“I don’t know if I thought we would, but I hoped.”
“I hope you’re happy,” I whisper to her as I kiss her again.
“I’m happier than I’ve ever been.” She kisses me back and then says, “I’ve got to have some sleep. I’m exhausted.”
“Go to sleep.” I lie there and listen to her breathe, and then I think of something. “Hey! What are we going to name her?”
“Actually, I had a name picked out when I thought I was going to have a baby without you.”
“Yeah?”
She grins and her cheeks turn pink. “Nadine Michele.”
I’m guessing she thinks I’ll argue with her, but all I say is, “Oh, that’s beautiful!”
“You really like it?”
“Yes! Why wouldn’t I?”
“I don’t know. I guess I thought you wouldn’t like it because you hadn’t helped pick it out.”
“Not a problem. But there is something I want to say.” Her eyes question. “I’ll give you as many children as you want, but I really think that, at my age, one is enough.”
“I agree.” Now that surprises me. I thought I’d get a big argument, but she just says, “You have Clint. And there’s Kathy who, by the way, I’ve never gotten to meet. When might that happen?”
“Wedding.”
“Ah. Good. Night, baby,” she whispers with a peck on my cheek.
Yes. It’s a good night. It’s the best night I’ve had in a long time, and there’s been no alcohol involved. I must be on a roll.
Chapter Eleven
“You ready?”
“As ready as I’ll ever be.” I’m looking in the tiny little mirror and straightening. It’s not like I’m dressed up or anything – white shirt with the collar open and my leathers. I didn’t want to wear them, but I was wearing them the first time she ever saw me, and that’s what she wants, so that’s what she’s getting.
The camping trailer Tim loaned us is kind of cramped, but it’s okay. It’s out in the field where we park the cars because we can walk. Olivia and the girls are already at the cabin.
I’m ready – at least I think I’m ready. But when I turn that curve in the path and see her standing there, I almost come unglued, not because of how she looks, and she looks amazing, by the way, but because of how close I came to not being here today. She could’ve been shot. I could’ve never seen her again. I could’ve killed myself. So many things that could’ve happened, but here we are, and when she turns and sees me, the smile across her face, the twinkle in those hazel eyes, they’re all I need to know that this is the right thing for us.
I reach her side, then take her hand, and she smiles up at me, so much love and trust in those eyes. If I ever let her down again, I won’t be able to forgive myself. Sure, I’ll probably forget to stop at the store, or I’ll remember a special day at five that evening, but I’ll be there for all the important things, the things that matter.
And I’ll be there for first steps and learning to ride a bike and losing that first baby tooth. I missed all of that with Clint. I was never married to Kathy’s mother, so I missed a lot of that with her too. Hell, I was just a kid when she was born. This will be new territory for me, and I can barely wait. I remember a lot of things from when Hailee and McKenna were little, but I was Grandpa; this is mine, all mine. Well, mine and Olivia’s. I’ll share with her, I suppose.
“Everyone ready?” Austin calls out. He’s officiating. I had no idea he has one of those mail-order ordinations, and he can perform marriages, so when he volunteered, I took him up on it. He’s a good guy and I’m glad to have him here. I wanted to invite everyone, but it just wasn’t possible, so it’s just family. Well, and Steffen and Sheila, of course. He might as well be my son; I certainly treat him like one. Everyone nods at Austin, and he gets started.
Just looking at the woman standing beside me is something that’s more awe-inspiring every day. Thinking about everything she’s been through and how she’s come out the other side makes me want to be a better man, a better person, a better father. Yes, a better husband. I never thought this would happen to me again, and if I’d been told it would, I most certainly would’ve laughed, especially if I’d been told I’d marry her. I’ve been going to therapy and I realize that, while what Marta did was wrong, I had a role in that too. I wasn’t attentive, I wasn’t present, and I wasn’t as loving as I should’ve been. I also didn’t have a pussy. Everything else I could’ve done something about – that, not so much – but everything else, yes. But the things Olivia’s gone through need to be honored and revered. She’s made it. She’s here.
She’s going to be an excellent mom, I can tell. There’s been a flurry of activity in our house, and all of my stark leather furniture is gone, replaced by brown upholstery, brightly-striped pillows, matching curtains and area rugs, and lots of clean wood instead of metal and glass. The kitchen décor’s been redone too, and it’s bright and cheerful instead of the gray and red I had in there before. So far she’s done nothing with our bedroom, but I figure that’s next. I like it the way it is, but if she wants to change it, hell, she can do whatever she wants. But maybe she’ll get busy with the baby and forget about it. Fingers crossed.
Listening to Austin, I think about the hardships and joys of a marriage as he speaks, and then it’s time for our vows. She promises me that she’ll always consult me and always respect me, and she’ll always be there for me. I promise her that I’ll never, ever hold her down or hold her back, that I’ll always cherish her, I’ll always protect her and care for her, and that she’ll never be alone again. Guess I’ve kinda sealed that with a child, but I really mean this family I’ve managed to put together, these unlikely individuals I love who love me back.
On her finger is something blue, the ring I gave Kathy for her sixteenth birthday, a big sapphire that she wanted Olivia to have. The borrowed is Steffen’s mother’s locket with her and his father’s photos inside it; he thought that would be good luck, because their marriage had been long and happy before they both passed. The old thing is my great-grandmother’s embroidered handkerchief, which she’s stuffed down inside her bra. The new thing is the diamond earrings she’s wearing, beautiful hoops I bought as a wedding gift for her. She’s got everything she needs.
And then I realize that she really does. She’s got a home, a family, a man who loves her, and a baby on the way. She’s got food and clothes and a warm place to sleep. Somewhere to take a shower. Every electronic gadget known to man – yep, I fixed her up with a laptop, a tablet, her smartphone, a Bluetooth device so she can talk while she drives, and even a heart rate monitor. Hey, I want to know if anything’s about to happen to her. No, she doesn’t wear it very often, although I have begged her to as long as she’s pregnant. Oh, and she’s getting a car as soon as the baby’s born and we can get her driver’s license reinstated. Something with at least four doors so it’s easy to get a car seat in and out. She told me to get a new one and give her mine to drive, but I want her to have the newest one in the family. I want her to be safe.
Family. I have a family. Yeah, I had one before, but now I have one to come home to. And I want to come home to her every day for the rest of my life.
“It’s okay. It’s okay, sweetie, just relax for a second. They’ll tell you when.” I fucking hate this. Her doctor had originally said she wanted to do a C-section, but now she’s decided to try to do it naturally. And my girl is having a really hard time. “Okay, babe, it’s coming. Almost here. Now – PUSH! Push-push-push-push-push-push. Okay, take a deep breath. You’re doing great, beautiful, just great.”
“You ever touch me again, David Nathaniel Adams, and so help me god, I’ll rip your balls off.”
“Okie-dokie. I’ll remember that. Here – have some ice chips.”
“ICE CHIPS? What the hell? I want this to be OVER! Oh my god, how in the world did I manage to get myself into this?” she’s muttering as I wipe sweat from her face and the back of her neck.
“
Well, there was this day when we drove out to the cabin and . . .”
“I KNOW THAT! Oh my god, get out of here!” she yells at me.
“No way. I’m staying right here. You can’t run me off,” I just grin at her.
“Great, great.” She smiles at me. “I know. I’m sorry. I don’t want you to leave. I’m just, oh, god, here it comes again . . .” she trails off. “OHHHHHH! MY GOD!” she starts to scream.
“Just squeeze my hand, baby.”
“Mr. Adams, come here! Look!”
And there it is – the crown of her head. She’s coming. This is real. It’s really happening. And that’s what escapes my mouth: “This is really happening.”
That’s followed by a really, really loud, “OH, MOTHERFUCKER! SHIT, SHIT, SHIT!”
“Breathe, baby, please, just breathe.” I can’t look up her kootch anymore. I’ve got to help her get this baby out into the world.
Ten minutes later, it’s over. I kiss my beautiful wife, tell her how much I love her, and hear my baby girl scream from across the room as they wipe her down and do whatever it is they do. Then she’s with us, wrapped in a pink and blue striped blanket, just her head sticking out, and they lay her on Olivia’s chest. Even with the sweat still rolling down her face, I can see her tears as the touches this tiny child’s cheek for the first time and looks up at me.
She doesn’t have to look; she already knows I’m crying too.
“Your turn.” I try to roll over and go back to sleep.
“Every turn is my turn.” Olivia gets up out of the bed and in a minute or two, she’s back with Nadine in her arms. I feel her lie back down on the bed and roll to watch as she opens the slit on her gown, draws out a huge, swollen breast, and stuffs her nipple into that tiny mouth. It takes Nadine all of ten nanoseconds to figure out what’s going on, and she’s sucking away.
“Wish that were me,” I moan.
“One more week, baby,” she whispers and blows me a kiss.
“One more week. Might as well be a year.” I roll to my back and sigh.
I doze a little, and then wake again, but it’s to something else. When I get my wits about me, Olivia’s kneeling between my legs, my pajama pants and boxer briefs in her hand, and her gown is gone. Those two enormous, full breasts are right there for me to ogle, and my hands go to them automatically. But when I squeeze them, I get a shot right in the eye.
She lets out a peal of laughter. “Yeah. You should know better by now.”
“I wish I could get that sucking thing down. You’d think as many nipples as I’ve sucked, I’d know how it’s done.”
“It’s all in the back of the tongue and the soft palette. But that doesn’t matter. Just lay back and enjoy the ride.” Before I make another sound, she bends down over me and takes my cock in her hot, tight little lips.
Holy shit. Yeah. That’s good, super good. As she works, I feel drips of warmth running down the insides of my thighs and realize her breasts are leaking. My god, it’s like some kind of fantasy come to life, some kind of perverse, weird, fucked-up fantasy, and I love it. Then I realize: I’m not the only guy in the whole world who’s had a nursing wife. And I’ve seen lactation porn, but I never paid much attention to it. Guess I should’ve watched more of it and maybe I would’ve picked up some tips. In a minute or two, that little fantasy is replaced with the growing need to empty my balls into her throat. Oh, holy damn. And I do.
More than satisfied, I hug her tight when she slides back up beside me with a sneer. “One more week, Mr. Adams. Think you can handle that?”
“If you plan to do that over and over, yeah, no problem.”
“Over and over, huh? What are we talking about here?” she laughs.
“I’m thinking, oh, three times a day?”
That’s when she raises up on one elbow, grabs a tit, and shoots a stream into my eye. And that’s what I get for being a smart ass.
But she still didn’t answer my question. I’m wiping breast milk out of my eye when she asks, “Dave? Do you still want the lifestyle? Do you miss that? Is that going to cause us problems down the road?” Her smirk has turned to fear, and I know what she’s thinking. I’m going to put that fear to rest right now.
“Cuddle up here.” When she’s all snuggled into my arms, I kiss the top of her head. “Angel, everything I want in this whole world I have right here in this house. There’s not one thing I’ve wanted that you haven’t supplied, and if it’s that important to me, I’m sure we can work out something that’s not too disagreeable to you and takes care of me.” I feel her shudder. “And I won’t ever, ever do anything to you that you don’t want, do you understand? It’ll never happen. So if you’re afraid of that, don’t worry about it.”
“I just know that before, in the club, you . . .”
“Stop, Olivia. That part of my life is done with.”
“But you still work there.”
“I know that. And I guess I always will. I’ll enjoy watching the members scene, and I’ll be there to offer my expertise.” She shudders again until I finish with, “Hands-off expertise. No hands-on. I belong to you. End of discussion. Ask Melina.”
“Melina?”
“Porn queen.”
Her head snaps up and she stares at me. “The one I met?”
“Yeah. Ask her. Even while you were gone, I turned her down over and over. I don’t want anyone but you, babe. Nobody but you.”
“Nobody but me?” As her head drops back onto my shoulder, she sighs and her fingers play across my chest.
“Nobody but you, forever and ever.”
“Well, then, Mr. Adams,” she whispers, “three a day just may be in your future. Of course, that’s depending on how much sleep I get.”
Okay. Next time it’s my turn.
“Can I hold the baby?” Hailee asks. “I’ll be careful, I promise.”
“Sure! Sit down here on the sofa so you don’t have to worry about dropping her.” When she gets all snuggled into the corner of the sofa, Olivia places Nadine gently in Hailee’s arms. “Just rest your arms on your lap and you’ll be fine.”
“But she’s asleep. I wanted to play with her.”
“Don’t worry,” I scowl. “She’ll be awake soon.” I hear Trish laugh from the kitchen where she’s helping with the food.
“Wait.” Hailee looks up at me. “You’re my grandpa.”
“Last time I checked,” I chuckle.
“She’s your baby. That makes her my aunt?”
My eyebrows go up as I grin. “Yeah, I think that’s right.”
“But aunts are supposed to be older than me.”
“Not necessarily.”
“Leave it to you to mess it up, Grandpa,” Clint laughs as he comes in and takes a seat by Hailee. “She’s so little, bug! You used to be that little. You were my first little baby, and I was so excited.”
“What about me?” McKenna whines. “I was your little baby too. I was your last little baby.”
“Yes you were. And Morris was my invisible little baby.” Now Clint’s fighting laughter, and I’m losing the battle.
“That doesn’t even make sense, Dad,” Morris frowns.
“If I’d known about you, you would’ve been my little baby too.”
“Right. Okay. Can I have another cookie?”
Together, Clint and I both snap out, “NO!”
“Fine, fine. I’ll just sit here hungry.” He pouts from the chair across the room like he’s famished and cookies are the only food available.
“Guys, ready to eat?” Trish calls out from the kitchen.
“Finally.” Morris stands and heads that way. “I’m starving to death and no one will give me food.”
“You’re not starving,” Sheila reminds him. “Hunger and starvation are not the same thing.”
“And I should know,” Olivia tells him. “I remember what starvation feels like.”
McKenna looks at Olivia out the corner of her eyes. “Is it true that Grandpa found you in the dump
ster?”
I almost laugh and Olivia turns to her and smiles. “Yes. He was quite the dumpster-diver.” Then she winks at me.
“You were looking for girls in the garbage? What?” Now McKenna’s completely confused, and we all start chuckling.
“No, pumpkin. When I met your grandma here,” I say and enjoy the shocked look everyone in the room shoots my way, “she was just outside the back door of the place where I work. Some people had taken away everything she had, and she had nowhere to go and nothing to eat. And I had more than enough, so I decided to share.”
Out of the blue, Morris offers, “And then you had sex and decided to get married.”
“Morris!” Clint blurts out.
“No, no, the boy’s naturally curious. That’s good, I suppose.” I don’t know which is funnier, me calling Olivia grandma, Clint’s discomfort, or Morris’s question. It’s really a toss-up. “It wasn’t exactly that way, but we did fall in love.”
“And then you didn’t.”
“Well, not exactly on that either. It’s more complicated than that. But those days are over. We’re together forever now so you don’t have to worry about that.”
“Wait.” I can see Hailee’s gears turning. “Aren’t grandmas supposed to be older than dads?”
Oh lord. I just smirk at Olivia as she wheels to face me, eager to hear my answer, and I say, “Okay, baby, why don’t you take this question?” Yeah, that look in her eyes is not a “thank you,” I can tell you that.
I hear Nadine gurgle and look down to see her spit up something on the front of her little onesie. Nice, really nice. Right here at the table. I grab a burp cloth and wipe her face up, then watch as she tries to grin. She’s almost got that down. The arm-waving thing, well, she’s a pro at that. And pretty soon she’ll be sitting up, then crawling, and then walking.
Oh god help me. I wonder if they still make Geritol?
Chapter Twelve
“No. You cannot have another piece of cake.” Trish and Morris are in a standoff. He wants it, and she says he can’t have it. “Clint, back me up here, please?”