Page 50 of Taking A Chance

“You make the best margaritas.” Her smile is sweet, full of shiny white teeth and exaggerated, as is the flutter of her eyelashes. I shake my head at her and laugh. I can never say no to her.

“Yes ma’am,” I stand up straight, click my heels, and salute her. At which she simply tuts and walks away.

My eyes fall on Petra, laid out on one of the loungers. Her shorts have risen up, and I’m sure I can see the edge of her bright pink panties right at the apex of her legs. My dick twitches and I have to fight the urge to go out there and disgrace myself in front of the family. “Damn!” I mutter before forcing myself to turn away.

I rinse the pitcher under the cold water, fill it with ice, and start to mix the margarita.

When it had come to choosing between my life in Miami or being with Petra and Viktoria, I didn’t even have to consider it. It was a done deal. I’d already been willing to move over to Bath to work for Isaac, if it meant that I could pursue a relationship with Petra. Sure, things went a little faster than expected, but when I found out I was going to be a dad again, this time having the chance to be a part of it all, I had to keep my emotions in check. At least until I had a private moment. That moment was with Petra, and when we shared it, it reinforced our commitment to each other even more.

After the news of the pregnancy, while Ben was still staying with us, my parents flew over from Florida. Ben and my parents knew nothing of Viktoria, well it’s not something you drop on someone in a telephone call. With Ben arriving to stay with us, of course, we introduced him to his niece. However, I swore him to secrecy as it was only right that Mum and Dad heard it from me. For once, he kept his big mouth shut. So, when my parents arrived, let’s just say it was a tough time.

When we sat them down and told them about Viktoria, all hell let loose. My parents have always been heavily involved with the church, but my dad’s reactions were anything but charitable. My mother just sat, shoulders slumped and cried as my dad raged, spouting words that immediately got my back up. He accused Petra of trapping me, only after my money, the exact fears that had consumed Petra, the reason she’d kept her secret.

I lost it, I absolutely lost it. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve had my spats with my father before, but this time, I raged. I was like a man possessed. I demanded, how dare he speak about Petra like that, the woman that I was in love with? It got extremely heated. My mother’s uncharacteristic high-pitched screaming, telling us to shut up, was enough to shock us out of our disagreement. My father stormed out of the front door that he’d not long since arrived through. I was ready to follow him, demand that he apologised to Petra and make him realise that whatever his illogical ideas he had about her, she was the mother of his grandchild. But then Petra had put her hand out to stop me. I watch with a mixture of apprehension and admiration when she was the one who went to fight our case.

I still don’t know to this day what Petra said to my dad, but after an agonising thirty minutes, they both walked back in. My dad’s arm draped around her waist, talking as if they were old acquaintances.

All it took was one look, one single moment spent with Viktoria, and they were besotted with her.

Fortunately, when we announced the surprise news of another grandchild, it was met with cries of great joy.

Which leads me to Kristina.

Watching Petra go through the birth of our second daughter had me ready to punch something. Seeing her in such pain and not being able to do anything to help her was as painful as a shot to the balls. When the nurse laid that perfect little girl in my arms, I was crying like a baby, not giving a damn who was watching. It was like I’d been blessed with another angel, bringing my total to three.

The squeal of a child’s laugh brings me out of my daydream and I steady my stance, just in time for Sam and Viktoria to collide with my legs. Arms wrapped tight as one clings on the left, and the other clings to the right. Their giggles are intermittent while they try to catch their breaths. Kristina, and Isaac and Amy’s daughter Ruby, are both down for a nap, but even these noisy two, couldn’t wake them as they are both heavy sleepers.

“Hey, you two, what are you doing?”

“We’re playing kiss catch, silly. Aunt Amy told us how to play it?” Viktoria explains with a serious face. “Don’t pretend you don’t know how to play Daddy; I’ve seen you playing it with Mummy.”

“Yeah, but Mummy and Daddy are adults,” I say as I grab the pitcher and start walking out towards the back. It’s a slow and tiresome process, with the weight of a four-year-old on each leg. Maybe I should increase the reps at the gym next week. “Aunt Amy is naughty, because you’re not allowed to play that game until you’re… twenty-one.” Viktoria giggles and I realise having girls will not be easy.

When I step out into the yard, the kids detach themselves and go running off towards the play gym over to the far side. I ditch the pitcher, but not before I’ve scooped out a chuck of ice with the large mixer spoon. I move over to where Petra is still laid, I stand at her side, blocking the sun. The loss of heat is enough to have her shielding her eyes and lifting her gaze up at me.

“Cade?” I stand looking at her, taking time to gaze upon her beauty. “Cade, what’s up?” I hunker down at the side of her and she makes to sit up. I put my hand on her ankle to stop her. She jumps when the cold ice hits her sun kissed skin. She shivers when I slowly run it up the inside of her leg. I move nearer, so my body shields what I’m doing to her from the view of others. When I hit the apex of her legs, I push the smaller piece of ice under the edge of her shorts and panties until I touch soft flesh. She hisses as the coldness hits her clit. Her head falls back, her eyelids drop to almost closed as I stroke her with my icy fingers. When she starts to moan, I cover her mouth with mine to silence her. I remove my hand and capture the whimper of disappointment with a deeper, harder kiss. I stand to move away from her.

“Cade, what was that all about?” she questions.

“A taste of what’s coming tonight,” I say with all seriousness. I hold out my hand. She takes it and I pull her to her feet.

“Woah, Cowboy,” she gives me a sultry look. “Is that a promise?”

“No baby, that’s an order.” I lean over and brush my lips against her ear before nipping it with my teeth. “I’m going to do all kinds of dirty things to you until you can’t take anymore. You will scream for me to stop, but I won’t. Not until you submit and give me the one thing I need,” I whisper.

“And what is it that I need to submit to?” she asks breathlessly.

“Marry me.”

* * *

“It’s about bloody time,” I grumble while talking to Isaac’s reflection in the mirror that sits above the bathroom basin. “I thought he would never pop the question.” I put my toothbrush back in the holder and dry my face with a small hand towel. Everyone had left a couple of hours ago, so when Cade had phoned to speak to Isaac while we were putting the kids to bed, I was a little concerned that something was up.

“You can’t blame Cade.” He sniggers and I can feel the heat radiate from Isaac’s body when he stands close behind me. “He’s been asking her to marry him for months.”

With his hands resting on each side of me on the counter, he’s actually not touching me, but the way my body reacts to his closeness, he might as well be. I temporary lose my track of thought, but then suddenly remember what we were discussing.

“Really?” I gasp. “That surprises me. She said nothing. He must have done something special to finally get her to agree.”