Page 72 of Make Me Whole

She laughed, giving me a feeling of mission accomplished. I had felt proud of myself before for making her not cry when talking about Eli, but to have her laugh at his expense because of my joke was next-level.

“I wouldn’t oppose repeating that fuck with you, and I would even let you film us if you wanted to. But only for personal use. Having you andmoreis the only award I need.”

I suspected that my admission to not being into porn had something to do with Sky’s offer, but I knew that if I asked, she would let me film myself fucking her for real. The offer alone showed how much she trusted me, andthatwas the only award I would ever want or need.

Holding her gaze, I brought one hand up to cup her face and kissed her deeply as my other hand lowered her skirt so she’d be decent. The kiss was softer, but it worked fast on reviving my hibernating erection.

Sky raised a brow and smirked. “Ready to go again?”

“I’m always ready when you’re around, baby.”

Her smile was a mixture of pride and incredulity. What she had to be incredulous about, I had no idea. In the few months since we’d first started seeing each other, my desire for Skylar had moved me to fall for my best friend’s daughter, let go of my beloved wife’s memory so I could build a life with her, and pick a fight with her crazy ex-husband. A quick hard-on was the least impressive display of my emotions.

“But how about we go relax in the hot tub first? Little Max might be ready for another go around, but Big Max’s old-man heart needs to catch his breath.”

Sky laughed again, making me feel like a million bucks. Along with Aiden saying that he loved me, her laugh was my favorite sound.

“Okay,” she agreed and took a step away from me. Then, she looked down at my still exposed and newly reformed erection and cocked a brow. “And just so we’re clear, there’s not one thing that is little about either Max.”

It was my turn to laugh. With my cock back in my jeans, we walked hand in hand back to the deck.

Since we didn’t have swim clothes and knew we’d end up naked, we went in the water nude. I sat on the bench with Sky between my legs and despite our nakedness, my semi, and the fact that I played with her tits the entire time, we just drank wine and talked.

We talked about us, about the kids, about Marge, about coming clean to Al about our relationship, and even about nothing at all. We laughed, made plans, and had fun like I hadn’t done in over a decade. It made me realize how much I had missed having a girlfriend.

Our relationship was nothing like Marge’s and mine had been, but it had the same spirit of commitment and companionship. Even though we didn’t start off as friends, Sky had become my best friend, the one person I had no secrets with. I loved that about us.

When my wine was gone and our fingers had turned into prunes, it was time to call it a night. Waiting for us the next day was a trip to the aquarium and a lot of time with our overly excited kids, which meant we’d need all the energy we could muster.

We had agreed not to share a room until we had told Al and the kids about us. Blending our families was a serious business, and we wanted to do it right. For that reason, going to sleep was saying goodbye, and I wasn’t ready for that just yet.

Still in the hot water, I kissed her, and she kissed me back. Like the theme of the night, it led to more.

We made love in the hot tub, and for the first time I was okay with calling it that. It was wonderful, slow and too fast all at once. Before I was ready—which I probably never would be—we were at her door saying goodnight.

“Good night, my love,” I whispered and kissed the sensitive spot on her neck. “I hope you dream of me.”

It was the cheesiest thing I had ever said in my life, but it made Sky smile and peck me on the lips. “Always,” she whispered and disappeared through the door.

Happier than I had felt in a very long time, I went inside my room and got ready for bed. The disappointment of sleeping alone after the incredible night Sky and I had just shared stung a little less knowing that I was one day closer to claiming her as mine for good.

30

SKY

My bedroom door swung open at butt crack o’clock. For a moment, my sleepy self basked in the fantasy that it was Max coming in for some morning snuggles—and by snuggles I was envisioning sex, of course. To my surprise, however, the person who walked into the room was a lot shorter and had way more energy.

“Wake up, Mom!” Ella yelled, jumping in my bed as if it were a bouncing house.

“Ella . . .” I grunted and flapped my arm in the direction of the unpleasant bouncing, hoping to grab a part of my daughter that I could tug down. “It’s too early for bouncing. Come snuggle Mommy.”

The little bunny bounced away from my reach and added a full head roll to her sassy eye rolling. “No snuggles! We have to go eat and get ready.”

The mention of eating combined with the bouncing and the chatter made my stomach turn. I shivered as I swallowed the bile that rose to my throat. I opened my eyes and smiled at my daughter, hoping that it would hide how awful I felt. It made the nausea worse. Apparently, little brother or sister hated mornings as much as I did.

“Ready for what, baby?” I forced out, pushing myself into a sitting position.

With a groan, my daughter plopped down on the mattress so hard my stretched legs flailed like a rag doll’s. My stomach rolled again.

---