Love After Marriage (Forever After #2)

by Mia Kayla

  When he bent down to kiss me, I held him against me a little longer. I only hoped he would go through with his word because I had a few things to say to Jason.

  We exited the car and strolled to the office together, hand in hand. I could sense the tension in Kent's stance the closer we came to the doors. I could only imagine how I would’ve felt if the roles were reversed. Kent got looks everywhere we went, but if someone had actually made a pass and kissed him, there would have been bloodshed—Game of Thrones style.

  We entered the building and, right before we split to go our separate ways, Kent’s hand flew to the middle of my back and pulled me in. He kissed me long and hard, in the middle of the office. This time I let him. He was trying to prove a point, stake his claim. For once, I allowed it.

  I was the first to pull away. We were both a little breathless and a lot dazed from that unbelievable kiss.

  "See you at lunch, baby," he said. With one last peck, he nodded and turned toward his office.

  "Good Morning, Beth." Amy greeted me with her signature smile. Her mid-length blonde hair was pulled back in a low ponytail. Amy was in her early twenties. Tall and beautiful. she was always dressed professional. She had interned with Plack Industries since high school and in the evenings she attended evening culinary classes.

  "Good Morning!" I strolled into my office and she trailed behind me, giving me a rundown of all my meetings for the day.

  “So how was your weekend?” I asked after she placed a hard copy of my meeting schedule at the edge of my desk.

  "Non-eventful. You received a couple of messages from Jason late Friday afternoon. He said to call him back because it was an emergency. You didn't come back to the office, so I didn't get a chance to tell you."

  "It's fine. And thank you for letting me know." Anxiety rose within me as I sat in my chair. After booting up my computer, I released a long breath. My shoulders tensed as I pictured a conversation I didn't want to have.

  After Jason's kiss, I had wanted nothing to do with him. Sad as it seemed, my husband and my baby were my priority. Jason and I could have remained friends before that kiss, but not anymore. Not after knowing he wanted more from me than I could give him.

  I swiveled in my chair, gripping the arms in a vice. I couldn't work the whole day with all this tension in my chest.

  I needed to get this over with.

  I picked up the phone and dialed his number. When the call went to voicemail, the tightness in my shoulders released. It was easier talking to his voicemail than to him live. "Jason, hey, it's me. We need to talk, so when you're free I'd appreciate it if you gave me a call. Thanks." Short, brief and to the point. My voice was devoid of any emotion.

  After I dropped the phone, I let out a long sigh and focused on my computer screen. My knees bounced under my desk. After a beat, I straightened in my seat and forced myself to concentrate on something other than the pending conversation I didn't want to have. So, I busied myself with work.

  Hours ticked by and I, in total concentration mode, didn’t notice Jason standing at my door. My heart jumped up my throat when I glanced up from my screen. “Hey,” I blinked.

  His gaze dropped to the floor, a little sheepish. "Hey."

  "Do you want to take a walk?" I didn't want to have this discussion in front of an audience. There was no need to add to the gossip circle at Plack Industries. I'd already added my share to the rumor mill lately.

  "Yeah, sure." He shoved his hands in the pocket of his pants, averting his eyes.

  I grabbed my jacket, and he sidestepped to let me pass. "I'll be back," I called out to Amy.

  When the chilly wind hit my skin, I pulled the lapels of my jacket shut. Jason shuffled besides me, dragging his feet down the street in silence. After a couple of blocks, and when Plack Industries was no longer in sight, I stopped at a bench and sat down. Having this conversation outside only reminded me of a few days ago when we had been at the restaurant. There was not going to be another repeat, and this needed to end quickly.

  "Jason, about the other day..."

  He cut me off mid-sentence. "Listen, Beth, I'm sorry."

  I threw up my hands in the air, turning to face him. "You should be. You were totally out of line. I'm a married woman."

  He clenched his jaw. "I noticed you didn't say happily married."

  I reeled back at his tone. "Yes, as a matter of fact, I'm very happily married. Marriage isn't easy, which is something that you don't know about because you're not married." I jutted out my lip, eyes firm. "You know nothing about my relationship. Nothing at all."

  He flinched as though I’d slapped him in the face, but I didn't care. My defenses were up, and he was in the wrong in so many ways.

  "Don't make it seem like you know me. We knew each other in high school, when we were kids. I'm a different person now, and you know nothing about me or my marriage." I spat out the words like bullets firing from a machine gun.

  I sucked in my cheeks, ready for another round of words, when a sharp pain emanated from my stomach.

  "You're right, I don't know what your marriage is like. And maybe..." His muscle jumped in his jaw. "Maybe it was wishful thinking. I saw something that was clearly not there, or we wouldn't be having this conversation."

  I gripped my stomach as another wave hit me. Peering down at my stomach, the most dreadful premonition came over me.

  Jason went on, clearly not noticing my distress. "And I just want to say, I'm sorry. It was impulsive, and I read into signs that I wanted to believe were true."

  I crumpled forward, feeling heat form behind my eyes as another, stronger cramp overtook my lower abdomen. Sweat formed at my brow, and all my instincts screamed that something was wrong.

  "Beth?" He lifted his hand as though he was going to touch my shoulder, but in the next second dropped his hand to his side.

  Tears prickled my eyes as another spasm spread through my stomach, stretching to my back. "Something's wrong." I pleaded with God and with Nana and with all the forces that be. Please let my baby be okay.

  Please, please, please, don't let this be happening. Not now, when I just got Kent back.

  He stood automatically, his shoulders taut and concern passing his features. "Do you need to go to the doctor?"

  I nodded, unable to breathe, unable to think, unable to function or do anything. I sat stoic in my spot, paralyzed with fear. "Something's wrong with Em."

  "Who?"

  "My baby."

  His eyes widened with my revelation. "What?"

  Warm tears trailed down my cheeks, a large contrast to the coldness spreading through my veins. "I'm pregnant." The words came out in a strangled sob.

  He jerked to a standing position and rubbed his scruffy jaw. "Let’s go. I'm taking you to the hospital. Right now."

  Both hands flew to my stomach as another wave of nausea hit. I sent another prayer to the heavens above as I concentrated on filling my lungs with oxygen and trying to calm my nerves.

  Through choked tears, I said, "Okay, please. Let's go."

  Kent:

  I tapped my pen against the desk as my team went through their presentation posted on the overhead projection against the wall. I loosened my tie and shifted in my seat as heat crept up my neck. The stuffy conference room felt like it was closing in and confining me as though I was in a jail cell. If I could pinpoint what was wrong with me, it would be the fact that Beth was going to be talking to Jason sometime soon. Who knew if they were speaking right now, while I was isolated in this boardroom.

  It took every ounce of my self-control to not call her, not go over there and give that jerk a piece of my mind. The only reason I remained calm was because I had promised I'd let her handle it, so I was respecting her wishes.

  When my cell vibrated on the desk, I quickly reached for it. And when Beth's beautiful face filled my screen, I nodded to Ted, my employee, to continue. I stood, stepped out of the boardroom, and picked up my phone.

  "Hey, beautiful." What I hea
rd next shocked me.

  "Hey, it's Jason."

  My jaw tightened. Why the hell did he have my wife's phone? All my insecurities pushed to the forefront. The muscles of my forearm hardened under my sleeves.

  "I'm with Beth right now."

  "I want to speak to her." My tone was fierce with fury. The fury almost choked me.

  "She's unavailable. I need you to come here."

  "Give her the phone. Now."

  "We're here at the hospital.” The urgency in his voice pushed fear to the surface. “Something's wrong with the baby."

  The air escaped my lungs as though he'd just sucker punched me through the cell.

  "Wh-what?" My voice broke into a quiet hush. I backed up against the closest wall, leaning on it for support, feeling as though the floor would swallow me whole. "I want to talk to her." My tone turned from harsh to pleading, my voice small.

  "She just stepped in with the doctors. She asked me to call you."

  "Is she okay?" I blinked rapidly as the edges of my phone dug deeply into my palm.

  "I don't know." Concern marked the edges of his voice, which only heightened my anxiety.

  Another sucker punch, this time harder.

  My feet raced down the hall. I rushed down the stairs and out the door, not worrying about the meeting or my jacket or leaving without notifying anyone.

  The only thought that filled my mind was getting to my wife.

  "Which hospital?"

  "Eastern Medical."

  "I'm on my way."

  Never in my life had I driven faster. I swerved through cars, passed by cabs, and raced toward the hospital as if my life depended on it.

  My life did depend on it. Beth was my life. In the ten minutes it took me to get to the hospital, different thoughts played loudly in my head.

  Was she okay?

  How was the baby?

  I should have been there. She should’ve called me first.

  Her not feeling well—that was something I needed to see and hear from her. Not from her ex-boyfriend.

  I threw my car into park, pushed open the door, and rushed into the hospital. After announcing Beth's name numerous times to the Registration desk, they pointed me in the right direction.

  Anxiety suffocated me as I ascended to the eighth floor and waited for the doors of the elevator to open.

  When I stepped out and turned right as instructed, I staggered to a halt. Jason was standing in front of the nurses' station, pacing back and forth. I wanted to ram my fist into his face, but that was only second to seeing my wife.

  "Where is she?"

  "She's in room eight-twelve, at the corner. I think the doctors are in there right now."

  My jaw tightened. "Her phone."

  He placed her cell in my hands and, when I turned, I heard him say, "I'm sorry. I didn't know she was pregnant."

  I couldn't hold it in any longer. I flipped to face him, jaw tense and eyes tight.

  "Why would you know something like that? You're nothing to her."

  He straightened his stance, ready to strike back. The bitterness in his eyes clearly showed. Bitterness for what? That I had her and he didn’t.

  I could have said and done more. I could have threatened his job, punched him in the face for violating my wife, but I didn't. I didn't want to risk getting kicked out of the hospital before seeing Beth.

  He opened his mouth to say something but shut it back down, most likely silenced by the look on my face.

  In the next second, I sprinted toward eight-twelve because it wasn't worth it, and ultimately, I had already won. Beth was my wife.

  When I entered the room, Jason was long forgotten as I stared into Beth's red tear-filled eyes. The doctor was standing by her side.

  I rushed toward her and reached for her hand, the warmth in her touch comforting me. "What's the matter?"

  "They’re not sure. The...the baby," she choked out.

  My insides churned as I lifted my head toward the doctor and stuck out my hand. "Kent Plack, Beth's husband. Doctor, please tell me that our baby is okay."

  Our baby. It was the first time I’d said it like that. But it was true. Because it was. The baby was part Beth and part me. My blood flowed through the baby's veins.

  My chest tightened, and I sent a silent prayer, hoping and wishing that the baby was okay.

  "We don't know yet, but we're waiting to take an internal ultrasound. It should only take a few minutes before they wheel the machine in."

  "Thank you, doctor." I turned my attention toward my wife and gripped both of her hands as tears coursed down her cheeks. "It'll be fine," I promised, though I wasn’t sure it would be.

  Her body trembled and I pulled the sheet higher to cover more of her.

  She shook her head. "It's okay, I'm not cold." I realized she was shaking from fear, and I had never felt so weak, so terrified, so powerless, unable to do anything but wait.

  I sat at the edge of the bed and angled as close as possible to comfort her. "Everything is going to be okay." I forced certainty in my voice for her benefit. There was such fierceness in my tone that I swallowed back a lump in my own throat.

  This was my job. I functioned as her rock, the one who took care of her and made sure everything was okay. But for the first time in forever, I doubted my words. I was worried about the living, breathing human inside her. I could buy her anything, give her anything, but the health of our baby was beyond my control, and I was suddenly scared shitless.

  "Will it?" Her lip quivered, her eyes begging to believe me.

  I nodded and squeezed her hand to convince her because it had to. "I'll make it okay. It will be okay."

  "I'm scared, Kent."

  I hated those words. The fact that they came from her mouth and I was helpless to do anything about it weakened every bone in my body.

  In the next second, she was in my arms, and I kissed her forehead. "I'm scared, too," I whispered, "but I promise you everything is going to be okay."

  Her voice was barely above a whisper. "What’re you scared of?"

  Honesty escaped me. With Beth, there was no way I could give her anything less than the truth. "I'm scared for the baby. For you. For us." I clenched my jaw with pent up emotion. "Mostly, I'm scared that you'll never forgive me if something happens to her." I cupped her face and brushed the tears away lightly with my thumb. "I'm not a very religious man. You know this, but I'm praying. Praying that you'll be okay and that our baby will be okay."

  She chewed on her bottom lip, clenched her eyes, and started to hyperventilate as strong breaths escaped her. "I can't deal, Kent. If anything happens to the baby..."

  I needed the tears to stop, so I silenced her with my lips. "I'm here. Everything will be fine. I’ll make it fine."

  My hands rubbed the center of her back. I wanted to consume her sorrow and take the weight of her worries on my shoulders. "I'm sorry I wasn't there today, to bring you here. I'm sorry I haven't been man enough to take some of this pregnancy stress."

  "It's okay." She peered up at me with her tear-filled emerald eyes. "And I know."

  "We'll get through this together." I stared deeply into my wife's eyes, the one who had forever changed my life for the better.

  When she nodded, I met her lips once again.

  Our heads jerked up when we heard the doctor come in, and I stood from the hospital bed, never releasing Beth's hand. My jaw tightened and my shoulders tensed as the doctor pulled in the ultrasound machine.

  "Hi." The doctor proceeded to the bed. "We're just going to do an internal exam to check the baby."

  "Okay," Beth peeped. Her voice was as small as a little child’s.

  My stomach rolled as the doctor slipped on gloves and positioned the machine closer to the bed. Air escaped my lungs as I clenched Beth's hand, more for my support.

  "Beth, lay all the way down and legs up in the stirrups."

  Every second seemed to slow to a stop and the beating of my heart accelerated in my ears until it was d
ifficult to distinguish where one beat ended and the next one began.

  Beth positioned herself as directed. My eyes widened when the doctor pulled out the probe and slipped a condom on it.

  I shifted from my unease. "Uhhh."

  Beth squeezed her eyes shut and gripped my hand in a tight vise. I didn't know who was comforting who at that point.

  And in the next second, he slipped the probe inside my wife.

  The sound was clear, loud and electrifying.

  Boom. Boom. Boom.

  My eyes knitted together to search my wife's face, whose stare was focused on the screen.

  "That's a strong heartbeat there." When the doctor smiled, my whole body relaxed as though I was floating on water.

  Heartbeat?

  "Oh thank God." Beth lifted her head to the ceiling. "Thank you. Thank you. Thank you."

  I covered my mouth with one hand as my breath rushed out of me.

  The doctor pointed to the screen. "See that blinking little dot? That's your baby."

  My head tilted and I stepped closer, releasing Beth's hand. I pressed in toward the screen and watched the little blink of light while the pounding of the baby's heartbeat rang loudly in my ears. There were no words to describe how I felt in that moment. Joy, elation, happiness? Those words could not describe the warmth that radiated from my chest. I was going to be a dad. Dad—a name that seemed so foreign until this point.

  I cleared my throat. "That's our baby?"

  Beth’s awe-filled eyes met mine. She reached out for me and entwined our fingers. "Yes, that's our baby."

  My breathing slowed as a dull awareness took over and sudden clarity filled me. Everything that my mother had said rushed to the forefront. Our conversation replayed in my head like a broken record. That's why I loved my mother, she had so much faith in me. The same kind of faith that Beth had in me. Sometimes faith that I knew I didn't deserve.

  As I stared at the ultrasound, all I could hear was the beating heart of the life growing inside of my wife. Our little munchkin. Ours.

  The little baby that we had both created out of love.

  Heat formed behind my eyes, but I pushed it down. Shit. I swallowed hard. The last time such strong emotion had hit me was when we had exchanged vows, which only seemed like yesterday.