Today. Tomorrow. Always (Free Falling, #3.5)(6)
My very soul became hers the next second, leaving my body and filling hers as our bodies met with one final thrust. The loudest of her pleasure-ridden sobs had her shuddering beneath me and I met her lips with enthusiasm when she pulled me in, holding me to her with both hands at either side of my face.
This woman was everything all at once—my weakness and my strength, the one who’d taken my heart hostage and the one who’d set it free, the one who drove me crazy, the one who kept me sane.
Everything. All at once.
Chapter Two
AJ
“Yeah, come in,” I said without asking who just knocked.
My father stepped into my office and had a seat in the chair across from my desk without needing to be invited to do so. “Do you have a moment?”
I read the last line of fine print and set the document in my hands aside to listen. “Sure. What’s up?”
“I know you’re leaving early today, so make sure to stop by my office on your way out.”
I wasn’t sure why, but agreed anyway.
“I brought a few boxes in my car that belong to you, so I’m going to follow you out,” he clarified. “Your mother and I finally finished going through the last of the items we had the movers store in the attic, and a few of them were yours.”
Giving that some thought, I assumed they had to have been things I left with them when I moved out of my apartment after college, probably just some junk that could simply be thrown away. “Cool… I’ll let you know when I’m taking off,” I replied.
He rested his chin on his fist. “Everything is in order for Mura’s travels?”
I smiled at how my father insisted on referring to Kai formally, using his last name just like he did all our other colleagues.
“Yeah, Dad. Kai’s got this. Things always go smoothly when he goes in my place,” I assured him. My father hadn’t gotten to know Kai, or the rest of my team for that matter, as well as I had. For that reason, he didn’t yet have the same confidence in them that I had, but it was only a matter of time.
He gave a nod and made himself more comfortable, letting me know he’d be here a while. “So,” he began with a faint smile. “Twenty-seven tomorrow, right?”
I laughed a bit, knowing he hadn’t forgotten how old I’d be turning. “Yep.”
The look of amusement on his face stayed, but there was something else behind it. “I’m proud of you, son. When I placed you here three years ago, I knew you were the best man for the job. Despite being afraid, despite doubting yourself, I believe you knew I was making the right decision, too.”
His compliment settled into my thoughts.
“Arata was always meant to be yours, Anthony, and it will be someday.”
While I knew he wanted to believe this, I had my doubts. We didn’t often discuss the circumstances that led to my father having to sell a majority share of the company he built; however, one of the consequences was that I no longer had a guarantee that I’d inherit it one day. I had accepted that a long time ago, but he hadn’t, which I understood. Even now, I didn’t share the same certainty my father did, but I honestly didn’t care about all that. The one thing I wanted to gain from working with him, whether I realized and admitted it in the beginning or not, was this—rebuilding our relationship. I understood that this company was his legacy, but having him around, being able to trust him in the presence of my wife and son, was all I ever really wanted from him. Nothing more.
“I’m not only proud of your accomplishments here,” he went on. “I’m most proud of the man you’ve become—a good husband, dedicated father.” The corners of his mouth lifted again. “I admire you.”
That meant a lot coming from him. After all the years we spent going at each other’s throats, I never imagined we’d be here. I thought back to Sam’s teasing the night before. There’d been some truth to what she said; there may have been some heavy ‘convincing’ on my part when it came to getting my parents here, but… I hated them being so far away when my dad and I had just gotten to be so close. In my mind, there was a lot of lost time to make up for. He didn’t owe me anything. It wasn’t like that. I just wanted him around. Both of them.
A firm knock at the door interrupted our conversation. My father’s posture straightened, shifting from casual to professional very quickly.
“Come in,” I called out. Kai stepped in and my father stood to leave, granting us privacy to discuss whatever matter prompted this visit. They exchanged a cordial smile and nod in passing, and then my father excused himself.
Kai took the seat that had just been occupied.
“What’s up?” I asked, detecting the slightest hint of distress in his expression.
“It’s Carla,” he breathed. The face of his twenty-something, pregnant assistant popped into my head at the mention of her name. “She had a checkup and ultrasound this morning, and apparently her physician put her on bed rest for the duration of her pregnancy. I didn’t get the details, but… you know how much I depend on her, especially seeing as how my schedule is so erratic.”
He wasn’t lying about that. Carla was like an extension of him, of his mind here in the office or here in the states when he was away, anticipating what he’d need before he even realized he’d need it. We were already planning to start interviewing temps to replace her while she was out, but none of us anticipated her having to leave so quickly. She was only six months along.