“I’l get what I get,” Dad responded, obviously not in the mood to discuss it anymore.
“You do that. I’l go get the dog. He’l probably want out and Hank and Roxie need to sleep in. They had a tough night.”
Both Hank and my bodies got tense.
“Don’t go near that damn room, Trish,” Dad warned.
“I’m just getting the dog. I won’t peek,” Mom returned Hank lifted his forehead from mine.
“Please tel me your mother’s not comin’ in here,” Hank said to me.
“Trish! Get back here!”
“Herb, relax.”
Mom sounded closer. A lot closer.
My mother was coming in.
“We can hear you!” I shouted, in hopes of waylaying her.
Silence.
Hank and I were both naked and the sheet was around our waists. He pul ed the sheet up to my chest just as Mom opened the door.
Good God.
Hank’s head twisted to look over his shoulder, other than that, he didn’t move, likely trying to shield me further with his body. I put my hands to his biceps, lifted up and peered over his shoulder.
Mom was standing in the doorway in her robe, her hand over her eyes.
“Mornin’ kids. Don’t mind me. Come here Shamus, come on boy,” then she made kissy noises, the whole time she kept her hand over her eyes.
Shamus lurched up, jumped off the bed and jogged out of the room, tail wagging.
As he wagged by Mom, she said, “Go back to sleep. I’m making pancakes but Herb’s got to find buttermilk so it’l take awhile. You have time for a snooze.”
The whole time she talked, she kept her hand over eyes.
“Yeah, we heard,” I told her. “Mom?”
“Yes, sweetie?” she lifted her head a bit, hand stil on her eyes.
“Go away.”
“Right, right. Going,” then she closed the door.
We heard movements, keys jingling, doors slamming, the whole time I lay on my back and watched Hank. His eyes were looking in the vicinity of my col arbone, his head slightly cocked, listening while a smile played about his mouth When the noise died down, I said to him, “I’m sorry.” He dipped his head, rubbed his nose against mine and my bel y melted.
“My parents are a little nutty,” I went on.
He looked me in the eye. “Sunshine, first off, Tex is your uncle. And, no offense, I mean it as a compliment, but you’re anything but normal. It isn’t like I wasn’t prepared.”
“They’re nice people,” I explained, kind of desperately.
We’d just sorted things out. I’d taken a huge chance on us. I’d even promised to move to Denver. I didn’t want everything to go bal s-up in less than a day. I was hoping he wouldn’t take what he just heard as an indication of his future life and run, hel bent for leather, to the next state and far away from me, my Mom and my Dad.
His hand came up and he trailed a finger down my hairline. He watched his finger, then his hand curled around my neck and his eyes came to mine. “I know that,” he said.
Obviously, he wasn’t in fear of a nutty future life, or, maybe, he was just resigned to it.
Either one worked for me.
I lifted up and touched my lips to his and then settled on the pil ows again.
After I’d done that, I noticed the amusement was out of his eyes, the lazy was stil there but there was also intensity.
“Any hope that your Mom went with your Dad to find buttermilk?” he asked, his eyes on my mouth.
I knew what he was asking and my melted bel y did a funny, but pleasant, twist.
“She was in her robe,” I pointed out.
His lips came to mine. “Yeah,” he said against my lips and I could hear the regret.
I smiled against his mouth and watched, close up, as his eyes went languid.
“Kids!” Mom yel ed from somewhere in the house.
Hank pul ed away a bit, shook his head and smiled. It was a good bet he hadn’t been cal ed a kid in a very long time.
“Yeah?” I yel ed back.
“I’m taking Shamus for a walk. I got the key from the hook by the door and I’m locking you in. You two rest,” Then we heard the door open and shut and she was gone.
Hank didn’t hesitate, his arms came around me, he rol ed me to the side and his face went to my neck.
It was clear we weren’t going to “rest”.
“How much time do you think we have?” he asked.
“Not long,” I answered honestly. Mom wasn’t exactly into exercise.
Hank’s lips came up my jaw to my mouth.
“We’l be fast,” he murmured there.
“No, Hank, I need to get up. Mom’l be back –” He took my hand in his and pul ed it between us, wrapping my fingers around him.
He was rock hard.
My bel y twist turned into a dip and I felt a spasm between my legs.
“We’l be fast,” I said.
He grinned and then he kissed me.
*