Oliver had decided to spend the weekend with us, which was promising. During the drive home, both boys fell sound asleep. When we got back to the house, Ian couldn’t carry either one of them and neither could I, so we woke them up and managed to get them into bed. Fortunately, the wedding wasn’t until four o’clock, which meant we got to sleep in.
Ian was in bed reading on his iPad when I came out of the bathroom. I locked the door and turned on the baby monitor that I’d placed on the kitchen counter. “About that promise you made in the shower—”
He smiled one helluva smile. “Can it wait? I want to talk and it doesn’t seem like we’re getting much time to be alone.”
Crawling in, I sat beside him in bed. “Yep. What’s on your mind?”
He put his hands on the sides of his head. “So many things I don’t know where to start. First, Carson was a piece of work today, and I need you to know that Jason hit him and then I tried to choke him. Fortunately, the police are willing to overlook our rough misgivings. But I hate to see you be afraid of him. We worked through so much of that when we first got together. You’re beautiful inside and out and your body is my dreamland. That is all that matters.”
“Okay, deal. I won’t back off the charges. Next?”
“Oliver. I may need to get an apartment and I think I may have the perfect solution. The building next to yours is for lease or for sale. The owner said for the right dollar, he’d sell it, and the building includes four upstairs apartments.”
“Four? That would pay for itself.”
“I know, right? But, it doesn’t have storage like yours. For a wine bar, I’d need storage. Got any suggestions?”
“Not without a floor plan.”
He handed me his iPad.
I studied the floor plan for a bit as he mentioned the little ticket items that he would need to change. Other than storage, ice machine, and barware, it was practically turnkey. The place had my mind racing.
“I would use the office for storage and you can use my office to work out of. Most of yours can be handled by laptop anyway and I’ve got room for your files. Keep one of the apartments as personal space, perhaps one on the second floor, and use that for storage if you have to.”
“Here’s the other thing. Jason wants to partner with me. I don’t know him well enough, but you do and everyone seems to respect him. I might need a partner to get the liquor license if my rehab stints are an issue.”
“Jason is a true guy. Blue collar family. He did the escort thing under a pseudonym to raise cash to start investments. And they paid off. He’s polished, smart and honest. He’s been there for me during the worst.”
“Then I trust that he’s the right man, if you do.”
“Next?”
“My house. I spoke with my renter and she’s not willing to break the lease, so we have to wait to get her out unless she gets transferred with her job. If it gets too cumbersome with all of us here, I can stay with Mam and Grumpa.”
Touching his face and gazing into his eyes, he was a perfect fit beside me. Flaws and all. “I love you, and you’re not going anywhere but down on me. Are we done talking?”
His half-cocked grin would’ve started a fire in Alaska.
I slid my t-shirt off and he smiled, happy I was naked underneath. I untied his pajama pants and helped him out of them, his erection lying against his stomach. Without having to ask, he slid down my body, biting, tasting and pleasing until he came to the juncture of my thighs. There, he found my sweet spot. There, he pleasured me. There, he took what he wanted and gave me the release I’d been craving all day.
“Enter me,” I begged him. “Take me, please.”
He did as I asked and pushed his erection deep into my channel, slowly spreading me open to accept him. While he was penetrating me, his lips circled my nipple and with suction, he pulled it tightly into his mouth before letting it go with a stinging little bite. Each time he did it, I felt more pressure in my sex. My previous orgasm freed my mind to allow the pleasure of his penetration to flood me. The sounds of his balls slapping my flesh, the rush of my heartbeat as it gushed through my ears, the gasps of air going in and out of my lungs as I clung to the edge of another climax.
“Yes,” I cried out.
And he rode me hard all the way through it. Coming down from the euphoria, I opened my eyes to see his body glistened with moisture and his head thrown back. I felt the pulse of his cock inside me.
It was beautiful. It was us.
Chapter Seventeen
The next morning, I woke up early with morning sickness again. It was getting worse instead of better. My attempt to slip out of the bed without waking him was an epic failure.
“Can I help?” He muttered sleepily.
“Not unless you can invent a cure for this.”
“Someone did. It’s called children.”
Funny, but I didn’t laugh. After finishing in the bathroom, I went to the freezer and got a cold pack for my head. I found that worked better than anything. Snuggling back in bed with Ian was the home run.
When I woke again, Ian’s side of the bed was empty, the monitor was gone and the door was shut. I could faintly hear something off in the distance. I slipped my t-shirt and some shorts on and searched the house. The only thing on was the iPod playing music softly. The front windows gave me a clear view of the park. Ian was sitting on the bench talking to someone, both their backs to me and the kids were playing. I let them have their time and enjoyed a long hot bath before starting breakfast.
When they came back in, I was preparing a southwest brunch. I didn’t even have to ask Ty to eat. He got his plate and took his seat. Ian kissed me good morning and I noticed Oliver trying to interrupt him. I hoped we weren’t going back to the same old games.
“Dad, can we go to Jump Street.”
“Dude, I don’t know what Jump Street is?”
“It’s an indoor trampoline play place. It’s fun.”
He looked at his watch, then at me. “An hour? We’ve got time.”
“Yeah, but I don’t want them to be tired and cranky.” He turned back to the boys. “Hey guys, today is a special day for Isabella. We have to be our best for her, okay?”
“Okay,” both boys whined out.
Thank you, I mouthed.
I cleaned up the kitchen while Ian sat at the bar and researched the wine bar. The boys were in the living room playing games on the big TV. My family was eighty percent whole. Just waiting on our little twenty percent.
“What are you smiling about?” He asked while I washed dishes.
“Oh just dreaming ’bout our little family and how happy I am.”
“Yeah, it’s nice isn’t it?”
“Today is a beautiful day. I want our wedding to be like today.”
“Any wedding ideas you want to share?” He held an amused look.
“A beach wedding.”
His chin dropped. “Seriously?”
“It’s what I kind of pictured for us. You don’t agree?”
He began to stir a bit in his seat and paused before he answered. “Beach weddings are nice.”
“But… you’ve had one and want something different.”
“Yeah.”
So much for my thoughts. I went back to the drawing board and started listing options in my head. The mountains scared me after everything that happened to Ian. A church wedding wouldn’t be appropriate. A park wedding would work, or even the courthouse with a nice reception, and then there’s the country club, although I never go.
“Whatever we do, I’d love it if we did it before the baby comes. If you want to wait, I won’t rush. You control the day.”
The date. I wanted to look for a special date, a collection of our birthdays or something like that which had special meaning. Everything was happening so fast.
* * *
I don’t know what I was expecting, but the bistro didn’t even look like it was a bistro by the time the florist worked it over, and it smelled divi
ne. White chairs were placed evenly on both sides, forming an aisle leading from the back stairwell, and soft music was already playing. All of the inventory had been moved to the back of the boutique behind a curtain, and there were cocktail tables set up on the boutique side and ready for the barn doors to be opened after the service. It made the place look huge.
“Do you love it?” Isabella asked as I stepped in front of her and watched her stylist apply the finishing touches to a beautiful and classy up do. I always thought she was stunning with her mother’s European heritage, but today, her blue eyes sparkled and her long, blonde hair wrapped up made me think of spun silk as it reflected the evening’s sunset through the big windows.
“It’s amazing. Wow, you really did think it all through. I wasn’t convinced it would work.”
“More tables will be put in once they take the white chairs out.”
The stylist finished her masterpiece and Izzy went off to the bathroom to check it. Next up was getting her in her dress and the rest of us getting into ours. I was keeping my fingers crossed that my barbecue addiction from the night before wouldn’t train wreck my dress.
Nothing like getting dressed with a room full of people watching you. But, as I slid up the dress and one of the girls tried to zip it up without success, my heart sank.
“This is not happening. How can it not fit? She let it out yesterday.”
“Let me try. Because my zipper had an issue, not the dress.” Petra exclaimed.
When she took a closer look, the zipper was, in fact, catching fabric and she was able to zip me right up. Wahoo. Score one for the pregnant lady.
Once everyone was dressed, the photographer came back in to take more photos of all of us. My cheeks were already sore from smiling, but I couldn’t help but be happy for these two very special people.
“Time to go, people,” the coordinator yelled into the room.
As the procession started, I found myself getting more excited about my own wedding. Ian was right, the beach scene wasn’t us. It would be an easy wedding to pull off because they do it all, but we were at home right here and what better time to do it than Christmas or New Year’s Eve. After all, we’d met during the holidays. As I passed by him, he mouthed I love you, and sweet tears stung my eyes, ready to escape. He looked so sexy in his black suit. Soon, it would be our day. You control the day, he had said. Ian didn’t give up much control, so I had to take what I could and negotiate for the rest.
Isabella and Mick had written their own vows, and their sharing with the gathered assemblage of friends and family was really soulful and touching. The reception was quite a festive party, especially when the firemen did the time-honored tradition of using a fire hose to hose down the groom. He changed into a suit after that. Denise took the boys and Cutter back to our house so that we could enjoy the rest of the adult party.
“So you want to go into business with Ian,” I asked Jason at the bar.
“Yes, I do. I love good investments.”
“That’s all it is?”
“Why the inquiring mind?”
“Because I think you want to do this in case something happens to him, it’s your way of protecting me. You have to stop doing that.”
“Okay, I’m busted. It’s both. Yeah, if he flips out on you and you two are married, it leaves you holding more cards than you can play. But, it’s an awesome idea and a great investment. And I don’t play with my money. Ever.”
His blue eyes stared me down and almost warned me to back off. Obviously, he was very serious about the investment, so I decided to let it rest. The apartments alone were worth the purchase.
* * *
When I opened my eyes, I found a pair of beautiful, familiar blue ones watching me from the pillow next to mine.
“I fell asleep in the car last night. I’m sorry.”
“That you did. You snored so loud I could barely drive.” He started laughing.
“That’s not funny.” I climbed on top of him and started tickling him. He had this spot on his right hip. I decided to bite it, but his as soon as I did, his erection got in the way. I figured I’d take control of that too.
So, I did…
Chapter Eighteen
The week was busy with the boys’ Halloween activities, plus putting the boutique back together. I was grateful to have Parker handling things while Isabella and Mick were on their Tahiti honeymoon. I couldn’t wait until she returned to hear all about it. I remembered that when Carson and I got married, we went camping and hiking in Arizona for our honeymoon. Nothing exciting there, and if I remember correctly, he stayed drunk most of the time.
There are signs—if you pay attention.
After getting the boys off to school on Thursday, Ian and I went to Dr. Clay’s office for the ultrasound.
“Ian, it’s so good to see you. I thought that was you in the waiting room.” Dr. Clay leaned over my bed and hugged him.
“Are you ready to see your little one?” She pointed to the screen at the ceiling corner for us to look at.
“Yes. We decided not to know about the sex until the time comes. We want to be surprised.”
Dr. Clay laughed. “More and more, I see that. It’s the one thing that can keep the fun going. It’s nice to know for planning purposes, but the surprise element has such a sweet moment in the delivery room.”
She started scanning and taking measurements. We could see the baby’s heart beating and watch him or her move around—a lot.
“This is definitely an active baby, that’s good. With your history of miscarriages, I want you to take it easy, and I mean really easy over the next six weeks. Not bed rest, but no exertion or heavy lifting, and certainly keep a lid on the stress. Chelsie, can you do that?”
“Yes.” She just committed me in front of Ian, if that was her plan. I watched as his eyes focused on the screen.
“Bloodwork, urine, all that looks good. Let’s keep it that way and plan on seeing this bundle around May first.”
The minute she left the room, I saw the wave of concern on Ian’s face tighten. The last thing I needed was for him to be stressed with additional pressure.
“What? And don’t tell me nothing.” I wiped the jelly from my abdomen and got off the table.
“You need to rest and I’ll step up my part. The wine bar is going on hold.”
“You can’t just do that. You signed the contracts already.”
“You heard her.”
I remained quiet as we exited the office and chose to wait until we got to the restaurant to resume our conversation. But Ian didn’t stop at the restaurant, he drove straight home. Mr. Overprotective wasn’t even going to do lunch. So wow, oh boy, right there was a crystal clear view of my new future.
“I’ll make you a deal. I’ll help you with all of your ordering for napkins, barware and furniture from the sofa and you can do the day to day at the office. I can even do it naked and send you pictures and be your sexatary. How’s that for a bargain?”
He brought me pillows from our bed. “It’s a deal.”
“Really?”
He sat down beside me on the sofa. “Really. But don’t push this, honey.”
“Promise.”
Later that night, Ian didn’t make love to me, even though I tried. He said he was tired. He held me close; he wasn’t distant at all, he just didn’t want intimacy at a time when I craved it. With all of my self-doubt issues, I needed to stay focused on the positive and let it go, but I couldn’t. I tossed and turned all night long. In fact, at one point, he asked if he could get me anything.
Yeah, cure my negative-thinking brain, because it’s allowing doubts in.
Finally, at four in the morning, I slid out of bed and went to the recliner. I turned on the TV but kept the volume low. At some point, I did find sleep again and couldn’t even say what I watched. But, when I woke up, Ian was dressed and sitting on the couch watching me over a cup of coffee.
“Coffee, yum. It smells so good.”
&nb
sp; “I’ll get you a cup if you want it. I thought you’d want tea, so I’ve got the teakettle heating up.”
“Coffee still doesn’t sit well with me, so I’ll do black tea. I guess I don’t get to fix it?”
“Nope.”
“Can you come talk to me before the boys get up?”
I sat on the sofa and he slid in beside me and sat the hot tea cup on the table. “What’s up?”
“I want to ask you the same. I saw your face change during the sonogram yesterday, even before she said to take it easy. What did you see?”
He rubbed my legs. “I’m not a radiologist, Chelsie. But, I did see her studying and measuring the placenta and uterine walls, which is normal. If it’s small, it doesn’t feed the baby like it’s supposed to. One sign of placental insufficiency is that the baby isn’t active, so, right now, this isn’t our case. But, I think she wants to be safe. So do I.”
“So do I.”
He kissed me hard and wanting and I felt his erection on my leg, which made me feel better.
The moment he left with the boys, I got my iPad and started checking the condition. The more I read, the more nervous I got. It explains why Ian didn’t want to be physical. It wasn’t because he didn’t find me attractive, it was because he didn’t want to put any internal pressure on the baby.
Would my old, mental wounds of self-doubt from Carson ever heal?
* * *
I wanted us to be a family and under the same roof. I knew Oliver would be happy again if he was in his old house and his old room. The only thing that stood in the way was time. So, I thought, maybe a woman to woman encounter could make things happen. As soon as Ian left me for work, I went to see his renter.
When I spoke with the woman—Phyllis—she promised not to say a word, and couldn’t wait to get in on the surprise. She’d wanted to take a transfer that the railroad had offered her, but it came just days after she said she was ugly to Ian about moving out, and like most people say, timing is everything.
Captivated On 5th Avenue: Book 3 (5th Avenue Romance Series) Page 10
