Shaking his head, Mitch replied, “It shouldn’t be a problem at all, Rose. The remains are being removed now, and the cellar is being combed by the State Police for any possible evidence that might be available.”
She opened her mouth to ask about what he meant when he said ‘possible evidence’, but he threw up his hand and continued.
“Until we know exactly what happened, we need to make sure that there isn’t anything else down in the cellar that we need. Today, and probably tomorrow, there will be investigators down there going through everything, then, after that, we’ve been told that we can close the door on the cellar, and you will have your shop space.”
She nodded her thanks, and as the men stood, she got to her feet as well with Jason still hovering close by. Each gave her a hug goodbye, and as they filed out of her living room, she looked up at Jason and whispered, “I’m about to pop. I’ll be right back.” She hurried off to the bathroom, leaving him with Mitch.
“What do you think, Mitch?”
“Officially, I have no comment at this time.” Staring hard at Jason, Mitch continued, “Unofficially, this will probably end up as a chance for the State Police Forensic Lab to let us know if the woman died of natural causes or if her bones indicate a trauma. Other than that, it probably won’t go any further.”
“Probably?” Jason prodded.
Shrugging, Mitch replied, “We never know what we’ll find out. But, if I do hear anything, I’ll let you and Rose know.”
Mitch clapped Jason on the shoulder before heading down the steps. Jason dropped his head back and stared at the ceiling for a moment, his mind in turmoil. The events of the last several hours weighed on him, but as Rose walked back into the room, the look on her face now hesitant, he knew they had to put aside everything that was going on below the stairs and deal with the fact that she was pregnant with his baby.
19
Rose had hurried to the bathroom, desperate after drinking all the water and orange juice Jason had given her earlier. Once finished, she washed her hands at the sink, staring down at the water. It was not until she was drying her hands that she lifted her gaze to the mirror. The weight of everything from the day—the macabre discovery in the newly-found cellar, the hysterical panic as she scrambled desperately to get to Jason, the squealing tires as the car tried to keep from hitting her, being taken to the hospital in an ambulance—it all fell away leaving her with only one thought in her mind…I’m pregnant.
She closed her eyes slowly, her hands still gripping the hand towel, and tried to imagine the conversation she was going to have to have with Jason. She had no idea if he would want the child or what relationship he would want to continue with her, but a fierce protectiveness moved through her entire body at the thought of her unborn baby. As thoughts begin to assail her, she jerked her eyes open, hung the towel on the bar, and threw open the door, marching through her bedroom.
Suddenly, seeing Jason standing in the living room, his eyes pinned on her, her feet slowed. She could not tear her eyes away from his face, her heart slamming against her ribs. He reached his hand up and rubbed his fingers through the scruffy beard before his lips pinched together tightly.
Not sure how to interpret that expression, she cleared her throat and said, “I know I wasn’t ready to talk earlier, but I know we need to now.”
Silence filled the room for a moment. Just when she thought he was not going to speak, he said, “I thought I’d lost you.”
Blinking as her head jerked back at both the words he said and the gravel tone of his voice, she said, “Pardon?”
“I heard you scream before I actually saw you. I’ve never heard you scream before, but I knew it was you. I was already coming out of the garage when you came blowing out your front door. My heart nearly came to a stop at the look on your face…utter terror. It may have all happened so fast, but my feet started moving because I wanted to get to you. In that instant, all I wanted to do was get to you, get you safe, and rid you of whatever terror you were experiencing.”
She watched the emotions play across his face as he recalled the events from earlier, and she found it hard to breathe as she witnessed his struggle.
“The angle I was at when you fell into the street after the car’s brakes squealed…I thought you were hit. Your screams stopped, and in that instant, I thought I’d lost you.”
Understanding moved through her, and as her feet took her forward, she whispered, “Oh, Jason. I’m so sorry—”
He shook his head as she neared and said, “No. That’s not what this is about. I’m not trying to make you feel bad about what happened earlier. I’m trying to get you to understand that in that instant of thinking I’d lost you, the thought that slammed into me was that I would never have the chance to tell you that I’ve fallen in love with you.”
She gasped, still staring at his eyes that had not left hers, but he was not finished.
He took a step closer to her until he was only a foot away. Reaching down, he took both of her hands in his and held them tightly. “I need to tell you this, Rose. I need you to understand that this revelation hit me earlier today. It’s important that you know that I realized I was in love with you and wanted to tell you that before we got the news today that you’re carrying my baby. Because with everything else we talk about when we start talking about this baby, you need to know that.”
He lifted their clasped hands, drawing them to his chest before he bent and kissed her fingers. He released her hands and wrapped his arms around her back, pulling her tightly to him, pressing her cheek against his pounding heartbeat. She felt that steady beat vibrating through her and sighed. After a moment of silent hugging, she tilted her head back, and said, “All I wanted to do was get to you. I was scared and upset and totally freaked, and all I could think about was getting to you. When I came running out of my store and I saw you coming toward me, I never even saw the car or heard the car. My eyes were filled with you, and all I wanted was to be held by you exactly like we are right now.”
“So what are you saying, sweetheart?” he asked, his eyes blue eyes now warm upon her.
“I’m saying I love you, too,” she said, smiling through her tears.
Neither spoke for a long minute as they stood holding each other, both still reeling from the events of the day while reveling in their shared emotions.
He pulled away only to guide her over to her sofa once again, encouraging her to sit. She watched as he turned and walked directly to her refrigerator, reaching inside to pull out the milk. She giggled as he lifted the carton and stared at the almond milk. Looking over his shoulder, he said, “Is this stuff safe for pregnant women?”
Softly she responded, “I think it’s fine.”
He poured a glass full, sniffed it, and brought it over, handing it to her before he settled on her coffee table, facing her like he had done earlier. Boxing her legs in with his own, he nodded toward the glass in her hand in a silent command. After she finished it, he took it from her and set it on the table next to him.
Holding her gaze once again, he asked, “I know we don’t have to figure everything out tonight, but how are you doing with the news about the baby?”
She sucked in her lips as she tried to think of how to answer his question. Finally, shaking her head, she admitted, “It’s so complicated and yet so simple.”
His brow furrowed and he asked, “Okay, how about we break that down? What’s the complicated part?”
“You know about my plan. Leave home and start my own ice cream shop. Live cheap until I can save money and then buy a house. Meet someone and fall in love. Get married and have children that would grow up around my business while I’d teach them to make plans for their own dreams. Just like my parents did. I’d always had that plan. I’d saved my money for my plan. I just had to make it happen. I made a fool of myself with you three years ago when I had the first hiccup in my plan."
Seeing him about to protest, she shook her head and said, “I don’t re
gret the night we had together, but I definitely had some growing up to do before I was ready to become my own businesswoman."
She squeezed her eyes tightly shut for a moment, then felt the warmth of his hand cupping her jaw and leaned into his touch. Opening her eyes, she said, “Life just kept getting in the way of my plan. My father’s death shook me to the core, and I almost gave up, but Mom wouldn’t let me. But then she had her stroke, and I almost gave up again. Once more, Mom did not want me to let my plan die."
Dragging her gaze away from his, she looked around her living room and smiled. “I got this wonderful building. My parents’ shop items came, and now this place is filled with furniture that feels like home. So I felt like my plan was finally coming together.”
“It seems like I’ve thrown a wrench into your plans more times than once,” he said.
“Oh, Jason, my mom used to say that sometimes the best things that happen to us are those we don’t plan. I never believed that until you. The best bonus of all was that my shop was right across the street from you so that we couldn’t ignore each other. You coming into my life again wasn’t according to my plan, but you’ve brought so much to my world."
He leaned forward, his lips moving gently over hers, and she loved the feeling that shot straight to her core every time he kissed her.
Jason could feel the instant the kiss went from sweet to passion-infused. He felt it in his cock as well as his heart. Leaning back, he separated from her lips, smiling at the mewl of discontent coming from Rose.
“We’ve got more we need to talk about, babe,” he said, watching her eyes and hating the specter of concern in them. "I don’t want there to be any doubt in your mind about this, so the words need to be said. I want you. I want this baby. I want us together.”
The expression of worry was replaced with a little smile as she said, “I want us and our baby, too.”
“There’s a lot we need to prepare for—”
“Jason, we’ve got time."
Cocking his head to the side, he asked, “How much time?” He watched her brow crinkled as she pondered his question. “We don’t even know when the baby is due. You don’t have a doctor yet."
He watched the wheels began to turn behind her intelligent eyes and suddenly hated that he had interrupted their kiss to talk about practical matters. As her eyes widened, he knew that her desire to plan was about to kick in, so he rushed, “Whoa, Rose. All we’re going to do is take one thing at a time. We don’t have to have a plan in place for every single thing right now.”
She sucked in a deep breath and let it out slowly, nodding, “You’re right. One step at a time. I’ll get the name of an obstetrician from the hospital’s list and make an appointment. Until then, I’ll just keep doing what I’ve been doing…getting the shop ready to open.”
“I want us to be together.”
“I want that too, Jason. But I don’t know that we’re ready to be together one hundred percent of the time right now. We keep putting the cart before the horse in our relationship.”
His jaw tightened slightly, and he said, “I agree, we do. But the fact of the matter is you’re pregnant with my child. We skipped the dating part of our relationship, but I’m not willing to go backward to play catch-up. Whatever we do, it needs to move us forward.” He felt the soft touch of her hand on his jaw and relaxed.
“I don’t want to go backward, either,” she agreed. “But neither do I think we’re ready to suddenly move in together and start playing house just because I’m pregnant. Our apartments are almost identical, except you obviously have updated bathrooms and kitchen. Jason, I’ve just gotten my furniture in here and have been looking forward to making this place more of a home.”
"I don’t want to take anything away from you, babe. And I want to give you plenty of space while holding you close, while we figure things out."
“So, what are you saying?”
Sucking in a deep breath before letting it out slowly, he said, “We stick with your plan while accommodating the new things that are happening."
A giggle slipped out followed by a little snort. Clapping her hand over her mouth, she mumbled, “Sorry. It’s just that sounded like a meme I might see on social media. Really good advice, but I don’t have any clue what you mean by it.”
Grumbling, “Smartass,” he was unable to keep the smile off his lips as well. Shaking his head slightly, he said, “You’re right, I spent time fixing up my apartment over the last couple of years, but it was never going to be my forever. I figured it would make a nice place for me and easier to rent when I decided to find another place to live. This place now has your familiar furniture. Plus, you’ve got that kick-ass terrace upstairs."
“You want to move in with me?” she asked, and he was pleased to see the hopeful tone in her words.
Shaking his head, he replied, “No. I think you’re right about us not being ready to live together yet. I mean, hell, I’d move in here in a heartbeat, but I know you need some time to get used to everything. We can share time between our two places, but there’s one thing I want, and I hope you want it too.”
“What’s that?”
“Whichever place we’re in, we spend the night together in the same bed.”
A smile curved her lips, tentatively at first, and then bursting into a blinding expression of joy. He thought Rose was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen the first time he laid eyes on her, but seeing the woman carrying his child smile so brilliantly took his breath away.
He leaned in closer again, stopping when his lips were only a whisper away from hers, and said, "And I don’t think it’ll take too long for us both to be ready to move in together, making us a real family.”
She fell forward onto him, and he took her weight easily. Never losing her lips on his, he lifted her, turned, and stalked into the bedroom. Instead of falling together onto the bed, he bent, managed to grab the comforter with the hand that supported her legs and pull it down to the end of the bed. Then he laid her gently on top of the sheet, crawling over her body, making sure to keep his weight propped on his forearms and slightly bent knees.
“I’m not going to break, you know,” she mumbled against his lips.
“And I’m not going to take a chance.”
The kiss continued, long and slow, with their tongues languidly exploring each other’s mouths as their hands roamed over each other’s bodies. His cock was painfully pressing against his jeans, but he did not want to do anything she was not ready for.
One of her hands slid down his taut waist to his crotch, gripping his cock before undoing the buttons on his jeans and sliding the zipper down.
Thank fuck he thought as his cock sprang free and her hand encircled him as her thumb gently ran over the head.
Suddenly her hand was gone, and he blinked at the movement, then grinned as he watched her sit up and pull her T-shirt over her head. He thought he could move fast, but by the time he had his T-shirt off, she had already tossed her bra to the floor and was shimmying out of her pants.
Chuckling, he asked, “What’s your hurry, babe?”
The blush rose over her cheeks, and as she sat up on her knees and hooked her thumbs in her panties, she said, “Well, you got me all hot and bothered, so now I’m in the mood to get you hot and bothered.”
He slid off the bed and stood by the side, shucking his boots, socks, jeans, and boxers. Out of habit, he reached for his wallet, and her words stopped him cold.
“Jason, we don’t need condoms anymore.”
His gaze jerked back to her, and they held each other’s stares, emotions filling the room, swirling between them. But instead of feeling fear or nerves, all he felt was alive. Not just living…but alive.
Moving back onto the bed, he gathered her in his arms, and their mouths met again as their hands continued to explore. As their bodies lowered to recline once again, she opened her legs wide as he rolled on top and nestled his hips in between her thighs. His cock was eager, but he wanted to
take things slow. His lips moved along her jawline, nuzzling her neck as he kissed his way over her collarbone. Suckling one nipple after the other, her moans filled his ears as her fingers dug into his shoulder muscles.
Her hips pressed upward, and just when he felt he might explode, she begged, “Please, Jason. I need you inside of me.”
Happy to oblige, he shifted his hips and reached down to place his cock at her slick opening. Barely sliding in, he halted, his head lifting from her, and he looked down. “I’m not going to hurt the baby, am I?”
Smiling, she slid her hands up to his jaws and pulled his face close to hers. “No, sweetheart. Having sex is not going to hurt the baby.”
With that, she lifted her head from the pillow just enough so that their tongues met again as he continued to slowly push his cock further into her channel. Determined to be gentle, he thrust in and out slowly, dragging his ungloved cock against her tight muscles, feeling every nuance of being inside of her.
It only took a few minutes for her fingernails to dig in, a flush to rise from her breasts to her forehead, and her to cry out his name as he felt her sex clenching his cock. Lost in the emotions of love, he roared through his climax as well, pumping until he was empty. Not having to worry about a condom, he rolled over in the bed so that she was on top of him, his cock still buried in her sheath.
They lay, sweaty and sated, enjoying the feel of their connection until he finally slid out. Shifting her to the side, he kissed her lightly and said, “I’ll be right back.”
A moment later he returned to the bed, a warm wet washcloth in his hand, and he gently cleaned between her legs. After another trip to the bathroom where he rinsed out the cloth and tossed it over the towel bar, he came and slid back into bed, pulling the covers over them and wrapping her in his arms.
Sweet Rose: Baytown Boys Page 16