Luscious

by Schroeder, Melissa

  I wrap my arms around her, kissing her temple. “Feel better?”

  She nods. I let her go even though I don’t want to. I want everyone to leave and for us to go back to bed and snuggle.

  “Hey,” Savannah says. I blink because I didn’t realize she was standing next to us. She gives EJ a hug and I blink again. Savannah doesn’t always do big displays of affection, but I know that EJ is important to her. “Everything’s going to be okay.”

  “Thanks,” EJ says, and I can hear the emotion threading her voice.

  Savannah then goes back to her seat and settles her head on the counter once again.

  Fritz also gives her a hug, as does Allison. “Thanks, everyone. So, what’s going on with you?” she asks Fritz.

  I motion for her to take my seat and I get her some coffee.

  “I have to take in General McLovin. Grannie can’t take care of him anymore.”

  “Oh, that’s too bad.”

  He nods. “I had to agree to take care of him for her before she would give him up. She was worried I would take him to a shelter.”

  “You would never do that,” she says. “And your apartment doesn’t allow pets?”

  “No. Worse, the manager wants to get me out of there.”

  “Why? Did you sleep with his sister?” Savannah asks. She doesn’t even open her eyes, but her lips curve. And seriously, it is a fair question. Fritz is a bit of manwhore.

  “No. Just, I signed a two-year lease when I first moved in, but I made sure that any extensions would only allow for a ten percent rise in rent. The new owners raised the rent, but they can’t do the same percentage with me because of the lease. I think they’re giving the new manager some incentive to get people like me out of there.”

  “Sounds like an asshole. You should just move,” Savannah says, still not opening her eyes.

  I know that’s easier said than done. Fritz helps pay for his grandmother’s apartment. She needs the constant supervision after being diagnosed with dementia last year. Hence, the reason Fritz needs to take care of General McLovin.

  “Can’t. So, I just have to figure out a way to keep General McLovin safe.”

  Another snort, or maybe it’s a snore. Could go either way with Savannah, especially in the morning.

  “So, how’s your mom doing?” Allison asks EJ.

  “Okay. Thankfully, it looks like the worst of it is over,” EJ says, turning so that her back is up against my front. “Gran and Mom are talking about coming out here for a bit, see some of Texas.”

  “That’s a frightening idea,” I say, humor lacing my voice.

  “Oh, Gran won’t bring her guns.”

  “Shame,” Savannah says.

  “Whatcha cooking there, Ed?” EJ asks.

  “I’m working on some of my cream cheese French toast, but the overnight version would be better,” he grumbles. Your former lean, mean fighting machine, ladies and gentlemen. He now whines about not having enough time to make his sugary treats rather than gearing up for a firefight. Truthfully, we’re all happier. Sure, Fritz is having issues right now because of that cat, but I think we’re all just more at peace with our lives.

  “I think we’ll survive,” EJ says with a laugh. “I think Mama really wants to bake with you, Ed.”

  He frowns. “Why?”

  All this business of families is new for him. He was a foster child with no family to speak of.

  “Bakers like to bake together,” Allison says as she gets the plates down. “And I have a feeling she might want to exchange some recipes with you. Get her blueberry pancake recipe if you can.”

  “Yeah?” he asks.

  “It’s the best,” EJ says.

  “I have to agree with that. We had them almost every morning I was in Charleston,” I comment.

  “But,” EJ says smiling as Ed sets a plate in front of her, “they are not your cream cheese French toast. Thank you.”

  “Hey, aren’t you going to share?” I ask.

  “Get bent, Bradley. I don’t share when it comes to this,” she says pointing down to her plate of food.

  Ed puts a small gravy boat filled with syrup in front of her.

  “It’s warmed up,” he says with a smile, then turns back to finish up the meal.

  “Damn, Ed, I might just have kill off Allison and take her place in the wedding.”

  “Then I would have to haunt you,” Allison says.

  “Go right ahead. I would have this every morning and that would make me happy.”

  I frown, not liking the direction of this discussion, which makes EJ giggle. She leans closer. “I’d only eat his food. You, on the other hand, would be my sex slave.”

  “Ugh, please stop,” Allison says.

  “Suck it. I have to deal with you and Ed,” I say, ignoring the gagging noises she’s making. Instead, I kiss EJ, tasting the sweetness of the maple syrup. “Now eat.”

  She smiles and applies to herself to her breakfast. I want to drag her back into the bedroom and have my way with her again, but because I know my friends are here for her, I will bide my time. But they better be gone no later than noon.

  * * *

  By the time our friends leave, it’s after two. I was ready for them to be gone right after breakfast, but none of them took the hint. Well, I’m pretty sure Fritz and Ed knew, but the ladies didn’t. Or maybe they all knew and they’re all assholes. Yeah, I am betting on that last one.

  As I shut the door, I wrap my arms around EJ and pull her in for a hug. God, it feels good to have her here with me.

  “I guess I need to go home at some point.”

  Anxiety hits me square in the chest. It is stupid, but I know we still have to resolve some of our issues.

  “I guess so, but we could just go back to bed.”

  She leans back and looks at me. “Really, Harry?”

  I realize she thinks that all I want to do is fuck her all day. Okay, you and I both know that’s true, but still.

  “Napping.”

  One eyebrow rises and I laugh. “Okay, so part of it is because I can’t wait to get you under me again. Or on top of me. Anything. But we also need to talk.”

  Her smile fades and I hate her reaction. Still, I’ve learned how to work with her and not freak her out.

  “Come on, nothing bad. I think we could do with some rules.”

  “Rules? Not sure I like that word.”

  “Okay, how about guidelines?” I ask as I take her hand and lead her over to the couch. I’d rather go to the bedroom, but ya know…we wouldn’t get anything resolved.

  We settled next to each other. “Guidelines?”

  “Okay, so, right now, I want to demand you move in with me.”

  Her eyebrows shoot up. “Move in?”

  “Right? Too soon, but I feel a little…uncomfortable with you living so far away. I like the thought that you would be here every night for sure. So, I need you to know that is where I see this going. Or at least, I hope it is. I’m ready for it, but I understand you aren’t. I can wait.”

  “You will?”

  “Elliana, I’d wait forever and a day until you’re ready.”

  “Just like that?”

  I nod, without taking my gaze from hers. She searches my expression for a long moment, and worry sets in my gut. If she tells me no, I can deal with it, but what if this is a deal breaker for her? What if this demand is too much?

  “Okay. I can deal with that. Not that I will move in with you right now, but I can accept that maybe that might be something in the future.”

  I blink. I thought she would put up more of a fight, but she’s smiling at me. Joy filters through me as I find myself returning her smile.

  “You thought I would disagree?”

  I nod. “Well, I wasn’t sure.”

  She inches closer to me. “You know what I realized when we were in South Carolina? Well, also this morning.”

  “What?”

  “That you were there but you didn’t try to take over. That
you just let me know you had my back.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “There are a lot of guys who would show up and try to take over. You didn’t. You were there when I needed you. That’s it. It’s that simple.”

  “That’s what you do when you love someone.”

  “True, but some people, especially guys, don’t understand. Like because I am a woman, I couldn’t take care of myself.”

  “Any man who tells you that doesn’t know you that well.”

  She laughs. “Yeah, that’s true. Also, that’s when you proved yourself to me. You weren’t there to show off, or to take over. You were there for me. Just me. And even though we had a big fight, the first thing you did when you found out about my situation was get on a plane and come to me. It was that uncomplicated. That’s love to me. I’ve never had a man in my life who understood that. But you do.”

  I don’t know what to say to that and she laughs again. “I’ve rendered the great Harry Bradley speechless. I feel pretty good about that.”

  I shake my head and lean closer. “I love you, Elliana. Even when you make fun of me.”

  “And I love you, Harry, even if you drive me crazy.”

  I brush my mouth over hers, just a simple, sweet kiss, before pulling away. I stand up and grab her hand, yanking her up from the couch. I bend down and slip my arm beneath her legs and lift her up. “Now about that nap…”

  “I’m not tired, Harry.”

  “Well, I can take care of that,” I say. She laughs as I walk us back into my bedroom. Happiness fills my heart…warms my soul.

  Perfect? Far from it. But having EJ in my life means I have joy filling my days and that’s enough for me.

  Epilogue

  5 year Anniversary of the DATE FROM HELL (Or DFH for those of you who have been paying attention)

  I fidget in my seat, my nerves getting the better of me. Which—let’s face it—is saying a lot. Control might not be as big of an issue for me nowadays, but I still don’t like going in blind, and EJ knows it. From the moment that EJ said she had something to talk about, I’ve been worried. It’s been five years since that fateful date, two since we married. Her business is growing by leaps and bounds. In fact, she opened a second store, this one in New Braunfels, with Jeanine as the manager. I’m so fucking proud of her accomplishments.

  We’ve marked this day as our anniversary. She has said that she was falling in love with me even when we weren’t dating and when she didn’t even know it. So, this isn’t that uncommon. But…there was something in her voice that has me worried. I didn’t push. I wanted to. So fucking badly. Which shows I’ve come a long way. I even waited six months after we started dating to propose to her. Our wedding was in January the following year, and I love her more each day. My phone vibrates against the table.

  Allison: Is she there yet?

  ME: No.

  Allison: I want to know right away.

  ME: Nosy Nora

  Ed: We all want to know if she’s dumping your ass.

  I roll my eyes. You would think that after all these years, our group of friends would quit being so nosy. With Allison, that was never going to stop. At least she only texted me instead of calling, although, she did use a group text. I just had to accept that she was never going to change her ways.

  Savannah: Yeah. We should be betting on this, right? I pick dumping him.

  Fritz: It would be poetic if she did it where they had their first date.

  My friends suck balls.

  “What’s wrong?”

  I look up and find EJ standing by the table. She’s wearing a new maxi dress—deep green that accents her hair and brings out the blue in her eyes. Her hair is down, dripping over her bare shoulders. I smile, although, I know it feels forced. I stand up and walk around to pull the chair out for her.

  “Nothing. Just, Allison being Allison.”

  She chuckles. “How is Emily?”

  Ed and Allison’s first child had a pretty bad cold.

  “Doing okay, but Ed is kind of falling apart.”

  She smiles. “It’s sweet.” I shrug and she studies me. “What’s wrong?”

  “I’m…nothing.”

  Her mouth curves. “Kind of going crazy, aren’t you?”

  I sigh. “I’ve been trying my best to keep it all together, but…you know me.”

  EJ nods. “Of course. Here. Why don’t you open this first?” she asks as she sets a small box on the table and slides it over to me.

  “What is it?”

  She laughs. “Just open it, Harry.”

  She has that placating tone in her voice, but it doesn’t bother me. EJ’s learned how to handle me and, most of the time, she uses just the right touch to push me along. Still, I hesitate. It’s just a present, but I’m worried that it will change our lives forever. I have no indication of that, but there is something deep in my soul. Change is still not easy for me.

  “It won’t bite, I promise,” she says. I look up at her and she’s grinning at me.

  I open it and have to move aside some tissue paper. There’s a button, like the ones I sometimes wear on my apron at work when I’m behind the counter.

  World’s Greatest Dad.

  I look up at her and tears are filling her eyes.

  “Yeah?”

  She nods. “Just confirmed with my doctor this morning.”

  We’ve been trying for six months and I was getting a little worried. Joy cascades through me as I stand and walk over to her chair. I take her by the hand and pull her into my arms.

  “Thank you,” I say.

  “I think we should thank each other since we both had to be there for it.”

  I’m leaning down to kiss her when someone clears their throat behind me. I look over my shoulder to find our waiter there.

  “What?” I growl.

  She chuckles. “Harry.”

  “Sorry. My wife just told me she’s pregnant, and I just have to kiss her. We’ll be ordering our food to go.”

  She’s still laughing as I lean down and kiss her.

  * * *

  About 7 months later

  There’s something just not right today. I’ve known it since I got out of bed this morning. My back has been aching. That’s not all that uncommon these days, but this has been nagging me all day. It’s only noon, and I have full day ahead of me. Granted, Millie—the manager for my San Antonio location—keeps giving me the evil eye. Probably because Harry has been after me and she’s worried about me. The military wife has had three kids and she says I should be at home. I can’t miss out on it though. It’s a Friday the thirteenth, and I always run a bunch of specials today, along with a party tonight. Which, as Millie has told me, she could run. With her eyes closed and one hand tied behind her back after drinking a fifth of bourbon. That’s an exact quote.

  At least I am sitting. It was the only way Harry would let me come into work. I’m perched behind the cash register; it isn’t all that comfortable. Nothing is these days. I glance down at my belly. Two more weeks, I think, then wince when the baby kicks me, the sucker. She’s been active and demanding, which Harry says is heredity. I press my hand against my tummy.

  “Settle down, Carolina,” I say.

  “Talking to that baby isn’t giving you any rest,” my grandmother says. Yep, that’s right. My mother and grandmother are here to help. Gran is still upset the plane didn’t allow her to carry on her rifle. She said she still wasn’t sure about Harry.

  “I’m not doing anything, Gran.”

  She grumbles as she settles into her favorite chair—yeah, they’ve been here long enough that she has a favorite chair in my store—and starts reading again.

  “Leave her alone, Mom. She’d be tearing her hair out if she were at home,” my mother says smiling at me. “I got that display done for you. I’m going to go reap my reward of a cupcake from Ed.”

  “Thanks, Mom.”

  “I would like a red velvet one,” Gran says.

  “You d
idn’t do anything,” I point out.

  “Look, little girl, I’ve had enough of your lip today. You need to be home in bed.”

  I laugh. “There are no cupcakes at home, so—”

  I break off when pain hits my abdomen, then pulses through me. I gasp and hold onto my stomach.

  “Elliana, are you okay?” my mother asks.

  I shake my head trying to breathe through the pain. Oh, fuck me, this is horrible. Allison said it felt as if someone was ripping her apart. This is worse than my imagination.

  “Texting Harry,” Gran says as she walks towards me.

  Harry bursts through the door. “Baby, are you okay?”

  I nod as the pain subsides. “I think we need to go to the hospital.”

  His face goes white as he swallows. “Okay. Yeah.”

  He blinks rapidly and starts to sway. I snap my fingers. “Harry, stay with me, babe. I need you to drive me to the hospital.”

  He nods and takes me by the arm.

  “If you can’t handle it, boy, just let the women take care of it,” Gran says. That’s all it takes. Harry seems to brush off his temporary freak out.

  “I can handle it, old woman,” he says, with affection. They bicker constantly, but it’s to show their affection for each other. “Her bag is in the SUV, so let’s go.”

  “I don’t like this, Harry,” I say. He glances at me and I know he can see all the fear that is rolling through me.

  “We got this. Remember, we can handle anything together.”

  I nod as he helps me out of my store—Ed and Fritz wave at me and tell us they will be coming behind us.

  I hear my mother on the phone with Harry’s mother telling her I’m in labor.

  “See. Everyone will be there, and you will handle this like a champ,” he says. Now, let’s get to the hospital and get you some of those good drugs.”

  Five hours later, Carolina Mae Bradley comes screaming into the world. And I mean that literally. The moment she is out of me, she’s screaming. A shock of red hair that sticks up like she’s been electrocuted and blue eyes. And lord, over nine pounds.