Better Late Than Never (12 page)

She grinned when she thought about some of the candidates Randy had told her about. He claimed one of the guys he interviewed had left him tempted to perform a drug screen on the spot. Eric on the other hand was easy going, but he was a hard worker, and he was personable.

“He was the right guy for the job.”

Kristen reached for her cup. “I agree.”

The rest of dinner zipped by quick, and she enjoyed the conversation. Nothing of significance was mentioned. It was just the fact they had a nice conversation. They tried to include Wade in it, and she was delighted by his sense of humor. Still she felt a twinge of pain when she thought about the fact that Wade could be hers. She wanted him to be hers. Yet it was a big risk to be concerned with when things between her and Randy weren’t solid

Once they were through eating, the dishes and the kitchen were cleaned. Randy turned on the television for her. “I am going to take Wade upstairs, give him a bath, and get him ready for bed.”

Kristen nodded, and the two of them made their way upstairs. She was still flipping through channels when they returned.

“Have you found anything good yet?”

She shook her head. “No, not yet.”

He joined her on the couch, and Wade climbed onto her lap. He was so adorable in his Power Rangers pajamas. She wrapped her arms around him, and he situated himself into her lap where he was comfortable.

“Do you like westerns?”

“Only the ones with
Clint Eastwood
in them.”

He grinned. “Then you are in luck.”

She smiled when he switched to the channel showing
The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
.

They settled in to watch the movie, but he had to get up and put Wade into bed thirty minutes into the movie since he had fallen asleep. Kristen was enjoying holding him, but he had become heavy.

When he returned downstairs, he turned off the television before leading her upstairs to his bedroom. He turned on the television to the movie then stripped down to his underwear. She hoped he didn’t expect her to be able to concentrate on the movie with him parading around half naked. But it was obvious he did when he climbed under the covers. Well two could play that game. She went to her overnight bag and pulled out her nightgown. She changed into it and climbed into bed with Randy. He pulled her into his arms, and she settled into them. Wade must have rubbed off on her because she didn’t make it through the movie herself. The next time she became aware of her surroundings, it was pitch black and her bladder was crying out to be relieved. Unwrapping herself from around Randy, she got out of bed and headed into the bathroom.

When she came out she crawled back into bed, and Randy pulled her back into his arms and placed a kiss on her forehead.

“I didn’t mean to wake you.”

He shook his head in dismissal. “I don’t mind at all.”

“Sorry I fell asleep on you earlier.”

He chuckled. “You were tired.”

Well she was not the least bit tired now. Kristen leaned back to look at him. Her eyes met his, and he grinned. “What are you thinking about?”

She smiled in return. “I am thinking about kissing you.”

She knew by his expression he was going to help her turn her thoughts into reality.

He lowered his head and he kissed her. It was the kind of kiss that made her knees tremble and her heart race. He pulled her close to him and deepened the kiss. She moaned and leaned into him. He pulled back sucking on her bottom lip. Kristen felt it all the way to her toes. His mouth left hers, and he began trailing kisses down her neck.

Another moan escaped her, and his hand slid between their bodies. His lips found hers again while his hand found the wetness between her thighs. She gasped, and he began to build on the desire in her. He took her over the edge quickly. When he reached for her again, she moved away. She wanted to give pleasure to him like he had given her. Giving his shoulders a tentative push, she grinned when he took the hint and rolled onto his back. She came up over him and straddled him like she had seen it done countless times in the movies. He brought his hands to her waist to support her. “What do you plan on doing?”

She shrugged. “Whatever feels good to
you.
”

His eyebrows rose. “
Oh
? Well then, I am willing to do whatever it is you want to do.”

She laughed before leaning forward to place a kiss on his lips. It was her time to experience and explore, and she was going to take her time and enjoy doing so. Her kiss started off light, but when he responded the kiss became passionate. It seemed to go on forever. When she lifted her head they were both breathless. She slid a little lower trailing kisses down his neck like he had done to her, and from his reaction, he enjoyed it. Teasing him, she slid lower, doting attention to his chest. She felt his moan of pleasure more than she heard it, but it let her know what she was doing pleased him. Sliding even lower, she ran her tongue down his washboard stomach. He laughed, and she looked up in surprise. She would have never guessed Randy was ticklish. His erection bumped her chin, and she smiled to herself. She looked down and studied his hard shaft. Unable to help herself, she stuck her tongue out and licked him.

He groaned, and she flicked her tongue out again and then took him into her mouth. Her name came out on a moan. A deep breath later he pulled away from her, and she protested.

“I need to be inside of you.”

She wanted him inside of her as well and moved aside when he reached for protection. He covered himself with the condom before pulling her up over him. Her eyes met his, and he brought his hands to her hips again.

“Ride me.”

Maneuvering her hips, she lifted until she felt the tip of his erection slide inside of her. She gasped and lowered her hips. It was a different sensation from the very first time. Getting a feel for the new position, she began to move at a slow tempo at first. Leaning forward, she placed a kiss on his lips. Her body began to take over once the passion began to build. Randy’s hands came up to guide her hips, and she moaned when he managed to bring them into the right position. Seconds later, she emitted a low and soft scream into his ear, and she experienced her release. He followed close behind her. Her legs began to ache so she moved to the side. She moved next to him. He held her until the inevitable intervened and he had to discard the protection they used. She rolled onto her back and stared at the ceiling. Why was it the more time she spent with Randy the harder it became to remember why she was so hesitant to give him a chance at winning her back?

He missed Kristen’s warmth when he left the bed. Yet, he had to get rid of the used condom. When he returned she moved into his embrace. He smiled when she snuggled closer to him.

“I hope we didn’t disturb Wade.”

He looked down at her and grinned. The fact she was always concerned about Wade touched him. There were times when he wished he had Wade with Kristen. He felt like things would be a lot different. Kristen was caring and very attentive toward Wade. There was nothing more he could ask for in a woman than what he found in Kristen. What he liked about her was she wasn’t afraid to admit that she didn’t know everything. However, she was more than willing to learn the stuff she didn’t already know. It was important because to be truthful he was still learning his way himself. After three years there were still things he learned from his son. He was also happy to see the way Wade reacted to having Kristen around. She was the first woman he had become involved with since Wade had been born. It was important that she be able to accept Wade. He didn’t doubt that she would because of her love for children, and he had been right.

He placed a kiss on her forehead. “He is a heavy sleeper so there is nothing to worry about.”

She yawned, and he smiled. If anyone had told him he would be waking up in the middle of the night making love to a sexy and sensual woman, he wouldn’t have believed them. Having Kristen on top of him with her inhibitions put aside had been an experience he couldn’t wait to repeat but on another night. He was exhausted, and he wasn’t ashamed to admit she had worn him out. He looked down at her and saw her eyes were beginning to drift close. Randy heard her breathing deepen and slow down, and he knew Kristen was sleep. He tightened his arms around her. Moments like these meant a lot to him because he never thought he would have her in his arms again. This weekend was going very well so far.

Closing his own eyes, he went to sleep only to be awakened by the sunlight several hours later. Careful not to disturb Kristen, he climbed out of bed. He grinned when he heard her grumble and reach out for him. A short while later she settled again and was back asleep. He found his underwear next to the bed and her nightgown next to them. He put it where she could find it when she woke up. He went over to his dresser and pulled out a pair of pajama pants then went downstairs. When he entered the kitchen, he put on a pot of coffee and then began rummaging through the kitchen cabinets to see what could be made for breakfast. When the coffee was ready, he poured himself a cup. Looking at the clock, he decided he would let Wade help him choose. His son should be up by now.

After heading back up the stairs, he went to Wade’s bedroom. When he didn’t see him in the bed, he panicked. He headed for his bedroom, and when he opened the door, Wade was where Randy knew he would be. Wade was tucked up under Kristen’s arm and was sound asleep. From the strap sliding off of her shoulder, he realized she had time to prepare. He had been teaching Wade to knock and wait for a response before entering. It must be working. He stood there taking in the picture they made together. Why had he been so stupid to give up Kristen? He shouldn’t have assumed that they never had a future together because they never talked about it. Now he had to do whatever it took to get it back to that point. Because even though Kristen was taking the steps to give him another chance it wasn’t the same. He could see it when he looked into Kristen’s eyes. He turned his gaze back to Kristen, and he watched her for another moment.

Exhaling softly, he closed the bedroom door and headed back downstairs. If he was going to make breakfast he had to work quickly. Wade wouldn’t allow Kristen to sleep much longer. He decided to make biscuits and sausage gravy for breakfast. He was taking the sausage out of the skillet when Kristen walked into the room holding Wade. His heart gave an extra thump at the sight they made together. She whispered something to Wade, which caused him to lift his head off her shoulder.

“Good morning, Daddy.”

Randy smiled. “Good morning.”

Kristen sat Wade down.
“Breakfast smells good.” She walked over to the stove and inhaled. “What’s cooking?”

“Nothing now. I just finished and was getting ready to head upstairs to get you guys.”

“Need any help?”

“Not with this, but you can help Wade into his booster seat.”

Kristen sat Wade in his seat, and soon they were sitting around the table eating breakfast. Wade finished eating first, and Randy excused him from the table. Once he left the kitchen, Randy looked over at Kristen. “Did he surprise you this morning?”

Kristen took a sip of her milk. She swallowed before shaking her head. “Yes and no. He knocked so I had enough time to get my nightgown on.”

Randy nodded, and Kristen sighed. “Do you think he is confused about us?”

Randy wasn’t sure so he couldn’t answer the question. “I don’t know, but I would like to sit down and talk to him with you if you don’t mind just to see what he thinks.”

“Good idea.”

He watched her take a sip of her milk. “When Wade knocked on the door this morning and announced himself, I looked for you. When I didn’t see you, I reached for my nightgown and slipped it on then answered the door.” She grinned. “Wade was standing there waiting. He didn’t ask any questions. He just walked into the room and crawled into bed.”

Kristen shrugged. “I figured it was something that he normally does with you so I crawled back in bed. Wade snuggled up to me, and we both fell asleep again.”

She became quiet, and he gave her a concerned look. “What’s wrong?”

She fidgeted, and he became nervous. Something was wrong. “What is it, Kristen?”

She sighed. “Yesterday he asked me if I was going to be his mother.”

Randy choked on the coffee he just took a drink of. He wiped his mouth and had to clear his throat a few times before he could speak.

“What did you say?”

“You heard me right.”

It was the last thing he expected to hear her say. He knew it was bound to come up at some point but not yet.

“What did you tell him?”

Kristen gave him a small smile. “I told him I would love to have him for a son, but there was no correct answer to that right now.”

Randy nodded, satisfied with the answer, and he knew it had been an honest answer. He would like for Kristen to become his wife and the mother of his children. The fact that she seemed to be open to both options gave him hope. He could remember the distance and anger between them when she had come back to town for each of her grandfather’s and grandmother’s funerals. She had gone out of her way to ignore or avoid him. It had bothered him a lot, but he had never confided in anyone even though it seemed like everyone else had known anyway. His family members had been the main ones. His mother even made shameless attempts to reunite them, but it failed. It was his fault he been sucked in by Lila. Then again he wouldn’t have Wade.

When he thought about his son, he hated her for what she put Wade through. In the beginning, he was upset about how she left him, but he knew that he had been unfair to Lila. She could never be a replacement for Kristen. He made demands of Lila that he knew she couldn’t fulfill. Lila never had the desire to be a mother, but he chose to ignore it. In a way it was his fault, but Lila could have stayed for Wade’s sake, even if she didn’t want to be with him. Instead she left him to care for an infant son who still hadn’t recovered from the loss. He hadn’t heard from Lila since she left, and at this point, he didn’t care to. Out of kindness, he took Wade to see Lila’s aunt and uncle. They had also suffered because Lila had used them as well. She hadn’t bothered to contact them since she left town.

He wondered if she ever thought about Wade. There was no way he could leave Wade behind and not think about him once. Closing his eyes, he rubbed his temples in an attempt to avoid the tension headache he could feel coming on. He looked up when Kristen cleared her throat.

“So when do you want to sit down and talk to Wade?”

“We can talk to him after we finish breakfast.”

Kristen nodded, but he could see she was nervous. So was he because he had no idea what the outcome of the conversation was going to be, and he had good reason to be. He and Kristen had enough between them to work around. Closing his eyes he wondered when relationships had become so hard.

* * * *

“I vote we go to Mandi’s and do some shopping.”

“My vote is we eat first and then we shop.”

Kayla and Keirra turned to look at Kristen, and she rolled her eyes. They seemed to have this same argument every time, and she always had to be the tiebreaker.

“Normally, I wouldn’t care, but I am hungry so I say we eat first and shop later.”

To her surprise, no one grumbled, and they headed for the door. She had left Randy’s after they had their talk with Wade. The talk had gone very well, and she would have stayed longer, but she and her sisters had already made plans. She locked the door and walked toward Keirra’s car. They drove into town for Sam’s Café. Keirra found them a good parking spot, and when they walked in. They waved at a few familiar people.

Kristen looked at her sisters. “Have you noticed a lot of the people we grew up with have left town?”

Keirra laughed. “None of the ones that needed to, but you must remember we left town.”

Kristen grinned. “Yes, but now we are back.”

Keirra gave her sisters a thoughtful look. “I wonder what it would take to get some of the others to come back.”

Kayla’s eyebrows rose. “Are you sure you want them to?”

After a quick contemplation, Keirra and Kristen shook their heads. The hostess came up to greet them before leading them to their table. Kristen picked up her menu and opened it.

“What are you going to have today, Kristen?”

She shrugged at Kayla not sure what she was going to have.

Keirra rolled her eyes. “You know you have tried just about everything on the menu.”

Kristen smiled. “Well, variety is the spice of life.”

She decided on the chicken and vegetable stir-fry. They smiled when Nadia came up to the table. They all placed their orders. She took their order,
then
moved on to the next table. Kristen turned to her sisters and began to fill them in on her interesting weekend. By the time Kristen was finished with her story, Kayla was laughing and Keirra was shaking her head in disbelief. Their food arrived so the conversation stalled while they ate a few bites of food.

“So I take this to mean you are back with Randy?”

Pausing in the middle of her bite, Kristen tried not to laugh at Keirra’s surly expression. “I don’t know.”

Kayla gave her a surprised look. “What do you mean you don’t know?”

Kristen shrugged. “We are seeing each other, but I wouldn’t call it a relationship. We are just dating.”

Sure she would like to be back with Randy, but she had to be realistic and not rush anything. She had enough experience in life to know that one’s perception and the reality of things could differ.

She looked up at both of her sisters when she responded. “I am just taking my time. Randy and I still have a lot of things to work out.” Kristen picked up her fork again. “Now let me try some of your manicotti.”

Kayla gave her a warning look. “Don’t think we didn’t notice the way you changed the subject. The only thing I can say is do what it best for you. Take the time you need. There isn’t any rush.”

Kristen grinned. “Thank you, Kayla.”

She stuck her fork into Kayla’s plate and brought the fork back to her mouth. She moaned in pleasure when the pasta melted into her mouth. Kayla reached over and grabbed a bite of pepper steak from Keirra’s plate. It was a ritual they had. All three of them had different tastes in food, but they still had to sample what the other had. An hour later, they paid their food bill and stood up.