New Life

Author's Note - This chapter is a direct continuation of New Life Ch. 05. If you haven't read it, please go back and give it a quick read. If you're all caught up, have at it. Thanks for reading, voting, and comment.

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The sound of lawnmowers woke me the next morning, still fully dressed. My shoes were off, and nowhere to be seen. A blanket had been placed across me. I didn't remember doing any of that, or reclining my chair for that matter but I didn't think much of it with a full bladder and a stiff back. Saturday morning, I didn't look for him. He had clients at the gym and a few sessions with his little guys so I knew I wouldn't see him until after 5. A shower and breakfast seemed like an awesome idea, then a whole lot of nothing. Specifically not thinking about what happened the night before.

But of course that didn't happen. The more I thought about it, the less angry I was and the more disappointed I became. It wasn't like he'd fucked his ex-wife while I was in a coma after catching four bullets for him. Granted, that part was purely coincidental, but if I were given the choice I would have jumped in front of them anyway. I don't think we could come back from that, but since it was someone else, who I knew he had no emotional feelings towards I could forgive the act. It wasn't as if the idea of him being with women wasn't tossed around but it wasn't supposed to be a secret. By the time I got out of the shower the tension in my shoulders had been relieved and I actually cracked a smile when my eyes caught the mirror. And the long note scrolled from the ceiling to the counter top.

I wonder sometimes

I wonder if I was wrong

Tryna do right by you got me here

Now all I am is alone

'Cause her eyes

And those hips

And that ass

Don't compare, at all no

And at best, all they do is distract me

But now, deep down, when I face it

All I want is you

'Cause she don't smile

Or smell like you

And she don't make me laugh

Or even cook like you

Let's face it, I can't replace it

That's why all I want is you

I don't wanna wake you

I just wanna watch you sleep

It's the smell of your hair

And it's the way that we feel

I've never felt comfortable like this

Sure they weren't his words but Brion was better at expressing himself physically and since I robbed him of the possibility he did what he could. He didn't even like Miguel outside of the bedroom but he knew "Coffee in the Morning" was one of my favorite songs. He prefered the dirty version but the sentiment was the same. I left the bathroom feeling a little better, but I resisted the urge to call him. Even after I smelled coffee brewing in the kitchen. Saw the coconut scones from that bakery that only made 2 dozen of any of their specialty items, which meant he dragged his ass out of bed before 5 to get there by 6, and stood in the line that was wrapped around the building most Saturday mornings. There was a new coffee cup, too. Well it was more of a beer mug, but it wasn't the size I appreciated. It was the message scrolled on the side in Breeze's awful handwriting. The "My boyfriend is a HUGE ass" Mug. I chuckled a little as I filled it up, grabbed my scones and went out to enjoy them on the porch. I grabbed my phone just in case, slipped it into the pocket of my shorts as I headed outside.

It was a beautiful day, the sun on my face made it hard to keep any ill feelings for him. It wasn't like it happened yesterday. He was in a vulnerable spot and I knew it wouldn't happen again, but still I wasn't ready to let him know just yet. He should have told me sooner, when that could have been I wasn't sure.

My phone was ringing and I almost didn't answer assuming it was Brion. I was a little disappointed when it was Paris, and she heard it in my greeting, immediately asked me what happened.

"Nothing cuz...man problems," I groaned and she made a noise that said she knew there was more to it than that but she wasn't going to pry.

"So does that mean I won't be having a babysitter tonight, or did you jerks forget?"

"I'm not even gonna lie and say I didn't," I told her and she grumbled on the other end of the line. "Nobody said I wasn't coming. What time do you need me there?"

"How soon can you get here?" she asked quickly and I laughed, told her all I needed to do was get dressed. Her husband hooted in the background like he'd been listening in. "So like a half hour then?"

"Probably sooner than that," I said and Artie professed his love for me in the background. "Aight cuz. I'll see you in a few."

"Actually...If you want I could bring him to you. Save you the trouble..."

"What I'm hearing is some new parents don't actually have any plans besides some uninterrupted sleep and a few hours of grown up time..."

"See I told you he'd understand," came from Artie and I was certain that they had me on speaker.

"Sure that's cool, just bring everything he might need."

"Car's already packed up bruh."

"Aight I'll see you when you get here then," I said laughing as I hung up. I had a quick smoke and headed inside to run the vacuum over the living area and move the coffee table to set up a makeshift barricade to block off the gym from my newly mobile little cousin. I made sure the entertainment center was closed and latched tight after putting away Breeze's games and controllers. I was giving the place a once over when I heard a horn out front. I pulled on a t-shirt as I headed out to greet them.

"You are coming back for him tonight aren't you," I joked when I saw the supplies stuffed into the back of their hybrid SUV. There was a jumper, two bags of toys, a couple baby gates, one of those motorized bouncy chairs, a small cooler and a overstuffed diaper bag. As soon as we got inside, Paris began rattling off Trey's eating schedule as she unloaded the cooler into the fridge while Artie set up all the seating apparatuses, leaving me and the little guy to stare at each other.

It wasn't the first time we hung out, me and Trey. Paris brought him over almost every day when I came home from the hospital and sat with me but we'd never really been alone together. Sure I let her steal a nap every now and then but he knew she hadn't left him. I was a little nervous about the way his little round face was all screwed up, until I felt warmth on the arm I cradled him in. When he started rattling off his baby babble I assumed he was done. I started to change him but Artie stopped me.

"Always give it a couple minutes brotha," he assured me, shaking his head as he lay a blanket on the couch for me. "He's eating food now and them bad boys be man sized. Paris thinks I'm bugging but I swear he keeps a little back to surprise us when the diaper opens." Trey giggled as I lay him down, like he understood what was being said about him. "And he's quick too. Don't let them chubby legs fool you. Little man got moves."

I felt Paris hovering as I changed her son, and she gave no instruction. Again it wasn't the first time but a new mother has to be sure. The pat on the back of my neck told me she approved and that made me smile. She picked him up when I was done and showered him with kisses and sweet nothings before she passed him back to me. Artie leaned down and grabbed Trey's little fist, proceeded to bump it a few times before he kissed his head. As quickly as they came, Paris and Artie were gone, leaving me and Trey to stare at each other a little while.

"So it's just me and you now young man," I said to him and he let out a little cackle, his little fists waving wildly. "You come with a lot of instructions for somebody who just got here a few months ago. Lotta baggage too so let's see what we got."

I put him down on the floor and watched him make his way over to the bag of his toys and dump it on the floor. It was amazing. It had only been maybe a week since I saw him last and he was just getting used to pushing up on his hands and knees. Now he was speeding across the floor and sitting up on his knees as he surveyed his toy situation. I took the opportunity to take a gander at the typed schedule Paris had provided, complete with times and a few boxes to mark diaper changes. I filled in one with a BM and the time then set a few alarms on my phone to go off when it was time for him to eat again. Once that was all taken care of I got down on the floor with him to do some good old fashioned rough housing.

Two diapers, a meal of carrots and peas, a change of clothes, and a bottle later, Trey had only cried once and that was for the bottle. We lounged on the couch, watching SportsCenter while I explained the intricacies of the west coast offense and how it's use made it impossible for coaches to continue to ignore the prowess of the Black quarterback. I was halfway through a diatribe on why Cam Newton is underrated when I noticed Trey was asleep in my lap, but rather than put him down, I held onto him. Reclined the chair and put him on my chest.

I didn't realize I was asleep until the front door opened and quickly put my finger to my lips to keep Breeze from ruining the moment. But he thought it was because I didn't want to talk to him still. His head hung low on his shoulders as he stepped out of his shoes and made to navigate through the mess of toys on the floor. I grabbed him when he got within arms length, my hand on his wrist, and pursed my lips. His eyes were red and puffy but still he smiled a little as he lean down to kiss me, slipped his hand into mine as he stood. We just stared at each other for a minute. Nothing more needed to be said. Another kiss and he left me to shower, by the time he came creeping around the corner Trey was awake, having dropped another bomb.

"Somebody so small shouldn't make smells like that," he said with his nose all screwed up as he came to sit on the floor next to Trey while I changed him. "You stink bro. Keep it up and people are gonna stop inviting you places." Trey got a kick out of that and flipped over onto his belly as soon as I was done. He grabbed Breeze by his tank top and pulled himself to his feet.

"Them fightin' words huh Trey," I said with a chuckle as I got to my feet to get rid of the offending diaper in the can outside.

"Naw bruh, no beef," Breeze promised and grabbed the little guy to give his big belly a raspberry or two before he wiggled away to get back to his toys. I stretched out on the couch behind where he sat, kissed his neck and put my arm around his shoulders. "I'm..." I stopped him with my hand on his mouth and felt his lips spread beneath my palm before he pushed it down and laced our fingers together. "I forgot we were supposed to watch him today," he said instead, rest his head on my bicep, his eyes trailing Trey across the floor.

"Yeah so did I but we're having a blast though. How was your day?"

"Long and shitty but better now, thanks for asking," he said with a little smirk, then kissed my hand.

"Thanks for the scones by the way and because I love you I saved one for you. But you gotta earn it."

"I look forward to it."

"Good," I said with a raised eyebrow and he sat forward a little, checking on the kid who disappeared from view momentarily. "If I were you I'd get a nap in and call your Pop tell him we might not make it to dinner tomorrow."

"No need, Margie's got some sort of stomach bug so it's just me, you, and Bruise."

"You sure about that," I asked him as he got up and grabbed Trey's mini basketball to do a little dribbling then bounced it off his big baby belly which got a round of babbling and giggles.

"Of course. We got the space for it and you love that dog. Plus it'd be nice to share something with you." I caught his glance down at Trey when he said that last part, but he was gone before I could say anything about it.

When I heard the door close I joined Trey on the floor for a little more rough housing before his last feeding. I let him have it in his chair so I could gather up all his stuff. I love my cousin but I didn't want to give her a reason to linger. By the time I got everything disassembled and packed away, they were knocking at the door. Paris seemed surprised to see him so content, his little feet kicking as he watched a classic basketball game on the big screen. I gave her a full debrief while Artie packed up the car.

"No bullshit cuz I was expecting you to be blowing my phone up as soon as we left," she admitted but I wasn't at all offended. I'm an only child but between church and my stepmother's vast extended family I had plenty of experience with babies. "He had a good time with you I can tell."

"Yeah man we had a ball..."

"Enough to have one of your own," came from Artie as he took his son and gave me dap.

"Well we're getting a dog tomorrow if that counts," I told them with a shrug and they both laughed their way to the door.

"Not at all but it's a good start," Paris said before she pull me down and kissed my cheek. "But you're on the short list to borrow mine on occasion."

"Sounds good to me."

I watched them load up and pull out of the driveway before I went inside. The TV off, the lights out, I headed into the bedroom to join my snoring boyfriend, the self proclaimed ass. But I loved him, more than I thought I could ever love anyone. I got naked and slid into bed with him, trying not to wake him but I had no such luck.

"So tell me of this earning," he asked as he rolled over into my arms, settled against my chest.

"Tomorrow," I said quietly and kissed him softly. "You can start by getting rid of these," I added, giving his shirt and shorts a healthy tug. Without a word, or getting out of bed, he stripped down and let out a little sigh as he snuggled up against me.

"Was it the scones or Miguel," he asked with a chuckle and I shrugged my shoulders.

"To be honest, it was the mug," I admitted and he snorted.

"Yeah I figured. I think I might be rubbing off on you," he said, then kissed me again. It was deeper this time, full of want and need but that's as far as it went. And before long we were both asleep.

I woke up first, sometime around 10 starving and rock hard. Breeze had rolled onto his stomach at some point, the sheets barely covered his ass. Resisting the urge to run my hand across those muscled orbs, I slid out of bed and got dressed. Hunger was my immediate concern, that ass would be there when I got back. I didn't wake him to ask what he might want, I wasn't feeling that generous just yet. I did tell him I was leaving with a few too many kisses to the back of his neck. With his broad hand on my face, Brion pushed me away from him and pulled the sheets up over his head.

As soon as I got outside I wished I'd asked him because I was too hungry to make a decision. Given the hour the options were limited and I almost went to Gianni's truck stop but I wasn't really in the mood for the whole late night hipster scene. "I'm getting old," I mumbled to myself, my stomach grumbling, demanding I make a decision. After a little more of what I thought was aimless driving I ended up in University Heights, a few block from a diner Brion and I stumbled into on many a night. I even remembered what we ordered without even looking at the menu. With 45 minutes to kill, I figured I'd have a smoke and take a stroll around the neighborhood to see what I'd missed with my early departure.

Once I passed all the bars and quick meal spots I started to notice a few rainbow flags flying and lambda symbols in windows. This was new to me since the extent of my "out" life only included trips to He-Den. I didn't have to go dabbling in the scene to find out who I was, living with Gianni and Tyler gave me a little bit of a head start into the life I wanted to live. That didn't mean I didn't feel the need to do a little wandering.

Then I saw it, The Basket Case. It didn't look like a bar on the outside with it's quaint multi paned windows with dark curtains splayed open wide. A peek inside didn't give much away, all that was visible was the counter were a man about Tyler's age, but a little worse for wear, sat reading a book. Behind him was a wall of books. It was pretty nondescript but something about the place made me want to go inside. After a quick glance at my phone to check the time, I figured what the hell and went inside. The man behind the counter glance up at the sound of the bell above the door and did a double take before he put his book down. I gave him a nod and he smirked a little. I could feel his dark eyes on my back as I passed him and made my way through the shelves of books that blocked the real view of the store from the street.

It was not a quaint little bookstore. That little window in the front was a clever little deception but I should have gathered as much from the name. It was a fetish shop and I was salivating at the possibilities. A steady throb started in my jeans as I surveyed the wall of jocks just on the other side of those crafty floor to ceiling bookcases in the front. There were a couple of other guys milling around as well but I was too preoccupied to be friendly. Plus I was on a time limit, which was probably a good thing. It had only been 10 minutes and I was already making a list that was pushing towards a grand. Before I could get too sidetracked I grabbed a few jocks and a set of leather, latex, and metal cock rings. My dick was rock hard by the time I got to the counter, once I put everything down I didn't see a reason not to adjust. The clerk gave a chuckle as he eyed my purchases.

"You might want to change the size on this one fella," he said eyeing one of the jocks before he scanned the rings. "Medium might be more snug than comfortable."

"Oh it's not for me," I told him and he snorted before he rang up the first one, a small smile on his face. I'm sure he thought I was covering, and I could have left it at that but I didn't. "Well not for me to wear anyway. My partner is about five inches shorter and 50 pounds lighter."

"Ahhh I see," he said with a nodding chuckle as he finished ringing up my purchases and I passed him my card. "So a gift for both of you then?"

"Something like that," I told him and this time he laughed outright as he took up my card. While it processed, he pushed everything into a plain brown bag. He tucked a few flyers in as well before he gave me the receipt to sign.

"Well you enjoy yourself Neville. Hope to see you again."

"Now that doesn't seem fair. You know my name and I don't know yours," I said as I took up the bag, my eyes narrowed at him and he grin.

"Clark," he said and extended his meaty hand for me to shake.

"Well Clark it was a pleasure and I'm sure we'll run into each other again. You open tomorrow?"

"Twelve to 10 on Sundays, but I don't get in 'til four if you wanted a more...personal experience. Don't take this wrong but you look a little green," he said with a smirk and I shrugged my shoulders. Again he laughed, I got the feeling that he wasn't being as flirtatious as I initially thought. It occurred to me then that his double take might have been recognition from the little incident that nearly ended my life and I appreciated him not mentioning it. "One of those flyers is an events list. We got a few things coming up for couples you and your guy might be interested in. Little low key socializing for those of us who aren't much into the bar scene."

"Sounds good to me. I'll check it out. Hey, this might be a weird question but do you know a Tyler Garrett?" It was a shot in the dark but it struck true and Clark smiled wide. "He's my boss."

"Yeah we raised a little hell back in our day," he said as he came around the counter and slapped me on the back. "Good guy. Introduced me to my husband. Wish you would have dropped that little nugget of info before I closed you out. Could have gave you the family discount."