She walked into his bathroom and flipped on the wall switch. Behind the shower curtain, she found a bottle of body wash. She opened the cap and sniffed. Instantly, her eyes were wet and her pussy throbbed. She set the bottle on the edge of the tub and opened the medicine cabinet. Inside, she found a small bottle of cologne. On the floor, in a heap, were a T-shirt and pair of boxer briefs. Taking the bottle, she leaned down and picked up the T-shirt.
Two sprays and the shirt smelled like Colin’s fresh skin. She tucked the wrinkled fabric against her chest and carried it back into the bedroom. The pillows were still arranged from the last time he’d slept. She picked up Charlie and planted her on the bed before sliding under the sheet. With the T-shirt tucked under her chin, she closed her eyes.
Tonight, she was going to rest, pretending her man’s strong arms were holding her as she fell asleep. Tomorrow...she was going to climb a boulder.
CHAPTER EIGHT
Colin pulled into the driveway and turned off the truck. His dad dropped a bag of garbage in the waste can. Colin rested his elbow on the open window.
“Mom home?”
Dave pointed his thumb toward the garage. “She’s been getting the yard sale stuff ready for the last three days. She goes out there and hides after work. Hell, I haven’t had a decent meal since she started unpacking boxes.”
Colin studied the steering wheel. “She’s pretty upset?”
“Son, go talk to her. I don’t care how you live your life. Lea’s a nice woman, but you could’ve taken a different route with this. I didn’t feel right telling your mom. That was between the two of you to sort out. She’s been a mess.”
Colin gave a curt nod and got out of the truck. He stuffed his hands in his pockets and headed up the driveway. When Stacey saw him coming, she dropped a plastic bowl into an open box. Instead of smiling, she brought her hand to her mouth. He could see her shoulders tremble as he walked into the shade of the garage.
“Mom,” Colin said, feeling like he was sixteen asking if he could borrow the car, “can I talk to you?”
She sat down in an open lawn chair and wiped the drifting tears from her eyes. “You haven’t answered my calls.”
He pulled up the other chair and sat down. “I know. I needed time. I’m not here to tell you I’m giving up on the woman I love.”
“Colin—”
“Mom...I love her. I’m sorry you had to find out like that. I’m embarrassed not because I was with Lea, but because of what you saw. I’m sorry, Mom. I meant no disrespect.”
“You and Lea both disrespected me by keeping your affair a secret. It hurts, Colin. I thought we were close. Hell, you told your dad.”
“He guessed. Lea and I needed time to figure thing out. She had so many reservations, Mom. She kicked me out because of her fears and her friendship with you. She tried to tell me it couldn’t work, but we fell in love and there was nothing that was going to keep us from exploring what we felt.”
She ran her hand over her forehead. “Colin, she’s almost twice your age. You’re going to want kids, a home, someone to grow old with.”
Now, she sounded like Lea. “I can have all those things. I can’t see experiencing those things with anyone else. We can still have a couple of kids and all the things I’d have with someone my age. I’ve been out there dating and it’s a joke. I’m looking at my future while guys my age want to party and not grow up. I did that in college. I don’t want to see a different woman every week. I want Lea—her confidence, her sharp sense of humor, the way she cares for her dog. I want—need—everything about her.”
She looked out into the setting sun. “Have you talked to her since I...since I found you two?”
Colin ran his hand through his short hair. “I’ve called every day. She won’t call me back or answer my texts. It’s killing me, Mom.”
His mom wiped a tear from her cheek. “She’s called every day. I haven’t answered the phone. I miss her, Colin. We’ve been through her divorce, you leaving for college—we’re each other’s rock.”
He hung his head. “I know. I don’t want to come in between you two, but I can’t stand by and watch her walk away. I can’t. I’m sorry for that, but I can’t just turn off my feelings.”
“I love you, Colin. This isn’t how I pictured your future. I wanted the big wedding, a daughter-in-law, and grandkids. Now...now…”
Colin grabbed his mom’s hand and gently squeezed. “Now, you can have that, if she’ll take me back. I don’t know if she’ll have me now, but I’m going to fight damn hard for us. She thinks I’m too young for her, but I know she feels the same as I do. I want her to see through the things she thinks should keep us apart and make her realize this is our future and worth fighting for.”