Bent not Broken

by Lisa De Jong

“Hey,” he says with a laugh.

  “I hope she has these blues,” I whisper as I rub his jaw.

  “I hope she’s the spitting image of you,” he says kissing my palm. “I got you a little something, but it’s not near as cool as what you just gave me.”

  “What’s that?”

  He doesn’t answer me, he just pulls his shirt off and grins. My mouth drops.

  I sit up and stare at the viney heart that covers his. It’s beautiful—it starts at the bottom with my name in cursive and flows into a heart that ends with an infinity symbol resting next to my name. I reach out and trace it. It’s almost completely healed.

  “When did you get this?”

  “Last week. You’ve been so pre-occupied. I can’t believe you only asked me once why I was wearing a shirt to bed.”

  I laugh again. “That’s because I’d suspected all week that I was pregnant, but I didn’t want to tell you until I knew for sure. It was killing me.” I trace the heart again. “Adrian, it’s beautiful. I love it. Is that my handwriting?” I ask with a squeak.

  “Yes, from one of your letters.”

  I laugh. “Oh, I guess it’s a good thing I signed them more than ‘wife’ occasionally.” I lean and place a little kiss in the center of the heart. His hand fits to the back of my head, holding me there for a moment. “I mean that much that you got me permanently etched on your body, huh?”

  “Dumb question,” he says with a kiss to my forehead. “You,” he puts his hand on my belly, “and this family are the best thing that’s ever happened to me. Every day when I wake up and when I lie down to go to sleep at night and about a billion times in between, I thank God for giving me y’all.” He holds my face in his hands. “Mostly, I thank God for your stubborn nature and for the fact that you didn’t give up on me.”

  I smile up at him, taking in those beautiful blues that give me my world. “You’ll never be rid of me. You give me everything, Adrian, everything I’ve never had.”

  Epilogue

  Adrian’s Happily Ever After

  “DADDY, YOU WANT dip it on ‘em?” Hazel asks.

  I throw my head back and laugh at my pretty girl, leaning down I plant a little kiss on her wavy black hair. “No, baby, even Daddy draws the line at putting ranch dressing on beignets.”

  “I thought Mommy didn’t like beignets,” Astrid says.

  “Oh no, Mommy loves beignets. She just says that because she thinks they’ll make her gain too much weight.”

  Hazel laughs along with me and says, “But today’s Mommy’s birthday, so she gets ‘em.”

  “Yes, it is and we want her to feel extra special today. And we get to pick up your brothers today, so we’ve got a big day ahead of us.” That gets some applause. “Astrid, hand Daddy that spatula.”

  Once I scoop up the fried dough and place it on the paper towels with the others, I unplug the fryer and grab the powdered sugar. I look at my girls sitting on the counter as they practically salivate over the donuts and smile at their eagerness. They can’t wait to dig in. Passionate about food. I wonder who they got that from? “All right, who wants to help me put the sugar on them?”

  “Me!” they shout in unison.

  I look at them seriously. “Wait a minute…you girls sound the same and look the same and say the same things, so I couldn’t tell which one of you really wants to help me.”

  “That’s ‘cause we’re twins, Daddy,” Astrid says and puffs out a little exasperated breath.

  Hazel laughs with me. “Daddy’s just kidding. He knows which is which. Right, Daddy?”

  Scratching my jaw, I regard them carefully. I point at Astrid and say, “Hazel.”

  She folds her arms over her middle and gives me that pissed off girl look. “No, Daddy. I’m Astrid.”

  I laugh and kiss her on her forehead. “I know which one is which, sweetheart.”

  They help me shake the sugar over the French donuts, and then I help them down from the counter. They can barely contain their excitement. Putting the beignets on the tray with her coffee, I let the girls lead the way to our bedroom and open the door.

  “Good morning, Mommy,” they say again in unison. That never fails to amaze me. I slide the tray on her nightstand and take her in. Her black hair falls in soft waves around her shoulders. I watch as her dark brown eyes smile at our girls and then at me.

  “Good morning, girls,” she says as she lifts them and kisses the tops of their heads. She settles them beside her. “Good morning, husband,” she says as she crooks her finger at me. I lean and kiss her softly.

  “Mornin’, wife. You look like you’ve been up.”

  “I was. I heard these sweet voices,” she says as she tickles the girls, “and got up and made myself presentable for my surprise beignets.”

  “It’s not a surprise if you knew, Mommy,” Astrid chastises her.

  “Oh, no, I was very surprised when I heard y’all whispering and getting things ready. And listening to my children and my husband’s excited voices makes me so happy.”

  “Daddy said we have to make you feel very special because your birthday is so close to Christmas and it gets lost sometimes,” Hazel rats me out.

  She laughs at them and I laugh at her. Sometimes I have to laugh at her, otherwise, her beauty would break my heart every single time. “Did he tell you I am forty-three today too?” she asks them as she kisses their cheeks.

  “No way.” I interject. “I quit counting them like you told me to. You’re still thirty-nine, and I’m still not on the naughty list.” I wiggle my eyebrows at her and smoothe her hair from her shoulders.

  She grins at me, rubs my jaw, and brushes the hair back from the girls’ faces. “Look how lucky I am surrounded by all these gorgeous blues.”

  My heart twists. I’m pretty sure my “blues” are what won her over, so I thank God that he gave them to me. Snapping out of the trance she puts me in, I say, “All right, girls, let’s go eat your breakfast before it gets cold and you can watch a cartoon before we have to leave to pick up your brothers.”

  “Thank you, girls, I’m going to enjoy my beignets so much.”

  I help the girls down from the bed and they toddle out. Leaning down, I wrap my hand around her neck and give her a little kiss. “Why don’t you just relax here with your beignets and your coffee and your trashy romance novel that gets you all worked up.” That gets another laugh out of her. “Then, I’ll swoop in and make all your fantasies come true.” That gets a groan.

  When I come back into our room after getting the girls settled, I close the door gently and slide into the bed beside my gorgeous wife. “Did you enjoy your breakfast?” I ask her.

  She looks up at me as she lays her book down. “I did. Thank you so much,” she says as she brushes my jaw and my scruff. I dip my head and run it along her collarbone while she rubs my shoulders and plants kisses on my head.

  “Mmm…that feels good,” I tell her. It actually feels amazing, but what guy says that? “I’m glad you enjoyed your beignets. Happy birthday, baby.”

  “I sure did, but I’m afraid my pudge is getting pudgier,” she says with a sigh as she rubs that almost non-existent “pudge.”

  I put my hand over hers on her belly and rub. “Baby, this teeny tiny little belly reminds me of the five little miracles we have. I wouldn’t trade it for anything.” Sure as fuck hope I emphasized “teeny tiny” enough.

  She pulls my face up to hers and sears me with those eyes of hers. Those eyes that can always figure out exactly how I feel. Those eyes that assess and love and never fail to bring me to my knees. Then she kisses me deep. Pulling back a little she murmurs, “I love you, Adrian,” against my lips. I feel myself getting hard. Laughing, I pull away and hop up to lock the door, eliciting a laugh from her. Reaching over, I throw the covers off and see that she only has on her silk camisole and nothing else. Damn. I groan. I run my finger down her middle, teasing her when I reach her hot center.

  “I estimate we have about three minutes. Th
ink I can make you feel good in three minutes, mimi?” I ask her, my voice sounds gruff to my own ears.

  She rubs her thighs together and shakes her head. “There’s no doubt in my mind, but I want you inside me,” she says, her voice strained.

  “Mmm, we’ll see.” I work my way down her body, but I only get to explore her with my mouth for a minute when I hear loud male voices. My head snaps up. “Shit! Louis is here. Do not fucking move,” I order her.

  “Yes, sir,” she says with a laugh. Leaning up, I kiss her hard so she’ll have that to think about until I get back. She groans. “Why did I give my brother a key again?”

  I pop out of our bedroom but realize I have a raging hard on and two gay guys standing in my living room. Can’t go making anyone jealous. Leaning around the corner to the living room, I say, “Hey, y’all. What’s up?”

  Louis looks away from watching Hazel balance on her tippy toes and do her little spin. “Hey, man. We figured we’d follow y’all to the airport so we could help with the girls while y’all get the boys situated.”

  “Yeah, bro, that’s cool. We’ve got the boys’ welcome home dinner at the church afterwards. Y’all sticking ‘round till then?”

  Louis looks over at Chase who’s holding Astrid and listening to her animatedly telling of her hamster babysitting duties. Chase nods and says, “Yeah, we can do that.”

  “Appreciate it. Y’all keep an eye on the girls for a few. We’ll be out in a minute.”

  “No problem,” Louis says. Somehow, I resist laughing out loud. Looks like my girl’s gonna get what she wants for her birthday after all.

  I go back in the bedroom, lock the door again, and turn to her. When I do, I almost lose it. She’s flipped over on her stomach and appears as though she’s had a hard time waiting for me.

  “Mimi, get your fine ass up and get in the shower, and I’ll scratch that itch you’ve got,” I say as I smack her on that same fineness. “I just bought us some time so I can fulfill all of your birthday desires.” She tosses her head back and focuses her hooded eyes on me like I’m her favorite person. I can’t wait for her to get up, so I flip her over and pull her to me. She gives a little shriek. I grin. Sliding my arms under her, I lift her in my arms and devour her with my mouth as I take her to the shower.

  I try to get the water temperature right while she works on driving me insane, nipping and biting at my neck and ears while rubbing her delectable body against mine. “Mmm…Mimi, are you trying to make me finish without you?” I tease her.

  “Nuh uh, no way. I’ll be good,” she says with a laugh and steps back. I snake my hand around her thigh and hold her to me.

  “Stay there. No more rubbing, though.”

  She gives an impertinent laugh and runs her arms around me and squeezes. I groan. Pushing my shorts down with my hands and then my feet, I turn to her and slip her silk over her head. I lean down and push her breasts together and up for my mouth and kiss and suck on them until I hear her panting. Letting her go with a pop, I grab her hand and pull her in the shower behind me.

  “We have to hurry,” she says breathless. “I don’t want my brother to know what we’re doing.”

  “Trust me, they know, they don’t care,” I assure her with a grin. I wrap one hand around her thigh and one hand around her neck and turn her head up to mine. I take in those big brown eyes that instantly consume me. Her fingers come up and she smoothes the skin around my eyes. That little act never fails to make me sober up. “I love you, Celeste,” I whisper.

  “I love you too, baby,” she whispers back.

  Leaning in, I nip and suck at those lips until she lets me in, then I kiss her until she’s back to rubbing that body on mine. Sitting down on the bench, I rub my length again and again as she watches and bites her lip like she’s holding herself back from attacking me. Turning her away from me, I back her up until she’s lowered onto me. I widen my legs and feel her accept all of me. “Mimi, put your legs on the outside of mine,” I whisper in her ear. She doesn’t waste a second. I stretch our legs wider until I’m as deep as I can be.

  Her moans are enough to get me off alone, so I try not to focus on that but on what I know will drive her crazy. With one hand, I move her back and forth over me and with the other I pinch and rub her tight little bud. When I feel her tighten and release a deep sigh, I let my hand slide over to her hip as she becomes lax in my arms. Mission accomplished. My mimi feels good. Her head drops back on my shoulder, and she starts kissing and biting at my neck. I clench her hips and move her over me hard and fast until I feel her building up again. I whisper in her ear, “There you go, mimi. Give it to me again, baby.” Timing it just right, we find our release together.

  ****

  WHEN SHE SLIDES her hand in mine, I give her a little smile, kiss her knuckles, and check my mirrors to make sure my girls are good to go. “All right ladies, are y’all ready to go get our boys back?”

  “Yes!” they all agree. I just laugh. I’ve missed them too.

  My gorgeous wife leans her head back on the seat and looks at me with wonder. “Do you think they learned any Spanish?”

  “I’m sure they did, babe.” I’m cut off when her phone rings.

  She picks it up and groans. “It’s Bonnie. I really don’t want to hear it right now, but I know she needs to vent.”

  “Answer it then.”

  She releases a deep sigh. “Hey, Bonnie. What’s up?” She listens, nodding at Bonnie’s over the top ass. I feel her pain, so I loosen my hold on her hand and run my thumb over her palm and watch her smile through her gritted teeth. She tries to pull her hand away a little, and I watch her cross her legs. She’s so easy to rile up and fucking insatiable. Lucky me. I let her off the hook and go back to just holding her hand.

  “Well, Bonnie, you should have thought of that before.” Pause. “I know you didn’t mean for it to happen that way, but you’re a grown woman.” Pause. “You’re just going to have to deal with it.” Pause. “Stop it. You know I love you, but I’m not choosing sides.” Pause. “OK, I’ll see you later.”

  “That didn’t sound good.”

  “No, she’s nervous about seeing Garner.” She looks back at the girls who look like they’re dozing already. “She says it’s the same every time he comes to town, and she doesn’t want it to go down like that again.”

  “Mmm…well, you know where I stand on that whole mess.”

  She narrows her eyes at me and clenches her hand around mine. That’s what she does when she gets pissy. She knows better than to let me go. “Yes, I know. Trust me, I wish I could stay out of it.”

  Her phone rings again. She sighs. I laugh. If she wasn’t so gracious, they wouldn’t call her with all their shit. She should just snap on their asses. I know she has it in her; she’s sure as hell snapped on me when I’ve needed it.

  “Hello, Daddy,” she says. “Yes, sir. We’re headed there now. I’m sorry. Oh, fine by me. No, that’s great. See you then.”

  I tell her what I figured out. “Your dad’s going to be there but not your mom. He’s also had the displeasure of making sure Chip won’t be there.”

  “You got it,” she says with a snicker. She checks to make sure the girls are asleep. “Louis still doesn’t want to be around my mother or Chip. He’s not quite ready for that.”

  I visibly shudder. “I don’t think I’d ever be ready to know that Chip was my biological father, and that he and my mother had been screwing right under everyone’s noses for years.” Talk about the shit hitting the fan. When Claire found out about Celeste and me and that Celeste’s father was going to support us, she flipped her lid. Apparently her attempt to play nice was all a ruse.

  We finally found out why she seemed to hate me more than she hated everyone else too. Her efforts at sleeping her way through our family had been thwarted when my father had refused her. In retaliation of her husband’s “disloyalty,” she blasted everyone’s dirty secrets to the whole family. All the paid off politicians, all the prostitutes
and their abortions for Celeste’s older brothers, all the embezzled money, but the worst—finding out about William’s victims. It made me crazy when I thought about how close Celeste had come to being one of many women who’d suffered the ultimate in violence at his hands. Claire and Chip had been the only ones to know about William’s repeated acts of rape, but after her confession, Louis made sure William paid in the legal sense. My only consolation was that he was taking it up the ass multiple times a day at his new home in Angola State Penitentiary. The whole thing was nuts, but it put us all on an equal playing field, that’s for sure. Nobody bothered with Celeste and me anymore.

  Celeste lets out a long sigh. “I know. It’s so hard to get used to the fact that my sweet baby brother was sired by that narcissistic pig.”

  I squeeze her hand. “You’re not going to think about all that today. The boys have been gone for over a week. Our precious little girls are sleeping right behind you. Louis found a good guy in Chase and they’re doing well. Your best friend and mine will work their own problems out.” I catch her gaze and wink at her. “You got crazy hot birthday sex this morning and beignets. Life is good, babe.”

  ****

  PUSHING A DOUBLE stroller through the terminal is one thing I never thought I’d be doing . I have five beautiful children. That little thought never fails to stagger me. I watch as my oldest son picks up and spins my beautiful wife in his arms. He sets her down, and she is attacked with hugs from our three boys. I stand back and let them talk for a minute. There’s nothing like watching a mama with her boys. After a minute, I push in a little closer and hug each one of their necks. I’m pretty sure Paris has grown because he’s starting to catch up with me. Archer’s been able to look me in the eye for a while, though. When Finn wraps his arms around me, I’m happy that I can still pick him up and jostle him back and forth a little.

  “Boys, how was your trip?”

  “It was awesome,” Finn answers first. “I taught the kids how to play American baseball and football when we had breaks from working. I have a bunch of pictures too. I can’t wait to get home and get them printed up and mailed to them.”