Color of Forgiveness (60 page)

“Ah, shut up, Dylan. If I remember
correctly, it was the three of us talking, and you weren’t in this
conversation.”

“All right, you two,” Myra says. “Stop
it.”

He has to grit his teeth in order to not say
something back to Jackie. He only keeps his mouth shut because of
Myra. He doesn’t give a shit if Jackie
is
married to his
brother. They still don’t get along and probably never will.
There’s just something about Jackie that rubs Dylan the wrong way,
and apparently the sentiment is mutual.

He walks up beside Jackie and stares down at
her with his eyebrow cocked as if to say ‘get the hell outta my
way’. Jackie rolls her eyes and huffs before finally moving. Dylan
sits down next to Myra and wraps his arm around her. “Hey, Susie,”
he says with a half-grin.

“Hello,” Susie says, smiling. “You look
incredibly
healthy
and well as always.”

“Thanks.”

Susie clears her throat. “Um… Dylan?”

“Yeah?” he answers.

“I have a favor to ask.”

“What?”

“Well, I was wondering, if you could…
sex
up your woman a
lot tonight so that she can have this baby
by tomorrow,”
she spits out really fast-like.

Dylan starts coughing, his eyes bulging out
of his head while Myra slaps Susie on the arm, and Jackie starts
laughing hysterically.

* * *

“Sherri, you are a fine, fine cook,” Susie
says as she pats her stomach, “but I’m highly disappointed that you
didn’t slip a ghost pepper into Myra’s pasta. I need her to have
this baby
now
.”

Myra rolls her eyes while Sherri laughs.
“Now I wouldn’t do that to sweet Myra,” Sherri says to Susie while
giving Myra a wink. “This baby will come when it’s supposed
to.”

“Well, I’m only here a week so I need to
help move this labor stuff along and get this baby here fast,”
Susie says.

“I’ve got a way to get that baby out quick,”
Chad shouts, causing everyone at the table except for Susie and the
kids to groan. “What?” he asks all offended, looking around
innocently at everyone.

“Chad, the kids are here,” Natalie says,
sending him with a threatening glare as she rubs Jillian’s back who
is fast asleep on her chest.

“I know that,” he tells her, giving her a
‘duh’ look. “I wasn’t gonna say anything nasty.” A murmuring of
groans slips out from around the table again; Chad rolls his eyes.
“All I was gonna say is that old Dylan here just needs to play
multiple games of
poke-her
with his
deck
tonight.”

“
Chad
,” Natalie and Sherri hiss
simultaneously. Myra covers her face with her hands and just shakes
her head. She peeps through her fingers at the others and sees
Susie and Jackie giggling while Nick tries to hide a chuckle.
Dennis just shakes his head and continues eating.

Dylan groans and leans over to Myra. “I’m
gonna fucking kill him,” he whispers in her ear.

“Please do,” she whispers back.

“I think we should make her a special
milkshake,” Susie announces, “and put some crazy crap in it like
Milk of Magnesia and some Metamucil.”

Everyone starts laughing and shivering and
saying ‘gross’ and ‘disgusting’.

“That’s awesome,” Chad adds. “And maybe
throw in some pickled bologna and sauerkraut.”

“Yeah,” Susie agrees excitedly, “and some
Brussels sprouts and Spam.”

“She’d be in labor in five minutes after
drinking something that nasty and revolting,” Chad says, laughing.
“That baby would be like ‘I’m outta here’.”

“Baby, exit stage left,” Susie adds with a
cheer.

Chad and Susie fist bump across the
table.

“Leave Myra alone,” Dylan grumbles, scooting
his chair closer to hers and wrapping his arm around her. She
smiles when he puts his hand possessively on her stomach. He leans
down and whispers in her ear, “Our baby will come when it’s damn
good and ready. Don’t listen to that shit.”

“I’m not,” she whispers back, rubbing her
hand over top of his. They share a secret smile when the baby kicks
him. Dylan leans in and puts his lips against her ear. “I love you.
You feeling okay?”

“Yeah. I’m good.”

“You’re not too tired? I can take you home
and get you away from these crazy people.”

Myra scans the room. Sherri and Dennis’
dining room table only seats eight so they had to add another table
and chairs. So the kids are spilling out into the hallway. Jay and
Jackson seem to be arguing over something while Joseph slurps a
string of spaghetti into his mouth and has sauce all over his lips.
Myra smiles as she watches Natalie kiss Jillian tenderly on the
forehead. Chad and Susie are still talking animatedly about ways to
get her into labor, and Nick just whispered something in Jackie’s
ear, making her giggle and blush. Myra’s mouth turns up slightly
when she watches Dennis quietly eating, completely ignoring the
chaos of the room around him.

But then her eyes land on Sherri, who is
staring back at her with the softest eyes and most tender smile as
if she had been watching Myra the whole time. It’s as if Sherri
knows what she’s thinking... that this loud, loving family is now
her
family. It doesn’t matter that she and Dylan aren’t
married yet. She belongs. She couldn’t feel a stronger sense of
belonging had she been born into this family.

“Baby, are you tired?” Dylan whispers again
against her ear.

Myra quickly blinks the tears from her eyes.
“No. No, I’m good.” She smiles and nods at Sherri, exchanging a
knowing look with her. Sherri’s gaze drops to Dylan’s hand on her
belly. Her head turns slightly to the side, and she puts her
clenched fist over her heart like she’s overcome with emotion.

“You need to take Myra to the mall,” Jackie
tells Susie. “They say walking helps induce labor.”

Susie’s face scrunches up in disagreement.
“But see if I did that, then that would mean
I
would have to
walk with her. I’m thinking more along the lines of maybe having
her bounce on one of those therapy balls and just have it bounce
the baby right out of her.”

“Wait!” Chad shouts. “We could rent her one
of those jumpy houses and throw her in it.”

“Perfect!” Susie shouts in excitement.
“Let’s do it.”

“I want the castle one,” Jay shouts from the
other end of the table, causing the adults to chuckle.

“That kind’s lame,” Jackson tells him. “I
want the spaceship one.” And that statement immediately launches
them both into an argument.

“Time for dessert,” Sherri announces loudly
over top of the many conversations going on around the table.

“Susie, Susie, Susie,” Chad says, grinning
from ear to ear. “Just wait and see what Ma made.”

“What?” Susie demands as she grabs the edge
of the table and holds on tight. “With the words
Ma
and
made
smashed together, this has to be spectacular.”

“Oh, it is,” Chad says. He stands and rubs
his hands together greedily. Cocking an eyebrow at Susie, he places
both hands on the table and leans towards her. “Ever heard of Peach
Cream Pie?” he says in a low voice like it’s a Department of
Defense secret.

Susie’s eyes widen and her mouth drops open.
“You had me at the word ‘peach’, Chad, you had me at the word
‘peach’. Bring. It. On.”

Chad cackles. “Comin’ right up.”

Chad walks back into the dining room a
moment later carrying a dessert plate with a reverent look on his
face. “Susie, I have something to tell you. This dessert comes with
a warning,” he says in a solemn voice as he sets the pie down in
the center of the table between them. “This is by far my favorite
thing to eat in the universe, but it does have one horrific side
effect. It can make your tongue wanna beat a hole in the roof of
your mouth and slap your brain.”

Susie stares him down with an equally
serious look on her face. “My brain has been smacked many a time by
this old tongue so it’s used to the abuse. I can handle it.”

Chad grins and nods at her to get a piece.
Susie puts a piece on her plate and everyone sits quietly, watching
while Susie takes her first bite. She closes her eyes and slowly
chews. Then her eyes pop open, and her face scrunches up her hand
flying to her forehead. “Ouch! My brain just got slapped!” she
shouts, causing the kids to giggle like crazy. “But I survived it,”
she says in a serious voice, holding up a hand to everyone at the
table. “I’m good. I’m
o-kay.
”

Myra leans over to Susie. “Chad’s holding
out on you. Sherri always makes him his own separate pie.”

“
What?
” Susie looks up at Chad, her
eyes narrowing. “You get your own pie?”

“Yes, I do,” Chad says grinning proudly.

“I’ll give you a hundred bucks for it.”

Chad’s mouth drops open. “A hundred
bucks…?”

Susie nods. “I’m desperate. I’ve been
suffering on a diet for the last two months. I left my drill
sergeant and food inspector hubs at home so he’s not breathing down
my neck right now. I need sweet sustenance and plenty of it.”

Chad purses his lips. “A hundred bucks is
tempting but… I can’t do it. It’s worth more to me than that.”

Susie turns to Myra. “Can you spot me a
loan?” she asks. Everyone busts out laughing.

“No,” Myra says giggling.

“Darn.” Susie turns back to Chad and stares
at him long and hard. “You ever watch
Man vs. Food
?”

Chad stares back at her for a moment before
he nods slowly. “I’ve seen every episode… twice.”

She nods slowly, staring at him like she’s
sizing him up. “How about we do a little
Man vs. Woman vs.
Food
,” she says, wiggling her eyebrows. “Are you up for the
challenge?”

Chad cracks his knuckles then turns his head
side to side, cracking his neck. “What’s the challenge?” he
asks.

Susie turns to Sherri. “Will you make two
pies if I pay for the ingredients?”

“Yes, but you’re not paying for the
ingredients,” Sherri says, grinning obviously pleased about the
fight over her pie.

“Okay,” Susie agrees, throwing Sherri a wink
before she looks back at Chad. “We split your pie in half. Whoever
eats it the fastest gets
two
pies from Sherri all to their
self. You in?”

Chad looks at Susie like her tongue really
did slap her brain. “You think you can out eat me? I’m an eating
machine. I’ve got chowing down to an art form. You wouldn’t stand a
chance.”

“You don’t scare me any. I’ve been starving
myself half to death for the last two months. Besides, I have a
hollow leg. Are you in or not?”

“For two pies? Oh, I’m in,” Chad says with
confidence.

Sherri walks back into the dining room from
the kitchen carrying Chad’s cherished pie. She carefully cuts it in
half and gives Chad and Susie each a plate. The boys hover around
their dad shouting and jumping in excitement.

“Okay,” Susie says as both she and Chad
stare each other down, holding their forks in the air. “Rules are
the first one to clean their plate and swallows wins. Momma
Piemaker’s the judge. Got it?”

“Oh, I got it, and I got
this
,” Chad
says wiggling his eyebrows at her.

“Ready. Set. Go!” Sherri shouts. The whole
room explodes in laughter and shouting as Chad and Susie dig into
the pie, shoveling giant forks full into their faces.

“Go Susie!” Myra shouts, giggling
hysterically. Dylan just shakes his head, grinning. Myra can’t tell
who’s in the lead because it looks close. But then Chad goes to
shove a giant bite into his mouth, and it falls off his fork and
flops onto his plate. As Chad’s tries to get that bite back onto
his fork, Susie quickly chews her last bite and opens her mouth to
Sherri, her arms flying above her head in victory.

“We have a winner!” Sherri shouts as Susie
jumps up and starts dancing her victory dance.

Myra giggles when she looks at Chad. “I
can’t believe it,” he says to himself, a stunned expression on his
face. “I just got out eaten by a woman. I’ve lost part of my
manhood. I’m never gonna be the same. She just stole my right
coconut,
stole
it.”

Myra continues laughing as she looks up at
Dylan. He’s staring down at her, watching her with a tender look on
his face. “You’re so beautiful,” he whispers. “You’re fucking
glowing.”

“Thank you,” Myra whispers, touching his
clean shaven jaw.

“You look so happy.”

“I am happy. More than I ever thought
possible, all because of you.”

Dylan stares at her for a minute.
I love
you,
he mouths.

“I love you more,” she whispers.

* * *

Dylan shakes his head at his half-hard cock
and slips his boxers off, dropping them onto the bedroom floor.
Pulling the covers back, he slides in and molds his body up against
Myra’s, snaking one arm underneath her head and draping the other
one across her stomach. His eyes close as he breathes in the scent
of her hair. He’d really like to test out that theory about sex
bringing on labor, but he figures Myra’s too tired after the long
evening they spent at his parents.

“You glad Susie’s here?” he asks, moving his
T-shirt that she’s wearing out of the way so he can better feel the
baby.

“Yeah, I’ve missed her. She and Chad were so
funny tonight.”

Dylan chuckles. “She sure put Chad in his
fucking place.”

Myra giggles. “I know. That was
hilarious.”

They’re quiet for a few minutes, just both
enjoying being so close to each other. Dylan’s hand slowly moves
back and forth across her belly.

Myra clears her throat. “So, how’s your
poker deck
?” she asks before busting out laughing.

Dylan chuckles with her. “My
poker
deck
is ready and available,” he mumbles against her neck as he
presses his hard cock against her ass. “You wanna play?”