Second Chances (8 page)

“I heard from Dylan this morning,” Charlie announced. “He says he’s having a good time. Dylan sounded happy or happier than I’ve heard him in a while.” There was a touch of sadness in his dad’s voice. Dylan never talked to them about what happened during his tours, but they knew he always came home and spoke to the therapists the Marines supplied.

They were all worried about his twin, but Dustin was hoping that whatever had his brother happy was something that would last a long time. Dustin was hoping it was a woman, and if it was, well, good for him. Dylan was due back in a week and a half, so he’d have to have a talk with his brother. He couldn’t remember the last time they had a heart to heart.

There was a comfortable silence while everyone ate their pizza. Dustin loved that they didn’t have to fill the silence with mindless chit chat.

As they finished up, Luke’s phone went off. He looked at it and burst out laughing. He handed the phone to Dustin and he couldn’t help but laugh, too. It was a picture of Bell and Stacy; they had bows all over their heads and their makeup was so bright they almost looked like clowns.

Their faces were close together and they had the biggest grins on their faces. Just then another pictured popped up and it was Chloe holding Carrington. The little girl looked just like a fairy princess, with a head full of big curls and light makeup and lip gloss.

Carrington must’ve been blowing spit bubbles because her lips were covered in them. Dustin handed the phone back to Luke, who looked at the picture, his eyes so full of love for his little girl.

Sometimes Dustin didn’t know if he wanted a family of his own or not. He wanted it many years ago with Emily, but that went south. But now, seeing the look on his best friend’s face made him want to consider it.

***

After they finished eating, all three men walked out to the parking lot. Dustin hugged his dad good-bye and then Luke. He decided to stop by Stacy’s so he could see what was going on.

Dustin could see her living room light on from the street. He hopped out of his truck and walked to the front door, ringing the doorbell. He could hear a little voice from the other side and then Dustin was held speechless when Stacy opened the door. Her head was still covered in bows and pigtails and she was still wearing the crazy makeup.

“Oh my gosh! I must look like a crazy person,” Stacy said, her voice laced with embarrassment.

Dustin grinned. “You look beautiful, Stacy.” He loved the deep blush that crept up her neck to her face.

He noticed a little face peeking out behind Stacy. “Hi, sweetheart, are you Chloe?” Dustin asked.

He watched as the little girl looked up at Stacy, waiting silently for the okay to answer. Stacy nudged the little girl’s shoulder. “Yep, I’m Chloe. Are you Tay Tay’s friend?”

Dustin gave Stacy a smile and then looked back down at the little girl. “Yes, I am.”

“Well, come on in and visit with Tay Tay. I’m watching a movie.” The little girl waved him in. Stacy stepped back so Dustin could walk through the door, winking at her as Chloe grabbed his hand and led him to the living room.

Dustin heard Stacy shut the front door as he sat down on the couch. Chloe chatted away happily about the movie she was watching as Stacy joined him on the couch.

“How was work today?” Stacy asked as she picked up her water bottle from the end table.

“It was good. We got a new client today, so Luke and I went out for pizza and beer with my dad,” Dustin said. He couldn’t help the laugh that escaped him. “This look suits you.” He reached out, fingering one of the many bows in her hair.

“I’m sure it does,” Stacy said with a smirk.

Dustin watched Chloe come over and whisper in Stacy’s ear. Stacy nodded at the little girl who went back to sit in front of the TV.

“What was that about?” Dustin asked.

“I just wanted to thank you for the flowers. They’re beautiful.”

Dustin felt unease settle in his stomach right away. He didn’t send her any flowers. “Sweetheart, I wish I could take credit for them, but I didn’t send them.”

He watched Stacy pale as she quickly got up off of the couch and rushed into the kitchen.

“Chloe, sweetheart, stay out here and watch your movie, okay?” Dustin told the little girl as she seemed oblivious to what was happening.

“Okay,” Chloe said and didn’t even turn to look at him.

He watched silently as Stacy grabbed a vase filled with purple roses off of her kitchen table and headed towards the back door. Dustin followed her out and stood there, watching her dump the flowers into the garbage bin.

“Cocksucker,” Stacy muttered.

Dustin walked up to Stacy and pulled her into his arms. “It’s going to be okay, sugar.” She shook her head against his chest. “Nope, it is, sweetheart, and you know that you need to file a report against him. If you want, I’ll go with you.”

He heard the sigh that escaped her lips. “Can we do it Monday? There’s too much going on this weekend.”

“That’s fine. You just let me know when and I’ll go with you.”

Stacy tipped her head back and gave him the smile that he loved to see so much and couldn’t stop himself from leaning down and kissing her. She held her body away from him at first, but before he could pull away, he felt her melt into his arms and wrap her arms around his neck.

Dustin licked at the seam of her lips until she opened for him, granting him access to her mouth. His tongue dueled with hers and soon he had Stacy groaning into his mouth.

He slid a hand around her waist, pulling her hard against his erection that was begging to be let out. The whimper that slipped from Stacy’s lips made him grind into her harder.

They were so caught up in each other that they both started when they heard the back door open and the little giggle that followed. Dustin froze as did Stacy and they both turned to see Chloe standing there smiling. Stacy groaned and buried her face in Dustin’s neck.

“Tay Tay?” Chloe looked back and forth between Dustin and Stacy.

“Yes, baby girl?”

“He’s wearing makeup, too,” Chloe said with a giggle.

Dustin looked at Stacy, who burst out laughing and started to wipe at his face. She lifted her hand to him and showed him the smudged pink on her hand. He couldn’t help but laugh, too.

He followed the girls back into the house and Stacy led him to the bathroom. One look in the mirror and Dustin was cracking up all over again. He and Stacy looked like someone took red, pink and blue and smeared it all over their faces.

Stacy had him sit on the toilet while she got a washcloth wet and started scrubbing his face. It was really hard for him to keep a straight face when Stacy was in front of him cleaning his face with her wild makeup and crazy hair.

Dustin looked towards the hall and didn’t see Chloe, so he took advantage and pulled Stacy down on his lap. He claimed her mouth again, even though he knew the makeup was rubbing off on him again.

Stacy pulled back and whispered, “Chloe will catch us again, so quit it.” He knew she wasn’t mad because she was smiling as she said it. She proceeded in wiping his face off, still perched on his lap.

After they were both cleaned up, they walked back out into the living room to find Chloe fast asleep on the couch. Dustin watched Stacy quickly wipe the little girl’s face off and then pick her up. He followed Stacy down to her bedroom, where she laid Chloe down on one side of her bed.

It tugged at his heart when he watched Stacy bend down and kiss the little girl softly on the forehead. He followed her out of the bedroom and walked towards the front door.

“I’m gonna let you two beauties get some rest, Dustin said as he gave Stacy a quick kiss.. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Okay, I’ll call you tomorrow to let you know what time I’m picking you up for the party,” Stacy said as she started walking to the door to open it for him.

“Works for me, sugar.” Dustin leaned down and kissed her forehead before he turned and walked to his truck.

***

Chloe woke up to go potty. She never had accidents because she was a light sleeper. Her daddy and papa were so proud of her for being a big girl and getting up when she had to go to the bathroom at night.

Her Tay Tay was sleeping next to her and reminded Chloe of a princess. She was so pretty and had the biggest, prettiest brown eyes that Chloe had ever seen. Tay Tay was her best friend. She crawled out of bed, trying not to wake her.

Chloe opened the door and closed it behind her as she turned to go into the bathroom. The light was on already. Tay Tay didn’t want her getting confused looking for the bathroom.

She stepped into the hall and let out a frightened squeak when she saw someone standing in the hallway.

“Who are you?” the deep voice asked.

Was that Tay Tay’s friend? He knew who she was. “It’s me, Chloe.” She watched as he moved closer towards her. “Aren’t you Tay Tay’s friend that was here already? Are you spending the night, too?”

He got down on his haunches in front of her and she knew it wasn’t the nice man from earlier. This one scared her—there was something wrong with his eyes. She backed away from him, closing her eyes and hoping she’d wake up and find it was just a bad dream. When Chloe opened her eyes, the man was still there.

“Where is this friend now?” he asked. His voice so low and soft she barely heard him.

“I don’t know. I fell asleep on the couch. Why? Are you her friend, too?”

“Yep, I’m her very special friend, but I’m going to go since you’re here. Don’t tell Stacy I was here.”

“Why?” Chloe wanted to know.

“Because it would ruin the surprise,” he said, but the way the man said it made goose bumps break out on her arms.

“I should go get her now,” Chloe said, but as she turned to run to Tay Tay’s room, the man stuck out his arm so she couldn’t go by.

“Unh-uh. You will not tell her you saw me here. If you say one word to Stacy or anyone, I’ll hurt her. Do you understand?”

Chloe nodded her head and tears started to run down her cheeks.

“Good. Remember: I’ll hurt your Tay Tay if you tell anyone about me.”

With that warning he turned and walked towards the living room and out of the front door, and for the first time Chloe had an accident.

Chapter 7

Stacy put the finishing touches on her makeup. All she needed to do was get dressed and she’d be ready by the time Dustin got there at six.

What a day it had been. Stacy had woken in the middle of the night to find Chloe crying in the hallway because she didn’t make it to the bathroom in time. Once she got her cleaned up, Stacy carried Chloe back to bed and the girl clung to her like a spider monkey, her little body trembling. When Stacy asked her what was wrong, the girl just shook her head and snuggled close.

Stacy woke up in the morning with Chloe still wrapped around her. She tried to get her to tell her what was wrong, but Chloe would just shut down. Maybe she was just upset that she had an accident.

By the time they went to the hall so Stacy could rehearse the songs she was singing with her family, Chloe still was clinging to her. Stacy voiced her concerns to Garrett and Ian and they thought maybe she just missed Stacy.

They were shocked to learn that she had an accident since she hadn’t had one since she’d stopped wearing pull-ups to bed when she was four.

While Stacy sang, Chloe sat on the floor right next to her, never far out of reach. When she was done with the boys, Chloe threw a fit when Stacy tried to leave.

It broke Stacy’s heart when Chloe started sobbing and reaching for her when Ian carried her back into the hall. Stacy was such a wreck when she got home that she curled up on the couch racking her brain, trying to figure out why the little girl was so clingy to her all of a sudden.

She shook her head and went back to the present as she walked back into her room to get dressed. The get together was a casual event, but she wanted to look nice for Dustin.

Stacy grabbed one of Dustin’s favorite dresses out her out of the closet. It was knee length with a flowy skirt. It was a deep red with big multi-colored flowers all over it. The bodice was form-fitting with built-in cups that pushed her breasts up and out. The halter top exposed a majority of her back.

She slipped on a pair of black wedged sandals that made her legs look longer and slimmer.

Stacy went into the bathroom to check herself over in the mirror.

The dress was flattering to her figure and made her feel good. She grabbed her orange blossom body spray and with a couple of quick squirts, she was ready.

As she put it away she heard the front door open and Dustin call out to her. Stacy took a deep breath and walked out to meet him.

***

Dustin pulled up in front of Stacy’s at five to six. All day he’d been thinking about her. The woman had no idea how addictive she was. He knew that if he had another taste of her he’d hold on tight and not let her pull away like last time.

He got out of his truck looking down to make sure his clothes were straight. Dustin walked up to Stacy’s front door and was going to knock, but instead he checked to see if the door was locked.

It wasn’t, so all he wanted to do was spank her ass for not locking the door just in case that motherfucker tried to come back.

He opened the door and called out to Stacy as he walked in. When she came around the corner he was awestruck. She was wearing the red dress he loved and her hair was covered in big, relaxed curls that looked soft. Dustin could imagine sliding his fingers through her hair as he kissed that sexy mouth of hers.

“Wow, Stace, you look gorgeous.” Dustin walked towards her and smiled when her cheeks got flushed.

“Th-thanks, Dustin.” He felt her touch his chest and glide her hand down it. “I like this shirt,” she said as she looked up at him with those big brown eyes.

Dustin had decided to wear a pair of khaki cargo pants and a light blue button down shirt with the sleeves rolled up. Stacy had told him the party was casual, but he still wanted to make a good impression.