by Sandra Alex
I nod. “It’s true.”
Mallorie bites her lip. “Okay. But won’t it freak him out that I’m in the hospital?”
“Maybe. But it’s life, Mal. What are you going to do? You can’t lie to him.” I say.
She’s silent, thinking it over. Then she changes the subject. “So, what happened with Christopher? Why’d do you kick him out, anyway? Mom and dad wouldn’t say anything, and Christopher told me to talk to you.”
“He’s got a big mouth and crossed a line.” I say simply. “It’s dealt with. He’s over it. Move on.”
“But he’s living in an unbuilt house, sleeping on the floor, Daniel.” Mallorie points out.
“Yeah, well, it looks good on him.” I kiss Kayla’s temple.
Recognition comes to Mallorie’s face. “Ah…I know what happened.” She points a finger at Kayla. “He insulted you, didn’t he?”
“Man, pregnancy hasn’t curbed your mind reading ability, has it?” I ask facetiously.
“He did, didn’t he?” she’s impressed with herself. “Let me guess…he came on to you.” She’s stating it more as a comment than a question.
“Not…exactly.” Kayla says.
“Close enough.” I say.
“Well, he’s a fool then.” Mallorie states. “He should know better.” Mallorie addresses Kayla. “Daniel has never been one to screw with. Anyone knows that if you cross a line with him, you’re done. End of story. Christopher is lucky that Daniel even speaks to him then.” She smiles. “You’ve softened him up, Kayla.”
“Alright, that’s enough bonding.” I say, feeling like crawling into a hole. “Let’s go find your doctor and get the ball rolling.” I take Kayla’s hand and address Mallorie. “We’ll be back in five.”
Two days later, Mallorie’s blood pressure hits the roof and it’s a matter of life or death for mom and baby.
Chapter 30
Kayla
If I thought Daniel was cute, sweet and sexy before becoming an Uncle, he’s hit new platitudes with me. Seeing him cuddle with his little nephew in the NICU incubator is enough to make me gush. Henry weighed just three pounds, two ounces when he was delivered by emergency Caesarean section three days ago. He’s a little piglet though, and has already gained a handful of ounces. At this rate, he’ll be home with his mother in another week.
Taylor and Grant, Daniel’s other two brothers, returned home yesterday. I haven’t had the pleasure of meeting them yet, but I’m told they’re coming by the hospital today. Having never been near a baby, especially one that small, I haven’t held Henry yet. Daniel tries to coax me, but I’m so terrified that I’ll drop him or squeeze him too tight. His skin is downy soft, and watching Daniel sway as he holds him makes my heart ache. I really hope I can give him a baby some day, if we end up together, that is. I know now that he wants one. He’s a natural with infants.
We’ve been slowly bringing my stuff over to Daniel’s, little by little. I’ve been interviewing potential renters, having decided to go that route, and the candidates have been narrowed down to three. Daniel has insisted on being a part of this process, and frankly, I’m fine with that. He means well, and, having Daniel there is a bit intimidating to some of the male candidates, so it doesn’t hurt. I’ve decided to have my own room at his house; just to give him a little space. He needs it sometimes, with work and school, and I don’t want to cramp his style.
Mallorie has never told us what happened with Brent, Henry’s father. But we haven’t met him yet, so I’ll assume that things did not go well. Mallorie is very excited to be a mom. It suits her well. Daniel’s parents gush every time they see Henry. Having a grandchild has really brought them together. It makes Daniel so happy to see his mom and dad so close again. It makes me happy, too. Being around Daniel and his family really gives me such a warm sense of belonging. They never make me feel like I’m an outsider. It’s something I’ve never experienced; being part of a family. It was always just me, mom and Nana Mary. This is something to behold.
As we bring the last of my things in on moving day, Daniel snakes his arms around my waist and pulls me close. “So, rent’s due the first of the month. If you’re a day late there will be severe punishment in the bedroom. Spankings, pounding against the wall, and tying you to the bedpost are not beneath me.”
“Gee, Daniel, if you want to punish me, why don’t you just cut me off. Now that would be punishment.” I chuckle, teasing him.
“Cutting you off would be punishment for me, too, baby.” He says as he kisses my lips. “Now, what’s this I hear about you wanting your own room? You mean I have to take like…what…ten steps…to ravage you? That’s just criminal.”
I laugh out loud. “It’s not to punish you, it’s so you can get some sleep after working late at the hospital, or if you need to study, or whatever else you might need space for.”
“Baby, if I work late at the hospital, you next to me won’t be a bother. I sleep better when I’m with you anyway. Plus, making love before bed makes me sleep like a rock.”
“You don’t have to tell me.” I say matter-of-factly. He chuckles, resting his head against my shoulder.
“Can you at least sleep with me tonight? It’s your first night here.” He asks so sweetly I can’t resist.
“Sure. How about I sleep with you on weekends, but during the week, I’ll sleep in the other room?”
“If that’s how you want it…we’ll go with that.” He says, although I sense his reluctance, and it’s so adorable. “But I’ll warn you now that you might have company in your bed quite frequently.”
“I can live with that.” His eyes are on my lips. “Do you want to help me unpack?”
He kisses me full on the mouth. “I’d rather help you out of your clothes, but I suppose that can wait until later.”
I smile at him. He’s so cute when he’s horny. Thank God that’s often, because I always want him, too. But frankly, having my stuff piled all around his kitchen and hallway is making me feel bad. I don’t want to overtake his house. Much of my stuff is in storage, like all my furniture, since my tenant supplied his own, but I still have my personal stuff here.
“It looks like my house threw up in yours.” I say. “I need to clean this up.”
“Baby, you worry too much.” He kisses me again. “Did you hear back from the cemetery about your mom’s monument?”
“No, but Nana Mary did. It’s finished and laid down. We can go see it any time.”
He gives me a pleading look. “Why didn’t you tell me.”
I rake a hand through his hair. “Baby, we’ve had so much on the go. I was going to tell you after everything settled down.”
He embraces me, pulling me gently by the neck so I’m close to him. “Kayla, all this stuff isn’t as important as that. You need to see that.”
“I will.”
“Yes. You will. Let’s clean this place up and go.” He says.
Two hours later we’re at the cemetery. Daniel’s hand is in mine as we stand in front of my mother’s grave, looking at her stone. It’s so surreal I feel a lump in my throat immediately. Daniel’s head is bowed, as if saying a prayer. I can’t look at him. I think he’s getting misty-eyed too.
After a few minutes of silence, he rubs my back slowly. “Are you okay?” He says softly. I don’t answer verbally, but I nod.
“Liar.” He says, grabbing my waist, pulling me close. I gasp out a weep, and I feel his breath turn ragged as he cries with me. We hold each other for what feels like forever, because I lose all sense of time when I’m in Daniel’s arms.
He pulls back. “If she were here…right now…what would you say to her?”
“I’d tell her that you and I are living together. That I’m going back to school full time, and that even though I miss her with every breath, I’m so happy I could burst sometimes.”
He places his lips on my head and whispers against my skin. “I’m so happy to hear you say that, baby.” He holds me against him, swaying slightly, th
en he kisses the spot where his lips are and pulls back. “What do you say we have a little celebration dinner out? We almost never go out to eat.”
I guffaw, wiping my eyes with the backs of my hands. “Remember we don’t exactly have a great track record for eating out, what with the hot dog food poisoning and then that skanky girl at the mom and pop place.”
He chuckles. “I promise you we won’t have another experience like that again.”
“I don’t want to take any chances. Let’s just go home. You can make me your famous grilled cheese sandwiches. Way better than any restaurant food in my opinion.”
He gets a strange look on his face and shakes his head. “God, I love you.”
I take his hand in mine. “I love you too.”
As we drive back home and pull up to the driveway, we see two cars parked in the driveway. I look at Daniel and he purses his lips together. “Well, there’s no time like the present.”
“What do you mean? Who’s here?”
“Taylor and Grant…the better brothers. Believe me, they’re way less trouble than Christopher.” We get out of the car and he takes my hand in his. Two men are sitting on the porch, chuckling at something. “Heyyyy….” Daniel says, as both young men stand up, giving Daniel some weird guy handshake, complete with practiced moves like a secret handshake before entering some strange club. One brother is super tall, like at least six foot five, and the other is Daniel’s height, with stark blonde hair and very tanned skin, making a sharp contrast. “Why didn’t you guys call?” then he looks at me. “Oh, geez…Tyler, Grant, this is Kayla.”
I stick my hand out and they each take a shake, both giving me perfunctory nods hello. Tyler is the really tall one with big blue eyes matching Daniel’s, and dark hair like him, but his face is very different from Daniel’s. There is a distinct similarity between Daniel and Grant, though, especially since they are the same height.
“We were just pissing away time, man. Drove past and decided to stick around and see how long you’d be out.” Tyler says. “We’re not keeping you from anything, are we?”
Daniel frowns. “Not really. I was just about to cook Kayla here some grilled cheese sandwiches. Are you guys hungry?”
“I could eat.” Tyler shrugs.
“I’d kill for one of those.” Grant says.
Ten minutes later, we’re sitting in Daniel’s kitchen, eating his famous sandwiches. The boys brought beers over, so we’re drinking and talking, having such a great time. Daniel really lets his guard down with these two. I really like this side of him. As he finishes his second beer, I lift my brow at him. “Geez, baby, am I going to have to mop you up off the floor later?” I tease.
“As long as you’re the mop, babe, I’m up for it.” he winks.
Tyler whistles. “Whoa…Daniel.” He chuckles. “I think we oughta cut you off. I’ve never heard you make such a comment before.”
Grant is trying and failing not to laugh. Daniel’s face isn’t even pink. He’s not even a little bit embarrassed by what he said. He just smiles and looks at me. His smile is contagious.
“Hey, did you hear your old ball and chain is getting hitched?” Grant asks.
Daniel’s smile fades. “Yep.”
“How’d you hear?” Tyler asks.
“Through the grapevine. Don’t care.” He adds, looking at me. His smile is back.
“Christopher told me.” Tyler says. “I don’t know how he found out.”
Daniel gives his brother a knowing look. “I know. He hooked up with some skank. The same skank who told me about her. It figures.”
“Leave it to Christopher.” Grant pings his beer bottle against Daniel’s. “Little shit is sleeping on the floor in his unbuilt kingdom. It’s coming around, but there’s still a lot of work to be done. He doesn’t even have heat yet. He has a fireplace.”
Daniel scoffs, shaking his head. “I hope the little maggot freezes to death.”
“Hey, dad looks great. Mom, too.” Tyler says, changing the subject, which I’m grateful for. Daniel always gets a little anxious when Christopher’s name is brought up. I don’t want to break this spell.
“Yeah, since little Henry came into the world, it’s kind of brought them together. Gives me a little incentive.” Daniel says, shocking me.
“You?” Tyler scoffs. “Hey, when are you done school, man?”
“Another year of interning. Then I’m applying for my medical license. After that I specialize.”
“You’re going to be in school until retirement.” Grant teases.
“I’m almost done.” Daniel says. “It’ll be worth it.” A pause. “When are you guys done overseas?”
“We’re done.” Tyler answers. “At least for now.”
“So, you’re like…back back?” Daniel emphasizes.
“Yep. We’re going to look at houses tomorrow.” Grant says.
“You guys are going to buy one together?”
Tyler shrugs. “For now, ya.” He pauses. “So, are you guys shacked up now?”
Daniel looks at me and rests his hand on my thigh. “That’s right. Kayla’s going back to school full-time after the New Year.”
“What are you taking?” Tyler tips his chin up to ask me.
“I’m going to be a Dietician.”
He lifts his brows, impressed. “You guys make a great pair then.”
“We sure do.” Daniel leans over and gives me a wet kiss on the cheek, making sure it’s noisy as hell, making me giggle. His breath smells sweet with beer. It’s so adorable.
Tyler looks at us, dividing his glance between us both. “Wow,” he chuckles.
Daniel wraps his arm around me. “Wow, what?”
“I just…I never thought I’d see the day.”
Daniel tips his beer to his lips. “What day?” a ‘v’ forms between his brows.
Tyler waves. “Na, nothing. Never mind. I’ll tell you when you’re not smashed.”
“No, tell me now. I’m fine.”
Grant guffaws. “Says the slurring man with red eyes. You’re not cut out for drinking.” He chuckles.
“Neither are you.” Daniel says, tipping his beer to his lips again.
Grant looks at Tyler. “You ready to head out, man? Leave these two alone?”
“Yes, please.” Daniel winks at me.
“We’ll stop by tomorrow. Let you know how the house hunting went.” Grant says as they both rise to leave. “It was nice meeting you, Kayla.”
“Nice meeting you both.” I say, giving them each a perfunctory hug. The second they pull out of the driveway, Daniel’s lips are on my neck. “You couldn’t wait for them to leave, could you?” I giggle.
“You got it, babe.” He says against my skin. The sound is muffled.
“My bedroom or yours tonight?” I ask, teasing.
Daniel lifts me and my arms snake around his neck. “Whatever’s closest.” We’re kissing sweetly as he carries me to his bedroom. The sounds of our lips smacking apart is so cute. “You want me to brush my teeth first? Is my breath offensive?” He asks between kisses.
“What I have in mind it won’t matter.”
He wiggles his brows, playing along. I figure he’s just drunk enough to get away with something I’ve been wanting to do to him for a while. As we arrive in his room, he lowers me to the floor, rubbing me down his body enough that I can tell that he’s already a little turned on.
“Lay down, babe.” I motion him to the bed.
He gives me a puzzled look that is so sexy I want to die. When he does what I ask, I climb on top of him and peel off my shirt and his. He’s so cute, just laying there, watching my every move, and he’s letting me do all the work. I may actually get away with it this time. Climbing off him for a brief moment, I remove my pants and socks, and then reach over and undo his pants, sliding them down his legs. He’s getting a kick out of this. There’s a tiny ghost of a smile on his lips, and it’s so sexy, just glancing at him is making me wet. When I lean down to kiss him, he reaches
up and unfastens my bra, letting it fall on his chest.
Tossing it on the floor, he bends upward and gives me an all-consuming, crotch-dampening kiss that leaves me breathless. His hands cup the sides of my face as his head tilts and he slowly slides his tongue inside my mouth, sweeping it painfully slowly across. God, what he does to me.
I’m about to fall under his spell when I catch myself, and inch my way down, kissing his chest, nipples, belly and pelvis. When I reach the hem of his underwear, I look up at him, kissing along his skin, when he wiggles his index finger at me, motioning for me to come back up to him. I slowly shake my head no, while trying for a look that conveys that I want to be so naughty, but I’m not sure if the message is received, since he forces himself to sit up, crunching his six pack abs in his wake, as he meets my gaze.
“What are you up to there, baby?” He asks, but the tone and expression tells me he knows exactly what I want to do to him.
Lifting his underwear, exposing him, I kiss the head of his cock, and gently push him back down with the heel of my hand. “I want to please you.” I whisper, sucking the head.
“Mmmm…you always please me, baby.”
I take his shaft into my hand and lick the sides of his dick, like it’s a popsicle. “I want to finish you off this time.”
He lets out a sexy chuckle and draws in a puff of air, taking in the sensation as I suck up the side of his cock. “I figure you’re just drunk enough to let me do it.”
Another puff of air. “Mmmm…I don’t get why you’re so hung up on that. I thought…mmmm….” As I suck his shaft. “I thought girls didn’t like it when a guy…does that in their mouth.”
“I just…want to hear you…” I trail off, taking him all the way down until he reaches the back of my throat.
He exhales and hisses delightedly, as I suck his entire shaft up and down. “I get to a point when I can’t stand it anymore and I want to touch you.”
I suck him again and he grunts softly. “How about I tie you up then?” I suggest, half joking.
He gives me that sexy puzzled look again. “You don’t need to tie me up, baby. I’ll let you have your fun.” A pause. “But then I get to have mine.”