Forbidden Love(45)
And just like that, I was dismissed. Her words not lost on me as I made my way back to the hell-on-earth backyard, where the love of my life was basking in the glow of the love of hers.
Haven
Spending the day with Dylan, while surrounded by my family was everything I had hoped it would be. The sun was shining but it wasn’t too hot. A light breeze blew every so often, rustling the leaves in the trees and lifting my skirt. I had to hold it down a few times, the gusts pulling up Marilyn-Monroe style; the fact I was without panties was definitely not something I wanted to share with the world.
Dylan and I laughed as we talked with my Tia, and my Abuela, cracking inappropriate jokes at his expense. It was no secret they adored Dylan. I loved how freely they accepted him into our family unit. I even caught one of them trying to steal a kiss.
Dylan being ever the gentleman, quietly obliged, his face crimson from bashfulness. “Abuela, you’re so bad!” I admonished. “Leave my boyfriend alone.” I smiled and tsked her when she looked back at me, a devious grin on her face.
“Oh, Haven!” She swatted my bottom. “There’s plenty to go around. Humor an old lady.” With that, she turned back toward Dylan, grabbed his flushed cheeks and laid a nice, wet kiss on his plump, pink lips.
The laughter that followed was our soundtrack for the day.
If it weren’t for Dylan being by my side, I may have crumbled being there. As it was, I cringed when I spotted my mother kissing his cheeks in the kitchen. I knew she loved him like a son. It just didn’t make it any easier to see him with all the other people I loved.
I felt torn. I loved Jaxson and Jordan more than anything, and I knew Ma did too. Because of them, I would endure seeing Jude over and over again. I just hoped it didn’t do more harm than good when it came to his feelings for me.
He had made his choice and I had made mine. I loved Dylan and I wouldn’t hide it, nor would I pretend everything was okay with Jude when it wasn’t. Finally over him, I had moved on and found a light in my darkness. It may only be temporary, but I was going to hold on with everything, I had until Dylan’s last breath.
I only hoped Jude would someday find the same thing. Someone to love and cherish him, to give him the love he too deserved.
“Hey, sugar, where’d you go?” Dylan’s query broke through my thoughts like the sun after a thunderstorm.
I gave him a warm smile. “Just thinking about my family.” A look of sadness swept across Dylan’s face, but he recovered and quirked his lip up at me. “Your family is pretty amazing, Haven. You are very blessed to have this many people who love and care about you.” He nodded to my cousins as they walked by, chatting idly about what games they saw or something of the sort. “Your grandma,” he shook his head, “Abuela, sorry. She’s probably my favorite person ever. And not a bad kisser either.” I let out a full-on belly laugh with his proclamation, grabbing my stomach and leaning forward to emphasize the reaction.
“What?” He looked surprised. “I’m serious, I bet she was a man-eater in her day!” I couldn’t help it, my laughter rang out through the yard and everyone seemed to stop in their tracks, watching the spectacle I was making of myself.
When I could finally catch my breath, I shooed everyone away and turned toward my man. “You are something else. I love you.” I wrapped my arms around his neck and pulled him in for a kiss.
“Oh, she’s got nothing on you, sugar,” Dylan murmured, his forehead resting against mine. He kissed me again, melding his mouth with mine, our tongues dancing and swirling with an affectionate passion that I’d come to know and expect when he kissed me.
It was my lift-off into bliss. That soaring feeling I got whenever he touched me. That affliction I’d come to crave from him. With him. Dylan replaced the dark with light and the only thing I couldn’t get enough of was him.
“What do you say we get out of here so I can love you properly without your family as an audience?” Dylan wrinkled his nose and pressed it to my forehead, his lips in line with my nose. “I know you don’t have panties on under that dress, sugar. How long did you think I’d be able to stand not having my hands on you?” He was full of naughty promises in the sweetest possible way. I couldn’t wait to spend the night, just like every night, loving on Dylan.
“I’ll talk to Ma and see how much longer it will be before dinner. We can’t leave until we’ve at least eaten—you know she’s gone through a mess of trouble to get us all here.” I batted my eyelashes. “And no one is fighting. C’mon, let’s go see if we can help.” Clasping his pinky with mine, I led us toward the rest of the party.