The Perfect Pitch (Indianapolis Lightning Book 1) Page 7

  I watch as Jill gives the batter a few more swipes with the big spoon, making sure the chocolate chips are well mixed in. She then starts scooping it out with an ice-cream looking scoop onto silicone mats.

  “Now, we just let them bake, and soon, we’ll have warm, melty chocolate chip cookies to have for snack,” she says, as she starts to rinse off the dishes.

  “Let me do that.” I move her aside from the sink. “You sit, take a break,” I instruct, leaving no room for argument. I’m a little surprised when she actually does as I say and takes a seat next to the girls at the bar. They’ve both cleaned off their spoons and I gather them up, placing them in the dishwasher, along with all the other dishes we used for lunch and while baking.

  “I was thinking, maybe after cookies, we could all snuggle up in the living room and watch a movie,” I tell my girls.

  “Elsa!” Penny exclaims.

  “Yes, Elsa!” Addison agrees with her.

  “I guess that means we’re watching Frozen then.” I glance at Jillian and see the look of shock on her face when she realizes I know what movie the character the girls have mentioned belongs to. “What?” I ask incredulously.

  “Since when are you up on your Disney princesses?” she asks, a smirk tugging at the corner of her lips.

  “Oh, only for the last what, three years?” I say, thinking back to when Addison would have first started in with them.

  “You amaze me sometimes, you know that?”

  “Just you wait, I’ve got lots of amaze left in me,” I tell her, giving her a smoldering look. The one I used to give her and poof, her panties would drop. The one that told her, her pleasure was my only focus and that I’d rock her world.

  Jillian clears her throat and stands just as the timer goes off, alerting us it’s time to take the first batch of cookies from the oven. I watch as she expertly removes them, places a new tray in the oven, and then transfers them to a cooling rack before refilling the baking sheet with more dough. Once she’s got the tray filled, I step behind her, boxing her in against the counter. My hands are caged around her, setting against the countertop, and I drop my face to her neck, breathing her in. My nose skims along the smoothness of her neck, the one that is perfectly exposed to me since her hair is still pulled up in that messy bun she favors. I place a light kiss just under her ear and watch as the chill runs through her body. She inadvertently presses back against me, my hardness molding to her softness. There’s no way she can miss my cock now firmly pressed against her ass and lower back.

  “That’s right, baby,” I murmur in her ear, only loud enough where she can hear my words. “That’s all you. If our girls weren’t right here in front of us, I’d have you laid out on this counter and would be feasting on you.”

  “Derek!” she murmurs as I suck her earlobe between my teeth, quickly giving it a gentle tug before I release it and kiss her just below her ear once more.

  “Jillian,” I state, my voice dropping a few octaves as I practically growl her name.

  “We can’t do this. Not now.”

  “When then?” I ask, sliding a hand across her belly and holding her against me as tight as I can.

  “I-I don’t know,” she says between gasps of breath. “I need time. We need time.”

  She pushes back against me. I drop my hand and take a step back, giving her what she’s asking for. I want her to know I’ll fight for her—us—but I’m also going to give her the space when she needs it. She’s in control here and will be setting whatever pace it is that we need to go in order to find our way back to what we used to have, what we used to be.

  “Okay,” I tell her once we have a little more space between us. I turn her so she’s facing me, and cup her face between my hands, forcing her to look up at me. I close the one-step distance, bringing our fronts back together. “You, me, that’s all I want. I’ll wait however long you need. I love you, Jillian. I need you back. Being here since yesterday has been the best twenty-four hours in my past year and made me realize what all I’d really sacrificed. The three of you are the most important people in my life and I want more of this.”

  I motion around to the mess of the kitchen, but also the love I can feel between all of us.

  “More baking cookies on a lazy afternoon, and rainy or sick days spent on the couch watching movies, and middle of the night conversations. I want it all. The good, the bad, the ugly, the fun and exciting. All of it. I. Want. It. All,” I tell her, punctuating the last of it.

  I bring my lips to her forehead, not wanting to press my luck by kissing her on the lips. That, and I might not be able to stop myself once our lips lock together. I can feel how much she wants me—us. I just have to wait her out and be there when she’s finally ready to say yes to me once again.

  Ten

  Jillian

  Six weeks later

  “What’s the plan for Christmas next week?” Mariah asks from the other side of the table as she takes a sip of her wine.

  “Presents, food. The norm, why?” I ask, draining my own glass of wine. Derek practically pushed me out of the house tonight and told me to go have a good time, that he’d hold down the house. He’d already called Mariah and Tara and made sure they were both free tonight, so we could have a girls’ night out.

  “Is Derek coming over to the house, or are you guys doing separate things with the girls?” Tara asks.

  “He’s coming to the house. Spending the night Christmas Eve so that he’s there when they wake up on Christmas morning. Then we can keep our traditions alive for the girls,” I tell them both.

  “Mhmmm… Christmas traditions,” Tara says, a smirk filling her lips. “Does that include the naked ones after the kids are in bed the night before?” she adds, bouncing her eyebrows at me.

  “Stop!” I laugh at her antics, and have to rub my thighs together just thinking about it. I’ve stayed strong so far, these last six or so weeks, since everything has gone down and Derek has flipped a switch. He’s stayed true to his word and been at my side anytime I’ve needed him, and shown up just because he misses us. Even gone out of his way to plan things like tonight for me. “He really has changed. I might be ready to give him a second chance,” I tell my best friend and sister.

  “Just be careful. That’s all we ask. We know you still love him, and it’s obvious he still loves you, but just be careful, okay?” Tara says, grabbing my hand and squeezing it.

  “Of course. My guard is still up, but he’s wearing it down day by day.”

  “When are you telling the girls about the Disney trip?” Mariah asks.

  I convinced Derek to push it off until after Christmas. That way, we could use it as their big gift. We leave the day after Christmas and will be gone for a week and a half. “Christmas morning. It will be the last gift they open.”

  “I can’t wait to see their reactions!” Mariah states. “You should record it!”

  “I was planning on it.”

  “So, did he book multiple rooms, or a suite, or what?” Tara asks.

  “We got a suite with three bedrooms. It has a kitchenette, three bathrooms, laundry…basically a small apartment. I’ve got a grocery delivery already set up to arrive shortly after we do, so that we’ll have some snacks and breakfast items in the suite.”

  “I’m surprised you were able to book that kind of suite with only a few weeks’ notice,” Mariah chimes in.

  “Money talks.” I laugh. “That, and Derek might have slipped his name when booking. I’ve got character meals and fast passes all planned out. It’s been fun planning it behind the girls’ backs. I ordered some cute shirts off of Etsy that will be here in a few days, for us to wear on different park days. They’re going to flip out and I can’t wait,” I excitedly say.

  “I knew the moment you told me Derek brought up going that you’d be all over it.” Tara laughs. “Look at you now, matching outfits and planning everything.”

  “I want them to have so much fun, and the shirts and things will give them somet
hing to open on Christmas morning.”

  “Good luck getting them to go to bed that night. What time are y’all flying out the next morning?” Mariah asks.

  “Our flight leaves just after nine, so nothing super horrible. And it’s nonstop into Orlando, so by mid-afternoon, we’ll be in our suite and ready to head to Downtown Disney for the afternoon, or hit up the pool if the weather is nice enough.”

  “Sounds like you’ve got it all figured out,” Tara says, just as a server stops back at our table.

  “Anyone ready for a refill or can I put in anything else for you ladies?” the young college-aged guy asks.

  “I think we’re good. Just the check, please.”

  We’ve already been here for going on two hours, and all I want to do is take my bra off, pull on some pajamas, and crawl under a blanket with some trashy reality TV on or a book in my hands. I’m crossing my fingers that when I walk into the house, it’s quiet and the girls are asleep. Derek promised he’d handle bedtime for me tonight.

  I walk in from the garage to a mostly dark and quiet house. Thank God the girls are in bed. They’d be little hellions tomorrow if they were up this late at night. I hang my purse on the hook, making sure to drop my keys in it so I don’t misplace them, as I’ve been known to do. I kick off my heels, not really knowing what possessed me to wear them out tonight. As much as I love the look of them, they kill my feet and back when I do. I quietly pad into the kitchen, seeing that Derek cleaned up after feeding the girls dinner: homemade pizza he was going to let them help make. He really has amazed me these last few weeks with how much he’s stepping up and turning back into the family man I knew he could be.

  “Have a good time?” His deep voice scares me and I yelp out and jump.

  “Holy shit, you scared the bejesus out of me,” I tell him, my hand smacking against my chest.

  “Sorry,” he says, and laughs.

  “No, you’re not.” I laugh along with him. “How’d things go around here?” I ask, taking a seat on one of the bar stools.

  “Great. The girls loved making the pizzas with me. We might have made a little bit of a mess with the sauce and cheese, but nothing a few paper towels didn’t fix. Then, once it was done, I’ve never seen both of them eat something so fast.”

  “You should see the kitchen some days after we’ve been in here experimenting or baking all day. They aren’t always clean when they help. But it’s worth it to see their little smiles and to hear them laugh. I love it. I’m going to miss Addison so much next year when she’s off at kindergarten all day, every day.”

  “I can’t believe our girls are growing up so fast,” Derek muses.

  “I know, tell me about it.”

  “So, did you have a good time tonight?”

  “I did, thank you for that.”

  “Anytime. You deserve to have time out with your friends and for yourself. You do so much around here and for the girls, it’s the least I can do once in a while. Plus, it gives the girls and me time to have some daddy-daughter time. Speaking of that, do you have any issues with me taking them out Christmas shopping tomorrow for a few hours? We talked tonight, and they both wanted to buy a few presents.”

  “I don’t have any issues with it. Just don’t go overboard, please. They’re already going to be spoiled with the trip.”

  “Oh, we won’t be buying anything for them. They wanted to pick out something for you.”

  “Now, that will be comical. What in the world will a three and four-year-old think Mommy will want?” I muse.

  “They had some pretty good ideas when we talked about it this evening. But you’ll just have to wait until Christmas morning to find out,” he says, winking at me.

  “What time were you thinking? I might head out and finish up my last little bit if you’re going to have them occupied for a while. I need to finish up their teachers’ gifts, as well as some things for my parents.”

  “You tell me. I can take them out early, or as early as the mall opens. What would that be nine, ten, in the morning?”

  “I think they’ve switched to extended hours at the mall, but can look it up.” I pull my phone out of my pocket and search for the mall. “Looks like they open at ten, they are just open later than normal from now until Christmas Eve.”

  “So, I’ll come by and get them after breakfast, or do you want me to take them out for breakfast?”

  “After is fine. I can’t head out and do my shopping until the stores open, either, so no need to head off super early.”

  “Okay, I’ll be here by nine then. Help get them cleaned up and dressed before we head out. Once we’re done, I can just bring them back here, so don’t feel rushed. We can just hang out until you get back. Or I can take them to my place, whatever you prefer.”

  “You can bring them back here, that’s fine. I shouldn’t be more than a few hours, depending on the crowds.”

  “Sounds good to me. How about dinner tomorrow night? We can order in or take the girls out. Your choice,” he tells me.

  “I’m sure we can make dinner happen.”

  “Let’s decide tomorrow. For all you know, you’ll still be out shopping come dinnertime.”

  “I sure hope not. As I said earlier, I don’t have that much more to get.”

  “All right, I’m going to get out of here, let you get to bed. I’ll see you in the morning,” Derek says, moving in closer to me. He drops a kiss to my cheek before turning and walking out into the garage. I hear the door open, then his truck fire up and back out of the driveway as the door closes. He still has the opener programmed in his truck and for as often as he’s been coming over lately to help out, I haven’t addressed it with him. I figured it wasn’t worth the fight, especially with how much he’s been trying lately.

  With Derek gone, I head for bed, stopping first to peek in on the girls. Both are sound asleep, their loveys in their arms and special blankets tucked in around them. I quietly sneak in and drop a kiss to each of their cheeks before retreating back out and into my room. I scrub the makeup off my face before brushing my teeth and getting ready for bed. I slip between the sheets and feel the mattress pad heater I turned on when I first entered the room starting to heat up the bed. I hate being cold while sleeping, so that was one of the best things I ever purchased.

  I pull my kindle out and dive back into the book I’ve been attempting to read for the past week. By the time I get into bed lately, I can hardly keep my eyes open most nights, so it’s been slow going. I only get a couple more pages read before my eyes start to close, so I save my spot and turn my kindle off for the night, allowing sleep to claim me.

  Eleven

  Derek

  “Good morning!” I call out as I enter the house through the garage. I’m a few minutes later than I’d planned on getting here. “Sorry I’m late, the damn line at Starbucks was longer than I expected,” I tell Jillian as I hand her the drink I picked up for her.

  “Thanks,” she says, a slight blush filling her cheeks.

  “You’re welcome.” I drop a kiss to her cheek before I head off to find the girls.

  “Daddy!” they both exclaim as I enter the living room and they see me at the same time. Both come running over to me as I open my arms, dog piling into them as I drop down to my knees.

  “Are my princesses ready to go shopping?”

  “Shopping!” Penelope shouts right in my ear.

  “Go get your shoes on and we’ll head out,” I say before peppering their cheeks in kisses.

  I release both of them and they take off on a run.

  “Walk!” I hear Jillian call out as they run and scream past her. “You’ve got your hands full this morning. They’ve been up since six bouncing off the walls, excited to be going shopping with you, so all I can say is, good luck.”

  “Nothing I can’t handle,” I tell her as she laughs, puffing out my chest. I lift my ball cap off my head, running my fingers through my hair before pulling it back on.

  “If you say so, big
guy.” She taps my chest with her hand and I pin her hand there, closing the distance between us, and lower my head down to hers until my lips are next to her ear.

  “I can show you just how big of a guy I am, if you need a refresher,” I say, just for her to hear. My cock is hard as a fucking bat in my jeans in seconds, and I press against her side, letting her feel just how big I am at the moment.

  “Daddy!” Penny calls out. “Let’s go shopping!”

  “Duty calls,” I say, dropping my forehead to Jillian’s shoulder as I blow out a large breath, and will my cock to settle down. Now’s not the time for this, and I start rolling through stats, or sweaty balls hanging out in the locker room. Anything to get the blood flowing back throughout my body.

  “Have fun,” she says, laughing even harder now.

  “Enjoy your time alone,” I tell her, stepping back as the girls come looking for me.

  “Daddy. We’ve got to go,” Addison states so matter-of-fact, her sass showing brightly this morning. I look over at Jillian, who’s biting back her laughter at our daughter’s antics.

  “That sass is all you,” I mouth to Jillian. She just shrugs her shoulders at me with a shit-eating grin on her face.

  “Let’s get loaded up!” I tell the girls as I start heading for the garage.

  “Have so much fun with Daddy!” Jillian calls out at our retreating backs.

  “Bye, Mommy,” both girls call out before the garage door closes.

  I get them loaded up and we’re off to the mall to tackle picking up a few things for Jillian from the girls for Christmas. When the idea hit me to make the gifts be from the girls, I knew my plan would work. At least, I had great faith it would.

  Just as we pull out of the driveway, my phone starts ringing over the truck’s speakers, my sister’s name flashing on the screen. “Hey, Ry, I’ve got you on speaker in my truck and have the girls with me,” I warn, just in case she’s calling about anything Christmas-related.