The Leaves 03 (Nico) (28 page)

“You are so good at eating pussy. Those twins said I was lucky because you had such a nice penis. I said, ‘Thanks, I know,’ but I couldn’t leave it at that. I mean, I knew you slept with them, but they didn’t have to, you know, tell me about it like that. So I walked away and said, ‘He eats great pussy, too.’” I lifted my head. “You said that?”

“Yep,” she replied and put her thumb into my mouth for me to suck. “Now get busy, mister. It won’t be long before your head won’t fit there anymore.”

“Perfect,” I said and opened her legs in front of me. I moved one finger inside her and let it glide up to her clit and rubbed softly in a small circle.

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“Oh my God.” Her head hit the back of the chair when I removed my finger and replaced it with my mouth. I swirled my tongue over her opening, across her soft folds, and sucked her clit hard until she pushed my head back and said, “Too much, too much, too much!”

I laughed and pulled her to the floor with me. “Babe?”

“I want you inside me.” She pushed off my jacket and unbuttoned the vest. I’d already done away with the tie, and when she got to my shirt, I realized she was about to unveil my big surprise. She un-did the first two buttons quickly, but, when she got to the third, she saw the tape and plastic. “Nico? What is this?”

I opened the rest of the buttons quietly and peeled everything back to reveal the front of her wedding dress, now on my chest forever.

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She threw her hands over her face. “I thought I was done crying,” she said.

“It was my big gun. If the truth pushed you away, I hoped this would pull you back.” She didn’t touch the freshly tattooed skin, but she traced it from above saying, “I wanted my future husband to see that my heart was full of love. It couldn’t be contained. So much so, it just exploded out of it.

I was in love with the idea of love. But when I was making it, honestly, and I swear to you Nico, I never thought about Shane. I thought about the idea of you. The ultimate romantic fantasy,” she said with her hands on either side of my bare chest. “It came true.” I started to undo the remaining buttons of the shirt when she said, “Leave it on… part of the fantasy… lose everything else and make love to me in my pretty dress,” she said with one raised eyebrow and a huge smile.

“You got it, babe.” Clothes gone, except for the shirt, I pulled that dress up and moved 483/510

us to the bedroom. She pushed herself toward the pillows with her bare feet as I moved above her. I was thinking how lucky I was when I slowly sunk into her. “Fuckin’

perfect,” I groaned out.

It wasn’t long before she sat up and crossed her legs behind me, my legs beneath her as we faced each other. Our kisses became one kiss as we breathed through each other, never breaking our connection until we both rode our orgasms and kept moving, building again to the next.

She moved back to meet my eyes and asked, “Mind if I get cleaned up and we take a walk on the beach? I kind of want to feel this dress flowing behind me, even if it does get ruined. I want that memory of our first night together as Boy and Dish.” She smiled.

“It’s corny, but it’s romantic.” I gave her lips a final kiss. “Nah, babe, it’s perfect. I’d love to walk on the beach with you, Dish. Actually, meet me down at the 484/510

studio. I’ll throw on some jeans and get the deposit ready for the morning. Can’t believe Frodo forgot.” I tugged on my boxers and grabbed a pair of jeans that Lark had neatly folded in the closet.

“You’re surprised? Really? Zack got married today, baby.” She laughed. “And Frodo gave you that tattoo today, right? Kind of a big deal to give the boss a tattoo.”

“Yeah, he did. I didn’t really think of those things.”

“You need a better system.” Her face was serious with worry, although she really was trying to hide it.

“I’ll meet you down there.” I slipped on my sandals, took my wallet from my tux jacket, and put it in my pocket. My chain and keys were next to the front door, so I grabbed them on my way.

I was just at the door to the studio when I heard someone run toward me. “Get out of the fuckin’ way!” the man yelled, so I jumped 485/510

back. I looked to the direction he had come from when he suddenly came back and said,

“This your shop?” When I hesitated he demanded, “Open the fuckin’ door! Now! Now!

Now!” I opened it mostly because he had what looked to be a handgun at the side of my head.

He pulled the blinds and instructed, “Shut the fuck up and don’t fuckin’ move. You have a car?”

I immediately answered, “No.” I wanted him nowhere near Lark, and, hopefully, he would be gone before she came down.

“Great, fuckin’ great! Can’t believe he left me there. Fuck!” I heard voices outside and the beams of high powered flashlights hit the windows. He came over to me and held the gun above my ear and whispered, “Don’t make a fucking sound.” When they were gone, he asked, “Call me a cab. Tell them to pick up out front. You have cash?” 486/510

“Whatever you want, friend.” I sat there, and waited for him to tell me what to do. A sudden movement, any movement, even if it was to get my cell out of my pocket seemed like a bad idea.

“What are you waiting for? Give me your wallet and your phone!”

I took them from my pocket slowly and handed them to him.

“Open it.”

I assumed he meant the phone, but I was wrong.

“Both of them.”

I did as he asked, all the while he held the gun against my head.

He opened the phone and hit send. “I’d like a pick up… name…” He looked at my license and gave my name and the address of the shop. “Now… to San Diego. Thanks.” Then he hung up and said, “Shouldn’t have said that. You’ve been real helpful.” The cab honked twice.

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The man turned to the door then turned to me. He repeated the same action then said,

“See ya,” and fired the gun.

I sat on the floor, my back against the wall, and faced the door.

Lark threw it open and yelled, “Nico?

Nico?”

“Here, babe.”

She flipped the light switch and screamed.

“Oh my God, Nico!” She cried out.

I held my hand over my stomach and watched her scramble for the cordless phone.

Her foot slipped in my blood as she sat down at my side. “Yes, send an ambulance, that’s right, my husband, he’s been shot, I heard it maybe two minutes ago. No, I saw a taxi, going south on P.C.H. Please hurry. I have a towel against it.” She held the towel under my hand and through her tears said, “Baby, I’m gonna take a look at your back,” she inched me forward and gasped. “Just blood everywhere. Okay, I can’t talk to you 488/510

anymore. Get someone here now!” she cried and set the phone down. “You’re on speak-erphone,” she said to the operator.

“Okay, ma’am, ETA is three minutes. I’ll be right here. Just keep him talking.”

“Baby?” she said.

“We should have stayed in bed.” I smiled.

She gave a hiccup of a laugh and said,

“Don’t leave me, please don’t leave me.”

“I told you babe, ‘till the day I die.” I took her hand and held it over the towel with mine.

“Don’t let that be today, please, Nico. I just found you!” she sobbed. “I don’t want to do this without you. They’ll be here any second now.”

I closed my eyes because it felt nice. Those nightmares I was having, they were a pre-monition, I guessed. But I didn’t feel any pain. I couldn’t feel anything, except the calm I always felt with Lark by my side.

“Love you,” I said. I had a hard time talking.

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I wanted to tell her more, but I just couldn’t keep my eyes open.

I heard her screaming at me to open them.

“Please, Nico… please!”

The ambulance arrived, and she was telling them ‘no’ over and over.

“Babe?” I said.

“I’m here, I’m here. Talk to me,” she begged.

I was being lowered and moved, but she was right next to me.

“If it’s a boy, I want to name him Martin, if it’s a girl… we’ll name her after your mom, or whatever you want. You’re gonna be a good mom, Lark. The best. Tell my folks I love them. Couldn’t have asked for better parents.

And you, babe, be happy. I love you…” and I closed my eyes. My last thought, how lucky I was to have loved this woman next to me.

Epilogue

Six years later…

“Okay, now you remember what we talked about guys?” They nodded. “And you don’t back-talk.” They nodded again. “And don’t give Gamma a hard tfime.” The leader of the two cocked his head to the side and said, “Mom already said all this.”

“Are you getting’ smart with me?” The grey haired man smiled at the curly blonde head in front of him.

“Nope, just telling it like it is, Grandpop.”

“Right,” the man grinned.

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“Okay, you kids,” the brown haired woman said. “Now you remember what we talked about?”

They gave each other a knowing look. “We remember,” they said in unison.

“She’s ready!” a small voice cried out.

The garden had been transformed. Moira took care of everything along with Teensy and Becca. A new lawn was planted for the occasion, and four long rows of tables covered with white had been set for the biggest party any of us had ever seen.

Zola ran to the back and tugged on my jacket. “She’s ready. And she looks pretty.

Like a princess.” Her hazel eyes as wide as her smile.

“Is she prettier than you?” I asked.

“I’m supposed to say yes, right?” I leaned down and whispered, “I won’t tell.”

She giggled and said, “Show me again, Uncle NeeNee.”

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“Show you what?” I replied like I hadn’t shown her a million times before.

“You know, where cupid got you!” She faked getting shot, just as dramatic as her dad.

I untucked my shirt while she stuck her finger in the scar. Hated the sensation, but I endured it because I couldn’t say no to her.

Teensy told me off constantly.

“Get your finger out of Uncle NeeNee.

That didn’t sound right.” Zack laughed and scooped up his daughter. “You have some flower petals that need throwing, Princess Zola.”

“Did you know it’s one of the most import jobs in a wedding, Uncle NeeNee?” she asked me.

“I have heard that it’s very
import
.”

“Come on, Zo.” Zack was holding her basket in his other hand. “Thanks, Daddy.” Who knew, Zack was the best dad, next to my own, I had ever known. He listened to her 493/510

every word, he was patient, he played with her all the time, and they adored each other, probably because they were so much alike.

“Uh, Nico?” my pop asked. “We have a situation, and that situation involves your future sister-in-law and someone named FroFroFro? Or that’s what was being moaned out in the laundry room, but uh, your boys here, they uh…”

“Pop!” they said together, kicking up a cloud of dust when they halted in front of me. “Pop, you should see Frodo’s wiener. It’s huge!”

Martin looked up at me. “Will mine get that big?” Then Louis was curious, as well,

“Yeah. What about mine? I’m nine minutes older, so mine will be bigger than yours,” he said to his
baby
brother.

My own pop, folded his hands across his chest and chuckled to himself. I asked him,

“You wanna take this?”

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“No, no son. I’m gonna leave this one up to you.” His shoulders shook as he tried to stifle his laugh.

I crouched down and said, “Okay, guys, man to man, and I mean it, this just stays between us. Got it?”

“Got it, Pop,” they said.

“Right. Wieners are like your feet. You know how that Jess kid wears a whole size bigger than his brother, but he’s shorter and younger?”

“Yeah,” they said.

“Well, wieners are like that.” I got closer to them and whispered. “But yours are gonna be like that Jess kid’s feet.”

“But not like that Frodo guy, right?” Martin asked, concerned.

Then Louis, “How does he walk?” My pop was bent in half, holding his gut when Frodo appeared with a very satisfied looking Dee.

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“Aunt DeeDee, his name is Frodo. You were saying it wrong. He’s named after an elf,” Martin said.

“It’s not an elf; it’s a troll,” said Louis.

“It’s a hobbit,” I corrected. “Boys, go see Gamma and get yourselves ready. It’s almost time.”

When they were out of earshot, my pop casually walked away, leaving me alone with Frodo and Dee.

“Nico,” Dee started. “I am so sorry and so embarrassed. I’ll pay for their therapy. Just send me the bill.”

“Dee?” I asked.

“Yes?” she replied with her eyes downcast.

“You happy? I mean, you’re spending more and more time in Hobbiton.”

“Nice touch, man,” Frodo said and smiled.

She looked at the ground and said, “Happier than I have ever been in my entire life.” 496/510

Frodo took her hand and pulled her into him. “Why, Dierdra Andrews, I do believe you might just love me.” She blushed. “Yeah.”

It turned out, when all was said and done, life had been kicking Dee in the ass over in Merry Ole England. She had gone through all sorts of shit with immigration and work visas, and when she found out her boyfriend had been cheating on her for at least two years, that was when she came to see Lark.

But Dee was on the bottom of a very long list of other shit we had to deal with.

I’d been shot in the gut at close range and had died in Lark’s arms on the floor of the tattoo studio. They brought me back, obviously, and did six hours of surgery to repair and remove part of my bowel and try to save one of my kidneys… which they did. Getting shot didn’t hurt at the time, but the recovery was a fuckin’ bitch.

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While Lark was going to appointments left, right and, center for the pregnancy, I was trying not to go insane with boredom. I couldn’t do a fuckin’ thing for a couple of months. Mom and Pop moved us out to their place, which was really our only option. My place had stairs. I was encouraged to “exercise” each day and do all sorts of other crap to recover more quickly, but I pushed myself more than I should have. I started to feel sick and threw up everywhere. An ambulance came and took me back in for emergency surgery seeing as how I’d ripped something or other. After that, everyone watched me like a hawk. But Pop was great. He helped me outside and sat with me, just listening to all the sounds around us. Just like he had when Mom was sick, and just like he had when I was a kid.