Page 48 of Love Bitters

Wes

I swear to God, today was the best morning I've had in months. Hell, maybe even years. Minus the semi-small panic attack I had when I'd rolled over to find Imma missing from her spot beside me. I'd woken up multiple times during the night, and she was there every time. Having opened my eyes in the predawn light creeping through the blinds to find her missing, had my heart pounding because I thought my worst fears had come true. That she’d decided we weren't worth it after all. Then I'd noticed Murph missing and heard the shower running. It wasn't even a few minutes later when I heard his groan slip beneath the cracks. It was clear what was going on in that room, but I wasn't jealous in the least. In fact, it made me hard as a rock, thinking about our own private time last night.

There had been a rustle of noise above my head, and I'd looked over to lock eyes with Evan. We'd smiled knowingly at each other before he'd gotten up to head down the hall.

This place we’ve found ourselves isn't standard by any means, but I don't hate it either. I don't mind sharing her with the only four people I'd trust my life to as long as it makes her happy. I’ve been alive for twenty-five years and spent the last fifteen of them swearing that I wouldn’t become attached to a woman like I am now, but that all went down the drain with one thought of her look of pleasure last night. The baby idea is going to take a little getting used to, but we've got months to adjust.

The water shuts off in the shower a couple minutes before the door opens, letting steam out into the hall. Unfortunately, from my position on the floor, I can't see down the length of it, successfully blocking my view of anyone coming out. Yet it's obvious again when I hear Murph's door close. I want to get up and make myself useful by making breakfast or something, but I can't seem to find the will to. Like it's some kind of psychotic game, I want to see if she'll come tell me goodbye before she leaves.

So, I lie there, unintentionally eavesdropping on the sounds coming from his room as I think about the things I've got planned for the day. A plan’s been formulating in my head every waking minute since Imma told me what gender the baby is. A fact Ollie is just eaten up about. I'll tell him later if I can manage to escape his scrutiny this morning. He's got a good way of making someone feel guilty about practically nothing, and I've actually got a reason, so it'll be twice as bad. I know I'll end up telling him if he corners me, though taking him along to some of the stores wouldn't be such a bad idea since I am seriously a tadpole trying to swim with the sharks about this baby stuff.

I'll have to be at work before she gets off, so I'll need to have it cemented that she'll be back before she leaves this morning. Ollie finally stirs as Imma's pleasure-filled moan floats down the hallway. I pretend to still be asleep when he sits up and stretches before standing to take the same path Evan did a bit ago, leaving a sleeping Thatch and me in the living room. Glancing over at the dude, I'm tempted to fuck with him since he's passed out cold, but I don't.

A door opens but doesn't close down the hall a few minutes before I hear quiet murmurs. It's another couple minutes later when Imma comes walking into the living room, still adjusting her blouse. There's a moment when my breath catches in my chest and stays there until she turns to walk carefully over the mattress separating us. It isn't until she's down on her knees and arching herself over me that I finally let out the air in my lungs. At this, I don't even bother trying to pretend to be asleep. Catching her by surprise, I pop up on an elbow to place a kiss against her lips, feeling her smile without seeing it.

"And here I was thinking I'd get to have the fun of waking you up," she teases around the kiss.

Separating us by a few inches, I run a hand through her still damp hair. "You've got to be stealthier than that." An evil idea brewing in my mind, I point to my left and add, "He's still out, though, if you want to give him a wake up call."

Her eyes narrow slightly with her grin as she makes her way over to Thatcher beside me. The empty spot she left between us might as well be a chasm for as much as we've not dealt with shit going on. Pushing that off to the side, I refocus on the way her skirt rides up the back of her legs as she leans down to whisper something in Thatch's ear. Not bothering to resist temptation, I let the pads of my fingers skim up the exposed skin.

One second, I'm thinking about how I'd love those legs wrapped around me before she leaves this morning, and the next, there's a harsh grunt from Thatch. Before my next blink, Thatch has grabbed and spun Imma until she's beneath him on the mattress. In any normal circumstance, this move wouldn't be a big deal, but the baby makes that different now. He should fucking think about that before pulling stunts.

Jumping to my knees, I shove him off her and yell, "What the fuck, dude?"

Imma's eyes are wide with shock, her hands palm up in defense. It's then I take in the wild, dazed expression on Thatch's face. Whatever this was, it for sure wasn't him playing around. Shit.

Having obviously heard the commotion or maybe he was already headed this way, Evan steps into the living room. "What's going on in here?"

"Are you okay?" I ask, taking care of her first.

I take her hand when she reaches out, so I can help her sit up before she replies, "I'm fine. It didn't hurt or anything."

"I'm sorry," Thatch says with a wince. He comes crawling back on his knees to take her other hand in his and brings it to his lips. "I was dreaming, and you startled me out of it. I'm so sorry, Im. You sure you're okay?"

"What did you do?" Evan asks, more persistent this time, as he walks around the edges of the mattresses to kneel behind Imma.

Releasing both of us and bypassing the seriousness of the situation, she gets to her feet as she tells Evan, "Nothing happened. Everything is fine. I've got to get home to change before I'm late for work."

Quietly stewing, I watch her make her way around the others with goodbye kisses. When I follow her outside, she pauses and spins slowly to face me. "Don't make it a big deal. Just let it go, okay?"

Worry sits plain as day in her expression, and the last thing we need is for her to think something like this is her fault. Wrapping her up in a tight hug, my heart just about jumps out of my damn chest when she buries her face there. I'm a simping fool for this woman. I love the way her curves press against my body and that she smells like our apartment, like us.

"I won't make it a thing if you promise to come back tonight," I bargain, running my chin across the top of her head. Her sigh speaks a thousand words, and it makes me swallow hard to keep from starting to beg or cry like a fool.

When her face tilts upward, searching for my gaze, I try my best to give her a real smile. The only way I know it falls short is the slight tremble in her bottom lip.

"I'll be here," she whispers.

As victorious as the moment is, I'm still panicky about the hesitation just now. Doing my best to not let it show, I send her off after another quick kiss and a request to be safe. I linger outside for a few moments, waiting until she's safely in her car and driving away before I stomp back into the house. My promise to not make this morning's accident a thing still stands, but that doesn't mean we aren't going to go ahead and hash out the issues that shouldn’t have been left stewing for the past couple months. The others have already moved mattresses back to their respective rooms, and Ollie is in the kitchen, cooking breakfast.

Evan sits at the table with Murph, both nursing a cup of coffee. The former looks up from his newspaper, asking, "Want to tell us what the hell that was all about?"

"Why'd Thatch run off like a dog with his tail between his legs?" Murph adds.

The subject of the conversation walks around the corner to answer both of their questions at the same time. "Imma just caught me off guard when she woke me up this morning. I pinned her to the mattress because that's what was happening in my dream."

It's a bullshit lie, and he fools no one.

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