" And I love you! So much it fucking hurts!" Sebastian bellowed, clutching a fistful of his t-shirt over his heart with one hand. Then having realized what he said, his mouth snapped shut. His eyes widened and his face paled.
Raelynn's eyes widened too. Holy shit! He just told her that he loved her. And it was so much better then how she had ever imagined he would say it. She pictured him being sweet about it, possibly saying it after making love or something. But this, this was so much better. She knew for a fact that he truly meant it because he just blurted it out without thinking. She knew it was for real. There is no way he could have just said it to make her change her mind because he was just as shocked as she was that he said it.
Sebastian swallowed hard. " Did I just say what I think I said?" he asked tightly.
Raelynn fought not to smile. She rolled her lips in and nodded. Jesus, he looked like he was going to pass out.
Sebastian nodded jerkily and rubbed his chest. " That's what I thought," he wheezed and reached for the recliner. " I gotta sit," he muttered, and dropped onto the recliner. He continued to rub his chest with the heel of his palm.
Raelynn walked over and climbed onto his lap. She sat facing him. Sebastian was staring off into space. Poor guy. Raelynn cupped his face and lifted it so he had to look at her. Sebastian's green eyes were hesitant and wary. Raelynn realized he was afraid of her reaction. Raelynn leaned forward and kissed him tenderly on the lips.
" I love you too, Sebastian," she whispered against his lips.
" You do?" he breathed, his eyes sliding closed.
" So much it fucking hurts,” she said, using his own words.
Sebastian sucked in a sharp breath before his arms came around her and he crushed his mouth against hers. Raelynn moaned, kissing him back with everything she had and felt. Sebastian tangled his fingers in her hair and tilted her head, giving himself a better angle to kiss her more deeply.
Raelynn pulled back, giving him a few smaller kisses before leaning back to look at him.
Sebastian brushed her hair back from her face. " Does this mean you won't go back to work?" he asked hopefully.
" No, but let me talk to the Chief. I’ll see if he can transfer me somewhere thats less dangerous," Raelynn said quietly.
" Like a desk?" Sebastian smirked.
Raelynn chuckled low. " Yes, maybe he can put me in cyber crimes where I can work at a desk."
Sebastian sighed in relief. " Okay. Thank you, baby. I'm sorry for acting like an ass," he frowned.
" I'll forgive you on one condition," Raelynn said, watching as she drew circles on his chest with her finger.
" Oh yeah? What's that?" he asked with a smirk.
" Tell me you love me again," Raelynn said, lifting her gaze to meet his.
Sebastian cupped her face, his thumb stroking her cheek. " I love you, Raelynn. So much," he said roughly before kissing her again.
Raelynn closed her eyes and savored the moment. She loved the way those words sounded coming out of his mouth. She knew how hard it was for him to have even let himself fall in love with her. But he did, and that's all she cared about. He loved her and they were going to have a baby together.
Quinn parked his car in his parent's driveway. His mother had invited them all over for dinner. They hadn't all been together in a few months. And this would be the first time Sebastian was bringing his girlfriend, Raelynn. According to Henry, they were pretty damn serious. Which shocked Quinn. He swore Sebastian wouldn't get serious with another woman for a long time.
Quinn walked in the front door and was immediately greeted by the four year old Ethan, who promptly latched onto his leg. Quinn smiled down at him and ruffled his mop of blonde curls. Ethan was a really cute kid. Definitely gonna be a heartbreaker some day.
" Uncle Quinn!" Ethan exclaimed. His bright blue eyes lighting up as he looked up at Quinn.
" Hey, buddy," Quinn murmured.
Quinn glanced around the living room. Little Henry was sitting on the floor chewing on some kind of baby toy. The chunky-monkey was 10 months now and Quinn could tell the kid was definitely going to take after Henry. He was huge! He looked more like an one and a half year old. He had white blonde hair that Henry liked to put into a mohawk. The only thing he got from Claire was his light blue eyes.
Henry was lounging on the couch at one end while Christian lounged at the other end. Christian was looking spiffy as usual. The man was a clothes whore. He had a thing for the latest fashion and was always buying something new to add to his collection. He was wearing dark jeans, a white dress shirt with a gray v-neck cardigan that had a navy blue collar. All of which fit snug to his long lean body. Christian was the thinnest of all of them, but he still had muscle and it showed in whatever he wore.
Sebastian and Raelynn were sitting on the love seat being all lovey-dovey. Sebastian had his arm one around Raelynn's shoulders while the other rested on her stomach. Their faces were turned towards each other and only inches apart. They were talking quietly to each other. Quinn was glad his brother was happy. It definitely showed. Sebastian deserved it.
" Quinn!" Anne's voice called, bringing him out of his thoughts.
Quinn looked towards the kitchen to see his mother coming through the doorway into the living room. She gave him a kiss on the cheek. " Hey, mom," he said, trying to walk forward with a four year old wrapped around his leg.
Claire emerged from the kitchen also. She smiled at him before frowning down at Ethan.
" Ethan! At least let Uncle Quinn get in the door before you torture him," she scolded and shooed Ethan off his leg. Claire then gave him a hug and a kiss on the cheek. " Hi, Quinn."
" Claire," he murmured in greeting.
Quinn went around the room, saying hi to everyone else. Then he went and laid on the floor with little Henry. Quinn wasn't the most affectionate person, everyone knew that. He even had a hard time with the kids. He just didn't know what to do. Ethan was a little easier because he would just come up and hug Quinn, or jump on him or try to wrestle. The baby was harder to deal with. Harder to connect with. Quinn lounged on his side, resting on his elbow in front of the little boy. Quinn used a finger to tickle his belly. Little Henry stared at him, but wasn't affected. Quinn tried next to tickle his little sock-covered foot. The kid pulled his foot away but just kept staring, chewing on his teething ring.
" I don't think he likes me, Henry," Quinn grumbled.
Henry smiled. " He likes you just fine, Quinn. Try making him punch you with his hand, he gets a kick out of that."
" Really?" Quinn asked skeptically.
" Yeah, just make sure you pretend it hurts," Henry chuckled.
Quinn shrugged. He'd give it a try. He scooted a little closer and took little Henry's free hand. His chubby hand was already in a fist. Quinn swung the little fist and connected it with his jaw. Quinn "Oof-ed" and pretended to get knocked back. To his surprise, the baby started cracking the hell up. Quinn grinned and glanced at Henry, who winked at him.
Quinn played with little Henry until it was time to eat. When their mother called them in for dinner, Henry came and scooped his son up off the floor. Christian walked over and held out a hand for Quinn. Quinn accepted it, letting Christian pull him up off the floor.
" Thanks, Chris," Quinn said.
" No problem," Christian said with a small smile.
" How you feeling?" Quinn asked, knowing Christian would understand what he was asking about. Christian had a hard time with anxiety. It was one of the reasons he was thinner then the rest of them. Whenever his anxiety was high, he either didn't have an appetite or would throw up a lot.
Christian shrugged. " I have good days and bad."
Quinn nodded in understanding as they walked into the kitchen. At the table, Quinn sat with Christian on one side and his mother on the other. His mom had made a ham, with corn, pineapple stuffing and a salad. It looked delicious. One thing his mother was always good at was cooking. Everyone passed around the food and dug in. S
mall conversations started. Quinn mostly just listened.
About halfway through dinner, Sebastian cleared his throat and got everyone's attention.
" Raelynn and I have something to tell everyone," he said, sending a loving glance at Raelynn and placed his hand over hers where it rested on the table.
Quinn could feel his mother buzzing with excitement next to him. Quinn wondered what Sebastian was going to say. Was he getting married again?
" Well, what is it son? Don't leave us hangin'," their dad, Henry Sr. chuckled.
" We're having a baby," Sebastian smiled sheepishly, a slight blush creeping up his face.
Raelynn too blushed and smiled shyly.
" Oh my god! That's wonderful!" Anne exclaimed excitedly. " Another grandchild, Henry!" she croaked, looking over at her husband with tears in her eyes.
Quinn saw Henry and Claire glance at each other from where they were sitting across from him. " Uh, you're actually going to have two new grandchildren," Henry winced and rubbed the back of his neck.
Anne gasped, her head swinging around to look at Claire. " You're pregnant too?!" she squawked.
Claire smiled and nodded.
" Oh my God!!!" Anne cried and covered her face with her hands.
" Nice, brother. Congrats!" Sebastian laughed, reaching around Raelynn to clap Henry on the back.
" Hey! Congrats to you too, man!" Henry grinned, patting Sebastian on the back in return.
After the congratulations were finished and his mom stopped crying, the questions started. When are the babies due? Do they have any names in mind? Are they hoping for a boy or girl? Quinn just sat and listened. He and Christian weren't really involved as much and probably wouldn't be until they both settled down and had kids. So as of right now, they were outsiders. Which was fine by him, Quinn didn't want to be part of that group. He wasn't cut out to be a father.
After dinner, the women chatted while they cleaned up the kitchen. The men and kids headed back out into the living room. Quinn sat with Christian on the love seat while Henry, Sebastian and their dad sat on the couch. The boys played on the floor.
" I can't believe it. Sebastian's gonna be a daddy," Henry smirked, shaking his head as he patted Sebastian's thigh.
" I know, right?" Sebastian agreed. " Rae told me last week and I'm still in shock."
" She's not working on the streets is she?" Henry Sr. asked, brow furrowed.
" No, thank God. She got transferred to a different department where she's on desk duty now," Sebastian said, raking a hand through his hair.
" And she's okay with that?" Christian asked doubtfully.
" She did it mostly for me. But yeah, I think she's okay with it," Sebastian nodded.
" So have you told her you love her yet?" Henry asked, eyebrow raised dubiously.
" As a matter of fact, I did," Sebastian said smugly, crossing his arms over his chest.
Henry gasped, as did Christian. " No fucking way!" Henry exclaimed, eyes wide.
Quinn was pretty damn shocked himself, but he didn't react.
" It kinda just fell out of my mouth when we were arguing about her job. But I did say it and I'm gonna keep on saying it," Sebastian said firmly.
" I'm glad to hear that, Sebastian. I was worried about you after everything that'd happened," Henry Sr. said with a sad smile.
" Are you going to marry her?" Christian asked, still gawking.
Sebastian shrugged. " Eventually. We haven't talked about that yet."
Henry gasped again, this time more exaggeratedly. He clasped Sebastian's face and used his thumbs to lift Sebastian's eyelids. " Are you sure you're my brother Sebastian?" Henry asked as he studied Sebastian's eyes raptly.
" Man, get the hell off of me!" Sebastian laughed and shoved a chuckling Henry away.
Quinn shook his head. God, his brothers were weird. Christian and their dad laughed at their silly antics. Quinn was glad that Sebastian found someone who had changed his mind about love and marriage. Sebastian hadn't been happy until he met Raelynn. She was good for him. Quinn liked her a lot. And it looked as if Quinn was going to be acquiring another sister-in-law in the very near future.
Chapter 14
" Argh! Nothing fits anymore," Raelynn grumbled behind him.
Sebastian smiled over his shoulder at his gorgeously glowing pregnant girlfriend. He was standing in front of the sink in the bathroom, fixing his hair. Raelynn was digging through her closet trying to find something to wear. They were getting ready to go to an ultrasound appointment. Hopefully the baby would cooperate and they could find out the sex. Raelynn was 20 weeks along and really starting to show. She was already so tiny and was also trying to eat healthy that the only place she seemed to gain some weight was in her breasts and belly. Alright and maybe a little in her ass.
A few weeks after finding out that Raelynn was pregnant, Sebastian moved out of his apartment and into Raelynn's house. They had also started to convert one of the spare rooms into a nursery. Sebastian had learned a shit load of stuff about pregnancy from books and the internet and also from Raelynn and Claire. He knew the basics from when Claire was pregnant with little Henry but it was entirely different with his own girlfriend being pregnant. Plus Henry had to go and scare the shit out of him by showing him a video of a woman giving birth. He could have gone the rest of his life without seeing that video. And now he was terrified for when Raelynn's day came.
Sebastian finished doing his hair then walked into the master bedroom. Raelynn was standing in front of her closet, hands on her hips, in her bra and panties. She didn't look pregnant from behind. But from the front there was no mistaking her baby bump. Sebastian sidled up behind her and slid his hands to said baby bump and rubbed it.
" Baby, I think you need to get some maternity clothes now," he said, kissing her cheek.
" I know," Raelynn huffed.
" I know what you're thinking and you're going to look great in maternity clothes. Look at Claire, she always dresses really nice."
" I know she does. I'm just sad that I have to give up my clothes. I love my clothes," Raelynn pouted.
" It's only for a little while," Sebastian soothed, kissing her neck.
Raelynn sighed. " I know."
" Come on, pick something. We gotta go," Sebastian said, releasing her and giving her rear end a swat as he walked away.
Sebastian went downstairs to grab a quick bite to eat before they left. Raelynn complained the whole way to the doctor's office. She had to drink a whole bunch of water before the appointment. And she had to pee like a motherfucker. Her words, not his. For the most part Raelynn wasn't too moody, but she had moments where Sebastian wanted to rip his hair out. Like now. Sebastian understood that she had to pee, she didn't have to keep going on about it.
Thank God that they got seen quickly. They were only waiting for about ten minutes before they were called back. Sebastian stood with his hands shoved in his pockets while the ultrasound tech got Raelynn set up on the gurney. Once she was ready, the tech told Sebastian he could sit at Raelynn's feet so that he could see the ultrasound screen too. Then the tech placed gel went on Raelynn's belly and the tech got started.
The first thing he heard was the heartbeat started. And even though Sebastian had heard it at the previous ultrasound, he was still awed by it. He watched the screen as the tech moved the wand over Raelynn's belly. He could see their baby. Last time it was just a little bean-looking thing. Now it looked like a baby. He could see the head and arms and legs, little hands and feet. He grabbed Raelynn's calf and squeezed. She glanced at him, tears of joy in her eyes.
" Do you want to know the sex?" the tech asked.
" Yes," both him and Raelynn said at the same time.
The tech smiled and moved the wand around, did some clicking and froze the screen. Sebastian's heart pounded as he waited for the tech to say something. He was hoping for a boy of course. Raelynn said she didn't care. The tech moved a little more and froze the screen again. Sebastian's br
eath caught. He could see loud and clear what they were having.
" It's a boy," the tech said with a smile. " Here's his penis," she said as she pointed to the screen.
Sebastian jumped up and whooped, throwing his arms up. Raelynn and the tech laughed.
" Oh my god! I gotta call Henry!" Sebastian exclaimed excitedly as he jumped around like a fool.
" We're almost done," the tech said.
Sebastian paced - too excited to sit - while the tech finished up. She wiped Raelynn's belly then let her go to the bathroom. Raelynn sighed loudly behind the door, making Sebastian chuckle. The tech printed out some pictures and handed them to Sebastian - the "It's a boy" picture on top.
Sebastian (The Beck Brothers #2) Page 16