Chapter 45
Candace
Natalie bites her lips as she grinds up against me. Our legs wrap tightly around each other as the blue bullet vibrates between us. The intensity is strong and feels like I can’t move fast enough.
“God, look at you, baby. So smooth and wet.” Her voice is raspy as she stares down at me.
The wax, along with a full spa day, was a gift from Court during the breakup. I loved it so much, I’ve kept it up.
“I thought you’d like it,” I moan, looking down, admiring our naked bodies together.
“Are you gonna be a good girl and let me lick those perfect lips?” she says in a breathy whisper.
“Yes, please!” I shout.
A sheen of sweat drips down our chests as we move our bodies together. Her breasts bounce in front of me, giving me the best view as this pleasure builds. We’re humping like cats in heat, so consumed by the vibrator, we’re desperate to finish.
The toy pulses faster and gets me there quicker than fingers or even Nat’s magical tongue.
“Lean back, baby. I wanna see what’s mine.”
Using the heels of my feet, I dig into her lower back, pushing closer to her. There’s nowhere else to go, but my body is aching for more as the buzzing continues against my sensitive skin.
“Ohhhh fuck!” I scream, gripping the bedsheets as the bullet sticks to my clit. Her words turn me on, and it’s overwhelming having no control over the sounds escaping me. “
“Yes, baby, just like that. Oh God, yes!” Nat shrieks, moving her hips faster as she comes right along with me.
The bullet is soaked with our arousal, and I hope she brings that toy everywhere, because I’m going to need an encore. Getting off the bed, she kisses my forehead before heading off to her closet.
There’s a sheet I wrap up in, trying to stay warm in my post-orgasm state, not ready to get fully dressed.
Natalie
There’s a big, clear tote labeled stuff at the top of my closet, and I grab it while she makes herself at home on my unmade bed.
“This is for you. It’s the only way I can properly apologize for the house.
I need you to know that I would never put you or your girls in danger.
They’re a top priority, and I knew they weren’t home that night.
I may have been out of my mind but I never went in with the intention of ruining anything irreplaceable. ”
“What is this?” she asks skeptically.
“It’s everything important in your life, open it.”
Slowly, she sets it on her lap and opens the lid.
Her eyes shut tight when she takes in its contents.
Taking a deep breath, she sifts through the baby pictures of the girls, including all the ones I could find of Candace pregnant.
One by one, she lifts birth certificates, school pictures, and drawings the girls had hanging up in their rooms.
“You’ve had this the whole time?” she asks, holding onto the girl's baby blankets, she had in her closet.
“There were so many times I wanted to give it to you, and probably should’ve, but this was all I had left of you. I know, I’m so sorry it’s beyond selfish, but I would look at it and hope one day we’d get back together, and I could give it to you properly.”
“This is wonderful,” she says with watery eyes. “I never thought I’d see any of this again. I can’t believe you grabbed their hand prints. I had all this stuff stashed in my closet.”
“I tried to grab as much as I could. I knew the baby stuff was there from the times I’d gotten dressed.”
She pats the empty spot on the bed next to her. “Sit with me. I’ll never forget this. You brought me back everything worth having. Thank you.”
“Well, thank goodness you’re not mad because I have one more surprise.”
“Oh no, please don’t tell me you saved my marriage certificate, I couldn’t care less.”
I reach below me and grab the pink envelope from my purse and hand it to her.
“Nat, this place is gorgeous,” she exclaims, opening the paper.
“I rented it for the summer, it’s only a few hours away. Originally, it was for me to spend the summer reconnecting with nature or whatever, but now I’d much rather have you and the girls with me.”
“You rented a whole house right by the beach?” The pictures were taken at sunset, and it’s the most beautiful house I’ve ever seen.
“There’s two bedrooms, and not fancy at all, but I think it’s pretty good for my budget. The girls could share or spend the night out on the sand.”
“Nat, this is perfect. The ultimate summer getaway, just the four of us. I can’t think of a better way to celebrate.”
“Well, I can,” I say, kissing her neck. “This is definitely a close second. I just wanna make it up to you, and this seemed like a good way to start.”
“We’ve got the rest of our lives for you to make it up to me, but renting beach houses is absolutely the best way to start.
” This woman is the love of my life, my everything.
She’s everything I’m not and my daily inspiration to be better.
There’s not a soul on earth as lucky as I am that every morning I get to wake up with her.
“I love you,” I say, melting against her.
“I love you more. Let’s go home.” Closing up the box, and holding her hand out to take mine.
Once the girls finished school, we packed everything and spent the summer getting sand in places it doesn’t belong, and rubbing gallons of sunscreen on our bodies.
Truly, it was a summer I’ll never forget.
Date nights with Candace, holding hands on the beach, talking about holidays, birthdays, and what we want to do for our anniversary.
Saturday mornings with the girls were spent strolling the farmer’s market, eating our weight in chocolate chip cookies, and sneaking sips of lattes when Candace was distracted.
We have a weekly flower arrangement, and rotate who gets to pick.
Yesterday was my turn, and after no thought whatsoever, I chose sunflowers and roses, causing mass hysteria in the house.
According to Kate, those two totally don’t belong together.
They joked about kicking me out of the rotation, but it sounded a little too threatening to be a joke.
It’s not my strong suit anyway, I’d much rather follow Candace along, like a lost puppy amazed at literally everything she does.
She knows the right salt to use, what vegetables are in season, and how much maintenance is required for these weekly flowers.
The girls learned to cook and grilled their first lobsters the other night.
We’ve been able to find our own rhythm so seamlessly that nobody’s even mentioned going back to school, or Courtney’s penthouse.
We’ve made no plans to stay here past the summer, but if it were up to me, we’d never leave.
Our bedroom has French doors that lead right out to the beach.
We keep them open most nights, letting the breeze cool us down, and the waves put us into such a deep sleep that I usually wake up with no idea where I’m at.
Wherever we go after the summer, I know this for sure: Candace is my home. Wherever we go in life, whatever happens, she will always be my home.
The end.