The Beginning of Us (56 page)

“Ok, I’ll go to your parents’ house with you.”

Alexis

Chapter 20

I’ve agreed to go because it’s important to Garrett, but how can they not think this is a train wreck for Garrett’s future? I wipe my eyes and turn my head to kiss my precious man. He loves us so much. I know he does. How could I question that, especially after this morning with Sierra in the classroom? He was amazing.

He didn’t flip out when she introduced him as her new daddy. He just hugged her and carried on with business as usual. I, on the other hand, was flipping my lid! I climb off of his lap and back into my seat. I buckle in and he starts driving toward his parents’ house. It’s a good thing I don’t wear a lot of makeup, or else we’d be in trouble. At least I put a dress and sandals on today. It would suck if I were in my standard yoga pants, tank top, and baseball hat. I take deep breath, trying to appear less anxious than I actually am.

We pull up to the gorgeous house his parents own in a very exclusive gated community. Garrett opens my car door to help me out. He puts his hand at the small of my back, guiding me toward the front door. I put my hand up to reach for the doorbell, but Garrett gently pushes it down. “No, babe, we can just go in,” and he opens the door.

I step to the side once we’re inside. I want to follow behind him. It feels a little uncomfortable, walking into the room ahead of him. The house smells lovely. I immediately notice the smell of homemade waffles. “Hey, Mom and Dad. We’re here,” Garrett calls out to his parents, taking my hand and walking toward the kitchen.

His mother is beautiful, and ever so sweet. She walks toward us, as soon as we come into the room, and immediately wraps her arms around me. “Oh, gorgeous girl, I’m so happy he finally brought you around. He’s been keeping you all to himself,” she says, hugging me, looking over my shoulder. “Where’s Sierra? I’m dying to see the little princess.”

Oh dear, I wasn’t expecting her to be so welcoming given my situation. Guess I could have slightly overreacted. “Thank you for having me over for breakfast, Mrs. McKenna. I’m sorry Sierra couldn’t be here. We just dropped her off at preschool. She has a few weeks left before summer vacation.”

She nods her head in understanding, “Well, that’s okay. Maybe I can meet her next week. And none of that Mrs. McKenna business, call me Elizabeth,” she says, looking at Garrett for confirmation.

“Mom, relax. I know you’re excited, but try to keep it under control. Let’s eat. Lex and I are starved. ”

Mr. McKenna walks into the room right then, as Elizabeth goes to the stove to start plating the food. This woman obviously loves to feed her family. Mr. McKenna walks over to us, and just as Elizabeth did, he wraps his arms around me and gives a good squeeze. “We’re so glad you’re here, Alexis. Did Sierra come, too?” he asks with all sincerity.

“Not this time, I’m sorry Mr. McKenna,” I reply.

“Listen, young lady, it’s James or whatever else you want, but none of that Mr. McKenna stuff!” he says in a tone so similar to the one Garrett uses sometimes. It makes me smile, because I’ve come to know that tone is filled with a lot of love.

We’re sitting at the huge island breakfast bar that Elizabeth has set for us. I suspect that she had a lot more notice of this visit than I did. I need to ask Garrett about that later. He pulls out the stool and stands beside me as I climb up. He takes the stool directly beside me.

We’re having a nice conversation about Garrett’s upcoming tour as his mom continues the final preparations. The thought of him not being around as much in a couple weeks is hard to imagine. It’s not that I don’t think I can be alone, I totally can, it’s that I’ve grown to like having him around. I’m sure we’ll still talk every day.

I get a whiff of something on the stove…oh my, bacon…I love bacon, but for some reason, it turns my stomach a bit and I feel the need to excuse myself from breakfast for a moment. “May I use your restroom?” I ask quickly.

Garrett looks to me. “Sure, sweetheart, let me show you where it is,” and he walks me toward the hall. “You okay, babe? You look a little pale,” he observes with concern.

“I’m fine, Garrett. Just tired. It was a late night last night!” I reply, winking at him with a sly smile. He grabs me by the hips and pins me against the wall with his body, pressing my hands above my head, kissing me.

The nauseous feeling immediately subsides, quickly replaced with warmth. I can feel my whole body react. “You may need a nap today, sweetheart, ‘cause I plan to keep you up late tonight, christening the bedroom and bathroom of my house,” he says in a husky whisper in my ear. “Go to the bathroom, gorgeous, and lock the damn door, or I may follow you in there.”

I’m laughing, as I run into the half bathroom and quickly lock the door. Just as he promised, I hear him jiggle the door handle. Maybe I should have kept it unlocked! No, what am I thinking? We’re in his parents’ home…how inappropriate can one person be?

I splash a bit of water on my cheeks. I love bacon. I’m not sure what made me have an aversion to the smell. That hasn’t happened to me before. But that kiss sure made me feel better quickly.

I make my way back to the kitchen and overhear Elizabeth telling Garrett, “Sweetheart, we love her and we’re so glad to see that you’re happy. Of course, we’ll look after her while you’re on tour. You need to stop worrying so much. It’s only a few weeks.” Garrett has his hands in his hair. It’s his typical move when he’s worried or frustrated.

I walk in and they all look toward me. Elizabeth says, “Alexis, you’re a lovely girl. I’m so glad you could make it today.”

Smiling, I reply, “Thank you, Elizabeth. There aren’t many things Garrett asks me to do that I won’t willingly do. Sometimes it just takes me a minute to process.”

Garrett looks to me and grins. “I’ll have to remember that, sweetheart.” And my face immediately heats up to what I’m sure is a very bright rose color. He kisses my cheek and his parents move along, placing the plates in front of each of us.

Breakfast is very tasty. As I suspected she did make homemade waffles, which are my favorite. The conversation is engaging and they’re interested in Sierra and me, our likes and dislikes, hobbies, and such. It’s all very sweet.

After we finish breakfast Elizabeth shoos us out of the kitchen and into the guest house for Garrett to pack his things. He doesn’t have a lot of stuff, which is kind of surprising. He gathers his things as I explore his space, picturing where he was sitting on the few occasions when we’ve been apart and talking on the phone.

I’m looking out the bedroom window, which overlooks a beautiful golf course, when I sense him behind me. He presses his body against my back. Immediately I recognize what I feel; my shirtless, beautiful man has a need. I wholeheartedly want to fulfill all those needs for him, because this man is more than just a fantasy come true to me. He’s quickly become my lifeline. I love him. I love the way he loves me and my outspoken, beautiful daughter, without expecting anything in return. I have no idea what I’ve done to deserve this.

He wraps his hands around my waist, pulling my bottom tight into his hardness. His heavy breathing in my ear brings warmth to my center. I too have a need…I can’t stand not being close to this man. It’s been an emotionally packed few days and I haven’t had enough alone time with Garrett to assure me he’s real, and that what I’m feeling is real.

He’s nibbling my ear. His hands have a good hold on my hip bones. I arch my back, pushing myself into his hardness, and a moan escapes me. He growls. “Babe, I want to feel you right now. I need to be closer,” he says in rough voice.

“Yes,” I reply breathlessly. That’s all I can manage, because my own need to be as close to him as possible is far too great. I want him, badly!

He turns me in his arms and lifts me off the ground. My legs instinctively find their place, wrapping around his waist. “Garrett, I love you so much!” I say, as I tighten my grip around his shoulders and neck. “I just didn’t know I could ever love any man this much. Please, don’t ever leave us.” Small tears are leaking out of my eyes, dripping down his neck. He carries me to the bed and lays me down with so much care.

“Alexis, my heart feels like it’s about to explode. I’ve never in my life felt this full of love. Baby, you and Sierra will never be without me. I’m here. I’ll always be here, even when I’m away on that stupid tour. Babe, it’s you that I’ll be counting the minutes to be with again…and I won’t be gone for six weeks at a time. I’ll come here every break, so the most you’ll be without me is three weeks. And, sweetheart, we’ll be burning up the damn phone lines.” He’s kissing away my tears again. “You, my gorgeous girl, will be very sick of me. I promise.”

I smile and sniffle. “That’ll never happen. I love you too much. Make love to me, please?” I plead, lifting my hips to meet his.

“Lady, you never have to ask me twice,” he says, as he lowers the zipper on the side of my sundress.

He removes my dress and lays it neatly over the footboard. It’s very different from clothes being thrown haphazardly across the room, which is what normally occurs, but his lust filled eyes are still glowing with passion. He loves me and he’s making love to me to prove it. He removes my bra and I reach to help him, trying to speed things up a bit. He smirks and shakes his head.

“No, sweetheart, this is my job.”

I’m feeling a bit desperate for his hardness. My body is acting on its own. Every place his fingers grace is left with a trail of fire. “Ace, please, hurry.”

He chuckles under his breath. “Shhh, we have all day, baby, and I want to enjoy this hot little body. I’m taking my time. Relax.” This frustrates me a little, but I want to please him, so I will myself to be more patient. I know he’ll give me the satisfaction I’m so desperate for.

He graces me with a trail of kisses down my body. He reaches my breasts, taking his time and offering each nipple equal time and affection. Then he moves to my stomach with little nips and butterfly touches that tickle a little, and he places two kisses on each hip bone with a little lick and nip. He loves my hip bones. He’s always touching them and paying special attention to them. Then he’s at my center. He’s kissing and nibbling my inner thighs, and before my next breath I feel his hot tongue reach my clit. That’s all it takes for my body to buck wildly. He presses my hips into the bed. “I know, sweetheart, I’ll take care of it.” And he does. First, he enters my center with one finger while his mouth continues its assault on my clit. Then he includes the second finger and I explode under his tongue.

“GARRETT, YES! I LOVE YOU! ALWAYS!”

As my body is spiraling back down to earth, he climbs up the bed, hovering over me, waiting for my eyes to open and look into his. “Babe, that’s so fucking amazing. I love watching you fall apart in my arms.”

I grin at him. “I didn’t just fall apart, ace. You did
that
and I damn well exploded!” He has the most amazing chest and shoulder muscles, when he’s perched above me this way, he’s hotter than ever! I feel lucky because he’s mine and I can see this...whenever I want! I feel his length at my entrance and he slides in.

“Damn, babe…nothing is better. Nothing will ever make me feel this good,” he says in a groan of bliss.

He slides his length in and out, kissing me and carefully watching my expression. He’s always so attentive to my needs. “Look at me, beautiful.” He’s telling me what he wants, “I want to see those hazel gems. Keep your eyes open.” And I try, but he feels so amazing it’s hard not to escape into the bliss. There’s so much love and passion being passed between the two of us right now. I can feel my inner muscles spasm. I know I’m getting close, as Garrett increases the pace. I wrap each of my legs around his thighs and push him deeper with my ankles.

“Fuck …Lex, you ready, baby?” he growls.

“YES.” I explode again, as he fills me with all his warmth.

He rolls over onto his back, taking me with him, so that I’m resting on his chest. He’s not ready to separate from me, yet. He always likes to hold me afterward.

“Lex, why do you call me ace? I haven’t heard that in years. You’re the only one who ever called me that,” he asks, while we lay still connected, regaining a normal breathing pattern.

“You always ace everything you do. I’ve always been so proud of you.” He doesn’t respond right away. He just stares.

Garrett

Chapter 21

What did I ever ace when we hung out in college? I wasn’t successful then. Shit, when I finally made it to Nashville, I would have lived in my car had it not been for my parents making sure I always had a roof over my head. What is she talking about? “Sweetheart, I’m not sure that cleared it up for me. I wasn’t successful then.”

She just shakes her head.  “Garrett, do you really think you being a superstar is how I measured your success? I thought you were amazing way before then. I was happy when the world finally figured out what I already knew. But, Garrett, I watched your talent and dedication far before your first number one track. You totally aced the music thing. You were smart and had tons of friends. You were kind and had swarms of girls around you. And, even though, you were constantly surrounded by girls, and I was incredibly jealous at times, I don’t think they ever really understood you or saw your greatness the way I did.”

“I was proud and that was my way of telling you. I’m sorry it wasn’t clear to you back then. You aced life…music, friends, family, girls…you were amazing and it came easily to you, because you’re such a great person. I’m proud of you, always have been.”

Shit, she thinks I aced life. That couldn’t be further from the truth, but looking at the crap ass life she’s been dealt, I can imagine how it looks that way from her point of view. I feel like I’ve sacrificed so much for this life, and I’ve missed out.

“Baby, the only thing in this life I want to ace, is you and the little blond mini-you. I could give a rat’s ass about the rest of it. I want you, and I don’t want to screw it up. Please, don’t let me,” I say to her. I want to be worthy of this name she’s given me, but I want it to be for something meaningful. I want to ace loving her. I want to ace being a good family man for her.