I Pick You Read online

  “Yeah, I know. Come on, you get Bay and I’ll go start her bath water.”

  I watched her down her red girly drink, stand, and walk inside, leaving me alone with Bay.

  “Come on, Bay. Your mom says it’s time for a bath.”

  “Bayabafdere,” she said, with a crooked little finger in the water.

  Again, I didn’t understand the words, but I knew she told me she already bathed in the pool. I scooped her into a towel and carried her to her mom.

  “I usually leave these toys in the bathroom. I’m sure you have an empty drawer here. Everything else is empty,” Kit said while gathering wet toys from my tub.

  Bay squirmed from my arms, and I dropped her to the warm water with her floating toys, feeling the tension in the air.

  “Want me to leave you alone?”

  Her words were shaky and I could tell there were hidden tears, but I wasn’t sure why. Was it because I said I would never love her, or because she was down to two nights with Bay? “No, Brantley. I want you to bathe your daughter. Make sure you always buy baby shampoo so it doesn’t burn her eyes and it’s gentle on her skin.”

  I gave her the easy out and she took it. “How about you bathe her and I’ll watch. I’m sure we’ll be fine.”

  Kit dropped to her knees without another word and picked up a red whale, squirting it to Bay’s chest with one squeeze and a straight stream. I wasn’t a complete ass. I knew this was hard for her, and I knew leaving Bay ripped her heart out, but damn it. What did she expect?

  We recuperated while watching the movie, Inside Out with Bay. Coolest kid movie ever. I think I was into it as much as Bay was. She sat on my lap while Kit unpacked her things, hanging her clothes in her closet, and putting her things away, without moving a muscle. Phil’s tail stayed in her little fist and she moved it back and forth over her little cheek, yawning in my arms.

  By the time Kit returned, I was engrossed in the cartoon, but I still heard every word she said. Sort of. “Come here, Bay. Sit with mama.”

  Bay left my arms and walked toward her mom on the other end of the couch, falling into her arms with a squeal. Kit hugged her tight and kissed her fine hair while I watched, hoping I could fill her shoes.

  “Brantley?”

  “What?”

  “Stop.”

  “Oh, sorry. You shouldn’t throw your leg around like that. Not around me.”

  Kit didn’t comment, but she did drop her leg to the floor and frown at me. “Hey, where are you going? You get back here to me,” she teased, when Bay left her arms for mine. I smiled and for the first time, it felt natural. Like she belonged there. I still didn’t fuss over her like Kit did, no smooching noises or baby talk, but I did sort of love it. I loved her.

  Kit lectured me on a few more need-to-know things, spitting them out as they came to her while I tried to hear the movie, and then she made me take her to pee. Right in the middle of a good part. Kit didn’t follow me like I thought she would. I was on my own, but not too worried. I could handle it. I thought…

  Other than her thinking she had to disrobe from the waist down, I was fine.

  “Just leave your jammies right here, Bay,” I coaxed while lifting her to the potty. As soon as she sat she kicked them off, dropping them to the floor. I shook my head and picked them up, turning them right side out.

  “Poop.”

  “What?”

  “Poop.”

  “Oh, okay. Should I step out?”

  “Poop,” she repeated again as she slid from the toilet.

  My hand instantly covered my mouth when I saw the streak.

  “Kit,” I called from the bathroom. No answer

  “Poop.”

  “Yes, Bay, I see. Just give me a second to think here, would you? Kit?” I asked, in a worried tone as I called out to the empty house. She didn’t tell me this part.

  “Poop.”

  “Oh, hang on, I’ve got it.”

  I ran from the bathroom and to the kitchen, retrieving a whole roll of paper towels, panic setting in as I wondered what the fuck I was supposed to do now. “Kit!” I yelled again, needing her to take this one.

  “Oh, thank Christ.”

  Kit frowned up at me, shaking her head while Bay stomped around the bathtub, warm water being sprayed down her little bottom and her legs with the spray nozzle. Good thinking. “Too much chocolate also gives her the fast poopies, and you might want to lift her off the toilet next time. Clean that up,” she ordered with a jerk of her head toward the mess I wasn’t touching.

  “Nuh-uh.”

  “Seriously? Grab a piece of toilet paper and clean it up. God, Brantley.”

  I did it because she didn’t give me a choice, but other than gagging a couple times, it wasn’t so bad. Kit didn’t give me a choice when she shoved a little wet body into my arms either. I had to grab an ankle when Bay slipped right through my hands, giggling the funny laugh where her little shoulders bounced up and down.

  “Get her dressed. I’m going to get her a little bit of milk and lay down with her.”

  “You can lay in my bed with her. I’ll take the couch.”

  Kit smiled up at me with a grin, covering Bay with a towel. “Yeah, I planned on it.”

  “You did?”

  Bay touched my cheek with a flat hand and bobbed her head right to my eyes, demanding I pay attention to her. “Phil.”

  “He’s on the couch. Let’s go find him.”

  I grabbed her pink undies and hauled her to the living room, stopping to watch the movie. Bay watched, too, her head on my chest as I swayed her back and forth. I did kiss her that time, and my heart melted a little. She liked me, and that meant more than I knew it meant. I’m sure she would have fallen asleep right there in my arms had Kit not taken her from me. Taking her with the towel, she kissed her, too, the same spot I had and carried her to my bed.

  I went to the kitchen and opened a beer, and then I watched the rest of the movie. I loved it. Inside Out was my new favorite cartoon. This dad thing might not be so bad after all. I just wished her mommy would have let me touch her.

  I called my sister back, flipping off the movie as the credits rolled.

  “I didn’t think you were ever going to call. Tell me about her.”

  I smiled and shook my head, cold beer sliding down my throat. “She’s pretty cool.”

  “I knew it. You love her, don’t you?”

  “I mean, it’s going to take some getting used to, but yeah. I sort of do.”

  “You didn’t send me any pics. I need a picture.”

  “I will. I don’t want to look like a freak with my phone in my hand all the time.”

  “You’re a dad. You’re allowed to be a freak.”

  “Yeah, and that word still freaks me out.”

  I talked to Bridgett, explaining the entire day, starting with my hangover and my day at school.

  “Wait, you like this girl.”

  “What girl?”

  “The teacher, the one you keep talking about. Rydell. You like her.”

  I refrained from telling my little sister that I only wanted to fuck and got back to Bay. Of course, that shut her up about my nonexistent love life. She loved Bay more than me and she hadn’t even met her yet. We talked until she started in on me about calling our mom, and I hung up, lying about Kit calling for me. Nope, I had no need to call her. None whatsoever.

  To keep from walking into my room, I went to the dryer for a pair of shorts and tee-shirt, sure I wouldn’t see Kit until morning. A cold shower was the only thing I would be getting that night. I sighed and went to the shower, alone. I briefly thought about jerking off, but talked myself out of it, deciding to take a walk along the beach instead.

  Only I didn’t make it there. Kit had her back to me, standing in the opened door, facing the ocean.

  “It’s beautiful. I’m sort of jealous of Bay now.”

  I wanted to retort with something cheesy about her being beautiful because she was. That’s not something
Brantley Jandt would say, though. “That’s my shirt. Take it off.”

  Kit shot me a daggered look over her shoulder. “It looks better on me.”

  “Agreed. We should fuck.”

  Kit laughed ridiculously hard, the exact same laugh as Bay Berry Jandt, and I noticed. And then I wondered why I noticed.

  “I have condoms.”

  “You’re so stupid. It’s not about a condom. We’re not a couple.”

  Taking my chances, I walked up behind her, instantly smelling the sweet scent of her skin, flowery, but not strong. Lavender, maybe. “So, we weren’t a couple in Nashville either, but we still had a hell of a good time.”

  Other than her body tensing below my hand, she didn’t move. She let me place my hand on the soft skin below her shirt, a breath catching in her lungs. I felt her breathe and relax into me when I moved her wet hair and pressed my lips to her shoulder. One hand held her hipbone and the other wandered to her breasts. Not what I remembered from the first time I held them in my hands at all, and I remembered that, too. They were a little squishy, and so was her belly; not fat, just not the hard abs I had licked beer from before.

  Just when I thought I had her, she spun out of my arms, but I spun with her.

  “No, Brantley. Stop. We’re not doing this.”

  I didn’t stop, I couldn’t stop, and I didn’t want to stop. “Why? What’s it going to hurt? I’m not going to see you for a whole year. It’s not like I can be bringing strange girls in here now.”

  “You better not do that. I mean it. I don’t want her around your parties and slutty girls.”

  “You mean like you?”

  Kit took a step back as I took one forward. “I’m far from a slut.”

  “You fucked me the first time I met you.”

  “Yes, I have a constant reminder.”

  I closed the distance between us with one step, locking her between me and the kitchen island.

  “Brantley,” she whispered, weak words corresponding with the failed attempt to stop me with flat hands to my chest.

  My lips met the corner of her mouth, and I spoke soft, sexy words to her lips. “When’s the last time you had your pussy licked? When do you think you’ll have that again? It’s sex. Come on. No strings. It’s the least you could do; don’t you think?”

  Kit’s eyes took a dive down and then back to mine, her words strained and raspy, “You’re going to play that card?”

  I knew where that conversation could end up, and I wasn’t about to have that. We didn’t need to discuss the guilt trip I tried hard to lay on her. Not when I was this close. Her lips parted all on their own as my hips ground into hers, and my tongue moved in. She kissed me back, moving her hands up my chest and to the nape of my neck, fingers tugging on my short hair.

  And the angels sang hallelujah.

  I snapped the button on her jean shorts, slowly sliding down the zipper. That may have been a little too fast, but I did remember this part. She was so easy to talk into bed the first time, and I could already tell that I would win this one, as well.

  “Brantley, no. I can’t do this. This isn’t about us. You need to stay focused on Bay.”

  I didn’t waste time on talking, knowing I only had one chance. My fingers slid past the pink band and to a smooth, wet slit. With her own slipperiness, I dragged my finger, spreading it around her clit with two fingers. “I’ve been focused on her all day, Kit. She’s asleep. Wouldn’t you rather I focus on this? Tell me this doesn’t feel good.” I didn’t give her time to answer, instead I shoved my tongue into her mouth at the same time I thrust my middle finger deep inside her.

  Kit moaned into my mouth and stepped out with one foot. Victory was mine and I took it. Dropping to my knees in front of her, I watched her body fall onto the counter, defeated, and all mine. She wiggled her hips, helping me slide the tight material over her hips and stepped out of them. Pink lace was the only thing between us, and I relished in that, too. Two fingers locked the straps on her hips and I pulled back for a glance before sliding them down. A thin landing strip of dark hair led to soft, bare lips, and a swelling nub.

  My hands went to her tight ass and I squeezed, kissing the butterfly tattoo just above her hipbone. I slid the lace down, stopping just below her slit just because it was so sexy. Two thumbs parted her lips, exposing her overzealous nub, begging for attention. Who was I to deny the girl that? Happy to be of service, my lips circled her clit and I sucked hard, my tongue dancing off the tip of it with every pop.

  Kit melted in my hands like a stick of butter, her leg’s parting even more for me, begging me to devour her. Again, I obliged. A couple more tantalizing licks and sucks, making sure I had a nice coat across my lips, and I stood, lifting her body with a handful of ass. Making sure she tasted pussy on my lips, I kissed her hard while my cock shoved into her, still hidden behind my shorts, but more than ready. Her nice ass rested on the island, and she helped herself out of her panties, kicking them from her ankles with her toes. My lips pushed her to her back, and my hands spread her wide open, right there in the middle of my kitchen. I heard a faint whimper as I licked her from back to front in one slow, tantalizing stroke, stopping to pay a little more attention to her pulsating nub.

  I had just gone down for more when we both jumped out of our skins, turning to see Bay with a sippy cup and Phil tucked between her arm and ribs.

  “Bice did dank all an poie.”

  Kit slid into her shorts, stuffing her sexy panties into my hand, eyes shifting to the aching bulge behind my shorts. “You did? Here, Mommy will get you a drink of water.”

  Kit put a splash of water in the cup with some other kid’s name on it, and scooped her up, leaving me with a hard-on and no one to use it on. Who the hell was Dora anyway, and why did she have her cup?

  Chapter Nine

  I woke before Kit and Bay with a stiff neck and a boner. Not the morning kind either. It was the scent of pussy, still lingering on my fingers when I stretched and scratched my nose. My hand slipped through the elastic on my shorts and I grasped it, stroking it in my hand. My eyes closed, thinking about Kit sprawled on my island with my dick in her mouth and then Rydell bent over her desk. I was so close to getting it in when Bay had to ask for a drink in Japanese. Knowing I would never make it through the day without being a horny nuisance, I took matters into my own hand.

  “Put that thing away. Let’s go get breakfast so we can go see the daycare and then get groceries. You can’t be a daddy with no food.”

  My eyes popped open and I stopped jerking, but I wasn’t the type of guy who got embarrassed about sex, or my manhood. Had it not been for Bay, hopping on one foot in some sort of dance move, I would have showed her. Instead, I groaned, debating whether or not to finish it off with a quick shower. I couldn’t take it anymore.

  Our eyes locked when I tossed the blanket off of me, not even trying to hide the erection straining against my basketball shorts. She looked just as I passed her, taking her by surprise from behind. With one hand around her waist, I pulled her toward me and shoved my dick hard into her ass. “I’m fucking you today.”

  Kit dug an elbow in my ribs and pushed back, darting away from me with a swift spin while keeping my lips from touching her neck. “No, you’re not. Get dressed.”

  The day was so fucking weird. Not what I expected at all. I wanted to be the horny nuisance, fuck with her the entire day until she begged for it. Not even close to how it played out. Kit cried. A lot. She loved the daycare so much, and she loved Sister Dawn and Sister Marla even more. They talked for an hour and twenty-one minutes while I built a castle with only blue blocks. Bay would only let me have one color. Blue. I built four blue towers just so she could knock them down and I could hear her laugh. We read two pages in Barry the Mole and then moved on to the sand table.

  I scooped Bay up when her curious little eyes landed on the third shelf. “Hey, come on. We’re not playing with playdough. Let’s go drag your mother out of here.”

  Ba
y screamed with real tears, throwing her head back, flipping right out of my arms. Thank God I was quick, a hand around the ankle landed her upside down, but at least she didn’t hit the floor. And just like that, the cry for playdough turned into a teary laugh.

  “Damn, girl. Stop doing that. You like that? Huh? You like hanging upside down?” I asked as she threw herself back, over and over, wanting me to hold her upside down. I swear her attention span held a world record. The thought of playdough…gone.

  Kit cried again, hugging both the sisters when we left. They promised to take care of Bay like their own as they finally parted ways. We ate lunch at home where Kit cried once again, explaining how Bay hated Swiss cheese, and she would puke if I tried to sneak it in. The girl was a hot mess, and I couldn’t even think about hot sex with her. Not with that blubbering mess. Tears fell again when she rocked Bay in her arms for a nap. The delivery guys showed up with Bay’s new things just after three, and she cried again, disappearing to the bathroom to hide her tears. I was ready to take her ass to the airport. I couldn’t take it anymore.

  “I don’t like the bed by the window,” she said from the door.

  “Well, you sort of vanished on me. Where do you want it? I’ll move it.”

  “Right here in the middle of the room,” she directed while picking up Bay, stopping her from throwing all her pajamas on the floor from the bottom drawer. Her words went from sort of okay to crackling again. “What do you think, Bay Berry Jandt? Do you like your new room?”

  “If you start crying one more time I’m going to give you something to cry about.”

  Kit smiled at me with sad puffy eyes, dropping Bay to her new twin size bed and sitting with her. “I’m sorry. I’m trying.”

  “I know, but you’re making it not much fun for any of us. I’d rather you just go if this is what you’re going to do. I can’t take another whole day of this.”

  Kit stood, spine straight with a new outlook on the day. “You’re right. Let’s go for a walk on the beach. Bay has never seen the ocean.”