*******
Sarah and Danny had not stopped talking all the way to the restaurant. The idle chatter should have been mind-numbing, but all it did was remind me I was alone. Ethan should’ve been there. But would he had even cared? He said he wasn’t a family man. Allison and Deacon had worked hard on getting the reveal party together. I wasn’t ready however to know if footballs and go-carts or bows and baby dolls were in my little miracle’s future. But I pasted on a smile, because it was quite possibly the only time I would ever have to celebrate him.
Sarah had to pull me from the car. I was so deep in thought I never realized we sat in the middle of the parking lot at The Pier. Damn, they planned the party at Ethan’s favorite restaurant. They couldn’t have known. Maybe I mentioned how I loved to go at some point.
“Hey Danny, how about seeing if we can take a side door. The smell of all that food might make Dylan sick,” Sarah said as she slammed the door to the restaurant shut.
“Quit being silly, I never suffered from morning sickness. Why start worrying about it now.” I yanked the door open and realized she was not being silly. She was protecting me.
Ethan was sitting across the room at a table for two with Amanda. The beautiful brunette from that sex club he promised he was through with. Ethan’s head leaned in toward hers as he laughed. I was going to be sick. I shouldn’t care, much less feel like everything in life was smothering me. I already knew I didn’t get to keep Ethan, but I was there to discover if he had put a little girl or boy in my belly. It was his baby, too. He was right. He would never be a family man. He was too busy being a playboy to worry about a child. I openly gawked at them. I tried swallowing, but found I could hardly breathe. He cupped his hand around her ear and whispered. The smile that shot across her face was all too much.
Sarah pulled at me and was saying something but I couldn’t hear a word of it. I jerked my arm out of her hand. I was a big girl. I knew how to act. I squared off my shoulders, and held back the tears. I wasn’t going to shed a tear over him. All my tears where reserved for baby E.
I lifted my eyes and met his concerned gaze. He looked troubled and worried. He should’ve been worried. I had caught him with the lady who was probably keeping his bed warm at night while he refused to hardly kiss me. I had fretted over losing him. When in reality, he was never mine to lose.
I darted my eyes to my feet. I didn’t want to see him. I sure didn’t want to feel him. So when his hands touched my arm, I shivered. I had to face Ethan. I raised my head back up and took a deep breath.
“Babe, that is not what you think it is.”
“It’s okay, you spent four months not even knowing where I was. I should’ve known you would’ve moved on. I was just shocked to see you.”
“Shut the fuck up,” Ethan interrupted me and yanked me to him. “I never moved anywhere. I was meeting her to discuss selling her my share in the club. That’s all. Amanda is nothing to me. I love you, Dylan. I have no desire to be with anybody other than you.”
I wanted to believe him. I wanted to think if he knew I was carrying his baby, he would sweep me off my feet and never need anybody else again but me and the baby. I couldn’t tell him. I couldn’t stand seeing him turn his back not only on me but our baby too. But what if he didn’t turn his back on us?
“I’m pregnant?” The words slipped from my mouth before I realized what I was saying. I slapped my hand over my lips.
His face glared with total incomprehension. “What the hell?”
His stance changed before my eyes. He glared at me with a severity I’d never seen before. His eyes were wild, wide, angry, and scared, and didn’t waver from mine in the slightest. The atmosphere around us charge with a tension that was palpable. Ethan appeared taller, more angular, colder, and a hell of a lot more distant.
“Is it mine?”
I stared at him, unable to speak. Not only was he turning his back on us, he was denying it was even his. I didn’t remember everything but I remembered enough to know who my baby’s daddy was. I gazed down at my fingers. “I’m sorry.”
Those words were equivalent to popping a bubble in the room. The tension turned to an overwhelm grief. I took off running.
Ethan
“Who is that?”
I heard a male behind me say. I didn’t give a damn who it was. I stood paralyzed as I watched Dylan run from me.
“He’s the father.”
The annoying voice of Sarah pounded in my ears. Those words were not a hallucination. I wasn’t in the middle of some nightmare. My worse day had arrived. I had knocked up the only person I ever gave a damn about, and she was running as fast and as far from me as she could get.
“Some father,” the male said. I spun on my heels and shoved my finger into his face.
“You don’t know shit. I’ll show you a father.” I pulled my fist back, itching to ram it into his damn face. A hand gripped my elbow, hard.
“If you wanted to prove to her that you love her, this is not the way.”
I glared back and caught the unnerving snare of Deacon. “Get your ass in high gear and go after her.” Deacon’s voice broke into the utter insanity that was swirling in my head. I snapped out of the trance those words put me in.
My pulse exploded in my veins. Air wasn’t getting to my lungs. Did she ever plan on telling me? Fuck, I told her I wasn’t a family man. I jerked my fingers through my hair.
I broke out into a run. I couldn’t get to her fast enough. It wasn’t until I exited the restaurant that I saw her climb into the rusted out piece of crap Deacon called a car. I stared stunned as she barreled out of there on two wheels. She was pregnant with my child. She shouldn’t have been driving like that. Hell, she shouldn’t even be driving upset. I jumped in my car and didn’t even look as I backed up and squealed out of there.
I raced after her, never letting that car out of my sight. By the time I reached her apartment, I was positive she was trying to kill us both or all three of us. I shook my head, never more confused. I slammed the car door and called out to her. “Dylan, stop, talk to me. Please babe, I love you.”
She slowed down but still wouldn’t look at me. I caught up with her and twirled her around into my arms.
“I’m sorry. Don’t hate me,” she sobbed onto my chest. “I think it was an accident.”
“Oh my Privy, I could never hate you. I’m sorry I’m such an ass.” I pulled her tighter against me. She thought I could hate her. I could never hate her. She was everything I ever dreamed about. I was never letting her go. Wherever she was is where I’d be. Other than work, I’d be her shadow. The tighter I held her, the more kisses I rained down on her, the more she relaxed in my arms.
“I want to show you something.” She pushed me away but gripped my hand and motioned her head in the direction of her apartment. I never let her hand go even as she unlocked the door.
Dylan opened the door and stepped inside, pulling me along with her. Touching her had an instant calming effect. How she thought I could live without her much less be happy was beyond me. Her eyes shimmered with unshed tears. She slipped her hand from mine and walked into her bedroom. I followed her step by step. She locked the door then turned around and backed up until she bumped into the bed.
My eyes widen, confused even more, as she started to undress. She first slid her pants down her long, lean legs. Then she stood up straight, and dropped her gaze from mine. She took four deep breaths before she removed her shirt. She stroked her hand over her belly, and it caught my eye. A small little bulge replaced her flat tone stomach. It dawned on me that she wasn’t wearing those horrible oversized clothes because of her hip but to hide a growing belly.
A tear escaped and rolled down her cheek. “It disgusts you doesn’t it?”
She was standing in front of me basically naked, and she asked me if she disgusted me. All her life she had tried to gain someone’s love. Everyone had always let her down. Why should I expect her to trust me? Hell, she told me she was having m
y baby and I almost attacked her.
“It’s okay that you don’t want me now. I’m only going to get fatter.” She reached for her shirt.
“Does this answer your question?” I snapped off the button on the jeans I was wearing as I shoved them down to expose the hard, heavy, thick length of my erection.
We lunged at each other at the exact same moment. She climbed me like a fucking tree. I gripped onto her ass as she wrapped her legs around my waist. The heat from her body pressing against mine sent a shiver through my bones. I prayed she knew, I wasn’t going to be able to stop myself. I wasn’t even able to think straight at that point.
“You and this baby are my world.” I brushed her hair off her neck and kiss that one spot that made her melt. When my lips touched the warmth of her bare skin, she whimpered. I squeezed down tighter on her ass muscles. She had my body in an ironclad hold against hers. I worked my hands up to her waist and cradled that small bump in my hands. To know what I was holding, what was growing in the only person I ever loved, was humbling. I wanted to protect them both from everything. “I’ll always take care of the both of you.”
I walked us over to the bed and dropped down over her. I reached up and pulled the straps of her bra down exposing her perfect breasts. I covered them with my hands. They had grown along with her precious baby bump. I covered her mouth with mine and my hands went right back to playing with her breasts. Damn, I felt our love at a whole new level. Dylan’s soft kisses became wild and needy. She pulled my tongue into her mouth and sucked. My cock twitched against her thigh.
I heard a knock on the door and Sarah screaming from the other side. I gripped her body against mine. Her breast pressed against my chest. I almost got lost in the pleasure before another knock came from the door.
“Leave us the hell alone,” I growled.
“If you hurt her, so help me god,” Sarah yelled back.
I ignored her. No one wanted to see Dylan hurt less than me. I kissed a trail down her neck and across her shoulder. I wanted to kiss every ounce of pain she ever suffered away. I worked my mouth back down over her collarbone until my mouth hovered over her perky, taut nipple on her left breast. She twisted my hair around her fingers and forced my head down over her greedy breast. I was happy to oblige and sucked it deep into my mouth.
“E,” she moaned. “I need you.”
“You have me, babe.” I raised up to see a peaceful look on her face and her beautiful wide open body waiting on me. I almost came on the spot. My fingers found the inside of her thighs and traced over her wet lace panties. Fuck, she’s soaked. I slipped two fingers inside the crotch of her panties and jerked, ripping them from her body. I wasn’t even sure she noticed as I sunk a finger into her swollen folds.
“I have to make love to you, Privy. But I want to taste you first,” I said and dropped to my knees. I yanked on her leg, pulling her to the edge of the bed. A needy sound came out of her luscious lips. I took her legs and placed them over my shoulders, careful of her still sore hip. I buried my mouth into what could only be described as my heaven. I licked over her clit and sunk two fingers deep inside of her when the first wave of her orgasm hit.
“Ethan,” she cried out. Her nails dug into my skin. I welcomed the pain because she was coming apart under me. For the first time in my life, I didn’t care about my pleasure only hers.
I flicked my tongue continuously over her clit. It was fucking incredible. I needed more. I needed inside of her. I held her wide open and placed one more kiss down there.
“I won’t survive without you. I need you more than I need oxygen in my lungs,” I whispered and then plunged inside of her. “Fuck, babe.”
She wrapped her arms around me and met each of my thrust. My sweet love needed it as much as I did. I was home. With her like that was the only place I ever truly felt I belonged. I gripped her hips with both of my hands and let out a growl before pumping in and out of her. The slow steady climb toward ecstasy started. I enjoyed the complete surrender on her face as she gave her body to me. Each thrust brought us closer and closer to the climax we both so dearly needed.
“I love you, Dylan Elizabeth. I don’t only love you with everything in me, but already love our little baby growing inside of you. This is my world. You’re my family.”
With that simple confession, her body flexed under me causing me to empty my seeds deep inside her.
I climaxed as she clawed at me and pressed small kisses along my shoulder. I pushed my hands beneath her provoking her to press her full breast against me. I pulled her up in my arms, flipped around, and sat back down with Dylan straddling my hips. She was so fucking wet from her most recent orgasm, making it easy to thrush back inside of her.
I brushed the hair off her face and sucked in a deep intake of air. Her eyes were closed, her face was at perfect peace. She was my future and I’d make sure nothing every came between us again. She yanked up on the shirt I was still wearing and nudged it off. After I threw it across the room, she sprawled her fingers across my chest and rocked her hips over my semi-hard penis. I started hardening inside of her as she traced over my numerous tattoos. She was fixated on the tattoo of the heart surrounded by a lady’s hand. I had no idea what it meant. I was just extremely stoned and thought it looked cool when I got it. But watching her trace her finger over it while riding me, I understood. She had that kind of hold on me. She had sunk her claws so deep in my heart that I would never be the same again. My heart and soul bled for her.
I held her still and lunged again and again and again, pounding harder and deeper each time. The sounds of my balls slapping against the inside of her thighs was my final undoing. We both collapsed on the bed unable to move.
Dylan
I couldn’t tell you how long we laid sprawled out on the bed. All I knew was for once, I truly felt connected to someone. My head resting against the hardness of his chest, and one of his hands caressed softly over every inch of my skin it could reach. The other hand held the curve of my stomach.
I studied his hands. The way he held my stomach I could easily see that he was already forming a bond with the baby. Did he truly want to be a father? He came from a large family himself. Could I finally find happiness inside a family unit? Ethan said I met them. But if I did those memories were buried so deep within my mind it seemed like a faring concept. I’d laced my fingers through his and pressed firmly against where I felt the baby moving.
“E,” I said softly to hide my excitement. “I can remember being scared and lonely. I never felt like I belonged until you wrapped your arms around me. I wanted to tell you about the baby. I hated lying to you. But I couldn’t take it if you left not only me but our baby too.”
He squished me against him and kissed my forehead. “Oh my love, never.”
“I would rather leave than have you leave me,” I whispered.
“I love you, and have no plans on leaving. Please tell me that you’re not planning on leaving?” Ethan asked and pressed his lips against my temple.
I didn’t move because it felt beyond right to be in his arms. “I love you,” I whispered. I couldn’t tell him that I wasn’t leaving because I still didn’t know what was going to happen. I left him once and had no idea why.
He hugged me tighter against him. “You’re my miracle. My strong and beautiful miracle.” He raised his head and looked down at my belly. “So are you, my little one,” he added and rubbed his hand over my stomach.
“You have no idea what it’s like trying to figure out what is right. When half your memories are gone, and the other half are memories you want to forget.”
“We’ll make new memories with our little bundle of joy,” Ethan said and rubbed my belly. I loved the way he said ours. He was the father and I had no right to make a decision without him.
“I think he knows you’re his daddy,” I said as my fingers played in his hair. My heart skipped a beat from the extra twinkle in his eyes.
“What makes you say that?” he sounded more
than idly curious.
“He gets really active when you talk. The first time I felt him move was when you made me pancakes that morning.” I felt myself getting excited. It was the first time I really talked about being pregnant. “I thought he was going to flip out of my stomach when we went to your house. It was like he knew he was . . .” I trailed off and darted my eyes from his. Could it possibly be home? I didn’t know, but for one night I could pretend. I started playing with the belt loops on the pants Ethan never completely stripped out of.
“He knew he was home.”
I nodded my head and pushed away from him. It might not be his home, but before we decided we had one thing we needed to know. I got up and walked over to the small desk in the corner of my room. Ethan never even rose up. He just followed my every movement with his eyes. I pulled a miniature cedar chest out of the bottom drawer. It was my dad’s and the only thing I own from my childhood. I started to tell Ethan about the box, but I only wanted to focus on the high points at that moment. I walked over and sat down beside him. He still laid on his back, but stroked a hand up and down my arm. I opened the box that held everything precious to me. The necklace Ethan sent me for my birthday fell out and onto his leg. He picked it up and fingered it with his free hand.