The Manny

by Piper Rayne

  Jagger.

  “Hey, gorgeous.”

  “I hadn’t even said hello yet.”

  “I can hear the tears. Why don’t you go open your door?”

  I drop the phone and run. Then the reality of what is happening slows my pace. I stop in front of the hallway mirror. I look like the working mom of two who thought she’d be staying in alone nursing a broken heart that I am.

  I thread my fingers through my hair, pucker my cheeks, and with one last kiss in the mirror, I head toward the door.

  Vance is there with a basket full of junk food—pretzels, chips, liquorice and chocolate. Lying right in the middle of the basket is the script.

  “Please reconsider taking the role,” he says.

  “Yes.” I nod my head in case my verbal agreement isn’t enough.

  “Yes?” he questions, a slow smile tugging at the corner of his lips.

  “Yes.”

  “As in a thumbs-up emoji?” He places the basket down on the stoop.

  “As in a smiling face with heart eyes emoji.”

  His head slowly rises. “Are we talking about the part or us?” His voice is soft like a whisper.

  “I thought you were asking for forgiveness?” Heat whips up my neck, right into my face.

  “I am. But I didn’t want to assume. God, are you telling me I can put my arms around you right now?” He reaches out but then he shoves his hands in his pockets.

  “They should make a combo hugging and kissing face with closed eyes emoji.” I smile and he approaches me.

  “Sounds like I need to upload the adult emojis onto your phone.” His palms land on each side of my face and he brings his body up flush against mine.

  “There’s such a thing?” I ask.

  “We’ll talk about it later.” He bends down.

  “After what?”

  He inhales a deep breath. “After I show you in great detail all the meanings of the adult emojis.”

  He walks me back into the house and his lips capture mine as the door slams shut behind us. Having his lips on mine again feels so right, as if he’s giving me back the oxygen I need to breath properly.

  He pulls away and a small sound of displeasure escapes me. I don’t want to lose this feeling.

  “I love you, Layla, and I’m sorry I screwed up, but what you need to believe is that I’m ready to learn from my mistakes. No more lies by omission. You have my word. I won’t do anything to hurt you or the kids. I’m done hurting the people I love. I won’t survive losing you all again.”

  My eyes started watering when he first said he loved me, but the mention of my kids in his declaration of love has the tears rolling down my cheeks. He uses his thumbs to wipe them away.

  “I love you, too, Vance. I’ve been so unhappy without you.”

  “Aw, babe, don’t cry.” He looks behind him into the house and then swings his head back in my direction. “Where are the kids?” he asks. “I want to apologize to them, too.”

  “They’re away for the weekend with Carver.”

  Something close to relief passes through his gaze. “I’m excited to see them again, but I’d be lying if I didn’t say how fucking happy I am for us to have some adult time together.”

  I chuckle. “Oh, and what exactly did you have in mind?”

  He tilts his head as if he’s thinking really hard. “I’ve heard that make-up sex is the best kind of sex… should we find out?”

  I smirk. “We most definitely should.”

  Before I even know what’s happening he’s lifted me off the ground and I’m hanging over his shoulder.

  “Oh, my God, Vance, put me down.”

  He only laughs, turning to head into the house and smacking me on the ass as he makes his way toward the stairs.

  Call it intuition, call it hope, but something inside me knows that Vance will continue to carry me through life and never let me down again.

  Epilogue

  Vance

  One Year Later

  “I really need to go back out. Jack is gonna to be knocking on this door again,” Layla says. Her hands contradict her words when they descend down to my ass, thrusting me inside of her.

  “Jack will wait. I think he’s used to your trailer rocking.”

  Layla smacks me. “Funny, but I don’t want him to think I’m some prima donna.” Her head falls back. “Oh. My. God. Yes! Right there.” A groan escapes her throat.

  “So stop, then?” I stop grinding and grin down at her.

  Her hand slides to the back of my neck and she pulls me down. I should make her beg, but she’s way too tempting for my self-discipline to win this one.

  “If you stop I’ll kill you.”

  I chuckle. My hips grind my cock deep and my tongue slides into her waiting mouth.

  She lets out a soft moan. “Harder,” she says, panting for breath.

  I thrust hard into her. “God, you feel so fucking good.”

  Our quickie in the trailer turns a little more sensual than normal. Half the time, I’m lifting her dress and bending her over the table. You’d think after the year we’ve been together that we could keep our hands off one another for a whole day.

  Nope. We’re more on fire for each other than ever.

  “That’s it. I’m coming,” she says and her entire body stiffens right before she falls into the couch, heaving for breath.

  I grind into her a few more times, not wanting to come because I could stay inside of her for the rest of the day and still not have had my fill. She lifts her legs and my dick slides deeper, punching up my orgasm like the needle on an engine. I’m in the overheating zone, so I still inside of her, swallowing my own groans and pushing my face into Layla’s neck.

  I lift my head and kiss her once more before pulling out.

  “No sugaring the cookie today?” she asks, sitting up and buttoning up her blouse.

  “I figured less clean-up.”

  She stands and shakes her head. “Not for me,” she deadpans.

  I snatch her by the waist and pull her down to my lap. “I’ll clean you up.”

  She kisses my cheek and escapes my hold. “Next time I’m holding you to that.” She disappears into the bathroom and I finish dressing.

  “Hey,” I yell to her. “Only two days before the weekend.” I do a little dance that she can’t see.

  “You’re that excited to go to Disneyland?” She comes out of the bathroom with her hair styled into a slicked-back ponytail, her dress arranged perfectly on her body and looking like we didn’t just fuck.

  “I’m excited for the kids this weekend.” I pull her into my arms. Payne and Via have been gone for a week with Carver.

  “Speaking of…” She widens her eyes. “You can kiss these sneak-aways goodbye for a while once they return.”

  “There’s closets and I can find a nook or two for us to get it on.” I raise my eyebrows a few times.

  A loud bang hits the trailer door.

  “Mommy!” Payne says.

  I let Layla go and sneak away into the bathroom. I hear her open the door and the nanny she and Carver share is here for the exchange.

  “Thank you. No, we’ve got it from here. Go take some time for yourself this afternoon,” she says. Layla chats up the nanny for a bit about how the trip was.

  Payne’s footsteps echo in the small trailer as he runs up and down its length. “Vance!”

  “Van?” Via says and my heart warms knowing they’re looking for me.

  Thankfully, that green monster that arose inside me when Carver came back in the picture has been replaced with gratitude at seeing them so happy with both of their parents in their lives.

  I open the bathroom door and grab Via as she runs by. She screams and I tickle her chest, making her laugh.

  “Vance!” Payne jumps on my back and soon both kids are attached to me.

  The trailer door shuts and Layla plucks Via from my arms.

  “I missed you,” she says, drowning her with kisses. Via swats at her m
om, but from the giggles escaping her I know she’s loving it.

  “What are we gonna do?” Payne asks.

  “Well, we have an afternoon of shooting and then we’re going to have some fun.”

  “Yay!” Payne screams.

  These kids have it made. Come home from a vacation on an island and then Disneyland that next weekend.

  The four of us leave the trailer and head to the studio for filming. We drop off Via at the daycare area we put in for all the employees. That move earned me an extra blow job or two.

  I slide up on the chair with my name on the back and Payne hops onto the one with his.

  “No nanny today?” Payne asks.

  I ruffle his hair. “Who’s your manny?” I smile.

  “You are!”

  “Hey, come here.” I motion with my finger for him to come closer.

  His smile widens like I just offered him a giant ice cream sundae and he jumps down off his chair and into my lap. “What?”

  “What would you think if I was your stepdaddy?”

  His eyes bulge out like I just placed the ice cream sundae in front of him with a king-size candy bar sticking out of it.

  “You can’t tell Mommy.” I glance around the studio to make sure she’s still in makeup.

  “Why not?” He bites his little lip.

  “This is going to be our secret until I ask her tomorrow.”

  He nods his head enthusiastically, the smile never leaving his face.

  “So, it’s okay with you? You’d like me as a stepdaddy?”

  His arms wrap around my neck, but he never answers. I think from the tight hold on me, he’s more than okay with me asking his mom to marry me.

  “Remember, we have to keep it quiet. Mommy can’t know.”

  Pulling back from me, he nods without saying anything.

  “Man, I’m glad that’s over. I’ve been worried all week about asking you.” I wipe the imaginary sweat off my forehead and he giggles. “You think I need to ask Via, too?”

  He shakes his head, scrunching his lips like a grown man stuck in a little boy’s body. “Nope. She does what I say, so she’d say yes.”

  “Okay, everyone,” Jack, the director announces as Layla walks out to the set.

  Her eyes search us out and she grins.

  Man, I can’t wait to see the look on her face tomorrow.

  The next morning, the Andrews household is in complete disarray. I should totally propose on any other day but today. It’s clear Carver didn’t keep the kids on their regular routine and we’re having trouble reining them in. Regardless, I’m happy for them that he’s in their lives. At least he’s making an effort.

  “I think we should scrap Disneyland.” Layla might think her voice is low enough, but Payne’s head snaps in her direction from where he’s getting dressed.

  “No,” he whines, but even Payne’s fight is of dismal proportions.

  The kids are tired and Layla and I are exhausted from the shooting schedule.

  “Come on, let’s go to Yolk Me first and then we’ll see how everyone is.” I finish changing Via’s diaper on the floor of Payne’s bedroom, get her dressed and the second I let her go she runs over and hops up on Payne’s bed.

  “I don’t want to make breakfast, but if we go to Yolk Me we’ll get there later. Then there will be more people there and it’s more likely they’ll watch us and take pictures. It’ll be a whole fiasco.”

  I see who Payne inherited his whining abilities from. “Come on.” My heart races. I need to get the question out to her before I die of insomnia. I didn’t sleep a wink last night because I was so nervous for today.

  Payne stands, but wobbles a little. They’re all exhausted. So am I.

  “Fine. Let me get dressed quick.” She heads to her room and I look to Payne.

  “Now’s the time, you ready? Remember, don’t say anything.”

  Via slides down off the bed and comes to stand between us, looking between each of us.

  “Mum’s the word.” Payne sucks in his lips.

  “Mum?” Via asks.

  “Yeah.” I laugh at her and she does the same act as Payne with sucking her lips into her mouth.

  A half hour later, we walk into Yolk Me, which is way more crowded than we’re used to, but it’s Saturday. My eyes shoot to the machine and my heart relaxes seeing the out-of-order note taped to the glass case.

  The owner, who I talked to last week and then again last night, walks up to the hostess station. Unlike the other patrons waiting, Layla seems oblivious that there’s a table ready for us. The exact table we sat at the first time we were here together.

  “Thank you.” I slide in the booth and Payne hops up on his knees right next to me.

  “Can I play?” he asks, his eyes shooting from his mom to me. He’s brimming with excitement and I can tell that my plan is in jeopardy of being blown if it doesn’t happen soon.

  “Your mood sure changed,” Layla says, digging into her purse for change.

  “I got it.” I hand Payne a five-dollar bill.

  “Me!” Via shouts.

  “You’re too little,” Payne says and then runs over to the game.

  Payne inserts the money. Good boy.

  “It’s out of order,” Layla calls over, but Payne moves the crane.

  “Guess not,” I say and Layla shrugs, looking over the menu.

  She’s so calm, I’m certain she has no idea what’s about to happen.

  “Me!” Via says again.

  Layla’s hand instinctively moves to her daughter’s arm, her eyes not even coming off the menu. But Via is having none of it.

  “Me play!” Via is on the verge of a scream.

  “Let’s just order.” Layla dips her menu down, her gaze finding mine with a look that says, This was a bad idea, we should all be at home.

  “It’s fine.” I smile.

  Our waitress comes over and Layla orders for her and the kids. Then I order for myself. The entire time, we’ve both tried to calm Via down, but she keeps trying to free her legs from her high chair. I think she might be trying to bungee-jump from the thing.

  “Come on.” I stand up, and unbuckle her.

  “She won’t get back in now.” Layla shakes her head like Via will be my problem, stirring her Splendas into her coffee.

  Via tries to use the crane one time and Payne tries, but neither can get it, which is good.

  “Go ask your mom to come over,” I whisper to Payne and he nods enthusiastically, running over to his mom.

  Layla’s attention is stuck on her phone.

  “Mom!” Payne yells and she startles, her hand gripping her heart.

  “You scared me.” She laughs and her eyes find me and Via over at the machine.

  “Will you help me?” Payne asks, portraying his best ‘please, Mommy’ face.

  “Vance is there. Can he not get it?” She’s already sliding out of the booth.

  I knew she couldn’t resist the urge to beat me at something. If she thinks I couldn’t get the animal and she can, she’d jump at the chance.

  “No, I need your help, Mommy.” Payne waits outside of the booth while Layla gets up and heads over to the machine.

  “You couldn’t do it, huh?” she asks in a cocky voice.

  I shake my head. “Don’t be too sure until you get the animal yourself.”

  She shrugs one shoulder. “I’ll get it.” She weaves her fingers together, stretching them to crack her knuckles. “Want to see the master?” she asks Payne, who’s jumping up and down.

  If she doesn’t get the loosely placed blowing-kiss-faced emoji pillow I’ll be the one reaching my hand up there like Payne did.

  “You want the angry face one?” She looks down at Payne.

  “No!” he yells, his face transforming into an ‘are you stupid’ expression.

  “Hey, that’s not the way you talk to me.” Layla’s attention shifts from the game to correcting Payne’s behavior.

  We really don’t need a detour i
nto parenting our child right now.

  “Sorry.” Payne’s head dips down.

  “Let’s win one for Via,” Layla says, searching the game.

  “The blowing kiss one,” I suggest and she looks over her shoulder at me.

  “One of my faves.” Then her attention goes back to the game.

  I nudge Payne’s shoulder, having him come over to my side, trying to get the sour look off his face. This is a happy time.

  “I’m not sure I can get that one. I think I should go for the heart eyes one.” Layla’s speaking while all her focus is on the pillows.

  Oh, hell, no.

  “Just try. You get to keep going until you win.”

  Layla switches gears and moves the crane back, nodding her head in agreement. She presses the button and the crane lowers. My girl is good. First try and the pillow is up in the claw.

  “Oh, yeah.” Layla does a running man and the three of us laugh. “I got it. Who is the master of this game?” She turns around, tickling Via.

  “Cool your jets, Vanilla Ice.”

  She laughs at me, grabbing the pillow from the slot and handing it over to Via.

  “Don’t you think you should look it over before giving it to her?”

  Her face crinkles, but she looks it over anyway. Her palm must land on the pocket I had sewn in.

  Payne’s eyes light up as he stares up at her. I place Via down on the ground, linking her hand in Payne’s. Payne grips it tight like I told him to do.

  “What is th—” She pulls out the ring and her face reddens. “Vance?”

  I grab her hands, kneeling on the ground in front of her. I take her hand in mine.

  “Layla, I knew after three weeks that I wanted to marry you, and I’ve sat back, waiting for all the pieces to fall into place.” I glance to the kids and then back to her. “I know you just got your maiden name back legally, but I’m asking you to change it again.”

  She laughs. Her divorce was only final six months ago.

  “To me, you’re my sprinkles on a sundae. You’re my frosting on a brownie. You’re my Splenda in my coffee. You’re my sugar on a cookie.”

  She covers her mouth from laughing.

  “You make everything better for me. I was cruising through life doing well, thought I was happy, but I wasn’t. After I met you, I realized how much sweeter life can be. Marry me?”