Me: Money. And being a good parent in five months.
Charlotte: No. I have money saved that I planned to pay school loans off with. Please don’t worry about money, I’ll be fine. And I’ll do my best as a mom. Always.
I felt a burn in my chest that reached all the way up to my throat as I read her words. Charlotte could do this alone if she had to, and something told me she’d rock it. She was so strong. And her love for our unborn child made me feel a bone-deep yearning for her. We were bound together forever now, and if that was supposed to scare me, it didn’t. It made me feel like a lucky son of a bitch.
Me: I know you will. I miss you, Char.
Charlotte: I miss you, too.
Me: Be with me, Charlotte. All the way. Let’s date.
Charlotte: Where is this coming from?
Me: Are you wondering if it’s my dick or my heart?
Charlotte: I like the bluntness of that assessment, yes.
Me: Well, I could’ve gotten laid easy in the past 3 ? months but I haven’t.
Charlotte: Not at all?
Me: Not at all. I was trying to get you out of my head the night you came to tell me you were pregnant.
Charlotte: Really?
Me: Really.
Charlotte: Why don’t you ever say things like that in person?
I smiled at my phone. It was so like Charlotte to redirect my attention to avoid answering me.
Me: You know that cartoon, Peanuts?
Charlotte: I do, random subject-changer . . .
Me: I’m Charlie Brown. Pretty cute, lovable guy, right?
Charlotte: Okay, yes. You are.
Me: And Charlie’s a whole-heart kind of guy, don’t you think?
Charlotte: I don’t know him quite that well, but I’ll take your word for it.
Me: You’re Lucy. Holding that football, waiting for me to come kick it. And I want to. I want to kick it bad. But if you pull it away at the last second, I’ll be flat on my back.
Charlotte: I’d love to have you flat on your back right now.
Me: Thanks for the hard-on.
Charlotte: Sorry.
Me: No, really. I knew you had it in you to let your guard down and just have fun with me.
Charlotte: You think I’m the sort of woman who pulls the football away?
Me: I think you’re afraid to find out what it feels like to not pull it away.
A couple minutes passed before she responded.
Charlotte: Sometimes you leave me speechless. No one’s ever done that.
Me: Like that night we met at Cosmos? You had limited speech that night, as I recall. Bennett . . . oh God, yes . . . fuck me hard . . . don’t stop, Bennett . . .
Charlotte: Yes, you’re amazing in bed, is that what you want to hear?
Me: I want pics of you.
Charlotte: Ha! The belly one is the raciest you’ll get.
Me: Come on, baby. I’m dying here. Give me something.
Charlotte: I don’t think I can. I’d look like an idiot.
Me: You’d look fucking hot.
Charlotte: What if Liam saw your phone?
Me: I’d never let that happen. No one but me sees my phone.
Charlotte: Hmm. Maybe if I wasn’t identifiable in the photos.
Me: Such sexy attorney talk, baby.
Charlotte: You knocked up an attorney, what can I say?
I turned over on my side to face the wall. I didn’t like Liam being five feet away from me right now.
Me: I have a counterproposal, counselor.
Charlotte: Is that right?
Me: Leave me a key to your place in your mailbox. When I get home from my road trip tomorrow night, I’ll come over. Around midnight. I’ll make you semi-speechless again.
My dick stiffened in my sweats, and I had to shift my hips to adjust myself. Would she let her guard down and say yes? I wanted her to so fucking badly.
Charlotte: Okay, I’ll send the pics.
I stared at the phone in disbelief.
Me: Are you fucking serious?
Charlotte: No. The key will be in the mailbox.
Me: Funny shit, Lucy.
Charlotte: I’ll be waiting.
Me: I can’t wait to get my hands on you. Watch my game tonight and you’ll see.
Charlotte: What’s that have to do with tomorrow night?
Me: I’ll be a fucking beast tonight. I’m guessing at least a couple penalties. I’m pent up. Gotta get some of it out.
Charlotte: I’ll be watching.
Me: Be ready for me tomorrow night.
Charlotte: Don’t worry about that. I’m ready right now.
Fuck. I was ready, too. But I’d wait. No jerking off between now and tomorrow night. I wanted Charlotte to feel it all, just like I felt it right now. She’d managed to replace my worry with a clawing, burning need for her body.
Charlotte
I read through the list I’d made as I waited for Bennett’s game to start. I was streaming the game on my laptop, which had proved more of a challenge than I’d expected. James had been hogging bandwidth with some game he was playing, and I’d had to agree to do his laundry so he’d get off his computer and let me use the Internet.
I’d think about having to touch his underwear later, because I was in a good mood right now. The list had tipped the scales even further in Bennett’s favor.
Bennett: pros
Sweet
Loyal
Caring
Easy to be with
Highly attractive
Committed to our kid
Intelligent
Sexy as fuck
Amazing in bed
Good at fixing things
Makes me feel good