“Where’s Dad?” Lynk huffs as I put the finishing touches of gel in his hair.
“Working.” There’s another grumble out of him, which prompts me to remind him, “You knew that was the deal, Lynk. You knew if he came to your class Halloween party and Sage’s parade, he was going to have to be busy for a bit.”
“Yeah, but he’s been working since we got home forever ago.”
His over dramatic calculation of time pulls a smile to my lips. “Tres horas.”
Lynk frown expands.
Having Holden come to Lynk’s party meant more to his son than I’m sure he realized. The proud look on Lynk’s face during our entire time there was heartwarming. Every moment one of us doted on him or joked around with him and his classmates, you could tell he was overly thrilled. What’s adorable is the gleam in his eyes was the same one in Holden’s when we pulled into the parking lot and he realized this was the first time Lynk ever had ‘two parents’ show up for him to anything school related. Not that I’m actually his parent or that he refers to me as such, but for the sake of the point, that’s how it felt. Holden was so overwhelmed with gratitude and so excited he couldn’t stop himself from pouncing me in the car. Thankfully, we had parked in the back and weren’t caught making out or with his hand between my legs.
I try to change the focus of the conversation. “You know, I got this session’s grades today.”
Lynk’s expression grows concerned.
Washing the gel off my hands in their bathroom sink, I state, “Apparently you’re getting a B in English and your reading level is now at the level it should be.”
The shock on his face is precious. “What!”
After drying my hands with the My Little Pony towel on Sage’s side of the bathroom, I give him a slow yet proud nod. “Si! Plus, your teacher left a note that says if you keep showing improvement like this you might actually be reading at a level higher than you’re supposed to by the end of the year.”
“That would be so cool!” Lynk shrieks. “I’ve never done that before!”
I lightly laugh and lean against the sink. “Well, we’ll make it happen if that’s what you want. But it’s going to take some trabajo.”
Lynk nods and then does a couple unnecessary superhero punches.
Boys. Always celebrating their victories like they’re king of the world.
Holden did something similar when he successfully carved the Batman, Wonder Woman, and Aquaman symbol into pumpkins on Sunday afternoon. While it earned massive respect from his ten-year-old and his ten year old’s best friend, Sage and I faked our enthusiasm before returning to decorating papers with Halloween stickers.
“How about tonight you read libros to la familia?”
He pauses his action moves.
“After we come home from trick or treating, what do you say we all get into our PJs and you can read to all of us before bed? Maybe The Charlie Brown Halloween book and tu hermana’s favorite about the monster who eats cookies?”
He rapidly nods again at the same time Sage comes barreling into the bathroom in a fit of tears.
Immediately, I lift her up. “What’s wrong?”
She lets her small blonde head fall onto my chest. “I don’t wanna wear my mask! It hurts!”
“Aww.” My hand gives her back a soothing rub. “That’s okay, Sunshine. You don’t have too.”
“But I’m Batgirl…I have too….” Her whine is even more drama filled than her brother’s was just a few minutes ago.
Too much candy and too much stimulation is not a good combination for either of them. Hopefully, they don’t complain when we take them on a shorter route to get them to bed in a timely fashion.
“Everyone will know you’re Batgirl because of your costume,” Lynk points out, trying to help lift her spirits. “And you look really cool as Batgirl.”
She smiles sweetly at her brother and reaches out for him to hold her. Despite the fact she’s getting a little too big now, Lynk does it anyway with all the joy he has.
Helplessly my mind wonders how he would treat having a new baby brother or sister.
Would he hold her with love? Would he be super careful and snuggle her the same way he does Sage?
I shake my head in an attempt to vanquish the thoughts that have no business being there.
“Come on, Bat family. Let’s get down stairs, grab your dad, and hit the sidewalk.”
Lynk puts his sister down and she takes off through his room for the stairs, her black and yellow tutu needing to be pulled back down over her butt. Once the three of us are downstairs by the front door, the two of them with their Halloween bags in hand, I shout, “Come on, Holden!”
“Coming!” He calls back and then repeats, “I’m coming! I’m coming! I’m coming!”
Words he never says in bed because he doesn’t have to. I swear it’s like my body has become so in sync with his it can feel it coming the second he decides that’s what should happen and makes sure we let go together.
The idea of getting the kids in bed sooner rather than later becomes even more of a necessity when he rounds the corner and his jaw drops to the ground at the sight of my costume. My glittery, black, thin, long sleeve t-shirt is sheer and the black tights paired with the top are equally as see through revealing my lack of underwear. The thick gold sash around my waist matches the gold necklace dangling against my chest, which is currently where his eyes are glued. Eventually he lets his attention drink in the set of ears on my head, collar around my neck, and the black thigh high boots I was regretting squeezing into until he grabbed a look.
However, before he has time to comment on it, Sage whines, “Daddy, muévase más rápido!”
He tilts his head with a playful attitude. “Did you just tell me to hurry up in Spanish?”
She giggles, but bobs her head.
“Come on, Dad,” Lynk calls to him. “I don’t wanna miss all the good candy!”
“Because there’s bad candy?” Holden questions, adjusting the cape attached to the Batman t-shirt he’s wearing that has the printed muscled chest of the hero.
“Have you ever had Raisinets?” I gag.
“Or the black string?!” Sage adds.
“That’s called licorice,” he informs while picking her up. “And Daddy actually likes it.”
The three of us shake our head at him.
“Seriously? I’m the only person here who likes it?”
“I’ll try not to hold that against you.”
My tease is met with a sarcastic, sexy smirk.
“Everyone squeeze in,” I command at the same time I pull my phone out of my bra, which is the only place to hold it. “Say Bat Family.”
The four of us squish together with Lynk standing between me and Holden. Once the selfie is taken, I insist we take one more with all of us making silly faces.
On our way out the door, I casually ask, “Do you mind if I send this to Arthur and Sybil?”
He carefully drops Sage down to her black boot covered feet. “Not at all.” After he locks the door he also adds, “And I don’t mind if you post it online either.”
His words stumble my footing. “Really?”
Holden shrugs as we start to walk along the side closely behind the two amped up kids to the house next door. “Really. It’s not like you’re going to be swapping them with strangers for them to jerk off to. You’re just sharing with your friends and family…”
My heart races at the hopes he’ll one day say our family. Which has to be ludicrous. It’s only been around three months that we’ve been back in each other’s lives. For most people any thoughts that direction would be insane to even consider, but three months day in and day out with someone I think gives you a completely different relationship than someone you see occasionally for a date a couple times a week. Since I moved in, we’ve basically built an entire life together, at first for the sake of the kids and more recently for us.
Maybe we’re not moving too fast.
Maybe this is the perfect speed for us.
Isn’t that what should really matter?
I quickly send the pictures to the kid’s grandparents, post the photo to Facebook, and tuck the phone back into my bra. Sage and Lynk loudly thank the neighbors for the treats and rush off to the next house, the two of us keeping a healthy distance, but close enough to act if necessary.
All of a sudden, Holden’s fingers brush mine and fold with them. The simple, sweet action steals a small breath and shoots my eyes to his.
Cautiously, I question, “What if the kids see?”
He gives a sweet look. “Let ‘em.”
“Holden-”
“It makes more sense to ease them into the idea of us together.” His eyes gravitate back towards where they’ve stopped to wait in line. “Eventually, they’ll catch on and when they’re ready to talk about it, we’ll talk about it.”
My hand squeezes his in agreement.
“But let’s keep it low key for now. Sitting closer together. Holding hands…”
“So no making out?” I tease with a bump into his side.
Holden viciously groans as we come to a halt to wait for them. “No. And what the fuck were you thinking wearing that costume?”
My eyes cut to him once more and I bite, “Perdón?”
His float back to mine and the wildness in them causes a wetness between my thighs. “How the hell am I supposed to not spend the entire night with a raging hard on or not have thoughts of you with those goddamn boots in the air?”
A wide grin takes over my face.
“Do you have any idea how fucking weird is it to have my dick this hard around children? It’s all sorts of fucked up.”
The two of us exchange a small laugh and quickly begin moving again when Sage darts for the next house with her brother trailing behind.
“So I’ve never asked…”
Holden gives me a brief glance to continue.
“What’s with the whole Bat world love affair?”
He starts to smile.
“I mean you’ve got multiple symbols for him and Gotham on your arm, not to mention the Poison Ivy vines on your back. Your computer programs are named after his sidekicks or protégés or something. We watch that show Gotham, like religiously, when the kids aren’t around. Why’s he your favorite superhero?”
Our hands start to sway a bit during our stroll. “When I was growing up, we didn’t always have television in the apartment, but the guy in the apartment across the way, well I could see into his living room from our balcony. Eventually he caught on and began playing more kid friendly shows and on Saturday mornings, every Saturday morning, hot or cold, rain or shine, I would grab a bowl of cereal, a pillow, and go watch Batman. Every once in a while, he’d play the old movies with Michael Keaton for me and I would act out the fight scenes, which for the record didn’t actually help me when I was getting jumped and bullied back then.” Holden briefly pauses before finishing, “The comics eventually became a cheap escape I could take. Sometimes I found them in the trash outside the comic book shop if they had water damage, sometimes if the store wouldn’t offer someone enough cash for their collection, they’d just give ‘em away for free, but my love for all of it started because I learned early in life, not all heroes have capes. Not all heroes have magic powers. Sometimes a hero is just someone willing to take a stand to try to make someone else’s life better.” He lifts my hand to his lips and plants a small kiss. “Like you…”
My heart threatens to burst right out of my chest.
“Daddy! Daddy!” Sage comes rushing to us with her bag open. “Look at all the candy!”
He peers into the bag and praises, “That’s so much! You’ve only been to five houses!”
She giggles, grabs his hand, and shouts, “Come on, Lynk! We gotta cross the street!”
Lynk jogs over and takes her hand, the four of us now taking up much more space than probably necessary. But it doesn’t matter. I love feeling like we’re a real family. Like nothing can tear us apart. I love feeling like I finally have something permanent to hold onto.
Trick or treating lasts for another grueling forty-five minutes. Most of the time teeters towards the precious moments’ side, but towards the end Sage begins to whine about her feet hurting, being cold then being too hot, and her tutu making her itch while Lynk continuously complains he doesn’t have enough candy in his overflowing bag.
By the time we make it back home it’s more than obvious everyone is ready for bed.
“Leave your candy bags down here by the door and then you both need to head straight upstairs,” Holden instructs locking the front door behind us. “Put on pajamas. Wash faces. Brush teeth. And pick out books.”
Sage’s bag tumbles to the floor and she starts rubbing her eye. “I wanna wear my hippo jammies.”
“Wear any jammies that are clean and fit your body,” he says and points towards the stairs. “Both of you go.”
“Miss Meena,” Sage starts to call for me with her arms expanded wide, the signature move of a worn out preschooler.
“Miss Meena’s gonna change out of her costume,” Holden quickly speaks for me.
Her little scowl gets deeper. “Daddy…”
“I have to check on something in the office,” he answers.
“You said you’d read books with us tonight!” Lynk bites harder than I’m sure he intended.
“And I will,” Holden tries to comfort his cranky son. “I just need a few minutes, which I can have while the two of you get ready for bed. Now go.”
Sage’s bottom lip pokes out, and I see a tsunami size tantrum on the rise. All of sudden, Lynk takes her hand, and begins to lead her up the stairs alongside him.
He really is a great brother. He rarely acts like having a little sister is a burden, even when it requires him to have tea parties with stuffed animals or his favorite comic books get sticky from her jelly covered fingers.
Once they’re about half way up, I walk around the back side of the stairs towards my bedroom. Almost as soon as my bedroom door is opened it’s shut with the two of us on the other side of it.
Holden’s arms cradle my back tightly against his firm chest at the same time his teeth tug at the collar of my costume. The arousal that seems to never truly be dormant when he’s around comes roaring to life, creating a rush of wetness only he can tame.
Unable to resist his proximity, I lean back into his touch yet sigh, “Mi corazón, we have like ten minutes…You can have me later.”
He nips at my neck during his repositioning of my body to face the door. “I can have you now.” His hard on thumps against the crack of my ass, and he leans his lips to my ear. “And later.”
I roll my eyes at the comment, but don’t stop him from nudging my legs apart. “You do know I’m not candy, right?”
His hands slowly glide down my back and over the curve of my ass. “Oh baby, you’re much much more addicting than that.”
A smile barely has time to register on my face before the sound of fabric being ripped ripples throughout the room. The desire to moan clashes with the urge to fuss, creating a sexual scold, “You didn’t have to rip them.”
Holden’s hard cock presses at my entrance. “Sí, lo hice.”
Hearing him reply in Spanish makes my entire system sing his praises. I softly moan. The wetness between my legs drips down along my thighs. Even my heart begins to beat a little harder at his demonstration of becoming a part of my life as much as I am his.
Knowing there’s not a minute to waste, he clamps both hands down on my shoulders to pin me in place and begins to sharply thrust. My pussy swells in approval while my head falls backwards, eyes shutting in unparalleled thrill. Holden’s inability to move us further into the room, has my nipples brushing against the door with every erotic bump. The constant rubbing adds to the building orgasm I’m not expecting to wait to show itself. His cock hits the hilt with such repeated force it stretches the muscles that refuse to become accustom to his size to the point of pleasing pain.
My bottom lip drops to release a scream but he slips a finger inside of it instead. “Suck.”
I instantly meet the command, my mouth and pussy making the same motions in unison.
He groans deeply yet his rocking is unrelenting.
Vigorously, he pounds, the sloppy sounds of our bodies, an aphrodisiac all their own.
Holden’s fingers dig harder into my shoulder and my body acknowledges the announcement about letting go. On a deep muffled cry, I start to come apart, teeth anchored onto the digit in my mouth and pussy quivering with enough force my knees buckle. There’s a short, brutish grunt followed by a blazing surge of heat I can honestly never get enough of.
His trembles tumble into mine and the two of us end up braced against the door for stability.
He manages to deliver a sweet kiss to my shoulder only seconds prior to the very distinct sound of Lynk’s angry stomps and Sage’s bawling.
The displeased grumble makes me grin. “Are you fucking joking? How are they this unhappy already?”
I peer over my shoulder at him. “They’re just tired, mi corazón. They’ve had a long day. They’re not like adults. They’re not good at processing it and calling it quits when it’s time.”
Holden slips his cock out and I bite my bottom lip to prevent from whimpering at the detachment.
I hate the moment we’re disconnected and can’t get enough of him the second he’s inside of me…What’s wrong with me? What is it about him that I’ve never found in anyone else? Why is being with him the only thing I’ve ever done that I truly hope never has to end?
The sound of his zipper brings my thoughts back to reality. “I’m gonna go try to put the fire out. See you for bed time in a couple minutes?”
I quickly nod, give him a chaste kiss, and let him slip past me.
After changing out of my costume and into sleepwear sans panties, I hustle to the upstairs loft where everyone seems to have managed to mellow out in the five minutes it took to redress.
“Lynk’s gonna read libros, Miss Meena!” Sage excitedly proclaims from Holden’s lap on the couch. She turns to rest her face my direction. “¡Prisa! ¡Prisa!”
“I’m coming. I’m coming…”
Holden meets my gaze, a very cocky, wicked glaze to his.
Asshole.
Once I’ve flopped down on the couch, Lynk wedges himself between Holden and me with three books in his lap.
He turns the first page and Sage immediately gasps, “Monster Cookies!!!”
Lynk offers her a genuine smile that would make any parent proud. “It’s your favorite.”
I make a silent swoon at the same time fingertips feather across my shoulder blade. The feeling of Holden’s touch sends a shiver down my spine and I steal another glance his direction. His eyes are focused on his son while the arm not extended across the couch to stroke me is wrapped warmly around Sage. This picturesque moment ignites two very opposite emotions.
Can all this really last or was our little ‘help’ hiccup just a prelude to a much messier ending that solidifies my worst fear?
What if I’m not meant to have anything permanent?
What if the most I ever get out of life are these temporary moments right here?
What if all of this just ends with another butterfly tattoo and one-way plane ticket somewhere very, very far away?