Taking You

by Jessie Evans

  Lark sighed. “Yes. I think she’s just lonely, but she’s driving my mom crazy. They’re both going to have a nervous breakdown when Nana finally figures out that Melody and Nick are living together.”

  “They’ll get over it,” Mason said. “Melody and Nick are good for each other.”

  “We’re good for each other, too,” Lark said, voice trembling. “But that didn’t stop everyone from deciding that I’m a pregnant-too-soon embarrassment to the family. My mom is so ashamed of me, I can tell.”

  Her last word ended in a whimper as her shoulders began to shake again. Fresh tears wet the front of Mason’s dress shirt. He swore he could feel them soaking into his heart, leaving an awful, helpless feeling behind.

  “Sweetheart, don’t cry. You are not an embarrassment,” he said, wrapping his other arm around her and giving her a real hug. “You have to stop letting Mom and Dad and Nana get you upset. It’s not good for you or the baby, and they’re just dead wrong. You are beautiful and perfect and our baby will be beautiful and perfect. It doesn’t matter when we got pregnant. We’re good, and everything will be fine.”

  She sniffed and swiped at her cheeks. “You always say the right things.”

  “I say true things.” He kissed the top of her head. “Trust me. I’m the only person you need to be listening to right now, and I promise you that our wedding will be wonderful and our baby will be a blessing and there is absolutely no reason for you to be upset.”

  There was a long pause before Lark whispered in a fearful voice, “What if I can’t handle it, Mason?”

  “Handle what?”

  “What if I can’t handle being a mom and running a business?” she asked. “What if everything falls apart? What if the catering company goes under, and I’m responsible for plunging my sisters into poverty, and my parents hate me, and our marriage crumbles beneath the strain?”

  Mason laughed, prompting Lark to lift her head and shoot him an outraged look.

  “What?” he asked. “I’m sorry, honey, but you’re blowing this way out of proportion. I know it will be hard at first, but we’ll make it through. The business is doing great, and it’s not like we’re in this all alone. We have your mom and sisters to help out, and I love you so much there’s no way our marriage is ever going to crumble.”

  “Are you sure?” Lark asked in a small voice. “Even if we get more than we bargained for?”

  “What do you mean?” Mason asked.

  “You know how we’ve been budgeting for a crib and stroller and car seat and diapers and childcare and everything for one baby?”

  “Yes,” he said cautiously, wondering what she was getting at.

  “Well, what if I told you we need to double our budget?”

  Mason stared down into her troubled eyes for a bewildered moment before the meaning of what she was saying hit him with enough force to make his head spin.

  “Twins?” he said, excitement and fear making his heart beat faster. “We’re having twins?”

  ***

  Lark nodded, feeling her face crumple, even though she was trying desperately not to start crying again. But she couldn’t interpret Mason’s expression and truthfully, she didn’t know what she was feeling, either.

  There were too many emotions swirling inside of her to pin down just one. Ever since the day she’d missed her last period, her emotional landscape had been wild and unfamiliar territory. Every feeling was so magnified that half the time she felt like she was drowning in a choppy sea of her own emotions and far too exhausted to fight her way to the surface.

  Aria said that was normal, and that she would have more energy and be less moody once she reached her second trimester, but Lark wasn’t so sure, especially now that she knew two babies, not one, were growing inside her. Multiples were considered high-risk pregnancies, and the chances of something going wrong were much greater.

  Maybe she would never feel better, maybe she would spend the next seven months a complete wreck, and her babies would arrive in the world to a mother who was a bundle of anxiety instead of the calm, grounded mom Lark had always wanted to be.

  “Please say something,” she begged, when Mason stayed quiet for too long.

  “Is there any history of twins in your family?” he asked, the unexpected question making Lark blink with surprise.

  “Um…I don’t think so,” she said. “None that I know of, anyway.”

  “Mine either,” Mason said. “And you’re not old enough for there to be an increased risk of twins for that reason. Do you think this could be a mistake?”

  Lark shook her head, the ball of stress in her stomach growing a little bigger, heavier. “There were two heartbeats, Mason. I saw them, like two little flashing lights. There was no doubt in Dr. Miller’s mind. She’s already planning on seeing me once a month from now on to make sure both babies are doing okay.”

  Mason’s breath rushed out. “Wow.”

  “You are not making me feel better, Mason,” Lark said, frustration banishing the urge to get weepy for the sixth or seventh time today. “This whole stunned, in-denial thing you’re doing right now is not reassuring.”

  Mason laughed nervously as he turned to take her hands in his. “I’m sorry, babe. I’m just surprised. And a little scared, I’ll admit it.”

  Lark’s brow furrowed. “So you don’t think we can handle twins, either? Oh my god, Mason, what are we going to do!”

  “No, no, that’s not it.” He lifted her hands to his mouth one at a time, pressing soft kisses to her fingers. “I’m worried about your health, and the babies’ health, that’s all. You’re only five foot two, babe. How are two little ones going to fit inside you once they’re bigger than my thumb?”

  Lark’s lips twitched. “That’s what you’re worried about?”

  Mason shrugged. “I know petite women have babies all the time, but you’re my petite woman and I worry.”

  Lark brushed gentle fingers through his hair, marveling that she could keep loving him more with every passing day. “Dr. Miller said I would be high risk, but she’s not super worried, I can tell. I’ll be fine, Mason. I may be short, but I’ve got child-birthing hips. I’m sure my uterus is spacious, and will sleep two comfortably.”

  Mason smiled hard enough to make the skin around his eyes wrinkle. “Oh, yeah? You’ve thought about this, then?”

  “Yes, I have,” Lark said, grinning back at him. “I think I have a roomy uterus. Is that okay with you?”

  “I think your uterus is a wonderland,” he said. “If I could spend my entire life balls deep in your uterus, I’d be a happy man.”

  “I think that’s my vagina you’re talking about,” Lark said, with a snort. “For a doctor, you have a poor grasp of female anatomy.”

  “Maybe you should give me a refresher course,” Mason said, pulling her onto his lap, and sliding one hand up her bare leg to disappear beneath the hem of her dress.

  “We’re in church, Mason,” Lark protested, pushing gently at his chest.

  “I know,” he said, fingers skimming higher up her thigh.

  “In the baptismal suite. This is probably sacrilegious,” she whispered, but she didn’t move a hand to stop him, she only leaned closer, capturing his lips in a kiss.

  “This isn’t sacrilegious, this is love,” he mumbled against her lips as he began to stroke her through her underwear, making Lark’s breath come faster. “What could be more holy than love?”

  “Hard to argue with that,” she breathed.

  Mason’s free hand threaded through her hair, pulling her deeper into his kiss. As his tongue danced with hers and his fingers teased between her legs, Lark’s chest loosened and her shoulders finally relaxed away from her ears for what felt like the first time all day.

  Within a few minutes, the anxiety that had plagued her all afternoon was gone, replaced by waves of blissful anticipation. Her breath came faster, her fingers fisted in Mason’s shirt, and it wasn’t long before she was spreading her thighs, silently begging
for more.

  “God, I love you,” Mason sighed softly as he pulled her underwear to one side.

  “I love you, too,” she said, stifling a moan as his long, thick finger slid inside her and his thumb came to circle the bundle of nerves at the top of her, building the tension gathering low in her body. She reached for him, finding where he was thick and hard beneath his pants, but he put her hand away.

  “No,” he said. “This is for you. Just relax, let me do the work.”

  He intensified his efforts, until Lark was squirming on his lap, her breath coming in desperate little pants as she neared the edge.

  “Come for me,” Mason whispered against her throat, kissing her with the words as he expertly brought her to completion with his hand.

  Moments later, her head fell back with a soft cry, sparks flickering behind her closed eyes. Lark wrapped her arms tighter around his neck, holding on for dear life as waves of pleasure coursed through her body, tightening her womb and sending ripples of delight skittering across her skin. The release lasted far longer than usual, surges of bliss that came and went like waves lapping at the sand, confirming that pregnancy did have a few perks.

  “Wow,” she panted as Mason pulled his hand away and she finally came drifting back to earth. “That was…amazing.”

  “I do what I can,” he said, nuzzling her neck as he pulled her dress down over her legs.

  “Orgasms are way more intense when you’re pregnant,” she said, smoothing Mason’s hair back into place, knowing they had to pull themselves together and get back to the rest of the family.

  “Really?” Mason asked. “Now I’m really jealous that all I get to do is sit around and feel helpless while I worry about you.”

  Lark smiled, catching his chin in her hand. “You don’t have to worry. I’ll be fine.”

  “I don’t want you to be sad or stressed out,” Mason said, squeezing her hip gently. “We’re getting married tomorrow, and even if there are no flowers or decorations or if Aria’s cake explodes at the last minute or Nana gets drunk and dances naked on top of the piano, it will still be one of the best days of my life.”

  Lark giggled. “Thanks for putting that naked Nana on the piano image in my head.”

  Mason smiled. “Seriously though, hearing you say ‘I do’ is the only thing I need for everything to be perfect.”

  Lark sighed and brushed his hair tenderly from his eyes. “You are going to be an amazing father. Our girls are going to be two lucky little ladies.”

  Mason’s eyebrows lifted. “Girls? They couldn’t have seen that on the ultrasound this early, could they?”

  “No,” Lark said, rising from Mason’s lap and doing her best to smooth the wrinkles from her dress and look like she hadn’t been making out with her husband-to-be. “I just have a feeling they’re girls. You weren’t desperate for boys, were you?”

  Mason shook his head as he stood up and claimed her hand with his. “Healthy babies are all I’m hoping for. Healthy babies, and healthy mama, and an easy birth. Boys or girls, doesn’t matter, though I’ll probably be as bad as your dad if we have girls. They’ll hate me for scaring all their boyfriends away.”

  Lark giggled again, letting Mason lead her toward the stairs. “Poor Dad. He’s so stressed out about Melody and Nick living in sin together. If Nick doesn’t propose soon, Dad may give himself a heart attack.”

  Mason glanced back over his shoulder as he descended the stairs, a knowing look in his eyes. “I don’t think your dad will have to worry much longer.”

  “Oh, no?” Lark stepped off the last stair behind him, plucking at his sleeve. “Tell me everything, Mason. You can’t keep juicy news like this to yourself.”

  Mason laughed. “I don’t know any specifics, but I think there’s a reason Nick brought that flask along tonight. I think he’s working up a little liquid courage.”

  “Really? You think he’s going to ask her tonight?” Lark squeezed Mason’s hand, fighting the urge to squeal with delight.

  “The kid is so nervous,” Mason said, chuckling. “It’s pretty funny, really. I mean everyone knows Melody is going to say yes.”

  “Maybe he doesn’t. In any event, I think it’s adorable that he’s nervous,” Lark said with a happy sigh. “It makes me like him even more.”

  “Me too,” Mason said, swinging their joined hands. “You ready to go finish up?”

  Lark nodded firmly, feeling a thousand times better than she did twenty minutes ago. “Absolutely. Let’s get this done and get to the rehearsal dinner. I could use an Italian salad, breadsticks, and extra cheesy ravioli. And if I can’t zip up my dress tomorrow, I’ll pin it together with safety pins. I’m done stressing about that stupid dress. I don’t care how much my mom paid for it.”

  “Sounds fabulous,” Mason said as they headed back into the sanctuary.

  “I mean, I’m having twins,” Lark said as they pushed through the door. “It’s time I gave myself permission to eat like it.”

  “Excuse me?” The sharp voice was enough to make Lark jump.

  “Lark Angeline March,” her nana continued in a strained tone, “what did you just say?”

  Lark spun to see Nana standing only a few feet away, helping one of the church deacons put away the banners that usually decorated the front of the sanctuary, but which would be tucked away in a cabinet to make way for Lark and Mason’s flowers and bows of tulle. From the horrified look in Nana’s eyes, there was no doubt she’d heard exactly what Lark had just said, loud and clear.

  “Um, I…I uh…” Lark stammered, turning wide eyes to Mason as she mentally cursed Nana’s excellent hearing. The woman was almost eighty—shouldn’t her senses be at least a little dulled by now?

  “She said they’re having twins,” the deacon next to Nana said in a booming voice, reminding Lark of the man who used to play Santa Claus at the church’s annual holiday festival. He sounded every bit as merry as a fat old elf announcing she’d been a very good girl this year.

  Nana March, on the other hand, reacted as if Lark had just announced she’d punched the preacher in the face.

  “Sweet Jesus,” Nana said, hand fluttering franticly in front of her face, as if she needed the extra air to keep living. “She’s pregnant before the wedding.”

  Nana’s lashes fluttered, and her knees buckled. A cry went up from various corners of the sanctuary, but everyone in the family was too far away to reach her in time. Thankfully, the deacon stepped gracefully in, gathering Nana in his arms and easing her down to sit on one of the steps leading up to the chancel.

  “Oh, my gosh! Is she all right?” Melody rushed down the aisle, reaching Nana on one side, as Mason and Lark arrived at Nana’s other side.

  “Should I call nine-one-one?” Lark asked, guilt rising inside of her like bile after a platter of bad nachos.

  Her mom was really going to kill her now. Sue had begged Lark to keep her pregnancy secret from Nana, hoping the old woman would lose count of how many months Lark and Mason had been married by the time the baby came and thus, be spared the knowledge of her favorite granddaughter’s “irresponsibility.”

  “She’s fine, probably just excited over the good news is all,” the man said, gently rubbing Nana’s back.

  “When I’m overcome with excitement, you’ll know it, Harris Nelson,” Nana said, enough sass in her tone that Lark was fairly certain they weren’t going to have to call an ambulance.

  “I’m sorry we didn’t tell you sooner,” Lark said.

  “We just wanted to wait until the ultrasound today to make sure everything was okay with the baby before we told the entire family,” Mason said, embroidering the truth in that seamless way he had, the way that would have made Lark nervous if she didn’t know he only used his powers of manipulation for good, not evil.

  “But when Lark went in for the check-up, we got more than we were bargaining for.” Mason looked up, grinning at the family and friends that had assembled in a loose semi-circle around Nana and her hero. “
We’re having twins!”

  “Twins!” Lark’s mom clapped her hands, the joy on her face helping banish some of the guilt swirling in Lark’s stomach. “Oh, honey!”

  Sue rushed forward, snatching Lark up into a fierce hug.

  “So you’re not mad at me?” Lark asked her mom softly as the rest of the family buzzed around them offering congratulations. “For accidentally spilling the beans?”

  “No, honey, of course not,” her mom said, kissing her on the forehead. “I’m so excited for you and Mason! And I want you to know I will be there to help you every step of the way. You and Mason and the babies can even move in with me and Dad for a few months if you need to. That way I can be there anytime you need me.”

  “Thanks, Mom, that means so much to me,” Lark said, tears spilling down her cheeks for the zillionth time today. But at least this time they were happy tears.

  “I love you, Lark, and I’m so proud of you,” her mom said, tears in her eyes as she added, “I’m sorry if I’ve caused you to doubt that these past few weeks. Mason and I had a talk earlier tonight and he made me realize… Well, I’m just so sorry if I’ve added to the stress you’re obviously feeling.”

  “It’s okay,” Lark said, sniffing.

  “No, it’s not. Seeing other people have such a dramatic reaction to such wonderful news has reminded me how I should—and shouldn’t—be behaving,” she said, cutting a meaningful look Nana’s way.

  But Nana wasn’t looking at them, she was staring deep into the deacon’s eyes as he patted her hand and murmured something Lark couldn’t hear. Whatever it was, however, Nana seemed completely captivated.

  “Don’t pay any attention to her. Or me, or anyone else,” Sue added in a whisper. “Tomorrow is your day, and you deserve to enjoy every minute of it.”

  Lark hugged her mom tight, joy swelling inside of her until she felt light enough to float down the aisle.

  “Is it time for food yet?” Nash asked. “I’m starving to death, and it sounds like the mom-to-be could use a breadstick.”

  “Or twelve,” Lark said, pulling away from her mom as the rest of the family laughed.