The Storm

by K. C. Crowne

  Holy shit! I'm pregnant...

  Pregnant!

  The word had been floating around my head reaching the tip of my tongue but never quite tumbling out my mouth. I'd been dying to tell Jackson, desperate to see the look on his face, but at every opportunity just as I was about to thrust the test in his hand and blurt out the good news, something would happen. Dylan would call from his work with some urgent news, Jared would appear, the doorbell would ring. It was as though I was cursed and the news would never be told. But today, was going to be the day I told him. I could feel it.

  Walking through the store that was in various stages of being redecorated, I walked into the bathroom and looked at myself in the mirror. To me, as soon as I saw my reflection I could tell I was pregnant. My skin was glowing, my eyes sparkling and my hair shining.

  There was no hint of a bump in my reflection, but I could feel the baby inside me, no matter how tiny it was. I placed a hand on my navel and imagined it in there. A warmth spread through me, a sense of deep calm and joy that came from suddenly being protective of the little person inside me.

  I loved them already.

  Standing to the side, I studied my body in profile. Soon enough my slender frame would be bulging and my flat stomach would swell to accommodate the baby. I marveled at the idea that a woman's body could be so strong.

  I didn't realize I was smiling until I felt my cheeks burn. Looking in the mirror, I saw I had a wide smile spread across my face like my cheeks had been stapled in place. Was it possible to look any happier?

  I was still grinning as I made my way back out to the store front. There was so much to do before we opened, but I relished the challenge.

  Paint cans were everywhere. I stared at the floor covered in brushes, trays, and paint rollers and had no idea where to start. Luckily, before I had to make up my mind what to do first, my phone rang.

  "Carly!"

  "Gabby! I've been calling you all day."

  "I'm know, I know. Sorry, I've been swamped. Had so much going on!”"

  She was silent for a moment, choosing her words carefully. After a few seconds, she sucked in air and said, “Have you told him yet?”

  “Today. I promise I'll do it today.”

  “You better! I can't stand this! He called me last night and I was worried I might have to tape my mouth shut to stop blabbing.”

  I looked at the clock. It wouldn't be long until he was here, and I'd finally have to bite the bullet and tell him. Excitement, joy, fear and a sense of responsibility overwhelmed me.

  “I promise I'll tell him as soon as he gets here.”

  She sniffed in response.

  "Are you crying?"

  "No, you're crying!"

  "Carly, come on now."

  I ventured into the back of the shop where a makeshift office was set up with all the furniture still covered in plastic wrap. Boxes full of stock spilled across the floor, and I had to step over a pile of ski goggles to reach my desk.

  "I just can't believe it,” she said. “Not only has my best friend gone. But you're pregnant too. I'm going to be an auntie. An auntie!”."

  “You'll be one of those cool, single aunties that lets them stay up past their bedtime and gives them candy.”

  “You're damn right I'll be a cool auntie!”

  “Anyway, I'm not gone completely,” I insisted. “You're talking about me like I'm dead. I'm just gonna be a few hours away.”

  "I can't believe you're really doing it," she replied. "You're really having a baby, buying a store and staying in Station Springs. All at once. Starting afresh."

  "Yep! I've got to admit, the bank loan went through pretty smoothly, thanks to Jackson being buddies with just about everyone in this town. Then it was just a matter of moving everything in. We're supposed to open a week from today. Not sure how it's going to work running the store while being pregnant, though.”

  "Hey, if you could survive being held captive by the mafia, you can get through a little morning sickness. Believe me, you'll be fine.”

  “Ha, I guess you're right.”

  Carly fell silent again, something that wasn't usually in her nature.

  "Sounds like you've got your happily ever after," she said wistfully after a few seconds. "I'm happy for you. Really I am."

  "You don't sound it."

  "I'm just going to miss you. Who else is gonna drink margaritas with me and listen to cheesy nineties hits?"

  She laughed, but it was bittersweet.

  Looking out the window, I saw something I'd not seen since I'd arrived in Station Springs: a hint of green grass as the snow began to melt. Looking up at the sky, I saw the sun shining from a cloudless blue sky. Everything was turning for the better.

  "Knock knock!" came a voice that startled me. I jumped out my seat and looked around the door to see Jackson standing at the store entrance with a giant paper bag.

  "Gotta go," I told Carly. "I'll call you tonight. Still coming up this weekend?"

  "Try and stop me. Is that Jackson?”

  “Yup!”

  “You better tell him.”

  “I will! Catch you later.”

  She blew me a noisy kiss down the line and hung up.

  "Let me guess. Carly?" Jackson asked as he entered, bringing with him the smell of hot coffee and pastries. "I brought breakfast. Hot chocolate and some muffins."

  "You really know the way to a girl's heart."

  He dropped the bag on my desk and kissed me, his clothes smelling like the fresh outdoor air.

  "How are you getting on?" he asked, taking a seat on a nearby box.

  "Totally overwhelmed," I said. "But in a good way. Can't believe I really did it. And Walter knocked another ten percent off the asking price in the end. Can you believe that?"

  "Bargain," Jackson winked. "Anyway, you'll never guess what? I just saw Jared."

  "How is he?"

  He'd been a constant source of worry over the last few weeks even though he never let us fuss over him. He was adamant about caring for himself and refused to complain.

  "He was in the gym doing squats."

  "Shut up. No way!"

  "Yep! The little trooper's really come through."

  I could see the pride shining in his eyes. He reached for the paper bag and pulled out a muffin, wiping off the icing on top and licking it from his fingers. I couldn't help but focus on his tongue, knowing what it was capable of.

  His eyes met mine. He knew what I was thinking. Lifting me, he sat me on the table, kissing me hard, tasting like chocolate and coffee.

  "Wanna know how proud I am of you? You've got your own store now. You have no idea how happy that makes me."

  "And I'm right across the road from the diner. Free burgers for life?"

  "I think I can arrange something," he grinned and tucked my hair behind my ear. His hands reached up beneath me shirt, caressed my stomach as he moved higher toward my breasts.

  "We've done it in every room in my apartment," he said. "But not in here."

  “Jackson, wait. I've got to tell you something.”

  “Aw, come on. I've been thinking about you all day.”

  I pushed him away anyway, and wriggled out of his grasp, trying to ignore the wetness between my legs.

  “I've been thinking about you too,” I gasped. “But it's time to be serious for a second.”

  He saw the solemn expression on my face and frowned.

  “Is something wrong?” he asked. “You look worried.”

  Nothing was wrong. In fact, everything was perfect, so why was my heart beating so fast? Why was I suddenly struck with fear?

  What if he takes the news badly?

  What if he freaks out and wants nothing to do with the baby?

  No... Jackson's not like that.

  “Gabby, say something. You're freaking me out.”

  I opened my mouth, looked him dead in the eye and knew it was now or never.

  “Jackson, I have news.”

  There was a know
ing look in his eyes like he had an inkling of what I was about to say, as though he had guessed already.

  “I'm... I mean we're having a baby.”

  For a second, he stood dumbfounded, blinking at me, then a grin exploded across his face and he flung himself at me. Lifting me up and spinning me around.

  “Are you fucking serious! You're pregnant!”

  “Woah, put me back down! You're making me dizzy.”

  “Oh, my God!” he continued. “We're actually having a baby!”

  I slid back down to the floor, but he wasn't letting go of me. He looked deep into my eyes, cupping my jaw lightly.

  “You've no idea how happy this makes me,” he breathed. “I'm going to be a daddy.”

  He kissed me hard and possessively as his hand made its way to my stomach.

  “This is perfect,” he whispered as he kissed my ear then my neck. “Do you know how much I've wanted this?”

  I felt his breath, hot and moist on my neck and melted into him.

  “It's what I've dreamed of,” he said, still stroking my stomach.

  He looked down at my body, the two of us imagining the life inside of me. Would it be a boy and look just like him? Share his bravery? Or would it be a girl? Have a penchant for singing in the mirror and love to ski just like her mommy?

  Either way, they would be perfect.

  “I love you,” I told him. “I love you so much.”

  “Love you too,” he said, breathless as he pressed a finger beneath my chin and raised my lips to his.

  This time his kiss was soft as his hands lovingly ran themselves around my waist, pulling me closer to him.

  “You've no idea how much I want you,” he grunted, picking me back up to sit me on the desk. “I want you more than ever.”

  Pushing himself between my legs, his strong fingers found their way to the waistband of my jeans.

  I needed him too, but it wasn't just lust that sent a flood of desire between my thighs. It was pure love, a sense that we were deeply connected. It wasn't just sex I needed, it was a need for the both of us to become one.

  As I let him explore my body, I could feel a change between us as the energy flooding between our bodies grew more intense. Now, when he kissed me, there was more intent, a deeper desire, and I drank him in. I didn't think it was possible to feel more in love, to feel so complete.

  I leaned back and watched how he admired my body, his eyes focussing on my stomach before moving lower. He smiled and flicked his tongue over his bottom lip as he slid a hand down to the front of my jeans. Yanking at the zipper, he tore them off until they fell on the floor at his feet. Then his hands were hungrily pulling at my panties, ripping them down over my hips.

  I was ready for him, tearing at his clothes to free him from his boxer shorts.

  "What if someone comes in?" I asked.

  Ignoring me, he answered my question with a burning hot kiss. Pulling him to me, I guided him inside me, letting out a muffled moan as I buried my face in his chest.

  He thrust hard, the table beneath us groaning and creaking as it struggled to keep up with our movements. Wrapping my legs around his waist, I drew him closer to me, pulling at his hair as I pressed his face into my breasts.

  "Aw, fuck," I breathed, feeling his hips grinding against mine. "Oh, God!"

  We'd been inseparable over the last couple months, unable to rip ourselves apart from each other's bodies, but every time got better, more intense, more heavenly. Yet this time was the most divine of all, and as I felt him inside of me, I was overcome with love for him and the life growing inside of me.

  He thrust into me, long deep, slow strokes alternating with hard, fast ones with his eyes always burning into mine. I hung on to him for dear life as he pounded into me, his teeth gritted together as he grunted. At last, it grew too much, and when I was certain I was going to burst, an explosion of exquisite feelings squeezed all my muscles as I screamed.

  It felt as though I’d been rocketed out of my own body as I become unaware of my surroundings. There was nothing on Earth apart from the fireworks between my legs and the look in his eyes.

  At the sight of me coming, he grunted and pumped even harder, his whole face growing red as he reached climax that saw him losing control and gripping my hips as he yelled. He shook violently with his eyes clenched shut, then he sucked in a deep lungful of breath and looked down at me, his eyes tracing a bead of sweat that ran down between my thighs. For a second, he remained still as his orgasm moved through him leaving him spasming.

  Kissing me softly with the taste of sweat on his top lip, he pulled out and handed me my panties with a smirk.

  "It just gets better between us,” he said, still out of breath.

  With my legs feeling like jelly, I pulled up my jeans and let the world come back into focus. Once again, I was back in the office surrounded by boxes and paint tubs.

  As I regained my breath, I reached for a muffin and nibbled the edge. Chocolate had never tasted so sweet.

  "Yum!"

  "You look so hot when you eat junk food," he said, reaching for his coffee.

  "Later tonight, if you're really lucky, I'll eat a pizza in front of you. Let the melted cheese drip down my chin as I lick the barbecue sauce off the stuffed crust."

  "Jesus, you know just how to talk dirty."

  He pressed his finger onto the frosting of my muffin and smeared a dollop onto the tip of my nose.

  "Hey!"

  He laughed and kissed it off. I rolled my eyes at him and sighed as I looked around the room. "I guess I better get back to work."

  "I can help."

  "No, really. You've got your own work to do and the boys will be waiting for you."

  "No, I have to help. You're pregnant now. Can't have you lifting heavy boxes.”

  “I'm pregnant,” I replied. “Not an invalid. I can do it all myself.”

  “But you shouldn't have to. I want to help. Come, show me all the paint you got. I wanna see what color you're painting the walls out there."

  Leading him out, my legs still wobbly and my face still flushed red, I pulled out the testers and showed him.

  "Eggshell blue," he frowned. "Since when are eggs blue?"

  "They mean duck eggs."

  "Right."

  He looked totally baffled. But there was something else in his eyes that was strange too, a look I couldn't quite identify. No doubt he was still trying to process the good news. It wasn't every day you found out you were going to become a father for the first time.

  Still, it was unlike him to be nervous, so why was he looking away from me shiftily? Across the road, I could see Tracey standing in the window of the diner watching us.

  "Why is she staring at us like that?" I asked nodding my head over to her.

  He looked out the window and frowned. "Oh, I dunno."

  There it was again. That hint of nervousness. That suspicious look.

  What is he up to?

  Is he panicking about the baby?

  Or am I just imagining things?

  Still eating my muffin, I licked off the last of the frosting before biting it, looking forward to a fudge-filled center. What I got instead was something hard and metal that bounced off my front tooth.

  "Ow!” I cried, putting my hand to my mouth. “What the hell?"

  Jackson said nothing and just stared at me, his eyes growing wider and wider.

  "What on Earth is this?" I dug into the muffin with my finger and found a ring nestled into the center.

  At first, I thought it was a mistake or a joke, but the sparkling diamond and the white gold band clearly was no joke. I felt as though my heart had stopped, as though all the breath had been shocked out of my body. Jackson moved closer, swept the hair from his eyes, and dropped to one knee.

  "Oh my... Oh, my... Oh, my God!"

  "Gabby, having you back in my life has made me happier than you could even imagine. I'm the luckiest guy alive and..."

  He took the ring from my hand, clean
ed it off on the hem of his t-shirt, and lifted my hand so he could put it on.

  "Will you marry me?"

  "Yes!"

  "You will?"

  "Are you nuts? Of course, I will!"

  I squealed and jumped into his arms as he slid the ring on my finger.

  "I don't believe this," I grinned, jumping up and down. "How long have you been planning this?"

  He looked across to the diner and gave Tracey a thumbs up. She clapped her hands to her cheeks and bounced up and down. Even from across the road I could hear her screaming.

  "It was Tracey's idea. The muffin, not the proposal, obviously. She said girls could never turn a guy who proposed with chocolate."

  "She knows her stuff."

  I hugged him tight and kissed him softly, feeling like the luckiest girl in the world.

  "I love you," I said, "More than anything."

  "I love you too, Gabby. I always will."

  He pulled away to look into my eyes and brushed the hair from my cheeks. Just when I thought the moment couldn't get any more magical, the door burst open and almost gave me a heart attack.

  "Congratulations!" Dylan yelled as he blustered inside with Jared and Lucas.

  "Wow, word travels fast," I laughed, showing them the ring with a playful royal wave. “Were you guys waiting across the road?”

  “Maybe...”

  They all hugged me and gave Jackson their best macho handshakes.

  "You're a lucky man, Jackson."

  "Tell me about it."

  “I say we celebrate over at Den's,” Jackson said. “Hell, let's all take the day off!”

  “Sounds good to me!”

  The guys couldn't stop slapping Jackson on the back as we crossed the road, congratulating him as though he'd won an Olympic medal. And he acted as though he'd won one too, as though he was on top of the world. He was beaming as we entered the diner, standing tall, the proudest man in the room.