Stroking her belly, which wasn’t even showing much yet.
“Do you think she likes it?” he whispered into her right ear, his chin resting on her shoulder.
Her hands covered his and she gently squeezed.
Their voices drifted to them from the other end of the house, where Emma and Grace talked to Lara Jarred, their real estate agent.
She was also a kinky friend from the Suncoast Society.
This was their favorite of the five houses they’d looked at. They’d set it up so Lara showed it to the girls last, hoping Emma would like it as much as they did.
Even though Emma had told Eric she wouldn’t hold him to his promise to let her sign off on where they lived, he still wanted to do it.
To keep showing her he wasn’t like Pat.
To show her he wanted to hopefully, one day, earn “dad” status in her eyes.
Tracey desperately loved him for it and knew this had absolutely been the right decision, even if it happened for crazy, stupid, careless reasons.
The result was perfection.
Their voices grew louder, echoing off the bare walls and floors as they returned to the living room. The house even had a large pool. It was older, the same age of Brandon’s house, but had been fully renovated in the not-too-distant past. All they’d have to do was paint the walls the colors they wanted, to brighten it from the blah white, and move in.
Emma crossed her arms over her chest and cocked her head at them, her gaze pointedly fixed on Eric. “So which bedroom’s mine? I’m guessing you want the master bedroom?”
He straightened, releasing Tracey and stepping around her, to her side. “Your pick of the others. But I think you need to ask Grace her input.”
Tracey let her Master handle her headstrong daughter. Obviously Brandon and Eric both had a better way of dealing with her sometimes.
Emma looked confused. “Huh?”
“We’ve already discussed it with your dads and Grace’s parents. I know you live with your dads. Not trying to make you pick a place. But when you two stay here, I want the two of you to feel like it’s your room. Together. And when you’re not at college, you’re both welcomed to live here between semesters, if you want.”
Emma looked at Grace, who wore a beaming grin and nodded.
Tracey held her breath as she watched Emma. Her daughter turned, studying the living room. It opened into the dining room and kitchen, a clear view through.
Almost identical to Brandon’s house, except a reversed floor plan, where everyone who was out in the main area could see each other and talk.
It’d be a fun house, full of life.
It literally backed up against Brandon’s house, which was another reason it was their favorite. They’d already shown it to Brandon, and he’d suggested they could put a gate in the fence between them. The same builder had built both houses, as well as houses on either side of them.
If Emma said she hated it, she was just being pissy for no good reason.
Emma hugged herself and turned away from them, walking out to the kitchen, her gaze fixed on the floor. Grace drifted over to stand next to Tracey, holding hands with her as Eric followed Emma into the kitchen.
Lara, already clued in on the situation by Tracey and Eric, quietly watched and didn’t say anything.
* * * *
The relocation expenses that the company had paid Eric would help with their down payment so they could easily afford the monthly mortgage. And no major outlay on their part, except paint, to make it move-in ready. He really didn’t want to touch what he had in savings if he didn’t have to, preferring to save it back for their retirement.
Or for college expenses for their baby.
They were poised to put in an offer on the house that Lara assured them would likely be accepted. The only thing Lara had to do was hit send on the e-mail draft once Em said yes.
Treading lightly, he leaned back against the counter and rested his hands on the edges. “I’m really trying, Em,” he quietly said. “I swear I’m not going anywhere, and I’m going to do everything in my power to keep proving to you that I’m not like him. No matter how long it takes. I’m a very patient man.”
The kitchen was laid out slightly different, different cabinets and countertop, the island a different size and the appliances configured differently, but not drastically so. He’d even have Jeff help them arrange the stuff in the kitchen so everything would be easy for her to find.
He’d never imagined he’d be trying to convince a girl to be his daughter, but…here he was, practically groveling.
And not too ashamed to admit it, either.
Brandon had even offered to come over with them to walk through it with Em and try to talk her into saying yes, but that wouldn’t work.
Eric wanted her to say yes on her terms, not because she felt browbeat into it.
He really did love the house, loved that they’d have the men living right there behind them.
A ready-made family he was happy to be a part of, if Emma would only, finally, let him in.
When she looked up, there were tears in her eyes. She finally stepped over to him and tightly hugged him.
He wrapped his arms around her and held her, not speaking, knowing when she was ready, she’d talk.
“I hated him,” she choked through her tears. “I tried to like him in the beginning and no matter what I did, it was never good enough.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Not your fault.”
“I mean I’m sorry it wasn’t me back then.”
“Can I have the same room as I have over there?”
“Sure. Your pick.”
“Grace and I really like that one.”
“Then that one’s yours. We need to go paint shopping for you.”
“Dad already knows, doesn’t he?”
He chuckled. “He really likes the idea of us living here. And I like the idea of being here. Jeff’s already volunteered to be our full-time nanny.”
“We’re gonna have to teach her how to swim, with two pools. She needs a baby swimming class.”
“I’ll leave that up to you to coordinate. You’re the expert.”
She finally looked up into his eyes. “You know Grace wields a crazy mean barbecue fork, right? You screw this up, I’ll sic her on you.”
“I’m not sure your dads would leave anything for her to stab, but yeah, I’m aware of that.”
She nodded but made no move to end their hug, laying her head against his chest again.
Eric would stand there as long as she’d let him.
* * * *
“Thanks for letting me help. I hate feeling useless.” Jeff broke down the latest box he’d emptied and dropped it onto the pile of them they’d been accumulating from unpacking kitchen items.
Tracey studied the pile of boxes remaining to unpack. “You’re far from useless, and I appreciate the help, believe me. I owe Brandon for letting you help me.”
Most of the stuff was hers, because Eric had downsized dramatically when he’d moved into the apartment after losing Paige. They had bought a few things, like a large sectional sofa, comfy and with plenty of room for them and the girls for movie nights.
Tracey had asked him to put the urn and pictures on a shelf in the living room, where they could easily see them every day, even though he’d offered to tuck them in the back bedroom, if she wanted him to.
Paige and the baby were no threat to Tracey or Eric’s love for her, and she knew it. She wanted to honor them, to honor the suffering and grief he’d endured, not try to erase them from his life. That wouldn’t be fair to him, much less very charitable.
And once they reached the point they were hanging pictures, she’d already found his and Paige’s wedding picture, along with a few others, that she wanted to hang on the wall alongside her wedding picture with Brandon and other family photos.
Paige deserved a place of honor in their home the way Brandon did, and it was the only way Tracey could
honor her.
They’d officially moved in two weeks ago, after painting the master bedroom and bath and moving in their bedroom furniture. It’d been the only furniture in the house at the time, and they’d been eating over at Brandon’s by slipping through the gap they’d made in the fence by removing one of the panels. They’d been emptying Tracey’s storage unit a little every night as they got each room painted and ready for furniture. Jeff had loaned them his truck and borrowed Eric’s car so he wouldn’t be without transportation.
Eric came through the front door and Tracey loved the little thump her heart made at the sight and sound of him. The same thump her heart had always made for Brandon—and used to make for Eric the first time around.
One she’d never felt with Pat.
And that should’ve told me something right from the start.
Eric set his stuff down on the counter. “Hi, sweetheart,” he called out.
“Hi, baby,” Jeff said back with a grin.
“I don’t have permission to kiss you, and, no offense, you’re not my type.” Eric walked over to Tracey and slipped his arms around her waist. He kissed her as one hand settled over her tummy. “How’s my girls?”
“No puking this morning, so that’s an improvement.”
“Yay.”
“You coming over for dinner?” Jeff asked. “Stuart’s making pot roast.”
“That sounds good. I want to grab a shower first.”
Jeff grabbed another box and started unpacking it. “Don’t forget about the swim meet this Saturday.”
“I have the morning off,” Eric said. “I’ll go to work after.” He released her and headed down the hall to their bedroom.
Jeff wore a playful smile. “What?” she asked.
“Nothing. You guys are adorable together.”
“Do you really think Emma likes him now?” She’d warmed her approach to Eric, but other than that hug the day they looked at the house, she’d still kept her distance somewhat.
Grace, on the other hand, had named herself the bonus daughter and acted with Eric just like she did with Jeff and Stuart and Brandon.
He nodded. “She’s just stubborn, that’s all. She fought so hard and so long, that capitulation took a lot out of her. She knows there isn’t another shoe to fall, but it’ll take her a while to work that out on her own. Give her time. She does admit Eric’s not like Pat, so that’s a massive win.”
“I want them to get along.”
“I think they do. She’ll come around.” He finished unpacking that box and flattened it, adding it to the pile before grabbing another one.
The back sliders opened, and Grace, Emma, and two girls walked in and headed down the hall to Emma’s room.
“Well, hello to you, too,” Tracey softly snarked, making Jeff laugh.
“Yeah, that’s Libby and Shona. They’re freshmen on the swim team. Grace has been working with them on their butterfly stroke.”
A few minutes later, they had almost emptied the last kitchen box when Eric emerged, showered and dressed in shorts and a T-shirt. “Did I hear the girls?”
Tracey held up four fingers. “They have friends.”
“Ah. Anything I can do in here?”
“Nope, we got it.”
Emma’s bedroom door opened, and the girls emerged. Emma, in the lead, stopped when she saw Eric was home. “Oh, you met Jeff. And that’s my other dad, Eric, and my mom, Tracey.” Emma started walking again, talking about something swim-related, leaving a grinning Grace bringing up the rear and waggling her fingers at them in a pleased wave before they headed out and back to Brandon’s.
Tracey turned and caught the stunned look on Eric’s face. “Are you all right?”
A slow grin split his face from ear to ear. “Did you hear that?”
Jeff high-fived him. “See? Told you she’d come around. Just have to be chill about it.”
Eric picked Tracey up and spun her around. “She called me one of her dads!”
Dust…must be dust in my eyes. Or pregnancy hormones…
“Yes, I heard.”
“She called me one of her dads!”
“Guess I’m going to have a hard time topping that, huh?”
He kissed her. “No, because you’re making me a dad, baby.” He laid his hand over her tummy, leaning in to nibble on her ear. “But it does mean I’m going to be in the mood to play with someone later tonight.”
She closed her eyes as the shiver raced through her. “Yes, Sir.”
Jeff laughed. “Ah, I see someone’s in a Dommy mood. I’ll get out of your way.”
“We’ll be right over,” Eric said, his gaze never leaving hers.
Once they were alone, he turned her to face him. “You know you’re going to have to work hard to convince me why we shouldn’t have another baby after this one, right?”
She draped her arms around his neck, knowing he was teasing, loving this game. “Yes, Sir.”
And part of her really into it, too. She’d always wanted more kids, but Brandon coming out had kind of put the kibosh on that.
And, luckily for her, Pat hadn’t wanted any more kids.
She hadn’t wanted any with him, either.
His hands slid down to cup her ass through her shorts. “Do you have any idea how happy I am right now?”
She could feel his cock pressing against her through his shorts and hers. “I have a clue, Sir.”
He rocked his hips against hers. “Love you, baby.”
“Love you, too, Sir. No more blues?”
He grinned. “Nope. Not anymore.”
THE END
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Blues Beach [Suncoast Society] Page 24
