by Lori Maguire
I heard my mom sniffle. My dad was quiet. “Well?” I finally asked.
“I couldn’t be happier for you both, Ella.” My mother’s voice cracked and she sniffled again. “I’m going to be a grandma,” she said excitedly.
“Are you and Xavier going to be getting married before this baby is born?” dad asked, almost sounding stern.
“Yes. That was other reason why I was calling. We want to do something very simple. We had plans to go away next weekend for Christmas. We thought about doing it before we leave. I know you and Mom have plans for Christmas, but I wanted to ask if it is important to the two of you to be present, because if it is, we can push it back until you two can make it out to Seattle.”
“Of course, Ella. We would love to be there. We are very fond of Xavier and knowing he doesn’t have his parents makes it important for us to be there for you both,” mom said.
“Thank you, Mom. I’ll let Xavier know. We’ll adjust our plans and I’ll be in touch. Thank you for thinking of him like that,” I said gratefully.
“Certainly, Ella. He’s family now.”
We said our goodbyes then I set out to find Xavier. He had just completed putting the couch back together.
“Hey, sweetness. How did the call with your parents go?” He gestured for me to sit on the couch next to him.
“Oddly enough, I was nervous as hell. I felt like some teenager telling my parents I got knocked up by my boyfriend.” He chuckled. “They were surprised to say the least, but I explained everything about the miscarriage and Stephen.” He took my left hand in both if his and squeezed. “My parents would like to be there for the wedding.”
“They would?” Xavier sounded generally surprised.
“Yes. My mother said you are family now. They want to be there for us both.”
“That’s very sweet of them. We’ll have to figure out when since next weekend won’t be feasible then, but not now. I do believe I had some snowmobiling plans for us.”
I grinned wickedly as he grabbed my hand and led me upstairs. He made sure I was warmly dressed before he presented a snowsuit for me to wear. Once we got back downstairs, he helped me get my boots and gloves on. I couldn’t help but roll my eyes at him. He had me feeling like a small child getting dressed by an overprotective parent before heading out to play in the snow. He made sure everything was zipped and secured before we headed outside.
Parked in front of the house was a two-seater snowmobile. “Where did that come from?” I asked surprised, pointing to the big, black beast of a snowmobile.
Xavier chuckled from behind me. “My brother owns a few. I brought that one around while you were on the phone,” he said, as we walked over to it. “Here,” he said, picking up and strapping a helmet on my head. I rolled my eyes again. “Ella,” he warned. “Everybody who snowmobiles has to wear one.”
“Okay. Are you sure there isn’t a bulletproof vest you want me to wear around my abdomen too?” I teased him.
He gave me a severe look. “Don’t tempt me, Ella,” he said sternly, before climbing onto the snowmobile. I climbed on the seat behind him wrapping my arms around his waist. The engine roared to life. I held on to him tightly as we took off.
Xavier went through several trails that wound through the surrounding mountains of Leavenworth. It was like being on the back of a motorcycle, but bumpier. We made several stops to admire the scenery. With the new fallen snow it made the woods look simply magical. The sun peeked out from behind the clouds at one point making the snow shimmer and sparkle on the pine trees. I brought my smaller waterproof camera along so I was able to get some really beautiful shots, some of which even included Xavier with his helmet off as he admired the view.
When he first took his helmet off I was stunned into silence. There was something about the light reflecting off the snow that made his blue eyes just glow like the brilliant, ice blue eyes of a husky. As I stared at him, I secretly hoped that our baby would also have those same striking blue eyes.
I was quickly snapped out of my ogling when a snowball smashed into my legs. I huffed and gaped at him.
“What?” he asked innocently. “You looked like you needed a little something to snap you out of your daydream there,” he said smirking.
He was so freaking hot even bundled up in a snowsuit. My hormones, being all over the place like they were, propelled me forward. I jumped on him. Surprised, he stumbled backwards and landed in the snow with me on top of him. Fresh fallen snow puffed up around us from the force in which we landed. Ripping my gloves off, I wiped the snow from his face as I stared into his impossibly blue eyes.
Before he could say anything I sealed my mouth over his and kissed him until we were both breathless. I rolled off him and lay next to him in the snow trying to catch my breath. Our quick, heated breaths were clearly visible in the cold, crisp air.
“Jesus, Ella. You’re going to be the death of me,” he mumbled. He jumped up and held his hand out to me. “Come on. Up and out of the snow.” That was the last time we stopped to admire the view. It didn’t stop me from wrapping myself around him as we made our way back. My legs squeezed his muscular thighs tightly as I wrapped my arms around his waist. I had one hand resting on his abdomen while the other rested over his heart.
By the time we got back to the house, it was close to dinnertime. As much as I wanted to jump my hotness in an attempt to calm some of my raging hormones, I couldn’t hide the fact that I was exhausted, which only made Xavier feel guilty for keeping me out so long.
He started a fire in the living room fireplace then he tucked me into the couch demanding that I take a nap before dinner. After getting his laptop to do some work, he sat in the chair next to me. The clicking noise of him typing and the crackling sound and warmth of the fire quickly lulled me to sleep.
I woke with a start. My legs were tangled in the blanket. Xavier was hanging over me with his hand on my shoulder. Concern was clearly etched on his beautiful face.
“Ella, baby. Are you all right? You seemed to be having a bad dream.”
I extracted my legs from the blanket as I pulled myself up into a sitting position. Wiping the sleep from my eyes, I tried to make sense of my dream before I said anything to Xavier. I had lost something very important to me. Running through the snow-covered forest, I desperately searched for it. I don’t know what it was though. I lost something precious to me and I felt a profound sadness due to the loss. What does this mean?
Suddenly, a quick, sharp pain shot through my abdomen for a few seconds before it was gone. My eyes widened in horror at Xavier. The baby. Was I going to lose the baby again?
“Ella, what is it?” Xavier asked, sounding panicked.
“The baby. My dream,” I uttered. Tears sprang to my eyes as I struggled to maintain control. “I had a dream that I lost something very important to me. I was running through a snow-covered forest trying to find it. I felt desperate and sad.” My voice cracked.
“Why do you think it had to do with the baby, Ella?” he quietly asked.
“A pain. I just had a sharp pain shoot through my stomach,” I said sadly.
For a second, fear flitted across his face, but he quickly suppressed it. He sat next to me on the couch and wrapped himself around me running his hands up and down my back soothingly. “Ella, I’m sure everything is fine. After the first miscarriage, I’m sure it’s only natural to fear another. Please, don’t worry,” he said in a soft, soothing tone.
I nodded my head while crushed to his chest. “I’m sure you’re right.” I inhaled deeply to calm my nerves. I closed my eyes as I breathed in the familiar musky, woodsy smell of Xavier, which was now mixed with the smell of the wood fire.
“Why don’t we stay in tonight? Hmmm? You still look exhausted. I kept you out too long today,” he said apologetically.
“But I wanted to go and see the lighting ceremony, and …”
Xavier put his index finger on my lips to stop me from talking. “We can go see it tomorrow. I heard
from Gabriel. He and Tiffany would like to come and join us tomorrow until we leave on Sunday. I hope that’s okay with you, sweetness. I kind of already told him it was fine.” He gave me a sheepish smile.
I chuckled and shook my head at him. “Yes, that’s fine. I’d love to see them again.”
“Well, now that you are awake,” he paused as he grabbed my hands and started leading me to the stairs. “I think it’s time we showered.” He waggled his eyebrows at me suggestively.
“Yes, I agree,” I said, as I raised an eyebrow at him. It was all the encouragement he needed. He scooped me up and flew up the stairs faster than I thought humanly possible. Guess we’ll figure out dinner later. Much later.
Saturday morning came early with Xavier bouncing on the bed like a little kid on Christmas morning. I rolled over to look at the clock. It was only eight a.m. What the hell? I growled at him and dug deeper under the covers.
“Oh, no you don’t,” he said chuckling. He grabbed the blanket and ripped it off me. A chill ran through me when the cold air hit my warm skin. I was in nothing more than a camisole and my boyshorts.
“What are you doing?” I asked angrily as I sat up in the bed. “Why are you getting me up so early? And why the hell are you bouncing around on the bed like a little kid on Christmas morning?” I grumbled, pounding a fist on the bed. I was still tired and now I was freezing. This was not going to end well for him.
Silently, he dove down toward me, wrapped his arms around me, and rolled on the bed so quickly that it took me a minute to realize that I was now straddling him. The tight hold he had on my hips ensured I wouldn’t be able to go anywhere until he released me.
“Gabe and Tiffany will be here in less than an hour. They are starving and want to go get breakfast as soon as they arrive. We need to get ready.”
Realizing that he was already stripped down to his snug fitting boxers, I smiled down at him as I ran my fingers over his well-defined chest, down over the hard ridges of his abdomen, stopping just at the waistband.
Risking a peek at him, his eyes were hooded and his breathing increased. Relaxing his hold on my hips, he moved his hands up under my camisole to my waist. My body instantly reacted as goose bumps blossomed across my skin when his warm hands gently caressed the bare skin of my ribs. There was no fighting the reaction my body had to his touch. I rubbed myself against him suggestively instantly feeling his excitement grow. My brazen move eliciting a hiss from him.
Grabbing the hem of my camisole, he slowly lifted it off me and tossed it across the room. Before he could bring his hands back to my now bare chest, I jumped off him and ran to the bathroom slamming the door behind me.
“Hey!” he protested loudly.
I snickered as I leaned up against the door. There was no lock so there was no way I was going to be able to keep him out. The bed creaked loudly as he quickly made his way off it. His bare feet padded across the hardwood floor. I leaned into the door harder.
“Hey nothing! I’m going to leave you in blue ball hell for waking me up like you did,” I yelled through the door in a playful tone.
“Oh, I see. It’s going to be like that, huh? Are you sure you want to play this game, Ella?” There was a seriously sexy tone to his voice that sent a shiver of pleasure down my spine.
He easily pushed the door open. My feet sliding on the tile floor as I struggled to keep my weight up against the door, but it was useless. I turned around to face him and gaped. He was stripped bare with his arousal on full display, jutting out from between his hips proudly. With an eyebrow raised at me, there was a wild look in his eyes making the blue glow like the hottest part of a flame.
I started backing away. The blood pumping through my veins felt like fire. With great satisfaction, I watched his eyes narrow in on my bare chest, rising and falling with my quick breaths.
“You shouldn’t test me, love,” he warned. Then his mouth lifted into my favorite half smile and I knew he wasn’t seriously upset with me. I was still in trouble though, but in a good way.
My backside hit the edge of the counter. There was nowhere else for me to go as he continued to stalk toward me in the bathroom. My heart was beating furiously as my breathing became uneven. A devilish grin spread across his face as he closed in on me knowing that he had me trapped. He knew exactly what he was doing to me.
Stopping before me, he reached out and grabbed my shoulders roughly. He spun me around so I was now facing the huge mirror that hung over the double sinks. Hooking his fingers into the edge of my boyshorts, he slowly dragged them down my legs, nipping me playfully on the behind.
Straightening up behind me, he ran his hands down my arms until he had my hands gripped tightly in his. Wrapping my fingers around the edge of the counter, he stared at me intently in the mirror. As he gripped my hips hard, he roughly pulled me back into him. “Hold on tight, sweetness. You’re in for a wild ride,” he said, positioning behind me. So much for blue ball hell.
Xavier sighed. “Are you all right?” he asked softly. We were a naked tangled mess on top of the bed.
“Mmm hmm,” I mumbled lazily.
Leaning over, he kissed my shoulder. “I was too rough with you,” he said softly.
“Uh uh,” I grunted. “No way.”
He chuckled, squeezing me to him. “I can’t believe my sassy girl is a woman a few words right now.”
“X? Ella?” Gabriel hollered from downstairs before I could say anything.
Xavier nuzzled my neck before he started to extricate himself. “Go ahead and jump in the shower while I run downstairs.” He gently pushed me toward the edge of the bed.
“Okay,” I grumbled. He spanked me playfully on my bare bottom. “Ow!” I shot him an evil look.
“Stop grumbling and get a move on, woman.”
I spun around in the doorway of the bathroom ready to say something sarcastic, but was stunned speechless by his beautiful naked form lying on the bed. He had rolled onto his stomach and was facing me. His chin resting in the palms of his hands made his biceps bulge in a delicious way while the perfect, rounded curves of his behind were clearly on display. Left speechless by the sight, I closed my mouth, turned around, and headed into the bathroom.
Minutes later, I was standing under the warm water of the shower trying to get myself motivated. I was exhausted. Reaching out, I placed both palms on the tile wall and hung my head while the water beat down on me. The shower door opened letting a gust of cold air in that swirled around my body making me shiver.
“Are you sure you’re all right, baby?” Xavier asked. Gently, he peeled me off the wall and turned me around to face him.
“I’m fine. Just tired. Actually, I’m tired of being tired.” I huffed a breath out. “If some of my energy doesn’t return and soon, I’m not going to survive the next several months,” I complained.
He chuckled. “The baby is wearing you out already? Here, let me.” He grabbed my shampoo and started washing my hair before he moved on to wash my body. “We need to hurry. Gabe has threatened to come up here and dress us personally if we don’t hurry up.”
When we finally made it downstairs, Gabriel and Tiffany were sitting on the couch in the living room.
“Ella. How are you?” Gabriel asked as he kissed me on the cheek and gave me a quick hug.
“I’m good, thank you. And you?”
“I’m good, thanks. It’s nice to see you again. I hope you don’t mind Tiffany and I barging in like this on your weekend.”
“Not at all. It’s your place after all, Gabriel. Thanks for letting us stay.” I smiled at him.
Tiffany stepped over and hugged me. “Hello, Ella. So good to see you again.”
“Thank you, Tiffany. Good to see you too.”
Gabriel slapped Xavier on the back. “So X, have the two of you made it out of this house at all so far this weekend?”
I snorted as Xavier rolled his eyes dramatically. “Yes, Gabe. We’ve made it out of the house. Are you done? We have something we want
to share with you two before we head out.”
Xavier looked over at me and I nodded at him. It was his brother. It seemed only right that the news should come from him. I noticed Gabriel looking curiously between the two of us during our little exchange.
Xavier cleared his throat. “Ella is pregnant.”
“Holy shit!” Gabriel happily shouted. He turned and scooped me up into a big hug. “Congratulations!” he exclaimed as he spun me around. He set me down and immediately gathered Xavier into a big hug. “I can’t believe I’m going to be an uncle.”
Tiffany hugged us both and gave us her congratulations. “When is the baby due?” she asked me.
“July 27th.”
“That’s so exciting,” she said.
“Gabe, don’t make any plans for New Year’s Eve. Ella and I are making plans for a small wedding and I’m going to need my best man,” Xavier said. His voice was thick with emotion.
“I wouldn’t miss it for anything, X.” Even Gabriel sounded a bit choked up. They gave each other a meaningful glance, and I couldn’t help but wonder if they were both thinking of their parents.
“Okay, hungry pregnant lady here,” I said teasingly in an attempt to lighten the mood. Thankfully, it worked. We all piled into Gabriel’s Range Rover, and made our way to the Leavenworth Golf Course to dine at the restaurant on the property.
The Wild Huckleberry was located on the second hole of the golf course. It wasn’t a large place with mostly only tables set for four. Many of the tables were already occupied by families, which just added to the homey feel of the place. Large, square windows allowed plenty of views of the beautiful, but now snow-covered golf course.
I stunned everyone by ordering the traditional eggs benedict with hash browns, sliced fruit, and a short order of the cinnamon french toast. I think they were even more amazed with the fact that I ate it all without a problem.
Feeling guilty for having eaten so much for breakfast, I didn’t argue when Gabriel and Tiffany wanted to walk around the main drag of Leavenworth before heading back to the house. Xavier tried to argue against going, but I promised him that I was feeling good and I would take a nap in the afternoon before heading back out this evening.