by C. A. Harms
I couldn’t help it; I smiled. It happened every single time anyone brought up the baby, especially when they agreed with me about it being a boy.
“She looked like she swallowed a cockroach and it was lodged in her windpipe. Her face went from tan to white to flushed in a matter of seconds. I may have loved Harley before, but there is no dang way I’m going let her make AJ feel like she doesn’t belong.”
“Thanks.” I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, I loved my little sister. The girl was a badass.
“But just so you know, I think AJ feels inferior to Harley,” Grace added, making me feel nervous.
“How?”
“You could just see it.” She reached down and lifted the bag of feed off the ground once more, cradling it in her arms. “She just looked her over again and again, and then you’d see her look down at herself like she was doing some type of comparison. Call it intuition, but a girl can sense when another girl is uncomfortable, and AJ was definitely feeling out of place.”
Grace spun around and walked away, leaving me with the same unsettled feeling in my stomach I’d felt when Harley walked around the front of her car toward the field at my grandparents’ place.
I reached around to the back pocket of my jeans and pulled out my phone, typing out a text message.
Rhett: Be ready by six. I’m taking the most beautiful woman I know to dinner.
AJ: Lucky girl, do I know her?
I smiled down at my phone to her response.
Rhett: Look in the mirror AJ, no one compares to you.
I waited for her to respond, and it took a little longer this time.
AJ: Rhett, you are such a smooth talker.
I agreed with Grace one hundred percent. There was no way in hell I was going to allow anyone to make my girl feel like she wasn’t amazing.
Rhett: You are my world AJ, see you soon.
I tucked my phone into my pocket and jumped down off the tailgate of the pickup truck, heaving two bags of feed onto my shoulder. Harley had another thing coming if she thought I’d sit back and allow her to make AJ feel like she didn’t belong. That shit was going to end.
***
I took AJ to dinner and had a hard time keeping my eyes off her. She wore a pale pink dress, one that hit just above her knees. She topped it off with a pair of boots, and she made sure to wear her hair down, hanging in loose curls around her shoulders. She didn’t have to wear a lot of makeup because she held that natural beauty that most girls wished for. The perfect rose-colored lips, plump and full. Long dark eyelashes and the most gorgeous green eyes.
I will admit I had to readjust myself a few times during dinner, and when I caught her hiding her smile behind her napkin, I knew she was completely aware of the pain she was causing me.
After dinner, we took the long way back to my truck, hand in hand, and every so often I would stop to steal a kiss.
We ended up at Lucky’s, where our friends were. Two hours later, I’d had a few beers and was still finding it difficult to hold my shit together. Visions of snatching her up and hiding in the back office kept running through my mind. I was like a horny teenage boy unable to contain public wood.
“So a kid, huh?” I looked to my left to come face-to-face with Terrance, smiling all cheesy like. He was drunk, and the guy looked like if I pushed him hard enough he’d fall flat on his face without even attempting to break his fall. “I told you that if you’d let go of your past you just might find your future.” Apparently, my best friend wanted all the credit for AJ and me, and I wasn’t about to burst his bubble. He did give me a nudge here and there.
“You did say that,” I told him, “and you were right. AJ is the best damn thing that has ever happened to me.”
“Even since Harley came back?”
“Harley being here has no effect on me,” I said with conviction, because I meant it, without a doubt.
“That’s good, because she just walked in.” I blinked a time or two until his words registered and I followed the direction he was pointing. And just as he said, she was here and moving across the bar in my direction.
The top she wore was one of those barely-there shirts, the kind that dip down so low between a girl's tits it was amazing that they didn’t pop right on out. The jeans she wore were practically painted onto her body. “Hey, Rhett,” she cooed, yes cooed, as she leaned in and kissed my cheek before I could stop her. “You just managed to get more good-looking with each passing day.”
I stood from the bar stool feeling slightly wobbly on my feet. Instantly I regretted the three shots I shared with the guys after they got wind that I was gonna be a dad. I looked out toward the dance floor and found AJ dancing with April. Raven and Maddison found out we were all here and had joined us about an hour ago.
Seeing her smiling and laughing was like a slap in the face. I needed a moment of clarity, and that was all it took. “Grace told me she saw you the other day."
“Yeah, she was out having lunch—”
“With AJ,” I finished for her, and she crinkled her brows.
“Who?”
“AJ, my girlfriend and the woman pregnant with my child.” I noticed her flinch.
“Oh yeah.” She cleared her throat. “I met AJ. Sweet girl.” It was then I saw just what Grace was referring to, that snooty look on Harley’s face. The way she said AJ, as she wrinkled up her nose and pursed her lips. “I’m surprised, really.” Harley looked over her shoulder at the dance floor, and I saw the moment her eyes settled on AJ. “I thought you preferred blondes.”
I shook my head and laughed. “No, actually, I just prefer a woman with a conscience and a heart,” I assured her, feeling my pulse quicken as irritation settled in. She was really beginning to piss me off. “I never thought I’d say it, Harley, but Boston took that kind girl I once knew and managed to turn her into nothing more than a callous bitch.”
I heard someone chuckle at my side and imagined it to be Terrance. He never really got along with Harley.
“Now if you’ll excuse me,” I placed my half-full bottle of beer on the bar, “I need to go dance with my girl.”
I didn’t even wait to see whatever else it was she may have felt the need to say. When I was only a few feet away from AJ, Raven tapped her on the shoulder and pointed in my direction. She looked back at me and her face lit up, a smile so fucking bright it made my knees feel weak.
“Well, hello there, handsome.” She bit her lip and I shook my head. That move of hers had a direct line to my cock, I swear. That smoldering look in her eyes could bring me to my knees. “Please tell me you’ve decided to dance with me.”
I hooked her waist, pulled her body to mine, and covered her mouth with my own. She moaned into our kiss, and again I felt my cock jump behind my zipper. “You may have to drive us home tonight,” I whispered as I began to move my hips against hers. “I’ve had a few too many.” Her eyes fluttered shut, her neck arching, exposing her throat for attack. I leaned in and ran the tip of my tongue over the base of her neck, and just to our left one of the girls mumbled, my ovaries are going to explode. Followed by a, no wonder she’s pregnant.
“Rhett Jackson, you lied,” AJ whispered, and I leaned back in order to see her face. She was still smiling up at me. “You can dance, and you can do it very well.”
“It’s you, sweetheart,” I assured her. “You have the ability to make everything easier.”
“I see your old friend showed up,” AJ said without looking away from me, and I didn’t even give her the slightest reaction. “You’re all I see,” I assured her.
“Good answer.” Her smile widened. “You just might get lucky tonight.”
“Already lucky,” I said, giving her a matching smile.
“So cheesy but very sweet.” She threw her head back and laughed.
“I could have said, I’m getting lucky now and dragged you off to the office in the back. Where of course I proceeded to show you all my naked dance moves.”
“Yes, yo
u could have.” AJ reached up and cupped the back of my neck, pulling me forward to bring our mouths closer. “Are these moves you speak of moves I haven’t already seen?”
“I guess you’ll have to wait and see.”
“No,” she stated clearly with a mischievous look in her eyes. “I wanna see right now.” Linking her fingers through mine, she dragged me off the dance floor toward the office in the back. As we passed, I offered the guys a wink. I was beginning to believe the things I’d heard about these pregnancy hormones.
Damn, my woman was eager.
Chapter Thirty-Five
AJ
I did my best to climb out of bed without disturbing Rhett. It was almost impossible to slip away from him when he pretty much wrapped his body around my own protectively every night. But I wasn’t complaining even a little; I loved how protected he made me feel.
I moved through the darkness of the apartment toward the kitchen. Nights had easily become the worst times, as it was next to impossible for me to sleep. Heartburn was a horrendous, torturous event, one I suffered from every night around the same time. It never mattered what I actually ate, it would hit me, leaving me wide awake and feeling as if my entire stomach, chest, and throat were on fire.
I quietly retrieved a glass from the cabinet and poured myself a glass of milk before walking over to the large window. The moonlight reflected off the water, and I lowered myself to the floor and pulled the blanket off the arm of the couch, securing it around me.
I knew without a doubt this very spot would be one that I’d never grow tired of. Maybe it was weird just how much it meant, but it held so many memories, and I only hoped there were many more to come. Memories of the two of us, holding our child, filled my mind every time I closed my eyes.
I’d managed to let go of the fears I’d felt when it came to Rhett and Harley. He was right; she was his past, and me and our child were his future. That worry inside me, the one that often left me feeling raw and irrational, was gone. And in its place was the most radiant and unexplainable feeling. I had never in my life felt as whole as I did right then.
“Hey, beautiful.” I looked away from the window and toward the sound of Rhett’s raspy voice. A silhouette of his body stalking toward me actually made my heart race in my chest. “Is it the heartburn again?”
“Yeah.” Just then, he stepped into the light of the room caused by the moonlight filtering in, and I feel my chest tighten. The man was absolutely gorgeous. “Just having my nightly glass of milk.” I held it up as if he needed a visual.
“Mind if I join you?” He was already lowering himself to the floor in front of me, placing one leg on either side of me so he could move in as close as possible. “Wish I could take on the discomfort so that you could sleep through the night.”
He lifted his hand to my face and moved away the hair, tucking it behind my ear. My eyes closed involuntarily because each touch from Rhett manages to take my breath away. To love someone so much and so deeply that whenever they show you that same love in return—it made it feel like you are free falling through the sky. I adored the feeling; I wanted it all day, every day.
“I’ll be okay after I drink this, I think.” I lifted the milk to my lips and took a small sip. “It’ll all be worth it in the end.”
“It will,” Rhett agreed, reaching out to place his hand over the small bump that was now so prominent at my waist. “I’m still amazed by the idea that just beneath my hand my son is growing. It’s mind-boggling.”
“You’re gonna continue to gloat about being right, aren’t you?”
Rhett smiled brightly, and I laughed. I still remembered the moment we had the sonogram that confirmed that we were, in fact, having a boy. Rhett literally hooted loudly throughout the room, and the technician laughed, accepting his high five as if she was on his side and somehow had a part in making our child a boy.
“I knew from the moment I had that dream.” He was talking about his father. “I felt like it was my father’s way of letting me know that even though he wasn’t here physically, he was still here, watching over me.”
“I think so too,” I confessed, reaching out to cup his cheek. “How could he not stick around in some way to watch you turn into the amazing guy you are today?”
We remained quiet for a few minutes, Rhett looking out the window at our side, somewhat lost in thought. I loved when he did that very thing; it gave me the time to just watch him and honestly fall in love with him just a little more.
“What do you think about living right here for at least the next year or two?”
“I’m okay with that,” I told him, wondering where this conversation was going.
“Good, because that’s how long I want to ensure that the house I plan to build for us is nothing short of perfect.” I instantly saw that smile tug at his lips.
“What?”
Rhett finally looked away from the window and his gaze settled once again on mine. “I talked to my mom and my dad.” He pointed toward the opposite side of the lake. “That space right out there, across the lake. It’s ours.”
“Are you serious?”
“Yes. I figured we could turn it slightly so whoever ends up living here later can’t see inside our new place.” He smirked. “Last thing I want is for anyone to look in and see my girl walking around in a nightie, or naked.” He winked playfully. “But we’ve gotta have this view still. It’s our spot.”
I nodded, feeling that rawness in my chest threaten me.
“I wanna build us the perfect house, one that the two of us design together.” He leaned in and kissed me. “Four bedrooms.”
“Four?”
“Yes.” Another kiss is pressed to my lip,s and this time he lingered just a little longer. “One for us, and one for each of our kids.”
“Three children?”
“We could make it five bedrooms.” He moved back just in time to catch my eyes widen in surprise, which made him chuckle.
“Three’s good,” I assured him.
“Have I told you just how much I adore you, Allison Jo?”
“Not in the last few hours.” He shook his head, almost as if he was disappointed. “I’m slipping.”
My heart was so very full. I was floored by the connection I had with Rhett, and how each day it only managed to grow deeper and more indestructible. He was my rock, my foundation, the man I loved with every single fiber of my being.
Rhett Jackson was my life, and in turn, I was his.
Epilogue
Rhett
“Is that what I think it is?” I held the box in my hand, doing nothing to hide the ring inside from Mikey who now stood at my side, leaning in to get a closer look. “Damn, did you sell a kidney for that thing or what?”
“Think she’ll like it?”
“I may not be experienced when it comes to women and engagement rings, but I’d be floored if she didn’t.” Mikey finally leaned back, resting his hip on the countertop next to us. “When you plan on asking her?”
Before I get the chance to answer him, my phone begins ringing, breaking through our conversation. My father’s number displayed across the screen.
“Dad,” I said after swiping my finger across the screen.
“Where are you?” He sounded out of breath.
“With Mikey, in town. Why?”
“Meet me at the hospital.” I heard a car door shut just before the sound of someone groaning in pain. “AJ’s water broke, bud. You’re about to be a dad.”
The call ended, and my heart felt like it lurched in my chest. You ever had the feeling as if your heartbeat was pounding rapidly within your ears, like you could hear the echo of each beat, hard and fast?
“I’m gonna be a dad.” I whispered the words, still holding my phone in my hands and staring down at it.
“You’re a little behind,” Mikey said with a laugh.
“I don’t mean in general, you smartass.” I finally lowered my hand that held my phone to my side and looked up at him
. “I mean now, as in AJ is in labor.”
“Well, in that case, why the hell are we just standing here?” He slapped my back before hurrying off toward the door of the diner. “Come on, daddy, I’ll give you a ride.”
I didn’t argue, because as I followed him outside, I could feel my legs shake beneath me. I was ready to be a father—I’d dreamt of it often, imagining holding my child in my arms. I was ready for this, so damned ready.
The drive to the hospital was filled with Mikey rambling on and the radio playing in the background. Only I couldn’t honestly tell you a word that was spoken or what songs played. All I could focus on was the fact that it felt like we were only inching along.
Whenever we did reach the hospital, I felt like my legs couldn’t move fast enough. Like they were weighted down by sandbags. Even the elevator ride was torturous, each floor announcing its arrival, almost as if it was taunting me. My hands shook at my sides, not from fear, but from the pure excitement racing through me.
“You go in that room bouncing around the way you are, they’re liable to think you’re on something.” Mikey nudged me with his shoulder and I smiled. I couldn’t control the adrenaline rush; it had overtaken me, consumed me, and all I wanted was to see AJ.
The second the light of the fifth floor lit up above, I moved forward bracing my hand on the side near the doors and waited with very little patience for the doors to slide open. The sound of Mikey chuckling as I practically leaped out of the elevator did nothing to faze me. One day he’d understand.
I rounded the corner and practically collided with my father as he paced the waiting area. “Where is she?”
“Slow down, son.” He cupped my shoulder and offered a reassuring squeeze. “Your mom and sister are with her. They’re getting her settled in room five.” I looked toward the big double doors to my left, and suddenly I felt lightheaded and a little unsteady on my feet. “You need to have a seat.”
