Prosecco and Peonies

by SJ McCoy

  He smiled. “I don’t.”

  “No?”

  He chuckled. “For one thing, I doubt I’ll sleep a wink. It’s so much to take in.”

  “It is, and I’ve had longer to get used to the idea than you have. I’ve been going around in circles ever since I left the doctor’s office. I’m pregnant. We’re going to have a baby.” She shook her head. “I thought I’d gotten used to the idea that that wasn’t going to be possible for us. I thought I was okay with it. Then …” She looked into his eyes. “Gene and Rita came in this morning, and when my coffee sent me running for the bathroom, they knew it was morning sickness. I thought they were wrong. I was so sad having to explain to them that I couldn’t be.”

  He nodded. “I thought I was used to the idea that I couldn’t have children. I was okay with it until we got back together. Believing that we would never have a baby of our own broke my heart. And now, knowing not only that we can—but that we’re going to. I’m so happy, Molly.” He landed a kiss on her lips. “I’m so happy, but I’m a little apprehensive, too.”

  She nodded. “It’s too soon. We’re not ready. But, at the same time, it doesn’t have to matter—it can’t.”

  He held her closer. “It doesn’t matter to me, not one bit. When a miracle strikes, you don’t question the timing.”

  Her expression softened. “Is that how you see it?”

  He swallowed around the lump in his throat. “It is.” He placed his hand over her stomach and tears pricked behind his eyes at the thought that she was carrying a new life in there—their child. Son or daughter, it didn’t matter. “That’s our little miracle in there.”

  She reached up to him, and he lowered his head to kiss her. She opened up to him, allowing him to explore her, to claim her as his own—forever.

  His body responded to their kisses the same way it always had. He could feel the rush of heat in his blood. Her warm, soft body pushed up against him, her breasts full and soft against his chest. He was hard for her, his cock aching to be inside her, but that didn’t seem right—she was pregnant. He needed to cherish her, not take her for his own pleasure.

  Her hand slid down between them, and he closed his eyes as her fingers closed around him. He shook his head.

  “No?” She leaned back to look into his eyes. “You don’t want to?”

  “I want to. I want you so badly, Molly, but …” He didn’t know how to explain it. He’d thought she’d feel the same way. Apparently, she didn’t. Her hand began to move up and down the length of him, making it hard for him to remember why he’d even hesitated.

  She smiled mischievously as her hand began to move faster. “I hope you’re not having any ridiculous thoughts about not making love to me because of the baby. Six months is a very long time to do without. I can’t imagine …” She pumped her hand faster, making it hard to focus on her words. It felt so good. And then, she stopped. His eyes opened to find her smiling at him. “Were you saying you don’t want to?” Her hand began to move again.

  He smiled. There was no way he could say no to her. He began to move his hips in time with her hand. “No. I just felt …” He shrugged. “I don’t know.

  She let go of him and put her hand to his shoulder, rolling him onto his back. She pulled her nightshirt up and over her head, revealing her gorgeous, full breasts. He reached up and closed his hands around them as she sat astride him.

  She smiled and leaned forward, bringing her taut nipples within reach of his mouth and making him forget any hesitation he’d felt as he began to torment them with his tongue. She moaned and moved her hips against his. His cock pressed eagerly between her legs, seeking her heat. He took hold of her hips, lifting her until he was pushing at her slick entrance. They both gasped as he pulled her down onto him and he buried himself deep inside her.

  She began to rock her hips slowly, riding up and down the length of him. He closed his eyes and gave himself up to her. It was long, slow, exquisite torture. He could feel the tension building at the base of his spine as he moved with her, each thrust burying him deeper in her tight, wet, heat.

  “I love you, Molly.”

  She nodded, her eyes glazed with lust as she began to move faster. “I love you, Marcos. I always have.”

  She was riding him wildly now, her hips bucking as she took him deeper and deeper.

  His fingers dug into her hips, pulling her down to receive each thrust. He wasn’t going to last, he was—

  “Marcos!” she cried as she got there first.

  Her orgasm triggered his. The ball of tension at the base of his spine exploded, sending waves of pleasure coursing through him. Her inner muscles clenched around him, milking him for all he had and somewhere in the haze of ecstasy, a ball of joy exploded, intensifying his orgasm as he realized that this was how they’d made a baby—and that how they could, in the future, make more.

  She slumped down and nuzzled her face into his neck. “That was amazing. Even more than before.”

  He nodded. It had been for him, too.

  She lifted her head and looked down into his eyes. “This was special. Not just because we’re pregnant, but because this is how we did it. It’s the beginning of everything.”

  He smiled, happy that the understanding had hit her in the same way it had him. “It is; it’s the beginning of our life. Of our family.” Hearing himself say those words and knowing what they meant—that he was going to be a father and she was going to be a mother—made his heart overflow. He held her close to his chest and buried his face in her hair. She was the only one he’d ever truly wanted, and now she was giving him everything he’d ever wanted.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Molly didn’t even try to drink coffee on Friday morning, but it didn’t make any difference. She still spent her twenty minutes in the bathroom. It felt so different now, though—now that she knew this was no stomach bug. When she was done, she brushed her teeth and smiled at herself in the mirror.

  “Are you okay in there?”

  She went and opened the door. “It’s still no fun, but it’s a lot easier now that I know what’s going on.”

  Marcos smiled. “It’s still just as hard for me. I know you don’t have some horrible disease, but now I know it’s my fault that you’re in there.”

  She laughed. “I wouldn’t say fault. That makes it sound like it’s something bad, and I don’t think it’s bad. I think it’s wonderful.”

  He nodded, looking thoughtful.

  “You don’t?”

  He held his arms open to her, and she stepped inside them and rested her head against his chest, wondering what he was going to say. She knew he was happy, but something was bothering him.

  “I do think it’s wonderful, it’s amazing. It’s a miracle.” He placed his hand over her stomach. She already loved the way he did that. “I guess I just need a little time to get used to the idea. We need to figure out what it means, for us, for our life.”

  She raised an eyebrow at him. “What do you mean?”

  “Well, we joked not so long ago that I’d be a stay-at-home dad.”

  She nodded. “And I was only half joking when I said that I’d be jealous—of you and the baby. Right now, it feels like no joke at all.” She put her hand on top of his. “I’m going to be a mom. I’m going to want to be right here at home with our little one …” She smiled and looked up at him. “Do you want a girl or a boy?”

  He shook his head. “I don’t care. I just want a healthy baby. I’m beyond the stupid family stuff about wanting a boy to carry on the family name.”

  Molly smiled. She knew that was major progress for him. “You know, a girl can carry on the name if she wants to as well. She doesn’t have to take her husband’s name, even if she does get married.”

  He nodded, looking serious.

  “You don’t agree?”

  He smiled. “I do. It just made me wonder if you’d want to take my name or keep your own.”

 
Molly looked into his eyes. “I don’t know.”

  She hadn’t thought about that yet—because he hadn’t asked her to marry him. She smiled as she remembered her conversation with Chelsea about how she wanted him to hurry up and ask—that something inside her made her feel it was important they should get married sooner rather than later. Maybe Chelsea had been right—it was women’s intuition. And there was no question now that there was, literally, something inside her that, in her mind at least, made it important that they should get married soon.

  He held her gaze for a long moment, then looked away. “Smoke and Laura are coming this weekend.”

  The way he changed the subject so quickly took her by surprise. Was he disappointed that she hadn’t said, yes, she wanted to be a Di Giovanni? Well, tough. She didn’t need to answer that one until he asked her to marry him. “That’s nice.” She didn’t know what else to say.

  “Are you going to take the weekend off?”

  She nodded. “If Grady doesn’t mind, I think I will.” She’d already called Grady this morning and asked if he could cover for her today. Neither she nor Marcos had slept much last night. The shock of their news had left them with so much to think about, and they’d made love again in the early hours. It had made Molly feel closer than ever to him. It’d be good to have the whole weekend together. They needed to get used to the idea that they were going to be parents. “Do you want to see Smoke and Laura? Do you want to tell people yet?”

  He shook his head slowly. “If you don’t mind, I’d like to keep it to ourselves for just a little while. Only a few days.”

  She nodded. “That suits me.” She’d want to share the news with her dad and her friends, but she liked the idea of taking their time. She knew she’d need to be ready for all the questions they’d no doubt face, and she didn’t know the answers to them herself yet.

  ~ ~ ~

  Marcos checked his watch. Smoke and Laura should have landed by now. He couldn’t wait for them to get here. He’d called Smoke this morning and asked when they might arrive. Smoke had been uncertain whether they’d come today or wait until tomorrow. Marcos had been relieved when Laura had persuaded him that they should come today. She was almost as eager for Marcos to see the ring as he was. His eagerness wasn’t simply about seeing it, though. It was about asking Molly to marry him, and about her wearing it as a token of his love. He wanted for them to marry as soon as possible. It didn’t matter that she was pregnant before they were married, but he wanted them to be married before the baby came. If he knew Molly—and he hoped that by now he did—she’d want to get married before she was showing too much.

  He went out onto the patio where she was sitting with her feet up reading.

  She smiled up at him. “I could get used to this.”

  “So, get used to it. You don’t have to go back to work if you don’t want to; you can take it easy till the baby comes.”

  She laughed. “Maybe later. I’m enjoying it for today, but I think I’d go out of my mind if had to sit here and read and do nothing else for the next six months.”

  “Do you think you can stand it for the next hour or so? I need to run into town and take care of a few things.”

  “Of course. I’m fine. Unless you want me to come with you?”

  He shook his head, trying not to look panicked. “No. It’s fine. I won’t be long. Do you want me to bring anything back?”

  “I don’t think so. Not unless you want something in particular for dinner. I was going to make—”

  “Nothing. You’re not making anything. I’ll take care of it.”

  She laughed. “I’m not a delicate flower, you know. There’s nothing wrong with me. Maybe when we get closer to the time, I’ll need to rest up a bit, but right now there’s no reason I shouldn’t be cooking or working or …” She waggled her eyebrows. “… having sex.”

  He planted a kiss on her lips. “And I wouldn’t want to stop you from doing any of them—if you want, but at the same time, I don’t want you to feel that you have to.”

  She laughed. “You know I enjoy them all. I don’t do any of them out of obligation.”

  He laughed. “I had noticed.”

  “You go and take care of whatever you need to. If I’m not out here when you get back, I might be in bed … waiting for you.”

  He shook his head at her and landed a kiss on her lips. “Okay. I’ll be back as soon as I can.”

  On his way into town, he called Ken, the realtor. He wanted to get things moving and close the sale as soon as possible. He wasn’t convinced that using the Hardy house as a wedding and event venue was what he wanted to do with the place, but Molly had loved the idea of them getting married there. Ken reassured him that everything was on track to close within a couple of weeks.

  His phone rang just as he was pulling into town. It was Smoke.

  “Where do you want to meet?”

  “Where are you?”

  “We just had lunch at Molly’s.”

  “Why don’t you wait there, then? I’ll be there in a few minutes.” That way he could take care of everything he needed to in one stop.

  Grady greeted him with a smile when he walked in. “How is she?”

  Marcos nodded. “She’s okay. Thanks for covering for her. I appreciate it.”

  “Hey, no problem at all. I’m happy to. And just so you know, if she wants me to do more, then I’m up for it.”

  Marcos held his gaze for a moment. He wanted to know what Grady was getting at, but he needed to see Smoke and Laura—and the ring—first. “Thanks. I’ll come and find you after I speak with my cousin.”

  “Great.”

  Marcos made his way to the booth where Smoke and Laura were sitting. Smoke greeted him with a grin and Laura smiled happily.

  “I can’t wait for you to see it,” said Smoke. “It’s awesome.”

  Laura laughed. “Just the fact that Smoke likes it so much would tell you everything if you knew what he’s usually like. He can’t normally tell one ring from another.”

  Marcos laughed. “I don’t imagine you taking too much of an interest in jewelry.”

  Smoke smiled through pursed lips and shrugged. “I know that making it means a lot to my wife. I know that she’s damned good at it, but no, I admit I don’t have an eye for it—usually.”

  Laura pulled a beautiful ornate ring box out of her purse and handed it over to Marcos. He turned it over in his hands, admiring the scrolled leather. “Did you make this, too?”

  Laura shook her head. “One of the girls who works for me, Maria, she makes them. She’s very talented.”

  “She is.”

  “Screw the box!” said Smoke with a laugh. “Open the damned thing and look at the ring.”

  Laura rolled her eyes at Marcos, and he chuckled. “He never was very patient.”

  Laura laughed. “He doesn’t know the meaning of the word, but I’m with him—this time. Go on, open it.”

  Marcos opened the box, and when he did, tears pricked behind his eyes. It was perfect. It was everything he’d hoped for and more. Three diamonds. The center one was the largest, and the others weren’t small.

  Laura was watching his face, waiting for him to say something, but he just nodded and smiled. He didn’t trust himself to speak around the lump in his throat.

  Smoke grasped his shoulder and grinned at him. “Told you.”

  Marcos nodded again.

  They all stared at the ring for a few moments in silence.

  Eventually, Marcos cleared his throat. “I love it. Thank you.”

  Laura nodded. “I just hope Molly will.”

  “She will.” Marcos had no doubts left. He knew Molly loved him as much as he loved her. He’d had a moment of stupidity over Grady earlier in the week, but that was behind him now. All that lay ahead was a life of love for Molly and him—and their baby.

  ~ ~ ~

  Molly perched on a stool and watched while Marcos coo
ked. She loved watching him work in the kitchen. He was neat and efficient, just as he was in most things he did.

  He turned and eyed her warily over his shoulder. “Am I doing this to your satisfaction? I feel like you’re judging me.”

  She laughed. “That’s down to your own paranoia. I was actually thinking how good you are in the kitchen. If ever I’m short staffed, I might have to draft you in to cover.”

  “Any time. I’d be happy to help.”

  “Only for the next few months. After that, you’ll be on daddy duty.”

  He turned around and smiled. “I will, and you can be on mommy duty, too. It’s not like only one of us can be here.”

  She nodded. “I know, but I can’t just abandon Molly’s.”

  “It wouldn’t be abandoning the place. You have a very capable second in command.”

  She smiled. “You like Grady, don’t you? I was worried about the two of you at first.”

  Marcos came and planted a kiss on her lips. “So was I. For a little while, I was jealous, worried.” He shook his head and blew out a sigh. “This week has been full of surprises.”

  “What do you mean? I know about the obvious, but what else? You made that sound like Grady surprised you somehow.”

  He shook his head and gave her a rueful smiled. “I freaked myself out over Grady this week. I heard him talking to someone about how he wanted her to tell the guy she was living with that she couldn’t stay with him, and how Grady wanted her to move in with him.”

  “Oh, my God, no! Marcos—”

  He held up a hand. “It’s okay. Piper told me about his niece. I get it. If anything, it makes me like the guy even more.”

  Molly smiled. “I told you, he’s a good guy.”

  “And you were right, of course.”

  Molly frowned. “But if what you heard freaked you out, why didn’t you say anything to me?”

  He blew out a sigh. “Because it wasn’t worth it.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I love you, Molly. I want you to be in my life. If you didn’t want to be with me—if you wanted to be with him instead, I figured it would come out soon enough. I didn’t need to go demanding explanations—especially not when I didn’t know if there was anything to explain. All I could do was follow my heart and stay on track, hoping that when it came down to it, you wouldn’t tell me no.”