Author's Note: Here it is guys!
PART TWO: SIGNED, SEALED, DELIVERED, I'M YOURS
It was the sound of a door opening that finally woke me up from the slumber I had let myself fall into—squirming as the unusual soreness in my extremities made me wince. I could really use a hot shower right about now.
"Are you okay?" Tommy asked quietly as I looked over the side of the tailgate to see him standing next to the truck door. So, that was the noise that had brought me into the world of the living? He was smiling as I shrugged before pulling the cover he had obviously draped over me after our little rendezvous last night up to my chin. The oldies station was still playing in the background and the smell of grease was still on the air, but unlike a few hours ago, streaks of light outside the garage made me awfully aware that twilight had come and claimed the night—eating it like a hungry shark would its prey. Realization floored me. Oh my God!
"They'll be fine with it." Tommy stated quietly as I dropped the blanket to grab for my clothes. He could answer my unasked question all he wanted and it still wouldn't reassure me. We had been out here all night. It was obvious that it hadn't been for vehicle trouble because, if that was the case, we'd have a nice little entry for Jesse James's Monster Garage at this point. Tom chuckled as I jumped down off the back of the truck after donning last night's clothes.
"And I know I'm lost when you look better to me this morning than you did last night." Tom commented as I rolled my eyes.
"Either that or you hit your head on something this morning. Maybe we should head for the house now." I remarked uncertainly as Tommy sighed. He must have sensed my unease because he walked out first—taking the lead toward the back door of his kitchen as I stared warily through the window at the dark silhouettes that inhabited it. Watching Tom open the door was like watching a scene from a really bad B-rated horror film. The hinges creaked. Dun Dun Dun…
"Good morning." Tom called out as he walked through—completely ignoring the knowing stares that followed us as Tommy pulled two coffee mugs down from his cabinets before grabbing for the coffee pot. A slight brush of air behind me made me jump as Mason came up to me and leaned over my shoulder.
"And here I thought he had murdered you and buried the body. Here's to hoping you aren't squeamish about sharing details." Mason whispered as I elbowed him in the stomach. He grunted.
"Could I get you a cigarette…a nice Columbian cigar maybe?" Tom's brother Matthew asked with a smirk as I blushed—staring down at the floor to cover up the fact that I felt uncomfortable. Tommy threw Matt a look that said 'back off' as Matthew just laughed. Everyone else was just quiet. Too quiet. Tommy handed me a mug of coffee just as Catalina edged up next to us.
"Can we talk?" She asked Tommy in a whisper as I winced. God, how had this happened? Oh yeah, Tom and I managed to have sex last night. Big deal, right? I was nonplussed. Tom stared at his mother for a moment before finally nodding reluctantly. I somehow ended up holding both our mugs as he followed her out of the room into the living room. My blood pressure was rising. Never good, I tell you. The rest of Tommy's family surged toward me as I almost dropped one of the cups.
"So…." Matthew began as he draped an arm across my shoulder casually. I narrowed my eyes.
"Can we talk book here…a biography maybe because let me tell you they give medals to women like you, or should give medals to women like you if they don't already, for unraveling the mystery of Thomas Quincy." Matthew drawled as I pushed carefully at his arm. Oh boy, did he have that wrong! I hadn't even begun to unravel Tommy's mystery. We had slept together. How did that change the obstacles that still sat in our path? It didn't. It just made them bigger. A sudden crash in the next room over made us all glance up quickly. Tommy's grandmother began saying something in Italian, and I realized suddenly that it eerily resembled a prayer.