Page 77 of Chasing Fireflies

“You think that would make me happy? To see you hurt and her gone?”

“Yes. You never wanted there to be a her and me anyway.”

“I wanted better for you—yes, I did. Just like every parent wants for their child. She has problems, son. Ones you can’t control.”

“Like I said, we’re doing fine.”

Bear walks back up on the porch, and I go to the door.

“Have a safe trip home. I’ll tell Sara you had to be on your way. Come on, Bear.”

*

Later that night, a heavy rain falls, and lightning lights up the sky. I toss and turn in our bed until I feel tiny drops of water on my face. “Cash,” Sara says. “I think the roof is leaking.” More drops land on my face, and I sit up.

“Shit. Get up.” I throw the covers off and step into a puddle of water. “Son of a bitch, there’s water everywhere.”

“I’ll go grab some pots,” Sara says. I move the bed under a spot that isn’t dripping, and I sit down as Sara finds places to put the pots. “There are at least five spots.”

“Yeah,” I say, sighing.

“We’re going to need a new roof.”

“Yeah.” I run a hand down my face.

“How can we afford a new roof?” she asks, getting back into bed.

“I’m going to have to get a loan. Don’t stress over it. I’ll figure it out.”

“You’re stressed. I can tell. If you stress, I stress,” Sara says as she wraps her arms around me. She kisses my neck, and I pull her on top of me. My hands move up her thighs, sliding her nightgown up her hips. I harden beneath her, moving one hand up to her breast and feeling its fullness. My other hand goes to her center, noticing she has no panties on. Thunder booms loud, rattling our windows, and I hear Bear move around at the bottom of our bed. Sara leans toward me and kisses my lips as I pull myself out and lift her up. She moans as she settles and slowly sinks down. Water drips into the pots surrounding our room, and the wind beats against the old boards of the house. I lift up as Sara goes down, and I grip onto her hips. Her head falls back, and when the lightning flashes, I can see her pretty face and the pleasure I’m giving her. I grab her hands, and she uses mine to help lift herself up. My body grows hot, and sweat forms on my brow. She lets go of my hands and removes her nightgown, showing me her gorgeous body. She’s been eating more, and she’s grown thicker. I love it, and I can’t keep my hands off her. I reach up and grab her breasts, and she sighs as her nipples harden beneath my fingertips. I lean up, running my fingers up her back, taking her nipple into my mouth. She cries out as she comes. I grip her shoulders, pounding upward, feeling my abs ache and tingles running up my spine as I groan out my release.

“Fucking hell, crazy heart.”

“Cash, that was amazing.” Sara lies down beside me, and I pull her close, as the storm keeps raging outside. Sometime later, her breathing evens out, but I’m wide-awake thinking how in the hell am I going to get this roof fixed. If I can’t get a loan, I’m going to have to ask my dad. Son of a bitch.

Chapter Twenty-Three

Cash

With sweaty palms and shaky nerves, I sit across from the guy who will decide my future. He lifts his hand to his face and slides his glasses up the shaft of his nose with his middle finger after he looks up from the papers on his desk. They tell him how much I make a year and everything else he could possibly need to give me an answer. You know, my blood type, that kind of thing. I rub my hands over my jeans and take a look around me. Nodding to a few folks I know in the town, I look back at the man with the glasses as he clears his throat and removes the small frames from his face.

“I’m sorry, son. Your credit just isn’t great, and with that house loan you’ve got here,” he says, tapping his fancy pen onto the computer screen in front of him, “there just isn’t anything we can do for you.”

I lift my hat and run a hand through my hair. “Yeah, that’s what they all tell me.” I stand up, grab my papers, and put my hat back on.

“Check back in with us. Work on some things and then come back in here.”

“I need this now or my roof is going to fall in.” I turn away from him and walk out of the bank to get back into my truck. I toss the papers onto the seat, then crank the engine. Apparently, the idea of getting a bunch of credit cards when I was younger and not exactly paying them all has come back to bite me in the ass. We could ask Sara’s parents, but that is just as good of an idea as asking mine. I make my way home, thinking I need to go ahead and give my balls away. I’ll ask my dad for the money.

*

“There isn’t anything else we can do?” Sara asks. We’re seated at our supper table full of cube steak, gravy, and mashed potatoes. I take a sip of my beer and sigh.

“No, this is it. It’s either I ask my dad or the next storm is going to cave our roof in.”

“I know this is going to be hard for you, baby,” she says, taking her feet off my lap and standing up. Bear’s ears stand as she grabs her dish from the table. She kisses my head as she reaches over to grab my plate.

“That’s an understatement. This is going to be hell. And he may not even give it to us.” I take my hat off the table and put it on my head. “I’m pretty sure actually that he won’t, but I have to ask him.”

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