Road to Reality (13 page)

“Tell me,” he whispered. “Tell me what you want.”

“You,” she said on a moan. 

“What else?” his asked, his voice struggling, she heard.

“Your mouth,” she said embarrassingly.

“Where?” he asked, his fingers moving in and out, her breath catching in her throat.

“Down there, where you are. Now,” she said on a sob.

He took pity on her and gave her what she asked. Her moans intensified, letting him know what she liked best of all. At last, she started to tense and shake, her body trying to fight it, trying to hold off, she never wanted it to end, wanted to freeze this place in time.

“Relax, give in to it,” he commanded against her overly sensitive skin. Her body shattered, gripping his finger inside of her. Holding his head in place, she could do nothing more than lie there spent, completely limp and sedated.

He gathered her in close and comforted her as her breaths sobbed out. When the last pant escaped her lips she turned her mouth toward his neck.  Tentatively placing kisses, she ran her tongue around each and every groove she came across.

He shifted her, lying on his back, pulling her across his chest. He ran his hands down her back, over her behind, kneading and squeezing her.  She pressed her hips into his hardness, and his body tensed a bit.

He fisted his hand in her hair, pulled her head up from his chest, captured her mouth with his, and kissed her hungrily.

Straddling his hips, she brought herself to her knees. “Teach me,” she ordered again, grabbing a condom and placing it over him, rolling it down ever so slowly.

His hands gripped her hips, guiding her over him, her body stretching to accommodate his desire.  Once he was fully embedded in her warmth, he urged her to rise up and down, to set her own pace. She was awkward at first, but a fast learner. Soon he didn’t need to guide her at all as she found a rhythm and rode him—slow and clumsy at first, fast and agile, back to slow, then speeding it up. She was fueled on sensation alone, watching his reaction, feeding her craving.  He had wanted her to set the pace, and she did.

But he was struggling to hold on. She saw his breath catch and loved how his fingers dug into her hips harder.  Then he moved them and fondled her again, applied the right amount of pressure between her legs, and let her movements dictate her pleasure.

She was so close, her body started to shake for a second time. “That’s it. Faster, keep it up,” he said, moaning, his eyes never leaving her face as she moved up and down. She was mesmerized by his stare, urging her to a whole new level of ecstasy.

Moments later twin groans filled the air. He grasped her head, pulled her down and covered her mouth with his to muffle their shouts, trying to keep them quiet as possible. 

Finally spent, she lay back across his chest. “Thank you,” she whispered.

“My pleasure.”

***

Hours later he woke, glanced at the clock, saw it was after ten and forced himself to get up.

“Where are going?” she asked sleepily.

“Home,” he replied with regret.

“Why?” she asked simply.

He didn’t have a clue, so he climbed back in next to her. He would get up early in the morning, go home to shower and change before work. 

After dinner on a Friday night, toward the end of July, Mac was cutting the grass on his brand new riding lawnmower—his new pride and joy. And he was enjoying every minute of it. His property wasn’t overly large, but there was plenty of grass to cut. Even though he actually enjoyed the lawn maintenance, using a push mower held no appeal. 

He was in the front of the house off to the side of the long driveway. Beth and Zoe were on the little beach by the water splashing around, when a large Mercedes pulled into the driveway. He didn’t need to see the Vermont plates to know, or to swear.

He shut off the mower and walked over to greet his parents, clueless as to why they would show up unannounced like this. It was totally unlike them. His mother always meticulously planned every minute of his parents’ lives.

“Mac.” His father greeted him happily with a warm hardy handshake. His father had always been warmer than his mother, not by much, just a tad. 

But Mac had noticed a change in his father after Brooke’s birthday last August.  He didn’t know what had happened that one morning Brooke had gone home to say goodbye to his parents. And he didn’t think she was ever going to let him know.  Whatever it was, his father was a different person. His mother, on the other hand, remained cool, if not more standoffish. Especially toward Brooke.

Another fear quickly passed through his brain. Where were his parents going to stay? He didn’t want them here. For Brooke’s sake he would bite the bullet and offer if it came down to that.

Mac returned his father’s greeting, walked over to his mother, clasped both her hands in his and leaned down to give her a chaste kiss on the cheek, just as he was taught. “Mother, what brings you here?”

“Your father had a wild hair about wanting to see your house.” She glanced around and wrinkled her nose when her eyes landed on the addition. Though the main and upper floors were complete on the inside with only the basement left to finish off, the outside was still showing signs of construction.  Once everything was complete, he would decide on what color he wanted the cedar siding stained. For now one half was the original warn weathered gray, and the addition was unfinished.   

“It looks great, Mac,” his father’s deep monotone voice said with a bit more inflection than normal, coming off almost good naturedly. The elder Dr. Malone was as tall as Mac, only sporting gray hair rather than Mac’s brown. 

Mac was dumbfounded. His father never seemed to approve of anything Mac did, least of all his field of medicine. Not up to his standards.  But there was almost a hint of admiration in his eyes right now as he gazed at Mac’s property.

“Is someone working right now?” Paula Malone asked. She was overdressed, as always, in a pale blue linen pants suit with low-heeled sandals, and not a hair out of place. 

“No, why?” Mac asked.

He caught his mother’s glance at the aging Honda behind Mac’s BMW. Crap. Now what? In all his years as an adult, he’d never brought a woman home to meet his parents.  Even though Beth was different, even though he thought she was the one, he wasn’t looking forward to this moment. Least of all with no warning. He needed time to prepare himself.  That wasn’t going to be happening now, so with nothing he could do about it, he braced himself for what could be a very uncomfortable introduction.

“Your neighbors are awfully loud,” she complained, a child’s laughter heard in the distance.

Zoe. Having a grand old time with Beth in the water.  Their voices carried to the front of the house on the otherwise quiet summer day.

“Never mind. Your father wanted to see your house,” she repeated.  “We are on our way to a short vacation in the Caribbean. Our flight leaves in the morning and he was adamant about flying out of Albany so he could stop and see you and Brooklyn first.  We won’t keep you long as we have reservations for dinner at eight in Albany.”

He glanced at his watch. Six o’clock, enough time for a short visit and then close to an hour’s drive for dinner.  Knowing his mother, she would want to leave earlier to get there with at least fifteen minutes to spare.

“Are you staying in Albany tonight?” he asked, crossing his fingers.

“Of course. Our flight leaves at seven. It’s much more convenient that way.”

“Well, come on in. Let me show you around,” he said reluctantly. He turned and noticed his father staring at his riding lawn mower, running his hand over the steering wheel like a caress. Mac had to bite his tongue to fight back the chuckle that was dying to escape.

Opening up the front door, he heard an immediate squeal and the pitter-patter of little bare feet slapping against the wood floors. “Dr. Mac, I got Mommy all wet.” Zoe giggled, then stopped when she saw the strangers behind him, ducking her head and hiding behind his legs.

He bent to pick her up and settled her on his hip in her damp yellow and white two-piece bathing suit. She hid her face in his neck, like he knew she would. He only wished he had somewhere to hide right now, too.  Now or never. “Mother, Dad, this is Zoe Campbell.” He heard a loud clatter in the kitchen. Looked like Beth heard, too.

His mother stared at the little girl, her face wrinkled in confusion, likely trying to figure out what was going on.  Mac hoped Zoe didn’t think of her as a witch from one of her princess stories with the scowl currently being sent the three-year-old’s way.  He was almost afraid Zoe would slip and say something like that to his mother. Not on purpose, but not knowing any better either.

Then again, maybe it would be funny. No, definitely not funny. At least the ramifications of it wouldn’t be.

His father on the other hand was leaning in close trying to get Zoe’s attention.  Trying to coax a look, if not a smile out of her by moving his face in and out of her view and raising his eyebrows up and down, almost like he was…teasing her.  Now Mac really thought he was losing his mind. Either way, Zoe was having none of the large strange man in front of her. 

“She’s shy around strangers,” Mac explained.

Beth finally dragged herself out of the kitchen.  He could see she was just as shy as Zoe, especially standing there wearing nothing more than her bright purple bikini.  “Hello,” she said, coming up next to Mac.

His mother took in the sight and scowled some more, a pained expression almost appearing across her lovely face. “Mackenzie?” she asked, waiting for an explanation.

“Mother, this is Beth Campbell, Zoe’s mother. My girlfriend,” he ended, surprising not only his mother with the title, but also Beth as well by the way she stiffened next to him.  “Beth, my mother and father, Paula and Richard Malone.”

“Dr. and Mrs. Malone,” Paula clarified, her nose slightly in the air.

Beth looked uneasily between Mac and his mother. He tried to relax her a bit by pulling her close and placing his arm around her, showing a united front.

Richard broke the silence. “Nice to meet you. We won’t keep you long. We have plans and wanted to stop and see Brooke while we were here, too.  Mac, do you have a minute to show us around?”

“I’ll take Zoe back down to the beach,” Beth offered.

Zoe, who had remained quiet and glued to Mac’s neck, pulled away at the offer of the beach and reached for her mom. Mac held on tight for a second, and gave her a kiss on the cheek, then passed her off. “No more splashing Mommy unless she says it’s OK.” He grinned at her, tapping a finger to her little nose. 

“OK, bye, Dr. Mac. Bye, Dr. Mac’s Mommy and Daddy,” she said bashfully and then buried her face in Beth’s neck after she was transferred to her arms.

“What a cutie,” Richard said with a smile as wide as Mac had ever seen.  His mother on the other hand hadn’t stopped scowling.  He would be expecting a call from her soon, hopefully not until they were back from their vacation.

***

Brooke and Lucas walked around the back of the house when they heard the splashing in the water and Zoe’s high-pitched squeals. “I got you wet, Dr. Mac.” Then more giggles and a shout of laughter out of Mac.

“He seems okay,” Lucas said quietly to Brooke before they reached the threesome.

“Mac always seems okay, but I’m sure he’s not. For once I think he got the brunt of it, and I expect it’s not going to end any time soon.” Brooke had been just as surprised when her parents showed up.  They had only been to her house one other time, another visit that her father had insisted on. Thankfully, they’d stayed in a hotel that time, too. 

Her father, once again warmer than he had been in a while, greeted her with a big hug and kiss. He asked how married life was treating her and seemed genuinely pleased to see her.  Her mother was still giving her the cold shoulder over Brooke’s decision to have a small destination wedding, denying Paula the pleasure of planning and throwing a big lavish affair. Something that Brooke wanted no part of.

Unfortunately, rather than her mother ignoring her completely just now, which would have suited Brooke just fine, Paula spent the entire twenty minutes of the visit complaining about Mac and his choice in
friends
. No amount of convincing could be done for their mother to see otherwise. Brooke didn’t even bother to try after the first five minutes, only listened and tried to zone it out. 

Zoe noticed them first and ran out of the water toward them, yelling, “Brooke.” She raised her arms high and Brooke swung her up, settling her close, regardless of Zoe’s wet suit.             

Mac looked over and smiled at Brooke holding Zoe close, tickling her and making Zoe giggle even more. Lucas even got in on the act, pleading with Zoe to let him hold her, too. But Zoe, who was on to the game by now, played shy—not that she was around them anymore. But she kept her face hidden in Brooke’s neck.  Finally with a dramatic sigh, Lucas announced his feelings were hurt, only to have Zoe reach for him and place a kiss on his cheek, asking, “Better now?”

“You OK?” Mac asked, his eyes searching hers.

“I was about to ask you the same question,” Brooke replied, looking between Mac and Beth.

“I’m fine,” Mac said, his smile never faltering.

But Brooke knew it was forced.  Then she noticed Beth quieter than normal and tried to change the subject. She knew the right thing to say. “How about a childless night?”

“What do you mean?” Mac asked, noting Beth’s confusion, also.

“I mean, how about Lucas and I take Zoe overnight at our place. Tomorrow maybe? Give you guys a real date night, some alone time?”

Mac’s eyes lit up.  He turned to Beth. “What do you think? Dress up nice and let me take you out on the town to show you off a bit.”

Beth hesitated. “I don’t know. Zoe has never spent the night anywhere without me. I’m not sure she will even want to.”

Lucas, still holding Zoe’s wet little body in his arms, looked at her face and asked, “Do you want to spend a night with Brooke and me? Maybe play with me tomorrow afternoon for a little while. I get awfully lonely over there,” he said in mocked sadness. “Brooke really isn’t that much fun.” He grinned and laughed after Brooke elbowed him in the ribs.

“Yes, yes, yes.” Zoe clapped her hands in glee.  “I want to play with Lucas and Brooke.  Can I go on the boat, please?” she asked. The boat had become Zoe’s new obsession.             

“I think we can arrange that.” Lucas winked at her. “But only if you go play with Thomas and Michele, too.  It’s their boat, and you need to ask them. Do you think they will say yes?”

“I will ask,” Zoe said. “Thomas likes me.” She batted her eyelashes.

Brooke’s face warmed and her eyes softened just a bit. “I think everyone likes Zoe. Besides, having her overnight will give me some practice.”

Mac looked up sharply.  His eyes narrowed in on Brooke and then Lucas, both of them beaming. “Practice?”

“Yes.  Though, Zoe doesn’t wear diapers anymore. I guess I have to practice somewhere else for that pretty soon.”

“How soon?” Mac asked, looking down at her waistline. 

“Oh, we’ve got some time still,” she said and saw Mac’s disappointment.  “Only about eight weeks gone at this point.” She hadn’t planned on telling him now, or anyone for that matter, but after the last few hours she felt they both needed this.

Mac laughed and lifted her right off her feet, hugging her tight. “Congratulations! You’ll make a wonderful mother.”

“You think?” she asked, unsure.  Neither she nor Mac had any examples of good parenting growing up. 

“Absolutely. Plus Lucas will keep you in line.”

Beth took a protesting Zoe out of Lucas’s arms so that Mac could congratulate his brother in law.

***

Beth turned and hugged both Brooke and Lucas, and said her congrats. She really had come to care for Brooke in the short time they had known each other.  And Lucas, well, Lucas was like Mac from what she could see.  Always doing nice things for Brooke, helping Mac and her when they needed it and always offering to take Zoe on the boat or down to the water to play when Brooke and Beth were in the kitchen.

Both men were pretty special. She hadn’t known even one male like that existed and here she was faced with two.  Yes, Lucas and Brooke would be great parents.  Just like Mac. Now where did that thought come from?