30. Home #3
“No hello?” I ask.
“Dad.”
Annie laughs. “Hi, El.”
“Annie. Did he say it right?”
Annie looks at me, eyes bright. “He did.”
Ellie squeals so loud I pull the phone back.
From somewhere behind her, Erin shouts, “What happened?”
“Nothing,” Ellie yells back.
“Liar.”
Ellie returns to the phone. “So? You’ll be part of our lives?”
Annie leans closer. “If you’ll have me.”
Ellie’s voice softens. “We already do.”
Annie closes her eyes. I hold her tighter.
“I’m coming home in an hour. This requires celebration.”
“I thought you were staying overnight,” I say.
“I was. Plans changed. Rhea says she can bring me home.”
Rhea calls from the background, “Sorry, Doc.”
“You’re all conspiring.”
“Yes,” Ellie says. “Try not to be weird when I get there. Bye.”
Annie looks at me. “One hour.”
“That’s not much time.”
“One hour.” She slides her fingers into my hair. “Is more than enough time for trouble.”
I barely get the phone onto the table before she leans forward and rests her forehead against mine. There is nothing slow about this. She is heat and relief in my lap, hands unbuttoning my shirt, mouth hungry against mine. I grip her hips and pull her closer.
She makes a sound that destroys every responsible thought I have left.
“This along the lines of what you were thinking?” I say.
She laughs once against my mouth, breathless and happy, and that does more damage than the kissing. I hike her dress up.
“You’re getting there,” she purrs and reaches down to unbuckle my belt. The teeth of my zipper give way and with a few quick adjustments, my pants are bunched up on my thighs.
Without a word, looking into my eyes, she grips my shoulders, fingers digging slightly into the fabric of my shirt and lifts over me. She bites her lower lip as she sinks down in one slow, deliberate motion.
A sharp gasp escapes her lips as I fill her completely, the friction sending a jolt of electricity through us both.
"I love you," I rasp, my voice strained as I thrust my hips upward, meeting her descent with powerful, driving strokes. I groan, my hands sliding from her waist to grip her hips, pulling her down harder against me.
I breathe her in, my eyes closing as I feel her heart beating against my chest. There’s a frantic energy between us, fueled by the knowledge that Ellie is returning home soon, and a desperate, aching need to be as near to one another as possible.
"I love you," she whispers, voice strained and thick with emotion. She accelerates, her muscles clamping tight around me, milking me with every frantic motion. She throws her head back, nails digging into my shoulders as the tension peaks.
I let out a guttural growl, my body stiffening as I surge upward one last time, burying myself deep inside her. Annie shrieks softly, as her orgasm begins to crash over her. She pulls me over the edge and we climax together, clinging to each other, shaking and breathless.
In that moment, the world outside the room ceases to exist. We stay like that for a few more stolen minutes, hearts racing in unison, savoring the electric silence before reality returns.
She kisses me tenderly. “We need to get moving.”
“I thought we were doing a pretty good job of it already.”
She laughs. “Come on. Ellie will be home soon.”
We begrudgingly separate and stand to put ourselves back together. I pull her close and kiss down her neck. Her hands tighten in my hair.
“You’re pretty incredible, Annie Lockhart,” I whisper into her ear.
“You’re not so bad yourself, Doc,” she teases and I kiss her deeply.
The front door opens.
“Dad?”
We both jump, like teens caught in the backseat at a drive-in. But I don’t let go. I just try to look not guilty.
Ellie stands in the entry with one crutch, a backpack, and a grin that promises trouble.
Behind her, Rhea keeps her eyes pointed firmly toward the porch.
Ellie looks at Annie’s jacket on the floor, then my rumpled shirt, and Annie’s red face.
Ellie’s grin widens. “I think I’m going to need ice cream, to ensure I’m not scarred by this.”
“Now?” Annie asks.
“Yes. Public location. Sugar. Reset.”
Kapaw’s is still open. We order. “Let’s go down and walk by the water,” El says.
The cannery rises ahead, dark against the water. Ellie stops first.
“So,” she says. “That’s going to be the new clinic.”
Annie looks at the building. “Yes. It is.”
“And the animal hospital?”
Annie smiles and points across the street. “And the animal hospital over there.”
Ellie slips her hand into Annie’s. “I like it.”
Annie looks down at their joined hands. Then she reaches for mine. The three of us stand there, looking at the building that used to be a threat and now waits for our future.
Ellie leans a little into Annie and Annie puts an arm around her.
The past is still with us. It always will be.
But tonight, my daughter’s safe. The woman I love is holding my hand. The past is behind us. The future is ahead. And for the first time in years, I’m looking forward to it.
Ellie tugs Annie’s hand. “Can we go home?”
Annie looks at me.
“Home?” she asks.
I smile.
“Yeah,” I say. “Let’s go home.”