Always

Chapter 43

“So…” I started, wanting to discuss something that had been on my mind ever since our reunion but unsure of how to really have the conversation.

“So,” he repeated, waiting patiently for me to continue. 

“Um, I’ve been meaning to ask… are you… are you okay with what’s happened?” I asked, hoping I wouldn’t have to clarify more than that.

“What do you mean?”

Clearly I would have to be blunt.  “Are you okay with… us, you know, having sex?” I turned my gaze up to him, wanting to see how he reacted.  Often his reactions told me much more than his actual words.

“Um,” he said, blushing fiercely. “I think you would know if I wasn’t.” I was happy to see that he was smiling, despite the pink tinge to his cheeks. 

“I mean, I thought you would say something, but I just wanted to be sure you didn’t feel…. Pressured or whatever,” I told him, feeling that familiar sensation of not wanting to push him too far.

“Joey, I don’t want to sound like a typical guy, but I love every second of… being with you,” he said, blush darkening his skin once more.  We had reached his car now, and he had thrown open the back gate of his SUV so we could put our items there. 

I waited until he had slammed the hatch shut before responding.  Stepping close in front of him, I took the front of his shirt in my hands and rubbed the fabric between my fingers before raising my gaze to look him in the eye.

“You make me feel so good, Harry,” I told him honestly, closely observing his eyes, which were staring intently into mine.  His breath hitched softly at my words.

“That’s all I want to do, love,” he replied softly.  His hands came up to rest under the crooks of my ears, fingers burying themselves in my hair.  “I can’t even tell you how amazing you make me feel.”

I sucked in a sharp breath at his words, heart pounding a little harder in my chest.  I could feel my lips had parted slightly as my eyes peered into his.  “I feel like I say this a lot now but I really, really love you.”

His lips stretched in a smile, dimples denting into his cheeks as he looked at me. “You could never say it too much, love, promise.  I love you, too,” he said before leaning down to kiss me once, letting his lips linger against mine before pulling back and stroking his thumb across my cheek.

“Home?” he asked gently.

“Home,” I agreed.  We parted from the back of his car and climbed into our respective seats.  Almost immediately, his hand dove across the seats to grab hold of mine, making me smile like a lunatic.  I couldn’t believe how incredibly happy I felt in this moment. 

Our drive home was full of light-hearted conversation.  Harry attempted to tell me jokes while I laughed maniacally at his poor attempts.  He pretended to be offended and refused to smile until I had apologized profusely, claiming he was the funniest person I’d ever met. 

I couldn’t help but giggle at the goofy smiles he would shoot me every few seconds, tearing his gaze away from the road for only a split second to look at me.  Tonight had been so perfect, I wouldn’t have changed a single thing about it.

When we pulled onto our street, I already started to feel the pang of disappointment that always hit whenever I had to leave Harry.  If I could, I would be with him constantly, all day, every day.  He pulled into my driveway and threw his car into park, turning to face me in his seat.  It was late, so I knew he would have to go home. 

He smiled softly at me from over the console before jerking his head back quickly and leaning forward, indicating he wanted me to lean in as well.  I giggled quietly before obliging, bringing my face closer to his.  He quickly closed the distance between us, hand cupping under my chin as his lips closed around mine. 

As always, our innocent kiss quickly grew more heated.  His tongue slid along my lower lip before parting my mouth and running along my own.  My hand came up to rest along his jaw, holding him firmly to me as his lips molded against my own. 

His hand had just landed on my thigh when a loud crash sounded from my house, making both of us jump and spring apart.  Both of our gazes were jerked toward my house, widening at the sound of a second crash, followed quickly by the sound of my mother yelling something inaudible.

“What the hell,” I said before abruptly throwing open my door and rushing out of the car.  Harry sat stunned in the driver’s seat before quickly coming to his senses and following me up the driveway hurriedly. 

“Wait, Joey,” he called, running to catch up with me.  I felt him tug on my arm, trying to slow me down.  “You don’t know what’s going on in there,” he tried to reason.  “It could be dangerous.”

“My mom’s in there yelling, I have to go in,” I said distractedly, trying to shake his grip from my arm as I continued on my path to the front door.  He sighed audibly before resigning, quickly giving up on trying to reason with me and instead following close behind me, ready to protect me if necessary.  Another loud crash sounded through the air just as I reached my front door. 

Without hesitating, I threw my shoulder into it and jerked it open.  The loud shouts of my mother were much clearer now as she continued to yell at whomever was in our kitchen with her.  I rushed through the hallway, desperate to see what was going on.

“You lying, conniving, sack of shit!” I heard my mother hurl at the mystery intruder.  “How dare you!”

My mind was buzzing with confusion and anxiety as I reached the end of the hall and turned into the kitchen.  I stopped so suddenly that Harry crashed into my back behind me, but I didn’t even budge.  I was frozen in my tracks. 

My mother was standing near the sink, positively seething with tears streaking down her face, hands balled into angry fists her sides.  The source of the crashing was now evident as I took in the sight of various dishes shattered all over the wood floor, dangerous shards littering the entire kitchen surface. 

The target of my mother’s rage stood in the corner, pressed against the countertop, hair standing on end from running his hand through it in distress.  A look of shock and regret was formed on his face, which looked like it had aged years since the last time I saw him. 

It was a man I hadn’t seen in weeks, months even.  A man I had never seen so dejected or upset in my entire life.  There, in my kitchen, looking like a completely stranger, was my father.