Chapter 11: Full circle
Matthew
One and a half hours later
Jen wraps her arms around me and kisses the back of my neck. “You sure you want to go? We can cancel if you want.”
I twist to face her and wrap both arms around her waist. “No, this is important to you. I want to go.”
She searches my face. “I know you still have a lot to figure out when it comes to the Slades being your family….”
“They’re definitely a lot to take in,” I reply, with a shake of my head. “But I didn’t have the best reaction either.”
Having spent the past few weeks doing my best to avoid them, I know it’s time to face the music. I know the Slades are good people, and no matter how long I need to process it all, they’re family to Jen. And that’s all that matters.
Besides, with the case behind us, I’m ready to stop running and face them head on.
“I think I want to try and make something out of this,” I add, after a brief pause. “I mean, I don’t know if I’ll ever call Miles dad, but I need to start processing this all sooner or later.”
“I think that’s a great idea.”
“Yeah?”
Jen nods. “Absolutely. And I know it wasn’t easy to understand your mom’s perspective either, but you’re handling it a lot better than I would’ve, that’s for sure.”
As much as I don’t appreciate the truth being kept from me, I also know why mom did it. As a young college student, she hadn’t been given a lot of options when she found out she was pregnant. Since no one approved of her relationship with Miles anyway, my mom had convinced herself that avoiding him was for the best.
Telling him the truth was her responsibility, but I hope that in time, I would better understand why she didn’t.
“You’re giving me too much credit.”
Jen touches my face and presses her forehead to mine. “I don’t think you’re giving yourself enough.”
“We’ll see, I guess,” I whisper, pausing to tuck her hair behind her ears. “I’m really glad you have them, Jen. You’re lucky.”
“So are you.” She draws back to look at me and smiles. “Once you get used to them, you’re not going to be able to live without them. They’re amazing, Matt, really.”
“Kind of like you?”
“I’m a delight,” Jen teases, pausing to give me a slow, sultry grin. “You know, we can always be a little late to lunch.”
My hands move to her ass and I squeeze. “What did youhave in mind?”
Jen steps out of my reach and slowly pulls the hem of her shirt up. She wiggles in a feeble attempt at a sexy striptease, and I laugh. “Come on, big boy,” she whispers in the worst fake sexy voice ever. “Let’s see what you’ve got.”
“You’re adorable,” I tease.
She stops, eyes me with a mischievous smile, then wriggles some more. Her panties drop to the floor, and she kicks them to me. “How’s that for adorable?”
My heart is pounding as I rip my tie off and toss it away.
The rest of my clothes are left in a heap as I advance on Jen.
She giggles and darts out of my reach and in the direction of the hallway. I catch her in the doorway to her room and throw her over my shoulders.
Jen laughs and kicks her legs out.
I set her down on the bed and push her skirt up, our lips entangled in a fiery kiss that has me burning like a furnace.