As Luck Would Have It (10 page)

CHAPTER
fourteen

When the plane landed, Sydney didn’t move. People starting exiting the plane and she still didn’t budge. Marcus didn’t know what to do. He had never seen her like this. It was almost like she had totally checked out. He got up and gathered their bags, and when he turned back she was still sitting there. “Babe, come on, I got our bags.” Nothing. “Sydney, we have to get off the plane, whatever it is, we’ll talk about it in the airport. It’ll be fine.” He reached his hand out for her to take, and thankfully she did.

She was white as a ghost, and he could feel her hands shaking. As soon as they left the terminal, he dropped the bags, sat on the floor, and pulled her down onto his lap. He held her for a few minutes, letting her cry against his chest, “Babe, I feel completely helpless. Please talk to me so I know how to make it better.”

“I don’t want to be alone. I don’t know how to tell them about you. I feel like such an ass. I’m afraid.” Sydney continued to cry into his chest.

He would have sat there forever with her, but he knew she needed to get home to her kids. “Sydney, I will do whatever you want me to do to make this right. If you want me to just drive you home and walk away-” He couldn’t finish his sentence because he was getting choked up, “It would kill me to have to do it, but if it’s what you want, if it makes it easier, I’ll do it.” One tear drop rolled down his cheek.

Sydney wiped his cheek with her thumb. “Marcus Matthews, if you ever leave me I’ll kill you and then have you resurrected. I don’t want to be without you.” She nuzzled her face into his neck. “I’m sorry. I love you, Marcus.”

“I love you, too, and please don’t ever feel like you have to apologize to me for the way you feel.” Marcus stood up. “Stew is waiting for us. We really should get going.”

Sydney stood, threw the garment bag over her arm, and grabbed Marcus’ hand. As soon as they left the airport, Marcus noticed Stewart leaning against his car. Stewart waved his arm as soon as he noticed Marcus.

“Are you shitting me? Is that your car?” Sydney asked.

“Yeah, why?”

“It’s nice, really nice.”

“I have a thing for Cadillacs. It’s a CTS V.”  Marcus Shrugged. “In my favorite color, Thunder Gray.”

When they reached Stewart, Marcus dropped the bags and shook his hand. “This is Sydney.”

Stewart extended his hand, and Sydney shook it and gave him a kiss on his cheek. “Nice to meet you, I’ve heard so many great things about you,” she said with a smile.

“Why don’t you both sit in the back while I put the bags in the trunk,” Stewart suggested.

“Thanks Stew,” Marcus said, opening the door for Sydney.

“Marcus, are you going straight home or to Sydney’s house?” Stewart asked.

“You can just drop me off so neither of you have to come back out later,” Sydney offered.

Marcus looked disappointed. “Are you sure you don’t want to go to my house first.”

Sydney would have loved to do it that way, but she wasn’t sure she’d be able to leave and didn’t want to share a big goodbye when he dropped her off. She was having a hard enough time dealing with the fact that he wouldn’t be with her tonight. “I’m sure. It will be better this way.” She told Stewart her address and sat back for the ride...

Stewart turned to look at Marcus in the back seat. “You had to go all the way to Las Vegas to meet a woman who lives five miles away from you?”

Marcus smiled. “Go figure.” He leaned over and kissed Sydney.

The ride home was short. Steward asked how their trip was. Marcus and Sydney made arrangements to meet for lunch the next day. Sydney wanted to have enough time to tell Natalie and the kids.

Sydney squeezed Marcus’ hand really hard when they pulled up to her house. “Do you want me to walk you to the door?”

“Actually, don’t even get out of the car. I’ll grab my bag from the trunk. Natalie’s on the front porch and if she sees you, she’ll be asking a thousand questions off the bat. I’ll call you when I go to bed.” She kissed him and whispered, “I love you.”

“Love you, too.”

Stewart got out of the car to get Sydney’s bag. “Will you be alright?” he asked, handing her the bags.

“I’m great. Thank you, Stewart.” She kissed his cheek and said, “I’ll see you tomorrow?”

“Absolutely, have a good night.” He got in the car and drove away.

Sydney turned to walk up the pathway when she noticed Natalie was walking towards her.

“Shit, that was a nice car. Was that the airport car service?” Natalie was still looking down the road.

“Nice to see you, too. No, that wasn’t airport car service,” Sydney said as she walked around Nat to the house.

Nat ran after her. “Let me help you with that bag,” she said, reaching for the garment bag.

Sydney snatched her arm away. “I’ve got it. You can take this one.” She handed over the Vera duffel bag.

When they reached the porch, Natalie grabbed Sydney’s arm. “Hey, what’s up with you? You just spent a week in Las Vegas vegging. Why are you so cranky? Did something happen?”

Sydney wasn’t going to answer her, but when she reached to open the front door, Natalie noticed the ring on her finger.

“What the fuck is that? Oh. My. God. That’s the most beautiful ring I’ve ever seen. Did you buy that for yourself?” Natalie asked in amazement.

“Nat, all I want to do is get inside, see my kids, and then I will explain every detail to you,” Sydney said, walking through the front door.

“Oh, I can’t wait to hear about this. By the way, the twins are still at a friend’s houses. They’ll be home first thing in the morning.”

Sydney had just put her bag over the kitchen stool when Dominick came running in. He hugged her around her waist. “I’m so glad you’re home.”

“I’m so glad to be home. I missed you guys. What did you do all week?”

He stepped back to look at her. “Not much. I hung with Aunt Nat most of the time.” He regarded her strangely, “You look different, like you’re not so sad. I’m happy the trip worked for you. I’m going to bed. Glad you’re home, Ma.” He gave her another hug and went upstairs.

“Where’s Micky?” Sydney asked Natalie.

“She must be up in her room. She spends an awful lot of time up there on her phone and that computer.”

“I’ll go up and let her know I’m home and say good night. Make some tea, I have a lot to tell you.”

When Sydney reached Michaela’s room, she knocked and opened the door to pop her head in. “Hey Micky, I’m home.”

Michaela got off the bed and hugged her mom, “I didn’t hear you come in. How was your trip?” She managed to continue texting on her phone with one hand as she spoke.

“It was good. We’ll talk in the morning. I just wanted to say good night. Love you.”

“Good night, Mom. Love you, too,” Michaela yelled back through the already closed door.

Sixteen year olds. It’s always all about them.

When Sydney returned to the kitchen, Natalie had two cups of tea steeping on the counter. “Am I gonna need to open a bottle of wine for this?”

“Let me show you something,” Sydney said, reaching for the garment bag. She unzipped the bag, removed the wedding dress, and held it up for Nat to see.

“Is that a wedding dress? Fuck, I’m gonna need the Patron. Are you for real?”

“You don’t need the Patron. Drink your tea,” Sydney explained everything to Natalie. Starting from the time she got to the airport to the moment she got home. The only detail she left out was that Marcus had his penis pierced. Nat didn’t need to know that.

“Shit, Syd, this is so something I would do. Mom’s gonna shit herself. So was he in the car when you got dropped off? That car is hot.” Natalie sipped her tea. “I can’t wait to meet Mr. Hotness.”

“Yes, he was, and you’ll get to meet him tomorrow. I’m gonna meet him for lunch and then bring him back here. You’re gonna behave yourself, right?” Sydney sternly waited for an answer.

“Yeah, yeah. Don’t worry. I promised you I wouldn’t sleep with any more of your boyfriends. Hell, you’re already married. I’m going to bed, that was a hell of a story. I wish I had been there to help plan the wedding,
though. I’ll just have to see the pictures. And that dress is smoking.” Natalie started walking up the stairs. “Good night, Sista. Glad you’re home.”

“Night,” Sydney called back.
Wow, that wasn’t so bad.

“Babe, you’re still up? I thought maybe you’d gone to bed already and forgot to call me,” Marcus said when she finally called him.

“I wouldn’t have forgotten. In fact, you’ve been on my mind the entire night. I’m sorry. I didn’t realize how late it was. I was talking with Natalie, and we must have lost track of time.”

“I was up. I can’t sleep. It’s not the same without you. So what did you and your sister talk about?” Marcus asked curiously.

“I told her everything. Well, except about the barbell. That’s my treasure, and I’d like to keep it that way.”

“So are you going to bed?”

“Nah, I’m gonna lie here on the couch for a while. I don‘t want to go up to my bed.”

“Has everyone else gone to bed?”

“Yeah, they’re in their rooms. Why?”

“I was wondering what you’re wearing.”

“Actually, I’m still in the clothes from before. What are you wearing?”

“Babe, when I’m with you, I sleep
au natural
. Only problem is, you’re not in bed with me.”

She could picture in her mind just how scrumptious he looked lying naked in bed. “I’d have you come here, but if someone came downstairs, it would be-oh, I don’t even want to think what it would be. And I don’t know where you live. I couldn’t leave anyway, just in case someone was looking for me.”

“God, I just want to touch you. If I close my eyes, I can almost feel you lying next to me,” Marcus said.

“You better be careful before you pitch a tent in bed.”

“Too late, the tent’s already up.”

Sydney felt the tinglies coming back between her legs. She reached down to cup her hand over her sex. “Umm.” Marcus heard Sydney’s little moan and instinctively put his hand to his cock.

“Babe, if you keep moaning like that, I’m going to have to jerk myself off. I won’t be able to lie here with this hard on.” Sydney could picture him beating off and it made her so hot.

“All of a sudden, I have this sudden urge to touch myself. I’ve never done this,” Sydney admitted.

“I want to hear you. Tell me what you‘re doing.”

“Hell no.”

“Fine, don’t hang up. I’m sure I’ll be able to hear your little moans. I’m stroking my dick right now. Nice firm strokes, from base to tip,” he informed her in his soft sexy voice.

There was no way she was going to explain step by step what she was doing to herself, but she couldn’t fight the urge to touch herself. She undid her jeans and slipped her hand into her panties. She reached her middle finger down to touch the tingling between her legs. “Oooh, it is so wet and warm.” She slid her middle finger in slowly. “Umm.”

“Oh, baby, are you touching yourself?”

“Uh huh, and it feels good,” she moaned.

Marcus began stroking harder, thinking of Sydney touching herself. “Baby, here it comes.”

Sydney began to rub her clit with her middle finger, extending it into her pussy. “Oh yeah, I‘m coming, too.” It was the first time she’d ever felt herself orgasm with her finger.

“Wow, Marcus. You make me wanna do bad things.”

“We can do bad things to each other,” he joked.

“I can’t wait to see you tomorrow.”

“Me neither. You should try and get some sleep. It’s going to be a very hectic week. I love you, Syd.”

“I love you, too, Marcus. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Good night, Sydney.”

“Good night, Marcus.”

They both hung up at the same time. Sydney grabbed her wedding dress and sat on the couch. She didn’t want to go to her bed. It wouldn’t be the same. She just lay there hugging her dress until she finally fell asleep.

The house was quiet when Salvatore and Samantha came home. Samantha leaned over her mother on the couch. “Hey, Mom, we’re home.”

Salvatore rested his hip against the kitchen counter. “What’s that she’s holding?”

“Beats me,” Samantha shrugged. “Mom, wake up.” She shook her mother’s shoulder.

Sydney stirred. “Hey, guys, when did you get home?”

“Just now, what’s in your arms?” Salvatore asked.              Sydney looked at her wedding dress still clutched in her arms. “Ah, a dress I got in Las Vegas.” She got up to put it back in the bag.

“How was your trip?” Samantha asked, sitting on the stool next to Salvatore.

“I have a lot to tell you guys but want to do it when everyone is together. Sam, would you go and wake up Aunt Nat? Sal, go and wake up Micky and Dom. I’ll make some coffee and breakfast.” Sydney reached for her phone. She texted Marcus.
G’morning. Wish me luck. I love you. C U soon. ♥ Your Wife, Syd.