Road to Reality (8 page)

“Just in time, too,” she announced when she placed two homemade pizzas on the table. “One manly pie with cheese and pepperoni—Zoe’s favorite,” she added with a chuckle. “And one veggie pie for me. Which I will encourage Zoe to have some of as well.”

He didn’t know anyone who made homemade pizza.  It was too much work and effort, especially in this heat. But she had no problem putting in the extra effort, least of all for Zoe, who clapped when the pizza was placed in front out her.

More surprising was Beth’s offer of a beer. She must have noticed what was in his refrigerator the other day.  Unfortunately since he was on-call, he had to decline, but he was still touched that she went to the same amount of effort that he tried to do for them this weekend.

***             

Several hours later lying in bed, Mac realized how much fun tonight was. If anyone had seen him sitting in Beth’s tiny apartment eating homemade pizza while a three-year-old happily tried to steal his slice, or later when he wiped the melted pink frosting from the ice cream cake that was smeared all over Zoe’s face, they would have thought he was crazy for loving every minute of it.  He even thought he was a crazy at one point when he helped tuck Zoe in for the night, giving her a kiss and wishing her sweet dreams.  But the smile she rewarded him with made it all worthwhile.

Even more so was the tender look Beth sent his way after she watched his interactions with Zoe. And the kiss she gave him when he left her apartment a few minutes later made the heat in her tiny apartment all worth it.  Crazy or not, all he could think of at the moment was that it felt right.

Between his rounds at the hospital, his office hours and meetings with Harper Construction, Mac had little to no time to talk to Beth, let alone see her and Zoe.  Now three days later, he was finally able to leave the hospital, his third after-hour emergency in as many days. 

But he couldn’t wait any longer. He pulled his phone out of his pocket as he made his way across the hospital parking lot, hoping she was home. He knew she had to work today too, but was pretty sure Saturdays were only a half a day for her.

Beth picked up on the first ring. “Where are you?”

“Just leaving the hospital. I’m hoping tonight will be quiet.  Where are you?” he asked, starting the car and turning the air conditioner on full blast.

“Walking to the playground with Zoe.”

He didn’t even bother to stop the groan. “Put her on the phone, please.”

“What?” she asked, clearly shocked. “You want to talk to Zoe on my phone?”

“Who, Mommy?” Mac heard in the background.

“Yes, put it on speakerphone so she can hear me,” Mac said.

“OK.”

“Zoe, can you hear me?” Mac asked.

“Dr. Mac,” Zoe cried out in delight.

“Yes, it’s Mac.  Why won’t she call me Mac, Beth?” he asked in bewilderment, then he continued his conversation with Zoe. “No monkey bars. Do you hear me, Zoe?”

“Monkey bars!”

Mac could hear Zoe clapping her hands, despite the splint on her wrist, and her feet hitting the sidewalk. Images of her jumping up and down in excitement flashed into his brain. “No, no monkey bars. The slide and swing only, do you understand?” he asked patiently.

“No.  I like the monkey bars,” she squealed enthusiastically.  “The slide, too,” she informed him.

Beth laughed right after Mac sighed. 

“Forget it.  I’ll meet you two there.  I’m not in the mood for another trip to the emergency room.” He disconnected the call and never heard Beth and Zoe giggling.

***

Mac arrived a few minutes after they did.  Just in time to see Zoe walking up the wooden stairs of the slide, holding the railing with her good hand, with Beth standing at the bottom waiting to catch her.

“Dr. Mac,” Zoe yelled and took off on a run after Beth steadied her at the bottom of the slide. 

He swung up her in his arms, tossed her high once, and then settled her on his hip.

“Monkey bars,” Zoe demanded, pointing to them eagerly.

“No, no monkey bars.” He tapped a finger on her splint. “Remember, you fell and hurt your arm.  Those are for big kids. You are still too little for them,” he said, trying to explain.

She tilted her head to the side as if she was trying to comprehend his words, then she dropped her shoulders in defeat. “No monkey bars,” she said, sticking her bottom lip out.

Oh boy, talk about pulling on his heartstrings.  It was for her safety, though.  Geez, this was hard. He didn’t want to make her sad, so instead he tried to distract her. “How about I catch you at the bottom of the slide?”             

“How do you do it?” he asked Beth a few minutes later while they watched Zoe walk around a structure weaving in and out of the big yellow tunnels. “How do you say no to that face?”

She smiled, reached up and brushed a piece of dirt from his cheek that Zoe must have transferred. “You only fall for it a few times. Then it’s easier to say no.”

He caught her hand in his, held her stare, and leaned in to kiss her. Only to be brought up short by Zoe popping out the tunnel closest to them and yelling, “Peek a boo.”

They jumped apart, guilty.  Beth dipped her head in embarrassment, causing Mac to laugh and give her a one armed hug.

After a good thirty minutes of running around, Mac offered to take them to dinner, claiming it was too hot to cook and he was roasting in his pants and shirt since he had come straight from work. The only good thing about working after hours or on the weekend was he didn’t feel it was necessary to dress in a suit.

Zoe and Beth quickly walked home, with Mac following slowly behind. He felt ridiculous following behind them like a stalker and was going to get a car seat to leave in his car the next chance he got.

Once they were finally seated in a booth at a local chain restaurant, Beth appeared nervous. “I’ve never taken her out to eat before; what if she misbehaves?”

“I guess we’ll find out, won’t we?  Besides, we can handle her between the two of us. Zoe’s a good girl, aren’t you, Zoe?” he asked her.

“I’m a good girl. Magic box?” she asked in delight.

He saw Beth try to smother a grin, but she wasn’t succeeding, most likely wanting to see how he would get out of this, so instead he said, “Absolutely, anything you want. We can go pick out a new toy if you’re a good girl here.”

With her eyes wide, her jaw dropped, stating, “Mac, that’s bribery.  I don’t want her to think that every time she’s good, she gets a toy.  She needs to learn to be good on her own.”

“She will.  You can teach her that.” He smirked at her, then sent a wink to Zoe. “I’ll bribe her. That way I’ll be the good guy.”

She kicked him lightly under the table and chuckled when he winced.

***             

Hours later, Mac joined Beth on the couch in her apartment. “Well, I guess it was a successful night.”

After a quick stop for a new toy, they had enough time for Zoe to play in the tub before she started to rub her eyes and declare it bedtime.  Her pajamas were on, her teeth brushed, her hair combed, and she asked Mac to read her bedtime story, much to Beth’s dismay. 

Mac knew their bedtime ritual.  Brush Zoe’s teeth, comb her hair, add in a chat with her dolls and a quick bedtime story, sometimes two. Then Beth would tuck her in nice and snug, along with her dolls of course, and give them all a kiss goodnight. Tonight Zoe decided she would rather Mac put her to bed.

“What?” he asked her when he saw Beth’s crestfallen face. “Did I do something wrong?”

“No.”

“You sure? You look upset. Tell me if I did something wrong; otherwise I won’t know.” He was racking his brain, but for the life of him he didn’t know what he did.

“It’s nothing,” she said, shaking her head.  But he gently grasped her chin and forced her eyes to his.  Finally she conceded. “It’s just that’s the first time I didn’t tuck Zoe in, and she didn’t even seem to care,” she said, looking dejected, tears forming in her eyes.

Mac was elated and made the mistake of grinning over her confession. He probably shouldn’t have, because he was sure she really was upset, but part of him was thrilled over the fact that Zoe was so comfortable with him.  Now he had to work on Beth.  Especially with the scowl she was sending his way.

“Hey, it’s new to her.  After all, I bought her a new doll tonight.  She probably wanted me to tuck her in with it. Nothing more,” he added, hoping that would help.

The scowl vanished from her face. “It’s silly, I know. But it’s always been the two of us.”

“It doesn’t always have to be that way,” he hedged. Leaning in, he kissed her, not giving her a chance to respond to his statement. He didn’t want to hear what she might say.  Tentatively at first, she returned his kiss, then deeper yet when he glided his tongue into her mouth, tasting her. She shivered ever so slightly, so he pulled her closer.

Minutes later, she broke away, attempting to catch her breath. “Wow, you’re good at that.”

“Not sure what to say to that. I don’t think there’s a good answer, to be honest. So I’ll say thanks.”

She stood up and started to rub her hands up and down the tops her thighs, a sure sign of nervousness. “I should check on Zoe.”

He watched her walk out of the room in her baggy athletic shorts and a T-shirt. Zoe had gotten a little carried away during her bath and splashed water all over the bathroom, soaking Beth in the process. The end result was a change into clothes she normally wore while cleaning the house. 

Beth returned less than a minute later. “Out like a light,” she said, smiling now.  “I love watching as my baby girl sleeps. There is something so perfect about a sleeping child, like for that moment in time, all is right in the world.”

The smile disappeared after she seated herself on the couch next to Mac again, then she started looking around the room absentmindedly. “Want to watch TV?”

“No, I want to kiss you again,” he replied bluntly. He didn’t give her a chance to dispute. Instead leaning over, he placed his lips against hers.

Her hands resting on his shoulders was all he encouragement he needed to let his palm wander up her side, outside of her shirt, feeling her softness through the cotton.  When a soft purr escaped her lips, he moved his hand over her breast, her nipple pebbling under his touch.

He moved his hand back down to her waist, under her shirt and back up again needing to feel her skin.  Continuing to taste each other, their tongues dancing together, his hand slid further up, cupping her outside of her bra when she arched into the curve of his palm.  Turning his hand over, he ran his knuckles across her tightened skin, heard the deep pants in her throat while a fire raged through his own body.

At last, slipping inside her bra, he touched all of her, playing with her delicately aroused skin.  Her body jerked at the touch, causing him to still for a second, unsure of the reason. A moment later he continued on and touched her again, only this time her to body began to arch a little bit more, then quiver against him, coming alive.

Leaning over her, half-lying on top of her, his hand moved to the other breast giving it equal attention.  Again her body jerked and twitched, along with some low moans in her throat, the deepening of her breath, then a few sudden gasps. If he didn’t know better, he would think she was ready to come. Only that didn’t seem possible, he was barely touching her.

Except the deeper the kiss went, the more her labored breathing intensified, the more her body seemed to tense. Testing, he slid his other hand up her thigh, between her legs, and under the bottom of her shorts.  She gripped his shoulders tightly, her nails digging into his skin.

He leaned back slightly, looked at her face—lightly flushed—saw her eyes closed and her chest rising and falling with each gasp. She shivered again when he moved over her neck with his lips, running his tongue over to her collarbone, gently sucking, then easing off and moving near her ear.

The further his hand moved up her leg, the closer he came to the heat of her, the more tremors her body seemed to have.  With his lips by her ear, he whispered, “Relax,” running his finger outside of her panties, stunned by the heat and wetness soaking through.  “Just let go,” he said, applying enough pressure where he knew she craved it. 

That was all it took—she exploded under him, her hips rocketing off the couch, pushing further into his touch, the spasms taking over her body. He held her there until the last shudder left her body, placing soft kisses on her neck and cheek.

He was so aroused right now he thought he was going to burst and embarrass both of them. The only thing stopping him was the thought that he didn’t want their first time to be on her couch, not with Zoe sleeping in the other room.

Beth seemed to slowly become aware of what happened, almost immediately she groaned and buried her face in her hands. “Oh my God,” she said, a red hue creeping her up her neck and across her face. “I can’t believe I did that.  I didn’t know that was going to happen. I’m so sorry.”

He laughed. At least it relieved some of the tension he was feeling. “What are you apologizing for? I’m not sorry, that’s for sure.”

“I didn’t mean to do that. I can’t imagine what you must think of me,” she stated though her hands, trying to hide the heat flooding her face.

“I think it was pretty hot if you want to know the truth, tells me I turn you on. That’s the best compliment ever,” he explained.

She finally turned, pulled her hands away from her face, and looked at his big Cheshire grin. “Really?”

Shocked, he replied, “You have to ask that?”

“Well, yeah,” she said confused.

“Honestly, Beth,” he said, taking her hand in his, attempting to tease her. “I’m glad, and with any luck you’ll relax around me a bit more. It seems to me maybe it’s been a while since you’ve had an orgasm.” At least he hoped, maybe he didn’t want to know.

“Yeah, something like that,” she mumbled, looking away, obviously embarrassed again.

He took her chin in his hand and turned her eyes toward his. “Now what?  You can tell me anything,” he said softly.

“Nothing.” She tried looking away from him, but he wouldn’t be deterred, and only tightened the grip on her chin. Not enough that she couldn’t move her head, but enough to get his point across.

“How long has it been? Why are you so embarrassed?” He was truly curious now.

She blushed, but didn’t answer.

No, it couldn’t be what he thought, what popped into his mind. He had heard of women before who couldn’t or never had orgasms. It hadn’t been the case with any woman he’d ever been with. “Are you telling me this is the first orgasm you’ve ever had?” he asked, trying to hide any disbelief. He didn’t want her to be any more embarrassed than she was.