by Hart, Rebel
“Oh, a present I wasn’t supposed to get right now. I’m even more intrigued.”
“Just give it back. Come on. Please?”
I jumped for it again, but he held it higher. And higher. Until I was practically climbing his body to try and get to it. He laughed as I clung to him, trying not to fall onto my ass. But when my fingertips scraped the bottom of the bag, he moved it behind his back.
Throwing me off balance.
“Clint!”
“Shit, Rae!”
We fell to the bathroom floor and I groaned in pain. I came down against my funny-bone and felt that shivering pain shoot up my arm. Tears rushed my eyes. I felt Clint’s hands all over me as he tried to help me sit up. But, with his hands on me, they weren’t on that present.
Now, where the hell is it?
“Rae, are you all right?”
I slapped his touch away. “I’m fine. Will you give me that gift now?”
“What’s so bad about it? I don’t get it.”
“Will you just, for once tonight, do as I’m asking you to do!?”
Even I didn’t realize how loudly I had spoken until my voice echoed off the bathroom walls. I pushed myself upright and sighed as I leaned heavily against the steady surface. I pressed the heels of my hands into my eyes. I didn’t want to cry. I couldn't cry. If I cried, I’d never get out of this. I’d never have a second chance to make this the perfect moment it deserved.
The perfect moment our child deserved.
“Is this a joke?” he asked.
I shook my head. “No, it’s not. I just want to give that to you at the right time. And I thought it might be tonight, but--”
“We’re having a baby?”
His words snapped my eyes open and all time seemed to freeze over. Clint sat on the other end of the bathroom, with his back against the tub. His eyes were cast down into the yellow and white bag, destroying my vision of this entire announcement. I let a tear slip down my cheek. I drew in ragged breaths as he slowly reached inside. He pulled out the small pair of shoes and studied them, turning them over so his eyes could process what he was seeing.
“Is this real?” he asked.
His eyes met mine, but I couldn't move. I barely knew how to breathe.
“Rae, talk to me. Seriously.”
I blinked. “Yes.”
“Yes, what? It’s a joke? It’s real? What is it?”
I swallowed the lump in my throat as I shook my head.
“Words, Rae. I still don’t know what you’re shaking your head at.”
I sniffled. “I’m pregnant.”
I waited with baited breath for his reaction. My hands trembled as they fell into my lap. I wiped the crusted toothpaste off my face with a swipe of my chin against my shoulder, trying to buy myself some time. Maybe I could still cover this up. Maybe I could still make this a joyous occasion.
Maybe I could still salvage tonight.
Clint grinned. “You’re pregnant.”
I nodded. “Yes.”
He moved closer to me. “We’re pregnant?”
“Yes, we are.”
He kept moving until he was sitting beside me. The bag was at the other end of the bathroom, the sneakers still gripped in his hand, the pregnancy test still on the floor.
“We’re having a baby?” he asked softly.
The second I whimpered, his arms were around me. A sob escaped from my mouth as I leaned into him. I felt his fingers running through my hair and the strength of his arms enveloping me. I turned into his chest, burying my watery eyes against his muscles. I felt him pull me into his lap. His legs spread, accommodating me as he cradled me against him. I felt the small sneakers pressing into my back. Reminding me of just how badly this had all gone.
“You were supposed to come home on time,” I said through my tears.
He peppered kisses along the top of my head. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. I didn’t know. I should’ve been here. And I swear to you, it will never happen again. You have my word.”
I sobbed. “I was supposed to be all sweet and pretty.”
“I know. You did a great job wrapping.”
I squeaked. “We were supposed to be happy!”
He held me closer. “We’re going to be a family. How in the world couldn’t I be happy?”
I sniffled deeply. “We were supposed to make love after you found out!”
I unleashed against his chest. I listened to him chuckle as he continued kissing every part of me he could find. He gripped my chin and tilted my head back. And when his lips found mine, my crying stopped. His tongue stroked me softly. His hand cradled the back of my head. I heard the sneakers fall to the bathroom floor as my arm slipped around his neck, holding him close as his kiss swept me away.
Like it always did.
“There we go,” he murmured.
His forehead fell against my own. I felt his thumb brushing away my tears. I sniffled hard, causing him to chuckle again before our gazes met. I sighed heavily. It felt like an elephant was sitting on my chest. But when Clint smiled, all of my worries melted away.
“We’re going to be a family, Rae.”
I blinked. “You’re not upset?”
His own eyes filled with tears. “How could I be? I’m going to have a child with the woman I love most in this world. How could I ever be upset at that?”
I snickered. “You’re going to be a daddy, Clint.”
He cupped my cheek. “And you’re going to be the best damn mother on this planet.”
8
Clinton
I kissed her marked shoulder. “Morning.”
Rae yawned. “Mmm, morning, handsome.”
I kissed her cheek. “It’s time to wake up. We have an hour before the moving truck will be here.”
“Five more minutes?”
I chuckled. “Want me to shake you when I get out of the shower?”
She wiggled her butt. “Yes, please.”
I patted it softly. “Sounds like a plan.”
I planted one more kiss against the mark I’d left on her shoulder last night. Then I forced myself out of bed. If I had things my way, I’d stay in bed with my naked woman all day long. But today was a big day and I needed to be prepared. Last night had been such an emotional drain on my heart. We’d stayed up all night, making love and talking about the life blooming in her belly. She told me all about the names she already had picked out. And I was thrilled that she kept leaning toward boy names. Not that I’d mind a girl. I just thought I’d be better suited to raise a boy.
So long as they’re healthy, that’s all that matters.
As I showered for the last time in this old shower of ours, I thought about my dream girl still fast asleep in bed. I thought about all we had been through over the past few years. High school. Bullies. Traveling. Getting stuck in airports due to bad weather. The struggles of getting her through college and the all-nighters we’d pulled together so she could help me crank out books for my fans. We’d been through so much in our short lives. We’d seen and dealt with and fought through so damn much.
Damn it, I’m the luckiest man alive.
Suds dripped down my neck as I lathered up my hair. I closed my eyes, remembering the troubled teen I used to be. All the fire and fight with no grace. The mean, nasty attitude I used to carry around with me. The assholes I used to party with. The idiots I used to entertain. I’d been nothing but a glorified villain. A jerk with absolutely no future.
Until Rae came along.
I’d been an asshole. An instigator. And had it not been for that perfect woman lying spreadeagle in our bed right now, I’d be dead. Literally and metaphorically. I would’ve died in that accident had she not come after me. Had she not cared enough to come searching for me. Even when the people I considered my best friends now hadn’t even come after me. Raelynn Cleaver not only saved my life, she saved my soul. She pulled me out of the bowels of hell and showed me a life worth living. She shone light into my darkness, and no matte
r how much it hurt my eyes, she kept shining brighter. Shining deeper.
Until I adjusted and started enjoying the warmth against my skin.
She invaded every part of me as a teenager. She came in and wrote over every part of my life I couldn’t stand. And had it not been for her unwavering support, I’d be dead in a ditch.
Or dead on the side of an embankment.
As I rinsed my hair out, I smiled. Today was the day. The day I showed Rae just how much she truly meant to me. Without her, I’d be nothing. I’d be nowhere. I’d have no one. That woman changed my life. She changed the course of it the second she set her sights on me. And for that, I’d be eternally grateful. I’d spend my entire life worshipping her, if it came down to it. Anything she wanted, it’d be hers for the taking.
For the rest of our lives.
I turned the shower off and wrapped a towel around me. I wiped off the condensation on the mirror and took a good, hard look at myself. I saw my father’s eyes staring back at me. I saw his stubbled jawline taunting me in the mirror. But the light behind my eyes as I recalled last night forced all of his features to the side.
“I’m going to be a father,” I whispered.
Joy filled my heart. Hope filled my soul. And fear gripped my gut. A father. I was going to be a father. I’d have a child in nine months’ time. And I’d be responsible for that child. I gripped the edge of the bathroom counter and closed my eyes. I’d never been much of a God person. Especially considering how I grew up. But at that moment, I needed a bit of His attention.
“I don’t know if you can hear me, or if you even exist. But if you do, and you can hear me, I just have one thing I want to ask.”
I opened my eyes and found my face staring back at me. Just my face. Not my father. Not my mother. Not even Cecilia.
Just me.
“Help me be the best father I can be,” I whispered.
I drew in a deep breath before turning away from the sink. I walked back into the bedroom, venturing around to Rae’s side. I sat on the edge of the mattress, dipped down and kissed her cheek softly. I pressed a soft one against her ear, too. And her temple. And her shoulder again.
I loved it when the marks I left behind grew darker the next morning.
“Five more minutes,” she grumbled.
I smiled. “It’s moving day, babe. Gotta get up.”
She stretched. “So no more minutes?”
I chuckled. “No more minutes. Want me to make you some coffee?”
She sighed. “Can’t have it anymore. Tea?”
I paused. “Whatever you want.”
Guess I still have a lot to learn about all this.
I watched her roll over with a sleepy smile on her face and it warmed my heart. I loved waking up to this woman. But I knew I’d enjoy it even more as her stomach began to grow. I thought about all the times I’d feel it poking into my back. Or my own stomach. I thought about how my hands would be able to engulf the small bump before it outgrew even both of them. I leaned down and pressed a kiss to her lips. Her hand slid into my hair, holding me close to her. I gazed into her beautiful eyes. Eyes I hoped our child might have. Eyes that sparkled with hope, and strength, and determination.
“I love you,” she said softly.
I kissed the tip of her nose. “I love you, too.”
She grinned. “Do you love me enough to go get me one of those croissants from the cafe downstairs?”
“Anything for you. How about you get a shower and I’ll go get breakfast. Then we can sit out on the balcony one last time together.”
“That sounds perfect.”
“You’re perfect.”
She winked. “You’re coming along nicely. I’m sure you’ll get there.”
I chuckled. “You’re a stinker, you know that?”
“I have my moments.”
I captured her lips softly one last time, then I slipped away from the bed. I quickly threw some comfortable clothes on as she stretched and yawned, preparing herself for the cold trek from the bed to the shower. I snatched up my keys and headed downstairs, locking the front door behind me. And as the smells of breakfast pulled me toward the cafe next door, everything rushed through my mind at once.
Getting breakfast was a blur. I kept thinking about all the things our child would need. A crib. A changing table. Clothes. Diapers. I started calculating things in my head and running those figures through our savings account. I started thinking about the time we’d take off once she gave birth and the kind of help Rae would need. I carried breakfast mindlessly back to the apartment, head-deep in all sorts of thoughts.
Like, how could I make Rae’s life easier while she was pregnant?
When did we find out the gender of our baby?
Had she set up an appointment with the doctor yet?
Holy shit, we’ll have to babyproof the fuck out of our new house.
“Something smells good.”
Rae sing-songed the words as she pranced down the hallway with a glow on her face that left me breathless. She took the tea from my hand and I smiled at her, watching as she blew over the small opening. She wiggled her little butt around, dancing to a song only she could hear. And as I made my way over to the kitchen counter, I started pulling out food.
“You know, you got pregnant at the perfect time,” I said.
Rae sipped her tea. “How do you figure?”
I shrugged. “Now you can’t help with all the heavy lifting.”
She scoffed. “Hey. I’m not dead, you know. I can still work.”
I shook my head at her. “Nope. You can’t. Doctor’s orders.”
“Are you my doctor now?”
I pulled out her croissant. “I am until we find you one. Plus, you’re better at telling people what to do, anyway.”
“I’d take offense to that if it weren’t true.”
I walked her food over to her. “So, that means you can tell everyone where everything goes.”
She plucked it from my hand. “Sounds like a productive day to me.”
I threw my head back with laughter before we made our way out onto the balcony. We sat there one last time, watching the sun rise over the city we loved so much. I couldn't wait to share more breakfasts with her on our own back porch. In our own home. With our own food stocked in the fridge.
“I think I see the moving truck,” Rae said.
I followed the pointing of her finger all the way out to the road.
“Yep. I think that’s them,” I said.
“You should get downstairs and wait for them. I can start making a plan as to what goes first and what we wait on.”
I grinned. “Told you.”
“Huh?”
I kissed her cheek softly. “Just tell us what to do, sweetheart, and let me take care of the rest.”
She swatted at me playfully, but she listened. It took us just shy of two hours to get the truck loaded up with all of our boxes and furniture and bags of clothes. One of the moving guys was nice enough to drive our second car over to the new house so I could ride my bike over. I led the moving truck to where our new place was and smiled when I saw the little blue car parked by the curb.
Perfect. Things are slowly panning out.
“Hey, Clint?”
I slipped my helmet off. “Yeah?”
She pointed at the car. “Is that Michael and Allison’s car?”
I grinned. “Maybe.”
She narrowed her eyes. “What are you up to? I thought you said--?”
I shrugged. “I’m up to absolutely nothing.”
“Clint. What did you do?”
I put down the kickstand. “Want to do the honors?”
“Clint. Tell me. Now.”
I handed her the keys to our new home. “You do the honors. I insist.”
She plucked the keys from my palm and rushed to the front door. I set my helmet down as the moving guys tried to get the truck backed into our driveway as best as they could. I rushed after Rae, getting behind her just
as she threw open the door. And as I led her toward the kitchen, she gasped.
“Oh. My. God,” she whispered.
I placed my lips against her ear. “Welcome home, beautiful.”
Her hands flew to her mouth. “Oh, my God!”
And as her squeal filled the space around us, I kissed her softly on her cheek.
While silently hoping Michael and Allison could hear us in order to get their entrance right.
9
Rae
“Oh, my God!”
My hands covered my mouth as I gazed around the kitchen. The entire house, really. But especially the kitchen. The entire thing had been redone. The cabinets were a beautiful white-wash color. The matte black handles on everything looked absolutely outstanding. The soft gray tiles on the floor ushered the theme of the house into the kitchen, and they sparkled with a fresh shine. The appliances had been cleaned down. There was a completely different stove in here from the last time I saw this place. And as I turned around, my eyes fell to the carpet.
The soft gray, fluffy, freshly-cleaned carpets.
“What in the world?” I asked breathlessly.
He chuckled. “You like it?”
I shook my head. “Is this where you’ve been all these weeks?”
He nodded. “It is. I wanted to surprise you, Rae. That’s all. We’ve worked so hard for this, you and I. You, especially. And I didn’t think you should have to settle for anything less than what you want after everything we’ve been through.”
She sniffled. “Oh, Clint.”
His hands gripped my shoulders. “This isn’t all that got done, either. All of the carpets have been cleaned.”
“Seriously?”
“Mm-hmm. I ripped up all of that linoleum and replaced it with the gray tile. The bathrooms have white cabinets with matte black handles as well. To ‘carry the theme,’ as you so quaintly put it.”
I brushed away my tears. “I can’t believe you did all of this. This is amazing. I just--I can’t--it’s--”
I drew in a shuddered breath as I turned back around to take in the kitchen.
“This is everything, Clint. I love you so much. I can’t believe--I’m so sorry. I just--I’m the luckiest woman alive.”
