by C. M. Owens
He doesn’t answer. Instead, he runs back, locks my door, then returns to the car to take the driver’s seat. When he whirls out of my driveway, I decide to ask again.
“Ethan, where are we going?”
“It’s not finished yet, but I’m taking you anyway. Telling you I love you isn’t good enough. Telling you I’m ready isn’t good enough. You’ve always been more focused on actions rather than words,” he says cryptically.
But as his words process, my grin reforms. He told me he loves me again… Well, sort of. I think.
Damn confusing man.
“I need my crutches,” I tell him, hoping he’ll drop a hint as to where we’re going.
I decided quickly that walking was a bad idea, since the stitches are ready to pop out with too much mobility.
“I’ll carry you,” he says, giving me no indication as to where we’re zipping toward. But I’ve figured it out by now.
We’re pulling up at his house, and there are several cars in the yard.
Ah hell. My eyes are red and puffy, my cheeks are streaked with tears from the Ethan/baby moment, and we’re about to see people?
Ethan doesn’t speak as he gets out and walks around to my side of the car. When he opens the door, I don’t argue or voice my vain concerns. He lifts me out of the car, grunting dramatically like I’ve gained weight since we left the house.
When I narrow my eyes at him, he grins and starts carrying me toward the door. It feels less awkward now with that tiny bit of playfulness from him.
As soon as we reach the front door, it swings open, and Arlene is greeting us… with a frown.
“What are you doing here?” she asks.
“It’s sort of my house, and I wanted Bella to see it.”
I’ve seen his house. Numerous times. Hell, I lived in it for a few weeks.
Arlene’s frown deepens. “But it’s not finished.”
“She needs to see it now,” Ethan says, shrugging as he holds me.
She almost looks like she’s pouting, but her eyes water when she turns her gaze to me.
“I hope you know how happy you’ve made me,” she states randomly. Then her smile grows. “I’m finally going to be a grandmother!”
I’d laugh, but I’m too confused at the moment.
“Yeah, and she danced for twenty minutes to celebrate,” Ethan grumbles, walking by her as he starts carrying me inside.
The house looks… wrecked.
There are boxes everywhere that have been ripped open, and all the packaging is strewn across the floor. I don’t get a good look at anything, because Ethan is briskly walking through the house.
As soon as we reach his guestroom, Arlene pushes open the door, and a fresh bout of tears hit me when the confusion clears.
Allie is on her knees, struggling to pull off some painter’s tape. Tag and Wren are in the floor, putting together the most expensive looking crib I’ve ever seen. Rye is holding Brin on his shoulders as she pulls the tape down from the top.
The room is a soft gray… Almost white. All sorts of little frames and artwork are in a pile in the center. But my eyes land on a rocking chair that is off to the side… The only finished piece in the massive room.
There’s a tiny quilt folded across the arm of it. It looks old and worn, but absolutely beautiful. I also remember seeing it in one of Ethan’s baby pictures. It was his quilt made by his mother.
“I’m sure you’ll make your own,” Arlene says as she steps up beside me, swiping away her tears as she follows my gaze. “But I thought you could use that one when the other needed washing.”
I’d thank her, but my voice is lost. One word will set me off.
Instead, I just gaze into her eyes, hoping she sees the appreciation there. She pats my cheek and kisses my forehead before beaming at me and walking off.
All eyes turn to us when they spot us in the room. Rain and Tria are tangling with a changing station, but their eyes jerk up, taking notice of us as well. Raya and Kade put down the trash bags they’re holding, and Kade clears his throat.
“We’ll give you two some time alone,” Kade says, taking Raya’s hand.
Allie stands and walks toward me, but she just pats my arm on her way out. As all our friends leave the room, my eyes take in everything. Ethan probably bought the entire store. Or Arlene. Or someone.
There are so many things just waiting to be put into place.
Ethan walks me over to the rocking chair, and gently places me in the seat. It looks antique, but feels brand new. It’s perfect.
My hands glide down the smooth, polished wood of the armrests, and Ethan kneels beside me, brushing a piece of hair out of my face.
“I started this project the night you admitted you were pregnant. I cleared out everything in this room. I want this baby, Bella. I want you. I want us together.”
“Because you love me?” I ask, smiling like an idiot.
He groans while rolling his eyes. “Because I love you so much that I can’t even function without you. You’re like a virus that won’t go away.”
He smirks, and I grin broader. “But you have an excellent immune system,” I quip.
“Lies. All lies,” he says quietly before his lips brush mine. “I love you.”
Those three words kill the humorous turn, and I grip the back of his neck, pulling him closer so I can kiss him like he deserves to be kissed. He’s lifting me from the chair and cradling me to him, but the action barely registers, because I’m too busy getting reacquainted with his mouth.
“I love you too,” I say against his lips when we’re forced to break apart and breathe.
His breath catches, but he recovers quickly as he runs his nose along mine, nuzzling me sweetly.
“I want you to move in with me. Your house is too small, and considering the fucked up plumbing in the ceiling, I don’t trust it.”
My smile only grows. He’s lucky I like his house. And my house isn’t small; he’s just a little spoiled to more luxuries and space.
“Okay,” I whisper, not feeling the least bit argumentative.
He leans back, and his eyes narrow. “On one condition,” he states suddenly.
My eyebrows go up in confusion, considering he’s the one who asked me to move in with him and now he’s laying out stipulations.
“Okay…”
“Communication,” he announces, and my heart squeezes. “Every healthy relationship has open communication. Always tell me everything, Bella. Never hold back.”
I nod, but he’s kissing me before I can verbalize my agreement as well. When I moan into his mouth, he curses, breaking the kiss again.
“What?” I ask, confused.
“I can’t fuck you until your leg heals. Allie let me know I could pop a stitch.”
I bet Allie was five shades of red when she doled out that information. Wish I had been there for that.
“We could do other things,” I point out with a smile. “There’s nothing wrong with my mouth.”
He groans like he’s torn, but then a devilish little smile curves his lips.
He starts carrying me through the house, and I note that everyone has left when we pass by the windows. The driveway only holds Ethan’s car now.
When we reach his bedroom, he gently puts me on the bed, and then he disappears into his closet. A few seconds later he emerges, and he’s holding a shiny new Magic Wand.
“I’ve already charged it.”
My eyebrows go up in surprise, but a twinge of excitement hits me.
“When did you get it?”
He shrugs. “Shortly after you told me Bananas chewed through your charging cord. Thought we’d get a chance to play. But kept forgetting about it in the heat of the moment.”
My smile spreads more by the second as he walks toward me. He cuts it on, and I gingerly push my shorts down.
“Eager much?” he muses, arching an eyebrow at me when I get my shorts off.
“Yes, please.”
He restrains a l
augh while rolling his eyes, and he slides down on the bed beside me, pushing my shirt up. It dawns on me that I never put on a bra today, and all of our friends just saw me like that… Men included.
The thought vanishes though when Ethan gets my shirt off, because his mouth is suddenly latching onto my nipple, and some incredibly weird noise escapes me. Not that he seems to mind.
I’m suddenly squeaking in surprise when vibrations hit me right in the good spot, and my eyes cross when I realize Ethan is using the wand on me. His weight is pressed against my bad leg—far away from my injury—to keep me from using it and accidentally popping a stitch.
My good leg, however, is moving wildly, stretching out and bending up, trying to get away and get closer at the same time. When the climax hits me, my eyes screw shut, and I mumble a few incoherent things.
Ethan pulls the wand away, and I pant like a dog as I try to open my eyes. When I finally look up at him, his features are tense, and his boxers—when did he strip down to them?—are tented with the reason why.
Grinning, I snake my hand between us. “Your turn,” I tell him, grabbing him through the material.
He shudders against me, and his lips come down on mine for a brief second. “I want your mouth,” he says against my lips, causing me to grin.
“My Romeo,” I murmur teasingly.
Smirking, he climbs over me, getting on his knees as he straddles my face and grips the headboard. Right when he’s lined up with my lips, I lean forward and lick the tip.
Something creaks above me, but Ethan keeps his hips perfect still.
The irony isn’t lost on me. We spent most the first portion of our relationship skipping foreplay because we were both too greedy for the main event. Now it’s all we can do, since there’s no way we can be gentle enough with my leg.
But I can make sure he enjoys it while he patiently waits for these damn stitches to come out.
Reaching up, I grab him with both hands, and I suck him into my mouth as far as I can go. And I don’t stop until he’s calling my name and shooting down my throat.
I hate swallowing, but I’d continue to do anything to hear him sing those praises he’s pouring out right now. When I’ve drained him, he drops to my side and pulls me in close, running his lips along my forehead.
“Now I really love you,” he says, causing me to laugh as he grins against my head.
“Good. Because my hormones are going to be sooo fucked up. You’ll have to love me to endure it,” I tell him sweetly.
He feigns a groan, but he’s still smiling when he kisses his way down my cheek.
“I’ll just fuck you out of the crazy mood swings,” he deadpans.
“Sounds like a plan,” I say around a yawn.
He tugs me closer, spooning his body around mine as my eyes grow heavier and heavier. That picture perfect family image is back in my head, but this time, it feels real instead of a dream.
EPILOGUE
ETHAN
Two weeks later…
ME: Where the fuck are you?
BELLA: Is that for me? Or were you texting Tag again?
ME: Har. Seriously, where the fuck are you?
BELLA: Awww, you miss me.
ME: Bella…
BELLA: Ethan…
ME: …
BELLA: Don’t dot dot dot me. That’s my thing. And for the record, I’m sitting out in the driveway.
I’m out of my chair and ignoring everyone who is trying to speak to me as I make my way through the house and toward the front door, where I see Bella getting out of her car. Her stitches came out the other day, and I’ve been inside her every chance I’ve gotten. Hell, it was like inhumane torture to live with blowjobs and hand jobs for so long.
Yes, I realize how fucking spoiled I sound.
She grins at me knowingly when I grab her at the waist, and my lips are on hers before she can say a word. When she moans into my mouth, I’m forced to think about random shit to keep my dick from trying to go another round. Twice today doesn’t seem like enough.
Breaking the kiss, I lean back as she winks at me. Damn smug girl knows exactly what she does to me.
“What took so long?” I ask her as she reaches in and grabs her phone.
Just to be a dick, I slap her ass while she’s bent over. Hell, she’s so used to it that she doesn’t even react.
“My boss was begging me to stay, but I told her I wanted a private practice job.”
“But you’re not going back to work until after the baby is born, right? I thought we agreed on that. You could catch anything coming through the doctor’s office.”
She rolls her eyes. “No, I’m not going back to work until the baby is at least six months old.”
I breathe out in relief, because I’ve seriously been stressing out about that. Hell, I’ll be stressing even when it is time, because I don’t want Bella subjected to every fucking disease that swings by to get looked at.
I only thought I was obsessed and protective before. Then four days ago, I heard the baby’s heartbeat for the first time. It’s like it broke the last bit of sanity in me that was rationally holding me back from keeping Bella captive.
Now I’m losing my damn mind. But I have a while to convince her to never go back and risk exposure to who knows what kind of illness, so I’m biding my time.
“How is Daniel?” I ask her as she flicks a piece of lint off her.
“He’s great. He’s starting to get stronger on the braces. It’ll still be a few months before he can walk without them though,” she says, her smile growing. “And he wants you to come visit him again.”
Yes, she finally talked me into that. My worries about stealing the spotlight were in vain, because she’s still his hero.
I nod instead of answering.
“I take it everyone is already here?” she asks, looking around at all the cars.
“Yeah,” I say, not liking it one bit. It’s part of that irrational need to keep Bella to myself that has me hating this damn cookout idea. But… There’s a reason I agreed to it. I just hope Bella remembers that she loves me when I reveal that reason.
She threads her fingers with mine, and I lead her through the house to the backyard where everyone is already gathered.
The pool is still open right now, but I have contractors coming out to put a fence around it… A tight fence that a baby can’t possibly break into.
The longer her hand is in mine, the more I relax. Everyone is talking to her, and cracking jokes. I finally take a seat as Maverick walks over.
“Never thought you’d trade in your wild parties for tame cookouts,” he prods, smirking like the asshole he is.
I shrug, because the ribbing doesn’t bother me anymore. To be honest, I don’t even remember why I thought the parties were so much fun anymore.
“How’s Bananas treating you?” Bella asks Maverick, grinning wickedly.
He just arches an eyebrow while pocketing his hands. “I have no idea why you didn’t like that cat. She’s the sweetest thing there ever was.”
Dale smirks as he takes a seat beside me, as though he’s holding back a secret.
Bella rolls her eyes. “Whatever. That cat was just a host for a demon, and you can’t convince me otherwise.”
Allie calls her over, and she walks away. My eyes are on her ass as she leaves, but Maverick suddenly cuts off the view. I take in the fact he’s no longer smiling smugly, but he looks exhausted.
“You have to help me get rid of that crazy fucking cat. Soon!” he hisses, glancing over his shoulder to make sure Bella hasn’t overheard.
Dale bursts out laughing, while a slow grin crawls over my face.
“But she’s so sweet,” I drawl, mocking his words.
“She’s fucking evil!” He thrusts his hands at me, and I take in the numerous claw marks. “I was trying to jack off—”
“Too much information,” Dale groans.
“—and that bitch attacked my hands. She narrowly missed my dick,” Maverick g
oes on, dismissing the interruption from Dale.
I smother a laugh when he glares at me, but Dale has to walk away because he can’t stop laughing.
“And the farts… Oh the fucking farts that cat has are horrible.”
“Guess that joke backfired, huh?” I muse.
I doubt Maverick will be fucking with my girl for a while. Oddly, I don’t have any jealousy left where he’s concerned. Bella loves me, and there’s nothing that can convince her otherwise. Thankfully.
“What are we talking about?” Kode asks as he takes the seat Dale vacated.
“Pussy problems,” I deadpan.
“Define pussy problems,” Kode says.
“Maverick getting his ass kicked by a bare pussy,” I say, smirking as Maverick flips me off.
“Pussy has always been an issue for him,” Kode retorts.
“This pussy is the devil’s advocate,” Maverick grumbles.
“And the joke was pointless,” I say, shrugging as Bella nears. “I mean, after all, Bella quit waxing, and now it’s like an out of control jungle down there. I’m half worried a forest fire might happen if I cause too much friction,” I go on, watching with amusement as her eyes widen and her jaw falls open.
“You lying bastard! It’s still just as smooth as ever! And I—”
Her words die when I wink, and red paints her cheeks when she realizes her mistake and laughter erupts across the yard.
“What’s as smooth as ever, Aunt Bella?” Angel asks, confused, reminding Bella she was just yelling that out for the world to hear.
Bella glares at me, and I grin at her. I really fucking love her.
“Uncle Ethan’s real head. He wears fake hair,” Bella says pathetically, unable to come up with a good insult on the spot.
“Wa wa wa,” Maverick chides mockingly, laughing when she shoots a glare at him.
Bella opens her mouth to say something, when her eyes suddenly land on something behind me, and her entire body goes stiff. I turn in time to see my surprise has arrived, and I take a deep breath, really hoping this goes well.
Bella is pale and frozen in place, and the mocking that was going on turns to deafening silence.
