She flowed into everything, filling every dark corner of my once hardened heart. There were so many things about her I didn’t know yet, but so many things I’d picked up on, not realizing how thirsty I was to absorb every detail of her.
For years, I thought there was something wrong with me. I hadn’t fallen in love with Cheryl. I’d loved her for giving me Sawyer, I loved her for being the mother of my daughter, but I’d never felt for her what I felt for Gwen.
Here I was, sitting in the hospital thinking about how I believed a future was possible, that we could fill the house with so much more.
I dialed, bringing the phone to my ear while it rang.
“Hello?” Mom said.
“Hey, Mom. I’m at the hospital. Cheryl had her baby.”
“Three months early? Is she okay? Is the baby okay?” I could hear the concern in her voice as clearly as her pacing.
“They’re both okay. The baby has fluid in the lungs, but is otherwise healthy. Cheryl had a c-section, so she’s going to need a few weeks of recovery. I’ll have Sawyer during that time.”
I could hear rustling on the other end of the line. “Of course. I can be there Friday.” Mom worked, and I knew she had to give her boss notice.
“I can’t ask you to do that. I’m just going to call around and see if any daycares have spots.”
“Alaric, it’s July,” Mom deadpanned. “Spots will be full, and unless you have a friend out there that could help you…”
She had me there. If Mom were right about the daycares, I’d have to hope Russell could give me the next several weeks off. If I did that, I likely wouldn’t have a job to return to, and I couldn’t ask Gwen to take time off.
“All right,” I sighed, running a hand through my hair and leaning back in the chair. “Thanks, Mom.”
“It’s no bother.” She said warmly. “I’ll see you Friday afternoon.”
21
Surprise!
Gwen
I lifted my hand, rapping my knuckles against Alaric’s front door. Light spilled from the house, and I could see him as he made his way down the hall. I bit my lip, feeling suddenly nervous about the impulsive decision I’d made to show up.
Alaric opened the door, his eyes dropping to the large gift bag and boxes of pizza.
“I might have copied your crafty idea.” I laughed, feeling a little uneasy. He was just—looking at me. His blue eyes drinking in everything. It was heavy and profound and a little disorienting, like I’d just gotten off a tilt-a-whirl.
He cracked a smile, his hands reaching out to take the pizza boxes from me. “She’s quick.”
“Very,” I breathed, lifting the bag. “I come bearing gifts, for Sawyer. They’re big sister gifts.”
“Big sister gifts?”
“Yeah, it’s a thing. Don’t side-eye me. The big sister gets to celebrate, too.” I scolded good-naturedly, stepping into the foyer. Tig and Sawyer both flew towards the door, Tig barking and Sawyer giggling because she’d somehow managed to attach a stuffed Elsa onto Tig’s back by tucking Elsa’s hands beneath Tig’s collar. It did look pretty ridiculous.
“Hi! Oh! What are those?” Sawyer skidded to a stop, her eyes widening at the sight of the gift bag I held.
“They’re big sister presents since you’ve joined the big sister club.” I passed the bag to her.
“The big sister club?” she echoed, taking it from me with a bright smile and sinking onto the floor to open it.
Alaric’s hand reached for mine, our fingers tangling. I glanced at him, and he smiled a smile that said a hundred words. He wanted me here, was happy to see me, and my nervousness about showing up uninvited evaporated.
“Oh! Pretty!” Sawyer exclaimed, drawing out a tote that had two little giraffes on it, one slightly bigger than the other, with the words BIG SISTER embroidered on it. She reached into the bag again, pulling out a pink bracelet that said sister, followed by a pink cheer ribbon that said the same thing.
“See? Big sister gifts. Get it?” I whispered to Alaric when she produced a frame. He grinned at me, turning his chin to look back at his daughter.
“What do you say, Sawyer?”
“Thank you!” she chirped happily, standing and wrapping her arms around my waist tightly. I dropped Alaric’s hand, my arms going around her too. A moment later she backed away, moving to her father have him put the bracelet around her wrist.
“Very pretty,” I said when she wiggled her arm to show it off.
Sawyer paused and sniffed the air. “I’m hungry,” she added, her eyes on the boxes in Alaric’s hand. He chuckled, ruffling the top of her head, and I internally melted.
“Let’s go eat,” Alaric said, his hand moving to the small of my back. Sawyer grabbed the rest of her presents, filling the tote with her gifts. She picked up the ribbon, and I stepped forward, helping her put it on.
Shouldering her tote, she fluttered off down the hallway, the sight of her swallowed up by Tig at her heels. The dog looked monstrous beside such a tiny human.
In the privacy of the hall, Alaric’s hand dropped to my ass, and he squeezed it, leaning forward to capture my lips in a brief searing kiss that made my toes curl delightfully.
“Stay a while,” he murmured, and I nodded, too choked up on the swoons to reply.
Sawyer had disappeared, but slight sounds from the mudroom gave away her location. She was feeding Tig, the tinging of kibble against his tin bowl, and her command to eat followed by Tig doing just that.
“Wash up, unless you want your pizza to taste like dog food,” Alaric instructed, and Sawyer skipped off to the bathroom.
“She’s like, scarily independent for five,” I teased.
“Tell me about it.” He laughed, shaking his head as he sat the boxes down on the counter. He went to the cupboard to grab plates, his eyes flitting to mine.
“Are all kids that easy?”
“Dunno. Only have the one.” He smirked, and I laughed at his factious tone.
The taps turned off, and Sawyer left the bathroom, the door clanging against the stopper. “Oops, sorry!”
“It’s all right; that’s what the door stoppers for.” Alaric grinned, looking down to start dishing out the pizza. Cheese and pineapple for Sawyer, and meat lovers for him. “Which one do you want?” he asked, cocking a brow at me.
“I’ll take a big slice of meat, lover.” I winked.
He chuckled, piling it onto a plate and handing it to me. “You can have my meat later if you stay.” He murmured, his voice audible to only me.
“That can be arranged,” I said, smiling as I took the plate from him and motioned for Sawyer’s. He passed it to me, his smile growing even warmer, and his eyes followed me while I crossed over to the dining room. Sawyer was perched in a chair, waiting impatiently for her pizza.
I set the plates down on the table as someone knocked on the door. Tig started barking, and I looked at Alaric with confusion. He frowned, equally perplexed. Setting his plate down, he left to answer it.
The door opened, and I froze, hearing my father’s voice. “Where is she?”
Moving down the hallway, I glanced from Alaric to my dad. “Dad, hey. What um, what brings you here?”
My father’s expression was anything but amused. His stormy eyes shifted from me to Alaric and back again, a slight tick in his jaw and his immediate smile tell-tale signs that he wasn’t thrilled with me. “I could ask you the same thing.”
“Well,” I said, drawing out the word and looking at Alaric for assurance. He nodded, doing that ridiculous eye-smile thing that made butterflies swoop low in my belly every time, without fail. “We’re together, so. Um. I’m here for moral support and pizza?”
Dad’s eyes moved from me to Alaric, assessing him without warmth. “This is the first time I’ve heard about it.”
Sawyer’s voice called from the dining room. “Hello! I’m all alone in here!”
“Why don’t you come in for a bit, Russell? No sense in talking this out on
the porch.” My father was thrown off by Alaric’s invitation, and the astonishment meant I had a slight advantage. He stepped inside, Alaric closing the door behind him.
“Daddy! I’m thirsty!” Sawyer called again.
Alaric sent an apologetic look to my father and went to tend to his daughter, leaving Dad and me alone in the hallway.
The expression my father gave me was full of disappointment. He hadn’t looked at me that way since he caught me trying to sneak back into my bedroom, drunk as a skunk at seventeen.
“Dad, we planned on telling you soon, but the current situation…” I trailed off, looking over my shoulder. I could hear the refrigerator opening and closing and Alaric’s deep, gentle voice as he spoke to his daughter.
Dad exhaled, nodding slowly, trying to reign in his reaction. My father was prone to act first and think later, so I appreciated the attempt. He scratched at the back of his head, mulling it over.
I pressed my lips together, tilting my head, detesting the silent route he was going for. “Well, why are you here?”
“To check on my employee,” Dad responded gruffly, following me down the hallway. He glanced darkly at Alaric, who was placing a glass of milk on the table in front of Sawyer.
Alaric looked up when we entered the kitchen, and I was thankful that he didn’t appear intimidated or bothered at all by my father’s presence. He set the glass of milk down in front of Sawyer.
“Hi, Boss Man!” She waved, recognizing my father from the barbeque. His gruff expression softened some, and he smiled lightly at her. I let out an inaudible sigh of relief.
“Hello, Sawyer, how are you?” my dad said.
“I’m good! I meeted my sister!”
“Met,” Alaric corrected distractedly, grinning down ruefully at her before shifting his attention to my father.
Dad cleared his throat, lifted his chin a little, and leveled Alaric with a look that would have made most men tuck tail and run. “So.” The single-syllable word held so much power.
“Sawyer will be staying with me until her mom recovers from her surgery,” Alaric responded, keeping his gaze respectfully on my father while absently tweaking the tip of Sawyer’s nose, making her giggle, before she moved away from the table. “I wasn’t able to find a daycare position for her this late into the summer, but my mom is coming Friday to help out.”
I hesitated, knowing how much my dad needed him in the shop this week. I could see him warring with it, with what to do. My father was a family man through and through, but he was also a businessman.
“Take the rest of the week off,” Dad said after a loaded minute. His eyes went from me to Alaric, and he smiled tightly. “Be in the office Monday at seven, ready to work harder than you’ve ever worked before.”
Alaric nodded, and Dad turned to leave. But he inclined his head when Alaric spoke, his voice low enough for only the three of us to hear.
“Just so you know, Sir…I care about your daughter. A lot. And I think she feels the same way about me. I’m sorry we didn’t tell you sooner.” His hand slipped through mine, and he gave it a little squeeze.
My father nodded. “This better be the last time you fuck up, son,” he said, his eyes twinkling, but his voice holding a subtle threat.
Alaric nodded once, showing that he’d heard him, and that his threat didn’t scare him.
Alaric
Gwen let out a sigh of relief and leaned against the door. “I am so, so incredibly sorry about that,” she said, shaking her head and looking at me apologetically. She was mortified, and it was kind of cute.
“Don’t worry about it. I get it. I’d have skinned me alive if I were him.” I grinned, shrugging a little. “I should have called him sooner to let him know what was happening, but I got sidetracked.”
She nodded, her long hair spilling over her shoulders with the movement. “Well, I’m sorry he got all up in your grill.”
“We were going to tell him sooner or later, right?” I chuckled lightly, slipping my hand around her waist and dragging her against me for a kiss.
“Daaad!” Sawyer called. Her voice grew closer. “I’m bored! Can we play a game?”
I tilted my head. “We’ve got a lot of board games if you’re up for it.”
“Oh, I’m up for it,” Gwen said, her eyes sparkling. “Prepare to lose. I am the queen of board games.”
“We’ll see about that,” I said, slapping her ass before we headed back to the kitchen.
We grabbed our plates of untouched pizza before heading to the great room, where our collection of board games was stored.
Slowly, I’d unpacked this place with a fantasy similar to this in mind. I stole a glance at Gwen. My smile grew as I watched her reach for the game Sawyer pointed to. Gwen had to stand on her tippy toes, but she tugged down Candyland and brought it to the coffee table. Sitting on one of the leather couches, she made herself comfortable.
Sawyer was every bit as enthralled with her as I was, and she sat beside her, quickly selecting her favourite piece, Princess Lolly.
While Tig settled in front of the stone fireplace, heaving a sigh of contentment that I related to, I sat beside Sawyer on the other end of the couch. Stealing a glance in Gwen’s direction, I was struck by how integral this moment and all the moments that led up to it really were.
Gwen decided on Jolly, which made Sawyer giggle. “Daddy! You be King Kandy!” she said, thrusting the piece at me.
“Daddy, is Gwen your girlfriend?”
The brush in my hand halted mid-stroke, and Sawyer turned to look at me. “Would it be okay if she was?” I asked her.
Sawyer thought about it—her little nose scrunching up and her head tilting. “Yes. I like her. She can be your girlfriend,” she answered after a moment of consideration.
Chuckling, I resumed brushing the tangles out of Sawyer’s fine hair. I braided it, and once I finished, I tossed it over her shoulder and tweaked her nose. “Bedtime.”
Sawyer yawned and crawled up to her pillow, flopping dramatically. I stood and pulled her covers up, pressing a kiss to her forehead. “Good night, Daddy,” she said, another yawn following.
“Good night, munchkin,” I replied, turning out the lamp on her bedside table. I flicked on her star night light, walking lightly from her room. I lingered at the door for a moment, watching the gentle rise and fall of her chest while she drifted off.
Tig was snoring softly on the floor at the foot of her bed. I left the door cracked open an inch so that he could nose his way through if he wanted to go, but knowing he wouldn’t.
Downstairs, I found Gwen tidying the kitchen. She looked up as she rinsed a plate, watching me stalk over to her with purpose.
Pressing against her from behind, I moved her hair over her shoulder, kissing the skin on the nape of her neck. “Thanks for coming over tonight.”
She smiled, turning off the tap and twisting so that she was facing me. Her arms slipped around my neck, and she grinned, dimples popping. “I had a lot of fun…minus my dad’s interruption.”
“Don’t even worry about that.” I shrugged it off. “In fact, before he showed up, I was going to ask you something.”
“What?”
“If you’ll come over for dinner Friday night?” I said, never breaking eye contact. Gwen smiled slowly.
“Are we at that stage already?” she teased.
“Woman, it’s been eight weeks.”
“But we haven’t been serious for eight weeks,” she retorted haughtily, but I caught the lie in her eyes. It made me grin, made my cock harden against her thigh. “Well, we were seriously casual, and then casually serious…” she trailed off the moment I laid a hot, sucking kiss to the secretive place along the side of her throat, just beneath her jaw—the place I knew would drive her crazy.
She withered against me, her hands dropping to my chest, gripping the material of my shirt. I lifted my head to give her a serious look, and she laughed. “I’d be happy to meet your mom,” she said, her eyes warming.
“Good. Now, for the second order of business…” I said, lifting her and setting her down on the counter. She was at the perfect height, and I settled between her thighs, eliciting sighs from her as I kissed along her collarbone and neck.
A soft moan spilled from her lips when my mouth covered her nipple over her lace bra. “Alaric,” she breathed.
The sound of my name on her lips, the way she felt, all of it so deliriously arousing that I couldn’t help but push my thickening erection against the place between her thighs where I desperately wanted to be.
She bit down on her bottom lip, pulling away to look at me as my fingers deftly unhooked her bra. It fell, sliding off her legs to the floor, and she moved to unbutton her jeans. Gripping the edge of the counter, she lifted her ass so I could pull them the rest of the way off her.
They hit the floor noisily, the brass button clicking on the tile. I pulled my shirt off and unbuttoned my jeans, the descending zipper punctuating the silence.
Gwen cast a worried look over her shoulder toward the stairs. I gently cupped her chin, turning her head back in my direction. “We won’t wake her,” I promised, my lips flitting over hers as my hand slid into my back pocket for a condom.
Pushing my pants over my hips, I rolled the condom on in one fluid motion. “You know, I am on birth control,” she pointed out, smirking a little.
“I know,” I gritted. I didn’t need the reminder; it just made shedding the condom all that more appealing. God, I wanted to—so badly—but I was afraid to do it, even once. Fearful that if I truly knew what it felt like to sink completely bare into her, I’d never be satisfied using a condom again.
I wasn’t deterred by the prospect of knocking her up, not in the slightest. But with her, I wanted to do things the right way.
I pushed into her, burying myself to the hilt. Gwen’s legs wrapped tightly around my hips as I pumped in and out of her, each thrust bringing us both closer to release.
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