The Air I Breathe

by K. Renee

  “Sorry, doctor, I tried to stop him, but he said his fiancée was back here.” The nurse gives me an apologetic smile, and the doctor ushers her out the door and leaves too, giving Sager and I a few minutes alone.

  “Why didn’t you just say something, Cam? You know I would have been here with you the entire way.” I look down at my lap, and a million thoughts are rushing around in my head as I try to figure out the best way to say it.

  “You said you didn’t care whose baby it was… but I do. I need to know if I am tethered to Alec for the rest of my life or if I just get to put the past behind us and move on, me and you.”

  “If you would have just said this last night, I would have dropped everything to be here with you this morning.” His eyes burn right into me and I hate this feeling like I’m messing everything up.

  “It looks like you did drop everything already.”

  He lets out a chuckle and walks over to me.

  “Cameo, I didn’t drop anything that was important, and G was fine with taking my class today. You just need to tell me what is going through this pretty head of yours. If we keep secrets, we will end up destroying everything between us, and I don’t want that at all. I love you.”

  He wraps his arms around me, and I try like hell not to start crying. Between everything going on and these hormones, I cry all the dang time.

  “I love you too, Sager.”

  Just as he places a kiss on my nose, the doctor comes back into the room.

  “Are you two ready?” he asks.

  “Yeah, sorry about that,” I answer as I bury my face into Sager’s side.

  “Okay, so I will need to take blood samples from the both of you to send off to the lab. Depending on when you need the results, you can get them expedited, or you can wait the standard two weeks for the results to come in.”

  I look over at Sager, and he looks so calm and collected. On the inside, I feel like I’m freaking out and there is nothing that I can do to stop the wayward thoughts that are taking over.

  “What do you think Sager?” I ask. I don’t trust myself to make the decision. I would want them in a few hours, plus I know he is the more rational one.

  He looks down at me and smiles. It puts me slightly at ease, and I wait for his answer. “Can we expedite them?”

  I see the doctor nod his head out of the corner of my eye while Sager never takes his eyes off me. It’s like he can read my mind.

  The doctor busies himself getting ready to take blood samples and the whole time I am praying that the outcome is what we are both hoping for. I want nothing more than for Sager to be the father, but with my luck lately, I have this sinking feeling in my stomach that it’s going to be Alec.

  Once the doctor does all the blood samples, we get to see the baby. Our baby.

  Sager holds my hand while we stare at the monitor in awe of the little baby inside me. As the months go on, I ache to finally get to hold him or her.

  “Do you want to know the sex of the baby?” the sonogram tech asks with a huge smile on her face.

  “Up to you, babe,” Sager murmurs kissing my forehead.

  “Yes, please.” I can already feel the tears stinging my eyes as I stare at the screen, waiting for her to tell us.

  She moves the wand around on my belly and then snaps a picture.

  “You are having a girl.”

  I can no longer hold back the tears. I am not really sure what to think other than if she is anything like Sager, I am going to be in a world of trouble.

  Sager wraps his arm around me and kisses the top of my head. “A little girl.” His voice is choked up, and more tears fall down my cheeks when I look at him. He looks terrified and excited all rolled into one adorably cute expression.

  “Everything else looks good. I can have your next appointment scheduled for you, and I’ll print out a few photos for you as well.” I give her a smile, and she goes off doing some things before leaving the room.

  “A little girl.”

  I look over at Sager, and I think it’s finally really sinking in for him.

  “I can’t believe we are having a little princess.”

  Grinning at him, I kiss him on the cheek and his attention turns away from the little sonogram machine and toward me.

  “I fucking love you, Cam. Thank you.” He grabs my face with both of his hands and gently presses his lips to mine.

  “No, thank you. You’ve been amazing through all of this. I couldn’t have done any of it without you.” He kisses me again, and I melt into him. If everything else goes to shit, at least I know that I’ll always have him by my side, trying like hell to make sure everything is taken care of and that I’m loved. He’ll always do everything in his power to make sure this baby girl is taken care of and loved.

  “I’ll always be right here.”

  The nurse comes back into the room with an appointment card and the sonogram photos, handing everything to me and telling us to have a good rest of our day and to celebrate the news of a little girl.

  When we get to the car, Sager helps me in and leans down into the open doorway. “I knew that you were up to something when you asked to borrow my car today. I had G drop me off when I spotted the car in the parking lot.”

  “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you. I was terrified and you were happy either way. I just needed to know the truth. It’s killing me to worry about it and do nothing.” I look down at my hands in my lap, and he kneels down in front of me.

  “You have to trust me enough to tell me you’re freaking out. I will be right there with you through everything but you have to talk to me. I can’t read your mind.” I nod my head, and he grabs my chin, forcing me to look at him. “I love you, Cameo. You are the only thing I want in this world, and this is going to be tough. Our lives aren’t perfect, but we can get through anything.”

  “I know. I love you, Sager.”

  “Now, let’s get you home. I asked the guys to cover my classes today so that I can spend the rest of the day with you.”

  I can’t help the huge grin on my face as he leans in and kisses me.

  By the time we get home, I’m exhausted and starving. As we walk through the kitchen, I can’t help but go straight for the fridge. I search the shelves until I come up empty and turn to Sager and pout.

  “What?” he asks, looking at me with a knowing grin. I’m sure he could already guess what I am wanting without me having to ask because it’s the same thing I always ask for.

  “You know what.” I pout a little more, and he just shakes his head. “Please, Sager.”

  “It’s unhealthy. Eat something here.” I groan and then pout, walking toward the bedroom. I know that once I do this, he’ll break down and go to get me what I want. It never fails.

  “Cameo, it’s not working this time,” he calls out.

  It doesn’t take him long to mutter under his breath before grabbing his keys and walking out the front door. Grinning to myself, I slide under the covers and cuddle up on his side of the bed.

  A hand on my face wakes me, and I look up into Sager’s eyes. “I got you food.” I give him a sleepy smile, and he presses his lips to my forehead, setting the bag next to me on the bed.

  “It smells so good.” I practically moan when he hands me the aluminum foil wrapped burger. Just as I start to dig in, the doorbell rings. Sager gets off the bed, and when he answers it, I can hear the concern in his voice.

  “Cameo,” he calls from the door. Getting out of bed, I set my burger down and make my way toward him. When I get to the door, I see a man standing on the other side, a clipboard in hand.

  “Are you Cameo Hartley?” I nod my head, and he scribbles something on the clipboard before he hands me a stack of papers. “You’ve been served.” With that, he turns and walks back down the walkway toward his car, and I stand there in shock, staring at him as he disappears.

  “Cameo, come on.” Sager moves me from the doorway and takes the papers from my hands. He quickly reads through them while I cont
inue to stay still as a statue in shock.

  When I look at Sager again, he looks pissed. He walks into the kitchen where I left my purse and grabs my phone. Everything happens in a blur, and then the shouting starts. All the words jumble together, and I can’t make anything out, but then again, I don’t know if I really want to.

  I just want this nightmare to finally be over with. I want to be able to live my life with Sager and this little girl. If I hadn’t made a mess of everything, we wouldn’t be where we are now. In a few days, we will have the answers we need, and then hopefully all of this will be over.

  We can then move on.

  I want this to be over so I never have to hear from Alec again. Arms wrap around me, and I’m pulled back into Sager’s chest. His lips hover just above my ear, and he whispers, “Everything is going to work out.” I wish I believed that but with the way things have gone lately, I’m not so sure.

  Twenty-Six

  Sager

  The five days it takes to get the results are the hardest.

  Cameo is a mess after Alec served her with court papers. He’s petitioning the court for rights to the baby and Cameo isn’t handling it very well. She hasn’t gotten out of bed since that day, and I’ve never seen her like this. The doctor called and said that the results are in, so I’m heading over there to grab them. She refused to get out of bed, and I hated the look of defeat in her eyes.

  When the doctor hands me the sealed envelope, I thank him and walk out of the office and right back to my car. The whole drive the envelope is taunting me and as much as I want to sneak a peek at the results, I don’t. I make the drive home quickly, and when I get to the bedroom, Cameo’s eyes are shut, and there are fresh tears on her skin.

  “I have the results, babe. Are you ready to find out?”

  She nods her head yes but doesn’t open her eyes. I take a deep breath before I tear open the envelope and pull the papers out of it. As I take in the photo, I scan the sheet, and when it comes to the answer I’ve been waiting for, my heart starts to slam against my chest.

  I must let out a sound because a hand is on my wrist and her voice is soft. “What Sager?”

  Continuing to stare at the paper in my hand, I try to find the words, any words.

  She takes the papers out of my hand and starts to read over the words herself. I hear her intake of breath before she wraps her arms around my neck, burying her face into my shoulder. I can feel the tears as they start to soak into my shirt and when she finally pulls back, she presses her lips to mine.

  “I love you.”

  I brush the wet hair from her eyes. “Thank you.” I take a seat on the bed, and she curls her body into my lap, hugging as close to me as she can.

  “I didn’t do anything.” Her eyes are glittering with tears, and I am just so fucking thankful to have the answer that we’ve needed.

  “You gave me this little girl.” Tears fall, and I just hold her tightly to me. “I love you, Cam.”

  We sit like this for a long time. Both of us clutching each other almost afraid of the paper magically changing and stating a different outcome. I’m this baby’s father, not Alec. He may have tried to get her pregnant, but it didn’t work. He can kiss his lawsuit goodbye once we submit these test results to the court.

  I think he tried to get her pregnant to keep her. That he figured it all out before then and tried to use that against her. He didn’t take in account that I had been fucking her for months without protection.

  After Cameo falls asleep, I tuck her in and make my way to the nursery. She had been working on it for weeks until Alec served her. It’s almost done, but there are still a few things that she hasn’t gotten. Running my hand over the crib that we redid just for the baby, I think back to when she told me she was pregnant.

  The uncertainty as she tried to figure it all out. Not knowing who the father was and what her next moves were. She was terrified of leaving him but didn’t want to lose me either. We were a fucking mess if anything and I wanted to just hold tightly to her, but she continued to bounce between us, never really settling.

  It wasn’t until he choked her until she passed out that she finally let me save her.

  She finally let me be the safe haven that she ran to when she needed a place to fall.

  Out of the corner of my eye, I see the picture of Cameo and I from the park I took her to while Alec was away on business. It was the day that I figured out that I was in love with her and that I wanted every inch of her to myself. Sure, I didn’t get that wish then, but I do now.

  Picking the photo up from the dresser that she finished last week, I look at it. She’s staring at me like I hold the world in her hands. She’s fucking happy, and that’s all I’ve ever wanted for her. Even if she ended up not choosing me, I would have wanted her to be happy.

  I know I say that now, but I’m pretty sure I would have continued to chase her. I wouldn’t have given her up even if he moved her away to New York. I would have been a damn lovesick fool following them.

  An arm wraps around my stomach, palm flat against my bare skin. “I love that photo.” Her lips press against my back, and I turn to look at her. She looks exhausted and still sexy as hell.

  “Yeah me too.” I set the photo back down and turn around, wrapping my arms around her. Leaning down, I kiss her lips once before picking her up against her will. She tries to fight me a little because she thinks she’s getting too heavy for me to just pick up and carry around. Her belly keeps distance between us, but I don’t even mind it. That’s my little girl in there, and I have some very dirty plans for the woman in my arms.

  She wraps her legs and arms around me and I carry her back into the bedroom. Tonight is going to be all about her. I’m going to make sure she knows how fucking much I love her and there is nothing that will ever come between us.

  “You’re so beautiful,” I murmur as I lay her back on the bed.

  She just rolls her eyes at me like she’s done a million times before and I grin down at her. My hands go to the waistband of her yoga pants and I start to slide them down her legs. I know that as soon as I get to taking her shirt off, she’s going to whine and tell me she’s fat. I don’t see her as fat at all. She’s having a baby, my baby. It just makes her even sexier than before.

  Once I get her yoga pants down her legs and off her feet, she reaches a hand out, grabbing my forearm and pulling me to her. Our mouths collide and I kiss her deeply. It’s been a rough few weeks but feeling her body against mine washes away all the worry and questions.

  Her hands grip the back of my neck, and she holds me close to her while she shoves her tongue back into my mouth. Instead of parting our mouths, I undo my jeans and push them down my thighs quickly so I can slide between her thighs.

  As soon as I enter her tight cunt, I feel like I’m home again. Nothing will ever compare to how this feels. She pulls me closer to her, and I reach down to pull her shirt up and toss it on the ground behind me.

  Her full tits are on display for me, and I can’t help but bury my face into her cleavage. Fuck.

  I slam in and out of her as her fingers dig into the back of my shoulders and she gets me by saying the dirtiest thing I’ve ever heard come from her mouth.

  “Sager, fuck my pussy harder.”

  Not once in the almost year I’ve known her as she ever said the word pussy. I’ve gotten her to say the word fuck a time or two, but this was way fucking better. I thrust my hips harder and angle just enough to hit her G-spot, and it doesn’t take long for her to be screaming out my name as she comes.

  I come right after her and slow my hips as I ride out my orgasm, huffing out breaths as I do. When I look at her, she’s got a grin on her lips and her eyes closed.

  “I missed that,” she whispers.

  “I’ve never heard you say the word pussy but fuck, I want to hear it again.”

  “Pussy.” She giggles after saying it, and I lean forward to press my lips to hers.

  “So fucking hot.” I kiss
her again before pulling her up to the pillows with me and pulling her back to my front so I can spoon her.

  “Why do they call this spooning? I mean I know before long, you’ll be probing me with your thingy, and your fingers will be inside of me.”

  I can’t help but chuckle at that. “You’re right, I’ll end up just forking you instead.” This gets her to roll her eyes at me and push her ass into me. “And it’s my cock that I’ll be probing you with. Unless you like the word dick better?” She wrinkles her nose at me before laying back on the pillow and facing away from me.

  “I don’t like either of those words.”

  “Trust me, I know. Call it a dick and I give you whatever you want.”

  Her body pauses, and I bet she’s thinking of what she wants right about now. “If I say that word, I want to get married before the baby gets here. I don’t want you two to have a different last name.” She doesn’t turn to look at me like she normally would; instead, she continues to look forward while I decide if she really means it.

  Rolling her over, I look in her eyes. I can see the certainty there, and I agree.

  “Deal.”

  Her eyes light up and she squeals before pressing against me and wrapping her arms around my neck, peppering kisses all over my face.

  “I love your dick.” The frown covering her mouth tells me that she still hates the word, but I’ll be getting her to use it more and more. The next time I slide into her sweet cunt, I’ll make her say it again first, and soon it will be like second nature.

  “So fucking hot when you talk dirty.”

  She pushes at my shoulder, and I kiss her lips once more. “You’re so weird.”

  “Yeah, and you’re the one who is stuck with me. Lucky me.” I waggle my eyebrows at her, and she groans, trying to roll over, but I stop her. “So you want to get married before the baby. When do you want to do it?”

  We still have a little over three months before the baby is due and plenty of time to get married. I just need to know what she’s thinking about the whole thing.