Page 83 of Deprived No More

“Talk to Nick. Reassure him I haven’t lost it.” She giggles. “Who knows, maybe I have. I want to have my sister’s baby.”

Pulling my hand back, I cover my face to hide the deluge of tears I can no longer contain.

“Oh, Kat. Don’t cry,” she pleads, coming around the table to where I sit. Her small arms envelop me as my crying escalates. Good lord, this has been an emotional few weeks.

“Thank you,” I splutter. “I can’t think of any words big enough to tell you how much this means to me.”

“You don’t have to thank me yet. But I might need you to paint my toenails when I hit six months. I hate naked toes.”

* * *

Driving home, I can barely concentrate on the road. My head is a mess. I have so much to tell Nick I’ll barely know where to begin. How am I supposed to get through the rest of the day without sharing this with him? But in usual Barnes form, all of it will need to wait until after the kids are down.

I rationalize he’ll be elated by the news concerning Jonas. I knew he was as concerned about the impact on our living here as I was. I still feel bad for Susanna and the girls, but Colton was right. Life is about choices, and she was willingly continuing to be in a relationship with a serial predator.

The baby conversation will likely be short-lived. When we last spoke, he wasn’t keen on adding another child to our brood. The awkwardness of having your sister-in-law carrying your baby would probably be the last straw. I’m sure he’ll think this is some kind of joke. Or be utterly in shock as I was. Either way, I’m prepared to hearno. I can handle it this time. After all that we’ve been through lately, this rejection I can handle.

Returning home with the kids, I encourage Grace to complete her homework while she’s enjoying her after-school snack and send the boys out with the soccer ball to play. Olivia wants to do homework like her sister, so I find some black and white coloring pages online that I can print off and give to her. We have loads of coloring books, but the printed sheets feel more like a classwork assignment.

I decide on chicken parmesan for dinner and set to work on getting it prepped. I make most of our meals from scratch, as I have the time to do it and prefer having control over the ingredients. Eating healthy is a gift I hope to always give my family. After spending years working in an emergency room where I was lucky to get a handful of Saltine crackers and a few packages of peanut butter to get me through the shift, I treasure the ability to eat a warm, healthy meal each day.

By the time Nick arrives, I have the chicken parm resting on the stovetop while bread bakes in the oven. With Grace’s help, the table is set, and a large salad sits in the center.

“Daddy!”

Whether I’m wearing headphones or not, there’s never any mistaking Nick’s grand entrance when Olivia is around. I pretend I don’t hear him come in and focus on my job in the kitchen, but I know he’ll eventually make his way to me. I have to hide my laugh at his attempts to sneak up on me but enjoy his arrival all the same.

“Hmmm. Hi, kitten. You look good enough to eat.”

I’m wearing a pair of yoga pants and a tank top. Maybe Rachel is contagious? Or my husband has low standards.

Suddenly, his strong, warm hand cups my left ass cheek, and I have to bite my lip.

“What do you say we get the kids down a little early tonight?”

“It sounds good to me, Dr. Barnes. But I’m not sure it’ll go over well with them, now that most of them can tell time.”

A grumble escapes him at my reply. All of a sudden his eyes shine brighter as if a thought has come to mind. “Maybe we can promise them some extra screen time if they-”

Spinning to face him, still holding my ladle covered in rich tomato sauce, I chastise him. “Dr. Barnes. Have you actually considered blackmailing our children with electronics so they might go to bed early so you can…” I look about the area in a dramatic form for effect and whisper, “get laid?”

“I admit it. I’m not beyond trying it.” Nick comes closer, pushing his hard length into me.

“You should be ashamed, sir.”

“I am.” He again rocks his hard cock into my pelvis. “I want to do really dirty things to you with that ladle, Mrs. Barnes,” he teases.

“Nick,” I scold. “There are too many eyes and ears nearby. I’ll meet you and the ladle in the bedroom later,” I walk away before I do something I’ll regret in front of my kids.

After dinner, Nick helps with baths and bed. He’s often quite helpful but tonight seems a little self-serving. But he works hard. I’m lucky to have the assistance when he could be watching television instead.

“Kat?”

“Yes?”

“Your presence is required in the bedroom,” he says as he walks away without waiting for a reply.

I practically skip after him, wanting to share my news before we get naked. As we enter our room, and Nick turns to lock the door, I decide to share the news of the day.

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