A Mother's Love

Note: All characters (and musical groups) in this story are fictional. This is the third and final installment of Maisie's story. I recommend that the reader begin with Chapter 1. This series parallels my 6-part Crash-n-Burn series, but continues a bit past where that story ends. If the reader is part-way through that series, there will be major spoilers here. But, there may also be some answers.

CONTINGENCY

We were home for a week when I made the call. I had not confirmed it yet, but I was already convinced that I was pregnant. I knew it was too early to know for sure, but I couldn't shake the feeling. Although I had implied to Estelle that my attacker had gotten further than grabbing my boobs, I wasn't sure that I wanted to use that explanation with Nate. And, one way or another, he was going to find out I was pregnant. For some reason, it was still important to me what he thought. Maybe I should have talked to Cole about it. He would have told me to straighten my head out.

Instead, I called Nate. He'd gotten a cellular phone, a couple years back, and I had his number in case of emergency. Not that he had come when I told him that Cole was injured. Pushing that thought from my mind, I dialed the number. It rang three or four times before I heard he sound of a truck engine in the background.

"King. Who am I talking to?"

"Hi, Nate. It's Maisie. Please don't hang up."

"May. Why would I hang up on the mother of my child? Unless you're going to try running my life again, that is."

"I'm sorry, Nate. I never intended for you to take it that way." I took a breath before continuing. "I'm sorry that you and Cole have drifted apart, but that's between you and him. I'll try to let you handle that from now on."

"Really?" He really sounded surprised. "In that case, to what do I owe the honour of this call?"

"Uh, I was wondering when you'd be back in town."

"Seriously?"

"Yeah. I could use a bit of companionship, Nate. It's been a while."

"Shoulda hit the bars. Put on a tight top and short skirt and you'd have them eating out of your hand. You're still a good lookin' woman, May."

"I don't want some drunk dirtbag just looking for a piece of ass. I haven't picked up a guy at a bar since Cole was five."

"Seriously? I'm the only guy you've been seeing?"

"What can I say, Nate? I'm a bit addicted to you. And, you really know how to make me feel good."

He laughed coarsely, and I knew that he was getting aroused. "Well, I'm just leaving Winnipeg right now. I can see you Saturday night. I'll have Sunday off too, in case you're still free."

"I might be. Let's see how Saturday goes, first, all right?"

"Sure thing, May. You know, I'd love to talk, but I'm getting some static. Not very good signal on the highways out here. I'm looking forward to seeing you, Maisie."

"Yeah, me too." The background noise disappeared. "You still there, Nate? Nate?"

The phone started beeping, telling me he had lost the signal. I hung up the phone and glanced around my office. That had not been a call I had wanted to make from home. Other than my bedroom, this was probably the place I was most at ease. That didn't mean that it was free of stress, but I was in control here, even more than at home. This was my domain, and I was the queen. I had needed the confidence boost to speak with Nate.

I leaned back in my chair and smiled. Only two days to wait. I'd have to forgo my toys until then. I wanted the weekend to be as good as I could make it. And, maybe I would take him up on Sunday.

***

The weekend came faster than I had expected. I gave Cole and Estelle a story about going out with a friend, then took a cab to meet Nate. He was up on the Mountain, waiting in the parking lot at Lime Ridge Mall. Despite the cool weather, he was again leaning against the fender of his Kenworth. He stepped forward and put his arms around me when I reached him. He looked like he wanted to kiss me, but neither of us closed that last bit of distance.

"I've missed you, May."

"I know the feeling."

"Hop in. I'm taking you for dinner."

I laughed. "Babe, I never asked for dinner."

"I know. That's why I'm offering. I want to catch up a bit."

He opened the door and helped me up. I waited until he was getting in the other side.

"Nate, not to be negative, but I don't want to mess things up with an argument before I get to feel your cock in me."

He smiled and started the engine. Conversation would have to wait until we got to wherever we were going. Not ten minutes later, he pulled into a hotel parking lot.

"Nate, what are we doing here?" I asked as soon as the engine stopped.

"I told you, dinner. They've got a nice restaurant here. I decided to get a room for the weekend, as a treat for myself."

"I don't mind the sleeper bunk."

"Yeah, I know. But, if I'm the only guy you're seeing, I really should treat you every once in a while. No reason to waste a king bed."

"A king?"

He gave me his sexiest smile. "Yep. A king for the King. Would you be my queen for the night?"

I smiled. "I'll give you my answer after dinner."

That was actually never in doubt. As soon as Nate told me he had the room, there was no question about sleeping in the truck. A real bed, with proper heat and a bathroom? Absolutely no doubt.

Dinner was good. Not excellent, but nothing to complain about. Estelle's roast beef had been a bit better. Juicier and less stringy, cooked just right. This was a little too well-done for my taste, and the horseradish was a bit dull. The carrots were steamed, not candied. Their mashed potatoes were nice, though, with butter, garlic and sour cream. For desert, we shared something chocolate. Then, Nate escorted me up to his room. He had charged the meal to his room, so I never even caught a glimpse of the bill.

He opened the door and waved me inside. It was your basic hotel room. The drapes had been drawn, not that anyone would be able to see us from the ground, unless we were right against the window. I noticed that the room was a bit warmer than the hall.

"You prepared the room already?"

"Yeah. I was thinking about ordering champagne, if you're interested."

"Actually, I had a bad time with alcohol before Christmas, and I'm going dry for a bit. If you want something, don't let me stop you."

He closed the door and applied the privacy lock.

"Nah. It's only fun when we do it together." He stepped toward me. "What's going on, May?"

"I want to get nicely fucked by the best lover I know. That's all."

He started to undo my white blouse. "All right, don't tell me. But, I expect you to talk after I finish fucking your brains out." He paused and gave a low whistle. "No bra? That's a nice look, babe. Why didn't I notice before?"

I smiled. "I selected this shirt because it hides my nipples. You can leave the shirt on if you like. But, you might want to check a bit lower."

His hand slid down, moving under my plaid skirt. His finger gently stroked my bare flesh.

"Oh, you're naughty tonight, baby. This was just for me?"

I moaned slightly. "I thought we would be in the truck. Did you want to do the schoolgirl fantasy? Mister King?"

I could see his cock straining in his jeans. "Well, Miss May. Are you looking for extra credit? Your grades haven't been too good this semester."

"I'm sorry, Mister King. I've been distracted."

His hand slid along my side, just under the cloth of my shirt. "Really? In what way?"

I squeezed his biceps. "You, Mister King. You're just so strong, and...manly. I can't get you out of my mind."

"Miss May, it's not appropriate for you to be trying to seduce your teacher."

I dipped my head. "No, I guess it's not. Are you going to have to punish me now, Mister King?"

"Yes, I believe that I am." He drew me to the bed, sitting down and bending me over his knee. He lifted my skirt to bare my ass. "I'm sorry I have to do this, Miss May, but rules are rules."

"Please don't hurt me," I cried, completely in character.

Nate slapped my bare bottom, the smack of his hand loud in the small room. It would leave a red mark on my cheek, I was sure. The slap had been hard, but I'd had harder. Still, I screamed, as I was supposed to. He spanked me again, hitting the other cheek.

"I'm sorry, but punishment is ineffective if it is too soft." He spanked me a couple more times. "Proper discipline creates a change in behaviour, because the delinquent learns that obeying the rules is more rewarding."

His last slap had left a couple fingers between my cheeks. I spread my legs apart, letting them drop to the folds of my pussy.

"Ow, that hurts, Mister King. I don't know if I can take any more. Isn't there another way you could punish me? I'll do anything."

He spread my legs out and slapped again, this time right between my legs. I sucked in a sharp breath as his hand landed across my pussy. The pain was sharp, and my entire pussy was tingling.

"Fuck!"

"Is that a request, Miss May?"

I had to suppress a giggle. "Oh, please, Mister King. Could you fuck me instead of spanking?"

"Hmm. That is not the normal punishment." He pretended to think about it, his hand still rubbing between my legs. "And, I'm not sure that it will teach you the correct lesson."

"I promise, Mister King. If you fuck me, I'll do whatever you ask."

He stood me up. "Lie down. Pull your skirt up for me."

I did as I was asked, dropping to the middle of the large bed. Nate didn't touch his shirt, just dropping his trousers. He grabbed my ankles and pulled me to the edge of the bed.

"We're not making love, Miss May. I'm simply fucking you. This is supposed to be a punishment, remember?"

I ducked my head. "Of course, Mister King."

He thrust into me in one rapid motion. I cried out as he filled me, then started panting as he plunged in and out of my pussy. His hands went to my chest, mauling my tits and twisting my nipples. I managed to hold off my orgasm until he started coming. I pulled him down to me, kissing him violently.

"You're out of character, May."

"I know. Thanks, Nate. I do love you. I just wish I didn't hate you at times."

He stood and removed his shirt. Then, he pulled my skirt down and off and slipped me out of my shirt. I had completely forgotten why I had left it on. We slipped under the covers and he pulled me to his chest.

"Does Cole know you'll be out all night?"

"I told them not to expect me back."

"Them? Oh, right. Brian's girl. Are they a couple now?"

I nodded against his chest, so much like his son's, just a little thicker. "Yeah. I don't think they've had sex yet, but it's just a matter of time. Before summer for sure."

"Why can't it just be like this, May? I so love being with you, and then I always mess it up."

I put a finger on his lips. "Shh. Just hold me for a while, babe. I want to fall asleep in your arms. It's been so long."

"Yeah, too long. Love you too, ya crazy bitch."

I laughed. That had once been his lover's nickname for me. The stupid thing is, that had been a very accurate description of me, back before Cole had been born. Was it really just Nate who had been the cause of us falling apart? Or, had I been part of the problem? Jimmy Buffet started playing in my head as I drifted off. Hell, it could be my fault.

***

I woke in the middle of the night, Nate's cock between my legs as he held me from behind. The position was identical to the first night Cole and I had fucked, and I was instantly wet. I giggled when I realized that he wasn't moving.

"You going to fuck me, or just lie there until your balls go blue?"

He chuckled. "Just waiting for you to catch up. How do you want it?"

I drew my hand down his leg. "Can you make love to me this time? You don't do that very often."

His kiss on my shoulder had no trace of teeth. "That would be my pleasure, May."

It was everything that I wanted. I couldn't help comparing him to Cole, and yet, I wasn't able to say who loved me better. In bed, they were so close it was scary. I didn't know how far Cole would go with the rough stuff, but what he had done so far was exactly like what Nate did to me. Of course, those few days with Cole had been coloured with the events surrounding them, so my response may not have been normal. Still, I found the mental picture of my lover behind me fluctuating between Cole and Nate. His soft touch brought me to three or four nice orgasms before he came in me again.

We lay there for a while before Nate spoke. "So, are you going to tell me what happened?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, you said that you weren't picking guys up in the bar. Your back says differently."

I closed my eyes, mentally kicking myself in the ass. He wasn't supposed to haven seen that.

"That's...different. A guy tried to rape me in Algonquin. Cole stopped him."

Nate's entire body went rigid, and I could feel the rage burning in him. "Why didn't you tell me?" he growled.

"You haven't been there for me in some time, Nate. You're not my husband any more. But, I still consider you a friend, and I'm telling you now. It really wasn't something I wanted to talk about on the phone, and it's been just over a week. Anyway, he roughed me up a bit, but didn't finish anything."

"Did the cops get him?" I shook my head. "Dammit, tell me you made a complaint!"

"Wasn't necessary."

"What do you mean?"

I took a shuddering breath. "Nate, he shot Cole in the leg, then came back to finish the job. He failed. And, he won't be bothering us again."

"Shit! You're saying that Cole killed a man?"

"No, I'm not. All I will admit is that he attacked us, and he's no longer a threat. I promise that Cole did not kill him."

"What happened to you, Maisie? You're not a killer."

I shrugged. "But, I am a mother. Her tried to kill my baby. What else could I do?"

Nate pulled me closer. "How's Cole?"

I wrapped my arms around his, holding them to my chest. "He's good. It was a twenty-two, just a flesh wound. We were able to ski back to the campground without any trouble. Um, one more thing. Cole's just inherited a couple guns from your grandfather."

"Grandad didn't have any guns."

I shrugged. "Ellie seems to think the ones she found were his. Anyway, she decided they're going to Cole. He's working on getting his license now."

That had been one of the first things we had taken care of after returning to Hamilton.

"Is one of those guns a twenty-two?"

"Hm. Now that you mention it, I believe so."

"Shit, May. Remind me not to make you angry."

I patted his arm. "Babe, I've tried to warn you about that, but you never listen. As long as you don't threaten my kids, you're safe."

"Kids, plural?"

"Yeah. Estelle's pretty much my daughter-in-law now." I yawned. "Can I get some more sleep, Nate?"

He kissed my shoulder again. "Sure. You know, I forgot how nice a gentle lovemaking could be."

"Mm, hmm," I mumbled just before I fell asleep.

CONFESSION

I ended up spending Sunday with Nate. We got pretty crazy later, and I had a few new scratches on my back by the time I got home, late in the evening. Despite the wonderful sex, the best part of the weekend was that we had not actually argued once.

I was getting ready for bed Sunday night when the phone range.

"King residence."

"May, it's me."

"Hi, Nate. What's up?"

"You said that guy never finished. How far did he get?"

"He never got into my pants at all, Nate."

"Uh, huh. I've been thinking, May. We must have had sex a dozen times this weekend, and you never once asked me to use a rubber. You sure you're not trying to cover up something?"

"Nate, I'm due for my period next week. I promise that I'm not receptive right now."

"What if you are? I know that cycles change."

I had hoped that he wouldn't think of this until much later. "If, in the highly unlikely case that my cycle is off by two weeks and I get pregnant, I'll deal with it."

"How?"

"How do you think? Nate, you know me. What do you expect I'd do?"

"May, I don't think I can afford to pay support for another kid right now. Let alone in another twenty years, when I'm no longer working."

"I know, Nate. I won't ask you to. You have my word on that."

He was quiet for a while, but I could still hear his truck in the background. "I want to at least try to be a father this time, if it happens."

A smile spread across my face. Father or grandfather, I would never stop him from seeing my children. "Of course, Nate. I'll let you know if I am miraculously pregnant."

"All right. Um, thanks, May. I'll call later."

"Okay. Drive safe, Nate."

"Thanks. Love you, ya crazy bitch."

There was a click as the phone disconnected. I hung up the handset and closed my eyes. "You stupid bastard, Nate. Why didn't you make the effort ten years ago?"

"Aunt Maisie?"

I looked up to see Estelle. "Yes, dear?"

"We need to talk."

I nodded and waved her in. She closed the door and sat on my bed, next to my feet. She wasn't ready for bed yet, meaning that she was still clothed.

"So, what do we need to talk about?"

"I've got a list," she said. I almost laughed at her tone, but controlled myself. "First off -- what the hell with Nate?"

"Are you criticizing my decisions on who I spend time with?"

"He walked out on you, left you to raise Cole alone. Why do you even talk to him, let alone spend the weekend fucking him?"

"Estelle, he's the father of my child. I married him because I loved him, very much. We clicked in a way that I've never felt with any other person. It hurt me when he left, and I've been very angry with him at times. But I don't think that I ever stopped loving him. Besides, I know that I can trust him without reservation in bed. When I'm with him, I can let go completely. It's a freedom I have never had with anyone else."

"But, you don't let Cole know that you're seeing him. Isn't that a bit hypocritical?"

"I don't know about hypocritical. Looked at one way, it might be dishonest. But, I've never told my son that I was not in contact with his father. Like I told Nate yesterday, I'm leaving it up to him to manage his relationship with Cole. I'm letting it go. I probably should have done that years ago."

"I don't get it," she said. "How can you keep fucking him?"

I smiled widely. "Darling, because he's the best lover I've ever known. Bar none. Sex with him is...incredible. Indescribable. Completely mind-blowing. I'm a bit of an addict, actually. I just can't walk away from him."

She looked at me for a minute, then shook her head. "You're seriously bent. All right, when are you going to tell me what happened at Algonquin?"

"I've already told you," I said softly.

"You told me about that guy, the one that 'won't be a problem', even though you didn't call the cops. You told me that Cole was shot and got hypothermia. You didn't tell me who Cole was having sex with just before you came to pick me up."

"Estelle..."

"May, don't lie to me. Just tell me what happened. I deserve that, at least. If he cheated on me, I need to know."

I sighed and patted the bed beside me. "Come here. I, uh, may have glossed over how bad the hypothermia was. When I woke that morning, he was too cold to warm himself up. I had the fire going and he was in my sleeping bag, but he wasn't getting warmer."

"You did the skin-to-skin thing."

"Yes. I didn't want to wait long enough to warm up rocks. I panicked a bit, maybe. But, I knew that I needed to get him warmer ASAP. I don't think I mentioned how close Cole came to being gutted when we got to Rock Lake. That bastard was able to cut his jacket, and missed his skin by a few millimetres. That night, he shot Cole. I think he was aiming for a fatal hit, but his right arm was broken and it was very dark. I was watching when Cole got hit, so I had now seen him almost killed in front of me twice. The next night, he tried again, creeping into the tent in the dark. Cole had woken me, so we were both ready. Cole beat the asshole with a couple sticks, and he dropped a big pistol on me. He had intended to shoot Cole and rape me, then probably kill me, too." I paused for half a minute. "Estelle, I saw three attempts on Cole's life in just over twenty-four hours, though, just by luck, one wasn't actually life-threatening. But, the thing that nearly took him from me was a fucking sweater. Cole forgot to take it off after we got rid of our uninvited guest, and overheated in the night. Then, the sweat sucked all the heat out of him. I was so relieved when he recovered that I didn't want to let go of him. But, neither of us intended to do anything. I was still half-asleep, and thought it was Nate with me. They are so much alike, it's disorienting. Anyway, that happened a couple times in the night, and I realized what had happened in the morning."