A/N: Set after chapter six when the Clancy family gets back from their family vacation :) Katie's breakup is still fresh, but she's doing alright so far. She's fifteen and things are still so complicated with Ned when he makes an appearance at her birthday party. Jim and Melinda are nuts for each other as usual and we can all see how Lana is gonna come soon (still a bit away though). Aaron is missing this chapter for baseball camp, but there's a surprise guest :) Enjoy! xx Mariah
Ages:
Faith - 76
Jim - 44
Melinda - 40
Ned - 18
Katie - 15
Aaron - 11
Mackenzie - 5
Katie was tired of listening to her friends gush about boys. She'd never admit that out loud though, for fear of persecution by them all. Her quiet and slightly stand-offish nature meant her group of friends was a small one, there were four of them. Including her.
She only had one best friend though, Hannah, and no one would ever take her spot. Ever. But she loved her friends, and she didn't think alienating herself over something they took so seriously was a good idea.
It wasn't that she never wanted to talk about boys. She did, sometimes, but she was still getting over Henry. And the latest boy drama was driving her a little insane. Ivy liked Oliver, who had seemed to like her back until he asked Lily out last week. And Katie felt bad and all, but it had been a week.
She had decided that, while boys were nice, she had less stressful ways to fill her time. She usually filled it with hanging out with her sister or poetry, and lots of homework. She did like going for coffee and movies with Hannah when she didn't have to work too.
But Ivy wasn't too happy about it. This was turning out to be a big fight between her and her friends. Ivy was asking them to pick sides and Hannah was lab partners with Oliver. And Katie always had Hannah's back. When they were little, someone had bullied Hannahin their preschool class and that's how they'd become friends.
Ivy had always wanted to play dress-up, and their other friend, Kaitlyn liked to dress up too. And while they both girls liked to dress up, but deep in heart, they were the adventure-type girls. They'd run around in the playground at school pretending that they were finding some impossible treasure.
It may or may not have had something to do with her father having always told them bedtime stories that involved girls going on grand adventures where it didn't matter if her clothes got dirty. Sometimes he threw a boy in as the girl's best friend or trusty sidekick, but if there was any romance, her dad would just say they got married years later – she thought he was trying to give her a hint.
"Look at them," disgust was recognizable on Ivy's face and in her voice.
They were all sitting at Village Java, talking gossip, and the details of Katie's birthday party later that night. Kaitlyn and Ivy had gotten fat-free vanilla lattes like they always did and Katie had gone for a new item on the menu, feeling rejuvenated from her family vacation she got back from yesterday. Hannah had paired with her because she'd wanted a change too.
Ivy was glaring at Oliver and Lilly, who'd just walked out of Rose's dinner. They'd gone in for lunch and Ivy wanted to stake out. It had been pretty mediocre, from what Katie had heard, but she wasn't interested enough to look up from her journal where she wrote a poem out.
It wasn't just Katie that seemed to be getting a little tired of Ivy's ranting as well, and Kaitlyn rolled her eyes as she offered was a quick, uninterested glance in the couple's direction before turning back to her phone.
"They are holding hands, so what?" Hannah scoffed, flipping her hair. "It's nothing like what I do with Brandon in his truck. On our third date, he gave me a hickey and I was going to Katie's that night after, and her dad about lost it on me."
"I remember that," she snorted.
Ivy didn't seem to notice her friends' lack of interest in her continuing drama as she gave the evil eye to the couple who, now that Katie had bothered looking, were kissing against a light post in a sickly cute fashion.
"So..." She searched around for a topic she hoped would distract Ivy. "My mom went shopping and got everything I put on the list for the party tonight." Katie failed to attract anyone's attention though, and she couldn't think of anything else to say regardless.
"SO, girls, what are we doing tonight?" Kaitlyn asked, nudging Ivy and saving Katie with a small smile.
"We should do make our face masks. I have a good recipe I saw online." Hannah suggested. "It's simple and good to hydrate skin. You just mix oatmeal and yogurt with honey and some water and put it on your face."
"I can feel my skin tightening now," Kaitlyn giggled, touching her cheeks. Then, her eyes lit up. "We should each other's nails too!"
"Great idea! We can find something to binge on Netflix." Katie thought this was the perfect way to get their friend's mind off of things. Hannah and Kaitlyn, who both sat beside her, turned to Ivy expectantly, but she had now turned and taken a drink of her latte. "Ivy!"
Ivy blinked and looked at them blankly. "That sounds fine." Well, at least the girl had been paying some attention. Her voice sounded full of fake enthusiasm, and Katie knew how she felt. Ivy was, no doubt, upset that her moping would be disrupted, and she imagined they weren't going to have any fun trying to cheer Ivy up all night. Still, it was their duty as friends to at least attempt to make her forget things, and that was what they would do.
"Do you think your mom is gonna be done soon?" Hannah whispered as Ivy and Kaitlyn started talking about the different things wrong with Lily's outfit.
"I don't know." She pulled up her messages. The last they'd talked she said it would be no later than three. It was quarter to now. "I'll text her."
Katie - It's almost three. We're sitting outside of Village Java. Are you almost done?
"Okay," Hannah sat back, bored. She picked at the old polish on her nails until Katie nudged her under the table with her foot and she glanced up. "What?" She wiggled her finger and Hannah brought her chair closer, leaning in. "Is there a ghost?"
She nodded, smiling a little. As much as she wished she could trust Kaitlyn and Ivy, she didn't. Not with this secret. Hannah was the only person she'd ever told about her gift, besides the ones that already knew.
There was a woman following Oliver, possibly his mother. She looked familiar, like a faded memory behind a white sheet. She'd passed away when they were in the second grade.
It had been a tragedy. Everyone in town had gone to the funeral.
Her father had been assisting in the kidney transplant when she bottomed out. That was the first death she remembered from all of her father's patients. She remembered when he came home that night, the heaviness on his shoulders and the way he'd laid in her mother's arms on the couch. He'd just laid his head on her stomach and Aaron had laid on his. Katie had sat on the floor, her head on her dad's arm, and her mother's hand in her hair. It had been a quiet night in, that night.
The house had been quiet and eerie while her father was on mandatory leave for three days. Aaron, who was three at the time, had never been happier than to have his dad at home with him. They built cities with blocks every day.
"And Ivy would just love it," Katie snickered, smiling at her. She laughs and Ivy peeked up, furrowing her brow and looking back at Kaitlyn's phone. "Oliver's mom is trying to tell him to stop messing around with her. I can't hear her from here, but that's what it looks like."
"I mean that's what he gets for leading Ivy on," Hannah huffed and all of the girls laughed then, even if Ivy and Kaitlyn had no idea what they were laughing about.
With Katie having her birthday slumber party tonight and Aaron out of town for baseball camp, Jim was looking to be the only man in the house tonight. He'd just gotten off from work and stopped by the bakery to pick up the cake. He came in through the side door, leaving his shoes outside to grab and set the package on the island.
Melinda was cutting a pizza into squares as he wrapped his arms around her waist and kissed her neck. "Hey, glad you're finally here." She said.
"Hey you," he whispered. "How's the party been?"
"Alright. We had a surprise visitor about an hour ago," she sighed, turning around. She smiled at him, and not with the friendliness he usually saw. There was a hint of anger, as she rolled her eye and frowned. "Your mother is in the basement trying to blow up the air mattress. I told her to wait for you to come home, but she insisted."
Jim wasn't too pleased. His mother had a knack for dropping in unexpectedly, yes, but Faith usually called a few hours ahead of time. She never just knocked at the door. "My mom? Really?" He smiled, kind of happy to see her, knowing Mackenzie and Katie both missed her company.
"Yeah! Can you believe it?" She faked enthusiasm and then kissed his cheek. She leaned into his arms, groaning as she hugged him. "I've had a day Jim."
He knew she loved his mother, but having an unexpected visitor when she was already hosting three teenagers and wrangling Mackenzie. It would annoy anyone.
"I guess it's not too bad that she's here though Mel," he reasoned with her, his voice dropping into a suggestive tone he knew she loved. She rose her head to look at him, her eyes nearly closed as she furrowed her brow at him and sighed. "We could sneak away tomorrow and have my mom entertain the girls. When was the last time we did that, huh?"
He coaxed a smile from her and kissed her then. It was short, but their lips remained touching and Melinda smiled, giggling as she wrapped her arms around him and hugged him again. "I like that idea," she whispered, pulling back and looking over at Katie. She was getting Mackenzie her slices of cheese pizza. After learning about different animals at school, the five-year-old refused to eat any meat anymore. Melinda and Jim had given in, for now, but Katie was trying to coax her a little every day. "Can you believe our baby girl is fifteen?"
"I don't want to," he half chuckled as he too turned his head to peek in the dining room where Katie, Ivy, Kaitlyn, Hannah, and Mackenzie sat. There were two pizzas out there now and Melinda had just finished cutting the last two. "Want me to bring the other two out?"
"Sure. I'll get the cake ready." She smiled, smoothing out his tousled hair from running around at work all day. He looked drained, his blue eyes almost a grayish from it. She stepped closed, moving up to her tiptoes to wrap her arms around his shoulders as he stood at his tallest. She pressed a kiss to his lips, feeling him rejuvenate as he lifted her a little. She pulled back, caressing his face and brushing back his hair. "I can see you had a busy day. Do you wanna talk about it?"
"Later. I lost a patient," he whispered. "I can never get anything past you."
"Never. I'm sorry honey," she said just before she kissed him again and he set her back down. Even after twenty years, every kiss felt like it was the first. She smiled as he pulled back, touching her lips and turning to open the cake. "Did you remember to buy candles?"
"The swirly kind, Katie's favorite." He said, grabbing the box from his back pocket and stepping forward to the island, holding them to her.
She nodded and took them from him. He grabbed the pizzas and brought them out to the girls, saying hello to them all. Hannah had waved and the other girls had said hello as they ate their pizza. Mackenzie jumped on him, hugging him tightly and asking where grandma was as Katie got up from her chair and took the pizzas to the table while he contained her. After saying he had to go check on grandma, she hopped off and kissed his cheek, saying she had cheese pizza to eat as Katie came back for a hug.
"Hey dad," the fifteen-year-old whispered, hugging him. She pulled back and smiled at him, sticking her hands in the front pockets of her capris. "Long day?"
"You too?" He asked, furrowing his brow. It was as if every woman in his life could read him like a book. "I feel like everyone can read right through me."
"You just look tired dad," she said, shrugging. "And your hair." She pointed out his still tousled hair, even though Melinda had tried to fix it. "You run your hands through your hair when you're frustrated. I do it too, but instead, I play with it."
"Yeah, I guess," he muttered, kissing her cheek. "Stop acting so grown up."
Katie nodded, chuckling. "I'll keep Mack in the loop until eight, but I don't know how much longer Ivy can handle. Kaitlyn has little sisters, but Ivy isn't big on little kids since she's an only child."
He looked over at the five-year-old who was sitting next to her best friend. Hannah was practically family and adored Mackenzie. "You're too mature, you know," Jim said and rolled his eyes, smiling at her. "Loosen up. You don't have to worry about Mack. I want to spend some one on one with her while your mom has some time for herself. She needs it."
"Okay, you're right. She does," his daughter smiled and stepped back toward the table. "Go talk to grandma. You should probably see if there is a reason why she came by so unexpectedly."
He sighed, shaking his head at her again. Katie was too much like her mother sometimes, with the suggestions. "Yeah. I will." He nodded. "I'll keep you posted bug."
Jim walked over to where Melinda was grabbing the soda from the fridge. She came up to him with two liters, one caffeine-free and one not. He took them and put them on the table and lead them back into the kitchen. He pressed a kiss to the back of her head and his hands ran up over her, pulling her close to him as she stood in front of the cake, carefully placing the fifteen candles around the cake.
They had gone with the usual strawberry cake and vanilla whipped frosting. She'd wanted to get something a bit more grown-up for her since Katie hadn't told them anything about design on the cake like she usually did. She'd had the baker put a big sunflower made out of icing in the middle with Happy 15th Birthday Katie in black piping.
"Do you think she'll like it?" She asked. This is the first year she didn't pick which cake she wanted."
"I think she'll love it," he reassured her, rubbing his hands up and down her bare arms. There was a heatwave in Grandview like there always was around Katie's birthday, which ended in a big rainstorm. Ever year. He wished he could pass energy onto his wife, but he didn't have much to spare either. He kissed her cheek. "I'm gonna go check on my mom. I was thinking I could arrange some time to take a bath if you want."
"That would be the best," she smiled, squeezing his hands. "I'll wait for the cake for when you both come up."
"Okay," he whispered, kissing her cheek again as he stepped back and toward the basement. "I'll be back. Wish me luck."
Melinda laughed at him, blowing him a kiss for good luck as he went down the stairs.
The basement door opened just as her youngest pushed a stool up next to her. "Mommy?" Mackenzie whispered in Melinda's ear as she'd begun lighting the candles. The little girl wrapped her arms around her mother in a light hug and pressed her cheek against hers. "Can I help?"
"Yes baby," Melinda smiled at her, putting the lighter down after lighting the first candle. She put her arm around Mackenzie and kissed her cheek. "Here. Hold on top of my hand alright?"
Mackenzie settled for what she got and helped her mother light the candles as her grandma and dad came closer to the island, talking softly.
"I'm sorry for barging in tonight Melinda," Faith said as Jim came up behind her, rubbing her back. "I didn't mean to. When Katie told me how excited she was for her slumber party on the phone last night I thought I'd drop in. I just hadn't seen you all since Jim's birthday and I wanted to give Katie her birthday present in person this year."
"It's alright Faith. I missed you, it would've been a lot easier on us if you had called first." She said, looking at Mackenzie as she blew out the lighting candle.
"I like the cake mommy!" The kindergartener said.
"You think Katie will?" She asked.
Mackenzie looked at the cake again, scrunching her face up in thought like this was the biggest decision she had to make in her life. "Yes. She loves sunflowers." The little girl hopped off the stool and moved it back.
"See, I told you." Jim kissed the side of her head. "Stop worrying." He moved to pick up the cake and she wrapped her arm around him as they came into the dining room.
Hannah squealed and moved behind Katie to hug her. "Happy late birthday best friend," Hannah said and Katie laughed, smiling as everyone started to sing.
She blew out the candles as the song ended Jim wrapped his arm around her around. Faith brought a knife in and started to cut the cake as Melinda came around and hugged Katie too.
"You're growing up too quickly," Melinda groaned, kissing her cheek as she pulled back from the hug. "Happy Birthday, dancing girl."
"You didn't have to get another cake for me," the teen said, but then she bit her bottom lip. "Is it strawberry?"
"Of course I did. It's a party," Melinda winked.
Katie hugged her tighter this time. "I love it, mom. Thank you."
Jim met her eyes as his mom gave him a piece of cake. He had the world's smuggest smile on his face. The bastard.
There was a knock at the door and Katie and Melinda both stood.
"I'll get it," Katie smiled, grabbing a piece of cake as she slipped past her. "You just keep everything in here settled."
"Too grown up, I say," Melinda told her and Katie laughed as she went to the door.
Slow down, baby. You're growing up way too fast, Melinda thought as she watched her daughter walk through the living room. Katie opened the door and she stood on her tiptoes to look over Jim's shoulder to see the doorway.
Ned stood there, a small white box and card in hand. Katie turned and put the piece of cake on the nearby stairs and back to him, taking the box and card from him. The inside sparkled and Melinda smiled, her heart melting at Ned as he put his free hands in his pockets.
Katie hugged him, his arms slowly wrapping around her, for a little longer than she would've liked. She moved into the living room as Ned pulled away, leaving Katie in the doorway before she shut the door.
"What'd Ned have to say?" Melinda leaned into the door as Katie looked up from the box.
"He just dropped by to give me a birthday gift," she whispered, showing her the box. There was a pair of earrings, they were books. Just the perfect thing. "I haven't opened the card yet."
Melinda looked up at her, squeezing her hand. "Read it when you're alone." The mother suggested. She knew how Ivy could be about boys, let alone Ned. Ivy never let Katie forget how hot Ned was whenever they saw him. Some of the things Melinda had heard come out of Ivy's mouth downright shocked her.
"That's what I was going to do. I'll let you know," she nodded, remembering their recent conversation. She'd never keep anything from her mother again. Not after Henry. He'd hurt her so much, and her mother had been there in every way she possibly could have. "C'mon mom. Let's go back in there."
Melinda nodded and pulled her in for a hug. Tonight was going to be great.
Jim, Faith, and Melinda were cleaning up the dining room a few hours later when a thought struck his mind. "Was I seeing things or did Ivy have her pizza for dinner?" He asked as he threw a plate of half-eaten cake into the trash bag he was holding.
"Which one is Ivy again?" Faith picked up wrapping paper from the presents Katie's friends had brought. Mackenzie had even saved her allowance to get her big sis a new journal from the bookstore at the mall earlier today.
"The redhead," Melinda whispered to his mother as she handed her the balled-up wrapping paper.
"With the smart mouth?" Faith asked.
"That's the one," she sighed. "It's a pain in the ass. She's been like that since she was Mack's size." She rolled her eyes, walking to Jim with the last few plates she picked up on her way over. "And yeah… her mom told me this morning when I dropped Katie off that she apparently can't eat gluten."
"Can't, or won't?" He asked, opening the bag for her.
"Her mom said can't. I take that to mean she's got an allergy and isn't into the whole gluten is the devil craze." She said closing the bag and walking into the kitchen. "But I don't know."
"I hope so because I don't want Katie to get into that whole thing." He sighed, following her with the cake. There was still a fourth of it left. Jim grabbed the cake cover from the cupboard under the island.
"Katie's smarter than that," she said and came behind him as he placed the cake in the container. She pressed a kiss into his shirt, wrapping her arm around him. "Also she loves your cinnamon rolls and french toast way too much."
"That's true," he laughed, putting the top on. He brought her hands to his mouth as she smiled at him. He could feel her kiss him again and turned around, smiling at her. "That reminds me of the time when she tried to make pancakes for Father's Day. Didn't she get flour all over herself?"
"Yeah," she nodded. "Don't remind me. Do you know how long that took me to clean?" She said and heard laughter upstairs. "Today made her happy. Happier than I've seen her since before all that mess."
"I think the fact that we got her the latest smartphone helped," he shrugged. "Has she talked about him lately?"
"Who? Henry?" She asked, whispering as Faith came in. "No, but Ned dropped by. He brought her his gift and then bailed."
He sighed, putting the cake in the fridge. "Remind me to mess that kid up next time I see him," he muttered under his breath.
"Hey, I don't think he hurt her feelings." She said as Faith came into the kitchen. "He did get her a nice pair of earrings though. But I have a good feeling they'll be together one day. Don't you?"
"Not if he keeps this act up," he muttered.
"What are you two whispering about?" Faith asked, carrying in the leftover pizza. There wasn't much left.
"Oh nothing," Melinda smiled and grabbed the garbage bag. "Just talking about the kids. Lots of drama."
"Teenagers are drama," Faith laughed, coming over to Jim with the pizza box filled with the leftover pizza. "I would know. I raised this one and his brother. The varsity quarterback was Dan and Jim was a varsity point guard on the basketball team. Many, many cheerleaders."
"Yes. I know all about it," she chuckled, looking over at him as she grabbed the other empty pizza boxes and shoved them in the garbage bag. They needed to bring this out now before it burst. "I'm going to go take this out and then check on the girls before taking a nice, long bath. I believe Kenz is in the living room waiting for you Jim."
"Would you care to join us, mom?" He asked and Faith smiled as he kissed her forehead.
Melinda came to his side and stood on her tiptoes to kiss his cheek, then turned for the door, but he caught and pulled her back. "You're not old enough to have a fifteen-year-old, you know," he whispered into her ear.
"I am forty years old," she pinched his side and smirked.
He caught her in a kiss, making his mother chuckle. "I'll go see what Kenzie is watching and give you two some privacy," Faith said and moved from the room.
"I am very capable of having a fifteen-year-old mister," she gushed, wrapping her arms around him as he pulled her to him. "Though you make me feel twenty years old all over again every time you look at me like that."
Jim grinned, looking over her again as he claimed her lips. He loved her so much. She placed her hands on his chest as she pulled back from him. "Good. You looked twice as good as you did the day I met you," he said. "Now go upstairs and enjoy yourself."
"I'll see you in a bit. Thank you," she said coyly as she made her way to the stairs.
After tidying up the kitchen to his standard and watching a movie with Mackenzie. Melinda had come down after her bath halfway through and they shared a glass of wine and cuddled on the large lounge chair. She'd put Mack to bed and Jim moved to the couch, talking to his mom for a bit.
It wasn't long before his wife came back, sitting right beside him. He kissed her and poured another glass of wine. They'd found another movie and his mother turned in for bed halfway through.
It wasn't long before Melinda started to get sleepy too, smiling at him. "The wine is getting to me," she whispered into his neck and kissed his throat.
"Is it?" He asked, his hand was snug on her hip.
The blanket they had wrapped around them kept them just right as they lay in each other's arms.
"Mmhmm," she hummed, her hand moving up his side. He missed being with her like this. They hadn't been intimate with each other in a few days, and that wasn't that long, but it felt like forever to them. "Yes. It is." She moved her hand lower, to his belt, and kissed his jaw, biting him softly. "It makes me feel other things too."
"I see that," he turned his head, holding her eyes. He kissed her softly, for a moment before pulling back. She smiled at him, licking her lips as she ran her hand against his cock. "Mmm, not here."
She pouted, but then girls laughed upstairs and she nodded. He fixed his pants and then she leaned back into him. "What do you want then, baby?" She asked.
"Come here," he breathed out. "I want to kiss you."
She straddled him so he could properly hold her as they kissed. His hands were at her waist, moving down and over her thighs, spreading them and moving his hands to her robe. It was tied tightly around and he started to move it off her until she stopped.
"Not here," she whispered, mimicking him, and he groaned.
Just then stairs creaked and Melinda sat up, moving off the couch as Hannah, Katie, Ivy, and Kaitlyn came into the living room and over to the shelves by the tv. He grabbed a pillow to hold in his lap, just in case. "Hey bug, getting a movie?" He asked and kissed Melinda's cheek as she snuck out and up the stairs.
He knew what she was up to. She'd gotten a new nightgown at the mall. Katie had probably gone off to the bookstore with Mackenzie and her friends, while she'd snuck off to the lingerie store.
"We're trying to find something we haven't watched a million times," Kaitlyn laughed as Katie traced her finger over the backs of the movies. "Got any ideas?"
"Well, what are you girls wanting to watch?" Jim asked. "I'm kind of a movie buff. I try and get as many movies as I can during Black Friday sales."
Katie turned, eyeing him. "Shouldn't you be doing something?"
"Well I thought I was gonna help you pick out a movie," he eyed her back, crossing his arms over his chest. "Got a problem?"
They had a lot of classics and her mother, as timid as she was about them, had every horror movie imaginable. "No," she muttered, stepping closer. "We kind of want to watch a horror movie. What do you suggest?"
"Hmm… wanna go classic? Or funny?" He asked.
"Hey Mr. Clancy," Ivy giggled. "Did you guys pick a movie?"
"We're debating," Kaitlyn said. "Funny or classic?"
Ivy thought for a second and smiled. "Classic," she said. "We want to get scared right?"
"It's always good to get scared," Jim chuckled, stepping forward and grabbing a DVD. "Go for the original Chucky. It's pretty creepy."
"Awesome," Katie grinned, taking it and hugging him. "Okay. Bye, dad. Thanks." She ushered Ivy out quickly and Kaitlyn laughed as she followed. They all quietly booked it upstairs.
Jim chuckled, walking toward the kitchen as he cleaned up the living room. He shut the tv off and folded the blanket up. He grabbed the bottle of wine and glasses, going into the kitchen. His tradition was the same, no matter how many extra teenagers are in the house.
He double-checked all the doors were locked after finishing whatever dishes are in the sink. He ascended the stairs, checking on Mackenzie first because she was in the bedroom closest to the stairs. She was sleeping peacefully, tucked in with all of her stuffed animals, who at the age of five still usually listened to Melinda and Jim about sticking to her bedtime. He went into Aaron's room, shutting off his idle XBOX and closing a window as a cloud erupted above.
Ahh, yes. The heatwave had broken.
He made his way out of Aaron's room, closing the door as he went to Katie's door next. Their relationship had been strained lately, mostly because he didn't like Henry before they before up, but after wasn't the greatest help either. Half the time she fought with him and reminded him she was not a little girl anymore and didn't need to be bossed around.
Not that he needed to be reminded. It was his and Melinda's conversation every other day it seemed like.
With the presence of her friends in her room for her birthday slumber party, he reminded himself to knock and wait for her to answer as opposed to knocking and promptly letting himself in. The knock itself was interrupted by her daughter's shrill voice crying out in disgust. It was clear because the door was open.
"EW. Ivy, shut up!" Katie yelled. "I don't want to hear that. LA LA LA."
Jim held his laugh in, leaning on the wall nearby as he listened. Katie would kill him if she knew he was listening in, but he couldn't help himself. He leaned his head toward the door, wanting to know a little bit more about his daughter's life.
"Oh, calm down, Katie, we all know it's true." Kaitlyn laughed. "Your dad is the hottest one out of everyone's at school."
"I don't want to hear that! He's my dad, Ivy!" Katie sat on the bed, a pillow covering her face. She could not believe her friends. "Please back me up Han."
"Your dad is hot. Deal with it." Ivy giggled and put the movie in, plopping down on her sleeping back. "Did you get all the face mask stuff from your mom?"
"Again. EW." Katie laughed and hopped off her bed, going to her dress. "And yes, all of it is right here in measuring cups. We have to mix it in a bowl. My mom helped me double the recipe."
"My thoughts about Katie's dad aren't thoughts. If he was like a celeb or something maybe, but he's Katie's dad." Hannah laughed. "So it's a no-go. He's like my dad."
The four distinct voices titter in amusement at Katie's horror, and Jim chuckled to himself as he stepped back.
"My dad looks like a troll, Katie, come on. It's a good thing that your dad is such a fox—" Ivy giggled. "No wonder your parents are all over each other."
"I think they were making out on the couch before we came down," Kaitlyn snickered.
"I bet five bucks they were," Hannah laughed. "They are always like that."
"My mom doesn't love my dad just for his looks, you idiot. It's way more than that," Katie muttered. "There is such a thing as true love you know."
"Whatever... think what you want too," Ivy replied. "Just be glad. My parent's marriage is about as loving as a business agreement."
"My dad is embarrassing, goofy, cuddly, and my dad. I love him and he's so not hot." Katie said with a groan. "Seriously, can we talk about anything else?"
Jim decided to forgo his usual good night to his daughter in favor of scampering off to the bedroom; for as embarrassed as his daughter was. He was mortified.
Melinda was still awake and pouring over a book, barely noticing him as he headed straight into their adjoining bathroom. He didn't quite close the door behind him as he ran the tap and splashed a handful of cold water on his face.
He supposed he wasn't unattractive.
At forty-four, his black hair had just begun to turn ashy. His friends had noticed their hair thinning, while he was still thick and unruly. He had to cut more than Melinda and Katie combined some months. Melinda had gotten good at clipping his from home though and he enjoyed the alone time they got to talk during it.
Thanks to the physicality of his work; his biceps and upper chest and back were still well-toned and his forearms sinewy, even though his stomach had gotten the tiniest bit soft in the last year or two from all the sweets he shared with Mackenzie. But there's very little about himself that he considered hot, particularly when the compliment was coming from Katie's friends.
He stripped down from his work clothes and tugged on a pair of black pajama pants he found hanging on the back of the bathroom door. He went to the sink next and began to ready his toothbrush when Melinda tiptoed into the bathroom.
She caught his eye in the mirror quickly before slipping into the private toilet, and he lost his train of thought, squeezing more toothpaste onto his toothbrush than expect. "Fuck," he muttered, wetting it under the water and shoving it in his mouth. He hated it when he put too much on.
The door opened and his wife was still wearing her robe until he noticed her hands at the ties.
Melinda, he thought, was just as attractive as she was when he first married her, and if possible, even more so. There was a softness about her after three children and he loved it. Her breasts were a bit heavier and there was the tiniest curve to her stomach. Silvery stretch marks adorned her hip bones and the inside of her thighs, which he knew she hated some days, but he revered.
What exactly it was that made her more beautiful befuddled him, but it didn't make it any less true. When she slipped in front of him to wash her hands in the sink a few minutes later, his toothbrush dangled out of his mouth for just how lost in thinking of her he'd become.
"You takin' that off?" He asked, clearing his throat.
He went to move the robe open and peek at the night got, but she wrapped her wet hands around his waist and leaned into him before he could look. "You coming to bed?" She asked, smiling at him.
"Mhmm..." He nodded and she walked past and into their bedroom.
"Well I'll see you in there," she bid before the door closed behind her.
He pushed his toothbrush around in his mouth again as he felt the need to adjust his pajama pants slightly. She would never stop making him feel like this. The way she could ignite him with a trace of her finger was amazing.
He spat out his toothpaste and wiped his mouth quickly before following her into the bedroom, where she's tossing aside the too-heavy duvet before pulling back the sheets. All he could see was the green-colored straps on her shoulders, but he could already tell she was going to be the death of him.
"How do you do it?" He asked her.
"What?" she said, confusion thick in her voice as she fidgeted with the book in her hands.
Instead of answering the question, he strode forward and closed the book, placing it on the side table. He pulled her by her feet, flat onto her back. A surprised gasp caught in her throat, perhaps from the feel of his erection straining against his pajama pants.
"Hey," she whispered. "I was reading."
He kissed her hard on the mouth, his mouth claiming hers greedily and tongue lapping at her bottom lip when he pulled it between his teeth. He moved the duvet and propped himself up on his elbow before insinuating his hand between her thighs to push them apart, and placed his palm possessively on her.
"Oh, Jim. I wanted to do something," she gasped, grabbing his forearm.
Her eyes widened as he sunk atop her and slanted his mouth over hers. He silenced the rest of her sentence as he began to toy with the hem of her panties, furrowing his fingers where he knew that despite the impulsiveness of this moment, she'd be warm and wet for him.
Twenty years and three children, and she was still his. All his.
Her nails pressed into his shoulders as she wound her arms around his neck to pull him down on top of her the rest of the way as he moved his fingers. When he broke their kiss and pulled away, she scowled at him for depriving her.
"Patience," he reminded her, smirking while trailing his fingers up again, finding her center, and pressing in a tight circle as he dropped his mouth to the corner of her jaw.
He felt her pulse flutter wildly as his lips roamed the muscles and hollows of her throat, the tiny, soft moan that came from her as her legs tightly closed around him made him chuckle.
She tried so hard to be quiet. It never worked.
"What's gotten—oh—into you?" she gasped. "Jim Clancy," she arched him as his fingertip dipped into her, twirling around to find her peak. With her wetness on his finger, he went in knuckle deep. "Jim… oh, right there."
"I just want my wife," he gasped, kissing her neck, making her as his finger dipped in and out of her. "Is that so wrong?"
"Jim, please," she gasped, pulling his mouth to hers. His finger touched her center again and her hips squirmed into him. "I'm almost there."
She found his eyes and milked him of every feeling he had for her, kissing him again. He gave in, giving her a quick release and her quiet mewls irked him to a new level, making him want her that much more and the bulge in his pajama pants throbbed that much more.
He moved off her and laid on his side, sucking her earlobe between his teeth. She tried to suppress the growl bubbling up in her throat, but the slight rise in her voice egged him on further.
"I need you," she moaned quietly as he moved to suck on her collarbone. "Please. Jimmy…."
His nickname pulled him closer to her and she palmed him through his pants. "And what if I want to tease you a bit first?" He asked.
"You stop that," she gasped. "It's my turn."
Jim barely slid his fingers out of her when she pushed him onto his back and threw her leg over his hips. He was so caught off guard by her insistence that their arms clashed as she pushed his pants down to expose him and he fumbled at the hem of her nightgown.
It barely covered her thighs and his eyes raked over her, seeing her cleavage spilling out of the cups urged him closer, his hand grasping them. God, he loved her body. The way she felt under his hands. She hadn't bought anything so sexy in a long time. His birthday, a few years ago, maybe?
She shook her head, muttering something about how she didn't want to wait for him after being teased for way too long, and he smirked for a second before her hand grasped him while he pulled her nightgown over her head.
She pushed her fingertips to his lips and began to ride him, kissing him to silence him. "We have to be quiet," she reminded him.
He braced his feet on the mattress to thrust upward with every one of the punishing snaps of her hips downward. "You really—fuck—don't want to wait, do you?" He groaned before nipping her neck again.
"Not tonight," she sighed, pulling his mouth to hers as her hands curled up on his chest.
Their eyes locked as their breathing became heavier and more erratic, and subtle whimpers became full-on suppressed moans of the other's name. They tried in earnest to keep quiet, but little words escaped a little louder than they would've liked.
Finally, she surged forward and sealed her lips over his again, silencing them again as they rocked together unyieldingly. A few more thrusts, gasping sighs, and thrashes of the tongue against tongue were all it took for them to get there.
When they stilled, she pulled her lips away and smiled at him. He'd curled his fingers around her hips and kept her pressed against him, smiling back at her wolfishly as he pushed a few strands of loose hair back behind her ear.
"Can I ask what got into you?" She asked, breathlessly.
"I… do you want to know?" He asked, cupping her ass as he rolled onto his back and sat up on the edge. He grabbed her tossed nightgown and held it over his shoulder to her. "Want this?"
She took it, pulling it overhead before lying down. "Mmm. No, I can't say that I don't," she replied and he laid next to her. "Think they heard us?"
"Probably," he whispered, kissing her neck as he sat back up. "I overheard the girls talking and I'm the hottest dad at Grandview High. Plus Ivy said her parents are as loving to each other a business agreement, so they can deal. I think I'm going to shower."
She sat up a bit, chuckling. "Of course you are. You're a fox," she said. "Anything else you want to spring on me beforehand?"
"Not anything that includes this bed," he whispered, moving his hand to hold hers, bringing it up to his mouth. He pulled her into a seating position, feeling her naked torso press against his back as she laughed, kissing his shoulder.
"Well alrighty then," she said slipping from bed first and padding to the bathroom. She turned around the skirt twirling and showing him so much of her as her arms crossed in front of her chest. The nightgown looked even more delicious when she stood in front of him. "Let's go."
"Of course," he said, kissing her neck as he closed the bathroom door behind them.
Just after breakfast the next morning, Katie asked to go see a movie with the girls that afternoon instead of hanging about the house. The other girl's parents were going to pick their kids up from the movies then.
Melinda and Jim had agreed to drive them all to the movies, and even clean up the mess they made snacking and watching movies in her room last night. As her friends climbed the stairs to change out of their pajamas, their daughter lingered behind.
Quiet as she was—just like both of her mom— however, he noticed her before his wife did. "Oh, bug. You scared me," he chuckled.
Katie cleared her throat and scowled angrily at them—again, just like her mom would. "You guys are so, embarrassing!" She crossed her arms over her chest, rolling her eyes. "When my friends aren't over I don't care, but last night was uncalled for."
"What are you talking about?" Melinda asked, defensively, eyeing her.
"Oh my god," Katie muttered. "Mom, you both know what I mean!" They looked at one another, confused for a minute more before their daughter threw her hands in the air dramatically. "Can you just—can you please get a less squeaky mattress and keep it down next time? We all heard you last night!"