I smiled when Marcus smacked my ass on the way out of the room.
Those two are entirely too cute together. Huh. He didn't want children but every three years, we look like this.
But we like what we do with him to look like this.
Thinking that, I giggled as I went to my favorite couch in our den and stretched out. Geez... I hadn't felt this tired since carrying the first twins.
* * *
Sticky fingers were pushing my face. “Mommy?”
I mumbled ‘what,’ but immediately nodded back off.
“Mommy,” Lila screamed in my ear and I nearly jumped off the couch.
“Lila! Angel, what is it?”
“Gram and Grandma here,” she smiled, jumping up and down.
I looked up. Katherine and Mom were smiling down at me. I rose to embrace them.
“Hi, Cookie. How are you feeling,” Katherine asked.
Everyone... except Marcus... called me Cookie by then.
“I'm fine, Katherine, but tired,” I murmured as I hugged Marcus’ mother.
“Hi, honey.” Mom kissed me. “I hope you're taking your iron.”
I smiled. “Yes, Mom, religiously. How are you ladies?”
“I'm wonderful, honey. We've come for the grandchildren. As you can hear, Katie has Mandy and Joshua's two oldest, as well. She’s having a sleepover tonight,” Mom yelled over four boys running and screaming through the house.
I laughed at Katherine. “Are you sure you can handle all of them?”
Katherine beamed. “I'll have Evelyn and her three boys spending the weekend with Stephen and I while Russell is out of town. So I thought, why not have a sleepover with all my grandchildren?”
“Well, if you're sure, I'll go and pack them some clothes,” I yawned.
“No need, baby,” Marcus called, entering the room. “I've already given the case to Benny.”
Mom kissed my cheek and patted my belly. “Get some rest, honey. I'll see you Sunday evening.”
Katherine kissed Marcus. “Goodbye, darling. See you tomorrow.”
“Bye, Mother. No spoiling,” Marcus warned.
“What spoil? I don't do that,” Katherine replied, in mock shock, then kissed my cheek.
“Gram? Can I get three toys this time,” Lila asked, looking absolutely adorable as she held up five fingers.
“One,” Katherine countered, holding up one finger.
“Pwease, Gram.”
She took her hand and nodded. “All right, sweetie. Three.”
“Mother? What did I just say,” Marcus asked sternly.
“I'm not spoiling her! I'm being a grandma. And she's my only granddaughter.”
Marcus sighed. “Fine, Mother. Say hi to Dad for us.”
“I will, Marcus. All right, boys! Gram and Grandma are ready to go! Let's hurry to the store and get your three toys each!”
“Katherine,” I gasped as my boys briefly hugged me.
She turned and winked at me and I shook my head. Marcus was scowling.
“Give it up, Marcus. She's a proud grandmother. It's a losing battle.” My mom smiled at him. “And I promise I will only get them two apiece. Maybe,” she cooed, walking away.
“Five bucks says they will have Lisa’s and Tom's kids as well.”
“It's only going to be worse when Ethan and Alissa's baby comes and then there's our next,” I murmured.
Marcus rubbed my belly. “And the next one...”
I gasped in shock. “Marcus! This is it! You promised!”
He pouted at me.
“Talk to me in three years. In the meantime, you're keeping that consultation appointment next week, Cramp!”
Marcus chuckled as we watched Benny drive the car away with Mom, Katherine and five overly-excited children.
“You should call Sidra later. I don't think she's feeling well.”
I bet she doesn't. Matthew's secret girlfriend has been acting really funny lately.
“I will. I think she'll be fine. Just tired.”
“No kids, Mrs. Cannon. What would you like to do?” He grinned as he closed the door, eying me like a tall glass of ice water on a one hundred-ten-degree day.
I stepped back. “Oh, no. I'm going to bed!”
“Good idea.”
“To sleep!” I turned and walked away. He came behind me and held me close as we walked toward the stairs.
“We'll see.”
* * *
11:40 p.m., the phone woke me. It was Marcus' cell.
“Dr. Alexander,” he whispered.
He untangled from me and left the room. Must’ve be an emergency with one of his kids, I thought. I said I wanted to sleep, but once I got in the bed, with Marcus right behind me, well...
I nodded back off. Marcus jostled the bed, startling me.
“Sorry, baby. There's an emergency. I have to go.”
“Okay. I'm going back to sleep.”
“Do you want anything?”
“Just sleep.”
“If you change your mind, call me. Okay?”
“Mm-hmm. Love you,” I mumbled, nodding off again.
He kissed my cheek. “I love you, baby.”
* * *
I reached over to Marcus' side of the bed. He wasn’t back yet. I rolled over and looked at the clock. 2:27 am. Damn it all, I thought, hoping I wasn’t up the rest of the night.
I felt like a snack and wondered if there was any of that candy left in Lila's room. Better yet... there were marshmallows in the kitchen. First time, watermelon. Second time, potato chips. Now it's marshmallows. Good thing Lisa knew a good trainer.
I hopped in the shower. After, I put on my pink pajama set and crept downstairs to the kitchen. I found the marshmallows next to the Oreos, and had a silent debate.
I want the Oreos.
I grabbed them then went to the fridge for milk.
As I sat in the kitchen, I heard the door on the garage open and close and smiled. Marcus was home. He entered the kitchen behind me and I grinned, dunking another cookie in my milk.
“Everything okay, boo?”
“Thank you for making this so much easier,” a voice snarled at me.
I froze and slowly turned. I knew that voice!
“Get out of my home,” I shouted at that asshole.
He lunged toward me and smashed a cloth on my face. I struggled and my arm hit the glass of milk on the table. I reached out and scratched his eyebrow and drew blood. He hit me in the chest, knocking the wind from me. While I struggled to breathe, the blood rolled to his eyelash; he wiped his brow then flicked his hand, then ran it under the table. places the rag back over my face. I tried to hold my breath and attempted to hit him again.
“Enough,” he whispered, restraining me.
Darkness takes me.
###
Ryanne Anthony is a lifelong writer and avid reader. She enjoys sharing her stories and creating new worlds and putting them on paper.
Ms. Anthony is a Midwestern girl, born and raised, and is a loving wife and mother of a boy and a girl, one each of the human and furry species.
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Other works by Ryanne Anthony:
Honey Babe
BROKEN (The M Series, Book One)
The M Series, Book Three: MARCUS
The M Series, Book Four: MADISON
The M Series, Book Five: MATTHEW
The M Series, Book Six: MONICA
The M Series, Book
Seven: MAJOR
The M Series, Book Eight: MENDED
Effection:
An M/Negative Ion Series Companion Novel
FALLING: Book One of The Negative Ion Series
DESPAIR Book Two of The Negative Ion Series
FELL: Book Three of The Negative Ion Series
More soon!
Excerpt from The M Series, Book Two: MARCUS
The First Time She Took my Breath Away
May 17, 2011
I sigh. “And I need to get out of it. Yesterday. Any ideas?” I ask my friend Rob, who is looking completely dumbfounded at the entrance of the new clinic.
“Shut up and look at that, Frank!”
“At what,” I ask, annoyed. He hasn't heard a word I said.
“That pretty blonde coming in the door. Damn... look at the black girl with her,” Rob groans “They just made my whole damn day! Oh, shit... they're coming this way. Where the hell are they going?”
I turn to where he's drooling. For some reason the strawberry blonde moves in normal time... but the other one... she's in slow motion. I can't help but notice how confident she walks. A cool, easy stride in those sexy heels.
Where is she going?
They ignore us as they walk by. Damn. She looks good enough to eat in that little white skirt and glove-fitting top. My cock is twitching just watching her.
“No, Cookie, we're going to Drew's after this, no more argument. You gotta get that sad look off your face!”
“Cookie?” Rob chuckles when they get out of earshot. “Damn! I bet she is sweet.”
“They're going in Evelyn's office,” I mumble, more to myself.
“Do they work here?”
I can't do anything more than shrug.
“Damn, I gotta run. I have an appointment coming in 15 minutes and I need to change. Fuck, I should have put my scrubs on at the hospital! It would have bought me a few more minutes to look at them!”
“Yeah, all right, Rob. Go ahead.”
“We meeting at the gym later?”
“Not if I get her to go home with me,” I scoff, staring at the glass office door.
“Yeah, that’s gonna happen. I'll see you at the gym at six, man,” Rob pats my back.
“Yeah, six. We'll see,” I nod. Rob takes off while I continue staring at my sister's office door.
Here she comes, but she's alone this time. I breathe in deep, watching her sexy ass as she strides through the hall. Where is she off to now?
I frown when she gets to her destination. She's going to the lab? What the hell?
Shit, is she sick, I think, as I run to the lab's back entrance. I punch in my code and go in, grabbing some latex gloves on my way to the reception window.
“Hi, Dr. Alexander.”
I look in the voice's direction. Jeanelle something-or-other giggles in my face.
“Hello, Jeanelle,” I say then frown. “You're supposed to be in the reception area. Why are you in the lab?”
“I'm just visiting a friend. Are you still engaged, Dr. Alexander?”
Not for long, at least not to the woman currently wearing my ring.
“Yes, I am. Why?”
“Just curious,” she murmurs, licking her full red lips. “See ya when you're single, Dr. Alexander.”
“Goodbye,” I say to her, ignoring the pout on her face as I spot the girl at the reception window, holding open her purse.
“Great. Okay, your blood's been drawn so all you need to do now is provide a urine sample,” the receptionist says to her. “Remember, you'll have to give another one in a month. Washroom's the second door on the left. When you're done, bring it back here, in the bag. Someone will stamp the order for you then, all right?”
She gives a small, polite smile. “Okay,” she says quietly then turns toward the washroom. She looks good coming and going. My cock agrees.
“Martha, take your break now,” Greg says behind me.
“Thanks, Dr. Cross. See you in 15.” Martha wobbles off, looking around 7 months pregnant. Maybe that's why this girl is here and looking sad. Maybe she's with someone. My heart skips a beat. What the fuck?
My grandfather Philip's English voice plays in my head, ticked at my notion to never marry or reproduce when I was twenty.
“Don't be so cynical, Marky-boy. One day a bird's going to walk past you and turn your head, and you won't look another way. It happened to me and I instantly knew I wanted to be with her for the rest of my life. Took me four days to propose and I got 47 years with my beloved Lila. Take heed, lad. When it happens, it's going to knock you on your arse. I just pray I'm still around when it does.”
“It didn't happen with your son,” I said stubbornly.
“It did, lad. Don't let what happened to get your sister here make you think it didn't. Your father had a moment of weakness, pure and simple. It didn't erase what he feels for your mother.”
Love at first sight. I'll be damned if he wasn't right. Shame he didn't live to see this.
The washroom door opens and this goddess and the blonde talk. Greg is going to the window. I flip my ID around then pat him on the back and move ahead of him.
“Let me handle this one, Greg,” I murmur as I pull on the gloves.
“That's why you're lurking in here,” he chuckles. “All right, Marcus, go ahead. Good luck.”
I walk to the window and wait. The blonde goes in the washroom and the goddess sets her urine in the bin and hands me the order while reaching for sanitizer. Fuck... no name, just an ID number. I quickly sticker the bag and sign off, glancing up at her face every now and again. She never looks up, just stares at my hands. I stamp the order and hand her the copy, which she stuffs into her purse.
“Thank you,” she says quietly. Damn... I think as I watch her walk to the chairs across from the restroom. She sits down slowly and deliberately, and I pray she crosses those pretty caramel legs. She does, then her arms cross under her breasts and they push up.
Christ! Breathe, Cannon, breathe!
Her head drops back on the wall and I see a tear fall. I want to jump through the window and wipe it away.
The blonde… who I believe I’ve seen or met before but, oddly, for the life of me cannot place her… comes out of the washroom and to the window. Greg stamps her order as she stares worriedly at her friend.
“Come on, Cookie. Let's go see Drew. He has a karaoke machine and we'll have some fun. I promise,” the blonde says, hugging my future wife tightly as jealousy sears through me.
“I don't feel like singing, Twink. Maybe just talk and a few drinks.”
“Good. Anything to get you out of this funk,” the blonde says as they leave the lab. “You're starting to depress me!”
“Nice. Both of them. Which one you stalking, Marcus,” Greg asks, amused.
I frown. “Not stalking, just... admiring.”
I still have her order in my hand. I note the ID number and add a pregnancy test to it, praying it comes back negative as I pass the order to Greg.
“Put a rush on this, Greg.”
# # #
Mariah: The M Series: Book Two Page 38
