Chapter 7: Waitin' On a Woman
"Honey, take your time, cause I don't mind / Waitin' on a woman"
Sasha woke up slowly, enveloped in a warm feeling he hadn't experienced…ever. He felt the soft, curvy body of a woman curled into his chest and for a moment he couldn't remember what had happened the night before. Then it all came rushing back.
Payson, sobbing in his arms. The look on her face as she came apart beneath him, her cheeks rosy and her body covered in a fine sheen of sweat. She was spectacular. And she was in his bed. Well, her bed…her hotel bed.
Sasha traced his fingers up her side just enough to feel the silk of her skin, but not enough to wake her. She deserved a good night's sleep after the day she'd had. If Sasha ever saw Jeffrey again, and Harper wasn't in the immediate vicinity, he'd be in heaps of pain.
He knew the moment Payson woke up. First, she melted beneath his hands, and then almost immediately she froze, her body tense. Damn. He'd been hoping to skip the morning after regret. He meant what he'd said about being by her side forever, no matter what, but the back and forth from her was exhausting.
"Morning," he said, his voice rough from sleep. She turned over, her eyes squeezed shut.
"Morning. Uh…could you…"
"I've got to be getting back to my own room. Wouldn't want the girls to see…"
"Right. We don't want them to get the wrong idea…" Neither of them were really finishing their thoughts, and Sasha knew it. There was so much hanging in the air between them, years of emotional baggage, and a hotel in Miami was not the place to hash it all out.
Sasha climbed out of bed, being as discreet as possible and putting on the previous day's clothes. Payson put a lot of effort into not watching him. Finally, he slipped out of the room, leaving Payson to her thoughts.
#
Payson wasn't sure her body could take any more emotional stress. She'd never had so many panic attacks in such a short amount of time, but there she was in the bathroom of her hotel room, standing under scalding hot water, gasping for breath. She was certain she had just ruined anything she might ever have had with Sasha.
She could hear her phone ringing the entire forty-five minutes she was in the shower. Either the press in Boulder had gotten wind of Jeffrey's situation, or Sasha wanted to talk about the night before. She couldn't deny it, her cheeks flushed just thinking about what they had done, and the butterflies low in her stomach hadn't stopped fluttering since. Why couldn't she just get over herself and be with him? She loved him, the sex was incredible, and he was a good, kind man. What the hell was her problem?
Jeffrey. He was her problem. Every time she told herself she could trust Sasha, that he loved her and would never hurt her, she remembered feeling that way about Jeffrey too. She remembered thinking that she knew him, better than anyone, and yet there she was, twenty-four years old and about to be a single mother.
Finally, Payson forced herself out of the shower. They only had so much time before the bus would take them to the airport, and as it was she already wouldn't have enough time to make herself actually presentable. She quickly dried her hair and pulled it up into a ponytail, mourning for a moment the long locks of her teenage years, and then threw on jeans and a tank top. When she was finished dressing, she finally looked at her phone. Seven missed calls, but only one from Sasha; three were from Jeffrey, one from Kaylie, one from Emily, and one from her mom. She guessed all but the one from Sasha were about the bombshell dropped at the press conference the day before. She put the phone back in her purse, unwilling to confront that issue just yet.
"Payson, you ready to go?" Sasha called, knocking lightly on the door. She felt her heart start to race as she gathered her bags.
"Yup. Just a minute."
When she opened the door, she found Sasha leaning against the wall looking so delicious it took every ounce of willpower she had not to jump him. He gave her a small, tentative smile.
"Ready?" she asked, trying to pretend they hadn't spent the better part of the night having sex. Lots of sex. He nodded and they set off for the lobby where most of the gymnasts were already waiting, as well as Kelly and Austin.
"Pay, are you okay?" Kelly asked, hurrying up to Payson as soon as she and Sasha get off the elevator. "I've been trying to call you all morning."
"I know, I was in the shower," Payson replied. She tried not to look at Sasha, their evening activities weren't something she wanted to give away yet, but Kelly noticed a difference.
"What is going on?" she hissed, grabbing Payson by the elbow and steering her away from the crowd. Payson shrugged.
"I don't know what you're talking about."
"Yes you do, Payson Keeler, and if you don't tell me right now I'll…"
"You'll what?" Payson asked. Kelly fell silent for a moment and then huffed when she realized she didn't have anything to hold over Payson's head. Not that she was willing to use, anyway.
"Fine, fly safe." Kelly hugged Payson and sent her on her way.
#
"I thought we might use the flight time to discuss the girls' new training schedule," Sasha said as the plane leveled out at its cruising altitude. Payson's grip on the armrest has just relaxed, for a girl who had done more than her fair share of international travel she hated to fly, and already Sasha was diving right in.
"Uh, sure," Payson agreed, swallowing past the nervous lump in her throat. Sasha's knee brushed hers, the rough texture of his jeans against her bare knee making her shiver. Sasha glanced at her sideways, his eyes burning, and Payson felt desire bloom low in her belly again. He handed her a spreadsheet with a schedule on it and their fingers brushed. Payson took a deep breath, wondering how she could survive the next few hours.
"Since you're coaching full time now I thought we could run conditioning in the morning; one of us strength, the other cardio, and in the afternoon we can work skills. What do you think?"
Payson was distracted by the shape of his lips as he spoke. Images flashed through her mind of the night before, and she could swear she felt his lips on her skin in that moment too. He turned to stare at her, his beautiful lips moving, and she realized he was speaking.
"Payson, are you okay?" Sasha asked.
"Hmm? Oh, yes, I'm fine. That sounds great," she said, her voice a little strangled. Sasha started to reach for her, and then dropped his hand back into his lap.
"I think Annabelle really needs to focus on getting her DOD as high as possible. I'd like us to work with her on creating a new skill, one that might be named after her in the Code of Points," Sasha finally said. Payson nodded.
"I have an idea," Payson said slowly. She could see the skill in her mind, the perfect one for Annabelle, allowing her to showcase her strength and precision…if she could land it. It also allowed Payson to stop thinking about Sasha for a moment.
"Well?" he prompted.
"She'd have to dedicate a lot of work to it, but what about a Yurchenko with a triple twist?" Payson suggested. She saw Sasha frown.
"A woman has never done a triple twisting Yurchenko. Hell, there are hardly any men that can do it," Sasha said incredulously. Payson smirked at him.
"Don't you think if any of our girls can get it, it's Annabelle? She's got the strength, and the slight build that makes her light enough to get the height she needs. Let us try it, Sasha," Payson begged. Desire flashed in his eyes at the tone in her voice and Payson felt herself blush. She needed to get off that plane.
"Okay. Let's do it." Payson clapped happily and then twisted in her seat, leaning across Sasha to call to Annabelle.
"Annabelle! Come here." As soon as Payson had Annabelle's attention, she realized that she was basically lying across Sasha's lap. A look at his face told her that he realized it too; his jaw was clenched, his fingers were gripping the armrest so hard his knuckles were white, and he was looking anywhere but her. Payson scrambled upright, blushing brighter.
"What's up, coach?" Annabelle asked, crouching in the narrow aisle.
"Payson has an idea for you," Sasha said tightly. Annabelle shifted her gaze to Payson and watched her expectantly.
"How would you feel about working on a triple twisting Yurchenko to take to Johannesburg?" Payson offered. Annabelle's eyes went wide.
"What?" she breathed. "That vault hasn't ever been done by a woman."
"Well, we think you're just the woman to change that. You can do it, Annabelle. It will take a lot of work, and it will probably make you want to quit gymnastics a time or two, but you can do it," Payson promised. Biting her lip, Annabelle nodded.
"Okay, let's give it a shot."
Sasha met Payson's gaze for the first time that day, and they smiled.
#
As soon as the plane landed, Payson made tracks for her parents' house, desperate to see her girl. It was the one thing about travelling now that she would have to get used to, being away from Harper. She'd never been away from Harper for long, and an entire weekend had been almost more than she could take.
"Mom! Dad!" Payson called as she let herself in.
"Backyard, honey!" Kim called back. Payson jogged through the house and out the backdoor, where she spotted her mother sitting on the grass, watching Harper chase a butterfly.
"Mommy!" Harper shrieked when she caught sight of Payson. She scampered across the yard, flinging herself against Payson's knees. Payson scooped her up, hugging her tightly and peppering kisses over her face.
"Hi baby! Did you have fun at Grandma's this weekend?" Payson asked, shifting Harper onto her hip. Harper hugged her neck tightly and nodded.
"We played with puppies!" Harper cried. Payson raised her eyebrows and looked at Kim, who just shrugged.
"We may have gone to the pet store."
"Seriously, Mom?" Payson sighed. She just knew Harper was going to want a dog now.
"How are you holding up, honey?" Kim asked as they watched Harper return to chasing the butterfly. Payson shrugged.
"Fine," she said tightly. Kim did that thing where she just stared until Payson felt every emotion she'd been holding on to rise to the surface. She felt hot tears prick in her eyes and her lip tremble. She didn't want to cry.
"I'm such a horrible person," Payson said, her voice breaking as tears started to slip down her cheeks.
"What do you mean, Payson?" Kim asked, scooting closer to her daughter and wrapping an arm around her shoulders.
"I slept with Sasha. I know how he feels about me, and I slept with him anyway. I'm a terrible person! He deserves so much better than how I'm treating him," Payson cries, hiding her face in her hands. Kim pats her arm and hugs her tightly.
"Sweetie, why don't you just talk to Sasha."
"I've tried, believe me I've tried."
Kim was silent for a few long moments, no doubt processing everything that Payson had told her, and then she took a deep breath.
"Pay, I'm going to say something that might seem harsh, but it's only because I want the best for you. You need to take a long hard look at your life and figure it out. I'm not saying that you can't be hurt by what Jeffrey did to you, you can and you should. But if you love Sasha, you need to suck it up and tell him. You can't let one terrible person like Jeffrey ruin the rest of your life, you're twenty-four years old, you've got a lot of life to go," Kim said. Payson blinked. She'd never been the one who needed someone to tell it to her straight, that had always been Emily and Kaylie. She was the one that did the telling. But apparently things were changing.
"But…"
"But nothing. You've never let your fear stop you before, not for long anyway. Not even after your back."
Payson nodded and swallowed thickly. Could she do it? Could she let Sasha in? Watching Harper play in the yard, she realized she needed to set an example for her daughter, teach her to face her fears no matter what. Fear would not rule her life.
"Thanks, Mom. I should get Harper home." Kim patted her knee.
"You're welcome. Sure you don't want to stay for dinner?"
"No, it's okay. Love you," Payson said. Kim followed her in and helped her gather Harper's things before seeing them off.
The almost the entire drive home Payson thought about what her mother had said; about facing her fears. Hadn't Sasha always helped her through them before? Why should it be any different just because he was her fear? Finally Payson put it out of her mind and turned up the radio, singing along loudly with Harper in the backseat.
When they got home, Payson carried Harper inside, leaving the bags for later. Harper sat herself down at the dinner table and Payson called for a pizza. As she ordered, she noticed several messages on the machine.
"Payson, its Jeffrey. I've been trying to reach you, but since you won't answer or return any of my calls I suppose I'll have to tell you over a voicemail…I bought a house in Boulder, and I'm going to ask for full custody of Harper."
At the sound of her name, Harper looked up, her eyes dancing. Payson felt like she couldn't breathe. That was two bombshells in as many days, and she thought her heart might just give out. Full custody to Jeffrey? Not going to happen.
"Harper, sweetie, go upstairs and play while we wait for the pizza to get here, okay?" Payson asked, barely able to keep her voice from breaking. Harper jumped down and ran happily up the stairs while Payson dialed Jeffrey's cell phone number.
"Looks like I've got your attention, finally," Jeffrey said by way of answering his phone. Payson saw red and her fist clenched.
"Full custody my ass, Jeffrey," Payson hissed.
"I just think Harper would be better off with Rebecca and I, and her little brother or sister. A real family, instead of just her and her single mother." Payson felt like he'd slapped her. His words stung, and they brought tears to her eyes.
"A real family? Your slutty mistress and your bastard child? I will not have my daughter living in that kind of home. Besides, I thought you weren't meant to be monogamous?" Payson felt awful calling a helpless, unborn child a bastard, but right now all she wanted was to hurt Jeffrey like he'd hurt her.
"Rebecca has shown me the error of my ways. We're getting married, just as soon as our divorce is final," Jeffrey revealed. Again, it felt like he'd hit her. She sure was taking an emotional beating.
"That's fine, I don't give a damn what you do, but you will not be bringing my daughter into that house full time. Over my dead body," she promised. Jeffrey chuckled.
"We'll see."
Then he hung up. He hung up on her. Payson barely kept it together as she dialed another number, stumbling through the digits she hadn't had memorized for long. It rang several times before someone finally answered.
"Steve Tanner."
"I just got a call from my husband," she spat like the word tasted badly in her mouth. "He has informed me he's seeking full custody. That had better not happen, Steve," Payson insisted.
"It won't, Payson, I promise you. Courts are usually very deferential to mothers when granting primary custody, unless the father can show some serious evidence that the mother's home isn't the best place for the child. Trust me, Payson," Steve pressed. Payson's hands were shaking.
"I want him buried. I know it's petty, but I want to make this as difficult as possible for him," Payson said through clenched teeth. She could almost hear Steve smiling.
"We can do that."
#
A little while later, as Payson and Harper played with Barbies on the living room floor, the doorbell rang. Harper jumped and ran to the kitchen, standing on her tiptoes and grabbing money off the short table next to the phone, thinking it was the pizza man. Payson opened the door thinking the same thing.
"Payson," Sasha said, staring at her. Payson felt the breath leave her body; Sasha looked fantastic in jeans and a dress shirt with the sleeves rolled up. Plus, that look in his eyes…he'd had it all day, like he was constantly replaying the night in his mind. It made her heart race.
"Sasha," she whispered. Harper scampered between them, holding out the money before looking around for the pizza.
"Hey! Where's my pizza?" She asked, frowning. Sasha looked down at her, confused.
"We ordered pizza for dinner, she thought you were the delivery man. Do you want to stay for dinner?" Payson asked. Sasha smiled, and then crouched down in front of Harper.
"Would it be all right with you, Miss Harper, if I stayed for dinner?" Sasha asked. Harper didn't always remember people if she hadn't spent a lot of time with them, and Payson could see that she recognized Sasha, but couldn't quite place him. Hesitantly, she nodded.
"Okay. But you can't eat my pizza. I get a whole piece!" Sasha laughed.
"I promise," he said. Harper skipped happily away, back to her Barbies. Sasha stepped inside and motioned for Payson to follow him into the kitchen.
"I'm sorry, about this morning Sasha," Payson said, keeping her voice low.
"Its fine, I understand," Sasha promised.
"Thank you, but that doesn't make the way I acted okay," Payson pressed. "I...last night was incredible, and I don't know that I would've survived if it weren't for you."
"Can I ask you something?" Sasha asked, watching her carefully. Payson nodded.
"Anything."
"I don't understand what's holding you back. You say things like you just said, and tell me how much I mean to you, but you still won't give us a chance. I know it can't possibly be because you think I'll do to you what Jeffrey has done, because you know I would never," Sasha insisted. He closed the distance between himself and Payson, standing so close she had to look up to meet his eyes.
"I know you wouldn't," Payson breathed. "I'm afraid of me. I'm afraid of moving too quickly."
Sasha's hand came up to trace her cheekbone, her jaw line, before it came around to fully cup her cheek. Payson leaned into the warmth radiating from his skin, her eyes fluttering closed.
"So we'll go slowly," Sasha whispered, starting a fire low in her belly. "Let's…date."
Payson smiled up at him and nodded just before his lips sealed over hers.
A/N: Yay, they're dating! Anyway, a BIG ole thanks to justxsmile, iheartcam, JCI, JacenLukeSolo, Ida-cullen, natalieblack, goalie19, JTellersOldLady, AngelWings8, Elli-Wyatt, mind-the-apostrophe, crazylady789, and BearyFunny66 for your wonderful reviews!
Some people have taken issue with how much time Payson doesn't spend with Harper ("on camera" anyway) and that's because I honestly have the WORST trouble writing small children. It's been a long time since I've been around kids under the age of 8 so it's really difficult. But she does show up a little more in the coming chapters. Also, most of you wanted to see Sasha beat the crap out of Jeffrey and, well…just wait for it. I've got plans, don't worry.
Thanks so much for reading! Please review!