Carol's Image (26 page)

Just then the doorbell rang, and Laurie ran to answer it. Swinging the door open wide, she was greeted with a wall of gorgeous. “Rob,” she yelled, jumping into his arms, wrapping her legs around his waist.

Rob greeted her enthusiastically, carrying her down the hall toward her bedroom so she could get ready.

Carol waved at them as they walked by, then turned her attention to the man left standing at the door. Her heart caught in her throat as she stared at him. Her eyes traveled from his neatly trimmed blond hair, strong jaw, navy sweater pulled tightly over his muscular chest and arms, down to his trim waist and jean clad thighs. As her eyes made it down to his cowboy boots, she realized she was holding her breath.
I can’t believe all this man is mine.
Eyes traveling back, they landed on his eyes and she saw that he was doing his own perusing.

Tom stood still, seeing Carol scan him from head to toe and masculine pride had him noticing the flush on her face as she unconsciously licked her lips. He stared at her lips momentarily, finding the blood rushing from his head downward as he envisioned those luscious lips around his dick.

“Angel, you keep staring at me like I am on the Thanksgiving menu, and we’re never gonna get to the McDonalds’ house.”

Smiling, Carol turned back to the stove to pack up her casserole.

Behind her, Tom was doing his own devouring. Carol’s blonde tresses were tucked behind her ears and flowing across her shoulders, framing her angelic face. Her deep green tunic sweater set off her hair and eyes. Her toned legs, covered in black leggings paired with boots. The leggings cupped her ass and Tom found his blood rushing back to his dick again.
Stop looking. Think of anything besides her ass.
He knew she was nervous about meeting his parents, and the last thing he wanted to do was embarrass her by walking in with a hard-on.

Carol, with the casserole in her hands, turned around and lifted her eyebrow. “Staring at my ass, Mr. Rivers?”

Smirking, Tom crossed the room in two long steps and took the casserole from her. Cocking out his elbow for her to take, he drawled, “Come on, angel. Let’s get to this shindig.”

Carol slipped her small hand through his arm as they headed out of the door. Tom put the casserole in a box in the space behind their seats then settled Carol into his truck.

“Honey, I could have just held the dish in my lap,” she said.

Tom shook his head as he slid into the driver’s seat. “Not takin’ a chance that a sudden stop could have that hot dish burn you.”

He backed out of the parking lot and started driving down the road. Looking over at his beautiful girl, he asked, “What are you smilin’ about, angel?”

Carol shifted in her seat so that she was facing him. “I was just thinking about how you make me feel safe. I’ve never had anyone who made me feel that way. You’re always making sure that I’m okay.” Looking down at her hands in her lap, she was suddenly overcome with emotion, and a tear escaped down her cheek.

Tom pulled the car to the side of the road and brought it to a stop. “Angel, eyes on me,” Tom ordered gently. Her eyes went back to his. Blue eyes gazed at blue eyes. “Whenever you have anything you need to say to me, good or bad, I want you lookin’ at me so I can tell exactly how you are.”

Another tear slid down Carol’s face, but she kept her gaze on him. “Just like now. You want me to look at you so that you can see what’s going on with me. I’ve never had that.” She paused for a moment, gathering her thoughts. “I know I’m a strong person. I’ve had to become one. But you still make me feel safe.”

Tom pushed his seat back, unbuckled her seatbelt, then leaned over to grab her. Hauling her over the console, he planted her in his lap. Face to face. Eyes to eyes. “Angel, you are so fuckin’ strong. You overcame your parent’s shit, became your own person, have your own career. But I will always take care of you. You are mine. Mine to care for. Mine to love. For a man like me, that’s just how it’s done, baby.”

As he spoke, she leaned closer and closer until his final words were said against her lips. Moving in the rest of the way, she gently moved her lips over his. The kiss told of fears that had been faced, wounds that had been healed, futures that had been rewritten. Soft. Gentle. Slow. The kind of kiss that takes your heart and gives it out, trusting the other person to hold it close.

The loud sound of honking startled them both, jerking them apart. Looking up, they saw Rob’s truck pull by them with Rob and Laurie laughing and waving.

“I feel just like a teenager that got caught parking,” Carol laughed, as she climbed back over to her side of the truck.

Tom stretched his legs as he adjusted his swollen dick once again. “Damn, this day so far is one cock-blocker after another.” Looking back over at her, he asked, “You okay, angel?”

Smiling, she nodded. “Yeah. Let’s go meet your parents.”

*

It did not take Carol long to realize that she had been worried for nothing. Tom’s parents were very much like Rob’s parents, Bernie and Mac. Easy going. Down to earth. Friendly. And seemed very much taken with her.

As they pulled into the crowded driveway at the MacDonald’s home, Tom warned Carol to stay in the truck until he came around to get her. As he lifted her from her seat and set her gently onto the ground, they could hear the sounds of running feet and the call of, “Tom, Tom.” He turned just in time to catch his mother rushing into his arms. Mrs. Rivers was tall, thin, blonde, and looked much younger than her years. Before she could let her son go, Mr. Rivers grabbed his son and wife in his embrace. An older version of Tom, Carol could easily see where Tom got his looks.

She stood to the side for a moment letting Tom have his greeting with his parents, awed at the familiarity and openness of it. She almost giggled trying to imagine her mother running across a yard.
Nope. Never happen.

Tom disentangled himself from his parents, stepping back to Carol, drawing her close to him. “Mom, dad, I would like you to meet my girlfriend, Carol Fletcher. Carol, these are my parents, Charles and Nancy Rivers.”

Carol moved her arm up to shake their hands when she was suddenly engulfed in a massive hug by first his mother, and then his father joined in.

“Oh my dear, we have been dying to meet you. Tom has told us so much about you, and we are just so thrilled to finally be able to meet this wonderful woman we keep hearing about.”

“Didn’t think my Tom would ever settle down,” Charles said, “but one look at you, and I can see why my son is off the market.”

“Mom, dad,” Tom admonished, gently pulling Carol back into his embrace. Tucking her safely into his side with his arm protectively around her, he quickly looked down to see how she was handling the attention.

Carol’s smile lit up his heart. She was absolutely beaming. “It is so nice to meet you, Mr. and Mrs. Rivers.”

Tom’s handsome father beamed down at the angelic woman tucked into his son’s embrace. “Oh, none of that. We insist you call us Charles and Nancy.”

“At least until mom and dad will work,” Tom’s mother added.

“Mom!” Tom interjected, not wanting her to scare Carol off.

Laughing, Nancy just looped her arm through Carol’s, pulling her away from Tom. “Well, a mom can hope, right?” The two women walked arm in arm toward the big house.

“She’ll be fine, son,” Charles said. “Your mom will charm her socks off, just like she does everyone.” Seeing Tom’s gaze following the angelic creature walking with his wife, he added, “But are you going to be fine? Looks like you’re smitten.”

Tom looked back over at his dad. “Smitten? Who says smitten anymore, dad?”

Charles chuckled as he slapped Tom on the back. “Don’t mind bein’ old fashioned, son. Nothing’s wrong with a man being smitten. I’ve been smitten with your mother for 35 years now.”

Tom looked back as his mother and Carol entered the MacDonald’s house. “Yeah, dad, I guess I’m smitten. From the moment I looked at that face, she is all I see. I see that face wherever I go. Even when she’s not with me, I can just feel her.”

Charles watched his son reach up and rub his chest, right over his heart, and not even realize he was doing it. “So, what are you gonna do about that son?”

Tom’s eyes snapped back over to his father’s face in question.

Charles continued, “You gonna waste time or you gonna put a ring on that girl’s finger? Make it permanent?”

“Dad, we’ve only been dating since last summer.”

“So? You love her? You want to spend the rest of your life with her? You want to be with her always? You want children with her?”

Tom continued to rub his chest over his heart as his father spoke. Nodding slowly, he answered, “Yeah. Yeah, I do.”

“Well then, I think you have your answer. I’ve lived a good life son, with a good woman. Want that for you too.”

Smiling, Tom just nodded again as the two men followed the women into the house.

*

The Thanksgiving meal at the McDonald’s was nothing like Carol had ever experienced. Growing up, holiday meals were very formal events with no fun involved at all. Here, Bernie and Mac invited everyone they could think of to celebrate with them. They had converted an old barn on their property to a large family rec room that could be converted into an area to host large events. Several picnic tables were pushed together, along with some folding tables and chairs to make seating for everyone.

Rob and his dad Mac, along with Roger, Bill, and Jake, set up most of the heavy food items. Bernie provided the cakes and breads, while Bill and Wendy brought the beer and wine. Jake’s mother, Mary, took care of the turkeys. Laurie, Carol, and Nancy brought side dishes. Rob’s teenage sister, Suzy, helped her mom while secretively keeping an eye on Wendy’s teenage son, Brad, as he helped his dad. Bernie and Mac always invited several single firemen and policemen who did not have family in the area to join them, so the group was large and lively.

Carol was so at ease during the meal. She listened to stories of Tom, Jake, and Rob growing up and playing football together. She watched the simple camaraderie between Bernie, Mac, Charles, Nancy, and Mary, knowing they had years of shared memories as neighbors with three little boys to raise. Everyone included her in their conversations, especially wanting to know the story of how they met when Tom was hit with the car.

During it all, Carol found herself eating the food without once counting calories or worrying about how much she was eating. She enjoyed the taste of the food, something she realized she hadn’t done in a long time.

Looking around the table, she was suddenly struck with the realization that this was what she wanted and what she had missed.
Friends. Family. Laughter. Joy with others. Comfort. Sharing good times as well as heartbreak. Acceptance.
She spared a glance sideways at Tom’s handsome face.
Desire. Love. Forever.

Tom had been watching Carol throughout the meal without her noticing. He saw the ease of her laughter, the way she ate without fear. He saw the smiles she bestowed on everyone around as she listened to their stories and joined in with tales of her own. His hand found its way up to his chest rubbing over his heart. As he looked around, he saw his dad staring at him, smiling. Smiling back, Tom just nodded.
I’ve called her mine. It’s time to make it real.

As the meal came to a close, the women took the leftovers to the kitchen while the men began taking down the table and chairs. Rob walked over to Tom asking, “Hate to bring up a bad subject, man, but has anything else recently happened to Carol?”

Sighing, Tom answered, “Not since the runnin’ incident. She has convinced herself that it was a single incident, havin’ nothin’ to do with the notes or flowers, but Jake and me aren’t convinced.”

Jake agreed saying, “Don’t believe in coincidences. It’s almost like someone is just tryin’ to let her know they’re around. Not too often, not to have her totally scared, but just enough to throw her off balance.”

Charles and Mac joined in the conversation, wanting to know what was going on. Tom explained, then added, “Trouble is, we’ve got no leads. The flower delivery guy took special precautions to keep his face from the cameras. The note on the car could have been anyone, and the runner was definitely not who we thought.”