Page 57 of What A Croc
“But I’ve realized over the last year that he’s not really like that at all,” Wyatt continued. “I think he was just really unhappy. After speaking with him last night, I think he was possibly in survival mode for years and he didn’t even know it. I didn’t know it. Has he told you about my mother?”
“Enough to know I don’t want to meet her,” I snarled, my fists clenching at my sides.
Wyatt gave me a sardonic grin, “She’s…something. Pops is a completely different person now that he’s away from her. You make him happy, Jackson, and as his son, I couldn’t ask for more. Yes, you have my permission to marry Pops. But if you hurt him, I’ll send my mate to kick your ass.”
Throwing my head back in laughter at his protective declaration, I felt myself relax for the first time since I had gotten here.
“Duly noted. And please, don’t tell your dad about this. Like I said, I’m not sure when I’m going to ask him. He has such a hang up about our age difference, and thinking he was too old to have kids, not that it mattered tome if we had any. I just know I want to wait until after we have a healthy baby in our arms before I ask him. If I do it now, he’ll give me a thousand reasons why he thinks I asked him out of some kind of guilt or misguided need to do the right thing.”
Wyatt rolled his eyes, “Sometimes he acts like he’s eighty rather than not even fifty yet, I swear. But you’re probably right about where his mind would go. He’s always been a bit behind the times when it comes to certain things.”
Standing to leave, I turned back when a thought hit me. “Oh, any suggestions on the type of ring I should get him? I was thinking he would probably want something simple and elegant.”
Wyatt pursed his lips, “Well, he had just a plain gold band before. Maybe something along those lines. But also something different, just so it didn’t remind him of…before. Maybe something in pink? It’s his favorite color, and it wouldn’t hurt him to have something with some color to it, that’s not so traditional.”
Robert did look wonderful in pink. “Thanks for the suggestion.”
Chapter Twenty-Five
Robert
The last three months had flown by, and I didn’t know where the time had gone. Summer had been spent with Jackson and I making plans for our future, in a whirlwind that still had my head spinning some days.
Suddenly it was September, and we were finalizing details for me moving in with Jackson and Aiden. At this point, it was just a formality, as I pretty much had already been living with them, even if we hadn’t made it official.
Last weekend, Jackson had finally broached the subject, by saying, “So, when are you just going to move your stuff in and stay awhile? And by a while, I mean the rest of our lives.”
Dropping Aiden’s shirt I had been folding, I had just stared at him, like I hadn’t understood his question. Hewas casually lounging in the doorway of our–his–bedroom, like he hadn’t just dropped a bombshell of a question on me.
Sure, we had basically been living together for months. After announcing our pregnancy to our kids, it had been a natural progression of me pretty much staying at his place every night. I really only went back to my cabin to get more clothes, or small things of comfort I wanted with me. My favorite blanket, my favorite mug, a framed photo of me, Wyatt, and Julianna.
Jackson had given me a drawer, then another, then half his closet. He had never made a production out of it, but rather had just opened an empty drawer and placed my things in it one weekend. Casually moving clothes in his closet and making a wide empty space.
We cooked meals together, though mostly it was Jackson that cooked. My skills in the kitchen weren’t great, so I usually took care of the clean-up.
Coming from wealthy, New York societal elite parents, I had never had a chance to learn any life skills like cooking and cleaning. Jane had come from the same world, and we’d had staff for the entirety of our marriage. My days had been filled with sitting on the boards of a few non-profits, charity work, lunching with friends that had all vanished when Jane and I had separated, and not much else of use.
I had been surprised to find how much I had enjoyed cleaning my small cabin. Finding the routine of dustingsomehow relaxing. Not minding sinking my hands into a sink of soapy water, though I did enjoy Jackson’s dishwasher, or the feel of folding still warm clothes from the dryer. And while Jackson did have a cleaner once a week, that still left laundry and meals to us.
His question shouldn’t have startled me as much as it had. Not really. It was a natural progression of our quick relationship, and just finalizing something that had basically already happened.
“You do realize you pretty much already live here, don’t you?” Pushing off the doorway, his strong arms encircled me from behind. Pulling my back to his chest, his hands rested over my round baby bump. A firm kick against his palm had us both chuckling.
“He agrees,” he whispered, his sharp teeth nipping my earlobe and causing me to shiver.
Jackson made me want more than any person ever had. A single touch from him could light me on fire.
“She,” I corrected stubbornly, leaning into him, and closing my eyes.
“He, she,” his breath ghosted over the skin of my neck and goosebumps erupted over my skin. “It makes no difference. But say yes.”
Without thought or hesitation, I breathed out, “Yessss.”
“Mmmm,” his teeth skimmed down the column of my neck, and I arched it, giving him better access. His handsroamed the mound of my belly, then lower, palming my aching dick.
“Daddy! Robert!” Aiden’s loud voice cut into our sexual haze like a cold shower. Jackson didn’t release me though, just yelled back.
“What?”
