Chapter Eleven: Wild Love
Inspired by: Wild Love - James Bay
It was his eighth day without seeing Michonne and people were starting to notice. When he walked into the diner to grab some breakfast before work, Carol had made a point of asking him if he was ok. Even Shane wasn't talking as much shit as as he usually did and kept asking him if something was wrong. It made I'm wonder if he had a sign over his head that read, "Day 8 Without Michonne". He assured everyone that everything was fine but he couldn't deny the unease that had been creeping up on him ever since he got off the phone with Michonne the night before.
Her mother was sick and the pain in her voice as she told him was so audible that he not only heard it, but he felt it too. For a brief moment, it had dragged him back into a similar moment with his father, but he refused to let it stop him from being positive and supportive for Michonne. It was a different situation, and he didn't want his experience to taint her ability to stay hopeful.
Still, if she wasn't ok, he wasn't either and all he wanted to do was be there for her. Unfortunately, he was in Georgia and she was in Florida so pulling her into his arms and keeping her there until she was better hadn't been an option. Regardless, there was no way he was going to be able to go another four days without seeing her knowing what she was going through.
That's what brought him to be sitting on the steps outside her home at 11:45 at night, waiting for her to get back from the airport. He'd walked right out of the station, climbed into his truck and made his way to Atlanta as quickly as he could without getting a ticket. He wanted to see her so badly, but his bigger motivation for driving to Atlanta was his need to be there for the woman who had made him not only believe in love again but give himself over to it so completely.
She should've already been there when he finally made it to her townhouse but no one answered the door when he knocked. After a quick check on his phone, he saw her flight had been slightly delayed so he sat down on the top step with his elbows on his knees and waited for her.
He scrambled to his feet the minute he saw headlights illuminating the dark street; his heart pounding as the Uber pulled to a stop in front of the house. The need to see her and to verify for himself if she was really ok, overwhelmed him.
After a few minutes, she emerged from the darkness in a pair of jeans and a tank top, dragging her suitcase behind her. She was walking slowly, her shoulders slumped and her gaze focused on the ground.
For a split second, he thought her hair was just pulled back away from her face, but as she moved closer, he was stunned to realize that that her locs were gone. The sides of her head were nearly shaved and the top had been cut down to low curls. His heart dropped; not because her hair was suddenly short, she would always be the most gorgeous woman he'd ever seen. He was saddened because he already knew the reason why she'd done it and how devastatingly hard that must've been for her and for her mother.
She was slowly making her way toward the house; stress furrowing her brow and her attention on the ground. He realized she hadn't noticed his truck parked in the space next to hers, and worried about scaring her, he decided to let her know he was there.
"Michonne?" He called.
She froze and lifted her gaze to meet him. Her dark eyes were wide and glassy and her perfect lips formed a surprised "o". Only then did he step off the porch and move toward her; his heart breaking as he read the evidence of exhaustion and worry on her face. Seeing her light dimmed so completely was distressing enough but the disappointing fact that there was nothing he could do about it made him feel even worse.
"You're…here…," she whispered.
"I drove straight here after my shift," he said, and that was all it took for the strong facade he was sure she'd worn ever since her world was shaken off its axis, to come crumbling down. A few tears ran down her cheeks and her shoulders dropped, prompting him to do the one thing he wanted to do from the minute he saw her get out of that car.
"Baby…come here," he breathed, wrapping his arms around her as her body shook with sobs.
She hugged him back and he held her as tight as he could against him as her tears soaked through his shirt. His instincts had been right; she was most certainly not ok and until she was, he wouldn't be either.
XXX
They'd talked most of the night; well…she'd done most of the talking and he just listened as she emptied her soul of everything she'd held in since she was made aware of her mother's diagnosis. All of her fears came pouring out of her in a flood of tears and all he could do was whisper soft reassurances and hold her until her exhaustion overtook her. Her soft breathing alerted him to the fact that she'd fallen asleep and instead of trying to extract himself from her arms, he'd curled up with her and let sleep claim him too.
Now it was morning, and they were sprawled on top of the covers of her bed still in their clothes from the night before. Soft light filtered in through the window, telling him it was just past dawn. She stirred against him and he held her tighter, hoping he could just enjoy this time with her in their little haven before they had to go back into the real world.
"G'morning," she mumbled, "What time is it?"
He glanced at his watch through bleary eyes. "It's too early to even think about getting out of this bed o'clock," his said, his voice thick with sleep.
"I know but I have to go to work today and so do you," she sighed, curling her body around him even more in direct opposition to what she'd just said.
He smiled to himself and kissed the top of her head. "Yeah…I know. I was just trying to delay the inevitable. How are you feeling?"
She squeezed him even tighter and released a deep breath against his chest. "Better. I'm still worried...but my mom is the strongest person I know. She's going to beat this," she said, her voice holding more hope than he'd heard in it all night long.
"Yeah, she is," he agreed, vowing to himself that he would be there for her every step of the way.
"Thank you for coming last night. You didn't have to do that but I'm really glad you did," she said; snuggling in even closer to him and he wasn't about to remind her that they were supposed to be getting up.
He lightly dragged his fingertips across her shoulder blade and down her arm. "I knew you were trying to be strong for your family and I know what happens when you don't have to be anymore," he replied.
She whispered, "Your dad…"
Upsetting her was not his intention so he simply continued, "I was trying so hard to be strong for everyone and when everything finally did hit me...it knocked me on my ass. I didn't want you to have to deal with that on your own."
She lovingly rubbed her fingers across his cheek. "You being here means so much to me," she said.
He smiled and rested his cheek against the top of her head. "You mean so much to me," he mused. They were both quiet for a long moment before he squeezed her a little tighter and sighed, "I do need you to promise me something though…"
She sat up and focused her full attention on him. "Anything," she said.
He sat up too and pulled her hands into his. "When we talked last night, you were trying so hard to stay strong. I just want you to know that you don't have to be strong with me," he said, "So promise me that if you're ever struggling with everything, or just having a bad day, you'll talk to me about it."
A few tears escaped down her cheeks making him realize that he'd sell his soul to make sure she never shed any more unhappy tears. He settled for being able to carefully wipe them away and afterwards, he cradled her face in his hands and waited for her answer.
After a few more sniffles, she managed a weak smile.
"Ok," she agreed.
"Ok," he echoed, and leaned forward to seal their pact with a gentle kiss.
She covered his hands with hers and pulled them back into her lap.
"I need to talk about something else for a little while," she pleaded, "Will you tell me about your week?"
He shrugged, "That's a boring conversation. I worked a lot, I missed the hell out of you...I did run into Daryl at the diner one night. We sat next to each other at the counter and shared silence over dinner."
She shook her head and narrowed her eyes like she was looking right through him. "I don't believe that. You talked about something," she accused.
He rolled his eyes and groaned, "Fine, we talked about cars. It was actually kinda fun talking to someone other than Shane about something other than women."
"I knew it! You two are going to be best friends soon," she teased.
"We'll see...other than that…I spent some time with mama. She's all excited about Jeff coming home," he sighed before continuing, "I love my brother...I do...but he only calls us when he wants something so if he's coming all the way home, he must want something pretty big." He wasn't looking forward to learning about what was pushing Jeff home. He just hoped whatever it was didn't end up hurting their mama's feelings because that was another thing Jeff was real good at doing.
"He might surprise you," she suggested, and even though he seriously doubted it, he nodded along.
"I hope he does. We'll find out in a few weeks," he conceded.
She smiled and asked, "How's Carl?"
There was a subject he was always happy to talk about. "He's counting down the days till he gets to come with me for the summer," he smiled remembering how excited Carl had been the last time he talked to him. Every time I tell him about something we're gonna do, he asks me if you're gonna be there too. I'm starting to think he likes you more than me," he accused.
She laughed for a good twenty seconds before saying, "Nah, I'm just the new thing right now. You'll always be his favorite."
He had a feeling she'd always be Carl's favorite but he decided to just appease her, "If you say so…"
"I do," she grinned and she looked so adorable that he had to lightly kiss her again.
"You know," he began, "what we really need to talk about is your very sexy new haircut."
Almost by reflex, she reached up to touch her head and her eyes widened when she didn't feel her locs. "Oh my god, I completely forgot! Mom was cutting hers to prepare for her treatments, I wanted to support her," she explained.
He nodded, "I figured that, but damn…it suits you. It makes that gorgeous face of yours stand out even more."
She grinned over at him, "You like it?"
He pulled his lip between his teeth, "I love it," he declared, "Maybe I should cut mine too…"
She poked out her bottom lip but there was a teasing sparkle in her eyes. "Maybe…but you should know that I really, really love your curls…"
He couldn't help but laugh at her unspoken demand. "Message received loud and clear."
She fell into a fit of giggles. "Good," she said, "Did I tell you how much I missed you, Sergeant?"
He pretended to think about his answer for moment, "No. I can't say that you did, counselor," he flirted.
"How about I show you," she whispered, crawling over to him and pressing her satiny lips against his. He immediately parted his lips and deepened the kiss; it had been a week and a half since he'd last tasted her like that and she immediately made his head spin. His hands drifted up to cup her face again, holding her closer as his tongue worked past her lips and into the warm cavern of her mouth.
Neither of them made it to work on time.
XXX
One Month Later
"Richard Grimes! You get outta my kitchen right now!" Loretta screeched. Michonne looked up from the potato salad she was putting the finishing touches on to find Loretta swatting at Rick for stealing one of her deviled eggs.
"They're too good to resist, mama," he argued, grinning back at his mother with a little bit of the yellow filling at the corners of his mouth.
"You just better go make sure the chicken isn't burning to a crisp on the grill," she warned.
Jeff was due to show up any minute and Loretta had been buzzing around all day to make sure everything was just right because her baby was coming home and her family was going to be complete for the first time in a long time.
He ignored his mother and sauntered over to Michonne, planting a firm kiss on her cheek. "Baby, will you kindly tell my mother that I have the grill completely under control?"
Loretta smiled at them both through gritted teeth, "Michonne, will you kindly tell my son that if he burns my chicken, that'll be the very last deviled egg he ever eats?"
She turned to Rick and raised an eyebrow at him, "You heard your mother," she smiled.
He was laughing and still focused on her as he backed toward the door leading to the yard. "My mama already likes you so you don't have to always take her side," he teased, before disappearing back outside.
Loretta shook her head and went back to reordering her eggs on the tray so it didn't look like one was missing.
"That son of mine is a whole mess," Loretta laughed.
"Yeah, he is," Michonne agreed.
Loretta wiped her hands on her apron and smiled over at her, "Honey, how's your mama doing?" She asked.
"She's doing well. The doctors are saying the surgery was successful and her first treatment was this week. My dad said she did well considering…," She paused for a moment to collect her thoughts and Loretta covered her hand with hers. "She loved the basket you sent. It was so sweet of you to do that," she continued after taking a deep breath.
Loretta smiled and shook her head, "It was nothing. Let her know I'm praying for her."
"Actually, she wanted me to give her your phone number so she could call to thank you herself," she said, remembering how adamant her mother had been about getting Loretta's phone number. She had a feeling their mothers would soon be conspiring together about her and Rick's relationship, but they'd have to face that challenge when it came.
Loretta nodded, "I'd like that a lot. Now. How are you holding up and don't you dare tell me you're fine."
Michonne sighed and tried to fight the tears threatening to spill down her cheeks. The first week or so after she got back from Florida had been incredibly difficult. The successful surgery and the positive prognosis from the doctors had helped her round the corner but she still had moments where she was almost crippled with worry for her mother.
"I talk to her every day but…it's hard not being there with her and it gets to me," she admitted, thinking about the many nights she'd hadn't slept because she couldn't stop worrying about her mother. "But Rick has been so wonderful and my friends in Atlanta make sure to check on me all the time…even Carl keeps texting me the most ridiculous jokes…"
Loretta wrinkled her eyebrows, "What kind of jokes?"
It took Michonne a minute to remember one of the ones that really made her giggle. "Ummm…what do you call a dog magician?" She asked.
Loretta shook her head, "What?"
"A labracadabrador," she revealed, and Loretta stared at her blankly for a split second before bursting into a fit of laugher.
"Oh my goodness! I can't wait to tell that to the ladies at church tomorrow," she said, still chuckling a little bit. "Anyway…I just want you to know we're all here for you, honey. You're family now."
She was still a little taken back when Loretta referred to her as being part of the family but she appreciated it so much. "Thank you," she replied, with a grateful smile.
Loretta put her hand on her hip and gave her a pointed look over the rim of her glasses. "Rick told me about you taking him and Carl down there next month," she said, "He called it y'all's first family vacation…"
Michonne blinked. First. Family. Vacation. The metal spoon fell out of her hand and hit the glass serving bowl the potato salad was in with a loud clang. "He did?" she asked; struggling to keep her voice as even as possible.
Loretta cringed and smiled sheepishly, "Me and my big mouth…don't tell him I told you that. He'll stop telling me anything."
"I won't say anything," Michonne promised.
"However, by that smile of yours, I can see that his description is ok with you…" Loretta was fishing for confirmation that she was in just as deep with her son as he was with her.
Without giving it a second thought Michonne nodded, "It is," she agreed, bracing for the line of questioning she was sure would follow.
Loretta clasped her hands together excitedly but before she could say anything else, the chime of the doorbell turned her head toward the front of the house. A wide smile burst across her face as she quickly untied her apron and hung it on the back of one of the barstools. "He's here!"
Grateful to be literally saved by the bell, Michonne watched as Loretta made her way to the front door and swung it open.
"Jeffy!" Her voice was practically a squeal as a man stepped through the door. He was tall and his faded jeans and tight black t-shirt put his well-built body on display. His wavy golden brown hair was a little longer than Rick's, and he had bright blue eyes that Michonne could see all the way from her vantage point in the kitchen. His tan cheeks and neck were covered in a tawny scruff with a little blond mixed in. There were definitely some good genes in the Grimes family because Jeff was almost as handsome as his older brother.
"Hey, mama!" He greeted with a deep drawl and a big smile. Loretta cupped his face in her hands and just stared at him a moment before pulling him into her arms in a warm hug. He responded by squeezing her tight enough to lift her off her feet and her girlish giggle rang throughout the house.
He was dramatically kissing all over Loretta's face and Michonne gave them their moment by leaving to join Rick and Carl outside. Carl had decided it was time for him to learn how to grill too so he'd been shadowing his father all afternoon. Right then, Rick was closely supervising him as he brushed the meat with more of Loretta's homemade sweet heat sauce.
As if he'd sensed her, Rick looked up from the grill and she felt his eyes tracing her from head to toe from the moment she stepped through the screen door. He'd made a point of telling her how much he liked her green sundress that morning, so much so that they were almost late getting to Loretta's.
"Mama send you to make sure we're not burning her chicken?" He asked; his eyes sparkling with amusement.
"No," she laughed, "I wanted to let you know your brother is here."
Carl dropped the sauce brush on the tray. "Uncle Jeff is here? Cool," he yelled.
"Carl…" Before Rick could get out whatever he was going to say, Carl was already running through the door. He released a deep sigh and started moving the meat off the grill to the serving tray. "I guess grilling takes a backseat to Uncle Jeff," he laughed.
"I guess so," she agreed. "Need some help with that?" she asked, walking up behind him and placing her palm on his back.
"I'm good," he said, "Let's go introduce you to my brother."
When they got back inside, she could hear Carl talking a mile a minute telling his uncle about his baseball team who'd won their very first game the night before. After dropping off the chicken in the kitchen, Rick took her hand and led her toward those voices in the living room. Carl was sitting on the carpet in front of Loretta and Jeff who were on the sofa.
Loretta had her son's hand clutched tight in both of hers and she already looked so happy but when she saw them in the archway, her smile grew even more.
"Now the whole family is here!" She shouted.
"There's my big brother," exclaimed Jeff; rising to his feet and quickly closing the distance between them to embrace his brother. Rick barely had time to let go of her hand before his arms were full of Jeff. "Getting a little grey these days, huh Rick?" Jeff teased in the way that only brothers could.
Rick chuckled and playfully shoved his brother away from him. "I may be going grey but I can still take you, little brother," he replied.
Jeff laughed, and up close Michonne could see the family resemblance even more. "Man, it's so good to see you Rick!"
Rick nodded, his tension over his brother coming home seemingly dissipated for the moment. "You too, Jeff," he grinned.
A loud sigh from Loretta interrupted the brotherly love. "Rick! Stop being rude and make your introductions," she commanded.
"I was getting to it, mama," sighed Rick, rolling his eyes as he grabbed Michonne's hand. "Jeff, this is Michonne Pierce, my girlfriend," he said.
Jeff turned his attention to her and his eyes widened a little bit before he extended his hand toward her. "Well, hello Miss Michonne," he greeted.
She met his hand with hers and gave him her friendliest smile. "Nice to meet you, Jeff," she said, "I've heard a lot about you."
"Whatever you heard, I'm not that bad anymore, I swear," he laughed, "Where in the world did my brother find you? You definitely ain't from round here."
"I'm from Atlanta," she said.
Jeff smiled, "I knew it! They just don't grow women like you in King County." While it sounded like he was flirting, she could tell that's just how Jeff was. Naturally outgoing and charming where Rick was more reserved and saved all the charm for the people he was closest to. "I'm looking forward to getting to know you, Michonne. I've got stories about this one that you'll never believe..."
"Which you shouldn't," Rick interrupted, "Because they're probably not true."
Jeff nudged her arm and whispered conspiratorially, "No need to get all defensive if they ain't true, right Michonne?"
She glanced over at Rick and giggled at the adorable frown on his handsome face.
"Jeff, quit antagonizing your brother so we can go eat," directed Loretta, rising from the couch and joining them in the archway. "Y'all can catch up over dinner." She looped her arms through Rick's and Jeff's and walked between both of them toward the dining room leaving Carl and Michonne to follow.
"Grandma is super happy that Uncle Jeff is home," Carl whispered, "I hope he stays longer this time."
Michonne pulled her phone from her pocket and snapped a picture of Loretta's petite form flanked by both of her tall, handsome sons as they walked away from them before nodding and draping her arm over Carl's shoulders, "Me too."
XXX
Seeing his mama so happy made Rick happy, but it also worried him. If she was this happy that Jeff was home, how devastated was she going to be when he inevitably left again? Jeff had always been good at leaving since the moment he graduated high school and swore he'd never come live in King County again. 15 years later, that was probably the only promise he'd kept in his whole life. The longest he'd been back was when their father died but even then it was only for a few days.
He didn't want Jeff's antics to hurt their mother anymore so he made up his mind to have a word with his brother before he could get started on whatever hustle he had planned before leaving again.
After dinner, he'd grabbed two beers from the fridge and beckoned Jeff to come sit on the porch with him to catch up. Loretta, Michonne, and Carl were engrossed in a very competitive game of Crazy 8's at the dining room table, so they barely noticed when the two brothers disappeared outside.
It was mid-afternoon, but the sun was still bright and they sat in the rocking chairs on the front porch and quietly sipped their beers. Even though he'd been the one who wanted to talk, Rick wasn't sure how to get the conversation started. Despite everything, he did love his brother and if he really was home with good intentions, he'd hate to be the reason to drive him away.
Jeff was the first to break the silence. "Your girlfriend is real pretty...sweet too. Mama seems to like her and mama don't like nobody," he laughed.
Rick smiled, "I think she sees that aside from Carl, Michonne is the best thing that ever happened to me."
Jeff nodded and took a long swig of his beer and said, "That's good…real good. You traded up if you ask me."
Rick wasn't about to remind his brother about the crush he'd harbored on Lori all through high school. Instead, he just grinned and picked at the label on his beer bottle. "She's most certainly out of my league and it's my job to make sure she never realizes it," he mused, with a slight shake of his head.
"Dad used to say that about mama," said Jeff and Rick nodded at the memory.
"I guess I finally understand what he meant by it," he admitted.
"Remember when we were kids and dad used to sit out here with a beer in his hand, telling us stories about him and his brothers raising all kinds of hell when they were kids?" Asked Jeff.
Rick laughed quietly at the memory of their dad sitting in the very chair he was sitting in, with a beer in his hand and a smile on his face as he told them some pretty tall tales. "Yeah…then he'd threaten to beat our asses if we ever tried anything he told us," he laughed.
Jeff nodded, "…but we never tried any of it not because of his threats but because we knew mama really would beat our asses."
"That's true," Rick agreed.
"I miss him, you know. Sometimes I forget he ain't here…," whispered Jeff and all of the good will Rick had built toward his brother vanished with those few words.
He flashed back to the last weeks of his father's life when he kept asking when Jeff was coming and neither he nor Loretta could answer for why Jeff wasn't there. He'd watched his mother break down in tears every time she told his father that Jeff was on his way knowing that he wasn't. It only added more pain to an already heartbreaking situation, and Rick wasn't sure if he could forgive his brother for that.
He slammed his bottle down on the porch railing and glared at Jeff. "Maybe you should've spent more time here with him before he passed. Mama begged you to come home...I begged you…," he said; his anger building up higher with every word.
Jeff's eyes widened and he for a minute, Rick thought he saw tears in them. "I wanted to remember him how he was. It was too hard to see him like that," he defended. Jeff was always good at making excuses and that was just another one.
Rick kept his hardened stare and gritted, "You don't think it was hard for us too? We were here with him day in and day out, but it was too hard for you to come home to say goodbye to him before he passed. You were always a selfish little shit but I never thought you were that selfish."
"I'm sorry," Jeff began.
Rick cut him off, "I don't need your apologies now. You had your chance when you finally did show up for the funeral but then you left the next day after asking for an advance on your inheritance. Mama was a mess and we needed you here…," he paused, debating with himself over whether or not to confess the thing that hurt him more than anything else. "I needed you here."
Jeff stood up and paced the porch. The tears Rick thought he saw in his eyes were now freely rolling down his cheeks. "I know! It kills me every day that I didn't get the chance to tell him goodbye and I wasn't here for y'all either," he cried, "If I can't apologize, what can I do to make it right?"
There was no such thing as time travel, so as far as Rick was concerned there was nothing Jeff could do to change what happened. "You can't make that right. All you can do is be a better man going forward. That's what dad would've wanted," he concluded.
"Now you really sound like him," said Jeff.
Rick shrugged, "At least one of us does."
Jeff wiped at his tears with the back of his hand, "I swear to God, I'm trying to be better. I've changed over the last couple years. I realized that family is all we got in this world. I'm home because this is where I belong," he said.
Rick pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. He wanted to believe him but there was just too much history; too many let downs. "How long are you planning to stay this time?" He asked.
His brother slumped back into his chair with his head thrown against the back. "That's just it. I'm staying for good," he said.
Rick narrowed his eyes at his brother, "What?"
"Before I came over here, I met with Hershel about a job. He's not getting any younger and his girls don't want to run a farm…at least that's what mama told me. She was right because Hershel says I can start working for him right away," Jeff explained.
Rick asked, "You planning on staying with mama?"
Jeff nodded, "For a while...but I'm gonna have to find a place of my own soon."
There was something in the way Jeff said those words that made Rick suspicious and his cop nature kicked in. "You're hiding something. You in trouble?" He questioned.
Jeff shook his head,"Nah…not the kind of trouble you're thinking anyway."
"What's going on? You better tell me now," Rick demanded, bracing himself for whatever dark secret Jeff was bound to reveal.
Jeff pulled his phone from his pocket and swiped around for a few seconds before holding the phone out to him.
"I have a kid," he announced.
Rick's mouth opened and closed a few times but no sound came out as he tried to recover from the bomb his brother had just dropped on him. That wasn't even on the list of irresponsible things he thought he'd hear come out of Jeff's mouth. "What?"
He took the phone from his brother's hand and exhaled deeply when he saw the picture of a baby with a mop of blonde curls and their father's eyes, and all of his anger slowly melted away.
"That is your niece, Savannah Lynn Grimes...named after mama," Jeff explained with a proud grin dancing on his lips.
Rick covered his mouth with his hand and tried to picture his little brother being somebody's daddy. "Shit...how old is she?"
"Almost one," Jeff answered.
"Where's her mother?" He felt like he was still interrogating him, but he needed to know everything.
Jeff shook his head, "That's a long story but she's not around anymore. She was only 19 when I got her pregnant..."
Rick sighed, "Jesus Christ, Jeff…"
"I know…you ain't gotta tell me. Anyway, her parents disowned her but we tried to make it work. I thought we were doing good until she up and left us in the middle of the night." Jeff's words were dripping with bitterness and the protective part of Rick who'd beat up kids on the playground for picking on his little brother, clawed up to the surface. He was already thinking of asking Michonne if she knew any family attorneys who could make sure Savannah's deadbeat mother couldn't just show up and take her back.
Rick scratched at his beard, and whispered, "Damn…"
"Yeah, I can really pick em...," Jeff mumbled, rubbing the back of his neck. Rick had no comment on that but he understood. Until he met Michonne, his track record hadn't been stellar. "Her family was willing to take her back but not with the baby and definitely not with me. After she left, I called mama to say I was coming home," Jeff finished.
"Where's Savannah now?" He asked.
"She's at Hershel's farm with Beth. I wanted to warm mama up to the idea before bringing her over," answered Jeff.
"You need to tell mama now and then you need to go get your daughter and bring her home," said Rick.
"Mama's gonna be pissed, ain't she?"Jeff worried but there was nothing Rick could think of to make him feel better. Their mama was going to completely flip out when she heard the news.
"You didn't tell her she had another grandchild. You'll be lucky if she doesn't kill you," Rick began, "But she'll get over it. The most important thing now is that little girl."
"Being a daddy changes you...but you know that already. I want to be the kind of daddy our father was and coming home was the only way I could see to do it," admitted Jeff.
Rick had never been more profundity of Jeff than he was in that moment. "The fact that you realize that, proves that you're trying. We're here for you and Savannah. Anything you need," he said.
Jeff gave him a grateful smile,"Thanks, brother."
Rick shrugged, "...And if mama does kill you, Michonne and I will make sure your daughter has a good life," he teased.
Jeff punched his arm and laughed, "You're an asshole..."
"Maybe. But I might finally be mama's favorite," he replied with a laugh.
Jeff snorted, "Like you ain't already."
The front door opened and he heard their mama's footsteps coming around the corner. Her nosiness wasn't going to let her stay in the house forever. Little did she know she was about to get the shock of her life.
"You two ain't fighting out here, are you?" She asked.
Rick approached her a kissed her cheek. "No, mama, but Jeff needs to talk to you," he said before continuing to the door. He paused and looked back at Jeff who was standing there like a deer in headlights as she walked over to him.
"Jeff? Baby, what's wrong?" She questioned.
Rick didn't wait to hear the answer, retreating inside to leave them alone to talk about things. He had a feeling he didn't need to be outside to see the fireworks that were bound to go off when mama found out.
He was almost in the dining room when his phone buzzed in his pocket. It was a text from Morgan saying he was on his way to pick up Carl for a sleep over with Duane. He'd almost forgotten that he and Michonne were supposed to have a date night after leaving his mama's house. They were showing The Princess Bride in the town square and Michonne was so excited to go because it was one of her favorite movies. Their picnic basket and blanket were in the back of the car and a bottle of wine was chilling in the refrigerator.
He wasn't going to let Jeff's secret mess up his date night. Sometimes he worried that he and Michonne had become too domestic too quickly. While he enjoyed their quiet evenings at home and going to Carl's games, she deserved to be taken out on real dates.
He finally found the two loves of his life engaged in a fierce battle of I Declare War.
"...War! I win!" Carl shouted.
Michonne's mouth fell open. "You so cheated!" She accused.
Carl started giggling. "I won fair and square so now you have to pay up," he ordered.
She frowned and snatched her purse off the floor. "Fine," she conceded, reaching into her purse and pulling out a Big Cat candy bar. "Here, you little hustler."
Carl's impossibly wide grin grew even wider as he grabbed the candy bar from her hand. "Yes!"
Even though he loved watching his son and Michonne interact, he chose that moment to interrupt their fun. "Carl, go get your stuff. Morgan will be here any minute to pick you up," he said.
"Ok, dad," Carl exclaimed, jumping up to get his his things. "We can share it if you want, Michonne."
She shook her head, "No, I'm still stuffed from dinner. You keep it. Besides, you won it fair and square," she smiled, putting away the playing cards.
Carl nodded and ran to grab his backpack and Michonne walked over to Rick and draped her arms around his neck.
His hands drifted to her hips and he tugged her a little closer.
"I told you you're his favorite. He'd never share a Big Cat bar with me," he stated.
She rolled her eyes, "Whatever...everything go ok out there?" She asked.
He nodded. "Yeah. I think Jeff has grown up a little bit. He's moving home," he revealed.
She wrinkled her eyebrows, "Really? I bet Loretta is gonna love having him here..."
"She is…but there's a catch," he warned.
Michonne asked, "What kind of catch?"
"Well…," he began and almost as if on cue, his mother's voice rang throughout the house.
"JEFFREY DAVID GRIMES! YOU BETTER GET OVER TO THAT FARM AND GET MY GRANDDAUGHTER RIGHT NOW!" She yelled.
That was quickly followed by Jeff yelling, "OW, OW! SHIT MAMA!"
His yelling seemed to infuriate her even more and she shouted, "GO BEFORE I GIVE YOU SOMETHING TO OW ABOUT! AND DON'T CURSE IN MY HOUSE!"
Michonne turned her wide eyes to him, "Granddaughter? Jeff has a kid and your mama didn't know about her?"
He nodded and couldn't help but laugh. "Yep."
Michonne's hand drifted up to cover her mouth in shock and whispered, "Oh sh…ugar!"
XXX
When they stumbled through his front door wrapped all over each other, all Rick could think about was how happy he was that he hadn't let Jeff's surprise ruin their date night. He'd promised his mother that they'd come over in the morning with Carl to meet Savannah and Loretta hadn't argued; she was way too preoccupied with yelling at Jeff to go get the baby until she'd finally demanded to ride over to the farm with him. Meeting his niece was going to be a big deal, but he owed his girl a date and that took precedence.
As soon as Morgan left with Carl, he'd grabbed the bottle of wine and they'd made their way to the town square. He couldn't think of a better way to spend the evening than laying on a blanket in the town square with the woman he loved, drinking wine, and sharing a surprise giant slice of Carol's chocolate cake.
It seemed like the whole town was out there, but they found a good spot under a tree near the back of the square. They were kind of secluded, but the view was still good and the smile on Michonne's face was one of the biggest he'd seen in the month since she'd returned from Florida. It made him feel like he'd conquered the world.
The thing that made the night even more perfect, was when they gave up all pretense of watching the movie and started pushing the limits of public decency by making out like a couple of teenagers. Their little spot gave them a little more privacy than he'd expected, and even though he knew they shouldn't, he'd pulled her into his lap and started kissing her anyway.
Her body was warm from the temperature and the wine, her skin was damp from the humidity making her thin dress stick to her perfect curves, and the chocolate cake made her taste even more decadent than she usually did. He was on second base and inching toward third when an on-duty Shane tapped him with his nightstick and joked, "as your boy, I'd love to let you keep going but as a deputy, I gotta tell you to cool it."
Luckily, the movie was almost over so they'd quickly and sheepishly packed up their things and made their way to the car with Michonne's musical giggle as their soundtrack. Still, his cheeks burned for the entire ride home from the utter embarrassment that it was Shane of all people who had been the one to catch them. He'd never hear the end of it.
He'd noticed that she was just a little bit tipsy on the ride home. Her face was flushed, her dark eyes seemed even darker and wider, and a perfectly contented smile played on her lips as she leaned her head against the headrest and gazed over at him. Also, her hand kept drifting over to his thigh as he drove; her fingertips pressing into his leg making it difficult for him to focus on the road and not her dress riding up higher on her thighs.
They walked up to the house and after he opened the door, he stepped aside to let her walk in ahead of him and she'd encouraged him to pick up where they left off by pressing her body flush against his, wrapping her arms around his neck and kissing him.
Their mouths were glued to one another and he'd worked his hands under her dress to grab handfuls of her extremely distracting ass. Her arms were already thrown around his neck and her toes dragged the floor when she slightly lifted her off the ground. She surprised him by tangling her legs around his waist and he stumbled back against the back of the sofa and sent it sliding across the floor.
He caught his balance, and Michonne, before they ended up on the floor too and she broke their kiss to laugh into the side of his neck.
"Sorry…are you ok?" She asked, her warm breath on his neck making his hair stand on end. He was already so hot and bothered that it didn't take much.
"Yeah…," he nodded; securing his hold on her and carrying her back toward his bedroom. She busied herself with licking and nipping at his neck and chin and by the time he gently deposited her in the middle of his bed, he was overheated.
She regarded him hungrily as he reached around to tug his t-shirt off from the back and he'd barely freed himself from it when her palms flattened against her abdomen. He looked down to see her dress bunched up around her waist as a result of her sliding forward to kick off her sandals and unbuckle his belt.
"What's gotten into you?" He asked; his grin getting wider as her fingers moved on from his belt to the button and zipper of his jeans.
She rolled her eyes up to him and giggled, "Nothing yet," before pushing his pants off his hips and sending them crashing to the floor.
He laughed as he stepped out of his pants and shoes. If he hadn't already known what she wanted, that would've told him in no uncertain terms.
"You're a temptress when you're tipsy, huh?" he quipped.
"I just think we should take advantage of having the house to ourselves," she whispered oh so seductively and that reasoning was good enough for him. They'd held back the last few times they were together for fear of altering Carl to their activities but that wasn't a worry right then and she was absolutely right about not wasting that.
He was on top of her in an instant; working his mouth against hers in a deep, wet kiss. His fingers made quick work of the buttons running down the front of her dress, revealing a lacy, barely there, citrine bra and panty set that perfectly complemented her dark skin.
"You know I love you in yellow," he whispered; his fingertips grazing her rib cage and the underside of her breasts making her inhale sharply between her teeth.
"I wore it just for you," she replied.
"It's pretty. I almost hate to take it off you," he said, undoing the front clasp of the bra and releasing her breasts into his eager palms. "These are prettier though…" She really did have the most beautiful breasts; they were round, firm, and he loved their weighty fullness as he massaged them in his hands. He dragged his thumbs over her hardened nipples before lowering his head to give each the individual attention they deserved from his tongue.
His fingers slid down her sides to gently tug her panties off her hips and down her strong and silky legs. She was completely bared to him and it was in moments like this that he wondered what he'd done to deserve her. She was a goddess and everything about her demanded worship.
He began the demonstration of his devotion by pressing his lips to the curve of her hip and blazing a trail of wet kisses across her lower belly on his way to his ultimate goal. She'd told him on multiple occasions that he was blessed with a magical tongue and when he moved lower to get a taste of the warm honey between her thighs, her fingers twisted in his hair and a delicious moan spilled from her lips.
He rolled his eyes up and her head was thrown back against the pillows as her body arched off the bed. Seeing her like that, and hearing her softs mewls of pleasure, turned him on endlessly and he was already achingly hard. He wasn't even close to being done savoring her though, so he focused his attentions on giving her pleasure. He spread her legs even wider to accommodate the addition of his fingers thrusting inside of her as his tongue continued its assault on that tiny bundle of nerves responsible for making her writhe beneath him until her body stiffened and her thighs squeezed around his head like a vice.
"Rick…oh my god…I…" The rest was lost in a high pitch squeal as she came apart around him. After the few long seconds it took for her to come down from her high, her legs fell open and he crawled up her heated body, kissing his way back to her lips so she could taste herself on his. Her skin glistened with sweat and she was looking at him through heavily lidded eyes as she visibly struggled to catch her breath. He was responsible for that wanton glaze in her heavily lidded eyes and he couldn't hide the cocky grin stretching across his face.
"Cocky much?" She asked in a breathy giggle.
"I think I have a right to be," he answered, his grin growing impossibly wider.
She pushed his damp hair back away from his face and said, "I think I'm gonna need more proof," with her voice taking on that deep seductive tenor that could probably make him lose it without her even touching him. Her hands drifted over his shoulders and slowly down his back before slipping into his underwear to squeeze what she jokingly referred to as his "pert little ass", before she tugged them over his hips and released his straining erection.
He helped her get him completely naked; his eyes clenched shut when her elegant fingers wrapped around his throbbing cock and and spurred him to thrust his hips forward into her hand. With her free hand on the back of his head to guide him back to her, she blessed him with a luxurious kiss.
With every sweep of her tongue against his, every thrust of his hips into her hand, and every brush of their slick bodies, he edged closer to losing all coherent thought. Not wanting to lose contact with her for a second, but also knowing he needed to be inside of her, he reached to pull a condom from the nightstand but just as he touched the edge of that foil packet, she grabbed his hand and pulled it back.
"You don't need it," she said before capturing his lips with hers again.
His eyes flew open as her meaning settled in and he reluctantly tore his mouth away from hers, "No?" He asked.
She shook her head, "When I went for my appointment, I told my doctor I wanted to go back on the pill. It's effective after seven days and today…" she brought her lips mere millimeters away from his and whispered, "…is day nine," she grinned, pulling his bottom lip between her teeth and sending him into cardiac arrest.
He cupped her face in his hands and poured everything he had into that kiss; barely noticing that her hand was no longer holding him. When he did notice, he slowly began to grind his hardened length against her bud; rolling his hips as she raised hers in to meet his in response. She was so wet for him and he absolutely loved it.
He'd barely gotten started and he already felt close to bursting. His arousal was almost painful and when she wrapped one leg around him and grabbed a firm hold of his ass again, he gave up.
He positioned his cock at her entrance but paused to plant a series of wet kisses along her graceful neck. She hissed as he pushed his way inside; stretching and filling her completely like he was made just for her. He was going slower than usual, his breath coming in short pants with every slight push. She was so hot and wet that it felt like he was melting and when he was finally seated all the way inside of her she unleashed a gorgeously sexy moan that almost sent him over the edge.
"God...you feel so good," she breathed, "so damn good."
Her eyes fluttered closed and her body trembled as she waited for him to start moving again and when he did, he set a luxurious pace. His thrusts were deep and slow, and her soft whimpers let him know she felt every ridge...every inch of him inside of her.
"Fuuuck…baby," he sighed, resting his damp forehead against hers as he took a moment to collect himself before kissing her again to the rhythm of his hips; his tongue driving against hers in that same torturous tempo.
Guiding her leg up over his shoulder gave him the leverage to hit her deepest spots and soon their already slick bodies were sliding against each other without any resistance. Her nails dug into his back urging him to push her even further so he did by pulling almost all the way out before slamming back in to the hilt.
It was becoming a nearly impossible struggle not to let himself drown inside of her, but he wanted her to go with him so he held on until he felt that familiar sensation of her inner walls contracting around him.
"Look at me, beautiful," He commanded and she struggled to keep her eyes open, but she did it. "I love you," he whispered; and he loved her so much that 'I love you' didn't sound sufficient enough for what he felt for her.
He saw the love burning in her eyes and a faint smile crossed her lips, "I-I love you too," she said, just as he buried himself inside of her with another powerful thrust that proved to be their undoing. Her screams echoed through the house as she came apart around him in multiple waves of unyielding satisfaction.
It didn't take long for the pressure of her release, plus a few more shallow thrusts, to send him careening into the abyss with her. Within seconds, his groans matched hers, and his body shook uncontrollably as he emptied himself inside of her for the very first time.
He collapsed at her side and gathered her trembling body into his arms so she was was lying on top of him. She buried her face in the side of his neck and her fingers tangled in the hair at the back of his neck.
breathy laughter filled the newly silent room.
He felt her lips on his jawline and she sighed, "Wow…" and it made him feel like a conquerer all over again.
"Yeah…was that enough proof for you?" He said; still trying to catch his breath.
Her lips found their way to his ear and she pulled his earlobe between her teeth. "Hmmm…I think I'm gonna need more…," she whispered.
He smiled to himself and kissed her forehead.
"As you wish," he replied; thinking of all the ways he was going to give her exactly what she asked for.
XXX
Their lovemaking stretched throughout the night and well into the morning and took detours from the bedroom, into the shower, onto the kitchen countertop, back to the bedroom and finally into the shower again. The only thing that brought it to a close was the fact that they had to go pick up Carl and go meet Jeff's daughter.
He sat on the edge of the bed watching as she glided around the bedroom gathering her things. Another two days had blown by all too quickly and his heart was filled with sadness over having to watch her pull out of his driveway headed back to Atlanta.
"Don't look at me like that," she said.
"Like what?"
A smirk sped across her lovely face, "You know what I'm talking about. You poke your bottom lip out and your eyes go all squinty. I told you, I have to get back," she said.
She'd told him all about the Sunday dinner she'd committed to with Maggie and Glenn and he understood her not wanting to upset a pregnant lady. He'd taken almost every free weekend minute of hers over the last few weeks and he didn't want to be known as the guy who took her away from her friends.
Unable to fake enthusiasm for her leaving, he just muttered, "I know."
"You could still come with me…," she suggested and he appreciated the offer but he shook his head.
"I'd love to but I've got an early day tomorrow," he said. She nodded and zipped her bag, but as she turned away, he grabbed her hand. "It's not enough anymore," he whispered.
Her eyebrows wrinkled and her head cocked to the side, "What isn't?" She asked.
He exhaled deeply and nervously started playing with her fingertips. "Weekends…," he shrugged, "…hell, it's not even a whole weekend we get together. It's more like 36 hours and they're not enough anymore. If I'm being honest, they never were." Sometime over the last two months, she had become like air to him and it was harder to breathe when she wasn't around.
She sat next to him on the bed, resting her head on his shoulder. "I know. I can try to come down during the week," she offered, pulling his hand into her lap and intertwining her fingers with his.
He squeezed her hand; knowing hers was the obvious answer, but the last thing he wanted was Michonne driving all over Georgia late at night. If anything happened to her, he'd never forgive himself.
He shook his head, "I was hoping for a more permanent solution".
"What are you thinking?" She asked; the slight hitch in her voice betraying either her curiosity or her dread over what he was about to say.
Deciding to ease her into it a little bit, he stated, "Before I met you, I was thinking about moving to Atlanta. Carl is there and I want to be as involved with his life as I can. Being in King County makes that hard. I talked to the Sheriff about transferring right after Lori moved, but he said I should take some time before I made any big decisions and to talk to him again in six months. If I still wanted to transfer, he'd do everything he could to help. Well...my six months are up."
There was silence as she processed his admission before asking, "How do you feel about it now?"
"King County is home," he replied, "My mama is here, my friends…now my brother and my niece. There's a good chance I could be the Sheriff in a few years, and I like the thought of Carl being able to have this small town life when he's with me."
"I get that," she agreed with a nod against his shoulder.
He squeezed her hand tighter. "But…I still have all of the same reasons for wanting to be in Atlanta. Plus, I have you to think about now and I want to be with you as much as I possibly can,"
She returned the pressure on his hand and said, "I get all that too."
"So…I've been thinking about it for the last few weeks and the thought of being away from both you and Carl when the summer is over made the decision for me," he admitted, "I think it would be best for all of us if I move to Atlanta."
She sat up and he was met with her dark eyes swirling with excitement and hesitation. "Are you sure?" She asked.
He brought her hand to his lips and nodded, "I want Carl to enjoy the summer in King County without dropping more changes on him, so at the end of the summer I'm gonna look into relocating. I'll have to apply for a new position because there aren't any direct transfers, but I'll find something,"
"Yeah?"
While she sounded ok with the idea of him moving to her city, there was still something tentative about her reaction. He could almost see the wheels turning in her head. He didn't question her love for him in the least, but he did wonder if he was pushing her too far too fast.
"Yeah…I'd get a place of my own of course, but if I'm closer, we'd be able to see each other more. H-how do you feel about that?"
A slow smile spread across her face. "I feel like the end of the summer can't come fast enough," she said, "…and I feel like we should wait on making any decisions about living arrangements."
For a second, he wasn't sure if he'd heard her correctly. Here he was worried about moving things too fast and she's thinking about the two of them living together. She would never stop surprising him and he didn't want her to.
He cleared his throat and asked, "Are you…are you saying you might want me to come live with you?"
"I mean…Carl would be able to have his own room…on the opposite side of the house from ours…," she shrugged; her smile turning into a full blown grin. "But I'd have to consult with T'Challa first of course."
She was underneath him on the bed with his mouth covering hers before the idea had a chance to really settle; his happiness pouring out of him as he worshipped her with a searing kiss.
"I love you," he whispered, and she gave him a smile that could've lit up all of King County.
"I love you too," she confirmed, before kissing him again; her sweet lips making making it hard to think.
He was unceremoniously brought back to reality when her eyes flew open like she'd been shocked and she shoved at his chest.
"Loretta is going to hate me now," she gasped.
He blinked a few times before breaking into a wide grin.
"Nah, I think she's expecting it. She'll be ok…especially with Jeff and Savannah here now," he reasoned.
"If you say so…," she said but she didn't look convinced.
"Besides, Shane's the one you should be worried about. He's already threatened to come with me," he added.
She rolled her eyes and twisted her lips, "If that's the case, we may have to rethink this whole thing," she declared; her teasing eyes shining bright, "I don't know about that kind of baggage..;."
"Oh, you ain't changing your mind on me now," He laughed, and started to tickle her mercilessly until she was screaming with laughter and begging him to stop and he did. "So…we're still doing this thing, right?"
She threw her arms around his neck and nodded, "Yeah, we are…come Shane or high-water," she said.
All he could do was smile as his mind raced with the implications of the decisions they'd both made. Moving to Atlanta and living together was another step toward them building a real life together and that was quickly becoming the thing he wanted more than anything.
XXX
A/N: It's another long one but I hope you all liked it. Let me know what you think! I love reading all of your reviews so much! Thank you for all of the follows, faves, and reviews. I'm going to focus on Love Tumbles Down for a little while, but I promise it won't be too long before I'm back on this one.
Thanks for reading!