Her All Along

Elise hugged my arm and pressed a kiss to my shoulder.

I extended one of the sets of keys to her and smiled a little.

It was overwhelming to have your dreams come true.

“Are you ready for this, Pipsqueak?” I asked quietly.

She’d come such a long way. Gone were the cartoon PJs and pigtails. Next to me sat a graceful, energetic, young woman who’d just crushed her education goals and was ready to start her own business. Subtle makeup, strong opinions, a dirty mind, the kindest and most mischievous twinkle in her eyes, keys in one hand, a glass of champagne in the other, and her white-gold bracelet glinting in the light, a birthday gift from me.

“I’m so ready, Mister.”

So was I. Fuck, I couldn’t even describe how ready I was, and it was because of her. Because of that slip of a girl who’d been by my side in one way or another for a decade. She’d always been what I’d needed. A fresh perspective, a friend, my most avid supporter, brave, ballsy, constantly genuine.

It’d been her all along.

Epilogue 1

Two years later

God only knows…

My eyes flashed open, and a streak of terror bolted through me.

That fucking song. I hadn’t heard it in my head for years and years.

I heard my mother’s cackling laughter, the crunch of her teeth crushing hard candy, and her voice as she sang along with the lyrics and chased Finn and me around in the living room. Not a happy chase. I’d pleaded with her to stop; I’d begged for forgiveness without knowing if I’d done something wrong. But I must’ve, since she was punishing us.

I swallowed dryly and sat up in bed, and I rubbed at a tight spot in my chest.

Fuck.

My feet hit the floor with a muted thud.

God only knows…

“Elise?” I called hoarsely.

What the hell was happening to me? The pressure over my chest grew heavier, and it sent radiating pains out my arm. Jesus Christ, was my life too good? That had to be it. Evidently, I wasn’t allowed to be happy.

Maybe she’d heard the urgency in my voice, because I heard her running up the stairs. Then she appeared in the doorway, and a breath gusted out of me. Aside from the visible worry in her expression, she was perfection. Sunday morning perfection. Flour on her cheek, wearing one of my tees and my boxer shorts. She was probably making pancakes with Grace in the kitchen. It was their Sunday tradition.

“What’s wrong, sweetie?” She hurried over to me, and I pulled her between my legs and hugged her midsection, effectively burying my face against her stomach. “Ave…?”

“I don’t know. Bad dream, maybe.” I cleared my throat and breathed in her scent.

Deep breaths.

I let my hands roam her body, her hips, her ass, her thighs, her sides, then her stomach.

Deep breaths.

The past slowly loosened its grip on me, and I was able to anchor myself in the present again.

“What can I do, Mister?”

I shook my head and lifted her tee to press my lips to her stomach. “You’re already doing it.”

Deep breaths.

I couldn’t wait for her to start showing. This time, I wasn’t missing a damn thing. No one could keep me away from every part of her pregnancy.

“Mommy!” Grace yelled from downstairs. “Are you and Daddy canoodling?”

I coughed around a laugh and felt the last of the terror piss off. Thank fucking goodness for my family. They were everything.

“This is why we shouldn’t let Willow babysit,” Elise giggled.

I chuckled and peered up at her. “I kind of like it.”

Willow taught our girl the most random words. Canoodling, blimey, bamboozle, lollygag, and malarkey were just from this spring.

“Come sit with us in the kitchen,” Pipsqueak urged. “You need some coffee, good music, and watching us make breakfast.”

That sounded perfect to me. “Count me in. Not that you know what good music is.”

She slapped my shoulder lightly, causing me to smirk up at her.

The unease tried to sneak its way back throughout the day. When it did, I sought out Elise and Grace.

Sunday was sacred. The only day everyone was off, and we tended to spend it without intrusions. A family day for a family with hectic lives. But today, it seemed like the world had other plans.

Aside from the wretched memories of my childhood trying to make themselves known, Darius stopped by after lunch with a glum Lias.

“It’s your turn,” Darius told us, pushing Lias through the doorway. “Doesn’t matter what the fuck I do. He won’t cheer up. It’s been a goddamn month.”

I winced. I loved my buddy, but he wasn’t the most sympathetic creature when it came to love and relationships.

“Can you be nice?” Elise demanded frankly.

Darius offered a blank expression.

I gave Lias’s shoulder a squeeze and told him to go into the kitchen. Elise had all kinds of sweets for him there, and I had beer and whiskey if that was what he wanted.