Chapter Twenty
Seth
I dip my head and kiss her, smiling to myself when she kisses me back.
Sure, I could have made that easier. I could have explained from the start that I wasn’t giving up work completely, just changing how I do it, so I could accommodate her and River, and help more. But I wanted her to understand how much thought I’d put into it… that I wasn’t taking any of this lightly, and that I meant every word I said.
And maybe I wanted to have a little fun with her too.
Because she worries too much
And there’s really no need.
I’ve thought this through, from every angle I can think of, and I know it’s going to work.
Especially now she’s said she loves me.
I was so relieved when she finally said it… and to know that she meant it, too.
It was worth the wait.
She squirms against me, her hand reaching between us, and her fingers caressing my cock, gently stroking up and down my length. I let out a soft moan of satisfaction… because she’s really good at this, and although I’d love her to keep going, I know we have to be practical.
“Shouldn’t we be thinking about sleep?” I say, breaking the kiss, although I don’t make a move to actually stop her from what she’s doing.
“Aren’t you enjoying yourself?” She looks up at me through her eyelashes, biting on her bottom lip, full of mischief and tease.
“You know perfectly well I’m loving every second of it. But River will wake up at some point, won’t she?”
“Yes,” she says, leaning back slightly, even though she doesn’t release my dick, I’m pleased to say. “Heaven knows when, though. She was exhausted when I put her to bed, and her routine is completely screwed.”
“Okay, but even if by some miracle she sleeps through the night, you’ve still got the coffee shop to open in the morning.”
“No, I haven’t.”
I pull back, which has the unfortunate effect of disconnecting us, and Everly’s hand falls between us. “What does that mean?”
“It means Barbra’s covering for me.”
“I thought that wasn’t starting yet.”
“It’s not. Not officially, but she came to see me earlier, before she went home, and asked if she could work tomorrow, and take Tuesday off.”
“Is this as a kind of practice run, before everything starts in earnest next week?”
“No. It’s because she’s got a boyfriend.”
I frown, leaning back further still. “Barbra’s got a boyfriend?”
“Don’t sound so surprised. She’s a very attractive woman.”
“I’m not disputing that, but… but she was widowed years ago, wasn’t she?”
“Yes. Her boyfriend is a widower, who lives in Willmont Vale. They met a while ago, and he went on vacation with her, and… and to be honest, I think when they got back, they realized how much they’d enjoyed being together.”
“In which case, why would she want to work on a Sunday? Surely she’d want to be with him, wouldn’t she?”
“She does. But he works weekends, too. That’s why she asked to change her shifts in the first place. He evidently called her last night and asked if she could change her shift tomorrow, so they could meet up on Tuesday.”
I smile, nodding my head. “I see. The guy’s obviously smitten.”
“It sounds like it, doesn’t it?” she says, smiling.
“Hmm… I know how he feels.”
I lean in, kissing her lips, dusting mine across hers over and over, until she’s breathing hard, desperate for more… and only then do I pull back, making her groan with frustration.
“Does this mean we’ll have the whole of tomorrow to ourselves?” I ask.
“We’ve got a three-month-old baby,” she says, still trying to control herself. “There’s no such thing as having a day to ourselves.”
“I know. But within the confines of having River, we’ve got the day to ourselves?”
“Yes.”
“And within the limitations of having to get up for River, we can have a lazy morning?”
“We can.”
“In that case…” I roll her onto her back, and lie between her legs, parting them with my own. She gazes up at me, smiling, like the cat that got the cream, and I take her hands, holding them above her head, pinning her to the mattress, my lips just an inch from hers. “We’ll have to make the most of it, won’t we?”
She nods her head, and moving both her hands into one of mine, I capture her chin, holding her still so I can kiss her. Hard. She brings up her legs, wrapping them around me, and although it would be easy to enter her – to take her – I can’t.
I release her hands, and her chin, breaking the kiss as I lean up on my arms, gazing down at her.
“I need to be inside you.” I’m surprised by how deep my voice is, and judging by the sparkle in Everly’s eyes, so is she.
“I’m not stopping you.”
“I know, but I need a condom.”
“Do you?”
“Yeah. I may have already come once tonight, but I need to come inside you.”
She moans softly, as though she likes the sound of that, closing her eyes for a second. When she opens them, the sparkle is even more intense. “I wish you didn’t have to use a condom.”
I lower myself to my elbows. “Are you saying what I think you’re saying?”
She shrugs her shoulders. “That depends on what you think I’m saying.”
“That you don’t wanna wait to make a brother or sister for River?” I ask, a little unsure of myself.
She raises her hands, resting them on my biceps, and lets out a sigh. “My heart is saying yes. It’s screaming yes. We love each other, and we love our baby girl, so why wait a moment longer?” She gazes up at me, her eyes locked with mine. “I so want to be pregnant with your baby again, and to go through it all with you by my side this time.”
“So do I.”
“But my head keeps telling me to wait. I know my body hasn’t recovered from giving birth to River. It would be…”
“We’ll wait,” I say, closing the gap between us and kissing her gently. “We’ll wait until your body catches up with your heart.”
“I wish we didn’t have to,” she says, sounding sad, and I hold her in my arms.
“I know, but it won’t be long.”
“No,” she says. “No, it won’t.”
I lean back, looking down at her. “Would you rather forget it for tonight? We can just hug, if you want?”
“No. I want you to make love to me. I wanna feel you inside me.”
I smile and reach over to the nightstand. The drawer is still open and I feel around for the box of condoms, pulling one out, and kneeling up as I roll it over my cock, staring down at her, my eyes never leaving hers. I lower myself over her, palming my cock and rubbing it along her folds, before I enter her, taking it slow.
She lets out a long sigh, closing her eyes, and I wait until she’s opened them again before I start to move.
“Is this what you want?”
“Yes. All the time.”
“You’ve got it.”
She raises her hips, matching my rhythm, even when I speed it up, taking her harder, because I know that’s what she likes.
“Oh, God… that’s so good,” she whispers through gritted teeth. “Take me, Seth… please take me.”
I love the sound of her words, and do as she asks, taking her body with mine, giving her what she wants.
Out of the corner of my eye, I spot her vibrator lying on the mattress, and I reach over and grab it, kneeling up between her parted legs.
“What are you doing?” she asks, looking at me with doubt in her eyes as I slow the pace, moving more gently in and out of her.
“Playing.”
She shakes her head. “You can’t. It’ll blow my mind with you inside me.”
“And when it does, I’ll rescue you… remember?”
She hesitates, glancing at the vibrator, and then nods her head, which makes me smile. I turn it on, surprised by how powerful it is, and then lower it, holding it against her clit.
“Oh… J—Jesus,” she says, struggling to speak, her head rocking back and her legs tensing against me.
I love that feeling. It’s like being trapped by her, and I hold still inside her for a moment, letting her get accustomed to this new sensation before I start to move again, sliding my cock in and out of her as I press the vibrator a little harder against her clit.
She rolls her head forward, staring right at me, although she seems incapable of speech, and I up the pace.
“You want my cock?” I say. She nods her head. “You wanna feel it inside you?”
“Y—Yes.”
She’s thrashing wildly beneath me, and I lean over, balancing on one arm. “Then take it,” I growl.
She raises her hand, holding her clenched fist to her mouth as she tips over into a shattering orgasm, trying hard not to scream as it claims her. I keep the vibrator pressed against her, hammering into her still, as she clamps around me, out of control, her body pulsing, until I see the look in her eyes… the one that tells me she can’t take anymore. She’s gone beyond the point of pleasure, and she can’t find her way back without me. I pull the vibrator away, letting it fall to the mattress, and hold completely still inside her.
“It’s okay,” I whisper, leaning over her, then dropping to my elbows again. “You’re okay, babe.”
She takes a moment, and then focuses on me, like she’d been unaware I was even here, and then she throws her arms around my neck.
“Thank you,” she whispers. “Thank you.”
“You don’t have to thank me.”
“Yes, I do.”
“I told you I’d rescue you.”
She leans back. “I wasn’t thanking you for that. Well… not just for that.”
“Oh?”
“No. I was thanking you for what came before the rescue. I’ve never felt anything like that before… not even earlier.”
“So you’d like to do it again?”
She nods. “Not all the time, but yes.”
I smile. “We’ll just have to remember not to do it in the dark.”
Her brow furrows, and she tips her head. “Why?”
“Because you lost the power of speech back then. I need to be able to read your face, so I know when to stop.”
She smiles again, her fingers caressing the back of my neck. “It’s a good thing you know me so well.”
“Yeah… although I can always get to know you better,” I say, kneeling up again. She giggles, and I reach over to switch off the vibrator before I grab her ankles and lift her legs up onto my shoulders. “I wanna be so deep inside you.”
She nods and I lean right over her, bending her back on herself, as I pull out of her and then plunge back in. She groans her satisfaction, and I build a rhythm, hard and fast, feeling her tighten around me, just as River lets out a cry from above us.
Everly deflates, and I can’t help chuckling.
“Her timing…” I whisper, kneeling up and lowering her legs to the mattress.
She shakes her head, glancing at the clock, and frowning. “What’s she doing waking up at this time of night?”
I check the clock myself and see that it’s just after eleven. “You said her routine was shot to pieces.”
“Yeah, but not this shot.”
I move aside so Everly can get up, and I crawl to the edge of the bed, pulling off the now superfluous condom and standing up, too.
“I’ll fetch her bottle, shall I?” I suggest. Everly shakes her head, and I turn to face her properly, surprised by her response. “I only wanna help, babe.”
“I know.” She grabs her sleep shirt, pulling it on over her head as she wanders to the door.
I stand with my hands on my hips, staring after her. “The whole point of me being here is that you don’t have to do everything yourself.”
She turns, looking at me, and shakes her head. “That’s not the whole point in you being here,” she says, glancing down at my erection, a smile tweaking at the corners of her lips. I have to smile despite my confusion, and I’m about to ask what she means when she says, “I wasn’t gonna suggest I’d do it all myself.” She spins around, grabbing my robe, which she throws across the room. It falls short, landing at my feet, and she giggles. “I never was great at throwing.”
“No, you weren’t,” I say, stepping forward to pick it up. “But if you don’t want me to fetch River’s bottle, what do you want me to do?”
“See to her,” she says, opening the door, the sound of River’s cries filling the space. I pull on my robe, fastening it, and join her at the door. “I sometimes lift her out of her cot in her sleep sack, but you’ll probably find it easier to take her out of it, and then change her diaper. By the time you’ve done that, I should be there with her bottle.”
“Okay.”
“Remember to keep as quiet as you can.”
I nod my head, just as she turns to go, although I grab her and pull her back. “Thank you.”
She shakes her head. “I don’t know why you’re thanking me. We’re her parents. This is what parents do.”
She dashes away before I get to tell her I haven’t been a very good parent so far… although I intend to change that from here on in, and with River’s cries ringing in my ears, I rush up the stairs, opening the door to the nursery. I find it tough having to keep quiet, when what I really wanna do is tell her how much I’ve missed her, but I’m rewarded with a smile the moment I pick her up, which is lovely.
She seems less impressed at having her diaper changed, and grizzles the entire time, so I’m kinda relieved when I look up to see Everly standing by the door when I lift River into my arms again. Everly nods toward the chair by the window and I carry our daughter over there, sitting down and getting her settled, taking the bottle from Everly. She’s already removed the lid, and River wastes no time in drinking down the contents.
I remember to sit her up, trying hard not to laugh when she lets out the most enormous burp, and although Everly steps back to let me stand, I take a moment and just hold River against me for a while, rubbing her back, and enjoying the feeling of her tiny body against mine. I look up, and even in the dim light, I can see a glistening in Everly’s eyes, and I reach out a hand to her. She takes it, and I give her a squeeze, smiling when she nods her head toward River’s cot.
As much as I’m loving this, I know the importance of routine in our daughter’s life, and I don’t want to get her into the habit of thinking we can sit here all night… so I get up, and gently place her into her sleep sack, zipping it up. She’s already half asleep, and I bend over, kissing her forehead, watching as Everly moves to the opposite side of the crib and does the same, the two of us staring at each other for a moment, before I take Everly’s hand and lead her from the room.
“Are you okay?” I whisper the moment the door has closed behind us. She nods her head and I pull her close. “I’ve missed her.”
“She’s missed you, too.”
“I was only here for five minutes.”
“I know, but she still missed you when you left.”
“How do you know?”
“She just hasn’t been herself. It was literally the day after you left that she changed her routine… like she was mad at you for leaving.”
“And taking it out on you?” I say.
“It felt that way.”
“I’m sorry.”
“It wasn’t your fault. I understand why you had to go now… and I’m just relieved you’re back.”
“So am I.”
I take her hand and lead her down the stairs and back to our bedroom, pulling off my robe, while she tugs her sleep shirt over her head, leaving it on the box at the end of the bed.
“I suppose there’s an outside chance she might sleep through until a reasonable time of the morning,” she says, getting back into bed.
“What’s a reasonable time?” I ask, joining her and pulling up the covers.
“I don’t know. Five? Maybe five-thirty?”
“Wow… that sounds almost like a normal night’s sleep.”
“It does, doesn’t it?” she says, turning over to face me.
“Should we be celebrating?”
Her brow furrows. “Celebrating what?”
I pull her into my arms. “You set two conditions on us making a brother or sister for River. One was that your body needed more time to recover, and I understand that… but the other was that we should get used to sleeping all night.” I move my hand down her back, resting it on her ass and flexing my hips into her. “So, should we be celebrating? I mean… we could be halfway there.”
“Let’s see what happens,” she says. “She might wake up in two hours.”
“She wouldn’t dare,” I murmur and Everly giggles as I bend my head and kiss her. She responds, reaching between us and placing her hand around my cock, just like she did earlier.
“I think we were interrupted,” she whispers as I pull back and gaze into her eyes.
“We were, but don’t you think we should make the most of the opportunity our daughter has gifted us, and grab some sleep while we can?”
Her face falls, and she pulls her hand away, releasing me. “I thought you wanted to come?”
“I do… desperately. But we’ve got the rest of our lives, babe.”
She smiles. “That sounds good.”
“It does, doesn’t it?” I open my mouth to say the words that are waiting to fall out, just as she clamps her fingers over my lips.
“Can I say something?” I nod my head, rueing the lost opportunity, and she lets out a breath. “I know you said we didn’t have to decide now, but I think we should buy the house in Maple Street.”
I pull her hand away from my mouth. “You do?”
“Yes.”
“I thought you might prefer the four bedroom one… the one in Cedar Street.”
“I’m not gonna deny, that’s a really beautiful house, and I can see the advantages it has. It’s bigger, and has more space inside and outside… but we’d need to rent this place out to afford it, and I think it’ll be more sensible if we can keep the apartment. You can work up here, and it’ll be more convenient for River too. She can sleep in her own room, and as she gets older, she can play, and we’ll both be on hand if she needs us.”
“I like the sound of that.”
She smiles. “So do I. It’ll mean I can come up and see you both if we’re not busy downstairs.”
I shake my head. “Not necessarily. If I’m not working, you can come up and spend some time with River while I go down and annoy Owen.”
“You won’t annoy him. I told you, he likes you.”
I nod my head. “I gathered as much when he told me his story.”
“He did?” She’s clearly surprised.
“Yeah. Before I left to go back to Concord. He didn’t give me too much detail, but he told me about how he wound up in the hospital thanks to his ex. He said that’s how he met Tomas, and that it was thanks to him he came to be working here.” I tip my head at her, smiling. “He said that being here made him feel safe again… or words to that effect.”
She smiles. “I know.”
“Hearing what he said got me thinking.”
“What about?”
“About how Aunt Clare made a family here. Because she did, didn’t she?”
Everly nods her head. “It always felt like that.”
“And you’ve carried it on.” She blushes, clearly embarrassed by my compliment. “You have, Everly. It’s easy to see how much you’ve done for Owen. He said he had no confidence when he came here, and yet now he’s confident enough to put me in my place.”
“Me too,” she says, rolling her eyes.
“Really?”
“Yeah. He’s been defending you, telling me where I’ve gone wrong.”
“You haven’t.”
“Yes, I have… Owen was right about that. He wasn’t just saying it because he likes you. It’s the truth.”
“Well… he might not like me so much when I go to work downstairs, and he realizes I can’t operate the barista machine, and I don’t know which table is which.”
“Hmm… I can see I’ll have to give you some training.”
“That sounds exciting,” I say, flexing my hips into her again, which makes her giggle, although I stop her with a kiss. “Can I confess I was kinda hoping you’d go with the house in Maple Street?”
“You were?”
“Yes.”
“Then why didn’t you say so?”
“Because I wanted you to choose for yourself, and I could see the practicalities of the house in Cedar Street. It’s just that the one in Maple Street means we’ll get to see more of each other.”
“I know. We can…”
“We can work out the details later,” I say, interrupting her, because there are more important things to talk about now. “For the moment, I need you to make one more decision?”
“You do?”
“Yeah. I need you to decide whether you wanna get married before or after we move.”
She pulls away from me, then sits up, staring down into my eyes. “G—Get married?”
“Yeah.”
“Where did that come from? We weren’t thinking of getting married before, and just because…”
“I was. To be honest, I was more than thinking of it,” I say. “I was actively planning it.”
“You were?”
I nod my head and climb out of bed, going into the living room, where I retrieve my jacket from the back of the couch, bringing it into the bedroom with me.
“What are you doing?” Everly asks as I delve into the left-hand pocket, kicking the door closed behind me.
“Proving that I was planning this all along.”
“How?”
I pull out the ring box and hold it up. “By showing you this,” I say, throwing my jacket onto the box at the end of the bed and kneeling up on the mattress alongside Everly.
She’s staring up at me, wide-eyed and utterly confused. “You’ve got a ring?”
“Yes.”
“When did you buy it?”
I move a little closer to her, although I’m still kneeling… for a reason.
“About six months before I left you.”
“The first time?”
I put down the ring, and take her hands, pulling her up, so she’s kneeling before me. “I didn’t leave you the second time… not in the same way. There were things that needed to be done. But I was still with you in every way that mattered.”
She nods her head. “Okay, but are you seriously saying you’ve been carrying that around for eighteen months?”
“Yeah. I was gonna propose on your birthday. I had it all planned, but then…” I see the shadow cross Everly’s eyes when she realizes what I’m not saying.
“Then Aunt Clare died.” She puts my thoughts into words and I nod my head.
“There was no way I could do anything after that. You were too buried in your grief, and I guess I was too, in my own way… although I kept hoping we’d find a way out of it, and the right moment would come along. Only that was when things went wrong.”
“I’m sorry,” she whispers, lowering her head.
“Hey…” I cup her face, raising it to mine, until our eyes lock. “None of that was your fault, babe.”
“It wasn’t entirely yours, either.”
“And it doesn’t matter now. The point is, I’ve kept the ring in my pocket ever since, and I’ve kept you in my heart, too.” I lean over and pick it up again. “I know we haven’t been back together for very long, and I haven’t helped by spending the last few days in Concord, but I think we both know we’ve never really been apart.”
“No, we haven’t,” she says, taking my hand and putting it on her chest, just above her left breast. “You’ve always been here.”
I smile at her, keeping hold of her hand, while I balance on one knee, doing my best not to topple over as the bed wobbles.
Once I’m stable, I release her hand, and open the box, watching as she gazes down at the white gold sapphire and diamond ring, nestling inside.
“Will you marry me?” I say simply, and she raises her eyes to mine.
“Yes.”
I pull out the ring, throwing the box over my shoulder, and take her left hand, both of us gazing down as I place the ring on her finger, before I pull her into my arms and we both fall back onto the bed.
“You’re mine,” I growl.
“I always was. Even when you weren’t here.”
“I’m here now, and I’m never leaving you… ever again.”
I lean in and kiss her, surprised when she pulls back after just a few seconds, moving her hand between us so she can admire the ring.
“It’s beautiful,” she says.
“Nowhere near as beautiful as you.”
She smiles up at me. “So, can we get married, and move into that house, and…”
“That’s the order you wanna do things? You wanna get married first and then move?”
“I think so. If that’s okay with you? I know it’ll mean organizing the wedding really fast, but…”
“Hey… I’m not complaining. I’ve waited long enough for this. I don’t wanna wait any longer.”
She chuckles and nestles in to me again. “Maybe we should speak to Peony.”
“I’ll call her in the morning.”
She grins. “And the realtor?”
“He’ll be my second call of the day.”
“And then we can be a family.”
I roll her onto her back, leaning over her, resting on my elbows, my lips hovering over hers. “I thought we’d discussed that just now,” I whisper as I kiss her. “Thanks to Aunt Clare, and thanks to you, we already are… we’re one big happy family.”
The End
Thank you for reading Second Chance with Seth .