by April Lust
Charlie crawled down my body, hooking my sweatpants with his thumbs. He tugged them down my hips and tossed them to the side. I looked down, trying to get used to how differently my body looked now that I’d given birth. Losing most of the pregnancy weight had been easy – breastfeeding really helped with that. But my hips were noticeably wider than they had been before, and the stretch marks on my lower belly were still a glaring, angry red.
“You’re beautiful,” Charlie said slowly, as if reading my mind.
I blushed hotly, arching my back and letting my head recline in the pillows. As his rough fingers trailed their way down my sensitive skin, I let out a low moan of pleasure.
His touch felt so good. I couldn’t believe how amazing it felt to be held and stroked and petted by the man I loved. As his fingers slid between my legs, I moaned and spread my thighs. Charlie’s thumb brushed against the crotch of my cotton panties, gently rubbing circles around my clit. I was soaked, and the feel of the wet panties rubbing against my skin felt like the most delicious kind of torture. As I moaned softly, Charlie growled low in his throat.
“I have to have you, Nicolette,” Charlie purred. He lowered his head to my belly and kissed the angry, red stretch marks covering my skin. His tongue against my sensitive tummy was enough to send me over the edge. Before I knew it, my fingers were tangling in his hair and yanking at his head, while I moaned and writhed on top of the mattress.
He slid the crotch of my soaked panties to the side. He slid a finger inside of me and I gasped – I was much tighter than I had expected. Charlie’s finger slid along the smooth, wet muscle of my pussy and I moaned softly as he rubbed my G-spot with the tip of his digit.
“I love seeing you like this,” Charlie growled. The sound of his voice made me blush even harder. “I love driving you wild. I love making you need me the same way I need you.” He slid another finger inside of me and slowly began pumping them in and out of my body while he used his thumb to rub my clit.
The sensation was exquisite, and I arched my back as a wild cry of pleasure escaped my mouth. “Take me,” I begged. “Please, Charlie. Please take me. I need you!”
Charlie grabbed my panties and tugged them off so fiercely I thought the material would rip. He unfastened his belt and let his jeans fall to the floor. When I saw him naked, I gasped. He was so beautiful – his thick cock was sticking straight up in the air and I shivered when I realized how it would feel when he entered me for the first time in what felt like an eternity.
Charlie steadied himself against my hip and pushed the tip of his cock inside of me. Pain mingled with pleasure and I cried out.
“Are you okay?” Charlie stroked the side of my face. “Am I hurting you, Nicolette?”
I shook my head. “No,” I said quietly. “I’m fine. Just go slow, okay?”
“I don’t know if I can,” Charlie groaned. He slid farther inside of me and I bucked my hips up to meet him. “God, you feel so good.” Charlie dug his fingers into the soft flesh of my hips and buried himself inside of me to the hilt. Our bodies began to rock and sway together in the most sensual kind of rhythm. After a few seconds, the pain eased and gave way to the purest pleasure I’d felt in weeks.
“This is the best you’ve ever felt,” I whispered to Charlie. “I’m not worried about anything. It feels so good,” I added, moaning softly into his ear and biting the lobe with my teeth.
“Just relax,” Charlie whispered. He snuggled close and rocked his hips gently in and out. Soon, we were moving together to the time of our breathing. I closed my eyes and saw golden-red fireworks of pleasure as the gripping, orgasmic sensation started to build in my lower belly. Charlie slid a hand between our bodies, down my slick belly, until he was rubbing my clit with each thrust. It felt heavenly and I cried out loudly as he began to rub me faster and faster. My little bud was swollen and hard as Charlie rubbed me, and I could feel myself approaching a tidal wave of pleasure.
“God, baby,” Charlie groaned. “I would wait for you, but I don’t think I can.”
“Harder, please,” I begged, wrapping my arms around his neck and pushing my body against his. I put my legs around Charlie’s waist and squeezed, then began to move my pelvis against his cock until his pubic bone was rubbing my clit with each thrust. When I felt like something was gripping me tightly between the legs, I cried out and buried my face in Charlie’s neck. Holding my breath made my orgasm more intense than ever, and I was crying out and tearing up by the time it had finished rocketing through my body.
Charlie groaned. He yanked my legs away from his waist and began driving me hard into the mattress, pushing against my body with each passing second. When he cried out, he buried his hands in my brown hair and yanked my head back as he came. I felt his cock pulse and twitch inside of me, gushing cum.
A few seconds later, my ears were filled with Isabelle’s crying.
Charlie began to laugh. “I’m so sorry, babe,” he said, sliding out of me and wrapping a sheet around his waist. “I should’ve been a little quieter.” He snickered. “You want me to get her?”
“I’ll do it,” I said. I reached over and squeezed Charlie’s hand. “That was incredible.” I blushed. “I really missed you.”
“Definitely the worst thing about being a new parent,” Charlie cracked. He handed me my sweatpants and I yanked them on as I climbed off the bed and went into the next room to soothe my daughter.
Fifteen minutes later, Charlie, Isabelle, and I were all seated on the couch. Isabelle was nursing – she seemed more content than ever. Her round head swiveled at my breast, as big and pink as a grapefruit. She still had her masses of brown hair, but her blue eyes were starting to change into the same brown as my own.
“She’s like your mini-me,” Charlie said softly. He reached out and stroked her head. “She’s so perfect.”
I nodded. “She really is,” I said softly. “I’m so happy, Charlie.”
Charlie cleared his throat. “There’s something I wanted to talk to you about,” he said slowly. “And I hope you’re not going to get mad.”
My gut iced over and I stared at him. “What’s that?” I asked slowly. Horrible thoughts started running through my head. Jack was out of jail and on the loose. Charlie wanted to leave. Charlie had lost his job. Jack and the rest of the Steel Gods were coming to kill Charlie and kidnap me and Isabelle and—
“Nicolette, relax!” Charlie reached out and stroked my hair. “It’s nothing bad. I just…” He trailed off lamely. “I had an idea, and I was hoping we could talk about it.”
“Oh,” I said softly. “What’s that?”
“I want you to think about visiting your parents.”
My jaw fell open. “What?”
“I want you to think about visiting your parents,” Charlie said again, softer. “I know they miss you, Nicolette. And they’d love to meet their grandchild. I know they would.”
My eyes filled with hot tears and I looked away so Charlie wouldn’t notice. “I can’t,” I said quietly. “I can’t go back there. I can’t look them in the eye again. Not after what I did. Not after how much I hurt them.”
Charlie sighed. “Nicolette, I think you need to do this,” he said. “To get closure.”
“I can’t,” I argued. I stood up. “I just can’t bear to do it, Charlie. I can’t look at Mom without thinking about how I lied to her and ditched her for Jack! For a guy who beat me and treated me like an animal! And I didn’t even call home, not once! I didn’t want them to know how badly I was hurting!”
“That’s why you have to do this now,” Charlie said quietly. “Nicolette, if you don’t do it now, you’re going to spend years wondering why. And if they’re anything like you, they’re good people who want to forgive you.”
A tear rolled down my cheek. “They are good people,” I said. “And they were wonderful parents. But how do I just show up and say, hey, sorry I fucked up so badly? What if they don’t want to hear it? What if they throw me out?”
“They won’t do that,” Charlie promised. “Nicolette, I promise you – they won’t do anything to hurt you. I’m sure of that.”
I glared at him and held Isabelle close. “How do you know that?”
“Because,” Charlie said. “I already talked to them about it. And they want us to come for a visit.”
I stared at him, too shocked to say anything. Warring emotions filled my chest and I was tempted to cry, laugh, and scream all at once. How dare he do something like that? Go behind my back and try to make contact with the people I’d left! Because he loves me, I realized. Because he knows how empty my life is without my parents, and he wants to help me get that back.
“Okay,” I said softly. “We’ll all go see my parents.”
Chapter 30
Nicolette
Three weeks later, Charlie and I took Isabelle on her first plane trip. We flew into San Diego from Salt Lake City, and I was more nervous than I’d ever been in my entire life. Charlie did a good job of trying to keep me calm, but after a while he realized how shaky I really was. Then he made sure to watch Isabelle for the whole flight. He even walked her up and down the aisles when she started crying after we hit a little bit of turbulence.
“Don’t let her keep crying,” I snapped. “Here, give her this. Or I can go feed her in the bathroom.”
“Nicolette,” Charlie said quietly. “She’s a baby. Babies cry on planes. It’s like…a universal fact.” He leaned down to kiss my cheek. “I know you’re anxious, but everything is going to be fine.”
I didn’t believe him. I hadn’t spoken to my family except for a brief, somewhat strained phone call. After they got over the shock of hearing my voice for the first time in four years, we made details for a visit. I have to admit, I wasn’t expecting Mom to be so warm and friendly over the phone. But by the end of the call, I’d been feeling much better about the whole situation.
That had been weeks ago, though. And now I wasn’t sure what to think. What if Mom was saving her anger for when I was there in person? What if she couldn’t wait to get me alone from Charlie, so she could yell at me and tell me what a disappointment I really was.
Most of all, there was the whole secret about Isabelle. Mom and Dad knew I had a baby – Charlie had told them, back when he’d first reached out. But they didn’t know who her real biological father was, and I wasn’t sure I wanted to tell them.
Charlie legally adopted Isabelle, and we put his name on the birth certificate. Still, I knew there would come a time when I’d have to tell her the truth. Jack’s family had a history of bad genes being passed on, and there was no way I’d take a chance with my daughter’s health because of any humiliation on my part.
After our flight, Charlie walked us over to the rental car counters where we picked up a Jeep and set it up with the luggage and car seat for Isabelle. Traveling with an infant was harder than I’d expected. After all, Isabelle was still so small that she barely weighed anything. But I hadn’t thought about how bored and squirmy she would be after a few hours on a plane, and by the time I was buckling her into the back seat of the Jeep, my nerves were shot.
“I need a drink,” I whined under my breath as I climbed into the passenger seat. “And then a massage. And like, a three-hour nap.”
“Well, we’re going to your parents’ house,” Charlie said. He gave me a wry grin. “But anything after that is open for interpretation, okay?”
I sighed. “I know I’m being a brat,” I said softly. “I’m just…God, Charlie, I’m so nervous!” My cheeks turned bright red and I covered my face with my hands. “I can’t help but think of how badly this is gonna go!”
Charlie reached over and patted my knee as he pulled out of the airport parking garage. “You don’t know that,” he said slowly. “Everything could be just fine, babe. We’ll have to take everything as it comes.”
Charlie didn’t need any help getting back to Carlsbad. It shocked me – for a moment, I’d forgotten that we’d basically been living in the same place. Then again, I’d grown up here. Seeing the familiar streets was like looking through an old photo album. I choked up as Charlie drove past my old high school, the last place I’d really been before Jack had sunk his claws into me and ripped my identity apart.
“We’re almost there,” I said. I choked up. “Turn there,” I added. “Take a left. My parents’ house is the last one on the right hand side. It’s wooden – with red shutters.”
Charlie drove the Jeep slowly past a group of children playing. I squinted at them, trying to see if I recognized any of them from my time here. But I didn’t – they were all too young. They were probably babies when I left, I thought, glancing back towards Isabelle in the back of the car. She was strapped happily into her car seat, her eyes closed.
If only I could be so lucky, I thought enviously.
Charlie pulled into my parents’ driveway and put the Jeep in park. He reached for my hand, squeezing my fingers and lifting them to his mouth.
“I love you, Nicolette,” Charlie said in a low voice. “And I promise – no matter what happens – you’ll always have me and Isabelle. We’re your family now.” He leaned over and kissed me gently on the lips. “But I know how much you’ve missed your parents, baby. And I hope this visit can help begin to fix things.”
I swallowed, resolute, determined not to show any more emotion. “Okay,” I said numbly. “I’ll get Isabelle.”
When we stood in front of the door, I glanced at Charlie. Isabelle was nestled in my arms, happy in her hospital blanket. “I don’t know if I should knock or just open the door,” I said softly. “It’s been so long since I’ve been home that I don’t know what my mom would want me to do.”
“Do whatever you feel comfortable with,” Charlie said softly. He reached over and stroked my hair. “I’m right here, no matter what.”
My hand trembled as I reached over and pressed the doorbell. The house had been painted since I’d seen it last – a new, glistening coat of white paint had been laid over the wooden shingles. My throat swelled up as I saw the decoration my mom had placed on the front porch: a little clay sculpture of a turkey I’d made in elementary school. Maybe that was a good sign, maybe she’d be willing to—
“Nicolette!”
The door swung open. My mom was standing there, looking older and thinner than she had when I’d seen her last. Her brown hair was cut into a neat bob and streaked with white and gray. Her big brown eyes – exact twins of my own – watered and she blinked.
“Come here,” Mom whispered. She looked down at Isabelle in my arms. Without saying anything, Charlie reached over and picked up our daughter, carefully cradling her in his strong, muscled arms.
Then Mom pulled me into a hug. I wrapped my arms around her, not expecting to feel the warm rush of emotion that bubbled up inside of me. The tears that had been building gushed out of my eyes and down my cheeks, and my nose filled with liquid snot. Mom squeezed me tightly – her sharp shoulder jabbed into my throat, making me choke, but I didn’t pull away. Instead, I hugged her all the tighter.
When she finally pulled away, her eyes were just as wet as mine.
“Nicolette, don’t you dare stay away for so long again,” she said softly. She smiled and I thought my heart would break with happiness. “And this must be Charlie.”
Charlie nodded, unsmiling. “Nice to meet you, Mrs. McDonald,” he said. “I’m real glad we could come for a visit.”
“Is this Isabelle?” Mom stepped forward, gazing into my daughter’s face. “Nicolette, she looks just like you did as a baby!” Isabelle opened her eyes and began to cry. Mom cooed and reached forward, cradling my daughter in her arms. “Isabelle, it’s okay,” she said. “I’m your Grandma!” Pulling Isabelle close, Mom looked into my eyes once more. “We’ll have to look through some baby pictures,” she said, her face spreading into a grin. Happy tears trickled down my cheeks as Mom and I smiled at each other.
“I bet Nicolette was a really cute baby,” Charlie said. He sm
irked and I rolled my eyes. “I’d love to see some pictures.”
“Well, come on, then,” Mom said. “You’d better get your things and come inside.” She smiled, reaching up to wipe her eyes. “I know Nicolette’s father is dying to meet his new grandchild.”
Charlie waited until Mom had gone into the house before turning to me. “Are you okay?” He reached up with a tissue and wiped my tear-stained cheeks. “Are you upset?”
Without saying anything, I pulled Charlie into a close hug. “This is the best present you could have ever given me,” I said softly. “Thank you. Thank you so much.”
“Of course,” Charlie whispered back. “Now come on.” He reached down and swatted me on the ass. “Time to go suck up to your dad.”
