Let Me Be the One (9 page)

Tom

The sight of her, so beautiful, so pure to me; I would never get tired of looking at this woman.  Watching her undress for me was the most erotic experience I’d ever had and when she came to me and straddled me, I was worried for a second this mig
ht be over before it started.  Her hair fell across my chest as she moved her body closer into me.  The smell of her, the feel of her pressing against me as she moved her hips in slow, achingly slow circles, was overwhelming.

I nestled kisses into her neck and slowly traced my fingers along her skin.  I could feel her shiver at my touch.  She arched her body up as I took her breast in my mouth and teased the tip of the other with my fingers.  She moaned and ground her hip
s into my cock with more force.

I was going to lay her on the bed but then the thought of her riding me was too tempting and kept me in the same position.  As I took the tip of her other breast in my mouth and slid a finger into her, she whimpered my name in the sweetest way.  I slid another finger into her so she would be ready for me and she kissed me hard in return.  I kept up the pressure until I could feel her tighten around me as she gasped and her head fell back.  She looked up at me then with heavy eyes and a sweet, shy
smile.   “Are you sure, Darcy?”

She nodd
ed.  “Please, I want you, Tom.”

She gave me a second to grab a condom a
nd then positioned herself and guided me into her.  I held her hips and moved into her slowly, trying to control myself.  She was so tight and so wet for me that it was hard not to lose it and move into her with force but I wanted to make sure this was good for her, not painful.  I eased in some more and she breathed in deeply as her body adjusted to me.  As I sent my entire length in, I saw her eyes clench tight and then, after a moment, she started to slowly rock her hips.  Watching her lips part as she began to move with me as I thrust into her was so hot.  The way her full breasts moved as she rode me had me holding back with every ounce of strength I had.  I knew she was coming closer as her movements quickened and when I cupped her ass and moved my fingertips close to her center she broke apart around me and she cried out.  With a few more deep thrusts I came harder than I ever had.  The feeling of being inside her was intense and I didn’t want her to move off of me.  When she tried to shift I wrapped my arms around her waist and held her in place.  We were both quiet and after a moment I felt wetness on her face.  She met my eyes with a look of adoration, “That was…”

I wiped the stray tear from her cheek, “That was the best fuc
king moment of my life, Darcy.”

Waking up with her curled into me the next morning was just about as perfect as life could get.  She looked so peaceful and seeing her in my shirt stirred something inside of me like true love does. 

Maybe it makes me sound like a caveman but there was something different.  I felt different.  There was something primal, like I’d claimed Darcy as my own.  I’d felt protective of her since I met her but now I had this feeling that was fierce; like I’d kill for her. 

Chapter Six

Darcy

Getting ready to leave for Thanksgiving weekend took so much longer than usual.  I packed, then unpacked, and packed again.  Even though I’d already met Tom’s parents, it was different going home with him as his girlfriend; I was a little nervous.

Tuesday evening we were heading to Connecticut and I would stay with the Farrells until early Thursday morning, when Tom would take me down to the city.  The plan was that Tom would spend Thanksgiving with his family and then head back down to New York Friday night and stay with us until we went back Sunday.  Caleb had arranged for Tom to play with his team in a ru
gby tournament that Saturday. 

I love Thanksgiving.  It’s one of my favorite holidays.  I love fall in Central Park, the city starting to gear up for Christmas, and I loved being at home with my family. This year was so much more special because we were all anxiously awaiting a new family member and I was excited to have Tom
meet the rest of my family.  Even though Matt had spent a lot of time at my house, this felt different.  I felt like this was the first time I was bringing a
real
boyfriend home with me. 

I think Tom felt the same way I did.  He seemed exci
ted and happy as we made the drive to his house and then he smiled and squeezed my hand as we drove up the long driveway.  Tom’s house was big and surrounded by giant trees whose leaves were every color—so New England.  And it totally looked like a bunch of boys lived there.  There were soccer nets on one side of the lawn, a basketball hoop above the garage, lacrosse sticks strewn on the grass, and so many bikes.  I couldn’t help but laugh. “Does your family own a sporting goods store or a bike repair business or something?”

“Looks like Brendan and Terrence have friends over.  They’re p
robably here to check you out.”

“Are you trying to make me freak out? I’m nervous a
s it is!”

As we got out of his truck he grabbed both of our du
ffels in one hand.  With his free hand he took my hand, pressed it to his lips and then held it against his chest.  He always touched me in a way that made me feel cherished.  And since that night together when we had taken things to the next level, there was something different between us; we were just so much closer. 

As we walked in the door, the smell of Mrs. Farrell’s cooking and the sound of lots of voices made me feel at e
ase.  This was a home like mine; nothing stuffy, nothing pretentious.  Mrs. Farrell took me in a tight embrace as soon as she laid eyes on us.

“Hey, Mom, don’t I get a hug?
Darcy’s not even family.”

“I’m getting to you!  Darcy,
it’s so good to see you again.”

Then she gave Tom a big hug and kiss.  Behind her I saw one clone of Tom and another, slightly older boy with dark brown hair and blue eyes come bounding up the stairs from the basement practically climbing over one another as they made their way up.  They were all smiles and seemingly as confident as their older brother as they made their way over.  “Hi
, Darcy, I’m Brendan,” the older one said and then, as he pushed his hand square into the younger one’s face he went on, “and this turd is Terrence.” 

Terrence shrugged him off¸ came right over and hugged me tight, which startled me for the briefest mom
ent. “Nice to meet you, Darcy.”

Before I could get out a “hello” I was laughing, as they had practically tackled Tom like he was a giant they both wanted to take down.  Mrs. Farrell pulled me into the kitchen with her away from the mayhem.  “So Darcy, first t
hings first, do you want tea?”

We sat together and drank tea as we caught up.  I told her all about Spain, my side trips, and part of the su
mmer that I’d spent in Greece.  She was easy to talk to.  Some mothers could be so formal.  I remember Matt’s mom was kind of stiff; I always felt like I was on trial when she was drilling me with questions. 

Sure enough, the boys’ friends seemed to be coming up from the basement one by one to say hello to Tom and were then peering into the kitchen on their way back downstairs.  Mrs. Farrell said wistfully, “Oh Darcy, you’re making me
wish I was twenty again.  I think I need to go back to Paris.”

Tom came back into the kitchen, out of breath from wrestling, with his father in tow.  He also grabbed me into a big bear hug. “Hello
, Darcy, we’re so glad you’re here!”  The Farrells were huggers!

“Hi, Mr. Farrell, it’s good to see you again too.”

“Ted, Darcy was just telling me all about her trip.  You need to take me to Europe.”

Mr. Farrell laughed and threw his hands up in surre
nder.  “Whatever you want, Clare. Book it!”

Tom told his parents we were spending tonight in with them and then were going to a big party tomorrow night at his friend Dylan’s house.  I knew Ben would be there so I’d have at least two people to hang out with.  I wo
ndered if Amy was going to be there; I would actually love to have a face to go with that story.

We had a really nice dinner together.  Brendan and Ter
rence were adorable.  They seemed so happy to have their big brother home.  They both had a half-day of school the next day and were begging to skip so they could hang out with Tom.  Tom promised them he would pick them up after school and was theirs for the day.  I told Mrs. Farrell I’d stay back with her and help her get some cooking done.  “That would be great.  I usually have no help in the kitchen beyond peeling potatoes.  I wish you were staying for Thanksgiving, Darcy.  We have a total of twelve more coming to join us and from the way Tom raves about your cooking, I would have just let you take over!”

“Oh, I don’t know about that.  I think Tom just thinks my cooking is good because he’s
comparing it to the cafeteria.”

“No, I think his exact words were something along the lines of that he loved me but your me
atballs are hands-down better.”

I looke
d at Tom, “I’m gonna kill you!”

He just laughed. “But I also told her she makes better gravy than you do, Darce.  I’m just an honest fella.”

Tom

When you love someone there’s no nicer feeling than knowing your family loves them too.  I sat there thinking just that as I watched Darcy whip Brendan, then Te
rrance, and then my dad in ping pong. 

When I’d gone upstairs to give my mom the rest of the desert dishes she looked to see if anyone was around first and then said, “She’s
so
lovely and you seem very happy, baby.”

“I am, Mom.”

I knew, for my mother, seeing me happy was the best present I could give her.  I had told Darcy a lot about Charlie, about the years he was sick and the dark year or so after he died.  After Charlie died I wanted to spend all of my time at home with the boys and my parents.  I’d go to school and come home, nothing else.  Friends would call and I’d blow them off.  I was always an athlete but freshman year I didn’t want to go out for any of the high school teams.  I knew after a while my parents were worried sick. 

The summer before my sophomore year my dad took me to this spot by the river where Charlie loved to go.  It was a beautiful day, sun bouncing off the water and all.  We spent a long time there that day, talking about Charlie, remembering how he loved this spot.  We used to fish there together.  Charlie loved fishing, loved being out in nature, and loved life.  Something clicked that day, which I’m sure was my
father’s intention.  I realized that Charlie wouldn’t want me sitting home, broken and unhappy.

The day I told my parents I n
eeded new gear for football try-outs, I could tell I’d lifted a weight off of them.  And the looks on the faces of Ben, Dylan, and the other friends I’d all but dropped in middle school, told me how long I’d been in my funk.  They looked like they’d seen a ghost when I first walked onto the field but Ben and Dylan, truer friends I’ll never know, took me right back in like I’d never left.  I felt like the sun finally started to shine again that year.

Before we were getting ready to turn in for the night I came upon Darcy as she was looking at the pictures hanging on the walls in the living room.  She turned and smiled when my arms snaked around her waist and then she gestured to a picture of us four boys, all standing in size order, side by side, arms crossed in front of our chests, in our bathing suits on the beach.  “I love this picture.  You and Charlie look like twins and the little guys look like they’re imitating the way you two are standing, even down to the looks on your faces.”

I didn’t say anything, just kissed her neck and breathed her in.  It felt so natural to have her here.  Darcy was staying in my room and I was sleeping in the guest room downstairs.  Something about her being in my bed, where I’d spent so many nights daydreaming
about a girl like her, made me…well, let’s just say I was sneaking upstairs at some point that night.  At least I thought I was.  When I did creep up there I found my door locked and there was no answer when I tapped on the door.  I’d been cut off.  In the morning she was sitting at the kitchen island having coffee with my mother.  When I sat down next to her she said under her breath, “Nice try, lover boy.”

Oh, how I loved this girl.

Turns out, my parents did let the boys ditch school.  I spent the day taking them to get outfitted for their ski rentals for the season, going to lunch at a chain resta
urant in the next town where the waitresses wore skimpy uniforms—this is why they loved me—and then throwing the football with them at my high school field.

Next year Brendan would be going out for the team. I missed them and I knew they needed this time hanging out with me.  They never got tired of asking questions and I never got tired of answering them.  How many wins did we have in fall rugby?  How many tries did I get?  Who would the Sox get in the draft this year?  Who would have
dominated if they had played at the same time, LeBron or Michael Jordan?  They could talk sports for hours and so could I.  Brendan, though, started slowly shifting the conversation to other subjects and I had to remind myself that he was getting older.  He actually asked me what “exact words” I said to Darcy when I “asked her to be my girlfriend”.  I had to make up something generic because the real story would have been confusing as hell for him and not something he could have recycled for a girl in the eighth grade. 

I could tell they were both under Darcy’s spell.  Te
rrence, still a little kid, told me Darcy was prettier than “queen Amidala”.  He was a Star Wars geek.   Brendan cracked up at that and then added, “I think she looks more like Tom Brady’s wife….yeah, oh Gisele.”  For that he got a football thrown, not hard, but right to the face.

That night we left for the party and picked up Ben along the way.  My mother dropped us off like we were thirteen again.  We would be walking the quarter-mile home later, which was fine.  These Thanksgiving Eve parties were usually out of control so driving was out of the question. 

Sure enough, when we walked in, it was a scene. 
Packed wall-to-wall, there were people making out on the couches, music was loud, and the smell of weed was thick in one corner of the house.  I looked to Darcy to make sure she was ok.  She’s no shrinking violet but coming to a party where you know no one and everyone else there are long-lost friends acting like fools could be overwhelming.  I squeezed her hand.  “Want a beer?”

She laughed, “Desperately!”

I left her with Ben and went to find the keg.  I didn’t want to be rude to people but I was being accosted every two seconds by someone saying hello.  I wanted to catch up with everyone but I was more concerned with leaving her.  It was probably ten minutes before I got back to the spot I’d left them.  I saw Ben chatting up Kim and Steph.  They were the kind of girls that were good to go; he would easily be able to land one of them tonight.  No Darcy in sight.  “Where is she?”

Ben looked at me
darting his eyes from one girl to another to express that he was
busy
. “I don’t know.  She was just next to me a minute ago.”

With that, both girls were touching my arms and tal
king to me but I could hardly hear them.  Their voices sounded so whiny and fake.  How I was drawn in by that kind of thing such a short time ago was beyond me. 

For the next ten minutes, which felt like an hour, I was on a mission.  I’m sure people were a little like, “what the fuck,” because I was hardly taking time to say hi to those that I’d been the closest of friends with.  I just kept saying, “I’ll be right back,” as I pushed right past them.  Finally I found her in the den in an animated convers
ation with another girl and Dylan sitting on the arm of the couch next to them.  “Holy shit, Darcy, I’ve been looking all over for you!”  I sounded annoyed but it was really a combination of stress and relief.

She laughed and then smiled in a way that told me my concern made her happy i
n some way, “You were worried?”

Dylan jumped up and grabbed me in a hug. “Tom! So glad you’re here, man.  Small world, right?  This is
my
girl, Kasia Mazur, who happens to have gone to high school with your Darcy.  Can you believe that?”

After that rocky start, Dylan’s party was awesome, as usual.  I had to go back and make the rounds and say hello t
o the people I’d just blown off.  I felt like I could, now that I knew Darcy was having a good time catching up with Kasia.

My close friends, guys and girls, were cool and made the effort to approach Darcy, introduce themselves, and make her feel at home.  Everyone knew me there so I didn’t have to worry about any guys hitting on Darcy. There were one or two instances where girls were being a little too determined with me but I knew how to handle that better now.  I would just start talking about Darcy to them, point her out, and then they would treat me like I had th
e plague.  Worked like a charm.

The next morning I found Darcy and my mother in the kitchen.  Darcy was showered and dressed already.  I was taking her down to New York early this morning.  She and my mom were dicing celery and onions while chatting away.  I hung back for a minute and have to admit, I felt a lump in my throat watching them together.   I wanted this in my future.

Darcy

Tom and I pulled up outside of my house and he grabbed my hand before I turned to get out.  “Hey, Darcy, I love you.”

“Where did that come from?”

He smiled at me with tenderness.  “Sounds corny, but I was just overcome with that
feeling, so thought I’d share.”

I couldn’t help the grin that spread across my face. “Right back atcha.”  I had been overcome with that feeling a lot lately myself.  I felt so
deeply in love with him.

When we walked in, the house already smelled great.  Mom was first out to greet us.  Tom hugged her right away—a true Farrell.  Caleb came out of the kitchen then.  “I’m glad you’re home.  I’ve had to take over your kitchen duti
es all morning.”

Mom laughed. “He’s lying.  He got here
a half-hour ago, tops.”

Caleb and Tom shook hands.  “Well, I just want you to know that this is the first time I’ve let Darcy give me scouting advice.  She said you’r
e fast and fierce on the wing.”

“I hope I don’t disappoint.”

“You won’t.  Darcy speaks highly of you and I have to admit, she generally knows her stuff.  When are you heading back down?”

“I was planning on coming Friday night but my little brothers want to watch so instead I’m heading down early with them on Satur
day.  I’ll be here by eight.”

Caleb grabbed Tom for a few minutes to give him the rundown on the tournament competition and then Tom, too soon, was saying his goodbyes.  I walked him back out to the car
.  He kissed me and held onto me tight before we broke apart and he got into his truck.  Even though it was only going to be two days, I was bummed watching him drive away.

Thanksgiving was great.  Kate wasn’t huge yet but her bump was very noticeable.  Kate looked so beautiful and she and Luke were so obviously happy.  The way they held hands, the way I saw Luke place a hand on Kate’s belly and then look up at her with wonder and such absolute and complete love in his eyes, was moving. I really and truly could see that someday for me and Tom.

During dinner, talk went from Mom’s latest photo
graphy project, to our upcoming trip to Puerto Rico, to possible baby names—Caleb suggested some doosies—and then, as I knew it would, on to my love life.  Luke asked Caleb to fill him in on Tom.  I felt like a little kid sitting at the table. “Hello? You can ask
me
about
my
boyfriend, Luke.”

“I will, but first I w
ant to know what Caleb thinks.”

Caleb
shrugged, “So far so good but I was mainly concerned with how he measured up for Saturday.”

Luke said in between bites of stuffing, “Don’t be so touchy, Darce.  I love you.  What kind of big brother would I be if I didn’t check up on your boyfriends?  I’m still mad at Caleb for not keeping me in the
loop about that last asshole.”

Kate put her hand on his forearm. 
“In the past, Luke, remember?”

Caleb said breezily, “I had it under control, obvious
ly.”

Kate smiled at me, eyes twinkling, “And it sounds like Darcy is in good hands now.  I can’t
wait to meet Tom on Saturday.”

Luke gave me a look that was like a warning. “I’m looki
ng forward to meeting him too.”

He finally stopped when I pegged him
in the head with a dinner roll.

Saturday morning I got up early to pack up our gear for the day.  I made thermoses of hot chocolate, sandwiches for everyone, and packed bananas and oranges for the guys playing.  It was a sunny, crisp fall Saturday; the best kind of day to be in Central Park.

Luke was a spectator for the first time this year.  He hung out with Brendan and Terrence, explaining the game to them and showing them how to pass the rugby ball. 
I knew Caleb was happy with me because Tom played great.  My dad was impressed with Tom’s play also and was even happier still that he didn’t have to treat anyone on the team today for injuries.  Mr. and Mrs. Farrell came down later in the afternoon to watch and to pick up the boys.  Caleb and Tom’s team did well but they were knocked out in the semi-finals. 

Afterwards we made our way to the party at a bar on the Upper East Side.   Finally, after all these years, I was allowed to stay.  We had a great time.  Beers were def
initely flowing, we were dancing, and Tom was probably a little too touchy-feely for Luke’s taste.  I heard him yell to Caleb over the music, “What’s with all this excessive PDA?”

Caleb answered, not realizing I was straining to hear him, “It’s all good.  He’s great and I’m happy that for once I don’t have to run interference between every guy in the room and Darcy.  With him here, no one’s hitting on her and I can relax.  And Tom is a major step up from that fucking tool, Nick.  I still wish I broke that gu
y’s jaw when I had the chance.”

Caleb really couldn’t say anything about me and Tom anyway, as he had just retracted his tongue from the throat of some girl.  He introduced her as a co-worker.  She was pretty I guess
, but because of Liz I now had a strong aversion to redheads.  Also, she didn’t seem like the real deal and I wanted Caleb happy and in love the way Luke was.