Chpt. 35 CPOV:
"I want to take a chunk of the money and invest it in the business," Taylor says after a few hours on the road. We're finally heading back to Seattle; after the way the meeting had gone I had fully expected to be staying in California another night. I figured by the time I got to the bar that Taylor would be in no shape to sit in a car for all these hours. I expected him to be drunk and Ana on her way there as well, knowing she wouldn't let herself get too drunk without me being there to make sure we all got somewhere safely. Walking in and seeing them sober and laughing was definitely not what I expected; Taylor and I had a few drinks and then we all decided it was time to start the long drive home. Ana was more than willing to drive the entire way home if need be; I had hoped to convince her and Taylor to stop somewhere along the way for the night but they're both eager to get back to our new house. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't looking forward to seeing how much has changed with the house.
"I don't think we really need much more Taylor," I reply. "There hasn't really been much we've had to do without."
"There's the leases on all the equipment that could be paid off, we could use another two trucks, increase our advertising-"
"You have a point."
"Maybe we can talk to someone and see how to best use the money to grow ECJ."
"We could look at buying out the smaller guys," I suggest. "It's something that I've thought about in the past, but we didn't have the funds to do it. If we slowly take out the competition…"
"I hadn't thought about that."
"We could also look at buying out companies to make ECJ more of a one stop shop; so instead of having to call in our roofing and plumbing companies, we have them already in house. Eliminates having to worry about who has an opening to work on that job."
"You've given it a lot of thought."
"When we first decided to do this, I read as much as I could find about how have a successful company; so many close within the first year. I wanted to know what the others did that made them so successful."
"If we did that, we should make back the money that we invest not that I'm concerned about that," I add quickly.
"If we do this right, that's what I'm thinking. There's the initial investment of purchasing the other company but then as we take on their current and future clients, we should see the return on the investment. Same thing with the roofing and plumbing companies."
"It's not all that different then you guys bringing me on," Ana says from the front seat. "When you were contracted with the agency you were paying above what the designer was charging because you had to cover their overhead costs. By hiring a designer directly, you eliminate the additional overhead costs."
"Exactly, it was just a matter of waiting until we had the full time work to bring on our own designer and then of course finding the right person," I knowingly smile at Ana still amazed at how it all worked out.
"Let's talk with Elliot this week and then maybe we can talk with someone about our investment options," Christian suggests. "You sure this is what you want to do with the money? You don't have to-"
"My grandmother's letter….I know this is what she wanted. When she wrote it ECJ was still just a pipe dream that you and I were tossing around, but she knew that ultimately it was what I wanted. I don't know what I want to do with all of the money, but I know I want to pay off and finish the house, I don't want to wait to get married to you guys and I want to help ECJ grow. If it wasn't for ECJ, I don't think I would have handled the transition back to civilian life at all. I don't know that I would have chosen civilian life again; I might have reupped after we left Georgia instead of heading back to Seattle. But you and Elliot gave me the option to not only work for you guys but to be an equal partner in the business. I'll do whatever I can to help us succeed."
"T, it was never an option not to include you in the business," I tell him honestly. "From the moment you first came home with me after basic, you became part of our family. When Elliot first suggested starting our own construction business, it was never just the two of us starting it…it was always the three of us starting the business. From those very first conversations he included you in the ownership of the business."
"I…I just thought…"
"T," I take his hand in mine squeezing it. "Elliot loves you like another brother, the same way my parents look at you like another son. From the trips home with me to the video conferencing to the emails, you became a part of our family and ECJ was always meant to be a family business."
"I don't know what to say."
I hate that his fucked up family left him so uncertain about himself and what a family really is. No matter how many times my parents have flat out told him that he's a part of our family, he still doubts himself. I'm not lying to him when I say that Elliot always considered including him in the business. From the very first conversations, it was always when you and Taylor get out of the Air Force let's do this. It was never when you get out let's do this and have Taylor work for us. We work together, the three of us and have since the beginning.
I knew Taylor's family would be a piece of work, but seeing them over the last few days and especially today, wasn't like anything I expected. I had hoped, for Taylor's sake, that given all the years that have passed since they last saw him that they would treat him differently. I had hoped that they would treat him like a member of their family and not just some inconvenience like they thought he was as a child. But today, I saw their true colors. I also saw the guilt that at least a few of them still carry for not recognizing the signs of abuse, and I can't imagine how hard that must have been for them. I think about Mia and how broken I would be if something like that happened to her. How horrible I would feel as her older brother if I didn't see the signs of her being abused by her husband until it was too late. But at the same time, I also know that if she had children that needed to be cared for I would step up in a heartbeat to do that for her. Because I know that's what she would have wanted; she would have wanted her children surrounded by family and feeling loved even if she wasn't able to do it herself. I wouldn't shove them off to someone else when I no longer wanted them around. I know Elliot and Kate would do the same, as would my parents.
"Do you want me to drive Ana?" I offer again, even though she's refused every other time I offered.
"No, I'm good. It says we only have another hour or so left."
"You're not too tired to keep going?" Taylor asks.
"Nah, I think I've had so much coffee that I probably won't even be able to sleep tonight once we do get home."
"Oh, I'm sure we can find a way to make sure you sleep tonight," I chuckle.
"Several ways in fact," Taylor agrees.
"You're both horrible," Ana giggles but I can see her face blush in the rear view mirror.
"You never did say, what happened after we left the meeting?" Taylor asks.
"It was…interesting."
"Meaning?"
"Your uncle tried to excuse how they treated you-"
"What the fuck excuse did he give?"
"Guilt," I sigh.
"Over what? They couldn't have known that he was going to kill her."
"They felt like they missed signs….they didn't know that…."
Fuck….I don't know if Taylor knows what his stepfather was doing to his mother. What if he starts feeling guilty because he didn't see the signs either? Which is fucking crazy because he was six years old so it's not like there was a damn thing he could have done.
"They didn't know he was beating her," Taylor realizes.
"Yeah. They said they learned afterwards…"
"No one knew, I wasn't supposed to know," he closes his eyes and I squeeze his hand which is still in mine not knowing what else to do. "She hid it well and he knew where to hit her that wouldn't show. She always made sure to look perfect, no matter what was going on so no one would think things weren't perfect at home."
"What do you mean you weren't supposed to know?"
"He would never hit her in front of me, but I would hear them. He always worked crazy hours, or maybe he just stayed out late I'm not sure. I rarely saw him; he would come home after I was in bed and leave before I got up in the morning. Even on the weekends I remember he was never home. They would fight at night a lot; it would wake me up more times than not. The first time I hear him slap her I snuck downstairs just as he stormed out the back door. He didn't see me, but my mom did. She asked me what I was doing up and I lied, I told her that I needed a drink of water. When she handed me the cup I saw the red handprint across her face. I asked her what happened but it was her turn to lie. She told me that her cheeks were red because she was cleaning the oven and the heat made her warm. Other times I noticed she would wince when she bent a certain way or tried to pick something up but she always had an excuse."
"But you knew what was really going on."
"I knew, but there wasn't anything I could do about it. I told a teacher at school once…"
"What happened?"
"Nothing, she told me I must have been dreaming because there was no way my stepfather would treat my mother like that. After that I learned no one would believe me."
"Why didn't she believe you?"
"Everyone liked my stepfather; his family was local and everyone knew him and had practically watched him grow up. My mother and I were the new ones in town; we were the ones they didn't know."
"Fuck Taylor," I shake my head in disbelief.
"So I'm not surprised they didn't know; I'd probably be more surprised if they had known because she did that good of a job covering for him. I didn't understand why she stayed with him; I don't think she ever loved him. But now, I wonder if she was afraid that her family would see her as a failure."
"For getting away from a guy who beat her?" Ana asks in shock.
"From what I put together over the years between the different houses, my mother was nearly disowned when she got pregnant with me."
"Why?" I ask.
"I was the product of a one night stand; apparently she didn't know the guy's name, just that he was in town for a business conference. She never saw him again, but two months later found out she was pregnant. She refused to… terminate the pregnancy even though her parents were pushing her to. She was young, unwed and barely out of high school at the time. She worked hard to raise me by herself, until my stepfather swooped in and offered her everything. She wanted the fairy tale ending and he was offering it to her."
"Damn," Ana shakes her head.
"He was a master of disguise; no one saw the side of him he didn't want to be seen. I think my mother was afraid of how her family would react if she went home after a failed marriage."
"That's fucked up T."
"Yeah, but I just want to put this all behind us. I'm done dealing with them and hopefully after today, we won't ever have to see them again. I'm tired of dealing with this shit, it's been a long few days and I'm ready to move on. You guys are my family, I don't need them…I haven't for years."
"You don't need them anymore Taylor," Ana agrees.
Not knowing what else to say, I wrap a hand around Taylor's neck and pull him towards me. His eyes find mine just before our lips meet; when I feel his tongue at my lips I immediately grant him the access he's requesting. His fingers tangle in my hair, pulling me closer to him just as the kiss deepens. Before last night, I was at a loss of how to comfort and help Taylor through the bullshit he was dealing with surrounding his family. But last night, both him and Ana helped me figure out how I could be there for him the way she is. Taylor surprises me by sliding his other hand up my leg, slowly inching towards my hardening dick. I groan when he squeezes me through my pants.
"Um guys?" Ana interrupts us.
"Yeah?" Taylor pants.
"I'm all for watching you two, but we might want to take it inside where we have a bed waiting for us," she giggles.
It's only then that I realize we're sitting, parked in the driveway of our new home. Taylor chuckles before kissing me one last time and pulling back enough to unbuckle his seat belt. It takes me a few minutes longer to get my hard on to a point where I can move comfortably and by the time I make it out of the car, Ana and Taylor are unloading the bags. Taylor and I grab the bags while Ana goes ahead to unlock the door.
"Wow…" Is all we hear as we walk into the foyer.
Dropping the bags right there, I quickly close the door and join Ana and Taylor at the doorway to the living room where I see what caught Ana's attention. There in the center of the room is our new bed; not only did Elliot have it put together but someone, Kate I imagine, also put the bedding on it. The biggest surprise though is that two of our dressers are now here in addition to the portable closet that Ana had ordered. Even though this is technically a living room, it doesn't look like one. It looks like it could easily be a bedroom especially when you take in the room divider that separates it from the dining room and kitchen.
"I can't believe they did all this," Ana says.
"I can't believe how big this bed is," I walk in front of it really taking it in. I know Ana told us how much bigger it would be compared to our current bed, but seeing it in person is completely different.
"It's perfect," Taylor wraps an arm around Ana's waist.
"Let's go check out the kitchen!" Ana exclaims grabbing Taylor's hand and pulling him with her.
The kitchen is exactly how Ana designed it; the colors are rich and warm in the large space. I can easily picture her and Taylor cooking together in here, while at the same time I see myself sitting at the island watching them because we all know I won't be anywhere near the stove. On the island is a large bouquet of flowers along with a note.
Wasn't sure what you guys would need when you got back; the flowers are from Kate but since I didn't think that's what any of you would need, check out the fridge and the cabinet next to it for what I think you might need. – Elliot
"Did you guys see this?" I open the fridge finding a case of beer and a bottle of wine. In the cabinet next to the fridge is a bottle of whiskey.
"A couple of days ago I would have agreed that that's exactly what I would have needed when we got home," Taylor says.
"And now?" Ana asks.
"Now, I just need that bed with both of you in it," he pulls Ana into him while reaching for me.
"That sounds perfect to me," I lean in and kiss Ana's neck while he kisses her. She instantly softens in our arms and for the first time this house begins to feel like home. I'm dying to check out the master bathroom knowing that all of the plumbing is supposed to be hooked up, but even more than that I'm with Taylor…I just need our new bed with the two of them in it.
"I'm going to grab something," I reluctantly pull away knowing that since we haven't yet moved there's something we need that's still packed in our bag.
Taylor and Ana eventually pull back just enough to head towards our new temporary bedroom; by the time I join them only a couple minutes later Ana is standing in front of the bed completely naked. Her hands are between them, undoing his pants which is proving to be difficult for her as he teases her nipples. I stand there for a couple of minutes, surprised at how much I enjoy watching the two of them together. It doesn't take long though for my pants to get so tight that they're uncomfortable, forcing me to unbutton them before tossing the bottle of lube onto the bed. Ana moans the moment I press against her beautiful body. I glide my hands up and down her sides, gently kissing and sucking on her neck.
"I've missed you," I whisper to her.
Even though we were only gone for a few days, it feels like so much longer. Until last night, things didn't feel right between the three of us after we left for California. It didn't feel like something was wrong necessarily, things just weren't the same between us as they were at home. But last night, everything felt right again.
Taylor turns Ana towards me and I immediately wrap my arms around her pulling her against me while Taylor quickly tugs his jeans down. Her lips find mine and I'm lost in her; her hands slip under my shirt gliding up my chest before she tugs my shirt over my head. She drops to her knees, tugging my pants and underwear down. Before I can reach down to help her, she has them off of me and thrown to the side.
"Fuck baby," I groan when she takes me into her mouth.
"I think someone got a little turned on watching us in the car," Taylor walks towards us, stroking himself with his eyes glued to Ana. She moans around my dick in obvious agreement before reaching out to find Taylor. When he's within reach, she tugs him closer to her, releasing me to take him next. Her hand wraps around my dick, stroking me as she sucks Taylor.
"She's not the only one," given his hand was on my dick he knows I was too. I'm not sure who initiates it, but our kiss picks up exactly where the one in the car left off. With an arm around his waist, I tug him closer to me leaving just enough space for Ana between us. I nearly lose it when she puts both of our dicks together and wraps her lips around them. We both moan at the same time; her tongue teases us, leaving us panting and begging for more. That's when I know that we need to focus on Ana; it's way too soon for either of us to come, especially when we haven't even made it to the bed yet.
"Our turn," I gently lift Ana so she's standing between us.
"I'm dying to see you in our bed," Taylor takes her hand and leads her to the bed. I groan as I watch her crawl into the bed, giving us a perfect view of her glistening core. She turns and lies in the center of the bed, her legs slightly spread looking incredibly sexy and beautiful in the bed she picked out for us. Without saying a word, Taylor and I both crawl onto the bed; he makes his way up to Ana's hardened nipples causing her to cry out in surprise when he latches right onto one without warning. I on the other hand have a different destination; I settle between her legs and also catch her by surprise when slide my tongue through her folds.
"Guys…." She moans as her body arches off the bed.
It's as if Taylor and I planned what we were doing, because we both tease her over and over again, bringing her just to the edge before backing off to let her cool down. She's moaning, arching and pushing herself against both of our mouths. When she tries to get us to do what she wants by holding our heads in place, I pull back completely. I glance around the room, looking for something and the moment I find it I hop out of bed quickly.
"Christian," she whines.
"Taylor, grab her hands," I request when she tries to slide a hand between her legs to finish what I was doing.
"But-"
Taylor doesn't let her finish, instead in one swift move he captures her wrists in his hand and tugs them above her head just as he kisses her ending any chance of an argument. She moans against his lips and even tries arching into him, but all he does is continue to tease her with light touches around her sex. I quickly grab the silk curtain tie thing that was hanging from a hook on the wall and bring it back to the bed. With his lips still on Ana's, Taylor looks up at me and I see his eyes light up in realization of what I'm going to do. With Ana distracted, I quickly tie that piece of silk around her wrists, leaving it lose enough to not hurt her but tight enough that she can't pull out of it.
"Christian!" she looks up and gasps when she sees what I did. I don't need to ask if she's okay with what I've done, the lust in her eyes, the heavy breathing, her hardened nipples and her flushed cheeks tell me she's more than okay with it.
"Now where were we before Ana tried to take control T?"
"Hmmmm, I think I was about to have a taste of her as well," Taylor slowly kisses his way down her body, nipping as he goes causing Ana to moan.
"You look so fucking sexy like this," I lean in and kiss her.
"You're torturing me," she moans.
"But you're enjoying it," I smirk.
I spend the next several minutes focusing all of my attention on her beautiful nipples, sucking and biting them bringing her right back to where we had her a few minutes ago and then backing off. Even though her hands aren't attached to anything except the other one, she leaves them right where I left them above her head as if they were. Fuck, I've never done anything like this before, but it's so fucking hot seeing Ana restrained like this.
"You taste so good baby," Taylor groans.
I slowly kiss my way down her body, nipping and sucking on different spots when she least expects it until I reach her core where Taylor is focused. I rearrange myself, incredibly thankful for the larger bed as I lay on an angle and lean over Ana's thigh. Taylor groans when I lean in and join him, our tongues rubbing against each other as we both taste Ana. Taylor flicks his tongue lower, diving inside of her before joining me back at her clit. I can taste Ana's juices on him when he reaches me and fuck if it doesn't turn me on even further. Taylor must be feeling the same way because the next time instead of going to her clit, he kisses me with Ana's juices on his tongue.
"Christian… Taylor…" Ana moans; I don't need to look up to know that she's watching us right now.
"Should we make her come?" Taylor asks.
I take his hand in mine and bring us to her opening, we both slip a finger into her at the same time which is all it takes for Ana to call out our names as she comes. She's gripping us so tightly, making the sexiest noises which has me forcing to hold back my own orgasm as I slowly kiss my way back up her beautiful body.
"I need you baby," I groan against her lips. "It's been too long since I've been inside of you."
"Please…"
I slip my finger from her just as Taylor crawls up her body, kissing Ana before leaning over and kissing me again. Ana turns on her side, facing me and places her leg against my hip as the three of us move closer to one another. I hear the bottle of lube open just as I slip inside of her; she immediately grips me trying to suck me into her warm body even further. Her arms, still tied together, come around my neck just as her lips find mine.
"One day," I groan in surprise when Taylor's finger teases the part of my dick not buried inside of Ana right now.
"Taylor!" Ana gasps when his finger slips inside of her gently thrusting in and out her while rubbing against my dick at the same time.
"One day… both of us…" Ana's eyes open at the realization of what Taylor is suggesting and she tightens around both of us leaving us no doubt what she thinks about that idea.
"You like that idea," I say rather than ask.
"It sounds…"
"Yeah it does," Taylor groans against her ear.
Without saying another word, his finger slips from her and I feel him slide into her tight ass. It only takes a couple of thrusts from Taylor for Ana to call out both of our names as she comes again, her orgasm immediately triggering my own. Ana's leg stays firm against my ass, holding me close to her as Taylor continues to slowly move within her. She leans back until her lips find his and fuck if my dick doesn't twitch while still inside of her at the sight of the two of them kissing. I lean in, joining their kiss just as Taylor thrusts one final time into her and empties himself into her.
I have no idea how long we lay like that, but I know Ana is nearly asleep in our arms when we finally decide to slip from her warm, beautiful body. With our hands in hers, we slowly make our way upstairs through the unfinished master bedroom and into the master bathroom that far exceeded my expectations. For the first time we climb into the shower built for the three of us to quickly wash up; if we weren't all so tired from the long drive back home and the love making downstairs I could easily see us christening the shower. But unfortunately we're all dead on our feet and the sun will be coming up in a couple of hours so the shower will have to wait until another day.