"I know Liam has been taking care of your bills. I know he paid off your house, but I want to take care of you now. I don’t want you to work, unless you want to. I know you like being home when the kids get out of school and I want that for you. Let me provide for you, Peyton and Elle.”
Tears pool in my eyes. How he knows me the way he does is beyond me. I move closer and nuzzle into the crook of his neck. His arms encase me, holding me to his body.
“I think if I was someone different, I’d be kicking you out of bed for saying we’re never getting married.”
Harrison laughs. “Baby, if you were someone else, I wouldn’t be here right now.”
“No?”
“No,” he says leaning back to look at me. “I only have eyes for Katelyn Powell.”
CHAPTER 41
Harrison
“Are you sure you want to do this?”
“Yes, I’m sure.”
“You know I think it’s going to be sexy as hell, right?” I pick up our joined hands and kiss hers.
“No, I didn’t know that.” I can’t tell if she’s being coy or not.
I shake my head. “Fuck, baby, I’m hard just thinking about it.”
I pull into the parking lot of Rock City. I feel her stiffen next to me. I know she’s scared, but she knows that she can back out at any time. This is something she wants, something that she suggested.
I get out of the car and run around to her door and open it for her. I take her hand in mine and walk with her by my side.
When she came to me and said she wanted a tattoo, I thought she was joking, but she wasn’t. In fact, she had the design all picked out. I asked her how long she had been thinking about getting one, and she said a while.
The chime on the door rings out when we enter. I made her an appointment as soon as she asked. She fills out her paperwork and hands her drawing to the artist, who starts transforming it into something he can work with.
“Right this way,” he says. She grabs my hand. I squeeze hers, letting her know that I’m with her all the way.
“Where do you want it,” he asks. She looks at me and smiles. The location has been a secret until now. She lets go of my hand and lifts her shirt.
“Whoa, what are you doing?” I ask, as I try to pull her shirt back down.
“Stop,” she says, pushing my hands away. She turns and points to her hip, showing the artist where she wants her flower and how it should fit on her body.
“You’ll have to pull your shorts down a bit,” he says, watching my reaction. “Lie on your side.” He nods toward the table and waits for her. With her shirt lifted and her shorts hanging lower than I’d like them to be in public, he sets her design on her and pulls away the paper.
Her flower will sit just above her hipbone with vines above and below. Small stars will be added as accents.
“What color do you want the flower?”
“Purple,” she answers.
I pull a chair closer to her and hold her hand. She looks at me, her eyes showing concern. “You’ll be fine. You’ve given birth to twins, this will seem easy.”
She rolls her eyes and scoots her head closer to me. She rests there, waiting. I lean down and kiss her on the nose. She stiffens when the gun turns on. I know she’s nervous. I was too when I got my first one, but I know she’ll do just fine and will likely want another one soon.
As soon as the needle touches her skin, she squeezes my hand. I watch her for any sign of distress, but see none. She keeps her eyes closed, likely concentrating on her happy place. Where that is, I don’t know, she won’t tell me. Either way, if it keeps her calm and levelheaded, she can go there whenever she wants.
I was informed of said happy place when we moved into the house. Combining two households was a nightmare. We had a mix match of stuff and it didn’t blend. A week after we moved in, I threw my hands up and took her shopping. I told her that for seven days the kids and I had listened about how nothing matches and now she can have whatever she wants. She balked at first, saying she can go to her happy place and make it work. I didn’t know what that meant, but each day she was spending more and more time there and I’d had enough. She finally relented and bought a houseful of furniture. Now everything is new and ours – which I think was the problem from the get-go.
I kissed Katelyn for the first time in front of the kids on the day that we told them we were moving in together. I figured it was a good time. It was much easier than I thought it would be – kissing her. She gathered them in her living room and told them we had some news. Elle asked if she was going to be a princess again, referring to her stint as Josie’s flower girl. Peyton didn’t say anything. But Quinn, he looked at me and smiled. He knew. I cupped Katelyn’s face and planted one square on her lips.
I wasn’t sure what Quinn would think, but he, along with the girls, said it was going to be cool since they spent most of their time together anyway. Peyton asked if she and I would still practice together, and I told her nothing would change, except I’d be around more. The kids seemed to like that idea.
I look over at the design taking shape on her side. The impure thoughts are rampant. I can’t wait to lick, kiss and nip every square inch of her body. When she asked me what I thought about her getting a tattoo, I showed her. Words didn’t even come close to describing what I thought. We played a little game that night – it was ‘let Harrison find the location of the tattoo’ – each time I thought I was close, she’d tell me I wasn’t and I had to start all over again. I loved that game.
“How does it look?”
“Sexy.”
She pushes me in the shoulder. “It doesn’t look sexy. I looked up the procedure online. I’m sure it’s red and gross looking.”
I lean in and whisper, “Baby, nothing on you is gross looking.”
She snuggles into my neck and places small kisses there. I refuse to move, relishing in the attention. There are two sides of Katelyn. I learned this as well after we started living together.
There’s the mom side. That Katelyn is on her game. She’s making breakfast for five, packing three lunches, checking homework, doing all our laundry and making dinner. She dresses in tight ass yoga pants and has her hair piled on top of her head. Believe it or not, this is my dirty girl Katelyn. This is my, come-home-at-lunch–for-a-quickie, Katelyn.
Then there’s the shy, reserved Katelyn. That’s what I have now. She wants to be held and caressed and will show affection, as long as it’s hidden from everyone else. She’s not afraid to let it be known that I’m hers though, but it takes some good goading for her to be flashy about our relationship. This is the Katelyn that I get at night when we’re all sitting around watching TV. She’ll curl up in a chair or I’ll come home to find all three kids piled around her.
The first time I saw her and Quinn sitting together, I thought I was going to lose my shit. I almost broke down and cried like a baby. She treats him as her own and that is more than I could ask for.
“You’re done,” the artist says.
Katelyn bends to look. She gasps and covers her mouth. “It’s beautiful.”
“I told you,” I say, kissing her temple.
He covers it and gives her the instructions that I have memorized. When she hops down from the table, I pull her to me. I kiss her once and move aside, taking my shirt off as I do.
“What are you doing?” she asks.
“It’s my turn.” I jump up on the table just as the artist returns with my sketch.
“Where?” he asks.
I point to my chest and he nods.
“What are you getting?”
“You’ll see.”
I lay back, putting my arms behind my head. I’m grinning from ear to ear when he sets the paper down and peels it back.
“Harrison?” Her voice is soft and wavering.
I pull my hand out from behind my head and reach for her. She comes to me, allowing me to hold her. I watch her the entire time, never flinching or needing to look that he’s doing i
t right, I know he is.
Mine is done quickly. He bandages it up and sends us on our way. I don’t ask if she wants to go home or if she has other plans. I need to go home. There are three people waiting for us and I have something to show them.
As soon as we pull into the driveway, Jenna is walking out. She looks tired, run down.
“What’s wrong?” Katelyn asks her. Katelyn puts her hands on Jenna’s shoulder to hold her still.
“I think I have the flu. I’m sorry if I got the kids sick.”
“It’s okay,” Katelyn says, walking Jenna to her car. I wait for Katelyn at the bottom step and make faces at Peyton who is staring at me through the picture window.
“I hope she’s not sick,” Katelyn says, meeting me at the step.
“I hope not either. She’s been acting so weird since the wedding, though. I don’t know, but something’s off. Did she meet someone there? You know, maybe had a bad one-night stand?”
Katelyn shakes her head. “I don’t think so. Heck, the last time I heard her talk about a guy was when she kept talking about you when I had a sleepover. She kept asking me if she could ask you out.”
I can’t help but laugh. “Oh yeah, what’d you say?”
Katelyn rolls her eyes and leans into me. She stands on her tippy toes to kiss me. “They were mean to me at that slumber party, Harrison. They teased me until I told them that I was in love with you.”
I rub my hands up and down her arms. “Poor baby,” I say, kissing her nose. “Come on, we have kids waiting for us.” I pull her hand into mine as we walk up the steps and into the house.
Three eager children meet us at the door. Quinn is used to me coming back with new ink all the time, but not Katelyn. We didn’t hide that she was getting a tattoo from them and they all seemed excited. Peyton, mostly. I have a feeling that she’s going to be the hellion of the trio.
“What’d you get?” Quinn asks.
Katelyn lifts her shirt and I pull down the bandage. The girls move closer and I tell them not to touch it because it needs to heal.
“What’d you get, Dad?”
“How do you know I got anything?”
Quinn laughs. “Because I know you, you got something. Come on and show us.”
I take off my shirt, much to the giggles of the girls. They colored on me last night and I didn’t bother scrubbing off their ink. I pull down the bandage and risk a look at Katelyn. She has tears pooling in her eyes. Happy tears.
“Perfect,” Quinn says, making me happy that he approves. The transition for us has been seamless. We fit as a family. He treats the girls as if they’re his sisters and has the utmost respect for Katelyn. In the nine weeks we’ve lived together, I’ve heard him call her mom a few times and she didn’t miss a beat when she answered him. I think the moment I knew she was in this for the long haul was when she introduced Quinn as her son.
The twins step forward, both of them looking at me with awe in their eyes. I kneel down so that we’re eye level. “What do you think, guys?”
“You put our names on your body,” Elle says.
“I did.”
“We’re with Quinn on your heart,” Peyton adds.
“That’s because I love you both.”
Both girls tackle me, knocking me to the ground. I wrap my arms around them and I hold them to me. Quinn finds a spot and wraps his arms around my neck.
“Hey guys, I think we’re missing someone,” I say above their laughter.
“Come on, mom, there’s room,” Quinn says, letting Katelyn know that she’s needed.
She sits in between my legs and the girls hold her in their arms. It’s in this moment that I realize my life can’t get any better than this. Anything that happens to us will just be an added bonus. I have my son, the woman I’m madly in love with, and two beautiful little girls that make my heart sing each time they smile.
What more could a guy like me ask for?
Chapter 42
Katelyn
I stand on the porch, accepting the sun as I bask in its warmth while watching the kids. The kids... I still find it odd to say that, but at the same time, love it. I love everything about my life right now and have Harrison and Quinn to thank for that. Once I let go of my fear of losing Harrison and being alone with another broken heart, I started living again. The grass suddenly became greener. The sun was brighter, warmer. The biggest change was laughter. The happy sounds that echoed through our house were because of Harrison and Quinn. They made me and my girls’ smile, all while never forgetting that another man has been a huge part of our lives.
Pictures of Mason hang in our family room. Harrison hung them while I was out shopping. I came home and once I saw them, I cried. I cried for hours in his arms, telling him that I didn’t deserve him. He should’ve agreed with me, but he didn’t. He’s the creator of this blended family that looks whole to anyone who sees us. And we’re almost whole. I still miss Mason, I always will. Harrison makes sure that he’s talked about, that the girls say their prayers to their daddy, and that we visit the cemetery at least once a week to place fresh flowers on his grave.
If it weren’t for Harrison, I’d be a walking zombie. Because of him, I sleep peacefully at night. Because of Harrison, my girls are loved and have a father figure to look up to. Because of Harrison, I have a son who treats me not only like his mom, but also his best friend and he loves my girls like they’re his sisters. Because of Harrison, I have my life back and a family that my girls and I can love and feel secure in.
The kids are playing in the backyard. The heat is rising fast today and they wanted to get out before it became unbearable. I agreed and couldn’t pass up the opportunity to watch them. Today is backwards day. What that means is that Quinn and I will go off and do something together while Harrison takes the twins for the day. We’ve been trying to do this at least once a month because I felt like I needed to spend some time with Quinn, getting to know him. Before we moved in together, he’d come to my house after school with the twins, but I was afraid to know him. Afraid that his father would break my heart and take his son with him, but that fear is gone.
“Mommy, look at me!”
Elle screams my name as she flies through the air on the trampoline. That thing scares the living daylights out of me, but my partner, who is supposed to side with me on everything, thinks it’s best thing ever and loves jumping with the kids. Last night the four of them camped out on it, under the stars. I stayed inside, away from bugs and in the comfort of my bed, missing Harrison.
“Did you see me?” Elle asks, as she comes running over to me. Her hair is all over the place, half in a ponytail and half out. She wants to be more independent and I’m trying to allow that. It’s hard, I admit; she’s my baby and I want her and Peyton to not grow up, but there’s no stopping it.
“You were so high, it scares me.”
Elle rolls her eyes, a trait that I wish I could break. “Harrison says it’s fine as long as the sides are up and see,” she points to the trampoline where Quinn and Peyton are still jumping, “the sides are up. I can’t fall out.”
“Hmm... what if you got so high that a bird swooped down and picked you up and carried you away from me?”
Again with the eye roll and a shake of her head. “Dat’s ridiculous,” she says, bouncing back toward the others.
She’s right, it is, but the thought has crossed my mind once or twice. The sliding glass door opens and goose bumps spread across my body. A smile breaks out as I bring my iced tea to my lips. His hands find my hips as he pulls me close to him. His lips graze the top of my shoulder.
“What are you doing?” he asks as he moves his hands in front of me, locking me into his arms. I lean my head back and take in his freshly showered, ‘Harrison’ scent. This man, with all his money, insists on wearing Old Spice and I’m not going to lie, it smells damn good on him.
“Just watching them and trying to convince Elle that she’ll get carried away by a bird if she jumps too high.”
/>
Harrison laughs. “That would have to be a huge bird.”
I shrug. “It could happen.”
I feel him shake his head. “He’d drop her after a minute, once he realized that she talks too much and would be worried about how her hair looks.”
He’s right, of course. Elle is quickly becoming a little fashionista. Not that I mind, she’s always been more like me, but Quinn definitely hates it. The many fashion shows he’s asked to play music for gets on his nerves, but he’s a team player and puts on his game face.
“Are you ready to leave?” I ask, not knowing what their plans are. That was something we agreed on when we started our backwards day. Plans are left a secret, so we have stories to tell later.
Harrison whistles and just like that, all three of them come running. “I am,” he says, kissing me full on the lips. I’ll never forget the love and experiences I had with Mason, but with Harrison, there’s no comparison. He ignites a desire I didn’t know I had. A simple touch from him and there’s a fire burning until he can extinguish it.
“Are we going now?” Peyton asks. She still wears her football jersey just about everywhere and has it on today, but Harrison doesn’t say anything. I wonder sometimes if he cares, but then I remember that he said he’d never replace Mason and that he would always live on in our family.
“I am, kiss your mom and we’ll go.” I lean down and kiss both girls before they leave me for Harrison. He holds their hands as they bound down the stairs and disappear into the garage.
“Well, that leaves us, are you ready?” I ask Quinn.
“Sure am! Where are we going?”
I shake my head. “What’s rule number one?” I ask as I walk back into the house to lock up. Quinn follows, shutting the sliding glass door behind him.
“No questions until we’re there.”
I ruffle his hair and know my time is limited before he asks me to stop doing that. “Let’s go, we have a busy day.” He smiles even though I know he wants to pout because I’m not budging.
We drive in silence until he spots the Go-Kart track that just opened today. He’s been eyeing this place each time we drive by. I was surprised when he didn’t ask if we could go.
The XOXO New Adult Collection: 16 Full Length New Adult Stories Page 29