26. Jeremiah
Chapter 26
Jeremiah
S tanding in front of me is Ryan, hands extended with the boxes of pizza. It finally registers in my brain that Ryan is speaking.
I’m tongue-tied. There are so many things running through my mind and I don’t know what to do.
Ryan clears his throat, snapping me out of my haze.
“Can I come in and talk to you?”
“Amberlee and Angel are here. I don’t want a fight in my house,” I say curtly.
The night has been a disaster so far, but I don’t want my daughter subjected to any outbursts of anger. She loves her Uncle Ryan and I don’t want anything to sour the image she has of him.
“I know, and I want to talk, that’s it. I promise it won’t turn into the WWE. Please let me come in. I’m feeling a little awkward here on the steps and I think your neighbor is eyeballing me from her window.” His last comment has us both laughing as I take the boxes from him, stepping to the side so he can come in.
My eyes catch Amberlee, and I can see the uncertainty written on her face. Her body is rigid as she sits on the couch, unsure of what to do. Same as me.
“Do you want to eat or talk first?” Ryan asks.
“Have you eaten? Do you want to join us? I got plenty.” It’s so natural for him to eat with us, and I know Angel’s hungry. I’d rather her eat and go back to playing in her room so Ryan and I can resolve this issue in private.
“I won’t turn down pizza.” He laughs, but it feels awkward, almost forced.
I shuffle the boxes in my hand and shut the door.
“Hey Sis.” Ryan acknowledges Amberlee, who gives him a warm smile. It’s killing me that there's tension between them.
“Hey.” Amberlee’s voice is so fragile and shaky.
“Angel, pizza’s here.” I shout, and seconds later she comes running down the hallway, not to the pizza but right into Ryan’s arms. He picks her up, hugging her tightly.
“I wish I didn’t have to come home. I was going to ask if I could spend the night,” she says excitedly.
“Maybe that can still happen. I just need to talk to your dad.” He sets her down on the floor, and she skips off to the kitchen, fingers crossed, mumbling something I can’t make out. I’m sure she’s praying that I let her.
“I’m going to go and help her in the kitchen so the two of you can talk.” Amberlee stands from the couch, shifting her eyes between the two of us.
My heart aches that she feels torn between the two of us. I never intended for her to feel as if she has to choose her family over me, or vice versa.
As she steps past Ryan, he reaches out, taking hold of her hand and pulling her into his embrace. He whispers into her ear, and I can hear her sob as she nods her head.
“Go and eat. We won’t be long,” Ryan tells her as he releases her.
Amberlee looks over at me, hesitating. She wants to come to me so I can comfort her, but she’s afraid to do it. I nod to the kitchen and hand her the pizzas, making the decision for her. Ryan and I need to finish our conversation, and hopefully, this time it ends better.
We wait for Amberlee to leave, neither of us speaking. The tension is so thick in the room, you could cut it with a knife.
“So,” I finally say in exasperation as I move over and sit on the couch, resting my forearms on my thighs.
Ryan follows suit, sitting in the chair across from me in a similar pose.
“Maddy really reamed my ass when you left.” He laughs, causing me to chuckle along with him. Maddy’s a fucking firecracker, and I imagine she laid into him.
He leans back and lets out a long breath. “You’re my best friend, Jeremiah. More than that, I feel like you are the brother I never had, but Amberlee she’s my baby sister and I want to protect her.”
“I understand that. But Ryan, she’s not my sister, and I want to protect her too. Now you don’t have to do it alone. We can do it together.” With each word, I’m praying he’s truly listening.
Ryan opens his mouth, then closes it, repeating it a couple times before rubbing his face with the palm of his hands.
“Fuck, why is this so hard.”
I shake my head, not knowing the answer either.
“Maddy, my saint of a wife, sat me down and made me listen. I know you’d never hurt Amberlee. In my mind, no one is ever going to be good enough for her. It’s why I scared off all the boys in high school and my horny ass friends over the years. I knew they just wanted sex and I didn’t want her to be a notch in their belt.”
He pauses, rubbing his hands on his pants and I take his moment of silence as my opportunity to speak.
“That’s not what I want. I love your sister and I see a future with her. One day if all goes well, a mother to my daughter. She has a piece of my heart and it’s wrapped around her finger.”
He lowers his head, his gaze focused on his feet.
“I know you won’t. And there’s nothing I want more than my sister to be happy. I think the worst part is knowing when your attraction to her started.”
And there it is. I knew it would be an issue, but I didn’t want to keep it from him only to have him blindsided by it at a later time. Hell, I hate the age I was, it was the main reason I didn’t act on it, other than she was his sister.
I stay quiet, not wanting to push the issue.
“I want both of you to be happy and if being together is that, then you have my blessing. Just”—he sighs heavily—“don’t make out in front of me, just not yet anyways.” He laughs.
“I’ll try to restrain myself.” I chuckle.
“And no talking about your sex life. Fuck me, now that’s in my head.”
“That will never be discussed. Believe me, I don’t want anyone knowing anything that personal about me or my girl.”
He stands and I follow his lead as he steps toward me embracing me in a hug.
“I’m fucking sorry for how I acted,” he whispers.
We break our hold on each other and he steps back. “Ryan, I really do love her and for me, she’s the end game.”
His face softens like I’ve given him the final words he needed to hear to know I’m fully invested in his sister.
“Let’s eat, and give Amberlee the good news we’re not fighting anymore.”
I pat him on the shoulder as I pass him, thankful to no longer have to hide my love for Amberlee.
“Jeremiah.”
Ryan’s calling my name stops me mid-step. My heart races as anxiety settles back in that he’s about to change his mind.
“Just know, if you hurt my sister in any way I’ll fucking kill you.” Ryan doesn’t smile or laugh, he means what he’s saying is one hundred percent true.
“It’s not in my plans. But if I do, I'd want you to kill me.”
With those words, our friendship is restored. We head into the kitchen where Amberlee is sitting at the table with Angel, who’s busy talking her ears off. There’s pizza on Amberlee’s plate but she hasn’t eaten a bite.
My feet take me straight to her. Leaning down I give her a soft kiss on her lips, not wanting to deepen it with Ryan watching.
“We’re good, baby,” I whisper to her and her face relaxes, all the tension it once held fleeting.
“Hey, Angel, want to come home with me and spend the night with RJ?”
“Can I, Daddy?” She smiles widely, taking a bite of pizza.
I look at Ryan who just nods.
“Yeah, that will be fine. Just finish up and then go pack a bag.” She takes another bite of pizza before saying she’s full and takes off running to her bedroom.
“Amberlee, I’ll take Maddy’s car since it has the car seats and I’ll give you my car.” Ryan hands her the keys and she stands to get Maddy’s from her purse.
Finally, things are as they should be.
Amberlee and I are snuggled up on the couch under a blanket, watching Deadpool. It’s what I’ve wanted for years and now I finally have it. I almost want to pinch myself just to make sure I’m not dreaming.
Amberlee stifles a yawn and I know she’s tired and needs to go home, but I don’t want her to. Now that Ryan knows, I want her to stay with me. Not only because I want to wake up next to her again, but I don’t want her driving sleepy.
I grip her chin between my fingers, lifting it so I can see her beautiful eyes. “Stay with me.” It’s not a question, but a statement.
“I need to go home,” she says softly.
“No, you don’t. You’re tired and I want to wake up next to you. Your brother knows we’re together and he’s smart enough to know that means you'll be spending some nights at my house sometimes.”
She doesn’t say anything, just nods, before sitting up. I’m already missing how well her body felt against mine.
I stand up, then slip my hands underneath her lifting her into my arms bridal style. This is what I want for the rest of my life. Amberlee here with me. The marriage word is too soon for her, but it’s what I want. I’ll give us some time to get to know each other, but I meant what I said to her brother. She is the end game for me. There’s no one else I want to be with.
“I love you,” she whispers as she nuzzles her head into my neck.
“I love you too, baby. Now and always.”
Stepping into my bedroom, I take her straight to the bed, sitting her down on the edge of it.
“I don’t have anything to sleep in,” she whines. I love that she thinks she’s going to bed anyway other than naked.
“You don’t need anything.”
I pull my shirt over my head, dropping it on the floor, before undoing my pants, letting them fall to the floor, leaving me standing there naked before her. My cock’s already rock hard. I grasp it with my hand and slowly stroke it.
Her tongue snakes out, gliding across her lips as she takes in what I’m doing. It only takes her a minute before she’s standing before, dropping to her knees.
“I want to taste you,” she says. Fuck me, next to I love you, those are the most amazing words to ever escape her lips.
“You can do anything you want.”
“I’ve never done this before, so I hope I do it right,” she confesses, her face blushing as she looks up at me through her lashes.
She opens her mouth wide, bringing her face closer to my dick and I’m already on the verge of coming, knowing what she’s about to do.
The moment she takes my cock in her mouth, I crumble underneath her touch. She gingerly begins to suck on the head, letting her tongue swirl around the tip. Amberlee already seems like a pro.
“That’s it, baby, relax your jaw and throat. Go deeper.” She follows my directions, taking me further into her mouth.
She takes her time, sucking and stroking my cock until I feel my balls become heavy and tighten.
“Fuck, baby, that feels so good. I’m so close to coming. If you don’t want me to do it in your mouth, you need to stop now.”
I expect her to pull away, especially since this is her first time giving a blow job, but she doesn’t. Instead she sucks me harder, taking my shaft deeper into her mouth until I can’t hold it anymore and I’m shooting my load down her throat.
She swallows every drop, only pulling her mouth off when I’m completely spent, wiping her mouth as she peers up at me innocently.
Fuck, I love this woman.