His Rebound Love

by Melissa Bender

  I hadn’t had a proper look, but so far, it was incredible. It was perfect. “My man has great taste.”

  Lauren smiled. “It’s very big.”

  “Way big!” I agreed. It was huge.

  “You won’t be able to wear it at work.” She pointed out, scanning her blue eyes over the glittering diamonds. “Such a shame to have to take it off.” Was she upset? She was not happy, that’s for sure.

  Jack was by my side kissing my temple, sliding his right arm around my waist and bringing me closer again. “I’ll get her something smaller for work.”

  I looked at him with scrunched brows. “You’re crazy. I’ll just take it off when I’m working.”

  “Crazy for you. And no, I’ll get you something more practical for work.” His tone told me there was no getting out of this.

  Pulling my hand back, I was beaming as I stared down at it, moving my hand from side to side slowly as I watched the diamond sparkle. “It looks expensive.”

  “It was.” He winked, laughing. “Alright, I’m kicking you all out. I want to be alone with my fiancée.”

  Fiancée. Oh god, did I just swoon right now?

  “But we have a wedding to plan!” His mother rebutted with despair. She did not want to go. “And Sienna’s mother just arrived. You can’t—”

  Jackson smirked, raising a brow back at her. “Oh, can’t I?”

  “Oh no, it’s fine. Let these two celebrate. By the looks of that kiss earlier, I thought he was about to eat her.”

  I snorted. If only they knew.

  “I’ll get a motel,” her mother continued.

  His mum made me laugh as she looked highly offended. “You certainly will not. You’re going to come stay with us. We can discuss the wedding and—” She glanced up with a questioning look “Sienna what kind of flowers do you like?”

  “Red roses,” Jackson answered for me. “We appreciate the offer, but remember, this is our wedding.”

  “Oh, Jackson, shush…” His mother brushed him off. “Colour theme?”

  What? How was I meant to know? “Umm, I don’t know. We’ve only just gotten engaged.”

  “Yes, but you must have thought about this.” My mother, who I knew was more than happy I wasn’t going to be the crazy dog lady, pointed out. “I know I have.”

  I laughed, groaning. “Oh dear, they’re going to go crazy planning.” I could see it now. “You two go decide, then show us.” It was not like we were going to use their plans, but any ideas would be helpful. I had no clue.

  Hugging each other goodbye, I went outside on the balcony to get some air. My cheeks were flushed, my heart racing all over again. I felt nauseous. Taking a deep breath, I laid my hands on the metal rail as I let the cool air fan my face. Breathing in the dark of the night, I feel things finally sinking in. I was going to marry the man I loved with my every being. I couldn’t have been happier.

  Today was a really great day.

  As I made my way back inside, sliding the door open, I halted. Lauren and Jackson were having a heated conversation. I was barely able to make out what she was asking, but Jackson seemed angry enough.

  “Lauren, can’t you just be fucking happy for me!”

  “I am happy, Jackson. I am happy for you, but I also remember your pain when you were crying in my arms over Jasmine. Do you remember how much you loved her? And now, you’re proposing to Sienna. They say you should never marry the rebound. You’re going to hurt her.” She was harsh, and her words sunk into the pit of my stomach, unsettling me. “I hope you didn’t give her Jasmine’s ring.”

  And just like that, my happiness has disappeared.

  “It isn’t.” He shot back. “How can you even ask that?”

  She snapped, hissing. “Well, someone had to. Jesus, I just hope you’re serious about this.”

  “What is your problem?” he asked, shaking his head in disbelief. “What’s going on that you can’t be happy for me?”

  She never answered, lowering her gaze to the floor where she swayed on her feet. Still, she remained silent.

  “Good night, Lauren. Thanks so much for being supportive.” He sounded hurt, upset. I caught him as he was closing the door and starting to turn. When our eyes met, I knew he knew that I had heard their conversation. “Sienna…”

  “I know you have a past, I just don’t want—” That’s it, I just didn’t want to ever think about him with another woman.

  “I’ll make sure she doesn’t mention it again,” he spoke softly. “She won’t come here until she gets out of her pissy mood.”

  “I think I’m going to take a shower and go to bed.” I did not want to cry. I felt like I was about to burst into tears. I stopped as I was walking down the hallway, my shoulders slumping as I asked him. “Is it the same ring?”

  “I can’t believe you’d even ask me that.” I regretted it instantly. He sounded as hurt as I felt. “I brought it about five hours ago when I took the dogs for a walk.”

  Wanting to cry but willing myself not to as I stood there, I let his words sink in. “Promise me you’re sure about this.”

  My deepest fears—thinking it was a make up for the fight we had—were put at rest when he replied. “I knew the second I met you at the park that I would marry you, Sienna. That has never once changed. The first time I met your mother, I told her I planned on marrying you, and she gave me her approval.”

  More tears pooled in my eyes as I realised I, yet again, doubted us. “I’ll meet you in bed.”

  “Sienna, don’t listen to her.” He pleaded, sighing heavily. Too late, I already had.

  I did not turn around. I kept walking until I was in the bathroom and slowly closed the door.

  His sister’s words had gotten to me. She sounded more jealous than anything. Was it because she wanted to be pregnant so badly? That she wanted the attention to be on her? Would she be like this when we had a child? It made no sense, but then again, I was an only child. I did not have siblings to compare this to.

  I did not even have a father to walk me down the aisle.

  My eyes closed with a soft sigh as his arms wound around my waist, drawing me back against his chest. The hot water fell over us, and I felt safe. The fear slowly melted away, washing down the drain with the bubbles of body wash that had been lathered into my skin.

  “Talk to me. What’s on your mind?”

  How could I bring it up? He wouldn’t understand. “Sometimes, I wish that I had a father.”

  Silence followed my admission as he kneaded his fingers into my skin. “I’m sorry.”

  “Don’t be.” I was used to it. “I think I’m just being over emotional.” Definitely emotional.

  “Sienna, we can look for him, if that’s what you want.” He sounded determined to help me, determined to fix this.

  Unfortunately, there was no fixing how things were. “No. If he wanted to see me, then he would have made some effort. How many years has it been, and he did nothing… no phone call, no anything. I have my mum, and she’s my dad, too.”

  His lips were against my shoulder, placing tender kisses that began to arouse me. “You’ve got me now, baby. I won’t ever hurt you. I won’t ever abandon our children.” His words surprised me. He had no idea just how badly I needed to hear this.

  “The ring is beautiful.” I meant it. “I don’t ever want to take it off.”

  He whispered back, “You’re beautiful.”

  I melted into a pool of love for him. He had a way to make everything better again. My hands covered his, pulling him closer. “I love you.” I meant it. Every word of it.

  “I love you, too.”

  “I think we should get one of those couple’s engagement photo shoots done.” I suggested. I had always seen photos of them, and they looked like fun. It was a perfect way to capture this amazing moment. “At the park, where we first met.”

  His soft hands brushed my wet hair to the side as his lips hit the base of my neck, planting a trail of kisses. “Sounds perfect. I’d like
to start working on a family once we’re married. I want children, sooner rather than later.”

  I smiled. “Me too.”

  I spun on my feet, and he covered my mouth with his. A low huskiness vibrated against my lips as he pushed my back against the wall. Our mouths centimetres apart, he cupped my cheeks with his hands as I wrapped mine around his wrists. I felt his breath against my face, each word melting me even more than I ever thought possible. “I’m going to love you all night long, Sienna.”

  “Love me.” I moaned, closing the distance between us.

  I’ll let you in on a little secret. I was already five weeks pregnant and knew the perfect way to tell him.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

  I lifted my wrist, glancing at the time on my black sports watch as I sat on the grass waiting for Sienna to show up. She was running late to her own damn engagement shoot that she had managed to book for us, one week after I had proposed to her.

  My phone vibrated, and her message flashed on the screen of my new iPhone. Yes, I purchased a new one, with a new number. On my way! xoxo

  You’ll pay for this later. xx Oh, she was so getting orgasm denial later this afternoon.

  I spotted her running through the park, still in her navy blues and wearing her hair up. She had been on her evening shift, working since eight last night. It didn’t bother me at all. She had not spotted me, and I sat back, waiting again as she disappeared into the toilets with her bag in tow. I had to laugh out loud at her. That girl made me smile constantly.

  Covering my eyes with my black Ray-Bans, I picked the ball up and tossed it for the dogs to go fetch. It would not be an engagement shoot without our two babies with us. The dogs were family to us. I have had Colt for years, and Sienna loved Sammie. They were also sleeping on our bed. Honestly, it was far too small.

  The loud laughter of small children caught my attention. I noticed a family up ahead. Two older children were giggling and holding the hands of the two small boys, who tried to run up ahead where the ducks and their babies were paddling in the pond, eagerly calling out mama to their mother. The husband had his arm protectively wrapped around her wife’s waist as his other hand roamed her obviously pregnant stomach. He whispered something against her ear, causing her to laugh and shake her head before she smiled back. He cupped her cheek and brought her to a stop with a longing kiss.

  That was the type of husband and father I knew I would be, someone who will always there. But, Jesus! Five kids was probably too much for us. Sienna wanted three, but I would get a forth from her eventually.

  Hopefully, soon after we’re married, she would be pregnant with our first child. That was a day I looked forward to. Watching her stomach grow would be a dream come true. It really made me look forward to having kids.

  Feeling a set of cold, freshly washed hands on my face, I smiled immediately. “About time.” I pretended to be annoyed. “Took you long enough to get here.”

  “Don’t be mean. I was saving lives.” She pointed out, sliding down onto my lap and kissing my nose. “Nice shirt. Someone’s got good taste.”

  She was out of the navy blues and in a deep green dress, her thighs on full view. I enjoyed it when she wore them as they were easy access to my advantage. I then realized that my light blue shirt went well with her dress. She apparently did not want us to clash. No wonder she insisted on buying me the damn top yesterday. “Hmm, my fiancée brought it for me. You should meet her. She’s a great lay. Incredible-tasting pussy too.”

  Her mouth parted, forming the perfect O as she laughed with a scoff. “Well, maybe you should meet my fiancé. He makes me scream like no other.”

  “Is that so?” I grabbed her without warming, tickling her ribs lightly. The dogs ran over to us, jumping excitedly. I only pulled back to brush the curls from her face. “I can’t wait to marry you.”

  “Me too.” She looked giddy with anticipation, her eyes sparkling with happiness. “So, some good news. I have five days off work. I thought we could go away?”

  “Where to?”

  “Anywhere. If I’m with you, then that’s all that matters.”

  Hmm, sounds good to me.

  The photographer was a friend of hers, a colleague who worked as a night nurse. She was giving us this shoot as a wedding gift for free. I had offered to pay and was immediately shut down. She had her bag of props by her feet, scouring into them. When she brought over two boards, I was confused at first. What was I meant to do with this?

  “Are we playing hangman or something?” I asked, eyeing them both. Since when did you need boards to take a photo?

  “Oh no, each of you write down three things that you love about one another.” Karlie rolled her eyes. “Jesus, Sienna. Is he always this dumb? I thought he worked in finance.” She poked her tongue out, and I faked offence. It did not offend me in the slightest.

  Sienna giggled beside me. “Sometimes. He’s smart with numbers though.”

  “Thanks, babe. Right to the heart that one.” I teased and gave her a swat on the ass, threatening to lift her dress as my fingers skimmed along the hemline.

  “Don’t you dare! I’ll make Sammie bite you.” She threatened back, swaying her great butt away from my reach. I groaned, thinking about what colour of panties she had on. I would find out soon enough.

  Karlie rolled her eyes, shaking her head at us both. “Come on. Three things… and when I say turn around and face each other, do it because I want to get the perfect shot. Otherwise, we’re going to repeat this until it’s right.”

  Standing there back to back with her, I didn’t need to think. Three things I loved about Sienna… I began to write with the chalk pen, aware that my photo was being taken. It unsettled me to a point as I was not one for posing. I was able to focus back to the three things I had written, and now I was reading them over with my eyes.

  Her heart.

  Her smile.

  I love everything.

  The last was probably what I was expecting hers to read. No, I expected hers to mention my ass as she still loved to grab it. My heart was racing. We were not alone as others were walking by, stopping and watching before continuing with their walk again.

  “Turn! Now!”

  Turning as I held the board up, I met her smile as she did the same, holding her board and gazing back at me. Her top teeth were sinking into the bottom of her lip nervously. I was slightly confused once again as I wondered why. I soon found out once my eyes lowered down and I read what she had written on her board.

  You’re going to be a daddy.

  “What?” I barely spoke. My hand rose, covering my mouth in utter shock. No three words written, just the surprise announcement. “Really?”

  She was nodding, the tears in her big eyes making them even greener. Her voice was choked up, emotions getting the better of her. “We’re going to have a baby. I’m pregnant.”

  It was probably the greatest moment in my life other than her agreeing to marry me. My eyes went to her stomach. I stepped forwards, wrapping an arm around her back as I placed my other hand over her green cotton dress, flat against her stomach. “You’re pregnant,” I said, whispering because talking seemed too loud. She nodded, a blubbering mess with tears running down her cheeks. “Oh god, Sienna. This is amazing.”

  “Yeah?” She appeared afraid to believe me. “I wanted to tell you sooner. It was killing me not to.”

  “You’re having our baby.” Nothing else mattered. I whole-heartedly laughed. My own salty tears were running down my cheek as I wiped my face against my sleeve. Her eyes were searching my face for something. I could tell because her brows were creased in the middle. “What’s wrong?”

  “This is all happening so fast. I mean, not even six months in and we’re having a child.”

  I think when you know, you know, and I knew that we have a lifetime to live.

  “Every moment is with you, and this is one of them… We’ve got forever, baby.”

  When we agreed to have our photos taken, I
assumed it was only us and the dogs. Not the case, as I could hear our family joining us. Much like our engagement, our mothers were crying as I held Sienna tightly, not wanting to let her go. Not ever. I did not want to share this moment with others, but I was glad they were here.

  “When did you find out?” I finally asked after being squeezed to death by my mother. I held her back in my arms again.

  Her smile was wide, her white teeth on show. “A few days ago. I was sick at work, and Karlie heard me throwing up. She took my blood. I had a scan, and well… I’m pregnant.”

  “How’s the baby? Is everything alright? You’re ok?” My main concern was her health. I knew she was on the fence about children, being it so soon.

  She nodded, bringing her hand up to wipe her eyes. “Yes. I’m so happy, Jax. I’m really happy that I’m pregnant.”

  “Me too.” I would not deny that. “I can’t wait until you’ve got a sexy belly. Wait, what about the wedding?”

  “We can marry now, later, or years to come. It doesn’t matter.” She was just as ecstatic as I was. I could tell. We were in euphoria. The feeling was great… like an orgasm, only better.

  “Years to come?” Lydia interjected. “You’re pregnant. You can’t put off a wedding.”

  I agreed, but Sienna looked sceptical. “People will assume it’s a shotgun wedding.”

  “I don’t give a fuck what people think, and neither should you.” I would marry her soon. I could not wait until after the baby was here. I wanted her completely mine, and I wanted her to have the same surname as our child. “We’re having a baby. We’ll sort the rest out.”

  ***

  We had spent the afternoon in the park, celebrating at the café there. We had lunch and talked about marriage… and babies. Oh god, she was pregnant. I think I was in shock still. It was sinking in that I was going to be a father.

  Still, I could not wipe the smile from my face when I pictured a son or daughter running around.

  Nothing could change that. Not even my sister as I sat opposite her in Mum’s living room. She had not shown up to the park, and I wanted to tell her in person before Mum could. “Sienna’s pregnant.” I thought I should be the one to tell her. After her frosty reception at our engagement, Sienna was convinced Lauren hated her.