Placing my head beside hers, I watched the rise and fall of her chest, and my heart felt full to the brim to think about such an amazing woman loving me. As if she sensed I was watching her she stirred, turning onto her side. Her eyelids slowly fluttered before she opened her eyes and looked at me.
“Hi,” she said in a whisper and brought her hand to cup my jaw, “What are you doing here?”
“Looking at you,” I said, giving her a slow smile.
“I know that. Why? Was I snoring?”
“No, I was looking at you because I can.”
“Can what?”
“I can look at my beautiful woman. Tell me you’re mine, forever.”
“You know I am.”
“Say it. I need to hear it,” I coaxed.
“Yours forever,” she leaned in and placed her closed mouth on my lips. My hand skimmed down her body and pulled her close.
“Thank you. I love you so much,” I whispered and moved my hand to brush away some strands of hair from her face. We lay in silence for about ten minutes, then I took a deep breath and patted her ass, “Okay, babe, quick shower then we need to head out. Flight’s at 8:00 p.m. We don’t want to miss it. Liam’s determined he’s not going to bed tonight until we’re home.”
The mention of our son was enough to jolt her into action, and Valerie scooted out of bed and into the bathroom. The noise of the shower seconds later gave me the idea that we should save time by showering together.
*****
By the time we were ready to leave and headed downstairs, it was almost 7:30 p.m. Niamh laughed from the direction of the kitchen, then I heard Lee’s low voice tell her he had a great time with her at the nightclub. When I wandered into the room, Lee was standing on the opposite side of the countertop next to Niamh, but she stepped away from him when she saw me coming.
“Don’t mind me, but we’re ready to leave when you’ve said your goodbyes, Lee.”
Lee spun to look at me, and I could see the pleading look on his face, asking if I was okay with them seeing each other. I put a list on the table of things that I needed her to do while we were gone and wandered over to Niamh without acknowledging him.
Placing my hand on her head, I kissed her forehead, “Take care of yourself, and Teague. See you in a few weeks, honey—”
“Niamh, do you think you could send these to the cleaners for me?” Valerie said, appearing in the doorway with some clothes. Kayden and Amber are already waiting by the car, guys,” she prompted to us suddenly back in her organized state and urging us to hurry.
Stepping around me, Niamh made her way to take the two dresses Valerie held out, “Sure, I’ll see they’re taken care of.”
“Thank you. Well, we’re all set guys, shall we head out?” she said.
Wandering over to Valerie, I slipped my hand around her waist and led her out toward the car leaving Lee and Niamh alone for a moment. By the time we’d opened the door Lee caught up with us and opened the car door. Amber climbed in the back while Kayden went around the hood to sit in the front passenger seat, “Thanks, Boss,” Lee said, but his eyes held a worried look.
“It’s no problem Lee, but if you break that girl’s heart, I’ll break your fucking neck. She means a lot to me. She’s had my back since the moment she met me, and I’ve got hers in return. Got me? Nothing would give me more pleasure than to see the two of you happy. We can’t help who we fall in love with. I know that better than anyone, but don’t make me choose between you,” I said.
“We’re taking it slowly. I’ve been warned by Niamh, believe me, Flynn, Teague is her number one priority, and that means he’s mine as well. I’ve no intention of playing with her feelings,” he said with sincerity.
“That’s all I need to hear. If you go after her, make sure it stays that way.” I warned.
Valerie stood quietly watching the interaction between us and never spoke. She’d missed how they’d been together at the club, but she had the grace not to comment and slid into the back seat of the car, “Teague’s a fabulous little boy, I swear he grows every time I see him. I can’t wait to see Liam, I’ve really missed him,” she said diplomatically and smoothly changed the subject.
One day away from Liam was enough for Valerie. I’d known she hated leaving him. The short flight seemed to drag for her, and I ended up distracting her by asking Amber about the wedding.
Arriving home, Valerie asked for us to be dropped off before we arrived at the main house. We had purposely not made a driveway to our place because it meant everyone had to walk to our place. I’d suggested it because it gave us more privacy and our house wasn’t visible from the other buildings. I liked the thought that only a few people knew it was there.
As soon as we entered the house Liam’s face lit up in a huge smile, “It’s my mommy!” he screeched and ran throwing himself into Valerie’s arms. Taking her face between his tiny splayed hands, he kissed her again and again. “I miss you, Mommy,” he said, with a pout and stared seriously into her eyes.
Valerie kissed him back again and again and hugged him tightly, “And I missed and love you, my little man,” she said, a guilty hurt tone to her voice for having left him to go to Chicago to have a night out.
“Hey, what about me?” I asked.
“Daddy. Me love you and Mommy,” he said, stretching out his little arm for me. I stepped in, and he shuffled from Val’s arms into mine and wrapped his arms around me, “Me play ball, Daddy?”
“It’s bedtime, buddy, but tomorrow for sure,” I promised.
My consistency in parenting him was paying off because he didn’t protest and ran to the bathroom door. “Bath time, Mommy?” he asked. It was already three hours later than his bedtime, and even though Niven had taken over for Val’s mom, Liam had refused point blank to follow his usual bedtime routine, insisting his mom was coming home for bath time.
Valerie smiled and wandered over to pick him up, sitting him on her hip, “You are a very clever little boy, Liam Docherty. You know that?”
Liam’s face lit up with a proud confident expression, and hugged his mom tightly, “Thank you, Mommy, me clever like Daddy,” he responded. I wondered if he knew what clever meant or he was identifying that he was male.
Niven left and went over to the band cabin while we fell into Liam’s bedtime routine, our party night in Chicago put aside to tend to our duties as parents.
Chapter 9
Insecurities
Valerie
Four bedtime stories and forty-five minutes later our whirlwind of a son lay fast asleep. I wandered into the sitting room where Flynn was slumped in front of our massive TV watching an episode of “The Alaskan Bush People” and smiled at the rock star’s entertainment choice. Yawning I dropped down on the sofa and turned to look at him.
Tearing his eyes slowly from the TV he turned toward me and smiled. I smiled lovingly in return and climbed onto my hands and knees. Crawling over to him I placed my head in his lap and lay on my back looking up at him. Our eyes locked and he bent his head to place a chaste kiss on my lips and stared back at the TV.
“Are you happy?” I asked.
“Deliriously happy, babe, you?” he asked glancing back at my reaction.
“I am, but—”I felt his body go rigid as his breathing quickened, a look of alarm fleetingly passed across his eyes. “I keep waiting for the time when you let me down.”
“Then you’ll never be happy, because you’ll be waiting your whole life for that, Valerie,” he replied in frustration and adjusted himself more upright on the sofa.
“How can you be so sure?” I questioned.
“How would you feel if I turned that question back on you? Look at everything you’ve done for me. For us. The studio, the band, fame and more money than we know what to do with…most of all giving me a beautiful, smart and funny hot mess of a son. I fucking love you with all that I am, babe.”
He let out a long sigh, “How would you feel if I
started airing my insecurities about you? You’re working in an environment led predominately by men. You spend time alone with them at meetings and shit. What if some day someone catches your eye? What if you wonder what it feels like to sleep with another man? You’re my fucking world, Valerie. Instead of thinking I might do something to fuck that up, how’s about you have a little more faith in what we have?”
His answer was so unequivocal, and his frustrated tone made me feel terrible I’d even said it out loud. I mentally slapped my own wrist for allowing my thoughts to control me.
“I’m sorry. I just love you so much. It’s as near perfect a life as I could have wished for, I just worry that something is going to happen to take that away from me,” I replied, sighing deeply. I was annoyed at myself for letting my doubts get in the way.
“I don’t know what I have to do to prove to you that you have nothing to be afraid of, Valerie. There isn’t a woman out there that could ever make me feel like I do about you. I warned you before we started out on this that shit would get in the way, and we’d be tested time and again. There will always be jealous or malicious people in this game, willing us to fail. We’ve got to ignore that shit and keep moving forward,” he said, stroking my hair and staring down into my eyes with an honesty that made my heart ache.
“You’re right. I’m sorry, Flynn. I’m fine most of the time, it’s just…”
“Marry me.”
“No. A ring isn’t going to solve how I feel sometimes.”
Flynn sighed heavily. “I don’t know what to tell you other than what I have already. Thinking negatively is like waiting for me to fuck up.”
“Right. No matter what I’m with you. We’re an awesome team, and you’re right. I have to push that garbage away before it stinks and know we are all we need for each other.”
“So no more of these doubts?”
“No. You’ve told me how you feel and if at any time you feel differently I’ll hear that from you, no one else. After all, it’s you I trust, right? However, if I ask you outright about something, and you lie to me, we’re done, Flynn.”
“Glad we’ve ironed that out. I’ve told you I’ll be honest, but as far as me cheating? That’s never going to happen.” His lips lifted at the edges until a slow wide smile brightened his face and wiped away the stormy look in his eyes. “Now that’s cleared the air…” he said, as he leaned forward and his lips brushed mine. He stared intently into my eyes before he pressed his lips using more force until his tongue pushed deeply into my mouth. After a few moments, he pulled back and smiled again. “Come on, babe. Let’s get you to bed.”
It was almost midnight, and we were both exhausted. God knows how people stayed at those clubs until 6:00 a.m. when they closed, we’d been out until 4:00 a.m. that morning. I had still felt hungover for most of the day from all the drink I’d had, but once we were in bed, and I felt his warm arms around me, I was content and secure once again.
*****
“Nu-huh, Superman. Wash hands. No dinner wash hands first.” I cracked an eye open, a smile widening on my face as I heard Liam talking to his action figures. Flynn was facing me, a hand under his chin like he was thinking and that made my smile even wider. My two favorite boys in one place and I had nowhere to go that day.
“Good boy. Now you have dinner. Eat bocali and fishes. They is good for you. All up. Eat all up or no candy.” I snickered at him calling Superman a boy. Flynn stirred and opened his eyes, “Morning, gorgeous,” he murmured, giving me a slow smile.
“Morning,” I whispered, trying not to let our son hear my voice. I had been enjoying his little play time on the monitor.
Flynn rolled onto his back, his feet poked out beneath the comforter, and his arms went above his head. I snuggled into him, his arms came down wrapping around me, and he quickly positioned me beneath him.
“What are you doing?” I smirked gazing up into his eyes.
“You don’t know? After all this time you have to ask? Damn, girl you are a slow learner,” he said, as his knee spread my legs and he settled his morning wood at my entrance. “I want to make love to my woman,” he coaxed pecking my neck in tiny spine-tingling kisses as he laced his fingers in mine. He lifted my arms above my head, and his grip tightened on my hands. When I didn’t protest, I felt his thick hard cock fill me inside.
Once he was in to the hilt, he exhaled a long, shuddery sigh, “It never gets old with you, babe. I’m like some kind of sex freak around you. Your smell is incredible, your taste is so fucking delicious, and this feeling right here,” he twitched his cock inside before he withdrew and sank deep again, “It’s the best fucking feeling in the world,” he said, kissing me passionately as he began rocking into me.
After that we never had time for a slow and sensual session, it was more like a race to the finish line before Liam interrupted us with his morning routine, so less than eight minutes later we lay panting and chuckling at our mutual wake up call. Just a minute later, Liam began to protest at being ignored, and Flynn went to get him while I had a quick clean up.
*****
Our day had started perfectly and continued in that vein; I sat on the veranda reading my Kindle, while my boys played ball in the flat meadow just beyond the house. After an hour I couldn’t concentrate on my book for watching how Flynn was with Liam. He was an awesome father, encouraging and praising Liam in the right quantities, demonstrating patience and teaching him skills. Liam doted on him.
Flynn had the soccer ball and was dribbling it around the ground. Liam was squealing and giggling as he tried to kick it and missed. The look on Flynn’s face said it all. He was completely into Liam and his role as his dad. After a while he let Liam kick the ball away from him and pretended to fall over. Liam ran straight to him and threw himself down on his chest, his little hands cupping Flynn’s face. “Daddy, you okay?”
Flynn feigned injury and Liam began looking for where he was hurt, his face full of concern. Less than a moment later he caught Liam by the waist, stood and began to run around with him over his shoulder.
“Down, Daddy,” Liam shouted through giggles as Flynn bounced him around on his shoulder. Watching them together was what I lived for. Our baby boy may not have been planned, but he was definitely the best gift anyone could have been given.
Standing up I stretched and went inside, took some fresh lemonade from the fridge, two glasses and a safer plastic cup for Liam from the cupboard.
“Drinks, guys,” I called waving them over as I reached the table outside again.
Flynn dropped Liam to his feet, and he staggered toward me, dizzy after his spin from Flynn. We chuckled as he wobbled his way over to me, “Daddy silly, Mommy,” he said, grinning widely. He looked so much like his dad when he did that my heart squeezed before it filled with feelings of love that I couldn’t begin to describe.
“He’s going to be a heartbreaker, just like his daddy,” Flynn chuckled.
“Really? And who’s heart are you breaking?”
“All those other women out there, because I’m already well and truly taken,” he smirked, winking at me.
“Damn straight, you are,” I said, kissing him softly.
“Liam kisses, Mommy,” he said, climbing onto my lap not wanting to be left out.
I pulled my son’s face toward mine between my hands and peppered kiss after kiss on him while he giggled and squirmed on my lap, “You’re just like your daddy you know that?”
“Yup, me a handsome boy,” he said, seriously.
“Yep, no doubt about that,” I said, glancing at Flynn. He smiled affectionately, stood and pulled Liam off his lap.
“Nap time, little man,” he said, but Liam pouted and wrapped his little arms tightly around Flynn’s neck.
“Me nap wifchoo, Daddy?” he asked, his little voice quivering.
Flynn glanced at me, “Sure, we’ll nap here on the veranda, but no messing around. I want you to promise to rest we don’t want you bei
ng cranky later.” Liam nodded, and Flynn walked over to the long upholstered swing. He pulled a cushion from one of the chairs for his back as Liam waited patiently beside him. Lying lengthwise, he twisted and lifted Liam, laying him across his body. Liam laid his head on Flynn’s bare chest, and Flynn’s hand immediately cradled it protectively. Liam looked at me and smiled slowly.
“Daddy’s heart sing a song, mommy,” he said, quietly as his eyes grew heavy. Flynn’s eyes were closed, but he sighed and wore a contented smile at Liam’s words. It was a precious moment.
I continued to read for a little while, but I couldn’t concentrate because watching two of the people I loved most in the world lying sleeping seemed much more important. I eased myself out of the chair and snuck quietly inside the house. Grabbing my camera, I went to document the moment for posterity because it was an opportunity not to be missed.
Twenty clicks later, I sat pouring through the images until I found the one that captured the moment to perfection.
*****
The next two days were idyllic. Flynn and I became an ordinary couple with a little boy. It was blissfully normal family time. We played outside in the sunshine, ate family dinners, snuggled comfortably together and watched cartoons with Liam on TV. Our favorite time of day was Liam’s bath time. Flynn and Liam shared a huge tub. The delight on his face at sitting in the same bath as his dad said it all.
When our baby went to bed, Flynn and I spent three long nights of slow lovemaking when he was asleep. My mom kept offering to have Liam, but with Flynn flying to New York for the planned gigs and me staying home, we’d wanted that time on our own with our son.
It was pretty unusual that the band went anywhere without me. It had happened a few times lately with Liam’s appointments for milestone checks or when he’d had a fever, and I’d stayed home with him. I’d also left the band tour to attend some essential functions that clashed with RedA’s tour dates. Things seemed to have cropped up after dates were set or at short notice that demanded my immediate attention elsewhere.
Ready For Flynn,Part 3: A Rockstar Romance: Ready For Flynn Series Page 9