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Now, she stands around some of the school mothers, baby Benji strapped to her chest. She makes motherhood look effortless, and she’s such a help in making the social groups blend. From what I’ve learned about her in these last few months, Abigail knows how to blend into a lot of social situations. She holds her hand over Benji’s back the same way she held her pregnant belly. I think sometimes she forgets.
Hex comes out of the house with a huge pinata, and the kids go crazy. I watch as Charlie takes the first few swings. Hex purposely moves it out of the way every time. He’s such a goof. Juliana shoots him a nasty look, and he finally stops, letting Charlie hit it.
The girl is strong, breaking it with one hit. The candy falls to the ground, and the kids rush into the middle, grabbing for every piece they can find. I think I’ll skip the pinatas at the community center parties. They seem like a safety hazard.
When Juliana cuts the cake, Charlie hand-delivers each piece to her guests before taking her own piece. I look over to see Tory beaming at her. She winks at me and walks over.
“I wanted to tell you, Charlie’s aura is bright yellow these days,” she whispers so the school moms don’t hear her.
“Tory,” I whisper back. “You know I don’t know what that means.”
“She’s happy,” Tory says, bumping me with her shoulder. “That girl is completely, truly happy. And that’s down to you.”
“No,” I say humbly. “She’s got great parents, and you’ve been such a big help with her. I was a small part of the equation.”
“Meredith,” she says, looking at me very seriously. “You have no idea how much you mean to Charlie, do you? Do you know what she told me? She saved Graveyard’s life because she knew how much you loved him. She didn’t want you to lose him.”
My eyes fill with tears, and I have to excuse myself. I sob big, ugly tears when Graveyard comes to find me. He looks concerned and pulls me into his arms without asking a single word. I cry into his chest as he rubs my back.
When I’m calm enough to speak, he asks me what’s wrong. I tell him what Tory told me. His eyes shine too.
“Well shit,” he says. “I should have gotten her a better gift.”
“I should have told you how much I loved you a long time ago,” I tell him, reaching up to kiss him hard.
I wipe my face and we walk back to the party. I’m so overcome with emotion. But I stay composed and smile along with Charlie with every new gift she opens. It’s a beautiful moment, and I’ll cherish it for the rest of my life. I spent so much time feeling like I’d failed, but Charlie is proof that I accomplished my dreams. Soon, there will be so many more Charlies.
The party disperses after gifts. Charlie looks like she might pass out. So much joy can take a serious toll. I know first-hand.
Tory’s planned a slumber party at the main house for Charlie, Daisy, and Nicky. It’s less of a birthday present for Charlie, and more of a gift to Pocus and Abigail. Despite outward appearances, they’re still getting used to having two kids. Abigail hugs Tory gratefully, nearly smooshing baby Benji. Like I said, sometimes she forgets.
The men break down the decorations, headed by Hex. In no time, it’s like nothing happened. We make our way back to the clubhouse so Pocus and Abigail can hopefully get some rest.
With everything packed up, I’m ready to go. As exciting as today has been, it’s also been emotionally exhausting. Tory invites us to stay for drinks, but one look from Graveyard and I know he’s thinking the same thing I am. As much as I would love to stay, we both need to go home.
Graveyard’s been taking on a few extra shifts so we can take a little vacation before the center opens. It will be such a hectic time. He’s planned a romantic getaway so we can enjoy each other before we’re forced to spend a lot of time away from each other. It’s a huge sacrifice for both of us, but in a way, this community center is my baby. It’s my new dream, and he’s been supportive of it.
We drive back to my apartment in near silence. He holds my hand the whole way, a contented look on his face. It’s been a good day for both of us. With that surprising bomb Tory dropped on me, I can’t help but love Graveyard even more. In a way, I saved his life. And he definitely saved mine.
We walk up the stairs of my building, nearly falling over each other. I can barely keep my eyes open. When we get inside, he pulls me straight into the bedroom. This is an urgency I’ve experienced with him many times, but tonight, he doesn’t try to rip my clothes off. We stumble into the bed fully clothed and pass out immediately, wrapped in each other’s arms.
I have no idea how much time has passed when I feel Graveyard stirring. I look over to see him watching me. He must have been waiting for me to wake up, because the moment our eyes meet, he leans in to kiss me. It’s a long, lazy kiss, our tongues dancing around each other in a slow, intimate embrace.
His hands move down my body, and he pulls at the hem of my dress. I think he’s going to hike up the skirt the way he usually does, but he makes me get up so he can take it off and remove the rest of my clothes. I lie back down on the bed, naked underneath him.
He starts a long, slow path of kisses on the base of my neck. He gets as far as my belly button before he moves back up, covering every inch of my skin in hot kisses. I moan softly, enjoying this new, sensual pace. He’s in no hurry tonight, and neither am I. We have nowhere to go.
When he’s satisfied with his work, he kisses below my belly button, down to my inner thighs where he rubs his hands slowly around my skin. I’m writhing, wanting the friction of his touch. He wants me to beg, but he won’t get the satisfaction. He’ll cave before I do. He usually does.
I’m losing my mind, craving his touch, but I force myself to stay calm and outlast him. He kisses back up my body, paying special attention to my neck. When he presses into me, I feel how hard he is. Oh, yeah, he’ll cave first.
I trace my hands down his chest and unbutton his pants. I don’t touch him where he wants. He groans, already losing this teasing match. He stiffens more against my touch, and I can tell his resolve is about to falter.
I trace my hands back up his chest, unbuttoning his shirt as I go. He shrugs it off and hovers over me, kissing me hard. His tongue is no longer slow and lazy, it’s on fire, frantically moving inside of my mouth. He wants me to break, but I won’t. He’ll beg before I do.
I wrap my hands around his neck, tangling my fingers into his hair. He groans again, but he’s not ready to give in. I wrap my legs around him, slowly pushing off his jeans and boxers with my feet. He shifts, kicking them off completely. Even with my legs wrapped around him, he refuses to enter me. I can tell he’s on the verge of cracking. With each move of his body, he gets closer.
“Fuck it,” he groans into my ear. “You win, Meredith.”
