When we had finally stilled, he rested his palm over my tummy and kissed me there. Then he laid beside me and kissed my shoulder as he rubbed my non-existent bump. “Before long, you’ll be like this.” He held his hand out away from me.
“I’m going to be fat,” I said with a giggle.
“You’re going to be sexy then, too.” He gave me a quick peck. “When can we tell Cam?”
“I suppose we can tell him first thing in the morning. I know he’s going to wonder what you’re doing here.”
“I guess that means you’ll let me stay the night?”
“I may never let you leave.” I squeezed his arm.
He chuckled. “Come on,” he said. “Let’s go check on him. If he wakes up, we’ll tell him now.”
I giggled, knowing he couldn’t wait, and moved to the edge of the bed and got to my feet. After we both got dressed, Cole took my hand, and we walked together quietly to Cam’s door. I pushed it open, and he peeked inside.
Then I took Cole’s hand, and we walked into Cam’s room. The nightlights gave the room enough light to read by, which was just how he liked it. Cam was curled up on his side with his covers pushed off, and as I walked over to tuck him back in, Cole walked over to stand at the foot of his bed.
I turned to smile at him, but his attention was on the plane that hung over Cam’s bed. “Where did you get this?” He spoke softly.
“My husband bought it before he died. I think he got it at a flea market in town.”
A big smile spread his lips, and he put his arm around me as he looked down at Cam. “I’m right where I’m supposed to be.” He seemed very content.
“You sound sure of that.”
“I know it now, more than ever.” He glanced back up at the model. “You see that sticker on the tail?”
“Yes,” I whispered.
“And the way the glue dripped down the side?” He waited for my nod and then smiled. “That’s my plane. The only one my father left unfinished. He got rid of a lot of things, and I guess it found its way here.”
“Like you did?” I laid my hand on his shoulder and couldn’t believe the very same plane that he’d made all that time ago had been with me all along. It was as if my husband had not only handpicked the plane but had a part in our coming together. And though it seemed farfetched, I liked to think of the coincidence as him giving me his approval.
Chapter 31
Cole
Two months later
I was surprised to find Jessica still in bed with me at eight on a Saturday morning and wondered if she had finally made it past the morning sickness phase of her pregnancy. She’d been up at the crack of dawn praying to the porcelain gods every morning for the past six weeks, and she’d also gotten a little bigger around the belly.
I loved her little baby bump, which was not much more than a pooch for now, and I rolled over to hold her and rest my hand on it. To say she was glowing was an understatement and not because the prenatal vitamins had her hair shining more than usual, but she was the sexiest pregnant woman I’d ever laid eyes on.
“What time is it?” she asked, her voice a welcome surprise.
“Hey, beautiful. It’s nice to wake up with you next to me for a change.” The second I moved to snuggle up with her, she pushed me away and jumped up to her feet to run to the bathroom.
I rolled over and looked up at the white ceiling and wished I could go through it for her. She had been doing so good one day, and then the symptoms hit her all at once it seemed.
Other things had changed too. While she still worked for the company, she had spent more time in my office with me since the announcement of our relationship and the baby.
Tanner was most surprised, but he took it better than I thought, congratulating me and actually giving Jessica a nice, big, friendly hug. The rest of the staff was happy for me too, and some of the ladies had begun to finally warm up to her and make her feel welcome, especially Becky, who had taken to Cam since he’d been around more too.
A minute later, Jessica came out of the bathroom looking pale. She always kept that color for at least ten minutes after she’d been sick, and while it wasn’t her best look, she still rocked it like a champ.
“Sorry, I don’t like you having to see all that.”
She acted like I’d been in the bathroom with her. “It’s okay. You’re pregnant, and this is part of it. I just want you to be healthy.”
“I think it’s slowing down,” she said. “Or I’m just getting used to it. I never thought I’d say it, but I think I’ve reached professional puker status.”
“Too bad there isn’t a position for that.”
She gave me a sly grin. “You can create me one.” She walked over and joined me on the bed where I had sat up with the covers bunched around my waist to hide my erection. I knew she wasn’t in the mood, and I had been taking matters into my own hands a few times in the morning to compensate.
“I think you’d be ready to quit that job before it starts. How much longer do you think that’s going to last?”
“It varies,” she said as she pulled the covers over her legs. “But the doctor says it will probably go through the first trimester. I’m almost there.”
“That’s hard to believe it’s going by so fast.” I looked at the time and sprang to my feet. “We need to get Cam up if we’re going to be at the Little Wings show on time. They are at the flight museum, so you might want to bring your camera.”
“I’m already charging my batteries,” she said with a wink. “Cam is obsessed with them since you got him his own plane to fly. You’re going to spoil him.”
She hadn’t been happy that I’d spent so much money on a remote-control plane, but I assured her that he had to have a good one. A cheaper one would only break and cost me more money to repair. I wasn’t sure if she’d bought that excuse, but it sounded good enough and seemed to pacify her.
“When I was a kid, I’d have loved to have a plane like that,” I said in my defense. “Besides, I can afford it. I just wish you’d agree to move over to my place so he’d have a place to fly it where he doesn’t have to worry about seeing old man penis and Max can run the yard with him.”
She got to her feet and went to the closet. “Mr. Ryan’s son was supposed to talk to him about the pants issue.”
“I just can’t believe you’d rather live here instead of my house. We are going to have to start working on the nursery for the baby soon, and unless you want to put him in the walk-in closet or the dining room, there’s really not any place for him here.” Since I knew I wouldn’t be getting what I wanted, it was time to get out of bed and get dressed.
“Don’t be silly. She will be in our room for a while regardless. I plan on breastfeeding, and I’m not walking all the way down your long hallway to the other side of the house every time.”
“Then we’ll put her or him in our room at my house. I have a large office right off my room, and we can put him in there. I’ll move my office down the hall to the would-be nursery if it makes you happier.”
She walked out of the closet wearing loose jeans and a blue button-down that was cut low in the front. Her tits were amazing, and I stared to torture myself while I shoved my half-hard cock into my pants.
She sat down to slip on her shoes and looked up at me. “Where will the baby go when he gets older?”
“So, you admit it’s a boy,” I said, giving her a wink.
She rolled her eyes as if she didn’t want to play my game. “I don’t want her in the room next to us always. Just until she’s sleeping through the night.”
“It still doesn’t explain why you’d rather live here than at my home with me.” I had a feeling I already knew. This was the house her husband had bought for her, the home she’d raised her son in, and the home that she’d worked so hard to keep. This place was a part of her, and she wasn’t ready to let go of it or him.
She walked to the door, and for a moment, I thought she would leave, but then she stopped
and looked at the floor. “I’m sorry. I just don’t know if I can sell this house.”
Sometimes, I think it slipped her mind just how much money I had. She had not ever really asked me about the money, and I knew it was because she didn’t want me to think she was interested in me for it. Which was nice, but impractical if we were to share a life together. “You don’t have to sell it, Jessica. I just want us to start our lives together apart from your past.”
She looked up and met my eyes. “It’s Cam’s past too.”
I gave her a sympathetic smile. “No, baby, it’s not. He didn’t see his father living in this house; he’s not going to have the same attachment. It’s you who doesn’t want to leave Cameron behind.” I walked past her out the door, and she made no move to stop me until I was already down the hall and headed to the kitchen.
She hurried behind me. “I do still love him, Cole, but it’s not the same way I love you.”
“I know. And I also know it’s time you move on with me for good. If you want to keep the house so you can come here to think, I’m fine with that. Rent it, sell it, or use it for a security net in case you get sick of me.” I really hated to sound bitter, but I wanted her all in with me.
“I’ll get Cam up. You’re right; we should get there early.” She turned and went back into the hall, and although she had ignored my comments, I couldn’t be angry.
The adjustments couldn’t be easy on her either.
I went ahead and got the toaster out to make some frozen waffles, which were Cam’s favorite, and minutes later, he came walking into the kitchen with his mother behind him. Both had big grins on their faces as they stopped in the doorway.
“We have big news,” said Cam, who turned his attention to Jessica. “Can I tell him now, Mama?”
I wondered how long the two of them had been sitting on whatever it was he had to tell me. Jessica gave him a nudge, and he stepped forward. “We’re going to move to your house.”
I couldn’t stop the smile from lighting up my face. Cam walked over and put his arms around my leg. I reached down to scoop him up in my arms as Jessica joined us.
“Are you sure?” I asked her.
“Yes, I think we should sell this place to another nice family. Cameron and I really loved it. He was so proud, you know? We hadn’t had this place long before the accident, and he had a list of projects that he wanted to do. I’d like to give someone else an opportunity to dream.” She let out a long breath and looked around at the small kitchen. “I’m ready for our life together, Cole. For our dreams, and I know it’s time to move on from this place.”
“Then we’ll start moving today,” I said. “As soon as we get back from the airshow, we’ll go by the house, and I’ll let Cam choose his room. Then we’ll sort out where we’re going to put the baby and make plans for a proper nursey.”
Cam threw his hand up for a high-five. Then he looked over at Max who walked into the room and went to his water bowl by the back door. Cam’s face fell, and he looked over at his pup. “What about Max? Does he get to come too?”
“Of course, he does,” I said. “We’re a family. And there’s plenty of room for old Max at our house.” As if he approved, Max padded over and jumped up to rest his paws on my hip. I pulled Jessica closer, knowing I had everything I ever wanted.
Chapter 32
Jessica
As I soaked in the comfort of a nice warm bath, I never thought that moving in with Cole would be so much work, but starting a new family was worth it. Certainly worth a morning spent painting, even though my back was killing me. Just four months had passed since I’d agreed to choose his house over mine, and we were still elbow deep in painting the kids’ rooms and still had to get with Leslie and put together a nursery fit for our little princess.
Even though I was only seven months pregnant, I felt like I was overdue to have our daughter and was so big and round with the baby that none of my maternity clothes fit. I hadn’t had this miserable of a time with Camden and hoped it wasn’t because our little sweet pea was going to be over nine pounds like her brother.
Cole had taken Cam to the hangar with the remote-control planes, and even though he had plenty of real, life-sized planes to fly, he’d bought himself one of the toy kind too. I was just glad the two of them had something fun to bond over and liked that it gave me a little free time to relax without having to worry.
I heard the phone buzz against the tile, and it was Leslie. “Hey, did you finally get to take a break?”
“I’m soaking in the tub, turning into a prune actually.” I sat up and hit the button to drain the water in Cole’s fancy tub. I wanted to be ready for the boys when they got home and hoped that they’d want to go dine out for dinner.
Cooking any kind of meat had remained the only thing that still made me sick, and so far, Cole had either sent out for food or helped with dinner.
“I found more of the fabric we wanted for little Leslie’s room, but I’m going to have to come by later and compare them. If they come from a different dye lot, they may not match good enough.” I had learned to ignore all of the nicknames everyone, including Cam had been throwing out for the baby. I hadn’t decided on a name I liked.
I stood to my feet, carefully stepped out of the tub, and wrapped up in my robe and towel. “You must have gone straight out to find it. You really don’t have to rush; I’ll understand if we don’t get it all done in time for my shower.” She had been over all morning, working on the finishing touches of Cam’s room. He’d chosen a pretty blue paint, and we put hazy white clouds all around so he could live in the sky.
“It was no bother, and I’d like to please my investors. Especially since it was Cole who insisted I go back to design school and start a legit company.” He had been really impressed with what she’d done to Cam’s room so far, so he’d offered to fund her education and encouraged her to start her own company.
I had been surprised when he offered, but that was just the kind of man he was. He loved to help people and especially when it could help their future. “So, does that mean you’re going to take him up on his offer?” I sat down at my vanity seat.
“I don’t know,” said Leslie, her voice steeped with uncertainty. “It’s way too generous.”
I knew it was probably uncomfortable, but I was going to do my best to reassure her. “You’ve done so much to help me, Leslie. You’ve put your life on hold more times for me than I can count, and Cole has the money. You’d make his day if I could tell him you’ve accepted.”
She let out a long sigh. “I would like to go to school again. I’ve thought about it a lot lately. That’s why his offer seemed too good to be true.”
“Well, then, accept it. I want you to.” I had wanted her to go back to school for a while, and her talent for design was incredible.
“Okay, I will. We’ll talk about it again when I come over; I want him to be completely sure he wants to do this. And if he’s changed his mind, I’ll understand.”
I laughed softly to put her at ease. “He wouldn’t have said it if he didn’t mean it.” I heard the sound of Cole’s car out front and knew I needed to hurry. “I’ll talk to him about it over lunch, okay? But they’re here, so I better go. I’ll see you later.”
We said our farewells, and the call ended. Then I got up from my vanity and walked out into the bedroom to find something else to put on. When I was dressed and my hair was dry and pulled back in a messy bun, I headed out to the living room and ran into Cam, who was coming from the kitchen. “Hey, busy bee,” I said, tousling his hair. “Where’s Cole?”
“He’s in the garage.” He had a smile on his face that was so wide, it made me wonder what he was up to.
“Did you two have fun at the hangar?”
“Yeah, but I crashed twice.” He didn’t seem like it bothered him too much, and the goofy smile was still plastered on his face.
“Well, at least you had fun, right?”
“Yeah.” He looked at me and giggled.
<
br /> “What’s so funny?” I was just about to get an answer when Cole walked into the room.
He looked at Cam with his own goofy grin, and I was becoming increasingly suspicious. “Okay, you two, what’s so funny?” I glanced at them, and Cole shrugged.
“Nothing. Just a joke for boys. No girls allowed.” They gave a high-five, and Cam went to the kitchen.
“No snacking,” I called in there to him. “I want to go have lunch.”
“While I’m thinking about it,” said Cole, “Tanner called me while we were out. He said that our lawsuit with Carver Labs is looking good, and we’ll be able to continue with the new project without any hassle.”
“That’s wonderful news. And while we’re talking about our friends, Leslie called. She’s a little worried you weren’t serious about school. I assured her that you take that sort of thing very seriously, and I think I have her convinced that she needs to accept your offer. She wants to talk about it later when she comes over to show me some fabric she found.”
“Yeah, I’d like to help her. I think it’s a better use of my money than the civil suit against Lynn Holden. So, I’m not pursuing that.” That news had come as a shock. He’d been waiting for things to line out where he could sue Lynn.
“Why did you change your mind?”
“I just decided to take a smarter approach. Besides, I’ve got a daughter coming. And I want little Matilda to have a father who is present in her life and not busy fighting court cases.”
“We’re not naming her Matilda.” I let out a long breath, and when he smiled, I knew he was messing with me.
“What are we going to name her then? I’m ready to know her.”
I had a few names in mind, but I didn’t want to say them until I had narrowed them down or chosen. “I am too. I just need more time.” I decided I’d tell him by the end of the day.
“Are we going out to have lunch?”
“Yes, why?”
“I just thought we’d stop by the hangar on the way and make sure I locked the side door.” He was always leaving the thing unlocked and still paranoid how the government had gotten in to seize his stuff.
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