Nikolas - Seven Weeks Later
The day we first heard our baby’s heartbeat, I knew I needed to get my shit together when it came to what I wanted from Ashley as far as relationships go. One good thing that came out of my conversation with her sister that day was that I knew something needed to change. I didn’t want Ashley, most of all, to think that I was going to bail on her or that I only cared about the baby.
I had already grown to feel something for Ashley, and even though I wasn’t ready to define what that feeling was, I knew I needed to be more honest with her.
That night I grilled up a couple steaks, she made baked potatoes and a salad, and we sat at my kitchen table and talked for hours. About nothing and everything. We filled each other in on what it was like for us growing up. We bonded over what it’s like to have sisters, even though I only have one and she has to deal with two. We asked hard questions about past relationships and why they failed. We listened to the recording of the heartbeat so many times I thought my phone was going to die. We walked around my house and I showed her what I had done myself as far as remodels and what I hope to do in the future. We went for another walk in the cold.
Before the night was over, we had laid it all out there. What our expectations are of raising this baby, names that are definite no’s, personal goals we hope for our futures. And mainly, I told her I was falling for her.
“I know it might seem like it’s too soon or the timing sucks. But I want you to know that the night we spent together three months ago is the night I felt like I came back to life. I woke up the next day and was mad that I couldn’t remember every detail of the night before. And then I saw you were still with me and I was so grateful that whatever we shared wasn’t over yet.
“When I saw you in the store that day, before I even saw the test in your hand, I knew I was given the gift of a second chance. You’d told me three months. Well, it’s been three months,” I remind her, smirking. “We may have broken that rule along the way but that’s just God’s way of nudging us together, if you ask me. I’m not asking you to marry me or promising anything but I feel deep in my gut that whatever this is between us is a lot more than just chemistry. Though, I’ve gotta say, the chemistry between us is pretty strong.”
“It really is,” she says, from her place on my lap. I pulled her close somewhere between her childhood vacation stories and when I told her our child would not be named Fraser, after Jamie Fraser in Outlander. She tried pouting, even though it was all for show, and I pulled her onto my lap and kissed her. That’s where she stayed and I have no intentions of that changing. At least until after we have this conversation.
“Is that all it is to you? Sexual chemistry?”
“No,” she admits. “I agree with you about wanting to be together to see where this goes between us. But I also think that defining whatever this is could set us back. I like the way things are.”
“Casual, you mean?” I ask, my heart not liking that one bit.
“Not casual, no. I don’t like that idea.” She scrunches her nose, playing with the hair on the back of my neck. She likes to do that, I’ve discovered. Which means I need to keep my hair at this length all the time.
“What do you mean, then?”
“I don’t know. Saying you’re my boyfriend feels like I just shot back to high school but saying that you’re the father of my unborn child isn’t what I want to say, either. For me, I like what we are. I like spending time with you and sharing meals. I like being open with each other about how we’re feeling. If this is going to work, though, because we’ve both sucked royally in the past when it comes to relationships, I think it would be better if we don’t put pressure on ourselves.”
“You understand that I want you, right? That I see something in the future between us that’s more than this baby?” I ask, placing my hand on her stomach.
She covers my hand with hers and nods. “I see it, too. But I’m so scared. If it doesn’t work because we’re trying too hard, it’s not only us that’s going to suffer for it. We’ve got this little one to think about now, too.”
That makes sense. I might not like it, but I do agree with it. And I understand. Mostly, anyway. I want her but she’s right — we’ve not made healthy choices for relationships in the past so maybe this is our chance to learn from our mistakes and move forward. Together.
“I’ll make you a deal.”
“What kind of deal?”
I lean up and kiss her neck. “Well, the kind that we both benefit from.”
“I’m listening.”
“The deal is…” I kiss just below her ear and tug on her earlobe with my teeth.
“…Yes?” She’s panting and when I let my hand slide under her shirt and up to her chest, she releases a little shiver that makes me smile.
“Are you agreeing to the deal?”
“Yes,” she moans then… “Wait. What’s the deal?”
I chuckle and sit back, giving her a break so we can finish this conversation with a clear head rather than controlled by our hormones. “Almost had you there,” I tease. “If I agree that we aren’t going to give us a name, I want you to tell me the second you’re ready for us to change that status. While I understand the hesitation you’re feeling about making anything official and agree with it, for the most part, I also want you to know that I’m ready for more between us. I’ll promise you that I won’t pressure you as long as you have an open mind about the potential that’s there for us. And in return for my herculean effort in practicing patience, you’ll reward me with…” I hesitate, loving the heated look that warms her face. “Not only that, you perv.” No shame in this one, she only grins and shrugs as if to ask who could blame her. “But for the record, if that’s what you want from me, just let me know and I’ll gladly provide. What I was going to say, though, is that I would like you to reward me with being the first, and I mean the first, to know when you’re ready. I don’t want you running to a friend to talk it over, or your sisters only for them to try to talk you out of it since they hated me before they knew me. I want you to promise me that when you’re feeling confident in who we are together, not just as two people who will be raising a child together, you call me, text me, send a carrier pigeon, whatever it is, so that I hear it first.”
“You really think my sisters would try to talk me out of it and I’d listen?”
“Not sure. But I don’t want to run the risk. They don’t know me. And, at least Grace isn’t willing to get to know me. Until I know for certain that they’re not anti-Nik, I want us to keep this between us. I want this to work and if that means we keep our relationship, or whatever it is, private in order for that to happen, I’m okay with it.”
“What about Josie?”
“If you want me to leave her out of the loop, I will. I’m asking you to do that with your sisters, so I’ll do the same.”
“You would?”
“Of course. Let’s give us the best shot possible. I’ll be your dirty little secret,” I joke.
“Hmm,” she preens, leaning closer and kissing me. “That might be kind of fun.”
“Might be. I know the rest of what we do together sure as hell is.”
“I’m in.”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah. I like the idea of keeping it for ourselves. I also like the idea of telling you first. You deserve to know. But you’ll do the same, right? If it’s getting to be too much for you to wait.”
“It won’t be. I’ll wait.”
“How can you be so sure?”
“Because you’re worth waiting for.”
“How do you know?”
“Because I waited thirty-five years to find you. What’s a few more months?”
“Wow. That’s a good answer.” She slams her lips to mine and we spend the rest of the night in each other’s arms.
Since our talk, time has crawled along slowly and sped by fast. I know we’re both trying to soak in all the stages, but we’re both anxious for the more ex
citing stuff. When she felt the baby kick last week, she called me in tears. I’d left the office that night, eager to get to her. Then I sat on her couch with my hand on her belly, talking to her stomach and willing the baby to kick for me. It didn’t happen for exactly two hours and twenty-four minutes. When I felt the tiny flutter, I almost cried. Since then, Ashley has been feeling kicks and movements more often but I know from Josie that it will only increase the farther along she gets.
In exactly one week we get to find out the sex of the baby, God willing. Hopefully the little rugrat is cooperating and not hiding anything or angled in such a way that we can’t see the pertinent parts to figuring out if we’re having a boy or girl.
I stare at the picture on my phone that I snapped of Ashley just a couple days ago.
“Boss? You ready?”
From the doorway to my office, my second guy, the one who is basically me, but without the stress of being the business owner, stands. Brandon has been my friend since I was a kid. His sister lives in town as well, and Brandon’s dad is the co-owner of a construction company I work with regularly. Brandon worked for a lot of years for his father and his father’s best friend, while also being lead singer of a band. The band never made it to Nashville, but that was never their intentions, either.
Brandon still plays with the same band members, but since he and his wife Savannah have become a family of five, he decided to keep it just as a hobby.
Brandon also wanted to do something different than working with his dad forever, and I needed someone who knew the business. He and I work great together, and it makes my days go by a lot quicker because I know he’s got my back.
“Yeah. Just a minute.”
“You were staring at your phone with hearts practically jumping out of your eyes like you were hoping she was going to pop out of it like those giant cakes.”
“Who?” I ask, playing dumb, flipping my phone around, letting the smooth surface glide through my fingers.
Brandon shuts the door and crosses the room, planting himself in the chair across from me. “You know exactly who I’m talking about. Don’t try to bullshit me. I know you’re so hot for that woman it’s got you twisted up inside.”
Tossing my phone on my desk, I lean back in my chair, linking my hands together behind my head. “She does,” I reply. “I can’t help it. She wants to keep things quiet so that no one else can get in the middle of our relationship, but also so that we have time to focus on ourselves. Well, I may have been the one suggesting that part. It’s all kind of blurry at this point who suggested what. But all I know is that we’re having a lot of fucking fun in the meantime.”
“Fucking fun, huh? Is that a clue?”
“A clue? What are we, five? It’s fun. And we’re not fucking.” He raises an eyebrow at me and I amend, “Yes, we’re having sex but I wouldn’t call it fucking.”
“You realize how that sounds, right?”
“I do. I can’t bring myself to care, though.”
He blows out a breath and mimics my position. “Well, my friend, you’re quite literally fucked. I give it less than a year and you’ll be marrying her with your baby on her hip.”
The scene flashes before me and I can’t say that it’s a bad one.
He bursts out laughing and stands up, slapping the desk. “Make that nine months, if the look on your face is anything to go by. Now, tuck your dick in your pants and wipe the drool from your face. We’ve got a shit ton of people we need to hire for this job to electrify the school,” he smirks at his wording, “and unfortunately for us, that means a day full of interviews.”
“I know what my day has in store,” I grumble.
As we walk out of my office, he slaps me on the shoulder. “Cheer up. At least we get to watch a bunch of young punks squirm. After we get these hires done, everything else will be gravy.”
“Gravy? When is anything ever that simple?”
“It isn’t. And it won’t be. But it got your mind off Ashley for a beat, didn’t it?”
Chuckling, we head to the conference room to get ready for the day of interviews. For the most part, everyone coming today has been vetted already. Because of the urgency of the job, we need people who already have worked as electricians, which means, for the most part, today should go smoothly. As long as the references check out and we don’t get a bad vibe from him or her, they’ll be hired.
Luckily, I already know that tonight will be a good way to end the day. Ashley asked me to come over for dinner and to look online at a few houses with her that she found through her realtor. The problem seems to be finding something that’s decent in her price range.
But I have to get through these interviews first.
Then I can see my girl.
And just like every other day, I’ll be counting the minutes until that time comes.
Chapter Sixteen
Ashley
“Now listen here, my little bundle of joy paired with a pain in my ass. You had your chance two weeks ago to show us what was between your legs. You chose to be private. That’s a good trait to have in the future but right now, your daddy and I would really appreciate a little less modesty.”
Lying in bed, I rub my small round stomach, talking to the baby, and trying to rest. We had our ultrasound two weeks ago where we had hoped to find out the sex of the baby but he or she was being difficult. Seeing the baby had been wonderful, of course, and finding out that the baby is healthy and is developing right on track was even more wonderful.
But darn it all, I want to know what names to focus on.
Today is my regular checkup with Dr. Fletcher and we’re hoping that she takes pity on us and pulls in the portable ultrasound machine to do a quick check. She had mentioned it once, and Nik already promised that if she didn’t bring it up, he would. I have no doubt that he’ll follow through. He’s nothing if not ambitious when it comes to the baby. Well, in most things, but especially about the baby.
The baby kicks me and all I can think is that he or she is trying to tell me that they can’t be told what to do.
“Don’t you sass me, Mr. Or Miss. Whatever.”
Another whopping kick that makes me gasp.
“You stinker!”
I get out of bed, still scolding the baby about talking back while inside the womb, and almost pee myself when I hear my front door open and close followed by very heavy footsteps.
Footsteps that didn’t take the time to remove his or her shoes which is not a good scenario. Everyone who comes to my house knows to immediately remove their shoes. But also, I’m the only one who has a key to my house aside from Grace.
She asked for one in case she felt like not being home and around Samuel again. I hesitated at first because she had been so awful to Nik. But when the six of us got together for dinner a few weeks later, she pulled him aside and apologized to him without me having to tell her to. Grace doesn’t admit she’s wrong or apologize easily, so to me, that was a big step in the right direction. She didn’t make excuses for her behavior, she simply said that it was uncalled for and that it would never happen again.
I’m not sure that I believe that she won’t act that way again, but I’m giving her the benefit of the doubt and hoping for the best. It’s not forgotten, but I refuse to dwell on the past.
But the sound of the feet that are coming into my house are definitely not Grace’s. I look around my bedroom, hoping to find a bat or a gun or a big stick. But since I have none of those, because I don’t own any of those, I stand in my bedroom completely unprepared for the person who just broke into my house.
“Don’t worry,” I whisper to my stomach. Then I rush to my nightstand and grab the only thing I can find then brandish it like a shield, extending it out between the door and myself.
Holding my weapon in the air, my heart beats out of control as I wait for my demise.
“Ash?” Nik calls.
I blow out a breath. “Oh my gosh, Nik. What are you doing?” I call back, walking toward my
bedroom door just as he appears.
“What do you mean? I’m here for your appointment. Your door was unlocked.”
“So you just came in?” I shriek.
“I knocked three times. Sorry, when you didn’t answer, I got a little worried.”
“I didn’t hear it, sorry. Dang.” I place my hand on my heart. “You scared the crap out of me. I…” I trail off when I notice how wide his eyes are, staring right at my chest. That’s not entirely uncommon because he’s a boob guy and mine have just so happened to double in size. It’s been quite something. But that’s not what he’s staring at.
He’s staring at my weapon of choice.
I stare at his face and wonder if this is how he felt when I saw his teddy bear tattoo. No. This is far worse.
Because I just panicked and pushed a button.
So now my weapon is vibrating against my chest, my hand shaking.
“Whatcha got there?” he asks. Oh, he’s funny.
“Nothing.”
“Hmm. Sure doesn’t look like nothing. It looks to me like you were… massaging your neck.”
“That’d be right.”
“Do you massage your neck… often?”
Narrowing my eyes, I make a big show of turning off my neck massager and tossing it onto the bed.
“Good place for it. Easy access for later,” he says.
“Oh my gosh! You’re such a jerk!” I laugh, covering my face with my hands. How embarrassing! What was I doing? Did I think I was going to massage my kidnapper to death? Beat him with my vibrator? Whop him upside the head with it and run for cover?
Nik uncovers my face and lifts my chin. “Tell me about this,” he says, pointing to the bed.
“I heard you come in and panicked.”
“So you decided to get a quick masturbation session in?”
My jaw drops and my face turns the shade of the ripest tomato. “You… oh my gosh. I can’t with you right now!”
“What? It’s an honest question! You just said that you panicked and I walked in to see you holding your vibrator to your chest. What am I supposed to think?”
Together: A Surprise Pregnancy Romance Page 16