Bittersweet Trust (13 page)

“There were real ghosts in our backyard, and you know it,” she says sternly.

“Real ghosts, Corey. Real ghosts,” I mouth to him. His eyes sear into mine, causing a warmth to fill between my legs.

“Of course, Mom. That’s actually not why I called, though. I wanted to tell you something.”

I can practically see the nervousness coming off of him in waves.

“Well, carry on, son,” his mom demands. I am really starting to love this woman.

“I have….”

“You better not have crabs, son. I’m telling you right now, I told you to stop messing around with that girl who’s friends with Angela a long time ago… What’s her name? Something exotic... ” Corey’s face morphs into pure shock while I am overcome with laughter.

“Marie was her name, and I don’t have crabs!” he emphatically responds.

“Good. I thought for sure your father would’ve given me that, but luckily we stopped having…”

“Yeah, yeah… Not listening!” he cries out, pulling the phone away from his face and covering it with a pillow.

“…. Your father was so crazy about that lady. Anyway, what was it you wanted to say?” she asks again. I am laughing so hard that tears are rolling down my face. I can’t get my laughter under control even though I sound like a whacked out pig on crack.

“I have a girlfriend, and she’s pregnant,” Corey blurts out all at once.

“Well, Jesus... Please tell me she doesn’t work at a strip club…”

Corey’s cheeks redden as the conversation carries on, and my laughs become louder. How could his dad not want to be married to that woman? I want to be married to her, yet I don’t even like women.

“No, Mom. She’s not a stripper. You remember Mimi Jones, don’t you?” he questions, itching at the back of his head. It is a nervous tick he has.

“Oh, yes. Isn’t she the one who filled your shower head with beef bouillon?” she asks. Corey smirks at me, and I end up emitting an incredibly loud, unladylike snort in response.

“Yup, that’s the one.”

“Do you have a pig at your house? It sounds like an animal is grunting next to you.” I lose it right then and there….

“No. No pig, just Mimi,” Corey chuckles. It is a nice sound. What’s nicer is being able to laugh together.

“What is she doing? Is she trying to be funny by making pig sounds?”

“Actually, she’s laughing at us.”

“Oh, really… Well, you tell her if I’m so funny…”

“Mom, she can hear you,” Corey quickly interrupts.

“Hi, Mrs. Winchester,” I say sweetly in between my snorting sounds. I would love to see this lady in person right now.

“Dear Lord, I hate that woman. Call me Jane, please,” she replies, amusement laced in all her words.

Corey takes a deep breath, obviously frustrated by the interruption. “Anyway, I wanted to let you know that you’re going to be a grandma,” he announces.

“A grandma? You got Mimi pregnant? What did I tell you about wrapping up?” Jane responds incredulously. “When is she due? Are you…”

“Mimi and I are having twin boys in September,” Corey interrupts, his voice firm and determined, silently letting his mom know this is the way things are.

“Twins? You know twins run in the family. Your great Uncle George was a twin, and then he had twin daughters. You remember them, right? I can’t believe this! Praise the Lord, I am going to be a grandma!” Corey’s mom’s excitement builds as the initial shock wears off. I really do love her!

“Yup,” Corey says as if disinterested in the conversation already, but letting his mom ramble on. I get up, signaling that I am going in our room to lie down. I need a nap like a whore needs a dollar bill.

As I tiptoe down the hall, I wander into the boys’ half-finished nursery. The walls are painted and their names hang above each mahogany colored crib.

A photo of me and Corey sits on the dresser in the corner of the room. It’s the very picture that I had flung at the wall on the night he broke my heart. The picture is in a new frame where the glass is no longer broken. I slide my finger across the smooth glass, knowing no one can get cut from simply picking it up anymore.

I would like to think this is what Corey and I are like: one whole piece of glass. We are no longer two broken halves that risked cutting others if they got too close.

Setting the picture back down on the dresser, I turn to examine the room. Their closet is filled to the brim with a variety of clothes from sleepers to jumpers to Nikes which Corey claimed every little boy needs.

I run my hand along the plush, safari themed bedding that lines their cribs as I think of our little boys. I leave the nursery, rubbing my belly softly.

“I can’t wait ‘til you’re here…” I whisper to them. Then I snuggle into my bed for a nap that will hopefully hold me over through the evening.

***

A set of firm hands grip and part my thighs, holding them firmly in place. I am half awake, half asleep when I pop open one eye.

A whimper escapes my lips as a finger sinks deeply into me. I feel the tension inside of me building. Corey knows me so well that all it takes is a couple pumps to have me on the verge of coming.

“You’re so beautiful,” he whispers against my skin before sucking my clit into his mouth. Not once since we got back together has he made me feel as if I am not cherished. He has let me know that every single part of me is meant to be licked, bit, sucked, and kissed.

“Fuck…” I hiss. It doesn’t matter that I am obscenely pregnant; as long as our doctor says we can continue to have sex, we will.

“Oh, I will, baby… I will fuck you, nice and slow...” His strokes become so slow that I think I will die. My muscles are taunt, waiting for their release when he separates my folds and sucks my bud into his mouth again.

In a fraction of a second, I am falling, tumbling over and over again. A light shines behind my eyes, a cascade of emotions flowing through me. My toes tingle and my body radiates pleasure on all kinds of levels.

I feel him at my entrance as he softly enters me. Each stroke fills me with a deep sense of love. His rhythm feels as if it is speaking to my heart, like he is trying to heal my heart and remind himself of what he has.

“You’re my everything…” he murmurs against my stomach. His pace slows. My eyes lower to slits as I watch him work himself in and out, getting lost in the movement of his body.

“I know,” I utter softly, but it comes out more like a moan. My body feels as if it is tingling as Corey quickens his pace.

I watch him as he pushes himself to the brink of destruction over and over again. My body tightens and the eutrophic endorphins rush through me.

There is nothing like being made love to by someone who truly loves you.

“You’re far more than I ever deserved. You’re mine though, and I promise to never let you go…”

Baby Gifts Galore

Corey

“I said no baby shower, Jenna,” I remind her. I distinctly remember telling her that Mimi didn’t want a baby shower. In fact, she said she didn’t want any gifts at all. Kennedy and Jenna went a little overboard.

“I don’t care what you said, Mr. Grumpy Gills. I’m just happy you went along with it.” Any second Mimi is going to come barreling through the door. She is thirty weeks along, and the doctor decided he wants to take the babies early. Baby B isn’t growing as much as Baby A is, and he doesn’t want to stunt his growth any longer by keeping him in the womb.

I am scared and excited. Doctor Clive has told me and Mimi many times about the risks of having twins. Furthermore, he informed us that a Caesarian section is a serious surgery, and just because we are having a babies, doesn’t mean we take it lightly.

I know all this isn’t told to scare me, but I can’t help but worry. If the person you loved most in your life was going to be on the operating room table, how would you feel?

All of a sudden, everyone yells, “Surprise!” I watch as Mimi’s face displays at least a dozen emotions. She looks around the room, her eyes eventually landing on me. She smiles, a cheeky grin that tells me she is thrilled.

“You guys didn’t have to do this…” she cries out. Then the water works begin to flow. Tears stream down her face, and I walk the short distance that separates us to take her in my arms.

“We did,” Kennedy chimes in. It is strange seeing her around. Not because I don’t like her, but because it is strange to see Ryder so domesticated.

“Did not…” Mimi says, wiping her nose against my shirt. I sigh inwardly. I might as well get used to it. I am bound to be puked, shit, and peed on for many years to come.

“We did, emotional lady,” Jenna adds, grabbing a bag of normal chips and a bag of the veggie kind.

“We have plenty of stuff. You all know that,” Mimi says to everyone in the room. It is just me and the gang. We haven’t really gotten her a ton of stuff, but according to Jenna, every pregnant woman gets a baby shower so I agreed to it despite Mimi’s wishes. And since I have no idea what happens at a baby shower, I let Jenna handle all the details. Okay, if I’m honest, I figured if Mimi got mad, I could blame it all on Jenna.

“That isn’t the point. You deserved to have one. It’s like a right of life - get pregnant, get showered with gifts,” Rex says, his eyes lingering on Mimi’s belly. Something tells me he wants babies of his own… From the look of things, I don’t think it will be that long for Rex and Jenna.

Mimi pulls herself from my hold and walks around the room. We rented a little space at one of the vineyards. I actually have other plans for the evening, and the small black box in my pocket weighs heavily on my mind.

“This place is beautiful, the balloons, the view… How did you guys do this?” Her eyes are welling with tears again. Score: pregnancy hormones - one billion and twenty five, Mimi - zero.

“We knew you loved spa days, so we sent you to the spa for the day. While you were gone, we did this,” Jenna answers before I can. Though it is strange to see how far we all have come, it is amazingly cool to watch the interaction between all of us. It all started with me and Jenna…

“You guys suck…”

“No, you suck,” Ryder says, poking fun at Mimi. She grins up at him before attempting a side hug.

“Now, now… The only one who should be sucking…” I begin before Jenna shoots me a look that says if you finish that sentence I will cut you.

“Never mind, then.” I walk off, letting Mimi enjoy the gifts and food. In a few short days, there will be four of us, and my heart will grow for two more people in my life.

“Are you nervous?” Rex asks behind me. I turn around and look at him. He has turned into so much more than just my cousin. He is like a brother to me more than anything. He and Ryder both.

“Why would I be nervous?” I ask. I have no reason to be nervous. Well I do, but I know that it is the right thing to do.

“You have that I’m-going-to-puke-all-over-your-shoes look on your face.” I roll my eyes. He is exaggerating, but I do kind of feel like barfing.

“I don’t have any look on my face,” I say, turning away from him and diverting my eyes back to the view.

“If you’re going to ask her, I would say she’s going to say yes,” he informs me, taking a step to stand next to me.

“You would say she’s going to say yes. What if she says no?” My stomach shakes at the mere thought.

“Then she does,” Rex simply says, shrugging his shoulders.

“Thanks for the support, asshole,” I nudge him in the side.

“Seriously, though, I think she’s going to say yes. Everything will be just fine, dude. Calm down.”

“I am calm, man, about as calm as I’m going to get.” I take a deep breath, wiping the sweat that has formed on my hands. I have another hour or so to endure before I get to take her home and sweep her off her feet.

“Good luck, bro,” he says, patting me on the back before walking away.

“Yeah,” I respond quietly. I turn around a few moments later and find Mimi staring at me. Her purple dress hugs her stomach and shows off a good amount of cleavage. I don’t care that she is about to pop, or that she thinks she looks like a house. I want her more than I ever have.

I watch as the minutes pass by slowly. Gifts are passed around and food is eaten. Thank you’s are said and then come the goodbyes and the tears. Finally, it is just me, Mimi, and the setting sun.

“You didn’t have to do this for me,” she whispers into my chest as I hold her outside on one of the benches.

“I didn’t. Jenna did.” She hugs me tighter, if that is even possible.

“You did. You allowed it to happen and you helped. That means something to me,” she says softly. Moments pass and then I take her hand to lead her down one of the trails between the vineyards. I want the moment to be magical, beautiful. I want it to be something that she will remember for the rest of her life.

We walk quietly through the dirt. “It’s so beautiful here,” she observes a number of times while I tell her it’s not quite as beautiful as she is.

We come to the end of the trail, and just as we are about to turn around, I drop to one knee. Her green eyes fill with tears as one hand rests on her belly and the other covers her mouth.