by Kate Benson
“You were working!” he replies defensively. “What the hell was I supposed to do?”
“Well, I don’t know, but you don’t think staring at someone for two hours is a little creepy?”
“I was three feet away from you!” he laughs. “It’s not my fault you’re so wrapped up in yourself you didn’t think to … oh, I don’t know… look up!” he exclaims. “It’s a good thing I am your boyfriend and not a fuckin’ psychopath. You’d be floatin’ in a river somewhere, cluelessly blasting Taylor Swift.”
“You’re so dumb,” I giggle, making him smirk and his hand squeezes mine as we step off the curb to cross. “Are you hungry?”
“A little,” he admits, coming to a slow stop on the sidewalk, his eyes falling back on me. “I’m sure you are. You probably didn’t stop to eat lunch, right?”
“Definitely not,” I admit. “And I’m starving. What sounds good?”
“You’re the one with the cravings, princess. You pick,” he offers, kissing my forehead before he tugs me down the sidewalk gently. “Let’s see what’s this way. I don’t think we’ve tried many places over here yet. Just tell me what sounds good.”
“I think I want French toast,” I confess, searching around us with him.
“French toast?” he asks, pulling a nod from me. “That seems pretty doable.”
“Yeah, let’s have that,” I continue, my stomach grumbling. “And maybe some falafel.”
“French toast and falafel,” he repeats awkwardly, making me laugh. “Alright, baby.”
“Ooh! And some nachos!” I continue, laughing at his cringe as I grab his arm.
“Okay,” he smirks, looking around us. “This place has barbecue chicken. How’s that sound?”
“No,” I shake my head, making a face. “Every time I have meat lately it makes me sick,” I remind him, making a face of my own. “I’m actually thinking for the rest of my pregnancy, I might go vegetarian.”
“Really?” he asks. “How are you gonna get protein?”
“You don’t have to eat meat to get protein,” I shrug, facing him. “I can eat stuff like eggs and beans and nuts.”
“Yeah?” he chuckles wickedly. “You feel like having some nuts in your mouth, baby?”
“Oh, my God,” I groan, unable to contain my laughter. “I fuckin’ hate you.”
“Liar,” he chuckles, kissing my hair. “So, we need a place that has French toast, falafel and nachos. Sounds easy enough.”
“Well, we can go to a few places and go home and just eat a little of everything,” I shrug, glancing back up at him. “I don’t know why we don’t just eat like that all the time anyway.”
By the time we make it back to our apartment, we’ve spent nearly two hours and eighty dollars concocting what is either every pregnant woman’s dream or nightmare. I can’t be sure which. My eyes were definitely bigger than my stomach, but soon enough I’m sufficiently sated and laying across the couch in my pajamas.
“So, that’s why we don’t do this all the time,” I sigh, making him laugh from where he’s standing in the kitchen, snacking on the last of the sweet potato fries I’d picked out. “You don’t have to clean all that up by yourself. I’ll come and help in a minute.”
“You’re about two seconds away from a food coma, so I’m gonna call bullshit, baby,” he laughs. “But I don’t mind. Relax. You had a long day and all I’ve done is stalk my girlfriend and buy out half the restaurants on the west side.”
“That’s true,” I grin. “Okay, well I’ll make it up to you.”
“That’s true, too,” he winks as he moves toward the end of the couch. “Let me in there,” he says low, thanking me when I move my feet so he can place them in his lap. “So, we’ve got two more days before I go back to work,” he smiles, leaning back into the couch cushions and looking over at me. “You want to do anything while I’m off?”
I think for a moment, strumming through all the ideas I’d filed away for someday. I realize they all had one thing in common and I shake my head, smiling small.
“I’m just really looking forward to not having to share you with anyone,” I admit. “I feel like so much has happened over the last few months and we’ve both been working so much, especially you, that we haven’t had a lot of time alone together,” I shrug. “I know in the past I made a big fuss about sitting on the couch and not doing anything, but right now, I don’t care about any of that,” I confess. “I just want to be with you.”
His green eyes hold mine for a long moment before finally, he shifts and presses his lips to mine, shooing Vinnie from the safety of my arms and caging me in.
“Y’know, underneath all that asshole, you really are the sweetest girl.”
“Hmm,” I smile softly, my fingertip brushing over the dimple hiding beneath his beard. As I stare back at my favorite pools of green, I’m content beyond words as he settles over me as much as my belly will allow. “Don’t tell anyone.”
Twenty-One
evie
“Good morning,” he whispers into my neck, his palm sliding over my thigh, giving me a sharp squeeze that jolts my eyes open. “Wake up, pussycat.”
“Why?” I ask, my voice still raspy with sleep. “What’s wrong?”
“You got my dick hard last night and then you passed out on me,” he husks, his lips brushing over my collarbone as his arms cage me in, the feel of him hovering over me pulling a low hum of content from my chest. “It’s time to pay the piper.”
I smirk at his words, my eyelashes flitting open for a second as his lips press to mine.
“Aww,” I start, my words quickly morphing into a yawn. “I’m sorry, baby.”
“Prove it,” he teases. “Make it up to big poppa.”
“Eww,” I squeal into his mouth, making him chuckle hard against me as I lift my hips, eager for him despite his agonizing joke. “Fine. I’ll do whatever you want, just stop talking.”
His lips move down my neck, the heat between us increasing tenfold. It isn’t long until I’m panting, begging him silently to defile me in all the ways we’ve both come to crave. Outside of our heavy breaths, the disgustingly delicious words leaving his lips and the whimpers leaving mine, the only sound around us is the slightly annoying distraction of his phone pinging in the background. I’m drowning it out, desperate to get lost in him when it shifts to a blaring ring through our bedroom.
“Oh, my God,” he groans, coming to a stop against my nipples, his hot breath washing over me. “What the fuck?”
“Who the hell keeps calling you?” I ask, equally frustrated as he lifts slightly to silence the ringer.
“It’s Mason,” he admits. “I’m sure he just wants to bullshit. I’m sending him to voicemail.”
“Uh… yeah,” I respond, gesturing toward my half naked frame. “Screw that guy. Come on.”
“I’m comin’,” he smirks, tossing the phone to the side before he settles over me once more, his mouth immediately resuming its place on my skin. It pulls a low moan from my chest and in turn, a growl from his. “Fuck, baby,” he croons, moving lower between my thighs as his fingers roughly grip the lace on my quaking hips. “I’m about to eat you ali-”
“Guys! Open up!” Mason shouts from the other side of the front door, his fist banging onto the frame. “It’s me!”
“Sonofabitch!” Dash hisses, resting his forehead on the inside of my thigh.
“Babe!” I demand in a harsh whisper, sitting up on my elbows to face him. “What the hell is he doing here?”
“I don’t know!” he replies, his low voice just as annoyed as mine. “I ghosted him all day yesterday. I thought he’d take a hint.”
“Have you met him?”
He’s about to reply, but the sound of Mason knocking once more cuts him short.
“Guys come on! Open up and let me in!” he calls through the door, pulling another low sigh from us both. “People are staring at me!” he continues. “And I think there’s some kind of creature coming up the steps,” he
announces, his voice lowering. “What the fuck is that thing?”
I pull my index finger to my lips as I face Dash, willing him to be silent and earning a deadpan stare in return.
“Babe.”
“Shut the fuck up!” I mouth. “Just pretend we aren’t home, and he’ll leave,” I whisper, watching him bite his lip for a moment in consideration before he shakes his head in disagreement. “Why? It’s early. He’ll just think we’re both at work.”
“He drove two hours, Evie,” he sighs, raising from the bed and reaching for his jeans from the night before, pulling a low groan of frustration from my still heaving chest. “I can’t do that to him.”
“Oh, my God!” I groan, balking at him for a moment before I release a loud sigh of childish annoyance and my head falls back on the pillows dramatically. “You’re such a nerd, baby. Just tell him to fuck off!”
“I can hear you,” Mason announces. I don’t have to see him to know he’s glaring at me through the door. “Assholes.”
“Come on, babe,” Dash sighs, zipping up before extending his hand to me. “It’s over.”
I reluctantly stand and stomp toward the closet childishly. When another round of knocking comes, my inner rebellion flares and I move with the vengeance of a rabid sloth, stopping completely when Dash’s arm catches mine.
I bet Mexico is beautiful this time of year.
“I’ll make it up to you,” he promises, gripping my chin dominantly and pressing his lips to mine before releasing me and giving me a playful swat on the ass. “Get dressed, pussycat. I’ll go let him in.”
dash
“I don’t know what the hell y’all were doing in there,” Mason begins as I swing the front door open. “But you should know it’s horrible host decorum to leave a guest outside on your doorstep.”
“Would you say that’s more presumptuous than showing up completely unannounced?” I counter dryly, my eyebrow raised. “And what the fuck do you think we were doing?”
“Dude!” he cringes, his features shifting into offense making me smirk as he steps inside.
“You fuckin’ asked, bro,” I shrug, shutting the door behind us with a yawn. “Coffee?”
“Sure,” he replies, following me toward the kitchen. “Where’s Eve?”
“Getting dressed.”
“You know, you could learn a thing or two from her,” he muses, gesturing toward my disheveled appearance. “Every time I see you, you’re either missing a shirt or half asleep.”
“Lucky you,” I wink, prompting his face to go stoic as I start the pot and turn to face him. “So, what’s good?”
“Same old,” he replies, his eyes moving around the apartment, taking in the new changes. “I haven’t seen the place since moving day,” he remarks, his eyes moving back to mine. “Looks great.”
“All I did was supply a couch and refuse to get rid of my recliner,” I admit with a yawn, taking in our impressively decorated new living space with him. “The rest was all your sister.”
“Well, she did awesome,” he compliments once more, giving me an amused look. “You can barely even tell you live here.”
“Yeah,” I agree with a smirk immediately, reaching for two mugs before I fill them both. “Go show yourself around,” I offer, handing Mason a cup, nodding when he thanks me. “I’ll check on Evie.”
“No need. Here she is,” she smiles as she rounds the corner, making a beeline for Mason. “Hi Mase,” she continues, wrapping her arms around him, laughing when her belly gets to him before she can. “What up, bro?”
“Hey kid,” he beams as he gives her hair and affectionate kiss before he steps back to get a better look at her. “What the hell did you eat?”
“Ha ha,” she deadpans, unable to fight the smirk. “How long have you been holding onto that one?”
“Only a couple of weeks,” he chuckles, blowing a raspberry into her temple. “How you been?”
“Good,” she yawns as she gives her belly an affectionate pat. “How are you? What made you decide to drive up?”
“I missed you guys,” he replies immediately. “School’s about to start back up and I wanted to come out before things get crazy back home. I feel like I haven’t seen you in a month of Sundays.”
“It’s been a while, man,” I agree, mirroring Evie’s yawn as I reach into the fridge and pull out a bottle of water for her. “Here, pussycat.”
“Thank you,” she smiles, shuffling closer to me and taking a long sip. “Sorry, Mase. We were still in bed when you got here.”
“I heard,” he groans with a look of contempt in my direction and her cheeks heat furiously as she gives my arm a playful smack that makes me smirk. “So, what are your plans for the day? You wanna get some breakfast?”
“Sounds good to me,” I shrug, glancing down at Evie. “You hungry, baby?”
“I’m always hungry,” she admits, making me smile. “I’m not changing my clothes, though,” she promises, moving her eyes back to the t-shirt stretched over her growing bump and the grey sweats that have become her favorite. “This is as cute as I’m getting today.”
“You’re already too cute for our own good,” I wink, kissing her hair. “Grab your hoodie.”
“Is it cold out?” she asks.
“No, but you’re gonna be cold at the restaurant. You always are,” I remind her, and her face contorts slightly in deliberation. “I’ll hold it if you don’t need it. Just grab it anyway and I’ll get the keys.”
“Okay,” she smiles, taking a few steps away before she turns back around to face us with wide eyes as she claps her hands. “Oooh! We should see if they have chocolate chip waffles!”
“Yes!” I agree, pulling her lips into a wide smile that makes me chuckle. “And a bear cl-”
“Bear claw!” she cuts me off as her arms fly up victoriously, her excitement making both me and Mason laugh. “Okay, I’ll be right back. Don’t leave without me.”
“Why the fuck would we leave without you?” I shake my head, still chuckling as I reach for my wallet and keys while she disappears into our bedroom. “She’s fuckin’ nuts, bro,” I tell Mason, unable to wipe the wide smile from my lips. “You ready to go?”
“Dude,” he says, pulling my eyes to his. “This is weird.”
“What’s weird?”
“You two. Together. Like this,” he admits, his lips quirked on either side. “I mean, I’m glad you’re both happy. Don’t get me wrong, but…”
“You don’t have to tell me, man. I get it,” I laugh. “It was weird for us, too, at first, but now it’s just-”
“I know,” he cuts me off this time, his smile wider as he gives me a brotherly pat on the shoulder and pulls me in for a quick but very unexpected hug. “Thanks, man.”
“For what?”
“For being the kind of guy that deserves my sister,” he says, surprising me. “I know I gave y’all hell, but I’m happy you proved me wrong.”
I take in his words, a part of me honestly shocked he’d said them at all while the other has to swallow the uncharacteristic lump in my throat.
“I’m happy I did, too, Mase,” I say quietly, my eyes moving to hers for a moment when she reemerges from our bedroom and bends to give Vinnie a quick kiss goodbye. “Actually I’m just really fuckin’ happy.”
Twenty-Two
dash
“I know I’ve been friends with your brother for years and against the recommendation of many people, I’ve always avoided therapy,” I start quietly as I close our bedroom door behind us and follow Evie inside. “But I swear to God, I’ve never heard anyone talk so much about absolutely nothing in my life.”
“I know,” she groans low as her eyes grow wide in agreement. “I didn’t think he’d ever shut up.”
“I thought you talked your ass off,” I shake my head, earning an arched brow. “I’m just saying, baby. He makes you look like a mute.”
“And what the hell was he even going on about with the environment at the end?” she adds,
pulling her t-shirt over her head. “Anyway, I’m sorry I told you to choke on a dick in the middle of the street like that, but nothing else was working.”
“No, good call on the fake fight, sugar,” I admit with a smirk as I push her pants down her legs and toss them to the side. My palms fall low on her waist and I sink my lips into her neck, eager to taste her skin as I lead her toward our bed. “Come on, pussycat. Time to pay up.”
“Ugh,” she sighs, her face contorting slightly when I pull away. “Don’t you just want to go to sleep?”
“What I want is some pussy,” I insist, my hands freezing over the zipper on my jeans when her head falls against my chest in defeat. “Baby, I told you if you picked out that girly ass shit at the movies earlier that it was back on you,” I remind her, the two hours I sat next to two sobbing lunatics while I stifled a few dozen eye rolls still making me shudder in annoyance. “You’re kinda gonna come off as a dick if you turn me down now.”
“I’m totally fine with that,” she admits, her deadpan expression shifting into apology as she places her palms on my bare chest. “Baby, I’m sorry. I was still totally into it, but once Mason started talking to my stomach and he came at me with the shadow puppets and the voices I just…” she trails off, her face contorting into one of exhaustion, horror and disgust. “It really put a wrench in shit for me. Not to mention I ate the rest of your dinner in the car on the way home. I feel like I’m carrying a third kid in here somewhere,” she glances down at her stomach before looking back up at me in apology. “I’m just not sure I can get there again right now.”
I stare into her, frustration seeping into every part of me as I hold her eyes.
“That movie was bullshit, baby,” I reply, ignoring the way she bites down on her bottom lip to stifle her amusement. “It’s not funny. I’m gonna die one day and those two hours are gone now.”
“I know,” she admits, fake apology in her eyes as she gently grazes her nails against my beard. “I’m really sorry.”
