by A. m Madden
“I like leaving you breathless.” While nibbling on my neck, I smiled, glad that my freak out earlier was already forgotten. My stomach chose that moment to remind me it was empty, and he chuckled at the rumble. “Someone is hungry. I decided to cook. Is pasta primavera okay?”
“Yep. It smells delicious.”
At the second growl, Max bent to kiss my bump. “Is my baby hungry, too?” Hearing him refer to it as his baby brought an unexpected clenching in my groin. But when the earthquake in my belly followed his question, he added, “Jesus Christ. It sounds like you could eat me.”
“I’d love to eat you,” I quipped.
The look on his face altered in an instant. I knew that look, and when he pulled my body hard against his, I knew what caused that look. His sweatpants did nothing to hide his arousal, nor did Max. He shamelessly rubbed himself against me as his fingers skimmed over the smooth fabric of my skirt…until another gargantuan rumble from my belly stopped him in his tracks.
“Okay. You need to eat first.” And as if he didn’t trust himself, he lifted and planted me on the chair before adding, “Don’t move.”
I obediently stayed put while he finished preparing our dinner. “I felt the baby move a few minutes ago.”
His head flipped my way. “You did?”
“Yeah, just after you left me to come make dinner. It was like the munchkin needed to put its two cents in, remind me to calm down.”
“Obviously, our kid is already brilliant.” He continued his task and a few minutes later placed a steaming bowl before me of colorful veggies nesting in silky noodles.
“This looks amazing, Max,” I said, watching him pour me a full glass of water before he sat across from me with his own plate and a beer.
“Dig in.”
When the first forkful hit my mouth, I couldn’t hold back my moan. “Okay, I know I’m hungry…” Yet another chuckle stopped me from continuing. “What?”
“From the sounds coming from your stomach, I’d say that was an understatement.”
“Well, regardless, this is amazing.”
“My mother always told us boys that knowing how to cook would serve us well,” he said with a wink.
“Smart lady.” I took another delicious bite. “Have you spoken to her?”
“Yeah,” he said noncommittally, and I predicted it probably wasn’t a pleasant conversation. “Speaking of, have you spoken to your father?”
“He called me a few days ago.” Max stopped chewing for a bit, waiting for me to continue. “He invited us over for dinner. I said you’d be out of town, and that led to questions and me telling him about the gym.”
“And?”
The look on my face must have made it obvious that hadn’t gone well, either.
“Oh, babe. I’m sorry.”
“It is what it is. I know he loves me, and I need to patiently wait until he comes to terms with my reality.” I didn’t want my father ruining our night. “Tell me about Tristan.”
We ate while Max told me all about meeting the man Tracey planned to marry. I wondered how he truly felt about another man’s relationship with his daughter…but not wanting to press him, I let him talk it out while I listened intently.
“Jade?” I met his eye and was met with a very serious expression on his face. “I know I’ve asked you to come down to Miami before, but I really want you to consider it.”
“I will. I promise.”
His expression morphed into a grin.
“That was delicious, thank you,” I said before wiping a napkin across my lips and pushing away my empty plate. “I can’t eat another bite. In fact, my skirt feels like it’s about to bust at the seams.” Reaching behind me, I unbuttoned it and sighed with relief. “I need new clothes.”
“I kind of like the tight skirt look on you,” he teased, dipping his head to check out my legs beneath the table.
“I kind of like the sight of you shirtless,” I quipped. My eyes raked over him from face to six-pack and back up again. And seeing that sexy smirk spread over his lips as he reached beneath the table meant he liked that I liked it.
God, I could get used to being together. An unexpected visual of Max and me living together surprised me in a great way. The imagery had bliss bubbling up within me, a feeling I wasn’t familiar with. Never had a man made me want domestication.
He pushed his plate away and leaned forward on his elbows while sporting a dimpled smile.
“What’s so funny?” I asked, my own smile spreading easily.
“Nothing. I like seeing you this way,” he admitted. During a long pause while our gazes remained tethered, he opened his mouth to speak only to then close it.
“What?”
“Don’t freak out.”
I raised my brows suspiciously. “Go on.”
“What are your plans tomorrow?”
“The usual, boring paperwork, boring laundry, and I was going to clean my room to make room for the baby. Why?”
“I want to go shopping with you.”
“Max, you have clients all day, and then you’re leaving again on Sunday.”
“I just hired a new assistant manager, and it’s time to start delegating. He can handle my clients.” He reached for my hand and led me to sit on his lap. “We can pick out some maternity clothes, maybe hit a few baby stores, grab lunch? I want to do this with you.”
How could I argue that? Impulsively, I pressed my lips against his. He tightened his fingers on my waist, and when I broke our kiss, his eyes fluttered open to stare into mine. “Is that a yes?”
“Do I have a choice?”
He kissed my nose. “No.”
…
Max
“That one,” she said, pointing to a nondescript crib in the corner.
“That one?” I challenged. “That plain ugly tan one?”
She folded her arms and cocked a hip. “It’s not ugly. It’s functional. It turns into a toddler bed. There are storage drawers beneath it. And it will lend itself to boy or girl.”
I walked toward the piece in question and lifted the tag that she had just been staring at. “And it being the cheapest in this store has nothing to do with your choice?” I countered.
“Nope.”
Stubborn.
I moved past the crib to a prettier cherrywood one beside it. “Well, I like this one.” Turning toward the salesgirl, Jeanine, who had been following us around for the past hour, I said, “We’ll also take two of these and two of the matching changing table dressers.”
“Good choice,” Jeanine said while adding the items to the sales slip she’d been using to catalog our purchases.
“Max,” Jade scolded, “spending so much on something that will be used for only a few years is insane.”
“Well, their quality and workmanship will last a lifetime,” Jeanine interrupted with a saccharin smile. The two had been butting heads since we stepped into the store. “They’ll also pay for themselves when handed down to future children you may have.”
Worried the future children comment would push Jade over the edge, when she instead stared at Jeanine for a few long moments while blinking, I had to turn away to keep from laughing.
Undeterred, Jeanine turned her focus back to me. “I guess you’re all set with the basics, Mr. Navarro: two strollers, one car seat, two baby bathtubs, two video monitors…” She went on to list a dozen more items as I grinned at Jade.
“Sounds good,” I said once our eager saleswoman was done reciting our inventory.
“Perfect. We’ll mark your file to follow up with a delivery date. I’ll also give you my card so you can let me know when you’re ready to choose the layette.”
“Layette?” I questioned.
“Clothing, bedding, etc. If you don’t plan on learning the sex of the baby, then we can choose for both
a boy or a girl, and we’ll deliver the proper inventory once the baby comes.” She placed a soft hand on my arm and smiled coyly. “It would be my absolute pleasure to assist you with all that.”
“I bet it would,” Jade mumbled just as I said, “Thank you, Jeanine.”
Ignoring Jade, she threw me a dazzling smile and disappeared toward the front of the store. “You have a fan,” Jade said. “When she heard we needed two for each of our apartments, I thought she peed herself.”
When I grinned, Jade’s scowl deepened. “What I have is a saleswoman who sees a nice commission.” I walked closer and pulled her into my arms. “How long are you going to be mad at me?”
“At least another hour,” she quipped, but the quirk of her full lips proved otherwise. “You spent a fortune, Max. It’s too much. I’m paying for half.”
“No, you’re not.”
“Max,” she said in a sharp tone.
“Jade,” I mimicked. “We can solve the doubles issue if you moved in with me.” Her eyes widened and her mouth flapped open before slamming shut. Unable to resist, I pressed my lips to hers for a chaste kiss before saying, “Don’t freak out. I wanted to do this.”
Her expression softened. “Okay. But you’re not buying my maternity clothes.”
“We’ll see.” I chuckled when she shoved me away. “Ready to go?”
A sarcastic smirk and a shake of her head was all I got as a response. Taking her hand, a few minutes later we were in the maternity section on the third floor. Not wanting to push my luck, I simply followed her around the store as she chose a variety of work clothes and a few casual items. I had to suppress a moan when she modeled a pink dress that fit over her curves spectacularly.
“Okay, I think I’m good,” she said, eyeing her cart where we stood at the register. “That wasn’t so bad.”
“Not at all.” I snatched the dress from the pile. “This one I’m paying for.” Ready to argue, I added, “Please don’t fight me. You know I love pink, and I love the way this looks on you.”
“Thank you.” A stunning smile spread before she said, “I appreciate all you did today, Max. It’s just hard to…” She paused. “Anyway, thank you.”
While wondering what it was she was going to say, I kissed her softly. “My pleasure.” Just as I was about to go in for a second kiss, an employee walked by holding a plate with a sandwich and a bottle of water. Jade instantly stiffened, heaved, and threw up her entire breakfast all over my shirt.
“Oh my God,” she whispered. “I’m sorry. It was the tuna smell. I…Max…”
She looked completely mortified when another salesgirl rushed over. “Sir, can I help you clean up?”
“Um…” Stunned, I carefully lifted the long-sleeved T-shirt over my head, leaving me shirtless. “You don’t happen to have a men’s shirt to purchase?”
“No. We can try and find something that could work.” She scurried off, leaving me and Jade rooted to where we stood continuing to stare at my predicament. A minute later, she came back with a black long sleeve top with a ruffle around the hem. “This is the only thing that may fit you…or that doesn’t scream pregnant mommy.”
“Fine.”
The sleeves were about four inches too short. The ruffle hit my hips in an unflattering way.
“Max, you look…” Instead of finishing her sentence, she covered her mouth, but I could see the laugh lines creasing her face. “I’m sorry.”
“We’re only a few blocks from my apartment. It could be worse.”
Jade continued apologizing until our purchases were paid for and we were standing outside the store. One man chuckled as he walked by. A few women turned and giggled. Ignoring all of the attention I received, a quick glance at Jade revealed her attempting to hide her own mirth.
Leaning toward her, I pretended to be annoyed by saying, “We’ll never speak a word of this. Got it, Easton?”
She nodded while trying to suppress her grin. “Got it.”
And then the sound of boisterous laughter caught our attention. With shopping bags in one hand, and our other hands entwined, we turned to see Brad a few steps behind, doubled over and holding his gut in hysterics.
“Dude!”
“It’s my fault,” Jade quickly admitted. “I threw up on him.”
“God, I’m glad I saw this,” he said through gasps before pulling out his phone and snapping a picture. “See ya.” He then scurried past us with a flippant wave.
“Still think it could be worse?” Jade asked, cringing. “What if he puts that on social media?”
“He won’t.” With our hands still clasped, I resumed a fast pace back to my apartment.
“How do you know?”
“Too risky. He’s got my face. People might assume it’s him in the picture.”
Jade giggled beside me. “Good thing you weren’t smiling. Those dimples would be a giveaway.”
“Right. The ones that make you stupid?” I grinned, reminding her of what her mother had said. While staring back at me, she adorably blinked, stumbled a misstep, and blushed.
“Whatever,” she quipped, recovering through an exaggerated eye roll. “If our baby has them, though, that kid will get anything he or she wants with one smile.”
Little did she know, that was inevitable, dimples or not.
Chapter Twenty-One
Jade
I cleared my weekend to spend time with my family. Okay, so maybe my trip all had to do with guilt. Although I spoke to my mom and sister almost every day, I hadn’t spoken to my dad since his last phone call or seen any of them since my visit with Max.
As my train pulled into the station, I flipped my laptop closed, shoved it into my bag, and then exited onto the platform. It wasn’t hard to locate my brother-in-law, yet he waved when he spotted me.
“Greg, you’re the only one here,” I kidded as I approached.
“Safety first.” He jerked his head toward the older gentlemen a few parking spots away before taking my bag. “He could be a sociopath looking to cause trouble in this boring town.”
“Or he could be picking up that sweet woman behind me.”
“Okay, your scenario is probably more accurate.” After kissing my cheek in greeting, he asked, “How’ve ya been, sister-in-law?”
“Good.”
His eyes zoned in on my belly bump. “Yep. You’re pregnant.”
“Ha ha. Did you think that was all a ‘just kidding?’”
He laughed and tossed my bag into the backseat while I slid into the passenger side.
“Hey, heads up…” Greg said when he started the car. “Saph is pissed you came out so late today.”
“Yeah, she already gave me shit over it. She’ll never understand my job and why my Saturday mornings are needed to regroup.” I thumbed toward my bag in the back. “I have my laptop with me so I can work later. And if you tell her, I’ll squeal that you asked me to shop for her anniversary gift while you went golfing with your friends.”
“Ouch,” he griped with a smirk.
Three minutes later, Greg pulled into his driveway. My sister’s neighborhood was like a page out of a nursery rhyme. A suburban maze of cozy colonials with fenced in lawns and wrap-around porches. I could hear other children in the neighborhood playing…suburbia at its finest.
Greg grabbed my bag and led me into the house. At seeing us, my nephew yelled, “Aunt Jadie!” My heart warmed instantly at hearing him. Besides Kenner, my dad was the only one who called me Jadie. He scrambled off the couch and catapulted into my arms before my sister could stop him.
“Kenner Thomas Reynolds! Be careful with Aunt Jade.”
“Why?” he whined, but Sapphire’s warning came way too late as my favorite little boy clung to me.
“Hey, squirt. How are you?”
“Good. I was showing Everly how to play Go Fish.”
My gaze shifted to where my sister sat in the center of the couch with playing cards strewn around her.
“Come play,” he urged. “Come play.”
“I will soon.”
“Kenner, Aunt Jade just got here.” Sapphire’s announcement had the smile falling off his cute little face.
“But Mommy…Aunt Jadie hasn’t been here in so long.”
You’re killing me, kid.
“That’s true,” his mother said, “but we want to have some adult time before Daddy starts grilling dinner. You can play with Aunt Jadie later.”
“But that’s forever away,” he dramatically huffed.
“It’s not forever away.” Greg plopped my bag on a chair before coming over to peel his son away from me. While holding him, Greg said, “Aunt Jade has to help Mommy with dinner. I’ll put Cars on for you.”
Watching my brother-in-law interact with his son gave me an unexpected visual of Max that I didn’t understand. Why he came to mind at that moment confused me. And then I realized it was seeing a father interacting with his child that caused a proverbial smack to my head.
Once my child was born, Max would need to split his time between his job, his other baby, and me. I had no right to expect him to give up any time with his daughter because of me. Yet, selfishly, the more my feelings for Max grew, the more I wished he didn’t have to be forced to split his time.
“Thanks, honey,” Sapphire called out as she hoisted her daughter onto her hip and walked toward the kitchen.
“Give me my baby girl,” I demanded, taking my second favorite little human into my arms. Everly giggled when I pecked kiss after kiss on her soft skin. I glanced out the sliding doors. “The backyard looks fantastic, Saph. I love the gazebo.”
My sister rolled her eyes. “That thing is massive.”
This pool and backyard were my brother-in-law’s pride and joy. Every time I visited, I noticed another addition. He claimed since there were no rooms left in the house to take ownership of, his backyard would be the man cave he always dreamed of. That announcement came the day he got his Christmas bonus.
Greg worked hard for his family, recently having been promoted to regional manager for the drug company he worked for. I was thrilled my sister no longer needed to go back to work and that they had breathing room when it came to finances. Being single, and now more specifically a single mom, worrying about finances was always a heavy weight I carried on my shoulders. My parents did what they could for us, but I needed loans to help when I decided to go to law school. Making partner would’ve helped to solve that finance burden.