by Brianna Cash
Dinner is almost over when my phone vibrates in my pocket. Reese and my mom both have very strict rules about no phones at the dinner table, so I check it under the table, trying to be secretive about it, only needing to know if it’s Genny or not. I haven’t heard from her since leaving her place Sunday night and her silence is killing me. Zeke catches me from his booster seat, pulling on my arm and asking in a hopeful voice, “Is that Genny?”
Busted.
Mom and Reese glare at me. Steve shakes his head with a smile and Dad just keeps on eating. Nothing phases my dad. He’s seen and heard it all, someone in trouble for checking their phone at the table isn’t anything new. Even if it’s been years since it’s happened.
“Umm, yes. It is Genny,” I answer carefully. “But I’m not going to check it right now, because it’s rude to check your phone at the table.”
Reese and Mom turn their attention back to whatever it is they were talking about, but they’re now keeping their eyes on me. Great. Just what I need. Thanks for tattling on me, Zeke.
Dinner now can’t get over soon enough. Which of course, means it drags on and on. Reese never makes dessert, so when the dishes start being cleared, I think I’m free, but no. Mom brought dessert.
Zeke is excused, running back upstairs to work on his picture for Genny.
Sure, he can go think about Genny, but I’m forced to sit here, barely even listening to the conversation because Genny finally feels well enough to text me, but I have no idea what she said, and the desire to find out is killing me.
“Walker, would you mind checking on Zeke? He’s been gone a while and he’s a little too quiet up there,” Steve requests, smiling slyly in my direction.
“Yes!”
I practically jump from my seat, surprising everyone except Steve. He somehow knows exactly what I’m going through. He doesn’t need me to check on Zeke, but I’m definitely glad to get away from this table and the idle chitchat my mother and sister can spend hours doing. My phone is out before I even hit the living room and I sigh in relief at the sight of Genny’s words.
Genny: I’m feeling human enough to accept any offers of attention you may wish to give me.
Walker: Is that your way of asking me to come see you?
Genny: Kinda, but not exactly.
Walker: What exactly are you saying, G?
Dots pops up on my phone, letting me know she’s typing out a reply. It’s gone by the time I sit down behind Zeke to admire the picture he’s showing me, but there’s no new text for me to view. When she still hasn’t sent a reply a minute later, I add some encouragement.
Walker: I miss your smart mouth, G. Talk to me.
The dots pop up on my phone again, but this time she sends it.
Genny: I miss YOU. I would love for you to come over, but I don’t want you to feel like you have to.
Walker: Seeing you is never an obligation. I’m at my sister’s, can I stop by when I leave?
Genny: YES!
Capital letters and an exclamation point. I’m gonna say she’s excited to see me. Thank God, because I can’t wait to see her and that delicious mouth I can’t stop thinking about. It doesn’t take me long to say my goodbyes to my family and make my way to her backdoor.
The smile that brightens her face when she swings it open is enough to make my week. Before I sweep her into my arms, I give her Zeke’s drawing, which is kept safe from the rain in a Ziplock bag. She looks it over, her eyes sparkling with an unspoken question.
“Zeke wanted to make you feel better. He drew this and put it in the bag himself, so it wouldn’t get wet. That’s you on the swing next to him, but he’s higher, so he’s winning… He also said no kissing in front of his picture.”
“Tell him I love him to pieces, but I can’t follow that rule.”
“No? Are you gonna kiss Callie in front of it?”
Callie raises her eyes from the dining room, obviously not finding my joke amusing. Genny simply shakes her head, a smile tugging at her lips as I step in closer to her. “You gonna call Myra over and kiss her in front of it?”
She shakes her head again, pulling me against her body and wrapping her hand around my neck. “Try again. One last guess.”
“Am I the lucky winner? Are you gonna kiss me in front of his drawing?”
“Ding ding ding!” she whispers, pulling my face down to hers. She kisses me like her sister can’t see us. I briefly wonder what that’s about, although I certainly don’t stop to ask. Instead, I let my tongue invade her mouth, wrapping my hands around her waist and holding her tight.
After a couple minutes that disappear in the blink of an eye, she leans her forehead on mine, taking a moment to catch her breath. “Let me put this on the fridge. Can you tell Zeke thank you? It’s really sweet that he thought of me.”
“I will, but you can do it yourself if you want. Reese wants me to watch the boys again tomorrow night. I didn’t know if you wanted to help me with that?”
“Really? I didn’t think she wanted me in her house without her being there.”
“Ah, she doesn’t really,” I admit, busted for the second time this evening. “I was thinking maybe we could bring the boys here and have a sleep over.”
Genny spins around, pausing her task of putting Zeke’s drawing on her fridge to stare at me incredulously. “You want to bring two young boys here, to a strange place, to spend the night? Have they ever had a sleepover before? Will it be their first time not sleeping in their own house, if what you’re suggesting happens?”
“I don’t know,” I shrug. “Does it matter? It’s gonna happen at some point, and at least I’ll be here. Or you. Zeke isn’t going to want anyone but you.”
“Where are we all going to sleep?” she cries, shaking her head.
“Wherever you want. Finn has a pack and play, and Zeke can sleep on the couch, he won’t care.”
“They can sleep in my room,” Callie offers. “Now that Genny isn’t a zombie anymore, I was hoping to go to the beach for the weekend with a couple friends. They’re leaving tomorrow morning.”
Genny looks back and forth between me and her sister. “When were you going to tell me about this, Callie?”
“I was gonna tell you Tuesday night, but you weren’t really in the best mind space to have a conversation with me. When your pills didn’t help, I told my friends I wouldn’t be able to go. But you’re better now, so I’m bringing it up. I promise I’ll be good. We’re staying on the boardwalk, so we won’t have to worry about driving drunk. Unless we want to. And my plan is to just stick to the soft-core drugs and only give oral for money. I promise I won’t be a full-blown prostitute addicted to crack when I get back.”
“Lord, Callie. If I didn’t know you better…”
Callie grins at her sister. “Yeah, but you do.”
Turning back to me, Genny pokes her finger into my chest. “If I say ok to this sleepover, where are you gonna sleep, Friend?”
“I was hoping with you. With the boys here, we won’t be able to shut the door. That way, maybe you won’t rape me in my sleep.”
Scoffing, Callie says, “Good luck with that.”
“Hey!” Genny yells, offended. Callie opens those big green eyes, looking every bit the part of an innocent angel. Genny and I both know better. All three of us also know that it’s going to be hard for Genny to keep her hands to herself. If she agrees to this, it’s something I’m really looking forward to.
“Callie, just make sure you write down where you’re staying. And take your tester, and extra insulin, just in case. And text me every hour so I know you’re alive. Maybe every half-hour.”
“Already on it, but let’s limit the texting to twice a day,” she suggests, holding up a list she’s working on. “You don’t need to worry. I just wanna lay on the beach, listen to the waves, and get a tan.”
Genny’s caving. Not only do I get to spend some time with her and the boys, I get to spend a night with her in my arms. And now I know Genny will have th
e house to herself all weekend. I was wrong earlier. Today is my lucky day. Maybe I’ll test out our will power and see how she feels about me staying with her Saturday night, too, without the boys down the hall to make sure we behave.
My pants are getting tighter just thinking about it. I tell my dick to slow down. One thing at a time.
“Ok.”
“OK?” Callie asks, obviously excited.
“Yes, ok. To both of you, ok.”
Pulling her in close, I press a kiss to Genny’s forehead before reluctantly letting her go to text Reese. It took some convincing for Reese to consider leaving the boys under my care for a whole evening, night, and part of the next morning. But Steve, my new best friend, was there encouraging her, reminding her that they haven’t had a whole night to themselves since their honeymoon. I don’t want to think about that in any way, but I’m glad I get to watch the boys with Genny.
Reese thinks it’s weird, saying that I’m trying to play house with my girlfriend. Maybe I am, I don’t know. All I know is that it’s going to be a hell of a lot of fun.
Callie runs up to her room to pack, leaving Genny and me alone in the kitchen. After stealing another long, steamy kiss, she holds my hand, looking up at me with eyes that let me see deep into her soul as she tells me she’s sorry about not getting back to me for so long.
I could look into these eyes for years and still not get bored.
“You told me it would probably happen. Callie said it was worse than usual?”
“Yeah. The pills didn’t work at all this time. I had to go see my head doctor.”
“Your head doctor? Should I be concerned about this?”
There’s the smile I was hoping for. “No,” she chuckles. “He switched my meds and gave me a guan block. I’ve never had one of those before, so it was interesting.”
“What’s a guan block?”
“It’s basically a nerve block for migraines. They stuck a big needle through the back of my neck, all the way down to the nerve, and injected this stuff that blocks the receptors from telling my brain that I was in pain. I went in on the fourth day of a horrible migraine that wouldn’t let up, and walked out feeling amazing.”
A needle down to the nerve? That’s a little terrifying to think about. What happens if they hit something they shouldn’t? What happens if she moves while the needle is inside her neck? Doing my best to suppress a shudder, I pull her into my chest. “That was today, I take it?”
“Yeah. Thank God I have FMLA set up for my migraines, or I probably would’ve been fired.”
“Is bringing the boys over tomorrow a good idea? Is it too much, too soon?”
“No, I’m good now. Just make sure you’re here. You’re changing all the dirty diapers.”
I shake my head, chuckling. I’ll easily agree to change all the diapers if I can be with her. If I can sleep with her tucked into my side like she was Sunday night, I’ll do just about anything she wants me to.
Pulling Genny out onto her back porch with me, I steal several goodbye kisses, promising myself that tomorrow night they won’t be to say goodbye, only goodnight.
And I can kiss her good morning, when we wake up the next day, too.
Genny
“Genny,” a little voice whines, pulling me from the glorious dream I was having. “Genny, I’m hungry.”
Small, insistent hands lands on my face, prying my eyes open, letting me see Zeke’s intense blue ones staring back at me. Walker wasn’t kidding when he said Zeke only wanted me. If I had a fan club, Zeke would be the president, CEO, and owner, all wrapped up in one tiny little body.
Thinking of Walker, where is he? He was supposed to be sleeping with me.
“Genny, get up. You been sleepin’ a long time.”
Opening my eyes on my own, I roll onto my back, stretching and yawning, trying to convince myself that kids are not little devils. It’s not their fault they go to bed early and wake up even earlier. It’s not their fault that I stayed up much too late playing my favorite kissing game with Walker. If he wasn’t such a good kisser, it would’ve been much easier to stop playing and go to sleep with his body wrapped around me, keeping me safe. If he was still here keeping me safe, I’d be using him as a shield from this beautiful little boy’s very persistent morning mood.
“Gen-ny,” he whines again.
“Ok, ok! I’m getting up.”
“Yes!” Zeke pumps his fist in the air, and I try not to laugh. He shouldn’t be making me laugh this early. He shouldn’t have the ability to make me laugh this early. But if I’m honest, I would admit that my cheeks are sore from how often he and Finn made me laugh last night, so I should really only expect more of that to happen this morning.
Standing at the top of the stairs, Zeke announces to the entire house, “Genny’s finally getting up!” in a very dramatic, loud voice. I hope everyone else is already awake, because if not, Zeke is probably their unwelcome alarm clock.
After grabbing my phone, I make my way to the bathroom, shutting the door on Zeke’s following feet, and locking him in my bedroom while I pee and brush my teeth. What is he talking about, finally getting up? It’s not even seven in the morning! How long has he been up?
He’s waiting right where I left him when I come out of the bathroom.
Lord, I need coffee. I love this little kid more than I should, but I need coffee to deal with him this early in the morning.
When Zeke figures out I’m moving to the stairs, he grabs my hand and leads me through my own house, down to the kitchen where I find two other beautiful males. Walker’s at the stove in a pair of sweatpants, making breakfast with Finn on his bare hip. He shoots a knowing smile in my direction and hands me a coffee mug that’s only half full.
I cringe at the sweet taste after finishing it off. “How do you drink your coffee?”
“That’s sugar, G. It makes sense you don’t like it, you’re already pretty sweet all by yourself.”
Mumbling at his endearing comment, I make us another cup while Zeke tugs on my pajama shorts. “Genny, will you play blocks with me? Please?”
Walker saves me from the little devil that’s almost pantsing me at this early hour. “Zeke, I think Genny needs some coffee to wake up before she’s able to play with anything or anyone, ok?”
It’s Zeke’s turn to grumble as he walks away to play with the blocks he found in Callie’s room last night. It’s a good thing he can’t read yet, or he’d be getting quite an education from Callie’s Jenga game. That’s just what I need. Zeke running home to ask his mom how to play the grab-ass game.
Sitting at the island with straight black coffee, just the way I like it, I watch Walker in my kitchen. Let’s clarify that; I watch Walker shirtless in my kitchen, with a baby on his hip, while he makes us breakfast. I’ve drooled over much less and now I’m seriously questioning why. After this stunning sight, I’m going to have to adjust what my level of drool-worthy is.
He catches me watching him and walks over, handing Finn off to me with a delicious coffee-tasting kiss. I don’t mind his sweet coffee nearly as much this way. He steals the mug, sipping the hot black liquid while moving back to the stove.
Yes, I could get very used to waking up like this. Even with very little sleep.
A couple minutes later, Walker calls Zeke back into the kitchen, serving all of us scrambled eggs. I keep Finn on my lap, feeding him and myself while Walker takes care of the little pouter, who’s suddenly decided he doesn’t like scrambled eggs. At all.
“What’s your favorite breakfast food, Zeke?” I ask, trying my best to distract him. If someone else is making me breakfast, I don’t care what it is, I love it simply because I’m not making it. But I’m an adult who takes care of herself and others. I’m quickly finding out that sometimes I just want to relax and let someone else take care of me.
“Pancakes! With sausage!”
“I like that, too,” I tell him. “If you eat all your eggs, I promise next time we have a sleep-over, you can wa
ke me up early and I’ll make pancakes and sausage for you.”
“I don’t want eggs!”
“Good,” I sigh in relief. I really didn’t wanna get up early the next time he’s here anyway.
Walker reaches out to take my hand, pulling it up to his face so he can kiss my palm. He’s being extra affectionate with me this morning and I love every single touch, glance, or hint of a smile. But it also pisses Zeke off. How dare his uncle willingly kiss a girl? Zeke starts screaming, which causes Finn to start crying. Rolling my eyes at both of them, I calmly take another sip of coffee, offering it back to Walker. He does the same, placing the mug of coffee between us when he’s done.
“What time did you wake up?” I ask over the noise of Zeke throwing himself on the floor to start a full-blown tantrum.
“Five thirty,” he answers easily. “The boys and I are used to getting up pretty early.”
“Wow. Thanks for letting me sleep.”
“I figured one of us should be able to. Getting out of bed was really hard, though, if you know what I mean.” Zeke’s screaming starts to get softer and I catch Walker’s eyes to assure him I know exactly what he means. “I feel like I could crawl back into that bed with you right now.”
I pretend to think about that, cocking my head to the side and staring at the ceiling with pursed lips. “I could do that... With all this noise coming from the kitchen, no one would be able to hear anything we might do up there.”
“Don’t tease me, G.”
“Friend, I’m pretty sure out of the two of us, you’re the tease.”
He smirks, knowing exactly how frustrated I was every single time he stopped us last night. By the time he stripped down to his boxers to sleep, I was ready to get out our toy and show him how well it worked, since he wasn’t willing to help me get where I really, really needed to be. But he wouldn’t let me get that far. He watched me get it out, acted like he was going to help me use it, then hid it somewhere in this house that wasn’t in my room.
I’ll have to remember to ask him where it is before Callie comes home.
After all that, when I was ready to resort to the old-fashioned method and use just my plain old fingers, he wrapped his arms around me and held my hands close to my chest, stopping even that from happening. And he was just as turned on as I was. His erection was rubbing against my ass all night. Or at least until I finally fell into a restless sleep in his very strong arms.