Chapter 40
Dax
“What the fuck do I look like?”
I check my anger when Ruby extends her arms to me. I take her from her loser father and kiss her fat cheeks. She shrieks and grabs one of my ears.
“My mom’s not here. I can’t afford daycare, and you won’t let me quit. Not only that, but you’re taking most of my money.”
“That’s the money you stole from me, you idiot,” I sneer.
“Well, you stole Cori, so get off your high horse. This is for Ruby, not me. There’s a spot in the daycare, but I can’t afford it. It’s over two grand a month.”
Ruby grabs my nose, and her fingernails dig into my skin. I take her hand and note that no one has trimmed her fingernails in a while.
“We’ll add it to your tab,” I growl, but Ruby gurgles and I bounce her.
“I have to go to the body shop.” The idiot looks at his wrist. “Gotta be there in half an hour.”
“Then get the fuck on.” I hand him Ruby, but she starts to whine and moves away from him. She wraps her chubby arms around my neck.
“Can Ruby stay with you? I’ll get her later.”
“I’m not your babysitter.” I make sure to soften my tone so Ruby won’t sense that I’m upset. I would have no issues watching her, but my wife won’t be happy with me. Since we’re in such a good place, I won’t want to upset that.
But when I try to hand her over, she cries and moves away from her father.
Josie would do this as a baby, and I always trusted her judgment, even as an infant.
Mom says babies and dogs have a sixth sense, and they know who the good people are.
If Ruby doesn’t want to be around her father, she shouldn’t be.
“Get out of here before I change my mind.” He hands me the diaper bag, and I check it before he leaves. It’s filled with the clothes we bought when in Chicago, but there are only three diapers and no wipes. I tell him to get out of my sight, and he goes.
I hold my breath when Cori finally makes it home. She doesn’t say anything when she sees Ruby in my arms, but her steps stall. Her cute little nostrils flare, and she looks away.
“There was no one else to watch her,” I say quickly. “You won’t have to do anything.”
She nods and kicks off her shoes.
“I brought dinner.” She holds and points to the big, brown paper bag. “Sit down, and I’ll set the table.”
She puts the bag on the island before she grabs three plates.
Finch follows her around, and she only startles once.
This is what I want, but it seems too easy.
The girl I fell for would put up a fight, but she caved, and I’m not dumb enough to believe this turn of events.
At least not yet, but I don’t question it.
She sets the table, and I sit with Ruby on my lap. I also make a mental note to buy and hide a highchair for her, along with a stash of diapers, wipes, and clothes. I also had to use my own nail clipper to trim her nails, so I’ll need to buy her one.
I feed Ruby mashed potatoes and mashed chicken. She eats, claps her hands, and babbles. The only thing that rings true about this is that Cori doesn’t look at or interact with the baby at all.
“Sweetheart, have you ever held a baby before?” She stops chewing and slowly looks up from her plate. “Without passing them off after a few seconds?”
“I don’t have those feelings.” She shoves a forkful of potatoes in her mouth.
“What feelings?”
“Maternal. I wasn’t born with that instinct. I bet my womb probably doesn’t work.”
I roll my eyes to the ceiling and decide not to pursue it further. I think her issue is more about her brother than Ruby.
“I’ll clean up if you want to give Ruby a bath before you take her home.” She stands and reaches for my plate, but I move it away because I’m not done. Ruby takes a handful of my mashed potatoes and slaps them on my cheek. Cori chuckles.
“Do that again, munchkin,” Cori says with a laugh. Ruby giggles, and as if she understands, reaches for my plate again.
“Where are you, you worthless piece of shit?” I whisper into the phone.
This is what I get for helping that idiot.
Cori warned me, but I didn’t have the heart to ignore the baby.
She’s sound asleep in the middle of the bed while Cori watches a show on her iPad.
She has AirPods in her ear and is completely detached from the situation.
It’s like she’s saying I told you so without saying the words.
It’s almost eleven. I’m tired, and I’m horny, but I doubt I’ll get to satisfy either tonight. I lie next to Ruby, and she might as well be an ocean separating me from Cori tonight.
She pulls the AirPods from her ears, turns off her lamp, and gives me her back. She’s in that ugly house dress and a pair of ugly brown socks. I still want to fuck her, but I know it won’t happen tonight.
“Good night, wife.” I reach over Ruby and rub her shoulder. Cori chuckles, and I’m sure it’s due to the annoyance in my voice.
“Not for you, it won’t be. And just so you know, doormats and martyrs don’t turn me on.”
And she was right. Ruby tossed and turned, waking up about four times.
By the time morning came around, I was exhausted, hungry, and still horny.
While my wife slept, I drove Ruby to her grandparents’ house.
The door was unlocked, and when I walked in, I found him asleep on the couch and snoring loudly.
I kick his foot, and he groans, so I kick him again, only harder.
“What the fuck?” He sits up, and I lay the car seat at his feet.
“Take the day off. Go to the daycare and enroll her. I’ll call them to set up payment.” I turn on my heel.
“You couldn’t even give me a few more hours. I’m exhausted.” Instead of turning around and punching him in his face, I walk out and resist the urge to slam the door.
Cori is in the bathroom, gargling when I return home. Once she finishes, I wrap an arm around her waist and carry her back to the bedroom. I put her on her feet and open the ugly house dress.
“I’m going to burn that ugly fucking thing.”
“What the hell—” the rest of her words get drowned out by my kiss. My hand covers her breast, and I push her down on the bed and climb on top of her.
“I want to fuck my wife, and that’s what I’m going to do.”
“Then stop talking and do it, big daddy.” She kisses me while she fumbles with my belt. I help her, and seconds later, my pants and boxers are off. My shirt is pulled over my head, and I roll my wife on the bed and kiss my way south.
I lick and suck her pussy until she comes on my face, then I slide my hard dick inside of her. Her head rolls back, and my name comes out as a groan.
I take all of my frustration out on her. I fuck her so hard her cries fill the room. It doesn’t take me long to come inside of her. I’ve never wanted a woman as much as her, and no one else has ever taken me to such heights.
My dick softens but remains inside. I kiss her softly, and she kisses me back. I finally slide out of her and roll off her body, but I pull her to my side so I can stroke her soft skin.
“I needed that,” I finally say. A loud clap of thunder takes me by surprise, and I pull the cover over us. She doesn’t argue. Her eyes close, and we fall asleep in the early morning in each other’s arms.
“I made this just for my beautiful wife.” She blushes, but she doesn’t reply. I take a piece of melon with my hands and put it to her lips. She opens and licks my fingers in the process.
After making sure her tray is secure, I slide into the bed next to her with my own tray. Despite having the same omelet, I offer her some of mine. She takes it and feeds me some of her food.
Once we finish eating, I put the trays on the floor and pull her back into my arms. The rain is still coming down, and I have nowhere I need to be today. Her hand rests on my stomach, and I kiss her forehead.
“Can I ask you something?” Her soft words fill the room moments later.
“You can ask me anything, Bella. You know that.” I take her chin and force her eyes on me. “But I need to know that I can trust you with what I share.”
She looks up and searches my face. “Is this what you wanted to do with your life?”
“No. I have a degree in biology. I thought medicine was in my future. You want to know what I wanted to do with my life?” She nods. “I wanted to find a cure for multiple sclerosis. That’s what killed my stepfather.”
“Oh. I know all that. I guess what I want to know is, why Shadow Cove? Why here?”
“My mother’s cousin floated the idea.” I grin at that.
“Who is your mother’s cousin?”
My smile deepens. “She owns Seven Heaven.”
She sits up and looks down at me with her mouth hanging open. “Ms. Hazel is your cousin, and she told you to come here? Why am I just finding out about this now?” She drops herself back on the bed. “I knew she was on the take. I knew it.”
“Seven Heaven was the first business we used here, but that’s all I’m going to tell you, you nosy thing.” I tap her nose. She doesn’t ask anymore. Her eyes get heavy, and she snuggles closer to me. I run my hand down her naked back until I get to her plump ass.
“It sounds like you had a lot of responsibility put on you. Stuff that you didn’t ask for. You could have been a neurologist. Tell me more about you. What college did you go to?”
“I went to NYU.”
“Did you have a girlfriend there?” That question takes me by surprise. I lean back and look into her eyes as I mull my words.
“A few,” is all I say.
She lets out a loud whistle. “A playa, huh?” She giggles.
“Never that. They weren’t serious. I never felt for anyone the way I feel about you,” I whisper.
“And how is that?” There’s a different tone to her voice now. She almost sounds nervous.
“Well,--”
“Stop. Don’t say anything you don’t mean.”
“What do you think I was going to say?”
“You were probably going to say how you care for me or whatever, but I know I was something you wanted. You like to acquire things. I’ve figured that out about you.
You have everything a person could want or need.
You can probably also have any woman you want because you’re handsome, and I was the one who said no. ”
I grasp her chin, and instead of arguing with her, I plant a loud kiss on her lips.
“You’re not ready to hear that yet, and that’s okay, but you were never something I wanted to possess just because I could.
You’re not one thing, sweetheart. You’re everything.
From the moment you caught my attention, you’ve been it. Don’t I show you?”
She looks away and refuses to answer.
“But since you want to know more, I got into the UCLA School of Medicine. It was my first choice. I couldn’t wait to be on the West Coast and away from the cold.
I was looking at apartments, and everything went to hell.
I had to make a different choice, and I don’t regret it.
I would choose my family all over again if I had to. ”
“Unlike me, you mean?” There’s an edge to her voice now.
“I’m not comparing. Those are two different situations. You didn’t choose to stay. I did. And sweetheart, you can go to school or do whatever you want now. You never have to work again.”
“It’s not the same. You only have a small window in your life to be a carefree student. Now, I’ll be older. Married. I can’t get drunk and sleep in all weekend."
I let out a bark of laughter. “I hope not. I’m sure you got drunk plenty of times in the past ten years.”
“Yeah, like the time me, Eden, and Selene went to New Orleans for Mardi Gras.” She giggles at the memory, and my ears perk up while I wait to hear more.
“We stayed at this shitty motel, even though it was super expensive. Don’t tell anyone this, but we showed our tits to everyone.
You should have seen how many beads we collected. ”
Her last statement stuns me, and I burst into laughter.
“Thank goodness you won’t be able to do that when you go back with my mom.”
“Unless I can get her to flash her tits too.”
Cori giggles after seeing the stunned look on my face.
“You’ve traumatized me, Bella, but tell me more about you and design school.”
“When I had to give it up for the second time, I made peace with the idea that I would never go. I’m fine with that. I can still sew, and I can still run a business.”
“But now you can get the credentials, too. You know why that matters for you? Because you’re not just good, you’re talented, and haters will say that you’re not trained.
That’s why you should go. Your credentials are something no one can take away from you.
They can’t dispute that you’ve earned it. It’s one way to silence the naysayers.”
“But what if I can’t do it? What if it’s too much while running a new business?” She takes a deep breath. “I’ve never done either before, but I’m supposed to combine them?” Her beautiful eyes fill with unshed tears. “I don’t know if I can, Daxton. I can’t take another failure.”
A single tear slides down her cheek, and I swipe it away. I remember the conversation she had with her mother in the hospital.
“Hey, now. What have you failed at?” She opens her mouth to answer, but I talk over her. “Nothing. You’ve failed at nothing. You didn’t pursue your dream because of circumstances that were out of your control.”
“Not true. I had a choice.” She sniffles.
“An impossible choice. A choice no one should have asked you to make. Your family put their needs above yours, and that was shitty of them. I want to give you everything you missed out on. I’ll even get drunk with you next weekend if you want. I’m not cleaning up your puke, though.”
“Yes, you would.”
“Okay. I would.”
She lets out a half-laugh, half-sob before she crawls into my arms. I hold her against me. She doesn’t speak about it anymore, and I let it drop, but I still feel like she’s resisting, and I want to know the reason why.
This is the thing she wanted that got away, and I’m offering it to her, but she hasn’t agreed to take it.