Wes Dalton

"Those are my kids." I noticed the hesitation in her voice after, but my response slipped out.

"Your kids!?" I had no idea she had kids!

Thinking back to when we had had our fun, she had never mentioned them. To be honest, we avoided talking about her brother and anything relating to family.

I studied the handmade frame in my hands. Glitter glue looped in a messy wave around stickers and small drawings. The boy and girl in the photo had Sarah's features, but their skin was darker. Their squinted eyes and bright smiles were happy and care-free.

"They're beautiful," I finally said. Looking back up at her, she was trembling, almost unnoticeably and something told me it was unrelated to our play. Lip locked in her teeth, drawing a frown on her face. "Hey. We're going to chat about this. Le'me get cleaned up real quick. I'll be right back, okay babe?" I kept my voice light so that she wouldn't think I was upset about the surprising news.

I placed the picture back and made my way over to her. Cupping her cheeks, I brought her up towards me. It didn't matter that we were still naked, she was close to tears and I didn't understand why.

She didn't look up and she didn't move. I gave her temple a kiss and turned. I quickly moved into her bathroom to wash up.

Another surprise hit me as I looked down. The condom had ripped. The tear was parallel to the base and not long. I inspected the condom as I took it off. It wasn't as full as it should have been, but the rip was towards the base.

The chances of getting anything inside her were slim, right? Fuck!

She was already emotional about me asking about the kids. I threw the rubber away and found a few washcloths in a drawer of her vanity. I washed up and debated on whether or not this was something I needed to bring up.

Tonight, no. I'd leave it. Changing the fact that it could bite me in the ass later. The likelihood was too low.

Walking back into the bedroom, I said her name softly, wishing her to look at me. When she did she looked up at me, then to her hands, and again to me. Nervous, but why?

"I'm sorry," she said quietly.

"Why are you upset, sweetness?"

A small sob escaped her as she slumped against my chest.

"I didn't tell you back then because I didn't know how long we would last and I didn't tell you now because I didn't want you to think that I'm a bad mom."

"Baby," the immediate reaction was to laugh, but I contained it. "There is very little that could make me think you were bad in any way."

Her brows knit together and she shook her head, "I chose to distance myself."

"I'm sure there was a reason, tell me about them."

With a heavy sigh, she nodded. "Can I take a quick shower?"

"Of course. Want me to help you?"

She shook her head, "No, I just need a minute." Collecting the toys we had used off the bed, she padded into the bathroom. Returning a moment later to grab a bottle out of her toy chest.

"Not done?" I asked jokingly.

She smirked and shook the bottle, "I have to clean them. I don't need them getting gross."

I nodded in understanding. As she slipped back into the bathroom, I found my pants and briefs. My phone blinked with a missed message.

Sen Riviere:

I have a last-minute
meeting on Friday
evening. Are you
available?

I responded immediately. It didn't matter what I had going on, I'd make the time. Thinking about it for a moment, I knew I'd need to spend as much time with Sarah as she'd tolerate.

Sarah would probably need to work, but I'm sure the time she wasn't there, I'd be making sure her time was filled with me. That wouldn't be the only thing of hers filled by me. I smirked as I responded.

Me:

Of course, Senator.
Where and when
should I meet you?

Sen Riviere:

St. Charles. 1600

Me:

Yes sir

As I set the phone on the nightstand, I took a whiff of the smell coming from the shower. Raspberries. She may have matured, but the soap was the same.

Sliding into my briefs, I wandered into her kitchen and poured myself a glass of water. Sipping it slowly and taking in the situation I found myself in. Years before, she had left me in a hotel without a word. There was no note or letter, no call or text. Just gone.

When I woke up to her face, I was elated. She had so much attitude and sass when I met her, that I barely would have recognized her now. She spoke differently, was more mature, more guarded, and more sure of herself. It was refreshing.

It seemed there was a lot that had changed. The house was quaint, but there were flourishes of money. Unique paintings hung on her walls and I had noticed she had a decent stock of medical supplies. It was also clear that she hadn't spent much of it on herself, there was nothing overly flashy or high end.

When she joined me, I was looking at a few of the photos that lined the back wall of her living room. Although there was only one photo, I recognized her brother, Ben, from the photo that Micah had distributed. Working that job was easy compared to most of the other ones he had sent us on. I felt fortunate that I hadn't gotten shot and that I had met Sarah.

"Hey," her voice was weak behind me as she touched my shoulder. I knew the moment she joined me, but let her watch me and let her come to me.

"Hey sweetness, feeling better?" I turned to see her standing in a short silk robe. She nodded.

"Yeah, thanks. Do you want tea or cocoa?"

"Shoot, I haven't had coco in a while! I'd love a cup."

"Marshmallows or whipped cream?"

"Sarah," I groaned as I placed my hands on her hips, "holding out on me!"

"I am not! What are you talking about?"

"Whipped cream. The places I could-"

She placed her dainty fingers against my mouth to silence me, "Behave, Dalton."

"After what we just did? Do I have to?" I loved teasing her. Seeing her smile was my own personal mission.

"Answer or you'll get none," she threatened.

"Both."

"You got it." Slipping out of my hands, she shifted our conversation to the kitchen.

I followed her and watched her put the kettle on, pull down two huge mugs, and prepped the cocoa packets.

"What are their names?" I asked the question carefully.

"Cason and Laurel."

"How old are they?"

"Eight."

"Twins?"

"Yeah," she smiled meekly as she poured the powder into the mugs.

Doing the math in my head, they would have only been three when everything happened. "So tell me about what happened. Why did you think that I'd judge you so harshly about your kids?"

"It's kind of a long story." She was stalling.

"We have time, Sarah." I bent my head to her and pressed a kiss against her shoulder and wrapped an arm around her middle. "Take your time."

"Okay." She fidgeted with the spoon, leaning into me, as she spoke, "Their father was Romeo, my ex. He didn't want much to do with them, but he didn't want me to leave. I felt so stuck." She made mention of her ex. I knew that Romeo was a sore spot for her but I didn't know all of the details."

Her fucking ex was a dead beat and worthless father. If I could have shot him again, I would have.

She continued, "The night that I met you, the night that Remi called me, I dropped the kids off at Romeo's sister's house. His sister was always kind to me and my kids but never could kick her bad habits. Anyway, I knew that things would probably get messy and I felt the need to be there for Remi. She needed support and she felt like Micha was moving ahead with plans without her."

I remembered. Micah had agreed not to touch Remi's deadbeat ex, Ben, without her say-so. Ben also happened to be Sarah's brother. When Sarah heard that Ben had put Remi in the hospital, Sarah lost it. She had known for a while that Ben's mental status was declining, but after that, Sarah was ready to sever ties. Sarah had helped Remi arrange a meeting with Ben, but things went terribly wrong.

Ben had brought men and the girls were outgunned. My men and I arrived with Micah, but we were late to the shoot out.

"Anyway, I met you and things changed. I had a feeling you were trouble, but I also could tell you had your shit together. I didn't, not really. I had been in a physically and mentally abusive relationship with Romeo and when I heard he had gotten shot, I hoped it was fatal. At the same time, I started to realize I'd be alone.

"I remember going home and telling my parents about what had happened. My dad didn't believe me at all. Called me a liar and a whore then got mad at mom for speaking up and defending me. She got smacked because she said something along the lines of Ben deserving to be put in his place. My dad was furious with her.

"On top of everything, she had gotten divorce papers drawn up the week before but had been too afraid to give them to him. That night, with me there, we made him sign them. I helped her move out and we stayed in a hotel for about a month. My kids stayed with us. I had no other word about Ben until you found me again."

The pot began its slow screaming whistle to let us know the water was hot enough. She busied herself making both cups. Topping mine with mini marshmallows and whipped cream, hers with a shot of Irish Cream and whipped cream.

"No fair! Are you holding out, again, but this time on the good shit?" I accused.

With a smile and a laugh she said, "Want some?"

"Yeah I want some," I knocked the bottle to pour more than she was going to, overflowing my cup and sending her into a fit of giggles.

I was happy to know that talking about such a dark time, she still was able to laugh with me. There was a deeper part of me that recognized how momentous of a moment this was. She had opened up. I just needed to shut my mouth and let her talk.

Cleaning up my mess, she settled her rear on the counter. Hugging her mug with both hands, she continued on, "You found me in the library of my college, do you remember?"

"I do," I smiled at the memory. "I barely recognized you, not covered in blood."

"Lord! Shut up!" She laughed as she shoved my good shoulder. "You were the one to bring me the official news about Romeo and about my brother. Even though Micah and Remi both reached out to me, you were the one who told me Romeo was dead and Ben had been taken into custody. I was torn on how I needed to feel. The strongest feeling was relief."

"Is that why you agreed to have dinner with me?" I asked carefully.

"Part of the reason, yes."

"And the other part?"

"Besides the fact that you were annoyingly charming and handsome? You didn't know me. You didn't know my past. All you did know was the snapshot moment in my grandparent's farmhouse. Covered in Remi's blood."

"It was more than that, and you know it."

"Was it?" She ducked her head for a small sip.

"Yeah," I leaned my elbows against the counter beside her as I took a sip from my own cup. "For me, you were the first chick to land a punch on me, one that mattered at least. More than that, you broke my nose and then cared for me once you were done with Remi. I'll never forget you straddling my lap in that bathroom as you reset my nose." I gave her an impish smile and added, "Hurt like a sonofabitch, but I had a great view!"

She swatted my arm, knowing exactly what I was talking about. As she had inspected my nose, she had tilted my head down and I had a perfect view of her gorgeous tits.

"I thought you were such an ass," she admitted.

"You were right. I was overconfident and cocky. I'm happy you set me straight."

"In more than one way," she laughed as she held her cup to her mouth.

"What happened when you left me?"

"I didn't want to." When she lowered her cup I saw tears welling, again.

"Then why?"

I was greeted with silence and almost regretted asking her. For a brief moment I felt like I'd pushed too far.

Expecting her to shut me out and clam up, I was relieved when she sighed heavily and said, "After we spent our week together, I went back to help my mom. By then she had my kids and they were thriving under her care. They were doing better than they had been doing with me, I didn't feel like they were better with me so as soon as my parents' divorce was finalized, I gave her full custody.

"I know they were upset with me, but it was good for my mom. She is the type of person who needs to keep busy. Maybe it wasn't the right move, but they didn't have to leave their friends or the rest of their family."

"Sarah, you had been in a house that wasn't supportive, you have to know getting them away from that was a good thing, right?"

"I do, kinda. I mean, I think I do."

Her uncertainty gutted me. "So why do you beat yourself up about it so hard?"

"Because I feel selfish. I had been given the opportunity to finish school and actually get a decent job, I could have them here, but I've held off on it."

"How often do you get to see them?"

"Every few months. I take a long weekend and go see them. Sometimes I bring them here."

Feeling more confident in our conversation, I pushed a little further. "What else aren't you telling me?"

A weak smile graced her lips as she stared down into her mug. "I send almost all of my money home to them. My mom doesn't have to work, she is covered. I pay most of her bills and send extra for anything that the kids need." She paused. "Did you know Micha sent me money?"

"I didn't, no."

"Way too much money, but I was able to get my mom a decent apartment, a used car to get around." She went still, seemingly lost in her thoughts as she gazed down at her mug.

"Sounds to me like you are an outstanding mom and amazing daughter. Do you have any plans to move them here?"

"I have no idea. I'd love to, but I still don't know what I'm doing. I thought I did, but I don't. I have recently found a new normal. I am finally accepting friendships and trying to be social."

From the intel that we had gathered, her ex had kept a strong hold on her and rarely let her out of his sight. She had been surprised that I was okay to let her go to her classes during the week we'd spent together. I could recall her exact reaction, shock, as I told her she was a big girl and didn't need a man to command her.

"Would you if you could?"

"Yeah," she responded after a minute. "Yeah, I think I would, or maybe I'd move there. They are older now, I don't know if they would even want to move or have me move back. My mom would be a must. I wouldn't take them without taking her too."

"You should."

"Psh," she hissed. "I'd have to get another house. Maybe more land. I'm not sure I could afford that."

I could help, I thought. I knew if I said it out loud, she could shut me out. A commitment was something she hadn't wanted before, but looking at her now, she seemed more grounded. It was possible that was something she would be more willing to accept, but I wasn't about to cause ripples in our newly renewed chemistry.

"Hey, so what do you do around here for fun?" Trying to think of anything that could loosen the conversation.

She laughed, "Seriously? You're in the Big Easy, and you're asking me what I do for fun?"

"Yup," I smirked, already knowing her answer.

"Well, there is always live music going on on Bourbon Street."

"I don't want to know what goes on. I want to know what you do, Sarah."

"Okay, you got me," she tucked her head again and sipped her cocoa. "I usually stay at home with a decent book. I don't go out a lot and when I do, I prefer to walk along the riverfront. There is a lot of great food and a lot to entertain. When the streets get busy, I go home. I don't like being out with the wilder crowds."

"I had a feeling you were going to say that you liked the reclusive life."

"What's wrong with that?" She asked as her eyes went wide and her brows lifted.

"Not a thing. I'm just happy you let me take you out."

Immediately ducking her head with a blush, she admitted, "I had a really good time."

"Which time, because both times I ended up gettin' the honey," I wiggled my brows at her and licked my lips suggestively. I couldn't help myself.

With a groan, she rolled her head back.

"But in all honesty," I said more seriously, "so did I." I placed my mug on the counter and stood between her legs. "How about we take the whipped cream back to the bedroom and you let me have something better than the beignet we had at Cafe de Mounde?"

At that she giggled into her cocoa, coming up for air and shaking her head at me. "Dalton, what am I going to do with you?"

"Take me to bed and see exactly what you can do with me," I smirked at her, took her cup away to place it next to mine, and scooped her up by her ass. "Doctor Gilmore, I do believe you've forgotten your panties."

She hooked her arms around my neck and leaned in to whisper, "Mr. Dalton, I do believe that was intentional." Nipping at my ear, I groaned,

Starting down the hall, I grew hard at the thought. She had done it on purpose. I wasn't about to stop my feet from taking us back to her bed.

"Wes," she squeaked, "what about the whipped cream?"

"Fuck the whipped cream, you're sweet enough!"