by Lacey Black
“Oh, that looks phenomenal,” Payton adds, a wide smile on her face.
“Can I put on my dress now?” the little girl begs.
“Your dress is at Aunt AJ’s house with the rest of them. We’ll head over soon and start to get ready,” Payton assures her. “Why don’t you go have Ella paint your nails,” she adds, indicating that it’s Bri’s turn at the manicure table.
“Yay!” she exclaims as she hops down from my chair before I even have a chance to lower it.
“I think she’s excited,” Meghan says with a chuckle.
“You think? She’s talked of nothing else for weeks. Months, really,” Payton says before turning her attention back to Noah.
“You’re next,” I tell the bride-to-be.
Meghan’s eyes light up and she slips onto the chair. Before I can pump her up and grab my cape, my cell phone chimes on my workstation. I glance down to see my husband’s name and a photo of him with our daughter Stella light up the screen. “Give me one sec, okay, Meg? I want to make sure everything is all right,” I say as I grab my phone and walk toward the back of the shop. I have to step over kids and dodge rolling trucks, but I finally get to the back break room, where it’s relatively quiet.
“Hi,” I answer in way of greeting.
“Hey, Firecracker, so I was thinking,” he starts, the deep purr of his voice instantly warming all of my lady parts.
“About?” I ask, suddenly all breathy.
“We should have another baby.”
I blink once, twice, as silence fills the line. I pull my phone away from my head and glance down at the device, wondering if I’m dreaming this entire thing. Nope. There’s his name and there’s the ticking clock, marking how long our live conversation has lasted so far. “Are you on drugs?”
“Only high on you, baby,” he practically growls. Before I can respond, he continues. “I was just thinking about how many times you came this morning – you know, twice in bed and once in the shower – and it got me thinking, my wife is a fucking fox anytime, but when she’s pregnant? Well, I can’t keep my hands off her.”
And he keeps talking…
“Plus, when she’s pregnant, she pretty much wants my cock twenty-four seven, and let’s face it, I’m a huge fan of that. And let’s not forget that you’re the best mama in the world, and well, I want another baby with you.”
My heart is pounding and my breathing shallow. We’ve talked about this before – and by we’ve talked about it, he has talked about it. I’ve ignored him. Hell, he was practically talking baby number four the moment I delivered baby number three.
“You’re crazy. We’re already outnumbered,” I remind him.
“I won’t be satisfied until we’ve got a basketball court full,” he adds.
“What? I’m not having eleven kids with you!” I practically holler, not even caring that the entire salon – and quite possibly, the entire block – heard.
Linkin chuckles. “Not a football team, Firecracker, a basketball team. Five. We can handle five kids.”
“You’re crazy,” I whisper.
“You’ve established that. And I’m only crazy for you,” he croons, his voice still doing a number on my bits and pieces.
“And we have to decide this now?” I ask, a smile creeping across my lips.
“Now. In fact, if you’ve got about fifteen minutes, I could be there in three. The guys wouldn’t even know I’m gone.”
“Not happening, buster. I’m about to work on the bride’s hair.”
“But this is not off the table, right?”
The eagerness and hopefulness in his voice makes me smile, and before I can really think about what I’m saying, I answer him. “No, it’s not off the table.”
“Yes! Thank you, baby. I can’t wait to make more babies with you,” he says softly, the smile in his voice evident.
“You’re crazy.”
“I know. You tell me often.”
“I love you.”
“I love you more.”
“Doubtful, but can I ask what has gotten into you?” I ask, glancing at the clock and realizing I’m dangerously close to running behind schedule.
“Dean was talking about Noah running in the backyard and slipping in a pile of dog shit, and Sawyer started to say Nolan still isn’t sleeping at night.”
“Sleepless nights and dog poop do it for you, huh?” I tease.
“You do it for me. Stella is almost two. Perfect time to have another.”
I sigh deeply, but not because I’m not completely on board with his craziness. In fact, I’m one hundred percent with him. I’d love to have another baby, even though I said Stella was it. Three was our magic number. But here I am, being sweet-talked into more baby-producing sex from my fiend of a husband.
“I really do need to get back in there and start Meghan’s hair. Can we talk about this later? After the kids go to my dad’s house…and we’re all alone…and naked?”
“I’m hard.”
“You’re always hard.”
“True. You make me so fucking hard and crazy.”
“My panties are completely ruined,” I whisper.
“Fuck, you’re so hot. I can practically picture you, spread out on the top of our bed. My mouth is watering to taste you.”
“Christ, Linkin,” I groan, my entire body on fire.
“Put it on speakerphone so I can hear too.” Only, this voice isn’t coming from the phone. It’s coming from behind me, and clearly belongs to someone who is not my husband.
“Quit eavesdropping, woman!” I chastise my elderly grandma.
“Emma is there?” Linkin asks, his voice suddenly completely sober.
“I want to hear what he’s saying that turns your panties into a useless scrap of material,” she coos, her eyes lighting brightly.
“You’re incorrigible. Go away,” I tell her.
“So you can have more phone sex with the sexy stripper?”
“We’re not having phone sex,” I defend, my husband’s deep chuckle filling the phone, and completely ignoring the stripper bit.
“Were too. I heard you. You were all panting and breathless,” Grandma says.
“You were. It was really fucking hot,” my husband says via phone.
“Stop encouraging her,” I tell him. “I need to go do Meggy’s hair so we can finish on schedule. I’ll see you later.”
“I’ll be the sexy fox in the suit who wants to fuck you on the beach later,” he croons over the phone line.
“Eww, no. Sand. All over the place. Don’t you remember…”
“Oh, I fucking remember. I fucking remember everything, Firecracker.”
“I remember digging sand out of places that I never want to again.”
“I’ll bring a blanket,” he adds sweetly. “I love you.”
“Love you too,” I tell him before hanging up.
“You two are smokin’ hot. I’m surprised you’re not preggers again,” Grandma says.
“We’re not trying.” Yet.
“Yet,” she replies in a singsong voice before turning and walking back into the main part of the salon, humming a happy little tune.
I drop my phone into my pocket, a wicked smile on my face and a shake of my head. I can’t believe I just agreed to have another baby. Well, not that it really took much convincing on his part. The thought of expanding our family is both exciting and nerve racking. We really do have everything set up well right now. We have a routine down, a schedule in place, a house the right size, and a system for ensuring the kids don’t completely overthrow the household.
Another baby?
With my super sexy husband?
Yeah, sign me up…
Chapter Eight
Linkin
I’m still smiling as I drop my phone into my pocket and head out of the storage room and into the bar. Picking up the phone and calling her was completely on a whim, but I have to admit, I’m a bit ecstatic with the results.
Since the moment I me
t her, I knew that she’d be my everything. Sure, it was a bit messy at times, especially there in the beginning, but it all worked out as it was supposed to in the end. She’s my wife – my life – and has given me three beautiful kids.
Now I want more.
If she would have said no, I’d be okay with that. Of course, I’d take my time trying to convince her later tonight, but at the end of the day, this is her decision. I’d have a dozen if she’d let me, but I know that’s not logical. I wasn’t kidding when I said a basketball team. Five. Five little kids with her emerald green eyes and firecracker spirit. I’m not sure if we’ll get there or not, but I’m sure as hell going to love the fuck out of trying for them.
“Why are you smiling? You get lucky in that closet?” Ryan asks, nursing his beer at the bar.
“Definitely not,” I answer, patting him on the back as I sit down. “My wife is occupied at the moment.”
“You had phone sex,” Orval chimes in from the end of the bar. Everyone looks down at him and then at me.
“Really?” Dean asks, his eyes smiling as wide as his lips.
“Not really, but I did enjoy talking to my wife,” I answer before taking a big pull from my beer bottle.
We all sit at the quiet bar on this Saturday afternoon, eating chips and salsa, peanuts, and popcorn. Rhenn, Nick’s friend and best man, comes in a few minutes later.
“Sorry I’m late, fellas. I had a prior engagement that needed attending to,” he says, a smug smile on his face.
“And by attending to, he means either a barely legal blonde or a recent divorcee,” Nick mutters, shaking his head.
“Don’t be jealous, Nicky boy. Not my fault you’re stuck with the same flavor of ice cream for the rest of your life,” Rhenn adds, slapping his friend on the back and giving him a wolfish smile.
“I don’t want more flavors. I want Meghan,” he replies, earning an agreement from pretty much every guy in the room.
“You boys don’t know what you’re missing,” Rhenn says right before he orders a beer from Lucky.
“I think you don’t know what you’re missing,” I reply. The thought of dating, either casually or otherwise, makes my gut churn.
“I keep telling him that someday he’ll get smacked upside the head by the right woman. She won’t have triple D’s or bleached blonde hair,” Nick starts.
“That sounds horrible,” Rhenn grumbles, shivering in disgust.
“But she’ll have you firmly by the balls. It’s coming,” Nick says, popping a peanut into his mouth.
“We all fall someday,” Sawyer adds.
“Nope. Not me. I’m never falling again,” Rhenn says, averting his eyes, but not before I catch something dark and stormy brewing. Something tells me there’s a story there and it didn’t end so well for him.
“I’m getting hungry,” Nick says, pulling the small cardboard menu from the napkin dispenser.
“Me too. Where the hell is Levi?” Dean asks, glancing toward the door.
“He’ll be here,” my father-in-law says just before the door opens.
“About time you showed up,” I holler as Levi steps inside the bar.
“I think he was gettin’ some,” Ryan adds with a smirk.
“Definitely. There’s only one reason a man is late to hang with his buddies, and it isn’t because he was stuck in traffic,” Dean quips from his seat.
“Leave him alone, guys. He’s still in the honeymoon phase,” Sawyer defends, popping peanuts into his mouth.
“I can’t wait for that phase,” Nick says with a smile. “Not that there’s any issue with that part now, I mean,” he quickly adds.
“It’s the best part of getting married,” Sawyer agrees, slapping Nick on the back. “Well, besides the actually being married part.”
“Truth,” I reply to my brothers-in-law and the man who will join the ranks in approximately four hours. “We’ve got two hours before we have to head back to my place and start getting ready,” I add as Lucky comes to take our burger order.
After lunch and a few games of pool, we’ll stop by AJ and Sawyer’s house to put out the chairs before we all go back to our place to dress in our suits. The girls will all finish getting ready at Sawyer and AJ’s house, and if I’m lucky, I’ll be able to steal a kiss from my wife before the ceremony starts. It will be on the smaller side, with only about four-dozen chairs being placed on the beach for Nick and Meghan’s closest family and friends. It shouldn’t take us too long to make sure everything is ready to go.
“You know, back before my Emmie and I got married, we had a pregnancy scare,” Orval says, drawing the attention of everyone at the bar.
The room is silent for several seconds as we all wait to find out why he decided to bring this up now. “Really?” Sawyer finally asks, all eyes on the elderly man in the room.
“Yep. It was a few months before we were to be married. After a weekend with Ava and Frank – they got into this huge fight, by the way – well, my Emmie was late on her womanly time. It made the entire trip to Europe very tense.”
“Wait, who are Ava and Frank?” I ask, trying to run through a list of family and coming up short.
“Why were you in Europe?” Ryan asks, a questioning look on his face.
“I thought you got married after you left the military?” Dean chimes in.
Orval nods his head. “Just wait, and I’ll answer all of your questions. I had just left the service and reconnected with an ol’ friend. He was going through a divorce from his wife, Nancy. Frank was in a hurry to marry his Ava, so after his divorce was final, we all hopped on a plane for Paris. We visited Rome, London, and Prague during our two-week stint.”
Orval shakes his head as if recalling the trip. “Of course, his production crew was on him to come back for the rest of his shows. Plus, the theater had arranged an Orchestra for a new song they wanted him to cut. Everyone wanted a piece of Frank,” Orval says, staring off at nothing.
We’re all silent for many heartbeats before Levi finally speaks up. “So…the pregnancy scare?”
“Oh, yes. We had just returned from Europe and Emmie was working with my mother to plan the wedding. Somewhere along the way, she missed her womanly time and we were afraid she was pregnant. That would have been a bit awkward, since premarital sexual intercourse was frowned upon back in the early fifties. But my Emmie was a frisky little thing, and she couldn’t keep her hands off my love sword. Who am I to deny?”
“Yeah, that’s not surprising, Orval,” Nick says with a laugh.
“Anyway, turns out she wasn’t pregnant, not that I would have minded.”
Again, silence fills the bar. Even Lucky is standing there, listening to the old man’s tale of love and life in the early fifties.
“So, then your point was…” I ask, not quite sure where the whole pregnancy thing comes into play here.
“My point is, boys, that sometimes life throws you curve balls and the potential of a surprise baby.”
“Who was talking about a surprise baby?” Sawyer asks, glancing around the room.
“No one,” Orval answers, taking a drink of his Coke.
Again the room is silent as everyone tries to figure out what just happened. I mean, Orval can be kinda random at times, but this seems a bit odd, even for him. Just blurting out that he and Emma had a pregnancy scare? Suddenly, I’m a bit nervous. Is he talking about someone in this room? Lexi? When was the last time she had her period? I mean, we’ve been on birth control, but that’s not one hundred percent foolproof.
Quickly, I grab my phone from my pocket and fire off a text. It only takes her a few seconds to respond.
Lexi: What the fuckety fucksticks, Linkin? Are you high? Why are you asking if I’ve missed my period?
Me: I’m just checking.
Lexi: You’re so weird.
Me: So, you haven’t missed anything?
Lexi: Uhhh, no, crazy pants. And you’d be the first to know if I had.
Me: Ok. Just checking… Lo
ve ya.
I set my phone down and see everyone else on theirs too. Levi, Dean, Ryan, and Sawyer are all texting, probably doing the same thing as me. It’s just too weird that Orval decided to bring up that story now, especially when no one was talking about surprise babies or pregnancy scares. Though, for me, no pregnancy would be considered a scare. It would be very welcome, actually, and I suspect the same for everyone in this room.
After everyone sets down their phones and glances around the room, Lucky delivers lunch. We all dive into the burgers and fries like we haven’t eaten in days. Hell, there must be something about having a baby that brings out the hunger in men. (Not that kinda hunger.) Though, after my phone call earlier to the most beautiful woman in the world, and her confirming we could try for another baby, I’m feeling pretty fucking hungry, if you know what I mean.
Orval sits over on his stool, slowly dipping French fries in ketchup, and without a care in the world. He did that shit on purpose. Got us all riled up. It was probably a bunch of bullshit anyway. No one is late. No one is pregnant (for a change). He’s sitting over there, smug as shit, and laughing at all of us. He probably doesn’t even have a friend named Frank. Surely not one who was in theater or on television or married to a woman named Ava.
My heart pounds in my chest as I glance over that the ol’ kook. A small smile plays on his lips. Frank. Ava.
The. Fuck?
“You knew Frank Sinatra?” I demand from across the bar.
“Ol’ Frankie? Of course, I did. We went way back. Talented young man, he was,” Orval says softly, smiling wider now than ever before. “Who do you think taught him how to be such a ladies’ man?”
This man never ceases to surprise me…
Chapter Nine
AJ
We’re less than two hours out from the wedding.
The guys are out back getting the chairs set up, while Payton and Karen finish the flowers and decorations. Where am I? Stuck in the house, half dressed, feeding my son because he’s always hungry. Everyone slipped into their dresses moments before the photographer arrived to take a few pre-wedding pictures. My son, however, decided to wake up from his nice little nap and demand food.