by Kahlen Aymes
“Yes, I know,” she whispered against my jaw. My body reacted automatically. “Ryan…”
I knew she wanted to make love. Our mothers were coming, and this would be the last day we had to ourselves. “Baby…”
I’d long since convinced her that I found her pregnant body as arousing as ever, but we were getting so close to the due date, and though my body was aching with want, I thought we should hold off.
“What? You know it won’t hurt the baby.” Her hand trailed down my chest and pushed up under the edge of my T-shirt to slide along the top of my jeans and over the bulge underneath the denim. Her fingers closed around my length, and I closed my eyes as she moved her hand up and down, pressing her fingers in small circles when she got to the head. “You want me,” she whispered against my mouth. I wanted to let loose on her, but I just couldn’t.
I let out a small groan, willing my hips to keep from thrusting against her hands. “I do, but babe… the baby’s turned, and there’s something so wrong about jabbing my cock in close to his little head. Especially, now that he has a name,” I lamented regretfully. Shit, was it ever regretfully.
Instantly, Julia’s hand stopped, and she pulled back to raise an eyebrow at me. “Are you serious?”
I inhaled deeply. “Unfortunately, yes.” My mouth twisted in a wry smile. “I just can’t poke at my son like this.”
“Ryan, you’re a doctor. You know it won’t hurt him.”
I moved my head in a small circle that was neither positive nor negative. “Mmmm, my head knows, but I still worry. These are my babies right here,” I pointed between her heart and her tummy, “not just random patients.” I reached up to cup her face, my thumb brushing her cheekbone. “We’re getting so close. Let’s not take any unnecessary risks.”
I kissed her lips softly, my mouth savoring hers. It was mean, but something devious drove me on. I knew that kiss was more arousing, but I couldn’t help it. I lifted her so she was straddling my lap. Despite her pregnancy, she was still small, and I lifted her easily, pulling her closer. Her body was much the same as before; her back and hips still slim, except for the baby bump in front, perfectly round, and her breasts being slightly larger and heavier.
“We can still play,” I said softly, kissing the underside of her jaw and leaving a fiery trail down the column of her neck.
“This big belly gets in the way.” I could hear the pout in her voice, and my mouth twitched in amusement. She really wanted me.
“Wanna bet?” I pushed her dress up over her thighs, sliding my hands around behind her to press her closer, groin against groin. Julia ground against me and wound her hands through my hair. I could feel her heat through her panties and my jeans, but I wanted to get even closer. I scooted forward on the chaise, lifting her with me, until I was able to plant my feet on the floor. I picked her up and carried her with me into the master bedroom.
As soon as I laid down flat on our bed, Julia’s hands deftly opened the front of my jeans and pulled my boxers down. My full erection bobbed free. She licked her hand and then brought it around me, pulling and pushing, rubbing her thumb around the head with each stroke. It didn’t take long until I was so turned on that a drop of clear liquid pearled on the tip.
“Uhhh…” My head fell back against the pillows, and I closed my eyes. Julia eased off me until she was on her knees between my spread legs. I lay there, helpless as she took me deep into her mouth. I wound my hands in her hair as she sucked hard, wrapping both hands around the shaft. She drove me crazy, teasing the head with her tongue, and then sliding her lips down and sucking on the way back out. It felt so good, and watching her was so sexy; it didn’t take me long to come. I felt guilty coming in the mouth of my pregnant wife, but she got me so hot so fast, I lost control of what was happening.
Her eyes were smug and teasing as she crawled up on top of me. “Gotcha,” she said, laying down and curling into me, yawning. My pants still hung open, my boxers pushed down and leaving me exposed. I reached down to pull them back in place.
My brow furrowed in confusion. I thought she’d still want to make love.
“Jules?”
“Hmmm?” She snuggled closer, hooking a leg over mine, and her belly resting against and on me.
“Don’t you want me to take care of you? We don’t have to be done.”
“Let’s take a nap.”
I kicked at the throw at the foot of the bed until I could hoist it up with my toes and grab it with my free hand to pull it over her. When I was satisfied she was covered, I pulled her further into my embrace. She was already asleep.
Aaron was picking up our mothers at the airport later, and they’d be with us for dinner. Julia’s rule of no clocks in the bedroom had me wondering how much time we had until they arrived, but it really didn’t matter. Julia had a quick dinner planned, and the evening would be casual. No doubt the moms would pitch in.
I was torn between watching her sleep and holding her close, but in the end, I realized I was tired, too. Soon we’d be parents, and sleep would become scarce. I planted a lingering kiss on Julia’s forehead. She sighed my name, and my eyes closed.
*****
“Julia, darling, do you need help?” my mother asked. Julia was chopping up various fresh vegetables and placing them in bowls next to one with hamburger and another with sliced chicken.
She looked up and smiled. “I’m good, Elyse.”
“Ryan, you shouldn’t allow her to work like this.”
I sat on a stool next to my wife, unable to help myself, and ran a hand down the back of her head to tangle in the long hair at her nape. “You know she does what she wants.”
Julia took a big chef’s knife to three carrots she had lined up on the wooden chopping block. “Believe me, he spoils me.”
Aaron was in the living room, and Jenna was setting the table in the dining room.
“What are you making, honey?” Marin asked.
“Well, it’s sort of an ‘assemble your own meal’ thing. You put butter and meat in the bottom of a piece of foil, you add whatever vegetables you want, and then the seasoning you want. I have a variety of sauces and spices for the rest of you, but Ryan’s boring. He likes just salt and pepper. You put everything you want in the foil and then fold it like a pocket. Throw it in the oven for an hour, and that’s it. It’s really easy. Dad used to make this when I was a kid and spent the summers in California. He’s not that great of a cook, but this always turned out. Sometimes we threw it on coals or a campfire.”
Marin smiled and glanced between us. “You guys look very happy.”
Julia rubbed her lower back, and instantly, I perked up. “Baby, are you hurting?”
“My back’s a little achy, that’s all.”
“What happened at the last doctor’s appointment?” My mom asked, getting juice from the refrigerator and pouring a glass.
“She’s about thirty percent effaced but no dilation yet. This backache could be something, though.”
“Pfft. It would be too much to hope for.” Julia began tearing pieces of foil off of the roll. “First babies are never on time.”
“Make Aaron’s a little bigger, Julia,” Jenna said, taking a seat across from me. “I really love this house. Better than ours. I wish you would have been in town when I was decorating.” Their house was about twenty minutes away and was more modern. “Our place feels like the hospital.”
“We have time,” Julia began, but then winced.
I reached out and placed a hand on her stomach. The baby kicked hard. “He’s getting busy.”
“Aaron!” Jenna called. “Come in here and tell me what you want to eat.”
I studied Julia as she made my dinner and hers and helped with the others until they were all in the oven and the timer was set.
“Have you decided on a name?” Marin asked hopefully.
“Yes! Tell us! We’ve suffered long enough,” my mom added.
My eyes met Julia’s and locked. We hadn’t talked about whet
her we’d share it, but I smiled at her. I knew what she was thinking.
“Yep, we figured that out earlier today actually.”
“Nothing like waiting until the last minute,” Aaron muttered, grabbing a beer and going back in the other room.
“Well?”
“What did you decide?”
“Out with it!”
All the women talked at once.
“We’re not telling. I didn’t get my way about not knowing the baby’s sex, so, you’ll know when you’re introduced to the little man.”
Julia waddled a little when she walked from the island to place the dishes in the sink, but other than her swollen stomach, you wouldn’t know she was pregnant. I thought she was cute. Her face was still so beautiful, but I noticed sharp pain in her eyes.
I took her arm and pulled her a little closer. “Baby, are you having contractions?” My hand splayed out on her stomach again.
She shook her head. “No, I don’t think so, but I am going to take a bath while dinner’s in the oven.”
“Honey, are you okay?” Marin asked. “I bet the baby is ready. You are all belly.”
“I’m fine, Mom. I’m glad you’re all here, though.” She kissed her mother’s cheek and went to hug my mom.
“When I get pregnant, I bet I’ll gain a hundred pounds,” Jenna lamented. “Julia will probably be one of those who a week after the baby is born, you won’t be able to tell she was ever pregnant.”
“I’m careful. Not too much sugar or white flour. Ryan keeps pretty good track of me.”
“Yeah, easy for the dudes. They get to imbibe and dole out orders while we have to suffer,” Jenna retorted.
“How is that different from everyday life?” my mother asked.
“Ryan’s good. He doesn’t eat tempting things in front of me. I’ll be back,” Julia said, smiling and rubbing her tummy. She turned toward the stairs and I grabbed her hand.
“I’m coming with you.” I stared into her green eyes and they softened. She touched my jaw and started to speak. “Don’t argue.”
She nodded, and we left the others downstairs to watch the food. Jenna and Aaron were tangled together on the couch watching CSI, and our moms were in the kitchen, happily chatting about the baby.
I soon had the water running but didn’t add any bubble bath or bath salts just in case. My fingers tested the water, making sure it was warm and not too hot.
“Can I have it hot, honey?”
Julia was undressing behind me. When we had the bathroom redone, we picked a wider tub with Jacuzzi jets, big enough for the two of us. I lit a candle and turned off the light.
“Not too hot, baby. It’s not good for either of you.”
“I know, but my back hurts so bad.” Dropping her dress, Julia grabbed the edge of the vanity and gasped, her whole body tensing.
“Jules, honey, you’re having contractions.”
“Does that mean I can’t have a bath? Labor will be long, right?”
“Generally on first babies, it is.” I picked her up in my arms and gently lowered her into the tub. “Hold on.” I shot into the bedroom and pulled out the stopwatch I had hidden in my underwear drawer. Technology was great, but my iPhone would time-out in between contractions, and I didn’t want to mess with it. “It’s going to take some time, baby. I’ll start timing the next one. We don’t have to go into the hospital until they’re ten minutes apart.”
She reached for my hand. “I trust you.”
I sat on the floor next to the tub, holding her hand and cupping her face with the other. “It’s finally happening. You’re going to be the most amazing mother.”
We sat there together, just gazing at each other, and her eyes began to water. “Don’t make me cry.”
My own eyes started to burn and I blinked. “Nah, this is going to be an incredible experience. It’s going to be okay. I wish I could take the pain for you, my love.”
We’d talked about the baby’s birth several times. Julia reiterated how she wanted me to deliver him alone with her, but I could tell she needed some reassurance. She told me she didn’t want an epidural or medications at all, but I’d seen women in labor and knew how much it hurt.
“So, if you change your mind about the epidural, I’m on board.”
“Ryan, no. Someone will have to come in then, and I don’t want that. We agreed; it’s only us from the minute we get me hooked up to the monitors until Aidan is out.”
I smiled and my heart tightened. This was the first time she’d referred to him by name.
“Please. Just us, okay?”
“Unless something happens. But, that’s my call, and you have to trust me on that.” Our fingers moved and threaded together. I understood why she wanted us to be alone, and the thought of it filled me with emotions I couldn’t put into words, but there was no way I’d take any chances with her safety. She nodded. “Is the water helping at all?”
“Maybe a little.”
I reached in and tested it. It was a little cool so I turned on the hot faucet and moved the water around to blend it in.
“This baby is going to be amazing.” I settled in to talk to her. The contractions would start slow and be short and most likely the baby wouldn’t be born until well into the next day. “Is it selfish to hope he looks like the picture you drew?”
Her mouth curved in a loving smile. “No. I hope he does, too. There are worse things than looking like you.”
My hand wound around hers again as I leaned against the side of the tub. “Have I told you how absolutely thankful I am for psych 101?”
Julia swallowed, and tears flooded her eyes.
“I have everything I could want, and it’s all because you love me.” I lifted the hand I held to my mouth and said the next words against it. “I’ll never find the words to tell you how much you have meant to my life. I love you more every single day. You’re so… precious to me. I never want to lose you.”
Two tears tumbled down her face, and she sat up and opened her arms to me. I gathered her close, not caring if I’d get wet. “You’re never going to.”
I turned my head and kissed her cheek, then her temple; my throat beginning to ache. She tensed again, and I quickly grabbed the stopwatch, clicking it on. “Tell me when it’s over.”
“Okay. They’re not too bad yet. Like really painful period cramps.”
Her fingers curled around the edge of the tub, and her face grimaced. It was hurting worse than she let on. “Ugh….” She let out a little moan.
“Will it help to breathe?” We’d taken the natural childbirth classes three months prior, and I afterward, we’d joked about all the huffing and puffing.
“It’s over now.”
I stopped the watch. The contraction was 40 seconds. “They’re not too long yet, sweetheart. Do you want to get out of the tub? I want to keep an eye on you, and we won’t be able to tell if your water breaks in the tub.”
She nodded, and after I noted the time and set the watch back down, I lifted her from the tub and wrapped her in a towel.
By the time she was dressed in a pair of old sweats and one of my T-shirts, Marin was calling up the stairs that dinner was done.
Jenna was putting the foil packets onto plates, and my mother was getting everyone drinks.
My hand stayed on the curve of Julia’s lower back and rubbed back and forth.
“Everyone hungry?” Mom asked, smiling all the way to her eyes.
“I don’t feel like eating much.”
“You need to eat, honey. This might be the last time you’ll get to for a while.”
Jenna, Marin, and my mother stopped what they were doing and looked at us with wide eyes.
“Oh, my God!” Marin gushed and moved forward to put both hands on Julia’s face. “Are you in labor?”
“Just barely,” she answered with a smile.
“What?” Aaron rushed in from the other room. “Jules, seriously?”
She nodded. I was fucking jumping out of my
skin, but I tried to appear calm. “Let’s just keep our wits about us. Call the grandpas and tell them to get their asses on a couple of planes.” I laughed. All three women went for their phones.
Jenna called Ellie. “Ellie! Julia’s in labor!” They all scattered into other rooms for their respective calls.
“Let’s eat!” Aaron picked up his plate, and I shook my head at him. “What? You said be normal.” He grabbed a fresh beer and went into the other room.
I laughed happily and nodded. “I hope everyone makes it in time. Do you want to sit at the table or in the other room with everyone?”
The evening was spent watching TV with Julia curled on my lap in our big chair, my feet propped on the ottoman. I had the stopwatch and was timing her contractions. Sometimes no one knew but the two of us when she had one, but when I felt her tense, I automatically started timing. Her forehead rested against my jaw.
Every once in a while, one of the moms or Jenna would ask about Julia’s progress; all of them anxious and concerned. About midnight, when the contractions were about twenty minutes apart, a hot wetness seeped between us, saturating her sweats and my jeans. Her head popped up instantly, her lush mouth forming a silent ‘o’.
“Either you just peed on me, or we need to go to the hospital.” My hand pushed her hair back from her surprised face. When her understanding dawned in her eyes, I leaned in and kissed her gently. “This is it. Ready to go have a baby, baby?” I asked. Her cheek was so soft under my fingers. I wanted to memorize every nuance of this moment.
Listening, Jenna jumped up from the floor in front of the couch. Aaron was asleep behind her and she smacked him on his shoulder. “Wake your ass up, Uncle Aaron! We gotta go!”
“Oh my God! Here we go!” Marin stood up at the same time as my mother, who put both hands to her mouth.
I took Julia upstairs to change while the others scrambled around like the three stooges, only there were four. We both changed our pants, and when we went back downstairs, they all stood waiting by the door.
“Jenna, can you drive our moms in your car?” I threw Aaron the keys to Julia’s Mazda. “Aaron, you’re with us.”