Chapter 13 – SPOV
Eric was here, in my living room, now, this second and all I can do is cry. I'm so overwhelmingly happy that I can't think straight.
I feel someone wrap their arms around me, sit me in their lap and start rubbing circles on my back. It took me a minute or so to get myself together enough to recognize the scent of the person holding me, Eric. He was here, he was holding me, he was comforting me... so why on God's green earth am I crying?
"Oh Eric…I'm just so happy to see you I can't help myself! I'm sorry!" I cried, wrapping my arms around his neck and trying to stop myself from making it worse. It didn't work. I was hysterical I'm sure, I'm glad he was looking after me.
I felt him lift me up as if I weighed nothing, we were going back upstairs, I couldn't even summon up the energy to be embarrassed. He gently laid me down on my bed and spooned in behind me… part of my brain was doing a happy dance, part was realizing he was in my bed and part was just finally glad to know what it felt like to be held like this by someone I love.
I could feel him stroking my hair, telling me he loved me and murmuring sweet nothings, or at least I assumed they were sweet nothings, I don't think he knew he was speaking in Swedish.
I slowly regained my senses and snuggled back into his embrace, I felt so safe, happy and loved. Eric was here. I spun in his arms and kissed him hard, I didn't want to stop, but I knew I should, if only to finally say hello. "I'm so happy you're here, but for future reference, I hate surprises" I chuckled as I hugged him tight.
"I'll keep that in mind love…" he said with a soft laugh "Now… as much as I would like to stay here with you in my arms for the rest of forever, I know your Gran will be upset if we don't go back down and honestly, if we don't move soon I won't be able to stop myself from starting something I shouldn't."
It took me a minute to understand what he was saying… Gran, downstairs, starting something he shouldn't… Ding!
"OH!" I gasped and moved away as quickly as I could "I'm sorry! I didn't think…" I still wasn't thinking; the thought of Eric in my bed, even better a turned on Eric in my bed was just…so tempting. I flashed back to the night we had phone sex and remembered the noises he made…so hot… 'NO!' I scolded myself…middle of the day, visitors, family and obligations as a hostess bought me to my senses.
"Never mind, angel" he laughed and wiped my cheeks with his thumbs… oh swoon, he was so sweet.
"Just give me a minute to control myself and we can go back down" he said with a gentle smile.
I mentally shook myself and grabbed some tissues to wipe my eyes. I hated crying, I always ended up with a headache and a stuffy nose. I blew my nose as politely as I could and after checking myself quickly in the mirror and deciding I wasn't completely wrecked I turned and smiled at him. Eric was in my room… with me. I stood close and we kissed again before he moved me back out the door… darn.
"Sorry y'all" I said as we re-entered the living room "I don't take too well to surprises."
Everyone laughed gently and looked at me with understanding. I made the rounds, shaking hands and saying hello. Mrs. Dawson, who insisted I call her Maggie, wrapped me up in a hug like a mother should. I couldn't help but love her on the spot; she was sweet and obviously had a big heart.
Mitch was the same, I could tell he put out a front of a tough silent type, but the way his wife looked at him and the way he kept an eye on the two little ones playing in the corner showed me he hid a kind and generous heart. Trey was a lucky man.
Speaking of Trey, I could barely catch his attention he was so caught up with Amelia, he was completely smitten, but pulled himself together enough to say hello and gave me a smile so I let him be without teasing him one bit. I winked at Amelia though to let her know I was keeping an eye on her and she actually blushed! It was too cute.
I turned to find Eric sitting next to my Gran who was holding his hand and looking at him like he had hung the stars. I walked over and curled into his side, taking possession of his other hand and reveling in the fact that my family already loved the man who had stolen my heart. I absently drew shapes on his palm as Gran fired off question after question, trying to know him better and I spoke with Maggie and Mitch.
"Thank you so much for coming down today" I said with a smile "It can't be easy to get such a large family on the move in the mornings"
"No" they laughed together
"We have plenty of practice though" said Maggie with a smile "and truthfully we wouldn't have it any other way."
"I'd love to have a large family myself" I confessed and smiled when I felt Eric squeeze my hand gently, apparently he did too "It was easier on Gran to only have Jason and I, but I would have loved to have a sister to play with"
"How did you come to live with your Gran?" Mitch asked gently… I knew he was a sweetheart.
"Well, when I was little they left us here with Gran for the weekend and never came back, they rang and said they weren't cut out to be parents." I said simply
"I'm sorry to hear that" said Maggie with a sad frown "I can't imagine what that must have been like for all of you"
"I barely remember them, but Gran is so strong and wonderful I don't mind a bit, I'm just sorry she had to start over again with us when she should have been retiring" I laughed gently
"Now Sookie" Gran piped up "Don't you start with that 'Poor Gran' nonsense, you know I'm not the retiring type"
"Yes Gran" I laughed, joined soon afterward by Eric, Mitch and Maggie.
"Hiya Sookie" a little voice said in my ear
"Well hello there" I said surprised "Aren't you just the cutest little thing! You must be Heidi" I added with a smile, holding my hand out for her to shake
"Ep!" she said with a grin and threw her little arms around my neck "Nice ta meet ya!"
We all laughed as I hugged her back.
"Now… did Eric behave himself at the tea-party yesterday" I asked seriously.
"Oh yes" she nodded "he ate all his cake and didn't spill any tea at all"
"Oh good" I laughed "Does that mean he gets to come again?"
"Yep yep!" she said with a smile "Maybe you have a tea set and we can play laters?" she asked turning her head on the side like a confused puppy.
"I sure do" I smiled "it's in that box over there with the dolls, so maybe you and I and Lucy will get together and we'll decide who to invite."
"Sounds good ta me!" she chirped and ran off to tell Lucy the plan, leaving the adults behind her laughing.
"She's a darling" I said with a fond smile
"She knows it too" Mitch laughed "Has us all wrapped around her little finger, just like her mother"
We all laughed again as Maggie blushed and swatted at her husbands arm. "Hush Mitch" she scolded gently "I do no such thing!"
"Now Sookie…" Maggie said quickly changing the subject "Eric said you met online?"
I noticed lots of pairs of ears pricking up at this and wondered what he had told them.
"Yes, I'd been confined to the house for a while, I had broken my leg and I was using the internet quite often to keep myself entertained" I said with a chuckle
"How in heavens name did you break your leg!" Maggie asked in horror "I've been lucky enough never to break a bone, but I've had eight children so I can imagine how much it hurt."
"It was my fault" Amelia piped up "I had talked her into wearing heels, and she'd never worn them before, we were going to go out to a club to show off Sookie's new look and she fell down a flight of stairs"
"Needless to say my new look didn't last very long after that" I added with a laugh "Poor Amelia was so upset she gave up trying to talk me into things for a whole month"
Everyone chuckled at the blush that covered Amelia's face "Well!" she said with a laugh "At least you got to meet Eric, so I'm not a complete failure"
"Ah yes, back to that" Maggie laughed "Now did you meet on one of those dating websites or…" she trailed off.
"No no," I said "just a normal chat room where people got together to shoot the breeze. Unfortunately on that day everyone seemed to have forgotten their brains and were talking or I should say typing like Paris Hilton… like, that's hot and like" I imitated with a flick of my hair
Everyone laughed at my impression as I continued
"And so I was just reading along and noticed that Vikingboi over here wasn't saying anything, so I sent him a message, he replied rudely" I chucked, Maggie gasped and gave Eric the evil eye and made him laugh.
"So I called him a snob! And the rest is history!" I finished with a laugh as Maggie, Mitch, Trey, Gran and Amelia joined in I felt Eric tug my hand gently to signal he wanted me back at his side.
I snuggled back into him and gently kissed the arm I was leaning against. The time passed quickly with chatter and laughter and before long Gran announced it was time to eat.
"Adele I have to thank you again for your pie! It came in handy, the boys ate mine for lunch" Maggie said with a laugh as we were moving into the kitchen "Would you mind excusing my rudeness if I begged you for the recipe?"
"Oh Maggie darlin' you don't need to beg!" Gran said with a laugh "You put Eric up and bought him down here to see Sookie, a recipe for pie is the least I can do! You come along here and I'll pull it out for you"
The two moved to the pantry and pulled out Gran's box of favorites as Mitch continued on and yelled out the door for everyone to come in for lunch.
I greeted all the boys as they ran in barely able to keep them straight as they all looked so similar. Jason came in last with a huge smile on his face, he loved kids. My heart hurt a little as I hoped he would find someone to settle down with soon and have a family of his own. He would make a great Daddy.
I felt arms wrap around my waist and leant back into Eric's chest with a sigh. It was so right having him here; I never wanted him to leave. I don't know how I'm going to survive when he goes back to Ithaca, even if we do use Skype it's not going to be the same as being held in his arms.
"Penny for your thoughts my love" he whispered in my ear, making me shiver in delight.
"I'm thinking I never want to let you leave" I said softly, turning in his arms and hugging him tightly.
"WOOOO!" came the cat calls from five of the six Dawson boys. Trey was still too wrapped up in Amelia to pay attention to anything else right now.
I poked my tongue out at them and we all sat down to eat. An hour later everyone was full, most of the leftovers were gone and Heidi was crashed out on the couch, asleep.
Gran pulled me into a hug and kissed me on the forehead "He's a wonderful man Sookie, I'm glad you found each other" she smiled "Why don't you two go for a walk and spend some time together."
"That's a great idea, Gran" I smiled kissing her cheek "thank you."
"Scoot" she grinned flapping a tea towel at me
The look on Eric's face when I suggested we go for a walk was so cute, it was all I could do to keep the kiss I gave him G rated.
"Love, would you mind grabbing your camera?" Eric asked. "Mom wanted to see a picture of us together, and I have to admit I'd like one myself"
"It would be nice… I'll be right back!" I giggled and dashed up the stairs.
We wandered around Gran's property for about half an hour, just chatting about nothing and enjoying each others company. We took a seat under a tree, Eric pulling me back against his chest as I settled between his legs. It was a beautiful moment and I hoped there would be more like them sooner rather than later.
We snapped a few photos of ourselves as we were sitting, some as we kissed each other and a few goofy ones. I loved that we were so in tune with each other, I loved that it was so easy and nothing seemed rushed or more important than just being together.
"How am I going to leave you again?" he asked sadly.
"I don't know" I admitted "I don't know how I've gone this long without you"
"Maybe I can fly down on weekends or something until we graduate" he suggested
"As nice as that would be, its too expensive to do every weekend. Besides, I'd want to see your place in Ithaca too" I said "What about we trade off and alternate months, I'll come to Ithaca and you come to Bon Temps"
"You'd do that?" he asked hopefully
"Of course I would, I'm just as much in this as you are" I laughed "Silly boy, I love you, I'd do anything for you" I smiled and kissed the tip of his nose.
"Same here Sookie" he smiled and captured my lips with his own.
Kissing Eric was like nothing else, it was better than chocolate, it was better than the first sip of coffee when you're dying for a boost, it was better than the feeling you get when you finally fall into bed after a long day.
We kissed and the world stood still around us. I turned and straddled his lap, I could feel his hardness against my core as I ground my self into his lap, needing to be closer to him.
"Sookie…" he moaned as his fingers wound into my hair and he kissed me harder.
I moaned into his mouth, and pressed myself against him, still wanting more.
"You're making it very hard for me to behave, love" he growled
"I don't want you to behave…" I whispered as I pulled his earlobe into my mouth and pulled our shirts up enough to feel his skin against my own.
"Sookie" he groaned "as much as I want this, I don't want to do it like this" his fingers brushed over the side of my breast making me gasp. "I want us to be comfortable, in a bed where I can appreciate the view and not worry about being sprung by your brother"
I laughed a little at that "I can understand that, but I feel bad for getting you so worked up"
"I've been semi hard all day" he chuckled "I'd be worked up anyway"
I slid off his lap and curled into his side. "You're too good to me" I said softly as he kissed my hair.
"I'm not… I just love you" he smiled, making me want to tear up again… how did I get so lucky?
"I love you too" I said, looking into his eyes. He was the sweetest person I had ever met, and he loved me.
"We should probably head back, we've been gone for a while" he sighed after we had been holding each other for a few minutes.
"Yeah" I agreed sadly "back to the real world"
We stood and brushed grass and leaves from our clothes and tempting as it was, we held back from kissing each other again. Eric had gotten himself under control, but we knew it was only just under the surface and I didn't want to misbehave again. I was still feeling guilty about taking things so far before.
"Sorry again about… before" I said quietly as we approached the house
"There's nothing to be sorry for dear one" he said squeezing my hand "We might just have to be inventive on the phone tonight." he finished with a little chuckle and a quirk of his eyebrow
I laughed and nodded as we went back into the house. I was instantly dragged away by Lucy and Heidi to play tea party while Eric was commandeered to play football with the boys outside.
Gran looked at me with a knowing smile and patted my cheek as she provided some little cakes for our tea.
"Oh fangs Mrs. Gran!" said Heidi with a little clap
"You're welcome honey, but just call me Gran" she laughed
"Thank you, Gran" Lucy piped up. I think it was the first time I had ever heard her speak today, she must be shy with strangers.
"You're very welcome sweetheart" Gran said with a wink and smile as she moved away to talk to Maggie again.
Heidi, Lucy and I played tea-party until the boys were tired out and trooped back inside. Gran and Maggie had been in the kitchen chatting and cooking so they passed out drinks to everyone as they passed and for a few minutes there was silence.
"I still say you cheated" said John with a laugh "We had no chance against your team with Eric and Trey"
"Just because I picked people who know how to play doesn't mean I cheated" Jason said with a ruffle of John's hair. "Besides, it was 4 against 5 out there and you had your Dad"
"But you never said you had played in high school!" Jax complained
"Well you play too!" said Patrick "It just so happens that our team is better!"
"Nope…" said Max "you cheated!"
"Get EM!" yelled Luke
Bodies went flying and before we could understand what had happened; Patrick, Eric, Trey and Jason were at the bottom of the pile of arms and legs that had decided the game was unfair.
Gran and Maggie looked at each other and burst out laughing, Heidi and Lucy jumped on top giggling and laughing. Mitch just shook his head and smiled.
We all sat down to the delicious meal Gran and Maggie had put together, I could barely eat knowing that the time was coming when they would be going home and taking Eric with them.
After all the dishes had been cleared and everyone had hugged Gran goodbye the Dawson's piled in to their car. I was trying to hold back tears as I worked myself up to saying goodbye to Eric.
"Why the long face Sookie?" said Gran "I would have thought you'd be pleased that Eric was staying the night."
Eric and I looked at each other in shock, then at Gran, then at each other, then we both ran over and hugged her at the same time, much to the amusement of the Dawson crew and my family.
"Maggie and I thought you should be allowed to spend as much time together as possible" Gran said with a laugh. "Its only the night, but we figured it was better than nothing."
"It's everything Gran" I whispered "Thank you so much"
Eric and I ran over to hug Maggie next
"I've never seen anything as sweet as the two of you" she said with a smile "I only wish there was something more I could do to keep the two of you together"
"Thank you Maggie" we said and hugged her again.
The Dawson family drove away with a crunch of gravel and a roar of goodbyes from all the kids. Everyone let out a sigh of relief, they were a wonderful family, but when you aren't used to the noise they put out it was a little trying.
"Now, am I going to pretend that you're not responsible adults and put you in separate rooms, or can I trust you two to behave under my roof?" Gran asked with a smirk.
"Gran!" I cried burying my face in my hands and wishing the earth would swallow me up...
"We'll behave, Adele" said Eric with a laugh "I respect you too much to even think of trying anything."
"Well good" said Gran with a chuckle.
Eric was staying the night… In my bed… With me… I thought I'd died and gone to heaven!