Extended Family

(Family Reunion Part Two)

By Mavis Applewater

I eyed my opponent carefully as I watched and waited for her next move. Then it came and the triumphant “Sorry,” was screeched from her lungs. I looked down at the board with a scowl plastered on my face. I then looked up at my opponent who was pumping her tiny fists in the air celebrating her victory.

“Good game Andie,” I reluctantly congratulated the eight year old.

“Thanks Mrs. Spencer,” she gloated as her mother sauntered into the kitchen. “Mommy I just crushed Mrs. Spencer.”

“Andie,” Shea cautioned the imp. “Good job,” she added with a cocky smirk as I rolled my eyes at the duo that began to high five each other. It is moments like this that I don’t harbor any doubts that Andie is Shea’s daughter.

“Loser cleans up,” Andie blurted out before dashing out of the kitchen, probably to announce her victory to the entire neighborhood.

“Don’t slam . . .” Shea called out just as the door slammed shut. “The door,” she concluded with a heavy sigh before she turned her attention towards me. I sat there with my arms folded across my chest scowling up at her. “I really need to break her of that habit,” Shea absently commented.

“What gloating about kicking her teacher’s butt or slamming the door?” I asked as I tried to hold my bitter look in place. It wasn’t an easy task since Shea looked absolutely adorable.

“No, I meant calling you Mrs. Spencer,” Shea corrected me before brushing her lips against my brow. “I take it she beat you fair and square?”

“Of course she did,” I grumbled. “She is now the undisputed, Sorry champion of Westwood Drive. She’s is probably telling every kid in the neighborhood how she kicked old lady Spencer’s butt.”

“Oh poor old lady Spencer,” she placated me as she began to rub my shoulders while I began to pick up the pieces to the board game.

I put the lid on the box and leaned back, encouraging Shea to continue. I released a deep moan as her fingers continued to work their magic on my tired shoulders. I glanced up at the clock hanging on the wall. “It is getting late,” I muttered regretting the end of another wonderful weekend.

“Every Sunday I really hate it when you say that,” she grunted as her hands stilled.

“I hate saying it,” I agreed as I stood and wrapped my arms around her slender waist. “But what can we do?”

She gave me an expectant look that I was becoming all too familiar with. “No,” I cut her off before she could say anything. “We haven’t been together that long. Now back to the little Sorry shark, what is it about my name that is bothering you?”

“First it is Miss Spencer,” Shea began thoughtfully.

“I told you all the kids do that,” I chuckled. “For some reason all female teachers at that age are called Mrs., whether we are married or not.”

“I know,” Shea conceded. “But that is the other problem, you’re not her teacher anymore and given our relationship I think that maybe Andie should stop being so formal. Maybe she should start calling you what I call you?”

“Babe?” I teased while she rolled her brilliant blue eyes at me.

“No, you goof,” she corrected me with a playful swat to my midsection. “How would you feel if she called you Maddie instead?”

“Well, since I am planning on sticking around for quite some time I agree with you,” I explained. “But it is going to have to be Andie’s choice. She may not be comfortable with idea. And she can‘t do it at school even if I‘m no longer her teacher.”

“I’ll talk to her,” Shea responded with smile. I had a feeling Shea just wanted to reassure herself that I was planning on sticking around. “I hate having to clear things with my eight year old kid. You have no idea how torturous it can be to ask your daughter if it is alright if you ask her teacher out, or if she would have a problem with Miss Spencer spending the night.”

“I would have loved to have been around for your little sleepover chat,” I laughed as she blushed. Andie was a great kid, but very intelligent and she had a way of asking the most embarrassing questions. The questions were innocent enough, unless you’re an adult trying to answer them without really answering them.

“It was hell,” Shea groaned as she began to tease the nape of my neck.

“You are making it hard for me to leave,” I stammered, shivering from her touch.

“Good,” she responded in a breathy tone before she captured my lips with her own.

Shea was always a good kisser. The first time she kissed me was when we were seventeen and she was trying to sneak into the house at two in the morning. She was the first woman I had ever kissed, and, at the time, I thought she was amazing. Now I know not only is she amazing, but she has definitely improved with age.

We became caught up in the kiss unaware that we had an audience until the sound of someone clearing their throat disrupted us. “Dad?” Shea exclaimed while I stood there in stunned silence. Even though Shea and I had been dating one another for the past five months I still hadn’t run into her father during that time.

The last time I had seen Collin Griffin was when he drove through the night in order to get me to New Jersey and to the safety of my father. There was something about him catching me making out with Shea in the kitchen that was like a bad flashback. For a year and a half of my youth this man was for all intents and purposes my stepfather. Thank goodness he never actually had the bad judgment to marry my mother and that was the other thing making me uncomfortable at that moment. The reason Collin called off the wedding could be traced back to Shea and I getting caught doing things that a person really shouldn’t be doing with their future stepsister.

“Madeline, it is good to see you,” he greeted me with the same warmth and tenderness he had shown me when I was just a confused teenager.

“Mr. Griffin,” I stammered out still embarrassed that he had caught me in a lip lock with his daughter.

“Mr. Griffin? What happened to Collin?” He asked tenderly as he gave me a warm hug. It felt good to be hugging the man who had given me so much.

“Collin, very nice to see you again,” I greeted him finally.

“So Dad what brings you by?” Shea asked as she smiled over at the both of us.

“I have some free time so I thought I’d take a look at the guesthouse for you,” he explained.

They chatted about the guesthouse for a few more moments before I was forced to get my things together so I could head back to my own apartment. “You could leave some stuff here?” Shea offered as I packed my bag.

“Yeah, I know,” I mumbled. It was getting harder and harder to leave every weekend. “What happened to the guesthouse?” I asked in an effort to change the subject.

“Tenant left it a complete mess and left without giving me notice,” she grumbled. “Now I am going to screen through a whole new list of whackos. I hate having a stranger living behind the house. Maybe I should just leave it empty? I never planned on renting it in the first place.”

“Why not?” I asked curious as to what were her original plans for the tiny cottage that was located just past the in ground pool.

“When I first bought this place I had just started trying to get pregnant,” she began to explain. “Back then I had no idea that Mom and Dad would be getting back together. I thought that the guesthouse might be a nice place for either of them.”

“Oh so you were looking at a place to house a built in babysitter?” I teased her.

“Yes,” she quipped merrily. “Actually I was thinking that it was just the right size for Dad. He had been living in tiny apartments ever since . . . well for a long time.”

“Ever since he and my mother broke up,” I supplied.

“Mommy!” Andie shrieked as she barreled into her mother’s bedroom and jumped up onto the bed. The first thing the little sprite did was to start digging through my overnight bag. It was a new habit she had began each time I tried to leave. She would painstaking pick through each item and ask, ‘what’s this,’ It was the latest development in her delaying tactics. I had to admit the kid was good.

“Andie,” Shea cautioned her. “We’ve talked about this. Maddie has to go home so she can teach school tomorrow.”

“Why?” Andie sighed with exasperation as she flopped down onto the bed.

I leaned over her and met her crystal blue gaze. “We are not playing that game Andrea,” I cautioned. What the heck, I was still old lady Spencer might as well use it.

“Andie sit up,” Shea instructed her in a firm voice. “I need to talk to you about something.”

Andie released another heavy sigh that only an eight year old can make and sat up. I looked over at Shea wondering if I should offer to leave the room or not? “The name thing,” Shea explained with a shy smile.

“Oh,” I responded still wondering if I should excuse myself or not? I had never been involved with someone who had children before and the ground rules at times could be very confusing. “Do you want me to step out of the room?” I finally asked.

“Only if you want to,” Shea reassured me. “Andie?” She scolded the miniature version of herself who was rifling through my bag.

“Andrea,” I jumped in using my best teacher voice, which got Andie to stop and sit back down. “Your Mother wanted to ask you about something.”

“Are you moving in?” She asked hopefully.

I paused for a moment as I reminded myself that she was only eight years old. “No,” I responded still shaking my head. “Your Mother and I wanted to know if you wanted to call me Maddie when I come over to visit?”

“Why?” She asked truly curious about the question.

“Well because when I’m here I’m not Mrs. Spencer the teacher. I’m here to visit you like a friend,” I tried to explain.

“Cause you’re Mommy’s girlfriend,” Andie supplied like it was no big deal. I couldn’t help but smile at the innocent comment.

“Right because I’m your Mommy’s girlfriend,” I laughed as I looked over my shoulder at Shea who was laughing along with me.

“Only I can’t tell the other kids at school,” Andie pouted. “Okay.”

“Okay?” I said with confusion.

“Okay I want to call you Maddie like Mommy does,” she shrugged.

And that was the end of the conversation. Just like that Andie had accepted that I was her Mommy’s girlfriend. Pity that adults didn’t see things that clearly. I said goodbye to the both of them and drove home. Every Sunday when I would walk into my empty apartment, I was filled with a sense of uneasiness. It was the nagging feeling that something was missing. The feeling grew more and more with each passing weekend.

I settled down and finished going over my weekly lesson plan when a knock at the front door startled me. For a brief moment I had hoped it was Shea, but that would be impossible since she was probably tucking Andie into bed at that very moment.

I was pleasantly surprised when I peered through the peephole. I tore open the door and flung myself in his arms. “Dad!” I exclaimed like a small girl.

“Hey pumpkin,” he greeted me merrily as I pulled him into my apartment.

“What are you doing here?” I asked as I tried to make him comfortable. After all of these years it was still strange seeing him wearing a suit and tie. I still expected the ponytail and ripped jeans. They disappeared after I was sent to live with him.

“I have a lay over,” he explained. It seems this time he was on his way to London. Dad had started out fixing motorcycles and somewhere along the line he got an education and moved into the business end of his first love. Still he didn’t go completely corporate until I was living with him full time.

“Really, now what airline would lay you over in Boston if you are flying to London from New York?” I questioned him as he fidgeted with his tie. I honestly doubt if he will ever be truly comfortable wearing them.

“Okay so I moved my schedule around so I can see my kid,” he answered me with a brilliant smile. “I called earlier but you weren’t around.”

“I’m sorry Dad,” I apologized feeling a little guilty that I had missed him earlier. “I haven’t been spending my weekends at home lately.”

“Yes, the new girlfriend, which I’ve heard almost nothing about,” he teased me with a tickle to my ribs.

“Yes the new girlfriend,” I responded with a bright smile.

“Wow,” he beamed. “She must be special I haven’t seen you this happy in a long time. So fill the old man in. The last thing I heard about her was sorry I couldn’t visit you this summer Dad I just started dating someone.”

“She is special,” I gushed. “She is my age give or take a couple of months. She is an engineer for Danzer. She has a daughter who just turned eight. Her daughter was in my class last year.”

“Smart, responsible and stable sounds like a remarkable woman,” he complimented my choice. “Does she have a name?”

“Shea Griffin,” I muttered quickly. The thing of it was that Collin and my father kept in touch over the years. Collin didn’t just drop out my life. He would send birthday and Christmas gifts and he kept up on how I was doing through my Dad. I knew that they still exchanged Christmas cards and such during the holidays. My father really liked Collin and was forever grateful that he convinced my mother to give up custody. He didn’t hold Shea’s character in such high regard. Granted the last thing he had heard about Shea was that she was messing around with me, which led my mother to go ballistic. Needless to say Shea was not one of my father’s favorite people.

“Shea Griffin?” He muttered thoughtfully. “Why does that name sound familiar?”

Fearfully I watched as he started to put the pieces together. “Hold it!” He shouted as his face turned crimson. “Isn’t that the little punk who seduced you?”

I held my breath as his eyes bore into me. It amazed me at how I could suddenly feel like a kid again. “Dad,” I began slowly before I remembered that both Shea and I were adults. “Yes,” I asserted proudly.

“Oh no that punk is not the woman for you,” he fumed.

“You have the two confused,” I pointed out as I watched his face screw up in frustration. “The seventeen year old punk wasn’t the person for me. The thirty-five year old woman is.”

“Madeline, people like that don’t change,” he argued.

“Really?” I taunted him with a cocky smirk. He grimaced as he sensed where I was leading the conversation. “Dad what were you like at seventeen?” I challenged him.

“I was a punk,” he confessed with a scowl.

“What changed things for you?” I pushed.

“The night I held my new born daughter in my arms,” he confessed as his dark green eyes misted up.

It was the truth my father, the light in my life, was a dropout biker bad boy who didn’t give a damn about anyone or anything. That was until the night he became someone’s Dad. Everything changed for him the night I was born. Ironically, my mother who was the proverbial good girl ended up using men as a meal ticket. My birth made her bitter and made him strong.

“The night everything happened Shea changed,” I explained to him as he nodded his head.

“Collin said she did a complete turn around,” he begrudgingly admitted. “Still,” he paused for a moment. “Collin is a stand up guy always has been. He was the best of the lot your mother dragged home. His kid is probably okay. I’m still not going trust her completely.”

I knew it had taken him a lot to concede the point. After he left the following morning I still had my doubts that he was behind my choice in Shea. I would just have to wait until the two of them met. Oh, and he let me know that my mother was single again and looking for me. That could only mean that her settlement wasn’t what she had hoped for and she needed money. I made a mental note to myself not to answer my telephone without checking the caller ID.

The following night I was sitting alone in my apartment thinking about what my father had said about Shea. The first time I saw Shea Griffin my stomach did a somersault. I kept thinking how gorgeous she was and how much it sucked that she was the daughter of my mother’s new boyfriend. I had already begun to figure out that I liked girls instead of boys. But there was no one I could talk to about it. My mother was out the question since she always called homosexuals filthy queers or perverts, and my Dad traveled a lot, and I had over heard him more than once telling a fag joke. So I retreated into my own private world of books.

I counted down the days until I could move out and go to college. It seemed like forever. And then we moved into a new house with Collin. Mom was getting married, again. I doubted that Collin ever knew that she had already made two trips down the aisle and neither of those times was with my father.

I have suspected for many years that my mother only got pregnant so my father would marry her. She must have been pissed when he didn’t ask her. He was, and still is, a great Dad. But it was always a secret whenever my mother started dating a new man. Dad fought for custody for years, but all mom had to do was bring up his past mistakes which included run ins with the law and that would be the end of that.

I kept telling myself that she really did love me, no matter how many times she hit me. If she didn’t love me then why would she fight my father for sole custody? I got my answer the night Shea and I got caught together. Collin called my father in a panic after he rushed me to the hospital. Collin and the doctors wanted to call the police, but I did what I always did, I lied to protect my mother.

On the drive back to the house Collin asked me if I wanted to live with my father. I told the truth, I did. I over heard the argument Collin had with my mother when we got back.

And that was it. Collin loaded me into the car and drove my straight down to New Jersey. There are just some things that children shouldn’t hear. Hearing that you were never wanted or loved tops the list. Funny thing was that because of the way that Collin and my father treated me that night and afterwards liberated me. By the time I graduated from High School I was a confident out going young woman and nothing like my former self.

I still get sad when I remember hearing those words. Then I would think about Shea. I smiled as I recalled the way she would strut into a room with her cocky swagger and ripped blue jeans. She was tall, dark and gorgeous and I wanted to die the day I discovered that we would be sharing a bedroom for an entire summer.

Shea still would apologize for that night. I would remind her that it was the best thing that could have happened to me. It freed me from my mother and I got to make love to the most beautiful girl I had ever seen. I blushed as I recalled how easy it was to give her my innocence. My blush deepened as I thought about how much more incredible it was to be in her arms now.

The following Friday afternoon I drove Andie home from school, my over night bag was already in the car. I could hear hammering in the back of the house as I opened the door for Andie. I could smell the aroma of fresh baked cookies wafting in from the kitchen. I knew it could only mean one thing, Rose was there and she was baking. Rose is Shea’s mother and the sweetest person on earth. I met her when Shea and I first started dating and liked the elderly woman instantly.

Andie and I almost knocked one another over trying to get to the kitchen. “Grandma!” Andie squealed.

“Happy to see me or is it just the cookies?” Rose teased the youngster.

“I love you Grandma,” Andie said sweetly.

“Uh huh,” Rose said as she eyed her with suspicion. “No cookies until you change out of your school clothes and wash up. You either,” she added as she wagged her finger at me.

“What is with all the noise?” I asked as Andie bolted past me in an apparent hurry to change so she could get her paws on some of Rose’s Toll House Cookies.

“Collin is fixing the guesthouse,” she explained with a grimace. “The place is a mess; you’d think the tenant was raising wild boars back there. Never thought a quiet man like Mr. Fergus would be such a pig.”

“Shea said he left without giving her any notice,” I added as I peered out the kitchen window as a ruse to snatch a cookie. Rose swatted the hot chocolate chip treat out of my hand.

“Do that again and you won’t get any,” Rose scolded me. “Shea hates renting out the place. Even with the realtor handling the screening process, she is still so nervous about a stranger living so close to Andrea.”

“I have to agree with her on that one,” I said. It made me more than a little uneasy that someone who might want to hurt Andie or Shea could be living just across the backyard.

“When is your lease up?” she pried as I narrowed my eyes at her.

“It was supposed to be August,” I explained which would have been perfect. If Shea and I were still together then I could finally think about her not so subtle hints about moving in with her and Andie. I grew up seeing the worst in relationships, so naturally I tend to be a little gun shy when it comes to co-habiting. The truth was that I never lived with any of my lovers. “But the building was sold and now I have until the end of January,” I continued thinking that eight months into a relationship was much too soon for me to be moving in.

“Moving in the middle of winter,” Rose sighed as I reached for another cookie. “I don’t envy you.”

“Maddie you haven’t changed out your school clothes yet,” Andie chimed in as she skipped into the kitchen. I blinked with surprise as I smiled down at the little informant. It was the first time she had called me Maddie.

“Put it back,” Rose demanded as she waved the spatula at me in a threateningly.

“You little rat,” I huffed as I replaced the cookie. I bent down and scooped Andie up in my arms and twirled her around. “Squeal on me to Grandma will you?” I threatened as I tickled her furiously. I tired more quickly than the squealing package in my arms so I had to put her down. “Okay I need to change out of my school clothes.” I grumbled as Andie clung to me. “Come on, let go. I don’t want to be all stinky when your Mommy gets home.”

“She’s home,” Andie shrugged as she released my leg and looked expectantly up at her Grandmother.

“Really,” I whispered with delight as I snatched up my bag and raced out of the kitchen.

I locked the bedroom door behind me and threw down my bag. I could hear the water running in her bathroom. My heart raced knowing that she was in the shower. I started removing my clothing as I crossed the room and tip-toed into the bathroom. I drew back the shower curtain slowly hoping that she wouldn’t hear me.

My lungs became devoid of air as I spied her standing under the running water with her back to me. My eyes wandered down her back that was matted with her long dark hair. My gaze quickly worked its way down to her firm backside. “Hey Babe,” she greeted me in a sultry tone without ever turning to look at me.

I released a throaty growl as I finished removing my clothing. My eyes never wavered from the sight of her wet, naked body. I stepped into the shower and wrapped my arms around her waist. “When did you get home?” I asked as I licked the droplets of water from her shoulders.

“Little while ago,” she sighed as my hands caressed her stomach. “I caught Andie racing up the stairs; you were in the kitchen with Mom so I thought I’d take a quick shower. We don’t have much time,” she cautioned me as my hands cupped her breasts.

I thought about how I love the feel of them and the way they fill my hands as my thumbs brushed lightly against her nipples. “I know,” I agreed while I pressed my mound against her backside. “She called me Maddie,” I whispered.

“Yeah?” She happily asked as she looked over her shoulder and down at me.

“Yeah,” I boldly explained. “I almost broke into tears it felt so good.”

“Speaking of feeling good,” she panted as one of her hands shot out and slammed against the tile. She braced herself against the wall as I teased her nipples harder. “I missed you this week,” she moaned as I began to roll the erect buds between my fingers.

“I missed you too,” I confessed as I placed promising kisses on her back. I felt her hips grind against my center. I knew what the both of us needed, and I understood that we didn’t have much time. I ran my hands down along the curve of her body. Her moaning grew deeper as my hands caressed the firm flesh of her ass. I caressed her hip with one hand while I slid the other between her thighs.

Her head fell forward as she parted her legs. She was so wet as my fingers dipped inside of her. Later that night we would take our time. At that moment I needed to feel her explode against my touch. My fingers teased her clit as I ground my own wetness against her. Shea’s needy whimpers filled the bathroom as I entered her. Slowly I stroked her, plunging in and out of her until she cried out. I released a moan as I held her tightly.

We finished the shower quickly and dressed so we could rejoin the rest of the family. All of them were seated at the table. Andie was happily munching on some cookies while Collin and Rose sipped their coffee. By the looks we received we knew that everyone, with the exception of Andie, was well aware of what had transpired upstairs.

“Squeaky clean girls?” Rose taunted us. I blushed furiously from the guilt as I noticed Collin staring deeply into his coffee mug.

“Yes thank you Mother,” Shea quipped as she poured her own cup of coffee.

“So Uhm Shea,” Collin stammered. “I should be able to have the guesthouse back in shape by the end of the month.”

“Thanks Dad,” she said as I tried to avoid eye contact with anyone. “I guess I should call the realtor next week.”

Her tone was so grim whenever she talked about renting the guesthouse. “Why doesn’t Maddie live there?” Andie innocently chimed in. My jaw dropped. I looked over at Rose to see if this was her doing. Nope this time she was innocent, although I think that was only because Andie beat her to the punch.

“Andie that is a very sweet idea, but Maddie doesn’t want to live there,” Shea quickly explained to her daughter.

“Why?” Andie pushed. I swear this kid is going to end up working for the CIA. “Everyone is sad when she has to go home. If she lived in the backyard we wouldn’t be sad.” Yup, definitely going to go into some type of work that involves interrogation.

“Andie that’s . . .,” Shea’s words trailed off as she turned and looked at me.

“Shea,” I cautioned her.

“Maddie, just think about it,” Shea pushed.

“Excuse us for a moment,” I hissed as I set my coffee mug down, grabbed my lover and dragged her into the living room.

“I do believe Shea is being called out to the woodshed,” I heard Collin chuckling.

“Maddie why not?” Shea pleaded in a hushed tone.

“No,” I flatly refused.

“But we wouldn’t be living together,” Shea tried to reason with me.

“Oh please,” I scoffed. “Yes we would. Plus I can’t afford that place. You charge two grand a month for it. And as well you should, it is a two bedroom with a pool, fireplace, off street parking and use of the backyard.” The more I argued with her the more I thought, yes I would like to live a place like that. Then I remembered that my girlfriend would be my landlord.

“Yes, and I’ve had nothing but trouble,” Shea argued still keeping her voice down. “Even when the tenant is a normal person I am really uncomfortable having a stranger wandering around my backyard. You’d be doing me favor, and I would certainly lower the rent for you,” then she blew out a heavy sigh. “I’m sorry. I won’t pressure you. Plus your lease isn’t up until this summer.”

“January,” I mumbled hoping she wouldn’t hear me.

“Excuse me?” Shea beamed. “January as in three and half months from now?”

“The building was sold,” I grumbled. “I thought it might be happening. I just found out last week. I have to be out by the end of January. I could fight it but what good what that do? The new owners offered a bonus to anyone who moves out within the next sixty days. They want to tear the building down and put up townhouses.”

“So you could give your notice and move in here just before Halloween with a big check?” Shea asked triumphantly. “And that would be a bad idea how?”

“Shea,” I practically whined. The truth was I was starting to agree with her. I just couldn’t set aside my fears about us living so closely. “I can’t make that decision right this second.”

“Okay,” Shea conceded. “But over the weekend why don’t you go take a look at the place you’ve never seen the inside.”

“I’ll look,” I agreed begrudgingly. “But I don’t think I will be accepting your offer.”

“Fine,” Shea accepted as she gave me a hug. “I bet if it was summer and the pool was open you’d snap it up.”

“Well duh,” I teased her.

For the moment the subject was dropped. We went back into the kitchen. Collin was excited that my Dad had been in town. Shea didn’t seem as excited. She knew that he probably wasn’t happy to hear that we were together. She would also be the first to admit that he has good reason to be leery of her.

That night after we put Andie to bed we snuggled by the fire before retiring upstairs and making love. Shea simply took my breath away. The following morning was a somber affair. Garrett, Andie’s father, arrived so she could spend the weekend with him. I didn’t begrudge Garrett time with his daughter. It was just that it meant I wouldn’t be able to share the weekend with her, and I wouldn’t really have anytime with her until the following weekend. While Shea was saying her goodbyes to Andie I slipped on my jacket taking the key for the guesthouse with me and went into the backyard.

“I’ll just look around,” I promised myself as I unlocked the door and stepped inside. The damage was evident but the beauty of tiny little cottage was still apparent. I looked around carefully, the fireplace in the living room, the breakfast nook, everything about this place screamed cozy. I peeked in both bedrooms; the smaller one would be perfect as a home office. Then I made the mistake of looking in the bathroom. “You just had to have a Jacuzzi didn’t you?” I bemoaned as I planted myself on the edge of the tub.

“I was wondering where you had run off to.” Came the familiar husky tone of my lover’s voice.

I looked over to find her leaning in the doorway. Again she managed to take my breath away, and this time all she did was lean in a doorway. “I hate saying goodbye to her when she spends the weekend with her father,” I explained. “So I did it after breakfast. I thought I’d take a look at this dump you’re trying to get me to move into,” I teased her and she laughed lightly at my jest. She was silent allowing me to sort through my thoughts. “I love the time alone with you, but I miss her like crazy,” I tried to explain.

“Trust me I understand,” Shea sighed in agreement.

“She won’t get back until after I leave tomorrow,” I continued my heart ached as I tried to explain what I was feeling.

“Andie was right you know,” Shea began tenderly. “Everyone is sad when you have to leave. And you’re right, it is too soon for us to be living together. The solution is right here. I know it would practically be like living together, but it would be your own space. Rushing things isn’t my style Madeline. Do you know how many women I’ve allowed into my home and around my daughter?”

“No?” I responded fearful of the answer.

“Only you,” She said simply. “If things don’t work out between us everyone gets hurt; you, me and, most importantly, Andrea. Whatever you decide just promise me it will be what you want. Because if it isn’t my daughter gets hurt. And I won’t have that.”

I knew I was smiling as I looked over at her. “The first time I saw you I thought you were the coolest girl I had ever met,” I began as my smile grew brighter.

“I was cool,” she protested.

“You were a juvenal delinquent,” I corrected her.

“I was a troubled teen,” she offered in her defense.

“You were an arrogant pain in the ass who ignored me,” I continued as the both of us grinned like idiots.

“I ignored you because I had the hots for you and you were about to become my sister,” she explained with a mock scowl.

“As I was saying,” I pushed on. “You ignored me. You smoked, you drank, you got in trouble constantly, and I still slept with you. Because I thought I was in love with you. That is why I gave you my virginity. Now I know that wasn’t love. Do you want to know how I know that?”

“Yes I do, and for the record it was my first time as well,” Shea confessed. I was slightly stunned by her admission.

“I know now that I wasn’t in love then because now I know what love really feels like,” I said making my own confession. “I think I fell for you the moment you stumbled into my classroom like a big buffoon.”

“See I’m still cool,” she quipped with a brilliant grin. “I love you Madeline Spencer, and that isn’t going to change whether you are living here or on the North Pole.”

“I love you too, Shea Griffin,” I told her as I stood and took her by the hand. “Come on let’s go enjoy some alone time.”

I didn’t tell her that I was taking the guesthouse right away. I had more important things on my mind. She was right I had to be sure about everything. If I made the choice under pressure we wouldn’t survive. Breaking one another’s hearts was nothing compared to breaking Andie’s heart. I looked around my apartment that Sunday evening and knew it wasn’t where I belonged. The following morning I gave my notice.

Collin was so excited by the news he worked night and day getting the guesthouse repaired as quickly as possible. He even dragged Ray and Brian, Shea’s brothers, over on the weekends. On the thirtieth of October I moved into my new home. Shea gave me the space to unpack in privacy. I did it in record time so I could enjoy getting Andie ready to go out trick or treating.

It was amazing; we took pictures of Andie in her little Wonder Woman costume while Rose stayed at the house and handed out candy as we took Andie around the neighborhood. The kid made quite a haul before Garrett arrived to take her to spend the night with his parents. We chatted with Rose for a while before she too had to go on her way. In the few short months I had known Rose Griffin she had been more of a mother to me than the woman who gave birth to me.

“Alone at last,” Shea sighed with exhaustion. “I love Halloween, and I hate to admit it, but I love that Andie spends the night with her father.”

“Why,” I asked as I locked up the house and guided her towards the backdoor.

“Two words, sugar high,” she informed me as I dragged her outside and locked the door behind us.

“Shea I’m a second grade teacher I know those words,” I told her as I continued guiding her through the back yard. “I lived with it all day long today. Only I had twenty-two of the little buggers freaking out on me.”

“I don’t know how you do it.” Shea conceded. “I take it we are going to your place?”

“Yes,” I laughed as I unlocked the door to my new home.

“The pumpkins you and Andie did look great,” she complimented the glowing carved creations Andie and I had made the weekend before. It had been Andie’s idea; she said I needed something to decorate my new place.

“I had so much fun doing those,” I confessed as we entered my little house. “Living in an apartment you miss out on those kinds of things. Tonight was really special for me, Shea. It was one of the few times in my life that I felt like I was a part of a real family.”

“You are a part of a real family,” she reassured me with a soft kiss.

“Do you know how I want to spend our alone time tonight?” I teased her as I led her towards the bedroom.

“I’m beginning to figure it out,” she purred in response as she began to tug my shirt out of my pants.

“I want to christen the Jacuzzi,” I boldly proclaimed as I pushed her down onto my bed.

“Isn’t the bathroom out there?” She laughed as I pulled my shirt up and over my head.

“Yes it is,” I answered her as I reached behind my back and unhooked my bra. “I am going to light a fire in the fireplace, get the Jacuzzi all warm and bubbly for us, and open the bottle of champagne I bought.”

“And what should I be doing while you are toiling away?” She asked in a breathy tone her eyes already darkened with desire.

“Taking your clothes off,” I boldly instructed her. “I want you naked woman,” I demanded as I tossed my bra at her.

“I can do that,” she stammered as she blatantly stared at my breasts.

“Then get moving,” I command as I clapped my hands together.

“Yes, ma’am,” she gulped as she frantically yanked off her shoes. “Slave driver.”

“I’m just getting started,” I promised her in a husky voice before dashing out of the bedroom.

I set about performing my tasks. I completed each one and was standing naked in the bathroom checking the temperature in the Jacuzzi. “Perfect,” I announced to myself as I turned the jets on and added more bubbles to the water.

“Yes you are,” echoed through the bathroom. I jumped at the sound of my lover’s voice. I turned to find her glorious naked form approaching me. I fought to control my breathing as I drank in the sight of her.

“What other tasks can I perform for you?” She asked as she cupped my face in her hands.

“Kiss me?” I pleaded. She wasted no time in complying with my request. The kiss deepened quickly as our tongues battled for control while my hands explored the curves of her body. I cupped the firm flesh of her backside and drew her in closer until I felt her wetness on my skin.

I could barely breathe when the kiss ended. “Get in the tub Baby,” I whispered as she began to kiss my shoulders.

“In a sec,” she murmured against my skin as she began to kiss her way down my body.

My skin burned as her mouth worshiped my body. I felt light headed as she knelt before me. I ran my fingers through her long silky hair and pulled her towards me. She parted me and I felt weak. I could barely stand as I felt her tongue greeting my wetness. I pressed her closer as I opened myself up even further for her.

I could hear her moaning with pleasure as she drank from my passion. “Oh God,” I whispered as she teased my clit with the tip of her tongue. My body was aching as she teased me relentlessly while I clung to her. I looked down and caught her sparkling blue orbs twinkling up at me. I cried out as I felt her tongue slipping inside of me. I begged her for more as used the appendage to plunge in and out of me.

My thighs trembled against her as I felt the world spinning. I was ready to collapse as I erupted against her. I moaned with displeasure when her tongue slipped from the warmth. My displeasure vanished as her fingers quickly replaced her tongue. She suckled my clit while her fingers filled me. She took me slowly to the top retreating each time I was at the peak. “Please,” I cried out until she finally brought me to the edge and allowed me to fall over.

She rested her head on my stomach as the after shocks slipped from my body. I chuckled as I felt her fingers leaving me. I was weak in the knees as she guided me into the tub. “Oh that feels so good,” I cooed as the bubbles and warm jets encompassed my body. The sound of the champagne bottle popping echoed throughout the room. “I would have done that,” I sighed as I watched my lover filling the glasses I had placed on the vanity earlier.

“Rest,” she said softly as she handed me one of the crystal flutes. “You’ll need your strength,” she promised as she slipped in beside me.

We relaxed in one another’s embrace and sipped our champagne. I placed my glass on the shelf and rested my head on her chest. She sighed contently as she ran her blunt nails down my back. My tongue peeked out and flickered lightly against her nipple. She leaned back allowing me full access to her body.

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