Page 15 of Mine to Keep

Chapter Nine

Veronica squintedaround Robert’s bedroom. No alarm clock. She wasn’t too surprised. She guessed most people just used their smart phones these days. She was old-fashioned and still used an alarm clock. She liked having the radio. She glanced at the grey light filtering through the floor to ceiling bedroom windows and guessed it was probably around 7:00am.

She smirked at his sprawled form as she crawled carefully off the bed. This time she was ninety-nine percent certain he was actually asleep. He was on his back with his arms flung out to the sides, snoring his head off. He should be exhausted. They’d made love twice more during the night before finally collapsing in a tangled heap and sleeping off the sex hangover. After their first encounter, they’d gone searching for an evening snack. Robert found her a tub of ice cream and then insisted on feeding her in front of a roaring fire.

After eating, he’d explored every inch of her body with both tongue and fingers on top of the rug in front of the fire. He’d been determined to get her to admit she might like something about his home by torturing her with sensual caresses. She’d loved every minute of it. She’d returned the favour when she discovered his hot tub overlooking the nighttime view of the downtown Vancouver. She’d licked her way up and down his body while finally admitting she found something she liked.

“Yeah,” he grunted through gritted teeth, “What’s that?”

She’d bobbed back up and climbed on top of him, wrapping her arms around his and her legs around his waist. He guided her pussy down his cock, bouncing her down his length, forcing her to take all of him in one go, punishment for the past fifteen minutes of oral teasing. She flung her head back on a gasp and stared up at the stars.

She tilted her head forward and whispered in his ear, “I want a hot tub in my new mountain home.”

He chuckled and then lifted her, turning her around in the tub so he could angle himself deeper into her snug body. She cried out and clung tighter, taking all of him with delight.

Veronica closed her eyes and smiled at the memory while she waited for the kettle to finish boiling. She had found a canister of what she suspected was tea in the back of his pantry. Her body was definitely sore after the amount of sex they’d indulged in. She never would have thought a man Robert’s age would’ve been able to recover that quickly, but he proved her wrong. Over and over again.

Veronica jumped when she heard Pink Floyd’s “Mother” start playing. Allie was calling her. Her daughter had downloaded the ringtone about a year ago, which sounded super weird and creepy on an iPhone. Veronica didn’t have the heart to change it to something better. She wished her daughter would though. Rolling her eyes, she went searching for her new leather coat. She found it, but not before Allie was done calling.

Pulling the phone out if the pocket, she checked for messages. No messages, but Allison had called her three times during the night. Veronica’s heart started pounding in fear. Allie never tried this hard to get hold of her. They either left messages for each other or waited for the other one to call back. Something must be wrong.

She hit redial and began pacing.

“Allie,” she said sharply as soon as her daughter’s phone connected.

“Mom,” Allie said, her voice cracking a little.

Relief flooded Veronica. If Allie was able to pick up her phone and speak, then it couldn’t be that bad. She reached for the nearest leather sofa and collapsed, her knees a little weak. “What’s wrong, my girl?” she asked, trying to keep her voice calm. She wanted to verbally smack her child for giving her a brief moment of terror, but she knew she needed to be there for whatever Allison was having trouble with. Things that were big to a twenty-two-year old might need an adjustment in perspective from her forty-one-year old mother.

“Jay came to see me,” Allie said with a sob.

“What!” Veronica exclaimed. As far as she knew he was still in the city. “This is news to me, hon. Is he still there?”

Allie sighed. “I-I don’t think so. He just barged in here and started yelling at me. Then he stormed out. It was awful. He was so scary, mom.”

Veronica ran her fingers through her hair and closed her eyes. “He found out, didn’t he?”

“Yes,” Allie confirmed.

They were both quiet for a moment. After her first two years of university, Allie had chosen her career path as an addictions counsellor. She was finishing university this year with honours and a guaranteed job at the end. Both women had known that Jay would hit the roof when he found out so they’d hidden Allie’s major from him. Now, it seemed, he’d somehow found out.

“What did he say?” Veronica asked quietly, knowing it would be bad. Jay didn’t get angry often, but when he did, it wasn’t subtle and it wasn’t pretty. And if it was anyone except Veronica or Allie on the receiving end of his anger the result would usually end in someone’s death.

Allison let out a small sob. “H-he said… he didn’t drag me out of the gutter just so I could fling myself back in,” she said. “Can you believe that? After everything you’ve been through? Everything all of us have been through, that he had the nerve to say something like that.”

Veronica smiled. It never ceased to amaze her what a good and precious heart her daughter had. “You don’t have to defend me to him, Allison. He knows who I am and believe me, he doesn’t think I’m gutter trash. He never would’ve saved me over the years if he thought that. He was just being mean because he’s scared you’ll get hurt.”

“I know,” Allison burst out, her voice gaining stride. Veronica could hear her swiping tears from her cheeks. “But it still hurts that he doesn’t want to let me anywhere near my roots. I can help people! I will make a fucking awesome addictions counsellor!”

Veronica bit back a smile and scolded, “Language, Allison.”

Allie sighed, “Mom, I’m twenty-two!”

“And still my daughter!” Veronica said. Then she thought of the man sleeping upstairs and how dirty his language was. Well these two were going to be an interesting pair if they got together. Not that Allison swore often. Only if she was riled up. Somehow Veronica knew Robert would love the young woman. It was impossible not to.

“I don’t know what to do, mom,” Allie moaned, her voice growing distraught again. “I really think he plans on stopping me from my dream and I’m so close! I only have eight months left until graduation. It’s not like I can declare a new major or something. I hate him so much sometimes!”

“No, you don’t,” Veronica sighed. In fact, you love him with all your heart, my girl. Out loud, she asked, “Did he say anything else?”

“Yes!” Allie snapped. “He said he could wrap me up in chains and drag me home as easily as he let me go! He demanded I make the right choice and do it now.”

The word ‘choice’ made Veronica’s blood boil like nothing else had. Her entire life had been a lack of choices. She’d made peace with the fact long ago. But not for her daughter. Never for her daughter. She hadn’t crawled through the window of a locked motel room, away from an abusive pimp and into the arms of a ten-year-old boy in order to give birth on a dirty couch without any pain meds, just so her daughter would lack choices in life. Fuck no. She hadn’t gotten clean off of freaking heroin, one of the worst withdrawal drugs known to man, just so her baby girl would have to answer to another human being. Anger surged through Veronica like a tidal wave.

She stood up and reached for the leather coat. “I’ll go talk to him. You absolutely will not quit school and come back here if you don’t want to.”

“Are you sure, mom? He’s terrifying when he’s angry,” Allie said in a small voice.

“Fuck that and fuck him,” Veronica announced.

Allie didn’t say anything for a second and then she laughed. “Language, mom!”

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