One Night: A Real Man

by Snow, Jenika

  We stopped at the top, and I looked at him, nodding. “I am,” I said softly, meaning that more than I’d ever meant anything before. I exhaled, trying to get my nerves straightened out.

  We figured now was as good a time as any to tell my parents, not only about our relationship, but also about the baby. It wasn’t like they wouldn’t know eventually anyway, and I was tired of keeping things from people.

  I felt Devon tighten his hand on mine, and then he leaned down and gave me a kiss. I was glad I had him here with me to get through this, to deliver the news to my parents, I didn’t know what their reaction would be, but I knew I could get through anything with him by my side. It might be cliché as hell, but it was the absolute truth.

  Life was all about trials and tribulations, the unknown and unexpected. But at the end of the day, if it made you happy, that was all that mattered.

  And Devon made me happy.

  This baby made me happy.

  And yeah, that was all that mattered.

  * * *

  I was pretty sure my parents were in some kind of state of shock. My father sat across from us, in the same chair where he always sat every morning for as long as I could remember. He had his cup of coffee, strong and bitter as hell. The newspaper was spread out in front of him, the business section the part he’d always read first.

  My mother still stood by the sink, a dishtowel thrown over her shoulder, her eyes slightly wide as she looked between Devon and me.

  They’d been like this for the past few minutes, ever since we emerged from the basement, sat down at the table, and just told them everything. I told them about Devon and me being in love with each other, starting a relationship, and of course the baby.

  This certainly hadn’t been the reaction I envisioned from them, this stunned silence. And I didn’t know if them being quiet scared me more than if they were raging at me and telling me how disappointed they were.

  “A baby?” my mother finally breathed, and I nodded.

  “Yeah, a baby,” I echoed.

  More silence. More thickness.

  Devon reached under the table and took my hand, giving it a squeeze. His reassurance went a long way in making me feel like this was the right decision, the right time to spring this on my parents. My mother ended up walking over and sitting beside my dad, both of them looking at each other for a suspended moment.

  “Honestly, I guess I can’t say I’m surprised things turned out this way.” It was my father who spoke first, his words having everything in me freeze. That certainly hadn’t been what I thought he’d respond with.

  For my entire life, my parents had been very “by the book” on how they handled teaching me about life and how they taught me to be a responsible adult. My father was a little more lenient than my mother, but if I could sway him into seeing this really wasn’t the end of the world—unconventional, yes—then I could help my mother fully understand that I wasn’t going to hell.

  “You know I wish you guys would’ve done things a little bit… differently.” It was my mother who spoke then, and that was pretty much what I expected her to stay.

  What she wasn’t outright saying was that she wished I was married before getting pregnant. My mother’s parents had been very old-fashioned, meaning if she would’ve gotten pregnant out of wedlock, they probably would’ve sent her to her aunt’s farm for the summer to have the baby. It wasn’t talked about, and that’s just how it was.

  It was another time, another world. Things were different now.

  “Are you happy?” my mother asked.

  I felt the smile spread across my lips instantly. “I am,” I said softly.

  “Devon makes you happy?” my father was the next one to ask.

  I nodded, my grin spreading. “He does. Very much.”

  “Then I’m happy for you sweetheart,” Dad said. He looked at Mom then. “And I know your mother only wants you happy too.”

  Mom glanced at me. “You’re my baby girl,” she whispered, tears in her eyes. “And your happiness means everything to me.” She wiped away her tears. “I love you, and I don’t want you to ever worry that something like this would change that.”

  Now I was crying.

  I was willing to fight for the relationship I had with Devon and for this baby. And if they couldn’t see that, then I would’ve taken a step back until they did, but now a part of me knew it wouldn’t come to that. They loved me unconditionally, and they wanted me to be happy.

  “What are your intentions with Leila, Devon? What does the future look like for you?” Leave it to my dad to hit hard with the real questions right away, to not ease into it.

  Devon tightened his hand on mine, and I looked over at him. I knew how he felt, but my heart still jumped into my throat as I waited for him to respond. What would he say to my father?

  “I love Leila, sir.”

  The corner of my lips twitched as I heard him be all proper with my dad, a man he’d known all his life. He was nervous; I could tell. It was kind of endearing to see my alpha man so unsure of how he should proceed.

  “I love her, and there isn’t anything I wouldn’t do to make her happy.” Devon looked at me then and gave me a reassuring smile. “I want to marry her, sir.” My heart seized in my chest then. “I’ve known this girl my entire life, and she’s my world. We are starting a family together, albeit not in the traditional way you probably wanted, but I love her more than anything. So much.”

  The tears threatened to overflow again, and I shifted on the chair, clearing my throat as I looked between my father and mother. And surprisingly… they were both smiling.

  They looked happy.

  I knew there was still a lot to discuss, a lot of ground to cover. But in this moment as I looked into my parents’ faces, I knew that no matter what, they were here for me.

  I knew—felt—things wouldn’t be so bad. And I knew from this point on, being honest was absolutely key. Because withholding information only ever ended up causing heartache in the end.

  And in my future, all I wanted was happiness and love, especially with Devin by my side, and the family we were creating.

  Epilogue One

  Devon

  Six months later

  “I didn’t know my belly could extend this far,” Leila said as she looked at herself in the mirror.

  I was on the bed, my laptop on my lap, but my focus was on anything but work. Leila stood gloriously naked in front of the mirror that hung on the back of the bedroom door. She’d just gotten out of the shower, her hair damp, the ends curling, and the towel pooled around her feet.

  I set my computer aside, climbed out of bed, and made my way toward her to wrap my arms around her growing belly. God, she felt good as she leaned back against me, using me for support. I had my palms flat on her stomach, over where our child grew.

  “You ready for me to get even bigger?”

  I grinned against the side of her neck and kissed her skin. “I can’t fucking wait.”

  She turned around in my arms, and I instantly cupped her cheeks, smoothing my thumbs along her flawless skin. I stared into her eyes before dipping down and dragging my lips across hers. She always tasted so sweet.

  “I love you,” she whispered against my mouth.

  I groaned at how good it always felt to hear her say those words. “I love you so much, Leila.” I dropped another kiss to her lips and then promptly fell to my knees, placing another kiss on her rounded belly. She speared her hands in my hair, and I closed my eyes, resting my ear against her flesh, wishing I could hear the baby’s heartbeat this way.

  I lifted my gaze to look into her face, saw she was already watching me, and smiled at her.

  Having her here, in the home we now called ours, watching her belly grow, and falling in love with her more every day was like a dream come true. I all but demanded she stay home, not worrying about working, especially part-time at the café.

  There was no need when I could provide for her, when she could r
elax and worry about taking care of herself and our baby. If she wanted to go back to work later, I would support any decision she made, but right now… right now, I really wanted to just be there for her and take care of my girl.

  I gave her belly one more kiss before standing and embracing her. I just couldn’t get enough. I’d never get enough of having her close.

  Right now, it was just the two of us, and as perfect as that had always been, we both couldn’t wait to hold our baby, to see who he or she looked like, if the baby had a headful of dark hair, had blue eyes. I couldn’t wait to watch Leila become a mother to our baby.

  God, I couldn’t wait for that.

  Leila deserved the perfect life, to always be happy, and God help me, I was going to give her that tenfold.

  * * *

  Leila

  Devon and I were in bed, the TV on the dresser across from the bed on, the volume low. I would fall asleep in a matter of minutes, no doubt. It wasn’t even like I’d done much, but being six-months pregnant meant the energy was being drained from me on a constant. But I loved it. I loved every minute of this, so thankful I got to spend it with the man I loved.

  Despite his deep, even breathing, I knew he was awake. I shifted, my oversized belly in the way, and although my back hurt, my feet swollen by the end of the day, I couldn’t wait until I was even bigger, knowing this baby inside me was getting strong and healthy before I delivered him or her and we could hold our child in our arms.

  Devon grunted and shifted as well so he could still have his arms around me. He was nothing if not possessive. I melted against him, loving that he always wanted me so close. After a second, I lifted my hand and smoothed my fingers over his abdomen, the ridges of his muscles contracting slightly under my palm.

  “I love you,” he murmured, his voice so deep, so husky it speared right into me. And even if we just had sex not even an hour ago, I felt my body heat instantly for more.

  “I love you too,” I said and rose up. I wasn’t going to let him lead the way this time. I was going to be the one to call the shots. At least for right now.

  “Again?” he asked, but there was this massive grin on his face, and I felt his big cock harden between my thighs.

  “I just can’t seem to get enough of you,” I purred. Maybe it was the pregnancy hormones, or maybe it was that Devon was hot as hell, but I just couldn’t get my fill of him.

  He pushed his upper body up and kissed me, and I felt my heart flutter a bit, the sexual haze mixing with my undying love for this man.

  “Mine,” he growled, and I giggled in delight, because I knew where this was going.

  Epilogue Two

  Devon

  I thought there wasn’t anybody I could love as much as I loved Leila, but as I held our newborn daughter in my arms, as I lifted my head and looked at my sleeping wife, I realized my love for both of them encompassed all extensions of me.

  This tiny little being in my arms was a little bit of me and a little bit of the woman I was in love with more than life itself. Our story might not have been perfect, and there had been trials and tribulations along the way.

  It had taken us a long damn time to get here, but I was finding out each and every day that having Leila in my life and having our beautiful baby girl in my arms was what I’d been born to do.

  A husband. A father. The most supportive person in the world for both of them, who had their back always, and who stood up for them without a fault.

  I stood and put Monica in the bassinet by the bed and just stared down at her for a moment, feeling my heart ache at how perfect she was. She had a full belly, wore a clean diaper, and wouldn’t get up for another couple hours. I tried to help as much as I could, so when Leila was done breastfeeding, I took over and let her go promptly back to sleep.

  With one more lingering look at Monica, I moved to my side of the bed and slipped in next to my wife, wrapped my arm around her waist, and pulled her close.

  I buried my nose in her hair and inhaled deeply. That scent—I was addicted to it. Leila’s aroma was unlike anything I’d ever smelled in my entire life. And I never got enough of it.

  We’d gotten married in a small ceremony a month after finding out about her being pregnant. I wanted to give her a big, expensive wedding, but I’d be lying if I didn’t admit having Leila as my wife in any way wasn’t perfect. We could have worn paper bags and gotten married by a dumpster, and it still would have been perfect to me.

  And she’d felt the same way. Soulmate. That’s what she was to me.

  Even all this time later, as I lay in bed next to the woman who I lived and breathed for, I didn’t want to sleep. Because sleeping meant I’d miss out on time with her.

  She shifted slightly and rolled over so she was now facing me but still stayed asleep. I looked into her face, her features delicate, feminine. Leila looked relaxed, and I knew even in this unconscious state that she knew she’d always be looked after, that I’d always protect her and make sure she and the family we created were safe.

  Because they were my world, my everything. And without that… I had nothing.

  Epilogue Three

  Devon

  Five years later

  Opening the front door after a long day at work, knowing what I was going to walk in on, that the house wouldn’t be clean, the kids would be crazy, and that things wouldn’t settle down until they were in bed, always had a smile on my face. It made me happy, because this was what I always wanted.

  I always wanted this life with Leila, the hectic day-to-day activities that came with family life. And I got that and never wanted to let it go.

  I opened the front door and tossed my keys into the little ceramic bowl on the entryway table, and everything in me took notice of one thing right away.

  I didn’t hear anything.

  There weren’t the screams of the kids fighting or the sound of something breaking, which was an everyday occurrence.

  It was quiet, too quiet.

  “Baby?” I called out for Leila. “Girls?” Still, I heard nothing. “Monica? Farrah?” Normally when I came home from the office, the girls were running toward me at full speed. Then I heard them giggling out back, and a smile covered my face, warmth filled me, and I felt exactly how I wanted to feel… like I was home.

  I headed toward the backyard, pulled the door open, and immediately got sprayed with the hose. My shirt and slacks were soaked, and Monica was laughing her ass off as she pointed it at me again. “Monica, if you spray me again—” I didn’t have time to finish, because she got me right in the face. Farrah started shrieking in amusement, and I heard Leila chuckling under her breath. “Oh, that’s it!” I grinned and took off my shoes and socks then ran after the girls, chasing them around the yard. Monica dropped the hose, and I picked it up and started spraying them, my heart warming at the sound of their giggles.

  After about five minutes of chasing the kids around, I finally surrendered and set up the sprinkler for them to run through. I went onto the deck and sat down, but just as Leila went to move past me, I snagged her around the waist and hauled her sweet ass right onto my lap. I then proceeded to hold her, to run my nose up the length of her neck, inhaling that scent I’d never get tired of.

  “God, you smell incredible.”

  She practically purred for me, and I felt my arousal start to climb, but the sound of the kids had that being doused faster than pouring water on a fire.

  “You feeling okay?” I asked and kissed her temple. Leila nodded as she watched the girls.

  “I’m good. Tired, my back is killing me, and my feet ache, but I’m more than good.” She looked at me and smiled, and I placed my hand on her rounded belly.

  Happiness settling in me, contentment filling every inch of my body as I held the mother of my children, the woman who made me complete. She was the glue that kept all of us together.

  I buried my face in the crook of Leila’s neck, loving that she settled back against me even more, that she let me suppo
rt her.

  She turned her head so she was facing me, and I didn’t stop myself from leaning in and kissing her. “I love you,” I murmured.

  “I love you too,” she whispered, and I heard all that emotion in her voice. She made a small gasp, and I pulled back, worry instantly filling me, but it settled when I saw her grinning. She placed her hand on her belly and grinned wider. “He’s been so active lately.”

  This little one was a boy. Although truth be told I would have been happy with a houseful of girls. Being the father of daughters made me gentler, and I loved that, loved having tea parties and playing dress-up with my girls. But I was also ecstatic to have a little boy, someone to help even out me being outnumbered.

  “He takes after you,” I teased, and she laughed. I wrapped my arms around her even more and kissed the top of her head as she rested it on my shoulder. We sat there and watched our girls play, and as I felt all the happiness and love consume me, I knew how lucky I was.

  So damn lucky.

  About the Author

  Find Jenika at:

  www.JenikaSnow.com

  Jenika_Snow@yahoo.com