Total pages in book: 76
Estimated words: 71348 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 357(@200wpm)___ 285(@250wpm)___ 238(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 71348 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 357(@200wpm)___ 285(@250wpm)___ 238(@300wpm)
She licks around my nipple.
Presses a soft kiss there.
Lifting her head, she looks at me with a fire stoked back up in her eyes. “Yes. You are going to fuck me again.”
CHAPTER 20
Rachel
Estelle and George—or Geo as he likes to be called—are nothing and everything like I expected.
I knew because Bodie is a good, decent, and loyal man that his parents would be near about the same. I expected them to be kind, gracious, and down to earth. I expected them to be simple, but not in a bad way. Simple in that they derive their pleasures in life from simple things, mostly of which would be family.
What I didn’t expect was how warm they would be to me. Maybe because Estelle is a farmer’s wife and is used to taking care of people, she immediately cocooned me in a warm hug and proceeded to give me affirmation over the rough choices I’ve had to make. Maybe because Geo is a hardworking man with drive and dedication, he spent a lot of time asking me about what I do for Jameson, completely impressed that a woman can hang with the men.
They made me feel secure in where I stood at this point in my life.
They made me realize it’s okay to be a crazy mess of a woman who really doesn’t know what she wants anymore. In no uncertain terms, they told me exactly what Bodie’s been telling me… that it’s okay to have doubts and fears, but that they were confident my heart would lead me to the right decision.
All of this occurred within just hours of meeting them. Bodie invited me to dinner with them, and I reluctantly agreed. I had to do it because Bodie told me his mom was going to come here as I got closer to the birth. She wanted to be on hand to help Bodie with the baby, so I needed to get to know her.
By the end of dinner, I honestly felt like I’d made two new friends in Estelle and Geo Wright. Bodie just smiled at me in a knowing way, confident as he always was that his parents would make me feel at ease with everything.
It’s why I’m strolling arm and arm with Estelle along the midway, stopping periodically to watch Bodie and his dad participate in some game to win one of us a stuffed animal. Bodie invited me to go with his parents to the Boulder City Damboree to celebrate the Fourth of July. It started with a huge pancake breakfast this morning, which tasted especially delicious, so I had extra since I was eating for two. We then strolled through shops, listened to live music, and generally basked in the carnival-like atmosphere the town creates to celebrate Independence Day. Tonight, there will be more music, and I’m told the best fireworks show in the entire Las Vegas valley.
“Let’s try this one,” Bodie says with the excitement of a five-year-old, giving his dad a slight punch to his shoulder. It’s a classic ‘pop a balloon with a dart’ game, and Bodie is eyeballing a massive purple panda bear that is as big as I am.
Bodie and Geo pull their wallets out while Estelle and I stand back from them a bit, watching them try to win the big prize.
“Rachel,” Estelle says softly, and it’s a tone that has me cringing a bit. While we’ve had a general group discussion on the dynamics of what’s going on with Bodie, the baby, and me, it’s not gotten overly personal. Estelle’s tone tells me it’s about to. I turn to her, a placid look on my face. “I know you and Bodie have probably had some really deep talks about all of this, but I just wanted to offer my ear to you. I’m a mother and a woman, and I’m not sure if you’ve got girlfriends or family to support you, but I’m here if you need to talk. Even after I go back to Nebraska, you can call anytime.”
A knot of emotion swells in my chest, more than honor or gratitude at her offer. It’s almost like I fall a little bit in love with Bodie’s mom right there and then.
I’ve never been close to my parents, and not because they are bad people. On the contrary, they sacrificed their relationship with their only daughter by letting me pursue my Olympic dreams. That meant I often lived away from them. Jacksonville, Florida wasn’t exactly the best place for a winter athlete to train. So, from the time I was twelve until I left the Olympics, I lived mostly with training foster families out West where snow was plentiful, or I lived in the dorms at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
My time with my family was limited but focused, usually centered around holidays. My parents fully supported my dreams. They attended as many of my competitions as they could, but by the time I was sixteen, I was competing around the world. It just wasn’t practical with their busy medical practices.