Chapter Twenty-Four
Alice
Next morning, we leave at the crack of dawn, or so it seems. I love sleeping in on Sundays, and though I doze off, Nate wakes me when we arrive and I scramble to put myself together, jumping out of the car and following him blindly as he leads me inside Babette’s property. I’m so out of sorts I’m not even taking in my surroundings.
Calm down, Alice. This will go just fine.
When Babette meets us on the doorstep, she pulls me in a very tight hug, acting like she’s never seen me before.
“Mom, you already know Alice,” Nate says.
“Nah, I knew a teenage girl with a sharp tongue. Let me look at you. My, my, you’ve grown up beautifully.”
“Thank you. I still have a sharp tongue, I’m afraid.”
“Tsk, tsk! Never apologize for that. Best weapon to get you through life.”
“You look great!”
“Add ten years and subtract ten pounds, a second divorce, and a pug, and you got a brand-new Babette.”
Last time I saw Babette, she looked completely different. Her hair was dyed jet-black, for one. Now it’s chocolate brown, and this color suits her much better. The black was too strong, painting her delicate features in a sharp light. She seemed to have a permanent scowl on her face back then, her mouth always set in a grim line. Now she’s beaming, holding her overweight and totally adorable pug, Felicia, in her arms.
“So good of the two of you to come visit me. Want to see the house, Alice?”
“Sure.”
She gives us a quick tour of the bungalow, which is small but very quaint. It’s clear Babette is very proud of it.
“I made lunch,” she announces once we’re out on the back patio. “You kids hungry?”
“Starving,” I reply, elbowing Nate, who inspects the food with skepticism. Babette never was a great cook, and still isn’t, if the dry-as-bone chicken we’re eating is anything to go by. At least there are no marshmallows.
Over lunch, we chat about Nate’s job, my restaurants, and her life here in the town.
“I’m so glad I decided to move here,” she says. “Small towns have a charm all of their own.”
“I imagine they do,” I reply, and Nate and I exchange accomplice glances. We’re both such city junkies that the mere thought of living in a town with a population of only three thousand makes us feel claustrophobic.
“Of course, it also has downsides,” Babette says, glancing at the pug, which is in her arms again. She only put it down while she ate lunch. “The president of the pageant organizing committee, Clarissa Lawson, is out to get me, I swear. Felicia didn’t win anything in any of the pageant competitions.”
Nate told me all about his mom’s new hobby—dog pageants—on the way, but part of me thought he was pulling my leg. It appears not.
“No one has anything against you or your pug, Mom. But the dog is overweight.”
Babette covers the pug’s ears. “Don’t talk about Felicia like that.”
“It’s true though,” I add.
“Letting her walk on her own now and again would help,” Nate continues. “It would be great exercise.”
“But she likes it in my arms, don’t you, darling?”
In response, Felicia licks Babette’s neck.
Nate doesn’t insist on the topic, and after he finishes his chicken, he asks, “Mom, do you need me to fix anything around the house?”
Nate explained that he likes to fix things for her, and she usually has a long to-do list for him when he stops by. I’m to use that time to talk Babette into allowing Nate to help her with the mortgage payments.
His first task is to look at some of the wiring in the kitchen, so he heads inside the house, leaving Babette and me alone on the patio. Well, with Felicia, who is now sniffing Babette’s plate tentatively.
“I’m so happy you two stopped by today,” Babette says, scratching her dog’s head. “I’d hoped Nate would bring you around every time he mentioned you.”
“He’s talked to you about me?”
She nods, beaming brighter. “I was so happy when he said you two were… well, whatever you kids are naming it these days. I was afraid I’d damaged him for good.”
“What do you mean?” I ask.
Babette slices me with a glance that seems to say ‘We both know what I’m talking about.’ But I’m genuinely confused.
“Let’s not pretend, Alice. I wasn’t a good mother, just like I wasn’t a good wife to either of my husbands.”
“Babette,” I say in a low voice, clueless as to what to add. I wasn’t expecting this.
“It is what it is. Regrets don’t repair the past, but it’s good to acknowledge the things one has done wrong. It should help not repeating the same mistakes.”
“You shouldn’t blame yourself. It takes two people to make a marriage work.”
“Honey, don’t worry. I blame both my ex-husbands plenty.” She chuckles, but her eyes grow sad. “But no man likes to come home to a hysterical woman. I wasn’t working on my marriage, just driving the people I loved away. Do you think I don’t know that my boy was so often at your parents’ house because he couldn’t stand my shouting?”
It takes a great deal of strength to admit one’s mistakes and faults, and I respect her even more than I did before.
“You’ve changed a lot, Babette. You’re so much calmer now.”
She shrugs, holding her pug even tighter. “My second divorce really put things in perspective for me. Went to therapy too, and it helped a lot, but I was afraid my boy would choose to always have passing liaisons with women because I never painted a pretty picture when it comes to family. Even now I can’t stop bitching about his father.”
I press my lips to hold back a chuckle, wondering if she really thinks ‘kids these days’ use the word ‘liaisons.’ But I also ache for her, this strong woman with so many regrets.
“Babette, you did your best. And really, that’s all any of us can hope to do.”
“Doesn’t mean I don’t get to feel guilty about it.”
Oh damn. Here’s my best chance to convince Babette to accept Nate’s help. I can guilt her into doing it. For the record, I was not planning to use this tactic.
I was going to talk her into it the clean way, by using logical arguments, and my own parents as an example. Using people’s guilt against them is a tactic I only resort to when I need to make my brothers pay for something, but this is almost like a sign, really. I have to act on it.
“Nate worries about you.”
Her head snaps up. “He told you about my troubles with the house.”
I nod. “It’s a beautiful house, and Nate earns more than enough. You’d be doing him a huge favor by allowing him to buy it for you.”
“I’d be doing him a favor?”
“Yes. He wouldn’t worry about you working two jobs and so on. You owe him some peace of mind.”
I’ll burn in hell for this but it might all be worth it, because by the pensive look on her face, she’s considering this. Then she narrows her eyes at me.
“Alice Bennett, you trying to guilt me into accepting my son’s help?”
Damn it. I wasn’t expecting her to catch on so quickly. Am I really such an open book? At least if I confess, I might stay out of hell.
“Yes, ma’am.”
To my surprise, Babette bursts out laughing. “Girl, you’ve got a sharp mind to go with that sharp tongue.”
“I do what I can.”
Shaking her head, she dials down the laughter to a chuckle, then frowns. “He really worries about me?”
“Yeah. A lot.”
“But I don’t want him to worry.”
“Which is why letting him help you is a good idea. Look, my brother Sebastian also bought my parents a house.”
Her fingers slash the air, pointing toward me.
“I know the whole story. Your parents sold the ranch to give him capital to start Bennett Enterprises. Not the same.”
“Babette? Don’t be so stubborn. It’s good to know when to give in. And allowing your son to do something nice for you doesn’t in any way mean you’re less hardworking or that you don’t deserve what you have.”
Well, well, well, listen to me, morphing into Logan. Just a few years ago, I cringed when he was saying those things to me, but in the meantime, I agree with him. The wisdom of age. Maybe I should listen to my older siblings more often.
Babette winks at me. “You sure as hell have a way with words.”
We put the topic to rest afterward, talking about everything else under the sun, but I’ve planted the seed and she’s seriously considering it. That was my goal for today, because I know one thing about stubborn people: it takes time for them to change their mind.
After what seems like forever, Nate joins us again, announcing that he’s finished fixing everything. We stay with Babette a while longer, then head out.
Babette’s house is in a clearing surrounded by a small patch of forest, and we had to leave the car at the edge of the land. I’m trying to be careful where I step because the tree roots are thick, protruding from the earth. Nate’s arm is around my waist, firm and dependable. He usually keeps his hand entwined with mine, or at the small of my back when we’re walking. It’s endearing because it always seems like he’s doing it to protect me, and I love his protective side. I usually don’t need it, but by God, I’m glad he’s with me right now. Twice his strong grip keeps me from twisting my ankle when my heel catches on a root.
Once the road evens out and surviving doesn’t require our utmost concentration, he asks, “Did you manage to talk to her about the house?”
“Yes, and she’s considering it.”
“Impressive. Every time I talked to her, the only thing she was considering was slapping me through the phone.”
“I have my ways,” I say with a shrug. “And I might or might not burn in hell for them.”
“Am I supposed to know what that means?”
“It means I play dirty to get what I want sometimes.”
Nate tucks me into his side as we head to the car, which is still a few minutes away. But I’m glad we get to walk a little more around here. There’s something peaceful and serene about this sleepy town. I can almost understand why Babette moved here. After a tumultuous life, she probably needed this calm and silence. Hard as I strain my ears, there are no sounds reaching me beyond the chirping of birds. The other houses are miles away, so there’s only the occasional sound of a car in the distance.
“Ah, but I already knew that about you, darling.”
“So, what are the plans for the evening? Do I get you all to myself, or do you have to work?”
“I have to finish some stuff for the London studio, but it won’t take me too long.”
Ah, there it is, the elephant in the room. Until now, I’ve avoided questioning him about this directly, but I feel it’s time I did.
“Do you think they’ll ask you to take over the position there?”
Nate’s grip on me tightens, as if he wasn’t expecting the question. “Horowitz keeps saying Abbott will break under the pressure, but I give the guy more credit. He’s going to learn the ropes.”
That isn’t much of an answer, but I’m a coward and don’t press for more. I couldn’t handle a straight answer.
“Thank you for bringing me with you today. Can I ask you something?”
“Sure.”
“Babette said something about how she thinks you didn’t have a happy family life and it might have impacted you. She thinks it was why you chose to have ‘meaningless liaisons’—her words, not mine—with women.”
“Funny, Clara said something similar once.”
“Do you think it’s true?”
Nate is quiet for a long while, and I wait with my stomach in knots.
“All experiences mark us in some way. But I think everything comes down to choices. For a long time, I chose not to get attached because it was easier.”
“And now?”
My heart is in my throat as I wait for him to reply. We’re right in front of the car but we stop before we reach it, under the shade of a tree with a beautiful crown full of blooms in shades of pink and white.
Nate is half turned to me, holding my gaze captive with his.
“Now I choose us.” Stepping closer to me, he kisses one corner of my mouth, then the other. Suddenly I feel like someone lit a match inside me, joy spreading throughout me to the very tips of my fingers. He keeps teasing me, his mouth moving from the corner of my lips to my cheek and then heading to my ear. His proximity makes me shiver and want more of him. I yearn to hear him say more sweet nothings.
“Say it again,” I whisper.
“I choose us, Alice, and I’ll say it as many times as you want.”
The shiver intensifies and he wraps his arms around me, his lips still to my ear. I want to feel closer to him still, climb inside him, as it were. I don’t remember fisting his shirt but here I am, tugging at it with one hand. My other hand has slipped under it, feeling him up shamelessly.
“Someone’s having dirty thoughts,” he whispers.
“I need to feel closer to you.”
“I aim to please.”
Before I can react, he hauls me into his arms, pushing me backward until he has me against the car. Then he lowers his head, kissing me like a man determined to get me to melt at his feet… or at least get me so turned on that I forget where we are. Nate swipes his tongue over my lips, then dips it inside my mouth, exploring me, driving me crazy. My blood spikes with adrenaline and desire within seconds, and for the hundredth time, I wonder how this man can awaken my craving for him so quickly.
A low growl reverberates deep in his throat just as he unhitches his lips from mine.
“Alice, what are you doing to me?”
“Nothing you’re not doing to me as well.”
When he pulls back enough that I can look at him properly, the glint of desire in his eyes is so overpowering it takes my breath away. He exudes masculinity and power, and the expression on his face is feral. He pushes his hips flush against me, and I lick my lips when I feel his hard-on against my belly, heat pooling between my thighs. I’m so turned on I’d let him take me any way he wants right now. It scares me that I’m giving him such power over me.
“Sweet and wild Alice,” he murmurs. “I need to be inside you.”
I lick my lips. “Now? Here?”
In response, he cocks a brow. We’re in a small forest with thick trees surrounding us. The chances of anyone seeing us, or even passing by, are close to zero.
“Anything against that?” He opens the door to the back seat, then guides me backward until I feel the soft cushion of the seat against my ass.
“No.”
“Good. Climb inside.”
A delicious shudder licks up my spine as I crawl onto the back seat, lying on my back. Luckily, Nate’s car is spacious and I’m wearing a dress, which he pushes up my thighs as he joins me in the car, shutting the door behind him.
He spreads my legs, running his hand along my inner thighs before rubbing his fingers against my wet panties. Need zaps through me. He pushes the fabric covering my entrance to one side, bending over and swiping his tongue over my folds, his nose gently touching my clit.
“Oh God.”
“Fuck! I want to lick you, but I also need to be inside you right now.” He comes up to me until our faces are level. His arms are at my side, caging me and sustaining his weight. On a whim, I kiss his jaw, licking down his neck while I undo his zipper, freeing his erection. “How do you want this? Hard and fast? Sweet and tender? Either way, I’ll be inside you in about five seconds.”
Next thing I know he’s teasing my tender spot with the thick head of his erection. Fuck, fuck, fuck.
“Any way. All the ways.”
Breath rushes out of me when Nate slams into me, entering me to the hilt. I wasn’t prepared to take him all at once, and the pleasure of him stretching me is so intense, I nearly break out of my skin. I widen my thighs even more, allowing him room to move, to drive into me hard and wild. He feasts on my neck and lips, and my moans fill the car. When his teeth graze the skin on my neck lightly, the pleasure burns through me. Pulling back, he looks between us, and I push myself up on one elbow. The sight of him sliding in and out of me is exquisite. Drops of sweat dot his forehead, one of them falling right onto my chest. It’s incredibly erotic and intimate.
“Make yourself come, Alice. Touch your clit.”
“I like it when you go all bossy on me.”
I was meaning to tease him, but he drives inside me hard, stopping the rest of the words in my throat. God, he’s so deep inside me, I feel like he’s about to split me in half. I lower my hand to my clit and stroke it. An orgasm ravages through me within seconds, coiling through my body with lightning speed.
“Oh fuck, Alice.” Nate cries out his own release, cradling me in his arms, holding me tightly to him.
We cling to one another for long minutes, both spent.
“You’re a wild thing, Alice.”
“Hey! You’re the one who bossed me into climbing in the back seat and opening my legs.”
“So it’s my fault?” He chuckles, his voice soft.
“Of course. You and your irresistible charm. You’re just as wild as I am.”
“It’s a good thing we found each other, then.” Nate kisses my forehead, then pulls back, looking at me with warmth and something more… something that fills my stomach with butterflies. The moment feels raw and full of emotion as one thing becomes clear: I’m falling hard for this man, and there’s nothing I can do to stop it.