by M. A. Foster
He moves to my other breast and repeats the motion before lifting his head to look down at me.
“You and me.”
“Always,” I add, panting.
He angles his lips over mine, pushing his tongue into my mouth at the same time he slams his cock into me.
“Mmm,” I moan into his mouth.
“You feel so fucking good.”
Hooking an arm under my knee, he lifts my leg over his shoulder, sinking deeper. His groan is muffled against my neck as he powers into me with deliberate strokes, hitting me just where I need, and I freefall over the edge.
He pulls out and flips me over on my stomach, propping my ass in the air before lining himself up and pushing inside, his hands gripping my ass tight as he drives into me hard and fast. I look over my shoulder to see him with his eyes closed and head thrown back. I clench around him, and a deep groan rips from his chest as he comes. He slows and drops down on top of me before rolling to the side.
Breathless after being thoroughly fucked, I close my eyes briefly until the sound of the doorbell jolts me back to the present.
“Shit.” I leap from the bed and rush into the bathroom.
Liam laughs as he pulls on his sweatpants. “Get dressed. I’ll get the door.”
“I love this house,” Katie says, craning her neck as she takes in the high ceilings and curved archways. I can practically see the wheels turning in her designer brain. “Liam couldn’t have picked a better home for you.”
“Hey, I helped,” Gabbi interjects.
“And I can’t thank you enough,” I add as I bring my wineglass to my lips.
Katie turns her head toward the french doors, and I follow her gaze. Liam is manning the grill while talking on his phone. He took over the task so I could entertain my friends.
“When does he leave?” she asks.
An ache forms around my heart, and my stomach turns. “Next week.”
“What are you gonna do?” Gabbi asks.
I lift a shoulder. “I don’t know. He said we’d talk after Christmas, but that’s yet to happen. He’s been quiet this past week, which means he’s struggling. When he’s ready to talk, he will. Until then, I’m going to enjoy our last week together.”
“What if he asks you to move to California? Would you?”
“In a heartbeat,” I answer without hesitation.
“As much as I love having you back, I think you should go,” Gabbi says.
“Well.” I sigh. “I guess I’ll have to wait and see what Liam wants.” I flick my wrist. “Enough about that. Tell me about London.”
Katie and Gabbi share a knowing look, and then Gabbi pinches her lips together as if she’s fighting the urge to spill some juicy gossip.
A grin stretches across my face. “What did I miss?”
A flush creeps across Katie’s cheeks. “I took your advice.”
“She got laid,” Gabbi blurts through a snicker.
My eyes widen with excitement. “You shagged the hot Englishman?”
Katie shakes her head. “Nope, he was definitely American.”
“All nine inches of him,” Gabbi jokes, and Katie covers her face, clearly embarrassed.
“Oh my God, Katie, you’re killing me,” Gabbi says, rolling her eyes. “Tell her.”
Katie drops her hands and looks toward the french doors, then back to me. “You can’t say anything to Liam.”
I sit upright and press a hand over my heart. “Promise.”
She blows out a breath. “It was Dylan.”
My brows pinch. Who is Dylan?
“Mackenzie,” Gabbi adds.
My eyes nearly pop out of my head from shock. “Whoa.” I lean forward and lower my voice. “Was it good?”
Katie’s lips curl into a devilish grin. “It was hot.” Her gaze darts to the french doors again. “Please don’t say any—”
Her words are cut off by Liam’s guffaw. All three of our heads swivel to find Liam looking at us. His gaze darts between the three of us before settling on Katie, and a slow smirk pulls up one side of his mouth.
“I’m pretty sure he knows.”
LIAM
I’ve been dreading this day since the moment Vanessa let me back in her life. It’s not like I haven’t done this with her before, but this time feels different. Like there’s more at stake.
Dropping down on the edge of the bed, I push her hair from her pretty face. Her long lashes are fanned out over the tops of her cheeks, and her pink lips are pushed into a pout.
My beautiful savage.
I trail my index finger down the bridge of her nose, and her eyes flutter open. “Hey,” I whisper.
Her brows pinch, and the corners of her pretty mouth dip into a frown. “Are you leaving?” Her voices cracks, and so does my heart. Fuck.
“Don’t cry, Freckles. Listen to me, okay?” She nods, though her bottom lip quivers. I blow out a breath in an attempt to get my emotions in check. “I know you’re probably wondering why I didn’t ask you to come with me. Believe me, I want you with me always. But the truth is there’s nothing for you in California.”
“There’s you.”
“Yes.” My shoulders sag on a sigh. “But I’m gone a lot. My sister and Jay aren’t around to keep you company. They’re here. Cam is here. Your friends are here. Your family—my family—is here. Your job is here. If you come to California, I’d have to buy you another dog, and I’m pretty sure Princess Buttercup would never forgive me.” I smirk, and she snorts softly. “I also live with a twenty-three-year-old serial dater who dumps women by sending them flowers.”
“Huh?”
I chuckle. “That’s a story for another day. What I’m trying to say is California isn’t home anymore. My home is here.”
“Liam—”
“You’re my home, Vanessa.”
She sighs shakily. “I don’t remember it being this hard before.”
“Because you had school to focus on. Now you’ve got this big beautiful house. Put some furniture in my house, woman. Go out with your friends. Visit your dad. Go hang out with Jay. Do what you were doing before I came back.” I narrow my eyes. “Except don’t go out with Noah.”
She breathes a laugh. “You said you owed him one. Did he ever cash in?”
“I comped a night in one of the VIP rooms at Private Affair for him and some of his teammates. Cost me eight grand.” Her eyes widen in disbelief. “You’re worth every penny, Freckles.” I lean over and press a kiss to her lips. “You and me,” I whisper.
“Always.”
VANESSA
I walk into the nurses’ lounge on autopilot and head straight to my locker.
Mia leans against the locker beside mine. “You okay?” she asks, her expression full of concern.
I shake my head, biting the inside of my lip to keep myself from bursting into tears. I close my locker and turn to face her. “Liam left this morning, and it was really hard to let him go.”
“Why didn’t you just go with him?”
“Because he said there’s nothing for me in California, and he’s right. Our life is here. Our families. Our friends. My job.” I press a hand to my chest. “I love my job.”
She pushes off the locker and throws her arms around me. “I’m sorry, babe.” She pulls back and offers me a warm smile. “Wanna go grab a drink after work?”
I let out a sigh and nod. “Yeah, I’d like that. I’ll see if the girls want to join us.”
“Great,” she chirps. “I’ll see if Holly wants to come too.”
LIAM
“What are you doing tonight?” Vanessa asks.
We’ve been apart for two weeks, but it feels like five years all over again. I’m going out of my fucking mind. Before, if I had anxious energy I needed to burn, I’d either go for a run or invite a woman over.
I’ve been running… a lot.
“Deacon and Milana invited me over for dinner,” I tell her. “I would say I could FaceTime you afterward, but you’ll probably be a
sleep by then.”
“Probably.” She yawns. “I’ve been so tired these last couple of days.” She stares straight into the camera. “I miss you.”
“I miss you more.”
“This is really hard, Liam. I’m struggling.”
“I know. Me, too.” I scratch my jaw and contemplate telling her about my contract.
“What’s the look for?” she asks.
“What look?”
“Liam.” She quirks a brow in warning.
“As I mentioned to you before, I have one season left with the Heat….”
“And?” she drawls.
I shake my head. “I don’t know.” The thought of leaving the game makes me sick to my stomach. But nothing compares to the ache I carried all those years without Vanessa.
“What if they offer you another contract?”
“They probably will, but I want to see what other options are out there. I have a very good agent, so I’m not worried.”
“Just don’t quit. Baseball is who you are. It’s what you love.”
“Baseball is what I do,” I correct her. “Yes, I love it, but I also love the idea of getting married and having a family.”
“You can have both. Look at Deacon and Milana. Look at Cam and Emerson. Liam, if you want me to come to California, I will. I’ll pack a bag right now, and I’ll come to you.” Her eyes are wide and insistent, like she would literally be out the door in a heartbeat if I gave the word.
I sigh. “I love that you’re willing to do that, but you can’t just drop everything. I still have a few weeks before spring training. See if you can get a few days off and come out here.”
“I haven’t worked there long enough to take vacation, but I’ll see if I can use some of my PTO days.”
“Want me to talk to my dad?”
“No. I don’t want the other nurses to think I’m getting special treatment because I’m dating the boss’s son.”
“I hate when you say we’re ‘dating.’ We’re more than dating. We’re getting married eventually.”
She quirks a corner of her lips up. “Are you proposing to me on FaceTime?”
“Ha. No. You’ll know when I’m proposing.” I grin. “Everyone will.”
FEBRUARY
VANESSA
“Girl, I love you, but you look like shit,” Mia says when I enter the nurses’ lounge.
“I feel like shit.” I drop down on the sofa and lean my head back.
“Are you hungover?”
“No.” I groan. “I haven’t had a drop of alcohol since the night Liam left.” Even then, I’d only had half a glass of wine, because I felt sick to my stomach. “I think it’s stress.”
“When was your last period?” she asks.
I flinch at her question. Well, shit.
“I need to think about it. I’ve been so busy between work and the house, I hadn’t paid much attention.” I give her a sheepish look. “I’m a nurse. I should know better.”
Mia snickers. “Come on.” She holds out her hand, and I take it. She pulls me to my feet, then hooks her arm around mine and leads the way to the lab. Grabbing an empty container from the cabinet, she removes the plastic wrapping and writes “Abbott, V” on the white sticker. “Here.” She passes me the cup and gestures toward the single bathroom. “You know the drill.”
I step into the bathroom, pee in the cup, twist on the lid, and place it in the small alcove in the wall. After washing my hands, I join Mia in the lab and watch as she tests my urine. The strip changes instantly, confirming what I already knew. Pregnant.
Mia turns to me with a smile. “Congratulations,” she squeaks, pulling me into a hug. Moving away, she’s still smiling. “Are you going to tell him this weekend?”
There’s no way I can wait until this weekend. “Actually, I think I’m going to go early and surprise him, but I need more than a pee test. Do you think you can help me?”
Mia nods, grinning. “I’ll call Holly.”
Holly is a licensed sonogram tech and arranged a room for me at the OB/GYN office next to the pediatrician’s office where she works. Since she’s doing this off the record, I have to get there now.
Mia and I hurry to meet her. I quickly strip out of my scrub pants, lie back on the table and hook my feet into the stirrups. My period had ended right before Thanksgiving. I was so excited about the new house and wrapped up in the holidays, I didn’t realize I’d missed it in December. Last month it was light and only lasted two days. I chalked it up to being stressed over Liam leaving.
Holly presses a button on the machine before inserting the probe inside me. Instantly the room fills with a whooshing sound, and my eyes fill with tears.
Holly smiles. “That’s your baby’s heartbeat.”
“I can’t believe there’s actually a baby inside me,” I cry.
Mia grabs my hand and gives it a reassuring squeeze.
“I need my phone.” I point to where it sits on top of my pants.
Mia grabs my phone and passes it to me. I pull up the voice recording app and record thirty seconds of the baby’s heartbeat for Liam. Our baby.
“Here’s your baby,” Holly says, pointing to a fuzzy, white dot flickering on the screen. “I’d say you’re about eight weeks.”
I cover my mouth and sob into my hand. I’m having a baby.
Liam is going to be a dad.
As much as I don’t want to pull the boyfriend’s father card, this is important. I head over to the elevators and take it to the third floor.
Dr. Mackenzie’s office door is slightly ajar. I knock lightly, and a moment later, he calls out, “Come in.”
As I push the door open, he lifts his head, and a warm smile graces and handsome face.
Stepping inside his office, I close the door behind me before moving to sit in one of the chairs in front of his desk.
His brows pinch in concern. “You okay? You look… upset.”
“I’m not upset, Dr. Mackenzie. I’m—” My attention is drawn to a framed photo of Liam and—
Is that me?
Turning to look behind him, he reaches for the frame and passes it to me. It’s a picture of us on Christmas. Liam is looking down at Trace lying on his chest, and I’m looking at Liam with so much love and adoration.
Gah. I need to go to him now.
“Emerson took that. She has a knack for capturing moments we often take for granted.”
“That’s kind of what I need to talk to you about,” I admit as I place the frame on his desk.
He leans back in his chair and clasps his hands behind his head. “What’s on your mind?”
I fist my shaking hands in my lap and take a deep cleansing breath. “I’m supposed to go to California this weekend, but something has come up, and I need to go sooner. I don’t want to take advantage because of my relationship with Liam, but this is important, and it can’t wait.”
There’s that knowing smirk. “Go to him, Vanessa. I’ll get someone to cover for you.”
Standing, I press my hands together. “Thank you, Dr. Mackenzie.”
He gives me a look. “How many times do I have to tell you? Call me Mac.”
Nodding, I offer him a grateful smile. “Thank you, Mac.”
A mixture of nausea and nerves bubbles in my stomach as the Uber driver stops beside the callbox at the edge of the driveway. Rolling the back passenger window down, I reach over and punch in the code Liam gave me, and a moment later, the double gate swings open. The driver continues up the driveway, parking beside a sleek black Mercedes, and I notice there are several other cars parked on the other side.
“Let me grab your suitcase,” the driver offers as he slides out of the front seat and moves to the trunk.
Reaching for my oversized bag on the seat beside me, I push open the back passenger door and climb out.
The driver sets my suitcase at my feet, and I thank him before grabbing it and heading up the steps. I’m already exhausted and can barely stand on my feet. It’s only 9:00
p.m. here, but I’m still on Florida time.
The front door is unlocked, and I step into the foyer, dropping my bags near the stairs. The sliding doors are open, and female laughter echoes from the back.
Making my way through the house, I step out onto the deck, and my heart free-falls into my stomach.
Liam is sitting in the hot tub, his back to me. Across from him is a familiar woman, and I recognize her from the pictures with Liam. She’s the doctor.
Beside her is another woman with blonde hair piled on top of her head. She doesn’t look familiar.
Liam says something, and the two women laugh. The doctor’s gaze snags on me and she gasps, eyes wide.
Liam jerks his head over his shoulder, and his eyes nearly pop out of their sockets.
“What are you doing here?”
“I came to surprise you.” My gaze bounces between Liam and the woman. “Looks like we’re both surprised.”
Turning, I walk back inside and head toward the front door as tears pool in my eyes.
“Don’t you fucking dare leave, Vanessa,” Liam yells at my back.
Spinning around, I find him standing right behind me. “I want to trust you, Liam, but you’re making it really hard,” I cry.
Male voices pull my attention toward the stairs as two guys come down. I recognize the younger one as Tyge Reynolds.
He flashes me a charming smile, pretending he doesn’t notice my tears. “You must be Vanessa.” He holds out his hand. “I’ve heard a lot about you. I’m Tyge.”
I force a smile, shaking his hand. “It’s great to meet you.”
“This is Nolan,” Liam introduces the older guy. “Jasmine’s fiancé.”
My brows pinch in confusion. “Jasmine?”
“The dark-haired woman in the hot tub.”
Crap.
I look over at Tyge. “And the blonde belongs to you?”
“For tonight.” He grins before the two of them head out back.
My eyes dart up to Liam’s, and I can see the hurt there. “I’m sorry.”