Harkham's Corner (Harkham's Series Book 3) (28 page)

Adam paused and stepped back, leaning up against the car. Mari took Meg out of the van and brought her inside. Probably so they could have some privacy.

“I wasn’t going to try and talk her out of anything. I only told you I wanted to know because I wanted to explain something to her . . .” Adam leaned up against the van.

“Explain
what
? How fucking crazy I am and what a mess I am without her?” Zach snorted a sarcastic laugh through his tears. “Oh yeah—and you won, bro. I already failed the challenge. The minute she said she still loved me, I didn’t care anymore about our bet. I wanted to feel normal again. So, I fucked her that night because she wanted it, and then I had a drink afterward. I never felt so good in my life.”

Adam sighed and let his head drop. He stared at the driveway. “It’s good, I’m not saying it’s bad, it’s just that . . . There are things she should know.”

Zach whistled, making Adam’s head pop back up. “Will you cut this mystique jungle shit out? You’re kind of freaking me out, talking in riddles.”

“It’s not a riddle. I was only thinking she should know who you really are.”

“You don’t think she knows who her own husband is?” Zach blinked in rapid succession and then his left eye twitched.

“No. Otherwise, she never would’ve cheated.”

“Okay, who am I, then?” Zach crossed his arms over his chest.

“You’re a Boston cream like me.”

Zach snorted a laugh. “It all comes down to donuts, eh?”

“Yes, it does, because that’s a donut we can all understand, even if it hides what’s best inside.”

Zach’s eyes flashed with an idea.

“Yeah—that. That’s what I’m referring to. You always hide your tenderhearted side, your intelligence, and cover it up with humor and putting yourself down sometimes. You wanna know why things fell apart?”

Zach only stared.

“I’ll tell ya . . .” Adam sighed. “It’s because you thought she was better than you—and I’m not talking about how most men think their wife is amazing and they don’t deserve them. I mean, that you never said no to her on anything. You let her walk all over you, because you honestly thought you weren’t good enough. That can’t continue. She almost broke your spine in half. You’re strong, but not that strong. If she steps on your donut center this time with her fancy heels on she likes to wear, you’ll leak out your best part and lose it.” Adam gripped his arm. “I don’t want to see that happen to you.”

“Uh . . . God.” Zach wiped his face with his other free hand. “You would’ve told her all that?”

“Well, with some minor modifications.”

“Like?” Zach’s brows popped up.

“I would’ve told her that she was mean before because she could be. But now that she’s back, she can’t. It’s not allowed, because I won’t let you give her that permission.”

“How would you stop me?” Zach sort of grinned. Or, his cheeks lifted a little, at least.

Adam leaned into the car and pulled the keys out of the ignition. “With this.”

“Your van keys? How’s that going to stop me?”

Adam lunged forward and pretended to start Zach’s engine at his heart. “I just turned you on, little brother. That means your heart is working again. It only turns off when you decide to do that. No one else. She can’t hurt you unless you let her. Just like I can’t turn this van off unless I decide to do it. You’re in charge of your life and your heart—not her. Show her you care about her by caring about you first.”

Adam gave him another hug, and Zach whispered, “Thank you, Adam. That’s the best thing I’ve ever heard.”

“Watch it—you’re going to get too close to spilling your Boston creamy center.” Adam giggled.

That was all it took. Talk of donuts, love and hugs. That was it, and Zach was all better—ready to deal with his wife again.

Chapter 14

Adam woke up smiling after a short, but very effective post-sex nap.

“That was so incredible,” he said, his throat achy from so much grunting while he came more than once over the last two hours.

Mari lay next to him, staring at his face. “We probably need to get back . . . Button.”

“Yeah, I know, but fuck—this was a great idea. Have more ideas like this in the future—okay?”

She nodded, giggling and stroking the front of his calves with her bare toes.

They were soft, just like her. How sweet of her toes to be so nice to him.

“I love you. I love all of you—right down to your insides I feel with my hard dick. That’s always really amazing, but tonight—it was better than amazing. I think I was almost high.” He beamed at her, his cheeks all warm and glowy-feeling.

“I agree. You were on fire, honey.” She giggled some more.

They sounded like they shared a guilty secret.

Well, they kind of did, but either way, he was still kind of high off her and what she allowed him to do.

It felt similar to when he lost his virginity to her—that same buzzing in his heart, gut and testicles. No, not testicles—his fucking
balls
. Real men used words like fucking and balls. He needed to remember that more often and quit thinking of anatomically correct names, even though that was what his mind usually told him to say and think. Those words were too stiff. And the only thing that should be stiff was his cock.

“You blew my mind,” she said, sounding a little drugged herself.

God, he felt like such a man, it was hard to not stand on top of the nearest mountain and shout about what they did.

“We’ll be doing that again. If you want, we can do even more,” he told her, out of breath simply thinking about it.

“I definitely want that. Whatever you’d like to do, I’m down with it.”

“Down? Like
going down
?” He swallowed hard, while something else hardened. He loved it when she gave him head and licked and sucked and made it all shiny with her wet mouth.

“Yep—just like that.” She cooed and stroked his chest. “We need to get dressed right now, though.”

He nodded, groaned and pulled her in close. “Kiss me first.”

She chuckled, humored him with a nice open-mouthed kiss and then snuggled into him. “You reek of sex. Zach’s gonna give you a hard time.”

“I know—and I look forward to it. That dickhead needs to know I get laid.”

“He knows.” She shook her head while getting dressed, smiling at what he’d said.

“He needs to know it more.” Adam couldn’t stop grinning.

She gasped.

“What? What’s wrong?” He jerked his head toward her.

There was blood on her right hand.

“You’re bleeding? Are you hurt?” His gut was wrenched in two different directions. On one side, it wanted to freak out that his wife was upset and bleeding. On the other, it wanted to fly into doctor mode and take action.

“My period.” She bent over at the waist, and this sobbing sound drifted out of her.

“You still might be pregnant,” he said so low she might not have heard him. “Women can still get a period for the first few months, especially after getting pregnant so quick after just having a baby.” He tried to explain the mechanics of it and why it probably happened, but she was leaning up against the bed, crying.

Why was she so upset? She didn’t want to be pregnant, so if she wasn’t pregnant wasn’t this good news?

His eyes scrunched up, they stung, but he refused to cry. He needed to be strong for her.

He approached her and stroked her spine. “I’m sorry, sweetheart. I know this is hard, but maybe it’s better this happened here so you can have some time to let this hit you without the kids around.”

“Kids?” Her voice went up in pitch, and she sobbed harder. She was almost hysterical.

He pulled her in for a hug, and she gripped him the same way Jane had.

It struck him. “Whoa. Maybe this is a thyroid issue.” His mind raced. “Maybe you weren’t ever pregnant. Jane had the same symptoms, and it was her thyroid. We can learn more about this.”

“Maybe it’s just stress? We finally went out and relaxed, and bam! I’m bleeding.” She wiped her eyes with one hand but kept holding onto him.

He sang to her—just held on and let his voice comfort her as much as his arms. “Someday, we’ll find the happiness we always knew we owned. Someday, we’ll know what it means to have the perfect home—’cause you’ll be there, and I’ll be there—together. And that’s the way . . . Ohhhh, oh, the way it was always meant to be. A home for you and me—a place to love in peace.” He rocked her for a little bit, then sat on the edge of the bed with her on his lap. He didn’t really care if she got any blood on his legs. It was probably already there from sex anyway. He didn’t bother to check just now when she realized her period had started. Made no difference to him.

He stroked her hair, kissed her forehead and listened to the sound of her breathing. “Is that a new song?” she asked through a hiccupping sigh.

“I don’t know.”

She tipped her head up to look at him. “What do you mean, you don’t know?”

“I mean I don’t know. I wasn’t thinking about what I was singing or where it came from. Maybe I already knew it—I have no idea. I only sang what I thought would make you forget.”

“You just made that up, then? Wow.” Her voice faded into a whisper at the end. She flexed her fingers on his shoulders. “It was so simple, yet so powerful. I love it.”

“Well, then yes—I made it for you, love. All.” He kissed her nose. “For.” He kissed her left eye. “You.” He kissed her right eye.

She let her eyelids linger in that closed position, and she kind of hummed for a moment.

“You amaze me with your talents. I never tire of them or you.” She opened her eyes and the moistness in them made her eyes sparkle magnificently.

“And you’re always so wonderful to me, Mari. I never tire of your pretty face or beautiful soul.”

She sighed again and wrapped her arms around him, burying her face in his neck. “Mmm . . . Your neck smells good. Did you wear cologne?”

“No. Forgot to.” Now he wished he had.

“What if other women smell all this deliciousness? I’m not as tough as I used to be. I’m a mom now, so I’ve gone soft.”

He cupped her left breast. “In all the best ways, though.” He chuckled.

She placed her hand over his and squeezed. “Somehow I knew you’d say that.”

“Because you know I’m a horny dick, as Zach likes to say.”

She snorted. “Like he’s one to talk.” She got up and shuffled away from him, handing him his clothes in the process.

They were scattered everywhere.

When he had what he needed, she went and cleaned herself up real quick in the bathroom.

She smiled at him, but it was still kind of sad looking.

“Zach’s just a dork. He likes to push you to see what he can get away with,” she said, getting dressed faster than he’d ever seen from her before.

“He’s all talk. We know that now. No one likes to feel small, and Zach feels like a pebble lost in the large river rocks right now. The water rushes over him, and he has no idea how he’ll ever get out. It’s hard to be a pebble.”

She stopped mid-bend to get her shoe, stared at him and grinned. “You have the best metaphors. I adore them, and you.”

He reached over and smacked her ass. “And that only happens after I’ve had plenty of good sex, otherwise I say silly things like my dog is better than the circus, because at the circus, I have to pay for rides, but at home—he gives them free to Button.”

She shook her head, laughing. “True. We
are
blessed that way.”

She slipped her shoes on. “Metaphors and dog rides—it’s like the universe is blowing me a kiss today.”

“Mmm.”

“Or letting me lick your dick or something.” She chuckled with a breathless sound, and he could tell she was on the verge of tears again.

“It’s gonna be all right, sweetie. I promise.”

“I know, I just . . .” She stopped talking, and turned to him. “I already loved this phantom baby I thought was in my belly, because I love
you
so much.”

“We’ll have more kids. I know we will. We’re not nearly done with practicing baby making skills, and sometimes when you practice, you get really good at something. Like a pro.”

She reached for him. He cupped her hand, kissed the back of it, then slung his arm around her shoulder, walking her toward the door.

“We have lots of time to become pros. Trust me—
lots
and
lots
of time.” He grinned from temple to temple, grabbed the last of their things and they left the room, walking a little wobbly because they earned those sore inner thigh muscles, dammit.

* * *

Each time Meg sat at the piano this last week and her fingers plunked down on the keys, the more he worried.

She was a natural. She instinctively seemed to know which chords would sound the best together. How many kids her age even wanted to touch piano keys and ask questions about music?