Bittersweet Catastrophe (Second Chances #2.5) Read online

  “Hmm, yes it did, but I think someone else needs some convincing. Thorough convincing.”

  “And what exactly is it that I need to be convinced of?” Her brow perked up with curiosity.

  “That you, my wife–” I slipped her hand into mine and rained kisses up the length of her arm, “–are the sexiest creature to have ever walked the earth, and no one holds a flame to just how beautiful you truly are. I swear, it’s enough to bring a man to his knees.”

  “Awww, babe.” My gaze flickered over to her, only to find a tear already sparkling in the corner of her eye. Her demeanor quickly changed, though, regaining the playfulness of her previous tone, and her eyes darkened, aflame with desire. “You’re right. I absolutely need convincing. In fact, I might need you to convince me more than once...” Her voice trailed off, and she leaned over the console of the Jeep, pressing her lips to my neck. “In more than one room.” Her velvety tongue dipped out teasingly behind my ear just before she whispered, “On more than one surface.” She drew my earlobe between her teeth, swirling her tongue around the sensitive flesh, and had I not still been driving, my eyes would have fallen closed as I relished in the onslaught of sensations. That was it. I was a goner. She always knew just how to get to me, and that right there got to me in the very best way possible. Every. Damn. Time.

  It took every ounce of self-control not to drag Liberty over the console the second we pulled into the driveway, but all thoughts of having my way with her diminished when I caught sight of Maddie’s car parked in front of our house. “Cock blocked again,” I growled under my breath, and Liberty appeared less than thrilled with my blatant reaction to her best friend showing up unexpectedly…again.

  “Oh, come on, Shayne. She’s lonely. Hunter won’t be back for another week, and she could use a little human interaction.” Her lips quickly brushed over mine before hopping out of the Jeep. Maddie’s husband, Hunter, was enrolled in Savannah State’s ROTC, and he’d been away for the last five weeks, attending a Leadership Development and Assessment Course which determines your future as an officer. We all knew he had no intention of continuing on in the military after graduation, but since he received a stipend allowance for taking part in the training evaluation, he refused to pass on the opportunity. I couldn’t blame him, especially now that they had another mouth to feed.

  I met Liberty on the other side and slipped my arm over her shoulder, pulling her close to my side. “Yeah, but isn’t that what her daughter is there for?”

  “I’m sure she can only take so much baby babbling before she realizes it’s an entirely one-sided conversation.” Liberty laughed, the soft wisps of breath tickling my neck as she looked up at me. Her expression softened before she spoke again, and I noticed a hint of trepidation in her eyes. “Do you mind if we keep the pregnancy to ourselves, just until I get through the first trimester?”

  My steps faltered. Keep it to ourselves? I wanted to shout from the rooftops that my wife was carrying my babies, and here she was, asking me to keep it under wraps. Had I misread the excitement I heard in her voice earlier? “Is there something wrong? Something you’re not telling me?”

  “No, no, I’m fine. Everything’s fine. I just…” She looked down at her feet, burying her toes in the sand. “I want to wait until we’re in the clear. I’m not saying anything is going to happen, but I don’t want to get everyone’s hopes up and then have them come crashing back down.”

  I tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear and smiled down at her as I cupped her cheek. “But you’re sure everything’s okay with you and the babies?”

  “You were there too, Shayne. Dr. Staebler said everything was fine. I’m sure we have nothing to worry about. I’d just rather wait to tell everyone.”

  Leaning down, I pressed my forehead to hers and breathed a sigh of relief. Thank God, because I swore if anything happened to her or the babies… Fuck, I couldn’t stand to think about that right now. “All right, sweetheart, if you think it’s best, we can wait.” I pulled back so that I could look into her beautiful brown eyes and smiled. “But the second you give me the green light, you better believe I’m gonna plaster that shit all over town. Flyers, billboards, you name it.”

  “Baby, you can do whatever you want. You can hire a freakin’ marching band and parade around town, for all I care.” She giggled as I pulled her against my chest and held her tight.

  “Now there’s an idea…” I tapped my chin and she swatted my hand away, crushing any possibility of that happening.

  “I was kidding! Don’t you dare, Shayne Thompson, or so help me–”

  I threw my head back and laughed, because it was just too easy to get a rise out of her. I quickly swept her up and threw her over my shoulder, making a spectacle in front of the neighbors as I spanked her ass and carried her down to the beach. She pounded her fists against my back, spewing out names that only turned me on even more, and I knew she’d make me pay for that later.

  Maddie and her eleven-month old daughter were busy playing in the sand, but it was Iris who noticed us coming up behind them first. I set Liberty down, and Iris reached out her tiny, chubby hands the moment she caught sight of her.

  “There’s my favorite little princess!” Liberty extended her arms, waiting for Iris to crawl over to her, but to my surprise, as well as Liberty and Maddie’s, she bypassed her and came straight me. Well, that’s a first.

  “Up!” She latched onto my leg, unsteadily pulling herself up to a standing position. “Up!”

  I looked over to Liberty and Maddie for help, and they both just sat there, biting back their laughter. I was glad they were finding this so funny. After all of the times Maddie had brought her daughter over to our house, not once did she ever show any inkling of wanting attention from me. Hell, I’d never even held her!

  “Uh, I think she wants you to pick her up, Uncle Shayne,” Maddie smirked, nodding down toward my legs.

  My gaze followed hers, and Iris had one hand in her mouth, covered in a steady stream of drool, the other gripping my pants. I reached down, carefully slipping my hands beneath her little arms as I lifted her up, and seated her on my hip. While she looked up at me, wide-eyed and grinning happily, I couldn’t stop the wave of calmness that washed over me. I smiled down at her, and just as I was picturing my own future children in my arms, Iris reached up and slapped me across the cheek with her drool-coated hand. She let out a tiny laugh and placed her hand back in her mouth as if nothing had happened. “I see where you get your sassy attitude, little lady.”

  Liberty and Maddie laughed as I set Iris back down, and she crawled back into her mother’s lap. “See, Liberty? He’s a natural.”

  I quirked an eyebrow in Maddie’s direction, and Liberty stepped back into my arms. “I have to admit, Shayne. You do look good with a baby in your arms.” Liberty’s cheeks were flushed, and I picked up on the meaning behind her words. I wasn’t the only one imagining our children in my arms. She saw it, too.

  “Now, if you two would just get down to business and start popping out some kidlets, then little Iris here could have some playmates.” Maddie nuzzled her daughter’s cheeks, and Iris giggled playfully.

  I couldn’t help the smile that proudly spread across my face, the good news just begging to pour out of me. “We’re working on it.” I shot Maddie a wink before capturing my wife’s lips in a searing kiss. Pulling back just slightly, I looked down at her glowing smile and slowly traced circles across her stomach. “I’m gonna grab a drink. Can I get you ladies anything?”

  “Just water for me, babe,” Liberty breathed against my mouth, and I dipped down to place one last kiss on her perfect, pouty lips before disentangling her from my hold.

  “Hey, lover boy, can you grab me a beer? I’m finally done breast-feeding this little munchkin, and I’d give my left tit for a nice, cold Corona.”

  I bit back a laugh. I guess motherhood hadn’t cured Maddie of her smart mouth. “Sure thing. I think we still have some juice boxes in the fridge
. You want me to bring one out for the sassy little lady?”

  A knowing grin tugged at the corner of her mouth, and she turned her attention to Liberty. “What did I tell you? He’s got the fatherhood gene down pat.” Her appreciative smile trailed over to me as Iris climbed her like a jungle gym, and she mouthed “thank you”.

  I trudged back up the beach and climbed the deck leading to the house. As soon as I slid the back door open, I was slammed with the delicious aroma of chicken and dumplings simmering in the crockpot. God, it smelled out of this world, and I couldn’t wait to sink my teeth into it later tonight. One thing was for sure; my woman wasn’t lacking in her culinary skills and ability to whip up a mouth-watering meal. I definitely lucked out in that department.

  Reaching into the fridge, I grabbed two bottles of water, a Corona for Maddie, and a juice box for Iris. Setting them on the counter beside the sink, my gaze averted to the window looking out over the beach, and the vision that struck me had me weak in the knees. I had to grab hold of the counter as my breath was stolen from me in one clean sweep.

  Liberty was kneeling down in the sand and holding Iris above her, blowing raspberries against her bare tummy, and the smiles on both of their faces lit up the space around them brighter than a thousand suns. That wasn’t what had my heart thundering in my chest like Mike Tyson wailing on a speed bag, though. I had seen this exact scene before, experienced it firsthand. Flashes of my mother holding me in her arms in that very same spot came flooding back with a tidal wave of emotions. I could still see the wind blowing her hair around my face and feel the silky strands tickle my cheek. Memories like those were few and far between, and a rush of feelings I hadn’t felt in years caused a tightness to bear down on my chest.

  Liberty’s big brown eyes flickered up toward the house, and that’s when recognition finally set in. On the windowsill above the sink sat a small, framed photo that my father had taken of my mother and I when I was only three-years old, just two years before my mother was diagnosed with breast cancer. I glanced back and forth between the yellowing photo and my beautiful wife, and the booming heart palpitations began to settle to a steady-paced beat.

  I ran my fingers through my hair several times, tugging vigorously at the ends, and dragged my hands down my face in an effort to shake off those feelings and bring myself back to the present. Fuck, had it really been twenty-one years since that photo was taken? I was lucky enough to have shared six years with my mother, and even now, closing my eyes, I could still see her warm smile and smell her fragrant, honeysuckle perfume. Those memories that I would forever cherish had never left me, but I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t worried one day they would fade into nothingness. I prayed that seeing Liberty with our own children would keep those memories alive as we created new ones of our own.

  Cautiously, I peeled my eyelids open, only to find Liberty’s expression had morphed, her brows drawn together with concern. I eased up on my white-knuckled grip of the counter, letting the tension flow free from my body, and returned her questioning stare with a playful grin that was for her eyes only. She knew exactly what that grin meant, and from the blush that stained her cheeks, she was in complete agreement on the matter. That ’practice’ I had mentioned earlier was still fresh on our minds, and pretty soon, I was going to have to send Maddie on her way so that we could… How did she so eloquently put it? Ah yes…get down to business.

  With my eyes still locked on Liberty’s breathtaking smile, I hadn’t heard Maddie enter the kitchen. A light tap on my shoulder snapped my attention to the tiny blonde standing behind me, and I rubbed the back of my neck, feeling like I’d been caught stealing a cookie out of the cookie jar.

  “Forget something, Thompson?” She smirked, nodding toward the bottles now beaded with condensation.

  “Guess I got a little side-tracked. Sorry about that.” I passed her the bottle of beer and juice box and watched her eyes travel the window I had just been looking out. Her teasing smirk softened before turning back to me.

  “I can see that.” She bumped her hip into my side, and I let out a full-bodied laugh. “I was serious about what I said out there. Despite what I might’ve thought years ago, when…” She paused and shook away the thought. “Anyways…I really do think you’d make a great dad.”

  “Thanks, Maddie. That means a lot. I know it’ll happen when the time is right.” I shot her a wink, and she smiled. After everything she’d been through, it was nice to see her with a family of her own, and I couldn’t have been happier for her. “Have you and Hunter talked about having more kids?” I uncapped the water, taking a long sip from the bottle.

  “Not yet. We might wait until Iris is a little bit older and potty trained, so we aren’t changing twice the number of diapers,” she laughed, and I sputtered water as I pulled the bottle away from my lips, realizing in a few months that I’d be changing twice the number of diapers. Fuck me. I was not looking forward to that. “But I can’t say we haven’t enjoyed trying! Like you said, if the timing is right, it’ll happen.” She shrugged, heading back outside with a little extra bounce in her step.

  I watched her approach Liberty, and Iris crawled back into her lap, wrapping her arms around her mother’s neck and hugging her tight. Warmth spread throughout my entire being watching their embrace, and for a moment, I wondered what it would have been like had Maddie not gone through with the abortion six years ago. That could have been us. That could have been our child. But I knew in my heart that it wasn’t meant to be. We were young and naïve, and even if I had known she was pregnant at the time, I still would have turned my own child away. It hurt to think that I would do that to a life I’d helped create, but back then, I was a cocky, arrogant asshole. Plain and simple. Having a child at eighteen wasn’t in the stars for me, but Liberty…she was the whole damn night sky all wrapped up in one, and seeing a future with her, even after one chance encounter, was as easy as breathing. There was no questioning it, and who was I to fight what fate had brought together?

  Maddie left with Iris a few hours later, and after we had finished devouring another mouth-watering dinner – I wasn’t lying when I said my woman could cook! – we decided to take it easy and watch a movie before bed. Liberty began to clear the dishes off the table, but I took her hand in mine and pulled her between my legs. “Why don’t you let me finish up in here while you pick out a movie?” My hands slipped around her waist, drawing her closer and allowing me to kiss her stomach.

  “All right, baby.” She threaded her fingers through my hair and tipped my head back as she pressed her lips against my forehead and smiled. “I’m just gonna go change out of these clothes first.”

  “You know you don’t have to leave the kitchen to do that.”

  She slowly spun around and shot me a sultry look. “Don’t tempt me.”

  Oh, but I love tempting her.

  Once she’d left the kitchen, I heard the movie start up and knew right away that she’d chosen Tommy Boy. It was one of my all-time favorites, so I hurried and finished clearing off the table, rinsing the dishes and setting them in the dishwasher. Grabbing a throw blanket off of the back of the couch, I settled in and started watching the movie, while Liberty took her sweet old time probably trying to decide which pajamas to wear. Didn’t matter to me because they’d end up on the floor before the night was over anyway.

  It wasn’t until thirty minutes later that I realized I was laughing at all of Chris Farley’s jokes by myself, while the other half of the couch still remained empty. I paused the movie and walked down the hall to our bedroom. When I knocked on the door and was greeted with silence, I nudged the door open a crack to see what was taking her so long. Biting back a laugh, I couldn’t help but smile at my beautiful wife’s form spread out across the bed. She’d barely managed to pull her sweatpants all of the way up, and her legs hung off the side of the bed in an awkward position that I knew would be painful for her by morning. Honestly, I was surprised she made it that far before crashing. Naps had beco
me a part of her daily regiment, and considering we hadn’t had a moment to relax since before our visit to Dr. Dumbledick, it was a miracle she even made it to the bed.

  I carefully repositioned her legs across the bed and pulled the blankets up over her before heading back to the living room to turn the movie off. When I returned, she was snuggled against her pillow and snoring softly. I’d never willingly admit to her that she snores without risking harm to the boys down below, and it wasn’t very often that I caught her doing it, but secretly, I loved the sound.

  Climbing in bed beside her, I swept the tangles of hair out of her face and brushed my lips against her neck. “I love you so much, sweetheart. Always will.” My hand ghosted across her ribs, landing over the center of her stomach. I drew gentle circles around her bellybutton, hoping that there was some way they could sense that I was there.

  It was too early to determine the sexes of the babies, and it didn’t feel right referring to them as if they were a single entity. I remembered as a kid, my mother would read a different Dr. Seuss book to me every night, and one of my favorites was The Cat in the Hat, so coming up with a way to distinguish the two was a no brainer. “Love you too, Thing One and Thing Two.” Now if only I could get Liberty to go along with calling them that…

  I snaked my arm around her waist a little tighter and pulled her into my chest. I had my whole world wrapped up here in my arms, all three of them, and never in my life had I felt more at home.

  You know that moment when dawn first breaks through your sleep and you’re unaware if you’re actually awake or still pleasantly dreaming? Well, in this case, I had to have been dreaming because there was no way I’d woken up to a pair of the softest, plumpest lips sliding down over my cock. It was too good to be true. Too. Fucking. Good. I’d done everything in my power not to lose my grip on one the best blowjobs to ever grace my dreams, but the second I heard her moan, I knew I couldn’t be dreaming. It was the real deal.