by E. L. Todd
“Tampons?” I asked with disgust.
He shrugged. “Sadie asked me to get some.”
Elisa smiled. “Tom used to do it for me all the time.”
“Yeah, but that’s different.”
“How?” she asked.
“It just is,” he said.
“Are you sure you want to get married?” I asked.
“I’m having second thoughts,” he said with a laugh.
“It’s not too late,” I said.
“Stop being jerks,” Elisa said. She looked at me. “You would do it if I asked you to.”
I smiled at her. “Well, that’s different. I would do anything for you.”
She smiled at me and Ethan rolled his eyes.
When we got home, I helped Elisa put all the groceries away while everyone stayed in the living room. When we were done, I looked at her. “I’m really sorry about today. It won’t happen again.”
“Jared, you didn’t do anything wrong. When you saw someone bothering me, you took care of it.”
“It shouldn’t have happened at all.”
“He didn’t try to hurt me.”
“That’s beside the point.” I grabbed her face and looked at her. “You never have to worry about your safety with me. I want you to know that.”
“I believe you, Jared.”
“I can go to the store for you if you’re more comfortable with that.”
She sighed. “As much as I would love that, I can’t stay in the house forever.”
I kissed her nose. “Let me know if you change your mind.”
“Okay,” she said. “And Jared?”
“Yeah?”
“I know you can take care of me.”
I smiled. “That means the world to me.”
We moved into the living room and sat on the couch. I played with Tommy for a while then read him a story. Becky crawled into Elisa’s lap and started to color in her coloring book. Ethan and Sadie sat on the couch tangled up together. Ethan drank from his beer while he played with Sadie’s hair.
As much as I enjoyed spending time with Elisa as a family, I wanted to go to bed and make love to her. It’d been on my mind since the first time we did it. I felt awkward that Ethan was in the next room, but I didn’t care enough to not pursue it.
When Tommy finally fell asleep in my lap, I smiled. Ethan and Sadie retired to bed and we put the kids to sleep in their rooms. I didn’t want to be presumptuous with Elisa by assuming we were going to bed so I waited for her to initiate it.
“So, are you ready to go to sleep?”
“No, but I’m ready for bed,” I said with smile. “Are you still okay with me sleeping here?”
“Yeah. Let’s go.”
We went into her bedroom and closed the door behind us. The bedspread was white with purple pillows. The rug on the floor was also purple. The room was littered with picture frames of her kids. She had a private bathroom and a walk in closet. It was nice of Ethan to give her the better room even though he was paying the rent. I stepped toward the bed and saw the picture frame on her nightstand. It was a man with brown hair. I knew that was her husband. When she caught my look, she walked over and turned it over, face down.
I stood next to her then grabbed the picture, returning it to its position.
She held a look of surprise.
“I told you when we got together that I understood that you still loved your husband. You don’t have to hide him from me. I would never want you to.”
Tears bubbled in her eyes.
“And I certainly don’t want you to forget about him.”
She wiped her tear away. “I don’t know what to say.”
“I said I would settle for a part of your heart. I know you can’t give me the whole thing.”
She said nothing.
“Leave this picture here.”
Elisa nodded. “You’re the sweetest guy, Jared.”
“No. I’m just in love with you. I want to make you happy, not cause you pain. You can love both of us. I’m okay with that.”
“I don’t want to forget about him,” she whispered.
“Good.” I kissed her on the forehead then started to strip my clothes away.
Her tears disappeared as she watched me remove my shirt and pants. I recognized the look in her eyes. I knew she wanted me. When I pulled down my briefs, she stared at my cock. I was hard but I was always hard around her. I walked over to her then pulled her shirt from her body. She lifted her arms and let me remove it.
Elisa placed her hands on my chest then felt my body. She stared at me hungrily while she felt all my muscles. The longing in her eyes made me feel aroused. I liked knowing I made her feel that way. I grabbed her pants and pulled them down then removed her underwear.
As I held her face and kissed her, I guided her toward the bed and laid her down. She immediately wrapped her legs around my waist and pulled me toward her.
“Jared,” she whispered. “I want you.”
“I know,” I said as I kissed her everywhere. I placed my cock against her stomach and let my juice drip on her. She grabbed me and started to stroke me. I continued to kiss her while I played with her nipples, making her even hotter.
She was panting for me. “I want you inside me. Please.”
“You want it?”
“I’ll beg if I have to.”
I pulled her hips toward me then slid inside her.
She moaned happily as I stretched her. “Yeah, Jared.”
I moved hard and fast.
She bit her lip as she rocked her hips from below.
I thrust into her faster.
“I can’t believe it,” she whispered. “I’m already coming.”
“Ellie.”
She grabbed my shoulders as she thrust into me harder. “Oh—god.”
She was getting too loud so I covered her lips with my own and silenced her words with my kiss. Her breathing had increased and she gripped me even tighter. When she released her grip, I knew she was finished. I broke our kiss then sat back on my heels, bucking myself inside of her hard. Within a few seconds, I was coming.
I moaned but kept quiet. “Ellie.”
“Jared.”
I emptied myself entirely. I kissed her then pulled out of her.
“I want to do it again.”
I smiled. “We can do it as many times as you want.”
“Good,” she said as she snuggled next to me.
“You can pick the position next time.”
“Ooh. I look forward to it.”
I kissed her on the forehead then fell asleep.
9
At first, the kids were confused by my appearance in the morning. When I had breakfast with them at the table, they stared at me and asked me questions.
“Do you live here now too?” Tommy asked.
“No. But I’ll be here a lot.”
“Do you like my mommy?”
I smiled. “I like her a lot.”
Becky made a disgusted face. “Eww. You don’t want to like her.”
“Why?” I asked.
“She can be mean.”
I laughed. “How?”
“She gets mad when I don’t put my toys away,” she said as she poked her eggs.
“Good,” I said. “You should put your toys away.”
She made a disgusted face at me. I wasn’t going to win their support by playing the good cop and making Elisa the bad cop. I intended to be a good guardian and role model, even if they didn’t like me all the time. I would discipline them and call them out when they were wrong. I didn’t know much about kids but I knew I had to be consistent with them.
When Elisa listened to me speak to the children, I knew she was pleased. I always took equal responsibility for punishments. I made it clear that she and I were a team and agreed on every decision. They couldn’t run to me when they wanted to get away with something.
As the days went by, they didn’t question my appearance. They expected me to be there e
very morning, and when I wasn’t, they asked about me. It was cramped in the morning when we all got ready for the day. We had four adults, two kids, and one dog in the house. Koku was happy with the arrangement. He always had someone to pay attention to him. In fact, he tried to get away from us for some quiet time when he could. I still paid rent on my apartment even though I was hardly ever there. I wanted to move in permanently but I wasn’t sure if she was ready for that.
When we were eating breakfast one morning, I looked at her. “You wanna go out to dinner tonight?”
“Yeah, sure,” she said as she ate her omelet. One of the good things about being there all the time was the home cooked meals.
“Is it okay if my dad is there?” I tried to slide that in casually.
She stopped eating. “Uh—just us and your dad?”
“Yeah,” I said. “Just a casual dinner.”
“You want me to meet him?”
“Of course. Why wouldn’t I?”
“Uh, okay.”
“Don’t be scared, Ellie.”
“I’m not,” she said quietly. I knew she was lying. I wasn’t sure if it was because she was nervous or she just wasn’t ready. I gave her a quick kiss before I left for work. I hadn’t even asked my dad if he wanted to have dinner so I decided to go by the shop on my break.
“Look who it is,” he said happily as I walked in.
“Hey, pops.”
“What brings you here?”
“I was wondering if you had plans tonight?”
“Just with the television.”
Sadie emerged from the back and smiled at me. “Hey.”
“Hey,” I said to her. I turned back to my dad. “So, you wanna come to dinner with me and Elisa?”
“I’m finally going to meet the woman who’s made an honest man out of my son?”
I smiled. “It seems so.”
“Sure. I would love to. Is she bringing the kids?”
“No. They’ll be with Ethan.”
“Do I get to meet them too?” he asked hopefully.
“Next time,” I said.
“Great. I’ll see you tonight,” he said. He picked up a box and walked into the back.
“That’s exciting,” Sadie said. “You’re really moving forward.”
“We’ve been moving forward.”
She smiled. “I’m very happy for you.”
“Thank you.”
“So, are you going to ask soon?”
“How did you know?”
“You seemed to be in a rush to introduce her to Dad, and you practically live at the house.”
“I want to move in but I think she would feel more comfortable if we were married. She wouldn’t bring someone around the kids if they weren’t going to stick around.”
“That makes sense,” she said. “So when?”
“As soon as she’s ready.”
“Do you think she is?”
“She might be. She agreed to meet Dad.”
“That’s true.”
I looked at my watch. “I have to get back to work. I’ll see you later.”
“Bye.”
I finished my work day then headed to the gym before I went to Elisa’s. I started taking a boxing and self-defense class at the gym. I knew how to fight but I wanted to brush up on my skills. I wasn’t frightened of something happening to me, but I wanted to prove that I could take care of Elisa. I knew it would make her feel better if I was educated in fighting skills.
When I arrived at the house, Elisa seemed nervous. She wore a tight dark blue dress and her hair was done. She looked beautiful like she always did.
“You look lovely,” I said as I kissed her. Her lips barely moved when they touched mine. I tried to act like I didn’t notice. If I gave her a chance to voice her doubts, she may not come along. “You ready?”
“Yeah,” she said with a nod.
“Great.” I grabbed her hand and led her out the door. We walked down the street until I waved down a cab. I helped her get inside before I sat beside her. “You’ll never guess what happened at work today.”
“What?” she asked with a quiet voice.
“One of my colleagues placed a whoopee cushion in my boss’ seat. Yeah…he didn’t like that very much.”
She stared laughing and the color returned to her cheeks. “I never expected that from a room full of suits.”
“Ethan knows who it is.”
“He does?”
“Yeah, but he won’t tell me, that jerk.”
“He’s probably trying to protect the transgressor.”
“Well, he can tell me. I’m almost his brother.”
“In law.”
“When you mix blood with water, it still looks like blood.”
She stared at me for a moment then looked away.
I wrapped my arm around her shoulder and leaned close to her. “Tell me about your day.” I wanted to get her mind off dinner. When she thought about other things, she didn’t seem so nervous.
“The kids and I did some crafts.”
“Such as?”
“We made snowflakes.”
“That sounds pretty cool.”
She smiled. “Tommy’s looked like it came out of the shredder and Becky painted hers pink.”
“That’s even better. They are being creative.”
She laughed. “I suppose.”
“Remember Picasso? Everyone thought that guy was crazy and he turned out to be one of the greatest artists ever.”
“Are you comparing my son to Picasso?”
“In a good way,” I said quickly.
“Well, I’m glad you think my son is crazy,” she said with a laugh.
“No. He’s eccentric.”
“That sounds equally bad.”
The cab stopped and I paid the driver then stepped out. I helped her get out then walked toward the entrance. I could feel the tension in her hand. I stopped and looked at her. “Ellie, it doesn’t make a difference whether he likes you or not. Please don’t be nervous. And I can guarantee that he’ll like you anyway.”
She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear but said nothing.
“Come on.” We walked inside then spotted my dad at a table by the window. We moved toward him as he rose to stand.
“Elisa!” he said happily. “It’s very wonderful to meet you.” He grabbed her and hugged her tightly.
She smiled as she pulled away. “It’s nice to meet you, Mr. Montague.”
He waved a hand. “Don’t call me that. Bill is fine.”
“Then why does Ethan call you that?” I asked.
My dad sat down. “That’s different.”
I pulled out Elisa’s chair and helped her take a seat. I sat next to her and put my arm around her.
“So my son is a little hung up on you,” my dad said.
“Thanks for being so cool about it, Dad,” I said sarcastically.
Elisa smiled. “I like him too—most of the time.”
My dad laughed. “I like her already.”
I looked at her, silently telling her I was right.
“So how are the kids?” he asked.
“Great,” she said. “They are both wonderful.”
“Do you have any pictures?” he asked excitedly.
“Uh, yeah.” She pulled out her phone then handed it to him.
“Awe. They are adorable,” my dad said. “What are their names?”
“Tommy and Becky.”
My dad nodded. “Good names.”
“Becky was the name of my mother, and Tommy was the name of my husband.” She averted her gaze when she said this. I rubbed her shoulder to dispel the concern that she felt.
“My son told me what happened. I’m very sorry.”
“Thank you,” she said quietly.
Now I wanted to change the subject. “How’s the shop, Dad?”
“It’s the same, really. It’s been slow.”
I nodded. “Maybe you should start selling porn and cigarettes.”
>
He rolled his eyes. “Jared has wanted me to do that since he hit puberty.”
I shrugged. “It would work. I’m tellin’ ya.”
“You would be my only customer,” he said with a laugh.
“Some business is better than no business,” I said.
My dad looked at Elisa. “Get out while you can.”
She laughed.
My dad pointed at her. “She’s a keeper.”
I kissed her on the cheek. “I know she is.”
She looked at me with flushed cheeks.
The waiter came over and took our order. We talked about Sadie’s wedding for a long time.
“Did she decide to invite her mother?” my father asked.
“I don’t know.”
“Well, she should.”
“It’s her day, Dad. She can invite whoever she wants.”
“It’s her mother,” he argued.
“What does that matter? She took off without looking back. I don’t want her there either.”
He sighed. “The last thing I want is for my kids to hate their mother.”
“We don’t hate her,” I corrected. “We just don’t care for her. I haven’t seen her in seven years. She hasn’t come to visit us once. Even if we did invite her to the wedding, she probably wouldn’t come anyway.”
“It’s always nice to be invited.”
“Dad, I really don’t think she’s going to change her mind. Ethan is persuasive but he isn’t a magician.”
He sighed. “That makes me very sad.”
“Just let it go.”
“So she hasn’t picked a date yet? A venue?”
“No. They’ll probably just do it at city hall.”
“Why?”
“Well, they don’t have money for anything big.”
“Doesn’t Ethan work with you?”
“Yeah, but—he’s got student loans.” I didn’t want to reveal that he took care of Elisa. I assumed she didn’t want him to know either.
The waiter brought our food and we began to eat quietly. Elisa ate like a goddess. She had perfect grace and poise.
My dad looked at Elisa. “I would love to meet your children. They are always welcome at my house if you ever want to come visit. Or just need a babysitter so you can have the night off.”
“Thank you. That’s very sweet.”
I smiled at my dad. I appreciated all the support he was giving me. He knew I really liked Elisa. I had never introduced him to a girl before so he knew I was serious about her. When we were finished, I paid the bill then we left the restaurant. We said our goodbyes on the curb.
