In Too Deep, page 7
part #32 of Forever and Ever Series
My boyfriend was fine.
Just when I turned to head toward my apartment, I almost knocked into some woman standing right in my way. She held a notebook and pen in her hands. “Excuse me. Are you Heath O’Reily?” She wore square frame glasses on her nose, and her pencil skirt looked like a designer made it just for her. She had the typical look of a reporter.
Since I was a journalist myself, I knew how to spot one from a mile off. But I wasn’t sure what this one wanted for me. Journalists didn’t generally interview other journalists. We just told the story based on the information we had. There was nothing else to contribute. “Yes?”
“Is it true you and Roland Preston are romantically involved?”
Me and Roland? Why the hell was she asking that? “Excuse me?”
“Is Roland Preston your boyfriend?” She held the pen to the paper in preparation to quote me.
“Why are you asking me that?” I was immediately defensive. My romantic life had never been questioned like this. I wasn’t ashamed of being gay but I didn’t like being put on the spot either.
“Do you deny it?” Her eyes were wide like she was hungry for this quote.
Why would someone be asking me this? No one cared about my personal life. I was just a nobody. But then I realized I was connected to a very famous and wealthy man. Sean had been nothing but nice to me, even when he found out I was in love with his son. He took me under his wing, respected me, and spent time with me like I was a member of his own family. I would never throw him under the bus. I had no idea what this reporter wanted but I knew it was somehow connected with Sean. “No comment.” I walked around her.
“But what about—”
“No comment.” I quickened my pace. I needed to get out of there as quickly as possible. And for the first time, I looked over my shoulder, making sure I wasn’t being followed.
***
“I need to talk to you,” I said the second I walked inside his apartment.
He was just about to eat a chip. “Everything alright, babe?” He stood up and walked around the couch.
“No.” The episode with the reporter had been consuming me all day. I rushed to his place the second I knew he was off of work.
“What’s up?” He stopped in front of me and rested his hands by his sides. He kept his voice calm but it was obvious he was stressed out. His eyes darkened just the way his father’s did when he was upset.
“I was leaving the office when this reporter came up to me. I don’t know what magazine or newspaper she worked for, but she started asking me about us…and our romantic relationship.” I studied his face and waited for his reaction.
He was surprisingly calm. In fact, he didn’t seem caught off guard at all. “So it begins…”
I cocked an eyebrow. “I figured it had something to do with your dad so I didn’t say anything. I just walked off.”
He rubbed the back of his neck. “Dad warned me about this.”
“He knows?” I asked.
“Yeah. People have been catching on to my romantic lifestyle.” He shrugged his shoulders dramatically. “Now that my dad is even more famous than he used to be, they are paying more attention to me, my mom, and my sister. Obviously, I have the juiciest story.”
I guess it wasn’t that surprising. “A heads up would have been nice.”
“I’m sorry,” he said quickly. “I just didn’t want to stress you out. Honestly, I try not to think about it.”
I crossed my arms over my chest. “Then what do we do?”
“What do you mean?” he asked. “There’s really nothing we can do.”
“I mean what do we say?” I asked. “I’ll be questioned again eventually. Should we come up with a cover story? Should we not be seen together anymore?”
He stared at me with a look I didn’t recognize. “You would do that?”
I stared at the ground for a moment before I looked at him again. “You know how I feel about lying. But I would do it for your dad. He’s been nothing but amazing to me and I’ll do anything to help him out—even lie.”
His features softened. “Well, that means a lot to me and my family.”
“So, what do we say then?”
“Actually, my dad told me not to lie. He said I should never be ashamed of who I am. He said he doesn’t care what they print about him. He doesn’t care if it tarnishes his image or the company’s. All he cares about is us.”
Somehow, I respected him even more. “That’s noble of him.”
“My dad cares about his family more than anything. Honestly, if he and my mom could live in a goat hut somewhere in the mountains they would.”
I chuckled. “A goat hut?”
“A house—whatever,” he said with a shrug. “They would live off goat milk and cheese.”
“I can’t picture your dad milking a goat,” I said with a laugh.
“Well, you catch my drift. My dad doesn’t like anyone outside his inner circle.”
I completely understood why. “So, when they ask me again you want me to be honest?”
“Yes.”
“You do realize the entire country will know your gay? People you don’t even know and will never meet will know.”
He nodded his head slowly. “I don’t care. Being gay isn’t offensive. And if people don’t like it, they can go about their lives and forget about it.”
I came closer to him and put my arm around his waist. “You’re so lucky to have a family like that.”
Seriousness came into his eyes. “I know. And they’re your family too.”
Chapter Eleven
Skye
The moment the plane touched down I was depressed. The honeymoon was over, and in just a few short days Cayson would leave. I’d put the thought out of my head this long, but now that I’d come face-to-face with it there was no denying it.
Cayson seemed to have the same thought because he grabbed my hand and gently massaged my knuckles with his fingers. When he touched my wedding ring, he felt the metal and the diamond.
“I had a great time,” I said.
“Me too.” He looked into my eyes with an empty expression on his face. “It was amazing.”
Now we were back to reality.
Cayson grabbed our luggage from the overhead bins then carried it with him off the plane. After we made it to the baggage claim, he grabbed the rest of our things. A town car was waiting outside for us, and when we reached it the driver placed everything in the trunk.
He probably thought we looked too depressed for just returning for a honeymoon.
The drive back was spent in silence. Music wasn’t even on. Cayson had his arm around my shoulders, and he held my hand on his thigh. His face was pressed close to mine, and every once in a while he would kiss me softly in the backseat.
When we arrived at our penthouse, Cayson tipped the driver then carried our luggage to our apartment. It was nice to come home as husband and wife, but it was even more depressing to think I would be living alone while he was gone.
He got the door opened and walked inside. It was pitch black and dark. Only the city lights illuminated the room.
Then the lights came on.
“Surprise!”
A banner hung across the room. CONGRATULATIONS. There were balloons and streamers, and the table was laden with food and cake. Everyone stood in their party hats, looking a little ridiculous.
“Welcome home!” Trinity blew her party horn then wrapped her arms around me. “Did you have a good time?”
A party was the last thing I expected. We just flew for ten hours and I felt gross. “Yeah…what’s with the party?”
“We all missed you,” Trinity said. “We couldn’t wait until you got home.”
“Eleven days is way too long.” Slade ran to Cayson and hugged him so hard he almost fell over. Then he stepped back. “So, what’d you bring me?”
“Bring you?” Cayson asked. “Why would I bring you anything?”
“No souvenirs?” Slade asked angrily. “Seriously?”
“I didn’t have much room in my bag,” Cayson explained.
Slade marched off. “Jerk…”
Trinity rolled her eyes. “Ignore him. He’s like a really big baby.”
“Super baby,” I teased.
I greeted everyone else and said hello. I tried not to be rude because I knew they put a lot of thought into this party. But honestly, I just wanted to spend time with my husband before he left. Everyone kept saying three months wasn’t that long, but to me it was an eternity.
***
Everyone didn’t leave until two in the morning. Our internal clocks were all over the place, and I wasn’t even sure what time it was for me. The place was a mess from all the food and drinks but I couldn’t care less about cleaning it up.
“When are you going to move everything?” Cayson asked.
“In a few weeks,” I said. “I want to remodel some stuff at the house first.”
Cayson nodded in understanding. “Want to take a shower then go to bed?”
“That sounds amazing.”
He and I got under the warm water and clung to each other. Cayson used the sponge to lather my body in soap, and I did the same thing to him. Showering together was something we did pretty often, and it wasn’t to save water.
“It was nice of them to throw us a party,” Cayson said.
“Yeah…”
He smiled. “You were irritated too?”
“We just got off a ten hour flight. They really thought we wanted to party?”
He shrugged. “They were just trying to be nice.”
“I know…” Now I felt guilty for saying anything.
“No one said anything but I could tell they really missed us…”
“Because our family is sickly co-dependent.”
He chuckled. “I guess we are.” He lathered my tits with soap and stared at them. The desire was in his eyes. It was always there whenever he looked at me. Even on my most hideous days, he made me feel sexy.
My heart was falling further into my chest as I realized the time constraint we were under. Cayson was leaving soon, and the reality was hitting me hard. I tried to be supportive because I was proud of him for leaving, but the selfish side of me was suffocating my thoughts.
Cayson stopped massaging me when he caught the look. I’d done a good job hiding my grief until this point but he spotted it. The same look came into his eyes, and the depression matched my own. “Not now. Not yet.”
***
My dad let me take the next few days off so I could spend every moment with Cayson. I didn’t want to leave his side. His boss let him have the time off too, so we spent our time in bed and ordered take out. The mattress practically molded to our bodies because we were in it so often.
Cayson faced me and ran his fingers through my hair. His eyes were glued to my face, taking me in. “I have such a beautiful wife.” Then he moved his gaze to my lips, staring at them lovingly.
“I have such a handsome husband.” My voice cracked because we hadn’t spoken in many hours. We communicated silently, through our touches and caresses.
“If we have a daughter, I want her to look just like you.”
“I want her to look like both of us.”
His finger rested on my lips. “And we can call her cloud or something.”
It was the first time I smiled since we returned from Hawaii. “Cloud?”
“You know…like the sky. Your name is Skye.”
I chuckled. “My name is unusual but Cloud is just ridiculous.”
“Cloud Thompson.” His grin was wide.
“She would be teased forever.”
“Not when she has a father like me. Those kids will be too terrified to say a word to her.”
“Don’t be like my dad,” I said with a sigh. “It took him over twenty years to calm down.”
“You think he’s calm now?” he teased.
“Well, he didn’t give you the father talk about never hurting me, right?”
“No,” he answered. “But that talk would have been unnecessary. He knows I would never hurt you.” The back of his fingers trailed across my cheek. “I will only make you happy—and that’s a promise.”
“I know.” I grabbed his hand and kissed his knuckles.
His body was pressed against mine, and I could feel his hard-on through the sheet. His length was against me, and I could feel the definition. He released a quiet moan that I could barely hear. Then he cupped my face and kissed me slowly. His body moved on top of me and my legs separated at the same time in a fluid motion. “Am I hurting you?”
“You aren’t even inside me…” He really couldn’t tell?
“No.” He sucked my bottom lip. “Am I making you sore?”
“No. You’ve stretched me out enough.”
He inserted himself in one fluid motion. “I need to make love to you as many times as I can. I need this. I need you.”
I pressed my face into his shoulder and held onto him as he moved. I tried to fight the tears in my eyes but I was struggling. They formed large drops until the weight became too much and they fell from my eyes, kissing his skin as they landed.
***
The final day was brutal. I was struggling to hold myself together. How could I be without him for three full months? He would be in another country where I wouldn’t be able to reach him. I wouldn’t be able to kiss him or hold him. I wouldn’t even be able to touch him.
Cayson was just as bent as I was. His shoulders were no longer straight. They hunched and sagged forward. His eyes appeared lifeless, almost dead. It didn’t seem like he even wanted to go.
He held me in bed, his heartbeat unnaturally slow under my palm. His black wedding ring caught the light and shined every once in a while.
“I never want you to take that off,” I whispered into his chest.
“I never will. I promise.” He didn’t ask me to do the same in return because it was unnecessary. He grabbed a few strands of hair then slid his fingers through it. His caress was familiar and intimate.
This was the hardest thing I’ve ever done. I couldn’t believe I was letting my husband go—willingly. But then I remembered all the helpless people who didn’t have access to clean water. It was a luxury I took for granted every day. How could I be so selfish as to ask him to stay? I would be a horrible person if I did, and I would never forgive myself for it. The tough part about being married to a wonderful man was sharing him with the world. I couldn’t just hoard him to myself all the time.
“We’ll be alright,” he whispered. “I promise.”
“I know.” I kept my breathing steady and forced myself not to cry.
“When I come home, I’ll never leave. I’ll always be with you from that moment onward.”
“I know.”
He glanced at the time and sighed.
It was four in the morning.
“I’m not tired,” he said.
“I can’t sleep anyway.”
The final few hours were killing us. We tried to soak up each other for as long as possible but that was difficult to do when we were so depressed. The weight of the pain was on both of our hearts and it would be there until we returned.
Cayson moved on top of me and rested his weight on his elbows. His face was just inches above mine. “I love you, Skye Preston.”
“It’s Skye Thompson.”
He smiled but it was painful and forced. “You’ll always be Skye Preston to me.”
***
When the cab stopped in front of the airport I wanted to cry. I’d been dreading this day for a really long time. Just watching him pack was agonizing. He took most of his clothes, leaving behind only a few t-shirts I could wear to bed. He was taking his essence.
It took me a moment to get out of the car because I didn’t want to move. All I had to was ask Cayson to stay and he would. That was always in the back of my mind but I couldn’t bring myself to say the words. I would be a terrible wife if I did.
Cayson grabbed his bags then set them on the sidewalk.
Like I expected, our entire family was there to say goodbye. None of them greeted us or said a word. Grim looks were on their faces, and I could feel the universal pain we all shared.
Cayson nodded to them and walked inside.
We followed him until we reached the baggage check-in area. It was the furthest we could go without a plane ticket. Cayson tagged his stuff and handed his bags over. They landed on the conveyor belt then disappeared out of sight. Then he turned back to us, his shoulders heavy.
His parents came to him first and hugged him and kissed him. They shared private words under their breaths so only they could hear them. I stepped away to give them some privacy. It was hard for me to let Cayson go, but I knew it was hard for them too.
Monnique cried while she hugged her son. She held him for a long time like she might not let him go. Then his father held him for even longer. “If you need anything, just call. We’ll come to you.”
“I know, Dad.” Cayson’s eyes watered slightly but he blinked them back. “I love you.”
“I love you too, kid.” He hugged him again before he finally pulled away.
Conrad and Roland moved in next, followed by Trinity and Silke. Arsen said goodbye and so did Abby. Then Ryan and Janice hugged him and said farewell. Everyone took turns getting to Cayson.
Mom and Dad came next.
“Please be safe,” Mom said as she hugged him. “We’re so proud of you.”
“Thanks,” he said as he returned her embrace. He clung to her for a moment before he let go.
“We love you, honey,” Mom said.
“I love you too.”
Dad pulled him in for a hug. “You’re making a difference in the world and we both admire that. Very proud of you.”
“Thank you, Sean.”
He pulled away and stared at Cayson. “This is hard for me…you’re a son to me.”
“I know,” Cayson whispered. “It’s hard for me too.”
Dad pulled a box out of his pocket then opened the lid. Inside was a watch made of cheap leather. It looked like it was bought at a thrift store. “Ignore the way it looks.” He slipped it onto Cayson’s wrist and fastened it. “Inside is a GPS locator and a distress call. Press this button three times in a row and aid will come to you. You’ll be taken home immediately.”
