A Chance at Destiny (15 page)

“Well whatever happens, you'll never be your sister or your mother. And I will never be my mother.  Never.”  He grabbed her hand. “We,”  he moved his hand to motion between the two of them. “We will deal with it. Together.”

The one thing Tyler knew was they would never be like their parents. Ever. He would never be his mother and she would never be alone if she would only allow him to be in her life.

In a moment of solidarity, she held on to his hand. “You promise?” 

“Of course. It's me and you...” He started.

“Against the world.” They finished the statement together. They both laughed.

The rest of the ride back to school was quiet but less tension filled silence. Destiny slept the last hour. When the truck pulled into the gravel parking space, Tyler nudged her. She was glad to be home.
Their home
.  She thought.

Making her way to the apartment, Destiny opened the door and turned on the lights. Tyler followed behind with their bags. She sent Maria and Anne a text to let them know they were back. Soon after Tyler sat down to call his dad.

“Hello.”

“Hey dad. We made it home.” He leaned back on the sofa rubbing his hand over his face in fatigue.

“Got there early didn't you son?” David Duggan could hear the frustration in Tyler on the other end of the phone.

“We decided to leave early.”He said simply. He hoped his dad didn't ask why.

“Why?” He waited.

“We needed to get out of that room.” He sighed. Tyler never lied to his dad. He hadn't when his dad asked him about the tension while they visited over Christmas. He was honest and explained the entire situation to his dad.

When David Duggan listened to his son’s predicament with Cindi, David Duggan responded with his disappointment in Tyler. But David explained that Tyler needed to relax and give Destiny time. He also said not to give her any reason to not trust him.  Be accountable to her always. Having his father be upset and disappointed with him hurt Tyler deeply. He hated that feeling.

“What happened?” David asked bringing Tyler back to here and now.

“I...I'm not really sure dad. We .. uh...I don't know if I should tell you ...everything dad.”

“I get it. I don't need the details. But I know that she was upset with you before. I can’t imagine she wanted to be intimate with you Ty. Am I right?” David waited for a response from his son.

“ She did during but afterwards she wasn't very happy with me. She thinks we should keep our distance.” He paused. “I don't know if I can dad.”

“Why not son?’ His dad knew the answer. Tyler suspected he wanted his son to be open with his feelings.

“Because...I care and .....I love her dad. I really do. I'm scared I'm losing her. This whole Cindi shit has just spooked her. She is terrified of being hurt and left behind like her mom and Dasha have done.”

“Hmmmm” Was all his dad said.

“No advice?” He waited for his dad to speak up like he always had and give him words of wisdom.

“No. Just time. Prove it to Destiny. Prove that you love her. She'll see it.”

They said goodbye and ended their call. 

Chapter Twelve

On New Year's Eve, Annie and Jessup arranged for a couples retreat at a mountain cabin. Destiny and Tyler were not looking forward to the "peace and quiet" of being a couple as their mentors described. They hadn’t done anything as a couple since arriving back at Bradford College. The silence was killing Tyler, so he took extra shifts at the garage. The library was closed so Destiny agreed to babysit for Maria and Markos while they worked extra shifts.

Tyler thought back to the nights he'd come home for the garage and watched Destiny play with baby Gracie. Gracie was tired and fussy, but Destiny just held her and talked to her in that soft hushed tone. Gracie started to settle down. Tyler watched as his wife rubbed Gracie's soft dark brown curls from her tearful face. He began to think about the possibility of having a baby with Destiny. What would a baby with his and her features look like? She was such a natural mother. He prayed that she would be the mother of his children. Because they deserved her.

The men packed and loaded up the church van to head for the mountainside cabin for three whole days. According to Annie and Jessup the only electronics they could have were their cell phones, and those had to be placed in a basket at the front door of the cabin.

The four hour ride allowed everyone to get some much needed rest. Destiny looked around, watching the other couples. She looked at Bethany and Brody. From their posture, she decided her and Tyler weren’t the only ones at odds about something. They seemed so perfect and in love all the times she'd seen them. But now that she was watching them, they seemed almost too perfect. Interesting. Destiny thought as she watched Bethany shift her weight away from Brody and Brody mirrored the same action.
Very interesting indeed.
She thought.

The lodge was beautiful. There were large picturesque windows. The snow was bright and clean. It covered the top of mountains .Below the cabin, there was a meadow.   The lake reflected off the warm sun on a cold crisp day. The Cabin was stocked with food. The rooms were meant for relaxing. Each room had a wonderful view of the property.

Tyler watched Destiny take in the view from their room. She'd chatted on the way to the cabin with Maria and he with Markos. But neither of them talked to one another. Actually, they both wondered how they would make it through the weekend.

On their bed sat a small box. There was jasmine bath oil, a loofah, and massage oils. There were also instructions in a small envelop that read:

Welcome!

We are delighted that you have chosen this place to renew and strengthen your marriage. Dinner will be served in four hours. For the next hour and a half, we want you to undress your spouse then use the massage oil to massage your spouse. During the massage you may not speak. There are sheets in the top of the closet for this part of the renewal. After you have massaged one another you are to enjoy a hot bath together with the jasmine oil and loofah. Please be certain to wash your spouse’s hair. Again, you may not speak.

We do realize this is a highly sensual experience but we are asking that you not engage in sexual touching, sexual stimulation, or intercourse of any kind. Please be ready for dinner, promptly seated at 7pm.

Enjoy.

Tyler read the note and looked at Destiny. He was excited to touch her,but he was worried that this may be too much. They hadn't touched each other in so long. He watched her closely.

Destiny could not slow down her heart rate. She felt like she was having a heart attack. Massage? Bath? The only good thing about the exercise was no sex. So she breathed a sigh of relief. She took a breath. “Um...Okay. I guess. Do you want to do this?” She waved her hand around over the box now emptied of its contents.

“Do we have choice? We know Annie and Jessup have something planned. They always do. What if they ask us questions or something?”

“Really Tyler, like a test?” She pursed her lips. “But there will be some sort  of  discussion. I guess we could lie.” She shrugged.

“Yeah, we could. But I don’t mind doing this for you. You don’t have to do the same for me. But I don’t want to lie to them anymore. We're doing enough of that now.” Secretly Tyler was jumping for joy at the opportunity to touch her beautiful skin. Hell yes he wanted to bathe her. He wanted Destiny to want to touch him too but he wouldn’t push. 

“Your right. Let’s just do it.” She agreed.

They laid the sheets out across the bed. Without prompting, Tyler reached over and began to undress Destiny. First he slid off her boots which stopped at her knees. He removed her socks. Tyler watched as her brown eyes as they focused on him take care of her. He loved the heady feeling it gave. She was always taking care of him. But right in that moment he felt so much love for her he thought he’d burst.  He pulled her sweater over her head. Then he unbuttoned her pants and unzipped them. He helped her step out of her jeans. He stood and pushed the bra straps off her shoulders. Gently, he opened the clasp between her full breasts watching her chocolate nipples harden in the coolness of the air. Tyler's mouth literally began to water. He had to bite his lip to restrain himself. Once the bra was off her shoulders, he eased is fingers into the seams of her panties at the hip. He slid them off. She stepped out of them and sat on the sheets he'd placed on the bed.

Destiny could feel herself trembling. Sitting there watching Tyler watch her as each piece of clothing went away made her heart swell. She felt so much for him but feared the pain of rejection and betrayal. His hair was pulled back in a loose ponytail at the base of his skull and his bright blue eyes were searing her soul. She craved his touch and had missed it the last few days. She wanted him. Needed him.

She could feel the warm oil slide around her body as Tyler applied pressure. A slight moan escaped her. She could feel her body melting under his touch. He rubbed her legs and feet. He took his time on each thigh in deep circular motions causing her thighs to part ever so slightly. The cool air made her grow moist with want. Again she moaned. She could feel his closeness as his cool breath blew across her skin with each long gentle rub.

When it was Destiny's turn to massage, she stood before her husband in a white robe that was hanging on the door. She felt so loose. She reached for the hem of his long sleeved Henley and pulled it over his head. She heard his breath catch as she reached for his black denim jeans that she loved to see him in. She unbuttoned then slowly with trembling fingers.

Tyler ached to touch her, to speed her up. Her trembling fingers meant she was nervous. He liked that she was a little worried. But he stood and waited. His erection proud and tall as she removed his boxers. His body throbbed when bit her bottom lip and gently sucked looking at the erection bob.

He lay down and relished the feeling of drowning in her touch. Her small hands began to knead his lean muscle. She focused on his arms and back. Then she pulled the rubber band out of his hair and massaged his scalp. He struggled to lay there while she stimulated him in such a way. He loved the feel of her hands through his hair.

Destiny moaned as she stroked her hands through Tyler’s hair. She rubbed his shoulders and used her thumbs to trace the defined muscles in his arms and back. She watched his muscles jump and jerk as she touched certain places on his body. His eyes rolled back when she focused on his scalp. She studied her husband’s face and sharp angular features as he absorbed her touch. She could not imagine her life without him. She loved him. More than anything in life.

In the claw foot bath tub she sat between his long legs as he washed her front with the loofah. As the water trickled  over her body he chased it with the loofah. She laid her head back on his chest and just relaxed in his touch. When he grabbed the shampoo, she pulled her hair out of the bun and allowed him to wet it with the ceramic dish on the side of the tub. He gently ran the water through her hair. Destiny didn't know she was crying until Tyler wiped the tears from her cheeks. She allowed her face to rest in his hands as he comforted her.

She washed his hair and while straddling his lap.  Tyler fought desperately not to slide right inside her. He was so turned on by the act and the consideration she was showing him. In her eyes, he also saw her desire. Her lips sat inches from his as she finished rinsing his hair. He wanted to kiss her but a kiss would lead to so much more because he was starving for her affection.

Dinner was great. The women sat on one side and the men across from them. Destiny and Tyler weren’t the only ones still buzzing from the sensual afternoon activity. There were lots of soft looks and blushing going around. After dinner, the couples were on teams to play a board game. They all laughed and played late into the night.

After they returned to the room, Tyler sat watching Destiny undress. “Here, let me.” He reached over and began to undress her as he did earlier. “I like doing this. It's like unwrapping a gift.”