Fitting In
Tiffany
Since I arrived before Harrison, I had time to spend with everyone. That was when it dawned on me how seamlessly and casually I fit in. Me, fitting in.
My chest tightens, wishing Matt were here to see this.
Harrison holding me close calmed any nerves I had left about him rejecting me being here.
After putting on my flip-flops, we head out the door, our fingers entwined. I can’t get enough of this man, and I notice that I can’t stop smiling when he’s around.
On our way down to the beach, he points out Dina’s house for me. They came down for the weekend, too. I get to meet little Lauren Renee. Harrison talks about her nonstop. I wonder what it will be like to see Harrison holding a baby. What does Harrison think of marriage and kids? I know what he used to want, but that was years ago.
Since Sophia ended things with him, we haven’t talked about relationships. I assume his solo arrival here means he’s single. Then again, you know what that say about assumptions.
Lost in my thoughts, I don’t realize we have made it to the sand until Harrison leans down to take off both of our shoes. With my flip-flops in his hand, he looks up at me and smiles, then stands and pulls me to him, holding me briefly. He then plants a simple kiss on my forehead before tugging me along to walk down the beach.
“What were you thinking so seriously about back there?” he asks after we have walked a little ways.
“Nothing really.”
“Try again. You were lost in thought or a daydream.”
“Okay. It’s silly, though, so consider yourself warned,” I say, and he laughs. “You pointed out Dina’s house and, well, I got excited, thinking of baby Lauren. Then I started thinking of you holding a baby.” I giggle.
“Are you laughing at the thought of me with a baby?” he asks, clutching his hand to his chest as if he’s offended.
“No, not laughing at you. I don’t know. It’s silly. Forget it.” I blush, embarrassed at where my thoughts were.
“Oh no. I gotta know now,” he says with an almost boyish charm.
“Okay. I was thinking of you holding our … er … I mean, your own baby.”
“I love Lauren. Cuddling with her is almost as nice as snuggling with you.” He drops our shoes to the sand and pulls me up to him as he comes down, kissing me. Apparently, kissing is a good distraction from my slipup.
I open my mouth, letting his tongue lead the dance in our mouths. Oh, how I missed kissing this man. This trip is already going in a direction I never would have imagined.
Is he kissing me because he’s lonely? Or is he kissing me because he really wants me?
Then passion ignites in my core, and I don’t care why he’s kissing me. Just please don’t stop.
The fire inside seems to be burning through both of us as Harrison sweeps his hands down to cup my ass. With a gentle nudge, I lift up, wrapping my legs around him. The sound of the waves crashing behind us creates one of those moments where time stands still.
We are brought out of our embrace by the sounds of laughter nearby. I drop my legs down, my toes now back in the soft sand. Coming out of my lust-filled haze, I see the biggest smile on Harrison’s face as he looks over my shoulder to something behind me.
He grabs our shoes and my hand, spinning me around. The sight before me is precious.
Ryder is struggling, his hands full of blankets, baskets, bags, and an umbrella, cussing up a storm at all the essentials he has to carry. It’s comical to see him in black board shorts, no shirt, his tattoos on display, struggling.
Ryder is built with washboard abs. He’s tall with short, spiked dark hair. He’s hot, but he’s not Harrison. Beyond the amazing body that Harrison has created for himself, the fact that he is over six-feet-tall only adds to the allure, but Harrison’s eyes have a depth that one can drown in. When he looks at me, I feel like he’s seeing into my soul.
Meanwhile, Dina is holding a beautiful baby girl in the most precious sun hat and bathing suit.
We approach them, laughing at Ryder fighting with a simple beach umbrella.
“Need a hand, man?” Harrison asks as he leans down and kisses baby Lauren’s forehead. “Hey, princess. Uncle Harry is here, my baby girl.”
“Uncle Harry, huh? You hate to be called Harry,” I retort.
“The women I care about call me Harry. You could, too, if you wanted to.” He winks as he begins to help Ryder.
“Tiffany, pick your jaw up off the sand, girlie. How are you?” Dina says, shaking me out of my shocked expression. “We’re so glad you could make it.”
“It’s nice to be able to hang out with everyone and relax. You have a beautiful home, Dina. And Lauren is absolutely the most adorable baby I’ve ever seen.”
“I know. I was so worried. This may sound shallow, but I was afraid I would have an ugly baby. I know, I know … All babies are cute. Let’s be real; no, they’re not. I didn’t want to have the ugly baby and no one tell me. Here she is, though, and she’s absolutely perfect.” Dina beams down at her daughter with a mother’s pride. “Would you like to hold her?”
“Is that okay? I’d love to, but I don’t want to impose.”
“Look, you’re family now. Therefore, I would expect nothing less than for you to hold her, love her, and be around her.”
Her reassurance of my acceptance into the fold is just what I needed to hear.
I tentatively reach out, meeting Dina halfway as she hands me a wiggling Lauren. The precious baby snuggles into me like I do this all the time.
A calm feeling washes over me as I sit down with Lauren in the sand. Something about the way her baby blue eyes look up at me with excitement takes away all the insecurities I have ever felt.
***
Harrison
Ryder and I get the umbrella secured, blankets laid out, toys arranged, and cold beers in hand. Then I look up, and to my surprise, I see Tiffany holding Lauren. My heart skips a beat at the sight.
The way she holds Lauren looks so natural, making an instinct deep inside me scream this is right. Finally, everything is as it should be.
Tiffany has always had my heart, even when I was blind to what she really needed from me, even when I gave my body freely to someone else. The timing wasn’t right, but I have always been hers.
She leans down, cooing at Lauren, and my chest tightens. I want to plant my seed deep in this woman’s womb. I want her holding our baby. I want to see the love she has toward baby Lauren reflected back to her by our own babies. In this moment, everything becomes clear.
While I sit down in front of the two girls who rule my world, Tiffany smiles at me as Lauren blows raspberries. I begin making a sandcastle, laughing that Brayden isn’t down here. We fight over being the uncle to teach her something first. Yes, this little girl brings four grown, tattooed, motorcycle riding men to their knees, and she hasn’t even said her first word.
As I reach over to take Lauren’s little hand, I pause to rub the back of my knuckles over the soft skin of Tiffany’s cheek. She leans into my touch and smiles warmly at me.
I take Lauren’s little fingers, spread them out, and bring them crashing down on my freshly made sandcastle. Tiffany laughs, and Lauren smiles as she moves her fingers through the sand, relishing the new texture. Dina is crying as Ryder wraps his arms around his wife then kisses her to distract from the moment.
“You okay, D?” I ask once they break away from their kiss.
“Yes. I know you can’t handle it when women cry. It’s happy tears because Lauren did something new,” she says with a laugh.
“Women. Sheesh.” I look at my niece and say in a kiddie voice that once would have driven me nuts to hear, “Lauren, Uncle Harry’s going to teach you not to be so sappy.” There is nothing I won’t do for this little girl.
Dina can only go with empty arms for so long before she picks Lauren back up.
Taking advantage of Tiffany already sitting in front of me, I turn and lay my head in her lap, stretching my body out. She lazily begins to rub her fingers through my hair, every touch igniting a new fire inside me.
It took all that work to set up, and within an hour, Dina is ready to pack up.
“It’s too hot for Lauren. Pack up and let’s get back to the house.” Without a second glance, she carries the baby away, calling out for Tiffany to follow her.
Tiffany pushes me up, my moment gone. I could spend forever with her in easy companionship.
Back at the house, everyone is enjoying hamburgers from the grill and Mom’s potato salad. Given I haven’t discussed anything with Tiffany, I should probably keep the public displays to a minimum in front of my family. I can’t help myself, though.
She gets up to go in the kitchen, and I instinctively reach out and pull her on my lap with no intention of sharing her.
Thinking she’s going to get up, I’m surprised when she reaches her arms around my neck and settles into me.
“I really have missed you, Tiff,” I whisper in her ear.
She smiles at me with uncertainty in her eyes.
I need her to believe me.
I have missed her. There isn’t a moment of any day I haven’t thought of her. Sophia was right; we didn’t have closure before, and I sure don’t want closure now. I want what we had before and so much more. I want the relaxed Tiffany who’s on my lap now, the one my family and friends love being around, and I want her to be with me.
Tiffany was a bitch before, but she’s always been faithful, loyal, and considerate to me. The Tiffany she has become since losing Matt and breaking free from her father is everything I ever wanted.
I know she’s insecure in her place in my life. Hell, she’s probably still insecure in her place in her own life. I need her to know what she means to me, that she’s secure with me.
I pat her hip as I whisper, “We need to talk. Let’s go upstairs.”
She tenses, yet gets up. I interlace our fingers as we make our way to the guest room of my parents’ beach house. I shut the door and lock it out of habit of having a girl in my room then lean down and slowly kiss her. Gently brushing my lips against hers, I simply kiss her. No tongues, just lips. I suck on her bottom lip as I guide her to sit on the bed. Pulling away is hard to do, but if I don’t, I will never tell her what I’m feeling, so I sit down to face her on the bed.
Rubbing my fingers across her cheek, I begin. “I don’t know what’s going on with us, but I do know I’ve missed you. Over the last few months, the more I talk to you without getting to hold you, the more I crave you. Given our history, desire and want are an obvious thing between us, but I need you to know it’s more than that. You’re different now. We’re both different. I didn’t want to be here this weekend at all, but having you here with me, I don’t want to leave.”
Before I can continue, she climbs onto my lap and kisses me with more passion and fervor than ever before. Lost in her, I quickly respond, giving back as hard as she dishes out.
I roll us over with me now covering her stretched out body. Our breathing quickens as anticipation, arousal, passion, and undefined emotions begin coursing through us simultaneously.
I kiss her neck, working my way to suck on her earlobe as I find my way under her shirt.
With a raspy, lust-filled voice, she says, “I need you, Harrison.”
Her desire pushing me beyond the limits of my self-control, I hurriedly remove our clothes, giving no second thought to the buildup.
I reach between us to find her folds, slowly stroking her with my fingers, her body arching up in a silent request for more.
“So wet for me, baby.”
“Only for you, Harrison. It’s only been you.”
Something in her words and tone awakens the cave man inside me. My need to fill her is deepening to an unimaginable level.
I insert two fingers, stretching and preparing her. The metal of my piercing feels taut as my erection swells, seeking out the warmth of her core. When she bucks against my hand, her slick opening pulsing around my fingers, I’m ready to slam into her.
I remove my fingers to go in search of a condom, listening to her slight whimpers at my retreat. Quickly retrieving it from my wallet in my pants pocket, I sheath myself then lean down, spreading her legs wide and burying my face in her pussy.
Licking between her folds, I draw circles with my tongue over her swollen clit, and as I feel the tension building in her, I kiss my way up to her breasts.
Slowly, I enter just the head of my penis so that the balls of my piercing can rub her sensitive opening. I then suck on her nipple ring before releasing it with a pop. Her body arches up in pleasure, her core sucking my dick in farther.
I begin a steady pace, her body milking me as I go deeper with each thrust.
“You’re so tight, baby,” I say as move, though I’m not yet able to fit all the way in.
“It’s only been you, Harrison.”
At her words, I pause.
“It’s been over four years.”
“I know. No one else was you,” she whispers.
Something in me bursts open as I realize that, no matter how messed up our past is, this woman has loved me and only me from the very beginning.
What we have is love, companionship, passion, and a future. We have always had passion and, at times, love, but we lacked true companionship. It’s what failed us. Now we can have it all.
Kissing her slowly and gently, I match the pace of my tongue with my thrusts, showing her through my actions the love inside me. After a few moments, Tiffany is moving to match my stride, thrust for thrust. I’m as deep as I can get, but I crave more.
My balls tighten as my orgasm approaches, so I lean down, taking Tiffany’s nipple in my mouth and rolling my tongue around her nipple ring. She cries out my name as her core clenches hard around my dick, reaching her climax and drawing me over the edge with her.
Afterward, I lie over her, still connected, trying to even out my breathing, while she laughs underneath me.
“Um, babe, I don’t know what’s so funny about the orgasm we just shared,” I say, a little offended.
Still laughing, she replies, “I didn’t mean to be so loud. I’m sure everyone downstairs heard me.”
I start laughing, too. I hadn’t thought of my family noticing our departure and the noises we would be making.
I pull out of her, and she winces.
“Sorry. You okay?” I ask with slight fear that I hurt her.
“I’m more than okay.” She smiles. “It’s been awhile. I’m just going to be sore. It’s worth it, though.”
“Are you going to be embarrassed when we see everyone?” I ask. Damn, I didn’t think anything through.
“I’m fine, babe. I’m sure your mom knows you have sex. You’re a grown man. Maggie, well, she’s going to tease me, regardless. I’m seriously okay with it all.”
I smile down at the woman beneath me, my heart overflowing with real joy and true contentment. Then, planting a quick kiss on her forehead, I get up to dispose of the condom and clean up.
The rest of the weekend passes by all too quickly until it’s time to go back, and that means saying goodbye to Tiffany. We make it a simple goodbye since everyone is around. However, I can see the glistening in her eyes as she holds back the tears.
“We’ll figure this out. I’ll visit soon, babe. Call me when you get home,” I tell her as I shut the door to her car.
Watching her pull away, I feel like half of me is leaving with her.