"What are you doing?" she asked, eyebrows knitted with concern.
I chuckled. "Calling my parents to let them know the good news."
She blushed, turning her body as she started to get off the desk. I held her down with my palm flat on her stomach.
"Don't move yet," I said. "I like seeing you like this."
Aurora smiled serenely and lay back on the desk, staring up at me through perfect spider lashes.
Chapter 32
Aurora
"Have you seen my tie?"
I rolled my eyes at Brendon's puzzled expression behind me in the mirror. "Which tie? You've got like five billion."
"Five billion? That's an exaggeration," he said dryly. "I've got maybe three billion. Four billion at the most."
"Which tie?"
"The forest green silk one."
I pointed to the TV cabinet against his bedroom wall. "It's under there. You tossed it there when you did that striptease the other night."
"Ah. Right." Brendon smiled ruefully. "How could I forget."
I laughed and went back to applying my lipstick, making it as perfect as possible, not that Eleanor would care. She was so ecstatic to hear the news—that we were having a baby in general, not just that it was Brendon's—that she insisted on throwing us a big celebration dinner. I was looking forward to it, but I could tell Brendon was even more excited than I was. He'd been waiting a long time to show his family how much he'd changed, and I sensed he finally felt part of the adult crowd among his people.
"You look absolutely delectable." He appeared behind me, tie hanging loosely from his collar, and slid his hands around my waist to rest on my belly. It was his favorite place to hold me these days, and I wasn't complaining. He and I and my swollen belly were a family now. I'd take any reminder of that I could get.
"You don't look so bad yourself."
He pecked me on the top of the head. "Now that I've got my tie I do. What would I do without you?"
I smiled in the reflection and Brendon gave me a pat on the ass before moving back into the bedroom to finish dressing.
What would he do without me? More like what would I do without him?
Nolan left town for good after the results of the test, but I still hadn't left Brendon's apartment yet and desperately hoped I wouldn't have to. Not only was the place a marked improvement from my crappy apartment, but being with Brendon at all hours of the day was my ultimate dream come true. We worked so well together, and so far, living together had been a truly seamless experience.
"Baby, your phone's ringing," Brendon called.
Before I had a chance to answer, he brought the device to me and set it in my hand. I looked at the call display and groaned.
"It's my mother."
He raised a brow. "You're not going to answer it?"
"So she can abuse me for sending Nolan packing and not leaving with him? I don't think so."
I moved to put my phone on the counter but Brendon stopped me with a light touch on my wrist.
"I think you should answer it," he said softly. "She's going to be a grandmother. More than that, she's going to be a part of our lives and I don't want to be known as the asshole that stole you away and kept you from talking to her."
I saw his point, and I wanted all those things too. Dealing with her just sucked the big one.
I sighed and tapped on the answer button just as it was about to go to voicemail.
"Hello?"
"Hello, Aurora. It's your mother."
"Yes, I have call ID. I know."
I could practically hear her sucking her lips into a pinched frown.
"I'm very disappointed in you. I don't understand why you're so determined to throw your life away when you belong here."
"How about , 'Hi Aurora, nice to talk to you. It's been awhile. How's the baby?'" I asked, irritation honing my words. "Aren't you getting tired of this whole song and dance?"
At first when she didn't reply I thought the line had dropped, but then I heard her breathing and realized I must have shocked her into silence. This spurred me on.
"And you know what else? Nolan was an asshole. He was mean to me, and he probably would have been mean to our child too. Brendon is a good man and I love him, and if you give him a chance I think you'll love him too. All I've ever wanted is to find happiness and I've found that here. Why can't you just be happy for me? You've got a grandchild on the way and if you want a good relationship with the little monster then you'd better start getting used to the fact that my life is here now and that isn't going to change."
I glanced over to see Brendon watching me from the doorway, and expression of pride tugging his lips into a smile. I smiled back, embracing the comfort of his presence while my heart ticked nervously in my chest and my face flamed with heat. I'd never stood up to my mother quite like that before, and I didn't feel bad for it. That was probably what set this time apart—I knew that, in this situation, I was right. She was wrong. There was no gray area. I'd tried things her way for years, staying in that crap town just because I was too scared to dream of something better for myself. No more.
"You've changed," she said finally.
It was hardly the heartwarming, sputtering apology I'd hoped for, but it would do for now.
"Yup. Big time."
She sighed. "I don't want to lose my daughter. I miss having you around."
"I miss being around sometimes, but finding what's yours in life is about making sacrifices, Mom. If you don't sacrifice to find what you want, then you'll end up sacrificing what you want. Is that what you want for me? To sacrifice everything I have here just because you think you know my life better?"
She went silent again. Brendon looked practically ecstatic now. He winked and walked back into the bedroom, and I leaned against the counter to support my shaking legs.
"No." Her voice came quiet. Weak. "No, I don't want that. I want you to be happy."
Hallelujah! I felt like dancing around, I was so happy. Too bad my legs were still a little too weak from the adrenaline.
"I'm glad. And thank you."
"I have to go," she announced, and I presumed it was so she could go cry for her loss. Now that she'd accepted it, she would finally start to move on.
"Okay," I said. "I love you."
After a beat, she replied, "I love you too."
I hung up the phone and pumped my fist in the air in triumph. Finally, finally, I was getting somewhere. The last few rough edges of my New York life would be smooth before I knew it.
Eleanor met us at the door and immediately pulled me into a huge hug. "Oh, thank you. Thank you!" she cooed. "I can't believe I'm going to be a grandmother again." She pulled back to look at me, brushing a stray piece of hair out of my face. "And you're so beautiful! Your children are going to be...oh they're going to be so cute!"
"Maybe they'll be ginger," said Keilan, showing up in the hallway behind her. He had a beer bottle in his hand and leaned casually against the wall.
"Don't get her too excited," Brendon replied.
I knitted my brows in confusion until I saw Eleanor’s hopeful expression.
"We've always wanted a little ginger in the family," she whispered.
Brendon laughed and pushed us forward, urging us into the main part of the house. Patrick was by the stove, peering through the oven door at the roasted chicken inside. Avery and Morgana sat at the little kitchen table, and Morgana rose to embrace me in a hug when she saw me. I saw Avery struggling to rise as well and panicked, but Brendon moved to stop him.
"Don't be stupid," Brendon chided.
Morgana merely shot Avery a look, then turned back to me. "He's a nightmare. I've never had a worse patient."
"And I've never had a doctor with such poor bedside manner," Avery shot back, but the comical grin on his face made it clear he adored being taken care of.
"Auntie Aurora!" The high-pitched squeal was my only warning before Julian collided with my backside. He wrapped his stubby arms arou
nd me, apparently not caring that he was up close and personal with my butt.
"Hey buddy," Brendon said, tugging him away.
I turned and squatted down to Jude's level, pulling him into a hug.
"How's it going, little man?"
He ignored my question. "Want to come play trucks with me?"
"You and Aurora can play later," Avery interjected before I had a chance to respond. "I'm sure she's got lots of things she wants to talk about with the others. I'll come play with you."
He groaned as he pushed himself off from the chair and Morgana raced under his arm to steady him. Together, the trio staggered off toward the playroom.
Eleanor came to stand in front of me, and she hesitantly reached for my belly but stopped before she made contact.
"Do you mind...?" she asked with nervous eyes.
I smiled. "Go for it."
I loved when people touched my bump. I loved having a belly, and every reminder of that fact was just another cherry on top.
"You look luminous," Patrick commented, coming to stand beside my wife. "You remind me of Ellie when she was pregnant. Always so stunning, full of life. Not that she isn't still an exceptionally vivacious beauty." He leaned down to kiss the top of her head and I felt my heart stir with warmth. I could picture Brendon and I being their age, surrounded by their children and grandchildren. It was all I wanted.
"Dinner will be ready soon," Eleanor said a second later. "I'll go get Jude."
"I'll come," Patrick replied.
I found it strange that both evacuated the kitchen together, and turned to ask Brendon what the sudden rush to get out of there was.
He was on one knee behind me.
My heart thumped out an erratic rhythm in my chest, growing pace as he reached into his suit pocket and pulled out a small velvet box.
"Aurora Frayser," he said. "You're everything to me. I've known you were something special since the first moment I met you, and I know I would have spent the rest of my life looking for what I felt with you if we hadn't crossed each other’s paths again."
I sucked in a breath. Was this really happening? I had to be dreaming, right? There was no way that the perfect man was on his knee in front of me providing the perfect proposal. There was just no way.
"I know we started living together because I didn't feel like you were safe, but to be honest with you..." He cocked a grin. "I've been too afraid to ask you to stay for real. I wanted to, but I guess sometimes I'm weak where you're concerned. But life is too short, and I know that I want to live with you." He flipped open the lid of the box. "I also know that I want to marry you, Aurora. If you'll have me."
I nearly went blind from the dazzle of the ring, and my mouth dropped open. It was a simple band, and a simple setting too. The only thing not simple about it was the size.
"I'm not going to be able to hold my hand up if you put that thing on it," I joked. My eyes were misting with tears, but I didn't miss the flash of concern that crossed his face.
"Isn't a husband who loves you more than the earth itself worth a few bicep curls?" he asked.
I chuckled. "A few? I'm going to have to start taking human growth hormones."
Brendon rolled his eyes and moved to shut the box. "Well, if you don't want it..."
I snapped out a hand to stop him. "No! I do! I mean, yes! I say yes!"
He scooped me into his arms and spun me in a circle around the kitchen, laughing without inhibition. I held onto him as tight as possible, feet whizzing through the air behind me.
Brendon finally put me down and plucked the ring from the box before tossing it to the side, then he slipped the ring onto my finger. It was a perfect fit.
Chapter 33
Brendon
Aurora smiled back at me from the picture next to my laptop. It was a shot taken shortly after I asked her to marry me, when my mom insisted we document the moment. I wouldn't have minded so much except she peeled Aurora off me so she could inspect the ring and gush about how happy she was to have her in the family. Well, that I didn't mind too much either. Anyway, it was a gorgeous photo of a gorgeous woman and I would stare at it all day if I could.
The man on the other end of the line was still rattling off numbers when I came back to focus. I realized that I hadn't heard a single thing he'd said for a couple minutes now.
"Uh, sorry Jorge, would you mind repeating those figures?" I asked. "I'm a bit distracted today."
"No problem. I know you've got a lot on your mind."
I snorted. "That's an understatement."
"How much longer until the little boy or girl arrives now? Not very long, right?"
A dreamy smile crossed my face. "Only another week at the most."
"It doesn't stop being exciting after the first," he replied, "but enjoy this feeling while you can. You'll need it to look back on when you're up to your chin in dirty diapers, eh?"
I laughed. "Yeah, yeah."
My cellphone vibrated on my desk with a text from Aurora, and I quickly swiped open the message. I wanted her to be able to access me every second of every day, just in case, and anybody who had a problem with that would just have to take it up with me.
My heart stalled, and when it started again it was beating in double time.
Water broke!!!
"I gotta go. Emergency. I'll have someone from my office call you to finish this discussion. Please accept my apologies."
I was off the phone and calling Aurora in two seconds flat.
"That was quick," she answered.
"I told you, I'm not taking any chances." I rose from my chair and grabbed my jacket from the coat rack. "How are you doing? I'll be there in fifteen minutes, tops. You're okay until then?"
"Oh yeah," she replied smoothly. "Just about to push a fucking watermelon out of my vagina and it looks like I peed all over the living room rug. Feelin' pretty great."
I chuckled and breezed out the door, heading for the elevator. I waved at my receptionist on the way past and she gave me an excited thumbs up, divining the nature of the phone call from the panicked expression on my face.
"Baby, just tell me you're okay."
"I'm okay, I'm okay," she said with a sigh. "Jeez. Anybody ever tell you that you worry too much?"
I jammed my finger on the button for the parking garage. "You. All the time, actually."
"It's a shame it hasn't stuck yet."
"Maybe after another twenty years and six kids it will."
"Six kids? You must be out of your fucking mind, Mr. Ralston."
"Only with my love for you, Mrs. Ralston. Have you started having contractions yet?"
My phone connected to the Bluetooth once I was in my car, and I spent the whole drive home talking to Aurora and keeping her distracted. I could tell she was trying to be relaxed about everything, but the reality of the situation was catching up quick. I didn't know how much longer I could keep her calm without being by her side. And hell, I didn't know if I could keep her calm once I was at her side either. That woman had a mind of her own and wasn't afraid to use it.
I told Aurora to wait in the apartment until I got there, but she insisted on waiting on the curb with her overnight bag, citing restlessness as her cause. I suspected she just wanted to get to the hospital as quickly as possible. She was nervous about what came next, and in truth I was too, but it was my job to make her less nervous.
She got into the car and I began to drive, letting her squeeze my hand until I was sure there would be a permanent mark.
"Hey," I said softly, glancing over at her.
She was practicing deep breathing, but it didn't look to be having any effect. Her forehead was beaded with sweat.
"Hey, Aurora look at me."
She did, eyes wide.
I tried an easy smile and looked back to the road. "Do you remember our wedding day?"
"Of course I do," she scoffed. "It was the best day of my life."
I smiled at the memory. "Me too. Though I suspect it's about to get
blown out of the water by today."
Her hand squeezed a little tighter and I chastised myself for the slip. She needed distracting, not reassuring.
"I remember how beautiful you looked walking down the aisle," I told her. "Afterward, Calypso and Amy told me how frustrated you were when you looked in the mirror and saw your belly. How you wished you had a flat stomach for just this one day, but the second I saw you I knew that at that moment, there was no woman more beautiful in the world. There was no scene more perfect than you walking toward me in that snow white dress, your belly swollen with our child. You laughed as you walked toward me. What were you laughing at?"
Aurora buckled over and groaned and squeezed my hand even harder. She was starting to get contractions.
"Baby," I pressed. "What were you laughing about?"
She took a breath and answered, "I don't remember."
"Think back." I brought her hand to my mouth and kissed her knuckles. "Why were you laughing?"
She was silent for a moment, and I wondered if she was about to tell me to fuck off. Then she said, "Peter. I was laughing at Peter."
Interesting. "Why?"
She chuckled. "He was trying to catch Amy's attention, I think. He was the only person in the whole place who was looking somewhere other than me, and I just thought it was funny. It was perfect, really. It just reminded me—" She groaned, squeezed, but kept on talking. "It just reminded me how real everything was. Just when things started feeling too much like a fantasy, I looked down the end of the wedding aisle and saw your best friend trying to give the sexy eyes to my best friend, who also happens to be an escort." She chuckled lightly, and released some of the pressure on my hand. "I had the same kind of thought when Calypso changed into her third outfit for the evening."
"I remember that," I mused. "Amy was annoyed that she'd only brought two outfits."
She laughed, buckling over again. I couldn't tell whether it was from pain or mirth. When she didn't sit upright again right away, I squeezed her hand and kept talking.
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