Splitting the Defense

by Amber Lynn

  Chapter Twenty-four

  “You’re sure this is the right dress?”

  Jen had proclaimed as much when she sent Meredith into the dressing room, but Meredith wasn’t so sure as she looked in the mirror. The black dress had thin straps that led to a shear bodice, requiring a strapless black bra that could easily be seen in the right light. Her milk-filled breasts fit perfectly into the top of the dress, but it was more risqué than anything she’d ever worn.

  The skirt of the dress was a satin finish and clung to her thighs. It looked great with her new bouncy short locks, but it didn’t look like her staring back in the mirror. The coal lining her eyes brought out an iciness to her usual dull blue eyes. The only thing she recognized in them was the need that had been building for days.

  Being in the same house as Toby, who slept only two doors down, was driving her insane. She’d never run into the issue of pure horniness while Lawrence had been alive. They had a healthy sexual relationship, but the need to strip down in the middle of the living room for attention hadn’t struck. After Caleb and Grace were out for the night the day before, she’d been seconds away from taking her clothes off and wandering around the house to see if she could get Toby’s attention.

  The man had to know his effect on her mind. She couldn’t get the picture of him standing next to the pool naked out of her head. The lines of all his muscles were permanently etched in her brain.

  “Come out here and show us. I’m good, but I can’t see through walls.”

  Meredith turned in the mirror again to look from the side. She’d been worried about her lumps showing in the tight fabric, but it somehow flattened them into her stomach without revealing any defining edges. It made her want a whole wardrobe in the fabric, but as it was, the dress was a one-time splurge. Enough money was being thrown around by both Toby and Layla that Meredith, Caleb and Grace were being overly spoiled.

  The plan was to only spend another week at most in New York, so they all needed to remember that back home, they didn’t have fancy attractions and clothing stores. They also didn’t have a bed that adjusted to a setting and could change positions, but the bed was something she considered taking back with her.

  Smoothing out the dress, Meredith unlocked the door and stepped out. She needed to find the perfect shoes to finish off the look, but even with bare feet instead of pumps, she looked like a million dollars. At least that’s what she thought as another full-length mirror greeted her.

  She turned to get away from the mirrors and over to the front of the dressing room where Jen and Meredith’s mom were keeping track of Caleb and Grace. Grace was asleep again, which didn’t bode well for the night at the movies they had planned. She wasn’t a fussy baby, but Meredith had hoped she’d sleep through the movie.

  “Holy sh,” Jen started before she changed course when Meredith’s eyes widened and she looked down at Caleb. “Crap. Holy crap. I had a picture in my mind, but it didn’t look that hot. What size shoe are you? I’ll grab the perfect ones.”

  The idea scared Meredith a little, but Jen had proven she knew what she was talking about when it came to fashion. The woman was an editor of some fashion magazine, so it made sense that she had a knack for it, but Meredith had worried she’d go all Avant-garde on her. A little flair was okay, but Meredith was adamant she needed to be able to breath.

  “Seven. But, I’m used to wearing sneakers or boots meant to traipse around in the forest, so maybe consider that when you’re looking at five inch heels.”

  Jen laughed and waved her hand to the side as she took off to the shoe department. That left Meredith alone with the kids and the woman she was still trying to make sense of. Not a single thing about her mother coming back into her life was anything like Meredith expected.

  She thought eventually they’d get to scolding and some kind of bargain for her to receive money from her parents with stipulations a mile long. It wasn’t like Meredith brought up the subject of money. As far as she was concerned, she still had the “life insurance” money and a year before she needed to figure out job opportunities in Keene.

  A two-hundred-dollar dress, along with the hundred-dollar makeover and whatever the shoes were going to cost put a little dent in those savings, but she still wasn’t too worried. The fact that the money was from her parents anyway was kind of hard to take. So was the fact that they’d set Caleb up with a million-dollar trust fund, and evidently Grace’s was in the works.

  It was all overwhelming. Then she had to add in the fact that Toby’s wealth, which she sort of assumed from his admission of being a former hockey player, wasn’t something to laugh about. He didn’t have billions in his bank account, but he didn’t want for anything.

  That notion made it all the more confusing that he was adamant about moving back home with them. He claimed he still had a cabin to conquer, but Meredith thought it sounded crazy. She planned on taking her children back so they could continue to be raised on the hard-work values she’d been teaching Caleb. Being in the city where they had everything given to them was a fun timeout from the real world, but she couldn’t see them staying there.

  “Are you sure you don’t want me to watch the kids tonight? I know you guys had a private lunch the other day, but that dress seems more conducive of a night taking in a play or a society party than a movie night with the kids.”

  Meredith couldn’t contradict her mother. The dress was totally overkill for the latest animated film, but she wasn’t the one who set up the date. Plus, as much as Meredith wanted some alone time with Toby, she didn’t like relying on other people to watch the kids. She was stupefied why she’d been able to leave them with her mom the one time she had.

  The dynamic between she and Layla was something impossible to define. At times, it felt like the years hadn’t gone by and her mother had been in her life through everything. It probably helped that her mother had letters Lawrence had written that described what was going on in Meredith’s and Caleb’s lives.

  The fact that her parents had known where she was the whole time, and had left her alone was what really made a difference in Meredith’s eyes. It was hard to comprehend at first, but her father explained it best the one time she’d gone to her childhood home to see him. He said, “We thought planning out your life for you would ensure your happiness, but you’ve proven to me that only you can find what makes you happy.”

  He went on to talk about the different pictures they’d been sent and tales of her adventures. At first, he thought staying away was a mistake because she still didn’t seem happy. By the third set of pictures, he claimed he hadn’t seen her that happy since she was six and had taken her first riding lessons. It was hard for her parents to stay away, but they didn’t want to show up and ruin the happiness that continued in the pictures. They were also afraid that she hated them for trying to marry her off.

  Meredith hadn’t asked at the time to see the photos that drove their decision, but she wanted to get her hands on them at some point. She had plenty of happy times with Lawrence and Caleb, but the way they were spaced out made it hard to believe Lawrence could always have a happy moment to send.

  There was a lot she still had to learn to mesh the years together, but she had time and a phone that supposedly got reception back home to find out more. What she didn’t have was a need for a babysitter, so she smiled at her mother and shook her head.

  “Tonight is movie night, but maybe we’ll find a night for you to take them before we go back home. I’m sure Caleb would love to hear some of the stories you told me as a kid.”

  Caleb didn’t react at all to the statement that they were going home. Meredith had been upfront with him in the beginning, so she hoped his attachment with all the fun stuff Grandma and Toby were showing him would be temporary. She still thought he’d show some disappointment or possibly even excitement about the idea of telling the boys in town all the things he’d done in the city.

  “You okay, buddy? We’ve been running around a lot toda
y and you haven’t had your nap.”

  Caleb nodded his head rather than answering verbally, which was usually an indicator she needed to guess what was wrong. He could’ve been tired, but she doubted it. They’d eaten lunch between the salon and shopping trip. Caleb had a basic cheeseburger and fry combo, but got a surprise visit to an ice cream shop that put the one back home to shame. He’d had some crazy combo of peanut butter cup, sandwich cookie and gummy worms. It was close to the creation Toby had once shared with them, but Caleb had to make his a little different.

  The thought of the combo made Meredith sick to her stomach, but Caleb had happily demolished the sugar-laden snack. The fact that the kid should’ve been jumping off the walls made the sad little nod even more questionable.

  “Is it something you want to talk about now, or maybe later at Toby’s?”

  “Toby’s coming home with us, right?”

  The muffled response wasn’t easy to understand. Caleb’s face was pointed at the floor, so if any bugs were crawling around, they probably got the message loud at clear, but standing a few feet away from him it took work for Meredith to string the words together.

  “I don’t think that’s something you have to worry about, honey. Toby has made it perfectly clear he’s going to be anywhere we are.”

  “But we don’t have the space he has in the big house. How are we all going to fit? His feet hang off the couch.”

  “Toby has actually slept on that nightmare before?”

  Layla came up with a response before Meredith could. Meredith was still caught up on how miserable Caleb sounded to relay the fact Toby didn’t fit on the couch.

  “Yeah, when Mommy erupted, Toby came over all the time to make sure she got better.”

  Meredith’s mom’s eyes looked like they were going to pop out of her skull. She hadn’t heard about the issues with Grace’s birth. It wasn’t a topic that had come up and Meredith was trying to put the pain and chaos of the delivery behind her.

  “You erupted? Like a volcano?”

  “The blood coming out of her made it seem like a volcano,” Jen said as she returned with an orange shoebox. “It was a detachment, though, right? Not an eruption.”

  “I’ll explain it later. Obviously, I’m fine and it was just a bump in the road.”

  Waving her hand to the side, Meredith tried to pretend it wasn’t a big deal. If she had more kids, it would probably be a bigger deal, but she was too busy trying to get a man to even have sex with her to think about complications for future pregnancies.

  She sat down and opened the shoe box, holding her breath as she envisioned the spikes the box hid. She let that breath out slowly as she got a look at a pair of cute silver heels. The heels were thick enough that they didn’t look like they were meant for some crazy balancing act. A row of shiny diamond-like studs added a bit of sparkle.

  “As far as Toby staying in our cabin, I think that’s something he and I are still talking about. I think for now, he’s planning on staying in his cabin, but I’m trying to get him to change his mind.”

  Slipping into the heels, Meredith checked out the full look in a mirror behind her. She’d always hated dressing up for parties her parents either threw or dragged her to, but she’d never had the princess feeling before. Looking in that mirror, even without a fancy ballgown, she felt like a princess.

  “Believe me, sweetheart, in that dress he’s going to want to keep you within arm’s length. I sort of want to rip it off you and I’m as hetero as they come.”

  Meredith fought the urge to cover Caleb’s ears. Jen had a habit of sharing way too much information for a five-year-old. How Toby reacted to her makeover was yet to be seen, but Meredith hoped he didn’t just want to keep her in arm’s length. She wanted him to have trouble keeping his hands off her.

  Chapter Twenty-five

  “I don’t think you ever told me how Lawrence died, but I’m going to go out on a limb and guess heart attack.”

  Toby made the statement as he poured a glass of ginger ale. Meredith didn’t drink and Toby was more than happy to drink something that didn’t impair his decision-making skills. He handed a glass to Meredith as he awaited her reply by sipping from his own glass.

  “Or cirrhosis of the liver. I know he was older, but his heart was in good shape comparatively speaking.”

  “Really? Then I’m going to assume you never looked like that when he was alive. Because my heart felt like it was going to stop when I first saw you tonight.”

  His heart skipped a few beats, but it couldn’t have stopped based on the blood flowing to his crotch. Thankfully, Caleb sat between them at the movie, so Toby’s wandering hands were kept to a minimum. Even with the buffer, his hand had itched all night to reach over and touch her thigh.

  “It’s safe to say it’s been a long time since I played dress up. You know, just because I wanted to dress up, you didn’t have to put on a tie.”

  Meredith rocked her glass back and forth, then took a slow sip. Her nose crinkled as the bubbles presumably got to it.

  “You honestly think I was about to let you go out looking like that without me at least putting on a tie? If we didn’t look like we dressed for a night out together, someone would’ve tried to make a move. Don’t think I didn’t notice the waiter making eyes at you.”

  It was her breasts the creep couldn’t stop staring at. Toby found his eyes drifting down multiple times during the dinner, but that didn’t give the teenager a right to take a look.

  “Please tell me you weren’t jealous of that guy. As horrible as it sounds, I almost asked if he needed a few bucks for some acne medicine.”

  Toby snorted, causing the ginger ale in his mouth to tickle his nose and spew out his mouth. Thankfully, he was standing next to the sink and could keep it from spraying over the counter in Meredith’s direction. A soft laughter filled the kitchen.

  “Maybe I should have told you that in the restaurant. I would’ve loved for other people to see that reaction.”

  They’d been home for about thirty minutes, just long enough to tuck both kids in bed and make it out to the kitchen. The kitchen alone was as big as his cabin. It had dark granite countertops that contrasted with the light wood cabinets and floor. Toby didn’t care much about the professional appliances since he didn’t use the kitchen for anything other than a gathering point if he was throwing a party.

  “Do you really think you have to get all dressed up to make me want to put you on the counter and leave you gasping? I’m pretty sure I’ve made it clear that I want you, but a little birdie told me today that my intentions with your body weren’t coming across clear.”

  Meredith bit her lip and glanced down at the counter separating them. Toby had thought about working up to his question, and putting it a little more delicate, but she was killing him.

  “You say that, but we’ve been living together for a week and you’ve barely even kissed me. I’ve seen things seem to work fine down there, and yet, you haven’t tried anything.”

  Toby put his glass down and walked slowly around the center island. Keeping a distance would’ve been smart, but if Meredith wanted to play with fire, he was going to see how bright she wanted to burn.

  “I gave you pick of rooms, and if I remember right, you’re the one who decided not to sleep in mine.”

  Meredith spun around as Toby got closer. Her bottom lip stayed between her teeth, only making Toby want to bite it himself.

  “I wasn’t sure I’d be welcome, or how that would look to Caleb. He still wants you to move in with us when we get home, but he had a minor freak out today when he started picturing your feet hanging off the couch.”

  “Sometimes I don’t think I’ll ever understand that kid. Hasn’t he said he wants me to be his father? Doesn’t that at least rate a spot in your bed?”

  The kid hopefully didn’t know why dads and moms slept in the same bed, but he should have an idea that’s how things work. Toby had made it around to stand a foot in front of Meredith.
He’d tried to keep his eyes on hers, but as he placed his hands on her hips, he let them drop to the see-through fabric covering her breasts. It looked so delicate that he could grab the top of it and rip it off with little resistance.

  “I’m slightly tired of bringing his name up, but Lawrence was known to fall asleep on the couch, so Caleb probably doesn’t understand people who like each other sleep together.”

  “Are you going to make me sleep on the couch?”

  Taking a step closer, he pulled Meredith into his body. She mentioned she knew about his physical reaction to her, but he wanted to make sure she felt exactly what she did to him.

  “Are you saying when we go back, you’ll be staying with us?”

  “Will you sleep in my bed tonight so I can hold you?”

  Toby knew that wasn’t what she wanted, but unless they could fly Dr. Theodore in to give her a physical and approve sex, he wasn’t chancing causing her pain. It seemed to be an unpopular opinion, and one that would more than likely keep him up all night wishing he didn’t have great restraint.

  The disappointment was clear on her face. Her eyes and lips turned down to transform her happiness into a full-face frown. Toby didn’t want to cause her grief. There had to be a happy medium for them.

  “I don’t want to hurt you, and the second I get you naked in a bed, I’m not going to be able to hold back.”

  “I’m not a piece of glass.”

  It was a sentiment she’d been trying to get across since the day they met. He knew Meredith wasn’t as fragile as he saw her, but that didn’t change the fact that she’d had enough hurt in the world, and he wasn’t about to cause more. It didn’t matter if it was emotional or physical. His goal was simply to do everything in his power to bring her joy.

  Her disappointment had changed slightly into a look that meant to skewer him. It seemed there was rarely any in between for her. She was either happy or she wanted to light you on fire with her eyes. Toby found both looks endearing.