Pieces of Me

by E. L. Todd

  “You better not act like that again. I mean it.”

  “I won’t,” I said quickly.

  “Because I don’t put up with the jealousy thing. It’s really annoying. It’s like you don’t trust me or something.”

  “No, not at all. It’s a difficult situation. You were kind of seeing both of us at the same time. And love triangles never end well.”

  “It’s not a love triangle when you’re only in love with one person.”

  My eyes widened and my heart rate spiked. I stared at her without breathing. Her words replayed in my mind like a distant echo. She really said what I thought she said. I almost couldn’t believe it.

  Beatrice didn’t realize it right away. She acted like nothing happened for several seconds, but when she saw the look on my face her cheeks tinted in embarrassment. “I…what I meant was—”

  “I’m in love with you too.”

  She shut her mouth and her eyes softened.

  Holy shit, I just told her I loved her. I hadn’t even taken her on a date yet and I just confessed my darkest secret. I could have kept it to myself but I didn’t. It flew out without any thought.

  She stared at me with a face full of emotion before she slowly approached me behind the bar. Everyone had left so it was just she and I. The dim lights were on, and the Frank Sinatra music still played overhead. She came closer to me, her lips almost touching mine.

  My heart wouldn’t slow down. I stared at her beautiful lips and fantasized about all the things I wanted to do. We just stared at each other, the calm before the storm. I didn’t take a single breath because I was afraid of stopping what was about to come.

  Silence.

  Heat.

  Love.

  Passion.

  I gripped her hips then lifted her right onto the bar. Her legs immediately wrapped around my waist as I cupped her face and kissed her with everything I had. Our mouths moved together, and she immediately wrapped her arms around my neck.

  I pulled her close to me and allowed myself to treasure her, to truly claim her as mine. Regrets and mistakes weighed heavily in my past, but I couldn’t repeat history. Things would be different with Beatrice. I would be faithful to her, be the boyfriend I should have been to Lexie. I would get this right.

  Because I had to.

  Chapter Three

  Theo

  I was nervous to see her and I wasn’t sure why.

  I already slept with her so the rest should be smooth sailing. But my body was tense and my heart wouldn’t slow down. Something about Dee made me behave like a nervous wreck. Perhaps it was because I liked her so much. Or maybe it was because she was a terrifying person. I really didn’t know.

  I approached the shop and tried to act cool. Dee was a special woman, the type of girl that could have any guy she wanted. She was independent and strong, and I found that insanely sexy. I’d come to realize I was attracted to badass chicks, not damsels in distress.

  I entered the shop and saw their instruments spread around. Wires stretched across the floor to their outlets. Slade held his guitar, a black shiny one with Trinity’s name along the neck. “Isn’t it beautiful? The wife got it for me for our anniversary.”

  “It’s slick.” Dee felt the strings with her fingertips then examined the writing underneath. “Is that the name of the guitar? Trinity?”

  “Yep,” Slade said. “Sexy, right?”

  Dee smiled. “Very. What did you get her?”

  “A trip to a bed and breakfast,” Slade answered. “And I’m pretty sure that’s where I got her pregnant.”

  “Congrats,” Dee said. “If you have enough kids you can start your own band.”

  Slade’s eyes widened in interest. “That’s an idea…”

  Dee chuckled then examined the rest of the guitar. “That was a thoughtful gift. Wear it to the shows. That’ll definitely make her happy.”

  “Of course,” Slade said. “If this is her discreet way of claiming me that’s fine with me. I like it when she gets a little possessive. The sex is always a little better.”

  Dee chuckled then turned my way when she noticed me. “Hey, Theo.” She gave me a seductive smile, one that made me weak in the knees.

  “Hey, Dee.” I was still nervous around her. Why couldn’t I just act normal? Were we together-together? Was I supposed to show her affection? Or would that irritate her?

  Slade eyed us back and forth. “That date didn’t go well?”

  “It went great.” Dee closed the gap between us and wrapped her arms around my neck. “Really great.” Then she gave me a slow kiss.

  That shattered the strain, and my hands moved around her waist and I pulled her close to me, loving the feel of her lips on mine.

  “Get a room,” Slade snapped.

  Dee turned to him. “Like you don’t make out with Trinity the second she walks through the door.”

  “Totally different,” Slade said. “She’s my wife.”

  “Sounds the same to me, man,” I said.

  Cameron and Razor both turned our way, stark looks of disappointment all over their faces.

  I smiled like a jackass.

  “So…are you guys a thing now?” Slade asked.

  “Yep.” Dee held my hand.

  “Took you long enough,” Slade said. “This has been going on for, like, six months.”

  “Well, Theo is a little shy…” Dee nudged me in the side.

  “I’m not shy,” I argued. “I just knew you were out of my league.”

  “You got that right,” Slade blurted.

  “Thanks, man,” I said sarcastically.

  “Hey,” he said with a shrug. “I’m just being honest with you.”

  “I really should get back to practice.” Dee wrapped her arms around me and gave me another kiss.

  “Alright. I’ll see you afterward.” I gripped her waist tightly because I didn’t want her to slip away.

  “You want to buy me dinner?” she asked.

  “And other things…”

  She giggled then walked away.

  Slade eyed me with a defensive look in his eyes. “Did you fuck her?”

  “Whoa…” I raised both hands. “That’s a personal question.”

  “Did you?” he demanded. “She’s like a sister to me. You better take care of her.”

  I rolled my eyes. “Don’t be annoying.”

  “Oh, I’m gonna,” Slade snapped. “I hooked you guys up because I thought you were a good guy.”

  “I am a good guy,” I said. “But Dee doesn’t want a good guy.”

  Dee grabbed Slade by the sleeve and pulled him away. “Drop the protective brother act. It gets old.”

  Slade moved out of her embrace then pulled me away. “What about Alex?”

  “What about her? We’ve been broken up for a long time, Slade.”

  “Are you still into her?”

  “Of course not.” I was a little offended he had to ask.

  Slade finally backed off. “Then we don’t have a problem.”

  “Dang…I was looking for an excuse to punch you in the face.”

  “You wanna go, bro?” Slade got in my face. “Martial arts versus Krav Maga. Let’s see who wins.”

  Dee rolled her eyes and pulled Slade away. “Put your dicks away and let’s practice.”

  Slade yelled at me over his shoulder. “For the record, my dick is bigger.”

  “That’s not what Trinity told me.”

  Now he looked like he wanted to murder me.

  I chuckled. “See you later, Dee.” I walked out before Slade really blew his lid.

  ***

  I picked Dee up after practice. “What do you want to eat?”

  “You.”

  I tried not to smile. “Well, besides that.”

  “Something else…on you.”

  My dick hardened. “I don’t want to be in one of those relationships that are all about sex so let’s get something to eat.”

  “Okay, Mr. Sensitive.”

&n
bsp; I put my arm around her shoulders and walked out with her. “Take it as a compliment. I’ve been in those types of relationships before. That’s not what I want with you.”

  “Lucky me.” She put her arm around my waist.

  “So, what do you want to eat?”

  “Burrito?”

  I chuckled. “You want a burrito?”

  “I love burritos.”

  “How about that taco shop we always go to?”

  “Sounds delicious.”

  After we entered the shop and ordered our food we sat in a booth by the window. I ate my nachos and she ate her burrito like she just ran a marathon and desperately needed to replenish her lost calories.

  “I’m thinking about getting another tattoo.”

  “Yeah?” We hadn’t said anything before this. We were just staring at each other, infatuated with each other’s features. She really was beautiful. Her fair skin contrasted well against her black hair. Her brown eyes reminded me of a warm coffee on a winter morning.

  “Slade said he would do it for me. He’s pretty good, apparently.”

  My eyebrows shot up. “Where is this tattoo gonna go?”

  “On my other hip.”

  I didn’t like that. “I don’t want Slade doing it. Go to someone else.”

  “What?” she said with a laugh. “Why not?”

  “Because he’s my friend and I don’t want him looking at you.”

  She pressed her lips tightly together like she was trying not to bust up laughing. “Slade doesn’t see me like that. Trust me.”

  “I know he’s happily married and all of that, but he’s still a guy. If he sees you in your underwear he’s going to get hard.”

  She still looked amused. “I can read people pretty well. The second I tried out for the band, Cameron and Razor eye-fucked the shit out of me. Not to sound arrogant, but that’s a common response I get from men. Slade hardly looked at me. It was like I was another dude. The longer we’ve spent time together, the more prominent that’s become. He never looks at me that way. He’s so infatuated with his wife that everything else in the background has faded. Secondly, I do what I want so don’t bother telling me what to do.”

  “I’m not telling you what to do. I just think it’d be a little awkward having one of my friends do it, that’s all.”

  “I want it done right so I’d prefer to have him do it.”

  I knew I lost this argument. “Fine.”

  “Don’t you want to know what kind of tattoo I want?”

  “Sure.” I returned to eating my nachos.

  “A black dragon. It’ll look sick.”

  “That’s hot.” Any ink would be hot on her.

  “I like it. And I’m thinking about buzzing my hair right here.” She pointed to a small patch of hair above her ear.

  “Buzzing it?”

  “Yeah, making a pattern of some kind.” She was the most free-spirited person I knew, which I found attractive. But I knew my parents wouldn’t be too impressed with that. Dad wouldn’t care but Mom might.

  “That’d look cool.”

  “So, how was work today?”

  “Good. I had to hire a few instructors because things have been crazy, not that I’m complaining.”

  “That’s good,” she said. “Do you ever get tired of it?”

  “No. I’ve been doing a women’s self-defense class for a while and that’s my favorite one.”

  “Why?”

  I tried to organize my thoughts. “Most of the women who join are weak and scared. After working with me for a while, they become empowered and strong. At the end of the program, they aren’t scared anymore. What people don’t understand is, fear is your worst enemy. It causes you to freeze up and run away. But when you have that confidence, your defense is a million times higher. They are no longer afraid to get that gallon of milk from the store late at night. They aren’t scared to walk home alone after work. It really changes their quality of life. And that makes me happy.”

  A slow smile stretched her lips, and she gave me a look full of affection.

  “What?”

  “You’re a big sweetheart, Theo. I think I love that most about you.”

  I shrugged because I didn’t know what else to say.

  “You’re an orthodox, but a good one. You’re tough and powerful, but underneath all that muscle and strength you’re soft. But in a beautiful way.”

  I shrugged again. When people flattered me it made me a little uncomfortable.

  “You want to teach me a few moves?”

  “Why? Are you scared?”

  “No.”

  “You don’t need to learn because you have me. I’ll keep you safe—from anything.”

  She continued to smile at me. “How did this passion start?”

  “I’ve always wanted to learn martial arts since I was little. It was probably because of Ninja Turtles and Power Rangers.”

  She chuckled. “Maybe.”

  “I was naturally good at it, and when I got older I stuck with it. There’s nothing else I want to do.”

  “Then why did you go to college?”

  “Parents.” That simple word explained everything. “Plus, all my friends and family went there. I don’t regret it because I had a lot of fun.”

  “And learned a lot…?”

  “Eh,” I said with a shrug. “I don’t remember most of it, honestly.”

  “What do your parents do?”

  “My dad is a screenplay writer. Mom is a housewife.”

  “Cool,” she said.

  “Mom used to be a dancer but she retired when she had Thomas.”

  “Is that your brother?”

  I nodded.

  “I’ve never heard you talk about him before.”

  “We had a falling out a long time ago but we’re putting our relationship back together. These things take time.”

  She didn’t ask what our fight was about, thankfully. “Well, I’m done eating. Want to head back to my place?”

  “You get right to the point, don’t you?” I said with a smile.

  “Take it as a compliment. That means you’re good.”

  “Well, I already knew that.”

  “Cocky…”

  “Sorry, sometimes I forget not to act like an ass.”

  “It’s okay,” she said. “I know you’re sweetheart underneath all that arrogance.”

  Chapter Four

  Slade

  I flipped the page and continued reading. On average, most women gained fifteen to thirty pounds during pregnancy and they should consume a third more calories for the fetus. Regular exercise was important, but nothing strenuous. What to Expect When You’re Expecting was pretty helpful.

  Trinity walked in the door with her bag over her shoulder. “Babe, what are you reading?”

  “Nothing.” I shut the book and tossed it on the coffee table.

  She came to the couch and stared at the cover. “A baby book?” Her lips contorted like she was trying not to smile.

  “Yeah…there’s good information in there.”

  “I think that’s for the mother…”

  “Well, I’m the father. It doesn’t hurt to know, right? Did you know you need to consume a third more calories every day?”

  “No.”

  “Well, now you know. You’re notorious for not eating so I’m going to have to be on your ass about that.”

  “Goodie…”

  “And we need to see a obstetrician and get you on your pre-natal vitamins.”

  “Okay.” She crossed her arms over her chest.

  “And those heels have to go.” I eyed her five-inch stilettos.

  “What’s wrong with my shoes?”

  “They put too much pressure on your spine. And when you have a belly that can be dangerous.”

  She sighed like she was irritated. “Slade, I’ve been pregnant for a week and you’re turning into a Nazi.”

  “A Nazi?” I asked. “Because I care?”

  “You
need to chill out.”

  “Chill? No, we have a lot of stuff to do. We need to get the baby stuff, and we need to discuss what we’re doing for college. I want to enroll them in music school, but they need a physical skill too. So, I was thinking Theo could teach them martial arts. He knows what he’s doing and he’ll make sure our kids won’t get hurt. Well…it wouldn’t hurt if they got injured a little bit because it would build character—”

  “Shut up.”

  I stilled. “Geez, those hormones are already driving you crazy, huh?”

  “No, you just need to calm down. I walked through that door five minutes ago and you haven’t even kissed me yet.”

  “Oh, sorry. You interrogated me so I didn’t have time.” I stood up then put my large hands around her slender waist. Then I gave her a slow kiss. “I’m very happy you’re home.”

  She immediately melted.

  “Because I want dinner.”

  Her eyes widened and she immediately glared at me.

  “Kidding.” I kissed her again.

  “You better be.”

  “How about we move to the bedroom then go for a brisk walk?”

  “A walk?” Both of her eyebrows rose. “We’ve never gone on a walk before.”

  “Well, you need moderate exercise. That’s what the book said.”

  “I walk around at work all day.” She was giving me that look that told me she thought I was crazy.

  “In heels. We need to get you some cute tennis shoes.”

  “I’m not wearing tennis shoes to work.” That sassy side of her was emerging, claws out.

  “Well, when you get bigger you’re going to have to.” I stepped away from her so she couldn’t smack me. “And don’t worry about dinner and cleaning the house. I got that, okay?”

  “Wait…what?”

  “You already stress about work all the time. Let me take care of the stuff at home.”

  Her jaw dropped. “But you don’t know how to cook.”

  “Well, now I’ll learn. When you walk through that door I want you to sit on the couch and just relax. It’s important for the mother to be comfortable at all times.”

  Her eyes softened. “Slade, you don’t have to do that.”

  “You’re having my baby. Yes, I do have to do that.”

  She walked to me then wrapped her arms around my neck. “You’re so sweet.”

  “Yeah?”