A Girl Like You

by E. L. Todd

  Slade listened to my story quietly, and there didn’t seem to be any judgment in his eyes.

  “I didn’t know what else to do, man. I know I shouldn’t have invited her back to my tent, but I couldn’t let something happen to her either. In either situation, I lost.”

  “You did the right thing.”

  That’s what I was hoping to hear. “Yeah?”

  He nodded. “Skye would agree too. You have to protect people who can’t protect themselves—even if it isn’t in your best interest. If Skye got upset over that, she would be heartless.”

  “I don’t know…Laura tried to steal me from her. I doubt Skye would just look the other way.”

  “You’re a man, Cayson. Laura can’t hold you down and rape you. You weren’t putting yourself in danger.”

  Hopefully, she saw it that way.

  “And could you really live with the guilt if something had happened to her?” Slade asked. “I know I couldn’t.”

  I shook my head.

  “And at least she left you alone after that.”

  “Yeah…” We weren’t exactly friends but it wasn’t as awkward as it was in the beginning.

  “Why was she into you so much?” Slade asked. “She knew you were married, right?”

  “Yes. I never take my ring off.” I shrugged. “She said she’s always wanted a husband who participates in humanitarian efforts. Apparently, I fit the bill.”

  Slade rolled his eyes. “And she expected you two to fall in love and you would just leave Skye?”

  “I don’t know,” I said. “She said she felt a connection. Obviously, I didn’t.”

  “Sounds like a psychopath.”

  That was a good description.

  “Hey.” Slade snapped his fingers. “Skye kissed Ward.”

  I immediately shot him a look of menace.

  “I’m just saying you’re even. She kissed Ward and now you kissed some girl.”

  “It’s not a game,” I snapped. “And we weren’t together when she kissed Ward.” Even after all this time it drove me crazy. “I’m married to her now. I vowed to be devoted to her forever. We aren’t even.”

  Slade raised his hands in surrender. “I’m just saying…she’s fucked up too.”

  That wouldn’t help me when I had this conversation with her. “Let’s talk about something else. This conversation is depressing me.”

  Slade rubbed his chin. “Trinity and I put an offer down for a new place.”

  “Cool. Where?”

  “It’s a condo in the city. It’s right by Central Park.”

  “That’ll be nice.”

  “Dude, this place is beautiful. It’s two stories and six-thousand square feet.”

  Both of my eyebrows shot up. “Damn.”

  “I know,” Slade said with excitement. “I hope we get it.”

  “That has to be a fortune.”

  Slade shrugged. “My wife is loaded, man. She’s totally the sugar mama of our relationship.”

  “Same here.”

  “We’re such losers compared to our wives.”

  I chuckled. “You’re right about that.”

  “They were so stupid for marrying us.” Slade drank his soda. “But whatever. They’re stuck with us now.”

  “Excited to be a father?”

  Slade looked away for a moment. “I’m not ready but I’ll figure it out.”

  “Trinity rushed into it.”

  “She did,” he admitted. “But I understand why. I promised to make her happy…and I’m keeping my promise.”

  “It won’t be as bad as you think,” I said. “When Trinity is pregnant, you’ll be excited.”

  “Yeah, I hope so.”

  “It hasn’t happened yet?”

  He shook his head. “I don’t know how it’s possible. I’m inside her twenty-four-seven. I don’t even know how she can handle that much cum.”

  I cringed. “Do you mind…?”

  “What?” He had a confused look on his face. “You asked.”

  “But I didn’t ask for the details.” He was so dense sometimes.

  “My point is, I don’t know how she’s not pregnant yet because we do it like rabbits. But she was on the same birth control for about ten years so it might take a while for her body to return to it’s normal cycle.”

  “It’ll happen,” I said. “Besides, practicing isn’t the worst thing in the world.”

  A wicked grin stretched his lips. “Definitely not.”

  I eyed my watch to check the time.

  “You have to run back to your wife?” he asked.

  “No…but I miss her.”

  Slade rolled his eyes. “What a pussy…”

  “Like you don’t miss Trinity every time you go to work.”

  “Yeah, but I miss her in a manly way.”

  “Oh yeah?” My voice was full of sarcasm. “How can you miss her in a manly way?”

  “Well, I don’t talk about how much I miss her to my best bro.”

  I rolled my eyes dramatically. “We aren’t bros.”

  “That’s what you think,” he said. “We should all go on a double date.”

  I tensed at the thought. “I want some more alone time with her. I still haven’t recuperated.”

  “I guess I’d be that way too if I hadn’t seen Trinity in three months.”

  “You’d be a mess, Slade.”

  “Yeah…probably.” He looked away like he was somewhere far away.

  “Well, I’ll see you later.” I slid out of the booth.

  “Alright,” he said. “Let me know how it goes….”

  “How what goes?” I asked. “Being with my wife?”

  “No, idiot.” Slade cringed. “When you tell her about Laura.”

  “Oh…” Just when I put the thought from my mind it came back again. “Yeah, I will.”

  ***

  “Have fun with Slade?” Skye asked when I came home. She wore an apron and it was tight around her stomach because of her small distention. Her hair was in big curls and she wore a pink dress.

  “Kind of.”

  “Kind of?” She wrapped her arms around me and gave me a kiss.

  “All I could think about was you.” I pulled her into my arms. “I don’t think I’m ready to be around other people yet. I haven’t soaked you up enough.” I kissed her neck then moved my lips to her hairline.

  “You’re all I can think about too…”

  I took a knee then lifted up her dress and apron. When the skin of her stomach was exposed, I kissed it. “And I missed you too.” I rested my forehead against her bump and closed my eyes. Soon, I would have my own family. A child would be running around and it would call me Dad.

  “We both missed you.” Skye ran her fingers through my hair. “Like always.”

  I rose to my feet and felt her apron. “I like this on you.”

  “Oh.” She felt it in her fingertips. “My mom got it for me at my bridal shower.”

  “It’s cute. You remind me of a mom in the fifties.”

  “I guess.” She looked up at me with eyes filled with longing. I suspected she’d fallen harder for me just the way I’d fallen for her. We were already in love, but now it was a much stronger connection. We couldn’t get enough of each other, and I suspected that would never change. “I made lasagna for dinner. I know it’s your favorite.”

  “Everything is my favorite at the moment.”

  “I guess I can’t go wrong.” She moved on her tiptoes and kissed the corner of my mouth.

  Burning desire flushed through me the moment she did that. “Can we postpone dinner and go upstairs?”

  “It’ll get cold…”

  “That’s what a microwave is for.”

  “I think that’s a good idea.” She moved to the stairway but she stopped. She pointed at my two bags on the ground. “Still sitting there…”

  I kept forgetting. “I’ll take care of it before dinner. Right now, I only have one thing on my mind.” I grabbed her ass and squee
zed it.

  She gave me a flirtatious look before she sprinted upstairs.

  ***

  I didn’t want to spend my evening going through my things, so I carried the bags upstairs and into the walk-in closet. My stuff was on the left, and Skye took up every other available space. I tossed them in the corner and planned to organize it later. Most of those clothes were so dirty that they couldn’t be washed, and I was certain my laptop was broken. I may as well just toss everything in the trash.

  I headed downstairs where Skye was sitting on the couch. She wore one of my t-shirts, and I could see the outline of her stomach. Knowing she was pregnant made me a million times hotter for her. I couldn’t explain why. It was just something that got my motor running.

  I sat beside her and put my arm over the back of the couch. “I like that shirt on you.”

  “Thanks…it’s more of a blanket.”

  “It looks sexy either way.”

  “You’re egotistical.”

  “No, just possessive.” I kissed her temple then grabbed the remote. “What do you want to watch?”

  “Whatever you want to watch. You’re the one who’s been stuck in the Sahara for so long.”

  “I don’t even know what’s on TV anymore.”

  “How about America’s Funniest Home Videos?” she asked.

  “I could use a good laugh.” I changed the channel and put it on.

  Skye snuggled into my side like a teddy bear. She released a satisfied smile like she never wanted to move from the spot.

  Instead of watching TV, I stared down at her. All I could think about was watching this show when our kids were running around. They would play with their toys on the floor, and we would watch this show as a family.

  It was everything I ever wanted.

  Chapter Four

  Slade

  We were back into our small apartment, and it felt even smaller now that we’d been living in Skye’s mansion. We only had one bedroom, and our living room was the size of Skye’s entryway.

  We better get that new place.

  After a long day at work, I headed home with my guitar over my back. I usually took it with me everywhere because I played after dinner while Trinity did paperwork on the couch. It was a silent activity we did together.

  When I walked inside the apartment, Trinity was nowhere to be seen. Dinner wasn’t cooking on the table, and the place looked barren.

  Was she not home?

  “Baby, you here?”

  Silence.

  I pulled out my phone to call her.

  “I’m in here.” Her voice drifted from the bathroom, and it came out weak.

  Alarm spread through me. Was she hurt? Did she slip in the shower? Was she not feeling well? I set my guitar down then marched into the bathroom with tense shoulders.

  She sat on the lid of the toilet with her legs crossed. A pregnancy stick was in her hand, but judging the devastated look on her face the results were negative. She stared down at the ground like she was about to burst into tears.

  “Baby…” I slowly approached her then kneeled down before her.

  She didn’t meet my gaze. Her lips were pressed tightly together like she was trying not to break down. Her eyes looked empty. She suddenly threw the pregnancy stick hard against the wall. It thudded loudly before it fell onto the tile.

  I didn’t flinch at the sound.

  “I don’t understand…” She covered her eyes as her lips started to quiver.

  The sight broke my heart. There was nothing worse than seeing the one woman you loved most break down into tears. I wanted to fix everything but I didn’t know how. “Baby, don’t do that…” I lifted her from the toilet then sat down before I pulled her into my lap. “It’ll be okay, Trinity.”

  “We’ve been trying for a month…” She cried into my shoulder.

  “These things take time.” I grabbed her chin and forced her look on me. Tears fell down her cheeks and her eyes were red and puffy. I kissed the moisture away and held her close to me. “They don’t just happen overnight.”

  “Skye was on birth control and she got pregnant…”

  “Maybe she was on something different…and maybe she didn’t take it right.”

  “But I’m not taking it at all.”

  “Baby, you’ve been on the pill for ten years. It takes awhile for your body to readjust.”

  She crossed her arms. “How long?”

  “I’m not sure. I’m not a doctor.”

  She tried to stop herself from crying but it just made it worse.

  “Trinity, it’ll be okay.” I ran my fingers through her hair. “Don’t get so worked up over it. We’re going to have a baby. We’re going to have lots of them.”

  “What if there’s something wrong with me?”

  “There’s not.” That just wasn’t possible.

  “What if there is?”

  “There’s not,” I repeated.

  “What if there’s something wrong with you?”

  “Not possible.” I forced her gaze on me again. “You just need to be patient. Just because we haven’t gotten pregnant right away doesn’t mean there’s something wrong with either of us. It’s normal for it to take a few months.”

  “I don’t know…”

  “We can make an appointment with a doctor just to make sure, but they’re just going to tell us to keep trying because we’re being too unrealistic.”

  She sniffed loudly.

  I grabbed tissues from the bathroom counter and handed them to her.

  She wiped her tears away and fixed her make up. “I just want a baby so much…”

  “I know you do.” I kissed the corner of her eye where another tear was developing. “It’ll happen for us. Just don’t expect it to happen on our first try.”

  “What if it takes too long and then our kids aren’t close in age?”

  “They will be, baby. And even if they aren’t, they’ll be close enough.” I pulled her hair off her neck because it was sticking to her skin from the moisture.

  “I just don’t understand…are we doing it wrong?”

  I kept the sarcasm out of my voice. “There’s only one way to do it, Trinity.”

  She blew her nose into the tissue.

  “If you keep stressing out about it, your body isn’t going to take my sperm. You need to be relaxed. If you keep taking a pregnancy test every other day, you’re just going to work yourself up for no reason at all.”

  “I’m just excited…”

  “I know. I get that. But you’re doing more harm than good.”

  She rested her head on my shoulder and continued to cry quietly. Eventually, she calmed herself down enough that everything came out as quiet whimpers.

  I rubbed her back gently and kept her across my lap. “We’ll have a baby. I promise you.”

  She hugged me tightly like she needed my touch to go on.

  “Let’s focus on finding a new place to live first,” I said. “That’s a huge undertaking in itself.”

  “Yeah…”

  “And we need to decorate it.”

  She nodded.

  “We have a lot of things to focus on right now. Let’s take it one day at a time.” I kissed her forehead while I continued to run my hand down her back.

  Trinity fell quiet and said nothing more.

  “How about I draw us a bath?” I whispered. “I’ll give you a nice massage.” I wasn’t a fan of baths until Trinity became my lover. It was something I hadn’t done since childhood, but I remembered the first time we sat together in her tub. It became a holy place for us—and it still was.

  She nodded. “I’d like that.”

  I kissed her hairline. “I’ll get it ready.” Before I could move her off my lap she steadied me.

  “Thank you, Slade.” She looked at me with deep emotion in her eyes. “I don’t know what I would do without you.”

  “You’ll never find out, Wife.”

  ***

  The guys finally stopped lo
oking at Dee as a piece of ass. They spoke to her like a normal person and didn’t hit on her again. I could tell Dee was a little tense around them, but eventually her hesitance faded away.

  After band practice, she packed her things then approached me. “We sounded good today.”

  “We did,” I said. “The chemistry is starting to come back.”

  “I’m glad they got over it.” Scotty and Razor were gone so Dee could speak freely.

  “Yeah, they were being a bunch of pussies for a moment there…”

  She chuckled slightly then tucked her hair behind her ear. She wore black skinny jeans and a gray top that was skin-tight. She looked like she belonged in the band. Since the conversation was over, she should have walked away. But she remained still.

  “Something on your mind?” Somehow, I’d come to view Dee as a little sister. I’d never had that type of fondness for anyone before, not even my own sister. For some reason, I felt the need to take her under my wing and look after her. She was clearly capable of taking care of herself but I still felt protective.

  “I was just wondering…about your friend Theo.”

  “What about him?” Did she like him? Was she into him?

  “You know…is he a good guy?”

  “Of course he is,” I blurted. “I wouldn’t be friends with him if he weren’t. He’s one of the greatest guys I know.”

  “Well, that’s a sweet thing to say.”

  I shrugged.

  “But what kind of guy is he…romantically?”

  So, she was into him. “I’m not sure how to answer that. I don’t stick my nose in his personal life.”

  “Is he a one-woman kind of guy? Or is he a player?” She asked it bluntly.

  “Uh…” How did I answer this? “Both?”

  “Both?” She raised an eyebrow.

  “Well, he was a player for a long time until he met this girl…but they broke up. I’m not sure what kind of guy he is romantically at the moment.”

  “Oh…” She nodded her head slowly. “How long was he with her?”

  “A few years.”

  “When did they break up?”

  “Not that long ago,” I said. “Probably a few months.” I didn’t want Dee to get hurt so I wasn’t going to lie on Theo’s behalf.