Daryl didn't dare step foot into the bedroom. He remained standing in the bathroom doorway and watched the spectacle, which was currently unfolding on the bed, from a safe distance. He was amused by what he was witnessing. Teddy was so cute when she was angry and frustrated, But not only was she cute, she also had the potential to turn downright dangerous, if he would walk into that room with a smirk on his face right now. That's why he stayed out of her immediate reach.
Teddy was on her back on the bed, squirming, grunting and kicking her legs. "Come on... Come on, you stupid son of a bitch!" She cursed and grit her teeth as she pulled on the clothes hanger with all her might... The clothes hanger, which was currently hooked into the zipper of her jeans and which was supposed to help her get her too tight pants zipped and buttoned up. Her face was flushed and her knuckles turned white as she held her breath and sucked her stomach in as best as she could. She tried to suck it in a little bit more when she felt the zipper moving, but a second later she had to realize, that it had only moved, because the little zipper thingy had broken off.
"Aaaaaaaaaahhhhhhh" Teddy yelled in frustration as she flung the clothes hanger across the room. Her fly burst open all the way again, having Teddy flop back down on the bed and release the most frustrated-sounding noise Daryl had ever heard. He had to bite his tongue, because he actually felt like laughing. Not at her directly, but at the whole situation. She's so fucking cute... He wanted to take a picture of her laying on the bed, sweating and panting, her pants open with her gut spilling out of the open fly and the muffin top at the waistband, and her breasts slightly spilling out of the too small cups of her bra. It was amazing to him how different this pregnancy was. She wasn't even three months along and she had started showing and gaining quite some weight already. They had looked at pictures from her first pregnancy with Milo, and right now, at just ten weeks pregnant, Teddy looked exactly as she had when she had been four months along with her first child. There was no way they would be able to wait until she was through her first trimester until they told people. So far they had avoided their family, but they wouldn't be able to do that much longer. One look at her and they would know what's going on. Even Kenzie seemed to be looking at her mother weird from time to time. "Well, it's official..." Teddy's grumpy voice tore Daryl out of his thoughts. "Better order a couple of oversized tents at Mountain Outfitters, because that'll be all I'll be able to wear in a couple of weeks. I'm gonna be huge. Like two goddamn beached whales put together."
"Nah... don't be dramatic, darlin'. It's gonna be fine." Daryl finally took a step into the bedroom, feeling safe that he would be able to keep from laughing now. "Come on, off with these... broken now anyway." he tugged her jeans back down her legs, leaving her in her black cotton panties.
"They were my favorites."
"You'll get new ones next year." Daryl said as he tossed the pants behind him. He kept his voice quiet and calm, hoping that it would help her calm down again. "Just stay in today, go online and buy yourself some maternity stuff. I'm sure you can find a store that overnights that shit."
"Probably." Teddy muttered with a sigh.
"What you wearin' this for anyway?" he pointed towards her bra. "Thought it hurt ya?"
"It does. Just thought it would be better for when clients come in later."
"Just wear a hoodie or somethin', hm?" Daryl sat down on the edge of the bed and gently maneuvered Teddy to straddle his lap. When she was hugging his hips between her knees, Daryl reached around her and unclasped her bra.
"I wish I wouldn't have to wear anything at all. These puppies are killing me." Teddy joyfully sighed in relief when Daryl took her bra off. The sigh turned into a sharp hiss as his hands carefully cupped the swollen globes.
"That bad?" a concerned frown settled on his features as his thumbs slowly caressed the warm, soft skin right next to her areolas.
"Mhm... but what you're doing right now actually feels nice." Teddy was sighing again as her eyes closed.
"Hm..." Daryl grunted thoughtfully, then, a little smile found its way to his lips. "Maybe we just gotta find a way to make the pain good for ya."
"Hard to do when you're at work."
"Maybe connecting the pain to a good memory will be enough." he gently kept caressing her and enjoyed watching her nipples pucker and tighten. With a mix of lust and admiration, he softly stroked her breasts for a moment. Teddy was almost purring as she enjoyed his careful ministration with closed eyes. "Goddamn beautiful." he rasped as he bowed his head and ever so lightly closed his lips around her nipple. He sucked, not hard, but with her being so sensitive, it was enough to draw the sexiest reaction from her.
"Ahh..." the noise was a mix between a moan and a sob, as her body jerked reflexively. She grasped his head in both hands and pulled him closer, which told Daryl that she didn't want him to stop. Teddy's head fell back while she enjoyed what he was doing. She thought that Daryl had the softest and gentlest mouth she had ever felt on her skin. He could be achingly sweet and tender with her one time and then hard and rough another time, but no matter what he did, he always did it with love and it always felt incredibly. Just like now. It was like he was able to sense exactly what she needed. His tongue brushed her aching nipple ever so softly, turning the pain into sweet, sweet pleasure, with just the right sharp edge to it.
Daryl switched sides and when he suckled at her other nipple with that wonderful mouth of his, Teddy enjoyed the quick stab of pain, because it caused her pussy to clench as the sharp, lust-filled tingles of her arousal spread throughout her lower regions. Her husband must have sensed her need, or maybe she had moved against him, she wasn't sure, but as soon as she felt the desire for friction, Daryl slid his hands on her firm butt and pulled her against the remarkable bulge in his boxer briefs. Before they made contact, he quickly pulled the crotch of her panties to the side, knowing it would give her more sensation.
"Oh fffuckkk..." Teddy breathed when her heated flesh made contact with the familiar hardness that was hiding in his underwear. Daryl smirked and slowly rotated his hips a little, effectively pushing his dick between her soft folds. Teddy gasped and shuddered when her clit rubbed directly against the soft fabric of his briefs. She was suddenly so aroused that she knew she wouldn't need too much more of this, in order to cum. The prickly pain of his sucking was melting beautifully into the pleasure of his dick rubbing against her pussy. It made her clit pulsate in earnest and it made her release a beautiful, tortured whimper, that went straight to Daryl's groin.
"Come on, darlin'... I know you're close... Lemme feel you cum, baby." he groaned before his tongue went back to playing with her stiff peaks.
"Daryl..." Teddy moaned and held on to his sexy, broad shoulders. She wanted to feel them tremble when he came.
"I got ya, Teddy. Mmmmm, like that, darlin', so fucking good." Teddy was moving faster, rubbing up and down against his length, making high-pitched little noises when her swollen clit rubbed directly against him.
"Oh Daryl, please... please, please, please... I need to... oh fuck, please..." Teddy begged as her hips moved in a desperate rhythm. Her hands slid down to his chest, pinching both his nipples between thumb and forefinger.
Daryl inhaled sharply and grabbed her butt with both hands again, pulling her down on his lap with all his might. "Again." he groaned. "Do that again, Teddy."
Teddy pinched his hard nipples again, tugging them a little, too, making Daryl pull at her harder and harder, giving her just what she needed.
"Oh God... oh God... I'm cumming..." her moans got louder and longer, just like Daryl's grunts got more intense and more frequent. They were interspersed with groans and gasps as Teddy drove his lust higher and higher with every movement of her hips. "Oh... oh... oh baby... yes... I'm... oh God..." Teddy was teetering on the edge. She was pulling on his hair with one hand and holding on to his shoulder with her other one, while her neck and back were arched so much that her hair was brushing his thighs. "More... please, baby, please." she moaned desperately. Daryl obeyed and gave her right nipple a nice, firm suck. Teddy's ecstatic, involuntary yell set him off, too, and together they shared the sweet release they had brought each other. They held each other close as their hips twitched in unison and Daryl's underwear got soaked by the evidence of his pleasure. Some of it seeped through the cotton fibers, letting Teddy feel his wetness mingling with her own. "Jesus Christ." she giggled happily, but still out of breath. "Not bad for a quickie."
"I'll say." Daryl grinned with that completely satiated and relaxed expression on his face, that only a good orgasm was able to cause. He put his hand on the back of her neck and pulled her in for a breathless, long kiss. "Feel better, darlin'?"
"Hell yeah... I mean, they still hurt, but you were right... Now I got a veeerry good memory to associate with that pain."
"Happy to help." he smirked and shared another kiss with her.
"I'm afraid waffles for breakfast is no longer an option, though." she told him with her eyes on the alarm clock.
"Don't care. This was way better than waffles anyway. Toast will do." Daryl sighed contentedly. "Shit..." he suddenly laughed quietly and shook his head.
"What?"
"Really wanna eat ya out, right now." Daryl admitted. He was craving her rich taste on his tongue. Thinking about it made his mouth water, but they were out of time. "...but ya better go wake up Turtle. I gotta take another shower."
"Guess I can still wear my bathrobe." Teddy was sighing, too, but more in defeat than out of happiness, because she had to face her clothes dilemma again.
"Yeah, for now. Just stay in sweats. Yer clients won't mind... if ya tell them, I mean. You know we can't wait no more, right?"
"I'm afraid so, yeah."
"Let's tell Turtle later, when I'm home from work, alright? Then we'll call the rest of the bunch after dinner."
"Good idea."
"Perfect. Let's get a move on, then." he smiled and gave her another loving kiss before he gently guided her off his lap. Teddy grabbed her robe and Daryl went back into the bathroom for a quick shower, while his wife got their daughter out of bed.
Teddy was not a sissy. She'd had two kids without an epidural, she knew pain and was able to tolerate a lot of it, but nausea was a whole other story. With pain you were able to scream and let it out a little bit, get a small sense of relief for a second or two, but with nausea, there was only silent, never-ending suffering. She wasn't sure what was worse, the nausea plus the throwing up from her last two pregnancies, or this sudden, heavy onset of it, where it lasted for a couple of hours, but without throwing up.
She thought about it while she was curled up on the couch and tried to focus on her daughter who was playing nurse to her and a couple of her dolls. She found that maybe she preferred the nausea that ended in throwing up, because that way it felt like there had been a purpose for feeling like shit. Without puking it kind of felt like she had been sick in vain all afternoon. Teddy hadn't wanted to show this kind of weakness in front of her daughter, so she had turned it into a game of playing pretend. At this young age she didn't want Kenzie to think that having a baby was something scary that made you sick, so she had tried to stay upright and get dinner started, but about an hour ago, she had been unable to do anything but collapse on the couch and pray for the nausea-ending release of death.
"More tea, Momma?"
"Oh God, I'd kill for some tea." Teddy groaned miserably. She took a deep breath and forced a smile for her daughter. "Yes, sweetie. I'd love some ginger tea with honey."
"Okaaay!" Kenzie smiled and pretended to use her play kitchen to boil some water. "We have to take your temperature now."
"Again? It's only been five minutes."
"But I wanna check it again."
"Fine, baby." Teddy dutifully opened her mouth an let Kenzie stick the plastic toy thermometer into her mouth.
Kenzie waited two heartbeats long, then she grabbed the thermometer again. "Beep, beep, beep. Oh, Mommy, you have a hiiiiiiigh fever. You need medicine. One shot and you feel good again."
"That would be awesome." Teddy smiled tiredly and watched Kenzie fumble with her plastic syringe and a small bottle. She could tell that Kenzie was picking up on the fact that Teddy wasn't just pretending this time. Kids had kind of a built-in sensor for their parents' moods, and Teddy was able to feel some genuine care behind Kenzie's play, which usually wasn't there when they played a round of Dr. Kenzie.
"Okay, this goes in your arm." Kenzie was finally done filling the syringe with imaginary medicine. Teddy pushed up the sleeve of Daryl's hoodie she was wearing and let her daughter do her thing. Teddy smirked proudly when Kenzie used a tissue to wipe the injection site first, like she was disinfecting the area. Kenzie was never able to believe that her momma and grandpa had been doctors, but she always paid attention to what Teddy was showing her and used it during playtime. "Feel better, Mommy." Kenzie gently petted Teddy's head and pressed a kiss against her forehead, making Teddy feel so much better with that single gesture. Getting some love from one's children was so much better than any medicine in the world. But not just from children. Pets were awesome, too. Snoopy was curled up against Teddy's belly, giving her some comfort as well. Thankfully their cat had survived the heartbreak of losing his companion. It had taken a bit, but he was fine again and Teddy and Daryl were thanking the heavens for that.
"What's this?" Daryl's voice startled the two girls. He had entered the house through Teddy's downstairs offices, so they hadn't heard him come in. "Playin' doctor again? Do I have an appointment, too?"
Kenzie rushed towards her daddy, as she did every night, but Teddy remained laying down for once. Daryl picked his daughter up and got his kiss, but his eyes quickly strayed back to Teddy's pale form. "I just gave Mommy medicine. She will be all good soon."
"That so? Good job, Turtle." Daryl kissed Kenzie's temple, then he walked over to the couch with her. He perched on the edge of it, careful not to sit on Snoopy, and gently smoothed some hair out of Teddy's face, letting his thumb linger and stroke along her cheek while he leaned in and kissed her lovingly. "Hey." he pulled back and studied her with concern.
"Hey."
"Not doing so good?"
Teddy simply shook her head. Tears were glistening in her eyes. Seeing Daryl made her emotional. It was like her body responded to him being home. He was here, so now she could be done being strong and fall apart. Unfortunately, she wasn't able to fully do that yet, because Kenzie would still be up a couple of hours. Teddy would not let herself be a hormonal wreck in front of her. "I'm sorry, I wasn't able to make dinner. I tried, but-"
"Shhh, it's alright. I know. Don't worry about it. I'm gonna order pizza. Might be better anyway, in case we need ta bribe her, ya know?" he smirked, trying to lift Teddy's mood.
"Pizza?!" Kenzie perked up when she heard that word, making her parents chuckle.
"Yeah, that sound good, Turtle?"
"Yesssssss!" she clapped excitedly. "I'll make a garlic knots." she smiled and went to busy herself with her play kitchen.
Teddy sighed quietly. "I'm nervous... how are we going to tell her? Think she'll be okay?"
"It's gonna be fine. She always envies Johnny for havin' the little ones around. She's gon' be happy."
"Let's hope so." Teddy took a deep breath as another wave of nausea hit her. "Is it alright if I take a short break in the bedroom? I'm sick like a dog right now."
"Ya look it, too. Go ahead. I'll get ya when the food's here." Daryl helped her sit up before he enveloped her in a hug. "Thanks for going through it again." he whispered into her ear. "Wish I could take it all away."
"You are. In your own way, you're helping. Thank you." Teddy smiled and kissed him, then she slowly got up and made her way into the bedroom with Snoopy in tow.
Daryl smiled as he watched her go. He loved when she wore his clothes. He had never felt overly big and strong growing up, so seeing his hoodie nearly swallowing her up made him feel more masculine. Prolly stupid, but that's how it is, he thought to himself as he grabbed the phone to order the pizza. After that he played a little with Kenzie before they put her toys away for the day. Not too long after they were done, the three of them were gathered around the dining table.
Teddy and Daryl exchanged nervous glances, while Kenzie was gloriously oblivious to them as she enjoyed her slice of pizza. Eventually, Daryl cleared his throat.
"Hey Turtle... ya ever think about wanting a brother or sister?" he asked, as Teddy held her breath.
"I have a brother, Daddy."
"Yeah, that's right... but he don't live with us. Ya ever think about what it'd be like if ya had another brother or sister? Like, a baby? And you'd be the older sister?"
Kenzie perked up with excitement in her voice. "Like Johnny is an older brother?"
"Exactly. You think you might want that sometime?"
Kenzie nodded frantically. "Yes! Johnny always has someone to play with! Always. They cried a lot, but not no more, now they are fun and laugh a lot. I helped Auntie Maggie feed them and they got broccoli all over them. It was so funny! It's like dolls, but real."
Daryl smiled and reached for Teddy's hand under the table. "That's good ta know, Turtle. Wanna know why?"
"Why?"
"'Cause Momma's got a baby in her belly." he grinned and squeezed Teddy's hand as they watched Kenzie's eyes widen.
"Right now?" she asked in breathless excitement.
"Yeah, right now, baby." Teddy laughed.
"Can I see?"
"Of course. Come here." Teddy scooted back with her chair and got up. Kenzie eagerly slid off her own chair and skipped over to her mother, who was lifting up the hem of Daryl's hoodie to reveal her rounded belly.
Daryl had the biggest grin on his face when Kenzie put her warm, chubby hands on Teddy's bump. The little girl then made their parents jump in shock. Seeing and feeling the little bump made her realize that this was really happening, and she started squealing and laughing loudly as her happiness overwhelmed her. She jumped up and down like a little jackhammer and hugged Teddy's legs as she kept squealing happily.
"Oh God..." Teddy laughed as she wiped tears from her eyes. She really hadn't expected Kenzie to be this happy about the news. Daryl got up and kissed Teddy's cheek as he walked around his two girls to go get something.
"My little brother is in there? Can he hear me?"
"Well, honey, we don't know if it's a brother or a sister, yet. It could be a little sister, you know?" Teddy told her carefully.
"Can it be both? Johnny got two little brothers!"
"I know, but it looks like it's just one baby in here, sweetheart." Teddy stroked her hand over Kenzie's dark head of hair as her little girl was resting her tiny chin against the baby bump and looked up at her mother with her Daddy's pretty blue eyes.
"Wanna see a picture of the baby, Turtle?" Daryl was back, holding the frame containing the pic from the first sonogram.
The question brought on another round of excited squealing and jumping. "Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes!"
Kenzie's joy had Daryl laughing happily as well. "You excited, Turtle?"
"Yeeeeeeesss! Please gimme the picture, Daddy!" Kenzie impatiently held out her hands. Daryl put the picture frame in her small palms, chuckling in unison with his wife at Kenzie's continued excited gasps.
"See that little thing here? That looks like a bean?" Daryl asked while pointing at the tiny embryo.
"Mhm."
"That's your little brother or sister."
"It's so small." Kenzie whispered in amazement.
"Yeah." Daryl grinned. "You used to be that small. Ya looked like a little turtle... Look how big ya are now."
"That's why I'm your turtle." Kenzie grinned, and Daryl couldn't help but kneel next to her and press a big kiss against her cheek.
"That's right. That's why this baby's gon' be our little bean." Daryl smirked in Teddy's direction, loving the eye-roll he got from her in response.
"He or she will not be called 'bean'. Nope, no. Not this one." Teddy protested, making her family laugh.
"We'll see." Daryl chuckled.
"When is the baby coming? For Christmas?"
"No." Teddy sighed happily when Kenzie came back to her and cuddled her momma, keeping one hand on her belly. "It's gonna be here next year in late spring... or very early summer. It's supposed to be born in June, two months before your birthday."
"That sounds loooong." Kenzie pouted.
"You're tellin' me..." Daryl agreed and sat on the chair next to Teddy's, stroking his daughter's hair.
"The upside is that now you can tell everyone." she was primarily talking to Kenzie, but she was also addressing Daryl, knowing how much he was looking forward to being able to tell people.
"What do you think, Turtle? Wanna call Grandma and Uncle Merle and Uncle Billy to tell 'em your big news?" Daryl would have loved to tell Merle himself, but he thought it would be even more exciting for Kenzie to be allowed to do it.
"Can I? Right now?"
"Sure. Get the phone, baby girl." Daryl helped her down from Teddy's lap, using the opportunity to kiss his wife soulfully while the little girl was getting the phone from the coffee table. "Went better than I thought it would."
"I'm absolutely gobsmacked by how excited she is." Teddy admitted. "I know she loves Milo and would love to have him here, but I never thought she really, really wanted a sibling."
"Told ya she always envied Johnny for it. And she did ask for one when the twins were born, remember."
Teddy looked at him in surprise. "Oh that's right. I forgot about that. We told her it wouldn't happen and she never asked again."
"Looks like we made her day." Daryl smirked when Kenzie came running back, already having dialed the number of her Uncle Merle. "Let's put him on speaker." Daryl quickly told her, and Kenzie pressed the button just in time for Merle to pick up.
"What?" he barked into the phone in his usual gruff manner.
"Uncle Merle, it's meeeee!"
"Hey, sweet pea. Whassup?"
"I have news!"
"News, huh? Alright, let's hear it."
"I'm gonna be a big sister!"
Silence.
Teddy and Daryl pressed their lips together, half in anticipation, half in trying not to laugh.
"Y'all getting a new mutt already?" Merle knew that Teddy and Daryl didn't want another kid, so he thought they might have picked out a new dog.
"No, Uncle Merle. Mommy has a baby in her belly. It looks like a bean. It's coming in June, two months before my birthday." she breathlessly repeated her parents' words from earlier.
More silence.
"Wait, what? This is for real? Y'all are havin' another kid?" he sounded utterly flabbergasted, which had Daryl unable to keep in his amused laugh any longer.
"It's true, Merle. Teddy's ten weeks along. Wanted to wait a bit longer before we told anyone, but she's started showin' already. Can't hide it from you guys no more."
"Ha, well, I'll be damned... Congrats y'all. Didn't think I'd see the day."
"Neither did we, really." Teddy smiled. "Until a couple of months ago."
"No accident this time?"
"No, this one we tried hard for." Daryl smirked.
"Yeah, yeah, more than I need ta know. Hey, little princess. Ya happy yer getting to be a big sister?"
"Yessssss, I can't wait. It's so long until then. I'm gonna help Momma feed it and change it's diaper, like I do with my dolls."
"Did ya know that I did that with your Daddy?"
"You changed Daddy's diapers?" Kenzie's eyes got as wide as saucers.
"Hell yeah, I did. And the little bastard took his sweet time growin' outta them. Four years I had ta wipe his stinky ass."
Daryl blushed as Kenzie's stunned eyes turned towards him. "You wore diapers when you were four, Daddy?"
"So what? I was a late bloomer." Daryl grumpily defended himself.
"And boys always take a bit longer than girls, sweetie." Teddy smiled. "Remember how Johnny wore them longer than you, too?"
"Yes, and he is older than me."
"That's right. Everybody has their own pace."
"Gotta say, kinda nice to have another little one around soon." Merle took on a more serious tone. "Little shits are growin' up way too fast."
"Swear jar." Kenzie threw in, making her uncle groan.
"Yeah, yeah... I'll get ya that dollar next time I see ya. When's that gon' be anyway? Ya ain't been comin' around to see your old Uncle Merle much lately. And we gotta celebrate your big news."
"I don't know. I'm with Grandma on the weekend."
"How 'bout I pick ya up in Jasper Sunday afternoon and we go to the zoo and for some ice cream, huh?"
"Yaaaaay! Can I? Please?" She looked at her parents with pleading eyes.
Daryl nodded. "Yeah sure. Sounds good. Thanks, man."
"Anytime. Hey, uhm... been wanting to talk to ya. Got a minute?" Merle sounded unsure of himself, which certainly piqued Daryl's interest.
"Sure. Hey, Turtle... say 'bye' to your Uncle. Gotta talk to him alone for a moment and then you can call your grandma."
"Okay. Bye, Uncle Merle."
"Bye, kiddo. See ya on Sunday." Kenzie handed the phone over to Daryl, who walked out on the sundeck while Teddy convinced their daughter to have some more dinner before they would make the next call.
"Alright, I'm outside. What's up?" Daryl was beyond curious about Merle's reason for wanting to talk to him. For a second fear flashed up inside of him. Merle wasn't getting any younger, he was in his fifties now, what if he was sick or something? Thankfully Daryl didn't have to be anxious for long.
"Kinda... umm... could use some help, I guess."
"With what?"
"I... I'm seein' someone... kinda..."
"Seein' someone? Like a shrink?" Daryl smirked as he used the exact same words Merle had used back in the day, when Daryl had told him about Teddy for the first time.
"Ya know damn well that I don't mean no shrink."
Actually, now that all humor was pushed aside, Daryl was surprised when he realized that Merle was for real. "Hold on, ya mean ya met a woman? Like, yer dating?"
"Shit, I dunno, man." Merle would never admit it, but he was mortified by this conversation. "She's a nice lady... wouldn't mind seein' more of her, ya know?"
"Where ya meet her?" Daryl frowned. As far as he knew, Merle spent most of his time on the farm instead of going into town and socializing.
"She's takin' over as a vet for the farmer... The old man's retiring, remember? She's gonna work with lil' Bethy."
"That Carol woman?" Daryl remembered Billy talking about it, but so far he hadn't met her.
"Yeah, that's her... Ain't really sure what to do now."
"She interested in you doin' anything?"
"I think so... had a moment, I guess..." Merle felt like the biggest pussy on Earth by admitting that, which was why he cleared his throat uncomfortably. "Had a couple of talks... some coffee out by the pasture..."
Daryl was stunned, but he was still smirking silently. This was a huge surprise, but it was also a lot of fun to listen to Merle squirm for probably the first time in his life. "So what you need my help with?"
"Just... dunno... like... how'd ya do things with Teddy? How'd ya get her to be with ya?"
"That just happened. Took her to a party in the woods, made her mine and pretty much moved in, all on the same day. More or less..." he added when he remembered that they did have some up and downs in between, before it was really official. "Never took her on dates or shit like that. Only that once."
"Hm." Merle grunted, unhappy that he still had no clue on how to proceed. Carol seemed too classy for a quick screw in the woods. In the future, maybe, but not to start things out between them. She had fire in her pretty pale blue eyes... he was sure she'd bust his balls if he would try anything on the first date. Surprisingly, he found himself liking that.
"Look, I ain't no expert, but one thing seems to be true every time."
"What's that?"
"Don't play games or nothin'. If ya wanna take her out to eat or somethin', just ask her."
"You didn't ask Teddy, if I remember correctly, little brother."
"True, but I would have, if the opportunity hadn't presented itself like it did back then. Just go with your gut, but don't put on an act. That's really all I can say. If she's anything like Teddy, she's gon' want ya to talk to her, be honest and everything. You gotta talk about shit, even if it sucks. Sometimes I still ain't used to it, even after five years with her. But sometimes ya gotta do it."
"Yeah, right." Merle sighed. The thought of asking Carol out was making his knees turn to jello. Asking a woman for a quickie behind the bar? No problem. But professing genuine interest in someone he liked? That was fucking terrifying to him. But if his shy and quiet baby brother had been able to do it, then he should be able to do it, too.
"Sorry that I ain't got more for you, but Teddy and I... it just clicked, ya know?"
"Yeah, I get it. Thanks anyway."
"What you gonna do?"
"I'll figure it out. I'll let ya get back to spreading the good news. Congrats, Daryl. I'm real happy for y'all. You're a good daddy."
"Thanks." Daryl swallowed hard. "Hope we won't fuck this one up, too."
"Nonsense. Y'all didn't fuck nothin' up. She's a good girl, y'all just gotta let her uncles do all the spoilin'. Y'all be fine."
"Yeah, we're working on it."
"Alright, see ya Sunday." Merle told him.
"Right. Bye." Daryl said before he hung up. He huffed out a quiet laugh while he looked down at the phone in his hand. Merle had a crush on a woman. Now he had truly seen everything.
Thank you for reading!
Let me know what you think. I know some of you have been rooting for Merle to find someone, too. Surprised that Kenzie was so happy about being a big sister? Anyone able to relate to Teddy when she realized that her favorite jeans would no longer zip? ;-p (haha, I'm sure some of us have been there before. I know I certainly have.)
Special thanks to the lovely reviewers:
DarylDixon'sLover
angelicedg
krissyg49
An Amber Pen
EastDenise
wabi-sabi1090
I'm a Nerd and Proud
Harley
