Page 87 of Rome
“I’m good. How’s my favorite brother?” Jagger’s eyes narrowed a little and he cocked his head as he gave me a hard look.
“Well, if I’m your favorite brother again, then I guess I’m doing better than I was.”
I winced at his barb, but knew I deserved it. I’d been avoiding him for months, and I knew that had hurt him.
“I’m sorry, Jagger,” I whispered as I wrapped my arms around his neck and gave him a big hug. He immediately snagged me around my waist and lifted me in a huge bear hug. Ethan laughed as I squealed, then turned his attention to his backpack, dragging out one of his beloved LEGO sets onto the coffee table.
“I get it. Nothing to forgive, babe, just don’t do it again, OK? We’re family, no matter what happens with you and my shithead brother, got it?”
I nodded tremulously as he set me back down on my feet.
He and Molly only stayed for a few more minutes before he swapped keys with Caleb, and they headed home for the night.
I had a package of ground beef in the refrigerator, so I made cheeseburgers for dinner, with homemade French fries and a garden salad. Ethan didn’t seem to notice that anything had changed between Caleb and me, probably because he was so engrossed in showing his dad his latest LEGO creation.
The tension that had surrounded us for months had been replaced by a heightened sense of awareness that set butterflies loose in my stomach. As soon as dinner was finished, Caleb sent Ethan upstairs to get his shower, and then he and I got Everly bathed and into her pajamas.
By the time he finished reading to Ethan and getting him settled into bed for the night, I was sitting in the rocking chair in Everly’s room, getting ready to nurse her. Caleb quietly opened the door and stuck his head in, his gaze zeroing in on us.
“Is it OK if I come in?” he asked softly, and I nodded. He slipped into the room and padded over to take a seat on the floor next to the rocker. He watched with rapt attention as I unfastened my nursing bra and Everly eagerly latched on.
“I’ve missed seeing this, this time around.” His voice was thick with emotion. He’d always been fascinated when I’d nursed Ethan and had spent countless hours watching us together. When I’d finished, he would take him from me and burp him.
Neither of us said a word for a long while. Once Everly had her fill, Caleb reached for her and propped her against his shoulder, burping her as he’d always done with her brother. He praised her when she let out a massive burp that was anything but dainty and ladylike.
“Oh, that was a good one, sweet pea. You sound like you’ve taken lessons from Uncle Viking,” he chuckled, and I couldn’t help but laugh. Viking was legendary around the clubhouse for both belching and snoring, both of which he claimed took finely-honed skill and God-given talent to do as well as he did.
I got up out of the rocker and motioned for Caleb to take my place.
“Why don’t you rock her for a bit while I go downstairs and clean up the kitchen?” He flashed me a grateful smile, and I knew he was happy to have a little extra time with her.
He made his way downstairs about twenty minutes later. I was wiping down the cooktop when he walked into the kitchen. I flashed him a quick smile over my shoulder, feeling inexplicably nervous now that it was just the two of us again.
He wrapped his arms around me from behind and pulled my body against his. He dipped his head to nuzzle against my cheek, and I shivered as his warm breath skated over my skin.
“I agree that we need to work our shit out before bringing the kids into it again, but I don’t think that means we need to take things slow. Full speed ahead, baby girl. We can do this. We’re gonna put in the work, and we’re gonna make it happen. There’s no doubt in my fucking mind.”
He reached one hand up to brush the hair away from my cheek, wrapping one of the loose waves around his finger for a second before using it to tug my head to the side so he could see my face. His hand slipped down to cup the side of my neck, and he grazed my jawline with his thumb the way he’d done for years.
“I want to move back home, and I want our family to be complete again soon. Can we set up a couples’ session with Kim this week, so she can start helping us work through the rest of this shit?”
Caleb turned me in his arms so that I was facing him, with my forearms pressed against his chest. I rested my hands on his shoulders as he used his body to hold me in place up against the countertop.
“I already have an appointment with her tomorrow at four-thirty, that I scheduled last week. We could switch it to a joint session if you can get away from the shop. Molly is going to take Ethan home with her after school, and I’ll pick him up on my way to get Everly from Taylor’s place.”
“I’ll make it work, if you’re sure you don’t want a session for yourself.”
I shook my head. “No, I think a couples’ session is more important tomorrow.”
“Good, I’ll meet you there.” He hesitated for a second before cupping my neck again. He tipped my chin up and looked at me with such intensity that I could feel it. “I’m gonna leave now, before I beg you to let me stay.” He brushed his thumb across my bottom lip, and I shivered in anticipation. “Gotta have a kiss before I go, baby girl.”
Before I could say anything, he dipped his head and captured my lips, and I felt tingles dancing along every nerve-ending in my body from the feel of his mouth on mine. It was a sweet kiss – a meeting of lips – for a brief second, before Caleb groaned and delved deeper. I gasped, and he took advantage of the chance to thrust his tongue inside, instantly tangling with mine as he pulled my body flush against his. I wrapped my arms around him and angled my head to give him better access. He knew just how to work his tongue to drive me wild, and I almost cried out with my need for him.
He reluctantly pulled his mouth from mine, breathing heavily as he stared into my wide eyes. He smiled at me then – that slow, panty-melting grin that always made my breath catch. I could feel his thick cock pressed against me and I had to resist the urge to grind my pelvis against his.We still have work to do, I reminded myself.
“All right then, that will have to do for now.” Caleb nuzzled his face in the crook of my neck before placing a quick kiss there that had goosebumps breaking out all over my body.
“I’ll see you tomorrow, baby girl. I love you.”
