Page 17

EPILOGUE

CADENCE

I brush Mom’s hair. Not because I have to, but because I want to. The staff at her new home look after her well, but I don’t expect they’ll complete her cares with the same love I always did, and when I come to visit, I like to dote on her some. I have the energy to do that for her now.

Daryl returns with an empty vase for the flowers we bought her. “They didn’t have one to spare, so I had to go down the street and buy one. Well, I got half a dozen and left them at the nurse’s station. They’ve got enough for everybody now.” He unwraps the paper from the bouquet and starts to arrange the lilies. “These smell amazing, babe. Good choice.”

“They were always her favorite,” I say with a smile. “They should make her room smell nice, yeah?”

“Definitely,” he says, watching me braid her hair and pin it into a bun. “You’re so good with her, Cady.”

I breathe a little laugh. “I’ve had a lot of practice.” I walk around to view her face and give her a nod of approval. “Better.” I rest my hand on my belly and rub slow circles over the pointy little bump that may be a foot. It’s hard to tell. “I don’t know if it’s the baby coming, but I feel weirdly maternal about her this visit. It’s either that, or some deep instinct to seek support during my initiation into motherhood. Either way, thanks for coming with me. I’m not done adventuring, I just… needed to see my mom.”

“I noticed,” Daryl says with a smile. “And if you want to visit her more often, it won’t be a problem.” He comes to stand behind me and starts stroking my big belly too. “You may not be done adventuring, but it might be wise to pause for a few weeks before we decide which direction we want to go in next.”

“Pause… here? In Morrinsville?”

Daryl kisses the top of my head. “I know it’s close to Beaumont City, and maybe you don’t want to open yourself up to judgment about carrying my baby when people recognize you, but if we get a place on the edge of town where there’s not so many people… You can be near your mom, and we can be discreet. You’ve tried some city living, but what about that cabin in the woods you wanted to try? I saw a picture of a cute one when I was walking past the realtor’s just now.”

My heart alights with the warm glow I’ve started to feel every time I see or hear something I like. It’s sort of an internal radar that I think was always there, but I’d forgotten how to read it. I turn in his arms, and he naturally makes room for the baby between us. Daryl takes one look at my smile and grins. “We could head out there and take a look now, if you want.”

I nod. “I want.”

He kisses my forehead. “Then you shall have. We’ll see you later, Margot,” he says, giving my mom a kiss on the top of her head. “Enjoy your flowers.”

I give Mom a kiss too, and take his outstretched hand. “Let’s go.”

We head out the door just as my father is heading in.

“Cadence?” He stops short, stares at the size of my it-happened-nine-months-ago belly, watches my proud baby- daddy put his arm around me, and then hits me with a glare of derision.

“This is what you wanted, is it, Cadence?” He gestures at the both of us. “You betrayed your family and spread your legs for a man old enough to be your father. I’m so disappointed in you.”

I inhale sharply and the amount of rage I want to scream at him is so massive, it clogs in my throat, too big to get out.

Daryl looks at me and steps forward. “With you as her dad, is it any wonder she went looking for a man who could offer her stability? You failed to provide it,” he states concisely. “She didn’t betray your family. You did. And you should be ashamed.”

“Don’t you talk to me about?—”

“Vander, hush your puckered little mouth before I fuck it with my fist.”

Oh my God. Did he just say that? Fuck, that was hot. That cabin had better have some woods around it, because I’m going to need to ride him under some trees when we leave here.

I step next to Daryl, pat his hand, and clear my throat. “Dad, what Daryl beautifully paraphrased for me, was Please, shut the fuck up . Own your shit and stop projecting it onto me. You’re a weak coward, who let a little girl bear the burden of your guilt because you were too pathetic to handle it yourself, but it’s over now. And stop making out like Daryl’s the villain, when you know it’s been you the whole time. Stop wasting your energy on bringing us down. You have no power here.” I draw a circle around my face with my finger and then expand that circle to include Daryl’s, when he lowers his face next to mine.

We’re a team. An attack on one of us is an attack on both, and we’ve got each other’s backs.

Dad’s frown lines intensify, and his lips quiver with unspoken spite.

I raise my eyebrows. “If you’ve got something to say, say it.”

Dad shakes his head. “I never would have expected such disloyalty and insolence from you, Cadence.”

“Well, what the fuck were you expecting?” Daryl asks with a laugh. “You back a fierce and beautiful soul into a corner and then wonder why she’d resent you and fight back? With all due respect sir, you’re a fucking idiot.”

I press my palm to Daryl’s chest and ease him back a little. “Dad, try to see things from a different perspective. You know, one that’s not your own, maybe? You could be proud of your daughter. Your daughter who is a warrior. I am literally strong enough to withstand any pressure life can through at me, and that’s all because of you,” I say feeding his immense ego so he’ll feel validated enough to listen.

He stands a little taller, but doesn’t say anything. He’s looking at my baby bump again.

“Did you hear me?” I ask, my tone harsh.

He lifts his gaze to meet mine.

“I said, I’m strong because of you.”

He blinks a few times and almost smiles.

“I’m strong because you’re an abusive asshole who needs therapy. It’s your turn to be molded by hard work and emotional turmoil. Make the effort, and maybe I’ll allow you to meet your grandkids one day. Come on, Daryl. I need an ice cream, and you need a milkshake.” I grab his hand and tug him down the street while he’s grinning over his shoulder at my dad.

“That was beautiful to watch, Babe,” he says, adjusting his cock as we walk away.

“Thank you. Now where is this cabin? And can we go look at it on our own? Because my nipples are fucking hard and tingly, and I want to sit on your cock while you suck them.”

He opens my door for me and slips his sneaky fingers inside my panties, as he helps me into his truck. “Anything you want, Babe.”

The cabin is cute as hell. It’s up in the mountains, borders on the edge of a forest, has its own small lake, and lush, rolling pastures, that would be perfect for children and horses…

Daryl takes one look at my face and grins. “We’ll buy it tomorrow. The owners have already moved out, so we’ll be able to talk them into a fast settlement.”

“What?” I look around again. “I haven’t even seen inside yet.”

“If you hate it, we’ll renovate,” he says, pulling me toward a green, sun-soaked field full of wildflowers. “Right now, I need to check the acoustics of these hills.”

I frown in confusion. “Huh?”

He turns back to meet my gaze. “You’re lactating.”

“Wh—?” I look down, and sure enough, there are two damp circles of darker blue on the pale fabric of my baby-blue slip dress.

Daryl pulls it over my head in one movement. My panties are torn off and tossed away, and then he stands there, staring at me. “Look what we did,” he says, with absolute adoration in his voice.

I brush my fingers over my bare belly, and then stroke one of my erect, sensitive nipples. Tiny beads of milk form at the tips, and I look at Daryl.

He strips off his jeans, sits in the grass, and waves me over with his cock so thick and hard, it makes me tremble on sight. I’ve had that thing in my ass — an achievement that makes me feel like a right filthy bitch. I haven’t felt that in a while, but I want to. I stand over him, one foot either side of his legs, as I gaze down at him. “I want it in my ass.”

Daryl’s breath rushes out of him, and he shakes his head. “We’ve talked about this. I don’t want to risk anything bad happening. After the baby comes and you’ve had time to recover, I’ll shove as much cock as you want in there, but right now, I want to suck those milky tits like nobody’s business. Come see if you like it.”

He reaches up, and I take his hand so he can guide me to sit on his fat, veiny cock. My breath leaves me as the size of him stretches me open, but I slide straight on, always wet and ready for him. He hollows his stomach to accommodate the bulge of mine, and kisses me slowly and sweetly, stroking his tongue along mine as he coaxes my hips into a rocking motion.

It’s a bit awkward with the size of my belly, but he soon trails his kisses down my neck, and access seems to gets easier for him as he focus his attention on my breasts. He flicks his tongue over my skin and gently laps at the nipple I squeezed.

A pleasurable tremor runs through my pussy at the thought of him being able to drink milk from my breasts. What will it be like? We’ve both been imagining, but… the anticipation is killing me, as he lingers, toying with me and teasing me with hot mouth and no suction.

His cock strains inside me, declaring his own enjoyment, and his enthusiasm intensifies. My heart rate speeds up in response, just as excited by his play.

I rock my hips back and forth, gushing arousal over his cock. Eager for more, I beg for it. “ Please .”

He latches on with a moan that I feel through my breast and straight down to my core. I gasp and buck at him as he sucks and pulls, and swallows .

He jolts his hips, shoving his cock upward to fuck me in short, hard thrusts, as he gulps and mumbles into my breast. His host mouth clamps around me in a way that keeps me beautifully trapped as he pulls.

“ Fuck . That’s so fucking good,” I cry out, grabbing his hair and holding tight.

He releases his suction and gazes up at me with wild, sparkling eyes as milk trickles from my nipple. I shiver at the animal-like nature of it. I’m going to be a mother. And Daryl’s the reason for it. I know that, but having my body make milk somehow makes it feel far more real.

I gaze into his eyes. Without him, my body wouldn’t be making milk. He wouldn’t have it soaking into his beard and dripping down his chin while he grins at me.

“You like?” He wets his lips and starts teasing my other nipple with his tongue.

Breathless, I nod. “What the fuck kind of hotness is this? Do it again.”

Without warning, he latches on and sends me into a fucking frenzy. I pump my pussy up and down his cock, panting and begging him not to stop. I rub my clit against any lick of friction I can find, and when he strokes my asshole with a slippery finger, I’m done.

I grip him hard inside to make it last, but I can’t. I shudder and break my hold on the bliss, and it roars out of me with a rush of fluids. I ride the waves of it, thrusting at him until he grips me hard and surges his release into my depths.

We collapse against each other, and he holds me tight, stroking my hair as we come back to earth.

“Well, that’s another kink for the list,” I says eventually, when my powers of speech return.

“ Mmm ,” Daryl agrees, apparently not yet his articulate self.

I press a kiss to his ear and nuzzle my face against his like a pony. We don’t need words.