Anita
Hello?” I yelped, jumping around on one foot as I tried to pull a sock on the other.
“Finally!” Katie bellowed in my ear, making me drop the phone in surprise.
“Shit,” I hissed, fishing my phone back out of the laundry basket as Kate continued to ramble on.
“I knew you’d get back together,” she said smugly when I had the phone back to my ear again. “Called it!”
“Yeah, yeah.”
“Mom said Bram’s taking you out tonight?” Kate asked. “What are you wearing?”
“Leggings and boots and a gray sweater that hangs off my shoulder,” I replied, pulling on my boots. Bram was taking me to Jay’s bar, and I was little bit giddy at the sentiment.
“No! Why aren’t you wearing a dress?” she screeched. “I’m all about the leggings—but it’s your first date!”
“I’ve had Bram’s balls in my mouth. He can deal with the leggings and like it,” I said flatly.
Retching sounds came from the other end of the connection. “I don’t want to hear that stuff!”
“Oh, you don’t?” I asked innocently, “But you’ve been all up in our shit for months! Don’t you want details?”
“Hell no!”
I laughed, grabbing my purse from the end of the bed as I left my bedroom. Bram was going to be there at any minute, and I wanted to be ready when he did. I was excited.
Liz had taken Arielle for the entire night—which freaked me the fuck out—but I was excited to have time alone with Bram.
“So what changed your mind?” Kate asked after a full minute of petulant silence.
“He—” I sighed, dropping down to the couch. “He really meant it.”
“And you know that because?”
“Because he looked at me like my words were the only thing that could keep him standing.”
“Didn’t he pass out anyway?” Katie asked with a small laugh.
“That was after,” I corrected her.
“I thought it was when you guys were out on the porch.”
“How the fuck do you know all this?” I asked.
“Mom had me on the phone, and she gave me a play-by-play as she watched through the window.”
“Jesus,” I groaned, making Katie laugh.
“That’s what you get. Boom!”
“I already told you I was sorry about spilling the beans when you were pregnant!”
“We’re still not even,” Kate growled.
“Oh, whatever,” I said.
A knock on my front door had my head spinning to look in that direction.
“Gotta go, Kate.”
“Ooh, is he there?”
“I’m going to have sex now. Bye.” I pressed end as she started making vomiting noises again.
When I opened the door, Bram was standing there in a button-down shirt under a tan Carhartt jacket, his head covered in a gray beanie and his beard neatly trimmed and waxed.
“Well, don’t you look pretty,” I mused, looking him up and down.
“I brought you flowers,” he said with a small grin, lifting his hand to show me a bouquet that still had the grocery store tag on it.
“Wow, fancy,” I teased, taking the flowers from his hand. “Thank you.”
I turned to bring the flowers into the kitchen, and Bram groaned behind me, making me smile. Hearing the front door shut, I set the flowers in the sink and turned to find Bram stalking me into the kitchen.
“I know I said I was taking you out tonight,” he said in a rough voice as he slid the beanie off his head and dropped his jacket on top of the table. “But I haven’t seen you naked in a really long time.”
I laughed as he grimaced.
“Change of plans?” I asked, taking a step toward him.
“If you feel anything for me at all, you’ll take off your clothes,” he replied seriously, unbuttoning his shirt.
“But I was really looking forward to going back to where it all started,” I said, trying to keep my smile at bay.
Bram’s hands paused for a second on his shirt, then he dropped his head in defeat and slowly started to button it back up.
“I’m joking,” I told him softly, reaching out to catch his hands.
“Oh, thank God,” he murmured, his hands going to my hair as he pressed his mouth to mine. “I’ll take you out another night.”
“But we have a babysitter tonight,” I teased, making him groan again.
“So I’ll take you someplace Arielle can go,” he promised against my lips, running his hands down my back.
I sucked his lower lip into my mouth and sighed as his hands gripped my ass, picking me up off the floor.
“No more baby talk,” he ordered, carrying me into my room as I moved my lips to his earlobe.
“Are you sure?” I asked, running my tongue along the outside of his ear. “Because I’ve heard some of the women you’ve fucked talk, and if you’re into that—”
“We’re not talking about any other people we’ve had sex with,” he said, dropping me to the bed.
“You scraped the bottom of the barrel with those ones,” I needled, making him scowl.
I didn’t even know why I’d brought it up, but I couldn’t seem to stop the words from tumbling from my mouth.
“You know I love you, right?” he asked, standing above me, shaking his head with a gentle smile on his face.
“Yes.”
“It doesn’t matter what you say.”
“Okay,” I breathed as he pulled his open shirt down his shoulders.
“You can’t push me away. It won’t happen.”
“I’m not trying to—”
“I know you’re not,” he said seriously.
Then he took off his jeans, and in the quiet, his words sunk in.
I was never going to be lovey-dovey. I was always going to say inappropriate things at the wrong time and in the wrong place. I’d never be the girl that left him sappy love notes in his lunch or gushed to people about how sweet he was.
And Bram was okay with that.
He liked me the way I was.
Tears hit my eyes, but I refused to let them fall.
“I’m going to bring you flowers,” Bram said as he yanked off my boots and socks. “I’m going to tell you I love you and spoil Arielle.”
I bit the inside of my cheek.
“I’m going to brag about you,” he said quietly as he pulled my leggings and thong down my hips and off my legs. “I’ll remember anniversaries, and I’ll get you cool shit for your birthday.”
“I’ll get you cool shit for your birthday too,” I said stupidly through my clenched teeth.
“And you’ll love me?” he asked as he pulled my sweater over my head.
“So much you won’t be able to stand it,” I murmured as he unclipped my bra.
“Good,” he murmured, coming down on top of me to press his mouth to mine.
I slid my fingers into his hair as he kissed me, and pulled the rubber band out so I could clench the hair in my fists as he ground his hips against mine.
“I’m going to give you blow jobs at least once a week,” I murmured, making Bram chuckle as his lips moved down my neck.
“And I’m going to cook dinner because I like to, but I promise it’ll be good.”
His lips wrapped around a nipple, and I arched my back in response.
“I’ll probably forget anniversaries, but I’ll write them on a calendar to try and remember.”
“Thank you,” he said, running his hand between us to slide two fingers over my clit.
“And I’ll be proud of everything you do, even if I don’t go telling people about it.” I gasped as he slid those same two fingers inside me. “I’ll love you even when you’re being an ass.”
“Hey, now,” Bram said defensively, biting the side of my breast gently.
“Please,” I whispered as his thumb rubbed slowly over my clit.
He kissed me as he positioned himself, and my breath caught as he slid inside, locking us together.
“I’ll—”
“Shh,” he quieted me, pressing his forehead against mine. “We’ll make our promises later,” he whispered. “When you’re wearing a long white dress and I’m in a tux.”
“You want to marry me?” I asked as his hips rocked, my hand moving down his sweaty back.
“I want everything,” he answered, snapping his hips forward.
After that, we didn’t say much. We were too caught up in the dance of our bodies, the sweat that pooled on our skin, the scents and sounds of our coming together. It was the best sex we’d ever had, and it had none of the acrobatics we’d performed in the past. Straight-up missionary, but the emotion made it magnificent.
I still liked that word.
Hours later, I watched Bram as he stumbled around my room.
“Do you want me to just go get them?” I asked, giggling at his attempts to reach the door.
“I got it,” he grumbled, wiping his hand down his face. “You stay in bed.”
He finally left the room to go grab our phones and I fell back onto my sheets with a sigh. Bram wanted to call and check up on Arielle, but we’d left our phones in the kitchen when he’d carried me to my room.
“Mom texted us both,” Bram said as he came back into the room, looking at his phone. “She sent a couple of pictures and said they were going to bed so ‘don’t call and check up on them.’”
I laughed at the scowl on his face.
“What are the pictures?” I asked as he sat down next to me, sliding his bare legs under the sheets.
“One of Arielle in her swing and one of Trevor holding her,” he answered, tipping the phone toward me so I could look at them.
“Has he heard anything from Henry’s baby-mama?” I asked as I looked at Trev’s smiling face on my phone screen.
Ellie, Mike, and Trev seemed to be getting back into the swing of things again, but it was apparent to everyone that they were still in mourning. I’d seen them laugh, and I’d seen them smile, but they still carried an awful expression on their faces when they thought no one was looking. I was pretty sure I wore the same one.
All of the drama with Bram had distracted me, giving me a little breathing room from my grief, even though it hadn’t exactly cheered me up. I wondered if, now that Bram and I were solid, Henry’s loss would magnify again, like the day we’d buried him.
“Trevor called her,” Bram replied, taking the phone from my hands and setting both his and mine on the bedside table. “She was willing to talk, but I don’t know much more than that.”
“Well, that’s good at least,” I murmured as Bram shut off the light and slid down the bed, pulling me with him.
“I think he’s going to head down there in the next couple of weeks.”
My head popped back up, and I looked at Bram in surprise. “Really?”
“Yeah, he wants to meet her—the baby.”
“A little piece of Hen,” I murmured, laying my head back on Bram’s chest.
“I can’t imagine what was going through his head,” Bram said, running his fingers lightly up and down my back. “That’s his baby.”
“Some people aren’t meant to be parents,” I replied with a shrug.
I didn’t understand why Henry had done what he’d done, either. I could barely wrap my head around it. He knew what it was like to have parents that didn’t care, so the fact that he’d followed in their footsteps baffled me. On the other hand, I’d realized over the past few months that some people just couldn’t hack it. If Henry had been one of those people, maybe it was better that he’d walked away from the beginning.
“I want to go get Arielle,” Bram muttered, making my lips twitch. “I know we can get her in the morning, and I know she’s fine with my mom and dad, but I want her here. In her own bed. With us.”
“Let’s just enjoy the full night of sleep,” I said, kissing his chest. “We’re not going to get any again for a while.”
I closed my eyes and relaxed against him.
“I was thinking that we could rent out my town house instead,” Bram suddenly said after a few minutes of quiet.
“Whatever you want,” I replied.
“We could sell it and get a chunk of cash, but the steady income would be nice. Plus real estate is a good investment.”
“Sure.” I could feel myself falling asleep as he continued to ramble on.
“Then you could stay home with Arie,” he said, laughing when my head shot off his chest.
“What?”
“You don’t want to work anymore,” he said with a smile. “I know you don’t.”
“But I—”
“Please don’t knee me in the balls for this,” he said nervously. “But let me take care of you.”
“I don’t need you to—”
“I know you don’t. You’ve already proved that you can take care of yourself and Arielle,” he cut me off, pulling me up his chest. “But you’d rather stay home with Arie. I know you would.”
“Yeah, I’d love that,” I croaked.
“So, do it. I make plenty of money, baby. We’d be fine.”
“But what if—”
“I’m not going anywhere.”
“Are you sure?”
“Why do you keep asking me if I’m sure all the time? Yes, I’m sure.” He leaned down to give me a quick kiss on the lips. “I’d rather Arielle was home with you every day.”
My mouth trembled as he gazed at me happily, the moonlight barely shining enough light for me to catch the expression on his face.
“You’re going to have to find a new office manager,” I hedged, making his grin widen. “A dude office manager.”
“Fine,” he said seriously. “You have to give me more kids.”
“What?” I jerked back in surprise as his eyes searched mine.
“Arielle needs a sibling,” he said quietly, reaching out to cup my face in his hand. “I don’t think I want to foster. I’m not sure I wouldn’t end up running for the border the minute they tried to take our kids away. But if you want to adopt again…”
“Really?” I breathed.
“No one older than Arielle,” he ordered. “So we’ll probably have to wait a few years.”
“But there are a lot more older kids than there are—”
“It doesn’t have to be a baby,” Bram said, shaking his head. “Just younger than Arielle. When Kate was little, my parents fostered this older kid.” Bram swallowed hard. “He attacked her, and he could have really hurt her if Alex and I hadn’t found them.”
“I’ve heard that story,” I murmured.
“After that, my parents didn’t foster any kids older than us. So I’d just feel more comfortable if we did that. Only kids younger than Arie, okay? They don’t have to be babies.”
I dropped my head to his chest and shuddered as I tried to hold back the sob in my throat. I was overwhelmed. Excited. Terrified.
Bram just held me like that, letting me get my shit together as he started rubbing his fingers over the top of my shoulders.
“Twice-a-week blow jobs,” I finally promised, raising my head. “I’ll even swallow.”
My lips twitched, and Bram immediately rolled on top of me, laughing hard into the side of my neck.