Chapter 29

CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

ONE MONTH LATER

TANNER

B ailey is doing much better. She can walk short distances without a cane but still needs one for longer distances. Fallon said she’s worked harder than any patient she’s ever seen. It doesn’t surprise me at all.

While she’s advancing quickly from a medical perspective, it’s not fast enough for her. She overworks herself and still has moments of extreme frustration. She fell on her way back to her bedroom tonight but fortunately wasn’t injured. She was upset about it, but Kamryn calmed her down.

As much as I want to strangle Kamryn at times, she truly is an amazing sister. She’s completely devoted to Bailey’s recovery, never missing a single moment. She cheers when Bailey needs cheering and pushes when Bailey needs pushing. She offers both soft and hard love, always seeming to know which is best in that given moment. There’s a bond between the two of them that’s hard to understand unless you see them in action.

It's made me think a bit about my own brother and how different our relationship is. I’ve never been able to truly connect with him. I always assumed it was due to our age difference of thirteen years, but seeing Kamryn and Bailey has made me realize it’s more than that. Lincoln would never be here for me the way Kamryn has been here for Bailey. He’s inherently selfish. He always has been. He’s only met Harper twice, and that last time was years ago. I can’t imagine a scenario where Kamryn wouldn’t be a huge presence in the life of Bailey’s children.

Bailey’s children. Another thing I’ve been thinking about. I want so badly to give her that so we can be together, but first I need to break free from this coexisting zone we’ve settled into. I can’t ever get her alone. I’m keeping my distance because it seems to be what she wants, but it’s hard. What I want most right now is for her to recover, and if keeping me at arm’s length for now helps, then so be it.

It’s the middle of the night, and I can’t sleep. I’m often awake at night contemplating my future with Bailey.

I tiptoe downstairs in a pair of athletic shorts and a T-shirt. I don’t see Kamryn in the kitchen. Maybe the insomniac is finally sleeping. I’ve never met a person who sleeps so little.

I pour myself a whiskey but simply stare at the amber fluid. It’s been a while. I’ve barely touched it since the accident. Only on the occasional night when everyone else is imbibing too.

I’m trying not to depend on it to get me to sleep like I used to. Bailey opened my eyes to the dangerous road I was headed down, but tonight I feel like I deserve one.

I continue to stare at it but can’t seem to take the sip I’m craving, hearing Bailey’s voice in my head. I’ve committed to only being a social drinker. Alone in the middle of the night certainly doesn’t qualify, Montgomery . I squeeze my eyes shut and eventually pour the contents down the drain.

I’m considering braving the cold out back to have a cigar. I should be safe from the water gun brigade during the middle of the night. I need to run upstairs to get warmer clothes. I’m contemplating doing just that when I hear a cry coming from Bailey’s room. I run down the hallway, rush into her room, and find her sweating and shaking. Her clothes are soaked.

“What’s wrong?”

She breathlessly rubs her eyes. “I had a nightmare. And then I woke up and realized that reality is worse than the nightmare.”

Her fists curl before she punches the bed and begins sobbing. My heart breaks for her.

I’m not sure if she wants my help, but I can’t not go to her. I sit down on the bed and pull her up and into my arms. She lets me hold her as she cries into my chest. I’m realizing this is the first time I’ve truly held her since before the accident. It feels so nice. I desperately want to be the one to comfort her.

She mumbles into me, “Can…can you get Kam?”

I swallow down the lump in my throat. “Let me be here for you. I’ll hold you until you fall back asleep.”

She shakes her head. “I’m covered in sweat. I want to take a shower. Please get her. I’m sure she’s walking around somewhere.”

“I didn’t see her. I think she’s finally sleeping. She must need it. I’ll help you.”

She hesitates briefly before nodding.

I carry her into the bathroom, and together we remove her clothes. It’s been so long since I’ve seen her body. I can’t help but run my eyes up and down her perfect form. She’s so beautiful.

After doing my best to get her hair into a bun, I start to position her shower chair when she stops me. “I’m so fudging sick of showering in that damn chair. Can you…can you come in with me? Hold me so I don’t have to sit in it? Make sure I don’t fall again.”

It feels like Christmas morning. “Of course I can. Whatever you need.” I’m so freakin’ happy she asked, I can barely contain myself.

I quickly strip, set out the towels, and we step into the shower together. Holding her naked body close to mine feels so fucking good I want to weep.

Her arms are wrapped around my waist and mine around her whole body. I can feel her relax into me with her head buried in my chest. We simply stand there and silently let the water beat down on us. It’s our most intimate moment in nearly a year. We might have had plenty of sex in that timeframe, but nothing that felt this intimate. I want this with her. I need it. It feels like she needs it too.

Without moving her, I manage to squeeze a little of her body wash onto my hands and rub it over her back, shoulders, and anywhere I can reach without releasing my hold on her. The scent is strong and familiar. It’s uniquely hers.

I hold her with one arm and, with the other, I rub it over her front. She doesn’t flinch when my hands run over her breasts and through her legs.

She eventually lifts her head and looks me in the eyes. Even though her long lashes are covered in water, I can see tears in her eyes. She croaks out, “I miss you. I wish I didn’t. I’ve been trying so hard to be strong. I want to let go of you, but I can’t.”

I brush back a few strands of hair that have fallen to her face and look her in the eyes. “What if I don’t want you to let me go?”

Tears stream down her face. She looks so pained.

I want to kiss her but equally don’t want to do anything to cause her to pull away.

After a brief stare down, she reaches back and turns off the water. “Take me to bed.”

My shoulders fall. “If that’s what you want.” Reaching for the towels, I dry both of us before lifting her like a bride and carrying her to her bed, carefully lying her down.

I’m about to gather my clothes from the bathroom when she grabs my arm. “When I said take me to bed , I meant for you to stay.”

I want to jump up and down in glee. I don’t think I’ve ever been this happy in my life. I don’t have any idea exactly what she wants, but anything that involves me being in the same bed as her works for me.

With a towel wrapped around my waist, I climb in next to her in bed. She reaches for the top of her towel and removes it. She then rolls toward me and opens my towel too.

I’ve been hard since the second she took off her clothes in the bathroom. It’s not like she doesn’t know, it’s obvious, but now it’s this big thing physically hanging between us.

She tentatively climbs up on top of me, straddling my lap. “I’m so sick of all the sadness. Of all the pain. Of all the emotions. I need you to make me feel something. Something happy. Something good.”

“Whatever you need, sweet girl.”

“What I need is to feel you inside me again. I’ve never been happier than when you and I were together like that…the first time around. That’s my happy place. Take me there again. Even if it’s just for one night.”

I nod. “I promise to make you feel good. Do you need me to take over?”

She shakes her head. “I want to be in control. I need to take back some control in my life. It probably won’t be very good for you. I need to go slow, and I’m not very mobile, but I want to be on top.”

I can’t help but smile. “I promise it will feel good for me. Anything where your body is on mine feels good. But I don’t have a condom with me.”

Her face is close to mine as she breathes, “I don’t want one. You have no idea how much I need to feel you moving inside me. All of you.”

I nod. “Do you need me to get you ready?”

She shakes her head. “Being this close to you again has me more than ready.”

With a little assistance from me, she lifts her body, places my tip at her entrance, and slowly sinks down onto me.

Oh fuuuck. It’s been so long since we’ve been together and a lot longer since I’ve been bare inside her. It’s so damn perfect. This is where I belong.

She’s seated to the hilt, not moving at all, while tears leak from the corners of her eyes. She breathes a sigh of relief. “This still feels good.”

I can’t help but smile. “Were you afraid it wouldn’t?”

She nods. She’s so adorable.

I can’t help myself. I lift the top half of my body so I can kiss her. Chest to chest, with my arms wrapped around my girl, and without our bodies otherwise moving, we gently kiss for minutes on end, both savoring every second of it. Neither of us is in a rush to move this along as we finally reconnect.

“Bails, have you seen my—”

We break our kiss and turn our heads toward the opening door. Who else? Kamryn.

She looks at us and smiles. “Ooh, plot twist. I suppose she needs this. Though I sort of imagined you’d be tying her up. Anyway, have you seen my AirPods? ”

Bailey sighs. “I’m a little busy here, Kam. Can you come back later?”

Kamryn waves her hand dismissively. “Nah, I’ll find them. Just give me a second.”

The lunatic starts opening drawers and crawling on the floor looking under the bed. She even fucking flips through the blankets right next to us on the bed, searching. As if my dick isn’t very clearly inside her sister.

My patience is officially gone. “Kamryn, get the fuck out of this room right now! You want to see someone tied up, you crazy fucking bitch? I’m going to handcuff you to your bed at night if you don’t get out of here. This. Second.”

Her lips curl up in amusement as she winks at me. “Save that fire for my sister. Fine, I’ll go. Let me know when you’re done. I need them as soon as possible...but not too quickly.”

She begins to walk toward the door but then turns her head back at us. “You have a good body, Tanner. Maybe I should develop a Daddy fetish like my sister.”

I point to the door. “Out!”

She giggles as she mercifully exits the room and closes the door behind her. My eyes meet Bailey’s again. I think we both have a brief moment of shock before we simply start laughing. It doesn’t get more absurd than Kamryn Hart.

“Your sister is certifiable.”

She smiles as she nods. “I know. But I love her more than anything.”

I place her hand over my heart. She can undoubtedly feel it beating hard and fast. Looking her in the eyes, I admit, “I know the feeling of loving someone so completely and fully that there’s literally nothing in the world you wouldn’t do for them. So much that you would gladly switch places with her to take away her pain. Willing to do anything just to put a smile on her face. ”

Her brow furrows in question. “Are you talking about me?”

I can’t help but smile at her naivety. “I am. It’s impossible not to love you. Trust me, I tried.” I squeeze her hand on my chest. “This is where you reside. You always will. I think I’ve known all along, but I was afraid.” I run my thumb along her lower lip. “I’m not afraid anymore. I want you. I want us.”

She moves her hands up my body until she’s rubbing her fingers through my beard. It’s something she always used to do, something I’ve missed. I can smell her sweet breath mingling with mine. I could stare into her face all day long.

Her hair is up but messy. Her eyes burn with both love and desire. Her cheeks are flushed. She’s my everything. I have zero doubts about that.

Our lips finally meet again. Our kiss before Kam-interruptus was slow and sweet. This one is immediately full of passion, need, and longing. Warmth floods my entire body as her tongue caresses mine and our chests rub against each other.

My hands explore every inch of her back. Her skin is soft and smooth. She briefly flinches when they move over the scar from her surgery, but I set her at ease right away. “Shh. It’s nothing but a reminder of your strength and resilience.”

She nods as she finally begins her movements on me, slow at first, but once she gains a little confidence, it turns into something much closer to a full-blown bounce than I would have expected. Every instinct in my body wants to flip her over and fuck her senseless, but I know she wants to be in control, and I want to give her the temporary reprieve she desperately craves.

Before her lips meet mine again, she breathes, “You don’t have to be gentle.”

I immediately dig my fingers into her hips and thrust up. She sinks her teeth into my lower lip and mumbles, “Yes, like that.”

We eventually find a groove with us both giving and taking. Our bodies work together like a perfectly choreographed dance. They always have.

The sounds in the room are a beautiful symphony of her wetness, our bodies slapping together, and our mutual moans of pleasure. It’s music to my ears.

I feel the telltale signs of her impending orgasm as her pussy flutters around me. “Oh god, Tanner, so good.”

“Let go, sweet girl. Come all over Daddy.”

Her head tilts back, and she lets out a loud moan as she digs her nails into my shoulders. As soon as I bend my head and suck her nipple into my mouth, her pussy grips my cock and she comes. I immediately let go and gush into her with a low growl.

I breathlessly fall back with her on top of me and dot kisses all over her face. “I’ve missed this. I’ve missed you .”

She lets out a simple yet satisfying, “Hmm.”

Her body is like Jell-O right now. It’s been a long time since she didn’t pull away from me right after sex. I’m holding her for as long as she’ll let me.

She happily sighs before starting to pull away. I squeeze her. “Don’t go. Let me hold you.” I don’t want this closeness to end.

“I need to get cleaned up.”

“Stay here. I’ll clean you.”

She nods, and I gently place her back on the bed before going to her bathroom and grabbing a wet, warm washcloth. She allows me the autonomy to do what’s needed. I love the intimacy of it.

Afterward, I crawl back into bed, and she lets me hold her all night. Sans one more interruption from her crazy sister needing the damn AirPods, we sleep blissfully wrapped in each other. I’ve never been happier.