NICKI POV
I've had my hearing back for a few days now... I don't think I realized how much I missed sound.
I sat on the floor beside Liam's crib, snaking my hand between the bars as he slept. I stroked his nose, cheeks and little lips.
I heard a soft knock at the door.
"come in." I called out softly, not taking my eye off of Liam.
"They're so peaceful when they sleep." Aubrey's mom sat beside me.
"yeah.. and I can hear his little breaths." I added.
"This is Liam right?" she asked.
"Yeah." I nodded, their cribs each had their names engraved on them.
"I have to learn how to tell the boys apart." she remarked.
"Oliver reminds me of Aubrey." I explained, "but if you're feeling really desperate, Liam has a birthmark on the back of his neck, Oliver's is on his stomach and Allison has one on her arm."
"Spoken like a true mother." she joked.
"Can I ask you something?"
"of course honey."
"Do you think Aubrey is doing the right thing?" I asked.
"What do you mean?" she furrowed her eyebrows.
"Being with me.."
"Of course he's doing the right thing." she put her hand on my shoulder, "trust me."
"You of all people should understand why I-"
"You are an amazing woman, okay?"
"People always say to trust your gut.. and when you first met me, you hated me."
"Thats not true, when I first met you, you were just a little girl running away from her uncle." she stated.
"You know what I mean."
She sighed, "I never hated you. I was skeptical.. but I didn't hate you."
"I just.. can't help but think that somewhere out there, there's the perfect woman for him. And that she'll be able to offer him more than I ever could, and he won't have to calm her down after she has an anxiety attack because she'll be normal." I wiped away oncoming tears with my free hand, "I want.. with everything in me, for Aubrey and I to work out. I want to be that perfect wife for him. But I would hate for him to waste his time waiting for me to get my shit together and-"
"Honey you need to stop." She said bluntly, "You are fine, and as his mother.. I need you to know and understand that I couldn't imagine a more perfect wife for my son than you."
"I'm sure you told Alexandria the same thing" I rolled my eyes, "look how that turned out."
"Thats not true." she consoled.
Thats when it hit me, "And.. I did the same thing that she did."
"No you didn't."
"So what is it some sort of coincidence that we both got into an accident? She had Aurora and Aaliyah in the car, I had OJ." I ranted.
"you are nothing like her." she said through her teeth.
"I know that, and that's what scares me."
"I refuse to sit here and argue with you." she shook her head, "Years from now, after you and Aubrey are happily married, you'll look back on this day and see how silly you're being."
With that, she left.
I returned to my bedroom and nearly had a heart attack at what I saw.
"I-just.. I'm just gonna-um-grab my phone." I said hurriedly walking across the room and grabbing my phone off of the nightstand and leaving back out, ignoring his protests, explanations and apologies.
I practically ran downstairs to the basement and slide down the wall to the floor as I dialed Lydia.
"Hey is everything okay?" she answered the phone.
"Are you busy?"
"yeah. Busy waiting for you to tell me whats up." she urged.
I told her about the talk I had with Aubrey's mom. Then I explained the Aubrey situation.
"Okay first.. you need to get over that whole insecure thing you have when it comes to him, he is head over heels for you and no woman is going to change that." She dismissed, "Second.. gross! I mean, thats just me because well, ya know." she snickered before getting serious again, "You seem to be more insulted by it than anything else-"
"Yeah.. I guess that is a good way to describe it."
"and also confused about where he stands-" she continued.
"Its just frustrating, because he's withholding having sex with me.. and I respected that. But to catch him just.. yeah I think you're right." I put my head in my hands. "I just don't know what to do."
She took a deep breath, "You need to talk to him."
"And say what? Hey I caught you jerking off and-"
"Well not those words exactly." She cut me off.
"Help?" I pleaded.
"Tell him how you felt, and I guess how you still feel... and then ask him what's up." she consoled.
"God, you make it sound so easy."
"I wish you the best, and I'll see you tonight."
"Thanks babe, as always."
"Anything for you hun." she chimed before we hung up.
I stood up and fixed my shirt before heading back upstairs. Aubrey had just gotten out the shower as I entered the bedroom.
"Hey." I said awkwardly.
"Babe, I-"
"Stop.. I just want a hug, and then I want to talk okay?" I stated. I knew the hug wasn't apart of the plan but his bare chest was dripping wet and his towel was still loose around his waist and- well I couldn't help myself.
"You're gonna get wet if I hug you like this" he warned.
Trust me I'm wayy ahead of you. I thought to myself.
I opened my arms and beckoned for him to embrace me. He smiled and came over to me. I laid my head on his chest as he wrapped his arms around me. He picked me up and as I was wrapping my legs around his waist, his towel fell. We both snickered at the realization. He crashed his lips into mine and his kiss put me at ease. When I felt at ease enough to do what I originally came in here to do, I tried to break the kiss. Somewhere between his persistence, and my personal love for kissing him.. the task seemed difficult. Eventually, after a few taps on the shoulder and chest, followed by me unwrapping my legs from around his waist, we broke the kiss.
"We still need to talk." I stated, sitting on the bed.
He wrapped his towel back around his waist before sitting beside me, "Okay, I'm listening."
"I need you to know, that when I walked in on you.. I was hurt--insulted." I began. "That you would rather do that.. than to just-"
"Nic,"
"You don't want me to get hurt. I know." I rolled my eyes, "And as irrelevant as that sounds for me, I accepted that. But we've been in positions where I couldn't have sex and we didn't resort to abstinence then, so why is now different?"
"Its not." he wiped away my oncoming tears, "and I am so sorry for making you feel that way."
"and I'm sorry as well." I tapped his nose.
"For?"
"Every bit of a hard time that I gave you in the beginning of our relationship." I explained.
"We've come a long way.." he agreed.
"Yeah, its a wonder you trust your tongue being in my mouth." I sneered.
"You do have a hell of a bite." he joked. "but I guess it wasn't very professional for me to kiss you in your office."
"Oh noo." I put my palm to my forehead, "How could you put up with me?"
"I knew you'd be worth it."
"Like the whole boundaries thing?" I asked.
"I would've never guessed you'd be the same woman to be so sexually frustrated whilst pregnant." he teased.
"I was not!" I defended.
"Okay I have a confession." I bit my lip.
"Oh?"
"You know that night you, well.. tested the boundaries for the first time?" I asked, "And I didn't say anything.."
"yeah?"
"I didn't say anything because I was so conflicted.. I was no where near ready to- but at the same time I was so turned on.."
"I know." he sneered.
My eyes widened as he explained, "I distinctly remember a certain area being especially wet and hot, and I was certain that it had nothing to do with the bath. I was conflicted myself."
"I wouldn't have hated you if you went just one little step further that day..."
"Well now I feel like I owe you for the missed opportunity." he whispered seductively into my ear.
"I think I like where this is going." I flashed him a smile as I felt his slightly damp hand wriggle its way down the front of my pants. He toyed with my core through my soaked lace panties. A few shy moans escaped my lips causing him to smirk.
"I think I forgot how intriguing you sound when you moan." he kissed my jaw as he slowly stripped the bottom half of my body. As his hand reassumed its position, I drew my legs up onto the bed to give him easier access. His fingers grazed up and down my lips, paying special attention to my clit. I let out the slightest gasp as his forefinger entered me, it began pumping slowly in and out as his thumb made continuous circles around my clit.
"I think you can do better than that." I dared him between moans. He cocked an eyebrow at me and inserted another finger, picking up his pace. I threw my head back and began to grind my hips against his fingers, keeping his rhythm. As I neared my peak, he added yet another finger and sped up once again.
"This is so unfair..." I moaned, trying my best to keep my voice down.
"you're afraid they're gonna hear your orgasm?" he read my mind.
I nodded between moans. He smiled earnestly and handed me a pillow.
I rolled my eyes and took it into my mouth.
"Better?" he asked.
I nodded and braced myself. He sped up once more, pumping more vigorously and deeper into me than before until I climaxed. He slowed down and rode out the orgasm. When he removed his hand and brought it up to my lip. My juices were dripping endlessly off of his fingers, trailing down my chin and then to my neck. He slide his forefinger into my mouth as we eyed each other. After he removed it from my mouth, he took the other two fingers into his own and sucked them clean before heading down to clean up the rest with his tongue. When he had finished, he came back up and laid beside me.
"I love you Nic." he whispered.
"I love you too." I smiled as he kissed me.
I pulled away and put my hands on his chest.
"If we're keeping score.. I owe you something too." I told him.
He cocked an eyebrow at me.
"The very first time you told me you loved me... I want us to redo that night, but this time.. I want to give you the night you deserve." I winked.
"So you want me to get extremely drunk again?" he raised both eyebrows, "Because I particularly would like to oppose that notion."
"Maybe not extremely drunk.. because I can do without the peeing outside the car tidbit." I joked.
"I want to remember this night." He winked.
"That too." I pecked his lips.
"Then its a plan?"
"Book us a hotel room.. and I'll reserve a table at the restaurant." I stated.
HEY GUYS.. Im predicting that "TEAM" is boutta be my next most lit book. Its gonna start slow like this one was originally but I promise it'll be worth the wait. Please check it out and add it to your library!! Still trudging through the whole opening and background.. meeting the characters and stuff😩 but once thats done, it'll be lit