Chapter Thirty-Six
Spring came and went, as summer was just setting in. Kori and Rhett were now all moved in and settled. She had been going room to room, decorating and making it a home. The place felt so welcoming and full of love. I knew it had everything to do with the ones who filled it, but the colorful warmness she spread throughout helped too.
School was almost over for the summer, only one more week to go. Kori was looking forward to the time off with Rhett.
Maria was still keeping a safe distance, and that ate at Kori so heavily. She came around, but she was very limited on what she would talk about. I wished I could fix it for them, but I chose to stand back. It really wasn’t my business, unless somehow in the process Kori was hurt. Then it became my business, no matter who the hell liked it or not.
Gavin ended up moving into the house that was once Kori’s. He had more room, and I assumed it was for the privacy too. Sharing a drive with Kori’s parents made it difficult to keep his business his own. This in turn only made it difficult for Kori to keep a watchful eye on Maria’s involvement with him.
I had just taken on a job in Savannah. Ben’s uncle got in an accident at work and was now bound to a wheelchair. His house was anything but prepared for his return home. So we packed up our tools and got to work on making his home one he could function in.
Of course this meant it was almost a two hour round trip between Kori and me. Ben and I decided to bust ass to get this done as quickly as we could, and the best way to do that was grab a hotel during the week. We would go back home on the weekends.
His uncle was in a rehabilitation center for now. They hoped he would be coming home in a few weeks. We had to widen the door frames, build ramps, and a company would be coming in to put in a lift for the stairs. Ben’s aunt was lost right now, and having him close was really helping her cope. They had no children, so Ben was the closest thing they had to a child.
***
We had just finished up our third day there, and we were both exhausted. It was a little after eight at night, and I could barely get my body moving. I could hear Ben talking to Leann on the patio just outside of our hotel room.
I jumped in the shower before making my call to the people I was missing terribly.
When Kori’s voice came through the phone, followed by Rhett’s giggles, I chuckled in return. “How are things going?” she asked.
“I’m missing you two like something fierce. We’ve got a long way to go, baby. This week is dragging ass. I just wanna come home and hold you both.” I ran my hands through my hair and let my head fall back against the headboard.
“We miss you too. Only two more days, then you’ll be home. We’ll make a weekend of just us.” She sighed. “You know, now that school is over for the summer, Rhett and I could come over for a visit during the week.”
“Yeah, maybe Leann and Chloe could join you. I’m sure Ben would like that. We need to plan ahead, though. I’m not sharing a room on those nights.” I chuckled.
We talked for about an hour. She told me about Rhett helping his pappy in the barn. He even got to ride the tractor I knew he loved. That boy loved his tractors.
Apparently he had picked up a new word from Kori’s dad that she wasn’t too fond of. I guess a nineteen month old running around saying shit was frowned upon. I tried to cover up my laughter when she told me, but it was pointless.
Over the next couple days we did all we could to get ahead. That meant we worked through lunch and well into the evenings. When Friday late afternoon rolled in, both of us were in my truck and driving to our families.
It had been one of the longest weeks of our lives.
***
I dropped off Ben first and then drove by Kori’s parents’ making sure she wasn’t there. When I didn’t see her Escape, I kept driving past.
A few minutes later I pulled into my driveway and found myself laughing at the sight before me. Just to the side of the house was a big air filled slide with some kind of slip and slide attached.
Maria, Kori, and Rhett were running around sliding and laughing. I took in the beauty of my girl in her tiny pink bikini and found myself adjusting my pants. It had been a week without touching her, and her lack of clothing wasn’t helping my raging hormones one bit.
When I stepped out of my truck and shut my door, I turned toward them. Within seconds I was tackled and a set of arms wrapped around my neck. Kori’s lips crashed to mine, and I gripped her waist, lifting her from the ground. Turning her around, I pressed her against the side of my truck. Her legs immediately encircled my waist.
“Did you miss me?” She nodded and sucked my lower lip into her mouth. “You know, if you keep it up, things are gonna be getting real dirty, real fast.”
She bit her lip, smiling seductively. “I like dirty.”
I shook my head and grinned. “Oh, you’re gonna get dirty, baby. Just not in the middle of the driveway with an audience.” I cupped her ass, and my fingertips grazed over her center. She gasped, followed by a moan.
Leaning close to her ear, I whispered, “I’m sleeping inside you tonight. We have a lot of catching up to do.” I felt her body shiver against mine as I slowly lowered her back to the ground. Rhett was coming toward me, and I needed to hug my little man.
The summer weather was hitting hard. It was warm and sticky, and Rhett loved the water. He was like a damn fish. It was harder than hell to get him out of the tub without a fit on his part.
I set Rhett down at my feet and knelt in front of him. “You want me to slide with you?” He nodded enthusiastically as he turned around and ran toward the water. Kori took my hand in hers, and we walked to the side of the house. I slipped my shirt up over my head and my shoes from my feet. Taking off full speed ahead, I spread out over the plastic and slid forward. Rhett’s laughter followed, and he trailed right behind, crashing against me in the pool at the end. I spent over an hour sliding around with him and Kori. I felt like a kid again. These two brought out the best in me. It was perfect
Maria ducked out shortly after I got home. She said we needed some family time. Family…I loved the sound of that. They were my family, and I was damn lucky to have ‘em.