Continuation of Chap 2

After a year, Mercedes was still on Sam's mind. He was surprised to find that his parents' new neighbor is a familiar face.

It's been a year since I brought Mercedes to meet my parents, and every time I come home, I think of her: Easter, Fourth of July, Thanksgiving, and birthdays. It never got better.

I dropped my bag at the door. "Hey, everyone," I said entering the family room. I lift my four month old nephew as I talked with my family.

Mom looked out the window as a moving truck passed. "Someone finally bought the house across the street. Trucks have been coming all week, but I still haven't seen the owner."

"She goes to the window every thirty minutes," Dad admitted, pulling her into his lap. He scanned the faces of his three kids, but stopped on Stevie. "Where's Georgia?"

"Oh, um, she got caught up in the storm. We took an earlier flight."

Stacy tapped at her phone. "This says that it's not snowing in-."

He quickly turned to Stacy. If looks could kill, there would have been a dead body between us. "Tell us about Drew," Stevie requested, redirecting the conversation.

"I would have loved to have met him. You should have invited him."

Dad nodded along. "We could have found him a room."

"Woah!" Stacy sat up. "You let Stevie and Georgia sleep in the same bed. You didn't separate Sam and Mercedes when they were together."

"Stevie and Georgia are married, and Mercedes isn't my daughter."

Stevie chucked to himself. "Not like Sam tried anything anyway."

I had to change the subject. "What's for dinner?"

"Pork chops," my mother answered before starting a conversation I didn't want to get into. "Do you know where Mercedes is now?"

"No, I don't," I answered. I cuddled the baby close.

"I really liked her. It's a shame that you couldn't work out, but I understand that family comes first. She ran out of here so fast last year. I hope her brother is okay."

The night Mercedes left, I told everyone that she had to leave to take care of her sick brother. They asked about Mercedes weeks after, and I told them that we broke up because she had to care for him full time. My parents never knew of the lie Mercedes and I told.

I stood. "Let's get this tree up."

I woke up the next morning and stretched out across the bed. I rubbed the side of the bed where Mercedes used to sleep before getting up. I got dressed for the day. I stopped in the hall, hearing Stacy in her room.

"I promise I'll tell them," she said into the phone. "No, no, I do. You should never doubt it." She paused when she noticed me. "I have to go."

"Drew?" I asked, earning a nod. "Let's get breakfast."

Stevie walked and bounced his crying son. He was growing more irritated with each lap around the kitchen. He tried to hold it in, but eventually he cracked. "Dad, feed him," he ordered, passing the baby. He stormed out of the house.

Stacy and I looked at each other, worried. We found him sitting under the tree in the front yard. We sat on his sides. We didn't say anything. We were just there.

"I'm just so tired of doing this alone," he admitted. He ruffled his hair. "Me and Georgia are done."

"You're divorcing?"

He nodded. "I'll ask her for one when I find her. She left two month ago. I haven't seen her. I don't know where she is."

"Two months? Who would leave their baby for that long?" Stacie asked. "I'll hunt her down."

"Relax. I just had to tell someone. I couldn't talk to Mom about it. She didn't like Georgia anyway." He made his voice high pitch to imitate our mother. "I knew it the minute I saw her. Some people aren't built to be wives. You should have listened to me. I know these things."

"Mom wouldn't have said that," I argued.

Stacy peeked around Stevie. "She wouldn't have said that to you. You're her golden boy, and you brought home Mercedes. What the hell was she going to complain about?" She took a deep breath. "Since we're getting things off our chest, I have something to say. I'm married."

"Why would you keep that a secret?"

Stacy shook her head, unsure of an answer. She played with the grass under her.

"You should have invited him here," I insisted.

"If Mom had known I was bringing someone home, she would have planned a big party. I didn't want to hear what everyone in town would say."

Stevie nodded. "Mom's not going to give up her Christmas Eve plans to party with the freaks from town."

She was quiet for a moment. "Our conscience is clear. Let's hug and go inside."

"I have something to confess," I said causing my younger siblings to giggle. "I'm serious. Last year, I asked Mercedes to pretend to be my girlfriend. She was my friend, and it was just supposed to have been for the holiday. I wanted to make Mom happy. We were bound to get caught up at some point, right? We-" I was cut off by their laughter.

"I thought I watched too much TV," Stacy chirped. "That never happens in real life."

"That's enough Hallmark movies for you, dude. Let's go." Stevie patted my shoulder as he hopped up.

A slow passing car caught our attention. It stopped across the street, and a woman got out. She didn't turn until she reached the porch of the house.

"Mercedes?" I asked myself. I rushed to the front door of the house. My heart raced faster with each knock.

Mercedes opened the door and smiled. "Hi, Sam."

"Hi," I breathed. I was excited to see her, but shocked too. I accepted her invitation to come inside. "You're living here? This is your house?"

She nodded. "I thought this house was perfect for me. When I got settled in, I was going to invite the neighbors over for hot cocoa," she joked with a giggle. "How are you? How's your family?"

"Everyone's fine," I answered. I was too amazed by her beauty. I missed her. "They would love to see you again."

She turned to look at the room full of boxes. "This can wait. I want to see them too. Did you tell them about what we did last year?"

I shook my head. As we exited the house, I explained all the lies I told to keep the original a secret. When we reached the road, I mindlessly reached for her hand. I smiled when I noticed that she didn't pull away. "Mom and Dad, come meet the new neighbor!" I yelled through the house.

Mercedes smiled as she stopped at the entrance of the sitting room. She scanned the room. "This is exactly the same… but there was a mistletoe hanging here," she said as she pointed up.

Mom entered the room and cheered at the sight. She invited Mercedes to spend the day with us and was glued to her side. She whispered and giggled hours away. When it was late, she ordered me to walk her home.

"Goodnight," I said. "There's no family activity tomorrow. I can come by and help you unpack… if you want."

She nodded. "Thank you." She gave me a soft peck on the cheek. "See you tomorrow."

After spending the whole day unpacking, we settled down to eat take out for dinner.

Mercedes laughed at my jokes. "You're still the same ol' Sam." She gathers our plates and took them to the kitchen.

She looked the same, but seemed a little different. I only got to see her like this a few days before she left me. She was, for lack of a better word, happy. She was happy, and wasn't fighting it.

"Is there a reason you bought the house across the street from my parents?" I asked. I was hoping to get my dream answer.

She leaned against the counter. "It was a steal, and I started a company in the city over," she explained.

"Oh," I said, disappointed.

"You probably wanted me to say that I move here for you, right?" She asked. "I know I made a mistake by leaving you, and it was stupid that it took three months and a long talk with my brother to know it. I knew how you felt and left anyway. I can't apologize enough."

"No, you did what you felt you had to do," I shrugged.

"I grew a lot this year. I learned that running from your problems won't solve them. You're always in the back of my mind. I should have told you that I loved you… I still do. If you're interested, I want to try a relationship with you- I mean really try. I want to stop being scared of anything that gives me pleasure."

I hugged her close and whispered, "I missed you so much." I took her round face in my hands, tilting it up toward my own, and kissed her very deeply. My hands moved down her throat and over her shoulders.

Mercedes gave a muffled moan as she pulled me closer. "You- I want you now," she breathed with her lips only meters away from mine. She began to undress herself before I could.

I helped her strip of all her clothes. I licked my lips at the sight of her naked in front of me. I reached out to touch her bare skin just below her breasts and then gently and slowly moving upward. My fingertips slid over the swell of her breasts, gently inching nearer and nearer to her nipples. "So perfect," I mumbled, hypnotized. I cupped her, and her breast overflowed the palm of my hand.

She didn't resist my hungry kisses. She closed her eyes and moaned quietly in anticipation.

I wanted to make her feel as special as she made me feel our first night. "Up," I ordered, moving my hands behind her thighs. I lifted her onto the counter, and immediately, she wrapped her legs around me to keep me close. I freed myself, knowing what I was going to do. I kissed every inch of Mercedes' body until I was on my knees in front of her. I opened her thick thighs wider.

I teased her, making my way around your pussy, kissing and gently petting. I breathed deeply, taking in her intoxicating scent. I was overcome with a desire to please. I kissed outside her lips, licking along the edge. I savored my first taste; the sweet, slightly sharp, yet exotic flavor over my taste buds. I lean in and slide my tongue the full length of her pussy, then quickly again. Nibbling, kissing, licking and sucking; I worked to please Mercedes in every way. I continued as I looked up and locked eyes with her.

She threw her head back and shuttered when I dipped my tongue inside of her. She lets out ragged breaths. Moments later, she removed her hand from my hair and tapped my shoulder as to say "enough of that." When I was up, she held me close and licked at my bottom lip. She opened my pants and freed my dick.

I was so excited that I entered her with a single thrust causing Mercedes gasp. I held her as she adjusted. When the time was right, I began to sink into her, giving her deep, slow thrusts that let her feel every inch of my cock.

Her hands were running over my body. Her nails scratching my back and aiding me in finding the right rhythm. "Please, Sam, faster." Mercedes' back arched and her toes curled at the change. She wrapped her legs around me, pulling me into her.

I made love to Mercedes there on the kitchen counter. My cock moving in and out, in and out, in and out of my hot pussy. I felt the muscles of her vagina pulsing around my cock, and knew she was close to climaxing. I wanted to feel her cum around my cock before I came myself. I scooted her closer to the edge of the counter to go deeper inside of her.

She buried her face into my neck, moaning into my ear as she felt her orgasm building inside her. Her body tightened. Her legs spasmed as she came. Her pussy gripped tight around my cock.

A familiar energy begin to surge through my body from my toes straight up my spine. I pushed into her as deep as I could and shot out a river of cum. I clenched her hips as the last drop shot inside her. I rested on her chest, panting heavily.

Mercedes and I spent the rest of the night christening her new house with our love. We went room to room. Our last stop was her bedroom.

I tightened around Mercedes, hugging her closer. "I wish we could stay like this forever," I whispered.

Mercedes hummed in agreement. She scooted back against my chest.

"But we can't." I pecked at the back of her shoulder before pulling away. I chucked when Mercedes rolled over and reached to stop me. "If I stay any longer, then neither of us will get any sleep." I got dressed and kissed her goodbye.

Stacy slammed my door open causing me to jump out of my sleep. "Sam, come to the living room." She left me to wake up the rest of the family.

"You are too old to get this excited for Christmas," I muttered. I lied down and tried to fall back asleep.

Stacy returned to my room. She took the pillow from the other side of the bed and hit me with it. "Now!" She stormed away, leaving me to drag myself out of bed.

"When you were kids, we at least got five hours of sleep on Christmas morning," Dad said as we gathered.

I leaned against the arm of the chair where Stevie sat. I wanted to complain about being woken so early, but didn't. I studied Stacy's red and swollen face.

My sister sat at the edge of the coffee table, facing our parents. She nervously tugged at the long sleeve of her pajamas. "I've been up all night thinking of how I was going to tell you. I don't like keeping things from you."

Mom reached out and softly padded Stacy's leg as encouragement.

"I've accepted it and built my life around it, but I could never say it. It was a single word that I couldn't say. It hurt me to. I knew if I had said it out loud, my whole world would change." Tears streamed from her eyes. "I will still be the baby you held at the hospital, and the same little girl you taught to ride a bike. I'm the very same one that lost her first tooth when Stevie pushed her too hard on the swing. I'm still the one that slowed Sam down mornings that he walked us to school because I wanted to jump in every rain puddle. I will be all that and everything I was a minute ago, but I'll be free."

"What are you trying to say, honey?"

She looked up at the ceiling and admitted up to the heavens, "I'm gay."

My mother pulled Stacy to sit between her and my father. "It's okay. It is okay," she comforted, petting her daughter's blonde hair. "There's nothing that you can't tell us. You have nothing to apologize for, nothing to be guilty for, and nothing to be ashamed of."

"Your friends will think it's wrong," she said through sniffles. "They'll think I'm wrong."

"This is who you are, right?" Dad turned Stacy to look at him. "You are good, and anyone that thinks differently is wrong. We'd love you no matter what… We love all of you," he said, looking out at me and Stevie

"Always have, always will," Mom added. "And you didn't have to make up a fake relationsh-"

Stacy shook her head. "Drew's my wife."

"Does she make you happy?"

"She does," Stacy admitted, wiping away her last tear. "She makes me so happy, Dad. She's strong and caring… She's everything you could want for me."

"Then it's okay.

I was proud of Stacy. I actually felt relieved knowing that she could be open. She was my sister, and I was going to support her regardless.

"Does anyone else have something to say?" Mom looked at me and Stevie.

Under our mom's watch, we felt like little kids again. "No," we said in unison. We lied.

Mercedes scanned the room with bright eyes. "I know this all started as a crazy scheme, but this was obviously the real plan."

I nodded in agreement. "You were meant for me." I took her hand and kissed it.

She lead me to the center of the room and asked for everyone's attention. "I had known Sam for years. He was right under my nose, but I had to come here to know that I loved him. Last year, Sam was about to propose, but I ran. I wasn't willing to let someone into my life just to lose them later. What I'm about to do doesn't mean we'll have a happily ever after, but you are worth taking a chance, Sam." Mercedes lowered to her knees. "I've never been happier than when I around you, and I want to stay that way for as long as possible. I know this is a little crazy because we've only been back together for a few days, so I'll give you time. If you still feel the same about me a year from now, will you marry me next Christmas?"

"No."

"No?" Everyone erupted.

"No, no, I mean- Mercedes," I called, helping her up. "Mercedes Jones, I want you to be my wife as soon as possible… Mom, how fast can you help plan a wedding?"

My mother quickly answered, "New Year's!"

I never looked away from Mercedes. "What are you doing for New Year's Day?"

Mercedes smiled at me and nodded. "I'm getting married."

I kissed her like the woman I wanted to spend the rest of my life with- like the future Mrs. Evans.

Thanks for reading. Please let me know what you thought of these two chapters. This chap was more like how it would have been if it was a full fic; Stacy and Stevie would have been important too. I read this twenty times to be sure that this was nice.