I giggle, remembering the first day I met Cave. Lenny took me to Dallas to meet his dad, and I’d been reading the entire drive there. My nose was buried in a book even when we pulled up to the house, and I was completely unaware of my future father-in-law’s presence until he knocked on the glass. I jumped in my seat and nearly had a heart attack. The memory is a fond one, one that Lenny always teased me about up until the very end.
“I do love books, but I also think there’s more in me than just the written word. Actually, I’m really looking forward to working on the foundation with you,” I admit, my cheeks flushing red. “I hope to make a difference in the world. There are so many young people suffering from depression and I hope I can at least help one person.”
Cave nods with approval and his grin widens as the waiter appears in the doorway. The aroma of delicious steak fills the air and I can feel my stomach rumble. But then Cave takes my hand and looks into my eyes.
“I know you’ll make a difference, Holly. I can feel it.”
My heart somersaults, and I smile at him happily. This man supports me and wants me to do well, no matter my path in life. But before I can reply, my meal is placed in front of me and every thought evaporates. I’m so hungry that I don’t even wait for Cave to get his food before grabbing my utensils and cutting into my steak. As I chow down, I hear a quiet chuckle from across the table and I glance up. Cave’s merely watching me eat, his expression amused.
“I’m sorry,” I mutter around a mouthful of food. “I should have waited.”
“No,” he says, his tone light. “I love that you eat, sweetheart. I hate girls who order a salad on a date and then pick at it like a squirrel. It’s disgusting, and a waste of food too.”
I laugh, but doubt clouds my mind. “My figure is a little too generous if you ask me. A lot of times, stores don’t even have my size. Or if they do, the fabric bulges in weird places.”
“I disagree completely,” he argues. “I love how curvy you are and I would love to see you become even more bountiful, actually.”
I scoff. “Just wait until you see me pregnant. I’ll be as big as a house!”
The comment slips from my lips and I regret it almost immediately. Did I really just bring up the prospect of a baby on our first date? Oh my god, I’m so humiliated. I bet Cave’s going to freak out and grow standoffish, but instead his blue eyes flare and he leans in close to take my hand.
“You would look beautiful pregnant,” he growls in a low voice, that cobalt gaze making my heart do somersaults. “I’d love to see you heavy with a baby in your tummy.”
And suddenly, I know this is no fling. This is not a wham, bam, thank you ma’am scenario. Instead, I’m falling in love with my father in law, and if I’m not mistaken, he’s falling in love with me too.
8
Holly
* * *
Cave and I have been dating for a few months now. No one knows about our relationship except Noreen, who constantly pesters me for details about our sex life.
“Girl you have to tell me,” she said in a low voice. “Is he big down there?”
I giggled.
“Of course he is,” I say lightly. “After all, I’m sore all the time now!”
That only set Noreen off into another flurry of questions, but I wouldn’t go any further. There are some things best left unsaid, and I didn’t want to feel like I was betraying Cave by sharing every little secret. So I merely spoke in generalities, much to my best friend’s frustration.
But it’s amazing being with Cave. Yes, he’s my father in law, but the memory of Lenny, while certainly present, seems to recede into the background with each day, as if he’s more of a dream figure than a real person. Our days are filled with laughter, love, stolen kisses, and passionate love making, and I feel incredibly lucky to be with a man like Cave Pierce.
But sometimes, my best friend just won’t quit. Right now, Noreen’s over at my house lounging on my couch in comfy sweats.
“Why can’t you just tell me how big he is?” she complains while tossing her curls over one shoulder. Then, she pops some peanuts in her mouth and crunches them obnoxiously.
I roll my eyes at her from my seat on the bean bag chair and shake my head at her. “No, Noreen. It’s a total invasion of privacy. Would you like it if I told Cave your bra size?”
She smiles sassily.
“I wouldn’t care,” she says, sitting up and facing me as she chews on the remnants of her snack. “But come on. Best friends tell each other everything, so you should definitely tell me.”
I shake my head again. “Not going to happen, Noreen.”
“How about I guess his size then?” She holds out both of her hands and spreads them about six inches apart. “This big?”
I say nothing but look her dead in the eyes.
She moves them farther apart, about eight inches now. “This big?”
I stare at her while shaking my head. Nope.
“Oh my,” she whispers, her eyes widening and her hands trembling a bit. “Bigger than this?”
I shrug my shoulders. “I guess you’ll never know,” I say with an arch smile. But Noreen’s on a roll.
“Oh my god, you’re dating a guy with a monster in his pants, girlfriend!” she gushes. “I’m so happy for you! You went from nothing, nada, zip to getting huge dick every night! Woo-whee!”
I roll my eyes again at her crude talk, but concern makes me frown when Noreen doubles over in pain. “Are you okay? What happened?”
“Oh yeah, I’m fine,” she brushes my worries off, waving a hand in my direction. “It’s just some period cramps. It’s that time of the month again. Fuck being a woman. Fuck Auntie Flo!”
I stop munching on my popcorn, nodding, but then panic seizes my heart. My entire body ceases to function when I realize the implications of her statement. Noreen and I have spent so much time together over the years that our bodies have synced together, meaning our periods usually happen within days of one another. I should have my period by now, but it’s not here. Not even a little bit. No spotting, no nothing.
Oh shit.
“How far along is your period?” I ask her softly, my heart racing with anxiety and fear.
“About four days. Why?” she responds, still groaning and holding her stomach. “Fuuuuck!”
Meanwhile, my head spins because I should have my period by now too. I usually get it before Noreen, so this is extremely worrisome. The room tilts as I stand up, swaying as I take tiny steps forward to the front door. I don’t even care that I’m in my pajamas and my hair is a complete disaster. I need to go to the store as soon as possible.
“Holly,” Noreen calls out, but her voice seems distant. “What’s going on? Are you okay? Holls?”
I snap out of trance and jerk like a woman coming out of daze. Then I spring into action. Moving like a whirlwind, I slip into some shoes without even glancing at my feet and grab my purse and keys from the entryway table. “No. I mean yes, I’m fine!”
I reach for the door handle, but Noreen’s gentle touch stops me from turning the knob and bolting out of the house. When I look up at her, her eyes are creased over with worry and concern. “What’s going on, Holly? What’s with the bat out of hell act? You can tell me anything, you know.”
I take a deep breath and squeeze my eyes shut, allowing my world to be consumed with darkness. I don’t want to admit it out loud because of how scandalous and crazy it sounds, but I need to tell someone. I need to voice my worries and fears instead of bottling them up before they explode. When I open my eyes, I mumble, “I think I’m pregnant.”
Noreen’s eyes go wide and she takes a step away from me.
“What? Holly, what do you mean you think you’re pregnant? I thought you were using protection with Cave? We’re big girls remember? We’re responsible when it comes to sexual health and taking care of our bodies.”
I grimace. The truth is that Cave and I absolutely used condoms, but sometimes the moment was so hot t
hat there we were overcome.
“Well, most of the time we do. Sometimes we just… well, we didn’t use protection one hundred percent, let’s just put it that way.”
Noreen crosses her arms over her chest and gives me a stern look. “Holly, this is serious. You can’t just forget to use birth control because guess what happens when you do? A baby happens, that’s what.”
I feel a dull ache spreading across my forehead and I place my cold hand on my forehead. It’s burning. “I know, Noreen. Trust me, I know.”
She stares at me for a few minutes before sighing and uncrossing her arms, sliding her shoes on her feet and tossing her purse over her shoulder.
“What are you doing?”
She looks at me like I’m truly the dumbest person on Earth. “What does it look like I’m doing? I’m going to help my best friend buy a pregnancy test.”
I smile at her, relief seeping into my muscles and relaxing them. “Thank you, Noreen.”
“I’m always here for you Holly,” she reminds me, grazing my upper arm with her hand. “Never forget that.”
“Anything yet?”
Noreen shakes her head. “Not yet. Relax, Holly. You literally just peed on the stick twenty seconds ago.”
I lean my elbows onto my knees and hold my head in my hands. The toilet seat feels cold against my backside, but I focus on the chills cascading down my legs instead.
“Anything yet?” I ask again.
Noreen shoots me a comforting glance from her position on my bathroom floor. “It’s the same answer as five seconds ago, Holly. No, there’s nothing yet. Just relax.”
“What am I going to do?” I wonder aloud, my pulse quickening as I speak about my uncertain future. “This isn’t just some random guy I met on the street. This is Cave, my father-in-law. I could be pregnant with his baby. Oh my god.”
“Holly, calm down,” Noreen soothes me. “Everything is going to work itself out. Trust me on this.”
But I can’t get calm.
“How are you not freaking out? Aren’t you disgusted with me?” I look down at my feet in shame, the guilt of sleeping with my father-in-law eating away at me.
Noreen sighs. “No, I’m not.”
I glance back up at her in shock. “What? Why not?”
She shrugs.
“I’m not disgusted with you, Holly, because I see how happy you are with Cave and how much you love him. How could I ever be disgusted at seeing my best friend happy, healthy, and swept off her feet? Who cares if this is your father-in-law? He’s a red-blooded alpha male who cares about you, and that’s what counts. Are you happy with him?”
I nod my head yes. She nods.
“Okay, then it’s nobody else’s damn business but yours. Stop letting other people’s opinions influence your life,” she advises. “Everyone is going to have something to say, but it’s up to you whether to listen to them.”
“Wow,” I whisper, stunned at how right she is. “I think you’re right.”
“Damn straight, I’m right,” she says with a smile. “When am I ever wrong?”
I laugh a little myself.
“Thank you, Noreen,” I say to her. “Thank you for helping me realize that my opinions of myself matter more than anyone else’s. Thank you for encouraging me to follow my heart. Thank you for everything, girlfriend. I appreciate it so much.”
She nods, and looks at me with such love and friendship that my eyes prick with tears. “I would give you a hug right now, but you’re on the toilet with no pants on, so I don’t want to get too close,” she quips.
We laugh at her joke, but our giggles quickly fade into silence as we wait a few more minutes for the test to show my results. I fidget with the drawstrings on my sweatpants as I ask her, “Anything yet now?”
She moves onto her knees and peers at the counter where the indicator lies. Her face reveals nothing as she picks up the test and studies it for as long as she can. “Yes.”
“Yes, there’s something or yes, it’s positive?” I ask, trying to still my racing heart.
She finally looks at me and gives me the smallest of grins, really just a slight uptick in the corners of her lips. “Both.”
All of the air in my lungs leaves my body at once and it suddenly feels like an elephant is sitting on my chest. “What?”
“You’re pregnant, Holly,” she repeats. “You’re going to have a baby.”
I expect my life to flash before my eyes. I expect my heart to start racing in fear of the unexpected. I expect to panic and worry about what other people will think of me having my father-in-law’s baby. I expect to feel ashamed, embarrassed, humiliated, and filled with regret.
But none of that comes.
Instead, I feel peaceful and calm, and a gentle joy hums in my soul. I feel sure of myself and of my decisions for the first time in a long while. I place a protective hand on my stomach where the baby is growing inside, and rub a bit. After all, I’m in a happy, loving relationship with the man of my dreams and me having his baby is a blessing, no matter who he was to me prior to the start of our relationship. Cave’s mine now, and I am his.
And this baby is ours.
9
Cave
* * *
Holly sounded so nervous on the phone when she called me a few hours ago and asked me to come over for dinner tonight. But what could possibly be wrong? We’re happy together after all. We’re still sneaking around, but that’s on her insistence. She wants to be the one to tell Greta about us in her own time, and I don’t blame her. I wouldn’t want some nosy busybody revealing our relationship to my ex-wife, much less the rest of Colorado Springs.
But now, unease settles in my chest as I knock on her red door, wondering what she could possibly be worried about when everything has been going amazing between the two of us. The sex is great, the passion between us could light a fire, and we talk until the wee hours of the morning at all times. I hope she doesn’t have any regrets because I’m her father-in-law. I thought we were over that, but you never know. Some things have a way of roaring back to life when you least expect it.
Holly opens the door and she looks gorgeous, as always. Her curly hair is in a low bun, the spirals wild and untamed just the way I like them. She’s dressed casually in tight black leggings and an oversized sweatshirt that I recognize as my own. She’s clearly not wearing a bra and her breasts hang free and look absolutely delicious, my gaze fixed on those plump mounds. She smiles and then clears her throat while stepping aside for me to enter.
“Can you ever take your eyes off of my breasts?” she asks with a smile before shutting the door behind me.
I shrug off my jacket and toss it on the couch. “Definitely not, sweetheart. Your tits are two of my favorite things in life.”
Holly giggles as I wrap my arms around her waist and pull her to me, lifting her off of her feet. She yelps in surprise, but her legs curl around my waist as she hangs on for dear life. I waste no time heading to the bedroom and throwing her curvy body onto the bed, her tits jiggling with the forceful motion. She giggles again as I climb on top of her, my member growing inside of my gray sweatpants.
Holly bites her lip in anticipation as I lift her sweatshirt up to expose those creamy orbs, perky and full. Her nipples are erect as always and my mouth waters at the beautiful sight. When I lean in to take one in my mouth, she places her hand on my mouth and pushes me away gently. I look up at her in confusion.
“Something wrong, sweetheart? You love getting your breasts sucked.”
She bites her lip.
“Do you think we could just kiss for a while?” she asks softly, her voice tentative and nervous.
“Of course,” I growl. “Anything you want, sweetheart.”
When her lips touch mine, there is an undiscovered tenderness in them that shakes me to my core. Her lips taste sweeter than honey as they move against mine and I can’t get enough. We start with gentle brushes of our lips as if we’re new to one another. Then, Holly shivers as
I touch her waist, her legs wrapping around my lower half and drawing me in for a deeper connection.
Her tongue grazes my bottom lip, asking permission to tangle with mine. I open my mouth slightly, allowing for her tongue to slide inside and dance. My heart jumps in my chest when she bites down on my lip gently, a nibble that leaves me breathless and wanting more. I tighten my grip on her waist and slide my hand up to her ribcage, slowly traveling to fondle her—
Beep, beep, beep!
Holly breaks away and gasps. “Oh my God! The turkey!”
“What?” I ask as she scrambles out of bed and sprints into the kitchen as quickly as she can. “You made a whole turkey?”
I chase after her, thoughts of her naked body replaced with ones of the house burning down to the ground as the fire alarm blares loudly in her home. I search for the smoke detector and grab my jacket, waving the piece of clothing under the detector to stop the annoying noise. Finally, it ceases and I heave a sigh of relief.
When I enter the kitchen, the curvy girl’s leaning over a smoking, blackened turkey with tears in her eyes. “Oh, no. This was supposed to be a special night for us.”
I approach her carefully and touch her lower back, her stare still fixed on the ruined bird in front of her. The smell of charcoal and singed meat fills my nostrils, and I fight the urge to vomit.
“It’s okay, sweetheart. We can order something to eat instead.”
She shakes her head. “You don’t understand, Cave. This was supposed to be special.”
“Honey,” I speak tenderly to her, gripping her shoulders and turning her around to face me and not the disgusting charred mess on the tray. “Every second we spend together is special because it’s with you. You are amazing and beautiful. I’m so lucky to have someone as unique and gorgeous as you in my arms, sweetheart. Okay? Relax. Let’s just have a good time.”
She nods her head, tears falling down her round face. “Thank you, Cave.”
My Filthy Father In Law Page 6
