by Lacey Black
I sit up as he starts to pump up into me; I’m riding him with abandon. As I feel the familiar tightening in my lower stomach, I throw my head back and bit my lip hard to keep from crying out too loudly. I practically see stars as the orgasm rips through my entire body. His hands tighten on my hips further and he thrusts up into me a few more times before finding his own release.
I lie down on his chest, Maddox still buried deep inside me. Our sweaty, heaving chests are pressed tightly together, our breath mixing together in a wild pant.
“That was fucking amazing,” he says.
“Uh huh.” I’m still working on getting my heart rate back down to a semi-normal pace so I close my eyes and just listen to the sound of his erratic heartbeat against my head.
The next thing I know, my alarm is going off again. I start to stir but realize I’m being held firmly against something very warm and very hard. It’s Maddox. I’m sleeping on his chest, my legs still straddling him, his arms firmly around me. He’s also still inside me. I start to wiggle to try to slip out of his embrace without waking him, but it’s useless. He has a firm hold on me.
“Just a few more minutes,” he whispers as I start to feel him stir to life inside of me.
“I can’t. I have to check Brooklyn’s temperature.” My response gets an immediate reaction from him. He lets go with his arms and pulls out of me.
“I’ll throw this out and help you,” he says, palming the condom in his hand.
“No, go back to sleep. It’s early.”
“I want to help.” He reaches for his boxers that were discarded on the floor and slips them on before walking over to the door. He slowly opens it up, peeking out into the hallway as if to make sure no one is watching him exit the room. He heads over to the bathroom and shuts the door. I finish throwing back on Maddox’s t-shirt and my panties and head toward the bathroom. Maddox is opening the door as I approach, and he hands me the thermometer.
Once inside of Brooklyn’s room, I take her temperature quickly with the ear thermometer. One hundred and one. “Well, at least it’s not going up right now,” I say as I feel my daughter’s forehead. She’s sweaty and her cheeks are rosy which I take as a good sign that she’s trying to sweat it out. I go ahead and wake her up enough to give her another dose of Tylenol. When she opens her eyes, she spots Maddox standing in the doorway and smiles. I freeze.
“Maddox is here,” she mumbles with that sweet little smile on her face, oblivious to the fact that he’s standing there in his underwear.
“Yep, I just wanted to make sure you were starting to feel better,” he responds.
“Will you snuggle wiff me?” she asks in all her three year old innocence. Oh, this is bad. Will she remember that he was here and tell someone? Will she ask me tons of questions that I’m not prepared to answer?
I don’t have time to process this revelation before Maddox is sitting down on the floor next to Brooklyn’s toddler bed and leaning over the plastic side of the bed to snuggle up with my daughter in what looks like the most uncomfortable position ever. He rubs his hand repeatedly over her sweaty forehead and mumbles softly in her ear. I watch this beautiful picture unfold before my eyes and fight the urge to cry the tears that are rising to the surface. He’s willingly stepping in and giving my daughter what she wants in her time of need.
After a few minutes, Brooklyn is fast asleep so we sneak back out of her room and head to mine. As I’m sliding back into bed, Maddox glances at the clock. He approaches me, but doesn’t get in. “It’s well after five. I’m on at six so I need to head home to shower and get ready.”
“Okay. Thank you for helping me with Brooklyn. You don’t know how much I appreciate it.” He leans down and kisses my lips.
“It was no problem. I’ll do anything I can to help you and Brooklyn. You know that, right?” he asks as he gazes deep into my eyes.
“Yes. Thank you.”
“Go back to sleep. I’ll reset your alarm for six-thirty.”
“Okay. Thanks, Maddox.”
“Anything for you,” he says before giving me another kiss on the lips. He dresses quickly, but doesn’t bother me to retrieve his t-shirt that I’m still wearing. Before he heads out the door, he gives me one final kiss.
“You don’t have a shirt on,” I mumble, running my hands up his hard chest and tracing the beautiful, intricate tattoo on his pectoral.
“I have a jacket at the front door. I’ll throw that on.” I start to sit up to give him back his shirt, but he stops my hands, holding them in his. “No, you keep wearing it. I love how it looks on you. So fucking sexy.” He gives me a drop dead sexy smile that makes me wet with need all over again.
“I’ll talk to you soon,” he says one last time, and then he’s gone. I listen to him walk through my house, making faint noises in the kitchen which I assume means he’s prepping the coffee for me again, and then finally out the front door. It’s finally quiet, and I’m left alone again. It’s been a pretty exhausting night between Brooklyn’s sickness and sex with Maddox so it doesn’t take too long before sleep finally finds me again.
Fall is definitely upon us. The cool brisk winds are blowing as Halloween draws near. A couple of weeks ago, Brooklyn suffered an upper respiratory infection and had to be put on antibiotics to help her fully kick it. It was a rough three days for her and even more so for me. I only worked half days that week. I am so blessed to have such a wonderful family who helped come to the house and watch her so I could get some hours in at work. She still has this persistent little cough but her pediatrician says it could be allergies and the weather. So, for now, we’re just keeping an eye on it.
Being sick hadn’t dampened Brooklyn’s spirits at all. In fact, with the exception of the first night she had the fever, you could barely tell she was sick. She laughed and played like she normally does, carrying on as if it’s any other day. Several times we had to get on her to take it easy for fear that she wouldn’t get the rest her little body needs. Have you ever tried to get a three year old to settle down and not play so hard? That job alone left me tired and exhausted at the end of the day.
Maddox helped in the evenings after he got off work, careful to arrive after Brooklyn went to bed to avoid her asking questions or saying something to my parents or one of my brothers. We’ve fallen into a comfortable routine in the past few weeks. He comes over; we discuss our day and watch TV and then head off to bed where we usually fall asleep exhausted from making love.
Last night Maddox went out with Jake to Jack’s Pub. He told me he didn’t really want to but he hadn’t been out with Jake in two weeks, and Jake was starting to get curious and asking too many questions. So he met him there and had a few drinks. If I’m being completely honest with myself, I wasn’t in the greatest shape last night. I felt nervous and afraid. And, well, jealous. I know what used to happen at the end of those nights that he went out with Jake. He always found himself in someone’s bed. As hard as I tried to not let it get to me, I still kept worrying that he might not be faithful to me. Let’s face it, Maddox is hot. And he could have anyone he wants. So, what’s he doing with me?
I sat on my couch all night last night pondering those exact questions over and over, practically making myself completely crazy, until my phone dinged around eleven with a text.
I miss you. I’d rather be there with you.
I smile at the message on my screen as I fire back a reply.
I miss you too.
I forced myself to stop with that reply. I didn’t want to go all clingy, crazy girlfriend on him. I trust him, I tell myself repeatedly.
Can I stop by on my way home?
Yes
Be there shortly
He wanted to come by my house. He wanted to be with me, not some girl he picked up in the bar. The realization that I probably more than cared for Maddox hit me hard like a semi. I am falling in love with him. And while that was exciting, I was also scared to death. The last person I loved wrecked me and left me to pick up the pie
ces. Will Maddox end up doing the same thing?
When he got to the house, I was a nervous wreck. I had just discovered feelings that I wasn’t ready to deal with. I definitely couldn’t tell him what I was feeling. I knew going into this that Maddox doesn’t do love or happily ever afters. So where will that leave us? Where will it leave me when this is all said and done?
When we finally fell into my bed, I felt a connection with him like I never felt before. I don’t know if it was from my recently discovered feelings, or if maybe he had something going on too, but we connected deeply last night, eyes locked on each other the whole time we made love. Every touch was soul-deep. Every sound from our lips was earth-shattering. Every kiss told a story full of emotion. Being with him last night was tender and beautiful and scary all at the same time. It was perfect.
Today, Will is picking Brooklyn and me up to go to The Pumpkin Patch on the edge of town. Halloween is next week, and we have yet to get our pumpkins. Will has been waiting in the driveway for a few minutes, waiting on me to finish getting ready so we can be on our way. He’s already loaded up the car with toys and has Brooklyn secured in her seat. The only thing missing is me.
“Ready to go finally?” he asks as I hop into the front seat.
“I’m weady!” Brooklyn exclaims from the backseat, excitement evident at the thought of picking out her pumpkin. “I’m getting the biggest punkin dey got!” Will laughs as he pulls out of the drive and heads towards The Pumpkin Patch.
When we pull in, the place is packed with cars; parents carrying pumpkins and chasing screaming kids everywhere. Well, it is the Saturday before Halloween so what did I expect? Fortunately, as we approach the entrance there’s a wagon sitting at the gate to the patch. Will throws Brooklyn into the wagon and takes off, scouting out the perfect pumpkin.
When we get in the center of the patch, Will stops and helps Brooklyn out of the wagon. “All right, let’s find our pumpkins,” he tells her, taking her hand. She pulls him forward weaving past all the people wandering around the patch. She’s looking left and right, searching through the sea of orange pumpkins of all shapes and sizes.
“Dis one!” She stops and points down to a medium sized pumpkin. “Dis one’s mommy’s punkin!”
“That’s a perfect pumpkin for me,” I say as Will picks it up and deposits it in the wagon. We continue to wander through the patch, Brooklyn eagerly pulling Will along.
“So, how have you been lately?” he asks.
“Good. You? Any dates lately,” I ask with a mischievous grin. The last date Will went on was several months back and it did not go well. Apparently, she kept talking about her ex-husband the entire time and was in tears by the end of dinner. Will’s too nice of a guy to politely excuse himself from the date from hell, so he sat there miserably the entire time. The woman actually had the nerve to ask Will to call her again.
“No way. I’m happy without a woman. Besides, I’ve been busy with work. No time for dating.” I watch his face as he says the words but I’m not sure I believe him. Well, I believe him that he’s not dating. I just don’t think I believe that he’s happy not doing it.
“I think you should find time. You need to get out more, Will. Go out and have fun.”
“Really? And what about you? Who are you dating?” Even though he’s just casually asking in response to my inquiry, my cheeks heat up with a blush.
“No one. I don’t have the time. I have a three year old to raise.”
“So, excuses are okay for you to use, but not me?” He offers me a little grin but I can see the seriousness in his eyes. So, I decide to level with him as much as I can without giving too much away.
“I’ve had a few dates.”
“Huh. Anyone I know?” And there it was. The loaded question. How the heck do I answer this?
At that moment, as if I had summoned her up with my mind, Brooklyn starts yelling that she’s found her pumpkin. When Will and I look at which pumpkin she’s pointing at, she’s fingered a smaller sized pumpkin.
“That’s the one you want? It’s not very big.”
“It’s the one I want! It’s wittle wike me!”
Will chuckles and puts the pumpkin in the wagon next to mine. We start to head towards the shed where you pay when Brooklyn points to a third pumpkin. “Wait! I need dat one too!” This one is the big pumpkin I expected her to pick the first time around.
“You need two pumpkins, Bean?” Will bends to pick up the much larger pumpkin while I rearrange the wagon to accommodate it.
“It’s not for me, it’s Maddox’s punkin!” I freeze. Bloody hell, I could have died at that exact moment, and I can’t find my voice to even respond. My brain literally has shut down, malfunctioning between brain and mouth and won’t even process a response to her.
“Maddox’s pumpkin? Why does Maddox need a pumpkin?” Will asks Brooklyn.
“Because he comes to duh house and bwings me chocowate ice cweam!” Seriously, I might as well drop dead right here, right now. My eyes must be as big as saucers as I stare at my daughter, too afraid to make eye contact with my brother.
“He does? Well, that’s nice of him. When did he do that?”
“When I was sick. And guess what, Uncle Will. Maddox was in his underwear,” she giggles. I feel the world tilt on its axis. I stand there waiting and praying for the ground to open up and swallow me whole. Will looks up at me with a combination of question and fury all over his face. I have yet to say a word. I stare back at my brother whose mind is processing the information his niece just spilled at his feet.
“Brooklyn, let’s get these pumpkins and head over to the corn maze,” I say as I turn on shaky legs to walk towards the little shed to pay.
We walk quietly along the path for a few minutes before Will finally speaks in a low growl. “Maddox? What the hell is Maddox doing at your house in his underwear, Avery?”
And in that moment, I can’t lie to him nor do I really want to. “We’ve been seeing each other for a few weeks,” I mumble in a low voice so only he can hear.
“Seeing each other? What the hell does that mean exactly?”
“We’ve been hanging out; watching TV and stuff.” My eyes are still cast down on the walking path.
“You watch TV and stuff. Is it the kind of stuff that leaves him standing in his underwear where my niece can see him?” His tone is accusing.
“Will, that happened once when she had her fever. He helped me wake up every four hours through the night to take her temp and give her medicine. It was an accident that she saw him.”
He exhales loudly and finally asks the question that I’m sure he has been dying to ask. “Does Jake know you’re sleeping with his best friend?”
“No! And he can’t find out, Will. This thing between Maddox and me, I don’t know where it’s going. We decided we would take it slow and see where it goes. If, and that’s a big if, it gets to the point where we want to have an official relationship or something, we’ll figure out how to tell everyone. But right now, we’re just having fun.” I take a deep breath and look my brother in the eye. “I really like him, Will. I think that I might want it to go somewhere.”
“What happens when Jake finds out?” he asks.
“I don’t know. I would hope he’d be supportive. I’m an adult now, not a little girl who needs her big brothers to protect her.”
“Yeah,” he says full of sarcasm. “I’m sure Jake is gonna be just fine with this. You’re playing with fire here, Avery. When he finds out, he’s gonna be pissed! At you AND at Maddox.”
“I know. We’ll tell him. I promise we will, just not yet. We still have things to figure out. Please, Will. Don’t say anything to him. For me.” I’m pleading at him with my eyes.
He sighs. “Yeah, I won’t tell him. But only if you promise that you get this mess figured out and fast. If he hears it from anyone other than you and Maddox, it’ll get real ugly, real fast.”
I smile at my brother and stretch up to kiss his scruffy chee
k. “I will, I promise.”
After I pay for the pumpkins and we get them loaded into the trunk of Will’s car, we set out to walk the corn maze. It’s lined with straw bales, corn stalks, pumpkins and gourds. There are even a few scarecrows along the path and alcoves cut out where families can rest and take pictures along the way. Will has Brooklyn on his shoulders as we stroll along the path.
“You know, I really do like Maddox. I think he’s a good guy and a hard worker, but he doesn’t exactly have the best reputation. And as your brother, I don’t think I’m comfortable with him messing around with you.”
“First off, it’s my choice who I spend my time with, not yours, Will. Second, I’ve given it a lot of thought. I know he has a reputation for being a player. But, I’ve come to the conclusion that he’s not Drake. While we’ve been together, we’re not seeing other people. And I trust him. That in itself is a huge feat for me. I won’t let what Drake did ruin any more of my life or possible relationships. But that also doesn’t mean that I’m not scared, Will. I’m scared of getting hurt again or winding up alone. I don’t want to be alone for the rest of my life.” My voice goes quiet with that last part.
“I don’t want you to be alone either, Ave. I just don’t think I can stand to see you go through another Drake thing again. I wanted to kill that guy. I wanted to hurt him for hurting you. And I’m the quiet, reserved one. I can’t imagine what Jake and Nate were feeling.”
I stop and look up at my brother who has been by my side since the day I was born. “I know you worry about me, and I appreciate that so much. What I need from my big brother now is his support and love.” I give him a big smile.
“Well, you have that. I promise not to interfere with whatever is going on with Maddox. Just as long as you both know that I will hurt him if he hurts you.” He gives me his best stern, big brother glare.