“I don’t hold it against you,” she said, her tone gentle. “It isn’t fair to ask you to change everything about yourself to accommodate this. I promise the child will be well taken care of. You don’t have to worry about anything.”
“I do. I will.”
“You will do what? Theo, you really have to help me out here. I’ve had more intelligent conversations with Jace when he was three.”
I ran my hands through my hair as I got up from my seat and took a few steps. I needed to walk. I needed to get the blood pumping to my brain again. I was an intelligent man, but just then, I sounded like a complete idiot. I took a few deep breaths and turned to look at her.
“I’m sorry for my reaction. I was shocked, but it is a good shock. I’m speechless. In a good way.”
“What?” she asked.
“I’m thrilled.”
“That I’m pregnant?”
“Yes!”
“I thought you said you didn’t want to be a father?”
“That was before. I want to be with you. I want to be with you, pregnant or not. I was going to tell you before, but then you said you wanted to talk to me, and I thought you were dumping me. I thought you were through with me and moving on.”
“Oh,” she said.
“Harper, I know all of this is happening really fast. This is all new to me. I’ve never felt like this about anyone, but I know what I feel for you. I want to be with you. I want to have a family with you. And Jace. And now our baby. I love you.”
Tears sprang to her eyes as she looked at me. “I can’t believe you’re okay with this. I swear I didn’t do this on purpose. I wasn’t trying to trap you. I don’t regret the pregnancy. I know I want this baby.”
I dropped to my knees in front of her. “Harper, I want this baby too. I know what I said before, but that was before I knew what I felt for you. I never wanted a child with anyone, but with you, I feel like I can conquer the world. I might not be the best dad. Hell, I probably won’t even be a good dad, but I swear I will try. I will keep trying until I get it right. You can count on me to be there for you.”
“I don’t know what to say,” she whispered, her hand touching my cheek. “I was so afraid to tell you. I was afraid you would say you never wanted to see me or the baby again. I knew I would be okay, but I didn’t want to be okay. I wanted you. I wanted the whole package, but I was sure I would have to settle for maybe a visit now and again.”
I shook my head, reaching out to touch her face. “You have the total package. You have me and all I can give. I want to be a better man. You make me a better man. Jace, the baby, all of you are everything I need to be whole. I want a life with you. I want to buy you pickles and ice cream and rub your feet. I’ll read every book there is about what I need to do to support you. Whatever you want or need, I’ll be there.”
“Oh, Theo, I don’t know what to say. You make me so happy.”
“That’s all you need to say. I will spend every waking minute of every day trying to make you happy.”
I leaned forward and kissed her. Her hands went to my face. “Okay. This is going to be one hell of a ride, but if you’re on board, I’m on board.”
I kissed her again before dropping my face to her lap. I had a baby growing inside her belly. The feeling was overwhelming. We were forever connected. She was carrying a part of me inside her. “A baby,” I breathed out the words.
“Not quite, but it will be there soon.”
“I can’t believe we’re going to have a baby. I never realized I wanted a baby, and now I can’t wait to meet him or her. How will I ever survive nine months?”
She laughed. “You’ll be busy putting together baby furniture and shopping and dealing with my cranky ass.”
“I will deal with your cranky ass all damn day,” I said with a laugh. I leaned up to kiss her again. The kiss was filled with excitement and passion and love. I wanted her, mind, body and soul.
Her arms went around me, pulling me close. I rose, pulling her up with me. “I’ve missed you,” she whispered.
“Can you stay?”
“I need to call Kylie,” she breathed, her body pressing against mine.
“Call her. Stay with me.”
She fumbled the phone from her pocket and quickly tapped out a text. She dropped it the second she was done sending the message. “Show me your bedroom.”
I smiled. “Gladly.”
I took her hand and walked her down the hall to my massive bedroom suite. I pushed open the doors and pulled her inside. I had a fire going in the gas fireplace. The warmth and dancing flame created a beautiful ambiance.
I stepped toward her, pulling the shirt over her head and admiring the view of her voluptuous breasts pushed up and together in the lacy bra she was wearing. I dropped my mouth, kissing one firm globe, then the other. She shuddered under the touch.
I loved to make her gasp and shudder. Her lips parted, inviting me in for a kiss. It was an invitation I willingly accepted. I gave her everything. Promising her the world. Her soft moan told me she was ready to take what I had to offer.
Me. I was giving her my heart and soul and all that entailed.
Chapter 38
Harper
I looked at him, staring into his eyes and devouring all the unspoken words between us. His hands moved down my naked torso, working the button on my jeans until he was pulling them down my legs along with my panties.
I stood nude before him, letting him see me as I was then. Soon, my body would be changing. I could already feel the fullness in my breasts. His touch had felt electric over the sensitive nipples.
He took off his clothes while I watched, not moving from where I stood. With our clothes scattered across the floor, we stood facing each other, completely naked and vulnerable.
I reached out to touch his chest. I leaned forward, pressing a kiss against one flat nipple, then the other. I stepped closer, pressing my naked body against his before sliding around him. My skin rubbed against his. Hard flesh meeting soft and supple flesh, creating friction and heat that only the two of us could feel.
“You feel so good against me,” he whispered.
I stood in front of him, looked up into his eyes, and nodded. “I need you.”
“I’m here. I will always be here for you.”
He walked me backward. I sat on the edge of the bed, pulling him toward me. His hands ran through my hair as his gaze held mine. I slowly lay back, the soft bed under me as he came over me. He held his weight off me, his body just grazing over mine.
With one knee, he nudged my legs open. I needed no priming. I was already hot and wet for him. I was always hot and wet for him. His touch was beautifully excruciating. It always sent me into a whirlwind with sensations slamming into my body and overwhelming me.
Holding himself off me with one arm, he reached between my legs and slid his fingers over me, parting my folds and opening me for his invasion. I welcomed him. I spread my legs wider, inviting him to take his fill, begging him to take me.
“I need you inside me,” I pleaded when his finger slid over my clit, sending a shockwave of desire through me.
“I will,” he promised, his finger toying with my clit and making me crazy.
I cried out, arching my back as my hands reached up to claw at his arms, trying to pull him inside me. His finger slid inside me, my body wet and ready for him. He rubbed my wetness over me before dipping the finger back inside my body. I was on the edge.
“Theo,” I gasped.
“Say my name,” he demanded.
“Theo, please, I’m desperate to feel you inside my body.”
He pushed a second finger inside. It was all I needed. My moans of ecstasy filled the room. My body writhed under him, rubbing myself against his hard body. His fingers were gone, and a second later, he was sliding his heavy cock inside me.
I closed my eyes, enjoying the moment and telling myself I was the luckiest woman in the world. He held himself above me, taking extra care
not to put any weight on my belly.
“Look at me,” he whispered.
I opened my eyes and found him staring at me. His cock jerked inside me. The intimate contact was intense. The orgasm I had experienced was still sending little spasms through my body. I could feel my pussy contract around his dick, squeezing and milking him.
“Yes,” I breathed out the word, leaning up just enough to touch his lips with mine. “More.”
“I want to watch you while I make love to you,” he answered, his body beginning to move. “Watch me.”
I nodded. “Okay. I am.”
He raised up on both arms, his eyes still locked with mine as he began to pull out before sliding back inside my wet sheath. “You feel so good around me. Your body was made for me and mine for yours. I feel like I’m coming home after years of being gone. Your body welcomes mine.”
“Yes,” I gasped. “Yes, I do. I am. Oh god.” My thoughts jumbled together as I stared into those mismatched eyes.
He was a unique man, one of a kind, and he was mine. I relaxed my body, letting him make love to me in his own leisurely way. Occasionally, he would drop a kiss to my breast or the tip of my nose, all while continuing his slow exploration of my body.
“I want to do this every day until you can’t,” he said. “I want you. I want your belly full with my baby growing inside you. I want to bury myself deep, deep inside your warmth.”
I moaned. “I want you too. You feel so good.”
“You’re mine, Harper,” he growled. “You’re mine, and I’m going to make you a happy woman.”
His strokes were long and deep, drawing out every word as he pushed himself inside me. “Yes,” I answered, barely hanging onto consciousness. My body was spiraling and spinning and felt like every cell in my body was electrified, bouncing off one another.
“Oh god, Theo, I’m dying here. I’m going to explode.”
He reached up before supporting himself on one arm and grabbing my chin with his hand. “Look at me. I want to look into your eyes when I make you orgasm. I want to see you falling over that cliff. I want to watch it and feel it.”
I whimpered as my body began an achingly slow spiral up. I couldn’t look away from his eyes. I was mesmerized. Completely captivated. I felt like he was staring into my very soul as I fell apart. I felt a tear slide from my eye. The ecstasy was mind-blowing. I couldn’t get my head around the feeling of being completely joined with him.
I had never experienced that kind of connection before. I knew in that moment I would never experience that beautiful bond with another human. He had created a space for him deep in my soul. Only he would ever be able to visit that place. Only he would ever touch me so deeply it was like being touched by something otherworldly.
“I can’t hold out,” he groaned, his eyes still staring into mine.
I could see the orgasm reflecting there. I realized how erotic it was to see one’s eyes dilate with pleasure. The joining was almost unnatural, yet completely natural, as if our bodies had been designed with the sole goal of coming together again.
“Beautiful,” I whispered, my hand reaching up to stroke his cheek. I felt the moisture on his cheek and knew he’d been as moved as I had been. He felt the way I did.
He dropped over me, hugging me before rolling off and pulling me against him. He kissed the tear-stained path down the side of my face before kissing my lips. We didn’t talk. There was nothing words could do to make the moment better. They would only ruin it with their inadequate ability to express what we were both feeling in that moment.
“Theo?”
“Hmm?”
“Earlier, when I told you about the baby, did you mean what you said?”
He kissed my cheek. “I said a lot of things. You’ll have to be more specific, but everything I said was absolutely my truth.”
“You love me?” I whispered.
“I do. I love you. I’m not going to pretend to be well versed in the matter, but I know I love you. I know you are the only woman who has ever made me feel like I’m a real man. A man worthy of being loved. I’ve never felt like I could be myself.”
“You can always be yourself with me,” I told him. “I never want you to try and be anyone else. If you’re anxious or pissed or happy, I want to know. You don’t have to hide what you’re feeling.”
“You know, I’ve never felt like that before. Not with my dad or Sawyer or any of my exes. I don’t know if they meant it, but they made me feel weird, like I shouldn’t feel the way I did. Like what I felt about being in public or what I felt about other people was wrong. They were right, and I was the weird one. I stopped telling people what I thought. I stopped doing much of anything.”
I smiled, reaching my hand up to stroke his arm. “You are so perfect the way you are. I couldn’t love you if you were normal. I guess I like the weird and awkward.”
“You love me?”
“Yes, I love you.”
“You think I’m weird?”
I giggled. “In the best possible way. You are so genuine. I guess that makes you weird. You are who you are, and you don’t change who you are to suit other people. I want to be like you. I want to live fearlessly and just be the person I feel inside.”
He scoffed. “I am about the farthest thing from fearless.”
“No, you’re not. You’re so brave. You’re not afraid to be different.”
He sighed. “I guess I came to terms with it a long time ago.”
“Thank god because I like this version of you.”
“You love me,” he said again.
I rolled to my side, our faces so close our noses brushed against each other. “Theodore Saunders, I love you. I love your quirks and that funny way you hide away. I love you.”
His eyes were staring into mine again. “I love you. I can’t wait to love you more. I want a whole lifetime of love.”
“You got it.”
He rubbed his nose against mine. “You know what else I like?” he said.
“I have no idea.”
“I like that I don’t have to worry about getting you pregnant. We can have sex all the time and never worry about consequences.”
I laughed. “I suppose that’s one way to look at it.”
His hand dropped to my hip, stroking over my thigh. “You’re going to be hot when you’re big and round with my baby inside you.”
I groaned. “Let’s not think about that right now. I guarantee you the last thing I’m going to feel is hot.”
“Then I guess we better get in all that sex I’m going to want now.”
I grinned. “Now that is something I agree with you on.”
He kissed me again, gently pushing me onto my back as he began a slow perusal of my skin with his skilled tongue. I was never going to get tired of sex with him.
Chapter 39
Theo
I tapped my foot, impatiently waiting for them to call Harper’s name. The woman’s bladder had to be close to bursting. I checked the time again before looking over at Harper who was calmly reading a magazine. Jace was on my other side playing his Nintendo DS. I was the only one freaking out.
“Should I go ask?” I hissed.
Harper smiled. “It’s only a few minutes late.”
“If an appointment is set for ten, it should be done at ten.”
She giggled. “You’re so impatient.”
“I am. I will admit that. They have about three minutes before I go back up to that desk and demand to be seen.”
“Do you need an ultrasound?” she teased.
I looked at her swollen belly. “I need to see my baby.”
“You’ll see your baby soon,” she said in a placating tone.
I looked over at Jace, needing someone to distract me. “This is cool, huh?”
He nodded. “Yes. I wish it was time for him to come out.”
“You think it’s a boy?”
“I think so. I need a little brother.”
I chuckled. “Maybe we
’ll talk to your mom, and if this one isn’t a boy, we’ll try again,” I said in a low voice.
“I heard that,” Harper growled.
I grinned. “Maybe one or two more.”
“Let’s talk about that after this one gets here.”
I turned back toward Jace. “Are you excited?”
“I think you’re more excited,” he said.
I chuckled. “I think I probably am.”
“Do you want a boy or a girl?” he asked.
“I don’t care. I’ll take whatever comes out of there.”
“Nice,” Harper lectured.
I laughed. “Sorry. I will be happy with a boy or a girl.”
“I think a boy would be better, but I’ll be okay with a girl,” Jace said. “I can teach her how to paint, and you can teach her how to play the piano.”
I smiled. “And your mom can teach her how to cook and be a smart businesswoman.”
“Mom’s really smart,” Jace said.
I looked over and saw Harper beaming. “Thank you, sweetie.”
I checked my watch again. “Seriously,” I hissed under my breath.
“Relax,” Harper scolded.
“Sorry, it feels like it’s taking forever,” I whined.
“Harper?” a woman called.
“That’s us!” I said, jumping out of my chair.
Jace got to his feet. I reached for Harper’s hand and pulled her up. We followed the woman into the room and listened as she made small talk. I was over small talk. I wanted to see the baby. Jace and I stood off to the side while the woman spread goo all over Harper’s belly. The screen lit up, and there was a blob. Not exactly the baby I was expecting.
My expression must have shown my disappointment. “Just give me a few seconds,” the tech said, clicking buttons while looking at the monitor. “All right, let’s check out this little nugget.”
“Is that an arm?” Jace asked with amazement.
“It sure is. And there’s another arm.”
“Where are the legs?” Jace asked.
“Right here and here.” The tech pointed.
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