Break Away (37 page)

“
Surprise!”

I stood frozen in the doorway of my house, completely stunned to find all my family and friends waiting for me inside.

I glanced at Olivia next to me. “Did you do this?”

She just smiled. “Happy Birthday, babe.”

The house was decorated in streamers and balloons, with a huge “HAPPY BIRTHDAY” banner strung up from the ceiling. Platters of food covered the dining room table, and the outside deck was set up with tables and chairs.

Amy was the first one to run over to me, flinging her arms around me in a big hug. “Happy Birthday, bro!”

“You too, sis,” I said. “Were you in on this? Shouldn’t you be getting surprised along with me?”

“I was supposed to be, but Nate spilled the beans a few days ago,” Amy said. “So, I decided to get in on it with them.”

“Some people just can’t keep a secret,” Olivia teased Nate, who had walked over with Sadie.

“I can’t keep secrets from my girl,” Nate said, pulling Amy close. She beamed up at him, looking happier than I’d ever seen her.

“I helped with the decorations!” Sadie announced proudly.

I lifted her up into my arms, laying a kiss on her chubby cheek before putting her back down. “You did an awesome job, Sadie girl. I love it!” Leaning over to Olivia, I dropped my lips to her ear, tickling her skin and making her shiver. “Thanks for this, baby. You’re amazing.”

“You deserve it,” she told me. “But I can’t take all the credit, your parents helped me out. Nate and Amy, too. We wanted you to have a really great birthday.”

I wrapped my arm around her waist, pulling her against me. “Now that I have you, it’s already the best birthday I’ve ever had.”

She blushed slightly. “You’re pretty sweet, Dex Porter. You know that?”

“Shhh… don’t tell anyone,” I whispered. “That’s our little secret. Besides, I’m only sweet for you.”

“I hope you’re not getting all soft on me…”

“Hell no! Soft is the last thing you make me,” I winked, squeezing her ass and making her flush even more. “I’d be more than happy to prove that to you later. Or, right now…”

Her eyes twinkled deviously. “As much as I’d like that, we should probably go enjoy your party. You have all night to do whatever you want with me.”

“Oh, I plan to,” I promised.

I made my way around, greeting everyone that had taken the time to come and celebrate with me. Olivia had gone all out. In addition to my family, she had invited Nora and Jake, Rose, and even a few of my high school friends that I’d stayed in touch with over the years. I thought I’d seen everyone when Chase appeared in front of me, grinning widely.

“Happy Birthday, Porter,” he said, shaking my hand and patting me on the back. “Your girl called me last week to tell me about the party she was throwing for you, and I couldn’t resist stopping by.”

“Thanks for being here, man. It means a lot that you came all this way, especially when you’re wife is getting ready to pop.”

“Actually, she already popped. The little guy decided he couldn’t wait any longer.” Smiling proudly, he pulled out his phone and showed me a picture of his newborn son. “He’s impatient, but healthy.”

“Congratulations!” I said, examining the photo. “You did good, brother. He’s beautiful.”

“Maybe one of these days, you and that wonderful girl of yours will give him a little friend to play with, eh?” Chase teased.

“One thing at a time,” I said, forcing a laugh as my heart rate sped up. The idea of being a father, of being responsible for another human being, made me panic. I’d never considered it a possibility before, so I hadn’t given it much thought. With all my issues, and with all the terrible, cruel things I’d seen… I wasn’t sure if someone like me should ever be a father. But when I looked at Olivia… when I thought about her stomach swollen from something we created, and pictured a little boy or girl with her blonde hair and blue eyes… I felt something different. It made me nervous, mostly, but deep down there was a fragment of excitement. Longing. There was a part of me that wanted that someday.

“I wish I could stay, but I should get back to Lila and relieve her of diaper duty,” Chase said. “But maybe you and Olivia could come over for dinner sometime soon, meet the baby and all that.”

“Absolutely,” I said. “I can’t wait to meet him.”

Shortly after Chase left, everyone gathered out on the deck for cake, singing “Happy Birthday” while Amy and I worked together to blow out the candles. There was really only one thing left for me to wish for. I already had almost everything I could ever want.

After the sun had set and the sky went dark, we lit a fire on the beach and roasted marshmallows. Olivia sat on the other side of the fire, talking and laughing with Nora and Jake. I watched her across the bright orange flames, captivated by her carefree smile and bright blue eyes.

“Mind if I sit?” my dad asked, breaking me out of my trance.

“Not at all.” I gestured to the seat next to me, encouraging him to join me. “Thanks again for doing all this. It’s been a really great day.”

“It was mostly Olivia,” he said. “She’s an great girl, that one. Anyone who can make you as happy as you’ve been lately is definitely a keeper.”

I smiled, “You don’t have to tell me that. I have every intention of keeping her for as long as she lets me.”

“Atta boy,” he said with a grin.

We were quiet for a few moments, but the silence was was plaguing me. He didn’t ask me the usual questions, and for the first time I actually wanted him to. I needed to finally let him in.

“I uh, started going to counseling,” I said, fidgeting uncomfortably in my seat. “Mostly group therapy, but I’ll do some individual sessions, too. You were right about me needing to get some help, I just never knew how.”

“How’s it going?” he asked, not seeming too surprised, or maybe he just masked it well.

“It’s been good… it’s been really good. Sometimes it can be tough, but it helps to talk it through.” I glanced over at him, regretting that I’d ever pushed him away when all he’d ever wanted was to be there for me. “I’m sorry that it took me so long to be honest with you about all this. I didn’t know how to handle it, and I didn’t want to disappoint you.”

He turned to me, his face serious. “You could never disappoint me, Dex. Never. Not once, in twenty-six years, have I ever felt anything less than pride to have you as my son. I’m proud of you for all you’ve done for your country, for our family, and for yourself… for being brave enough to get help when you knew you needed it. That’s not easy. But you’re strong, and there’s no doubt in my mind that you’ll get through this.”

“I hope so,” I choked out, my throat tightening from his words. “For a while I think I just… gave up. I stopped fighting for my own life.”

He glanced at Olivia on the other side of the bonfire. “Sometimes, all it takes is finding something to fight for.”

“I’ll fight for her for the rest of my life.”

As midnight approached, marking the end of my birthday, all the guests were gone, and I finally had Olivia to myself. Sitting on the beach next to the fading fire, wrapped up in a blanket to shield us from the cool night air, I’d never been more content. I could spend every for the rest of my life doing the same thing, and I would never grow tired of it.

“Thanks for an amazing birthday,” I said, nuzzling in the curve of her neck and dropping my lips to the spot just below her ear.

She turned around in my lap, winding her long legs around my waist. “Can I give you your present now?”

“You got me a present?” I asked. “What is it?”

She pulled down the straps to her sundress, exposing her pink, lacy bra.

“Me,” she smiled deviously. “Want to unwrap it?”

“Fuck, yes,” I growled, crushing my mouth against hers. I was hard in an instant, straining against my jeans and pressing between her legs. I could feel her damp warmth through the thin material of her panties, and I knew I wasn’t going to last long. I’d been waiting for this moment all day, and I was already too worked up.

I dropped my lips her throat, trailing kisses down her collarbone and over her cleavage as I pulled her bra down, letting her breasts spill over the top. Her nipples pebbled in the cool air, and I covered one of them with my mouth, sucking it gently while teasing the other one with my fingers.

“That feels so fucking good,” she cried out, clutching my head to her chest and grinding her pussy along the length of my cock.

I loved hearing dirty words tumble from those pretty lips.

“Sorry baby, I can’t wait,” I said, fumbling with one hand to get my pants undone, and shoving them down enough to free myself. “This is gonna be hard and fast.”

Desire flashed in her eyes as she nodded, biting down on her bottom lip. Slipping underneath her short dress, I ran my hands up her smooth thighs until my fingers found the delicate lace of her panties and tore them off. Keeping my eyes locked on hers, I raised her up and positioned myself at her entrance, slamming her down hard and filling her in one swift movement.

She cried out in pleasure, lifting her hips and then dropping back down over me. I couldn’t control the groan that escaped my throat as I moved within her tight, wet heat. Her legs fastened around my back as I clung to her hips, rapidly thrusting inside her until I felt her body clench around me. As soon as she reached her climax I followed, exploding inside her with a low growl.

Our breaths were heavy as she collapsed against my chest, tracing her delicate fingers up and down my spine. “Happy Birthday,” she said softly.

“I’m not done with you yet,” I grinned. “Not even close.”

***

Our big day had finally arrived.

Well, actually, it was Myrtle’s big day. After months of nursing her back to health and rehabilitating her, she was finally ready to be released back into the wild – along with two other sea turtles from the rescue center. I’d grown strangely attached to Myrtle. Ever since she came in on my first day at the aquarium, she had become my own little project. In a way, I was a bit sad to see her go, but spending her days in a boring tank was no way to live, so I was happy she was going to be set free.

I was amazed at how many people had come out to Folly Beach County Park for the release of the sea turtles. According to Frank it was a big deal for people around here. All my friends had even shown up – Amy, Nate, Sadie, Nora, Jake, Gram, Mr. and Mrs. Porter, and of course, Dex. I had mentioned the release event one night, never expecting anyone to actually be interested in coming out, but there they all were… giving up their Saturday to support me. I couldn’t believe how lucky I was to have such great people in my life.

Eight months ago, I never expected my life to change so drastically in such a short period of time. More importantly, I never imagined that I could be so happy. For too long I was simply coasting through life, content to settle for what was easy and secure in order to keep myself from feeling pain. At some point along the way, I’d stopped feeling anything at all. Stopping by Steven’s apartment that day, finding him with someone else, was the best thing that ever happened to me because it forced me to
live
. I’d learned that nothing good ever comes easy and life doesn’t offer a guarantee. Life is full of pain and heartbreak, conflict and doubt… but there’s also love and passion, joy and laughter… and it’s the ups and downs along the way that make life worth living. It’s not about cruising along a straight path, but about not letting the dips and twists take away from the thrill of the ride.