“Oh, Chase,” she said, tugging at my shirt. Tears streamed down her cheeks, and it broke my heart to know that I was the reason she was crying. “So, did you take a drink?”
I shook my head. “No. Not a drop. In fact, I poured it all down the toilet. It took me half an hour, but I flushed it all. Somewhere right now there’s a pack of sewer rats having one hell of a party.”
She grinned and wiped her nose on her sleeve. “So what happened? What changed your mind?”
“You’re going to think it’s silly,” I said.
“No. I promise I won’t. Please tell me.”
“I opened the first bottle and started to take a drink, and then I remembered something you said about your dad.” I blinked away the tears in my eyes and smiled at her. “You said that you couldn’t save your own father, but maybe you could save Kiley’s.”
Audrey smiled at me. “Yes, I did say that.”
“I want you to save me, Audrey,” I said, putting my arms around her and pulling her close. “Please, I need you to save Kiley’s daddy. You are our last hope.”
“Oh, Chase,” she said, pressing her lips to mine. “Let’s save each other.”
“What do you need saving from, my dear?” I asked, resting my cheek against her forehead.
“A life without you.”
I grinned. “Now that was silly.”
“Yes, it was,” she said. “Now, shut up and kiss me.”
EPILOG: Audrey
Chase crawled into bed beside me and lifted his arm so I could cuddle up close and rest my head on his chest. He pulled the covers up around me and tucked me in.
I loved how warm he felt lying next to me on these cold winter nights. His body seemed to radiate heat, especially when I was doing things that made his temperature rise. He was my personal heater, and I knew how to fuel his fire.
It probably would have been wiser for us to wear pajamas to bed, but we swore to each other that we’d only wear clothes to bed when we got old. Or when we had kids, which I hoped was sooner rather than later.
Getting his tenure terminated at Trent State was the best thing that could have happened to Chase. He had enough money saved to not worry about working for a year, so he started writing again, something he hadn’t done since Kiley passed away.
And the fact that he quit buying cigarettes and alcohol also helped him maintain his budget.
He quit the booze cold turkey but had a heck of a time kicking the cigarette habit. Thanks to a ton of nicotine patches and the loving support of yours truly, he finally quit smoking six months ago.
The result of his renewed creativity was Kiley’s Wings, a story about a little girl who becomes an angel and helps children understand what happens when people pass away.
It was a beautiful story that made me cry every time I read it. Kiley’s Wings was set to be published in a few weeks by a major New York City publisher. They expected it to be a bestseller, but that didn’t seem to matter to Chase. Writing the story was therapy for him. The day he finished the manuscript was the day he finally knew that Kiley was looking down on him and smiling, so proud of the man her daddy had become.
I finished my degree in the fall and Chase I were married a month later. We were both tired of the Florida heat, so we moved to a little cottage in Vermont, just a few miles from where Chase had grown up.
I loved Vermont nine months out of the year, but at the moment I was freezing my ass off.
“Are you cold?” Chase asked, pulling me in close.
I tucked the heavy quilt under my chin and shivered against him. “What do you think?”
“I think I can warm you up,” he said, pressing his lips to the top of my head.
“I think I can warm up on my own,” I said, smiling up at him.
He leaned down to kiss me as my hand trailed down his chest, across his stomach, to his curly pubes. I teased him for a moment, tugging at the short hairs with my finger nails, and then let my hand slide down to his already hard cock.
“Well, hello, Mr. Hollander,” I said with a sigh as my hand started rolling the skin back and forth over the rigid shaft. “Are you happy to see me, or are you happy to see me?”
“I’m very happy to see you, Mrs. Hollander,” he said, sliding his tongue into my mouth as my hand milked his cock.
He massaged my breast and rubbed his thumb across my nipple, which grew long and hard at his touch. His other hand was around me, clutching my ass. His fingers slid into my crack and teased my asshole for a moment. I pushed my ass out a little to give him better access. I held my breath as his slid in a finger up to the first knuckle and gently swirled it around.
“That feels amazing,” he said as I threw back the quilt and leaned up so I could milk his cock better. His finger slid out of my ass and moved to my pussy, which was flowing like a hot spring. He dipped his finger into my pussy to lube it up and then slid it back into my ass up to his knuckle. I moaned at the wonderful pain.