Finding Her Way in a Storm Ch. 09-10

"She did what?" Kaia replied, her voice dropping an octave as she turned away from the naughty show Skyler was putting on for her.

Skyler was instantly aware of the change in her lover's voice and demeanor. She'd seen the way Kaia had suddenly stiffened, and the tension that had sprung into her tone was unmistakable. She ceased her slutty display and sat up, righting her clothes.

"She apparently talked the nurse that cares for her during the days while her dickhead lawyer husband is working into contacting Calista at work. The woman claimed that Lisa had been trying to get ahold of you at your old number but had discovered you'd changed it. She said Lisa was desperate to talk to you so that she could explain things."

Kaia's eyes threatened to mist over as she thought about the woman who'd hurt her badly. She'd loved Lisa with all of her heart and been willing to do anything to make her happy. Whether it was leaving the Marine Corps or carrying a child for her, nothing had seemed too daunting a challenge to have Lisa be the woman standing beside her for the rest of their natural lives.

But Lisa had taken her heart and spit on it the moment Kaia's back had been turned. She'd then compounded that dastardly act by rejecting her attempt to forgive her, nearly having her arrested and ruining her standing with the military in the process.

No, Kaia thought that she could go without having her questions answered. Talking with Lisa now was likely to only tear at healed wounds, and Kaia had no interest in doing that.

"Thanks for telling me, Terri, but I don't have any interest in talking to her. She had her chance to explain months ago and couldn't be bothered. Under no circumstances are you to give her my contact information."

Skyler listened to Kaia's end of the conversation and knew immediately what the call was about. Her heart broke for the woman she'd fallen in love with. Kaia's words were harsh, but something told Skyler that there were conflicting emotions behind them. She might have meant every word she said, but Skyler could read the regret in Kaia's body language at having to utter them.

Was she still in love with this Lisa woman? Skyler guessed that it would make sense if she was. After all, you don't just turn something like that off, do you?

And if so, what did that mean for them? Skyler hadn't yet told Kaia that she was in love with her. It just seemed too soon. Things had been going so well, and she didn't want to scare Kaia away, particularly knowing that she'd just come out of such an intense relationship that had ended so poorly. It was Skyler's hope that Kaia would come to terms with her own feelings about her. She desperately wanted the more experienced woman to be the one to say it first, removing the burden Skyler felt at having to hide her true feelings.

Skyler snapped out of her thoughts and insecurities just in time to hear Kaia say her goodbyes, tossing her cell onto the coffee table. She then sat back down next to Skyler, the auburn-haired beauty instinctively sliding into Kaia's outstretched left arm and laying her head against the cocoa-skinned beauty's chest.

"Are you okay?" Skyler asked, not wanting to push Kaia but wanting her to know that she could talk about it if she needed to.

There was a brief pause as Kaia took a deep breath, slowly releasing it. Skyler wasn't sure that her girlfriend intended to answer, the silence between them stretching out for nearly a minute.

"That was my friend Terri from back in San Diego," Kaia finally offered.

"The cop?"

Kaia had told her all about her life on the west coast, the pleasant parts, and the bad. So Skyler knew that Terri and her wife had been an enormous part of her support system in her former life.

"That's the one. Apparently, my ex got in contact with Terri's wife through a third party wanting to know how to get in touch with me. Terri says she's feeling the need to unburden herself of the guilt she feels at the hurt she caused me," Kaia said, instantly hating the bitterness present in her voice. She'd thought herself past this already, which made her resent Lisa's intrusion on her new life all that much more.

"And?" Skyler said, not sure how much to push the subject.

Kaia shrugged her shoulders and said, "And nothing. I really don't care to hear anything she has to say. She had her chance to explain but passed without really saying a word. I sat in that hospital in Germany for six weeks without hearing a peep from her, and it's been almost four months since I got back. She doesn't have anything to say to me that I care to hear."

Skyler observed her face as she talked, and though her words said one thing, her eyes showed something that Skyler couldn't quite put the finger on. A haunted look that said Kaia wasn't as emotionally detached from the situation as she claimed.

She let it go, though, and the subject didn't come up again for months.

The following weekend turned out to be significant for both women. That Saturday morning was the first time Kaia met Skyler's mother. The couple met Bree Ann about thirty minutes away for lunch in a quaint Italian restaurant. Despite knowing how supportive Skyler's mother had been to her girlfriend, Kaia still had a nervous stomach when the mature version of her lover approached their table.

Her nerves had disappeared the moment Bree Ann Grace had wrapped her arms around Kaia's neck and hugged the younger woman like she was her long lost child. It was night and day in comparison to the reception she'd received from Lisa's parents. There was nothing false or artificial about the way Skyler's mother behaved. She was genuinely thrilled to meet Kaia.

The three women enjoyed a long lunch with Kaia encouraging Skyler's mother to reveal lots of embarrassing details about her daughter as a child and a young girl. The auburn-haired young beauty could only grin and bear the onslaught as best she could before finally waving her white napkin in surrender.

Skyler's mother's last act before getting into her car was to give Kaia a prolonged hug, kissing her daughter's girlfriend on the cheek. As Skyler watched her mother drive away, she laid her head over against Kaia's chest and smiled.

"I told you that she would love you. Hell, she hadn't even met you, and I think she was already more than halfway there."

Kaia squeezed her girlfriend's frame, bringing her lips to Skyler's forehead. All of the auburn-haired beauty's reassurances to the contrary hadn't been enough to completely alleviate Kaia's concerns.

"You were right, M'lady," Kaia replied with a flourish causing Skyler to laugh. God, how she loved that laugh. Even in the most innocent of situations, it always seemed to have naughty undertones.

"Well, of course, I was," Skyler said in mock indignation while poking Kaia in the ribs. "You make her baby girl happier than she's ever seen me. It was a foregone conclusion."

Kaia followed Skyler around to the passenger's side of the car, opening the door for her and not releasing her hand until she was seated inside. After Skyler was buckled, Kaia leaned in, and the two shared a kiss, both of their hearts quickening in response. Each woman tried to convey the deep feelings they shared that had thus far gone unspoken.

The couple had gone for their usual evening run, always on the same five-mile trek but alternating the directions that they ran to keep things interesting. On that particular night, their path had left them doing their cool-down as they walked past Skyler's house.

Kaia was the first to spot Skyler's father standing out in the front yard with a water hose in his hand. The pastor was apparently watering the shrubs and flowers that bordered the sidewalk in front of their home. Skyler had shown her family pictures on her cell phone, so the man was easily recognizable.

"There's your dad," Kaia whispered.

Skyler looked up and saw her father, who had already spotted them, a smile on his face as he raised a hand in greeting.

"No worries, baby," Skyler said, keeping her voice low, a smile on her face as she waved back at him. "Just be yourself and we'll be fine."

"You girls look tired," Jonathan Grace said as he made his way over to the front walkway where he offered Kaia his hand. "Pastor Jonathan Grace, and you must be Kaia."

The former Marine returned her brightest smile and took the hand offered. The pastor's handshake was firm but not overly so. There was no attempt to intimidate or anything to overtly indicate that Jonathan Grace was aware of what was happening between her and Skyler.

"She's wearing me out, Daddy. I can barely keep up with her and I know that she's still holding back."

Kaia laughed and said, "Maybe just a little but she's doing really well for being so new to it."

Both women were fully aware of the sexual subtext to their words. Skyler hoped that her father didn't pick up on it as well. The chemistry between the two women was thick and palatable. The couple always struggled not to be too obvious when they were out in public together.

"I was hoping to catch you two on your run. Your mother wanted me to extend an invitation to Kaia to join us after church tomorrow for Sunday dinner."

Skyler and Kaia exchanged a quick look. The auburn-haired beauty felt her stomach do a roll knowing instantly that something was up. There was no way her mother would have her father extend that invitation without having an ulterior motive.

"Sure, that sounds great," Kaia said confidently as she smiled back at Skyler's father.

"Great," Jonathan said, "I'll let her mother know." And then turning to look at his daughter, he said, "You don't be too late tonight. We have church services in the morning."

"Yes, daddy," Skyler replied as her father turned and went back to watering his flowers as they walked away.

When they were far enough away, Kaia couldn't help but tease her girlfriend, if for no other reason than to alleviate the tension that had settled between them.

"Yes, Daddy, I'll be a good girl, Daddy. I'll be home and in bed right after Kaia gets done eating my pussy, Daddy," Kaia said in a little girl's voice meant to be an oversexualized version of Skyler.

"Stop!" Skyler squealed as she poked at her girlfriend's shoulder, laughing as she scolded Kaia's naughtiness.

When the two had finally quit laughing, Kaia said, "Do you think he knows?"

Skyler shook her head, paused a moment, and then shrugged her shoulders. "He knows something is up, and he evidently knows it has to do with you. Mom has been talking to him and slowly leading him down the path to where she thinks dad will accept it. Apparently, she thinks he's ready because I don't see her doing this for any other reason. But she would never tell him herself because she thinks it's important that it comes from me," Skyler said.

"Smart lady," Kaia replied, bumping her shoulder against Skyler's.

"She is, and although she's very sneaky about how she does it and most people would never realize it, she wears the pants in that house. I think my dad knows it but he would never admit it and my mom would never humiliate him by mentioning it."

"That makes me feel better about tomorrow then," Kaia said. "Because after meeting your mom this morning, I think we both know what she wants."

Skyler reached over and took her hand as they finally made it back to her house, the two lovers both feeling the same sense of anticipation they always felt whenever they were about to be alone together. It was a relief whenever they knew they could shut out a judgemental world and just focus on each other.

"Now, I just have one thing that I need to worry about between now and then."

Skyler looked over at her girlfriend as Kaia closed the door behind her. Kaia turned to her, a hungry look in her gray eyes as she stepped towards Skyler, who backed up against the wall, her breath catching in her chest.

"What is that?" Skyler asked, her eyes going down to Kaia's lips, who was only inches away from her own.

"Getting my fill of your tasty pussy so that you aren't late for your curfew."