by Anna Lewis
“Yes honey that is a big deal,” I said and kissed him on the cheek.
“Did I get taller than when I turned five?” he followed up, being as adorable as ever.
“You did get taller and you’ll continue to get taller until you’re twenty-five,” I said, making him smile.
“I wanna be as tall as dad is,” he said, pointing to Josh in the front seat so I knew exactly who he meant.
“And you will be as long as…”
“I eat my vegebles…” he sighed. I giggled at his mispronunciation of the word, he still couldn’t get it right.
“And we’ve arrived,” Josh announced as soon as the car stopped. Jackson was out in under two seconds to open the door for Gio and I to get out. I glanced up at Josh’s parents’ house. It was bigger than the one they lived in when we were kids. They did have a huge yard and the drive was full of cars.
“It seems like everyone’s here,” Josh said and took my hand while Gio hopped all the way to the front door. “Go ahead and ring the doorbell buddy,” Josh said. Gio jumped a couple of times before Josh picked him up so he could push the button. Literally seconds later the door swung wide open. The first thing that hit me was the noise from inside, there were a lot of voices as well as maybe a TV and music playing somewhere in the background.
“Hey you guys made it!” A man that looked a lot like Josh, but only younger and with a darker shade of blue eyes, hugged him tight.
“Hey Andy,” Josh chuckled, hugging his brother tight even while holding Gio still.
“How have you been? Is this who we’ve all been hearing so much about? Maddy and Gio?” Andy spoke at like a million words per minute, talk about an excitable younger brother.
“Yep, this is my family. Maddy, Gio this is my younger brother Andy. He’s always hyper even without coffee,” he said, both surprising me and making me laugh. Josh had really just introduced us as his family…as well as explained his brother’s inherent excitement.
“Nice to meet you,” Gio said, holding out his hand for Andy to shake.
“Wow, I’m impressed, all the other little ones running around here aren’t as mature as you,” Andy said as Josh put Gio back down.
“I’m gonna be six tomorrow,” he said by way of explanation.
“That explains it. Well come on in guys, mom and dad are in the kitchen. Mom hasn’t stopped talking about you Josh,” Andy said as he led us through the front room and around two curious Boston Terriers.
“Oh my goodness, your face Joshua!” was the first thing his mom said when she saw us. Andy cracked up and I bit my lip a little nervously. His bruises were still yellowing and clearing up, but they weren’t gone.
“That must have been some accident huh?” Josh’s dad came up behind his mom who paused her vegetable chopping. She was in the kitchen with two other women who also glanced back with welcoming smiles.
“Yeah the guy rolled up with a driver. I’m guessing your fancy SUV was totaled huh?” Andy asked him and Josh rolled his eyes, it was clear to tell the age difference between brothers, where Josh was nearing thirty-two Andy was only twenty-four.
“Andrew would you please, Joshua’s only been here two minutes and already you’re picking a fight? Not to mention painting a lovely picture of us to his new family,” she scolded.
“Mom, you remember Maddy, Maddy my mom, Marge and dad, Jo. Guys, this is Gio…” Josh made quick introductions and Marge hugged me tight.
“Oh it’s so good to see you! You’ve grown up beautifully, you look just like your mother,” she said in a motherly voice that made me miss my mom a lot in that moment. Jo surprised me with a hug as well as we greeted each other. Then they looked down at Gio who was smiling up at them.
“Hi, I’m Gio,” he said politely and I watched Marge’s face as she fell in love almost instantly.
“Aren’t you the most handsome little boy!” she gushed, giving him a hard hug.
“I’m going to be six tomorrow,” he informed her, making Jo laugh.
“Soon you won’t be a little boy anymore huh?” he chuckled and bumped fists with Gio. After that Josh introduced us to his two cousins-in-law, Tanya and Steph. Immediately after four little boys and one pouting little girl came running into the kitchen. They all seemed to be five or six.
“Mom, Sophie keeps bothering us,” one of the little boys went up to Josh’s cousin Tanya. He was adorable, with chocolate brown skin just like her, but he had the family’s blue eyes and his hair was all puffed up in a curly afro. I could tell who his brother was, he had the same hair and eye color though his skin was a tad lighter. The other two boys resembled Steph with her golden colored skin and silver blonde hair. The little girl also looked like a younger Steph, with her clear blue eyes.
When both Tanya and Steph’s husbands came walking in from the patio out back I wondered how one family could be so attractive. All the men in Josh’s family were certainly not bad to look at.
“You must be Maddy, the girl Josh has been in love with for years!” Tanya’s husband, Greg, was a big guy with a booming voice and ready smile.
“Maddy from next door! I’ve met you a couple of times when we were younger. I’m Kevin,” his other cousin came to greet me as well and I had to study the leaner and sort of nerdy looking Kevin to remember him.
“You used to always want to play slap jack and collect baseball cards right?” I asked with a chuckle and he cracked up.
“Yep, that’s me,” he grinned. Kevin had definitely grown from then, though his hair was still curly, it framed his face in a way that would make Superman jealous and his old wire rimmed glasses were replaced with fashionable black frames that didn’t take away from his striking blue eyes.
“Mommy can I go play catch with them?” Gio tugged on my elbow and pointed to the boys waiting by the sliding door in the family room to head outside. Poor Sophie had given up and was sitting at the island bar watching her mom make potato salad.
“Yeah, sure honey, but don’t get your clothes too dirty,” I warned him.
“I won’t!” Three seconds later he and the other boys were racing to the huge backyard.
“So Maddy, come tell us about how you guys found each other after so long. It’s like a romance story or something,” Kevin said, steering me into the kitchen with everyone else. Tanya handed me a glass of wine and I tried to act normal as I wondered how I’d get away with not drinking at all throughout the day.
It was nice all in all, sort of like a big family gathering and it was. Josh’s family welcomed Gio and I in as their own. Though, by the time dessert came around and the sun was setting Marge was eying me more and more.
“Maddy, come help me put these glasses away please?” Marge was drying off the glasses from dinner. Everyone was getting ready to watch a movie in the family room. I was beginning to wonder if Josh and I would have to surgically remove Gio from his new found cousins in order to head home later.
“Sure Marge, let me…” I took a water glass to put on a shelf she couldn’t reach. Marge wasn’t the tallest woman in the world.
“So…I couldn’t help but notice all day how careful you were around alcohol…” she said and quirked an eyebrow at me knowingly.
“Yeah…I’m not much of a drinker,” I said quietly, glancing over at Josh who was glancing at Marge and I every so often. He was too far to hear our conversation though.
“For any reason in particular?” she pressed and I had to laugh.
“Joshua doesn’t know yet…well no one does,” I admitted. Marge gasped audibly, and everyone glanced back.
“I’m fine, everything is fine…” Marge waved her hand and they went back to the Captain America movie.
“How far along are you?” she asked excitedly, taking my hands in hers briefly. Her smile could honestly light up the room she was so happy. It made me want to cry a little bit, I felt as if I was telling my own mom that I was pregnant.
“Two months, I only found out at the beginning of the week though,” I sa
id in a soft voice. Marge glanced at the family room again before getting back to putting the dishes away.
“Oh I’m so happy for you Maddy, I know Josh will just be the happiest guy on the planet. Though he’s told me over and over how he already is,” she said and gave me an impromptu hug. “I love you guys,” she said sincerely, choking me up yet again. After having it just be Gio and I with Aunt Aida I was glad we were getting a big loving family with Josh.
***
“So what did my mom talk to you about in the kitchen? She really seems to love you,” Josh said as we were on the way back home. Gio was knocked out after a full day of playing. He really wouldn’t leave until we told him that his cousins were staying all the way until Thanksgiving, so he’d see them again.
“She just wanted to make sure I would marry you when you asked,” I lied. Josh chuckled softly. He was sitting in the back with us since Jackson had switched the sedan for an SUV.
“Well I guess she was just looking out for me, she knows I would lose my mind if you left me.” He said it as if it were a matter of fact. I leaned over and kissed him softly on the mouth.
“Same here bub.”
“So tomorrow…is going to be a lot of fun,” Josh said with an almost conspiratorial grin.
“What did you do?” I asked him.
“I’m just excited to see Gio’s reaction when he finally sees his room and how excited he’ll be to see his favorite animals up close…” Cue the slow unfurling Cheshire grin. I couldn’t help but giggle though.
“…and?” I asked, but of course he just shushed me and pointed to Gio’s sleeping head leaning against his arm.
“It’s a surprise,” was all he said after that, along with a sly grin.
“I hope you’re not doing too much,” I said, giving him a pointed stare. Which he ignored with a shrug, his grin still in place. When we got back home Josh took Gio up to his bed and I was eager to collapse into ours. I was pretty exhausted.
“Gio’s knocked out,” Josh said as he came into the room. I was in the closet lazily pulling on a shirt for bed.
“I’d imagine he’d be beat after literally running around all day,” I commented.
“You look tired too…is that my fault for keeping you up all night?” he smirked and I threw a nearby sock at him.
“Anyways I thought it was me keeping you up?” I replied, a small smile on my lips. Josh laughed out loud and scooped me up from the ottoman. He took me to the bed and then pursed his lips.
“Aren’t you getting bored of this…?”
My eyebrows drew together in confusion.
“Bored of what?” I asked him slowly.
“The same old scenery, you know there are a lot of surfaces in this house that can be utilized.”
“Oh…like what surfaces?” I said, my confusion clearing up as he explained himself.
“There’s this nice hallway table just outside the room…” he said suggestively and my eyes widened.
“Josh, there’s a camera out there in the hall,” I chuckled, not really taking him seriously. Until he picked me up again and moved towards the bedroom door. “You can’t be serious! What if—” he sealed his mouth over mine, his tongue sliding expertly against mine. I felt that we passed through the double doors and soon enough my butt was resting on the end table in the hallway. “Josh…” my ‘being serious’ voice came out all weak and pathetic. Especially as he began to knead my breasts, pulling and rolling my nipples in between his fingers in the process.
My breathing was already erratic and I was almost uncomfortably moist in between my legs. I wasn’t sure if it was because I was more sensitive than normal due to the pregnancy, or because Josh had us in a near exhibitionist situation. Maybe it was both, but I’d be lying if I said the rush didn’t heighten things.
Josh pulled back a fraction to push my panties to the side and rub my clit with his thumb. My head fell back with a moan and my eyes closed briefly. Before I knew it I felt his mouth at the lips of my sex and I gasped. My eyes flew open and of course they went immediately to the camera mounted where the ceiling meets the wall a few feet away from us. He gripped my hips, pulling me forward a bit and his tongue slid against my clit relentlessly. One of my hands held me up while the other tangled in his hair. The orgasm came hard and fast, electrifying my entire body and wiping me out. By the time it passed, my heart was pounding and I was a bit light headed.
“See…I have to get you out of the bedroom more often,” he murmured. I opened one of my eyes to see him smirking at me. He was no longer crouched, but pulling his erection from his jeans. Before I could respond, he was sliding into me, we both groaned. I knew how swollen and slick I was and he felt as much. “Fuck Maddy,” he whispered hoarsely. All it took was two thrusts and I was flying into another orgasm. Josh was shocked, I’d never been so responsive before, but I couldn’t help it. I felt like a faulty trip wire.
The sex was hard and fast, I climbed with Josh to another orgasm that left us both breathless. My limbs felt like they were molten and Josh had to carry me back into the bedroom.
“I can’t believe…” I took a deep breath, “we did that…” I finished. Josh chuckled as he cleaned me up with a damp washcloth. Taking care in between my legs as he always does.
“Well…I think you should know that, since the hallway’s a dead end with only our room in one direction, the camera’s view doesn’t reach the hallway table,” he grinned at me boyishly and I had to punch him in the arm.
“You had me thinking we were freaking…giving the guys in the library a show or something,” I said and he laughed.
“Oh I know I had you thinking that,” he gave me a light kiss on the lips and disappeared into the bathroom. I sighed and stretched, settling into bed.
“So will you tell me what extra you have planned for Gio tomorrow?” Josh laughed as he walked back into the bedroom. Wearing absolutely nothing.
“You’ll just have to be surprised too,” he said with a grin.
“Hey…I love you,” I told him as he settled into bed behind me.
“I love you too,” he murmured into my ear and kissed my neck.
***
I woke up early to get Gio’s favorite pancakes going, banana chocolate chip, which Josh was excited about having as well. He was busy putting a big fat ribbon on Gio’s bedroom door and adding, ‘some last touches’ to the room. I paused in whipping up the batter to take my prenatal vitamin. I was sure to hide the bottle immediately after taking out the pill.
“Hey how’s pancake making going?” Josh nearly scared the pill right out of my hand.
“It’s coming along, just have to get it on the stove,” I recovered quickly and took the vitamin, gulping down some water while facing away from him.
“What’s that? Headache?” he asked me, coming up from behind to kiss my neck.
“No, it’s just a vitamin,” I said…not technically lying.
“Oh, do you want some help? I can be taste tester.”
I smirked at him and shook my head.
“You can be on bacon if you want to help,” I pointed to the pack on the counter and the skillet. Working as a team we got breakfast done in no time, and it wasn’t long after that Gio came running downstairs. His eyes bright and excited for the day, his expression almost matching his hair which was sticking up in all directions.
“It’s my birthday!” he yelled excitedly and ran to jump right into my arms.
“I know, happy birthday,” I murmured into his ear and gave him a huge kiss on the cheek.
“Happy birthday little man,” Josh said and Gio gave him a hug just as big as mine.
“You made my favorite pancakes! Dad have you tried them? They’re the best…” as Gio continued talking at a million miles per hour I went to make myself some pregnancy safe tea. Being an avid coffee drinker in the morning I just needed something hot to drink out of a mug in the mornings. I did brew a cup for Josh who was getting the brunt of Gio’s excited chatter. They were bot
h devouring the pancakes though.
“Thanks, you’re not having any?” he asked me, suddenly aware that my mug had a tea packet inside.
“No I usually skip coffee on the weekends,” I lied and I feared he suspected as much. But he didn’t question it. He simply took his cup and continued talking with Gio about our upcoming visit to the zoo. Gio had completely forgotten about his new room.
“So…I know you’ve been eagerly awaiting seeing your new room buddy…” that was all Josh had to say after everyone was done with breakfast. Gio took off upstairs and Josh laughed as he jogged behind him. I took a more graceful walk upstairs and made it just in time to see Gio open the door and his face light up with wonder. It was like he was entering Disney World or something.
“Wow! This is so cool! Mommy come look!” Gio yelled in amazement. I stepped into the bedroom and I had to say, I was impressed. The once neutrally done guest room was now Gio’s favorite shade of pastel olive green. He had a bunk bed that wasn’t too high and had a little lounge area underneath with a huge beanbag that Gio jumped on immediately. He ran over to his own play area, it was equipped with another beanbag chair, had his toys neatly lined up in a small shelving unit and a TV on top of that. Then where there was once a little reading nook by the huge panoramic view of the city, was a desk and homework area. His bathroom was done up too, matching the color scheme of his room, the closet was made to be more friendly to his height so he could reach all his clothes and whatnot.
“Thank you Mommy, thank you Dad!” Gio gave both of us another big hug. Then Josh showed him the crème de la crème and pulled out a decent sized trampoline that was hidden behind his bunk bed. They both played on it until I deemed it time to get ready for the zoo, which Gio didn’t have to be told twice. Josh pulled the trampoline over to Gio’s play area and went to help him get ready. I loved that he was so involved with Gio, I couldn’t have asked for a better father to him. My chest felt full and I did want to cry a little as I couldn’t help but begin to hope that we were finally getting back on track. Headed towards being a family.