That One Day (That One #1.5)

by Josie Wright

  I glance at the box on the passenger seat and lift the lid. Damn, those donuts smell delicious. Grabbing one, I take a bite. If I weren’t so in love with Frankie, I’d marry the baker, even if he is a big, burly guy with a potbelly and a bald head. I take the last bite, licking my fingers, when the traffic finally gets rolling again and thankfully this time it doesn’t stop until I’m home.

  With the box in my hands, I walk through the door. Loud music greets me, allowing my entrance to go unnoticed. I set down my bag and the box, slip of my jacket, and lean against the wall, watching the show. And a show it is.

  Frankie has moved the playpen and the coffee table to the side, creating a makeshift dancefloor in the middle of the living room. There she’s dancing with Archer in her arms to “Happy” by Pharrell Williams. She has this obsession with the Despicable Me movies and this song in particular. She shakes her ass and twirls around in time with the beat. Her singing attempts are a completely different ballgame. She sings like a cat being skinned alive. It gets even worse when the chorus comes around and she attempts to hit the high notes.

  But Archer, the brave little trooper, doesn’t seem to mind. While she dances with him, bellowing the lyrics, he’s giggling and laughing. They both look so happy, like they don’t have a care in the world.

  In this moment, I feel like an intruder, considering I’m bringing all my issues into their lives. Archer pushes these thoughts away when he calls out to me. “Dada.” He points at me, smiling.

  Frankie turns around to find me leaning against the wall. Her eyes flash with something warm and welcoming. Adjusting Archer’s weight to her left arm, she crooks her finger at me, beckoning me closer, all the while not stopping her rendition. I laugh, shaking my head.

  Her lips draw into a small pout, her eyes taking on the lost puppy look. Again, I shake my head, a smile tugging at my lips.

  Rolling her eyes, she dances over to me and takes my hand, leading me onto the improvised dancefloor. Her wide, sparkly eyes are asking me to join in on the fun. She starts to shrug one shoulder to the music, then the other. Then her ass starts wiggling and she grins up at me. How the hell am I supposed to resist this? And why would I want to?

  I step closer to her, one hand going straight to her ass, the other around her and Archer and we dance. I spin us in circles until I’m worried one of them is going to end up puking on me.

  Frankie keeps on singing, ignoring my occasional burst of laughter when she skins the next metaphorical cat.

  Only when the song ends do we come to a standstill—both out of breath, all three of us with big smiles on our faces. I draw her closer, giving her a slow, sensual kiss.

  “Hi, babe.”

  She licks her lips, her breath labored as she lets out a dreamy sigh.

  “Hey, little man,” I say, kissing Archer’s nose.

  Frankie plops down on the couch, Archer in her arms, pulling me down with her. She’s still smiling, trying to catch her breath. Suddenly, she stills.

  “Wait.” She turns to face me. “You taste of vanilla custard. You ate a donut.” She spins around, scanning the room. The moment she notices the box she smiles big, hands Archer to me, and climbs over the back of the couch, going straight for the box.

  I stand Archer up on the couch, caging him in between my arms as we watch his mother. She opens the box, a sigh coupled with a moan escaping her lips. Taking one donut out, she inhales the aroma before taking a big bite. Her eyes roll back before she closes them, the expression very similar to her orgasm face. Within seconds, the donut is gone. I’m not sure if she breathed at all while devouring it or if she inhaled it whole. She licks her fingers and comes back to the couch looking satisfied.

  She bends down to kiss me. “Thank you for the donuts, Ben.”

  “Judging by the look on your face, you need to thank me for yet another orgasm.”

  “Baby, if you ever leave me, I’m starting an affair with the baker. If anything gave me an orgasm just now, it was his baked goods,” she deadpans, leaving me speechless for a moment.

  “I tell you what. We’ll put Archer to bed and then I can thank you properly.” She gives me a sultry look and proceeds to lift Archer up into her arms and takes off toward the stairs.

  I blow out a big breath, willing my blood to supply the parts of my body above my waistline.

  We put Archer to bed in his future room. Though it isn’t fully finished, it’s definitely good enough to sleep in. The things I have in mind for Frankie tonight are definitely not things our son should witness.

  It would appear Frankie and I are on the same page. We’re barely through the door to our room when she spins us around, pushing my back against the door.

  “I still need to thank you for the donuts.” Her words are hardly more than a husky whisper as she lowers herself to her knees, looking up at me through hooded eyes, a sexy smirk on her face.

  “Yeah, I remember you mentioning something.” I grin back at her.

  In response, she opens the button and lowers the zipper of my jeans. I suck in a breath when her knuckles skim along my cock. A smug smile flickers across her face before she licks her lips.

  Jesus, I can’t fucking wait to feel her mouth on my cock.

  Taking ahold of both my jeans and boxers, she pulls them down until my cock springs free, ready for action.

  Her fingers dance along my skin, making their way around my cock. I’m trying to hold still and keep my hips from thrusting forward. I wouldn’t want to poke her in the eye by accident, but if she keeps up the teasing, all bets are off.

  As if reading my mind, she palms my cock. Her hand squeezes softly, making me hiss. The view from up here is perfect. Frankie on her knees, her eyes burning with desire as she looks up at me, her hand around my cock and her mouth about to follow as she runs her tongue from the base to the head, swirling it around. Her tongue feels soft, wet, and hot, causing my cock to throb in excitement.

  I push my hips forward a bit, unable to hold still any longer.

  “Are you trying to kill me?” I grind out.

  “No, where would be the fun in that?” she replies in a sultry voice, although I detect a hint of a smile in it.

  Leaning forward again, she brings her tongue to the tip of my cock and starts licking circles around the head, her fist clenching and unclenching around the base.

  She draws me in, her hand mimicking the motion of her bobbing head. The heat of her mouth and the wetness are too much. I close my eyes and let my head fall back against the door. My hands tangle in her short hair to ensure she doesn’t pull away again.

  She moans, the hum sending electric jolts through my cock and up my spine. My breathing grows ragged, my hands now pulling her closer as I thrust harder.

  “Oh fuck, Frankie,” I moan when she sucks me deeper, my cock hitting the back of her throat.

  I completely lose my rhythm, the thrusts quickly becoming erratic and unrestrained.

  “Shit, Frankie, I’m gonna…” I try to force the words out between two ragged breaths, but she doesn’t give me a chance to finish the sentence when she makes a noise in the back of her throat—a mix between a moan and a hum—and I’m gone. Convulsing, I find my release, coming into her mouth. My fingers are fisting her hair, holding her close as my body judders and trembles, my knees nearly giving out on me.

  I watch her swallow without hesitation, her eyes dark with lust. She keeps sucking and licking until she’s milked every last drop from me and only then does she release my cock with a pop.

  “Holy hell.” I inhale a deep breath, attempting to calm my racing heart.

  I hold out a hand to her and she takes it, letting me pull her up and into my arms.

  “Fuck me. That was a great thank you. Remind me to bring you donuts every day.”

  Her head pressed against my chest, I can feel her shaking when she laughs. “You trying to up my protein intake?”

  “You’ve been eating less meat lately. I just want to make sure you get all the nutri
ents you need,” I tease, pulling my pants back on. I push her toward the bed. She falls back onto it, throwing her head back and laughing while I crawl on top of her.

  “Now, it’s my turn to get a taste of you.”

  She shakes her head, pursing her lips. “Sorry, my vagina is closed for maintenance.” She smiles apologetically.

  “Your vagina is what? What, are you replacing the piping?” I blink in confusion.

  “I’m on my period, silly. So you’re not getting anywhere near the goods.” She reaches up with her hand, pulling me in for another kiss. “But you are the lucky winner of a shitload of cuddles and snuggles to appease my hormonal heart.”

  I flip us over, so she’s laying half on top of me. “I think I can handle that.” I kiss the top of her head before I start laughing.

  “What’s so funny?” Frankie lifts up her head, looking at me curiously.

  “I just remembered when you got your period for the first time.”

  She groans, burrowing her head in my neck. “Oh, don’t remind me.”

  “It was funny as hell.”

  “For you maybe.”

  “Well, yeah. Dave and I couldn’t stop laughing for days after we asked you if you wanted to hang out with us that day, go to the park to play some ball. You were what…twelve?”

  “Thirteen,” she grumbles annoyed, but there’s a hint of amusement in her voice.

  “Dave called up to your room and suddenly, we hear the bang of the door against the wall and you stomping downstairs yelling, ‘No, I won’t go anywhere. My life is over.’ ”

  Now Frankie is laughing too. “You two looked at me as if I lost my mind.”

  “No, we knew you’d lost your mind a long time ago. But we had no idea what you were talking about until you started yelling at us, ‘I hate this shit. You assholes with your dicks and ability to pee standing up. I hope your dicks shrivel and fall off.’ ”

  “And you two just stood there, looking dumbfounded, saying ‘okay.’ ”

  “Dave definitely was more courageous than I was, asking you what the hell happened. You stomped past us, slugged him in the arm on the way, and threw yourself face down on the couch, mumbling into the cushion ‘I’ve got my period. I want to die.’ ”

  Frankie’s body is shaking she’s laughing so hard.

  “I was a tad dramatic, wasn’t I?”

  “You think?” I joke, pinching her waist.

  “Just for the record, I still hate you guys for being able to pee standing up.”

  “Fair enough. But you were such a miserable bitch, we were relieved you didn’t want to go out with us.”

  She scrunches her face up at me. “I’ve never seen you two scramble so fast to get out of the house.”

  “Can you blame us? You were scary.” I poke her side, making her squirm against me.

  “Trust me, I regretted my decision when my mom decided to give me a speech about how I’m a woman now and that it’s time to behave as such and leave the rebellious tomboy nonsense behind.” She’s imitating her mother’s voice, a stern expression on her face to go along with it.

  Since she’s bringing up her parents, I see it as an opportunity to broach a subject that’s been bothering me since I came back, but we’ve always had more pressing topics to discuss.

  “Babe?” I start, trying to get her attention.

  “Hmm?”

  “Why do you put up with the way your parents treat you?”

  Her loud exhale is the only noise in the otherwise silent room.

  “I told you. Archer has a right to grow up with his grandparents. His happiness is worth putting up with their crap.”

  I let the words sink in and I get what she’s saying, but something about it irks me and it takes a moment for me to realize what it is.

  “Even though they treat his mother like shit? Is that what you want him to witness, to grow up with? That’s fucked-up.” I’m keeping my voice even and soft, trying not to ruffle her feathers, but I fail miserably. She pushes off me, creating a distance between us and then proceeds to sit up, leaning back on her hands.

  “It’s not about me. They are good to him. They love him and they show it every single moment they are around him. He deserves that; I’m not going to take it away from him,” she huffs, her voice defensive and irritated. But I can’t just let it go because it’s not good for her and in the long run I don’t see it being good for Archer. It’s not the lesson he should learn.

  “It’s great you put him first, Frankie. But damn, you can’t just put up with all the stuff they throw at you. You need to talk to them, set some boundaries. I don’t want Archer to learn it’s okay to treat you like trash.”

  She snorts, her eyebrows raised in disbelief. “Seriously? You’re giving me advice on talking to my parents? Really? You won’t even talk to your own mother. Know what they say about throwing stones while sitting in a glass house?”

  Recoiling from her words, I shake my head and get up. Sitting on the edge of the bed, I rest my elbows on my knees. I feel like she just smacked me, when all I was trying to do was to help her stand up to her parents.

  “You know that’s completely different.” My tone is clipped, the words sharp and it takes all my self-control to not lash out in return.

  I crack my neck to relax the tense muscles when her arms come around my shoulders and her body presses against my back. She kisses my temple, lingering at my ear.

  “Sorry. That was uncalled for. I…ugh…” She exhales loudly before she continues, “I just don’t want to make any mistakes. I don’t want to wake up one day and realize I’ve fucked something up for Archer, something that was good for him. And as I said, they are good to him. With your dad in the hospital and your mom not part of our life, my parents are the only grandparents he has.”

  I grab her arms, pulling her closer to me. “But it shouldn’t be at your expense. They hurt you constantly. You don’t deserve that, babe.”

  Her sigh sounds deflated and resigned. “It is what it is. I have a thick skin, Ben. I’ll be okay.”

  I shake my head. “I think it’s wrong, but it’s not a decision I can make for you. Just know if I notice their behavior is rubbing off on Archer, I’m stepping in and there’s nothing you can do about it.”

  I feel her nod against my shoulder. “Okay.” Snuggling closer, she lays her head on my shoulder, holding on to me like a monkey.

  “You know, this time of a month I still think my life is over. That was one good thing about being pregnant.”

  I chuckle when she continues. “I quickly changed my mind when it was time to give birth though. Gosh, can’t believe it’s been nearly a year ago.”

  “We should throw him an epic first birthday party. Something huge and over-the-top,” I suggest.

  “Well, we have nearly a month to plan it.” She wraps her legs around my waist. I get up, taking ahold of her ass so she doesn’t fall down.

  “Then let’s get to work. We have some planning to do, babe,” I say, as I carry her downstairs on my back.

  And we plan for the rest of the night, coming up with an awesome birthday for our son, shooting ideas back and forth about gifts, food, and decorations. I doubt Archer will really care about it, but it doesn’t stop us from going completely overboard.

  But as with most things in my life, fate has other plans—plans that can turn what’s supposed to be the best birthday party ever into a nightmare.

  Chapter 38

  The Monster Within

  Today is Archer’s birthday and I’m too fucking excited to sleep in. I woke up an hour ago when I heard him complaining about his diaper. After changing it, I brought him into bed where he’s now snuggled up between Frankie and me. His mommy is still sleeping and I want to let her rest some more. So far, I’ve managed to keep him busy and from poking her in the eye, or nose, or mouth. I’m such a good dad.

  I can’t wait to show him the gift Frankie and I have been working on for the past month. Well, Frankie has mostly been sta
nding around, handing me the tools or holding things up. That’s about as far as her craftsmanship goes.

  We ordered a treehouse playset online, spending more than anyone should spend on a one-year-old. But then again, it’s something he’ll be able to use for years to come. At least that’s the excuse we tell ourselves for spending nearly two thousand dollars. It’s a good thing I have a steady income through renting out my house to Allie and Jake.

  I refused to build a generic treehouse. I used the ordered set and customized it, making it unique and a thousand times better.

  Thankfully, everyone was okay with this monstrosity in the garden, although I suspect we’re all excited to use it ourselves because it’s a playset of epic proportions.

  It’s wrapped around the big oak standing to the side of the property and goes out a few feet toward the house. It’s all cedar wood with only the slides and some bits and pieces made out of plastic.

  Directly underneath the treehouse is a covered area currently housing a sandbox for Archer where he can play protected from the sun and rain. There’s a comfortable bench allowing whoever is watching him to sit back and relax. The treehouse has a gable style roof, windows with wooden shutters, and a cute little door. Inside are a beanbag, shelves, a small table, and enough room to place a mattress on the floor. It’s tall enough for me to stand up comfortably, which will make playing in there with Archer easier. The treehouse has a balcony running the whole length of the playset, offering a lot of space to play and enjoy the sun. With the tree offering some shade, it should be cool enough to play there even in the summer.

  Attached underneath the balcony is a set of swings sturdy enough to hold a grownup, just in case Archer wants one of us to swing along with him. That’s what I told Frankie when she wondered why I was reinforcing the swings.

  The treehouse can be accessed by stairs, climbing wall, or ladder; as an additional exit, it also has a green slide.

  When Archer gets older, I’ll be able to change things around so it is more suitable for his age. If the wood holds up, he’ll even be able to use it as a teenager when he’s fed up with his parents. Or, we’ll be able to use it to hide away from him when he’s being a brat.