Changing Roles

by Melanie Moreland

  My being. Our being. The one we made with our love.

  Then I gathered Shelby in my arms and held her.

  My family encompassed in my grip.

  I held my entire world at that very moment, and I shed my own happy tears, which mixed with Shelby’s.

  I was ecstatic.

  I had a beautiful wife, a successful career, and a baby on the way. I had never been happier.

  We had lots to celebrate that night. At least until Shelby fell asleep, her head on my shoulder as I talked and made plans. When I noticed her silence, I watched her for a while, filled with the wonder of the moment and of her.

  I kissed her brow and let her sleep.

  I had a feeling my child was going to wear her out for a long time to come.

  To nip things in the bud, I allowed Cassidy to release a statement saying while out of the country, Shelby and I were married and were now expecting our first child—news we welcomed with a great deal of happiness. I still refused to talk about it or my private life, but I decided to get ahead of the rumors this time. Shelby was already glowing, and I knew soon enough she would start showing. She already had a small bump I liked to run my hand over and press my lips against while I chatted to the baby.

  Our baby.

  I drove her doctor crazy with my questions, read far too many books on the subject, and once again, made everyone laugh with my lists.

  This time, I made multiple copies so when Shelby was fed up with me checking them and fed them through the shredder, I had extra handy.

  I went to every doctor’s appointment, held Shelby’s hair during her bouts of morning sickness, rubbed her sore shoulders, and brought her crackers to quell her queasy tummy. Quickly, I learned the three new faces of Shelby while her body raged with all the additional hormones, some of which frightened me no matter how often they appeared.

  HS: Horny Shelby. My favorite one. OJ loved it, as well. We both actively encouraged that hormone.

  IAS: Instantly Angry Shelby. We weren’t big on this one.

  ES: Emotional Shelby. Our least favorite.

  Often, I could sideline ES with HS if I moved fast enough and it was the right sort of day. Frequently, IAS dissolved into ES. I was never sure. When I brought up the subject with Dr. Emily, wondering if there was some sort of indicator I could find so I knew which Shelby I would find waiting for me when I walked through the door, she actually smirked at me while Shelby glared then cried. I hugged Shelby while looking at Dr. Emily with my “See what I mean” expression. The doctor simply shook her head and her return look said, “Live with it.” So I did.

  I added it all to my lists. My lists were a great comfort to me. Shelby hated my lists.

  I also drove Shelby crazy with my constant worrying.

  Nothing could happen to her or to the baby. I made sure she kept her stress to a minimum, I added extra security, a driver, and as often as not, went with Shelby wherever she was going, until the day she told me I was smothering her. And then sobbed because she thought she’d hurt my feelings. After that, I tried to give her a little more space, but I was never far away in case she needed me. If she had any idea how often I contacted her security when she was out, IAS would have shown up and maybe taken up permanent residence. Luckily, Ryan understood my over-the-top concern and kept me covertly informed. I gave Lesley the job as housekeeper, leaving only the part of keeping me on track to Shelby. No one could help keep me on track like my wife.

  And nobody could cook like my wife.

  I couldn’t live without her turkey sandwiches and cupcakes.

  Especially the cupcakes.

  Which was the reason I was currently being scolded by IAS. Vehemently.

  I had to admit when she was hissing at me in anger, almost spitting in her fury, she was highly adorable. She resembled a rather pudgy kitten, all bristled and ready to attack. Her Beaker noises were loud and passionate, one hand resting on her rounded stomach, while the other gestured wildly. I tried hard not to smile as she cussed me out. That only made IAS angrier.

  She did tell me she was making the cupcakes for Ryan and Lesley—I admitted that to her. I didn’t think they’d miss one.

  Or three.

  Apparently, I was wrong. Very wrong. And my plea of sympathy cravings wasn’t working.

  Now I had ruined the entire day.

  I braced myself for what I knew would happen next. I hated this part more than anything. I watched anxiously as Shelby’s face changed, the anger draining away as quickly as it started, and her voice trailed off. I waited, counting in my head for what would happen next.

  5-4-3-2-1 and….

  She was in my arms, sobbing out her apology for yelling. For being such a horrible person. I was the best husband in the world. She loved me so much. Chuckling at the complete about-face, I gathered her close and rocked her in my arms as I crooned tender words to calm her. I hated seeing her cry, but her hormones were so out of whack, it happened almost daily, and always after the angry hormones made their appearance.

  I kissed her head as her sobs eased off and pulled back a bit to gently wipe away the wetness from her cheeks. She gazed at me with sad, teary eyes.

  “It’s okay, Beaker.” I grinned. “It was a short one this time.”

  Her bottom lip started to tremble again, and I did the only thing I could think of to stop a second weeping session. I used the one hormone I could count on—HS. Cupping her face, I crashed my mouth to hers, sweeping my tongue in and kissing her deeply. It took her about two seconds to catch up, and then we were on. Her hands gripped and yanked at my hair, pulling me closer. I tilted her head to get deeper into her mouth, panting and groaning at the sudden passion. It was only the sound of the throat clearing behind me that reminded me we weren’t alone.

  “You know,” Everett’s amused voice spoke up. “That’s how you got into trouble in the first place.”

  “Actually, there was a wall involved.” I smirked as I winked at Shelby, stroking her warm cheeks. “And a very sexy kilt.”

  “TMI, Liam!” he snapped and walked out of the room.

  “You started it!” I yelled after him.

  Shelby giggled, and I sighed with relief.

  “Sorry,” she whispered.

  “So am I. I shouldn’t have eaten the cupcakes. They looked too good to ignore.”

  “I shouldn’t have yelled.”

  I chuckled. “Yell all you want. But I’d prefer it if you didn’t cry. I hate it.” I pulled her back into my arms, nuzzling her hair. “It makes my chest hurt when you cry.”

  “You love me too much.”

  I tightened my hold. “I do. It’s a shame.”

  The buzzer went, and Shelby huffed.

  “Do you want me to tell Lily to come back another time?” I asked gently as I led her to the table, trying not to eyeball the cupcakes still sitting there. One emotional outburst today was enough.

  “She’s here with dresses for the Oscars. I need to choose one.” She grimaced. “If I can fit into anything she brings. I’ll be almost six months by then, and I’m already fat! Maybe I should stay home.” Her lips started to quiver, and I quickly kneeled in front of her, trying to stave off the tears.

  “No. I need you with me.” Douglas and I were presenting two categories, and I needed her beside me on the red carpet; I needed to be able to see her while on stage. “You’ll be the most beautiful woman there,” I insisted, laying my hands on her rounded bump. “You are not fat, my darling girl. You’re pregnant.”

  She sniffed. “You’re just saying that because you made me fat. Your OJ injection did all this.”

  “First off, I am proud of my injection. And secondly, I am not saying that because it’s my fault. Which it’s not. You are sexy, Shelby—and you’re only getting sexier. I love how you look, round and curvy with our son. I can hardly wait to see you all dressed up for me.”

  Gently she placed her hands over mine. “Our son,” she whispered.

  I kissed her full mouth. “
My sexy wife.” Leaning down, I kissed her tummy. “My healthy son.”

  Lily walked in. “My beautiful dresses. You’ll be stunning when I’m through with you. And you should see the shoes I found. Tiniest heel ever!”

  I stood, chuckling. “I doubt you have anything with you as beautiful as she is, Lily. But you can try.” I winked at Shelby. “There better be a red one in there. You know how I love her in red.”

  Shelby’s face flushed at my words, but she smiled warmly.

  “Liam,” she called quietly as I walked away, knowing better than to stay and offer fashion advice. My outfit was chosen and ready, Lily sworn to secrecy. Douglas and I were both wearing dress kilts to do the presenting in homage to The Highlands. Shelby didn’t know yet—I knew she’d love it, my only hope being she didn’t attack me until we left the ceremony. I’d hate to have to walk onstage with a torn kilt.

  I turned back, smiling at her.

  “Take the rest of the cupcakes. I’ll make more tomorrow.”

  Grinning, I covered the distance between us in three strides, hauling her up and kissing her breathless. Then I grabbed the plate and left quickly before she could change her mind. I’d share my score with Everett.

  Well, at least two of them.

  Shelby was beautiful at the Oscars. Beside me, she glowed as brightly as the jewels she wore under the lights. Her red dress left her shoulders bare and flowed like a waterfall over her rounded tummy. She took my breath away when I saw her walk down the stairs toward me, and I was beyond proud to have her on my arm. Having her close and seeing her in the audience kept me calm and focused. She always kept me centered, and my need to make sure she was okay overrode anything else. By the end of the show, she was exhausted, and I was more than happy to shake a few hands and take her home for a nice foot rub. Douglas and Caroline stayed behind for the after parties, giving him a chance to talk up The Highlands even more. The buzz about the movie was already high, and he wanted to make sure it stayed that way until its release in the fall.

  Shelby had, indeed, loved the kilt, her hand delving under the plaid, constantly teasing my bare skin as soon as we were in the limo. The only saving grace was we had stopped to pick up Douglas and Caroline, sharing the limo, and she behaved once they joined us. I was grateful for that; my sporran was large and, if she had kept up her teasing, would have stuck out at a frightening angle, given the ginormous erection I was sporting. I pressed my lips to her ear, nipping the lobe and grinning as I promised her that we’d be alone for the return journey and both OJ and I would happily be at her mercy.

  “I’ll have the driver take the long way home and put up the privacy screen,” I assured her. You can sit on my lap, and I’ll let you touch my sporran as much as you want.”

  I loved the way her eyes lit up.

  We stopped only once on the way out to the waiting car. The reporter who had interviewed us months earlier caught my eye, waving us over, and we stopped to chat with him. Tony was full of well-wishes on our marriage and upcoming birth, which we happily accepted. We talked briefly, and I made sure to do some shameless plugging for The Highlands. Just as we were turning to leave, he grinned at Shelby.

  “Still an OJ fan, Shelby?” he asked. “I remember you were pretty big on it.”

  She grinned at him as my hand tightened on hers in shared amusement. “Absolutely. I have as much OJ as possible these days.”

  I nodded. “I keep her pretty full of OJ, Tony. Her cravings are endless. In fact, she’ll have some in the limo.”

  Shelby giggled, and I chuckled as I wrapped my arm around her, nuzzling her head and ignoring the flashes happening around us. With her beside me, laughing, nothing else mattered.

  He shared our amusement, not understanding the joke, which only made it funnier to Shelby. “You two are cute, even with your orange juice fetish,” he acknowledged as he shook my hand. “Perfect for each other, I’d say.”

  Walking away, I kissed her head. “He’s right,” I murmured as I helped her into the car. “We are perfect for each other.”

  She beamed at me, her happiness radiating from her lovely eyes. “We are.”

  I had to kiss her again.

  And I didn’t stop all the way home.

  Holding my newborn son in my arms was one of the most profound moments of my life. Watching Shelby work to bring him into this world was unbelievable. I was astounded at her strength. Throughout her entire pregnancy, she had been the calm one, always brave, never panicking, often laughing when I ran to my lists to check on things. But seeing her today made me realize she was truly amazing.

  “One last push,” Dr. Emily said.

  Shelby panted heavily, her cheeks red, sweat dripping down her face. “I can’t,” she pleaded. “I need a rest.”

  I pressed the damp cloth to her head and leaned close to her ear. “One more, my darling girl. I want to meet our son, and you’re the only one who can give me that.” I pressed a kiss to her skin. “For me, Shelby.” I gripped her hands. “With me, now.”

  She bore down, an inhuman cry bursting past her lips. For a moment, there was silence, then I heard the most beautiful sound in the world.

  A long wail.

  “He’s here. You did it, Shelby.” I kissed her—hundreds of tiny kisses rained all over her face and shoulders. My hand shook as Dr. Emily let me cut the cord and, finally, laid our son in my arms.

  I gazed at his small face. Red and wrinkled, he was perfect. He frowned as he shoved his fist into his mouth, already seeking food. I smiled through my tears.

  “That’s my boy.”

  Gently, I laid our son on her chest. “Someone has been waiting to meet you, my lad,” I whispered as I nuzzled both their cheeks, one so small and soft and the other warm and damp with joyful tears. Shelby’s blue eyes shimmered with emotion as she looked at our son.

  My own eyes grew damp again as I looked at them. My family. Blinking, I smiled at Shelby and our son. “Does he still look like an Adam to you?” I asked. We had both liked the name.

  “Yes.” She stroked his downy skin as he snuggled into her warmth. “Adam Everett Wright.”

  I nodded, bending low to kiss them both again.

  My wife and my son.

  My world.

  I shifted anxiously in the meeting. I didn’t want to be here. I wanted to be with Shelby and Adam at his three-month checkup, but the appointment had been moved up, and I couldn’t get out of this meeting. My mum was with her, but I liked to go to all the appointments with them. The fact that Shelby had been a little under the weather the last couple of weeks made me want to be there as well. She promised to make sure the doctor would check her out while she was there. She seemed more tired than usual, even with Mum there to help look after Adam, and I was worried, even though Shelby assured me it was normal for new mothers to be tired.

  Douglas kicked me under the table, and I brought my mind back to the business at hand. I enjoyed being partners with him but hated all the business stuff we had to deal with. When the meeting was finally done, we made our way to our cars, separating quickly. He knew I was anxious to get home, see how things had gone, then discuss our upcoming project with Shelby. Some of the location work would mean being away from home, and I hoped she would be up to some of the traveling with me—at least the shorter trips. Douglas and I had discussed hiring a private plane so the trips would be more comfortable for her and Adam. Both Caroline and Mum could come with us, if Mum was here for a visit. Since Adam was born, she had been a constant visitor.

  Entering the house, I made a beeline for the kitchen, finding Mum with Adam. She was cooing at him as he blinked at her. I gathered him up, breathing in his baby scent—something I loved. As I nuzzled his little face with mine, the whole day faded away, and all that mattered was the tiny, warm body nestled against mine. He was already growing fast; I hated to be away from him. His blue eyes, so much like Shelby’s, shone with happiness as I held him, and as usual, I felt the overwhelming rush of love for my baby boy fl
ow through me.

  “Where’s Shelby?”

  “She’s, ah, lying down. She just fed Adam.”

  Her voice sounded strange.

  “Is she okay? Did everything go all right at the doctor?”

  She stood and took Adam from my arms. “Go see yer lassie.”

  Panic crept up my spine. “Mum? What’s wrong?”

  She narrowed her eyes at me. “Nothing is wrong. But go see yer wife, Liam.”

  My legs couldn’t move. Something was wrong.

  Mum cupped my face with one hand, her voice soothing. “She is fine—I swear. But she needs ye, lad. Go to her.”

  My feet carried me to our door, and I slipped inside. Shelby was on our bed, a box of tissues beside her. When she looked up, her eyes were red and swollen as they filled with fresh tears. I was quick to cross the room, kneeling in front of her, holding her hands, my imagination running wild with fear. “Tell me,” I demanded hoarsely.

  Tears trickled down her cheeks, and I reached up to wipe them away.

  “Do you remember when I got ready for the Oscars, and I was worried because I was fat?”

  I nodded, unsure why she was thinking about that night. “You weren’t fat, you were beautiful.”

  “What did you say to me that night when I was lamenting about my loose, flowy dress?”

  I racked my brains. “Um, I said when we went to the Oscars next time for The Highlands, you could wear something racier if you wanted because you wouldn’t be pregnant then.”

  She stared at me, her lip quivering. “Wrong,” she said. “I won’t be able to.”

  I frowned, not understanding for a moment, and then realization hit me.

  “No way.” I gaped at her teary face, before dropping my gaze down to her stomach. “But…we were protected, and you’re breastfeeding!” I sputtered. “My lists said it lessened the chance! And we used condoms!”

  “Your lists were wrong. I’m pregnant, Liam. Again.” She shook her head. “And that one night…”

  Oh.