Pieces of Me

by E. L. Todd

  It was the most amazing feeling in the world.

  My son was there, separated by skin and flesh. He was alive and well, ready to see us. He was so small, but so powerful. Without even meeting him he claimed my heart. “Wow…”

  Skye had her hand on the other side of her stomach. “It’s amazing…” Her eyes were moist.

  “Wonderful…” There weren’t enough words to describe it.

  “I’m sorry I woke up but—”

  “Always wake me. Please.” I would never want to miss this or anything else he might do.

  She fell silent and continued to feel him kick. Sometimes he took breaks before he started up again. The slight vibration was amplified against my hand because I was concentrating so hard.

  I wanted to feel this forever. “Come here.” I pulled the sheets and moved over so she had more room.

  “What do you want me to do?”

  “Lay with me.”

  She moved to the place beside me and lay on her side, her stomach against me.

  I pulled the sheets over us and returned my hand to her stomach. I closed my eyes because I wanted to feel this until I fell asleep. It was the most extraordinary thing in the world.

  Skye wrapped her arm around her waist, and within seconds she started to sob.

  My eyes opened and saw the tears running down her cheeks. I couldn’t tell if they were happy tears or not. “Baby, what’s wrong?”

  “I haven’t slept with you in so long…” She squeezed me like she wanted to make sure I was real.

  Those words broke my heart. She put me through so much pain for two months, but now I started to wonder if I put her through more agony when I moved out. The scores were even, and we both had battle wounds marked across our skin. “Skye, I’ll be here every night for the rest of our lives.” I wiped her tears away. “It’s okay.”

  She tried to stop herself from crying. She held her breath and tried to calm down. “I’m sorry…I’ve been so emotional.”

  “It’s okay.” I kissed her forehead. “I’m here and I’ll always be here.” I rested my face against hers and kept my hand on her stomach, where my child continued to kick on and off.

  “I’m so sorry about everything…I hate myself.”

  “Shh…don’t say that.”

  “I do.” She sniffed. “What if you didn’t come back? What if I had to move on without you? Things could have turned out so much different…”

  “But they didn’t. I love you and I can’t live without you. Forgive yourself. I’ve forgiven you.”

  “You have…?”

  “Yes.” I felt her hair with my fingers. “And in time we’re going to be back to the way we used to be. I’m not going to leave again. It’s you and me forever, okay?”

  “Okay…”

  I pressed my lips to hers and gave her a gentle kiss. “Forever and Ever, right?”

  She nodded. “Forever and Ever.”

  ***

  Slade walked into my office. “Yo, you want lunch?”

  I was on the phone. “Send me the report when you’re finished with it.”

  Slade started making gestures, like he was eating an enormous burger. Then he rubbed his tummy like it was delicious.

  “Yes,” I said into the phone. “I need to take a look at it before I call Dr. Thanos.”

  Slade pointed to his mouth then his stomach. Then he mouthed, “Do you want to get lunch?”

  I tried to wave him away. “I’m on the phone,” I mouthed back.

  He mouthed more slowly “You…want…to…get…lunch?”

  “John, let me call you back.” I hung up without giving him a chance to say goodbye. “Could you wait a second?”

  “No, I’m starving.”

  I rolled my eyes. “You really piss me off sometimes.”

  “You could have just said yes.”

  “Or you could have sat down and patiently waited.”

  “Whatever,” Slade said. “It’s in the past, right?”

  “But you’re going to do it again next week.”

  “Well, now you know to just say yes and I’ll leave you alone.”

  Poor Trinity. “You want to go now?”

  “Yeah, I really want Mega Shake.”

  “Sounds good to me.”

  We left the office and headed to the burger joint a few blocks over. Slade told me about a conversation he had with his dad about parenting. “Apparently, you just love them or some crap like that. And then everything is fine.”

  “Sounds like what my parents did.”

  “It’s more complicated than that and you know it.” We ordered our food then sat down. “I don’t even know how to have the sex talk. I mean, do I tell them about anal? And what if it’s a girl?”

  “No, don’t talk about anal. And that’s sixteen years into the future so you can chill for now.”

  “You aren’t just a little bit scared?” Slade asked.

  “No.” I was excited. I was thrilled. I was over the moon.

  “Weirdo…”

  “I don’t know if I’ll be a great parent, but I’ll do my best. Hopefully, that’s enough.”

  Slade shoved a handful of fries into his mouth. “Yeah, let’s hope. So, how’s living with Skye again?” He wiggled his eyebrows.

  “Good.”

  “Good? That’s all you’re giving me?”

  “We’re great. The baby kicked last night so we slept in the same bed.”

  Slade shook his head in disappointment. “Sleep with her already.”

  I was tired of repeating myself. “I will when I’m ready.”

  “I guess the prospect isn’t that exciting when she’s humungous.”

  “She’s not humungous,” I said. “And that’s not a problem at all. Her belly is sexy.”

  Slade cringed then sipped his soda.

  “I’m going to tell her about Laura.” I’d been thinking about it for a while now.

  “Yeah?”

  “I saw Laura the other day and I gave her a piece of my mind. She acted innocent, like her working there had nothing to do with me. She’s going to stay and nothing I said scared her off.”

  “That sucks.”

  “So, I have to tell Skye. And I’ll have to quit my job.”

  “Dude, no! We agreed you couldn’t do that.”

  “I know but my marriage is more important. Skye will be uncomfortable knowing Laura is there every single day, and I don’t blame her. She would do it for me.”

  “Cayson, that’s not an option. This job is perfect for you.”

  “I’ll find something else…” I admit I was disappointed I’d have to leave. I loved my job and everything it entailed. But my wife and child were more important. They would always be more important.

  Slade sighed and abandoned his food. “This sucks.”

  “I know. But Skye and I are doing really well and I want to go back to what we used to be. That’s never going to happen if Laura is still in our lives.”

  “I guess…”

  I kept eating. “So, I’ll tell her tonight then put my two weeks in.”

  Slade was taking it harder than I was. “I hate that bitch. Trinity could take her, you know?”

  I chuckled. “I know. But Laura isn’t worth her time.”

  “Why can’t she just get hit by a cab or something?”

  “Because we aren’t that lucky.”

  ***

  I picked up dinner on the way home then walked in the house.

  Skye was sitting on the couch reading. “Hey. How was work?” She tossed her kindle aside and came to me, her swollen belly forcing her to waddle.

  “About the same. Are you hungry?”

  “You brought me dinner?”

  “I went to the Thai place you like.”

  “That was thoughtful…”

  “You’re having my baby. I should be thoughtful all the time.” I set the food on the table along with two plates.

  Skye sat down then grabbed her chopsticks. “Ooh…this looks
good.”

  I took the seat across from her. “I had lunch with Slade.”

  “How’s he?”

  “Worried about being a father.”

  “He’s so dramatic,” she said. “He’ll be fine.”

  “You know Slade. He freaks out over everything.”

  “Yes, I know. I grew up with him.”

  I used my chopsticks to eat my egg roll. “How was your day?”

  “I tried yoga.”

  “And how’d that go?”

  She started laughing. “I just rolled around like a giant egg.”

  The image made me want to chuckle but I managed not to. “I’m sure that didn’t happen.”

  “Oh, it did. So I grabbed a bag of chips and ate that on the couch instead.”

  “Sounds more fun anyway.”

  “Mom came over for lunch. We had cucumber sandwiches.”

  “That’s nice.” Having her parents so close was a perk sometimes. They were always there to look after her when I wasn’t around.

  Skye inhaled her food like always. She ate quicker than I did. She could even best Slade in an eating contest if it came down to it. “That was so good. Thank god I have a fast metabolism to process all the crap I’ve been eating.”

  “I think our son is the one eating everything. Has he done any kicking today?”

  “No, he likes to do it at night when I’m trying to sleep.” She rolled her eyes. “It’s cute and everything but it gets annoying. He can’t do it in the morning? Or even in the afternoon?”

  I chuckled. “I have a feeling he’ll like to cry in the middle of the night.”

  “I’m sure you’re right.”

  “But at least we can take turns with that.”

  “Absolutely not,” she said. “You need to get enough sleep for work.”

  “I don’t mind, Skye.”

  “I do,” she said. “I’ll sleep when he naps during the day.”

  I didn’t argue with her because that was still two months away.

  When we were finished with dinner, I cleared the table. “Want to take a walk on the beach?”

  “It would be nice to get out of the house.”

  “Come on.” I grabbed one of my thick jackets and tucked it around her. Her own jacket wouldn’t fit because of her stomach. But mine were large enough to cover everything.

  We left the house and headed to the beach. It was chilly because fall was blending into winter. The waves were just as powerful, but the wind had a bite to it. The sand was even a little cold.

  We walked side-by-side.

  “Found anyone to sub-lease your apartment?” she asked.

  “Honestly, I haven’t even thought about it. It slipped my mind.”

  “Well, there’s no rush.”

  “I’m not sure where to put my stuff.”

  “We can find a place,” she said.

  “I doubt it,” I said. “I could just sell it.”

  “I guess…” She crossed her arms over her chest.

  “Do you miss work?”

  “Not really,” she said. “But I’m a little worried about Conrad.”

  “He’s fine, Skye. And he’s got that dog for comfort.”

  She chuckled. “I guess so. I’m excited to meet him.”

  I knew I had to tell her the truth about Laura. I couldn’t prolong it forever. Giving up my job was the last thing I wanted to do, but I wanted a lifetime with her. If Laura was constantly lurking behind every corner that would be impossible. She would be the snake in the garden, the shadow that constantly blocked out the sun. If Skye worked with Rhett every day, even though that wasn’t the same thing at all, I wouldn’t like it one bit. “Skye, there’s something I need to tell you.” Last time I procrastinated it blew up in my face. I had to rip the bandage off and get it over with.

  Skye turned my way.

  “I’m putting my two weeks in tomorrow.”

  She halted. “What?”

  “It’s a long story but…I can’t work there anymore.”

  “Why not?” she demanded.

  Now comes the hard part. “Laura works there. She’s the ambassador to the National Institute for Health. I don’t see her every day but I see her pretty often. I can’t fire her and I didn’t hire her to begin with. This is the only solution.”

  Instead of being confused or upset she didn’t react at all. It was like she already knew. “Cayson, there’s no way in hell you’re giving up that position. You love your job, and just because she’s there it shouldn’t stop you.”

  Wait…what did she say? “You want me to stay?” Did she not understand it was Laura? The same Laura who nearly ruined our marriage?

  “Just because she’s there doesn’t mean you should leave. That’s not fair.”

  “You don’t want me to quit?”

  “Absolutely not,” she said. “She’s bullying you and you shouldn’t let her. You aren’t going to leave just because she’s a psychotic bitch.”

  I stared at her, feeling a million things at once. “You’re being serious?”

  “Yes. Who cares if you see her from time-to-time? If she makes a single move, you can go to HR for sexual harassment. If she does anything to get fired, you can get rid of her. Don’t let her intimidate you, Cayson. Hold your head high and do your job without thinking twice about her.”

  I narrowed my eyes in suspicion. “You knew she was there.”

  Skye didn’t deny it. “Last week I stopped by to see if you wanted to get lunch. She was waiting outside.”

  I nodded my head slowly. “Why didn’t you say anything?”

  She shrugged. “I didn’t see why it mattered.”

  Now I didn’t know what to say. “You don’t care if I work with her?”

  “No.” She held my gaze. “She can do whatever she wants, Cayson. I’m not worried about it.”

  Every sound around me was suddenly amplified. The waves crashed against the shore, the trees swayed in the wind. But at the same time it was dead silent. I stared at her and she stared at me. Maybe she didn’t understand the significance of what just happened, but I did. “You trust me.”

  She bowed her head for a moment, almost like she was ashamed. “Of course I do, Cayson. She’s just an annoying fly that won’t go away. She’s disgusting, covered in parasites, and insignificant. I don’t lose any sleep over it.”

  Like a popped balloon, all my anger and resentment disappeared. The two months of torture seemed to be a distant memory. My heart was no longer cracked in two. It fused together, and hope surged through me. I didn’t think we’d be able to come back from this, but somehow, we had.

  I cupped her face and brushed my nose against hers. I saw my future in her eyes, a life where I grew old with her while our beautiful children surrounded us. My faith was destroyed. It was she and I against the world. I brought my lips to hers and kissed her hard on the mouth, giving her all of me for the first time. “I love you, Skye Preston.”

  She kissed me back with the same passion. “It’s Skye Thompson. And I love you too.”

  ***

  I made love to my wife in our bed.

  Her stomach touched mine as I slowly moved inside her. Instead of finding it a burden, I found it sexy. She was tight like the last time we were together, but that wasn’t what I enjoyed most. Seeing her stare at me with love in her eyes, the kind that would last a lifetime, was what I loved more than anything else.

  Our souls were finally combined again, and our hearts beat as one. I was her husband again, the man she trusted above anyone else. My lips kissed her chest, particularly the skin over her heart. Her nipples felt amazing in my mouth. Her tits were bigger than they used to be, and they were a million times sexier. I wish they would stay this way forever.

  Her hands moved from my shoulders to my chest, feeling the muscle underneath. Her nails dug into me every once in a while, and sometimes she pulled me further inside her, making me bury deep within her.

  I leaned further over her and gave her a gentl
e kiss. I felt her tongue with mine and loved the way she breathed into my mouth with excitement. Every sensation was heightened. When I moved inside her I felt just how wet she was.

  It was heaven.

  “You’re so sexy.” I felt her stomach with my hand. I loved the way it protruded out, hard and defined. The baby I made with her was deep inside. Our love would live on when we were gone. It was our legacy when this life ended. And there was nothing more beautiful than that.

  “No, you are.” Her hands moved down my chest. “You’re perfect.”

  I’d wanted to explode the moment we started but I managed to hold on. But the clock was ticking. Her pregnancy diminished my threshold in a way I couldn’t explain. I moved over her and pressed my mouth to her ear. “Come for me.”

  Her nails dug into my skin in immediate reaction, and she released a quiet gasp.

  I thrust myself further inside her, my dick right at her cervix. My pelvic bone rubbed against her clitoris, stimulating her. Then my lips found hers, kissing her slowly and using my tongue to play with hers.

  She tightened around me and wrapped her legs around my waist. “Cayson…” She tilted her head back and looked into my eyes as her body contracted around my shaft. Her palms were against my chest. “Oh my god…yes.”

  I moved into her harder and kept eye contact with her, wanting to watch my wife as she rode the high I gave her.

  She released another moan that stretched on forever. Her hips contracted and moved against me. Then she released the air she was holding and slowly came down to earth, her pussy still tighter than usual.

  Watching her come set me off. I leaned as far over her as possible and deposited everything I had inside her. It felt so good to fire off, to be with her like this. I used to do this every night, and it made me realize everything I was missing. I released a loud grunt as the orgasm hit its peak. Then I dwindled down, feeling my entire body relax in the after shocks of pleasure. Instead of pulling out of her, I pressed my forehead to hers and remained there. Now that I had this connection back I didn’t want to lose it.

  Skye kept her legs tightly around my waist. Her fingers moved through my hair to comfort me.