by Violet Paige
Brett stepped forward. “Yes, Estelle. No need to worry. She is independent, and I always know she has the Jacksons and the Osborns to lean in when I’m gone.”
Estelle looked past me and into Brett’s eyes. “Tsk, tsk, Brett.”
She withdrew her wrinkled hands from my belly. I was relieved to have my personal space again. “I’ve seen men do a lot of things in my time, but I don’t think I’ve seen one leave his wife when she is with child.”
“I’m not,” I declared. Who was this looney toon? The woman was either high or drunk. Maybe both.
My hands instantly landed on the swell of my stomach, protectively. I felt the nausea rising in my throat. Oh, God. I was going to be sick. There was no way this lady knew what she was talking about.
Brett reached out to steady me “Hey, are you ok?”
My head spun. I nodded, but my eyes caught his. “There’s no way she thinks I’m pregnant.”
I knew it wasn’t medically possible. I had had ultrasounds and tests. My ovaries were basically frozen until I did hormone treatments, but as another wave of nausea rolled through me I knew there was a possibility I was wrong.
The way coffee smelled made me sick. My favorite lotion made me throw up. I was craving everything sweet in sight. My breasts had never felt more tender.
No, it wasn’t supposed to be medically possible.
“Estelle,” Brett barked. “What are you trying to stir up?”
The red head shrugged. “What can I say? She looks pregnant to me. Believe it or not. Go take a test yourselves. I guarantee you it’s going to say she’s pregnant.”
I reached for Brett, and his arm wrapped around my waist.
“Congratulations, Brett.” The old man slapped him on the back. “You didn’t waste any time. I think this settles things, doesn’t it Estelle?”
“Barnes, you know I won’t fight if there is another generation on the way. It’s no way for children to be brought up.”
I watched as the two shook hands. The others in the group began to file out of the meeting, each one stopping to congratulate us.
When the last one left. I looked at Brett dizzy with confusion.
“I’m not supposed to be able to get pregnant,” I whispered.
“I know.” He pulled me against his chest, his arms circling me.
“She’s crazy, isn’t she?”
He sighed. “There’s only one way to find out. I think you need to take a test.”
I looked at him. “Are you serious?”
He whispered in my ear. “I told you, you were going to have my baby.”
I shook my head as we walked back through the woods to the cabin. I didn’t remember any of the walk. I barely remembered the weird meeting between the families. The only thing circling my head was that I might be carrying Brett’s baby.
Twenty-One
Brett
She couldn’t take the test until the next morning, but I raced to the cabin with a truckload for her. It only took five minutes for us to know the answer.
I held her close on the bathroom floor. So, close I could feel her heartbeat against my chest. This wasn’t supposed to happen. None of it was supposed to happen.
“I think I’m going to be sick.” She pushed away from me and held onto the wall closest to her.
I watched her. She was pregnant. She was carrying my baby. I didn’t know whether to burst with pride or wallow in the shame of what I had done. I never would have gotten her pregnant, only to leave her with my child.
I ran my hands over my head and tried to smile when she turned toward me.
“Sorry,” she whispered.
“Are you ok?”
She nodded. “I feel better. Can I have a glass of water?”
“Of course.”
I left Gretchen on the floor while I poured a glass of water for her.
“Here you go.”
She took the glass and drank until it was empty. “I’m crazy thirsty.”
I nodded. “I can see that.”
“It’s common with pregnancy.” I could hear the tone in her voice. She sounded like she did at the hospital, reciting medical facts. “Although, what’s not common is someone who needs a Hail Mary pass to get pregnant to be pregnant after just three weeks of unprotected sex. Even crazier is to show symptoms right away. But everyone is different I guess.”
She wanted an explanation from me but I didn’t have one. “I’m as surprised as you are. I didn’t know it would happen this fast. I loved fucking you that way.”
“It seems like you have super human sperm? Delta sperm,” she teased.
I stretched along the bathroom wall, letting her fall against my chest. “I don’t know, doc. This is the first time I’ve had a baby. You know how all that stuff works. Not me.”
She sighed. “I think we can leave the bathroom now.”
“All right.” I reached for her hand and helped her from the floor. We walked to the living room.
I had to do something. I stacked logs in front of the hearth and started piling them in the fireplace. I struck a match under the kindling. I waited for the warm glow to spread before I sat next to her on the couch.
“I’m freaking out, Brett. What in the hell am I going to do? I’m finishing my residency. You’re leaving. I think I just agreed to be married and on top of that agreed to have your baby. This is insane. We’re going to be parents.”
“Shh.” I kissed her forehead. I didn’t have the answers.
She looked at me and my heart thudded louder than it ever had. I brushed my lips over hers, inhaling everything about her. Her breasts had never looked more tempting.
“Brett, we have to talk.”
“No, we don’t.” I pushed her back on the couch. “Talk to me like this.” I unbuttoned her shirt, letting the fabric drift to the side.
“We’re too rough,” she breathed. “We can’t…” her words trailed off as I pulled the pants over her hips.
“I promise to be careful.” My eyes fired.
I was going to take her over and over again until we couldn’t speak. Until we couldn’t breathe. Until she knew how I worshipped her body. How much I fucking loved her.
Gretchen
There were things we should talk about. But one taste of his lips and my body was on fire. It had to be the pregnancy hormones. But none of that seemed to matter as Brett lowered his mouth to my breast.
My back bowed off the couch, offering more to his mouth. Nothing had ever felt so intense or heated as his tongue flicked over my perked nub. Everything about my nipples was sensitive. The need to feel more was gripping me. I pressed his head against my chest.
“Harder,” I urged.
He growled, “I’m trying to be careful.”
But the sensations were ripping through me like lighting strikes. His tongue lashed and toyed until I felt the slow waves quickening in my core. I bucked as his fingers slid between my legs.
“Oh, Brett.” I clawed at his back. Everything was intensified. The ripples shook me.
I looked in his eyes as he settled between my legs with his powerful cock. “I promise I won’t hurt you.”
“But I love it when you’re hard,” I whimpered.
“Oh, baby,” he growled. “You fucking kill me.”
He sank inside me in one slow glorious thrust.
“Ohh,” I moaned. It felt so right. So full. So soothing having him buried inside me again.
Brett began to slide in and out of me and I felt the snapping in my core. I offered myself to him, wrapping my legs around his waist so he could push deeper inside. I needed it.
“More. I want more,” I begged.
He grinned. “Like this?” He sank his cock slow and hard into me, making me breathless.
“Fuck, yes.” My head reeled back.
He growled in my ear as he moved in and out of me. Taking his time to fill me completely before sliding out again.
“My baby is inside you, doc.”
“Yes,”
I whispered. Our eyes locked, as our bodies slid together raw and warm.
When we knew we couldn’t take any more, Brett wrapped his arms around me and held me while we quivered and pulsed, feeling the magic run back and forth between us.
Twenty-Two
Brett
I walked onto the porch, leaving Gretchen wrapped in a blanket by the fire. The crisp air hit my bare chest. I should feel satisfied. Gretchen was inside. The family dilemma had ceased. The next heir was on the way. Only, I knew I wasn’t being the man I should be. I was the man about to leave his pregnant wife behind.
“Hey, there you are.” Gretchen stood in the doorway.
“Hey.” I shoved my hands in my pockets.
“You look like you’re deep in thought.” She walked toward me, her hand grazing my shoulder.
“Something like that.” I wasn’t used to sharing my feelings. I wasn’t used to sharing anything. I had been alone for so long I had forgotten there was another way to exist. Gretchen brought warmth and light into my life.
When I was around her I forgot I was a trained killer. I forgot about the explosions. I forgot about grenades and rapid fire. For a minute I forgot the mission wasn’t complete.
“Last night was amazing.” She smiled. “I don’t feel as nervous for some reason.”
The sunlight whisped around her hair.
“I’m glad, doc.” I touched my lips to her forehead. “I wish I could say the same thing.”
“I think you need to follow your heart, Brett.”
“What do you mean?”
“You’ve been a soldier for so long you’ve forgotten what it means to live. You’ve fought for everyone else, protecting our freedom, guarding us from evil, but you got lost in there.” Her palm pressed over my heart. “And once you came home your family started pulling you in a different direction, demanding you to step up, guilting you into taking a stand.” Her eyes shot to mine.
“No, that’s not why…”
“It doesn’t matter. I know what we have. I don’t really care how or why it happened.”
I stared at her, trying to process her words. Trying to figure out where she was going with this.
“You’ve given me something I never thought was possible. What I would label as a medical miracle.” Her hands slid to her belly. “I thought not being able to get pregnant made me undesirable, but the irony was it made you want me more. And look what happened. I’m having your baby.”
“What do you want me to do?” I felt the pain ache in my chest. I couldn’t leave her no matter how strong she was. We were bonded in ways I didn’t know were possible. “Tell me what you want. You always tell me what you want.”
“It doesn’t work that way this time,” she answered.
“Why not?” I needed her to guide me.
“Don’t stay because you feel obligated. Don’t stay because it’s some kind of manly duty. Don’t stay out of obligation. Stay because you love me. Stay because you want to start this family with me. From beginning to end. I don’t want you any other way.”
I closed my eyes. I wanted the answer to appear crystal clear. As clear as my need for her.
“Gretchen, I…” when I opened my eyes she was gone. The front door latched quietly.
I looked out at the woods. There was something I hadn’t done in a long time. Something that would calm the beast within. I had to make peace with this decision or I was going to regret it for the rest of my life.
Twenty-Three
Gretchen
I didn’t know when the clarity had struck me. I smiled as I washed plates and stacked them in the cupboard. When I awakened this morning I knew exactly what I needed. I wanted Brett to love me unconditionally. I wanted him to stay because it was what he wanted. If he didn’t, I knew he would be restless.
The military would always call to him. Delta would always call him. He had to make the decision on his own.
My heart would be split always wondering if he should be helping his team. I couldn’t be the reason he was torn. I loved him too much to guilt him into a relationship. Especially a marriage and fatherhood.
It was strange how the calm had washed over me. The stillness moved through me with certainty. Brett had to choose me because it was what he wanted. If Special Forces was still calling to him, I knew I wouldn’t come first.
My eyes drifted to the clock. He had been gone several hours.
I reached for a bowl and scrubbed until the bubbles washed down the drain.
Tomorrow we were supposed to get married. But today, I wanted to know if I was getting ready to send the father of my baby off to war. Because now, it wasn’t just about me anymore. I had to be strong enough for both of us.
Brett
The forest was quiet. Almost too quiet. I hadn’t climbed a tree or even run through the forest since my childhood. The solitude cleared my mind. I could finally think. I needed time and space to figure out what in the hell I was doing.
My ears snapped back when I heard the crack of a branch. From the high branches of the tree I could see a figure approaching. It was a man.
I took each limb slowly as I lowered myself to the ground.
I jumped down from the lowest branch before the man was in front of me.
I eyed him. It only took one glance to recognize another soldier, and another to know I was looking at a fellow Special Forces soldier.
“You’ve got to be Jackson.” The man walked forward, extending a hand.
I shook his hand. “Who’s asking?”
“Gage.” I nodded my head. “I’m with a Green Beret team that just got back from Razastan.”
My chest puffed out. Hearing the country’s name shot emotion through my veins. “What brings you here?”
“Your orders are in. Too sensitive for electronic communication. My mission was to find you in person.”
I understood what he meant. Gage had been sent to give me my next assignment. Fuck. I wasn’t expecting him today.
“When?” I asked.
“You leave at zero five hundred.”
“Zero five hundred? In the morning?”
He nodded.
That would mean no wedding. That would mean leaving a pregnant Gretchen behind in Havenville. Alone.
I shoved my hands in my pockets. I felt the resolve start in my fingertips. It worked its way through my veins as the blood pumped through my arms and along my spine. Surging through my back and down my legs. It was strong and resolute. The resolve I had been searching for.
It was the sudden clarity I had wanted. The answer that told me which side to embrace. Be the man I promised my country I would be, or be the husband and father that was meant to lead my family into years of peace with Gretchen by my side?
Gage cleared his throat. “Are you ready for the instructions? Nothing can be recorded. Oral transmission only.”
I stared in his eyes. This man was a warrior like me. A man trying to serve both sides of his nature in a way no one else could possibly understand.
It had happened in a flash. A moment so quick and fleeting I almost didn’t feel it. But it had happened. All the clarity had crashed upon my soul, claiming me, deciding my future.
“I understand.” I looked at him. “Let’s walk.”
Twenty-Four
Gretchen
It was dark. I had convinced myself Brett would be back by now. He only needed time to think. Who wouldn’t? In less than a month we had met, now we’re somehow bonded for life, and on our way to becoming parents.
I watched the flames dart through the logs as the embers faded. If I threw another log on top I would have to wait for it to burn. If I didn’t, the room would grow cold and the waiting would be over. I would leave, knowing what Brett’s answer was.
Maybe it was too much to ask him. But he had asked me for more than I thought was possible.
If he didn’t come home did that mean I was no longer to be his wife? Could I go back to the hospital and try to hide my pregnancy until I
moved away from Havenville?
I started pacing the cabin. None of the answers were ones I liked. Without Brett, they were all cold, just like the fire.
Brett
I stared at the front door, knowing everything was about to change. My hand landed on the knob.
She was there, standing in front of the fire.
My eyes lifted to hers.
“Brett?”
There weren’t words for what I had to tell her. There was no way to say what I needed to express. How could I explain the clarity that came to me in the forest? How could I tell her?
I crossed the room, stopping in front of her.
“Brett, you’re scaring me. Why aren’t you talking?” she asked. I saw the fear in her eyes.
I traced the line of her cheek, inhaling the sweet scent of her shampoo. My chest ached. God, she was everything to me.
I tipped her chin upward, brushing my lips across her mouth.
“You,” I said.
“What?” Her hands slid around my neck.
I kissed her, taking my time to taste all the corners of her mouth, exploring her tongue with mine.
“I realized I don’t have to choose the soldier or the man.” I looked in her eyes. Those beautiful green eyes that had me from the instant we met.
“You don’t?” she whispered.
I shook my head. “No, I don’t.” My arms dipped to pull her into my arms. I lifted her from the floor. “I choose you.”
She grinned. “I choose you, too.”
“You accept both parts of me, Gretchen.”
“I do. I fell in love with the man, the soldier that has given me a miracle. I can’t help but love you.” Her hands rubbed against my neck.
I pressed my lips against hers. “I’m not leaving.”