Freedom

by Riley Edwards

  Something new to add to the list of all the ways this woman makes me lose my mind. I’d planned on going slow; I just wanted to feel her. Then the impulse to claim her washed over me. Once the urge had taken root, all I wanted was to own every part of her. She was remarkable. Drama on top of drama was thrown at her last night, and she handled it all – without complaint. It was more than that; she’d simply stepped up and stood by my side, some of the time she took the lead, realizing I was ready to lose my shit.

  Stephanie strikes again.

  Stephanie Clark had always been a disaster but this? This shit was beyond compare. How could any mother put their child through what she had? I didn’t know the half of it, and I was afraid I didn’t want to know the rest. I couldn’t believe that bitch told Nicholas that I didn’t like him. I was lost and man enough to admit it. My job, raising a kid, repairing the damage that viper had inflicted, Reagan. I was in over my head on all accounts.

  “What has you thinking so hard back there?” Reagan’s sleep rough voice made me smile.

  “What makes you think I’m thinking?” I quipped.

  “I hope that’s what has your attention and you’re already not bored with me.”

  She wiggled her ass against my cock, and I groaned.

  “How do you feel?” I asked, positioning myself at her opening, teasing the entrance with the head.

  “Magnificent.” She giggled.

  “You good if I go bareback?” I asked.

  “Yes.” She pushed back, forcing the tip to slip in.

  My hand snaked under her shirt and pushed it up, exposing her back to my lips and breasts to my hands.

  “You have great tits, baby.”

  I couldn’t keep my mouth off her skin. I wasn’t picky. As long as I could kiss, lick, or suck her silky flesh, I was in heaven. Reagan’s pants turned into moans, and the bucking of her hips became urgent when I pinched and pulled on her nipples.

  “Catch up, Nolan, I want you to come with me.”

  Shit. I almost came as soon as the demand left her mouth.

  “Bossy this morning. I should draw this out. Make you wait to take your pleasure.” She reared back, taking me so deep my balls tightened, and my eyes slammed shut. “Fuck. Come with me, Rea. Now baby.”

  We both moaned together and fell over the edge. When my mind cleared enough to think, I realized another piece of the puzzle had clicked into place.

  ***

  Nicholas was sitting eating pancakes that Reagan had made him before she scurried off to get ready.

  “What grade are you in, bud?” I asked.

  I knew absolutely nothing about the kid and only after Reagan said he’d need school supplies did I even contemplate what it would mean to get him enrolled. She laughed her ass off when she’d asked how good the school system was in my area and I had no idea what that meant.

  “Sixth,” he answered between bites.

  “Do you like school? Get good grades?”

  He washed his mouthful of food down with a gulp of orange juice and answered, “When I’m there I do. I don’t get good grades because I miss most of the tests.”

  I knew what that meant. Stephanie was too drunk or hungover to drive him there. The woman was unreal.

  “We’ll have to start looking into enrolling you in school after this weekend. Rea said that you guys could pick up some school supplies today too, or you can wait until I don’t work and I can take you.”

  “I don’t want to be a bother.”

  There was that word again. I was beginning to despise that word. No child should ever feel like they’re a bother or burden.

  I took my coffee and sat across from him. “Look at me bud.” He did, and I had to force myself to hold his gaze. It was painful to look at him - a mini version of my brother. “Please stop saying you don’t want to be a bother. You are not one. Whether you live here for the long haul or not, this is your home. Wherever I am, wherever I live, you will always be welcome. You do not ask for permission to get something to eat or drink; you help yourself. It’s yours. That bedroom is yours. The TV, the movies, all yours. Make yourself at home.”

  I’d have to remember to check my movies, not that I had many DVDs. Most of my collection was digital but the movies that were not kid-friendly needed to be moved.

  “I’d like to go get school stuff with you,” he answered, then added “I didn’t see a chore list. Do you have one for me?”

  “A chore list?”

  “In the group homes, there’s always a list of stuff that each person has to do, you know, to earn their keep.”

  Motherfucker.

  “You don’t earn your keep. This is your home. Remember? I’ll make you a deal. You keep your room straight, and if I need help around the house, I’ll ask. But while we’re working out the kinks, how about you sit back, relax, and get used to me and your new house. You’ll start school, have homework, stuff you’ll need to concentrate on.”

  “Okay.”

  “Are you still hungry?” He didn’t answer but looked at his plate. “One more thing. I want the truth. I’ll always be honest with you and, in return, I want the truth from you – always.”

  “Yes, I’m still hungry.”

  “Good. Check the pantry and fridge and tell me what you want.”

  He did as I asked, giving me the opportunity to look at him. He was tall but skinny, too skinny.

  There was a knock on the door before I heard it open and Jasper waltzed his ass into my house. He had a habit of entering dwellings without permission.

  “This isn’t Lenox’s house. Don’t make a habit of barging in,” I scolded, even though I wasn’t angry.

  “Right. Because you might be banging…”

  “Don’t finish that.” I stopped the crude comeback.

  “Crap. Forgot,” he apologized.

  “Hey bud, come here. I want to introduce you to my friend.”

  Nicholas walked in, eyed Jasper with suspicion, and stepped closer to me.

  While it felt good that he’d come to me for protection, I was pissed he thought he had to. This was his house, and he damn well should feel safe in it. Another thing I’d talk to him about.

  “Yo. Nicholas, right?” Jasper gave him a chin lift.

  “Yeah, but everyone calls me Nick.”

  My heart flipped, and I hoped I was able to cover it before he saw.

  “Cool. So, Nick, you gonna hang out with the women today?” Jasper carried on.

  “Yeah, Rea said we were going to the mall.” The look that passed over Nick’s face was clearly one of displeasure. I didn’t blame the kid; I hated shopping too.

  “Sorry, kid. That sucks. Maybe this weekend you can hang with the guys, and we can toss a ball or something.”

  “Really?”

  “Absolutely. My boy Jason would love to hang out too. He’s a little younger than you, but he’s pretty good at football. Do you like to play?”

  “I’ve never played football,” Nick answered.

  “We’ll have Levi come along too. He was the star quarterback at his high school. Maybe he can teach you a thing or two since your uncle’s still learning himself.” Jasper chuckled at his joke, and I barely refrained from flipping him the bird.

  “Can we?” Nick turned to me and asked.

  “Of course,” I answered.

  Reagan came into the room, and I wanted to haul her ass back into my room. I had no idea how she’d managed to get into the jeans she was wearing. They were tight, sexy as hell, and showcased her tight ass. Hot damn!

  “What’d I miss?” she asked.

  “Nothing. Guys making plans,” Jasper told her.

  “Uncle Nolan, is it alright if I have a bowl of cereal?”

  I stopped myself from correcting him, remembering it would take time for him to feel comfortable.

  “You need help?” I asked instead.

  “No.”

  “Then help yourself. Jasper and I are going to head to work now. You good?”

&n
bsp; “Will you be home tonight?” he asked.

  “Yeah. I’ll be home around five,” I assured him and wondered if there were times that Stephanie didn’t come home, leaving him to fend for himself.

  “I left you a card on the counter,” I told Reagan, bending to give her soft kiss on her lips before continuing. “Thanks for your help.”

  “Of course. Have a good day at work,” she whispered.

  “Please settle Emily down today; she’s having a shit hemorrhage.” Jasper’s brows were pulled together, clearly unhappy about Emily’s state of mind.

  Reagan easily agreed to talk to Emily and check in later.

  We were halfway to work before Jasper spoke. “Seems like things have changed between you and Reagan.”

  It was a statement, one I was going to ignore. Things had changed, only I wasn’t sure they were for the better. Yet again, Stephanie had fucked with my life, turning everything on its head at the blink of an eye. She did have the worst timing. Not that finding out about Nicholas wasn’t welcomed, even if it was eleven years late. I only had a limited amount of time left with Reagan, and now it was going to be filled with lawyers, schools, and a boy that was going to need more of my attention than I had hours in the day.

  Maybe it was time to cut her loose. The last thing Reagan needed was having to deal with the fallout from my ex-wife. I filled Jasper in on last night, and when I was done, he had the same what-the-fuck look I had last night.

  “You know we’ll all pitch in and help where we can,” he said.

  “’’Preciate it.”

  Chapter Seventeen

  “Let’s go. Let’s go,” Nick nagged.

  Clark chuckled, and I rolled my eyes – for the tenth time today.

  Nick had settled in nicely. It’d taken a few days, but after the court-appointed attorney and the social worker came to the house and explained that Clark would be granted temporary guardianship, Nick seemed to relax. The conversation about Clark applying for custody of Nicholas had also been discussed. When Nick started fidgeting and expressing concern about who would take care of Stephanie, Clark stopped the conversation and told the attorney that permanent custody would be filed when Nick was ready.

  “Uncle Nolan,” he whined again. “Make her hurry up.”

  “You don’t rush a woman when she’s getting ready,” Clark answers.

  I could hear them moving around the living room when I grabbed my sneakers and headed down the hall. We were going to Jasper’s to play catch in their backyard again. We were supposed to meet at the park this time so the guys could have more room, but Emily changed the plans at the last minute.

  “Why’s that?”

  “Because, when a beautiful woman cares enough about you to take her time to look nice, you appreciate it. That and she might take your head off if you rush her.”

  Nick laughed at his uncle. He’d been doing more of that lately, and it was a pleasure to watch.

  “Ha-ha. Funny guy today. Well, if you jokesters are done messing around, let’s hit the road.”

  I caught Nick making a face at Clark, and my heart swelled. I loved that the two of them were getting close. Nick was a great kid. It was going to be hard to leave. We hadn’t talked about how quickly the week had passed and how fast the day was approaching when I’d be going to Florida. The three of us had been living in a bubble.

  Much to Clark’s dismay, Nick and I took over the radio as soon as we got into the Jeep and by the time we were pulling into Jasper’s driveway he was threatening to cancel his satellite radio subscription if we ever used the Top-100 station again.

  Secretly, I think he liked the music. More than once I caught him strumming his sexy fingers on the steering wheel as he maneuvered down the highway. What was it about a man driving that was so sexy? Every time we got in the Jeep I wanted to crawl into his lap and wedge myself between the steering wheel and his hard chest or lean over the center console and give him the blowjob I’ve wanted to try but had yet to work up the courage to do.

  How exactly was one supposed to approach that topic? Hey Clark, I’ve never given head, mind teaching me? By the way, I apologize in advance if I bite your dick in the process. Ouch. I bet he’d jump right on that and let me use his member for practice. Maybe I should start with a piece of fruit, see if I can manage that without bruising the peel before I move on to a real-life penis.

  “What are you thinking about that has your face so red?” Clark whispered in my ear.

  I hadn’t realized we’d stopped and he’d turned off the car. Oops.

  “Nothing,” I squeaked.

  “Hey, bud. Do me a favor, yeah? Go into the house and tell Jasper we’ll be right there.”

  Nick jumped out without complaint or question and ran for the door.

  “Tell me.” Clark kissed the skin around my throat, sending chills to all the right places. “Tell me.” He continued his exploration up to my earlobe and sucked it into his mouth. “Tell me.”

  “Oh, all right. I was thinking about how I’ve never given a blowjob and was wondering what my chances were of you teaching me.”

  Embarrassed was an understatement. I needed to learn how to shut up.

  “Let me get this straight. You want me to teach you how to suck me off, and you thought I’d say no?”

  “I could bite you. Or not be any good at it.”

  “You planning on biting me?” His eyebrows lifted, punctuating his question.

  “Of course not.”

  “Then I can tell you that it will be good.”

  “How do you know that? I’ve never done it before.”

  Clark framed my face with his large hands, pulling me close before he answered. “Baby, nothing could be bad about you taking my cock in your mouth. Just the thought of it is getting me hard. If you did nothing more than use your pretty pink tongue to lick it, I’d still shoot off.”

  “Can I try it tonight?”

  Could I sound anymore eager?

  “Feel free to try anytime you’d like.”

  The house was full of people by the time we’d made our way inside. I looked around noticing that Lily and Blake were both absent.

  “Where’s Lily?” I asked Emily, remembering she was almost ready to give birth.

  “She went to rest in my bed, said that she was having a few contractions but didn’t want Lenox to know. And Blake is at the Post today working on some issue the guys ran into this week,” she answered.

  “Shouldn’t Lily go to the hospital?”

  “No.” Emily laughed. “The contractions aren’t regular; she’s been having them for days. She’s not due for another two weeks.”

  The mention of Lily’s due date reminded me that I would miss the birth of the baby. Both Lily and Lenox knew the sex of the baby, but they’d refused to tell anyone. I thought it was cool they had their own little secret, but it was driving the rest of the guys crazy.

  “How are you feeling?” Last time I saw Emily she thought she was getting the flu but looked a lot better today.

  “I’m… um… I don’t have the flu,” she stuttered.

  “Well, that’s good.”

  “Let’s get the guys out back to play catch, and we’ll talk,” she whispered.

  We still hadn’t found a new venue for Jasper and Emily’s wedding, and the ordeal was taking a toll on her. Last night on the phone she revealed she was still worried it was the universe’s way of keeping them apart. I hadn’t had the chance to tell Jasper what Em had told me. He will lose his ever-loving-mind when I tell him. One thing was certain; he loved Emily and Jason more than I’ve ever seen a man love his woman. He wouldn’t want her upset or sad for one minute. I had faith that he’d assuage her fears.

  The men quickly dispersed to the backyard at Emily’s suggestion, and we watched through the back window as they picked teams and huddled together.

  “I’m pregnant,” Emily announced.

  “What?”

  “I’m scared to death,” she went on. “When J
asper came back from visiting you in Montana, we’d talked about the possibility of kids in our future. We both agreed we wanted them, but he was clear that he didn’t want it to happen until we were married. Now, here I am pregnant and I can’t find a damn place to marry us.”

  “You think he’ll be mad?” I asked, or afraid he’ll run like he did with my sister. I didn’t ask the last part out loud. Part of the reason was it was plain old rude, even with my lack of social grace I knew that. The other part was I was afraid of her answer. I knew Jasper wouldn’t leave her, and truthfully somewhere deep down inside that hurt. It shouldn’t, but it did.

  “I don’t know.”

  “Emily, listen to me. He won’t be mad. He’s going to be thrilled. He won’t care for one second you’re not married. Jasper loves you with all his heart.”

  “Damn right I do,” Jasper said. “What’s wrong?”

  Both of us startled at his intrusion; I hadn’t heard him come in. I remained silent. This wasn’t my secret to tell. If Emily wanted to wait to tell him when their house wasn’t full of people; I couldn’t blame her.

  “Nothing,” she said, but she wasn’t fooling anyone with the hitch in her voice.

  “Emily.” Jasper’s declaration left no room for her to sidestep this conversation. Crap.

  “I’m pregnant,” she blurted out.

  And here people say that I was blunt and just said whatever popped into my head. It was the truth, I did do that, but Emily didn’t try and lead into her announcement in any way. She just ripped the Band-Aid off. Much to Jasper’s credit, his face remained blank for a moment before his lips curled up into a smile.

  “Yeah?” he asked.

  “Yeah,” she confirmed.

  “We’re gonna have a baby,” he said rhetorically.

  “You’re not mad?”

  “Fuck no. How could I be mad that my beautiful, sweet wife is having our baby?

  “But I’m not your wife,” she reminded him.

  I didn’t need to be a part of this private moment; I didn’t want to be a part of it. I was thrilled to pieces they were going to have a baby, but the memories of my sister’s pregnancy were stirring in my mind. How scared she was, how lonely, how strong she’d been going through it all by herself. It was water under the bridge, and I’d never bring it up to Jasper. Liz loved Jasper the way only a best friend could love. She forgave him and understood his reaction. Jasper had finally freed himself of the guilt and pain that had eaten away at him for years. No way would I ever want those feelings to return. He deserved to be happy and have a family.