Mercy
H earing Cash’s story and the way that he opened up to her, finally letting her in, made her want him all the more. Hell, he and Callan were all that she could think about for the past six months. Of course, carrying their baby didn’t help matters. Every flutter and stretch mark had her thinking back to that night with the two of them. The ways that they took her over and over, using her body for their pleasure and giving her so much in return gave her some great late-night fantasies. She imagined the three of them together, happy about the new little life that they created, and she turned to a puddle of mush. She knew that her fantasy couldn’t be further from the reality that she faced alone daily. That still didn’t stop her from longing for them both.
When Cash brought her back to the bar and they found Callan in the parking lot, she secretly hoped that they would both drag her upstairs and remind her of how they both wanted her. But Callan walking away so angry with her and Cash nipped that idea in the bud. Honestly, both men had every right to be upset with her. Hell, they should be pissed that she kept her pregnancy from them for over six months. She was afraid of what would happen if the two of them found out that she was having their baby. She was afraid of how the whole damn town would act if it became common knowledge that she had a threesome and got pregnant. She was sure that the hospital would let her go, just as they had Emily, and she needed her job. It was the only thing keeping her and her gram from living on the streets.
Her grandmother’s pension only stretched so far, and they relied heavily on ’s paychecks. She was working extra hours at the hospital trying to squirrel away every cent she could for when she needed to take a few months off. There were a few nurses in her department who were single moms, and they worked themselves ragged just trying to pay for daycare. She was sure that her grandmother wouldn’t be able to take care of the baby. She shouldn’t have to either. Her gram raised her kids and now, it was her time to enjoy life. She was extremely active at the local senior center and was even dating one of the older gentlemen who also went there named Joe. thought it was adorable the way that they liked to go to bingo together and even get dressed up to attend the dances that they held at the center. Her gram seemed quite taken with Joe and was happy for her. She didn’t want her mistakes to come back and hurt her grandmother. She hadn’t even told her that she was pregnant yet, although her gram had hinted at knowing.
knew that the day of reckoning was upon her and that she was going to have to tell everyone about the baby. He or she would be there in less than three months and then she’d have no choice. She counted herself fortunate that she hadn’t shown much but now she noticed her little tummy growing more each day. Her only saving grace was that she wore scrubs to work, and they hid many flaws, including her ever-expanding waistline.
“So now what?” Cash stood in front of her not quite knowing what to do. She begged him to let her in and he had but he was trying to push her away and she was afraid that she wouldn’t be able to reach him again. shrugged, not sure what her next move should be. She was afraid that anything that she would try might push him further away.
“I don’t know Cash. I guess I go home and when the baby comes, I’ll call both you and Callan to come to the hospital to be tested.” Cash’s frustrated growl told her that he wasn’t too happy with that idea.
“You told me not to push you away, to let you in, little one. How about you do the same for me?” She looked up to find so much intensity in Cash’s green, soulful eyes that she almost felt the need to look away. stood her ground refusing to be a coward.
“I’m not sure what you want from me Cash,” whispered.
“A chance,” he growled back. “I want a fucking chance, little one.” wasn’t quite sure why he kept calling her that. He had the first night they were together, and she had to admit, the nickname made her hot. She thought about what Cash was asking her for. Her heart wanted to leap at the offer and give him exactly what he was asking for because she wanted her chance with him more than she wanted her next breath. But what if she gave in to him and he ended up not being her baby’s father? Would he want to stick around and watch her raise her baby with Callan, would he still want her then?
Cash growled in frustration and pulled her into his arms as if he was done waiting for her to make up her mind. “Enough thinking, . Let’s just feel.” He hauled her up against his body and kissed her senseless. He licked and sucked his way into her mouth until she was breathlessly panting for air. “A chance,” he whispered carefully lowering her back to the floor.
shook her head, he drove a hard bargain, and the man didn’t exactly play fair using his big, sexy body and kissing skills to persuade her.
“A chance,” whispered, nodding.
They spent the next couple of hours talking about their pasts and getting to know each other. was pleasantly surprised that Cash was very funny, often telling little stories that had her laughing so hard she was sure that she was going to pee her pants. When she couldn’t stop yawning Cash pulled her into his arms and asked her to spend the night with him. A part of her panicked, not knowing how to answer him. She wanted to stay with him but being with Cash without Callan felt wrong. wasn’t sure how she was going to tell Cash how she felt and honestly, after everything he told her about Jasmine and Slade, she wasn’t sure that now was the time to share her feelings about Callan. She still wanted them both, that hadn’t changed for her. The problem was that she suspected that wanting them both wouldn’t change the fact that neither of them wanted to share her.
Cash reluctantly agreed to drive her home, and he even gave her a scorching kiss goodnight, standing on her grandmother’s front porch. “Will I see you again?” asked, dipping her head to hide her face in his neck. She felt embarrassed to even ask him such a silly question. At the very least, she’d see him after the baby came.
“I’d like that, little one. How about if we have dinner this week? I don’t want to push you, but I would like to be a part of this.” He reached his hand under Callan’s jacket to cup her tummy. gasped, not knowing if letting Cash get involved with the baby was a good idea. “Just think about it, . Please?” She hesitantly nodded and let him give her one last soft kiss before she headed into her house.
The lights were all off and she guessed her gram had already headed up to bed. pulled back the blinds in the living room to watch Cash get into his pickup truck and pull off. A part of her was sad that the evening was over and the other part of her felt like a traitor for spending the night with Cash alone. She hugged Callan’s jacket around her body and thought about calling him. She needed to return his jacket but calling him this late might not be a good idea. But after the way that he reacted to the news about the baby, thought that giving him some space might be the way to go.
“Well, that was one fine-looking young man,” Gram said, startling her. jumped and yelped, resting her hand on her bump but quickly pulling it away. Her grandmother chuckled, “Sorry to give you a start, honey. I just wanted to see the reason you were out so late. I was hoping that you’d meet someone at Emily’s wedding.” ’s grandmother didn’t seem to mind the fact that her two closest friends were both happily married in a polyamorous relationship. Her grandmother didn’t even seem to blink when she told her the news, explaining to that she and her friends didn’t invent the wheel.
“Gram, you scared the hell out of me,” barked. “Where you spying on Cash and me?” eyed her grandmother suspiciously not putting it past her to peek in on them.
Her grandmother shook her head, crossing her heart with her fingers but her sly smile gave her away.
“If you’re asking if I watched your new bow kiss you on my front porch, well then I have to say that I did.” tisked at her grandmother and giggled. “Well, I only watched for a minute or two, just until he left.” Her grandmother chuckled and patted the sofa for to sit next to her.
“Tell me all about him,” Gram asked and God, found herself wanting to spill the whole sorted story, but she was too afraid that her grandmother would be disappointed in her. Out of all the people that she was hiding her pregnancy from; Gram was the hardest not to tell. burst into tears covering her face with her hands. It was all too much. Seeing Cash at the wedding and having him and Callan find out about the baby. Cash and Callan were so close that she could literally reach out and touch them both, only to have Callan storm off pissed about the baby. And now, wanting them both even more than she had over these past six months. Seeing them was a mistake and telling them about the baby was an even bigger problem. She knew that she was going to have to cancel her dinner date with Cash. Being with him and not Callan wasn’t an option for her, and she wouldn’t lead Cash on. He had been through enough and she wouldn’t hurt him further. She was just going to have to stick with her original plan and wait until the baby was here to figure out which one of them was the father. First, she was going to have to start telling people about the baby. He or she was going to be here before she knew it and she knew that Gram had to be the first to know that their lives were about to become a little more chaotic.
“I’m pregnant Gram,” she sobbed.
Her grandmother stroked her hand down ’s back, just like she used to do when she was a little girl. “I know dear,” her grandmother whispered. “Judging from how upset you are I’d say that the young man who was kissing you goodnight is the father.”
sobbed louder, not sure if she could even get the next part out. She shook her head, trying to calm down enough to get the whole sorted story out. “I don’t know which one of them is the father.” peeked through her fingers to find her grandmother softly smiling at her and she pulled her hands free from her face. “Wait, you’re not mad or shocked?” asked, confused by her grandmother’s reaction to her news.
“I told you before honey, you didn’t invent the wheel. Sex has been around longer than I have and I’m ancient.” Her grandmother laughed at her joke. “How about you start at the beginning? I figure you're about six months along?” nodded and wiped her runny nose on the sleeve of Callan’s jacket, making a mental note to clean it before she returned it to him.
“I’ll get the ice cream from the freezer, and you clean yourself up and meet me in the kitchen. We can have a real pow-wow, just like we used to when you were a little girl.” nodded and stood to head to the bathroom feeling somewhat relieved that her grandmother finally knew about the baby.
“Thanks, Gram.” bent to kiss her grandmother’s cheek and padded back to the bathroom. Taking the first step and telling Gram about the guys and the baby gave her the courage to text Callan. At the very least, she needed to return his jacket, but she was hoping that he’d let her at least explain and apologize for not telling him about the baby. She sent the message and held her breath, hoping that he’d text back, but she had no such luck. She pocketed her phone and headed back to the kitchen to spill her guts to her grandmother over ice cream sundaes. That and a good night's sleep might help things look brighter in the morning, at least she hoped so.