She had a lot to think about as she unlocked her door, set her keys down and left her bags. Look at all that damn mail. Does it ever stop? Her answering machine was blinking too. Most people called her cell if they needed to get a hold of her, so she was a little confused. She checked the messages. The first one was someone wanting to sell her some crap, delete. The second one was Mike, “I know, I should call your cell, but I wasn’t sure of your timing today. So, I’m calling to ask if you’d like to come over so I can cook you dinner. It’s not to nag at you, no matter you think. I like to cook, and I hate cooking for one. Give me a call when you get this. Bye.” Okay, that was odd. Third message was left just a few minutes ago, “Carrie, we’re just leaving. I tired your cell and it said no service. We’re hoping you can come get Abby from me at the hospital. We don’t know how long. Carla’s contractions started a while ago, but nothing else yet. Yeah, she’s pissed. She was hoping it’d be a quick one. Anyway, I have Abby’s stuff in the car, so give me a call when you get this. Thanks. Bye”

Poor Carla. Abby’s birth had taken what seemed like days, she hoped it didn’t happen again. She picked up her cell, and dialed her brother.

“Wease, of course I’ll come get her,” she said before he even said hello.

“Thanks. We’re not there yet, but you know where to find us, right,” he asked from the driver’s seat of his car.

“Yes, I just came in the door. Tell Carla she has great timing. I’ll grab my keys and be right there. Oh, and Wease?” she said.

“Yeah,” the nervous second time father to be answered.

“No tickets this time. It slows the whole thing down, okay,” she teased him.

“Shit, Carla has already reminded me of that. Thanks. See you soon,” he said as he disconnected so he could concentrate on traffic.

I better not take the time to change, knowing how frantic he can be, she worried. So, she picked up her keys and went back out to her car, dialing her cell as she went.

“Hey David. Sorry to bug you, but can you let Kris know Carla has decided it’s time” she told him.

“Oh, okay. You want to talk to her yourself,” he asked.

“Sure,” she said as she unlocked her car, sat down and buckled back in.
“Hi, what’s up,” Kris’ happy voice asked.

“Wease just called. Carla’s decided today is the day,” she said as she pulled back out in to traffic.

“Good, I know she was feeling uncomfortable. Do you know if she has called her family yet,” she asked.

“I don’t know any of that stuff. I’m just on the Auntie run,” she admitted. She felt the urge to honk her horn at the dumb ass in front that didn’t move at the green light.

“Are you in traffic,” Kris asked her.

“What? Could you hear me swearing all the way at your house,” she joked.

“Ask Carla, not Wease since he won’t be worth a shit right now, if she needs me to make any calls for her or do anything,” Kris said.

“Will do. I might be calling later if I start to freak out about the whole baby thing,” she warned her.

“Okay, we’re home and not going anywhere. But I think you’re full of shit, and you know what I mean,” she teased her friend. Her husband was behind her holding her in his arms and whispering in her free ear, trying to distract her. He was doing a good job. He started to slide her top off of her shoulder so he could nibble.

“What a thing to say to someone who is driving with the biggest assholes in the world right now,” she almost yelled.

“I’ll let you get back to your fun and give them our love. Don’t forget to ask Carla if she needs anything,” Kris said.

“Okay, Okay. But I bet I still call you later,” she warned. “Bye.”

She had another call to make, since traffic was shit. Why did Carla’s obstetrician use the hospital that was on the other side of the city? She dialed the next number from memory, not risking looking since traffic was getting worse.

“Hi Mike, just got in and got your message,” she said as she pulled up to the light, willing it to turn green.

“Hi. I’m glad you called. You’re not pissed at me for asking you to dinner are you? I don’t want you to think this is some sneaky way to make sure you eat today,” he said smiling so she could hear he was teasing.

“No. No worries there. I had three large men shoving food down me for the last few days, thank you. It sounds like a great idea. I have one little problem,” she said. Damn it, did they really get their license out of a cracker jack box. She made sure her one fingered salute was visible to the moron.

“Okay. Sounds like you’re in traffic. I thought you were home,” he asked.

“This is part of the little problem. Carla has decided she’s tired of being pregnant and wants to have her baby today,” she said. She took a deep breath and said in a calmer tone, “Sorry, I’m just being bitchy. Traffic is foul,” she explained. She took another deep breath before she spoke again. He was quiet on the other end. “Wease is taking Carla to the hospital right now. I’m on my way to pick up Abby and all her goodies for the duration” she said. Traffic was finally moving. What was that? That better not have been rain. Shit, traffic will come to a complete stop if it was.

“Okay, um how about a minor change of plans then. You’ve got all the stuff at your place for kids, right,” he asked as his mind was shifting gears.

“Yeah,” said a distracted Auntie Carrie.

“So, what would you say to me cooking a tasty dinner at your house? I already have all the goods, and don’t mind carting it over. Plus it will be easier with Abby if you have back up, right,” he guessed correctly. She turned it over in her mind, not sure why he’d go to all the bother of cooking at her house.

“You sure you want to mess with all that? I’m sure my kitchen doesn’t have all the gizmos you’d need,” she said. She knew her culinary skills were dismal, so she never bothered to buy much stuff for her kitchen.

“Piece of cake. Plus, let’s christen your kitchen with a real meal,” he teased her.

“Asshole,” she smiled at his voice.

“Okay, so I’ll bring the food, you got the wine or beer that goes with,” he asked. He wanted to make sure she was still cool with it, but he also wanted to get agreement before she had a chance to change her mind.

“I’m sure I can find something, yeah,” she said. Damn, don’t you dare rain. Maybe that was just a bunch of birds that flew over.

“Okay, so I’ll see you back at your place at, let me see. Let’s say five,” he pulled the time out of his ass. He had no idea how long it was going to take her to get back from the hospital.

“Um, okay. See you then. Bye,” as she disconnected. This asshole really shouldn’t be allowed on the road, she fumed.
Wait, what did she just agree to? Mike was coming over to cook for her, is that what she heard? And she said yes? She must be delusional. Well, worry about that later. Right now it was how to get around this shit head.

Wease was frantic by the time she got there. Kris had guessed right, he wasn’t fit for anything. Her baby brother, as she always thought of him, was pacing the corridor with his daughter in his arms, staring off into space. He was almost a foot taller than her and weighed twice as much but he’d always be her baby brother. Carrie smiled at Abby as she took her from her daddy, looking at her beautiful black curls, and her momma’s blue eyes. Oh Sweet Pea, you’re gonna be a heartbreaker too, she couldn’t help thinking.

“Let me say hi to Carla, then Abby and I’ll go play,” she said to her very stressed brother. He nodded. She could tell he wished he still smoked; his hands and fingers were searching.

“Hi Carla. I’m not going to bother with asking how you’re feeling. We both know the answer to that one. Kris wanted me to ask if you needed her to make any calls or do anything,” she asked the very pregnant and uncomfortable women.

“Thanks Carrie. I asked Wes, but I bet he hasn’t done anything other than pace. So yes please. If she could call my sister, that should be enough. She’ll take care of it from there. I’d call, but they keep telling me the doctor is due to check on me at any time,” she explained.

“Okay sweetie. I’ll leave you in peace. I hope to see you in a few hours. Abby and I are going to have a blast, watching Auntie Carrie go crazy,” she laughed. She hugged her friend as best she could with baby on hip and her friend’s pregnancy. She waved as she left and found her brother still pacing.

“Okay, show me to your car and Abby’s stuff. I’ll need help putting in her car seat before you get mellow on me,” she warned her brother pointedly.

“Okay, okay. I get the point,” he said with a slight pout. Wes looked at his older sister and realized she wasn’t kidding when she said she just got in, she was still in her suit. He hadn’t noticed it earlier, he was too busy worrying. He knew she’d be able to help him with Abby today. She was always there to help him, even after all these years. He wondered what he would have done if she hadn’t decided to move back here a few years ago.

The transfer of stuff went very smoothly. She was surprised that the car seat actually fit in her small Z4. It looked huge, but she guessed it was just because she wasn’t used to having anything in the passenger seat. Everything else fit in the trunk easily and they were off on their next great adventure. Traffic was better on the way home, but not much. She remembered to make a call to Kris to let her know of Carla’s request. Since Abby was with her, she didn’t swear or get agitated, she told her silly stories to keep her happy. Plus it kept her from worrying what she had agreed to with Mike.

It was just starting to rain as she was pulling off the freeway. Thank goodness it held off. Traffic always seemed to come to a halt at the first whiff of rain. It was like people had never seen it before and were afraid they might melt or something. That reminded her of a wicked witch story, so she started to tell Abby a silly story about the wicked witch who thought she’d like to eat small children but she made the mistake of going outside in the rain and melting. Abby loved it, especially the silly voices. They were both giggling as she pulled up to her condo and saw that Mike was already there. What time was it, she wondered. Ah, a few minutes after five.

Getting out of her car, and going round to get Abby out, she asked him, “I hope you didn’t wait long. Traffic was a bear.”

“No, just got here a few minutes ago,” he lied. She was still in her traveling clothes and he was enjoying the view. He didn’t normally see her in her power suits, as she called them.

“Let me unload all her stuff then I can help you,” she said as she lifted the toddler out of her complicated car seat.

“Just leave the door unlocked, I can get most of it,” he told her as she bent in to her trunk to lift out the first baby bag. Oh man, don’t even think about that, he told himself sternly.

“Okay, thanks. It looks like it’s going to take a couple of trips anyway. Who would believe that you’d have so much stuff, Sweet Pea,” she asked the sleepy toddler.

He opened his truck passenger door and brought out the first box, it had all the food stuff in it. The other box had all the odds and ends he wasn’t sure she’d have in her rarely used kitchen. He hoped she wouldn’t be offended that he brought that stuff. He was also having doubts about this great idea of his. They normally didn’t do social things with just the two of them. It wasn’t that they didn’t like each other; they just usually kept it business and he was tired of that, he admitted. Dave had told him how he and the guys had been worried about her on the road, she didn’t eat or sleep much when she traveled. He knew she didn’t sleep much when she was at home either, but he could do something about the eating thing. He wasn’t joking when he told her that he liked to cook, he just hated cooking for one. He thought he’d help bring in the baby stuff first, so he grabbed the two other bags in her trunk and went in her front door.

“Carrie, where do you want me to put Abby’s other bags,” he asked. He couldn’t see her, but knew she was somewhere close because he could hear Abby’s giggles.

“What,” she asked as she poked her head around the corner. She had taken her jacket off and was in just a form fitting lacey camisole over her skirt. He didn’t trust himself to speak, so he held out the bags, so she’d know what he had asked.

“Oh, thanks. Very nice. In fact, you’re hired,” she teased him. “I’ll take them, thanks. It’s amazing how much stuff one little girl requires, isn’t it,” she asked the large quiet man that was suddenly in her home holding Abby’s bags. “Do you need any help from me getting the stuff from your truck,” she asked him. He shook his head and walked back out to his truck in the rain. His brain had gone to mush. Shit, what were you thinking was the only thought that permeated? He knew that she worked out and was athletic, but never knew that she had a body like that, defined but feminine. Why did she hide it behind big shirts and baggy pants, he wondered. By the time he came back with the second box, she had changed in to her more typical clothing, an over sized shirt and pair of very faded jeans. She liked being comfortable and had told him many times that she hated dressing in her traveling clothes, no matter how good she looked, he added mentally.

“Where’s Abby,” he asked her when she reappeared.

“She’s napping. I’m not sure how long that will last so if you want to have intelligent conversation, now is the time do to it,” she smirked at him.

“Give me a few minutes to get all this stuff going, then we can talk,” he said honestly. She leaned on her kitchen counter, out of his way, but still in the kitchen. She was enjoying the sight of him in her kitchen, really just the sight of him was enough. Today he was in a tight red t-shirt and snug jeans. She knew that she could look at him all day. It was an added bonus that he was cooking for her, in her own kitchen. She just wished he was interested in her, instead of being nice to her for David’s sake. She’d enjoy his company and his presence, regardless.

“What, you don’t want my help,” she said with a pout. She couldn’t keep it, she ended up laughing instead. She watched him deftly separate ingredients and food in to piles. It made no sense to her, but he seemed to have a system.

“No, not yet. I’m guessing sharp objects are not something I want to give you after a long weekend,” he said. He was trying to keep the conversation light and harmless. But she wasn’t going to let him get away with it.

“So, how come you decided to do this,” she waved an arm to encompass her kitchen. “How come now, after all this time,” she asked him. She could see him pause in his chopping or was he dicing, she never knew what the hell the difference was, before he spoke.

“I know that you and Dave are always tired when you come home. Kris makes sure he has dinner so he can rest up. Knowing you, you probably would have not bothered to eat once you got home, right,” he looked her way, not waiting for an answer. “So I thought why not cook for you, since I hate cooking for myself, but it’s much more fun to cook for two,” he finished and managed to not say anything that might be embarrassing he thought.

“Yeah. What about this cooking for one stuff? That’s news to me. Shit, David just told me this weekend. Do you know how many dinners you weren’t invited to because we didn’t want you to have to deal with Lisa’s objections,” she finished. She walked toward her fridge and opened it, bringing out beer. She paused and asked him,” You want one too?”

“Yeah.” He took the bottle from her suspiciously, looking at the color of the liquid inside. “What is this stuff? Is this more of that wheat beer you gave me last time,” he asked warily.

“You’ll just have to trust me, like I’m trusting you with the weird shit you’re making for dinner. I’m not even sure what it is, but it looks very interesting,” she said as she opened her beer and took a drink, not bothering with a glass in her own home. He moved with sureness and skill, she noticed. She knew she would never be able to achieve that, no matter how hard she tired in the kitchen.

He concentrated on his preparations, knowing that he had purposely avoided discussing Lisa. He knew she had never had this type of tofu-ti (or whatever it was called) before. It looked and smelled like his steak. Technology was amazing.

“K, so when did that happen. I did notice that you didn’t answer me before,” she said quietly. He shrugged. He didn’t really know where to start.

“You sure you want to know this shit,” he asked her as he finished his preparations. He turned his back to her as he washed his hands in the sink. Damn, look at that back, was her first thought, but definitely not her last as she gazed on his great looking ass, imagining all kind of things she’d like to do it.

“Yeah, because you guys were together forever so it’s still a little shocking to me,” she admitted, trying to get her brain working again.

“Okay. You knew we met while still in college, right?” he waited for a nod from her before he continued. “Things went downhill from there. College life was great, as I’m sure you remember, but it doesn’t require a lot of maturity. It required a lot of stamina and partying. At least it did for me,” he stopped and took a long drink of his beer. He also used the pause to check on the steaks in the oven, things looked good there and were starting to smell real good too.

“Anyway, once school was over and real life began, that’s when our troubles started. I was working nights, a lot of nights to help pay bills and sometimes I would snag a consulting job on the side. Well, that didn’t leave much time for us and she didn’t like it,” he stopped for a moment. Carrie was silent, letting him get it out. He needed to talk to someone about it, and it looked like it was going to be her. He took a deep breath before continuing.

“We used to have little squabbles, about silly stuff. I thought all couples did that, so I wasn’t too worried. But the squabbles escalated until they became huge fights. The stupid part of all if it was I never knew what the fuck we were fighting about most of the time. She just liked to fight. She was good at it too. The stuff that used to come out of her mouth,” he shook his head at some of the names he had been called by his lovely girlfriend. “Dave knew about some of them, because sometimes he’d have to cover my ass for being late. It didn’t matter to her that I had to go to work, if she wasn’t done fighting and if I left before she was done, my stuff would be out on the lawn or worse. She had a bonfire with my stuff in the backyard once,” he recalled while shaking his head.

“Please tell me you’re joking,” Carrie asked as she set her beer down.

“I wish I were. No, all my clothes, all my personal stuff, some work stuff. Shit, she must have had a great time going through the house collecting all of it. The best part of all of it was that the fire department was called by a concerned neighbor. So she didn’t get to finish burning my stuff. Didn’t matter, it was ruined by then anyway, thanks to the fire department,” he said. He was quiet for a moment, collecting his thoughts. He remembered how angry he had been that night. If he had only left then, he would’ve saved himself several more years worth of fights. But, he didn’t.

“I had no idea that things were like for you two. You never said a word. She never said a word. I could’ve come over and beat the shit out of her for you,” she said, only slightly joking. She went to the fridge for her next beer. He wasn’t done, so she only grabbed one for herself.

“Yeah, that would’ve been nice to daydream about, but no. My own stupid fault for letting her do that. I should’ve left long ago,” he admitted. He was starting to get embarrassed by his admissions, so he turned away from her and concentrated on finishing desert. He knew it would surprise her, once he told her what was in it. He was looking forward to her reactions, he realized. Just as Carrie had opened her beer, she heard Abby stir and start to cry.

“I knew we’d only have a little while before she woke back up. That was just a quick power nap,” she said as she set her beer back down on a clear place on the counter. She left to go see Abby. It gave him a chance to catch his breath. Why was he telling her all this junk, he wasn’t usually so talkative to her. Maybe it was the weird beer, he thought with a shrug.

Carrie reappeared several minutes later with Abby awake, but in her pooh pajamas. Mike smiled when he saw them, he didn’t know why but the image was something that he knew he’d keep. He turned back to the task at hand and put their dinners on plates with the left overs in the kitchen in case either wanted more. He wasn’t sure about Abby, he’d leave that up to Carrie.

“Dinner is served,” he said while grinning at the petite lady. He carried both their plates to the table and held her chair out for her, partly because she had Abby on a hip and partly because he felt like being a little silly.

“Thanks, you going to tell me what all of this is,” she asked.

“Not until you’ve tried all of it. No matter what that looks like, it is not a steak, so you should be able to eat it without worry. The rest, I’ll let you figure out what it is,” he said. He could see she was intrigued by the food in front of her.

“Okay. One thing before you sit down. Can you do me a favor and reach into the fridge and grab one of the juice bottles for Sweet Pea,” she asked him.

After they had finished dinner, cleared away all the mess and had the dishwasher going, they both sat down on the couch to relax. Abby was still in Carrie’s lap.

“Mike, that was excellent. I wish I had room for the chocolate pie, but that’ll have to wait for a few hours. You really are a good cook. Who knew damn tofu could taste so good,” she told him honestly.

“Thanks. I knew you hadn’t tried that kind before and when I saw it in the store, I knew I’d have to introduce you to it. Hey, give that little girl to her Uncle Mike. You’ve been hogging her all night,” he said as he reached over and lifted the tot from her aunt’s lap.

“Be my guest. She’s been a very good girl, how does she feel about her Uncle Mike,” she asked. He was making silly faces at her just to get her to smile at him. They seemed to have some sort of connection going, he’d make a face, she’d laugh. He make another silly face, she laugh again. “Looks like you two are talking the same language,” she said.

“Yeah. She’s a sweetie alright. I love little kids, but I never got around to having any. Lisa wanted to, but even I knew it wouldn’t be fair to bring any child in to home with her as their mommy. So I made sure I never would,” he said.

It took Carrie a few seconds to understand his meaning. “I always wondered why you two didn’t have kids. Now it makes sense,” she said.

“Lisa tried to pull a fake pregnancy thing on me years ago, as a way to try to get me to marry her. She had forgotten that I went to the doctor to get fixed. She was pissed when I reminded her of it,” he said while smiling at the big blue eyes looking at him. They were both quiet for a long time. Carrie was trying to understand how anyone could be so cruel to someone they professed to love. Mike was just happy to have his life back and have Abby on his lap. It was never anything he could’ve considered a few months ago. Lisa was very jealous of his friends.

“Do you miss her,” Carrie asked quietly without looking at him. He rubbed his hands over his face and sighed before answering.

“No. I thought I did at first but I think it was just the shock of being alone. We’d been together for a long time and I had forgotten how to be alone, I think,” he admitted.

“Why’d you stay so long if things were like that? It sounds like they were bad for a long time,” she wanted to try to understand her brother in law’s best friend but she was confused. She laughed after a moment and said, ”Hunter thinks he knows why you stayed.”

“Why,” he asked quickly. She didn’t say anything for a moment, waiting to see if he could follow Hunter’s thought to its natural conclusion. Finally his expression lightened and he said, “Oh, that. No, not really. Don’t get me wrong that’s always nice, but it wasn’t worth it. I think I stayed because it was safe. You understand?” She shook her head, not understanding how an abusive relationship was safe. “It was predictable, most of the time. I didn’t have to stretch myself to be with her. Sad, but I was comfortable,” he explained. She didn’t really understand, but didn’t press him. Instead she took Abby out of his arms, since it was her bedtime.

“Time to go to bed, sweetie. Say goodnight to Uncle Mike. She waved her chubby little fist at him and she was rewarded with a big grin from her Uncle Mike. She giggled back at him.

“Night sweetie. See you tomorrow,” he said without realizing it. Carrie looked at him sharply, but didn’t comment. Instead she was turning over their conversation in her head, plus trying to think of a silly little story to tell Abby to go to sleep with. She wound up the funny little music box outside of the crib as she was making sure Abby was dry and ready for bed, when Mike’s head popped in.

“Hey, does she need something to get to sleep with? A bottle or something,” he asked.

“Oh, yeah. Thanks for the reminder. It’s been a long week. Can you grab one of those bottles right there and fill it with warm water,” she asked him. Her hands were busy changing Abby’s diaper. As he left to fill the requested bottle, she thought about what he had said. You would’ve made a great father to someone, too bad you were with the wrong lady. He walked away to the kitchen thinking similar thoughts, but realized he didn’t know much about her personal history.

Once Abby was down, Carrie walked back to the couch, where Mike had picked up one of her many books she had laying around. He looked up when she came back, but didn’t say anything just smiled. She sat at the other end of the couch and pulled her legs up into her favorite position. The only sound she heard was his breathing and the pounding rain. She enjoyed their silence for a while, it was soothing. Who would’ve thought that they be sitting on her couch a few weeks ago, she thought. He stirred and closed the book. He looked like he wanted to say something about her literary choices.

“I didn’t know you read those,” he said referring to the third J.K. Rowling installment.

“Liz got me started a few years ago, so I had to read them so I could be cool and keep up with her,” she said with a shrug. “I read all kinds of weird stuff, there’s lots of down time traveling,” she explained.

“Yeah, I can imagine. I remember all the damn driving and sitting and waiting,” he said ruefully.

“That hasn’t changed much, we just get nicer cars to drive,” she admitted. “Hell, I can’t imagine how cramped it must have been in smaller cars and long drives. We were a little crowded this last weekend with John traveling with us.”

“John,” he asked. “John who?”

“John Cena. David didn’t tell you? Shit head hijacked our limo at Boston since he landed first,” she told him remembering his goofy grin.

“No, I didn’t know. All five must have been a squeeze,” he said. Cena traveled with them all weekend, he worried. He knew him from Dave’s OVW days and knew all the ladies loved him. He was a nice guy, but don’t leave your girlfriend with him, he remembered.

“Rick had the flu and Hunter made Nan stay home so he could be sure she was well this time, so it was just the four of us,” she said. Mike sat quietly worrying over that piece of news. Cena traveled with them all weekend, what the hell was Dave thinking? Why did Hunter allow it?

“Hunter was cool with that,” he asked unbelieving.

“Yeah, I don’t know why. Maybe he’s mellowing? It was just the car and stuff. John’s travel agent should’ve been shot for some of the crap he was scheduled for,” she was surprised at his reaction. She sat in silence for a moment.

“Think I can tempt you with a piece of pie now,” he asked as he got up and headed towards her fridge.

“Can we split one, I’m still pretty full. That coconut curry stuff was great and I ate too much of it,” she admitted.

“Okay, but I’m warning you, you’ll love it,” he said. He was trying to get their conversation and mood back to light hearted. He didn’t want to dwell on Cena and that worry.

“Mike, I think that what ever you make is probably always good. I just wish I had your talents. I can make my own coffee, but much more and it’s a risk,” she laughed. He heard her, but didn’t respond. He didn’t know what to say to that. He brought a large piece of chocolate pie out and had two forks ready.

“Okay, let me tell you before you taste this. This is another source of protein for you. It’s made with tofu,” he looked in to her surprised eyes. “You would never have known if I hadn’t told you, but I did want to warn you in case you felt the need to have more protein. You can eat this with very little guilt,” he continued. She was intrigued, he could see by her expression. I hope she likes it, he thought. He handed her a fork to try the pie.

“No, no. You do the honors, I’ve trusted you this far,” she said playfully. His eyebrows went up in surprise at what she was asking him to do but he complied. He put a small section on a fork for her and brought it to her lips. She smiled and opened them to accept his offering. His hand was steady, but his heart was pounding. He watched her lips close and his heart pounded faster. He looked into her eyes, waiting to see if it was acceptable. She smiled at him and she finished her mouthful.

“That’s tofu? That damn good,” she said to him. “Now your turn,” she said as she took the other fork from him and put a larger piece on the fork and offered it to him. His heart was pounding hard, he was sure she’d be able to hear it. He opened his mouth and took the piece of pie from her. She was smiling into his eyes, not realizing what she was doing to him, he was sure. She looked at him expectantly, waiting for the next bite, he realized. Oh shit, calm down man. It’s just pie, he kept repeating to himself. He brought the next piece to her waiting lips. She opened them, but not before she licked them quickly. He almost dropped the fork. Damn, all this over pie, he castigated himself. She fed him the next piece. He managed to choke it down eventually, since he seemed to have no spit left in his mouth. They each had several more bites, each time Mike got more and more jumpy, but he managed to keep the fork steady. She didn’t seem to notice, but did enjoy the pie. She got up and took the plate and forks to the kitchen. He stayed on the couch, trying to get his brain back in charge.

She came back to the couch and sat down. She turned to him and asked, “Mike, am I safe?” He almost choked out an answer.

He took a deep breath to steady himself and said quietly in to her green eyes, “No.” She nodded, pleased with his answer.

“Good, because I think safe is boring,” she said to the room at large. “Will I see you tomorrow, since you told Abby you’d see her,” she reminded him. He didn’t know he had said that. Wild horses wouldn’t have been able to keep him away, he thought to himself. Carrie safe? Never.

“Yeah, that would be great. What do you want for breakfast,” he asked her.

“You don’t have to come over to cook, you know. I’m fine with coffee,” she reminded him.

“Um, coffee isn’t enough for breakfast. I should know, it’s what I’ve been subsisting on for a while now,” he told her truthfully. He was wracking his brain thinking of things she’d be able to eat for breakfast. “How do crepes sound to you,” he asked after finally finding something she could eat.

“Oh, that is very tempting. You drive a hard bargain there, Mr. Adams,” she teased him with his formal name. She rarely called him that, in fact she couldn’t remember the last time.

“Well Ms. Martin, I’d hate to have to force you to eat my cooking so if you don’t think you’re up to it,” he teased.

“What time,“ she asked him.

“Um, I don’t know, what time do you want breakfast? I know you’re up way before dawn, so you choose,” he left it open for her. He knew he was going to have a hard time sleeping anyway.

“8:30 too early for you,” she asked. She knew she’d have a tough time staying asleep tonight.

“That sounds fine. I need to get out of here to see if I have to shop for our breakfast tomorrow,” he said.

“Oh. Well, thanks for everything, the dinner and desert and your help with Abby,” she said as they walked to her font door.

“You’re welcome, I enjoyed it. I’ll see you tomorrow morning then,” he said in preparation to opening the door and going home. She had followed him to the door to lock up for the night. He couldn’t help himself, he kept looking at her lips and imagining how they’d feel.

“Good night, Mike. See you in the morning and thanks,” she said as she opened the door to the rain. He mumbled goodnight and walked back to his truck. She closed the door behind him so she missed seeing him get into his truck and just sit for several long moments. He was an idiot. Why did he feel like an awkward teenager around her instead of the competent 35 year old professional he was? He just couldn’t believe how stupid he was sometimes. It was just pie. He started up his truck for the short drive home. It wasn’t until he was almost home that he realized he forgot to apologize to her for that night after Wease’s party.

She checked on Abby before going to bed. She was sound asleep with her pooh bear next to her. She’s such a good girl, she thought. Thank goodness because she didn’t have any faith in her parenting skills. She knew she had even more things to think about than when she got home the first time. She had a very interesting evening and her morning was looking pretty good too. She would remember a few of her dreams and knew that Mr. Insistent had a face and a name, and a great ass.

Kris was snuggled into her husband arms, getting ready to go to sleep when a thought struck her.

”Carrie never called tonight,” she said to her husband.

“You were expecting her to,” he asked her as he played with her hair with his free hand. He loved her hair and the silky texture of it.

“She said she was worried that she would have to call because of Abby. But it looks like she’s got it covered,” she said to him. She loved him touching her head, it was sensual and very erotic.

“Mike said he was going to cook for her tonight. I wonder if he did, even with Abby,” he said quietly.

“What? When did you hear this,” she pulled back and looked into his eyes. She remembered Carrie’s news about Lisa, but hadn’t heard her mention dinner.

“He said he was going to invite her over for dinner, since she never eats and knows how tired she’d be after the long travel week,” he said. That was exactly how Mike had phrased it, he remembered. He had been surprised that Mike was going to invite her, but then maybe he shouldn’t have been.

“Mike cooked for her? Really? Now that is interesting,” she smiled just thinking about her friend’s reaction to it. “That might be why she didn’t call. She had help with Abby. Mike loves her too and loves to make her smile with his silly faces,” she remembered.

“Mmm, could be. Speaking of making someone smile, let me see how I can make you smile, baby,” he said in to her hair as his hand slid down her back.

“Think you’re up to it. I wouldn’t want to tax you after earlier,” she teased him tenderly. He just flashed his naughty smile and kissed her into submission.

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