Past Imperfect (39 page)
“The shower. Definitely the shower.” I back away, looking at him through my dark lashes.
“I thought you loved my man juices?”
“Do you really want to discuss this or do you want to shove me against the shower tile and do
things
to me?” I slowly unbutton my shirt.
“Fuck juices.”
Loud squeals and laughter ricochet around the room as Brad rushes toward me, ducks, and throws me over his shoulders before heading into our bedroom.
I’m standing in the doorway of the kitchen, with one shoulder leaning against the frame, gazing at her. Sitting at the table, she flips through one of our many photo albums. I watch as a bright smile breaks out across her face looking at a particular picture. She’s wearing a black dress that fits her form perfectly. Streaks of silver gray mix with her chestnut brown hair that’s swept up into a tight bun with several pieces falling to frame her face. The diamond drop earrings I gave her for our fortieth anniversary hang down to that spot just below her ear that I love to drag my tongue across. My eyes scan over the rest of her body, down to her shoes, black patent leather with a ribbon tied at the ankle. The heel isn’t as high as it used to be, but the sight of Mabry in heels, no matter what height still makes my dick twitch. She’s as beautiful and sexy today as she was the first time our eyes met.
Clearing my throat, I say, “Hey, Sweetness.”
She looks up and narrows her eyes at me. “What are you doing?”
“Drooling over you.” I flash her
the smile
as I push off from the door and walk toward her. “What are
you
doing?”
She tilts her head up and I’m met by happy azure blues. “Looking at what an amazing life we’ve had together.”
Leaning down, I place a soft kiss on her pale pink lips. “It has been pretty amazing.”
Pointing to one of the photos, she says, “Look at how little Bren is in this one.”
I rest my hands on Mabry’s shoulders, peer over them and chuckle. “It’s hard to believe we’ve had five more grandkids since Brenny.”
“She had you wrapped around her tiny finger from day one.”
“Well, it was my responsibility as a new granddad to spoil the first one rotten.”
Shaking her head, she informs me, “You’ve spoiled all of them rotten.”
I simply flash her
the smile.
“The kids want us to bring all our photo albums to the party. I have them sitting on the table by the front door, so we won’t forget them.”
She flips through a few more pages as I bend down and press my lips just under her ear and start nibbling.
Tilting her head to the side, exposing more for me to taste, she sighs, “And where do you think you’re going with this?”
My hands travel over her shoulders, moving across her collarbone, and head straight to my intended targets. “You still have one of the all-time best racks, Sweetness.”
She giggles. “I don’t know about that. They’ve been traveling south for quite a few years.”
“My hands have always enjoyed the trip.” I smile against her neck.
“Brad…,” she moans. “We can’t do this right now.” A small whimper escapes her lips. “We’re going to be late to our own party. The kids will be worried.” She exhales a deep sigh.
I know she’s right. The kids have put in a lot of time planning this party for us. A low growl rumbles from my chest. “At least dance with me,” I whisper in her ear.
“But Brad…”
“I need you in my arms right now.”
She smiles up at me as I take her by the hands and lead her away from the table.
“There’s no music,” she says.
“I always have a song in my heart for you, Sweetness.” I throw her a sexy grin and wrap my arms around her waist.
Her hands find their way to the back of my neck as she gives me an exaggerated eye roll. “I was wondering when I’d get my daily dose of calcium.”
Our foreheads rest against each other’s as we sway, slightly. “I gotcha covered, baby.”
“Your hip action is still top-notch.”
“Yeah, especially since I got the new one,” I say.
Mabry softly hums one of our favorite songs, “I Said” by Michelle Featherstone. As we continue to move in sync, I close my eyes, soaking in the moment with the love of my soul. My life has been imperfect at times, and I’ve made a lot of mistakes, but if that’s what it took to have Mabry in this moment, then it was all worth it. My hands glide down and over her little ass.
She lets out a long slow sigh. “Maybe I can call the kids and tell them we’re going to be just a little late.”
Our eyes open at the same time and connect. The corners of my mouth turn up into a huge grin, and I say, “Wamfu yeah, baby.”
The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention
Crisis Hotline
tel:18002738255
http://www.suicidepreventionlifeline.org/
Self-Injury Foundation
http://selfinjuryfoundation.org/34222.html
The Keith Milano Memorial Fund was established to help raise awareness about the devastating and deadly disease that is mental illness. Keith’s spirit and laughter is kept alive through our efforts to increase awareness about mental illness and to raise money for education and imperative research. Keith often struggled with society’s perception of mental illness. Our hope is that by having the strength to say that Keith was “Bipolar” we can strip away the stigma and help others to be more open about their disease.
The Keith Milano Memorial Fund benefits the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP).
AFSP is the only national not-for-profit organization exclusively dedicated to understanding and preventing suicide through research and education, and to reaching out to people with mood disorders and those affected by suicide.
Acknowledgments are so hard to write. You want to make sure you not only include all those who have made an impact on you, but also express how grateful you are to them without sounding repetitive. Here’s my attempt.
This past year, 2013, has been one of the most incredible years of my life. The incredibleness (I know, it doesn’t sound like a real word) started in mid-January before anyone even knew I was attempting to write a book. I took out my iPhone and wrote the first scene of
Present Perfect
(the blind date). It’s one of my favorite scenes. It spurred me on to write the next scene and the next, and then a chapter. As the words appeared on the computer screen (my late father’s netbook) I started to rediscover something that I used to love but had put to one side when life got in the way.
We all go through periods when we get overwhelmed by doubts, lose ourselves a little as the years pass, and have negative situations that leave us exhausted. We wonder where the person we used to be disappeared to and crave relief from the negative, even if it’s momentary.
I let a couple of close friends read a few chapters of
Present Perfect
in late January/early February, then I got a small group of betas to start reading. With each note of feedback things began to change for me and I’m not referring to just the words on the screen. Not only did I want to write this story but I needed to write this story. As the months went by I continued to work on
Present Perfect
every day. I’m blessed to be able to write full-time. During those months I met and became friends with some wonderful people—authors, avid readers, publishing professionals and bloggers.
A publish date was set, ARCs (advanced reader’s copies) went out, bloggers blogged, and readers read. Notes started coming to me from people expressing how the book touched them. I hope every one of you has at least one experience in your life in which someone tells you how something you did, wrote, or said impacted them in a positive way. It leaves you speechless, humbled, and grateful.
The folks listed below have all touched my life in a meaningful way. Some I’ve known for years and others are new friends. Some I talk with several times a week and others I’ve talked to only a few times. The time spent with an individual is irrelevant. It only takes a second to leave a lasting impression on a person and these folks have all done that with me. I will always remember and be grateful to them for helping me regain my confidence, find a lost passion, and for bringing so much positivity back in my life.