Finding Our Reality (The Reality Duet #2)

Chapter 29

CRUTCH

“Uncle Ry, when can we have pizza?”

“Are you starting to get hungry?”

Laura looks down at her stomach and pokes her belly button through her shirt. “I’m starving.”

I look over at Lulu. She lifts her eyebrows. “I’m starting to get pretty hungry too.”

“So, the effects of the Long Island Iced Teas have finally worn off?”

“I like sweet tea,” Laura chimes in.

Lulu laughs, rubbing Laura’s shoulder. “Oh sweetie, you wouldn’t have liked this tea.”

Getting up from the dining table on the front porch, I rake all of the Go Fish cards in a pile. “Alright, but we have to go get it. You know no one delivers out this far. Go inside and grab your shoes.”

“Can’t me and Miss Lulu stay here?”

I glance back and forth between Laura and Lulu. I hate to put Lulu on the spot. “Oh. Well, I—”

Lulu interrupts, quickly putting herself on the spot. “I think that’s a good idea. I mean, if you don’t mind, Ry? We’ll clean up the games and set the table.”

Laura folds her little hands together. “I can do that! I set the table every night for me and my mom.”

Lulu smiles brightly. “See? My job’s already gotten easier.”

It’s good to see Lulu smile again, to hear her laugh. I’m not sure where she went mentally when Laura and I drove her out to the creek, but she went somewhere deep and isolated. She always loved the creek, and now, it’s Laura’s favorite spot too.

After I moved back to the homestead, I cleared out a wide path, running all the way from the big garage to the creek. I was surprised to find that the wildflowers had quadrupled in number. They come back each year, blooming from spring to fall. Every single color under the sun. Thousands upon thousands.

Lulu smiled politely at Laura’s endless chatter and quietly giggled at Laura’s jokes, but when Laura and I took off our shoes to wade and splash in the creek, Lulu walked away. Leaving us, she hid beneath the shade of a large tree. She sat and sat and sat. At one point, I thought I heard her crying. Normally, I would’ve raced to her side to see what was wrong, but the moment seemed too intimate, too personal. Instead, I gave her some space. Eventually, she walked back out into the sunshine, joining me and Laura at our game of skipping rocks.

The creek was always Lulu’s favorite spot. We watched the sun set there. We made love there. We read books and talked about our hopes and dreams. It was our secret spot. Maybe being here… there’s just too many memories.

Laura tugs on my shorts, drawing my attention. “And cheese bread too, please.”

“I guess I can make that happen.” Kissing the top of her head, I grab my T-shirt and pull it on. I nudge Lulu with my shoulder, rubbing my body against hers. “Any special requests from you?”

Biting her lip, she playfully winks. “Surprise me.”

***

By the time I get back from town, the girls have cleaned up the porch, set the inside kitchen table, and baked some brownies with some mix they found in the cabinet—I forgot it was even in there. Chitchatting over dinner, we stuff ourselves silly.

Pushing my chair underneath the table, I tug on Laura’s hair. “It’s bath time, Little Girl.”

“Woo-hoo!” She watches as Lulu loads the dirty plates in the dishwasher. “My bathtub here is huge, much bigger than my bathtub at our apartment. I love the water. Uncle Ry said, maybe, one day, he’ll build a swimming pool for me.”

“I love swimming too,” Lulu says. “The house I live in has a pool. Maybe Ry can bring you swimming one day.”

Laura jumps in the air, clapping her hands. “Yes!”

“I have a little cousin, Anna, who turns six at the end of next month. Maybe the two of you can have a swimming playdate.”

Laura spins around in excitement. “Can we, Uncle Ry? Can we have a playdate and swim?”

Lulu just made my niece’s day. “Sure. But right now, you need to swim in that tub. You’re damn filthy.”

“Ry!” Lulu scolds me for my choice of words.

Laura grabs my hand. “It’s okay, Miss Lulu. Uncle Ry cusses all the time. I’m used to it.”

I furrow my brow, faking insult. “Not all the time. It’s just hard to stop my habits just because little ears are around to hear.”

Lulu laughs. Laura and I start up the stairs when her voice stops us in our tracks. “I’ll go ahead and call Holt for a ride; it’s getting late.”

I don’t have time to argue. Laura does it for me. “What! It just got dark outside. Uncle Ry always lets me watch a movie after bath. Don’t you wanna watch a movie with us? I’ll even let you pick.”

Lulu reaches behind her neck, rubbing her scar.

“Stay.” My plea is calm. Controlled. “Stay the night. I’ll take you home when I take Laura home tomorrow. Holt already took your car back to your place. You don’t have to worry about that.”

She takes a deep breath, thinking. “I have to be in Jackson for that medical malpractice suit by lunch on Monday. I was gonna leave tomorrow afternoon, but I guess I can just get an early start on Monday.”

A small weight lifts from my chest, and I realize the thought of her leaving nearly choked the life from my heart. “Good. It’s settled.”

After filling Laura’s bath water, I leave her to play with her bath toys. I’m about to head back downstairs when I hear the shower turn on in my bathroom. Walking through the bedroom, I see that Lulu made the bed from this morning. Leaning my ear against the closed bathroom door, I hear the water displace the second she steps into the shower.

Lulu’s naked. In my house. In my shower.

The thought alone makes my dick painfully jump to life. I think back to last night when I was undressing her. I wouldn’t have undressed her. Really, I wouldn’t have. But… she kind of threw up on herself when I was driving her home—to her place. That quickly changed my mind and had me driving the country roads to my house instead of the city roads to hers.

She was so upset at the thought of me having a child that she drank herself into a sick stupor. I knew it was time to show her more of my life, show her my house. Our house . Show her what I built for us, not knowing if I would ever get the opportunity to have her in my life again. Show her that I was an uncle. Not a father.

When I saw her in her bra and panties last night, I nearly lost my shit. Nearly came in my pants like some young teenager watching porno for the first time.

And my first impression in the police station was right. Her breasts have grown over the years. She’s at least one full cup size bigger. The combination of her soft curves and long, lean legs was nearly too much. And although I’m a dick, I’m not that kind of dick. So, I quickly covered her gorgeous body in my T-shirt, put her clothes in the washer, and slept downstairs on the couch. I couldn’t even trust myself to sleep in the guest room upstairs. But I did check on her multiple times throughout the night. And each time, the sight of her body curled in my bed, nestled among the sheets and blankets, cut its way into my dead heart, making it beat and thunder with vibrant new life.

I love her. I love her so damn much it hurts.

I stand there for so long that it scares me when I hear the shower cut off. Jumping, I quickly walk from the room. I’m halfway down the stairs when Laura yells for me. “Uncle Ry! You help me wash my hair?”

After I clean up the bathroom and Laura dresses in her unicorn nightgown, we race downstairs. Lulu’s sitting on the couch, typing on her phone. Her towel-dried hair is a mass of wavy curls. She’s wearing a fresh T-shirt and a fresh pair of my boxer briefs. She’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen. The most beautiful thing I will ever see. Laura plops down on the couch next to her, turning on the TV, and flicking through the movies available for streaming.

“Sorry.” Lulu leans forward, putting her phone on the coffee table. “Raylee had texted me.” When she sits back, the T-shirt tugs against her body and her peaked nipples make me weak in the knees. She’s no longer wearing a bra.

I clear my throat, “Laura, go into the mud room, look on the shelf. I put a surprise there when I came home.” Jumping up, she races from the room.

Lulu stares at me. Her caramel-coated eyes trail down my body, widening in surprise when they get to my crotch. She swallows. Hard.

“No bra, Lulu? Seriously? You’re wearing my shirt. My underwear. And now, you’re not wearing a bra.” My hand grabs my crotch, adjusting my dick. “Are you trying to kill me?”

Wickedly smiling, she winks. “Game on.”

“Sour gummy worms!” Laura bounces back into the room. Pouncing on the couch, she holds the bag in front of Lulu’s face. “Do you like gummy worms too, Miss Lulu?”

“I sure do.”

“Will you open the bag, please?”

Lulu opens the bag and gives Laura first pick. Then she picks a blue and green one for herself, slides it deep into her mouth, and slowly pulls it from her lips, licking the sugar from it.

Fuck me.

“Miss Lulu, what movie do you wanna watch?”

“You pick.”

“I have the perfect one.” Laura starts the movie and reaches for another piece of candy. “Uncle Ry? Aren’t you gonna sit down?”

“Y’all start without me. I need a quick shower.” I walk up the stairs, mumbling under my breath. “A cold shower.”

Lulu’s giggle follows me up the stairs and into the bathroom. It plays on repeat in my ears… the whole time I jack off in the shower.

Once showered and relieved to where I can somewhat function like a normal human being, I head back downstairs to my girls.

Lulu and Laura are snuggled into a pile of arms and legs beneath a large blanket, watching a musical about a princess. Great. She just had to pick a princess movie. I like it much better when Little Girl chooses Star Wars or Indiana Jones movies. The second I sit next to her she offers me some of the blanket. My niece really is the sweetest little girl.

I wrap my arm around the back of the couch, using it as an excuse to trace my thumb across Lulu’s shoulder. The air thickens, sending tangible energy from her body to mine. It’s completely unexpected when Laura grabs my hand and Lulu’s hand, joining them together across her lap. Gently she wraps her little fingers around ours, so that all three of us are holding hands.

Like I said, she really is the sweetest little girl.

I watch Lulu as she studies our intertwined fingers. Slowly lifting her head, she smiles at me. Softly. Sweetly. Her smile is like the first ray of sunshine after a week of storm clouds.

By the end of the movie, Laura’s yawning so much I’m afraid she’s going to dislocate her jaw. I flip off the TV. “Come on, Little Girl, time for bed.”

“Can Miss Lulu tuck me in too?”

I shrug, tipping my chin at Lulu.

“Sure, I’d love to.” When she stands from the couch, the boxer briefs she’s wearing tangle against her thighs and the round globe of her ass cheek hangs out. She quickly covers herself.

Kill me now.

A few months ago, she told me she couldn’t even stand to be in the same zip code with me, and now, here she is, wearing my clothes, sleeping in my bed, playing with the child I consider to be my own little girl.

“You girls go turn the bed down. I’ll get your glass of water. And don’t forget to brush your teeth, Laura. I’m going to smell your breath.”

Laura grabs Lulu’s hand and tugs her up the stairs. When I join them, Lulu’s reading a children’s book to Laura—I don’t point out the fact that my niece is smart as a whip and outgrew that book two years ago. I stand in the doorway, watching them. An unfamiliar feeling cascades through my body. I don’t know how to describe it. It’s… weird. Odd. For the first time in my life, I feel like a grown man. A patriarch. A provider.

It’s literally the best feeling in the world.

Well, next to my memories of being inside of Lulu.

When they finish, I put the glass of water on Laura’s nightstand and bend down next to her face. “Let me smell.”

Giggling, she blows in my face. “See? Minty fresh.”

I make a fake gagging sound and pretend to pass out. “Alright, get some sleep, Little Girl. You’ve been a thorn in my side all day. Time to give me some peace and quiet.”

Ignoring my teasing, she wraps her arms around me and gives me a kiss. “No adult book tonight?” She frowns. “That’s just plain wrong.”

“Not tonight. It’s late.”

I pause, waiting for Lulu and Laura to hug goodnight before I turn out the light. Instead of pulling away, Laura plants both hands on Lulu’s face, pressing so hard, she smashes Lulu’s lips together into a pucker. Her little eyes grow wide and she whispers into Lulu’s face, “Tell me something. Something no one else knows.”

Oh my god.

Instantly, all the air is sucked from the room. The three of us are left in a void. In a vacuum. In a shell.

Laura, in her innocence, doesn’t know anything is wrong. Folding her hands in her lap, she patiently waits for Lulu’s answer.

I can’t believe this is happening to me.

I have no idea how My Lulu is going to react. And that scares the shit out of me.

I’ve just started getting her back. I can’t lose her again.

I won’t lose her again. I refuse to.

I’m about to scold Laura for playing our secret game when Lulu makes a noise.

She clears her throat and quickly wipes her eye before a tear spills from the corner. “Well, let’s see. It’s been a very long time since anyone has asked me that question.”

“Who asked you last? Uncle Ry?”

She nods, tossing me a glance. “Yes. It was him.”

“But you haven’t seen each other in a really long time, right? So, there must be lots of things that no one else knows.”

Lulu nods, sniffling and clearing her throat again. “Well, I learned something new today.”

Learning is an immediate trigger word for Laura. Her eyes widen again, and she grows very serious. “You did? What did you learn?”

“I learned that you must be very special to Ry.”

“Why am I special?”

“Because of the creek. For a very long time, only two people knew about the creek. Me and him. He showed it to me. A long time ago, when we were much younger, it was our secret place. And now, it’s your secret place too. That makes you very special.”

Laura nods eagerly. “And I learned that you’re special too, Miss Lulu.”

Lulu mimics Laura. “Why am I special?”

“Because you call Uncle Ry ‘ Ry’ . He told me that the only people who are allowed to call him ‘Ry’ are the girls he loves. He said that was me and someone else. He never told me who, but now I know. It’s you. He loves you.”

I can’t breathe. I turn away, hiding my emotion from the two girls on the bed. Raking my hand across my face, I take a second to compose myself before turning back. “Time for bed. Goodnight.”

Laura flops backward, hugging Felicia Stinkbottoms to her side. I wait for Lulu to leave the room, before I turn out the light.

“Night-night, Uncle Ry. I love you.”

“I love you too.”

Pulling her door closed, I watch as Lulu silently walks down the hallway and turns into my bedroom. I follow behind her like a dog on a leash. I shut the door and stare at her.

She’s so damn beautiful.

Her face is free of makeup, innocent and fresh. Her breasts tug against the fabric of my T-shirt. Her fingers twist the hem in worried thought.

“When did you start doing that with her? Asking her that question?”

“The first time she stayed the night here at the house. It was so big compared to her apartment. She kept hearing noises and couldn’t go to sleep.”

She nods, not saying anything.

The anticipation is killing me.

“Are you angry with me?”

She snorts. “Isn’t part of me always angry with you?”

Good point. “Let me rephrase, are you angry with me for sharing that game with Laura?”

Her hand circles around her neck. “Of course not. I think Carrie would be happy to see someone carrying on the tradition.”

I take a step in her direction. And then another. And then another. My growl is harsher than I intend for it to be, but I can’t help it. I’m on edge. “Tell me something. Something no one else knows.”

Her chest swells, her nipples immediately bud, and she discreetly rubs her thighs together. Because she’s My Lulu, she tilts her chin in the air, staring straight at me. “I’ve been fighting my feelings, pushing you away. Letting my anger control me. For twelve long years, I’ve been drowning in my silent rage. I can’t keep doing it. I wanna let go. I want happiness. I want your mouth on mine. Now.”

Sweeter words have never been spoken.

I cross the distance between us and take her in my arms. I don’t even give her the chance to moan before my tongue slides into her hot mouth.

Holy. Shit.

My memories of her don’t do her justice. Kissing her is the pinnacle of erotic desire. She gives it back, she takes it from me, she makes me into her own. Our tongues tangle. Tasting, remembering.

She’s making a new heart in the dead hollow of my chest.

Just like the very first time I kissed her, life as I know it ceases to exist.

My right hand tangles in her soft, honey-colored waves, and my left hand traces the beads of her spine, running lower and lower until I find that sweet curve where her back meets her ass. Pulling her against me, my body seeks the smallest friction against my throbbing cock. Nothing has ever felt so good—or so painful—in my entire thirty-three years.

Her fingers tug at my T-shirt, eagerly searching for my skin. She quickly finds what she’s looking for. Her fingertips slide across the lines of my stomach, tenderly tracing the outline of my ribs. Her touch is feather-light, until I deepen our kiss, forcing the breath from her body. Her grip tightens, digging into the muscles of my hips.

Ready for more, she pushes the fabric up my torso. She whispers against my lips. “Take it off.”

Yanking the T-shirt over my head, my dick throbs when I see her eagerly devouring my body with her eyes.

That look alone is more fulfilling than ninety percent of the sexual encounters I’ve had in the past decade.

And kissing her? Well, hell, that’s better than any fuck from any other girl on the planet.

My Lulu jumps forward, crashing into my body, moaning for me to kiss her, to ravish her. Wrapping my arms around her, I pull her into a hug, forcing her to her tiptoes. She loves it when I do that.

I can’t help but smile.

She wipes the smile from my mouth with the trace of her tongue.

She’s making me week in the knees.

I kiss her. I kiss her until my soul is about to explode.

I step forward, walking her backward to the bed.

I’m gonna bury myself in her if it’s the last thing I do.

“Uncle Ry!”

Lulu gasps, jerking her mouth away from mine. We both perk up, like wild animals listening for a hunter.

Please be a false alarm. Oh, please. Please. Please.

“Uncle Ry! I had a bad dream and spilled my water.”

Lulu stumbles from my arms. Taking a step back, I swipe my hand across my face so hard my stubble burns my palm. Her eyes are wide and her chest is heaving like she just ran a marathon. Her lips are swollen and red. She’s dazed. And horny. And completely gorgeous. And all mine.

Sighing, I look at the ceiling, grunting in frustration. “I can’t believe this is happening.” Rolling my shoulders, I try to ease the tension coursing through my body.

I turn my head, shouting to my niece. “I’m coming. Be there in just a second.”

Lulu giggles, nodding at my crotch. “It doesn’t look like you’re coming.”

I’m glad she finds the situation humorous. Because I don’t.

Not. One. Bit.

My hand cups my erection, forcefully trying to make myself limp. “I can’t believe I’m being cock blocked by a six-year-old.”

Lulu smiles, planting her hand on her hip. The movement causes her breasts to sway. “Who said you were getting any tonight?”

I lift my eyebrows. “That kiss spoke volumes.”

“Maybe it’s just been too long since you’ve kissed anyone.”

On my way out of the room, I pour my hot breath across the shell of her ear. “It’s been too long since I’ve kissed you, Lulu.”