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1145 Words
He kept his arms wrapped around me, and didn't say a word. But his silence was louder than words. I knew exactly what he was thinking.
"I need to do this one thing on my own," I whispered.
"I didn't say anything."
"But you were thinking it."
He sighed and took a step back from me. "Honestly, it's probably good to have anonymity. Our life is already in the public eye way more than I'd like it to be. I'm getting used to the idea of you wanting to use a pen name."
"Really?" I placed my hand on my stomach. Both my boys were agreeing with me tonight.
"Really. You took my name in real life. That's what matters to me, Mrs. Penny Hunter. Now, aren't you going to ask me what's in the bag?"
I looked at the grocery bag on the counter. I hadn't even noticed that he brought one in. I smiled at him. "Fruit and chocolate?"
He laughed and slid the bag down the counter toward me. I opened it up and pulled out the bananas and Dove ice cream bars.
"This is why I love you. You're a mind reader." I pushed the apple aside and grabbed a banana instead. In two seconds flat I was biting into the food I had been desperately craving. "Mmm."
"Are you trying to torture me?" he asked.
I looked back up at James as I finished chewing. "There is no way that you're turned on right now. I'm huge." I gestured to my stomach. "And it's not like I'm sucking on this seductively. I just took the biggest bite."
"You're not huge. You're pregnant." He ran his palm along my stomach. "With my daughter. And I think you're absolutely gorgeous."
"It's a boy, James!"
A smile spread across his face. "It's definitely a girl."
"I swear it's not."
He raised his left eyebrow. "Do you want to bet?"
"Everyone else already has a wager going." I took another bite of the banana. "We might as well too. What did you have in mind?"
"Winner gets whatever they want."
I laughed. "That's rather vague. So you're saying that if it's a boy, I can have anything I want? Anything at all?"
"And if it's a girl, I can have anything I want." His eyes scanned down my body.
"Deal. But all you have to do is ask. I'll give you whatever you want right now." I glanced at the clock on the wall. "We should have a few minutes before..." my words were cut short by his lips crashing against mine. I loved that he craved me the way I craved crazy foods. And him. I certainly never stopped craving him.
I pulled on his tie to deepen the kiss. He groaned into my mouth. I loved that sound. Yes, we were rarely alone anymore. But we knew how to take advantage of those few moments in between the hectic ones.
We both jumped when we heard the front door open.
"We're home!" Ellen called from the foyer.
James ran the tip of his nose down the length of mine. "To be continued?"
"Of course." I straightened his tie. A continuation could mean anything from a few hours to several days, but neither one of us were upset. Maybe a couple years ago we would have been annoyed by the interruption. But we were a family now. "I love you."
"I love you so much." He placed a swift kiss against my lips.
"Daddy!" the sweetest little voice squealed from the doorway of the kitchen.
Friday
I turned to see the brightest smile, the rosiest cheeks, and the curliest mop of red hair running toward us. Scarlett collided with James' leg and wrapped her little arms around it.
"Hey, pumpkin." James ruffled her hair and bent down to lift her into his arms. Scarlett easily settled onto his hip, which was probably her favorite seat in the world.
I smiled at the scene. No, I wasn't the least bit upset about the interruption. James had two girls in his life now. And I was okay with sharing him. He was the most wonderful father.
"Daddy, Ellie took me to the park!"
Ellen smiled from the doorway. Scarlett had been pronouncing Ellen's name as Ellie ever since she had learned how to talk. I was pretty sure she was able to pronounce Ellen now, but Ellen seemed to like the nickname.
"I can see that," James said and lightly tapped the tip of Scarlett's nose. There was a splatter of mud on the side of it and her dress had several grass stains.
"Let's get you in the bath before dinner," Ellen said.
"No, I want Daddy to do it!" Scarlett nestled her face into James' chest.
James laughed. "It's okay, Ellen, I can give her a bath." He placed Scarlett back on the ground. "Go say hello to your mother first."
A few months ago, Scarlett wanted me to do everything with her. Now she greatly favored James and had to be reminded of my existence. I hated how fast time was flying by.
But the beaming smile on her face as she ran toward me made my heart swell. I knelt down as she threw herself into my arms.
"Hi, Mommy. Ellie took me to the park today!"
"I heard, baby girl. Did you have fun?"
"Yes." She pulled away from me and frowned. "But I'm just girl now. This is baby." Scarlett put her hand on my stomach and leaned down so her lips were a few inches from my belly. "Hello, baby. I get to go take a bath with Daddy. You're too little, but you can come with us when you're older." She turned and ran away from me.
I put my hand on my chest. Tears were starting to well in my eyes. Scarlett was too young to be saying things like that. She would always be my baby girl. I wanted to freeze time. "I can come help too," I said as I slowly got to my feet.
"No, I've got it," James said. "You should lie down for a bit." He lightly kissed my temple and ran after our daughter who was already charging toward the stairs.
I turned to see Ellen pulling ingredients out of the fridge. "Do you want some help with dinner?" I asked.
"Oh, no, it's okay, dear. Go rest. I'll call you when it's ready." Ellen turned toward the stove.
I put my hand on my stomach. At least you still need me, little man. I wandered out of the kitchen. Scarlett and James' laughter drifted down the stairs. The sounds of pans clinking together echoed into the living room. I looked around at the spotless room. Everyone was busy being useful and I couldn't think of a thing to do.
- Writer
