“Yes, I want you to know that if this goes any further, it is a package deal. You met me as a single man, but now I’m a man with his daughter.” I paused. “A man that would one day like to take a wife and provide a mother and more children to his daughter’s life.” Robin’s eyes widened at my words and I smiled at her gently. “I hope I’m not scaring you, I’m not telling you that I need or want you to marry me and become Skylar’s mom right away, but if things work out, that’s the ultimate goal. If you don’t think you could ever take on that role, I want you to tell me.”

“I’ve always wanted my own family,” she said slowly and my lips crushed down on hers as my heart exploded in happiness and hope. Maybe we really did have a chance at finding our forever love together.

Chapter 6

Lucky

“I cannot believe that Noah stayed out all night.” Zane’s voice was furious as we lay in bed. “He is seriously going to hear it from me.”

“He didn’t stay out all night, hon. He came back early this morning.”

“Creeping in at 5 a.m. is not acceptable.” He glared at me as he played with the loose curls running down my back.

“Don’t be irritable,” I bent down and kissed him lightly. “There will be other nights to make love.”

“When?” He frowned. “It seems like I may never get laid again.”

“Zane!”

“What?” He shrugged. “It’s true.”

“We nearly made love last night.”

“Yeah, but we didn’t.” He sat up and I laughed at his pouty expression. It amazed me that there were moments when I looked in his face and he looked like a petulant school boy. Even though, he was my fiancé and the love of my life, and most definitely a man. “What’s so funny?” He continued grumpily.

“Go back to sleep, darling, I think you need some more rest.” I laughed as I jumped out of bed and made my way to the bathroom.

“I need some ass, is what I need.”

“I’m glad you love me for my brain.” I rolled my eyes and yelped as I felt him grab me and lift me up from behind and carry me back to the bed.

“I love you for your big breasts.” He growled as he kissed me hard. I felt his hand creeping up under my shirt. “I love you for your big brain as well,” he grinned down at me and I wrapped my legs around him and moaned as his fingers gently squeezed my nipples.

“Oh, Zane.” I moaned and ran my hands through his hair.

“Don’t tell me you haven’t been counting down the days as well.” He groaned as he kissed a trail down my neck to my collarbone.

“Okay, I won’t tell you that.” I laughed up and him and he growled in response as his mouth found my left breast. “Oh, Zane,” I moaned in ecstasy.

“Aunty Lucky,” a small voice called out to me from the doorway and Zane jumped off of me as if he were a thief caught in the middle of a robbery. I looked up through hazy eyes and saw Skylar standing there with a small smile. “I’m hungry, and Noah is still in bed sleeping.”

“That’s what happens when you stay out all night.” Zane muttered and I gave him a look as I stood up.

“Sure, honey, let’s go and make breakfast. What would you like?”

“Pancakes and bacon, please.” She grinned at me happily. “And maybe we can take Noah breakfast in bed.”

“Is this a joke? Am I living in a nightmare?” Zane flopped back down on the bed.

“Are you coming down?” I turned to look at him and mouthed I’m sorry.

“No.” He sighed. “I think I need to take care of myself before I implode.”

“Oh.” I bit my lower lip. “Sorry.”

“Sure you are.” He shook his head. “Close the door as you leave the room.”

“Skylar, honey. Go downstairs to the kitchen and take out the bacon and orange juice from the fridge and I’ll be right down.”

“Okay, Aunty Lucky.” She grinned and skipped to the stairs. “Can I watch cartoons as well?”

“Sure,” I nodded, not sure if Noah wanted her watching cartoons in the morning, but even I was a bit pissed off that Zane and I had been interrupted again. I watched her go down the stairs before walking back over to the bed and straddling Zane. I then planted the biggest kiss on him and then stood back up, as he looked up at me in a daze.

“What was that for?” He mumbled, with a goofy smile.

“That was to let you know that I’m disappointed as well, but that I will make sure we make up for this missed night.”

“Well, I can’t argue with that.” He smiled at me and the expression in his eyes changed from one of lust to one of love and devotion. “You do know it’s about more than sex, right?”

“Of course I do.” I laughed. “If I didn’t know that by now, we’d be in big trouble.”

“You’re a sexy woman, Lucky. I can’t help it if I want to ravish you every minute of every hour.”

“Then I guess I’m one very lucky woman.” I ran my fingers down his chest and to his boxer shorts and held onto his hardness for a few seconds. “A lucky woman who is sad she has to go downstairs and neglect her man right now.”

Zane groaned. “You better go now or you won’t be going anywhere for a good 20 minutes.”

“Oh, Zane,” I sighed, laughing, and stepped back.

“Don’t ‘oh Zane’ me, you little seductress,” he called after me as I walked to the door. “I’ll have pancakes and bacon as well, by the way.”

“Oh, now you want some?”

“If my lazy-ass brother is getting served breakfast in bed, you better believe I’m getting some.”

“Zane,” I admonished him. “Maybe he and Robin got back together.”

“It better be something good, or he is going to get a piece of my mind.”

“Oh, darling.” I shook my head and giggled as I walked out of the door. I had a feeling of contentment in me as I walked downstairs and heard Spongebob on the TV.

***

I watched my family sitting at the table eating breakfast and I felt happy, really happy. I was so thankful that I had met Zane and that Noah and Skylar were also in my life.

“Enjoying breakfast?” I looked around the table and watched as Noah, Skylar and Zane all ate the food up eagerly.

“Uh hmm,” Noah smiled at me as he reached for another pancake. “You’ve outdone yourself this morning, Lucky.”

“Yes, she has.” Zane glared at his brother. “Working night and morning.”

“Thanks, Lucky.” Noah laughed and smiled at his brother. “And thank you, Zane. I do appreciate you babysitting last night.”

“Uh huh.” Zane reached for some more bacon.

“Can I have another pancake please, Noah?” Skylar looked up at him with big hopeful eyes. “With syrup?”

“Sure.” He nodded and placed one on her plate. “No need to ask if you want more, honey. Just take it.”

“Okay, thank you.” She grinned and I watched as she poured about a pound of syrup onto her pancake. Zane and I both smiled at each other, as Noah continued on eating, having noticed nothing. It was funny for me to watch Noah adapting to fatherhood. He was a good man and tried his best, but he really didn’t know the first thing about being a parent. I realized that Zane was likely going to be the same way, and I wondered if I shouldn’t enroll all of us in a parenting class.

“How is Robin?” I spoke the words without even thinking what I was saying.

“She’s good.” Noah grinned so widely that I knew that they had made up. “In fact, I think we’re going to take Skylar on a picnic next week. Would you like that?” He looked down at the little girl, who had so much syrup around her mouth that she looked like she could trap a hundred flies all by herself.

“Oh, yes, please.” she mumbled as she attempted to pour more syrup onto her plate.

“I think that’s enough syrup, honey.” I smiled at her gently and she put the bottle back down with a small grin.

“Ok, Aunty Robin.” It was then that Noah looked at her plate properly and I saw his eyes widen as he surveyed its contents before looking back at me and making a face. I grinned at him and we shared a secret smile.

“A picnic sounds like it will be fun.” Zane joined the conversation. “What day are you going, and what time?”

“Not sure yet, why?” Noah looked up at him casually.

“I want to spend some alone time with my fiancée.” Zane gave him a look and Noah laughed.

“Zane.” I glared at him, slightly embarrassed that he was bringing up our sex life, even if it was in as covert a way as possible.

“Lucky, if we don’t get the exact times we will be wasting a perfect opportunity.” Zane winked at me, and I felt my face burning up as I looked over at Skylar to see if she was understanding any part of the conversation. I let out a sigh of relief as I watched her studiously cutting up her bacon and placing it on pieces of pancake squares.

“Uh huh.”

“Shit, if Noah had been here before we got pregnant, we may not have to worry about any babies coming.”

“What?”

“I said, if Noah had been here before we did the hoo-ha, we may not even be pregnant right now.” Zane repeated and I glared at him as Noah laughed.

“I suppose you guys haven’t had the opportunity to have alone time, huh?” Noah winked at his brother. “Come on now, Zane. I didn’t know you had problems in that department.”

“I don’t have problems.” Zane started and stopped as I gave him a murderous look. “Anyway, just let us know when you guys will be gone.”

“Sure, bro.” Noah laughed. “I can take Skylar out to the mall this morning, if you want. Give you some guys some alone time.”

“No.” I blurted out at the same time that Zane said “Sure.”

“I’ll let you guys think about it.” Noah grinned and I shook my head at him.

“I’m going to call Sidney after breakfast. I was hoping we could go and see him later this week and discuss our shooting schedule.”

“That sounds good.” Noah nodded. “I told you that Betty has a friend that is willing to be videotaped as well.”

“The Jewish lady?” I thought for a moment. “The one who was in the concentration camp?”

“Yeah, Mrs. Rosenbaum.” He nodded. “I spoke to her and she’s very eager to tell her story.”

“I suppose she doesn’t want people to forget.”

“Yeah. What makes the story even more powerful is how she and Betty got to be friends.”

“Betty used to be her cook, right?”

“Yeah,” He laughed. “She had to learn how to cook Kosher because she didn’t really know. It’s a pretty fascinating story. Mrs. Rosenbaum taught her how to cook Kosher and then never left the kitchen.”

“I thought Betty was a housewife.” Zane interrupted looking confused. “Who’s Mrs. Rosenbaum and what’s this about cooking?”

“She went to be a cook for a few years.” Noah paused as he swallowed some food. “But she and Mrs. Rosenbaum became friends and stayed in contact after she left the household.”

“That’s a bit unusual, isn’t it?” Zane looked surprised.

“That’s the point, silly.” I laughed at him. “They weren’t supposed to be friends. Everything about their situation should have kept them apart but it didn’t. Their identities as an older Jewish lady and a younger African American lady didn’t stop them from developing a lifelong friendship.”

“Interesting.” Zane grabbed another pancake, and I rolled my eyes at him.

“I’m not sure how you fooled me into believing you were interested in history and making this documentary.” I laughed. “You really have no clue, do you?”

“You’re not going to tell me that you should have met Noah first again, are you?” Zane made a face at me and then laughed. “You know I love you guys and the Johnsons, but I can’t say that the subject matter sends my mind spinning with excitement.”

“Philistine.”

“Ooh, someone learned her word of the day,” he shot back at me, and we all laughed.

“So I’ll ask him if he’s free next week?”

“Yeah, sure.” Noah smiled at me and yawned. “I think I’m going to go get some sleep.”

“But, I wanted to play board games,” Skylar pouted, and Noah groaned and looked at me and Zane.

“No way, Jose.” Zane jumped up and slapped his brother on the shoulder. “I’m taking Lucky out and then we’re going to come back and relax before we go out to dinner.”

“I’m guessing I’m not invited.” Noah grinned and Zane gave him the eye.

“You’re guessing right.” He walked over to me and stopped by my chair. “Thank you for breakfast, my love. I’m going to go in the shower now.”

“Hold up.” I grabbed his arm. “You’re not expecting me to do the washing up, are you?”

“I thought you liked washing up.” He groaned and I gave him a look. “Okay, okay. Noah can help me.”

“That’s more like it.” I jumped up and kissed him on the cheek. “This isn’t the 50s, you know.”