Just The Tip Page 15

  “Well, I was thinking maybe we could curl up and watch some Monty Python. Maybe make some popcorn, cuddle up under a warm blanket.” Stopping in the doorway, I said, “Unless that makes me seem too soft, did I just basically blurt out I'm a super mush bag?”

  Nodding, Violet cupped her hands under her chin. “Yeah, you did. But for the record, I also love cuddling and Monty Python. Seems to me we have the mush in common.”

  Scooping an arm around her waist, I pulled her in, brushing the air from her face, and curling it around her ear. “I know we don't know everything about each other, but I want you to know that since I first met you, I've wanted nothing more than to know you.”

  Her smile filled me, making my heart thump an extra beat. Her face was soft, her lips inviting. “I'm glad you finally saw it.”

  I had seen it.

  I had denied it.

  And if I have my way, I'll never let her go.

  Violet

  Stretching my arms above my head, I felt Mateo's warm body beside me. Rolling to my side, I wrapped myself around him and squeezed tightly. His hand rose up, fingers running over my bare arm.

  A shiver swept my body, goosebumps springing to life from his gentle touch. “Morning,” I said, nuzzling my face into the back of his neck. Hair from his head tickled my nose, rubbing the sensation away, I spoke quietly into his ear. “Last night was amazing.”

  Angling his head over his shoulder, his eyes were still half closed, but his smile was huge and bright. “Was it? Maybe I need you to refresh my memory, I forgot to tell you that I sometimes have bouts of short term memory loss.” Twisting around, he placed a strong arm over my waist, tugging me closer.

  “Is that so?” I asked, arching a brow. “Maybe this will help.” Leaning in, I kissed him with a long passionate kiss. It didn't even bother me that I might have rancid morning breath.

  Mateo accepted it without a second thought, his tongue slipping through my lips, twirling, licking, feeling. His cock pushed into my waist as he shifted closer, the thick muscle flexed and bumped across my hidden sex.

  I could feel the dampness of my panties as the heat hit my lower belly, slicking my thighs. His morning wood was rock solid, throbbing against the tender exposed flesh.

  A firm hand found my breast, cupping and caressing it. A quiet moan slipped from my mouth into his between locked lips, a smile dangling on the corner of his face. Our lips were still touching as he whispered. “I love the way you sing to me, the way your body calls to me, and the way your pussy's telling me it's mine.”

  “You were a tough nut to crack, Mr. Garza.” Staring at him under hooded lids, my fingers teased the edges of his crisp dark hair. Raking my nails through his scalp, his eyes fluttered in place.

  “I'll give you a tough nut. . .” Thrusting his hips with a snap, the tip of his engorged cock tapped my needy button. And when I say it was needy, the shit was fucking starving.

  I had gone so long without sex, so long without the affection and attention of another man, that now my body was in this weird state of needing more and more.

  It was as if I had gone way too long without water, and dehydration was about to steal my last breath. Now I was standing on the edge of a giant lake and I couldn't stop drinking, couldn't stop wanting more and more.

  I just can't stop.

  My entire body was in the flood tide, ready to unfold into a spastic orgasm with just a single touch of his finger. Tingles rode my spine, bringing me to the cusp of insanity.

  He had fed the beast, but I was still starving.

  Locking his eyes on mine, Mateo looked like he was searching my face. His expression was still, but his gaze was so deep it burned into the bone. “What?”

  “Nothing, really,” he said, shrugging a shoulder, and tracing my collarbone. “You're just so damn beautiful, I can't stop looking at you.” Kissing the tip of my nose, his thumb brushed my cheek. “I never want to stop looking at you.”

  Every thump of my heart was a booming siren, his words piercing the weakened muscle. I wanted to believe him, I wanted to tell him he'd never have to look for anything again, because I would always be right here.

  Don't, don't jump in too quickly.

  Everything is so new, so fresh.

  Just live in the moment, live right now.

  Biting my tongue, I played up the moment with a light beat. “I bet you say that to all the girls.” Giggling playfully, I twisted the tip of my finger between my teeth.

  “Speaking of which, what time is it?”

  “Why? You have someplace to be?”

  “Yeah, inside of you, if we have any time before Lilith gets up.” His finger ran up my slit, pressing the panties against my wetness. My thighs clenched tight and rocked back and forth against his finger.

  Reaching to grab my phone off the nightstand, I pressed the button. “It's—”

  “Mommy?”

  “Time,” I said, finishing my sentence with a sigh. “Good morning, Honey.”

  “Morning, I'm hungry.” Sitting up on my elbows, Lilith was perched in the doorway, hugging her stuffed bear, Moot.

  His name was originally supposed to be Monty, but with her toddler slur, Moot stuck.

  Dylan wouldn't mind the name change, it was way cuter to watch her repeatedly try to say Monty, only for Moot to always make its way out.

  “Alright, I'll make you breakfast in a few minutes.” Smiling, Lilith cocked her head and looked over the lump at my side. “Guess who's here,” I said excitedly.

  “Mattie?” she asked, tilting her head with uncertainty.

  Mateo launched himself out from under the blanket, arms flying above his head, as he let out a loud bear growl. “Raaawww!”

  Lilith threw her hands up to her lips, a giant grin splitting across her cheeks. “Mattie!” She yelled, arms falling to her hips. “You can't scare me.”

  “I think I just did,” Mateo said, dropping to the edge of the bed and onto his belly. His feet kicked up behind him, ankles crossing as his head rested happily on his hands.

  “Nuh uh, I don't get scared. I'm brave like my daddy, you'll never be able to scare me.” Her arms drew up across her chest, snuggling into her ribs, Moot dangling on threads by one arm.

  I'll be sewing him up again soon.

  Mateo's smile spread like wildfire. “I can tell you're as brave as your daddy, your Mom told me you got that from him. But. . .” His eyes thinned, a single finger flipping out to bounce in the air. “One of these days I'll scare you and you'll never see it coming.”

  “Nope, you won't.” Sealing her eyes shut, Lilith tipped her head up to the ceiling, shaking it side to side.

  “I will.”

  “No, wanna bet?”

  “Bet?” He asked, chuckling under his breath. “What do you want to bet?”

  “If I win, I get to give you a make-over, if you win, you get to use my special notebook.”

  “Special notebook?”

  “Yeah,” I chimed in. “And that's a really great bet. Lilith has a special notebook that nobody, and I mean nobody, is allowed to touch. Not even me—”

  “Or Grandma.” Lilith added.

  “Or Grandma.” I repeated. “You'd be lucky if you win, but I'm thinking this bet is probably a loss on your end now. She never bets her special notebook and I tried.” Expanding my lids, I nodded with affirmation.

  Lilith's special notebook was a present I gave her last year for her birthday. I couldn't even believe she still had it in one piece, but I was really proud of her for taking our conversation seriously when I finally passed it down to her.

  It's one of the few surviving items that she hasn't destroyed with all her creative childhood nature.

  The notebook and Moot, surviving relics of the past.

  She never let anyone use, touch, or even hold her special book. I didn't blame her, the book holds more sentimental value than just any old notebook. And it was just as hard for me to entrust it to her. I had spent hours the night before I parted with
it just scrolling through the pages, letting the memories take me back.

  And now, she was filling it with memories of her own.

  “Alright, I'll take your bet. I hope you're ready to let me use your notebook.” Mateo's big toothy smile hit his ears, his head joggling around on his hands. “Because I'm going to scare you so bad.”

  Lilith laughed, swinging her bear from side to side, a bit too rough for my liking. “You will not.” Stepping towards the end of my bed, she poked Mateo in the forehead. “Tag, you're it!” she screamed, then shot out of the room down the hallway.

  Before I could protest, or grab his arm, Mateo launched off the bed after her. And my heart heated, beating sweet melodic tones through my veins. He was a natural, a big kid at heart.

  I loved watching him with Lilith, I loved seeing her accept this man so quickly with no questions or discomfort. I had always expected that if I ever brought another man into my life, Lilith would detest him, loath him, hate him.

  I had expected a wilted emotion of her thinking I was trying to replace her father, or that I was going to forget him, and what he meant to us.

  But none of that was right, it was the complete opposite. Dylan would always be remembered, he would always be her father. And neither of us would ever forget him.

  Mateo had told me that, he made it clear. And he didn't show one shred of discomfort when Dylan was mentioned.

  I'll have to remember to thank him for that.

  For everything he's helped me to realize.

  Mateo is going to make a wonderful father to our baby.

  Now, I just needed to find the perfect time to tell him.

  Violet

  “Oh hey, Piper, what's going on?” I was standing in the door, holding it partially shut, and wedging my body between the gap.

  “I ran into your mom yesterday.” Her eyes lit up, a half grin lifting over her jaw.

  “You ran into her?” I asked, disbelief resting in my tone.

  That was a far stretch, my mother and Piper lived twenty minutes apart. My mother only went out when she needed to, and Piper always tried to do any errands in one single shot, mostly on Friday nights.

  Oh really? Ran into each other. . . I'm sure that's what happened.

  “Okay,” she said, rolling her eyes and fanning her hand. “She called me.”

  Throwing out a finger, I barked, “I knew it! I knew you guys talked.”

  Spiraling her hand, she waved away my accusation. “Anyway, she told me that Mr. Mattress man was here last weekend, and you haven't called me all week. How'd things go?”

  She was right, I had spent the last seven days with Mateo. We cooked and ate dinner together, we found every excuse to talk on the phone or text when we weren't together.

  At night, Mateo would sit by Lilith's bed with me and listen to the stories of her father, he'd listen and he'd ask questions. He would laugh, he would seem just as curious about my life before as the baby girl I was raising.

  And Lilith had been blessed by getting two stories a night. One from me and one from Mateo. He shed his protective layer, telling us stories of things he went through as a kid. For Lilith they were funny and exciting, and for us when we were alone, they were heartfelt and sad.

  Mateo was an amazing man for what he had been through.

  Honestly, I had become infatuated with him. For everything he had been through, to see the man he had become, it gave me more strength. A new outlook on how grateful our child would be to have him, even if our lives ended up moving separate ways.

  But I will never let that happen. He's too great to ever let go.

  A shrill giggle exploded over my shoulder, Lilith's loud voice cut through the air. “Mattie, you can't use red, don't you know what color dinosaurs are?”

  Piper veered her stare, her head bobbing and weaving over my shoulder to look inside. “Mattie? Who the hell is—”

  “Everything alright?” Mateo asked, appearing behind me. “Oh, hi, Piper. How's things going?”

  “Mateo, hi, things are good.” Smiling, her eyes lowered to meet mine. I smiled through thin lips, shrugging a shoulder.

  “Did you get my message?” Opening the door, he stepped up beside me.

  “I did and thank you. You didn't have to do that, but thanks.”

  “Do what?” I questioned, glancing between them both.

  Cupping her hands, Piper swayed on her heels. “Well, Mateo here is reimbursing Lynn and myself.”

  Mateo then followed her statement. “Yeah, I figured since we had a 'thing,' that it was wrong for me to take their money. So, I gave it back.”

  Nodding, I said, “So you already knew anyway?” Setting my eyes on Piper, she smirked, lifting her brows. “How long have you known?”

  “About a couple days after your second date.”

  “Seriously?”

  “Aunt Gigi!” Lilith ran up to my side, squeezing past me. “Come look.” Gripping her hand, Lilith yanked her into the house.

  “Looks like I'm coming in. Hope I wasn't interrupting anything.” Winking, she flashed her teeth.

  Tossing a look at Mateo, I whispered. “So you told her before I had the chance.”

  His lips spread in an amused smile, eyes slitting tight. “I couldn't accept her money, I had to tell her why.”

  Closing the door behind me, I stepped back into the living room. Lilith had dragged Piper over to the spot where her and Mateo were just laying and coloring. Bending to grab a picture off the floor, she held it up to Piper. “Look at this, Mattie thinks dinosaurs are red. Isn't he comical?”

  Shooting me an entertained look, Piper leaned over and ogled the picture. “That is comical, he's a funny guy, huh?”

  “You don't even know, Aunt Gigi.” Using her thumb to point over her shoulder, Lilith whispered in her not so quiet voice. “And he thinks two plus two is thirty. Boys, they're so silly.”

  Piper flicked her eyes to Mateo. Lifting his shoulders to his ears, he held his palms out and smirked. “The kid's really smart, she knows a lot more than I do.”

  The three of us sat down, Piper drawing her attention away to pull out her phone and fire off a text, then resting the phone on her lap. “So why does Lilith call you Mattie?”

  Drawing his hand over his chin, Mateo chuckled. “She didn't like my real name once she learned it wasn't mattress man.”

  A soft ping echoed in the kitchen. Standing, I went to see who had messaged me.

  It was Piper.

  'Did you tell him yet?'

  Tapping the screen quickly, I texted her back. 'No.'

  Shaking my head, I popped it back into the living room, eyes bugging out. She was texting me while she was sitting in my chair, in my living room. We were three feet away from each other and she was so damn curious she couldn't wait until I had the time to talk to her in private.

  The phone chimed again. 'Why the hell not?!?!'

  Huffing under my breath, I shot one back. 'It wasn't the right time, I'll tell him soon enough.'

  Ding... Another. 'Fine. But you better make sure you call me later.' Angry face, shocked face, baby emoji.

  And I hit delete.

  “Anyone want a drink?” I asked, standing in between the two rooms.

  Piper hopped up from her seat, stuffing her phone into her purse. “No, I can't stay, I have to go pick up Collin from baseball practice. But call me later, Vi.”

  As she closed the door behind her, Mateo glanced up to look at me. “You alright?”

  “Yeah, I'm fine, why?” Wiping clammy hands on my thighs, and brushing the hair off my flushed face, I leaned against the wood frame.

  “You just look a little pale is all. Are you coming down with something?”

  No, it's just a baby growing inside me. That's all. Nothing to worry about.

  Pulling my lips taut, I shook my head. “I don't think so, I have a slight belly ache, but it's nothing.”

  I lied. The morning sickness had kicked in the day before, making me take several unwanted v
isits to hug the toilet. At school I made every effort in the world to not throw up. I drank flat ginger ale and hot tea, I ate peppermint candies, and even started freezing Gatorade in case I got to the point where I couldn't eat.

  From what I understood, I was five weeks along. My first appointment with the doctor wasn't for another two weeks. I was basing everything I knew off my pregnancy with Lilith. If I followed the same path with this baby as I did with her, cringing to the smell of chicken might be next.

  I had learned from the nurse with my first pregnancy that ice cube Gatorade helped to at least replenish electrolytes if I couldn't stomach the smell of food enough to actually eat.

  “Are you sure? You really don't look good, maybe we should get you to a doctor?”

  “No, I'm fine, really.” Letting out a huge breath of air, I held my belly and wished away my spinning insides. “I probably just caught something from school.”

  Swooping me into his arms, he sat me on his lap. “Are you sure?” His fingers tickled over my neck, smoothing over the tensed muscle. “I'll go with you.”

  “No, it's alright, I'll be fine. It's probably just a bug.” Pausing, I swallowed hard. But not from nerves or uncertainty. I swallowed hard to keep myself from letting the nausea land breakfast all over Mateo.

  Just tell him!

  I wanted to spit it out so badly, but fear was holding me back. We were still so new, I was afraid that adding a baby into the mix might be too much for him.

  Squeezing my knee, he pulled my face onto his forehead. “Then I guess I'll just have to take care of you.” Pressing his lips onto mine, my skin warmed.

  “Eeeewww!” Lilith yelled, sticking out her tongue and making gagging noises.

  “What?”Mateo asked, rolling me off his lap. “Do you want a kiss too?” Lifting off the couch, he walked slowly towards Lilith with his arms out and lips puckered.

  “No! No!” She giggled, running in circles around the coffee table, making every effort to avoid him. “You'll never catch me!”

  His mouth made loud and over-emphasized kissing noises, his fingers wiggling frantically to try and grab her. Lilith ducked and dodged, crawling under the table, and making a mad dash down the hall.