When I got to the hospital, Laleesha was sitting in her room waiting for me, dressed in the outfit Cara had selected for her and looking cute as a button. She’d put on some weight in the month they kept her on bed rest, and it looked great on her. Not that she ever looked bad, but she hadn’t looked taken care of. Now she did.
I gave her a kiss hello. “Are you ready to go?” I was beyond done with that place, at least for now. We’d be back in a few months.
“The doctor’s supposed to sign off on my chart.”
“Oh. Any idea when?”
Avoiding my eyes, she fiddled with an unopened salt packet. “Soon.”
“Is something bothering you?”
“No. I mean yes. I called Mama.”
“How is she doing?” Not that I much cared, but it seemed like the right thing to say.
“I didn’t talk to her.”
That explained why Laleesha wasn’t in tears. Thank heaven for small favors, my mom always said.
I crouched down and took Laleesha’s hands. “She didn’t pick up?”
Laleesha shook her head.
“That’s her choice,” I said gently. And consistent. She hadn’t answered the phone the other two times Laleesha called either.
“Yes, but…”
I waited out the silence, giving her room to talk.
“I thought maybe things would be different with Biter gone.”
Those big brown eyes swimming in tears nearly made me choke up.
“Sweetheart.” I slipped my arm around her and squeezed her shoulders. “Biter didn’t make her who she is.”
“Ohhhh.” She drew a breath, and something flickered in her eyes. “He didn’t, did he?”
She smiled a little, and I kissed her, and then I went to look for the doctor so we could get the hell out of there.
At the nurses’ station they told me the doctor was making her rounds and would be in shortly.
“Does that mean this morning or this afternoon?” I asked politely.
She frowned at me. “This morning.”
“My wife’s dressed and ready.” We hadn’t done the official marriage thing yet, but the hospital didn’t need to know that. “It’s already going to be a long drive. She doesn’t need to be tired before she even gets in the car.”
“I’ll let the doctor know your concerns.” She ignored me after that, but she did send a text to the doctor. Maybe we’d get out before lunch.
When I went back to tell Laleesha, voices were coming out of her room. So the squeaky wheel got some grease.
Before I took a full step inside, I recognized my mistake. That woman squared off against Laleesha was her mother.
Things felt unfinished, up in the air. That’s why I called Mama.
I wouldn’t want my baby to ever cross me out of her life. Now Biter was gone, Mama and I could start over, if she wanted to. My baby could have a grandma.
Mama might have been busy when I called. Not answering the phone didn’t mean she didn’t want to talk to me, not necessarily. I left her a message in case she wanted to come say good-bye before I left town.
I didn’t really expect her to, though.
The room felt empty after Dom went for the doctor. It wasn’t just that he was so big he filled that little space. He was so alive. The air felt warmer and the light seemed brighter, and I got that happy glow like after eating a bowl of double chocolate ice cream.
Closing my eyes, I leaned back and rested. After all that time in bed, just getting dressed made me tired.
Out in the hallway, people passed by. There was a muffled laugh. A call button rang. It would be so good not to hear hospital noises for a while.
When I heard the steps come inside my room, I smiled and opened my eyes.
Mama stood just inside the door, her hands on her hips. Her big pleather purse dangled from her wrist nearly to her knees.
She turned her head, boldly examining the room. “Still no roommate? They refuse to be put in with you?”
Holding tight on the armrests, I stood. “She got to go home yesterday.”
“Hmmmph.”
My legs were a little shaky. I gripped the back of the chair.
Mama eyed me. “No need to put that chair between us. You don’t have to be afraid of your poor old mother.”
“I’m happy you came, Mama.”
“Are you now? That just might be the smartest thing you ever said.”
“Mama, I’m going to have a baby—”
“You say?”
“—and you can’t say stuff like that anymore. You can’t say mean things and be around my baby.”
She moved a step closer. “Mean things,” she scoffed. Another step closer.
My fingers dug into the cushion. I tried not to show I was shaking.
“You mean the truth. You’ve got your pretty white boy now. When he dumps you, you’ll come running back.”
“No, Mama.” Mr. Bruin had promised me my own cabin. I was never going back to Mama, not even if Dom did get tired of me. Even if Mr. Bruin didn’t give me my cabin, I wouldn’t go back, not ever.
She sniffed. “You always were stupid.”
It hurt so bad when she said that. I’d always thought it was true, and then living with Sophie I began to think I wasn’t so stupid after all. I thought maybe it was Biter putting those thoughts in Mama’s head. But Biter was gone, and my baby deserved better. I deserved better.
“That’s not true, Mama. Not knowing stuff doesn’t make me stupid.” My throat was so dry, every word coming out felt like sandpaper on the back of my tongue.
“If you were teachable, maybe. But—”
I was so relieved to see Dom walk in.
“The doctor will be here shortly,” he said to me. He glanced at Mama, and back at me.
A gust of affection swept through me. He wanted to put Mama out right then and there. He wasn’t the kind of person to sit around deciding what to do. But he was waiting on me, finding out what I wanted to do.
Feeling stronger, I told her again, “Mama, you can’t say that negative stuff anymore.”
“You want me to lie to you? Tell you how smart and pretty you are?” She tossed her head toward Dom. “Is that what he does? I—”
“Thank you for coming, Mama.” I had to raise my voice.
Dom took her arm. “I’ll see you out.”
She shook him off. “Get your hands off me.”
He stood there, crowding her.
She shot me a poisonous look. “Don’t come running to me when he’s done with you.”
“Good-bye, Mama.”
Crackling with fury, she left. Dom closed the door after her before coming to take me in his arms.
I leaned against his solid warmth. Despite knowing it was the right thing to do, having to cut Mama out of my life made my heart ache.
“I’m never going to be done with you,” he murmured against my hair. A rumbling came from his chest.
“That’s good,” I said shakily, and raised my face for his kiss.
The tightness in my chest slowly eased. Mama was the past. There wasn’t any room for hate in my future.
The doctor finally came and released me, and an aide brought a wheelchair to take me out to Dom’s car. Dom settled me in the seat like I was a princess.
I felt like a princess. A tired one. The steady movement of the car made me drowsy, and I fell asleep, not waking until the car stopped.
Blinking the sleep out of my eyes, I looked around. “This isn’t Sophie’s house.”
He’d parked in front of a brand-new manufactured house with bright blue siding and white latticework all along the bottom. The forest green steps and porch were a little startling in contrast, but not in a bad way. The house was so new the windows still had the manufacturer’s stickers on them. A line of short posts showed where a fence would be going up.
Dom grinned at me. “You’re right, it’s not.”
He came around and opened my door. “Can you walk okay?” He helped me stand.
“You can’t carry me all the time, Dom.” I squeezed his arm, hardly shy about touching him now. “Where are we?”
“I promised Sam I’d bring you by as soon as we reached town.”
That explained the house colors, if Sam picked them out. Although I wasn’t really ready to see a lot of people, it wouldn’t hurt to say hi. It made my eyes water a little, too, that she wanted to see me as soon as I got back. People were so nice. I’d saved every one of the cards I got in the hospital.
Going up the steps I leaned on Dom, but only because I liked the feel of his arms around me. Things would have to change after our baby was born, so I was going to be greedy and enjoy all his attention while I could.
I waited in the circle of his arms while he knocked.
Dalya opened the door. “Come on in,” she invited, a secretive grin on her face.
Dom gently pushed me inside.
Instantly I was surrounded by people. “Surprise!” Glittering confetti flew through the air. The frightening tumult made me shrink against Dom.
Friends. None of these people wanted to hurt me. I loosened my grip on Dom’s arm.
My face relaxed into a natural smile as the crowd turned into people I knew. Sophie, of course. Sam, Dalya, Cara and Val, and Miss Milly from the craft shop. I got so many hugs I couldn’t keep them straight. Miss Milly bubbled on about the decorations in the nursery.
“What nursery?” Confused, I looked at Dom.
“While you were in the hospital—” He cleared his throat. “It seemed like a good idea to get your cabin finished. You know, so you’d have some place to come home to.”
Not sure I could trust what I was hearing, I looked around the room. It was much nicer than I had ever dreamed of, with paneling on the lower half of the walls and pretty flowered wallpaper above, and couches and tables and lamps and everything. “You mean this is my cabin?”
Everyone was smiling and nodding at me. The tears in my eyes made their faces all blur together.
Cara stepped forward. “You remember that deed you signed while you were in the hospital.”
“Yes,” I said faintly. I couldn’t take it all in.
Ten minutes later they were all gone. They’d come just to welcome me home. I couldn’t stop the flood of tears at being surrounded by so much kindness.
Lowering himself onto the new couch, Dom pulled me onto his lap and held me until my eyes dried up.
“This is ours.” I touched the plush cushion.
“Yours, actually.” His grin didn’t look right.
“Ours,” I corrected. Unless he’d changed his mind…
He ran his hand along the side of my face. “Still wet.” He kissed the salt away. “You’re the only one I ever want. But you don’t need me. This is all yours.” He waved his arm. “You might want someone younger—”
“No.” I had to say it again, louder. “No. Don’t ever say that. Don’t even think that. It hurts to think of you not being there for me.”
I pulled his head down to mine. His eyes staring deep into mine sent a flash of heat through my body. It had been such a long time since we’d been together. It had been easy to shut off thoughts of how good he felt inside me when I was surrounded by hospital noises, but now we were alone, in our own place. We could do it right in the middle of the living room if we wanted to.
As he kissed me, his hand slipped from my back to play with my nipple. Both my nipples tingled with hot sparkles. Closing my eyes, I melted into the touch of his tongue on mine. Something big and hard and meaty pulsed against my thigh.
I wanted so much to make him as happy as he made me. I wriggled off his lap until I was kneeling on the thick carpet between his legs.
“Laleesha,” he whispered.
Ignoring him, I pulled down his zipper. His cock peeped out, his head big and purple and damp with his wanting me. My pussy quivered, wanting him too.
I tugged his pants down until his whole length was exposed. He was so beautiful, all throbbing veins and bulging ridge. I licked just the gooey tip. Groaning, he leaned back on the couch, his eyes intent on my face.
His watching got me even more excited. I licked all around his head and up and down his shaft, tracing the line of his veins with the tip of my tongue.
He breathed heavily, making little grunts that made my pussy drip. I licked all around his shaft, tasting every bit of his skin, and went back to his head. My tongue circled his ridge and dipped as far in the slit as it could go.
He was panting hard now, and my own heart beat faster. Hungry for his cock, I slowly swallowed his head a little bit at a time, opening my mouth just wide enough to let him in and stroking him with my tongue as he entered.
His groan was like a bolt of electricity sparking along my spine. His excitement made me hot. The fact that it was me making him that way was extra hot. I felt powerful, like I could do anything.
I took him in as far as I could, and then I eased him out. Over and over I did it, while his arms and thighs tensed up like he was afraid to move. Then I sucked hard after taking him in, and he convulsed, making a ragged sound that might have been my name. His cock pulsed in my mouth as his seed jetted out.
I swallowed every last bit of it, and I licked him clean. He was mine, every single part of him was all mine.
He dragged me back up to his lap and kissed me. I wrapped my arms around his neck and leaned into him. Straddling his cock, I couldn’t help but grind my pussy against him. He was already getting hard again.
He lifted me off him. “What did the doctor say about sex?”
“Nothing rough, nothing that hurts.”
I skinned my pants down my hips and kicked them off. His pants were gone, and his shirt, and he pulled my top off me.
He buried his face in my chest, and then started biting my nipple through my bra.
I giggled. “That tickles.”
Unhooking my bra, he tossed it to one side and brought me back on my knees astride his lap. “What about this?”
He nuzzled my breasts. His warm breath was kind of ticklish, but when he swallowed my nipple…
I moaned at the delicious heat licking up from my pussy. I lowered myself until his cock teased my entrance.
“Mmmmmmm.” I purred, so happy to have my bear home with me. Bear? I had an instant’s wonder at that word popping up, but it felt right, and his cock nudging inside me felt even better.
Opening up, I slid down until he eased home inside me. Waves of pleasure radiated out from my core.
“Oh Dom.” I took a long shuddering breath.
“Laleesha.” He brought my hand to his mouth and gently nibbled my fingers.
It felt so perfect to be joined to him like that. Almost it would be enough. But the heat in my core was crying for release.
When I squeezed his shaft, he flexed, sending a wave of sensation through my pussy walls. Digging my fingers into his shoulders, I squeezed tight and rocked on him. My sweet Dom held still and let me use his cock, squeezing and rocking and sliding on his thick shaft while the pressure filled me to bursting.
So good so good so good so—
I flung my arms around his neck and hung on when the dam burst. My whole body shook with the force of my coming.
Wrapping his arms around my hips, he held me against him as he gently pumped. My pussy was still pulsating when he came.
I sagged against him, happy and satisfied. “I love you,” I murmured.
He nuzzled my ear. “I love you more.”
“Forever?” I demanded, just to hear him say it.
“Forever,” he answered, a smile in his voice.
“And my baby?”
“Our baby,” he corrected. “Forever ours.”
Ours. My wonderful Dominic.