“That mean you love me too?” I ask gently, smirking down at her.
She nods. “I love you too,” she whispers.
“Now that,” I reply as I bend down to grab her legs and lift her up against the shower wall as she yelps in surprise. “Is damn good news.” I kiss her again as the warm water cascades over us. “I was going to feel like a jackass if you didn’t,” I joke against her lips and she giggles. I shift my weight and she startles again.
“Oh my God, don’t drop me,” she warns with a laugh.
“Never,” I assure her as I move in to kiss her again.
24
One of the many perks to Tyler staying over? A new morning ritual of enjoying my coffee in the living room while he does shirtless pushups. Good God that back is something to behold. His arms don’t suck either. It’s been four weeks, and so far, a relationship with him is not going bad at all.
Watching him, I just can’t resist the temptation. I set my coffee down and walk over to where he’s steadily working his body and shimmy my own underneath him, giving him a cheesy smile. He smiles back and quirks an eyebrow at me and sweet lord, his motions don’t falter at all, making me gaze up at him excitedly.
“Morning gorgeous,” he breathlessly greets me between pushes.
“Hi.”
“What are you up to?”
“Giving you motivation. Ten more, Hayes!” I boom, trying to sound like a drill sergeant.
“Yeah, and then what?”
“I’ll think of something. Eight!”
He raises his eyebrows curiously as he lowers himself onto his knees, caging me in with his forearms.
“Hey! You had six more to go!”
“Don’t worry, I’ll make them up in bed with you tonight.” I roll my eyes and laugh before he kisses me again, and before I know it, one of our warm and wet make-out sessions commences, but is quickly interrupted when I’m startled by a weird squishy feeling deep in my pelvis.
I let out a hard gasp, causing Tyler to halt his motions.
“What’s the matter?” he asks, urgently looking me up and down.
“I felt something,” I supply, scrunching my eyebrows together, trying to decipher what that feeling was before suddenly feeling it again, making me let out another gasp. “There it is! I feel it again!” But what is it? Whatever it is, it’s strange.
“What is it?” Tyler echoes my thoughts out loud.
“I don’t know. It feels weird, like some kind of a twitch or a tug.”
“Where?”
“Here.” I put my hand over my pelvis, still scrunching my forehead until I feel my eyebrows go up in realization. “Oh my God, it’s the baby. The baby’s moving!” I exclaim.
“Seriously?” he asks, reaching down to politely nudge my hand out of the way with his own.
“Yeah, I think so. I mean, I’ve never felt this before. I really think it is. Where are we time-wise?” I ask him, because he keeps track of the pregnancy better than I do.
“We’re at eighteen weeks,” he says absently, as he gently presses his palm around my pelvis that has enough of a swell to it that I’ve had to switch to oh-so-attractive maternity jeans. He has a look of concentration on his face as he feels around for a moment. “I don’t feel anything,” he finally relents with a hint of disappointment.
“Maybe it’s still too small?” I suggest as he shifts off of me and pulls the pregnancy book off the coffee table. He lays down next to me on his back and starts flipping through the pages. “What are you doing?” I ask, as I continue to feel the squishy twitching deep in my insides.
“Looking it up,” he informs me before reciting what he’s found in whatever chapter. “Movement can be felt by the mother anywhere between sixteen and twenty-two weeks, but it usually can’t be felt on the outside until twenty-four weeks.” He blows out a breath and tosses the book aside.
Aww.
“I’m sorry,” I say, rolling onto my side to face him and he shrugs.
“S’okay. I can be patient.” He tries to look nonchalant, but I can see the tiny hint of disappointment on his face.
“Really? You seem a little bummed.”
“Nah, it’s okay. It’s just natural, right?”
“Okay, because I could cheer you up with sex if you want.”
“On second thought, I am pretty devastated…”
25
“Still don’t care what we’re getting, huh?” Ty asks as he drives us through town on our way to the medical building.
I shrug. “No, not really. I think I’ll be happy either way. I’m just excited to know.”
“It’s a boy.” He lifts a shoulder and shakes his head with his eyes on the road, as if he cannot even entertain the possibility of it not being a boy.
“And how do you know?” I ask, raising an eyebrow at him.
“It just is. I’m willing it to be so.”
“Why? What’s the big deal if it’s a girl? Will you not love her if it is?” I ask, feeling my heartbeat start to pick up at the thought.
“Of course I’ll love her!” His face snaps over to mine. “Just… can you picture me being a girl dad? Because I can’t, I just can’t,” he exclaims, shaking his head again. “I mean come on, look at me. I’m definitely a boy dad. I’m rough and tumble, sports, cars… Face it, I’d be a way better dad to a boy.”
I subtly nod, because I really just don’t know what to say to that. I want to tell him that I think he’ll be a perfectly good dad to either a boy or girl just by the way he’s already surprised me in so many other ways, but he seems pretty intent with his way of thinking right now. I don’t think it will do much good.
“Besides,” he surges on, “I’m pretty sure I only make boys.” He lifts a shoulder as the smuggest freaking smile possible spreads across his mouth.
Oh, for crying out loud…
“It’s a girl,” the ultrasound tech smiles as she looks between the two of us. I can’t help it; I feel the corner of my mouth pull up in a smirk as I lay back with my hands behind my head. I chance a look over at Tyler whose face is an expressionless mask as he stares at the monitor screen where there’s an undercarriage view of our baby. I can see his eyes darting around, most likely still looking for balls. Not happening.
After a couple of words of congrats, the tech leaves the room and we have a moment alone. I reach one hand out to Tyler and he takes it in his own. He looks over at me and sighs.
“You’re going to be a great dad to this little girl,” I assure him.
“I know, I know. I refuse not to be. I just… I’m going to lose my edge, you know? I worry that when I get knee deep in the tutus and tea parties…”
“You’ll feel like you’ll be less of a tough guy?” I offer.
“Something like that. I don’t know. Do I sound ridiculous?”
“No, not completely,” I tell him as I look up at the ceiling to steel myself for what I’m about to suggest. I’ve been nervous as fuck for this, but it has to happen sometime, and I think it might be a good way to help him out of this fear of emasculation or whatever you want to call this complex of his. “But honey… I think now might be a good time for you to spend some time with my dad.”
“I’m going to level with you, Tyler,” Mitch says, bringing a beer up to his mouth and taking a hearty slug off the bottle before continuing. “Don’t grow your hair too long because it will get put into ponytails, making you look like something off fuckin’ Fraggle Rock.”
Great. Annie’s right, I feel better already, I think as I survey Mitch from my stool in his shop while nursing my own beer.
“And you’re just going to have to accept that from time to time, you’re going to have to get down on the floor of your daughter’s purple bedroom and pretend her teddy bear has to rescue her Princess Butterfly doll from the dragon’s pink lair in Hello Kittie’s basement.”
What in the actual fuck?
Mitch waves a hand while taking another drink when he sees the look of confused horror on my
face.
“Never mind. My point is, the second that baby girl looks up at you with those great big eyes, there will be no question at all that you will do anything for her, including orchestrating a tea party for her stuffed animals around a table too tiny for you to sit at.”
I keep picturing that look he’s describing, and everything he says makes perfect sense.
“The thing is,” he continues, “you show her enough how much you love her and love spending time with her, and she’ll want to keep hanging around you and take an interest in the things you enjoy. Like cars…” He trails off with a grin into space as he takes another pull. “Annelise’s sisters always meant well, but as you can guess, they could be a bit overwhelming for her. She’d seek refuge in here with me sometimes. Didn’t turn her into a grease monkey or anything, but it made her appreciate nice cars when she sees them.”
Cars. I look around his shop at all these sweet-ass vehicles… that aren’t ideal for carting a kid around in.
“I’m probably going to have to sell the TA,” I mutter somberly as I take a drink.
“Says who?”
“It’s not exactly a safe vehicle for a baby to ride in,” I explain with an obvious shrug.
“But Annie’s is,” he points out, referring to Annie’s Sentra. “It’s called compromise. I didn’t want to get rid of my car either, so when I had the babies with me I drove Charlotte’s car and I had to be okay with her driving my car if she needed to go somewhere while they were with me.”
I feel my eyebrows go up as the realization stuns me in the best possible way, and relief settles over me.
“That’s… a great idea actually. I’d have to teach Annie to drive a stick, but that makes a lot of sense,” I nod at him appreciatively.
“She already knows. You don’t have to teach her shit.”
“She does?” I ask in surprise. Annie never told me that, but of course, I never asked.
“Of course she does; all my girls do. That was one of the conditions before any of them were allowed to get their driver’s licenses. They had to know how to drive a stick,” he starts in, ticking the conditions off on his fingers, “change their own oil and change a tire. So rest assured, Annelise knows how to do all those things.”
I’m blown away at this dad wisdom Mitch is imparting. I shake my head in wonder.
“The thing about raising children,” he continues, “is you can be an innovator. Especially if you’re a girl dad or a boy mom, you can think outside the box and come up with ways to round them out nicely. For example, when it comes to guys hurting them, my girls can hold their own and don’t need to come running to me when some asshole screws them over. Hence, Annie drilling that asshole ex of hers in the gonads,” he says with another laugh. I think the case we’ve been splitting is starting to hit him. “That being said, before they’ve reached that place and they’re teenagers… scaring off boys that come sniffing around…” he nods with his words to make sure I stay with him, “… boys that are just like you were at that age? It’s fun as hell!” he says grinning with a raise of his eyebrows. A loud barking laugh takes over him as he tosses his head back at what I imagine must me some fond but crazy memories of freaking out teenaged school boys that came around trying to date Annie and her sisters. I join in and start laughing my ass off as I think forward to the day…
Shit.
26
I’m lying on my side facing Tyler with my leg slung over his hip as he slowly and sensually caresses the skin of my thigh, up to my ass and back again, kissing me with slow swipes of his tongue through my mouth. It’s the passionate, slow, and gentle lovemaking that he has gotten so good at.
He makes every touch across my body loving and tender, as well as every warm kiss across my skin.
He’s moving inside me in slow, languid thrusts… and it’s annoying the fuck out of me.
“Can you go a little deeper?” I suggest in a whisper, trying not to break the mood or disparage his new lovemaking skills.
“You don’t like this?” He breathes the question against my ear.
“That’s the thing… I do… I want more of it.”
“I don’t think I should,” he rasps, gripping my hip as he continues his shallow thrusting.
“You can be romantic and still be rough you know,” I say trying to keep the irritation out of my voice. I’m horny as fuck and don’t want to say anything that will kill the moment but dammit, I need him to slam it inside of me already. This is Tyler dammit! Why the hell isn’t he drilling me?
“I think we should be careful,” he whispers, as he drags his lips up my neck before nipping the skin there which makes my soul swoon and my clit throb even harder. I need relief, stat.
“Why, what’s the big deal?” I ask unable to keep my annoyance in check this time. I swear to God I’m about to throw him down on his back and violate him.
He lifts a shoulder, obviously uncomfortable with what he’s about to admit.
“The baby’s… getting bigger; parts are developing…” he shakes his head. “I just think we should go easy.”
You’re fucking kidding me.
“You’re fucking kidding me,” I chastise, halting my movements.
“Whoa, what are you doing? You’re going to kill me,” he tells me grabbing hold of my hip and trying to get me moving against him again.
“You’re not giving me what I want, why should I do the same?”
“Honey, come on. I’m sorry, I just want to be careful of her. What if she gets shaken around in there?”
“Are you serious? Since when do you care about this? You had no problem last week when you came ho-here from work!” I point out and try to recover from that slip. He’s here so much it feels like this is our home, but I still don’t want to spook him. I’ve been such a horn-ball throughout this pregnancy and I might’ve texted him some naughty photos while he was at work and he came rushing home-here! Anyway, he worked me over good, so what the hell is his problem now?
“We had that last ultrasound and she’s not a tiny blob floating around in there anymore,” he explains. “She’s more like an actual baby now and I’m afraid she’s going to get jostled around or something. What if it bothers her? Or scares her?”
What’s going on here? Where the hell am I?
I roll away despite Tyler’s grabbing and pleading, and blow out a frustrated breath.
“Oh my God, Annie, please, it’s going to explode,” he tries to reach for me. “Come on. Okay, you’re right, I’m being ridiculous, and I’ll give it to you harder… a little.” He’s desperate, and while I want to punish him for depriving me of a good plowing by doing the same to him, so am I.
I allow him to pull me on top of him and we find a good rhythm that leads to the both of us getting off, and while it took the edge off, I’m not completely satisfied. I can tell he isn’t either and that’s his fault, but I don’t have it in me to lay into him when he snuggles close and puts an arm over me.
The whole vanilla sex debacle has put Annie in a huff the last couple of days, acting totally moody and cranky. This is one of the parts of a relationship that have made me steer clear of them in the past. But the crazy thing is, it’s not turning me off from being in a relationship with her. It’s not making me want to cut ties and run off in the other direction. Instead, I’m actually looking forward to the part where I redeem myself with her and make her happy again; to winning her over again. The feeling is so bizarre and unexpected, but also good and reassuring. It confirms that what I’ve been feeling for her all this time hasn’t been a fluke, and I feel all the more validated in my decision to be in a committed relationship with her.
These are the thoughts swimming through my head as I leisurely troll through the grocery store. When I come upon the freezer aisle, I get an idea and decide to grab Annie’s favorite ice cream in the hopes of getting back in her good graces. And this is where I spot a familiar woman, lazily pushing a cart full of diapers, formula and a few food items.
/> Not to be a dick, but she looks like she’s been through the mill with her hair in a messy knot, a plaid shirt that’s buttoned lop-sided and loose jeans. Plus, she’s got enough bags under her eyes to board a cruise ship.
“Hey Sarah,” I tentatively greet her. She looks like an old-time bomb that’s been discovered on an old war field that experts aren’t sure is active or not.
“Oh, hey Tyler,” her exhausted face looks up at me. “How’s Annie’s pregnancy going?”
“Uhh…” I look around before answering. “It’s going. I see you had your babies. Congratulations,” I say gesturing at her torso and its lack of a large belly.
“Ha. I know what ‘it’s going’ means. And yeah, they’re two months old now… which means I haven’t slept in two months.”
“Oh, sorry to hear that,” I say awkwardly. “Is Mike not helping you out?”
She levels me with a dead pan expression that, combined with her disheveled appearance, looks downright dangerous, like I just tripped a sensitive wire.
“The pussy took two weeks off for paternity leave and then went back to work.”
Remind me to tell Cliff I’ll need three weeks off.
“Sorry,” I mutter again nervously. She’s honestly scaring me a little. Then I remember she said Annie and I could come to her with questions. “Oh, I have a question if you don’t mind…”
She rolls her eyes skyward and drops her jaw in some sort of why me expression before quickly composing herself and looking back at me with a fake-ass smile plastered to her face.
“Yeah, what’s up?”
“It’s kind of personal…”
“I’m a freaking doctor,” she reminds me.
Picture Us (Turn it Up Book 3) Page 20