Right.
She’d been in the kitchen late one evening, making us a snack, only wearing my T-shirt. When she’d bent over to grab something, showing me her sweet ass, I had moved in; one thing led to another, and the snack was forgotten. So was the condom. We’d had just gotten the six-week clearance and neither of us was planning on it in the moment—but it happened. And now…
All I could do was stare at her.
Pregnant.
How would her body handle this?
How would Shelby handle this?
“What did the doctor say? Is this…safe? For you?”
“I’m fine. She says I’m very healthy. We may need to take some precautions, but she says I should be fine.”
I hesitated, swallowing the lump I could feel growing in my throat. “Do you want this, Shelby?”
Her eyes flew to mine. “Yes!” She paused. “I’m still in shock, but Liam, you don’t—” Her voice caught.
I thought about what lay ahead. Another nine months of hormones. IAS, ES, and HS—all of them would be back. Anger. Tears. Throwing up. Worry. But then at the end—another child. Our child.
I looked up at her as she watched me. Nothing else mattered. We’d make it through as long as we were together. I’d make sure she had the best care, and I would look after her. I’d take all the yelling and the tears because she’d need me to.
“Yes,” I insisted gently. “I want another child.” Standing, I captured her mouth with mine. “I love you.”
A small sob escaped her lips, and I sat beside her, pulling her onto my lap and letting her cry as my mind raced. We were both in shock.
“We’ll get some help,” I assured her. “I know two babies less than a year apart will be hard.” I chuckled. “Irish twins, Beaker. We’re having Irish twins.”
“It’s entirely your fault,” she sobbed. “If you weren’t so damned irresistible, I wouldn’t be knocked up again!”
I hummed into her hair. “I told you before, Shelby. OJ is packed full of natural goodness. And determined, it would seem. It was only one time.”
She let out a giggle, and I nuzzled her hair.
“We’ll be fine.” Drawing back, I swept the hair away from her damp cheeks. “We said we wanted two close together—” I paused with a grin “—maybe not this close. But given your advancing years, it might be a good thing.” I kissed her nose teasingly. “We can have our family done before you’re totally decrepit.”
She smacked my chest but grinned. She knew I was trying to make her smile. I waggled my eyebrows at her. “OJ did himself proud.”
“I’m probably going to be really fat this time.” She sighed. “I haven’t had a chance to get back into shape yet.”
I hugged her close, knowing she needed my reassurance. “I love you really fat. I think I proved that last time.” It was true—I couldn’t keep my hands off her. “And besides, you’re in amazing shape. Perfect, in fact.”
“The press will have a field day.”
“The never-ending pregnancy.” I groaned. “Everett is gonna kill me.”
She sighed, nestling her head into my neck. “He’ll be fine. He loves being an uncle. Although I’m sure he’ll tease us both mercilessly. So will Douglas.”
I held her, stroking my hand through her hair in soothing passes as we both lost ourselves to our thoughts.
“I want to talk to Dr. Emily.”
“I already made an appointment for next week. She asked if you would be bringing your notebook.”
I would be. A new one. This was a whole different ball game, and I needed lots of notes. “Maybe we need to decide on the house in England soon.”
“Your mum and I talked. I thought maybe we could go over in a couple of months, check on the work, and get it ready? Go back after the baby is born?”
“I like the sound of that. We can enjoy some time with our children.”
“I’d like that too.”
Tilting up her chin, I smiled at her. “Thank you, my Shelby. For my son, for this rather shocking but blessed piece of news—for everything.” I stroked the skin on her cheek. “I’ll take good care of all of you. I promise.”
“I know you will. You already do.”
A cry echoed in the house and I laughed. “Meanwhile, our son wants us—well, probably you. I’ll go get him.”
“I’ll come down. Your mum, no doubt, is bursting. She was so excited at the doctors. Another ‘grandwean.’”
“She’s going to be giving Douglas a hard time about this, you know. I bet she tells him to man up.” I puffed out my chest. “My boys are a determined lot. He has a lot to live up to.”
Shelby giggled. “I bet you’re right.”
I wrapped my arm around her as we walked down the stairs. “Maybe we’ll have a girl this time, Beaker. I’d like that.”
“Maybe,” she agreed. “We have a fifty-fifty shot.”
With a grin, I nuzzled her head. “If not, we can try for number three.”
With a glare, she pushed me away. “I don’t think so, Oscar,” she muttered. “And I am cutting you off until I’m back on birth control after this baby is born.” Shaking her head, she stomped away to the kitchen, leaving me laughing since I knew she didn’t mean a word of it.
IAS was back.
And so it began.
Shelby’s eyelids fluttered open, her eyes unfocused and confused. “Liam?” she whispered groggily.
Cupping her pale face, I pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead. “I’m right here, my darling girl.”
Her voice became anxious. “Olivia?”
“She’s perfect, Shelby.”
Tears welled in her eyes, running down her face as a small sob escaped her mouth. “You promise?”
Pressing my forehead against hers, I reassured her. “She’s fine, baby. I promise. I was holding her. She’ll be back in a few minutes.”
She shifted, wincing, and I stood to help her get more comfortable, moving her gently. “Easy, love, you just had surgery. You’re going to be sore.”
Gripping my hand, she kept crying, her voice weak. “I was so scared.”
“So was I. Dr. Emily was amazing, and Olivia is fine. You’ll be fine. Everything is okay,” I reassured her.
“I want to see her.”
“Soon, baby. I need you to rest.”
“You promise,” she pleaded, unable to relax.
I grabbed my phone, holding it up so she could see the pictures I had taken. “Look, I’m holding her—and there is one of Mum with her. She’s fine, I promise. Rest a little more, and when you wake up, she’ll be here and you can hold her.”
She relaxed a little seeing the pictures. I stroked her hair softly as her eyes drifted shut. She was still under the influence of the anesthesia they had administered. I scrolled over the pictures as I sat beside my wife. Our daughter was tiny. Adam had weighed almost ten pounds when he was born, and Olivia Elizabeth Wright had barely broken the five-pound mark. But her delivery had been fraught with drama—too much blood and pain—and when Dr. Emily made the decision to do an emergency C-section and put Shelby under, I was terrified. Seeing Shelby lying unconscious again brought back many bad memories, and I’d struggled to stay calm.
But they were both fine. Shelby would recover, and my daughter, although tiny, was healthy, and I would take them both home soon. Where I knew she would be greeted happily by a loud little boy who, no doubt, was driving his nan crazy, wanting his mummy.
I wanted her home, too.
As soon as she was well again and able to travel, we would return to England and build a life there. The house was ready, and so were we. We wouldn’t need the security that surrounded us here. We would both relax. Ryan and Lesley would stay on at the house in LA with Thor. They were taking over the third floor that had been Shelby’s, and the rest of the house would stay our home for when we were here in the country. It didn’t seem fair to drag the cat back and forth with us, and Thor had taken a great liking to Ryan, his broad shoulders the perfect place
for Thor to perch on. I knew he would be well looked after.
Thanks to Mum’s help, we’d found a wonderful woman who would aid Shelby with the children once we got to England. We had met Joanne last time we were there, and she had come over a short time ago to help us on this end. Adam adored her, as did Shelby, and I knew Joanne would be a great friend to her as well as a big help. She was a kind, loving person and exactly what we all needed in our life. Her soon-to-be husband was now the groundskeeper at the house, and they lived nearby in a cottage of their own—it was perfect for us all.
After finding out Shelby was pregnant again, I only accepted smaller parts since The Highlands. Ones that kept me close to home and my family. Douglas put off the project we had been discussing, but we were now revisiting the idea since he planned on filming in England again. It would work well for me. The part excited me enough to consider taking on a bigger role again. The Highlands had won huge at the Oscars including Best Picture, Best Director for Douglas, Best Actor in a Leading Role for me, among other awards. Shelby had been so proud and excited that night, I’d been afraid she’d go into labor right on the spot. The bookshelves in the den now held three golden statues, gleaming symbols of my career, and yet their importance was diminished compared to the health and happiness of my family.
As I watched her sleep, I made a decision. This pregnancy had been too hard on her. Through it all, she remained cheerful and upbeat, but it had been a struggle, and watching her had been difficult for me. We had been blessed with two healthy children, for whom I was grateful, and they were enough. With all the research I had quietly done, I knew I didn’t want Shelby back on birth control pills; the side effects were simply too frightening to me for that. I was going to tell her I was getting a vasectomy. I had spoken with my doctor about it, and he told me if I wanted, I could freeze some of my boys in case we changed our mind in the future. But I was sure after everything she had gone through, Shelby would agree. We’d both said we would like two children, and no matter how I teased her about a third, today had been too scary for me even to contemplate it. I only had to convince her to let me be the responsible one and have the procedure. I chuckled to myself. People were still getting used to the idea of me being grown up. My days of Peter Pan were long behind me—for the most part anyway.
Slowly, I caressed her hair, smiling as she sighed in her sleep. The change was because of her. She made me responsible. Her love gave me the strength to grow up and become the man I was supposed to be. I was still a git, and I would forever mess things up and say the wrong thing at the exact wrong moment, but Shelby insisted it was part of my charm. My mum insisted it was my dad’s contribution to my DNA. But as long as the two most important women in my life loved me, I was okay with it. Thank God they both had large capacities to forgive my constant cock-ups.
The door opened behind me, and another important woman in my life was brought in. Eagerly I stood and accepted Olivia from the nurse. I pressed a soft kiss to her warm cheek, pushing back the pink bonnet that covered her hair. The almost white wisps glinted in the light, and I grinned. Shelby said she wanted our daughter to look like me. She may have gotten her wish.
I looked up to see Shelby was waking. “Let’s go and introduce you to your mummy now, baby girl. She’s been anxious to meet you.”
Gently, I placed her in Shelby’s waiting arms, sighing at the sight.
My girls.
A few hours later, I was smiling so wide, my face hurt. Mum and Dad were in the room, along with Douglas, who was chatting with Everett and Cassidy. On the bed, nestled together, was my family. Adam was snuggled into Shelby’s side, staring away at Olivia, his blue eyes round with excitement. Caroline was in the corner, the quiet click of her shutter letting me know she was capturing this sweet moment for us. Shelby looked up, her eyes meeting mine. Peace and contentment radiated from her warm gaze, and I knew she saw the same in mine.
We were surrounded by family, friends, and so much love.
In the middle of it all—the nucleus of my entire universe.
My Shelby.
I was the luckiest bastard in the world.
I could see the years ahead of us. Birthdays, holidays, watching our kids grow. Love, laughter, tears, joy. All of it with Shelby beside me.
Before Shelby, I was just Liam—an actor.
Now, I was so much more.
A son, friend, husband, lover, and father.
All in one.
My greatest role ever.
You really didn’t think the story was over…
Several Weeks Later
I wiped my hands on my pants, looking around the waiting room, feeling nervous and jittery. The room seemed excessively warm to me.
I leaned over to Shelby. “Is it hot in here?” I asked, feeling the sweat trickle down the back of my neck.
“No, Liam. The room is quite cool.” She studied my face. “You are a little flushed. Are you feeling okay?”
“Yeah, I’m fine,” I responded, shifting in my seat. “These chairs are uncomfortable.”
“Actually, they are really nice for a waiting room.”
“Huh. Bloody hot, though.”
“Nerves, I think,” she murmured.
“I’m not nervous,” I lied. “It’s a simple procedure, with few, if any, side effects,” I quoted. “Except OJ will be shooting blanks. Big, copious amounts of blanks. Nonthreatening, nonimpregnating blanks.”
She patted my hand. “You’re rambling.”
I nodded. “Right.”
She was correct. I always rambled when I was nervous, and fuck, I was nervous. I was sure I would breeze through today, but the closer the time came, the tenser I got. The thought of all those sharp instruments doing things that close to my cock… One wrong move…
I swallowed heavily, wondering if anyone would notice if I ran from the room—aside from Shelby. Somehow, I doubted it would shock her.
I glanced around, noting we were one of only two couples in the room. There were a few guys on their own as well, but it was early, and the office wasn’t busy. I bet I could be back in the car before anyone really figured it out.
“Mr. Florida?” the receptionist called out.
For a moment, the room was still, then she called out the name again. “Mr. Florida?”
Dammit.
Right.
That was me.
I stood, taking Shelby’s elbow and dragging her up with me. She frowned and pulled back. “Liam, that’s not—”
I shook my head. “Incognito, Shelby,” I hissed and headed to the door leading into the clinic area. I hadn’t been recognized yet, and I hoped it would stay that way. The damn doctor had come highly recommended, but he’d refused to allow me to come in after hours or to clear his schedule. He was a grumpy bugger.
“Other men need me as well, Mr. Wright. I’ll put you in first thing in the morning, and we’ll use a different name. Wear a hat. Trust me, not many paparazzi hang outside my office.”
I almost refused, but then remembered how important the anatomy that he would be working on was to me. I didn’t want some run-of-the-mill doctor, and I certainly didn’t want to piss off this one. He would be handling my junk, and OJ was far too fond of Shelby for me to risk any malfunctions caused by an angry physician. So, here I was, answering to a fake name.
We followed the nurse to Dr. Buckley’s office and sat down.
“He’ll be in soon, and then I will come and take you back to the procedure area,” she informed us.
I nodded as Shelby murmured her thanks. She looked at me after the nurse had left.
“Mr. Florida?” she asked, her eyebrows lifting in question.
“In homage to OJ,” I explained with a straight face, waiting for her reaction. I didn’t wait long.
She giggled, covering her mouth with her hand. “Oh, Liam, only you. Most men would go with Mr. Jones or Mr. Smith. Something forgettable. But you go with Mr. Florida.” She shook her head. “Good job.”
I g
rinned. “I thought you would like it.”
She leaned forward and kissed me. “I like you.”
I pulled back, wagging my finger. “None of that, Shelby. I am about to undergo delicate surgery. I can’t have OJ springing into action because you got handsy. God only knows what complications that would cause.”
She laughed again. “For one thing, I am not getting handsy. For another, Olivia is only five weeks old, and you’re not touching me until you’ve been clipped. We agreed.”
I winced. “Can we not use the word clipped?”
“Snipped?”
I shook my head.
“Neutered?”
“Bloody hell, no.”
“Tied off? Fixed?”
“No.”
“What, then?”
I sighed. “How about we don’t even name it. Or discuss it.”
She bit her lip, trying not to laugh. “It’s gonna be hard not to talk about it while you’re sitting around icing your junk for the next few days.”
“Shelby!”
“Sorry.”
I sat back, muttering, “I thought you’d be more sympathetic.”
She patted my hand. “I tried, Liam. You’re the one who insisted on throwing yourself a vasectomy party and calling it the ‘Last of the Spermians.’ Should I remind you what the cake looked like?”
“That was Everett. I asked for a simple white cake. Not a beheaded, limp dick.”
“The balloons you put everywhere?”
“Douglas’s idea to use the old condoms. I’ll buy more until we’re sure the stragglers are gone,” I insisted.
Shelby sighed.
“I was trying to make light of it,” I admitted. “But frankly, Beaker, I’m scared stiff.”
She raised an eyebrow, and I chuckled. “No pun intended.”
Shelby clasped my hand in hers. “If you’re unsure, we can postpone or you can change your mind, Liam.”
“No. I need to do this for you. For us. I don’t want you on those bloody pills or the shots, I hate condoms, and I want to have sex with you as much as I want without worries or looking for whatever form of birth control we try.”
Changing Roles Page 28
