by Tia Siren
“Back to the hotel?” he asked, coming up for air after a minute.
“Back to the hotel,” I replied.
In a Freaky Friday moment, he asked, “But what about Bill?”
“I think, for now, we wait,” I said, a little amazed that he was bringing up my brother now. “You gave your apology. The ball is in his court now.”
He nodded, kissed me again, and slid his hands between my legs as a promise of what was to come. “Okay, time to get my balls in your court, then.’
“Agreed. Now drive, you bastard! Drive!” I cried, throwing my hand into the air and laughing wildly.
With a cocky grin and a chuckle, Jesse threw the car into drive and floored it. We burst from the driveway and careened as fast as that hundred-grant car would go back to the hotel.
Chapter 12
For a solid week, we were all anybody was talking about. People stopped us on the street to ask about our relationship, the baby, and how we planned to deal with Jesse’s crazy NFL schedule. All these queries, however, were nothing more than soothing raindrops on a warm summer’s day. We answered all of them with humor, earnestness, and without anything to hide.
The only questions that made us feel perturbed at all were the questions about Bill. We still hadn’t heard from him. True to our agreement in the car, we had stayed away from the hospital knowing that if he wanted to see us, he would come find us.
As nice as the attention was, we soon grew tired of it and decided to have a small, low-key wedding. To make up for all my missed days of work and the fact that I was quitting, we asked Mr. Davis if we could have it at the restaurant and he obviously said yes. It was a beautiful, comfortable and familiar place that would fit all our friends and loved ones—hopefully, as we were still waiting on Bill’s confirmation.
I bought my dress at a local seamstress’s shop. Jesse gave me no price limit and told I could buy my dress anywhere, even at the most expensive boutiques, but I liked giving the old lady my business. She did an excellent job, and her little shop boomed when word got out that she had made the wedding dress of Mary Taft, soon-to-be wife of Jesse Valen. Knowing that I was sharing my newly found happiness with good people, made me feel splendid and put another layer of happiness into our wedding.
Though I was super busy, I continued to go to my nursing classes. It was still my dream, and it was a heck of a lot easier to focus on my studies when I wasn’t consumed by working overtime. However, when it came time for my wedding, I made sure to take the week off to enjoy the festivities.
The days leading up to the wedding were frenzied, but at the same time extremely enjoyable. My life before Jesse had been so stressful that even something as toilsome as planning a wedding was as easy as a walk in the park. Contrary to custom, Jesse and I spent most of the time together, laughing and joking as we usually did.
When the day of the wedding finally arrived, I was calm and ready to start my new life with my husband. I stood in the kitchen, having the other waitresses fuss with my hair and makeup, and looked through the pass-through window.
There weren’t too many people present, just my close friends from the restaurant and college, as well as some of Jesse’s teammates and family. The restaurant was almost unrecognizable with flowers and ribbons everywhere giving it a fairytale grotto feel to the usual plain honey-colored walls. However, as beautiful as the room was, nothing compared to the sight of Jesse waiting for me between two long rows of tables.
My lips curled up into a smile as our wedding song blasted through the sound system of the restaurant announcing my arrival. As the girls wished me luck and disappeared through the kitchen doors, I took a deep breath, saddened only by the thought that there was no one to walk me down the aisle.
Just then, however, I heard a scuffle outside. There were a few gasps, a man shouting curses, and then the sound of China being knocked aside. Fearfully, I poked my head out of the kitchen door only to nearly collide with—
“Bill!” I cried, leaping to embrace him.
He looked incredibly handsome in his suit and, for the first time in years, I felt so happy and proud to be his sister.
“Did I miss it? Did I miss it?” he asked frantically, clearly out of breath.
“No,” I said. “You’re just in time. Want to walk me down the aisle?”
“It would be my pleasure,” he said with a proud smile as he took me by the arm. At the bar, someone reset the music announcing, once again, my arrival.
Bill and I walked towards the makeshift altar where Jesse waited for me with our arms interlocked. We strutted in a slow and steady pace, both relishing the precious moment of joy. I finally had my beloved brother back and the man I had always loved. My heart swelled with a joy I never thought I could experience in my lifetime.
My gaze focused on Jesse and I couldn’t help but return the silly grin on his face. Although my eyes were too watery and blurry to see anything properly, I could have sworn that actual tears were brimming in his eyes. Bill must have noticed how overcome with emotion the two of us were because I heard him chuckling quietly to himself.
When we finally arrived in front of Jesse, Bill surprised everyone by folding his arms around his friend in a backbreaking embrace. “I’m sorry,” he whispered.
“Me too,” Jesse replied, and now I was sure there were tears in his peepers.
When their embrace reached an awkward length of time, someone in the audience cried, “Hey, buddy. Leave it to the bride, why don’t ya?”
Everybody laughed. Bill, blushed slightly, pulled away and took a seat at the closest table.
Now it was just Jesse standing at the altar along with me.
The priest opened his arms to us and started to speak. I could tell his words were beautiful and moving, but I could not hear any of them. I was totally lost in Jesse’s eyes.
Then, as if from a distance, I heard the priest say, “Do you, Jesse Terrence Valen, take Mary Elizabeth Taft to be your lawfully wedded wife, promising to love and cherish, through joy and sorrow, sickness and health, and whatever challenges you may face, for as long as you both shall live?”
“I do,” said Jesse, and it was like a sweet rumble of thunder on a hot summer’s night.
The priest then turned to me. “And do you, Mary Elizabeth Taft, take Jesse Terrence Valen to be your lawfully wedded husband, promising to love and cherish, through joy and sorrow, sickness and health, and whatever challenges you may face, for as long as you both shall live?”
“I do,” I whispered. For some reason, even though we were in a closed room, I suddenly felt like I was standing under the sun with a gentle breeze blowing against my skin.
Jesse and I smiled at each other as the priest said, “I now pronounce you man and wife. You may kiss the bride.”
And, as if we had never kissed before and were enjoying each other’s touch for the first time, we kissed. It was incredible, like two beings being swept together, intertwined, woven in and out of each other’s souls until there was no difference between us.
“I love you,” I murmured as we pulled apart.
“I love you, too,” Jesse—my Jesse Valen—whispered back as our foreheads rested against each other’s.
The audience erupted into cheers as we turned to face them for the first time as Mr. and Mrs. Jesse Valen.
The rest of the wedding passed in a happy blur. Although my memory was somewhat splotchy, I remembered all my friends and loved ones kissing and congratulating us. I remembered members of the New York Jets lifting Jesse up on their shoulders and carrying him around as if he weighed nothing, and my new husband getting protective when they tried to do the same to me.
My clearest memory of the ceremony, however, was a conversation we had with Bill near the end of the night. Jesse sat down beside him, sweaty, exhausted, but handsome as ever, and clapped Bill on the back.
“I’m so glad you came, my friend,” he said, his sincerity as great as his grin.
Bill smiled as well, but his was sh
y and almost embarrassed. “Me, too.”
“Now that we’re speaking again, I wanted to talk to you about an opportunity you might be interested in.” Both Bill’s and my brows furrowed at Jesse’s words as he continued, “I’m good friends with a coach from the minor leagues. I told him your story and how good you were in high school, and he’s willing to give you a try for next season. Obviously, you’ll have to get back in shape and do some training, but the opportunity is there if you’re interested.”
A smile spread across Bill’s face. It was the first unfettered, genuine smile I’d seen him give in a long time.
“Hell yes!” he exclaimed and poured himself another drink. Just then, one of my good-looking waitressing friends walked over and asked him for a dance. I was thrilled to watch his smile grow even broader.
Choking up with emotion, I made my way outside. Although mine were tears of happiness, of course, I knew they’d ruin my makeup just the same and therefore I didn’t want anyone to see them. As I breathed deeply, gaining control of my joy, I surveyed the outside of the restaurant where I’d spent so many nights smoking cigarettes with my friends and talking about impossible dreams. It made my heart flutter as I realized that mine had come true.
I was going to be a mother. I was married to the most amazing man in the world. I was getting to be friends with my brother again, even after everything that had happened.
Just as I relished on that wonderfulness, Jesse appeared and broke through my reverie. With his hands in his tuxedo pockets, he leaned on the wall beside me.
“You needed a break too, huh?” he asked, wrapping his arm around my shoulder.
I chuckled. “Not a break, exactly. More like…some time for reflection.”
“I see…and what were you reflecting about?”
“Just that there’s nothing in the world that could ever make me happier than I am at this moment. This is the best night of my life.”
I expected him to be moved, or serious, or at least sincere. However, when I looked at him, I saw a teasing, humorous, cocky grin.
“What?” I demanded, baffled.
“I can think of something that would make this night even better,” he said.
“What?” I asked, genuinely confused.
He took my hand in his and, at first, brought it to his lips. He gave me a gentle kiss, like a proper gentleman. Then, with one quick swoop, he brought my appendage down between his legs and pressed it against his hardening cock.
“That,” his murmured.
I grinned as a devilish pleasure blossomed inside me, and asked, “To the hotel?”
“To the hotel.”
Chapter 13
Approximately Eight Months Later
“Come on, Jesse. Hurry up. We’re going to be late!” I called to my husband, squeezing my way out the front door. It was ironic that he should be the one holding us up, considering I was roughly the size and shape of a beluga whale.
“You got everything?” he asked, heaving our cooler into his brand new family car.
“Yes,” I groaned, feigning annoyance at his concern.
“Your cell phone?”
“Yes.”
“The charger?”
“Yes.”
“The doctor’s emergency number?”
“Yes! Jesse, it’ll be fine.”
He inhaled and exhaled deeply. “I know,” he said shaking his head. “It’s funny. The biggest tackles in the NFL don’t scare me as much as your belly does right now.”
I chuckled. My due date was three days ago, and since then, Jesse’s nervousness had only increased. Still, I felt fine, and neither of us wanted to miss the big night. Therefore, we piled into the car, buckled ourselves in—me with some difficulty considering the size of my stomach—and set off.
The game was only twenty minutes away. I was excited, but not as much as Jesse, I thought. I don’t believe that even the actual players and fans were as excited as him.
Once we finally arrived at the stadium, I was impressed with how many people there were. Obviously, the crowd wasn’t a massive as an NFL game, but it was still impressive. Jesse had gotten us awesome seats right up against the field, so we were able to see every player pour into the stadium.
“Can you see him? Can you see him?” Jesse demanded, practically leaping out of his seat.
“There he is.” I cried. “There he is! Bill! Hey, Bill!”
The fanfare of the marching band and the height of the excitement was too great for Bill to hear me. But I continued to yell and wave my hands as he ran out with the rest of his team, his helmet on and his shoulder pads making him look enormous.
“I’m so proud of him,” I exclaimed, grinning so hard it hurt.
“Me too,” Jesse yelled and then kissed me. “Look, honey. Look! I think he’s starting!”
Sure enough, Bill walked onto the field as part of the starting lineup, looking slightly nervous but still tall and athletic and wonderful.
The whistle blew. The game was on!
“Go, Bill! Go! Go!” Jesse screamed, practically hanging over the end of his seat as a play placed the ball in Bill’s hands. The crowd erupted in cheers, and I assumed he scored a touchdown.
One I, unfortunately, did not see.
“Mary, honey?” Jesse asked, noticing my pallor. “What’s wrong?”
I looked down between my legs in horror and amazement. Then, in a surprisingly calm tone, I said, “I think my water broke.”
Jesse blinked dumbly at me for a second. “Your water broke? Oh, shit! Your water broke! We gotta get you to the hospital right now!”
“That would be the plan,” I said mildly, smiling at him.
Completely frantic, he scooped up all our things in a single sweep of his arms and asked, “Can you walk?”
Carefully, I tested my legs and was glad when I realized they were working properly.
“Yes, they’re fine. Wet, but fine,” I said thoroughly embarrassed about the big wet spot on my pants.
Always considerate, Jesse quickly pulled his sweatshirt up over his head and handed it to me. I tied it around my waist to hide the mess, and together we made our way to the car.
Giving birth was hard, though not as hard as some of the stories I had read online. Thank goodness! As for Jesse, he was a trooper. He stood beside me the whole time, holding my hand and cheering me on as if I were playing a football game and not pushing a human out of my vagina, but it was sweet, and I loved him for it. When the time came, he even waited between my legs to catch the baby.
In a red blur of pain, I felt a sense of massive, slipping relief and heard the squeal of the baby. Jesse emerged a couple seconds later, holding the little, bloodstained thing in his arms.
“What is it?” I asked. “A boy or girl?”
“A boy,” he said, his voice trembling with awe.
“A boy…is he healthy? Let me see.”
“Looks like it,” the doctor replied, appearing behind Jesse. “Ten fingers and ten toes, just as it should be.”
“Good,” I said as Jesse placed the little nugget into my arms.
As I looked down at my son, tears filled my eyes. He was by far the most beautiful thing I’d ever seen in my entire life. My heart swelled with the intensity of the love I felt for him. It was different than any sort of love I’d felt before. I loved Jesse, of course, and Bill, but this…nothing, anywhere, could ever compare.
“We have a son,” I said completely in awe.
“Yep, we do,” Jesse replied with a trembling voice.
I kissed my son’s deliciously yucky head before handing him to the waiting nurse. Then, I passed out from exertion.
When I finally woke up, we were in a room, and Jesse was sitting on the edge of my bed with our baby in his arms. It was, undoubtedly, the sexiest sight in the world.
“Two of my favorite boys,” I said.
Jesse took his eyes from our baby to look at me. “One of them needs a name.”
“That he does,” I agree
as I took him from my husband’s arms. He looked so peaceful sleeping with his tiny hand pressed against the side of his bald head.
A knock at the door interrupted our little family moment. Both of us turned to the door as a nurse poked her head in to tell us that there was a family member here to see us. Confused, we told the nurse to let them in.
Seconds later, Bill entered the room. He was in a clean hospital uniform, but the dirt smudged on his cheek showed that he had in fact just been playing football.
“Bill!” I exclaimed. “You’re supposed to be at your game.”
“Please, little sis!” He laughed. “You’re the most important thing in the world to me.”
“Actually,” Jesse said, “I’m really glad you’re here. We were just having a crucial conversation. We could use your input.”
“Oh, yeah? What’s that?”
“We were discussing what to name him,” Jesse explained.
But I interrupted. “There’s no discussion, I know what to call him, already,” I said. “I want to name him after the two most important men in my life: Jesse William Valen.”
“Jesse William Valen,” my husband echoed, the words sounding wonderful on his lips.
“Jesse William Valen,” Bill said. “I love it. It’s perfect.”
The two of them leaned in close and hugged me tight. The four of us—me, Jesse, Bill, and the baby—held each other close, relishing in the warmth and love of family.
THE END
Table of Contents
Big Bad Baller: A Bad Boy Sports Romance
Regency Romance Collection
Clean Regency Romance Collection
BWWM Romance Collection
Biker Collection
Sports Romance - Hard Play
More Steamy Romance by Tia Siren
Regency Romance Collection
The Bet of the Season – A Regency Romance