Page 24 of Taken By the Bad Boy
He couldn’t help but smile as he stared into his wife’s dark brown eyes.
“There is no one, do you hear me?No one else I have ever wanted.I wouldn’t care if you were still bouncing from job to job.You were doing everything you could to provide for me, and then when Kasey and Leah came along, you were there.”She kissed him.“Don’t ever doubt my love for you.Not what you can provide, but all of my love for you.”
He stroked some of her hair back.She had long stopped dying it black.In fact, it was at the end of high school, he finally got to see the natural dark brown of her hair.A different shade to Mae’s auburn hair.
Pete had loved this woman when she would paint her eyes and lips black, and he also loved her when she went for her natural makeup look.He just loved Emily.Those feelings had not changed, even as they grew up.
He put the car into “park.”
“How about we start making a baby right now?”he asked.
“Uh, Pete, I think there is something I need to tell you.”
****
The screaming didn’tstop until after midnight.
At first, Mae thought there was some kind of apocalypse horror sequence of events happening.From the moment she arrived at Emily and Pete’s house, the two kids had been on a hyper kick.Caleb arrived a few moments after her, and before any of them could say anything, Pete and Emily left, telling them to have fun.
That should have been her first clue, but she didn’t think their parents would ply them with candy before babysitters arrived.She should have known by now, Emily and Pete had always been a little devious.Now, she and Caleb had to literally stop them from crawling up the walls.That had been so hard.
She had worried that the neighbors would complain about the noise.Seeing as they wouldn’t stop screaming, she and Caleb had no choice but to run around the house and check to make sure every window was locked.They were.
There were no calls to the cops for the noise.No neighbors coming around to tell them to stop.Mae didn’t know if they were just being polite.
Getting the kids to bed had to be one of the hardest things she ever had to do.Both of them decided that would be the perfect time to be quiet and play hide-and-seek.It turned out she and Caleb were crap at the game.The kids knew all the best hiding spots, and it took them over an hour to find them.It was only because a floorboard had squeaked, and simple powers of deduction, that she’d been able to grab Leah.Caleb had found Kasey.
Taking them to bed now was even more difficult.Neither of them wanted to go.They’d put them in bed, try to leave, and seconds later, they would suddenly need the bathroom or a glass of water.Leah was the one to finally decide she was just too awake to go to bed.
She and Caleb just looked at each other.She’d found the evidence of her friend’s cruelty in the trash bin, and rather than fight what their parents had done, she embraced it.She turned the music on and up, but not too loud to disturb the neighbors.That had stopped them from screaming, but until after midnight, she and Caleb had danced around the house like crazy kids, as the other two eventually wore themselves out.
A sugar high soon turned into a sugar crash, and within minutes, she and Caleb had to carry both girls up to their room, because they were completely down for the count.
After taking a long shower, Mae had changed into a pair of pajamas, and they had set up the sofa bed in the main sitting room.Pete and Emily only had one, so they would have to share.Caleb left to take a shower, and Mae made her way into the kitchen.
Her friends had at least stocked the fridge.Grabbing a carton of milk, she started to make two hot chocolates.She hadn’t asked Caleb if he wanted one.She just assumed after the night they had, they could both use one.
Taking the squirt can of whipped cream with her into the sitting room, she settled onto the bed, which was quite comfortable.She’d slept on this a few times during the last few years when she’d been helping Emily and Pete.She adored her friends, and although it was cruel what they did, she was thankful.
This was actually the first time all week that she and Caleb had been together.They had gone from being inseparable, to making excuses to not spend their evenings or mornings together.She’d been the first one to make the excuse, saying she needed to stay late for a delivery.Caleb had been the next one, but he had to go out of town to do some tattoo work.
Mae hated this.She knew what was happening, and now, as they were together and he was showering, this would be the first time they were actually alone.Provided the girls stayed in bed long enough.
Leaning back, she picked up the cream and squirted a nice large dollop into her mug, and then blew across the surface.It smelled really good.She took a sip, being careful not to get any cream on her nose.
“You’re an angel,” Caleb said, coming into the room and sliding beneath the covers.They didn’t argue about sharing the bed, and Mae was not going to be cruel and force him to sleep on one of the chairs.
“You like hot chocolate?”
“Love it, and you even thought of the cream.”
She handed him the can so he could take as much as he wanted.She was surprised by the large mountain he squirted onto his plate, and she couldn’t help but laugh.“You do like your hot chocolate.”
He laughed.“Of course I do.”
She watched as she took a sip.It had already been a good few minutes since she had made it, and as he took a sip and leaned back, he actually appeared like he was in heaven.
“Delicious.”
