I still doubted it was possible. I even questioned whether he really, truly wanted our baby. How did someone go from “no way in hell do I want one at this point in my life” to “promise me you’ll never keep me away” in the span of a couple of hours?
Based on my own experience, he’d change his mind daily, if not more often, about how he felt about being a parent.
There were times I thought it was the greatest blessing I could’ve been given. Others, I wondered what in the world I thought I was doing. Now that Tackle knew, maybe I could tell my mom like he’d told his. Being able to talk to her, and to my dad, about it, would be such a relief. Knox, however, was an entirely different matter.
He’d been so patient with me, putting me first above all else, being there whenever I needed him. How could he not feel betrayed by the fact that I hadn’t told him the father was his own best friend?
“You’re not sleeping,” he murmured.
“Neither are you.”
“There’s an appendage between my legs that is in complete disagreement about sleep being necessary.”
“There’s something between my legs that agrees with your appendage.”
“If we make them both happy, maybe they’ll let us sleep.”
I wanted him so much that if I were standing, I’d hurl my body at his.
When I felt Tackle’s fingers between my legs, all thought stopped. I only allowed myself to feel. I’d craved this.
“Sloane?” he whispered.
I looked into his eyes.
“I don’t want to use a condom, but I have to know you’re okay with that.”
“I trust you, Tackle.”
When I felt his skin against mine as his hardness went deeper and deeper into me, I lost track of everything but pleasure. I writhed, I groaned, I pleaded, and I orgasmed. Again and again throughout the night.
“This is a dream come true,” said Tackle when he woke and my hand was on his penis.
“I thought maybe I’d worn you out.”
“If I had more energy, you’d get a swat for saying that.”
“How did you know you, ya know, liked that?”
“Swatting your perfect ass?” He gave me two slaps to prove his point, I suppose.
“Ouch and yes.”
“Instinct. The same way you know it excites you when I put my hands on your breasts or my fingers in your hot, wet pussy. Speaking of which…” He stroked through my folds and pushed inside me.
“Did the other, uh, other people you’ve been with, like it too?”
“Are you sure you want to talk about this?”
“I absolutely don’t, but it’ll drive me crazy until we do.”
“Some liked it. Some didn’t.”
“I see.”
“I warned you.” He squeezed one of my cheeks and pressed his fingers deeper. “Now, you tell me, do you like it, Sloane?”
“You know I do,” I groaned when he curled his fingers and touched that elusive spot I hadn’t believed existed.
“Good thing you didn’t try to lie.”
“Oh my God,” I cried when he brought his mouth to my pussy and licked me.
We spent another hour in bed, and when Tackle got up, I knew he’d be leaving soon. I checked my phone for a message from my brother, but there weren’t any. Who knew when he might be back in Boston? We couldn’t risk him driving by and seeing Tackle’s car in the driveway.
“We need to tell him,” said Tackle after he’d gotten dressed. “I don’t want to hide.”
“I don’t either.” I hadn’t been hiding from Knox, at least not completely. It was Tackle and everyone else that I’d kept as far away from as possible, and it was exhausting.
“Do you think I should tell my parents first or my brother?”
He sat back down on the bed. “I think we should tell them.”
“You told your mom on your own.”
“Only because I was worried I’d fucked things up with you forever.” He leaned over and kissed me. “I’ll call you in a couple of hours, and we’ll figure out our day.”
Figure out our day? What did that mean?
Tackle laughed. “You are so transparent.”
“What do you mean?”
“I totally just freaked you out.” I could hear him laughing all the way out the front door.
He hadn’t been gone more than twenty minutes when my cell phone rang with a call from my brother.
“Hey, peanut,” he said when I answered.
“Hi. Where are you?”
“Still in New York City.”
“Does that mean it went well with Tara?”
“I told her I loved her.”
“And?”
“She said it back.”
I wiped at the tears already running down my cheeks. “Oh, Knox. I’m so happy for you.”
“Listen, Sloane, I want to stay down here a couple more days.”
“Do it.”
“Are you going to be okay on your own?”
“I will be. I promise.”
“Will you call me if you’re the least bit uncomfortable?”
I laughed. “And what? You’ll come rub my feet?”
“If that’s what you need.”
“Tell you what, rub Tara’s feet instead.”
“I can’t wait for you to meet her.”
I heard another voice in the background. “You better go. Just keep me posted on when you think you’ll be coming back.”
“I need to check in with work and see if I can get Monday off.”
I laughed. “Do you really think Tackle would make you come back?”
“You know something I don’t, peanut? Did Tackle get a promotion in the last twenty-four hours? The last I checked, his dad still ran the company.”
“I didn’t mean anything by it, Knox.”
“Right. Okay, gotta go. Again, if you need me, I’m a little over an hour away.”
Less than an hour later, Tackle showed back up at my place.
“Did you talk to my brother?” I asked when I opened the door.
He answered by walking over the threshold and wrapping me up in his arms. “He won’t be back until Wednesday at the earliest.”
“Oh.” I hadn’t expected he’d be gone five days. I hadn’t been away from my brother for that long since February.
“You okay?”
“Of course.”
“There’s something I want to show you.”
“Where are we going?” I
