Chapter 39
It is our first full day in California. Last night Nathan and I had our way with each other to make up for lost time. I wake up in his arms. Neither of us are wearing anything.
"Hi," I smile.
"Good morning, beautiful," he says and I smile.
"Good morning," I say and lay my head on his chest.
"How'd you sleep?" He asks.
"I slept past 6 am so I would say pretty well," I say and Nathan laughs. Henry is a morning person.
We lay for a little bit before both getting up and getting ready. The California weather is beautiful, so I put on jeans and a cute tank top. I brush my hair out and do my makeup.
"Are we meeting Ava and Andrew for breakfast?" Nathan asks.
"No, I think they are still asleep. We are meeting them downtown to walk around," I say and he nods.
"You ready?" He asks and I nod.
"Let's go," he says and wraps an arm around my waist. We head down the elevator and walk to an amazing breakfast place. It is called Branches.
"Should we get mimosas?" I ask.
"Parents gone wild," Nathan says and I laugh.
"I'll take that as a yes," I smile. We both order mimosas to start. I smile and check my phone. We called Henry before he went to bed last night. My parents said he was asking for us a lot at first, but is doing better.
"Anything different from 10 seconds ago?" Nathan teaches me. I laugh and put my phone away.
"I'm sorry," I smile and he shakes his head.
"I was teasing you, I know this is hard," he says and squeezes my hand. Our mimosas get dropped off and we cheers.
"This is nice," Nathan says. I look around the restaurant and agree.
"No, having you to myself," Nathan says and I blush.
"I know, the time together is overdue," I say. We order our food and keep drinking mimosas.
"What should we do today?" I ask him.
"Shop? Or we could go to the pool," he says.
"You know the way to my heart nathan Moore," I say and he laughs.
"Well I would hope so by now," he says and I laugh.
"11 years?" I say and nods.
"This November. Who would have thought we would be here now," he says.
"It's crazy, I remember the first time I saw you. I thought you were a Greek god," I say. Nathan starts laughing and shaking his head.
"You should have seen yourself then," Nathan says and I roll my eyes.
"We were so good together," I say. "Did we ever fight," I ask.
"Do we ever now?" I ask.
"When you're in a bad mood and snap at me," Nathan says and I laughs.
"We fought in high school that one time you showed up to my door with ice cream," I say.
"Your memory is selective," Nathan shakes his head.
"Hmmm, I don't know," I smirk. Nathan laughs and kisses my head.
After brunch we head back to the hotel. I see a little kids boutique and point to it. "We should get Henry something. He also ripped holes in the knees of his pants from sliding on the floor. I wonder who taught him that," I glance at Nathan as he opens the door for me.
"Hey you heard him laugh, he loved it," Nathan says and I smile.
We browse around and I find myself in the baby aisle. It hurts a little bit to see all the soft onesies. The other women in the store with round bellies expecting a child. I touch a soft little tutu. The newborn size is so small. I feel a hand on my hip and quickly snap out of it.
"Hi," I say and see Nathan's face fall. I wipe a tear I didn't know was there and glance at the pants in Nathan's hand. He has grabbed a couple pairs for Henry. One with trucks, which I know he will love.
"Babe, he's a 2T now," I say and walk over to switch out the sizes.
"What toy should we get him?" I ask.
"I don't know, he has every toy known to man," Nathan says and I smile. It is true. That child wants for nothing.
"Oh my goodness, look at that truck," I say. I point to the baby blue truck that has big wheels and a remote control. The doors open and close.
"We have to get him that," Nathan smiles and reaches up to grab it.
We check out and take our bags out. We head back to our hotel room. Ava texts me that they will meet us at the pool bar for drinks in 20 minutes. I read that text to Nathan and he laughs. "There's no such thing as too early," he quotes Ava.
"Never," I smirk and Nathan laughs. I put on my black bikini and throw on a skirt to cover my bottom half. I put on a floppy sunhat.
I look down at my phone and see my dad is facetiming me. I smile and pick it up. "Hi Bee," He says and I smile as he has Henry sitting on his lap.
"Hi guys," I smile.
"Bee Bee," Henry says and tries to pull the camera close to his face.
"Hi babes, are you having fun with Nana and Bub?" I ask him.
"Yeah" he says and holds up his red truck.
"Oh look at that," I say and he smiles proudly.
"Nate?" Henry says.
"I'm right here, friend," Nathan says and I turn my phone to show him.
"Come pway," Henry says and makes a pouty face.
"We will be home so soon. And Henry guess what?" I ask him.
"What Bee Bee?" He asks.
"We got you a present," I say and Henry turns to my dad. I laugh as my dad and him talk.
"Well tell Bee Bee and Nate you are so excited to see them," my dad says and Henry mumbles something that sounds kind of like it.
"We love you Henry," I say.
"Bove you," he says and blows us kisses.
"Love you Dad," I say.
"Love you most, Bubs. Have so much fun," he says and I smile.
I put my phone down and keep getting ready. Henry is so stinking cute. I miss him so much. I know he is great hands with my parents, but I just want to give him a big squeeze.
"Bee," Nathan says and I look over at him.
"I saw You," He says.
"What?" I ask.
"In the store holding that skirt, I want you to know that I am here. It will be our turn soon. If we have to go to doctor's or specialists we will, but it will be our turn. And when it is it will be so worth the wait," he says and I nod.
"I love you," I say and he smiles, taking me in his arms.
"I am sorry I couldn't keep our last baby," I say. Nathan shakes his head and tilts my chin up.
"Don't ever apologize for that. It was out of your control. You heard Dr. Greene," Nathan says and I nod.
"I know, but it doesn't lessen the blow," I laugh pitifully. Nathan pushes my hair back and kisses my head.
"We just have to be patient," Nathan says.
"I've been patient for almost 8 months," I sigh. Nathan hugs me and rubs my back.
"We will have a baby one day," he says.
"I love you," I say.
We stand there hugging before I see that we have to head down to meet Ava and Andrew. Natha has on his black swim trunks and looks edible. When we get downstairs Ava and Andrew already have drinks. Ava is in a yellow one piece that is halter style. She looks adorable.
"Hi babe," she says and kisses my cheek. I hug Andrew and then sit down. I get a frozen mojito and Nathan gets a beer.
"So how did you love birds sleep or did you sleep at all," Ava asks winking suggestively.
"Well it was our first day sleeping in past 6 am and there was no middle of the night wake up calls for water or the bathroom from a 2 year old, so pretty well I'd say," I say making them laugh.
"God, if that's what I have to look forward to I don't want kids," Ava says and Andrew laughs.
"Yes we do," Andrew says.
"Speak for yourself, you don't have to push a watermelon out of you below the belt," Ava has us cracking up.
"Anyway, Nate what do you have going on tomorrow?" Andrew asks.
"Well, I have the conference in the morning, then I have meetings in the afternoon. Ava what do you have?" Nathan asks.
"A couple of meetings throughout the day. Then a shoot that I have to stop by," she says and orders another drink.
"What are we going to do?" Andrew asks me.
"Have a wild day in the town," I say and everyone laughs.
"We could go on one of those tour busses," Andrew suggests. I laugh but then realize he is serious. "It was my childhood dream to go on one of those," He says and I smile. That is actually kind of cute.
"Then we shall do it," I say and he smiles, shaking his head.
"How is the little man?" Ava asks, talking about Henry.
"We just facetimed him before this," I say and smile.
"Aw who is loving their time more, your parents or him?" Andrew asks. My parents adore Henry.
"That is a toss up," Nathan says and I nod laughing.
"Do you guys think you will adopt him?" Ava asks. I pause and look at Nathan. We haven't really discussed that. The thought of him leaving tears my heart into two.
"Ava," Andrew says.
"No, no it is fine," Nathan says.
"Since we are in this with Washington Child Protective Services, it is hard to say what will happen. But we do know we love having him around and will be there for him as long as he needs us," Nathan says, taking the lead on this one. I smile and nod. Nathan squeezes my hand.
"I didn't mean to intrude, you both just are so good with him," Ava smiles and I pat her hand.
"No, you're okay," I say and Ava smiles.
"How is Claire?" Ava asks.
"She is great, junior year is treating her well. Next semester she is taking a fashion merchandising class through UW," I say and Ava smiles.
"Oh my gosh, I have to text her," she says and I smile.
"Are her and William still dating?" Andrew asks.
"Oh yes," Nathan says. We had them come over for dinner a couple of weeks ago. Nathan saw William put his hand on Claire's low back and almost passed out. It was so funny.
"They are so cute together," Ava says and I agree.
"Oh the cutest," I say.
"What are they going to do when William leaves?" Ava asks.
"I assume stay together," I say.
"Well, hopefully it works out like it did for you and not how it did for me," Andrew says.
"Um hey asshole if it worked out for you like it did for these two we wouldn't be married," Ava says.
"Case in point," Andrew says and Ava slaps his arm as we laugh.
We keep drinking until I am buzzed. We head to the beach and sit in our cabana. Nathan is buzzed and grabs another beer. I am not opposed and have one too. "God Grey, drinking beer, who are you?" Ava asks.
"Come on, one beer won't kill you," I say.
"Neither does a vodka soda," she says and holds up her drink. I laugh and cuddle up to Nathan. He wraps an arm around me and I rest my head up to him.
Ava and Andrew are talking and I look up at Nathan and he smiles at me. God I could jump his bones right now. "You look so sexy," Nathan says and plays with the strap to my bathing suit.
"I think you are buzzed," I say and blush.
"Nope, not one bit," he says and I smile.
"We could head back to the hotel room," I say. I check my watch. It is 3 anyway we'll have to head up soon to get ready for dinner.
"Yeah?" Nathan says.
"Unless you don't want to," I barely finish my sentence before we are bidding Andrew and Ava goodbye. In the elevator Nathan presses me against him and I feel his erection.
When we get to our hotel room, the door hasn't even shut before we are ripping each others clothes off. "Fuck, I want you so bad," I say and Nathan pins me under him. We are making out as Nathan slips himself inside of me.
"Fuck babe," he says and I wrap my arms around him. I use him as leverage and throw my head back.
We have our way with each other and then lay in bed. The buzz has worn off. Tonight we are going to a club. Ava says we all have to get trashed. She would the day before work.
"I don't know what to wear tonight," I say and Nathan sighs.
"Wear the gold dress," Nathan says and points to the mini gold dress. How did I get so lucky? I put on the mini gold dress and tie it. It is a halter dress that leaves little to the imagination. I put on heels and do my hair and makeup.
Nathan walks in and leans against the door. "It's like you want me to fuck you all over again," he says and I laugh.
"I mean I'm not opposed," I smirk.
"All in due time," he says and kisses my head. I put on my hoop earrings and perfume. I put lotion on my legs and we are ready to go.
Ava and Andrew meet us downstairs and an uber picks us up. We are meeting Ava's work friends out. They are all beautiful and single 20 somethings.
"Hot damn, Grey," Ava says as we climb into the Uber.
"Moore," Nathan corrects her and she sticks her tongue out at him.
"Nate, why didn't you invite your coworkers," Ava asks.
"Because my coworkers are older than your parents," Nathan says and we all laugh.
We get to dinner and it is a rooftop restaurant. The view is absolutely stunning. We are sat out on the patio and all order drinks. Ava gets us a bottle of champagne. I smile and clink glasses with everyone.
"Hi girls," I smile at the three women who walk over. They are Ava's coworkers. The jealous demon in me wants to come out, but I suppress her. The tall brunette is named Joe. She is all legs and is stunning. I love the name Joe for a girl. I remember to write that down. Alex is the short blonde, who again is stunning. Then Maeve is the tiny red head.
They all sit and order drinks. "So you're Ava's cousin?" Maeve asks. She has a valley girl accent.
"Yes I'm Phoebe, and this is my husband Nathan," I say and they smile a little too foundly at him. Yes, I know he is beautiful.
"So what do you two do?" Joe asks.
"I am a child psychologist at Seattle Children's Hospital," I say and they smile.
"And I am a doctor at Seattle Children's," Nathan says.
"Aw is that how you guys met?" they ask. Ava laughs and I smile at her.
"We've been dating since junior year of high school," I say.
"Holy shit, and you haven't gotten bored of each other," Maeve says and I give her a tight smile.
"Well I wouldn't go that far," Nathan teases and I smirk at him.
"That's crazy," Joe says and I smile.
We keep drinking and the girls talk about their job. Nathan has his hand on my thigh as we eat. So protective.
"So where are we going after this?" I ask Ava and eat some bruschetta.
"I was thinking we could go to this one club Joe knows about. It's sounds super nice," Ava says.
"Perfect, let's do it," I smile at Nathan who has now switched to drinking water.
"One last thing," Ava says as the waiter drops a tray of dessert shots off at our table.
"Pheebs you have to get the banana one," Ava says and I laugh looking to nathan. Nathan gets the espresso one.
We all cheers and take a shot. Mine is so good I would drink 10,000 of them. I'm starting to feel very buzzed. Maybe more than buzzed.
As we are walking out I trip and nathan grabs me around my waist. "shit bee," he says and I laugh.
"Sorry," I smirk.
"I don't want to be holding your hair tonight," Nathan says.
"I know," I say looking down and threading my hand through his. Nathan wraps an arm around me in the car.
The ride to the club is short. It is a really cool looking club. There are neon lights and loud music playing. The view is amazing. When we walk in we get escorted to a booth. I slide in and sit next to nathan.
"A bottle of Dom comes with the booth," Ava says and pops the bottle. Nathan passes me a glass and I cheers everyone.
We keep drinking and talking. I am talking to Joe about her apartment in Seattle. "I want to move into a bigger one, but I don't know if I'm staying in Washington," she says as we slurp down our 20th drink of the night.
"That would be so hard," I say and finish my drink. Holy shit I am drunk. I also am a lightweight now because we don't go out like this anymore. College me wouldn't even be buzzed.
"Let's dance," Ava suggests.
"Yes," I agree.
"Come on," I smile and leave Nathan and andrew. They are both more sober than the rest of us. I smile as Ava spins me around. How I am still standing in these heels is beyond me.
We dance and I feel so loose. This is so much fun. I am not used to being out like this. "Damn grey," Ava says as I laugh.
"You need to get out more often," she says into my ear over the loud music.
"I have a kid," I say back and she nods.
"Henry would love it here," she teases. She isn't wrong. He would want to be dancing and singing.
After dancing we head back to the booth. Nathan pulls me to him and I sit partially on his lap. I feel his hard member as he shifts uncomfortably. "You're dancing," he says and I laugh.
"What" I say innocently.
Nathan hands me a water and I take a couple of sips. "Finish it," he says and I don't argue. I put the glass down. I then take the beer from
His hands and take a sip.
"Hey that's mine," he smiles.
"Oops," I say and take another sip.
"We need to head back," Nathan says, checking his watch. I see it is 2 am. He has work in the morning.
"Shit, babe I didn't look at the clock. We have to go," I say quickly standing up and stumbling. Nathan grabs my handbag.
"Leaving already?" Maeve asks and I smile.
"He has work, bye babes love you," I say and hug Ava and then andrew.
"Be safe," Ava calls after us.
Once we get out of the club the California cool night hits me. My good mini dress was not meant for this weather. "I'm calling an uber," Nathan says and hugs me to me.
"Did you not bring a jacket?" He asks and I shake my head. He quickly takes off his jacket and puts it over my shoulders. So chivalrous.
"Thank you babe," I say. "Sorry I kept you out so late," I say and giggle.
"You are drunk as a skunk," he says and I smirk.
We get into the uber and the car ride flies by. I am running Nathan's leg and being cheeky. When we get out I think Nathan is as wound up as ever.
In the elevator I start kissing his neck. "wait til we get into the room," he says. He has an arm around my waist.
"Make me," I smirk.
"I will," he says.
When we get to our room I flop myself onto the bed. Nathan starts taking my shoes off and kissing my legs. I start to drift off and Nathan stands.
"Here baby, take this off," he says. He starts untying my dress and slips it off me. I am left in black lace panties.
"Here get under the covers," Nathan says and I do.
"Come," I say and pat next to me. I feel a makeup wipe on my face as Nathan cleans my face. He also puts my hair up. How did I ever get so lucky?
He crawls into bed with me and kisses me. "I had so much fun," I smile.
"I'm glad baby, you deserved this," Nathan says and I start kissing him.
"Just go to bed Bee, you are too drunk to do this," he says and I know there will be no convincing him. Nathan is so cautious of that.
"Okay, I love you," I say.
"Most, love," he says and kisses me.