16. Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Sixteen
Brody
I wander through my job sites, trying to focus on the conversations swirling around me, but everything feels hazy. I’m here, but it’s like I’m not.
My mind is stuck on her and the million questions that keep spinning through my head.
Tasha is avoiding me, dodging glances, staying out of my path, and it gnaws at me like nothing else.
Today’s one of our busiest days of the quarter. There are projects in every direction: site supervisors rushing by with updates, architects calling to verify last-minute changes, and a half-dozen contracts on my desk waiting for review.
I’m supposed to be making decisions about material orders, reviewing bids for upcoming projects, and checking in with Josh on the new high-rise in the Loop.
None of it’s sticking, though.
An email from a contractor detailing supply delays sits open on my computer screen, and I read the same paragraph three times without actually processing a word.
I stare blankly at a blueprint for the new office complex, and the lines of text swim in front of me. I manage a few perfunctory nods and grunts as my project manager updates me on safety regulations and some zoning changes, but all I can think about is how I need to find Tasha, how I need to talk to her and make this right.
I glance down at my watch, a sense of dread building within me.
I can’t go on like this, half here and half somewhere else. I need to see her. Now.
It’s later in the day when I finally spot her at one of our newer, empty job sites.
She’s finishing up some measurements, her hands steady, her focus intense, but when she sees me approach, there’s a flicker of apprehension in her eyes. I step forward, careful not to crowd her, not to spook her into walking away.
“Don’t run off, Tasha,” I say softly, holding her gaze. “Please, just…just talk to me.”
Her expression shifts suddenly, she’s trying to be brave, but I can see the fear lingering there. It tears at me.
“Whatever happens,” I tell her, my voice steady but laced with a nervous edge, “I’m here. I’ll help with the baby. You’re not alone in this.”
Saying the words aloud makes it all feel more real, more terrifying, but also more right. This is my child, too.
“I’ll be there for you. For both of you,” I continue, my chest tightening as I realize just how monumental this promise really is.
My hands clench slightly as I let out a shaky breath.
I’m scared. Hell, I’m terrified!
Becoming a father again at this point in my life is something I never saw coming.
But I know, without a shadow of a doubt, that I want to do the right thing.
I won’t leave her to face this alone. “I don’t know what this looks like for us,” I add, my voice faltering, “but I want you to know you’ll have my support, no matter what.
Tasha’s eyes fill with tears, and she nibbles her lip, struggling to keep them at bay. “Brody, I was just…I was just getting my life together,” she chokes out, her voice breaking. “And now…now this.”
She lets the words fall, and each one feels like a punch to my chest. Hearing her refer to our child as “this” stings in a way I hadn’t expected.
It’s a cold realization, slicing through my resolve and making my heart ache.
I try to keep my face neutral, but the memories rush in, unbidden and raw.
I remember the way things with my ex had slowly unraveled, the distance growing over time until there was nothing left between us but formality and obligations.
And as I stand here, I can’t ignore the gnawing doubt, that maybe trying to make this work with Tasha is a mistake, that maybe it isn’t reasonable. She’s a young woman, close to Josh’s age, with her whole life ahead of her.
She should be out there enjoying herself, not bound to a life she never planned. Guilt tightens in my chest as I look at her, feeling a profound sadness for both of us.
She deserves a fresh start, a future free from the complications I’ve unknowingly added to her life.
My heart sinks as I realize how much of this weight she’s been carrying alone, and I can’t help but wonder if I’m the reason she feels trapped, like her life’s spiraling out of her control.
I reach out and pull her into a hug, wrapping her tightly in my arms. “Everything’s going to be okay, Tasha,” I murmur against her hair, trying to keep my voice steady, trying to believe the words myself.
Tasha feels so small, so vulnerable, and I tighten my grip, wishing I could take away every ounce of her fear and uncertainty. She pulls back slightly, looking around at the job site… looking at the building plans for the house that will go here, her eyes misty.
“I always imagined one day being able to afford a house like this,” she whispers, her voice wavering. “All on my own, because I was a success. I wanted to make something of myself, Brody. I wanted to prove I was more than where I came from.”
I feel a sudden pang of sadness hearing her say this, knowing just how much of herself she’s poured into her dreams, how far she’s come despite the odds.
“Tasha,” I say, cupping her cheek, my voice soft but firm, “you already are a success. Look at you, you’re working, going to college, handling more responsibility than most people twice your age. Everyone around you sees it. Hell, I see it every day.”
Her bright eyes search mine, and I can see the hint of doubt, the flicker of hope, and it kills me that she can’t see herself the way I do.
“You’re an amazing woman, Tasha. And whatever you choose, whether it’s this life, or another, you’ve got people who believe in you. And you’ve got me.”
“I’m scared,” she whispers to me.
“I know,” I tell her, rocking her back and forth.
“I don’t feel good,” she says to me. “The morning sickness…” Her voice trails off and I lean back to look down at her.
“Come on,” I say. “Let’s call it a day and head back home. I'll drive. We can get your car tomorrow.”
She nods and lets me take her by the hand and lead her to my truck. I help her get into the passenger seat, and then I climb in myself and start driving.
We aren’t that far from the exit to head out of the city, but she falls asleep almost right away, frowning in her sleep.
I want to wipe the frown off her face when I glance over at her as I drive. The thing is, I have no idea what comes next. Do we get married? Does she even want to have me involved with the baby? Is she going to even keep it?
That last thought turns my stomach and I close my eyes briefly before turning down the lane toward my driveway. I won’t think about that now.
When we stop in front of the house, she stirs a little, blinking at me sleepily. “We’re here?”
“Yes,” I tell her, coming around to her side and lifting her out of the truck. I carry her in my arms to my bedroom and help her slip out of her work clothing.
“Do you want a bath?” I ask her, and she nods silently.
I get the bath filled up and help her to climb in, then go to the kitchen to get her some food and a bottle of water.
When I come back, she’s washed her hair, but it seems that she’s fallen asleep again, her head leaning against the soft padded headrest in my fancy tub.
“All done?” I ask her. “I brought you some food.”
“Okay,” she says dreamily. “Thank you.”
I wrap her up in my bathrobe, which is huge on her, and then bring her into my bedroom. I turn on the fireplace and sit her down in front of it, putting the tray of food on the end table next to her.
I watch her pick at her food like a sleepwalker for a while. Finally, she turns to look at me.
“I don’t think I can eat any more,” she says to me.
“Let’s get you in bed,” I agree, pulling her to her feet and slipping her out of the bathrobe. “Do you want pajamas?”
She shakes her head, curling up in a ball. “I just want you,” she says to me, looking over her shoulder invitingly.
I sigh. I should let her rest, but I give in to temptation and slide under the covers with her. Her body is so warm that I feel a prickle of sweat tingle over my skin.
“I want you,” she breathes to me, flipping around and slipping under the covers.
Soon I feel her lips wrapping around my cock, stroking back and forth, bringing me out of my sleepy state and into full arousal. Her hands wrap around my hips, one cupping my ass cheek as she bobs back and forth, back and forth, making my toes curl and sending my eyes rolling in the back of my head.
I tangle my hand gently in her hair, tugging lightly. She sighs, which makes my cock lift with pleasure, and I feel my hips gently rock toward her, mimicking her motions, and she moans again.
Her hand is between her legs, whipping back and forth, a small, wet, sloshing sound coming from her busy hand.
“Here, let me,” I say, placing my finger beneath her tiny chin and lifting her face up toward me. I crawl on top of her, kissing up her perfect feet, across her angular ankles, which are trim and beautiful.
I lift her left leg in the air, my lips trailing along the inside, past her knee, past her mid-thigh. I watch her head tilt back, an impatient huff in her sighs.
My lips stop at the apex of her thigh, millimeters away from her luscious, dripping pussy. My tongue drags along the crease, back and forth, setting her body on edge as her back arches, a perfect bow over the horizon of the bed.
“Please, keep going,” she sighs.
“Who said I was going to stop?” I ask, my hand falling between her legs, gently peeling between her lower lips and landing on her small clit. I rub against it, slowly at first, and then faster, watching as her chest rises and falls with each swift movement.
Tasha rises up, taking me into a passionate kiss before she falls back to my waist and takes my dick into her mouth. I feel myself bump the back of her throat, my hands fall to the back of her head in a swift, smooth motion.
I flip her on her back, laying on top of her, pushing myself between her legs. Tasha sighs, our lips meeting again in a languorous kiss, our tongues caressing over one another.
Her soft hands run over my chest before she runs them through my hair. I shift her hips forward as I press into her, a deep groan leaving my lips as her pussy invites me in.
She feels so good inside, juicy and tight, throbbing with each stroke I deliver. I pound myself against her, and I feel her nails digging into my back as she comes on me again and again, soaking the both of us and the bed.
We don’t stop, though, and we continue, over and over, not a care for anyone hearing or coming across us.
In this moment, there is only us.
Tasha climbs on top of me, her soft tits bouncing in my face while she leans down and starts kissing me, her lips smothering me with an intoxicating presence that I crave.
I kiss her back, allowing my lips to say what my words can’t, and I feel as if I’m the luckiest man alive at this moment. Tasha sighs, her body shivering down upon me, her shaking hands wrapped around my shoulder caps as I pump my cock faster inside of her.
Just let me make you feel better.
Her hands grip me as I give her everything I have.