Remember: this is copyrighted material, owned by Kristen Proby, and is intended for adult readers.
A
Safe With Me Halloween
“Bix
is a pirate!” Josie exclaims in delight as Brynna pulls the black eye patch
over Bix’s bad eye and ties a red bandana around his head. His eyebrows both
raise up and down as he looks between Bryn and myself, wondering what in the
world he’s getting himself into.
“Really,
Bryn, he’s a war hero and you’re dressing him up like a pirate?” I slip my arms
around her waist as she stands, rest my hands over her ever-growing belly, and
bury my face in her neck, inhaling her sweet scent.
“He’s
adorable like this, Montgomery,” she chuckles and adjusts her witches hat on
her head as she pulls away from me. “And you are very handsome.”
“I
don’t know why I’m wearing this,” I grumble and glance down at my Navy dress
uniform.
“Because
it’s hot, sailor,” Bryn grins. “And the girls begged, and they have you wrapped
around their little fingers.”
I
grin down at her, gliding my thumb down her jawline. Fuck yes, they have me
wrapped around their fingers. All three of them do.
“Let’s
go trick-or-treating!” Maddie exclaims excitedly, jumping up and down in her
green and blue cheerleader uniform. Both Josie and Maddie chose to go as
Seahawks cheerleaders this year. Bryn put their long dark hair up in high
ponytails and put pink goop on their lips, making them look far older than I’m
comfortable with.
“They
don’t need the fucking makeup,” I growl at Bryn.
“It’s
Halloween, Caleb,” she smirks. “I don’t even want to think about how you’re
going to be when they’re teenagers.”
Just
the thought sends me into a panic attack that has absolutely nothing to do with
my PTSD.
I’ll
kill any teenage fucker who dares look at them.
“Where
are we heading first?” Bryn asks as we all pile into our new minivan. I never
thought I’d see the day that I’d drive a fucking minivan, but with the twins,
another on the way, and Bix, we needed the space.
“Might
as well hit up Nat and Luke first,” I reply and set off down the street to Nat
and Luke’s place.
“I
hope I get lots of peanut butter cups tonight,” Maddie informs us.
“I’m
praying for some Almond Joy,” Brynna whispers next to me and rubs her belly.
“Gonna
raid the girls’ candy tonight?” I ask with a smile.
“Hell
yes. As soon as they go to sleep, I’m so digging into those plastic pumpkins.”
I
pull up to Luke and Nat’s Alki Beach home, and the girls and Bix are out of
their seats and running up to Luke’s door before I even cut the engine.
“I
think they’re excited,” I laugh as Brynna and I follow our girls.
“Trick
or Treat!” the girls yell in unison as Natalie pulls the door open, a beautiful
smile spread over her face.
“Oh,
wait until Uncle Will sees you guys later! You both look so adorable!”
“Maddie!”
Livie exclaims as she claps her hands from her perch on Luke’s arm. She’s
dressed as a little ladybug, her pixie face bright with wonder at the costumes
we’re wearing.
“No
costumes for you guys?” I ask with a raised brow.
“It
took me two hours just to talk Liv into wearing hers,” Natalie replies with a
sigh. “I’m good.”
Luke
kisses Nat’s cheek and runs his hand down her dark hair. “Are you feeling
okay?” he murmurs.
“I’m
fine,” Nat responds and rubs her own round belly.
Our
family is full of knocked up women.
My
parents couldn’t be more excited.
“I
don’t think your treats will fit in your pumpkins,” Luke informs my girls with
a sober face. “So maybe I shouldn’t give them to you.”
“Please!
Please!” They jump up and down, giggling, making Liv laugh with them.
“I
don’t know. What do you think?” he asks Nat.
“Oh
put them out of their misery already,” she laughs and reaches inside for two
big black gift bags and hands one to each of them, then throws a treat for Bix,
which he catches out of the air and crunches on happily.
“You
didn’t have to buy them gifts,” Brynna scolds them.
“They’re
my nieces. I can do whatever I want,” Natalie replies with a smug smile. Brynna
immediately tears up and sends me a helpless gaze. I just pull her to me and
kiss her forehead as the girls dig into their goodie bags.
“Peanut
butter cups!” Maddie exclaims.
“Jellybeans!”
Josie bellows. “And American Girl outfits for our dolls!”
“Holy
shit,” I mutter and sigh. “Really?”
“Don’t
judge me,” Natalie replies haughtily. “I like to shop.”
“Thank
you so much,” Maddie clings to Luke’s legs as Josie hugs Natalie tight. Luke
squats with Liv still in his arms and gives the girls each a hug, then pulls
gently on their ponytails.
“You’re
welcome. Go have fun tonight.”
“We
will!” The girls immediately turn and run back for the van, Bix on their heels.
“Thank
you,” Brynna murmurs before we join the girls and continue on our journey to
the next house. Because our neighborhood isn’t great for trick or treating,
with all of the gated homes with long driveways, and I can’t handle a packed
mall full of thousands of screaming kids and their parents, I decided to drive
the girls to each house in the family.
They’ll
end up with just as much candy, if not more, than if we’d gone through a busy
neighborhood.
“Jules
and Nate’s apartment?” Brynna asks with a raised brow. “We’re going to pay for
parking in downtown Seattle just so the girls can get some fun sized Snickers?”
“Jules
would kill me if we didn’t bring the girls by,” I inform her. We ride the
elevator to my sister’s floor and Josie rings the doorbell.
“Aaaaaarrrrrgghhhh!”
Nate howls as he flings the door open and rushes at the girls, pulling them
both into his arms and tickling them mercilessly. “You dare ring my bell?”
“Trick
or treat, Uncle Nate!” Josie laughs and struggles to get away. “Daddy! Help!”
“You’re
on your own, jellybean.”
“For
the love of God, ace, you’ll make them pee on themselves,” Jules scolds him
from within the apartment. She has black cat ears on her head and a wide grin
on her pretty face. “You two are gorgeous!”
Jules
hands them each black gift bags, but also feeds large handfuls of candy into
their pumpkins.
“What’s
with the gifts?” I ask. “That makes both you and Nat.”
“We
did it for the twins and Sophie,” Jules replies. “Everyone else just gets
candy.”
“More
outfits for our dolls!” Maddie exclaims and jumps up and down. “Thank you!”
“You’re
welcome, sweetie,” Jules replies.
More
hugs are handed out before we journey back downstairs.
We
drive to Luke’s parents, my parents and Bryn’s parents, where the girls have
amassed more candy than I’ve seen in my entire life, and more accessories for
their American Girl dolls.
Despite
also living in an exclusive, gated community, Will’s neighborhood is a beacon
to trick or treaters. The whole neighborhood gets into the spirit of the
holiday, decorating their homes and handing out candy to hundreds of kids each
year.
Will
doesn’t typically participate, but because Halloween fell on a weekday this
year, Meg talked him into it.
“I
can’t wait to see what they did,” Brynna whispers to me. “She had so much fun
planning.”
“Just
wait,” I murmur. Matt and I came to help yesterday and it’s a good thing
because it was an all day project.
I
park near the end of the driveway and we all clamor out of the van, trekking up
to the large house my brother lives in with his beautiful fiancé.
The
girls and Bix all run ahead. I clasp Bryn’s hand in mine and pull her against
me.
“How
are you feeling?” I ask as we stop on the paved driveway in the shadows of the
trees that line the drive and cup her face in my hands.
“We’re
fine,” she replies, grinning up at me. “I’m glad we did it this way. I never
would have survived walking through a whole neighborhood.”
“I
can carry you,” I offer. Anything to get her in my arms.
“I’m
not an invalid, Caleb.”
“Maybe
I just want to carry you,” I reply with a grin and lean in to kiss her soft
lips. She sighs and leans against me, wraps her arms around my neck, and I sink
into her, absorbed in the taste of her, her scent.
Her
moans.
Her
body has become softer with her pregnancy, and I can’t keep my hands off her.
As
if I could keep my hands off her before we got pregnant.
Suddenly,
the girls both scream, Bix is barking madly, and I pull away from Brynna and
sprint the rest of the driveway.
What’s
wrong?
Who
is hurting my babies?
But
I stop when I get to the front porch and begin to laugh.
Will,
Matt and Leo are dressed as zombies, their makeup impeccable, threatening to
eat Maddie and Josie’s brains.
“No!
You can’t eat my brains!”
The
guys don’t respond, they just growl and chase the girls around the yard, making
them laugh and scream at the same time. Bix is jumping and barking, enjoying
the game.
Sam
and Meg are dressed as humans who have been eaten by the zombies, their flesh
torn from their bodies. The porch light has been replaced with a black bulb.
There are orange lights strung up around the porch, along with fake spider webs
and a fog machine is throwing whisps of fog along the porch and out into the
yard.
Speaking
of the yard, there are crooked headstones and glowing eyes scattered about the
lawn.
It’s
fucking awesome.
“Who
did your makeup?” Brynna asks as she joins us, laughing as the guys continue to
chase Maddie and Josie around the yard.
“Mommy!
Daddy!” Maddie yells. “They want to eat our brains!”
“A
friend of Leo’s who does makeup for a living,” Sam replies, grinning as she
watches my brothers and Leo terrorize my kids.
“What
are they, twelve?” I growl.
“They’re
having fun,” Brynna responds and leans in to plant a sweet kiss on my shoulder.
“And this will tire them out so they’ll go to bed when we get home and I can
steal their chocolate.”
“Good
plan,” Meg replies. “I just ate half the candy I bought before tonight even
started. Will ate the rest. I had to make a mad dash for more candy at four
this afternoon.”
“Leo
bought me cupcakes from our favorite place,” Sam replies with a sigh.
“From
Nic?” Brynna asks with a grin and then turns to watch Matt as he picks Josie up
and makes chomping noises at her neck, making her squeal in delight.
“Yes,
she is so damn talented.”
“And
beautiful,” Meg adds.
All
three girls look expectantly at me.
“What?”
“What’s
the scoop?”
“How
the fuck should I know?”
“Matt’s
your brother,” Sam reminds me.
“And
your best friend,” Meg adds.
“I
don’t ask him about that shit. I don’t have a vagina.”
“Glad
to hear it, brother,” Will says as he carries an upside down Maddie up onto the
porch.
“Our
brains are gone!” Maddie announces.
I
reach out and take her from my brother, righting her in my arms, and kiss her
soft, cold cheek.
“Did
you have fun?” I ask her.
She
nods happily and wraps her tiny arms around my neck. “I love you, daddy.”
Every
time I hear it, every damn time, is a
shot to the heart. I don’t know what I did to deserve these amazing girls in my
life, but I’d do it a million times over, just to keep them with me.
“I
love you too, buttercup.”
“I
thought you two were still in Europe,” Brynna says to Sam and Leo, who are now
snuggling in the porch swing.
“It’s
freaking disturbing to see you snuggled up like that in that getup.”
Leo
laughs and plants a kiss on Sam, making us all boo and hiss.
“Yuck,”
Josie mutters.
“We
got back a couple days ago,” Sam replies with a grin.
“Okay,
you got your trick, now it’s time for treats!” Meg announces.
“More
tricks!” Will cries and lunges for Maddie, who screams and ducks behind my back
for safety.
“Dude,
are you nine?” I ask my brother with a grin.
“And
a half,” he confirms. “Okay, since you’re dressed so pretty in those uniforms,
you can have your treats.”
“Do
you like our costumes?” Maddie asks as she carefully walks out from behind my
legs. “We picked them out just for you!”
“You
did?” Will asks with a grin.
“Yes,
because you throw the ball!” Josie informs him. “And we like the pretty
cheerleaders.”
“Don’t
we all,” Matt mutters under his breath, earning a slap in the arm from Meg.
“Ouch!”
“Your
cheerleader costumes are awesome,” Will nods. “But what about your dolls? Do
they have cheerleader costumes too?”
“No,”
Maddie shakes her head sadly. “And that makes them sad.”
“It
does?” Will laughs and pulls on Mad’s ponytail.
“Very
sad,” Josie agrees.
“Well,
we can’t have that.”
Meg
hands each of the girls an orange gift bag, which contains enough candy to give
all of China cavities and Seahawk cheerleader costumes for their dolls.
“Oh
my God,” Brynna whispers with wide eyes.
“Oh
wow! It’s what I always wanted!” Maddie exclaims.
“Thank
you,” Josie smiles sweetly up at Will and twirls her hair in her finger.
“She
is such a flirt,” Sam laughs.
I
growl without realizing the sound is coming from me.
“Down,
boy,” Brynna laughs and hugs me tight. “I think it’s time we go home.”
We
say our goodbyes and drive home. The girls both fall asleep in the van, so I
carry them upstairs and we tuck them into bed, still in their costumes. Brynna
removes Bix’s pirate costume and he settles on his bed between the girls.
I
lean in and press a kiss to each of their foreheads. They’re mine.
“Love
you, babies,” I whisper as Brynna and I leave them to dream of candy and dolls
and whatever else little girls dream of.
On
the way to the couch, Bryn grabs one of the bags of candy and settles in. “I
need coconut and chocolate,” she mutters, digging through the bag. “Yes! Almond
Joy!”
I
sit beside her and pull her feet into my lap, massaging her arches.
“It’s
not a bad deal having you around, sailor.”
“No?”
I ask.
“I
get chocolate and footrubs and some really amazing sex.”
“So
happy you approve, legs” I reply dryly and watch my hands as I rub her pretty
feet.
“I
do.”
“I
think you should put the candy down and I’ll remind you how good the sex is.”
“Come
between me and this candy and I’ll kill you in your sleep,” she replies with a
sweet smile and bats her eyelashes.
“Yes,
ma’am,” I reply with a laugh.
“The
girls had fun,” she murmurs while munching on a treat.
“I
did too.” I love the way her skin feels under my fingers. We sit quietly for a
while, enjoying the silence.
“Love
you so much,” she whispers.
I
look over at her and my heart simply stills at the sight of her, drifting
asleep at the end of the couch, her hands resting on her round belly. She sighs
as my thumb glides up the arch of her foot.
So
much for the sex reminder. I smile softly as I watch her for long minutes,
thankful for every experience I have with my family.
And
this is just the beginning.
