Sliding (The Stone Series) (28 page)

The boxes from Connecticut arrive at the house but not by mail, Michael
and Jeremy bring them with the sweetest baby in the whole world, my nephew
Andrew. Lucas planned the whole surprise with them. The house is a sea of
activity. There are painters and design assistants everywhere, it is no place
for a baby. Tate has arranged for them to stay at the hotel with us as the
house will not be ready for a few weeks still. Tate refuses to let me be there
for more than a few minutes to check in. He says that Lucas and Alex have
everything covered and that I should not be inhaling the paint fumes or the
dust from the few renovations we needed to do. He is even more over protective
now than ever.

Heidi and Dominick offer to watch Andrew so Tate and I can take Michael
and Jeremy out for dinner. They are the cutest new parents, giving detailed
directions before we leave and they must each check their cell phones to be
sure they have service a million times. We have a great evening catching up
with them. Michael asks me if I have talked to Katrina lately. When I say that
I haven’t spoken to her other than to tell her quickly about my pregnancy and
new house he sighs alerting me to trouble.

“She doesn’t want you to know. She says she’s sick of disappointing you
and asking you to pick up the pieces for her but her and Tom are getting a
divorce. He’s been sleeping with his assistant. Katrina walked into his office
one day about a month ago. Apparently he had her bent over his desk and as she
was taking notes he was dictating he was also fucking the shit out of her.
Katrina claims literally, she insists he was fucking her up the ass but you
know how dramatic she can be and really what does it matter where his dick was
at that point?” Michael talks about Katrina being dramatic; I live in a family
of frustrated actors!

I am saddened by this information and I can’t believe my sister has tried
to hide this from me. I ask about Holly and Heather, my nieces and Michael says
Tom isn’t planning on fighting her over custody. “Fucking douche bag” Tate
let’s escape under his breath. “Maybe Dominick, Mac and a friend or two of his
should take a little ski vacation in Vermont?” I love my husband for being as
protective of my siblings as he is with me. He has been close to my family ever
since that day junior year when we all witnessed his break down.

Tate excuses himself to go to the bathroom and Jeremy goes with him
leaving Michael and I alone for the first time in a long while. I ask how
things are going with him and Jeremy now that they have a new baby and he says
things have never been better. I tell him the same is true of Tate and I. I ask
if our parents have finally broken down and accepted the fact that he’s gay but
he informs me that will not happen until hell freezes over. “I just don’t know why
they were so surprised, the signs were always there. I mean you loved Madonna
and George Michael growing up, what did they think?”

I kiss Michael on the top of his head and excuse myself to head to the
ladies room and I overhear Tate on his cell. “I have tickets waiting for you at
the airport Katrina and I don’t want to hear another word about it. Your sister
is going to be doing a dance out here and she cannot have any stress. I also
think it will be good for you and the girls to come and have some sun. I have
never understood what the hell you were doing in ski country. You’re welcome
and I love you too sweetie; I will see you tomorrow and don’t tell your sister,
I want to surprise her. Oh and just say the word and Dominick and Mac will be up
there in a day to break that mother fucker’s legs. Bye honey.”
 
   

My husband never ceases to amaze me. The love I feel for him continues to
grow with each passing year, each sweet gesture. It may be all consuming at
times but it’s a reciprocated kind of love.
 
   

The following morning I head to the house and start to go through the
boxes that Michael and Jeremy brought from Connecticut. The house is in it’s
now normal state of hustle and bustle, Lucas is running around all flustered, barking
orders and yelling at Alex and Pete, his general contractor from New York who
has flown in to oversee some of the renovations. Painters and movers are also
getting the treatment from the dominant Lucas. He’s in quite a state but
completely in his element, he has everything under control and everyone is
wrapped around his little finger. I decide to tackle the boxes for our home
office. The other boxes don’t contain anything private, just a few pieces that I
have always loved. I let Michael and Jeremy keep everything else in the house
with a deal that I can reclaim anything I want at anytime.

The office box doesn’t contain that much, now that we are in the age of
technology everything is kept electronically. All of our important
documents…our taxes, our earnings, medical files, insurance stuff and the like
are cared for by professionals.

I am startled by my cell ringing, “Sexy Back” my ring tone for Tate. He
asks me to meet him at the studio in an hour, stating he has a surprise for me.
He won’t tell me what it is just that I’m going to like it. We hang up and I
finish putting everything from the boxes away in their new place in our home
office. I’m curious and not knowing what awaits me is driving me crazy. I’m not
thrilled about surprises. I check my reflection in the bathroom mirror before
heading to Taylor Studios Inc.

“Hey, baby. Surprise!” Tate addresses me when I enter his office and my
whole face must light up when I see who is standing next to him, Damian Stone,
Tate’s cousin. Damian looks like Tate only younger with longer hair. He looks a
lot like Tate did when he was his age. I run to him and he engulfs me in his
arms then gently pats my belly.

“What are you doing here?” I ask.

“I’m looking at some locations where I might want to open a new club and
this guy, Prescott has a chain of hotels I’m thinking about buying.”

“Oh, so you didn’t miss us at all?”

“Of course I did. What’s this shit about you two moving out here?” he
asks.

Before I can answer I start to feel flush, heat is rising at an alarming
rate through my veins and I start to feel faint.

“Brook?” Tate asks when he sees the look cross my features but as quickly
as it registers Tate’s voice is gone, I realize I am on the floor, the room is
starting to spin and dull then it turns black and I am there alone in the
darkness.

************

 
I feel strange, as if I am
watching myself from above, like I’m dreaming. I am back in high school, its senior
year, Tate is doing much better emotionally and basketball season is under way.
I go on a one girl crusade to get some of the boys to agree to be cheerleaders
for our competition season that is quickly approaching. Tate forces a few of
the freshman and sophomore football players to comply even though he will not
have anything to do with it himself. I even try to convince him that these
other guys are going to be able to look up my skirt but he just laughs and says,
“Not one of them will even attempt it sweetheart. I promise you that. And I
know what you’re doing and it’s not going to work. I talked five guys into
doing it for you, that’s going to have to be enough.”

I start to whine to try to get my way, “But Bobby’s doing it for Asia,
it’s not fair, I’m captain and I want you to be my partner. I should have the
strongest best looking partner. Come on, you are so strong and muscular” I rub
Tate’s arms very seductively, or at least I think I’m being seductive but it
doesn’t seem to be working. “You can throw me fifty feet in the air by
yourself. Please. Please. Please” I continue. Tate is unfazed by my latest
approach.

“First of all Bobby is so pussy-whipped now that he’s back with Asia and
getting it all the time, he’ll do anything to keep her. Now forget about it. It
is not going to happen. But I will be your biggest fan in the stands at the competition
and this time I promise to be sober.”

Next I see myself on the night of the State Finals. Tate has been a
nervous wreck all day. He’s been alternating between throwing up and drinking
Gatorade to stay hydrated. The scouts from UNC are coming to watch the game and
he wants to impress them. I have tried to make everything perfect for the game
tonight. The cheerleaders and I spent all day after school and into the night
decorating the gym. I made all these great posters for Tate and hung them all
around the gym. Huge ones with pictures of him playing, guarding someone,
taking foul shots, dribbling the ball. Some of them have sayings on them like
“Tate is gggreat” with a Tony the Tiger on it. Our school mascot being a tiger
made this an easy one to come up with.

I pick up Tate and drive him to the school early so he can practice
shooting and warm up before the game. I watch him from the stands and can’t
help but clap when he sinks every foul shot. I help him stretch out a little
and I give him a little preview of my new panties that are under my cheer
briefs so he’ll know what’s in store for him later in the night. Tate moans and
says, “Don’t distract me. I have to be completely focused on my game and I
can’t be sporting wood in front of the scouts okay?” I laugh and give him a
hug.

“You are going to play awesome like you always do and we are going to win
so don’t worry. The scouts are going to be in awe of you and you’ll get
accepted to UNC and play there and be a huge star. Just promise you won’t
forget about me” I beg.

He laughs and kisses me on the lips pulling me close to him before
saying, “Let’s go and you can give my shoulders a massage to loosen me up. Just
no rubbing up against me or any funny business Adams” he warns. “You got it
Taters” I respond.

The game starts off with the tip off and the ball goes to the other team.
Their point guard gets the ball and Tate leaps into action. “D-D-D-Defense” we
start to cheer and the crowd joins in. Tate tells me that even though he loves
me and I look hot in my uniform he pays no attention to the cheering during the
game. I don’t really believe him and tonight we are all cheering our loudest
and the fans are fired up. Tate tries to swipe the ball away a few times but
can’t get it. The other team passes the ball to the inside and they score. We
inbound the ball and Tate pushes it up the court, their point guard tries to
get the ball away from Tate but he does this stutter move where he changes
speeds and blows right past the kid. He plows down the center and manages to
score while getting fouled. He swishes his foul shot and we are up by one
point. The game remains close, only a point or two apart the whole first
quarter.

The second quarter is not good. Tate gets the ball over the line but
can’t seem to drive in anymore, there are too many players on him and they are
shutting his shot down. Because of this we end up down in the second quarter
and going into half time we are down by five. I see Tate start to puke on his
way out of the gym. He leans over into the garbage can then comes up wiping his
mouth with the back of his hand. I run out on the court and we do our half time
routine to “Bust A Move” with the dance squad.

In the third quarter Tate is a boy possessed. He has never played better
in his life and the whole team is on fire right along with him. I don’t know
what their coach did to them in the locker room but it sure worked. Tate stops
trying to drive in and he starts making his three point shots from the center
instead. Two other players are also hot and making their three point shots from
both sides. After the first four minutes we are up by twelve points and the
crowd is going wild chanting, “Taylor, Taylor, Taylor” every time he sinks a
three. I look up in the stands and I try to find Tate’s parents. I finally spot
them sitting directly across from me and I notice that his father has a look of
pure pride on his face. I wish Tate could see that. He always focuses on the
times his father is being hard on him, he only hears the negative things he
says to him. I wish they could have a better relationship.

The fourth quarter makes the game a blow out. Tate makes the kid guarding
him fall down three times while trying to steal the ball from him and Tate does
steal the ball from him two times from in front of him and one time from behind
scoring each time. But in this quarter its Tate’s passes to his teammates that
make him a stand out. He bounce passes to them without even looking in their
direction, he passes the ball behind his back and over other player’s heads. We
win 84-35 and Tate gets the MVP award.

After the game the scouts from UNC are waiting for Tate to come out of
the locker room. When he comes out he doesn’t even notice them, he hears
everyone cheering for him and he sees me. He comes over to me and lifts me up
in one arm while he holds his bag in the other. He kisses me on the lips then
puts me down and smacks me gently on the ass as the scouts are approaching him.
He speaks to them alone for a few minutes before his father approaches and
joins their conversation. I walked away when they approached to give him some
privacy and now I can’t wait to know what they said.

When Tate walks back over to the crowd of students waiting for him
everyone goes crazy and he has the best smile on his face. He looks around for
me and when our eyes meet I know what the scouts said, I know he’s going to
UNC. Now I just need to figure out a way to tell him I still want to go to
Kentucky. When he reaches me he smiles at me and asks, “How are those panties
of yours doing? I am going to rip them off you the minute we get into your
car!”