Baby (Laundromat Chonicles Book 3)

by Angie Merriam

  “Perfect,” I reply, not wanting to remind him that I’m not of legal drinking age.

  “Coming right up,” he says before disappearing for a few minutes. He returns, handing me my Pepsi with his beer in his hand. “Game should be starting soon.” He plops down on the couch using his remote to turn the TV on, then finding the right channel. There isn’t a lot of conversation in the beginning. Both of us clearly have not hung out with anyone in a while. I glance around the room and notice photos of Jase with a woman and a little boy. More photos of the child and woman littered the room. The more I look around the more I’m convinced that Jase is married. Fuck. Is he cheating on his wife with Amanda? All the knickknacks around the room reminded me of Lena’s mom’s house, a womanly touch, not that of a bachelor. Jase must have noticed me looking around because he breaks our silence with a loud throat clearing.

  I look back at him, trying not to look confused or judgmental. What people do in their own lives is none of my business, although I really thought he was more of a man than one that cheats on his wife. The photos tell the story of a happy family, not a broken one like Amanda seems to live in.

  “Where’s your wife and kid today? Are they going to be back soon?” I ask carefully. The look on his face changes from slightly uncomfortable to completely broken. His eyes cloud over, and his mouth turns down. He sucks in a sharp breath of air before letting it out forcefully.

  “Uh, no actually they’re not coming back at all,” he admits, running his hand through his hair.

  “Oh, okay. I’m sorry, didn’t mean to pry was just curious,” I admit, ready to move the conversation forward. Maybe he’s not a dick after all. Maybe she left him. Who knows, not my business.

  “It’s all good, bro. After all this time I should be able to talk about it without turning into a pussy.” His voice is shaky yet there is a hint of desperation in his words.

  “You don’t have to tell me anything, dude. We can just watch the game.” Darn, I should have kept my mouth shut.

  “Nah, I need to. I don’t want you thinking I’m a dick because I know you’ve noticed Amanda and me together.” I nod in response. He stands from the couch and goes to the family picture of them. “I also knew inviting you over would mean I’d have some explaining to do. It’s time anyway.” Removing the photo from the wall he sits back down on the couch, handing the frame to me.

  “This is Britanny, my wife and Daniel, my son. They were in a car accident a year and a half ago. Drug addict on the run from the police. She didn’t even see him coming. Crashed into her car going over 100mph, killing both Brit and Daniel instantly.”

  “Oh shit, I’m sorry, man. So sorry. I had no idea.” His words hit me like a ton of bricks. I understand now why he always has a pissed off look on his face–because he is. He’s pissed that life would take his wife and child. I immediately think of Lena and the baby, knowing if I lost them my world would crumble.

  “It’s okay. I really struggled for a long time, but I’m learning to live without them, though as you can tell from the chick touches of my house, I’m not quite in bachelor mode yet.” He tries to chuckle a little, lightening the mood.

  “I can’t imagine that kind of loss. My mom died when I was a kid, and it destroyed my father. Turned him into a violent alcoholic up until a few years ago when he realized I was big enough to hit back. I can’t imagine losing Lena or the baby.” I hand back the photo to him. I’ve never told anyone other than Lena about my father. Jase seems trustworthy and maybe letting him know my own past will help him to know he’s not alone.

  “It’s rough and I had my dark time but I’m getting better.” He glances at the photo again before going to place it back on the wall.

  “I really am sorry for your loss,” I say, and I mean it.

  “Thanks, man, I appreciate it. I don’t talk about them much but I don’t want you thinking I’m a cheating bastard. I’m not that kind of guy.”

  “I’m figuring that out.” I tip my Pepsi to him and offer a smile. “So not to pry but you and Amanda? Are you like a thing?” I ask, not sure if I’m pushing my luck but figured fuck it, might as well get it all out while we’re being honest and shit.

  “I don’t know. I mean, she’s the first woman I’ve looked at and not seen Brit. We click. We get along. If she were single I’d be interested in seeing where it goes, but she’s married. To an asshole, but married nonetheless. So, I just don’t know.” He leans back against the couch taking a swig of his beer.

  I felt sorry for the guy. He lost his wife and kid and when he is finally interested in another woman she’s married. What a fucking mess.

  “Want advice from an eighteen year old kid, who knocked up his girlfriend, got her kicked out of her house, has a fucked up past with his own father, but works his ass off to provide for his girl and unborn baby and tries his damnedest to be a good person?” I ask, mimicking his long swig with my Pepsi. I’m not sure why Jase is cool with opening up to me. Maybe he thinks we’re friends now. I don’t know maybe we are, but I doubt he’s going to want my advice. Spilling your guts is one thing, advice from a punk kid another.

  “Hit me with it, I need any advice I can get,” he says with a sigh, surprising me.

  “Well, I’m no homewrecker but I can tell when a man is in love with a woman and dude, you have it bad for Amanda. Thing is, she looks at you the same way. Even Lena has noticed it. She’s fucking miserable in her marriage. I mean the guy must really be a dick to let his hot ass wife hang out in a fucking laundromat every Saturday, alone.” I pause, taking another drink and popping a little smoky in my mouth.

  “True,” he puts in, nodding.

  “I say fuck it. Go for it, bro. You only have one life. She only has one life. Be her knight in shining armor. Save her from the prick that clearly doesn’t deserve her.”

  “So break up a marriage?” he questions, unsure if my advice is good or not.

  “Dude, that marriage is already broken. Save the girl before it breaks her.” I shrug, more sure now than before that Lena is right, Amanda is miserable. If her longing glances at Jase isn’t enough, getting to know the guy sure as hell is. If he’s as cool to her as he’s been to me then why wouldn’t she want his kind of chivalry and not a man who doesn’t seem to give a fuck about her? Seems fairly cut and dry to me, but then again I don’t see things in gray. Black and white. Right or wrong. That’s my one big flaw that Lena helps balance. She forces me to think outside the box sometimes. We balance each other out perfectly.

  “How the fuck did you get so wise in your young years?” he asks with a slight chuckle.

  “I’m not wise. Just call things like I see them.” Call it being abused by your alcoholic father for years after losing your mother, but I grew up fast. I’m somewhat cynical, but I try not to let my shitty childhood dictate my future.

  “Thanks, Hap. You’re a good kid, err a good man. You’re going to be a great father.” He reaches his beer out for a cheers.

  “Thanks. I appreciate hearing that.” I clink my soda against the beer bottle and drink. We sit around bullshitting for a while, not even watching the game. I don’t mind, the teams are shitty anyway.

  “You fish?” Jase asks, downing his fourth beer.

  “Not in a long time. My old man used to take me fishing all the time until Mom died. We went a few times over the years after but it wasn’t the same, he wasn’t the same.”

  “Well, looks like we need to get you out on the water. Come on, check out my boat.” He sets his beer bottle on the table with a loud clink before he stands up. I follow him to the garage where he reveals the most bad ass boat I’ve ever seen.

  “Wow, sweet boat.” Admiring the vessel I maneuver around the tight space to check it out.

  “Yeah, haven’t had her out on the water since Brit and Daniel died. I used to take him fishing and she’d sit and read. Since then I haven’t had any desire to be out on the water.” His words are full of sadness yet I sense a hint of hope behind them. Afte
r seeing my father struggle, I can only imagine what Jase is going through, at least my father still had me, even if having me around reminded him too much of her.

  “Climb on up, check out the deck.” He encourages as he climbs the ladder onto the boat. I follow behind him and am in awe of what awaits me. The deck has enough seating for ten with a small cuddy cabin. The white and blues of the boat sparkle as though it’s never been used.

  “Very nice, man. You should definitely get this beast out on the water,” I say, admiring the beauty.

  “Well, now that I have a new friend I think I will. Maybe we can get Cash’s uptight ass to come.” He laughs, sitting in the captain’s chair.

  “You think that dude fishes?” I ask with a laugh, highly doubting it.

  “Eh, one thing I’ve learned about people over the years is not everyone is as they seem and money doesn’t mean shit.”

  “Touché.” I glance at my watch. It’s almost time to get Lena. “Well, let’s plan a fishing day then. Just the guys, although Lena would die to get on this thing,” I admitted, still admiring the nicest boat I’ve ever been on.

  “Hell yeah, once the weather gets warmer we’ll all get out on the water.”

  “Cool. Hey, I gotta get outta here. I have to pick Lena up at six.”

  “Alright, man, let me walk you out.” We get off the boat and head back inside where I grab my keys and toss my empty soda can in the garbage.

  “Hey, Jase, thanks a lot for today, bro. It’s nice having a friend. Lena and I don’t see our friends at all anymore.” I push my hand out to shake his.

  “Of course, thanks for coming. I don’t see many of my old friends since the accident. It’s too awkward for all of us so it’s nice to have someone to hang out with that doesn’t see me as the poor bastard that lost his wife. We’ll have to do it again soon. Maybe next time bring Lena.”

  “Funny how the world changes isn’t it? One day your lost and grieving and the next your chilling with a punk ass kid.” I smile as I walk out the door.

  “Life is full of surprises but you’re not a punk ass kid, Hap. Talk to Lena, let’s get the whole group together outside of the laundromat.”

  “That sounds great! See ya later, man.” I drive away with a feeling of excitement at the new beginning Lena and I may have found with our new friends.

  ***

  I pull up outside of the steakhouse just as the ladies are coming out. They’re all giggling as they make their way to the car. Stepping out I walk around to my girlfriend who quickly throws her arms around me. “Hey, babe, missed you.”

  “Missed you too. Did you have a good time?”

  “Yeah, so much fun,” she begins before turning to the three women. “Thanks again so much. I don’t know if I can thank you enough actually.” She lets go of my hand freeing herself to hug each one of them.

  “You’re more than welcome, dear. We’ll have to do this again soon. It’s not often this old lady gets out of the house.”

  “Yeah, I haven’t had this much fun since, well hell I don’t remember when. We will definitely get together outside of our little laundromat again soon.” Amanda exclaims, hugging Lena tight. “Meet me over at my car so you can get your new things,” she says as she lets my girlfriend go.

  “Okay, I’ll meet you over there,” she replies as Amanda says her goodbyes to the other two women and heads toward her car.

  “Bye, Jewel. Call me any time or come by the apartment. You have my address.” She gives one last hug to the girl who doesn’t look much older than Lena and me yet looks as though she’s lived a hundred lives.

  “For sure, now go get your stuff and go home. Your man is waiting.” They giggle again before I open the door for her and help her into the car. I said a say thank you to Miss Ruby and Jewel before pulling over to Amanda’s car. “You can stay here, babe, I’ll grab it.”

  “Thanks, Hap. I had fun but man am I tired.” Her head leans back on the seat, exhaustion taking over.

  I hop out as Amanda opens the back of her Mercedes SUV. I’ve never seen such a fancy car up close and am almost afraid to touch it. Wouldn’t want to smudge anything. As soon as I get in view of the back, I see a huge mound of bags. “Whoa, you ladies did some damage,” I tease.

  “This is all for Lena and the baby,” she exclaims with enthusiasm as she begins transferring bags to my car.

  “All of it?” I can’t believe they spent so much on Lena and the baby. They had to have dropped a small fortune.

  “Yep, want it in the trunk or back seat?”

  “Uhh, probably both.” Too shocked to say much more I pop my trunk and begin helping her transfer everything. The last bag barely fits in the back seat. I somehow manage to get it in there and slam the door.

  “That’s a lot of stuff,” I finally admit.

  “Well, babies need a lot and she needed some things too. She’s a very special girl, Hap.” She smiles warmly at me. I can’t help but feel shitty because I should be buying all these things for my family.

  “Yeah, I know she is. I can’t thank you enough.” Overcome with gratefulness, I pull her into a hug.

  “Don’t thank us. It was our pleasure. Now get that girl home, she’s gotta be exhausted.” She returns my hug before ushering me toward the driver’s side.

  “Yeah, she said she’s wiped. Anyway, thanks again.”

  “See you Saturday, Hap,” she replies with a smile.

  “See ya.”

  I open my car door and am ready to slide in when she calls out to me, “Hey, Hap.”

  “Yeah?” I turn to look at Amanda, who is fidgeting nervously.

  “You went to Jase’s today right?” The moment she says the words she looks as though she regrets it.

  “Yeah, had a good time too. Jase is a good guy,” I confirm.

  “Yeah, he is a good guy. Well, see ya,” she says shyly before hurrying to her car and sliding in. I follow suit and do the same, driving my tired girlfriend home.

  ***

  Lena sleeps all the way home. I wanted to wait until morning to grab the bags but she’s not having it. After at least five trips back and forth, we have all the loot piled up in the apartment. We sit up going through everything. Seeing all the baby stuff makes the situation all the more real.

  “Is she really going to be this tiny?” I ask holding up a little dress.

  Lena laughs. “Yeah, she is. Crazy right?”

  “Yeah, hard to believe. Seeing all this stuff just makes it more real, huh?”

  “Yeah. It does. You still okay with it?” she asked carefully, her self-doubt creeping in again.

  “Are you kidding, I can’t wait to see the little angel in this pink… uhh… what is this?” I hold up a small piece of cloth.

  “That’s a onesie,” she tells me, giggling. I love it when she’s happy.

  “Yeah, in this onesie. I am more than okay, babe. I’m fucking excited.” She smiles at me, before leaning in for a kiss. We haven’t had sex forever. As soon as she started to really show, she didn’t want me to see her naked. No amount of reassurance helped her so I backed off. Figure we have a lifetime to have sex. This kiss though, it’s more than her normal quick kisses. Her lips linger on mine for so long that I’m afraid she’ll pull away. I miss being this close to her, this intimate.

  Cautiously I reach my hand up to her cheek then to the back of her head where my fingers intertwine with her hair. Her hands wrap around me as the eagerness behind the kiss intensifies. “Hap,” she whispers as she breaks away. I knew it wouldn’t last long, and I’m convincing myself that it’s okay. I’ll jerk off in the bathroom later when her next words break my thoughts. “I want to have sex. I miss you.”

  “Are you sure?” I ask carefully prepared to back off but hoping like hell she doesn’t want me to.

  “I’m more than sure,” she replies before backing away slightly. With her eyes on mine, she lifts her shirt over her head revealing the body she’s been trying to keep hidden from me. As soon as the shir
t is tossed to the side she removes her bra, letting her tits fall naturally. Lena doesn’t have small breasts to begin with but holy fuck, I hadn’t noticed how much bigger they’d gotten with the pregnancy.

  “Oh shit,” I say, not meaning to say it out loud.

  “What? I look gross, huh?” She immediately begins to cover herself, and I grab her arms, pushing them back down to her side.

  “No, you’re not gross. I didn’t think you could get any more beautiful. More perfect. I was wrong. Your boobs…” I begin, still pleasantly surprised.

  “Yeah, they’ve grown. Want to touch them?”

  “Oh, I’m gonna do far more than just touch them.” My hand reaches to her, gently taking one swollen mound, kneading the tissue before playing with her nipple. As soon as it’s hard I move to the next breast repeating the motion. “If I go much further I don’t know if I’ll be able to stop,” I tell her as my dick grows impatient.

  “I don’t want you to stop.” That’s all I needed to hear before I took one of her tits in my mouth, sucking and teasing, her moaning encouraging me not to stop. When my hand slipped between her legs, they were welcomed by damp panties.

  “You are horny.”

  “I am. I’ve just missed you being so close to me. Being inside of me.”

  “I’ve missed you too, baby.” I slipped a finger inside of her as my mouth devoured hers. Cradling her neck with my free hand, I laid her back gently, my fingers still massaging her pussy. I felt her begin to tighten up and removed my fingers. “Not yet,” I warn, swiftly removing my pants and boxers, tossing them aside.

  “How are we going to do this?” she asks, embarrassment evident in her voice.

  “Don’t worry, just enjoy. Turn on your side.” She listens as I lay down beside her. Reaching around I cup her breast in my hand, gently squeezing as I slip inside her from behind. She lets out a whimper at the intrusion. It’s been a long time, she’s tight. “Am I hurting you?” I ask, not pushing any deeper.

  “No, don’t stop. Just go slow,” she begs. I gently push further inside, inch by inch until my dick is buried inside of her. The warmth surrounding my cock is like coming home. I slowly begin to move in and out while squeezing her tits and nibbling the back of her neck. Our breathing speeds up, keeping in time with each thrust. With every motion my dick grows harder, threatening to explode before I’m ready. Before she’s ready. I move my hand from her nipple to her clit where I rub circles, softly at first then pick up the pace when I feel her body tense up. Suddenly we’re both pushed over the top, panting out our pleasure.