she fell in love with, but that she knew she was only a one-night stand to him.”
Brock stood suddenly. “What was the girl’s name?” he asked shakily.
Rob pulled out the photograph that Laurie had placed on their end table. Turning it around to face Brock, he said simply, “Sarah.”
Brock sat heavily in the chair, his hand reaching out for the picture. “Sarah,” he whispered.
Rob sat quietly, letting Brock absorb the information that had avalanched onto him. Brock stared at the picture for a long time, his fingers slowly tracing the faces in front of him. Finally he spoke. “We had a daughter. A daughter. I never knew.” He looked up into Rob’s face, seeing compassion.
Rob gently said, “Her name is Laurie. Laurie Dodd. She’s a first grade teacher in Fairfield.” Smiling, he continued, “She’s smart, funny, beautiful, hardworkin’, compassionate, everything that is good and loving.”
Brock looked over at Rob with interest. “And you’re in love with her, aren’t you?”
Rob stared back, eye to eye, man to man and responded, “Yes sir, I am. That’s why I’m here. She has no idea I’m doin’ this. She always claimed that there was no need to find someone who considered her mother a fling. She said she didn’t miss what she never had.”
Brock hung his head at this. Looking back up at Rob, “I assure you that she was not a fling.” He spent the next half hour telling Rob the story of meeting Sarah, falling in love with her in one night and then losing her the next morning.
Rob listened attentively, knowing that Laurie would want to know this. Her dad loved her mom. This completely changes her life story. This could change her life.
Finally Brock asked, “Why now, Rob? Why did you decide to search me out now?”
Rob then shared about Laurie’s illness. “She goes to the rheumatologist next week, and I know they want a family history. Maybe there isn’t one thing you can tell us, but I had to try to find out.” He hesitated again. “Mr. Sinclair, she’ll not be happy at all that I have found you. I went behind her back, but I would do anything to help her.”
“Then you’re a good man. And she’ll recognize that even if she’s upset at first.” Grey eyes meeting blue ones, Brock said, “And call me Brock. It looks as though we’re going to be getting to know quite a lot about each other. So what now?”
“Well, if you just happen to make a visit down to Fairfield sometime, then I guess we’ll figure out how you can meet. I just don’t know how in the hell I’m going to bring this together.”
Brock and Rob exchanged phone numbers and email addresses before Rob headed back to pick up Mac. At the door, Brock shook his hand, thanking him.
“Brock, I know this information changes everything for you, but it can make all the difference to Laurie as well.” With a final handshake, he headed back to his truck.
He drove back to where he was picking up his dad, sitting in the truck waiting, alone with his thoughts. No secrets. But what about secrets that keep someone from being hurt? What about secrets that can help? His thoughts swirled around in his mind, coming to no conclusion. Knowing that Laurie will be furious when she finds out, he tried to plan how to tell her and make the introduction with her father. But he came up empty. All he could see in his mind was the anger she was going to feel. His dad’s words poured over him again. You do the best you can each and every day and then turn the rest over to prayer. Bowing his head, he prayed. Lord, let her know how much I love her. Let her forgive me. Let her be all right.
Just then Mac came out of the building and they headed back to Fairfield. Back to what, Rob wasn’t sure.
Chapter 17
Over the next several days, Laurie focused on her classroom full of little first graders and tried desperately not to think about the appointment that was coming at the end of the week. The students were taking all of her attention, and she was glad when they headed down the hall to their music class.
Jean popped in to check on her. The two friends chatted for a while about several of the students, and then the topic rolled to Laurie. “How are you doing? Your limp is almost gone.”
She laughed ruefully. “Yeah, the prednisone takes away the swelling, but now I want to eat all the time and I have to fight the urge to constantly snack. I don’t think I can stay on it indefinitely, but it’s good for now. When I go in on Friday, I will learn about the other meds for lupus.” Rolling her eyes, she added, “And I get to once again explain why I don’t have a father’s medical family history.”
“You okay with all of that?”
“You know what’s weird? My whole life, it was just Mom’s family. I never really worried about what my father’s family was like. It was as though they simply didn’t exist. Not in reality and not in my imagination. Now, I find myself thinking about them. Or him. Or… oh, I don’t know,” Laurie said in frustration. Looking up, she said, “I find myself thinking about a grandmother that I never knew. What was her medical history? Did someone else have lupus? Or any other condition or disease? Were there aunts or uncles? All of the things that never meant anything to me, now I think about.”
“Do you think that as a child you were given one story, then as a young woman you found out a different story so that it was just easier to pretend your father didn’t exist? But now that you’re an adult, you are starting to see things like an adult.”
Laurie looked at her friend with a curious look, so Jean continued. “Look, here are the hard facts. No one knows exactly what happened but your mom and your dad. Your mom was a scared sixteen-year-old girl thrust in a situation that she wasn’t prepared for. I think as young people, we see the world as very black or white. You mom may have done this. You did this. But as adults we realize that there are all shades of grey in between.”
Reaching over to hold Laurie’s hands, she finished, “I think that now you are realizing that it is okay to think about him, and you are not dishonoring your mother in any way. After all, she did tell you that she fell in love.” Smiling, Jean stood up and left Laurie to ponder on her own.
*
That evening, Laurie noticed a difference in Rob. There was no caveman sex. As Laurie had discovered, Rob had different types of sex. There was the caveman sex, where he picked her up in a fireman’s hold, carried her to the bedroom, and they fucked. Any position. Several positions. Lots of dirty talk. He always took care of her first, but still…caveman sex. Then there was dominant sex. He was in charge, told her what to do, where to touch him, where to touch herself, when to come, and ass reddening usually was incorporated. Then there was fun sex. Tickling. Playful. Adventurous. The kind where you wanted to yell “touchdown” when you had an orgasm.
But then there was also making love. Slow. Purposeful. Loving. Soft words. Gentle caresses. Sweet. Tender.
She liked all the different types of sex with Rob. But making love, well, what girl doesn’t like this type best?
After dinner, he came up behind her as they were finishing in the kitchen. Wrapping his arms around her from behind, he pulled her back into his towering body. She felt instantly protected, as though nothing in this world could ever harm her. He kissed the top of her head then began nuzzling a trail of kisses down her neck as he pushed her hair off of her shoulder. She leaned back, moaning, angling her neck for better access to the whisper kisses. Slowly turning in his arms, she reached up to pull his face down to hers. What began as kisses along h
is stubbled jaw became bolder as she made her way to his mouth.
He picked her up in his arms, and she grasped his neck. Carrying her into the bedroom, he laid her down on the bed. Hair flowing behind her, eyes sparkling in the low lights of the room, he lay down next to her, gathering her in his arms once again. Rob kissed her, slipping his tongue between her moist lips. Her tongue danced with his as they both breathed each other in. While using his tongue to discover every crevice of her sweet mouth, he slowly slid his hand down her neck to the buttons of her blouse. Quickly unbuttoning her shirt, while never taking his lips from hers, he opened the blouse.
Pulling his mouth from hers, his lips followed the same path as his hand; over her jaw, around her neck, and down between the valley of her breasts. He leaned up just enough to unsnap the front of her black lacy bra and pulled it open to expose her luscious breasts. Full, natural, tipped with rosy nipples, hardened with desire. His mouth latched onto one breast and he suckled and nipped until she felt as though her body was electrically charged. He gently lifted her just enough to slide her bra and blouse off of her body, continuing his detailed worship of her breasts.
Her hands moved across his massive back, from his neck down to his waist and back up again. She slipped her hands under his T-shirt, pulling it upwards until it slid over his head and she could toss it aside.
Bare chest to bare chest. He rolled so that she was lying on top of him, feeling her breasts pressed into his chest. His arms wrapped around her, hands sliding down to her ass.
As he kneaded her globes, she focused on his mouth, first delving into his mouth then sliding down his chest to his nipples where she licked and nipped. His hips jerked upwards as he moaned in satisfaction.
She slid further down and began unzipping his jeans. Pulling them down his long legs, she couldn’t help but notice the huge tenting in his boxer. They were straining with the force of his erect cock. She started to reach for the boxers, but he flipped her over onto her back. “No, babe, tonight is for you.”
He slid her pants off of her legs, kissing the exposed skin along the way. Once the slacks were off, he nuzzled her damp panties then grabbed them in his mouth. Dragging them down her legs by his teeth, stopping to nip at her skin as he went, he finally tossed them to the side as well.
He leaned back to peruse her nude form. Long hair splayed across the pillow, full breasts, pale in the moonlight, slim waist leading down to her mound. His hands moved gently over all of her curves as though he was discovering them for the first time.
She felt the fires burning brighter and brighter as his hands moved over her body. Cherished, adored. As his hands slid between her legs, she could feel the tingling that began deep in her belly, spreading outward. Her hips began to move and press up against his leg, desperate to ease the ache.
He slid one finger into her wet pussy, circling it around, hitting the spots that he had discovered that caused her to make the little sounds deep in her throat that went straight to his dick.
Building, building. She could feel the crescendo coming as he continued to play her like an instrument made just for him. He added a second finger, moving them masterfully in a synchronized motion, and that was all it took for her to fall over the edge. Digging her fingernails into his shoulders, screaming his name, Rob could feel her muscles contract around his fingers until she lay boneless beside him. Leaning down to capture her soft mouth once again, he realized how much he loved hearing his name on her lips as she came.
Laurie opened her eyes and looked deeply into his. What did she see there? Love, concern, satisfaction. She couldn’t help but grin at that last thought.
“What’s so funny?” he asked.
“You look very smug right now.”
“Hell yeah. Any time a man can make a woman scream his name, he should be smug.”
She wanted to pretend to be indignant, but his lips crashed back down on hers and she forgot everything except the feel of what his mouth was doing to hers. The feel of his lips melding with hers, tongues tangling, breath mingling, was all she could think about.
He slid his boxers down, releasing his straining cock.
She glanced down and giggled again.
“Woman,” he said with pretend sternness. “Don’t ever stare at a man’s dick and then giggle.”
“I was just thinking that he looked like he had somewhere he wanted to go,” she said with a twinkle in her eye.
“Oh babe, you know it. He knows exactly where he needs to go and what to do when he gets there.”
With that, he raised himself up over her and placed his swollen cock at her wet entrance. Leaning down to barely touch his lips to hers, he whispered, “Love you, Laurie darlin’. With all my heart. Please don’t forget that.”
Before she could think about that last odd statement, he plunged inside of her, taking her mind off of anything except the delightful sensations of fullness and friction. Gently thrusting in and out, over and over, he took her to a place she was sure she had never been before. Higher and higher she climbed. Searching for something that was just out of her reach. Rob began kissing her, thrusting his tongue in and out, mirroring the same movement of his dick. Overcome by the emotions of what he was feeling, he could tell that he was close to coming.
“Babe, come with me.” He reached between them and gently rolled her swollen clit between his fingers as he continued to thrust his tongue in her mouth.
Finally reaching the peak, Laurie arched her back as she fell off the cliff, weightless, flying through the stars of the night. At the same moment that her pussy walls began to convulse around him, he felt his dick straining one last time before exploding as he emptied himself into her waiting body.
Both panting, bodies slick with shared sweat, they lay together, silent for a few moments, letting the emotions and sensations flow all around. Slowly, he lifted off of her, pushing the wet tendrils of her hair back away from her face. Kissing her swollen lips, he felt her breath go into his body.
Their eyes locked onto one another as they lay there, mouths barely touching, breathing each other in. Laurie realized that she needed Rob’s breath for her very being to live. Rob knew that Laurie’s soul rested deep inside of him.
Two bodies, one spirit. Two bodies, one essence. Two bodies, one life.
Chapter 18
Two days later, Laurie noticed the minivan outside of the playground again, but was unable to see a license plate. Frustrated, she notified Ms. Darby once more, and this time Jake and Tom actually came to see her. While her children were at lunch, she gave a detailed description of the van.
“I know that it simply could be one of the vans from the neighborhoods around here, but most minivans don’t have darkened driver and passenger windows that are so dark you can’t see anything in them at all.”
Jake assured her that it was better to go with her gut feeling than to second guess herself and then put herself or any of the children at risk.
“We know that Cindy’s parents don’t want her to testify against the uncle, but even if it is not related to Cindy’s case, you know pedophiles like to hang around school yards,” Jake stated, grim faced.
“I know,” she acknowledged, shivering.
As they finished, Tom asked how she was feeling.
“I’m feeling much better although the fatigue is still a problem. At least I’m not limping,” she said grinning.
“I’m glad you’re honest. Don’t want you to sugar coat anything with us,” Tom added.
“Oh no. Rob and I agree that ‘no secrets’ is the way to go.”
Tom and Jake shared a glance so quickly that she was not quite sure she had actually seen it. But before she could question them, the children were returning from lunch, so Tom and Jake said goodbye.
*
Laurie headed home after work, wanting to fix dinner for Rob since he had pulled a long shift. A warehouse on the edge of town had caught on fire, and she knew that he had been with the crew all day. Her phone beeped and she
saw that she had a text from Emma.
Found some funny pictures to make your day brighter. Sent them in an email.
Laurie had been in constant contact with Emma during the last few weeks, and she knew Emma was worried about her. Walking into the study, she started to open up her laptop when she saw Rob’s already opened. Sitting down, she pulled his laptop over and opened up email. As his email program popped up, she was getting ready to minimize it to bring her own email up when she noticed an email from Sinclair, Brock.
Laurie sat perfectly still, not breathing, a sick feeling crawling in her gut. Oh Jesus, Oh Jesus, Oh Jesus. How many Brock Sinclairs can there be? The coil in her stomach slithered up, threatening to choke her. The pounding of her heart roared in her ears, as she sat staring at the name on the screen. A name she has always known. A man she has never known.
No control. No choice. No turning back. Lifting a shaking finger over the keyboard, she clicked to open the email.
“Hey Rob, just wanted to let you know I will be coming into town this afternoon. Staying at Fairfield Hotel in downtown. We can talk more tomorrow to see how we want to plan the meeting before the doc appt. Thanks for everything. See you again soon. Brock”
Talk more. They had talked before.
See you again. They had met before.
Laurie felt lightheaded as she realized she was holding her breath. She tried to breathe, but found the air would not go in. Gulping, she gasped for air over and over until she could finally feel her lungs expand.
Rob had looked for her father. He had found her father. He had talked to her father. He had kept it all a secret.
Laurie did not remember leaving the apartment. She did not remember getting into her car. She did not remember driving to the hotel. She did not remember going in and asking Helen which room Brock Sinclair was staying in.
She simply found herself standing outside of a hotel room, wind whipping around her, making her as cold on the outside as she felt on the inside.
Laurie's Time (The Fairfield Series) Page 18
