Page 53 of Bound By Fate
“The best. She was taken way too soon. I’d thought she’d be around for everything. My wedding, grandkids, all of it. Her missing those things hurts because I know in my heart of hearts she would’ve loved my kids, and now they’ll never know her love.
“I was there when she took her last breaths. All of us were there. It was late at night, and I was asleep in the recliner next to her, my sister in another, and my dad was in his room. For some reason I woke up and immediately knew that something wasn’t right.
When I touched her hand it was cold. Not the cold you were from outside in the winter, but cold and hard in a way I’d never felt. I watched her chest, trying to see it rise and fall, but it didn’t. When I put my hand on her chest, it was still.
She was gone. A bright sunshine of happiness just gone in the blink of an eye.”
My heart broke for him. I had no idea how he was able to deal with finding his mom dead.
“I told my sister to go upstairs because I didn’t want her to see her mom like that. Didn’t want the last memories of her to be cold, mouth opened and pale. It was mine, and it was a hard sight to see.”
I wrapped my arms tighter around him and pressed my body as close to him as I could, hoping to give him comfort.
“When the hospice nurse came to call the coroner, I had to sit with her and go through all of Mom’s meds. She had a ton of them, and with each one she dumped them in kitty litter. All I could think was, she was having me go through my mom’s meds, while my mom is dead in the other room. Is this woman demented?”
“That had to be hard,” I finally responded.
“Hardest thing to date, but I kept on pushin’ through, trying desperately for my family not to feel the brunt of the pain. Not that it worked. It made me realize that I needed to enjoy the time I have with everyone else I have in my life. Sometimes the end comes faster than anyone imagined.”
“How’s your dad?”
“He’ll never be settled with her loss. Ever. He woke up as soon as I turned on the lights, saying he knew something was wrong. He held her hand and cried until it was time to take her to the funeral home. He visits her grave every day without question. He says he talks to her there. But every day he gets up and keeps goin’. He pushes through, and I admire him for that.” He cleared his throat. “Be happy to talk about this another time, but can we change topics?”
Of course. It sounded like a brilliant plan to me. The room was so heavy with his sorrow, and I needed to bring some laughter to defuse it. “Well, I know your favorite movie is Trolls.”
Out of the blue Dryerson started tickling me, and I tried to get away from his fingertips, but there wasn’t much use. “I’m gonna make you watch that with Remy nonstop tomorrow.”
“No.” I said, laughing, not afraid in the least at his touch. “You wouldn’t do that to me.”
He kept tickling me, and I squirmed uncontrollably. “Yep. For that comment, you’re gonna get it.”
We rolled and laughed. I tried to get him back, but he would get me just in the right spot and send me into a fit of giggles, thwarting my attempts to give it back to him.
Dryerson landed on top of me. Our breaths heavy. Our hair wild. The smiles still playing on our lips, then falling to something more serious.
His hands came up to each side of my face, pulling the hair away from it. My heart thundered in my chest as I looked into his intense eyes. They were filled with so many things. Some of which scared me. But I knew what I wanted. What I needed. Only he could get the nightmares to release me.
As his lips came down on mine, I opened to him without any pullback. I was all in this time. Something about our discussion and the night we had tonight just all rolled into a beautiful package. It was an opportunity. A memory that I didn’t want to slip away. I wanted to grab it with both hands and never let it go.
Being selfish, I took it. Or, technically, he took my mouth over. He knew exactly what he liked, and I gave him everything. The thing was he didn’t just take—he gave. With every touch, caress, and movement, he made me feel special. Beautiful. Worthy.
For that moment in time my brain shut off, and I enjoyed being with Dryerson.
He pulled me closer to him and wrapping me tightly in his arms. My hands feathered through his hair, holding him to me. The man could kiss, and he was not in a rush. It was as if his lips could be on mine for eternity, and that would be enough for him.
Our tongues danced in a beautiful rhythm. My body was warm against his, my breasts straining. I could feel my nipples pebble and rub against him. Wetness flooded my core.
It was as if he knew, which he always seemed to do. His hand slowly moved down my back to cup my behind. He maneuvered us to the side, my thigh up and resting on his, opening me up to him.
His hand slipped between us and lifted my shirt, exposing just a sliver of my skin. I’d fallen asleep in a long-sleeved shirt and pants, but my shoes were gone. My scars were always there, and I tensed at his touch on my skin.
The shower was different. I was sick and needed help. This was … was … different. Intimate. He caught the panic building inside me.
“Every part of you is perfect in my eyes. Every mark on your body tells me how strong and determined you are. If you need me to kiss every single mark on your body to let you know how I feel about them, I will.”
Tears pricked my eyes. Why did he have to be so darn nice? He melted me with his words, and my body relaxed again.
It didn’t mean that my issues with my scars were over. It just meant that I was trusting this man to take care of me, and I really needed him to know that. Know that I was instilling faith in him. It was so important that he didn’t abuse that or we’d be done—as in never see him again done.
