Today. Tomorrow. Always (2 page)

“Hey, I’m not judging,” Terrell concluded with a chuckle. “Do what you gotta do. I was actually asking about having your dad around again, though. It’s working out?”

I chuckled a bit at his question, thinking about the weeks that had passed since my mom and dad officially became New Yorkers. Things had once been so bleak between my father and I that I found myself wishing I could cut him out of my life completely. However, here we were, working together on a daily basis again, forced to speak, forced to find common ground on business matters just like when I was living in Virginia. But… I couldn’t remember a time I’d been happier having him around.

For so many years, I remember wishing I could talk to him about things most guys had their dads around for—good stuff, bad stuff, hell…
pointless
stuff—but we just didn’t have that. I hated it, but learned how to deal with the hand I’d been dealt. For all intents and purposes, the man my father has become, is not the man I wasted so much time and energy hating. He’d grown a lot. Maybe we both had.

In the beginning of him changing, righting his wrongs, I’d been his biggest critic and skeptic, but those days seemed so far behind us now. There was a period of healing and adjusting, in addition to a mandatory period of him making amends with my wife, but we were in a good place now. We all were. Who would’ve thought I’d actually be the one to encourage my father to move closer—to me, to Sam, to my family. I had, though, and hadn’t regretted it.

“Things are good,” was my response to Terrell. Surprisingly enough, my dad and I actually made a good team. I had things under control when he got here and I believe that earned his respect. He had his office down the hall where he worked without interfering with the role he’d put me in here.

From the corner of my eye, Sam standing to her feet with the little one in her arms caught my attention. I assumed she was heading upstairs to put him in his crib. Maisha stood next and then came to the door. “Coming to bed?” she asked Terrell, leaning against the frame.

He yawned and then placed his hands on the armrests of the chair, hoisting himself up. “Normally, I’d chill out here with you for a while, but between working today and then driving up here, I’m beat.”

He didn’t have to explain; I was ready to hit the sheets, too. “It’s cool. I have work in the morning, anyway.” I stood and stretched. “I’ll only be there half the day, so I should be back around noon; one at the latest.”

Terrell gave a nod and then followed me back inside. The living room lamp went dark and I walked to the stairs off memory. Terrell and Maisha were already up the steps and headed into their room. After a whispered “goodnight”, they disappeared behind the closed door.

Before heading off to bed, I stopped in to check on Anthony, making sure his monitor was on after pulling his blanket up a bit. He was knocked out, snoring and everything. I touched his hair and he smiled in his sleep, bringing one to my face as well.

“Night, son,” I said quietly, and then eased his door shut.

I found Sam sliding beneath the comforter, resting on her side, facing the doorway as I entered.

“I didn’t expect you to be up here for a while. Usually you and Terrell stay up half the night doing God-knows-what when y’all get together,” she said with a grin.

“Nah, not tonight. He’s tired and I have to be up in the morning.”

I slipped my t-shirt over my head as I crossed the room. Right after tossing it into the hamper, I hit the light switch and got as close to Sam as I could. Warm hands flattened against my chest, fingers spread, heat moving all the way through me. I took her waist and pressed a kiss to her forehead as she settled against me.

“It’s nice having them here, isn’t it?” she said, exhaling as she did.

I nodded. “It is—wish I could convince them to move closer.”

“Like you did to your mom and dad?” she asked with a laugh.

I dug into her side lightly with my fingertips, making her yelp much louder than she should have into the quietness that filled the house.

“Okay, okay… I’ll shut up,” she whined, doing her best to pry my hands away from her. I wouldn’t budge, though.

“One more word and I’m going all in—armpits, feet, neck—all in,” I warned playfully, knowing how much she hated to be tickled.

“But it’s not like I’m lying!” she protested, still laughing a bit. “You
did
do a little convincing to get your parents here, but there’s nothing wrong with that.”

I brought her close again and she came willingly.

“You make it sound like I called and begged them to come,” I said, smiling at the thought of it.

“No, I never said you begged. You just… mmm… strongly suggested that they consider relocating.”

I was quiet.

“I mean, you pulled the grandkid card and everything,” she said, bursting out laughing when my hand went underneath her arm this time, moving my fingers as she tried to pull them away.

“Stop! You’re gonna make me wake everybody up, AJ!” She could hardly catch her breath.

“Who’s begging now?” I asked, chuckling myself when she started laughing so hard sound wouldn’t come out.

She screamed again, thrashing her legs and feet wildly as our covers were kicked to the floor.

“You done?” I asked when I finally set her free.

Exasperated, she stared while trying to catch her breath. I thought she’d given up, but then a pillow came out of nowhere, knocking me in the side of my head.

“I see how it is. You always
did
fight dirty.” I was on top of her the next second and she was cracking up again. I pinned her wrists to the mattress and then went for her neck with my lips. Her back arched, pressing her chest to mine as she giggled into my ear.

“Ok, I quit. I quit!” she called out.

I stared down into her eyes and waited to make sure her surrender was sincere this time. When I saw that it was, I pressed a kiss to her mouth—light, gentle. Her gaze became heavier and I knew that look; she didn’t want me to stop. Hoping she changed her mind after the declaration she’d made earlier—the ridiculous one about making me wait three days—I went in for another.

My hand sought the hem of her nightgown. Smooth silk that had warmed to the temperature of her skin greeted my fingers when I explored between her legs, making me even hungrier for her. I imagined that heat against me, surrounding me. 

Easing my weight down on top of her, my scalp tingled at the feel of her fingernails lightly raking over it. Simultaneously, her mouth and legs opened for me. A moan slipped from her lips, but the sound of it seemed to bring her back to consciousness.

“We shouldn’t,” she whispered during the brief moment my mouth wasn’t covering hers.

“Mmm Mmm… we absolutely should,” I countered, only pausing long enough to add, “And we will.”

She was silent for a moment while kissing me back and I knew she was seconds away from giving in. “You’ve always been so good at convincing me to do things I shouldn’t do,” she whispered.

“And that’s why you love me.”

A soft laugh vibrated in her chest and I could tell her mind was already someplace else, someplace distant, someplace she waited for me to follow.

The scent of her perfume filled my senses as I drew in a deep breath at the base of her neck. I knew her body perhaps better than I knew my own. My hands fit perfectly to every curve, every dip, every inch of her. When I reached beneath her hip and palmed her, the gentle sound of her voice filled the room.

Looping my finger around the waistband of her panties, I slipped them down a few inches, pulling away only long enough to assist as she pulled her legs free from the wisp of material. I was back on her before they could even hit the floor.

“What if they hear us?” she breathed.

“Then they just hear us.”

When Sam fell silent, I was pretty sure she was starting to get the hint: I didn’t care who knew what we were doing in here. Not only were we both grown, we also paid a pretty hefty mortgage on this house every month. In short, we could do whatever the hell we wanted,
when
we wanted.

I worked my pants lower with one hand, holding myself above her with the other. Her fingers went to my waist impatiently as her gaze slipped from mine, drifting down between our bodies. A labored gasp left her lips the second we connected, and in that moment, listening to her whimper as quietly as she could manage, I stared at her, in
awe
of her. It’d been nearly a decade now since that day our worlds collided and I knew now like I did then, it was always meant to be.
We
were always meant to be.

The first time she gave herself to me, which was also the first time she’d given herself to
anyone
, she was afraid. But even through the fear, there was something in her eyes. Whatever that something was, it let me know that I definitely had her love, but above all else, I had her trust. Even after all this time, I hadn’t forgotten how important that was, what it felt like to discover that the girl I cared for so deeply had put everything she had on the line because she knew I wouldn’t hurt her.

Craning my neck low enough to whisper in Sam’s ear, I confessed to being madly in love with her, to knowing that I was nothing without her, to being completely at her mercy now just like I’d always been. My words, true as they were, carried her outside herself and the volume of her voice increased as reality became abstract.

Her fingers moved all over me, gripping me tighter than I realized she was capable of. The intensity of her touch made me push harder, deeper. She overwhelmed me and consumed me in ways she’d never understand, but that never stopped me from trying to show her.

A soft hand eased around to the back of my head and drew my lips closer. Her breath was mild and sweet as I savored every bit of her that I could get; greedily devouring it all as her body suddenly came to life beneath me. Heavy breaths morphed into cries of pleasure that drove me dangerously close to the edge. My senses heightened and honed in on the feel of her smooth inner-thighs rhythmically grazing my hips, the savory aroma of her sex in my nostrils, the taste of her kiss still on my tongue.

My very soul became hers the next second, leaving my body and filling hers as our bodies met with one final thrust. The loudest of her pleasure-ridden sobs had her shuddering beneath me and I met her lips with enthusiasm when she pulled me in, holding me to her with both hands at either side of my face.

This woman was everything all at once—my weakness and my strength, the one who’d taken my heart hostage and the one who’d set it free, the one who drove me crazy, the one who kept me sane.

Everything
.
All at once.

Chapter Two

AJ

“Yeah, come in,” I said without asking who just knocked.

My father stepped into my office and had a seat in the chair across from my desk without needing to be invited to do so. “Do you have a moment?”

I read the last line of fine print and set the document in my hands aside to listen. “Sure. What’s up?”

“I know you’re leaving early today, so make sure to stop by my office on your way out.”

I wasn’t sure why, but agreed anyway.

“I brought a few boxes in my car that belong to you, so I’m going to follow you out,” he clarified. “Your mother and I finally finished going through the last of the items we had the movers store in the attic, and a few of them were yours.”

Giving that some thought, I assumed they had to have been things I left with them when I moved out of my apartment after college, probably just some junk that could simply be thrown away. “Cool… I’ll let you know when I’m taking off,” I replied.

He rested his chin on his fist. “Everything is in order for Mura’s travels?”

I smiled at how my father insisted on referring to Kai formally, using his last name just like he did all our other colleagues.

“Yeah, Dad. Kai’s got this. Things always go smoothly when he goes in my place,” I assured him. My father hadn’t gotten to know Kai, or the rest of my team for that matter, as well as I had. For that reason, he didn’t yet have the same confidence in them that I had, but it was only a matter of time.

He gave a nod and made himself more comfortable, letting me know he’d be here a while. “So,” he began with a faint smile. “Twenty-seven tomorrow, right?”

I laughed a bit, knowing he hadn’t forgotten how old I’d be turning. “Yep.”

The look of amusement on his face stayed, but there was something else behind it. “I’m proud of you, son. When I placed you here three years ago, I knew you were the best man for the job. Despite being afraid, despite doubting yourself, I believe you knew I was making the right decision, too.”

His compliment settled into my thoughts.

“Arata was always meant to be yours, Anthony, and it will be someday.”

While I knew he wanted to believe this, I had my doubts. We didn’t often discuss the circumstances that led to my father having to sell a majority share of the company he built; however, one of the consequences was that I no longer had a guarantee that I’d inherit it one day. I had accepted that a long time ago, but he hadn’t, which I understood. Even now, I didn’t share the same certainty my father did, but I honestly didn’t care about all that. The one thing I wanted to gain from working with him, whether I realized and admitted it in the beginning or not, was this—rebuilding our relationship. I understood that this company was his legacy, but having him around, being able to
trust
him in the presence of my wife and son, was all I ever really wanted from him. Nothing more.

“I’m not only proud of your accomplishments
here
,” he went on. “I’m most proud of the man you’ve become—a good husband, dedicated father.” The corners of his mouth lifted again. “I admire you.”

That meant a lot coming from him. After all the years we spent going at each other’s throats, I never imagined we’d be here. I thought back to Sam’s teasing the night before. There’d been some truth to what she said; there may have been some heavy ‘
convincing’
on my part when it came to getting my parents here, but… I hated them being so far away when my dad and I had just gotten to be so close. In my mind, there was a lot of lost time to make up for. He didn’t owe me anything. It wasn’t like that. I just wanted him around.
Both
of them.

A firm knock at the door interrupted our conversation. My father’s posture straightened, shifting from casual to professional very quickly.

“Come in,” I called out. Kai stepped in and my father stood to leave, granting us privacy to discuss whatever matter prompted this visit. They exchanged a cordial smile and nod in passing, and then my father excused himself.

Kai took the seat that had just been occupied.

“What’s up?” I asked, detecting the slightest hint of distress in his expression.

“It’s Carla,” he breathed. The face of his twenty-something, pregnant assistant popped into my head at the mention of her name. “She had a checkup and ultrasound this morning, and apparently her physician put her on bed rest for the duration of her pregnancy. I didn’t get the details, but… you know how much I depend on her, especially seeing as how my schedule is so erratic.”

He wasn’t lying about that. Carla was like an extension of him, of his mind here in the office or here in the states when he was away, anticipating what he’d need before he even realized he’d need it. We were already planning to start interviewing temps to replace her while she was out, but none of us anticipated her having to leave so quickly. She was only six months along.

“I don’t know what I’m gonna do.”

I glanced down at the paperwork on my desk, aimlessly scanning the header while I thought. “There has to be someone.”

“Someone qualified?” he asked, not believing we’d find a replacement of Carla’s caliber quickly enough. “I don’t know about that.”

“Don’t sweat it. I’ll have Reese deal with it while you’re gone. She can start the interview process as early as Tuesday. Might even have someone for you before you get back.”

As he stood to return to his office, the look on his face made it clear that he had little faith it’d work out so smoothly. He glanced back over his shoulder before exiting, still seeming heavily troubled when he spoke. “I’m heading out around two tomorrow afternoon. I’ll check in as soon as I touch down.”

He parted after that and I was left with the mountain of paperwork I had to tackle within the next two hours, but Kai’s problem was now a priority, too. Seeing as how I wanted him to continue to feel like coming onboard here was the right move, the sooner this issue was resolved, the better. I sat back and laced my fingers behind my head.

There had to be someone.

*****

Sam

“That’s it; you have to move in now,” I said to Terrell as he placed my son on top of my comforter. I placed the freshly folded towels in the laundry basket and then set it on the floor. Anthony was near the top of the bed, knocked out with his pacifier hanging on his lip as he snored. “He
never
goes down for his nap that easily for me.”

Terrell laughed quietly, his weight causing the foot of my bed to sink as he sat. “What can I say? Kids love me,” he said back, prompting me to roll my eyes at him.

“Speaking of,” I whispered, pausing to listen for the shower down the hall where Maisha was. I had to make sure she wouldn’t overhear what I was about to ask. “When are y’all gonna start trying?”

A broad smile crossed my face when Terrell waved me off.

“Cut it out. That’s all I need is for your girl to get baby fever.”

His comment made me chuckle, but I knew he was dead serious. We’d had this talk before, and every time Terrell gave me the same response about not quite being ready.

“Maybe we’ll start thinking like that in a year or two,” he added, which was a new development. “What about y’all?”

I frowned at him, doing a double take when the question flew from his mouth. I promptly pointed at the little one he’d just put down. “That’s my contribution to society right there. Isn’t he enough?”

He waved me off again. “Nah, y’all ain’t done,” he insisted.

I smiled again, lost in thought for a moment. “How do you figure that? You psychic or something?”

He shrugged. “No, but my boy wants at
least
one more
,
and I know it’s just a matter of time until—”

“He told you that?” I asked, cutting Terrell off midsentence. This was the first I’d heard of AJ making mention of adding to our family.

Terrell shot me a look, finding it strange that I didn’t already know. “Yeah… it came up once or twice.”

I sat on the edge of the bed. “Recently?”

He shrugged. “Hell, I don’t remember, but it was recent enough that I hadn’t forgotten. So… yeah, we’ll say it was recent.”

I sat there in silence, thinking. Our family was in transition in more ways than one. AJ was just getting to the point where his job didn’t require him to be out of the country at least once every other month. Plus, we’d also recently decided that now was a good time for me to leave my job. I’d dreamed of starting my own interior design business, and during a talk one weekend, AJ told me to just go for it, resign, and that’s what I did. With money not being an issue, we could afford for me to not bring anything in for a while as I built up my clientele. But a baby… I had no idea he felt that way right now. Honestly, I thought that was the
last
thing he wanted to think about.

The shower cut off in the bathroom down the hall and Terrell was on his feet right away. “That’s my cue. Gotta go,” he announced.

“You’re cue?” I asked, still a bit distracted.

A slick smile spread across his face and he clarified. “There’s about to be a beautiful, naked woman in my bedroom in a few seconds. I’ll let you figure the rest out.”

I frowned and laughed a bit. “Ew! You’re disgusting. Just… ugh… get out.”

He disappeared out into the hallway while I sat there thinking about what he’d revealed. I never would’ve guessed…

Ten minutes passed and the sound of the garage door opening let me know AJ had finally made it home. I’d just taken our son to his own room to finish his nap when I heard some shuffling downstairs. The commotion was followed by what sounded like AJ taking another trip to the garage, more rustling, and then finally quiet footsteps on the stairs. He appeared in the doorway, dressed in the gray suit I’d seen him in that morning, but somehow he looked better in it this afternoon.

“Hey,” I smiled.

He looked me up and down before repeating the same phrase back to me.

“Sounded like you were moving furniture down there,” I joked.

He smiled back. “Nah, just bringing in some old junk of mine that my dad found.”

I nodded and walked from the closet where I’d been standing when he came in, easing my hands around his waist, longing to feel his arms around me. “I missed you,” I said softly, pressing my cheek to his chest. His dark, silk tie felt cool against the side of my face. Then I felt those hands of his, firmly pressed to my back.

He kissed the top of my hair and walked me backward into the room without letting go. “I missed you, too,” he said, just before closing the door to our bedroom behind him.

“Are Terrell and Maisha still asleep or something?” he asked, checking the time on his watch.

I frowned again, remembering Terrell’s statement. “Uh, no,” I said with a laugh. “But I’m pretty sure they’re in bed, though.”

He got the hint and laughed, too.

I finally released him so he could change into more comfortable clothes. Retreating to the bed, I sat there and watched him undress—first, undoing his tie, then unbuttoning his shirt to reveal the ribbed-tank beneath.

“So, how were things here today? The boy give you any more trouble?” he asked with a smile. He put his dress shirt in the bag to go to the cleaners and then unzipped his pants while I stared.

“Nope. No trouble at all.”

Tan thighs cloaked halfway down by form-fitting, black boxer-briefs came into view and I kept watching as he slipped his pants off, stuffing them in the bag as well. He didn’t even realize he had an audience.

“Gotta find Kai a new assistant,” he said with a sigh. “Just someone to fill in temporarily while his
current
assistant is out on leave.”

The tank came off and I stared at the definition of his chest and abdomen when I was supposed to be replying. That’s how conversations go—both people have to speak words.

He chuckled once before asking, “You listening?”

My eyes flickered up from his body to his face. “Uh-huh,” I answered, which was mostly true. It was true that I’d heard his voice, knew he was speaking to me, but I had no earthly idea what he’d said. “Just repeat that last part,” I requested.

AJ shook his head and decided to come over to sit beside me instead of finding new clothes to put on right away. As if I wasn’t already having a hard enough time concentrating, I now had him sitting so close, wearing nothing but briefs, still smelling of soap and cologne even halfway through the day.

“I was just saying that I have to find Kai an assistant to replace the one he has now,” he repeated.

Forcing my eyes to the carpet instead of him, I listened more intently this time.

“Carla, the woman I mentioned, has to go on leave; she’ll be out for at least six months—the rest of her pregnancy, and then her actual maternity leave.”

“Well, what about a temp agency? They should be able to get someone out right away,” I suggested.

AJ shook his head. “Won’t work. Carla was a beast at her job. Won’t be easy to replace her.”

“What about Reese? Doesn’t she know of someone who could fill in?” As soon as I said it, I knew it was a bad idea.