Be My Baby Lite

by ANDREA SMITH

  Oh God, Oh God! I've probably scarred my daughter for life.

  “Right now, Mommy's playing possum under the covers, sweetie,” Trey told her with a smirk.

  Preston continued to jabber away about playing ‘horsey.’ Trey lifted her up to take her back to the nursery to her crib.

  “Pee-pee,” she said.

  Trey changed course and took her to the bathroom, settling her on her potty chair. I heard him praise her as he helped her get her pajamas bottoms back in place and flush the toilet. He took her back to the nursery to her crib.

  “Oh, I see what happened,” I heard him call out from her room. “I didn’t raise the rail back up and lock it into place.”

  Way to go, counselor!

  I heard him talking to her gently as he tried to get her settled back down in her bed. She immediately started fussing; she wanted to be in our bed with us. Trey tried to soothe her fussiness by talking to her calmly. She was having none of it. He finally retreated back to our room letting her fuss and cry.

  “Trey, we can’t leave her in there crying,” I whispered loudly to him. “Bring her in here with us.”

  “Honey, we’ve had this discussion before; she needs to be in her own bed in her own room. Besides, we weren’t finished yet.”

  “But,” I whined, “I can't focus on that while she's crying. Besides what if what she saw freaked her out? I feel horrible.”

  “She doesn’t know what she saw. You heard her; she thought we were playing horsey,” he chuckled.

  We waited it out for a few more agonizing minutes - which seemed like an eternity to me - before she stopped her fussing and settled down falling asleep.

  “Now where were we Mrs. Sinclair?” Trey asked with a devilish grin on his face.

  CHAPTER 14

  My father saw us to the airport the following afternoon. I gave him a hug and a kiss, telling him that we'd be back next week. He had a particularly difficult time saying good-bye to Preston.

  “She changes almost daily,” he said sadly. “I hate to miss any of it since I missed all of it with you. She reminds me of Marley.”

  “Dad you know you don’t have to wait until we visit you. You're welcome to visit us anytime you choose. Don’t you get vacation?”

  “A judge’s vacation has to be worked out in advance to accommodate the court docket. And then, of course, you have to find another judge or three that might be willing to handle the additional case load.”

  “Why don’t you think about retiring, Dad?”

  “Good gracious Tylar, I’m only fifty years old. I think I might have a few good years left on the bench.”

  “That’s not what I meant, Dad. I meant you've the financial means to retire and spend more time with the horses and with us.”

  He pulled me to him giving me another fatherly hug. “I’ll see what I can work out okay, daughter?”

  “Okay, Dad,” I replied, giving him another kiss on the cheek. “Thanks for putting up with me.”

  Preston leaned into him giving him a sloppy wet kiss on his cheek.

  “Trey,” my father said, holding his hand out to him, “take care of both my girls.”

  “I will, Sir,” Trey replied giving him a smile, “but they can be a handful, just so you know.”

  “Understood,” my father replied, brushing a tear from the corner of his eye. He turned and hurried out of the terminal with his quick stride. I was reminded of the day we'd collided in the hallway of the courthouse. He had that same quick stride then as he hurried off.

  Once back home, things seemed to settle back to normal. Jean was ecstatic to see both Preston and me; though she didn’t make reference to the reason I'd been gone, I suspected she'd gotten wind of at least some of it.

  I scheduled an appointment to see Dr. Karla Hunter later in the week. I wanted an individual appointment first to discuss what had transpired. I wasn’t sure if Karla did couples therapy. If she didn’t, I was certain that she could refer us to a therapist who did.

  Trey, Preston and I went to visit Tristan, Gina and Reese the following evening after our return. Tristan’s birthday was coming up the following weekend. Gina asked if Trey and I wanted to join them for dinner at a new club that'd recently opened in downtown Atlanta. Gina said it would serve two purposes: celebrate Tristan’s birthday and check out the competition of the new club.

  “Who'll watch Reese?” I asked as I held him in my arms cooing to him. We were sitting at the breakfast bar in the kitchen.

  “I found a babysitter through one of the employees at our club,” Gina replied bringing a bottle to me so that I could feed him.

  “Aren’t you nursing any longer?”

  “No,” she said sounding a little bit sad, “I had to wean him a couple of weeks ago. I just couldn’t produce enough milk through pumping and I needed to get back to work.”

  Tristan piped up then from the living room where he and Trey had been watching something on the flat screen.

  “She didn’t have to return to work that early. I told her that repeatedly, Tylar. You know Gina though; she thought the club would crash and burn without her.”

  “Quit eavesdropping on our girl talk, Tristan,” Gina hollered out to him.

  “Men,” she said, “half the time he's pure deaf when the trash needs to be taken out or the baby’s diaper needs to be changed. The minute you and I get together to chit-chat he's suddenly all ears.”

  “So, how are things with you and your man?” I asked watching Reese as his little fingers gripped mine on the bottle.

  “I've no complaints,” she said, smiling. “We're planning a spring wedding.”

  “Really?” I asked.

  “Yeah, check this out,” she said splaying her fingers in front of my face. Gina had a beautiful engagement ring on her finger that I hadn’t even noticed before.

  “Oh, Gina,” I said admiring it. “Wait a minute -- isn’t that the one he gave to Libby?”

  I watched in amusement as a stricken look came across her face. The realization that I was yanking her chain finally seeped in.

  “You Beotch,” she said laughing. “As if Tristan would dare to give me some recycled engagement ring.”

  “I’ve got to tell you, Gina, Reese is the picture of Tristan and you; a perfect combination.”

  The baby had blue eyes for now. He had Tristan’s dark hair. He was beautiful.

  “Yeah,” she said proudly. “He’s such a good baby, too.”

  “You know,” I replied, “I knew from the moment I saw him that he was Tristan’s. Didn’t you see that?”

  “Of course I did.”

  “Then why the paternity test? Tristan certainly didn’t want one so why did you?”

  “I don’t know, Ty. I guess with the impending birth of Tess and ‘whomever’s’ baby it was important to me that I establish my baby was Tristan’s for me.”

  “I don’t understand,” I replied.

  “Well, it’s kind of like this: you have Preston and she's Trey’s. I have Reese and I know for certain now that he's Tristan’s. So, I guess when that surrogate mother delivers Tess and Nigel’s baby, neither one of us has to feel insecure that she had one of their offspring before we did.”

  “Geez, you're kind of complicated sometimes, but I think I get it.”

  I pulled the bottle from Reese’s little mouth and put him up to my shoulder to burp him.

  Preston came running into the kitchen then with one of Reese’s stuffed animals she'd taken from his nursery. It was a panda bear and it was nearly as large as she was. “Mama . . . horsey,” she said.

  “No, honey, that’s a panda bear,” I remarked rubbing Reese’s back. She was distracted by Reese and dropped the bear onto the kitchen floor.

  “Take that bear into the living room and show Daddy.”

  “'Kay,” she said reaching down for it and dragging it behind her to the living room.

  “I’m sure glad you’re back, girlfriend,” Gina said smiling after Preston. “Things just w
eren’t the same without you nearby.”

  I got a nice big burp from Reese. I pulled him from me and he gave me a big, drooled grin.

  “You're just too cute,” I crooned to him. He gave me a baby giggle and suddenly I got a whiff.

  “Somebody needs a diaper change,” I said, wrinkling my nose. Gina reached for him.

  “Hey,” I said raising him up to me as I stood, “you did your share of changing Preston’s crappy diapers; this one's on me.”

  “I appreciate that Ty,” Gina said, “remember little boys need to be cleaned up under their sack and all," she called after me.

  “I think I can handle it,” I laughed, rolling my eyes as I headed to the nursery with him.

  Preston was back in his nursery tearing through his toy box when I got there. I placed him on his changing table and got a clean diaper and the baby wipes. Suddenly Preston was enthralled with watching me change him.

  “Baabby,”she giggled pointing to him.

  “Yes. This is your cousin, Reese,” I explained unsnapping his overalls and removing the soiled diaper.

  She stood next to the changing table on her tiptoes watching me. I cleaned him up with the baby wipe. Gina was right. There was crap everywhere. I went through three baby wipes before I felt that I'd gotten it all.

  “Doodee, Mommie,” she remarked.

  “Yes sweetie, he’s a baby and its okay for babies to go in their diaper. You’re a big girl though.”

  “Uh huh,” she said smiling up at me. I placed the clean diaper under Reese’s bottom. Preston pointed to his plumbing noticing that it was different than hers.

  “T'sat Mama?" she asked, looking at me for an answer.

  “That’s what little boys have,” I answered quickly fastening his diaper up over it. I didn’t feel it was time for a detailed anatomy lesson just yet.

  “T'sat?” she repeated frowning. She was evidently not satisfied with my answer.

  “Come on, Preston. Let’s go find that big panda bear; show Mommy and Reese where you put him.”

  She trotted in front of me out to the living room pointing to the big panda bear on the living room rug. Tristan held his arms out to take Reese from me.

  “There’s my boy,” he said proudly smiling at his son.

  Gina was busy getting some snacks ready in the kitchen. I sat on the couch next to Trey. He put his arm around me pulling me close. His lips brushed across my cheek softly.

  Preston was watching us with her finger in her mouth as if she was making some connection. She giggled and turned her attention back to the big panda bear. She looked so cute in her little skirt and tights. Trey and I watched as she went over to where the bear was on his back on the floor. She straddled the bear, sitting down on his torso. She started rocking back and forth on him.

  Oh, dear Lord!

  I quickly turned to look at Trey to see if I was reading too much into it. I realized I wasn't.

  Gina had just come out from the kitchen carrying a tray of cheese and crackers. She stopped dead in her tracks as a slow grin spread across her face. Tristan looked up from the baby and saw Preston riding the bear. I elbowed Trey.

  “Preston,” he said rising up from the couch and lifting her off of the bear, “let’s find something else to play with, okay?”

  “Horsey Dadda,” she whined leaning back over in his arms, kicking her legs as she tried to get back to the bear. “Horsey,” she continued; fussing and squirming as he headed off to the nursery with her.

  I leapt off of the couch. My checks were warm and rosy I could tell. I grabbed the bear up from the floor and shoved him into the guest closet in the entrance hall. When I looked up, both Tristan and Gina were watching me with amused expressions.

  “What the hell was that?” Gina said unable to hold her laughter back.

  “That,” I replied in a rather irritated tone, “is what happens when someone doesn’t properly raise the crib rail and lock it into place in the nursery.”

  I sat back down on the couch totally embarrassed by what they had just observed. “Let that be a warning to both of you.”

  “C’mon Ty; it's kind of funny. What? So she walked in on you and Trey? It happens."

  “Not to me! That totally shouldn't have happened. I thought she would've forgotten it by now. All its done is piqued her curiosity. You should've seen her asking me about Reese when I was changing his diaper.”

  “That's just natural curiosity,” Tristan said, shifting Reese up against his shoulder. “She's at the age where she's starting to notice differences.”

  “Well, I don’t want her to dwell on those differences just yet.”

  Trey returned a few minutes later having found some blocks for her to play with. It was if she'd totally forgotten about the bear. Preston fell asleep on the way home. Trey carried her up to the nursery and got her ready for bed. I decided to allow myself one of my guilty pleasures - a nice, warm bubble bath.

  I relaxed in the tub, letting the warmth of it sink in. I closed my eyes leaning my head back against my tub pillow that Trey had bought me for Christmas. When I opened my eyes, Trey was sitting next to the sunken tub watching me. I jumped.

  “I’m sorry, sweetie, I didn’t mean to scare you. I was just enjoying watching you enjoy your bath.”

  “Would you like to join me?”

  He smiled at me with full dimple and started peeling his clothes off. God he was so gorgeous. I could watch him all day long - naked.

  He slipped into the water beside me. We explored each other as if it were the first time. He lathered his hands up with the liquid soap and thoroughly massaged it all over my body.

  I did the same for him taking special care to massage his male parts tenderly. He drew in a breath as my fingers lingered on his very stiff manhood; my fingers circled the tip and gently flexed him in and out.

  His mouth was on my lips; his tongue parted my lips and found mine. We kissed playfully and passionately. His hands teased my nipples as he dropped to take one into his mouth where he suckled gently from it. I moaned with pleasure. He moved to the next one and took his time bringing the rosy peak to full attention.

  “Did he touch you here?”

  Oh My God! He didn't just ask me that. . .

  I froze immediately. I felt like a statue. It was if Trey hadn’t noticed. He continued touching and kissing my breasts; his hand had moved to the soft folds of my sex and he gently pressed his fingers inside. He suddenly straightened up and lifted me from the water.

  He wrapped a towel around me and took me into our bedroom. I wasn’t sure I'd heard him right. Maybe he hadn’t asked that question at all. Perhaps I'd only imagined he had.

  “I want you so much, baby,” he said patting my skin softly with the towel to dry it off.

  He placed me on the edge of the bed in a sitting position. He knelt in front of me and spread my legs, lifting one and then the other to rest on each of his shoulders.

  He buried his damp face into the apex between my legs. His lips and tongue worked their magic as my hands fisted in his thick hair. I moaned softly as his tongue flickered over the soft folds and rolled onto my clitoris.

  “Did he do this to you, baby? Did he put his mouth and his tongue on you, like I am?”

  Oh shit! This isn't my imagination. What the hell am I supposed to say?

  Trey stopped what he was doing. I looked down at him and into his smoldering eyes. He wanted an answer.

  “I’m waiting for an answer,” he prodded gently. “As soon as you provide one, I'll start pleasuring you again.”

  “Trey,” I replied my voice quivered with emotion, “you aren’t serious about wanting to know this, are you?”

  “I have to know, baby. It’s killing me not to know. Now answer my question. Did he put his mouth on your sweet pussy?”

  My cheeks flushed with shame and embarrassment. This was painful. Should I lie?

  “Yes Trey," I answered honestly.

  As promised, Trey went back to pleasuring me orally
. His tongue flicked inside and out of the soft folds of my sex. He gently inserted a finger inside of me; I was wet with anticipation.”

  “Did he fuck you with his fingers?”

  “No, he didn't,” I replied, a tear running down my cheek.

  Trey continued with his gentle and precise fingering. He placed the palm of his other hand against the outside of my pelvic region, applying slight pressure to where his finger was inside of me.