by Lane Hart
"Katie?" Joe asks, snapping me back to reality.
"Huh?"
"Is it…okay?"
"What is it?" I ask.
"A, um, little train track with motorized engine. It's for ages three and up. I checked to make sure."
And that's when my heart melts into a soppy puddle. "Thanks, Joe. You didn't have to do that, but I'm sure he'll love it."
"Good," he exhales, and visibly relaxes like he'd really been worried.
I realize he’s still standing outside because I haven’t moved, so I step aside to let him in. "Go ahead," I tell him, motioning to Drew.
"Hey, Drew. Whatcha drawing?" he asks.
"A doggy, woof-woof," Drew replies.
"Nice." Joe laughs. "I brought you something. Do you want to see it?"
Drew's eyes brighten at the mention of a gift. "Yay!" he exclaims. Hopping off the couch he goes straight for the bag Joe sat down in the floor. The little man gasps when he looks inside. After that his tiny hands start clapping and he jumps up and down, squealing with glee. "Thomas!"
"Yeah, you think you can help me put it together?" Joe asks
"Yes! Let's pway," he says, his L's sounding toddler cute when replaced with W's.
Ten minutes later, Thomas is making his first trip around the track that’s not little as Joe had claimed. I can't complain, though, because Drew absolutely loves it, and Joe also thought to get batteries, which is impressive.
Drew watches as the train winds its way up the spiral hill to the castle, where it just misses the gate falling on it, then out to the cliff where it suddenly drops through the mountain to come out with a small gold crown as its new cargo. An automatic crane moves just in time to replace a piece of missing track, then the train starts making the whole circuit again. It’s an incredible playset from an even more incredible man.
"You did really good picking this for him, Joe. I'm guessing it'll be one of the few things that actually keeps him entertained for hours."
"Good," he says from where he’s still sitting on the floor, showing Drew how to reset all the little tricks on the track. After the third circuit Drew has it all down and can run the track by himself. Hopping up from his spot on the floor, Drew throws his arms around Joe's neck, catching him and me both off-guard.
"Thank you for my choo-choo. I wuv it," he tells him.
And cue the waterworks. I quickly wipe the moisture away and try to get my head out of the clouds. Sure, Drew's happy now, but what'll happen when he doesn't see Joe anymore? It's not just me that'll be devastated. Oh God. I can't be so selfish to have Joe temporarily when it means hurting Drew in the long run. I head for the kitchen to try and gather my composure before I ask Joe to leave. Just thinking about not seeing him anymore has my chest aching and my stomach in knots.
My palms are braced on the kitchen island when Joe comes up behind me, wrapping his arms around my waist. "Hey," he says softly. "What's wrong?"
I shake my head, and swallow some of the emotion down. "I can't do this, Joe."
"Can't do what?"
"Us! I can't…we can't. Every second you're here…is going to make it that much worse. I can handle you breaking my heart...but I can't let you break his." My tears have turned to sobs despite how hard I try to hold it together. I selfishly want to be with him, more than anything, and it hurts so damn much to do this.
"You think I don't know that?" Joe asks with his lips against my hair. "I want to be here with you and him, and I promise you I'm not going anywhere, Katie Kat, not unless you make me. I'm falling more in love with you every single day and have been since the moment I met you. Please, just give me a chance to prove that to you."
While my heart tries to find its rhythm again, I let him turn me in around his arms until I’m facing him. Joe's cerulean eyes are pleading and sincere as they look into mine. After his thumbs wipe away my tears, his lips brush against mine. Our kiss grows and becomes needy and urgent. Lifting me up he sits me on the counter to stand between my legs.
"How much longer to bedtime?" he asks as he pulls back.
"Half an hour," I say based on the time showing on the oven.
"If you let me stay, I've got my suit for tomorrow in the car. I won't have to leave in the morning."
I nod, wanting more than anything to give him the chance he asked me for. If he's as serious as he sounded, then maybe this really will work out for the best. Maybe, if Joe’s being honest about what he wants, I can have a little happiness in my life without worrying about hurting Drew. "I want you to stay."
"Good," he says with a smile. "Now let's go see if he's worn out the batteries in the train yet. I've got twenty-two more out in the car, if so."
I’m unable to control my ridiculously happy grin. "If it's possible, I think I want you even more after hearing that you have a battery supply."
Even after Joe’s sincere words before he spent the night again, I knew better than to get my hopes up for this becoming a habit. But I did want him to prove he meant what he said, that I can count on him to stick around.
Unfortunately, the first real test came a lot quicker than I expected.
The next day at work, I'd just got back to the office from my second appointment when I see the vase of flowers taking up most of my desk. A beautiful bouquet of white roses with a few red ones interspersed. I pluck the card from the center already knowing who sent them. The handwritten note reads:
Even if I was lucky enough to wake up with you in my arms every morning, I'd still dream of you each night.
Sorry I have to miss lunch, but I promise I'll make it up to you.
When I woke with him spooning me again this morning, my heart came to a stop in my chest. I was thrilled, while at the same time a little sad thinking I shouldn't get used to how good it feels to share a bed with him. Sure, he didn't immediately go running when he found out I was raising a toddler, but that doesn't mean he won't eventually.
I push those depressing thoughts aside and decide to live in the here and now, enjoying this new relationship and hoping for the best. So he got tied up and had to cancel our lunch plans. It happens. We both work in a demanding field where you never know what emergency might come up or when.
Only Joe's emergency wasn't work related. Later that afternoon I got a text from him that said he was in Charlotte because Lacy has been admitted into the hospital. She's gone into preterm labor and he was down there making sure she and the baby were okay. Possibly his baby.
Jealousy is such an annoying little bitch, trying to suffocate me and drown my happiness. Joe admitted he had been with Lacy recently, and yeah, even if her boyfriend had been present, they were still together. If he's planning to continue…whatever it is between them, then I don't want any part of him or his flowers or morning fucks or anything else.
...
Joe
Chad and I pull up at the Women's Hospital in Charlotte and follow the signs to labor and delivery. Will was a mess when he called, worried about Lacy being so stressed that it was probably making things that much worse on the baby.
Asking a nurse at the desk for her room number, she raises a curious eyebrow after she informed us only immediate family and fathers were allowed in the back. I told her we both potentially fell into the latter.
Lacy and Will are in a room with her dad. Oh shit! Does he know about our...unusual situation? I give Will a questioning look and he responds with a half shrug, seeming too worried about Lacy to care. Jim Pierce is surprised to see me and Chad. I think Chad’s definitely the most uncomfortable since Jim is still his current boss.
"How are you doing, Lace?" I ask, leaning down to kiss her forehead.
She frowns and looks over at the machines monitoring the devices stuck to her stomach. "The baby's heart rate is elevated. The doctor said it's probably because he or she is freaking out from being squeezed, ugh, like this," she says as her face pinches in pain. I put a hand on her pregnant belly, not caring about her dad's presence or what he thinks. Her stomach is
hard as a damn rock and I can feel the baby's frantic movement underneath. Lacy and Will have decided to let the gender be a surprise since the paternity will be as well. The suspense of it all is killing me.
"So have they told you anything?" I ask.
"They gave me a shot to hopefully stop the contractions. I haven't dilated any which is really good news. They're going to keep me overnight, and if things settle down, they'll let me go home tomorrow on bed rest possibly until the baby's full term."
"That's good, hopefully it'll stop, and you'll go on for a few more weeks."
"Yeah, hopefully at least seven more so the baby's full term."
"The doctor gave her a steroid shot to boost the baby's lungs in case it comes early, and told us to get a pediatrician lined up soon," Will adds.
"So now we wait?" Chad, who'd been relatively quiet, asks.
Jim clears his throat, and says, "Lacy, do I want to know the answer to why there are three men in the labor and delivery room with you?"
"No, Dad, you don't."
"Shit, what's going on? I just got your message after practice," Zack Bradford says when he comes bursting into the room.
"Goddamn it," her dad mutters before leaving.
Lacy fills Zack in while the rest of us pace, shuffle from foot-to-foot, watch the clock, and chew on our fingernails.
A nurse comes in a few minutes later. "How are you doing?" she asks Lacy, then does a double-take around the room. "Holy moly. You are one lucky lady to have such a seriously hot collection of visitors."
That at least puts a smile on Lacy's face. "Yeah, I am pretty lucky, but this is nothing. You should see them all naked."
The nurse laughs and fans her face while checking the various monitors. On the way out she stops, and gasps. "Zack Bradford? Oh my God! I'm such a huge fan!" she squeals, making the rest of us groan. Over the last few months we've all gotten to know Zack. He’s an arrogant, cocky man, but he’s a freaking NFL quarterback and women worship him.
"Thanks…Melissa. Glad to hear it," he says, reading her name badge. I’m worried she might actually faint when he smiles at her.
After that, Lacy gets the best care in the hospital. Two minutes would barely pass before a different nurse would came to check on her. Zack signed a few autographs. It was Grand Central fucking Station.
I sent Katie another text, asking how her afternoon was going, did she get her flowers, etc. Her answers were brief like she was pissed. Well, of course, you idiot, I tell myself. I was at the hospital with a pregnant woman I was sleeping with, who may or may not be carrying my child. I could see how she'd be upset by that. Oh, and I was also with the guy I've fucked. What the hell is Katie even doing with someone like me?
We all take turns heading to dinner as the hours tick by, well, everyone but Will who refused to leave Lacy's side. Chad and I grabbed him a sandwich, but he wouldn’t eat it since Lacy can't have anything.
By eight o'clock that night, Lacy's contractions stopped, the baby’s heart rate settled back down, and all of us were relieved at the improvement. Zack left first, and when Lacy and Will promised to call if anything changed, Chad and I finally got on the road to make the hour and a half trip back to Greensboro.
"You want to head back to your place and release some stress?" Chad asks after we reach the highway.
"No," I say quickly. "We can’t. Katie and I are officially seeing each other and I'm not gonna do anything to fuck that up."
"Oh really?" he asks. "So you two got together over the weekend?"
"Yeah."
"Well...good for you. I know you’ve been trying to hook up with her for a while. I mean, I hate that we're done, but I get it. I'm sure you don't want to take the chance that she would find out about us."
"I've already told her," I admit.
"What the fuck, Joe! What if she tells someone? I don't want to deal with that sort of rumor getting out!"
"She's not going to say anything."
"Are you sure?" he asks, fidgeting nervously in his seat.
"Yes, calm down."
He blows out his breath and is quiet for a few minutes. "So she was okay knowing you'd been with me?"
"Uh-huh. Actually she said it sounded pretty hot."
"Shit," he mutters. "You think she might want to…ah, play with us?"
"No fucking way. Even if she didn’t mind you and me…together, which I seriously doubt, I'm not sharing her."
"You wouldn't have to. I could watch you and her, she could watch us…"
I groan, getting aroused at the thought. "Doubtful, but…maybe. I guess I could ask."
…
Katie
I cleaned up the kitchen after dinner and tucked Drew away after his usual night time routine, the whole time trying not to let myself think of a certain tall, dark, and handsome man. I hadn't spoken to him since we rolled out of bed this morning, both of us tired and running late. After a quick kiss, Joe was out the door.
I'd stayed busy in the courtroom and law library most of the day, trying to avoid thinking about him in Charlotte. Joe texted a few times, but I wasn’t sure how to respond.
When it comes to Joe, as soon as he’s out of sight, not distracting me with his cerulean eyes and all-around sexy swagger, I can't figure out what I want. I mean I know I want Joe physically, I just didn't know what I was willing to lose in exchange for being with him. A broken heart for me and Drew? Conflict in our work relationship? Embarrassment when all of our coworkers realize he dumped me?
My cell phone rings after nine o'clock, which is unusual. I pick it up and see it’s Joe. After a few seconds of back and forth debate on what I should do, I finally answer.
"Hey, Joe."
"Hey, Katie Kat. Sorry I missed lunch today," he says, softening me up a little.
"It's fine. How's Lacy? And the, ah, baby?" I ask.
"Good. Her contractions have stopped for now and the baby's heart rate started to come down."
"Glad to hear it. I'm sure that's a relief."
"Yeah, it is. Chad and I are on our way back to town."
"Chad?" I ask. I'd completely forgotten that Joe had been...doing whatever it is with him. Are they still...hooking up?
"There's a chance the baby might be his, too."
"Oh." That's right, Lacy had been with them both. Two of the finest looking men I've ever seen.
"I know it's getting late, but I was just calling to see if you were up for company tonight?" he asks hesitantly. "If not, it's okay. You just seemed, um, interested when we talked about it."
"Oh," I respond, caught off-guard. Company? He still wants to come over. That’s a good sign, right? Then I consider the rest of his statement. "You, or you and Chad?" I ask.
"Either or both," he responds and heat floods me. Is that something I really want to be a part of? "He could just watch us or you could watch me and him…" he trails off.
"Yes," I say, surprising even myself. I'd told myself I'd keep my distance to avoid getting too deep and ending up hurt. Will he keep seeing Chad now that we’re dating? Or is he trying to say that he wants to keep Chad and have me at the same time? Maybe this is him trying to have it both ways. I don’t know how long whatever it is between him and Chad has been going on, and I never told him he needed to end it if he and I are to be together. I shouldn’t expect him to throw Chad and Lacy out of his life just because he also wants me and Drew in it. Tonight will give me a chance to see this other side of him before I talk to him about where it leaves us. And as selfish as it is, deep down, I also know that the reason I agreed is because I really want to see the two men together. "Drew's been asleep for a while so…" I tell him.
Joe clears his throat. "Okay, then I'll call when we get there, so we won't have to knock. It'll probably be about half an hour."
"Okay, see you then."
I pull my conservative pajamas off and head for a quick shower. After I dry off, I wrap a silk robe around me with nothing underneath. My heart races with excitement, arousal, and tre
pidation. Seeing two men being intimate together is somewhat…intimidating, but God, they are both hot as hell. I’ve never imagined doing anything like this before. I spent all seven years of college studying, especially in law school. Then I went right to work while dealing with my sister's death, and becoming a substitute mother. A flood of guilt washes over me for considering doing something so damn irresponsible, and it throws me a little off balance. But Drew’s asleep and he'll never know what’s going on. Parents have sex with their kids in the house all the time, right? The last two nights have been fun, and they have me wishing Joe was here more mornings, too.
Will I be jealous of seeing Joe with someone else? If it was Lacy I’m certain I would. With Chad? I guess I’ll find out, and then we can figure out what this whole situation means for the future.
My phone lights up with a text that reads, almost there, so I head for the front door, my heart racing in my chest. I look out the peephole and see Joe's SUV pull up in the driveway and then he and Chad get out. Holy shit, I’m really going to do this.
The two men are still wearing parts of their dark suits from work but have lost their jackets and ties. Both have rolled the sleeves of their dress shirts up. Joe's is blue while Chad's is white. They look somewhat stressed and I realize that's what this is about. Letting go of the worry and stress of the day with sexual releases. That’s understandable given the situation.
I take a deep breath and unlock the door, finally pulling it open before they reach it.
"Hey," I say quietly.
"Hey, Katie Kat," Joe says with a smile, pulling me by my waist against him for a kiss.
When he lets me go, I look up into his blue eyes that seem darker in the dim light. "You guys look tired. Long day?"
"Yes," Joe replies. "But we're not that tired." His grin is mischievous and his face lights up like he’s turned on and wants to do something about it.
"Come on in," I tell him. Joe moves over, making room for Chad to get through the door.
"Katie, you and Chad have met before, right?" Joe asks softly, keeping his voice down.
"Yeah, we have. How's it going, Katie?" the man asks with a perfect, bright smile. He looks like a laid back California surfer playing dress up for a day with his blond hair, silver eyes, and tan skin.
