Sultry at 30 (Love Without Batteries)

by Cassandra Lawson

  I decided to call Brook in the hopes she’d be able to keep me distracted while I waited for Sebastian to get back.

  “Hello,” she answered sleepily.

  “Don’t tell me you slept in,” was my shocked greeting.

  “It’s seven thirty,” Brook remarked.

  There were times when I had to remind myself that not all people lived on my insane schedule where five hours of sleep was usually plenty. Granted, I’d needed much more today, but this was an exception. “Did I wake you up?”

  “No,” Brook replied with a yawn. “I’m on my way into the kitchen for coffee. I’m hoping to get some design work done this morning since I have Haley this afternoon. Was there a reason you were calling? Sorry. That was bitchy.” I could picture my friend cringing when she heard her own words.

  “If I wanted cheerful in the morning, I would have called Chelsea,” I told her.

  “You know I don’t care if you have a reason to call or not, right?” she asked. “I’m always glad to hear from you.”

  “I’m well aware of that fact,” I assured her. “Chelsea would have been my first choice for a pleasant chat at this hour. I’m calling you because Chelsea is too excitable. I need my calm, level-headed friend.”

  “You’re starting to worry me, Delaney,” she began cautiously. “If I didn’t know how careful you are, I’d be wondering if you were calling to tell me you’re pregnant. Did you and Sebastian have another fight?”

  “Everything’s fine with Sebastian,” I assured her, hesitating before I continued. “Where should I begin?”

  “Just start at the beginning,” she coaxed.

  Taking a deep breath, I told her everything that happened after I parted ways with her and Chelsea the day before. Brook exercised great restraint in not interrupting once. There were a few gasps and even a squeal.

  “So, to recap, Sebastian is on his way back here with my parents because Cody opened his big mouth and told his mom about Sebastian’s crazy ex trying to. . .” I paused because I had no clue what she was trying to do. She was crazy, but I didn’t know if she was really trying to kill me or if she was just trying to scare me off. “Let’s just stick with her messing with me.”

  “And now you need to tell them they’re going to be grandparents,” Brook concluded. “Why am I surprised that your romance is turning into something you’d read in a book? You have the surprise pregnancy. Seriously, Delaney, I didn’t see that one coming. Then there’s Sebastian’s ex coming after you. Despite what Ty said about Cody, part of me still thought we’d find out he was the guilty one.”

  “My parents are going to lose their shit, Brook,” I practically wailed.

  Brook laughed at my distress. “That’s really your biggest worry right now?”

  “I’m willing to admit I should be more worried about Tessa,” I said with a sigh. “Being tucked away in Sebastian’s home makes me feel a little safer. I can’t hide from my parents here.”

  “I can see how this would make you uneasy,” Brook began. “My parents are overly religious, too.”

  Brook had severed all ties with her parents shortly after she started seeing Ty. They lived in a cult town in central California. Brook’s parents were not only judgmental, they were assholes. They’d tried to convince her to stay with her ex after he’d abandoned her for a decade, also abandoning his son in the process. As if that wasn’t bad enough, they’d tried to trick her into it by telling her that her mom was dead. My parents could be a little preachy, but they’d never hurt me that way, no matter how much they disagreed with my decision.

  “I don’t think our parents are on the same level,” I pointed out.

  Brook snorted. “I figured that out on my own. You still talk to your parents, and I know you love them.”

  “I really do,” I told her. “I hope they aren’t giving Sebastian a hard time on the drive back here. They definitely don’t approve of premarital sex.”

  Chapter Fifty-Five

  Sebastian

  “You should know up front that we don’t approve of premarital sex,” Delaney’s father, the reverend Patrick Monroe stated from the backseat of the car. He’d insisted Delaney’s mom ride in the front since she got carsick easily.

  “I know, sir,” I replied. Delaney’s parents weren’t at all what I’d expected. It was definitely throwing me off. Patrick Monroe was about my height. I’d expected him to be dressed in a suit for some reason. He wore blue jeans and a green t-shirt that brought out the color of his eyes. Those eyes were an exact match for Delaney’s, as was his rich red hair. Delaney’s mom, Clara didn’t look old enough to be Delaney’s mother. With a mass of shiny black hair and deep blue eyes, she had Delaney’s almost pixie-like features. She wore stretch pants and a hoodie. I’d already been assured that wasn’t her normal attire, but she liked to be comfortable when traveling. She frequently checked notes on her phone when she forgot something. It seemed her smart phone had replaced sticky notes.

  “I already told you to call me Patrick,” he reminded me. “From what Clara tells me, Laney’s in love with you.”

  Clara nodded but didn’t turn to look at him. It was obvious that even in the front seat, she was feeling a little queasy.

  “Your daughter’s amazing,” I told him.

  I saw Patrick’s grin in the rearview mirror. “She sure is,” he agreed. “I’m not thrilled with the stuff she writes, but my Laney’s a strong girl, just like her momma.”

  “I know you probably aren’t pleased with her staying at my place,” I began, prepared to have this argument resolved before we got back to my house. Delaney was tired and stressed out. She was also pregnant. If it wouldn’t make me look like an idiot, I’d be grinning from ear to ear at that thought.

  “She’s safer there,” Clara assured me.

  “Agreed,” Patrick said with a huff. “You made a good argument with the gated community and the alarm system. Laney’s also a grown woman. I don’t have to approve of everything she’s doing. With that being said, I’d like to know what your intentions are with my daughter.”

  This time I grinned. I’d given the matter of my future with Delaney a lot of thought recently. “I’m going to marry her,” I told them.

  “Good answer,” Patrick praised. “It would have been better if you’d asked for my blessing, but this will do.”

  Chapter Fifty-Six

  Delaney

  When people say an injury hurts worse the third day, they aren’t kidding. My shoulder hurt, and I was bitchy. Sebastian was in a funk because he had to go to work. As for me, I’d made an appointment to see an obstetrician. They’d squeezed me in early because they wanted to determine how far along I was. The overly chipper receptionist had even suggested the possibility of an ultrasound. Since I’d only been dating Sebastian about a month, I didn’t think there’d be anything to see. Sebastian was going to leave work to meet me there and then head back. This left me with another big problem. I still hadn’t told my parents about the baby, mostly because I’m a coward. When Sebastian had offered to tell them for me, I’d considered taking him up on his offer.

  “Are you ready to go to your appointment, Laney?” my mom called out. “If we head out now, we can stop for lunch on the way.”

  Sebastian had taken her over to pick up my car yesterday, so she was driving me. I decided to just be happy my father wasn’t coming. Sebastian had been completely against the idea until the police had assured him Tessa had spoken to her therapist that morning to confirm she’d be at her appointment early that afternoon. With any luck, the police in Portland would pick her up that day. Confirming her appointment meant she wasn’t in the area, so I was safe.

  “I’m ready,” I assured her as I walked down the stairs.

  My father was waiting at the bottom, and he pulled me into a hug. “Don’t look so worried, Laney,” he grumbled. “Stress isn’t good at a time like this.”

  I wanted to ask what he meant by that, but I decided it would have to wait. My mom w
as hungry, and I was craving a Philly cheese steak.

  My mom drove us to the little hole in the wall diner Chelsea had introduced me to. The place was a dive, but clean. It also had great food. I was disappointed that Nadine, the previous owner wasn’t working that day. Though she’d transferred ownership to her son and retired, it was rare that she wasn’t there waiting tables. It seemed her definition of retirement differed from most.

  My mom looked around, bobbing her head to the music playing on the old jukebox. “This is nice, Laney,” she told me. “It’s been five years since our diner in town closed, and I miss it. It reminds me of when I was dating your daddy.”

  I smiled. My parents were definitely still in love. I hoped to have that kind of love with Sebastian.

  “Are you ready to tell me why you’re so nervous?” my mom asked, placing a hand on mine across the table.

  I opened my mouth to speak as a wave of nausea assaulted me. “I need to go to the bathroom,” I said quickly and raced to the restroom at the back of the restaurant. When I pushed the door open, I felt a hand on my back shove me in. It was such a shock that I dropped to my knees before looking behind me to see Tessa.

  “You little cunt!” she snarled, waving a metal baseball bat at me. “I’ll make you pay for going after Sebastian. He’s mine.”

  The one thing I could be truly thankful for that day was Tessa’s delay in locking the door. She turned to lock the door, and before I could scream for help, my mom pushed her way into the bathroom, looking ready to kill.

  “What in heaven’s name are you doing?” my mom demanded angrily.

  “Get out of here, you old bitch,” Tessa hissed. “This pathetic little slut stole my boyfriend.”

  Tessa looked much older than I’d expected. If I didn’t already know she was only a couple years older than Sebastian, I’d assume she was in her late thirties. Her short red hair appeared to be thinning, and there were fine lines around her eyes. It seemed Tessa’s obsessive brand of crazy had aged her.

  When my mom moved forward, ready to fight Tessa to defend me, I had this strange feeling like things were moving in slow motion. Tessa pulled back the bat, but my mom still continued toward her. There was distant shouting outside the bathroom door. Not only was my shoulder throbbing, my knees were now on fire from their impact with the ground, making me even more nauseous. Despite the pain, I lunged toward Tessa, knocking her to the ground.

  “Don’t even think about hitting my mother!” I shouted, landing on top of Tessa as she fell to the ground.

  Tessa still held the bat in her hand above her head. She awkwardly tried to swing the bat at me, dropping it to the ground when I puked all over her. That was distraction enough for Nadine’s son to grab the bat. I had no clue when he’d entered the bathroom, but I was grateful for his presence since he was able to subdue Tessa while my mom helped me to my feet.

  “Are you okay?” I asked my mom.

  “I’m fine, Laney,” she assured me with a patient smile before grabbing some paper towels and wetting them to help clean me up. “How are your knees, baby?”

  “Sore,” I replied in a shaky voice. “They’re already starting to feel better, so I guess I can avoid another ER visit.”

  “That horrible woman is lucky she didn’t seriously hurt you or the baby,” my mom muttered angrily. “It’s going to take me hours to forgive her for what she did as it is.”

  Tessa was processing the words coming from my mom’s mouth better than I was because she screeched, “Baby?”

  “Crap,” I muttered before having my most insane thought of the day. “This means I don’t have to tell you about the baby.”

  “Language,” my mom warned before hugging me. “We should call Sebastian to let him know what happened.”

  The police had just arrived and were dealing with a shrieking Tessa, so I decided it would have to wait a little longer. Apparently, the police also show up quickly when there is a bat wielding lunatic involved. Proving I was losing my mind, I smiled when I realized this was good information for future books.

  Chapter Fifty-Seven

  Sebastian

  The last few days had taken at least a decade off my life. No man should receive two calls in one week telling him the woman he loves has been attacked. I was grateful they’d arrested Tessa but still worried about how all this was going to affect Delaney.

  “If you keep brooding, I’m going to steal your cake,” Delaney warned.

  Her threat made me smile. After barely making it in time for her doctor’s appointment, Delaney had told me she’d need cake to get over the events of the day. So, we were at the café we’d met at again. Delaney’s recent visits had elevated her to the status of regular. The waitress had immediately made her way to our table with Delaney’s tuxedo cake before taking my order. Delaney had grumbled about being forced to drink decaf coffee on the doctor’s orders.

  “I’m not brooding,” I argued.

  “Hmmm. I may steal your cake, anyway,” she insisted.

  I chuckled softly. “I’m really sorry about Tessa.”

  Delaney looked annoyed as she snatched my cake.

  “Hey!” I protested. “I wasn’t brooding.”

  “Apologizing for Tessa is going to cost you cake, too,” she stated before taking a bite of my red velvet cake and moaning. “This is fantastic.”

  “You were just looking for an excuse to steal my cake,” I accused.

  “Does all this ever seem like some strange dream?” she asked thoughtfully.

  “The cake?” I asked.

  “Don’t be a smartass, Sebastian,” she told me. “I meant us ending up together, and me getting pregnant.”

  “From the dates they gave us, that had to have been around our first time together,” I remarked.

  “Remind me to find a better defense against your super sperm in the future,” she told me.

  “I guess it’s a good thing this didn’t turn into a one-night stand,” I pointed out.

  “Would you think less of me if I thought it would at first?” she asked before taking another bite of my cake. I was again jealous of how much pleasure she found from cake.

  “Would you think less of me if I admitted to knowing you were the one before we’d been dating a month?” I asked.

  “Make sure you tell my parents that,” she said. “It will make them feel better if they’re convinced we’re going to get married at some point.”

  “We are getting married,” I told her before quickly adding. “When you’re ready. I’ve been thinking about this for over a week. I love you, and as soon as you say it’s okay, I’m going to plan the most romantic proposal you can imagine. I’m going to sweep you off your feet and carry you away for our happily ever after.”

  Delaney’s eyes were a little watery when she replied. “I suppose I’d better agree soon.”

  “Why’s that?” I asked with a grin.

  “I plan to use this baby to get a lot of cake,” she explained. “It won’t be long until I’m too heavy to be swept off my feet.”

  “Does this mean I can plan that extravagant proposal?” I asked.

  “I really should tell you something sensible about how we should wait. I should remind you we’ve had enough big changes already, but I’m not very good at sensible,” she admitted with a smile.

  “It’s one of your best qualities,” I assured her.

  “How do you figure that?” she asked with a laugh.

  “A sensible woman would have never agreed to go out with a man who admitted to ogling her in a sex shop,” I pointed out. “I’ll forever be grateful for your impulsive nature. I love you, Delaney.”

  “I love you, too, Sebastian,” she said with a wobbly smile. “Just remember, this proposal had better completely wow me. Forget wowing me. This proposal had better involve cake.”

  Grabbing the ring box from my jacket pocket, I dropped to one knee in front of her before opening the box. “Delaney Monroe, you are my other half. Please say you’ll marr
y me, and I promise to make sure you have cake whenever you want.”

  “Say yes!” our waitress squealed as she bounced beside the table. “This is such a romantic way to make you feel better about your lost ring.”

  Delaney gave me a sweet smile. “You already know I’ll do anything for cake, so how could I possible say no?”

  Epilogue

  Sebastian

  “I hate you for doing this to me, Sebastian,” she spat out with so much venom most men would be cowering. She didn’t mean it. The woman loved me, despite what she said. I’d already been warned that she’d be like this.

  Leaning forward, I kissed her and rubbed her belly. “You’re doing great, sweetheart.”

  “No one told me it would be this bad,” she practically whimpered. “Why didn’t anyone warn me? Please tell me it’s almost over! I’m not sure I can take much more.”

  “Just breathe,” I urged.

  “I don’t want to breathe,” she snapped. “I want to eat cake.”

  Her eyes were locked on the dessert case as I tried to talk her down from the ledge.

  “You can’t have cake,” I said gently.

  “I hate you, Sebastian,” she grumbled as I led her to a table.

  My overly dramatic wife was definitely ready for our son to arrive. She had been since the day she’d been diagnosed with gestational diabetes. A glutton for punishment, she still insisted on coming to our favorite café—the one we’d met at—to stare longingly at the cake.

  “It’s so beautiful,” she said with a wistful sigh as she looked at the dessert counter one last time.

  “Just a few more weeks and you can have cake again.” I promised.

  “Then I can also see my feet again,” she added with a smile.

  I laughed because, as was her norm, once she had her fit about how much she missed cake, Delaney was a pretty good-natured pregnant woman. She was also glowing. It had taken some time for us both to adjust to the idea of becoming parents so early in our relationship. It was still a challenge on cake watching days, but I was very much looking forward to this next step in our life together. Despite the swelling and the extra weight she complained about, she’d never been more beautiful to me.