by Jamie Knight
He has definitely been confusing me with his back and forth.
“Of course I remember, and I’m really sorry,” he says.
He explains to me how he got the message from his mom and it made him so mad. He had so much rage building up inside him that he worked it out by having that fight and knocking Ramirez out.
“But now I’m done, for good,” he says. “I’ve officially retired. My agent wasn’t happy but fuck it. I needed to do it. I’ve also been going to treatment for PTSD with Damien’s therapist, Dr. Mack. He says I had it from childhood trauma and then it was exacerbated during the war. I’ve been figuring out so many things about myself, really working on myself, so that I can be with you. I couldn’t wait any longer. I had to fly here on my jet to tell you what happened and beg your forgiveness.”
“Wait a minute,” I tell him. “You have a jet?”
He nods, sheepishly.
See what I mean? Not pretentious at all. No one would ever guess how much money he has, because even though it’s a lot, he doesn’t brag about it.
“Okay,” I tell him. “So you came all the way here to tell me that. Thank you. That was genuinely quite the gesture.”
I’m not sure I want to forgive him so easily. I kind of make him want to beg for it.
“Not only that,” he says, “but to tell you that my mother called, and for once in her life, she seems apologetic, and so I’ve gone to see her, before coming here. She has been in a sober living facility and is getting her shit together, too, so that maybe we can be some kind of family again.”
I look at him, wondering what exactly he means by that.
As if reading my mind, he adds, “Her and me. And you. And your parents. And whoever else is family to us. But I want you and I to be family. Because I love you. I really, truly love you.”
“I love you, too,” I tell him, quickly giving in to my desire to be happy with him despite what’s happened in the past. “And I’m glad you love me and want to be a family with me, because I’m pregnant.”
“What?” he exclaims.
But he doesn’t look upset. He looks happy.
“This is amazing! I’m going to be a dad.”
No one would ever believe me, but I swear that just then fireworks started going off. There’s a fair downtown where they put on fireworks for all the residents to see, and since it’s such a small town and downtown isn’t very far away, we can see some from here, just overhead.
“This is going to be a new year of both forgiveness and redemption for me,” Lincoln says. “And I want to have you by my side every step of the way.”
I really wish we could have sex but I know my parents wouldn’t approve. They’re so old fashioned. They’re going to have a fit when they find out I’m pregnant, but with Lincoln by my side, I’m not as scared to tell them.
So, we can’t do the deed – that’s out, at least until my parents are asleep and one of us can sneak into the other’s room, because they’d never let us sleep in the same room.
But since it’s midnight and it’s New Year’s Eve, we kissed, passionately and deeply, and I put a hand over my belly, so happy to be starting a new year and a new life, with Lincoln and our baby.
Epilogue
Amanda
One Year Later
This year is quite different than last New Year’s day. Last new year’s day, we’d had dinner with my parents and told them the news. They didn’t take it so well, but they’re over it now. In fact, they’re ecstatic now, and so are Lincoln and I, ever since little Kate arrived. Should for Catharine.
Yes, I named my baby Catharine, after my best friend. I really appreciated her support in all of this. She’s also the baby’s godmother. She’s got her wrapped around her little finger – but Kate seems to have that effect on everyone.
Now, Lincoln is rocking Kate to sleep after we ate a simple dinner of ham and mashed potatoes at home. We have a modest house, even though we could afford much more. I enjoy keeping things simple and so does Lincoln.
Kate’s room is nicely decorated in pink and white, and she has a crib and everything else she needs. Rex, who follows Kate around protectively, has a big dog bed by our bed, and a nice dog run outside.
Everyone has all the necessitates. That’s what matters. Lincoln has made good on his promises. He no longer fights. He’s done full treatment on his knee and eyes. And he still sees Dr. Mack for PTSD treatment, which really help keep his tendency towards anger issues in check.
He and his mom talk now and again. She flew out to New York and met Kate once she was born. They have a pretty good relationship, or at least as good of one as they can have in their situation. There is still a lot of hurt there, but they’re working through it.
And Lincoln and I are great. He’s been the best father. Like, right now, he kisses Kate and puts her down in her crib. He says, “Good night, my sweet baby,” like he always does at her bedtime.
Then he swoops me up into his arms and says, “Now it’s time for my other baby and I to have some fun.”
He carries me across the hallway to our room and lays me on the bed. Often times he’s rough, and I like that, but right now, he’s gentle. He can’t do everything he would usually do with my breasts, since I’m nursing. But he starts rubbing my clit, moving his fingers all around it, and driving me crazy right away.
“Mmmm,” I moan. I love how good he always makes me feel.
Soon he’s kissing my lips and then my neck and he’s sliding his fingers inside me. I hump his hand, drenching it with my juices, because I’m so wet and ready for him. We don’t get to make love as often as we used to, now that we have a baby to tend to. But every time we do, it’s still amazing.
He slides his cock in me and I grip the walls of my pussy around it. I love when he fills me all the way up with his big, wide dick. I grab ahold of the brown curls on his head and say, “Mmm, yeah, like that.”
“Like this?” he asks, thrusting in and out of me.
“Yeah,” I tell him, feeling myself close to the edge again. “Like that.”
I feel another orgasm coming on and he must sense it, too, because he says, “Yeah, that’s right, cum on my cock. Cum for me on my cock.”
And I do, cumming all over it while I slide around on it. I hold onto his broad chest for support and he keeps kissing my neck. I realize he’s about to cum, too, because his throbbing cock starts pulsing inside me.
“I’m cumming, I’m cumming in your pussy,” he says, releasing himself into me.
It feels so good that all I can do is roll over and stare at the ceiling for a moment. Then I smile and say, “That was great.”
“I’m glad you still like it,” he says. “Because there’s something I’ve been wanting to ask you.”
Before I know it, he’s kneeling by the side of the bed, holding up a ring he pulled out from the bedside stand.
How did I not know it was in there? I clean the house! But I do tend to avoid the stand on his side of the bed because that’s where he keeps his books that Dr. Mack gave him, and the journaling he does for the sessions. I don’t want to intrude his private space, even though he does open up and talk to me. He lets me in like I used to want him to do so badly.
“Will you marry me?” he asks, all smiles.
“Yes!” I say, wanting to jump up and down, but since I’m now sitting up on the bed, I just bounce.
“Yes!” he says back, getting up on the bed with me and bouncing, too.
It’s such a spontaneous move, so full of life and energy, so different from the depressed man I had fallen in love with – an even better version of him – that I feel buoyant, like a little kid. We bounce on the bed together, holding hands, and he says, “I can’t wait to marry the mother of my child. Kate is going to be so cute as our flower girl!”
“She’s not even old enough to walk down the aisle,” I laugh.
I want to get married right away. I thought he’d never ask! I didn’t really mind, because I know he loves
me and is committed to me. But now that he has asked, my girly girl side is coming out and I want an ivory lace dress, pink and light green color scheme, lots of gorgeous flowers, the works.
“Well, we’ll have someone pull her in a wagon, and that’ll be even cuter,” he says.
I agree. The best part will be having her there to celebrate with us. Because she makes our lives even better than they already are.
“I love you,” he says, pulling me close to him and kissing me.
“I love you too,” I tell him. “This’ll be our best year yet.”
“You said that last year,” he laughs.
“Yeah, and I was right. And this one will be even better.”
“Touché,” he says, and we smile at each other, happy to be engaged and to be starting a new year and a new life as fiancés.
I have everything I could ever want, and I’m so glad I didn’t give up on him that day he caused that ruckus at Big Apple Physical Therapy. I know some people would think I’m crazy for being into the guy who was such a hot head client, but I knew I made the right choice in picking him. It may have been because he had an amazing body, but I knew that he had a pretty amazing heart, too, and now I get to see it on full display, every day of our lives.
The end.
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Your Sneak Peek of Bundle of Joy: A Single Dad Secret Baby Romance (Catharine’s story)
Chapter 1
Daniel
Imagine the thrill of careening down a long, scenic mountain on skis, the wind at your back and a gorgeous landscape in front of you.
Now imagine how much that experience would be ruined by trying not to fucking collide with a dozen five- and six- year olds who seem determined to ski directly into your path.
I suppose it would be fun if it was some kind of new video game challenge, but in real life, I can assure you, it’s no fucking fun at all.
Although I only became a father by accident, on most days, I quite enjoy it. Today, however, is not one of those days. It’s my son’s sixth birthday and we’re having a party for him at the local ski resort.
I thought it would be a fun way to celebrate, but I forgot that even though he’s known how to ski since he was two years old, some of his friends have not. In fact, for some of them, it’s their first time skiing, and that’s why they seem hellbent on making me crash – because they themselves have no control on their skis.
I’ve slowed way down to their level, even though it makes my son Charlie a bit grumpy.
“Dad!” he complains. “We’re never going to be able to go on one of the black diamond trails at this rate.”
“Son,” I say, reaching over to ruffle his thick mane of brown hair like I always do, before remembering that he’s wearing not only a winter ski hat but also a helmet on top of that, both of which make the task impossible, “I can assure you that we aren’t going on a black diamond run today at any rate.”
“But I want to!” he wails, kicking one of his skis into a snowbank and causing snow to fly up everywhere.
Recently, he’s been a little more difficult to handle than he usually is, but I blame that on the fact that I’ve been having to work a lot harder than usual at the tech business I’d founded. It recently merged with another large company, and the shareholders’ expectations for profit are higher than I’m used to.
In the meantime, my son hasn’t had his dad’s attention as much as he’s been used to. Meanwhile, multiple nannies have quit, citing irreconcilable differences, to put it nicely, or “he always has 24/7 meltdowns,” to put it bluntly.
It really isn’t his fault; I know he’s just acting out due to lack of attention from his dad, not to mention his mom, who is another story altogether. I was hoping this ski trip birthday party would provide for some good father/ son bonding time, but so far it’s been mainly whining from him, about things such as this.
“Well, maybe you should have thought about that before you invited Jimmy and Timmy and whatever the other one’s name is,” I whisper to him under my breath. “The friends of yours who have never been skiing?”
I hear a light chuckle behind me and barely turn my head as the ski instructor the resort had assigned us for this party whizzes by. She stops expertly and gives me a look that’s a mixture of impressed grin and chiding scoff.
“That’s not very nice,” she says, clearly having overheard what I’d just said.
She must have ears like a fox, which would be fitting, since the old term to describe her would be “foxy.” Now, I’d just say she’s fucking sexy. Her muscular, athletic curves are on full display even though she’s wearing puffy winter ski clothing – there is no hiding that amazing body of hers.
I think she’d introduced herself to us as Catharine, but the gang of kids that had passed had been so loud, as they bickered over who was going to ride with whom on the ski lifts, that I might have heard wrong.
“Sorry, I can’t be a perfect dad all the time,” I tell her, with a wink.
I’m happy that she responds by smiling back at me.
“Do you want to do the birthday cake now, Mr. Non-Perfect Dad?” she asks me.
“The name’s Daniel,” I correct her, but it doesn’t bother me that she made that joke.
In fact, I find it funny. I just want her to remember my name.
“I know; we were introduced earlier,” she says.
So, apparently, she already remembered my name. I guess I was off to a good start then, without even knowing it.
“I was coming to tell you that the resort staff said the cake is ready,” she continues. “It’s actually one of my friends who made it, exactly according to your rather… um, extravagant… specifications, and I really think that Charlie will love it, so maybe we should go in now. Plus, it looks like some of the other party-goers are more ready for a nap than that double diamond slope you just mentioned.”
She points her ski pole down the hill at several of Charlie’s friends, who are all engaging in a variety of uninspiring activities, including lying around looking pooped out, having snowball fights, bawling their eyes out, or making snow angels. Only some of his good friends with whom we regularly ski are lined up and ready for the ski lift to take them back up to the hill that diverges to either blue or green trails.
“Sure, let’s do that cake now,” I tell her, which causes Charlie to ski quickly down the hill, yelling, “Cake time! Cake time!” to his friends along the way.
“I was just kidding about you not being very nice,” she says, as we catch up to him together. “I don’t have any kids myself, but I instruct enough of them here at the resort to know that it must be hard to not lose your cool sometimes.”
“You think I lost my cool?” I kid. “Did you not see Charlie?”
“Good point,” she says with a grin. “I can only hope he’s having a good birthday party, despite his outburst.”
“He is,” I reassure her. “And I really appreciate you teaching the ones who don’t know how to ski. I don’t think I could handle all these kids by myself, otherwise.”
“It’s no problem,” she says. “It’s my job. And besides, Charlie’s cute.”
“You think so?” I ask, raising my eyebrows at her and wishing I could add, “You mean, like his dad?”
But I
don’t. It would be inappropriate to flirt with her, even if she does seem to be daring me to. Not only is she currently on the clock, but she’s also helping me with my son’s birthday party. Not to mention that she’s probably half my age.
I can’t help it if I think she looks hot, though, I tell myself, staring at her cute ass as she approaches the kids and announces, “Children, please remove your skis and line them up in the ski racks right there. We’ll be going to the party area of the Happy Trails Restaurant, for Charlie’s cake, and other refreshments.”
“Will there be chocolate or vanilla cake?” one of the kids cries out.
I have no clue, and it doesn’t look like Catharine does either, but he and another friend soon start fighting about which flavor is better.
“I’m allergic to peanuts,” another child randomly calls out. “My mommy will be really mad if I eat one. I could choke and die!”
Catharine and I exchange glances and she mouths, “Holy smokes!”
I knew that today was going to be a bit challenging, but I’m sure she’s a lot more used to all the perils that can come with gathering so many kids in one place and trying to do anything altogether than I am.
I had no way to know that their ski instructor was going to be so hot, and now I’m not only going to have to control my temper and have a little patience – something which is definitely not my strong suit – but I’m also going to have to control my libido and have a little restraint. Because all I want to do is rip the heavy ski coat off her and have my way with her.
From the way that she nods her head at me and chuckles again as we walk into the resort together, I have a feeling she’d like me to do it, too – which is why it’s going to be all the more difficult to resist.
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