Distracted: An Everyday Heroes Novel (The Everyday Heroes World)

by Michelle Fernandez

  Sabrina shifts, raises her chin, and opens her eyes. “Hey,” she says.

  “Hey, sleepyhead.”

  “What time is it?” she asks through hooded eyes.

  “It’s just after two.” I kiss her lips, she opens slightly, and I tease her tongue with mine. “God, you taste good.” I continue kissing her while shifting my body until I’m on top of her and align my already hard dick with her center. “How about one more nookie before I leave.”

  “Leave?” she asks, her fingers scraping across my scalp, sending chills down my spine.

  “You said you wanted to take it slow. You didn’t want Lily to get confused,” I remind her.

  “I know what I said. But . . .”

  “But what?”

  “I want you to stay.”

  “What are you saying, Sabrina?”

  “I don’t want you to go back to Callie’s. Stay with me.” She wraps her legs around my hips.

  “As in stay in this position and have my way with you?” I tease.

  “I want more,” she rasps.

  “More of what, Buttercup? You’re going to have to be more specific than that.”

  “I want you to stay with me. In this house. Not just for tonight.” She cups my face, and I freeze.

  “What about Lily?”

  “I think you’ve won her heart,” she says.

  “And yours? What about your heart?”

  “Spencer, you’ve always had my heart. You were just too stubborn to see it.” Her soft hands pull me to her lips, and she gives me a tender kiss. “I want you to stay here for as long as you’ll have me.”

  “You mean that?”

  She nods, and I kiss her back, loving how our mouths fit perfectly. How our bodies fit perfectly. How we fit perfectly. This woman has turned my world upside down and I don’t want to ever leave her.

  I’m desperate for her. My mouth moves from her lips, down the column of her neck, and behind her ear to the one spot that makes her moan. I continue the path down her body to her breasts and place my mouth on a nipple. She squirms as I tease, suck, and nip. I move to the other and repeat the motion.

  My hand slides between us, and I find her clit. My fingers tease the bundle of nerves in a circular motion, mimicking the same movement of my tongue on her nipple.

  Fuck! I need to taste her. I remove my hand, quickly toss her legs over my shoulders, and my tongue is on her pussy. She arches her back. Her breathing grows rapid as her orgasm climbs. Her moans are getting louder as I continue to taste her. Her silky wetness coats my mouth as I slowly stroke the slick center, and I love every second of it as I taste her sweet, velvety texture.

  Her hands grip my hair, holding me close as I continue fucking her with my mouth, wishing it were my dick instead. But we have the rest of the night and no need to rush out of here before Lily wakes.

  “Oh god, Spencer . . . please don’t stop. I’m so, so close.”

  I lick her swollen clit and suck on it, then nip it with my teeth, sending her over the edge as she grips my hair tighter and calls out my name. Her breathing is labored and there’s a mist of sweat coating her skin.

  I wipe my mouth with the back of my hand as I climb her body. “I need to be inside you, Sabrina,” I tell her.

  “Yes,” she whispers. “I want you.”

  I reach for a condom in my pants, rip it open with my teeth, and sheath myself. I’m back on top of her, and the warmth of her body welcomes mine. We were meant to be together.

  Her fingertips slide down my back and scrape over my ass. Holy fuck! That just did me in. I slowly push my dick in her wet pussy, and it feels even better than before. If making love to her gets better every time, then I am never going to stop.

  “You are so goddamn beautiful. You take my breath away,” I say as I look into her lustrous brown eyes and bury myself balls deep. She digs her nails in my back and I know it’s going to leave marks, but I don’t care. Those are fucking medals to me, literally.

  Our bodies move in motion, knowing exactly what we want from each other.

  She gives, I take.

  I give, she takes.

  This woman is making me go crazy, spinning my world off its axis. My orgasm is climbing, and I don’t want to blow before I make her come again. It’s a male ego thing and in my DNA. I need to make her come before I hit my edge. I angle my hips so my dick slides over her clit.

  Sabrina moans louder as she grips my ass, pulling me deeper into her. Our bodies rock in tandem until her pussy clenches my shaft and her body tenses. I hold my breath as I continue to pump my dick before erupting inside her warm body.

  Sabrina’s hair is fanned over the pillow as she looks up at me. She looks like an angel. My angel.

  I caress her delicate jawline with my fingers. “You mean the fucking world to me, Sabrina. And I’m going to marry you someday.”

  She begins to cry.

  “Please tell me those are happy tears,” I say as I wipe them away.

  Her fingers wrap around my neck and she pulls me down to meet her lips. “Happy tears,” she says. “Happy tears.”

  “How do you want your eggs, Lily-pop?” I ask, scratching my head and holding back a chuckle. Lily is attempting to pour orange juice in a small cup, sloppily, might I add. But this little girl is just like her mom, tenacious and relentless. She insisted on helping me despite the cast on her leg.

  “I like them swooshed together.” Her tongue circles her entire mouth as if she’s concentrating and not wanting a spill any more juice on the table.

  “You mean scrambled?”

  “Yup. That’s what I said.”

  Kids.

  “You sure you don’t need any help?” I offer as I grab a paper towel.

  “Nope. I got it,” she exclaims proudly. “Mommy lets me do this all the time.”

  “Uh-huh,” I mutter, staring down at the little girl who belongs to me, still amazed that Sabrina and I made this perfect little human.

  “You think Mommy will like the breakfast we made?”

  “I think she’ll love it. And I will tell her you did this all by yourself.” I give her a wink and a paper towel.

  “She won’t believe you.” Lily twists the cap on the plastic jug, then wipes the mess.

  “And why not?” I ask, cracking an egg in a bowl then swirling with the fork.

  “Because you’re not telling the truth,” she huffs. “And the stove is dangerous, it could burn me, and I’ll get hurt.”

  “Right,” I say, elongating the word. “Don’t lie or touch the stove. Got it. How about we tell her that I helped you?”

  She smiles with a big grin and nods. “Uh-huh, yeah, you’re helping me do it,” she says, then gives me a look. This is all new to me. Being a dad and I’m trying to decode her expressions and her Lily-isms.

  In the little time I’ve spent with her, I know some things. Astra is her favorite toy. She loves pineapple on her pizza. She knows about boxing, is learning Tae Kwando, and can eat like a wrestler. She’s also so much like her mother—full of life and can brighten your world with just her smile.

  A stack of pancakes, a bowl of scrambled eggs, several slices of bacon, two cups of coffee, and a glass of orange juice fill the large tray as I carefully carry them upstairs to Sabrina’s room.

  She snuck out of the first-floor guest room early this morning before Lily woke up. Sabrina and I agreed to give Lily the time to absorb that I’m her dad, then eventually, we will tell her that we are together and will live as a family.

  After getting Lily’s wheelchair up the stairs, going back down to get her from the couch, and settle her in it, I’m damn near exhausted.

  But when I reach the top of the stairs, seeing Lily’s beaming smile as she waits patiently in the wheelchair for me to place the tray in her lap, it’s all worth it. Moments later, we slowly open the door where Sabrina is sound asleep. How she slept through the clanking of pans and the smell of bacon in the house is beyond me. Then I think about how much I kept her
up last night, and I can’t wait to do it all over again.

  I roll the wheelchair in the room and park it next to the bed. Lily covers her mouth, muffling her giggling. If my mornings are going to be like this from now on, sign me up. There is nothing I want more than to put a smile on that little girl’s face and surprise Sabrina with breakfast in bed.

  I pull the covers off Sabrina’s head, and her hair is a tangled mess across her face. I want to laugh at how fucking adorable she is. I brush the strands back with my fingers and kiss her forehead.

  “Hey, sleepyhead. Wake up,” I say softly.

  Sabrina grunts.

  “Wakie, wakie! Eggs and bakie,” Lily says between giggles.

  Sabrina slowly opens her eyes, then turns to her side and sees Lily with the tray on her lap. “What have you two been up to?” she asks, and a smile immediately tugs on her lips.

  “We want to have a breakfast-picnic on your bed,” Lily pipes. “See, there are pancakes, eggs, bacon. Spencie made your coffee, and I poured my own juice.”

  Sabrina sits up and leans back on the headboard. “Oh my goodness! You did this all for me? What’s the occasion?”

  I remove the tray from Lily’s lap and set it on the side table. I grab the coffee mugs and hand Sabrina one, then give Lily her juice. I look over at Lily then my gaze drifts to Sabrina. I raise my cup. “Today marks the day of the new us . . . our family.”

  Sabrina

  “Can we talk?” I ask the moment Callie opens the door to her loft apartment above her dance studio.

  “Oh, sure, now you want to talk,” she sneers at me. I don’t blame her, and I deserve it. She leans against the door frame with her arms crossed over her chest. “What happened to talking to me the moment you found out you were pregnant with my brother’s daughter? My niece.”

  “Cal, let me—”

  “Don’t,” Callie raises her palm, cutting me off while anger rages in her eyes. “You lied, Sabrina. To me. Of all people.”

  “Please. Can you just see it my way?” I beg. “Look, I’m sorry I didn’t tell you. I wanted to. God knows I wanted to.”

  “Do you really think I’m mad you didn’t tell me? I’m mad because you didn’t trust me enough to tell me. I’m your best friend, and we’ve known each other since we started crawling.”

  At this moment, I don’t know which is worse, losing Spencer all those years ago or losing my best friend. I only hope I can rectify this mess I’ve made.

  I pinch the bridge of my nose then look up to meet her eyes. She’s right. I didn’t trust her. I was afraid she’d tell Spencer directly or would’ve slipped that he had a daughter. At the time, I felt it best to keep Lily’s father’s identity a secret. Not only from Callie, but also her parents too.

  “I was scared,” I say, hoping it’s enough.

  “Of what?”

  “Do you remember the day I called you when I was going into labor?” I remind her, trying my best to explain my side and in the hopes she’ll understand.

  “Callie?” I grunt, pressing my hand against my swollen belly as another wave of dull aches cramp my pelvis. The contractions have been coming every fifteen minutes and lasting at least a minute. I’ve been sitting at home and feeling this way for the last twenty-four hours, but only just decided to call Tyco to drive me to the hospital.

  “Sabbie? What’s wrong?” Callie asks frantically. “Are you okay?”

  “I need you. I need my best friend,” I say desperately, squeezing Tyco’s hand as the pain increases.

  “Sure. Anything.”

  “Then I need you to pick up Nonna and drive to San Francisco General,” I say, looking at the digital clock on the dashboard of Tyco’s sports car, for two reasons. Timing the contractions and timing how long it will take Callie to get to the hospital.

  “Oh my god, Sabrina. What happened?” she asks hysterically. “Are you hurt? Did you get into a car accident? Did you—”

  “No, it’s nothing like that,” I snap, cutting her off.

  “Then what is it?”

  She doesn’t know I’m pregnant. I never told her about the one-night stand with Spencer. I never told her he knocked me up. And the sad part is, Spencer has no idea either.

  I look over at Tyco, concentrating on the road as he weaves through the afternoon traffic. He and Rocky have been by my side throughout my pregnancy. But with Rocky on assignment overseas and my sister flying back from Hawaii, I surely cannot have Tyco in the labor room.

  I take a deep breath, then exhale, happy that the contraction has subsided, and gather my courage to tell her. Here goes nothing. “I’m going into labor.”

  “I’m sorry,” Callie chuckles. “Did you just say you’re . . . you’re going into labor?”

  I nod as if she can see me. “Yes,” I mutter. “And my contractions are—”

  “When did you . . . how? Don’t answer that. Who is the father?”

  “Please, Callie,” I plead. “Just get here. I’ll explain everything then.”

  “You have more than just explaining to do. Does Nonna know you are pregnant?” she asks.

  “Yes. Of course. She’s my Nonna.”

  “And what am I? Chopped liver,” Callie tosses back at me.

  “No, of course not. It’s just that you were moving back to Sunnyville from New York after your breakup with what’s his name, and I didn’t want to burden you with my pregnancy,” I babble, defending, and lying again. Bottom line is that I just didn’t want to tell Callie.

  On the other hand, Nonna forced me to tell her who the father was. To save my dignity and my self-respect, I told Nonna it was Spencer’s child. Heaven forbid you lie to an Italian grandmother, and she catches you. All hell will break loose. And if I had to tell Nonna, I had to tell my sister.

  “Burden me with your pregnancy? Sabrina Kent, I am so going to kick your ass,” she scolds.

  “Yes, and you can after you get here.” I wince, shutting my eyes through another wave of pain.

  “I’m so pissed at you.”

  “I know, and I deserve it. But can you be pissed while on your way here?”

  “Fine. Yes, I’m on my way,” she says. “I can’t believe you didn’t tell me.”

  “Thank you. And, Cal?”

  “Yup,” she answers sharply.

  “I love you,” I say to soften the blow.

  “Yeah, yeah. I love you too,” she replies. “I’ll be there in a couple of hours. Just don’t give birth till I get there.”

  Seven hours later, after pushing, wheezing, and panting through what was the most intense pain I have ever endured, I hold my baby girl in my arms.

  Lily Noelle Kent.

  Tyco left Callie and me in the room to call Rocky and the guys at work. And Nonna and Gabby are in the cafeteria getting a bite to eat.

  “She’s beautiful,” Callie says as her fingers brush over the knitted bonnet on Lily’s small head while she sleeps.

  “This little girl is my whole world,” I say as my heart swells at how easily I can love this gift from heaven. “I can’t believe I’m a mom.”

  “Speaking of being a parent, who is the father?” Callie asks suspiciously, taking a seat at the foot of the bed. “It’s time to explain this to me.”

  Thank god Lily’s eyes are closed and she has slept almost the entire time the nurse brought her to me for her feeding. I’m afraid Lily’s blue eyes may give it away. I want to tell Callie the truth, but I can’t. Spencer is married now, and he can’t know. So, to keep Lily’s father’s identity a secret, I need to lie to the one person who may hate me if she found out the truth.

  “It was a one-night stand,” I say, not totally lying. “After my parents’ funeral, I was feeling lonely. And he came along and made me feel better. He made me laugh again. One thing led to another and . . .”

  “Okay, I get it. You had sex with Tyco. Don’t need all the nasty details,” she jokes.

  “Tyco?”

  “Yes, he is the father, right?” Callie prompts as sh
e looks me straight in my eyes.

  I could lie and say yes, but I won’t.

  “Tyco is not the father,” I say quickly.

  “But I thought . . .”

  I shake my head. “Although he’s been with me my entire pregnancy, it’s not him.”

  “Then who is it?”

  “Some guy. But he skipped town before I could tell him, and now, he’s with someone else.” Still not a complete lie.

  “So, you’re going to raise Lily all on your own?”

  I nod. “I can do this. Many women raise children all on their own. Besides, I’m not on my own. I have Gabs, Rocky, Tyco, and the guys at work.”

  Callie rests her hand on my leg. “And me, Sabrina. You will always have me.”

  “You’re joking, right?” Callie questions heatedly, pulling me back to the present.

  Even though I hate myself right now, I hope she doesn’t hate me. I run my fingers through my hair, pushing it back.

  “I wasn’t completely lying when I told you it was a one-night stand. I just omitted the part that it was your brother. The thing is, I called him immediately after leaving the doctor’s office. And when I found out he was engaged, it broke me. I was so mad. Mad at him, myself, the world, my situation.” I take a deep breath and slowly let it out before I speak again. “At the time, not telling him and you . . . it was for the best.”

  “For the best? Seriously? That is so selfish!” she hollers. “Don’t feed me this veil of truth horseshit. You kept something from me, from my parents, Spencer . . . and a little girl. The one person you claim is your world.”

  I’m speechless only because Callie is right. This whole situation is fucked up.

  For the last several years, when she suspiciously asked me about Lily’s father, all I did was lie.

  I can’t turn back the sands of time, and if I could, maybe things would be different. But at that time, Spencer was also having a baby with Tanya. And I sure as hell was not going to be labeled as the other woman.