“I want both you boys to look at me,” I order then wait for them to focus on me. “It’s okay to be angry or disappointed with your mom, but it’s not okay to take that out on each other. We’re a family, and as a family, we stick together. We talk shit out and then we move on. Max, you’re not going anywhere, even if your mom moves back here. You won’t be living with her unless there comes a time when you’re a little older and you make that decision for yourself,” I assure him, and his chin wobbles. “Mitchell, I get why you’re angry, and you deserve to feel that way, but your brother has a right to his feelings too, and you need to respect them.”

“You’re right, Dad,” he says, and I lift my chin.

“I love you both, and I hate that you’re hurting.” I pull in a breath. “It fucking kills me that you’re fighting about your mom.” My jaw clenches and unclenches with frustration. I feel like my hands are tied when it comes to Beth and the role she has in the boys’ lives. I never want them to resent me for not allowing them to have a relationship with their mother, but the relationship she has with them is not healthy in the slightest. “We need to figure out a way for both of you to get what you need to be happy.”

“I just feel bad for Mom,” Max says quietly then he looks at his brother. “She’s all alone.”

“She wants to be alone, Max,” Mitchell says just as softly. “She didn’t have to leave. She never had to leave us. She made that decision for herself.”

“I guess you’re right. I still feel bad for her,” he mumbles.

I reach out, tagging them both behind the neck then pulling them close. “No more fighting. Got it?”

“Yeah, Dad,” Mitchell says, and Max nods.

I give the two of them a hug then let them go and look at December when she calls them over. I’m momentarily taken aback by the love and concern in her expression as she hands the boys each a plate that she’s already piled high with food. Christ, it’s fucked up my boys have to deal with their mom when she decides to show up, but if things work out like I know they will, for the rest of their lives, they will have a woman in their corner who is solid and dependable.

I might have chosen completely wrong when I picked Beth, but at least I got it right this time around.

____________

“Please don’t stop,” December whimpers against my mouth while I use the hold I have on her hips to bring her down hard each time I thrust up.

“I’m not gonna stop.” Fuck, I couldn’t even if I wanted to, not with the heat of her pussy suffocating my cock. Christ, I have never felt anything better than her.

“Gareth.” Her walls clench, making my breath catch, and I urge her to go faster. I lift my head and slide my mouth down her neck and capture one tight nipple between my lips. “Yesss,” she moans, tossing her head back, and I let go with one hand to cup her neglected breast then tug the nipple between two fingers, making her hips buck in response.

“Faster, Ember. Fuck me faster,” I growl, and she starts to ride me harder as I slide my thumb closer to her center, listening to her breath turn choppy. When I circle her clit, she cries out and her pussy starts to spasm, pulling me deeper. I give into the urge that’s been riding me hard since she climbed on top of me and roll her to her back to fuck her hard. Hooking my arms behind her knees, I keep her just like I want her, spread open for me. When my balls draw up, I drop my head and take her mouth, thrusting my tongue between her lips and kissing her deep as I come inside her.

Lightheaded and spent, I drop the hold I have on her legs and gather her against me so I can roll to the side and keep the connection. It takes a minute for my breathing to even out, and when it does, I notice she’s snoring softly and shake my head. I’ve never known a woman who can fall asleep as quickly as she can. I swear, on more than one occasion, she’s passed out when were in the middle of us having a conversation.

I kiss the top of her head then look at the clock and fight back a groan when I see it’s time for her to get up and get ready for work and time for me to get the boys up for school. “Ember.”

“Hmm.” She snuggles closer and my cock, still half hard inside her, twitches.

“We gotta get up, baby.”

“Can’t I do homeschool?” she groans, making me laugh, and then I feel her lips press against my pec. “I can’t wait until Saturday, when we get to sleep in.”

“I know, baby. Just a couple more days.” I hold my lips to the top of her hair then say, “Go shower while I get the boys up. I’ll meet you in the kitchen.”

“All right.” She tips her head back, and when her sleepy eyes meet mine, I press a kiss to her lips then her nose. I slide out of her, push out of bed, and go to the bathroom to get rid of the condom and wash my hands and face. When I walk back into the bedroom, I see she’s fallen back asleep, so I wake her again then pull her up to stand in front of me, ignoring her grumbling.

“I’ll bring you coffee.”

“Mm-hm,” she mumbles, stumbling into the bathroom.

I tag my sweats from the floor, put them on, and then leave the room, heading across the house to open Max’s door first before turning on the lights.

“Seriously, already?” he asks, lifting his head while Melbourne stands and does a stretch.

“Yep. Sorry, bud.”

I leave his door open and go to Mitchell’s room, expecting him to be asleep when I walk in. But surprisingly, he’s up, sitting on the side of the bed. “I’m up.”

“I see that,” I say, and he grunts in response before rubbing his hands down his face and standing. I leave him and stop to look in Max’s room just to make sure he’s up and see him at his dresser, so I head to the kitchen and start a pot of coffee.

The minute there’s enough in the carafe, I pour December a cup, add her creamer and sugar, and then take it back to my bathroom, where she’s blow-drying her hair and wearing nothing but a short, baby pink robe. I set the cup on the counter next to her, and she shuts off the dryer and picks up the mug, looking at me in the mirror. I wrap my arms around her waist and press my nose to her neck, breathing in the scent of her body wash that smells like berries.

“Are the boys up?” she asks breathlessly, making my cock twitch.

“Yeah.” I flick her earlobe with my nose. “They’re both zombies, but they’re up.”

“Mornings suck.” She takes a sip of coffee.

“My morning didn’t suck.” I smirk, and she blushes as she smiles at me in the mirror over the rim of the coffee cup. I turn my head and kiss her neck then meet her gaze once more. “You want breakfast?”

“Just toast please.”

“Got it.” I give her waist a squeeze and kiss her neck before letting her go. I scramble eggs for the boys and drop bread in the toaster for her and them, and as I’m stirring creamer into my second cup of coffee, I feel fur slide against my ankles. I look down at Melbourne as he circles my feet.

“Dad, is December still picking me up after practice?” Mitchell asks, coming into the kitchen as I go to the pantry to grab a container of Melbourne’s food and dump it in his dish.

“Yeah, why? What’s up?”