"Hey Johnny!" I called back excitedly. We quickly stepped over to him. "How's it going?"
"Good. I'm glad you're here now. I don't know anybody else, so I found a spot where I'm most comfortable- by the bar," he laughed. I realized I didn't know anyone else either. I was sure over half the room was filled with Ben's father's business friends.
"Not a bad place to be," said Todd. "What would you like?" he asked me.
I batted my lashes at him. "You know what I like."
He grinned as he stepped up, ordering our drinks.
I turned back to Johnny. "So Tyler and Alice seem to be doing really well, what do you think?"
They were the two new bartenders we hired. We hired.
"Yeah, they're great. And so are you. You have lifted quite a burden off me," he smiled.
I curtsied playfully. "Well thank you, I do what I can."
Todd stepped back over, handing me my drink. The three of us continued talking for a while about the bar until we heard a commotion at the front of the room. People started clapping; Ben and Lacey stood hand in hand with huge smiles on their faces.
"To the couple of the hour!" a man called out. We all raised our glasses. "To my son, Ben and his future wife, Lacey!"
Aw, she looked so happy. My heart tightened in my chest. I touched Todd's glass with mine. "Cheers, babe."
I watched as they made their way around the room, talking to all their guests. She looked so beautiful in a dark blue fitted dress. I couldn't wait to talk to her, and see her ring. I looked down at my own empty finger. I wasn't sure how I felt about that. Marriage was not something I was going to enter into lightly, as I had already been engaged once before. But I just knew Todd and I were meant for each other. My magnet. We had so far successfully avoided the conversation, but I knew it was only a matter of time. Especially after our best friends just did it.
I caught Lacey's eye as she wrapped up a conversation with someone. She smiled as she quickly made her way over.
"Hey, thanks for coming," she said.
"That's what she said," laughed Todd. He just couldn't help himself, could he?
I smacked his arm playfully.
Ben walked over, shaking his head. "What else would we expect from you?"
Todd shrugged sheepishly. I mouthed, "I'm sorry," to Lacey. I knew she had warmed up to him, but she also wasn't his biggest fan.
She pulled me to the side, away from the guys. "I was wondering if you would be my maid of honor?" she asked, biting her lip.
My face lit up and I literally started bouncing. "Oh my gosh, yes! I would love to!" I was incredibly honored and excited to be a part of their day. We had grown so close over the past six months, and everything had fallen so well into place.
She beamed. "Thank you, that means a lot. You know, you're partly responsible for us getting back together." My mind flashed back to her crying on my couch. Now here she was, engaged. It was hard to believe that had ever happened. And that was the night Todd first knew that he loved me. I grinned at the thought.
"Well you're partly responsible for us being together," I smiled, pointing my thumb back at Todd. "But I won't hold that against you."
She burst out laughing, catching the attention of the guys.
"What's so funny?" Todd asked.
"Nothing," we responded in unison, causing us to giggle even more. We stepped back over to the group.
I winked at Todd. He winked back at me, motioning with his drink toward the entrance of the room. I eyed him suspiciously; what was he trying to tell me?
He stepped over, whispering in my ear. "Want a tour?"
The muscles of my belly clenched. His words were innocent, but his tone was anything but. I peeked up at him, biting my lip.
"Sure."
He grinned down at me, taking my hand. Luckily, the others were distracted as we left the room.
"I spent countless nights here in high school. I think I still know my way around." He walked with such a smooth confidence, I had almost forgotten we weren't really supposed to be doing this.
"So what do you want to show me?" I asked. "Do they have a basketball court or indoor swimming pool?"
He laughed. "No, not quite. They have a pool, but it's outside. I was actually wanting to show you the guest room I used to stay in."
We walked together up the stairs to the second floor. All I could see ahead of me was a long hallway with doors every few feet. How many rooms did this place have?
"You're looking at the maid of honor, by the way," I said, squeezing his hand.
"Oh yeah? Well that's perfect, because you're looking at the best man," he smiled.
"Really? That really is perfect!" I exclaimed. I instantly pictured him walking me down the aisle. My heart leapt at the thought.
He grinned at me as he pushed one of the many doors open. Again, it was a typical guest room: bed, sitting chair, dresser. I stepped in, looking around.
"My, this is really something. I can tell why you wanted me to see it so bad," I teased.
He chuckled. "It does look a bit different. They've obviously done some updating. If I remember correctly, the bedding used to be a dark plaid."
I climbed onto the bed, laying down on the white and lilac comforter, and staring up at the ceiling. "So you used to sleep here, huh?"
He smiled, climbing in next to me, looking up as well. His pinky looped with mine.
"Yeah, isn't it comfy?"
"So comfy," I replied, laughing. I inhaled deeply, just enjoying a sweet moment alone with him.
"So," he said, turning on his side to face me. "Want to add upstairs at a party to your list?"
His eyes were filled with desire as he slid his hand up my thigh and under my dress. I tilted my head back, smiling. Were we really going to do this?
"Are you sure no one will come looking for us?" I asked as his hand reached the apex, stroking me through my panties.
"I would imagine not. It looks like all their staff are working the party," he said, dotting my neck with kisses.
I was quickly being convinced as his fingers slid under my panties, rubbing my spot head on. I clamped my hand over my mouth, trying to quiet my moans. Todd snickered as he pushed himself up above me, giving him even more leverage to press me.
"I'm just doing this to get you good and ready," he whispered in my ear. "We need to be quick, so I'm going to fuck you now. Hard and fast. Is that ok?"
I gripped the bedding below me. "Mm-hmm," was all I could say.
He withdrew his hand, leaving me wanting more. I propped myself up on my elbows as he stood, pulling down his pants. His eyes never left mine. I could feel my breathing becoming harsh and irregular. He pulled me toward him, standing me up to face the bed. I was excited and nervous at the same time. The anticipation was building quickly. His hands pulled up my dress, folding it up over itself. He quickly forced my panties to the floor as he bent me over. I laid with my chest on the bed, my head turned sideways. His hand gripped my ass as the other positioned his dick at my entrance. I cried out as he shoved himself into me, causing me to immediately cover my mouth.
He started pounding into me quickly; my thighs banged relentlessly up against the edge of the bed. He had both hands gripping my waist, pulling me closer so he could go deeper and deeper. I buried my face in the blankets and gripped them tightly. My muscles clenched deliciously around him as he moved. He knew how to hit my spots perfectly.
He bent down over me, brushing my hair to one side and kissing my shoulder sweetly. I savored the soft touch of his lips contrasting the harsh grip of his fingers. I had almost forgotten we were at someone else's house, and there was the possibility of someone finding us. I felt my pulse start to race. I was nervous but it was feeling so fucking good. I found my feelings of anxiety being pushed aside and replaced with the pleasure. I suddenly got to a point where I didn't care if someone were to walk in or hear us. I wanted to come, and I wanted to make him come more than anything.
Harder and deeper he c
ontinued to thrust, until I felt his fingers tighten their grip further. I knew he was close, and so was I. I closed my eyes, just feeling him inside of me, allowing all the sensations to take over. The pleasure was building and building until I burst, my orgasm crashing through my body. I lay limply below him as he yelled out, finding his own release. I smiled as he bent in half over me, breathing raggedly into my shoulder.
I let him recover for a few moments before saying, "We should probably get back."
He laughed softly, pressing his lips to my skin. "I guess you're right."
We slowly stood, stepping back into our clothes. I eyed myself in the dresser mirror. Oh god, I needed to fix my hair before going back out there. I ran my fingers through it, trying to calm the wayward strands as Todd fixed the comforter. I turned to face him, wrapping my arms around his neck and kissing him deeply.
"I love you so much," I smiled. "That was fun."
He winked at me. "I love you too," he replied, turning me toward the door and smacking my ass playfully.
I cried out. "Hey!" He shot me his adorable grin as we stepped back out into the hallway.
My anxiety returned as we entered the party room. Could you see it on my face? Was my dress sitting right? I tried to casually walk back to where we had been standing before.
"Oh my god, where have you been?" Lacey cried, a look of concern in her eyes.
Oh shit. We'd been busted.
"I, uh, we just, uh went for a tour," I stumbled.
She gave me an incredulous look. "Well your phone has been ringing off the hook from your purse. I silenced it, but you have a bunch of missed calls from Carrie," she said, handing me my purse.
Crap. I reached in, grabbing my phone. Seven missed calls.
"Is everything ok?" Todd asked.
"I don't know," I said. "I'm gonna go step out and call her."
He nodded seriously as I walked quickly to an unoccupied room down the hall. I pressed the button to call her back. She answered on the first ring.
"Shannon?" she said frantically.
"Hey, sorry I missed your calls. I'm at an engagement party and didn't have my purse." Hey, that was the truth. Maybe not the whole truth.
"My water broke. I'm in labor," she cried. "And Greg is out of town for work!"
Holy shit. This was not at all what I had expected. I could hear the panic in her voice. "But you're not due for another three weeks, right? Are you sure it's really what that is?"
"Well unless I'm continuously peeing myself, then yes, I'm sure," she snapped.
I brushed her words aside. I knew needed to stay calm for her. "Ok, ok. Where are you now?" I asked. I had no idea what to say. I didn't have any experience with this. I found myself pacing around the room.
"I'm still at home, but I'm about ready to leave to go to the hospital. Greg is trying to get a flight back, but who knows when he'll be here," she sobbed.
"Hey, it's ok. He'll be there. Don't worry," I soothed.
She paused. "Shannon, I need you. Will you come here? Please?"
I tried to process my shock quickly, not wanting to seem like I was hesitating. Despite all our recent conflict, she was my sister. "Of course. I'll be there as soon as I can. I'm going to go pack a bag and get on the road."
She let out a sigh of relief. "Thank you, Shannon."
"You're welcome. I'll see you soon."
I quickly hung up and hurried back to the party. I caught Todd's eye, and waved for him to come to me.
"What's going on?" he asked.
"Carrie's in labor. And Greg is out of town. She wants me to go to her," I said.
His eyes widened in surprise. "Of course. Here, let's get going," he said, placing his empty glass on a table.
I quickly found Lacey. I felt bad interrupting her conversation, but I needed to hurry. I tugged lightly on her elbow.
"What's up?" she asked.
"I'm so sorry, but we have to get going. My sister is in labor."
"Oh my gosh, of course," she cried, wrapping me in a hug. "Thank you for coming today."
"You're welcome, sweetie. I'll talk to you soon!" I said, rushing back to Todd.
He placed his hand at the small of my back. "Ready?" he asked earnestly.
I nodded. "Ready," I replied. And out the door we went.
Chapter 22
We pulled up in front of the hospital. I turned to face Todd in the driver's seat. "Ok, so you're sure you're ok with hanging at my parents' house for a while?"
He smiled. "Absolutely. You go take care of your sister," he said.
"Why are you so good to me?" I asked, kissing him deeply. "I love you."
"I love you too."
"I'll keep you posted," I called as I climbed out of the car.
He winked at me as I shut the door. I smiled, watching him pull off. Really, he was so great and incredibly supportive. But it was time to shift gears. I needed to focus on my sister.
I ran inside, trying to find my way to the maternity ward. I absolutely hated hospitals. There was an air of death and sickness about them. But the labor and delivery unit was so different, almost like a hotel. There were wooden floors and sweet pictures of babies hanging on the walls. It really did help me relax a bit. Not that I was the one that needed relaxing. I walked cautiously into Carrie's room, not really sure what to expect. I heard her moaning in pain. I stood frozen for a moment. Oh god, could I handle this?
"Carrie?" I said quietly as I stepped around a curtain.
Her face lit up. "Oh Shannon, it's so good to see you!" she cried. She looked absolutely miserable, and her hair was a sweaty mess. She had straps and wires sprouting from her in all directions.
"How are you doing?" I asked, bending over to hug her.
Her hand moved to her face as she started to cry. "I'm so scared. I don't know if I can do this. I wasn't prepared for this to happen today."
I rubbed my hand on her arm, attempting to sooth her. "Shh, it's ok. You can do this. Yes, there was a slight change in plans, but little Grace decided today was her birthday."
She laughed feebly. "Thank you. Thank you so much for coming."
"Of course," I responded. I took a seat in the chair adjacent to her bed. I had barely sat down when she started yelling, causing me to jump back up.
"Oh god, here comes another contraction!" she cried out.
I watched her face contort in pain as she gripped her blankets tightly. I felt my mouth fall open. Oh my god. Was it supposed to be like this? Was it supposed to hurt this bad? I looked around the room, as if the answer to what I was supposed to do was in there somewhere. What do they do in movies?
"Um, just breathe through it," I said. I tried blowing small breaths from my mouth, convincing her to do the same.
"I can't breathe!" she yelled. "It hurts so bad!"
I suddenly felt faint. I knew I needed to pull it together for her. I grabbed her hand in mine. "Here, squeeze if you need to."
That was a questionable decision on my part. Her grip was so tight, I was afraid she was going to break my hand. Luckily, the contraction only lasted a few more seconds before she started to relax. I was racking my brain, thinking of the right thing to say.
"Good job, that one's over."
She exhaled deeply, regaining her composure.
"Greg got a flight back, but he won't even land until nine tonight," she muttered.
I looked at my watch. It was about four o'clock. "How is everything progressing? Usually first babies take a little longer, right? He should be here by the time things really get moving along, I would think." I had no idea; I was just trying to make her feel better.
"They said I was four centimeters about an hour ago. I don't know what to think," she said.
I sat back down, preparing for the next contraction. We both looked at each other as we started to hear several loud beeping noises. The room was suddenly flooded with nurses and hospital staff. Carrie looked at me with a panicked look in her eye, as we heard them saying things like, "heartbeat
is down," and "start the oxygen."
I quickly stood, stepping over to a corner of the room to get out of the way. The nurses laid Carrie on her side, put on an oxygen mask, and pushed all sorts of buttons on all the machines. What was happening?
"Carrie," said a nurse in heart-covered scrubs. "Baby's heartbeat went down after that contraction, and it hasn't recovered. We're calling the doctor right now, but we're going to start preparing you for a c-section, ok?"
Carrie cried out. "No! My husband's not here yet!"
The nurse patted her gently. "I know it's scary, but there's no time to wait."
She brought her wired arm up to her face, sobbing. I just stood there, holding my breath, feeling helpless. I felt so out of control, and I knew I wasn't the person she wanted here. I didn't know what to do.
As the room started to clear, I stepped over to her, grabbing her hand. "It's going to be ok. We need to get little Grace out safely," I said softly.
The nurse smiled at me, nodding her head. "Listen to your sister, over here. Just think about your baby."
Carrie just continued crying. I rubbed the back of her hand with my thumb as the staff continued readying her for surgery. Within ten minutes, her doctor entered the room.
"Hi Carrie, it's Dr. Morgan," she said as she sat on her bed. "Baby's heartbeat is doing better now, but it still keeps going down with contractions. I think it would be the safest course to deliver her immediately, via c-section."
I held my breath for Carrie's response. She had at least now stopped crying, but wasn't saying much of anything. She nodded her head in defeat. Dr. Morgan stood up. "Ok, I'll see you back there," she smiled as she left the room.
I stood quietly, just holding her hand. She started crying softly again. "Shh," I whispered. "It's going to be ok." I just kept repeating it over and over to her. This was what I could contribute.
Heart scrub nurse came back in, handing me a pair of light blue scrubs. "Here, these are for you to change into."
I grabbed them, and stood in shock. I was going into surgery with her? Now I really felt like I might pass out.
"Go on, get changed. We're bringing you back in two minutes," she said as she exited behind the curtain.
Finally, You (The Finally Book Duo 2) Page 21
