“LUCAS, WHAT’S WRONG?”

I’ve never seen him like this. His face is drawn as he runs his fingers through his hair and glances from the bathroom back to me. I drop my bag and close the front door behind me.

He takes a deep breath and shakes his head before pulling out a chair from the dining room table and sitting down. Behind him I can see a light under the bathroom door and I frown.

“Lucas, what’s going on?”

I just started going back to work a week ago, and as much as it feels good to get out of the house, I’m not used to being away from Jack and Allie this much. Lucas doesn’t look like he’s handling it very well right now.

Finally, he takes a deep breath and lifts his head up to me.

“It’s Allie.”

My heart starts beating faster and my stomach feels like a rock.

“What do you mean? What’s wrong? Is she ok?” He glances back at the bathroom. “Lucas, talk to me! What is going on? Where’s Jack?”

The last question seems to wake him out of his stupor. He shakes his head and sits up a bit straighter.

“Jack’s fine, he’s sleeping. It’s Allie. She…” He pauses and I put my hands on my hips, waiting for him to keep talking. “She got her period,” he whispers.

It takes a second for the words to register. Lucas is staring at me so sheepishly, glancing up at me with his head resting in his hand as if he’s just divulged the most top-secret information in the world.

I burst out laughing and his face changes from worry to outrage. I shake my head. “Jeez, Lucas, why didn’t you say so! I thought she was in trouble!”

“I don’t know what to do! She just told me it came and I gave her some toilet paper.”

“Toilet paper? Why didn’t you give her one of my products?”

“I didn’t know what to do!” He answers with his hands out as I brush past him toward the bathroom. Typical man, I think as I shake my head. I kick my heels off and toss them through our open bedroom door before leaning against the bathroom door jamb.

“Allie?” I call out softly as I knock on the door.

“Yeah?” Her voices comes through. I hear sniffles and my heart breaks.

“Allie are you okay? Your dad told me you got your first period. Can I come in?”

There’s shuffling on the other side of the door and a flush of the toilet before Allie opens the door. Her eyes are rimmed red and she glances up at me through her wet lashes. I slip through the opening and wrap my arms around her.

“I thought there was something wrong with me, I didn’t realize what was happening. The blood scared me and then Dad freaked out, and...”

“Shh,” I answer, rubbing her hair and kissing the top of her head. “Come on, shh.”

We stand there and I hold her tight. I remember feeling worried and confused when I got my first period, and I didn’t have a clueless dad to make me feel like there was something wrong with me. I pull away from Allie and wipe the tears away from her eyes.

“Come on, sit down,” I say, putting the toilet seat cover down. “Hold on, I’ll be right back.”

I slip out of the bathroom and see Lucas turn to look at me, sitting up in his chair expectantly. I purse my lips and turn down the hallway to our bedroom ensuite. Under the sink are my feminine hygiene products. I grab a couple and head back to Allie.

“Now,” I say as I close the door behind me. “I’ll show you how these work and then you can try for yourself.”

Allie sniffles and nods and wipes her eyes one more time. I can see the glimmer of curiosity in her eyes as she sits up a bit straighter. She takes the little pink package from my hand and turns it around.

“You can open it,” I say. “We can just open these to look at them and then I’ll give you some extras for yourself, ok?”

She nods again and the hint of a smile appears on her face. “Thanks, Rosie.”

“Hey, come on,” I say as I kneel in front of her. “You know I love you, right? This is all normal and natural and it should be celebrated. It’s nothing to be ashamed of, you hear me?”

“I know, it just surprised me,” she says as she starts tearing the packaging open.

“I get it. Okay. So that’s a pad. They come in all different sizes, so I’ll get you a couple and you can tell me what you like best.”

She nods and opens it up, turning it around in her hand and wrinkling her nose.

“So this is like… a diaper?”

I laugh. “I mean, I guess so, yeah. Same principle.”

“I have to wear these every time I get a period?”

The tears in her eyes are replaced with shock and horror. I can’t help but laugh, and she just looks from me to the pad and back.

“There are other options,” I say, grabbing one of the tampons I brought. She looks at the wrapped cylinder suspiciously and I can’t help but laugh again. Her sharp blue eyes flick back to me and the corner of her mouth curls upwards.

“I’m not sure I like the look of that one,” she says as she takes the tampon gingerly out of my hands.

“Welcome to womanhood,” I respond with a wry smile. “It’s not as glamorous as it seems.”


***LUCAS***



They’ve been in the bathroom for ages and all I want to do is go knock on the door. I can hear Rosie laughing and the curiosity is driving me nuts. I get up and pace back and forth in the living room, glancing toward the bathroom every few seconds.

My little girl is growing up.

I still remember when she was born, when she was Jack’s size, when she was no higher than my knee. And now she’s getting her period! Puberty!

I sit back down at the thought. How am I going to manage that? A teenage girl, my daughter. Somehow, it’s not making sense to me.

Rosie’s laugh drifts through the closed door and finally I hear Allie laughing as well. Relief starts flooding my veins until finally the door opens. Rosie steps through and closes the door behind her before heading to our bedroom again. She’s been in and out once already, what is she doing?

She reappears dressed in jeans and a t-shirt instead of her work clothes. She heads toward me and shakes her head.

“You terrified the girl,” she says with a raised eyebrow. I can see just a hint of a smile in her eyes as she shakes her head at me. “Clueless.”

“I know. I freaked out.”

“It’s like I have three children now,” she says as the smile starts spreading across her lips. I stand up and wrap my arms around her. She puts her arms around my neck and I bring my lips to hers.

I’ll never get tired of kissing her. Her lips are always pillowy soft and her body fits perfectly against mine. I squeeze her into me as she wraps her arms around my neck and I groan. I pull away and look at her perfect green eyes.

“I’d be lost without you,” I admit.

She grins. “I know.”

“Is she ok?”

“She’s fine. It’s a big deal to get your first period. I cried when I got mine as well. I thought there was something wrong with me. All that blood, you know?”

“Yeah. Well, no. But I can imagine.”

Rosie laughs and I continue. “I should have been prepared for this, but I just wasn’t expecting her to grow up so fast,” I say. I close my eyes as Rosie strokes the side of my face.

“We’ll blink and they’ll both be grown,” she replies softly. I grunt in response, leaning into her hand.

“Why does it feel so good every time you touch me?” I ask.

“I was going to ask you the same thing,” she replies in a soft voice. I pull her closer, letting my hands drift from her lower back down toward her ass. She leans into me and tangles her fingers into my hair before crushing her lips against mine.

This time she kisses me harder. It’s not a soft, tender kiss, it’s more insistent and my cock starts to twitch.

“Mm,” Rosie says and then chuckles, swaying her hips back and forth. She pulls away and gives me that mischievous look that never fails to turn me on. I cup my hand around her ass and give it a squeeze. My cock is throbbing now.

Rosie opens her mouth to say something but is interrupted by the sound of our little boy wailing in his crib. Her shoulders slump and she turns her head toward the noise. I kiss her temple as she pulls away from me.

“I’ll go,” she says. “He must be hungry.”

I watch her walk away and finally Allie comes out of the bathroom. She looks at me and glances down at the ground, embarrassed. I walk toward her and open my arms.

“Hey, kiddo,” I say as I wrap my arms around her. “I’m sorry I reacted that way. I should have been more supportive.”

“It’s okay,” Allie responds. “I think we were both surprised.”

“How about we make some homemade pizzas for dinner? You can help me get them ready.”

Allie’s face splits into a smile and my heart grows in my chest. She nods and we both turn toward the kitchen. She heads to the fridge and I head to the pantry. For a few minutes it feels like the old days, just her and me working side by side in the kitchen, not saying a word but feeling closer than ever.

“What do you think, Allie? Pepperoni?”

“Definitely. And lots of cheese.”

“No question,” I respond with a laugh. She grins at me and I elbow her gently. Her grin turns to a giggle and she sticks a piece of pepperoni in her mouth.

“Pizza tonight?” Rosie asks from behind us. I turn to see her with Jack in her arms, nursing. She sits down to watch Allie and me in the kitchen.

“Yeah! You okay with pepperoni?” Allie asks.

“Yum! What about pineapple?”

“Eww!” Allie exclaims, scrunching her face up. Both Rosie and I laugh, and then Jack starts spluttering and crying.

“Oops! Here, you’re okay, you’re okay,” Rosie says as she lifts him up and puts him on her shoulder to calm him down. She grins at me. “No pineapple then.”

“We can make an exception for you,” I say. “Can’t we, Allie.”

“Fine. But only on part of one pizza.”

“Deal,” Rosie replies with a smile. She smiles at me and then turns back to Jack, and I turn back to my pizzas. I watch as Allie lays out the toppings with extreme concentration and I can’t help but feel like the luckiest man alive.


***ROSIE***



I slide under the covers and Lucas opens his arms to wrap them around me. We fit together like two puzzle pieces and I groan in contentment. I’m wearing nothing but a pair of panties and he’s got boxers on, and the feeling of his skin against mine is the most comfortable feeling in the world.

“This is so nice,” I say, my voice muffled in his chest.

“Thanks for helping Allie today,” he replies. I lift my head up and see him looking at me. His eyes have a softness to them. They crinkle at the corners as he smiles at me.

“She’s my daughter, too,” I reply. The smile on his face gets wider and he pulls me into him. “Plus,” I add, “you were useless. One of us had to do something.”

“Oh yeah?”

Before I can say anything else, he’s flipped me onto my back and rolled on top of me. I giggle as he pins me down, lifting my arms up overhead and holding them down against the pillow. His lips meet mine as we kiss. It might be our millionth kiss, but it’s as good as that first kiss on the street all those months ago. His lips are sweet, and I can taste the toothpaste in his mouth.

I shiver as he runs his fingers up my side.

“Say it again,” he says with a mischievous smile.

“Say what?” I ask. He dips his head down to my neck and nibbles my earlobe. I can feel his cock throbbing against me as he grinds his hips toward me.

“Call me useless,” he answers as he lifts his head up again. The grin spreads across his face and I laugh.

“You were useless today. It was practically traumatic for her. You’ve probably damaged her.”

“Who taught you to be so rude,” he says as the smile on his face widens again. He chuckles and then lifts himself up and flips me over. I yelp as he turns me onto my stomach and then giggle, looking over my shoulder at him. I watch as he hooks his fingers into my panties and slides them down my legs. His tongue darts out to lick his lips and his eyes meet mine.

I have to close my eyes as his fingers drag through my slit. I moan as he moves them back and forth and I feel my legs automatically spread and my hips automatically tilt toward him. His touch is irresistible.

In a few seconds we’re both naked and I feel his hands on either side of my waist. He leans down and I can feel his hard cock pressed up against my ass.

“You want it?” He whispers into my ear. I love the way his breath tickles my neck and how his voice has a low growl to it.

“Mmmnnfff,” I reply, grinding my hips up toward him.

We stay like this for a few seconds, moving our bodies so slightly, grinding against each other. Everything is more sensitive. His skin feels like it’s electric and his fingers make my skin tingle as he runs them over my body. His cock is hard as he presses it into my body. I tilt my hips up toward him and he responds by sliding his shaft down toward my opening.

I’ll never get tired of the feeling of his cock sliding inside me. He goes slow, stretching me and pushing himself inside me inch by inch, letting my body get used to his size. I groan again. My eyes are closed and my hands are gripping the sheets and all I can think about is the feeling between my legs. The pressure is already building deep inside me as he pushes himself just a fraction of an inch deeper inside me.

I yelp in surprise as Lucas’s hands grip my waist and pull me up onto my hands and knees. My surprise turns to ecstasy as he starts thrusting into me. First, it’s long smooth strokes, and then the pleasure takes over both of us and we start pushing into each other. I’m backing into him as he drives his shaft into me, both of us groaning every time.

My hands are on the headboard. His hands slide up my back and tangle into my hair until he’s pulling it back, gently at first and then harder and harder. My head is back, mouth open as I arch my back and moan.

Every thrust sends a wave of pleasure coursing through me. Every touch of his hands as they grip my waist, pull my hair, slap my ass - everything sends me closer and closer to orgasm. We move in sync, almost like a choreographed dance. He wraps his fingers a little more tightly through my hair and sends the tiniest jolts of pain through my skull. It doesn’t hurt though. The feeling makes my whole body more sensitive. I arch my back some more and finally the pleasure becomes too much.

I wish there was another word besides orgasm to describe this feeling. It’s like every nerve ending in my body decides to fire at once. It’s like there’s a magnetic field around me that suddenly gets stronger, and every sensation is heightened. My vision goes black and my body contracts around him and I can feel the wetness of my pleasure dripping out of me.

Lucas’s groans reach my ears and another wave of pleasure rushes through me. We are never as connected as right now, when we’re both flying over the edge together. Our bodies contract and relax in quick succession, my hands gripping the sheets as his hands grip my body.

We collapse together, with him still inside me as we both pant and try to catch our breath. I can feel his heartbeat against my back and I’m not sure which pulse is his and which is mine. It takes somewhere between an eternity and no time at all for the world to come back to normal around us.

“I love having sex with you,” I breathe as he slides off me.

“It’s the best feeling,” Lucas answers. He rolls onto his back and glances over at me, lazily trailing a finger down my back. Both our bodies are glistening with sweat and I grin.

“I love you,” I say.

“I love you, too.” He smiles at me and I see that crinkling at the corners of his eyes again.

I have to disagree with him - the best feeling in the world isn’t an orgasm. It’s lying beside him after an orgasm as he looks at me just like this and hearing him say those little words.