by T. R. Iyer
He had to go and check for himself if everything was okay with her. He was going to pick up some flowers for her on the way and was hoping she would like this little gesture and finally agree to give him a chance.
***
“Hi, I am looking for Ornelia King,” he said to the nurse at the reception. He knew for a fact she had yet to legally change her last name to her maiden name, but her still carrying his name gave him a little bit of hope.
“Sorry, sir. We don’t have any Ornelia King with us,” the nurse informed him.
Maximus felt disheartened that he couldn’t catch her in time but was also relieved that she was okay. He called the hospital reception again and persuaded the receptionist to give him her address.
He was going to surprise her. She was going to be ecstatic.
He drove to her apartment, feeling like a teenager—all happy and excited to see the girl he adored.
***
His palms were sweating as he pressed for the sixth floor in the elevator. He’d run his hands through his hair a few times before the elevator dinged and came to a stop. He let out a breath he didn’t know he’d been holding.
He searched for her apartment number and rang her doorbell.
“Kayden, baby, hold on.” He heard Ornelia call out from inside. “Let me see who’s at the door and then I’ll come give you hundreds of kisses, okay?”
Maximus had so many questions. He contemplated, turning away and going back. Maybe this was a mistake. Maybe she was avoiding his advances because she already had someone in her life, but why would she keep his name?
Why would she? He was not going to leave without answers.
Chapter Nineteen
Ornelia was not expecting anyone. Sofia was already with them, and she’d already informed Jake and Emily about the current situation. They said they would drop by the next day.
Kayden was being extra clingy and wouldn’t let her leave his side even for a second. She promised she would give him a lot of kisses once she had dealt with the unknown visitor.
Ornelia opened the door, and to her surprise, it was the last person she expected to see on her doorstep. However, given the surprises he’d already thrown at her, she kind of saw it coming. What she didn’t see coming her way was a bouquet of flowers, smacking her straight on her face. Ornelia was startled, to say the least.
“You, how dare you?” She was fuming. She picked up his flowers and threw them in the garbage can. The last thing she wanted was to have Kayden get sick again by being around flowers.
“How dare I? How dare you? Is that why you’ve been avoiding me? Because you’re hiding another man in here? And here like a fool, I was trying to court you.” Maximus’s tone increased with each sentence.
“First of all, keep your voice down. And secondly you haven’t changed one bit. You still make assumptions, sitting on your high horse like you have never committed a sin in your entire life! Get out of my house right now!”
Lately it seemed like she was kicking him out a lot.
Well, karma sure works in mysterious ways.
“No, I am not going anywhere until I meet this Kayden you love so much and want to give hundreds of kisses to. Why don’t you call him? Hmm. Hey, Kayden! Be a man and come out here and speak to me.” Maximus called out for him while Ornelia tried to keep him quiet, but all of that was in vain. “Why are you hiding behind a woman?”
Kayden ran to the living room with Sofia on his toes.
“Mommy, Mommy, my name,” Kayden said while holding his favorite stuffed toy close to his chest.
“That is . . . Is that a child? That is a child, right?” Maximus sounded confused. When he came in, determined to fight for his wife and his honor, he did not expect that he would be fighting a toddler.
“Yes, he is a child—a sick child—whom you very rudely called out for. Now, can you leave?” Ornelia wanted him out. She had no energy to explain things.
“Whose is he? Couldn’t be that lady’s. He clearly called you ‘Mommy’.” Maximus pointed at Sofia and Kayden, then at her.
“If you are going to answer your questions yourself, you can do that in your own house. Let us be,” she snapped at him.
“Mommy, man?” Kayden asked.
“Mommy will explain everything later, sweetheart. Why don’t you go inside and play with Sofia?” She urged Sofia to take him inside. She had a feeling Maximus was not going to leave anytime soon.
“No. You know what, Kayden? Mommy is going to explain everything right now.”
Maximus stood his ground. He wanted answers, and he wanted them immediately.
“Can we at least not do this in front of him? I am ready to answer all of your questions,” Ornelia begged him with her eyes. Her son was sick, and he didn’t need it.
Maximus sat down with his hands folded, looking even more defensive and ready for a fight.
Ornelia asked Sofia to take Kayden to his room.
Sofia picked Kayden up and took him, locking the door from inside.
“Ask away.” Ornelia stood in front of Maximus unwillingly, ready to finally reveal the truth to him.
She was putting her child and herself at risk of this. He’d better be ready to hear everything.
“Whose . . . ?” Maximus asked.
“Whose do you think?” Ornelia couldn’t believe the man’ s stupidity.
“Just answer the damn question, Ornelia!” Maximus’s face was now reddish. “Where is his father?”
“Are you blind? The boy is the exact copy of his father. Either you’re blind or the blindfold of your assumptions is too thick that you can’t see anything beyond yourself. Get your eyesight checked, the old age is catching up to you!”
Maximus felt like Ornelia was playing some sort of game with him.
Why can’t she just answer the f*cking question? he asked himself.
“Just lay it on me, why don’t you? Did you have an affair, or a one-night stand? Ornelia, whatever it is, I just want the truth. I am ready to accept him.” Maximus tried to get her to tell him.
“A one-night stand? The only one-night stand I ever had was with you, Maximus. You’re so f*cking thick. He looks just like you. How can you accuse me of having an affair? And how dare you question my honesty? Who do you think you are? Even if you don’t accept him, there are a lot of people who love him.”
How dare he! He had absolutely no right.
“You know, this-this reaction, this was the only reason I kept him away from you! You, high and mighty Maximus King, who couldn’t accept me, who accused me of sleeping with you for money, are the sole reason my son is only mine. The likes of you would never change! You are always going to think of us lesser than you. And that is why . . . that is why I don’t want you. That is why my son and I are fine without you.”
Her tears already ran down her cheeks by the time she finished speaking. Maximus was instantly beside her, wiping away her tears.
He berated himself for being such an assh*le and ruining her. He hated himself for not being around when she probably needed him the most; and finally the words that had been lost for so many years, found their way to him.
“I am sorry, Ornelia, for everything, for not being the husband you deserved, for not being a father that Kayden deserved. But please give me a chance. I want to prove it to you that I can make it all better. I will be here for you and Kayden. In fact I want to be here for everything after today. I am sorry for being an assh*le. I am sorry for letting you down time and again. All I ask is one more chance.” He held her face and looked directly into her eyes, to show her how sincere he was.
Ornelia’s eyes welled up again with hot tears. She couldn’t handle his being nice to her. She didn’t know how to react. She was used to his being an arrogant, pompous ass, but this responsible side of him, she didn’t know how to accept it.
Maximus slowly caressed her cheeks, waiting for her to answer. Ornelia gave a small nod and a weak smile. Maximus leaned in for a kiss to seal their deal. Sh
e closed her eyes in anticipation, when they were interrupted by a shriek.
“Mommy, ew. Man gives cooties,” Kayden exclaimed as Sofia held his mouth shut, muttering a quiet sorry.
“Kayden, come here. I want you to meet someone,” she beckoned Kayden to come closer.
Her son waddled his way to her and looked up at Maximus.
“This is your dad, Maximus King.” She pointed at Maximus.
“Dad? Like Shewry’s dad?” Kayden tilted his head to express his confusion.
“Yeah, baby, like Sherry’s dad,” Ornelia answered his question.
“Dad give me kisses, not Mommy, okay? Coz cooties, ew,” Kayden said, making everyone laugh in the room.
Now, all Ornelia wanted was some sleep to end the day. That was enough drama to last a lifetime.
Chapter Twenty
Things had changed drastically in just a day. Maximus had refused to leave that night, too excited to get to know his son. His acceptance had stunned her. She was waiting for him to f*ck up so that she could react to him the only way she knew how to.
This nice-guy act was confusing her feelings. Her heart was ready to accept him back in their lives, but it was her mind that had guards up.
She sighed as she moved around the kitchen whipping up some breakfast. She had already filled Emily in on the new developments, and she was ecstatic. Emily loved a good drama. She lived for it. Ornelia had asked her to notify the receptionist to clear her schedule for the rest of the week so that she could pay more attention to Kayden. Emily gladly performed the deed and also informed Maximus about her schedule. Now, he was on his way to spend some time with them. As much as she liked the idea of the three of them spending time together, all of this was too fast for her.
As soon as she thought of that, her doorbell rang, notifying her that the father of her child just arrived. Ornelia wiped her wet hands on her T-shirt and made her way to open the door.
There he was, looking like a million dollars, even though he was only in a very casual gray T-shirt and ragged jeans. Who knew a thirty-two-year-old could look that good and that lazy at the same time? Maximus might be lacking in the romance department, but everything else, boy oh boy, was he equipped!
“Hey, good morning. You look great,” Maximus said while scooping her up for a hug.
Ornelia hugged him back. It was probably the second time he’d hugged her, and although it felt different, it was oddly welcoming.
“Good morning to you too. Come on in. Did you eat?” she asked while closing the door behind her.
“No, I was hoping we could have breakfast together, all three of us. I’m not sure what Kayden likes. I just picked up some pancakes and muffins on the way.”
It was only then did she notice the takeaway bag that he was carrying.
“He likes both. He’s got a bit of a sweet tooth.” Ornelia giggled as she took the bag from his hands.
“Well, looks like he does take after me.” Maximus smirked at the thought of his son being like him. He swelled with pride, knowing that he had a son, and his wife was back in his life; or at least he was getting closer to having both of them by his side.
“So, what are we doing today?” he asked.
“I don’t know. What do you have in mind? I just don’t want to exhaust him as he is still recovering from his allergy. Can we do something at home?” She tried to convince him to stay indoors.
“Sure. We can play and watch some movies. I can cook for the both of you.” He smiled a smile so bright; it could have blinded her.
“That sounds wonderful. Come, do you want to wake him up?” Ornelia guided him to Kayden’s bedroom. She liked his plan. This somehow felt more romantic—their spending time as a family—than his fourteen-day plan.
“Kayden, look who’s here. Wake up, sweetheart.” Ornelia gently shook him. Kayden slowly opened his eyes and smiled a toothy smile as soon as he saw Maximus and her.
“Mommy, Dad man.”
Maximus chuckled at the way Kayden addressed him. He could get used to this. The idea of waking up to this little boy’s smile and Ornelia’s presence seemed very appealing to him.
Kayden got up and hugged both of them.
Ornelia then went ahead and did Maximus a favor by showing him how she took care of Kayden every morning. That day, instead of just Ornelia giving Kayden a bath, Maximus joined in, and it became a water fight.
Ornelia sent both the boys out before taking a shower herself.
She stepped out of the shower, and Maximus stood there half naked, with nothing but his jeans on.
“My-my . . . T-shirt is drenched, and I didn’t pack another one. Can I put it in your dryer?” he asked, completely mesmerized by a freshly showered Ornelia, who was wearing an oversized blue T-shirt and some shorts, her hair still wet.
“Sure, why not? I am sorry I don’t really have anything that would fit you,” she said, sincerely apologetic. At least she thought she was.
If Maximus in clothes was a sight to behold, Maximus half naked was even more pleasing to the eyes.
“No, that’s alright. Besides, I don’t really see you actually complaining. You seem to be enjoying it.” He smirked, having caught her gawking at him.
“Hey, my eyes, my pleasure,” she countered.
He walked toward her, a predatory look in his eyes. “Is that so?” he asked, backing her up to the wall and cornering her, with his arms on either side of her.
“Yes, indeed. It is so.” Her eyes closed involuntarily.
Her breathing got heavier as he leaned closer to her. His hands ran up and down her arms, slowly.
Goosebumps rose on her skin as soon as his lips touched hers. The slow kiss suddenly turned frantic and hungry. She felt unhinged and undone as he picked her up by her waist and sat her down on her bed, still kissing and touching her. She had to pull herself together and push him away.
“What’s wrong? Did I do something wrong?” Maximus asked, getting up with her, worried he might have just blown everything up.
“No, no. Oh God, that was wonderful, but I have a hungry baby to feed. Come on. Let’s have breakfast first.”
Maximus smiled as understanding dawned on him.
They found Kayden playing by the couch with his airplane toy. They soon started eating breakfast, and Ornelia wasn’t kidding when she said Kayden had a sweet tooth. The boy massacred through the sweet pancakes and muffins, while both of them enjoyed their breakfast sub sandwich.
Throughout the day, the father-and-son duo watched Cars and most of the Toy Story movies. As the night rolled in, Maximus cooked some mac and cheese for them. They also ended up baking cookies together.
Chapter Twenty-One
All in all, it was a successful bonding day. There were never-ending giggles and bouts of laughter while Maximus tried to put Kayden to sleep.
Finally the little one slept after an hour of bedtime play and storytelling.
Maximus looked just as exhausted as he looked content. He plopped down beside Ornelia on the couch in the living room as she shut down her laptop after finishing up the previous week’s reports. She would have to print those out.
Maximus slid an arm around her shoulder, then he pulled her closer and kissed her on the forehead. “Thank you for today. It means a lot to me. To get to spend time with you and Kayden seems like a privilege I lost a long time ago. Thanks for giving me this,” he said earnestly.
Ornelia couldn’t find the words to say, so she did what she thought would best express how she felt that day. She held his face in her hands and kissed him with every bit of passion she could conjure up.
Their lips moved—so in sync—dancing to a rhythm only they knew. She straddled him as they continued kissing. Ornelia felt the growing hotness of her own body as his hands roamed around her sides, traveling to her breasts and eventually cupping them. He gently flicked her nipples through the fabric of her T-shirt, and that made her moan into his mouth. She could feel his hardness under her. She purposely grinded harder
on him, forcing him to grab her hips, then her ass before he gave it a quick little smack.
“We should stop before you regret it,” Maximus said, maintaining a steady rhythm in his grinding.
I should be the one worrying about that, Ornelia thought, given their track record of having sex with each other.
But she kept quiet. She didn’t want to ruin the moment.
Maximus flipped her over so that he was now on top. He trailed butterfly kisses down to her belly before he peeled her shorts off and went down on her. He slurped and licked every part of her; it drove her crazy.
This was as close as she had ever gotten to getting an orgasm from a man. Her legs quivered the more he licked, and she had to hold on to his hair to remain sane. She shuddered as her first release engulfed her.
Maximus swiftly hovered above her and wiped his mouth before giving her a wet, sloppy kiss. He quickly got rid of his T-shirt and jeans. Once he was completely naked, Ornelia ran her hands on his upper chest—feeling his hard pecs—and then to his taut buttocks. She held them and gave them a little teasing squeeze.
Maximus smirked before he positioned himself, ready to enter her.
With a swift, powerful thrust, his manhood pierced her.
She gasped out of pain and pleasure, her nails dug into his back. “F*ck,” she moaned. “I love it, baby. Yeah, do it to me just like that.”
Maximus slowly increased his pace while he held her hands above her head, leaving trails of kisses, licks, and bites along her neck. She was sure he was going to leave marks. She wouldn’t complain though. She loved every bit of it.
He then reached in between her legs and rubbed her clit while pounding her. Ornelia had no words to describe the kind of satisfaction she experienced with him. Her breathing got heavier, her moans louder. A tingling sensation ran through every fiber of her being—and it was as if he undressed her soul and took her to a place of eternal bliss. And as he went faster, she could feel his manhood getting harder inside her pussy. She wanted to moan louder, but all she could do was bit her lip.