by C. A. Harms
“You wouldn’t,” she said, her eyes growing wide.
“This whole ‘trip to the emergency room by ambulance’ thing scared the hell out of me, Cal,” I confessed as I sat down on the edge of her bed. “I spent enough time here watching people I love suffer.”
“I’m sorry,” she whispered. Before we could talk further, the door opened and the technician that would be taking her to get an X-ray entered the room.
“I’ll be right here when you get back,” I told her before kissing her softly and stepping back as they wheeled her out.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Callie
“I got that,” Jude said just before taking the bowl of pasta from my good hand. My left wrist was now covered with a bright pink cast covered in decorations the kids had already drawn over the entire surface. I did have a slight concussion, but considering I had tripped and fallen down a set of concrete steps, I knew it truly could have been worse. But with the way Jude and the kids were acting, you’d think I was in such a terrible state I would have needed assistance with the simplest tasks. They wouldn’t let me do anything, and I was bored out of my mind.
Jude told, not asked, Jett that I would be out from work for at least a week. When he told me what he’d done, our conversation turned ugly quickly, and it was the first real fight we’d had since I moved in with him.
But tonight, four days after my fall, I had decided to make dinner. I wanted to surprise Jude and have it all set up before he got the chance to stop me, but I had failed. He walked in to find me placing the serving dishes on the table and rushed to my aid.
“You do know that I am perfectly capable of setting the table,” I said as I crossed my arms over my chest.
“You could, but I don’t think you need to,” he said as he put the pasta on the table and went back to the counter for the remaining dishes. “I told you not to worry about this shit. I got it. You need to be resting.” He walked past me and set the vegetables and sauce on the table.
“You are so stubborn,” I groaned and turned toward the stairs, intending to retreat to our bedroom. His overbearing take-charge attitude was irritating, and I didn’t want to fight about it.
“Oh, I’m stubborn?” he said to my back as I walked away. I chose to ignore him. Once I reached the top of the stairs, I took a moment to peek in on the kids before walking toward my own room.
I could hear Jude’s boots hitting each step as he followed closely behind. Instead of leaving the door open for him, I closed it and walked straight for our bed. There, I crawled over the comforter and curled on my side just as the bedroom door came open.
“So you’re gonna be mad at me because I don’t want you overdoing it?” he asked.
When I didn’t answer him, he let out an aggravated growl. “Seriously, Callie, I didn’t come home to fight with you. I just want you to heal, sweetheart.”
“I’ve been stuck in this apartment for four days. I’m clawing at the walls for something to do, and you just keep insisting that I rest.” I sat up and turned to face him as he took a seat next to me on the bed. “You won’t let me even make dinner, Jude. That is a simple task.”
His jaw ticked, and we sat there in silence.
“Is it really that bad, that I want to take care of you?” His question threw me off because I had expected him to still be irritated. Only now his voice was laced with sadness, and it broke my heart. “You’re so independent, and rarely do I get the chance to spoil you. This was me taking advantage of being able to do just that. Sorry if I went overboard.” He looked up at me and shrugged.
And instantly I felt like shit.
I moved toward him and crawled over his lap, and he wrapped his arms around my waist. “You wanna spoil me?” I asked, hoping to ease a little of the tension that had built over something so minor.
Jude nodded, and a smirk pulled at the side of his mouth. “Very much,” he whispered.
“I’m stubborn, huh?” I asked.
“We both are.” He chuckled as he leaned forward and kissed the tip of my nose. “I’ve just spent so many years taking care of the kids and Katelynn that I’m used to it,” he confessed. “It’s my nature, and I guess I just find that I want to do the same for you.”
I straddled his lap and slid closer, placing a hand on each side of his face. “I’ll stop being so stubborn if you do something for me,” I wagered.
“What would that be?”
I leaned in and softly kissed his lips before pulling back just enough to answer him. “Let me take care of you too.”
He stared back at me, his eyes scanning over me slowly as he ran his palms along the outer part of my thighs before resting them on my hips. “Okay,” he agreed before he took my mouth with his.
***
“Twins,” Harper said with a look of pure horror. “Not one, but two little Eastons growing inside me.”
Avery, Quinn, and I sat around the table at the local coffee shop as Harper gained the attention of every guest with her overly exasperated, high-pitched news. She and Easton had just gone to a checkup with her obstetrician two hours ago, and at this point, she was extremely animated and overwhelmed with the news. In fact, I couldn’t imagine how surprised she must have been the moment the doctor laid everything out. I couldn’t help but feel just a little sorry for Easton.
“That means two of everything,” she said with widened eyes. “So yeah, the matching outfits and shoes could be a blast, but the other stuff is what is freaking me out. That is twice the feedings and twice the shit.”
I looked around the room as she pretty much yelled the word shit, but only a few guests had chanced a look in our direction.
“I am going to be buried in dirty diapers and vomit. I can see it now. I’m going down at the hands of Easton’s spawn, and all he can do is laugh.” She sat back in her chair and crossed her arms. “Well, he can keep on thinking this is going to be a piece of cake, but wait until I tell him that he’s relieving me three days a week for unlimited hours at a time for me to get a break. Then we’ll see how happy he is after a day of shit and puke.”
Avery snickered, and Quinn covered her face in embarrassment. I just stared ahead at this person, wondering how I could get away unscathed. She was possessed, and at any minute, I was sure she’d start foaming at the mouth and growing fucking horns.
“How do you know they’re gonna be like Easton?” Avery asked. “They may be just like you instead.”
Harper beamed at those words, and Quinn lifted her head from her outstretched hands. The look on her face could only be explained as horror as she imagined not one but three Harpers running around torturing all who crossed their path.
We all turned our attention to Avery as she snorted with laughter. Gripping her stomach, she laughed even harder. “Oh my God,” she gasped. Another snort was followed by an exaggerated, deep intake of breath. “Poor Easton,” she said as she wiped at the tears that had now started rolling down her cheeks.
By now it was hopeless. The entire staff and the few guests that were still lingering were all focused on the four crazy women tucked back in the corner. Our quiet girls’ day at the coffee shop had now turned in to Girls Gone Wild. All four of us sat there, being the center of attention as we laughed until we cried. I was grateful for the love of these girls. Their friendship had carried me through some difficult times, and I was positive it would for a very long time.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Jude
Stretching out on the couch, I flipped on the television and began scanning through the channels. I had been impatiently waiting for Callie to get home and had run out of things to occupy my time with. It was a little after ten, and I was starting to wonder if I should call her, but then I knew where she was. She was working late tonight to cover someone else’s shift and was going to stop by her parents’ after. Whenever Calvin and Mallory got to talking, it could take a while to get away.
My problem was I hated being home in the evening without her. Whenever
I was, my mind would wander over the years of guilt and regrets. It never paid to play the blame game, but I found myself doing in often.
Callie was my reasoning; she was my balance. Whenever she was near, things just felt like they were as they should be. The kids loved her and I adored her. Looking back on it now, I can’t believe I actually thought I could ignore my feelings for her. Thank God Katelynn had other ideas.
The sound of keys jingling in the lock sent a wave of excitement through me. From my position on the couch, I had the perfect view of the door. So instead of moving, I remained there lounging with the remote in hand. Though whatever was playing on the television didn’t hold my interest in the slightest, I pretended I was completely engrossed. As the door came open, I caught movement out of the corner of my eye and slowly looked over toward her. Callie was frozen, staring at me with a smirk on her lips.
“What?” I asked as I looked down at myself. The kids were in bed asleep, so wearing my boxer-briefs shouldn’t be an issue.
I watched as she lowered her purse to the table just to the left of the door and placed her keys there as well. Sliding her sweater from her shoulders, she began walking toward the couch, biting her lower lip. I couldn’t stop the grin that spread across my face. Her mood had instantly shifted, and I could read it in her eyes. She had plans.
“Is there a reason you decided to wait on the couch in your boxers?” she asked as she pressed her knee into the space next to my hip.
I refused to reach out and grab her, even though my hands were itching to do just that. It was like a magnetic pull, and my palms were tingling. “No,” I said, trying to hold my shit together. “I was just watching a little television.” Pulling off this uninterested act was harder than I thought. Hell, I heard the doubt in my own voice. The moment her smile grew, I knew she had caught me and there was no longer a reason to fight it. She straddled my hips and pressed her body against mine. The tingling sensation that had once been confined to my palms had now spread to other parts of my body. My cock twitched as she gently rocked her hips against me, and her warmth let me know she was feeling it too.
“Don’t act like you didn’t miss me,” she whispered, bringing her lips within inches of mine.
“Oh, I never said I didn’t miss you.” I gripped her hips and thrust my own upward, allowing her to feel I was prepared to take this little reunion to the next level. She was already panting from the friction we were both creating. As her hips rocked in time with mine, I decided it was time to eliminate the barriers between us. I wrapped my hand around the back of her neck, pulled her to me, and took over her mouth with my own. Tasting her was like throwing fuel on a fire. As her tongue tangled with mine, I carefully released my hold on her hips and began lifting her shirt up, exposing her perfection. Her body was fucking amazing, and if I could spend every day of my life touching and tasting every inch, it would be the greatest gift.
“I miss you,” I whispered, and she smiled against my lips as we continued to kiss and devour one another. “I always miss you, baby, from the second you’re out of my reach.”
She rose just enough to allow me to lift her shirt over her head. I took the opportunity to reach behind her head and release her hair from the clip in the back. It immediately fanned out over her shoulders and fell onto my chest. The vision made my heart race, and want surged through me, sending me into overdrive.
I sat up quickly and took her with me. Spinning around at an impressive speed, I then placed her onto the couch, covered her body with my own, and pinned her arms above her head. “You are so fucking gorgeous,” I said as I kissed my way down her neck and onto her chest. Still pinning her wrists with one hand, I used my other to release the front clasp of her bra. As it fell away, I wasted no time leaning in and sucking her nipple into my mouth.
“Jude,” Callie moaned as she arched her back, pushing her chest upward.
“Sh,” I said before I flipped my tongue over her nipple. She whimpered and bit her lower lip to control her moans. I let go of her hands, and she started to lower them. When I shook my head, she looked at me in confusion. “Keep your hands above your head.”
I lowered my head again and began to kiss her stomach as I worked to unfasten her pants. I looked up without lifting my hand and found she was watching me closely, her breaths growing deeper as she trembled. When I had her pants undone and began to lower them and her panties, she lifted her hips, making it easier.
Callie lay spread out before me, looking so fucking beautiful it literally made my chest ache. To think I was almost too pigheaded and proud to admit that she had me hooked, but now I knew Callie was my forever.
The moment I brushed my thumb over her clit, her legs fell farther apart. I slid off the couch and placed my knees on the floor as I turned her body before me. Spreading her legs wider with my hands pressed on her inner thighs, I lowered my mouth to her pussy. She bucked her hips as I flipped my tongue over her clit.
With the combination of her movements and mine, I knew she was racing toward relief. Slipping a finger inside of her only enhanced her pleasure as she began to fuck my hand. I watched her as I continued my movements, and her eyes were closed tightly as she fisted the cushion at her side.
As she tightened around my finger, my cock was so fucking hard it hurt. The moment she arched her back and moaned out her release, I lifted my head and watched in amazement. Watching Callie fall apart was nothing short of intoxicating. I had never in my life witnessed anything sexier. When she relaxed against the couch, I wasted no further time before gripping the waistband of my boxers and lowering them down my thighs. I fisted my cock and trailed the head through her wetness, coating myself. As I did, she opened her eyes as and parted her lips in anticipation.
“What do you want, Callie?” I asked as I continued to tease her with the head of my cock. I was beginning to think my teasing game was going to backfire because my legs were fucking shaking with need.
“You,” she said. “I want you inside me.”
I slammed into her, and a small gasp escaped her as she began to move her hips again.
Callie’s eagerness drove my need to have her. She was so responsive, and I loved what I could do to her with just one small touch. It was as if our bodies were so in tune with one another that we didn’t even need words. We always seemed to know with one look what the other needed.
“You feel amazing,” she whispered as I slid inside her over and over, my own release coming on quickly. I appreciatively ran my hands over her body and tweaked her nipples between my fingers before traveling lower to grip her hips. Taking over her movements, I began thrusting harder, pulling her body against mine over and over.
“I’m so close,” she moaned. “Oh my God, Jude.”
I was hanging on the edge, and I knew I was about to explode. I released her left hip, brought my hand to the apex of her thighs, and pressed my thumb against her clit. As I began to move it in a circular motion, she tensed and moaned out her release, thrusting her hips faster and faster.
Allowing my own pleasure to take over, I slammed into her, coming harder than I had ever before. My fingers dug into her hips as I held her against me, emptying myself fully.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Callie
“Can we keep him?” Zoey asked as she cuddled the tiny puppy.
My resolve slowly faded as both kids looked up at me with excitement and hope in their eyes. Coming inside the pet shop was not a good idea. I don’t know what I was thinking when I agreed.
“I don’t know, guys, maybe we should call Uncle Jude,” I said as I looked up at the teenager working behind the counter. He shrugged, and I knew he was going to be no help.
“He’ll say no,” Matthew said with a sad pout. “But if we already have him at home, then he’ll have to let us keep him. We can name him Warrior.” His bright smile once again returned as he leaned in closer to the black puppy and allowed him to lick his cheek.
“Ew,” Zoey groaned. I thought for sure
she was referring to the slobbering puppy as it continued to lick at Matthew’s hands and face. But when Zoey continued to groan, I closed my eyes tightly as if to shut out the argument I knew they were about to have.
“We are not naming him Warrior. We should call him Charlie, or maybe Buddy,” she insisted.
“But Uncle Jude calls me Buddy, so that’s my name,” he fired back, and Zoey’s face contorted into the expression that made her look like a teenage girl.
“Please, stop whining. It drives me insane.” Zoey rolled her eyes at her younger brother. I blinked as I watched them go back and forth. Looking over at the young kid behind the counter, I cocked an eyebrow, as if to say, “See what you did?” After all, he was the one that pointed out the puppies to Zoey and Matthew in the first place.
“Please, Callie,” Zoey begged, bringing my attention back to her. “We’ve never had a puppy, and I’ve always wanted one. Uncle Jude always said that with Mommy being sick that we couldn’t afford one.”
Instant guilt washed over me, and I knew I was caving. Katelynn’s illness was always so unpredictable, so of course they’d had to go without a lot of things.
“How big does he get?” I found myself asking the clerk as I continued to watch the puppy jump around happily as the kids showered it with attention.
“He’s a black lab, so he can actually grow up to an average of sixty to eighty pounds.”
He acted as if what he had told me was nothing. I looked at him, and I knew my eyes were huge as I tried to visualize just how big that was. Why couldn’t he have shown us a tiny dog that would stay tiny? I may have been able to convince Jude to adopt a smaller dog, but if we brought a huge monster home, I was sure he’d kill me.