Irresistibly Undeniable

by Zoey Derrick

  She was always so sick every time she ate, it didn’t matter what it was. But we somehow managed to get food in her, and slowly, over the course of the next month, more changes started happening. My favorite part, her tits, got bigger. Yup, I’m a complete and total boob man. I mean, come on, can you blame me?

  The beginning of May brought more awesome things for us. I went back to work and so did Ireland, though she didn’t come to work for me, well, not full time anyway. She started working for herself, really.

  Bold International, Inc. was due for an overhaul of their business practices and who better to help them with that than my VeeVee. She and Cami spent their days discussing Bold business, and I spent my days handling Tigress business.

  It was bliss, complete and total bliss, in a way I never pictured for my life.

  Yesterday we had the first doctor’s appointment where we got to hear the baby’s heartbeat and next to Ireland saying my name, that is the most perfect sound in the world. Each day her morning sickness seemed to subside more. It was only about two weeks after I found out that I figured out Ireland wasn’t the only pregnant one when Cami kept ignoring wine when we would have them over for dinner and vice versa. Finally, it slipped and I was in on the secret too. It was odd, and yet strangely exciting to have my fiancé and her sister pregnant at the same time.

  Oh, did I leave that part out?

  Somewhere, in the middle of rolling around in the sheets, I proposed to her and she said yes. Though she refuses to get married while pregnant, I’m still trying to convince her otherwise. She says she wants to be able to get drunk at her wedding, but I gently reminded her that no matter what, our wedding night wouldn’t be our own. We were going to have a little one somewhere to worry about.

  By the end of May, we’d had our first ultrasound. Ireland decided she didn’t want to know the gender of our baby, but then decided she wanted to have a gender reveal party. She and Cami are in the process of planning that one for some time in July. Tristan and I just let them have their fun. It’s quite comical to watch Ireland and Cami together. You’d think they’d grown up together their whole lives because they are like two peas in a pod, constantly giggling and having a good time.

  Tristan and I have gotten close, more friends than friendly and I guess it’s that soon-to-be-brothers-by-marriage bond forming between us, but I think it goes beyond that.

  Dusty, Anna and Emma have been to Phoenix since Ireland’s return and Dusty and I slipped right back into our old ways of being dumb boys. I think if Ireland didn’t love me as much, she would have left me based on sheer stupidity.

  Ireland broke down and explained to Dusty about her father, about the secrets their mom kept and why it was Dusty got all her money. Ireland softened the blow by buying them a gorgeous new house in Chicago, and setting Emma up with her own little trust fund for when she graduated college. I kept telling her she didn’t have to do that but she kept throwing my line back at me. If it is in her means to do it, she is going to do it.

  She confessed to me one night that she would have never sued me over money from Tigress based on her business plan, but she was happy I had the sense of mind to think about the person who had written it. Even if it hadn’t been her, she would have liked to see someone benefit from their hard work. I explained to her that if it had been someone else, I would have bought them out, probably with more money, just ‘cause I couldn’t imagine being working business partners with someone I don’t know or trust. She’d scoffed and teased me about not being able to afford to buy her out and that she’d have taken me to the cleaners. Her ploy backfired when I told her she could have the business if it meant I could spend every day ravishing her body.

  By late June, Ireland is feeling on top of the world. Her morning sickness seems to have vanished and she is eating just about everything in sight. I would be concerned, but her energy level rises with her appetite and she is exercising away most of her weight when she and Cami hit a maternity yoga class twice a week. Not only that, but she didn’t seem to be gaining any weight, except her little pouch is now visible in most of her clothes, which brings us to now. Standing in the closet while she huffs and puffs over what to wear to Cami’s birthday party tonight.

  “I feel so bloated,” she whines.

  “But you look gorgeous.” She glares at me.

  “Are you going to remember that in about three months when I can barely move?”

  I chuckle and wrap my arms around her, my hands resting on top of our little one. “I’ll be here to pick you up.” I kiss the hollow where her neck and shoulder meet.

  “You keep that up and we’ll never make it to the party.” She spins around in my arms, wrapping her arms around my neck. “I’m okay with that. Then I can just stay naked.”

  “Mmm, tigress, that sounds amazing, but…” I kiss the tip of her nose. She pouts, I smirk. “But you will hate yourself tomorrow.”

  She sighs, kissing my jaw before releasing me. “Fine. What do you suggest I wear?” she asks me and I have the perfect outfit, but I was hoping she’d come to a conclusion on her own.

  “On the bed,” I tell her.

  She glares at me. “What did you do?” she accuses.

  I put my hands up in surrender. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  “Ohh,” she growls. “You, you’re impossible.” She stomps off toward the bedroom, her red hair bouncing, the point it comes to caresses the small of her back and the black boy short panties she’s wearing. It’s enough to make my already hard cock jump. “Oh my god, Dyson.”

  I still love it when she says my name.

  “I can’t wear that.”

  I walk out into the bedroom. “Says who?”

  “Says me?” I look at the outfit on the bed. It’s a new pair of artfully faded dark denim jeans that flare at the bottom, a new pair of lower, chunk heeled boots, to better help with her balance because I know how much she loves her heels, but even she’s afraid to wear them. I paired the jeans with a white, sleeveless top with a deep V in the front. The jeans, though I won’t tell her, are maternity, they have elastic in the waist. She’s refusing maternity clothes, but the reality is she doesn’t have a choice.

  She throws her arms around my neck. “I love it.” She pulls my lips down to hers and kisses me.

  “Good, now get dressed or we’re gonna be late,” I tell her.

  “Help me.”

  And help her I do.

  Chapter 71

  IRELAND

  “Secrets” - OneRepublic

  The last time I walked into Blu, I was hopeful Dyson was going to show up. Tonight, I don’t have to hope, I know, because he’s walking in holding my hand. Everyone is here. Talon, Addison, Kyle, Dex, Raine, Eric, Calvin, Aryn, Caden, Derek, Cotah, Mick, Beau, Tyson, Jolene, Travis – yes, I drooled, hush, Naomi, Cami – obviously, Tristan, and quite a few other people I don’t recognize and that’s okay. If I know Cami, I’ll know them by the end of the night.

  Cotah and I have bonded quite a bit over the last month and a half. We’ve talked on the phone and become pretty good friends. Addison’s even called me a time or two. It was odd at first, but now it’s just kind of normal. I walk over to Cotah and hug her. “My goodness, look at you,” she coos.

  I never bothered to look in the mirror before we left. I knew I would freak out. “Is it that obvious?”

  She giggles, “Yes, but have you seen Cami? Poor girl.” Sure enough, I look at Cami and the angle plus lighting is just all kinds of bad for her figure, but she is definitely showing more than I am and I take perverse comfort in that.

  Dyson and Derek exchange handshakes and start talking. Cotah leans in and says, “So there’s something in the Phoenix water.”

  I look at her, skeptical. “Are you serious?”

  She beams at me and nods. “What are you two talking about?” Derek cuts in, but he’s in an obvious playful mood.

  “Just about the water in Phoenix, I hear it’s pretty effective.” I
pointedly slide my hand along my belly and wink at Derek.

  He gets the same dopey eyed expression Dyson gets every time we talk about the baby as he looks at Cotah. “Yeah, there is, but I like it.” Derek kisses his wife who giggles.

  I shake my head. “Remind me to keep you away from the water?” Dyson teases.

  I lean up and whisper in his ear, “I like being pregnant He blushes a little.

  “In that case, have at it.” I playfully slap his shoulder.

  “One at a time, please. Fiend.”

  “Only for you, tigress.”

  I growl at my nickname and his eyes darken. “Keep that up and we will find a dark corner to disappear too.”

  “Promise.” I smirk.

  “Fiend.”

  I laugh then I’m wrapped up in someone’s arms. It takes a second before I realize it’s Reese. “Hi baby girl.”

  “Oh my god, what are you doing here?” I narrow my eyes at him. He looks at Dyson, who is looking anywhere but at Reese. “Fiend,” I say again and Dyson laughs. I hug Reese again. “Missed your face. How are you?”

  He smiles wide. “I’m good.” Someone joins us. “You remember Andy?”

  “Eep,” I squeal and bounce around like an idiot. “Really?” I ask Reese.

  He nods. “It’s still new but, it’s all kinds of awesome.” Andy blushes at Reese’s words.

  “Yay!” I hug both of them.

  Cami comes over and asks, “Dyson, can I borrow Ireland for a moment?”

  “Absolutely,” Dyson says with a kiss to my temple and Cami leads me to where she was talking to some people before.

  “Trinity, this is Ireland.” I recognize the name from working on Bold plans with Cami.

  “It’s pleasure to meet you,” I tell her, extending my hand to her. We chat for a little bit, about business mostly, before Cami whisks me away.

  “I’m going to tell you something,” Cami says. “I know you’re all hormonal and shit, but promise me you won’t freak out.”

  I blink at her. “I’m not that bad, am I?”

  “No, but Trinity is going to flip the fuck out when I finally tell her.” She turns to me. “Trinity is Carsen’s mom.”

  I blink at Cami in wonder and confusion. I turn to look at Trinity who is talking to someone else now. God, she’s barely ten years older than we are. “He really had a thing for office flings, didn’t he?”

  “Apparently,” she snorts. “But Trinity is good people. She’s got an amazing business sense, and despite everything, I can’t help liking her. She got the shaft. Out of all of us, she got screwed because she was pregnant when Bobby disappeared. He didn’t know until after he came back.”

  “Oh shit,” I say.

  “Don’t worry, I’m taking care of them. Though she doesn’t know that yet. Carsen is only five.”

  “Well, I’ll help.”

  “Nonsense. It’s Bold footing the bill, not me.” She winks and off she goes. I’m only alone for a minute before Dyson is wrapping his arms around me and I rest my head on his shoulder.

  “What’s going on?” he asks.

  “That woman, over there talking to Mick?”

  “Yeah?”

  “That’s Carsen’s mother,” I tell him.

  “Oh, oh…the baby brother?” I nod.

  “She’s also Cami’s right hand at Bold. Bobby had a thing for office flings,” I share.

  Mick joins us and the night continues. I’ve been introduced to Vinnie and his wife. Vinnie is another one of Cami’s people at Bold. At some point I’ve been told what they do, but it’s moot at this point.

  About an hour into the evening someone shows up I don’t expect to see. “How’d you know about this?”

  “Dyson called me,” she says with a smile. “I’ve missed you.”

  I wrap my arms around Becca who carefully hugs me back. “I’ve missed you too.”

  “Come with me,” Beau says, grabbing my arm.

  “Uh, I’ll be right back, I guess.” Dyson is laughing but goes back to talking with Becca. I notice someone off in the corner looking at her, checking her out. I don’t know who he is, except he’s quite familiar is some strange way.

  Cami and Cotah are whisked off to the back room with me. “Who’s the guy, the one in the corner out there?” I ask Cami in the back room.

  Cami looks over her shoulder then back at me. “You don’t know who that is?” She raises an eyebrow at me.

  I shake my head. “He looks familiar, but…no.”

  “That’s Bryan Hayes,” she smirks.

  “The country god?”

  Cami laughs. “That’s him. He and Addison did that duet and he’s made friends with all of us. He’s a really nice guy.”

  I smile. “So I shouldn’t be worried about him making eyes at my old roommate?”

  She snorts a laugh. “No, not unless you think it’s a bad idea.”

  “For him, yes. For her…” I shrug. I guess that’s something we’ll have to see about. I turn the girls as Cotah joins Cami and I, “what is going on?” I ask.

  “I have no idea,” Cami says.

  “Cotah?” She’s giggling and then the next thing I know, all three of us are being blindfolded.

  “How many fingers?” someone asks down the line, satisfied no one can see anything, we’re all turned around and led out the door.

  Chapter 72

  DYSON

  “Love Me Like You Do” - Elle Goulding

  Ireland disappeared on me, but when I look around, most of the girls, no, all of the girls are gone, including Addison, Beau, Jo and Naomi.

  Finally, Jo and Naomi come out of the backroom, but they’re carrying something. Cakes? I look a little closer as they set them down on a table and then Raine comes out carrying a third cake. They line them up and I step in closer.

  They each have the same lettering on them.

  ‘Baby Hunter, Baby Cole, Baby Michaels’

  “Oh shit,” I laugh. Tristan and Derek join me. “I guess the girls can’t wait any longer,” I tease.

  “Cotah only found out a week ago, but she knows what’s going on because they were all planning it, so hopefully she keeps her mouth shut and doesn’t ruin it for the girls.”

  “Do you know?” Tristan asks Derek.

  “No, she wanted to wait, but I slipped the envelope to Beau when we got here a couple days ago. She said she’d take care of it.”

  There are a bunch of girl squeals coming from the backroom as the three pregnant ones are lead out blindfolded and they line them up behind their cakes. “Come on, dads,” Addison says, waving us forward and around the table.

  “Take off the blindfolds,” Beau orders.

  The girls burst out laughing when they see the gender cakes on the table. They are covered in white frosting and the names are all done in green. There’s no indication of what’s inside. “If your filling is blue, you’re having a boy. If your filling is pink, you’re having a girl,” Addison explains. “Dig in.”

  “Help me,” Ireland says and we both take the knife in her hand and cut down the middle of the cake. “I can’t look,” she tells me, and I laugh, removing the slice of cake so the group can see it.

  “It’s a GIRL!” the crowd shouts and Ireland looks down at the cake then back up at me. She’s beaming with pride and excitement as she wraps her arms around me to kiss me and my life feels complete.

  “My two precious girls.” I smile at her, capturing her mouth.

  We’re interrupted when someone else cuts their cake. “It’s a Girl!” Ireland and I both look to see who has cut into their cake. It’s Cotah. She looks as excited and shocked as Ireland did a moment ago.

  Cami and Tristan are hesitating to give everyone else a chance to have a moment and then they finally cut into their cake. What are the odds that all three of them would be pregnant with girls? Slim, but the proof is in the cake. Cami and Tristan’s second child will be a girl.

  “It’s the damn water,” Derek mutters before cla
iming Dacotah’s lips with his own.

  I do the same with Ireland and the group erupts into applause and cat calls.

  Chapter 73

  IRELAND

  “Lost Stars” – Adam Levine

  I don’t think I wanted to know, but now that I do, I’m glad because, hello, it’s a girl.

  Dyson and I are met with a bunch of congratulations and hugs from everyone, even the ones I don’t know. It is like standing in a receiving line.

  When the line draws to a close, Cami comes over and asks Dyson if he is ready for something and I didn’t know what they were talking about. Cami looks at me. “There’s someone here who wants to meet you,” she says, and I’m assuming she’s talking about one of her friends and she ushers me onto the back patio.

  I turn to Dyson, who’s leaving me alone. “Aren’t you coming?”

  “Not yet, you’ll be alright.” He gives me a reassuring smile and the door closes behind me and I take a look around. The stage is set up, no doubt we’re about to have a party out here, but sitting at a table, the one Becca and I sat at when we were here the night I kneed Dyson, is a man. A rather large one at that. I turn back to the door then back to the man who is standing up and walking toward me. The light catches him just right and I step back against the wall.

  “Bobby,” I breathe.

  “Hi, Ireland.”

  Tears well in my eyes as I stare at the man who looks a lot like I do. His hair, though short, is naturally curly, but not the red like mine. That I certainly got from my mother’s side of the family. ”I thought...” I don’t finish.

  “I’m not really here. At least, not to anyone else’s knowledge. But I had to come. I’ve wanted to meet you for so long.”

  “I know,” I say through tears. “I read the letters.”

  He smiles and steps a little closer to me, giving me a chance to really look at him in the lights closer to the building. “Good, I’m glad. I’m sorry,” he says softly.