I haven't been this excited about a date in a very long time. Don't get me wrong. I'm an extrovert by nature. I love going out and meeting people, going on dates, and of course, sex. But the idea of spending time with Quincy made it really hard to stay focused during practice yesterday.She's not the type of girl I normally go for, but the type of girl I normally go for will also drop her panties with just a smoldering look sent in her direction. I can thank David Beckham for bringing professional soccer the fanbase it has these days.I climb the stairs to the second story of her apartment building. It's an older complex but it's smaller, too. Three units on top, three on bottom. I knock on the door, noticing the landscaping is up-to-date and the building is kept up nicely. It's also in a pretty good neighborhood. It makes me feel better to know she's not living in a dump with a four-month-old.The door opens, revealing a frazzled looking Quincy, who is holding an almost naked Chance.
I lean over the wall, dangling my arm in water up to my forearm. I'm waiting for a stingray to swim by, but I'm also avoiding Daniel's eyes. Ever since I came into the living room to find him shirtless, I've been getting vibes from him. The kind of vibes that signal a very strong attraction between two people. I'm not sure if it's because he caught me staring at him or if it's because of my shorts. They're pretty short. Either way, it's becoming more and more obvious that we aren't just attracted to each other's personalities. I haven't felt attraction like this in a long time. If I'm being truthful, it makes me a little nervous.What if I like him more than he likes me?What if he only wants to get in my pants?I put the obnoxious girly thoughts out of my head. I've never had thoughts like these before about any guy. I've always known I'm worth more than what I offer a guy in bed. It must be the lack of sleep catching up with me.I squeal as the baby stingray avoids my hand completely
"Don't sell yourself short," he says. "Raising your nephew isn't a negative at all. If anything, it highlights that you're caring and generous and loyal. If a man can't see that, you're looking at the wrong man."Our waiter reappears to take our order. I fumble my way through it as I quickly decide what I want, still taken aback at the turn of this conversation. But Daniel's right. Just because Chance and I are a package deal now, doesn't mean I'm not still the total package. Sometimes it takes someone else to point it out."Your family sounds really great," I say, fiddling with the condensation on my glass after the waiter leaves. "Sounds like you guys are really tight."He has a strange look on his face. "For the most part, we are.""What do you mean?""My brothers and sisters and I are really close and we're all close with our mama.""But?""I don't talk to my dad."I cock my head, sure I didn't hear him correctly. "Your dad?" He nods. "The guy who coached all your soccer teams and
I push open the door and step into the house, amidst all the chaos and noise, and think It's good to be home.I can't always get away for Sunday dinners during the season, but today is an exception, and I've been looking forward to it all week. All my brothers and sisters show up with their kids. Mama usually makes enchiladas of some kind and all the fixings to go with it. I don't know how she does it, but not only do we get our fill, she always makes enough to send us away with leftovers. That might be my favorite part."Tio Daniel!" a little voice squeals, and I see a mass of dark curls barreling toward me. I catch her as she launches herself into my arms."Mila," I say with a smile, hugging her tightly. "How's mi corazon?""I'm four now, Tio," she says, holding up four fingers so I don't misunderstand how old she is.My eyes get wide. "That's a whole lot of fingers on that hand! You're practically a grownup!" If it's possible, her smile gets even brighter. I give her a kiss on the h
I sit back, trying to figure out how to proceed in this conversation. Before I can think of anything to say, Nicholas beats me to it."I'm tired of being a virgin. I wanna know what all the fuss is about, ya know?""I do know." I take a deep breath. "But let me ask you a question, man to man.""Okay.""Does this girl… Tamela? That's her name?" He nods. "Does Tamela know the only reason you asked her to the dance is so you can have sex with her?""I don't know. I mean, everyone knows she'll pretty much sleep with anyone, so it can't be too much of a surprise.""But does she know that's what you're expecting from her? Because I have to say, Nicky, if she thinks you asked her out because you actually like her, and she finds out at the dance that it's only because you want to get with her, that's a really dick move."His head snaps up. "Oh, come on, Tio. You're really gonna go there? I'm not stupid. I've seen pictures of all the women you're banging. You're with someone new every week. You
The first thing I notice is all the red. It's everywhere. Red jerseys, red face paint, red stadium.The stadium where the Mutiny play is impressive. Just outside downtown, it's almost shaped like the bottom half of a soccer ball."I can't believe this is your first soccer game," Geni says as we walk with the crowd toward the front gates. "They are so fun. Like nothing you have ever experienced before." Like the majority of people around us, Geni is showing her team spirit dressed in a tight fitting Mutiny jersey and matching baseball cap, long red hair pulled through the back in a low ponytail. "How come I didn't know you were such a huge soccer fan?" I ask, looking down at my plain red T-shirt. I'm lucky I found something in the team colors in my closet."Because I'm not a super fan. I love coming to games, and I definitely keep up with all the single and available players," she says with a wink, "but I don't watch on TV or pay close attention to their schedule or anything. You know
You're right.That's all the text from Nicholas says. Despite its terseness, I know exactly what he's talking about. We haven't spoken since our conversation about Homecoming a few weeks ago. I'd left him with lots to think about. But he's a good kid. His dad may be a dick, but stepdad Aaron's been around a while, and before that, my brothers and I made sure Nicky had good male role models. I text him back as soon as I pull into Quincy's lot and park my car.Me: I'm glad you think so. Now what are you going to do about it?Nicky: I asked her if she wanted to go on a real date with me. Before the dance. Me: And? Nicky: And we're going to the movies tomorrow night.Me: No expectations of sex?Nicky: Nope. I've been sitting with her at lunch a couple times a week. And we've partnered up in biology. She's actually really cool. Me: I figured she probably was. Now treat her like a lady and get to know the person she is with her clothes on before you wonder what she's like with her clothe
The first thing that pops up on the screen is a woman on a bed and a man is with her. With his head between her legs for a very long time. And now there's nipples, lots and lots of nipples. And his head is still between her legs."Still trying to convince yourself it's not high-budget porn?" I joke, trying to break the sexual tension that has sprung up again."Oh my god, this is so awkward," she replies, eyes still on the screen. Her ears turn bright red, which is apparently her version of a blush. She looks so uncomfortable. I sip my beer and munch popcorn, ignoring the woody in my pants from imagining that it's Quincy and me on the screen. When all else fails, insert humor. "Man, he's really going at it, isn't he?""Would you shut up?" She laughs and smacks my arm. "This is weird enough without you making jokes.""Sorry. I'll just sit here quietly while we watch the non-porn." She rolls her eyes but smiles anyway.Two hours later, Jamie and Claire have gone at it multiple times, all
The snick of the lock unlatching when I wave my key fob in front of the door is the first real sign that life is going back to normal. Well, as normal as life can be after a new little human has come into the world. But as I step through the door and into the newsroom, I realize nothing has changed. The scanners are still squawking. Reporters are still making calls and typing. Televisions still glow with every local station and CNN ready to be monitored. The only difference is the person at the assignment desk."Hi Tom," I greet as I grab a huge stack of mail I'll need to sort through upstairs. There's too much to go through down here."Tiffany." He tips his head at me and goes back to his business. Tom took over for Caleb when he moved upstairs. He's a little older than everyone else in the newsroom. His hair and neatly trimmed beard are almost gray. He's pleasant enough, just sticks to himself. We definitely don't have the same kind of rapport Caleb and I use to have.That also mean
Rowen makes sure we're all settled before kissing me on the top of the head and throwing on his sweats. "What do you want to eat? My mam brought bangers and mash.""I'll leave that for you," I joke, knowing it's his favorite. "But do we still have any of that grilled chicken salad? I don't know why but it sounds really good.""Yep. I'll go grab it for you."The last three months have been an adjustment, but overall, it's gone really well. Cace is a great baby, but I didn't expect anything less with him being Rowen's child. Well, that's not exactly true. A part of me always remembered Ryan is his grandfather, so I know there's some ornery in there waiting to come out. But for the most part, he's very docile. Cries when he's hungry, fusses when he's wet, but otherwise even-tempered. And my in-laws have been wonderful. Sure, the men argue all the time about the safest way to hold the baby or the best cleaning products. Denise and I just laugh at the ridiculousness and let them hash it ou
"Keep doing that," I moan, grabbing Rowen's hair and pulling him closer to my core. His tongue still does magical things to my lady parts and today, he's going to town. Licking, nipping, and sucking as he inserts two fingers inside me, hitting just the right spot. "Oh, that's it. Right there… ohgod…"My orgasm hits me fast and hard, just the way I like it these days. He continues to suck on my clit as the waves overtake me, riding me to that sated feeling I love. But he's not done yet.As soon as I've come back down to earth, he kisses up my body, paying special attention to the scar that now mars my abdomen. When I look at my stomach, I see flabby skin that hasn't tightened up yet and a knife wound. But Rowen tells me it's beautiful. That it's a reminder of the sacrifice I made to give him the best gift he's ever received - our son. Coming from anyone else, I'd say they were full of shit. But coming from Rowen, I know he means every word. Because of it, I still feel beautiful. It al
"I know you'll be here when you can, Mom," I say through FaceTime on my phone. "Really, all we're going to do for the next few weeks is sleep and eat anyway. Maybe bathe."Stroking the top of my son's head, I watch as he suckles on my breast. Yes, the dull pain of breastfeeding is there, but that doesn't take away the surreal feeling of being a new mom. It's amazing."I know." My mom sighs. "I'm just mad at myself. Of all the times to fall down some steps and break an ankle, this is the worst."I giggle lightly. "I still can't believe you did it at the gym.""And right after my kickboxing class too! I had just shown everyone what a badass I am, and three steps took me out.""Any muggers with ill intentions better beware of running into you in a back alley. Unless there are stairs involved." "Well, hopefully in the next few weeks, the doctor will clear me for travel. Then I'll be on the first plane there.""Sounds good to me." Baby Cace squeaks and pulls away from my breast, nuzzling h
The thoughts are overwhelming. I've never been this happy in my life, and I've only seen him for a split second. Lifting my head, I look around trying to catch another glimpse. Apparently, I'm not as subtle as I think I am."Would you like to see your son? You can go over there."Nodding, I stand up and follow the person over to a small table where my son is lying down, clearly unhappy by being poked and prodded. I don't blame him. I wouldn't like if all my glory was on display in front of these strangers either."Can I… can I touch him?" I ask tentatively, not sure what I'm allowed to do right now."Absolutely," the person says. "And talk to him. Babies like familiar voices."Slowly, I get closer, still in awe that I'm looking at my son. My son. It feels like I'm walking through a dream. Reaching down, I touch his tiny hand which immediately stretches and grabs my finger. The contact makes me suck in a breath. He's real. This is real. It's not a dream at all."Hello there, mo mhac. I'
I have dreamed about this day for months. Thought about every scenario on how it could happen. Planned for any situation. Prepared myself in every possible way.Except this one.Not one part of me anticipated I'd be standing in the hallway of the hospital wearing drab green scrubs with a matching surgical cap, waiting to join my wife in an operating room. And yet here I am, and I'd be lying if I said I wasn't more nervous than I've ever been in my life.It's not just the operation. Yes, that is my immediate concern. As much as I like Dr. Hermann, he's getting ready to cut Tiffany open and pull our son out through a gaping wound. I'm sure there's more to it than that, but it basically boils down to that, and it's scary. What if he cuts the wrong part and he can't stop the bleeding? What if he accidentally cuts my child? What if she gets a major infection? The horrific possibilities are terrifying.Taking a breath to refocus my thoughts, I try to remember all the positives. Tiffany won't
I can practically feel his surprise when he shifts, situating us face-to-face. Thankfully, my doctor and my father-in-law have started chatting again, so Rowen and I can have some privacy. "Tiffany, this is just a change in the play. You of all people know how easily it can happen. I know this isn't soccer, but it's not that different. We go into every match with a plan, but sometimes it doesn't go like we expected. There's an injury or a new goalie." I smirk at his reference to the issues the team had early in the season. "The objective is always the same, but how we get there doesn't matter as long as we do. It's the same thing here. It doesn't matter how he gets here as much as it matters that it happens safely for both of you."I sniff again, but my tears have all but dried up. "We've been deflected."He nods and smiles at me. "Exactly. It's a change of play. But in the end, when we're holding him and taking care of him, we'll forget about everything except that we won."I chuckle
A low murmuring pulls me from sleep. I know it's only been a couple hours, but I feel so much better than I did. Damn that epidural for being as amazing as everyone said it would be.Peeling my eyes open, I roll slightly onto my back to see Dr. Hermann and Ryan chatting like old friends. A few seconds of eavesdropping and I finally catch the source of their newfound connection - Ireland. Apparently, Dr. Hermann spent a summer backpacking through Europe and caught a couple games when Ryan was in his prime and playing in front of his hometown fans. I'm sure the tales are tall right now, but at least their relaxed chatter means nothing wrong is happening on my side of the room.Glancing around, I finally catch sight of my husband who is sleeping soundly. I'm glad to see him getting some rest. He's been trying so hard to be strong for me. It's not gone unnoticed. But at last count he'd been awake for thirty hours. It was wearing on him."Ah, iníon sa dlí, yer awake."Ryan steps toward me a
Another eight hours. Another one centimeter dilated. Almost. I may be rounding up out of my own feeling of desperation. This entire experience is not at all like I expected. Not that I knew what was supposed to happen. Sure, we'd taken a birthing class one Saturday, but that was months ago when our schedules allowed us both to be there. And it never told us what would happen if Tiffany's body refused to do what it should. At least Tiffany's sleeping now. About four hours after the Pitocin began, she started crying, saying she couldn't do it anymore. She'd been awake for almost twenty-four hours and had been in some form of labor for over half of it. Plus, once the drugs kicked in, her contractions went from being painful to downright excruciating. It didn't take much convincing for her to finally decide to have the epidural. But it did take my Mam physically moving me out of the way to help her through all her fears - fear of a needle in her spine, fear of the drugs hurting the baby,