Forever After (Unrestrained 5)

"I know," I said and smiled, my emotions still so close to the surface. My father's stroke was still so recent, and he was only slowly recovering function. My own recovery was complete, even if I still had a lingering fear of something happening to Sophie, but now at least Drake and I were closer than ever. I felt I could confide in him about my fears and he understood and always had calm words to comfort me.

The only dark cloud I felt hovering over me was the fact that Sophie would always be an only child. When I saw Heath's children playing so well together, I felt a pang of sadness that I would only ever have one child. I pushed that sadness out of my mind and heart and tried my best to enjoy what I did have. I had a lot to be thankful for and so for the rest of the night, I shoved all my usual sadness and anxiety aside and tried to live in the moment, and enjoy what I did have instead of being sad for what I would never have.

Seeing Drake holding Sophie and how comfortable he was with her, how easy he was holding her and playing with her, caring for her and feeding her a bottle, made it all worthwhile.

If only the police would clear Drake of any suspicion, we could finally move on, but the case seemed to be taking forever. That darkness I couldn't escape, although I was determined not to let it ruin my holiday and so I shoved that thought to the back of my mind and turned to watch my husband and my sweet baby, sitting with the rest of my family.

Chapter 13 : Drake

As Christmas approached, Kate and Sophie and I went to Macy’s in mid-December to do the usual window shopping and to buy gifts for each other.

“I have to get something for you,” I said, after we spent some time checking out the displays. “You two stay out here while I zip in and get my gift for you. I don’t want you peeking.”

“Okay,” Kate said and kissed me when I leaned in. I kissed Sophie’s cheek and then went inside, looking for the locket I wanted to get for Kate. I’d drop it off at a special jeweler in Chelsea and get it engraved with the words I’d chosen. I wanted this gift to be special – a sign that I was hers and she was mine. I’d chosen the line from the chorus of And I Love Her by the Beatles. She loved that song and it had special meaning for us.

The locket was still there in the display case. It was from an estate sale and was a beautiful antique with burnished gold and a delicate filigree. It would look wonderful against Kate’s skin. I paid the clerk and pocketed the tiny box, eager to see Kate’s face on Christmas Eve when she opened it. I had already bought a gift for Sophie – a $10,000 bond that would gain interest over the years so that she could do whatever she wanted with it when she came of age – go to college, invest in a business – travel the world, but I wanted something special for Kate.

I made my way outside to find Kate and Sophie standing in front of one of the displays. I kissed them both.

“There you two are,” I said and brushed a flake of snow off Sophie’s rosy cheek. “My two girls.” I kissed Sophie’s forehead once more. “The loves of my life.”

I looked in Kate’s eyes only to find that she had been crying. “Hey,” I said, frowning. “Why do I see tears?” I pulled her into my arms and held the two of them, repeatedly kissing them both, trying to understand if Kate was upset.

She smiled. “It’s nothing,” she said and laughed. “I just miss my mother. We used to come here every year…”

“I know,” I said softly and wiped a tear from her cheek. “I miss my father. We didn’t have this kind of happy tradition, but I always spent my Christmas Eve with him, going out for dinner and then to look at the lights.”

She laid her head on my shoulder for a moment of comfort while Sophie sucked away on her pacifier noisily.

“So, are we going to Dad’s for supper?” I asked as we started walking down the street to where our car was parked.

“Yes,” Kate said and took my hand. “We can go any time. He’ll probably have his ear attached to his phone, but we’re always welcome to drop

by early. I can help Elaine with supper and you can take Sophie to see dad.”

“Sounds like a plan,” I said, smiling with delight that I finally had a real family.

We had a wonderful meal with Ethan and Elaine. Ethan had recovered a bit of function, but still had to stay in his motorized wheelchair, using his good hand to move the joystick, so he could travel from room to room. He kept busy on the phone, which he had rigged up to his cell with an ear piece so he could carry on conversations despite being unable to hold a phone to his ear. Dinner was exceptional as usual, and we returned home after tea and conversation. Sophie had fallen asleep in the car and so after Kate put her to bed, she had a warm bath while I checked my mail and tried to catch up on what Dave reported on the foundation.

I finished up and went into the bathroom, to find Kate stepping out of the tub. I helped her dry off.

“What do you think, Mrs. Morgan?” I said, standing behind her, my hands roving up her body to cup a breast. “Shall we take advantage of this time and fuck like bunnies?”

She laughed but I could see the look of desire in her eyes, which were heavy.

“Whatever you say, Doctor Morgan,” she said, closing her eyes as I pushed my hips against her, my cock already hard and pressing against her buttocks.

Just then, Sophie woke up and let out a massive scream. Immediately, Kate‘s body responded and milk sprayed out of one of her breast – no doubt the one that had been drained the least and so had filled up the most since her last feed.

We laughed so hard, Kate standing there with her fingers on her nipples, trying to stem the tide, so to speak. She grabbed some tissue and held the pieces over her breasts to stop the milk from spraying all over everywhere.

“My god, you’re lush,” I said, wrapping the towel around her while Kate pressed the tissue against her nipples. “It’s such a waste that I don’t have a lactation fetish, because you would be my goddess.” I kissed her briefly. “You are my goddess even so.”

On her part, Kate smiled, and slipped into her nursing nightgown, designed to make breastfeeding easier. Then, she went to Sophie’s room, picked her up out of the crib and sat on the chair to feed her.

I followed her and helped her get situated, with a knitted blanket over Kate’s shoulder to keep her warm.

“Do you want some tea?” I asked from the doorway. “I feel like a cup before we go to bed.”