I back down. I feel emotionally wrung. As much as I love Vanessa and want to protect her, I don’t have any more fight left in me. Mother and daughter will need to sort this one between themselves.
We struggle to keep a conversation going. Just when it seems that we have it, it erupts into an angry exchange of words. We have too much bad blood between us. Too much resentment, though I have no idea why she would resent me. Maybe I remind her too much of the past. Maybe my gaze is accusing and I’m not aware of it. Whatever it is, Mom and I will never be friends.
“I have to go,” she says half an hour later. I call for an Uber and I walk her downstairs.
The Uber comes and before she enters, she stares at me. We both know it’s her first and last time to visit. The gulf between us is too wide. We can’t bridge it.
“Take care of yourself,” she says.
“I will, Mom. Take care of yourself too.”
She enters the car and bangs the door shut. I stand there watching it as it drives off. My vision blurs as tears fill my eyes.
Chapter 24
Ace
It takes days before the effects of Lexi’s mom’s visit fade away. She’s mostly back to herself now. Her eyes don’t fill up with tears unexpectedly and she’s stopped having nightmares.
I’ll never forget how forlorn Lexi had looked as she stood downstairs watching her mom drive off. It had taken everything in me to stay still and not go to her. She needed that moment to mourn what might have been with her mother.
Lexi told me things about her mother that have made me see how easy I had it, how blessed I was to grow up with my parents. They were not ideal, but it could have been worse. Lexi is a wonderful mother and person, against all odds. Just thinking of what she endured while growing up makes me feel humbled. She’s the strongest person I know.
I understand now why she panicked when she and Luna moved into the condo. It was a loss of control. The last person who had control over her was her mother and she abused it by not taking care of her. It will take a long, long time for Lexi to feel safe with me. I’m not in any rush. Slowly by slowly, I’ll win her trust.
I keep to the speed limit when what I want to do is to step on the gas and hurry home to my girls. I love work, especially now that the guys and I have gotten to know one another. There’s never a dull moment at work and the twenty-four-hour shift just zips by. The emergencies range from medical emergencies to fires to false alarms and anything else in between.
I get home and sprint from the parking lot to the condo. I do everything silently as I don’t want to wake my girls up. After checking on Luna, I pad to the master bedroom. Lexi does not hear me, and I quietly shed my clothes and slip into the warm bed next to her.
Still, in her sleep, she sidles up to me and throws a hand across my body. She’s warm and the moment she touches me, my body reacts. Her nightshirt has ridden up her body and she has nothing on underneath. My shaft swells and I slide my hands down to cup her ass. I do it gently so as not to wake her up.
I squeeze her flesh and a moan escapes her lips. There’s no way I’m going to catch any sleep. I’m wide awake and though I had hoped to catch a few hours of sleep, my body is aching for Lexi.
I turn slowly to face her. I trace a finger down her cleavage and unable to help it, I cup her breasts. I watch her face as I play with her nipples and I know the exact moment when she wakes up. She moans first and then her eyes pop open.
“Is that you Ace?” she says sleepily.
“I hope so,” I tell her with a chuckle. “It’s not time to get up yet. Sleep.”
I slide further down to feast on her breasts. Lexi lets out a soft laugh mingled with a moan.
“Sleep you said?” she says.
“Yes,” I say in between mouthfuls of sweetness.
I’ve studied Lexi’s body more than I’ve ever paid attention to anything. I know that she likes her nipples stimulated but not for too long otherwise they become unbearably sensitive. I keep all these things in mind as I worship her body.
I drop further down to the heat of her pussy. I place one leg over my shoulder and bury my head between her thighs. Her cries of pleasure reach my ears and I find myself grinning knowing that she’s trying very hard not to make too much noise.