This Too Shall Pass Read online

  Cory’s lips moved to hers and he sucked and bit her bottom lip. The taste and smell of the unmistakable odor was a silent declaration of her approval. Cory’s penetrating slate-gray sardonic gaze held her eyes captive while his fingers tapped firm, quick taps to the overzealous throbbing between her legs. Another first, but only for her. Alexis was confident their experience was a Cory and Camille kind of love. She tried to apprehend how she felt about that, but it was inadequate and useless.

  “I’m going to make you come like you’ve never come before,” Cory rasped hoarsely, his voice deep with control.

  “I’m all yours.”

  Cory smiled a warm, familiar smile and kissed her hard. His hands cupped her breasts, but his face was shoved away when he tried to land on the beaded little bud. That still belonged to Kinley. Not yet. “I love you,” he whispered as his hand pressed down on her chest and motioned for her to lay back.

  Alexis didn’t respond. She couldn’t even if he would have demanded it. He knew he was loved. Her back felt the cool surface at the same time she felt his fingers, two of them, slow at first, and then deeper and harder. The conversation with Bernie crossed her mind when Cory pressed down just above her pelvic bone. The edge of the desk helped her hold on. She needed to hold on. Her hands tightened with white knuckles when she felt the familiar, yet unfamiliar. Oh, my…

  There were no normal moans, just a faint whimpers once her body started trembling at his hands. She quivered, shuddered and felt the build of something out of this world. It was different, deeper like it started in her chest and made its way down. Her knees dropped to the sides when Cory worked harder, faster, deeper until she caved. Her entire body went numb and then limp as the secretion bolted in three quick bouts. Cory was the one to do the moaning.

  “Oh yes, baby.”

  Alexis knew what happened. Bernie had told her all about this. She didn’t believe her. There was no way it could get any better than what Cory already drew from her. Boy was she ever wrong. Holy sweet baby Jesus. The wetness from his soaked hands was felt on her hips when he pulled her to him and slid in. Her stiff knuckles released the grip on the desk and he pulled her up.

  “You okay?” Cory questioned while his lips kissed her neck, throat, and clavicle.

  “Yes,” she panted as her legs wrapped around his waist.

  “I love you.”

  “I love you, too.”

  Cory finished with slow, passionate lovemaking with his lips, kissing her soft skin.

  What the hell was that?

  ****

  Alexis was in the kitchen chatting with Riki and feeding Kinley scrambled eggs when Cory entered the kitchen. He took the plate of scrambled eggs from her and placed a handful on the tray of Kinley’s high chair.

  “Can you watch Kinley for two seconds?” he asked Riki.

  “Can I get paid?”

  Cory did a double take and Alexis laughed.

  “Well, that makes me the babysitter. I should get paid.”

  “Fine, I’ll give you a dollar.”

  “Is that enough, Lexis?”

  Alexis winked and moved her hair to her back. “I think it is.”

  Cory linked Alexis’s pinky with his and led her to the living room.

  “Round two?” Alexis questioned when Cory spun her flat against the wall. Even before his dominate exercise the night before, she loved this position.

  “No. I’m so sorry.”

  Alexis tilted her head and smiled a small smile. “What are you sorry for?”

  “You know what. Why did you let me do that?”

  Both her shoulders lifted toward the ceiling in a shrug. “Because you needed me to.” It was more of a fact than a question and he knew it.

  “You have no idea how much I love you.”

  “I do, Cory. Do you want to know why I was so mad at you last night?”

  “I already know. Because I brought up the marriage thing again.”

  “Nope, not at all. When’s your birthday?”

  “What? You know when it is. Two days.”

  “Come with me.”

  “Come where. The girls are alone in the kitchen. Remember the vegetable oil spill from the last time we left them alone.” How could she forget? Alexis went through four rolls of paper towels and three mop buckets of hot soapy water.

  “You’re paying a babysitter this time. They’re fine for a minute.”

  With locked fingers, Alexis led him to the den the same way he had led her from the kitchen. She walked around the desk and opened the second drawer down.

  “It’s not my birthday yet,” Cory reminded her with the flat red box being placed in his hand.

  “Open it.”

  Cory pulled the white ribbon and lifted the lid. A thin silver string held the matching wedding band to the ring on her finger and a corresponding band for him. Same design, thicker band. A black notecard asked for his hand in silver ink.

  Are you ever going to marry me? Geesh. How about September 4th, the day you blew my cover at April’s? What do you think, Doc? Want to live the rest of your life with me?

  “Are you freaking kidding me? Is this a joke?”

  “Nope.”

  “Lex?”

  “No joke, Cory. I love you and I want nothing more than to spend the rest of my life with you. I was going to anyway, might as well make it official.”

  “You just want in my will,” he teased while his hands reached for her on their own accord. “I’m sorry I screwed up your surprise.”

  “It’s okay, but I don’t want a big wedding. I would love to just do it in the barn, but my parents would flip a lid.”

  Cory couldn’t lose the smile. “Church wedding?”

  “My dad wouldn’t have it any other way.”

  “Daddy!”

  “We better go, you’re going to be paying overtime.” Alexis pulled away and flipped her hair to look at him over her shoulder. “You do know that I might have to pick a fight a little more often now, right?"

  “Damn, if I would have known angry sex was all it was going to take, I would have pissed you off a long time ago.”

  “Oh you piss me off plenty,” Alexis assured him with batting eyelashes. Yes, she was asking for more.

  “Come on, eat up, Riki. We’ve got to get going.”

  “Where’s my dollar?”

  Cory frowned and retrieved his wallet. “Where’s my kiss?”

  Riki kissed him while snatching the dollar from his hand.

  “Go stick it in your piggy bank and get dressed, Riki. We have to go,” Alexis coaxed, eyes on the microwave clock.

  “I don’t want to put it in there. I want to keep it.”

  “You lost it the last time.”

  Riki spun in circles, arms to her sides, spinning like a helicopter while Alexis cleaned up. “Nu-uh, Grandpa Kinney found it.”

  Cory stopped the spinning with a hand to her chest. “Stop it. Listen to Lexis. I’ll see you tonight,” Cory preached while backing Alexis up.

  “But Aunt Sam might take us to the store.”

  “Riki, stop. Go put the money in your bank and get ready. It’s time to go.”

  Riki stomped off, grumbling the entire way. It was her money. She shouldn’t have to save it if she didn’t want to.

  “Can you take her for five minutes while I clean up?” Alexis questioned. She didn’t really give Cory a choice. She shoved the baby in his chest, missing the urgency to leave on his expression. Cory didn’t protest, he was too happy. Alexis was going to be his wife and even the smell coming from Kinley’s diaper couldn’t ruin his high.

  “I’m changing this diaper and then I’ve got to go. You’re going to make me late.”

  “Not me, blame Kinley.”

  “It’s all your fault, little lady,” Cory sang.

  Alexis was almost finished with the breakfast dishes when Cory returned, moving in behind her. “She’s in jail. I’ve got to go, Mrs. Baker.”

  Alexis turned around with a smile. “Ale
xis Baker. I like it.”

  “Me too and I love you.”

  “I love you more. Go, get out of here. I’ve got to get going too. Are you going to be late tonight?”

  “Around six, it’s cold outside. Make sure you dress the girls warm.”

  Alexis gave Cory one more quick peck with an eye roll, refraining from telling him to shut up. She knew how to dress her girls without his help.

  “Love you!”

  “Love you, too,” Alexis called back while going for Kinley. Kinley pulled herself up in her pack and play as soon as she saw her mom. Alexis smiled, happy that Cory dressed her. It was too late to leave her there though, Kinley already saw her. She carried her up the steps and sat her on the floor of her room.

  “Riki can you play with Kinley for a minute while I get dressed?”

  “Can you pay me?”

  Really? Where was this coming from all of a sudden? “What do you want money for?”

  “Cause Emily is getting a baton and I want one too. She only needs four more dollars.”

  Alexis smiled, happy that she was trying to earn money for something she wanted. “I’ll tell you what, I’ll come up with a couple extra chores for you tonight to help you out, but I don’t think you should ask for money to play with your sister. Maybe instead of asking to get paid for helping me out, you could explain to me why you want money next time. It’s not very polite to ask for money when someone asks you for help. If there is something you want, come and tell me. We’ll find you something to do to earn it, deal?”

  “Okay, like what. I don’t want to clean the trash can again.”

  “That was your mess. Don’t dump your plate in the trashcan without a bag.”

  “Well, dad didn’t put it in.”

  “You could have waited. Watch Kinley for me while I get dressed.”

  Alexis was much happier than she’d been the day before. Even if Cory did ruin her birthday surprise, she was still floating on a cloud. There was no possible way she could be any more contented. What more could she ask for? Alexis dressed in her usual khakis and pink polo, thinking about the wedding. She was actually going to do it. Alexis was getting married. Maybe she would invite her parents over for dinner and tell them on Sunday.

  “Okay, let’s go girlies.”

  “Kinley pooped.”

  “Again? Your dad just changed her.”

  Alexis changed the second poopy diaper, making a mental note to throw some fruit in Kinley’s diaper bag, and headed out, loving life. Her life.

  ****

  “Stop being so happy. What’s wrong with you today?” Bernie complained.

  “Hey, just because it’s your time of the month, doesn’t mean it’s mine. I am happy. I’m getting married to a hot doctor, I have the most precious little girls in the entire universe, and something happened last night.” Alexis locked the front door and turned the sign, letting any patrons know they would be closed for an hour.

  “Yes, your girls are pretty cute, you’ve been wearing that ring since Christmas, and what happened last night?”

  “Let’s go to my office and eat. My parents dropped off food.”

  “What kind of food?”

  “Does it matter? My mom made it.”

  “Good point. What happened last night?”

  “Cory and I had a fight.”

  “Yeah, so did me and Travis. The bastard got drunk and passed out on me last night. He’s home for the next four days and I’m out of commission.”

  Alexis popped the two containers in the little microwave and leaned against the desk, waiting for the ding. “I was wondering what the flowers were for. Maybe I shouldn’t tell you since you’re pouting about sex.”

  “Tell me.”

  “We had a fight about Mitch.”

  “Why?”

  “I told him about Jim inviting Mitch to Paige’s graduation party, and then tried to sneak in the fact about him moving back here. Anyway, it turned into the whole marry me fight again like he thinks if my last name is Baker I won’t go running off with Mitch.” Alexis snorted and shook her head. If Cory only knew how silly that was. She removed the containers and handed Bernie her bowl of Chicken and rice.

  “But what do you mean something happened last night? You guys always fight over you not being able to commit.”

  “Shut up. You’re supposed to be my best friend.”

  “I am, but it’s the truth.”

  “It is not. We’re getting married September 4th.”

  Bernie uncrossed her legs and came to an upright position. Her bowl audibly hit the desktop. “You set a date? You set a date without telling me?”

  “Cory’s birthday is Thursday. I wanted to tell him first, but it came out after the fight we had. I didn’t want to tell you before I told him.”

  “Why? That’s what friends do.”

  “Not friends with big mouths.”

  “What have I ever told Cory that you told me?”

  “Really? Do you want to go there? You told Misty about us doing it in his office.”

  “So?”

  “They work together for Christ sake. She sings in the church choir with my mother! And you told Cory about me getting a speeding ticket.”

  “I didn’t know you didn’t tell him.”

  “You didn’t give me time!”

  “Whatever, you still should have told me first.”

  “That’s not what happened last night.”

  Bernie picked up her bowl and continued to eat. “What happened?”

  “You can’t go running your mouth to Cory.”

  “Swear,” Bernie promised with a mouthful of food.

  “Remember when you were telling me about the new toy Travis brought home for you a while back.”

  “Oh yeah. My favorite.”

  “Well, that happened.”

  “What? Cory bought you a toy?”

  “No, he didn’t have to.”

  “You squirted?”

  “Oh my God. You could ruin a car battery.”

  “Huh?”

  “It wasn’t like that. It was freaking hot as hell.”

  “Well, duh. Of course it is. Have I ever lied to you?”

  “We shouldn’t go there either. You guys want to come over Friday for Cory’s birthday? We’ll cookout?”

  “I don’t know how warm it’s supposed to be.”

  “Not bad, we can hang out in the garage.”

  “Don’t you want to have a party at the farm?”

  “No, there is so much going on there over the next few months. I don’t want mom doing all that cooking, and you know she will.”

  “Okay, sure. Travis doesn’t leave until Saturday night, maybe Sunday.”

  Alexis picked up her phone from the side of her desk when the screen lit up. An instant smile was formed on her lips.

  Cory—Come over here at five-thirty.

  Alexis—Why? I have to get the girls at three.

  Cory—No, you don’t. It’s taken care of. You have an appointment here at five-thirty.

  Alexis—As much as I would love to know what is up your sleeve…NO! We can’t leave the girls there that long.

  Cory—Yes we can. Sam is bringing them to practice at six. That doesn’t leave much time.

  Alexis—I’m not having sex over your desk again. We have a desk at home.

  Cory—We don’t have an examining table. Be here at five-thirty.

  Alexis—No way!!!!

  Cory—I love you.

  Alexis—I’m not coming.

  “Are you going to share or just keep sitting there with that stupid smile all day?” Bernie questioned.

  “Nothing, Sam is meeting us at the ball diamond with the girls as six. I don’t think we have anything past four, do we?”

  “Not yet, but that could change. Chrissy Elliot called, she might bring the boys in around four. She said she would let me know by two. I can get it though. Travis is taking Taylor to baseball practice, too.”

  “You should see
Riki and Emily play. It’s so comical. Riki ran to third instead of first their very first game.”

  “I’ll come to the next one. I hate going when it’s still cold out.”

  “Ugh, me too,” Alexis agreed while her eyes darted to her ringing phone. “Hey Paige, what’s up?”

  “Can you come and get me, Aunt Lex?”

  Alexis sat up straighter, alarmed by the tone in her voice. “Of course. Where are you, sweetie?”

  “I’m walking out by the covered bridge.”

  “What are you doing there?”

  “Aunt Lex…”

  “Okay, okay. I’m on my way. I’ll be there in fifteen minutes.”

  “Why isn’t she in school?”

  “Senior skip day, remember? Something’s going on. I could tell she was crying. I’ll be back.”

  Alexis left without another word. She had a good feeling it was about Jordan. Paige had just told her a couple days before that he wanted to break up for the summer, see where life took them. Paige was sure it was going to take him right to Hallie Stone and Alexis hoped that wasn’t the case. The pang she felt in her stomach for Paige was all too familiar. Why did guys have to be such dicks?

  Paige was sitting on the old railroad bridge dangling her feet from the edges when Alexis pulled up. She parked to the side of the dirt road and got out.

  “You okay?” she asked while joining her in the same sitting position.

  “No. I fucking hate him.”

  “Hallie Stone?”

  “Yes. I knew it. I knew all along that’s why he wanted to break up. What the hell, Aunt Lex? I mean I’ve done nothing but bend over backwards for that boy.”

  Alexis looked down the deserted dirt road. “Where is he? What are you doing out here?”

  “We were all down at the flats when he showed up with her. He knew I would be there. It’s like he was dangling her in my face. She’s supposed to be my friend. He didn’t even come after me when I took off walking.”