by K. I. Lynn
“Pinkie Pie?”
“It’s a toy horse. My Little Pony. She’s addicted to the show, and the dolls.” He rubs the top of Ella’s head, and I have to admit, the two of them are cute. It’s evident to me that little Miss Ella has her dad wrapped around her finger.
“Ahh, I see. Well, I’m delighted that you would trust me with your pinkie pie, Ella, but I’m afraid I’m not feeling very well today, so I’ve been resting this afternoon. I only just got up a few minutes ago actually.”
Her little face falls, but then she looks up at her dad before speaking again. “That’s okay. I can bring my Pinkie Pie over for you. She always makes me feel better when I have a belly ache. Daddy says she’s got magic.”
“Oh, no, sweetie. I wouldn’t take your new toy, but thank you for offering. I feel special that you would let me borrow your favorite new toy.”
“Not that one. My first Pinkie Pie. The one that my mommy gave me. Daddy says that because she gave it to me, that she gave it her magic before she died, and now Pinkie Pie watches over me so that when I’m not feeling good, I’m not alone.”
Oh my God, her mom died? How awful. She’s so young. I look up to Grant who looks away, but it’s brief. He changes the subject quickly, and I know that he’s not willing to say anything. Well, that explains where her mother is. I crouch down in front of her so that I’m eye level with the little girl who sounds much older than her six years of age, and I try not to fall over.
“I bet your mommy would be very proud of the fact that you were extra kind to me knowing I didn’t feel well, but I think I’ll be okay. So you just hold onto that treasure your mom left for you, and maybe, when I’m feeling a little better, we can have another cookout. How does that sound?”
Ella’s face lights up, and her colossal smile takes up almost her entire bottom half of her face. She’s beautiful. Grant is going to have his hands full with her once the boys start knocking.
“That sounds good. Yay, Daddy! She’s going to eat over at our house when she feels better. That’s okay, right, Daddy?”
“Sure, sweet pea. Why don’t we let Everly get some rest, though, and we can start the grill. Then you and I can take Jojo for her walk after dinner. Sound good?”
“You’re gonna have to give Jojo something else, Daddy. She didn’t like your burgers last time either.”
“Your burgers sound rough, neighbor.” I laugh, then look back at Ella who’s holding her dad’s hand now. “I’ll see what I can do when we have our cookout. I might even have some treats for Jojo when I come by.”
“I’m going to tell her! She knows what treats are. She shakes her tail.” Ella wiggles her butt to emulate Jojo. “Daddy says that means she’s happy to see us or she’s just excited for food. Do you have a dog too?”
“Ella . . .”
“It’s fine. No, sweetie. No dogs yet. My parents have dogs, though. I love them, but my mom won’t let me keep them, so I just visit.”
“Oh.” She looks as if she’s contemplating her next question, but Grant picks her up.
“Well, I’m sorry you aren’t feeling well. Let me know if you need anything. I’m just next door. I’m going to take her home and feed her before she talks your ear off.”
I laugh again and stand up now that Ella is almost eye to eye with me while she’s in her dad’s arms.
“Let us know what day next week you are available. I’ll buy the meat if you promise to cook it. Ella’s not lying about my cooking skills. I’m terrible, but I’m getting better.”
“Hey. At least you try. My brother couldn’t even boil water when he moved out of my parents’ house. Pretty sure he’s still the take-out king. You at least get an A for effort. I’m sure it’s not that bad.” He scrunches his nose up, and it’s cute. I immediately wonder how Niko will be once our child is here. Oh crap! Niko!
“Well, thank you for inviting me. See you later, Ella.”
“Mmmm hmmm, Daddy, can we go walk Jojo now?” He shakes his head at her and then smiles at me as he heads for the stairs.
“Hope you feel better, Everly. Talk to you soon?”
“Oh yeah. I’ll remind myself to look at my schedule. Thank you!” I yell and close the door.
I pad down the hall and find Niko leaning against the kitchen island. His arms are crossed in front of him, and there is a scowl plastered on his face. Ignoring him, I pull out a pad of Post-its and write a note, sticking it to the fridge. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Niko shake his head.
“Happy to see I’m not the only one who gets the star treatment.”
I quirk my brow at him. “Never going to let that go, are you?”
He shakes his head, then gestures toward the front door. “Who was that guy you were talking to?”
I scrunch my brow. Guy? “You mean Grant?” I roll my eyes as I glance over to Niko and his steely gaze. “He’s my neighbor. You know, the owner of the other half of this building.”
“He seems friendly.”
I cock my hip to the side and lean against the counter. “Really?”
“What?”
“Niko, we’re not in a relationship,” I remind him. “You’re not allowed to be jealous.”
“You’re carrying my kid,” he says as if that’s enough.
“And he has a kid that was at the door with him.”
“What’s your point? He was totally using the kid to make his move on you. Does he know that you are carrying my kid?”
I match his stance, arms laced in front of me, and I let out a huff. “It may be your kid, but I’m not yours. You just charge over here without calling, expecting me to be free. What if I had a guy over? What if I had Grant over?”
His eyes narrow and rounds the corner, towering over me in a flash, his hand slipping between my thighs, making me gasp.
“Oh, Ev, you know it’s only me who makes you feel this way. My cock makes you come so good. And weren’t you going to stop acting like an ice queen, and stop pushing me away?”
My whole body slouches. “I’m sorry. Sometimes I feel like I’m two people lately, maybe three.”
His hand moves around my hip, and he pulls me closer. “You know how you can make it up to me?”
“On my knees?”
His tongue swipes across his lips. “Oh, baby, that’s one way and so fucking tempting right now.” He groans, his eyes heavy as he reaches to adjust his cock. “You distracted me, and as much as I’d love to fuck your mouth, I want you to see that there is more to this than just sex. What you can do to make it up to me is agree to go out to dinner with me on Tuesday.”
“I suppose I could do that, but what if I start feeling bad?”
He steps even closer, his hand slipping around my waist, his body pressing against mine. I reach out and rest my hand against his chest, feeling the hard, taut muscle beneath his shirt.
“We can play it by ear. I’ll be here, no matter what. You’ll agree to let me help and take care of you if that happens, and then you’ll agree to be mine and stop this shit about other guys as an attempt to push me away.”
Heat spreads through my body, and I can’t help running my hands over his chest, around his shoulders and up around his neck. Everything about him is hypnotic.
“Okay.”
“Okay, what?”
“Okay, I’ll be yours.”
He leans down, his lips ghosting mine. “About fucking time.” He growls before devouring my mouth, and I forget everything else but Niko.
EVERLY: TOO BAD YOU can’t be here for dinner.
That’s the message attached to a photo of a large pot of chicken and dumplings Everly is making.
For the first time in a long time, I wish I had weekends off. Not that I work every weekend, but when my girl says she’s making chicken and dumplings and is sexy as fuck, it’s hard to be away from her. She said she was feeling better today, but it seems to come in waves. At least she’s been able to eat a little more lately now that she’s in the second trimester.
It’s only been a month, but she’s officially mine. The dinner date didn’t happen, thanks to our baby, so we did Netflix while resisting the chill part. In the end, the chill part went down. I can only resist her sexy body against mine for so long. There are still things we need to work out and things her non-trusting ass needs to work on, but at least she’s finally let me in.
Since then, we’ve kept it pretty low key, just getting to know one another better.
Niko: Tease. Save me some. I’ll be over as soon as I can. Don’t eat it all! I type back.
Everly: Hey! I’m eating for two. We’ll try and save you some, but I make no promises, Daddy. ;)
Niko: You calling me daddy does shit to me. Don’t do that while I’m at work and I can’t do anything about it. :/
Fuck! I’m not kidding. I like the sound of that. Not only from her, but I’m finally settling into the fact that I’m going to be a father. I want to be around her more not less, but with her working, my crazy schedule, and the fact that Cam doesn’t know about us yet makes seeing her even harder.
This downtime is killing me. While no fires or accidents are good, there’s only so much work we can do around the firehouse before it’s all done. Which is why I’m sitting in this recliner, watching a Patriots preseason game for a few minutes. It’s also an excuse to get out of the kitchen while Ferrell cooks his shit. We need to buy the guy some cooking lessons. He burns everything.
My phone buzzes with another notification, and it takes a moment for the pic to come through. The second it does, I let out a groan, my head falling back against the chair as my dick wakes up. It’s another picture of the chicken and dumplings, and it’s not in the pot. She has her shirt off, her bra lifting her tits up just right, and there’s a trail of creamy sauce and dumplings pooling and sliding around her cleavage. This woman is going to be the death of me.
Everly: Oops.
Oops?
Niko: You’re a cruel woman. I type back.
Fucking dumpling tease. I’ll show her. Granted, my shift isn’t over for seven more hours.
Everly: I showed you mine, you show me yours.
I look down at the text. She couldn’t be fucking serious, could she? Then again, it wouldn’t be the first dick pic I’ve sent her.
My dick is more than excited to participate. I look up and glance around. The room is empty, so I grab onto the waistband of my pants, letting my cock free. It’s an adjustment to get in the right position, and I snap a pic.
“Dude, are you taking a dick pic?” Cam asks from the door.
I jump, the waistband snapping against my shaft right as my thumb presses the send button. “Motherfucker,” I hiss and cup my poor cock. “Asshole.”
Cam’s head is back as he lets out a loud laugh. “Shit, that was priceless.” I narrow my eyes at him and flip him my middle finger. “Still your mystery chick? It’s been months, man. Am I ever going to meet her?”
I nod, knowing I need to tell him the truth. It’s bad enough I’m lying to my best friend, that I did something I swore to him I wouldn’t do, but we’ve stretched it out even further than I’d like. Lying isn’t my thing.
“Not yet. I’m still getting used to this one-woman thing.”
Cam nods and pats my shoulder. “I get you. How’s it going?”
Another lie or omission is coming as I scramble for a response. On one hand, it’s going great, but Cam wasn’t kidding about the fucking mountain to climb to gain her trust. Then add in the baby growing inside her that I can’t even tell him about because then I know he’ll put two and two together.
“Our schedules make it hard to go out much, so it’s more indoor time.”
“Sleepovers,” he says with a wink. “I’m just glad you found her.”
Found her. Fucked her. Got your baby sister pregnant.
Fuck my life.
Usually it wouldn’t be an issue, but when Cam finds out he met her twenty-five years ago, there’s going to be a fight. As much as I want to tell him, I can’t. I promised Everly. Plus, we agreed to be together when we tell him.
Fuck, I can’t even tell my best friend I’m going to be a father. How excited and scared I am. How I’m falling in love with the mother of my child. Isn’t that what best friends are for?
I need to talk to Everly. We have to figure out how to tell him, and soon.
“Me too. She’s got some issues, but I want her and want to help her get over them.”
“That’s awesome, man. Really. I’m happy for you. Am I ever going to get this chick’s name?”
I stare at my phone and the new message from Everly, but the name at the top doesn’t match. My phone still shows the name Alyson.
Everly: Now who’s the tease?
“Alyson,” I say and turn the phone toward him. He shudders and then screws his face in disgust.
“Dude, I did not need to see your dick pic.”
I turn it back around and roll my eyes. “That wasn’t what I was doing.”
“Maybe not, but it’s there, on the screen, staring at me.”
I roll my eyes at him. “Whatever.”
“So, Alyson? Ugh, that name reminds me of the royal Payne. I mean, Everly’s best friend. Jesus, I hope it’s not her, just saying. Though she is kind of your type.”
“What’s she look like?”
“Curly brown hair, chipmunk cheeks, olive green eyes, and big red lips. She’s got a big rack and, this is hard for me to say, banging legs. Her last name is Payne, and it fits her because she is a pain in the ass.”
I laugh. “Nope, not her.”
“For the best. That chick is going to drive some unlucky bastard to drink.” He shudders as if the thought alone scares him.
“Don’t most women?” I shake my head and smile.
Cam chuckles. “Touché, my friend!” He stands and holds a clipboard up to his chest. “Put your dick away and come on. We’ve got to do a vehicle inspection and then some prep work for the BC inspection next week when we’re done.”
“We’re doing that with Tomlinson from Ladder Two, right?”
Cam nods.
“All right, give me a sec, and I’ll be down.”
“Hurry up, Romeo.” he says as he leaves the room. I sit for a minute thinking about how things are probably going to change between Cam and me. God, this is fucked.
Picking my phone back up, I shoot a text off to Ev.
Niko: Terrific! Your brother just walked in on me sending you a dick pic.
Everly: OH MY GOD!
Niko: Yeah . . .
Everly: What did you tell him?
Niko: What do you think I told him?
Everly: I don’t know. That you are doing phone sex as a side job? It’s not like I know what the normal protocol is when your friends walk in on each other sending dirty text messages. LOL
Niko: There isn’t one, and it’s not funny. We need to tell Cam. He’s asking me questions about you, and I hate not telling him the truth.
She isn’t taking this situation as seriously as I am. She’s scared, and I get that, but I don’t want Cam to hate me even more than he already will by drawing this out.
My phone rings. I answer it, seeing that it’s her. “I can’t talk. I’ve got something I need to do here at work.” There’s more aggravation in my tone than I intend, but I don’t like this situation we’ve created.
“Oh, then why are you answering if you are heading out on a run—isn’t that against the rules?”
“It’s not a run. It’s something we have to do here. Not emergency related, or I wouldn’t have taken the call.” I can hear the edge still in my voice. Usually I’m happy to have her call, but my mood soured, and I’m apparently taking it out on her.
“Oh, okay,” she says, and I can hear the uncertainty and hurt. Fuck. “So, can you talk for a second?”
“Yeah, but that’s all I have is a second.”
“What was Cam asking you about me?”
“He didn’t know it was you that we were talkin
g about, but he knows that I’m involved with someone, and he wants to meet her.”
“Oh, thank God!” She lets out a relieved sigh. “I thought he suspected something and was being an ass to you.”
“No, but I don’t like this. I want to tell him, and I want to tell him as soon as possible, Ev. I’m not a liar, and he’s my best friend. I can’t even share that I’m about to become a father.”
“I know. I know, and we will. I just wanted to adjust to us being an us first before we bring my brother into the mix, you know?”
I blow out a breath and rub my face. “Yeah, I get that. I understand and want that too, but at the same time, I don’t want to lose my best friend. Cam is more than that. He’s like my brother. Blood or not, losing him as a friend is going to kill me.”
“You’re not going to lose Cam,” she says with certainty. “He’s going to be mad, I’m sure, but he’ll get over it.”
“Do you know your brother at all, Ev? He hates liars just as much as I do. He would probably get over this, but he won’t trust me anymore because we are lying to him about us. I know you want to wait, but it can’t. Find the time for us to sit down with him or I’m going to do it alone, but he needs to know.”
“Okay. Soon, but just give me a little more time.”
“Everly, it’s been over a month.”
“I promise. Soon.”
There’s silence between us. “I have to go.”
“Call me later?”
“Yeah. I’ll try. If not, then I’ll text you. He’s on tonight.”
“Okay. Stay safe, Niko.” It’s there again, stronger this time, the hurt and uncertainty.
“Ev, I’m not mad,” I tell her, unable to stand that fucking tone in her voice. “I’m just frustrated. Okay?”
“Okay,” she says, but I can still hear it.
“Get some rest, and I’ll call you when I get off.”
A final goodbye, and I end the call. I close my eyes and blow out a breath. When I open them, I see Bishop standing in the doorway, looking at me.
“I’m working on it, okay?”