by Lacey Black
“I guess I feel the same way. Either will be great. And I think we should find out,” I tell him, ignoring the weird butterfly-like fluttering that’s been in my stomach since the moment Travis started talking about the future. A future with me.
When Keith delivers our food, we turn our attention to the new house. Travis has been working non-stop on the house in all of his free time. His brothers and his friend, Clint, whom I’ve met several times have been helping on the weekends and even some after work in the evenings. I’ve had more dinners and lunches at the jobsite this past month than I ever imagined.
“So, what time do you think you’ll be out to the house in the morning?” Travis casually asks before he takes a bit of his steak.
“Actually, Avery invited me to go to the mall in St. Charles tomorrow. She’s picking me up at eleven. I think we’re doing lunch before the shopping. Erin and Holly are going too,” I tell him as I take my first bite of my steak. And holy hell. This steak is amazing. It’s like fireworks of flavor exploding in my mouth. I don’t think I’ve ever had anything so delicious.
Travis is staring at me with a small smile. “Good, isn’t it?” he asks. All I can do is shake my head. “That’s good that you’re going shopping. I was talking to Ave earlier in the week and mentioned that your clothes were starting to get tight.”
I instantly tense up. My clothes are too tight? Travis thinks I’m already getting fat, doesn’t he? The thought of Travis not being happy with my body makes me surprisingly uncomfortable. I’ve never, ever cared what a man thinks of me or my body, but the thought of disappointing Travis is almost sickening.
“What? Why did you just get all tense?”
“Nothing,” I mumble.
“Joss. What?”
“I didn’t realize my clothes tightening was that noticeable,” I tell him as I look down at my steak, unable to meet his gaze.
“Hey. I didn’t mean anything hurtful by that. I just noticed that your stomach was growing. The baby is getting bigger. It’s nothing more than that,” he says, concern laced in his voice.
I finally look up and can see it clearly in his eyes. He means the words he just said. Maybe I’m just being paranoid about gaining weight. Maybe I’m just as insecure as those other girls who are always eating salads and drinking water for their meals. Either way, I don’t like it. Not one bit.
“Seriously,” Travis says as he leans forward over his plate. “You are the sexiest woman I’ve ever met. You were sexy as hell before, but, now, the thought of you getting bigger and rounder with my baby is actually more of an aphrodisiac than you can possibly imagine. If we were sitting next to each other right now, I’d grab your hand and show you exactly how much your body turns me on,” he says with lust in his eyes. I can tell he means every word he said again. His eyes are so open and so clear. He wants me just the way I am.
I clear my throat, not really knowing what to say after that confession. I go back to eating my steak and give Travis quick glances under my eyelashes. He returns to eating his steak too, but the desire is still there in his eyes.
When the check arrives at the end of our meal, I grab my purse and pull out a few bills.
“No. Put that away. You are not paying for dinner,” Travis tells me firmly as if there is no room for discussion. Case closed.
“Travis, I can help pay for dinner. You’re already paying for my rent, a new house, and my doctor bills. I can’t let you pay for this too.”
“First off, I invited you to dinner so if you think I’m going to let you pay or even contribute in the slightest way, you are sorely mistaken. Second, I am not paying your rent. You are staying with me. You are my guest, not my roommate. Third, I have been saving up for my new house since I was in college. I am in no way a rich man, but I have enough to cut the loan I’m taking out on the house into a small fraction of what it could be. And finally, that baby is mine too. Paying for your doctor bills is the only thing for me to do. It’s the only thing I can do right now until I can hold our baby in my arms.”
Travis has a fierce look on his face. Loyal. His beliefs and his manners only make him hotter, if that was even possible.
“Okay,” I mumble. “Thank you for dinner. And for everything else.”
“You’re welcome. Now, let’s head back home so I can score a good night kiss,” he adds with a cocky smile.
I can’t help but laugh at his confidence. “Modest much?” I ask with my own smile.
“Confident, sweetheart. I’ve been imagining continuing our kiss since the moment we broke the kiss earlier. I’m not leaving without a good night kiss.”
“You’re not leaving at all,” I add.
“True. But, I’m not usually this pushy on a first date. You bring that out of me,” he says as he stands up and helps pull my chair out.
“You are making me consider breaking my own rule,” I add as we walk towards the front door. Miss Perky Boobs - that I’m pretty sure are fake - is still standing at the hostess stand. She sends Travis another flirty smile as we walk by with our fingers linked, but he doesn’t even give her a sideways glance. She instantly pouts as we keep walking, straight out the front door.
“So, what is this rule that you’re considering breaking for me?” he asks as we slide inside the truck.
“Technically, I’ve already broken it for you,” I tell him as we pull out of the parking lot and head towards the apartment.
“What rule?” he asks curiously.
“I have a unspoken three-date rule. I don’t sleep with anyone until after the third date.”
“Really? Three dates, huh?”
“Yep. But I pretty much blew that out of the water the moment you slid into my car back in March,” I say with a sly grin.
He takes his eyes off the road for just a moment as he looks over at me. “I’ve broken every rule I’ve ever created with you, too,” he says before he returns his eyes to the road.
“What rules are those?” I ask as we pull back into the parking lot of the apartment building.
Travis turns off the engine and turns to face me. “Well, first there’s the one night stand. I’ve never had one before you. I’ve never been a fan of casual sex, even back in college. I like relationships and commitment. I like to feel trust for a woman and be trusted,” he says with a piercing gaze of those striking blue eyes. “Plus, there’s the no kissing on the lips on the first date rule. Technically, I’ve already blown that one out of the water, too,” he says with a slight lift of the corner of his mouth.
“No lip kissing on the first date?”
“Nope. A gentle peck on the cheek is all I ever give on the first date. But then, you’re different,” he adds as he gets out of the truck and comes around to open my door.
“Different how?” I ask as I place my hand inside of his and slide out.
Travis pulls me flush against him. I can feel the heat of his body pressed tightly against mine. I can also feel something else - something I remember very vividly when I close my eyes - pressed against my lower stomach.
“You’re the first woman to make me want more. Not just a relationship, but a future. I’m not saying that to scare you or get in your pants, Joss. But, seriously, I want everything when I’m with you.” Travis places a gentle kiss on my lips before he continues, “Maybe not right now, but eventually. I promise you that I’m going to get everything. Everything. With. You.” he says with another of those intoxicating kisses on my lips in between each word as punctuation. “I crave you completely. You can expect me to make good of my promise someday. Someday in the future, it’ll be you and me. You and me and our baby. Everyday. Expect me to make it all happen, baby.”
I am completely lost in Travis’s words. They are intoxicating and inviting and promising. I realize that in this moment, I expect him to make very good on his promise. And what’s more, I actually want him to.
Our lips lock in a searing kiss that I feel all the way down to my pink painted toes. Travis urges my mouth open with
the flick of his tongue. I open to him completely and not just the kiss. I realize at this moment, I am opening up my mind, my heart, and my soul to Travis. Only Travis.
The kiss turns primal as I wrap my arms around his neck and dive my fingers into his short hair. I’ve dreamed of touching his hair every night for months. My body is snug securely against Travis when the damnedest thing happens. The baby takes that moment to kick for the first time.
I pull my lips away from Travis as I stare shockingly at his aroused face. “What?” he asks, his features instantly filled with concern.
“I think the baby just kicked,” I tell him.
Travis pulls away from me and looks down at my stomach. I quickly grab a hold of his hand and place it against my bare stomach underneath my shirt. His hand feels hot and rough against my skin. I continue to hold onto his hand as I place my other hand flat against my abdomen. We both stand there looking at my stomach, waiting.
It only takes a few moments when I feel that flutter again in my stomach. I know Travis feels it to because his blue eyes meet mine with the most perfect, happy expression written all over them.
“He kicked. I felt him kick,” he says with a huge, soul-piercing smile.
I can’t help the smile I return at him as I lean forward and press a tender kiss on his sexy lips. “I can’t believe we felt the baby kick for the first time,” I tell him.
“This is the best damn feeling,” he says against my lips. As he pulls back, he looks down one last time. We both wait for the baby to kick again, but it doesn’t happen. “Cock-blocker,” Travis mumbles sternly down at my stomach.
I laugh hard as I link my fingers in Travis’s and head towards the apartment building. Inside the elevator, we both just smile and stare at each other as we make our way up to the fourth floor.
When we reach the apartment door, Travis slips his key inside the lock and turns towards me. He places his rough hands on both sides of my face and looks deeply into my eyes. “This was the best first date I’ve ever had,” he says. “In fact, I’m hoping it’s the last first date I’ll ever have,” he adds with a gentle kiss on my lips.
Then before the kiss can turn heavy again, he pulls back and opens the door for me to enter ahead of him.
“Thank you for an amazing night, Travis,” I tell him as I enter the apartment and turn to face him.
“You’re welcome. Thank you for saying yes,” he says as he watches me walk into the living room. “Come on, let’s take our baby to bed.” Travis reaches for my hand and guides me to the bedroom. That night, we fall deep asleep. Not on our own sides of the bed, but together linked in the middle. No, there was no sex tonight, but the tender, soft caresses were almost as good.
Almost.
*****
At twenty-five after eleven, Avery pulls up in front of the apartment building in Maddox’s crew cab pickup truck. A few minutes before eleven, I headed down to wait for my ride. Travis joked that she would be late, but I didn’t really believe him. As I waited in the hot lobby, sweating my proverbial balls off in the June heat, I kicked myself for not listening to him and waiting a little longer before coming down.
I slide in the backseat of the truck. Erin is in the backseat on the other side of Brooklyn’s car seat, who is sitting in the middle.
“Hey!” Erin says with a friendly smile. Avery and Holly each offer greetings of their own and before I know it, we’re on our way to St. Charles. I feel bad being so close to Matty and not seeing him. I haven’t seen him since Travis and I showed up at his place to get my stuff, even though we talk on the phone or text daily. It’s still not the same.
“Jo Jo,” Brooklyn exclaims with a big, toothy grin. “I’m four,” she adds.
“Hi, Brooklyn. You’re four now? You’re becoming such a big girl,” I tell her with smiling eyes. I’ve never really known too many kids, but this one seems cuter than most.
“I tried getting her to say Josselyn, but she shortened it to Jo Jo. Sorry,” Avery says with a smile over her shoulder.
“It’s fine. Jo Jo is just fine,” I tell the adorable four year old sitting next to me.
After a delicious lunch where I pigged out on a huge quarter pound cheeseburger, steak fries, and a cup of coleslaw, we make our way to the mall for some shopping. The maternity store is actually next to the children’s store that Avery wants to go to. We split up and all promise to meet in the center by the two stores in thirty minutes.
Inside the maternity store, I’m almost overwhelmed with clothes in all different styles and sizes. I find a rack with shirts hanging on it and start plucking through for my size. I find several summer tops, shorts with weird elastic around the waist, and even some black slacks to wear to the diner. It’s also my lucky day as I realize they’re having a big sale and everything is buy one, get one half price. Nice!
Across the store, I see a large rack with colorful maxi dresses. The cool, cotton material looks thin enough to allow the breeze through without showing the world everything that I have underneath. I pull four different dresses off the rack in a variety of colors and patterns. Each one has a different neckline style including a halter top, spaghetti strap, thicker one inch strap that chris crosses in the back, and a strapless.
As I’m taking my purchases towards the counter, I see the sign that reads “Intimates”. I head over and realize that I’m probably eventually going to need maternity underwear and bras too. My bras are already stretched out since my girls are ginormous, so I grab a couple of maternity bras in my size too. The first thing I notice is that they have these weird little snaps on the front of them. I actually consider the access Travis could have to my girls with these handy little snaps, but then I quickly realize that the snaps are probably there for breastfeeding. Breastfeeding. Do I want to breastfeed? Yet another something I’m going to have to figure out.
The total was just over two hundred dollars - OUCH! - but fortunately, I haven’t had to spend too much of the money I’ve made this past month so my account can cover it. With my arms loaded down with bags of maternity clothes, I head out of the shop in search of the other ladies.
Avery, Brooklyn, and Holly are waiting in the center of the aisle. After I join them, Erin meets up with us a few minutes later.
“I need to head over there,” Avery says and points to the lingerie store.
“Oh, me too,” Erin says as her eyes light up with mischief.
“I’ll take Brooklyn for a walk while you ladies shop,” Holly says while shaking her head.
“Come on, Josselyn,” Avery says as she heads towards the lingerie store with sexy intimates hanging in the windows.
Do I go with Erin and Avery or should I go for a walk with Holly and Brooklyn? It’s not like I have any reason to purchase something from this store. But then an image of Travis breathing heavily with his eyes heavily lidded and full of desire from our kisses last night enters my mind. I would love for him to slowly strip off my clothes and discover something from this store hidden underneath.
I walk into the store and watch as Avery and Erin each head for a different section of the store. Erin goes towards these simple, yet very sexy bra and panty sets. She holds up an ivory and gold number that looks beautiful and would complement her skin tone and hair color. Avery heads to a section a little more daring. She finds a black and hot pink corset with matching thong panties. Plus, that thing has black garter belts. I can imagine on her long, lean legs, Maddox will be left panting...and probably a little drooling, too.
As I browse around the store, I actually stumble upon a maternity section. Seriously? The underwear is a little more full coverage, but none the less sexy as some of the other pieces in the store. I pick up a pair of bright blue lace and satin underwear and examine the material. It’s silky smooth and has just enough lace on the front to leave very little to the imagination.
“That color is hot. It would look great on you,” Avery says from behind me. I whip around, startled at being caught ogling the sexy panties. “Se
riously. You should get those.”
Avery turns and grabs a baby doll style negligee from the rack above the panties. It’s the same color of blue with ivory trim, sexy lace cups, a satin bodest, and thin little satin spaghetti straps. It’s beautiful. The satin feels amazingly soft and is puckered underneath the breast area just enough to allow for room for a growing belly.
“It’s beautiful,” I whisper to no one in particular.
“I’m going to be blissfully ignorant and pretend that you’re not buying this for sex with my brother. And since you’re already knocked up, I realize you’ve had sex at least once already. That’s it. Once. However, just for shits and giggles, we’re going to pretend this whole conversation never happened, okay?” Avery says with a smile.
“Okay,” I tell her with a smile. I check the price tag of the two pieces in my hand and realize the total will be close to forty dollars. I mentally do some subtraction in my head as I determine whether or not I can purchase the two intimate pieces. Once the math comes out in the black, I remember that Travis and I aren’t having sex, and I consider putting both pieces back. However, a little voice in the back of my mind keeps screaming at me…YET! Travis and I aren’t having sex YET! I grab the two pieces and head up to the counter.
Chapter Eight
Travis
20 weeks - 5 months
Today is the day. Today we should find out if we’re having a boy or a girl. A son or a daughter. I haven’t been able to concentrate all damn day. My mind keeps wandering to the appointment later today.
Josselyn was up early again this morning, peeing before my alarm actually went off. She’s been doing that a lot more lately. That girl has to pee five minutes after she leaves the bathroom.
I’ve been spending every waking minute at the new house working into the late hours, heading home with just enough time to shower and fall into bed before I do it all over again the next day. The house is starting to shape up, though. The walls are almost all up and the logs were delivered earlier in the week. It won’t be long and I’ll be putting them on to finally give it the log cabin look.