Chapter Twenty Nine

Nathan

As we sat there quietly eating our dinner, I thought about how proud I was for making the choice to go in the direction that I knew was best. It took a lot of courage to stand up to my father, and it was the first time that I had ever done it. Through the years, I had folded to every single one of his wishes.

Our father was like a god to us growing up. This man could turn nothing into gold. We were taught to always listen to him, take his advice whether we wanted to or not, and be there anytime he needed anything. I lived my life feeling like I was the only one that could keep the family and the business on the right track, and letting that burden go was extremely hard. I wanted my father to be proud of me, to look at me as someone he could come to, lean on, and know that he could count on me to do what he thought was best. The problem with that was, when I got older, I was still living my life based on what my father thought was best for him, not what I thought was best for me. So, without thinking I dove into the life that had been laid out for me since birth and engrossed myself so much in that life that I didn’t even have time to see the world around me. When I met Ronni, that world that had been built for me started to crumble away, and the world I wanted to build for myself began to take shape.

I didn’t tell my father to dissolve the company because that was in my best interest. For all intents and purposes, he could have easily gone out and hired someone to do the job that I wouldn’t. But I told my father that it was the best choice because I truly believed that it was. He needed to be free from this burden, especially now that he was quickly losing time. I wanted to see him flourish in the last days, months, or however long he had left, without sitting in his office and stressing over a legacy that wouldn’t matter once he was gone. Sure, he could sell the company, but I knew that wouldn’t do any good. He would still keep himself engrossed in what was going on with it. It would kill him more to watch someone else change his company into their own, than watch Nick take it down in a blaze of glory.

I watched my father across the table as we finished our desserts, and I asked for the check. His face was solemn, and I could see the anguish in every glance. It was not what he thought he wanted, and he wasn’t happy with my choice to turn him down, but he knew there was no way, at this point, he could fight me on it. In reality, he was tired. He was tired of missing my mother, he was tired of fighting his children, and he was tired of living half of a life.

He had done it for so long that it hadn’t even hit him until he was given a death sentence. So, facing the end, he clung to the only thing he had left, a company that would hold no meaning for anyone once he was gone. It made me sad to think that he didn’t feel that he had his own sons to go to instead of holding on to his own company for dear life. I know he didn’t like my opinion or offer, but I could only hope that when he got home, he really took a hard look at himself and his life and made peace with letting the company go. At this point, he was the only one that could make this decision. I had spoken my mind, and now, I would have to wait and see what he decided.

When dinner was over, I hugged my father and kissed him on the cheek before getting him into the limo and sending him back home. As we drove back to the house, many thoughts flew through my mind, but I was distracted by Ronni’s beautiful face. She reached over and grabbed my hand, pulling it into her lap. I could tell she had questions, especially since it was the first time she had heard my decision as well.

“How did you come to the conclusion that you did?” she asked.

“My first instinct this entire time was to jump right in and do exactly what my father wanted. My whole life, that is exactly what I did, and the thought of making any other decision, with his life coming to an end, made me feel so damn guilty. Then, when I went for that walk on the beach, I let it all work through my mind. I thought about my father taking Nick and me to the beach as kids. I thought about how much love he gave us on a daily basis. I thought about how he always pushed us to be better, smarter, and stronger. I thought about everything going on in his life right now, and then, I stopped in my tracks and stared at this adorable little family walking down the beach. The father had put his son on his shoulders and grabbed his wife’s hand. They looked perfect, happy, and prepared to face the world.”

“Did that make you think even more about your own father’s role in your life when you were younger?”

“No,” I said, shaking my head and smiling. “It made me think about the future I really wanted. It made me answer those questions you gave me before I walked out to the beach. I knew if I took that job at my father’s firm, I would have no time for anything, especially a family. And I don’t know your thoughts, but a family is what I really want with you, Ronni. I want to start a family together. A family we can build together, just like the empire we are building.”

I looked over at Ronni and held her hand tighter. I could see how touched she really was with the decision I had made. Tears were flooding her eyes, and she sniffled, trying to hold them back. Ronni knew what it felt like to never have someone there making choices that were for her. She knew how it felt to be running in circles with no way out. Now, she knew what it felt like to have a man in her life that truly appreciated and loved her for everything she was. I wanted a life with Ronni, not a half marriage where I was always gone.

When we pulled up to the house, I went around to Ronni’s side of the car and helped her out of the car. She wrapped her arms around my neck and leaned up, kissing me hard. Tears flowed down her face, and she laughed as I reached down and picked her up, cradling her in my arms. She laid her face on my shoulder as I walked her up the sidewalk and into the house. Maria wasn’t home, having gone to the salsa club with her boyfriend, and I gently set Ronni down on the floor, grabbing her hand and leading her back to the bedroom.

I shut the door behind us and leaned in, kissing her neck softly as I unbuttoned her blouse. As I slid her top off her shoulders, I kissed her collarbone and down her skin, tasting the saltiness of her body. I reached back behind her back and undid her bra, spilling her breasts out and pulling her close into me. As our mouths connected and our tongues explored, I unzipped her skirt and let it fall to the floor.

I stepped back away from her, holding her hand and smiling at her beautiful body. I pulled my shirt over my head and took off my shorts, tossing them to the side. I stepped forward and picked Ronni back up off the floor and turned around, laying her gently on the bed, her head pressed into the pillow. Slowly, I pulled her panties down and off and pulled my boxers to the floor before crawling over the bed and running my lips down her tanned supple skin.

As my kisses grazed her, goosebumps peppered her body, and she reached up, running her fingers through my hair. I loved her touch more than anything in the entire world. As I moved downward, I sucked lightly on her nipples, massaging her breasts with my hands. She breathed heavily beneath me as I worshipped every inch of her body. I turned and moved down to her legs, lifting her ankles to my lips and kissing softly down past the knee and onto her thigh.

I could feel the tension building as my lips moved closer and closer to her wet mound. I laid down on my stomach and pushed her legs apart, pushing my finger through her folds. Feeling her soft lips against my fingers, I moved forward, running my tongue through the juices and up around her nub. She moaned softly, her voice taking a higher octave, something I never heard from her before, but I definitely wanted to hear again. My tongue ran over her pussy, bringing her body to a point where she could no longer help but sway her hips to the motion of my mouth. She tasted amazing, and as I pressed my fingers inside of her, I thought about the way my shaft was going to feel inside her tight wetness. My cock was hard and throbbing beneath me, but I wasn't going to give in to its needs. I wanted this woman to really know how I felt about her. I slid my fingers slowly in and out, as her hips continued to move in a melodic motion. Her high-pitched moans sent chills down my back, and I pulled my tongue up to her clit and began to suck and nibble on it. She giggled between sighs as her body prepared for the orgasm that was coming.

I dove face first into her juices and rubbed my mouth all through her lips and back up to her clit. I opened wide, caressing her nub with my tongue and kissing her pussy like I kissed her mouth. She reached down and grabbed my hair, feeling the heat of her orgasm getting stronger and stronger as the seconds passed. I moved my fingers out of her and stuck my tongue where they had been, giving her a completely different sensation than before. She breathed heavily above me, pushing her pussy harder into my mouth. I wanted so badly to taste her as she came so I buckled down, replaying the same pattern with my tongue over and over again while fingering her slowly and deeply. I could hear her moans getting faster and needier as my tongue slipped through her juices in the pattern of a figure eight. She moved her hands from my hair and reached around, grabbing her sheets and holding on tightly.

I could feel her body begin to tense as she reached the edge of the cliff. I instantly began moving my fingers faster and faster until she exploded over the edge. Her body shook and shuddered underneath me, and she reached up, grabbing my hair as her legs pulsated against my head. I could taste her warm juices running from her tight pussy as the orgasm washed over her. She laid there, breathing heavily, letting the last of the sensation run its course. I loved licking her pussy, but now, it was my cock’s turn to explore.