by LR Potter
He exhaled in relief at her words. He lifted his hands to her face once more. “Dating, uhh? You drive a hard bargain, Ms. Grace,” he murmured as he brushed his lips against hers. She slid her hands up under the soft cotton of his T-shirt. She felt his muscles bunch and retract at her soft touch. He ran his hands over her back.
“I want you,” he gusted in her ear, “I need to be inside you. I need you surrounding me.”
With extreme gentleness, he backed her up to the bed before lowering her carefully down. He ran his hands up under her top and caressed body. He pressed his face against her belly and was rewarded by a small thud against his cheek. He kissed her belly and ran his hands over the small mound. He helped her disrobe before quickly shucking his own clothes.
Her breath caught in her throat at how stunning his body was. Insecurity had her looking away when she saw him staring down at her rounded form.
“Don’t,” he whispered. “Don’t look away from me. You are more beautiful and sexier now than ever. I love seeing you like this… rounded with my child. It’s almost more than I can bear,” he said before he lowered himself above her.
He leaned his forehead against hers. “I love you, Trinity. You’ve made me so happy.”
He leaned into her and kissed her fervently and unreservedly. With tender, gentle touches, he made slow, passionate love to her.
Chapter Three
“No, absolutely not!” Trinity declared as she turned her face away from him. They were sitting together on the couch at Trinity’s condo two weeks later, supposedly watching a movie on television, but actually had spent most of the time with various body parts intertwined. Things were going well until Rush brought up the subject Trinity had listed as taboo.
“I don’t know why you are being so unreasonable about this,” Rush exclaimed.
“You promised to take it slow. It’s only been a couple of weeks!”
“Come on, honey. You could have the baby at any time. What’s wrong with us being married before that happens?” he asked.
“I’m not ready. I don’t want to get married while I’m pregnant. Why the big push all of a sudden?” she asked.
Rush sighed audibly. “I love you. I want you with me all the time. I want you to sell your condo and come and live with me.”
“We’re together all the time. What does it matter?”
Rush ran a hand through his short-cropped, dark hair. “It matters to me. I need to know you’ll always be mine,” he admittedly softly.
She swallowed at the intensity of his words. “I am yours. It doesn’t matter where I live.”
He moved to her and ran his large palms up under her maternity blouse to gently caress their unborn son. “You don’t understand. I’ve already missed so much. I don’t want to miss even one minute of this little guy’s life. I need to know that both of you are safe… happy… healthy.”
She turned slowly away from him at his words. She knew he meant them in the best possible way, but twinges of her father’s prior control spiraled around her. Raising a hand to her brow, she sighed heavily at the words that triggered such revulsion within her.
“We are all those things,” she said quietly.
He eyed her warily. “Have you changed your mind about us?”
“No, of course not!” she said emphatically.
Placing his hands lightly on her hips, he tilted his gorgeous head and studied her face intently. “Marry me,” he implored.
She studied his face for a moment. Memories of the last few days filled her mind. The many calls he’d made to her office just to say he was thinking of her, the flowers he’d sent every day, the nights of being held with love within his arms as she drifted asleep. She really had no defense against him. “Will it relieve your mind if I say yes? Even if I don’t want to get married right away?”
“I’ll agree to the first part and work on changing your mind on the last part. How about that? I think that’s what they call a compromise,” he said with a devilish grin, knowing he’d gotten his way, yet again.
She was lifting a hand to place it against his cheek when a sharp pain crept around her middle, tightening into an almost unbearable pain. She took a deep breath and blew it out.
“What is it?” he asked anxiously. “Is it the baby?”
“I don’t think so, it’s too soon.”
~*~
“A son… you have a son,” Andrew Drayton, Rush’s grandfather, exclaimed as he slapped Rush on the shoulder. “He looks like a fine boy. You should be proud.”
“I am,” Rush said softly, still not believing that the tiny wonder in the window was his.
“So does the tiny prodigy have a name?”
“Blake Andrew Drayton.”
Andrew Drayton gave a small gasp at the words. “You named him after your father. I’m pleased… very pleased.”
“I thought it was fitting somehow,” Rush said with a catch in his voice.
“So what are you going to do about the girl?”
Rush tensed at the question and the tone in which it was asked. “I’m going to marry her.”
His grandfather shoved his hands into his pockets and rocked back on his heels. “Well that’s one way to handle her, I suppose.”
Rush’s face stiffened. “I’m not trying to ‘handle’ her.”
His grandfather’s lips twisted wryly. “Women are fickle creatures, Rush. You should have learned that from your own mother. While you might be able to turn a blind eye to her father’s past transgressions, I can promise you the girl won’t be able to forget yours.”
Ignoring his grandfather’s words, he turned his head, and said, “You should congratulate me, Boppa. Today, I’ve gotten engaged and became a father.”
His grandfather’s jaw tightened fractionally before he slid his eyes to Rush’s. “I hope you don’t live to regret both.”
Two days later, Rush Drayton stood outside the massive window with his hands shoved deep in his pockets. His son had come into the world kicking and screaming. While the doctors had been concerned with him being several weeks premature, he’d come in at a respectable weight of six pounds, two ounces. He was the most amazing thing Rush had ever seen, with a shocking cap of dark hair and his inherited hazel eyes. And today was the day he would be able to take his family… or almost family, home. His lips thinned as he still didn’t know to which home they would be going. This was exactly the reason he’d pushed so hard to get her to marry him before the baby was born. He was trying to meet her in the middle. He’d known how she’d react if she felt she was being controlled or dictated to, but dammit, it was his nature. She needed to try and understand that. Because of his wealth and prominence, she and the baby would always be targets, couldn’t she see that? Didn’t she understand that he would do anything to protect what was his?
With a sigh, he turned and walked to the other love of his life. He pushed the door to her hospital room open quietly so as not to wake her if she were still sleeping. She was lying, facing away from the door. From his position, he couldn’t tell if she was awake. He moved stealthily across the room and stood for a moment at the foot of the bed. His heart clenched at the sadness etched into her face. She was staring unseeingly through the window as she fingered the gold locket around her neck, the locket which had belonged to her mother, she’d told him.
“What’s wrong?” he asked.
She swiped a quick hand across her face and cleared her throat. She forced a smile onto her lips before turning to face him.
“Nothing.”
Stepping to the side of the bed, he sat on its edge. He cupped her face in one hand before leaning down to press his lips gently against her forehead.
“Tell me,” he demanded softly.
She gave him a dismissively, watery smile, before taking his hand between her own. She lifted her sad, dark eyes to his. “I… I just wish my mom could have been here. What do I know about being a mother?”
“You’re going to be a great mom,” he said con
fidently.
“How do you know? I’ve never even been around a baby before. What if I do something wrong?”
Rush leaned forward and brushed her dark hair away from her face. “Would you feel more comfortable if we hired a nanny?”
Her head jerked up at his words. “No! I don’t want strangers raising our son.”
“Good. I didn’t want that either.” Leaning forward once more, he pressed his lips tenderly against hers. “I just want you happy and will do anything to make it so.”
With a mirthful laugh, she said, “Besides, where would I put her? My only other spare room has my worktable in it. I don’t think she’d like sleeping on the couch.”
His lips pursed at her words. “So… you want to take the baby to your condo?” he asked softly.
“Of course,” she answered as her eyebrows rose in confusion. “Where else would we go? All the baby’s things are in the condo: his crib, bassinette, changing table, clothes, and just everything.”
“We could have it all brought over to my house. I’d prefer it. I want you both with me.”
He watched her jaw clench. “Why can’t you stay with us?”
“You’re being unreasonable,” he said lightly, trying to stem his rising irritation.
Dropping his hand, she said icily, “Why is it unreasonable to want to go to my home? The home I’ve been planning on taking my child to since the beginning?”
He flinched at her words and she immediately felt ashamed. It wasn’t entirely his fault he’d missed the beginning of her pregnancy. “I’m sorry,” she murmured. “I shouldn’t have said that. I’m just feeling out of sorts today and I guess I wanted to take it out on you.”
He rose from the bed and walked to stand facing the window, his back stiff. He shoved his hands deep into the trousers of his very expensive navy suit. Finally, he said quietly, “Trinity, I don’t know what to do here. No matter what I say, you’re going to make it seem as if I’m manipulating you like your father did. I love you and our son. I want to be with you. I need to know that when I’m not there, you both will be safe. I don’t have to tell you the world is a very dangerous place. Please reconsider and come with me. Let us be a family… together.”
“I’ve only just gotten my independence. I’m just not quite ready to give it up yet. Can’t you understand that? For my entire life, I’ve had someone telling me how to be, how to dress, and how to act. Is it so wrong to want to enjoy my freedom for just a little while longer?” she asked pleadingly.
He didn’t answer for a long while. “If it were only about you, I might agree. But there is our son to consider and what’s best for him,” he answered quietly.
When she didn’t answer, he turned his head to find her lips drawn into grim lines. “If I don’t agree, are you going to try and take him from me?” she asked. “I’ll fight you, Rush, I swear I will.”
He moved to her and wrapped his arms around her resistant body. “I would never do that. I told you that before. I just want us together. I love you both so much.” He brushed his lips against her hair.
As she struggled to rein in her emotions, she said, relenting, “Just let me stay at my condo until we’re married, okay?”
He tensed at her words. “When will that be?”
“Soon. When we have time to arrange it.”
“Good, then tomorrow it is,” he replied in relief.
She gave a small laugh. “No, not tomorrow. I’m expecting a proper honeymoon and we can’t do that for six weeks at least.”
“A proper honeymoon? You are a demanding little thing, aren’t you?” he said with a grin.
“I just gave you a son. I think it’s the least you can do,” she replied wryly.
Cupping her face within his palms, he whispered against her lips, “The very least….”
~*~
Rush stood with his suit jacket flung over his forearm, leaning against the doorjamb of his son’s room. They’d been home for two weeks and he’d been forced to stay longer than he’d intended at the office. He’d come home to find the condo quiet and had gone in search of his family. He’d found them here. As he’d imagined on the first night he’d been in her condo, Trinity was sitting in the white rocker, slowly rocking back and forth with their son pressed gently against her shoulder. She was facing at such an angle that she didn’t know he was there. She was singing softly as she gently patted little Blake’s back. Rush’s heart was filled to overflowing at the sight of them. He’d never known love such as this. Sometimes, he didn’t think he could contain it. The feelings were so overwhelming.
He let his jacket slip to the floor. The soft thud it made had her turning her gaze to him. She gave him a happy little smile. He moved to them quickly and dropped to his knees.
“Hi,” he whispered as he nuzzled her hair. He wrapped his arms around the two most important people in his life.
“Hi,” she whispered in return.
He pulled back to look at the baby nestled against her shoulder.
“How’s our boy doing today?” he asked softly.
“He’s… just wonderful,” she replied.
Rush pressed his lips gently against his son’s head before rising to his feet.
“Have you eaten?” he asked her.
“Not yet.”
“I’ll order in something. Maybe Chinese?” he asked.
She nodded.
“Probably take twenty minutes, okay?” he said.
Rush was pulling multiple square boxes out of a larger box when she finally dragged herself away from the baby. She inhaled deeply as she drank him in. He was still wearing his grey suit trousers and white dress shirt. He’d removed his tie and had rolled his sleeves up to reveal his tanned forearms. Warmth coated her insides. She went immediately to his side and wrapped her arms around him. He stopped his task and turned to bring her firmly up against his muscular chest. She lifted her face up for his kiss and he didn’t disappoint.
“Hi,” she parroted his earlier greeting.
“I missed you today,” he said.
“You did?”
“I had the hardest time concentrating on such mundane things such as spreadsheets and profit and losses. I’d have much rather been here with you and little Blake.”
Rising to brush her lips once more against his jaw, she pushed him gently towards the chair. “Sit down and I’ll get some plates. You must be exhausted,” she said, turning towards the cabinets.
After filling their plates with noodles, vegetables, and pork, they sat quietly as they ate. He watched her as she absently lifted a hand to the locket around her neck. He noticed she pushed the food around her plate more than she actually ate.
“What’s wrong? Are you feeling okay?” he asked.
She glanced up and gave him an unconvincing smile. “I’m good, just a little headache.”
“Did you take your medication?”
“I can’t while I’m nursing,” she replied.
He watched again as she absently pushed the food around. “There’s something else. What is it?” he demanded softly.
He watched her throat contract as she swallowed and looked away from his gaze. “I saw my father’s picture in the paper today.”
He blinked rapidly as he tried to pair her upturned emotions to her words. “I saw it as well. The Ludlow/Donaldson case might prove to be a heated one for him as a Judge,” Rush replied.
“I… spoke to him today,” she said in a quiet rush.
His jaw clenched and he stared at her for a long moment before responding. “I thought you didn’t have any contact with him.”
Slowly she shook her head as she watched the noodles on her plate swirl beneath her fork. “I thought… I don’t know… I guess I wanted him to know he was a grandfather,” she lifted her eyes, pleading for him to understand.
With his chest tightening, he asked, “What did he say?”
She rose without answering and scraped her non-eaten food into the garbage disposal and carefully set her p
late in the sink. With her back to him to hide her hurt, she replied with a shrug, “He… told me congratulations. But I’d caught him at a bad time… that we’d have to catch up at another time.”
Rush swore softly, “Son-of-a-bitch!”
“It’s not his fault, really. I was the one who refused contact. I… I just wanted… I don’t know, something…” she trailed off quietly.
Rush sat for a moment, taking in her slumped shoulders as she absently ran her fingers under the flow of water from the faucet. He rose and pulled her back firmly against his body while wrapping his arms around her. He nuzzled his face against her hair. “You wanted your dad. I get it. I just wish he’d have understood that. I’m sorry, honey.”
A lone tear slipped from under her lashes as she slowly shook her head. “It’s not even that, I’m really missing my mom… miss having a normal family, more than I have in years. I find myself thinking about her… dreaming about her.”
He pulled her with him to the chair and sat her carefully on his lap and tugged her once more into his warm embrace. He rested his cheek against her head and stroked her back in comfort. “I know, baby, I know. Me, too. When I look at Blake’s little face, I know my parents would have gotten such a kick out of seeing him. I think it’s only natural to want to share a joy this profound with others you love.”
“Has your grandfather asked to see the baby?” she asked tentatively.
Tensing a little at her words, and wanting to deflect any landmines, he replied, “Not since he saw him at the hospital.”
She nodded, relief flooding her at his words. After everything that had happened, she didn’t trust Rush’s grandfather. After a long minute, she said, “Can I ask you a personal question?”
“Anything,” he replied.
“Do you think your dad knew your mom was having an affair with James Franklin?”
She felt him stiffened beneath her. Immediately, she said, “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to pry.”
He exhaled slowly. “I don’t know if he knew or not,” he finally said. “They always seemed so happy to me. I asked my grandfather and he said he’d known, but didn’t think my dad did. I hope for his sake, he didn’t.”