by Bijou Hunter
“I like when you say deep,” she murmurs. “I like when you go deep too.”
My fingers slip between her sweaty skin and the towel keeping me from the view I crave. A quick tug and Journey’s body is mine to savor.
46 Snake Charmers
Journey
Our out of town trip changes Donovan. For those few days, no one cares about the Mooney family name. He’s just a guest in a place full of them. The anonymity gives him the power he needs to make big moves once we return home.
Donovan decides to put his house on the market. The realtor warns autumn isn’t the best time.
“I’ll rent it out if no one wants to buy it,” he says, determined to tell the place goodbye.
I help him box up his things over the next few weekends. By Halloween, everything except his essentials is stored at the Lipmann Storage Units. He moves what he needs daily into my house. Though a tight fit, no one complains. Not even Otto, who isn’t happy about Donovan joining the family. The boy is thrilled about Kitty’s presence.
Donovan and I look at prefab home specs to figure out what we need for the future. The only time he loses his confidence is when pulling the trigger on a home. He can’t choose, and I feel him digging back inside his head where problems go to fester.
“We can’t do much in the winter, and it’s already so late in the year,” I tell him one night while we rest in bed. “We have plenty of time to decide.”
Donovan says nothing, but I swear I feel the tension fade from him in an instant. He wants so badly to be a decisive man, but no one changes overnight.
I'm wary of telling him about my possible pregnancy. The test I took in secret a week earlier came back negative. Knowing everything that can go wrong at the beginning of pregnancy, I decide to keep my mouth shut about my suspicions. Secrets aren’t easy for me. Heck, I announce to my family when I have a larger than normal crap. Now I’m bloated, and my boobs hurt, but I keep my mouth shut just in case they’re impending period symptoms.
Today, I peed on another test and got a different result.
Afraid to say anything before I've let the news register with me, I take Otto to school and call in sick at work. Donovan has a late shift again. I want to find the right words to tell him, but every time I think to say something, I imagine the day he bailed on the barbecue.
I sit at the kitchen table in the house with only Donovan nearby, drinking coffee. Soon, the kids will return, and Justice and Court will arrive. Christine might work late or join Jared for dinner. I only have Donovan to myself for a little bit longer, but I haven't been able to say the words. Only when I see him set down his coffee cup and know he's mentally preparing for work, can I act.
"I'm pregnant," I say without any fanfare. "I had a positive test this morning."
Donovan stands behind me while I stare at my hands and hope he doesn't freak out. I want to be happy about this news, but if he's miserable, I don't think I can celebrate.
"I knew it wouldn't take much," he whispers in my ear before nipping at the lobe. "My goal was to sperm you the hell up."
My laughter morphs into moans when his lips slide up and down my throat, sucking and licking. I'm startled by his passion. All day, his mood remained low-key. I'd been so afraid of a negative reaction that I hadn't planned for this more passionate one.
His hand grips my left tit when I hear his phone alarm ring.
"Shit. I need to get ready."
"Are you really planning to get my panties soaking wet and then leave?" I ask, half kidding and half stupid from arousal.
Donovan pinches my nipples and kisses my forehead. "I want to see those wet panties."
Before I can respond, he steps back and retrieves his phone. I'm disappointed to think I’m left with only a vibrator to celebrate my big news.
"Vickie, this is Donovan. Can you tell my grandfather that I've resigned my post and won't be showing up for my shift tonight?" he says, pausing for the woman's response. "Tell him I'll be in tomorrow to make everything official and drop off my gear."
Donovan hangs up, sets the phone on the counter, and pulls me to my feet. "Show me those panties, Mommy."
Wrapping my arms around him, I kiss his jaw. "First, I request you never fricking call me that again. Second, did you just quit your job?"
"First, your request is denied. When my dick is hard, my mouth says random shit. Second, you know I quit my job. Third, I want to see those panties before the house is full of people. And fourth, you're going to be the most amazing mom."
Tears burn my eyes. "You had to say that last part and make me cry."
"Don't worry," he says, maneuvering me toward the bedroom. "I'll get you worked up again. Now that I'm unemployed, I have nothing else to do besides service you sexually."
Wiping my eyes, I relax in his arms. Donovan isn't freaking out. Not about the baby or quitting his job. I almost sense he's been waiting for me to get pregnant as an excuse to finally cut loose his family and the sheriff's department. Our baby gave him the courage to be his own man. I can't wait to see what Donovan wants next.
47 Snake Charmers
Donovan
Court shows me where he wants to pour concrete and install a basketball hoop next to the detached garage. The guy has a lot of plans for the property to make it more child-friendly. He wants a path crisscrossing through the acreage, so the kids can ride bikes and make it easier to take the dogs for a walk during crap weather. The man has everything planned out.
“How’s the recruitment going?” I ask while we walk around the property with Hal and Kitty following nearby.
“Good. Floyd settled down once his woman and kid were moved into a small place. He's not bad at understanding the supply side of things. Knows a lot of the local dealers. I think he’ll work out fine.”
“And the other one?”
“Emmett’s big and talks a lot, but he’s scared the shit out of a few assholes in Rockwell already. I don’t know how good Joe can control a guy like him, but Emmett wants to stick around. He’s already found places to eat and hang out. I don’t see him leaving.”
“So Joe will let him stick around because no one can get him to leave?”
“Joe only sees Emmett’s size and age. He doesn’t care about much else. The old man’s got this idea that I’ll control Emmett, Floyd, and any other new guys.”
“He’s grooming you for president.”
“Maybe. Or he’s lazy and wants me to do the work because he figures I have nothing else to do.”
I laugh at his tone. “Man, you’re fucking lying to yourself if you think Joe doesn’t see you as the guy in line to take over when he’s ready to retire. Who else is he going to pick? You’re young, aren’t the sentimental type, and don’t hesitate with eliminating problems. Hell, he’s already got you recruiting your future crew. Can you imagine any of these new guys taking charge?”
“No, I guess, he’s probably thinking about me, but I’m not thinking that far ahead. I only want to get through the winter with my sanity intact.”
“Why wouldn’t you?”
“It’s my first winter with the Earlham women. They spend so much time chasing each other around the yard that I can’t imagine what they’ll be like when they’re trapped inside because of the snow.”
“I assume they’ll just put on boots and a jacket and chase each other around the yard.”
Court grins. “Yeah, probably.”
“I’m willing to kill Becca if she starts trouble,” I blurt out.
Startled by my words, Court asks, “Where did that come from?”
“Journey doesn’t want to lose Otto and the boy deserves to grow up with a good family. If Becca gets out and plays nice, nothing bad needs to happen to her. If she can’t live her life without ruining the kids’, I’ll do what you didn’t have the stomach to do. I just figured I ought to tell you.”
“With Becca getting into fights and attacking guards, I don’t know how soon she’ll get released. They’ve charged her w
ith attempted murder for stabbing some chick on the inside.”
“In the perfect world, Becca would get out and start her life over. Walk away from her mother and kids who are better off without her. She could be someone else without any responsibilities. We know her, though, and she’ll get out and want to make everyone as miserable as she is. If that happens, she’s gone. I have no malice for most people, but that woman isn’t messing with my family.”
“It’s fine with me. I don’t want her taking Matilda and Felix either, but we’ll wait and see if she ever manages to walk free again.”
Nodding, I look back at where Kitty chases a squirrel. Hal barks at the fleeing target but won’t run after it.
“He’s so lazy,” I laugh.
“Spoiled rotten is more like it.”
Court and I watch the dogs for a few minutes. The squirrel reaches a tree, leaving Kitty on the ground to stare up at it.
“You want to join the club?” Court asks without looking at me.
“Do I have to kiss your ring?”
Court looks at his rings and laughs. “Maybe.”
“I thought I might act as a go-between for the sheriff’s department and local businesses. People here don’t like the cops, but I think they like me. Everyone keeps fucking waving at me whenever I’m out with Journey.”
Court laughs again. “This town is so fucking odd. They celebrate the guy who quit the sheriff’s department but avoid the woman who put away a menace like Becca. That go-between idea sounds good, but it won’t pay the bills.”
“If I join, people will think I want to be my dad.”
“People think a lot of shit. Doesn’t mean you need to listen to them.”
“True.”
“Being a Rawkfist guy is like the family business these days. You’d join Jared and me. Besides the girls, who else has your back?”
Nodding, I know I’m already overwhelmed by Journey’s family. They don’t let me put on my mask and hide from the world. I can’t stand in the corner and expect to be ignored like with my family. The Earlham women want me present even if I have nothing to say.
Joining the Rawkfist Motorcycle Club means putting myself on display for more people. I’d be Chuck Hull’s son copying his dad. Was that any different than joining the sheriff’s department to be like my grandfather?
Court and Jared don’t treat me like my Mooney family. They want to know the real me, even if I’m an asshole. No pretending for them any more than I can with the Earlham women.
I’m not my father or grandfather. For good or bad, I’m just me. I figure it’s high time to prove to myself as much as to everyone else that I’m my own man making my own choices.
48 Snake Charmers
Journey
Christine frets over her chili on the stove. With Zeb coming for dinner, she wants everything perfect, but cooking isn’t her strong suit. In fact, I peek around her shoulder just in time to see her preparing to dump more cayenne pepper into the pot. Taking her hand, I stop her from making the food inedible. She glances at me and sighs nervously.
“I love my dad,” she whispers, explaining her shaking hands.
“Nuff said,” I whisper back. “Let me finish up for you.”
“I don’t know why I never got the hang of cooking.”
“You’re an insecure chef. No matter how much of an ingredient you put into something, you always second guess if it’s enough.”
Christine gives me a hug. “Thanks for helping out. Tell me if the smell gets to you.”
“I haven’t had any issues with smell or nausea yet.”
“I didn’t have many symptoms with you. With Justice, I was so bloated for the first few months that I had to wear maternity clothes.”
“No shock to hear Justice and bloating went together.”
Christine smiles at me while I taste the chili and add more salt. She’s fascinated by cooking, but I doubt she’ll ever make anything non-microwavable.
“Is my dad coming to dinner?” I ask, gently inquiring about their dating relationship.
“No,” Christine blurts out as if under threat. “Zeb has been on his best behavior, but getting along with Jared would be too much.”
“Fine, but your dad better not talk crap about my dad or he’ll get an earful from me. Just warning you.”
Justice hears the word “warning” and thinks something big is going down. She hurries over to get in the middle of the battle.
“Who’s in trouble?”
“No one.”
“Hey, is it too early to think baby names?” she asks, talking to my stomach.
“With a last name like Mooney, I figure I ought to start thinking right away. His family is also huge, so I assume all of the good names are likely taken. So far for a boy, I’m stuck on the name Ike.”
“Kick the baby,” Poppy says nearby while snickering at the South Park reference.
“For a girl, I’m less sure. A few nights ago, I had a dream Coretta died, and I named my baby in her honor. So I’m thinking Corinne if it’s a girl.”
“But she isn’t dead,” Justice says, sounding disappointed about this fact.
“Not yet but fingers crossed.”
“Don’t say such things,” Christine admonishes on cue.
“Fine, I’ll keep the horrible thoughts up here,” I say, tapping my head.
“Corinne is a horrible name. Coral is better,” Justice announces. “Go with Coral.”
“No.”
Justice gets in my face. “Do it.”
“Name your own kid Coral.”
“Okay. Mine will be Coral. Yours will be Corinne. No doubt, my girl will have the name people prefer. I even forecast many, many polls where my taste kicks yours butt.”
“I thought you wanted to name your future daughter Henrietta,” Poppy says from behind her school book.
“Oh, yeah. Never mind.”
Stirring the chili again, I imagine the life growing inside me. “I figured I ought to go with an old school name to prevent myself from naming my kids something stupid like Rainbow and Boomerang.”
“I could see that happening,” Christine says, grinning to herself. “When you were a kid, all of your dolls had silly names. You changed one from Anne to Petals. Besides, I think Corinne is lovely.”
“We’re screwed really,” Justice says, joining me at the chili. “Becca gave her kids old people names. If we don’t want the kids to feel even worse about having lame names, we have to give new siblings old people names too. It’s a cruel cycle.”
“Becca is a cruel woman,” I say, thinking of Otto at his grandmother’s house for the evening. “Corinne and Henrietta are better than any silly names we might come up with.”
“You mean like Justice and Journey?” Poppy asks, still hiding behind her history book.
Christine shoots a dirty look at her youngest daughter, but the kid isn’t paying enough attention to notice.
“She has a point,” I tell our mom. “You did choose to call the biggest turd in the family something close to Poopy.”
We all look at Christine who considers her mothering choices. Shrugging, she reaches into the fridge to find a beer.
“It’ll be a long night,” she says when we collectively frown.
“Don’t even think of getting drunk off your ass and leaving us to entertain Zeb. I can’t promise he’ll make it out of that experience alive.”
Assuming the worst from my grandfather, I’m unprepared for the dapper fellow at the door an hour later. Zeb’s long gray hair is pulled back in a tidy ponytail, and he’s wearing what smells like recently washed clothes. His blue eyes shine when he sees Christine.
“I brought beer,” he says, handing me the peace offering. “Might want to keep it to one bottle now that you’re with child.”
“Thanks, Grandpa,” I mutter, frowning down at where he pats my stomach. “My eyes are up here.”
“I’ve seen your eyes. The baby is new. Boy or girl?”
“I don’t k
now yet. It’s still early.”
“I hope it’s a boy. We need more men in this family.”
Opening my mouth to say something snide, I force my lips closed. Zeb is trying his best to behave, and Christine really wants him in her life. No need for me to bait him into returning to his usual jerk self.
Justice doesn’t get the message, choosing to play with his ponytail while asking who styles his hair. Zeb mocks her messy pixie.
“I’m letting it grow out.”
“Did too many people think you were a man?”
“Mom made chili,” I announce before Justice can reply.
Zeb frowns at the idea of his daughter cooking, so I add, “I helped.”
“A woman good in the kitchen is bound to land a man,” he says and then looks at Justice. “You should remember that.”
“I’m already married, Father Time.”
“Oh, yeah, to the thug. I forget sometimes. Which one of you hasn’t got a man yet?”
We look at Poppy who refuses to look up from her book. Zeb goads her with a comment about her fat dad. Poppy refuses to fall for his bait, so he returns to smiling at Christine. She offers him a beer, and they head outside to talk about old times.
“That was very mature of you,” Justice tells Poppy.
“I’m doing school work. Not everything is about this family’s drama. Some of us have responsibilities.”
Justice and I laugh at Poppy’s earnest declaration. She ignores us like she did with Zeb. By the time Donovan and Court arrive, I’m concerned Poppy’s finished puberty early. Please don’t let this sullen person be the permanent her.
“How are my babies?” Donovan asks, looking me in the eyes while caressing my stomach.
“Zeb is being nice, so don’t say too much to set him off. Poppy might be broken, though. She hasn’t said or done anything obnoxious in hours.”
“I’m sure she’s going through a mood,” he says, leaning down to kiss me.
Before our lips can meet, I feel a shock of cold wetness on my face. Poppy stands nearby, firing wildly at us with her water pistol.
