Scars of the Present (17 page)

“I’m going to hold you to it,” I replied with a smile. “I really look forward to it.”

Chapter Twenty-Four

After he was wheeled out to my car, I drove David to his house. I pulled in the driveway and walked around to the passenger side to offer him my hand. He took my hand, but instead of getting out, he pulled me to him and captured my mouth immediately.

“I’ve missed you so much,” He murmured against my lips. “So much.”

I pulled back and smiled at him. “I’ve missed you, too.” I tugged on him until he was standing and we walked into his house together.

Sarah had been staying at his house with Claire, but she was at work and Claire was at a summer day camp she had been going to. I had only been in the house that one time, and it felt too quiet.

“Is Sarah picking up Claire today?” I asked him as he maneuvered to the couch and sat down.

“Yeah and tomorrow too. Hopefully we can get back to normal next week. Are you going to go back to work tomorrow?”

I shook my head. “Mary told me to take tomorrow since its Friday anyway. I’ll go back Monday.” I sat down next to him on the couch. “When are you going back?”

David shrugged. “I need to call the captain. He’s going to stick me at the desk until Dr. Malloy clears me in a month, so it’s going to be boring as hell.”

“At least I won’t have to worry about you getting shot,” I said, only partially teasing him.

“Tink, if I had been a civilian in that store it probably still would have ended the same way.” He shifted a bit so his body was angled towards mine. “He shot at me before he even knew what I was. I walked in those doors and he had his gun trained on the cashier. When he heard me he shot and hit me in the shoulder. I barely had time to grab my gun before I felt the second shot and let one go myself. All I could think about when I was laying there was how I didn’t want Claire to grow up without a father, and how I wished I had told you I still loved you.”

I moved so I was straddling his lap and resumed our kiss from the driveway. My hands slid through his hair, and he awkwardly pulled my shirt up one-handed until I laughed and helped him get it over my head.

“This stupid sling,” He growled, unhooking my bra with his right hand. When it slid off my arms he just stared at my breasts hungrily. “God, the last time I saw you naked I wanted to touch you so badly.” He ducked his head and pulled one of nipples through his teeth, and I hissed in pleasure.

I pulled back and shook my head. “I don’t want you hurt you.”

“Sydney, shut up,” He smiled and pushed me to my feet, tugging on my shorts with his one hand.

“Well, then at least let me remove the clothes.” I kicked my flip flops off and pulled my shorts and underwear down quickly before moving onto his. I left his shirt on so we didn’t have to mess with the sling, and I stepped back to look at him. “Do you have a condom?”

He thought about it for a moment and then slowly shook his head. “I don’t think so, but I don’t want a condom. I want all of you.”

I grinned and moved back into his lap, pulling his shirt up a little so I could run my fingers over his stomach. When I moved again, I adjusted my hips so that I could slide him inside of me, and I watched as his face contorted into pleasure.

“You and I are the perfect fit,” he said softly. “No one could possibly make me feel as amazing as you do.”

He leaned down and kissed me as I began to move, trying to be mindful of his bad shoulder. His hand roamed my body, touching every part he possibly could, and everywhere he touched felt like a live wire afterwards. I rode him until I couldn’t take it anymore, and my body exploded like fireworks as I moaned his name loudly. David clenched his teeth for a second and then his face relaxed as he chanted my name softly. I let my forehead drop to his good shoulder, and I waited a moment for my breathing to normalize.

I lifted my head and searched his face for any kind of distress. Instead I received a lopsided smile and he leaned in to kiss me.

“I love you, Sydney.”

“I love you, too.” I peeled myself off of him and held out my hand. We went into the downstairs bathroom and cleaned ourselves up before redressing.

Despite how normal he proclaimed he was feeling, the sex had worn David out more than he wanted to admit. He and I sat down to watch TV on his couch and he fell asleep about ten minutes later.

I moved into the kitchen to see if there was something I could make for dinner, and I pulled some chicken out to let it defrost. I wandered back through the house and admired all of the photos of Claire he had up that I had missed before. As I explored, I remembered the last night I was here and how even though I had felt comfortable here, I had also felt out of place. Now, I felt like I could belong here with them.

David slept for about an hour and when he woke up I was at his dining room table reviewing some proposals for work. I heard him come up behind me and he leaned down to place a soft kiss on my neck.

“I like having you in this house.” He pulled a chair out and sat beside me. I put down the stuff I was reading and smiled at him.

“I’m just sorry for how I acted the last time I was here.”

He shook his head quickly and ran his hand through his untidy hair. “We both made mistakes then, but it worked out in the end.”

“I wonder what would have happened if you hadn’t been hurt. I was scared to interrupt your life in case you were seriously dating that girl.” I put the paperwork I was doing back in my bag and looked up at him.

“My resolve was breaking. I was pretty close to breaking down your front door, taking you to bed, and telling you that you had to love me.”

“I think I fell in love with you that night at the bar last year. You challenged me, made me feel worthy, but at the same time you managed to make me feel precious. I wish I had figured it out sooner.” I leaned forward and gave him a quick kiss. “Thanks for not giving up.”

“T
hanks for coming back to me.” He grinned. “Will you stay the night with me tonight? I know you haven’t been home in a while, but I really just want to hold you. Really hold you- none of the hospital bed bullshit.”

I nodded and stood up. “I need to run home and get a few things first, but I can stay. I’ll run over there right now and be back in time to make dinner.”

“You don’t have to cook, Tink, we can order something. I don’t want you to feel like you have to.”

I groaned and gave him a smile. “I am desperate for a home-cooked meal after all the hospital food I’ve consumed lately. It’s not a big deal. Do you need anything before I go?”

“No, just hurry back.”

I didn’t move, but instead stared at his face for a moment. He raised an eyebrow and smiled.

“What?”

I sat back in my chair and sighed. “I need you to answer me honestly.”

David didn’t respond and just nodded instead.

“Do you trust me? I mean, really trust me. I just need to know if you have those doubts about me in your head or not.” I reached out to grab his hand and he gripped it tightly.

“I never stopped, not really. I knew freezing you out was shitty, and your reaction wasn’t that off the wall.” He sighed. “Do I wish you’d never let that guy touch you? Most definitely. But I know you didn’t do it to betray me or retaliate. You wouldn’t do that. It took me a few weeks to figure that out.”

I let out a sigh of relief. “Good. I need you to trust me and trust that I love you. You’ve helped me change, David, and in the best way possible.” I smiled as I stood back up.

I gave him a quick kiss before I left and headed across the city to my apartment. I hadn’t been home since the day David was shot, and walking through the door it felt like it’d been years. Amanda was sitting on the couch with her laptop, and she quickly snapped it shut as I walk in.

“Well, hello stranger.”

“Hey babe,” I grinned at her. “What are you doing?”

She shrugged. “Surfing the web before I go to have dinner with my mom.”

“How did the transition to the home go? “ I asked, sitting next to her.

“God Syd, she loves it. I’m so happy with the decision so far.” She was beaming, and I was ecstatic for her, but even more so for her mom.

“That’s fantastic, Amanda. Do you feel less stressed now?”

She nodded and sighed. “About that anyway. How’s David?”

“Tired and weak, but so much better. I’m pretty sure I’ve aged about twenty years this past week though.” I leaned my head against hers and yawned.

“I’m sure. I’m just happy for both of you that everything is okay.”

I hugged her tightly and stood up. “Me too. I’m going to spend tonight over there and help him get settled in back at home. Have Maddie and Josh been over?”

“A day here or there, but not really. I’ve basically been living alone.” Amanda gave me a teasing grin. “It’s not that bad either. I’ve been spending a ton of time at the home.”

“I’ll probably be home tomorrow night,” I said as I grabbed a soda from the fridge.

“Don’t worry, Syd, I really don’t mind. You spend as much time with David as you want to.” She picked up her laptop and glanced at the clock. “I’m gonna head over and see my mom, but I’ll see you tomorrow-ish?”

We hugged again, and I restocked the overnight bag that Maddie had brought to the hospital for me.

As I was moving through the bedroom, I paused at the picture of my father and I that David had admired over a month ago. Everything that had happened with David and my parents had happened so fast that I still hadn’t had time to wrap my head around any of it. I silently promised myself that I’d make it to my parents’ house to discuss everything with them as soon as I could.

I stopped by the grocery store on my way back to David’s house, and I gathered the bags before getting out of my car. I got to his front door and hesitated on the stoop before bringing my hand up and ringing the doorbell. After almost two minutes, David answered the door and smiled.

“You could have just walked back in, Tink.” He tried to grab for one of the bags I was holding and I dodged him, placing them on the table instead.

“One step at a time, David.” I looked him over, searching for anything that may have changed while I was gone. “How do you feel?”

“Well, when you stare at me like that I feel like the World’s Wimpiest Man, but otherwise I feel fine.” An annoyed look crossed his face, and I had to suppress a sigh.

“You almost died on me. Twice. Two separate times, Ralph. Let me have this time to be protective, okay?” I moved closer until I had to tilt my neck to look at his face. “I spent hours upon hours in waiting rooms or next to your bed just hoping that you would wake up again. I want to make sure you’re as healthy as possible, okay? And I promise, I will let you resume the dominate role as soon as possible.”

David’s features had softened during my speech, and by the time I finished he was smiling softly. He brought his fingers up to trail down my face and leaned forward to kiss my forehead.

“It’s easy for me to ignore what happened while I wasn’t conscious. I’m sorry, Sydney.”

I circled my arms around his waist and rest my cheek lightly on the right side of his chest, just inches from where his bandage started. His good hand held my head to him, and we stood there for a few long moments in silence.

When I finally pulled away, I flashed him a small smile and moved to pick up the grocery bags from the table. “What will Claire eat?”

David followed me into the kitchen and leaned against the counter, watching as I moved around his space.

“Anything that doesn’t have onions, really.”

“She and I are going to get along fabulously, then. I’m going to make chicken tacos, okay?”

David watched me cook, mostly in silence, standing by the counter as long as he could. Eventually, he ended up dragging a chair from the dining room to sit on, and I made sure not to comment. Once the chicken was just simmering in the delicious smelling sauce, I moved to sit in his lap.

“Watching you in the kitchen is almost sexier than watching you in the bedroom,” he remarked, kissing me lightly. “Almost.” We sat melded together for a few moments and only pulled apart when the front door opened.

“Daddy?” A little voice called from the front room, and I stood quickly so David could get up.

He had just made it out of the chair when Claire appeared in the kitchen, Sarah smiling behind her. Claire’s hair was put up into two pigtails, and combined with her pink polka dot dress she looked absolutely adorable. Instead of running at her father like she did the first day in the hospital, she took slow, deliberate steps until she was standing in front of him. Her squeal sounded loudly when he picked her up suddenly, twirling her once before hugging her to his chest.

“Hey Claire Bear.” His cheek rested on her head and his eyes shut. The love he felt for his daughter was so evident and so touching that I wanted to cry. When he put her down, Claire gave him a once over and seemed satisfied with what she found.

“I made you something.” She ran back to Sarah who handed her a paper she was holding. “It’s a card, daddy.”

David held the piece of construction paper like it was a diamond and kissed his daughter’s head. “It’s the best card I have ever been given. Thank you, beautiful.”

I glanced at Sarah and gave her a smile. “Are you going to stay and eat with us?”

She shook her head and laughed. “Thanks, but another day. Randy and I adore Claire, but a night alone sounds kind of great right now.”

She gave her brother and niece a kiss, wrapped me in a hug, and left the three of us alone to eat the home-cooked tacos.