Not anymore, but I didn't say that.
"Best friends are hard to come by," I say. Yes, I know I sound like a dad. "I bet she was happy to see you."
Becky laughs. "I think so. She was taking off on a date with some hot dude."
Hot dude?
"Remember that I told you that I started seeing someone?"
"Yeah."
"And you're okay with that?" I ask, knowing her answer won't change the way I feel about Sophie.
"Of course, Dad. Even old guys should be happy."
"Hey, thanks. I wondered if you'd like to meet her tomorrow."
"Well, shit. Now our lunch plans are in ink. I want to meet the first woman you've been serious about since Mom."
"Okay. How about here at the house? Do you want me to pick you up?"
"No. I can drive,” she says. “I love my new car. It was the best graduation gift ever."
"You know that just because I found someone doesn't mean I love you less."
"Stop being all mushy. Someday I’ll meet someone too. Actually, I may have, and you'll always be my dad."
She met someone?
"Love you, Beck. See you tomorrow. Noon?"
"I should be awake by then."
Matt
Waking Sunday morning, I stare in awe at the beautiful woman beside me. Her long golden hair lies upon her pillow, her lips are pink and parted, and her long lashes flutter with REM sleep. Lifting my head to my fist, my elbow on the bed, I continue to take her in. The sheets are twisted around her shapely legs, leaving her midsection and above exposed.
The woman in my bed is stunning.
No makeup and mussed hair.
I resist the urge to wake her.
The way my dick aches and stands to attention below the sheet, I don’t know how long I will be able to resist touching and waking her. Hell, she was the one to wake me sometime during the night for another round of sex.
I’ve never been so perpetually hard.
My dick is acting like I’m the eighteen-year-old.
The reality of our age difference registers in a way it hadn’t before.
Today we’re going to tell Becky that her childhood best friend will soon be her step-mother and that in eight months, she’ll be a big sister again. Beck’s mother has two young children with her new husband.
I’d been as young as Sophie when Beck was born. Life back then had been more difficult, emotionally and financially. I would like to think I’ve been a good dad, and despite the issues in my first marriage, her mother and I gave Becky a sense of security.
As I watch Sophie sleep, I’m grateful for another chance. I won’t love this new baby any more than I do Becky, but damn, I’m excited to be the husband Sophie needs and father to our child.
Sophie’s eyelids flutter as the gorgeous blue of her orbs comes into view. The tips of her lips curl upward before she speaks.
“Are you watching me sleep?” she asks.
The sound of her voice makes me smile. “Yes, and you’re beautiful.”
She turns toward me. “I don’t know if that’s creepy or sweet.”
Lowering my head, I brush my lips over hers. When our gazes again meet, I say, “Whatever you want it to be.”
“Hmm,” she hums. “More of my fantasies.”
“I have one,” I admit, trusting her as she’s trusted me.
“You do?”
“Do you want to hear it?”
Her pink lip disappears behind her front teeth. “Um, yes.” Her petite hand comes to my cheek. “I want us to be completely open with one another. I trust you and even the other day when you tied my hands, I knew I would be safe and loved. What do you want me to do?”
I reach for her hand and kiss her palm, before lowering it under the sheets. My eyes close as she fists my hard dick. With simply her touch, my balls retract. Damn. “I want you to fuck me. Ride me.” I turn to see her smiling face. “I want to watch you.”
She takes a deep breath. “On top? Me?”
“Unless, you don’t—”
She wiggles from the twisted sheet, her perfect nude body on display as she pushes my chest back and climbs over me. From my vantage, her luscious tits are right before my eyes as she positions herself over my torso. I strain my neck to catch one of her nipples, and I suck.
Sophie’s back straightens as she pulls away. “No, Sir,” she says with a grin. “You want me to fuck you. I’m the one in charge.”
I can’t hold back my smile. “It’s an illusion that at this moment, I’m enjoying.”
“Good.” She lifts her tight ass as her hands hold onto my shoulders. “Now, no touching. Put your hands behind your head.”
Doing as she says, I reply, “You are cute when you think you’re in charge.”
Her blue eyes disappear as she positions the tip of my dick at her entrance. Her grip disappears as she works herself, sheathing my length in small increments. It takes all of my willpower not to buck upward or tug her down. Inch by inch, her fucking tight, warm pussy stretches, taking me in. I watch as her face contorts, morphing from thought to ecstasy.
“Oh,” she moans as her body quivers.
“That’s it, Sophie, take me all the way.”
“God, Matt, I’m so full like this.”
My hands itch to move, to grab ahold of her hips and pull her in place. “I need you to move, or I’m going to do it.”
Her grin returns as she shakes her head. “No, remember? Your fantasy.” Leaning back down, her fingernails grip my shoulders as slowly, she begins to flex her legs, lifting and lowering herself. Her long hair creates a veil around our faces. Within the golden tunnel, all I can see is her beautiful face. Her pace is painstakingly slow, both erotic and agonizing.
Up and down.
After a bit, her breathing quickens as she speeds up her movements.
I can’t take it anymore. Reaching for her hips, I flip us so I’m on top while keeping us connected.
“Matt,” she shrieks.
“You’re killing me.”
“I don’t want to do that,” she says with a giggle.
I smooth strands of her long hair away from her face. “Good, because I’m going to speed things up a bit.”
Sophie nods. “Yes, Sir.” Her back arches as I drive into her. The friction is intense as I reach for her hands, hold them over her head, and suck one nipple and then the other. I’m lost in a fog as I continue kissing, nipping, and sucking. No part of her skin is safe as I nip the sensitive flesh of her neck, collarbone, and lower. My morning scruff leaves her skin pink in the wake of my attention.
She wraps her toned legs around me as I slam her into the soft mattress. Her pussy quivers around my cock seconds before she comes. Our bedroom fills with her whimpers and moans before her arms and legs fall slack.
“I’m not done,” I say, pulling out and moving my beautiful fiancée to her hands and knees. Craning her neck over her shoulder, her blue eyes gleam. “Are you ready for more?” I ask as I tease her wet cunt with my fingers.
“Yes.” Her answer is more than words as she responds, her pussy tightening around my fingers.
In no time, I’m again balls deep, pounding into her warm haven from behind. My fingers blanch as I hold tightly to her hips until I feel the burn building within me. My muscles strain as I prod harder and harder. She’s calling out my name as she comes again.
All at once the wave hits me, and I let out a primal roar. My dick throbs as I come, filling her to overflowing with my seed.
When I pull out, I roll onto my back and bring Sophie with me. Our breathing slows to normal as our hearts beat as one. Stomach to stomach, her tits flatten against the hardness of my chest. I lift her face and kiss her pink lips. “You’re amazing.”
Her head shakes. “I think that was you. Remember, I was apparently killing you.”
“I definitely like you on top, but damn, my patience was expiring fast.”
“I liked it, but…” her words trail away.
“But what?”
“I’m sorry.” Her gaze meets mine. “I’m sorry I’m so inexperienced. You probably want—”
My finger comes to her lips. “I want you, Sophie. You are just the right amount of experienced for me.”
“Is it bad that I like you to be in control?”
“No, that’s not bad. I like that too. I also want you to know that it’s okay to try new things. I want you to feel like we can tell each other everything.”
She shrugs. “I like the way it felt. Maybe I need practice.”
“We have time for that.” My eyebrows rise. “Now?”
Her grin is back. “I think I need to use the bathroom first.”
When she starts to move, I reach for her wrist, stopping her. “Sophie, I wanted to tell you. I invited someone to lunch today.”
“Um, okay.” She turns toward the clock on the dresser. “It’s only nine. Do you want me to leave?”
“Hell no. This is your home too.”
“Who did you invite?”
“Becky.”
Sophie
My stomach drops as I stare into Matt’s eyes. “Becky?”
“Yes, Sophie, my daughter and your friend.”
“Why didn’t you tell me before now?”
His palm comes to my cheek, gently cupping. “Because I was afraid you’d react as you are right now.”
“I-I’m not reacting.”
“You are. Your cheeks just went pale, and the gleam in your lovely eyes has dimmed.”
I reach for the sheet and pull it over my breasts, unsure of what I am thinking or feeling. “I’m pregnant, remember?”
Matt’s eyes open wide. “Oh damn, I forgot.”
I playfully slap his arm. “I saw Becky the other day for the first time in years, and now she’s going to find out about us.”
He nods.
“And you think that’s okay?” I ask.
“Do you think it would be better just to invite her to the wedding and let her learn there?”
I don’t know what I’m thinking. “She’ll hate me.”
“Why would she hate you, Sophie? At one time you were best friends. You can be like that again.”
I shake my head as bile bubbles in my stomach. The nausea is caused by more than the news about Becky. Pushing off from the bed, I run to the attached bathroom and kneel before the toilet just in time. Matt’s voice chases after me, but all I hear are my mostly dry heaves. When the uproar of my queasiness finally stops, Matt is beside me, a cup of water in one hand and a dampened washcloth in the other.
“Sophie, I’m sorry. I didn’t realize it would upset you this much. I can reschedule and talk to Beck alone.”
Standing, I take what he is offering and rinse the bad taste from my mouth. “No, I don’t think I got sick because of Becky.” My head tilts. “I think it’s our baby. I haven’t had much sickness, but…I don’t know.”
He reaches for my hands. “What kind of father do you think I’ll be to our baby?”
Images of Matt holding a small baby and playing with a toddler come to my mind as my cheeks raise in a smile. “Amazing. I know you will be. I remember how you were with Becky when we were younger.”
“I want to be. What kind of father would I be to Becky if I didn’t try to include her in our lives?”
I take a deep breath. “You’re right but…I’m scared.”
“Of what?”
“That this will end.” I motion between us. “Maybe this is a dream and telling Becky will make it end. I’ll wake up and…” Tears come to my eyes. “I don’t want you to have to choose between Becky and me.”
“I’m not.”
“What if you have to?”
He wraps his arms around me and pulls me close against his wide chest. Beneath my ear, his heart is pounding out a rhythm. “Can you hear that?” he asks.
I nod. “Your heart? Yes.”
“Listen closely.”
I do as he says, listening to the thump, thump.
“Do you hear what it’s saying?”
I look up, my gaze meeting his. “Saying?”
“Yes, Sophie. My heart is saying that it has plenty of room for more people to love.”
The tears are back. I think it’s the hormones.
He cups my chin and holds my stare. “Wouldn’t it be awful if a heart could only love one other person? What would happen when children are born or grandchildren? You love your grandparents, right?”
“I do.”
“What about me?”
A smile comes to my lips. “Yes, I love you. It’s different.”
“Of course it is. That’s what my heart is saying. It’s possible to love many people. Think about it. What about parents and siblings and good friends?”
I suck in a ragged breath and nod. “Good friends,” I repeat. “Do you think Becky and I can be that again?”
“I think she’ll be surprised and relieved.”
“Relieved?”
“I told her I wanted her to meet the woman I’m dating. She’s probably nervous, wondering what that woman is like and if that woman will like her.”
I nod. “I guess that would be normal.”
“So imagine her excitement when she finds out that the woman I love has loved her too—since they were children.”
“You met with my grandparents. I can do this.”
He again pulls me close. “How are you feeling?”
“Hungry,” I reply with a grin.
Matt
The doors to the pool deck are open, and a soft, warm breeze skirts around us. Beyond the deck, the water glistens with the midday sun, and high above the sky is a cloudless cobalt shade of blue.
“I can help,” I offer as Sophie empties containers of food I picked up at the grocery store into different dishes, placing each on the island in the kitchen.
“You bought it all. That is a help.” She shrugs. “One day, I suppose I should learn how to cook.”
I take a deep breath and sit on one of the tall barstools near the kitchen island. I don’t care if she learns to cook or not. When it comes to Sophie, her cooking isn’t what I want to eat.
“Remember,” she says, pulling me away from my improper thoughts as she spoons chicken salad into croissants before putting them on a tray, “I’m studying event planning. I learned presentation is equally as important when I worked for a caterer.” Her smiling gaze meets mine. “That was before you convinced me to concentrate on school.”
“I didn’t say that.”
Her big blue eyes open wide. “You did too.”
“No,” I say, standing and moving toward her. “I didn’t say only school.”
“Oh, that’s right.” She places the tray of sandwiches with the other foods and taps her finger on her pink lips. “Hmm. There was something else I was supposed to concentrate on.” She grins. “What was that?”
“Who, not what.” I tug her away from the empty containers and into my embrace. Staring down at her, I say the only thing that is on my mind. “Me—concentrate on me.”
Her body melts against mine. “You make it hard to think of anything else.”
“I love you, and you’re absolutely radiant.”
She is.
I don’t know if it’s the pregnancy or just her.
She’s wearing a bright yellow sundress, one that the personal shopper picked out. Her hair is mostly pulled back into a low ponytail and her makeup is minimal.
“You’re my sunshine, Sophie. I want to keep your beautiful smile shining. That’s my job. As for cooking, that’s what Kat is for.”
“I suppose I’ll be meeting her soon, too.” She looks down at the spread before us and gathers the containers for the recycling. “This is a lot of food for three people.”
I barely let her out of my grasp. “I know what I’m hungry for.”
“I hope it’s chicken salad or maybe fresh fruit.”
“No,” I say with a grin. But before I can share that she is my desi
red entrée, the alarm system dings, indicating the opening of the front door. Sophie hurriedly tosses the containers in the recycling and claps the crumbs from her hands. “Matt, I’m going to go out to the pool for a moment.”
I reach for her hand. “Sophie.”
“No,” she says adamantly, “we aren’t ambushing her. Go, greet Becky. Give her a second to understand.”
I nod, knowing that Sophie is probably right. I was so confident in this reunion that I didn’t consider the possibility, as Sophie said, of ambushing my daughter.
“Dad?” Becky calls from the foyer. “Where are you?”
I wait only a few seconds until Sophie slips through the open doorway to the pool deck. “In the kitchen, Beck,” I reply.
A few seconds later my daughter is there, her bright green eyes shining as she looks around the kitchen before giving me a quick hug.
“So there’s food.” She peers my way. “Where is this mystery woman?”
“Lemonade?” I ask, gesturing toward the pitcher on the counter.
Her head tilts. “Will I need something stronger?”
“You aren’t old enough for anything stronger.”
She plucks a piece of pineapple from the bowl of mixed fruit and eats it. “Did you call me over on false pretenses? I’m excited to meet whoever caught your attention.” When I don’t answer, she asks, “Are you or are you not dating?”
“It’s even more than that, Beck.”
Her eyebrows lower. “You got married without telling me?”
“You know I wouldn’t do that.”
“Oh my God, Dad, just tell me. The suspense is killing me.”
“How do you feel about me marrying again?”
She shrugs as she sits on a tall stool at the kitchen island with the pool deck behind her. “I’m not a little kid. I guess I want you to be happy.”
I let out the breath I was holding. “I am, Beck. I’m in love.”
She scrunches her nose. “Please don’t go into too much detail.”
“I want you to know that I love you too. I always will. And now that I found, or refound, someone, I want us all to be a family.” I start to tell her about the baby but stop myself as Sophie appears in the doorway.
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