Cherishing You (26 page)

Shit.
I quickly call the hospital and check on Mom. Same thing basically, except she woke up a couple more times. She seems to be tolerating breathing on her own, and they should be able to leave the breathing tube out, which is great news.

I jump out of bed and quickly look around; it looks like Andi’s all packed up since I don’t see her luggage bags by the dresser anymore. My heart starts beating fast.
I really hope she didn’t leave without saying good-bye. Surely she wouldn’t do that, would she?
I know she wasn’t happy about our decision, but she seemed okay when we lay down to take a nap.

I run downstairs. Taking a quick look around, not seeing anyone, I head outside. I take a deep breath when I see Andi’s car is still here.
Okay, she didn’t leave yet. So where is everyone?

I decide to check the barn, where I hear them talking and laughing. I open the door and walk in, seeing all three of them by the Mustang. Andi was shocked to learn her dad’s actually been racing some with me, but she didn’t know what to think about this car being hers.

“I really hope I can make it back in time to watch you and Ethan do some racing. You never know, I may even run against you someday.”

“I hope you do, honey, but if not, you know your mom will be recording it all.”

“If something happens and I can’t get here in time, will you please send it to me?”

“Of course, Andi. You know it,” Bev agrees.

“I’ll record some too, and send it to you with messenger,” I tell her as I walk up and give her a quick hug. She turns around and hugs me back, then reaches up and gives me a small peck on the cheek.

“Did you sleep well, Ethan?”

“Yeah, I did. Sorry, I was going to help you get packed up.”

“It’s okay, you needed the sleep. I’m all done, just hanging out with Mom and Dad for a bit before I have to go. I had no idea Dad was racing with you, I thought he was just going to cheer you on. That’s so awesome.”

“Yeah, we have a lot of fun with it, don’t we, Ron?”

“That we do, Ethan . . . Okay, I know we all want to see you as much as possible, but I think we’re going to leave you two alone for a bit. What do you say, Bev? Want to go in with me and I’ll help you cook up a big meal before Andi has to leave?”

“Of course, sweetie, thank you for your help. I’ll holler for you two when it’s done.” They go hand in hand out the door and back to the house. I know being away from each other is going to be hard on us, but I really think Andi and I have the same kind of strong love Ron and Bev do. It’ll carry us through—it has to.

“So, Andi, I know you don’t have much time left, but is there anything you want to do before we go in and eat with your parents?”

“Well, I’m glad you asked that, Ethan. There are a hundred things I want to do, but nothing more than being wrapped in your arms.” With that, she steps up to me, pulls my head down to hers, and places a hot, sensual kiss on my lips. I can’t help the groan that escapes as I put my hands around her hips and pull her off the ground. As soon as I do, she wraps her legs around my waist, locking them together behind my back. I know she has to feel my hard-on rubbing against her through our pants. I carry her around to the front of the car and lay her back on the hood.
Damn, what a gorgeous sight!

I run to the door and lock it, then just as fast I’m back to her. She lets out a giggle, which quickly turns into moans as I push her shirt up and start sucking on her tight bud while massaging the other. She doesn’t waste any time winding her fingers through my hair, holding me tight against her. I switch to the other breast and continue my assault on her nipples, trailing my hand down to her waistline and slowly unbuttoning her khakis.

I slide her zipper down and hear a sharp gasp as I slip my fingers under her panties, touching her core. She is so wet for me. Raising her hips, she matches my fingers, stroke for sensuous stroke. I tug her khakis and panties down quickly then drop to my knees, flicking my tongue against her clit. She tastes just as amazing as I always imagined she would.

I feel her hands in my hair and it turns me on even more. Digging my fingers into her sweet ass cheeks, I pull her tighter to me; I can’t wait to make love to her, but making her come will just have to do. I want to wait until we won’t be interrupted by anyone and I can have her for the entire night. No rush, and no impending trip to Texas hanging over our heads. I feel her body trembling beneath me, her moans becoming more intense. She must be about to come. I speed up my pace and just as she explodes I hear a knock on the door.

“You guys, come on in and eat,” Bev calls out.

I’m really glad I locked the door.

I stand up and Andi has thrown her arm over her eyes. Bev knocks again then yells that she’s going back in for lunch. I look down at Andi, and she has a cute flush to her cheeks—a mix between ‘a good orgasm just rippled through me’ and ‘I got caught in the process.’ Yes, definitely cute and sexy. Another beautiful pic for my memory.

“Okay, we’ll be there in a few minutes,” I call out to Bev. I scoop Andi up in my arms and tilt her face to mine.

“Baby, we’re both consenting adults, and unless I’m mistaken, you seemed to be enjoying yourself as much as I was.”

“Of course I was, it’s just now she knows we were fooling around in here. It’s embarrassing is all.”

I place a quick kiss on her lips and place her on her feet.

“Come on, baby, let’s get in there before she sends your dad out after us.” I laugh, but she isn’t as amused. Either way, she still looks sexy as hell. She tugs her panties and pants back up and in place.

“Once again, we’re interrupted before I can reciprocate. I really want to make you lose control, just like you do to me.” She cups my junk through my pants, and my dick jerks and strains against my jeans, begging for release.

“Oh, girl, you have no idea what you do to me. How am I supposed to go sit at your parents’ dinner table and share a meal with this hard-on?”

She giggles and tugs on me again through my jeans. “I don’t know, but you better figure it out before Dad comes out here to get us.”

I gently remove her hand from my crotch. “As much as I’d like to throw you over this hood and make sweet, passionate love to you for the rest of the day, we have to get in there with your parents and have lunch. Plus, I’m sure your dad walking in here and seeing me pumping my dick into his daughter is probably not on his top ten list.”

Her face turns even redder, and I don’t know if it’s from embarrassment or if it’s because she just pictured us making love on her father’s car. Either way, it’s sexy as hell.

“Okay, let’s go.” She gives me a quick kiss.

We walk hand in hand to the house, where Ron and Bev are sitting at the dining room table, waiting on us. We quickly sit down next to one another and start making our plates. I’m not very hungry, but I can’t pass up a meal made by Bev no matter how full I am.

“Sorry we were late, we—”

Bev interrupts Andi, saying, “Andi, you’re consenting adults, even though sometimes that’s hard to remember. What you two do behind closed doors is none of my business, and I’d like to keep it that way. Thank you, by the way, to whoever was smart enough to lock the door. Now that we have that out of the way, let’s enjoy this meal together before you have to get going.” She gives us both a smile and takes a bite of food.

Neither of us says anything else as we eat. Of course, it tastes just as good as I knew it would, and I enjoy every bite I take. I look around the table quietly while I chew, once again overwhelmed by the amount of love that’s right here at this table. This family is truly one of a kind, and I’m grateful to be a part of their lives. I always felt comfortable with them, and now that Andi and I are together I know they’ll always be in my life.

Someday, I plan to make it official. I want to spend every day with her by my side and make love with her every single night.

I’m not ready for her to leave yet; I want to hang on for as long as possible.
She looks up then, catching me staring at her angelic face. She smiles at me and puts her hand on my leg under the table, giving it a quick squeeze. I place my hand over hers, squeezing back. I give her a small smile, which she returns. I can’t seem to help myself as I lean over, quickly pecking her cheek.

“All right, you two. We’re happy for you, but knock it off,” Ron says with a laugh.

“Hope everyone saved room for dessert, because I have a surprise for you.” Bev stands and goes to the kitchen.

She comes back in with a huge round chocolate cake. It’s two layers and covered with chocolate icing. Of course, it’s all made from scratch, and almost falls apart when she slices it. Once everyone has a plate, I take a bite, and it melts in my mouth.

“Oh, Mom, you’ve outdone yourself this time,” Andi says between bites.

“Thank you, honey. I know how much you love my homemade cakes and I hadn’t done one in quite a while, so I decided to whip it up for you. I wanted to make you something special before you leave.”

“I really appreciate it.” Andi gets up from her chair, rounds the table, and hugs her mom tight. I know seeing her go is as hard on them as it is me. I wish things were different, but this is how it has to be—for now, at least.

“I know you do, honey, that’s why I do it.” She gives her another quick squeeze then releases her. Andi goes to her father next and gives him a tight hug.

“Andi, I want you to promise to come home and visit more, okay? Will you do that?

“Of course I will, Dad. I’ll be back before you know it.”

“Good! Now, let’s enjoy the rest of our cake.” Ron winks at her, and she lets go and comes back to her chair. I lean over and wrap my arm around her, pulling her close to my side. I want to spend every evening like this.

We all seem to want to linger on this meal, stretching it out for as long as possible.

When we finish eating, we all get up to clean the dishes, but Mom won’t have it.

“You guys go hang out for a little while before you have to leave. I’d want every second together I could get if it were me and your dad.”

“Thank you, Bev, I appreciate everything you do,” Ethan says, giving her a quick hug.

“You’re welcome, Ethan.”

I look up at him. “Do you want take a walk with me?”

“Sure, you lead and I’ll follow you anywhere,” he says, a goofy smile on his lips. I grab his hand and pull him behind me out the back door; I want to go back down to the pond one more time before I go. I honestly should’ve been back in Texas by now, but I’m having a hard time leaving. I wonder if Ethan’s changed his mind yet, if he sees I’m fully aware of the decision I want to make. Yes, there’s a risk of regret, but I don’t think I actually will. How could I, when my whole life is here?

We get to the dock and, after sliding off my sandals, I dangle my feet over the edge. Ethan sits down behind me, removes his socks and shoes, and slides his legs on each side of me to hang off the edge. He wraps his arms around my belly and I lean back against him, looking out over the water.

This is so comfortable. Maybe I can call my new boss and tell her something’s come up and I need to delay my start. Surely they’d understand, right? Okay, so that probably wouldn’t go over well when my first day is supposed to be in the morning. It’s not like I really care what they think; I don’t even want to work there any more, I know this is where I want to be.

“So, I know you don’t want to go, and I don’t want you to leave either, but you realize you have to, right?”

“No, I don’t
have
to go, Ethan. I could stay right here wrapped in your arms until we get tired. Then we could go up to my room, climb into my bed, and hold each other through the night. So no, I don’t have to go,” I say, continuing to watch out across the water.

I feel Ethan take a deep breath and release it slowly. “You’re right, you don’t have to go, but I would always feel guilty that I made you miss out on an incredible opportunity just because I selfishly asked you to stay. I meant what I said before—I don’t want any more regrets in our relationship. You’ll kick butt at this job because that’s who you are; you excel at everything you do. Then you’ll decide where you want to go from there. I’ll support you no matter what.”