Modern Arrangements: Complete Trilogy (Modern Arrangements #1-3)

by Sadie Grubor

  "Good morning." He smiled at Rachel. I watched, through my peripheral vision, as he walked towards me.

  Please don’t touch me. Please don’t touch me. My body will combust.

  If he touched me, I was going to burst into a hormone induced sexual craze. Alex really didn’t need to see that.

  "Good morning." Rachel chimed back.

  "Morning." Alex mumbled around a mouth full of cereal.

  "Didn’t I just tell you not to talk with—?”

  "Sorry." He said before she could finish.

  "I was wondering if I would see you before I left." He stood, smiling down on me with his perfect looks.

  Heat swelled in my chest. As he walked around to the empty chair next to me, he leaned down and kissed the top of my head. I clenched my thighs together, trying to control the heat flowing lower south.

  "Sorry, I was hungry." I said, quickly, turning my attention back to my cereal.

  "Those look good." Aidan stood and got a bowl, joining Alex and I for breakfast. I watched his fine ass the whole damn time, every flexed movement.

  Rachel slid a plate of toast and sat a large pitcher of orange juice on the table. I grabbed a piece of toast and slathered it with the strawberry jam Rachel sat out.

  Taking a huge bite, I was reveling in the strawberry wonderfulness when I heard Alex giggle. Realizing I'd moaned out loud while chewing, the heat in my chest flushed my cheeks. Aidan chuckled next to me.

  "Leave her alone." Rachel scolded both of them. "She’s allowed to be like that. You have no idea what it’s like."

  "Yeah." I said, smacking Aidan’s arm playfully for emphasis. Then I reached out for my orange juice.

  He put his hands up in surrender.

  "Sorry." He grinned and continued to eat his cereal.

  "So, Rachel…"

  "Yes, sir?" She looked up from the counter she was wiping.

  "Do you know how to make chow mien noodles?"

  "I believe I have an Asian recipe book around here somewhere." She began looking around some cabinets.

  "It's okay, Rachel." I said quickly. "Don’t worry about it. I can take care of it." I smiled, apologetically.

  She waved me off and went back to looking around.

  "Whatever the pregnant woman wants, she gets."

  "I couldn’t agree more." Aidan's lips pressed against my temple. "I’ll check in on you later."

  "You don’t have to do that. I'm not an invalid."

  "Just humor me, okay? Those are my babies you've got in there."

  "Okay, okay." I said. "That doesn’t mean I have to like it." I stuck my tongue out.

  He laughed, grabbed his briefcase and left. I huffed.

  "Oh, honey, let him take care of you. It’s the least he can do since he can’t be the pregnant one." She laughed. "And trust me, I would never want to deal with a pregnant Aidan." She shook her head, laughing harder.

  "That bad, huh?" I giggled.

  "Just wait for the first time you experience him when he’s sick." She laughed louder, "he is so whiney." I laughed louder when even Alex concurred with a nod of his head.

  After breakfast, I returned to the bedroom to get dressed for the day. On my way to the closet, I noticed the message light on my phone flashing. Picking it up, I saw a missed call and voicemail from Viola.

  "Lilli, I plan to visit the children's home this afternoon. Give me a call if you would like to join me?"

  I called her back immediately, hoping I didn't miss her. I was relieved when she answered and said she be by in about an hour. Hanging up, I hurried to clean myself up and get dressed.

  While waiting for Viola, I received my first phone call from Aidan.

  "You’ve been gone for barely two hours and you’re already calling me?" I answered.

  "Can you blame me for wanting to make sure you're okay?"

  "I’m at the house, Aidan. What the hell is going to happen that you wouldn’t get a call from someone like, Rachael or Jay?" I rolled my eyes even though he couldn’t see the gesture.

  "Look, I still can't believe your back home. Maybe I just need some reassurance you’re really here. That you aren't still lying in a hospital bed or worse."

  His words were sweet and I was being a bitch. Taking a deep breath, I calm my hormonally intensified emotions. "I’m here, I'm fine. Okay?"

  "Okay." He mumbled. "I love you." The words fell effortlessly, as if he'd always ended our phone calls with the sentiment. Not knowing how to respond, I stayed very quiet.

  "I’ll see you tonight." He said abruptly, hanging up before I could process how those three words made me feel.

  Viola arrived and I slipped into my coat before heading to her waiting car.

  "Good morning." She smiled as I climbed in with her.

  "Morning." I replied.

  "Feeling good?"

  I nodded.

  "Good, I wasn’t sure if you would feel like going with me today after all of your traveling yesterday." She patted my leg as we drove away from the house.

  "Listen, I know shopping isn’t your thing and that you are a little down about things. However, we're all going shopping on Friday. I am taking you and Elora out to buy some things." She smiled so warmly I couldn’t, wouldn’t, dare to refuse her.

  "Thank you." I whispered.

  "Lilli, dear, I know things are crazy right now and everything that has been happening seems to be taking a toll on you, but I want you to know we all love you and are simply trying to make things easier, better, happier for you." She pulled me into a tight embrace. Tears slipped over my cheeks.

  "Oh, Viola, why can’t I be a normal pregnant woman who is excited and glowing?” Close to sobbing, the sadness in Viola’s eyes only made me feel worse. Very abruptly, her eyes hardened into a determined stare.

  "You sure as hell are a normal pregnant woman, Lilli!" She sighed. "I know that this situation is crazier than all hell, but everything you are feeling is normal given everything that has happened. Don’t you see that? How do you think any woman would react?" Her arms held firmly as she started rocking us.

  Wiping at my tear soaked face, I sniffled. "I guess."

  "It’s not a guess. It’s the truth." She said firmly. "It will all come to you in time. Believe me, it will."

  Later that evening, after returning from my day with Viola, I was soaking in the tub again. Aidan hadn’t arrived home yet, but I could smell Rachel cooking. The smell of the food caused my stomach to groan in impatience.

  Climbing out from the tub, panic brought both my hands to cradle my small bump. When I felt it again, a feeling crept throughout my body making my scalp tingle. The fluttering feelings the book discussed, I feel it. They're in there. My babies are moving.

  Chapter Two

  Breathe

  Lilli

  Sitting on the edge of the tub, still naked, tears slipped over my cheeks. Amazement and awe at the fluttering in my abdomen consumed every sense.

  "Lilli?" I faintly heard my name called. "Lilli! Are you okay? What’s wrong?"

  I jumped when Aidan burst into the bathroom rushing to my side. Realizing I was still naked, I grabbed for my robe and pulled it up over the front of my body.

  "Christ, Aidan!" The startled expletive left my lips before I could think.

  "Are you okay? What’s wrong?" He crouched down on the floor in front of me, panic flooding his words and features.

  "Nothing is wrong." I took a deep breath. "Have you ever heard of knocking?"

  "I yelled for you, but you didn’t answer me." He looked at me warily. "Are you sure you are okay? You were holding your stomach and crying."

  "I’m fine." I put one hand on his shoulder, the other still holding the towel over my chest. "It was the first time I could feel them. That’s all, so nothing—"

  "You can feel them?" His eyes widened. His hands went to my stomach. "Can I feel? Are they still moving?" Aidan kept looking from my face to my stomach, looking like a kid on his birthday.

  "I don’t th
ink so. It was more like an inside feeling. I think it's still too soon to feel movement from the outside." I slowly stood and slipped into the robe.

  "Where are you going?" He stood up when I started to walk away.

  "To get dressed." I said over my shoulder.

  His presence crowded my back, before his arms slipped under my knees and back.

  "Aidan!"

  "I got you." He said, carrying me toward the bed and lay me down.

  "What are you..?" Before I could finish, he laid on the bed next to me. With the robe pulled open, his hands went to the small bare bump.

  "Shh." He said as he caressed my bare stomach with his smooth hand. "Tell me when they move again."

  I laughed.

  "It could take forever for them to move again and I'm starving." I started to roll away.

  Aidan pressed me down into the bed.

  "Stay here." He gave me a stern look and rolled away, grabbing the phone from the side table.

  "Hey Rachel, could you have dinner brought up here tonight?"

  "Aidan, we can go down—"

  "Thanks, Rachel." He hung up. "Dinner is on its way." He smirked. "Now, tell me if they move around again.

  I sigh but relent, laying down while waiting for the food.

  "Hey." Aidan’s voice was just a whisper. I looked down realizing he wasn’t talking to me. "How are you doing in there?" His lips were so close to my belly I could feel the every warm breath against my skin. "I’m your daddy."

  Then I felt it.

  "Did you feel it?" I asked. He shook his head, looking frustrated. "I told you it would probably take some time."

  He sighed. "Yeah, I guess."

  The knock at the door pulled Aidan's attention from my stomach. He stood and went to answer the door. I covered my stomach back up and this time he allowed me to sit up.

  Jay pushed a cart in with food on it.

  "Sorry, Jay." I gave him my best apologetic look. "I told lazy, here, that we could go down to the table."

  He smiled. "It is perfectly fine, Mrs. Iverson." He turned to Aidan. "Will that be all, sir?"

  "Yes. Thank you, Jay." Jay closed the door upon his exit. Aidan made two plates of food and brought them to the bed, handing me one.

  "Thank you." I said.

  "You are very welcome." He sat next to me, his own plate in his hands.

  Acting as if I'd never seen a plate of food before, I shoveled large forkfuls into my greedy mouth.

  "So, you going to tell me what’s going on with you?" Aidan spoke with a serious tone.

  I shrugged, putting another bite in my mouth.

  "Lilli, please talk to me. I-I don’t think I can take the distance between us much longer." He looked down, defeated and not touching his food.

  Taking a deep breath, I put down my plate and turned to him.

  "I’m sorry." I whispered. "I really don’t mean to…well, to distance myself. I just…" I furrowed my brow.

  "Look, I know everything that happened really stressed you out and it's still eating at you. I understand, honestly, I do." He took a breath. "I…I just miss you." He whispered.

  I didn’t know what to say. Still feeling a little apprehensive, I stayed silent.

  "Knowing you're so unhappy about being pregnant crushes me. But, you not telling me what you feel…kills me."

  I placed my hand on his forearm, drawing his attention toward me. He looked up and met my eyes.

  "It’s hard, Aidan. I'm the suffer-in-silence type of person."

  "Please, tell me." Aidan put his plate on the bed and placed his left hand on mine.

  "There are a lot of feelings going on right now." I bit my lip and looked away from him.

  He grabbed my plate and moved it away from me. He, then, lightly grasped my chin, holding my face to his.

  "You can tell me anything." His eyes, pleading for answers, bore into mine.

  One deep breath in, I blew out and began.

  "I feel betrayed, naive, foolish, hurt, angry, nervous, scared. Hell, I’m just so unsure of everything…including myself."

  "I’m sorry." He pulled me into his arms. "It’s my fault you are in all of this. You have to be regretting every second of this agreement. But, Lilli." He pulled back, looking into my eyes once more, "don’t think for one second that I do. I could never…regret you. You are my life. They are my life." He pressed his hand against my stomach.

  "I love you, Lilli." He paused, watching my reaction. "You don’t have to say it back. I understand your hesitation, but please know that I have loved you for a while now. Falling for you was way too easy. And, it happened faster than anything I have ever experienced. I am not lying, nor do I have an alternative agenda, when I tell you that I love you." His lips brushed mine gently and I returned the kiss.

  Aidan cupped my face with his hand, slowly deepening the kiss. His hand ghosted over my skin, resting on my right breast, causing me to moan in his mouth. Pushing the terry cloth robe aside, he embraced my breast lovingly before he found my nipple and began to rub.

  Moaning louder, he laid me back and moved his lips over my chin, neck and down, taking my nipple into the warmth of his mouth. Gripping his hair firmly with my right hand, his tongue worked magically over the hard tip.

  "I love you." He whispered as he moved his lips up to my collarbone and his hand slid down over the baby bump to between my thighs. "I want you." He growled, slipping two fingers inside.

  "Oh God." I moaned, dropping my head back onto the pillows.

  "Not God…Aidan." He growled. "Mmm…you're so wet." Panting against my neck, he rubbed his clothed hard-on against my thigh.

  He continued to work me over with his wonderful fingers, building a wonderful coiling tension inside me.

  Heavily breathing and moaning from every touch, he brought his thumb to my sensitive, swollen bundle of nerves and the wonderful coil sprung loose in to molten waves of ecstasy.

  "Watching you cum for me is nearly as good as feeling you cum around me." He growled, slipping his fingers from me to unbutton his pants.

  As he situated between my legs, he pressed his full, hard cock at my entrance. Unable to wait, I shifted my hips upward. He slid inside me, dropping his head to my chest. And, when I wrapped my legs around him, he moaned into the valley of skin between my breasts.

  Staying propped on his elbows, to avoid lying on my stomach, he began to thrust in and out slowly.

  "God, Lilli, I've missed you; your scent, moans, your taste, I’ve missed you so much!" He moved faster, causing his name to fall from my lips in pleasure filled whimpers.

  Moving onto his knees, without breaking rhythm, he pulled my legs up and pumped into me harder, faster. I screamed as my release consumed my body again. And, with a guttural moan, he followed.

  That night we fell asleep together, Aidan’s arms around me as the babies fluttered at random intervals.

  I woke in the middle of the night needing to pee for the thousandth time. Groaning, I climbed out of bed, pulling my robe around me tightly. One step forward and I lost all balance. Feeling dizzy and unsteady, I put my hand out to grab for support, but only found the side table as I fell to the floor.

  "Lilli!" Aidan yelled, jumping out of bed and kneeling beside me. "Fuck, what happened? Are you okay?"

  Not sure why, but I couldn’t help but laugh. Maybe I was just laughing at myself, maybe I was just so tired I was delirious. Or, maybe, it was naked and panicked Aidan, I’m not sure. All I knew was that I couldn't stop laughing.

  "This isn’t funny." He scolded. "Are you hurt?"

  I shook my head. "No." I was trying to swallow giggles, but they kept escaping. I started to stand up and Aidan held to me tightly.

  "Are you sure?"

  "Aidan, I’m fine." Grabbing his face, I gave him a serious face and then began to giggle once more. "I just lost my balance. I must have gotten up too quickly."

  "Where were you going?" He asked, concerned.

  "The bathroom, which reminds me…" Walki
ng around him toward the bathroom, he followed. I turned around at the bathroom door. "Thank you, Aidan, but I can pee by myself." I caressed his cheek before going into the bathroom and closing the door behind me.

  When I emerged from the bathroom, Aidan was standing next to the door. He had pajama pants on now. Smiling at him, I headed for the bedroom door.

  "What are you doing?" He grabbed my arm lightly.

  "I’m hungry." I shrugged.

  "I’ll get it. What do you want?" He moved in front of me quickly.

  "Go back to bed. You have to work in the morning." I was tired and hungry, which made me speak harsher than I intended.

  "I don’t need sleep. You go back to the bed and I will get you—"

  "I’m not even sure what I want, so I’ll just go down and look." I kissed his cheek and started to go around him. He stopped me, again.

  "I’ll be damned if you fall down those fucking steps because you get dizzy again." He barked.

  I took a deep breath and prayed I didn't bite his head off. "I will have to go up and down those stairs eventually. It’s fine."

  "No.” He pulled me back to bed and sat me down. I didn’t fight him. "What do you want?"

  "Umm…a peanut butter and jelly sandwich." I smiled, excited and salivating.

  "So, that’s just bread with peanut butter and jelly on it, right?"

  I was dumbstruck and staring at him with my mouth hanging open.

  "What?" He shifted nervously. "Am I wrong?"

  "Aidan Iverson, have you never had a peanut butter and jelly sandwich before?"

  He rubbed the back of his head.

  "I, uh, heard of them in college, and I believe I've seen Rachael make them for Alex." He shrugged.

  "Oh, dear lord!" Standing up, I walked toward the door.

  "I can do it." He protested.

  "There is no way I'm leaving my craving to an inexperienced chef." I teased, reaching the top of the stairs. Aidan quickly wrapped an arm around my waist to help me down stairs.

  Once we got to the kitchen, I went straight for the peanut butter in the pantry.

  "Get a plate and knife, please. A butter knife." I quickly amended.

  I could hear him rustling around the kitchen drawers while I grabbed the bread and peanut butter. One my way toward Aidan, I stopped and grabbed the jelly out of the refrigerator.