Everything's Better With You, page 10
"It's really nice to meet you, Abby." I was sure Adam was still shell-shocked by the events we’d just witnessed. "This guy is crazy about you, and I'd be honored to design your studio.” She grinned, and her cheeks flushed.
“Mommy?” I called her a name I hadn’t uttered in almost two decades, but it seemed too fitting not to. The mother I’d known all those years ago had returned. She even looked younger. “Mommy, this is Abigail.”
“Hello, Abigail,” she breathed and clasped both her hands. “My son has told me so much about you. You must be a very special young woman. Thank you for taking such good care of my Nathan.” Her eyes were sparkling with tears. Abby blushed and smiled, her own tears returning.
The back of my neck grew hot when I realized with all of the excitement I forgot to tell Abby a crucial piece of information about today’s events.
“Um, Abby,” I started. “I probably should’ve talked to you about this before, but I’ve invited my mother to live with us while she gets better and until she decides what she wants to do. Are you okay, with that?”
“Nathan, I told you,” my mother interjected. “I’m perfectly capable of—”
"No.” Abby laughed and strengthened her grip on Mom's hands. “You'll stay here. You'll stay right here with us. Living with her mother-in-law worked out well for my mom and I couldn't imagine growing up without my grandmother just down the hall. And if you are half as amazing as a grandma as you are a mom in the stories Nate tells me about you, then our children will be so lucky."
Mom looked at me, her eyes brimming with tears searching mine for the answer to the two questions her face was asking: had I really said all of the wonderful things about her and would I be okay with her accepting Abby’s offer? I couldn’t begin to explain all of the emotions I was feeling at that moment: pride, bewilderment, happiness and overwhelming love. I could only nod. She nodded in response to Abby and they embraced.
I caught Adam’s eye. We looked at each other and shrugged.
"We have the perfect room for you. There's plenty of space, and it's already furnished. Nate just has to clean out the drawers before you move in."
My face snapped to hers. I tilted my head and narrowed my eyes suspiciously. She winked at me, smirking. I swept her up and spun her around kissing her and laughing.
Mom and Adam linked arms before strolling around the penthouse leaving Abby and me alone in the great room. He knew the place better than I did, having supervised the remodel. She rested her head on his bicep as they turned a corner and disappeared.
“Marry me.” I set Abby down on her feet again.
“Nate, I already said yes,” she giggled.
“No,” I said. “Marry me today.” Her eyes widened.
“Dimple,” she kissed me, “we’ve been over this. I have to work this weekend, but I would love to marry you next weekend at The Weeping Lily.”
“Mmm,” he growled. “Speaking of weeping lilies, I didn’t get to wake you up this morning.” I bent down and slung her over my shoulder. She squealed as I hoisted her up.
“Nate,” she cried, wheezing from laughter. “Grab some bagels!”
I obeyed. Abby grabbed the cream cheese and jelly while I scooped up a handful of bagels.
I headed up the stairs with Abby slung over my shoulder, trying to wrap my head around how much she’d changed my life and the lives of everyone I cared about.
All because I walked into a coffee shop.
THE END
Epilogue
Abigail
I was half asleep when I felt the breeze on my legs, followed by the pressure at the foot of the mattress. A smile crept across my lips as I held my breath and waited. My husband had just finished his workout and was preparing to wake me up in my favorite way.
His large palms caressed my legs as he planted kisses up my shins and on my knees. He pushed my thighs apart and used his tongue to draw a line from my inner knee all the way to my heat, where he swiped his tongue through my wetness before drawing a line down my other leg.
Mission accomplished. I was fully awake.
He pushed my legs further apart, crawled closer to my core so that I could feel his warm breath on my sex. He placed one palm on my expanding belly and the other on my hip and pulled his face closer until he closed his entire mouth over my pussy sucking gently.
I groaned in pleasure as his tongue drew circles around my clitoris. He moved the hand that was on my belly underneath his chin and slipped a finger into my sheath, massaging me from the inside.
“Oh my god,” I groaned, thrashing my head from side to side.
“Call me, Nate,” his muffled voice called from between my legs. My laugh that followed was cut off by a sharp intake of breath as my first orgasm of the day hit me like a tsunami. My eyes rolled back in my head, my hands shot between my legs where I tangled my fingers in Nate’s golden brown locks.
"Asshole," I muttered through a chuckle when I regained my composure. I propped my self up on my elbows and looked at him over my basketball shaped middle.
"That's funny.” He poked his head up. “That was my next stop." He spread my legs further apart, and his head disappeared again. I flopped back onto the bed enveloped by wave after wave of pleasure as Nate feasted on every inch of flesh between my legs. I pulled a pillow over my face to dampen my cries, taking ragged heaving breaths.
The pillow was pulled away, and I looked up to see my gorgeous, sweaty, beast of a man kneeling between my open legs.
“You know I like to see your face when cum for me.”
“I don’t know how you can see anything around all this.” I gestured to my giant belly.
"All this," he leaned down and kissed my belly button, "is beautiful. You are beautiful." He leaned forward propping himself up with his arms being careful not to crush me with his upper body and kissed me. Tasting myself on his lips made hungry for more. I grabbed the back of his head pulling our faces closer. He parted my lips with his tongue, and I accepted him into my mouth deepening our kiss until he collapsed on his side hugging me close to him, our lips still connected.
Nate’s fingertips grazed my arms, back and waist sending tingles through my body as we lazily explored each other's mouths. I broke our kiss.
“Nate,” I breathed. “I need to feel you inside me.” The corners of his mouth pulled into a grin, revealing my favorite feature.
“Should I get the wedge?” he whispered. I nodded, biting my lip in anticipation. His eyes flashed as he reached under the bed and pulled out the large foam wedge pregnancy pillow that had become a regular feature in our sex life.
I lifted my hips, he slid the wedge into the space between my lower back and the mattress and placed another pillow under my neck. I relaxed in the position with my center, slick with arousal, hoisted in the air ready for my husband to impale me with his giant cock. Nate positioned himself in front of me devouring my body with his eyes. When he told me I was beautiful, I always believed it. I saw my beauty reflected in his gaze. He dipped a finger in my entrance.
“You are so ready, gorgeous,” he breathed. I smiled. I hated when he teased me, but I also loved it. The anticipation made it so much better. He put the tip of his finger in his mouth and sucked. “Delicious. I don’t know if you taste better when you’re pregnant or not.”
“Maybe, you should stop getting me pregnant and then you can compare,” I quipped. “Now, could you please…” I pleaded.
"Anything for you, my love.” He guided himself into me, and I felt myself enveloping him inch by inch. He grabbed my hips and slid me higher on the pillow causing me to take his entire fullness. I gasped and moaned his name.
“No promises about not getting you pregnant again,” he grunted. “You feel… Too. Fucking. Good.”
Every thrust rocked me back and forth, and I was so grateful for the pillow under my neck. My release was building in slow waves of heat. I closed my eyes and allowed the pleasure to wash over me carrying me to ecstasy.
"Yes, that's it, my angel. Let go." He squeezed my thighs as he followed with his own release. "Fuck! I love you, Abby. God, I love you," he groaned as he filled me with his seed. He withdrew himself, tossed the wedge on the floor and collapsed beside me on the bed. He pulled me into him by my hips until my hard round belly was touching his hard flat one and placed one of his massive hands on my stomach. Our baby responded with a thump against his palm. His eyes widened, and he turned to me with a look of amazement. I nodded in response as if to say, yes, I felt it, too. I loved how these little moments never got old for him. He pressed our lips together.
“Thank you, Abby.” He was gazing at me with his golden brown eyes. “Thank you for giving me my family back. Thank you for sharing your family with me. Thank you for making me a husband. Thank you for making me a father. Thank you for making me a better friend. Thank you for making me a better person.” He punctuated every thank you with a peck on my lips.
Over the years, I’ve tried telling him that he did all of these things himself. My husband is definitely more incredible than he gave himself credit for. He had given me a life better than I could have ever imagined.
“Well, thank you, Dimple.” He grinned, showing it off. "Thank you for being my first and my last. Thank you for always making me feel loved and valued and special. Thank you for making me your wife. Thank you for Vivi, Benji, Tilly and whoever this little pumpkin becomes.” I placed my hand over the hand on my belly. "Thank you for bringing Adam into my life and giving this only child a brother. Thank you for Vivian. The way she's worked so hard to heal herself and way she adores our children inspires me every day, and I'm grateful she chose to stay with us. Thank you for helping me achieve my dream of becoming a jewelry designer and thank you for buying The Java Palace."
We laid together with our foreheads pressed together gazing at each other, inhaling the fragrance of our lovemaking mingled with the sweat from Nate's other work out and the spicy, woodsy scent of his deodorant.
“We should get up soon,” I sighed. “The kids will be awake any second.”
“No kids,” Nate whispered. “Mom took them to church with her this morning.”
“All three of them?!” I said while trying to sit but gave up, “How? Why?”
“She asked Anita to come in and help. She thought you could use a morning to relax.” I smiled, sinking into the pillows, listening to the silence with renewed appreciation.
“I’m glad her son didn’t agree.” I purred. Nate growled at me before leaning over and peppering my neck with kisses.
"You are just too goddamned sexy. I can't resist you," he said. "We still have to meet them at NORMA'S this afternoon, but until then," He kissed my forehead. "the day is yours, my love."
“I think you know exactly what I want to do.” I raised an eyebrow.
“Should we shower first?”
“Definitely.”
Nate helped me out of bed and into the shower. We stood under the stream of hot water taking turns lathering each other. Nate shampooed my hair, massaging my scalp with his large fingers. The sensation caused a flood of heat to radiate through my body. He knew exactly what he was doing. I was never more horny than I was when I was pregnant, and my beloved could turn me on like a light switch. I started to feel a familiar tingling, and I knew Nate felt it too. The evidence was a little more apparent in his case.
I turned my back to him and gripped the safety bar he had installed in our shower, after I slipped while pregnant with Benji. I leaned forward, spreading my legs. His hands gripped my waist, and mercifully, he didn’t make me wait before he entered me. He sheathed himself in one smooth motion before slowly rocking himself in and out. A gasp escaped my lips as my husband’s cock massaged me from the inside.
“Fuck, Abby,” he moaned. “I could fuck you forever.” His hands roamed my back as he pumped in and out gaining momentum. He was close. I could always tell. He reached between my legs and stroked the bundle of nerves still sensitive from moments ago. I gripped the bar, feeling an imminent explosion coming. I grunted and felt my knees buckle as Nate grabbed my hips to steady me while he rode the waves of my orgasm to his own release.
He rinsed us off, wrapped me in a towel and carried me to our bedroom. He dried me off, dressed me in a long white cotton nightgown, before drying himself and pulling on a pair of pajama pants with a white tank top.
“Are you ready?” he asked. I held up a smaller wedge pillow and smiled.
“Assume the position, Mr. Price,” I commanded.
Nate laid back on the bed with his arm outstretched. I snuggled my shoulder in the crook of his arm and put my head across his chest. It took a bit of maneuvering and wiggling to get my belly into a comfortable place before Nate helped me position the pillow to support my lower back.
"Comfortable, my little Mamabear?" Nate kissed the top of my head and rubbed my belly.
“Yes, Papabear,” I yawned. He stroked my still damp hair until my eyelids became heavy and I drifted off to sleep.
Nate was lightly scratching my scalp. The feeling was bittersweet because even though it felt amazing, I knew he was waking me up. There was no way I was asleep for more than fifteen minutes but, according to my him, it had been over three hours. The alarm clock confirmed it.
We managed to keep our hands off of each other long enough to get dressed and head for the elevator. Once inside, he scooped me under the thighs, pressed my back into the corner and kissed me. My belly prevented us from having sex in this position, but it was perfect for making out. I tangled my fingers into his golden curls as I swirled my tongue around his open mouth.
A quiet morning spent making love to my husband was exactly what I needed. Nate and I still found each other as sexy as ever, but life kept us happily busy and exhausted. My jewelry company had grown rapidly, and Nate became my business partner. I handled the creative side, and he managed the business side. He stepped down from Waterford/Price Investments —though he still owned a stake—and left The Java Palace entirely in Winnie's capable hands. We had plenty of help, but we tried to spend as much time with the children as possible. Every night, after we’d gotten the kids to bed, we usually had just enough energy to brush our teeth before we collapsed into each other's arms and slept. Most mornings when Nate came upstairs from the gym intent on waking me up, he was thwarted by a tangle of little arms and legs that usually found their way into our king-sized bed.
He set me down as the elevator opened and we strolled through the lobby of The Excelsior with our fingers interlocked.
"Mr. and Mrs. Price." Ronny nodded at us as he held the door open. I gave him a smile. His son has been in remission for five years, and I’d made him seven more anniversary presents for his wife. Nate had softened on him over the years, but I'm not sure he totally trusted him.
We climbed into the waiting SUV.
“Hi Rob!” I called to the driver.
“Mrs. Price.” He nodded. Rob reminded me of a British palace guard. He almost never smiled.
“We’re headed to NORMA’S, Rob,” Nate called to the front seat after buckling me in.
“Yes, sir.”
When we walked into NORMA'S the table erupted into cheers. What had begun as a family tradition shared by Nate, Adam and his mother grew to include me, our three children, Adam’s wife, their children, Winnie, Catherine, their four-year-old twins, Nathan and Evelyn and sometimes Catherine's mother and our nanny, Anita, who was usually off on weekends.
Winnie and Cat beat us to the altar by a week. They flew to Hawaii immediately after the disastrous lunch meeting and got married that weekend to be witnessed by Winnie’s parents. Cat’s parents, though initially reluctant, showed up the morning of the ceremony to offer their support. They still lived above us, still joined us for movie nights and still cleaned Nate out of Twizzlers.
Vivian looked very relieved to see us. She usually takes Aviva and Benjamin to church where they were surprisingly well behaved. This time, I suspected Matilda, even with Anita’s help, was a bit too much to handle.
Vivian had become very religious as a part of her recovery and attended church several times a week. Her progress was astonishing, and she’d worked so hard. Her recovery had been difficult for all of us, especially in the beginning. My mother was a great source of strength and guidance for me during this time because she and Grammy had their own struggles when my grandmother began to lose her sight. With patience, love, communication and Vivian's incredible treatment team, we got through the hardest part, and we were closer than ever.
Her divorce from Nate's father lasted three years. Richard tried unsuccessfully for a year to persuade her to come back to him, when that didn't work, he decided to drag out the divorce as long as possible to make Vivian suffer. As acrimonious as their dissolution became, he never made good on any of his threats, making me wonder what secrets Vivian was using to keep him at bay. He was voted off of the board of Price/Covington with Cat's father assuming control. The last we'd heard of him, he married a twenty-seven-year-old model and moved to The Caribbean. Good Riddance.
My favorite part of Sunday afternoons was seeing my children in their Sunday best smeared with chocolate, blueberries and sticky with syrup and juice. We racked up quite the dry cleaning bill. Our oldest, Aviva — a combination of our mother’s names— was born one year after we got married on my parent’s estate. Then roughly every two years like clockwork we added another little Price: Benjamin, named for my father, and Matilda, named for Grammy who we lost a year after Tilly was born and soon to be, Catherine or Edward. We liked to be surprised.
"Hi Mamabear!" our six-year-old called to me.
"Hi Vivibear," I responded. I went around the table doling out kisses and greetings to Benjibear, Tillybear, their cousins and their parents. I thanked Anita for sacrificing her Sunday for me and wrapped my arms around Vivian’s shoulders and squeezed.
