5. Ace
5
ACE
Heart pounding, working to catch my breath, erection pressing against the unforgiving zipper of my jeans, I turn Sheri toward the stairs, swatting her gently on that glorious ass of hers.
“Off you go,” I say just ahead of a plaintive cry.
“Mooo-oooo-mmmy!”
“I’m coming, I’m coming,” she calls out, and I unabashedly watch and savor the view of Sheri making her way upstairs.
The sight causes more discomfort, but it’s worth it.
My mind reels at all that’s transpired in the last ten minutes. My entire world has just shifted beneath my feet, and I’m a little unsteady. But there are no words to express how grateful I am. This could have, and I honestly thought had, played out way differently.
The feel of Sheri’s soft, warm body is forever imprinted in my brain, even if only temporarily on my body. I can still feel her warmth as I held her close to me, tucked up against my heart that now seems to beat solely for her.
I am forever changed and understand, in this moment, that there will never be another for me. I’m not sure how we’re going to navigate all the raw emotions, guilt and pitfalls, but we’ll figure it out. Right now, I feel invincible and like I can do anything, so I have faith we’ll find our way.
By the time Sheri returns, my hard-on has thankfully gone down, because she has two little tails following her.
“You guys can go settle on the sofa and play your game for thirty minutes, while I go get dinner sorted. Okay?”
“Yay, thirty minutes,” James shouts.
Luke, a little more aware of time, pouts for a second.
“Thirty’s better than ten, don’t you think?” Sheri asks with a raised eyebrow.
The boy, being the smart kid I know him to be, gets what she’s saying and nods before hastening to join his brother.
“Nicely done, Mama.” I grin at her.
“Yeah, what can I say. I’ve got to be bad cop sometimes.” She shrugs, returning my grin. “Got somewhere to be this evening, or would you like to stay for dinner? Nothing fancy, just spaghetti.”
“Sounds better than the frozen dinner I was contemplating for this evening. Thanks, I’d like that.”
There’re a million things we need to talk about, resolve, figure out, but for now we need to shelve it so Sheri can be present for her children. She’s an incredible mother and those boys are blessed to have her. So, tamping down the impatience of wanting to talk about it all right this second, I offer her my help instead.
Between us, we make short work of getting food on the table. Sitting down, one child on each side, I’m counting my blessings as Luke says grace.
A lively conversation has time flying by, and before I know it the plates are scraped clean, the amazing garlic bread is devoured, and the kids are clearing the table.
“All right, you two ragamuffins, here’s the options. You can either have another thirty minutes screen time, or we can play a game before quiet time. What will it be?”
Convinced they’re going to pick screen time, I’m taken aback when both boys reply in unison, “A game, please.”
They seem to do that often, and I can’t help but wonder if it’s because they’ve learned to lean on each other since Mav’s passing.
“Okay then. Luke, you finish clearing the table. James, you go grab a boardgame. I’ll go and make the hot cocoa. Meet you back here.”
“Go team,” James yells.
“And me? What am I, chopped liver?” I tease.
Luke and James wrinkle their little noses at the idea of liver, while Sheri laughs. “You, Sir SEAL, may wipe down the table before helping James set up whichever game he picks. Work for you?”
“Yeah, I can get down with that.”
Everyone scatters to their respective tasks, and I take a moment to bask in something I’ve helped with for years, all the while appreciating how different it feels after our earlier conversation and interaction. When we all gather back around and I take in Sheri, Luke, and James, I experience a moment of regret that Maverick isn’t with the family he helped create. Sharp on the heels of that feeling comes one of gratitude that, while he can’t be, I am.
Sending up a word of thanks, I settle down to immerse myself in the joy of being with the three of them.
When the game is done, Luke and James make short work of packing everything back in the box, and while Luke returns the box to the games closet, James looks up at me, a pleading look on his face.
“Luke n’ me get thirty minutes quiet time. Will you please come read us a bedtime story after? Please?”
“Yes, please,” Luke chimes from over by the games closet.
“Sure, I can do that. When your quiet time’s over, your mom can tuck you in, and I’ll read you a story.” A task I’ve done thousands of times over the past almost five years, but somehow feels different. “As long as it’s okay with her?” I say, looking over at her.
“Yeah, I’m good with that.” Her soft smile aimed at her babies suddenly makes me want this for myself, even more than before.
“Yaaaaay.” James can be heard from upstairs still, as they run to make the best of the last minutes before bedtime.
“I love that boy like my own but, God, does he ever do anything under twenty-five thousand decibels?”
A peculiar look crosses Sheri’s face. It disappears almost as quickly as it appeared before she laughs.
“Nope, sorry. That child is full throttle all the time, in everything he does. He’d rather run when he could walk, shout when he could speak. He’s all in, all the time. He’s been like that since he drew his first breath.”
“Oh good, so it’s not just for my benefit then.” I laugh in response to her words.
“Yeah, no. Sorry, pal. You’re not that special. Everyone gets equal treatment.”
I soak in the moment, appreciating the one-on-one time.
At the back of my mind, I know we need to figure out how we’re going to integrate into our group as a couple, but that’s something we’ll need to talk about. For now, I just want to enjoy this special time. I’ll deal with the guilt of hijacking another man’s family when I’m on my own.
Unable to help myself, I once again watch Sheri as she accompanies the kids up. When she’s out of sight, I get to my feet and head into the kitchen to set it to rights so that she won’t have to later. Twenty minutes later I’m done, so I follow the others to find all three of them lying on their stomachs racing toy cars around a racetrack mat.
Leaning up against the jamb, I quietly watch them. Out of nowhere, my heart squeezes at the thought of how much Maverick is missing out on, and I can’t help but wonder what he would think about Sheri and me hooking up.
“Okay, you two sausages, bedtime,” Sheri says checking her watch. I do the same and see it’s four minutes over the allotted thirty minutes.
I fully expect there to be whining and pleading for “just a few more minutes”. Yet again, I’m surprised by how quickly and easily they comply. Lightning quick, the room is set to rights, and the boys hop into bed. Despite each having a room of their own, apparently, they choose to share one.
“Mommy, can you please call Uncle Ace to come read to us,” I hear James ask.
Straightening, I step forward. “Here I am. I heard your thought bubble and came before you could ask. Magic, right?”
I grin over at the kids as they stare at me with huge eyes.
“You can read our thoughts?” James asks in a near whisper, as if he’s worried about what I might have discovered.
I take pity on them. “Sometimes. Mostly I don’t pay attention.”
I can’t prevent the laugh that bubbles out when Sheri tosses a throw pillow at me. Apparently, these little suckers are aptly named.
She waves a hand at the rocking chair beside the bed and hands me a book as I step past her and take a seat. The book they’ve chosen is an old favorite, I see. Leaning back in the rocker, I open The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis and begin to read.
“Once there were four children whose names were Peter, Susan, Edmond, and Lucy...”
The two of them settle down, ready to be entertained as I do the different characters’ voices to make the reading experience more fun for them. But it isn’t overly long before their eyelids begin to droop. Usually, Sheri will call lights out, but tonight I keep reading until I feel a soft touch on my arm. Looking up at her, she nods to Luke and James.
Oh, they’re lights out, all right.
Closing the book, I place it on the dresser and lean over to drop a kiss on each boy’s cheek before heading downstairs to wait for Sheri.
“Hey,” she says quietly, joining me minutes later. “Coffee?”
I check my watch. “Yeah, there’s time for one last coffee before I need to get going.”
She nods. I don’t need to verbalize that I have to be up at stupid o’ clock. Sheri knows the drill.
“So, what now, Ace? Where to from here?” Sheri asks as she puts a mug down in front of me and takes a seat across from me.
“Truthfully? I don’t know. I guess it’s something we need to talk about. I was just wondering if you’d like to go away with me next weekend or the weekend after so we can do exactly that. There’s so much that needs discussing. What do you think?”
Sheri chews on her bottom lip as she contemplates her answer. Eventually, she replies. “Sure, that sounds like a great idea. I’ll see if I can find a babysitter for this weekend. If not, I’ll try for next. I’ll let you know as soon as, so we can book somewhere.”
“Sounds good.” Draining the last of my coffee, I get to my feet. “I hate to leave, but you know how it goes.”
“Yeah, I do. Let me walk you out.”
Feeling like a schoolboy, I take Sheri’s hand as we amble over to the front door, neither in a hurry to get there despite me having to go.
She opens the door as we reach it, and I step out onto the porch before turning back to face her.
“I’m really glad I stopped by this evening,” I say, cupping her cheeks in my hands.
“Me too.” Sheri gifts me one of those soft smiles she often gives her boys — the one that lets them know they’re loved, and I bask in the feeling.
I step up close to her, pulling her in and tucking her up close to my heart. Leaning in, I give her a moment to back away if she doesn’t want me to kiss her. When she simply waits, I close the gap and lay my lips on hers. What starts out as a warm, gentle, exploratory kiss quickly turns passionate. Tongues dueling, hands gripping, we ride the wave until we’re forced apart for breath.
“Damn, woman. If I let you, you’d consume me in a fiery blaze, leaving nothing but a pile of smoldering ashes at your feet. You are way too hot for your own good.”
“I was thinking something very similar about you,” Sheri replies, eyes glittering and cheeks flushed. Hot, with a capital H.O.T
“Before I push you inside, slam your front door, and take you right up against said door, best I get going. I have an early start, and besides, I don’t think either of us are ready for the next step quite yet.”
She sinks her teeth into that juicy bottom lip and nods, taking a step back into the house.
“Go on and close the door and lock it, peaches. I’ll wait.”
Before I can blink, Sheri steps forward and lays the softest of kisses on my lips, then steps back inside and does as instructed. Once I hear the locks engage, I turn on my heel and jog to my car. On my drive home, I go over everything that’s transpired in the last few hours and wonder where the hell we go from here.
Wherever that is, I can’t wait to see how it unfolds.
I cannot wait for the weekend.