Destiny by chance: A Contemporary Romance Fiction Novel (25 page)

Bill smiled to himself.  He remembered lifting Destiny from the swing and carrying her to the room Jessie had prepared for her.  It was directly across from his.  He remembered thinking she would be too close to resist, much like at home.  He remembered how as he lay her on the bed that Destiny took his hand and held him then pulled him down next to her.  Bill laid beside her, his breathing quickening as she rolled against him and wriggled under his arm.  Destiny snuggled against his chest; her arm draped over him.  He remembered how good she felt against him.  Bill could feel Destiny’s heart beating, her soft, steady breathing against his side.  He could feel her unbound breasts through the thin shirt she wore, pressing against him.

He remembered how hard it was to be so close to her and not be able to kiss her—to undress her.  To make love to her.  Bill hadn’t been with anyone since Justine.  He loved Justine, once, or, at least, he thought he did.  He thought she was
the one
.  Justine was the second woman he’d ever slept with; only he couldn’t remember sleeping much when he was with her.  Everything about Justine was exotic, and Bill had instantly fallen for her.  She had broken his heart and soured him from ever wanting to be in love again.  The only love in his life from that point on had been Sydney.  His whole life had been her.  Well, her and the Kemper House. 

Until now.  Destiny changed all that.  From the moment he first saw her across the concession counter ordering margaritas for two silly old men, he felt his heart come alive again, alive in a way that he didn’t even believe possible.  And then, when she spoke, her velvet voice reached his ears and touched his very soul. 

He remembered leaning over and kissing her forehead as she nestled closer into his arms.  He reached over and held her hand, his fingers toying with hers; so small and so cold, soft to his touch.  His hands slowly explored them, gently embracing them, then moving over the long sleeves of the t-shirt she wore.  Destiny stirred just slightly.

Bill jerked awake suddenly as the plane shook.  The turbulence through the whole flight had been rough.  Thankfully, he wasn’t one of those who suffered from motion sickness.  He glanced at his seatmate, an eighteen-year-old Boston student heading home for the holidays.  He looked out the window and checked his watch.  Another hour.  He would never have considered leaving during their busiest time of the year, but he had heard about an old B&B in Canada that had closed years ago.  It was a run down property that had deteriorated and was on the auction block, an opportunity he just couldn’t pass up.  Bill leaned back in his seat again and closed his eyes, resting on his trusty self-inflatable Brookstone travel pillow.  His breathing steadily slowed and within minutes, he was back asleep and dreaming of Destiny.

No, this time, Bill was going to do it right.  He was going to wait.  He wasn’t going to rush her; wasn’t going to push her.  He knew Destiny would be worth waiting for; and then he was going to propose to her.  And then he was going to marry her, and they were going to have children together.  Destiny would be his “happily ever after.” 

Bill remembered opening his eyes, but Destiny’s were closed, her breathing steady.  She slept peacefully.  He smiled sweetly, then kissed the end of her nose before reluctantly sliding from the bed, knowing he couldn’t stay—knowing that he shouldn’t…

His eyes never left her as he rose.
 
Only suddenly she was no longer asleep. The moon beyond the windows reflected in her eyes, the light entrancing him, pleading for him to stay, to hold her, to touch her… and more.  Her arms reached for him and pulled him back to her side where she pressed herself against him.
 
Slowly she slid her hand under his shirt, discovering the treasure trail of hair from his jeans and following it upwards to the matting of brown hair that adorned his chest.  She touched and toyed with his chest, her fingers tracing his nipples, then moving upward to his neck, where they lingered, delicately dancing against his late evening stubble.  They caressed his cheek on their way to his mouth.  His lips.

Tentatively, her fingers brushed over his lips, the simple gesture taunting him.  Destiny raised onto her elbow, leaning more on his chest.  He closed his eyes as he felt her firm breasts pressed against him.  Though there were two layers of shirts between them, in his mind there were none.  Her fingers continued to toy with his lips, then she kissed his cheek, turning his head toward her.  He opened his eyes, her eyes still on him as she leaned further onto him.  Her lips parted just enough that when she gently kissed him, he felt the moist heat of her mouth.  Of her breath.  They traveled along the side of his mouth and his cheek; her tongue darted about, daring his to join hers.  Then she kissed him again, and again, never fully kissing his lips.  His heart fluttered, his skin tingling at her slightest touch.  God, it was unbearable.

“I never meant to fall in love with you,” she said, without him seeing her mouth move.

“I didn’t mean to fall in love with you,” he whispered, without opening his mouth.

Destiny leaned against him, her warm breath teasing him, driving him mad.  She brushed her lips over his once, then again.  When her tongue flitted across them, he could bear it no more.  Bill grabbed her hair and pulled her forcefully to himself, kissing her hard, kissing her deeply, with such passion that he thought he would explode.  Suddenly she leaned back, breathlessly, gasping for air. Her hands moved to his shirt and frantically removed it.  Bill lay there expectantly, his heart feeling like it was going to beat out of his chest.  She slowly crossed her arms on her stomach and began to remove her shirt.  He watched as the gray material slowly revealed her bare midriff.  It felt like she was moving in slow motion, so he rose to help her.  Then she smacked him square in the nose with her elbow.

Bill sat up with a start.

“Sorry, buddy,” the young man in the seat next to him said, as he picked his backpack up off Bill’s lap and handed him a Kleenex.

Bill looked at the tissue in his hand as blood dripped onto it, suddenly realizing his nose was bleeding.

“You were really in a deep sleep.  Must have been some dream,” he said with a smirk, motioning with his eyes at Bill’s lap. 

Bill looked down and quickly jerked his travel pillow into his lap and looked back up, red-faced.

The young man leaned over the seat next to him and held out his fist.  “Fist bump, dude!  Guy your age!  Way to go!”

Bill, still disoriented, stared at the fist and then the rugged teen.  He balled a fist and hit the young man’s hand.

“Way to go,” he repeated with a shake of his head as he tossed his backpack over his shoulder and then joined those deplaning.

Bill glanced around to see if anyone else noted the exchange or the reason for it.  He held the Kleenex to his nose as he looked out the window.  Maybe it was a good thing Bill
didn’t
finish the dream, or he could have been
way
more embarrassed than he was at that very moment.  As he stared out the window, he chuckled to himself. 
A guy your age? 
He shook his head, and slowly a smile crept up the side of his lips.  He casually balled his fist, and discreetly fist bumped his reflection in the window.  “Way to go, old man,” he murmured to himself, as passersby grumbled and talked to themselves, anxious to get to their next flight or to their final destination, oblivious to the proud moment Bill was sharing with himself.

Sydney ran into his arms, her usual greeting, whether he was gone an hour or a day.  She was getting bigger and heavier, but he didn’t care.  He dreaded the day when she would come to the realization that it was no longer cool to hang with her dad.  Until then, he would savor these special homecomings as long as he could.

“I missed you, Daddy!” she exclaimed.

“I missed you too, Sweetie.” Bill gave his daughter a multitude of kisses.  He glanced up at Destiny, and blushed; his heart still holding his fantasy that he had dreamed while on the plane.  “Hey.”

“Hey,” she smiled sweetly, her hands stuffed into the back pockets of her jeans. 

Sydney went to check on the cookies she was baking for their afternoon arrivals.

Bill slowly walked up to Destiny, gently slid his hands through her arms and hugged her to himself.  He gave her a small kiss as well.  On the cheek.  “Ouch!” he exclaimed, touching his nose.

“What’s wrong?”

“I was attacked by a rogue backpack.”  Bill grinned and then kissed her on her cheek, more carefully, just catching the side of her lips.  Reluctantly, he released her, picked up his bag and carried it down the hallway. 

Destiny followed him.  “How was your flight?”

“Rough.”

“Really?”

You have no idea;
he sighed to himself.

She followed him into Sydney’s room.  He suddenly stopped before turning to Destiny.  “Where’s my bed?”

With a motion of her head, she begged him to follow her.  So he did, to his room, where she opened his drawers and held out her hand.  He looked at her, perplexed.  His things were in their original places, and hers were no longer there.

“Deborah’s gone, so it didn’t seem fair that you had to keep sleeping on an air mattress,” she said, with a slight shrug of her shoulders.

“Oh.” Bill’s face fell, his voice expressing his disappointed.  “You didn’t have to do that.”

“Sure, I did.  Isn’t that where your house manager stays?”

His face brightened just slightly.  “What are you saying?”

“I’m saying that if you need me, I’ll stay.  That is unless I don’t work out.”  Destiny shuffled her feet.  “Or you get tired of me.”

Bill dropped his bags and went to her, taking her into his arms.  “I’ll never get tired of you.”  He kissed her again, ever so gently.

Destiny lowered her head, wiped her lips and stepped back.  “I don’t want this to be awkward, Bill.”

“Why should it be awkward?” he asked, brushing back her hair.

“I mean, if this… if we…” She hesitated, looking into his eyes.  “If we don’t work out.”

“Oh,” he said, almost hurt, turning away.  He put his suitcases on the bed and began to unpack.

“It’s just,” she bit her lip.  “There’ve been some extraordinary circumstances surrounding you and me.”  Destiny brushed the floor with her house slipper.  “I just don’t want you feeling like if things change,” she stammered, “you have to keep me.  I don’t want you to feel obligated.”

“Are you kidding?” Bill turned back to her, taking her hands into his.  “I’m in love with you.” Destiny looked up into his eyes as he spoke. “That’s never going to change.
Never
,” he whispered.  Bill leaned over and kissed her forehead, holding it to his lips.

Destiny smiled at his touch, at his words.  Only, the doorbell broke their moment, the silence.

“I got it,” Sydney chimed from the kitchen.

Bill smiled against her forehead, never wanting to let her go.

“Daddy, it’s for you!”

Bill raised her face with his hands.  “Be right back,” he smiled, kissing her again.  Destiny watched him disappear around the corner before she began unpacking his things.  She sorted his clean clothes from his dirty ones and slowly put the clean ones back into his dresser.  As Destiny placed his ties onto the felt-lined wood, she suddenly stopped and smiled.  Her hand gently brushed across the fabric.  It had been so long since she’d cared for someone else’s clothes.  Another man’s clothes.  Well, there were her brother’s, during her brief stay at his place, but that didn’t count.  There was something unattractive about doing your adult brother’s skid-marked underwear when he was in his twenties and still single.

When Destiny had removed her clothes from his drawers earlier that morning, she had yearned for a day when they would lie together with Bill’s, when she would lie side by side with him, in his bed—
their
bed.  She looked up at herself in the mirror.  How can someone be so ready and not ready all at the same time?  Destiny saw the hope that grew on Bill’s face when she walked him back into his room, saw it dashed when he saw that her clothes were no longer there.  She took his folded undershirts and placed them neatly into the cedar drawer. 

Destiny sighed as she moved to hanging up the dress shirts he didn’t use, and then his suit.  She wanted to share with him her news of the hearing, but she was nervous.  Three more women had come forward since Winston’s picture was flashed across the news.  However, two of the women had apparently settled their civil suits already, out of court, and had somehow disappeared.  The District Attorney’s office was having a hard time tracking them down to subpoena them to testify. 

Deep pockets
.

She shook her head.  Destiny’s was the largest civil suit by far, and though, through her attorney, he’d offered to settle, Destiny refused to back down.  Sure, ten million was a ridiculous amount, but it wasn’t for her.  And the Rape Crisis Center would probably never see even half of that, but her intention was to hurt him in his pocketbook and to make a statement all at once.  That’s why he had shown up that night at Lisa’s, a night that seemed like forever ago, but which, in reality, was only a few short weeks in the past.

Destiny walked from Bill’s room and met a downcast Sydney.  “What’s wrong, Syd?”

“Daddy told me to go to my room.”

“Why?  What did you do?”

“
Nothing
,” she replied, upset.  “He just got a letter and then got all weird and told me to go to my room.”

“Okay, Sweetie.” Destiny kissed her on the top of her head.  “I’ll check on him.  It’ll be fine,” she added.  “Just give us a few minutes.”

“Fine,” Sydney said emphatically, closing the door behind her.

Destiny walked to the kitchen.  Bill was sitting at the kitchen table, his head hanging down.  She stepped around him.  He was reading a legal document, so she poured herself a cup of water from the kettle and selected a blackberry tea.  The teabag popped up and down as Destiny steeped it.  She cast occasional glances in Bill’s direction as she took her time doctoring her tea with Stevia, honey, and a little lemon.  Returning to the table, she sat beside him, blowing silently on the steaming liquid as she watched him read.  He carefully read every word, turning to the last page.  Finally, Bill leaned back in the chair and sighed.

Destiny leaned forward and put her hand on his arm.  “Is everything okay?”

Bill shook his head.  Frustrated, he brushed back his hair with both hands, and then clasped them behind his head.

Destiny waited patiently, watching as he stared at nothing.  Something was wrong, but she couldn’t imagine what had him so distracted and distant.  She set her cup down and stood, moving behind him and holding his hands.  He accepted her gesture and held tightly to them.  Suddenly, he took his hands away and dropped his face into them.  Destiny sat back down.  “Bill,” she pleaded.  “Please talk to me.”

When he removed his hands from his face, his eyes were wet. 

“Bill?”

“Justine wants to see Sydney.” He was hardly able to get the words out.

“What?”

“She wants to amend the divorce decree and get shared custody.” Bill turned to her, still in shock.

“I thought you said she left when Sydney was a baby.”

“She did,” he replied.  He stood and turned, wiping his eyes discreetly.  “And she never once has tried to see her.”

“Why now?”

“I don’t know,” Bill snapped, then softened his gaze.  “I’m sorry,” he added, shaking his head.  “It’s just… I never in a million years could have expected this.”  He hugged her. 

The phone rang, and Destiny moved to answer it.  “Kemper House Bed and Breakfast.” She listened for a moment and turned to Bill.  “It’s your attorney.  He said he’s been trying to reach you on your cell phone.”

“Darn it.”  Bill pulled it from his pocket.  It was still in airplane mode.  Bill sighed and then took the phone from her.  “Hey, Dale.”  Bill began to pace.

Destiny sat by her tea and slowly sipped on it.  Poor Bill.  After all this time.  As she sipped her tea, she furrowed her brow.  She thought of the elegantly dressed woman who had appeared in their doorway the week before.  Could the two incidents possibly be related?

“Yeah, I understand.”  Bill ended the call, looking down at the phone.

“What did he say?” Destiny asked as she turned.  “Bill?”

But he didn’t look at her.  He just stared at the phone oddly.  Then suddenly, inexplicably, with all his might, Bill threw it across the room, sending it crashing into the wall where it shattered into dozens of pieces, startling her.  When he turned to her, there was so much pain in his eyes, so much anger.  Without a word, he turned and walked from the kitchen.  A few moments later, the house shook as he slammed the door to his room.  At that instant, the buzzer on the stove sounded, and she rose quickly to check on the cookies Sydney had started.  Once they were on the cooling rack, Destiny turned off the oven and placed the dirty pan and spatula into the sink to be dealt with later. 

The doorbell rang, and Destiny quickly slid off her slippers and into her shoes.  She smiled and opened the door to welcome their guests.  Four couples were traveling together for their two-night stay.  Destiny asked them to sign-in as she pulled their paperwork from a folder and handed each of them their receipts and their policies to review and sign.  Behind her, she heard the door swing open. A moment later, Sydney was standing there with a plate of cookies and a carafe of milk.  Destiny smiled and winked at her.  She carried the tray of treats carefully to the library as everyone “oohed” in awe of her presentation.  Destiny stepped beside her and whispered down to her, “I’m going to get your dad.”

“He’s gone,” Sydney whispered back.  “He was just in the kitchen, and then he left.”

Destiny pursed her lips.  “Did he say anything?”

“Nope.  Hey, what happened to the phone?”

Destiny kissed her head and then turned back to their guests.  “We’ll show you to your rooms whenever you’re ready,” she offered.  Then she left them with Sydney in the library and walked into the kitchen.  She contemplated before taking her phone out and calling him.  Bill’s phone went straight to voicemail.  She wriggled her lips.  Something was wrong.  Something was very wrong.  Destiny sighed, put on her best face, and went to show their guests to their rooms.