by Evan Grace
I’ve only ever tasted myself occasionally when I’ve masturbated. I didn’t think I would like it, but strangely I do. Reece pulls away enough so he can stroke my cheek. “I’m so, so sorry.”
I place my fingers on his lips. “It’s okay. You didn’t mean it.”
“I know, but I should’ve known better. I can’t guarantee that I won’t say something stupid again because I am a man, and we say stupid shit. Come home with me, please?”
I nod, and he helps me up. “Wait, what about you?” My eyes go to the obvious erection in his jeans.
“We’ve got all night.” He watches me as I gather my things, shoving them into my bag. Once that’s all done, I send a quick text to Brandon.
Delilah: Hey B. Talked to Reece, going back to his place.
The three little dots begin bouncing.
Brandon: Good. I love you girl.
Delilah: Love you too. I’ll call you tomorrow.
Hand in hand, we walk out to his car, and he helps me inside. We’re both silent for the first few minutes of the drive, but he reaches out and grabs my hand. “I don’t want you to be surprised, but my parents are at the house.” He must feel my body stiffen. “No, they want to take us to dinner to apologize, and they also bought you a gift.”
“They didn’t need to do that.”
“No, they didn’t, but after you left yesterday, Mom felt bad that they didn’t give you a chance.”
We’re quiet the rest of the way to his house. He pulls in the driveway, and my pulse speeds up and my palms begin to sweat. I climb out, and he takes my bag in one hand, and my hand in the other.
His mom greets us at the door, and I don’t miss her glassy eyes. “Delilah, I’m so glad you’re back. I want to apologize for my judgmental behavior. You did not deserve that.” She pulls me into a hug, and I immediately wrap my arms around her, or as much as I can with my belly in the way. “I am so sorry.”
Despite every mean thing my mom has ever said to me, she’s never apologized for any of it. This woman doesn’t know me at all, but here she is obviously feeling bad. “It’s okay. I know this is all a shock—”
She stops me. “Honey, you don’t owe me any explanation. Come—I bought you a gift for the baby.”
I follow her into the living room where Reece’s dad is standing next to a bassinet with a big, blue bow on it. “Hi, darlin’.”
“Hi,” I say quietly as I move toward the bassinet. It has tan fabric with brown teddy bears all over it, and above it is a mobile with teddy bears hanging from it. “This is beautiful.” I run my hand over it, and I know I’m smiling like a fool, but I don’t care. There are two bags sitting in it; I grab the first and pull out several packages of onesies in newborn and one-to-three-month sizes. In the other bag are some sleepers. One is covered in baseballs and bats, and one has puppies on it.
I look at Reece’s parents. “Thank you so much. This is wonderful.”
“You’re welcome, sweetheart. Are you guys hungry?” his mom asks.
We ride with them as we head downtown to an Italian restaurant. His parents try very hard to include me in their conversations. Reece’s mom shows me pictures of Rachel, his sister, and her kids. They’re beautiful—they look like their mama. I show them pictures of Brandon and I, and my dad. I’m avoiding having to talk about my mom at all costs.
The whole night Reece is touching me, whether it’s holding my hand, his hand on my thigh, or his arm around my shoulders. By the time his dad pays the check I have my head resting on his shoulder. I’m exhausted, both emotionally and physically.
They drop us off, and we go inside. I head up to get ready for bed because nine o’clock seems to be my bedtime now. After going through my nightly routine, I head downstairs and find Reece watching SportsCenter. I curl up next to him. I lean my head on his lap and he plays with the strands of my hair.
My eyes flutter closed, and then open, as I start to fall asleep. I’m not sure how much longer it is when I feel myself being lifted into the air, and then I’m moving. I open my eyes and see Reece is carrying me upstairs and into his room.
After laying me down, I hear clothes rustling and then the mattress compresses as he climbs into bed and pulls me snuggly against him. My eyes shut, and a sigh slips past my lips. How is it possible that I feel so connected to someone I just met a short time ago? I won’t question it—I’ll accept and embrace it.
Again, I’ve been unhappy or not as happy as I could be for most of my life. I deserve to be happy now, and my son deserves it too.
***
This waddle that I’ve adopted this past week is comical. I feel like an Oompa Loompa, except for the fact that I’m not orange. I’m almost positive this baby has doubled in size the past two weeks. We’ve also started our birthing classes. I know Reece hates them, but he’s a trooper and suffers through it.
I’ve decided I’m going to try hypnobirthing. It’s deep relaxation, visualization, and self-hypnosis. It’s to create a calm and serene experience. Of course, it’ll help if I end up needing medical intervention.
Our class is small—it’s us and four other couples. The instructor is okay, and I’d like her better if she didn’t give Reece flirty grins and touches all the time. She always takes extra time to talk to him after class, totally ignoring that I’m with him.
I finish pinning my hair back and then head back into the bedroom. I slip on a long maxi dress and then a cardigan over it. Once I’m dressed, I sit down on the side of the bed. I’m freaking exhausted already. I have less than a month and a half to go, which I can’t believe. It’s hard to believe it’s been a month and a half that Reece has been here.
I hear footsteps and find my man standing in the doorway. “You ready?”
I nod and stand up. When I reach him, I push up on my tiptoes and kiss his lips. “Sorry, I needed a minute after I got dressed. I’m so tired.”
“Baby, stay home—your dad will understand.”
“Reece, I’m pregnant, not sick. I’ll be okay. It just takes a lot out of me getting dressed. Your son is a moose and sucking the life out of me.” I head downstairs, packing up my laptop and the paperwork I brought home.
My phone rings and I grab it. “Hello?”
A sigh comes through the phone, and my stomach dips. “You still pregnant?”
“Yes, Mom, I’m still pregnant.”
“I’ve sent you some brochures from a couple different adoption agencies. Look them over, and tell me which—”
I don’t let her finish; I just hang up.
“Was that her?” I nod.
No tears fall. I’m resigned to the fact that she’s never going to support me like a mother should. That’s okay, though, because I’ve got a father who loves and supports me enough. “She’s never going to accept this baby, and I’m finally okay with it,” I say. “I wish things were different but they’re not.”
He wraps me in his arms. “That’s not something you should have to get used to, or to deal with. If she calls again, you hand the phone to me, and when I’m done with her she won’t be calling you again.”
I smile up at him. “Thank you for that.”
We make our way to the office a short while later, and when we step off I find my dad talking on his phone. He’s pissed at whoever it is, but as soon as he sees me, he hangs up.
“Everything okay?” I ask.
He kisses the top of my head and then rubs my belly. “Yeah, honey. Just a business call. You look beautiful as always.” He looks over my shoulder to Reece. “I need to meet with you this morning.”
I don’t like the sound of that. We all head to the back and get our days started.
Chapter Thirteen
Jack
As soon as Reece enters my office, I have him shut the door.
“What’s up, Jack?” He sits down in the chair across from me. Did I want my daughter to be pregnant and single at twenty-one? No, but if I had to pick someone to be the father, it would definitely be Reece. He’s a good
guy and has taken really good care of Delilah.
This morning he sent me a quick text letting me know that the evil bitch called my daughter again. I’d called her and laid into her evil ass. I’ve offered her money countless times to leave my daughter alone, but she always tells me no because she loves pissing me off.
I hate that she’s not a good mother to my girl. If I knew how she was going to turn out…well, I can’t say that, because had I not been with Becky I wouldn’t have Delilah, the best thing I’ve ever done.
“I wanted to let you know that I talked to Delilah’s mom. I’m not sure it’ll do any good, but I told her I’d give her fifty thousand dollars if she’d stay out of Delilah’s life and stop telling her to abort her baby or put him up for adoption.”
Reece leans forward and grounds out, “What…The…Fuck.” He takes a deep breath. “Luckily Delilah has decided she’s done with her, more or less. She knows her mom is never going to accept the baby. Jack, she’s okay with it. I can tell she’s hurt, but she’s accepted it.”
“But damn, that doesn’t make me feel good. Her mother should be a part of this—teaching her about babies and guiding her through this. I’ve tried to be supportive, but I’m a guy, and fuck me, I was a kid when she was born. She deserved better parents.”
“Jack, with all due respect your daughter loves you very much.”
I sigh. “I know she does, and we’ve always had a close bond, but a girl needs her mother.” Clearing my throat, I grab the file off my desk. “This guy is Becky’s latest boy toy. His alibis check out for the time when Del was attacked outside of her apartment and when the rock went through your window. As much as Becky didn’t turn out to be a good mom, she wouldn’t stoop so low as to hurt her own daughter.”
Just the thought of her being behind the shit with our daughter makes my stomach turn. I’ve felt her out over the phone, but I’ve gotten nothing.
“Is that where you were when you went on your business trip? Are you not telling Delilah that you’ve looked into her mom?”
I shake my head. “I can’t tell her. I can’t do that to her.”
I only hope it doesn’t blow up in my face.
Chapter Fourteen
Reece
I walk into the conference room, where my client waits to go over the proof I found that his wife is jumping ship and setting up a new life with her younger boyfriend. He’s a nice guy and doesn’t deserve the gold digger who’s planning on taking their kids and half his money.
Our meeting goes better than I thought. She’s a moron and didn’t read the prenup; her infidelity is going to cause her to lose a lot. They’ll share custody of the kids because he doesn’t want them to be without their mom, and he’s setting his soon-to-be ex in a fully furnished apartment with a monthly allowance.
He’s a better man than me, because I don’t think I would act the same way if my wife tried to pull some shit. When we finish talking, the guy seems to be okay. This isn’t a fun part of my job—you always hope you don’t find anything, but when you do, you’re glad that they’ll get the closure they need to get out of a toxic situation.
I walk him out and make him promise to call me if he needs anything. At the elevators, he shakes my hand and slaps me on the shoulder. “I appreciate your help, and your professionalism. I’ll be in touch if I need you or your team for anything else.”
“Thanks, Roger. You take care, and take care of those kids.” The doors close, and I head to the back.
I make my way to Del’s office to see if she wants to have lunch, but when I open her door I find her with her head on her desk. Her soft snores fill the space, and a warm feeling fills me. The pregnancy is taking a lot out of her, even though she tries to pretend that she’s fine.
I close the door and then move around her desk to sit on top. She doesn’t budge, even when I reach out and stroke my hand over her hair. I know most men want their sons to look like them, but what I wouldn’t give to see her beautiful face on our son.
I grab her shoulder and give her a little shake. “Baby, wake up.” It takes a few times before her eyes pop open, and her cheeks turn the most adorable shade of pink.
She sits up, and there’s a wet spot from where she clearly drooled. Delilah wipes her mouth, and then looks around. “I only put my head down for a second…I swear.”
I stand up and reach out to help her up. She groans as she stands up tall. I rub circles on her belly, and she rests her head against my chest. That seems to be her favorite spot to snuggle up to me. “Are you hungry?”
She looks up at me. “Starving.”
“Can you go to lunch now?”
“Yep, I just need to use the bathroom first. I’ll be right back.” She disappears out of her office, and I step out into the hall to wait for her. The past week she’s more tired than normal, like “fall asleep in the middle of a conversation” tired.
Delilah waddles back out a few minutes later. She gives me a sleepy smile that makes me nervous. I read that women can be tired at the end, but this seems a little extreme. I lead her out with a hand on the small of her back, and we ride the elevator down to the lobby. We walk around the corner to Fox’s Bar and Grill.
We sit in the corner and order a couple of burgers. She smiles at me from across the table, and it’s a sleepy, dopey-looking grin. “Are you sure you’re okay? You look like you’re fucked up.”
She straightens her spine. “I’m fine, just tired. I don’t look fucked up. How could you say that to me?”
I grab her hand from across the table. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean it like that. You just look…tipsy, and it’s not bad, it’s cute.” I’m not going to tell her I’m worried.
After lunch, I practically have to carry her back to the office. The security guard in the lobby gives us a look. “Is she okay?”
“Yeah, she’s just pregnant and tired.” He nods in understanding. I lead her into the elevator and wrap my arms around her shoulders. “When we get upstairs, you’re going to grab your things and go home, and get some sleep.” She opens her mouth to argue, I’m sure, but I hold up my hand. “No arguing. You are dead on your feet. Maybe you’re getting sick, and your body is trying to fight off something.”
She doesn’t say anything; she just leans her head against my shoulder and nods. As soon as we step off the elevator, I lead her to her office. “Gather your stuff, okay? I’m gonna let your dad know what’s going on.” I kiss her on the lips and leave her to it.
I find Jack in the breakroom getting a cup of coffee. “Hey, Jack?”
“What’s up?”
“Delilah needs to go home. She’s dead on her feet. I don’t know if maybe she’s getting sick or something.”
Jack nods and then walks past me. I follow him into Delilah’s office. As soon as I step inside, I know something is wrong. She’s sitting at her desk, with her head resting on it. Her cheeks are flushed. Jack gets down next to her.
“Honey, what’s wrong?” He places the back of his hand on her forehead. “You feel warm. I think we need to get you to a doctor.”
I call her OB and she recommends taking her to her family physician or a walk-in clinic. Luckily, they’re willing to fit her in. I promise her dad that I’ll call as soon as I know something. She falls asleep in the car as we make our way to her doctor.
I wake her up and lead her inside. We check in, and since they’re already seeing cases of influenza and summer isn’t technically over yet, they make her wear a mask. I wrap my arm around her and feel it the moment she falls asleep on my shoulder. This is not normal, and she’s been doing it a lot, but this past week it’s gotten worse.
When it’s finally her turn I follow as they take her into the back. They do all her vitals, and when they’re done the nurse looks at us. “You’ve got a low-grade fever. It’s a hundred and two. Just sit tight, and the doctor will be in.”
The nurse shuts the door behind her, and I move to the examination table, helping Delilah lie down. I stroke my hand over
her hair and watch her brown eyes flutter shut. The scent of cleanser burns my nostrils. Glancing around the room, it’s got a calming feel to it. The walls are a soft yellow, and there are pictures of beautiful landscapes.
The doctor comes in a little while later, and poor Delilah has been swabbed, poked, and prodded. She takes it like a champ though, and by the time we’re done she’s diagnosed with fucking mono. He assures us that it’s okay, and we’ll just have to make sure we keep her fever under control and that she doesn’t get dehydrated.
“Delilah, I’ll want to see you again in two weeks.” He looks to me. “If her fever isn’t coming down with the Tylenol, or gets higher, you get her to the emergency room. No work until you come follow up with me. I’ll send a report to your OB as well. Feel better and call if you have any questions.”
After scheduling the follow-up visit, we head home. She turns to look at me in the car. “I can’t believe I have mono. I’ve never been this tired—my body hurts so badly.” She wraps her arms around herself. “I don’t think I can miss two weeks of work.”
“Babe, you can. You’re contagious—what if you accidentally infect Egan and he takes it home to Leif and Carrie?”
She sighs. “Yeah okay, you’re right.” She grabs her phone out of her bag. “Hey, Dad—I have mono.” A pause. “Yeah, he’s taking me home now.”
I really like that Delilah calls my place “home.” She hangs up. “He said if I showed up he’d call security and have me escorted out.”
A laugh slips from my lips. “Ha! Yeah, I can picture your dad doing that. When we get back to the house, let’s look up what you can drink to keep you from getting dehydrated, and some foods that’ll help you get better.”
I pull in the driveway and go around the car to help Delilah out. After walking her upstairs to change into her lounge clothes, I make a list for the grocery store and text the guys to see if any of them are close and can come sit with her while I shop. Erik responds first and asks for the list, saying he’ll grab the groceries.