by A. L. Wood
“Natalie, I really think you should try to work something out with him, especially since you’re going to be having a baby that he fathered.” Layla says.
“But he doesn’t want children. He might even think I planned on getting pregnant. After everything else, I just wouldn’t be able to handle it if he accused me of that.”
“You won’t know until you talk to him. I have known him a long time Princess and I swear he isn’t a bad guy. He’s had a rough ass life, but he would ever reject his own child. Whether you guys were together or not, he would be there.” Liam says, defending Steele.
“I appreciate you saying that Liam, I really do. But right now I feel like I just need to do me, you know. I have to wrap this school stuff up, and with a baby coming, there is no way I would be able to stay here. Sorry Lals.”
“We’re not here to pressure you into doing anything you don’t want to Nat. We just want to see you happy and to be truthful with us. We will always support you. It doesn’t matter what it is, we have your back.” Layla reassures me.
Chapter 26
Steele
Seems as if Zepp can reach Liam at any time, and because of this, Liam has called me. Zepp said that Liam wasn’t keen on the idea of me winning Natalie back, not that I really had her in the first place. But after talking to Zepp, he was convinced enough to give us a date and time of an appointment that I could crash.
Even if I had to wait two long months for this chance, so be it. I used my time wisely. I flew back to California. I put my condo that’s located on Long Beach, on the market and informed my recording studio that I was canceling the tour indefinitely.
A connection, like the one I share with Natalie doesn’t come around too often. Some people are considered lucky if they only experience it once. There is no way that I am going to let something like this pass by me.
Today Minx has an appointment at her doctor’s office, the one I saw her at a couple of months ago, when I followed her and Liam. Since Natalie hasn’t gone out much, but to appointments, Liam thinks this would be the best time to approach her on even footing.
I initially hoped that maybe they could get her to go out to a bar of some sort. I could plan ahead to have stage time and sing her the song I wrote. She wants music with heart and soul, that’s what I’ll give her. Even if it means singing in a waiting room full of patients.
I can explain to her how I feel about her and I, with the lyrics from a song. But because this is a place of business, that doesn’t coincide with music, I chose to keep my guitar behind and serenade the song A-Capella.
Liam gave me the address and the appropriate time to meet them there. He thought that I should be there before her appointment. He also suggested I pick up a different rental car, in case she recognizes the one I had. Who would have thought that I would take advice from Liam on how to win my woman?
Which leads me to believe she had to have told him about me whisking her away. How detailed she got, I have no idea. I’m thinking pretty detailed because when he brought it up, he sounded a little pissed off about the entire debacle, in which he has no right, because she’s mine.
I decide to leave earlier then what Liam suggested, so that there is no chance of them showing up before I do.
Chapter 27
Natalie
Today is my first ultrasound to see how far along I am, at my primary doctors. Liam is driving me again. I really wanted Layla to be here, but she had to work. My stomach is fluttering with nerves. What if I can’t hear the babies’ heartbeat? Will it be healthy?
What kind of mother am I going to be?
For the last few weeks, I can’t stop thinking about him, or her. I’m a nervous mess, who can’t stop vomiting. Smells that I once loved, now disgust me and I am tired all the time. If this is what four months pregnant feels like, I can’t imagine what I have in store for me the five I have left.
Layla keeps trying to distract my anxious mood with good thoughts, which she does end up brightening my mood with. She brings up the baby names topic and even though Steele and I haven’t seen each other since the day he proclaimed he didn’t want children, I still feel it’s not fair to choose a name without him.
Lately he’s been on my mind more frequently. I don’t know if it’s because of the little one growing inside of me, or that I miss him. Liam tries to fill that void in a brotherly way, but it’s not enough.
It’s not what I want. It’s not who I want.
Liam pulls into the parking lot of my doctor’s office. He turns the car off and we step out.
“It will be fine Princess. Don’t worry. You’re stressing yourself out over nothing.”
“I keep trying to tell myself that I’m stressing over nothing, but I can’t help to wonder if something is wrong. I sleep all the time Liam, you know this. I vomit almost every time I eat. What if I’m not taking in enough fluids or food, for the baby to survive?”
“I’m not a specialist with pregnancy, Natalie. Those are all things you could ask the doctor. But I am pretty positive that sleeping and vomiting are normal for pregnant woman.”
Walking up to the entrance door, Liam trails behind me. When I enter, I stop at the receptionists’ desk to check in. Sitting down next to Liam in one of the uncomfortable bench wooden chairs, I meet eye to eye with none other than Steele.
I ignore him.
“Did you plan this?” I ask Liam.
At the same time Steele interrupts Liam from answering.
“You’re pregnant?”
Fuck.
Shit.
Fuck.
“Yes.”
“Are you fucking serious Liam? We’ve been friends for seven years, and this is how you repay me? You sleep with her? I can’t believe you man.”
I defend Liam before he has a chance.
“You have no right attacking him. Maybe you should ask questions before you make assumptions. Liam and I have never slept together.”
As I get the last word out, the nurse steps out and calls my name. Saved by the nurse.
Chapter 28
Steele
I look at the door Natalie just disappeared through, when Liam approaches my side. This isn’t what I had in mind when it came to winning her back. I didn’t foresee her being pregnant, or having an argument.
“She and I never slept together Ryan.” He says, reiterating what Natalie had just said. “The baby is yours.”
There is no way, that she is just under two months pregnant. The last time she and I had intercourse and I forgot to use protection, so it must have been that night in the hotel.
“Why didn’t she tell me?”
“The day you decided to show her your house, you mentioned not wanting to have any children. That’s the day she found out she was pregnant.” Liam informs me.
“Fuck. It’s not what I meant. She didn’t give me time to explain. She didn’t want to hear anything I had to say.”
“Well you can sit out here with me and continue this conversation, or you can go back into the ultrasound room and see your baby for the first time, with his mother.”
“It’s a boy?” I ask.
“No, but I keep telling Princess it is.” Liam says, laughing.
Chapter 29
Natalie
I’m as big as a house, and my doctors say I am due any day now.
Almost five months ago, Ryan and I formed a friendship that somewhere along the way, became something more. More than I had hoped for between him and I.
I was so furious that day at the doctors, when he barged into the room as my ultrasound was starting. I didn’t say anything, because I didn’t want to cause a scene. He sat in the chair that was on the side of the bed, facing the black and white screen waiting for the ultrasound tech to begin.
That was the moment he and I changed. When we got to see our daughter for the first time. She was breathtakingly beautiful, just like her mother, Ryan had said. She was healthy, and that is all that mattered. The doctor let us hear her h
eartbeat for the first time, and it was the most earthshattering sound I have ever heard.
I cried that day, laying on the table covered in cold goo. My bladder was so full, I was sure I was going to pee my pants and I was mad yet again at Ryan, but that was soon forgotten by the picture of my beautiful baby girl on the screen before me.
We were able to get a CD with many pictures of her on it, even a video of her squirming around inside of me.
I left with Liam that day, promising Ryan I would include him in all of the upcoming doctors’ appointments. Oh were there many, and he went to every single one of them. Even the ones where I only had to go to get blood drawn.
Along the way we started spending more time together. He joined me shopping for the babies’ nursery, for clothes. Slowly, we somehow morphed our relationship from being a non-platonic one, to where I couldn’t keep my hands off him.
At first I tried blaming it on the hormones, but soon I realized it was just my attraction to him.
One thing led to another, and he asked me to move in with him, into his mansion. I was terrified at first.
What if it didn’t work out?
What if he didn’t really want the baby?
But in the end, I took a risk. I took the big nose dive into the deep end. I had to look deep within myself and ask, what kind of life was I living, if I wasn’t truly living at all?
I’m glad I took that risk, because I wouldn’t have known the kind of love that Ryan has for me. Nor would I have known the kind of love I have for him. Sure we’ve had our disagreements, but that’s normal. Especially in a new relationship.
Our latest argument is about baby names. Here I am, ready to pop, and we can’t reach an agreement. The only thing we’ve been able to agree on is the middle name, Louise.
It’s an older style name, but it’s after my mother. Our daughter will never get the chance to meet her, and while I wish she could, it’s just not possible. So I brought it up to Ryan that I would like her namesake to be after my mother.
He agreed, as a man should. Without fight.
Epilogue
“Babe, wake up!” I yell at Ryan.
He rolls his body over to face away from me.
“Ryan!” I yell again but this time swatting him.
I can’t get out of our bed without his help, something he finds hilarious.
“Ryan, my water broke. You need to wake up and get out of bed.”
“What? Your water broke?” Ryan says jumping up out of bed.
He starts running from one side of our room to the other. He grabs his clothes that he wore yesterday from the floor, that are next to the hamper bin. He starts frantically getting dressed, and then runs out of our room.
“Ryan, where are you going?” I yell out after him.
“To the hospital!” He yells back.
I start laughing. The man is a mess when under pressure.
“Without me?”
**********
Eight hours later, as our baby is laid upon my chest swaddled in pink blankets, Ryan’s eyes lock on mine. Tears are silently streaming down his face, and he is wearing the biggest smile I have ever seen.
I smile back and hold out my hand for his. He grabs onto me and squeezes. I look away from him and into Temperance’s slate blue eyes. Never in one millions years, did I ever think that my heart could be so consumed by love. The emotions are almost overwhelming.
This moment, right here, right now, I will remember forever. The moment the hole that has been hollowed in my heart, has now been bandaged. It’s time to heal.
Ryan lowers his head and kisses her temple, the softest of kisses. He angles his head to look at me.
“Will you marry me?”
“Yes.”
Liam’s Story: Find Me: Rock Romance #3
Coming July 2014
Liam
“He’s going to propose.” I reveal to Layla. Who happens to be sitting in the chair beside me and hasn’t stopped bouncing her legs up and own since we’ve arrived.
“What?” Layla asks disbelieving.
“I said he is going to propose, you know ask her to marry him.”
“He is? How? When?” She asks.
“I don’t know all of the details. Just that he’s going to ask I think after Temp is born.” She puts her hand over her mouth and her eyes start watering. She’s going to cry.
I hate when females cry.
“That is the sweetest thing ever. I hope she says yes, if not I’m going to have to steal Ryan for myself.” She says jokingly.
Layla and I have been sitting in the waiting room of the hospital all night. Ryan called me as soon as he and Princess arrived. He was a nervous wreck.
“The baby is coming. The baby is- what do I do Liam?” He had asked me. The realization that he was going to be a father smacking him in the face.
I hesitated in answering. What the hell did I know about raising a kid? Or childbirth for that matter. I knew that Natalie was pregnant and I had kept it from him for months. Something he hasn’t let me forget, nor has he forgiven- yet.
But he will. He has to.
“I don’t know Ryan. Just go in the room, be with Natalie. Hold her hand and whatever she says- don’t hold it against her.” I advise.
“Can I really be a dad? What if I mess up?” His self-doubt coming out.
“You think that people are great parents overnight? You learn, it doesn’t matter how many times you mess up. What matters is if you’re there to make it right. Now get your ass in there with her.”
About The Author
A.L. Wood resides in Upstate, New York. She enjoys playing with her daughter and spending time with her husband. A.L.’s hobbies include reading, writing, watching movies, and of course jamming to music. During winter she hibernates, and in the summer you can find her on the beach playing in the sand with the little one.
You can catch up with her online usually all hours of the day.
Twitter: @ALWoodAuthor
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/AL-Wood/399297670173240
Special Thanks
I wanted to give special thanks to some amazing people.
Steele’s Groupies. Each and every one of you have been great, you’re all getting Ryan & Natalie’s story out there however you can. You also let me blab on and on all hours of the day. From the bottom of my heart thank you.
Alicia, Bri, Candi, Christina, Christy, Heather P., Heather W., Helene, Isa, Kera, Kimberly, Lacy, Lenna, Megan, Melonie, Michelle, Patricia, Penny, Sandra, Shanna, Shannon, Tammy, Terrie, and Vanessa.
Tammy Lindey at Butterfly Dreams Proofing and Editing. You did a wonderful job and I couldn’t be happier. Get ready for this year, you are going to be busy.
Jodi at Butterflies, Books & Dreams you have helped me so much. I have no idea where First Chance would be if it wasn’t for you.
Stephanie at HeadTripping Blogs, you have been amazing in getting the word out there as well. Thank you so much.
Sexyways of Reading, you girls are amazing as well and provide me with muses- daily.
Tonya & Rose, our all day conversations make my day.
My Book Friends
Pamela, Andrea, Tiffany, Ashley
I love you all and I am forever grateful for the amazing support you all provide.
