“Will you stop trying to do everything around here? You’re supposed to be taking it easy.”
“Babe, I’m bored out of my mind. I’ve got to move around or something. At least try to help. Watching you take care of everything is killing me.”
I sighed. I’d once felt helpless like this, and knew it wasn’t a good feeling. “You can sit at the dining table and fold clothes, if you want to help.”
“Anything, Bek. I’ve never watched so much TV as I have the past week. I can’t do it anymore.”
“I’ll wipe the table and get you the basket of clean laundry.” Not that the table was dirty, I’d cleaned it less than an hour ago, but better safe than sorry where Melody’s outfits were concerned.
Tyler got up with the help of his cane and slowly made his way to the table. When he reached it, a beautiful proud smile appeared on his face. “You see, I can walk. It’s easy as ABC.” His face changed when he sat, the grimace telling me it hadn’t been all that easy.
As I brought the overstuffed basket of clothes to him, I wondered if he would say anything. I’d done several loads of laundry today.
“There’s only three of us. How can we have so many clothes?”
“Welcome to our reality, babe.” He laughed, but started folding right away. “I’ll be back in ten, I have to walk the dog,” I said and left him to it.
At first, the idea of having a puppy for Melody to grow up with had seemed super fun, but with everything going on now, it wasn’t so easy. At least tending to Lord gave me a chance to get some exercise and fresh air in, and relax a little each day. My stress levels had gone down a lot in the last week, but I was still plagued by heartbreaking memories. Not to mention there was an unending chore list for the house. For now, this was my time to be alone with my thoughts.
One of the bullets, while the wound had bled more, had been a clean shot with little damage. The other bullet had hit a muscle, which was going to take time to heal. Walking was painful for Tyler and he needed physical therapy.
On top of everything else, Tyler was still trying to get a new car. It kept his mind busy. Yesterday, Levi had taken him car shopping in a wheelchair. It surprised me to learn he hadn’t looked at a Porsche yet, but was checking out Land Rovers instead. A new brand for him, but every bit as luxurious. And expensive.
Men and their cars. I didn’t get the fascination.
In my heart I believed Melody had played a big part in Tyler’s recovery. Those first twenty-four hours, I’d never seen a man so broken. The adrenaline he’d been surviving on had run out, and the reality of his injuries had kicked in. Ty cried a lot while dozing off and on. Melody stayed by his side, at his request, almost all day. They napped together, or he’d watch her while she slept. He’d almost been taken away from his little girl, and it seemed he was realizing that now.
Strolling along with Lord, letting him sniff and explore, the soft breeze danced against my face and sleeveless arms. A deep breath helped clear my head. Everything will be alright.
A police officer visited the house yesterday while I was out running errands. He’d left minutes after I got home, taking Tyler’s laptop with him. Turned out it contained more proof. Tyler and Levi had gone through hours of video, finding more evidence worth mentioning to the police. According to Tyler, the officer had agreed. That my man wasn’t giving up on seeking justice against the Sullivans both scared me and made me proud.
What if they come back to finish the job?
I shook my head, trying to erase the thought from my mind. If I thought like that, it would drive me insane. A few raindrops splattered on the ground around me, and then began to come down with more force. Breaking into a jog, I tried to get Lord back inside before we got too wet.
Lord ran to his little bed as soon as we got through the door while Tyler smiled at me.
“If I had a car, and could drive, I would’ve picked you up. Now, you’re all wet and will have to do more laundry after you change.” He laughed. “Seriously, how many loads is that? Three? Four?”
“It’s only a load of whites, babe. We have three times more colors than whites, keep that in mind.” Now it was my turn to laugh.
Ty changed the subject. “Levi is going to pick me up in about an hour.”
Huh? Tyler wasn’t supposed to be going out much, if at all, and he’d already been out yesterday. The doctor’s orders were bedrest for a week.
“Why, Tyler? You know you aren’t supposed to push your body too hard.”
“I’ll bring the wheelchair. Levi loves pushing me around the car dealerships. I think I’ve found my car, now I want to see it with my own eyes. Sit in it and all that good stuff.”
“What’s the rush? We have a car we can all fit in.”
“Trust me, we’ll all fit in the new one, baby number two, as well. While we’re at it, there’ll even be room for baby number three.”
“Wow, Ty, number three?”
“Why not? I’ve been thinking, and I think we should have a big family.” He smiled.
“I think you need to stop thinking so much. It’s messing with your head.”
Tyler’s laugh echoed around the room while he folded the last onesie. “All done.”
“Thank you, sir,” I said reaching for the piles of clothes. Might as well take care of them now.
“You’re welcome, madam.” He stole a kiss from me before I hauled the clean laundry away to be put in its appropriate drawers and cupboards.
When I returned, he was back on the couch, and yawning. “I think you could use a break.”
While he had a point, I asked, “You think?”
“Come here.” He tapped the couch next to him. “We need some adult time before baby number one wakes up.”
I rolled my eyes. “Whatever you have in mind, we can’t.”
“Oh, come on.” His hand patted the couch again. “Please.”
Joining him, I was greeted by a shower of kisses covering the entire length of my arm, neck, and cheek.
“Tyler?” I murmured.
Another kiss landed on my mouth. It wasn’t the responsible thing to do, but this was so tempting. As we kissed, he urged me closer, and the next thing I knew I was laying over him scared as hell I’d touch his injuries or hurt him.
“Stop, Ty, don’t move. I don’t want to hurt you.”
“My leg is fine.” He locked me between his arms making it impossible to move away. “My good leg is on the couch. My injured leg, which you aren’t touching, is safe and out of the way, on the footrest. Will you please stop worrying about it?”
Out of question. I shook my head. “I don’t think I can.”
“Bekky, please. I need a little love.” He proceeded to give me his best puppy eyes, but I couldn’t let him win this. Even if I wanted a little love, too.
“We have to work on baby number two.” His arms squeezed, bringing me closer to his chest, and I started laughing. “Shh, you’re going to wake number one.”
“You’re crazy.” Tyler had to be kidding, but he wasn’t. He wanted more babies. With me. I wasn’t even sure if I could be pregnant while still breastfeeding. Later today, some research would need to be done.
“This is going to sound like a bad romance movie, but I’m so crazy about you, Bekka.” My laughter got louder, and I tried to muffle the sounds with my hand as he went on. “Come on, babe. I’m begging.” He pouted.
Since when did Tyler Wright pout? It was so out of character for him.
A low groan tumbled out of me. I didn’t want to hurt him, but at the same time, spending some sexy time with my man would be soul healing. “Tyler, you are impossible. So stubborn.”
“Of course, and you love it.”
I sighed, and fought a grin. “I’m not so sure I love it right now.”
Repeat kisses on my lips became my breaking point. Well, that followed by a small caress on my side and under my shirt. From there, the simple kisses changed, becoming hungrier and more passionate.
“Jesus Christ, Tyler.”
He chuckled against my lips. “Come on, Bekky. Let me love you.” One of his hands ran through my hair which he then gripped at the back of my neck. “We should take advantage of the moment. It’s just the two of us right now,” Tyler whispered into my ear then added more smooches along my neck.
I hated how much I was loving this moment. Being intimate with him was always special, though. I loved how he he’d touch or look at me. He ensured I always felt desired. Always.
In slow motion, he pushed my yoga pants down a couple of inches, until I grabbed his hands, stopping him. “Ty... we can’t.”
“Says who? We both want this.” His large, manly hands eased under the tight fabric of my pants and held my behind as if it were a precious gift. The way he held my ass made my entire body rub against his. “It’ll be quick,” he said and thrust up.
“Okay,” I said so low I wasn’t sure Tyler had heard me.
He won, and it was the most perfect lovemaking. Our position made it awkward, but we got carried away big time. Tyler laid on his back, his leg tucked out of the way, while I moved on top of him being careful of his injuries. We were both dripping with sweat by the time it was over. After all the stress we’d been under, needless to say, we’d both needed it.
Standing under the warm water of the shower, I tried to catch my breath. The romp had been unexpected but, while fun, had burned all my energy. The small amount I’d had was now gone.
“Melo didn’t even wake up. And you were loud, babe.” Tyler startled me, and my face warmed with embarrassment.
“Stop it. Is your leg okay?” I double checked. This was the first time he’d come upstairs since being home, and I was alarmed he’d done it alone.
“Yes, never been better.” Tyler slid back the shower curtain and whistled. “So damn beautiful.”
“Isn’t Levi supposed to pick you up soon?”
“I still have time. We could go a second round.”
Hm, I wish, but, no, we shouldn’t. We can’t. “We’ve already played with fire too much. I could have hurt you, and I don’t even want to think about how that would make me feel.”
“Are you almost done showering?”
“Yeah, why?”
“Because every second I spend watching you clean yourself is making me want to join you. Normally I would, right now it would be a disaster.”
“Yes. So, step away, please.” I tried to close the curtain, but failed when my foot slipped and I almost fell. “Right, this is going to end badly. I’m rinsing and then I’m out.”
Outside the shower, my love waited with a towel for me.
“Aren’t you romantic?”
“I am. It’s crazy how I love being home with you and not worry about anything else. No club, no studying, just me and my ladies.”
“I love it, too. I know it’s temporary, but for now, I’m enjoying every second. Even when you are playing Romeo and making me do things I don’t think we should do.”
“I have no regrets. No shame. I’m alive, and I want my woman with me. Or on me.” Small cries sounded down the hall. “I’ll get her. You should get dressed before Levi gets here and sees how lucky I am.” Tyler left the room with his cane. It was at a slow pace, but he was moving quicker than a few days ago. His last remark made me look at my body in the mirror.
Levi had Nix, which was what I called being lucky. Nix was a true beauty. Long brown hair, sky blue eyes, curvy in all the perfect places… she had it all. I was taller with less curves, except for when I’d been pregnant, then I’d been curvy. That was all gone now. I had my pre-baby shape back, which I should be proud of, but felt I could use more meat on my breasts or hips. Not focusing on what I didn’t have could be hard, but I had better things to keep my mind busy today. Tyler loved me and we had a beautiful daughter waking up from a long nap, so there was no reason to obsess over how I wished my body could be.
Once I’d gotten dressed again, I went to my daughter and lover. When I reached her bedroom, Tyler was in the middle of changing her diaper, and I watched them together, how she smiled at him. Melody had no idea we had almost lost him, of course, and I never wanted her to know how scary that had been.
Crossing the room, I chirped, “Hello, beautiful! You had a good nap, didn’t you?” She giggled as I tickled her side.
“She’s ready to climb a mountain,” Tyler added, pulling her pants up before giving her to me.
“I’ll go get her some formula ready. I don’t seem to be making enough lately.” I touched my breast and couldn’t feel much of anything.
“Really? Should you make an appointment with your doctor? Is it normal to dry up so soon?”
“According to the blog I’m following, it can happen. It depends on things like my hormones and how my body responds to changes in my environment.” I’d done a search on the matter because my production had reduced drastically after Tyler came home. It could be the shock of recent events, too. I had no real answers, but saw no need to dig. Melody was healthy and had started eating cereal, with solids to follow soon, so buying formula was no issue for me.
“If you’re sure?” he asked with concern.
“Yeah, I am. Melody is fine, she takes the formula well and is growing.”
“Think I’ll try to put on some real clothes. Sweatpants get old after a while.” Tyler always dressed the same—jeans and a dark t-shirt or shirt—but hadn’t been able to because of his wounds. I’d never seen him in sweatpants past breakfast time until recently. I wasn’t complaining, though; to me, my man looked sexy in anything.
“You can’t wear tight jeans, remember. Wear a looser pair.”
“Yeah.” He sighed. “I can’t wait to see the doctor again. I’ve made progress and would love to be cleared to take a real shower.”
“I can help clean you, if you’d like?”
“Babe, not a chance. I don’t have much pride left right now, and I fear it would vanish if I let you wash me.”
“Oh, stop it. It’s not like I’ve never washed you before.”
He laughed. “That’s way different. Not at all the same, don’t even try to mix medical need and sexy time together.”
“Tyler, don’t be ridiculous. I want to help you. I can help you. You’ll keep your pride.”
“What pride?” Levi said from behind me, and I rolled my eyes. This argument would have to be resumed later.
“Forget about it, babe.” He looked around me at Levi. “Hey, man, give me a minute to change.”
“Sure thing. Meet you downstairs.”
Levi took Melody from me and carried her down the stairs. While I fixed her milk, he played with her, making her laugh. A couple of months from now, Levi would have a child of his own. When I thought about it, it always surprised me how much everything had changed since we’d worked our first shift at The Black Shakers. We’d graduated, were getting jobs, and starting families—with babies and everything.
“Why the sad look on your face? Is everything okay?” Levi asked.
“I’m not sad. Just thinking. Do you ever think it’s crazy how we all got together? Tyler and me, you and Nix, Kyle and Tiff, and Val and Miles.”
“The fact that I’m married is still crazy to me. I never thought I would find someone like Nix, but I did, and now we’re having a kid together. Life changes, Bek. We have to go with the flow and adapt to the changes.”
“Yeah, I know. So, you’re going to check on a car with Ty?”
“Yeah. He’s a lucky bastard.”
“You have a Harley Davidson and a kick-ass Mustang. I think you’re a pretty lucky bastard, too.”
“Well, we need a new car, too, what with the baby coming. I don’t see driving my classic Mustang around with an infant seat in the back. I need something more practical.”
“You still have a little bit of time.”
He nodded. “It’s coming though, and I don’t want to be caught last minute.”
This had to be part of the reason he was going car shopping with my man. It’d be nice to go along, but I’d leave it to them. A guy’s outing without us girls around, Tyler needed that. He loved me, I knew, but the day out would do him good.
“You should call Nix. Val was over at our place when I left. Maybe you could join them, like the good old days,” he said and passed Melody back to me since her bottle was ready.
I smiled. “I will.” The smile faded when I realized how little my friends and I had talked since the day of the shooting.
“Okay, it’s time to bounce.” Tyler limped into the kitchen, joining us. His hair was styled, and he’d donned a clean black shirt with a not-so-tight pair of jeans.
“Be careful, okay?”
“I’ll be good. I love you. And you, too, little sunshine.” He kissed us both and then I watched them leave at a slow pace. Tyler’s pace.
Melody gulped the bottle down at full speed. She drained it so fast, I was afraid she might vomit afterward, but she didn’t.
Knowing the girls were at Nix’s, I packed Melody’s next snack and some diapers into the storage area of the stroller and then walked to her place. Lord trotted along beside us, as happy to be out for a walk as I was to be going to see my friends.
It was crazy how something so simple like hanging out with my girls made me so excited.
So much had happened to our little crew over the years. We’d all seen things that we couldn’t unsee, but we’d also found so much happiness together. The long-lasting bond we shared went beyond friendship, beyond mere family even, and it meant a lot to me. Nowadays, everything seemed so temporary, but we weren’t.