by Lauren Wood
Chapter 30
Charlie
Six months later
I got home and I could see that Merle was still reading her book. She was usually very antsy, so I was happy that she was finally sitting down. I had a surprise and she didn’t do well with them, so I was hoping it would be different this time around.
“Hey baby. How was your day?”
She had a look on her face that I had seen before. She wasn’t feeling good and it was clear that the trend was continuing on. The more she looked like that, the more I was happy that I had good news. I had been waiting on something to come in that I ordered and it was in now and I couldn’t wait to show her.
Merle got up with a little help from the back of the couch and moved towards me. I tried to wrap my hands around her front, but I hadn’t been able to do that in quite a while.
“My day was fine. It’s better now that you are here. Can you rub my back?”
“Of course.”
The Alaskan sky was a bright, but the wind was cold and I pulled the blanket around her shoulders a little more. “Do you want to go upstairs?”
She nodded her head that she did and I followed her up the stairs. Merle was moving slow nowadays and I knew that it wouldn’t be long before everything changed again.
“How is the baby doing today?”
“She is still in there. I don’t think she is ever going to come out.”
“Well maybe there is a reason for that. Maybe she is waiting for things to get official with us.”
“Official?” She really had no clue
We had talked about marriage a little bit, but it wasn’t something that we had talked about more than a few times when we first got back together. It wasn’t long before we found out that she was already almost out of her first trimester. She had moved back to Alaska with me and that had taken up some time, so I was sadly late in what I was going to do next.
We got upstairs and she lay down on her side so that I could rub her back. It was something that I did daily because I know that it helped her and it was the perfect time for me to get her right where I wanted her. I really didn’t need an excuse to touch her, but I wanted to all of the time and this helped.
She took her clothes off and smiled back at me. It was the naked part that I liked the best and it was clear that she liked that part of it as well. My hands went to her back and she sighed softly. “That feels so good Charlie. So what did you mean that it is better off that she is late? I really don’t feel that way right now, so I need a good reason.”
“I wanted to ask you something before she was born.”
“Well ask me already so that I can have her. I think I am over this pregnancy thing.”
I paused and shook my head. Of course she would say something like that and leave me to stutter through this. I had been so sure, but now that it was the time to ask her, I was worried that she would say no. What if she didn’t want to?
My hands stopped and she made a whining sound.
“Baby, what’s the matter?”
“I want you to marry me.”
She waved me off and wiggled underneath my hand. She was trying to get me to keep going.
“I told you that I would.”
“I mean really, marry me Merle and make me the happiest man in the world.”
She turned around and Merle looked at me like she was trying to figure out if I was joking or not. I wasn’t, not at all. All I could think about was this moment and I felt like I was screwing it up.
“Are you serious?”
I showed her the ring and she had a smile on her face as I moved to put it on her hand. “When?”
“Well since our daughter is waiting to come out, let’s do it tomorrow. We can go down and get the license and I can have my friend officiate it. He has his license. I know it is not a big wedding and all of that, but I want you to wear my ring and be my wife now. We can plan something out later after she is here.”
She giggled at my words. “I am already yours. We don’t need a piece of paper to tell us that.”
“I want the rest of the world to know as well. So what do you say?”
Merle kissed me and had the most loving look in her eyes. “Of course I will marry you Charlie. I have never wanted anyone else but you.”
“Now we can be a real family.”
She made a sound like she was startled. “What’s the matter?”
“Your daughter just kicked really hard.”
I kissed Merle and pushed her down onto the bed so that I could kiss her properly as my fiancée. It wasn’t going to be long before she was my wife.
“God I love you Merle.”
She let me hold her for a minute before she was wiggling away again. “Okay you asked your question, now are you going to rub my back?”
THE END
***
I hope you enjoyed MOUNTAIN MAN’S PROPOSAL. For more enjoyment, I have included some bonus stories along with sneak peak of my other books.
Also, I have included a steamy bad boy romance – “Next Door Temptation”.
Please check the table of content to choose what to read next.
***
CHARISTMAS PRESENT: A BAD BOY ROMANCE
Chapter 1
Leo
“Come on Leo, why do you look so damn depressed? It is a beautiful day and the sun is shining brightl outside. You need to get out of this funk.”
“Maybe it is bright for you Grey. I haven’t seen you do anything but smile since the wedding and birth of your kid. It is not normal. This job used to be fun and exciting. Now I am carting you around to get a stroller. This is going too far. I used to pick up hot chicks that were skimpily clad, but now I am running you around like an old man.”
“What, you are not happy for me? You were the one that told me that I should find ‘the one’. Well I did.”
“I wouldn’t go that far to say that I am not happy for you Grey. You know I am happy for you and Cameron, but when I took this job, you were one of the richest, most eligible bachelors in the city. Now you might as well be a soccer dad. Soon I am going to have to start carting around your kids. It just isn’t the same and I can be sad about it if I want to. I miss the hot chicks, it’s just that simple. Why can’t you be like every other guy and get some on the side?”
He chuckled from the back seat and I could tell from the smile on his face that he wasn’t bothered by what I said. Nothing bothered him anymore and I know that it was because of Cameron. I was happy for my boss. He was happier than I had ever seen him before, but it was also a constant reminder that I didn’t have the same thing going on in my life. I missed so many things about my old job and the old Grey, but I missed the excitement the most.
I missed picking up random, beautiful girls all of the time that he was dating and plaing the field. The things that I saw through the rearview mirror helped me to live vicariously through him when I was too busy to find the same for myself. Now I lived the same, mundane life that I had before when compared to the latter. While Cameron was beautiful and pretty to look at, she was also committed to him in a way that made it impossible to even fantasize about her anymore. It all made me realize that I had to get a life of my own; something that I had a feeling was going to be harder for a driver like me, then a rich lawyer like Grey. It had been so long since we had been out for a drink together and he had been my wingman.
“Don’t be so down Leo. I don’t like seeing you like this. You are depressing the shit out of me. You need to get out and mingle. Am I working you too hard or are you just being cranky?”
I nodded that he wasn’t working me too hard. I needed the hours now that I wasn’t getting calls at two o’ clock in the morning to pick up a girl from his house that he was done with. Now I barely worked forty hours a week. It helped me have time for the band, but the rest of the time I was just bored. Why was it so different now?
“No, it isn’t that. We should go out sometime if Cameron doesn’t have you on such a tight le
ash. You know, like we used to.”
He gave me a look that made it clear that he didn’t respect what I said about Cameron and her inviable hold on him, but there was really nothing I could do. I was bitter and the more I thought about it, the more I missed my old boss. I wanted things to go back to how they were.
“Cameron has told me before to go out. I think she wants some alone time as well. We spend a lot of time together now that we are married. Why don’t we do something after I get out of court this afternoon or this evening? Scott has been hinting that he wants to go out again and I have been putting him off as well.”
I tried to remember who Scott was, but nothing was really ringing a bell. The more I tried to remember who he was, the blanker my mind became. Hadn’t I driven him around a couple of times?
“Scott?”
“Yeah, you know that old friend of mine from high school. You have taken us to a couple of stripper clubs before me and Cameron got married. He is the one that talks too much and can’t hold down his liquor.
“Oh, him.”
Scott was not my kind of guy. He was rude as all get out and the fact that he was obsessed with titty bars was kind of strange to me. The last thing I wanted to do was have to pay for a girl to get naked. It just seemed wrong on so many levels and a waste of time. Desperation meant having to pay someone to want you. It was the last thing that I wanted to do and Grey just chuckled again because he knew where I was going with this. If I had to pay for a girl’s attention, it just wasn’t worth my time.
“Fine, but no Scott. He is kind of a douchebag and now that he is single, he is even more of a mess. I don’t remember him being that bad in college, but I guess that is what a bad marriage will do to a person. Just you and me then Leo. Maybe you can take me to the club that your band plays at. When is your next night you are playing? I haven’t heard you guys since you moved from the Radisson.”
I was almost surprised that he remembered. He was always so busy, but whether he was my boss or not, over the years we had become good friends and I was always thankful that he remembered those little things about me.
“We are playing tonight if you can get away for a little while. It isn’t the kind of place that you are used to, but the music is good and the draft beer is cheap.”
“Good, then you will pick me up before you go and I will check it out. I think you are right. It is time to get out some and get out of the house. Marriage does crazy things to your brain. It doesn’t help that I like to be around Cameron. Half the time I just want to stay home and hang out with my wife.”
We were at the courthouse and I stopped in the front to let him out. Grey had a big case going on and I could see reporters were waiting for him. I knew that there was nothing he liked more than a good article on him, so I waited for him to fix his hair. Grey was many things, but he was always worried about his appearance. I watched him get out and smile that fake smile he did that showed all of his teeth. It was the same smile that he gave to the pretty girls that used to grace the back seat back in the good old days.
I watched him for a few minutes before I left to go pick up the few things that he wanted me to get. I hated to see that it was more stuff for the baby. I was supposed to drop it off to Cameron later and since I had no other duties until recess at the courthouse, I decided to take a drive to the park. I had started running on my off time or just going there to relax. It helped clear my head and at this time of day there were always beautiful women to watch, bouncing around in their yoga pants. It wasn’t the best way to spend my time, but it sure did make me feel better and I was feeling like I was in a funk lately.
***
The items that I had to get weren’t hard to find since the sweet clerk that was on duty was feeling so helpful. I asked her to help me pick out a stroller, pretending that I was some poor schmuck that didn’t know what I was doing. It wasn’t a hard sell because when it came to baby things, I was about as lost as anyone else could be that was never around kids.
Sandra was the woman’s name and she smiled in a way that told me that wanted to go out. I could feel a connection and even though she wasn’t really my type, I was bored and I invited her to meet me out at the club later.
“Oh that’s nice, you play in a band? What instrument do you play?”
“I write most of the songs and I play the drums.”
“Nice. There is just something about musicians that is hard to ignore.”
Her eyes went to the car outside that I drove and I could see the wheels spinning in her head. I told her that I was just doing a couple of errands for a friend and she seemed to think that my job was far more luxurious than it was. I wasn’t going to stop her from thinking that. It was better than copping to the fact that I was just a driver for a lawyer. It wasn’t near as glamorous as my real life, but the drummer thing really seemed to help.
“I won’t be able to pick you up of course, but I would love to see your pretty face down there. You could be my muse for the evening.”
She was shy in the way that she looked down and there was something about her that reminded me of Cameron. I wanted a good girl that would be bad for me and I figured that Sandra might be the one. I had learned a lot from Grey while we worked together and his magic tricks were working. The little minx was going to be putty in my hands if I played my cards right. I found it good when I had a guaranteed date with me for the night. It took some of the anxiety and guesswork out of finding a suitable match for the evening to take home. Sandra seemed like a guaretee.
“Okay, what time do you play?”
I gave her the place and time and told her that I looked forward to seeing her. The uniform that she in was business attire, but I hoped that I would get to see some more of that hot little body when she came tonight. I had high hopes for this one, no matter what the circumstances were that brought us together.
Like Grey always said, there were women everywhere and you just had to make them feel like the only one in the world for a while and they would do whatever you wanted them to do. I was hoping that with a little coaxing and a few beers, I could see the naughty side of Sandra. I had a good feeling about her and the sultry look in her eyes when I told her I was a drummer. I got into music a long time ago because of the girls and there was something that rang true. A woman found it hard to resist a man that could serenade her.
Chapter 2
Leo
I dropped off the items to Cameron and I had to admit I still had a bit of a crush on her. Motherhood suited her well and before I could say anything, she was smiling at me and I was unable to stop from returning the gesture. She was absolutely glowing. The two of them both seemed so damn happy.
“How have you been Leo?”
“Good, just working. Your husband keeps me busy.”
“Well I hope you are not as busy as when we first met.”
She was talking about all of the women that I had driven around for him back in the day and I assured her that it wasn’t the case. There was part of me that wished it was that way, but it wasn’t because of her. It was because I was being selfish. If Grey ever messed up, I would try my best to step in. Cameron’s tits were bigger, her hips were wider now and she was even more stunning then before. It was hard to take my eyes off of her.
“Nothing like that. You have tamed Grey in a way that I didn’t think was possible. I am now looking for a lovely lady like you to do the same thing to me. Do you have any hot friends you want to set me up with?”
She waved me off. “The friends I have here are into the female persuasion, besides Leo, I don’t think you are ready to be tamed. You still have that wild look in your eyes and every woman can see it. We have a knack for that sort of thing.”
I smiled at her and hoped that it was true. I felt like I wasn’t ready to settle down, not yet, but like Grey, it was possibly because I hadn’t found someone like her to change my ways.
“I just need to find the right girl. I could maybe change the ways of that tall friend of
yours that used to be your roommate. She was hot.”
Cameron giggled and assured me that it wasn’t possible.
“She is not changing her ways anytime soon. Trust me, but if she would Leo, I would try to set you up. Now most of the women I hang out with are at Mommy classes. If one gets a divorce or has a cheating husband, I will slide your name in.”
I thanked her and I knew that Cameron meant it. She was the rare type that didn’t lie and I always liked that about her. It was unhealthy the way I felt about her, but I couldn’t help it. She invited me in for some coffee, but I refused. I knew better than to do that, even though I knew it wouldn’t go anywhere. She was head over heels in love with Grey, that much was obvious and I wouldn’t do that to him. In the end I would just make it worse because I would want her more than I did now.
“No, I am going to get a jog in before I pick up Grey for his lunch. If you need anything else, don’t hesitate to call.”
She told me that she wouldn’t and I left with a lighter feeling in my step. Cameron just had a way about her that drove me crazy and I had to contain myself when I got into the car. I was hard from our few moments together and I told myself again that it was impossible to think like that. Grey was my boss and even though Cameron smiled in a way that made my heart flop in my chest, she was just being nice.
Making my way to the park, I watched the soccer moms run around in their sports bras and yoga pants. It was uplifting in the same way that Scott liked to watch the women strip and dance on polls, but this way I didn’t have to pay. There were a couple of pretty ones that smiled at me in such a way to entice me, but I wasn’t feeling like seducing one of them right now. Grey had his games, me, I liked to be the dangerous man that gave these women something to look forward to before they went home to their husbands and their mediocre lives that they were getting bored with. I was still surprised how horny they were and how easy it was to get into their panties. I didn’t get it, but that didn’t matter, I didn’t need to. All I needed to know was that if I smiled in just the right way, spit a little game, I could easily talk them into a quick romp. But my heart wasn’t in it and I had Sandra to look forward to tonight.