by Simply BWWM
“Things are good,” I said hesitantly. I was used to hearing her gossip, not dishing my own.
“Good? That’s it? Give me some details!”
“Things are amazing, like scary amazing. I feel like we picked up right where we left off back in law school. Even better than that. He is so excited about this baby. You know I caught him reading my expecting book the other day?”
“Aw, cute.”
“Yeah, he is super excited. I know he’s going to be an amazing dad.”
“That’s all fine and well, but you know what I want to hear about. Give me the goods!”
“I’m not going to tell you about my sex life, if that’s what you mean. I’d rather not have the whole office know about it.”
“What do you care? You don’t work there anymore.”
“You’re not even going to deny it? You have no shame!”
Julia mulled this over in her head a minute. “No, not really. Now come on, give me the goods.”
I rolled my eyes and gave in.
*
“Vay, are you here?” Edward called, setting down his keys and wallet on the small table in the foyer.
“I’m in here. Just finishing up dinner.” Instantly, I felt his warm embrace around me, gently rubbing my belly as he nuzzled in my neck.
“Mmm, I’ve missed you.”
I turned around to put my arms around his shoulders. “Yeah, you would think working in the same office, we would actually see each other. Or at least get off around the same time.”
“I know, my last meeting went pretty late tonight. Did I miss dinner?” He was eyeing around me now to the stove behind me.
“No, lucky for you, you’re just in time.”
“What are we having?”
“Okay, don’t judge me, but it sounded so good I had to make it.”
“What, pickles and ice cream?”
“Ha! No, not that bad. I made fried chicken and waffles with maple syrup or white gravy.”
“Well it can’t be worse than mac and cheese. Although,” he said as an afterthought, “maybe you’re just trying to fatten me up so I have a heart attack at thirty-five.”
“Don’t worry, babe, I’ll help you work it off tonight.”
“Oh, that is what I like to hear.” And he was back kissing my neck while I plated our food.
I was in the dining room setting the table as Edward got us drinks out of the fridge. “Uh, Vay?”
“Yeah?”
“Did you happen to buy a whole bakery today?”
“What?”
“The fridge is full of slices of cake.”
“Oh, Meaghan dropped those off today. She wants us to taste them and tell her which ones we like best.”
“Meaghan the planning lady?”
“The one and only. Maybe you’ll be able to catch her when we go over flowers next Tuesday. It would be kinda nice for you to meet her before the actual day.”
“Eh, I still got two months before that.”
I was in the kitchen washing the dishes as Edward brought them in for me. “You know,” he said as I handed him dishes to be dried, “we could always hire someone to come and cook and do all this for us. If you don’t want to. Even just every few days to give you a break if you want.”
“I don’t mind it.”
“Or we could always use this fancy gizmo down here called a dishwasher,” Edward said nudging the machine next to the sink.
I shrugged noncommittally. “I never had one growing up, just got used to doing them with my mom. Seems kind of wasteful to use it when it’s just the two of us anyway.”
Edward insisted on working off his calorie intake for the next hour. I was rather enjoying myself siting in his gym, watching him get all sweaty. I hated working out, but I could definitely get used to watching him do it.
“Whew! All this working out has made me hungry,” I said as he finished his cool down. “Time for some cake?”
“All of this eating and you are going to turn into…”
“Turn into what exactly?” I asked, hands on hips.
“Uh, twice as much beautiful woman as before.”
“Mm-hmm. I’m pregnant; I can eat as much as I want.”
“You can, I can’t.”
“We can just come back here and work out again when we’re all done trying the cakes,” I said with a wicked grin.
“Easy for you to say when I’m the one getting all sweaty.”
“I like you sweaty.”
“Oh, do you now?” he asked with a devilish grin making his way toward me.
I had my hands out in defense. “You’d better not touch me.”
“Come here baby, I just want a hug.”
Before he could get to me, I was out the door. Squealing, I ran as fast as I could. It would only be a matter of time before he reached me, though. He caught me halfway to our room, wrapping his sweaty arms around me and rubbing his hair all over me.
“Now you’re all sweaty too. Guess we both need a shower before any cake.” I could feel his desire for me underneath his shorts. I had a feeling we wouldn’t be just getting clean in the shower.
I wasn’t too interested in all the fancy gadgets that Edward’s wealth had bought, but if there was one thing that I could no longer live without, it was his shower. He had a fully-tiled stall, big enough to fit a whole party. There were two shower heads on each wall and then a rainforest head directly in the center. It was torture dragging myself out of that bad boy every morning.
Edward had all the water running by the time I joined him in the bathroom. The room was already filling with steam. I watched as he deliciously peeled his workout clothes off. It was still a shock for me to see his naked body. I don’t know if I would ever get over the beauty of it. It was like looking at a Greek marble statue -- only in flesh, and all mine.
I quickly got myself undressed and met him just as he was finished washing off. I was really beginning to show and it was making me a little nervous how he would react to it. I was filling a loofah with some of my own lavender wash when he took it from me and lathered me all up. He dropped the loofah to the floor and was rubbing the suds over my belly from behind. I could feel his excitement on my behind as he started to nibble on my ear. I arched my back, pressing my butt harder against him. I didn’t know if I would ever lose that euphoric feeling just before making love to him. Suddenly, he stopped, freaked out.
“What?”
“I think I just felt the baby kick.”
“Oh probably.” I had been feeling it for a few weeks now, but it hadn’t been strong enough to be seen from the outside. The excitement of the moment woke the little tiger up and it had been doing flip flops in my belly.
“That was creepy.”
“It’s not creepy. It’s your baby.” I grabbed his hand and pressed it back to my belly. I felt the movement again from inside. The shocked look on his face meant he felt it too.
“I don’t know, it just seems all so real now.”
“Are you going to freak out on me now?”
“No, actually it’s kinda getting me really excited.”
That relaxed my fears. I was still struggling with my trust in him; in him really wanting to stick around. I knew it had nothing to do with Edward, but rather with my own daddy issues. I wished that knowing would just make it go away, but it didn’t.
That fear that Edward would change his mind and leave or end up like his parents, unfaithful, or decide I wasn’t worth bringing into his life was always present at the back of my mind, no matter how much I tried to calm it.
Disregarding my fears, I was overwhelmingly filled with love. I knew I was being irrational. He was going to be an amazing dad and husband. I reached out to cup his face. His eyes were still focused on his hand on my belly. I gave him a gentle kiss. He wrapped both arms around me and enveloped me into a deeper kiss. I could feel his anticipation pushing hard between my legs. We were both ready for this.
“It won’t hurt the baby right?
I mean now that he’s getting bigger?”
“No, but there are other ways to get around that.” I gave him a wicked grin as I got down on my knees and took him first in my hands. He was slick and wet from the water. I stroked him a few times. He closed his eyes making a soft “O” with his mouth. His reaction was encouraging and I took him with my mouth. I could hear his short hiss of breath as I slowly lowered his fullness as deep as I could.
I was stroking in and out with my mouth, occasionally lightly baring my teeth. He moaned in satisfaction to this. I could feel him reaching his bursting point. He grabbed my hair, now soaking wet from the water, as I dug my hands into his behind. He moaned softly as he came in my mouth. I quickly swallowed it back and looked up to see pure satisfaction on his face.
I had always been an independent type person and never really cared about pleasing others. I focused on working hard to get what I wanted. I never thought I would be the type that would want to please a man. I had recently learned that when you were with the person you loved, pleasing them wasn’t giving up your independence.
I gained more satisfaction from seeing him happy because of me than I had ever gained by going after my own desires. Real love meant both of you gave one hundred percent of yourself to the other. You didn’t lose who you were, but only sought to give each other the best of you. And that alone made a better you.
Chapter 8
It was the night before the dreaded baby shower. I had already tried to fake sickness, but Rebecca didn’t buy it. She had also threatened to come and get me if I didn’t come of my own free will. I totally believed she would, too.
I was also getting down to the final weeks before the wedding. Even with Tiffany doing all the planning and organizing for me, it was still starting to hit the max stress level. I was ready for all of this anticipation to be over. I was ready to start our life together and then to welcome our little bundle.
Edward had irritatingly made me promise to wait to learn the sex. He told me that Rebecca wanted to do a gender reveal at the shower. Then, just to infuriate me more, when the doctor handed over the envelope with the sex written down on it, he had looked!
He had known for the last few weeks and refused to tell me. He claimed Rebecca would kill him if I ruined the surprise; I wasn’t sure if I wasn’t going to kill him myself if I didn’t find out soon.
To make it worse, he claimed to have an important meeting after the ultrasound but had really sneaked home to seal off the baby’s room. I came home to find a “Don’t open till Christmas” sign on the door.
Christmas was two weeks before the due date. It was irritating as crap, but also cute as hell to see how excited and involved he was, getting into this pregnancy. That didn’t mean I liked surprises any more than before. I was just trying to humor him. Sometimes not that well.
This happened to be one of those times. Edward was in his office on a conference call. He had just convinced me that yes, I had to go to the baby shower if nothing else, and so I would find out the baby’s gender.
I was again reminded how he knew and I didn’t. I took it as an opportunity to sneak a peek into the baby’s room while he was otherwise engaged. Making me wait for one surprise was enough, I decided.
I was just slowly edging the door open when Edward came up behind me scaring me half to death.
“What do you think you’re doing?”
“Holy fuck!” I screamed. “I almost peed my pants! I need to get a bell for you or something.”
“Peed your pants, huh? I wouldn’t mind watching that.”
“Eww! You perv!”
“Hey you’re the one marrying it.” With that, he wrapped his arms around my ever-growing waist and kissed me chastely. “Now get away from that door before I have to spank you!”
“You are a perv,” I said jokingly walking back to our room. He gave me a little swat on the butt.
***
The baby shower was as magnificent as expected. I had come of my own free will, well, at least Rebecca hadn’t had to come and get me. I would say I only knew half the people there, all the rest were friends of the Kinkade family, I guess. The theme of the party was “Boy or Girl?” We played games, did all the traditional baby shower stuff. Luckily, Mrs. Kinkade kept her distance from me. Still, there was a high-class air to the party. The food was served by a catering company, decorations had been professionally done by Tiffany, and drinks were served in crystal glasses.
I had to wait until we cut the three-tiered cake for my baby’s sex. I sliced opened the bottom layer to find it filled with blue M&Ms. A boy. I was ecstatic amongst all the cheers. A part of me wished I could have just experienced this with Edward. I made a mental note to tell him that for the next one, I wanted it to just me him and me.
The party was turning out more wonderful then I had expected. That was till I had to go to the bathroom. I found myself trapped halfway down the hall by Edward’s mother, again. If she was going to make a habit of this, I was just going to have to learn to hold it every time I came over.
“It didn’t take that much work to find some dirt on you,” she started as she casually sipped her drink.
“I really don’t know what you’re talking about.” I was getting really irritated with these encounters.
“That little secret you don’t want anyone else to know about you. I know it. When I tell Edward, he isn’t going to want anything to do with you.”
“I don’t know what you think you found, but I couldn’t care less.” She must be bluffing to scare me off. I couldn’t think of anything that she could have. “As fun as these little chats are, I really have to pee.” I side-stepped her and made my way to the bathroom without looking back.
When I came out, I was happy to find that she had left. I finished the party, trying to ignore her infuriating encounter. I was opening my gifts when I was handed one from her. I tried my best to fake politeness. I opened the card
Nevaeh,
I know your secret. I am willing to discuss the terms with you.
Come over tomorrow afternoon.
She was really convinced she knew something about me. I couldn’t for the life for me figure out what it was. As far as everyone else knew, I was happily opening a cute christening outfit, but Mrs. K and I, we knew differently.
“It’s beautiful, thank you.” I gave one nod to her. She knew what it meant.
“Glad you like it, my dear.” With that, she excused herself and left the party.
Even without her presence, I was still tormented by her words. How could she have such leverage over me when I had no idea what it was? She couldn’t just be making it up to scare me off. Then why ask me to “discuss terms”? I did my best to hide my anxiety, but Julia knew better.
“What’s wrong? Have I not been doing my bodyguard job well enough?”
“Actually, no.” I told her of the confrontation and the note with the present.
“What a bitch! Do you know what she’s talking about?”
“Honestly, I have no idea. It’s a little frustrating.”
“Maybe she’s just making it all up to scare you?”
“Then why tell me to come over and talk about it if she has nothing?”
“True. Are you going to tell Edward?”
“No, not till I know what she has to say, at least.”
“Want me to come with you?”
I gave her a soft smile. “That’s okay, I think I can take her on all by myself.”
*
It was hard to find an excuse to leave Edward on a Sunday. I couldn’t tell him that I was going to see his mother. Like I would ever do that just for kicks. I was a terrible liar, too. Luckily, since I had told Julia about it the day before, I could use her as my excuse. We were supposedly meeting up for lunch at Tulio’s again.
As I pulled up for the second time to the Kinkade house in the last two days, I was filled with more dread than ever. I had wracked my brain all night trying to figure out what possible crap this lady could h
old over me.
Vivian was all business when I came in. She even had us sit in her husband’s private office, with her behind his imposing mahogany desk. “I appreciate you coming today.”
“Let’s cut the crap and just get to the point.” I was in no mood for this.
She gave me a sickly sweet smile. “I was doing some digging on you. I noticed that you are a quarter Japanese. Tell me about your grandparents.”
“Seriously?” She nodded. I still didn’t know what game she was playing. “Well, my grandmother was born just outside of Tokyo and my grandfather was in the Air Force. They met just after WWII. They got married not too long later. They had my mom. They lived in Japan the rest of his military career. When he retired, they moved back here. That’s it.”
“That’s not quite it. I understand your grandfather was Cuban.”
“Yeah, so? He was in the Air Force and after six years was given the opportunity to get his American citizenship.”
“But you see, he never did.”
“What?”
“He never got his citizenship. He just lived here on a visa. Your grandmother also.”
“Okay, whatever. What does that matter?”
“It matters because your mother was born in Japan, meaning without American parents and being born on foreign soil, she is also not a citizen.”
“I’m sorry, what?”
“Your mother is living here illegally. I’m sure she knows this too.”
I was shocked. I couldn’t believe it! She had never said anything like that to me. I narrowed my eyes at Vivian. “So what exactly are you getting at?”
“It’s simple. You will tell Edward you made it all up, that you are not pregnant with his child. You will leave him. In return I will not have your mother deported.”
I was sick to my stomach. How could she make me choose between my own mother and my future family? “I won’t do it.” I held my chin up high showing as much confidence as possible. “You do that and I tell Edward. You would never see your precious son again.”
“I figured you might play that card,” she said, businesslike. “You are a poor little girl from the wrong side of the tracks. You have nothing but hundreds of thousands of dollars of student debt. Do you really think it would be that far-fetched for him to realize that you purposefully made your way back into his life to settle your own problems? Not only financially, but also with my families’ clout, fixing your Mama’s little secret. All I need is a little reasonable doubt and you’re history.”