I hold onto his desk and remember the first time he fucked me like this. I’m flooded with emotions and memories, and I want him to keep fucking me like this forever.
“I’m coming,” I tell him, as I hear him grunt from behind me.
He pulls me close to him while he says, “Madilyn, I’m coming too.”
I feel him pump his cum inside me and I begin to tremble, both from the pleasure of an orgasm as well as a contraction.
This is it, I realize.
This is the day that our babies will be born.
Chapter 8 – Madilyn
I sit down in Asher’s computer chair and take a deep breath. He beings to massage my shoulders, which feels good but it’s still hard to orientate myself. I tell myself I’m just recovering from hot sex, but I feel something else taking over my body. Something that feels a lot like labor.
“Oh my God,” I tell him.
“I know,” he says. “That was fucking great.”
“No, Asher. It’s not that.”
I look at him. But then the contraction is over. Perhaps I was just imagining it?
His office phone rings.
“What is it, then?” he asks. “You want to play secretary like you used to do for me?”
“Sure,” I tell him, realizing this is the last time I might be in the office for quite some time.
I’ve planned a maternity leave so I can stay home with the twins for a while after they’re born.
“Asher Marks’ office,” I answer, wondering who could be calling at nearly eight o’clock in the evening.
I wonder if it’s a new client and if I’ll get credit for bringing on new business before I temporarily leave the firm. Or if it’s another partner, calling to ask whether our babies have arrived yet or how the trial is going.
“Who is this?” asks a snappy yet familiar voice.
“This is Madilyn Marks, Asher’s wife,” I say, immediately feeling territorial and possessive. “Who is this?”
“Oh, Madilyn,” the voice says, in the midst of choking back a laugh. “I thought you would be, like, in labor or something by now. I can’t believe he has you working his phone while you really should be on bedrest or something, with those twins. But what do I know? I’m no doctor. Of course.”
Suddenly I know exactly who it is.
I look at Asher, wondering why she’s calling him. And as his face goes white, I realize that he doesn’t want me to know.
“This is Janice,” the voice on the other end of the phone says.
“I know who it is,” I tell her. “What do you want?”
“I just want to tell Asher that his ex-wife is ready to deal.”
“I see.”
A contraction rips through me and I know that my next move needs to be to hang up on Janice and call Dr. Morris. Even though I might think that there are more pressing matters to attend to right now, these babies obviously think differently. They are ready to be born.
“You didn’t even know, did you?” Janice asks, and I can tell she’s grinning. “Mandy, Madilyn didn’t even know what’s been going on.”
I hear Mandy Calderon’s shrieking laughter in the background and I decide it’s time for Mean Mama Bear to come out. I don’t know what’s going on, but I’m going to pretend I do.
I have some idea, since Asher’s been very hush hush about this case that he’s been in trial on. Certain things are starting to come together. I’m mad at him for not telling me but I can guess why he hasn’t.
It’s become obvious to me that sometimes men who are in love do stupid things. But for the sake of these babies, who are ready to enter the world, and the sake of my relationship with their father— or whatever might still be left after he explains to me what he’s been keeping from me and why— I am not going to let Asher do anything stupid.
“Of course I know what’s going on,” I say, raising my eyebrows at Asher. “And you can tell Asher’s ex wife that there will be no deal.”
“What?” Janice says, and now it’s my turn to grin at her shock, rather than the other way around. “But Asher said—”
“I know what Asher said,” I tell her, even though I have no clue. “He’s the boss, but in this situation, I’m in charge. And you can tell her there will be no deal.”
I hang up the phone but Asher’s mouth is still hanging open.
“What in the hell was that?” he asks.
“That’s an ironic question, coming from you,” I tell him. “But I’ll let you know what that was. That was a pregnant lady saving your ass, right before she has your babies.”
“What?” he asks, looking down at my stomach and then back up at my face.
I hunch over now, as another contraction hits me.
“You’re not mad at me? For keeping things from you?”
“I sure am,” I tell him. “And I expect you had your reasons, and I expect you’ll tell me as soon as I have these babies. But, it’s just about time to do that. Before the phone rang, I was going to tell you I need to call Dr. Morris.”
“Really?” he asks, completely dumbfounded.
“Really,” I tell him. “But now things have progressed to where I don’t even think I can do that. Please call Dr. Morris for me, and then help me get my clothes back on. There’s no way I want to deliver our babies wearing black BDSM lingerie.”
Chapter 9 – Asher
Waaaaaaaaah! cries one of my babies, as I try my best to hold her in my arms.
I never knew that such a little creature could have such big lungs. Her screams are loud and powerful, jolting me into wanting to do something, anything to help her— even though I don’t know what she needs.
Waah waah waah, cries my other baby, as Madilyn holds him to her breast.
His cries are softer but continue longer. Already I can tell them apart, even though they look nearly identical. In addition to their distinctive cries, one of them has a cowlick in his hair, while the other one has a small birthmark on her wrist.
Already I’m in love, even though they’re tiny, greedy, demanding things that I don’t yet understand. Nature takes over though, and I feel nothing but affection for my little newborn baby girl and boy.
Madilyn tries to get the baby on her breast but he flails around, crying even more.
I’m also overcome with affection for my strong and brave wife. I had no idea what it took to have a baby, and I knew deep down that she had it in her, but it was still an impressive sight to behold.
“Now what did the lactation nurse tell me about how to get them to latch?”
She throws her head back on the hospital bed.
“I don’t remember,” she answers herself. “I’m too exhausted. I can’t believe it took me so long to get them out.”
“You did great,” I tell her, wheeling my hospital chair over to the bed. “I know I couldn’t give birth to one baby and you gave birth to two. Women really are the stronger sex.”
“Well, I don’t feel like it right now,” she says. “I can’t even get little Remy to latch.”
I look down at our son who we decided to name Jeremiah— my grandfather’s name— and nickname Remy for short. His sister, we named Ashlyn, as a combination of both our names.
“It would be our celebrity couple name if we were the kind of lame people to do that,” Madilyn had joked, when we were discussing baby names. “But since we aren’t, we can name our kid that, right? If she’s a girl, I mean?”
“Of course,” I’d told her.
The name had stuck, just like her pregnancy— with both twins— had. The moms who wished her sticky baby dust on the pregnancy boards congratulated her from their cell phones now that our babies were born. Luckily, we had chosen a name for both a son and a daughter, because we ended up with both.
We hadn’t wanted to find out if we were having girls or boys, and yet we ended up with the perfect combination: one of each.
“Here,” I tell her, helping Remy to her breast the way that the lactation consultant had sh
own us earlier. I cup it in my hand to get it in the best position for him.
It amazes me that the same body I love to love is also the one that now nourishes our children. I never even knew that I wanted such a love, or that it was even possible. But every day with Madilyn has blown my mind and exceeded my wildest expectations, and this particular day— the birthday of our twins— is the best one yet.
“Thanks,” she says, laying her head back down as Remy nurses contentedly.
“Somehow, I actually got Ashlyn to fall asleep,” I tell her, as we both look down at the sleeping baby girl in my arms.
“Good, because I certainly don’t have a handle on tandem nursing yet,” Madilyn laughs.
“You’ll get there,” I tell her. “I’ll help you. We can do anything together.”
“About that…” she says, raising an eyebrow at me.
Shit.
She wants to talk about my ex-wife’s case. I start to protest that she needs her rest, but I recognize the look in her eyes so well that I know she won’t rest until she gets the whole story. She means business.
And now it’s time to give her what she wants. The whole story. Because she’s certainly given me what I want— the whole picket fence dream of marriage, house, kids. Everything I never knew I always wanted.
I look at our button-nosed babies and know I would do anything for their mom. Including telling her the story of how my ex-wife is still trying to fuck up everything about our lives.
Chapter 10 – Asher
“Look, I’m really sorry I didn’t tell you,” I tell Madilyn, looking deep into her pretty brown eyes and hoping she doesn’t hate me. “I just didn’t want you to be stressed. It wasn’t good for your pregnancy.”
“Okay, so I’m not pregnant anymore,” she says. “Thank goodness. I couldn’t bear being so swollen and sore all the time anymore. That’s one of the good things about being pregnant with twins, I guess—they usually come earlier. And I’m so glad our babies are here.”
She nuzzles Remy’s nose and I gaze at him, and then at Ashlyn. They are both so adorable and I hope I can make things right with their mother.
“So go ahead and tell me,” she says. “I can handle it.”
“It all started right before Katie and Damien’s wedding,” I tell her. “It’s why I was late leaving the office the night of our flight.”
“Way back then, huh?” she asks, shaking her head to show her disappointment. But I can tell she’s trying to be understanding, and I appreciate it. “I knew you had to stay late for something at work but I didn’t know why.”
“Janice called me and said she had taken my ex-wife’s case,” I explain. “Of course, Janice would do that, gleefully. She still has sour grapes, even though I helped her exit with clients of her own to assist her fresh start.”
“What case of your ex-wife’s?” Madilyn asks.
“That’s exactly what I asked Janice,” I tell her. “What case? We’d been divorced for so long and had already settled everything. But they are bringing this trumped up request to re-open the case and allow her to get more money. It’s ridiculous.”
“Why?” Madilyn asks, incredulous.
I shake my head.
“I know she’s just jealous,” I tell her. “She heard through the grapevine that you were pregnant— with twins, no less, after how long she and I had tried. And she and Janice both know that the firm is making even more money now, thanks to Damien’s cases, and how hard Ron and Jameson Reed have been working on them, as well as me, and you, and Ruby and Katie of course. Everyone’s efforts have paid off so well, word was bound to get around.”
“But what kind of case could they possibly have?” Madilyn asks.
“That’s the stupid thing,” I tell her. “She’s saying that I sexually harassed former associates of mine, and came up with a theory that it somehow hampered my ability to focus and make more money at the firm, so that basically I shortchanged her during the years I paid alimony.”
She shakes her head, but then her legal mind kicks in, even in its post-partum daze.
“So her theory is that once you met me, you could concentrate more and make more money, and no longer had to pay her alimony because the time to do so was up. But while you were paying alimony, you were too busy chasing other girls to do make as much money as you could?”
“Yeah,” I tell her, amazed that she had figured it out so quickly.
But I shouldn’t be. I know she’s smart— which is a big part of why I chose her to be my pet and why I couldn’t help but fall in love with her. And she’s also been working on some of the case pleadings and had to have been wondering what kind of legal theories I was trying to defend.
“How is she even attempting to prove her case?” Madilyn asks. “With what evidence?”
“That’s the stupid thing,” I tell her. “It’s all just testimony of people from when you and I got together, and I don’t see how that will help her prove I sexually harassed anyone in the past. It only shows that once I met you, I got serious about my life.”
“Well, yeah,” Madilyn smirks, looking at the babies in each of our arms. “But doesn’t she have to have more than that? Some testimony from earlier on?”
“I think so,” I tell her.
“So why would Janice even be talking about a deal?” she asks. “Why would they think a deal would even be on the table? How could they possibly think they’re winning this trial?”
“Well, that’s the thing,” I reply, looking down at Ashlyn because I can’t bring myself to look Madilyn in the eye.
“What?” she asks.
“I’m the one who was trying to get them to talk settlement,” I admit. “And the case is going so badly for them that this is the first time they’ve been open to such an offer. I obviously didn’t even expect them to be, or else I never would have told you to answer the phone. I thought it was Ron calling to ask if the babies were here yet and what kind of celebratory gift he should get— one of his favorite jokes is asking whether I prefer ‘it’s a girl’ or ‘it’s a boy’ flavored cigars.”
“Ha,” Madilyn laughs. “Ron. I don’t even know what Ruby sees in him.”
She shakes her head.
“But I guess everyone has their own tastes,” she continues. “And mine is apparently in a husband who becomes a softie once he becomes a father?”
“Hey now,” I tell her, trying not to raise my voice so as not to wake our sleeping babies. “That’s not true.”
“But you have a winning case and you would never settle if it weren’t for the babies.”
“I can’t think of just myself anymore,” I tell her. “There are the babies to consider, and you…”
“Why would you settle because of me?” she asks. “You know I’d want you to win.”
“I don’t know how to tell you this,” I tell her, shaking my head. But it’s time to lay it all out on the table. I can’t just pretend this problem doesn’t exist anymore, or hide behind her pregnancy as an excuse now that she’s no longer pregnant. “But they’re calling Jimmy to testify.”
“Jimmy?” she asks, looking confused. “What does Jimmy have to do with any of this?”
“I know,” I tell her. “It’s so dumb. I think it’s just a way to get at me. To attack you so that I’ll settle. They know it’ll work, too.”
“It will not work,” she insists. “Don’t settle no matter what. But what is Jimmy going to say?”
“That I have the propensity to take nice girls and turn them bad, mostly,” I tell her.
“Really?” she laughs.
“I know, right? As if it took big bad me to make you horny and desperate to have sex. That was all his fault.”
“Hey!” she says, quick to defend herself— and me— which is another thing I love about her. Loyal Madilyn. “It definitely took meeting you to draw out that certain part of me that knew what she wanted. Or, who she wanted.”
I smile at her, thinking that if it was her intention to blow up my
ego— and something else as well— she’s definitely succeeded.
“How long did the doctor say we have to wait before we can start… doing the deed… again?” I ask, looking down at Ashlyn to make sure she hasn’t overheard anything she’s too young to hear.
“I think six weeks,” Madilyn says, laughing. “But I’ll double check. Dr. Morris might make an exception for us, if you promise to be gentle.”
“You know I can do no such thing,” I tell her.
“Well, I can’t let you go down in this ridiculous case without a fight,” she says. “And that’s exactly what you were trying to do. Not fight, just to protect me.”
“It’ll be so much easier if they just go away and if I can put this behind me,” I tell her. “They don’t even want that much money. They can’t get it— it’s an alimony case and alimony is over. They can only claim I could have made more and paid more, and they know it’s a flimsy argument. They’re just trying to make a point. I should just let them make it, and be done with it.”
“No,” Madilyn insists, bringing out that feisty side of her that I love so much. “I won’t let them. We can’t. Then they’ll never go away. They’ll think we’re weak and they’ll know we’ll cave if they hit us in the right place at the right time. We need to crush them so they know to leave us alone. We’ll ask for sanctions and make them pay for bringing such a frivolous lawsuit on such petty and self-serving grounds.”
“Wow, I really like this fighter’s spirt,” I tell her, genuinely impressed. “I mean, I’ve always known you were a good lawyer, but this is a new side of you.”
“I’m a mother now,” she says, nodding her head. “I need to fight for my family.”
“So what’s your solution, Counselor?” I ask her.
“Put me on the stand,” she says. “I’ll testify that my relationship with Jimmy was long over and that you didn’t do anything to me I didn’t want you to do.”
“You’d say that? In open court?” I ask her.
“Of course,” she says. “We’re married now, and even if we weren’t, it was the best sex of my life and I have no reason to be ashamed of it. Especially, of course, because we didn’t get caught having sex in the office.”
Just Pretend Page 62
