by Chloe Walsh
"Careful," he groaned, holding himself above me. "I don’t wanna hurt you."
I wanted him so badly in this moment I didn’t care about anything else.
Shoving Nate onto his back, I straddled his hips before reclaiming his lips with mine.
I kissed him almost frantically, while reaching between our bodies to grab his cock. He was painfully hard, throbbing in my hand. My pussy clenched greedily at the thought of having him inside me.
"Take your time, baby," he croaked out as I guided him towards my entrance. "Andi baby, take it slooo…oh fuck!"
I impaled myself down on his cock. "I don’t want it slow," I cried out as I thrashed my body, grinding my pubic bone against his and screaming in pleasure when the friction caused a fire to ignite inside me.
"Fuck!" Nate strangled out, biting down on his bottom lip, as I bounced up and down on his cock without mercy. "Goddamn, baby, that's it!" The veins in his neck were bulging as he held onto my hips and met each one of my thrusts with one of his own. "Faster…fuck yes."
My orgasm was building at a rapid pace and when Nate caught ahold of my hips and started dragging me up and down on his cock, I lost my mind.
"Feel that," he snarled, making me ride him hard and fast. "That's me wanting you." Rolling his hips upwards, he thrust himself hard into me. "Always fucking you."
I slammed myself down on him one last time and moaned incoherently as my orgasm rolled through me, causing my body to jolt uncontrollably. I felt Nate thrust inside me once more before stilling, the heat of his seed filling me up.
"Only ever you, Andi," Nate told me when I had climbed off him and retreated into his arms. His arms came around me, holding me tight. His breath fanned my neck when he whispered, "I promise."
****
Chapter Eleven
Andi
I WASN'T SURE IF IT WAS because she was the first one of Nathan's relatives to reply to my messages that drew me to Teagan Messina or something entirely different, but I had been communicating with Nathan's paternal cousin for over a month now – behind Nate's back of course – and I couldn’t seem to stop.
I felt awful about it, but every time his cousin messaged me on Facebook, checking in on my pregnancy, or posted a new photo of her husband and kids on Instagram, I immediately responded.
Maybe it was because I felt so lonely all the time that I kept in contact with her, or maybe it was the burning curiosity I had inside to learn about my husband's roots, but I just couldn’t stop.
Like right now, for instance; I was reading one of her messages on Facebook instead of listening to my trigonometry teacher explain some impossibly confusing mathematical equation that wouldn’t help me one bit in the delivery room...
So much had happened in such a short space of time, it was hard to sit in a classroom and attempt to learn about trigonometry.
My concentration span was worse than bad these days, and I felt incredibly uncomfortable squashed into my desk. I didn’t know why I was bothering still coming to school. In a few more weeks, I would be at home nursing my baby.
If it wasn’t for Nathan's insistence that I continue my education, I wouldn’t be here, subjecting myself to the cruel comments and glaringly obvious stares.
It was as if the students at Springhill High had never seen a pregnant person before. Whenever I caught a fellow classmate staring at me, or a group of girls pointing, I felt like screaming 'how'd you think ya'll were made?' but of course, I refrained.
Outside of the classroom, I stuck to my husband like glue. No one ever stared at me or laughed when Nathan was around.
Glancing down at the screen of my phone, I reread her message once more…
To: Adriana Cole
From: Teagan Messina
Message: Have you thought any more about our offer? Honestly, the house is just laying vacant in University Hill. My husband has owned it for years, but he never did anything with the place. You two would be doing us a major favor by taking it over and maintaining the grounds. Besides, if Noah had his way, he would torch it…. but that's a story for another day. Take the house, Adriana, and tell that stubborn ass cousin of mine to pull his head out of his ass. I, too, was offered a free house once, and do you know what I did? I TOOK IT…
I stared down at the screen for several more minutes before tapping out a message and pressing send. I only hoped when the time came, my husband would forgive me.
To: Teagan Messina
From: Adriana Cole
Message: We'll take it. Thank you. See you in the fall.
****
Nate
"DAMN, NATE. YOU REALLY have been working out."
The sultry tone of my ex-girlfriend's voice penetrated my thoughts and I balked.
Not this shit again…
"Out," I snapped, keeping my back to her, as the water from the shower head above me continued to spray down on my body. "Now, Dallas."
What the hell was wrong with this girl?
This was the third time in a month the girl had walked in on me showering after practice and I was getting real fucking tired of it.
"You've got such a tight ass, Nate," she purred.
"I've also got a permanent wedding ring," I shot back, holding my hand up in the air. "So get out."
"Oh, please!" Dallas snorted. "Everyone knows why you married Clive Davis's daughter, and it has nothing to do with love, and everything to do with that big ole belly of hers."
"Is that so?" Twisting the shower nozzle, I turned the water off and grabbed the towel I had hanging over the rail beside me.
"Absolutely."
Wrapping the towel around my waist, I turned around and stalked past Dallas without giving her a second glance. "You don’t know shit about my reasons, Dallas." Grabbing a pair of boxers from my gym bag, I quickly stepped into them and pulled them up. "And you're delusional if you think I'd go anywhere near you again." Yanking on my jeans, I grabbed a fresh shirt and quickly pulled it over my aching shoulders. "So do yourself a favor and let it fucking go." Sinking down on the bench, I slipped on my boots.
"I loved you," I heard her say.
"Well, I'm sorry you felt that way, because I never loved you," I replied without an ounce of hesitation before standing up and grabbing my gym bag.
"You're lying," she hissed, rushing after me. "You did love me, Nate. Back then at least."
"I'm not lying," I shot back calmly, slapping the locker room door open. "I've only ever loved my wife."
"You're an asshole, Nathan Cole," Dallas screamed after me.
"True, but I'm a married asshole," I corrected before sauntering out of the gym.
****
Chapter Twelve
Andi
DAISY'S DINER WAS BUSTLING with customers when Ivy and I walked through the doors after school on Thursday.
Thankfully, our usual booth had just been vacated so I quickly rushed over to it and crammed myself between the unmoving table and chair, while Ivy went and placed our order at the counter.
"I think I ordered just about everything on the menu," she chuckled when she returned to our table a few minutes later. "I am famished!"
Placing a glass of iced water in front of me, Ivy slid into the seat opposite mine and took a sip of her coke.
"Here." Shoving my hand into my short's pocket, I pulled out a crumpled ten-dollar bill and held it out for my friend to take. "I think I'm short a few dollars for my meal." My cheeks flamed in shame. "I'll make sure I bring it to you at school tomorrow."
Shaking her head, Ivy swatted my hand away. "Put your money away. Dinner's on Jackson."
"Jackson?" My brows rose in surprise. "Really?"
Ivy nodded and took another sip from her straw. "He wanted to make sure you had a hearty meal in your belly."
Immediately, I was on the defense. "I'm not hungry, Ivy." Embarrassed, I shoved my money back in my pocket and tucked my hair behind my ears. "We might not have much right now, but Nate takes good care of us."
Ivy's ey
es bugged. "Oh god, no!" Reaching across the table, she caught ahold of my hand and squeezed. "I didn’t mean that the way it came out." Exhaling a sigh, she said, "Jackson wanted you to have nice meal out before the baby comes. That's all. I promise."
"Oh." Relief flooded me and I smiled sheepishly. "I'm sorry. I jumped to conclusions."
"It's not like anyone would blame you for it," she replied kindly. "Jackson wasn’t exactly supportive of you guys in the beginning."
"No." That was most certainly true. "But he's doing better now." A lot better. All four of us even sat together at school again. It wasn’t the same as before, but my brother was trying and I was grateful. "At least I have one family member who cares."
"Andi." Ivy reclaimed my hand and squeezed. "Your parents aren’t…normal." She scrunched her nose up as she spoke. "Their reaction to your pregnancy and their lack of support is not a reflection on you. It's on them. It's their loss."
"I guess."
"Well I know."
Our food arrived then and we ate in comfortable silence for the next ten minutes or so until the diner door slammed inwards and Dallas's voice filled the room.
"Good lord! I didn’t realize this place stocked enough food to feed a whale?"
Her comment, obviously directed at me, was followed up by a chorus of laughter and sniggering from the three friends she walked in with.
I could feel several pairs of eyes on my body.
Of course, the insult and unwanted attention caused my skin to turn bright pink and I immediately dropped my fork down on my plate.
"Ignore her, Andi," Ivy ordered quietly. "I mean it. Don’t let that skanky hoe get to you."
"I'm trying," I whispered, but she was getting to me. I kept my face down, eyes trained on my uneaten food, as I blinked rapidly. I was desperately trying to fight back the tears that were burning my eyes, but the more I blinked, the more my eyes burned.
"Oh, for fuck's sake…" Ivy muttered, dropping her fork down, appetite apparently gone. "They're coming over."
"What?" I lifted my face and stared at Ivy in horror.
Why me…
"Adriana. Holly," Dallas acknowledged as she slid into the booth directly across from us, her three friends joining her, still sniggering like a bunch of brainless idiots.
Ivy glared across at her. "It's Ivy."
Dallas cocked a brow. "Good for you."
"Give me strength," Ivy muttered under her breath before taking a deep breath. "So," she said, turning her attention to me. "How did your appointment at the hospital go yesterday?" She smiled brightly as she spoke to me, obviously trying to put me at ease.
"Good." I nodded, relieved to have something to talk about. "The doctor says the baby's head is engaged, so it could be any day now." It wasn’t easy concentrating on our conversation though, not when Dallas was blatantly staring across the restaurant at me.
"That's freaking insane." Ivy's eyes lit up in genuine interest. "I'm still struggling to picture you and Nate with a baby."
"I know, right?"
"You'll be a great momma, Andi." She grinned with excitement. "I bet Nate will be an amazing daddy, too."
"Only because she trapped him!" The comment came out of Dallas's mouth and was laced with venom. "Yeah, you, Andi Davis. You better believe I'm talking about you!"
"Why don’t you go and get a man of your own and stop eavesdropping on other people's conversations," Ivy shot back, turning in her seat to face the table of girls across from us.
"I had a man," Dallas hissed, glowering at my friend. "Until that big-eyed freak trapped him." She turned her attention to me then. "Yeah, you heard me, fatty."
"Girl, you are looking for an ass whooping," Ivy shot back angrily.
"Let's just go," I whispered, red-faced, as I shimmied out of my seat. "She's not worth it, Ives."
"I'm not worth it? Really?" Dallas laughed harshly. "That's not what your baby daddy said earlier."
Struck dumb by the comment, I stood in the middle of the diner with my mouth hanging open.
Dallas gleamed in victory. "Or the other night… and the night before that."
"Ignore that bitch," Ivy snarled, coming to stand beside me. Hooking her arm in mine, Ivy tugged me towards the exit. "She's full of B.S."
But I couldn’t move.
My feet felt as if they had been cemented to the floor.
"Why can't you just leave us be?" I choked out, eyes locked on the girl who had been making my life a living hell for months. "We're married and we've got a baby coming." My voice shook as I spoke. "It's over between you two…you need to move on, Dallas."
"Then maybe you should go and tell your husband that," she shot back venomously. "He's the one who keeps coming back to me."
I shook my head, refuting her claims. "You're a liar."
"Aw, sweetie, you know, I'm actually starting to feel sorry for you." Sliding out of the booth, Dallas stood up and walked over to me. "He's making such a fool of you and you're so blind you can't even see it." Towering over me like a model off a catwalk, Dallas flicked her long, glossy black hair behind her shoulder and smiled. "Take off those rose-tinted glasses and look around."
"She is," Ivy interjected, jumping to my defense. "And you know what she sees, Dallas? Nate's ring on her finger."
Dallas cocked a brow. "Is that so?"
I swallowed deeply. "Absolutely."
Dallas leaned closer to me and whispered in my ear, "You're a little girl he made the mistake of knocking up. You might have the ring, but you know as well as I do that you're never gonna be enough for him. In fact, Nate and I even joked about it." She leaned back to take in the look of horror on my face and grinned. "When I was running my tongue all over that tattoo on his chest you think puts a claim on him. He likes that, you know; kisses on his chest. Gets him all worked up and ready."
"Fuck off, Dallas," Ivy snarled. "Come on, Andi, let's go." Catching ahold of my hand, Ivy began to drag me towards the exit. "Don’t you dare listen to her. She's toxic."
"Oh, and those Ladies nights at Dixies," Dallas called after me just as Ivy dragged me out the door. "Ask Nate where he really goes on Monday nights."
****
"ANDI. COME BACK TO THE car, please! Or at least tell me where you are so I can come pick you up."
"I can't… I can't… I c-c… oh god!"
"Breathe. Andi, breathe."
Ivy was on the other side of the line, doling out instructions to me, but I couldn’t breathe. I couldn’t see straight.
Narrowly avoiding a moving car, I rushed to the other side of the road and almost tripped myself up on the curb of the sidewalk.
My mind was in overdrive. Horrible, vivid images of Nathan and Dallas naked and touching taunted me mercilessly.
Memories I had of back when they were a couple were haunting the fore point of my mind...
"Oh my god." Shaking my head, I clasped my phone to my ear as I staggered slightly and managed to catch myself before falling over. "H-h-how could he do that?" The hurt and the anger I was feeling was crushing my windpipes, making it hard for me to breathe. "I don’t know what to do…" Tears poured down my cheeks as I ran blindly down the street towards the trailer park. "I d-don’t know what to believe, Ivy!"
"Andi, you need to listen to me." Ivy's voice was strong and calming; the opposite to what I was feeling. "Dallas was messing with you."
"What if it's true?" I was frantic now, unable to calm myself down. "What if she's not lying?"
"She is!" Ivy shot back quickly. "Nathan would never do that to you, Andi. He loves you."
I was in pain.
I felt like I had been doused in gasoline and set alight.
Shame, devastation and raw agony coursed through my veins as I half ran/ half stumbled through the trailer park. I couldn’t talk about this anymore. "Ivy, I need to go," I sobbed. People were outside their trailers as I passed. They stopped what they were doing and stared at me as I hurried past. I guess I would have stared too; if I saw a preg
nant woman crying her eyes out as she ran through a trailer park. "I just want to go to home." And never come back out again…
"Don’t hang up on me," Ivy warned. "Or I'm gonna call Nathan."
"No!" I squeezed my eyes shut and choked out a sob. "Don’t call him!" I didn’t know what to say to him. I wasn’t sure I could even look at him right now. "Please just leave me alone," I added before ending the call.
"Ask Nate where he really goes on Monday nights."
Dallas's words reverberated in my mind over and over long after I'd let myself into the trailer I shared with Nate.
Throwing myself down on our bed, I curled myself into a ball and cried my eyes out.
For the first time in my life, I wished my parents had loved me.
I really needed someone to wrap their arms around me and tell me it was going to be okay.
Even though I wasn’t sure if it really would be.
****
Chapter Thirteen
Nate
"IS NATHAN HERE?"
"Who's looking?"
"Look, is he here or not? This is serious, mister."
The sound of my wife's best friend chewing out Trey distracted me from the job I'd been doing on Ms. Garza's Sedan and I ended up dropping the wrench I'd been holding.
"Shit," I muttered when it clanged to the floor.
Rolling out from underneath the car, I climbed off the creeper and grabbed a cloth from the worktop. "Ivy?" I wiped my hands as I walked out to the front of the shop. "What's up?"
"Oh, Nathan!" Ivy visibly sagged when she saw me. "Thank god you're here. I've been searching all over town for you."
