by A. K. Evans
Then I felt his lips press gently against my neck, sending shivers across my body.
“Feel good?” he asked.
“It feels wonderful,” I replied.
“I’m sorry I never realized how much of a toll the pregnancy was taking on your body,” he shared. “In more ways than one.”
I shifted slightly so I could look back at him. “More ways than one?” I repeated.
He grinned at me. “Yep. There’s the growing belly and extra weight that should have been obvious to me,” he started. “But then there are the hormones. I just thought they were all about emotions. Last night, I learned differently.”
I narrowed my eyes at him.
Roscoe’s hand left my back, cupped the side of my cheek, and he kissed me.
Any frustration I felt went out the window.
It took me a moment, but I shifted my body enough so I could roll in his direction. He fell to his back, keeping one arm wrapped around me.
When I pulled my mouth from his, I looked down at him and gave him a smile.
“Big day today,” I announced.
“Yeah. But at least you’re all ready for that dress that I can’t wait to see you in,” he returned.
I placed my palm on his chest and pushed myself up, ready to launch into a discussion, when suddenly, something caught my eye, and I froze.
“Are you okay?” Roscoe asked the moment he felt the rigidity in my body.
Slowly, I twisted my head in his direction and felt my eyes get wet.
Growing more and more alarmed, Roscoe sat up, kept his hands on my arms, and pressed, “Baby girl, what’s wrong?”
“Where did you get it?” I rasped.
“What? What are you talking about?”
I did my best to swallow past the tightening in my throat and clarified, “The frame. You have our baby’s ultrasound in the frame I wanted to get you.”
Roscoe looked over at his nightstand as his body relaxed. When he returned his attention to me, his voice dipped low when he shared, “Walker and Sadie gave it to me the day you told me you were pregnant.”
He’d had it for so long.
Sadness immediately washed over me. Roscoe had made attempts to make things right with me very early on, and I pushed him away because I was too caught up in how much his initial reaction to the pregnancy news had hurt me.
Why couldn’t I have been more understanding?
“Sienna, why do I feel like you’re upset about this?” he asked.
Shaking my head, I reassured him, “I’m not upset about the frame. I’m upset with myself.”
His voice laced with concern when he replied, “For what, baby?”
My eyes searched his face. He was such a good man. Maybe he hadn’t had the best initial reaction, but Roscoe had certainly made up for that.
“I wish I would have given you the chance to come to terms with the news in the beginning,” I murmured. “I was hurt by what you said and wrote you off.”
“I deserved it,” he insisted.
I shook my head again. “No, you didn’t.”
“Sienna, I said something horrible about you,” he reminded me.
Shock. He had been in shock. There wasn’t anything he could tell me to make me think otherwise.
“I wasn’t happy,” I admitted.
“What?”
“In the beginning,” I explained. “After I took that first test and the five or six that followed, I was devastated. Even after I went to the doctor and received confirmation, I still didn’t feel happy about the pregnancy. By the time I came to your place, I’d had weeks to come to terms with how my life was going to change. I should have been mindful of that. I’m sorry I didn’t give you any understanding.”
Roscoe lifted a hand to the side of my face and stroked his thumb along my jaw as he kissed the opposite cheek.
“None of that excuses what I said to you. I’m sorry for that. We’re here now, though. Let’s not get caught up in what we both could have or should have done sooner. Let’s just focus on where we’re going to go from here,” he suggested.
Nodding, I whispered, “Okay.”
“Kiss me,” he urged.
I leaned forward and kissed him.
Then he said, “Breakfast?”
“Yeah.”
At that, we got out of bed and went down for breakfast. And as we spent our morning together, I realized just how lucky I’d gotten with Roscoe.
The words on the frame were true.
Nobody would love this baby the way he would.
The door opening beside me caused me to swivel my body in the seat.
Roscoe’s hands were immediately on my legs. Despite the warm summer air engulfing me, shivers ran down my spine.
“I’m beginning to think you’re proud of your work,” I declared.
“What work?” he asked.
My eyes dropped to his hands that had drifted from my knees up to my bare thighs. “My legs,” I answered.
A smug grin formed on his face while he began tracing his fingertips over my skin. “I did do a good job, didn’t I?”
“Yes,” I answered, feeling myself grow breathless.
He might have been referring to my smooth legs, but all I was thinking about was what happened after he’d shaved them last night.
Roscoe’s hands slipped beneath the fabric of my dress—the dress that had made it nearly impossible for him to keep his hands off me to begin with—until they landed at the very top of my thighs. Using his body to cover mine from prying eyes and giving my thighs a gentle squeeze, he urged, “Spread your legs, baby.”
I looked around the parking lot, wanting to make sure nobody could see before I honored Roscoe’s request and parted my thighs.
Keeping one hand planted firmly in its place, the other hand drifted down between my legs. He brushed the back of two of his fingers against me.
My lips parted, and a rush of air left my lungs. “What are you doing to me?” I asked.
He applied a bit more pressure against me before he answered, “I just want to make sure you’re satisfied and feeling good.”
Gripping the front edge of the seat in my hand, I insisted, “You already did that yesterday.”
Roscoe ignored that and instructed, “Scoot closer to me.”
I scooted.
He gently urged my knees apart even wider, using his free hand and his elbow. Then he pushed my panties to the side and touched me. Unable to resist him, I leaned back a bit and spread my legs even more.
Roscoe smiled and said, “There you go.”
A moment later, he slipped a finger inside me and began fingering me. I moaned while making another scan around the parking lot. Thankfully, nobody was around.
Roscoe picked up his pace and pressed his thumb to my clit.
I panted.
I whimpered.
I didn’t know if it was the thrill of being somewhere public that made it happen or if it was simply because Roscoe was just that good, but he built me up quickly.
“Roscoe,” I whispered my warning.
“That’s it, baby girl,” he encouraged me. “Let go and give it to me.”
I didn’t necessarily need to be persuaded because I was already there. A moment later, I was struggling not to moan too loudly as my orgasm tore through me. Roscoe saw me through to the end before he carefully slipped his finger out and tenderly stroked it over my swollen and sensitive clit.
“Do you know how fucking sexy you look when you come?” he asked, still touching me.
“Baby, please,” I begged. “It’s too much.”
“I want to bury my face in your pussy right now, Sienna,” he shared. “Lick every last drop of you.”
“Roscoe,” I whispered again. “Someone is going to see us.”
He shrugged his shoulders as he shot me a sly smile. For several seconds, I was terrified he was going to actually go through with it, and I had a feeling he knew it was making me nervous because he chuckled, put my pant
ies back in place, and said, “Alright. I won’t do it now. But later tonight, it’s happening.”
Wanting to have some fun of my own, I countered, “Under one condition.”
“What’s that?”
“You put your cock in my mouth and let me have a little fun first.”
He groaned as he leaned forward to kiss me. “That can be arranged. Come on. Let me help you out.”
I placed my hand in his as I exited the SUV.
“Careful,” he advised when I stepped down. “I know your legs are probably feeling a bit like jelly right now.”
Cocking an eyebrow at him, I insisted, “You are not very funny at all.”
“I was serious.”
Shaking my head in mock disappointment while Roscoe led me across the parking lot, I was beyond excited for my baby shower. The day had finally arrived, and I couldn’t wait to celebrate the arrival of the baby with the people who loved us.
When we made it to the bridge just outside the venue, Roscoe stopped and asked, “You’re sure I don’t have to stay for this?”
I nodded. “I’m sure,” I replied. “But you are the father of this baby, so an exception can be made for you if you want to be here.”
“It’s going to be a bunch of women?” he asked.
“Yeah. I mean, my dad will probably stop by at the end to help with cleanup, but the actual party is going to mostly be just women,” I shared.
Nodding his understanding, Roscoe said, “Then I’m just going to go meet up with the guys like we had originally planned. Unless you want me to stay.”
Smiling, I returned, “I want you to do whatever is going to make you feel most comfortable. I’m completely fine with you going to hang with the guys as long as you promise to come back just a touch early so you can see everyone and give your thanks to them.”
“I can do that,” he assured me.
“Okay. Well, it’s three hours long, so I’m thinking if you can get back here in two and a half hours that would be perfect.”
“That works for me.”
With that, Roscoe let go of my hand, drove his fingers into my hair, and tilted my head back so he could kiss me. I didn’t put up a fight.
And right there, outside, on the middle of a bridge, Roscoe kissed me like he didn’t care who might be watching.
When he pulled back, he said, “I’ll see you later, baby.”
“Have fun.”
As he walked away, I stood there watching him. For some reason, despite having been around him nonstop for weeks, I couldn’t get enough. I was still reeling from everything that had happened last night. And considering what had just happened in the car and what was promised for later, it was no wonder I wanted to chase after him and beg him to take me with him.
But before I could do something so crazy like that, I heard, “You’ve got a lot of explaining to do.”
A huge smile formed on my face. I turned to my left and saw Addy walking toward me with a determined look on her face.
“Hey,” I greeted her.
Shaking her head, she scolded me. “Oh no. You don’t get to ‘hey’ me,” she started. “I want to know what that was all about.”
“What?” I asked, playing stupid.
“Everyone inside the building just witnessed the two of you making out with each other right here,” she shared.
Crap.
I had been so worried about the people who might see us in the parking lot, I totally didn’t even think about the people who could see us from inside.
“Was that all everyone saw?” I asked.
A curious look washed over Addy’s face, but before she could respond, another voice said, “We saw it.”
I spun around in the opposite direction and saw Demi, Chasey, Sadie, Holland, and Magnolia all walking toward me.
“You… you saw us in the car?” I stammered.
“What?” Sadie asked.
“We saw you from the car,” Demi shared. “What happened in the car?”
“Yeah,” Addy said. “What happened in the car?”
Her tone was laced with accusation.
I bit my lip.
Crap. I’d just given myself up.
I swallowed hard. “Nothing,” I rasped.
“What is going on? Are you and Roscoe together now?” Holland pressed.
“Um… well, we might have… things got a little more complicated last night,” I shared.
Their eyes all widened in surprise, but it was Magnolia who spoke. “How exactly did they get complicated?”
I looked down at my dress before returning my attention to them. “With my broken wrist, it’s been difficult to do things on my own. Add being pregnant to it, and there are certain things that are virtually impossible,” I explained.
“Oh boy,” Chasey murmured.
“Like what?” Demi asked. “What does that mean?”
My eyes slid to Addy’s briefly. “I was going to call you yesterday to see if you’d meet me at my apartment to help me shave my legs for today,” I began. “When I told Roscoe I needed a ride there and explained why, he offered to do it for me.”
“Aw, that was sweet of him,” Sadie declared.
“I knew he had it in him,” Holland added.
“Yeah. It was sweet. Until I thought I was going to die from being in a constant state of arousal,” I noted. “Anyway, it went from being sweet to being a bit more erotic because he didn’t shave just my legs.”
“I feel like this conversation has entered dangerous territory for me,” Addy warned.
The girls laughed. I did, too.
“I’ll spare you the details, but in the end, we couldn’t stop ourselves from giving into the attraction,” I shared.
“This is so awesome,” Magnolia bubbled. “I’m so happy for the two of you.”
“Me too. But what happened in the car?” Demi pressed.
I glanced nervously at Addy. “Let’s just say that Roscoe is a little insatiable and gave me a preview of something to look forward to tonight.”
“Ew, gross,” Addy said. “I love you, Sienna. And I want you to have all the things you deserve, but this is one of those situations where I can’t handle the details.”
“Good thing we’ve got a party right now,” Holland declared, as she stepped forward and took me by the hand. “Let’s go inside and celebrate this mama-to-be.”
I couldn’t stop myself from smiling as I walked through the doors and into the party.
Not long after I arrived, the festivities were in full swing. I’d mingled with most of the guests, Roscoe’s mom whisking me away to introduce me to extended family members I didn’t know. Everyone ate food and a bunch of games had been passed around to all the tables.
Eventually, my mom came up to me and said, “It’s time to open your gifts.”
She guided me to my special chair, and everyone settled in for the gift-opening part of the party. And with each gift I opened, I felt myself growing more and more thankful. I felt incredibly lucky and such an overwhelming sense of gratitude.
For my parents.
For Roscoe’s parents.
For our friends and extended family.
And beyond that, I felt extremely grateful for Roscoe. Sure, it hadn’t been smooth sailing for us from the start, but things were getting much better. In fact, they were the best they’d been. Roscoe had made a real effort to show me that he was a changed man. On more than one occasion, he’d made it clear he was struggling with trying to do all the right things, and I appreciated him for wanting to be a better man for our child.
I didn’t allow my thoughts to drift beyond that. Even though Roscoe and I were making progress in the relationship between the two of us, I knew that nothing was written in stone. I had no doubt that he’d be an excellent father, and I was convinced he’d go out of his way to make co-parenting easy for the both of us. But whether the two of us would stand the test of time remained to be seen.
Two and a half hours flew by, and the next th
ing I knew, Roscoe walked through the door.
His eyes found mine, and without saying a word to anyone else, he came right to me. Only after he bent at the waist and kissed me on the lips did he acknowledge the rest of the crowd. For the next fifteen minutes or so, Roscoe made his rounds through the crowd.
“Sienna?” my mom called.
“Yeah?”
“Do you think that you could convince Roscoe to take a picture with you?” she asked. “I’d love to have that memory in a scrapbook I’m making to give to the baby down the road.”
I looked over at him, back to her, and said, “I think so. Let me ask.”
“Okay.”
“And by the way,” I started. “Thank you for doing this for us, Mom. It means the world.”
She smiled and returned, “I’m just so glad to hear you say that I did it for the both of you. I know you weren’t in a great place a few weeks ago, so to see you both here today and to see how he’s been looking at you, I’m glad to know you’ve worked things out.”
I didn’t want her getting her hopes up, but I also couldn’t crush her heart either. “Yeah. No matter what happens with us, I know that Roscoe wants to be a good father.”
“I hope he becomes that and something even more for you,” she said.
“Yeah, me too,” I agreed. “Let me go get him for the picture.”
A minute later, Roscoe and I weren’t just standing for a photo for my mom. All the girls, including Addy, had joined in.
“I’m sorry,” I murmured under my breath as I glanced up at him.
He looked down at me adoringly. “We don’t have any photos together, Sienna. I’m more than happy to have a few.”
“Really?”
He nodded before he leaned down to kiss me again. When he did, I couldn’t miss hearing the reaction of the crowd. There was some shock and awe, but it was all filled with approval. Especially from his mom, my mom, Addy, and the rest of the girls.
“Hey, Roscoe,” my dad called out after the pictures had been taken.
“Yeah?”
“You want to get these things loaded into your SUV?” he asked. “Your dad and I will help you get everything carried out.”
“Sure.”
Roscoe turned toward me and said, “I’m going to get this handled. You look exhausted.”