by Katz, Avery
“Boo!”
“Jesus Christ. You scared me. What the heck are you doing here?”
“Relax. I come in peace,” I said. She gave me the side-eye while trying to cover herself up. “Quin has an important meeting at work, so he sent me, your son-in-law, to take care of your arm situation.”
She rewarded me with one of her trademark dirty looks. “I see.” She winced.
Her left arm was bruised and swollen. She definitely needed a hospital. “Do you need some help with that?” I pointed to the floral blouse. The one that was currently hanging from her neck.
“Can’t you just look the other way,” she said.
“Lady, I have zero interest in your lady parts.” I chuckled.
She huffed. “I forgot.”
“Come on. You have nothing to hide.” I carefully approached the stubborn woman. “I’m interested in Quin, not you. Cougars are not really my area of expertise. You might want to watch out for Prince Orion when you visit Raplen though. He definitely has a thing for older women,” I babbled.
Shit. What the fuck was I saying?
Once her blouse was firmly in place, she turned around and started throwing shit into her ridiculously large handbag. Old women sure loved their Tic Tacs and their tiny sewing kits.
“Funny you should mention that.”
“What? The cougar part?”
“No,” she said. “Your horrible track record when it comes to my son makes me question your marriage to him. How interested are you this time? Hmm? When you were younger, you treated Quin like a revolving door. You repeatedly broke his heart. You were in and out of his life like this,” she added with a snap of her fingers of her good arm. “This is the reason why I don’t like you, Greg. You’ve done enough damage as is. I just want my son to be happy.”
I sank down on the armchair next to her bed, speechless and confused.
“Yes! Wake up and smell the coffee, your royal highness. Quin has been in love with you for almost a decade now. None of us were fooled by his marriage to Wendy. Don’t get me wrong, I was glad that he chose a wife of his own to marry. That being said, I knew he was still head over heels for you. It made me so angry, knowing that you never returned his affection. I’m still angry by the way, and I will not stand by and let Quin get hurt another time.”
I was stunned. Her words shook me to the core. I never realized this was the reason why she truly hated me. I always thought it was because of the gay thing. Quin did too. It was fucking enlightening to see the hate in her eyes transform into concern for her son. Underneath that homophobic rant she was a protective mama bear. Even though it hurt to hear the truth, that woman had earned my respect.
“Louisa, I have nothing in my heart but love for Quin. I’m so in love with him, and I’m trying to show it every chance I get, but he doesn’t seem interested at all.”
It was true. Even when we had sex, he seemed more interested in my cock.
“Good. This means that he’s finally wising up,” she said.
I gnashed my teeth and watched Louisa put her mobile phone inside her bag. I knew then that she was on team Quin, meaning that she won’t be of any help whatsoever in this regard.
I held my tongue and went to fetch Adley who was in the guest bedroom. She was taking a nap in her small bed. I carefully picked her up and placed her in the stroller. I managed to do it on my own without dropping the tiny baby. Quin would be so proud. Louisa handed me her bag and stood by the front door. “Could you be any slower?” she complained.
I rolled my eyes and carried the stroller down the steep stairs. It was heavy as fuck.
She sat down in the passenger seat of my beamer while I struggled with the car seat.
“Everything okay back there?” she asked with a touch of evil in her voice.
“Yes, everything is just dandy,” I said sarcastically. Adley woke up and immediately ambushed my hair. She dug her fingers into my short curls and combed through them while I strapped her to the motherfucking seat. How did Quin do the whole dad thing with so much grace? He made it look easy and fun.
We drove to the nearest hospital where Louisa proceeded to harass the nurses. She demanded to see the doctor right away. She even used me as bait and told everyone that I was a prince. One of the nurses approached me with open curiosity and asked me if I was related to Prince Rupert, my eldest brother. I nodded reluctantly. Fast forward ten minutes later, and we were both in a really nice room with a TV and everything. Adley happily sucked on a strawberry lollipop while Louisa had her arm X-rayed. She asked the young doctor all kinds of nosy questions. I felt bad for the guy. He was too damn polite and accommodating.
Her arm was indeed broken, so they put a cast on it right away. The sweet nurse handed me a cup of coffee and told me about her travel plans for the summer. Apparently, she was a big Moonstones fan. Luckily, Quin showed up twenty minutes later and saved the day. Louisa hugged him and cried into his shoulder. “Oh, Quin. They told me the cast needs to stay on for at least two months. How can I function with one hand?”
“Sorry to hear that, Mom.”
“I can’t stay alone. Not in this condition.” She pouted.
“Then you’ll stay with us,” he reassured her.
Say what now?
I took him aside and tried to talk some sense into him. “Seriously? Did you just invite your mother to stay with us? Come on, Quin. She’s going to rain on our rainbow parade.”
“Come on, Greg. Look at her. She’s so miserable.”
I sighed. “You and your care bear heart are going to get us both in trouble.”
19
Quin
The kitchen was a mess, but cooking all that food for dinner was worth the hassle. I spent more than two hours preparing our meal. Greg was my assistant, and Adley was our mini assistant. She wore the chef hat and apron my mom bought her a couple of days ago. She wanted my daughter to get familiar with Betty Crocker from an early age. The menu for tonight was crispy cheddar chicken and baked French fries with a healthy dose of almond apple quinoa salad. It was an easy and delicious recipe. I opened a bottle of Sauvignon Blanc wine in Louisa’s honor and squeezed fresh orange juice for Adley. Greg helped set the table while I cleaned up the mess I made at the sink. I placed the assortment of dishes and pots in the large dishwasher and turned it on.
Mom took a break from watching Grey’s Anatomy and joined us for dinner. She’d been watching that show for almost ten years now. She knew all the actors by heart. “Interesting dish. Where is the cheddar cheese exactly?” she said, giving the chicken a suspicious look.
“Take a bite and enjoy the hidden mysteries of my food.” I said.
Greg chuckled and complimented me on the fresh salad. It was made from all organic ingredients. Ever since Adley was born, I became more health conscious regarding our meals. Our fruits and veggies were organic and our eggs were free range. Wendy was obsessed with gluten-free products, but none of us were allergic to gluten. I made sure to get rid of all the expired boxes in our pantry when she left. She used to buy items in bulk and never use them.
The silence between Greg and my mom was deafening. I wished those two would get along. They sat at opposite ends of the table and hardly looked at each other. I had no idea what went down at Twin Peaks the day she broke her arm. Louisa had a habit of becoming hostile when injured. I dug into my meal and enjoyed the combination of crispy chicken and molten cheese. I barely had time to eat let alone shower these past two days. Work was demanding and so were my new clients. I had plenty of things on my plate, but family time was always my priority.
“Gag! Eat!” Adley giggled.
Greg surprised me by ditching his own dinner and feeding my daughter. He pretended the spoon was an airplane and flew it straight into her open mouth. She loved that game. My baby loved him more than she loved Corn, her toy unicorn.
After dinner, Mom retired to the sofa and pressed play on her favorite TV show. She used her broken arm as an excuse to boss me around an
d monopolize the television. She blew Adley a kiss on our way to the bathroom where we washed up and brushed her milk teeth. Greg and I tucked her under the sheets in her crib and read her a bedtime story. He was responsible for the sound effects while I took charge of the narration. Thankfully, she fell asleep in no time.
Greg was getting emotionally attached to my daughter. He bent down and kissed her forehead before leaving the room. My baby was crazy about him too. This was probably the best thing that came out of my divorce. My best friend and current husband was no longer afraid of toddlers.
We went back to the kitchen and washed up the rest of the dishes. I did the washing and Greg did the drying. If someone had told me a year ago that my mom and best friend would be living with me in the same house, I would have laughed and called them crazy.
“Let’s go to Raplen this weekend. My grandmother is dying to meet you,” Greg said from beside me. Watching him dry those dishes was proof of how humble and kind he turned out to be. Who knew that the stubborn, rebellious prince from boarding school would turn out to be such a successful entrepreneur?
“I would love to meet her too, but our marriage is far from real, Greg. We’re getting a divorce soon. Not to mention that we still need to figure out Wendy’s strategy. There’s just so much to consider. I can’t just drop everything and fly to your charming country.”
He dropped the kitchen towel and pulled me towards him by the collar of my shirt. He cupped the side of my face and kissed me enthusiastically, moving his tongue in ways that had me moaning into his mouth. I threaded my fingers through his golden curls and kissed him back. He backed me up against the counter and cupped my crown jewels. I reached around and squeezed his tight, muscular ass. He tasted like white wine and yummy cheddar. I wanted to devour him. Maybe add a drizzle of chocolate syrup to his bronze skin and lick him all over.
He reached down between our bodies and unzipped my pants. The air-conditioned kitchen felt warmer with every touch, kiss, and stroke of his hand. A quickie in the pantry was definitely on the table. I tugged on his hair while he squeezed my shaft.
“Ahem!”
The sound of my mother clearing her throat made us jump apart. I quickly zipped up my pants and scratched my neck in embarrassment. Greg whistled and went back to drying the dishes. I glanced down and discovered a tent in his jeans.
Mom placed the kettle on the stove and sat at the kitchen table. She toyed with the salt and pepper shakers with a smug smile on her lips. I knew she was doing this on purpose. She was cockblocking us just for the fun of it.
I could tell that Greg was frustrated. He turned to me with a frown on his handsome face. We were both desperate for some alone time. My mom should be an extra in a horror movie. She sometimes lurked in the darkest corners of the penthouse, waiting to cockblock us. I once came out of the bathroom and almost dropped my towel when I saw her rearranging the pillows on my bed.
“I’m going to bed,” Greg said in apparent frustration. “Good night, Louisa.” He narrowed his eyes at her.
I watched him disappear down the corridor. Mom hummed a song and pretended to make tea.
“Since when do you drink caffeine this time of night?” I eyed her suspiciously.
“Since 1990,” she sarcastically replied.
“Mom.”
“What?” She gave me an innocent look over her shoulder.
“Stop antagonizing Greg.”
“Here we go again,” she said. “Correct me if I’m wrong, but we’re talking about the same Greg who broke your heart more times than I can count, right? The same Greg who made you cry during your summer holidays. This boy is like a drug to you. Don’t get too involved with him, son. Listen to your mother and put your mended heart inside a box. Keep it far, far away from his reach.”
I rolled my eyes, wishing she’d mind her own business.
“You need to find a nice girl who can look after Adley. That’s what you need.”
“A nice girl? Are you serious? Did you not see what happened with Wendy?” I scoffed. “Greg and I are married, Mom. Married. Kindly deal with it and stay out of my business.”
My reply was not well received by Louisa. She grabbed her tea and stormed out of the kitchen with a huff. “Kids these days!” she said before sitting down on the couch.
I leaned against the doorway and watched her flipping through the channels. I smiled to myself when I realized just how much I cared about my marriage. I cared enough to defend it in front of my mom. Maybe it was the real deal after all.
20
Greg
The twin-peak witch needed to take a hike. That woman drove me bonkers. The past forty-eight hours felt like an eternity in hell thanks to my monster-in-law. She moved my shit around, forcing me to search the whole living room for it. Yesterday, she stored my laptop inside the television cabinet. I spent twenty minutes looking for the damn thing. She also walked in on me while I was in the shower. Quin had three other bathrooms in his penthouse! All of them had fucking showers and bathtubs in them. She also stole my playtime with Adley. Every day, we sat on the carpet and built pyramids and shapes out of wooden blocks. She had her father’s brain so she was pretty good at building stuff. Louisa decided to rain on my fucking parade by ordering a play kitchen set from Amazon. My little cupcake forgot all about me and pretended to cook and make tea with her grandmother.
Did I finally lose my baby phobia or whatever? Fuck yeah. I loved that kid to the moon and back.
Louisa was killing the mood in so many ways. She reminded me of all the times she used to cockblock us when we were younger. She really was a pain in the ass.
“Hey, baby.”
Quin finally graced me with his presence. He walked into the bedroom and locked the door behind him. He gave me an apologetic look and changed into his pajamas.
“Your mother is driving me nuts,” I complained. “She deserves an Oscar for best actress in a cockblocking movie. Did you see the way she looked at us? She came into the kitchen knowing that we were kissing. That woman is a sadist.”
He chuckled but did not object to my ranting. He knew I was right. “Hannah will be back from her vacation in two days, so you won’t have to put up with her for long.”
“Thank fuck,” I said. “No offense, but she really gets on my nerves.
He climbed under the covers and sat against the headboard. “Where are the rest of the pillows?” He glanced around the large California king bed. My hubby sure loved his pillows.
“I put them over there on top of the window seat. The other night, I woke up to find you buried underneath a mountain of pillows.
“I was simply meditating,” he jokingly replied. “You should try it sometime. All those layers of organic cotton and pure silk somehow enable me to shut off my brain.”
“You’re weird but I like it.” I poked his ribs. He laughed and poked me back. Poking led to kissing and intense grinding. His cock was hard as a diamond under those flimsy PJ bottoms. I climbed on top of him and took off my flannel shirt. Quin looked up at me from under his thick lashes and reached for my pants. I rolled over and took them off faster than the speed of light. I had been fantasizing about tapping that tight butt of his for the past hour or so. He wrapped his arms around my neck and brought me down to kiss him. I tongue-fucked his sweet mouth and wrapped my fingers around his long cock. He was leaking like a faucet.
“Fuck me.”
“With pleasure.”
A loud, grating noise suddenly invaded our love nest. “Quin!!”
Louisa called out for her son, effectively cockblocking us for the umpteenth time.
“Quin! I need a favor from you.”
She stood in the hallway and banged on the door like the house was on fire.
“That witch,” I muttered under my breath.
Quin rolled out from under me and got dressed real quick. He stood by the door and closed his eyes. He then willed his erection to go away. It was kind of funny but also fucking infuriating. That woman was
testing my patience big time.
“I will be right back.”
“Jeez. I hope so.”
He opened the door and stepped outside into the hallway. Louisa told him she needed someone to unzip her dress. Her smug voice was loud enough for me to hear. Quin returned five minutes later with a frustrated expression on his flushed face. “Kill me now.”
“Come over here so I can kill you softly.” I beckoned him over.
He took off his clothes and jumped into bed with me. “Now, where were we?”
I grabbed the lube and was just about to drizzle some all over my fingers when Louisa called out to him again. “You have got to be shitting me.”
“Quin! I need your help with something.” She knocked on the door for the second time that night. “My nightgown fell under the bed. I need you to get it for me.”
He swore under his breath and climbed out of bed. “Having sex tonight is going to be tougher than coding our latest video game. Oops. This was meant to be a surprise.”
“Wait. You’re developing a computer game?”
“Yep.” He shrugged on his bathrobe before leaving the cozy bedroom.
In the meantime, I checked my phone for emails and waited for him to come back. I heard him shuffle down the corridor in his slides. He showed up in the doorway looking exasperated as hell. “Do you still have some of those sleeping pills you kept for emergencies?”