by Maya Hughes
“Mommy, the scooper is too heavy,” Emma complained.
“Okay, sweetie, just wait a second and I’ll be there.” She closed the fridge with three eggs in her hand and was promptly showered with a cloud of white powder. She coughed and a puff of flour flew off her body. Staring down at her body, stunned, she was completely covered in flour. Emma was standing there with the scooper high in the air.
“Sorry, Mommy,” Emma said, also coated in a thin layer of white. They made their cookies, extra floury, and then both showered before putting on pajamas. There was flour everywhere and Alex just left it until after bedtime. No use in trying to clean it up with a rambunctious six-year-old streaking all over the place.
She was tucking Emma in when the front door closed. She tip-toed downstairs to see Gabe pulling off his shoes by the front door, completely soaked.
“It’s really coming down out there,” she said.
“Yeah, it’s been pissing rain all afternoon.”
“Did you get much shooting done?”
“Only a little, but that’s not what took so long. I had a meeting with Aaron.” She stiffened before lowering herself onto the coffee table to sit. He got up from the chair by the door and sat on the couch opposite her spot on the table.
“What happened? Is that what this morning was about?”
“Yeah, he came by to try to threaten me about my contract with him,” he sighed, resting his head on the back of the couch.
“I told him under no uncertain terms would I ever again have anything to do with him.” He sat up and stared into her eyes. “I would rather never film another movie, if that was the only way to never have to see him ever again. I’m through with him.”
“Would you really never film a movie again?”
“Alex, I would rather never have made a single movie, if it meant I could get those years back with Emma—with you. I have been looking to get out of acting for a while now. This is my last contractually obligated movie for the studio. I would much rather be behind the scenes—have a more flexible life where I can stay in one place—than have to go from set to set. Especially now. I was planning on it before, but now with Emma and you, I don’t want to have to travel all over the place. I want to be with you two.” Gabe leaned forward and threaded his fingers through the hair at the nape of her neck and pulled her toward him.
“And we want to be with you,” she said as her lips brushed against his. He scooped her up off the coffee table and onto his lap. She kissed her way down his chin until she settled on his neck, nipping him, while she grinds herself on his lap. Gabe placed his hands on her ass and pulled her tighter against him, consumed by the kiss.
She stood abruptly and grabbed Gabe’s hand, leading him toward the stairs. Her core was clenching in anticipation of what was coming. They quietly crept upstairs and past Emma’s room into the master bedroom and flipped the door shut behind them.
The minute the lock was turned, Gabe was on her, pressing her front against the door as she made short work of her shirt, flipping it up and over her head. Her bra was the next casualty and the cool wood tightened her nipples as they rubbed against the door. He unbuttoned her pants, keeping a hand pressed against her back to keep her in place.
Without pulling her pants all the way off, Gabe was against her back and Alex could feel his cock pressing against her butt, rubbing between her cheeks.
“Gabe, stop teasing! I need you in me now.”
“Be patient, don’t worry. I know what you want.” He started his exploration of her body, beginning with her neck. He nipped her neck and kissed his way to her shoulder as he made his way down her back. A bite on one of her cheeks had her letting out a yip before he soothed it with a kiss. Then Gabe pulled her hips out and pressed her hands against the door. He teased her opening before pushing forward, sinking deep into her. They both let out a groan.
“You feel so fucking good,” he moaned out as she began to move her hips and they found their rhythm. Using the door for leverage, she pushed back against Gabe to get him deeper as she bent at the waist. Gabe held onto her hips and hammered into her.
“Yes, oh yes, I’m so close, Gabe. More, more,” Alex moaned. Gabe obliged, reaching his hand around the front of her while maintaining his pace and rubbed her clit before setting her off like a rocket. She screamed into her arm to muffle the sound as her orgasm ripped through her and her pussy gripped his cock even tighter. Gabe followed quickly behind her, biting down on her shoulder to muffle his roar of release.
Alex threw her hair over her shoulder, glancing back at Gabe with a smile.
“That was unexpected,” she said, chuckling to herself.
“I try,” he breathed. Helping her out of her pants, the two settled into the bed, which squeaked with every move the pair made. Standing-up sex had been a good idea, she thought as she drifted in and out of sleep with Gabe wrapped around her. She wrapped her arm around his that were crisscrossed across her chest and closed her eyes. This was definitely a good idea.
Chapter 25
The morning sun came streaming through the airy curtains in the master bedroom. Alex stretched her arms over her head and Gabe nuzzled against her stomach with his arms wrapped around her. He squeezed her tighter and grumbled, which made her smile. She pushed back the hair on his forehead and gazed at his face, taking in his strong features and ridiculously full eyelashes. It had been a long time since she’d allowed herself to really look at him.
Perhaps sensing her gaze on him, his eyes fluttered open and he smiled at her.
“Morning,” he said, yawning.
“Morning,” she bent down and kissed him on the lips. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her on top of him.
“Now that’s a great way to wake up,” he chuckled, running his hands along her back.
“What’s the plan for today?” She kissed him again and interlaced her fingers behind his head.
“We’re going to head down to London for a couple of days. There’s a soccer match on tonight and I think it would be a lot of fun.”
“Okay, sounds good to me,” she said. There was a light bump in the hallway; Emma was awake. She froze, unsure of what to do. Emma didn’t know anything was going on between them yet. They had been good about making sure that he went back to his room any night they ended up together, which was most nights.
Perhaps feeling her tense, he sat up and ran his hand along her back. He hopped up and grabbed a pair of boxers and a t-shirt. He passed the t-shirt to her and sat on the edge of the bed and pulled on boxers.
He walked over to the bedroom door and peered back at her.
“Relax. It’s okay,” he said before walking out of the bedroom.
She could hear him from the hallway.
“Is my best girl awake already?”
“Daddy!” Emma called out. Lying back on the bed, she took a deep breath and a smile played on her lips. This could be their life every day.
After their morning wake-up and breakfast routine, they headed to the train station to travel down to London. It was a four-hour trip and Emma loved every minute of it. She’d never been on a long train ride before and spent most of the time staring out the windows, calling out all the different animals she saw. It was mainly cows and sheep, but every so often there might be a goat. Gabe had to head to a different car to take a phone call for a little bit, but other than that, he was right there with them, helping Emma call out the animals, much to the chagrin of the business travelers in their car.
Once they arrived in London, they stopped off at a wax museum before going to Buckingham Palace to watch the changing of the guard. He must have pulled some strings because they somehow had a small spot carved out for them right up front so Emma could get a good look at all that was happening. Next, they went across the Thames to the London Eye, which Emma gawked at until they were right at the front of the line.
She craned her neck to look all the way to the top and stared in awe as the whole thing moved around and neve
r stopped. Gabe and Alex both held onto one of her hands as they made the jump onto the Ferris wheel. Although it was against the rules, they ended up staying for a second round because Emma wanted to see all the sights from the sky one more time. Finally, they left for the soccer match.
They took a classic black taxi to the stadium and were ushered in through a private entrance. Alex had forgotten that he was famous for a moment. He got the special treatment, but with his hat and glasses, there weren’t many people who recognized him. He had signed a few autographs, but always managed to keep it low key and let them know he was with his family and had to go. Everyone who recognized him was very respectful and she was impressed at how he handled it all.
They were ushered to a club box with floor to ceiling windows and a small row of seats right in front. There were also tables and couches throughout the room and a full spread of food.
“I’m going to grab some food for Emma.” She left him with some of the other men who were congregating in front of the windows overlooking the field. Emma made a beeline for the chocolate fountain.
“Oh, no you don’t, young lady!” Alex called out, pulling Emma’s fingers back when they were mere inches from causing a liquid chocolate disaster.
“Good save,” someone called out from behind her. She turned to see an incredibly pregnant woman standing with a plate filled with fruit and cakes.
“Your spidey senses will kick in once that little one comes out.” Alex motioned to her belly.
“I’m sure.”
“When are you due?”
“Two weeks, give or take. I hope it’s take. It really needs to be take. This kid is using my stomach as a punching bag.”
“I remember those days. But also remember that it’s easier to take care of them when they’re inside rather than outside.”
“Good point. I’m Jess, by the way.” She shifted her plate and extended her hand.
“Hi Jess. I’m Alex.” She clasped hands with Jess and gave her a shake. “And this little chocolate monster is Emma,” Alex said, catching Emma before she could make a second attempt at the fountain.
“Come and sit down; we’ll move away from the temptation.” Jess motioned them over to a small, round table covered in a white linen tablecloth.
“Good idea.” Gabe was chatting with some of the other guys in the box. All of them were standing with arms crossed in front of the windows, probably trying to impress one another with random sports knowledge. Picking up a plate full of food, Alex settled Emma and dug into her plate.
“I don’t mean to pry, but I saw you come in with Gabe Stevens,” Jess whispered.
“I did,” Alex whispered back. “Why are we whispering?”
“I don’t know. I guess I’m not used to being the one drooling over another woman’s man.”
Alex let out a belly laugh. “He is quite the hottie, isn’t he?”
Jess blushed. “Indeed. I’ve probably seen all his movies at least ten times. I don’t usually get star-struck, but man oh man.” She started fanning herself.
“He does have that effect on many woman and some men.”
“I know all about that. My husband is completely drool-worthy and I’m usually the one freaking out about all the attention he’s getting.”
“Who’s your husband?”
“Aedan O’Connell. He’s the captain of the team.”
“Oh, great!” Jess feigned recognition and took a bite of her food. She didn’t even know which teams were playing, let alone who the players were.
Jess smiled, seeing right through the ploy. “Don’t worry, I’m married to him and I barely know anything about soccer. I don’t come to many games nowadays, but when he said that Gabe Stevens was coming, I heaved myself off the couch, got as presentable as possible, and rolled down here.”
“You look wonderful,” Alex reassured her.
“No need to stroke my ego; I know I’m the size of a house, but it’s all worth it for this little, well, not-so-little, bump.”
“You do, even if you don’t believe you need the ego boost.” Alex put her hand on Jess’s and gave it a small squeeze.
“I know. I just hate feeling like this, especially with all the attention Aedan gets. But I’m sure you know all about that since you’re with Gabe freaking Stevens,” she laughed.
“It’s been interesting to say the least.”
“How long have you been together?” Jess leaned forward in her chair, elbows resting on the table.
“Ugh, well, it’s complicated. We knew each other a while ago and have recently reconnected.”
“Yes, my daddy had to be away for a long time, but now he’s back and I get to see him every day.” Both jumped, forgetting that Emma was listening in.
“She’s Gabe’s?” Jess gasped. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to pry. It’s none of my business.”
“It’s fine. Yes, she’s Gabe’s.”
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to intrude. I know how much I hate it when people ask personal questions.”
“Mommy, I’m finished.”
“Okay, sweetie.”
“Can I go see Daddy?”
“Sure, go ahead.” Emma hopped up out of her seat, ran over to Gabe, and pulled on his shirt. He turned, picked her up, and pointed out all the different things happening on the field.
“It’s okay, really. It’s not a secret or anything; it’s just not something we’ve really talked about in public.”
The two spent a little bit more time chatting and Jess promised to invite them over the next time they were over. Apparently, Gabe had been a staple at their place whenever he was in town. Alex liked Jess; she seemed so normal, and she could use all the normal she could get nowadays.
The blare of the pre-game festivities drowned out the rest of the sound in the room. The guys had opened the doors facing the field and walked out to watch from in front of the glass.
“Match is about to start,” Jess said, wiping her mouth, and standing.
“I guess we should go get some good seats. It was great talking with you.”
“You too, and don’t be a stranger!”
“We won’t,” she said, giving her a hug, and walking over to her two favorite people.
Gabe smiled down at her and wrapped his arm around her, pulling her close. Wrapping her arm around his waist, Alex laid her head against his chest. Someone knew now; it was only the beginning. More people would find out, and she needed to prepare herself.
*
Holding onto his two girls settled Gabe in a way he didn’t know was possible. He sat watching the game with Emma on his lap and Alex tucked into his chest. He’d met Aedan a couple of years ago at some charity event and they were always crossing paths at those types of events, especially when he was filming in Europe.
When Aedan found out that he would be filming in Scotland, he invited him down to the match. With a tight filming schedule, he didn’t have a lot of consecutive days off, so this was the perfect chance to take Alex and Emma down to London to explore.
The game was fast-paced and much more enjoyable than it was on TV. Emma was standing on her seat jumping up and down, screaming once he’d let her know she was rooting for the team in red. Even Alex was on her feet during the final minutes of the game, with the score at 2-2. Aedan streaked down the field, passing the ball to a teammate before sprinting ahead and getting the ball back and scoring a solid goal that whacked the back of the net. Their entire box screamed and cheered, jumping up and down at their win. Alex and Jess were cheering together, Jess holding her heavily pregnant belly.
“Maybe you should hold back on the celebrating.” Alex laughed.
“Probably a good idea,” Jess said, taking a seat. “It was really nice meeting you. And next time you’re in London, give me a call and we can hang out.”
“Next time I’m here, I will.”
Gabe and Alex ended the evening with a passed-out Emma between them in a taxi on the way back to the hotel. He threaded his fingers
through hers over Emma’s head and he pulled them to his lips. Alex’s heart fluttered as she leaned over to him and gave him a gentle kiss on the lips.
Perfection.
Chapter 26
The next day, they had a little time before they had to head back to the train station. Emma had begged to go to the café around the corner from their hotel once she’d spied the huge cupcakes in the windows. She’d been reluctant to say yes because those things were about the size of Emma’s head, but Alex relented once Emma and Gabe both started giving her puppy eyes.
“Fine, fine, we can go, but you,” she said, pointing at Gabe. “Have to deal with her during her sugar rush on the train ride. I’m absolving myself of any parental responsibility from the time she takes her first bite of that thing until we get back to the house in Edinburgh.”
“Understood, ma’am!” He saluted as they stood outside of the café doors.
“Oh my god, you’re Gabe Stevens!” A teenager and her friend shrieked as they stepped into a small cafe. “I loved you in Stargazer! Can I please get a picture?” she asked, practically hyperventilating.
He glanced back at Alex and Emma. She nodded, shooing him forward. Far be it for her to deny a true fan her chance for a pic with him. Alex had to admit that it was cool to see fans go ga-ga for him. Even Jess had flipped a bit, and she was married to a professional celebrity soccer player. He’d done well for himself and that unsure guy that she’d first met, who doubted he’d ever make it, had certainly made it.
“Sure, no problem,” he laughed, taking the teen’s phone. He took three pictures with them selfie-style. Alex took Emma to order a cupcake and ordered two coffees for her and Gabe. The teens ran out of the café shrieking once their photoshoot with him was finished. He pulled up a chair and sat. She slid the coffee to him and he took a sip.
“So good, just the way I like it. How did you know?”
“What? You think I don’t pay attention?” she said. He slid his hand under the table and rubbed her knee.
“I know you do. Thank you.” He took another sip and turned to Emma.