32. Austin
32
AUSTIN
S he’s gorgeous, perfect, and mine.
I don’t care if us being together is wrong.
I know how I feel when we’re together, and that can never be wrong.
She makes my heart skip beats before doubling its rhythm.
She takes the air from my lungs, but that’s okay because I would give her my last breath if it meant she could have one more.
Every inch of my being craves to touch her, smell her, and taste her.
She’s my biggest addiction and my only weakness. And I’ll give up anything I have to keep her.
That includes my life, my job, and my best friend because all of that doesn’t make me feel as good as she does.
I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that she’s the woman I’m supposed to spend my life with.
I used to think I was meant to be alone. It was the only thing that made sense because I never met a woman I couldn’t turn down.
But then she walked into my life and everything changed.
I was no longer strong. I no longer wanted to stand on my own.
The way I feel when I’m inside of her, when she’s clinging to me and begging me to give her all of me, is the greatest high I’ve ever experienced.
And that means too much to let it slip away.
I sit up and grab her hair, yanking her head back as I drive myself into her deeper.
With my left arm wrapped around her waist, I pull her into my thrusts.
Her pussy tightens around me, and I know we’re both so close that we can taste it.
She’s panting, whimpering, and moaning, and it makes me feel so good to see her so wild and free, not holding back, giving me all of her, and trusting me to not break her.
“Fuck,” I cry as I lose myself.
My cock twitches inside her, spilling my cum into her body as her cunt spasms around me, milking me for everything I’m worth.
We ride our highs together and then collapse onto the couch, clinging to one another’s sweaty bodies.
I have no idea what’s in store for us, but I don’t care because I know that no matter what happens, we’ll handle it together.
Once we calm down, I carry her to the shower and we clean up for the night.
Once we get out, we pull on comfortable clothes and catch up on laundry for the week while I order pizza.
We eat on the couch, watching Netflix just like we’ve done for the past month.
Neither of us has mentioned what happened earlier with her dad, but it still weighs on us.
There’s nothing we can do about it right now, though. We have to give him the time he needs to accept it and come around.
We head to bed around ten o’clock. She rolls into me, hugging me tightly as I breathe in the smell of her shampoo.
Her warmth settles over me, and my eyes close as I picture how our lives could go together.
I’m so exhausted from the day that it doesn’t take any time at all to fall asleep.
“Don’t forget to be nice,” Kay says, stepping in front of me to smooth my tie.
“I don’t want to do this,” I tell her, sounding like a child who’s not getting his way.
She gives me a soft smile as her eyes shine. Even though we’ve been together for twenty years, when she looks at me this way, it still feels like I’m looking at her for the first time. “We have to be nice.”
I scoff. “No father wants to meet their daughter’s boyfriend. Whose idea was it to have this dinner in a restaurant?” I look around the lobby, annoyed that I’m not in the comfort of our home.
“Laura’s.”
My jaw tightens. “You know that means she already knows I’m going to hate this kid. What’s the big deal? She’s twenty-two. It’s not like she’s going to run off and marry this guy any time soon.”
My wife looks up at me. “You realize that I was only twenty-four when I got pregnant with her, don’t you?”
“Don’t remind me.”
She grins. “I’m sure she’s not even thinking of kids right now. They’re young and have their whole lives ahead of them. She just wants us to meet her boyfriend because they’ve been together for a couple of months. That’s what children do, you know?”
“Fine; let’s get this over with.” I take her hand and lead her into the dining room.
I see our daughter sitting by the far wall, her date is facing her so all I can see is the back of his dark head.
I lead my wife in their direction, noticing the change when Laura sees us.
Her blue eyes double, and she quickly says something to her date. He sits a little taller, and I notice the tug he gives his jacket to smooth it out.
We arrive at the table and Laura stands, hugging us both. “Mom, Dad, this is Damon Truman, my boyfriend. Damon, this is my mom and dad, Kaylee and Austin.”
The man stands and turns to face us. He offers a smile and holds out a hand that my wife takes. I stand frozen as I look at the man who is at least ten years older than my little girl.
“Truman? I thought that was your professor’s name?” Kay asks.
Laura visibly swallows her worry. “It is. Damon is my professor.”
My chest tightens…
My eyes pop open, and I jump.
Kay doesn’t wake up; she just rolls away, which is good because I’m so hot that I’m sweating.
What the fuck kind of dream was that? I
n what world would God give me a daughter?
A daughter who would start a relationship with a much older man, a man who was supposed to be someone she could trust?
It feels like I’ve been punched in the gut when I realize the connection.
I’m much older than Kay. I wasn’t her professor, but I was the man her father trusted to work on her house.
Suddenly, I’m too pissed to sleep.
I push the blankets back, slip out of the room, and go downstairs.
In the kitchen, I open the freezer door for my whiskey before I realize that I’m at Kay’s house.
“Fuck,” I mutter.
I head into the laundry room and grab clothes from the dryer. I pull them on, along with my boots, and slip out the front door, locking it behind me.
I walk into the bar a little while later. The place still has several people hanging out, even though it’s a Sunday night.
The tables are cleaned up, and the chairs are stacked on top. All the lights are off except for the ones around the bar.
Pushing myself to walk deeper, I round the corner of the bar to see Dave sitting a few seats down.
Part of me wants to sit beside him. The other part of me wants to leave.
I know he needs his space, but I don’t want him to think that I’m running from him so I push myself forward, taking the seat beside him like I normally would.
The bartender walks up, and I order a double shot of whiskey. When she walks away, I glance at Dave. “Can’t sleep?”
He takes a swig of his beer. “Nope. Got into an argument with the wife.”
“I hate to hear that.”
He scoffs. “You’ll know what it’s like soon enough.”
I’m not sure how to respond, so I don’t. The bartender brings my drink, and I take a sip.
“What are you doing here so late?”
“I had a nightmare and couldn’t go back to sleep,” I confess.
Even though we’re talking, neither of us are looking at the other.
“’Bout what?”
I want to ask him why he cares. He’s supposed to be pissed.
Is he still angry, or is he just drunk enough to let go of his anger for a moment?
“Honestly?” I ask, finally glancing over at him.
He refuses to look at me but nods, knowing I can see him.
I sip the whiskey, lick my lips, and start. “It was twenty-something years from now. Kay and I were married, and we went to a restaurant to meet our daughter’s new boyfriend. For the first time in my life, I felt the anger, worry, and love of having a daughter you want to protect. And then she introduced her boyfriend. He was much older, and her professor. I guess you could say I was given a sample of what I handed out.”
“I’ve been thinking about you two,” he says, pushing his empty beer away and flagging the bartender down for another. “I know what you said earlier is true. I know you’re better for her than any guy her age. I know I can trust you to protect her, care for her, love her, and make her happy. What I can’t get over is that you went behind my back and stole something so precious from me.”
I swallow the emotion in my throat. “What could I have done, Dave? We both know if I would’ve asked your permission, you would have laughed in my face.”
His brow twitches.
“Plus, coming to you would have shown you that everything with us was premeditated, and it wasn’t.” I shake my head. “Kay wasn’t a choice. I knew it was wrong to touch her, but I had no control. We fought to stay away from one another, for you, but fate won out. Suddenly, I understood why I never met and fell for anyone before. She’s the woman I’m meant to spend my life with, Dave.”
“Beth thinks I’m overreacting,” he confesses.
That’s news. Beth is on our side?
“She says Kaylee is an adult and has the right to choose anyone she wants, that we don’t get a say in how she lives her life. And she’s right.” He picks up his beer and takes a drink.
“You think she’s right?”
He nods. “I know she’s right. I remember being her age. If my father would have told me that I couldn’t be with the woman I loved…”
He shakes his head and laughs. “I wouldn’t have listened.” He looks at me now. “But here’s the thing. This is my life, and I might not have a say about who my daughter loves, but I do have a say on who I allow to stand by my side. All these years, it’s been you. But that was when I could trust you. As a father, I hope you care for my daughter, treat her right, and give her everything she desires. As a man who’s talking to someone he’s known all his life… you and I done.” He pushes back from the bar and leaves me staring after him.