33. Zoe
33
Zoe
"Never love anyone who treats you like you're ordinary." – Oscar Wilde
T his past week I have felt like I’ve been living in some sort of a dream. The kind where you’re dreading to hear that inevitable sound of your alarm clock waking you up. Only so far, not only have I not been woken up, but I fall in deeper and deeper.
And even all those reasons I had made up in my mind about why we can’t be no longer seems important.
So what if he’s younger? He shows more maturity than all of my prior—older—boyfriends put together. Not to mention his love and care for Mellie has erased all my doubts about that long time ago.
So what if he’s never been in a relationship before me? He knows what he wants, unlike all the men I’ve dated before. And somehow that is me and my baby girl.
So what if every woman around town throws him flirtatious looks? He only has eyes for me. And he proves it every day. And night.
That man is insatiable, and I am just as crazy for him. I’m pretty sure he has a calendar where he marks days until my OBGYN appointment at six weeks where I should be cleared for sexual activities. Not that it has stopped him before.
He’s been bringing me orgasms like candies on Halloween night. In large quantities that put you into a sugar—orgasm—coma. Not that I mind. Not one little bit.
But it’s not just about sex. No, it’s about homemade breakfasts every morning and walks on the beach. It’s about him taking Mellie at night so I can sleep. It’s about foot rubs and cracking jokes to make me laugh. Chasing me through the house like a rabid dog, waiting to sink his teeth into my body. And I mean that literally.
It’s about sitting at the bar, watching him work his magic and be in his element. It’s about him calling to sing to Mellie before bed if he had to stay out to close the bar that night. And endless love messages to me at all hours of the day. Sometimes I wake up with him next to me in bed yet there is a new message on my phone that he sent in the middle of the night. Last one read:
I miss you in my sleep, so I had to wake up in the middle of the night to get my fill of you, Beastie. Sorry if my touches woke you up.
And while I wake up to sweet words, Matteo wakes up with a new bruise and yet he still comes to our bed every night.
That’s what it’s all about.
It's also about living at the moment. Something I never knew before he introduced chaos into my life.
So what if I fell in love with him? It was inevitable.
The roar of Matteo’s bike snaps me from my daydreaming on the porch where Mellie is hanging out on her baby swing.
No, we’re not sitting out here waiting for his return from wherever he went two hours ago. Absolutely not.
Oh, fine, we totally are, but it’s all Mel’s fault. She wanted her favorite human back so I was just keeping her company.
Fine, I wanted my man back too.
Matteo parks next to my car, those thick thighs of his hugging his iron horse right before he slides off, taking off his helmet and his long hair spills free.
That man is every woman’s walking wet dream. I swear.
“Mmm.” A soft whimper comes from me at the sight. I really, really love his hair. I love it when he treads his fingers through it, pulling it into a messy low bun like he’s doing right now. I love it even more when my fingers slip through that messy bun, pulling and tugging on it until it’s all loose again.
Something about that action just does it for me and I shift on the couch, trying to relief some of the pressure in my core. But it’s a lost cause because he spots us right away, flashing us his signature Matteo-grin and hurries our way, carrying a large bag in his hands.
As soon as he reaches us, he bends over, kissing Mellie’s forehead and the girl melts sight there and then for him, smiling at Matteo like he’s hung the moon and all the stars for her alone. “You missed me, my little watermelon?” he coos at her in a ridiculous baby voice that somehow my pussy responds to as well.
I need help.
“I missed you more!” he proclaims dramatically, and she gives him those in-love eyes. I love how much time and attention he gives her. Matteo makes Mellie his priority and that right there is what makes my heartbeat faster for this man.
After another minute of one-way conversation with my daughter, Matteo shifts his attention to me, and doubles over, clutching at his chest.
Right away panic sets into my bones and I rush to him, my hands on his face pulling him up to see what happened. “Matteo! Matteo baby, what’s wrong? What hurts? What do you need?”
“An oxygen tank,” he rasps out, trying to gulp fresh air and I’m becoming downright frantic.
“Why? Are you having an allergic reaction?”
“No, you just take my breath away,” he wheezes out, and I cluck my tongue.
You’ve got to be fucking kidding me! I’m about to scream a bloody murder when, in a flash, he pulls up, hauling me against his body and his lips sink into mine.
“Every.” Bite. “Damn.” Bite. “Time.” He doesn’t let me speak because he keeps kissing me, soothing the stings he just made, and I moan despite myself as his hand travels lower, down the column of my neck where he can feel the wild beating of my pulse.
“Hey, beautiful mama,” he says oh-so-casually.
“I’m going to kill you,” I tell him, but the bastard only grins and winds his arms around my waist, picking me up and kissing me breathless.
“I missed you so much.”
“You saw me two hours ago,” I tell him, feeling a soft smile on my face but inside my stomach is performing somersaults.
“Mm-hmm.” He kisses me again. “Two hours too long without you, Beastie. But I’m serious about that O2 tank.”
Yeah, I had no chance of not falling in love with Matteo. Zero.
“Tell me you didn’t forget me while I was gone? Because I spent each second away from you thinking about all the ways I will kiss your sweet body later.”
See? This is what I’m talking about.
“Feeling clingy, are we?” I tease him, and he huffs.
“You bet I am.” He nips at my lip. “Now tell me quickly before I check myself.” Yet he doesn’t wait for me to say anything and slips his hand into my leggings, moving toward my pussy and I yelp, slapping his hand away.
“Matteo,” I hiss. “We’re outside!”
“And?”
“Anyone can see us.”
“Good for them.” He smirks, pushing back toward my pussy. “Maybe they will learn a thing or two.”
“Matteo!” I bulge my eyes at him, squeaking.
“What?” He mimics my tone. “I need to check if your sweet little pussy didn’t forget me,” he whispers into my ear as his finger swipes over my wetness, and I shiver in his arms.
“Matteo, you’re unforgettable,” I whisper back, my eyes now hooded, voice husky and that ache in my core a full-blown inferno.
“Yeah?” He smiles teasingly and rubs my clit as I shudder. “Good,” he adds in a serious tone and his finger disappears from my pants, setting me back down on my wobbly feet.
Did he just…
“Matteo!” I whisper-hiss.
“Yeah, Beastie?” He smiles at me with the look of an angel boy, full of innocence and good intentions and not like he just brought me to an almost orgasm and left me hanging.
“I hate you,” I grumble, giving him the evil eye.
“Sure, you do.” He winks and proceeds to take out stuff from the huge bag he brought. The bastard is seriously not going to finish what he started. “Come look what I got for our girl.”
When I don’t make a move toward him, he smiles, rolling his lips and strolls toward me, gripping me by the waistline of my leggings and pulling me in as I stumble into his—per usual—nearly naked chest. “Come look what I got for our girl and then I’ll take care of your girl,” he purrs into my ear, and I dart for the bag with a little too much enthusiasm.
Matteo chuckles in the back and comes up behind me as I look through the million and one outfit he bought for Mellie.
“Oh my God, Matteo! Why are there so many clothes in here?”
He shrugs. “They were all so cute, I couldn’t decide on just a few. So I got everything I liked.”
Apparently, he liked the whole store. I look over the clothes quickly, noting that all of them are either in her size now or the next few up. He knows what size she wears. He knows how fast she grows and got her stuff that will be good for her in a month.
My heat melts once again for him and I am about to mount the guy right here and now—doctor approval be damned—when I catch sight of what it says on the onesies.
“Matteo, why does that onesie say, Margarita me, baby ?” I frown, looking to the other one. “Oh, this one’s even better,” I say, heavy on that sarcasm. “ Daddy and I have one thing in common, we both love mommy’s milk . Have you lost your mind? She’s not wearing that!”
“What? It’s the truth!”
“Matteo!”
“Fine, fine. We can keep that one for in-house wearing,” he pouts. “Look at this one.” Matteo picks up what seems like a cute, simple pink piece. That is until he flips it over and I see the back.
Don’t touch my watermelons is written on the butt area, and Matteo is wiggling his eyebrows at me. I run my tongue over my teeth and look at him. “You need help, Matteo. I swear.”
“Admit it, you love these.” He grins wide. “I got a whole bunch more!” Diving back into the bag, he pulls out what I have no doubt are more ridiculous pieces. “Jacob showed me this cool website—”
“I’m gonna stop you right there.” I put up my hand. “The second the name Jacob left your mouth; no further explanation is needed.”
“He’s the best.”
“Aha.”
Damn it, Hope was right. We should have never allowed them all to bond like this.
“Can you keep your duck on a leash?” I say as soon as my friend picks up her phone, her beautiful face filling the screen.
“Who? Francesca? She doesn’t wonder off,” Joy says, thinking I’m talking about actual live duck they have as a pet.
Mm-hmm. You heard that right.
“No, the one who impregnated you.” Joy sighs.
“What’d he do this time?” she asks, already knowing it’s something ridiculous. In true Jacob fashion.
“He has bad influence on Matteo.” I twist my face as Joy snorts.
“Let me guess. You now own a live crocodile because they get mistreated in the Zoos?”
“What?” I shriek. “I hope not!”
“Shame. I thought I could be off the hook if you guys already got one. Then it can’t be that bad.”
“You have a weird scale of bad, Joy.”
“Have you met my husband? Weird is his middle name. I’m only surviving over here.”
“Well, thanks to Jacob, Mellie now has a hundred onesies with inappropriate sayings on them.”
“And?” Joy lifts her eyebrow at me, clearly unimpressed. “Zoe, I’ve been living in shirts that say My wife’s boobs are better than yours , Duck duck baby mama and so on, as you are well aware. So, if I can take it, so can Mellie.”
I chuckle because I do know all about the clothes Joy and Jacob wear to work every day. And let's not forget the hugging socks.
“But since we are talking about bad influence…” Joy trails off, giving me the eye .
“What?”
“Not sure who is messing up who here. Just last night, your Matteo showed up with Mellie strapped to his front in that baby carrier, while he was holding a huge sign that said, Private property, keep your hands off these cheeks .”
I can’t help the snicker that comes out and roll my lips to prevent laughing full-on.
Matteo has been doing ridiculous things like that. He has about ten different signs he walks around with, while holding Mel. Ranging from innocent My baby girl is better than yours to Don’t even think about dating my daughter . My personal favorite is the one he made for the Fantastic Four and his mom in particular: If you steal my baby, I’ll bite you. Grandmas included .
“So, guess who made a fucking sign this morning?” Joy continues.
“Um, I’ll take a wild guess.”
“Bingo.” She snaps her fingers at me. “As if the ridiculous shirts, hugging socks and a rubber duck collection that screams ‘I am a secret maniac’ wasn’t enough for me.” Joy sighs but there is also that dreamy look on her face.
My grumpy friend wouldn’t change it for the world.
“Speaking of your puppy, where is he? Why isn’t he interrupting our conversation yet?” she asks, looking around the little screen for him.
This has been another new norm around here now. The first time Joy and I FaceTimed, Matteo came crashing into the room where I was sitting and planted himself right next to me. When I asked what he was doing there, he simply said he can’t be apart from me for that long.
I was on the phone for six minutes and forty-four seconds, insert eye roll…and ever since then, he’s taken to doing that every time. And always chipping in with his own comments here and there. Sometimes, he would just lay down next to me or with his head on my belly, asking with those puppy eyes for me to run my fingers though his hair.
Other times he would be next to me with Mellie, playing with her. But the point was to be with me. That’s all that mattered and maybe I should’ve found that weird or clingy, but the truth is, I don’t. I love how much he needs me, wants me.
Because I need him just as much.
But today he’s not home. A few of the employees at Love and Peace got sick and Willa couldn’t handle the bar on her own, so Matteo was forced to go to work.
God, it took me a solid hour of convincing him that we will not forget him and that I’ll call every half hour on the dot so he could see Mellie and if she’s awake, talk to her.
“He had to go to work,” I tell Joy.
“And he actually went?” she asks, her eyebrows touching the hairline.
See, everyone is very well-versed in Matteo’s obsession with Mellie and me by now.
“Yeah. He did.”
“You don’t sound too enthusiastic about that.” Joy looks at me with suspicion.
“I am.”
She laughs. “Yeah, that came out very convincing with that scowl on your face and growling tone.”
I fall face forward to the table, sending out a frustrated groan. “He flipping ruined me! I feel like a part of me is missing when he’s gone. I’m being irrational and clingy and jealous.” My head snaps up. “Do you have any idea how many girls throw themselves at him over there?”
“How many?” Is that a freaking smile on her face?
I narrow my eyes at my soon-to-be ex friend. “Too many. They just all sit there, batting their eyes at him while their nice, not-mom tits spill out of their barely-there tops.” And then I lose all control over myself when my voice turns high-pitch and fake, mimicking them. “ Ohhh, Matteo, I missed you, my pussy missed you too. Ohhh, Matteo, can you work me like that shaker? Ohhh, Matteo, I am so desperate for you, can I open my legs up for you right on this bar top? ”
I could keep going on and on if I didn’t get distracted by Joy’s booming laugh.
The bitch is literally twisted at her seat, laughing so hard she has to wipe the tears from her eyes.
“Well, I’m so glad someone finds my misery hilarious,” I grumble, and it takes her a good minute to calm down.
“Jesus, Zoe, you are so far gone for that stray of yours.”
“Tell me something I don’t know.”
“Go get ready,” she tells me, still smiling.
“For what?”
“For going out.”
“Why would we go out?”
“To stake your claim.” Joy lifts one corner of her lips in a devious smile. “So, you better dress to kill.”
“Who? Matteo?”
“Oh no, there isn’t a cell in that boy’s body that doesn’t know he’s yours.”
“Then who am I going to kill?”
“The delusional competition.”
I twist my lips, considering her plan and I like it. A lot. “I guess we’re going out.” We hang up and I look over to my daughter.
“Hey, baby girl,” I coo to Mellie, picking her up from her bouncer and kissing that sweet, chubby cheek. “Do you want to go see Matteo?” Mellie gives me a big smile. “Of course, you do. See, all the girls are crazy for him.”
I run through a quick shower while Mel hangs out in her bouncer next to me. It’s getting pretty chilly in the evenings now so I pull on my favorite jeans that cling to my ass like second skin with a black long sleave that does the same, and dips nice and low in the cleavage area. I fix my blonde waves and apply red stain on my lips. Last but not least, I put on my red heels.
Joy did say dress to kill, right?
Satisfied with my look, I go through the huge pile of clothes Matteo got Mel, looking for the one I need. Because I’m not the only one who is staking her claim tonight.
An hour later, I walk up to LPs with Mellie in her stroller, where Joy and Jacob are standing, waiting for us. And bickering. But knowing these two that’s most likely foreplay for them.
“I told you, you didn’t have to come,” Joy tells him and Jacob just huffs in response, folding his arms.
“Yeah, right. Like I’d ever let you go to this bar without me. Hey, Zoe.” He redirects his attention to us, smiling wide at Mel. “Plus, someone needs to watch my angel of a niece when Matteo sees his girl in that getup and drags her into the hallway.” He winks at me, and I feel my cheeks warm up.
God, I do hope so.
“Now, that’s what I was talking about.” Joy gives me an appraising gaze and smiles a little wickedly. “Yeah, Jackie, we are definitely going to be on babysitting duty tonight.”
“Stop it, you two.” I roll my eyes at them.
“I will gladly watch my goddaughter tonight.” Alec’s voice startles me from behind, and when I turn, I see him and Hope coming toward us.
“What are you guys doing here?” I ask them.
“Jacob told us about the plan. So, we came ready.”
Both Joy and I narrow our eyes at the said blabbermouth. “What?” he squeaks. “There is power in numbers.”
“You got that right, Viking,” Fanny says as she too, comes around the corner, cracking her neck, followed by Nina and Jenny.
“Please tell me you didn’t call the whole Love Hive here?” Joy grits out, shooting daggers at her husband.
“Of course not. Just a few trusted people.”
“So, what’s the plan? Do we get to trash talk?” Nina asks, looking way too excited about the prospect. “Willa already said she will be using her special cocktails on the bimbos tonight.”
“I call dibs on body force,” Fanny pipes out. “I’ve been meaning to try out this new kick, but Nerds refuses to let me practice on him,” she pouts.
I still question how in the world my sensible father ended up with Fanny of all people.
“Oooo, I love trash talking! And I need to practice on someone other than Nina,” Jenny exclaims, clapping her hands together. “Can I do it? Please, please, please?”
“Moooom,” Joy and Hope groan at the same time, and then Joy turns to her husband. “Just a few trusted people, yeah? There is nothing trustworthy about them. Those three are preschoolers on crack and now you’re on a whole new babysitting duty.” She smacks his chest.
“Grace just texted that they can’t make it. Something about Luke finishing another one of her romance novels.” Hope reads out a text message, and Joy mutters, “Thank God for small miracles.” While glaring at Jacob. “Who else did you text?”
“No one, I swear.” He lifts his hands up in surrender.
“Please kindly text her that we will not be showing up with ice packs and Advil again,” Joy responds. “She needs to get on our schedule after Zoe.”
“Oh my God, Joy!” I groan. “I will not be needing that tonight.”
“I happen to disagree.” Nina winks at me. “You look stunning.”
“Can I just say how happy I am that our plan has once again worked out,” Jenny adds with tears in her eyes, and I want to question what plan they’re talking about, but Mellie starts fussing, pulling my attention from the crazy women.
I swear my daughter can feel when Matteo is close by and is getting impatient with waiting for so long.
“Okay, just so we’re clear…” I turn to face the circus. “There is no plan. There will be no trash talking and definitely no body force,” I point to them.
“Oh, but she’s fine with Willa’s cocktails,” Fanny grumbles under her nose.
“Duh, that’s her mother-in-law.” Jenny elbows her.
“Hey, I am practically her stepmother! Where is my special treatment? Just one kick?” She looks to me half pleading, half with an unveiled threat.
“Jacob.” I look heavenward. “Thank your lucky stars that you’re married to my best friend and happen to be my daughter’s uncle, otherwise I’d unleash Fanny on you right about now for doing this.”
“I just wanted to help!”
“Baby, next time before you want to do anything , please talk to me first, mmkay?” Joy says. “I’m the brains in this family.”
“And what am I for?”
“Your hair and dick.”
“That’s all you need from me?” He sounds affronted and it’s quite the picture to see this huge Viking guy with tattoos pouting.
“Fine. Your sparkling personality as well.”
“Okay, change of plans.” I clap my hands together. “You’re all going home.”
“Kidding me? I’m not missing the cat fights.” Fanny pushes her way past me then hollers, “Plus, I promised your dad I’d play your bodyguard.”
“God, this just keeps getting better and better.”
“Well, if she gets to go, so do we,” Nina says, grabbing Jenny’s arm and they disappear into the bar.
“Okay, no offence, but for once, we are not in the eye of the shitstorm and I am not missing this show,” Alec adds and slips past me with Hope in tow who is throwing me an apologetic look.
“That will be twenty-five cents!” I yell after him, inhaling and exhaling deeply. “I hate you.” I shake my head at Jacob but before he opens his mouth to respond, Alec’s head pops back out.
“Hey, um, about that claim.” He clears his throat when we all stare at him. “You better get in here.” Alec disappears back inside.
What does that mean? What is going on inside there? I find my pulse beating wildly in my veins, that heart of mine galloping in my chest as my worst-case scenarios play out like a movie and before I can think twice, I storm inside.
“Now, aren’t you happy I brought backup, Wildflower?” I hear Jacob say but the sound is distant in my foggy brain.
Funny, before this guy crashed into my life, making himself a nice and cozy spot in there, I would never entertain a single murderous thought about another woman. I would simply walk away, nursing my yet again broken heart.
However, as soon as I step inside LPs and my eyes lock in on that skank’s hand on my man’s arm, there are no murderous thoughts in my head. Oh, no, they are now plans set in motion.