Page 54 of Absolution

The promise of his show and tell later is enough to make me move even faster out of the door. While most women would tire of their husband’s overwhelming need to fuck all the time, I will never have that reaction to him. Sex with Ratchet is far from boring and predictable.

He opens up the truck door for me, and ushers me inside. Rounding the truck, he slides in the driver’s seat. We take off towards the park where we are supposed to meet Nicole and Asher. Each mile makes my heart beat faster and faster, while my nerves fray into tiny shreds of sanity.

“It’ll be fine, Ricca,” he reassures me. “Just be yourself.”

“That’s easy for you to say,” I snap back. “If he’s anything like I was at his age, everyone is a potential enemy. He’ll have his guard up.”

“Then I guess you’ll just need to figure out a way to knock those walls down just as I did with you.”

“You didn’t knock them down, Jude. You chiseled a hole and found my weak spot, before you brought in the wrecking ball and demolished them with one blow.”

My husband answers back with a garbled satisfactory moan, which makes me immediately, roll my eyes. Subtly and pride in his work aren’t exactly his strong suit. Our romp in the airport-parking garage was enough proof of that. His request for a repeat was promptly tabled for a later time.

The pine trees that line the park dot the horizon. With the weather finally turning more summer like, young families flood the area. Family car after family car, line the parking lot that surrounds the playground. I say a silent prayer that we were getting to avoid that stage of my brother’s life. I liked kids, but not being in the save vicinity of tons of them screaming and yelling as they play.

An open-sided pavilion comes into view with two people sitting underneath its metal roof. Nicole is staring at her phone when we pull up, and doesn’t notice us.

I take the chance to study my brother for a few minutes, before Ratchet reaches over and unbuckles my seatbelt.

“Stop stalling Ricca, and just go,” he orders, reaching past me and unlatching the door.

“Wait,” I hesitate. “You aren’t coming?”

“As much as I want to meet him, Siren. This is your time with him. I’ll have my chance the next time. This is for you and him. I don’t want to intrude.”

His gesture and words nearly send me melting into a puddle of happiness. How could this man understand me so well? It just isn’t possible.

“What will you do while I’m with him?”

Ratchet unbuckles his own seatbelt, and nods to the truck pulling in next to us. My boss sits in the driver’s seat, and waves to us both.

“Why is Willie here?”

“He’s my ride home. I don’t want you to feel rushed thinking that I am waiting in the truck. So, I am leaving it here for you whenever you’re done, and heading back home. Text me when you’re on your way.”

He exits the truck, and comes around to my side, helping me out. His eyes peer down into mine with one last calming moment, before he kisses me and heads towards Willie’s awaiting vehicle. I watch him walk away, before I start toward the pavilion.

Breathe. This is what you wanted. Stop acting like a damn chicken, Ricca. Go meet the piece of you that you didn’t know was missing.

Nicole spots me when I get a few feet away, and stows her phone away. She leans down to Asher and speaks to him. His eyes lift from the ground, and meet mine. Nicole waves for him to stand, and he does so, just as I make my way inside. For the first time, I am standing face to face with my little brother, and I have no idea what to say.

Nicole must sense my nervousness and jump-starts the introductions for me.

“Asher, this is your sister, Erica.”

“Hi,” he quietly says, outstretching his hand to me.

“Hi,” I respond, taking his small hand in mine. My body doesn’t instantly throw me into a panic with the contact of his hand. The clenching of my muscles and chest remain dormant, and his hand feels so right within mine like a missing puzzle piece that is finally found to complete the puzzle.

He breaks the contact first, and returns his gaze to the ground.

“I am going to go sit over here, and answer a few e-mails while you two get acquainted,” Nicole interjects. “Take your time,” she whispers to me as she passes us.

“Do you want to sit down?” I offer.

“Sure.”

Asher turns to the table he once occupied and slips his legs over the bench. I settle in on the other side, and the awkward silence continues to reign.

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