Berry's Second Chances Ch. 02

It could have been, should have been, awkward. But it wasn't. We shared an easy quiet and that said more than words might have. This thing Sam and I shared, whatever it was, I liked it too.

When the windows started to lighten, I sighed. "I should get going. Bobbie will be up soon. Better if I'm there I think."

Sam nodded. "Probably. Hey, I kind of wanted to show you something before you go though."

"Girlie, I think I've seen your everything."

"No," she chuckled. "I meant this."

She rummaged under the sheet and her hand came up, closed into a fist. When she opened it, I had to swallow the swig of water I'd just taken or risk spewing it all over the bed.

She was holding what was easily the largest diamond ring I'd ever seen.

Samantha looked as sheepish as I'd ever seen her. "Three carats. I know, it's stupid-big. But it's real, I swear. I have the money and you and I both know Heather is worth every penny. I've had it for a couple of months now, was waiting until after your wedding. I think today's the day. I could take her down to the beach after breakfast and propose. Or does that sound dumb to you?"

"It's not dumb. She'll love it."

"You'll have to be the maid of honor, you know that right? Hers and mine."

"Aw, honey, I'd be honored."

"Good. I don't care what you wear. Heather won't either. Just please don't be prettier than me at my own wedding?"

I thought she was kidding, but her bright greens held mine without blinking. She wasn't.

I nudged her knee. "Impossible. But what about Hero?"

"Best man. Duh. He's a horrible dancer but you guys can muddle through."

"No, I mean where's he fitting in?"

"Oh, that. Yeah, we talked. It's more symmetrical this way." A corner of her mouth hitched up, rueful. "Between you and me, I think he's looking forward to being our cicisbeo."

My eyebrows merged. "What the hell is a chee-chees-bay-o?"

"Google it. It's an Italian thing. It makes sense, I promise."

Heather shifted on the other side of Sam. "Google what?"

"Nothing," Sam and I both answered as the enormous ring disappeared beneath the sheet.

Heather, rousing slowly, eyed us both with suspicion, then she smirked at Samantha. "You and your secrets. You better make good on your pancake promise, chickie, or there's going to be trouble."

"Worked up an appetite last night, huh?" Sam needled, stroking her shoulder.

Heather yawned cutely. "Now that you mention it, I am completely starving."

Sam slid out from beneath the covers and scooted down to the foot of the bed, bare-assed and entirely comfortable with us watching. She plucked up her little black t-shirt and tugged it on before standing up.

"Peachers, why don't you walk Stacey downstairs? I'll go wake up Hero and we'll get cleaned up for breakfast."

Heather eased over to rest her head in my lap. "Good plan. Thanks Sammie. See you in a bit."

"No sweat. And Red? I meant what I've said. All of it. Especially the grateful part, get me?" I nodded and she waved. "Good, I'm outtie. Give your boy a smooch for me."

"Bye Sam."

When she'd gone, Heather looked up at me through her tangled golden mop. "So, shower? I don't know if there's an etiquette on this sort of thing but I'm guessing it would be rude to give you back to my brother sticky and reeking of strange pussy."

My mouthful of water launched across the bed. She rubbed my back while I sputtered, then I let her pull me into the adjoining bathroom where, inevitably, we made love again.

I came twice with my back wedged into a corner of the soapstone stall, Heather's upturned face between my legs yet again, her tongue and fingers probing everywhere to eke out the last bit of pleasure my body could offer. She followed it with a very thorough soaping, rinsing and toweling.

I was still weak-kneed beneath my robe as we rode the elevator back down to my hotel room. We looked like a matched set. She'd pulled on a hotel robe rather than bother dressing.

If I wasn't so exhausted I'd have noticed that Heather was unusually quiet. I was surprised when she pulled the elevator's stop button and looked at me with her teeth sunk deep into her lower lip.

"Berry, I need to come clean on something. Look, I didn't forget to tell you that Hero and Bobbie said that tonight was okay. I left that part out on purpose. I should have told you right from the beginning."

She'd lost me. "Why not?"

She twisted a finger into her hair, an old nervous habit that spoke volumes. "To be honest, some part of me was a little afraid you'd turn me down. If I'd showed up and laid it all out and you'd said no thanks, well, I wasn't ready for that kind of rejection."

She saw me roll my eyes and followed up, "I'm being serious, Stace. Don't you see? I'm way more... fragile... with you. You know, you're the only person that's ever dumped me."

There was nothing left to do but hug her and so I did, backing her up against the elevator wall. "And you know I've regretted that ever since."

"Good. You should." She squeezed me tight, then reared her head back. "But, look, there's another reason I didn't tell you and it's not a good one. I think there's a part of me, Berry, a bad part, that wanted to know if I could lure you away from Bobbie. Steal you from my own brother. Make you break rules for me. I'm not proud of that part. It's there though. You need to know that."

I watched her eyes fill up with shame."Bubble, sweetie, you're thinking about all of this way too hard as usual and you're not giving yourself nearly enough credit for what happened. Tonight was your idea right?"

She wiped at her nose with her robe's sleeve. "Yeah. Well, mine and Sam's."

"Remind me to thank her."

She snorted and smiled. "You already did. When you pulled her into bed with us. Sam was just hoping she'd get to watch for a little bit. I'll be peeling her off the ceiling for the next week. You've got a new fan."

"I'm glad. But back to you? From what I see, you cooked up this scheme and then you plucked up your courage and went to Hero and Bobbie and talked it over with them. What those conversations were like I can't imagine and I never want to know. So, Bubble, big picture? You did the right thing. It was all out in the open, honest, and with nothing but respect for the people around you. Girlie, I'm not sure how you do it, but you have some sort of crazy-ass gift for making impossible things fit together."

She buried her face in my shoulder. "Like puzzle pieces?" she wondered into my neck. "That's what Sam says."

"She's smart. Listen to her. Ready to go down now?"

She nodded and I pushed the elevator's stop button. When it stopped and the doors opened, Heather tried to hand me her keycard to my room. I didn't give her the choice. "Uh uh, you're tucking me in."

Down the hall, Heather opened my room's door and we slipped inside. Bobbie's back was to us and from the sound of it, he was still sleeping soundly.

We tiptoed to the bed. Heather peeled back the covers on my side and I slid in. I also plucked up the note she'd left on the pillow.

Bobbie -- told you I wasn't chicken. You'll get her back when I'm done with her. Thx, sis

I rolled my eyes at her. "You two are unbelievable. Why oh why did I marry into this family?"

"'Cause you're smart too," she shot back tartly.

"Maybe. Either way, this was the best wedding present ever," I whispered.

She grinned. "Your wedding present or my engagement present?"

I tried to keep a straight face but failed miserably. "Wait, you know?"

"Pffft, I know what Sam's going to do before she does. So, dish, what's the ring look like?"

I shook my head. "No way I'm spoiling that surprise."

She pinched me through the covers for not cooperating. "You know, this puts me right back to the same old problem. No money. What sort of engagement ring am I supposed to get Samantha with the fifty dollars in my checking account?"

"Kidding me? Bring Hero with you to the jewelry store, dummy. It'll work itself out."

"Isn't that cruel? Asking him for help buying an engagement ring for his girlfriend?"

"Nope. He'll be glad to be included."

I watched the gears in her head turn. "You may have a point there. The whole blushy innocence thing is disguise. You're way slyer than you look."

"Seduced you back in the day, didn't I?"

She leaned closer and pecked me on the lips. "I never had a chance." She smoothed the sheets. "Still, I outsmarted you on this one."

"True."

"Oooh, more than you think. Stace, this thing we did tonight? We'll be doing this again next year. And the year after that. And the year after that. For as long as you and Bobbie say it's okay."

The room spun for the hundredth time that night. "Seriously?"

"Mmmhmm, it's our standing anniversary present. Hero and Sam have me for three hundred and sixty-four nights. They don't mind sparing one for you."

"Who gets leap year?"

Her head cocked again. "Wow, I am slipping. I didn't think of that either. Maybe you'll get every fourth leap day. In the meantime, take good care of my brother."

I watched her stand and moved towards the door. "'Night Bubblegum."

"'Night Berry." She paused for a last look. "I never stopped loving you, Stace. You get that right, honey?"

"I do now. I do now."

My high school sweetheart slipped away and the door shut behind her with a soft click.

Never stopped loving you. Heather's words echoed in my ears as I rolled over and curled into Bobbie's big back. I pressed the side of my face between his muscled shoulders. I had married into the most perverted, most romantic, and most amazing family ever.

"You're a grade-A stinker, Bobbie Miller. You can wake up now," I said into skin.

His snoring continued, regular and even. He really was asleep. What was it with the Miller's and their deep snoozing?

I debated before decided to get some rest myself before molesting him thoroughly. Afterwards, there'd have to be a ton of talking. For one thing, I'd just learned my new hubbie was a little too good at keeping secrets, even nice ones.

I rolled onto my back to stare up at the ceiling. How many second chances does one girl deserve? If she gets two second chances, does that make the last one a third chance or a second, second chance?

I'd give myself a headache trying to figure it out on basically zero sleep. Either way, I'd gotten those chances and I was thankful to whatever karma sent them my way.

"I love you, Bubblegum," I whispered to the dark. I touched Bobbie's back. "You too, loverboy."

When sleep, real sleep, finally came, I wasn't running anymore. There was nothing to run from. Or to. I was right where I was meant to be.

I've been, will always be, a Miller girl.

~*~*Epilogue*~*~

I'm usually not one for things, by which I mean stuff, but that didn't stop me from jumping around the room like a ferret on smack the following morning when I found the package Sam and Heather must have snuck into our room at some point.

On the coffee table, inside a perfect white box with a perfect white ribbon were two things.

The first was a green vintage-style t-shirt with obnoxious pink lettering that readHeather's Panties Club. Sam and I wear them to Miller family barbecues with straight faces. It's our private joke.

The second thing in the box was far more serious—a dress. A perfect dress. A sister to the ones Heather and Samantha were wearing the night before.

When I lifted it from the box, it unfolded itself in my hands. It was an obscene scarlet red, bolder than anything I'd ever seen, and embroidered with a pale yellow rising sun spread across its shoulders, just like Heather's.

As Bobbie sipped his morning coffee, I shrieked and giggled and bounced around the hotel room, rubbing my cheek against its fabric, marveling at its smooth silk and the way it warmed to my touch.

The dress is the most beautiful thing ever. It's fitted just for me, gorgeous and so well made it's going to last forever—like the complex and yet simple thing I share with the unlikely women who gave it to me.

So my dress hangs in my closet, and though I touch it nearly every day, I save wearing it for one wonderful night, each and every year. My wedding anniversary plus two.

A very special two.

*~*~The End~*~*

And now we all know what happened to Berry. Go forth with glad hearts.

For the folks who asked for this story, you know who you are, I want to thank you for getting attached to Berry and for being patient.

Cheers to all,

-PF