Chapter 28
I know my passport that’s sitting in my drawer is confused as hell. Soon , little one, soon.
— Text from Maven to Athena regarding their next vacation
MAVEN
I should’ve known what would happen when I was wet and naked, and he’d just gotten home from work.
It had to be the police uniform that caught my eye, though, because I must’ve given him some sort of look.
Despite him just getting home and having zero sleep yet still needing to be at work in less than an hour, and me having to be at work to start the pastries in less than ten minutes, I didn’t protest when he spun me around and bent me over the bathroom counter.
“ Auden ,” I halfheartedly protested. “ We can’t…”
We totally could.
I owned my own business. And he was an adult. If he wanted to go without sleep, who was I to tell him he couldn’t?
“ We can,” he disagreed. “ In fact, I have plenty of time, and you’re always late. People know not to show up at your bakery on time.”
That was the truth.
At least, lately.
If I was being honest, I wanted it.
I wanted it bad.
I hadn’t seen him in almost forty-eight hours.
I’d gone to work early two mornings ago in an attempt to get some work done that needed done weeks ago. Work I’d neglected thanks to the media firestorm that was my ‘father’ forcing me to stay put and avoid crowds. Auden had been on shift, and I hadn’t seen him before I’d left. Then when I’d gotten back, he’d been asleep. Then I’d had a doctor appointment, and when I’d come back, he was gone for his shift.
And we’d played this back and forth game for what felt like forever.
Even now, I was needing to go, yet my body said ‘ When in Rome !’
I heard the telltale sigh of his zipper making its way down.
My toes curled in the plush carpet of our bathmat.
His cock pushed against my ass, and I squealed. “ That’s definitely my asshole, Auden .”
He chuckled. “ What if that’s where I want it?”
I paused, my breathing picking up, and said, “ Well , that’s fine for some other session when we have time to prepare. But we most definitely don’t have that time today.”
I mean, nothing had ever gone in my ass before, and I felt strongly something like that needed plenty of time for me to work up to. Oh , and gain the courage to allow it.
Because the thought of having his massive cock in my tiny little…
He shifted his cock and filled me.
I cried out in surprise, almost ecstatic when he shoved his fat cock home.
Which , of course, is when the front door opened and Garrett called out, “ Maven ? Did I catch you before you left?”
A small gasp left my lips before Auden’s hand came over my mouth.
“ Don’t ,” he whispered against my ear as I felt him reach out and catch the door to the bathroom. “ Fuck , baby. Don’t say anything.”
The quiet click of the door shutting felt like a gunshot blast in the quiet room.
Not once did he stop thrusting, either.
So smooth and slick, I felt like I was about to die.
Still wet from the shower, my hair a sopping mess between our bodies, I leaned backward as far as I could with the position we were in.
He kept his hand in place, but bent down so that his mouth was muffled, too, and groaned against my skin.
Doors were opening and closing, and I could hear them getting closer and closer to where we were.
The bathroom door didn’t have a lock, and I knew damn well and good that he was coming our way.
However , I couldn’t stop.
I could feel the release I’d been desperately needing barreling straight for me, and the movements of Auden’s hips were becoming choppier and choppier.
His panting breaths mingled with mine, and soon we were both falling over the edge.
A curse left Auden’s lips as he said, “ Say your name, sweetheart.”
“ I don’t know,” I admitted. “ Maven still, for now.”
He pulled away with a quiet chuckle.
I’d had a crisis in the car on the way home from learning how Brock Austin had kidnapped me.
The next day, I’d realized that, despite the disgustingness of the act Brock Austin had committed, my name was Maven . I wouldn’t be going by Marina , at least not yet, because I didn’t feel like a Marina .
All of my friends knew me as Maven .
My family didn’t care what they called me, as long as they had me.
And Auden rarely called me Maven .
It was always sunshine, baby, or cupcake.
“ I know y’all are done. For the love of all that’s holy, hurry up. I have something to show you!” Garrett yelled out.
I pulled away and started to clean up, very aware of just how late I was.
I was also more than aware that I’d yet to have my period, and it was becoming more and more apparent that I might’ve gotten a little… pregnant.
With everything going on, though, I didn’t want to think about it just yet.
I would.
But not yet.
The moment we were both decent—me in the clothes I’d be wearing to the bakery, and Auden in a pair of sweatpants that rode dangerously low on his hips—we headed out to the main room to find Garrett and Boss helping themselves to our breakfast that I’d made.
“ Hey !” I cried out. “ That was my way of forcing myself to eat healthy today.”
Garrett shrugged. “ You have pastries at work.”
“ I know,” I groaned. “ I was telling myself I needed to rein it in.”
Auden caught me around the hips as he pulled me into his lap at the head of the table.
I went willingly and pointedly looked at Garrett .
He shrugged then pulled out his phone and said, “ There was some excitement at the precinct last night.”
My brows rose as I leaned over and checked out his phone.
“ Scott was bailed out with a seventeen-million-dollar bond by Senator Wallace . He was then taken to his home in The Highlands in Houston where he will remain under house arrest until his trial,” Garrett said. “ And this…”
That’s when we saw the newspaper article.
“ Wow ,” I said as I stared at Brock’s face.
The article itself ripped him a new one.
Turns out, the people of Dallas didn’t take kindly to their leader kidnapping a child and holding her hostage for the entirety of her childhood.
The article explained all the felony counts that he had against him. How he was in a maximum-security prison. And three attempts had already been made on his life.
“ Why ?” I asked curiously.
“ One ,” Garrett said, “the men of the prison don’t take kindly to cops.”
“ And two?” I wondered.
“ Two , they don’t take kindly to men who abuse children.”
Auden’s words behind me sent chills racing down my spine.
“ Do you think he’ll make it to trial?” I wondered.
Auden didn’t mince words as he admitted, “ There’s no telling.”
I shrugged, then stood.
“ Well ,” I said, not sure what to say to that. “ He made his own bed, didn’t he?”
Auden stood up, too. “ Yeah , baby. He did.”
I walked to the counter and collected all my crap sans breakfast that Garrett was still eating.
And , because he was sitting there, all unconcerned about what he’d interrupted, I said, “ Hey , Garrett ?”
I backed toward the door, a grin on my face.
“ Yeah ?” he asked, pausing with my avocado toast halfway to his lips.
“ Since Auden is going to be sleeping all day, would you mind running to Walgreens and getting something for me?” I asked. “ And dropping it by Pie Hard ?”
“ I guess,” he conceded.
“ Cool ,” I had my hand on the doorknob. “ I need a couple of pregnancy tests.”
I closed the door on both men’s shocked faces.
I then giggled all the way to the car.
When I got in it, though, I sent Pepper a text saying I would be late.
She knew me well by now, and already had the open sign shining bright and the bakery lights blazing.
I switched from the text thread with Pepper to the group chat with the spouses of Carter men.
Me :
Bruh , just sayin’, but Garrett walked into our house today while I was getting some, and I have never been more embarrassed in my life.
Hollis :
Welcome to the club. Garnett walked in on Quincy and me. As did Germaine once. They both got onto me because we left the baby happily swinging in his swing, albeit awake, while we did it.
Ellodie :
Oh my God . I hope that never happens to us.
Shayne :
Happened to us just yesterday. Do you think the family has this sixth sense about us getting some, and tries to make things as awkward as possible?
Me :
I got back at him and asked him to stop by Walgreens for pregnancy tests. He’s going to do it, too, because he’s got to prove he’s not a pussy.
There was more texting going on, but I shoved my phone in my purse and got to work.
No , it wouldn’t do to be too late. Pepper was awesome, but she hated dealing with customers if she didn’t have to.
I got to work only twenty-three minutes late.
When I arrived, there was already a line out the door.
Two tables were already taken up by the old men who posted up shop every morning rain or shine.
I waved hello to them and was unsurprised to find Shasha and Nastya there at the counter ordering.
They came in every single day like clockwork as well, though they were usually much later than this.
“ What are y’all doing here so early?” I wondered as I breezed past and pushed behind the counter.
“ We heard from a little bridie that we needed to be here,” Nastya admitted.
I frowned and had just turned the corner to the break room when I saw the single cream cheese pastry on the counter waiting for me.
On the pastry was something really shiny.
I walked to it and gasped, staring at a ring with a note next to the plate that said, “ Marry me, Sunshine .”
My hand covered my mouth, and I turned, expecting to find Pepper or my siblings, but instead found Auden there, chest heaving, staring at me like he’d been poleaxed.
“ I was supposed to beat you here,” he breathed heavily. “ But you didn’t do your usual coffee run, and then you just dropped that bomb and left.”
I giggled. “ I’m sorry.”
His eyes narrowed. “ I still had Garrett run to Walgreens .”
I felt my smile getting wider.
“ Well ?” I asked.
He looked down at his shirtless self and said, “ I was supposed to be wearing something nicer than this, but I got distracted by you this morning. Then your news…”
“ Just get down on the knee and ask, Carter !” I heard my brother bellow.
Auden got down on one knee, plucked the ring from the pastry, and offered it to me. “ Will you marry me, Sunshine soon-to-be Carter ?”
The presumptuousness of this man…
“ Of course I will.”
Then I launched myself at him.
Garrett came in while I was licking the icing off the ring.
He had a bag stuffed full of pregnancy tests which he tossed on the floor, and left.
Dima took one look at the boxes—when he’d come in, I didn’t know—and shook his head. “ Mom and Dad would be ecstatic right now.”
I felt tears well in my eyes. “ I think they’d be dying right now.”
“ A new baby, and their own baby back?” Milena asked. “ They would be inconsolable. So happy they’d be unable to breathe through their tears.”
A tear of my own fell down my cheek at the loss of a set of parents who loved me so.
“ Get into that bathroom and test, baby,” Auden said. “ I’m dying to know.”