Well, guys, I did it! I plowed through my blocked brain enough to muster up this chapter! I'm pretty proud of it, too - which is rare! It's also the most... hmm, mature... chapter I've written in quite some time. I recently watched the After Series movies again for inspiration, so shout out to the dysfunctional Hessa for helping me with this piece of work. Anyway, I hope you all had a lovely holiday season! Happy New Year! I hope to have this story wrapped up this year - but time will tell! Enjoy!
"P-ow! P-ow! P-ow!" He squeaked, banging two plastic army men together atop the table. She turned slightly, keeping one eye on the breakfast she was attempting - and failing - to make.
He was sure his footsteps were quiet, practically tip-toeing while carrying a mostly passed out baby. "Shhhh," He whispered to his son cautiously, as his outbursts began to increase in volume.
"Dey is jus bad g-wys!" John said back, lowering his tone upon seeing his baby sister twitch in his dad's arms.
Amy turned around, running a hand through her hair. They'd both been up since 4 am and were trying their best to function on little sleep. She yawned, her lip tipping up at him. "Two diaper changes, and a spit-up, but..." Ricky trailed off, adjusting to slide their baby into the bouncer seat on the table, "I think she's finally down for a bit." Removing his left index finger from Emma's grip, he held a breath as she began to fidget tiredly, and the pacifier fell from her lips. Shoving it back in gently, he blew out the breath and ran his hand through the top part of his curls.
"She really is adorable, huh?" Amy smiled tiredly, wrapping her arms around his waist, resting her chin on his right shoulder, and planting a small kiss on his neck.
"B-ang! B-ang!" John's voice rose, making one of the plastic men do a nose dive off the table and onto the floor.
Smirking, Ricky turned to face her, pressing his lips to hers before raising a brow, "trying to finish what we started last night?" She rolled her eyes at him playfully, continuing to kiss him.
"Mommy!" John shouted lowly, trying to get their attention.
She moaned into her husband's mouth slightly, pressing her body further against his, as her fingers grasped the curls at the back of his neck.
"Mommy!" He shouted again, louder, breaking them apart.
Groaning, Amy broke away, craning her neck in the interrupting toddler's direction to see what was so urgent. "Crap!" Gasping as she raced over to the stove where sure enough her attempt at making breakfast ended with it being burned and inedible. Ricky couldn't help himself, releasing a chuckle when he saw the charred remains of three innocent eggs stuck to the pan. "It's not funny!" She pouted, scrapping the contents into the trash.
"Well, John loves Cookie Crisp." He chuckled again, "I'm sure you can't murder that."
She gave him a smug look, "says the man with baby puke all over him" before starting to giggle herself. Grimacing, he pulled the shirt away by the collar. "You got a little -" motioning to his left ear.
Tilting his head back, he sighed, "Of course she did..." groaning at the thought of having to wash their daughters vomit out of his hair, "we would make a baby with impeccable puke aiming skills" Putting his hand to the back of his neck, "I'm gonna go grab a shower" Before she could nod and turn away, he leaned in and grazed her robe covered backside with his fingertips, making her release a little squeak of surprise. He smirked, craving her body against his, "Care to join me?" She bit her lip, torn by the decision, as she pointed to the table at their son, who was staring at them. She didn't have to say anything, he already knew he wasn't going to get his wish. "Hey buddy, you wanna go take like a little 20-minute nap in your room?" He pleaded, hoping his son would help him out before the pajama pants he was wearing became increasingly more tight.
He wanted her. And after their two failed attempts ended with interruptions, he needed her. They hadn't touched since before she had the baby, and it was starting to take its toll on him and their marriage.
"No tank you, daddy." John shook his head with vigor, going back to his toys.
She giggled, puffing her lips outward, "sorry daddy..."
Lowering his head, Ricky blew out a loud breath, "I tried," and sulked away defeated.
Sensing something was bothering him, she caught his hand, a small little blush coming to her cheeks, "I promise I'll make it up to you..." Amy's voice lowered to a whisper, grazing his knuckles with her thumb, melting away his hot-headed annoyance. A loud drum beat sliced through the quiet, causing him to furrow his brow before she vanished from his sight and was gone.
The beats only got louder, as he shook the dream from his mind; tiredly craning his neck to find the infuriating device just as it stopped altogether, and the room became quiet again. Closing his eyes and shoving his palms into them, he groaned before realizing that not only was he on his mom's couch in her apartment but that it was eerily silent. Springing up quickly, his breath hitched at the sight of the empty playpen on the other side of the couch. Sprinting towards the hallway, he stopped in his tracks upon hearing the muffled babbles. Emma was sitting near his mother's head, exploring her face with her small little fingers. He held back a chuckle, crossing his arms over his chest, "Good morning?" She squealed at his greeting, batting her arms.
Nora groaned, opening one eye slowly to see her granddaughter hovering over her; the pacifier in her mouth sending tiny droplets of drool onto her face. She could hear him chuckle, standing squarely against the door frame. Removing the hands from her body, "Guess our little sleepover is done, huh?" Yawning and running her hand over Emma's disheveled dark curls. "You look well rested," She noted, craning her neck to the right slightly.
"Yeah, well, not sleeping with an infant can do that to a person," Ricky responded, sarcastically, gesturing to the baby fixated by her watch. Opening her mouth to come back at him, she was stopped by the persistent loud drumming of his phone. His brow creased upon seeing whose name was displayed but answered anyway. "Hello?"
His eyes shifted a few times, pressing the device further against his ear before she got the hint, "c'mon little monkey," gathering her now whiny grandchild in her arms, and quickly brushing past him out the door. Once in the kitchen, the tiny whines turned to whimpers as Nora struggled to keep her grip on the squirming infant while also opening the refrigerator. When Emma threw her head back and whined loudly, Nora sighed and moved to the living room, placing her inside the playpen, where she released an ear splitting screech followed by a howling array of crying. "I'm sorry," she apologized, wincing at the rise in pitch from such a tiny person. She picked up a couple of toys, shaking them to get her attention.
The door flew open, him bolting out quickly and in a huff. "That was Reuban -" He stated roughly, grabbing at every visible object they had brought with them. "He... got us a meeting with the guy who did our mediation for John-"
"Oh, you mean the guy who called my parole officer?" She clicked her tongue, putting one hand on her hip that held a stuffed monkey.
"I already apologized for that - anyway, the guy had a spot open this afternoon, so Reuban made it happen." He replied, zipping up the diaper bag and throwing it over his shoulder, outstretching his arms for the baby.
Picking her out of the play pen, "And how do you think Amy is going to respond to this?"
"I don't know, nor do I care. Not my problem." Emma whimpered loudly into his ear, grabbing at his lips with her fingers. "We gotta go, the meeting is set for 2 - raincheck on breakfast?" Putting the carrier on the sofa cushion, Ricky winced at the shriek she released having been put back into confinement: looking around subtly while strapping in the squirming and irritable infant.
"Looking for these?" Nora sing-songed, pulling out the keychain with his keys attached, from a drawer inside one of the end tables. Handing them over, she tipped her lip up at them, "Thanks again for letting me use your car."
Giving a little nod, "No problem" he smiled, hoisting the car seat into the bend of his left arm, trying - and failing - to get the crying child to wave goodbye, "Bye-bye, grandma, bye-bye."
The door opened roughly, huffing through partially clenched teeth as she set her purse on the bookshelf, "You're not going to believe what happened to me today!" Silence followed, making her brow furrow at his lack of rebuttal to her annoyance. "Ricky?" She said aloud, back still turned to root inside her purse for something she couldn't find, "Ric - what are you doing?" Turning around, her eyes lifted to see him on the other side of the kitchen wall.
"Shhh!" He whispered, putting his left index finger to his mouth and adjusting the blanket he had draped over him; shielding him from being seen for whatever game he was playing.
Brow still furrowed, she glanced at the floor where the baby sat docile inside the bouncer seat she was getting too big for. "John?" She called out, "Hey buddy, mommy's home..." Emerging from the hallway, she had to stifle a giggle: He was wearing the dollar store cape, and the matching mask that lost one of the straps, while sporting a small fake gun that shot out Styrofoam darts: Nora had gotten him an entire set for his birthday, and while Ricky wasn't crazy about their three-year-old having something that replicated a weapon, he came around since it physically couldn't hurt anyone. "What's this?"
"Da tic-le mon-stwer twy-in get me!" John shouted, drawing his cheeks up in an odd, confused expression, sucking in his chest while also standing on his tiptoes.
"Ohhh..." Playing along with his enthusiasm, she pursed her lips and subtly pointed the tip of her finger in his direction.
Cocking his head, he didn't get the hint and as soon as he was in reach... "Gotcha!" Ricky jumped forward, grasping onto his small body as it shrieked and squirmed under his ticklish grip. He was laughing loudly from under the blanket, dodging John's attempts to rip it off.
"Go for his ribs, buddy!" Amy chuckled, encouraging him to get the upper hand before helping him out: knowing that besides his earlobes, Ricky was very ticklish around his ribs.
Breaking free after one of his dad's arms slacked, John grabbed the plastic gun, "B-ang! B-ang!" Shooting the darts all over the kitchen while she grabbed the blanket and exposed her husband, causing a duet of wide-eyed little gasps from both kids as Ricky faked being hurt; their daughter filling the room with loud excited squeal-screams upon seeing her daddy's face, dropping the toy she was shaking in her hands.
With her attention diverted, he stood up slowly, changing his voice to mimic Frankenstein, flexing his fingers and scrunching his hands as he took fake stumbled steps towards her, "Tickle monster want mommy!"
Amy couldn't hold back her laughter, clutching her sides at his antics, "Ricky!" He smirked mischievously at the cautious raising of her hands. "No, Ric - st -" She didn't get to finish, choking on her shrieks of intense laughter.
"Uh oh, mommy!" John inhaled quickly, understanding that while his daddy wasn't hurting her, she was still in distress and needed his help. Picking up some of the fake bullets from the floor, he ran over quickly and unloaded, pulling one of Ricky's pockets - Emma still cackling watching them all. "Mommy!"
"Mommmyyy..." The whispers floated over her, poking one finger into her shoulder before adjusting to shake her, "Up, mommy!" She groaned lowly and rolled over, eyes still partially closed before she yawned and opened them slowly; being startled by the figure standing over her.
"Comfy?" He smirked, eyes glazing over her laying on their sofa in his gray t-shirt.
Yawning again, "Sorry, I must have fallen asleep." Amy blushed, following his eyes, while stretching the back of her head with her hand, "Kathleen's house is a circus, and I just couldn't handle all of it -" Shaking his head slightly, "You don't have to apologize, Ames, it's your apartment too, remember?" She pursed her lips, cutting her gaze away. Putting the fussy baby inside the playpen, Ricky removed his jacket, "If you would have let me know, I would have set out an extra blanket or something. It's kind of a mess in here..."
Shrugging, "That's okay, I'm used to it." She stood up, following him to the kitchen, pausing when she felt the small hand grasp onto the hem of the t-shirt. Her lip tipped up as she bent forward and gathered her up, running her hand through Emma's curls and peppering soft kisses on her cheek. Ricky wasn't looking at them, instead fiddling with something in the sink. "Is it always going to be this awkward with us?" She whispered almost inaudibly, slightly embarrassed before changing the subject, "How's Nora?"
Turning around, he glanced up quickly before returning to his task, "She's good, her new place is really nice - we fell asleep over there after dinner"
"You don't have to explain anything to me -"
"I wasn't, I was simply stating our child's whereabouts" Biting the inside of his cheek, he sighed, putting his palms flat against the countertop, "Look, about yesterday - I overreacted and I was a jerk. I'm sorry -"
Getting cut off by the obnoxious chirping sound of her phone, Amy's brow furrowed upon seeing the name on the caller ID, "Why does Reuban keep calling me?"
"Did you listen to the messages?" Ricky questioned, handing her the bottle on the counter
Taking it, her brow creased at him, putting their daughter's breakfast in Emma's tiny grasp, "No, why would I? What does Reuban have to do with anything?"
"We have a mediation hearing today, at 2 o'clock." He informed, opening the fridge to retrieve the eggs, "It's the same guy we had with John, he already knows us, and -"
"Was this your plan all along?" She growled, starting to pace angrily, "Sucker me into thinking things could be normal between us, and then blindside me?"
Slamming the refrigerator door a little harder than he intended, "No, it wasn't my plan!" His anger was starting to surface, "I didn't even know you were coming back, remember? Hell, for all I knew you were just going to video chat into a court hearing!"
Emma whined loudly, dropping the bottle, and squirmed. Picking it up, Amy put it back in her hands, and sat her on the floor with her brother so her voice wouldn't pierce her tiny ears, "You're unbelievable!"
Ricky's head was down, eyes closed as he shook it and scoffed, "Hey don't put this on me -" cracking an egg into a skillet, "you knew this was coming. It's just coming sooner than both of us thought." It was silent, as she stormed off into the hallway but quickly turned to a bunch of shuffling and drawer slams. "What are you doing?" He asked upon her dramatic reentry
Ignoring him, she stuffed a mound of things into his backpack, zipped it up quickly, "Taking my son to breakfast -" and picked up the baby to put her in the playpen, "or do I need your permission for that too?"
Rolling his eyes, he stepped into the living room, taking Emma from her, "Just be there by, 2, alright?" Amy tapped John's shoulder, gesturing with her hand to stand up before taking his hand and stomping out of the apartment. The door slammed as he blew out a long, frustrated breath, jostling their daughter, "And... there mommy goes again..."
"Check for cars, buddy -" She scolded him upon his rough push of the door, stopping to fish her phone from her purse as an elderly gentleman passed by them. "Here, hold your bag," giving him the sack of the food he decided to save for later, she grabbed the back of his jacket as they made their way to the car. "Finally!" She huffed into the receiver when the person finally picked up.
"I just stopped to check my phone - what is it? What is the big emergency? Are John and Emma okay? Did something happen to Robbie?" Anne responded, concerned by her daughter's gruff tone.
"What? No! Mom, Ricky is taking me to mediation today!" Opening the car door, she kept one eye on him as he jumped into his seat, shaking the bag, "How soon can you get here?"
She chuckled, "Amy, I can't just hop on a plane and rush down there. I'm very busy with the business, and the apartment -"
Slamming the door, Amy drew in a deep breath and closed her eyes, "Mom! I understand all of that but - come on you gotta help me! Ricky isn't backing down..." Her voice was starting to crack, glancing through the tinted window to see her son's smiling face against the glass, "... he could actually win this thing..."
"Then you're just going to have to show that mediator why that wouldn't be fair"
"And how do I do that? It's the same guy who helped us with John -"
"Good! That means he already knows you, and knows how driven and caring you are - this might actually work to your advantage. Just tell the truth: explain the situation, and how everything transpired. Reiterate what a good mother you are, but don't drag Ricky - the mediator already knows he's not a bad guy..."
"Mom, it sounds like you're agreeing with him..."
"No I'm not agreeing with him... but Amy he is their father whether you like it or not, and he's going to showcase that. Be civil with him." The silence on the other end told Anne that her daughter probably wasn't happy with her being so direct, "I really have to go - call me after the hearing?"
Getting into her seat, Amy rolled her eyes while also wiping away a few stray tears, "Whatever" Hanging up abruptly, and putting the key into the ignition.
"Mommy, c-an I jus hav my choc-owat m-ilk n-ow?" John mumbled, fiddling with a discarded toy in the seat next to his
She sighed, "Just a sec bud" and put the device to her ear again. Closing her eyes, a tear rolled down her cheek, "Hey it's me... I uh, I don't really know why I'm calling... I uh just got off the phone with my mom and I'm just really upset..." She was trying to keep composure, not wanting John to see her breaking down.
Their breakfast hadn't gone the way she had hoped. John had spent the majority of their time together dodging her under the table, or galloping around them while she tried to eat without launching her food against the wall in anger. When he finally did stay seated for longer than 5 minutes, she had to keep a smile plastered to her face as he spoke about his dad, and all the things she was missing out on.
She knew it wasn't John's fault; that he didn't ask to be in this situation, but each time he giggled with his crooked little grin, it shot a sharp pain through her chest because it reminded her of Ricky. And that, sadly, made her angry because of what he was doing; how he blindsided her.
Taking a shaky breath, she continued, "Ricky is taking me to mediation today, and uh - I've got John with me, and I - I really just need to have someone on my side... Can you just call me back when you get this? I really... I really need to hear you tell me everything is going to be okay..." Leaning her head on the steering wheel, she heard the robot tell her her message was sent, and hung up, swallowing the lump forming in her throat.
He was playing behind her, seemingly oblivious, or choosing not to pay attention, "Mommy!"
Wiping her cheeks, she sniffled, "What is it, John?"
Digging into the bag with his feet kicking forward while he played with his bottom lip, "Um, um, c-an jus go to the p-wark an pway on the sw-ing, mommy?"
Her mind was elsewhere, opening the back door to Kathleen's house, where her sister and soon-to-be stepsister were sitting at the table, chatting and giggling. Amy scoffed at them with a dirty look, in no mood to share in whatever the two of them were so happy about.
"Ash-ee!" John greeted his aunt with a grin, shaking the reminder of the chocolate milk container in his palms to give her a partial hug.
They walked through the room, holding hands and smiling at them all, making everyone slightly uncomfortable
"What's got you in such a good mood?" Grace asked them, wanting to gag at their googly-eyed expressions at each other
George shrugged, the grin plastered to his face, "I'm just happy - happy my girls are here, and my son, and my grandkids -" looking around the room at all his family before turning to look at her again. Kathleen patted his chest about to say something, when the door swung open.
"Oh please tell me you're not going back to ground zero!" A gruff voice asked, standing like a statue in the middle of the frame; her facial expression tight and unemotional.
Taking her hand off of her soon-to-be-husband, Kathleen swallowed roughly and squeaked out, "Mom?"
"Is the tie too much? I feel like it's too much -'' He pondered, going back and forth between the bookshelf and the sofa where various shirts were splayed out and two ties were draped upside down. Picking up one of them - a blue tie with a striped pattern he hadn't worn since Margaret and Shakur adopted him - he put it to his neck, cocking a brow, "what do you think? One slap for yes, and two for no?"
She gurgled at him, her two-teeth grin showing as she struggled to maneuver around the playpen without stumbling and falling on her bottom. Slapping it with her tiny hand three times, she reached out for him, letting her death grip go and fumbling straight down. "What was that?" He comforted her whimpers, reaching in to put her back to her previous position as he swiped a tear from her cheek and handed her a teething toy so he could go back to his task.
"Hi!" Emma squeaked at him, letting the drool dribble from her chin with the toy clutched between her fingers. He turned around, lip tipping up at her before reaching in. "Hi!" She said again, squinting while her saliva laced fingers grabbed at his nose.
"Hi!" Ricky played along, beaming at the pure love his child radiated to everyone around them.
Amy smiled tiredly, rubbing her eyes, "I love you..."
Brushing her forehead with his lips, he chuckled softly, "I love you too. Now... goodnight mommy, we'll be here when you wake up" She glanced hesitantly one more time before giving a small nod and shifting in the bed, careful of their son's sleeping body lying crookedly into her side.
It took probably another minute before she was out and they were alone. The room became quiet as the hustle and bustle of the hospital died down: no longer having to worry about nurses and doctors coming in at various intervals of the night to check up on her, or relay information pertaining to their daughter. Because she was there. They had finally made their way over the hurdle: their little one was coming home.
He stared at them for another minute, admiring how blessed he was to have Amy in his life; to have them in his life. A small little hiccup brought his attention down, nestling the perfect little replica of her, in his arms. Ricky knew she'd favor Amy, he could tell by the ultrasounds - but of course he never told her that: too scared to bring it up in case the worst did happen. It wasn't until she was born, and he got to see her, that it was brought up. With the exception of maybe his ears, this little girl was her mother made over. John was more or less a little version of him, with Amy's hair. It astounded him that two children, created by the same two people, could look so different from each other - yet here they were.
The sleeping angel's eyes were closed in slumber, but it didn't stop the little hiccups from continuing; her little fingers flexing against his hand placed on her body. His lip tipped up with genuine admiration: amazed that someone so small could make him feel so much. The guy who never saw himself as anything other than a punching bag not worthy of anyone's time, let alone love. Yet, here they were: his heart swelling so much it felt like it was going to burst just by one tiny little hand gripping his finger. It was a feeling he never wanted to end. He thought people were crazy when they said a baby will change you: it wasn't until he saw John's face for the first time that he understood what they meant. He did change. In that singular moment when his brown eyes laid sight on his son's scrunched up face, he felt it; that love he was deprived of; that was stolen from him. It only grew with each day that passed by until it completely encompassed him, and made him realize that he was capable of being better; of being good for someone. Unfortunately there were roadblocks, but had it not been for them, he may not have been at that moment. If things had gone differently, if his feelings for Amy never would have grown and blossomed, they wouldn't be where they are, and this adorable little girl wouldn't be his. The thought brought a tear to his eye, as she started to stir.
Bouncing her gently, he made shushing noises with his mouth and began to pace a few times before pausing at the curtains: taking in the gentle comfort of the moonlight while his ears heard the soft snores of their overtired toddler across the room.
Exploring his face with her hand, Emma babbled excitedly, so incoherent that adding the raspberries she was blowing, made it near impossible to distinguish any of it. Ricky chuckled, putting his palm to her cheek, "Hey, no matter what happens with me and mommy... I love you, okay?" Kissing her other cheek, he smiled as she giggled at him, playfully trying to eat her fingers that were against his lips before widening his eyes and scrunching his fingertips to tickle her tummy. She squealed twice at the sight of them, swatting against them.
There was a hard knock on the door, ending their game. Giving Emma another kiss on the cheek, Ricky hiked her further up his hip as he went to see who wanted their attention. One twist of the knob made the old wood creak and their visitor visible. It took all of two seconds before the little girl squealed again and held out her hand. "Who's that?" His voice was pitched, following his daughter's wide eyes.
Nora stepped forward, "One support system at your service!" Immediately taking the baby into her grasp.
He cocked a brow at his mother, skeptically, "Really? Or did you just come all the way over here for more Emma time?" Pursing her lips, she cut her eyes down, caught. Smirking, he shrugged and closed the door, "I'll take it."
-"C'mon, mommy, l-ets go pway!" He tugged on her dress, impatient to her scolds for him to 'wait a minute' while she spoke with his grandpa. Robbie was next to him, sneaking his hand out to tag him when they got the go-ahead to take off.
Leaning against the door, she shook her head, "I can't believe this. Ricky is so immature, you know."
"Not here." George stated roughly, aggravation laced in his tone.
"You're the one who wanted me to stay as far away from him as possible - guess I should have listened, huh?" Amy's look was smug, eyes hardened at him as he seemed to stare off into the distance.
"Mommyyyy..." John was growing more impatient, tugging harder on her dress before moving to her hand.
George glanced down at his grandson, seeing the hurt in his eyes each time she pulled away. Sighing, "Ames - "
Spinning on her heels, she pointed a finger at him and fumed, "How can you defend him? You're MY dad, you're supposed to be on MY side!"
Pushing away from the car, "This isn't on me, or Ricky for that matter - this is on you!" He pointed his finger at her, his voice lowering upon seeing John's face, "Amy, I love you, but you made the choice to leave - now it's time to face the consequences of that choice." George saw her gulp back emotion, and wipe a tear from her eye. He hated hurting her, but she needed to hear the truth, no matter how she felt about it. She was wrong and she knew it.
Taking John by the hand, the smile came back to his face, "Come on little man, let's go chase Robbie around."
"Unbelievable" He huffed, blowing air from his cheeks as he looked at his watch and then up to the ceiling.
She chuckled lightly across from him, "She'll be here - she probably ran into that horrible traffic," balancing the squirmy infant on her knees as she banged her tiny hands on the dark wood, "plus the guy isn't even here yet. Chill out."
The door across the room creaked slightly, gaining their attention, and quickly losing it when she stepped through. Glancing around, she furrowed her brow at him, "I thought you said two?"
Ricky rolled his eyes at her, "He's running late." Cocking his head, "What, need time to gather your friends? Maybe grab the laptop this time too?" He was being smug, pressing his tongue into his cheek at her scoff and unpleasant eye roll. Nora glanced between them both, confused by his blatant dig.
Ignoring him, and his snide remarks, Amy set her sights on the infant bouncing ferocious atop her ex-mother-in-laws lap. "Hiiii, Peanut!" She cooed, excitedly, earning a half grin with a snort and small squeal, flexing her fingers. Smiling, "C'mere" she opened and closed her palms quickly, accepting the eager little girl from Nora's arms with ease.
His lip couldn't help but tip up at the sight, swallowing roughly at the lump starting to form in his throat; a rush of emotion shooting through him at the way their daughter lit up and cackled when Amy showered her in ticklish kisses.
It felt nice.
It felt normal again.
"Yeah, I know -" The middle aged man chuckled, taking hold of the coffee pot, "I know, I know -" pouring it slowly into the Styrofoam cup on the counter. "Listen, I'm running late to my next appointment - the teenage parents" He chuckled again, shifting the folder under his arm, "Yeah, me too - I've got to go, but I'll see you at dinner?" Cocking his brow at the noise coming from the room, he moved the cup to his other hand and touched the knob, absent-mindedly pushing it open, "So sorry my last appointment ran a little late -" Not at all expecting to see four individuals - one of them an older woman, the other an infant who looked much younger, and different than that of the child they were previously there for.
Catching the sight of the man's wide-eyed stare, Amy momentarily paused their game, taking in a shaky breath as the embarrassment and the feeling of judgment basked over her like a dark cloud. She glanced over at Ricky for a split second before putting her attention back on the baby: covering her eyes with her palms, "where's Emma?" And then pulling them off, whispering, "there she is!" Causing Emma to giggle.
Taking a few steps into the room, the mediator cleared his throat, taking a seat, "should we get started?"
Ricky sat up quickly, nodding as he gave his mother a hard look, "Yeah, of course - Mom -"
Putting her hand up, Nora swooped the baby up, half expecting the little whimper whines she let out being taken from her mother.
Amy stood up, stroking Emma's fist with her thumb soothingly and kissing it, scratching her left brow with the tip of her thumb nail, "My dad's across the street with John and Robbie..."
Nodding silently, Nora adjusted the baby better in her grasp, giving them both a small smile while taking her hand and moving it to wave at them, "We'll see you guys later"
They both smiled at her, cutting their eyes for a brief second to each other before they walked out the door.
Blowing out a breath, Amy took a slow descent onto the chair, ready for the inevitable.
Lowering his glasses, Geoffrey, the mediator, opened a manilla folder, "When Reuban called me to take this case... it seems he left out a few things..." He trailed off, thumbing through the folder of documents, before raising his head, "A lot to unpack here. So who wants to fill me in? I believe the last time we spoke, it was about your mother interfering in your prior custodial arrangement, no?"
They looked across at each other, Ricky's gaze lowered as he fiddled with his fingers, nervous. Running his palms along the black denim of his jeans, he inhaled deeply, fighting back the tears threatening to come to his eyes. "We - Amy and I - started dating shortly after John's 1st birthday -" He answered, with a slight edge to his voice, "we moved in together when John was two..." Swallowing, He glanced over at Amy, a small little tip of the lip as he continued, "Right before I went to college, we got engaged... a few months later she - we - had our daughter... then she graduated and left for New York..." Her sharp inhale of surprise at him, drove his frustration to start showing as he bitterly remarked, "thus why we're sitting here today."
It was silent, Amy's eyes locked on him as he avoided them. It was too painful for him to see the tears brimming in them. He had to remain strong; this wasn't a fight he could afford to lose, or compromise on. The stakes were much too high.
Grasping a document, Geoffrey pursed his lips, "A marriage license? You two got married?"
They both nodded slowly, Ricky threading his fingers together atop the table, "But the guy who married us lost his license - making our marriage null and void -" cocking his head at her with a venom in his tone, "Right Amy?" He watched her swallow the pain, subtly biting the very brim of her bottom lip to keep it from wobbling. A speckle of guilt made him sigh, but kept the glare he had on her.
Looking between the two of them, the mediator nodded, pushing his glasses up, "I see... and the youngest child - how old is she?"
"8 and a half months" They answered in unison
Amy sniffled, moving some hair away from her face before looking down on her hands: still not used to seeing her bare ring finger, "She was born 7 weeks early... that's why she's so tiny..." The last part of her sentence came out small; a weak little mumble under her breath. Ricky caught it, the icy glare he held on her, softening just a tiny bit.
Geoffrey could sense the tension between the two young parents, lightly tapping the table with his palm to cut through, "So the reason you're both here is essentially because you have decided to part ways, and are unable to properly devise a co-parenting plan sustainable both your schedules, correct?"
They nodded robotically again. Ricky's palms flattened out on the table, as he snapped, "They live with me! I take care of them!" Pointing angrily in her direction, "She lives in New York - how is there a way to co-parent around that?"
"Weeeee!" She shrieked, extending her arms further outward to make more contact with the swing; Emma's high pitched squeals filling the slightly sticky August air. Glancing over at him, "They've been up there awhile -"
George opened his mouth to speak, but was cut off by the squirrelly shrill of their grandson's insistence of paying more attention to him, "H-wigh-er granpa!"
Shrugging as he did what he was asked, he didn't seem too concerned; half-looking up towards the building across the street, "Neither one has stormed out yet - I'd say things must be going relatively well"
Nora followed his glance, giving it a sad look, "I hope so..."
Little did they know it was not.
It started off with awkward stares and scoffs - both of them reacting to the other's digs or taunts - until she said something that riled him, and it all went downhill.
With each passing second they were in there, it became more heated between them; both dishing their frustration, and anger towards each other, and their situation, at the mediator.
He was sitting there, eyes-widening with each new shout one of them made. It was nothing like it was the last time. There was more to lose now than there was then.
Ricky was circling around his chair, shaking his head with his hands on his hips, "Why don't you just admit that this was your plan all along? You knew what this was going to do to us! To them!"
Amy had her arms crossed, also standing, pacing on the other side of the table, "No! Because it wasn't - and you know it! You know what happened - why I had to go - it has nothing to do with not wanting to be there for our kids!" She took a shaky breath, wiping the tears from her eyes, "I would never intentionally leave them... I'm their mother... They're my babies..." Her voice was cracking, fighting back breaking into sobs, "... I love them..."
It should have pierced him; made Ricky feel guilty, and want to wrap her up in his embrace, kiss her and tell her he loved her. And had it been 3 months ago, it would have.
But now? Now it just made him angry. Angry that Amy was trying to con everyone into believing her sob story, like it was a freaking game they were playing.
Ricky's head snapped up to look at her, his voice rough as he growled through partially clenched teeth, "You're not there at night when John wants you to tuck him in! You're not there for bath time, or morning breakfast! You don't have to hear John ask 'where's mommy', or 'when is mommy coming home', almost every day while he eats his dinner! You don't have to comfort his cries because you forgot to call him again after 3 days of not calling! And you don't see his face whenever he calls or video chats and you abruptly have to end it because you're too busy with whatever!" He was fuming, neck veins distended as he continued, his hands flailing in the air as he shouted.
Pausing, he looked down at the table, avoiding her eyes that were no doubt full of anger and pain. He knew because his were too; fighting back his own tears from spilling as he pressed his fingertips against the wood, "...So you don't get to sit here and spew out those words anymore because you don't even know what they mean!" The emotions were ravaging through him, the tears losing their hold and cascading down his face.
It was silent in the room, nobody speaking.
Ricky cleared his throat, swiping his cheeks with his palm, "I -" breathing deeply, "I can't do this right now," Turning on his heels, he stormed out of the room, slamming the door roughly behind him. Leaving her staring with disbelief.
Geoffrey turned to her, a look she couldn't place on his face, "Let's give him a minute."
Pacing back and forth by the elevator with his hands bracing the back of his neck, Ricky raved under his breath; fighting himself from going back into the room, and ripping into her, or just walking away entirely, taking their kids, and going back to the safety net of the apartment. But if he did that, he'd be seen as a coward who needed anger management. It could actually hurt his case more than help it.
The elevator dinged, and when the door opened, he blew a breath from his cheeks, glanced behind him at the still closed door, and stepped on to it.
Bracing his arms across his chest, he watched Anne touch her shoulder. She had just offered to bake John's first birthday cake for them. Giving a silent nod, his eyes shifted to her, "What do you wanna do?" Watching with soft eyes as she pursed her lips and started slowly shuffling her feet. "We're in this together. Your mom can bake the cake if you want, and you and I can plan the party together... what do you say?" She stared at him for a few seconds, and he could tell she was trying hard not to break. Even though she did the right thing, he couldn't deny that doing it was hurting her. They were young, and trying to navigate the world - the last thing they needed was a bitter fight over the one thing that brought them together: John.
Amy took a shaky breath, and nodded slowly, "okay, yeah... um let's do that..."
He couldn't stop the smile that came to his face, "Really?" She nodded again. "Okay, great, let's get to it!"
She turned on her heels, exhaling deeply as she reached for the door. Without much thought, his feet stepped forward, opening it for and ushering her though with his hand. They were both silent, the walk to the elevator slightly more awkward than he'd expected. But this was the first step in their new dynamic. The first of many silent awkward encounters now that he had essentially won the battle that she had lost.
He turned to her, swallowing back the lump of guilt he felt seeing her eyes start to well up with tears. "Amy, I-"
Sniffling, she closed her eyes and put up her hand, "No... I'm fine..." She was crying now, choking on her tears, "it- it w-was t-t-he right decision..."
Without pause, he shifted his feet and engulfed her into an embrace. She was so caught off guard that she didn't return it, until he heard her sigh and felt her arms wrap around his shoulders. She was still crying, the soft whimpers barely audible against his purple long-sleeved shirt. "I'm sorry, Amy..." He whispered into her hair, giving it a gentle peck; feeling a spark he'd never felt before. She must have felt it too because as soon as they heard the elevator ding, they broke apart - their stares matching as he searched her eyes, and she searched his for any kind of hint as to what they both were feeling.
Stepping off first, she swiped at her cheeks, mumbling a small "I'll see you tonight when you come read to John?"
Overjoyed that this encounter hadn't ruined their already very fragile friendship/co parent relationship, his lip tipped up, nodding quickly, "Yeah, of course." Biting her bottom lip, she turned and walked away, meeting her parents by the front doors.
Once the door closed again, he broke down. Banging an open palm forcefully against a poster about the dangers of alcohol. "Ughhhh!" Ricky screamed, letting the tears fall from his eyes as he continued the assault, before slowly starting to slide to the ground, covering his mouth with his hand.
Coming back into the room, his temper cooled, lowering his tone, but refusing to look directly at her.
"Welcome back. Should we continue?" Shifting in the chair, Geoffrey tapped the edge of his glasses on the table, pursing his lips.
Amy was standing with her back turned to him, fiddling with her phone. Ricky took a deep breath, "I don't want to fight, okay? I want us to work this out like adults." Taking a few steps forward, "But I will not sit here and listen to you trying to spin the story to make yourself look like the victim..." She turned around, glaring at him with so much hatred, it nearly took his breath away.
His temper was rising again, clenching his fists to alleviate some of the rage, "Not when I've been busting my ass day after day on hardly any sleep because I'm there for our kids every single day! I'm there for breakfast, I'm there for dinner. I give them their baths, I read their stories, and I put them to bed. And I even wake up with them 2 or 3 times a night whenever our daughter screams her head off, or our son thinks there is a monster under his bed!" He closed his eyes, "... I'm there for it all. And you're not... And I'm done being the scapegoat for you. I'm done hiding the truth because it might make you look bad... I'm done, Amy..."
Amy opened her mouth to speak, raising her finger in the air to rebuttal, but the mediator also put his hand up to stop her, "Please, Amy, allow Ricky to finish and then you can say your piece."
Taking another longer, deeper, breath Ricky continued, fighting back both anger and pain, "I am not the bad guy here. You left the best thing you ever had. You left our kids behind... and for what, Amy?" His voice was cracking, "Were we not enough for you? That you had to plan to leave with your mother? That you lied to my face for weeks - saying you loved me... when you knew our marriage was a sham and all of it was a lie? Huh? Did you think I'd never catch on and you'd have validation once you packed your bags because you felt unneeded? Like your life would be better if you didn't have to face reality and could just live in a fantasy world?" His teeth were clenched again, unable to hold back, "... you're not the victim in this story, Amy... John and Emma are. They are the victims of your abandonment. Not you - them!" Taking a seat, he buried his head in his hands, letting the emotion wash over him.
"Amy... would you like to say something?"
She was crying, silently choking back tears before breaking and starting to loudly sniffle, shaking her head.
Geoffrey pursed his lips again, folding his hands together atop the table, "Well I see there are a lot of emotions here. Let's all just take a couple of minutes... before I make my recommendation... okay?"
"What are you doing here?" She sniffled, frowning at the sound of his footsteps inching closer, "Come to gloat?" He stayed silent, which only fueled her rage at him, "Well, congratulations... you got what you wanted!"
He sighed, taking a seat on the ground by the tree, next to her, "I didn't want this, Amy. You know I didn't want any of this! I would like nothing else than to rip up these papers and for us to go back to life as a family -" he paused, biting his bottom lip as he mumbled, "...but you walked out, so..."
"Is that what you tell yourself to make it sound better?" Amy fumed, rising to stand to get away from him, "I'm always the bad guy, right? The horrible mom who just abandoned her kids, huh?" Her eyes were wild, "That I chose to leave?" Pacing into a small patch of grass, "...not that I had to go because we were crumbling, and dragging our precious kids down with us!"
Ricky rose to stand too, "And what exactly do you call this, Amy? Me telling John and Emma, night after night, that everything will be okay as they cry for mommy?" His eyes were getting glassy, rolling the papers in his hand and shoving them into his back pocket, "It kills me, Amy... but you don't want to hear that... you want everyone to tell you how bad your life is, and what a shitty man I am, to make you justified in pursuing the life you always dreamed of having before you met me!" Taking a step closer, he caught her lip wobble, "You might be able to fool everyone else, but you can't fool me..." Taking a few more careful steps, "I know you - the real you - and I know that deep down inside this is hurting you so much that you feel like you can't breathe..." He sighed again, reaching a hand out towards her, "And that this isn't entirely your choice; your mom has such a grip on you that you're blinded by it: the promise that you can have it all if you just listen to her..."
Recoiling, she shoved his hand away, scowling, "Leave my mom out of this!"
"... but it backfired now, didn't it?"
The lilt in his tone at that statement was enough to cause a different kind of pain to pierce her chest. This one a dull ache. Something about the way his lip twitched, sent her into a rage as she stepped closer to him, "You know what? Fuck you! Unlike you, my mom actually sees the potential in me to be more than just a doormat wife and a mother! She actually wants me to succeed!" Pointing a finger in his direction, "You - you just want me to stay trapped here, popping out your babies while we maneuver around acting like we love each other!"
Ricky couldn't stop the rough scoff that escaped his throat, "You're ridiculous, you know that?" A mixture of amusement and irritation lacing into his features, "You got into my college, remember? After weeks of sleep deprivation and exhaustion, night after night, doing your work that you neglected - just so YOU could graduate!" His temper was rising, cracking his knuckles as he too started to pace, "Where was your mom? Where was she when we had to keep each other awake to finish a book report, or we were hopped up on coffee, bouncing our baby back and forth so we could actually get something done? Huh? Where was Anne, Amy?" Teeth clenched, "She never even called you once to ask how you were doing - you know why? Because she doesn't care unless it benefits her!" Taking a step back, he put his gaze on the ground, kicking a rock around with the tip of his shoe, "... And you're starting to act just like her..." The last part mumbled lowly under his breath, but no so low that she didn't hear it.
Amy's eyes enlarged, huffing with her hands pressed firmly on her hips, "So what, I'm a shitty mom now?"
"I didn't say that -"
"No, because Mr. Perfect would never utter such a phrase, right?" She raised a brow, spinning on her boot heel as she continued to mock him, " Mr. Perfect is the ultimate super dad, who everyone just adores because he overcame a troubled past..." She clasped her hands together, pitching her voice the way she often did when she was entertaining Emma; adding another layer to the dig, "... He does no wrong, and everyone loves him - because he's just so fucking perfect!"
Shaking his head, he'd had enough of her taunts, "Hey don't project your feelings onto me by calling me names! I never said you were a bad mom! But you sure as hell aren't acting like a very great one right now..."
Getting close enough to touch him, she slammed her hands into his chest, yelling, "You're an asshole and I hate you!" He grabbed her, pinning her to him as she continued her assault through sobs. "I hate you!" She lied through her teeth, trying to wrangle herself free, "I hate you!" Before she broke, "I -", and started to wither against him. His arms held her up, knowing that if he moved an inch, she would drop to the grass.
After a minute of weeping against his button down, Amy looked up at him, not at all expecting for him to be doing the same to her. Ricky grabbed her hand, staring deeply into her dark eyes, searching for any sort of feeling. Her eyes matched his, before she went in for a kiss.
It was short, her lips bushing his for a brief second before she pulled back, wide eyed. She was about to say something when he let go of her arm and matched his lips with hers, soft and careful before she applied more pressure but then abruptly pulled away. He was confused, watching as she buried her face into her hands.
"Does... does your boyfriend know you're here?" He asked, taking a couple of slow steps away: giving her space.
She sniffled, and shook her head, "... He doesn't need to know..." Putting her sights on him, and asking with an accusatory tone, "Does Clementine know you're here?" His rough swallow, and the guilt in his eyes at the mention of her name told her that he wasn't filled in that she knew. "Yeah... I know - John told me... nothing to worry about, huh?" She replied smugly.
Shaking his head quickly, he stepped forward, "It's not like that - we're not - I mean we haven't - No... and she doesn't need to know either because it's none of her business." Ricky took a deep breath, removing the papers from his back pocket, "We're talking about us - what these papers mean going forward -"
"What do they mean?" Circling a patch of dead grass with her arms tightly crossed into her chest, "They mean that you won... John and Emma will continue to live with you, and I'll get to see them whenever I come into town..." Amy's voice cracked, "I won't get to take them to New York. I won't get to show them the room for them in the apartment..." getting more shaky, "I won't get to take John to school... or take walks around Central Park with Emma: watching as the leaves change colors and fall to the sidewalk." Pausing, she bit her lip, "You get to continue to eat meals with them, and read bedtime stories about fairytales... while I'm 3000 miles away - watching them grow up through short visits and a fucking screen!" She was crying now, "That's what those stupid papers mean, Ricky!"
Feeling that same familiar pain, he sighed and engulfed her into another embrace. This one she didn't fight as he whispered into her hair, "Hey... I'm sorry -" and kissed it gently, letting her fall apart in his arms again. With a hard sniffle, she composed herself and took a step back. His arms falling to his sides, "Ames, you can still do some of that stuff - I'm going to bring them to New York whenever I can... you'll still get to see them, I promise, they're not going anywhere... we're still here." She stayed silent, refusing to look at him and turning her back. He sighed again, "I'll talk to Bunny, see if I can work something out where I can take them to New York for a week in the summer, or stay a few days and let you take them a couple weeks - we will work this out."
She felt Ricky put his right hand on her shoulder, fingertips lightly squeezing like they always did. The gesture was too much, causing her to whimper, "But it'll never be like it was! It'll never be us - " Amy choked, covering her face with her hands, a broken, "... is it too late?" falling from her quivering lip.
Taken aback, his hand fell, "Too late for what?"
Through her tears, she managed to squeak out, "Us..." before breaking down again.
Seeing her in this much pain, was slowly killing Ricky. "... Is there an 'us' anymore, Amy?" Choking back his own wave of emotions from pulling him under as he looked up with glassy eyes, "Could there - after everything that's happened..."
Wiping her cheeks, she coughed lowly, avoiding his piercing gaze as she turned to walk away, "Forget I said anything - it was stupid -"
Grabbing at her arm gently, voice soft. "No, it wasn't." His breath was shaky, feeling that all too familiar spark just by touching her. "Amy, I can't uproot my life to follow you to New York..." fingertips grazing the spot right above her elbow, drawing her eyes to his, "...but I'm willing to fight for you - for us -" She could only gaze for a second before swallowing roughly and crying into her hands again. Repeating his previous action, he wrapped his arms around her again - the most physical contact they had had since she left. "Don't cry... please don't cry. I don't want to hurt you, Amy, or your relationship with our children. I don't." Ricky pleaded, covering his face with his left palm as he too started to tear up, squeezing her closer to him, "But I have to protect them... I have to prevent them from becoming broken... like I am..."
It was like her breath had been stolen; snatched in the cruelest way as she fought through the wails wrenching their way from her throat. The nurse looked at her, a sadness in her eyes as she uttered those gut-wrenching words - "I'm sorry sweetheart, we can't find a heartbeat..." That woman would never know how badly those words shattered her; the images of what could have been, ripping into her so hard it felt as though her heart was literally ripped from her chest; Left to die in a puddle of her own pain as they shut off the machine, and walked out of the room - like it was just another day. Not caring that she was dying slowly on that table. Not caring that she had to hold a secret so heart wrenching, that it was going to kill her. Having to tell him, was going to break her in ways she didn't know she could be broken.
Still in his arms, Amy started to whimper at the memory, breathing in his scent and gripping him tighter. Ricky swallowed, half expecting her to hit him when she removed her hand from his shirt: their faces just mere inches from each other. Without another thought, he leaned in and closed the gap; brushing her lips with his, his hand going to her cheek before he pulled away, a look of guilt in his eyes. Her eyes locked on his, her brow furrowed in confusion.
They had both wanted this - so why was it so hard to admit without pulling away?
His gaze was harsh, but the way his lips parted slowly let her know he wouldn't stop her when she tugged at his hair to bring his face down to hers. He sighed into the kiss; tightening his grip around her waist, his fingers moving quickly to her hips and back around her again.
Slow and passionate turned quickly to sloppy and needy, pawing at each other against the tree he had her pinned to, taking her moans in as she pushed her chest deeper into his.
"Amy... we can't-'' Ricky stated a minute later, partially out of breath, stilling his hands on her waist. With a smirk she reached back, tugging at his curls again, and eliciting a low moan. Gulping back another, "No... I mean we - we really can't do this - not out here anyway..."
The giggle that escaped her lips, made him smirk, as Amy attacked his lips again, breaking only to mumble while half pointing towards the parking lot, "My car-" He nodded, not wanting to break their heavy make-out session.
The clouds were starting to roll in, the humid charge in the air becoming slightly cooler as little sprinkles of rain descended from the sky.
She giggled again, following his lead as they continued to paw at each other while walking backwards until they bumped the front bumper of the orange SUV. Without a word, Ricky picked her up by her waist plopping her on top of the hood, lips immediately going to work on her neck. Amy moaned into his ear, tugging on his belt and spreading her legs, closing the space between them.
The impending storm was starting, the breezy misting of rain turning cold as it started to pelt them.
She shrieked, aimlessly fumbling for her keys while trying to shield herself. Finally getting the pesky thing to unlock, he smirked against her neck, allowing her legs to wrap around his as he walked them both to the passenger side of her car, and awkwardly climbed inside - her straddling his lap, both damp from the rain.
Not wanting to speak, and ruin what they had started, she shifted her weight and brought his lips to hers again; both of their breathing deepened out of need, instead of anger.
Feverishly running his hands up and down her outer thighs, he let out a low moan as she went to work, quick with the buttons of his shirt. Her cheeks flushed upon feeling his still toned chest, running her fingers over each abdominal muscle; the spark of her fingertips brushing his skin causing him to groan into her mouth. Moving lower, she felt him getting harder with each kiss, and quickly undid his belt, and unbuttoned his dress pants, scooting further back against the dash to tug them down. He released a relieved breath into her mouth as they were like fire, melting into his sweaty skin.
Her dress was next, his hands managing to bunch it up at the waist; fingertips pressing into the curve of her hips as the friction built with her moving around on his lap, before she broke their kiss and crossed her arms over her body to remove it entirely - exposing her matching ensemble of black lace to him. He gulped back a low moan, his eyes ravaging her body with lust, ready to bury himself inside of her.
Once her dress was removed, Ricky's hand stilled in the middle of her bra, his eyes cutting up to hers to avoid seeing her hardened nipples, "Wait -" She cocked her head in confusion at his pause. The rain pelting the windshield muffled his husky whisper, "Are you sure? This could... complicate things..."
"I doubt anything could get more complicated..." admitted Amy, shifting her hips to roll the black lace underwear she was wearing, lower. His eyes were clouded, dark with desire; the hand that wasn't resting between her breasts, caressing her bare thigh. Her nails caressed the five o'clock shadow on his face, biting her lower lip at how the stumble made him look older and sexier, voice thick, exhaling as she drove her chest deeper into his, "...I need you, Ricky..."
That was all he needed to hear.
They knew it wasn't the smartest decision: None of their issues had been resolved, and she was more than likely just needing him for comfort given the events of the last few days... but he needed her. She needed him. They needed each other - both infuriatingly so in the tiny confines of her car.
Nodding vigorously, Ricky connected his lips to hers again, pushing his tongue through, as she tugged at his curls. Moving the seat further back to give them more room, he helped lift her hips; both sharing a relieved moan as Amy lowered herself down onto him. It took her a minute to adjust - ever since having their daughter, it was normal for Amy to delay movement, being able to be comfortable before she started moving her hips in slow circles.
Worried that the time they spent apart would affect how they would be together quickly went out the fogged up window as the moans and panting filled the dark car.
Breaking for air, he brought his lips to the curve of her neck, sucking gently at the tender skin, reveling in the way it turned pink and created a cluster of markings that disappeared within a few seconds.
"A-Amy", One rough tug of his hair, sent him into overdrive, cupping her butt and pushing deeper inside her: lifting his hips to meet her thrusts.
Her eyes widened, "Unh!" Folding her arms around his neck to support her weight when he shifted her hips to find the spot that would have her screaming his name within seconds. "Ric - ohhh - mmm -" Amy's eyes screwed shut, movements becoming slower, as he picked up the pace. Thrusting faster, Ricky's hands moved feverishly all over her, encouraged by her moaning into his shoulder as he felt her release, her nails clamping into his skin, and tightening all around him.
Sucking at the thin layer of sweat on her collarbone, a low sound ripped through him, filling her with every drop of him, literally and metaphorically: riding out their highs together - panting, moaning, messy and them.
"It's just a little thunder - it's not going to hurt you, Johnny" George comforted, running his palm over his grandson's head, reassuringly. Beside him, his granddaughter was busy flipping over the bowl of her dinner, bringing the messy sting of chopped up spaghetti to her mouth with a snort.
The storm wasn't letting up, the rain coming in a downpour while the lightning lit up the sky. Nora was watching from the window, mesmerized by the crackling of each flash.
"Daddy, I'm - scawred!" Robbie cried, covering his ears with his palms, glancing over to his nephew who held the same expression.
John nodded, puckering his lip, as another crash of thunder shook the apartment, "me too! I want my daddy!"
The thunder was booming, aiding in the ecstasy exploding inside the car. His breath was hot on her neck; his lungs burning, begging for air as he braced the center console to pump faster and harder into her.
The storm only added to their continuous desire for each other; not wanting to be apart as lightning crackled, and the rain pounded against the roof. They needed every ounce of each other; never wanting it to end because the passion brought them to a new level. A new beginning.
So when she nudged his neck with her nose and trailed kisses down his jaw after they'd laid in a panting mess the first round, they both knew where it was going.
Now here they were, sweltering in sweat from the late August heat, making love to each other again.
The dim blue lights around various parts of the car, giving her an errotic glow as she laid against the seat; his shirt keeping her back from sticking to the hot leather.
Her eyes rolled back, spreading her legs further to give him more space, and nearly losing it when he used that space to slide his hand between them, rubbing her sensitive bud of nerves in a tantalizing circle motion with his thumb. His lips drinking in her moans as her head fell back against the seat, and her chest heaved against his. Dragging her bottom lip with his teeth, her fingers deep inside his damp hair, panting heavily when his lips trailed down her chest, and teased her breasts; sucking the exposed skin before removing his hand from under her, and using it to tug her bra down just enough to expose her left hardened nipple to him, which he greedily flicked with his tongue, and bit gently.
"Ri- Rickyyy!" Amy's moans were uncontrollable at that point, grinding against him while her hands scraped down his bare back, no doubt leaving marks.
Her sounds encouraged Ricky, loving how she responded to his touch, and his tongue, and his body with her deep chants of his name with each flex of his hips grinding deeper into her. The pleasure was building at the base of his spine, struggling to keep from collapsing as he pushed forward, using every last ounce of strength he had to pound into her faster and harder: his knuckles turning white from the pressure his grip had on the center console, before his eyes screwed shut, and his mouth went agape against her chest, gulping for air as he came. She was squeezing and clamping all around him, biting her lip to keep from screaming as his thrusts became slow and sloppy before he collapsed on top of her: barely able to hear her fierce panting as she too tried to catch her breath, over his heartbeat pounding into his ears.
Finding breath to speak after several minutes of panting and deep exhales, he finally mustered enough strength to remove himself from her, his lip tipping up into a small smirk at her whimper.
Once he was officially out of her, Amy closed her legs hesitantly, still feeling some of the effect of her high, "That... was..." she gulped again
Ricky nodded quickly, his chest heaving up and down to replenish the air his lungs desperately craved, "...Yeah"
"I can't believe we just did that!" She half-giggled, pushing her bra to cover her chest, brushing her lips to his
He smirked, a light chuckle escaping his lips as he pushed some hair behind her ear, "I can't believe we did it twice!" She giggled again, gathering her underwear, and scooting down to rest her head on his chest, tracing his left pec with the tip of her forefinger: his racing heartbeat making her eyes flutter.
They stayed that way for several more minutes, listening to the storm start to dissipate outside; the wind chasing the leaves around the empty parking lot as the rain slowed to a steady drizzle.
Ricky's hand caressing her bare thigh, lost in thought as he stared at the dark panel of the cars roof, "... I think we should go to therapy... work on our issues -" his voice was soft, breaking the still peaceful silence with a kiss to her hair.
"Ricky..." Amy whispered hesitantly against his chest, not wanting the bliss to end over what they both knew.
'It doesn't even have to be Dr. Fields - we can go somewhere else -"
Removing her head from his chest, she pushed up on her elbows, sighing, "Ricky, I'm not - I'm going back to New York..."
Taken aback, he rose slightly, furrowing his brow, "But we just -"
She nodded, leaning up against the center console to look directly at him, "Yeah we did, and it was great. But I can't stay here just because we have great sex." Her voice lowered, along with her eyes, "We've always had great sex, and we'll probably always have great sex when, and if, we ever do it again - but... that's not enough." Exhaling shakily, she ran her hand over the other, feeling the hand vacant of the rings she so desperately missed, "We don't love each other anymore - not like we used to anyway..."
Looking away, his eyes got glassy, sucking in his bottom lip before shaking his head, "So that's just it then? I'm just some booty call for you whenever you need me?"
Amy's eyes widened in hurt, "Of course not! You know you're way more to me than that!"
"Do I?" Ricky shot back harshly, gathering his black jeans from the driver's side floorboard, and tugging them on hastily, avoiding her stare: knowing that if he saw those brown eyes boring into him, that they'd be back on that seat again. And as much as he wanted that closeness again, he knew it was too good to be true.
The storm outside was predicted; an experienced professional warning for days about it. What wasn't expected? The storm inside. The storm who held his heart and soul in her chocolate brown eyes and tender kisses. The storm that changed his whole world.
There was a reason storms were named after people: Destroying you in the most beautiful way possible... leaving behind a trail of destruction and devastation - much like people did.
Much like she did.
How she looked up at him from across the grass, and fumbled into the person in front of her. How she blushed softly against her palm at his lips grazing hers when she said her lips were dry. How she drove him so crazy, he barely got five thrusts in before spilling into her and creating their precious son. And how she made him see that although he didn't plan on his life going the direction it did - that it was okay, and that she loved him for him.
Loved him for the late night talks about whatever was on his mind. Loved him for the breakfasts in bed on lazy Sunday mornings when it was raining outside. Loved him for the way he cradled their children like they were the most fragile things in the world. Loved him in the quiet moments in their apartment, and the social interactions neither one of them enjoyed.
She uttered those words a million times, and he believed that she meant them... but did she really? Did she really even love him at all? Or was it just a ruse?
The storm picked up again, throwing rain in a frenzied disarray as the wind whipped violently. The perfect metaphor for how he was feeling: The rain all the emotions raging through him, as the storm continued her assault.
And her name was Amy Juergens.
It was silent again, both redressing the best they could: grabbing her dress from one of their children's car seats in the back seat, and pulling it back over her head.
The corner of his vision caught a glimpse of her re-dressing - the tight black fabric that covered her arms and stopped a few inches below her crotch, hugging her tighter since the last time she wore it. The night of his graduation.
Pushing the water bottle to his lips, he gulped quickly, sucking down as much liquid as he could to combat his burning lungs. She was under the sheet beside him, running her eyes up and down his body lustfully. Taking another large swallow, he put it on the nightstand, leaning down to trace a pattern into her bare back with his finger, before adding his lips in, making her giggle at the tickle down her spine.
They'd barely made it to the bed: pawing at each other from the moment they left the Grant High hallway, and only getting more hot and heavy when they made it to the shop. She'd managed to loosen the buttons on his dress shirt right when they got past the meat counter, so by the time they got up the stairs, his hands had pushed her dress off her shoulders and it hit the floor upon entering their apartment.
"You wore me out" Ricky smirked, gazing at her with genuine admiration.
Amy giggled again, a blush coming to her cheeks, shifting under the sheet to rest on her left elbow, and bringing his chin to hers to kiss him. Reciprocating, he smirked against her lips and placed his hands on her bare waist, rolling her over to lay on her back. She moaned into his mouth, feeling him brush against her under the sheet. If they kept kissing like that it wouldn't be very long before he'd be on top of her, and that didn't bother him at all, pushing his chest deeper into hers as the sheet slipped down a little and one of her breasts became visible. He broke away from her lips to start working on her neck; trailing down her jaw to her collarbone with slow, tantalizing, suction - making her breath hitch just the way he liked to hear it.
Normally they had to be quiet for the sake of John, so he wouldn't hear them and get curious about what they were doing. They couldn't risk scarring him for life if he happened to walk in on them. But having him out of the house only intensified their desire, reveling in the ability to be completely encompassed with each other without worry.
Ricky loved that he was the only one who would ever get to do this to her; make her moan and wither the way she did whenever they were together. The loving and lustful way she was all his. The ring on her finger her reminder.
Amy's phone chimed again - the 12th chime since they got in the door - making her sigh in annoyance. She didn't want to answer it, knowing it was probably just Madison or Lauren wanting to know if they were attending that stupid party at the Lake House, but there was a slight chance it also could have been her dad who was keeping John, so she grabbed it off the table. Gathering the sheet into her hand to shield her naked body, she glanced at her phone, a smile on her face as she caught sight of the ring glistening in the glow from the streetlight outside their window.
His eyes followed hers, reaching his fingers out to trace the stone on her finger before bringing her hand to his lips.
Her smile waned a little, dropping her phone on the sheet to caress his cheek with her palm, "did you know Adrian wants one last kiss from you?"
His lips paused from her hand, scoffing, "What? That's crazy, she does not!"
Nodding slowly, "Yes she does. It's all over school. She wants to kiss you in order to move on with this other guy. To be free from you" Amy scoffed, realizing how ridiculous it all sounded.
"Well she's just going to have to find another way. No way. I wouldn't do that to you." Ricky's eyes were soft, voice a little shaky
Meeting his gaze, she pursed her lips outward, "I think you should do it." He opened his mouth to speak, but her hand raise silenced him, "If this is the way for Adrian to move on and finally leave us, and our relationship alone, then I think you should do it."
He sighed - the last thing he wanted to talk about was his ex, while his fiancée was wrapped in their sheets, naked.
Noticing, she tilted her head and pouted her lips out, "besides..." She leaned back against his chest, "we have the rest of our lives together to laugh about how ridiculous all of this was." He kissed her again, tilting her chin up with his fingers.
Several minutes later, he watched as she re-hooked her bra and stood next to the chair, grabbing at the black long-sleeved dress that cut a few inches above her butt and had a white and black crisscross pattern on the bottom, lying lazily on the chair. It was one of the three she couldn't decide on wearing to the ceremony. It's slender black design clung to her, enlarging her breasts slightly as it rolled down to hug her hips and butt, enticing him when she bent forward. Removing himself from under the sheet, and putting his boxers back on, Ricky tiptoed behind her, giving her backside a gentle slap.
"Ricky!" Amy gasped, wide-eyed, touching the place where his hand probably left a mark.
He chuckled softly, reaching for the jeans he'd worn to school that day and pulling them on. Or trying to pull them on without hurting himself. Seeing her in that dress was causing him to get hard again. Always so horny for her. Just the way he liked it.
She was busy stomping her foot into one of her boots, as his arms wrapped around her waist, and his hand slowly started creeping below the hem of her dress - right at the sensitive part of her inner thigh - he was teasing her, adding in little nibbles to her neck to sweeten the deal and get her back to bed with him.
She knew his tricks, but couldn't help but stifle the moan from her throat at his game, stilling his hand with a rushed breath, and turning to face him. His brow was raised, a smirk on his lips thinking he'd won. "You should get dressed because a group full of noisy, judgmental people are waiting for us"
Lifting his eyes in mock excitement, "Can't wait!"
The tension was thick, Ricky's labored breathing now in anger instead of passion. Forcing the door open, he stomped out, into the rain as it began to pour again.
Furrowing her brow, Amy swung her hand out and grabbed his wrist, "It's pouring out - at least let me give you a ride home."
Pulling back, his features hardened as he growled, "You've done enough. You got what you wanted - I'll be fine!"
"You're going to get pneumonia out here! And I don't want to be the one to tell our kids that their dad died being a stubborn ass! Get back in the damn car!" She demanded, grasping onto the hem of his button down forcibly, her eyes angry slits. Blowing air from his cheeks, he begrudgingly got back inside, slamming the door and stewing in angry silence as she put the key into the ignition.
"Granpa... is daddy jus cumin ba-ack?" He squinted, lying down crookedly on his side across the sofa, rolling two hot wheels cars across the cushions.
"Of course he is Johnny Boy." George nodded, from the other side of the sofa, touching his leg and shaking it gently, "He's just running a little late is all" He glanced down at his lap, at his own son snoring peacefully against his legs, competing against the loud whimpery whines coming from his sleep deprived grandchild by the window.
Sighing, Nora jostled her, fighting against Emma's thrashing little arms trying to break free from her grasp, as she saw them pull up: her outbursts drowning out the gravel crunching as they pulled up to the sidewalk. From the way they both barely glanced at each other, and the way he stormed out, slamming the door behind him, things didn't look like they went very well. Turning on her heel, and shifting the baby from her left arm to her right, Nora opened her mouth to speak, but before she even got a word out - he pushed the door open.
"Daddy!" John greeted, instantly sitting up and scurrying off the sofa to attach himself to his legs.
Ricky's lip tipped up at him, running his palm over his hair with a brow slightly cocked at them, "Hey... um, why are you guys not in bed yet? Grandma?"
Removing his arms from around his dads legs, he grabbed his hand and looked up at him, "We- we jus wait-ed for you, daddy..."
"Well thank you, buddy. But it's time for bed - go pick out a book and I'll be there in a minute, okay?" Cocking his head, he nodded slowly. "Say goodnight to everyone"
With the flick of his wrist, the boy quickly ushered a mumble, "Good-night!" And scurried off into the room.
Waiting until he was completely out of earshot, Ricky expelled a long breath from his cheeks, "Amy is downstairs waiting for you." He stared at George, motioning towards the window. He didn't want a confrontation, or a lecture, and he must have figured that out because without a word, George nodded and gathered Robbie from the couch, giving a half hearted wave before exiting the apartment.
Able to avoid one judgmental gaze, he wasn't so lucky with the other; her eyes bearing down on him, making him shake his head and ask a loaded, "What?"
Emma whined into her grandmother's ear, flexing her little fingers towards him with a puckered bottom lip, "Speaking of Amy... how did things go?"
Whipping off his damp shirt, he made the 6 steps to the bathroom, her on his heels, "Fine - I guess"
Nora clicked her tongue at his wishy-washy response, sensing something else had happened, "Uh huh..."
He stopped in his tracks, growling under his breath, "Why don't you just say what you wanna say?"
Slightly taken aback by his change in tone, she took a step back, "Woah there. I hit a nerve, did I?" Bending her knees to get a better grip on her granddaughter determined to spring out of her grasp. Lips pursed, "Does someone regret sleeping with someone else?"
Ignoring her, Ricky took his baby, rolling his eyes as he sneered, "Funny -"
Crossing her arms over her chest, Nora's brow rose, pointing a finger into his chest, "That wasn't a denial, you did sleep with her!"
"Would you lower your voice! I don't need the whole world knowing!" He hissed through a rough whisper, pausing to rub his temples with his fingers before reluctantly admitting the obvious, "Yes, alright... Amy and I did have sex... in her car... after the hearing."
Silence took over: the 8-month-olds illegible babbled whimpers, the only thing filling the tentious air besides frustrated breathing.
"Are you going to tell John?" She asked quietly, breaking the silence.
His neck jolted in complete and utter disbelief that someone would ask him that - let alone his own mom, "What the -" forehead creasing in slight disgust at the thought, "Am I going to tell my three-year-old that his mom and I had sex? No. No I am not."
Brushing his misunderstanding of her words off, she couldn't help but chuckle under her breath, "Not like that! I meant that you and Amy are getting back together!"
Silence again, fidgeting with his daughter's hand on his chest; eyes low to avoid the hopefulness in hers. "No, because we aren't..." Ricky blew out a breath, jostling Emma in his arm as he kissed her forehead, "Amy has made that abundantly clear - it was just sex." She looked up at him with her watery green eyes; the little miniature version of the woman who tore his world apart, making him swallow back the lump in his throat.
"What about you?" Nora whispered, putting her hand on his forearm, her eyes filled with a softness as she glanced between her granddaughter and him, "Was it just sex to you?"
Unable to provide that answer in a rational manner, the wall of annoyance and anger came back up, his voice turning rough as he turned on his heels to storm away in order to avoid dealing with all the emotions bubbling up inside him, "Can we just drop it? I'm really tired and George's wedding is tomorrow. I just want to put my kids to bed and forget tonight ever happened!"
Man that was rough! I hope you all enjoyed this one! It's been awhile. The ride isn't over yet though, there is still much more to come for these two! Stay tuned... :P
