by Cee, DW
“I’ve no idea. I keep telling Jake it’s unnecessary to give me any more gifts. What more could I want?”
“Oh trust me, Emi. You want this surprise.”
“Was there always this beautiful white picket fence, here?” Delaney asked. “I’ve lived here all my life, but I can’t figure out if this was here or not. Emily?” She now deferred the answering to a baffled Emily.
Emily shook her head with uncertainty, herself. “I don’t think this was here.”
“Surprise, Ladies!” Jake announced and opened the tall gate.
“Oh my gosh!” Both ladies hollered and walked to the rear of the lot. “When? How?” Emily was more excited than my wife was—at least for now.
“Donovan came up with the brilliant idea of building a small park and wading pool on this empty lot. The best water slide and pool this side of Six Flags is in our back yard, Donovan has a tennis and basketball court, and all the other homes have something special, but no one has a park for all the little ones who’ll be occupying the cul-de-sac in the next decade or two.”
I chimed in when Jake was done. “The park near us is too far to walk to on any regular basis. So after talking it over with Max, we decided to build a park and wading pool in the back of this lot.”
“Why did you talk to Max?” My wife wondered.
“Jake and I thought possibly one day, Max and Jane might want to sell their home and build on this empty plot. Gram says it doesn’t really belong to anyone in particular and we don’t think anyone would mind if Max and Jane chose to build here.”
“That would be ideal if they’d live here with us.” Delaney spoke the words and Emily wholeheartedly agreed.
“Max liked the idea of one day building a home here, and so we decided to build the park and pool in the back so they would have plenty of room to build in the front.” Jake added.
“We added this tall picket fence for privacy just in case a stray car drove into the cul-de-sac.” I finished our story.
“You men thought of everything, didn’t you?” Emily was beyond pleased. “Let’s bring the kids out here and show them their surprise.” She and Jake walked hand-in-hand to gather their children.
“What do you think, Wife?”
“I think it’s perfect for the future of the Taylor/Reid/Davis clans. I love it. Thank you.” I sat on the swing in our new park and brought Delaney down on my lap.
“Once you have the babies and start school, this park will be a treasure. Mom and Ma can bring the babies out here. We have instant access to slides and swings, and tomorrow, the men are coming back to baby-proof around the wading pool. They didn’t have enough time to get that finished in the short days we were gone.”
“Honey, life with you, life on the cul-de-sac, life with our families—this is utopia!” my wife declared.
Third Trimester
“You will promise to take it easy at this wedding?” Shit! I was a mess on the plane, flying with my pregnant wife. Delaney was beginning her third trimester, flying twelve hours for Max and Jane’s wedding. The only reason her OB allowed this trip was because both the chief and Jake took “crash courses” in delivering a baby aboard a flight—even preparing for a C-section. Had it not been for them, plus my father and Uncle Robert, we would’ve stayed home.
“She’ll be in lush surroundings with nothing to do but eat and enjoy the scenery once she walks down the aisle and takes a few pictures. Relax, Donovan!” Jane mocked with her eyes and snarky voice.
“Are you sure you still want me in the wedding party?” Delaney got up to change positions and I attempted to get up with her, but my mother-in-law stopped me.
“Give her a little space, Donovan,” she whispered, “she can’t go very far.” She made a lot of sense so I let my wife walk up and down the short aisle with James and JR in each hand.
“Why wouldn’t I want you in the party, especially since your hubby is allowing it again?”
“Because I’m so freakin’ huge! I’ll ruin all your pictures.”
“No you won’t. I’ll just look that much better because of your huge belly.” Jane kidded, and offered Ellie a hand so she too could walk up and down the aisle.
“What is it with your kids and walking so early? Is that normal? Will our twins walk at nine or ten months?” I asked.
“I doubt it. Knowing our relationship, your kids will always be one step behind mine.” Jake grinned. “You guys still holding out on finding out the sex of the babies?”
“Yep! Delaney is dying to know, but I’ve put my foot down on this one. I want to be surprised.”
“You’ll be surprised, regardless.” My wife informed me and passed the walking duties to me. “It’s pathetic how quickly I get tired nowadays.”
“Take a nap,” I encouraged.
Max and Jane got married at sunset in a beautiful, idyllic scenery. Once our bridal party duties were done, we sat ourselves under rows and rows of arches hanging with champagne grapes, and I fed my wife.
“Do you regret not having had a destination wedding?”
“No.” The mother of my children cuddled against me with her back on my chest and her head resting in the crook of my neck. “Our wedding was that much more special because you worked so hard to plan the most memorable day for me. I haven’t wished for anything since we got married—except of course for healthy children and easy childbirth.” Her chuckle reverberated against my body. “You have been a dream multiplied by infinity. I truly hope I make you as happy as you make me.”
“The first time we were here, I didn’t think we’d make it. I wasn’t so much concerned with Kate, but I seriously doubted whether you’d forgive me once I confessed what I’d done with Jane, and how much I’d hurt Max. During my flight from Paris to Florence, I tried to come up with a plan B if you were to reject me and I came up with a blank. There was nothing I desired, no goals to attain if I didn’t have you as my life partner. I knew I loved you before I left for Europe, but it was during that flight I realized how absolutely paramount you were in my life.”
“Well then, Mr. Taylor, you had no idea how supreme my love was for you. All it took was for you to knock on my door in Belgravia, and you had me for life. I only fought you because I was scared to death you and your offer of love were a mirage. I’d had so many delusional fantasies about you since I was ten that when you showed up on my twenty-third birthday, I knew it was the flu creating optical illusions for me, and you’d disapparate like a J.K. Rowling’s character. Who knew all this would happen?” She placed her hand on top of mine, resting on her belly. “Will we be all right with the babies, med school, and your position at the firm? It can’t be easy taking over for Grandfather.”
“We will be fine, Sweet Wife. We have enough family members who want to help, and as long as we are honest with one another, we will figure out the rest one day at a time.”
“I can’t wait to see our babies. They’ll be so beautiful.”
“How can they be anything but when you’re their mother?”
Birth
“You got exactly what you wanted, Sweet Wife!”
“They’re so beautiful, Donovan! They’re identical, and yet one looks so much like you...”
“And one looks just like you,” I finished her sentence.
“This little one,” she kissed the top of our baby’s head, “should be called Scott since he looks like your side of the family.” She then kissed the little one cradled in her left arm. “And to be fair, this little one should be named after my father since he looks more like a Reid.”
Delaney’s water broke a week before her scheduled C-section. She went into a quick labor and popped out two healthy, insanely gorgeous boys. They were identical twins and the only way to tell them apart right now was the coloring of their hair and eyes. Henry’s hair was blond like his mother’s with the Reid blue eyes, and Scott’s hair was more on the brown side with the Taylor blue-green-gray eyes. It was weird looking at
two identical beings. They even had the same little dots on the bottom of their left feet. If either hair colored changed, I knew I would have trouble telling them apart.
Our parents loved these kids instantly and abundantly. The four of them fought to hold the twins and many times, I had to kick them out of our house so we could have some time with our own kids.
“Do you notice how much more temperamental Henry is than Scott? He’s always demanding to be fed first, changed first, and put to sleep last.” I had no clue how she figured that out. “He cries like a banshee if I nurse Scott before him. I’m going to have to learn to nurse them simultaneously. Emily says she never mastered that technique, but she’ll come and help.”
“OK...all I know is, I may have to ban the grandparents from our house if they’re going to come and never leave till they’re kicked out. Pa wants to buy a house on the cul-de-sac so he can be closer to the kids.”
“It’s precious watching them with the boys. They are so in love!”
“I agree! It’s also sweet watching Roland and Gram with their great grandsons. I doubted anyone could take over Ellie’s reign in Gram’s heart, but I think she’s thoroughly smitten with the boys.”
Delaney giggled. “When you’re at work, it’s a madhouse here. Everyone descends upon the house and only leaves when the babies go down for their nap. Ma hangs out next door till she gets word that they’re up, and then we have a full house again. Even Grandfather, when he’s not in the office helping you, spends a leisurely day with the babies.”
“When will they start smiling?”
“Very soon,” she answered. “I believe the baby books say they’ll smile around six to eight weeks. It’s coming.”
Every day flew by with two kids. There was little time for anything other than work at the office and baby duties at home. Even the few weeks Delaney had before the new school year began morphed into a blur.
“You really going to do this?” I got up with Delaney as Henry cried for his early morning feeding, which led to Scott waking up for his feeding.
“Of course I’m going to do this. What else would I do?” She picked him up and I helped her get settled with both kids. “It is so much easier and faster to nurse them simultaneously. Thank God I finally got the hang of this. It cuts down nursing time in half.” Both boys latched on immediately and were content. “I’m amazed how much milk my body can produce. I no longer look like a cow, but now I produce milk like a cow.”
“You know you don’t have to do this.”
“Donovan. I love you and I know you’re concerned, but this is something I have to do. The boys and I will be all right and I promise I won’t do anything to sacrifice the care of our children. Don’t worry so much. The three of us will be fine and don’t forget that we have grandparents who are all going to help.”
Delaney stubbornly refused to give up med school even with the birth of the children. It wasn’t that I didn’t want to see her succeed as a doctor. It pained me to see my wife get up all hours of the night to feed the boys, then have to tackle schoolwork, in addition to seeing to their care. I helped where I could, but unless I had milk-producing breasts, I was useless. The boys wanted no part of me until their bellies were satisfied.
“Henry is done. Will you change his diaper and put him in the outfit I laid out over there? I’ll do the same with Scottie, and then I need to get ready for the day.
Within the hour, the boys were fed, changed, and ready for their car ride. After a quick bite, Delaney had changed and prepared diaper bags while I readied the car with the double stroller and all the paraphernalia needed to last an entire day.
“Shall I come see you at school during my lunch hour?”
“Donovan.” She did her best to reassure my anxious heart. “I’ll send you pictures of the boys, and I’ll call you when I have a moment. You focus on your work.”
“You promise to tell me if all this becomes too much for you?”
“I promise!”
With those two words, I watched my wife back out of the driveway with our children. I knew deep down, she and the boys would be fine. Yes, it would be hard, and yes, this wasn’t ideal. But this was our story and I knew the perfect life I envisioned with Delaney had begun.
Author’s Note:
I hope I never come off sounding clichéd and trite when I tell you how much I appreciate you as my Reider. In the few years I’ve been self-publishing this series, I feel as though I’ve gotten to know many of you through Facebook, my website, and the blogs, and it’s been a pleasure!
As I’m sure you feel the same way, I love the Reid family. This ideal family unit is made up of not-so-perfect people who make copious mistakes, but eventually find their way with the help of their family and friends. Though we’ll be hard-pressed to find a perfect family like the Reids, we can identify with many of them, starting from Emily’s Story and ending with Donovan’s Story. This wonderful saga continues in Nick & Bee’s Blog, which publishes every Monday and Thursday via my website. Come join us, if you’re not already a Reider.
As always, you can reach me at:
http://www.dwcee.com/
[email protected]
Unyielding Love – Nick & Bee’s Story Vol. 1
By
DW Cee
Copyright © 2014 by DW Cee
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be copied, reproduced, transmitted, or downloaded, whether electronic or mechanical, without the written consent of the author.
This story is a work of fiction. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
Ebook Edition
Chickygirl Publishing
Books by DW Cee
Indelible Love Series (ebooks)
Indelible Love – Emily’s Story
Indelible Love – Jake’s Story
Indelible Lovin’ – Max & Jane’s Story Vol. 1
Indelible Lovin’ – Max & Jane’s Story Vol. 2
Unlikely Attraction – Delaney’s Story
Near Perfect Attraction – Donovan’s Story
Unyielding Love – Nick & Bee’s Story Vol. 1
Stand-Alone (ebook)
Entwined
Paperback Books
Indelible Love – Emily’s Story
Indelible Love – Jake’s Story
Indelible Lovin’ – Max & Jane’s Story (combined volume)
Unlikely Attraction – Delaney’s Story
Coming Soon…
Unyielding Love – Nick & Bee’s Story Vol. 2 (in progress on my website)
Indelible Lovin’ – Max & Jane’s Wedding (Summer 2014)
Unfinished Melody (Winter 2014/15)
Perfect Harmony (Summer 2015)
These blogs will always be dedicated to the Reiders who adore and despise the characters, laugh and cry at the plotline, and at times want to drop-kick the hero. I hope this half-ending will be to your liking (hehehe)!
A Note from the Author -
For those of you who are new to this blog world, my blogs are like television dramas where the story ends in sixty-minutes, and picks up again the following week.
These blogs are published on my website (for free) every Monday and Thursday, and if by chance, you discovered me at an in-between blog phase, keep checking the website. I’ll let you know when a new one will begin.
If you’ll all remember in Indelible Lovin’ – Max & Jane’s Story, Jane was our narrator. Aside from the prologue and epilogue, Jane had her say the entire time. Just to challenge myself and to make things more interesting, I wrote this blog from Nick and Bee’s points of views. On Mondays, Bee talks, and on Thursdays, Nick has his say. Having two people speak gives you a deeper understanding of the story, but it takes longer.
This story was meant to make you feel as though you are right there on the cul-de-sac with Nick and Bee, as well as the rest of the Reids, Taylors, and Davises. Though family and friends surface, they are onl
y minor characters since most of them have had their say already.
This book is Vol. 1 and Vol. 2 will begin on May 1, 2014 on my website www.dwcee.com. Join us!
Without sounding like a broken record, I thank you for your enormous support and love for my characters!
Enjoy the Reid!
Table of Contents
Prologue
December
January
February
March
April
Prologue
June 16, 2011 BEE: Nicked
“I can’t believe what just happened.” What have I done??? “I’ve never done anything like this in my life!”
“May I hazard a guess and say you haven’t done this in a while—period?”
“What gave that away?” I laughed at his comment. “Was it the pseudo virginal-pinch upon entry, or the orgasm in under a minute?”
This beautiful man laughed with me. “Perhaps it was the look of shit, what the hell did I get myself into while being pleasured to oblivion.”
“‘Pleasured to oblivion?’” I quirked my eyebrow and attempted a doubting look. It was hard to do when a very tall man was on top of and still inside me.
“Admit it. I was damn good!” He said with much machismo.
I laughed again and slapped his ass. As much as I enjoyed his body on mine, he was heavy. “You’re choking me.”
“Now what the hell kind of statement is that after I gave you the orgasm of your life?” He purposely started grinding into me again. Shit! That felt really good, still.