by Tory Baker
“Mack, get up, you old lug. Jake and Larissa are on the phone,” I hear as she answers the phone. We get a clear view of the ceiling instead of her face. She’s constantly doing this. I laugh, she swears she’s hip and knows all the in things and then she does this, it always makes me laugh.
“Oh, there you are, I swear you don’t know how to answer this thing,” Mom tries to pin it on me. Larissa and I both laugh at mom in all her craziness.
“Hi,” I say.
“Hey, Grammie,” Larissa says to my mom and it brings tears to my mother’s eyes. Shit, her and Larissa really got close today. I’m thankful as fuck though. I’ll be going out of town after the baby is born. It’s something I can’t reschedule and it’s in fucking California, of all places. I could kick Declan’s ass for that.
“Sweet, sweet, sweet girl. Mack, get your butt over here,” Mom grumbles.
“I’m coming, woman. These bones aren’t as good as they used to be,” he grouses back. Mack isn’t my biological father, but he’s the one that changed my mom in the best imaginable way. Our relationship was stilted for years until she got away from my biological father. I’m grateful to call Mack my father. In the past year we’ve all gotten closer.
“We have the news if you two are ready to hear it?” I question with a quirk of my eyebrow.
“If you keep me waiting any longer, I’ll be at your house banging the door down,” Mom huffs out.
“Yeah, yeah. You want to tell them together?” I ask Larissa.
“Yes, let’s do that!” she exclaims.
“One, two, three…We’re having a BOY!” we both yell out with excitement.
“Oh Jake, my boy,” Mack says with emotion.
“A little boy, a sweet baby boy. I’m so thankful. Everything looks good?” my mom asks.
“Yes, everything does. She can go into labor anytime now. So, keep your phone near you, just in case,” I say with a smile.
“Thank you both for including us. We love you guys,” Mack says, and mom nods her head in agreement. I see the silent tears rolling down her cheeks.
The buzzer goes off from the door and I tell them, “We gotta go, dinner is here. Love you guys,” I hang up the phone and tell Larissa, “Stay here. Keep your feet up. I know you’re tired.”
“Okay, but I don’t mind helping,” her eyes never leave mine. She always makes eye contact with me and I have to say, I fucking love it.
“Let me spoil you, Baby,” I tell her as I make my way to the door.
Chapter Fourteen
Larissa
It’s two days later when it happens. I woke up in severe pain. More than just the back pain they warn you about. I could barely walk or breathe. I sit up and slide my legs over the side of the bed and a light instantly turns on.
“What’s wrong?” Jake asks.
“I think, uh, we need to head to the hospital,” I barely breathe out. Talking is now hard. This is happening a lot faster than all of the books said it would. They said to be prepared for a long labor for your first child.
“Are you sure?” I know he means well, but the pain that is ramping up isn’t helping me.
“I’m freaking sure,” I breathe through the contraction somehow.
He’s up and getting dressed, grabbing our bags and the diaper bag. I hear him throw it down by the front door and then he’s back helping me get dressed.
“What do you want to wear?” I look down at the nightgown I’m wearing. I don’t want to change, but I can’t wear this and slippers outside. The weather is starting to change and it’s getting colder at night.
“Leggings, a shirt, and my deck shoes.” I want to be as comfortable as possible.
“Grabbing them now, then I’ll help you get dressed.” He runs into the closet and comes back quickly. I go to stand up when another contraction hits me.
“Shit, that hurts,” I grumble. Jake whips my nightgown up and over my head. I’m naked underneath and I’m not dealing with undergarments at this point.
“Fuck, you need a bra. Hold on,” he says as he turns to leave. I reach for his wrist, “Jake, no. I won’t be able to handle it constricting me.”
He throws my shirt up and over my head and helps me get into it. Then he drops down on his knees, as he helps guide my leggings up my legs. Then he’s helping me stand to finish dressing me. I slide my feet in my shoes and then we’re both walking to the door.
I’m breathing through the excruciating pain and I’m cussing every pregnancy book I can at this point, though it’s all in my head. I can see Jake is frazzled enough. I don’t want to make it worse.
“Ready?” he asks. I nod my head yes and step onto the elevator with him as he carries the bags. Thankfully, we put the car seat in his truck the other day. He was grumbling the whole time saying it was time to turn my piece of shit car into mincemeat. I simply said, “We have more important things to deal with right now, than a car.” He shut up after that.
We make it to his vehicle in no time. Jake practically lifts me up and buckles me in.
“Jake, Jake!” I grab his attention. “I promise I’m okay. We’re going to get through this,” I tell him.
“We are. I know we are, I’d just feel better if we were at the hospital already,” he states as he shuts the door and hops in the driver’s seat. He reaches for my hand and holds it the entire way. Through every contraction and every light we get stuck at.
We make it to the hospital in minutes, Jake throws the truck im park and flies around to me. I guess he called ahead because there are nurses waiting for us at the entrance with a wheelchair. I grumble, “I can walk.”
“The hell you will, Larissa. Please, listen to them,” he whispers into my ear.
“Fine, but did you call your parents? I promised we’d call them as soon as we were here,” I relay the information I may have forgotten.
“I’ll call them while I go park the truck. Go inside, I’ll be by your side in three minutes,” he states and gives me a quick kiss. The tightening in my stomach has me nodding to the nurses.
I hate seeing Jake leave, but I know he has to move the truck. I look back one more time as they wheel me in and all I see are Jake’s tail lights.
Chapter Fifteen
Jake
It was a grueling four hours. That’s how long it took from start to finish. The nurses said it’s rare for it to be this short of time. I thought it was too damn long. To see Larissa in pain and then push with all her strength. She did it though and delivered an eight-pound ten ounce and twenty-two-inch, handsome baby boy. It took us a bit, but we both agreed on the name Elijah Michael Price.
The way she held him in her arms, and how he quieted down as soon as he was in her arms, caused tears to hit my cheeks and I didn’t bother removing them.
Larissa and Elijah are my whole world, and I’m the lucky one to have them both.
“Daddy, do you want to hold him?” Larissa asks, and God do I love that name slipping off her tongue.
“You okay with letting him go?” I joke.
“He’s done nursing for now,” she says with a wink. She saw me watch her the entire time. I couldn’t keep my eyes off of them.
“Yeah, I’ll take my boy. We have man stuff to talk about,” I reply. She rolls her eyes but settles down in bed as I take a seat in the hospital chair.
I unwrap his blanket, wanting to count all of his fingers and toes. To see his eyes open, only to flutter shut. If this is what fatherhood is about, I’m thankful as fuck I get to share it with the two that mean the most to me. I wrap him back up and hold him to my chest.
Mom and Mack will be here in a little bit and I know as much as I want to hoard my son for just me and Larissa, I’ll have to share him.
I lean back in the chair and close my eyes, soaking in the day.
I must have dozed off for a while. I hear hushed tones and Larissa’s voice.
“He just fell asleep a little bit ago. Look how adorable they are. Can someone find my phone so I can take a pict
ure?” she asks.
I hear the snapping of the camera and slowly open my eyes, trying not to jostle Eli. The way Larissa is looking at me with warmth in her eyes, it melts my heart.
“Morning, sleepy head,” she whispers out with a sparkle in her eye. She doesn’t look like she just gave birth. No, she looks happy and as if it’s just a normal day.
“Morning, Baby. I guess it’s time I let the grandparent thieves have Eli, huh?” I don’t want to give him up but the faster I do, hopefully they’ll leave, and I can go back to spoiling him rotten.
“You do have to share. Just because you’re an only child doesn’t mean you get to act like one,” she snickers.
“Always taking the fun out of everything,” I tsk as I get up and lay him on the bed to change his diaper before giving him over to my mom.
“Hey, Jake,” Larissa says getting my attention. I place a hand on Eli’s belly so he can’t move. I don’t care if he’s an infant, I’d never let any harm come to him.
“Larissa, you can’t talk to me like that and expect me not to kiss you senseless,” she’s flush with color, from her cheeks all the way to her chest.
“I..uh, just wanted to say, thank you,” she mumbles.
“I wouldn’t want to do this with anyone else. You’re it for me, baby,” I reply, as she hands me a diaper and the wipe box. We navigate changing Eli’s diaper and then Grammie swoops down, taking my boy from me. I grunt and take a seat next to Larissa, holding her in my arms. She snuggles in and closes her eyes. Even with the baby hoarders, this right here. It’s my bliss.
Chapter Sixteen
Larissa
Six weeks later
The last six weeks have been a learning curve, not with just Elijah, but with Jake and I, too. We’ve learned how to live with each other and be parents at a record speed. The nightly nursing and Eli not wanting to sleep but two hours at a time before waking up to feed, or because his diaper was wet, didn’t help matters. Jake was a rock star and was there the whole time. It wasn’t until he had to go out of town this week did I really learn to get into the groove of doing it on my own.
It was hard the first day, I won’t lie. I called his mom and she came, not batting an eye with helping me to learn how to use the breast pump to give my aching nipples a little break. This way I could do both. She was an absolute godsend. Not to mention she watched Elijah, so I could nap.
Elijah and I just left my six-week postpartum appointment, the doctor gave me the all clear. I asked about birth control, but since I was nursing most of the precautions were thrown out the window.
I told him I would think it over and get back to him. I felt like it was something I needed to discuss with Jake if we wanted long-term birth control.
We’re a team, we do things together, and this is a big decision.
I push the stroller to the elevator up to the condo and we ride up. Elijah is fast asleep and I’m trying to keep him that way, so I can pick up around the house and get started on dinner. Jake is coming home tonight, and since I got the all clear, I want to make it special.
I open the condo door and I’m assaulted with the smell of food. I go in further and sure enough, Jake is standing at the stove in athletic shorts, sans shirt, he turns to face me and my jaw drops. It’s been a long week and here he is. He’s a work of art. No, he’s a Greek Adonis, from his firm shoulders, to his biceps, to his chest, all the way down to his taut stomach. He has a six-pack and a happy trail, that I’ve been in very close contact with lately, and right now it’s making my mouth salivate.
Just because I was out of commission that didn’t mean I let Jake go without and he never let me either, even if it was me riding him along his hard cock on the outside. It gave us both some relief, but I know tonight, I’m going to want him inside of me. It’s been way too long.
“This is a nice surprise,” I finally say. He comes right toward us, stooping down to kiss Eli, who is still blissfully asleep. He then comes up to me and there’s no other way to describe what we do. Our mouths meet each other’s as he picks me up and backs me up against the door. My legs wrap around his waist as he holds my wrists up by my head. His mouth is assaulting mine. He’s owning me. My whole-body shivers and I grind my hips down on him. I’m wearing a pair of leggings, as usual, and I can feel every hard inch of him. He continues kissing me down my neck, he nips along the way, and he comes to the sensitive part of my neck.
“Jake,” I moan. I want more, no, I need more of him. I always need more of him. He feeds my heart and my soul.
“Fuck, yes. Come for me, Baby. Just like this,” he demands.
I grind down on his hard length as he continues to suck and nibble on my neck. I toss my head back and come.
When I come down from my orgasm induced high I whisper out, “I really missed you.”
“Not as much as I missed you and Eli,” he replies.
“I hope you don’t have to go out of town again anytime soon,” I ask with hope in my voice.
“Nope, not for a while. I do know we need to look for a home. It’s not easy traipsing in and out of an elevator with an infant, he’s going to need grass, and maybe a sibling or three,” he states.
“Really?” I ask him.
“Want you forever, beautiful,” he tells me and just then Eli lets out a mewl that I know may start out small, but it’ll get bigger if he doesn’t get fed.
“Will you grab Elijah? I’ll warm up some breast milk, so you can feed him,”
“No problem,” he tells me and he’s already bending down to get him. I smile before heading to the kitchen.
As I’m making a bottle, I open the lid that’s on the stove and smell my favorite. It’s linguine and clams, something I haven’t had since before I was pregnant with Elijah.
“Jake, did you make my favorite?” I question as I walk out of the kitchen, knowing damn well he did.
“You said you haven’t had it since the last time I made it for you,” he states, as he takes the bottle out of my hand and plops the nipple into Eli’s rooting mouth. I sit next to Jake. One arm has Elijah and his other arm is wrapped around me. I lay my head on his shoulder and close my eyes.
Chapter Seventeen
Jake
I got off the private jet earlier than anticipated today. I knew Larissa had a doctor’s appointment and I wanted to surprise her. Mom said she was having a hard time the first couple of days I was gone, but then said once she got the hang of things. It was as if her sole purpose was being a mom.
That made me proud. Larissa is an amazing person. I’m lucky enough to have her in my life, but after tonight, I’m hoping she’ll be mine forever with a big fucking diamond on her hand.
When she came inside the door, with the diaper bag hanging off the stroller, having to get it in and out of the new Expedition I bought her, I knew it was time to let her know the days of being in a condo are gone.
She shouldn’t have to load and off load so much day in and day out. Plus, if I have it my way, I’ll keep her pregnant as much as I can. I love her body now, with all of its curves but fuck her pregnant carrying our child -- it’s the biggest turn on.
I finish feeding and burping Eli, he promptly passes out afterward. Much like his mother is. I soak in their warmth, until I know if I don’t wake Larissa up, she won’t sleep tonight.
“Wake up, sleepy head,” I whisper into her ear.
“It seems like I’m always falling asleep on you,” she rasps out. I love her voice all husky from sleep.
“You’ll need your energy for tonight,” I say with a wink as I get up and place Eli in the pack and play we keep in the living room.
“Oh, is that right, Mr. Price?” she says sassily. We had a rocky road when Elijah first came home from the hospital. She was dealing with guilt, plus her hormones were making her emotional at the drop of the hat. I finally sat her down and told her I forgave her. Yeah, I’m going to have instances where I want to know she’s coming home to me, but for the most part, what’s done is
done.
Ever since we had that talk, the boldness she always carried around started coming back. She’s not the shy and introverted person she was when she came back. No, now she has no problem giving me shit. Something I love doing with her. We talk well into the night, pleasing each other as much as we can, and even if I’m at the office I’ll call her just to hear her voice. I don’t care if that makes me a pussy of a man. She’s my woman and I’ll do whatever I have to, to keep her, to cherish her, and to fucking love her.
“Is that so, Larissa? I hope you’re ready,” I go into the kitchen and finish dinner.
Chapter Eighteen
Larissa
Dinner was amazing. I told Jake as much and I ate every morsel on my plate. I was so full, but then he brought out my favorite dessert. Cold chocolate cake. I couldn’t eat it though, not after pigging out on our meal
“Can we have it for a midnight snack?” I asked.
“You can have it any time you want.” We clean up the kitchen together and then he shoos me away.
“Go shower, I’m going to get our munchkin ready for bed. I want you naked and waiting in bed. Kneeling with your legs spread for me,” he demands.
He has me wet already. I can feel it pool in my panties. I rush off to the shower.
I turn the water on and let it heat up. Grabbing a towel and putting it on the rack beside the walk-in shower, and strip down. Once I’m in the shower, I wash my hair and let the conditioner soak in as I shave, making sure I’m completely bare.
Secretly I’m hoping for Jake to join me now, but I know he won’t. Not until Elijah is asleep for the night, and I know after him pinning me against the door, he’s showing his dominance. Something he’s held back on since I’ve had Eli.