Chapter 15
CHAPTER 15
Ezra
I’d shown my condo to so many people in the last week, I didn’t think I was ever going to sell it. I had as of today and I had so much to do to get it ready. Tammy still wasn’t speaking to me once she verified I was “kicking her out of our home”. Her things were still here, but there was a crew that would be here in two hours to pack up her belongings and take them to a storage unit. I’d paid for two months, and she could pick up the keys from the front desk downstairs.
My things were being packed up and relocated to my new place. They were already here so that when the second crew came, all that would be left belonged to her. Everything happened so quickly and before I knew it, everything of mine was gone. I completed a final walk-through to make sure they hadn’t forgotten anything before they departed.
As they worked, I’d been removing Tammy’s things and relocating them to the living room for easier transport. With everything clear, it would only take a matter of moments to…
I walked back into the closet seeing a box pushed against the wall. It blended in with the shelving above it, so I hadn’t noticed it at first. I only realized it was there because with everything being bare, it made the balance of the two shelves off. I stared at it because it seemed like it was hidden and not meant to be noticed.
Taking off the lid, I saw paperwork with Tammy’s name on it. I was going to close it and put it with her things, but the words “tubal ligation,” which I knew was the medical term for her tubes being tied, caught my eye. It was dated back prior to the day I spoke with her doctor, so there was nothing new. Wondering what else she was hiding in this box, I shuffled through the other things inside. More information from her doctor was there, and it was beginning to feel more like I was prying than trying to figure out what the box was. I was about to put everything back when I dropped it all to the ground.
“Fuck.”
I went about picking things up and putting them back as neatly as possible. As I picked up some of the papers, a photo slipped free. A quick glance placed it just out of reach. I put all the paper inside and made a neat pile of them. I had no idea where the photo went, but…
Picking it up, my heart pumped in overtime. The black-and-white image that looked like an ocean had a small egg-size black hole in the center. Two dotted lines bore an x on top, with a number one on the left and a number two on the right. The date in the far right corner was from a year ago on my birthday, December 29th. Week four.
“Are you serious, Ezra? You couldn’t wait the entire month!” Tammy stormed into the room ready to blaze a hellfire.
“If this photo is real and you have your tubes tied”—I stood up—“you didn’t carry it to term, you would have told me if you lost it because it would have been proof that you were trying, so that only leaves one other option.”
“What are you talking about?! What are you doing with my things?” she shouted.
I crossed the room in a few strides and stood so close to her that she froze.
“When did you abort the baby?” I gritted out.
Finally, on the same page, her eyes widened, and she stepped back from me. “Ezra…”
“When!” I shouted.
“A week after the ultrasound,” she muttered.
I nodded, but rage blinded me so quickly my entire body vibrated with a newfound hatred.
“Ezra, I can explain.”
“Can you? Can you!” I’d never ever wanted to hit a woman before. However, the amount of cruel things she’d done was starting to warp what was right and what was wrong. “Get the fuck out of my house before I become someone we’ll both be disgusted by,” I snarled.
For once, Tammy listened. I don’t know if it was the expression on my face, my tone, or if something else warned her we were both in dangerous territory. She rushed from the apartment and didn’t return.
“Uh, Mr. Hamilton, are we good to take everything downstairs?”
“You can burn that shit for all I care. Just get it out of my sight.”
“Copy that.” The guy walked out into the living room, where I assumed the rest of his crew waited. “Get all this onto the truck, Pronto. Doesn’t matter how. He doesn’t care about it, but we’re not in the business of destroying property. Though she deserves it. Ungrateful ass woman.”
That part.
I went back to the box and made sure everything else was inside. The ultrasound went into my pocket, and I gave the box to the nearest mover. I exited the condo and gave the key to the receptionist.
“Have them give me a call if you need something. The maid will be here by tomorrow to clean it. She’ll return the final key then.”
“Thank you, Mr. Hamilton. It’s been a pleasure.”
I nodded and exited the building. Inside my car, I knew I wouldn’t be okay until I was far away from here. I started the car and drove to the only safe place I knew.
Completely exhausted, I pulled up to the Ranch with my eyes barely open. I got out of the car and left my stuff inside. Bed. That was the only thing on my mind. I was drunk off no sleep, too much caffeine, not enough food or water, tear-drained eyes, and an adrenaline hangover. When I put the keycard to the door, it didn’t open. I needed to get inside desperately, but I couldn’t get the damn thing to work.
I kicked the door angrily and cursed so loudly I scared myself. I tried again and again … I rested my head against the door, eyes closed, and prayed it would work. I just needed sleep.
“Ezra?”
Now I was hallucinating, too? “Cruel, cruel, cruel!” I shouted to the universe.
“Ezra?”
I turned my head in the direction of the stairwell and saw Renee standing there with a terrified expression on her face.
“Are you real?” I asked her.
“I better be.”
“How’d you know I wanted to see you?”
“You are at my apartment door.” She half smiled. “Are you okay?”
Words a broken man never wants to hear. Instead of answering verbally, I shook my head no and went back to looking at the ground.
“Can we go inside and talk about it?” she asked.
“Yeah,” I whispered.
“Okay.” She came over and unlocked the door.
I wrapped my arms around her waist and kissed the back of her neck. “I’ve really missed you, baby.”
“I know, because I’ve missed you, too.” She led me inside and closed the door.
Inside her bedroom, she stripped me down while bathwater ran in the tub.
“We’re going to take a bath together and you’re going to tell me everything.” She spoke as if she were talking to a young skittish child. “And I’m going to make it all better.”
“Promise?” I asked, desperate for someone to be that anchor I was for everybody else.
“Yes. I do.”
When she disappeared into the bathroom, I grabbed my wallet, keys, and the photo from my pockets. I put them on the edge of her dresser but took the photo with me. I didn’t know how this conversation was going to make her feel, but if she was serious about me being honest with her, today was the day to test that theory.
“Climb in for me.” She was naked, beautiful, and making it tough to stay on task.
I did and sat down. She kneeled between my legs and put her hair up in a messy bun. She grabbed a loofa, added body wash, and began lathering it.
“Start from the beginning,” she coached as she washed my body.
“Between showing off properties back home, I’ve also been looking at condos for myself. I put mine on the market, so I need another. I gave Tammy notice to move out, and she’s been avoiding my calls ever since.” I cleared my throat because it was raw from all the yelling and cursing I’d done in the car and here in the hallway. “I found a place, sold mine, and they wanted to move in immediately, which was perfect. Today, I had my things shipped to my new place and because Tammy didn’t want to talk things through, I had her things packed up and set to go into a storage unit. I paid for it to be there for two months so I could be done with the entire situation. While I was doing the walk-through to make sure I hadn’t left anything, I found a box. One with paperwork to confirm that she had her tubes tied. There were other medical documents in there and I dropped the box only to find this inside.” I handed it to her.
She swallowed and with trembling hands she took it from me, already positive of what it was. “She’s pregnant?”
“No, worse.” I pointed to the date at the top.
She put the photo on the edge of the tub and straddled my lap. She pulled my head to her bosom and rested it there.
“I’m so sorry,” she whispered in my ear.
It broke the dam, reopening the flood of tears I thought I’d already cried out. The sobs were heavy and hard coming from a place that didn’t understand how anybody could do that. Renee held me tighter, and I let go of every sad thought I had and let it flow from my eyes.
“She didn’t deserve you or it. I know it’s been a while since it happened, but it’s fresh for you. Take that time to grieve.”
“I couldn’t protect them.”
She shook her head. “No, you couldn’t because it’s impossible to keep someone safe you don’t know exists.”
I don’t know when I settled, but Renee went back to washing me and then herself. She rested my head on a white towel, and I relaxed while she did her thing. Then she let out the water and refilled the tub.
“How are you feeling?” she asked.
“Drained, but better.”
“Do you have anything else on your mind?”
“I’m sorry I wasn’t completely honest with you. I wasn’t trying to hide anything, but I did unintentionally. All of that is behind us now. I know today has been heavy, however, it hasn’t ruled my decision. I was going to talk to you, anyway.”
“About?”
“Being mine. The entire way here, I focused on getting home to you. Washington to Montana is a ten hour drive, and I was tired almost halfway through. I didn’t stop, though. I needed you.”
“I’m right here, Sir.” She put her arms around my neck and leaned into me. “I’ve been waiting for you to get here.”
“Well, I’m home, baby.”
Renee leaned down and kissed me. I put my arms around her waist and drew her closer. As tired as I was, I controlled the kiss. It was filled with unspoken words of I’m sorry and I’ll do better, affection and new emotions, promises of what was to come, and what we’d lost.
“Can I take care of you?” she asked, breaking away from our kiss.
“Yeah, I thought that’s what you were doing.” Now I was confused.
Renee nibbled her way up to my ears, kissed her way down to my neck, then my lips. My shoulders were next, chest, and she pressed her tongue flat to my nipples to bathe them with the swipes of her tongue.
“See, I was going to wake up in the middle of the night to take care of those needs. I didn’t know we were jumping into it.”
As she moved lower, my dick hardened between us, wanting to get in on the action.
“I’ve been waiting for you.” She spoke to my shaft as she neared it. “Come here, Sir.”
She used her tongue to come up one side of it and then down the other. “You’re so good.”
I flexed my hips, turned on by how she spoke to him . She pulled him into her mouth and dragged him out slowly, then back in. When she pulled him in deep, gagging, and then slurping him back in, I almost came in her mouth.
“Good girl.”
“Thank you, Sir.” Was she talking to me or him ?
Her hand cupped my sac, the other firmly wrapped around him , and she fucked me with her mouth. I put my arms up on the edge of the tub, not feeling the need to guide her at all. She had this all on her own.
Teeth. After every few strokes down, she let her teeth graze my dick. Borderline between pain and passion. I ate that shit up.
“Do you like that, Sir? Being inside my mouth?” she asked, and I growled at her in warning.
“I will fuck up your life if you don’t chill on the dirty talk,” I warned.
She popped me from her mouth and looked up at me through her lashes. “Please. I’ve been a really good girl while I waited for you.”
I dropped my head, a sucker for obedience.
“Climb up here on my lap,” I instructed her. “This is going to be quick.”
“So, you’re not going to come in my mouth?”
I leaned forward and slapped her ass. “Chill.”
When she was on top, I eased inside her as she lowered her body onto me. I gripped the tub because she was hot and ready for me. I fit like she was the lock for my key. There’s no way this was ever going to get old.
“Ride, baby.”
“Yes, Sir.”
Already close, it didn’t take long before I was closer. When I leaned up to get her there, she shook her head no.
“This is about you. I know you’ll take care of me later.” She leaned down and kissed me, swirling her hips and fucking me like I was hers.
I gripped her neck, held her in place, while she shut me the fuck up with her body. This version of her was less shy. She owned her femininity, and though she was on top, clearly enjoying herself, it was because she could see the satisfaction on my face. The more my body responded to her, the more aroused she got. Each groan, grunt, moan, and swear word I released, the more confident she became in her plan. She was about to tear me apart, and she didn’t even know it. Water sloshed around us, but I’d clean that shit up later. I was about to explode and couldn’t get a single word out to warn her beautiful ass.
“Mmm…” she moaned, licking her lips. “You feel so good.” She gasped when I pumped my hips upward. “I’m so close,” she whined. “I’m right there with you,” she crooned.
I stroked her clit and bucked her every time her body came downward. I curled into her, no longer able to fight the eruption coming her way.
“Oooh, yes!” She came first, and the way she gripped me tightly milked me dry as I followed.
Holding her close, I closed my eyes tightly and let go completely. I saw stars and felt lighter than I had in days. I was home with my babygirl, right where I needed to be. She cleaned us both, we got out, and she put me in bed. She made me a deli sandwich with chips, and a root beer before I passed out cold. She laid her head on my chest, curled at my side, and wrapped us in a warm cocoon before she fell asleep with me. I didn’t worry about a single thing because I knew all was fine.
“Good night, Haven,” she whispered to me.
I tried to say something back, but I was exhausted and couldn’t muster the energy to do a damn thing. I couldn’t even open my eyes or move my lips. Tomorrow, I’d make up for it.
She called me Haven…