by Nikki Ashton
I took a step back and stared at him. Had he been shot or poisoned or something because there was no damn need for such drama. None at all.
“You for real?” I asked, folding my arms over my still sensitive tits.
“I’m dying here. Don’t you care?” He began jumping around with his leg stretched out in front of him.
“Pathetic,” I groaned and shook my head, watching on as Carter acted like he was the one giving birth.
“Hey there, we let ourselves in with the key Mom gave us. She sent pie.”
I turned to see Ellie and Hunter in the doorway. As usual they were touching in some way or other. This time Hunter had his hands on her shoulders, his thumbs rubbing her bare tanned skin.
“Oh wow, when did Jacob put that up.”
“Fuck,” Carter cried, now tugging at his hair.
“Last night. He called after he picked JJ up from his afterschool club. He’s such a cute kid,” I enthused as the three of us admired Jacob’s work.
“He is, isn’t he,” Ellie agreed.
“Does that monkey look like Carter, or am seeing things?” Hunter asked, peering closer at the mural.
The three of us leaned closer and began to laugh. Jacob had put Carter’s face onto a monkey and when I looked around, I found me too.
“Oh my gosh, there’s me.”
“Wow, yeah.”
“Excuse me,” Carter groaned behind us. “Anyone care that I have a cramp. I think I need to go to the emergency room.”
We all turned in unison and as we did Ellie squealed and pulled Hunter in front of her.
“For fuck’s sake, Carter,” Hunter yelled. “You’re one dirty fucking douchebag.”
“I have a cramp.” He was practically sobbing now, reaching out to me with a shaky hand. “Lollipop please.”
I sighed heavily and shook my head. “Carter, honey. Please put your dick back in your pants. You’re scaring your sister.”
My sister looked at Hunter as though he shit gold nuggets, and as for him, well his eyes had damn diamonds in them when they landed on her.
“Ugh, you two are so sickly,” I groaned, taking a sip of the fancy wine that Hunter had insisted on us drinking at the fancy dinner that he and Ellie were springing us.
Bronte slapped at my arm. “Leave them alone. They’re in love.”
“So are we,” I protested. “But I don’t slobber all over you all the time.”
“Might be nice if you did,” she muttered, and I wasn’t sure whether she wanted me to hear or not.
“Did I not slobber over you this very morning, Lollipop?” I raised my brows and grinned when she blushed.
“I’ve seen the way you look at each other and believe me,” Ellie said with a roll of her eyes, “you definitely slobber over each other. You just don’t realize that’s what you’re doing.”
“After what we saw last week, I’d say there’s plenty of loving going on in your apartment.” Hunter grinned and winked at me.
Me with my dick out, jumping around in front of my sister, was most definitely something I was going to take shit for. The way Ellie squealed anyone would think she’d never seen a man’s Johnson before. I knew for a damn fact that she hadn’t lost her cherry to Hunter, so she’d seen at least two before mine. It had all been too fucking dramatic, but that was my sister.
“Anyway,” Bronte sighed, forking a tomato from her Cobb salad. “What’s with the fancy pants dinner? We could have gone for burgers at the café and saved you some cash.”
Ellie rolled her eyes. “You’re one ungrateful little brat, you know that, right?”
“It’s my natural demeanor,” she replied, waving her tomato around. “So, spill it.”
Hunter sat up straighter and grinned. “We want to ask you both to be members of the wedding party.”
With their hands clasped together on top of the table, they looked between us both. By the look on their faces, you’d have thought they’d just offered us a world cruise on the most luxurious ship on the planet.
“Well, to say I’m underwhelmed is kinda understating it.” I rolled my eyes. “I’d have been more shocked if I wasn’t going to be your best man.”
“And if you ask anyone else to be your head bridesmaid, I’ll make sure you change every poopy diaper this baby makes.” Bronte ran a hand over her ever-growing stomach and at the sight of it my breath left my lungs pretty quickly.
“You know you look beautiful, Lollipop,” I stated and placed my hand on hers.
She smiled softly and I pursed my lips to kiss her when she said, “You think you’ll ever get around to asking me to marry you?” The tomato was then popped into her mouth.
Taken a little aback, I looked at Hunter who just shrugged.
“Don’t look at me, buddy.”
“No, Carter,” Bronte said, arching her brows. “Don’t look at him.”
My attention went back to my pasta as I searched through it for a shrimp. This was not the time or the place, beside which we’d talked about the future many times. It wasn’t that she didn’t know that I worshipped her. We had a baby on the way for God’s sake.
“Are you going to answer me?” Bronte asked. “Or are you going to give that pasta all your attention this evening?”
Putting down my fork, I exhaled and looked up to see three faces looking at me expectantly.
“Lollipop,” I sighed. “You know how much I love you. I tell you all the time.”
“Saying ‘God, Lollipop, I love you, baby’, while you’re pushing your penis into me isn’t quite the same, honey.”
“Ugh, please.” Ellie took a huge gulp of her wine, shuddered and then looked back to me. “Okay, you can answer now.”
“Seriously, Hunt, did you have to bring her along?” Letting out a long breath, I turned back to Bronte. “Don’t you think we have enough going on?”
“Oh, what, you mean this?” She pointed at her stomach. “We do? Are you sure it’s we, because I’m the one who has to carry junior Maples around. I’m the one who has to be poked and prodded, I’m the one that has the ankles of my Grammy. And I do believe I’m the one that has an ass that could quite easily take up the whole of the east coast. While you, Mr. Carter Maples, Veterinarian, well you don’t really have enough going on at all.” She held her pointer finger up. “Oops sorry, you do have to save the animals of Dayton Valley, but apart from that…”
Her salad forgotten, Bronte, pushed her bowl away and gave me a sickly-sweet smile, waiting for a response. When I glanced at Hunter and Ellie, they were both leaning with their elbows on the table and staring at us.
“You want me to order popcorn?” I asked.
Hunter waved me away. “No. No, you go for it.”
Fucking dickweed.
I turned back to Bronte. “I thought you had enough to deal with. And, if you recall, Lollipop, up until a couple of months ago, you pretty much told me to get lost. Now, if I suddenly asked you to marry me, I reckoned you might just think I was doing it to tie you to me, or even doing it just because you’re cooking my heir in there, not because I want to spend the rest of my life with you.” I took her hand and kissed it. “Which I really do. Now, rest assured when I ask you it’ll be our kind of beautiful and will come with an awesome ring that’ll make that damn rock on Ellie’s finger look like a chipping. Okay?”
I sat back, confident that I’d appeased the hormonal craziness that was going on in my true love’s head.
How fucking wrong could one idiot man be.
“I asked for commitment, Carter,” she cried, her eyes almost popping out of her head. “Don’t you think marriage is a tiny way of showing that?”
“Of course, I do,” I protested. “But I just explained why I didn’t want to suggest that particular level of commitment, yet. And I know you wouldn’t want engagement pictures looking fat.” I saw darkness shadow her face like a blanket. “Okay, not fat, but pregnant. You know I’m right. I mean you’d want a sexy little dress, high tower heels, cute bag
, big hai—
“Stop.” She held her hand up to silence me. “Before you really say something that may get you a punch in your balls.”
“I don’t know,” Ellie added. “I think he’s said plenty to get him a punch to his tiny little testicles.”
“Excuse me,” I snapped at my sister. “Those testicles you talk of have produced a baby. And it was the one and only time I went bareback, so I’d say more fucking huge than tiny, thank you, Ellie.”
“Someone’s a little touchy,” Ellie muttered.
Hunter nodded. “His balls are quite tiny though, baby. It’s a fucking miracle they produced an offspring to be honest.”
“Hunter, man,” I growled. “You’re getting on my last fucking nerve.”
“Just saying.” He sat back in his seat and pulled Ellie into his side, kissing the side of her head—damn kiss ass.
“The size of your balls aside, Carter,” Bronte continued. “You still haven’t answered the original question.”
About to answer, by basically repeating myself, I was stopped in my tracks when the waiter came over. He sidled up between Bronte and I and gave that damn creepy smile all waiters give when they’re desperate for you to leave them one hell of a tip.
“Everything okay with your meals?” He looked pointedly at Bronte’s abandoned salad.
“It’s all lovely,” Ellie replied and tucked back into her risotto, nudging Hunter to get back to his ribeye.
“Can I get you any more drinks.”
Bronte sighed. “Could I get sparkling water please.”
He nodded and then looked between the rest of us.
“Another bottle of the wine please,” Hunter added.
“Could I get a bourbon and coke.” Bronte’s gaze snapped to mine. “What?”
“Hunter and Ellie paid for that nice wine and you’re drinking hard liquor.”
“I kinda feel like I need it, gotta be honest.”
The waiter walked away, leaving us in silence. Ellie and Hunter continued eating, not lifting their eyes from their plates. Bronte drummed long pink fingernails on the table, her eyes firmly on me.
“Lollipop, you know I love you.” I pinched the bridge of my nose, not entirely sure what more I could say to her. “I only see my life with you in it, make no mistake about that.”
“But that won’t be with a wedding band on my finger,” she replied with resignation.
“No,” I disputed. “I don’t mean that, at all.” I leaned closer to her. “Where’s this coming from. You’ve never once said you wanted to get married before the baby came.”
“Doesn’t mean because I haven’t said it that I don’t want it.”
The determined jut of her chin told me no matter what I said, she wasn’t going to listen or understand. It was stubborn Bronte at her best.
“You said you’d hate the wedding that they’re having.”
Despite how girly Bronte was, and how Ellie could punch like a guy, their views on the perfect wedding were the total opposite of what you’d expect. Bronte was all for eloping and then having hot sex in a seedy Vegas motel.
“And I would,” she replied and turned to Ellie, who had a forkful of food paused at her open mouth. “No offense, Ellie, but the church and big dress thing isn’t for me.”
“None taken,” my sister replied and then shoved her food into her mouth.
Bronte swiveled in her chair, effectively turning her back on Hunter. “I don’t want that, but I did think you might have wanted the three of us to all have the same name.”
“That’s your reason for wanting to be married?” I asked. “Because if it is, it’s not romantic.”
“Sometimes, Carter you’re as dumb as a watermelon.” She dropped her head into her hands. “This is ridiculous, you just don’t understand where I’m coming from.”
“You’re right,” I replied with a shrug. “I don’t.” Having managed to snap that last nerve I’d spoken about, I threw my napkin to the table. I then reached for my wallet from my back pocket. “Sorry about this, guys, but I think I’m gonna go.”
“Carter, buddy,” Hunter protested. “Don’t be a dick and just eat your dinner.”
I shook my head and threw some cash on the table. I loved the woman next to me with all my damn heart, and would give my life for her, but at that moment I had no damn clue how to deal with her. I’d tried to do everything she’d asked of me—give her space, show her commitment, just generally be the man she deserved, but now she was being downright awkward. I’d already had a shit day, having to put a two-year-old dog to sleep because of an inoperable tumor on its spine. Then I’d had to try and comfort the young couple who’d treated that pup like a kid because they couldn’t have children. They were devastated and it had been hard to hold them and myself together. Dinner was the last thing I’d wanted to do but I’d done it because Hunter and my sister invited us, and because Bronte was excited to go out. The conversation though had just damn well soured my already rock-bottom mood.
“Sorry, Hunt, but I’m beat. I’ve had a real shitty day. That’s for the tip.” I turned to Bronte. “You coming with me or getting a ride home with Ellie and Hunter?”
Her bottom lip trembled for a second and then she cleared her throat and straightened up. “I’m going to stay and enjoy the rest of my dinner. I’ll see you at home later.”
Nodding I ran a hand down her hair. “Enjoy the rest of your night.”
Waiting outside for my Uber, I almost wished I smoked. A cigarette at that point might well have calmed me because, for the first time ever, I wondered whether Bronte and I were ever going to make it.
Lying alone in our huge bed, I didn’t think I’d ever felt so ashamed of myself. At dinner I’d acted like a totally spoiled bitch. No wonder Carter was passed out cold on the sofa with Mani when I got home.
He was right, if he had asked me to marry him, I’d have always wondered if it was because of the baby. He was also right when he said I wouldn’t have wanted any engagement pictures. They’d have to be from the neck up and what would be the point of that. Engagement pictures were almost as important as wedding pictures. They captured that moment when you initially pledged your life to each other; when the girl first knows for certain her man loves her.
I had no clue why I’d been so adamant that we talk about it. I lied, of course I knew why. It was jealousy at Ellie and Hunter’s excitement; they were building a house and would soon be planning a wedding. I kind of felt that Carter and I had skipped the important bits, the exciting bits. Not that having a baby wasn’t exciting, it was the best thing to ever happen to me, but it made me feel old. We were going to be parents, no longer Carter and Bronte who argued like cat and dog and made up like horny lovebugs. Adulthood had hit us right between the eyes and it scared me.
Throwing the comforter from me, I took a moment to think about what I should say to Carter. How did I apologize, yet make him realize not only was I excited but scared to death about the next phase in our life?
“Ugh,” I groaned and slapped my hands over my eyes. “I’m such an idiot.”
“Debatable.” Gasping, I lowered my hands to see Carter standing over me with a mug in his hand. “Green tea.”
Sleepy eyes watched me sit up before he then handed me the steaming drink. I tried to avoid his gaze and let my eyes drop to his torso. There was no doubt about it, he looked damn hot. His plaid pajama bottoms hung low and his chiseled chest was bare, but what I really loved, which I knew made me kind of weird, was the hint of his auburn underarm hair when he placed his hands on his hips. Damn it, I just loved him and thought he was so freaking sexy. Which in itself was weird after years of fighting and hating on him. All it had taken to change my mind had been one kiss and some dirty words. He’d told me that he was going to fuck me so good that anyone else that came after him would be a total disappointment.
Boy, had he been right—not that there’d been anyone else since that night. For a while I’d just been addicted to his cock, bu
t quick fucks turned into staying for dinner afterward, which moved on to staying overnight that had then stretched into weekends. And so, within a small window of time, I knew I’d fallen in love with him.
“Can you remember the first time we said the ‘L’ word?” I asked, wrapping my hands tightly around my mug, feeling comfort in its warmth.
Carter’s smile was soft and gentle, with a hint of wickedness as his left eyebrow arched.
“I do and I also remember how I celebrated that fact.”
Rolling my eyes, I smiled. I remembered too. I hadn’t been able to get into that sort of position as a teenage gymnast, so how the hell I’d managed it ten years later I had no clue.
“We were watching a movie; Romeo & Juliet,” I reminded him. “And you really didn’t want to.”
He shrugged and lowered himself to sit on the edge of the bed. “I thought it was going to be lame.”
“I know, but then I saw you crying.” My heart did a double bump as I recalled that being the exact moment that I knew. “The fact that the story brought you to tears made me realize that you were so much more than the annoying idiot I’d grown up with.”
“Then,” Carter said, taking hold of my hand, “you said, ‘I love you, baby’. And then you fucking jumped me.”
“I did not,” I gasped. “I smiled at you and you wiped away a tear and said, ‘I love you too’.”
“Then you jumped me?”
He said it like it was a question and I couldn’t help but laugh. “I think you’ll find it was you who jumped me.”
“Whoever jumped who it doesn’t matter. Amazing orgasms followed.” He lifted a hand to take a strand of my hair and run it through his fingers. “A lot of the blue has gone now. You can dye it you know.”
“I know. Not sure whether I want to. What do you think?”
He leaned forward and kissed my nose. “You’re beautiful either way.”
Before he could pull away, I placed my hand on the back of his head and met his gaze. “I’m so sorry for my behavior last night. It wasn’t really about getting married, you know that, right?”
