“I love it, Ian,” she said with bated breath.
“Are you ever going to threaten me with no sex again?” I asked as I pushed in and out of her hard.
“No, never.”
We both were on the verge of an orgasm and I couldn’t help but rub her cl*t before we both came. That sent her over the edge as her legs tightened around me and she let out her sexy moans in my ear. She was trying to be quiet because the staff was throughout the house. I pushed deeper into her as she came, and I spilled everything I had inside of her. She felt so good and making love to her made me forget about everything else. When we finished, I stared at her while I pushed a few strands of hair behind her ear.
“No sex for at least a month, eh?” I said.
“Okay, maybe a month was a little harsh.” She smiled.
I chuckled as I pulled out of her and grabbed some tissues from the desk. My phone beeped with a text message from my father.
“I’m on my way over.”
“That was my dad; he’s on his way over.”
“Are you sure you want to do this, Ian?” Rory asked.
“No, but I don’t have a choice. He obviously isn’t going to tell me, so I guess I’ll just have to tell him I found out.”
We left my study and went into the kitchen where Charles was preparing dinner for us. Mandy was gathering up her things and getting ready to leave for the night when Richard walked in.
“Oh, Mandy, I’m glad you’re still here. I need to speak with you in private.”
She looked at him and then over at me and Rory. “It’s okay, Mandy. I promise to behave. You have nothing to worry about.”
She walked with him in the other room and I looked at Rory. “What the hell is all that about?” I asked.
“I’m guessing he may be apologizing to her for his past actions.”
He walked back in the kitchen and began talking to Charles. “I’ll be right back. Why don’t you two go outside on the patio and sit down?”
I went into the foyer to check on Mandy and she was grinning from ear to ear. “Are you okay?” I asked in a whisper.
“Mr. Braxton, you father apologized to me and then gave me a check for twenty-five thousand dollars.”
“What?!” I exclaimed.
“He told me he was sorry and this was to make up for all his horrible behavior the past few years. I told him no, that I couldn’t accept it and he insisted. He told me it was for me and Molly.”
I smiled at her and put my hand on her shoulder. “I’m happy he did that for you. Accept it and don’t give it a second thought. Have a good night, Mandy.”
“Thank you, Mr. Braxton.”
I went outside to join my beautiful girlfriend and father on the patio. They had already opened a bottle of wine and were talking when I approached the table. I sat down, poured a glass, and looked at my father.
“Why haven’t you told me you’re dying?” I asked abruptly.
Rory’s eyes widened and Richard looked over at her. “No, Dad, Rory didn’t say a word to me about it. I had you followed a while back. I knew before you took Rory to lunch that day.”
“What the f**k, Ian!” he exclaimed. “How dare you!”
“No! How dare you keep something like this from your only son!” I shouted.
“Ian, calm down, please,” Rory said as she reached over and placed her hand on mine.
She was right; yelling was not going to solve anything. My dad looked down at the glass of wine he held in his hand.
“I’m sorry, son. I didn’t know how to tell you. I didn’t want you upset. It doesn’t matter what age you are, I’ll always want to protect you from grief.”
Those words coming from my father’s mouth were something that I’d never heard before. I knew he cared for me, but he was never one to show emotion. My heart sank with his words. I watched as Rory leaned over and grabbed his hand. He looked up at her and gave her a small smile.
“Listen, son. It is what it is. Your old man is dying and my wish is to make the best of what time I have left. I’ve already started righting the wrongs in my life.”
“Is that why you gave Mandy twenty-five thousand dollars?”
Rory gasped and her eyes widened as she looked at me. “You did what?” she asked him.
“I’ve been a horrible man to Mandy, actually to a lot of women. But with Mandy, I can make things right. I gave her that money for her and her daughter so they don’t have to struggle. Have you seen where they live?”
“No, I haven’t,” I replied.
“Well, son, maybe you should. It’s not a safe neighborhood and definitely not suitable for a child to grow up in. Mandy’s a good girl and I took advantage of her and I wanted to apologize. So, I did, and I gave her a little something extra to help her move to a better place.”
“Dad, I’m calling the doctor tomorrow. There has to be something they can do.”
“No use, Ian. The cancer has already started to spread. The doctors said there’s nothing they can do except prolong my life by six months to a year at the most with chemotherapy. There’s risks with chemo. If the cancer doesn’t kill me, another disease I pick up from a weak immune system will. No thanks.”
“So you’re just going to give up?” I shouted as I got up from my seat and threw it to the side.
“Ian!” Rory exclaimed.
“It’s my time, son. I’m not giving up and I’m not afraid. I’ve already made my peace with this and I need you to do the same.”
I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. I was sick to my stomach over his decision. My father was dying and there was nothing I could do about it.
“I’ll be right back,” my father said as he looked at his phone and then got up from the table.
Rory walked over to where I was standing and put her arm around my waist. “Ian, I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be, sweetheart. He’s a stubborn ass.”
We heard footsteps on the patio and we both turned around. My heart wanted to jump out of my throat at what I saw.
“Hi, Ian.”
Tears started to fill my eyes, but then anger quickly took over and dried them up. I gulped before I could speak and I wasn’t even sure if words could escape my lips. “Mom?”
“Mom!” Rory exclaimed as she looked at me.
“Son, keep calm and let me explain,” my father said.
As I stared at my mother, I saw that tears were streaming down her face. I couldn’t believe this and I desperately needed a drink. I wasn’t ready for this; a confrontation with my mother after twenty-some years of never seeing or speaking to her. “What the hell is going on here?”