The Rhythm of My Heart

by Velvet Reed

  As she lies beneath me, and our bodies join as one, I murmur sweet words of love and devotion. We move together in a slow, languid pace, our lips brushing and tongues flicking in a dance as old as time. My senses are overwhelmed by the intense emotions our union is creating; by the sounds that Gracie is giving me in return, I know she’s as close as I am.

  The clenching of her muscles around my cock and ragged breaths she expels tell me that Grace’s falling over the edge into a heavenly state of bliss. As I move within her a few more times, the sensual waves of pleasure crash over me and I join her in our combined ecstasy.

  When my pleasure-induced haze lifts, I slowly pull out and roll to the bed beside her. Kissing the corner of her lips, I tell her again, “I love you with everything I am, Grace Rivers.” And I’m rewarded with a brilliant smile.

  “I love you more, Cole,” she replies, and then buries her face into my neck as I trail lazy fingers along her spine. The love of my life is back in my arms and I’m never letting her go, ever again.

  Chapter 38

  I stare at her picture beside my bed.

  Pregnant...

  She’s fucking pregnant with that uppity asshole’s kid.

  It should be my baby growing inside her, my cock sinking into her sweet pussy every night.

  Doesn’t matter... She’ll be mine... I’ll make sure of it.

  There’s no way that cocksucker’s going to have her.

  I’ll sort the kid issue out later, but for now, he needs to be taken out of the picture.

  There’s no way I’ll sit back and watch him get a ring on her finger.

  She’s mine. Fucking mine… and nothing’s going to stop me from making her realize that.

  They all think he’s Mr. Wonderful... Mr. Fucking Perfect. We’ll see how wonderful and perfect he is when he’s six-feet under.

  Nope. No one’s gonna stop me; no one’s gonna stand in my way. No one gets between me and my prize.

  For now, I’ll sit back and bide my time. I’ll make him feel insecure, make him fear the unknown, and when the opportunity comes, I’ll strike.

  Yeah... You’ll get yours Dr. Cole fucking Tierney.

  Turning to her picture again, I pick it up with my left hand and grab hold of my hard cock with my right. As I look at her face, I tug my length. I study her creamy skin, the swell of her fuckable tits, the sparkle in her eyes, and her smile. She stares back at me.

  I quicken my pace and use my thumb to rub the pre-cum around the head of my throbbing cock. I can feel it building.

  Those eyes speak to me. They tell me how much she loves me; how much she wants me.

  My balls tighten, my grip on my cock tightens, and with one last pull, I come hard all over her picture.

  The tension leaves my body as I use my fingers to smear my seed all over her, marking my territory.

  I bring the frame closer to my face, and as she continues to stare into my soul, I lick the length of her body and place a kiss on her head.

  Let the fucking games begin...

  Chapter 39

  Grace….

  Falling back into our usual routine was incredibly easy. Having discussed everything with Cole about the Miranda situation, I now have a clear understanding of everything that happened. When I asked why he ran to her side when I punched her, he told me that his first thoughts where to placate her, so she didn’t press charges against me. He also went onto to tell me that, in fact, she did make that threat later, and he threatened her, in turn, that he would make a sexual harassment complaint against her with the hospital board. She quickly backed down and walked away with her tail between her legs.

  Cole’s obvious joy and excitement about the baby is palpable. Since our reunion last week, we have been together every second. He’s constantly fussing over me, touching my stomach whenever he can, and kissing and whispering sweet words to our little miracle. His possessive and protective instincts have gone into overdrive.

  Lying here beside him in bed, his arm wrapped around my stomach with his hand splayed across it, is pure bliss. He sleeps this way every night that we spend together, and it’s the position he stays in all night long. When I roll over or move trying to get more comfortable, he moves with me and his hand immediately finds its place back on my belly. If I didn’t love it so much, it would be very annoying.

  Knowing that my full bladder will burst if I don’t get to the bathroom soon, I try to move out from under his arm without disturbing him, but it proves to be a futile effort. His arm tightens around my waist, pulling me back into his chest; after he places a kiss to my shoulder, he sleepily mumbles, “Where do you think you’re going?”

  “To the bathroom, unless you want me to pee all over you,” I reply.

  “All right, but hurry back to me.”

  As I start to move away from Cole, I feel a sharp jab near my belly button and instantly freeze. “Did you feel that?” I ask Cole.

  “Feel what?”

  “I think the baby just moved,” I excitedly reply, and Cole’s instantly wide awake and sitting up beside me.

  “Where? Quick, move back and let me feel,” he practically yells, and pushes me back onto the bed, so I’m lying flat on my back beside him.

  I can’t help the laughter that erupts from me. “Seriously, Cole, I’ll let you feel it; there’s no need to manhandle me.”

  “I’m sorry, baby,” he says, as he runs both hands over my stomach methodically, waiting for the next movement. “I just don’t want to miss it.”

  A second movement, just above where Cole’s hand is, has me smiling widely. “There, did you feel it?” I ask again.

  “Where? Where?” Cole screeches, his eyes frantically searching.

  Oh, my God, he’s hilarious. I’m laughing at him again, and his brow furrows in frustration. “Stop laughing and just show me where, Gracie. It’s not fair that you get to feel it and I don’t.”

  I swear he looks like he’s about two seconds away from stamping his feet like a kid who didn’t get what he wanted. However, knowing that this is a special moment, I reach for his hand and place it over the spot where the baby moved. Cole waits patiently for a minute then leans down to my stomach. “Come on, little one. Give Mommy a good kick. It’s your daddy here, and I’m telling you that it’s okay to kick Mommy really hard so I can feel it.”

  I shake my head at his words but don’t say anything, as he continues to give our child permission to kick me.

  “You can do it, little one. Just kick her or punch her really, really hard,” he implores.

  “Cole, I’m right here, you know. Our child isn’t even born yet, and you’re encouraging violence,” I joke in mock sternness.

  Cole continues to ignore me, leaning in to place a kiss on my stomach. The second that his lips meet my skin, the baby gives the hardest kick yet.

  “Holy shit! Did you feel that, Gracie? He did it; he kicked me. I felt him move,” Cole excitedly exclaims.

  The fact that my intelligent, medically trained boyfriend is acting like a child on Christmas morning over feeling our baby move for the first time makes me fall in love with him a little more.

  Gazing up at me with eyes full of awe and wonder, Cole’s smile is almost blinding in his euphoric state. Leaving one hand on my belly, he reaches out with the other and takes my hand. Then his expression changes to something more serious and determined.

  “Marry me, Gracie.”

  I stare at him completely dumbfounded. Where the hell did that come from? I mean, we‘ve never even discussed marriage; we’ve only been back together a week. As much as I love Cole, this is too soon; I certainly don’t want him marrying me out of some moral obligation because of the baby.

  “Gracie, will you marry me?” he asks again, and I know that I’m about to hurt him with my reply.

  Reaching my hand out I cup the side of his face and say, “I can’t, Cole.” He closes his eyes and shakes his head; his shoulders sag with my rejection.

  “Why not?” he asks.


  “I… I don’t want you to feel like you have to marry me because of the baby. It doesn’t have to be that way.”

  “I didn’t ask you because of the baby, Gracie, but of course, it makes perfect sense that we become a real family,” he quickly replies.

  “Cole, we’ve never even discussed marriage before. We only just got back together. Now’s not the time to make a decision like that without thinking it through.”

  “What’s to think about? You love me, I love you; we’re going to have a baby. We should get married,” he says.

  “Listen to me. Yes, we love each other, but you just felt our baby move for the first time, and I think you’ve been so overcome by emotion that you just blurted that out without even thinking about it.”

  We remain quiet for a few minutes both lost in our own thoughts. Cole has always been so romantic and thoughtful about our relationship, so with him just asking me without any forethought, it just doesn’t feel right.

  “Okay,” He finally says, breaking the silence.

  “Okay?”

  I can see the disappointment in his eyes when they connect with mine. “Well, I can’t say I’m not upset that you said no, so how about a compromise?”

  I study him for a second trying to gage on what he intends to compromise. “What exactly did you have in mind?” I ask cautiously.

  He kisses my stomach a few more times, and then raises his face to look at me. “If you won’t marry me… yet,” he smirks and continues. “Then move in with me.”

  I go to speak, but he stops me by placing a finger over my mouth. “Just hear me out, okay. I mean you stay here at least three times a week anyway and I’ve stayed at your house this week too. It seems pointless to keep running back and forth to each other. I want to take care of you and the baby, Gracie. I want to come home to you at the end of each day. I want to wrap you in my arms every night and wake up with you there every morning. I don’t want to go a single day without seeing you, I did that for a month and I won’t do it again.”

  He trails his finger down my face. “I love you, Sweet Cheeks. Please move in with me.”

  Now, that’s a proposal I can accept, so I don’t hesitate in giving him my answer. “Yes, I’ll move in with you, baby. I want all those things, too. Just promise me one thing though, Cole.”

  “Anything,” he quickly replies.

  “Let’s just hold off on the marriage stuff, okay. Thanksgiving is less than a month away; by the time we organize my moving in and what I’m going to do with my house, Christmas will be here. Let’s enjoy the holidays and watching me get fat.”

  “I can deal with that, but I will be revisiting that topic, Gracie, sooner rather than later. And just so you know, you’re not going to get fat. You’re going to be the most beautiful pregnant woman the world has ever seen.” Then kissing my belly for the millionth time he says, “Isn’t that right, little one? Isn’t your mommy the most beautiful woman in the world?” And of course, our little miracle chooses that moment to kick again as if in reply to its daddy’s question.

  Cole’s face lights up with sheer happiness. “See, he already agrees with his daddy.”

  I raise my eyebrows in question. “He?”

  “Yeah, he’s definitely a boy. Trust me,” he smirks.

  “Well, if you’re right, then I’m in serious trouble.” I laugh and Cole joins in.

  Marrying Cole is, definitely, what I want, but for now, making a home together, watching our baby grow, and completely rebuilding our relationship so that it can survive anything, is the priority. Right now, as we plan to move forward, I couldn’t be happier with the way my life is heading.

  I’m twenty-two weeks pregnant. It’s a very surreal feeling being this far along in my pregnancy when I only took the home pregnancy test eight weeks ago. I already have a good-sized baby bump sticking out in front and thankfully, maternity clothes aren’t too bad, especially since it’s November and the weather has changed.

  We’ve been busy the last few days organizing my move into Cole’s house and deciding whether to sell mine or rent it out. As much as I love my cozy little house, Cole’s house is bigger; with the pool and deck, it’s better for entertaining and having family over. Making his house our home wasn’t even a decision we had to discuss. And as luck would have it, Allison had overheard Cole talking about my place this morning and has asked about it because her lease has run out and she has been looking for somewhere else. So now, we’ll be keeping my house and renting it to Allison. It’s the perfect solution for everyone.

  Because I’m leaving everything but my personal items at my house, it hasn’t taken me long to pack everything up. Dad has given me a few days off to get it done, and after Thanksgiving next week, we’ll be having a big moving weekend. Cole and his family, my dad, Charlie, and Ashley are all helping move my stuff first; then, we’re helping Allison as she only has her mom and younger brother to lend a hand. We should get it done in no time.

  Closing the lid on the final box, I check the time and realize I had better leave if I’m going to make my appointment with Sam at the hospital. I really hope Cole can be there so he can see our baby for the first time.

  I’m lying on the exam bed and Sam’s about to start the ultrasound, but there’s no sign of Cole yet. I really thought he’d be here but I guess he’s busy in the ER.

  “I really need to start, Gracie,” Sam says, looking apologetic.

  “I know. It’s just upsetting that he’ll only get to see the pictures again, you know,” I reply, and I can feel the prickling at the back of my eyes. My damn hormones are all over the place.

  “We’ll make certain the rest of your appointments are on a Friday; that way he’ll have the day off and won’t miss them.”

  “I guess we should have thought of that, huh?” I chuckle. “Okay, let’s do this.”

  Sam squeezes the gel onto my stomach, and just as he’s about to start, the door flies open and my gorgeous man hurries in, face flustered and breathing heavily like he just ran all the way here. “Did I miss it?” he asks wide-eyed and panicked.

  Tension, which I didn’t realize I had, falls away and a bright smile of relief and joy forms. “You’re just in time,” I tell him, and he huffs out his own relieved breath.

  “Thank God. I was so worried I missed it,” he says, as he takes the seat beside me, laces our fingers together, and leans forward to give me a soft, sweet kiss.

  “Cutting it fine there, buddy,” Sam smirks.

  “Yeah, well, I just spent the last half-hour extracting a marble from a kid’s nose. Something, I guarantee, this little one won’t do.”

  “Kids are full of surprises, Cole; never say never,” I tell him.

  “Nope! Our little one is going to be perfect.” He smiles and kisses my forehead.

  The amazing sound of our baby’s heartbeat fills the room, and Cole is rendered speechless. I lie still watching him intently as he absorbs what he’s hearing.

  “The heartbeat is nice and strong,” Sam informs us.

  I squeeze Cole’s hand; he turns and looks at me, his eyes full of wonder.

  “Looks like we have a thumb sucker,” Sam says, breaking Cole and me out of our trance. “See there.” He points to the screen where we can see the baby’s head and the hand up to its mouth. “We’ve got a really good position today, if you guys want to find out the baby’s gender.”

  Cole is completely transfixed by the images on the screen. He hasn’t uttered a word since Sam started, so I’m constantly glancing between my beautiful little baby and the man I love beside me. What on earth is he thinking?

  He then turns to me his eyes brimming with tears. “We did that,” he says. “That precious little baby is ours, Gracie. It’s really ours.” Suddenly he’s up out of his seat, grabbing my face and kissing me with so much passion and love that I’m left breathless. When he finally pulls back, he leans his forehead against mine. “I love you so damn much, Sweet Cheeks. You really have no idea how much I lov
e you.”

  Grabbing hold of his wrists, I gaze into his eyes where a few tears have managed to escape. “I love you too, baby… So much.”

  A minute goes by and Cole moves back to his seat. “Do you want to know the sex, Gracie? I can already tell since our child seems to have no modesty at all, but if you don’t want to know, I’ll do my best to keep it a secret.”

  I really hadn’t thought about if I wanted to know the sex or not. I don’t think I do, but it’s going to be really hard for Cole, and even Sam, not to slip up in the next eighteen weeks. Actually, it might be fun watching them try to keep this secret. “No, I think I’ll wait to be surprised at the birth.” I smirk.

  “Really?” Cole asks, probably knowing full well that he’s going to struggle not to tell me.

  “Yep, really.” I smile innocently.

  When Sam’s finished everything, he needs to do, and I’m given the all clear that everything’s progressing along perfectly, Cole and I leave the office. He’s still gazing at the ultrasound picture of the baby sucking its thumb as we get in the elevator hand in hand. “We’re really having a baby, Gracie,” he says, his voice full of emotion again.

  “I know. It’s amazing and scary, isn’t it?”

  Turning me so I’m facing him, he wraps one arm around my waist and with his lips almost touching mine, he breathes. “It’s amazing, but I’m not scared because, with you by my side, I know I can do anything. And I promise you, Gracie; I promise you and our little one, right here and now, I will do everything I can to be the best dad there is.”

  “I know you will, Cole,” I confirm, and I place my hand over his heart while I stand on the tip of my toes to kiss my amazing man.

  When the elevator comes to a halt and the doors open, we step into the corridor. “Are you going to be at home or your place tonight?” he asks, and my heart pulses quickly like it does every time he refers to his place as our home.

  “I finished packing the last of my stuff this morning, so I’ll be at home waiting for you.”