We Still Have Today
WE STILL HAVE TODAY
I stood in the driveway, staring at Abraham’s house. For the last week, there had been a sense of impending dread hanging over me. I needed to leave Firefly and meet with Spectrum Studios to talk about the project. Amanda would be joining me, and as much as I loved her company, I wanted the man shouting in the backyard to be the one by my side in the hotel room.
“One more day,” I whispered. Despite wanting to spend my last day curled up on Bobby’s couch, he insisted I join him at his father’s house. My plans had involved fewer clothes, even if I looked pretty good in overalls. The flannel, however, that would take some getting used to. Tessa was going to have a field day with my new look.
I walked alongside the house until I reached the gate. “You’re going to kill yourself!” Laurel yelled. I reached for the latch, admiring the woodwork. Every plank had Bobby’s signature touch—each piece fitting perfectly, carefully laid out, with a small heart cut into one of the boards.
With a deep breath, I pushed aside the fear of goodbye and grounded myself in the here and now. Bobby’s ability to live in the moment had rubbed off on me. The fear of leaving him and returning to Hollywood would still be there tomorrow. Right now, I wanted to soak in the love and affection of my growing circle of friends.
I opened the gate and sauntered in. Tessa and Laurel were sitting on a picnic table while Abraham and Bobby were raising the frame for one of the shed’s walls. They secured it in place, and I heard the loud thwap-thwap-thwap of the nail gun. Will was in the middle of bringing drinks on a serving tray when the noise startled him, the lemonade in the pitcher sloshing over the edge.
This was the marriage of my past and present.
“About time you showed up,” Laurel said.
“Right? Actors,” Tessa added, rolling her eyes. “I’m about to jump in and show them how it’s done.” Tessa wouldn’t dare risk breaking a nail, though. “Christopher Wilde, what the hell are you wearing?”
I ignored her jab as I walked past. For the last week, Tessa had been working furiously to get everything in place for our next project. Once she read Amanda’s comic, she went all in. I think everyone who read it found a bit of themselves illustrated on those pages. If I didn’t know better, I’d swear Amanda had modeled the best friend after Tessa. My agent would never admit it, but the story had gotten its hooks in her.
“Okay, I think it’s time for a break,” Laurel said.
“But we’re—” Bobby started.
“Tired,” Abraham finished. He might be in his twilight years, but he wasn’t letting his son outshine him. I was sure Will would be sneaking him ibuprofen when no one was looking.
Bobby only wore his overalls, and I didn’t need to ask to know there was nothing underneath. I suddenly appreciated the extra room in the crotch. He threw an arm over my shoulder, spinning me around to inspect the shed. Cement foundation and four walls… so far.
“Not a bad start to the day. I hope you’re ready to get your hands dirty.”
I held up my hands. “There’s a first time for everything. Do I get to play with the nail gun?”
“Uhm… about that… no.”
“How else am I going to learn?” I bumped my hip against his. “Besides, you’re going to need me for the cabin.”
He turned, giving me a kiss on the forehead. “Oscar has the plans, and he’s figuring out the details.” Bobby admitted to needing help to expand on his original idea. Apparently, he wanted something a bit more inviting in case he ever had a roommate. Me. I was the roommate.
“Getting along?” I asked.
“Other than being from Merryville, he’s not a bad guy. After talking to him… man, I was in over my head.” I had promised to help, but once I started asking questions about logistics, Bobby caved and went in search of help. I was glad to see he’d taken the advice. “He’s going to hire me onto his crew so I can learn how it’s done. I’m excited.”
“You’ll be building cabins in no time.”
“Me? This is a ‘we’ thing.”
“By ‘we,’ you mean I’ll hand you the tools.”
Laurel butted in between us, holding up two glasses of lemonade and thrusting them into our hands. “Will you two stop being cute? It’s getting old.”
“So old,” Tessa agreed. “Are there any hot straight men in this town?”
“Girl,” Laurel said, “We’re too much for Firefly.”
Bobby shot me a wide-eyed glance. He didn’t need to speak for me to understand what he was thinking. Tessa’s influence had quickly rubbed off on Laurel. If they spent any more time together, I was pretty sure Laurel would turn into a raging diva.
“Come on, Tessa. We can find ourselves some eligible bachelors.”
Tessa didn’t seem convinced. “Where?”
“Merryville is hosting lumberjack games this weekend.”
I expected her to laugh and say, “Me and flannel don’t mix.” Instead, she shrugged her shoulders and hopped off the picnic table. “Let’s go objectify some men.”
Nothing in my world made sense anymore. “You want to join them?”
I turned back to Bobby. “I have the only lumberjack I need.” With a quick peck on the cheek, I took his glass. “Back to work with you.” I leaned in, whispering in his ear, “I want to see my man work up a sweat.”
“We can still hear you,” Laurel said. She took Tessa’s hand, leading her into the house. “I’ll have her back in time for your flight.”
“The world isn’t ready for those two,” I said.
Bobby nodded. “They’re going to make a lumberjack cry.”
Will followed his mom inside, leaving me alone with Bobby and Abraham. I was about to make a crack about the “menfolk” when Bobby handed me his glass. He walked over to the shed, inspecting the joint where the two walls met. I set the glasses down and joined Abraham. If I tried to help, this would easily take twice as long.
“We’re going to miss you around here,” Abraham said.
I climbed onto the table beside him. I didn’t know what to say. Bobby and I had barely talked about it. This early in a relationship, a couple of weeks apart, would feel like an eternity. While I wanted the movie to happen, I wished they had pushed back the meetings.
“Don’t worry, son. We’ll be here when you get back.”
“I know.” His calling me “son” didn’t escape my attention.
“The more it hurts to leave, the more excited you’ll be when you get back.” He took a sip of his lemonade. “The more excited he’ll be to have you back.”
Abraham didn’t fool me anymore. Bobby’s dad was a big ol’ softy with a heart of gold. He could hide behind his jokes, but I had him figured out. Yes, I’d miss Bobby and having my big spoon at night. I’d also miss the good-natured ribbing from Abraham, the frantic energy of Laurel, and even Gloria’s intense stare as she undressed me with her eyes.
“Firefly got to you,” Abraham said. “It has a way of sucking you in and never letting go.”
I watched as Bobby stared at a stack of plywood. He pulled out his tape measure, checking the height of the window in his frame. I couldn't imagine a running toilet had brought us to this moment. I was sure if I hadn’t met him then, I’d have bumped into him at some point. Our story started with a bang, and yet, every time I watched him do his job, my heart skipped a beat.
“Okay, Dad,” Bobby called back. “Ready to get the sides in place?”
Abraham reached into his belt and pulled out a hammer. He held it up, giving it a well-rehearsed spin. “This is your job now, son.” He held it out to me. I glanced from the tool up to him and back. It was the proverbial handing of the— “It’s a hammer. In case you didn’t know.” He shot me a wink as I took it.
“If your son wasn’t such a stud…”
His eyebrow shot up. “Did you just make a carpentry pun?” I got off the table and gave him a quick salute. “No. No. No. Puns are my thing. Don’t make me get off this table and give you a whooping.”
Bobby turned to see me approaching. Sure, I couldn’t wait to get him alone and scale him like a mountain, but seeing him in his element, it’d be worth the wait. I had committed to come back to Firefly. More than that, I’d committed to entering Bobby’s world, even if that meant calloused hands.
“You ready for this?”
Will’s article had been right. Firefly promised to be my greatest adventure, and I wouldn’t be diving in alone. I got on the far end of the plywood, ready to help Bobby. It was the least I could do after all he had done for me.
“With you? Yes… more than ready.”
“So, this is where the magic happens?”
Bobby snorted. “Sure, let’s go with that.”
He claimed to have an apartment, but I wondered if he lived with his dad. I didn’t know what I expected, but this wasn’t it... mostly. In front of his sofa, he had a coffee table made from a slice of a tree. The lacquer left it shining, and with the dark metal legs, it could have come from any high-end mid-century modern furniture store.
“Did you make this?” I didn’t need to ask; of course he did.
“Yeah. And the end tables.”
It wasn’t a large space, but with his love of the outdoors, I expected nothing less. This was where Bobby endured winter. The moment the snow thawed, I imagined he’d be outside, axe in hand. Okay, maybe that was more my fantasy, but I bet it wasn’t far from the truth.
“Wait.” I spotted a cardboard box on the table. “Is that me?”
I picked it up, turning it around to see one of the signed action figures from Jason’s store. He blushed. I held it up next to my head, pointing from the box to my face.
“Looks nothing like me.”
“You’ll have to put on the uniform so I can compare.”
My eyes rolled back. “If word got out, I’m pretty sure you’d have to fight Jason off.”
On the far side of the living room, I spotted the door to his bedroom. I set the action figure down and walked into the room, flipping the light switch. I expected to see his house covered in wood paneling and chandeliers made of deer antlers. When I heard he was making a log cabin, I imagined a rustic space with dirt floors and a potbelly stove. Bobby’s idea of rustic was far more refined than I gave him credit for.
I stood at the foot of the bed, running my hand along the waist-high footboard. The dark red wood sparkled in the light. Ornate details along the rim were beyond impressive. The headboard followed suit, geometric patterns created with expertly placed inlays. When I looked back, he was leaning against the doorframe.
“Did you get this from Gladys?”
He shook his head. “Made it. It’s going to be a pain to get in the cabin.”
“I’m sure we can manage.” I gave him a wink. We hadn’t talked about our living situation when I came back to Firefly. He had made comments about the process going faster with an extra set of hands. I’d be lying if I said I hadn’t thought about sitting on the steps watching him chop firewood. I’d have stolen his flannel to keep away the cold as we built a fire and talked about our days with a glass of bourbon. Yes, there’d be hand-holding before we called it a night and curled under a quilt made by Gloria.
“Where’d you go?”
I came back to reality as Bobby moved closer. I couldn’t help but chuckle at the situation. We were alone in his bedroom, and somehow, my mind wandered. Bobby grounded me in the here and now.
“Was thinking about you chopping wood.”
“Oh, really?”
“And wearing your favorite flannel.”
“That’s a criminal offense.” He closed the distance, only inches remaining between us. “But if you must...” Bobby reached for the top button, and with a flick of the finger, I had the perfect view of his chest. He continued to the next, and a few seconds later, I marveled at the line of hair running down his torso. I stood in awe, unable to formulate words, as he pulled it from his jeans and handed it to me. “Might as well make your fantasy a reality.”
I gulped. “Fantasy has changed.” Running my hands along his chest, my pants tightened. Now, I imagined him chopping wood in nothing but his work boots. “We need to get you out of those pants.”
He didn’t wait for my help. With a flick of the finger, his jeans opened, and with a quick shove, he stood in nothing but briefs. Damn. It didn’t matter what he wore; Bobby Wright oozed sexiness. There’d come a time when I’d declare nothing but briefs for the entire day. I looked forward to the inevitable wet spot in my underwear.
“You’re wearing too many clothes,” he commented.
“Give me a moment to appreciate the merchandise.”
He grinned, making the red spot on his cheeks stand out. He had enough of me delaying. With a fast tug, he had my shirt over my head. I prepared a pithy response as he pulled my jeans down without unbuttoning. Bobby turned into a man on a mission, and I would not object to the attention.
“What now?” I asked.
He said nothing as he walked around the bed. Reaching into his nightstand, he pulled out an all-to-familiar box. When he looked inside, his demeanor shifted. His expression went from playful to irked. He shook the condom box, as if it would magically produce another foil wrapper.
“I’m out.”
“Oh, drat,” I said as I kicked off my jeans, launching them upright. I snatched them out of the air and looked in the pockets. For the first time, I was more prepared than my studly Boy Scout. I pulled out a roll of condoms, letting them dangle from my hand like they were family photos in my wallet.
“Somebody planned for an exciting evening.”
He sauntered closer, his erection threatening to break through the fly of his briefs. I tossed the condoms on the bed, dropping to my knees. There was no fanfare, no teasing, just a downward motion revealing a perfect cock. I didn’t want to admire, that could come later in the afterglow of a sweaty session. What I wanted was this cock buried inside me.
I swallowed his cock, trying to take the length in one fell swoop. Bobby moaned, his hands gripping the back of my head. I pulled back, and his grip tightened, slowly pushing his cock inside my mouth until it hit the bend of my throat. I slightly adjusted my neck and closed my eyes, head pressed into his belly and lips touching his groin.
He didn’t let go. When I tried pulling away, he held me in place a moment longer. When I came up, I gasped for air. I’d let him manhandle me however he wanted… after I got what I wanted.
I got to my feet, grabbing the condoms. “Suit up, champ. You’re going in.” With a dramatic flare, I bit the edge of the foil, tearing it along the perforation before handing it to him. He smiled, though it was less amusement and more likely the thought of his cock buried inside me.
When I tried to slide around him, he put a hand on my chest, pushing me back. At the foot of the bed, he leaned me over the footboard, and it dawned on me he had been calculating its height. With a nudge of his shoulder, I bent over, hands on the bed.
“Beautiful,” he said. Reaching around, he fidgeted with the button on my pants. It took several tries before finally I yanked my jeans down. On his knees, he pulled them down, guiding one foot from the leg and then the other. Now, I stood with my ass exposed, cock pressed against the bed.
“Even better.” His hands ran up my thighs, fingertips grazing my ass. I shivered and gasped at the sensation. Despite those rough hands, he still managed the gentlest of touches. I wasn’t interested in gentle.
“I want you in me.”
He wasted no time shoving his face into the crack of my ass. I yelped at the roughness of his tongue dragging across my hole. I could have laid there the rest of the evening, cooing every time the tip of his tongue brushed against my hole. Until I thought of him, groin pressed against my ass, stretching me open.
The licking stopped as I rested my head against the bed. I imagined this beefy man rolling the condom on his cock as it stood like a steel bar. I listened as the drawer of his dresser opened, followed by the familiar sound of lube. Thank goodness; otherwise, it’d be a thrilling and rough ride.
He spread my ass. The tip of his cock pressed against my hole. Already, I realized my eyes had deceived me. Bobby was plus-size everywhere. My fingers clutched the blanket as the head slid inside. Damn, he was huge. A sane person would say stop, take a breath, or give me time to adjust. Lust was anything but sane. I pushed back, groaning into the mattress.
“Nice and easy,” he whispered.
Nice, yes. Easy, not so much. Not that would detour me. By the time he had half his cock in me, I could feel mine quivering, desperate for attention. It didn’t feel good being on the receiving end of my sexy boyfriend. It felt like fireworks lit up the sky. When his groin pressed against my ass, I almost cued up the marching band.
“Damn,” he hissed. “Worth the wait.”
When his cock throbbed, I moaned. He danced along that line between pleasure and pain. If he was any thicker, I’d have tapped out. “Fuck me,” I begged. Slow. Hard. It didn’t matter, I wanted him using my ass to make himself come.
Hips rocking gently, he settled into a slow in and out. Each time he nearly pulled his cock free, I pushed back, desperate for him to fill me again. If I had my choice, this would be part of our nightly wind-down ritual.
When I tightened my muscles, he moaned. “Keep that up, and I won’t last long.” Challenge accepted. I squeezed. “Fuck, that feels good.”
He gripped my hips, pulling me back as he thrust forward. His tempo quickened, his balls slapping against my thighs. He could come, get hard again, and I’d let him start all over.
He slammed into me, all rhythm lost as he pulled me back onto his cock. I could feel the swing of his testicles hit my taint. Much more of this, and he’d make me?—
“I’m coming,” he cried. He didn’t let go as his body shook. I bit the blanket as his cock thickened. With each pulse, I groaned, crossing over my threshold. Yet, I wanted more. He collapsed on my back, his hips continuing short jabs. As he slowed, his cock still jerked as he kissed along my spine. With a final shiver, he withdrew.
“Fuck,” I gasped. Okay, maybe we’d have to take a beat before he started in on round two. I’d have extra swagger in my walk tomorrow.
He didn’t say anything as he stood at my side, dropping to his elbows on the bed. When I looked over, the smirk grew between his pants. He wiggled his eyebrows. “You’re up, sport.”
Oh.
I jumped up, ripped the edge off a condom, and had my cock wrapped in record time. Staring at Bobby’s ass, I’d had to will myself from blowing my load while I applied lube. Did I apologize now or after for it being the world’s shortest fuck?
“Shove. It. In.”
This was a side of Bobby I had yet to experience. I’d think about it tonight while we spooned. Right now, I brushed my hand over the dusting of hair on his ass before sliding my cock between his cheeks. I barely had the head in when he slid back, letting out a moan all of Firefly would hear. I grabbed his hips, holding him still while I bit my lip, staving off my orgasm.
While I tried to ward off the tingling in the tips of my toes, Bobby had other plans. He rocked back and forth, pulling away until I almost slid out. He shoved back with another moan. There was no point in resisting. I pulled the full length out, giving myself a breath before shoving inside. I continued this until the electricity moved to my balls. Bobby pushed back hard, and with one more thrust, I reached the point of no return.
“I’m coming.” I didn’t stop. Buried in Bobby’s ass, he moaned, milking my cock. “Fuck, you’re amazing.” The words were breathy, barely audible between my panting. My cock continued pulsing.
Bobby stood up, and I hissed from the sensitivity of sliding out. “Next time, you can stay,” he said. “My post-orgasm enthusiasm outmatched my ass.”
I chuckled as my cock twitched a final time. “Yeah? I’m sure I could go another round if you want on top.” I hope he realized I was joking. There was no way in hell that cock was going in me tonight. Twelve-hour cool down minimum.
Bobby stood with a groan. My breathing calmed as he hooked an arm around my waist. I had a newfound respect for him and his woodworking. I hoped there’d be plenty more nights dropped over his footboard. With hours until bedtime, I didn’t know if we should crawl into bed and cuddle or go out for the evening.
He kissed my nose, then my forehead, and wrapped me in a bear hug. There would come times when I’d falter and worry I’d made the wrong decision about my future. The “what ifs” would creep in. With a squeeze, Bobby forced me back to this moment. Here and now, with my head on his shoulder, there was nothing but right choices.
“So...” Our last night until we temporarily said our goodbyes.
“Want to watch a movie?” He gripped my cheeks, his smile beaming. “I heard about this guy in spandex saving the city.”
“Haven’t you already seen it?”
“Not with you.”
Damn, Bobby. “That’s some smooth talking, mister.” I’d gladly curl up with him on the couch and watch movies until I fell asleep on him. After the railing he gave me, it wouldn’t be long before I collapsed in a heap.
“I want to hear all the behind-the-scenes gossip.” Another kiss. I’d never grow tired of his lips pressed against mine. “I’ll make some popcorn. You get comfortable.”
As I got comfortable, I realized I didn’t have a single regret. After a few months, I found more in this small town than I ever had in Hollywood. As I watched Bobby tear through his cupboards in search of popcorn, I didn’t think about my future. I thought about here, this very moment, and the movie I’d laugh my way through with my boyfriend.
He pumped a fist in the air, celebrating his discovery. Meanwhile, I couldn't help but think back to that first night by the fire. Edward had promised me trail magic, and at first, I didn't believe him. But he had been right. Firefly had given me exactly what I needed: home... in the form of a beautiful handyman.