An Underestimated Christmas (Underestimated 3) (19 page)

It sure didn’t feel like we had much to be thankful for, but when the guy on the movie told the girl to find one thing to be thankful for, I knew. I knew I was thankful for my family. No matter the rotten place we were, I still wouldn’t trade them for the world, not one of them.

Morgan excused herself when Tadpole fell asleep in her arms. She shifted him to the pillow and covered his sleeping little body. We did make about half a second eye contact when she slid the trashcan closer to him, just in case.

Morgan stayed in the bathroom for almost an hour. I’m assuming she sat in a hot tub, and I hated to think what else she was doing. Ignoring it like she did seemed to be the only way. I showered next, leaving both boys asleep on the sofa. Neither of them had gotten sick in almost three hours and I was hoping we were out of the woods. I wasn’t looking forward to a long night of sick kids and I really needed to fly out the next day. I wouldn’t leave Morgan with two sick boys.

Morgan sighed and rolled to her side with her tablet when I entered from the bathroom in a towel. That was on purpose, but her rolling away from me told me I may as well slide on the basketball shorts. Instead of covering myself, I slid under the covers and took her tablet.

I got the dirty look and the eye roll. “Drew, don’t.”

“Sit up. Let’s play a game,” I coaxed, leaning against the headboard.

“Let’s not. I’m sick of your games.”

“Sit up, Morgan,” I ordered again.

“Oh my god. What? What do you want, Drew?” she hastily asked, sitting beside me.

“Truth or dare?”

“What?”

“Truth or dare? I’ll go first and you have to either answer my questions or take the dare.”

“And what’s the dare?”

“I don’t know. When was the last time you had an orgasm. Surly you can think of something. I know I can.”

“It was a couple hours ago in the tub. I don’t need you to make me have an orgasm. I can do it just fine myself,” Morgan argued.

“I’m sure you can. So can I,” I assured her, moving the covers to my hand around my cock. Her eyes went right to my growing erection and I stroked, giving her what I hoped would make her crack.”

“What do you want to know?” Morgan asked not taking her eyes from my now fully erect cock. I think it got harder the moment I saw the lust in her eyes.

Yes! Victory was mine for the taking.

I truly believed I was beginning to hate Drew. Everything about him pissed me off. The whole situation pissed me off and he wasn’t reacting to what he’d walked into like he should be. I wasn’t wearing new welts across my ass. He wasn’t arguing about the pills at all. Regardless of how I felt about any of it, watching Drew stroke himself reminded me of how long it had been since my husband touched me. My clitoris vibrated instantly at the sight. Drew covered himself as soon as I asked what he wanted to know. Shit.

“Should I be worried?” he asked, still jerking beneath the covers. Stupid man.

“About what?”

“You. Do you need help?”

“No. Is it my turn now?” I asked.

“That’s all the answer I get? Is no?”

“What else is there?”

“What did you put up your nose?”

“That’s not the same question.”

“Okay fine. Go.”

“Why all the secrets? Why do you do everything behind my back? You should have known Alicia was going to tell me. Were you expecting her to just show up here without me knowing you hired a sitter for me?”

“That’s way more questions than I asked, but unlike you, I’ll answer it. I am not keeping secrets. I asked you to trust me and you haven’t done it yet. I’m trying my damndest to take care of this and you won’t let me. I didn’t think this would happen so soon. I was going to tell you everything. I swear. Even Alicia, and I didn’t hire her. She would never take money for coming here to sit with you. She loves you.”

“Why are you going to New York?”

“It’s not your turn anymore,” Drew reminded me. “Truth or dare?”

Jesus, I wanted to take the dare. I knew it had something to do with the hardness I saw under the covers. I looked down and back to his eyes, contemplating my move.

“Truth.”

“What kind of pills and where did you get them?”

“They’re my pills. After I crushed them once I realized I didn’t need as much and the relief was instant.”

“The relief or the high? You’re lying. Why did you have a withdrawal for a hundred bucks and a bar tab?”

“Can I chose dare?” I asked not wanting to do this.

“Too late. Tell me the truth.”

“It’s OxyContin. I bought it from a guy at the bar,” I shamefully admitted, staring down at my hands. The held breath beside me was deafening and all action beneath the covers halted. I was sure I’d just knocked Drew clear off his feet.

“I want to be really mad at you right now. What on earth were you thinking, Morgan?”

“It’s not your turn anymore,” I sadly reminded him. I wasn’t thinking. That was one of the problems. The other problem was I had a problem.

“Fine, go,” Drew ordered with a little more of an edge now. He was pissed.

“Truth or dare? Say dare.”

“Truth,” he replied, moving his hand up and down his shaft again.

“Say dare,” I coaxed, moving my eyes to his. The corner of his lip fought against curling.

“You can’t tell me what to say.”

“But you’re going to keep going until we’re fighting and one of us storms out. I don’t want to be mad anymore,” I explained, feeling way too excited to ruin it with anger. Drew hadn’t sparked these feeling in quite some time and I wanted to act on lust not the truth.

“Dare,” he rasped.

“I dare you to touch me,” I said with the same sultry tone while looping my panties in my thumbs and sliding them to my feet.

“Where?” Drew asked, pumping his fist a little harder below the covers.

I slid my black nails up my legs and whispered. “Here.” 

Drew didn’t hesitate before shifting his body a little and sliding his finger up my throbbing, wet slit. Holy mother of all pearls. It sure as hell didn’t feel like that when I did it. Not even in the same ballpark. I whimpered a little, letting my knee drop toward Drew. He pulled my leg to his bare chest and watched while sliding his middle finger inside me. That one was more than a whimper. Jesus, why did we stop doing this? I could hate him and fuck him. “Aahh…Yes, right there, baby.”

“Truth or dare?” Drew asked, retracting his finger completely with a smirk. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.

“Dare,” I practically yelled, hoping to stop with the questions and do it already.

“Kiss me.”

“What?” I accidently said. I wasn’t expecting that. I was expecting him to gag me with his cock.

“You never kiss me anymore. I miss it.”

Wow. Drew was asking for a kiss, not a blowjob. I wasn’t expecting him to pull me so close to him, either. Our bodies molded together while we stared at each other’s lips, moving closer and closer languidly. It wasn’t like the romance books I read. It wasn’t like a first kiss at all. It was like a nostalgic kiss. I missed it, too. I missed being this close to Drew. I missed feeling Drew.

Unlike Drew, I didn’t pull away. I wanted to kiss him forever, forget real life, and live in the parallel universe. The perfect world. Drew kissed me just as desperately as I kissed him, both needing something from each other. The next few minutes played out the opposite way my mind was playing them. Drew never went down on me, Drew never forced me to my knees, and Drew never left a handprint across my ass.  

After gently rolling me to my back, Drew’s lips left mine long enough to remove my nightshirt. His warm hands caressed my breasts while our lips reunited with tangled tongues. I moaned in his mouth when I felt the head of his cock slide slowly into me. That’s what we did. Drew wasn’t playing a game, not at that moment anyway. Drew was making love. Drew was pulling emotions from me I hadn’t felt in a very long time. Why did he have to be so complicated? Why did he have to feel this good? This fucked up phenomenon between us made it all worth it. This love right here was the reason we kept going.

“Drew. Aahh shit, baby,” I called, letting go. I was trying to tell him I was going to come, but the urge was too strong. I came, feeling surge after surge engulf my entire body. Drew pumped deep, three more times and spewed inside me. I panted, breathing in the last of the joy, and relishing it for as long as I could. It would be over very soon.

“Morgan?” Drew said my name from above me. His fingers brushed my cheek and I wanted to get up. I knew he was going to do this.

“What, Drew?” I asked exasperated.

“Give me until the first.”

“Excuse me?” I questioned. Drew was full of what-the-hells tonight.

“Just do what I say for one more month. Spend the next few weeks with me, doing everything I say until the first.”

“What happens after the first?”

“That depends.”

“On what?” I asked, confused. What was he trying to say?

“On whether or not you’re clean.”

“Move,” I coaxed, wanting up. Of course, that would have been too easy.

“You’re right, Morgan. I don’t want this either. If this is the way it’s going to be, we’ll co-parent in different homes, but not if you’re still doing drugs. I’m not leaving these boys alone in your care for five minutes until I know it’s safe to do so.”

“You’re saying you would take my kids?” I asked in total disbelief. We always said on the rare occasion that we would ever split up, we would co-parent, both promising not to be that parent. The ones that used the kids against the other parent. Neither of us would ever do that. Or would we?

“That’s exactly what I am saying. You need help, Morgan. More help than I can give you.”

“Fuck you, Drew. It’ll be a cold day in hell before you ever keep me from my kids.”

“I never said I would keep you from them, but they’ll always be in my care and you’ll see them on my terms.”

“You want a divorce?” I asked, shoving him off of me. Fuck that. I wasn’t going to lay there with his dick in me while he threatened me with my children. Asshole.

“No, I don’t want a divorce. I don’t want this, any of it, Morgan. I’m asking you to give me until the first of the year with you doing everything I want from here on out. Once the month of December is over, I’ll grant you whatever you want as long as you’re clean.”

“You can’t threaten me with my kids to get your way, Drew. That’s not how life works,” I assured him, reminding him how the majority of society works.

I turned my head when Drew tried to kiss me. “You call it whatever you want to call it, my love.”

I watched him walk away, staring after him. Who the hell did he think he was? This wasn’t some dictatorship where he got to call all the shots. We were supposed to be in this together.

None of the next months’ events were my idea. Drew held true to his word and left me as soon as Alicia arrived the following afternoon. I was happy Alicia was there. I was sick and Nicholas and Tadpole were not. I couldn’t hold my head up without throwing up.

“I feel bad for leaving you sick,” Drew said, sliding my hair from my forehead.

I pulled the covers tighter around my neck. “I wouldn’t let you take care of me anyway,” I assured him. He chuckled a little and kissed my forehead.

“I love you, Morgan Kelley, and this next month is going to be the best month you’ve ever had. Get better soon. I’ll see you in a couple days.”

“Okay,” I mumbled. I didn’t want to be too mean, not when he was getting ready to leave me for a couple days.

“Tell me you love me.”

“I love you. I just wish you would stop being so difficult”

“I’m working on it, baby. Trust me.”

Drew laughed again when I groaned, exasperated with him and his
trust me
ways. I spent the majority of the day in bed. Alicia took care of me and my rambunctious boys, keeping them out of my room so I could rest.

The bug ran through me as quickly has it had the boys. I was feeling much better by the evening. Sitting on the toilet, I watched Nicholas and Tadpole play in the same tub. Nicholas wouldn’t do that for anyone but Alicia for whatever reason. He wanted his own bathtub.

“Hey, feel better?” Alicia asked from the floor.

“Yeah, I think so. I feel bad for you coming here, though. Drew’s a little over dramatic.”

“I don’t think he’s being over dramatic. Not if what he told me is true. Is it, Morgan?”

“Come on, Tadpole,” I sighed, taking a towel from the closet.

“Morgan?” Alicia questioned.

“Just be my friend, Alicia, not Drew’s friend. Just mine, okay?”

“Okay.” She nodded.

“I will be your friend,” Tadpole assured me, wrapping his little arms around my neck. I smiled and kissed his wet cheeks.

“You need help, pal?” I asked Nicholas.

“No. I’m big. I can wash my own hair,” he assured me.

“I’ll watch, just in case you have any monkeys escaping,” Alicia teased him. He assured her there were no monkeys in his hair by scrubbing the baby shampoo with his fingers and giggling.

“Do you want a drink?” Alicia asked once both my boys were sound asleep.

“No, I don’t think my stomach is ready for alcohol. I’m going to grab a shower and we’ll wrap ourselves in warm blankets and sit on the deck.”

“Call Drew.”

“You talked to him?” I asked peculiarly. What? Now my best friend was going behind my back, talking to my husband? Great…

“Yeah, he was afraid you were still sick. He thought you might be sleeping or something.”

“Yeah, okay.”

“What?”

“Drew Kelley doesn’t care if I am sleeping, let alone sick.”

“Morgan, he doesn’t know what to do to help you. He’s trying.”

“I’m going to shower.”

“Morgan.”

“I’m fine, Alicia. Don’t worry about it. I’ll be quick,” I added, leaving her alone with her condescending expression. I didn’t want her pity. I didn’t need Alicia feeling sorry for me. That’s not why I needed my friend, and I sure as hell didn’t want her being Drew’s friend.

After a quick shower, I took my last pill from the tiny baggy and texted my new friend.

Morgan—Hey, got anything for me?

Dr. Blain—You know it. Just picked up a fresh batch. How many?

Morgan—Do you have 30?

Dr. Blaine—Yup, 15 each.