The Summer of '98 Read online

  He laughed. “You’re going to be an amazing mom, Els.”

  “You never told me what sort of dad you want to be.”

  “I want to be the sort of dad whose children watch how he treats their mother and loves and respects her. I want my example to set their standards high. If the twins are boys, I want them to know how to treat a partner. I want them to be sensitive and strong and know that you can definitely be both. And if I have girls, I want them to have high standards for who their partner will be. I want them to be anything they want to be and do whatever they want to do. Of course, it might be one of each.”

  His answer could not have been more perfect. It was impossible to know how our lives would map out from here. We probably wouldn’t always have all of the answers: surely we’d mess up from time to time, and no doubt we would find ourselves questioning our own sanity. But we had the best intentions and we had each other, that had to count for something. Besides, thinking about how beautiful our family could be was a nice respite from all of the fear that I had been feeling since we’d discovered this news.

  We took a small break from the rink and went back to the seating area for something to eat. Cass went to the bathroom and Leroy went to get food, leaving Noah and me alone at the four-seater table beside a jukebox and pool table. It was awkward for a few moments, terse silence that seemed too obvious for such a busy place. Finally, he swept a hand through his hair and clacked his tongue.

  “Must be feeling weird, huh? Having twins and all that.”

  “Yeah.” Maybe I could actually have a normal conversation with Noah. “It’s . . . well, it’s life-changing. Kind of hard to even wrap my head around.”

  “Yeah, I bet.”

  “I’m really happy for you and Cass, by the way,” I said. “It’s nice that things worked out.”

  He gave a slow nod. “Yeah. You like music, right?”

  “Uh, duh,” I laughed and then cringed. Duh? “Yeah. I do. How come?”

  “Are you into the Spice Girls and all that girl stuff, or do you like decent bands? I assume you must have good taste if you like Aerosmith. Which reminds me, I feel kind of bad about ruining that concert for you and wanted to apologize.”

  “Oh,” I said, trying to hide the surprise in my tone. “It’s forgiven. Also, the Spice Girls are awesome. I don’t have a favorite genre, though. If it’s a good song, it’s a good song.”

  Noah gave a greeting nod at a couple of girls heading into the rink with their skates on, I assumed they were school friends. “Yeah, I think I’m a rock person. Pearl Jam is sick. Red Hot Chili Peppers.”

  “I love them! What about Nine Inch Nails?”

  “Yep,” he said. “Pantera?”

  “I like some of their songs. Some of them are a bit too aggressive for my taste but I like ‘Walk.’”

  “Yeah, that’s a good one,” he said and seemed more relaxed than I’d ever seen him around me. It was nice to have a common ground. He leaned in like he was going to tell me a secret. “All right, don’t tell anyone, but I kind of like No Doubt too.”

  I laughed. “I love No Doubt. Gwen Stefani is a babe too, right?”

  “Yeah, she is,” he grinned.

  “I hate periods,” Cass said as she approached the table. A couple of guys on the pool table gave her a look, but Cass couldn’t have cared less. She sat down and pouted. “You’re so lucky that you won’t have a period for ages, Els.”

  “Would you rather be pregnant?” I asked.

  She recoiled. “No! No, I would not.”

  I might have had the same answer as her a few months ago, but now this was my reality and I wouldn’t change it.

  Two days later, Leroy and I had just arrived home from Waco after spending the weekend house-hunting near the college campus. Eleanor and Jacob wanted to help with rent and whatever we needed but that didn’t mean that I would sit back and get something for nothing. I wanted to get a job, even if it was part time. Leroy of course had a trust fund that kept him comfortable.

  I still wanted to pursue a college diploma. It was always going to be correspondence so I was confident that once the babies were a little bit older, I could go ahead with the courses while the children were at home.

  The apartments that we looked at while we were in Waco were all great, but there was one in particular that we applied for that we were hoping to get. It was a two-bedroom apartment on the bottom floor of the building. It was so close to Baylor that Leroy could walk if he really wanted to and the bottom floor was ideal, considering we wouldn’t have to lug babies, diaper bags, strollers, and car seats onto the elevator.

  There was nothing spectacular about the actual apartment. It had been recently renovated with new hunter-green wallpaper and a white carpet that offered a brighter component to the rather dark room. I’d already envisioned how perfect some white wicker side tables and shelves would look in the living area.

  The kitchen and bathroom were a soft pastel yellow and the curtains throughout the apartment were patterned with floral designs. I sort of hated them and would have preferred something more subtle. But it didn’t bother me enough to not hope and pray that our application was accepted. We were told that we would hear by tomorrow at the latest.

  “Els.” Leroy strolled into his bedroom as he pulled a dark blue-and-black dress shirt over his head. His hair was still damp from his shower and he wore a nice pair of slacks. I arched a brow from the bed as he picked up his watch to check the time. “Can you shower and put on something nice. We’re going out.”

  “Wait . . . what?”

  “You’ll look beautiful in whatever you wear,” he added with speed, as if he thought that I was upset about how he’d worded his request. “Just . . . well—”

  “Since when did we have plans to go out?”

  “Since I made them so that I could surprise you and take you out,” he grinned and sauntered toward the bed. He picked up the magazine that was in my lap and tossed it to the side, grasping my hand so that I had to stand up. “I don’t want to be late. So if you could?”

  I giggled as he gave me a playful swat on the butt. Leroy and I had been together constantly since I’d returned a week ago, but we hadn’t done a lot in the way of romance. It had been about getting ourselves organized to move and arranging things for the babies. We deserved a little time to enjoy each other’s company.

  The dress that I changed into was a white sleeveless turtleneck that hugged me in the top half and flowed from the hips down. It stopped mid-thigh and while I had a definite bump, it still looked nice. I snatched a denim jacket and met Leroy downstairs, where he was sitting in the living room with his mom and dad, chatting and watching the football reruns.

  “Wow.” Leroy stood up and swept me from head to toe with an adoring expression. He cleared his throat as his gaze darted toward his parents and back to me again. “You look beautiful, Els.”

  “Have fun, you two,” Jacob waved as Leroy put his hand on my lower back to steer us out of the room. “Have her home by nine and no making bab—”

  “Jacob,” Eleanor gave him a swat as I peered over my shoulder, blushing while the two of them laughed. “Don’t tease the kids.”

  Leroy held my hand as we drove into town, his thumb making circles on my skin. We arrived at a quaint little restaurant on the corner of a central street that wasn’t quiet, but it wasn’t packed. The windows were illuminated with fairy lights. Vines with sweet little flowers wound around the posts on either side of the door, which rang when Leroy pulled it open. The small space was enchanting, the low lighting creating ambience. The walls were a soft yellow with what appeared to be hand-painted flowers tastefully scattered. Tablecloths covered the round tables, an identical shade to the walls, and candles flickered in the middle of couples and friends who were dining. It was magical.

  “My, my, Leroy Lahey, what do we have here?” An older woman with
thick dark waves and a pair of thin-rimmed glasses wandered toward us with a couple of menus in hand. “Is this the Ellie that I’ve been hearing about?”

  “Hi, Helen.” Leroy’s greeting was warm and familiar. “This is Ellie. Els, this is Helen. A friend of Mom’s.”

  “It’s nice to meet you,” I shook her hand before she handed us a menu each.

  “You too, sugar.” She wiggled her finger and gestured for us to follow her. “She’s a pretty one, Leroy. You tell that mother of yours to give me a call. We need to get together.”

  She stopped when she’d led us to a private booth with a window. It was intimate and we grinned at each other across the table as we slid into our seats. Helen gave Leroy a pat on the shoulder and smiled. “Congratulations, by the way.”

  “Thanks, Helen,” Leroy smiled up at her. “I’ll get Mom to phone.”

  “Good boy. I’ll be back to get your order in a few.”

  Once she was gone, Leroy reached across the table and picked up my hand, pressing a soft kiss on the top of it. “How’s this?”

  “Perfect,” I said. “This place is gorgeous.”

  “Yeah, we’ve been coming for a while,” Leroy said and read his menu. “Helen likes to let us eat for free, so we leave her an extra-large tip.”

  The food was exquisite; I would have paid for that meal and left a big tip. It was a bit of a shame that the taste of meat had been off-putting for the last couple of weeks, otherwise I would have ordered the steak like Leroy. Instead, I had fries and a salad, which was still delectable. After we’d eaten, he told me that our night wasn’t over and there was another surprise in store for me.

  “A drive-in movie?” I almost squealed with excitement as Leroy drove the car down the designated road, past all of the idle vehicles that were stopped and waiting for the movie to begin. “What are we seeing?”

  “Armageddon,” he said, turning the wheel into the very last row of vehicles. “You mentioned that you hadn’t seen it before, and I knew it would be on tonight.”

  Leroy stopped and switched off the car beside a pickup truck that didn’t appear to be occupied. The truck bed faced the projector and on the back of it was a mattress and a couple of thick warm blankets. We were right at the back and tucked away from the view of others. My stomach turned over on itself.

  “Is this where we’re watching from?” I asked.

  Leroy jumped up on the tray and held a hand out for me. “It sure is. This is Robbie’s.” I remembered that he was the one Cass had salivated over during practice. Leroy hoisted me onto the pickup and we both snuggled into the makeshift bed, covering ourselves with the comforters.

  “This is so nice,” I said. I hadn’t been to a drive-in for quite some time. There was something authentic about watching a movie like this.

  Leroy reached down beside him as the shorts before the film began. He revealed a few bags of sour candies and cola bottle candies as well as a bottle of water each and a bag of potato chips. “I know that you said you were full from dinner but—”

  “Stop,” I interrupted and grabbed the sour candies. “There’s this second stomach that we have for after-dinner treats. It’s starving.”

  I opened the packet and popped a few in my mouth, immediately wincing as the sourness hit me in full force. My eyes began to water, and I took a few deep breaths, willing myself not to cave and spit them out.

  “You okay there?” Leroy laughed as I battled through the pain, rolling onto my side and burying my face in his chest. “I should have warned you just how sour these are.”

  It took me a moment, but I recovered, leaning back so that I could exhale and wipe my watering eyes.

  “You good, babe?”

  “Yep,” I smacked my lips. “I’m good.”

  “Can I have a taste?”

  Before I could reach into the bag and hand him a sour candy, he cupped my jaw, angled my face upward, and kissed me, not hesitating to meet his tongue with mine.

  “Oh shit,” he pulled back, still holding my face while his eyes watered. “Whoa, those are so damn sour! You do taste delicious, though.”

  He dipped his head again and pried my mouth open, sucking my bottom lip in between his teeth. My stomach immediately turned over; my thighs clenched at how erotic it felt. It started off slow and sensual, tasting each other, licking, nipping, pushing our tongues together and panting as the feeling became overwhelming. Leroy shifted, throwing his legs over mine so that I was encased beneath him and then our kiss picked up pace, becoming frantic. We grabbed at each other, his hands sliding up underneath my thighs so that he could hook them around his waist while my fingers slid into the strands of his hair and pulled.

  I threw my head back and gasped when Leroy thrust his hips down, grinding against me. My dress had slid up around my hips and only my underwear served as a barrier against the strain on his jeans. A low groan erupted from the back of his throat whenever I whimpered, so he kept doing it, lowering his hips to mine, thrusting, causing a friction that was leaving me breathless while he grabbed my hair in his fist and kissed my throat.

  We were alone for the most part, but that didn’t mean I wanted to be loud enough for the nearest cars to hear my cries. It was hard to contain, though; I was thrashing, desperate for the release that was building in my core. Leroy leaned up on one arm, his hair a mess from my fingers clutching and pulling it. He slipped his other hand between us and unbuttoned his jeans, lowering them just enough so that he was freed.

  “Are you okay?” he panted, kissing me again. “Is this okay?”

  “Yeah,” I gripped his shoulders, pulling him back in with my feet against his butt. “I just want you inside of me.”

  “Mmm,” his growl was guttural and animalistic, and he tugged on my panties, pushing them aside. “I’ve got you, my beautiful girl.”

  He pushed inside of me, swallowing my cry with his mouth, his tongue tasting me and moaning with pleasure as our bodies connected.

  After, we lay beside each other, my head on his chest, euphoric and relaxed under the comforter. Leroy’s thumb made circles on my shoulder and he kept on kissing the top of my head. I could have fallen asleep right then and there, the release having sent waves of pleasure and satisfaction throughout my body.

  “Comfortable?” Leroy asked, his voice heavy with tiredness.

  “Yeah.”

  “Warm enough?”

  “Yep.”

  “I love you, baby.”

  I nuzzled his chest. “I love you too.”

  In the morning, Leroy was sleeping as soundly as he always does and I wanted to leave him to it. He didn’t have long until college started, and his sleep-ins would become a thing of the past. I thought it was best to let him make the most of it.

  I pulled on a sundress and a sweater before I crept out of the room and tiptoed downstairs. I’d never been one to spend all morning in bed. It felt like a waste of daylight. When I walked into the kitchen, Eleanor was at the countertop with a blender full of different ingredients. “Oh, good morning. I thought that you’d be up soon.”

  She switched on the blender. The entire kitchen echoed with the loud noise and I winced as I glanced toward the entrance, almost expecting the entire household to stumble through and demand that we keep the noise down. “Don’t worry!” Eleanor shouted. “The men in this family could sleep through a wrecking ball splitting the house right down the middle.”

  Laughing, I leaned against the other side of the countertop while she got a couple of glasses out and filled them up. “I noticed that you haven’t been eating a lot of red meat. But you really need to keep those iron levels up. This has some supplements and kale and a few other bits and pieces in it.”

  “Oh, thank you.”

  “Don’t thank me, sweetheart. We need to keep those little Laheys in good health.”

  I caressed my stomach while she st
uck a straw in the smoothie and pushed it across the countertop. It was a rich reddish purple and it smelled delicious. The taste was even better. We both sat at the table and talked while we drank. There was something about Eleanor that made it so easy to open up. I found that I could ask her anything without the need to feel embarrassed or ashamed. She was empathetic and answered my questions no matter what they were.

  Some of the medical-related queries that I had could be kind of TMI, but it didn’t bother her. She had a vast range of knowledge and insisted that I came to her and she would do her best to help.

  When Eleanor and I talked like this, a small part of me missed Momma and wished that these were the things she and I could be doing together. But whenever I spared her a minute of thought, I remembered how she’d hit me. That slap was horrific, hateful, and vehement with rage. If things were ever to repair between us, she would need to be the one to extend the olive branch first.

  “There you are.” Leroy wandered into the kitchen, still in his boxer shorts but he’d pulled a T-shirt on. His hair was fluffed in all directions and I grinned as he stifled a yawn. He always made my heart flutter in the mornings. Just the state of him was adorable, sexy, and cute all at the same time.

  I stood up and gathered the now-empty glasses, giving Leroy a quick peck on the cheek as I passed. It didn’t matter that we were having twins together, he still didn’t like being overly affectionate in front of his mother, and I respected that.

  Eleanor cleared her throat and I glanced up from rinsing the dishes. “Now that you’re up, Leroy,” she said, wearing a knowing smile, “guess who called at seven this morning?”

  We exchanged a curious look and shrugged, not sure who could have been calling at such an hour that would incite so much excitement from Eleanor. She clapped her hands together. “The owner of the apartment that you two were so set on. You got it! He wants a call back as soon as possible to arrange the details. But it’s all yours.”

  Leroy jogged toward me and wrapped his arms around my waist, spinning me in a circle that threatened to make me ill. But I laughed with delight because things were falling into place. It had all seemed impossible less than a month ago, each morning beginning with a sensation of absolute dread over the unknown. Now, even the unknown didn’t seem so bad because waking up beside Leroy reminded me that whatever we faced, he was there.