Until Cece

by KD Robichaux

  And then he’s off the stool and stalking around the island. And the next thing I know, his bulging arms are caging me in, my lower back against the island as he towers over me. But I don’t cower. Not from Winston. Not like I would from Mike when he’d yell at me for not agreeing with the way I did something with the girls or as his perfect Stepford wife. No, I look up at him, my eyes portraying the fire I feel for this man, facing him head-on, my breaths sawing in and out of me, my breasts pressing into his abs. And I’m the one who lifts onto my toes and sucks his bottom lip between both of mine, letting it slide out of my mouth through my teeth, and I hear him growl.

  I feel his erection against my belly, and I want nothing more than to take him to my room and show him exactly how little I want to wait to make this thing between us official. And I’m about to do just that, completely overcome by my love and lust for this man that I forget the girls are right upstairs, when suddenly my mom’s loudly sung “Hell-oo-ooo!” echoes from the front door.

  My head whips in her direction, and Winston takes one slow step back from me, having just enough time to adjust himself to hide his erection in the waistband of his jeans before she comes around the corner and into the kitchen, Chaz behind her.

  My face heats when her jaw drops, and I wonder what she sees when she stops in her tracks, Chaz nearly running her over.

  “Well, well. What have we here?” She smirks. “I thought that was your truck out there.”

  In this moment, two thoughts rush through my head. The first is the fact that my mom recognizes his truck because of the time he came to Talon’s to find me after the break-in. That was an ugly moment for her to witness, and I hate that that lives in her memory. But the second thought is the memory of last night, the beautiful, touching moment when she herself told me I shouldn’t fight my feelings for this man, who I love with every fiber of my being.

  And it’s with that second thought in mind that I stand up straight and give her a genuine smile, deciding right then and there to be open and honest from this second on. “Mom, Chaz, this is Winston. Win, these are my parents.”

  As Winston takes a step toward them with his hand outstretched, Chaz steps around my mom to grasp his hand first, and I can tell how tight the grip is by the color of his knuckles. “Winston. I trust, since you’re here, that everything is taken care of at the station.” Even though Win is taller than him by several inches, Chaz looks at him with his chin lifted in a way that says “I could still beat your ass, young man,” and I pull my lips between my teeth to keep from grinning.

  “Yes, sir. Not only at the station, but also as far as the divorce papers go. Everything is signed and being expedited because of the… situation yesterday,” Win assures, and Chaz’s expression softens as he lets go of his hand, clapping Winston on his bicep as he nods.

  “Good to hear.” He steps back and finally allows Mom her turn to officially meet him.

  She puts her hand in his demurely with a flirty smile, and I shake my head with a silent chuckle. “Oh yes, my dear. You’ll definitely do.” She looks him up and down as he towers almost a foot taller than her.

  “Mom!” I scold.

  She lifts a brow and looks at me. “What? I only speak the truth. Look at him.” She gestures up and down his body with the hand not still held in his, and Chaz clears his throat, stepping up to take her hand from Winston’s.

  “That’s enough of that,” Chaz murmurs, and Mom and I giggle while Winston grins, reaching up to rub the back of his neck.

  “Did you just get here?” Mom asks Winston.

  He shakes his head. “I’ve been here long enough for your lovely daughter to make me a fresh jug of her famous sweet tea we added to the menu a few months ago. I’ve been missing it,” he replies, looking down at me with a soft smile that indicates it wasn’t just the tea he missed, and I melt against him.

  “I missed you too,” I say quietly, and I’m surprised how easy it is to admit it in front of people.

  “So did we miss out on you meeting the girls?” Mom inserts, breaking into the googly eyes we’re giving each other as we turn to face her again.

  “Just Ruby,” he tells her, the smile on his face widening.

  She furrows her brows at me. “The twins haven’t been down to meet him? Surely Ruby ran up to tell them about the man downstairs with Mommy as soon as it happened.”

  I shrug. “I’ve been waiting for the stampede, but it hasn’t happened yet.”

  “So about that,” Winston says, and I look at him. “If it’s all right with you, I have a surprise for Lola. After what you told me about how she reacted to her father’s girlfriend, I wanted to make sure I made a good first impression.” He pulls his phone out of his pocket and shows me an email confirmation, and if I wasn’t already head over heels in love with him, this would’ve done it.

  I glance up at him and am sure I have hearts in my eyes, and he gives me a sexy smile that makes me internally swoon. “She’ll love that. Did it say six tickets?”

  He winces. “I was so excited when it popped up in my search that I only counted you, your girls, me, and Nick. I didn’t take into consideration your parents might want to go.” He flashes them an apologetic look.

  Mom waves her hand dismissively. “No, no. Whatever it is, it should just be you all. You don’t need a seventh and eighth wheel.”

  I tug his hand back toward me to look at the time. “It starts at five this evening?”

  Win nods. “Yeah. It’s a limited showing, only running for two days.”

  “Oh my goodness, she’s going to shit,” I tell him, and he barks out a startled laugh.

  “I’ll take that as a good thing. I’m going to run home so I’m there when Nick gets off the bus, and then I’ll be right back. How about you tell the girls to get ready, so we can get the hard part over and I can start my wooing?”

  35

  Winston

  I glance in my rearview mirror at my little boy, seeing him look out the window as we drive to Cece’s house. I haven’t told him about his mom yet. My surprise for Lola has multiple purposes. Besides to win her over and get on her good side, I also want to take Nick out to do something fun, out of our norm, introduce him to Cece and the girls, give him a lot of good to think about before I drop the bomb about his mom being put in jail for the foreseeable future.

  “Any requests for dinner, buddy?” I ask, turning down the music.

  “Pizza!” he yells, and I chuckle, not surprised. The boy would live off of it if I let him. A total strike to his chef father’s heart. Luckily, he likes the pizzas I make him at home and not just the frozen and fast-food kind.

  “I think I can make that happen,” I reply, and I see him grin widely.

  At a stoplight, I send Cece at text.

  Me: Y’all down for pizza before the surprise? It’s Nick’s request, and I’m trying to butter him up before I tell him about his mom.

  Cece: Pizza is always a yes for us <3

  I see the dancing dots appear, indicating she’s typing another text, but then they stop. And then they start up again as if she’s questioning what she’s wanting to say. Finally, it comes through, and I understand why she was cautious to ask.

  Cece: I know this is all new. And he’ll just be meeting us for the first time. But if you want me to be there when you talk to him, I will be. I’ll always be there for you… and Nick.

  If I wasn’t already completely, irrevocably in love with this woman, that would’ve been the nail in my coffin, because I am dead-ass serious I have never felt for anyone what I feel for her.

  Me: I love you. We’ll see how the evening goes and do what feels right in the moment.

  Cece: I love you too. Drive safe.

  Five minutes later, Nick and I ring the doorbell, and Cece answers the door with a dazzling smile. She’s changed from the workout clothes she was in, to jeans that fit her like a second skin and a Backstreet Boys T-shirt. My eyes meet hers with amusement, and she lifts a brow.

  �
�What? I thought I would dress for the occasion,” she says, giving me a wink, and then she looks down at Nick. “Well hello there, handsome.” She sticks out her hand. “I’m Cece.”

  He smiles shyly. “You work at Dad’s restaurant,” he says, his voice full of recognition, as he puts his hand in hers and pumps it once.

  “Well, I used to. But it’s nice to see you again.”

  There’s a lot I have to say about that subject, like how I want her to come back to work at the restaurant if she’s still going to insist on having a job. If it were up to me, I’d want her to focus on school while I take care of her. But I’ll hold off until we’re alone, since I know she’s going to put up a fight. I plan on asking her to move in with me instead of trying to find a shitty apartment she can afford on her own too. It might seem to other people like it would be too soon, but fuck, I’ve been in love with this woman for almost a year now, having to keep my distance. And now that I don’t have to, I want to be with her as much as possible, and what better way to do that than to live together?

  “Come on in.” She steps back and holds the door open for us to enter, and I kiss her swiftly, leading Nick into the kitchen. All three of Cece’s girls are sitting at the dining table, and their angelic faces lift from their devices to take us in curiously.

  Cece breezes past me to stand next to one of the twins, the one who has a cautious look on her face compared to the subtle smiles of her sisters. That must be Lola. “Girls, this is Winston and his son Nick. Guys, this is Lola, Kate, and Ruby.”

  Nick waves shyly next to me as I tell them hello, and Ruby hops down out of her chair and hurries over to my boy. She turns her tablet around and holds it in front of Nick for him to see. “Do you like Minecraft?” she asks perkily.

  He nods vigorously. “Dad just got me the Pirates of the Caribbean skin.”

  Ruby gasps. “Lucky! Wanna play with me?”

  “Sure!” Nick replies, and they both take off toward the living room, which is empty aside from four bean bag chairs and a TV.

  Kate speaks up, “Ruby said you’re the Winston who used to make us dinner.”

  I nod. “That I am.”

  “Why’d you stop?” Her tone is accusing, and my mouth opens and closes a couple times before I look to Cece for help.

  “I started working at a different restaurant, baby. But don’t worry. If Win has room for me—” She turns her gaze back to me. “—I’d love to go back to working at his restaurant. And then he can cook for you as much as you want.” She gives me a soft smile that makes my heart seize in my chest.

  Well, I guess that settles my question about that.

  “You’re hired.” I smirk.

  “Yay!” Kate yells, and she hops down and runs to where Nick and Ruby are not only playing together, but they’re sharing a bean bag so they can both see her tablet screen. My chest feels funny at the sight of them. It’s like a dream come true. I’ve always, always wanted siblings for my boy, and now, it looks like all my wishes are coming to fruition.

  I turn back to the center of my plans for the evening, and stroll forward, pulling out the chair to the right of her and taking a seat.

  “So, Lola. Has your mom spilled the beans about my surprise for you tonight?” I ask, humor in my voice as I casually cross my ankle over my knee and lean back, trying to look nonchalant even though I’m a nervous wreck. More nervous than I’ve ever been around a female in my life… and she’s only nine. But I feel like a lot rides on this first impression, and I want it to be perfect.

  She shakes her head. “No, sir,” she answers politely.

  I nod once, looking at my fingernails instead of at her as I say, “So… did she happen to tell you who she found out my favorite band is?”

  I glance up to see her head shake again, and I tilt my head.

  “If I were to say ‘Kim Namjoon, Kim Seokjin, Min Yoongi, Jung Hoseok…’” I chant, and with each BTS band member’s name, Lola’s eyes get wider and wider until she looks like she’s about to burst.

  Her voice is high-pitched, and she sounds like she’s going to hyperventilate with excitement. “Then I’d finish the fan chant with ‘Park Jimin, Kim Taehyung, Jeon Jungkook…’”

  And we both shout in unison, “BTS!”

  She claps wildly, her grin taking over her whole face, and when I glance up at Cece, she’s trying to hide the fact that she has tears in her eyes.

  “Your favorite band is BTS?” Lola’s tone is one of astonishment.

  “It is. I lived in South Korea for quite some time and loved K-pop, and they’ve been my favorite ever since they came out in 2013,” I tell her, and she claps again.

  “You breathed the same air as Taehyung?” Her octave could break glass. “And that has something to do with my surprise?” she prompts.

  I grin. “It does. Have you happened to see how they’re doing special limited showings on the big screen of the BTS movie Bring the Soul?” I ask, and her hands shoot into her hair, where she grips it with wide eyes like I’m blowing her mind.

  “Oh my gosh. Yes! It’s the second time around, because they’re getting ready to release the next one, Break the Silence.” She starts to breathe in and out dramatically, and Cece giggles.

  “We have tickets to see Bring the Soul tonight, and then I got us advanced tickets to see Break the Silence when it comes out. That is, if you want to go with me.” I shrug, trying to play it cool. It was a craps shoot whenever I got those second tickets. My way of putting it in her head that I’d be around in the future.

  She jumps up from her chair and comes up to me, pausing with her hands outstretched as if it just occurred to her what she was doing. She pulls her hands back and asks quietly, “Thank you so much, Mr. Winston. Can I hug you? I’ve never gotten to meet another ARMY in person before.”

  And that’s it. I’m done. My heart now belongs to not only Nick and Cece but her sweet little girls.

  “You can hug this ARMY whenever you want, little one,” I tell her, and she launches herself at me, winding her little arms around my neck and squeezing with all her strength before stepping back and clapping her hands.

  “I have to change really quick! Don’t leave without me!” she calls, already halfway to the stairs.

  When I glance back up, it’s to see my woman lowering herself onto my lap.

  “Winston Schmidt, you’re a goddamn genius,” she murmurs, leaning in to place a kiss on the side of my neck before pulling back and looking into my eyes. Hers are full of nothing but love and awe, and I wrap my arms around her hips, tugging her tighter against me.

  “Psh. I’m just excited to have someone to fangirl over BTS with. This had nothing to do with you.” I wink and give her a smirk, and she smacks me on the shoulder before laughing and trying to stand. But my arms lock her in place, and I don’t let her go until we’re both breathing erratically from the intensity of our kiss.

  The sound of Lola stomping quickly down the stairs breaks us apart, and I finally allow Cece to stand. When Lola comes into view, I can’t help but laugh as I read her shirt aloud. “A cup of Tae with Suga and a Kookie. That’s awesome.”

  She grins and nods. “And it fits perfect. Tae and Suga are my bias and wrecker, and mom’s wrecker is Jungkook. We just need to get her a shirt with her bias.” She looks at her mom.

  “Mom picked a bias and wrecker, huh?” I lift a brow. “Who’s the lucky guy?” I lick my lips and see her eyes flare with heat.

  She blushes. “I like Jimin.” She crosses her arms haughtily then, sass in her tone when she tells me, “I don’t know a single grown woman who would be able to watch his and J-Hope’s dance to ‘Boy Meets Evil’/ ‘Lie’ and not melt into a pile of goo. Blindfolded, Win. He danced blindfolded. And didn’t fall once.”

  She’s referring to their live performance at the MAMA awards a few years ago, but the only thing in my mind at the moment is how excited she looks when she says the word “blindfolded,” and it makes me wonder if she might have some sort of fetish I
intend to discover at my earliest opportunity.

  My dirty thoughts are interrupted by Lola’s sweet giggle. “Which is a miracle, since Jimin is always falling, especially out of chairs!”

  I chuckle, holding one hand out to Cece and the other to my new little bestie. “Shall we? My boy needs pizza like he needs his next breath,” I say and turn to see him look up at hearing the word pizza.

  “Let’s go!” Lola says and takes off for the door.

  36

  Winston

  “Well that went better than expected,” Cece says, taking her earrings out and placing them on the counter of her bathroom where she looks at me from the doorway as I sit on her bed, watching her.

  “It feels… sorta like fate, I guess,” I tell her, and she nods.

  “I know what you mean.” She leans against the doorjamb, crossing her arms and pushing her tits together. “Everything feels like it’s falling into place so perfectly. It’s kinda making me nervous after all the shit I’ve been through,” she admits.

  I shrug. “Or maybe you went through all that shit so you’d recognize when something good was actually happening, when you’d realize exactly what you want.”

  The talk with Nick went okay… good, actually. Sadly, he looked almost relieved when we told him about Corina, and it made me question just how bad it was for him during the times he actually stayed with her instead of her parents’. That was his only concern when it came to the whole situation—would he still get to see his grandparents. I assured him he could see them whenever he wants, and that was that. He was happy beyond measure when he realized that meant he would live with me full-time. His next question had taken Cece and I both by surprise. “Can I spend the night with the girls? We want to play more Minecraft.”

  Being a Friday night and no school tomorrow, we didn’t see anything wrong with the idea. In fact, we were thrilled they didn’t want to leave each other’s presence. All four of them squealed in glee when we said yes, albeit Lola’s enthusiasm was more because I’d be staying the night too, which meant we could spend time watching BTS shows she never had the opportunity to watch before, since I have a Weverse membership—an app with exclusive content of behind the scenes and daily life of the band. It might seem silly for a grown man such as myself to have a membership, but it takes me way back to my younger years and my obsession with The Real World on MTV. Plus, I get first dibs on concert tickets and stuff, so boom.