C'mon and Love Me

I smiled as I saw Mrs. Dryer's hand smack the back of his head. I'm sure it was a love tap.

"You, be quiet. Drake is our guest, and you will not eat until he is served his breakfast. Mind your manners."

Little Mallory giggled and repeated her grandmother's line, "mind your mann-ows."

John pointed his fork, filled with French toast, at her, "Mind your tongue, little one, or I'll eat your French toast too."

"No!" Mallory shrieked and started eating faster.

I smiled and looked around the table at that happy family. They were so filled with love for each other, I hoped to be a part of it for a long time.

I had just put the last bite of bacon in my mouth when my phone rang. I didn't recognize the number and silenced the call.

"Avoiding someone?" Nikki teased.

"No," I said. "I don't recognize the number. They can wait."

"Probably just want you to get an extended warranty," John added and laughed at himself.

"305 area code," I said. "I don't even know where that is."

The voicemail alert chirped, and I silenced it.

"Miami," John said before he shoveled more French toast into his mouth.

"What?" I asked, but before he could answer, my phone rang again. It was my mother's number.

I ignored that call too.

"What is it, Drake?" Mrs. Dryer asked.

"That was my mother. The 305 number must have been my sister."

"Something might have happened, Drake. Check your messages," she wasn't asking.

I sighed and opened my message app. Both calls were from my sister--my parents were in a car accident.

I called back the 305 number and left the room without saying a word.

"Drake, thank God you called back. Mom and Dad were in an accident. Dad is in a medically induced coma and Mom just got out of surgery. They aren't sure she's going to make it."

She started sobbing and a tear fell down my cheek as well. "What happened, Kelly?"

"We don't know. Dad might have fallen asleep at the wheel and swerved off the road. He hit a light pole at full speed."

"Jesus," I sighed.

"Dad has brain swelling, along with some broken bones. Mom had internal bleeding, a pierced lung, and broken ribs. They're a mess."

I looked at my watch and said, "Text me the hospital information. I'll fly down as soon as I can."

"Thank you, Drake. I..."

I ended the call. When I turned to walk back, I saw Nikki watching me.

"How bad?" she asked.

"They're alive."

"They?" she asked and pulled me into a hug.

"Car accident. Both of my parents are pretty banged up."

"Okay, I'll get online and get us some plane tickets."

"Us?" I asked.

She looked at me with that 'are you an idiot' look and kissed my cheek. "Go tell my parents what happened. They're worried."

I nodded and walked towards the kitchen.

*****

A couple of hours later, Nikki and I were sitting in the lounge waiting for our boarding time. I looked at my watch and counted down. 5...4...3...

"What are you doing," Nikki asked.

"2...1." I looked at the bartender, "Could I get a vodka martini with a twist please?"

Nikki shook her head.

"What?" I asked. "I waited until noon."

"I'm sure they will be fine, double D. Have faith."

"Me too. I'm just not looking forward to seeing Kelly."

"Don't you think enough time has passed to let it go and move on? You have what, two nephews?"

I nodded and took a sip of my drink.

"Wouldn't you like to get to know them? You're their Uncle."

"If you're going to badger me about reconciling with her any longer, you're going to find yourself on your own. I'm not going to listen to it the entire time we're there."

"Don't take it out on me, Drake. You're the one..."

"Will you just drop it already, Nikki? Jesus!"

I chugged the rest of my martini down and walked to the men's room.

"That woman is going to drive me insane," I said to my reflection in the mirror as I splashed water on my face.

"That's why God put 'em on the planet, buddy," said someone from one of the stalls.

I dried my face and made my way back into the lounge. I saw Nikki on the phone by the window, so I sidled up to the bar and ordered another drink. I saw that Nikki had a glass of wine in her hand and was talking animatedly on her cell.

She saw me back at the bar and walked over, "Mallory isn't behaving," she whispered.

I nodded and sipped my drink. I looked at the time and saw we needed to get to the gate, so I got her attention and tapped my watch. She nodded and continued for a few minutes longer. I finished my drink, paid our tab, and walked towards the gate.

I probably shouldn't have left her there, but she already ticked me off with the reconciliation talk, and I didn't want to get further annoyed having to wait for her.

"Drake!" I heard her call out. I stopped and turned and saw her about 30 yards behind me.

She rushed up and complained, "Why did you leave me there? I was just saying goodbye to my mother."

"I needed to make sure we got boarded," I lied.

"Drake, if you're still upset about what I said about your sister, I'm sorry. I won't push it anymore. I think you're being too much of an ass about it, but that's your problem and I'll leave it alone."

"How much time do we have?" I asked the lady at the gate, ignoring Nikki. She noticed.

"About ten minutes until we start boarding, sir."

"Thanks."

There were no seats at that point, so I leaned against a pole in front of the door to the jetway.

Nikki stood before me and cupped my cheek in her hand, "Double D, my love, please don't be mad at me. You know how important family is to me and my family. I just..."

"I get it, Nix, I really do. I just don't want to hear it from you too. First, your mom wants me to reconcile with my parents, and now, you want me to reconnect with my sister. It's a lot to come to grips with. It's too far gone. It's been over ten years. My nephews don't know me except the pictures my mother shows them."

She took my hand in hers and asked, "Wouldn't you like to know them? Forget your sister for a moment, just think about them."

I shrugged my shoulders.

"They are the product of her sexual depravity. I don't think about them at all, actually."

It was a lie. In the last couple of years, I thought about them a lot. I knew Jim had DNA tests done on both of them and he told my parents they were his sons. I wasn't sure whether to believe that or not, but there wasn't any reason he should lie.

In my young mind, it didn't matter if they were his kids or not. There was still the chance they weren't and that was because of my sister's desire to be a slut.

I saw what impact cheating on your spouse had at too young of an age and it forged my opinion on the subject in iron. My best friend Jeff's parents divorced because of his mom's cheating. She moved across the country and took him with her. I was hurt by that loss.

"We're boarding, Drake," Nikki announced, and we embarked on our flight.

*****

"I haven't seen her in over a decade, Nikki. I have no idea what she looks like."

My sister texted that she was picking us up at the airport. The only issue was, she didn't tell us what car to look for.

"Text her and tell her we're..."

"Duck!"

I cringed at the sound of her voice. It was the same shrill voice I last heard in my parents' home all those years ago.

"Oh, my God! Duck, you've grown so much."

I sighed and turned to my left. There she stood looking exactly as she had the last time I'd seen her. Even her hairstyle was the same.

"Hello, Kelly. Any update on Mom and Dad?" I asked as I stepped back to avoid her attempt to hug me.

"No change on Dad, but that's not a bad thing. Mom's surgery went well, and she's stabilized. As long as there's no infection, she should pull through. They are keeping her sedated until later."

"Okay," I said. "Where did you park?"

"Who's this, Duck?" she asked.

"Will you stop calling me that please. This is Nikki. Nikki, this is Kelly."

Kelly extended her hand.

"Nice to meet you. I'm sorry it's not under better circumstances."

I laughed. "If not for these circumstances, you'd have never met. Where's your car?"

She shook her head and walked towards the doors.

Nikki looked at me and asked, "Duck?"

"She called me that since I was a kid. Drake. Duck. Get it?"

She smirked. "And you call Mallory, Duckie, because of your nickname. That's too cute for words."

"No. She looks like a duck, and well, Mallory, mallard, therefore duckie."

"She does not look like a duck, jerk." Later, I would remember I barely heard her say, "Drake, mallard, Mallory," as I rushed off.

Kelly led us to a large SUV and opened the back hatch.

"Put your bags in the back," she said without turning around.

Suddenly, the back door opened and who I assumed were my nephews slid out.

"Uncle Drake?" the taller one asked.

"I suppose so. You must be Jimmy, and you must be Jackson?"

"Yep."

I could tell they wanted to ask me more but were too shy.

I looked and saw Jim coming around the front of the car. He extended his hand, and I weakly shook his greeting, just to be polite in front of the boys.

"Drake, it's good to see you again," he said with a hesitant smile.

"This is Nikki," I said to all of them, and she greeted them with hugs and cheek kisses.

"Let's get a move on," Kelly said from inside the car, and we climbed in before I could say anything else to the boys.

My nephews had their Beats headphones on before we had the doors closed. I looked back and said, "So, how's school?"

I got no response and Jim said, "They can't hear you. They'll have the volume so loud we have to touch their shoulder to get them to turn around."

I turned towards the front and shook my head. "It's bad for their ears."

Kelly said, "Look, Drake. I want you to know we don't, um, we're monogamous since Jackson was born. I...I know you hate me..."

"I don't want to talk about that," I said, as I looked out the window.

I looked over and saw tears fall down her cheeks as Jim drove.

Jim adeptly changed the subject. "Drake, how long have you and Nikki been a couple?"

"Yesterday."

He laughed, "You're joking?"

"Nope," I said.

"I've been best friends with Drake since freshman year of high school. We just got together romantically recently."

Kelly said, "Drake, I'm so glad you came. Mom will be over the moon. She misses you so much, I can't describe it."

I didn't respond and Kelly took the hint. There would be no more conversation.

*****

Mom was awake when we walked into her room.

Kelly said, "Sorry, Mom. We went to the airport, or we'd have been here when you woke."

She had a tube in her mouth, I assumed due to the lung issue, so she didn't speak. She didn't realize that I was in the room, while she tried to focus on Kelly. She reached for Kelly's hand.

Kelly sat beside her and said, "Mom, Drake's here."

Even in her groggy state, her head turned to me, and her tears fall. Nikki nudged me, so I walked to the other side of the bed. Her eyes went wide at the sight of me.

"Hi, Mom."

Her tears were flowing faster.

"Mom, just rest. I'll be here for a few days. Get some sleep and get better, okay?"

She nodded and reached for my hand. As soon as we touched, I started crying too. It was as if I were hit by an emotional bazooka. Nikki hugged me from behind and I thought I saw a small smile in Mom's eyes when she saw Nikki was with me.

"Rest now. We'll be back." I kissed her forehead and walked out of the room.

Nikki held my hand as we walked. "Are you okay, Drake?"

"Sure," I sighed. "Let's check on my father."

My dad was still in the coma, and we sat with him in silence for a while. He looked older than he should, with all of his hair having turned white. We were about to leave, a nurse walked into the room.

"Hello, are you family?"

"I'm his son. My sister, Kelly, is with our mother right now. Any updates?"

"Some good news. The doctors are happy with how everything looks right now. They will be removing him from the coma tomorrow."

"Good. I'll let my sister know and we'll make sure to be here."

I gave one last look at the bed and Nikki squeezed my hand.

"I love you, Drake."

I smiled and kissed her cheek, "I love you too, Nix."

"Get a room, you two," Kelly joked from the door.

I ignored her barb and told her about dad being woken up. After a few minutes of conversation with the nurse we made our way out.

"I'm pretty beat," I said. "We're going to head off to the hotel."

"Hotel?" Kelly asked surprised. "You don't have to do that. You can stay with us or at Mom and Dad's empty house."

I was about to argue, but Nikki spoke first.

"Actually, Kelly, I was kind of looking forward to some alone time with my new man, if you know what I mean." She winked at her, as I groaned. Nikki continued, "I wouldn't feel right being in either of your houses."

Kelly smiled and said, "Oh! I get it. Okay, then. Jim will drive you to your hotel."

She winked back at Nikki and pulled me into a hug, which I didn't return.

"Drake," Kelly sighed, "please talk with us about our issues before you go home. We want to be a family again."

"Yeah? Since when?" I groaned.

"Always. I've done as you wished and left you alone. I get regular updates from Mom, well, as regular as you give them to her. You have no idea how badly she and Dad want to get us all together again."

"Dad hasn't said a word to me in years."

"Well, in his defense, you called Mom a slut."

"I absolutely did not," I said too loudly for the hospital hallway. I pulled her down the hall towards the waiting room.

"Kelly, the last thing I said to Dad was asking him how many men he let Mom sleep with because he was so okay with you whoring around. I never called her a slut."

"You implied it, though. God! Drake. You can be such a hardheaded asshole. Mom never..."

"We're leaving, Kelly. I'm not having this conversation in a hospital lobby and maybe never." I looked at Jim, "Either give us a ride or open your car so we can get our bags."

I walked towards the stairs unsure if anyone was following along.

*****

"You can be a real bastard sometimes, Drake," Jim said as he caught up to me and Nikki in the parking lot.

"I wasn't until you made me one."

He grabbed me by the shoulder and spun me around, "I loved her, man! I fucking loved her, okay? That's why I agreed to the swinging bullshit. I didn't want to lose her."

"Doesn't sound like she loved you. Sounds like you were her bitch," I regretted saying it as soon as the words left my mouth.

He let go of my shoulder and shrugged. "Maybe? It wasn't perfect but it worked for us at the time."

"It's none of my business, Jim."

"You've always said that, but you sure made it your business when you cut us out of your life. When you cut your parents out of your life. Christ, man, you're such an asshole, your nephews have no idea why you don't come to visit them or call them. How can you be such a piece of shit to those kids? Forget us. They didn't do anything."

I knew I had no argument for that. They were my nephews and were innocent.

"I've been thinking a lot about them lately. I regret not knowing them and I'd like to change that."

"Right," Jim said, "but you can't because of me and Kelly."

"I don't know," I answered honestly.

"That swinging shit was a short period of our lives. It's long over. Why can't you get over it?"

"I don't know. I really don't know. All I know is I can't have a decent relationship with a woman because I'm afraid she'll want to cheat on me or will think I'm not enough for her and she'll want other men like my sister."

Nikki gasped but didn't say anything.

"Look, are you giving us a ride or am I getting an UBER?"

"I'll take you, come on."

The short ride to the hotel was quiet; I suppose we all had a lot to think about. I didn't want to have that type of conversation with Nikki present, but I couldn't avoid it.

She surprised the hell out of me when Jim dropped us off.

"Jim," she started, "would it be okay if we took the boys out to dinner tonight. I understand if that's an issue for..."

"Not at all, Nikki. It's a great idea. I tell you what, there's a Texas Roadhouse Steakhouse right by your hotel. They'll enjoy that."

"Great. We'll meet them there at seven."

"It was nice to meet you," he said, continuing to ignore my presence.

"Likewise," she said, and we exited the car.

"Dinner?" I asked as I watched Jim drive away.

"Yes, I'd like to get to know the boys," she said, as if my opinion didn't matter on the subject. She walked into the lobby, and I shook my head in amazement.

*****

We opened the door to our room and Nikki called, "First dibs on the shower." It was that moment I regretted getting one room. I needed to wash the day away as well.

"Okay," I groaned and fell onto the bed. She giggled at me and took her bag into the bathroom.

As I kicked my shoes off, I considered what Nikki said to Kelly. I figured that was going to be the moment of truth--our first time. I heard the toilet flush and the shower curtain open. A moment later the water started. I sat up and found a long-lost bit of confidence.

I stripped myself and heard the shower curtain close. Standing before the bathroom door, I took a deep breath and reached for the handle.

"I hope she didn't lock it," I said to the air.

The handle turned and I crept inside slowly. With the steam and the curtain, she didn't see the door open, and I used that to surprise her.

"Ahh!" she screamed as I flung open the shower curtain. "Jesus, Drake!"

I stepped into the shower and my eyes never left hers as I shut the curtain. I stepped to her, took her cheeks in my hands, and kissed her deeply.

"Oh! Drake," she moaned into my neck a moment later.

She pushed me back and looked at my body, her eyes stopped in the middle.

"Well," she smiled, "someone never got made fun of in the shower."

She giggled, and I cupped one of her breasts and dragged my thumb across her nipple. "You're absolutely perfect."

We kissed for a few minutes before she broke away. "We haven't washed yet."

I smiled and picked her up, pressing her against the back wall of the shower. "We haven't finished getting dirty yet."

She wrapped her legs around my waist, and I lowered her onto my waiting erection.

"Oh, Double D, I wanted this so badly."

I pressed into her and squeezed her tight butt as I tried not to fall.

"Nikki, oh, love. I can't believe I finally have you."

I eased into her, letting her adjust to my size. Her tight tunnel gripped me more with every small stroke.

"Yes," she moaned when I was fully sheathed in her warmth. "I've never felt so full, baby."

I smiled at her compliment and began a rhythmic motion, while the spray of the shower doused my back.

"Doub...le D...d...deeee," she shrieked as her pussy clamped down harder and her legs shuddered. I almost fell when her legs fell limply to the tub's floor.

"Sorry," she moaned as I held her from falling.

"Let's get you cleaned up, baby," I answered.

She steadied herself and leaned into me as I rubbed her apple smelling shampoo into her hair. She made the same moans as I massaged her scalp, that she'd made while we were making love. I wondered if I could make her cum from a massage. I made a mental note to try someday.

After rinsing the conditioner out of her hair, I soaped her loofah and rubbed every inch of her body. After making her cum once more, manually, I finished her legs and feet.

"That was the best shower I ever had, baby," she cooed. I kissed her and grabbed the hotel's bar of soap.

"Whoa! there, tiger," she chided. "It's my turn."

She took the soap away and turned back with her shampoo. I was slightly disappointed by her mechanical washing of my hair and body, but then she said, "You're still hard, baby? You have a lot of stamina."