by Freya Barker
I scroll through my emails, just killing time when she comes rushing out of the bedroom, dives into the bottom of the small wardrobe closet by the front door, and starts tossing shoes into the living area.
“I can’t fucking find my red sandals!”
“Did you check your walk-in closet?”
She pulls her head from the closet and throws me a scathing look. “Of course I did. I looked there first. We’re going to be late.” She looks me up and down. “Is that what you’re wearing?”
“That was the plan,” I mumble, looking down at myself and wondering what’s wrong with the best pair of jeans I own and the shirt I wore to her brother’s wedding. Granted, it’s hanging loose over a white T-shirt with the sleeves rolled up, but still.
“It’s fine,” she says, waving her hand and diving back into the closet.
Dismissed, I head into her bedroom and pull open the closet. Looks like she did search here before, judging from the piles on the floor. My eyes immediately zoom in on her red sandals; the only pair of shoes in the specially designed cubbyholes. I grab them and walk back into the living room.
“Is this them?”
She backs out of the closet and her mouth falls open when she sees them dangling from my fingers.
“Where’d you find those?” She snatches them from my hand, grabs my arm, and hops on one foot while she tries to get a sandal on the other.
“In your closet.”
“They weren’t in there, I looked.” She switches feet and puts the other sandal on.
“Not sure what to tell you, sweetheart. They were right there in the shoe rack.”
“Well, who put them there?”
I take it as a rhetorical question as she scoots past me on her way to the kitchen. I presume to get the elaborate dessert she spent yesterday slaving over.
I’ve been staying with Bella all week, and I’m starting to see that if chaos doesn’t find her, she creates her own—and to my surprise—I enjoy it. Even this mini crisis. It says to me she is comfortable enough to be herself around me, and that means something.
“Are you coming?” she asks, even as she’s passing me out the door.
“Right behind you.” I grin as I watch her skip down the front steps, the ends of her shiny long hair bouncing on the swell of her round ass.
Life will not be boring with Bella, that’s for damn sure.
With her dessert secure on the back seat, I turn to her and grab her hand.
“What are you doing? We’re late.”
“I know, and we’ll be a few minutes later. Hush,” I silence her when she opens her mouth to protest. “I need you to listen to me.” I lean in a little closer to make sure I have her full attention. “You look beautiful, you’re amazing, you smell delicious, and your dessert is worthy of a center spread in a foodie magazine. So tell me, why are you so nervous? This is just a family dinner.”
She turns her eyes out the front window and bites her bottom lip. “But it’s not,” she finally says. “Ma called earlier and said the girls are all coming down.”
“Your sisters?”
“Yes.” She says it like she’s not impressed at all. “It’s your first official dinner as my boyfriend, and they’re going to make it uncomfortable.”
“So what? That doesn’t bother me.”
“How can you say that? Last time you—”
“Last time I had my head up my ass. That’s not the case anymore.”
“Are you sure?”
I tag her by the neck, lean in, and kiss the uncertainty from her face.
“Positive. Now can we go?”
“Yes, and step on it. We’re already late.”
This time my eyes roll to the ceiling.
WE CLEARLY ARE THE last ones to arrive at Damian and Kerry’s, and I’m surprised to see not just Bella’s sisters, but a couple of guys I assume are husbands and a couple of kids running around the backyard. It looks like the entire Gomez clan has landed.
Bella’s father—Ignacio, I’m firmly told when I call him Mr. Gomez—takes care of introductions, clearly proud of his sizable family, while Bella is whisked off to the kitchen.
“Beer?” One of the brothers-in-law, Brent I think his name is, offers me a cold one from the large cooler on the deck.
I only hesitate for a moment, it’s still pretty early but the older guy nudges me with the bottle.
“Okay, sure,” I give in.
“Smart man. Any little buzz helps with these shindigs.”
“Shindigs?”
“Yeah, family gatherings.” He holds up his bottle. “This is the only way to get through them. Be prepared to hand in your balls at the front door, and if you’re lucky you get them back after.” I chuckle at his description. “Luckily these family get-togethers don’t happen all the time.”
“Are you telling lies already?” Chrissy walks up and hooks her arm in Brent’s.
“Nothing but the truth, baby.”
“How are you, Jasper?” She dismisses her husband with a raised eyebrow and turns to me.
“I’m well, thanks. You?” I haven’t forgotten my previous encounter with this particular sister and brace myself.
“Good. Although, I think I might owe you an apology,” she says a tad sheepishly.
Her husband apparently finds this amusing and chuckles. “Better take note,” he directs to me, “those words don’t pass her lips very often.” That earns him an elbow in the ribs.
“No apologies needed,” I assure Chrissy. No point in pretending I don’t know what she’s referring to.
“You guys, food’s on the table.” Bella comes up beside me, nervously darting her eyes between her sister and me. I tug her to my side and drop a kiss on the top of her head to ease her.
From the spread laid out on the kitchen counter, I can see why they’d start eating in the middle of the afternoon. This family is apparently all about the food.
At the oversized dinner table, conversation luckily revolves mostly around Kerry, whose pregnant belly seems to have popped in the past few weeks.
“How far along?” Bella’s sister, Fran, the quieter one of the bunch, asks.
“Twenty-six weeks,” Carmella answers for Kerry before turning to her. “And you should probably stay away from those chile rellenos. Too spicy for your baby.”
“Ma,” Damian intervenes. “Kerry has a stomach of steel, leave her be.”
“I’m just looking out for my grandbaby,” Bella’s mom says with feigned innocence, which no one at the table really seems to buy. “And talking about grandbabies...” Damian groans out loud when she turns her attention on me. “I hope you want children. My Bella will make a wonderful mother, but she doesn’t have much time.”
“Ma!”
“Carmella, we talked about this,” Ignacio interrupts.
“I’m just asking. It doesn’t seem unreasonable, seeing as they’re living together now.”
“Ma, we’re not living together,” Bella says beside me. “He’s staying with me so you can have his apartment.”
“Why not?”
“Because we haven’t really discussed it, and I don’t even know if my landlord would allow it.”
“So call him and ask.” I’ll grant her that, Carmella is persistent.
On the other side of the table, Damian sounds like he’s choking on something, and I throw him a dirty look. The rest of the table appears to be following along in the exchange while enjoying their meal—like some kind of dinner theatre. They’re probably relieved they’re not the ones in the hot seat. The only one who knows it’s really my ass in that hot seat is my boss.
“Ma, enough. They can figure it out for themselves, and they don’t need to do that in public. Leave them be.”
“I’m trying to help,” she responds defensively. “And we’re not in public, we’re among family.”
Fortunately the subject is dropped, until I give Bella a hand in the kitchen getting coffee and her dessert ready.
“Sorr
y about earlier,” she says, wrapping her arms around me from behind. “I warned you about my family.”
“Nothing to be sorry about. Your mom is just trying to look out for you.” I turn in her arms and drop a hard kiss on her lips. “Besides, maybe it is a discussion we should have. I already told you I like coming home to you. I like waking up with you even better, so I’d be happy making our current arrangement permanent.”
“But my landlord—”
“I have a feeling he’s not going to mind, Bella.” Of course, Damian would choose that particular moment to walk into the kitchen.
“But—”
“Ask him,” Damian pushes, a mischievous look on his face as he winks at me. The snake, warning off his mother only so he could throw me under the bus himself.
“I don’t have his number.”
“You don’t need a number. For shit’s sake, Bella. The man is standing right in front of you.”
Bella
The fuck?
We’re on our way back to my place—well, apparently his place—and my mind is still reeling. My brother’s words hadn’t quite sunk in until I saw the guilty look on Jasper’s face.
I never got a chance to question him, because of course, right at that moment—my mother came in—looking to see what happened to coffee and dessert. I simply pushed out of his arms, grabbed my dessert, and took it to the dining room.
The one benefit of my rambunctious and crazy family is that they don’t really notice when one of us is quiet. They didn’t, but Kerry did. She raised her eyebrows questioningly when I removed Jasper’s hand from my knee for the third time.
“Are you going to let me explain?” Jasper asks when we pull up in the driveway, ignoring my palm in his face, after trying to talk to me a few times during the long and loaded drive home.
“Nope.” I pop my P loudly and get out of the truck.
I have the door open before he can catch up to me, dive for my bottle of wine in the fridge, and lock myself in the bathroom.
With bubbles up to my chin and the bottle of wine dangling from my hand over the side of the tub, I close my eyes and try to sort through my feelings. There are plenty, but I don’t get much of a chance to get them in line before there’s a knock at the door.
“Go away. I’m not ready.”
I hear his footsteps retreat and, to my shock, the front door close only seconds later.
Shit.
All I want is a little space, but not that much. Of course my mind immediately aims for the worst-case scenario, and I almost have myself in tears, when the front door closes again. Footsteps stop outside the bathroom, followed by rustling and scratching noises from the other side of the door.
Suddenly, the doorknob falls with a clang to the tile floor and the door swings open, revealing a buck naked Jasper. Momentarily distracted with the view, I forget to protest, and before I know what’s happening, he’s wedging himself behind me in the tub.
“What are you doing?” I finally manage, inadvertently scooting forward so he can stretch his legs around me.
“Seems like the only way to get you to listen. Any of that wine left?” he asks, grabbing the bottle from my hand and taking a deep swig before he hands it back. “Now—I’m happy to give you time alone when you need it, but not without you having all the facts, and not when I know it’ll just be festering inside until you get it out. That’s not how we do things, so let it out.”
Not needing much of a prompt, I start venting. “You lied to me and involved my brother, which really pisses me off. You guys manipulated me, which is nothing less than what Ma tries to do. I don’t know what to believe anymore. You tell me I’m the reason you like being here, but now I discover you like being here because you fucking own this place. Why? Why would you keep that to yourself? Why not just tell me? It’s not like there’s not been plenty of opportunities. Jesus, I feel stupid. And that’s what makes me maddest of all!”
“Are you done?” he asks, when I suck much needed air into my lungs after my rant, but doesn’t wait for an answer. “I lied by omission. Technically, your brother knew before you even moved in here—before I even knew you—since he’s the one who alerted me to the fact the owner planned to sell once Kerry’s lease was up. Then you came along, needed a place, and since I wasn’t in any rush, I was happy to have you live here.”
“But why not just tell me?”
“Because, Squirt,” he says, tightening his arms under my breasts and kissing the side of my head. “You didn’t particularly like me back then, if you recall, and I’m pretty sure you would’ve balked at having me as your landlord.”
“Probably,” I grudgingly admit. “But you could’ve said something since we started seeing each other.”
“Yes, I could’ve, but we’ve both had other things on our minds, and besides, I didn’t want to make things potentially awkward. As for manipulating you? I don’t see it that way. Is it such a bad thing for your brother to want you safe? Or for me to want to make sure the woman I love is well looked after?”
“You weren’t in love with me then.” My protest is feeble and I know it. Call it a final spasm in a battle already lost.
“Not in love, maybe, but if you remember correctly, I was pretty smitten with you right from the start. You’re the one who shut me down ruthlessly.” I feel his chest move as he chuckles in my hair.
“That’s true. You did make a move that first time.” I turn and slide my body up his until we’re nose to nose. “I probably should apologize for that.”
“No need,” he says, grinning. He slides his hands over my ass to the backs of my legs, encouraging me to pull my knees up until I sit astride him, my core poised over the crown of his engorged cock. “You were more than worth the wait.”
I straighten up, put my hands along his jaw, and lean in, my tongue tasting his lips before slipping between.
“I love you, BCHoldings at gmail dot com.” With my eyes on his, I slowly sink down his length.
“SO WHAT DOES BC STAND for?” I ask when we finally make it into bed.
His eyebrow shoots up. “You have to ask? I thought that would be clear after making you come for the second time in the past hour.”
I’m drawing a blank, I have no idea what he’s talking about.
“I’m sorry, I’ve got nothing.”
“Wrong, Squirt,” he whispers, grabbing my hand and sliding it down to his crotch where I find him hard again. “It’s all yours.”
It takes me a second.
EPILOGUE
BELLA
“Bella! Get your butt up here, I need your help!”
It’s the fear in my brother’s voice that has me running up the stairs, two at a time.
Jasper and I stopped in at Damian and Kerry’s place on our way back home after a relaxing weekend in the Ouray hot springs. Well, the springs were relaxing, but my body was still a bit sore from the hike he dragged me on.
It was worth it though. He convinced me by pointing out that with the dropping temperatures since October hit, this would likely be our last hike for the season. Every weekend since he moved in this past July, we’ve managed to fit in at least one mini-adventure. Mostly hikes around Durango, but Jasper insisted we visit Ouray before winter hit.
Cascade Falls was beautiful. With daytime temperatures still shy of freezing, we were virtually alone on the trail and had perfect conditions climbing up to the falls. I guess I could’ve guessed something was up when he picked out a rock for us to sit on, and pulled a full picnic from his backpack, complete with two small bottles of champagne.
I certainly didn’t expect the small velvet box that appeared in his hand or the simple two-word proposal that followed. I didn’t need words. Every day Jasper shows me how much I mean to him, so it took me no time at all to throw myself around his neck, and tell him yes. About twenty times, before he shut me up with a kiss I still feel on my lips.
We spent a frosty night lounging in the hot springs, which went a long way to soothin
g my muscles. And a hot night in our hotel room after.
This morning, after we’d had breakfast and were packed and ready to head home, I was primed to share the news with someone.
My brother and his wife were beyond excited, but shortly after we got here Kerry said she wasn’t feeling great and was going to have a bath. The past month has been pretty tough on her physically, to the point Damian insisted she hand over all responsibilities for her bookstore over to her assistant, Marya.
She’s been home the past week, and from conversations we’ve had on the phone, she can’t wait for the final almost three weeks to be over.
I knock on the bathroom door, which is immediately opened by an alarmed looking Damian. Kerry is in the tub, her head back and her eyes closed, a telltale blush high on her cheeks and her forehead.
“What’s going on?”
“She’s having fucking contractions, and won’t come out of the damn tub,” my brother growls.
“That’s okay,” I assure him. “Why don’t you run downstairs and get my kit out of Jasper’s truck? I just need a pair of gloves,” I quickly add when I see the panic on his face.
The moment he runs out of the bathroom, I crouch down next to Kerry and put my hand on her forehead. She blinks open an eye.
“Hey.” I smile gently. “Looks like maybe junior has had enough of waiting too?”
“Looks like,” she says, trying to smile but that immediately turns into a grimace when the next contraction hits. These are doozies, I can see her stomach tighten in a way that tells me she’s in active labor. From a general not feeling well to this means things are moving at lightning speed.
Damian comes charging back up the stairs, this time with Jasper following, but he stops in his tracks when he sees Kerry is in the tub and stays discreetly outside.
“Was that another one?” Damian asks, as I move aside to open my bag and he sits down beside her head.
“Yup.” I quickly locate the box of gloves and pull on a pair. I shoot Jasper a quick glance, before turning back to Kerry, trusting he read my message correctly.
