All attempts at being quiet were abandoned as he began to thrust in earnest. Pass after pass of that swollen head had my head swimming with bliss. My hips bucked upwards, meeting him stroke for stroke, because what was building went beyond my pleasure or his. This was us and I was right about to…
“Troy…!”
Just gasping that out gave me permission to let go. Wave after wave of ecstasy pummelled me into the bed along with him. The moment when his strokes got erratic, frantic, as he reached out for something and grabbed it. Me, I realised.Holding me in his arms, he finally slammed as deep as he could, scalding me with hot jets of cum.
“That was…” I sighed when we both flopped down on the bed.
“I know.”
That cocky grin had me shoving at his chest, then staring into his eyes.
“I’m sorry it took me so long to get there.”
“I’m not.” The twinkle in his eyes remained, but the smile faded. “All good things come to those that wait.” His leg was slung over my hips, because he always hated pulling free of me. “And I’ll wait forever for you, Mackenzie.”
“That might be on the table.”
Talking about this now was just ruining the vibe, but I was worried about more than just my mom. Our future, it was all hearts and rainbows inside my head, but the practical realities remained. Getting a green card was an arduous process and Troy’s skill set wasn’t on the list of immigration’s priorities. Some of my countrymen talked about moving to Australia blithely, but that was difficult too.
“I was doing some thinking…” I said.
“That’s always a worry,” he said, the exhaustion clear in his voice.
“We might have to do the long distance thing. With my mom and your farm, we need to be in two separate places for a while.”
“Mm hmm…”
He was drifting off to sleep, which somehow made this easier.
“Which will be OK, I think.” If he wasn’t paying attention, then the real vulnerability could come to the surface. I wasn’t scared of talking to him about my fears, but right now, I could just sit with them. He wasn’t trying to fix everything and thatwas fine. “I mean we’ve been through a lot already. Distance makes the heart grow fonder, right?”
When I looked up, I saw his eyes had closed and his breath had evened out. Breath whistled in through his nose, then came out in a long exhale.
“Mine will,” I told him. “I’ll miss you, all of you. Charlie and the animals.” I smiled as I remembered the rescue. “Billy and Bronson. Even Nugget. Every day you’re back in Australia I’ll be thinking of all of you and working out how to find my way back there.”
After Mom’s hospital bills were paid, which meant I needed to get a job. A well paying one, with good health insurance. That would involve heading back to LA, and so I’d need an apartment or something and a car. Responsibility was like a backpack full of rocks, weighing me down, and putting it off for nearly eight months was all the break I was going to get. I was an adult and I’d need to start acting like one. Working, saving, paying off bills, and then slowly I’d get a nest egg together. During that time, I could start the Australian permanent residence process and see how far I got with that. Thoughts, so many thoughts filled my brain until Troy let out a snort, then blinked.
“Hey…” His head lifted off the pillow. “I must’ve dropped off.”
“You’re tired.” I pressed a kiss to his forehead. “And I need to get cleaned up.”
“I’ll do it.”
The way he floundered around in bed had me smiling, right as I pulled free of him.
“You can get the cloth next time.”
As he fell back into bed, I got up. Heading to the bathroom, I cleaned up, but when I emerged out, I had a feeling we weren’t as quiet as we hoped. Mom was sitting at the dining table, pieces of paper scattered in front of her.
“What’re you doing up?” I asked. “Mom, are you?—?”
“Fine?” she finished for me. “Honey, I keep telling you, I’m not made of glass. Being made of money however? That would be a good thing right now.”
As I drew closer, I saw all the bills. Not just the utilities and mortgage, but medical bills, so many medical bills.
“Mom.” When I went to put them in a pile away from her, a hand stopped me. “It’s OK. I’m going to start applying for jobs now you’re feeling better and?—”
“Don’t.” I was treated to the same steely gaze she treated me to when I was being a pain in the ass as a kid. “I mean, if you want to get a job in the city for yourself, that’s fine, but this.” She was the one to collate the bills into a pile. “This is my cross to bear.”
