I smiled. “I saw. It was lovely.”
Once the ceremony was over, we made our way over to the reception hall, and still I couldn’t see Kennedy. I wasn’t sure if we should wait for her, but everyone was already making their way inside, so I followed. I felt a little nervous considering I wasn’t really supposed to be at the wedding. I was surprised to find that our names had been placed at one of the corner tables, so we quickly went to take a seat. Camille had obviously seen to it that we would have somewhere to sit. Our table was far away from the main table at least.
Kennedy arrived shortly afterward wearing a dark red dress, similar to her hair color. She looked breath taking, and I gulped when I saw her. She wasn’t making this any easier for me. My mouth went dry just looking at her. Did she have any idea how incredible she was?
“You look beautiful,” I said.
“I love your dress,” Trinity said to her. “It’s like your hair.”
She blushed. “Thank you. And I love your dress too. You look beautiful.”
“But my hair is not too nice,” Trinity said sadly.
“Are you kidding me? Your hair is amazing. I’d give anything to have hair like yours. You don’t even need to do anything to it. It’s absolutely beautiful.”
“Really?” Trinity asked, and I could see that she was smiling. I was so grateful to Kennedy for what she had said.
“Really. You are beautiful. I’m sorry I’m so late to join you. I was hoping to watch the ceremony, but it just wasn’t possible. The food took longer than I thought it would and then I still had to get changed. How was the wedding?” she asked Trinity.
“It was beautiful,” she whispered. “She had a big white dress on. Just like a princess.”
I smiled. “It was beautiful.”
“I’m glad. And I’m so happy to be finished with the cooking. I feel like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders. There was so much to do. I didn’t realize how much until I started. And this is why I don’t enjoy catering. It’s always more stressful for a wedding because there is no backup plan. And then what? I mean, everyone says they’re coming to watch the bride and groom get married, but they’re generally all here for the free booze and food. Anyway, it’s over, and I can finally relax. Uh, should we have some wine?” she asked and looked around. “Oh, I see someone else pouring some. Let’s do it.”
I laughed at her eagerness and quickly poured us both a glass of wine, as well as some juice for Trinity.
“You know,” Kennedy said. “Nobody knows us here. So, why don’t we have some fun? Let’s pretend we are these rich and powerful people from out of the country.”
“You’re in a great mood today,” I said. “What do you say, Trin? Should we have some fun?”
Trinity giggled. “Yes.
A couple walked in and took a seat at the table. They turned to face us and introduced themselves to us as Dorothy and Reg.
“And how do you know the bride and groom?” Dorothy asked.
“Oh goodness,” Kennedy said in a crisp, posh accent that took me by surprise. I almost forgot that we were supposed to be pretending until that moment. “My darling husband and I have known them for years. We did business with them all the way back in 2004. Remember that, Peter?” she said and turned to face me.
“Oh yes. What a time that was, Petunia, what a time,” I said, and I could see Kennedy trying not to laugh. I took her hand and squeezed it. “Oh, the parties we used to hold. We were simply the talk of the town, you know,” I said to the couple.
“Really? That sounds interesting. What sort of business?” Reg asked.
“Oh, real estate,” I said and then winked at them in exaggeration, as if I meant anything but real estate. I had no idea what I even meant, but it was fun to see the confused look on their faces as they tried to figure it out. Neither one of them wanted to be the one to ask what I had really meant.
Kennedy laughed. We were still holding hands, her thumb moving up and down in caress. “Real estate,” she said. “What a fun time that was. Back in the good old days, I used to say. But then again, I also say that these are the great days now. From good to great. It’s so wonderful to see them happily married now.”
“But they weren’t together in 2004, were they?” Dorothy asked in confusion.
I looked at Kennedy, and she grinned. “Not officially, no. But then, neither were we. And look at us now.”
“Are you married?”
“Oh yes,” Kennedy said. “And what a marvelous wedding we had. But much grander. Wouldn’t you say, darling?”
I looked around at the huge room as if it were small and insignificant. “Oh yes, much grander than this. We went all out. It was the party to launch all parties. People talked about it for months afterward. We haven’t been able to have a party to top that one ever since. Oh look, here’s the food,” I said as the first plate was put in front of us. “I hear they got the best caterer in town. We wanted her for our wedding, but alas, she was too busy. They certainly trumped us in that regard. And what a beautiful woman too,” I said. “No offense dear.”
“Oh, none taken,” Kennedy said and grinned at me.
We carried on like that throughout the entire evening. Every now and again we changed our story, but for the most part, we were involved in real estate which wasn’t really real estate, as our winking would suggest. Most people seemed too taken aback to ask any further questions, and little Trinity seemed to find the whole thing hilarious. I had to remind her that lying was not good, but we were just having some fun. For the most part, I think she understood. She spent most of the wedding with the rest of the kids anyway, so we didn’t see her much. She’d made friends instantly, as all kids do. It was only as we were leaving that I realized that Kennedy and I had held hands through practically the entire wedding. We’d even danced together like a normal couple, her head leaning against me. The whole thing had just been for a joke, but it had felt surprisingly real.
When we walked out, I turned to say goodbye to Kennedy, but Trinity stopped me.
“Can Kennedy put me to bed tonight?” she asked.
“Kennedy has her car here, so she’s going home tonight. She won’t be there. But I can put you to bed, and you can give Kennedy a big hug now to say goodbye. Okay?”
Trinity looked crestfallen, but she nodded.
“Well, I don’t mind stopping by to put you in bed, Trin. It’s on my way home.”
“You don’t have to,” I said to Kennedy. She was always going out of her way for Trinity, but I felt bad. “I can put her to sleep.”
“I don’t mind at all. Honestly. It’s on my way home, and anyway, I’d like to do it.”
“Thank you,” Trinity smiled.
We made our way home, and I waited in the living room while Kennedy went to put Trinity to sleep. She was there in the room for about half an hour, and when she came out, I smiled gratefully at her.
“That was very nice of you. Thank you.”
“I don’t mind at all. Like I said, it was on my way home. And she’s such a sweet girl. Sorry we took so long now. She couldn’t stop talking about the wedding. She was explaining to me what her dress was going to look like one day.”
I grinned. “I see she has it all planned out.”
“Oh, we all do at that age. It changes. Tonight was fun. Better than I thought it would be.”
“Oh yeah? Why? Did you think it wouldn’t be fun?”
“It’s not that,” she said. “I just thought I’d be overly stressed about the food. But I think having you and Trinity there helped take my mind off it all. And it was a lot of fun pretending to be other people.”
“What on earth do you mean, Petunia? How dare you accuse me of not being myself. I am Peter, your husband, and if it wasn’t for me, you wouldn’t have all these fancy dresses and shiny diamond rings.”
Kennedy giggled. “Oh, Peter, do forgive me. How I take you for granted. You’re absolutely right. What would I do without you? It’s true; I came after yo
u all those years ago for your money. But now that I’ve gotten to know you, I’m mostly interested in your looks. And the money, of course.”
I grinned. “My looks? I had no idea you liked the way I looked, Petunia.”
“It’s the backside, Peter. That awful wench of an ex-girlfriend of yours, what was her name? Francine! Oh yes, don’t think I’ve forgotten about her. I may not have liked her very much, but she was right about one thing, Peter. You do have an awfully fine backside.”
“And you . . .” I leaned in and kissed her before I could finish my sentence.
Chapter Sixteen
Kennedy
Perhaps it was all the champagne I’d had to drink, or maybe it was the idea that we were pretending to be someone else, but when Reed kissed me, I didn’t pull away. I probably knew that the night was building up to this moment even if I didn’t want to admit it. Ever since we’d held hands and pretended like we were a couple, I knew I wanted to be with him again. I shivered against his touch.
“You look beautiful in this dress,” Reed said to me. “But I’m going to take it off.”
I turned around. He kissed my neck, his warm mouth teasing my sensitive skin, and then he slowly unzipped my dress so that it fell to the floor.
“That was easy,” he said.
I grinned. I was standing in front of him wearing just my underwear, my skin flecked with goosebumps—and not entirely from the chill in the air. I still had my heels on, which meant he didn’t have to bend down too far to kiss me. I moaned ever so slightly as he trailed his finger down my stomach. I sat on the sofa and pulled down his jeans; then I wrapped my lips around him. He held onto my hair as I sucked, and I could feel him getting harder inside my mouth. When I felt he was on the verge of coming, I stopped. I stood up and pushed him down onto the sofa.
“Condom?” I asked.
He nodded and pointed to his wallet that had fallen out of his jeans and was now lying on the floor. I got one and slid it on him. Then I pulled down my underwear and climbed on top of him. Reed held onto my waist as I rocked on top of him, riding him slowly at first and then building up to a more urgent pace. Other than the odd gasp that escaped, neither one of us made a sound. We moved in silence together until I felt him come inside me. I arched my back and closed my eyes as I allowed myself to surrender to him. It was only the second time that we’d had sex together, and yet I felt a closeness to him that I had never felt with anyone before. It didn’t feel like it was just about the sex, and I wasn’t sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing. This wasn’t just a one-night stand. There was so much more at stake with Reed. I didn’t get off immediately after we finished. I sat there, on his lap, just looking at him. I’d never found any man more attractive than I did Reed. There was just something about him that appealed to me, something well beyond the physical realm. A sense of kindness that was intermingled with his good looks. He smiled at me, and I smiled back, then I leaned in and kissed him softly and slowly.
When I pulled away, I suddenly felt like I was coming out of a big fog. In that instant, I realized what we had done. We had just had sex in the living room with Trinity right upstairs. She could’ve easily walked in on us. What were we thinking? I shook my head.
“We shouldn’t’ve done this here,” I said and quickly got up to retrieve my clothes.
Reed blinked a few times, also coming out of his reverie. He looked around and sighed. “You’re right. I’m sorry, Kennedy. I couldn’t help myself. But you’re right.”
“It’s not your fault. I was in on this too. Anyway, we didn’t get caught, so that’s the main thing right now. This could’ve gone very bad, but thankfully it didn’t. So let’s just be grateful for small mercies right now.”
Reed nodded. “Yeah, that’s true. Thank goodness. I cannot believe I got so caught up. Actually,” he said and smiled at me. “I guess I can believe that. Kennedy, uh, if you want to stay, you can.”
I looked at him then. What exactly was he asking of me? What did he want? I almost said yes, until I realized where I was and what I would be doing by sleeping over. I shook my head.
“Thank you for asking me, Reed. But I don’t think I should. I don’t want to put that sort of pressure on you and Trinity. It’s not fair to her. She’s been through enough, and this will only confuse her.”
He nodded. “You’re right. I totally understand.”
I finished getting changed and looked around the living room to make sure that there was no evidence of what had happened.
“You want some coffee?” Reed asked.
I shook my head again. “No, I better go. But thank you, Reed. I had a wonderful night.”
“So did I.”
Chapter Seventeen
Reed
I woke up that morning feeling happy. The last time I had slept with Kennedy, I’d felt so guilty about what had happened. But the second time had felt different. I only felt guilty about the fact that we’d done it in the living room. We shouldn’t have done that, and I was never going to make that mistake again. But other than that, I felt happy about what had happened. I knew now, without a doubt, that I liked Kennedy. I wasn’t sure what was going to happen or where it was going to go, but I was just going to take one day at a time and let it take its course.
“How about some pancakes?” I said to Trinity as she came down the stairs. I’d woken up early, and there was still a bit of time to kill before I had to go to work.
Trinity grinned. “Really? Like the ones Kennedy showed us how to make?”
I nodded. “It’s worth a shot. It didn’t look that hard. Should I try?”
She nodded enthusiastically. “Yes, please.”
I set about making the breakfast while Trinity spoke at length about the wedding she was going to have one day.
“And who is this lucky man you are going to marry?” I asked her.
She shrugged. “I’m too young for a boyfriend, remember? But maybe one day when I’m older, I will want one.”
“Oh, I’m sure you will. But I would prefer if you just don’t grow up. I like you as you are.”
She chuckled. “But on my next birthday, I’m going to be seven, Daddy.”
“No, I think you should go backward. Can’t you turn five instead?”
She giggled. “NO!”
“That’s a pity. I don’t want you to grow up. I want you to stay six forever.”
She laughed. “That would be weird.”
When I was done with the pancakes, I placed a stack in the middle of the table and joined Trinity. She took one bite and grinned at me.
“Daddy, you can cook!”
I shook my head. “I’m not sure I would call this cooking. But I’m glad you like it. Kennedy is a good teacher.”
Just then Kennedy walked in. She took in the scene around her in amazement.
“Do my eyes deceive me or are you really all eating pancakes right now?”
“Daddy made them.”
Kennedy looked at me in surprise. “Really?”
“Don’t look so shocked. You’re the one who taught me. Come try one.”
Kennedy walked over and sat down. She tried a pancake and made a face.
“Disgusting,” she said. Then, when she saw the look on my face, she laughed. “Just kidding. These are amazing. I’m impressed. Just don’t get too good at cooking, otherwise you won’t need me here anymore.”
“Oh, I don’t see that happening anytime soon,” I said and smiled at her. I was surprised that things were so easy between us. I’d expected us to feel awkward around one another after what had happened. We hadn’t spoken the next day at all as it had been her day off and I was glad to see her still smiling at me. In fact, the sexual tension between us seemed to have elevated.
“So, I was thinking of taking tomorrow off,” I said.
“What? This can’t be happening. Am I imagining things? First I walk in on you making pancakes, and then you tell me that you’re going to take a day off work. Is this a dream?”
I laughed. “It’s not a dream. I just don’t have any clients tomorrow, and I figured the rest of my work can wait. I was thinking that maybe I can take you both out tomorrow. We can do something fun together. What do you think?”
“I think it’s a great idea,” Trinity said.
“Me too,” Kennedy said. “But this time I get to choose what we do for the day. Deal?”
I chuckled. “I thought you had fun at the museum?”
“I did. Actually, I had a lot of fun, but it’s good to change things up a bit.”
“Okay, deal. Your choice. And now, I really better get going. If I’m going to take the day off tomorrow, then I need to get as much work done as possible today.”
“Have a great day,” Kennedy said.
“You too,” I said. Then I walked over to Trinity and kissed her on the head. “Have fun, Trin.”
I got to work and went immediately to get a cup of coffee before starting my day. I found Warren doing the same.
“Morning,” I said to him.
“Morning. So, are you in love?”
“What? What are you talking about?”
“I said you were going to fall in love with Kennedy after the wedding. Was I right or was I right?” he asked.
I smiled at the thought of Kennedy but then quickly shook my head. “I am not in love. You were mistaken, my friend.”
“Oh yeah, then why are you grinning like a Cheshire cat?”
“I always grin like this when I’m about to have a cup of coffee.”
“No way. And you’re not getting away with it this easily. So, come on, spill the beans. Did you kiss?”
I laughed. “Yeah.”
“Ah, finally. Some truth. I knew you would. In front of Trinity?”
“No way! Definitely not.”
“So, you snuck off at the wedding?”
“Uh, no. We kissed at home. Trin was sleeping.”
“At home? Is that all you did?”
“Uh, not quite.”
“Reed Maxwell, my man, are you telling me that you finally did it with the woman you have been lusting over for the past few weeks? The one that you won’t admit to liking? The one that I know that you like a lot more than you’re letting on?”
Dirty Daddy_The Maxwell Family Page 10