(DISCLAIMER: the beginning might be a little confusing.. but this Vanessa portion, basically happens a few hours before the call that was mentioned at the end of Chapter 116. So after Vanessa's portion, we'll start back from where we left off. )
VANESSA POV
I had visited my mother yet again to help her decorate her house for Christmas. Even though Nic had been drinking until she passed out every night the past few days, she still wanted me to stay at her house. My mother offered for me stay the night, to save the drive but I denied. I left her house, it was maybe 10pm by then and I had parked down the block.
Just as I finally reached my car and unlocked the doors someone grabbed me. I started to fight back but I was afraid of mistakenly hurting the baby so I just froze.
"What do you want from me?" I asked amidst oncoming tears.
They slid a cold sharp object beneath my jacket and I felt it touch the side of my abdomen.
"P-please don't hurt me.. I'm pregnant" I confessed.
Their breath ceased and the knife was removed, "What?"
"I-I'm pregnant."
"Is it.." he touched my stomach and I realized who he was. "Are you keeping it?"
"Of course I'm keeping it." I replied.
He loosed his grip and turned me to face him, he removed his hat and stared me in the eyes. "This probably sounds s-stupid but, if it needs anything I can-"
"You want to be apart of my child's life?" I asked him.
He nodded, "I swear, the one thing I could never be is dead beat dad. I grew up without one, that shit is tough."
I smiled slightly, "Are you good with kids?"
"I- I think so. But I'll read all the books.. don't worry. I know it sounds crazy as shit but- I've always wanted a son, or a daughter. I-" he stammered.
"You're gonna teach our son how to rape women?" I raised my eyebrows.
"No.. I- of course not." his eyes widened.
I cracked a smile, "It was a one time thing right? You saw an opportunity and you took it."
"I am sorry. I acted out of anger, bitterness and stupidity."
I clicked my tongue, "Why don't.. you give me your number, and name too at least.. and I can call you in the morning, we'll get coffee and figure out a way to make this work without being weird."
"Yeah.." he nodded.
I pulled out a paper and pen from my purse, "maybe your address or something too. If you're gonna have the baby for some time, I'd like to know where you two are.. in case of emergencies. Plus, its not entirely fair that you know so much more about me."
"Yeah okay." he wrote down his address, name and number.
"Thanks, here.. let me call you so you have my number. In case you want to contact me first tomorrow." I dialed his number and waited for his phone to ring. "perfect." I smiled.
"Yeah."
"Well- uh Andy- Im gonna get some sleep.. but it was nice, actually meeting you." I shook his hand.
"Thanks again, for understanding." he nodded.
I got in the car and pulled off, I ended up driving to the police station and luckily the detective on my case was just about to leave.
"Here." I shoved the paper in his hand.
"What is this?"
"I had to use a lot of high school level acting skills to do YOUR job. But this, is the information you couldn't seem to acquire on your own." I rolled my eyes.
He looked at the paper.
He ended up radioing a few people to raid the address, I was instructed to stay at the police station while they went out. I ended up falling asleep on the chairs but when I woke up, I heard a woman crying and resisting.
"I didn't know it was a stolen baby!" she cried out, "he said it was his nephew!"
I managed to catch a glimpse of Andy as he was escorted into a room.
"Who was on the missing infant case?" An officer asked another.
"Officer Taylor." the other replied, "We have reason to believe this is the baby. The victims were connected from the beginning, but we need Taylor here to be sure-"
"Excuse me." I made my way towards them.
"Ma'am you need to-"
"The missing baby, was the mother's name Onika Maraj?" I asked.
"Thats confidential." the first replied.
"She's my boss and a close friend. I can identify the baby if he is here." I offered.
They looked at each-other, "You would need to sign a waiver, so the parents cannot hold us accountable for breaching confidentiality."
After I signed the form they took me to see him. Oliver was sitting up on a table refusing to allow anyone to touch him, his face was red from crying but other than that he seemed okay.
"Oh my God, Oliver." my jaw dropped just thinking of how happy Nicki would be to see him again.
"Who is she?"
"Friend of the family." An officer explained, "She said she could identify the baby."
"Can I-?" I asked the officers.
"You can try, he's not in the mood to be touched though." A female cop warned.
I approached Ollie and extended a hand to him, "Hi Ollie."
He looked at me and took a minute to recognize me, then smiled and reached for me.
I smiled back, "Your mommy has been so worried about you. She's gonna be so happy to know you're safe." I hugged him.
AUBREY POV
It wasn't until the third night of Nicki getting herself drunk and falling asleep in my arms that her phone rang soon after she was passed out. I answered it for her.
"Hello?"
"Hi, sorry for the late call. This is the NYPD may I speak to Ms. Maraj?" The voice introduced.
"She's asleep, this is her fiancé.. can I take a message."
"Actually, thats perfectly fine. I was calling to inform you that the investigation is nearly complete."
"And you couldn't wait until the morning for this?"
"We thought it would be a sense of consolation for the two of you as parents to know, we have located your son and he is presumably fine, although we are having a doctor run tests, give him a check up, and watch him overnight to be sure everything is fine." They explained, "You will be granted custody of all of your children before noon tomorrow. And the parties involved are in custody."
I was speechless, part of me wanted to wake Nic at that moment to tell her the news, but I was still in a trance myself.
"Do you have any questions or concerns for me?" They cleared their throat amidst my lack of response.
"Uh.. no. Just, thank you. Thank you, it means- wow.. this is.. amazing. Thank you." I stuttered.
"No problem."
After we hung up, I tapped Nic to try to wake her. She didn't budge. I shook her, nothing.
"Nic." I shook her harder.
"Yes?" She groaned with her eyes still shut.
"Open your eyes."
"What time is it?"
"Just wake up, its important."
She exhaled and opened her eyes slowly, "What?"
"Oliver is safe." I told her.
She sat up, "Wh- How do you know?"
"The police station just called. They have him, he's staying with a doctor overnight to check on him so nothing is overlooked.. but he is okay." I explained, "They have the people who took him in custody."
"Who was it? When can I see him?" She was completely sober by then.
"I don't know. But we're getting all the kids back before noon tomorrow." I informed her.
She hugged me and started crying, "I hope whoever it was rots in hell."
"Yeah, me too."
"I'll take the day off," she pulled away and wiped her tears, "That way I can spend it with them. And can we get Anita a present? I mean, she didn't have to step in and take our case, but she did."
"Yeah, what did you have in mind?"
"A gift basket?" She shrugged, "I'll ask Lydia and see what she recommends.. I have to tell her the news anyways."
We did end up getting some sleep and in the morning we bought Anita a basket from Edible Arrangements and put it in our fridge for later.
We got to the police station at 10am.
"Ms Maraj, Mr Graham.. Thank you for coming." Officer Taylor greeted us.
"You told me you found my child, of course we're here." Nic clicked her tongue.
"You actually have some quite close to you to thank for that. And I'll let her tell you the mechanics behind that." she replied, "But, I can tell you that the two people involved have been arrested and will not be a danger to you and your family anymore."
She took us to a room where Oliver was being entertained by another officer.
"Oh my gosh, he's the cutest thing." the officer gushed when she saw us enter.
"Thank you." Nicki and I replied simultaneously.
"He's in perfect health." she explained, "it was a couple that had him, and the girlfriend was apparently unaware of the fact that he was stolen. The boyfriend is who took him from you, and he told the girlfriend that he needed help babysitting his nephew for a while."
"Well thats cute and all, but I don't really need strangers playing house with my son in the future." Nic grabbed Oliver and carried him to me. "Look Ollie, Mommy and Daddy missed you sooo much."
"Hey little King." I kissed his forehead knowing well enough not to try to take him from Nic yet.
Oliver poked his lip out at Nic, he and I had just noticed her tears.
"Nic.." I touched her shoulder.
"These are happy tears, I promise." she sobbed as she hugged Oliver tight.
"Good."
"You should hold him," she wiped her tears and handed him to me. By the time we got home with all the kids, Nic had received a message from Lydia.
"Lydia sends her love." Nic read aloud, "Andddd... she says if we want to celebrate later, after we're settled we can bring the kids over and we can all do something.. and invite Vanessa."
"What are you thinking?" I shrugged.
"It sounds fun, are you up for it?" she asked.
"What ever you want to do."
"Okay, I'll tell her we'll be there around 6-ish." she nodded.
"Sounds great."
"I'm gonna hang out with OJ for a bit before I put him down for a nap. Then we can tag team put the triplets down." she raised her eyebrows at me, as if asking permission.
"Yeah thats fine. I was gonna go chill with them for a little while." I scratched the back of my neck.
She cocked her head to the side, "What does it mean when you do that?"
"Do- uh what?" I asked.
"You know what I'm talking about. I haven't seen you do it since.. well, the beginning." she squinted at me.
"And yet that squint never disappears." I redirected the conversation.
"You don't like when I squint?" her eyes widened.
"No, I actually love it." I told her.
"Why don't you want me to know what it means when you do that though?" she refocused.
"I don't know I ju-" I paused when I realized I was doing it again.
"Am I making you uncomfortable?" she concluded.
"I guess." I shrugged and put my arm down.
"What was I doing before that made you do it? Do you not want to go to Lydia's? We can totally stay here and have dinner with the kids by ourselves and all."
"Its not that." I denied.
"Tell me." the concern in her voice was evident as she touched my arm, "You've been so patient with me these past few days.. You can tell me whats making you uncomfortable."
"Its fine."
She paused and took a deep breath, "Will you let me try to guess it? All you have to do is say yes or no."
"Fine." I gave in.
She stopped to think, "Something with the kids?"
"I guess."
"Aaliyah?" she cocked an eyebrow at me.
"Nope."
"OJ?" She scrunched her nose.
"No."
"The triplets." she nodded.
"Yeah." I was actually intrigued by how she planned on guessing, since so far she wasn't convincingly good at this.
She squinted at me for a while and cocked her head to the side before speaking, "You.. wait- its about Oliver right?"
"Yeah.."
"Then I think I have it." she nodded, "Correct me if I'm wrong."
"Okay.."
"You.. aren't sure how to express your emotions about this whole situation. So.. you were uncomfortable earlier because you didn't know how to say that you wanted to spend time with them because of how much you missed them." she detailed. "Right or wrong?"
"Right, actually." I caught myself doing it again.
A smile creeped across her face, "And now you're doing it because you didn't think I could do ittt."
She hugged me tightly before I could respond. I picked her up and she wrapped her legs around my waist. We ended up making out for a bit before she pulled away.
"I love you." she smiled at me and kissed my neck.
"I love you too."
NICKI POV
I took a picture with OJ to post since I felt like it wouldnt be fair to have made the announcement about losing everyone, and not giving the media an update. We played trains together and sung a few songs before I caught him squinting at me. I couldn't help but giggle at that being something he had picked up from me.
"Yes baby boy?" I tapped his nose.
"Why did I have to go with Nee Nee?" he asked, "And you and Mama never came for long times and we had to go to the room with the toys a lot. And Liyah was there and Ali and Liam but not Ollie."
"Who's Nee Nee?" I cocked an eyebrow at him.
He chuckled, "You know Nee Nee! Don't be silly Mommy. That's Zoe's auntie, and the lady that makes Mama happy."
I realized he meant Anita and ran my hand through his curls, "Ohhh okay. Now I get it."
"Sooooo?" his hands flailed out, urging me to answer his initial question.
"Well, its a long story."
"Last time I was with Nee Nee was only for short times and Aliyah and Ali and Ollie and Liam was not there." he added.
"I know."
"But you not telled me anything." he crossed his arms. "You always-ed tell me and now you tell me nothing."
"Ba-"
"And you lied." his face turned red.
"I lied?"
He nodded, "you said anytime I missed you or anytime I wanted you I can call and you will be there right soon. But I asked Nee Nee to call you and she said she couldn't and I had to wait patiently. So YOU LIED."
I felt a tear drop from my watery eyes as he spoke, "Baby boy I'm so sorry." I shook my head to fight oncoming tears, "Mommy wanted to be with you so badly. I need you to understand that, I missed you so much and I cried every single day because I wanted to see you again. And it wasn't my fault that I couldn't, and it wasn't Nee Nee's fault either."
"Why.. Why you not come see me?"
I took a deep breath, "A lot of these things I didn't tell you because I wanted to wait til you were older BabyBoy. Its a lot of big boy stuff, and I didn't know how to tell you."
"I wanna know now. I AM a big boy! Im gonna be 6 soon!" he stomped his little feet.
"Fine, but if you want me to tell you big boy stuff I need you to show me how big boys act." I warned, I sat on the floor as I watched him calm himself down, "Come sit."
He sat across from me.
"First, you need to know that Nee Nee is your special friend okay? You can tell her ANYTHING. And she also has a very important job, she makes sure that kids are safe, when their Mommies and Daddies can't." I explained, "So you're pretty lucky, because since she also loves Mama soo much, she spends a lot of time with us. And when she has to keep you safe, she already knows what games you like, and all your favorite foods. But those times, there's a rule that when she keeps kids safe, they can't see their Mommies and Daddies until the policemen or the lawyers or judges say its okay."
He nodded, "But I thought you and Mama keeped me safe?"
"We do. But sometimes, bad things happen and the policemen, lawyers and judges have to make sure that we are doing a good job." I nodded. "So Nee Nee takes EXTRA special care and the room with toys is a SUPER safe room where no one can hurt you."
"But why does the first times I goed with Nee Nee just me, and this time with everyone and not Ollie?" he squinted.
"Do you remember you met your daddy? The one with the same name as you?" I looked in his eye.
He nodded.
"He wanted to take you away from me. He wanted you to live with him, and he was going to take good care of you." I explained, "So you had to go with Nee Nee so that Mama and I can prove to the judge that we love you sooo much we won't let you go, and that we would always keep you safe and happy and healthy. And since Nee Nee is your special friend, and you told her how much you loved having Mama and I, and that you were very happy and safe. She was able to tell the judge too that you should stay with us."
I watched his eyes widen as he took in the information. He nodded as I gave him a minute to process everything.
"But this time was longgggggeerrrr."
I ran my fingers through my hair, "A very bad man took Ollie away from us." I settled on that being the best explanation, "So, since the police didn't know where Ollie was or who had him, they had to make sure that you guys were all safe. So you had to stay with Nee Nee until we found Ollie. Thats why I couldn't come see you okay? We had to wait until the police said I was allowed to see you. And they were looking for Ollie."
"Did the bad man hurt Ollie?"
"No. Luckily, he knew a nice lady that took good care of Ollie for us." I offered a smile, "But, you don't have to worry your little head, because Mommy is not letting anyone take my babies away from me. You all have a lot of people protecting you, and babyboy, you've been so great both these times."
He hugged me before asking me yet another question, "Does ... Mr. Aub-rey make you happy or sad?"
"He makes me very happy. Why?"
He shrugged, "Sometimes he makes you sad."
"Well- what do you mean?"
"Sometimes he yells at you and it makes you sad." he reiterated.
"Do you get sad sometimes when I tell you no? Or sometimes I have to yell at you right, and it makes you a little sad?"
"Yes." he nodded.
"But we still love each other very much. And we make each other happy after, right?"
"Yes." he nodded, "Do you love him?"
"I do." I nodded, "Aubrey and I both love each other very much. And when we get a little upset with each other its actually exactly like how you were upset with me a few minutes ago. We are still practicing to remember to talk to each other, so it gets frustrating sometimes. But we are getting better."
He accepted my explanations.
"Do you like Aubrey?" I touched his leg, "I should've asked you a long time ago, but you can tell me now."
He shrugged, "Only when he makes you happy. And not when he makes you sad, or when he makes Mama angry."
"What do you think about having a big sister? And being a big brother? I remember you really wanted a baby brother or sister-"
"And now I have 1-2 baby brothers, 1 baby sister and one teenager sister." he counted.
"Yeah you do. Do you like it?"
"Nee Nee let me help put Ali and Liam to sleep and help give them their bottles." he exclaimed.
"Was that fun?"
"Uh huh!" he nodded.
"Do you want to spend more time with your baby siblings?" I asked.
"Yes." he nodded.
"You can help Aubrey and I put them down for a nap in a minute or so." I offered.
"Is he their daddy?" he squinted.
"Yeah."
"Is he Aaliyah's daddy?"
"mhmm."
"Are you Aaliyah's mommy?"
"Not really. But, since I take care of her.. and her daddy and I love each other very much, she feels like I am her mommy. And I love her like she is my baby. So she calls me and Mama mom." I explained.
"Is he my daddy now too?" he scratched his head.
My eyes widened, "Well, thats a decision you can make all by yourself baby boy. Do you want him to be your daddy?"
He thought for a second and then nodded, "He takes care of me and he loves you very much." then he paused again, "Does he love me like I'm his baby?"
"Of course he does." I bit my lip, falling in love with how he was truly processing everything I said.
"Does he love Mama?"
"He and Mama are friends. They don't love each other, but they are both apart of our family."
"Do I call him Daddy now?"
"If you want."
"How will he know thats his name?"
"You can tell him, that you want him to be your daddy too. I think he'll be very happy." I squeezed his hand.
We cuddled for a bit and took some selfies on my phone before falling into a tickle fight. Finally, we decided it was time to talk to Aubrey. I put OJ on my back and went to meet Aubrey in the nursery.
"Aubreyyy." I sang as I let OJ on the floor, "OJ wants to talk to youuu and I wanna record it, so I can keep it foreverrr."
"Okay." Aubrey knelt down with Oliver in his arms as he faced OJ.
I pulled out my phone and began the video as OJ started talking.
"Do- you love my Mommy?" he asked.
"Yes." Aubrey nodded.
"Do you love... me?" he swayed as he spoke.
"Of course I do." Aubrey cracked a smile.
OJ grinned and covered his mouth to chew on his sleeves, "Do you love me like your baby?"
"Yeah." Aubrey's face started turning red.
"So you can be my daddy too?" OJ raised his eyebrows.
Aubrey gasped and looked at me in shock before turning back to OJ and pulled him into a hug, "Yes of course!"
I stopped the video and went to join them, "You guys are going to make me cry."
After finally getting everyone down for a nap, Aubrey went to check on Aaliyah. I retreated to my bedroom to post the pictures with OJ and the ones of the triplets I had taken.
-"Sad Mama duck went out one day, over the hills and far away. Mama duck said "Quack quack quack quack" and all of her little ducks came back 🥰"
I quoted the triplet's favorite nursery rhyme with the pictures since it coincidentally described exactly what I needed to say.
In came the response:
- So glad everything turned out okay!
- Was praying for you and your family
- That caption 😍
- They're adorable!!
I tweeted again:
- Thank you guys for everything! Yes, my house is full again and I LOVE it!! (Just in time for my birthday tomorrow).
The next string of tweets asked about my birthday plans, they wanted to know how they compared to Lydia's celebration, or if Aubrey had something SPECIAL planned.
- I haven't celebrated my birthday in YEARS. But we have much to celebrate this year, its not about me.. this is celebrating Family.
- In regards to plans: I don't know what my crazy family has planned. But I've already received the best gifts in the world, and I feel like the luckiest woman in the world.
- My gifts? 1) Ollie is back home, safe and sound. 2) All of my babies are here. 3) OJ has officially decided ON HIS OWN to consider Aubrey his father, and the feeling was mutual ❤️ (yes I cried ugly tears).
- I'll let you know if Lydia gets me the gift I asked her for though...
There was a comment on that last tweet that stood out to me,
Lydia: Its sad that you would doubt me..
We ended up in a twitter conversation.
O- Well now I'm excited.
L- Although I must say, it doesn't top your other gifts.
O- Unfortunately, you won't be making it to my top 3 this year 😜
L- Words can't express how happy I am for you. You deserve all of the happiness the world has to offer.
O- Don't make me cry!
L- Talk to you tonight ❤️
I took the chance to read everyone's reactions to our conversation, most of them commenting on how well we still get along, and how great it was that we supported each other.
- We formed an unbreakable bond as bestfriends BEFORE ever dating. We ended our relationship on excellent terms. The love is still there, and its not going anywhere.
- FYI: the gift I asked her for, was for her to tell her new girlfriend that she is officially IN LOVE with her. I want nothing but the best for her love life, and she for I.
- We both are going to be there for each other's happily ever after. My future maid of honor is irreplaceable.
Aubrey entered after I sent the last message, "Hey."
"Look at you, still smiling from ear-to-ear." I grinned.
"Did you put him up to that?" he asked.
"Believe it or not? No. He was demanding a lot of answers from me and then he just started constructing our rather complicated family tree and he asked me if that made you his dad.. and I told him that was completely up to him." I recounted.
"That- wow." he crawled into bed beside me. "I was just hoping he actually liked me, let alone considering me his father."
"You're the only father-figure in his life that isn't a fucking asshole." I shrugged, "But he is rather observant."
"What do you mean?"
"He wanted to know why you and Lydia argue all the time. And why- well as he put it.. sometimes you make me sad." I explained, "But you know, I told him that we're all still getting used to each other and working on communicating better. So sometimes we get a little frustrated with each other. But you and I still love each other very much, and you and Lydia are friends."
He kissed me, "So the video you took.. was for your albums or for social media?"
"The albums. I definitely need more pictures of you babe." I replied.
"Do the triplets share an album or..?"
"They each have their own." I told him. We went through their albums together and talked for a while until it was almost time to go to Lydia's.
OJ helped us feed the triplets and soon enough we were all sitting in the living room at Lydia's house. OJ, Zoe, and Liyah were in the basement playing and watching TV. Aubrey sat on the couch beside me and I ended up putting my legs on his lap. Anita sat on a different couch that faced us, and Lydia was laying in her lap. Vanessa walked in before we had a chance to initiate an actual conversation.
"Oh good, now that we're all here.. I can ask, which one of you knows exactly how Oliver was found. Because the police said that someone I know quite well could tell me. So I'm assuming Anita." I cleared my throat as Vanessa took a seat at the other end of the couch I was sitting on.
"You'd be wrong. I know less than you." she denied.
I made eye contact with Lydia but she shook her head. "So.." I turned to Vanessa, "You?"
"It was very... coincidental." she nodded shyly.
"We can talk later." I looked into her eyes.
"I mean, it can't stay a secret forever." she shrugged.
"What secret?" Anita asked.
"We'll get to that part. Like I said everything was extremely coincidental.. I didn't plan on any of it happening." Vanessa played with the ends of her hair.
"All ears." I gave her my full attention.
"Well, basically.. last night after leaving my mom's, someone grabbed me before I could get to the car and when I felt them put a knife to my stomach I let them know I was pregnant-"
"Wait you're pregnant?" Aubrey interrupted.
"Yes." she nodded.
"By the guy-" Lydia cocked her head to the side.
"Yes. Anyways, when I said that, he immediately let me go and in so many words let me know who he was. He seemed pretty genuine in the fact that despite the child's conception, he wanted to be in the baby's life. So- I took the opportunity to use that against him. I had to act like I honestly believed him and that I would give him a chance. So he ended up giving me his contact information and address. I took it to the police station right away and when they raided his house they found that he had had his girlfriend taking care of Oliver." she detailed.
"I fucking knew it was that son of a bitch." Lydia scoffed.
"So we are truly celebrating a lot." Anita grinned.
The conversation progressed and later Anita complimented, "I just want to note, Onika, that you have probably some of the most well behaved kids I've ever taken care of."
"Really?"
"Yeah, I had a few small little run-ins with OJ because he missed you a lot, and it was hard for him to accept that he couldn't see you for a while." she added.
"Oh yeah, he and I talked about that. I ended up explaining EVERYTHING to him, and he seemed pretty receptive." I smiled.
"He's very smart, so I don't doubt that at all." she replied.
"By everything do you mean?"
"He knows all about Anita and her job, and about the custody battle and that Oliver was missing." I explained.
"Really?" Aubrey questioned.
"Yeah, he was demanding a lot of answers and I told him if he thought he could handle it, I wasn't going to deny him that right." I shrugged.
At dinner we drank Champagne and they gave sparkling cider to Vanessa and Aaliyah, and apple juice for OJ.
"I wanted to give you an early Birthday present Nic" Anita announced, handing me a card and a small jewelry box.
"Aw, you really didn't have to get me a gift." I accepted it.
"Well its more of a thank you present." she winked, "Open it"
The card read:
Dear Nicki,
Thank you for welcoming me into your loving family. For your constant support and your understanding ways. You INformally introduced me to the love of my life, and you've supported our relationship without cease ever since. I wish nothing but the best for you and yours.
Love,
Anita.
(P.S. : I guess my secret admirer is not so secret anymore ;) I heard I have you to thank for that as well.)
I looked up at her and Lydia, "You guys are gonna make me cryyyy."
"Happy early birthday." Lydia winked.
After dinner I ended up talking with Anita and Vanessa.
LYDIA POV
I pulled Aubrey aside to another room after the kids went to play again.
"Hey, so tomorrow.. if you want, Anita and I can watch the kids. So you and Nic can have the night to yourselves." I offered, "But I don't know what you had planned for after.."
"I didn't think to plan for after. She keeps saying she doesn't want anything at all." he put his hands in his pockets.
I realized he did not catch on to what I actually meant, I exhaled, "That was my classy way of asking, do you want us to take the kids so you guys can go have sex tomorrow night or would you rather keep the kids and finish being a happy family and celebrate that they're back."
"Oh right.. I- Yeah, I guess you can.." He shrugged.
AUBREY POV
When we finally got back home, the triplets were asleep and Aaliyah and OJ had both asked to stay with Lydia for the night. Nic and I laid the triplets in their cribs quietly, managing not to wake them as we did so.
When we got into the bedroom she sat on the bed and made me lay down so my head was in her lap.
"How come you tell me that you don't want anything for your birthday, but you asked Lydia and Anita for something?" I asked.
She giggled, "I asked Lydia to be honest with Anita and let her know she was also in love with her. Thats the gift I asked of Lydia, and the card Anita gave me was her thanking me for that."
"So you REALLY don't want anything?" I looked up at her.
She shrugged, "What could I possibly ask for? I have everything I could ever need or want."
"That's impossible."
"I have the perfect kids, the perfect job, the perfect husband, perfect friends, perfect house-" she listed.
"So you do have a husband I don't know about." I joked.
"Did I say husband?"
"Yeah you did." I touched her cheek that wasn't wounded.
She hugged my arm, "I mean, the only thing between you being my husband and my fiancé is what? A piece of paper? I love you like a husband, I'm committed to this relationship like a wife, we've officially taken on each other's kids like a married couple, we live together.."
"I guess you're right." I agreed.
She kissed my hand, "So.. are you going to tell me what the plans for tomorrow are?" she hinted.
"Mm nope." I took my hand away.
"Please?" she poked her lip out.
"Your best friend would kill me."
"I wouldn't let her." she touched my face. "That reminds me, she and I talkedddd."
"About me?" I raised an eyebrow at her.
"Yeah." she sighed, "She informed me, that it wasn't really fair to you for me to hold you hostage here and not let you get a job."
"So you're not gonna handcuff me to the bed in the mornings anymore?" I teased.
Her eyes widened as she playfully punched my torso, "I have NEVER used handcuffs on you." she giggled.
"Don't worry, I'm sure I'll still be home before you.. it'll still be the same." I consoled.
"You better be." she clicked her tongue.
"What about the kids?"
"I can bring them to the office like I did OJ when he was younger. And if Aaliyah doesn't have school she can babysit." she shrugged.
"How's your cheek?" I changed the subject.
"Its healing pretty well actually." she nodded. "You see it if you want."
I sat up, "Really?"
She pulled her hair into a ponytail before slowly removing the bandage. Most of it was just a little red now, and the parts that had been worse or were infected were now healed for the most part. It was almost back to normal besides the discoloration and the inflamed parts. This was the first time she let me see it since she had removed the make up and discovered the infection the other night. She was very adamant about keeping it bandaged and using her hair to hide her face. She had worked from home all week and made sure the bathroom door was shut when she renewed the bandages each day.
"What do you think?" she looked at me with tears in her eyes.
"I think, you look amazing. And you should stop hiding in the house, that goes against your whole brand." I tapped her chin.
She paused and nodded for a moment, "Actually you're right. I've built this persona of being brave and tough and pushing through obstacles and constantly sharing my story.. and I haven't told everything yet.."
"Nic.. I love you." I kissed her lips. She wrapped her arms around me and deepened the kiss. My hands roamed her torso until she took one and placed it on her breast, guiding me to squeeze it in my palm.
"Someone's feeling better." I joked.
She giggled and continued kissing me. She next guided my hand down her underwear so I could feel how wet she was. She laid down, pulling me on top of her as I fingered her slowly.
"You sure there's nothing at all you want tomorrow? I feel weird not having a present for you." I asked, watching her face change as I dug a little deeper into her.
"Fine." she gave in, "I want you to be present."
"What?" I asked, taking my fingers out of her.
She closed her legs, "I want you to hold me and kiss me, I want to see you smile, I wanna feel your touch and hear your voice. At some point, I want us to lay super close and just talk you know."
"I do that like everyday."
"I know.. and I love it."
"Any gifts that I don't already do?"
"Okay.." she thought for a moment, "I have something to tell you that my therapist and Lydia think you should know.. but I'm not sure how you would react or how it would effect our relationship, so how about my gift can be, I'll tell you it and you can process it overnight but you can't react until its not my birthday anymore."
"Now I'm worried." I licked her juices off my hand.
"Don't be... I've kind of told you it a few times, just not explicitly." she shrugged.
"Can you tell me now?" I asked, laying beside her.
"Hmm.. no." she giggled before turning to face me.
"Its almost midnight, I still won't react until after tomorrow.. I promise."
She stared at me, her finger grazed the side of my face, "You're lucky I love you." she winked.
"I appreciate the special treatment."
She took a deep breath, "You know how we often have a lot of sex?"
"Yeah..."
"But I've told you that its not really for the sake of having sex.. you know?"
"Yeah."
"Well, part of the reason that I know that I'm still a lesbian and that you're the only exception.. is because I don't really like heterosexual sex. But with you, its different." She explained.
"Different good? or different bad?"
"Different good." she assured me, "I love being close to you, touching you, feeling you. When we have sex, I get all of that plus more. I like knowing the sex is really good for you, it makes me feel good to know that I'm - that my body, can give you that much pleasure."
"So-"
"We have sex because of the love that we share. Its an intimate moment with us." she summarized, "The sex itself, like the whole penetration thing.. doesn't do much for me. I just like having you that close to me, and I like that you like it."
"Okay."
"Does that make sense?" she asked. "I just don't want you to think that I'm obsessed with sex or anything. I'm just obsessed with you."
"obsessed with me?"
"Yes." she groaned, "I need your touch, I feel the need to please you and care for you."
"There's nothing wrong with that." I kissed her lips, "But what about when I want to please you?"
"That lustful look you give me when you're turned on.. or during sex and right after. And, I mean.. I do like sex, a lot babe." she bit her lip, "Trust me, you do a hell of a job pleasing me. That's one of the many things you do not have to worry about when it comes to us."
"A hell of a job?" I raised an eyebrow at her jokingly.
She blushed, "Yes, and you can be as cocky as you want about that."
"What are some other things I don't have to worry about then?" I probed.
She thought for a moment, "You know that I love you, and that I'm extremely happy in this relationship. You know I'm not going anywhere, I'm not leaving you and you don't have to worry about me cheating on you, because I can't risk losing you." she paused, "You know that... I'm gonna do everything in my power to keep you happy."
"Good to know." I smiled at her. We paused and just stared at each other for while until her phone went off.
She grabbed her phone from beside her on the bed and read the message silently to herself. She grinned as she responded to it, "Lydia sent a happy birthday from her and Anita." she explained to me.
"Is it midnight?" I checked my phone.
"Yeah it is." she put her phone down and turned to me again. "Are we staying in our or Lydia's house for the birthday surprise? Or do we have to go out somewhere?"
"Out."
She inhaled slightly but nodded, "Okay."
"Whats wrong?"
"I just.. I can't wear makeup yet, and I don't want to have to wear the bandages anymore.. but its still a very ugly healing process." she motioned towards the injured half of her face.
"You still look amazing." I told her.
She didn't respond, she just laid there and stared at me.
"I thought you said you were gonna show how you overcome.."
"Yeah, but I wanted to make the announcement about it first.. and then let it be seen." she shrugged.
"Can't you just post now or something?"
"Yeah.. but I'd rather stare at you a while longer." she grinned.
"You should eventually get some sleep." I advised.
"Fine.." she rolled her eyes playfully. "Can I at least shower first?"
"I'm not stopping you." I threw my hands up.
She groaned as she stood up, "You should come too." she beckoned as she lifted her shirt over her head.
"Fineeee." I joked, "Only because its your birthday and all."
"Ooh.. I think I like my birthday privileges afterall." she took off my shirt.
When we were in the shower she didn't acknowledge me that much at first, and since the shower was large anyways, it didn't matter much that both of us were there. After she rinsed the conditioner from her hair she turned to face me. She walked towards me without saying anything and wrapped her arms around my neck. We ended up in a deep, passionate kiss that lasted quite a while.
Back in the room she left me to get dressed while she walked into her lingerie closet. She returned wearing a bright red lace piece.
"Damn Nic, whose birthday is it?" I licked my lips as she approached me.
"I want something to add to your album first, then we can do whatever you like." she pecked my lips before setting her camera up on the dresser. She came back over to me and straddled me and wrapped her arms around me. We ended up making out as she wound her hips, grinding on my lap. Eventually, she got up and stopped the video before laying me down on the bed and climbing back on top of me.
Thanks for Reading this chapter loves!! Leave some comments, I've been feeling like shit this past week.. also sorry this took a while, its finals seasonnn