Rewriting History (17 page)

Chapter Thirty-One

Eli

After I leave Jill, I meet my sisters at the legal firm for the reading of Dad’s will. My sisters are already waiting in reception. I smile and hug them.

“Take a seat and Bill will be with you soon,” the receptionist says.

I glance around the sterile white space. The only color is from the framed contemporary paintings lining the walls and the black and silver funky sofas. 

“The Andersons?” An older man walks out from behind one of the doors. He looks about Dad’s age, with glasses and wiry graying hair. I recognize him from the funeral. “Please follow me.”

We start moving toward a small room off to the side of reception. Sweat forms on my forehead even though the A/C is blasting through the duct. I feel physically sick with anxiety at what might be coming.

“Okay, let’s start, shall we?” Bill says as we sit around the table. He flips open a large binder. “Tony was a good friend of mine and he’ll be sorely missed.”

He clears his throat as if trying to keep his emotions in check. “When Tony found about his heart condition, he updated his will. He has requested the house be sold. He has a large sum of money, approximately four hundred and eighty thousand dollars, sitting in the bank, plus his insurance paid out just over one million, four hundred thousand. This, plus the proceeds from the sale of the house, is to be split evenly between the five children.”

I turn from Bill to look at each of my sisters to see if they’ve pick up on the error. 

“Five?” Mel shakes her head. “No, I think there’s a mistake. You mean four.”

Bill wets his lips and sighs. He slides a piece of paper across the table. I reach forward and snatch it up.
What the motherfucking hell . . .

“He asked me to pass this letter onto the four of you. It explains everything.” He hesitates before standing up. “I’ll give you all a moment.”

I stand, sending the chair flying back, and I push the letter away from me. Leaning over and placing my hands on the table, my voice grows quiet. “Please, for the love of God, do not tell me that any of you knew about this.” 

“I’m as shocked as you are, Eli,” Mel mumbles, her expression bewildered.

I turn to Jules and Leisel, who both shrug helplessly. Sighing, I shake my head. “Will somebody please read the damn letter?” I growl.

Jules picks it up, her hands shaking. She clears her throat and begins to read.

My wonderful children,

I hate that this is how you have to find out about Aaron, but the truth is, I’m a coward. You know about the affair, but what you don’t realize is what came of it. I think the main reason your mother struggled to cope with what happened was that it was never really over.

Cecily became pregnant with my son.

I’ve kept in touch with Aaron all these years because I didn’t want to fail him where I felt I failed you. I tried so many times to tell you all about him, but I couldn’t bring myself to do it.

So here I am, writing this down in a letter.

I hope you give Aaron a chance to show you what an amazing young man he has grown into. I’ve included, with his permission, his contact details should you wish to get to know him, and I hope you do.

I’m sorry for all my mistakes, but I’m not sorry they resulted in my son. I hope one day you can find it in your hearts to forgive me.

Love,

Dad

I stand up and calmly push my chair in, turning to my sisters.

“I’ll see you later,” I mumble. I walk out before anyone tries to stop me.

I drive around the city aimlessly, heading nowhere, thinking about everything. I park in the parking lot of the bar and look at the closed entrance. It’s ten o’clock in the morning, but I need a fucking drink. I slam my fist on the steering wheel, frustrated. How could he not tell me I have a
brother
? Tears well in my eyes, because the sad truth is that he might have told me, had I given him the time of the day.

I glance at the address in my hands. I have no idea what I’m doing as I log into Facebook and begin searching for my brother. His name is not common—Aaron Balfoure—and knowing he still lives in Denver makes it easy to find his profile.

I stare at his profile picture, realization hitting me.
I recognize him from the funeral.
I’d thought he was one of Dad’s students, because he looked the right age. Clicking through his pictures, I see a photo of him and Dad. My chest feels tight, knowing the years I’ve missed with Aaron and the time I’ll never get to spend with Dad. Glancing at his posts, I see the most recent update was six minutes ago.

Soccer practice @ McAlister

Without thinking about what I’m doing, I turn the car on and pull out of the parking lot. The tires screech on the blacktop as I get back on the main road.

The sun beats down on me as I sit on the bleachers. I have no idea why I’m even here, because I know I’m not ready to make this step. I get up to leave, but just as I do, a group of guys walk onto the field—one of them being Aaron.

He looks exactly like me when I was fifteen: tall, lean, muscular, good-looking . . .
I bet he’s a real winner with the ladies.

Pulling my cap down to cover part of my face, I watch as the group starts their warm-up run around the track, which is conveniently going to end past the bleachers. As they get close, Aaron looks at me and slows down, recognition flickering in his eyes. I can’t describe how I’m feeling. It’s a mixture of excitement and dread, because I so badly want to know more about him, but I’m scared about fucking this up. I have one chance to get this right and in some strange way, this is my chance to fix things with Dad.

“Aaron, what are you doing?” one of his teammates yells out.

He shakes his head and looks at them. Picking up his pace, he looks at me once more before joining his friends. My heart pounds faster as he moves further away from me.

I stay and watch the whole session. I can’t force myself to leave. He is a talented player, and he’ll be scouted for college if he keeps up with the training. He doesn’t look at me again, and when the game finishes he packs up and walks off the field without acknowledging me. 

Even though know I’m not ready to start any kind of relationship with him, it hurts, because I never considered that he might not want anything to do with me.

I look down at my phone, still open to his Facebook profile. My hands shake as I click ‘friend request.’ It’s a small step, but I feel like it’s something. I don’t know when I’ll be ready to take a bigger step toward getting to know my brother—or if he even wants to—but at least I’ve done something.

Chapter Thirty-Two

Jill

Lying in bed with Eli, I hear my phone ringing in my bag. Eli is running his hand softly up and down my naked back, so I purposely miss the call. One minute later, the phone rings again.

“Oh, for fuck’s sake, just leave a damn message,” I groan.

Eli laughs as I jump out of bed and retrieve the phone, answering without looking at the caller ID.

“Hello,” I growl and run back into bed to straddle Eli’s lap. 

“Guess what??” Alice screams in my ear.

Eli grows hard underneath me as I gently grind myself against him, and that claims more of my concentration than the voice on the phone.

  “What?” I’m only half listening as Eli’s hands make their way to my breasts and squeeze. I put my hand over the speaker of the phone so she doesn’t hear me moan.

“I got a scholarship to UC freaking LA!”

That forces me out of my sexual cloud. I scream, Alice screams, and Eli covers his ears, shaking his head as he laughs.

“Oh my gosh, Eli, did you hear that?” I scream, speaking at a million miles an hour.

“Yes,” he chuckles, his fingers rolling over my erect nipples. “I think the whole damn building heard.”  He smirks at me, his dark eyes narrowing. “Tell Alice I said congrats, and that you need to go now so I can make you scream again.” 

“Al, I gotta go,” I say, laughing as he tickles me.

Without waiting for her response, he rips the phone from my ear and throws it on the floor. For a brief moment I wonder if he pushed the end button before he threw it, but then I’m distracted by everything Eli. 

We laze around in bed for the rest of the day, making the most of our time together. Eli has insisted on a couple of days apart so I could spend time with other students celebrating the end of school. I don’t see the point, given I don’t have many friends, but I don’t fight it.

“Have you thought any more about contacting Aaron?” I ask softly as he cradles me in his arms. I kiss his shoulder.

He shakes his head. “I want to, but it feels too soon, you know? I want to get my head right and get over the issues I had with Dad before I take that step.” He pauses. “I did add him as a friend of Facebook and he accepted. But I think that’s all for the moment. Maybe once we’re settled and you’re in college I’ll call him.”

I nod and lift myself up to his lips. However he wants to do this, I’ll be there for him.

***

When I’m halfway through baking a cake, Mom and Dad walk into the kitchen and sit on the kitchen stools. Mom is holding a few envelopes in her hand with a smile on her face.

“Jilly baby . . .” My eyes widen as Mom holds up three envelopes. “These came this morning.”

Excited, I throw the spatula in the bowl and race around the table, snatching up the envelopes. I pray to a higher being that I’ve been accepted into the college I want.

I open the first letter, from The University of California.

Congratulations, The University of California would like to offer you a place . . .

I show my parents and the three of us having big smiles on our faces.  But deep down, I’m not
that
excited, given that Eli is here in Denver.

Opening the second envelope, I read,
Welcome to New York University. We are delighted to offer a placement . . .

Another offer. This is amazing. I knew I was one of the top students to graduate, but I didn’t ever think I’d get into UCLA or NYU. I’m so fucking proud of myself. Grabbing the third envelope, I hug it to my chest and hope I’ve received the place I want. Ripping it open, my hands shake as I hold my breath.

All I read is
The University of Colorado
and
accepted
.

I throw my hands in the air, along with the letter, and scream. Jumping up and down, Mom and Dad both hug me and join in my little jumping routine.

Dad kisses my temple. “Jilly, we are so proud of you, girl. As much as we’d love you to stay here in Denver, you know we’ll support whichever college you choose.”

Tears well in my eyes as happiness overcomes me. “I’m staying. I was accepted into UC,” I ramble, tears in my eyes.

Mom breaks down and hugs me so tight my airways are cut off. “Go and tell Eli, honey,” she whispers in my ear before giving me a wink.

I race upstairs and launch myself at my phone, ripping it from the charger. The phone rings three times before it’s answered. 

“Hello,” he says out of breath.

“Eli, I got into UCLA.” Complete silence meets me on the other end of the phone.

“And I got into NYU, too. Are you okay with a long-distance relationship?” I ask, trying my hardest not to laugh. I know it’s cruel of me to tease him like this, but I’m in a teasing mood. Plus it’s his fault for making me wait two days to see him again. Mature, I know.

Eli stays silent.

“We could Skype every night, and I could show you how I pleasure myself when I think about you,” I say. I feel a tingle just talking about it. I’ll have to do that one night, but it won’t be from another state.

“Congratulations, pretty girl,” he says, finally finding his voice. “If we need to do long distance for a while, then we will make it work. Besides, the thought of watching you pleasure yourself on Skype is pretty damn awesome.”

“Or I could just pleasure myself in the comfort of your bedroom every night with you standing right in front of me,” I say, biting my lip. “Because I was also accepted into UC.” I fall back on the bed, laughing hard.

“Oh, fucking hell, Jill . . . don’t scare me like that! You’re getting punished for that one, naughty girl.” He laughs. “And there will be no need to pleasure yourself, as I’m here to do that for you.”

“Can’t wait for my punishment,” I tease. 

***

My hands sweat as I stand amongst the crowd of other graduates. The moment is so surreal and everyone is emotional. The hard work is done, and we’re all moving on to greater things. Someone grabs my hand and I look behind me to see its Jamie’s fingers wrapped around mine. My eyes widen, but then I smile.

“Congrats, Jill.” He smiles at me.

“You too, Jamie. Thank you.” I grin back and squeeze his hand before letting go. “Which college did you get into?” I ask.

“Stanford. I’m following in Dad’s footsteps to become a surgeon.”

Wow
, I didn’t realize Jamie did so well at school, given that he spent a lot of time messing around and told Eli to change his grade.

“Better keep your smart mouth to yourself. I’m sure there are seniors there I can pay to beat you up.” I wink at him, half serious.  He chuckles but I see a hint of guilt in his expression.  

Turning, I listen to Principle Galleu speaking. “Graduating the top of her class, it’s my pleasure to commence the graduation ceremony with Ms. Jill Wilson.”

Mom and Alice cheer from the attendee seats at the front of the stage

“That’s my baby girl!”

I wince and turn to seek Dad out, my cheeks heating, as the crowd chuckles. I shake my head and laugh as he winks at me while waving his arms. How embarrassing.    

I walk up the steps. Eli is waiting for me with my certificate. His look is so courteous and professional, yet I know him well enough to know what he’s thinking is probably dirty. Smiling, I put a strut in my step and don’t take my eyes off his. Eli holds his hand out to me and I shake it.

“Congrats, baby,” he says, quiet enough so only I can hear. 

Both of us turn to face the camera with our hands linked—protocol, and all. The photo is taken and he pulls his head toward my ear. 

“After the ceremony, leave the gown on and meet me in my office. I want to fuck you on my desk in nothing but this and your high heels.” He winks at me before moving me along.

My core begins to pulsate, my channel already wet from just his words. How the hell am I supposed to stand through the rest of the ceremony after
that
?

Fucking tease.

“No underwear, you little kink? Fuck, you’re so wet,” he mumbles.

I’m perched on his desk with my gown puckered around my waist, my heels still on. He kneels between my legs, his hands looped around my bare thighs as his tongue thrusts inside me. I gasp, my legs clenching as he sucks on my clit.

“You taste so fucking good,” he mumbles, the vibration of his words against my pussy making me gasp. I’m so close already.

Just as I’m about to come, Eli stands and turns me roughly, pushing my chest into his desk.
God, yes
. I love this dominant side of him.

“Let me get a condom,” he mutters. I reach behind and grab hold of his shirt, pulling him back to me, his erection pressing at my entrance.

“I’m on the pill. I want to feel you inside of me,” I whimper, aching for him.

He hesitates for a second, and then in one sweeping motion he impales his cock into my slick hole. My breath catches and a moan escapes my mouth.

Slowly backing out, he forces himself in again roughly, repeating the motion over and over again, each time heightening my arousal.
I’m so close.

His hand finds my clit and he rubs small circles. “I’m going to come. Finish with me Jill.”

My hands hold onto the top of the table to stop my sweaty body from sliding all over it as he speeds up his torment, keeping his rhythm on my clit. We both moan, and my breath hitches the closer the orgasm is to exploding. My legs shake and I let out a big groan as my pussy squeezes his cock. He stills, his body clenching, before he spills his seed inside me.

“Fuck, I love you so damn much. I feel like the luckiest guy in the world,” he mutters, kissing my neck. “You’re spending the rest of your life with me—you know that, right?”

I bite my lip and smile as I spin around, my mouth finding his. To know the man I love wants to spend the rest of his life with me is such a euphoric feeling. It’s the best feeling in the world.

His lips meet my forehead and I smile, my eyes meeting his.

“I guess we should go,” I mumble. “I’m pretty sure Mom, Dad, Alice, and Sophia will hunt me down otherwise. As sexy as this is, I don’t want to be caught in this position—
especially
not by my parents.”

I slide off the desk and reach for my dress, shimmying it over my hips as Eli watches, a smirk on his face.

“Are you all right?” I laugh, my cheeks going red.

He reaches out and fondles my nipple. “Sorry, just distracted by how sexy you look when they bounce.”

Laughing, I clip on my bra and zip up my dress, hoping like hell I have time to take a shower before dinner.

“What are you doing tomorrow night?” I ask him shyly.

“Nothing planned, why?”

“Would you like to come over for dinner? With my parents?” I ask.

He stands up and pulls me into his arms. “Really?” he grins.

“Really,” I say, kissing his lips.

“I’d love that.”

I laugh and hug him one more time before forcing myself to step away. I could stay here all night with him and it would be the perfect way to celebrate my finishing school.

It hits me that I’m no longer a high school student. I’m eighteen, in love, and I feel like my life is just beginning. I’ve never been happier than I am at this very moment. After all the obstacles, things are finally going right for us. I’ve found what some people go their whole lives not experiencing, and for that I’m grateful.

No matter what happens from here, this moment will be burned into my memory forever.