I was stunned. I could barely process what she just said much less know how to respond. My mouth opened, but words didn’t come out. I looked over at Matt, then back to my parents. I couldn’t remember the last time I heard them say that. I didn’t even know for sure if they ever had.
“You are?” I asked.
They nodded, and my father leaned slightly toward me. “We want to pay for you to go back to school. If journalism is really what you want to do, then that is what you should be pursuing. You should go get your degree and go after the career you truly want. We also contacted our attorney this morning to reinstate your trust fund.”
“We know Matthew will take very good care of you, but we want to ensure our grandchild can have the very best of everything. No matter what that is, we want to make sure it’s available,” my mother said.
The tears I’d been trying to hold back throughout the morning broke free.
“Thank you,” I said through them.
“You don’t need to cry,” my father said. “We thought this would make you happy.”
“It does,” I said. “I can’t even tell you how much it does. I never thought you would speak to me again after I left.”
“It was hard understanding why you were making the choices you were,” my father admitted. “We both thought we had always done what was best for you and that we were leading you down the right path. When you left, it was difficult for both of us, and we were upset.”
“You were more than upset,” I said.
My mother nodded. “We were. We were angry. We thought you were making a mistake and ruining your life. Now we realize we were wrong. Like we told you yesterday, we understand now that we cannot treat you like a child anymore. We are going to try harder at treating you like an adult. But we also want you to know we are here for you.”
The waiter came up at that moment with our food. I was relieved to have the emotional moment broken for a breath. I was so happy, but I needed time to wrap my head around it all.
We lingered over breakfast, then said goodbye to my parents before heading home. I was feeling tired after all the excitement and lay down for a short nap. When I woke up, Matt had made my tea and had my medication waiting beside it. I checked the time and realized we needed to get ready for work. Matt and I were both doing the afternoon shift that would get us home at a decent time that night.
Those had come to be my favorite shifts. It was nice to be able to spend time at the bar and do the work I really had learned to enjoy, but still know I was going to get to go home and be in bed when it was still solidly nighttime rather than early morning.
Hannah noticed us come through the door holding hands and smiling and gave us a questioning look.
“You two look even happier than usual. What’s going on?” she asked.
I glanced over at Matt, then back at my cousin. “We had breakfast with my parents this morning.”
I could have told her the entire story including finding out they were in town when they showed up, but the shocked look on her face was worth the blunt announcement and having to go back and recap the entire story.
“You what?” Hannah asked. “Like over a video call? No, that doesn’t sound like your parents.”
We both shook our heads, trying to imagine what it would be like for my parents to just casually pick up doing video chats with people. It was a funny image to say the least.
“That was Matt’s big mystery,” I said.
Hannah looked confused, and Jordan came out of the kitchen. He looked a little taken aback, but also happy, when he saw us there together.
“What’s going on?” he asked.
“They are revealing the big mystery,” Hannah said.
The way she said it made me grin. There was absolute seriousness in her voice as she leaned on her elbows on the bar and propped her chin in her hand to look at me through widened eyes.
“I went to Los Angeles,” Matt said. “When I left the bar, I went back home to talk to Chloe. I wanted to try to figure everything out. And when she wasn’t there, I got worried. That’s why I called you, Jordan. But you said she was here, and I knew that meant she was safe. You guys would watch out for her. There was something I knew I needed to do. I should have done it a long time ago. Before we got married.”
He looked over at me and smiled.
“He went to California to find my parents,” I said.
“You did?” Hannah asked, sounding as surprised as I would have expected from her.
“I did,” he said. “I told them about the baby and that they needed to come here and figure everything out with Chloe because the way they had all been treating each other was ridiculous. I might have used some other words.”
I laughed. “Well, whatever he said, it worked. They showed up, and they told me they realized now I’m an adult and they have to treat me like one.”
“Really?” Hannah asked.
I nodded. “I know, it’s stunning. But then this morning before they left to go home, they told me they’re proud of me and want me to go back to school and get my journalism degree. They’re even going to pay for it. Then they told me they’re reinstating my trust fund to make sure the baby has everything.”
“That’s amazing,” Hannah said. “I can’t believe they’re being like that.”
“I can’t either. And it’s all because of Matt,” I said.
“That was incredible of you,” Hannah said to him.
“Good job, brother,” Jordan said. “Way to take care of your wife.”
We looked at each other again, and in that moment, I really understood the silent communication between my parents. Matt and I didn’t need to say anything to each other. We were both at the same understanding.
We weren’t going to tell them. We weren’t going to tell anybody. The reality that our marriage was fake in the beginning was something we would keep to ourselves now and always. There was no need for anyone to know, because it was far from fake now. I loved him so much, and I couldn’t imagine even a day of our lives apart. If I had even the slightest bit of hesitation or questioning before, him taking it upon himself to go all the way to California to find my family and urge us to reconcile took that away.
“So,” Hannah said, straightening up from where she had been leaning and suddenly looking very excited. “Does this mean we get to start planning your reception now?”
We all laughed, and I nodded. “Absolutely.”
“I think we should do it in about a month,” Hannah said. “Your morning sickness should calm down a lot by then. You’ll want to feel better for your celebration.”
We talked about the reception every chance we got throughout the rest of the night. By the time Matt and I were finished with our shift, most of the main elements of the party had been put into place. I was excited about the celebration and really looked forward to spending time in the original bar where it all began.
We were getting ready to leave when Jordan called out to me to come back up to the bar to talk to him.
“I just wanted to let you know I’ve put up the job listing for the cocktail waitress position again. I want to find a replacement for you so you can focus on going to school and being pregnant,” he said.
I grinned so I wouldn’t cry. “Thank you.”
He smiled back at me. “Anything for family.”
Matt took my hand, and we left. It was still early, but we took a long, hot shower, then climbed into bed. We lay there together for the next couple of hours talking about baby names and how to decorate the nursery. I fell asleep with sweet images of our new little family in my mind.
39
Matt
It’d been a week, and things had been moving so fast I could barely keep up. The time with Chloe’s parents was informative in how she ended up where she did but helping them get back together and find some peace made me Chloe a lot more relaxed and happier, which made me more settled and excited for our future. Without the scepter of her parents hanging ove
r our heads, we were able to move forward without worry. The fact that her parents turned on her bank account access didn’t hurt either. While I didn’t want to depend on them in any way, Chloe was excited to begin acquiring baby things that we would need. Every day I came home that she wasn’t at work with me was a surprise game of what new baby item we now owned.
As we parked at the doctor’s office, it was yet another milestone and one that we were both nervous for. They were doing a scan of her womb, and we would be able to see the first images of our baby. I was beyond excited to have something I could print out and keep on the wall of the kitchen in the bar. It would help me get through the grind of the busy nights the bar had been seemingly increasingly getting.
I held Chloe’s hand as they applied the gel to her stomach, and she sucked in air through her teeth at how cold it was. There was no bump or any sign she was pregnant yet, but it was so exciting to know that our baby was in there, and it was big enough that they should be able to see it with the scan. I sat down and watched the screen as the doctor moved around her stomach, stopping at various times and seeming to peer closely at the screen.
“What is it?” I asked, trying to force down the panic in my voice that threatened to rise and take over. “Is something wrong?”
“Not wrong,” she said, moving back and forth between two places. “You see this right here? That’s your baby.”
“Oh my God!” Chloe cried as she saw the little white speck on the screen. She squeezed my hand, and I squeezed back. Before I could say anything, though, the doctor moved the wand across her stomach.
“And this over here is your other baby,” she said.
I stared at her in confusion. Surely, I heard her wrong. There was no way she just said what I thought she just said.
“You mean we’re having twins?” Chloe asked, quicker on the uptake than I was.
“That is exactly what that means,” the doctor said. “Congratulations.”
The rest of the doctor’s office trip was a blur. I knew I celebrated with Chloe and got her carefully in the car, as if I jostled her too much she would break like a fine china. Then I got behind the wheel and drove us home. As we drove, we sat silent for a few moments, shocked before all the words came flowing out in streams.
“I’m so scared,” Chloe said. “But so excited. We’re having twins!”
“I know,” I said. “It means double the love. We can do this. There’s no reason to be scared. We can do anything as long as we do it together.”
She warmed at that and squeezed my hand. At a stoplight, I checked my phone to see a text from Hannah. I grinned but tried not to let Chloe see.
All set up, the text read.
“What’s was that?” Chloe asked as I put the phone back in the holder on the dash.
“Just confirmation on something I ordered,” I said. Technically it was the truth, though “ordered” was a bit strong. More like “begged for a favor.”
“Oh,” she said, slowly sliding back into daydreaming again. We discussed the potential fun of having two babies, and then the potential chaos as well.
“At least we have built-in babysitters,” I said. “Multiple cousins, you know?”
“That’s right,” Chloe exclaimed, making me jump a little. “Hannah’s baby and my babies will be cousins! But wait, what does that make them? First cousins twice? Double first cousins?”
“Double first cousins sounds pretty good,” I said, laughing.
When we got home, I made sure to open the door ahead of her but let her walk in first. She was fiddling with her phone at first, but when she looked up and saw what Hannah had done, she turned to me, her mouth agape and her eyes wide.
“What is this?” she asked.
“I wanted to celebrate,” I said. “So, I had Hannah come over and set up a lunch date for us. She may have also had instructions to put flowers around. Looks like she took that very literally.”
Indeed, there were flower petals everywhere. All over the floor, the table, and a trail leading to the bedroom, where I assumed they would be on the bed as well.
“This is amazing,” she said, looking around the room and seeing the candles I had left in a bag for Hannah to put around and light. Soft music drifted from the smart pod in a corner. I walked up to her and took her hands in mine.
“I just want you to know how much I love you, and how much I love us,” I said. “Now knowing that we aren’t having one, but two babies only makes my heart bigger and my love grow even more. I love you more than I ever thought I could love anyone.”
“I love you, too,” she said. Then she turned to the table that had a salad set out. “Is dinner still in the oven?”
“Staying there to keep warm,” I said. “Are you hungry?”
“Actually,” she said, pulling herself closer to me and kissing my neck. “I was wondering if you wanted to accompany me to the bedroom for a little while before we ate.”
Instead of telling her, I decided to show her. Sweeping her up off her feet elicited a giggle, and I carried her across the room and up the steps to our bedroom. I used her feet to drop-kick the door open and sat her down gently on the bed.
“I’ll take that as a yes,” she said.
I nodded and stood up, unbuttoning my shirt. Chloe lay back on the bed, stretching her arms over her head and showing her still-flat tummy under the T-shirt she wore. I took my time unbuttoning myself and tossing the shirt away, enjoying the way she watched me. The flush of her cheeks when the shirt came off and I reached for my belt was especially fun to see.
When the belt was undone, Chloe sat up and pushed my hands away. Grinning up at me, she reached for the button of my pants and unhooked it, then grasped the zipper between two fingers and pulled it down. I loved how eager she was, and how much she seemed to appreciate my body as much as I appreciated hers. As my pants hit the floor and I kicked them away, I also kicked off my socks and shoes.
Chloe reached for the hem of her shirt, crossing her arms over her chest, and pulled it up and off of her. Her breasts swelled in the red, lacy bra, and I reached down to unhook it from the center. Her magnificent, heavy breasts tumbled out, and my cock grew harder in my boxer briefs.
Chloe reached up, rubbing her palm up and down the top of my cock for a moment, biting her bottom lip and making me yearn for her touch on my skin. Slowly, she pulled down my boxers, balling up the tight fabric in her hands on either side of my legs and shimmying them down. My thick, throbbing cock sprung out, and she made a satisfied giggling sound.
Grasping my cock in her hand, she stroked me as she slid out her tongue to lick the head. I groaned at how warm and wet it was and shuddered when she took it deep into her mouth. Putting her hands on my hips, she pressed her mouth down over me, taking me into her throat before sliding me back out again, sweeping her tongue left and right under my staff. Her eyes remained open to watch me, and even with her mouth full, she smiled at my expression.
Then her eyes closed, and she dove down again, moving to her knees on the bed and stroking me with each bob. I let one hand fall on the back of her neck but didn’t guide her. She knew how to please me already. When I was as hard as I could be, throbbing and soaking wet, she pulled me from her mouth and kissed up my chest. I hooked my thumbs in her panties and pushed them down over her round ass.
“Make love to me,” she whispered.
I groaned and gently laid her down on the bed. Pulling her panties off, I tossed them to the side and climbed onto the mattress. She parted her legs for me, but instead of crawling between them, I ducked my head and licked up one thigh. She squealed as I reached the soft place where her inner thigh gave way to her pelvis, and I started again from the other side. I blew a thin line of air across the wet area, and she squirmed, shivering under my grasp.
Her pussy was slick and prepared for me, but I wanted to show her just how much her satisfaction meant to me. Sliding my tongue along her lips, taking my time, I swirled over the opening and plunged inside. I slid
my middle finger underneath my chin and into her as I moved my tongue up her center to her clit and massaged the hood until it opened. Swirling the tip of my tongue around her pearl, I brushed my finger along the top wall inside her.
Her hips rose and fell as she filled her hand with my hair and moaned deeply. Soon she was bucking her pussy into me, and I increased the speed of my finger. She was nearing a climax, and I pressed my tongue down hard on her clit and plunged my finger deep inside her. She came, hard. Her whole body convulsed and shook, and she moaned out deeply.
When she fell back to the mattress, I pulled her hips to me and sunk into her. My cock thrust deep, almost to the base, and I fell into her arms, kissing along her neck. She groaned into my ear loudly as I fucked her, raising my hips and driving them into hers over and over. Her fingers dug into my back as I thrust in an even, unrelenting motion and delighted in the sounds that tumbled from her lips.
One hand slid under her, filling with her ass, and she clutched her ankles together around my back. My other hand slid up her chest and filled with her breast as our lips locked together. I was slamming into her hard, and with each movement, a yelping sound came from her, and I felt myself nearing completion. The tension was building wildly, and I sat up so I could watch her writhe underneath me.
She pulled me back down until my hands settled on the sides of her chest, and she reached up to hold the bed frame as it slammed into the wall. Her teeth gritted as she neared another climax of her own, and it spurred me to go harder, faster. I could feel the tension about to release, and a groan rose into a roar inside me. She matched my sound with one of her own, and I felt her pulse as she came. I exploded with her, sweat dripping down my neck from exertion and collapsed into her, spent and reeling from the release that felt stronger than ever before.
I rolled over to my back when my cock was empty, and she curled into my arm, where we lay for a little while enjoying each other’s touch.
The Marriage Contract Page 22
