by Jewel E. Ann
I cut the cord and hold our son, Asher, for the first time. I lay him under the heat lights and look him over. Ten fingers, ten toes, and a strong set of lungs.
Perfect. That’s my day … everyday.
*
August 17th, 2014
REAL FOOTBALL
“Ocean, turn your shinguards around, it’s obvious your dad dressed you for your first practice.”
“I heard that, and she dressed herself,” Lautner says behind us, carrying the mesh bag of soccer balls to the practice field.
I remove Asher from his Ergo carrier and try to hand him off to Lautner. He holds up his hands.
“Nope, sorry, I have to run practice, baby.”
“I’m the coach, you’re the assistant coach,” I say between gritted teeth.
He picks up a soccer ball and dribbles it on his knees just to prove he’s all that.
“Well, the moms at the team meeting said they’d like to watch me run practice.”
I roll my eyes. “Oh, I’m sure they’d love to watch you do anything. As I recall, I had to hand out tissues at that meeting so they could wipe the drool off their faces.”
He kicks the ball to Ocean as more cars start pulling into the parking lot.
“You’re not jealous are you, baby?” he whispers in my ear before kissing Asher on the cheek. “Because after the way you touched yourself for me last night, you have no reason to be—”
“Lautner!” I glare at him with raised brows as I look to see if anyone can hear.
He chuckles at my red face. “Now if you’ll excuse me, the moms, I mean … the kids are waiting.”
I shake my head, but my smile contradicts the mock annoyance I’m trying to show.
Lautner has given me nothing I thought I wanted and everything I can’t live without. In the past year he’s mastered the art of making cherry-almond galettes and concocted a “top-secret” chai tea latte recipe, which led to him learning firsthand why I drink them down with the satisfaction of an orgasm. When he’s not donning his scrubs as Dr. Sully, he’s fulfilling his role as father of the year by teaching Ocean about American football, preserving our waters to make Grandpa Sullivan proud, and balancing on a surfboard in our swimming pool.
Asher, Lautner’s mini-me, isn’t as demanding of his time yet since mommy’s still the food source. However, they bonded in the delivery room. I, apparently, did the easy part by pushing him out; Lautner caught him, cut the cord, and checked him over, eliciting his first scream. For once, I wasn’t the only one in the room with tears trailing down my cheeks. Blue irises were watering hard that day.
“Mommy! Mommy!” Ocean yells. “I did it! Goal!” She’s already an athlete at the tender age of three.
“Awesome! Good for you, baby girl.” I stroke her hair as she hugs my legs.
“Pizza!” She grins at me.
“Ah, did Daddy promise you pizza?”
She nods as my assistant coach walks our way having given the kids an hour of fun and the moms a visual to use with their vibrators.
“So how’d I do, coach?” He smirks, taking Ocean’s hand as we walk to the car.
“There was too much tackling.”
“They weren’t tackling. Sometimes they just get tangled in each other’s feet.” He shrugs.
“Tackling,” I murmur.
We fasten them in their carseats and before pulling out of the parking lot, we both look back at them and then at each other.
“They’re amazing, just like their mommy.” Lautner leans over and presses a slow kiss to my lips.
Blue irises.
Lost in the eternity of his eyes, his love, his heart—I smile. “They’re you … undeniably you.”
The End
About the Author
Jewel is a free-spirited romance junkie with a quirky sense of humor.
With 10 years of flossing lectures under her belt, she took early retirement from her dental hygiene career to stay home with her three awesome boys and manage the family business.
After her best friend of nearly 30 years suggested a few books from the Contemporary Romance genre, Jewel was hooked. Devouring two and three books a week but still craving more, she decided to practice sustainable reading, AKA writing.
When she’s not donning her cape and saving the planet one tree at a time, she enjoys yoga with friends, good food with family, rock climbing with her kids, watching How I Met Your Mother reruns, and of course…heart-wrenching, tear-jerking, panty-scorching novels.