Labor of Love Anthology: 10 Anecdotes of Love and the Struggles Within

by Aliyah Burke

  “What have you been up to all day, miho?”

  “I counted my numbers. And then I played with Bobby at the park. Mommy and I were gonna make cookies, but somebody kept getting in the way,” Michael answered in an exasperated tone, looking over at his sister squirming in Monique’s arms.

  “You know she just wants to help, right? Baby sisters might seem annoying sometimes, but it’s just because they want to hang around their big brothers. Who else is gonna teach her how to do all the cool stuff you do, like ride a bike?” He knew Michael understood exactly what he was saying; the kid was extremely smart. That didn’t mean he was going to like it, though.

  “Hmmm, if you say so. Can we play a game? You know the one that we have to get four red things in a row and I beat you?”

  “And how do you know you’re going to beat me?” he questioned his son as he placed him on the ground.

  “Because, Dad, you have to let me win because I’m your son.” His face scrunched up in a look that clearly expressed that he felt he knew more than his parents did.

  If the kid wasn’t so confident in his words, it would be hilarious. It took everything in him not to laugh. Lifting his gaze, he caught Monique’s eyes and could tell she was holding back as well.

  “Okay, how about you let me go change first and then we’ll help Mom finish dinner. After we clear the table, you get one game before bedtime.” He held up his finger to bring home the point. "That sound like a good plan?"

  “Sure, Dad. Whatever you say.” Brandon was sure Michael was playing him as he smiled back at him and ran off.

  “Cheeky brat,” he mumbled.

  “Yeah, I wonder who he gets that from.” His wife’s voice was filled with laughter as she spoke into the quiet room.

  “You, of course,” he said with a smile. Brandon walked over to Monique and placed a kiss on her soft lips, “Hey baby. I missed you today.”

  “I missed you, too,” she said just as Alexis placed her tiny hands on Brandon’s face and turned his head toward her. The baby began babbling nonsensical words and they both laughed. Clearly, Alexis did not like being ignored.

  “Let’s get dinner finished. I’d started it a few minutes ago, hoping you’d be home tonight.”

  Although her words weren’t said with any malice, the sting of them still hurt.

  “Well, I’m here now, like I said I would be.”

  Her head whipped around to look at his face. He could tell she heard the bite in his words. “That’s not what I meant.”

  Brandon reached out his hands to lift Alexis from her mother’s arms. “I know. Don’t worry about me.”

  “Yeah, sure. Whatever you say,” she said as she stepped around him and moved in the direction of the kitchen.

  His hand shot out and grabbed her arm, “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to snap at you. I just… Something’s not right, babe, and I don’t like it.”

  Watching her as she stood in front of him, he felt as if he was mired in quicksand. Not sure where things were going wrong, he wanted to plead with his wife to not shut him out.

  Neither of them moved and he watched her chest heaving up and down as her breathing sped up. “Brandon, I need to check on dinner.”

  “Monique, baby, talk to me,” he implored.

  “Later. Okay?” She gave him a small smile and took a step forward, bringing her closer to him. Her own hand lifted to his face and cupped his strong jaw. His five o’clock shadow was coming through and he could hear the raspiness as she rubbed along his jaw.

  “Yeah, later,” he said in response. His eyes bored into hers as they looked at each other for a few more seconds. Both trying to convey a message to the other without using words.

  His wife walked out of the room and Brandon put his head down in defeat. He didn’t know what he’d done to fuck this up, but whatever it was, he would undo it.

  At the cooing babble of his daughter, he looked into her green eyes as she stared up at him. Their children were the best of both of them, but Monique brought out the best in him as a man. Without her, everything he was doing would be for nothing. The long hours, the putting up with bullshit from his boss, the stress of his job. All of it.

  His family was why he worked as hard as he did. He did all this for them. He needed to provide for them. He knew the world was changing and that a man’s worth was no longer dictated by how much money he made and his level of machismo.

  Understanding it was one thing, accepting it was something else.

  Determined to find out what was really wrong with his wife, he put the thought aside for now. They had dinner to make, a game to play with his son, and a little girl who needed some attention. Later tonight would be soon enough to focus on why it felt like his wife was ripping his heart out of his chest.

  Chapter Four

  Monique walked out of the master bathroom, rubbing moisturizer on her face. Her smooth skin shone in the light as the blue satin nightgown moved with the sway of her hips. The time had come for her to be honest with her husband. It would hurt him and he wouldn’t understand where her feelings were coming from. She knew that.

  He lay on the bed, naked except for a pair of black boxer briefs. His lean form called to her and her body responded. His size was deceptive. Although not a massively tall man, his lean muscles were perfect for her. Without much effort at all, he could lift her body and place her in any position he chose. And she loved every damn minute of it.

  Her body was made for him, and his for hers. That had never been a problem. Even now, when they weren’t completely in alignment, their nights were still filled with passion. Their love life had never been a problem for them and she doubted it ever would be. Her need for him was just as powerful today as it had been more than 7 years ago.

  “Hey beautiful,” he whispered.

  “Hi handsome,” she said with a shy smile. Not sure how he could still make her blush after all these years, she climbed on top of the bed and settled her body over his.

  One of his hands lifted and grabbed her by the neck, bringing her face down to his for a sensual kiss. Releasing her, his green eyes gazed into her brown ones. “I can’t get enough of you.”

  “I hope not.” Leaning down again, she captured his bottom lip with her teeth and tugged. At that motion, she felt his cock thicken and jerk against her. A moan escaped her mouth as she felt the hot pressure of his length against her bare pussy.

  “Never, baby.” Lifting his hips slightly, he pressed against her hot core, wrenching another moan from her. “I will always want you. I will always have you by my side. You’re my lover, my wife, my heart.”

  Monique couldn’t stop her hips from rotating as she pressed to get closer to her husband. Everything she was, everything she did, was because of him. Their family.

  Without him, there was no her. They were two halves of one whole. The feeling of ecstasy flowing through her body was compounded when he moved one hand to her bare mound. Teasing and plucking at the flesh, he grabbed onto her clit.

  “Oh, Brandon,” she called out.

  “Are you going to tell me what’s been going on?” he asked, and she knew he’d done this on purpose.

  “Brandon,” she squeaked. “Not now, baby. Later.”

  “No. Tell me now, or I’ll stop. I’ll leave you panting and needy. I want to know what’s going on with my wife,” he demanded.

  The hand at her mound stilled. He clasped her neck just a tad tighter with his other one, getting her attention. Monique opened her eyes and looked down at the man she swore to love until her dying day. The pain and hurt in his gaze tore at her. Of course, he wouldn’t understand what was going on with her. She’d never even said the words.

  It was a horrible, mind-numbing thought and she was almost afraid to voice it. After all this time, the fear that he was only with her because they fucked up and got pregnant kept rearing its ugly head. That if he had a choice, he wouldn’t be here.

  Fear of losing him because he would one day decide she was no
longer who he needed, who he wanted, almost paralyzed her on a daily basis.

  How did she tell the man she loved with every fiber of her being that she didn’t think he loved her? That she wondered if he felt that he’d settled.

  It was such an unfair thought and shame filled her. Not once had he ever made her feel less sexy, or that he wasn’t attracted to her. But, the more and more he stayed away due to work, the more her feelings spiraled out of control.

  “Baby, you’re stalling,” he cajoled. His hands crept up her arms, his strong, thick fingers tracing patterns on her skin. Goosebumps raised wherever he touched and she couldn’t help but shiver. His body continued to undulate beneath her. Teasing her at the same time he denied her body the release it craved.

  “I don’t want to talk about it, Brandon. I just want you inside of me. I don’t want you upset.” She would tell him later, she vowed. If only he would give her what she needed.

  His body stilled as the words were released. “What do you mean, you don’t want me upset?”

  Brandon held her arms still as he looked at her with a question on his face. “Okay, enough.”

  “What?” she asked in genuine confusion as he moved her off his body.

  “Sweetheart, you don’t get to say those things and then just leave it. You know I don’t play those games. We’ve never been that way, and we’re sure as hell not gonna start now.” His strong fingers grasped her under her chin and lifted her face to his. “Now, tell me what is wrong with my wife.”

  His tone brooked no argument. As she sat there in the bed, her body hummed and crackled with need while her husband demanded she share her innermost thoughts. Her mouth opened to say the words and nothing came out. Glancing away for just a moment, she tried to get her bearings. And she tried again.

  “Sometimes. Not often, but sometimes, I wonder if this is the life you wanted. What would you do if given the chance to live a different life. If we hadn’t gotten pregnant, would we be together? Would you have chosen me?”

  The silence was deafening. Only the sound of Brandon’s deep breathing could be heard, because she was sure hers was stuck in her chest. Taking a chance, she turned to look at him and froze.

  He glared at her through hooded eyes. The look on his face should have scared her, but it didn’t. Her husband would never do anything to her in anger, of that she was certain.

  “Say something,” she whispered.

  At first, it looked as if he would stay silent. Then he took a deep breath. “Why? What is there for me to say? You seem to have it all figured out.”

  “Brandon, that’s not fair,” she said with a huff. Climbing out of their bed, she began pacing back and forth. Now that she’d said the words, it was like a dam had burst open.

  “What’s not fair is my own wife telling me that she doesn’t think I love her. That the life we live is not the one I want. I want an explanation, Monique.”

  “Forget I said anything.” She tried changing the subject. Now that she’d said the words, her concerns seemed childish. And she was anything but that. It didn’t mean that she didn’t feel the way she did, but now that it was out in the light of day, she could see that it made no sense. Her feelings were irrational.

  Brandon stood up as well and came around to the other side of the bed where she stood. His body was chiseled and hard, like that of a god. As he stormed over to her, she couldn’t help but notice his cock was still hard and thick within his boxers. Her mouth watered at the thought of what they could be doing right now if she hadn’t opened her big mouth.

  “Monique,” he said, while grabbing her hand. “Baby, I have the life I wanted. Don’t you remember when we first met?”

  “I do,” she said. What she remembered was that he was persistent, but oh so sweet. She’d never dated someone outside of her race before and he was so different than anyone who’d pursued her in the past. But he didn’t let the fear of what her parents would say get in the way. He was determined for her to give him a chance, and he never stopped letting her know just how much he wanted to be with her.

  “I told you that I would marry you someday. I meant that.” His strong voice carried within the room.

  He’d always been so sure of them, even when she had doubts plaguing her daily.

  She opened her mouth to interject and he stopped her, placing one finger over her lips.

  “No. It’s my turn. What you said earlier, it just makes no sense. Have I ever done anything to make you think I don’t love you?” he asked.

  Choosing not to answer the question, she waited for him to continue.

  “I asked you a question,” he prodded.

  “No,” she finally answered.

  “Did I forget to love you the way you need to be loved? Have I ever forgotten to show you every single day how much I need you in my life? How much I absolutely fucking adore you?” he challenged again.

  Tears started to flow from her eyes as he pressed her to answer. Her fears were unfounded. She knew that. Brandon was never stingy with his love. Yes, he’d been working much longer hours lately, but other than that, their life hadn’t changed. She was still his focus when he arrived home at night. She didn’t know what the fuck was wrong with her.

  “Monique. I’m waiting for you to answer me,” he said, his voice deep and gravelly with aggravation. “Look at me, sweetheart.”

  Chapter Five

  Her tears broke him. Making a tsking noise, he wiped the wetness away with his thumbs. “Baby, don’t cry. We’re okay. Our family is okay.” He pulled her close, wrapping his arms around her. Squeezing her body close to his, he tried to share his love and strength with his wife.

  “I’m sorry. I don’t know what’s going on with me lately.”

  “Have you been talking with your family?” he asked. Whenever she spent time speaking with her father, she was upset for a few days after. Usually she would talk with him about what was said. There’d been more than one occasion when he’d called her father afterwards and told him to stop upsetting his wife. That hadn’t gone over well, but Brandon would be damned if he allowed this to keep happening to her.

  “No,” she denied.

  “Don’t doubt my love for you, Monique. No one should ever make you question me or how much I love you. No matter what we’re going through, or whatever anyone says, we’re in this together. You are my world. Our kids are my world.” He kissed her face each time he spoke. His lips trailed a path down her face to her neck, and ultimately to her plump breasts. His wife was a damn goddess.

  “Brandon, I love you,” she whimpered as he took one of her hardened nipples inside his warm mouth.

  Releasing her, he lifted one hand and kneaded her soft flesh as he pressed his lower body into her. His cock was straining against the fabric of his boxer briefs. He wanted to be inside his wife. Some might call him a caveman, but this was what he knew. He expressed his feelings through actions.

  He loved his wife, so he made love to her until she passed out. He wanted to provide for his family, so he worked his fingers to the bone so that they had what they needed.

  There was nothing to be ashamed of, this desire he always felt for the woman standing in front of him. “Promise me something, baby.” His hands grabbed onto her hips as he walked them in the direction of their bed.

  “Anything,” she said, looking up at him with desire in her eyes. Her hands fisted in his hair as their bodies pressed closer together.

  “Never leave me. Don’t ever leave me. You are my life, Monique.”

  Her lips trembled as she stood within the circle of his arms, listening to his declarations of love.

  “Never doubt me, or my love for you again,” he ground out, his lips capturing hers in a bruising kiss.

  Laying her down on the bed, he crawled on top of her, his cock pressed up against her warm center. Their kiss deepened as their tongues intertwined. His hands roamed up and down her soft body as he pressed closer to her. Their passionate moans filled the room as their bodies
writhed on the bed. Sweat glistened on their skin as they fought to get closer to each other.

  “I need more,” she said with a gasp. “Please, Brandon.”

  “Always, baby,” he said with a smile. Pulling back, he removed his boxer briefs and stood in front of her. His cock bobbed up and down as he fisted the hard length. Looking over at his beautiful wife as she lay on the bed, his gaze took in her form from the bottom of her feet to the top of her head. “Take it off,” he said.

  Monique immediately moved to slip her nightgown over her head. The sight of her lying naked in front of him made his mouth water. Licking his lips, he gazed at his wife in front of him.

  “You drive me crazy,” he whispered into the darkness. He wanted to do so much more for her. To give her the life she deserved. His entire reason for working as hard as he was, was for her.

  “I know. But you love me,” she returned with a smile.

  “Yes, baby. I sure do.”

  *****

  Naked as the day she was born, Monique quivered in anticipation. She licked her lips as she waited for Brandon to make his move.

  Monique was glad Brandon forced her to tell him what was going on. She hated feeling the way she did. Maybe she’d been missing him. It could have been that his long hours at work made her feel that he was leaving her behind. Whatever it was, she didn’t like having a barrier between them.

  He was the love of her life. Her first love. And yes, even though there were moments when she wanted to strangle him, she knew that her life was better with him by her side. Her elbows came up so that she could prop herself up. Her eyes blazed a trail as she took in the sight of him. Damn, even his feet were sexy. A sexy smile came over her face as she thought about how it would feel once he was inside of her. He never failed to set her off like a rocket and her channel slickened in preparation.

  “What’s that look for?” he asked.

  “Just thinking about how lucky I am.”