Uninhibited : Savage Wilde

by Liberty Parker

  She’s not been awake for long, and is usually a clumsy one, until she’s been wide awake for a period of time. She’s not a morning person I’ve discovered. She usually doesn’t perk up until after she’s had her breakfast, has been cleaned up and her teeth have been brushed. It’s a routine she knows well, so our early visitor is a treat that has the capability of ripping it into shreds.

  “No, it can’t be,” Dash dramatically states as he gives Hadley a wide-eyed stare. “Is my little angel growing up? Surely, you haven’t gotten this big since I’ve seen you last. You’re making this man feel old,” he declares as a smirk takes hold as Hads furiously nods her head up and down.

  “It’s me, it’s me,” she vows as he leans down and lifts her up into his arms. “Momma’s!” Hadley yells, bursting mine and Dash’s eardrums in the process.

  “What, what is it?” Jacey comes rushing into the room. She has a panicked look on her face and I know her mind went to something being wrong. She comes to a screeching halt when she notices Dash with a squirming child in his arms. Our girl, never one to slow down when she deems something exciting.

  “Dash came to sees us, Mommy!” Hadley anxiously sings out.

  “I see, I see,” Jacey singsongs back in response.

  I narrow my eyes at her in suspicion. She appears happy to see him but isn’t sporting the look of shock and surprise that I had when I saw him standing at the front door. She turns around and looks at me, wearing a look of innocence as she shrugs her shoulders.

  Uh-huh.

  Some people may fall for that innocent act she’s protraying, but I’ve known her throughout life and know that she’s full of shit right now.

  Jacey

  Hiding the shock of finding Dash in our home is harder than I thought it’d be. He was supposed to be meeting me at my office so that we could work on my gown before surprising Rayne. I guess the cat is out of the bag, but I don’t want to admit to my man that I knew one of his closest friends was coming to see us for an extended period of time.

  I also forgot about his impending arrival with everything that happened yesterday. I really thought it’d be a few days before he made his way here, anyway. But Dash has always been a fly-by-the-seat-of-his-pants type of guy, making work harder for his personal assistant and security detail. But over the years, they’ve learned to compensate and prepare to face the unknown as the sun rises each morning.

  I don’t think any of us would have him any other way. We most certainly wouldn’t know what to do with ourselves if he suddenly started living life based on his calendar’s agenda.

  Once everyone has settled down, I go and make everyone a hearty breakfast and make the adults a cup of coffee. Hadley gets orange juice in a mug. I know how everyone takes it so I don’t need to ask what all they want in it. Dash and Rayne are entertaining Hadley so that I can peacefully work without her under foot. As the hash browns are frying, the smell suddenly causes a wave of nausea to roll through my stomach. Leaning over the sink, I breathe in deeply and hold it a few seconds and then release it in a heavy exhale. I do this several times before my stomach settles. I shake it off and continue along making the eggs.

  Stress does a number on me so I’m not surprised one bit that I felt a little ill. It most likely won’t be the last time I feel this until we have everything wrapped up and life gets back to normal.

  Breakfast is consumed with gusto, which seems to be the way my family eats, and before we know it, the girls are here to grab Hadley. I had wanted to see them off to the airport, but Rayne thought it’d be best not to have us all in one place in case Jameson decided to get bolder than simply breaking and entering into our abode.

  They’re all upset that they don’t get to visit with Dash, but they’ll miss their flight if they dillydally. With a promise from him to stick around for a while so that he can visit with them upon their return, they make a quick departure. Tears stream down my face as I watch them drive away. I’ve never spent more than a couple of nights away from my daughter, and that’s been here recently with the arrival of her aunts and father in her life. This is a hard pill for me to swallow. I want to have her with me so I know she’s safeguarded and can have my eyes on her at all times.

  But, Rayne’s right, though I’ll never admit that to him. She needs to be far away from here until this whole scene plays out. Plus, it’s easier to have her with our parents at their place than have us all here in town. Where we were born and raised, everyone knows everyone, and if there is a stranger in town, it makes its way through the phone’s grapevine quickly. A foreign car can’t so much as make its way through the streets of town without everyone having the knowledge that there’s a stranger in town. Hadley is safer right now in that close-knit environment than being here.

  I busy myself with cleaning the house while Rayne lays out all that’s happened for Dash. I can hear him every once in a while, gasping and I’ve even heard ‘no he didn’t’ a few times.

  As I bend over to place a few toys in the toy box I’ve gathered from Hadley’s floor, the room begins to spin and flashes of white speckles begin to dance behind my eyelids. I sit on the ground before I lose my balance and fall. With my luck, I’d face-plant into the toy box and end up with a black eye or a concussion. Either one is a possibility. I remember when I was pregnant… Wait a minute! Fuck! I begin calculating my last period and when it dawns on me that I should’ve started three days ago I begin to panic. I’m never late, ever. I can almost count my cycles down to the very minute I’ll start.

  Gently standing up, I rush as quickly as I can without causing myself to go off-balance and make my way to my bedroom. There, I pull out my mini calendar from the bedside drawer and open it up to the current month. I count from last month, then count again.

  “Three days, don’t panic just yet,” I mumble to myself, trying to calm my racing heart so that it doesn’t jump its way out of my chest.

  “Why are we not panicking over three days, Jace?” I hear Rayne’s baritone voice question me from the doorjamb. I swivel my head in his direction and take in the way his muscles are bunching together as he casually leans against the frame. His body is a work of art and one that I’d be taking further time to investigate and appreciate if I wasn’t trying to talk myself off of the ledge. “Jace?” He quizzically looks at me, as I take a minute to collect my thoughts, before sharing with him why I’m potentially acting like a crazy woman. He has no clue that if what I’m suspecting to be true, how much worse and crazed I’ll become the next few months. This will really be a test for our relationship. I’ve been known to fly off the handle at the smallest thing when I’m carrying his spawn.

  “Three days, Rayne. I’m late for my period,” I exasperatedly inform him as a gush of air leaves my lungs.

  “Are you telling me…?” He leaves his sentence wide open as his hand waves in my vicinity.

  “I’m not telling you anything for certain. Nothing’s a known fact, just that it’s a high possibility. One that I’m worried is true. I’m never late, Rayne—like ever!” As I keep my eyes on him, I see his face go blank as his mind begins to wonder about what all this could mean.

  Yeah, buddy, you and me both, I can’t help but think as a display of emotions run across his face. I see exhilaration, wonderment, then finally worry. The moment that feeling hits him, his countenance loses all color.

  26

  Rayne

  My heart is leaping in my chest with the possibility. I wanted this to happen, hell, I prayed for it to, but the timing is all wrong. Now I’ll not only be protecting Jacey’s person, but the precious cargo she could be carrying. Motherfucker, I’m gonna have to double her security… no fuck that, I’ll triple it. I’ll have Lucky hire a few more of his buddies from his military days. Jacey won’t be able to so much as take a piss without having her every move followed. I will take no chances with her and our unborn baby. Baby… damn, I’m gonna get to experience everything I missed with Hadley. I’ll get to watch as Jacey’s belly roun
ds with the growth of our child. I’ll get to experience all of those crazy cravings I’ve heard so much about. I’ll get to be her hero when I willingly leave without any argument at two o’clock in the morning when she wakes up craving something we don’t have in the house. I’ll get to be in the delivery room and hear our baby’s first cries as he or she enters the world. There’s so much to look forward to—first steps, first tooth, midnight feedings. Doctor appointments; I want to experience them all and be by her side for everything.

  “Rayne, are you alright? You’re looking a little pale over there,” Jacey whispers, breaking into my internal thoughts.

  “I’m happy, Jacey, but I’m also petrified with having a madman on the loose. One that we have no clue what his next move will be. I’ll get to experience all of the baby’s firsts and hold your hand as you deliver him or her. All while wearing my ring on your finger. I’ll get to watch as the doctor shows us our baby on that monitor thingy that they do. Wait a minute, doctor, we need to get you into the doctor… like right now.” I don’t know why it took so long for that light bulb to click into place over my head. That should’ve been my first thought, not everything we’re gonna do and the monster we need to fight. She and the baby come first and I’ve already fallen down on that important job.

  “What in the world is going on in here?” Dash asks as he comes up behind me. Suddenly, the room begins to grow dim as I find it hard to breathe. I bend over and place the palms of my hands on my knees as I fight the currents running through me. Waves of emotions hit me all at once as I figure out what a failure I already am at this impending fatherhood business. I didn’t do anything with Hadley, so I’m at a loss of the right and wrong things to do this go around. “She…” I point an accusing finger at Jacey as I try to find the right words to share. “Um, dude, she’s late. We might be having a baby, we need to get to the doctor, like right now!”

  Finding the strength to stand back up, I notice that Dash’s eyes are comically wild as his head bobbles from Jacey then back to me. “Well, what are we waiting for? Get your woman and let’s hit the road. There has to be a doctor open in this podunk town we can get her to.”

  I nod my head at his words then look at my woman. When she doesn’t move a muscle, I narrow my eyes in her direction. “Woman,” I snap. “Now is not the time to hang out inspecting the carpet. We need to get you to a doctor. Get a move on it.” Marching over to the closet, I grab tennis shoes and then head to first my dresser, then hers as I grab a pair of socks for each of us. When I turn around, I notice that her head is tilted down and her shoulders are shaking. Fearing that I broke her internal faucet, and she’s now leaking because of my harsh demands, I walk over to her and lower myself down to bended knees. My body, feeling like a lead weighted boulder is holding it down, lost as to what I should do, I take a moment to collect my thoughts.

  “Jacey, my love, please don’t cry,” I all but beg her. Her tears have the capability of breaking me. I lift my hand and place my thumb under her chin as I raise her head. When I do, imagine my surprise to discover she’s not crying, she’s laughing. “What in the world do you find so amusing?” I huff out the question, upset that I took all of that time out of what we should be doing to comfort her in her time of need.

  “And here I was thinking,” she wheezes out, “that I’d be the crazy, emotional one. Yet you’re freaking out and we haven’t even taken a home pregnancy test yet to confirm. Rayne, honey, the doctor won’t see me as an emergency case just to take a simple urine sample from me. We need to hit the pharmacy in town, confirm our suspicions, then make an appointment at my eight-week mark.”

  “Eight weeks!” I shout out at the horror of what she just shared with me. “Why so fucking long? That’s ridiculous. You should be monitored from the get-go. I think your doctor and I should have an in-depth conversation over his care of his patients.”

  “Honey,” she reaches out and pats my hand, “that’s the normal time that a doctor sees you and begins caring for a mother-to-be.”

  “I still believe that’s preposterous. Maybe I should hire you a private doctor to see to your every whim until the baby is born. Yeah, I’ll do some research and find the best of the best to come and care for you and our baby. This small-town doctor has lost his ever-loving mind.”

  Jacey

  I can’t help but laugh at the disgusted tone leaving his mouth. I know that I didn’t get to see Dr. Amish until I was eight weeks pregnant with Hads. They explained to me why they don’t see you until you hit your eight-week mark, but for some reason the explanation has left my brain.

  “Let’s hit the pharmacy, grab a test, and take things from there,” I suggest to Rayne.

  “Pharmacy, right. Maybe I should just have one of the men go and grab one for you. That way, you can lie down and rest for a while. You’re looking a little pale and squeamish.”

  “Honey, you’re the one who’s green at the gills. And, there’s no way in hell I want one of the men picking out a pregnancy test for me. I’m okay with Dash knowing, but let’s not share this with the whole world until it’s safe to do so.”

  He blanches at my words before uttering the word, “Safe?”

  “Yes, there’s a chance of the pregnancy not taking until you hit the three-month mark. After that, it’s said that the pregnancy is viable and the possibility of losing the baby lessens.”

  “What? That’s it, Jacey. I’m finding you a personal doctor. This is why that quack you wanna see should be fitting you in to see him sooner rather than later. He’s a complete imbecile and I won’t allow him to care for you or our baby. End of motherfucking story.” With his mind made up, he stands and exits the room with his socks and shoes in hand. “What kind of backwards, hillbilly town is this anyway? Not seeing her until she’s eight weeks, that’s ludicrous!” I hear him mumble out of the side of his mouth as he leaves me. I take a minute to laugh as I put on the socks and shoes he left sitting at my feet.

  I can tell the next several months are going to be a test of patience. I just hope my will is strong where it comes to my overly crazed man. I’m gonna need to visit the hardware store and make sure that Lonny hides all the bubble wrap, otherwise, I’ll find that as an accessory to my wardrobe.

  The ride to the pharmacy was a short one. Upon entering, I walk straight to the aisle that holds all the condoms and pregnancy tests. As soon as I lift on the tips of my toes to inspect them all, the urge to use the restroom hits me. “I’ll be right back,” I inform my man as I hustle my way to empty my bladder. After taking care of business, I wash and dry my hands before making my way back to the appropriate aisle. When I come across the buggy in front of Rayne with at least twenty boxes of unopened tests, a hearty laughter bubbles out of me.

  “You were taking too long so I decided to grab one of each. You can decide at home which one you’d prefer to use,” he explains.

  “Rayne, no way in hell. You have more damn money than sense sometimes.” I shake my head at him as I march over to the buggy and begin picking up each box and reading the back. He grows impatient if the heaving sighs that I’m hearing are any direct indication. “Patience, I don’t have the space to store all of these. It’s better to eliminate the ones that I don’t want and leave them on the counter.”

  “We could always find a bin and store them in the closet for next time,” he huffs out and my eyes shift up to meet his.

  “Next time?” I inquire with a hint of fear laced in my spoken words.

  “Yep,” he says all while emphatically nodding his head up and down. “We always said we’d have a house full of kids, Jace. And two doesn’t exhibit that,” he states as he reminds me of our pasts conversations. When we were like sixteen! Things have changed since then. Our careers, especially his, don’t support the long-ago dream of ours.

  “May I remind you that our house is small and two would fill it nicely.” I ignore the look of dismay he’s sending me as I begin placing the rectangular boxes back in their place.


  “Then we’ll build a new house. One large enough to fit all those kids I promised you once upon a time,” he promises.

  “Fuck my life,” I choke out as my hands begin to shake with the thought. Two kids I can handle on my own, but as many as he’s implying we should have, will have me in the looney bin in a matter of weeks after he hits the road. “Let’s have this one first, if there even is a baby, then we’ll discuss adding on to our family further.”

  “We’ll have that discussion, Jacey. I can promise you that,” he says before leaning over and whispering in my ear. “But we’ll have it with me buried between your thighs. Imagine me strumming that clit of yours while I pump my dick in and out of you, swiveling my hips to make sure I find that magic button buried within you… the one that sets you off and makes your pussy clamp down on me. Yeah, baby, we’ll discuss it.”

  I find my legs clamping themselves together as my imagination takes me to that future date and time. “You don’t play fair, Rayne,” I admonish him.

  “Nothing’s fair in love and war, Jacey. I’ll use every tool and weapon I have to get what I want.” Without looking any further at the selection I’ve narrowed down, I grab two tests and hastily make my way to the check-out counter.

  My man has a way with words. I need to come up with some good comebacks when he uses his tongue as a weapon against me.

  27

  Rayne

  As we pull up to our street, it’s to see several red-and-blue flashing lights. “What the hell?” I mutter.

  Dash leans over through the opening between the two front seats of my truck. “Isn’t that y’alls house that all the activity is in front of?” he questions.