Housekeeping

by Summer Cooper

  Mary winced as another pain hit her, bending over with how bad the pinching sensation felt. What the hell? The doctor had warned her about the pains but she hadn’t warned Mary that they could hurt this bad. Smoothing her hand low over her belly, she decided her parents were having frozen waffles and microwaved sausage for breakfast.

  Throwing the frozen meat into the microwave, Mary tossed some waffles into the toaster and leaned over the counter to wait on the pain to pass. Thoughts of Ben plagued her and even through her pain she knew she wanted some kind of response from him about their life because it was best to find out now, not later when the baby had graduated from college or something along those lines. Holding back her tears, Mary pulled her hair from her eyes and went to answer the knock on the door, trying not to growl about people coming so early. Who the heck was coming to their house so early? It wasn’t even seven o’clock yet!

  “This had better be… Ben?”

  A man with a long beard, wild hair, and a light coat was standing on the porch, his long sleeved shirt not enough to protect him from the cold air or snow. The hair, the beard, the unsuitable clothes did not scream Ben at her. Ben was too organized for that, but those eyes. Those were Ben’s eyes. “Ben?”

  “Mary? What’s, oh my God, what is wrong with you? Why is there water… Mary, get in the house!” Ben was just as shocked. She could see it on his face.

  Looking down at her wet feet, Mary looked at Ben in confusion. What was going on here?

  “Mary, who’s at the door? Shut the door, it’s cold! Ben, is that you?” Lillian’s voice came from around the corner of the living room and she was soon sliding as she stepped in the puddle at Mary’s feet. Ben caught her before she went too far.

  “Mary?” Lillian turned and looked at her daughter. She saw the puddle, the wet front of her daughter’s nightgown, and knew what had happened. “Walter! Get up! It’s time!”

  Lillian guided her daughter to the couch in the living room, told Ben to sit down before he fell down, and pulled Mary’s legs apart to have a peek.

  “Mary, why didn’t you tell us you were in labor, honey?”

  “I thought it was that false labor, I didn’t know, did I? How was I to know? This is my first baby.” Mary’s face flamed as her mother peeked at her privates once more before throwing a blanket over her.

  “Walter, are you on that phone?” Lillian wandered into the bedroom and Mary could hear him on the phone.

  Ben moved over to the couch and stared at Mary. This was obviously not the reception he’d expected. “A baby? Mary?”

  He sat down beside her, taking her hand. He pulled the blanket up and his eyes went round. Yep, that round belly was a good indication of what was happening down… there. “Mary, I think there’s a baby’s head down here.”

  “No! It’s too early! She still has two weeks of baking!” Mary slipped into the phraseology she and her parents had been using for her pregnancy. It had also saved them a few times when someone near the phone or computer mentioned Mary and her baby.

  “Baking? Is that why you’ve been baking so much? You’ve been “baking” our baby?” He looked down once more and knew there wasn’t going to be time to get her to a hospital. He didn’t think babies stopped once they got that far out.

  “Ben? You’re here for the important part. The rest can wait. Your daughter is coming whether we’re ready for her or not.” Mary shifted on the couch, moving a rug under her feet and reaching between her legs. “Can you sit behind me Ben? I’ve researched how this is done, just in case we got stuck in here by the snow. Oh my fucking god that hurts so bad!”

  Mary shrieked as the next contraction started and Ben jumped behind her, holding her and stroking her arms. He didn’t know what else to do so he muttered to her about his love, about needing her in his life, about missing her and why he’d come. And as his daughter slid into the world, he stopped talking and just watched.

  Lillian shouted for Walter and a pair of scissors and some cord.

  “We have to wait Mom, until the cord turns white.”

  Mary was exhausted but pleased. “Well, she was determined.”

  “Let’s get her cleaned up and warm, Mary, the ambulance is on the way.”

  Mary didn’t care who was coming or why. Her daughter was here and so was Ben. “She looks just like you, Ben.”

  “She does, it’s incredible. She’s just a little miniature me.” Ben sounded dazed but ecstatic. “My daughter. You’re sure?”

  Mary looked at him but knew she’d only just left a relationship when she’d met him. “Yes, I was making my ex-fiancé wait. He didn’t get the pleasure but you sure did. And look what we have for our efforts.”

  Lillian came back with the baby, her blond hair fuzzy on her head, wrapped in a blanket. “You have a beautiful little girl. Alisha, isn’t it?”

  Albert the dog came out when all the noise quieted down. He might get fed now. The humans were cooing around a little bundle of puppy-human and more people came in, demanding to see the new mother. Albert knew he wasn’t getting fresh food in his bowl and went back to his warm bed in Mary’s bedroom. He’d find Walter later, when it was quieter outside.

  As the new family was carted to the hospital to register the birth and check over mother and baby, Lillian smiled. She’d just had a letter from the Vogelsangs. They’d invited her and Walter to their villa for three months. Walter didn’t know it, but he had a passport now and no excuses. They’d all be in Portugal in three months if she had any say-so. Maybe not permanently, but they were going to be there for Mary, Ben and Alisha to get settled in. Life had suddenly become much brighter.

  Epilogue

  Five months later

  Ben sat in his deck chair, umbrella overhead as his wife and their tiny daughter came out to sit with him. Albert, the always hungry dog, sat at his side, watching the waterline for any creatures that looked edible.

  They were all at the Vogelsangs’s beachfront house, taking a break from the renovations going on in their new home. Mary’s parents were there too, truly enjoying life for the first time since they’d been young and full of dreams. They were all enjoying Portugal, and the joy Mary’s new daughter and husband brought them.

  Walter and Lillian were the proudest grandparents on the planet and the Vogelsangs had all but adopted Alisha as their own grandchild. They often took her on their adventures to give her parents a break.

  “I’m so glad we’re back in Portugal. I love home but this is just heaven.” Mary sighed as Ben took Alisha and kissed her face, making the baby giggle.

  “Who’s Daddy’s girl? Hmm? Who’s Daddy’s little ray of delicious sunshine?”

  “Oh she definitely is. She was screaming until she figured out we were heading outside to her favourite person. I think she has excellent taste.” Mary leaned over in her own chair to kiss her husband.

  He kissed her back, before going back to Alisha to give her tiny little neck kisses as she giggled in delight. Mary watched them, amazed at the change in Ben. She knew he’d been a confirmed bachelor, a man with no plans, but she’d changed his life, she’d changed him. She was just glad he took what she offered with both hands!

  “Your parents going out with the Vogelsangs?” Ben’s words were low, quiet as he looked at his wife in her two piece bathing suit, her ample breasts on display. The way his eyes went dark, and how his voice grew husky, had her attention quickly. They still couldn’t get enough of each other.

  Mary’s smile was dirty but sweet. “Oh not yet, they’re waiting on me to bring Alisha to them. Then we have a few hours to ourselves.”

  His grin told her the plans she’d made for their alone time weren’t going to be wasted. “How long?”

  “About four hours, they’re going up to the middle of the country somewhere. It’ll take an hour just to get there. So, I’m guessing at least four hours of total alone time.”

  “Give me a minute.” Ben stood up, walking into the house and quickly back out without his dau
ghter. “I love her dearly but I need some of your attention and I do believe you need some of mine.”

  “I do indeed. I can’t believe we’re here and we get to stay!” All of the paperwork was done now and no matter where they went, they’d be together from now on. No more separation, no more loneliness, and most of all, no more living without love. They had all they wanted now, together.

  Mary went to him, the man who’d made all her dreams come true. Even if she hadn’t quite planned on having a child so soon, she didn’t regret a day of Alisha’s life. She hadn’t planned on marrying, or even considering marriage after Jason had left her, but here she was with a ring on her finger.

  As for Jason, he and the woman he’d run off with had both been incarcerated and would be for a long time. She’d always known Jason had a weak side but had hoped he’d grow up. She’d come to realize the man had never really loved her, he just wanted his mother off his back.

  Mary felt a twinge of sympathy for him now it was all over. He’d wanted peace in his life, he’d wanted to feel like a man, something she guessed she hadn’t done for him. Instead of feeling rejected, she knew Jason had just been incapable of making good choices.

  Whether that was his own fault or his mother’s, she didn’t know, but she knew that Ben had taken away her pain and then some. He’d made her see her own worth. He’d crossed an ocean for her, made the world fall at his feet to have her cross back with him and their child.

  Life back home had been pleasant, it had been predictable, but Mary had always needed more. She could admit now that Jason had been a mistake. The man just wasn’t what she’d needed.

  Ben, on the other hand, was all she’d ever need. Gazing up at him made her heart race with love and desire. Mary knew that her own choices, though prompted by the choices of others, had led her to him. Ben had been meant for her, and she for him.

  Together they’d made the world right again, they’d made a paradise for themselves, and now for their daughter. Their life together had been based on mishaps, trials, and quite a few tribulations. Mary knew Ben would never forget his first wife, but she’d given him a second chance at love, just as he’d given it to her. They both clutched at it as tightly as they clutched at each other. Life was for the taking, after all, it wasn’t for hiding away or taking crumbs where you could find it.

  Mary smiled as Ben’s lips came down on hers. This was perfection.

  The End

  Part III

  Don’t Tell Daddy

  About the Book

  He is my best friend’s dad, my dad’s friend, and my secret crush...

  Richard Kane is the perfect guy! Sexy, charming, witty and a very successful lawyer.

  Can you blame me for falling for him?

  Growing up, I never imagined myself ending up with Naomi’s dad.

  I haven’t seen him since I went to Harvard Law, but now he’s looking sexier than ever and he’s asking me out!

  The problem is…

  My dad will not be happy. And Naomi? She’s going to kill me!

  Besides… how could a player like him be happy with a virgin?

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Angela Walters almost fainted when she stepped into the deluxe apartment. It was like being magically transported into a different world that she had always dreamed of. The apartment felt more like some country estate mansion than an apartment. It was two stories high with a huge staircase and more personal space than she had ever dreamed of.

  Angela was actually fairly used to living in such comfort and luxury, but the difference this time is that it was all hers. She was not living under someone else’s roof. She could come and go as she pleased and she could live her life on her own terms without worrying a damn about what anyone else really thought.

  At least that was the dream. Growing up the daughter of two wealthy fashion magnates, she was expected to act a certain way, dress a certain way, and give up any hopes of individuality. She had resented almost every party, every meet and greet she’d been asked to attend, and really everyday living in the house that she grew up in.

  She loved her parents dearly, but she often felt that they expected her to be more of a trophy than a daughter. Her father, Robert Walters, had started the company when he was in his early twenties. It was called Elixir. It had been a dream of his to build a fashion empire that could rival all of the other top brands out there and even surpass them. He had succeeded splendidly well, but it had been a hard-fought road. Angela felt at times that she hardly knew her father and mother since she’d seen them only a few times a week due to their hectic schedules. Her mother had been one of the models that her father worked closely with during the early days of the company. They’d hit it off almost instantly and forged a romance that eventually turned into marriage. It sounded like a typical scenario, but her parents’ marriage was actually quite strong compared to most of the people in their social circle, whose marriages were almost shams. She suspected her parents’ success in marriage was largely due to the fact that they were both so ambitious and had a drive and desire to achieve.

  Her mother was far more intelligent and ambitious than the average model. Angela had been told that she’d inherited her mother’s looks and her father’s business sense, but her parents had always failed to really see it. Her father had always ignored and scoffed at any indication she’d ever given him that she had an interest in modeling. There was something about the glamor and being desired that had piqued Angela’s interest since she was just a little girl. She had grown up around the industry and attended several fashion shoots from an early age. She did this at first, mostly because it was the only time she really got to spend near her father, but she quickly fell in love with the modeling side of things as well. All the women were so beautiful and everyone doted on them and loved them for it. They were constantly being showered with gifts and taken to fancy restaurants. Their lives were magical and Angela wanted to be a part of it.

  But her parents had never let her pursue the passion. It was very important to them that she attend the best schools and get an impeccable education so that she could use her mind to do whatever she wanted. She used to think that they most likely expected her to help run the company with them; it was damn unlikely that they would ever retire. But as she got older, she realized that her parents did not want anyone touching the company they built, not even their own daughter.

  That was fine with Angela because she really had very little interest in the business side of things, even though she’d majored in business as an undergrad. Her true passion had always been in modeling and Angela had never understood why her parents refused to take her seriously when she mentioned it. Her own mother got her start that way, but even she seemed dead set against Angela pursuing that path.

  Of course, she could have tried to make it in the industry with other companies or even as a freelancer, but the competition was insane and the working conditions often less than ideal or even tolerable. That was the gamble that you took when you did not have the step up that she did. Angela knew from an early age that who you knew was often more important than how good you were. That was true in any business, especially the fashion industry. There were a million beautiful, model-quality women in the world, but a small handful were able to make a living with modeling and fewer still were able to become superstars.

  So Angela bit her tongue repeatedly and set her sights on a different career path—law school. After graduating with her bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and a minor in Accounting near the top of her class, she was promptly accepted into Harvard Law. It was brutally tough, but she found that she excelled in legal thinking and that it came very naturally to her. She’d always had a great mind; perhaps that was why her parents had always tried to dissuade her from pursuing modeling. They wanted her to do something that would challenge her mentally.

  Whatever the reason she found a second dream in law school. And a week ago she graduated from Harvard Law, summa cum laude.
She was eighth in her class. It really bummed her out that she was not number one and she kept kicking herself, wondering if she’d slacked off one or two nights over the past three years and that made the difference. Oh well, she liked to have fun occasionally and it was pretty unlikely that this would make much difference to any prospective employers.

  “So, what do you think?” Robert the landlord asked. He was an attractive man in his late forties who possessed a suave and charismatic quality to him that made him seem younger than the salt and pepper hair and few wrinkles on his face would suggest. It was difficult to tell beneath the expensive suit he was wearing, but she believed that he kept himself in great shape. He had the build of an aging man who still ran five miles a day and stayed active and athletic.

  Too bad this one was married. Flirting with a married man was really not her style at all.

  Since as far back as she could remember, Angela had always preferred older men. Some of her girlfriends thought it was odd, but she had not really dated anyone who was not at least ten years older than she was. There was just something about an older man—they were mature and distinguished, they knew what they wanted in life. And the men she liked had a passion for what they did and they were still hungry. They loved to achieve and after they achieved a goal they were setting new goals that they wanted to achieve. That was the type of man that had always lit her fire.