Chapter Eight
Colton
I 've been going out of my mind with worry over Meadow all weekend. I know she's a grown woman who can take care of herself, but something about her makes me want—no, need—to be able to take care of her. And not only her but River too. Something tells me that it's been the two of them against the world for far too long, and I fucking hate that.
Pacing my living room for the millionth time today, I about jump out of my skin when my phone vibrates in my pocket.
Meadow: Hey, Colt. I was wondering if you were free in a little bit and would like to come over and talk?
Fucking finally! I've picked up my phone to text or call her a thousand times this weekend, but I didn't want to be overbearing. Getting this message, I could die a happy man. Well, that's a bit of an exaggeration, but I'm glad she's finally putting me out of my misery.
Colton: Name the time and place and I'll be there.
Meadow: How about half an hour at my place?
116 Swallow Ln
Colton: Sounds good. I'll see you then.
Half an hour doesn't give me much time to get ready. Good thing for me, Sparrow Falls is small, and it's only about a ten-minute walk or a two-minute drive from my place to Meadow's. To think I've run past her home several times and never known it was her house is wild.
I make quick work of putting on nicer clothes before hopping into my car and heading to the greenhouse just outside of town. Knowing Meadow, I think she'd appreciate flowers she could plant instead of cut ones that she'd end up throwing out.
The worker is extremely helpful, guiding me to some beautiful peonies. I grab two, one for Meadow and one for River. I'm not trying to bribe River, but I also know how important she is to Meadow. Besides, even if she wasn't Meadow's daughter, I've got a soft spot for her. I instantly felt a kinship with River and have loved getting to know her better in the short time since we've met. I'm hoping that our relationship will continue to grow as long as Meadow is open to it .
It might have been presumptuous of me, but I talked to Ms. Sanchez about having a relationship with Meadow after our run-in on Friday afternoon, when she popped into my office to see how our meeting went. I didn't tell her about our complete background, for obvious reasons, but I did tell her that as long as Meadow was open to a relationship with me, I wholeheartedly planned on pursuing her. Marie reassured me there were no rules stating I couldn't date a parent. It would be impossible to enforce something like that in a town this small, but she told me to remember that I represented the school and to not enter any kind of endeavor lightly.
With her—albeit reluctant—blessing, all I was waiting for to move things along was a greenlight from Meadow. I wanted so badly to go to her and take care of her, but I see now that waiting her out was the best move I could have made.
Pulling up to the address Meadow gave me, I’m not at all surprised that this is her house. The landscaping is impressive, with hundreds of flowers still in bloom. I can't name half of them, but they make her house look whimsical and magical. Add the weeping willow in the sideyard, with string lights on it, and I can only imagine how awesome it looks at night. The house itself is a cute bungalow, with a lot of wood accents and a cozy front porch. The two chairs and a porch swing look inviting, especially on a cool summer or fall evening after a long day of work.
I make my way up the stairs as I try to absorb every little detail I can. Before I can even knock on the door, Meadow is standing in the screen, smiling nervously at me.
"Hi, Colt."
"Hi, Meadow."
We stare at each other until Meadow shakes her head, opens the door, then gestures for me to come in.
Instead of her normal long and flowy skirts, she's got on wide-leg pants and another one of those handmade crocheted tops. Her hair is in an intricate braid, with strands weaving in and out in a pattern I can't follow, while her face is free of makeup. I've never seen a more stunning woman in my life.
As if she has some kind of magnetic pull on me, I step in close and slide my knuckles down her cheek. Her breath rushes out as her eyes flutter closed. Relief floods me, seeing how much I affect her, knowing I didn't build this all up in my head. Unable to resist myself, I lean down and place the barest of kisses on her parted lips.
It's like a switch flips in Meadow the moment our lips touch. Her hands clasp behind my neck as she takes over the kiss, plastering her body to mine. I groan as her tongue slips into my mouth, her taste flooding my senses. Walking her backwards into the living room, I pin her to the wall, then bend down to scoop her up. I wrap her legs around my waist, never breaking contact with her mouth.
My hands are everywhere as I try to get closer to her. Finally, I find a strap behind her neck and tug it, which spills her creamy tits into my waiting hands. I've never been this confident with a woman this fast, but something about Meadow breaks all of my walls down. Gliding my fingers over her chest, I play with her nipples until they're stiff between my fingertips. Kissing my way down her neck, I suck one into my mouth while Meadow grinds her hot center on my throbbing dick.
If I'm not careful, I'm going to come in my pants like a horny teenager. Before I really have to worry about blowing my load, Meadow throws her head back as she cries out. Her legs tense around my waist as her body convulses around me. I move back and forth between her exposed breasts, nipping, licking, and sucking as she rides out her orgasm until she pushes my head from her chest.
"Shit. That was not why I asked you to come over." She worries her bottom lip, making me want to bite it.
"It might not have been the reason, but I'm not mad at all about what just happened. But please, for all things holy, tell me River isn't here. I don't think I can face her after how loud you were just now or with my cock this hard." I thrust into her center to emphasize how much making her come turns me on.
Meadow smiles contently at me, her breast still hanging out, as she plays with the hair at the nape of my neck as if we have all the time in the world. I suppose it feels that way to her since she's sated.
"River is at Once Upon a Tattoo so that we could talk, which we really need to do." She winces, the blissed-out expression from a minute ago fading and being replaced with worry.
"Hey, whatever you need to say to me, it will be alright."
"How do you know that?" She won't look at me as she tucks her chest away, but I can hear the worry in her voice.
"Meadow." I guide her eyes to my face. "I'm not sure, but I feel it in my bones. I'm not gonna lie; I thought you were a bit off your rocker that night when you wouldn't give me your number and said to leave it up to fate, but now I know we would've found our way back to each other one way or another. This pull between us feels magnetic. Like even if we tried to fight it, we couldn't."
"You feel it too?" The hope in her eyes has a smile spreading across my face.
"I do. "
"Okay." She blows out a steadying breath before releasing her legs and sliding down my body, but she grabs my hand so that we don't lose our connection. "Umm, I really do have something important to talk to you about. Do you want to sit in here or go outside? Do you need anything to drink?"
"In here's fine. Come on." I tug her towards the couch as I fight the worry building in my chest. I sit down and resist the urge to pull her into my lap.
Meadow sits beside me, her body turned to me as she worries that bottom lip again.
Using my thumb, I pull it from her teeth. "Meadow, you're starting to worry me. You said you were okay, but if you're sick or need my help somehow, just tell me. I know we barely know each other, but I will do whatever I can to help you."
"No, I'm not sick. I-I'm pregnant."
Holy. Shit.
"You're pregnant?" I whisper as my hand reaches out to caress her belly, and sure enough, there's a small bump there that I definitely don't remember from our brief night together.
Meadow is shorter, soft, and curvy, but her stomach was flat the last time we were together. It was strong as hell too. I remember her telling me about being a certified yoga instructor and talking about the importance of core strength, and then demonstrating that she was strong as hell even though she had a layer of fluff—her term, not mine. The definition is still there, but there's absolutely a distinct roundness to her lower abdomen that wasn't there before .
"And it's mine?" I try to keep the hope from my voice and the smile from my face, but judging from the tears in her eyes and a smile of her own, I've failed miserably.
"Yes, it's your—"
I don't even wait for her to finish talking before I grab her by the waist, pull her onto my lap, and slam my mouth on hers. Tears cascade down her cheeks as I kiss her, and I can only hope they're tears of joy for the life we've created.
Pulling back to stare into her eyes, I don't try to hide my smile anymore. "I know we hardly know each other and a baby definitely will complicate things, but I'm not even remotely mad about this, Meadow. I don't know what this means for us, or what you want to do, but I want our baby and would prefer to raise it together with you. Not as co-parents, though. I know we have a lot to figure out, but I promise I will be by your side through it all."
"Are you sure? I know you're a great person, Colt, but a baby is a lot of work. We really don't know each other at all. What if I end up driving you nuts with my hippie-dippy BS, as River so kindly calls it? I can be a lot to handle. I think we should try to get to know each other before we worry about an us if that's okay?"
No, that's not fucking okay. I want Meadow, damn it. I want Meadow and River, and I really fucking want our baby. But I also understand where she's coming from. Hell, probably more than most. I'm the logical guy who makes informed decisions. I don't jump in feet first, based off of emotions, a feeling, or my gut. But when it comes to Meadow Sterling, I want to do just that.
Blowing out a breath, I try to find the calm that I rely on every day for my job. "If that's what you want, then I'll have to be okay with it. But can I ask you not to completely write us off just yet? You're all I've thought about since you walked out of my life that night. I've looked for you everywhere I've gone since then, hoping you'd come back to me, like you said we would if fate let it be. So, will you at least keep an open mind?"
"Yeah, Colt, I will."
"Thank you, Dow. Can I ask some questions?"
"Of course. I have a few of my own."
"Alright, you go first." I readjust her so that she's sitting beside me again, even though I fucking hate it.
Thankfully, she keeps hold of my hand. "You did use a condom that night, right?"
A flush fills my face, then I feel all the blood drain. Shit. This all is my fault. I fucked up, and because of it, we're going to have a baby. Although, I can't really say I'm upset about that, but I hate that I took that choice from Meadow.
Running a hand down my face, I swallow, then square my shoulders to tell Meadow the truth. "Yes, I used a condom, but, umm, in my haste to be in you and not keep you waiting, I started to put it on the wrong way. You are hands down the most stunning woman I have ever seen in my life. I was struggling to get the condom on, distracted that you really wanted me, when I realized I had it on inside out. In my lust-addled brain, I took it off, flipped it, and we picked up where we left off, you none the wiser what a putz I was. If I had to hypothesize, I'd say that my pre-ejaculate was on the condom that then entered you when we had sex.
"This is all my fault. I'm so fucking sorry, Meadow. I hope you can forgive me someday."
"You're already forgiven, Colt. Shit happens. I had River when I was seventeen because I was ill-informed about sex-ed. We're having this sweet little bean because their daddy was so infatuated with their mommy that he made a mistake. Mistakes happen. It's how you handle the fallout that matters, and so far, you're handling this beautifully."
Tears fill my eyes, not only because Meadow is a fucking saint for forgiving me but due to her calling me “daddy”. I am going to be someone's daddy, and hearing it for the first time is kind of blowing my mind.
My hand reaches out and rubs Meadow's belly as the tears fall freely down my face. "Say it again," I rasp out.
"You're forgiven, Colton."
"No, the other part."
"What other… Oh, their daddy."
Key the floodgates. I couldn't stop them if I wanted to.
Fucking hell.
Meadow gave me the greatest gift without even realizing what it would mean to me. I've always felt a bit alone, never quite fitting in anywhere, but that all changed the moment I met Meadow. Not only with our baby but with how at ease she makes me feel and how much I already adore River.
"When did you find out? How did you find out? Have you been to the doctor yet?"
"I found out today. River actually figured it out and staged a whole intervention this morning with Wren and Daphne. Those are my best friends and also the women I work with at Once Upon a Tattoo. Wren recorded my reaction when I checked the test. If you let me get up, I can go get my phone. And since I just found out today, I haven't been to the doctor yet."
"I'd love to see the video, but can you just stay here with me for a bit? I'm not ready to break our bubble."
"Of course. I have to call the midwife tomorrow to set up an appointment, but I would love for you to be involved however little or much you'd like."
"I want to be there for it all. Every appointment. Count me in, okay?"
"Great." Meadow beams at me, the relief over me wanting to be involved evident on her face.
"Okay, shifting gears, but is River's dad in the picture? She's fucking brilliant, Dow, and I honest to God love our conversations and getting to know her. I would like to be able to continue to do that, especially outside of work now, with the baby on the way. That said, I don't want her—or him—to feel like I'm trying to step into shoes that aren't mine to fill, if you know what I mean. At least, not at this point in time."
"He's not around. He signed over his rights as soon as she was born, and I haven't seen him since then. He thought it was cool to bag the hot, weird hippie girl who grew up in a commune, until he realized I didn't have much of a sex-ed and wound up pregnant because I didn't know what he meant when he asked if I was covered and if he could go without."
"What a fucking prick. He's an idiot, but his loss is my gain. You Sterling women are amazing."
"So, where do we go from here?"
"Well, can I take you and River out to dinner tonight? Just as friends until you say otherwise. But I'd like to get to know the mother of my baby and their big sister a little better. I'd like to be around as much as you girls are willing to have me or until you get sick of me, if that's okay?"
"That sounds perfect to me."
"Great. What do you say about walking to the shop to ask River how she feels about having dinner at The Tavern with us, and then maybe we can come back here and watch a movie or something?"
"Honestly, that sounds like the best night, Colt."
"Good. Go get ready. I'll wait here."
Meadow jumps up from the couch, and it takes everything in me not to follow her. Now that I have a minute in her space, my eyes are bouncing all over the place as I take everything in. Not a single piece of furniture matches, yet it all feels like they were made for each other. I hope that, although neither of us planned for this, we can mesh our lives together as perfectly as Meadow's mismatched living room.