Chapter 39 Daisy - The Merrymountain Man
Five months later
Ihear the ripping of fabric before I look down. Struggling to see over my growing bump, I find Gus shredding my panties to get them out of his way.
“Those were my favorite,” I huff, rubbing the sleepiness out of my eyes.
“I’ll buy you another pair. I need you. Please. Say yes and then shut up.”
I look at August’s messy bedhead and that perfectly rideable mustache, taunting me, begging me, and I forget what I wanted to argue about in the first place.
“Yes,” I breathe, throwing my head back into the pillow.
August devours me, just like he starts most mornings. I have not one single complaint.
“Oh, baby, yesss,” I hiss as his tongue flicks my clit in a pattern he knows works me right the fuck up.
I try not to wriggle in his grasp, but it doesn’t matter when I fail because his grip on my hips holds me in place. I’m at his mercy and honestly, it’s one of my favorite places in the world to be.
“God, Daze, I could do this every day,” he murmurs into my core.
“You do. You do it so well too, August. So fucking good for me.” I grab hold of his hair with one hand, twisting one of my sensitive nipples with the other.
August’s moans of satisfaction vibrate through my whole body.
My orgasm crashes through me like a tidal wave.
It doesn’t take me long to get there. The next thing I know, August’s frame is hovering over me, and I’m tasting my release on his tongue as he tangles it with mine in a passionate kiss that feels like it should be reserved for homecomings, but it’s just another Tuesday for us.
“I love you,” he breathes into my mouth.
“I love you,” I echo.
August falls onto the bed next to me and gently lifts my leg to accommodate for my ever changing body. When his hard cock lines up with my entrance, and he presses into me, it really does feel like coming home. It always does.
“Oh my God,” I sigh.
“Never gets old,” August says into my ear. His front presses into my back as he rocks into me from behind.
August’s free hand never stops moving, roaming all over my body like a form of worship. Light touches and tight grasps have me coming undone all over again.
“You’re fucking perfect,” Gus muses in between kisses along my shoulder. My core tightens around his length.
“Fuck,” he pants. “Squeezing me so tight, Daze.”
“I’m gonna come again. Please, I’m right there. Right—there—” And I do, August spilling into me at the same time.
August’s hand smoothes down the length of my arm until his hand captures mine, both of us breathing heavy. The early rays of light are already casting through the window, and the birds living in a nest on the branch that sometimes taps on our bedroom windows if the wind is strong are singing away.
Another kiss is planted on my temple, and then August is pulling himself out and up. I turn over on my back, and watch him take in the sight of me while I openly gawk at the vision of him.
He might have just been the one praising me for being perfect, but—and excuse me for this, truly—holymotherfuckingshit.
Do you know what it feels like to have an incredibly possessive but patient listener of a man who looks like he could (and would) step in front of any danger for you? And he looks like this?
Faded black lines of American traditional tattoos cover most of August’s torso. New ink sits right above his hip, my new favorite—a small bouquet of daisies and magnolias.
His eyes linger admiringly on the mess he made between my legs. If I wasn’t due to give birth in just a few weeks, and August didn’t have a vasectomy a month ago, I would be sure he was picturing knocking me up all over again.
The vasectomy was the right move for us. This baby is about to be the most loved little thing there’s ever been, but I just know deep into my bones that she’s supposed to be our only. Along with Hunter and Chase, of course.
I didn’t want to go back on birth control after pregnancy, neither of us want Gus wearing a condom, and frankly, we both have too high of a sex drive to leave anything to chance.
All of this coupled with the fact that he was approved for the procedure faster than most first-time home buyers looking for a mortgage, and Gus was in and out, ice pack on his balls within fifteen damn minutes, it was an easy decision.
“Earth to August,” I tease.
“Let me enjoy my view, woman.” Gus leans back over the bed, leaving a soft kiss on my forehead. He then journeys down to my bump and plants a kiss there too. “Come on, up you go.” Gus’s hand snakes behind to my back, gently lifting me up, helping me ease into a sitting position.
“I know everyone says I’m gonna miss this, and maybe there are parts of pregnancy to reminisce fondly over, but needing help just to get out of bed in the morning is not one of those things,” I huff.
Pregnancy is beautiful. Growing life is a miracle, yadda-yadda. But my body is not my own, and it hasn’t been for quite some time now. I’m going crazy.
“I don’t mind,” Gus says, guiding me into our bathroom. He gets the shower running, and only when he tests the temperature to confirm it’s both hot enough for me to enjoy it, and cool enough to not burn my skin, does he hold his hand out and step aside to let me enter.
August follows behind me, and we take turns washing each other. I love to soak up these slow, quiet mornings.
“Red and the baby are being discharged today. I want to stop by with flowers and a meal after I wrap up work,” I inform August while we get ready for the day side by side in front of the bathroom mirror.
“Way ahead of you, darling.” August bumps his hip into me. “Picking up the order from that Italian place Miller mentioned later, and a gift card.”
“Wow, that was hot.” I secure half of my hair up in a claw clip and pull a few pieces out in the front.
With a mouthful of toothpaste and the toothbrush dangling out, August shoots me one hell of a smile.
“Yeah?”
“Planning ahead to help take care of the people we love? Yeah, August, hot as fuck.”
Gus spits in the sink, and I’ll just go ahead and blame the pregnancy again for how hot and bothered that move makes me.
“You’re doing too much. I think you forget you’re the one giving birth next. Let me take at least some of the load off.”
“You do plenty, babe.” I attempt to stand on my toes, and Gus mercifully leans over so I can give him a quick peck on the cheek. “I love you for all of it.”
“Daze? Gus?” Chase calls from the bottom of the stairs.
“Be down in a minute!” I yell.
Gus and I want to drive the boys to school, seeing as it’s the last day before summer vacation.
We thought we’d celebrate by stopping at Red’s for bagels before dropping them off and heading to work.
Normally they take the bus, but I’ve been big on new traditions ever since moving out of our parents’ house.
While everything over the past few months has been the most unconventional fresh start, it’s also somehow been exactly what all of us needed.
With Gus meeting with his therapist weekly, I decided to give Dr. Saltore a call to see if he was still practicing.
Thankful to report he is, and I’m a regular bi-weekly patient now.
We found a good children’s therapist for Hunter and Chase, who agreed to monthly check-ins while we navigate everything.
My brave, incredible Chase is also doing exceptional with his occupational and speech therapy.
The leaps and bounds he’s made in such a short window of time is the most rewarding thing to witness.
I’ve had to deal with some lingering guilt and anxiety surrounding the newly-discovered reason for him not talking for so long, but I’m managing.
It’s one of those “out of my control” things I’m working on.
After long nights of back-and-forth discussions, both with the boys and just the two of us, August and I came to the decision to talk to my grandmother. She knows everything now.
It was hard getting the truth out about my parents and my past, probably one of the hardest things I ever had to do.
Watching my grandmother’s heart break is something I wouldn’t wish on many people.
But it was necessary. As much as I love control and figuring everything out on my own, it would have been a disservice to Hunter and Chase (and myself) to continue living life the way I was.
The boys go to Gram’s house at least twice a week, if not more. They love her, and she is not shy about how happy she is to have her grandchildren around. It’s brought back a youthfulness to her eyes that is impossible to miss.
Co-guardian-grandparenting for the win?
“You know…” August’s hands smooth over my bump from behind, and he leans in to whisper in my ear. “Hunter and Chase are heading to your grandmother’s for the next two weeks. It’ll just be me and you in this big house all alone.”
Goosebumps rise along my neck as I tilt my head to the side to give him more access.
“Mhm,” I mumble.
August licks a light trail up and then nips at my earlobe.
“You can make as much noise as you want. I can have you anywhere I want. The kitchen again?” One of his hands starts to roam south, teasing me. “Maybe the couch?” A finger starts to draw slow circles on top of my panties, right where my clit is, and I moan, leaning into August’s chest with my back.
“We don’t have time,” I whine. The lethal combination of having a hot partner that knows you better than anyone mixed with pregnancy hormones has made me insatiable. Gus knows this and uses it to his advantage more often than not.
“But we will,” Gus assures me with a final pinch on that sensitive spot that causes me to practically squeal.
Red’s is a madhouse without the captain herself manning the ship.
Coupled with Margot still being out on maternity leave with Nora and Drea?
I’m just surprised the temporary team of Chris, Melanie, and the fresh-out-of-high-school girl Red found right before she went into labor hasn’t blown the café up yet.