by Nikki Ash
Bentley clenches his jaw, so I cut in. “Bentley has decided to stay home with Faith. I’m going back to work part-time in a couple of weeks. I’ve decided to stay living in Las Vegas and go back to work at the gym, and instead of getting a nanny, Bentley wants to stay home with her.” I smile big hoping this answer will suffice.
The entire table sits in silence, darting their eyes back and forth like one would do at a tennis match.
“So, your plan is to just live off my daughter?” She aims the question at Bentley but continues to glare at me.
Bentley’s mom cuts in with an “Excuse me, but Bentley does not need to live off of anyone.”
I’m not sure what she means by that, but Bentley shakes his head and asks her to please stay out of it. She nods once and takes a sip of her water.
Bella, in all her innocence, says, “Bentley, you can be a stay-at-home mom like my mom! Daddy said she isn’t allowed to go back to work after my baby brother comes. He said he wants her in the kitchen… with no shoes on… cooking… and pregnant again.”
Everybody laughs and the awkwardness has been lifted.
“Yeah, well, I might be staying home, but won’t be cooking or getting pregnant again anytime soon,” Liz chimes in.
I feel a lump in my throat when Liz says this. She will at least have the option. I’ll never be pregnant again. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not jealous of Liz, just sad I won’t ever have that experience again.
Bentley puts his hand on my thigh and leans in close. “Stop thinking like that. We have a beautiful little girl, and whenever you want another baby I’ll make it happen.”
It’s when he says shit like this I just want to go all in. My mom glares at me pointedly and I know she heard his comment.
The rest of the meal goes smoothly and soon everyone is saying goodbye. I give Liz a hug and remind her to call me when she goes into labor. She laughs and says she will. Bentley offers to take Faith home so I can spend some time with my family and I say okay.
We head to the bar and I order a Jack and Coke, knowing I’ll need alcohol to get through this.
“Honey, have you thought about all this?” my dad begins.
“Thought about what?”
“Bentley seems like a great dad, but him choosing to stay home and not work doesn’t bode well with me. Men don’t stay home. They work. Are you on his lease? What if he loses his apartment? Please tell me you at least have your own bank account.”
Then my mom jumps in. “And what is with his comment about giving you another baby? I thought you told me your relationship is strictly a mutual arrangement.”
Before I can answer either of them, Zach speaks up. “Jesus Christ! Do you guys ever stop? Kayla isn’t an idiot and everything in life isn’t about money. Damn, this family is so fucked up. Everything isn’t a business deal. Just let her be. The guy isn’t going to steal her money and take off. Maybe if we were raised by parents instead of nannies Kayla and I would be able to be in an actual relationship instead of pushing everyone away.”
We’re all frozen in place. All this time I thought Zach felt the same way as my parents, and I’m stunned to learn he doesn’t at all. It gives me the assurance I need to allow myself to be open to the possibility of being in a relationship based on feelings. I thought maybe it was just me who was having these ill feelings to toward our parents but clearly he feels the same way.
“To answer your questions, Bentley doesn’t let me pay a dime for anything. My income goes to whatever I want. He won’t even let me split any of the bills. We’re not together in any way other than raising Faith together, but he does want more, and I’m definitely considering it.”
My mom nods. “Okay, well, that’s good he’s somehow paying his way. Just take things slow, please. I really think you should consider writing up a custody agreement and child support arrangement in case things go awry.”
I don’t even bother to respond because I don’t feel like arguing. We move the conversation to the weather and my parents talk about their practice and how busy they are.
We all finally say goodnight and my parents take off to their hotel. They’re flying back out in the morning because they have court.
Zach and I stay sitting at the bar after they leave.
“So, were you speaking from experience?” I ask my brother who is currently nursing his Budweiser.
He shakes his head a little and then says, “Yes… No…I don’t know. It’s just been drilled into us for so long not to get into a relationship with feelings that I feel like I second-guess every move I make.”
“Same here. After Jake fucked me up, I never let another guy in. Mom made me feel like I was so stupid and I didn’t want her to throw it in my face again. Bentley wants in so badly, but I’m scared. Partly, I’m scared to get hurt…”
Zach finishes my sentence for me. “And partly you’re scared that Mom and Dad will say I told you so if things don’t work out.”
“Yeah.” We sit for a few minutes in comfortable silence drinking. It feels like something between us has changed. A wall that was between us has been dropped.
“Will you come and visit more often?” I ask.
He gets off his stool and encloses me in his arms for a bear hug. “I miss you, sis. I’ll definitely visit more often. I’m sorry I stayed away. I was afraid you turned out like Mom and Dad, but I think there’s still hope for us yet.”
He drops me off at the apartment and comes up for a few minutes to dote on Faith before he leaves to go back to his hotel room. Since he only made plans to come for the weekend we make additional plans for him to fly out for a week soon. I can’t wait to spend some real time with my brother.
Once he’s gone, I lay Faith down in her crib, turn the monitor on, and snuggle up next to Bentley in bed in our usual position. I lay my head down on his chest and he plays with the strands of my hair.
“How did it go with your parents?”
“Okay. They’re just all about business. But surprisingly Zach let them have it.”
“Good for him.”
He moves me from his chest and lies on his side facing me. He traces my shoulder and down my arm with his fingers, giving me goose bumps. His fingers continue down to my thigh and his touch causes my the apex of my thighs to clench. He sees my legs tighten and his eyes dance with laughter at what he’s doing to me.
“You know I can’t have sex for at least two more weeks.”
His face turns serious and then to lust. “There’s plenty we can do without having sex.”
“I’m pretty sure anything you’re talking about isn’t part of our arrangement,” I say jokingly. I’ve already made up my mind that I’m going to give Bentley and I a real chance. I just want to tell him in a more romantic way.
“I’m not asking you to marry me, Kayla, but I imagine you have needs that aren’t being met. Just let me help you meet them.”
He scoots closer, bridging the small gap between us, and brings his lips down to mine. He’s definitely right. I do have needs and those needs haven’t been met since the night I got pregnant with Faith.
I roll onto my back and Bentley climbs on top of me with his forearms on either side of my head, not letting any of his weight touch me. His lips brush against mine, first softly, but then things start to get more heated.
His tongue slides into my mouth and I suck on it, causing him to moan. I grab him by his short hair and hold his face to mine as we kiss passionately, our lips making love to each other.
Bringing my knee slightly up, I rub against his hard erection while continuing to kiss him. He stops my assault by taking one hand and separating my legs, bringing his knee down to my pussy. He begins to rub my sensitive area through my cotton shorts causing me to become wet.
God! I’m so damn turned on right now. All I want is for this man to touch me and caress me, and never fucking stop.
“Bentley, touch me please. I need you to touch me.” I stop our kiss just long enough to get the words out of my mo
uth.
“My pleasure,” he growls, and suddenly he’s off my body and his face is down near my pussy. He grips my shorts and panties and pulls them off in one fell swoop while I remove my shirt and bra so I’m completely naked in front of him. I should probably feel self-conscious because I did recently have a baby, but the way he touches me and looks at me like he wants nothing more than to devour me gives me all the confidence I need to be okay with my body.
He starts at my foot, kissing the inside of my sole, and slowly works his way up, placing small, wet kisses up my calf and then my thigh before moving to my inner thigh. I think he’s finally going to give me what I so badly need when he bypasses my pussy altogether and goes for my breasts. He first starts off kissing each one then takes one of my nipples in his mouth and closes his lips around it. He alternates between sucking and licking. He sucks so hard it hurts, but then he licks it to soothe away the pain. He moves to my other nipple and gives it the same attention.
My thighs are squeezing so tight, trying to release the pent up tension, I swear I’m going to combust. It doesn’t do any good though because Bentley’s body is between my legs, so I’m just squeezing his thighs with mine. I know he can feel me pressing into him because he chuckles softly.
“Bentley, please!” I say, fully aware I’m now begging. But holy hell, it’s been over nine months. I can’t be held accountable for my actions at this point.
He gives me a chaste kiss and then moves his way back down to the area that is in dire need of attention. Separating my pussy lips, he puts his tongue right onto my clit and leaves it there for a second. I’m staring at him and watch him inhale deeply. I go to close my legs, but it’s pointless because he’s still lying between them.
“What are you doing?” I whisper-yell. I need to make sure our daughter doesn’t get woken up before I get attended to.
“I’m smelling your pussy, and woman, I’ve missed this smell. Fuck, I’m addicted to this smell.”
He doesn’t give me a chance to respond before his tongue is back on my clit, licking from bottom to top, causing me to squirm and moan. My head falls onto the pillow and I let go, enjoying his mouth pleasuring me. He lifts my butt a little bit and then shocks the hell out of me when he licks my other hole, causing me to jump.
“Kayla… Has anybody ever fucked you here?” Him referring to anal sex so nonchalantly has my cheeks heating up. If I barely do feelings, I definitely don’t do anal. I would never let a man see me that exposed and vulnerable.
My head pops back up to look at him. “No,” I say softly with a shake of my head. His face lights up, and he says, “We don’t have time right now, but I’ll take you here… and soon.” And then he goes back to licking me. He stops at my hole and pokes his tongue in quickly. I want to say it feels like he’s violating me, but the truth is it feels good. That shouldn’t surprise me, though, because everything this man does to me feels so damn good.
He brings his mouth back up to my clit and focuses his attention there, bringing me close to the edge and then pulling back just enough that I’m ready to lose it. He brings his fingers near my entrance, and just when I think he’s forgotten I can’t have intercourse and is going to stick them in me, he gathers my juices and brings them to my tight-rimmed hole, getting it all wet.
Has he changed his mind? Is he going to take me right now in the ass? His dick remains in his pants, so I don’t think he is. He takes one finger and slowly inserts it into my puckered hole. At first, it feels odd… but as he pushes it in and then slowly pulls it out, it feels like he’s massaging my insides. I had no idea anal play could feel this good. While fingerfucking me in my ass, he goes back to my clit. He licks and sucks and slurps up my juices, bringing me closer and closer to the precipice. He must know I’m about to fall because he inserts his finger a little farther into me and licks faster… and I lose it. My body shakes and my pussy convulses as I come harder than I’ve ever come before, all over his mouth. I bite down on my lip so hard to stay quiet I can taste blood.
I glance down at him as he removes his finger and then sits up on his knees. He then proceeds to make a show of licking my juices from his lips, making it clear how much he wants me in every way.
Without needing to think about it for more than a second, I sit up and grab the button of his pants, so I can return the favor, when the baby monitor goes off with the sounds of Faith crying. Bentley laughs and shakes his head, not an ounce of angry or disappointment showing in his features. He’s so selfless, it’s scary.
“Go wash your face and hands and I’ll grab her,” I say as I get up and throw on my shorts.
I walk into her room and Caleb is already standing over the crib holding her.
“Hey there.”
He turns around and smiles sheepishly. “Sorry, I heard her crying and couldn’t help myself. Plus, based off the noises that were coming from the room I wasn’t sure if you would be physically capable of making it out here.” He laughs at his own joke, and I playfully swat at him.
“Oh, my God, I thought I was being quiet! And I didn’t even know you were home.” I’m so mortified that I can’t even look Caleb in the eyes. I go to the kitchen and grab a bottle and he hands Faith over to me so I can feed her.
“Hey,” he says, his tone now serious. “You have nothing to be embarrassed about. I’m glad you and Bentley are finally together.”
“We aren’t together,” I say. I want to tell Caleb that I plan to change that but feel like I should tell Bentley first. “I feel bad. It’s like we’re taking up your whole apartment. We should probably look for a place to live so you don’t have a baby cramping your style. I just don’t know what we can afford with neither of us working right now.”
“No way, you aren’t cramping anything. You know I love you guys here,” he says before he goes back to giving Faith his attention.
Nineteen
Bentley
I come out from the bathroom and overhear Kayla telling Caleb we aren’t together. It’s a punch to my gut that she needs to remind everyone around us that she doesn’t want me for anything more than to help raise our child. Every time I think I’m making progress she reminds me that she doesn’t feel the same way. Maybe it is time to take a step back. A guy can only take so much rejection.
* * *
Because Liz is now overdue, they’re inducing her today and Kayla has offered to watch Bella for them so their parents can join them at the hospital. I’m giving Faith a bottle when Bella comes barreling into the apartment and jumps on the couch to join me.
“Hey, Uncle Bentley! I’m going to get a baby brother just like Faith but with boy parts!”
She’s honestly the most adorable kid I’ve ever met, and every time she calls me Uncle Bentley I just want to hand over my wallet and tell her to go buy anything her little heart desires.
“I know, sweetie. Are you excited?”
“I’m so excited! And I get to stay with Auntie Kay and you while they have the baby. Will you help me train for the UFC while I’m here?”
Bella is determined to follow in her father’s footsteps and one day be a part of the UFC. She’s only five years old but swears one day she’s going to be the next Ronda Rousey. It drives Liz nuts with worry every time Bella wants to practice her fighting moves, so she put her into mixed-martial-arts classes at the gym Cooper just started up for kids and teens. When he asked me if I would be interested in funding the program I didn’t think twice. It’s a great program and gets kids off the streets since they’re offering it at a discounted and free rate if the family’s income qualifies. I’m glad my money can go toward something to help kids.
I lift Faith over my shoulder to burp her. “I’m sure that can be arranged.”
“What can be arranged?” Kayla asks, walking through the door from saying bye to Liz and Cooper, so they can head to the hospital. She takes Faith from me so she can lay her down.
“Bella wants to practice some MMA while she’s with us.”
Kay
la smiles wide. She loves how tough Bella is. “That sounds like fun. Why don’t you two go to the gym and I’ll stay here with Faith. I can order a pizza for when you get back and we can watch a movie. What are you into these days?”
Bella looks like she’s just been told she’s going to Disney Land. “Yes! Yes! Let’s go! I brought a movie with me. I’ll show it to you later.”
She runs to the door ready to head to the gym. I grab my gym bag and head out with her. We get to the gym and Bella tells me she’s going to warm up on the punching bag before we get started. I see Caleb in the ring and join him.
“Yo, Caleb!” I call out. He turns around and nods a quick hello. I jump in the ring and ask if he wants a sparring partner.
“Bring it new daddy.” He chuckles.
“Where’s Kayla and Faith?” he asks as we circle each other, getting into a rhythm. I punch, he blocks; he punches, I block.
“They’re home. I brought Bella here to practice her MMA. She’s at the bag warming up.” I nod my head toward the bags where the cute little girl is throwing kicks and punches to the bag with all her might, yet the bag doesn’t even look like it’s being touched.
Caleb looks over and laughs. “That girl is serious about fighting. I took over for Cooper this week, running the kids MMA program, and you should see her. The boys don’t want to touch her and it’s just making her even madder. I can’t imagine being a little girl in a boy’s world.”
I throw a sweeping kick to the back of Caleb’s knee hoping to knock him off balance, but he sees it coming and grapples me to the ground, pinning me down for the fake win.
“Damn, I’m so out of shape,” I say through a laugh. “You’re getting good, fucker.”
Caleb smiles. “Damn right, I am. I’m going to win this upcoming fight. I want it so fucking bad.”
He stands first and gives me a hand to pull me up.
“I’m ready!” Bella comes over all cute and sweaty.
“Okay, fighter. Who do you want to fight? Caleb or me?”