Life's Next Chapter

by Sarah Goodman

  I nod my head. “Yes, babe.” I can’t believe this is all happening. If only I hadn’t seen him that night, none of this would have transpired. Keith is obviously pissed I have moved on with my life.

  I step out of his arms and with Beth in step, walk to the house as Keith and Tommy’s cruisers pull out of the driveway. Luke and Brody walk back to the stables. Once in the kitchen, Beth makes a pot of coffee for me. “Tell me what happened, Katie, so I can write this all up and present it to the judge for a restraining order.”

  I grab two coffee mugs from the cabinet. “Before I start, has Jacob ever seen you in ‘lawyer mode’? Because let me say, you were one fiery badass out there. You almost scared the shit out of me. Damn, honey, you were on a roll. I so wish I had that recorded. Now, do you have awhile? Because it’s some crazy shit.”

  Beth grabs a cup out of my hand. “Please, babe, he’s seen my red-headed temper, and if he’s not at fault it just turns him on. Here…pour me one.” She just giggles. Beth walks to the kitchen table and pulls out her tablet. Bringing the cups of coffee to the table, I sit next to her.

  “Beth, I want to go back and fight for full custody. I don’t want the girls around him unless it’s supervised. I don’t trust him. I have no clue what the hell is happening here, or what has gotten into Keith, but I will not jeopardize my children’s welfare with that man. He is unstable.” Beth is already typing away into her tablet. I continue telling her what all went down at the club, then explain that he was watching Luke and me. Finally, I tell her what happened this morning on my way to work.

  “All right, I think I have everything I need. When I go in to work tomorrow, I will send this in and set up a hearing,” she says, returning her tablet to her bag.

  “Beth, he hasn’t paid me child support in months. Not saying I want his money, I’m sure it’s tainted. But, I want him to pay for not being a father to our girls. How dare he!”

  Beth stands from her chair and leans over to give me a hug. “Katie, we will work this out. I’ve got your back, and the girls, too.” She swings her bag onto her shoulder. “Let me get going, I need to relieve Anna from the boys. She has a hard time handling three boys who are going through the worst case of ‘the almost terrible twos’.”

  I just laugh and shake my head. “Girl, terrible twos are nothing, it’s the three’s that are terrifying!” She moans and groans on her way out.

  I walk her all the way to her truck. When I walk back, I see Brody and Luke in a heated discussion. All I hear is Luke yell to Brody, “It’s final, Bro, we’re installing one!” Brody walks off and Luke turns around and punches the door. Ouch! I know that had to hurt. I leave Luke alone, needing some time to myself right now. Back in the house, I call the girls’ school and ask them to call me right away if Keith happens to come and get them.

  ANOTHER MONTH HAS flown by. Beth performed miracles and got us a court date three weeks later, right before Halloween. I have an injunction order against Keith. I tried to get supervision added to his custody, but the judge didn’t find it necessary, saying he was not harming his daughters. But Keith is showing his true colors because he has only asked to see the girls once this past month when he took them to a fall carnival. The girls looked like they had fun, but didn’t talk about their time with their father. The clinic is complete, and I have been back to work full time with my practice. Busy is not even close to what I have been experiencing. My clinic is amazing. Brody did a superb job, giving me everything I asked for. My facility is modernized, clean, and organized. Luke did an awesome job remodeling. He has a passion for what he does. He’s great working with his hands, and they’re even better in the bedroom. Luke has stayed the night several times, but still runs out before the girls get up.

  We are about a week out from completion of the stables. The stables have got to be the best part of the remodel. Top of the line stables are being put in, with vaulted ceilings and beautiful windows. My heart melts every time I walk in there. I can’t wait for my clients to see this. They will be floored.

  For Halloween this year, we did things a little different. Luke wanted me to finally see his place. I personally think he’s lonely now without Danika. It also gave me a chance to finally meet her. He cooked dinner and I was pleasantly surprised, but then again, he has been a single father for many years. I met Danika; she is your typical teenage girl. I didn’t get the vibe she liked me. She rolled her eyes a lot when Luke would come around me. Dinner consisted of small talk. Luke is a different person when Danika is present. You can see that Danika adores her father.

  The girls liked Danika, and she enjoyed being with them. She ended up doing their make-up for Halloween and they thought that was the coolest thing. Nicole went dressed as Sofia the First Princess and Julia went dressed as Doc McStuffin. Can you tell the Disney Junior theme here? They were cute and had fun walking around Luke’s complex.

  “Thank you for coming over and doing this with me,” Luke announces, as we are walking hand in hand to each house.

  “You’re welcome, thank you for inviting us.”

  “I didn’t do this with Danika when she was this little. I hate that I missed so much with her. Now my baby girl is a month away from being an adult. I can’t believe eighteen years have gone by.”

  “You have to know you are a good father. You did the best you could for the situation you were in. Danika knows that, and she couldn’t be more proud of you. I’m proud of you.” As I lean my head against his bicep, we walk from house to house.

  Luke is quiet the rest of the night, I can only assume he’s taking in the experience and the chaos my girls bring with them wherever they go. We finished Trick or Treating, and went back to Luke’s for milk and candy. Once the girls were in a sugar coma, Luke followed me home and helped me put them to bed.

  I took a quick shower and went down stairs to see Luke sitting on the couch watching TV. When I curled up in his lap, he kissed me on my head. The vibes he gives off are so hard to read. He doesn’t seem to be having a PTSD episode, but he seems down or upset.

  “You okay?”

  Looking down into my eyes, he gives me a half smile. “Fine. Why?”

  I place my palm on his jaw. “You just seem…I don’t know what you are feeling because you never talk to me. You know you can talk to me?”

  He grips my face and pulls me into a hungry kiss. “I know I can talk to you, and I will. There’s just so much you need to know about my past. It’s not pretty. In fact it’s worse than hell. Plus, with these new feelings, I need to understand what I’m feeling before I tell you, but baby, I promise to tell you all of it, the good and bad. I just feel so much with you. To be honest, it’s foreign to me, and scares the shit out of me.”

  “What are you saying, Luke? You want to stop seeing each other?” I tense, instantly defensive.

  Luke lifts me up and swings my leg around so I am straddling him. “No way in hell will I ever want to stop seeing you. I want more.” His hands slide up my nightshirt. It’s actually one of Luke’s that I swiped from his overnight bag and kept to sleep in. He brings his hands to my breasts, where his thumbs skirt my already pebbled nipples. I lean in and kiss him. His calloused hands slide down to my bare ass. I feel the wetness pool between my legs. When he squeezed my ass, I bucked off his lap, grinding back down against his hard erection pressing against his jeans. I place my fingers on the button on his jeans.

  “Luke, I want this,” I whisper to him as I slide the zipper down and place my hand inside his boxer briefs.

  “Sunshine, I need you. I always need you. You are my calm in the fucking storm that is in my head. Kate, I need to be inside you.” I nod my head in eagerness for him to be inside of me. Luke holds me by the waist as he stands up and fetches his wallet out of his back pocket. I take the wallet out of his hands and pull the condom out. He sets me back on his lap with his pants pulled down his hips. I rip the packet open and glide the condom down his massive, erect cock. He skims his fingers across my lower abdomen and
down my bare mound, where his fingers caress my clit. “I love how wet you get for me, Sunshine,” he whispers into my ear as he licks and nibbles on my ear lobe.

  I start to move my hips. I want more and his fingers are teasing my clit. “Luke,” I moan his name. Then he thrust two fingers inside of me. I rock my hips back and forth.

  “I want you inside…now.” Luke pulls his fingers out and takes his forefinger and wipes my juices across my bottom lip. “Taste yourself, baby. You taste fucking good.” I lick my lips as he sticks his fingers in his mouth and sucks on them. Our eyes gaze into each other’s. His eyes are full of love for me. He hasn’t said the words, but I sure as hell can feel it in the way he touches me and right now by the way he stares at me. I only hope my eyes are reciprocating the same feeling for him.

  He grabs me by the hips and directs me over his cock. I slide down on his cock; every time he’s inside me feels like the first time. He drives my nerves insane, my brain is already on sensory overload just by us fooling around. Luke crashes his firm mouth onto my lips. I suck his tongue slowly mimicking the movements he and I are doing on the couch. Luke shoves his hands into my hair and grips onto it for dear life. “Faster, Kate…move faster.” I spread my legs a little more, so I can slide down on him. Then I move my hips faster. Luke is starting to growl at every thrust and grind into him. I can feel the sparks starting to ignite in my womb. My clit starts to throb and I know I’m going to come. I know Luke is at the end of his rope. “Kate, together…with me, baby.” I scream out his name when my body starts to shake from my orgasm. Luke moans out my name when he releases. I’m depleted and worn out. As we try to even out our labored breath, I place my head against his chest.

  I hear the sound I always envisioned as my most embarrassing and worst nightmare in one. “Mommy…what are you doing?” I thought Luke was going to have whip lash as he looked between Julia and me. I’m sitting on his lap with his cock still inside me. Luckily, my shirt hasn’t risen up my back and I’m not mooning my own child. I glance at Luke and his eyes are bugging out, like a cartoon character. Shit…Think Kate!!

  “Uh…” I grab Luke’s hand and fold his fingers in so he’s giving me a ‘thumbs up’. “Julia, we were just playing thumb wars. See,” I say sheepishly, as I hold up Luke’s hand and mine twined together for a game of thumb war. She keeps walking closer, and if I could jump off his lap without scarring my child, I would.

  “Did Luke win?” Julia says in a sleepy voice.

  “I guess he won.” I mutter to her.

  “Are you mad, Momma?” She asks, tilting her head.

  “No princess, why would I be mad?”

  “You were yelling because Luke won.”

  My eyes fly to Luke, and if I didn’t have the ‘Oh Fuck’ look on my face, he would have been keeled over, laughing his ass off. “Julia, why are you awake?”

  “My belly hurts, Momma,” she complains, rubbing her belly.

  “It’s all that candy you ate. Go in the kitchen, and I’ll be right there to get you some medicine.” Trying to get her away from us so I can maneuver off Luke’s lap without her seeing any anatomy parts. Finally, she walks to the kitchen, and I jump off Luke’s lap like it was on fire. He yanks his pants up and heads for the bathroom, as I proceed to the kitchen and give Julia some water and Pepto. Thankfully, I’m able to walk her back to bed and tuck her in without any stalling.

  My bedroom light is on, so I walk in and he’s already in my bed, laughing quietly. Grabbing a pillow from the floor I throw it at him. “Shut up! Do you know how bad that could have been?”

  He is just laughing, catching his breath. “Thumb wars? Seriously, Kate, that was hysterical, and I’m not talking about Julia catching us. She’s four, does she even know the game thumb wars?” I have to say, listening to him laugh has got to be the best sound I could ever hear from him.

  Walking towards the bathroom I snatch a pillow from the bed, and smack him playfully with it. “Screw you…that was embarrassing. I don’t care if she is four or not. And, yes, she does know what a thumb war is.” Laughing at myself, I enter the bathroom. Looking back, it was pretty funny, and most likely Julia was probably still somewhat asleep. In the bathroom, I clean myself up and brush my teeth. I walk over to the bed and crawl into Luke’s warm arms. I think I’ve slept better in the last several weeks with him than I have in years. His arms are my safe haven, I feel completely and utterly safe, secure, and wanted in these arms. A feeling I hope never goes away and only grows with time.

  TWO WEEKS HAVE gone by. The stables remodel is done, and they are beautiful. Brody and Luke outdid themselves. The horses are back and loving their new home, and my clients couldn’t be happier. After the incident with Keith at the house, Luke knew my job and the stable were my life, so he had security cameras installed in the stable and on the outside of the clinic. My clients are thrilled, they have internet access and can see their beloved animal and I get to charge a little more for the convenience. His consideration for our safety made me realize just how much he cares for me, and the girls.

  I haven’t seen Luke in a couple days; he is off on another job. When he finished work on the last day it was so hard knowing I wouldn’t see him every day. My feelings for him have grown considerably in eight weeks. Lately, I have been emotional and sad; I didn’t think I would miss him this much. I know I feel something for him. Not just something; I know I love him, but I’m scared shitless. I thought I loved Keith, and look how that turned out.

  I’m a complete mess; my worst fear is most certainly here. I have been feeling like crap. Luke thinks I’m coming down with the flu; how the hell do I tell him it’s a nine-month flu? I can’t believe this happened to me, again. Who knew lighting could strike twice in the same spot? I am walking proof to all those high school health classes: all it takes is one time, in the heat of the moment to jumble up your life. Hell, my life should be a walking billboard, my face should be printed on packs of birth control saying: ‘Take these or you will end up like this complete mess of a woman.’ One fucking time and I’m pregnant. I honestly think my eggs are hanging out around my vagina, because this is unreal. I didn’t purposely try to get pregnant either time. With Keith, I messed up my timing, that’s all it was, and BAM, two eggs and two babies nine months later…oh shit. Good God, what if it’s twins again? I swear I wish I had that feeling other ladies have when they ovulate. Crap what I need is for my vagina to close during the week of ovulation, completely sealed shut, like a damn Ziploc bag! UGH!!

  I still haven’t taken a test. I know I really don’t need a test, because I haven’t had my period in five weeks. I’m holding out for hope, or a big fucking miracle, that my period decided to take a vacation and skip a month. I’m in BIG TIME DENIAL; there is a small chance this could be the flu. I don’t think I have ever wished this hard for the flu bug…hell, I wish for the flu, migraine, yeast infection, and constipation all rolled in one for me not to be pregnant. I can’t be pregnant! I can’t go through all of that…again!

  I’m going to murder Beth. She totally jinxed me with having a baby Leonardo. Beth is going to freak. She always wanted us to have babies together. She had such a hard time getting pregnant. It took me six weeks to tell her I was pregnant with twins. It killed me knowing I didn’t ask to get pregnant, and then here I was pregnant with two. Now she is eight months pregnant. She’s going to want to throw a party for my upcoming arrival. I want to go back to that stupid moment in the truck. I should have just slapped the shit out of him instead of riding his cock.

  Now Ella, she’s going to give me a piece of her mind. She’s our mother hen between Beth and me. She’ll give me her professional advice, since she is an OB/GYN nurse, and then she’ll give me her personal opinion, as she is also pregnant with her third baby. She’s due in April. To think we all will have little ones again, dealing with diapers, car seats, no sleep, formula, crying…vomiting. I don’t know if it was the fear of starting all over again or if it is my ‘flu’ starting, but the m
ention of baby vomit had me running for the toilet.

  While brushing my teeth, I walk out of the bathroom and see Luke standing in the doorway. “How long have you been standing there?” He just gives me this blank stare.

  “Long enough to hear you hurl into the toilet. You, okay?” He looks confused and concerned.

  Walking to the bed, I pull back the covers and climb underneath. “Yeah, I think I am getting sick.” I can’t look at him, knowing I’m lying to this amazing man, but I need more time. Like many more months of time. I’m not ready.

  “Do you need me to go to the store and get you anything?” He sits next to me on the edge of the bed and lays the back of his hand on my forehead. “You don’t have a fever.” Nope, not with this sickness you don’t! “Where are the girls? I can take them off your hands for a while, so you can rest.” His fingers comb through my hair, and I lean the side of my face into his palm.

  “No, Granddaddy took the girls to meet Keith at the park. I was in no mood to deal with him, and Granddaddy will keep him in line.”

  “Do you want company in the bed, then? We can watch movies, or just sleep. Whatever you want.”

  I pull back the comforter, exposing the empty space beside me and pat the bed. “Come hold me,” I mumble. I watch him walk around the bed. He kicks off his shoes, pulls his phone out of his pocket and places it on the nightstand, unbuckles his belt and drags his jeans down his long legs, then yanks his shirt off with one quick move. The feel of his warm body against mine relaxes me. I lay my head on his arm, my back against his chest.

  “Kate, I have a huge favor to ask you,” he whispers in my ear.

  I automatically think it’s the worst case, “What is it?” I roll over to face him. Placing his hand on my cheek, he looks into my eyes.

  “Will you and the girls come to my parents’ house for Thanksgiving? I want you to meet my family. Both of my sisters are flying in, and Danika will be there to hang out with the girls.”