A Soldier to Love (4 page)

Mara nodded wondering what her mother and Eric were up to.

***

“That is Henry Jack. I learned from my Uncle Avery how to ride on his father Jack Henry” Eric said he stood behind Elsie. He had her caged between the horse coral and his body. “He’s a sweet horse I will have to saddle him up and we take a ride,” as he pressed his body closer to hers. God, she smelled so good.

Elsie licked her lips as she turned her head slightly having Eric’s hard body pressed against her was making her wet in all the right places, “I have no clue how to ride.”

Eric pressed closer to her, “then I will just have to place you on the horse than sit behind you with this lovely,” he placed his hand on her butt, “ass of yours pressed against me and we’ll have to ride together,” he finished as he lowered his head towards hers, “you smell so good,” he told her before his lips connected with hers.

Elsie lifted her hand and placed it on Eric’s cheek he was the one who smelled and felt so good against her. She turned fully facing him God she wanted him so bad. She moaned into his mouth as his tongue passed over her teeth.

Eric gripped her ass cheeks and lifted her. He wrapped her legs around his waist he’d waited six months to have this woman in his arms. He knew she couldn’t do anything for another five weeks but he wasn’t going to pass up a chance to make out with her. He pressed her back up against the fence he lifted his head slightly; “do you have any idea what you do to me.”

Elsie licked her lips, “I can feel what I do to you” she swallowed “Eric-”

“Mom, Eric? Auntie Jan-” Mara stilled she was not prepared to see her Mom and Eric like this. She turned her back to them thank goodness she hadn’t walked in on them doing something else “Auntie said dinner is ready and that Rae is getting fussy.”

“Here we come,” Elsie said as she lowered her legs. She slide down Eric’s body making sure to touch him very slowly.

“You were so wrong for that,” he said on a groan.

Elsie winked at him “coming?”

“Yeah, in a minute,” he kissed her then turned and started walking he needed to cool down before he pulled her into the barn and had his wicked way with her.

Elsie sighed deeply as she watched him walk away his ass was something people wrote songs about. She bit her lower lip oh how she wished she could find a secluded spot and suck him dry then beg him to take her. She turned away from his retreating back and walked over to her daughter, “is your room nice?” She questioned needing something to think about other than her husband.

Mara nodded, as she and her mother headed towards the house she was willing to change the subject and not talk about what she had just seen. “Yes. It’s Aunt Jan’s daughter’s room. It’s pretty,” She replied.

“Well, that’s nice,” Elsie stated as she stopped at the back door of the house. She faced her daughter “Mara before we head in I want to talk to you.”

“Ok”

“Are you ok? A lot has changed in the last week. From the baby to my marriage, I just want to make sure you’re ok.”

Mara gave her mother a half smile, “yeah a lot has changed but all of them have been happy changes. Eric is cool and he makes you happy which makes me happy.”

Elsie nodded; she took her daughter’s hand in hers “at anytime you don’t feel ok you will tell me right?”

Mara nodded knowing her mother would always be there for her just like Eric.

“Eric did what?!” Joanna questioned, as she got out of the bed. She had been partying most of the night with her new man Eddie. She never thought her daughter would be calling to tell her, her son was married; “when did all this happen,” she questioned as she picked up her dress off the floor she needed to get home then head to Janelle’s she knew that was where her son would be.

“He didn’t say but Mom there’s-”

“I can’t believe that boy. I get rid of one whore only to have him marry another” Joanna said with distain.

“Mom I know.”

“You should if it wasn’t for you I wouldn’t have had the leverage I needed to get the woman out of Eric’s life.” Maggie was a pill and Joanna didn’t want to be bothered with the woman. She pulled her dress over her head and stood she headed towards the bedroom door.

“You know I was eager to help; especially when Maggie convinced Eric that he needed to move away from us. She was just like Aunt Janelle wanting to control his life and cut us out of it.” Maggie had thought Eric was placing his career and future on the line pulling her and sometimes her mother out of one situation after another. Julia thought it was his duty as the man of the family to help her and her mother.

Joanna walked into the living room and picked up her bag off the coffee table, “I’m headed home to shower then I’m heading over to Janelle’s. Its time I meet my new problem,” Joanna said as she headed out of the house.

***

Janelle chuckled as she watched Elsie remove Eric’s hand from her behind. All through dinner Eric had been staring at his wife. Giving her the kind of looks her husband Avery had given her until the day he died. “So the county fair opened tonight and I think Mara and Elsie would love to go.” A little family time would be good for them.

“Can we go?” Mara asked her parents. It had been so long since she and her mother had done anything as fun as a county fair.

Elsie looked at Eric over her shoulder dinner was put away, the dishwasher was running and Rae was already fed and placed in her portable crib “sounds like fun.”

Eric stepped behind Elsie he placed a hand on either side of her trapping her between the center island counter and himself he bent his head and kissed her lightly on the lip he lifted his head, “do I get to ride on the Ferris Wheel with you?”

Elsie smiled at him, “yes,” she moved back a little and ground her amble bottom into his groin.

“You are so going to pay for that,” he replied.

“You two do know I’m sitting right here, right?” Mara questioned, hoping her parents would cool down some.

Eric looked at his daughter, “sorry kid.”

She nodded, hoping they could go to the fair so she could give her parents some time alone. She was old enough to wonder around the fair by herself plus her mother kept her, Mara’s, phone’s GPS on so she could find her no matter where she was.

Eric looked at his Aunt, “I would love for us to go but Rae is still so young.”

“Oh honey, I’m not going. The fair at night time is for the young and married. An old woman like me is going to stay at home and babysit,” Janelle told them.

Mara clapped excitedly, “please. Please can we go?”

Eric chuckled, “sure kid we can go. Go grab a jacket.”

“Yes!” Mara stood she was about to head out of the kitchen when a woman walked in blocking her exit.

“And you are?”

Eric stepped away from Elsie, he walked around the counter and over to Mara “sweetie, go get your jacket.”

Mara nodded, she rushed passed the woman who was staring at her. She had a feeling she didn’t want to be anywhere near this woman and anything she had to say.

“What are you doing here mother?” Eric questioned; he had not expected to see his mother so soon. He knew Julia would call her but he’d hoped he would have the evening before he had to deal with her. 

“Well my son has gotten married and I have to hear it from others instead of hearing it from you,” Joanna said as she walked into the kitchen. When she had walked into the house she had heard the conversation, the laughter and become furious. That should be her hosting her son not Janelle.

“Well the last time I called you didn’t answer.”

“Jimmy and I were heading out and I didn’t have time to talk.”

“I was in a war zone. I didn’t call to shot the shit. I called because I needed to hear a voice from home and I was concerned about you” his mother had gotten deeper and deeper into her club and because of it she was doing things she had no business doing.

“I was fine and what kind of psycho babble are you spouting?
I needed to hear a voice from home.
’ You’re an Army Ranger you don’t need anything. What you need to do is your job, which I don’t condone, and come back home. Something you obviously did because you are standing before me. Plus you were calling Janelle that should have been enough.”

“She is not my mother.”

“She acts like it; especially since you are in her home with your wife.” She shook her head, “I can’t believe you got married and I knew nothing about it. I hope the young thing that just left this room isn’t who you married. There are laws against something like that.”

Eric shook his head he turned from his mother and walked over to Elsie. He took her hand in his “please come meet my mother.”

Elsie nodded, she was not sure she wanted to meet this woman.

Eric turned and with Elsie by his side walked back over to his mother, “Joanna Reynolds this is my wife Elsie.”

Joanna looked at the woman before her. “Are you serious?”

“Mother”

“Have you lost your mind? I don’t want half breeded grandchildren,” she shook her head, “I will not be grandmother to -”

“Say one more word and I will beat you down right here and now,” Elsie said. She had never heard such vile words from someone a day in her life.

Eric wrapped his arms around his wife; he kissed her temple “mother I think you should leave.”

“I’m not afraid of this overweight low budget-”

“Low budget?” Elsie seethed, “you look as if the last time you had a shower was three weeks ago. You smell of weed-”

“I figured you’d know what weed smelled like.”

“And I should have known you would know where to get low budget weed from; because you are definitely not smoking the good stuff.”

“Who-”

“Don’t!” Elsie held up her hand she was done with this conversation and this woman, “who I think I’m talking to is a woman who cares nothing about her son or his wellbeing.” Elsie removed Eric’s arms from around her body, “I’m going to check on my children. I know this is not my home but I don’t want to come back down and you be here,” she said as she walked around the woman and headed out of the kitchen.

“I can’t believe you allowed her to talk to me like that,” Joanna told Eric.

Eric shook his head his wife had stood up for him just like he had stood up for her in the hospital. He walked towards his mother, “yeah, I did and I’ll let her do it again anytime you disrespect her or our children.” He said as he rounded her and headed out of the kitchen.

Joanna looked at Janelle, “Jan?”

Janelle stood up from the kitchen table, “I believe you need to leave here Joanna and since you don’t want mix breed grandchildren I suggest you don’t come back until your attitude changes,” she finished as she walked out of the kitchen.

Joanna seethed she was not going to let her son stay married to a woman like that.

***

“Ahh,” came Elsie’s muted scream. She opened and closed her hands who talked like that? This was the twenty first century and yes there was still racism in the world but how could a mother speak to her son’s wife like that? Shouldn’t parents be happy with the person their child marries especially if the child is happy and the marriage is happy. She closed her eyes and released a breath while Joanna Reynolds had admitted her prejudice her, Elsie’s, mother wasn’t too fond of the fact she had married Eric either.

“I cannot believe you married that man.”

Elsie smiled tersely at her mother why couldn’t she for once just be happy for her, “Momma please. I just got married can’t you say congrats.”

“No, not when you marry something like that,” Madge spat, “you couldn’t find a nice black man to marry? White folks are nothing but trouble.”

Elsie released a breath, “Mom, Eric is a good man and he loves me.”

“You are an experiment,” Madge told her a man like Eric Reynolds could not want her daughter.

“What?” She asked her mother in confusion. How could she say something like that especially on her, Elsie’s, wedding day.

“He’s probably never been with a black girl and you were so desperate to be with someone that you take up with that honkey.”

“Momma!”

“Eli?”

Elsie blinked the past away. She didn’t want to relive her conversation with her mother anymore. She settled into Eric’s arms once they were wrapped around her. She released a breath, “is your mother gone?”

Eric kissed her neck, “I believe so. I didn’t stay to find out.”

“I’m”

“Don’t apologize.”

“What makes you think I was going to say ‘sorry’?”

Eric chuckled, “I would never think that.”

Elsie turned in his arms, “good answer Mr. Reynolds.”

“I try Mrs. Reynolds.”

Elsie wrapped her arms around his neck, “listen no matter who says what I will stand up for you just as you have stood up for me. We are in this together.”

Eric squeezed her a little, “that Mrs. Reynolds is dittoed by me,” he said before he bent and placed his lips on hers.

***

This was slightly awesome. Mara thought as she spread the chicken feed on the ground. When she had woken this morning her Aunt had been in the kitchen sipping coffee and her, Mara’s, parents had been MIA. Before she could ask where her parents were Janelle had asked her to help with the chickens. She’d wanted to beg off thinking this would be disgusting but it was actually fun. She turned from the chickens feeding and headed towards the coop opening.

Mara was placing the last egg in her basket when a car pulled into the drive she stopped what she was doing and looked at the woman who was getting out. She was dressed in jean shorts and a blue crop top. Her brown hair was pulled into a ponytail on the top of her head and she looked as if the runway was calling her name. Mara wondered who the woman was because she defiantly didn’t look like she belonged here on this farm. Mara exited the chicken coop and walked over to the woman, “can I help you?”

“Hi, is Janelle here?”

Mara nodded, “she’s in the barn.”

The woman nodded, “I’ll just go and see her,” she said as she tuned and headed towards the barn.

Mara followed wondering what the woman could want with her Aunt Janelle.

***

All she had to do was throw her leg completely over his hip and lift up then she could ride him until they both were semi satisfied. Elsie slightly opened her eyes as she sprayed her hand over Eric’s chest he had gotten up with Raelyn for her three o’clock feeding and when he’d come back he’d pulled her into his arms kissed her shoulder and drifted back to sleep. She rubbed her leg slowly up and down his bare leg she wanted him so much.

“You keep doing that and I’ll roll you onto your back and have you.”

Elsie smiled, “do you hear me complaining?”

“Eli”

She slide onto him. She sat up as she placed her hands on his chest. Elsie licked her lips as she lightly scratched his chest with her nails. She smiled at his intake of breath; she moved her hips over his erect.

“You are playing dirty,” he groaned.

“This is for all the surprises you gave me,” she told him as she started to ride. Oh! he felt so very good. She slowly threw her head back, as she allowed sensations to take her over.

Eric placed his hands on his wife’s hips. He closed his eyes as he gently guided her if she didn’t stop soon he’d explode in a very good way.

“Hmm Eric”

“Bae don’t stop. Please don’t-” he lifted his hips to meet her at every stroke.

“I couldn’t if I wanted to. You feel so very good under me.”

“And I love the way you feel atop me.” He sat up wrapped his arms around her as she moved faster.

She was going to explode, she had never exploded like this before but here she was going to get a release she hadn’t had in a very long time. “Eric!” Elsie screamed into his shoulder as she wrapped her arms around him.

“That’s it baby. Ride it and me out,” he said as he held onto her as she shattered in his arms. He’d dreamed of her coming in his arms and now his dream was coming partially true. It would fully come true when he was inside of her. Eric moved his hips faster as his own climax hit “aww,” he said as he rode out his release. He fell onto the bed with her on top of him.

Elsie chuckled, “think this counts as us consummating our marriage?”

Eric turned his head and kissed her temple, “not on your life.”

***