by Molly McLain
Making love to Mark was nothing short of pure, unadulterated bliss. The weight of his body on hers, the flex of his muscles beneath her hands, the way he claimed every last part of her when he pushed all the way inside...
She gave herself over to him and, in moments, she shattered, hanging on tight as he chased after her, exploding, too. He shook above her and she pulled him down, her arms around his neck, not ready to let him go.
Then she remembered she didn’t have to.
Mark pushed up and smiled down at her. “Why you laughing, babe?”
“Because we get to do this every day for the rest of our lives.”
“Dammit, I knew you only wanted me for sex.” She slugged him in the shoulder and he slid out and to her side, cradling her close. “Maybe we should wait another month.”
“Haha, funny.” She tickled his stomach and pointed to a pink box on the nightstand. “What’s that?”
“Oh, just a little something to keep you company when you’re lonely and I’m not around.” He teased his lips across her temple. “I believe you broke your other one.”
She froze and her face flushed hot, because... “Oh, God, you saw that?”
He laughed. “Don’t be embarrassed, babe. I’m glad you came to me when things went south. I hope I gave you what you needed.”
“You always do.”
“Then you should never need the new toy, right?”
She bit her lip and gave him a small smile. “We could always use it together.”
“Mmm, I like the way you think.” Shifting his hips, he pressed his already hardening cock against her thigh and stole her mouth in a deep, promising kiss.
“Happy New Year, husband.”
“Happy Forever, wife.”
Epilogue
July 1st...
Feeling like a cranky rhino, Ally carefully pushed upright, swinging her legs and swollen feet over the side of the bed. They didn’t quite touch the floor and, while she craved the cool floor beneath her toes, she dreaded the tight, itchy feeling that would come as soon as she put pressure on her soles.
But it had to be done, because she had to pee. Again. God, hadn’t she just been up an hour ago when Mark went to work?
With a sigh, she stood, nudging Bo out of the way, because she didn’t dare step over him and risk him standing up and knocking her on her ass. He didn’t move though. Just half-opened one eye and went back to sleep.
“Come on, boy. Move your butt so we don’t end up making fools of ourselves or worse—hurting the kiddo.” She pushed her toes into his ribs again and he got to his feet with a huff. She bent to scratch his ears, her other hand under her belly, which felt especially heavy this morning. Her lower back throbbed too, and she wished she’d taken Mark up on the offer for a back rub the night before. Would’ve eased the discomfort at least for a little while. Plus, having his hands on her would have been nice. They hadn’t had sex in two weeks, even though the doctor had said it might help move labor along. She felt like an ox. And that wasn’t sexy, no matter how much Mark claimed to like her pregnant booty.
Waddling toward the bathroom, she felt the first tickle of moisture in her panties and she froze. Crap. She shouldn’t have waited so long to get up.
Blowing out a breath, she steeled herself for a quick duck-walk across the room before the bottom fell out of her boat and she embarrassed herself in front of Bo. But the wet feeling came again and there was nothing she could do to stop it. She hurried over the braided rug on the bedroom floor, warm trickles running down her legs.
Funny thing though—she still felt like she had to pee. Hmm.
She shimmied her wet panties down her legs and sat, nibbling on her lip as she eyed the wet trail from the bed to the bathroom. The really, really wet trail.
And what was with the period cramps? She hadn’t had those in months.
“Oh, God.” Her breath hitched in her chest and her heart began to race. She’d just peed her pants...and she was also peeing...in the toilet. “Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God...”
With shaking hands, she wiped and, yep, something was definitely going on, because she was pretty sure that wasn’t normal.
She grabbed a towel from the rack and stuffed it between her legs as she went back to the bedroom for her phone. Her first instinct was to call Mark, because, even if this wasn’t labor, something wasn’t right. But what woman wanted to tell the man she shared a bed with that she’d just lost her bladder—or her amniotic fluid—all over floor?
So she dialed her mom instead.
“I think my water broke,” she said in greeting as soon as Eileen came on the line.
“You have a week to go, honey. Are you sure?”
“No, I’m not sure. I’ve never had a baby before. Can you come over?”
“I’m already putting my shoes on. Do you have your bag packed?”
“Yes. It’s in Mark’s truck, but I don’t want to call him until I know for sure this is the real deal.” She flinched when another small gush let loose in the towel. She would absolutely die if he came home right now and saw her standing in the middle of the room with no undies and a wad of terry cloth between her thighs.
“Sweetie?”
“Yeah?”
“This is the real deal. Call Mark. Tell him to meet us at the hospital.”
“Are you sure?” Maybe she should call Nicole for another opinion. She was a nurse. She would know, right?
Her mother laughed. “I’ve had two children. I’m sure. I’ll be there in ten minutes, providing your father doesn’t stroke out when I tell him the news. You know he’s going to want to come along.”
Great. Her dad and Mark would both know what happened. Might as well call Luke, too.
She hung up and called Mark’s cell. No answer. She called his office. No answer. She even called the police department secretary. No answer.
“Dammit! Where is everyone?” She shot him a quick text—Call me ASAP—and got dressed, skipping a shower in case Mark got the message and called back. Also, the cramps were growing stronger and the pain her back had turned into sporadic stabbing. She wasn’t sure she could stand upright that long.
Seriously, Mark, I need you to call. NOW.
But nothing. For five minutes, she sat there and waited, her humility warring with her better judgment. Ultimately, common sense won out and she called the station back, choosing the dispatch option.
“Rob, I need you to page Mark. It’s an emergency.”
“No need to page him, Ally Cat. He’s right here. Hold on, I’ll send you to another line.” Rob put her on hold and a couple seconds later, Mark picked up.
“What’s up, pretty girl? Miss me already?” he teased and, out of nowhere, she sobbed.
“I think my water broke! I made a mess of the floor and I had a towel between my legs and I feel like someone’s jabbing a knife in my back. Oh my God, what if I’m a bad mom, Mark? What if I can’t do any of this?”
He was silent for a long moment, then his breath crackled the line. “Ally, you’re going to be an amazing mom. You’re already an amazing wife. Now, listen, I’ll be home in five. Lights and sirens, baby, I promise.”
“No, my mom just pulled in. Meet us at the hospital,” she said with sniffle.
“Ten-four, pretty girl. I’m gonna hang up now. I’ll call you back in a minute from my cell.” And he did. “You’re gonna make me the happiest man alive today, aren’t you, Ally Dunn?” he greeted her and she could hear him walking, followed by the sound of passing cars and his truck car door closing.
She nodded as she climbed into the passenger seat of her mom’s car at the same time, a smile tugging at her mouth even as tears ran down her cheeks. “I hope so, baby.”
***
He was going to be a father today. He was going to hold his baby in his arms and kiss his wife and have everything he’d ever wanted. The last few months with Ally had been amazing, but nothing compared to making a family with her.
Mark pushed a whe
“I can walk,” she protested as he handed off her overnight bag to her mom. “I’m probably not even in labor. Oh, for God’s sake...” She leaned forward, gripping her hands on the back of the chair. “This is happening really fast. It’s gone from zero to sixty in twenty minutes.”
He rubbed her back and stroked her hair as he leaned in and whispered in her ear, not caring at all that her mother stood two feet away. “It’s because you’re a natural at making babies. Maybe I’ll give you five of them someday.”
“I am not having five babies!” she yelled as she hunched over the chair again. “Keep talking like that and I will never have sex with you again!”
Her mother laughed under her breath. “Sit down, honey. “Let’s get you inside.”
The next half hour went by in a blur. The OB nurses rushed Ally into a room while he got her registered, and her mother stayed back in the family waiting room where a small crowd had already begun to gather. Never ceased to amaze him how fast word spread in a small town, but this time he didn’t care that the gossip was about him. He was gonna be a dad today. It was fucking surreal.
“Okay, Ally, frog-leg your knees,” the nurse said as Mark slipped into the room, paperwork in hand. Ally was already changed into a pink hospital gown and she was panting, all wild-eyed and beautiful. The nurse snapped on a pair of gloves and gently touched Ally’s thigh. “I’m going to do a quick litmus test to make sure it was your water that broke and then I’m going to see if you’re dilated. Just try and relax, sweetie.”
Okay, this was weird. He hung back by the door, feeling like he’d just walked in on something he shouldn’t have. But this was just the start of it all, wasn’t it? The next few hours—or longer, though he certainly hoped not for Ally’s sake—were going to be full of people touching his wife in ways he wanted only for himself. Made the protector in him stand up a little taller and put him on high alert. These people better be good to her, that’s for damn sure. Ally was his world and, inside her, she carried the most precious cargo ever.
“You’re four to five centimeters dilated already, my dear,” the nurse said, a big smile on her face. “Any thoughts on an epidural? At the rate you’re going, we should call the anesthesiologist in now before it’s too late.”
Ally nodded. “Please. And can I have some of those ice chips you mentioned earlier?”
“Sure. Dad, do you mind going back out and grabbing some from the kiosk?”
Dad. Holy. Fuck.
He nodded and did as he was asked, floating through the motions. Back in the room, he settled into a chair beside Ally and squeezed her hand. That turned into her squeezing his hand through a contraction.
“You okay?” he asked, brushing her hair from her face and leaning in to kiss her forehead.
“As okay as I can be, I guess. Is my mom still here?”
“Her and half the town. Seems you’ve got a lot of supporters today.”
“We have a lot of supporters.”
He smiled. “All you, pretty girl.”
She shook her head and tears shimmered in her eyes. “It’s not about you and me anymore, Mark. It’s about us. All three of us.”
God, she was beautiful. Even in pain, she was an angel. “I love you so much,” he whispered. “Do you have any idea how happy you’ve made me?” A single tear ran down her cheek and he wiped it away with his thumb. “Thank you.”
She smiled through the emotion in her eyes and then gripped hard on his hand as the lines rose on the baby monitor. “God, I love you hate you right now,” she groaned and he laughed, nuzzling his lips against her temple and riding the wave of pain with her as best he could.
Three hours, an epidural, and a lot of panting later, the nurse grinned up at Ally again. “Nine centimeters, hon. It’s almost time.” The second nurse smiled, too, and excused herself to call the doctor.
“I have to go to the bathroom,” Ally said suddenly and the horror on her face was laughable, though he didn’t dare show that reaction.
“No, hon, I’m pretty sure you don’t need to use the restroom,” the nurse said. “That feeling is completely natural when you’re just about ready to push. Mark, you better suit up if you’re going to help.”
Oh, hell yeah. He pulled the spare hospital gown over his t-shirt and the nurse helped him tie it in the back.
“You better not—oh my God, this hurts!—pass out on me.” Ally squeezed his hand and breathed through another intense contraction, if the sudden spike on the monitor was any indication. It was even higher than the last one, less than a minute earlier.
“Don’t worry about me, babe. I’ve got this.”
So did Ally, because a half hour later, after she amazed the hell out of him and proved to be the toughest cookie on the friggin’ planet, pushing through what must have felt like hell, he caught their dark haired baby as it slid out into the world.
One perfect nose, ten little fingers and ten matching toes, and...a penis.
“It’s a boy,” he announced and the nurses cheered before taking his son from him and setting him on Ally’s belly. Ally had tears in her eyes as they watched the nurses suction his little nose and wipe him down a bit before Mark cut the cord. The next few minutes went by in a blur as their son was measured and weighed—eight pounds, nine ounces, thank you very much, gestational diabetes—and then finally brought back to the bed where Ally offered him her breast.
Mark dropped into the chair beside his wife and his son, completely awestruck by the incredible sight before him.
There were no words. Just love, so intense and right, it shook him to the core.
“You okay, husband of mine?” Ally asked with a sated smile on her face, even though her voice and eyes were suddenly heavy. Mark couldn’t imagine why. She’d only spent the last nine months growing their son and a good part of the day bringing him into the world.
“Better than okay.” He leaned in and kissed her on the forehead. “That was hard work, but you handled it like a pro. I’m so proud of you, babe.”
“He’s pretty special, isn’t he?” She stroked her finger along their son’s cheek. “I think he’s a perfect Evan, don’t you?”
Jesus Christ. An unexpected lump lodged itself in Mark’s throat and it was all he could do just to nod. “You sure?” he asked several beats later, his voice strained.
Ally nodded, tears shining in her eyes. “Evan Robert Dunn. Just like his grandpa.”
“He’d love that,” he whispered. “So will my mom.”
“You should go tell her then. And everyone else in the waiting room, too. I’m sure my mom is beside herself.”
He sniffed back his emotion and reached for his phone. They’d kill him without proof and he really wanted to make it through his son’s first hour of life. Ally rolled her eyes at him, but pulled Evan away from her breast just long enough for Mark to snap a couple of pictures.
When she tucked him back into position, Mark couldn’t resist taking just a couple more. “Don’t worry,” he said with a wink. “Those are only for me.”
“Perv.”
He laughed and stole another kiss before he headed to the waiting room. The very packed, very loud waiting room. Not only were their parents there, but so were Tony and Nicole, Josh and Carissa, Jenny, Reed, and even Gladys.
“Holy crap, guys, shouldn’t you all be at work?” he asked, grinning.
Josh waved him off. “It’s not every day River Bend gets a new citizen, man.”
He laughed. “Well, that’s just happened.” The room erupted into cheers and laughter, and he pulled up a picture on his phone, handing it off to his mother. “Meet Evan Robert,” he said quickly, before emotion overtook him again.
Anne stood, not even looking at the phone. Tears rimmed her eyes and she jumped forward. Her arms wrapped around his ribs, as a broken sob burst from her throat.
Eileen cried, too, and, if Mark had it right, Hank even had tears in his eyes. Everyone oohed and aahed about how cute little Evan was and Mark knew it was because their son looked just like his mother, despite having his father’s dark hair.
He told Ally as much later on that night, while they watched their baby boy sleep.
“No way,” she whispered. “He’s all you. Look at that cleft in his chin.”
But Mark didn’t look because he couldn’t take his eyes off of his wife.
“What?” she asked self-consciously when she caught him staring.
“Nothing.” He stroked his knuckles over her cheek. “I just love you, that’s all.”
She turned into his touch, her eyes fluttering shut. “I love you, too.”
“Thank you,” he whispered and her eyes opened again, affection shining bright.
“For?” she whispered back.
“For having faith in us. In me. In this...” He waved his hand around the circle that completed their little family.
Ally smiled and tangled their fingers. “A wise woman once told me that somewhere between wanting something to work and actually putting in the effort to accomplish it, the real magic happens.” She pointed to their little boy with an extra shimmer in her eyes. “I’d say we have the proof right there, don’t we?”
He pressed a kiss to her lips because there was nothing else to say. She was right, and he was the lucky son of a bitch who got to spend the rest of his life with her.
All in with Ally.
Goddamn, that sounded good.
THE END
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If you enjoyed Mark & Ally’s love story, check out the other River Bend books on Amazon:
Can’t Shake You (River Bend, #1) – Josh and Carissa
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