12. Rosie
12
ROSIE
G lancing over my book, I’m slightly concerned the dog is possessed. He has been sitting in front of me with his tongue hanging out for a solid twenty minutes while I sat outside on the porch reading a pregnancy book.
“Don’t you have somewhere to be, Jet?” I ask as if he will respond. Shaking my head, I’m aware he’s here because he wanders and comes direct to the source of treats. Returning to my book, I continue to read about using a rebozo blanket for labor. “Apparently, it helps with gravity and pressure,” I say aloud, as though he is a human companion.
The last few days have been nothing unusual except for a flood of emotions and constant thoughts about my ex-husband. Truthfully, I never want to use that title again, but I should be responsible for once and take things slow.
My phone vibrates on the table, and I grab it to see that it’s my mom. Swiping the screen, I answer. “Hi.”
“Hey, I just wanted to check in since it’s been a few days since we last talked. Everything good with the baby?”
I snicker humorously. “Forever forward, the state of your grandchild will be priority, huh? In my stomach, and later, out of my stomach. If this kid so much as spits up on my shirt, you’ll want to know and will smile like it’s the best thing ever.”
“No…” I can hear her smile.
“Yeah, yeah, yeah. How is everyone?”
“Good. You know, the Blisswoods are getting ready for pumpkin season then tree season. One of your cousins started dating one of the new guys working at Olive Owl, and your uncle Knox is going to need a while to calm down.”
I wince. “Eek. I’m relieved Carter was never submitted to the Blisswood interrogation tactics.”
She chuckles. “It’s entertaining. Also, there is a farm in the county over who had a new colt born and asked if Olive Owl has interest. I know you won’t be riding a horse anytime soon, but since Astro passed, I thought I would ask.”
Having a horse growing up was something that my aunt Lucy taught me to enjoy, and when my childhood horse passed not too long ago, I was sad. Astro lived on Olive Owl, but I would see him as much as I could.
“What would I do with a horse right now?”
“Maybe your child will want a horse?”
I sputter a laugh. “Uh, I think my child is first a baby and then a toddler and then maybe the age for a horse. So the answer is no.”
“I thought so but wanted to check. Also…”
The line goes quiet.
“Yes?” I encourage.
“Wanted to check you are okay today, considering… the date.”
I think for a second, but then it doesn’t take me long, and my entire body goes rigid, causing Jet’s ears to perk. I’ve been burying it down all day. “Ah, you mean the date I got married, so technically my anniversary if I didn’t implode my life and get a divorce?”
“That.” I can hear in her voice a tad of concern.
I’m not sure why it hasn’t taken over my thoughts today. Did I subconsciously try to save myself from a day of misery? But now it will be all I can think of.
“I’ll be fine,” I answer sharply to move us along.
“Okay, if you say so. Just wanted… I’m your mom, I’ll always be concerned.”
Inhaling a long breath, I’m aware of her heart’s intentions. “How about I come over for lunch later in the week?”
“Sure. Bear Brew like old times?” That coffeehouse is the best in Bluetop.
“They do have a good hummus wrap.”
We round off our call, and I decide to return inside. Jet attempts to follow me, but I turn to him and point my finger. “You can go back to your mom and dad. You already got your milk bone from me earlier, and I know you’ve conned about three other neighbors on this street for more treats.”
He whines but then happily runs away, which reminds me that I should point out to Carter that he purposely has never closed the hole under the fence because I know he loves the dog.
For the next few hours, I’m not able to calm down, and my walk on Everhope Road made it worse because I saw the newlyweds who bought the house up the street moving in as they unloaded their boxes from the car. They seem to be in complete bliss, and that’s just a reminder of better times in my life. It also made me far too envious.
In the kitchen, I search for something to nibble on to calm my nerves, and when I spot some pretzels, I open the bag and take a bite.
“Rosie.”
I’m startled and almost hit my head on the pantry door when I hear Carter. “Oh, hey, I didn’t know you were home.”
He strides my way with a swagger that I remember. “Just got here.”
Wiping a pretzel crumb from my mouth with the back of my hand, I feel my heart quicken because I’m wondering if he realizes the date, but I’ll just jump right in. “I know. Today would have been our wedding anniversary and here we are not actually married but having a baby, and I’m here and you’re standing there, and you shouldn’t celebrate an anniversary that doesn’t technically exist anymore, but I can’t erase the date.” I talk at the speed of light.
Carter bites his bottom lip while he attempts to unravel my words. “Ah, so you’ve been occupied with the thought, too.”
Sighing, I relax a tad and walk a few steps to the island to rest my forearms on. “Yeah.”
The air warms when I feel him stand behind me and place his palm on my lower back. “I have no fucking clue either. We either ignore it or… it was the celebration of when we were married, that chapter, you know, but now… maybe I’m still feeling something, that I got to call you my wife and we were married on this date.”
Swirling around, I didn’t realize just how close our bodies are, and it’s intoxicating. “It was a quickie spur-of-the-moment kind of wedding, but it was a day I’ll always remember and will be a story for our child one day, right?”
“Agreed.”
“We can… have a nice dinner? Maybe make that rice dish that you are talented at?”
His fingertips drop to my waist. “Sure. Whatever you want.”
“Yep, a nice dinner because today isn’t a normal day in a way,” I repeat.
“Well, if you insist that we have an intimate not exactly celebrating our wedding dinner, then I should probably tell you that I have your favorite cherry pie in my car because I thought what the hell, today deserves dessert.”
Our eyes lock for a second before we both burst out laughing, and I only calm when he swoops his mouth down to brush my forehead before dropping to catch tip of my nose, and my mouth scoops up to meet his lips for a kiss.
“Looks like we will navigate this bizarre day together then,” I whisper.
His suave half-smirk informs me that I’m already in trouble. I’m trying not to remember my wedding night or how I’m sharing a bed with him again. When Carter leaves to grab the pie from his car, I stretch my arms over my head and feel weakness take over me.
Not physically but pure resolve.
* * *
“It’s nice to see you eating okay.” I realize that Carter has been watching me for a long time as I scarf down his cardamom rice as we sit at the island. It’s a fantastic Middle Eastern dish that he’s always made from a recipe book.
Setting my fork down, I decide that I’m finished. “Well, my energy is back, and I’m eating for two. Now tell me where the pie is,” I joke.
He rubs my back as we are sitting next to each other. “When do you think we will start feeling him or her kick?”
“Sooner than later, I guess.” I smile warmly.
He slides off the chair and gathers the plates. I would offer to help, but he will never hear of it. “Go relax on the couch, maybe pick a movie, or is it gratitude card reading time?” he teases. I always used to read one with my morning tea. Lately, I’ve forgotten, to be honest.
Shaking my head with a smile, I head to the couch, and a few minutes later, he joins me and I’m holding my deck of gratitude cards in hand, purely to mess with him.
Carter rests his feet on the coffee table and leans back on the couch. Him in jeans and a white tee does things to me, probably because it’s criminal the way he looks and the things I want to do to him in my head.
“Surprise me.”
I narrow my gaze at him while I feel my lips thin into a smile, and I shuffle the cards, before ceremonially pulling a card out. Flipping the card, my breath gets caught after I read the words.
“And?”
I hand him the card. “Be thankful now and you’ll end up having more.”
He drops the card, and his jaw flexes side to side. “That’s telling,” he comments mundanely. “Shall we discuss how the universe is conspiring?” I do see a smile he is struggling to contain.
I toss the deck of cards onto the coffee table. “It is… uh… fitting.” My long finger darts out, and I feather his hand that is resting on the couch cushion between us. “I’m thankful for the baby, which I’m sure will amaze us with how much love we can have.”
His face hardens, and his eyes are no longer light. “Just the baby.” It’s more of a question.
“Carter…”
“I agree about our child, but say what you think that has no connection to the baby,” he challenges.
My eyes drop to his hand. “You mean us?” He doesn’t respond, but that’s answer enough. “I don’t know why but it’s difficult to say aloud. Inside, I see it, but to share the words is scary.”
His other hand hooks gently under my jaw to draw my attention back to his eyes. “Rosie, I think we’re both on the same wavelength, so you might as well say it.”
“Fine. The ba— whatever circumstances that have brought us together, I am thankful for, because you and I…” My heart is racing, and I’m about to jump off a cliff. “Maybe we will be more again.”
His mouth dips down to kiss me. “We are aligned then.” He speaks against my lips before kissing the corner of my mouth. “And it’s not even a full moon,” he rasps before kissing me.
I smile as my body sinks into a mood that only he can take me into. Slowly, I move, and my fingers push against his chest to make room so I can swing my leg over until I’m straddling his hips. Sitting on top of him, I feel the thickness under his jeans that presses against my middle. I loop my arms around his neck, and his hands frame my waist.
His eyes chase mine, and he is letting me lead, but our destination is straight back into our mouths melding together for a kiss.
Now it’s unbearable. My body is on fire, and all the ideas I’ve had the last few days of taking steps no longer feel logical. I’m in this with him. It’s a special day, but only because it reminds us that there is good still left in us, possibly better.
And I’m desperate for him right now.
“We shouldn’t have these conversations when you are wearing your tight white shirt that shows your muscles,” I coo as my mouth trails along his jawline. “It does things to me.”
“I want to do things to you,” he whispers.
The heat building in my body is overwhelming. Screw kissing, I need him to screw me.
But I already know that it will be more than a quick fuck. This isn’t that at all. Too many emotions are involved, and we will go slow.
And I’m okay with that.
“I think we should go upstairs,” I suggest in a sweltering husk.
I’m not even sure how he does it, but he manages to stand, taking me with him as my legs remain wrapped around him. I giggle, but he is now on a mission and won’t get distracted.
As soon as we are upstairs and on his bed, he gently guides me to get comfortable. I didn’t even realize we’ve already ended up here because I’m too lost.
I watch as he peels his shirt up his body, revealing his toned abs. Gosh, I’m enjoying that he stays in shape. It’s an extra perk.
He’s on a mission as he pulls my legs up to drag my leggings off and my panties too. It’s happening so fast, and it’s driving me crazy, but I need him right now, just as he wants me. The air against my pussy only increases the sensitivity around my clit. When he reaches down to work my shirt off, his warm skin grazes my middle, and my body seems to accept the scent of his aftershave.
Completely naked on the bed, with my nipples now little pebbles from the coolness in the room, I can’t help but let my thighs part a little wider. Carter’s gaze drops down to take in the vision of my naked body on top of his bed.
“I’m going to take in the view every single night.” He lowers himself between my legs, but his gruff chin prickles my skin as he nips up my thighs and then above my pussy, stopping right below my bellybutton.
The feeling of his lips feathering my belly causes my body to arch up slightly. Right now isn’t sexual, it’s something else.
He places a soft kiss on my stomach. “You are so unbelievably beautiful.”
“Carter,” I plead, already breathless.
His tongue circles around my bellybutton before his lips travel barely above the little slope of my belly. “Even more beautiful because our baby is in here. I did this to you,” he murmurs against my skin.
I peer down to see him worshipping my body, and it’s poetic as much as it’s passionate.
My entire body is on fire, and I’m aching in agony. Lowering my hands, I claw his soft hair that is just the right length for me to hold on to. I encourage him to move lower. Instead, he moves back up, bypassing my stomach, and his tsk vibrates against my skin, making my nipples harder.
“Rosie, we don't regret making a baby, but I regret that I didn't take my time to worship you the night we did it,” he rasps.
A string that connects my heart and pussy tugs.
He latches onto one nipple, and I moan. Still his hair is between my fingers as he begins to play with the other nipple, twisting and plucking while he sucks on the other, even pulls a little with his teeth.
I whimper from how it sends a signal straight to my pussy.
“These tits. Already growing,” he says against my skin.
I’m about to lose it. My knees part further, and I tilt my hips up to find friction from his jeans against my bundle of nerves. He has a devilish laugh because he notices. I attempt to push him lower by encouraging him with his head, but he won’t have it.
He stops and rises to kneel. “You seem not to remember that you only listen when we’re in bed. Put those arms above your head.”
My breath is softly heaving from every little touch and word that he says. I obey and stretch my arms above my head, causing my body to splay in full view for him.
“Good girl.” His eyes are predatory in the best possible way.
He returns to me by moving himself to the floor and between my legs that are hanging off the mattress. I can feel I’m completely soaked, and when Carter lashes his tongue against my pussy, it causes me to whimper and my hips to buck.
His tongue laps up and down a few times before finding home on my clit where he swirls and nips. I’m cursing a slew of words I don’t even understand, and he moans as he licks me, with no sign of abandoning me, and plunges a finger inside me as I wail his name.
Carter’s eyes flick up with a satisfied grin against my pussy. My fingers clench the duvet above my head, and I can’t tear my eyes away from him between my legs.
“You’re always wet for me. Always ready for my cock. A good little girl ready to be taken.”
“If you don’t get inside of me right now, then I’m going to…” I grit out.
That wicked chuckle returns, but it only causes me to lift my pelvis a little because I’m serving my body to this man.
But he deserts my drenched pussy and stands. The sound of the buckle clinking open is always the part that heightens the tension because I know that any second, he will be inside of me where I desperately need him.
I get my wish because his knee parts my legs, and he uses his tip against my slickness to coats his cock. Our eyes tether together as he enters me, causing us to moan in sync with one another.
“This is mine again. Do you understand?”
“Yes,” I moan out.
He plunges deep into me and hard, and I wail from the sensation. I’m not in pain, but he is touching me in parts that only he can. With a grunt, he does it again.
“Tell me if it’s too much. It’s a little different this time…” The way he says that in a funny tone, I know he means because I’m pregnant.
“Don’t stop. I’m fine.”
We roll our hips together, and it’s taking everything in my power not to come yet. Being sandwiched between his body and the bed is where I’m supposed to be. A prisoner of my free will.
He interlaces our fingers but doesn’t let my arms fall. “Fuck, you feel good.” His hot breath tickles my ear.
We slow down, and with this thrust, the magnetism of what we’re doing floods our eyes. We meet halfway for a kiss. A crushing kiss of two people not just in bed for the fun of it.
“Rosie,” he mutters in the tone that I remember as the side of him that is his opposite.
He’s always demanding in bed, but I treat it more as a spiritual wave.
When we come together, it’s a perfect fit.
“I know,” I whisper. “I know.” I’m completely breathless.
Another pump and then another, our rhythm picking up.
It feels so damn good to feel dizzy, and it isn’t because of our baby inside of me.
It’s because of the man who was once my husband.