by E. L. Todd
“And it just didn’t work out?”
“Basically.” I took a long drink of my beer. “We just grew apart. We both worked a lot and other things became a priority over our relationship. Eventually…we drifted so far apart there was no coming back. The break up wasn’t bad. We ended on good terms and parted as friends. But a few weeks after we were done, I wondered if we made a mistake. We fell in love once so why couldn’t we fall in love again? I went to her apartment to work it out with her but…she was already with some other guy. That hurt more than the break up itself. She slept with someone when we’d only been broken up for two weeks. It was like I never meant anything to her.” The memory of the guy opening the door still haunted me.
Her eyes fell in sadness. “That would hurt anyone.”
“It’s been three months and I’m still sorting everything out.”
“That’s a long time…”
“I’m in a weird position,” I said. “Before I met Alex—”
“That was her name?”
I nodded. “Before I met her, I never had a serious relationship. I met lots of different girls and had a great time with them. I couldn’t be tied down because no one caught my attention long enough for me to stick around. But that was in college. Now that I’ve had a meaningful relationship with another person, I realize I can’t go back to my old ways. I want something like that again, a strong and healthy relationship. But I’m not in the right place for that either…I’m in transition.”
She nodded her head in understanding. “That makes sense.”
“I’m not sure how long it will last. I’ve been waiting for it to pass so I can move on with my life. But it’s not that easy.”
“Yeah…I know the feeling.”
My eyes searched her face, wondering exactly what she meant.
“I used to be engaged.”
That was the last thing I expected her to say. I couldn’t picture her wearing a diamond ring on her finger. She seemed too young and free to be devoted to one man forever. “What happened?”
She released a deep sigh like her answer was more complicated than she could put into words. “He was just possessive and controlling…not only did he not want me to be around other men but he didn’t like it when I spent time with my girlfriends either. At first I thought it was because he just wanted to be around me all the time. After we got engaged, his demands got worse. He didn’t like it when I went out and did anything. That’s when I started to get suspicious. The more jealous and distrustful a person becomes, it’s usually because they have something to hide themselves. So I followed him one day…and found out the truth.”
Sadness radiated through my body at her words. Dee didn’t seem like a girl who gave her trust away easily, and the fact she did and someone took it for granted made me sad. She thought she was going to spend her life with this guy but he ended up breaking her heart. “I’m sorry.”
“I was angry and hurt at the time. And when time passed, I just became bitter about it. I thought about it every day and how betrayed I felt. Time moved so slowly and I didn’t seem to make any progress. But with every passing day, I cared a little less. Then one day, I stopped caring at all. And then I didn’t notice it at all anymore.” She stared into her empty glass. “Everyone recovers at a different pace. Only you know how much time you need. But you will get over it. You will move on. You just have to believe that.”
It was easy to talk to her about this. Conrad and Roland were good friends, but they were still guys. I couldn’t be as open about stuff like this. It was just…a little weird. “It’s nice to know I’m not alone.”
“You’re never alone.” She reached across the table and rested her hand on mine. The contact was brief, but it gave me a surge of hope. Then she pulled away and grabbed her glass again.
“How long ago was this?”
“About two years,” she said. “Maybe a little longer than that.”
“Have you been in a serious relationship since?”
She shook her head. “I’ve dated and had short term relationships that lasted for a few months, but that’s it. I definitely haven’t fallen in love again. After what I went through, I’m a lot more choosy.”
“You should be choosy,” I said without thinking. “You can have any guy you want.” I didn’t think about what I said until it had already been said. Hopefully, she took it as a compliment and not a sleazy pick up line.
When she gave me a smile, I knew she took it the right way. “You are a good guy, Theo.”
I gave her a partial smile. “I try.”
Chapter Ten
Cayson
Instead of celebrating Slade’s success, Skye and I just made out the entire night. It was difficult to resist when she was sitting beside me looking like a beauty queen. Her lips were so soft and they tasted like honey. I don’t think I spoke to a single person that entire evening.
She and I were going at it hard in the booth while Slade and Trinity danced in the center of the room. I was vaguely aware of Theo and Dee talking from their side of the table. But I didn’t pay much attention to anything else but my wife who was practically on my lap.
I broke our kiss long enough to say a single sentence. “You want to get out of here?”
“I thought you’d never ask.” She went back to kissing me, and that delayed us another ten minutes.
When I finally found the strength to resist her heated embrace, I scooted out of the booth and pulled her with me. “We’re headed out. Tell Slade I said goodbye.”
Theo and Dee were too absorbed in their conversation to hear what I said.
“I’ll tell him.” Conrad waved as he had his arm around Lexie.
“Thanks.” I gave him a nod then pulled Skye out of the bar. My truck was a few blocks over, so we walked hand-in-hand.
“Did Slade’s band sound good tonight?” Skye asked.
“I wasn’t paying attention. Were you?”
She shook her head.
“Let’s just assume he did.” I didn’t even notice anyone around us because all I could think about was her. The dress she wore made her tits look awesome. When I wasn’t kissing her, that’s what I was staring at.
We finally reached my truck and I got her into the passenger’s seat and made sure her safety belt was on. Then I got into the driver’s side and started the engine. “You guys ready to go home?”
“Yep.”
I pulled onto the road and made it through the traffic. When I finally got over the bridge the roads weren’t saturated with cars. The drive was peaceful, and I didn’t have carlights in my eyes every other second.
Skye discreetly unbuckled her safety belt.
“What are you doing?”
She scooted to the middle seat then pressed her lips to my ear. “Nothing…”
“Put on your safety belt.”
Her hand moved to my thigh then migrated to my crotch.
I pushed it away. “Put on your safety belt.”
She released a quiet growl before she fastened the one around her waist.
“Thank you.”
Her fingers returned to my crotch and she unbuttoned the top of my jeans.
“We’re almost home…”
“But what are we going to do in the meantime?” She pulled the zipper down then reached her hand underneath my boxers. She found my hard cock and pulled it out.
“If a cop sees us, we’re screwed.”
“Oh well.” She pressed her face into my crotch and her lips found my tip.
I gripped the steering wheel tightly the moment I felt her. A quiet groan escaped my lips and I wanted to pull over just so I could really enjoy everything she was doing.
I took one hand off the steering wheel and fisted her hair. When I had a handful, I moved her up and down my length. She took me in without gagging because she was a pro. I loved the way she gave me head.
My eyes kept closing as I enjoyed the way she sucked me off. I drove a little faster so I could pull into the garag
e and enjoy it completely. When she grabbed my shaft then licked the tip, I didn’t know how much longer I could last.
Finally, our house came into sight and I pulled into the long driveway. I hit the button on the sun visor and the garage door opened. Once my truck was safely inside, I shut the door behind me then killed the engine.
Then I put my hands behind my head and just enjoyed it.
***
I’d been home for almost three weeks and I knew I’d procrastinated enough. The guilt was getting to me and I felt terrible for keeping such a big secret from her. It would be so easy not to say anything at all, but I would be haunted by the memory forever. I didn’t even do anything wrong, but that didn’t matter.
I had to tell her.
How would she react? Would she scream? Would she kick me out of the house? Would she ask for a divorce?
The pragmatic part of me knew nothing extreme would happen. I didn’t cheat on my wife. What happened to me was a crime. Laura kissed me for a few seconds, maybe a minute, and when I realized what happened I pushed her away. Nothing happened after that. I was unconscious the entire time so how could she really be that upset.
But then I thought about my reaction if the situations were reversed.
I wouldn’t be happy.
I would be pissed off if Skye put herself in that situation at all. I would want to track down the guy who touched her and murder him. Then I would want to demolish everything in the house.
But no, I wouldn’t stop loving her. And of course I wouldn’t leave her.
We would be okay.
Skye would be upset for a little while but we would get through it. I had to believe that in order to go on. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have the strength to go through with it. She and I had been in newlywed paradise. We had a baby on the way. Everything was perfect.
I wasn’t looking forward to ruining all of that.
We were sitting under a gazebo in the backyard on Sunday morning. I was reading the newspaper and Skye was leaning against me with her head on my shoulder. We faced the pool, and it was a bright morning. Our breakfast sat on the table next to us, but there wasn’t much left since I demolished everything.
It was so peaceful.
Just sitting together and saying nothing was wonderful. I wanted to do this all day even if we didn’t say a word to each other. I found excuses in my head not to tell her the truth about Laura. Why would I want to ruin such a perfect moment? But I knew every moment with Skye was perfect. No matter when I decided to tell her, it wouldn’t be a good time.
Ugh, I didn’t want to do this.
“Baby?” I pressed my lips into her hairline?
“Hmm?” She was so relaxed she was on the verge of falling asleep.
Being on the other side of the world for so long taught me to appreciate everything I had. I was sitting on the deck of a pool looking across our green lawn and to the ocean just feet away. I was living in a dream. “There’s something I need to tell you.”
Don’t make me do this.
“Okay.” She sat up and pulled the hair out of her face. She had a dreamy look in her eyes like she just returned from a far away place. After staying up all night making love nonstop, she was probably tired from being sleep deprived.
Staring at her beautiful face just made me want to do this even less. “When I was in Austria…”
Skye immediately stiffened and her hand moved to her stomach.
“Are you okay?”
“Yeah…go on.” She kept her hand on her stomach but turned her focus to me.
“Well, I was staying with Laura and—”
“Oh!” She stiffened again and stared at her stomach.
“What’s wrong?” I forgot about Laura and put my arm around Skye. “Are you okay? Do you need me to call an ambulance?”
“No…I think the baby kicked.” Skye blinked her eyes quickly like she was battling her tears.
I stared at her stomach with wide eyes. “What…?”
“I think I felt him kick.”
I scooted closer to her and put my hand on her tummy. “Isn’t it too soon for that?”
“It’s uncommon but it does happen.”
I kept my hand still and waited. Thirty seconds later, I felt a vibration. It was sharp and purposeful. “Oh my god…” My chest rose and fell with heavy breaths, and I felt the burn deep in my eyes. “I felt it.”
Skye smiled but her eyes became soaked with tears. “I can’t believe it…”
I kept my hand there, and within a few seconds, I felt him kick again. “This is…amazing.” My baby was kicking. They were alive and healthy. There was life growing inside her, life that I helped create. Now they were anxious to come out and meet us.
It was the greatest ten seconds of my life.
“Skye…” I couldn’t find the right words.
“I know,” she whispered. “This is so amazing.”
I didn’t realize my eyes were wet until I blinked. I understood just how lucky I was. My life was a dream. If I ever explained it to someone else, they wouldn’t believe me because it was too good to be true. I leaned down and pressed a kiss to her stomach. “We’ll see you soon, Baby Thompson.”
Skye continued to touch her stomach as she waited for another kick. She stared at the ground as she concentrated. “I don’t feel him anymore.”
“Maybe he’s tired.” I rubbed the front of her stomach.
“Ward Jr. used to kick when he heard Ward’s voice. Maybe our baby is the same way.”
“Maybe.” I put my arm around Skye’s shoulders and sat close to her. I just experienced an amazing aspect of fatherhood, and if someone tried to explain how it felt I wouldn’t have understood.
But now I understood completely.
***
“What happened to you the other night?” Slade asked as he lined up his shot then threw the ball in the hoop.
The ball passed through the net without touching it.
“Watch out, Stephen Curry.” Slade did a quick dance like a football player that just reached the end zone.
“It was one shot.” I jogged to the ball then dribbled it back to the court. “Don’t get too excited.”
Slade spoke like he hadn’t heard me. “So, what happened to you the other night?”
“What do you mean?”
“Were you even there?” he asked. “Because every time I looked at you, your tongue was down Skye’s throat.”
“Well, my tongue likes her throat.” I dribbled past Slade then made the shot. It hit the rim but still went in.
“And you didn’t even say bye.”
“You were dancing with Trinity.”
“Dancing,” Slade snapped. “Not fucking her in the bathroom stall. You could have said bye.”
“Why are you being a girl about this?” I grabbed the ball and passed it to him.
“I’m not…” He looked away like he knew he was being a huge girl at the moment. “I just work really hard in the band and want people to notice.”
“Okay, maybe I couldn’t see you because I was busy, but I could definitely hear you. And you sounded great.”
“Really?” He turned back to me with a raised eyebrow.
“Yes. Think about it this way; your music is so good that Skye and I couldn’t keep our hands off of each other. That’s how dangerous it is.”
Slade finally smiled, but it was in a smug way. “You’re right about that.”
I tried not to roll my eyes.
He dribbled the ball between his legs then jogged to the hoop. “Did you tell Skye?”
I bowed my head in shame and released a deep sigh.
Slade shook his head in disappointment. “Dude, do you want me to tell her?”
“God, no,” I blurted. “I can picture how that would sound.”
“Why haven’t you told her? You’ve been home for almost a month.” He spun the ball on his forefinger then tucked it into his side. He wore a gray t-shirt, and the fabric around his neck was soaked in
sweat.
“I have a very good reason for not telling her.”
Skepticism was in his eyes. “I’m sure.”
“Just when I started to confess, the baby kicked.”
His eyes widened. “The baby kicked?”
I couldn’t stop myself from smiling. “It was the coolest and most amazing experience of my life. Hands down.”
“That’s awesome, man!” He dropped the ball and embraced me. He gave me a quick pat on the back.
I pulled away and grinned. “Are you going to hug me every time something happens?”
He shrugged. “Aren’t I supposed to?”
“It’s a little over-the-top…”
“But I’m the baby’s godfather. I’m supposed to be obsessed with every little thing that happens.”
Awkwardness filled me when I heard his words. Skye and I hadn’t given any thought to who the godparents would be. I wasn’t sure if Skye had someone in mind, or if we were going to choose Roland because he was her brother. Or should we ask Clementine and Ward?”
Slade caught onto the tension. “I am the godfather, right?”
“Uh…”
The excitement disappeared from his face. Now his eyes were beady and dark. “Don’t you dare pick Roland! He doesn’t know the first thing about kids.”
“And you do?”
He kicked the ball like a child having a tantrum. “That’s not fair.”
“Slade.” I raised both hands to calm him. “Skye and I haven’t even thought about it.”
“Well, it better be Trinity and I.”
I crossed my arms over my chest. “It’s like my wedding all over again…”
Slade picked up on the jab. “This is totally different. This is about my god baby. He’s mine.” Slade pointed at my stomach like I was the one who was pregnant.
“Just calm down.”
“What the hell is Roland going to do with him? He’s like the lamest person ever.”
“Is not.”
“And he’s already an uncle by blood. You can’t give your baby to him.”
“Isn’t that the reason why we should give it to him.?”
“No.” He threw his arms down. “You really want your baby to be raised by two gay guys?”