Memorial Day
BEN
When I open my eyes, a lot of things hit me at once.
The fact that I'm in a tent and my back is stiff from sleeping on maybe five inches of cushion. That the muted light filtering through tells me it's morning, but late enough that it's already warm and humid. And I'm hot. But most of it has to do with the fact I have a sleeping Lainey plastered to my body. The same Lainey I had sex with last night.
Lainey and I had sex.
Even repeating it to myself, it doesn't seem real. There's a part of me that doesn't understand how it happened. One minute we were kissing, and the next thing I know, my cock is buried inside her. It happened so fast, it's almost like it didn't happen.
Except it absolutely did.
And it was fucking fantastic.
I don't remember ever experiencing such a raging need like that before. We were so in sync for our first time together and both so crazed for each other...I've definitely never had that kind of connection with another woman. And all I know right now is I want to do it again. And again .
But when Lainey opens her eyes, will she feel the same?
I want to believe she'll wake up and have the same goofy smile I'm wearing and be ready for a repeat. But my practical side tells me she's going to freak out and run. So, until she opens those pretty brown eyes, I'm going to soak up every second of bliss in this moment.
I bring my hand up and gently brush a lock of hair away from her face then my fingers trace down her arm before letting it rest back around her waist. Her eyes flutter open. I watch as her mind catches up to her surroundings. Her gaze shoots up to mine, and her eyes are wide, not with panic, but with startling realization of what happened between us. Then the barest of smiles lift her lips as her cheeks flush. My heart soars and my dick hardens.
"Morning.” My voice is rough and deep in the quiet around us.
"Morning," she returns shyly.
Not wanting things to start off awkward between us, I decide to address the elephant in the tent. "So...we did a thing last night."
To my delight, Lainey bursts into laughter. "Um, yeah. But does it really count when it happened so fast?"
Considering she came faster than me, I'm not taking it as an insult to my manhood. Fast and furious was exactly what we needed. "When it feels that good, trust me, it counts. And it seemed to entertain the masses."
The red in her cheeks deepens even more just before she covers her face with her hands. "Oh my God. I forgot about that."
"We could always give it another try this morning," I suggest. "Take our time. See if slow garners as much praise as fast."
I see the interest in her eyes, but I also see the doubt. Last night could be labeled impulsive, but if we do it again today then we're deliberately entering a relationship—what kind, I don't know—but definitely a relationship. And that's something she doesn't want.
Suddenly, there's a loud clearing of a throat outside the tent. We both freeze.
"Hate to interrupt, but I don't really want to sit out here and listen to you two, um, wake up ."
It's Josie. I bite my lip to stop from laughing, but Lainey looks panicked. She pushes away from me and sits up.
"We're up."
"Hmmm-mmm, bet you are," comes Josie's reply.
"Oh my God, Jo, we just shared a tent. There was a fucking spider in mine," Lainey says as she raises the covers and looks down. Her underwear is on, but her pajama shorts are wrapped around her leg. Unfortunately, her top is on since we didn't even get that far in undressing. And it's a fucking shame I didn't get a chance to put my mouth on her tits. She pulls up her shorts, crawls away from me, and unzips the door. Josie’s standing there with an amused and knowing look on her face.
"Sure, you did."
Lainey scrambles out, and I hear her softly hiss, "Nothing happened."
Like hell, it didn’t. I knew she’d panic, so I’m really trying not to read too much into it. But her denial leaves a burning sensation in my chest.
"Lain, no one looks this sated and rested after sleeping in a tent. Besides, your neighbors already ratted you out." Josie nods her head to the campsite next to us. Lainey looks over and her cheeks go dark red as she gives an awkward wave.
I can't help it, I start laughing. Lainey looks back at me with a hard glare.
"I brought coffee. Think of it as a sorry for interrupting." Josie holds up a drink tray.
Lainey takes one. "You didn't interrupt anything. "
Josie looks at me questioningly as I step out of the tent, pulling a clean t-shirt over my head. "Not yet, at least," I say and take the other coffee. I'm greeted by some applause from our neighbors. I give them a sweeping bow which earns me more laughter and cheers. When I turn back to Lainey, she’s glaring at me again.
“Seriously?” Lainey says with a narrowed gaze.
“Gotta have some fun with it.” I close the distance and dip my head closer to her ear. “You know you had fun, so maybe you can stop fucking denying it before I prove it to you again.” I lean in enough to meet her gaze and sink my hand into her hair, curling it at the nape of her neck. “I’m happy to give all these people a real show instead of just the audio version.”
Her pupils blow. Hell. She’s tempting me to actually make good on my threat.
“Damn. Too bad I missed it,” Josie says.
I smile and give Lainey a quick kiss, then step away before I bend her over the picnic table. “How’s Eli?”
“The meds have helped. His fever broke, and he got a good six hours of sleep.”
“You stayed with him?” Lainey asks.
“Yeah.”
Lainey’s brows shoot up in surprise, and I feel the same way. I mean, I understand that as a nurse, Josie would feel some sort of responsibility for him, but I didn't think she’d spend the night—especially since she didn't seem to like him.
Josie throws up her arms. "What? It's no big deal. I mean, someone needed to make sure he was okay through the night."
"Thanks, Josie," I say. "That was really awesome of you."
She waves off my apology. "Since Scout's not here to flex his skills, let's get decamped."
We don't argue and get to work. It takes us about forty-five minutes to pack everything up. Since Josie returned in Eli's car, she hands over the keys to me and climbs in the backseat. Lainey seems hesitant at first but gets in the passenger seat and immediately starts scrolling through her phone.
"Has your dad mentioned that he and Mom are having people over for ?" she asks me.
"Yeah, but I said no to the invite since I thought we'd still be here."
"My mom and sister have both texted this morning and asked if I changed my mind."
I glance over at her. "Want to head over there?"
"Yeah, probably should. But I want a shower first."
I nod. "Same. We'll need to do a car shuffle, too."
Lainey looks back at Josie. "Want to come?"
"Thanks, but I'll check on Eli, then head home to catch up on sleep."
A few hours later, after car swaps, drop-offs, and showering, I arrive at Kathleen's.
I pause outside.
Is this going to be weird? I haven't visited Dad at Kathleen's. To see him living amongst another woman's things. His house, the one I grew up in, hasn't changed much since my mom passed.
“Sack up, Ben,” I mutter to myself and open the front door.
Lainey’s already here.
I really wish she would have let me pick her up, but I have a feeling she's trying to make sure we aren't alone together. I give Dad a hug, and he leads me into the kitchen, where everyone is gathered. Harper and Chandler are here, along with several people I don't know. My gaze immediately seeks Lainey. I find her across the room talking to an older lady with flaming red hair. Her gaze flits to mine and holds. That awareness we can’t seem to escape sparks between us, and a faint blush seeps into her cheeks before she looks back at the woman talking to her .
All of a sudden, a hand grips my elbow and I'm being pulled out of the kitchen by Chandler. "What the hell, man?"
Once we're in the living room and away from people, he hands me a beer. "I thought Harper was being dramatic about the eye-fucking between you two. I'm going to have to take that sangria out of Lainey's hand because I'm pretty sure you just impregnated her with your eye sperm."
"You're pretty funny, you know that?" I say on a laugh and take a sip of my beer.
I probably shouldn't laugh since the odds that I impregnated Lainey with my real sperm are much higher after last night. I've never gone bare with anyone, but fuck, I'm so glad it was her. Though I could have been wearing five condoms, and I know it still would have been amazing. Sex with Lainey is on another level.
Chandler lifts his beer. "I'm just glad Harper didn't witness it. I really don't want to listen to her rant all night about how you two are a bad idea."
My stomach clenches. I take a generous swig of beer to cover up how much that statement bothers me. I look back at him, and damn if he isn’t watching me.
"You know I don't think that," he says softly, clearly seeing through me.
Chandler's a good guy. I could see him becoming a good friend. I'd really like to confide in him about last night, but I don't want to put him in the position of having a secret from his wife.
People start spilling into the living room, so I nod my thanks and head into the fray. I meet some of the other people, neighbors and friends of Kathleen’s. I see some of my dad’s friends are here, too. It seems their friend groups have merged successfully. It’s probably an hour before I get anywhere near Lainey without a ton of people around us .
“Hey.” I lean close and nudge her shoulder with mine.
She stiffens briefly and doesn’t look my way. “Hey.”
“I was told I eye-fucked you so hard that I probably got you pregnant.”
“Oh, jeez.” Lainey studies her sangria and finally looks at me. “Harper said that?”
“No, Chandler.”
She shakes her head, laughing silently.
“I know we were safe, but next time we can be more careful if you want.”
She jerks her gaze to me. “Next time?”
“I absolutely fucking hope there’s a next time. You know as well as I do that next time would have been this morning if we weren’t rudely interrupted.”
She shrugs. “Maybe, but we were...”
“We were what?”
“I don’t know. Still in our little tent bubble. Not in the real world.”
“We can make more bubbles.”
Her brows come together. “More bubbles?”
“Yeah, my bed, my couch, my shower, and my dining table would make great bubbles.”
She laughs, and I lean in more, grazing the skin revealed above her shorts button with my fingertip. “Lainey...”
Her breath stutters as she sways into my touch.
“It was good. Really good.”
“Yes,” she breathes, her eyes softening even as they darken.
“There should definitely be a next time.”
Her desire-filled gaze meets mine. “Yes,” she whispers.
“Next time can be in a few short hours.”
She smiles, a smile that says she thinks I’m crazy, but also says she’s all in. Then she blinks as if she’s coming out of a trance. “How do you do that to me? ”
“Do what?”
“Make me forget everything.”
“Lainey!” My dad barrels into the kitchen before I can answer her. “I heard you and Eli are dating.”
She somehow manages to put space between us but glances at me before looking at my dad. “Not exactly. Our weekend date got cut short when he got sick.”
“Yeah, Ben told me about that. Such a shame. He’s like a second son, and I think you two would be great together. Don’t you think so, Ben?”
I bring the beer to my lips. “Eli’s great.” I take a healthy sip.
If Dad realizes I didn't answer his question, he doesn't let on.
"Was there a love connection between you and Lainey's friend?" Dad continues, since he can’t seem to let this shit conversation go.
"No, Dad. She's nice, but not for me."
"That's too bad. Wouldn't it be a nice story, friends all falling in love."
What about falling in love with your potential stepsister?
Last night might have been pure lust, but it also proved to me there's more to us than that. I don't just want her, I want to be with her—as much as possible.
Thankfully, one of my dad's friends walks up and the conversation turns away from our love lives. For the next few hours, we all mingle and eat, and I barely spend any time with Lainey. Eventually, all the guests leave, and it's only family left. Lainey's niece is watching a cartoon while the rest of us are sitting around the dining room table in the longest, most cutthroat game of Uno I've ever played.
My hands are so overloaded with cards I might need to grow another one to keep them all together. At this point, I'm ready for the game to end. End my misery. Lainey is next to me, and it's her turn. I brace myself for whatever card she's about to put down since she's responsible for ninety percent of the cards I’m holding.
She smirks as she lays down a Draw 4 card. The table erupts in laughter as I throw down my cards. "I'm out. I can't even hold anymore." Lainey’s laughing so hard she's about to fall out of her seat. "Why? Why would you give me a Draw 4 when I’m holding half the deck? I didn't realize you were evil."
Harper wipes tears from her eyes. "Did we forget to tell you Lainey’s a little competitive?"
"A little ?"
That just spurs their laughter. "I'm never sitting next to her during Uno again. Actually, I don't plan to ever play Uno with you lot again.”
They keep laughing.
“Liar,” Lainey teases. “You love it, and you know it.”
I glare at her, but don’t say anything, because I do love it. I don’t love losing, but the past hour has been the most fun I’ve had in a long time. Being an only kid, I didn’t have these kind of family gatherings. Not that we didn’t have our own fun, but since Mom died, things haven’t been the same.
I glance at my dad, who has a wistful smile as he takes in the whole table. His gaze flits to mine, and his eyes look a little shiny. Before I can question him, he says, “I love this.”
He says it loudly and earnestly enough that it grabs everyone’s attention.
“I never would have thought a New Year’s blind date would lead to this. That our two families would bond so wonderfully.” He looks at me and there are definite tears swimming in his eyes. “With Ben being an only child, we didn’t have boisterous holiday gatherings unless we had extended family around. After Poppy died, I’m afraid I didn’t put a lot of effort into any holiday. But this...” He looks at all of us and takes Kathleen’s hand in his, “this feels good. Right. We always wanted to give Ben a sister, and it’s so nice to see him share a sibling relationship with your girls.”
My stomach immediately drops. I cut my gaze toward Lainey, and she’s somehow pale and flushed at the same time. Everyone at the table is silent, but my dad’s words have touched them all. Kathleen and Harper are on the verge of tears, and even Lainey has a watery smile.
My dad turns in his chair so he’s fully facing Kathleen and takes her other hand in his so he’s now holding both of them. My stomach tightens, and my heart jumps into overdrive. Shit. Something huge is about to happen.
“How about we join our families officially?”
Oh fuck. Is he doing what I think he’s doing?
“What?” Kathleen says, looking as shocked as everyone else.
My dad softly laughs. “That was my really poor attempt at asking you to marry me.”
Lainey and Harper audibly gasp.
And I can’t fucking breathe.
“Kathy, I never thought I’d want to marry again. I especially never thought I’d love again, but you changed everything. You came into my life, and it was like the missing puzzle piece clicking into place. We just fit. I know it’s soon, so it’s okay if you’re not ready, but—"
“Yes!” Kathleen throws herself at my dad, enveloping him in a tight hug before they kiss. “I’d lost all hope of finding the one, then there you were. I found you, at last."
I subtly scan the table, trying not to lose my shit. Chandler appears surprised but happy. Harper’s crying and has a genuine smile on her face as she watches our parents embrace. Lainey stares at our parents, her expression clearly dazed. It's probably the mirror image of what's on my face.
As our parents separate, the room erupts in congratulations as Harper and Chandler jump up along with our parents. Lainey and I are slower to join in. I glance at her again, but she's not looking at me, and I can't help but think it's on purpose. She’s pasted on a smile, and it does a good enough job of reaching her eyes enough to look genuine, but I know it’s not quite. Lainey moves to her mother and I meet my dad's gaze. He comes over to me with a sheepish expression on his face.
"I should have talked to you first. I wasn't really planning on doing that, not yet anyway. Are you okay?"
I swallow down the emotion clogging my throat. "I'm okay, Dad. If you're happy, I'm happy for you."
Tears flood my dad's eyes, and he wraps me in a tight hug. "I love you, son. This is the real thing. I know it."
I nod. "I know." I pull back. "I love you too, Dad."
We separate and I get caught up in hugs with Harper and Chandler before Lainey and I are faced with each other. She still doesn't look at me fully as she wraps her arms around me. Our hug is stilted and awkward, and I fucking hate it. I hate that she won't look at me. As we separate, I grip her arms so she can't escape me.
"Lainey..." Her gaze finally locks with mine. And now I wish it hadn't. Because what I see is a truth I don't want to face.
There will never be a next time.