by Evan Grace
Mom said that it came by UPS and she only opened it because she thought maybe it was a gift or something Delilah ordered. We bagged it for prints, and Jack was going to take it to the station. Collectively, everyone thought it best not to tell Delilah. She didn’t need the stress when she was already not doing well.
I look at my mom. “I know you think we should tell her, especially now that she’s feeling better, but she’s almost eight months pregnant. She doesn’t need to be worried. If things escalate, then we’ll tell her.”
She lets out a huff. “I think you’re making a big mistake. How can she keep her guard up if she doesn’t know that things have escalated? I can’t believe her father agrees too. At least she’ll be back at work next week, and she’ll be protected by lots of security. I guess it’s a blessing that she’s been sleeping so much she’s missed the random drop-ins of your team.” She starts laughing. “Erik is something else, and always stops by when it’s time to eat. I swear that boy has a sixth sense when it comes to my cooking.”
“Yeah, he says he’s had to hit the gym extra hard.” I lean forward. “I seriously can’t thank you enough for dropping everything and coming to help with Del. I just started my job, and I’d already taken cases.”
Mom grabs my hand. “I’m so happy to do it. I’m just sorry I was ever snooty toward her. She may be young, but she’s an old soul. I’ve seen a change in you since you came here. After you left the service you seemed lost, you kept to yourself, and…I don’t know, you seemed unsettled.”
I can tell her eyes are getting bright with unshed tears, but she holds up her hand before I can talk. “Now you seem…happy. It feels like you’re home. When I watch you with Delilah, I can tell how much you care for her. It’s not just because of the baby, either. It’s like you’re two halves of a whole, and I’m so happy for you.”
“Thanks, Mom. That means a lot.”
Chapter Sixteen
Delilah
I stomp out of my OB’s office with the dickhead Reece chuckling from behind me. Today I had my follow-up and ultrasound, and as of right now the baby is about eight-and-a-half pounds, and I still have a month to go. “I don’t know how you can laugh right now. This is entirely your fault.” I reach his car and stand next to it with my arms crossed over my chest in a huff.
He comes around and places his hands on my shoulder. “Come on baby, don’t be mad.”
“I’m going to have to push that thing out of my hoo-ha.” I point to his crotch. “That thing is never coming near here again.” I make a circular motion around my vaginal area. Reece throws his head back and barks out a laugh that I’ve never heard from him, and I love it.
He pulls me to him and kisses the top of my head. “I love you.” Reece’s voice is so quiet I barely hear it.
I tilt my head up and look into his eyes. “I love you.” I push up on my toes and kiss his lips softly. He grips my hair at the base of my skull, taking over the power and intensity of the kiss. I moan into his mouth and feel that tingle begin between my legs.
It’s been just about a month since I first got diagnosed with mono, and I feel great. Oh sure, I get tired quickly, and my hips hurt, but that’s just part of being pregnant—apparently I’m pregnant with a monster baby. At least that’s what it feels like on my smaller frame.
A horn honking in the distance has us pulling away from each other, but I don’t miss the heated look in his eyes. I feel it all the way down to my pussy. He quickly helps me in, and as I buckle myself in, he climbs in and we’re off.
The air is thick in the car as we head closer and closer to home. Once he pulls into the driveway, we both dash out of the car and into the house. I run as fast as I can up the stairs with him following close behind me.
We hit our room, and he has my dress up and off, and I pop the front hook of my bra. He turns me to face him, and I want to cover myself. My body has changed so much since he came back into my life. Hell, it’s changed from the last time we had sex.
He grabs my face in both hands. “Don’t hide from me. You’re so beautiful growing our baby inside you.” Our kiss is languid and deep. My tongue dances with his. He lets go of my face and cups my breasts; I moan as he pinches my nipples. They’re still so sensitive I could come right now.
I slide my hand down the front of his pants and feel his cock is hard. I give it a squeeze as he begins to kiss down my neck, but it’s too hard for him to do right now, so he helps me climb on the bed. I scoot back and watch as he reveals his beautifully muscular body to me, and as always, my mouth waters at the sight of his thick cock.
He climbs onto the bed and moves toward me. Unfortunately, my belly gets in the way of him getting on top. Instead he lies next to me. Our legs tangle together as our mouths touch, and I sink into his kiss. “I’ve missed this,” I whisper against his lips.
“Me too baby, me too.” His hand moves between my legs, and I moan as he zeroes in right on my clit and begins to rub tiny circles around it. I’m embarrassed right now because I’m so wet, but his appreciative groan tells me I shouldn’t be.
He moves his fingers to my entrance and pushes two inside. My channel grabs him, trying to pull his fingers in deeper. His lips travel down my neck, his teeth nipping at the skin along the way. My eyes slide shut as he wraps his lips around one nipple, pulling it deep into his hot mouth. I grip his hair as he works one nipple and then the other into his mouth. He nips the tip with his teeth. I cry out and arch my back as much as I can.
My orgasm comes over me so quick that it startles me. “Oh God!” He rubs that magical spot inside me, and I can feel the wetness that comes rushing out of me. I clamp his hand with my thighs as he slowly brings me back down. He kisses back up my chest until he reaches my lips.
He removes his fingers and brings them to his mouth. Reece’s tongue comes out as he licks every drop of my cum from his fingers. He kisses me once before rolling me away from him on my side. He lifts my leg just enough and I feel him slide inside of me. I moan long and loud.
I welcome the burn and ache as he eases his hard cock into me. “Fuck, baby, you feel so good.” He kisses my neck as he slowly moves in and out of me. Reece reaches down, holding my leg higher to pick up the pace, thrusting harder inside of me. “Del, you’re going to make me come hard.”
Turning my head, I wrap my arm around the back of his head, pulling him down to kiss me. I can still taste a little bit of myself on his lips, and I moan. He begins to grunt, and then groan. His thrusts become erratic, and the moment I feel his seed spilling inside of me, I begin to come again.
We ride the wave together until we’re both panting for breath. “I needed that,” I whisper.
Reece kisses my shoulder, pulls his softening cock out of me, and hugs me to his chest. A sigh slips past my lips, and I feel so content right now. The slight smell of sweat, laundry detergent, and Reece’s woodsy scent wrap around me, and I snuggle further into him.
“Me too, baby. Are you getting hungry?”
I nod.
“Okay, let’s get cleaned up and I’ll take you out.”
We both climb out of bed and I slip his t-shirt on over my head as I head into the Jack and Jill bathroom to get cleaned up. I brush out my hair, throw it up into a bun, and add a little makeup to my face.
I head back into our bedroom and throw on some black leggings and a white form-fitting t-shirt with a red quarter sleeve cardigan over it. Summer is coming to an end and nights are starting to become cooler. Reece comes back in from the en suite wearing his typical uniform t-shirt and jeans.
“You’re so beautiful.” He tips my face up and kisses my lips.
“Thank you, but I feel like a whale.”
“You’re not a whale, and soon we’re going to have a little boy to snuggle and love.”
“I wish we wouldn’t have missed all those classes we signed up for when I was sick. I don’t feel prepared at all.”
“Babe, people had babies long before those classes. No one is ever read
y, but we’ll just learn as we go. Plus we’ve got his crib, dresser, a bassinet, some clothes, and don’t forget my mom’s been sending boxes every week full of goodies. We’ve got plenty of time.”
We head out to the Mexican restaurant that I absolutely love called La Prima. After we get seated and order our drinks, I grab a chip and dip it into their homemade salsa. After eating it, I look up at Reece. “Your mom called today and she and Rachel want to throw us a baby shower, but after the baby is born so your family can all meet him.”
Things were awkward between his parents and me at first, but I’ve learned to really care about them. They’re good people, and just love their son. Elizabeth has treated me better in the time I’ve known her than my own mother ever has. When my mom realized I wasn’t going to be the party pal she wanted when I was in my teens, the teasing began. She wanted a friend, not a daughter.
“Are you okay with that? My family is kind of kooky.”
I roll my eyes. “Please. Your family is great. I just can’t wait to meet your sister face to face. She’s got pictures that she’s dying to share with me.” I rub my hands together gleefully. “I bet they’re good ones.”
Reece shakes his head. “Leave it to Rach to pull out what I’m sure are embarrassing photos.”
Our waitress comes to take our order, and I roll my eyes when she completely dismisses me and openly flirts with Reece. Of course, he’s either ignoring it or totally oblivious because he can’t take his eyes off of me. I never expected that the one time I gave in and had casual sex with someone would lead to a baby and falling in love.
After dinner, we decide to go see a movie. I hate that we’re kind of limited with what we can do right now, but he always assures me that he isn’t that big into going out in the first place. Of course it was a bar that we met at. He swears he was there just to eat and watch whatever game was on.
On the way to the theater, we decide to see a comedy. We grab drinks—water for him, lemonade for me—and he buys me a bag of Skittles and small popcorn. I feel like a pig because of course he doesn’t want snacks, but with his body in the shape it is, apparently he doesn’t have room for Skittles or popcorn.
Unfortunately I fall asleep about halfway through, only to wake up when the credits are rolling. “Oh my God. I fell asleep.” I cover my face with my hands. “I’m the worst girlfriend ever.” He freezes at my words and I realize what I said, which in reality is ridiculous because we’ve said “I love you” to each other. I peek at him through my fingers. “Am I your girlfriend?”
“Delilah, I love you, we live together, and we’re having a baby. We’re so much more than boyfriend and girlfriend.”
“Is living with you temporary? I know before it was because of everything going on, but I don’t want to assume you want me with you permanently. I still have a lot of stuff at Brandon’s.”
He places his hand on my belly. “Of course I want it to be permanent. Baby it’s you, me, and little man. We really need to decide on a name, or at least have an idea.”
I wrap my arms around him the best I can and hug him tight. “What about Jackson Reece Meyers? That way it’s part of you and part of dad?”
“I thought you were going to give the baby the middle name Brandon.”
“I know, but nothing goes with Brandon when it’s the middle name. He’ll understand, and…I could always use his middle name, which is Jeffrey.” It’s like a lightbulb flicks on. “What about Reece Jeffrey Meyers?”
“Let me think on it. I don’t know how keen I am on the middle name Jeffrey. We can have lots of ideas and wait until we meet him to decide.”
We head home, and my heart is full. I’m in love, I’m going to be a mommy soon, and even though they haven’t found out who attacked me, life is pretty sweet right now.
Reece pulls down our street, and we both see the car that’s parked in his driveway. “Do you know who that is?” I ask.
“No, I thought maybe you did.”
Since whoever is here is blocking him from pulling into the garage, Reece pulls up to the curb. “Don’t get out until I come around and get you.” I do as he asks, and he opens the door for me. He keeps himself between me and the car.
The door of the other car opens, and Reece moves to block me from view. He reaches toward the back of his pants and I realize he’s carrying a gun. His hand rests on the butt when I hear a voice I never expected to hear.
“Well, look at you. You’re as big as a house.” My mom steps around the hood and holds her arms out. “Come give me a hug.”
Not wanting her to throw a fit I begin to move toward her, but Reece stops me with a hand around my waist. “Stay by me.”
She moves toward us with a smile on her face that confuses me. It looks like she’s actually happy to see me. Mom looks between the two of us, and her smile widens. “This must be the daddy. Hi, I’m Becky, her mom.”
“I know who you are.”
Mom’s eyes narrow as she looks between the two of us. “Why won’t you let me hug my daughter?”
“Maybe because up until a couple of months ago you asked her to get rid of our baby, and I’m not okay with that.”
“Oh come on, it’s not like she did it.” She signals to my belly. “Delilah Renee Mackenzie, come give me a hug.”
I look up at Reece. “It’s okay.” Placing my hand on his stomach, I smile up at him.
Reece leans down and presses his lips to mine before letting me go. I move toward my mom, and she opens her arms wide for me. I know I’m stupid for doing this—this is probably some ploy of hers, but when I reach her I let her wrap her arms around me in a tight hug. Mom pulls back but still holds onto me. “You look absolutely beautiful.” She must notice my skeptical look. “What? You do. I’m just trying to be nice.”
“You’re right. I’m sorry, thank you. What are you doing here?”
“I hadn’t heard from you, so I called Brandon and he said you were sick.” My mom obviously didn’t get my message.
“Mom, that was weeks ago.” Of course she waited…why would my mother rush to make sure I’m okay? Meanwhile Elizabeth, Reece’s mom, dropped everything to come and take care of me for three weeks.
“Well, you didn’t expect me to come and possibly catch what you had, did you?” She looks between the two of us. “Are you going to invite me in?”
Reece grabs my hand and then looks back at my mom. “Come on.” Mom follows us inside, and Reece leads us into the living room. He turns to me. “Do you want some tea?”
“Yes, please. Thank you.”
I don’t miss my mom’s eyes following him to the kitchen. She then turns back to me and gives me an overly sweet smile. “When is the baby due?”
“I’ve got about four weeks left. My actual due date is October sixth.”
“I can only stay a couple of days because I don’t have much vacation time. Plus I need to get back to Mitch, but while I’m here, I want to get some stuff for the baby. I’d also like to maybe take you to dinner, or at least make you dinner before I go.”
Who is this person, and what has she done with my mother? Can I trust that her intentions are honorable? It’s too soon to tell. “Umm…that would be great, but you don’t cook.”
She throws her head back and laughs. “You’re so right. I’ll take you out to dinner, then.”
Reece comes back in with my tea and sits right next to me, wrapping his arm around my shoulders. Awkward silence fills the room as Reece stares at my mom with assessing eyes, and my mom scopes out the living room.
“Where are you staying tonight?” I know what she’s going to say, and I’m worried about how Reece is going to react.
“I thought I could just stay here with the two of you. Is that okay? I drove all this way.”
Reece stiffens next to me. I take a sip of my tea and look up at Reece with pleading eyes, because what if she really is trying to be supportive? What if she really wants to be a part of her grandson’s life?
“You’re welco
me to stay here.” Reece sounds like he’s in pain just saying the words. “But if you say anything that will upset her, I won’t have any problem putting you out. Do you understand me?”
Mom doesn’t hesitate. “Of course I understand. What kind of person do you think I am?”
I can feel the irritation coming off Reece; placing my hand on his back and rubbing it seems to calm him enough to relax a little. I turn back to my mom. “Why don’t you grab your bag and bring it in. I’ll show you to your room.”
“Thank you, honey. I’ll be right back.” We both watch my mom as she gets up to head outside.
Reece turns to me. “I don’t like that she’s here, and I don’t trust her.” He grabs my face in his hands. “I need to tell your dad that she’s here. Promise me that you will be careful, and don’t get your hopes up. I don’t want to see you get hurt.”
“I know. I promise I won’t.”
My mom interrupts us by coming back inside with a gym bag over her shoulder. Reece excuses himself, claiming that he has work to do, but I know he’s probably calling my dad. He may not come over tonight, but I can guarantee that he’ll be here bright and early tomorrow to assess the situation.
“Come with me and I’ll show you your room.” She follows me up the stairs and I lead her into the bedroom I slept in when I first got here.
“This is nice,” she tells me as she sets her bag on the bed. “I appreciate you letting me stay here. Especially since I just showed up, but I wanted to surprise you.”
I sit down on the bed, and she sits down next to me. “I’m glad you’re here.” That’s only partly true. Not until I know for sure she’s not just trying to get money from my dad, or Reece if she suspects he’s got money. Honestly, I don’t even know if he does. We haven’t really talked about it. I’m sure my dad pays me more than most office managers get, but I don’t dare say anything because he’d get pissy. He says he pays me what I’m worth.