Total pages in book: 23
Estimated words: 21644 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 108(@200wpm)___ 87(@250wpm)___ 72(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 21644 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 108(@200wpm)___ 87(@250wpm)___ 72(@300wpm)
At that announcement, Judy literally collapses on the floor, beating at her breast and wailing as if she’s just been struck by lightning.
“Oh! A baby! What happened? What did I do to deserve this?” she moans. “Two daughters who are unspeakably evil! Oh oh oh!”
“Mom, this isn’t about you so please stop with the dramatics,” Colleen says stiffly. “I don’t appreciate it. This is about me, Carl, and the coming child, and I just want you to know that we’re fine. I’ll be moving into Carl’s home shortly, and you can visit anytime you like.”
Meanwhile, Bill’s face is now so red that I worry his head might actually explode.
“You … you…” he stammers, pointing at me with a shaking, accusatory finger. But I merely grab my stuff before sliding a strong arm around Colleen’s waist.
“Come on, honey. Let’s go. This place has nothing for us.”
With that, I hustle Colleen outside into the sunshine before entering my home down the street. Once inside the comforting darkness, my girlfriend turns to me with tears in her eyes.
“I’m so sorry,” she whispers. “My parents are terrible, and they shouldn’t have said those awful things. I guess they’ve never gotten over Sarah’s forbidden threesome, and now this has thrown them for a loop on top of that.”
I pull the curvy girl into my arms, comforting her with my warmth and bulk.
“No, it’s fine,” I soothe. “Any parents would freak out if they found their daughter mid-clinch with a much older man. But do I really look sixty? Your mom said I should be applying for retirement benefits soon. Do I appear that old?”
She giggles a bit then, and the tension eases slightly.
“No, of course not. Judy and Bill were saying the first things that came to their minds, and you’re a very handsome forty, Carl. It was just so horrible though! How could they say those things?”
I pull her close once more.
“It doesn’t matter, and besides, your parents aren’t going to come between us,” I promise. “We’re going to make this work, no matter what.”
Still, she trembles like a butterfly in my arms.
“I’m scared,” Colleen whispers. “Judy and Bill are my family, and I won’t let them ruin this, but they’re going to try so hard.”
“Did they do anything to stop Sarah’s relationship?” I ask gently.
She shakes her head. “No, but there’s nothing they could do because my sister was already living in Manhattan by that time.”
“Well, you’re living under my roof now, sweetheart. There’s no need to go back, except to pick up some clothes and knickknacks. I was serious when I said I wanted you to move in.”
Her eyes widen.
“Really?”
I nod before capturing her soft lips with my own.
“Absolutely honey. Besides, the stress of living with Bill and Judy isn’t good for the baby, so I want you to spend all your nights here from here on out. There’s no reason to subject yourself to that kind of tense atmosphere.”
With that, the curvy girl melts against me, resting her head on my chest. My arms hold her safe and she lets out a long, trembling sigh, relaxing against my bulk.
“I love you, Carl,” is her whisper. “More than you know. And just FYI, I’m glad that my parents found out about us. It’s one less thing to worry about, even if it didn’t happen in the way we expected.”
I lean down to press a tender kiss to her pink lips.
“I know, sweetheart, and I agree. It wasn’t the best way to go about things, but it needed to happen sooner or later. I love you too, sweetheart, and I promise to cherish you forever. You and the baby belong to me now, and I’ll always take care of you.”
With that, our lips meet once more as our love expands and grows to fill the room. After all, the naughty teenage girl was curious about my size long ago, and stumbled upon my friends and me in a compromising situation. But what Colleen didn’t realize is that her handsome neighbor is more than just big; I’m ready to become a daddy, and with the curvy girl by my side, we’ll be more than neighbors going forward. We’ll be parents, lovers, and friends with a bright future and a beautiful family.
Epilogue
Colleen
Six months later.
I scan the crowd as April squeezes my hand.
“They’ll be here. They wouldn’t miss graduation.”
“I hope not, but you never know,” I say in a rueful tone. “Judy and Bill have minds of their own, and you know that they haven’t totally come around yet.”
After all, my parents are still a bit chilly to Carl whenever we meet. They haven’t fully cut me off, so we still talk every once in a while, but that’s not to say things are easy-peasy either. But my tummy’s been growing bigger with each passing week, and I think the ice is cracking as my due date approaches. At the very least, I hope Judy and Bill will warm up when their grandchild’s born.