Page 8 of Lost in Yonkers

“I thought that we could do some shopping for the baby today, after my mom’s chemotherapy,” Yonkers said. “She’s insisting on buying the crib but wants us to pick it out.”

“Um, that’s really nice of her,” Wren said, “but, she has enough on her plate right now. I can pay for the crib.” There was no chance that his mother was going to let Wren pay for the crib. She said that it was a grandmother’s right to buy the bed for her grandchild, and who was he to argue.

“Please,” Yonkers begged, “just let her do this for the baby. It’s the first thing that I’ve seen her excited about in a long time. It will bring her joy to do this.”

Wren wrinkled her cute little nose, just like she used to do whenever she was considering something that he was asking her to do, and he almost pushed her up against the wall and kissed her but held back. If he pushed Wren too hard, she might walk and that was the last thing he needed.

“Okay,” she agreed, “but, only if you think that it will help her.”

Yonkers dipped his head to kiss her cheek, “Thank you,” he whispered. “It will help her, and I appreciate you doing this for her.”

“Of course,” she said. Wren looked a bit disappointed, and he wondered what that was about.

“Are you sure, because you seem unsure now,” he said. Yonkers didn’t want to do anything to upset her, especially during her pregnancy.

“I’m sure about your mom and shopping, and all that,” she said. “I’m just wondering why you’re still keeping your distance from me, Chris.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” he asked. “We share a fucking bed, how is that me keeping my distance?” he asked.

“Just now, you kissed my cheek,” she said.

“Okay, should I not have done that?” he asked.

“No, you can kiss my cheek, Chris, but I was hoping that you’d actually want to kiss me.” He looked her over as though she had lost her mind.

“Your cheek isn’t part of you?” he asked.

“You’re not getting my meaning,” Wren huffed. She sunk into the sofa, and he sat down next to her. “I want more than a peck on the cheek from you, Chris. I didn’t think that I would feel this way when I moved in here with you, but I do. Maybe it’s just my crazy hormones, but I want more.” He wasn’t sure how he felt about her demanding more from him. That was how they had gotten to this stage because he gave her more on his kitchen table.

“How much more?” he asked.

“More,” she shouted. “All of it, I want all of it with you, Chris. Tell me that you don’t feel the same way. I know that we haven’t been together since Christmas, but have your feelings toward me changed in the past months?” He wanted to tell her that he never had feelings for her, but that would be a lie, and the one thing he wasn’t was a liar. He owed Wren the truth.

“They haven’t changed. I still have feelings for you, Wren. I’m just not sure if that’s a good thing for you or our daughter. Things with me tend to get a bit messy and I don’t want you or our kid mixed up in any of that. I’m not good at relationship stuff.”

“Got it, but you want a relationship with our daughter, right?” Wren asked.

“I do,” he breathed. “If you’re good with that.”

“If I wasn’t good with that, I wouldn’t have traveled all this way to tell you about her. How do you feel about me, Chris? Do you want a relationship with me?” He wanted that more than anything, but when she tracked him down, he was sure that it was just a courtesy call to let him know about the baby. He never dreamed that Wren would want any kind of relationship with him, other than as the father of her baby.

“I do,” he whispered. “I just thought that you didn’t want anything like that with me.”

“I wasn’t sure if I did,” she admitted. “When I found you last week, I wasn’t sure how I’d feel about seeing you again. It wasn’t easy to face you after you just took off on me, Chris. But being here with you these past few days, well, I’ve had a change of perspective. I am allowed to change my mind, right?” she asked.

“Hell yeah,” he said, “especially when I benefit from you changing your mind. So, what now?”

“Now, we figure out what comes next. I think that I’d like for you to kiss me,” she said. He started to close in, and she pressed her hands against his chest. “And this time, I don’t want the kiss to be on my cheek.” She tapped her lips with her finger, making him smile.

“Right, on the lips,” he said, letting her know that he got her meaning. “Be sure, Wren,” he said. "I don’t want to get my hopes up again, and I don’t want to hurt you.”

“You won’t hurt me, Chris,” she breathed, inching closer to him. Her hands were still pressed up against his chest and he was sure that she’d be able to feel his heart beating through his t-shirt. “Just kiss me, Chris, please,” she whispered. He didn’t want her to beg him—ever. Yonkers leaned in and pressed his lips to hers, loving the way that she responded to a simple kiss. She was always so responsive to him. It was something that he loved most about Wren.

He broke their kiss, leaving them both panting and when Wren wrapped her arms around his neck and practically climbed onto his lap, he damn near swallowed her whole. He had her straddling his body in seconds and when she begged him for more, he was prepared to give it to her.

“Not here,” he said, standing from the sofa with Wren in his arms. “I’d really like to take my time with you this time.”

“So, no kitchen table?” she teased.

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