Blaze"Did you get everything you need?" I question as Trevor comes in with Whitney behind him, carrying wrapped gifts. "I did," he greets me with a smile and a kiss, before he turns back to his sister. "Thanks for taking me again, Whit. We'll be over sometime this week to see Stella, if that's cool?""Just text to make sure she's not asleep. Do you need anything else?"She looks like she's about to drop, and I pull her into my arms. If there's one thing I know after seeing many new moms, it's sometimes they need a hug. "Anything else he needs, I have. Take care of yourself and be sure to get as much rest as you can.""I'm doing my best," she closes her eyes as she sighs. "It's hard, though. Hopefully, soon she'll realize what sleeping for longer than three hours at a time is." Her grin is rueful, and I know she wouldn't give any of it up for the world."She will," I assure her. "Not that I'm a mother or anything, but you do learn a few things when you work in the healthca
TankSitting in waiting rooms of doctors' offices has become my least favorite thing in the world, and today I'm all by myself. Blaze had to go and meet with her supervisor to get put back on rotation. She insisted on making sure she's available for me whenever I need her, but I'm hoping after today, I can become much more self-sufficient.That thought hits me in the gut, because I don't necessarily want her to go. I like having her around, love waking up to her every morning, and look forward to the breakfast she always has waiting for me after I drag my ass out of bed. Running a hand through my hair, I realize how much I depend on her – not to take care of me – but to be my partner. What if she decides she's done?"Trevor, you can come on back."I didn't even notice the nurse standing in front of me until she spoke. Blaze leaving my home, and possibly my life, is the scariest thing in the world for me right now. There is one thing I do know, and it's after what happened with
BlazeSometimes when I dress up for these parties, I don't even recognize the person staring back at me in the mirror. No, that's a lie; I do recognize myself, but the me I see is the one who let everyone else control her life. It's the sixteen-year-old girl who was being groomed to marry a rich man and become a society maven. If I close my eyes and think hard, I can still see her. With her platinum blonde hair, wearing her pearls like a southern debutante does, clear eyes innocent as hell only wanting to please her parents. I can remember her very clearly. She wore pink lipstick and looked at men underneath long eye-lashes, and she giggled when a boy with proper family lineage would pay attention to her. Daphne would shrink into the crowd, smile prettily, curtsy, and be the envy of every other southern debutante in the room. The memories aren't happy and I don't like reliving a past that's painful. Squaring my shoulders, I lean closer to the mirror, making sure the fake lashes
TrevorI've never ridden in the back of a limo before. Not even for my high school prom like so many have done. Blaze told me we would have a ride. Silly me, I figured it would be a friend or a family member picking us up. I never expected to see a stretch limo pull into my drive."When you said we'd have a ride, this wasn't exactly what I imagined," I take a drink of the beer I got out of the fully stocked bar.She takes a drink of her wine. "Yeah, well my family spares no expense - ever. Especially when they like to show me what I'm missing."The way she says the words makes me wonder if she does miss it. There's a catch in my gut. "Do you miss it? They can give you a lot of luxuries I'll never be able to give you."She's quiet for a heartbeat, and mine almost stops. "No, none of those things have ever been important to me. You know I don't touch the money in my trust unless there's something I really want. I've never missed this stuffy-as-fuck life. I mean look at me tonig
BlazeThe over-the-top opulence in this house is enough to make me want to puke. It's exactly why I ran as quickly as I could as soon as I turned eighteen. I'm sipping on a glass of champagne as I hear my dad talking to Trevor about how he supports our armed forces. It would be childish of me to say my dad supports them by writing a check and wearing a flag lapel pin on Veteran's Day. I'm sure that counts in the "better than nothing" category. Trevor's holding his own, though - I have to give it to him. The look my dad gave him when they were introduced wasn't pleasant. If Trevor had been a bug and dad had been the shoe, he would have crushed him. But Trevor gave him the firmest handshake I think ol' pops has ever gotten in his life. That alone puts him on a level of respect for Damon Coleman."I've been trying to talk Daphne into giving up that little job she has," he flashes a smile over my way, winking at Trevor. If only they'd known each other a year ago, daddy would have
BlazeI'm waiting for the moment he makes his move. Every part of my body is on alert. My nipples push against the lace of my bra, my fingers clench against the wall in front of me, and between my legs I ache more than I've ever ached before. My breathing is labored as I wait, eyes closed, forehead leaning against the solid surface, dying to see what he does, where he touches me first. "You've never had another man in here? What about some horny teenage boy?" he breathes close to my ear. Trevor comes up so close behind me I can feel the heat pouring off his body. Flattening my palms, I push myself back far enough so we touch. It's a whisper of one, but it's enough for now. Tilting my head, I can feel the hair of his beard tickling against my neck. Tucking my chin down, I try to nuzzle against him. I shake my head. "No, never had a man before you, or a boy either. You're the first, the only.""Better fuckin' well be the last."I open my mouth to tell him he's it for me, but
BlazeGlancing at my reflection in the mirror, I again don't recognize the woman staring back at me. Instead of someone with a polished updo and perfect makeup, I look alive. More alive than I have in months. Turning my head from side to side, I see my neck bears the evidence of what happened a few minutes ago with Trevor.Reaching up, I run my fingers along the already purpling bruises and finish taking down the hair he wrecked with his fingers.Luckily for me, I curled it before I put it up. Using my fingers and a comb I found in one of the drawers in the bathroom, I go to work, trying to make it look less "just been fucked" and more "beachy waves". Once the hair is as good as it's going to get, I take in my face with a critical eye. My lipstick, true to my words earlier, still hasn't smeared. My mascara is a different story, it's smudged under my eyes. A quick dab of water-softened toilet paper and I've fixed it as much as I can. This is as good as it's going to get. Openin
Trevor"Sit right there and I'll bring you a drink."I kinda love how my mom still assumes I can't fend for myself. On the other hand, I'm a grown man who's lucky to still have the use of his body after everything I went through. "I got it, Mom.""Let me take care of you, Trevor," she leans in giving me a hug. "Let me enjoy the fact you're still with us."Hardly anything anyone else has said hit me the way these words from my mom hits me. I have to bite back the wave of emotion those simple words bring forth. I'm not even sure why this affects me more with such a punch in the gut. I watch as she goes into the kitchen before I turn my attention to my best friend, Renegade."How are you?" He looks up from where he's rocking the carrier my niece is sleeping in with his foot. Dark circles form half-moons under his eyes, and I'm pretty sure he hasn't seen a razor in a week. "Tired as fuck," he admits. "But I've never been happier in my life."I can tell, even with the haggard