Thank You For Loving Me

by Lori Ryan

  Her eyes opened and she stared up at him. “You only missed my body.”

  No, it wasn’t just her body he’d missed. They’d grown close over the last few weeks, sharing text messages, talking on the phone, slowly revealing things to one another. Before all that, it might have been only her body Max missed. Now, it was so much more. She was so much more.

  She clamped her legs around his hips and pulled him in deeper as her hands slid over his shoulders and around his neck. “Max?” she said quietly.

  “Yeah,” he answered with a raspy growl.

  “I missed your body, too.” She squeezed around him and Max saw stars.

  “Devlin,” he ground out, “I’m not going to last if you keep that shit up.”

  “So don’t,” she challenged. “Take me.” Her hands tightened on his neck and she pulled him down, her lips pressing against his in a fevered kiss.

  He surged inside her.

  “Mmm,” she hummed against his lips.

  Having her, skin-on-skin, was surreal, unlike anything he’d ever felt in his life. Without another thought, Max pumped into Devlin with a fervor he’d never felt before, consuming her, possessing her. Or maybe it was Devlin doing the possessing and he was the one being consumed.

  As she moaned into his mouth and ground her hips against his, he really couldn’t give a fuck less.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Maggie hefted two dress bags with one arm and reached to lift them to the bar in her closet with the other.

  “Here, let me help,” Lily said, taking one of the bags. “Can I see your dress?”

  “Is it bad luck to try it on before the wedding?” Maggie asked

  Devlin leaned back on Maggie’s bed. “I don’t think so. Just pretend it’s a fitting.”

  Kayleigh sat beside her. “You haven’t tried it on since your last fitting, anyway. I want to see it now that it’s all tucked and nipped.”

  “All right but you need to try yours on, too,” Maggie said to Devlin. “You look thinner thanks to that stomach virus.”

  Kayleigh cocked a brow at Devlin but thankfully remained quiet.

  Devlin wanted to stay in the happy-land of denying she was pregnant, even if Kayleigh seemed to be sure she was. She unzipped her dress bag. “I’ll try mine on in the bathroom,” she said, scooting past Kayleigh and Lily.

  “Do you need help?” Kayleigh asked.

  “No, you stay with Maggie. Hers is way more complicated than mine.”

  Devlin slipped into the bathroom and quietly closed the door, hanging her dress bag on the hook. She slipped out of her sundress and stood in front of the mirror, staring at her stomach. It didn’t look any bigger. She turned sideways. It looked like she’d lost weight. It was probably only stress, and being sick from her trip to Mexico, that had made her late. Those two things could mess with your cycle, couldn’t they? By eight weeks? She sagged on the door. Yeah, probably not.

  She closed her eyes, wishing she could get a hold on the confusing emotions crashing over her. Did she want a baby? She didn’t know. She couldn’t explain what she was thinking or feeling any more than she could explain how she could have gotten pregnant in the first place. How was she going to explain this to Max when she couldn’t even explain it to herself?

  Devlin moved to the toilet and sat in her bra and underwear, remembering her afternoon with Max yesterday. God, he was so sexy. But he was a known player. He’d never want to settle down and raise a family. Not that she did either. Hell, she had no idea how to be a mother. Her own family had been so dysfunctional that Devlin had decided long ago never to have children, even if some small part of her wondered how it would be to love a little baby. To let herself love it and cherish it. To believe she might be capable of that.

  How could she have let this happen? She’d taken Depo shots for years, never missed a doctor’s appointment. But she’d changed doctors two months ago. Her old doctor’s office used to call and remind her, so she’d never had to schedule her shots on her calendar. Her life took her all over the world, she would never remember. Apparently, the new doctor wasn’t going to remember for her.

  Still, they’d used condoms until yesterday. Why on earth she’d let him go without one yesterday, she would never know. A little voice in her head whispered to her that she’d allowed it because it was too late. She was pregnant and denying it wouldn’t do her any good.

  Devlin drew in a deep breath. Her head throbbed and her stomach ached. Thankfully she hadn’t thrown up since she’d returned to Canyon Creek, but she also hadn’t been sleeping well.

  Resigning herself to the inevitable, Devlin removed the dress from the bag and eyed it. It was strapless, a pale yellow, and went well with Devlin’s caramel colored skin.

  She unfastened the back zipper and slipped one leg inside, then the other. She tugged it up, praying it would fit. It slid easily over her hips and her stomach and she smiled. She’d been worried for nothing.

  The smile vanished when she tried to draw the zipper up. Her breasts.

  They’d been overly sensitive, but apparently, they’d also been growing. They were swollen to the point that the zipper didn’t want to close. At least not easily.

  Devlin jumped at a knock on the door.

  “Need some help?” Kayleigh asked.

  Fuck.

  Devlin turned her back to the mirror. There was no way she could zip it up herself.

  “Nah, I’m good.” She’d rather deal with a dress that didn’t fit than face the scrutiny of Dr. Kayleigh Montgomery.

  “Come on, I want to see it,” Maggie said.

  Damn. She couldn’t disappoint the bride.

  Devlin opened the door, and gasped when she saw Maggie in her wedding dress.

  It was a simple sleeveless dress, the straps and bodice covered with lace and intricately woven with roses of satin. Ben’s cousin Holly was a fashion designer in New York and had insisted on designing Maggie’s dress. Devlin would bet Maggie was glad she had. She looked incredible as she turned to show Devlin the full effect.

  The simple yet elegant dress fit her best friend’s personality to a tee. The bodice was a pale pink that brought out the undertones in Maggie’s skin but was barely noticeable underneath the white lace overlay that covered it. A satin belt wrapped around her slender waist and fell down her back nearly to the floor. The dress was a work of art, truly breathtaking and Devlin had never seen her friend look so beautiful, or so happy

  Devlin choked back tears, cursing herself for being so damned emotional.

  All of the women slipped into the tiny bathroom.

  “Isn’t it amazing?” Maggie asked, turning her back to the mirror, glancing over her shoulder.

  “It truly is exquisite,” Kayleigh said. “I know Holly is a fashion designer but does she normally design wedding gowns?”

  “I don’t think so.” Maggie wiggled around, studying the dress from different angles.

  “No,” Lily answered, “she works for a beast of a designer.”

  “Well, she should,” Kayleigh said. “She’d make a killing.”

  Maggie glanced at Devlin in the mirror. “Oh, Devlin, your dress is perfect, just the right color for your skin.” Her friend turned and pushed Devlin toward the mirror. “Let me see the back.”

  “It’s not zipped up.”

  “Turn around, I’ll zip it for you,” Lily offered.

  She drew in a deep breath, hoping Lily would be able to make the fitted dress zip, but she had a feeling taking a breath wouldn’t do anything to shrink her breasts. She changed tactics and blew her breath out, trying to shrink them down.

  Devlin could feel Lily working the zipper.

  “Kayleigh,” Lily called, “come pull the material together at the top.”

  Devlin cringed. She’d been measured for it several months ago before her breasts had swelled to watermelons.

  “Maggie,” Devlin stared at her friend in the mirror, trying to figure out how to explain this.

  “What th
e hell did they do to your dress?” Maggie met Devlin’s reflection, her dark brows knitted together. “They had to have gotten the measurements wrong.”

  Devlin had been measured by a shop in New York who then called the measurements in to the shop in Denver for alterations.

  Devlin’s eyes caught Kayleigh’s. Kayleigh knew it wasn’t any error in transcribing the measurements or screw up on either wedding shop’s part. And so did Devlin.

  She swallowed hard. “Maggie, I need to tell you something.”

  “What the hell are we going to do?” Maggie asked, oblivious to Devlin’s attempts to explain. “I can’t believe they screwed up your dress.”

  “Maggie,” Devlin tried again.

  “We only have a few days left. I don’t have time to take it back to Denver.”

  “Maggie!” Devlin nearly shouted this time.

  “I know,” her friend said triumphantly. “We’ll have Holly fix it. She’s supposed to be here on—”

  Devlin cut her off. “I think I’m pregnant,” she forced the words out.

  “Hopefully she travels with sewing stuff, don’t you think she would?” Maggie glanced at Lily, apparently either applying selective hearing to the situation or so far gone in bride mode, she truly wasn’t hearing a word Devlin was saying. “Could you ask her?”

  Lily stood, mouth open, staring at Devlin. She’d heard it loud and clear.

  “Wait,” Maggie shook her head, turning to Devlin. “What did you say?”

  “I think I’m pregnant,” Devlin whispered, tears burning her eyes.

  “Oh, Devlin, what the…” Maggie stuttered. “I mean, what makes you think… how could?”

  Devlin cocked a brow.

  Maggie nodded, looking like she was putting the pieces together now. “How late?”

  “Over a month now.”

  “Well, you’ve been traveling,” Maggie said. “Maybe it’s stress.”

  “I travel all the time.”

  “But you were sick with a stomach virus, maybe that could have—”

  “My boobs are the size of beach balls.”

  “Oh shit.” Maggie’s hand covered her mouth. “It wasn’t a stomach virus was it?”

  “No,” Devlin choked out as her eyes filled with tears.

  “Oh, honey,” Maggie grabbed her and pulled her into her arms with surprising strength. “It’s all right.” She soothed Devlin with soft words as she stroked her back. “We’ll figure something out.”

  Devlin leaned back. “What’s there to figure out? I can’t be a mother, Maggie, you know that. I can barely keep a house plant alive, and you told me there was no way I could own a pet.”

  “Plants and animals are a little different than babies,” Kayleigh said.

  “Yeah, totally. If my mom can do it, you can, Devlin.” Lily smiled.

  Devlin had forgotten the other women were in the room. Before she could stop them, tears streamed down her face. “My boobs are the size of a baby elephant, I puke anytime I even smell peanut butter, and I can’t stop this damn crying. All the fucking time. I won’t be any good at this.” She hiccuped the words through sobs.

  “It’s okay, just calm down.” Lily rubbed her shoulders.

  “Are you sure?” Maggie asked. “Have you taken a test I mean?”

  Devlin shook her head and wiped at the tears streaking her face. “No, not yet.”

  “Well,” Maggie straightened, “first things first. We’ll get a test and make sure you are, in fact, pregnant.”

  “Then what?” Devlin asked, rolling off toilet paper and blowing her nose.

  “One step at a time, my friend.” Maggie smiled, that glorious grin that had made Ben Sumner fall in love with her, Devlin was sure.

  “Okay,” Devlin sniffed. “Wh-when?”

  Maggie glanced down at her watch. “We’re supposed to be at Valerie’s in half an hour. Why don’t we take a separate car from the guys and stop by the drug store? We can do it at Valerie’s.”

  “I don’t want to do it at Max’s mother’s house,” Devlin said.

  “Is he the father?” Maggie asked.

  Devlin wasn’t surprised, she’d anticipated the question. Should she protect him, protect herself?

  “The sooner you find out, the better,” Maggie said, apparently not needing confirmation. “This could all be a false alarm.”

  “Maybe your boobs are the size of the Goodyear Blimp because of some weird hormone imbalance,” Kayleigh offered. “I can stop and pick up a test on the way to Valerie’s. The pharmacist won’t think anything of it if I buy one.” She laughed and Devlin smiled. It was good to share her worry with other people.

  “Okay, tonight then?” Maggie said.

  The women stared at Devlin. She sucked in a breath, knowing she’d waited long enough for the answer. It was foolish to put it off any longer, especially if doing it now meant she’d have support with her while she waited for the results.

  “Tonight,” she finally answered. “Tonight,” she repeated silently to herself, garnering strength from the women standing with her. Devlin realized she was going to need them.

  Chapter Seventeen

  The doorbell at his mother’s house rang and Max rushed toward it, knowing Devlin would be here soon. His family was gathered to celebrate the wedding, but he was looking forward to spending time with her. He’d just arrived himself.

  Ben beat him to it, swinging the door open wide. “There you guys are.” He swept Maggie into a warm embrace as Lily skirted to the side and ducked around the pair.

  Max watched anxiously for Devlin, surprised at his reaction when he saw her standing just inside the doorway.

  Aaron stepped up behind Max. “Where’s Kayleigh? I thought she was coming, too.”

  “She had to stop by the pharmacy,” Lily said, quickly. “She just needed to get something… um, supplies, or something.”

  “Vet emergency?” Aaron was a renowned cardiologist in Chicago. He wasn’t normally a snob but obviously something in his earlier meeting with Kayleigh had rubbed him the wrong way and he now seemed determined to rib her about being an “animal” doctor any chance he got.

  “Dude, you better watch your mouth,” Ben warned. “That chick could totally kick your ass.”

  “And probably will,” Lily added.

  Max wrapped his arm around Devlin. “You okay?”

  She glanced up and nodded with a weak smile.

  He pulled back and looked at her, but she gave a small shake of her head. “Just tired.”

  “This is my mom’s house,” he said, swinging out his hand.

  His childhood home was filled with laughter and boisterous conversation. The Sumner brothers had arrived in Canyon Creek and they’d brought up the noise level in the small town by a few decibels in the process.

  Glancing over the girls’ heads, Max spotted his brother Grant, his hands flailing in wild movement as he regaled their family with a story. His success as an actor was a no-brainer with all the drama the guy stuck into everything. Max noticed Grant looked better, more at peace than he had a few months ago at their father’s funeral. It made him grin to think he could give him shit now that he wasn’t down.

  Grant stilled and turned to Max, as if sensing him. “Douchebag!” he shouted over the noise.

  “Hey, fuck face!” Max answered.

  “Boys!” their mother shouted, eyes popping wide. “We have guests.”

  Max glanced down at Devlin. She wasn’t a guest, she was…what was she? Family? He surveyed the room, noting the relatives that had already arrived for the wedding.

  Aunt Sally sat in the easy chair, Warner Noble by her side as they chatted with Sally’s daughter, Lily, and Warner’s daughter, Elle. Next to Lily was her sister, Mia. She must have just arrived from Chicago that day. Her hair was a tame platinum blonde this time. Mia was a hair stylist and she varied the cut and color of her hair almost monthly. She never limited the colors to anything traditional. Max knew Maggie would be relieved not to see turq
uoise hair in her wedding photos.

  Grant made his way around the furniture, stalking toward Max, stopping just in front of him. They stood eye to eye. The Sumner boys all had similar features, but even Max could admit that Grant was by far the most handsome. Magazine covers around the world obviously agreed, naming him the sexiest man alive for several years in a row. Although Max had graced a few covers himself, albeit sports magazines.

  He and his brothers had never laughed so hard as when they’d sent Grant one of his own magazine covers, completely covered with Max’s irreverent doodlings, including unflattering male parts penciled in at anatomically impossible spots.

  Max studied his brother from head to toe. “You look good man,” he said, grasping Grant around the shoulders.

  “These are better circumstances,” Grant said as he hugged Max and patted his back, before pulling back to stare down at Devlin. “And this is the lovely Devlin Darby, is it not?” Grant smiled, a sparkle in his green eyes, and Max could swear he saw Devlin swoon. “It’s good to see you again, Devlin. I remember you from school.”

  “We weren’t in the same grade,” she whispered as if in a trance.

  Fucking Grant.

  Grant’s lips curved in a salacious grin. “Doesn’t mean I don’t remember you.”

  The asshole winked.

  “Back away.” Max growled. “She’s taken.”

  Grant looked from Max to Devlin. “Is this true, angel?” he asked.

  Angel?

  Fucker.

  Devlin shrugged and glanced up at Max, her caramel colored eyes holding his gaze with an amused glint.

  He didn’t want amusement. He wanted to hear that she was claiming him the way he’d just claimed her. He’d never wanted to commit himself to anyone the way he did Devlin.

  Her smirk turned into a dazzling smile, lighting up her beautiful face. “Yeah, I’m pretty sure I’m taken,” she answered, her eyes never leaving Max’s.

  Max released a deep breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding. He slid an arm around Devlin’s shoulder and pulled her tight.

  Devlin turned her attention back to Grant and winked. “Feel free to check back tomorrow. This doof might piss me off later.”