I smiled and let out a small sob. I covered my mouth and tried to regain my composure. I slowly placed my hand on his face and said, “I love you so much, Reed.”
“I love you, too. Let’s get you to the hospital and meet our son, okay?”
I let out a giggle and said, “Or daughter.”
Reed shut the door, and I leaned my head back onto the back of the seat. I tried to take in good long breaths, but I swore I could almost feel another contraction coming on.
Oh no. This is too soon. I just had one!
I saw Layton pick up Gracie as Reed ran around the front of the truck and jumped in.
“Shit! I forgot my wallet.” He jumped back out and ran into the house.
Layton opened the driver’s door and smiled at me.
I smiled back and said, “What’s up, cowboy?”
He let out a laugh and said, “I’m so happy for you, Courtney. I truly am. You’re going to make a wonderful mother.”
My smile faded slightly and then returned. “Do you know when the first time was that I really knew I liked you?”
Layton flashed me that damn smug smile that could melt any girl’s panties. “When?”
“That first day I met you when you tried so hard to act like you weren’t attracted to Whitley. I could see it in your eyes, and something told me that you were the one who was going to make my best friend happy.”
Layton’s smile spread wider on his face. “Yet, you still felt the need to threaten me on more than one occasion.”
“Oh yeah, and it still holds true. You ever hurt her…I’ll hurt you.”
Layton laughed and said, “Courtney, you never cease to amaze me, you know that?”
Reed came running out of the house and yelled, “Get out of the way, Layton!”
Layton winked at me and said, “Good luck, Court. You’re gonna do great. I’ll have Whit call you, and we’ll be there as soon as we can.”
I winked back and said, “Just give her and Taylor a kiss from me. Don’t come down there and sit and wait. Reed will call you—”
Reed jumped in the truck and said, “Yeah…we’ll call. Got to go.” He slammed the door shut and put the truck in drive, and then he practically ran over poor Layton.
I tried not to smile, but somehow, the calm man who had run into the house had come out a freaked-out man.
“Um…Reed, are you okay?” I asked as I reached for his hand.
He glanced at me quickly before looking back at the road. “We’re having a baby. Do you realize that we…you and me…we’re about to have a baby? I mean, this is not a lab puppy. This is a baby. A human baby!”
I bit down on my lip to hold in my laughter. “I thought I was going to be the one freaking out.”
“I’m not freaking out. I’m not freaking out. Oh. My. God! Mr. Jenkins, could you drive any slower?”
I was going to have to apologize to our poor neighbor, Mr. Jenkins, for Reed almost running him off the road. I felt the contraction coming for real this time, and I grabbed and squeezed Reed’s hand.
Somehow, me doing that calmed him down, and he said in a soft voice, “Breathe, baby…that’s it. Just take deep breaths, and breathe through the contraction.”
From that point on, until we got to the hospital, Reed was calm as a cucumber. Me, on the other hand—the closer we got, the more scared I got.
Reed pulled up to the ER and jumped out of his truck. He ran around to open my door. He helped me out of the truck and then into the ER.
A nurse came over with a wheelchair and smiled as she said, “Dad, you go park the car, and I’ll take her over to labor and delivery. Did y’all preregister?”
Reed and I both said, “Yes,” at the same time.
Before I knew it, I was in a room, and the contractions were coming faster and faster. Reed had asked the nurse when they would give me the epidural, and she said the anesthesiologist was on her way.
“Thank God,” Reed said as he looked at me and smiled.
“Why are you thanking God? I’m the one in pain!” I said as another contraction swept over my body.
Reed leaned down and kissed me on the forehead. “I’m so sorry, Courtney. I wish I could take all the pain away from you. I’d do it in a heartbeat, angel. Seeing you in pain about brings me to my knees. When you hurt, I hurt. When you’re happy, I’m happy. I just want you to be happy.”
Oh. My. God. He is my husband. Mine. Who would have thought that Reed Moore would be the one to swoon me more than any book boyfriend ever could?
I thought back to that first night I’d met him. His cocky attitude and drop-me-to-my-knees smile of his had captured my heart from the first second I saw him. Months of denying our feelings for each other, hurting each other with words we didn’t mean, and finally admitting our love for each other had brought us to this very second, and I wouldn’t trade any of it.
“You make me feel so amazing,” I said as I pulled him down toward me.
He slammed his lips against mine. I wasn’t sure how long we’d been kissing before we heard a female voice clearing her throat.
Reed gave me that smile that drove me insane with lust. “I’d be lost without your love,” he said as he brushed his thumb across my lower lip. “Completely and utterly lost.”
“I love you,” I whispered.
He leaned his forehead against mine and closed his eyes. “I love you, too, Courtney. I love you so damn much.”
“One more push, Courtney, just one more,” Dr. Miller said.
I thrashed my head back and forth. “I can’t. I’m so tired. I can’t push anymore,” I said.
Reed kissed the back of my hand. I’d been pushing for almost three hours.
“Just cut the baby out. Clearly, he or she is stubborn, like the father.”
Dr. Miller and Reed both chuckled.
“Courtney, I see the baby’s head. One more good push, and you will get to meet your baby.”
Reed moved to look, and the moment he let out a gasp and said, “Oh my God,” I knew I had to give it one more try.
“Fine! Okay, but this is the last time I’m pushing. I just want to close my eyes and rest.”
Dr. Miller gave me a smile and said, “Deal. On the next contraction, give me a good push.”
They had taken me off the epidural, so I could feel my contractions and then push when I felt them. At this point, I was so tired that I didn’t think I could even feel the pain.
I felt the contraction coming.
Dr. Miller said, “Okay, Courtney, you can do this.”
I squeezed Reed’s hand and took a deep breath as I started pushing.
Reed leaned over and said, “Come on, baby. I’m so damn proud of you. You can do this.”
Somehow, I mustered up the strength to push with all my might. Then, I felt the baby coming out, and the moment she was out, I collapsed back onto the bed. I felt Reed’s hot breath up against my ear.
He said, “Courtney…my God…you did it, angel. You did it. I’m so proud of you.”
“Reed, Courtney, meet your son.”
I looked up and saw Dr. Miller holding our baby in his hands.
He quickly looked at Reed and asked if he wanted to cut the umbilical cord, and Reed said, “Yes.”
I watched as tears ran down Reed’s face.
What must this be like for him?
I wondered if he’d ever thought about if his first child had been a boy or a girl. He’d never brought it up or talked about it since the day he’d asked me to marry him.
Our baby started crying, drawing me out of my daydream and back into the moment. The tears were streaming down my face as I took in our son’s first moments. I smiled as I watched the nurse clean and wrap him in a blanket. The nurse walked over and placed him in my arms as Reed stood next to me.
“He’s perfect. My God…he’s breathtakingly beautiful,” I whispered.
Reed gently ran the back of his fingers across our son’s head. “Like his mother.”
I glanced up at Reed and said, “And his father. You have your son, Reed. Are you happy?” I smiled up at him.
He wiped away a tear and stared into my eyes. For a few brief moments, we were lost in each other’s gaze.
“I’ve never been so happy in my entire life. You’ve made every one of my dreams come true.” He leaned down and kissed me as our baby made the sweetest sounds I’d ever heard. When he pulled back, he said, “I love you, Courtney.”
I let a small sob escape before I looked back down at the baby and then back up at Reed. “I love you, too, Reed.” I slowly pulled my gaze from the man I loved more than life itself and stared at the new man in my life. “Walker Nickolas Moore, are you ready for this?”
Reed let out a laugh.
I looked up and asked him, “Are you ready to hold him?”
Reed nodded his head frantically and held out his arms. He reached down and gently took our son into his arms. I watched as the two of them just stared at each other while Reed gently stroked Walker’s face. Reed began walking around as he continued to carefully study Walker. He pulled the blanket back and looked at every single finger and repeated the same process with Walker’s toes, and I let out a giggle. Most of the people in the room were beginning to leave now, and we were down to the doctor and one nurse. Then, Dr. Miller talked to Reed and me for a few brief minutes.
I peeked over at Reed and Walker, and I fell more in love with my husband as the seconds passed by.
“I’m so glad to finally meet you, sweet angel. Thank you for giving Mommy a pretty easy pregnancy. You’re already a gentleman, I see.”
Oh. My. God. Swoon the shit out of me.
“Oh, man…Walker, there are so many things I have planned for us. I’m going to teach you everything there is to know about football, baseball, and golf. Layton and I are going to teach you all about the cattle business and everything about horses. I can’t wait to get you on a horse. You’re going to know everything about the trees and plants—”
I rolled my eyes and said, “Oh God, no!”
Reed looked up at me and smiled as he winked. My heart dropped, and I realized that just seeing my husband standing there, holding our child and talking to him about all of his plans for the future, turned me the hell on.
I looked at the nurse and asked in a hushed voice, “How long do we have to wait to have sex?”
She giggled and said, “Six weeks.”
“Six weeks!” I practically shouted.
Reed looked over at me and said, “Six weeks for what?”
“Nothing,” I quickly said. Shit. I had to keep that bit of information away from Reed because if he heard that, he would be a stickler for the rules and not touch me for six weeks.
I quickly looked back at the nurse and mouthed, Six weeks?
She laughed again and said as she looked at Reed, “It’s funny. Just seeing them hold our children, getting lost in that love they share, is a bit of a turn-on, isn’t it?”
I looked at Reed and smiled. “I’ll say. I’m going to have to be creative for the next six weeks.”
When I looked back up at the nurse, we both began laughing. Reed was now sitting down, holding Walker, and still going on a mile a minute. I felt my eyelids fighting to stay open.
As I was drifting in and out of sleep, I heard Reed say, “I love you, my sweet baby boy.”
I opened my eyes and saw Reed staring at me. He got up and placed Walker in his little bed, and then he walked up to me. He leaned down and gently kissed my lips.
“I could never love you more than I do in this very moment. You look so beautiful that you take my breath away. I promise you that I’m going to spend the rest of my life making you and Walker so happy. Thank you.”
I tilted my head and smiled. “For what?”
Reed ran the back of his hand down the side of my face, and my whole body trembled.
“For making all my dreams come true. I dreamed of one day being able to say that I found the perfect love. That night when you first smiled at me, you were the dream I had waited so long for, and I thank God every day for you.”
I tried to talk as I held back my tears. “Oh, Reed…”
He kissed me again, and I slid my hand around to the back of his neck. I held him in our kiss just a bit longer. When he finally pulled away, I looked into his eyes.
“Thank you, Reed. Thank you for your love, for always putting me first, and for taking such good care of me. Thank you for your never-ending knowledge of plants.”
Reed let out a chuckle as I winked.
“But most of all, thank you for giving us the best love story there is. Ours is a beautiful, passionate, caring, and never-ending love.”
I slid over and patted the bed. Reed crawled in and pulled me into his arms. I didn’t think I could ever love him more than I did right now.
“I never thought I could love you more than I do right now, Courtney.”
I sucked in a breath of air as I closed my eyes, and I just let the tears fall. “I feel the same, Reed. I love you.”
He kissed the back of my head and whispered, “I love you, too, angel.”
The sounds of Reed’s steady breathing relaxed me even more as I drifted off to sleep. I fell into a deep sleep and dreamed of Reed chasing a little boy and a little girl around the backyard.
Finally, I had my happily ever after.
I jumped out of the truck and quickly opened the back door, so I could help Courtney with the baby. I was a nervous wreck while driving home from the hospital, and Courtney had told me twice to please drive faster than forty miles per hour.
I smiled when I looked at our baby sleeping in the car seat. My phone beeped with a text message. I pulled it out and saw it was from Layton.
Layton: Are y’all home yet? How slow did you drive? I think I went forty all the way home, and Whit bitched the whole time.
Reed: Ha! Same here, dude. Fucking scared as hell to drive with Walker in the car. Does it get better?
Layton: No.
Reed: Thanks for that. Are y’all coming over soon?
Layton: Yep! Whit is feeding Taylor now, and we will be over soon. Wanted to let y’all get settled in. If Court’s emotions are anything like Whit’s, she will be crying and need some time.
Reed: Talk about emotions. Did you know we have to wait six weeks to have sex? SIX WEEKS! Dude…I’m gonna die.
Layton: Oh, trust me…you will find new ways to have fun.
I smiled as I read Layton’s last text. I looked up to see Courtney staring at me with one of those looks.
“Really? You’re standing there, texting, while I’m waiting to get our son out of this truck and into the house?”
I let out a chuckle, and then I reached up and kissed her. “I have a surprise for you.”
She grinned from ear to ear. “Oh yeah? I have one for you, too.”
I wiggled my eyebrows up and down. “Is your surprise going to give you multiple orgasms?”
Her smile dropped, and the look in her eyes turned to lust. She slowly shook her head and said, “No. Hurry. He might sleep for another thirty minutes at least!”
She pushed me out of her way as she slowly got out of the truck. I knew she was sore as hell after delivering my eight-pounds-two-ounces baby boy. I helped her down and then grabbed the small suitcase.
“I’ll take that. You get Walker, and don’t trip with him.”
I turned around and looked at her with a frown. “Great. I wasn’t even thinking of tripping with him, Court. Now, I’m going to worry about tripping!”
Courtney smiled as she took a few steps back and then yelled, “Wait! Where is Gracie?”
I panicked for a second before I remembered Layton had said he brought her home. “Layton has her.”
“Oh, thank God. I don’t think I could deal with her right now. But when is he bringing her back?”
I shrugged and asked, “When do you want her back?”
She looked at me like I was crazy. “Tonight! I haven’t
seen my baby girl in a couple of days. I’m outnumbered with men. I need my girl. Plus, I want her and Walker to bond.”
My mouth dropped open. “That dog is getting nowhere near my son.”
She rolled her eyes and said, “I beg to differ, my dear. She gets to sniff Walker and learn his scent. He’s a new pup to the pack.”
“You just referred to our son as a dog. Do you realize that?”
Courtney laughed and said, “Come on, I want my multiple orgasms.”
I felt my dick jump as I watched my beautiful wife walk away. I turned back to look at Walker sleeping in his car seat. The damn thing swallowed him up, and he looked so delicate.
“Please, dear God, don’t ever let me drop him.”
I reached over, unclipped the car seat, and gently took it out of the truck. I’d never walked so slow in my life as I made my way up the porch and through the front door. The bassinet was in our room, so I headed straight there, making sure I didn’t trip over any dog toys.
When I walked into our room, Court was jumping up and down, silently clapping. “He’s home! He’s home!” she whispered.
I set the car seat down on the bed, and Walker made a noise. We both stood perfectly still until we were sure he was still asleep. Courtney reached in and unclasped the seat belt that I was pretty sure had been designed by a NASCAR driver. She reached in and gently scooped up Walker. She held him to her as she brought him over and put him in the bassinet. He never made a sound. I let out the breath I had been holding and smiled at Courtney as she looked back at me and gave me a thumbs-up.
She took a few steps back, and then she quickly turned and threw herself into my body. It wasn’t long before we were stripping most of our clothes off of each other, and I was hovering over Courtney’s body.
“Fuck, I wish I could make love to you right now,” I said as I pushed my dick against her panties.
She moaned and arched her body up. “Reed…” she moaned as she began touching her breasts.
I wanted to kiss her breasts, but I knew better. I reached over and opened the side drawer. I pulled out the small, thin vibrator I had bought for her. I slid to the side of her and turned it on. I placed it on the outside of her panties. The moment she felt it, she sucked in a breath of air.
Broken Dreams Page 29