by Angel Devlin
Expires: 10 May 2017. They’re over two years out of date.
Christ, my life is pathetic.
Seeing as school finished for the holidays on Friday, I drop the offending condom box along with the pee stick to the bedside table and I crawl back into bed in an attempt to avoid reality.
This cannot be happening to me.
I toss and turn for an hour or two before I eventually drift off into a fitful nap. I awake with a start as Aiden tells me he no longer wants anything to do with me after I admit that I’m pregnant with his child.
“It was a dream, it was a dream,” I tell myself repeatedly as my heart races in fear.
I might not know what came over him to offer to give me a baby like he did. The whole thing was ludicrous seeing as we’d potentially just embarked on a relationship and it could have led there anyway. I know I probably should have dealt with the whole thing differently, but I freaked out. I’d just woken up a little worse for wear, naked with my best friend. My head was most definitely not in the right place for that kind of conversation, especially after having his fingers between my legs.
Dragging myself from my bed, I attempt to start my day again. Glancing at the clock, I realise I must have slept longer than I thought and I’m now running late. I’d promised I would meet Leah for a little last-minute Christmas shopping. She needs help with a few final things for my brother. I’ve already told her that I’ll be no help because I struggle every year, but she was insistent. I’m assuming our little trip has more to do with me shutting myself off from the world, or more importantly Aiden, for the past two weeks.
I quickly get showered and dressed before grabbing my bag to leave the house. I check my phone and just like every morning since that day I find a morning message from Aiden begging me to talk to him.
At the beginning I received hourly messages and calls, but he’s down to just a message twice a day now. It’s starting to freak me out that he’s moving on.
I need to talk to him. To try to explain myself. But now I’m even more scared than I was after the main event.
I meet Leah outside Selfridges. The second I’m in reaching distance, she opens her arms and pulls me into a hug. Her kindness is just what I need to push me over the edge and a sob rumbles up my throat.
“I’m so sorry,” I say, taking a step back and wiping my tear-stained cheeks with the back of my hands.
“I think we need to go for coffee first, what do you say?”
I nod and mumble my agreement. Leah slips her arm through mine and she leads us towards the cafe.
“Cappuccino?” she asks once we’re at the front of the queue.
“Ye—no! I’ll have a hot chocolate. With cream and marshmallows,” I quickly add. Leah looks at me curiously, but she keeps her mouth shut until we find ourselves a table.
“Talk,” she demands. She might only be small but damn she’s a force to be reckoned with. No wonder my brother didn’t stand a chance.
“I’m… I’m pregnant.” The words feel alien passing my lips. It’s something I’ve dreamt of being able to say for so long, but this was not at all how I planned it.
“You got a secret boyfriend we don’t know about?”
“It was Aiden,” I whisper it so quietly that she’s no chance of hearing over the hustle and bustle going on around us.
“It’s who?” she asks, her brows drawn together as she leans in to be able to hear better.
“It’s Aiden’s.”
“Shut the fucking front door! It’s Aiden’s,” she squeals so loudly that I wouldn’t be surprised if the entire population of Selfridges didn’t hear her.
Dropping my head into my hands I groan out my frustration with this whole situation.
“Oh my god. You and Aiden slept together at last.”
“What do you mean ‘at last’?”
“Oh come off it. The sexual tension between you two was so fucking obvious to everyone besides the two of you. I don’t know how you couldn’t see it at your birthday, he was practically drooling every time he so much as glanced in your direction.
“It happened on my birthday.”
“OMG, was it amazing? Was he amazing?”
“Not really the most pressing issue right now.”
“Humour me.”
“It was incredible, but I didn’t realise at the time that the condoms I have were from the Jurassic period.”
Leah winces although the smile never leaves her face. “Maybe it was meant to happen.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Oh come on. You and Aiden are meant to be. You should have been a couple from the get go. This is just the universe’s way of forcing your hands.”
“He has no idea.”
“I assumed that seeing as you’re still refusing to talk to him. He’s been to the house and everything to try to get our help. He’s a mess, Kay. You need to contact him.”
“What if he hates me and thinks I did this to trap him?” I don’t mention his suggestion of being my sperm donor so my argument might be a moot point if he really was willing to help me.
“This is Aiden we’re talking about. He’s so in love with you. He’s about to dive headfirst into self-destruction mode if he doesn’t hear from you soon, so you need to pull up your big girl panties and get your arse over to his house. He needs rescuing from himself.”
Leah’s words ring through my ears throughout our entire shopping trip.
Aiden needs rescuing.
I blame it on the pregnancy hormones raging inside my body but before heading home, I stop at a fancy-dress shop and pick up something that’s a sure-fire way to get his attention. He’s spent almost his entire life rescuing me from my own disastrous mistakes. It’s time for me to don the uniform and do a little lifesaving of my own.
It's as I’m outside my house that I hear a voice I never wanted to hear again. I turn and face Phillip.
“You’ve got some nerv—”
“Will you just hear me out? Please. I’m sorry, about the fire. I didn’t know they’d fallen from my pocket…”
“Save it. I’m not interested in your apology. Where was it when I was in hospital, hey?”
“I didn’t think I’d get anywhere near you. Not with him there. I knew he looked familiar. Bloody Aiden. Coming to the rescue. What a hero.”
“Phillip.” I shout it this time. “Go home. I’m not interested in anything you have to say.”
“But I came back here for you. We’re both single; we used to be good together. We can be again. And my parents ask about you all the time. They were never happy I left you. Told me I’d made a mistake and I agree with them. They’re threatening to cut me out of my inheritance if I don’t settle down soon.”
There it is. The truth about why he came back. He’s not interested in me, just in money.
“Listen to me. We were over the minute you left and as you moved on with your life, I also moved on with mine. I don’t love you. To be truthful, I don’t even like you. Your actions almost meant the death of myself and five children and you turn up here without so much as a bunch of flowers. Your apology is about as genuine as the fake Rolex on your wrist. Now I’m busy and you’re in my way so kindly fuck off.”
“Well, I don’t think—”
“I don’t care what you fucking think, that’s my whole point. Goodbye, Phillip.” I walk away, into the main building of the flats and I feel good to finally have spoken my truth to my ex. Now with the past dealt with, it was time to face my future.
I strip out of my clothes the second I walk in through the front door. I hit the shower and shave, scrub, and buff my entire body in the hope of not being sent away with my tail between my legs later.
I pull on my new outfit and laugh at myself when I look in the mirror. He’d better find this amusing because I look like an idiot.
I curl my hair and do my make up just like I did for my birthday. I remember all too well how his eyes widened when he saw me that evening and I’d r
eally love a repeat of that.
My hands tremble as I gather up my stuff to leave the house. If I weren’t in my current condition I might down a shot or two before going out in public like this, but that’s not an option; not for the next few months anyway.
When I pull the main door to the building open, my taxi is idling outside. I might feel ridiculous but I’m not stupid enough to go out like this on public transport.
“Where to, love?”
I reel off Aiden’s address like I have a million times before, but I’ve never felt so nervous before that I might puke.
When we pull up outside his home, I fear I might hyperventilate with how fast my heart’s pounding.
“Thank you.” I pay for my short journey and hop out of his car.
My knees are weak as I make my way up the driveway to his house.
After giving myself a talking to, I lift my hand and knock on his front door.
Everything’s silent and I start to think he’s not here. He’s probably at work. My level of stupidity starts to get the better of me and I’m just about to slink away like this never happened when I hear movement behind the door.
My heart thunders and my hands tremble as I wait for the door to open, but when it does, it doesn’t reveal the man I need to see.
“Brandon,” I breathe, disappointment threatening to break me.
“Wow, girl. You’re looking smokin’. Aiden will be gutted he missed this. You got some kinky Christmas party to attend?”
“Something like that,” I mutter, my cheeks burning red. “Where is he?”
“He’s out with some woman.”
“Aiden’s on a… date?” The words feel wrong even coming out of my mouth.
“Yeah. How don’t you know about her? I thought you two shared everything beside saliva.”
I screw up my nose at his assumption. Although we all know he’s wrong.
“Do you know where he’s meeting her?”
He gives me the name of the restaurant and I just about manage to contain my smile as I discover he’s at my usual date restaurant.
Is it a sign?
“Thanks, you’ve been so helpful.”
Brandon nods and goes back into hiding. I’ve no idea if he has any intention of finding himself a woman or not but if he does, then he really needs to have a good look in the mirror because he looks like a hobo on his best days.
I call for another taxi as I descend the stairs and plan out my mission.
18
Aiden
It’s been two weeks.
Two miserable weeks.
I’ve been such an arse pain at work that Jess, one of our female firefighters insisted that I come out with her tonight. She said it was just as mates, that I remind her of her younger brother, and he ended up seeing a psychiatrist after the end of a relationship. I seriously hope she doesn’t try to hit on me though.
“Tell me about her then.” Jess tilts her head, her bright red fringe falling in her eyes. She bats it away.
“Who?”
“The woman who finally broke Mr Sexy Fireman. We’ve been waiting all these years, you know? Watching you flirt with all these women, breaking hearts wherever you go, and we’ve all wanted to see the moment you fell. So who is it?”
“Doesn’t matter. She doesn’t want me.”
Jess orders me another beer while we wait for our table to be ready. She makes out she’s being generous, but I know she wants to loosen my tongue. I’ve used that trick many a time to loosen a woman’s inhibitions. No, I’m not proud, but I was a manwhore, we’ve established that.
“Who is it? Is it… Kaylie?”
“What? How do you…? Has she been talking to you?” That’s not possible, they’ve never met.
“Aiden. All the watch know you’re in love with your best friend. That’s why we think you’ve never settled down, just distracted yourself with other women, none of them ever measuring up.”
Did everyone in the universe know I had the hots for Kaylie? Seems they all knew before I did.
I slump, taking a big slug of my pint. “She doesn’t want me.”
“No?”
“No. We slept together, and I messed up, and now she won’t even speak to me.”
“Hmmm. Does Kaylie have light-brown, curly hair? Is she tall and slim, but has amazing legs?”
“Erm, yeah.” My mouth salivates thinking about her thighs and what’s between them.
“See you at work, bro.” Jess jumps off her barstool and I turn around to see what the fuck she’s playing at and then I don’t even care, because Kaylie is walking towards me dressed as the hottest female firefighter I’ve ever seen. She’s a walking wet dream.
I jump down and run towards her, sweeping her up in the air. She shrieks, so I lower her back down, sliding her against my body as I do so.
“What are you doing here?”
“I’m rescuing you from yourself. You shouldn’t be dating other women. Not when you’re mine.”
“It wasn’t a date. She’s a colleague, but you got one thing right. I’m yours.” My mouth claims hers and I hear whoops and hollers from other people in the restaurant, mainly from the staff who’ve been rooting for us from the get-go.
Eventually we part and I grab her hand and bid goodnight to everyone. “We’re going to mine. Brandon will be at work now,” I tell her.
There’s a reason I chose mine that becomes apparent as Kaylie sits in the living room where I’ve asked her to wait.
“Okay.” I tell her. “Let’s go.”
I walk towards my bedroom with her and when she pushes open the door, she sees it. There are about fifty candles around the room, all lit, all giving the room a flickering glow. “This isn’t for conceiving children,” I tell her. “This is for every night. I will always give you candlelight and romance if you want it, Kaylie Hale. I love you.”
Her eyes swim with tears as she looks around. “I love you too.”
That’s all I needed to hear. I carefully lift and place her on the bed and then I strip us both naked and kiss her for what feels like forever.
I’m so desperate to be inside her. My fingers tease her wet heat until I know she’s on the brink and then I lean over to grab a condom. She grabs my wrist and shakes her head. “You don’t have to do that.”
“Really?” I feel my own eyes moisten. Fuck, is this really happening? “Kaylie Hale, I hope we make a baby, and I hope you know I intend to make you happy for the rest of your life.”
I push inside her and her legs wrap around mine. As my climax fills her with everything I have, I realise that I’m exactly where I want to be.
Nestled in my arms she says, “I’m pregnant.”
I laugh. “I know I’m good but even I’m not that fast.”
She turns so she’s looking up at me with those big doe-eyes. “No, Aid. The condoms in my drawer. Erm, they were really old.” Her cheeks colour. “They didn’t work. That night. You, erm, made me pregnant.”
My eyes widen and my hand trails across her stomach. “Are you serious? Our baby is in there?”
She nods her head.
I move down her body and I kiss the soft flesh of her stomach.
“Well, hey there, baby. I’m your daddy, and I’m going to be the best daddy ever. But while you’re cooking in there can you cover your ears because I’m about to do things to your mummy right now that you shouldn’t be witness to.”
I move further down the bed until my mouth is between Kaylie’s legs. Kaylie’s satisfaction is my target now and forever. My fireman’s hose for one girl, and her only.
I’m going to be a dad.
We’re going to be parents.
Kaylie Hale is mine.
She doesn’t know it yet, but I intend to move into her place and we’ll make it ours. At Christmas there’ll be a massive sparkling tree, but the best gift won’t be under it.
It’ll be the girl right next to me and the gift waiting to be unwrapped in her tummy.
I
can’t wait.
Epilogue
Nine months later
August
Aiden
Kaylie, and our two-day-old son, Josh, are home from the hospital. I can’t stop smiling. I watch from the doorway as Kaylie introduces our son to his new partner in crime, Jenson and Leah’s son, Albie, who was born two months before.
Jenson walks over and smiles.
“We did good.”
“We did.”
We look over at our women and babies. Amelia is demanding to have a turn in holding Josh.
“Daddy.” Amelia looks up at Jenson. “You said babies came from mummy’s tummies, but Alex in my class says they come from pussies. You need to tell him that that’s kittens. He’s confused.”
I guffaw with laughter. Amelia joins in.
“I know, right, Uncle Aiden? As if babies come from pussies.”
Tears are streaming down my cheeks.
“You can laugh. You have all this to come.” Jenson raises a brow.
“Can’t wait, mate. I’ve never been so happy.” My eyes meet Kaylie’s and I see everything I feel reflected right back.
When they’ve left and Josh is sleeping soundly in his crib, I slip up into our bedroom and grab what I need. My heart is thudding in my chest and I think I might actually pass out.
Walking back into the living room, I sit on the sofa next to Kaylie and I grab her hand.
“Thank you, Kaylie Hale, for our son. He is the most beautiful baby I’ve ever seen.”
She smiles, a big beaming smile. “Yeah, he really is.”
“Now.” I swallow. “Forgive me for snooping around in your things, but I’ve been on the hunt for a piece of paper I knew you wrote when you were fifteen. I didn’t have to look far. By the way, is that all new underwear ready for after the six-week-check?” I wink.
Kaylie’s eyes have widened. “Never mind about that. What about my piece of paper?”
I take it from my pocket and read.
“Kaylie Hale’s ideal proposal and wedding. I don’t care how the love of my life proposes as long as it’s romantic and memorable, but I want a huge wedding, with the most gorgeous dress, bridesmaids, pageboys, and flowers and candles everywhere. I’d love a huge diamond ring with one great big square stone and two smaller stones next to it on an 18-carat-gold thick band.”