Worth More Than Money (Worth It Series, #3)

by Lexy Timms

  I woke up on that Monday morning to Gray rapping lightly at my door. He pushed it open and stood there in a beautiful button-front shirt and a pair of dark wash jeans. I turned over and sighed, my eyes taking him in as he leaned against the doorway.

  “Your first prenatal visit is in a couple of hours. I figured you might want to get up and shower beforehand,” he said.

  “Mmm, thanks,” I said.

  Gray had kept his promise. He let me choose the doctor I wanted to care for me throughout the duration of my pregnancy. I got up and took a quick shower, cleaning myself up and brushing my teeth. I pulled on something comfortable, since I didn’t really know what to expect from the appointment. A simple pair of cotton underwear and a dress that would be easy to maneuver up or down, depending on what the doctor took a look at. Gray accompanied me into the office and continued to stay attentive. He asked me how my nausea was doing and helped me in and out of his car.

  It was nice, but it was also spacious. But I didn’t want space between us. I didn’t want cordial, either. I wanted the passion we had shared in Stillsville. The raw necessity we exposed ourselves to in the outbuilding just a few days ago.

  That was what I wanted with him.

  Not this polite dance we were doing as we tiptoed around each other.

  “All right, Miss Danforth. I collected your records from the clinic in Williston and it looks like things are going pretty smoothly. How’s that nausea of yours?” the doctor asked.

  “Letting up a bit, actually. But my exhaustion is getting worse.”

  “And unfortunately, that won’t get any better. The only thing I can tell you to do is rest when your body needs it. But, if you begin sleeping so much that you aren’t waking to eat or drink, come see me immediately. Okay?”

  “Got it,” I said.

  “Will we be seeing the baby today?” Gray asked.

  I looked up at him and saw excitement bubbling in his eyes. Was it possible he really was happy about this child?

  “Yes. We’ll draw blood to see that her vitamin levels and blood counts are in order, and make sure nothing else is amiss, then we’ll prep her for an ultrasound. Will you be there?” the doctor asked.

  “I’d be nowhere else,” Gray said.

  My heart fluttered at his words.

  They took my blood before leading me back into a darkened room where my dress was rolled up. I felt embarrassed at laying there in nothing but my underwear and my dress hiked up to my boobs, but Gray held my hand steadily as the cold gel was squirted onto my skin. I hadn’t even experienced this yet. I hadn’t even heard a heartbeat. The wand hit my stomach and I squeezed Gray’s hand, and mindlessly his lips came down to my forehead.

  “Relax. It’s okay. I’m right here,” he said.

  At first, there was no sound. Just a fuzzy picture and the technician pushing at some buttons. Anxiety pooled in my gut. Was something wrong? My mind began to spin with all sorts of insane things. Maybe I wasn’t pregnant after all? Or maybe it was ectopic? I figured I’d be in pain if it was ectopic, but what if—

  A rhythmic beating sound interrupted my train of thought and I felt Gray squeeze my hand even tighter. My eyes panned over to the screen as the technician began grabbing screenshots and my eyes glazed over with tears. Right there, in the center of the screen, was a small sac with a little bean bouncing around in it.

  “There it is,” she said. “That’s your little one.”

  My eyes widened with awe before I looked up at Gray’s face. I went to say his name, but the look in his eyes stopped my voice in my throat. The look of wonder and happiness sparkling across his features almost broke my heart. I turned my head back to the screen as tears filled my eyes, watching that small bean jump around like it had been shot up with all the caffeine in the world.

  Our child.

  That was our child on the screen.

  With each rhythmic beat, tears rushed my skin. I wanted more than anything at that moment to be a real family. With the happiness in Gray’s face and the love already blooming in my heart for this helpless little child, all I could think about was doing anything I could to keep our family together. To keep us under the same roof so we could love one another like we all deserved. I wanted to give this to Gray. I wanted to give him the love and the family he never had.

  He deserved it, I deserved it, and our child deserved it.

  I love you, little one. And I will fight for your father so you can have the family you deserve.

  Chapter 21

  Grayson

  I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. The heartbeat was strong and steady. And it came from inside Michelle’s body. From the child growing within her body. The sound both amazed and terrified me. Thoughts swirled around in my mind before careening to a grinding halt. My eyes dropped to Michelle and I found her looking at me. Studying me before she grinned and turned her eyes back to the screen. The way she glowed and the aura that poured from her seemed to radiate internally. The happiness that danced around in her teary gaze was something I felt all too much in my chest.

  My eyes lifted back up to the screen as the doctor finished up the ultrasound.

  I was in a daze for the rest of the appointment. I heard Michelle and the doctor talking, but I couldn’t process what they were saying. That rhythmic thumping was still in my head. Pushing me forward and pulling me back all at the same time. I escorted Michelle out of the doctor’s office after scheduling another appointment, then the two of us headed back to my home in silence.

  I snuck glances at her, watching as her eyes gazed out the window of my car. Michelle had been strangely quiet throughout the entire ride, and I wished I knew what she was thinking. Hell, I wish I felt in a position to ask her what she was thinking. But I didn’t know if I was ready to hear the answer yet. Something in my gut told me to keep my mouth shut, so I did. And the more silent she became, the louder my mind screamed.

  Michelle was actually pregnant.

  There was a big possibility I was actually going to be a father.

  Despite all of the things that had happened between the two of us, seeing that small little bean bouncing around in her body set something off for me. It sent my mind into a cascade of thoughts that tumbled one right after another. I couldn’t keep holding back my feelings for Michelle. Even if she ended up leaving me at the end of this pregnancy with a fat check in her hand, she belonged to me for the next few months. And for those precious few months, I could pretend we were a happy couple. I could pretend Michelle was mine. The woman of my dreams I didn’t dare think about, lest I plunge myself into a depression I could never pull out of.

  I could pretend we were building a life together and were on the track towards a future the two of us could be proud of. And maybe if I tried hard enough—maybe if I worked at it long enough—I could convince Michelle to believe it, too.

  Maybe I could convince her to stay after the baby was born.

  Looks like operation ‘Fake It ‘Til We Make It’ was officially in order. I pulled us up to the house and watched her walk in, a bag in hand and still silent. I escorted her to her room where she walked in without a second thought, closing the door behind her and leaving me standing there. I thought about turning and walking away, giving her space to digest all that had happened at the appointment. But before I could catch myself, my fist rose to her bedroom door and I knocked.

  She opened the door and furrowed her brow, almost as if she was confused as to why I was still there.

  “Yes?” she asked.

  “I’m getting a bit restless,” I said.

  “Because—?”

  “Wouldn’t it be nice to get out for the evening? You know, go explore Napa for a little bit? Maybe get some dinner out?”

  Her brow furrowed deeper with confusion as I clasped my hands behind my back.

  “You want to go into town,” Michelle said.

  “I do. I coop myself up here sometimes when I get all caught up in work. I think an evening out might be
nice. Do you want to come?” I asked.

  Her confusion turned to suspicion and I thought she was going to reject my offer. Until finally her face settled and a sigh fell from her lips.

  “Yeah, sure,” she said. “What time do you want to head out?”

  “I’ll come knock on your door around five. Does that sound okay?” I asked.

  “Sure, I’ll be ready.”

  I took her into town, to a place called Celadon. It was one of my favorite places whenever I was caught in town on business. The eclectic cuisine was always cooked to perfection and the quiet atmosphere lent itself to a private comfort not usually found in cities in the Napa Valley. I escorted her in on my arm and watched her eyes dance around the room, taking in all the wonders around her as her lips parted in shock.

  My every intention was to treat her like the princess I wanted her to be.

  I pulled out her chair and she eyed me carefully. I pushed her into the table before sitting down in front of her, then took the liberty of ordering for us. A cheese plate for us to split, the Moroccan-braised lamb shank for myself, the morel mushroom risotto with a helping of their infamous salmon on top, then two vanilla bean crème brulees with caramelized bananas to finish off our meal. I ordered us two non-alcoholic cocktails to enjoy alongside our fruit-infused waters, and I grinned at her as she stared with a dumbfounded expression on her face.

  “What are you doing?” Michelle asked.

  “What do you mean?” I asked.

  “Why are you doing all this?”

  “You’ll have to be more specific.”

  “Pulling out my chair. Ordering delicious food for us. Giving me space. It isn’t like you.”

  “Then it sounds like I haven’t been doing a very good job of keeping my promise to your family,” I said.

  “Why did you really bring me here tonight?”

  “So we could enjoy some time out of the house.”

  “No, I want the truth, Gray.”

  It pained me inside that she felt like she couldn’t be treated like this without some sort of card up my sleeve.

  “Okay, you caught me,” I said. “I do have a little something I’d like in return.”

  “I knew it. Spit it out,” Michelle said.

  “I’d like to know what you and the doctor talked about at the end of your appointment. Because really, I don’t know how anyone could focus after hearing that heartbeat.”

  “What?” she asked flatly.

  “Really. I’ve never experienced anything like it. There’s a life growing inside you, Michelle. I was a little star-struck.”

  “I’m pregnant, not famous.”

  “You’re famous to me,” I said, with a grin.

  “Famous for what?” she asked.

  I licked my lips as my eyes danced around her face.

  “I really don’t think I can answer that in public.”

  She shook her head and snickered, but then that snicker turned into a giggle. Which turned into a string of laughter. Which turned into her putting her hand over her mouth to try and stifle a little snort.

  I raised my eyebrows as the cute sound fell from her lips.

  “One day you’re hot and the next day you’re ice cold, Grayson MacDonald.”

  “Would you want it any other way?” I asked.

  “I need a roadmap. Sometimes I feel like I’m getting whiplash because I can’t see where we’re headed.”

  “Or you could sit back, throw your feet up on the dash, and enjoy the ride,” I said.

  “Just don’t make me sick. I might throw up in your lap.”

  I smiled at her as she turned her gaze back to me and just like that the awkwardness lifted. Dinner was full of banter and an old rhythm that had become all-too-familiar for us. We laughed and enjoyed our food. She hummed over the decadence and sighed at the dessert. I even got to slide my hand over the table and trace my fingers along the top of her hand. I got to take in the softness of her skin before the waiter handed me the check to signal that we’d been there way too long.

  Three hours, to be exact.

  I escorted her back to her room that night with my hand on the small of her back. Only this time, she didn’t attempt to pull away. She opened the door to her bedroom and turned to me, her eyes reaching up towards mine as her head fell back. My hand slid from her back to her hip, not wanting to let her go as the evening settled upon my home. Upon my vineyard. Upon my life. I gazed into her beautiful green eyes and watched her wait for the kiss on the forehead that always came.

  But I didn’t want to kiss her there that night.

  I dipped my lips to hers and captured them in a long, slow kiss. Her body stiffened as I slid my arms around her back, pulling her into me as I cupped her ass cheeks. Her hands splayed along my chest, feeling my skin with her warmth until she pushed me back.

  “What are you doing?” she asked, breathlessly.

  But I wasn’t going to let her go.

  Not after tasting her dinner on the tip of her tongue.

  “Forget about everything,” I said.

  Michelle furrowed her brow as I gripped her ass tightly.

  “Forget about the past and forget about the future. Forget about the hesitancies and the unanswered questions and everything else that creates rifts between us. Just enjoy the moment. Just enjoy it with me, Michelle.”

  Dropping my lips back to her mouth, her hands fisted my shirt. I backed her into her bedroom and closed her door with my foot. Our tongues collided, shooting jolts of electricity down my spine. Her movements were hurried, her fingers working quickly to unbutton my shirt. But I didn’t want the fury and I didn’t want the desperation. I wanted to savor her the way she had savored her meal. I wanted to melt into her the way dessert had melted on the tip of my tongue.

  I wanted to kiss every part of her that I hadn’t yet, so I could fully experience the woman in front of me.

  Chapter 22

  Michelle

  Everything felt like a dream. As Gray slowly undressed me and picked me up into his arms, my mind swirled with the events of the past few hours. The doctor’s visit, where Gray seemed more like a concerned and excited father than ever before. Dinner at Celadon, where I felt respected and admired. Treated like a queen instead of like a doormat. And as my back fell to the soft sheets of my bed and Gray’s body hovered over mine, I felt like a goddess. A beauty that had fallen from the sky, whose recuperation rested in the touch of the man above me. His eyes danced around my form, taking me in with an almost reverent stare. And I knew in that second I’d wouldn’t be able to hold back my feelings for him any longer.

  I was completely in love with Gray, and there was nothing I could do about it.

  His lips coated every part of me. The valley of my breasts. The dip in my waist. The parts of me tucked away behind dollops of fat. His hands molded into my excess. He slowly turned me over and planted kisses up the backs of my legs. Up my ass cheeks. Up my spine. I shivered underneath the heat of his skin. I locked my fingers with his the second his hands found mine. His clothing angered me. I wanted to feel his body against mine. I wanted his rock solid muscles pressing into me as he took in me whatever way he desired.

  And it was as if he read my mind.

  He rose up and I turned back around underneath him, watching him strip his clothes for me. Little by little, his bulging muscles came into view, complete with his dripping cock. His hands fell beside my head as my legs parted for him, ready to accept him with my heart and soul. My hands slid around his neck as my fingers twirled into his hair, my gaze locking heatedly with his.

  “Take me,” I said, with a whisper. “I’m yours.”

  He reached down and guided himself into me without a second thought. I arched into him, feeling his face fall to my tits. He rolled into me a deep, resounding movement that left me gasping for air immediately. He fell to his forearms and pressed kisses up my breasts, peppering my shoulder with them. My head fell off to the side. I allowed his lips to suckle on my skin and
breathe marks into my form. I wrapped my legs around him and pulled him deeper, my pussy fluttering around his thickening girth.

  “Oh Gray,” I said breathlessly. “You always feel so good.”

  I felt him smile into me as he wrapped his arms around my body. He picked me up off the bed, his cock still sheathed within me. He sat back onto the mattress and held me close to him, our eyes connecting as my hips swiveled. Slow, torturous movements that sparked fire in my toes. He held me tightly to him as we rocked together, setting a slow and steady pace. It grew and it morphed, and juices slipped from my body and onto his. I rode his cock in his lap, feeling the bed rock with us as my lips fell into his.

  He laid me back down and inched my leg over his shoulder. He opened me up in ways I knew only he could. He stroked me languidly. Raked his curls against my clit. Covered my mouth with his as my moans grew, until there was nothing left but his name falling from my lips. My toes curled and my thighs quivered. He groaned into me as my pussy sucked him deeper into my body. I slammed my hips into his, chasing the only ending I ever wanted to know with him as my back arched my body into his.

  And when I exploded, he didn’t stop.

  Instead, he picked up his pace.

  I came around his cock as he slipped my other leg over his shoulder. He pulled my hips to his, feeling me quake against him. His hands curled into my excess as he thrust into me, prolonging my pleasure and forcing my body to soar. His finger slipped between my folds and found my clit, tossing me to new heights. My hands gripped the sheets of my bed as I rose up, giving him more access to me and what he could do. Colors sizzled and faded. Sounds went in and out. Gray’s groans and grunts fell upon deaf ears as fire coursed through my veins.

  My eyes rolled into the back of my head as I popped around him again, his cock riding me through my second orgasm.

  I gasped as my legs slid from his shoulders, and in a flash his lips were against mine. His body rolled deeply, my bed knocking against the wall of his home. Our fingers intertwined and he pinned my hands above my head. My lips swelled against his assault. Our tongues battled for dominance as his cock pulsed against my vibrating walls, and I felt myself climbing again. Higher and faster than I’d ever experienced before. I bucked against him. Planted my heels into the bed and met him, thrust for thrust.