I'm Already There

"I'm sorry I won't be there for Valentine's Day," Patrick said.

"It's okay." Hayley wasn't happy, but this was the price of dating a trucker. "I know you'd be here if you could. And I know you'll be thinking about me."

"Always, honey," Patrick said. "I miss you. But I'm always thinking about you when I'm not with you. I'm there, even if I'm not. You know what I mean?"

"I know. You're in my thoughts. I miss you too, though."

"I'll make it up to you when I get back. Take you out for a night on the town. Anywhere you want."

"It doesn't matter where we go. Spending time with you is what's important."

"Except when my job messes it up."

"Patrick, it's okay." Hayley forced the disappointment out of her voice. "You told me when we started seeing each other how it might be. You can't help where they send you and when. I'm going to miss you on Valentine's Day, but maybe you'll have a chance to call and we can at least wish each other a happy Valentine's Day."

"This is going to be the happiest one I've had in a long time, just knowing you're there."

Hayley's heart melted. "Patrick, that's so sweet!" He always made her feel so good, so loved even though they had yet to say the "L" word to each other. "This is the first Valentine's Day I've ever looked forward to."

"You didn't look forward to them when you were married?" Patrick asked.

"He rarely remembered it, and if he did he'd promise me a gift and never actually give me one."

"That's awful. A sweet lady like you deserves candy and flowers. That's what I'll do. I'll send you flowers at work. That way you'll remember me."

"How could I ever forget someone as wonderful as you?"

"Well, you never know," Patrick teased. "Some hot young stud could come along and turn your head."

"Never," Hayley replied. "You're the only man I want."

"That's good, because I don't think I want to share you." The phone beeped. "I have a call coming in, sweetie," Patrick said. "Probably my boss finally remembering to tell me where this load's going. I'll talk to you tomorrow, or online later if I stop early enough. Okay?"

"Okay. Drive safe."

"Always. Bye."

"Bye."

The call disconnected, and Hayley closed her cell. She closed her eyes for a moment and could feel Patrick's arms around her, his lips against hers. It had been two weeks since they'd seen each other; he'd been on the road or visiting his family since then. It wasn't that Hayley minded Patrick's being on the road. She knew he loved driving, and was happy for him that he had a job that meant so much to him. She knew how important his family was to him, too. She just wished they had more time together. But no matter how much or how little time they had, Patrick was worth it.

Valentine's Day was only two days away. She and Patrick had planned a romantic night, starting with dinner at the kind of restaurant Hayley had only seen in movies. She'd hated going out to eat with her ex-husband; he was always rude to the servers, and his table manners made orangutans look civilized. Their meals out had been confined to fast food places and buffets. Patrick wanted to give her more.

They would still have their romantic night, of course. Patrick would make sure of that. He treated her so well, always doing little things like helping her on with her coat or holding doors for her. And sometimes bigger things, like planning dinners or fixing her car so she wouldn't have to pay a mechanic. Hayley knew that their Valentine plans weren't canceled, just delayed, but even so it was hard to think about spending Valentine's Day without her man.

Over the next two days, Hayley and Patrick talked several times. She almost never called him when he was on the road; it was impossible to know whether he was driving, eating, or sleeping. But he called her when he could, or instant messaged her if he happened to find a wireless signal when she was online. Being apart was hard, but they made it work by keeping in touch. It was fortunate that on this run, he seemed to have plenty of time and good cell and wireless signals. The conversations were short but sweet, and Patrick ended each one with, "I miss you."

Valentine's Day morning, Hayley got up and went through her normal morning routine. She considered wearing red to work, since most of her students probably would, but decided against it. She'd never been a big fan of Valentine's Day, and even though this year it was better because of Patrick, she still didn't feel like celebrating.

At the high school where she taught, lockers were decorated with paper hearts and flowers. Couples kissed and hugged in the halls, and several girls walked around with armfuls of flowers. "It's a love-fest," Hayley complained to her co-teachers once she finally made it through the halls into her classroom.

"It's Valentine's Day, Hayley," Jim said. "Time for love and affection."

"And chocolate," Casey added, popping a truffle into her mouth. "Not that I need it, but it tastes so good! You're going out with Patrick tonight, right?"

She hadn't told her coworkers about the change in plans. "No, he got sent out on a run a couple days ago and won't make it back on time. We'll see each other this weekend, probably."

"That's too bad," Jim said. "It would have been nice if you'd gotten to see him on Valentine's Day."

"Yeah, but he'll make up for it." Hayley pasted a smile on her face. "It's okay. That's what I get for dating a trucker."

"He sounds like such a nice guy, though," Casey said. "I'm sure he'll do something special for you when he gets back."

"Yeah. And he said he might send me flowers today."

"That would be nice," Casey said. "Just figure out how to explain it to the kids. You know they'll want to know where the flowers came from."

"I'll just tell them they're from a friend."

Hayley waited all day to be paged to the office, but the call never came. Patrick must have forgotten to send the flowers, or maybe he just hadn't had a chance. Hayley tried not to be bothered by it, but it wasn't like Patrick not to do something when he'd said he would.

At the end of the day, Hayley drove home debating whether to order pizza or Chinese for supper. When she got home, she changed into her pajamas and called her favorite Chinese restaurant. Five minutes later, the doorbell rang. It couldn't be the food already; who was it?

Hayley opened the door and was met by a large bouquet of flowers, held by a delivery man whose face was hidden by the blooms. "Delivery," he said in a voice that was more a cough.

Even disguised, the voice was instantly recognizable to Hayley. "Patrick?"

"Aw, how'd you know it was me?" He lowered the bouquet and revealed his smile. "Happy Valentine's Day, honey."

Hayley took the flowers from him. "They're beautiful! But how... you're supposed to be on the road."

"Shh." Patrick stepped inside and shut the door. "I'm not here. I'm in Scranton, Pennsylvania. At least, that's what my logbook says. You should probably put those in water."

"Yeah."

Patrick followed Hayley to the kitchen and watched her find a large vase. "I wanted to be with you tonight," he said. "I drove all last night to get far enough that I'd be here today."

While the vase filled with water, Hayley set the bouquet carefully on the counter and put her arms around Patrick. "I can't believe you did this," she said. "You must be exhausted!"

"I was, but I'm awake now." Patrick kissed her, his tongue tickling her lips. When she opened her mouth to allow it in, he broke the kiss. "Wide awake."

"I see." Hayley shut off the water and put the flowers in the vase. "They're so beautiful, Patrick. Thank you." She kissed his cheek. "You're wonderful. But you shouldn't have driven so much."

"Yes, I should have. I know myself pretty well. I knew how far I could get safely. And I did get some sleep early this morning, before I came up here. I didn't want to spend Valentine's Day on the road, honey. I wanted to spend it with you."

"That's what I want too. But I can't believe you're here."

Patrick walked away. "Then I'll leave."

"No, you won't!" Laughing, Hayley chased him to the door and pinned him against it. "I'm not letting you go anywhere. You're stuck here with me for tonight."

"Oh, man... You mean I have to stay here with you all night long?"

"I ordered Chinese food."

"Oh. Well, that makes it a little better." Patrick wrapped his arms around her. "I missed you."

"I missed you too. You have no idea how much it means that you went to so much trouble to be here tonight."

"Then I guess you'll have to show me."

Hayley pressed her lips against his, softly at first. But they'd been apart for two weeks; she didn't want to take things slowly now. She slipped her tongue into his mouth and the kiss grew more intense. When Patrick's hand found her breast, Hayley moaned. "I love it when you touch me like that."

"I love touching you." Patrick slid his hand under her shirt. "How much time do we have before the food comes?"

"About half an hour."

"Damn. Not long enough." He gave her a peck on the lips and took his hand out of her shirt. "I'll have to get you all worked up after we eat."

"We could start now, then take a break when the food comes."

"You are insatiable." Patrick nibbled her neck. "But let's just cuddle until after we eat. Once I get started with you, I won't want to stop."

"Oh, fine." Hayley bit his earlobe, then took his hand and led him to the couch.

While they waited for the food, they cuddled and watched the talk show Hayley had left the TV set on. Finally the doorbell rang. Hayley started to get up, but Patrick gently pushed her back. "I'll get it," he said. "I promised you a romantic Valentine's dinner, didn't I? Though I was planning to take you somewhere a little fancier than your living room."

"At least here, we don't have as far to go to get to bed," Hayley said.

"That's true."

Patrick paid the delivery person and brought the food to the coffee table. "I only ordered for myself, but there's plenty for both of us," Hayley said.

"Just don't ask me to eat bean curd."

Hayley got a pair of plates, some silverware, and two bottles of water from the kitchen. When she came back to the living room, Patrick had lit a candle on the coffee table. "There, is that romantic?" he asked.

Hayley smiled. "Very."

She handed him a plate and they divided the food. While they ate, they chatted about Patrick's most recent trip and Hayley's job. After a little while, they set their plates on the coffee table. "So I guess we'll call it a night," Patrick teased. "Time to go."

"I don't think so." Hayley leaned over him and kissed him. "Do you want me here or in my room?"

"Your room would be more comfortable. And there are fewer windows."

"Good point."

She led him into her room, where he put his arms around her. "This is much nicer," he said. He ran his hands up and down her back and over her ass. "It's good to feel you in my arms again."

"I like it too."

Their lips met and parted to allow their tongues to touch. Hayley loved the way Patrick kissed; within seconds, she was wet. He backed her to her bed and lowered her onto it, then lay on top of her. Looking into her eyes, he said, "Have I mentioned how good it is to see you?"

"I think so, but you can mention it again." She kissed his neck. "It's good to see you too. I'm glad you're here."

"So am I."

With their eyes locked, Patrick slowly unbuttoned Hayley's blouse. "You're beautiful," he whispered. He kissed her mouth, then worked his lips down her neck to her breasts. He pushed her bra aside and sucked a hard nipple into his mouth.

Hayley gasped. "That feels so good!"

"Glad you like it," Patrick said. "I think the other one needs some attention now." He snapped one of her bra straps. "Sit up so I can get this thing off you."

He moved off her and Hayley obediently sat up. Patrick slid her blouse off her arms and tossed it onto the floor. "Hey!" Hayley said. "It'll get wrinkled!"

"I'll iron it for you." Patrick unhooked her bra and tossed it to join the blouse. "I don't feel like taking the time to be neat. I want you too much. Is that okay?"

"Well, I guess so."

Pulling Patrick on top of her, Hayley lay down again. She loved feeling his body against hers. She licked his lips, teasing, then nibbled his earlobe. He responded by kneading one breast. "You have too many clothes on," Hayley said. "If I'm topless, you should be."

"I guess that's only fair."

Patrick stood and took off his shirt. Hayley sat up and ran her hands over his chest and down to the hardness at the front of his pants. "Is it too early to say I want to see this?" she asked.

"I'm all yours. Do whatever you want."

Hayley unbuckled his belt and undid his jeans. He helped her slide the jeans and his boxers down his hips, revealing his hard cock. Lightly, Hayley stroked it, then wrapped her hand around it and pumped. "Do you like that?" she asked.

"I suppose."

"You just suppose? Hmm, I'll have to try something else." She leaned forward and licked the tip of his cock, where a drop of precum had appeared. "How about that?"

"More, more!"

"Gladly."

Hayley slid her lips down his shaft until she almost gagged. She sucked him hard, her hands on his ass encouraging him to fuck her mouth. After just a few minutes, he lightly pushed her head away. "That's enough of that," he said. "I'm an old man. If I come in your mouth, I won't be good for much else for a while."

"You aren't that old!"

"Older than you. Lie down."

When Hayley did, Patrick undid her slacks and pulled them off. Starting at her feet, he kissed his way up her legs to her inner thighs. Hooking her thong to one side, he licked her slit, then zeroed in on her clit. "Yes!" Hayley exclaimed.

Patrick lightly sucked her clit until Hayley felt like she was going to explode. "Oh, fuck, Patrick! Make me come, please! Oh, god!"

Her orgasm broke over her like a wave, and she let out a long moan, almost a scream. Patrick lay beside her and kissed her shoulder. "I take it that met with your approval?"

"God, Patrick, you are so good at that!"

She licked his lips, enjoying the taste of herself. His lips parted, allowing her tongue inside. As they kissed, he rolled on top of her and rubbed his cock along her slit. "Do you want this?" he asked.

"You know I do."

"How much do you want it?"

Hayley reached between them and guided his cock to her opening. With a thrust of her hips, his head entered her. "This much."

Patrick pushed his entire length into her pussy. "Now what?"

"Fuck me."

Slowly, Patrick moved his cock out of her, then thrust it in hard. Hayley gasped. "Like that?"

"Just like that."

"Good. I guess that means I should do it again."

"And again, and again. Make love to me, Patrick."

He kissed her, the thrusts of his tongue in her mouth matching those of his cock. It was only moments before Hayley felt herself clenching around his cock. She moaned into his mouth as she came. Patrick thrust harder, faster, and finally relaxed against her as his own orgasm filled her.

They lay like that for a moment, wrapped together. Then Patrick moved off her. "I'm sorry I was so quick," he said. "It's been too long since I've been with my sexy woman."

"It's okay," Hayley said. "We have all night to make up for it."

"That is correct." Patrick kissed the tip of her nose. "I have one more Valentine's present for you, Hayley."

"What is it?"

"This." Putting his hand against her cheek, Patrick said, "I love you, Hayley."

He'd said it. Hayley had never thought she would hear those words from him. She'd known he felt it; he showed it with everything he did for her. But she'd never expected him to say it.

Patrick looked at her expectantly, waiting for an answer. Hayley kissed him and said, "I love you too."

"Happy Valentine's Day, love."

"Happy Valentine's Day."

Patrick grinned. "Now can we fuck again?"