Unacquainted Read online

  “Fuck, Brody, you feel so good.” I reach around with my other hand, fondling her clit while I finger her ass.

  “Well, Toots, before the night is out, I will be worshipping every fucking part of your body. It is mine, only ever mine.”

  “You have me, Brody. You fucking have me.” This is when I hear Rose erupt with passion and pleasure. “Holy shit, Brody.”

  I now have three fingers inside of her as I work her more until she demands all of me in her. Not being small in the manhood department, I don’t want to hurt her. I take the lube and lather my cock as I push just the bulb inside of her. “Push out while I’m entering you, it will be easier.” I read that just yesterday as we were talking about trying this position. But holy fuck, it feels fucking amazing.

  “Toots, are you okay?” I ask. I see her taking her hand as she masturbates and I feel like I can blow it all. It is the sexiest thing to watch her playing with her clit. “Put a finger inside yourself. Find your g-spot and your orgasm will rock both of us,” I whisper with a guttural need to please her in every aspect of life. “I fucking love you, Rose.”

  That is all she needs and I hear her cry out again. “Brody, I fucking love you.” After I come, I lead her to the bathroom and place her gently in her large tub, letting her soak.

  I wash her, knowing she may be sore tomorrow and I can’t allow for this. I touch her face and kiss her neck as I’m leaning over the tub, attending to her every need.

  “I love you, Toots.” Looking at her, I know she’s all I need.

  Rose’s family confuses me. I have no idea who this Heidi and Derrick are but I’m happy as fuck to be spending a long weekend together with only Rose. On the way to the lake, I ask, “Heidi, she’s Hildy’s sister?”

  “Yes, that’s how my dad and Hildy met. Derrick is Ryan’s brother. Ryan and dad were best friends. My mom and Ryan’s late wife, Lorelei, were best friends too. When Lorelei and Ryan started dating, they introduced Mom and Dad to one another. Ryan and Lorelei waited a while to have kids. Kai and I were very important to them.” Now I’m just confused as fuck as she finishes.

  “When I finally think I have your family figured out, you add more people to the mix, Toots.”

  “Ha, you will catch up. Don’t worry, Nick said the very same thing. Anyway, Heidi has always been very kind to us. She really is an aunt. Hildy and my dad have been married for thirteen years. I know Heidi very well. Derrick, not as much, but Kai is close to him. When Lorelei died, Kai, Derrick and my mom were the people who brought Ryan through the grief.”

  “Not your dad? I thought he’s Ryan’s best friend?” I ask.

  “Well, my dad has his own set of issues. My mom found out about my dad’s affair with Hildy that had begun while Mom and Dad were married. She found out that Lorelei knew and she confronted her. Lorelei felt awful, although my mom said she never wanted to know. It was something that Nick told her out of anger, which, believe me, is a story by itself. Anyway, Hildy was pregnant with the twins at the time. When Lorelei died, Hils really was on the verge of losing them. Her and Lorelei were close,” she shares as I try to keep my eyes on the road but process all of this.

  “Information overload here. So many things to ask. First off, and this seems trivial given all the tragic events, Hildy lives in the house your mom used to live in?”

  Rose laughs. “Weird, I know but seriously, Hildy has redesigned that house a million times. It doesn’t look like the same home, both on the inside and out. She has had walls moved, bedrooms relocated, hell, she even moved the kitchen.”

  I love listening to Rose and her crazy family but we have no groceries and I stop her for a second. “Oh, before we get any further out of town, I wanted to stop at the store, to get dinner for tonight. Hildy said there is an amazing outside kitchen.”

  “You talked to Hildy?” Rose asks.

  “Yes, I wanted to see what this place was like so I could plan accordingly. By the way, she’s not pleased with our decision to not find out the sex of the baby.”

  “Our decision?” she asks as we pull into the grocery store parking lot. “Okay, let me waddle in there with you.”

  I have made it our custom to open the door for her always. It’s something my dad taught me with my mom and now sister and it has stuck over the years. Walking over immediately to help her out of her car, which I now drive anytime we are together, she says, “It’s only June, what am I going to look like when October hits?”

  A voice from behind us says, “Beautiful.” We spin around, faster than a pregnant woman should, and I find us face to face with Jones. I blame him for the way he didn’t keep his word not to pressure Rose. Yet, I’m civil because we seldom see him.

  He takes one look at me as I’m holding Rose’s hand and extends his hand to mine. “Brody, good to see you again,” he says as we shake hands. “You look really good, Rose, pregnancy suits you.” He acts as if he’s truly happy for her. She lets go of my hand just long enough to give him a hug.

  “Jones, it’s nice to see you,” Rose says in a tone that exudes love. She still loves this man, maybe not like she used to but for once, I’m not mad. She’s mine.

  He laughs. “Yeah, you, too, but if I’m being honest, surely I’m not the only one who is truly uncomfortable right now.”

  I take advantage of the truth that Jones speaks and say, “No, dude, you aren’t.”

  “Okay, good, now that we got that out in the air. How are you feeling, Rose?”

  “I’m good, I’m twenty-four weeks.”

  “So, you must know what you’re having then?” he asks her.

  Looking at him with a small smile, she says, “Well, we are getting hell for this but we’re not finding out.”

  He looks at me with a quizzical look. “That must be your doing because I don’t see her suggesting this.”

  “Yeah, that’s true, it was my idea,” I admit.

  “Well, guys, I better get going. It was nice seeing you both, take care of yourself, Rose.”

  She looks at me and quietly asks, “Can I meet you in there?” I nod, walking away though I certainly don’t want to. I hear her say, “Jones, wait a minute.”

  29

  Rose

  Jones turns around to me when Brody walks into the store, “Rose, this is hard. I didn’t know how hard until you turned around so I really need to go.”

  “I know it is and I’m sorry, I’m just curious if you made any plans yet. You know I will always care for you, right?”

  “As a matter of fact, I applied for medical school at several places. I was going to cancel them but didn’t.” He was going to give up his dream to become a doctor to be with me. “I might as well go now. Grams and Pops left me with the money to be able to afford it out of the reach of my controlling parents. Anyway, I leave for Los Angeles the beginning of August and until then, I’m staying with your brother’s friend Austin. Kai set me up with him. He needed a roommate until August and I needed to get away from my crazy mother.”

  “She still doesn’t like me?”

  “You know my mother is crazy, she doesn’t like anyone, certainly not me.”

  “Well, Jones, I really hope one day you and I can be friends.”

  He has a weak smile on his face. “Please take care of yourself, Rose.”

  “You, too, Jones, and hey, you should look Lila up when you’re there, you two were always such good friends, too.” He just waves and walks away. It hurts seeing him brokenhearted but looking at him right now, I know that the love I once felt for him no longer exists. The man who holds my heart is most likely scrutinizing every steak in the butcher’s department at this very moment.

  I find Brody, as I guessed, by the steaks. “You okay?” he asks.

  “Yes, why do you ask?”

  “It had to be hard,” he admits.

  “It is, only because I don’t like seeing someone I care about hurt, especially since I’m the source.” I touch his cheek and ask, “Are you okay? I know it’s hard for you
, too.”

  “I love you, Rose. But remember, this part is over. We aren’t going to discuss it, remember what I said the night I forgave you?”

  “Yes,” I say.

  “Now good, help me pick out steaks so we can go.”

  After dinner, I say, “I’m so full right now.”

  “You’re feeding my baby, plumping him or her up. I don’t want a skinny baby, I want a fat one! Skinny babies freak me out, too fragile,” Brody states as he starts to build a fire. “It sure is cooler up here than I expected for the first of June.”

  “I know, July and August is when the summer really comes out to play.”

  As soon as he gets the fire started, he puts down a couple of blankets and pillows on the floor and pulls me down near him. “Brody, you know that it’s too hard for me to get up from the floor.”

  “I just want to sit here and snuggle for a little bit with you, we have a great physical relationship, that’s for sure, but I really want to get to know you better.”

  “We don’t have to have sex tonight,” I say, trying to hide my smile.

  “Whoa, I didn’t say that, at all. Don’t put words in my mouth there, Toots.” I laugh, thinking typical guy. “I love calling you Toots by the way, it suits you.”

  “I know and I like it a lot. But hey, that brings up a really funny story, but it has to do with my mom and Nick and well, I guess their sex life.”

  “Is there nothing off limits in your family?”

  “Not really.” I start to tell him about the conversation I overheard early on about how Nick had told my mom to come up with a bedroom name for him and how she could just imagine that his choice would be something corny, like ride him cowboy. As I continue, Brody just listens intently to the rest of the story. He sometimes has a hard time understanding our family dynamics.

  Suddenly the tone changes when he leans in and asks, in a serious way, “How did that go over? Your parents’ divorce. I can’t imagine.”

  “This will sound odd, but first, you have met Hildy, she’s infectious. You can’t help but like her. It took a little bit longer for my mom but they became friends within a year of Hils and Dad’s marriage.”

  “I can’t imagine that,” Brody says, as he massages my shoulders. “Did you have anyone to confide in?”

  “Yes, it was Lorelei. I went to her early on when I was miserable with my parents. She kept my confidence. I knew then, I could trust her with my secrets.”

  “Tell me, what was Lorelei like? I saw several pictures of her in the townhouse and at your mom’s and Hildy’s.”

  My face shines at the mention of the woman I miss so much. “She was great, think of my mom and think of everything opposite of her. That was our Lorelei. It doesn’t make one better or worse. She taught me to cook, sew, garden. My mom taught me how to be a strong and opinionated woman and then Lorelei would come behind her and show me finesse and tact. There is no one better than my mom, but Lorelei was a close second and I miss her every day.”

  As we sit in front of the fire, getting warm, holding one another, I remember something and I struggle to stand. “I have a surprise for you. I was going to wait until I could give this to you in front of your parents but I can’t wait.” I turn around to grab my purse.

  “Rose, what else could you surprise me with? That bedroom more than sufficed and this weekend, what more could I need?”

  “I don’t know, Mr. Buchannan, I think you will like this more and it didn’t cost a dime.”

  “You can’t help but make comments about my spending habits.”

  “You mean me calling you cheap? No, not at all, you just learned from your mistakes, I know,” I say. “I do love teasing you.”

  I hand him an envelope with a card inside. He looks at it puzzled. “It’s a baby shower invitation.”

  “I know that, Captain Obvious,” I tease. “Hildy has made a mock invitation early for my approval and I had her make one small little change to the invitation.”

  He looks at it carefully and reads it out loud. “Tiny yawns and sleepy sighs of nursery rhymes and lullabies… Please join us for a couple’s shower honoring Brody and Rose and Little Baby Buchannan.” I immediately see the shock in his eyes by what he just read.

  “Rose, I don’t get this, did Hildy make a mistake?” He’s now squinting, reading the invitation.

  “No, the last name was the change I made. I want the baby to have your last name, it’s only fitting. I didn’t think you’d mind, me making that small little change without speaking with you first.”

  “But Rose, what if…”

  “I’m trying so hard not to deal in what ifs. Regardless of our future together, this baby will be yours forever. A Buchannan.”

  “This is better than the bedroom and the present in the bedroom after all was revealed,” he says with a smirk. “I don’t know what to think.”

  “I can’t wait to give this invitation to your mom,” I say.

  “You would do this for me and my family? I’m floored.”

  “Yes, and don’t forget our baby, too. By the way, I’m hoping to be a Buchannan one day myself.”

  “That is sort of my plan, too, Toots.”

  Brody is packing up the car as we leave the lake on Sunday. He must think I’m not leaving because I walk back in the house when my phone rings. My mom is on the other end rattling off all this information as I try to process it. Emma had her baby but the delivery was scary. My heart almost stops thinking of losing my Emma, the girl who, biology aside, is my older sister. I see Brody looking for me as I snap my fingers to get his attention. “Yes, Mom. I know. Is she up for visitors? We will be back in an hour, I’ll come by and check on her. Are you sure she’s okay?” After Mom assures me Emma is okay and out of the woods, I can breathe again.

  Brody sees the panic on my face and asks, “Emma had her baby?”

  “Yes, the baby is fine but they almost lost Emma,” I say, the words sinking in to me. I almost lost Emma. Nick must be a wreck and my mom sounds as if she hasn’t left Emma’s side.

  “Wow, how scary, but she’s all right now?” Brody questions, bringing me comfort as again, his long arms wrap me close to him.

  “Yes, my mom is going to see if she’s up for visitors. They spent the night at the hospital. Annette flew in already and Jane and Lila are on their way.”

  “Jane is the calm in the storm, isn’t she?” Brody says and I’m intrigued by how he knows this fact about my sister-in-law.

  “Yes, and so is Kai, guess that’s why they are such a good fit.”

  “And the baby is all right?” he asks.

  “Yes, Aspen Annette.”

  As he opens the door for me and starts driving back to Spokane, he says, “You know, after we see little Aspen, it is going to become very real to us.”

  “I was just thinking that. I can’t wait to hold our baby. Drew or Lorel. I’m in love with him or her already,” I admit.

  “All right, Toots, let go see the newest member of your family.”

  “No,” I say, grabbing his knee, “Let’s go see the newest member of our family.”

  30

  Rose

  I’m so excited for the Buchannan’s’ visit. Even though I was showing two months ago when I last saw them, there is no denying the baby that’s overtaking my body now.

  I leave work an hour early in anticipation of the Buchannan’s’ arrival. I want to impress Ruth, to show her I’m worthy of her son. I need to make sure there aren’t any stray dust bunnies appearing out of nowhere. As I enter the house, a horrible smell assaults me as I look at the crock pot. I wanted to fix them a home-cooked meal and placed a roast in there before I left for work. The F word escapes my mouth as I realize the pot itself has busted everywhere with the juice spilling over onto the heating element. I grab a towel and unplug the crockpot, as I’m ready to cry. Not only do I not have dinner, the beef roast was not cheap and now it is ruined.

  I call Brody. “The crock pot cracked and the heating ele
ment burned out, but not before it cooked the mess enough to make a terrible smell in the house.” I’m frantically searching the freezer for another option. I’m not serving Ruth, the mom of the century, take-out her first night in our home. “No, I don’t want take-out. Can you come home early? Really? Ah, shit. Fine, text me your parents’ ETA.” I go around and open up windows, though it will be hotter than Satan’s sauna by the time the horrible air cycles through the house. Of all the days for Brody to have a late patient, today is the day!

  I have chicken thawing in the fridge, stuffing, and I can make a homemade roux really quickly. Disaster solved; it won’t be the grand meal of roast, but a chicken and stuffing casserole will work. In my eyes, anything is better than take-out.

  I grab the flour and as I’m whipping the sauce together, I burn my index finger. Still trying to mix all the ingredients, I rest my burnt digit under the cold spigot for a couple of minutes. Although my mom swears a spigot is outside, it is all I’ve ever called a facet. This little fact makes me laugh at myself even though I’m pissed off.

  Twenty minutes go by and I don’t smell dinner cooking. Walking toward the stove, I yell, “Well for fuck’s sake!” I didn’t turn on the fucking stove. My pregnancy brain is working overtime.

  Finally, Brody texts me and says his parents are thirty minutes out. Starting the salad and peach cobbler, I now realize in my busyness I’m sweating like a stuffed pig. Going around now closing windows because of the heat, I run upstairs to shower and change. Looking in the mirror, I’m a mess with flour all over me and my hair soaking wet from sweat.

  I’m not going to cry, even if the house smells like a burnt cow and I look like I have run a marathon. I take the world’s quickest shower. Changing, I realize I have candles that might help with the smell. I’m ready, barely, but I’m at least ready.