Chapter Thirty-Seven
James
It was the day of the parents’ dinner at Nell’s school. The girls had spent much of the day preparing. Rachel even taken Nell out to get her nails done for the event. Nell had been so excited. When they had gotten back to the house, Nell was bouncing around and showing me her new pink manicure. I was so glad that they’d had so much fun together.
I still felt like a complete ass for what I’d done earlier in the week. If I would have known that she had lost a child, I would never had said those things to her. I still may have been angry, but I would never hurt her intentionally like that. I still felt awful about it and was trying my hardest to make it up to her. I really didn’t want to lose her.
Pulling my phone out of my pocket, I started playing a racing game to pass the time. The girls had gone to get ready some forty-five minutes before. They were taking far too long.
“Hurry up, ladies! We’re going to be late!” I called out to them.
I went back to playing the game on my phone, and when I looked up, Nell and Rachel were standing in front of me. It was the most breathtaking view I’d ever seen in my life. Both Nell and Rachel had picked out gorgeous and elegant cocktail dresses. Both came down to the knee and were appropriate for the event. I’d let Rachel take Nell dress shopping the day before. Nell had been so excited about that too, making the event all the more special. I was loving all the things they had done together to prepare for the evening.
“We’re ready, Daddy,” Nell said. She gave a little curtsy, and I laughed.
Both of them had their hair curled, and Rachel had done her makeup. She had even given Nell a bit of her lip gloss to wear, after my approval of course. They both looked absolutely stunning, and I couldn’t get enough of it. I pulled out my phone and took a quick picture of them, and wanted this memory to last forever.
“I can see that,” I said. “You both look beautiful.”
After giving both of my girls a kiss on the cheek, I then escorted them to the car. We carefully got in, and I drove to the school. Since we were running a little behind, the parking lot was already packed, and I had to park on the street a ways back. I offered to drop the girls off at the door while I parked the car, but Rachel told me not to be silly.
“Are you excited?” I asked Nell, as we made our way to the building.
She nodded her head enthusiastically, “Yes! I’ve been waiting for this night for so long.” Rachel and I both laughed because we knew she hadn’t really been waiting very long at all. But it was great to see that she was so excited about something like this. I was especially glad that Rachel was able to be there, and I was sure it was going to make Nell feel a lot better after everything she’d been through.
“Thank you for coming with, Rachel,” Nell said, grasping Rachel’s hand in her own.
“I wouldn’t have missed it for the world,” Rachel responded. She paused and gave Nell a tight hug. I loved watching the interaction these two shared. Nell was a girl who had lost her mother, and Rachel was a woman who had lost her daughter. The three of us were definitely meant to be a family. I could feel it in every fiber of my being.
We walked into the building that was buzzing with people. Tons of other parents and children. Nell said hello to a few of them as we moved through the crowd. We checked in at the reception table and found our seats. Our table consisted of Nell, Rachel, and myself, plus Kassondra and her parents.
“Kassondra!” Nell yelled when she saw her friend.
We all laughed at the two girls, acting as if they’d been separated for months. We all took our seats and the principal, Ms. Williamson, began her speech.
“Parents, on behalf of your children, and our school, welcome to the annual parents’ dinner. I am so glad you all could join me and the rest of the staff this evening. Once a year, we like to host a dinner honoring all the parents. We like to recognize all that you do to further your child’s education. We typically spend all year recognizing the teachers, the staff, and even myself. But parents hardly ever get recognized for all that they do regarding education. So, this night, we celebrate you. Please enjoy,” she said.
Everybody started clapping, and a few parents even stood up and gave her a standing ovation. After my experience with her, I could tell she had her heart in the right place. I thought she’d been a little rude the first day, but I had given her the benefit of the doubt, seeing how my daughter had hit another child. I would probably get frustrated with that as well.
A waiter approached our table, “Beef or chicken?” he asked.
All of us, except Cassondra’s dad, chose the chicken. The waiter then left and returned with ice water.
“I want juice,” Nell said.
“Nell, sweetie, you need to drink your water,” I said to her.
“Okay, Daddy,” Nell said. Then she took a few big gulps from her glass, draining it. “Now can I have some juice?” she asked.
We all laughed at her, and I knew she was just messing around. I loved my daughter’s sense of humor.
“So, Rachel. What do you do?” Kassondra’s mom asked.
“I work with James at the gallery. I’m his assistant,” she said.
Watching Kassondra’s dad throughout the evening, I was surprised he spent so much time with his face in his phone. I was glad I wasn’t one of those parents but remembered when I’d first met them just a couple months ago, and I’d thought they were the perfect couple. All I’d wanted in the world was to be like them, to provide a regular family structure for Nell like they had. At the time, I thought it impossible. But as I’d gotten to know them, I discovered appearances could be deceiving, and that they weren’t anything like I wanted to be. Kassondra’s mom seemed a little uptight, and her father always had his nose in his phone. They didn’t seem as happy as I thought they were, either.
I leaned into Rachel, “I’m really glad you’re here, tonight,” I said to her.
“Thank you. I’m glad I’m here, too,” she said with a smile.
“No, seriously. I’m especially glad and thankful that you came with us tonight. You didn’t have to do that, especially after how I acted. I am very grateful, and I know Nell is too.” I wanted her to really know how I felt about her, but I also needed some reassurance regarding her feelings for me. I still wasn’t one hundred percent sure. I’d been a little uneasy since our fight earlier in the week, and I hoped nothing had changed between us. Everything seemed okay, but I still wasn’t quite sure.
“I am very glad to be here tonight, and so honored that Nell wanted me here. I’m glad that you wanted me here, too,” she said and gave me a quick kiss.
“Eww,” Kassondra said from across the table.
“Oh, stop,” Kassondra’s mom said with a laugh. Her husband looked up at us and let out a small laugh, but went right back to his phone, and I wondered if it had something to do with social anxiety. I’d heard plenty of times that people like that often did things like that.
The dinner was good, and it went by fairly quickly. When all was said and done, Kassondra had asked if Nell could spend the night. Since it was the weekend, I agreed. I told the parents that we would be over to pick her up the following day. I grabbed her booster seat from my car and put in the back of theirs to make sure she would be safe getting home with them. I asked if we needed to bring anything and they said that she already had an extra toothbrush there, as well as pajamas, a pillow and sleeping bag. I thought it was pretty nice of them do that for her.
Rachel and I said goodbye to Nell, each hugging her goodnight, then the two of us left and went back to my place.
“Nell seemed to be very happy tonight,” Rachel said, as we drove on back to my house.
“I know, and I owe it all to you. I don’t think she would’ve been that way if you hadn’t been there, and actually, at one point, she told me that if you couldn’t come, she wasn’t going. So, thank you for coming,” I said, even though I had already thanked her. I guess I was still trying to make up for the mess earlier in the week.
“I’m glad I came. I had a lot of fun,” she said. “It was good to spend time with Kassondra’s family, especially since she spends so much time there.
I smiled at her as we pulled up in front of my house. I helped her out, and we went inside where I poured us each a glass of wine.
“You know, Rachel,” I said, as I pulled her into me, “I love you.”
“Well, James, I love you, too,” she said back to me.
I pressed my lips to her lips and kissed her, stunned because I hadn’t expected her to say it back to me and was more than overjoyed that she had. Especially after everything we’d been through, individually, and together. I’d been nervous all evening about saying that to her because I didn’t how she would take it. I didn’t want her to be upset with me.
We clinked our glasses together, then finished them off. I grabbed her hand and led her back to my bedroom where I started kissing her. My mouth found hers, and our tongues collided, encircling one another. I loved the way she kissed me. She was so good at giving me what I wanted.
Rachel was everything that I ever dreamed of, and I was beyond happy that we were together and so glad I’d taken the chance and declared my love for her. I was still stunned that she’d replied the way she did. I was so happy to hear that she loved me back. It had been such an unexpected surprise, and I suppose it was for her as well. I kissed her deeply.
“I want you so bad,” I said to her.
“I want you, too, baby,” she said back.
I grabbed her head and started kissing her again, and this time I helped her remove her clothes. I wanted them off and spread all over the room. I wanted, and needed, to feel her against me. It was a deep desire burning within me. I kissed down her neck to her gorgeous, perfect tits. Then I paused, and she let out a soft whimper.
“I fucking love you,” I said to her.
“I fucking love you, too,” she said back to me.
At that moment, I had perfect clarity. I knew that I wanted to hear her say those words to me over and over for the rest of our lives. This woman was absolutely perfect for me, and a dream come true. And she was all mine.
I claimed her mouth once more, taking her tongue and wrapping my own around it. Her kisses were the sweetest thing I had ever experienced. After all of our clothes were finally off, we stood there, fully naked, our mouths interlocked. Finally, I felt her bare skin against mine.
I felt the goosebumps rise on her skin as I gently touched her, and she let out a soft moan as I rubbed my cock against her.
I pressed her gently onto the bed. “I want to feel your pussy,” I said to her.
She bit down on her lip, one of the sexiest things I have ever seen, then laid back on the bed with her legs spread. I gripped my cock with my right hand and began to move it up and down. She looked absolutely perfect laying there like that for me.