Page 67 of Call it Reckless

Who was I kidding? I was deceiving myself if I thought I’d ever forget how good she’d felt as she welcomed me inside of her body without any inhibition. How she came around my cock, making it impossible to hold back any longer.

Just thinking about it made my dick swell.

I made myself focus on the dishes, counting the bubbles on the pot I was washing to control where my thoughts had taken me, while Lexi put away the leftovers.

I frowned as I heard the doorbell ring.

“I’ll get it,” Lexi announced. At least she was mostly over her grumpy mood since she’d gotten the email from Bristol. She’d been chirping away all through dinner about what she wanted to talk about.

“Oh, no, you won’t.”

It was only seven, but it was dark. Too late for salespeople. Maybe a neighbor needed me, but it was rare that someone would just show up at my door without texting or calling first.

I made sure nothing behind my zipper appeared inappropriate and walked to our front door, peeking through the side window to see who was out there. Nothing could have surprised me more than seeing Bristol standing on the front stoop, her hands tucked into the pockets of her black leather jacket. I flicked the porch light on and opened the door. I stood and waited, not saying anything.

“I’m not sure if I owe you an apology or not.”

I couldn’t help the chuckle that escaped my lips. It was so typical of the woman I was getting to know. Blunt. Unhesitant.

“But I do owe you an explanation, if you have the time.”

“Lexi,” I called. “I’ll be outside. Go do your homework.”

“Okay,” I heard her say, and I stepped onto the porch, not ready to have Bristol in my house. I didn’t want to have to unsee her in my safe space, depending on how this conversation went.

I gestured to the rocking chairs that every good southern porch had. I relaxed in mine, but Bristol sat up straight.

“First, I’m obviously sorry I let Lexi down. I would have never done that intentionally. I have a rocky relationship with the media. When I was injured, they kept coming to the hospital, wanting an interview. My dad was great. He answered their questions, to a point, but asked for privacy. To some extent, they honored it. But after…”

She looked into the darkness, and I knew she was lost in her memories. I waited until she was ready.

“They became relentless, wanting to know the latest with the investigation and requesting comments from family. I understood that.” She looked me square in the eye. “But the worst thing was when a couple of them asked if I felt any guilt related to his accident.”

That shook me. “Why would they ask that? It was a plane crash. You didn’t have any control.”

“Who knows the way some people’s minds work. All they knew was that if he hadn’t been to see me during such a busy time of the season, he wouldn’t have needed to fly under those conditions to return to the track. They thought he should have waited until after the big race to join me.”

Stunned, I leaned forward. “But, of course, he wanted to be with you. That’s what any good father would do. Nothing in the world would keep me away from Lexi if she needed me.”

Her smile looked sad. “That’s because you’re a great dad. So was mine.”

She stared out at the night sky for a while. I waited patiently, intuitively knowing she needed a minute to collect herself.

“Initially, everyone was supportive. Everyone understood why he rushed to my side. He flew back and forth twice. Then I developed an infection. At first, we weren’t sure if the doctors were going to have to amputate my leg. I knew there was a big race, but I wanted my dad. I needed him. I knew he had to be exhausted. I knew the sponsors didn’t want him to pull out of the race. But I asked him to come anyway, even if it was just for a few hours. He made the trip, and it cost us everything.”

I saw her eyes well with tears. No wonder she felt like she had to do everything on her own. Her need to be self-sufficient had been driven home by circumstances beyond her control.

“The important question is, doyouthink you were responsible?”

Her eyes found mine. “Rationally, no. But sometimes I wonder if he’d been less tired if he’d have noticed something wrong earlier during the precheck. If only he’d flown commercial. If I’d just told him to wait to come. If I’d just been a little stronger, he’d still be alive.”

I understood wanting to go back and make different choices.If I’d gone to the bank that fateful day like I promised. If I’d insisted the errand could wait until Monday. If…if…if…

The tiny little word that held so much imagined power.

I rocked forward in my chair so I could capture her hands in my own. “The one thing I can assure you of is, your dad wanted to be there for you. Nothing, including you, could have stopped him. I know it wouldn’t have stopped me.”

Her fingers tightened around mine. “Thank you for that.”

---