Emerson
I don’t miss the tension rolling off Nic when he crawls out of bed and starts to get dressed. He says it is nothing, just work, but it feels like it is more. I don’t push him for answers, only lie on my side and watch as he pulls on his jeans one leg at a time before grabbing a t-shirt off a hanger in his closet. The muscles of his arms and back flex with each movement.
Even when he leans over and places a kiss to my temple as he whispers “Goodbye,” I feel like he is miles away.
I don’t know how long I remain in bed after he leaves. I think I may have dozed off for a while. I feel a sense of disappointment when I wake to find he is still gone.
I stretch out my arms to my sides, twisting just enough to relieve a small amount of the ache in my back that our long night before caused. Despite the crazy things going on in my life, I have to admit that allowing Nic in feels good. He is the one great thing in my world, and part of me knows that if nothing else works out, having him here by my side will be enough. It will be more than enough because he gives me hope. He gives me peace.
I crawl from bed, walk toward the bathroom and reach inside to flip on the shower, allowing the water to heat up. I turn toward the mirror and find my smiling reflection there to meet me. I have absolutely nothing, barely any money to live on, no job, car, or even family, but I’d never felt more fulfilled. It is strange, really, that a week ago I felt like everything I was had been stripped from me. The reality is that everything that was dragging me down are the only things I’ve lost. Nic was right; I have to learn to love myself, and that is getting easier every day, especially when I have him by my side to remind me.
I remove my panties and his oversized t-shirt and step into the shower, welcoming the warm water as it begins to cascade over my body. The firm beat of the drops hitting my back and shoulders is relaxing. I tilt my head back, wetting my hair and allow my mind to remember the night before.
The gentle roam of Nic’s hands as he reached around from behind, and the way he cupped my breast just before he guided himself inside me. I meant it before when I said that he made me lose my mind. He was able to take away my worries so quickly and replace them with nothing but calm.
I find myself wishing he is there with me, with his big hands and his soft kiss. I know I need to get on with my life and find some stability other than Nic, but I am enjoying my little cocoon we’ve created. The Nic bubble I am lost in feels too good to leave just yet.
After my hair is washed and rinsed, I flip the handle down and twist it to turn the water off. With one towel on my head and the other securely wrapped around my body, I exit the bathroom and walk toward the kitchen. Jax weaves around my ankles over and over, making it hard to walk, but I’ll admit the furry guy is another bonus in my life right now. He loves me unconditionally and makes it known. I still find Nic’s jealousy over having to share me with his cat very amusing, yet immensely satisfying at the same time.
As I round the entryway to the kitchen, I let out a loud squeal when I’m met with a woman’s voice.
“You must be the reason why my son hasn’t returned my calls over the last forty-eight hours.”
My heart racing, I twist quickly and in the process practically trip over Jax, who seems wholly unaffected by our company. In the process, the towel on my head begins to slip, and I reach up to grab it.
Guess what happens next?
Yep, you guessed correctly. The other towel, the one covering all my girlie bits—well, it too begins to slip. I release my grasp on the one on my head, doing my best to grab the other just as it falls, now covering only the center of my body as my hand holds it in place. Held tight in the middle, just over my breasts, this movement leaves the outer part of my thighs and hips visible.
Can you say mortified?
Then the front door opens, and Nic stands there looking between me and the woman I now know as his mother. I’d say his first reaction was confusion, just before laughter falls from his lips when he takes in my appearance.
There I stand, shell-shocked, unable to decide what to do next and he laughs. His chest is shaking uncontrollably, and he has a grin so wide I can see all his teeth as he tips his head backward.
“Good afternoon, son,” the woman says with equal amusement. “I thought I’d come over and make sure you were still alive since you hadn’t called me back. I can see now that you are very much alive and from the looks of it, fully functioning in all aspects.”
Kill me now.
“Mother,” Nic still chuckles as I peek up to see him stepping closer to his mother, “this is Emerson, my girlfriend.” Call me crazy, but hearing him tell his mother I am his girlfriend sends excitement racing through me. “She bought me at an auction when she saw how hot of an item I was.” I look up at him with my mouth hanging open in shock. “She refused to let any other woman take me from her.”
I half expect his mother to look at me like I am nothing but a dirty girl who had corrupted her son. But instead I watch as she smiles from ear to ear and reaches out to hook her arm around her son's waist.
“Well of course she did.” She winks at me. Yes, I said she winked. “My son is handsome, smart and protective. She’d be a fool to let you go.”
I can’t agree more.
I’d forgotten that I remained standing before her clutching a towel to my chest. All I can see is the pride in her eyes as she looks up at her son with a smile. She is much shorter than him, and instead of the darker hair Nic has, hers is so blonde it is almost white. She has the most accepting eyes I have ever seen and even in my embarrassing situation, I feel at ease with just one look.
“If you’ll excuse me,” I say in a rush as I slip around the corner and hurry backward down the hall to the bedroom. It hits me the moment I enter his room that his mother will always remember the first time she met me. I’d be the naked girl who kept her son too busy to answer her calls.
I hang my head, feeling my cheeks heat with overwhelming embarrassment. I am so lost in mortification that I don’t hear the bedroom door open from behind me. I jump when Nic’s arms come around me from behind and his body presses into mine firmly.
“Giving me wood in the presence of my mother is not fair, Em.”
“Oh my God,” I say as I try to wiggle free. “She must think I’m a floozy.”
“She said nothing of the sort.”
“But I’m sure she was thinking it.” Among other things.
“She told me that you are beautiful and that you’d make her some gorgeous grandbabies.” I feel him chuckle, his chest shaking against my back. “I told her that she’d better leave us to it then, and she hurried off with a bright, eager smile.”
I spin around to face him. “You did not tell her that.” He only shrugs his shoulders and does nothing to reassure me. “Is she still here?” He shakes his head. “So she left knowing I am in here naked and that you were…” I stop as I close my eyes tightly. “I’ll never be able to look her straight in the eyes again.”
“Stop being so dramatic, babe, my mother isn’t a prude.”
“But she is still your mother and there are just some things that you don’t make known to your parents.”
“You mean I shouldn’t make it evident that you and I fu—”
I cover his mouth before he can finish.
“That is exactly what I’m saying.” I arch a brow at him in warning before carefully lowering my hand from his mouth. I can see the grin tugging at the corner of his mouth and I know he wants to say more, only he doesn’t.
That is until I step back and start toward the closet for a replacement t-shirt.
“She invited us over for dinner tomorrow night.” I tense at the thought of sitting across the table from her. “She said she’d insist on tonight but assumes you and I have other plans. You know, since you were already naked and all.” I look back over my shoulder and glare at him. “Hey, she was the one that said I shouldn’t let a willing lady wait.”
“Shoot me now,” I mumble. “Please. This is so embarrassing.”