Hold Me Fast (McCullough Mountain Book 7)

by Lydia Michaels

  Maureen didn’t blink. She swallowed and whispered, “Are you late?”

  Ashlynn frowned. “Late for what?”

  “The turnip truck!” Colleen yelled. “You’re actin’ like you just fell off it. You’re pregnant, love!”

  Kelly’s head banged against the top of the icebox, jostling all the jars on the door. “What?” He pivoted, white as a sheet and stared at his wife. “Are you?”

  Ashlynn shook her head. “No. I mean…no. I’m not. I just wanted some horseradish on my meatloaf.”

  “You don’t like my mother’s meatloaf.”

  Maureen and her sisters gasped and Ashlynn snapped, “Kelly!” Eyes apologetic, she turned to Maureen. “That’s not true, Maureen. I like your meatloaf. It’s just heavier than what I’m used to.”

  Maureen swallowed again and smiled. “It’s fine, dear. Colleen, heat her up a sandwich. Kelly, find her the horseradish. I’ll be right back.”

  Without explanation, she slipped out the back door and bustled down the porch steps toward Sheilagh’s.

  Frank passed her on the way. “Where you runnin’ to, woman? Nate told me lunch was ready.”

  “Colleen’s makin’ it. I’ll be right there. I need to get something from Sheilagh’s.”

  “Everything okay?”

  “Perfect. Ashlynn’s pregnant, that’s all.”

  “What?” Frank stilled. “Since when? Why wasn’t I told?”

  “I’ve given you seven kids, Frank. I know a thing or two about it. Don’t say anything. Poor child doesn’t realize it yet. Just go back to the house and act normal.”

  He nodded, and she rushed to Sheilagh’s, hardly knocking on the front door before entering. “Sheilagh!”

  “Buggering Christ!” Alec yelled in a flash of flesh as he fell behind the couch.

  “Mum! What the hell are you just bursting in? We’re naked!”

  She quickly turned around, giving them her back. “I can see that, love. Sorry. I just needed to borrow something.” She smirked, liking the fact that her daughter and son-in-law still couldn’t keep their hands off each other, even in Sheilagh’s condition.

  Clothing rustled and Sheilagh huffed. “Go get your pants, Alec. We’ll finish this later.”

  “I imagine after I’m done installing the deadbolt,” he muttered.

  “What do you want, Mum?” Sheilagh came to the entryway wrapped in a quilt.

  Maureen tsked. “Oh, Sheilagh, that’s your grandmother’s quilt. What sort of way is it to treat such a gift—fornicating all over it in broad daylight?”

  Her daughter, always a feisty one, held open the door. “Thanks for stopping by then—”

  Maureen held up her hands. “Okay. Okay. Sorry. I need to borrow something from you.”

  “What?”

  “An at home pregnancy test.”

  Her daughter frowned.

  “It’s not for me, dear,” she quickly said.

  Sheilagh snorted. “I should hope not. Who?”

  Maureen smirked and leaned close to whisper, “Ashlynn.”

  “What? Okay, hold on. I have a few upstairs. Let me get dressed. I’m coming with you.”

  “I knew you’d have one I could borrow.”

  Sheilagh waddled up the stairs in the quilt. “A pregnancy test isn’t something you borrow, Mum. You pee on it and it becomes yours.”

  “That makes sense.” She waited by the door and turned when she heard someone coming down the steps.

  “Maureen.” Her son-in-law’s greeting was cooler than usual.

  “Alec. Sorry about bursting in. I was here on family business and in a rush. Normally, I’m much more courteous.”

  “Of course you are.”

  She frowned. “Are you being fresh?”

  “Not at all, ma’am.” But he was being fresh.

  She arched a brow. “You have quite a nice little arse for a man of your age.”

  He stilled. “I beg your pardon?”

  “Supple. I’m sure Sheilagh appreciates that.”

  His face flushed dark red. “I’m sure I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  “Bet you could bounce a quarter off it if you tried. Have you ever tried such a thing?”

  “Sheilagh! Your mother’s waiting.”

  “I’m coming!” her daughter shouted.

  Maureen smirked. That’ll teach him to be fresh.

  “I’ll see you later, Maureen.”

  “Have fun at the lock store, dearie.” The door slammed. “Bless his heart.”

  “Okay, got one.” Sheilagh waved the test in the air as she slowly took the steps.

  Her daughter was carrying so low she didn’t expect her to make it to her due date. “Take your time, dear.”

  Sheilagh reached the bottom of the steps and let out a winded breath.

  When she didn’t move, Maureen asked, “Did you forget something?”

  “No. I’m just trying to figure out if I have to pee. Where’s Alec?”

  With a contrite look, she whispered, “I might have frightened him off.”

  “Mum! You can’t do that. Do you know how much he gave up to live here? I swore to him we weren’t as crazy as we seemed.”

  “Well, no one told you to make such claims. Besides, he was being fresh with me.”

  “Fresh?”

  “Yes. I didn’t care for his tone so I made him uncomfortable and he stopped talking.”

  “You know what? I don’t even want to know. Come on. I’ll pee at your house.”

  When they returned to the big house Maureen sent a prayer of gratitude up to God, thanking him for bringing her Shei-Devil back home. It was nice having her so close and Maureen loved spending time with her, especially during her first pregnancy. She was also good for getting things done.

  As soon as they stepped into the kitchen, Sheilagh interrupted everyone. “I have to pee. Ashlynn, why don’t you come with me?”

  “What?” Ashlynn asked, holding her sandwich.

  “You know, girl talk. Come on.”

  “Umm…I’m eating.”

  Sheilagh, never one to be denied, shook her head. “No one’s going to touch your food—hands off, Kelly—we’ll only be a minute. I really need your help with something.”

  “O-okay.” Ashlynn stood and slowly followed Sheilagh out of the kitchen.

  Frank sent her a look that said not a single woman in their family understood the meaning of subtle. Colleen smacked Kelly’s hand as he reached for his wife’s sandwich.

  “I’ll break your fingers if you steal her food.”

  “Mum, can you make me more?”

  Did he not know they were in the middle of something? She huffed. “Are your legs broken? Everything’s on the counter.”

  Kelly’s eyes went wide with shock, but she paid him no mind. Edging toward the steps, she looked up to the closed bathroom door.

  “Do you hear anything?”

  Maureen jumped as Rosemarie snuck up on her. “Nothin’ yet. What do you think?”

  “She’s got a wee one in her belly. All that trouble before…I think it wasn’t anything permanent. Knowing your Kelly, he’s probably sticking her with his prick every day. Sooner or later one was going to take.”

  “Aye. That’s what I’m thinking.”

  “Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, what the bloody hell is takin’ so long?” Colleen barged between them and barreled up the steps. They quickly followed and huddled by the bathroom door.

  “Do you hear anything?” Rosemarie whispered.

  Colleen sniffed. “What the hell is that smell? Did you break wind?”

  “No, I didn’t bloody break wind. I was makin’ egg salad this morning for Liam’s lunch. The stink must be on my clothes.”

  “Will you two shut it! I can’t hear a bloody thing over your yapping mouths,” Maureen hissed. “And Rosemarie, you’re full of shit. That stink isn’t from egg salad. It’s your arse.”

  Her sister harrumphed and suddenly the door opened. The three of them s
tepped back and admired the moldings as though just casually waiting for the bathroom. Ashlynn gasped.

  “Oh, hello, dear. We were just seein’ if you needed anything.”

  “Subtle, Mum,” Sheilagh grumbled. “Calm yourselves. It was a false alarm.”

  She and her sisters wilted. “Tis a shame, love. I was sure with the meatloaf and the horseradish and Italian Mary’s sausages that you had a wee one in there.”

  Ashlynn, looking a bit overwhelmed took a deep breath. “Well, if you’ll excuse me. I’d really like to finish my lunch and then we should probably be going.”

  The front door opened and Tristan ducked under the frame with Nate on his shoulders. Ashlynn took advantage of the distraction to make her escape.

  Colleen tsked. “Poor thing. You could see how badly she wanted it for a moment.”

  “Aye.”

  Rosemarie patted her back. “They could always return to the specialist again if they wanted more.”

  She nodded. That was always an option, but how nice it was to hope for a moment that God alone could bless her Kelly with a child. Perhaps that was why little Nate was so special to her, because he was a miracle.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Sweat beaded on Kelly’s brow as he thrust hard one last time, his wife’s bare breasts were dappled in moonlight, as he filled her. They lay in a nest of blankets on the bed of his truck. Ashlynn panted, her arms falling to her sides.

  His mouth closed over her shoulder and he sucked, marking her sweet ivory flesh. “I love you, Ash.”

  “Mmm, I love you too. That was amazing.”

  Still buried deep inside of her, he pulled the blankets over their shoulders and shifted his weight as he rolled them to their sides. “I’m so glad we came out here.”

  “Me too. I love it up here.”

  They were on the west side of the mountain by the falls where others rarely visited. He and Ashlynn came there often, so often that the trees held hooks for their clothesline and the rocks formed a ring for a fire pit that still held ash and soot from their last visit.

  It was a private little place he and his wife enjoyed—private but wide open. A place where they could be as loud as they wished and no one would ever find them.

  “I wish it was warmer so we could swim,” he whispered, brushing a wisp of her flaxen hair out of her eyes.

  “Definitely too cold for swimming.”

  He nuzzled her shoulder and cupped her breast, teasingly wedging his body closer. “Is my wife cold? I’ll have to warm her up some more. A second ago she was scalding hot.”

  She laughed and ran her fingers over his as he toyed with her breast. “Kelly?”

  “Yeah?”

  “Are you happy?”

  He frowned at her. “What kind of question is that? Of course I’m happy.”

  “But is there something that would make you happier?”

  “You mean like a blow job?”

  She pinched his ass. “No. I mean something a little more meaningful than oral sex.”

  “Well, I think there’s a lot of meaning to a good blow—”

  “Kelly.”

  “Sorry. No. There’s nothing else I want right now. I’m totally happy with our life and the way things are. Is there something you want?”

  “Maybe.”

  “If it’s oral sex I’ve got you covered.”

  She groaned. “Can you be a grown-up for a minute?”

  “Sorry. Tell me what you want, sweet Ashlynn. Your wish is my command.”

  Her eyes searched his and the gravity of her request was evident and sobering. She licked her lips and whispered, “You already gave it to me.”

  His brows lifted as he searched his mind. The last thing he gave her was a hicky, but that wasn’t what she was getting at. Orgasm? No, that wasn’t it either. “Could you be a little more specific?”

  Her fingers closed over his and slowly she dragged his hand lower. He grinned, expecting how this would end, but then his expression fell when she flattened his palm over her belly. “I’m pregnant, Kelly.”

  “What?” he croaked and cleared his throat. “But you said you weren’t.”

  “Because I didn’t think I was.”

  “But then you took a test at my mum’s—”

  “I lied.” She bit her lip.

  “Why?”

  “Because they were all standing there. It wasn’t really me who lied, it was your sister, but I’m glad she did. I didn’t want anyone to know until you did.”

  Chills raced up his spine. “Are you serious? This…this is incredible.”

  “I know.”

  “Oh, my God, Ashlynn…” He kissed her. Suddenly they were both dripping with tears. His mouth pressed to hers as he laughed, trembling with shock and bursting with joy. “How did this happen?”

  “Who cares? It happened. We’re blessed, Kelly. It’s…the moment your mother said something I rejected the suggestion, so used to having my hopes crushed, but then Sheilagh brought over the test, and I couldn’t help the thrill that went through me. I’ve been craving really weird things lately and I’ve been tired and sort of foggy. The other day I was driving around for an hour before I gave up and came home, no clue where I was supposed to be. You know I only acted like that when I was carrying Nate.”

  “Oh my God. I’m blown away. I never thought…I always assumed it would be the same as it was with Nate, that we’d have to see the specialist again and go through all that. This is… surreal.” He laughed. “I wonder if this is how everyone feels when they’re surprised.”

  “I think it’s a little bit more of a surprise for us.” She giggled.

  “You aren’t kidding. Holy shit. Nate’s going to be a big brother!”

  He scooted lower, spanning her belly with his hands and pressing his lips to her tummy. “Hey, baby. I’m your daddy. We can’t wait to meet you.”

  Her fingers combed through his hair as he pressed his ear gently to her stomach and listened. “We need to get you to the doctor’s this week. I want to make sure everything’s okay.”

  “I think everything’s fine, Kel. Aside from my cravings and sudden flakiness, I feel really great. I could run a mile right now I’m so excited.”

  He sat up, knocking the covers off of them. “We’re having a baby!” he yelled, his voice echoing over the mountain.

  She laughed and he quickly covered them back up. Wrapping his body around hers, he fit his hips between her thighs and found her heat.

  She moaned as he filled her. Slowly he rocked into her, making love to her under a canopy of stars, feeling like the luckiest man alive. Having another child was an incredible and unexpected gift.

  As he held her, reveling in this news, Kelly considered how their lives would change. Their home was large enough, but they’d need to paint a room. It might be a girl. The thought of a daughter thrilled him and scared the shit out of him. He’d need bullets in case any boys teased her or tried to be a bit too friendly. And Nate would have to learn the key points of being a big brother, because as much as Sheilagh was a pain in his ass, Kelly always defended her.

  They slept in each other’s arms, whispering softly over different exciting thoughts. Names were already being put on the table. If it was a girl, they were definitely going with either Maureen or Bethany, after either of their mothers. If it was a boy, he liked Shamus after his grandfather, but Ashlynn liked Asher, from the bible, which she said stood for happiness.

  They made love several times and again as the sun rose. It was a good thing his mother had Nate, because they slept well into the morning when they finally passed out. It would be near impossible, keeping up the lie in front of family, but until the doctor confirmed what they believed they weren’t telling anyone.

  On the way home they bought six pregnancy tests. Every single one was positive. That night they celebrated with a large pasta dinner, made with the sauce Italian Mary gave Ashlynn. His wife sure had an appetite, but that didn’t bother him. If anything, it affirmed
she was doing fine and the baby was healthy and growing.

  Because of their history and her difficult pregnancy with Nate, the doctors got them right in for an appointment. That Friday they were flush with prenatal vitamins and deciding which room Little Bean would use. Between the two of them, it was a toss-up deciding who was more excited.

  Ashlynn slipped Nate an apple slice and turned the page in the southern magazine she snatched from beside the register. “Oooh, that looks yummy. Where do you think we can buy a tub of coconut cream frosting?”

  “Mum-mum knows.”

  Ashlynn laughed. “I bet she does.” But she was not going to make the mistake of feeding her cravings in front of Kelly’s mother again until they were ready to tell everyone. She dog-eared the page for later.

  The market was slow and there were no new shipments to stock, which was fine since she was enjoying a lazy afternoon of sitting while Nate played at the front of the store.

  “Customer,” Nate called. “It’s Aunt Becca and Hunter! Mom, can I play with Hunter?”

  “Sure, but wait until he comes inside and says hello.”

  Folding the magazine and stashing it behind the counter, Ashlynn stood and smiled as Becca stepped into the market. Hunter laughed and wrung his hands as she ushered him through the automatic doors.

  “Hello Hunter,” she greeted.

  “Hi, Hunter! Wanna play?”

  Becca smiled and shook her head, her eyes telling Ashlynn she could use a break. Ashlynn looked for something that might occupy them for a bit. “Nate, why don’t you get one of the containers of sliced watermelon and bring it to me. I’ll open it and then you and Hunter can sit by the front window and share it.”

  “Okay! Hunter, we have ducks out that window. They play in the puddles.”

  Hunter went to the window and paced as he spotted the ducks. His fingers twisted as he laughed. “Mom, ducks!”

  “I see, bud. Sit down and have some watermelon with Nate.”

  Ashlynn snapped the seal and handed the tub to Nate. Once they were both happily sucking on slices of pink melon, she sighed. “Rough day?”

  Becca grinned. “Ordinary day. I’m just anxious for Braydon to get back.”

  “How much longer is he out of town?”