The Blessing

by Elizabeth Price

  As soon as we come to a stop, Ronnie’s quick to hop out of her seat and grab Grey from his. He’s crying so hard that his little face is all red and soaking wet with tears. My heart breaks seeing him like this. I wish I could be the one suffering and not him.

  “Dada! Dada!” he cries between sobs.

  “I’ll take him, baby. You go ahead and pee. We’ll be waiting right here.”

  I rock Grey in my arms and kiss his forehead, whispering into his ear until I feel him begin to relax. I know he hates being stuck in his car seat for so long; I don’t blame him. I knew this trip would be difficult for him. If Lincoln hadn’t sounded so desperate—I wouldn’t have even considered making this trip simply because of Grey’s young age and my inexperience.

  I notice a group of guys talking around the bathroom and leering at my girl as she walks by them to get to the women’s restroom. Feeling uncomfortable, I quickly shut the car door, lock it, and jog to catch up with her. “Grey and I will be right here,” I tell her, standing right outside the restroom door. She gives me a thankful smile and disappears into the bathroom. As soon as she’s gone, I shoot the guys a meaningful glare.

  I continue to bounce Grey, kissing his wet cheeks as I say repeatedly, “It’s okay, buddy. Daddy’s got you.” His cries turn to hiccups and he reaches out to wrap one of his little arms around my neck. “Daddy loves you, buddy,” I whisper into his fuzzy head of hair. “I love you,” I say, practicing the phrase aloud, hoping I’ll have the courage to say it to Ronnie soon. “I love you,” I say again, now imagining my girl is right in front of me. As I hold my little buddy in my arms—absorbing the moment—my happy thoughts are interrupted by the sound of some prick’s voice.

  “You’re a lucky man,” the prick says, staggering toward us.

  Jesus Christ, what is it with fucking rest stops?

  “Your lady there is pretty fine. I wish I could find me a piece of tail like that.”

  My jaw clenches as I stop myself from giving this fucker an earful. If I wasn’t holding my son, this scenario would be playing out very differently. Instead of telling the guy to kindly “fuck off,” I give him a tight smile and ignore him. How dare he speak of my girl like some piece of meat. She’s so much more than a piece of ass. She’s the most incredible woman I’ve ever met. Apparently, my response isn’t good enough for this jackass because he continues.

  “Maybe I can borrow her sometime?”

  I give him a menacing smile and the man stops in his tracks. “Stay. The. Fuck. Away. From. My. Family,” I spit out through gritted teeth, making sure to enunciate every word with venom.

  The guy takes a step back just as Ronnie comes out of the restroom with a worried look on her beautiful face. The jackass has the nerve to look at her in appreciation, and because of that, I’m about to lose my fucking temper. I’m so on edge—it’s not even funny. I don’t want her to ever see that side of me. I haven’t been that guy in such a long time. I give the jackass one final scowl before he decides to turn away and stumbles back to his group of dumb-fuck friends. I grab Ronnie’s hand and stalk off.

  “What was that about?” she asks, as soon as we’re a good distance from the group.

  “It was nothing,” I assure her. Although, from the look on my face, I’m sure it’s obvious that what just happened was anything but “nothing.” Thankfully, she doesn’t press the issue and allows me to lead her to the car.

  I help her into the passenger seat before getting Grey secured in his car seat in the back. He’s reluctant to let go of me and, considering the remainder of the trip we’ve got ahead of us, I definitely don’t blame him one bit. We’ve got a long stretch of road ahead of us and Grey isn’t accustomed to the lack of attention he’s getting. As soon as I slide into the driver’s seat, I adjust the radio, finding some relaxing jazz music to listen to so I can cool off and focus on the drive.

  As we head down the open highway, my body relaxes and the tension in my muscles slowly begins to dissipate. Grey’s taking a nap and Ronnie’s reading some paranormal romance book as she’s reclined in the passenger seat. She insisted on driving for a while, but I’ve been on enough road trips to be comfortable behind the wheel for hours on end.

  It’s dusk by the time we reach our exit for Green River—where we’ll be staying for the night. I’ve never been to this city, but Ronnie made us reservations for the hotel with the best online ratings. She insisted on paying for it since I was paying for the majority of the trip, and I let her, despite wanting to handle everything myself. I hear her stomach grumbling, so before heading to our hotel I decide to stop and try to find a bite. Grey’s awake and desperate to get out of his car seat, as well. I know if I don’t grant him his wish soon, I’ll have another tantrum on my hands. I drive around for a bit before choosing to pull in at a restaurant called Tamarisk. I’ve never heard of it, of course, but the exterior looks promising and it’s near the river—so maybe it’ll seem romantic to Ronnie.

  Since it’s dinnertime the restaurant is fucking packed. So, I pull up to the front entrance to let Ronnie out. “Why don’t you run inside and get a table, ba—”

  She’s already out of the car before I finish my sentence, and I have to try hard not to chuckle. She nods and gives me an adorable fucking smile before shutting the car door and hurrying into the restaurant. Per usual, I watch her ass bounce with every step before going to park.

  The restaurant is packed with patrons. The aroma fucking incredible. My stomach groans in appreciation and I hear Grey’s stomach make a noise. Ronnie, being as quick she is, already has secured a booth in the corner of the restaurant. I’m glad it’s family friendly because I know Grey can be a loud little thing when he gets fucking excited. I begin to make my way over to Ronnie—but I’m stopped by a young hostess with a flirty smile. I quickly explain that I’m joining to go to my girlfriend as she’s already seated at a booth. Without missing a beat, she asks if I’ll be needing a highchair, which makes me feel bad for being so dismissive moments before. She grabs a highchair and a coloring book for Grey before ushering us to our booth.

  Ronnie is already looking over the menu, but that doesn’t stop the hostess from explaining everything to us as if we couldn’t read. She’s looking at me the entire time she’s talking; I think she’s completely unaware of how fucking uncomfortable it’s making me. As she continues to rant on and on about the different options, I riffle through the diaper bag to retrieve Grey’s food and I can’t suppress a chuckle any longer. The sound of my laughter snaps the hostess out of her trance and the haze leaves her eyes as she looks at me, and then to Ronnie—who’s giving her a challenging smirk. The young girl blushes before she quickly retreats to her hostess stand by the door.

  “Well, girls certainly do love you,” Ronnie says, obviously a bit miffed.

  Now, I finally laugh boisterously, causing Grey to look at me in surprise before laughing, too. “Ronnie, I go through the same thing with you on a daily basis. Men openly ogle you—in front of me—all the fucking time. You wouldn’t believe the amount of fights I almost get into when we go out. This afternoon alone, I can count the amount of fights I fantasized about having on two hands.”

  She blushes at my words, a smile playing on her lips as she looks down at her menu. We’re so excited to eat something that’s not a bag of Bugles, that we end up ordering an appetizer, two salads, and two giant entrees: the Butch Cassidy and a Black Dragon. Ronnie laughs at the entrée names, looking more relaxed than I’ve seen her all day. I know the car ride made her anxious—even though I was on my best behavior and going no more than five miles over the speed limit the entire way. Driving like that had been annoyingly painful for me—since I’ve been speeding everywhere since I started driving. As soon as we get our food, we immediately dig in. It’s absolutely incredible, especially on an empty stomach. Grey isn’t as satisfied with his dinner, and stares at my barbeque ribs as if they were the Holy Grail.

  “You don’t like your dinner, buddy?”


  I know it’s shit. I tried his baby food out of curiosity one time and couldn’t stop gagging. Feeling bad as he reaches for my food, I scoop up a small amount of mashed potatoes and let him eat them. As soon as he’s finished, he rewards me with a huge smile. I can’t help but laugh. I kiss him on the forehead before returning my attention to Ronnie. “You want to order dessert, honey?”

  I’ve never called her “honey” before, but she must like it because a pretty smile lights up her face as soon as the word leaves my mouth.

  “I’m stuffed,” she responds with a giggle and puts her hands on her stomach as she emits an exaggerated sigh. “I’m ready to go to the hotel and pass out.”

  “Well, why don’t you take Grey out to the car and I’ll grab the check.”

  “You’re sure you don’t want to split it?”

  “Honey, you’re paying for the hotel room tonight, so let me buy dinner.”

  She shrugs and gives me an appreciative smile before sliding out of her side of the booth and coming to my side to retrieve Grey. She takes him and his diaper bag and gives me a quick peck before taking the keys and heading out. I quickly pay—leaving a generous tip since I’m in such a great mood—before heading to the car myself. We don’t have much trouble finding our hotel. River Terrace isn’t too far and as soon as we’re parked outside we can finally breathe a sigh of relief. The hotel is definitely a vast improvement compared to the ones I became accustomed to staying at in California. As soon as we make it to our room, I set our luggage down and fall onto the bed. It feels like heaven to stretch out after hours of being cramped up in a car traveling.

  “Aw, baby. I didn’t know you were so tired,” Ronnie coos as she comes to stand beside the bed to gaze down at me. Grey’s nearly asleep in her arms, but he keeps bobbing his head around as he tries to stay awake. “You want to go get ready for bed?”

  I cringe at the idea of leaving this mattress.

  “You can go ahead, I’ll just wait for you right here.”

  I hear Ronnie giggle at me before she places Grey on my stomach and walks off to the bathroom to get ready for bed first. All of a sudden, Grey’s wide awake and bouncing on my stomach. I guess he’s just excited to see me. This is what usually happens when he naps during the day—so I can’t imagine I’ll get much sleep tonight. He crawls up my body until he’s right by my face and reaches out to pat my cheeks.

  “Dada!” he squeals with a loud laugh. “Mama!”

  My eyes widen in surprise. He’s finally fucking said it! He said “mama”! I taught him a new word! My excitement dulls as I wonder what Ronnie will think of this. Hopefully, she doesn’t freak-out. I wonder if my decision to teach him a new word was poorly planned considering the fact that we’ll be meeting his birth mother’s parents tomorrow. If he calls Ronnie “mama” tomorrow, it might not be a good thing. Even if Mae and Lincoln don’t freak-out over it, it’ll still be incredibly uncomfortable. I say a silent prayer for smooth sailing tomorrow. This is the first vacation for us as a family, and I want it to be as enjoyable and stress free as possible. Too bad, nothing in my life ever seems to work out that way.

  chapter 27

  go

  Grey’s little foot kicks me swiftly in the stomach, effectively waking me up from my coma-like state. I can’t remember the last time I slept so soundly. I guess seven hours behind the wheel of a car will really wear a person the fuck out. I’m disoriented at first, barely remembering where the hell I am as I cringe at the bright light that’s shining through the hotel windows right into my face. I squint down at Grey to find him happy and wide awake at my side, trying to put his foot in his mouth as he watches me with curious eyes.

  “I was wondering when you were planning on waking up.” I hear Ronnie say.

  I turn to look at her, appreciating the sight of her makeup free face and messy curls. She looks just as well-rested as I feel. I yawn before reaching over to cup her face, bringing her lips to mine. Fuck morning breath, I just want to feel her as soon as I wake-up. Grey’s babbles bring me back to reality and I look down at my son—who’s eager for my attention and currently pouting at me.

  “What time is it?” I ask as I rub some life into my sleepy face.

  “It’s just past nine o’clock. Hopefully, we didn’t sleep in too late.”

  “No, we’ll be fine. Check-out isn’t until eleven.” I lay back against my pillow while pulling Grey with me, resting him comfortably on my chest. “We should get there around dinnertime and we’ll be meeting them somewhere in town.”

  “Will we be staying with them?”

  “No,” I say, giving her an incredulous look. I’ve never mixed well with anyone’s parents. Hell, my own parents barely approve of me. “I booked us a hotel room nearby. I thought it would be good to have some separation. Besides, they might not like me.”

  “Trev, don’t think that way,” she says while giving me a playful nudge in response to my self-deprecation. “They’ll love you. You’re taking care of their grandchild, after all.”

  I shrug. “I’ve never meshed well with their type.”

  “‘Their type’?”

  “You know what I mean—straight-laced, against practically everything, fearing things that make them feel uncomfortable. Her mom looked at me like I was the Antichrist because I was covered in tattoos.” Well, that or because I was drinking heavily.

  “You’ve met them before?”

  “Yeah, I met them at my brother’s wedding,” I say vaguely.

  “And you didn’t give them a reason not to like you?”

  I look up to find Ronnie smirking at me and I feel my whole body relax. “No, no more reason than usual.”

  She laughs. “Trevor, stop being so hard on yourself all of the time. They’ll love you. You love their grandson and that’s all they’re going to care about.”

  I look down at Grey, who looks just as optimistic as my girl. “Well, if you say so.”

  “I know so. Now, let’s get up and get ready. I’d like to get some breakfast before we get on the road.”

  I like my girl bossy. “Yes, ma’am,” I answer with a smirk.

  She gives me a look before leaning over to quickly peck me on the check. “I’ll jump in the shower first, if that’s okay with you.”

  “You’re asking me? I thought you were giving me orders?” I give her a cocky smile and she playfully nudges me again.

  “I’m taking a shower first,” she commands with a sexy, little grin. “Don’t fall back asleep.”

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  She winks at me in approval before stalking off to the bathroom. I close my eyes and swiftly fall back to sleep as soon as she’s gone.

  “Wake-up sleepyhead,” I hear before I feel the sensation of soft lips brushing against mine. I open my eyes to find Ronnie, now beautifully made up with her hair perfectly styled. She looks so fucking sexy like this, but I wish I could wipe her makeup away and spend the day with her in bed, ruining the curls she worked so hard on perfecting. My eyes drop to her tits—which are popping out of the top of her jean dress just enough to give me a hard-on. Grey being on my chest is the only thing that holds me back from doing what I want to her. She smirks at me, as she bends down to kiss Grey on the forehead.

  “You look hot, babe,” I say as I sit up to get a better look at her. Her jean dress makes her tits look so full I want to yank down the top and spend my day with my mouth on them. She’s also wearing a cardigan paired with black tights, which give her that “sexy librarian” vibe. I can’t take my eyes off of her.

  “I wanted to look presentable for Grey’s grandparents,” she says shyly as she walks over to grab something from her duffle bag. She pulls out a small string of pearls and clasps them around her neck. “Do you think they’ll approve?”

  Well, now she definitely looks like one of my wet dreams growing up. I had a big teacher fetish for some reason—which was based entirely off porn since none of my real life teachers were anything special. It takes me a moment, but wh
en I can finally manage the words, I give her the approval she’s looking for. “Ronnie, they’ll love you.” Just like I do. “It’s nice to know I’m not the only one who’s nervous.”

  “I can’t help it,” she says with a blush. “I guess your anxiety wore off on me.”

  “I hope not.” I look down at Grey, who looks like an adorable mess on my stomach. His fuzzy hair is sticking up wildly in all directions. He looks as though he stuck his finger into a wall socket or some shit like that. “Do you think you can help me with Grey? I want him to look perfect for tonight.” I want his grandparents to know I’m doing a good job with him. I don’t say the last part, but from the look on Ronnie’s face I don’t have to.

  “Of course.”

  I roll out of bed to take a shower, bouncing Grey in my arms as I start the water and bring it to a safe and comfortable temperature, so I can quickly wash him up before I wash myself. Ronnie comes into the bathroom and sits on the countertop to hold Grey so I can undress. She smiles at me when I pull my boxers off as she gently pulls Grey out of his onesie before handing him over. He gasps as the lukewarm water hits his skin, and giggles as I quickly wash him off with the hotel soap. My son babbles excitedly in my arms—splashing the water as it streams down on us. He’s enjoying himself so much. I hold him for a little while longer, allowing him to have some fun since this is the first shower he's ever taken.

  “You’re so incredible with him.” I look over to Ronnie, who’s watching us from her perch on the countertop. “He’s always so happy when you’re around. Do you see the way he looks at you?” she asks with a smile, causing me to glance down at my son. “He looks at you like you’re his entire world. It’s the sweetest thing I’ve ever seen.”