by Toni Aleo
She throws me a look and shakes her head. “Aren’t we done with Lame Line Larry? We are married now. Don’t need the lines.”
“They aren’t lines,” I laugh, pinning her with a look. “It’s the truth.”
She grins as she bounces on the balls of her feet, a pleased look on her face as we come to a stop in front of our door. Pulling the keys out, I unlock it and push the door open.
“Welcome home,” I say and she flashes a wide grin as I hit the lights and she goes in. Standing in the doorway, I wait as she looks around, taking in all the awesome things Lucy did. She let me rent all her staging furniture, so the apartment is fully furnished. It’s a little classier than anything I would actually have, but she was convinced Avery would love it.
But when Avery looks back at me, her brows pulled together and her face twisted, my heart sinks. “You don’t like it?”
She shakes her head. “No, I love it. But I didn’t think it would come furnished and especially not with awesome stuff like this.”
I smile. “Lucy did it.”
Her face breaks into a grin. “She did?”
“Yeah, as a housewarming gift. Also, we owe her babysitting for the renting of the furniture, but look,” I say, shutting the door and pulling her through the living room.
“My guitar is here?” she asks, pointing to the corner where it sits, and I nod.
“I had Mekena bring over all your stuff.”
“Really?” she gushes as I pause by the wall between the kitchen and living room. I look up and a big canvas picture of the day we got married looks back at us. I love this picture. We’ve been married for a little over a month now and it’s still my wallpaper on my phone and computer. I glance over at her, and she’s covering her mouth as she takes it in. “We looked so busted that day.”
I laugh, nodding as I snake my arm around her waist. “But we are still hot.”
“This is true,” she says, kissing my cheek before turning and taking it all in. We weren’t allowed to paint, so the walls are still a pale gray, but the furniture is so full of color that it kind of doesn’t matter. The kitchen is small, really only appliances and one counter, but Lucy still dressed it up, putting little touches of us all over the house.
“How many bedrooms?”
“Just two, with a bathroom and closet between them.” I take her hand and bring her to the first bedroom, which is our room. A huge bed sits in the middle with pictures of us all over the walls, but when I glance at her, she isn’t looking at the walls, but at the bed.
“That’s one big bed,” she says with a wink and I grin.
“Yup, lots of room to lie in.”
“That and to do the naughty with no one walking in on us.”
“Thank God.”
Leaning into me, she waggles her eyebrows at me. “Wanna break it in?”
I laugh as I take her into my arms, kissing her nose and then the side of her mouth as she presses into me. Looking up at me, she runs her finger down my jaw and then my throat before going up on her toes to kiss me softly on my lips. Pulling only a breath away, she whispers, “This is amazing.”
Tilting my head to hers, I move my nose along hers, feeling all kinds of things that I made her happy. It’s all over her face, in her eyes, and the way her lips are curving. She loves it. Swallowing hard, I kiss her lips and then cock my head to the left. “Let me show you one more thing.”
“Tease.” She laughs as I pull her through the bathroom, the only room that’s actually big and huge because of the position of the walk-in closet. “Ooh, this is nice.”
“Yeah, yeah,” I laugh as I keep pulling her through.
“Aw, you put away my clothes?” she asks, pausing to look, but I pull her again.
“I did. By the way, you have a lot of clothes. Come on,” I say before pulling her into what I’ve decided is the baby’s room as she laughs. A crib sits up against the wall, and when she sees it, Avery gasps as she looks up at me.
“We won’t bring the baby here, though? It’ll be born after school’s out.”
I shrug. “Yeah, but Lucy gave us Angie’s crib. It’s superawesome, apparently. Really expensive. My mom got it for her, and she wanted us to have it. Guess she needed room or something, I don’t know. But I figure we can keep baby things in here.”
Her lips curve as she leans her head to my chest. “This is all so sweet.”
Wrapping my arms around her shoulders, I nuzzle my nose in her hair. “Do you like it? The apartment?”
She nods against me. “I do. I love it. It’s ours.”
“It is. But hey, go look in the crib.”
She looks up at me, suspicion in her eyes. “There isn’t like some creepy baby doll in there, is there?” She moves out of my arms and I roll my eyes.
“No, freak, just go look.” Walking behind her, I stop when she does and smile when she gasps.
“Oh my goodness,” she coos, picking up the little Bullies jersey. Turning to me, her lips puckered out, she holds it up. “It’s perfect.”
“I figured baby needs one.”
“They do,” she giggles as she lifts her shirt and lays it against her little bump. I know it’s such a simple little movement, something that women probably do all the time, but it does something to me. I don’t know, but it just seems so much more real when she stands like that, her hands grasping her little bump. She looks up at me with tears in her eyes, and I smile as I reach out, poking my baby’s little home. “I never thought this would happen when I met you,” she whispers.
Looking up from her belly, I shrug. “Me either.”
She smiles brightly up at me. “But I’m so happy.”
“Good, that’s what I want.”
Chewing on her lip, she looks down at her stomach. I take a step forward, holding my hands onto hers. As I lean my chin against her forehead, she sucks in a breath. “I’m glad we’re doing this. I’m glad that I grew a pair and walked out of that damn abortion clinic. I can’t believe I thought that was the only way. Watching my stomach grow and realizing that I’ll feel it move soon just blows my mind, you know?”
“Yeah,” I say roughly against her hair. Sliding my hands around her, I hold her to me as I close my eyes. “But you were leaving no matter what. If I had to drag you out, you were gonna have my baby—with me.”
She kisses my throat. “Oh, is that right?”
“Oh yeah, and you know it.”
“I guess I always did,” she whispers, sliding her hands up my chest and around my neck. “But now I couldn’t walk away if I tried.”
“Probably ’cause I’d take out your knees.”
She nods. “There is that.”
“And chain you to the bed.”
“You dirty man,” she gasps and I grin.
“Yeah, sorry for ya. You’re mine.”
“And you’re mine.”
“No doubting that,” I whisper against her temple just as a little pink envelope catches my gaze. “Hey, there is something else in there for you.”
She doesn’t even pause; she lets me go and reaches for the envelope, opening it quickly. Her eyes widen and she grins before looking up at me. “You got it?”
“I told you I would,” I say as she rocks back on her heels.
“Yeah, but it costs a lot. We can wait.”
“Or we can go find out what the baby is early.”
She wiggles her hips before wrapping me up in her arms, her lips coming crashing into mine. Holding her tightly, I slide my hands down her back, gripping her by the back of her thighs before lifting her up and carrying her back to our bedroom. Still kissing her, I lay her down slowly, her fingers threading in my hair as I cover her body with mine, not wanting to hurt her.
“Oh God, we can have sex without interruption. However will we contain our excitement?”
I laugh as I pull her leggings and panties down. “Baby, you don’t have to contain anything.”
Giggling, she throws off her shirt as I do the same, tossing it to the floor with h
ers. As I undo my pants, I take in her sweet body, her growing abdomen, and then the scars that cover her inner thighs. Leaning down, I kiss her right in the middle of her breast before trailing kisses down her ribs to her belly. I fall between her legs, and they come up, wrapping around my chest as I move my fingers along her. Looking up, she meets my gaze as she slides her fingers into my hair, a little kitten smile on her sweet lips.
A lump forms in my throat as I get lost in her eyes, my finger dancing along the place where my child grows. I wonder what it will look like. Will it have my eyes, hers, or a mixture, changing with its mood? I want to know if it will be a girl, because I think that’s what I want. I want a little version of the person who holds my heart in her hands. I want to come home to my girls, my loves. But then, a little boy would be life-altering too. Someone like me. Tearing up the world. Jeez, it would be awesome. Either way. But I don’t care because what I want is for it to be healthy and come from this gorgeous woman I’m totally in love with.
Moving her finger along my cheekbones, she smiles. “You look like you’re gonna cry.”
Smiling bashfully, I look away, shaking my head. “Men don’t cry.”
She grins, rolling her eyes. “Sure, they don’t.”
“It’s allergies.”
“Oh, those pesky things.”
“For sure,” I say, swallowing hard. “Hey, Avery?”
“Yeah, Jace?”
“Can I tell you something and you not laugh?”
She smiles, her eyes burning into mine. “Yeah.”
I hesitate because it’s kind of corny, but I have to tell her. I want her to know. Clearing my throat free of emotion, I whisper, “I used to think that the ultimate high, the number one thing in my life, was hockey. I used to think nothing could come close to the way the ice makes me feel, the way it smells, the feel of it against my skin. The sounds of my stick against the puck or the rush of scoring. I really thought it was life, but I was wrong.”
Her eyes turn softer as she holds my gaze. “Yeah?”
“Yeah,” I say, pressing my lips to her belly. “Because nothing can even come close to the smell or feel of your skin. The sounds you make when I kiss you, or touch you, or the rush I feel when I see my baby growing inside of you. I thought I could never love anything more than hockey, but then you came along, and yeah, you’re it. You and our baby.”
When her lip trembles, I smile as I shake my head. She sits up, taking my face in her hands. Kissing my lips, she presses her nose to mine and squeezes her eyes shut tightly. Clearing her throat, she smiles as her lips quirk at the side. “You are everything I never thought I could ever have. The love, the completion, everything. You are really amazing, Jace, and I can’t thank you enough for making me feel important.”
“You don’t have to,” I whisper against her lips. “You won’t ever have to thank me for anything as long as you keep kissing me.”
She smiles against my lips, and my eyes fall shut as she whispers, “Done.”
I love when he touches my stomach.
I don’t know why, but it’s just so much more real when he does it.
Watching as his finger swirls around my belly button, I kiss his bare chest and snuggle closer to him while still taking in the room we’re lying in. Jace, or maybe it was Lucy, didn’t hold back on designing of every inch of this apartment. She made it a home, with little things that are so us. Pictures hang on a string along the wall by the bathroom, each one reminding me of a moment in our lives. He did all this for me. It’s so sweet, and honestly, it’s taking everything not to break out in tears.
I’m so unbelievably happy.
Has it been easy? Maybe in the beginning. But since the moment I told Jace I was pregnant, it’s been a whirlwind that he has handled with such grace. It blows my mind—this goofy, wannabe player, spoiled brat stepped up and became a man in seconds. I don’t know how I got so lucky to be the one to get the stand-up guy, but I’m pretty sure it was the work of God. He made him for me. Yeah, this isn’t what either of us wanted at this exact moment, but I wouldn’t change anything.
Not when I can’t even stop smiling.
“So,” he says and I look up into his smiling face. “According to the book, we are out of the first trimester.”
“Yeah.” I eye him, unsure where he is going with this. “And?”
“And that means we can make it Facebook-official,” he waggles his eyebrows at me and I laugh as he sits up, pulling on a pair of shorts before grabbing his phone.
“Seriously?” I ask, my body still humming from the amazing love we just made. “Everyone who matters knows.”
“Nothing is official without Facebook,” he says, throwing my panties and bra to me.
“Um, I disagree. This kid is growing with or without Facebook.”
He sticks his tongue out at me, and I roll my eyes as I slip my bra on. “True, but I want everyone to know.”
“Why?” I ask, hooking the clasp.
“’Cause I’m proud of my little family.”
That makes my heart melt as I slide my panties up. Grinning over at him, I say, “Wow, that’s dots worthy.”
He flashes me all his teeth as he reaches for me, pulling me out of the bed. “Hey, just ’cause we are married doesn’t mean I won’t make you swoon still.”
“I think it’s a rule. That stops.”
He scoffs. “Not in this marriage.”
I grin at him, and he hands me his phone before he goes down on his knees. Looking up at me with his lips pressed to my belly, he asks, “How’s this look?”
I shake my head, holding the phone out to the side before clicking the picture. “There.”
Standing up, he takes his phone and nods. “That’s the winner.”
He holds it out for me to see and I grin. We look so cute, his eyes squeezed shut as he kisses our baby. I love how in love he is with our child. He is always talking to it, telling it how much he loves it. It’s beautiful and so awe-inspiring. He blows my mind. Truly.
“It is,” I say roughly and he winks before sitting down beside me. I reach for my phone and he types away as I lean against him. I check my mail while I wait to see what he posts. He’s known for his over-the-top posts, so I’m really excited but a bit nervous. I don’t know why, because everyone already assumes we are pregnant since we got married so quickly. I want people to know we got married because we are in love, not because we were pregnant. But really, would we have done it this way if we hadn’t been pregnant? I know the answer, but I just don’t like that everyone’s right.
When a text sounds, I hit it, seeing that it’s from my mom. I haven’t heard from her in weeks.
Mom: Hey honey, you busy?
Me: Nope, we just moved in to the apartment.
Mom: Oh! Fun! Is it nice?
Me: It is for us.
Mom. How sweet! I remember my first apartment. Poor Seth had to sleep in our room with us.
Me: Wow, yeah, we have two bedrooms. Jace already has the crib set up.
Mom: Aw! That’s sweet!
Me: Yeah. I’m happy.
Mom: Good, you should be.
I smile at that as another text comes through.
Mom: How are you feeling?
Closing my eyes, I beg the tears to not fall. I’ve wanted my mom to ask me this since the moment I told her. I wanted her to care, to share funny little stories, and tell me it gets better. Instead, Lucy and Jace’s mom have been doing that.
Not my mom.
And that hurts.
Me: I’m not puking anymore, which is awesome, but I’m still tired, all the time.
Mom: Yeah, I slept the whole time I was pregnant with you and Matty. It drains you for sure.
Me: Yeah.
Mom: How far along are you now? 3 months?
It surprises me she knows that.
Me: Yeah, 13 weeks. We are going in two weeks for the 4-D ultrasound. Just found out today.
Mom: Fun! Right around the time we will be there then
.
I pause and reach for the appointment card.
Me: Actually, two days before you come in.
Mom: Maybe, we’ll come in early, go shopping and get to know Jace.
Me: I’d like that.
Mom: Let me see what I can do. Are you guys good for Thanksgiving?
Me: Yeah, we are going to Jace’s mom’s with his sister. His brothers and their wives can’t come in this year, so his mom wants to have one more Thanksgiving with Jace before he drafts.
Mom: Oh, okay, I was gonna ask if you wanted to come here.
Me: Sorry, we have plans.
Mom: That’s fine. Okay, well, I’ll let you go. I’ll let you know if we come in early.
Me: Awesome.
Mom: Love you.
Me: Love you.
“She’s trying,” Jace says from over my shoulder and I give him a look.
“Stalker.”
He laughs. “Hush, you were nice. Good job.”
“You make me sound like a bitch.”
He grins. “No, I just know they get under your skin.”
“Yeah,” I say slowly, letting out a long breath. “You done?”
“Yup, check it out. It’s epic.”
“Oh God,” I giggle before going to my Facebook. Hitting the notification that says I’m tagged in a post by Jace Sinclair, I smile at the black and white picture that appears on my screen.
Jace Sinclair:
He shoots. He scores. Drafting a new member to our family!
I couldn’t be happier to announce that my gorgeous, amazing, hell of a singer wife is expecting our first baby. We haven’t thought of a name yet, but I still think Gretzky is good for a boy. Either way, I just want a healthy baby with my love’s eyes. My life is almost complete, and I can’t wait for our future. I love you, Avery Rose Sinclair. More than I can ever put into words. #babysinclair #julybaby #notafoodbaby
“Oh my God, you are insane,” I say, laughing at the last tag. “But that’s super sweet. I love you too.”
“Damn right,” he says, nuzzling my neck and kissing it. “Big things are coming for us,” he whispers against my neck, and I smile as his hand rests against my belly.