CHAPTER NINETEEN
A Month Later
Stephen
I slapped Mandy’s ass with the towel as she turned the chicken in the pan, making her jump and laugh.
“Do you want to eat?” She threatened as I laughed and dropped the towel on the counter.
“You’re making Brandon’s favorite dinner, not mine.” I didn’t mind at all. It had been a month since we reconciled in that office and life had been great. Mandy didn’t officially live here but spent all her time away from work here with us. It was an easy process since Brandon already liked her. He grew to love her and her food over the weeks and fried chicken was on the menu tonight.
It was fucking good, and I knew that I’d been in love with her since day one.
Brandon was standing on a step stool and mixing a salad for dinner as I marinated some vegetables. There were some mashed potatoes ready to warm up in the microwave.
I looked over the scene, feeling the love in the room. We’d already helped Brandon with his homework for the night, since Lacy was picking him up for a long weekend after dinner. They were doing great. We’d spent a lot of time together until I felt confident that she was ready to be a mom again, and Brandon was comfortable as well. Now she had an apartment close to the house and a great job that allowed her weekends twice a month with Brandon.
I walked over to get a tray for the oven so I could roast the vegetables, sneaking a kiss as she giggled. I dumped the zucchini onto the big sheet and shook it to spread them evenly before I slipped it into the oven. This time, I cupped her head for a deeper kiss and Mandy pressed against me.
“Are you going to be my other mommy someday, Mommy?” Brandon asked adorably from his place at the counter as she and I smiled at each other. That wasn’t the first time he’d asked me now that he was in a routine with Lacy and aware that he could love a lot of people as his family. It was a surprisingly smooth transition once everything had been discussed between all of us in different settings. I’d say that we were professionals at communication at this point, but I wouldn’t have it any other way.
“I sure hope so,” I said as she blushed a little bit and returned to turning the crisp chicken in the pan.
“Me too,” Brandon agreed as she smiled sweetly. “I like having Mommy Lacy, and I want Mommy Mandy too.” He finished with the salad and jumped down to take it to the table before he set the table for us. We had a great little routine here, and I noticed that Brandon was thriving from that. We still had Danielle to watch him when we were at work, but with the three of us working as a team, she had a lot more time off.
She set the chicken on a plate covered with paper towels, setting it aside as she heated up the potatoes. I finished with the vegetables as she was taking the potatoes to the table and got them on a plate to take over. I stole another kiss before Mandy poured herself a glass of wine and got a beer for me as I transferred the chicken to a plate for dinner. Brandon already had a glass of milk at the table, and we sat down together as I looked from Mandy to Brandon. “I love you two so much.”
“I love you!” Brandon called back as Mandy chose to mouth the words to me before she helped him fix his plate. I got mine and handed Mandy her plate piled with her favorites as she groaned.
“I need to get to the gym.” We both went to the same one at the company. It was awkward for Mandy for a time, but Paul had taken things too far and ended up losing his job. All the staff realized that he was the cause of a lot of tension after he was gone and the general atmosphere of the office increased, and people got to know each other all over again.
I missed him as a friend but resented the fact that Paul tried to sabotage what I was building with Mandy. He wanted her for himself, and given that she didn’t fall for his flirtations, Paul took it to another level and got between the two of us. He knew me since I worked here when Brandon was just a baby and all that I’d been through with that. He knew that I didn’t react to women at all before Mandy and had to know that she was special to me.
We were a team at work, paired for many new accounts while Mandy also taught tennis at the camp. Brandon still wanted to go, and he was advancing in the sport as time went on. It made me proud. It was pretty cool to see my mother hug Mandy every time that she saw her for that as well.
We all discussed the upcoming camp next weekend, and Brandon expressed excitement over it. Mandy grinned as he spoke and I saw the surge of pride in her eyes as she watched him. We had him packed and ready for a trip that Lacy was taking him to the aquarium and lunch. He was also excited about that, and I took a bite of mashed potatoes as he went on and on about their plans.
We cleaned up the table once we finished dinner and Mandy packed a little container of leftovers for both Brandon and Lacy. She always made a lot of food given the appetites that my son and I both had, and we even had some for later tonight after I worked my appetite up all over again.
There was something to be said for weekends alone with my girlfriend. We didn’t have to be quiet. I made sure that I took her all over the house on those days.
The dishes were loaded into the dishwasher when the doorbell rang, and Brandon jumped up from his movie to go and open it. I stepped forward and greeted Lacy with a smile as she walked inside. Her hair was blonde. I thought she looked good and healthy, and more than that; happy. I never saw her this happy before. “Hi. It smells great in here,” Lacy said as she inhaled deeply and wrapped a hand around Brandon as he tackled her leg.
“I am sending you home with some. Any chance to have a break in feeding this guy is precious.” Mandy walked out from the kitchen with a bag for Lacy. I wouldn’t say that they adored each other, but they got along for the sake of Brandon. I think that Mandy had been a little unsure of the situation with Lacy at first, but it was obvious that there was nothing between us. She was a good mom to Brandon, and they were forming a special bond.
Lacy told us that she’d have him home on Sunday evening and they walked out to her car, talking about everything that they were going to see the following day. I closed the door and pressed Mandy against it to kiss her the way I’d been thinking about all day. “I am going to ravage you now, woman.”
I spent a lot of time worrying about a family for Brandon. It was natural to think that Lacy and I could provide that when he was born and even briefly when she showed back up in our lives. It took a few days for me to understand that I could have Mandy and that we could be a family for Brandon while he had a life with Lacy as well.
“Mmmm, I can’t wait,” she said, her shyness fading as she wrapped her arms around my neck to kiss me deeply. She was a little hesitant about too much affection in front of Brandon, wanting to keep it tasteful for his young eyes. When he wasn’t around though, she was all over me.
We stumbled to the couch, and I pulled her on top of me, pushing up the pink dress that she’d worn to work that day so I could cup her ass. “I love you, Mandy.”
She stared down into my eyes and smiled as emotions passed through her eyes. Mandy looked so beautiful as she pressed her lips to mine, whispering that she loved me back. I kissed her lips, her jaw, and down her neck as Mandy leaned back to offer me more of her delicious skin. I could not get enough of her sweet body. I pushed her down against the cushions to unbutton her dress so I could taste her addicting nipples.
We made love right there after we were naked and unable to get to the bedroom. I held her close as I plunged inside of her, feeling Mandy so tight around me. She arched her back to take me deeper and moaned my name sensually.
I rolled beside her after we were both sated, holding Mandy close.
“God, I love making love to you.” Her voice was a whisper as she looked at me, her eyes shimmering in the light from the kitchen.
I had never loved a woman like I did her and deep down, I knew that I never would. I vowed to always let her know as I leaned forward to press a kiss to her lips. “I love it too, baby. You’re mine. Forever.”
“That a threat or a promise?” She gave me a cheeky grin.
“Both?” We laughed and snuggled up together. I wasn’t ever letting her go. She completed me.