The Baby Clause: 2.0 (The Contract Series)

by Melanie Moreland

  I stroked down her back, smiling at my daughter. She was out now, her cheek pressed to his chest, with her tiny rosebud mouth open. Her long lashes fluttered on her cheek.

  “I think it worked.”

  “It usually does.”

  I tilted my head. “She’s a lucky girl having you as her daddy.”

  He smiled down at me, his hazel eyes glittering in the low light. “I’m the lucky one.”

  Our gazes locked and held. The air around us grew heavier. Richard’s arm tightened around me. “Katy,” he breathed.

  “I saw Suzanne last week.”

  “And?”

  “We’re all clear.”

  “Why didn’t you say anything?”

  I inhaled. “I wasn’t ready.”

  “But you are now?”

  I stretched up, pressing my lips to his. He had grown a beard while he was at home, and I liked it so much, he kept it when he returned to work. He kept it short and trimmed, but I loved how it felt against my skin as his mouth moved with mine. Our kiss was long, deep, and slow. He groaned low in his chest, then dropped another kiss to my mouth. “Sweetheart?”

  I stepped back, knowing now why I was so restless, and exactly how to ease it. I needed Richard.

  “This girl needs something, too.”

  “Tell me,” he demanded quietly.

  “I need you. Put Gracie down, and come back to bed.”

  He quirked his eyebrow, grinning widely. He tenderly laid her down, making sure she was content. He ran his hand down her back, his fingers spread wide, staying in place for a moment.

  Then he turned to me, and I caught my breath. His sleep pants hung low on his hips, his erection pressing against the material. He stalked across the nursery, reaching out, dragging me to his chest and kissing me hard.

  “Are you sure?”

  I wrapped my arms around his neck. “Yes.”

  He swept me up in his arms, his mouth covering mine. “Thank God.”

  Our lips never separated. He set me on my feet by our bed, impatiently tugging my nightgown over my head. As the air hit my bare skin, I shivered and crossed my arms over my chest, suddenly feeling shy.

  Richard stopped with a frown. “What? What’s wrong?”

  “I–I’ve changed a little.” I had stretch marks, and my stomach wasn’t as flat as it used to be. Richard was still lean and hard, his body perfection in my eyes.

  He smiled, stepping close, and loosening my arms. “Yes, you have. You’ve gotten even more beautiful.” He ran his finger over my hips, feathering the small stripes along the side. “These are just marks, Katy. They’re part of you, and I love them because of how they got there. You carried my child—our child—and they’re sexy because of that.”

  He slid his hands up my body, cupping my breasts. They were fuller now and more sensitive than ever. I moaned as he stroked my nipples. “I’ve missed these. I’ve missed you.” He nudged me onto the bed, hovering over me. “I’ve missed being with you.”

  “So have I.” A low gasp escaped my throat as he dragged his mouth across my skin. The feel of his rough scruff on my body was different and amazing.

  “Like that?” he asked, rubbing his chin along my stomach. “You like how that feels, sweetheart?”

  “Yes.”

  He lowered his head. “Then you’re really gonna like this.”

  Richard

  Fuck, it had been so long since we were like this. Together, naked, and ready for each other. I hadn’t wanted to push her and tried to be patient, even though patience wasn’t my strongest trait. The fact she came to me was a huge turn on, and seeing her need, I planned to meet and exceed her desire. She was softer, curvier than before she got pregnant, and I loved how she felt under my hands.

  Her low hiss when I buried my face between her legs made me smile against her slick skin. She was so ready for me. I was so fucking ready. Everything about her was as new as it was familiar: her sounds, her taste, the way she moved against my mouth. I teased and licked, groaning at her reactions, making a mental note to keep the beard. Jenna teased me mercilessly at work, but it was worth this effect on my wife. She came hard and fast, her cries low and needy. I sat up with a grin, and settled between her legs. The blunt head of my cock nudged at her entrance, the heat beckoning and welcome.

  “My turn, baby.”

  Her incredible eyes glittered in the dimness. “Richard . . . yes . . .”

  I slid inside her slowly, her pussy tight and wet around me. Once I was buried deep within her, I stilled, our gazes locking as I began to move, long, even thrusts that made us both groan. “So much better than my hand,” I teased, reminding her of our early days.

  Katy tightened her grip on my shoulders. “Harder,” she pleaded. “Fuck me, Richard. Just fuck me.”

  Jesus.

  She rarely swore, and hearing that sweet mouth of hers utter dirty words cranked me even higher. I pushed at her knees, opening her up even more, sinking deeper. The weight of my body pressed her into the mattress, and I let go, slamming into her with hard, powerful strokes. We moved together, and I kissed and licked at her body, nibbled at her collarbones, and skimmed my tongue up her neck, swirling it on the sensitive skin behind her ear. Our mouths fused together, exploring each other, and her taste wrecked me. I nipped at her full lips, easing the sting with soft presses of my mouth. Our skin slid together, the dampness warm and making the friction even more profound. My orgasm began to build, my balls tightening.

  “Oh God—Katy . . .”

  She cried out, flexing around me, and I buried my face in her neck as I spilled inside, breathing out her name, then collapsing beside her, wrapping her in my arms.

  For a few moments, there was only the sound of our fast breathing. Then she spoke.

  “You’re keeping the beard.”

  I chuckled. “Done.”

  Katy curled into me, running her fingers through my hair. I huffed a long breath—I loved it when she did that. I felt myself relaxing into her warmth and sliding into sleep.

  I had a feeling I’d be getting even less rest than usual for the next while. Both my girls needed attention now.

  And I was good with that.

  Richard

  I wrapped a towel around Gracie and tucked her against my chest. She grizzled and grasped against my skin, her legs bending and stretching. She was anxious to get going. At six months old, from the second she opened her eyes, until they finally, begrudgingly, shut for the night, she was on the go. There was a lot of bum wiggling these days—I had many videos on my phone from Katy, and I had witnessed it many times, but she hadn’t yet started crawling, although I expected it any day.

  I had taken her in the shower with me. She loved showers and I didn’t want to leave her alone too long. She laughed the whole time, and though I couldn’t say I was as clean as I normally would be, I would pass for the day.

  I carefully patted her hair dry after I fastened her diaper. The sounds of Katy being ill made me hurry back to our room. Last night, she had suddenly wanted Japanese food. She disliked sushi but loved tempura. When she called and asked me to bring home dinner, I was only too happy to pick up a huge assortment of sushi for me, and tempura for her from my favorite place. I chuckled as she nibbled on a few Ebi and California rolls—the only kind of sushi she would eat. She ignored my teasing that it wasn’t really sushi since the shrimp was cooked and the other was just vegetables. She ate heartily, but began to feel ill a couple hours after dinner, and had been up most of the night. I blamed the Ebi.

  Bad shrimp was hell.

  Between her retching, and the contents of Gracie’s diaper this morning, I was feeling a little under the weather myself. Whoever said this shit, pardon the pun, got easier, was a fucking liar. Katy seemed to handle it all fine, but I still gagged on occasion. How something so small and adorable could produce nuclear explosions the way Gracie did was a mystery.

  I knocked on the bathroom door. “Okay, sweetheart?”

  A few s
econd later, Katy shuffled out, looking like hell. She was pale and shaky, her hair a plastered mess on one side of her head.

  “No,” she replied shortly, falling back on the bed.

  I pulled up the covers. “Mrs. Brandon is going to check on you this morning while she’s cleaning.”

  “You can’t be serious about taking Gracie into work with you,” she protested.

  “You can’t look after her. Laura is away. The only other person we trust is down with the flu, so I doubt two nauseous women will help Gracie much. I have her playpen and toys in the office. I’ll lay her down for a nap before I head to the meeting, and once it’s done, I’ll come home and look after you.”

  “What if she won’t nap?”

  “Stop worrying. Jenna and Amy are there. All the women in the office love her. Graham is as good with her as I am. She’ll be fine.” I was telling the truth. She was a familiar visitor to the office, and they all loved spoiling her. Graham doted on her, and he was one of her favorite people.

  “She’s been acting strange with people. And she’s teething.”

  I laid Gracie beside Katy and ran my hand through her hair. Gracie kicked her legs, cooing at her mother. “I have this covered. Just let me run and get dressed, and brush my teeth. Make sure she doesn’t roll off the bed.”

  She looped an arm around Gracie. “Got her.”

  I rushed to the closet, throwing on my pants. I brushed my teeth and grabbed my shirt. Back in our room, Gracie was busy gnawing on her toes as she lay in the circle of Katy’s arms. I scooped her up and tucked the blanket around Katy. “I’ll be back once she’s fed.”

  “Mm’kay,” she mumbled, already drifting.

  She slept the whole time I was gone, which I hope meant she was done being ill. I fed Gracie, burped and got her dressed, then managed to finish getting myself ready after tucking her into my sock drawer for safe keeping, as I pulled on my suit. I sang to her, as I yanked on my socks and did my tie. Katy laughed when I sang, but Gracie loved it. She could appreciate my unique tone. I think it soothed her. Or at the very least, it confused her so much, she forgot to be upset. Either way worked.

  Finally, I checked her bag, grateful Katy was so organized, and it was already packed, then strapped her into the front facing carrier on my chest. She loved it. Her hands flapped, and her feet kicked every time she was in it. I grabbed my briefcase and went back to our room.

  “We’re off, Mommy.”

  Katy opened one eye. I grinned at her and struck a pose. “On a scale of one to ten, how incredibly sexy am I carrying the cutest baby in the world? Pretty irresistible, right?”

  Katy slapped a hand over her mouth and tore past me to the bathroom. I grimaced at the sound of more retching. I guess she wasn’t done.

  “I’m going to assume Mommy thinks we’re a ten. Who could resist us?” I looked down at Gracie who frowned up at me, drool running down her chin as she gummed her fingers. Oh God, I hoped she wasn’t going to be cranky, or this could be one long ass day.

  She gurgled her agreement, as I glanced at the bathroom door, worried about Katy. It was so unusual for her to be ill, I wasn’t sure what to do to help. I tapped on the door, waiting for her to respond. She hated it when I hovered.

  She came out, and I helped her into bed. Gracie waved her arms in excitement at seeing Katy.

  “Maybe I should stay home.”

  “Go, Richard,” she insisted. “I’ll be fine.”

  “Are you sure?” I really hated leaving her, even though it was important. We had worked long and hard on this campaign and the meeting with the client was today. The client was a bit of a hard-ass and Graham insisted I be the one to handle it, and I didn’t want to let him down, but Katy was more important.

  “Yes. All I’m going to do is sleep. Go!”

  I ran a hand through my hair. “Call me if you need me. I’ll come home right away.”

  “I will.”

  “I’ll be home as soon as the meeting is done.”

  “Okay.” She groaned as she rolled over and shut her eyes. “I’ll be here.”

  I hurried to the car and strapped Gracie into her car seat. Just in case, I slipped her a soother. Katy hated them, but today, I needed all the help I could get.

  Gracie fussed most of the morning, only settling when I was close. I gave up and strapped her into the carrier, and let her play with my fingers as I went through all the last minute details for the meeting. Jenna was racing around, making sure the boardroom was set up, and Amy stayed close, helping me with any final items and adjustments. Forty-five minutes before the meeting, I sat down and fed Gracie. Her eyelids began to droop and I had to hold back from punching the air in victory. If she followed her normal schedule, I’d burp her, she’d drink a little more, and then be out for the next of couple hours. I’d be done with the meeting, Graham would take the client to lunch, and I could go home and make sure Katy was okay. I was distracted as I lifted her to my shoulder, forgetting the towel until I felt the wetness of her regurgitation soak through my shirt. I shut my eyes and groaned. I had dropped a bunch of shirts at the dry cleaners yesterday and hadn’t brought a fresh one in with me. Hopefully, I would have a few minutes to try and rinse it. I huffed out a long breath, and cradled Gracie in my arms, slipping the nipple into her mouth.

  “Let’s try and help Daddy out, okay? No more spewing or diaper filling until after the meeting. How about that?”

  She gurgled up at me, her fat cheeks pink from teething. I had rubbed her gums with the stuff Katy used, so I hoped it would help. She pulled on her bottle, and slowly her eyes began to drift back shut. Jenna came in, and I lifted my head, eyes wide to warn her to be quiet. She grinned at me and whispered as she came closer.

  “I got Samantha coming to work in here while we’re in the meeting. She’ll come get you if needed.”

  I frowned. “Can’t Amy do it?” Gracie knew Amy, at least, if she woke up. I didn’t want her frightened.

  “She has all your files, and you need her.”

  She was right, but still, I worried.

  “We’re right down the hall.”

  I stood and carried Gracie to her playpen, settling her inside, and draping a blanket over her.

  “Okay.”

  “Are you, ah, gonna change your shirt?”

  I glanced at my shoulder with a grimace. “I don’t have another one. I’ll go rinse it out. I’ll meet you there in ten minutes.”

  “He’s already here.”

  I sucked in a breath, trying to be patient. I was reaching my limit for the day. “Five, then.” I’d have to forgo trying to dry it.

  “Okay.”

  I paused in my presentation to take a sip of water. So far, things were going well. Mr. Cunningham had been onboard with most of the campaign, asking for clarification or wanting small changes. Graham had been jotting down notes, and Amy made some for me. He was a tough nut to crack, never smiling or seemingly overly impressed, but at least he hadn’t disliked what I had done. He had been the same in all our preliminary meetings, so I was prepared for his stoic reaction.

  As we moved to the next part of the campaign, I saw Jenna glance down at her phone, then at me. She averted her eyes, offered a quiet apology, and slipped out of the boardroom, pushing the door shut behind her. But that was all it took.

  The boardroom at the Gavin Group was soundproofed, so you weren’t disturbed during a meeting. But when the door opened, I heard it. The wailing of a child in the building.

  My child.

  I met Graham’s eyes. He had heard her, as well. His gaze was calm, and I glanced down at my notes, faltering for a moment. A rare occurrence for me.

  Obviously, Jenna had gone to help Samantha out. She would sooth Gracie, and I would be done here in about thirty minutes, and I would take over. I knew I had to finish this. She’d be fine, I assured myself. Business came first. I cleared my throat. “As I was saying,” I began.

  Except I swore I could hear her, even with the door clos
ed. The piercing cry I hated the most—the one that spoke of desperate need. It didn’t happen very often, but when it did, I couldn’t ignore it. Not when I was at home, and most certainly not now.

  “I apologize, Mr. Cunningham. I need five minutes,” I blurted, setting down the papers. “Please have a coffee or stretch your legs, I’ll be right back.”

  I was out of the boardroom like a shot, not even looking to see what reaction my abrupt departure caused. In the hallway, Gracie’s cries were even more heartbreaking, and I rushed to my office. Jenna was holding her, attempting to calm my screaming child, but her face told me I had made the right decision. I reached for Gracie at the same time her chubby arms stretched toward me. I gathered her close, murmuring low words of comfort. She, in turn, heaved a long stuttering breath, then upchucked all over my suit.

  “Fuck!”

  I met Jenna’s amused gaze.

  “Better you than me.” She wrinkled her nose and took a step back. “I don’t suppose you have a clean suit here, either.”

  I shook my head. “I’ll figure something out. Your father is gonna be pissed about this. Cover for me. I’ll be back as soon as possible.”

  She grinned. “He’ll be fine. I’m sure he can tell you stories from my childhood. I remember visiting once and throwing up on his desk while he was on a conference call. He started gagging, and my mother had to drag me out, screaming. I recall her trying not to laugh.”

  I chuckled. “Thanks for sharing.”

  She winked, then left with a wave.

  I carried Gracie into my bathroom, shrugged off my jacket, and laid it on the counter for her. It was ruined anyway. I stripped her down, wiping her body off with a warm cloth. I changed her diaper, and tugged a fresh onesie on her, the whole time talking to her in a quiet voice. I cheated and slipped in the soother again after rubbing more gel on her gums. Her big eyes followed my every movement, but at least she’d stopped crying. I glanced in the mirror with a small grimace. You could see the stain on my shoulder, but luckily, the suit jacket had protected my tie. I had no choice but to go back into the meeting without it.