“Married?” she asked again, still staring at us.
Oh, my god. Get the hell out. My fingers tightened on Griffin’s ass, warning him to get rid of her now.
“Get out, Mum, now!” Griffin’s strained voice came from above me. His body had not moved from mine, and I think it was to keep my half-naked body out of sight from her. “We’ll be down in a minute.”
Her lips pursed, but she nodded. She backed out of the room before leaving, slamming the door behind her. Griffin fell beside me with a deep groan and adjusted his groin region, muttering about needing to blow before his balls fell off.
I just smiled, scrambling out of bed to find my shirt. “This isn’t cool.”
“Ayla, stop stressing.”
My eyes widened at him. How could he be so calm? “Griffin, she walked in on us practically having sex.”
“We weren’t naked.”
“I was about to have an orgasm. I think it’s pretty close to sex.”
“My dick wasn’t in you.”
Point taken. “Do you think we have time to—?” I desperately wanted to fuck. I was horny.
He smirked. “Baby, I know. Trust me, I want to as well. But we literally have—” he glanced at his watch—“forty seconds before she comes in here again.”
He was not kidding. We were just on our way down the stairs when she flew back up them like a bat from hell. Spinning around when she saw us coming down, she stormed into a room off the hallway.
“Paul, get in here now!” she called out. “Griffin, you too!”
I cringed at her tone. “I should wait out here or drive back home.”
Griffin took hold of my hand with a grin. “If I’m getting scolded, so are you, baby. You were fornicating her son.”
“I’ll tell her you forced me to call you daddy.” I teased. “I’ll say you’re into that.”
His eyes widened. “You wouldn’t.”
No, I would not, but seeing that reaction was totally worth it. “Come on.” I sighed. “The sooner we do this, the sooner we can go have unprotected sex.”
His hands slipped around my waist, pulling me flush to his chest with a grin. “I love it when you talk dirty to me.”
The room we were in appeared to be a formal sitting area. His mother sat on the leather couch, holding a martini with two olives on a stick, while Paul stood by the fireplace, a cigar in his hand and a type of drink in the other. Scotch, maybe.
“When were you going to tell us? Did you elope?” she asked, finally looking our way. Her eyes glanced down to my ring, and I unintentionally covered it with my other hand.
Griffin rested his hand against my lower back and led me to the couch. “We had married a couple months ago. You were invited but chose not to come, remember?”
“I don’t remember that.” Paul looked absolutely baffled. “We haven’t been invited. Were we Theresa?”
She shrugged. “There was a message left on the phone, but we don’t attend anywhere without a formal invitation. There was nothing about an engagement, just about a moving in dinner.”
“It was a surprise. We chose to marry that night,” I felt the need to say. Formal invitation my ass.
Sighing, she turned away. “Look, Griffin, I’m saddened you chose to marry without us. How do the boys feel about it? I can imagine they’re quite upset.”
The mention of the kids tugged at my heart. Griffin did not make it obvious to him. “They were extremely excited, and I’m sure you’re well aware that Karen had full custody. It’s going to take some time to adjust to that.”
It would take more than time.
“Drink?” Theresa asked, changing the subject quickly.
I shook my head. Now was not the time for drinking. “No, thanks.” See, I could be polite.
Griffin also, said no. “No, thanks. Pretty tired.”
“Didn’t look that way moments ago,” she muttered, bringing the glass to her lips. “You are in our home. I am appalled to have walked in on my child acting like a wild teenager.”
I blushed. Griffin? Not so much as he responded back to her. “We’re adults, you should have knocked.”
She continued, ignoring him. “I don’t know how I feel about you both sharing a room.”
“We’re married. We’re not sleeping separately. Don’t be ridiculous.”
“Seems like you didn’t believe in that before you married either,” she said under her breath, not at all trying to hide it.
I was offended. I might look like the type to have had a few dicks inside me, but there was only one who has been there, and I married him. “That’s none of your business.” I could not stop myself. She was not going to walk all over me or insult us.
“In my house, young lady, it is my business.”
“You should have knocked.”
Her eyes narrowed, and her lips formed a thin line. “I wasn’t expecting you to be half undressed flaunting yourself.”
I almost rolled my eyes, and Griffin sunk back more and stretched his legs out. “Mum, no disrespect, but you have to stop. Ayla isn’t what you’re implying, and I won’t sit and listen to you insult her. She’s my wife, and when the bedroom door is shut, you either knock or don’t come in.”
“I did knock!” She spat. “You two were… I can’t even say it. I have heard and seen far too much.”
Oh, god.
“We’re adults.”
“I felt like I had witnessed something pornographic. It was vile.”
“It’s called foreplay.”
Her eyes bulged, and my cheeks flamed. He just blurted that right out without a care.
“Umm, well… not exactly.” I corrected, not making our case any easier. Technically, there was no oral, and to me, that was definitely needed in foreplay.
Griffin stood up and cleared his throat. “Look, enough talk. I’m a grown man, and you need to accept that. As for Ayla, she’s my wife which you also need to accept. If you have a problem with it, then we’ll get a hotel for the night or go sleep on the boat.”
That seemed to have scared her. Jumping up out of her seat, she shook her head. “No. You just got here, and it’s been some time since we last seen you.”
“Not my fault,” Griffin said, once again taking his seat. “You don’t bother to call me. I get an email now and then, asking how the boys are, and that’s it.”
She sighed, rubbing her temples as she picked her martini back up. “How’s Karen?”
I blinked twice. Did she really just ask him that? Umm, hello? Current wife in the house!
“Probably getting off to finally screwing me—just not in the way she’d like.”
I cringed at his reply. That was disgusting and so mentally disturbing on so many levels.
Paul coughed, almost choking on his drink as he set it down on the coaster. “We heard you lost custody of the boys. How could you let them slip away like that? You should have called us. We’d have written a cheque or helped you get a better lawyer.”
“Because he was a fool in the first place. If they’d stayed together, then none of this would have happened. I tell you, throwing away your family and giving your children divorced parents is the worst mistake you could possibly make.” Theresa rolled her disapproving eyes.
“Agree. If you don’t love her, then you should have stuck around like a man.”
I wondered if that was what his parents had done. Maybe that was why there were no other siblings.
“Oh, Griffin. Look at the mess your life has turned out to be: a failed relationship, two children out of wedlock, and well…” Her eyes flickered to mine, but she held her tongue. “We want what’s best for you, that’s all.”
I smiled. My hand slid over his thigh and squeezed. “You do know your son is actually pretty amazing. He has a great job, lots of friends, and a wife who hasn’t cheated or trapped him into anything. He’s done wonders for himself and has not lived off Mummy and daddy’s money. You two can sit and go on about what he hasn’t achieved, but you don’t know him. If you did, then you’d see what a loving and caring man he is. You also would have come to the wedding… but you’ll never get that chance, and you certainly won’t be around for any future grandchildren we give you.” Standing, I tugged on his hand. “If you’ll excuse us. We’re tired. I suggest you don’t come in that room anytime soon; I won’t be stopping.” I informed them and walked off before they had a chance to speak back to me.
Screw them. They were horrible.
***
“You won’t be stopping?” Griffin laughed, flopping down on the bed and wrapping his hand around his growing cock. A soft groan escaped his mouth. He was fully erect, stroking himself. Oh, hot.
Nodding, I unclipped my bra and made my way towards him. “Slow, not rough or hard. I’m going to make love to you with my mouth, and then I’ll straddle your hips.”
I was in the mood to make love, not fuck. I wanted him to feel just how much I loved and needed him... through my body. I wanted him to feel that he was the only man I adored.
His eyes were drowsy with lust. His head fell back, only giving me a nod.
It was a making love kind of night.
***
Who on earth wakes up at five am to go fishing?
Jesus, I was exhausted, and that was the last thing I wanted to go and do. The men had other ideas, though. It was actually odd. Last night’s conversation had not been mentioned, and his mother was making breakfast. I thought they had a cook, but here she was, making waffles, eggs, and bacon.
Was this how the rich did things? Fought, forgot all about it, and then moved on to the next day as if nothing happened? At least they had not mentioned Karen’s name. Any day that went without the mention of her was a brilliant day in my eyes.
“Bacon?”
I looked up from the paper to where Theresa stood, holding a plate with food on it.
“No, thanks.” I don’t trust you one bit, and I’d rather stick to the fruit that I watched her cut up. “Not really a big breakfast person.”
“She usually just has coffee, and that’s it.” Griffin reached over and took the plate from his mother’s hands. “But thanks. I’ll eat this.”
I gave him an odd look and just shrugged. How could he not see that this was all really weird and kind of creepy? His parents were acting like well-loving parents.
Surely, they could not keep this act up when we went out to sea.
But they did. They were polite, kind, and caring. Even Griffin had noticed it eventually after I pointed it out once or twice. Actually, he only noticed when his mother asked about my job and if I was searching for another. When I mentioned taking a year off, she did not even bat an eye. I did not tell her that her son practically forced me into it so we could spend the year trying to fall pregnant. She seemed a little okay with that. That was when Griffin had noticed something was up.
“Alright, what’s going on?” he asked, throwing his line back out into the ocean.
“What do you mean?” Paul asked, baffled.
Griffin turned and looked from his father to his mother. “You’re asking Ayla all these questions and being interested in her all of a sudden. Something’s up.”
“We can’t be interested in our daughter-in-law?” Theresa asked with a small smile.
“Not without an agenda,” he replied back. “What are you two doing?”
Paul sighed and shook his head. “Nothing. We’re… we’re trying.”
“To do what?” Griffin asked back, running a hand through his hair as he picked up the can of beer and took a mouthful. His eyes widened mid-sip. Swallowing, he laughed. “You’re trying to actually be parents?”
Oh, dear lord. They are bipolar.
“Umm, how about I take over for you?” I suggested, reaching for his rod.
Handing it over without hesitation, he went back to the conversation at hand. “You think one day is going to make up for all the shit you’ve said to me over the years? You implied Ayla was a…”
Yes, I could remember the hooker reference very well.
“I don’t understand. Why now?” Griffin continued.
“You got married.” His mother’s sob changed everything. “We missed out on our son’s wedding.”
Griffin swallowed hard. “That’s not my fault.”
“But maybe you could…” She paused, flashing a hopeful smile at her son.
Shaking his head, he came back for the rod. “No. We were married the way we wanted to marry. I won’t have another wedding just for the sake of you and Dad. You lost that moment. It’s on video if you’d like to watch, but other than that, I won’t have another wedding for your sake.”
Ooh, harsh. But I guess they needed to hear that from him.
At that moment, I wanted to apologise, but I stopped myself. What did I need to say that for? I was not sorry; it was not our fault. They were to blame, and in this case, they lost out. Not us.
“You’re going to have more children?” His mother just did not quit it. “I thought you’d had a vasectomy?”
I let out a soft giggle, unable to hold off laughing. “You wanted to get the snip?” I asked, and he shot me a glare.
“I didn’t get that done, Mum,” he said sighing heavily. “Ayla and I will have kids, eventually.”
“There’s going to be a huge age gap between a baby and the boys, how will you handle that?” she asked, holding her hands in defence. “I’m not judging, just asking.”
“It won’t be an issue. The baby will need a friend. Have to get working on another one afterwards,” he answered, giving me a wink.
Oh, the stars. My heart was happy. He wanted more than one. Two, perhaps? Oh, this man was seriously making my ovaries swoon like nothing else. Two little babies with him? It would be perfect.
We had fish for dinner that evening. His mother even knocked on the bedroom door after we went upstairs for a nap that we did not take. Maybe they were having a midlife crisis. The next day, it was the same. We went for a look around his hometown: to a café where his parents wanted us to have lunch, then to a market. His parents were being loving and caring until we went home, and we were both left baffled, extremely puzzled by the events of what had happened.
“Did they just plan on stopping by? To visit sometime?” I asked, walking into our kitchen like a headless chook. I was really confused by their actions. “I mean, she yelled about us getting it on, and then she was nice.”
He smiled, nodding. “Way too nice. Let’s just not think about them. Want to watch a movie?”
“When have we ever just watched a movie?” I asked, raising a brow, then giggled as he could not tell me a time where we just laid and watched something without it leading to more. “Alright, let’s watch a movie, and no fooling around.”
That did not work. We fooled around and forgot all about the movie.
***
When Friday rolled around, we were both nervous for the boys to come stay. It did not feel like before. It felt like the calm before a huge, torturous storm. Karen pulled up in the drive, and I stayed inside as Griffin walked out onto the balcony and waited for them to come up to him. He was not going anywhere near her.
They looked dirty and unclean. Their hair needed a cut, and their clothes, draggy.
She just sat in her white two thousand ford falcon and eyeballed him—no kisses goodbye to the boys, no getting out to help them with their bags. They did it all on their own.
“Hey.” He greeted Toby first with a hug and a kiss on the forehead. “How are you both?”
“Mum said she’s getting us at lunchtime, Sunday.”
Griffin frowned. “No. Seven pm is when you’ll be dropped back home.”
“Why?” Mack asked quite rudely. “She said she’ll come here.”
“You boys hungry?” I asked, trying to steer the conversation in another direction. “I made cake.” No, I brought a cake.
Toby shrugged and dodged me when I went to hug him. “Ayla, can you bring it down to my room?” he asked, taking off down the hallway.
Ayla. I had gone back to being just Ayla to them. Not mum, just Ayla. “No,” I told him. “We don’t eat in the bedrooms.”
“You suck!” he shouted, and then the door slammed.
My eyes met Griffins, and he took off down the hallway. “Hey, get back out here and apologise now. You don’t speak to her like that, and you sure as hell don’t come here and act that way.”
The door flung back open, and Toby glared up at his father. “So?”
“So?” Griffin was just as taken by that as I was. “How about you go outside then come back in once you’re in a better mood?”
“Fuck,” he muttered underneath his breath, storming down the floorboards as he stomped past me, nudging my in the side as he did so.
Griffin went after him. “Watch your mouth, Toby.”
This was not the Toby we had said goodbye to a couple weeks ago. He was moody, arrogant, and was just rude. Mack was still standing there, unmoving on his spot, until his gaze met mine and he looked away immediately.
“Are you hungry?” I asked.
He shook his head. “No.”
The front door opened and closed shut quieter. Toby reappeared and came towards me. “Sorry.”
“That’s okay,” I said, unsure what the hell was going on. It was just as crazy as Griffin’s parent’s behaviour. “Do you have any homework that you need doing?”
“No.”
“He does,” Mack told on him. “He’s just lying.”
“Well, get it out, and you can do it,” Griffin told them. “Would you boys like to get out and ride the bikes later?”
They shrugged and with a sad look about them, walked over to the kitchen and propped themselves up at the bench. Something was definitely wrong with them. They were not the kids I had known. Then again, they could be going through a tough time with the change of moving in permanently with Karen and only seeing their Dad twice a fortnight.
Griffins hand squeezed my shoulder. His voice was quiet, but I could tell he was just as confused as I was. “It’ll be okay.”
“How do you know?” I asked, looking up at him.
There was that look about him, determined and sure of himself. “I’m going to get to the bottom of this.”
He walked over, and I followed cautiously. He stood on the opposite side of the bench to them, peering at each of them carefully. “What’s going on?” he asked in a low voice. It was almost scary.
Mack looked up, shaking his head. “Homework.”
“Not what I meant.” Griffin warned. “What is going on? And do not lie to me.”
Toby looked down at the kitchen counter and shrugged as well. “We’re not allowed to tell you.”
“Bullshit. Tell me now, or you’ll be doing chores all weekend.” He threatened. “There’s a chook pen needing to be built. I’ll have you both out there working your asses off, and then you can sweep up the leaves out of all the rocks from the storm the other night.”
That was a job we were both putting off.
“Mack, you know you won’t be in trouble if you just tell us the truth.” I urged softly.
“Yes, we will.” His eyes began to water. “She said she would throw all my books away.”
Griffin and I both shared another look. She was using the kids in her own wicked game. It was sick.
Griffin’s hand slammed on the counter with so much force, it made us all jump. “Tell me what is going on right fucking now, or you’ll really be in for it,” he said through gritted teeth, the threat cutting us like glass.
Mack burst into tears and shook his head as Toby finally spoke up and told the truth. “She told us to be naughty, so you would hit us and then we wouldn’t have to come back here.”