by Emma Vikes
“But she left.”
“Because you were a coward,” Everett answered simply, “sometimes, Milo, all it takes is believing in what you’re capable of and then maybe you can become it.”
“That sounds like a Disney quote.”
Everett shrugged. “I have to go. Think about it, alright?”
When Everett ended the call, I buried my face in my hands and rested my elbows on the counter, closing my eyes and letting the tension coil off my body. It had been almost a month since Megan left and everything was so fast-paced with me and Violet that I felt like I didn’t have time to rest and even if I did, my brain wouldn’t shut up about Megan.
She was wrapped in my every thought, every waking moment and even the unconscious ones too. A part of me wanted to go to Irving and beg her to come back, but the other part- the one I kept listening to – told me it wasn’t a good idea. “Daddy?”
I gingerly removed my hands from my face and put a small smile on my face. “Hi, sweets.”
“You’re sad.”
She didn’t say it as a question but as a statement and with how my daughter looked at me at this moment, the concern clearly in her pretty blue eyes, I didn’t have it in me to lie to her. “Just a little bit.”
Violet climbed up the stool so she could be within level with me. She placed both her hands on my face. “You miss Megan.”
Again, it was a statement and I was so surprised she said that instead of saying that I missed her mom. “What?”
Violet looked at me with a small smile on her face. “With Mommy, you were more angry than sad, so I know it’s not her that you miss.”
All I could do was blink and stare at her. How can someone as young as her be as empathic as she was being in this moment? “I wish she comes back to make you happy again, Daddy.”
“What about you?”
“I’m happier when you are, and Megan made us both happy. Like how it used to be with Mommy,” she said the last statement quietly, almost in a whisper.
“I...”
“I think you love her,” her voice was still quiet, almost shy and timid when she said it but there was a small smile on her face and her eyes glinted with delight when she said it, “and Uncle Ev thinks so too.”
“Why do you say that?”
“Because you weren’t sad when she was around and now she’s gone and you are.” Her answer was so simple, void of any complications that only experience could seep through someone’s words. Violet looked at me with her blue eyes, wide with innocence and youth. “Why don’t you just get her back?”
“It’s not that easy.”
Violet rolled her eyes. “What’s so hard with telling someone else ‘I love you’ when you say it to me every day?”
“That’s different. You’re my daughter.”
“And you’re in love with her!” The exasperation was now evident in her voice as she stared at me, shaking her head. “Adults just make things harder by thinking too much. Sometimes, things are easier when you simply say what you want to rather than think about it too much.”
As young as she was, Violet had a point. There were moments that the thought would strike me, that the image of Megan and I being together officially would come to mind. And sometimes- a lot of times- I wanted to act on what I felt, on what my heart wanted me to do. It happened mostly in the tender moments when Megan was asleep beside me- naked in bed- her head resting against my arm and her soft snores filling the room, when she was in the kitchen, cooking breakfast for Violet and I, and dancing to the song that was in her head. It was when I’d catch her looking at me, the soft way she stared at Megan and I and the subtle smile on her face.
Every time my heart would burst with pure, unadulterated love and in the instant that it did, the thought of Rebecca cheating on me severed it. But as Violet’s point stated, it was better to just say what you feel than over-think it and lose the chance to actually say it. I pulled Violet closer to me and kissed the top of her head.
“When did you get so smart?”
She shrugged, “I did some advance reading before school started.”
Chapter 21
Megan
“Megan! Are you ready yet?” Morgan yelled at me inside the bathroom. It had been over a month since I’d gone back to Irving and I’d been staying with Morgan since. I could afford my own place- I still had some money left from when I worked for Milo- but Morgan was insistent that I stayed with her because I was pregnant and she didn’t want me alone. Nora didn’t hire me back at the salon after she found out about my situation since she was scared that the hair products and chemicals could affect the baby. Besides, she was selling the salon and it was only a matter of time until I was jobless again so she didn’t want that to happen to me. It was a good thing that Pablo allowed me to work for him at the food truck but he fussed around me so much that I ended up as a cashier to him.
Today was my day off and Morgan wanted to drag me to this surprise concert at the park. I’d lived my whole life in Irving and knew that surprise concerts weren’t a thing in this town. But Morgan was so excited and as much as I wanted to stay in and laze around the apartment, I knew that she would drag my lazy ass one way or another and I didn’t really want to know the methods that it’ll take her to do so.
I slipped in an oversized shirt over my body. I still looked like I had eaten a big breakfast and the doctor said that I would probably show more now that I’d hit my third month but I still don’t see any differences and the only way I’m reminded I was pregnant was the constant need to pee and the morning sickness that was becoming less and less, thank God.
“We’re going to miss the good seats, Megan!” Morgan whined through the door and I could imagine her putting her head against it, pleading with me.
“I’m pregnant, Morgan, that’s like a VIP ticket,” I said as I opened the door and she almost fell into the bathroom since she was leaning on it. She pouted, dressed in tight jeans and a cropped shirt, her dark hair pulled into a high bun, a part of me wishing I could still pull off those cropped top looks.
“It takes you forever to use the bathroom now that you’re pregnant,” Morgan mumbled as I searched for my phone and wallet to stash in my small purse.
I rolled my eyes. “Why are you so antsy?”
For a split second, Morgan looked alarmed at my question but she shrugged and flashed me a smile. “I’m just hoping they play my favorite band, okay?”
I rolled my eyes and shrugged on my flannel, following her out of the room. It was 8 PM right now and if it wasn’t for Morgan, I really would’ve stayed in, read a book, and fallen asleep before 10. But nope, she wanted me to come with her. She called an Uber and less than fifteen minutes later, we arrived at the venue only for me to realize that we were at Nora’s salon and the entire block was deserted. Even Pablo’s food truck wasn’t present.
“Did they have this area closed down for the band? What happened to the park?” I asked, closing the car door and looking at Morgan with questioning eyes.
She smiled at me secretively but didn’t answer my question. Instead, she motioned for me to follow her to the salon and the two of us stared at it. “You used to tell me that Mom loved doing people’s hair that’s why you loved it too and I wanted to...I wanted to share the same passion for it.”
“But you’re too smart to just cut hair,” I said quietly, bumping her shoulder with mine, “and whether you love the same thing that Mom does, she’s still proud of you.”
Morgan bit her lip and her eyes were shining with unshed tears. “When you quit beauty school just to help us out despite the fact that there were student loans- and you did it just so we didn’t have to work so hard for extra cash- you had to give up so much for us, Megan.”
I reached out and touched her cheek, smiling. “It’s been worth it, Morgan.”
“You’ve devoted your entire life to us since Mom and Dad died and no amount of thank you could ever suffice,” Morgan started, staring at Nora’s salon. �
�All you ever wanted was to have your own and since Nora started this up for sale, I would’ve wanted to buy it for you. The three of us would’ve chipped in to buy it for you.”
I stared at my sister, my heart melting at her words. “You don’t have to.”
Morgan smiled, nodding. “I know. Because had we done it, then it’s going to be one more thing to stop you from coming back to Chicago.”
My eyebrows furrowed. “What do you mean?”
“What she means is that had if she and your brothers got this salon for you, you wouldn’t come back to me in Chicago no matter how hard I try.”
I didn’t have to turn around to know who that voice belonged to. Morgan’s eyes were looking at me, shining brightly with glee and she flashed me a ‘thumbs up’ with both hands and quietly left the scene. I turned around to see Milo standing in front of me, his hands tucked in his jeans and his hair mussed up by the cool July wind.
“Hi,” Milo said, a small smile on his face and then he pointed at one part of the street, “that’s the part where I hit you with my car. I thought it’d be romantic if somehow I brought you in the place where we first met but the way we met wasn’t exactly romantic.”
My right eyebrow raised in question. “What are you doing here, Milo? Where’s Violet? Did you leave her alone back in Chicago?”
He rolled his eyes. “She came with me. We booked a flight to get here and she’s with Everett right now.”
I bit my lip. “What are you doing here, Milo?”
I feel like I knew the answer but at the same time, I didn’t want to hope because hope meant heartbreak all over again with Milo. But Milo let out a deep breath and looked at me with his gray eyes, the nervousness clear. “I’m not the romantic kind, Megan. I don’t...I don’t do romance. Even with my ex-wife. It’s just not my thing. And then I see every other guy capable of making girls’ heart flutter and I wonder what’s wrong with me.”
Milo licked his lips as he paused and then continued what he was saying. “I used to be scared of committing in a relationship, thinking that I’m not good enough. That was why I put my own daughter on a pedestal because I didn’t know if I was a good enough father to her without Rebecca. I have insecurities, Megan, and then I found out that my wife cheated on me and before I could even get my answers to why she died. If Everett had never pointed this out, I wouldn’t have realized it either.”
“I don’t know what I did right to make you want to be with me before,” Milo’s voice broke when he said this and when he looked at me, I could see the sincerity and apology in his eyes, “but I know what I did wrong to lose you the way I did.”
My heart was racing and I wasn’t sure what Milo was trying to get to. I was certain he didn’t know about the pregnancy but with the way he was using his words, it made me think that he did. “I left because my family needed me.”
“There was no emergency, Megan.” I blinked, unsure of how I was supposed to respond to that claim. “I had Everett do some digging before I came here. I wanted to be certain that if I brought you back to Chicago, everything with your siblings was set in place.”
I honestly didn’t know what I was supposed to say. “I...did you just come here because you want me and...”
“I love you.” Milo closed his eyes as the three words slipped out of his mouth and my heart dropped to my stomach as I stared at him blankly. He took another deep breath and looked at me with his gray eyes. “I’m in love with you, Megan.”
And just like that, it was as if my brain shut down and I couldn’t think of anything to say or how to respond to what he just said. All I knew was that my heart fluttered like crazy and my eyes were tearing up, my stomach kept doing back flips and my legs felt like jelly and I wasn’t sure if all of those were the caused by what Milo just told me or because I was pregnant.
He took a step closer to me and I remained frozen where I stood, looking up at him wide-eyed. Milo placed a hand on my face gingerly, waiting for me to swat his hand away but I didn’t. I was frozen. He leaned closer to me, his forehead resting against mine, his eyes closed as he let the moment whisk us to another world.
“Now would be a really good time for you to say something, Megan.”
But my brain wasn’t really processing anything and just like that, I blurted out the first thing that came in my mind like a fool. “I’m pregnant.”
The two words were enough to make Milo pull away from me for a split second as he searched my eyes. I wasn’t sure what was on his mind after I said those words but my shoulders sagged off the tension when a smile began to make its way on Milo’s face. “You’re pregnant?”
I bit my lower lip. “I’m sorry. I...I didn’t mean for it...”
But Milo grabbed my face and kissed me, his lips moving quickly against mine and an arm swooped around my waist, holding me in place because my legs literally went jelly as he kissed me. His free hand was on my neck, holding my face in place as his lips moved languidly, his teeth biting my bottom lip gently so his tongue could move inside of my mouth, savoring the taste of me. I moaned into him, melting as he held me close to his body.
“You’re not angry?” I whispered to him once he pulled away, my heart beating erratically against my rib cage. My hands were on his chest as I stared at him, waiting for an answer.
Milo shook his head, smiling at me. “No. I’m happy.”
“But I’m just Violet’s nanny.”
At my words, his eyes immediately darkened and I could see the pain in his eyes. “I didn’t...I wasn’t...I wanted Leo to get off my back because I didn’t want to admit my feelings for you. I was so focused on the notion that love was bound to break your heart after what happened to Rebecca...Is that why you left? Because of the baby and what I said?
I looked down and stared at my Converse covered feet. “I didn’t want you to want to be with me because of the baby. If you didn’t think of me that way, then what made you think otherwise?”
Milo looked at me again and there was something about the way he stared at me that made my heart skip a beat. “Someone told me that sometimes you gotta say what you feel than think about it too much. Over-thinking ruins the chance of a lifetime.”
“So what am I now?”
Milo pouted. “What cheesy line do you want me to say?”
I chuckled and pushed him away. “It’s alright if you don’t. I can’t imagine you saying one anyone.”
“You’re my universe. You’re my everything. You’re the very essence of my being,” he began to say, nuzzling me with his nose, his arms around my waist as I laughed pushing him off of me. I placed a hand on the side of his neck, looking straight into the gray eyes that I’d fallen in love with. Who knew that the man who hit me with his car that day in this very street would be the man I would fall for? “But most of all, I love you.”
“How do you think Vi would react with the pregnancy?” I asked after a moment.
Milo grinned. “I think she’ll be over the moon. I know I am.”
Epilogue
Milo
She moaned into my lips and I smiled against hers as I pushed myself even further into her, relishing the warmth that she radiated. “Shit, Milo.”
“Be quiet, love,” I murmured, chuckling as I grazed her collar bone with my teeth and she arched her back involuntarily, her fingers buried against my hair as I pushed myself inside of her, gritting my teeth as she clenched her walls against me. “Fuck, don’t do that, please.”
She giggled as she forced herself on top of me, my dick still inside of her. She began moving forward and backward, her eyes closed, her medium-length golden locks sticking on her neck because of the sweat. “Why? Does it make you want to scream?”
She clenched her folds again and I squeezed my eyes shut, the tightness causing a loud groan to erupt from me. “We just put the kids to sleep.”
Megan giggled on top of me and pressed a finger against her lips as she began to move up and down in a slow rhythm and I growled at the agonizingly slow p
ace, gripping her waist and moving her on top of me quickly until I flipped our position again. Hoisting her leg to rest on my shoulder, I began to pummel into her and Megan’s moans began to grow louder and our breathing more erratic.
She grabbed a pillow to stifle the noise she was making and I reached out a free hand, my thumb quickly rubbing against her clit to quicken her climax even more. In a loud whisper, Megan cursed, “Fuck, Milo!”
And I watched as her body shivered beneath me, her eyes shut close, her mouth covered by a pillow to stifle her scream as she rode her climax and I continued to push myself into her continually, gaining even more momentum as I repeatedly thrust my dick into her pussy and then I came, my seed going straight into the condom I was wearing.
Breathing hard, I pulled out of her and Megan winced lightly, rolling to her side as she handed me a tissue from our nightstand. Then her eyes travelled to the baby monitor we had set up in the room, watching Atlas sleep soundly in his crib. It had been three months since we had him and he hadn’t been as fussy as Violet used to be when she was a baby.
I slid my boxers on and crawled beside Megan, kissing the side of her head. “He’s fine.”
“Sometimes I don’t want to believe he’s real.”
“Sometimes I don’t want to believe you’re real,” I murmured beside her, nuzzling her neck with my nose as I hugged her from behind, her gaze still locked on the camera, on the sleeping form of our son. I kissed the back of her head, my cock getting harder and I knew she could feel it because she laughed and flipped her body so she was facing me.
“I’m kind of tired now, love,” Megan murmured and I pouted but Megan crawled on top of me, the blanket pushed to the side again and she moved to kiss my collar bone, my chest, her tongue licking the dips of my abs and then her teeth grazed the happy trail that led to my hardening dick. She slowly pulled off my boxers, kissing the side of my length, “but I can help you with this.”