by Sienna Skye
“That’s my Jules.”
“I wish that were true.” Sadness filled her eyes and she left to go to bed.
I didn’t open my eyes right away when I awoke. I could feel the sunlight coming through the window, so I knew it was morning already. I had a strange feeling that someone was watching me. I popped open one eye. Sophia was on the coffee table, just sitting there looking at me. She was wearing a tiara on her head. Multiple strands of different colored beads hung around her neck and over her pjs she wore some kind of pink fluffy tutu thing.
“Mornin’ baby girl.”
“Good morning, Daddy. I’m hungry. I’ll get Mama now to make us breakfast.”
I stretched and sat up.
“Tell you what. Why don’t we let your Mama sleep a little bit? I bet we can handle making breakfast.”
She waved her magic wand over me and we were off.
Chapter Twenty Eight
Julia
I awoke with a groan and rubbed my head. It had been a long time since I cut loose and drank. Not since before Sophia was born. But the stress of everything had been overwhelming and the relief of having Morgan there to co-parent for a change led to me drink far too much. I glanced at the clock. Sophia must be up already. I sat at the edge of my bed and willed myself to stand up. I shuffled into my bathroom and splashed some cold water on my face. Before doing anything else, I grabbed a couple of Advil out of the cabinet and swallowed them back.
When I finally stepped out into the hallway, I was greeted by the aroma of French toast and bacon. Oh, and coffee. Coffee. Bless his heart.
I made my way to the kitchen, automatically saying good morning, but stopped short at the sight in front of me. Morgan stood, making breakfast, a purple tiara on his head, multi colored bangles on his wrist and a polka dot tulle skirt that was tucked into his waistband, because it was too small to tie around his body. On the opposite side of Morgan, Sophia stood on a chair that was pushed against the counter. She had her own princess get up going on, but there were a few added touches. There was one of those potato chip bag clips holding her hair back and she was struggling to pour syrup because she was wearing large oven mitts on her hands that were held in place by…
“Are those your shoe laces?”
“Yes. I wanted to make sure the mitts stayed in place. I didn’t want her to get burned.”
“Burned? From maple syrup?”
“From the bacon.”
I glanced over where the bacon was easily five feet away from her.
“Oh. I’m surprised you didn’t duct tape her to the chair to keep her from falling off.”
He looked at me, his expression deadpan. “I couldn’t find any.”
I bit my lip and turned around. I poured some orange juice in a glass and drank it greedily.
Morgan gave me a knowing look and smirked at me.
“Thanks for staying last night. And for getting up with her and making breakfast.”
“You’re welcome. We enjoyed ourselves.”
We ate breakfast together and I had to hand it to the fairy princesses. They did a good job. The combination of Advil, coffee, OJ, and food helped me feel a little more human.
I told Morgan he was welcome to stay, but I needed to go do a little work on my column. I had a deadline to meet. I grabbed yet another cup of coffee and then sat at my lap top, scrolling through some recent admissions.
I was answering a 36 year old man whose girlfriend had a fantasy about being dominated. He was the first person she told. He bought handcuffs, a riding crop, and a blindfold and put them in his closet. He wrote he was mortified when his mother found the toys while she was putting away his laundry. He told his mother he had never tried anything like that before and he was only doing it because his girlfriend requested it. He asked Nikki how he was ever supposed to face his mother again.
I explained to Mr. “Fifty Shades of Embarrassment” the question he should really be asking himself was why a 36 year old man was not only living with his mother, but why she was doing his laundry on top of it. In true Nikki form, I reminded him his girlfriend had not only trusted him with her secret but trusted him with her submission. I let him know in no uncertain terms that he violated that trust. I typed out the last few lines.
What happens in the bedroom of two consenting adults is nobody’s business, especially not your mother’s. It’s time to ask yourself just who is really being dominated.
That was the last one I needed to complete. I was just getting ready to submit it, when I felt Morgan reading over my shoulder and heard his chuckle.
“I wonder if the girlfriend knows.”
“If she doesn’t, I hope she reads my column and figures it out.”
He was thoughtful for a moment. I watched his face as he battled whether to say what was on his mind.
“Just say it.”
“Say what?”
“Don’t ‘Say what’ me. It’s insulting. I know you too well. Just spit out whatever it is you are dying to say.”
“I read your column. Almost religiously. While this was much more about this guy needing to grow a set, I’ve seen you answer much kinkier kind of stuff. Like threesomes. BDSM questions that are actually about BDSM.” He shrugged.
“And?”
“Well...okay. I know you were with one guy before me. I know from our time together, there was a lot you two hadn’t done sexually. And I obviously also know what we did together. Last night you told me about the other knucklehead.”
“And..?”
“Just wondering how you are answering some of these questions. Where are you getting your knowledge base?”
I really wanted to bust his chops, but I did tell him to tell me, so I let him off the hook.
“First of all, sometimes it’s not about the sex itself. Take the threesome questions. It is far less about the actual mechanics than communication and trust issues or needs.”
“Okay, that makes sense. I can see that. But what about the other stuff?”
“Well, sometimes I need to research stuff and I have consultants. Like the BDSM stuff. I went to college with someone who was into the scene. He was a very experienced Dominant. Well known and sought out in this one particular club. I was curious and asked questions. He knew I wasn’t being judgmental or asking out of morbid curiosity, so he shared information with me. I will call him when I have a question come up. Either he will answer it, or he will put me in touch with someone who he feels is better versed in the subject matter.”
“You have a friend who is a Dominant?”
“Seriously, is that all you got out of that?” I hit submit at the same time I heard both of our phones receive a text message.
We both read the message. Hunter was proposing we get this thing with our parents out of the way. He was going to meet us at my place later that afternoon. Sarah offered to watch Sophia.
Morgan looked up from his phone. “Are you ready to get this done?”
“Ready as I will ever be.”
Morgan headed back to his place to shower and change. I grabbed some more juice and took some Tylenol for good measure before going to get ready.
A few hours later, everyone showed up on my doorstep at once. The three of us were about to get into Hunter’s car, when he stopped and looked at us.
“Let’s just get it done. When it’s over. It’s over. We move on. Agreed?”
We nodded in agreement. I had nothing to be afraid of. They couldn’t hurt me. They had already done their damage, but we were in the process of trying to reverse some of that. I kept telling myself that over and over again, but I still felt my heart beating in my chest.
I knew Hunter and Morgan could tell how nervous I was. When I wasn’t tapping my fingers against my leg, I was twisting my hair. Each alone was enough of a tell, together it was obvious I was a bundle of nerves. Before we entered the front door, they each took one of my hands and squeezed to reassure me. I took a breath and nodded. It was time to put an end to this.
&
nbsp; They were in Parker’s office. No surprise there. Hunter went to the door first and knocked.
“Hunter.” That was Parker’s usual warm greeting.
Hunter stepped into the room. Morgan followed him.
“What are the two of you…” He trailed off when he saw me enter the room. I stepped between Hunter and Morgan. I needed to feel them on either side of me.
“Julia.” This time from my mother. The expression on her face one of surprise. And trust me, not a happy one. “I thought you would have left after the wedding.”
“Nope. I’m sticking around for a bit.” I somehow managed to look her and then Parker right in the eye.
“Well we are busy here.” Parker was dismissive as usual.
“Then get unbusy.” Morgan’s words were sharp, his tone cold.
“The three of us came here today because we need to discuss something with the both of you. Quite frankly, it can’t wait and we want to be done with it.”
Parker sighed heavily, his annoyance obvious. “What is it Hunter? What could possibly be so urgent?”
Hunter walked over and placed the copy of the check and the note on the desk.
“This is. Care to explain?”
My mother’s face blanched. She actually had the decency to look shocked and a bit worried for a half a second. Parker just smirked.
“Well, since the three of you came barging in here, I would say that you already know the explanation, so what is the point in me telling you what you already know?” Cocky son of a bitch.
“The. Point. Is. You fucked around with our lives. With mine. With Jules’s. With…” I could tell Morgan was going to mention Sophia but changed his mind. “…Hunter’s.”
“Hunter’s?”
“Yes, mine. When you played your games, I lost my sister in the aftermath.”
“Well at least you had the good sense to remember she’s your sibling. Your brother on the other hand couldn’t keep his dick in his pants.”
“Speaking of, how’s Shannon?” Morgan asked icily.
Again, Parker smirked. I wanted to slap that damn look off of his face.
“You are nothing if not predictable, Morgan.”
“Admit it you son of a bitch. Admit that you sent Jules the check, the note, and the email so she would think they were from me.”
“I thought we covered this. Yes. Well, not me myself, but I did request it be handled.”
“You didn’t think your son had the right to know that I was carrying his child? I mean forget about the fact that I thought he left me pregnant and alone. You honestly did not think it was important for him to know that I had his flesh and blood inside me?”
“No. It was not important. He would have made a decision based on emotion rather than common sense. He never seemed capable of common sense when it came to you.”
Morgan walked closer and punched his hand down on the desk.
“That was not your fucking decision to make!”
“Morgan, your father was only doing what he thought was best for you.”
“Don’t give me that shit, Victoria. He did what he thought was right for him. He couldn’t have a scandal in the middle of running for office.”
She tried a different approach. This time aiming her comments at me.
“Julia, don’t you realize how much better this was for everyone involved? Morgan went on with his life. Look how successful he and Hunter are with their company and the gym. You are off doing whatever it is you are doing.”
I shook my head, huffing out my disgust. “Whatever it is that I am doing. Do you realize how pathetic that is, Mother? You don’t even know…hell you don’t even care what I am doing.”
“Julia. Be reasonable. You cut me off long ago.”
“Oh and you were such a model parent before that. I cut you off because you wouldn’t even listen to me. Would not help me. For God’s sake, you wouldn’t even give me comfort. Then, all these years later, I found out to what extent you screwed me over. I made the right choice all those years ago.”
“Julia! Don’t you see how much better off you all were, you all are, not to have had that child be brought into the world? It would have destroyed your lives as well as ours. Seriously, Julia, the spawn of your own step brother? Thank God, that didn’t happen.”
Something inside me snapped. I stepped forward, eyeing my mother and then Parker. My hands gripped the desk and somewhere in the back of my mind I realized I was afraid I would hurt someone. My voice came out in low, precise tones.
“Well here is a little surprise for you both. I never terminated the pregnancy.” The audible gasp from my mother would have been humorous if I wasn’t so raw with anger. “No abortion. No adoption. Let that sink in for a minute.”
Before that moment, I had never seen Parker lose that calm facade. For a second, I thought he might come over the desk and pummel me.
“I have raised her on my own for the past three years. “
“Dear God, Julia, tell me this is not true. Tell me you have fabricated this as a way to get us back.”
“Sorry to burst your bubble, but it’s true. Christ, you don’t care about anyone else but yourself, do you? You aren’t even curious at all about her. Your own grandchild. All you are worried about is how it is going to affect you and Parker. You are unbelievable. Fucking unbelievable.”
“Because of the two of you, I missed out on three years of my daughter’s life.”
“Oh no, that one you cannot blame on us. She chose to keep that from you. That was her choice. It was her alone who kept you from that child.” Parker waved his hand dismissively and I felt a sharp pang of guilt.
“You don’t think that Julia made the decisions she did based upon your deception? You know what, it really doesn’t matter. Morgan has his daughter. I have my sister and niece…”
I saw the second that Parker caught on. Like a shark smelling blood in the water. I waited for his damn eyes to roll back in his head. He sneered at Morgan.
“Interesting wording. I guess you can’t actually forgive her, can you? You know what I said about what she did was true. Perhaps all hope for you is not lost.”
It was Hunter who stepped forward again. “The three of us came here together today. We wanted to let you know that we discovered what you had done. We also wanted to inform you that as of now, we are all walking out of this house and out of your lives. I hope that does not make things too difficult for your political career.” There was a threat and a promise to Hunter’s words. There would be no more hiding. While I had been successful at avoiding the press while I was away, each of us had experienced our share of media attention in some form or another. As election season heated up, chances were good the news of estrangement with his children and the existence of his illegitimate grandchild would come to light.
We walked out together. The three of us as one. Not once looking back. We were mostly silent during the car ride back. Each lost in our own thoughts and memories. I know I thought about my father and how my life would have been different. I suspected the guys were thinking about their mother. Then again, had it not been for the way events unfolded, I would not have had these two men in my life. There was a balance in all things.
We stopped for coffee on the way back to my place. There was a little Mom and Pop shop we frequented together when we were younger. It was run by a friendly couple who had to be somewhere in their sixties. As soon as we walked through the door, one of the owners, Anna, came running up to us.
“Well, would you look at this! All three of you here at once! It has been years since that has happened.” She hugged the guys and then put her hands on either side of my face, smiling sweetly at me, before kissing my cheek and scooping me up in a big hug. “George! Come look and see who is here…just like old times!”
George popped out of the back with his usual jovial expression. His face brightened even more when he saw us standing there. “Eh, I don’t care about these two ugly mugs. I still see them from time
to time. It’s this pretty face I want to see.” He grabbed me up in a big hug, lifting me right off the floor. Then he shook hands with Hunter and Morgan. “This is a cause for celebration. Whatever you want, on the house today.”
He refused our offers to pay and we thanked him as Anna brought us to our table. The same table we had sat at countless times before.
We placed our orders and I watched as Morgan was looking around and tapping his folded hands on the table. That meant he had something on his mind and Hunter and I sat and watched him while we waited for him to come out with whatever he was thinking.
“Hey, Jules. I was wondering if you would maybe come do some shopping with me. If Sophia is going to be spending time with me, I am going to need things. Like a car seat and clothes and stuff for her at my place. I could really use your help with that.”
I nodded in agreement. “I guess we need to start coming up with some kind of schedule too. She obviously seems comfortable with you, but I don’t think it would hurt for you to come see her at my place a few more times. And then you guys could spend some time together for shorter trips. Like dinner or the park. You know, before you jump into taking her overnight. But, I am sure she will adjust quickly.”
“You know best. I’m good with whatever you think will work. We also need to work out child support. I think together we can come up with what you feel is a good amount for me to give you, but if you would rather work it out legally…”
“Morgan. I make a very good salary. Granted not as much as the two of you, but I am more than comfortable. I doubt you will make her want for anything. As a matter of fact, I have a feeling I am going to have a devil of a time trying to keep you from spoiling her. I don’t want support payments and I certainly don’t want to go through legal channels.”
“Idgit, he should be giving you support. Not to mention you spent all those years taking care of everything by yourself. Even with Claudia’s help, I am sure there were sacrifices.”
“It’s the right thing to do Jules. You even cashed that thousand dollar check and then never used the money. That probably would have bought a good amount of diapers.”
