“I figured. I’m so, so sorry. I thought I was doing the right thing, and in the end I screwed with us both.” Laura knew she had no excuse for her decision. It was a streak of self-righteous stubbornness that had wormed its way in and clouded her judgment.
“I told you, there’s nothing to forgive. We both weren’t exactly the picture of innocence during the last several months.” He rubbed a spot on his ribs where a hard welt used to be.
“I know. I saw Page Six.”
Mason stared at the floor. “I’m sorry you had to see that. That photo caused me more problems than anything. I was hoping you hadn’t seen it.”
“No such luck. We weren’t together, so you were free to do what you wanted. I guess I underestimated how much New York society would have a conniption about it.” She’d also underestimated how much his moving on would hurt, until she saw it in a nationally distributed newspaper. “Have a look at your child. I think that will be enough to put all of this shit behind us. Or it will at least help.”
Mason held his breath and turned the pictures over. His jaw dropped at the detail of what an ultrasound could capture. “I… Wow,” he whispered, “He has your mouth.”
“Uh-huh, and your cheeks, but don’t be so hasty on the boy thing,” Laura warned.
As Mason spread all four photos on the coffee table in front of him, the other option dawned on him, “Oh, it’s a girl then?”
Laura grinned. “Well, no. Actually, I don’t know. I wanted it to be a surprise.” Laura pointed to each print. “See? They are only of the baby’s face.”
Immediately Mason grew exasperated. “What do you mean, you don’t know?” he huffed. “Everybody wants to know. How will we know what to shop for?” The endless list of baby items scrolled through Mason’s head. He was a planner and needed to have all the details.
“You sound like my mother!” Laura scoffed.
“Well, she’s a smart lady,” Mason sighed.
“Well, the good news is you won’t have to wait. I’m due in a few weeks. And before you whine about it, I’ve had to wait longer. You can go three weeks.” Laura narrowed her eyes at him. If he even thought about making a fuss she was going to kick him in the ankles.
“Fair enough. Will you show me the baby’s room?”
“Sure. It’s upstairs. The baby is going to room with me for a while. I’m currently living in my old room,” Laura explained.
“Oooh does it still look like it did when we were in high school?”
Laura nodded. “Yup. Ma didn’t change a thing.”
Mason couldn’t wait to see. “Please tell me you haven’t changed it since you moved in. I will be so sad if you did.”
“See for yourself.” Laura pushed the bedroom door open to reveal that she indeed had left it.
“Holy hell.” Mason doubled over in laughter. The far wall was still plastered in boy band posters, and the wall color had faded, but was still bubblegum pink. Even the heavy wooden canopy bed was the same. He did notice there were some changes. A tiny dresser was tucked in the corner near the closet, and a bassinet was set up near the bed. A photo on Laura’s vanity mirror had caught Mason’s eye. He crossed the room to check it out.
It was a picture of the two of them and a few of their high school friends. They couldn’t be more than sixteen in the photo. “I can’t believe you didn’t burn this!”
Laura giggled. “Why would I? It’s such a cute picture. Look at your blond tips and Tommy Hilfiger sweatshirt. Man, you wore that thing to death.” The nostalgia was bittersweet.
“Yeah, that’s why you need to destroy this. We graduated in 2003 and had the hair to prove it. Look at your skunk stripes! And if memory serves me correctly, you rocked that hair and those ridiculously low cut jeans. I did always enjoy the little peek of thong I saw sitting behind you in science class.”
Laura rubbed her belly. “Ha! Yeah, I’ll never be able to do that again.”
Mason dropped the photo and moved in close. “You’re the sexiest thing I have ever laid my eyes on.” He rested his palm on her belly. “Even more so now,” Mason purred.
Laura felt the familiar clench between her legs. She had been horny from seven plus months of celibacy, and his voice nearly tipped her over the edge. “You’re just saying that because you got me all knocked up.”
“Damn right.” He shifted his hands higher, over Laura’s overly sensitive breasts and up her neck.
Laura sucked in a breath as his hands brushed over her nipples. They tingled at his touch, and frankly, so did other parts. “You know, I’ve read that pregnancy sex is on a whole other plane.” She cupped Mason between the legs. “And I’ve been dying to find out if that’s true.”
Mason grinned like a Cheshire cat. “Ask and you shall receive, darling.” He bent to kiss her. He had been mostly stiff since he saw her in the doorway. It had been far too long away from her. “I will warn you, I haven’t been busy either. This might not last long.”
Laura stared into his eyes, watching his expression darken with lust as she unbuckled his belt. “I don’t care. I need you to fuck me right now, or I may explode.” Every nerve in her body was on high alert. She pressed herself against his chest to try and calm her straining nipples.
That was all Mason needed to hear. Neither of them had time for long, drawn out foreplay. What they needed was to reconnect on a primal level. He peeled off his t-shirt and tossed it across the room. In a blink, his shoes, pants, and socks followed suit.
Laura licked her lips as she drank him in. “You, sir are the sexiest thing I have ever seen.” She ran her hands over his abs and chest, marveling at the changes. “Those are new.”
Mason chuckled. “After several months of drinking I turned to working out. I thought that was the healthier option.” He hesitated. Should he tell her about Charlotte?
“It suits you.” She pulled the straps of her maxi dress off her shoulders and let the fabric drop to the floor. “As you can see, I’ve been working on my abs too.” She flexed to show off her ever-softening curves.
“You’ve done an extraordinary job.” He pulled her in to kiss her again. His lips and tongue became reacquainted with Laura’s mouth while his hands memorized the new shape of her body. He unhooked her basic cotton bra, freeing her heavy breasts.
Laura sighed at the freedom and looseness of not being confined to that stupid bra anymore. She started pushing Mason back to the bed, until his knees hit the edge and he fell backwards. The hunger in his eyes suddenly made her feel really shy. “I don’t have any idea how to make this work.” Since they hadn’t been able to adapt as her belly slowly grew, she wasn’t sure how sex in her shape was supposed to work.
“Let’s try something. Come here.” Mason took her hand and guided her to him. He spun her around and sat her on his lap. That position was the prime position for him to be able to fondle and pet her, and they could still have sex.
He reached around and slipped his hand between her legs and rubbed her hard little nub. The shudder he felt coming from his lap-mate encouraged him to do more. She was already so wet, and he was hard as a diamond. He adjusted her hips and slid inside of her.
Without any prompting Laura started moving her body up and down. Mason let her control the pace while he played with her. His prediction was right, though: it wouldn’t take long. “You feel so tight,” he groaned as she clenched her muscles around him.
Everything she had read about pregnancy sex was right and then some. Every sensation was turned up to eleven, and her orgasm swelled quickly. As she felt it coming she picked up her pace, wincing as Mason dug his fingertips into her hips as he held on for dear life. His free hand rubbed her clit. It was a lot of feeling going on at once. “Oh!” she cried as the biggest orgasm of her life roared over her. She thought she felt her bone tissue tremble, it ran so deep.
Mason moaned as he came himself and collapsed backwards on the bed. “Whoa. That was–”
“Incredible,” Laura finished. Her fingertips wer
e still tingling. She squealed as Mason pulled her backwards on top of him. “Stop! I’m going to crush you!” She wriggled against his grip.
“Then I will die the happiest man on the face of the planet. Come here.” He rolled her onto the bed so he could kiss her again. He felt like he could kiss her every waking minute of his day, and it still wouldn’t be enough.
Laura cuddled in close to him to watch the sun setting outside her window. This was enough. She was so stupid for fighting herself, fighting her feelings. Her worries about Mason, from committing fully to this misguided idea she would lose herself if she did, had vanished. Losing herself in him didn’t feel like such a bad idea anymore.
She pulled Mason’s hand around her as the baby started kicking around again. She felt him shift to look. “Want to see something really cool?” Laura asked.
“Sure. What?”
Laura untangled herself from him and shifted around to lean against the headboard. “Hand me that water bottle, please.”
Mason passed her the near empty plastic bottle, wondering what the hell she was doing.
“Observe.” She set the bottle on the fullest part of her belly and waited. It wasn’t long before baby Decker had knocked the offending object off. “Wait, there’s more.” Laura and Mason stared as her skin started to wave and dance as little arms and legs pressed against her.
“Whoa,” Mason said softly. “That is the weirdest thing.”
“I know, right?” Laura grinned. “I call it morphy belly.”
“Laura, we’re home!” Joanie’s voice called from the bottom of the stairs. “We brought dinner home, too.”
Laura glanced at Mason. “Looks like we’re busted. Let’s get dressed and go downstairs. I can’t wait to see the look on Ma’s face.”
Mason paled. All he could think about was what her father would do. “Your dad won’t try to kill me, will he?”
“Pfft. Doubt it. He might try to maim you a little.” Laura struggled back into her jeans. “Ugh, I cannot wait to not have to Crisco my legs to get my pants on. I’m so swollen!”
Mason inhaled the delicious, greasy smell wafting up from the dining room. “I think your parents might have brought home Chinese. I don’t think that will help your swelling situation any.”
“Balls. I’ll have to wear nothing but a t-shirt all day tomorrow until the salt runs out of my system.” With a sigh she preemptively removed her rings. “Hello, sausage fingers.”
Chapter Fifty Four
Laura went down to dinner first. She thought it might be best to prep her parents before just springing Mason on them. “Hey, guys. How was the art show?”
“Oh, honey, it was wonderful. The aluminum sculptures were so beautiful and told such a story.” Joanie chatted for a few more minutes before Laura noticed her dad rolling his eyes.
“I can do the same thing with the scrap in the garage and a spare weekend. I can’t believe one of those con-artists wanted a hundred grand for one of his junk mobiles!” Robbie commented. He had never been one to understand the modern art scene.
“Oh, Daddy. I hope you had fun anyway,” Laura said, shaking her head.
“Of course! They had a food truck bazaar going on across the field. I had the best slice of pizza I’ve ever eaten. Have you ever heard of putting marshmallows on a pepperoni pizza? It’s amazing!”
Much to Laura’s surprise, her mouth started watering. Any other time she’d have turned her nose up, but apparently her hormones wanted salty, sweet, and meat.
“Robbie,” Joanie began, “you know what your problem is? You just don’t have any culture. If you get out and do more than just watch the Red Sox all day, you might learn something.”
Robbie looked at his daughter. “This coming from a woman who collects ceramic cats. Culture.” He turned to face his wife. “And, for your information, I watch more than the Sox games. There is overlap into hockey season, and I watch all the Bruins games too.”
Laura watched the playful banter continue between her parents for a few more minutes. She was thrilled they were in such good moods; this would make breaking the news about Mason go a little bit smoother.
“Whose Mercedes is that parked on the curb, Laura? Does that slutty neighbor of ours have another male visitor?” Joanie asked while peeping through the back door blinds.
“What? Ma, no. Sit down and eat.” Laura waited until her parents got situated before explaining. “The Mercedes out front belongs to Mason Decker. He’s come up from the city to see me.”
Both her parents stared at her wide-eyed and then looked at each other. A mile-wide smile broke across Joanie’s face. “That’s wonderful! Oh, Laura, I’m so happy for you. Where is he?”
“He’s waiting upstairs. I’ll go get him.” Laura rocked herself out of her chair and waddled herself upstairs. A pain shot through her pelvis as a Braxton Hicks contraction hit her. She paused to let it run its course and finished the climb upstairs.
“Come on down. I think we’re in the clear. Ma is psyched to see you.” Laura grabbed Mason’s hand and walked down the stairs together.
“It’s not really your mum I’m worried about.”
Joanie leapt up and ran to embrace Mason as soon as he and Laura entered the dining room. “Mason! It’s so good to see you!” She held him at arm’s length. “Look at you. What a strapping man you’ve turned out to be. I haven’t seen you since you two were in college. I hear you’re a big software guy now. Sit, eat.” She nudged him towards a chair. “There’s plenty for everybody.”
“Thanks, Mrs. Ross.” He may be speaking to the mother, but his eye was trained on the father for signs of trouble.
“Please, you’ve never called me Mrs. Ross. Boy, you’ve been hanging around this house since you were fourteen years old. You know better than that. Call me Ma. All of Laura’s other friends do.”
“Ma, you’re insane!” It had been a long time since Laura’s mother had embarrassed her. It was nice to see she hadn’t fallen out of practice.
Robbie quietly observed and ate his food. He didn’t really want Laura to tell him all the gory details of her relationship. The biggest one had been in plain sight for a while now, but he had heard enough to still remain cautious. “So, how’d you find out Laura was here, son?” Robbie asked.
“My mum rang and told me. I guess she ran into her downtown right before the baby shower. Before that I had no idea she was here.”
Robbie turned to his daughter. “Laura, is that true?”
Laura nodded. She had to swallow a mouthful of egg roll before speaking. “I did. I figured she’d spill. No offense, Mase, but your mom is a gossip hound.”
“None taken. I know I had never heard a proper British woman sound so giddy about anything in my life. But I’m glad she called.” He placed his hand over Laura’s on the table.
“As long as you found her in a legal way. I heard about the stalker guy.” Robbie pointed his fork at Mason and squinted. “I’m pretty sure we had this conversation when you two started dating in high school, but just to remind you, this is my baby doll, and if anything happens to her… Well, just remember I work with men that bury things for a living.”
“Daddy! Oh my God!” It was like being a teenager again and Mason was taking her to prom. The déjà vu was frightening. “I’m a grown woman now, Daddy. We’ll work this out.” She turned to Mason and mouthed an apology to him.
“Don’t worry about it, sir. I love your daughter more than anyone or anything in this world. She’s safe with me.” Mason gazed adoringly at his woman. He meant every word.
“All right then,” Robbie grunted. “Now that that’s done with, did you happen to catch Game Seven of the Stanley Cup? Can you believe how dirty those Blackhawks played?”
Laura relaxed against her seat and finished her food. She was enjoying watching her boyfriend and father go back and forth about hockey. They seemed to be getting along and having a good time, at least for now. When her dad found out Mason was a Rangers fan he might hit t
he roof. It was Bruins or death in his house.
Letting her thoughts drift, she ran down the last minute baby checklist and tried to ignore her mother’s stares. She had been watching Laura with a shit-eating grin on her face for several minutes.
“Are you happy, baby?” Joanie asked. “I know you wanted something different, but I hoped you two would come back together somehow. And he’s so handsome! You two will have the prettiest babies!”
“I am happy, Ma.” Laura stood to clear the empty takeout containers. “I told you that I didn’t want him around, but I was kidding myself. This is exactly where I want and need to be.”
Joanie stood and kissed her daughter on the forehead. “I’m glad. Now just so you know, I expect you to have a big Irish Catholic wedding down at the cathedral–”
“Ma! Seriously?” Laura felt herself blush again. “What is with you tonight?” Laura asked with a laugh.
Chapter Fifty Five
Laura and Mason lay in bed watching a movie. They both felt more relaxed and at peace than they had in a long time.
“Do you plan on staying here after the baby comes?” Mason asked as he played with the loose tendrils from her ponytail.
“Most likely. I wouldn’t want to be more than an hour or so from our parents, and the thought of raising a child in the craziness of Manhattan doesn’t appeal to me at all. I’m sure Daniel will let me work from here as long as I want, as long as I drop in for visits once in a while.” That was, if she wanted to even continue working after the baby. She had toyed with the idea of just doing part-time freelance work instead.
“I agree. I’m pretty sure my mum and dad would chain me in their basement if I tried to go too far away with their grandchild. What would you say if I sold my portion of the business and we bought a home out here?”
Laura thought for a minute before answering, “First of all, I’d think you were crazy. You love your work. And second, I’d probably be okay with it.” Laura sat up. “You didn’t sell your half of the business already, did you?”
KYLE: A Mafia Romance (The Callahans Book 4) Page 108