My Married Boyfriend (3 page)

A
fter Eddison and Kiara returned from the nail salon and settled inside his house, they ate a simple dinner that he prepared: baked salmon, canned corn, and a green salad. Then they cuddled and fell asleep in his bed while watching TV. But much later, when it grew pitch black outside, and when Eddison could hear the birds singing in the trees of his backyard, he glanced at the neon clock on the table next to him. He gently tapped Kiara on the shoulder.

She stirred in her sleep. “Huh? What?”

“Get up. Get dressed.”

“What time is it?”

“It's almost six.”

“A.M.?”

“Yes. Get up. Get dressed.”

“But it's
Saturday
.”

“I know that. Now come on.” She groaned, but got out of bed and dressed herself alongside Eddison.

After they got in his Chrysler 3000 and looped around the circular driveway and zoomed down his street, Kiara noticed how dark it was. “Eddison, where the hell are we going at this time of the morning?”

“You'll see.”

With a smile on his face, he drove until he entered I-10 going west; surprisingly, the highway was littered with cars speeding toward their destinations.

“Oh, I know what you're doing.” Kiara yawned. “You must want to catch the day after Christmas sales.”

He chuckled. “It's still November, woman, nowhere near Christmas You really are sleepy. I need you to wake up soon. There's something you need to see.”

After a while Eddison reached the suburb of Katy, Texas. He kept going until he came alongside a large, empty field lit by several streetlights. It was a charming three-acre parcel, and the ideal location to build a country estate.

Eddison emerged from the car and ran around to open Kiara's door. They walked a few yards across the vast meadow. The firm grass smelled fresh and sweet and it loudly crunched underneath their shoes.

“Can you see this?” he asked as they came to a stop.

“Yeah. What about it?”

“What do you see?”

“Um, not much. Just a bunch of grass.”

“Exactly, Kiara. And right now your life can be compared to this vast, empty field. That means the possibilities of what can be are endless. Because there's nothing but grass . . . with no tall buildings to block your vision. That's what I meant by anything you want is doable . . . if you can dream it, you can see it. And if you can see it in your mind, you can build whatever you want to build . . . when the fields are empty.”

“I'm confused.” Her voice trembled. “What about the baby that's coming?”

“Right now, your life is an empty field.” Eddison grabbed her hand. “Whatever good you can imagine happening in spite of everything that's going wrong, it can still be yours. Don't let fear keep you stuck in the past. I had to learn that lesson myself. Just keep believing, my lady.”

“All right, Eddy. I will try my best.”

“Say, ‘I believe.' ”

“Do I really have to?”

“Yes, you do.”

“It seems silly.”

“Of course it does, but do it anyway.”

“I believe.”

“Say it like you mean it,” he commanded.

“I believe, dammit,” she shouted.

“Good job.”

Eddison grabbed Kiara's shoulders and carefully led her a few steps away. They walked toward the east.

“Look up.” He pointed.

The earth felt quiet and still. Kiara watched the brilliant sun as it mysteriously rose. The sky resembled the work of a master painter. The colors of the horizon were orange, pink, and yellow, all swirled together. Kiara had never seen anything like it.

“Amazing how something so simple can be so inspiring,” she gushed in awe. “It's breathtaking.”

“Yes, it is,” he replied. But he was staring at Kiara when he said it. “How'd you like to wake up and see that every morning?”

“It would be like a dream . . . like heaven.”

They held hands and watched the sky transform from twilight to morning. She enjoyed the country landscape. And for the first time in a long time, Kiara gained the courage to face the future. One failed relationship wouldn't block her desire for happiness. She'd make sure of that.

When they drove away from the field, Kiara settled in her seat and closed her eyes so she could snooze and fantasize about babies and love and family. And Eddison wrote down the phone number depicted on the large “For Sale” sign that stood in front of the grounds near the sidewalk. It was a property he'd viewed before, and he was happy to know it was still available.

By the time they got back to his house, and he started making her a breakfast of eggs, toast, and turkey sausage, Kiara started singing.

“This is no ordinary love,” she sang.

“No, it's not,” Eddison replied as he took time to smack her on her butt.

“You are very romantic, Eddy. Now I understand why the women at work throw themselves at you and the women in the grocery stores try to force themselves on you.”

“I wish I hadn't ever told you that.”

“I'm glad you told me. What woman wants a man that nobody else wants?”

He could only laugh and blush, which made Kiara feel horny with desire.

Following breakfast, they showered together. Afterward, they dried each other off with large towels and crawled into his bed. They stretched out facing each other, and when Eddy began kissing Kiara, she eagerly responded. She thought he was so sexy, and kind, and manly. Plus his lips were luscious and hot. She liked the feel of his hands on her breasts. He aroused her even in her pregnant state.

Whoever said sex ended when pregnancy began didn't know Kiara and Eddison.

He got behind her in a spooning position, then quietly entered her. She wanted him to.

“I feel like I'm hurting you.”

“Eddison, you can never hurt me.” Kiara's tone was serious. She relaxed and had to admit that she loved having sex with Eddy. She thought it was fun to make love and have full conversations with him. “But I know one thing,” she said as he was stroking her from behind with his chest against her back. “When this breaking-up mess is over with, and when I can fully give my heart away again, I vow to never be hurt through a man's actions. I'm going to protect my heart like it's Fort Knox.”

“That's noble, Kiara, but not entirely preventable. Things happen. Life and love may hurt sometimes.”

“Yeah, well, I definitely want to love again, but I'll be very careful next time. Oh, God, mmm, that hurts yet it feels so damned good.” Her eyes rolled in the back of her head as Eddison made love to her. “Jesus Christ Almighty. I-I've got too much other stuff to deal with.”

“You're so cute when you're determined.”

“I gotta be determined.” Kiara enjoyed the feeling of Eddison rocking her from behind, cupping her breasts. “You want to hear my weekday schedule? Alarm goes off at five. Take shower. Wash face. Brush teeth. Put on makeup, comb hair. Get Myles up. Make him wash his face and brush his teeth. Make him go find his backpack and his Chuck Taylors, which I know are lost somewhere in that big old junky closet he got. Get him out the door in time so that he can eat breakfast at the fancy school he goes to. Ooh, that feels good. Keep going. Then I, I, I answer his thousand questions during the ten-minute ride. ‘Mommy, why this' and ‘Mommy why that?' Drives me crazy. And then, ouch, ugh, mmm. And then I drive my son's hyperactive ass to the drop-off circle. Then I say bye to him, and floor it so I can beat everyone to work before they get there because I'm the HNIC. I'm making big paper and I gotta be the ex—uh, oooh, mmm yeah—I gotta be the example. Ouch, that feels so good. Keep going, baby. Then I. Then I log onto my computer.” She gritted her teeth. “I-I review my calendar. Move money around so the budget stays right. Deal with these messy-acting employees all day long. Ignore the daggers I get from that skank bitch Nicole. I go to meetings. Oooh, baby.” She shuddered and felt like she wanted to faint even though she was already lying down. “I-I-I go to one meeting after another meeting and I—”

Eddison thrust into her one good time and she screamed at the top of her lungs.

“Kiara! Why you getting all wired up while I'm trying to give you a tune-up?”

She moaned and shuddered, then burst out laughing. Eddison happily kissed her neck and squeezed her nipples. His touch felt magnetic and gave Kiara tingly goose bumps. She loved how good he was at making her forget the bad stuff.

Kiara quickly ducked underneath the covers and made sure to do everything she could to make her man feel as good as he always tried to make her feel. But while she was trying to love him, her thoughts centered on someone else.

She mentally regrouped then climbed on top and rode Eddy's dick for a while, till it felt good and hard. Painful yet pleasurable. And it amazed Kiara that her husband's past actions had turned her into a bit of a slut. Prior to getting married, she'd only been with one other lover. Then she met Rashad and she assumed he'd be the last man she'd ever be with. But these days, Kiara boldly explored her sexuality. Now that she was in her mid-thirties, she felt like she was at her peak. She and Eddy did it so many times the past month that she'd lost count.

After they both climaxed, they continued to enjoy each other. All that weekend they went shopping, ate at cozy restaurants, and explored each other's bodies. It almost felt like a honeymoon.

By the time Sunday morning rolled around, Kiara knew she needed to return to her own house and take care of some legal business. Eddy was spoiling her and she loved it, but there was another part of her life that had to be dealt with—alone. She had gathered all her belongings and had just settled into her vehicle and was getting ready to back out of his garage. But before she did, she waved him over to her car.

He leaned in and kissed her on the lips.

“My weekend was great, Eddy. But you wore me out.”

“Good! And you're welcome.”

She laughed. He kissed her again.

“I enjoyed being with you, too, Kiara. We felt like a family. We are family.”

She pondered his words. Kiara cared deeply about him, and as much as she didn't want to be hurt by any man again, she really didn't want to hurt Eddison, either. She was always told a man should love a woman more than she loves him, but did that mean that he'd end up disappointed at some point?

“Eddy, I love the way that you love me . . . but again, what if this baby that I'm carrying isn't yours? I-I couldn't bear what would happen if you give me this wonderful type of attention just to find out things haven't turned out like you want . . . I want to make sure that you get everything you want, too.”

And just that quick Kiara went from feeling warm and happy to tense and emotional. Her eyes blinked back tears and she thought she was about to have a panic attack.

“It's all right, my love. Try not to worry about it. We will cross that bridge when we get to it. But no matter what happens, I will always think of that child that you're carrying as my own.”

“But what if it isn't? What if DNA proves otherwise?”

“Do you plan to stay with him . . . if the kid is his?”

“No. No way. That's not happening.”

“Then it's settled. I
can
be that child's father. We can be together. And you will never have to worry about me not treating you well. You're my lady now, Kiara.”

“Okay then,” she whispered. “I'm your lady.”

She waved at him and drove off in a daze.

Love could be beautiful but wasn't it also risky and unpredictable? Yet Kiara needed love. She told herself not to be afraid, and to get to know Eddy on an even deeper level; because in spite of her reservations, she could picture herself falling deeply for him. And if that happened, she would have to conquer her demons and claim him as hers before another woman did; for she definitely didn't want him to be the one that got away.

A
ll Thanksgiving weekend, while Kiara hung out with Eddison, Nicole Greene was determined to bond with Myles.

When Kiara first banned Rashad from their house, he stayed at the Hampton Inn for a couple of weeks. It cost over two grand, and even with a forty-two-inch flat screen and free wifi, his room felt lonely, freezing cold, and sterile, and he wanted to punch holes in the walls. So when Nicole told him he was crazy for staying at a motel and assured him that she'd cook his meals, wash his clothes, and save him a lot of money, he quickly took her up on her offer.

Rashad was now shacking with Nicole in her rented house on the west side of Houston. It felt good for her to wake up with her future baby daddy in her bed, something she planned to experience permanently. And early on Black Friday, instead of shopping at the mall, Nicole had spent hours cleaning the entire house until it was spotless.

Mid-morning, when the little boy arrived with his dad and stepped inside the corridor of Nicole's home, she graciously welcomed him as if he were the Prince of Wales.

“Well, hello there with your little handsome self.” She warmly greeted him and practically curtsied. Myles gave her a curious stare then strutted into the house, eyeballing everything.

Nicole followed him and anxiously held her breath. It would be his first time staying overnight with her and Rashad and she wanted everything to go well.

When Myles had been shown to his room and began to unpack his overnight bag, Nicole wrung her hands and could barely keep still. She already knew Myles was very observant and outspoken. Even though she was the adult, she felt she had to be on
her
best behavior.

“How's it going, Myles? I hope you like the room you're staying in,” she said to butter him up.

“I'm good.” He tossed his clothes on the bed. “I'm sure I'll like it.”

“Okay then. If you need anything, be sure to ask me or your father.”

“I know that already.”

“All righty then.” She grinned so hard her cheeks hurt. Myles abruptly raced from the bedroom and went to look for his father, who had carried into the house a kids' plate meal from Steak 'n Shake.

“Take your shoes off please,” Nicole called after Myles, but she wasn't sure he heard her.

“In time,” she assured herself. “This fairy-tale type of shit takes time.”

A couple hours later, Myles screamed that he was hungry again. Nicole was about to remove the half-eaten turkey and a container of dressing from the refrigerator. But Rashad informed her that he was sick of holiday leftovers. She dropped everything she was doing and rushed out the door on a fresh grocery run. She returned home and made Myles a grilled cheese sandwich to tide him over. Then she baked some chicken and prepared fresh cauliflower and broccoli and wild rice.

Once she fixed all of their plates, everyone sat at the long table with the fancy orange tablecloth, about to eat off chinaware.

Nicole happily beamed; she felt she could get used to this scenario, with her and Rashad sitting at the opposite ends of the table and with Myles seated nearby. Plus their new baby that was on the way would eventually sit in his or her high chair across from Myles. She couldn't wait for all of them to be together, enjoying one another the way families were supposed to do.

That's all Nicole wanted: to be Rashad's woman, bear his children, and spend her life with him. She wanted to prove to her family back in Alabama that she had what it took to live in holy matrimony.

Feeling proud of herself, Nicole picked up her fork, severed a piece of meat, and took one hungry bite out of her perfectly baked chicken breast. But she got interrupted before the flavor could sink in.

“Yuck,” Myles said at the carefully arranged food on his plate. He took one look at his vegetables and announced, “I hate cauliflower. Just hate it. It has no taste. None!”

“Myles, baby.” Nicole laughed nervously. “It's actually good. I seasoned it well. And there's some cheese sauce waiting on the stove if you want to cover your veggies.”

“I love me some cheese, but it doesn't matter,” Myles answered in a firm voice. “I ain't eating it.”

Nicole hopped up from the table as best as she could. She got a spoon from the kitchen drawer, then stormed over to Myles. She carefully slid all the white vegetables off of his plate onto a napkin.

“Nicky,” Rashad said as he watched her in action. “That ain't necessary.”

“Yes, it is.”

“Myles is not too good to eat what you cook. He doesn't have a choice.”

“It's no big deal, Rashad. I'll just have to learn what he likes and doesn't like. From now on, cauliflower is off the list.”

“Are you serious?”

“I am. The most important thing,” she said nobly, “is that you're spending time with your precious little boy.”

She went and flung the napkin filled with veggies into the trash compactor.

Myles smiled to himself and figured he'd scored major leverage.

Later on, when Nicole knew Myles was exhausted after play-wrestling with his father, she presented the boy with a two-layer chocolate cake.

“Wow.” He jumped up and down. “My favorite. How'd you know?”

Nicole merely giggled. She didn't want him to know that after they finished eating dinner, she had secretly pulled Rashad to the side and asked him a series of questions:

“What's his favorite color?”

“Purple.”

She nodded. “Favorite dessert?”

“Cake. Anything sweet.”

“Icing?”

“Chocolate.”

“Got it. What's his favorite kind of toys or other interests?”

“Reading books. And he loves things that fly, and animals. Myles is a lion, elephant, and bird fanatic. He begged me to take him to Botswana one day. I told him a season pass at the Houston Zoo is much less expensive than an African safari camp. He actually told me the zoo animals there are clones and not the real thing. Can you believe that?”

“Oh, really? It's like that? Hmm! Noted.” Nicole opened a memo app in her smartphone and recorded everything he told her.

And while Rashad played and talked with his son, Nicole whipped up the cake from scratch.

She watched Myles bite into his first slice; a warm, cozy feeling poured over her when she saw his eyes widen. He moaned in delight. “Yummy, this is the best cake ever. Even better than my mommy's.”

Nicole went to bed that night feeling happy and more confident.

On Saturday morning, Rashad and Myles were outside kicking a soccer ball when Rashad received an unexpected phone call. Rashad was informed that a raw materials delivery, which had been delayed several days previously, had just arrived in Houston. This was critical because he needed the goods for a major contracting job that his firm, Eason & Son, was about to start. He decided to go check on it and asked Nicole to watch Myles for him.

“Instead of having little man tag along with me, I think he'd have more fun by staying here with you and bonding or something, okay?”

“I thought you wanted to spend as much time with him as possible.”

“I do, but this won't take long. Plus, he needs to adjust to being around you, right? Can you do that for me, please, pretty lady?”

“Oh, sure, babe. I'd be happy to do that.”

“I'm sorry this is so last minute. But get used to me having to run and take care of business,” Rashad told her. “As a warning, it comes with the territory.”

“No problem. Do your thing. I'll hold it down for you here at the crib.”

He told her thanks. Then he asked Myles, “You know my phone number, right?”

“Yes, Mommy put it in my cell phone and showed me where my address book is.”

“Good. Get your phone and call me right now so I will have your number, too.” Kiara had bought Myles his own cell phone that morning, but Rashad was just now asking for the number.

“Okay, Daddy. I will call you. Don't leave yet. Make sure I do it right.”

After Myles did exactly as he was instructed, Rashad felt his son was in good hands. He gave him a loving pat on the head, told him to be good, and left to go to check on his delivery.

Myles immediately kicked off his gym shoes. They made a loud whack when they hit the wall.

“Ahem.” Nicole cleared her throat and slowly walked with her hands clasped behind her back.

“You, young man, should probably to learn to take off your shoes . . . more quietly.”

“Okay, I'm a have to get my daddy to show me how to do that,” Myles said and burst out laughing. He was a charming and handsome little boy whose mischievous ways reminded Nicole of Rashad.

Myles settled on the living room floor. His complete attention was on the television. He inserted the
Tarzan: The Legend Lives
DVD that his dad previously arranged for him to watch.

Nicole sighed but went to pick up the boy's shoes and place them neatly on a rug near the wall. She turned her attention back to her future stepson. She sat down and watched him concentrate on the animated flick.

“Hey, Myles, come over here and sit next to me on the couch.”

Nicole rubbed her hands together and thought about what she wanted to say; she didn't know if Kiara had told him a bunch of nasty things about her.

He perched on the edge of his seat and stared at her.

“Hello. Um.” She took a deep breath. “Do you know who I am?”

Myles appeared baffled for a second. “Aren't you Ms. Nicole?”

“That makes me sound old, but yeah. You may call me that. Or if you want to, you may call me Mom. That's only if you want to.”

“Mom? Like you're my mother?”

“Um, well, yeah. Because, you know, one day it'll be official, but right now you can just call me Ms. Nicole.”

“I already have a mom.”

“Look, Myles. You're a smart boy. I can tell. I'm sure you know what's going on between your parents.”

“I know they fight a lot. A whole lot.”

Nicole hungrily licked her lips and leaned in closer.

“You say they fight? Like he actually punches your mom? With his fists? Like in her jaw?”

“Nooo. He just yells and curses. Like a grumpy old person.”

“Oh, okay. My goodness. I wonder what that's all about.” She smiled like she wished she had a front row seat at their fights. “Anyway, I think that is one of the main reasons why your dad now sleeps over here. So he won't have to fight with your mom all the time—at that other house. So now that he's living here, I'm sure you'll be visiting us a lot. This will be your second home. And I think it's perfectly cool if you wanna call me Ms. Nicole for now, even though I'm not that old. But ‘Mom' will come later on for sure.”

“You look kind of old, but exactly how old are you?”

“Take a wild guess.”

“Umm, forty?”

“You gotta be joking.” Nicole nearly punched him. “On second thought, you don't need to know my age. It really doesn't matter. I'm a grown woman old enough to be your mama. Put it that way.”

“Oh, all right.” Myles shrugged with an unbothered look. He suddenly yelled like Tarzan. Nicole raised her eyebrows. The boy attempted to continue watching the movie but she gently took the remote from him and reduced the TV volume.

“Myles, I'd just like to say that I'd like nothing more than for you to feel completely comfortable over here. I want you to treat this house just like your own.”

“You mean I can leave my room real messy, and eat Cheetos in bed, and not make my bed in the morning?”

She laughed along with him, even though she wanted to frown and shudder and spit. “Well, I just think you'd want you to be neat as possible, right?”

“Ms. Nicole, I hate making my bed. It's stupid. All I'm gonna do is get right back in it later that night. What a waste of time and energy.”

“Being neat is a waste of time?”

“And energy,” Myles reminded her.

Nicole was momentarily stunned and wondered what the hell she'd gotten herself into.

“Anyway, like I said, this place right here is going to be your home away from home.”

Myles observed his surroundings. “It's smaller than my real house. My other house has two floors and a lot of rooms. And the backyard is huge. You should see it.”

She gritted her teeth. “Um, yes, my house is smaller. But that doesn't mean you still can't have fun, right?”

“I thought bigger was better.”

“I cannot believe this,” she muttered under her breath. “Bigger isn't always better, Myles. You have to use your imagination. I'm sure you are good at that. And you can pretend like this sweet little house that your dad and I live in is as big as a castle.”

“Mmm hmmm.”

“And in this castle you have been privileged to have your very own room. It will be the room you slept in last night.”

“Oh, yeah? I was scared, though. I thought a cockroach was going to crawl on me. I love animals but I hate insects.”

“Um, excuse me. We do
not
have roaches.”

“Then what was that long, brown creepy looking bug that was crawling on the floor and across the wall making that
chi chi chi chi
noise? It sounded so
scary
. I pulled the blanket over my head and tried to fall asleep, but the lights being on didn't help.”

“Y-you left the lights on
all
night?”