Live-In Position

by V. S. Tice

  “Mm-hmm…” I lay my head back against his shoulder and closed my eyes when his mouth moved down my neck.

  “I want you,” he whispered.

  My thighs instantly tingled and a pulsation began between them. A small shriek squeezed from my lungs when he whisked me up into his arms, just like a bride, and carried me up the stairs to our room.

  He was slow, agonizingly slow, and sweet in his touches. My body felt like it would absorb him into my skin. As we calmed our hearts and breath, we lay in each other’s bare embrace, our bodies twisted around one another. For the first time, I fell asleep in my husband’s arms.

  Chapter Forty

  STRETCHING THE NEXT morning, I realized I was alone in bed. With a toss of the covers I sat upright. Dizziness struck, and my stomach gave a familiar gurgle. Lying back onto the pillows I covered my face with my hands, hoping I could stop the dizziness.

  “Are you alright?”

  I couldn’t respond. It was too late for me. Rolling to the edge, my feet hit the thick carpet and dug in as I darted for the bathroom where my morning offering was made to the porcelain god. Collin’s warm hand rubbed along my back. I attempted to swat him away, but he stood stoically beside me until I was finished.

  “Are you alright?” he asked again, handing me a cold damp washcloth. I nodded and wiped my face off. “I have breakfast waiting for you, come on.” He stood and extended his hand to me.

  “I’ll be right there. I want to brush my teeth first.” Grabbing my toothbrush and toothpaste, I began scrubbing away the residual sour taste from my mouth. I stepped into the bedroom after a good rinse and found Collin, my husband, waiting to escort me down to breakfast.

  The smell of eggs, toast, pancakes, and bacon made my stomach growl with anticipation. Sitting in the spot Collin had set for me, I began to dig into the plate of food. Collin chuckled quietly as he sat next to me.

  “Shush it.” I pointed my empty fork at him. “You have no idea how gross it is to empty your stomach one minute and then want to eat the entire menu at IHOP the next.”

  After breakfast, we packed up our things, and Collin started taking the luggage to the car. Slowly, I walked from the bedroom and down the stairs. As I looked through the house, I smiled at the memories of getting married. The utter joy of my wedding day had successfully buried all of the drama, anger, and sadness that had been so prevalent over the summer.

  Collin stepped back into the house. My eyes shifted to his face and my smile grew.

  “What are you smiling about?” He came closer to me.

  “Because of how lucky I am.” We wrapped our arms around each other. He planted his lips firmly to mine.

  “Mmmm,” he pulled back, “I believe I’m the lucky one, Mrs. Bishop.”

  “I think I like the sound of that.” I bit my lip.

  “I love the sound of it.”

  With a small dip in his stature, he picked me up once again and carried me to the packed car.

  “Aren’t you supposed to do that on the way into the house?” I giggled.

  “In, out,” he shrugged, “doesn’t matter, just has to be a threshold from what I’ve heard.” He winked and closed my door.

  During the drive to the airport, I called my father. Victoria was with him and Carla for the afternoon but needed to be back in Seattle for school. He was supposed to drive her to meet Larissa where she would be staying while we were away. Having only boys, Larissa was looking forward to the girl time she would get. Amber, too, had gratefully taken on helping with Victoria.

  “Hello?”

  “Good morning,” I sang through the phone. Carla laughed.

  “Are you two on your way?” Excitement filled her voice.

  “Yes, we are. I’m just calling to check on Victoria and to make sure Dad didn’t try to kidnap her longer.”

  Carla laughed again. “She has been wonderful, and it might be me you need to worry about. It’s been so nice having her.”

  “Is that Mommy?” Victoria’s anxiousness was apparent in the background.

  “Yes, it is,” Carla answered her. “Hold on a second, someone wants to speak with you.”

  “Okay.”

  “Mommy?”

  “Hey baby, are you having a good time?”

  “Yes! I made pancakes this morning, and we are making cookies now. Last night, Pawpaw taught me how to play war with cards, and he promised to teach me poke today.”

  “Poke?” It took me a second to figure out what she meant. “You mean poker?”

  “Yeah, that’s it!”

  “You tell Pawpaw that he better not cheat.” She giggled.

  “Tell her hello and I love her,” Collin whispered from the driver’s seat.

  “Daddy says he loves you.”

  “I love him too, but I still don’t know why I couldn’t go on the honeymoon with you.” I could hear the pouting in her voice.

  “We will only be gone a week. It won’t be too long. Be a good girl for Pawpaw and Carla, and for Aunt Rissa and Uncle Max.”

  “Okay. I love you.”

  “I love you too.”

  “You still there?” Carla returned to the phone. I wiped my eye. Damn hormones!

  “Yes, we are only a half hour away from the airport now.”

  “Okay, well, I’ll let you get going. Have fun and stay safe. I promise we’ll return Victoria to Seattle today.” She chuckled.

  “Thank you, Carla. Talk to you soon.” The phone went silent.

  “Everything okay?” Collin’s hand rested on my left thigh. I nodded.

  “Yeah, I just miss her. She said she loves you too, by the way.” I rested my head back against the seat. There was a comfortable silence for the rest of the drive.

  The flight landed at Honolulu International Airport on time. Collin had a car waiting for us just outside the terminal. We drove twenty minutes until we reached the main building of the resort.

  Inside, people were rushing around in white shorts and Hawaiian shirts, all eager to take our luggage and welcome us with Leis. We were shown to a large desk made of bamboo where an exotic brunette welcomed us. I looked around while Collin checked us into our room. I was anxious to go see our room.

  “Right this way, Mr. and Mrs. Bishop.”

  Collin wrapped his fingers around mine as we followed a short, tan man. Two other men fell in step behind us with our luggage. When we walked back outside, I turned and looked up at Collin. He gave me a sly smile.

  “Where are we going?” I whispered.

  “To our bungalow,” he answered with not one more hint.

  The man motioned for us to climb into a golf cart as our bags were placed in the rear. I stepped into the cart and took a seat. Collin slid in next to me.

  We didn’t have to drive long. After turning around a bend lined with palm trees, a group of bungalows built over the water came into view. Winding through a few paths, we reached a long wooden dock. The men hurried down the dock with our bags.

  Collin extended his hand to me once he was out of the cart. I took it and climbed out next to him. His arm wound around my waist as we followed the men.

  “This is amazing,” I breathed out.

  “I hoped you would like it.”

  “Like it? I have never been anywhere like this. I love it.” I snuggled into his side and he held me tighter.

  If I thought the view from the dock was amazing, I was corrected once we were shown into Bungalow Nine. The living room area had a large sliding door opening to an attached deck with a window in the floor allowing for a view of the water and sea life below.

  “This is fantastic.” Stepping into the bedroom, I was a loss for words. The bed faced an open wall with a view of the ocean and the horizon. I spun and looked at Collin with a large grin before quickly walking out onto a small deck off the bedroom.

  The soft warm breeze blew around me, tousling my sundress around my legs. Rays of sun warmed my skin, a welcome feeling in comparison to Seattle’s cooler climate. I heard Col
lin’s approach and looked over my shoulder at him.

  “It is so beautiful.”

  His arms wound around me from behind. “I agree.”

  “This is perfect, Collin. Thank you so much.”

  I turned in his arms and kissed his chin. He returned the appreciation with a kiss to my lips. I opened my mouth the moment his tongue slipped over my bottom lip. The moan I heard could have come from one or both of us—it didn’t much matter.

  “Collin,” I gasped and looked around us. There was no one in sight, at least, not at the moment. “We can’t, not here.” I was barely able to get the words out.

  “I want you,” he growled against my neck, “right now.”

  “Oh god,” I gasped, gripping his shoulders tightly.

  HAWAII WAS AN amazing place. The weather, the food, the entertainment, the snorkeling, the beaches, the dancing, and every view—all of it was spectacular. Even with all of that, it was the conversation I loved the most.

  Though reluctant at first, Collin talked in depth about Grace and their relationship. He told me about when Victoria was born, and what happened after Grace first left. He talked about his childhood, growing up privileged and with such high expectations. I told him about growing up with a sick mother, losing her early in life, and spending a great deal of my childhood in police stations and fishing boats. Eventually he also let me know how he felt about his family. This trip gave us the longest, uninterrupted time we had ever shared. I felt like we were getting to know each other on a completely different level.

  While we did not agree on whether Allison should go back to Jonathan, we did agree Ilene had become far more tolerable and had changed from the fierce matriarch she had once been. Collin was happy for his father and Juliet but also a little hurt his father had cheated on his mother and held such secrets from the family. One evening, while lying in bed, watching the sunset, he placed his hand on my stomach, fingers spread. I placed my hand over his.

  “Do you have any names picked out?”

  “No, not yet.” I leaned my head against his shoulder.

  “Would you be opposed to a junior?”

  “Of course not,” I giggled. “Is that what you would like, Collin Bishop Junior?” I looked up to his face where I found a large smile.

  “Very much,” he sighed. Leaning his head down, he kissed my forehead.

  “What if it’s a girl?” I lifted both eyebrows at him.

  “Hmm, I’m not sure. Any names you prefer?” He settled in closer next to me on the bed.

  “I’ve always liked Kaitlin.” My eyes began to feel heavy.

  “That’s pretty. I actually like that a lot.” My eyes began to droop and close. There wasn’t anything after that besides peaceful dreams of a baby girl.

  Before I knew it, we were back in Seattle, arriving home. Victoria ran out the front door and almost tackled me in the driveway. I hugged her tightly, never wanting to let her go.

  “I missed you so much.” I squeezed her.

  “I missed you too!” She squeezed back.

  “Easy on Mommy,” Collin warned. He was a little over-protective with the pregnancy.

  “Come on, I want to hear all about…”

  My sentence died off as I took in the foyer. There were brown boxes, neatly wrapped boxes, vases filled with flowers, gift baskets, and a stack of cards. I scanned the room for an end to the madness, but I couldn’t seem to find one.

  “These all started arriving about three days ago,” Larissa said with a large smile. “I bet there are some wonderful things in them, but you should get settled in before you worry about it. Give yourself a couple of days.” She kissed my cheek and began putting on her coat. “I need to get back to my boys.” She knelt down to Victoria. “Thank you for having girl fun with me this week.” She hugged her and stood back up. “I will stop by in a couple of days. We can work through all of these gifts and start thank you cards. It will be an afternoon date.” With a wave, Larissa was out the door.

  Again, an overwhelming sense encompassed me. Collin recognized the change in me.

  “Come, you can worry about all of this after the weekend.” He took my hand and led us to the kitchen. His goal had become to keep me eating as much as possible.

  The weekend passed by with a long movie night and some baking with Victoria. She told me all about the week I missed, as well as her time with Pawpaw and Carla. Listening to her talk had been almost meditative. When Monday came, I was not looking forward to an afternoon sorting through gifts. With a deep breath, I climbed out of my car and went into the house. Larissa wouldn’t be arriving for a few more hours so I decided to get some juice and a bagel before checking my emails. A ring of the doorbell surprised me.

  I answered the front door with a cream cheese-slathered bagel in my hand and found Ilene’s perky smile waiting for me. I did my best to smile in return and pulled the door open all the way.

  “Ilene?”

  “Oh, it is so nice to see you.” She pushed into the house and removed her coat. Wow, she actually hung it up herself. I was a little impressed. “Was it lovely in Hawaii? I bet it was.”

  “Yes, it was really nice. Um, what are you…?” She brushed past me and began walking around all of the unopened gifts. Another body appeared behind me. I was a little startled.

  “I came to help you with all of this.” She flit her hand around as she spoke without looking at me. “James, I need you to move these into the living room, over there.” Apparently Ilene had hired someone to help out.

  “Uh, actually, Larissa will be coming over in a couple of hours to help.” I took a large bite of bagel and watched James carry a couple of boxes into the other room.

  “Yes, I spoke to her this morning.” She finally looked back at me. “I was planning on going shopping, but this will be so much more fun. Plus, I brought the muscle to help carry the stuff.”

  Yeah, big fun.

  Only an hour later, Larissa showed up. She gave an apologetic smile over Ilene’s shoulder when they embraced in greeting. I smiled back, knowing there was no stopping Ilene at this point.

  In the living room, I sat on the couch with Larissa and Ilene on either side of me. I opened gifts, Ilene critiqued, and Larissa wrote down names and gifts given. There were silver serving trays, crystal bowls and vases, sculptures, and plenty of other things. I seriously didn’t know what to do with most of the items we received.

  “What am I supposed to do with two silver tea sets?” I giggled.

  “Victoria can have one to play with,” Larissa snorted.

  “These are not toys,” Ilene gasped. I laughed harder.

  Three hours. It took three long hours to get through all the boxes. I was so happy to be done with it, but Ilene soon killed my joy

  “You haven’t gone through any of these yet?” she asked with a shake of her head.

  She dropped a pile of envelopes in front of me. I began fingering the different colored and textured envelopes. Many of them were cards of congratulations from some of Collin’s colleagues, but they also included invitations—charity lunches, galas, PTA groups, social clubs, and teas and brunches galore.

  “Oh these are long time friends of our family. Put them in the confirm pile.” Ilene handed Larissa the cream-colored cardstock. “You will have to let Collin know about some of the dinners and events to make sure he’s available before you confirm.” She patted my leg.

  “Uh, yeah, okay.” Not knowing what else to say, I sat there while Ilene and Larissa sorted through the invitations. When they would disagree, they would both turn to me for my opinion, but all I could do was shrug. The magnitude of all of these pending commitments was almost too much to process.

  After about a week at home, life felt almost back to normal. The main excitement now included the frequent phone calls from the marketing director at the publishing house who was arranging my book tour. Planning the tour wasn’t as easy as I had originally thought. Obviously I would revisit New York and Strand, but there were new
ideas about inviting some daycares and young school children to public libraries for promotion. Since the public library had been a favorite place of mine as a kid, I was quick to agree to the idea. Not only would it promote my book, but it would also support local libraries. At least I hoped it would.

  Of course, Collin wasn’t thrilled about the travel. He claimed he was worried about me traveling while pregnant. His determination to go with me as much as he could was the only thing keeping a disagreement from arising.

  I was sitting at the breakfast bar in the kitchen looking over the black leather date book Larissa helped me pick out. With all of the commitments and tour dates, I had to start writing everything down. I had already missed a brunch because I had messed up the date. I totally used the pregnancy as my excuse but felt guilty about it later.

  “What’s that?” Collin kissed the side of my head, nodding toward the open book.

  “My date book,” I sighed and closed it up. He raised one curious brow at me. I shrugged. “With all of this stuff going on,” I yawned out, “excuse me. I have to keep track of it somehow.”

  “What stuff?” He pulled the book toward him and sat next to me.

  “Doctor appointments, Victoria’s schedule, social obligations,” sarcasm laced that one, “and, you know, the book tour, finding time to write, regular daily stuff—”

  “Sophia, you need some help.”

  “What?” I wrinkled up my face and pulled the book away from him. “I’m fine.”

  “You are going to exhaust yourself,” he countered. “You already drag yourself to bed at night like a zombie. What happens once the baby is here? Do you think it will get better?”

  “I can handle it.” I stood and walked toward the fridge.

  “You need someone to help you with things, like Victoria’s day and—”