by Ashlee Price
“I want you, but it is clear that you don’t want me. There is our baby though. I want to be a part of their life.”
Mia’s eyes were open, her head less foggy than before. “After what happened last time, I didn’t think that you wanted to. I mean, you asked me if I would terminate our baby. So this is not what I had expected. You made it clear how you felt Clint.”
“No I didn’t. I was asking if you still could. I have had a woman pregnant before, a couple of years ago and she terminated right after she told me. Just like that, I had no say in it and I didn’t want to even think about it, until I knew that you were going to keep ’em.”
It made sense, but she still didn’t trust herself to get her hopes up. “I don’t know what to say Clint. I am really tired. Can we talk about this later? I will call in a few hours.”
“I will be waiting Mia. Just give me a call and I will stop by when you are ready to talk.”
“Stop by?”
“You didn’t think I was going to miss this, did you?”
Yeah, she kind of had been planning it for a while. “I will give you the address and you can just come by here.”
“No need. I already have it.”
“Fine, I guess I will see you later. Around noon?”
“Sounds good, Mia. I’ll bring lunch.”
He hung up after saying good bye, leaving her sitting up with a shocked look on her face. Mia kept telling herself she had to be dreaming. She was exhausted enough to go back to sleep and when she woke up several hours later, she was convinced that it had all just been a dream. It was too out of the blue and too much what she had always fantasized about hearing from him. Mia was kind of let down that it was only a dream though.
She looked over and it was almost noon. Mia was not used to getting up so late, but she could have slept more. Getting up slowly, she was rubbing her face when there was a heavy knock on the door. Mia moved towards the door, figuring it was her mom. When she saw Clint, Mia took a step back. “It wasn’t a dream.”
“I hope not. Can I come in? I brought lunch.” He looked at her pajamas and smiled. “Or breakfast.”
Mia looked down at her fuzzy pants and T shirt. She could feel her hair a mess in a knot on her head. If she had envisioned seeing Clint again, it would not have been in such a way. “Yeah, I just thought I had a dream about talking to you. I didn’t really think you were going to show up.”
Her eyes drank him in. He looked really good, better than she remembered. His presence dominated the room as it always had and she was surprised to see the same desire in his depths as before. Even though she felt as big as a whale, Clint looked at her like he could ravish her that moment. Mia swallowed hard, moving towards the kitchen to get a couple plates.
“You look ready to burst Mia.”
“Thanks. That is the first thing I wanted to hear this morning.”
He grinned at her and she found his expression disarming. “I mean, I tried to imagine it, but you are glowing. I think you may be even more beautiful than before.”
“Yeah right, but good recovery. So you are actually here. What about work? It is mid-season.”
“I took some time off. I can’t believe how cold it is here already.”
Mia shrugged. “You get used to it I guess. The first winter here is always the worst, the snow, walking in it. I don’t look forward to that, but it’s not too bad.”
“You plan to stay here?”
“I don’t know. For now at least. Things were getting weird in Texas, so I figured a change of scenery would be a good thing.”
“And is it?”
“It is what it is.”
“I forgot, you’re the unromantic. Are you even the least bit happy to see me?”
“A little, but I look a mess and you are looking all handsome over there, it’s not fair. You should have given me some warning that you were coming.”
“I thought that was what the call was for.”
Mia sighed and went to pour some drinks. “You can’t tell me anything before nine anymore or I won’t remember it. I may be glowing, but I feel like I have lost my mind.”
“Well you look great. I have missed you Mia.”
She sat back down at the table, not wanting to go there. Mia could talk about almost anything, except feelings with him.
“How is Trevor? Did he get married?”
Clint tried not to be hurt over the change of subject. He had come there to declare his love for her and she seemed bound and determined to ignore what was between them. There was nothing he wanted more than to kiss her, but Mia was being standoffish and it didn’t seem to be desired. “He did get married. Ana is going to have her baby in another month or so.”
Mia smiled. She missed Trevor and Clint, though only one she would admit to. “I’m glad. He will be a good dad.”
A silence went over them while they ate. Mia didn’t know what to say. It was becoming a theme with them. “So what are you doing here Clint? Are you just here for a visit or what?”
“I am staying. I already rented a place in town. I want to be here for you, whatever you need.”
“What about riding? There is nothing like that here.”
“I know. Things change and I have made quite a bit. I have been working pretty much non-stop for years. It is time for a break. I hope that maybe you will be convinced to go back home one day.”
Mia had thought about it, missing the way things were. But everything was different then. Nothing was the same anymore, but him being there, gave her hope that one day it could be. “Maybe.”
“I have a couple of sonogram pictures of your son if you would like to see.”
“My son?”
She nodded, noting the softening in his eyes. Maybe she had misunderstood it all. “Yeah let me go get them.”
Mia brought them back and the two sat down and talked. It was what should have been done in the first place but feelings have overridden sanity. Now she saw it all for what it was and Mia knew then that she didn’t want to do it alone. When he left that evening, she felt better than she had in months. She felt for the first time that things were finally falling into place.
***
Clint got a call early one morning a week later.
“Clint can you come pick me up please?”
“Yeah, what’s wrong?”
“It’s time and I don’t think I can drive.”
“Are you sure?”
“It hurts like hell, so I think so.”
“Okay I will be right there.”
Chapter 6
“I’m sorry Clint. I really thought it was time.”
“Don’t worry about it. I am glad that you called me. I don’t like you over there alone. Why don’t you come stay with me, or I will stay with you?”
Mia remembered how scared she had been and if he was there, she knew she would feel better. Things had changed between them and Clint had been over every day anyways, getting things ready for the baby coming.
“Are you sure you would want to? I don’t have any extra beds.”
“I will sleep on the couch. I know how you are about snuggling.”
“Okay. But no funny business, Clint.”
“I promise I won’t do anything you don’t want.”
It wasn’t the same thing as promising nothing more and she knew it, but she liked having it open. Giving her the impression that if she did want something, he would give her what she needed. Mia chided herself for even thinking about it, but between her raging hormones and the way he looked, it was hard not to go there. “Okay Clint. I would actually really like it if you would come stay with me. It gets lonely there all by myself and the baby is coming soon. I want you to be there for that.”
He leaned over to her in the truck and kissed her. It was quick, but she was shocked by the touch. “Sorry Mia.”
“No it’s okay. It was nice.”
Clint groaned inwardly and started the truck. Nice wasn’t what he had in mind, but it was a start.
***
While there were a few times that Mia had been tempted by Clint, the pregnancy kept her mind out of the gutter for the most part. Clint on the other hand did not find his ardor cooled at all. He had meant what he’d said about her beauty. She was beautiful as she was when he had first seen her. Now that she was carrying his child and glowing the whole time, Mia was even more stunning than before. He had moved into her apartment and though his back ached from the couch, there was nowhere else he would rather be. Mia needed more help as the days went on and he was just happy that she was letting him help.
Clint had never thought much about having a child until Jillian. After her, he told himself that he wouldn’t take the chance unless he was married. Since neither one of them was on his radar, he knew that it was a moment of need that brought him where he was. Where he was, there with Mia after longing for her for so long. She was still not open to a relationship, but Clint was still sure that it would change.
“Thanks for making dinner Clint. I never knew you were such a good cook.”
“There are a lot of things that you don’t know about me. I know even less about you.”
“What is there to say? We are having a baby together, what is there to know now? I think all of our secrets were gone when you took me to the hospital last week. I have no more secrets.” Mia tried to laugh it off, but she still wasn’t sure how she felt about him staying for it. He was right there with her and while it was comforting, there was still embarrassment from how personal it had all been. When the doctor had talked about shaving before coming in again, she thought she was going to die.
“So do you want me to help you?”
“With what?”
“With what the doctor was talking about. I mean, I know it must be impossible for you, so I was wondering if you needed some help. Since we have no secrets between us.”
Her face got even redder and she looked down. “I can’t believe you just offered to do that.”
“Why? It needs to be done. You don’t want some shaky handed medical student to do it, do you?”
Mia nodded that she didn’t. The picture he painted made her nervous and want to laugh at the same time from the imagery. “No I don’t, but I am pretty sure that I can handle it. How do you know I already haven’t?”
“The towels don’t go all the way around you anymore.”
“And you were looking?”
“Kind of hard not to, Mia. Anyways, the offer still stands.”
Mia looked down at her plate. “How are we even talking about this at dinner?”
“Well you were the one talking about no secrets and it made me think of that.”
The fact that he knew what was going on down there was bad enough, but she couldn’t stand to talk about it. The rest of the evening Mia was quiet. Clint was taking care of dishes when she went into the bathroom to take care of what had been the topic of the evening. After several failed attempts in the shower, Mia closed her eyes and cursed her stomach. It was impossible. The thought from before came to her, some shaky handed student doing it and she swallowed her pride enough to get some help. “Clint!”
He came in moments later, shielding his eyes from the clear door of the shower. “What is it Mia? Are you alright?”
She nodded and asked him to come in. “Shut the door Clint. I need your help.”
He did as she asked, swallowing hard as he took in her naked profile. His eyes were drawn to her large breasts, but he was still unsure what she needed. His body was already responding as if he were a stud that had just been called in for a service.
When Clint realized he was staring he looked away. “What did you need Mia?”
“You’re right?”
He chuckled. “As much as I like to hear that, don’t you think this could have waited?”
“No, I mean, you were right about not being able to do it. Will you help me?”
“I, um, yeah. Of course.”
She had opened the shower door up and he took in the bareness of her skin and the drops of water sliding down her slowly. “Sorry, I hate to ask. I know this is not a normal request, but I don’t want to get nicked by the shaky-handed med student. So it is kind of your fault for putting it in my head. I hadn’t even really thought about it.”
Clint was just looking at her, while she was babbling away because she was so nervous. “Are you okay? You aren’t going to nick me are you?”
“No, it’s just.”
“I look different, huh? I swear that’s your fault to. Your son is going to be big like you.”
“Sorry.”
“So are you coming in or not?”
“You want me to come in with you?”
She moved back. “How else are we going to do this?”
He started to move towards her and she stopped him with a giggle. “You might want to take off your clothes. You can’t come in here with your jeans on.”
Clint nodded and started to take them off. Her eyes watched him and darkened with his shirt coming off. Biting her lip, Mia watched his body start to reveal itself. It looked as good as she remembered, maybe even harder. His hands paused on his boxers and she waited for him to pull them down as well. Mia could already see the hardness in them, waiting to see more.
“I think I will keep these on for both our sakes.”
She tried to hide her disappointment. “Well if you think it is best.”
He moved into the tub and into the stream of water. It was hotter than he was used to, but he ignored the steamy water for the view. “So how do you want to do this?”
“I was hoping you would have an idea. You were the one that seemed so sure of yourself.”
“It sounded easy in theory, but you standing there is distracting. Lean back and I will help hold you up.”
Mia wasn’t sure what he was talking about, but then his arm grabbed one of her thighs, lifting up her leg high and spreading her in the same motion. She handed him the razor when he asked for it. Mia was unable to watch him, but put her head back with her eyes closed, feeling the way his fingers felt and the sharp blade. It took a lot of trust, but she felt more than safe with him down there. She finally looked down, his dark hair tickling her thighs as he worked.
Clint put her leg onto his shoulder as he moved to the lower, more delicate parts. Mia was sure that she could feel his hot breath on her and it was driving her crazy.
“Are you almost done?”
“Don’t rush me Mia.”
She closed her eyes and put her head back on the tile with a sigh. His mouth so close was like torture and the touches were on more and more sensitive flesh. She was panting above him, wanting something she knew was impossible.
He stopped and she felt water rinsing her off. Then there was a smooth finger touching her, rubbing against her nub. Mia gasped. “Just making sure I didn’t miss anything.”
His words were paired with hot breath on her quim. Looking down, she moved her hips forward, her fingers pushing through his hair. Before she knew what she was doing, Mia was pulling him towards her. Clint took the hint and added a hot tongue with his touch. Her eyes closed with the touch, pleasure running through her body. It was too good and before she could stop herself, Mia was calling out to him. Her grip in his hair tightened and pushed him back when his greedy mouth wanted more.
“It’s good. Stop, Clint.”
When he stood up, it was clear that he didn’t want to stop. His dark eyes held hers as he moved in for a kiss. Mia could taste herself on his tongue and she moaned against him. Her body was still shaking, insides clenching with aftershocks of bliss. It was then that the clenching became more and she whimpered. “Clint.”
“Please tell me you want something inside of you. I am dying to be there.”
Mia shook her head. “No, I think it’s time.”
The clouds in his eyes cleared. “You mean…”
“Yes.” Her eyes closed with a contraction. She had always heard things about orgasms making it happen, b
ut she never would have thought it was actually true. “We need to go.”
He helped her out, toweling her off and then helping her get dressed before taking her to the truck. Mia knew it was different that time. This was not going to be a close call. She could see that and knew now the difference. She urged him to hurry, feeling like they were going to be late. The urgency wasn’t as bad as before, a calm going over her. They would make it, Mia tried to convince herself.
“Are you okay? You’re not screaming or anything.”
She tried to smile. “I think that is just in the movies. I don’t want to waste my energy getting upset. Just get us there in one piece and I will be happy.”
Clint tried not to panic. Why was she so calm? He wasn’t the one about to have a baby, but he seemed more worried about it than she was. He concentrated on the road, the headlights leading the way. At the same time he was trying to convince himself that it was going to be okay, Clint was terrified. Of all the time that he had thought about it, it was finally going to happy. He was finally going to be a father.
***
“He has your eyes, don’t you think?”
Clint couldn’t stop smiling as he nodded. His face was hurting from it. It was not what he had expected. He had heard of how it was supposed to feel, a love washing over him, but nothing to the magnitude that it actually was.
“He does have my eyes, but the rest is you. I can’t believe we made him.”
She smiled and lay back in the bed. Mia was exhausted, but didn’t want to miss anything. It was early in the morning and even though their son was sleeping, she still couldn’t take her eyes from him. “I think you should name him Clint, since you are the father.”
He was overwhelmed and said the first name that came out. “Virgil. After my dad. What do you think?”
Mia’s eyes were half-closed as he held the baby. “That sounds like the perfect name.”
Clint looked down at the same dark eyes that he saw every day in the mirror. Virgil was the perfect blend of them both. He looked up to say something but Mia was asleep. She had had a long day and he couldn’t help but think of how worth it, everything had been. “Sweet dreams my love.”
