Chapter 23
brUCE
It’s somehow been the longest and the shortest week of my life all at the same time.
As far as planning a campout, I could use another couple of days. We’re not doing anything too fancy, but I want it to go well and have spent some time dragging logs up to a clearing so we’ll have a place to sit around the campfire pit I dug up.
On the other hand, the week’s dragged on because I haven’t had a single real moment alone with Allyson.
By the time I got home on Sunday afternoon, Bobby was running at near-Brody levels of grunts, obviously mad at me because he knew my absence could only be because of one person. I ignored him for the most part, too happy to let him bring me down with his cynicism.
Happy? I’m this close to belting out in song, and my voice is worse than shit. Bobby got one hundred percent of that talent in our family, though I might beat that gift out of him if he doesn’t quit glaring at me every chance he gets.
He kept up the pissy mood on Monday too, even as I smiled ear to ear while I worked, looking forward to every ding of my phone and praying that Allyson got every text I sent on her piece of shit phone.
We’ve spent hours talking on the phone at night, about the past and present, and even carefully about the future, until we both have to hang up, knowing our morning alarms will go off early.
Tuesday, I’d called her on the way to the practice field to be sure she was coming.
Not because I thought she’d gotten cold feet—she seems to be done dancing away from me now—but she’d had a busy day at work and I’d wanted to be sure something hadn’t come up that’d keep her stuck there.
She’d said I was being sweet while I felt like a possessive fucker who just needed to lay hands on her.
But she’d shown. With a smile for the boys and another more meaningful and private smile for me.
After Tuesday’s practice, the three of us had gone to the grocery store because we never got around to it on Sunday.
For such a mundane outing, we’d actually had fun, giggling as Cooper had tried to worm his way into something sweet on every single aisle, even in the produce section where he found some caramel dip he wanted for the apples he’d already agreed to.
We’d escaped with minimal sweets when I reminded him to ‘whoa’ on the sugar while managing to buy hamburger buns and hot dogs fixings in preparation for the campout.
Allyson had left me at the back door that night, though, because Cooper needed to eat, bathe, and hit the hay.
It’d been hard to leave, but I understood.
Still, when she’d sent him to get cleaned up, I’d made the most of the few minutes we had alone and kissed every inch of her mouth right there in the doorway of her kitchen.
If I’d gotten one step further in the house, I would’ve leaned her over the table and had her coming on my tongue before Cooper could get his hair washed, but she’d gently pushed me back, saying she didn’t want him to walk in on us.
I respect that. She’s responsible and caring, things I can appreciate. But fuck, do I want to sweep her away for a little bit.
Thursday, we’d at least gotten a family dinner in before Cooper’s early bedtime had kicked in.
Al said she’s trying to start inching him back to his school-time bedtime from his later summer hours.
All I knew was that it meant we had an extra half-hour alone before I needed to head home for the sunrise chores.
We’d made the most of it, waiting impatiently until Cooper had sufficient time to fall asleep and then escaping to the back deck.
I’d hoped that once I was in her house again, I’d be inside her in no time, but it seemed the devil-may-care attitudes of our younger days had grown up slightly because I’d held back from taking her out in the open where the neighbors could see.
That doesn’t mean we didn’t make out like high school kids again, kissing and grinding and squeezing each other, but our clothes had tragically stayed on.
I jacked off twice when I got home, once when I took a shower and then later, to my delight, on FaceTime with Allyson.
She said she’d never done anything like that, and I could tell she was nervous, hiding out in her bathroom and biting her lip to be quiet even as she wanted me to talk to her.
But she’d done it for me, for herself. She was so fucking beautiful coming on her own fingers. I just wished they’d been mine.
But somehow, we’ve made it to the big day. Campout day, just this morning’s practice to go.
The boys deserve this for how hard they’ve been working. They’re doing great, really coming together as a team, running plays like a well-oiled machine, and we’re ready for our first game.
As the boys high-five after their successful play, my eyes are drawn to Allyson again.
It’s all I can do to root myself to the grass and not take her in my arms. Now that I’ve held her, tasted her, possessed her, I want to live inside her, learn her every nuance, and tease out every smile I possibly can.
Finally, we do our team cheer, and I make a waving motion to gather the parents over. I move the group closer to Killian’s grandparents so they don’t have to walk too far onto the uneven grass, and we progress to the planning part of the practice.
Allyson addresses the gathered parents. “Thank you again for signing up to help with the campout. I know the boys are really looking forward to it.” The boys find renewed energy, dancing around a bit beside their parents, and I hear one oh, yeah of agreement. Allyson smiles, looking down at Cooper.
I continue her speech, heading off an issue I know Mom would’ve had with me and my brothers.
“Showers between practice and camping are required. We’re gonna get messy and muddy and end up smelling like the animals at the farm, but we should all start not smelling like a locker room or one of my sister’s goats. ”
I sniff my own pit, making a disgusted face, and wave the air in front of me. The boys all laugh as intended and a couple of the parents give me grateful looks.
Allyson pulls out her phone and taps around at the screen.
“Okay, I emailed the address again so everyone can GPS out there. It’s a good twenty-minute drive outside town.
If anyone needs a ride, let me know because we’ve got several parents going as chaperones and a few not going, so carpooling is a great option.
I also re-sent the sign-up list so everyone who volunteered to donate can confirm what you’re bringing.
We’re planning a delicious dinner, some sweet treats, and lots of fun! Everybody ready?”
“YEAH!” twelve kids roar, not even in unison. It’s more of a riot of excitement.
Everyone disperses, and I notice Michelle talking to Killian’s grandparents. “They gonna be okay?”
Allyson follows my line of vision and nods.
“Yeah, Michelle is going to bring Liam, Cooper, and Killian out to the farm. The Bloomdales can’t camp anymore, of course, and Michelle offered to let Cooper hang out so that we can focus on getting everything set up.
She’s going to take him from practice so we can head right out. ”
She looks at me, her smirk giving away her flirty mood before she even speaks. “Though I won’t have time to take a shower between practice and camping. Is that going to be a problem?”
There’s a light in her eyes that I remember so well, and the faux-innocent seductive tone to her voice sends tingles through me. I step closer, tracing along the soft skin of her arm with the back of my hand, not wanting to be too obvious but needing to touch her.
“I already told you, Al. I’ll take you fresh and clean or sweaty and filthy. Any way I can get you.”
She shudders, and in her thin workout tank and sports bra, I can tell her nipples are diamond hard. “What’s the plan for this afternoon?”
“Oh, I’ve got big plans for you. Big, filthy, hot ones . . .” I say quietly.
“You play dirty,” she teases.
I act surprised. “I have no idea what you’re talking about. I meant that we’ve got a lot of work to do to get everything ready on the farm. If you thought I was talking about something else, that’s on you, dirty girl.”
She blushes, but her smile tells me loud and clear that she likes it. “I wish we had time to detour on the way to the farm,” she says, looking up at me through her lashes. “Even a quick one?”
“Fuck, Al. You’re gonna kill me,” I growl, stepping in front of her to block the few remaining people’s view of our hushed conversation.
“I would give just about anything to drive back to your house and fuck the shit out of you, slide inside your heaven and inside your heart.” Her chest is rising and falling faster with my every word.
“But we’ve got things to do, promises to fulfill.
After that, I’m gonna fuck that pussy, though. I promise you that.”
“You can’t say stuff like that . . . the kids . . .” she whispers, looking around. But there’s no one close enough to hear.
She licks her lips, inviting me to kiss her, her eyes telling me how much she wants me to. I take a big breath, willing my dick to settle down, and cup her cheeks. There’s so much hope, so much possibility in the small space between us.
It’s not what she expects, but it’s what we need. I kiss her forehead instead of her lips like I want. “We need to go. The kids are counting on us.”
“Remind me again how I ended up helping you with this shit?” Mark grunts, pushing at a log to get it lined up into the circle we’re creating.
Wow, a whole sentence. Either he’s doing better or I’m asking for so much he needs to rub my nose in it.
“It’s for the kids, asshole.” James answers before I do, kicking at the other end of the same log. “Get used to it, Uncle Mark.”