These Awkward Moments

Chapter 15 Guy Talk

Daryl's POV
I had never spent a whole night with a woman before, even after having sex. Waking up in Delilah's bed the next morning felt right, even without sex. I looked at the beauty in the bed next to me. Her black eyelashes spread across her cheeks like fans. I was so distracted by her that it took me a second to realize the reason I was awake was because Mercy was awake and grabbing at my shirt.

I smiled and whispered, "Hey!" I picked her up and quietly left the bedroom.

"Let's give your mama a chance ta sleep in, and we'll go find some breakfast, huh?"

Roe was standing in the kitchen making coffee and breakfast when I walked out with the baby in my arms. He raised one eyebrow.

It was pretty obvious that I had spent the night with Delilah. "Nuthin' happened man." I said quickly.

He smiled and nodded. "I know. Just bustin' your chops a little. Didn't think y'all would be likely ta get too far with Miss Mercy in the bed with ya." He grinned wickedly. "Babies are a helluva cock-block."

I nodded as I considered this information. "So I was gonna let Delilah sleep in and go ahead and feed Mercy some breakfast. What's she usually eat?"

Roe showed me how to mix the applesauce with the ground oats. I sat down and started feeding the baby. "So, just so you and I are clear, you're really ok with me and Delilah? Even if things... ya know?"

Roe smiled and walked over setting a plate of eggs and a cup of coffee down in front of me. He clapped me on the shoulder. "Yeah Dixon. I really am. Even if the sleepover arrangements change in the future." He winked as he sat down and ate his breakfast.

I nodded. "I ain't never done this before. Not sure I really know how. Pretty sure I'ma fuck it up more than once."

Roe smirked. "We all do man. Ain't no man alive that knows how ta make a woman happy 100% of the time. I made a mess of it all the damn time, but it's amazing how much a woman will put up with when she's in love with ya."

I looked up at Roe. "What if she ain't?"

He chuckled. "Man, I ain't sayin' another word about this. You gonna get me into all kinds a trouble."

I raised an eyebrow. "What did ya mean when ya said that you made a mess of it all the time? You ever have a serious relationship?"

Roe's POV
I nodded and looked down. "Yeah. One. Serious enough that I married her." I took a deep breath and let it out. "Caroline. She was my college girlfriend. We dated for two years, till I tore up my knee and lost my football scholarship. We broke up when I moved back home ta work in my dad's garage. Figured I'd never be good enough for her if I couldn't play ball. Thought she deserved more than I could give her, ya know?"

Daryl nodded. "So what happened? Ya said ya married her."

"Yeah. She went on and finished college. She became a nurse and got a job in a hospital near my home town. She moved just a few blocks away from my folks and hunted me down. I was at the local bar one night, and she walked in. She looked amazing. She marched right up ta me and asked me what my damn problem was." I stopped and chuckled. "I had no idea what she was talkin' about and asked her what she meant. She said 'Well near as I can tell you're either simple-minded or you're a fool, which is it?' I was a bit at a loss as ta how ta answer that one. Figured I was fucked either way."

Daryl chuckled and nodded. I smiled at him and the memory. "I finally said, 'I dunno, both?' She actually nodded her head and agreed with me! She said, 'Well that explains a lot. It explains why you'd give up the best damned thing that ever happened to ya. It explains why ya'd run off and leave me alone for two years. It explains why you thought it was ok to just break my heart!' I felt about two inches tall by that point. But when I looked up she had tears rollin' down her face, and I could see how much she still loved me. I stood up from that bar stool, grabbed her and kissed her harder than I'd ever kissed her before. Six months later we got married. It was amazin'! I'd never been so happy in my life. We started talkin' about havin' a family about two years later. We tried for a few months without success. She ended up goin' ta get checked out at her doctor's office. They started runnin' a whole buncha tests on her. Two months later we had a diagnosis. Caroline had stage III ovarian cancer."