Baby I'm Yours

by Rosie Praks

  Clarice sat on the floor, watching Hunter sleep. She cocked her head to one side, her eyes assessing his beautiful features.

  God, he was so beautiful. Would their baby look this beautiful, like him? she wondered.

  Without realizing what she was doing, her hand went to trace his short stubble and brushed aside a little of his hair to reveal his sleeping eyes. He had such beautiful long lashes. Why hadn’t she noticed this before?

  She breathed a sigh as another wave of desire hit her like a bulldozer.

  Dear heaven! She wanted to kiss him right now. She felt like that lion that just wanted to pounce its prey. She was burning, burning from within.

  No, stop yourself this instant, Clarice, she told herself. But ignoring her mind, her body had already taken action, brushing her lips across Hunter’s.

  It was perfect. Absolutely perfect. The touch of his lips upon hers, unmoving yet so soft.

  More. A bit more. I just want a little bit more, she told herself.

  “Just stay like this a bit longer, Hunter,” she whispered before kissing him. “Stay like this a bit longer.”

  She eyed his sleeping face, her eyes smothered with so much desire that if Hunter were to open his eyes right now and see her, he would surely take her right there and then, making love to her on the couch. But thankfully, he was asleep, so Clarice took this opportunity to her advantage and set out to do what she’d wanted to do all along, one mouthwatering kiss.

  God, this is beautiful, she thought as she planted that kiss on his lips. Just perfect. Absolutely perfect. She could kiss him every day like this.

  It was magical. It was amazing. It rocked her entire foundation. This was her antidote. This was what she’d needed all along. Not a kiss on the cheek, but a mouthwatering kiss right before going to bed.

  So she gently held his face between her palms as she planted kiss after kiss all over his face and jaw, right along to his throat, until her breath became shallow and she needed to heave in for more air in her lungs. And then she went back to Hunter’s face.

  “Why did you allow your phone to run out of battery?” she muttered between kisses. “I was so worried. Don’t ever do this to me again.”

  What started off as one small kiss to appease her illicit hunger had now led to a rain of affection on Hunter’s face, until Clarice realized no single space was left untouched by her lips.

  Clarice gasped and jumped back. What have I done?

  She opened her eyes in shocked realization. You’re in love with him. You’re in love with Hunter Silverton.

  This shook her resolve. And she knew it wasn’t just the physical attraction she was feeling right now. It was also the last few weeks that Hunter had lived with her that proved it. She’d experienced all kinds of emotions with him, from anger to worry to love. And this was what it rooted down to. Love. She was in love with this man.

  No, no. She must not fall in love with him. Hunter was a playboy, a Casanova. If she fell in love with him, she knew she would never make it back to being a human again, because when she fell, she would fall hard. She didn’t want to have one simple affair with Hunter and then part ways. She wanted to spend the rest of her life with him.

  But Hunter was a playboy. Yes, he’d shown some signs that he was a good man, but the timespan was too short. That was why she’d given him until their baby was born to decide if this was the life for him. But she already knew by that time, Hunter would part ways with her. No young man like Hunter wanted to be stuck to a woman that was almost a decade older than him, with a child as part of the package. So she ground her senses back into place.

  She stood on weak legs. She wanted to go to sleep, to enter dreamland where her love for Hunter could roam freely without the restriction of reality, dreaming of Hunter making love to her like that night she’d dreamed he came into her room. But she found she couldn’t move. She just stood there watching Hunter’s sleeping form.

  “My baby,” she said sadly, rubbing her slight bump. “I think I’ve fallen in love with your father.”

  She gazed at Hunter one last time before turning back to go upstairs, thinking about her impossible attraction and love for the man that was the father of her baby, the one man who could never fully give her his heart.

  Hunter’s sleeping form shifted a bit as she made her way upstairs. Those eyes opened slightly and those lips tilted to form a smile.

  Hunter heard what Clarice said. He was awake all along.

  He was happy, really happy. He was over the moon. Even his heart was dancing to the tune of a happy jingle. Clarice had kissed him of her own free will, and she’d said she’d fallen in love with the father of her baby, which was him.

  This was the beginning, the beginning of a life with the woman he was in love with. Clarice had fallen in love with him, and he would make it his mission now to prove to her he was the best partner for her and father for their baby.

  Chapter 15

  “You called me at this hour for this kind of emergency?” Whitney asked Clarice in astonishment, looking up at the gigantic poster announcing a seventy-five percent off clearance sale, right in front of BabyLand store.

  “God, cuz. At least tell us in advance,” Max said, rubbing his sleepy eyes. “I didn’t even get to sleep until 2:00 a.m.”

  “It’s your own fault for playing Halo,” Clarice simply told her cousin, ignoring his evil glare. Her mind and thoughts were only focused on one thing—to buy as many nappies as deemed possible at this sale. She smiled at the thought.

  Clarice really didn’t get that much sleep either, after finally realizing her true feelings for Hunter last night. Going back to bed, all she did was toss and turn, like a worm in a mud flat. Instead, to clear her mind, she’d logged onto her laptop and started flicking through the many websites, diverting her mind to babywear instead.

  She had to start thinking about getting together her baby’s accessories, like nappies and clothing. She was still in her first trimester, so she still had the energy and time to browse around the stores, stocking up on her baby’s items. She knew when she reached her third trimester, she would be too tired to walk around the different stores, looking for sale items.

  Clarice was lucky last night. As soon as she logged onto her computer and started browsing, she saw the advertisement for BabyLand. That meant she could stock up early. Right away, she’d texted her friends in the middle of the night and told them to meet her in front of the store at 6:00 a.m. sharp.

  She told them a little lie. She’d texted that it was an emergency. But then again, if they didn’t call this an emergency, then what was? Thinking of all the money she could save for her baby’s future by just buying sales items made her smile. This was perfect. At least she could stop brooding about that damn man.

  “Come now. Stop blaming Clarice. It’s good to get some exercise at this early hour.” Elise defended her friend.

  “At this hour, Elise?” Whitney snapped her attention to her other friend, staring at Elise like she’d sprouted a pair of devil’s horns. “It’s freckin’ six in the morning. I don’t usually wake up until eight. And you call this exercise? The only exercise I’m getting is my teeth chattering. It’s so damn cold. I wish I had my blanket with me.” Whitney moaned, then turned to Clarice, threatening her friend. “If my enamel breaks because of you, Clarice, you better restoring it free of charge.”

  “Stop moaning, Whitney. Of course this is exercise. And if you manage to break your enamel, then I’ll take full responsibility. Now get your trolley, everyone. The door is about to open,” Clarice urged them, her adrenaline all up and pumping. “And grab an extra trolley, Max,” she yelled at her cousin.

  “What for?” Max yelled back. “I can put all of my godbaby’s stuff in one trolley.”

  “It’s for another person who’ll be coming soon.”

  “You have another person to help you buy all this stuff?” Whitney asked, her eyes almost popping out of their already tired sockets. She couldn’t believe her fr
iend was that stingy with money.

  “Yes.” Clarice nodded and smiled, shivering slightly in the cold morning air.

  “The skimpy prude,” Whitney muttered to herself, shaking her head. “What are you keeping all that money for? For your honeymoon with that Hunter guy?”

  Clarice bit her lip, trying very hard not to think about Hunter, but why did Whitney have to bring him up now? She could still remember his face from this morning, all adorable like, and she just wanted to kiss him senseless again. But she was able to control her urges this time and calmed down. She snuck away so quietly that she was sure Hunter would still be asleep right now while she’s standing out here in the cold waiting for the store to open.

  Turning back to Whitney, she stated, “For my baby’s education, of course.”

  Max gave out another yawn and said, “You owe me big time, cuz.” Then he went to grab two trolleys from the parking lot.

  “I don’t even know why we have to collect the trolley now. BabyLand isn’t going to open for another half hour,” Whitney muttered when she came back with her trolley, all the while rubbing her hands together to stop them from getting numb.

  “Just stop complaining already.” Clarice told Whitney off. “Didn’t you say through thick and thin you’ll help me?”

  “Yes, I remember, Miss Clarice. That’s why I’m here.”

  Whitney saluted her friend like she was a princess. Elise only giggled as she saw Whitney in her playful mode again. Max only stood on one side, yawning at random times and shaking his head to stay awake.

  He finally asked, “Who’s this person you’ve asked to help?”

  “You’ll see.” Clarice smiled.

  Not a minute later, a bright-purple Porsche parked next to them. Two long, lean legs flanked out of the driver’s seat, clip-clopping heels walking toward them.

  Max had a huge grin on his face as he saw that person approach. “Fern!”

  Max all but ran to the tall woman and bear-hugged her.

  “Long time no see, Max.” Fern smiled down at him.

  “Same here, Fern.” Max’s eyes lit up.

  “Hello, everyone,” Fern said when she extracted herself from Max’s hold. “I’m Fern. Very nice to meet everyone.” She smiled at Clarice and went to stand by her side.

  “Guys, this is Fern, my new friend,” Clarice announced. “And she will be that extra person to help me collect my baby’s stuff today.”

  “Hello. Welcome to the spinsters group,” Whitney spoke.

  “Whitney, we are not a spinsters group.” Elise swatted her friend’s arm and turned to Fern. “Don’t mind Whitney. She has these alternate personalities.”

  “Yeah, a bit like the being possessed. But in her case, it’s the witch possessing her.” Max butted in, pointing to Whitney.

  “Keep your taunting to a minimum, Maxy boy.” Whitney glared at Max. “Otherwise, you’ll be in for a hard time later.”

  “Just chill, Whitney.” Max grinned, then turned back to Fern to give her the trolley. “This is for you.”

  “So what would you like me to do today?” Fern smiled to Clarice. Although she was smiling, she was still a little puzzled as to why Max had handed her the big trolley. “I was so excited when you texted me to come to help out. I need more girlfriends. Hanging out with Hunter all the time can be boring.”

  “To help me buy my baby’s accessories,” Clarice replied.

  “Oh.” Fern smiled. “I’m very excited, then.”

  Clarice only smiled at Fern, and then everyone fell into silence. The morning air was so cold, everyone’s breath came out in puffs of fog. Whitney continued to rub her hands together to keep warm. Elise stood quietly to the side, deep in her own thoughts. Fern was smiling like an idiot because this was her first time hanging out with so many girls. And Clarice just kept her eyes out for the door to open.

  “Remind me again why we’re here so early,” Whitney whined when her hands were starting to go numb. “I am freezing right now. Can’t we go back inside the car?”

  “And risk people taking our trolley?” Clarice threatened her friend. “No. Any minute now, people will start tumbling through that gate.”

  “Seriously?” Whitney asked, annoyed.

  “Yes. Seriously,” Clarice said, her eyes still averted to the store entrance.

  Not long after Clarice said this, a swarm of people drove their vans and trucks into the parking lot. Out emerged all sorts of women, big and small, tall and short, varying in different sizes and ethnicities. It was making her head spin. And most of them were obviously pregnant.

  Clarice laughed, feeling proud of herself for arranging for her friends to arrive early to collect the trolleys, when the newcomers all scrambled together to get their hands on trolleys but ran out.

  “See. I told you we were at an advantage by arriving so early.”

  Once everyone had collected their trolley, the whole car park was somehow transformed into a racetrack, crowds of people standing with their own trolleys, ready for the ultimate race when the door opened.

  “This is Halo, cuz. Pure Halo,” Max said, looking at the people around him squeezing him to the corner of the building.

  Elise was staring uncomfortably at everyone. Whitney couldn’t believe how many people turned up for this sale, and Fern still smiled like an idiot, a shining light in her eyes.

  Before the door opened, Clarice huddled her friends and cousin together to relay her message.

  “Now, you know what to do when the store opens, right?” Clarice asked. “Remember what I’ve told you. Be as swift as a fly and grab whatever is necessary. Whitney, the bedding.”

  “Yep.” Whitney nodded.

  “Elise, the books.”

  “Mm-hmm.” Elise nodded.

  “Max, the toys.”

  “Got it, cuz.” Max nodded.

  “And, Fern, the clothing.”

  “Oh, Clarice, do not worry. I will make sure your little baby is dressed to the max with the latest fashion available.”

  “Great, Fern. Thank you. And I’ll be going for the nappies,” Clarice said with determination. “Now just one more time—”

  “For the thousandth time, yes,” Whitney drew out, losing her patience. “Just grab whatever is necessary for our godbaby.”

  “I’m going to get little cuz a toy gun. I’m sure he would like it,” Max muttered to himself.

  “No, Max. No toy guns. I don’t want my baby to turn into the next Maxy boy who likes to play on his PlayStation twenty-four hours a day,” Clarice warned Max.

  Max only made a grouchy face and muttered a forced okay.

  “Hey, Max. How do you know my godson is a boy?” Whitney asked, changing the direction of their conversation.

  “Just intuition,” Max replied. “It’s a male thing that the witch wouldn’t know about.”

  “Why you…” Whitney wanted to go over and ring Max’s ears before Elise intervened.

  “Right, right, you two. Stop it. Clarice wants us to help her out, so you two better behave.” Elise intervened.

  Fern eyed the trio with interest. She inched closer to Clarice and whispered into her friend’s ear. “Do those three always act like that?”

  “Mm-hmm.” Clarice nodded. “And all I do is stand back and watch. They’re my real-life TV drama. It’s fun watching them interact.”

  “Yes.” Fern smiled too as the three continued to chat with one another animatedly.

  Just then, the door swung open, jerking Clarice into action.

  “Guys, the door!”

  Just like Survivor, they all stood with the trolley right in front of them. They all eyed the other contenders, beholding their desired section, finding the path of least resistance. And when the door opened, they all stampeded to their specific sites.

  Max raced his way to the toy section. On his way, he spied the bottle section. So he swirled his trolley to that department instead. Now he was playing soccer, dodging people left and right, trying to sneak his hands here
and there between the big adults, hoping to get his hands on one of those cool bottles. Except he didn’t expect to be stuck sandwiched between two chubby ladies.

  “What are you doing, little boy? If you’re here to use up space, then think again,” one of the ladies told him.

  “Sorry, ma’am, but I do have a son.” Max lied.

  “But you’re very young,” the other one said, shocked, as she took in Max’s teenage profile.

  “So I have a son. You got a problem with that?”

  The chubby lady had one look at Max and backed off slowly, seeing him put on his warrior face.

  Huh! he thought as he grabbed the bottle.

  But Max’s dream of that bottle for his little godbaby wasn’t successful just yet, as a big burly man came and took it off him.

  “Hit it, kiddo. We’ve got sales items here to buy.” The burly man shoved him to the side.

  “Hey, old man, you wanna fight?” Max said, his eyes glaring at the man with his bountiful wife standing beside him.

  “You look like you don’t have a kid. What are you doing here?” the woman asked politely, unlike her rude husband.

  Not again, Max thought. Damn all these people. Why were they judging him just because he looked young?

  “Just because I look like a kid, I can’t get this bottle?” he asked in a pissed-off manner.

  “No. Give it here. That’s the last one. Plus, you’re old enough to drink milk out of a cup. Give it to me,” the old man said instead and tried to snatch the bottle back from him, but Max’s reflexes were faster.

  “Oh yeah? Well, I’m drinking out of this bottle.” And Max sucked the nipple to show he indeed could drink out of a baby’s bottle.

  “You’re disgusting,” the burly man said before threading his arm through his wife’s and went off to find other sales items.

  God, Max thought, eyeing the husband and wife now walking away from him. He hoped Clarice didn’t see him sucking the bottle. Otherwise, there would be no end to her teasing.