"I'm sorry I'm late," I yell as I rush in the door, thirty minutes after I was supposed to come home.

Jayden's in the kitchen, putting away groceries, his eyes shining with amusement.

"Relax, Fie, Ollie isn't home yet," he says, turning to the fridge.

I walk towards him, still in my work heels. "Where is he?"

Ollie gets off school at 3 pm on Fridays. It's almost 4.30; he should be home.

"At the skatepark."

I cross my arms over my chest, tapping my foot until Jayden turns around to look at me. "You let him go to the skatepark alone?"

Jayden cocks his head, his lips twitching as he tries to match my serious expression. "He's with a friend and the friend's parent. I'm gonna go pick him up in thirty minutes."

My shoulders relax involuntarily, and a grin breaks out on Jayden's face. He takes a step towards me, and I mirror him, stepping away. He keeps going like that until he's backed me against the kitchen counter, a wolfish smile grinning down at me. "Were you worried?" he asks, dipping his head to kiss my neck as his hands land on the counter, caging me in.

"No," I protest. Jayden takes great pleasure in any sign of protective instinct I show towards Ollie. But for God's sake, he gives that kid way too long a lease. Didn't he just break his wrist a few months ago? "Only questioning your parental skills."

"Wrong answer," Jayden says, biting my neck enough to sting lightly. "Wanna try again?" As he says that, one hand works its way up my thigh underneath my work skirt.

I returned to work a week ago after the treatment ended. I'm officially in remission again, and since I'm no longer getting radiation every day, my energy levels have skyrocketed.

Which Jayden is taking full advantage of.

When his fingertips skim my panties, I whimper, but it's not enough to break my resolve. "No."

He removes his hands a few inches, instead drawing lazy circles on my inner thigh. His mouth moves down to my cleavage, kissing between my boobs. He begins undoing my buttons with his other hand; eyes turned towards my face. "Sure?" He licks a nipple over the fabric of my bra, sending a zip of pleasure through me.

He's only opened the shirt enough to give him access to my tits.

My hands are gripping the counter behind me, knuckles turning white as I arch my back towards him. His fingers still touch me so close to where I need him, but way too far away. I throw my head back as he slips the bra down and takes a nipple in his mouth. Dammit.

"I was worried," I admit, and Jayden growls his approval.

Instead of slipping his fingers inside my panties, his hands both land on my waist, and in one movement, he twirled me around, so my stomach is now pressed to the counter. His hands roam all over my body, making my want for him climb higher and higher.

"Should we take this to the bedroom, or you know, take off some clothes?" I ask.

"Oh, no," Jayden mumbles against my neck, his lips working their way down again. I lean my head back; resting is on his shoulder. "I've wanted to fuck you in this outfit forever. Heels and all."

Jayden does have a thing for the tight skirts and silk blouses I wear at work. Having a sex life with a kid in the house has definitely been interesting and required innovation on our sides. Late nights when we know he's sleeping, quickies in the shower in the mornings, once in Jayden's truck.

And now on the kitchen counter, too, apparently. I push my ass back, rubbing against his erection. He growls low in his throat. "Do you want me to fuck you in this kitchen, Trouble?"

I turn as much as I can to look at him. "Yes."

His smile turns gentle for a moment, and he leans in to kiss me softly. "Then you better hold on," he warns.

Then he rips my panties down my legs and bunches my skirt up at my waist, so my ass is bare to him. My panties are trapped by my heels, working as a bondage, so I can't spread my legs too wide.

Jayden trails a finger down my spine over my shirt, and I shiver, my body so attuned to his. He smacks my ass once, roughly, before dipping his hand between my legs.

My legs almost buckle when he teases my entrance. He smears my arousal up to my clit, making me whimper.

"Bend over," he instructs. I do as he says, leaning as far forward as possible, my cheek pressed against the cupboard, my ass pressed against him.

He hums a low sound of approval, and then I hear his belt opening, his pants falling to the floor. The length of his cock settles against my ass. "I'm gonna fuck you so good, Fie," he whispers as he rubs the tip against my entrance.

"You better," I warn. He's driving me up the wall with all this teasing, so he better follow through.

He chuckles, one hand bracketing my hips. "Oh, don't worry." And then he thrust inside me in one long, rough movement.

"Oh god," I moan, squeezing him tightly as my body gets used to his size.

We had to take it slow in the beginning following both the surgery and the radiation. My pussy had been affected, and it required more lube and care than we were used to. But I'm happy to say that things seem to be returning to normal.

"Are you okay?" Jayden asks, his jaw locked tightly as he tries to hold himself back.

"Never better." I look at him over my shoulder. "Now fuck me harder."

His control snaps, and with both hands on my hips, he drives in hard, punishingly, and oh so good.

I feel beads of sweat rolling down my spine as I whimper and moan, pressing my head into the painted wood. Jayden bucks his hips, hitting a spot that makes my world spin.

"Do that again," I demand, and he does as he's told, driving into me with precision, making me cry out over and over again. "Don't stop," I sob.

I slip a hand in between my legs, rubbing my clit, my wetness making a mess of things down there. The combined pleasures overwhelm me.

"Fie," Jayden says between clenched teeth. "I'm not gonna last."

There's something so hot about knowing how good this makes him feel. "Me neither."

"Good," he says, pulling almost all the way out and driving back in again. Stars erupt behind my eyelids as I tumble straight into a mind-blowing orgasm.

Jayden keeps going as I moan, the pleasure making my entire body seize up. Just when I relax, the final pulsations ebbing out, Jayden comes too with a loud groan.

He covers my body with his, breathing heavily into my ear. The few free tufts of hair that have fallen out of my bun tickle my neck.

"Oh fuck, I should have done that ages ago," he says, his arms soft as they snake around my waist, hugging me to him.

"Good things are worth waiting for," I answer, turning my head, searching for a kiss.

His lips tip up just as he presses them to mine. "You don't have to tell me, Sophie. I'd have waited an eternity for you."

🏊‍♂️

After dinner, I help Ollie with his homework. When we're done, Jayden and he gets situated on the couch to pick out a movie while I get the snacks ready.

Approaching the living room, I pause, watching the two of them.

Jayden is keeping the remote out of Ollie's grip, holding his brother away with a hand on his chest. They're both grinning, although Ollie is protesting the treatment.

The flipping in my chest has returned with a vengeance.

When making a wild grab for the remote, Ollie notices me over his older brother's shoulder. "Soph, you have to be the tie-breaker," he exclaims.

No longer able to lurk, I walk towards them with the bowl of popcorn in one hand and soda in the other. "Between what?"

"JJ wants to watch some boring movie about pilots," he says with an eye roll.

"Topgun," Jayden interjects, giving me an incredulous look. "I want to watch Topgun. It's a classic."

"It's old," Ollie protest, turning his eyes on me, amping up that boyish grin. "I wanna watch Harry Potter."

"Which one?" I ask, lifting an eyebrow.

"Half-Blood Prince."

"Uf." I send Jayden a grimace, attempting remorse. "I'm with Ol."

"What?" Jayden crosses his arms, looking at me sourly.

"It's the best one," Ollie and I say simultaneously.

"But I won't know what's going on," Jayden whines.

"Then you better pay attention," I say, sitting down between them.

Despite his annoyance, Jayden slips an arm around my waist, pulling me against him. I'm ninety percent sure he doesn't actually have any issue watching this movie. He just likes riling Ollie up.

Ollie grabs a handful of popcorn, settling in while I cue up the movie.

Jayden asks a lot of questions, which Ollie and I take turns answering. We also agree that we need to do a marathon at some point, so he'll be able to understand what's going on. He only puts up a weak fight.

We're about two-thirds into the movie, around the time that Harry takes the Felix Felicis when Ollie falls asleep. I've been running my hand through his hair for a while, watching him more than the movie, and then suddenly, his head hits my shoulder, and he's out cold.

I share a look with Jayden. He's smiling softly. "He never makes it through a movie." There's a twinge of something in his expression.

I lower my voice, although I'm pretty sure Ollie won't be waking anytime soon. "What's wrong?"

Jayden rubs his brow. "Do you think he's okay?"

I look down at the kid on my shoulder, dark eyelashes fanning his cheeks, his curls a wild mess on the top of his head, his body long and lanky, barely able to fit on the couch curled up the way he is.

There's always this warm glow that settles over me when I look at Ollie.

"Yeah, why wouldn't he be?" I ask Jayden, turning back to him.

He shrugs, running his fingers up and down my arm. His eyes are troubled; his brows pulled down. "It's just... Going from Antonella's house to a temporary family and then here... It's a lot for a kid, right? I'm just worried."

I nod slowly, dropping my voice to a whisper. "You're not still afraid something happened at the other family?" We haven't talked about it much, but Jayden's own experience in foster care has made him almost paralyzingly scared that something similar would happen to Ollie.

Jayden sighs, running a hand through his hair, staring off in the distance. "I'm always afraid of that, no matter how nice they were or how comfortable Ollie seemed to be." He shakes his head, a haunted look on his face. "But I trust Ollie when he says he was safe. I have no reason to suspect anything else."

"Okay." I reach up to cup his cheek, running my fingers over the scruff on his cheek. He leans into my touch. "So what's got you worried now?"

He glances at his brother, the movie playing in the background. "I was moved around a lot, and it was hard trusting new people. You know, believing them when they said that this was long-term. Of course, it never was." He bites his lip, looking at me. "Do you think he knows this is forever?"

Of course, moving in with a sibling is different than being sent to complete strangers whom you have no reason to trust, but maybe that could also make it that much more scary to trust them. Because it would hurt so much more if they abandoned you.

"I hope so," I whisper, my eyes going misty because apparently, even though the treatment is over, I'm still an emotional mess. "Maybe we should talk to someone."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, " I say, smiling teasingly. "Someone wise told me all about the wonders of therapy. Maybe... Maybe it would be good for the three of us to see someone who specializes in this kind of thing. Help Ollie become comfortable, and help us understand his needs. Since you know, this is a big responsibility. And Ollie could have some sessions alone too if there are things he would rather not talk about with us there."

Jayden smiles, his eyes warming. "You're good at this, you know?"

My heart stutters. I still question my abilities to be a good parent, so Jayden's praise means more than he knows.

"You too," I say, meaning it. Jayden gets Ollie; in a way, I don't. I think it's because they've known each other forever. They've always been family, and I'm only just learning how.

Then Jayden drops a kiss on my mouth before looking at the TV. We missed most of the exciting stuff, and Ollie won't be seeing any more, so we agree to put him to bed.

Jayden carries him upstairs and tugs him in while I clean up the living room. When I get to our bedroom, Jayden is stripping down while I go into the bathroom to brush my teeth. Jayden appears in the doorway, resting both hands on top of the doorframe, all six foot three inches of him on full display since he's only in boxers.

I eye him like it's the first time I see him without clothes, but god damn, that view never gets old.

"You know what I was thinking?" he asks, lips quirking.

"That we should send Ollie to El Paso to visit Antonella for a weekend after nationals, so we would have a forty-eight hours sex marathon?"

He hangs his head, laughing. "Well, now that's what I'm thinking." His eyes find mine, humor shining in them. "But believe it or not, I wasn't actually plotting how to get rid of our kid so I could fuck you silly."

Our kid.

My heart might not be able to take it.

"Disappointing," I say, turning back to the mirror, brushing while I glance at him in the reflection. "What were you thinking?" I ask around my toothbrush.

"That you never answered my question." He lifts an eyebrow like I should know what the hell he's talking about. When I just look confused, he goes on. "What is your dream career? You have that degree. You wanted a master's and a Ph.D. What would you do with it?

Oh right, he'd asked me that the night I'd ended up telling him everything. Or almost everything, I suppose. I hadn't answered him because there were still so many secrets between us back then. So much I couldn't say because I was afraid of how it might affect me. Those dreams scared me more than being with him did.

But there's no use for secrets anymore.

"Teach," I say, winking at him as I think of all our tutoring sessions and how much they had reminded me of that dream. "Be a professor."

"You'd be good at that." Jayden comes closer, standing behind me and reaching around me to take his own toothbrush, his eyes never leaving mine. "I have an idea."

"Oh," I say, scrunching my nose. "You've already thought today, so maybe don't overexert yourself, honey."

He tickles my side, narrowing his eyes at me. "You should go back to school."

My jaw drops, a bit of toothpaste running out of the side of my mouth. I wipe it away quickly.

"What?"

"Yeah." He nods like it's no big deal. "Next semester. Get your degrees. Live your dream."

I can't really wrap my head around it. After I dropped out, I'd closed down the idea of ever finishing school. It relied too heavily on me having a future, and back then, I wasn't sure I did.

Jen has nagged me about it over the years, but I just couldn't bear the idea of getting that diploma and then never having the chance to use it. Or finding out just how much I loved standing in the front of a classroom for all of it to be stolen from me too soon.

But Jayden and doctor Mallory have been teaching me, in each their own way, that it's okay to live life for as long as you have it. I spit into the sink, straightening up. "I would have to quit work. Aren't we gonna need my income?"

Jayden smirks. "Even with your trust fund, I think it's safe to say I'll be the moneymaker in this relationship."

"Going pro has made you very arrogant," I say with a headshake. "I like it."

"Thought you might." He lifts an eyebrow as he brushes his teeth for a few seconds. "So, school?"

I sidestep, walking towards the door. "You just wanna fuck a college girl."

He turns, leaning against the bathroom counter, watching me with such a loving expression that it's almost too much. "I just want you to be happy."

"If you're not careful, you're gonna clog up my arteries by how thick you're laying it on me."

Jayden chuckles, looking a little exasperated with me but also oddly pleased. Like he can't get enough of my little quips.

"I'll think about it," I promise, turning and taking off my clothes, slipping on one of Jayden's old t-shirts. Since Ollie moved in, I've begun sleeping in clothes so I can run to his side in a few seconds, if need be in the middle of the night.

It's terrifying being responsible for a kid.

After a few minutes, Jayden joins me under the covers, pulling me into him. I rest my head on his chest, our legs tangled together.

Jayden is caressing my hair. We haven't shut the curtains, and from my spot, I can see the moon shining, almost full. A big silver beacon in the sky.

"Are you?" Jayden asks suddenly, so soft that it's almost just a breath against the top of my head.

"Am I what?"

"Happy?"

I look up at him. There's a bit of nerves in his expression like he's been afraid to ask me this.

For years I never thought I would be happy again. Jen always wanted me to be happy and healthy and safe, but it seemed impossible for me to be any of those things.

And now, in remission again, coming to terms with the reality of my diagnosis, I finally feel healthy. And I've never been as safe as I am in Jayden's arms.

A smile works its way onto my face. "Yes. I really am." 

A/N:
Ngl this is one of my favorite chapters 🥺

One more to go 😭

- Hanna 💙