“What time does our son get home?”
Holy shit.
Our son?
I took an unsteady breath. I hadn’t anticipated his words having such an effect on me, but my heart was squeezing tightly in my chest.
“We still have a couple of hours. They’re planning on getting ice cream after the movie.”
“Alright then. In that case, we have some time to nap, then we can figure out all the details of making this work.”
“Together?” I asked, hardly believing that all of it was real.
“Together,” he answered, pressing a kiss to my shoulder.
Now that was something that I could get behind.
20
Michael
I fiddled with my keys as I headed into the restaurant, feeling nervous. I didn’t like feeling nervous, and it wasn’t an emotion I encountered often. Even in the tumultuous field that I had chosen to build my company in, I preferred to stay calm and collected, letting myself be as unruffled as they came. But what I was about to do was different than a merger, or launching a new interest. What I was about to do was going to change everything, for better or for worse.
And that was a lot of pressure. Even for me, a guy who was used to pressure and reveled in it. But it seemed no part of running my own business had prepared me for what was coming.
I entered the restaurant and sure enough, Belle was already there, Griffin sitting across from her and coloring happily.
Taking a deep breath, I strode forward, presenting her with the flowers that I had ordered just for the occasion.
“Hey there,” she said, practically glowing at seeing me. I didn’t know what I had done to end up with a woman like her looking at me like that, but it certainly bolstered my confidence.
“And this is for you,” I said, brandishing the toy truck that I had bought for him.
“A present!” he said, dropping his crayons and taking the toy car. “Thank you! But I already hadda birthday!”
“I know,” I said, sliding into the booth beside his mother. “I was there, remember?”
“Uh… yeah. I think so.” He started pull the truck out of the package before his fixed me with a look that was far too knowing for his age. “Mommy got flowers. I got dis truck. So… that means it’s special.” His glance slid to Belle. “Is today special?”
I couldn’t help but chuckle at the boy. He clearly had his mother’s cleverness and was going to be quite the handful as he got older.
“Well, yes,” Belle said, taking his tiny little hands into hers. “This is Michael, you remember him from how much the two of you hung out at the hospital, right?”
“Of course! He gave me my games!”
“Right. He gave you your games. Well, he and I have been hanging out too, and he has something very important to tell you.”
“Is that why we’re here at this nice restaurant?”
“Yeah, that’s why.”
Griffin nodded and looked to me, his eyes somewhere between my bright green and hazel. How I had ever been in denial about his parentage was beyond me.
“Are you my Daddy?”
Wait… what?
I blinked at him, completely blindsided, and even Belle was sputtering.
“Why would you think that?” she asked, sounding borderline panicked.
“Mr. Michael looks like me. And he makes you smile. And he took care of us while I was sick. That sounds like a Daddy to me.”
Wow. What a kid. What a fucking kid.
“Yes,” I said around a slight laugh. “I’m your father.” Now it was my turn to reach out and take his free hand in mine. “I’m very sorry that I wasn’t there for you before, but if you’re okay with it, I’d like to make it up to your and your Mommy. Would that be alright?”
This was it. The big moment. If the kid looked at me and said no, I knew Belle would respect that. Although there was something growing between us, something beautiful and precious, it was nothing compared to her love for her son.
Which was as it should be. They’d had four years to be there for each other. I had a whole lot of time to make up.
“That depends…” he said slowly, looking incredibly serious. Or at least as serious as a four year old could.
“Oh really?” I asked. “Depends on what?”
I wasn’t surprised when he held up a red crayon to my face. “Do you like to color?”
That was my boy. That was my boy. Too clever for his own good and absolutely charming.
“Yeah, I like to color.”
“Then I think you will be a good Daddy. But I’m hungry. Can we order food now?”
A snort sounded from Anabelle and soon I was laughing with her, both of us thoroughly amused by the boy.
“Yes,” Belle said once we both recovered. I waved down the waitress, and soon it was just like any other dinner.
And just like that, we had the foundation for our little family. And as I sat there, eating with the two of them, I couldn’t wait to build up everything right on top of that groundwork.
I could see it all stretched out in front of me, how we could grow stronger and wiser together. I could see us continuing to date, falling in love, finally moving to one of the large properties I had out at the edge of the city.
I could see Griffin starting school. I could see Belle getting a promotion, or maybe even leaving where she worked now to start her own thing. Hell, I would even pay for her to go back to school if she wanted.
I saw all of us becoming better versions of ourselves, letting our walls down and learning what it was like to be in love, to be a family.
And I had to admit, it looked mighty good from where I was sitting.
“Thank you,” Belle whispered, drawing my attention away from my visions. I turned to her, and she had such a sappy, lovestruck look on my face that it was hard not to just turn into mush right then and there. The woman had no idea of what she did to me, but that was alright.
I was fine with taking the next few years to show her exactly how she affected me.
Epilogue: Five Years Later
Anabelle
I chewed on my lip, nerves making my stomach squeeze as I stared at my computer screen.
And I’d been staring at it for the last fifteen minutes, as if I was waiting for something to happen. Some glaring error to jump out at me.
I watched the video through again, my eyes intent on every detail, but by the time I got to the end, there still wasn’t anything wrong with it.
Wow.
I was done.
I had just finished the rough draft of my hundredth episode.
Feeling giddy, I uploaded it to the drive for my company then set an email to my editor saying that I had managed to get it to her a couple of days early for her to do her magic. While I was competent, my work had gotten so much better since I hired her, and I was excited to see what she would do.
A hundred episodes. That was crazy. Five years ago, I never would have thought that I would be running my own video channel on the internet, making silly videos about mythology from around the world, but that was exactly what I was doing. And I would never have been able to do it without the support of Michael.
Shutting my computer down, I headed down the stairs to his living room. Although we’d been together for four years, we hadn’t moved in together until Griffin had started kindergarten. I had been a bit nervous about moving too fast, but the estate that Michael had put us in a school district that specifically had a gifted program that Griffin was perfect for.
It was the weekend, so sure enough Griffin was painting with watercolors in his designated art-corner while Michael laid on the floor, enjoying playtime with our baby girl.
Stella Marie Bishop was even bigger than her brother had been at her age with a thick shock of black curls and my dark, dark eyes. Often when we were out, people would assume either she was adopted or mixed, but I didn’t mind. Although she was more tan than I would be at the ripe old age of eleven months, I could
still see so much of myself in her.
“Hey there,” I murmured from the last step, drinking the whole scene in. For being nine going on ten, Griffin was still my sweet, considerate boy. Some people accused the two of us of overattachment, but he had plenty of healthy outside the family activity and his teachers said he didn’t display any sort of attachment issues on their end.
Michael rolled over partially, a slight stubble across his jaw as he returned my gaze. I didn’t know how it was possible for him to be even more handsome after another five years, but that was exactly what he was.
I felt flush with happiness and contentment as Stella let out a happy coo at the sight of me. Of course, I was across the floor in just a second, picking her up and cuddling her to me. Although I was busier than ever, I didn’t have that same bone-deep, unending exhaustion that had once been my life.
Quite the opposite, actually. I felt more alive, more full, and ready to take on every day like the gift that it was. Sure, there were still challenges and stresses, but I was no longer teetering on the brink, afraid that one misstep would have me falling forever.
“I finished the video,” I said as Michael got up, straightening his skin-tight shirt as he did. My eyes were drawn to his form, as they always were, and I was reminded that I’d been so busy with making my one hundreth episode that we hadn’t had any time to ourselves in a week or two.
Well that wouldn’t do.
“Congratulations,” he said, kissing my forehead. “How about a snack to celebrate.”
“Snack?” Griffin said, looking up from his paints. “I wanna snack.”
“Of course you do,” Michael said with a laugh. “You’re just like me when I was your age. Ready to eat my parents out of house and home.”
“Does that mean I’m gonna get as big as you?”
“Maybe,” I said as we all headed to the kitchen. “Provided my short genes don’t cut you off at the knees.”
“Short genes? You’re not short.”
“No,” I admitted, pulling out some chips out of the pantry along with some cheese sticks from the fridge. But Michael took them and put them back, pulling out veggies, fruits and a yogurt dip. I sighed, but I always liked it a little when he got all provider-ly on me. “Those are for Griffin’s birthday party this weekend,” he reminded me with a grin.
I heaved a dramatic sigh. “Whatever would I do without you?”
“Probably starve,” Griffin said helpfully, taking a strawberry and dunking it so deep in the dip that he had more of the yogurt mix than actual fruit in his hand.
“Yeah, probably,” I admitted, my heart willing with warmth as we all dug in.
Together. Because we were a family.
* * *
I yawned as I finished laying Stella down for her nap. Once again, I felt blessed, because my chunky baby girl was a good sleeper. Every night she got six hours and she took naps like a champ too. I had been worried at first, taking her to the doctor to make sure there wasn’t some sort of disorder, but the girl was just growing and liked her snooze time. I certainly wasn’t complaining about being considerably more rested than when I had been on my own with Griffin.
I left her nursery, wondering what to do with myself considering that my video was done, and Griffin had asked to walk over to another one of his friend’s house that lived within our gated community. The debate ended quickly, however, as Michael slid out from the bathroom, freshly washed and smelling absolutely amazing.
“Why hello there,” I said, sliding up to him and leaning against his front. He was still damp, towel clinging around his waist, and he looked good enough to eat. In fact, I definitely wanted to take a bite.
“Hello,” he said back, his two large hands coming up to my soft waist, pulling me up enough that he could press a warm kiss to my lips.
I didn’t know how, after five years together, every time was just as exciting as the first. Some of our friends called us sappy, said we were still in our honeymoon phase, but I didn’t care. I loved seeing Michael, loved looking at him, being with him, feeling him. It was like we were two halves of the same person, split apart before we were born but finally united back together.
“So, we’ve got a couple of hours to ourselves,” he said when we broke apart, wiggling his eyebrows slightly.
“Oh, are you suggesting an activity?” I asked coyly, fluttering my lashes at him.
“I’ll give you an activity alright.”
Just like he always did whenever he was particularly horny, Michael hauled me up over his shoulder and carried me to the bedroom. I laughed, kicking my feet, but I ended up tossed onto the bed without ceremony, nonetheless.
I laughed, because how could I not, but the sound was quickly swallowed up as his lips took mine.
His hands moved against me quickly, trying to get me as bare as him, his towel having fallen off in our trek to the room. It didn’t take him long, as I often favored working in oversized shirts and sweatpants, and it seemed it was only seconds later before he was burying his face in my center.
“Michael,” I rasped as he kissed everywhere but where I wanted him to, teasing me in a way he hadn’t in a while. Not because he ever half assed sex with me, but it was just so rare that we had enough time to ourselves that he got to wreck me the way he wanted to.
Well, he was making up for lost time. He pushed my legs up, practically bending me in half, kissing along the pack of my thighs and all around before his tongue finally moved against me.
I let out a heady breath, my hand going into his hair just like the both of us liked and held on for the ride.
And it was quite a ride. I would have thought that after half a decade of him eating me out, I would be bored with it, but it always felt like some sort of act of religion.
He spread me out, an offering on the altar of our love, and his tongue delved into me, imitating what he might do with his fingers later. Or, if he was feeling especially cruel, he would deny me those and make me get off with his mouth alone.
And by cruel, I meant absolutely magnanimous.
But five years had also given him plenty of time to learn my number and soon I was spilling into his mouth, his tongue lapping me up like I was tastier than anything else. I was completely prepared to lay there a minute, waiting to see if he tried to wring another orgasm from me before giving me his dick like I wanted, when suddenly he laid next to me.
Oh, was it over? That was unusual for hi-
The next thing I knew I was being yanked over, my knees under me as I straddled his thighs.
Maybe it wasn’t for some women, but I loved how he manhandled me. It made me feel small and precious in a way I didn’t in my day to day life. But maybe that was because I was as tall as the average man, fat and could bench press more than half the people I knew.
“Think you have it in you to go for a ride?” Michael asked, grinning at me wickedly.
“Oh, I’m up for having something inside of me, alright,” I shot back, knee-walking up so that I was over his length.
Just like usual, he was already rock hard and waiting for me, head purpled and leaking. I thought about teasing him right back, about sliding my dripping entrance along his manhood, but the truth was that I wanted it just as bad as he did. And while I wasn’t usually on top, we’d done it enough times that I knew I loved looking down at his face as he came inside of me, hot and heavy and wild.
Gripping him firmly, I pressed him to my entrance, sliding down bit by bit. Even after five years, I still needed a second to get him entirely inside. He filled me, and I just sat there a moment, reveling in the sensation.
But I should have known that he wouldn’t let me be lazy. Soon he was gripping my hips, lifting me up and then bringing me down hard enough for my breasts to bounce.
“That’s my girl,” he said hotly, doing it again, but bringing his hips up to slam into me.
And that was it, I was quickly lost to his ministrations as he truly made me ride him.
It was raw, i
t was rough, and it was everything that I wanted. Although my thighs screamed, I gave him everything I could, taking what he wanted to give me and trying to return it in kind.
Eventually, however, he took mercy on me, planting his feet on the bed so I could lean back and place my palms against his own muscled thighs, using them to gain leverage to grind along him. He let me catch my breath, his eyes burning through me the entire time.
But the moment that I recovered, he held me still then pistoled in and out of me, his dick curving just enough to hit that place inside of me that always made me cry out.
And cry out I did. Again and again and again. It was a wonder that we didn’t wake Stella up, but the baby monitor beside our bed remained silent.
“You gonna come for me, sweetheart? You gonna be a good girl?”
I nodded breathlessly, bouncing so hard it was a wonder we didn’t break anything, when abruptly the entire world whipped around and I was on my back.
What…?
My vision cleared and I realized that Michael had flipped us over, still thrusting into me like I was his only hope of salvation. Both of his hands went down to my center while his mouth settled on one of my nipples, nibbling and sucking and driving me crazy. I gasped, but that just seemed to encourage him further.
Just like I knew it would, one of his fingers slide across my clit, slow and firm, the perfect opposite of his wild, unchecked thrusts. But the other didn’t sit idly either, instead parting my swollen lower lips, in a ‘v’, his two longest fingers going to either side of his dick.
I could feel him holding me open while also framing him as he pumped in and out of me. It added a strange, intense sort of edge to everything, and I could feel myself hurtling towards my end again.
“Michael, I’m gonna… I’m gonna!”
“Then do it, baby girl. I’m right here. I’m here for you.”
Baby Daddy (Forever Daddies Book 1) Page 17