Page 141 of Every Good Thing
A bit deeper.
“From this day on…”
Oh, shit.
“If you’ll still—”
“Yes! God, yes!” I sputter as I convulse with him inside me, pulling him deeper.
“Forever then,” he says, determined.
“For-fucking-ever,” I cry as he releases in me. Eyes wide and watchful. Body pressed. Hands holding me to him. And I melt in our oneness. I collapse against his shoulders like a marathon runner through the end-tape.
“I promise I won’t disappoint you again,” he whispers, nuzzling his forehead to mine. “I’ll make it up to you.”
“Good,” I say, smiling. “You can start by joining me in the shower, and then our bed.”
He releases me gently. “Yes, ma’am.” He scoops up his discarded jacket, tie, and my dress, flings them over his shoulder, and then does the same to me, making me laugh hysterically as he gently slaps my ass. He carries me to the loft that way amid my relentless giggling. I love his playful side, and it’s been too long since I’ve seen it.
At the top of the stairs, he sets me down, and meeting his eyes again, my laughter melts into his seriousness. He tugs me close, my nearly bare skin pressing against the soft, dampness of his shirt, and his fingers thread through my hair.
“I’ll miss your laugh when my hearing goes,” he says with a small smile, not in a woe-is-me way, but with gratitude and reverence, like he’s glad to have heard it at all.
“You’ll always have it. You’ll see it,” I say, tracing the soft lines around his eyes before placing my hand against the rock-hardness of his chest, “and feel it.”
A coy side smile eases up his cheek as he takes me in. “I’m a lucky man.”
Hearing those words brings a wide smile. The despair I’ve seen in him over losing his hearing is replaced with something more Ben-like. Acceptance. Gratefulness. And especially joy.
“We’re both lucky,” I say.
He hoists me on his shoulder again, forcing choking laughs, and carries me to our bedroom. He releases me near the bathroom doorway and kisses me until I’m pinned against the doorjamb. It reminds me of the first time we were together like this, how we barely made it to the room at all, and how we stopped at the bed to see each other naked for the first time. “You’re breathtaking,” he said then.
He says the same words now once he strips me down. I peel him from his suit as fast as my fingers will work—not fast enough—and he laughs at my urgency.
We shower together, and our sweet reunion becomes a sex marathon, ending with us damp and breathless on the bed a while later. Beside me, he drapes his arm across my belly as we catch our breath.
Tears slip from my eyes as I bask in the loveliness of us together again. He perches on his side, locking eyes, his deep greens penetrating me. He doesn’t ask why I’m crying. I think he knows—sadness for Mrs. Moore and relief for us. Instead, he smiles and wipes my wet cheeks with his thumb.
“What can I do?”
“You’ve done it. You’re home,” I smile. “This is all I need… and my phone. I should check in with Dot.”
He leaves me for the living room, retrieving my phone from his jacket pocket. When he hands it over, he grins. “Before today, I had a feeling she wanted to murder me.”
“Oh, she did. Dot and Cherry have a plan. I’ll tell them I can’t make it over—”
“Wait. Let’s go over together.” He sits up slightly. “We’ll check that all is well, and I’ll find out more about this murder plot.”
“Careful. Learning about the murder plot risks plausible deniability.”
He waves this off. “It’s okay. Soon, I won’t be a cop anymore.”
He pats my ass and leaves me for the bathroom. I stare at the ceiling, saddened by the thought.
Ben detours to Publix on the way to Mrs. Moore’s country cottage—now Dot’s. When I ask what for, he only says, “A peace offering.” I let him keep the mystery.
At the house, he meets me on the passenger side with his wide umbrella, and, shoulder-to-shoulder, we rush through the puddles and steady rain to the front porch. We find everyone in Mrs. Moore’s quaint living room. It’s like walking in on an adult slumber party, with one cute exception, of course. Jaye sits, laptop open, at the table by the window. Cherry is curled under a throw on the couch with her phone. Dot and Ruthie are on the floor, with photo albums, books, and old boxes between them. Nirvana plays softly in the background to the gameshow applause on the TV.
