When the tea was ready, I carried my cup into the living room with me. I had another cup sitting in reserve on the counter next to the teapot just in case she smelled mine and decided she needed some. Which was exactly what happened. By the time I brought her cup of tea back into the living room with me, Minnie was standing in front of my bookcase, examining the titles.
“Here you go,” I said.
She turned around and reached for the cup. “Thank you.”
“Come sit down,” I said.
She crossed back over to the seating area, but before sitting down, she offered the bag out to me. I hesitated, not knowing what to expect from it. Something she had to deliver herself might just be beyond my capacity to handle. But the colors didn’t look exactly bridal, and she didn’t have the mischievous, conspiratorial glint in her eyes she did when we were at the bakery. That was reassuring.
I sat down with the bag and settled my cup onto the table so I could remove the tissue. Inside, I found a few adorable newborn outfits in neutral colors along with a stuffed bunny. I pulled the bunny out, stroking its head and gazing down at it.
The bunny I held in my hands would be my baby’s first toy. He or she would touch it and hold it. They may even cuddle and sleep with it. This one little stuffed animal could become the favorite snuggly toy my child carried everywhere with them as they grew up. The emotion hit me hard, and I looked at Minnie.
“It’s my groveling gift,” she said. “I taught my boys to buy flowers, and I figured I screwed up worse than that. The idea of all four of my sons happily settled might have overridden my common sense. I’m truly sorry I upset you,” she said.
I drew in a breath and looked down at the bunny again to try to keep my emotions under control. “You know, I might need to buy Nick some flowers.”
She laughed softly. “Why is that?”
I sat the bunny beside me and took out the baby clothes so I could look at them more closely. The little sleepers seemed so incredibly tiny. It was hard to imagine in just a handful of months, I would have a baby small enough to put into these outfits.
“He didn’t know I was pregnant until he was standing there in the kitchen,” I said. “I hadn’t told him. In fact, I wasn’t even intending on telling you. I was still grappling with the whole thing, and I didn’t tell him as soon as I found out. I just tried to kind of deal with it on my own rather than letting him be a part of it from the beginning,” I said.
“How is he responding to that?” Minnie asked, taking a sip of her tea.
I looked at her quizzically. “He hasn’t talked to you about it?”
She shook her head, looking saddened again. “He was so upset with me when he came over for family dinner, he didn’t even stay. He told me he was angry about the way I treated you, then he left. I haven’t spoken to him since.”
“Oh,” I said, not really knowing how else to react.
“I deserved it,” she said. “It was completely out of line for me to send those deliveries here and put pressure on you. I didn’t know the details of what’s going on in your life. Not that it gives me an excuse. I hope you can forgive me. And when you’re ready, I would love to know everything about this new baby coming. And I want to know more about you, too.”
“Of course I forgive you,” I said. “Thank you for apologizing.”
Minnie nodded and stood up. “Thank you, Bryn. Come visit me at the compound anytime.”
I walked her to the door and waved as she drove away. When she was gone, I took the gift bag with me to what used to be Justin’s office. Now it was gradually becoming a nursery for the baby. I hadn’t gone too far, yet. A new coat of white paint brightened up the space with the intention of adding a border or a different color when I chose a theme.
One item I had bought was a white dresser. Placed against one wall, it held an old lamp that was in my room when I was a very little girl. I carefully folded up each of the outfits and tucked them away in the drawers. Then I brought the bunny with me into my bedroom and placed it on my bed. I wanted to sleep with it while I was still pregnant so the baby would smell me on it when it was born. Running my hand over my belly, I murmured to the baby, telling it all about its family.
30
Nick
“No, seriously, this program was designed just to make me look like an idiot.”
I laughed at Peter and shook my head. “I swear it wasn’t. I know it seems really confusing. It was hard for me to figure out at first, too.”
He looked up at me. “Seriously?”
I hesitated, trying to come up with something I could say that would make him feel less frustrated. “Well…”
I shrugged and Peter rolled his eyes, dropping backward in his chair and letting his head hang back. “That’s what I thought.”
Laughing again, I shook his shoulder playfully until he sat back up and looked at the computer. “Come on. You can do this. We’ll go over it again.”
“I’m sorry you’re having to spend your whole day trying to teach me this billing program because I just can’t seem to get it through my head,” he said.
“Don’t worry about it. We’ve got all the time you need. What matters is you figuring this out and getting comfortable with the program so you can use it. I promise once you do, it will feel like second nature and you’ll save so much more time every workday. Alright?” I asked.
“The pep talk is much appreciated,” he said. “I just don’t know if I totally believe you.”
I shook my head and smiled. “You’re going to be fine. Let’s just start from the beginning.”
A few minutes later we were going back through the basic process of using the new billing program I had just implemented in the office a few weeks before hiring Peter when I heard the receptionist giggle. A second later, I heard a big, bold laugh and knew my father was in the office.
I looked up just in time for him to walk past the open door to Peter’s office.
“Was that your dad?” Peter asked in an awed whisper.
“Yeah,” I said. “He’ll be back in a second when he figures out I’m not in my office.”
“That was Gus Freeman?” he asked, looking through the door and leaning like he was trying to see him.
I followed his stare, then glanced back at him. “Um. Yeah. My father is Gus Freeman.”
“I can’t believe it. He’s seriously right here?”
“That’s right, you didn’t get to meet him. He wasn’t at the race you went to, was he?” I asked.
Peter shook his head adamantly. “No. He wasn’t. And it was a big enough deal to meet all your brothers. I never thought I would meet him.”
“Of course you’re going to meet him. You’re one of us now, right?” I asked.
I was accustomed to that sort of reaction to my father. He was a local legend, so it wasn’t unusual for people to be a little bit starstruck when he was around. But I didn’t want Peter to be so shaken up by him being around. Dad himself barely even recognized that people knew who he was, much less that he had a considerable amount of local fame. He wouldn’t want Peter to be uncomfortable around him.
“There you are,” Dad said, poking his head into the office. “I’ve been looking for you.”
“Hey, Dad, come in,” I said. “This is Peter. He’s the new junior investor Gabe and I hired to help us out around here. And by the way he’s been performing, I’m thinking it won’t be that long before he loses that whole junior title. Peter, this is my old man.”
“Gus Freeman,” Dad said, holding his hand out to Peter.
“I know, sir. It is such an incredible honor to meet you,” Peter said.
Dad smiled. “And I hear you’ve joined up the ranks of the Freeman boys. You even got yourself a spot at the bar.”
Peter nodded. “Yeah.”
“Good. Then I hope I’ll be seeing you around a lot more,” Dad said.
Peter looked like he was going to explode. His eyes went from me to Dad, then back to me, then to Dad aga
in. He suddenly stood up. “I’m going to go get some coffee. Does anybody else want some coffee?”
“No, thanks,” I said.
“None for me,” Dad said.
Peter scurried out of the office and down the hall. I looked at my father and laughed.
“He’s a bit of a fan,” I said. “But he’s a really good guy.”
Figuring Peter would probably be hiding in the kitchen for a while, I followed Dad down the hallway to my office. I laughed when I saw two big cups of coffee sitting on the desk.
“I forgot that you have your own coffee shop sitting in your office,” Dad said. “So, I brought you some.”
“Thanks,” I said. “I appreciate it.” I took the plastic top off the cup and leaned down to breathe in the smell. “What flavor is it?”
“It’s a new grind from that place you like. I forgot exactly what they said it was. Maybe something with cherry?” he said.
I took a sip and nodded. “Yeah, it tastes like dark chocolate and cherries. That’s really good.”
We sat down on the couch at the side of my office, and Dad sipped at his coffee for a few seconds before he looked over at me.
“I wanted to apologize to you,” he said. “Your mother gave me all the details about what happened with Bryn. I shouldn’t have corrected you like that when you were defending her. What your mother did was wrong, and she deserved to hear it. I never like to hear anybody talking to her that way, you know that. Especially one of her sons. But in this situation, you were in the right.”
“Thank you,” I said. “I felt guilty for saying those things to her, but I couldn’t just let her keep doing that to Bryn. She’s in a really delicate place in life.”
“I heard about that, too. Congratulations, son,” Dad said.
“Thanks,” I said. “But it isn’t just the baby. It’s everything. She’s really had people take advantage of her and try to pressure her into what they want. I think she just needs some time to breathe and figure out what she wants in life.”
“There’s nothing wrong with that,” Dad said. “And I want you to know that your mother is really sorry, too. She never meant to hurt either one of you. She just got wrapped up in the whole idea and thought she was being cute and encouraging. You know she wouldn’t have purposely done something to make Bryn uncomfortable or to hurt you.”
“I know,” I said, nodding. “It’s done. I said everything I needed to say to her, and hopefully she got the message and isn’t going to do it anymore.”
“I can assure you she won’t. And she wanted to make sure Bryn knew how sorry she was, too. So, she headed over to her house this morning to apologize in person.”
I was suddenly itching to text Bryn to make sure she was okay. I believed my mother was sorry for what she did, but I wouldn’t go so far as to say I trusted she wouldn’t fall off the wagon as soon as she saw Bryn in person.
Actually coming face-to-face with her and being able to talk to her might just push my mother past her self-restraint limitations. I wouldn’t be surprised if she completely overwhelmed Bryn with her exuberance over the new baby, and more encouragement for the two of us to get married.
I wished I was there to provide some sort of barrier between the two women. The thing was, knowing both of them, I knew if they were able to meet and spend time together in more normal circumstances, they would form a close relationship. They had some similar personality traits and got along wonderfully at the picnic. Maybe there was still a chance of that happening someday.
Dad didn’t stay long. He had a long list of errands he needed to run to get supplies for the custom bikes he and Kelly were building. Since she’d come along, the side business was even more popular and successful than ever. If it wasn’t for how exceptional a mechanic she was, and how important she had become to the racing team, I could see her transitioning over to designing and building these custom bikes full-time.
Once Dad was gone, I grabbed my phone and shot off a fast text to Bryn. I told her I knew my mother had gone by to talk to her and asked if she was okay. Bryn responded quickly, but it was brief. She let me know she was okay but didn’t elaborate. I waited to get another message from her, but my phone stayed silent. I put it away and tried to get back to work.
But no matter how hard I tried to concentrate and keep my mind on the work in front of me, it kept drifting over to her instead. It wasn’t just about wanting to know what my mother had said to her and how she was dealing with it. I still had so many questions I wanted to ask her.
We had talked, but it felt like the conversation wasn’t complete. There was a lot I still wanted to know and needed to figure out. The most important thing on my mind was how she was feeling about me now. We had both made it clear we were trying to give the other one as much space as possible, but that’s where we dropped it. Maybe she had gotten over those feelings or didn’t think they were a good idea now.
But in all honesty, our feelings for each other, whatever they were, were more important now than ever. I couldn’t stop myself from wondering if we were going to try to start up a relationship and work toward being an actual family.
That was what I wanted. I had no interest in being a part-time father to my baby. That little one deserved to have its family close and intact, and to never have to go through the same kinds of struggles as Remy. Not to mention I wasn’t about to put myself in the position of clashing and fighting with Bryn over our child.
It wasn’t just that. Figuring out how we were going to raise our child and if we were going to be able to do it together as a family was critically important. But I was also thinking about my feelings for her. They were stronger now more than ever, and I wanted to explore them. We really could have something. As frightening as it was, and as much as I felt like I was treading through uncharted territory, it was worth it to find out what possibly could be.
31
Bryn
The sun was just barely working its way up the sky when my body woke me up. But for the first time in weeks, I wasn’t sick. I was horny. That morning I woke up turned on and aching in a way I’d never been before. This was something unexpected, intense, and inescapable. I couldn’t just not think about it and try to force myself to go back to sleep.
That wasn’t working this time. Every time I tried to close my eyes and just will myself to drift away, my pounding heart and tingling, trembling body kept me up. It was weird, and I didn’t know why it was happening. The more I thought about it, the more I realized it was probably all the new hormones from pregnancy surging through me.
I’d heard stories about pregnant women who were suddenly insatiable. I never understood it before, but now I was experiencing it, and nothing was going to make it go away. There was only one person who could ease this for me. This sensation was new, but somehow thrilling, like I was rediscovering my body and learning amazing things about it. I wasn’t going to let it pass me by.
So, I did something else I had never experienced. I reached for my phone and called Nick for some phone sex.
There was a light laughter on the other end of the line, and when Nick spoke, his voice was just a shade deeper. It brought memories of the rumbling growl that whispered in my ear as he fucked me, and my stomach tightened, and I squeezed my legs together.
“What are you wearing?” the velvet voice asked.
I breathed in sharply, closing my eyes and letting my fingers trail down my body.
“Only my panties,” I cooed. My fingers were under the sheets now, tracing the rim of my waistband. I could imagine it was his fingers, his tongue, brushing against the soft skin of my hip bones.
“I want you to touch your breast,” he commanded, and my body instantly obeyed. My free hand went to hold my heavy, round breast, massaging it and letting my palm run across my nipple, feeling it perk up underneath the touch. “Imagine me there, my tongue swirling around your nipple, my hot breath on your skin.”
With my eyes clenched, I could focus on his voice, the image h
e was creating in my mind.
“Are you touching yourself?” I whispered heavily.
“Do you want me to?” he grumbled back. I nodded and then realized he couldn’t see me and mumbled out an affirmative response. In the background I could hear him shuffle as he stood, and a door shut. Then, a few steps later, the sound of his zipper opening sent a thrill through my body. I could see him in my vision, his shirt and tie still intact but his hand clutching his throbbing hard cock as it poked through the zipper of his slacks. Something about him still dressed for work but stroking himself with his long, thick staff out at his desk, only my voice and the memory of my body to arouse him, made me squirm and want to shove my fingers into my panties.
“Now I want you to slide your hand into your panties,” he said, his voice like a lead mallet to my mind, making me obey without even thinking about it. As I slid my fingers inside, I pushed the damp cotton panties down so they didn’t cling to me and impede my touch. “Are you wet?” he asked.
“So wet,” I responded nearly breathlessly. “I am so wet thinking about your cock.”
“My cock is so hard,” he growled into my ear. “I want you to imagine it right in front of you. Sliding through your wetness. The head at the opening of your pussy. Now place your fingers there.”
I followed the instruction but didn’t jump ahead. The fantasy was melding with the illicitness of taking his instruction, and the image of him in his suit, stroking himself while ordering me to touch myself.
“They are,” I forced out, barely able to speak.
“Plunge them inside,” he said, and I did.
Warmth rose from my core up my chest and flushed my face as I pressed two fingers deep inside myself. I cried out into the phone and heard an appreciative grumble from his end and a soft slapping sound in the background. He was stroking himself hard now, his fingers wrapped around his thick, pulsing cock, and I could nearly taste his salty precum on my tongue.
Millionaire Hero (Freeman Brothers Book 4) Page 16