Come What May: A Standalone Age Gap Romance

by LK Farlow

  The feeling passes and I offer a weak, “Yeah.”

  “We’re coming in.”

  Of course, they’re all here.

  The moderately sized bathroom feels a lot smaller with all four of us in it.

  “Are you okay?” Mags asks.

  With my head resting on the toilet seat, I nod.

  “Ugh.” Azalea gags. “Sit up.”

  I do and she slams the lid and flushes.

  “What’s going on?” Myla Rose asks, running the hand towel under the faucet. She passes it to me and I press it to the back of my neck.

  “I don’t—the cake—I don’t know.”

  “Girl, the cake was fine,” Azalea says.

  Myla gets a worried look in her eyes. “Seraphine, is there any chance you could be pregnant?”

  My initial reaction is to deny it, but—that first time Mateo and I slept together, we didn’t use a condom.

  Surely, I’m not…

  “I have a few tests at home, let me run and grab one,” Myla Rose says, slipping from the bathroom before any of us can object. Though, I guess I’d be the only one to actually object.

  Since she lives next door, she is back in a flash. She slides the test from her purse and hands it to me. “We’ll be right outside, okay?”

  “Yeah, sure. Okay.” They all start to file out when a thought hits me. “Wait! Aren’t you supposed to do this in the morning or something?”

  Myles smiles at me. “Just go ahead and do it, ‘kay?”

  Gulping, I nod.

  It takes me a few minutes to work up the courage—as well as the need to pee. During that time, I swish my mouth out with water, wash my hands, and thoroughly read the instructions.

  Finally, all that’s left is to do it. I pee on the stick, recap it, and place it facedown before flushing and washing my hands yet again.

  The second they hear the flush, all three come filing back in.

  “Well?” Azalea asks.

  “It said to wait three minutes,” I whisper.

  Ever the girl scout, Myla Rose flips her phone around so we can see the screen. “I started the time when I heard the flush.”

  We fall silent while we wait for the alarm. When it dings, I nearly jump out of my skin.

  “Flip it over,” Azalea urges.

  I suck in a big breath and slowly release it before turning over the little stick. Sure enough, two dark pink lines greet me.

  Holy. Shit. “I’m—”

  “Pregnant,” Magnolia finishes my sentence.

  “What are you gonna do?” Azalea asks.

  “What do you mean?”

  “Abortion? Adoption? Mom up?”

  Her words hit me square in the chest. While I absolutely believe every woman has the right to choose, I know immediately that I am keeping this baby. “I’m gonna be a mom,” I whisper, a million different conflicting emotions clogging my throat.

  Like the ride-or-dies they are, all three of my friends wrap me in a hug.

  “I’m really happy for you,” Magnolia says, her cheeks wet with tears.

  “Me, too,” Myla Rose echoes her sentiment. “Motherhood is one hell of a journey, but it’s also the most amazing journey. You got this, girl.”

  “Yeah, happy-joy-joy,” Azalea, lightening the mood with her particular brand of snark, “but how are you gonna tell Mateo?”

  Chapter Thirty-One

  Mateo

  I’m switching a load of laundry—shop rags—when my cell phone buzzes in my pocket. As lame as it may sound, I’m hoping it’s Seraphine.

  Last night, after Willow’s party wound down, Myla Rose declared the womenfolk needed a slumber party, and while I’m always happy to see Seraphine spend time with those she loves and who love her, my bed felt empty last night without her in it.

  After tossing the last of the rags into the dryer, shutting the door, and hitting start, I slide my phone from my pocket. My lips curve into a smile at the sight of her name.

  Seraphine: Can we talk?

  Worry slides in, crowding my earlier happiness against the wall.

  Me: Always. What’s up?

  Seraphine: In person?

  Me: You never need to ask. Where are you?

  Seraphine: On your porch.

  I shove my phone back into my pocket and fly to the door. Sure enough, there on the other side of it, is Seraphine looking a little worse for wear.

  “Come inside.” I haul her into the house and into my arms, holding her close. I’m not sure what’s up, but she’s clearly upset. Her downturned lips, watery eyes, and curved shoulders have me going into knight-mode, ready to slay her dragons. “Are you okay?”

  She steps out of my embrace and wraps her arms around her middle. “Can we sit?”

  “Of course.”

  In the living room, she heads for the couch, but I pull her onto my lap in my chair. For a minute, she sits there, her back ramrod straight before finally melting into me.

  “Talk to me, mariposita.”

  She inhales a wobbly breath. “You said we’d be okay, no matter what, right?”

  Instantly, I’m on high alert. “Yeah.” I rub my hands over her back, trying to loosen the tightly bunched muscles.

  “And you meant it?” She looks up at me with tired eyes.

  “Wholeheartedly,” I assure her.

  She thinks for a moment before nodding to herself. “I’m pregnant.”

  My hands still. Time stills. The entire fucking earth comes to a screeching halt on its axis—or at least my world did. “Pregnant?” I rasp.

  Seraphine nods, tears dripping from her chin.

  “Un don de Dios.” I cup her jaw and tilt her face to mine, swiping away her tears with my thumbs. “We’re going to have a baby?”

  “Are you upset?” The look of sheer agony on her face as she waits for my response has my heart beating a staccato rhythm in my chest.

  I shake my head. “This baby—our baby—is a gift from God.”

  She sniffles. “You mean it?”

  Words fail me, so I answer her the only way that feels right—with a kiss. The taste of her tears mingles with something inherently Seraphine as I lick into her mouth. Our tongues slide together, my hands settling reverently on her belly.

  “I love you,” I whisper, my lips still moving against hers. “I love you and our baby.”

  Seraphine whimpers, but I swallow the sound, deepening our kiss. She pulls away and braces herself with her hands on my shoulders, looking me solidly in the eyes. “I love you, too, Mateo. I…I want this, with you. I need you to know that.”

  Grinning like a fool, I slide my hands around from her belly to her ass and stand.

  “Wha-where are we going?”

  “To celebrate,” I growl as I carry her back to the bedroom, placing her on her feet near the foot of the bed. Even though Desi isn’t home, I shut and lock the door.

  Seraphine watches me, an unreadable look on her face, as I prowl the length of floor in front of her like a wild animal.

  “This is a weird celebration,” she murmurs, humor lacing her tone.

  I whip around to face her and fall to my knees. Sliding my hands beneath the material of her shirt, I press a kiss to her stomach, right below her navel.

  “I need to calm myself before touching you,” I confess. I pepper her entire belly with kisses, each one a little hotter than the last. “You’re going to have my child—knowledge like that does something to a man, mariposita.”

  “Oh, yeah? What’s that?”

  I can’t decide if she’s being coy or oblivious. Either way, I rise to my full height and grab her hand, pressing it against my erection.

  “Oh,” comes her breathy reply. “Really?”

  “Really.”

  She squeezes my dick through my sweats and I shamelessly rock into her hand.

  “I need you,” I groan.

  “I’m here, always.” She releases me and steps away, her words at odds with her actions, until she begins peeling away her c
lothing until she’s standing completely and totally naked before me. “Have me, Mateo.”

  My eyes eat her up, blazing a path that my hands eagerly follow. I trace my fingers over her collarbones, down to her perfect breasts.

  She moans at the slightest of contact and before I can think better of it, I lean in and draw her achingly sensitive nipple into my mouth. I lick and suck as she digs her nails into my shoulders and wiggles her hips.

  “Feels so good, Mateo, but I need more.”

  I drop back down to my knees, kissing my way down her belly before spreading her pussy lips with my thumbs. She’s already wet and ready for me when I dart my tongue out to lick her slit.

  “Fuck,” she grinds out. Her legs wobble as I make contact with her clit, swirling my tongue against the sensitized flesh. “Yes!” She tugs on my hair—hard. “Wait, no!”

  I pull back and look up at her. “What’s wrong?” I ask, wiping the back of my hand over my lips.

  “I can’t wait, I need you to fuck me.”

  My lips lift into a faint but indulgent smile as I stand. I pull my shirt over my head, tossing it to the floor, before pushing my sweats down my hips and stepping out of them.

  Seraphine reaches for me, but I stop her, pinning both of her wrists to her belly. “Not yet.”

  She whimpers softly, as desperate for my touch as I am for hers.

  I release her and move past her, crawling onto the bed. I prop myself against the headboard, never once breaking eye contact, even as I stroke my hard length.

  “Come here,” I say and she obliges. “Closer.” I pat my lap and she straddles me. “Now listen closely, mariposita. I’m not going to fuck you.”

  She parts her lips, no doubt to tell me off, but I lean forward and push my tongue into her mouth, kissing her hard until she’s rocking her hips, sliding her wet pussy against my rock-hard cock.

  “Please,” she pants, “stop teasing me and fuck me.”

  I shake my head back and forth, all the while helping her seat herself on my dick. We both groan as she lowers herself all the way down. “I’m not going to fuck you after you tell me we’re having a baby. No. I’m going to make love to you.”

  Her lashes flutter as she rolls her hips in a figure-eight motion, damn near driving me wild.

  We move together in complete harmony, meeting one another kiss for kiss, touch for touch, and thrust for thrust until we’re both on the brink of release.

  But I need more. I’m not ready for this to end.

  Pitching up, I roll us over, pressing our hands into the mattress over Seraphine’s head.

  Seraphine stretches beneath me, canting her head to grant me access to the sweet spot between her neck and shoulders. I slide my lips over her sweat-slicked skin, murmuring how much I love her between open-mouthed kisses.

  She wraps her legs around my waist, locking her ankles together, allowing me to hit that spot deep inside her.

  “Fuck, yes.” I grind against her clit on every downstroke, making her clench around me. “I can’t believe you’re mine.”

  With a trembling hand, she reaches up and cups my cheek. “Te amo.”

  Hearing her confess her love for me in my native language does all kinds of things to me.

  “Me siento muy bien cuando estoy contigo—I feel so good when I am with you,” I groan, raising up so I can see the pleasure playing out on her beautiful face.

  She sucks her lower lip into her mouth, panting hard.

  “This is forever—we are forever, mariposita.” I thrust into her, palming her belly with my hands.

  “Yes-yes-yes, always.” She lifts her hips, meeting me thrust-for-thrust.

  The feeling of her pulsing around me is more than I take. “Come for me,” I murmur, pinching her clit hard enough to send her screaming over the edge, with me right behind her.

  It pains me to pull out of Seraphine, but I do. My body instantly misses the heat of hers.

  And judging from the small whimper as I roll to lie beside her, she’s mourning the loss of contact, too.

  “You good?” I murmur, stroking her hair away from her face.

  She blinks. “I was nervous to tell you. Like, really nervous. I wasn’t really…I don’t know what I was expecting to be honest. But it definitely wasn’t jubilant happiness and a few orgasms—not that I’m complaining.”

  I can’t help but grin at her stammering reply. “We should celebrate!”

  Seraphine rolls to face me. “Pretty sure my thighs are still sticky from our celebration.”

  Her unexpected response pulls a laugh from deep within me. “No, let’s go out and celebrate.”

  “Really?”

  “Sí, mariposita. Get up!” I toss off the covers and spring to my feet.

  She grumbles and groans as she hauls herself out of the bed, mumbling under her breath something about a nap. “Sure, where?”

  “Anywhere you want to go. Are you craving—wait, too soon for that.” I shake my head. “You’d think I’d remember, but it’s been a long time.”

  “Definitely no cravings yet. It’s still really early.”

  My gut sinks. “Dios mío! I never even asked how far along you were, the due date, doctors’ appointments, nada!”

  “Hey.” Seraphine cups my cheek. “We got a little swept away. It’s okay.”

  “So, how far along are you?”

  “It’s still really early—I’m only four weeks.”

  My gaze dips to her belly, already imagining it swollen. “It’s so crazy to think you have our baby inside of you. What about the doctor?”

  “I plan on calling my doctor tomorrow, but Myla Rose says they probably won’t want to see me until I’m eight or so weeks.”

  I bolt upright as a sense of urgency races through me. “I want to come to every appointment. Will you let me?”

  “Of course—this is your baby, too, Mateo.”

  Instantly, relief blankets me. “Thank you.”

  “Were you as involved with Desi?”

  “No.” Remorse weights my every word. “I was trying to get my shop up and running and did not prioritize the way I should have. I made it to the big appointments and her birth, but that’s it.”

  Seraphine sits up, drawing my gaze down to hers. “Don’t beat yourself up over it. You’re only human.”

  “It’s just something I’ve always regretted.” It’s also why I make such an effort to be involved in her life now. Sure, Desi doesn’t know I didn’t attend her pre-natal appointments, and maybe my guilt is misplaced, but it exists in me all the same.

  “We all have regrets. Like I said—human. But the thing about being human is, we have the potential to learn and grow, to do better, and trust me when I say that you’re one of the best.”

  Her praise makes me feel about ten feet tall. “The best you say?” I lean in and nuzzle her neck.

  “Don’t fish for compliments—it’s not becoming.”

  I chuckle at her unwitting remark. “Pretty sure there’s a joke in there somewhere, mariposita.”

  “And I’m pretty sure you offered to take me out to celebrate.”

  “That I did. Let’s get cleaned up.”

  Chapter Thirty-Two

  Seraphine

  “You’re sure you’re okay spending the day with my mom?” Mateo asks, passing me a cup of hot cocoa—because apparently the smell of coffee makes me want to hurl now, along with pretty much everything else I love.

  “Desi is coming with her, but even if she weren’t, I would be fine with it.” I take a sip of my chocolatey drink, letting it warm me from the inside. “I love your mother.” I mean it too; ever since that last dinner at Lety’s, we’ve taken to texting every day.

  Mateo chuckles. “She loves you too.”

  “We need to tell her—and Desi—about the baby. I’m almost twelve weeks and if you look close enough, you can tell it’s not just bloating.”

  “You look incredible,” Mateo growls. He’s made it more than clear he loves every extra
pound on me.

  “I look like I did five trips to the buffet. My jeans are getting a little snug.”

  He rolls his eyes; I lift my top and point to the hair-tie securing my pants.

  “We really do need to tell them. Ideas?” I ask, like I haven’t been scouring the internet for ideas.

  “I’ve heard the words I’m pregnant are pretty effective.”

  “Smartass,” I mutter under my breath.

  “You love it.” He wags his eyebrows.

  “I love you.”

  Growing serious, he sets his mug on the counter and cups my cheek. “I love you too, and we can tell them however and whenever you want. You could even do it today.”

  “Really?”

  “Really. If it makes you happy, it makes me happy, mariposita.”

  “Okay, good.”

  “What do y’all have planned today?”

  I bounce on my toes as a beaming smile splits my cheeks. “We’re doing a floral arrangement class at Stems and then getting lunch at Dilly’s.”

  Mateo steps into me, kissing my temple. “Maybe I can meet y’all for lunch and we can tell her then?”

  I pop up and kiss his lips. “That’s perfect!”

  “You want me to drop you off then? That way we can take one car home?”

  “Are you sure you don’t mind?”

  Mateo stares at me blankly. “Are you really asking if I mind spending more time with you?”

  “You got me there.” I kiss him one more time before chugging down the rest of my cocoa. “Now, let’s go so we aren’t late.”

  “In such a hurry to get rid of me.” He shakes his head in mock-disappointment. “You wound me.”

  I roll my eyes at his antics while rinsing my mug.

  “Come on Seraphine.” He tugs on the hood of my jacket. “You’re gonna make us late.”

  Laughter bubbles up inside me, spilling out. “You’re crazy, you know that?”

  “Crazy for you.”

  Mateo gets a call from his brother the second we pull out of the garage, so I spend the quick drive to Stems on my phone pinning more cute pregnancy announcements.

  I give him a quick kiss on the cheek when he pulls into the parking lot before hopping out of the truck. “Love you,” I holler as he pulls away, blowing a kiss.