“You feel so fucking good,” he growled while watching me completely fall apart.
The sound of Thatch’s body pounding against mine echoed throughout the room, and after one final thrust, his muscles tensed, and he came deep inside me. He took a deep breath, releasing it slowly as he pulled away from me, tossed the condom in the trash, and lowered himself onto the bed.
I placed my hand on his chest and felt the rapid beat of his heart against my palm. We lay there in silence for several minutes before he turned to me. “Damn, if I’d known I’d get this kind of response, I would’ve shaved months ago.”
“I love the new look, but I loved the beard, too.”
“Oh, so you’re saying I should grow it back?”
“Nooo.” I leaned up on my elbow and smiled. “I’m not saying that at all.”
“Point taken.” He glanced over at me. “I hope this didn’t mess up your dinner plans.”
“I didn’t really have a plan. I just made chicken and dumplings.”
“Chicken and dumplings? Damn, that sounds pretty good.”
“I’ve got cornbread, too.” As much as I loved laying there curled up next to him, I hadn’t eaten all day, so I suggested, “I could always run downstairs and warm some up for us.”
“And we could finish our movie.”
“Oh, yeah. We definitely could.”
“Then, I’m in.”
He leaned over and kissed me on the forehead, then got up and slipped on his boxers. He was about to put on his jeans when I got up and gathered my clothes, then slipped off to the bathroom. I cleaned up a bit, then quickly got dressed.
By the time I stepped out of the bathroom, Thatch was already dressed and waiting for me. “You all set?”
“Yep, you?”
“Oh yeah, but I gotta warn ya ... I worked up quite an appetite.”
“Well, by all means, let’s get you fed.”
Thatch followed me downstairs, and after reheating everything, I made us both a plate of dumplings and vegetables while he took care of our drinks. We sat down at the table, and neither of us spoke for several minutes as we both dug into our food.
I was pleased that everything turned out even better than I’d hoped, and Thatch seemed to really like it. He’d practically inhaled the first helping of dumplings and was reaching for a second when a strange expression crossed his face. Concerned, I asked, “What?”
“Can I ask you about something?”
“Sure. What’s on your mind?”
“It’s about something Cat said the other day when I picked her up from school.”
“Oh? And what was that?”
“Yeah, she mentioned that she might have to go see her father, and she didn’t seem all that keen on the idea. I told her she should talk to you about it. Just wondering if she did.”
“No, she didn’t.” I was so overcome with guilt I could barely speak. I couldn’t believe that I didn’t know Cat was worried over seeing her father. She hadn’t mentioned a word about it, which was concerning in itself. Cat was always so open with me, so I couldn’t understand why she’d tell Thatch and not me. “She never said anything. I didn’t know ... I didn’t know she thought that was even a possibility.”
“Maybe she just hasn’t gotten around to talking to you yet.”
“But it’s been days since you picked her up from school.” I lowered my fork and pushed back my plate. “It’s my fault. I’ve been so busy that I haven’t even given her the opportunity to bring it up. I should’ve made more time for her.”
“You’re not about to pull the ‘I’m a bad mom’ card now, are ya? ’Cause I’m gonna tell you right now, I’m not gonna listen to that bullshit.”
“Well, I’m certainly no mom of the year.”
“You’re a great mother, Bec,” Thatch replied without hesitation. “Cat’s an amazing kid. You love her and take good care of her. There’s food on the table, a roof over her head, and enough fucking Barbies to choke a damn horse. That’s just to start. There’s nothing you wouldn’t do for that kid, and she knows it.”
“But—”
“No, buts. You do right by her, and if I know you as well as I think I do, you’ll do right by her on this, too.” Thatch’s expression grew serious. “You know, you never told me what happened that night.”
“No, I guess I haven’t.”
“Mind telling me about it?”
“What do you wanna know?”
He motioned his hand towards my chest. “I’ve seen the scars, Bec. I’ve got a pretty good idea about what went down. You just gotta fill in the blanks a little.”
“It’s not an easy story to tell.”
“I’m sure it’s not, but I’d like to hear it.”
“I don’t even know where to start.” I thought for a moment and then looked over to him. “I’ve told you before how Trevor and I met after his accident and were married after he’d recovered. Well, he never fully recovered, even after all the rehab and medications. He was still in a lot of pain, and after a year of suffering, he became addicted. He went to rehab twice, but neither time stuck. If anything, it just made matters worse.”