by Jade West
“Fuck,” Rick said. “This is really coming on.”
“Last few days really,” I said, and I was proud and excited. I couldn’t take the grin off my face.
We parked up on the new flash paving and I let out a groan as I dropped from the Range, waving away the guys as they tried to fuss me. After all I was pregnant, not an invalid, and I’d had worse, so much worse.
A stint in a wheelchair had made pregnancy feel a doddle in comparison, even if I was waddling like a big fat penguin.
The new stable block was almost constructed, a gleaming brick and steel structure directly opposite the old stalls. “They’re bigger,” I said. “A lot bigger than the early plans.”
“Only the best for our furry boy,” Carl said. “He’ll love that.” He peered inside, and so did Rick, and I knew it looked good, I knew it all looked good here.
I’d been dreaming about it long enough.
“Talking about our furry boy.” Rick grinned, and held up some mints.
I led the way, slowly, not just because my swollen belly took the breath from me, but because there was so much for them to see. A refurbished school, piled high with new woodchip and bordered with decent solid fencing. A new jumping paddock, with really swish poles and fences — not that I’d be the one using them, not for the foreseeable, if ever.
These days Samson didn’t come running when we arrived at his gate. His limp was less pronounced than it used to be, but he was still lame. It didn’t seem to bother him all that much, not with a couple of new little field buddies to keep his interest.
He took his time to join us, letting out a snort as he presented his snout for his mint treat, and the ponies came trotting up, wanting in on the action.
“I’ll miss you,” I said to him, scratching his ears. I pointed at my belly, as though he might understand. “I’ll be back soon, just as soon as I can. You’ll have to put up with Auntie Verity in the meantime.”
Carl and Rick mock groaned.
“Auntie Verity!” Rick laughed. “Bloody hell, Sammy, she’ll have you doing all that poncey footwork again. What a bummer, eh?”
It turned out Verity was as tenacious in all aspects of life as she had been in the office. She was still adamant Samson would recover enough to hack out again. I hoped she was right.
One of the ponies nipped at Carl’s leg through the bars, just playing, but it was enough to make him groan. “Vicious, these little bastards,” he said. “They hate me.”
I laughed. “They don’t hate you.”
“I don’t know how those kids aren’t scared of them, I really don’t.”
But the village kids weren’t scared of them at all. Not even close. The village kids loved them, just like I’d always hoped.
And I hoped our little girl would, too. Just as soon as she was old enough to meet them.
After all, I’d chosen them for her, just in case. Just in case she shared my insatiable love of all things equine.
“We’d better get going,” Carl said. “Table’s booked for half-one, we’ll be cutting it fine.”
“They can entertain themselves if we’re late.” I let out laugh. “Just as long as Olivia doesn’t laser Mum to death with her evil eyes.”
“I’m sure they’ll draw a truce for one day,” Carl said.
“You’re the birthday girl.” Rick kissed my cheek. “We’re on your timetable.”
“Yes,” I said. “Quite rightly so. And I’m expecting birthday favours.” I grinned. “Butlers in the buff when we get home tonight, I expect to be hand fed chocolates and showered with rose petals.”
But fate it seemed had other plans.
I’d only managed a couple of steps across the school, three at most, when I felt the gush of fluid down my legs.
“Oh shit,” I said. “Oh God, oh my God.” I looked at Carl and Rick and they were looking at me, eyes wide. “It’s happening, it’s really happening.”
They smiled, they really smiled, and I did, too.
My heart pounded, and I couldn’t hold back the giggles, laughing to myself as Rick and Carl dithered with phones and car keys.
They cancelled lunch before I was in even back in the Range, changed our destination in the Sat Nav, like we needed it. Like we didn’t know exactly where we were headed. We’d driven it a hundred times, just to make sure, just to practice.
I put my hand on Carl’s wrist before he turned the key in the ignition, took one last breath before our final journey as a family of three.
“This is it,” I said. “This is really it, I hope you’re ready.”
“We’re ready,” Carl said. “We’ve been ready since the moment we met.”
“Are we ever fucking ready?” Rick added. “We couldn’t be more ready.”
And so was I, I was ready, too.
Ready to meet our little girl.
THE END
Christmas Bonus – Sugar Daddies
Katie
Both Carl and I were big fans of Christmas, that was for sure, but Rick loved it so much more. His enthusiasm was adorable. Just like he was. Even Carl would have to admit Rick’s festive cheer was as cute as hell if you pushed him on it.
Rick had been planning it for months, our family Christmas, getting excited ever since the first shop window displays started appearing in September. He wouldn’t let up with the Santa Claus this, and Santa Claus that, telling our little Amelia that the man in red would be coming soon with his reindeer and sleigh and sack of presents all for her.
Yep, that was adorable too.
It would be Amelia Brooks-Warner’s second Christmas, and although she smiled and clapped her hands along with Daddy Rick as he told her all the stories, I doubted she really knew what he was going on about most of the time.
That made little difference though, not to any of us. By the time December rocked around we were well and truly in the Christmas bubble. Rick’s just too damn irresistible when he’s feeling the groove.
It was already dark outside when I pulled back up at home on Christmas Eve, and the frost was coming in fast. There were rumours of snow but so far nothing, not a single snowflake over the three counties, which had suited me fine given my workload.
I’d spent the day running a festive riding school open day for local village kids at the yard, topping it off by taking Samson out on a long slow hack through the woods and giving him extra carrots with his pony nuts.
I was tired, and I stank, of hay and sweat and saddle soap, bursting through the door with an armful of bridles for oiling and a load of hairy numnahs ready for the laundry, even though it always drove Carl crazy when I put them through the main washing machine.
I called out a greeting as I ditched my boots in the hall, following the trail of discarded baby toys that led me right through to the kitchen. The boys were in there, chattering loudly as they busied themselves with life tasks in my absence. Carl was poo-pooing Rick as he finished up with his dehydrated vegetable machine and Amelia was laughing along from her high chair.
It gave me the most amazing pang in my chest to see them there, both already in silly paper Christmas hats just to make our little girl smile.
Carl pointed at the crumpled red crown on his head the very moment I appeared in the doorway.
“Yours is purple,” he told me. “Richard here insists we all have to wear them, on pain of Christmas falling flat if we don’t bend over and yield to all the ridiculous traditions of modern consumer culture.”
Rick’s hat was green. He headed straight on over and wrapped an arm around my shoulders, pulling me close enough to land a kiss on my lips despite the obvious horse stench. “Ignore Ebenezer over there, he was dancing to Last Christmas when he didn’t think we were watching, and he knew all the words.”
Carl groaned and paused his stirring of the pan on the hob. “Everyone knows the bloody words to that song, Richard. It’s practically emblazoned onto your psyche as soon as you’ve lived through any serious number of Christmases.”
I drop
ped the bridles and numnahs in a pile in the corner, and closed the distance to my giggling little girl. “Do you know the words to Last Christmas, Amelia? Has Daddy Carl been teaching you?”
“No,” Carl said with a smirk, leaning back from his chef position to plant his warm lips on my cheek. “I’ve been teaching her Hark the Herald Angels. She’s doing the soprano, I’m doing the tenor.”
Amelia’s big brown eyes were laughing up at me as I gave her a big kiss on the head and jangled her furry rabbit glove puppet above her high chair tray. Her giggle took my breath for the millionth time, and it didn’t matter how many times I heard it, I figured it always would. It always surprised me that – just how strongly my body responded to every little thing she did.
Nature is one cool bitch with her crazy ways.
I was so pleased to see Amelia, even though I’d been gone barely a whole afternoon. Her chestnut brown hair was a pixie wisp on her soft scalp, her smile still a bit gummy as she grinned.
The resemblance to the green-crowned man at her side when he lent down to tickle her chin was undeniable. Obvious.
Her smile dimpled her cheeks in exactly the same way Rick’s dimpled his. Her cute button nose had the same little point at the end.
I felt the tickle in my belly as Carl glanced back over his shoulder, surveying the exact same scene.
And then he said it, the words I’d been skirting for months and wondered if Rick had been too.
“Richard and his super adorable mini me.” He laughed. “Can life possibly get any cuter?”
Rick’s eyes met mine and then dropped in a beat. We’d all agreed, once the pregnancy test came through with its two little blue lines on the pee stick, that we’d never bother with any biological exams or swab testing.
Not only did it not matter who Amelia’s biological father was between my two incredible boyfriends, I truly didn’t want to know.
Unfortunately, life had other plans. Amelia’s cute little face was a beacon for the obvious.
I shrugged off Carl’s observation with an apology for my timekeeping.
“Sorry I’m late,” I told the guys, but they waved it away as Rick presented me with a glass of chilled prosecco.
“What’s a couple of hours?” he said. “Me and Carl have been keeping the little madam entertained just fine.”
Of that I had no doubt. As daddies they were second to none, just as men of mine they were second to none. They were tireless in their devotion to both me and the sweet little girl I’d birthed for them.
Us.
All three of us were blessed beyond our wildest dreams by the beautiful little angel in our world.
Carl tested her veggie soup on his wrist for temperature before spooning some into a bowl and dropping himself down to her high chair level. She responded just fine to his horse giddy-up spoon efforts, slurping it down without incident other than a splat of carrot down her dinner bib.
I drank down my prosecco slowly as he finished up and winded our little girl over his shoulder. He rocked back and forth with her, wiping her sweet cheeks as she giggled and cooed.
My heart was full to bursting just to see such a tiny creature in his warm strong arms. I’m surprised I hadn’t exploded with joy long ago already. These guys were too much good to stand, and so was she.
“We’d better get the little lady settled for the night and give Santa a clear run,” Carl told us and both Rick and I nodded.
I offered out my arms and said I’d take her, but Carl shook his head.
“I’ve got this,” he told me. “Story time. We’re in the middle of an exciting tale about a little fox called Elliot.”
Rick leaned into me as Carl headed down the hallway and on upstairs, his beard ghosting my cheek as he whispered straight into my ear.
“Christmas Eve is a night of magic for all of us,” he told me. “I hope you’re up for a late one.”
I smiled my best smile. “It wouldn’t be Christmas Eve if it wasn’t a late one, Rick. I’ve been a good girl for Santa this year. I just hope he brings me something fun for my troubles.”
“I think there are two presents with your name right on them,” he whispered, then nudged me, right in my sweaty tit. He held his hands up and indicated a length of at least eighteen inches with a smirk on his face. “Two of them, say… so big. Purple and veiny and thoroughly magnificent. Generally come in pairs.”
I flashed him a smile and wiggled an eyebrow. “I hope they’re especially magnificent tonight, Rick. I’m counting on a damn good fucking.”
I wondered if tonight would be the night my winter wishes came true. I’d been stewing over it for a while, making it clear on the ovulation calendar in the kitchen that I was done popping pills to keep us as a three-person family.
Catching pregnant with another baby for the boys would be the greatest present I could give either of them, especially Carl, but I had no idea if the effects of the medication were properly out of my system yet.
It took me a moment to realise that both Rick and I were staring like dumbasses at the hallway Carl and Amelia had retreated into, leaning back against the breakfast bar like our entire life was on pause.
I guess it was.
Rick must’ve come to the same conclusion, right then and there, shoulder to shoulder with me while I tipped back the rest of my prosecco.
“Shall we go watch Daddy at work?” he asked, and I nodded, placing my empty glass on the drainer without a second thought for a refill.
We crept upstairs slowly, hanging back to watch Carl settle our little girl down for bedtime as though he’d been doing this his whole life, changing her into her cosy little onesie and rocking her in his arms.
It was magical.
I turned my face to Rick’s to comment but his expression had the distant glaze of being unreachable. His lips were parted and his brows were tight, staring hard at Carl and the baby every single step he took around her sweet little nursery.
Another tickle in my belly told me he was thinking. Hard.
Told me he was mulling things over, stewing things I had no awareness of.
His fingers took mine as I slipped them across at him, but there was none of the grab and bite there that he normally graced me with, just a tenderness as he squeezed my hand in his.
I’d have offered him a penny for them, but the time didn’t feel right, not with Carl settling the little one down to bed with a smile and a picture book story.
He could’ve seen us if he’d have looked up at the doorway, but his attention was right on her. Adoring her, taking time for her, eating her up with the eyes of a daddy who really loves his little baby.
His smile was delicious and warm and honest. His heavy brows didn’t have any of the tension I’d come to know so well. His eyes were attentive pools of green flecked with a twinkle of something lighter, they didn’t leave hers, not for a single moment, not until the story book finished up with the very last page.
“He’s such a good dad,” Rick whispered, and I nodded.
“You both are.”
Another squeeze of my hand had me wondering what the hell was really on his mind, but I didn’t get the chance to ask any questions, even if I’d wanted to.
“Let’s put the presents under the tree,” he told me. “And then we’ll see what other gifts we have up our sleeve.”
“Purple and veiny and magnificent,” I repeated from earlier. “I’m looking forward to taking two of them real deep all at once. Let’s see if we can ask Santa for a new little brother or sister for our sweet little Amelia, shall we?”
But this time he didn’t have a smile for me.
Rick and I were so careful as we took the presents from their cupboard hiding place and arranged them neatly under the Christmas tree.
There were so many, gathered over months and months whenever one of us had seen something our sweet little girl would appreciate on Christmas morning. Teddy bears, and flashing light games and so many cute knitted booties. We were swamped, for sure.
Any more presents and we’d have to call in emergency present openers just to get us through them all.
The tree lights played a little jingle as Rick slipped my purple cracker hat on my hair, and together we danced like a couple of idiots in front of the mantlepiece, giggling as we bopped asses and shimmied our butts to the beat.
Carl cleared his throat when he finally appeared in the doorway and we both finished our hysterics in a beat.
I was suddenly all too aware I was still in my stable clothes. There was still a stray stalk of hay jutting out from my armpit and my legs especially stank of pony.
He gestured behind us to the twinkling collection of wrapping paper, flicking up a smile as he congratulated us on a good job done with the arrangement.
It did look amazing, even if I did say so myself.
So did the sparkle of baubles on the tree and the glittery star on top. So did the multicoloured tinsel and the poinsettia on the coffee table.
And the snow outside.
It was Rick who noticed it first, pointing an excited finger to the window and the flurry of snowflakes glowing in the streetlights.
“Snow!” I squeaked and covered my mouth, dancing up and down on the spot at the thought it might stick until morning.
Amelia’s first snow. I couldn’t wait.
So many firsts for us with her, all the time, every day.
“Katie wants two veiny purple monsters for her early Christmas present,” Rick commented to Carl as we stared out through the window.
I heard Carl laugh low and dirty behind me. “I hope Katie wants them both at once, since she’s such a greedy girl.”
“Of course Katie wants them both at once,” I laughed. “Katie also wants to see her gorgeous hulking baby daddies give each other some loving while she feasts her greedy eyes.”
I turned in time to see the look pass between them, and it made my stomach flip.
I loved the way they loved each other. Wanted each other. Held each other and took their love to such a brutally perfect place where flesh slammed flesh and Carl made Rick take every inch of him.
