May the Best Man Win

by BJ Bentley

  “You do! Okay-”

  Her words cut off, strangled, when I thrust into her completely and rode her like it was my first rodeo. It was sloppy and fumbling and the only thing that mattered was that I was inside her. There was absolutely no finesse in the way I fucked her, but it didn’t seem to matter because she was right there with me, both of us racing to the finish line. Or, if we’re still going with the rodeo analogy, waiting for the buzzer to signal the end of the ride.

  By some miracle, I’d managed to get Sophie off first. Lying next to her, panting like I’d just run the Boston Marathon, I realized that no matter how we did it- slow and sweet or hard and fast- every time with Sophie was the best time. It didn’t matter if I fucked her like an inexperienced yet overly enthusiastic teenager, it was still the best sex of my life.

  I rolled my head to look at her. “Is it just me or was that seriously awesome?”

  Her breathing was still heavy, but she patted me on the arm and said, “Don’t worry; you got the job done.”

  I narrowed my eyes, causing her to giggle, and realized she was teasing me. “My job performance was never in question,” I informed her.

  She graced me with a blindingly beautiful smile that made me wonder if I was in fact looking upon an angel. “No, it never was.”

  ***

  After morning sex, breakfast, and more morning sex with Sophie, I’d informed her that we were getting rid of the condoms, so we needed to have the birth control talk. We’d never had an explicit exclusivity talk either, so I threw in a ‘nobody touches that pussy but me’ demand just for good measure, and that was the end of it.

  Was I high-handed in my approach? You bet.

  Did I give a single fuck? Not one.

  By the time I was ready to leave, I was brainstorming ways to get Sophie to spend more time at my house. I loved having alone time with her, but I hated being away from Tierney more than I already was. Something had to give, so I could have both my girls with me. My place made more sense since it was bigger and came with a built-in babysitter. I imagined that would be another battle I’d have to fight dirty to win.

  I pulled into my driveway cursing under my breath. The sleek, gunmetal gray BMW was one that I knew for certain had no place being anywhere near my house. All I wanted was a shower, a change of clothes, and an afternoon with my kid. Instead, I was about to walk into a diva showdown in my living room. If there was anyone who might despise Tierney’s mother more than me, it was Chloe.

  When she was growing up, Chloe’s parents took in a couple of foster kids they ended up adopting. Chloe loved her adopted siblings more than anything, and she knew first hand what it was like when their deadbeat parents came around making demands about seeing the kids they’d given up rights to and saying fucked up, hurtful things when they didn’t get their way. Chloe never hesitated to jump to her brother and sister’s defense, and she had zero tolerance for Georgia’s particular brand of bullshit as a result.

  “I have every right to be here!” Georgia shouted.

  “You have no right,” Chloe growled.

  I slammed the door to signal my arrival, and both heads whipped in my direction. “Why didn’t you call me?” I asked Chloe.

  “I was just about to.” She indicated her cell phone in her hand.

  I nodded. “Where’s Tierney?”

  “In her room,” Chloe responded.

  “Damon, I want-”

  “Georgia, I don’t give a flying fuck what you want,” I cut her off. “I have sole custody, and you know damn well that the only visitation rights you have are at my discretion. You should leave. Call to discuss arrangements next time.” I dismissed her, heading toward the stairs and the shower I so desperately needed.

  “Damon!” Georgia’s screech ripped through the air, and I knew there was no way that Tierney hadn’t heard it.

  I slowly turned on the bottom step of the staircase and looked my ex in the eye. “One more time, Georgia. Get. Out. Of. My. House.” My jaw was clenched so tight, I swore I cracked a molar. She must have recognized the cold, determined look on my face. Her eyes filled with moisture and her bottom lip quivered. Unfortunately for her, I was immune to her crocodile tears. She stared at me for a few beats before admitting defeat and striding toward the door with her head held high, like the selfish bitch had anything to be proud of.

  I turned my attention back to Chloe. “Did anything happen before I got here?”

  “Not much,” she sighed, clearly tired of Georgia’s antics. “Tierney and I were getting ready to watch a movie when I heard her car pull in. I thought it was you at first, but Tierney got up to look and asked me whose car was in the driveway. That’s when I sent her upstairs.”

  “They didn’t talk to each other?”

  “Never even saw each other.”

  I heaved a sigh. “Thanks, Chlo.”

  I scrubbed my hands over my face as I made my way upstairs. The high I was riding from earlier this morning wasn’t just dampened, it was flooded out. Christ, Georgia was a pain in the ass. I stopped at the top of the steps to a sight that broke my heart into a billion tiny shards. My baby girl was sitting cross-legged on the floor, huddled against the wall with tears in her eyes and a look of confusion on her face. I hung my head and slumped down next to her.

  “You heard all that, didn’t you?”

  She nodded, sniffling.

  I turned, wrapping my arms around her, and hauled her into my lap. “I’m so sorry, baby,” I whispered against the top of her head.

  “Why can’t I see her?” she asked softly, hesitantly.

  Fuck. I knew this question would be coming at some point, and I still hadn’t figured out how to answer it without it seeming like I was trying to turn Tierney against her mother. “It’s not that you can’t see her, baby, it’s just that she knows she’s supposed to call me and make arrangements first. She can’t just show up here whenever she wants and expect to get her way. There are rules, and your mom needs to follow them.”

  She sighed into my chest. “Okay.”

  I grimaced to myself asking my next question. “Do you want to see her?”

  My daughter, in typical Tierney fashion, shrugged, making my lips tip up. After a few beats, she said, “I think so.”

  I closed my eyes, leaning my head back against the wall. I knew it wasn’t the end of the world, but I felt defeated. I was sure that Georgia was going to let my daughter down in every way that mattered. That being, she wasn’t going to be the mother my daughter deserved. “Okay, baby girl. I’ll call her and we’ll set up a time for the three of us to hang out, okay?”

  She tipped her head back to look at me, her golden eyes, so much like my own, staring me right in the face. “Thanks, Daddy.”

  “Anything for you, baby.” I kissed the top of her head and sent her back downstairs, so she and Chloe could watch their movie. Her father was in desperate need of hot water and soap.

  Chapter 20

  Damon

  After my shower, I joined Tierney and Chloe in their movie marathon. Not because I was particularly excited about animated dragon movies, but because it gave Georgia a chance to cool her jets before I broached the subject of her visiting with Tierney. I couldn’t shake the feeling that I was setting us up for certain disaster, and knowing Georgia, I had every reason to believe that this was not going to be in my daughter’s best interest.

  I called Georgia and essentially ignored her while she berated me for ignoring her calls and requests to see Tierney. When she was finally done ranting, I said, “Do you want to see my daughter or not?” I never referred to Tierney as Georgia’s daughter. She was either my daughter or Tierney. Never any other kind of designation. As far as I was concerned Georgia hadn’t earned the right to lay claim to my baby girl, so there was a reason I worded my question the way I had. Something that Georgia hadn’t missed.

  “She’s my daughter, too, Damon.”

  “She was when you carried her inside you. She was when you delivered her
healthy and screaming in the hospital. She was right up until you decided to get behind the wheel drunk as a skunk with her in the backseat. That, Georgia, was the day you lost her.”

  “Everybody makes mistakes, Damon. I’m sober now, and there’s no reason why I don’t deserve a second chance.”

  I’ll be the judge of that. “Look, she wants to see you, and I want to give her an opportunity to make her own decisions as far as you’re concerned. But, you do or say anything to upset her or prove to her that you can’t be the mother she deserves, all communication ends and what little visitation you have is immediately revoked. Am I understood?”

  “I don’t understand why you’re being such a hard ass about this,” she muttered. “It’s not like she actually remembers the accident. She was too young.”

  “Once again, Georgia, you’ve completely missed the point. Now, tell me my terms are understood.”

  “Fine,” she bit out. “Understood.”

  “Great. Now, how about next weekend?”

  Georgia tried to argue for the next day, but there was no way in hell she was crashing our Sunday Funday and potentially tainting our special Sunday tradition. So, we’d agreed on the following Saturday, and I selfishly wondered if I could convince Sophie to join us, and if so, would she hate me forever for subjecting her to Georgia’s toxic personality? Would Sophie’s presence confuse Tierney or bolster her confidence? Tierney loved Sophie as her teacher, but how would she react to her as a mother-figure in her life? Was it too soon to introduce Sophie in that capacity? As far as Tierney was concerned, Sophie and I were friends, and she accepted that. Would she accept more?

  Fuck! Parenting was more confusing than quantum mechanics.

  “What’s for lunch, baby girl?” I called into the living room from the kitchen.

  The pitter patter of not-so-little feet preceded Tierney’s appearance. “Ham and Swiss sandwiches and grapes,” she announced.

  “That’s an oddly specific and unusual request.”

  She shrugged. “I’m expanding my horizons.”

  “Ahh. Okay, then. Ham and Swiss with a side of grapes coming right up.” I tried to hide my amusement at her serious expression, but she was just too damn adorable. With my head in the fridge, I called out, “Seems we don’t actually have any Swiss cheese, baby. Is provolone okay?” I asked over my shoulder.

  She pursed her lips and moved them side to side as she considered my offering before finally shaking her head.

  “No? Alright, then, we’re going to have to go to the store.”

  She nodded with a smile.

  “Go get your shoes on,” I sighed goodnaturedly.

  ***

  “Can we invite Miss James to lunch?”

  Tierney’s request took me by surprise, though maybe it shouldn’t have. It also provided me with an opportunity that I was fully on board with taking advantage of. Even though, I’d just left her that morning, and we’d only been apart for a handful of hours, I found myself missing her. After having dealt with Georgia today, seeing Sophie felt like something I desperately needed.

  Thinking that my daughter was brilliant, I pulled out my phone and called Sophie after tossing the two bags full of groceries I’d somehow accumulated during our Swiss cheese run into the back of the Escalade.

  “I thought I got rid of you this morning,” she said by way of answering my call.

  “Never gonna happen. You busy right now?”

  “Why?” She drew the word out, suspicion evident in her tone.

  Instead of answering, I asked another question. “Are you at home right now?”

  “Why?” she answered the same way as before.

  “Soph,” I growled.

  She sighed into the phone. “Yes, Damon, I’m at home. Now, will you tell me why you’re calling?”

  “Tierney and I will tell you in person in a few minutes. See you soon, doll.”

  I hung up and smiled at my daughter. “Buckle up, baby girl. Let’s go get Miss James.”

  The ride to Sophie’s from the grocery store was relatively short but took us in the opposite direction of home. I didn’t mind the extra drive time considering our destination. Pulling up in front of Sophie’s house, Tierney was unbuckled and hopping from the SUV just as I put it in park.

  “Hey! Tierney!”

  She barely spared me a glance over her shoulder as she ran up the sidewalk and straight for Sophie who was curled up in one of the wicker chairs on her front porch.

  “Hi, Miss James!” she said excitedly.

  “Hey, there, nugget.” Sophie smiled in that way that made me a little weak in the knees. It was so strange to me to have that sort of reaction to a woman.

  What was I, some sort of damsel? I made a mental note to go drink some beer and watch some football with Johnny later. Maybe we could crush the beer cans on our foreheads and scratch our balls while we burped and farted.

  I brought my attention back to my present company.

  “Nugget?” Tierney was asking. “You’ve never called me that before.”

  “I’m trying something new.” Sophie tilted her head.

  “Expanding your horizons,” Tierney responded in a tone of sudden understanding.

  “Yeah, something like that,” Sophie chuckled.

  “We’re here to see if you’d like to have lunch with us,” Tierney blurted.

  Apparently, I wasn’t needed for this conversation. My seven year old had it well in hand.

  “Depends,” Sophie deadpanned. “What’s for lunch?”

  “Ham and Swiss sandwiches and grapes.” Tierney’s smile lit up her face like the fourth of July, but Sophie’s could have doubled for the ball in Times Square on New Year’s Eve.

  “My favorite!”

  “I know,” Tierney giggled, and suddenly her oddball request made so much sense it made my chest clench.

  My little girl wasn’t a people-pleaser. She was introverted and reserved except for with a select few such as myself or Chloe. But she had taken more than a liking to Sophie, and suddenly all the fears I’d had earlier surrounding whether or not to integrate Sophie more fully into our lives were all but dashed. Tierney wasn’t confused about who Sophie was to her. My baby girl and I were on the same page.

  Because we had two bags full of groceries, including ice cream, the three of us opted to have lunch at Sophie’s rather than drive all the way back to my place. I shot Chloe a quick text so she wouldn’t worry and set about making lunch for my girls. Sophie stored the ice cream in the freezer, commenting that it was a coincidence that neopolitan was her favorite. It was Tierney’s, too.

  “So, what’s on your agenda for today?” Sophie asked, shoving a grape between her lips. Lips I wanted wrapped around my cock.

  Jesus. I couldn’t even make it through lunch without fantasizing about that pillowy, pink kisser of hers. My cock was twitching in support of every lewd thought running through my mind despite the fact that I’d had her twice that morning already. I wondered how I could work afternoon sex into my regular schedule.

  “Dad?” My semi deflated at Tierney’s call.

  “Hm? Oh. We don’t really have an agenda. We watched some movies this morning, and now we’re having lunch. That about covers it.” I was about to explain that Tierney and I didn’t always have Saturdays together depending on what was happening at the office. That’s why Sunday was our day to do the daddy-daughter thing, and everyone at Hatchling Tech knew never to disturb me on a Sunday. The vibration of my cell phone in my pocket distracted me before I could tell Sophie any of that. “Excuse me,” I said. “I have to take this.”

  “Hey, Lydia.”

  “Damon? I’m sorry to bother you, but you’re going to want to come down to the office.”

  “What’s wrong?” Lydia wasn’t one to panic or to bother me on the weekends unless it was absolutely necessary, so I was immediately on high alert.

  “Your mother’s here.”

  Chapter 21

  Sophie

 
I was explaining to Tierney that the best way to eat grapes- besides wine, of course- was to freeze them. Frozen grapes were one of my favorite summertime treats, but I ate them year round. I was tossing a sandwich bag of grapes in the freezer when I heard Damon curse.

  “Everything, alright?”

  “Yeah,” he sighed heavily, rubbing his temple with the heel of his hand. “Shit. I hate to do this, Soph, but can you watch Tierney for me? Just for a little while?”

  “Yeah, of course,” I answered without hesitation. “You sure everything’s alright?”

  A humorless chuckle burst from him. “It will be. I just have to take care of something down at the office, and normally I’d just take her with me, but….”

  “No, no.” I waved him off. “Really, it’s fine. We can have some girl time, right?” I asked, addressing Tierney who nodded vigorously. “See?” I said, turning back to Damon. “It’s fine. Go.” I shooed him with my hands. “Go do whatever it is that you need to do. We’ll be just fine without you.”

  “You’re sure?”

  “You asked me to do you a favor, and now you’re doubting me?” I held a hand to my chest in mock hurt. “Go, Damon. Tierney and I are just gonna hang out here. Maybe drink some wine and watch Magic Mike to pass the time.”

  He scowled at me, but his lips twitched, belying his amusement.

  “Unless she’s more of a Fifty Shades kind of girl….”

  “Oh, my God, please stop! She’s seven, and I can’t even think-” He stopped speaking abruptly and shuddered. “Ugh. You’re the worst.”

  “The worst,” I agreed, grinning broadly.

  Damon shook his head, probably to clear whatever mental image was torturing him, and kissed me swiftly on the mouth first and then on the forehead. The forehead kiss was a sweet gesture and felt like something that regular couples did. Something a husband might do before leaving for work each morning. I cringed inwardly, putting the kibosh on that line of thinking.