by Sable Hunter
Having him close, she melted against him. Her lips feathering kisses over his chest and throat, her small hand sliding between them to caress the prominent ridge of his manhood. Hunger for her touch clawed at him. His cock ached and throbbed. T began to thrust his hips toward her, loving how she ground against him.
“Easy, baby, I don’t want to hurt you.”
They’d made love one time since he’d learned of her condition and he’d done his best to be gentle. Afterward, he’d worried and vowed to ask and make sure what was safe and what was not for her and the baby.
“Stop it, T. I’m good. I’m going to live a nice long time, Ma Dyer said so.”
He hadn’t wanted to break the kiss, but her words were too provocative to ignore. “Ma who?”
Glory arched against him, her arms clasped around his neck so tightly she almost choked him as she fisted her hands in his hair. “Bad timing, Rex Allen.”
Oh, fuck, yes. He craved her passion, but he wanted to know what she was talking about. “Tell me and I’ll give you this.” He pulled down the cups of her top to release her sweet tits. An appreciative growl burst from his lips when he covered the soft swells and rubbed both nipples with the palms of his hands.
“Ummm.” Glory closed her eyes and threw her head back. “I talked to a fortune teller on Pirate’s Alley. She knew everything about me, my parents, my diseases, my sister. She knew about you too, and she said I’d have a healthy baby. She also saw you and me walking in the sunlight with our baby.”
T went completely still.
“T-Rex? What’s wrong?”
Letting his hands slide around her, he drew her so close you couldn’t have slid a piece of paper between them. “I want that. I want all of that to be true, so much.”
“Me too. So much.” She ran her hands down his back, loving the play of muscles beneath her fingertips. “Now love on me, please, just a little. I need it. It gives me peace, it anchors me to this world.”
T pulled back, just enough to touch her. Soft touches. Passionate. He tugged on her nipples and stroked her clit, scraping his teeth on the satiny side of her throat. Their hands were a wild tangle as she caressed his cock, stroking him – pumping – her movements slowed by the friction of the water around them.
Glory could feel the beat of her heart, but it didn’t scare her, it made her feel alive. This was her man, her moment, her wedding day. “I need you, T.” His answer was to suck on the soft flesh between her collarbone and shoulder, sending shudders through her body.
“You’re so fuckin’ sexy, Glory.” He pressed open-mouthed kisses all over her chest and shoulders, closing his eyes at the ecstasy of their play.
“Just let me feel you.” She moved her lower body against him, desperately seeking to connect with him in some way.
“Hold on, baby.” He pulled on the strings that held her bikini bottom, tossing the scrap of material aside. Easing her body forward and down, he allowed the rigid length of his cock to align with the valley of her sex. “Now move.”
“Oh, that’s good,” she breathed, making herself happy, riding him, thrusting and grinding on his shaft until he heard a chanting, “yes, yes, God, yes,” over the whoosh of the water in the pool.
Once more he filled his hands with her breasts, reveling in the way her nipples responded, pebbling against his palms. Flexing his pelvis, T shoved her hair from her face, his mouth frantic to connect with hers. Glory gasped when he began to move, pushing his cock between her legs, giving her friction right where she needed it the most.
When her body began to quake, T-Rex held her so tightly to him that he could feel the contractions of her little pussy against his aching cock. “Cum for me, sweetheart.” With his lips pressed to hers, he inhaled her groans as she rocked on him. There wasn’t a chance in hell of him not succumbing to the frantic pleasure. “Fuck!” He let go, his head falling back as he surrendered to the moment, his cock jerking as cum jetted from his balls.
“That’s it, T. My T-Rex. I love you so,” Glory cooed to him as she held him close, her mouth skating up and down the strong cord of his neck.
“I love you too, Glory Bee.” Their mouths met in a slow kiss, a sweet celebration of tenderness that left him just as breathless as their lovemaking. “Tired?”
“Yea,” she sighed with contentment, relaxing completely in his arms. After a bit, she opened her eyes, only to find him staring at her. “What are you doing?”
“Memorizing you.” He knew, without a doubt, that he didn’t want to ever forget one moment of his time with her – no matter what happened. “Come on, let’s get back to our room.” He stood with her, reaching for a towel to dry her off. “Here’s your wrap, I’ll rescue your bottoms.”
Glory let him take care of her, putting her damp arms in the sleeves and smiling as he tied the belt of the wrap in a big bow. “I’m surprised no one disturbed us.”
T gave her a wink. “I bribed the clerk to put up a sign on the door that said the pool area was closed.”
“You did?” She took his arm, kissing his bicep. “You’re so good to me.”
A knot formed in his throat. “It’s easy to be good to you, Glory.”
Once they were upstairs and ready for bed, T pulled back the covers and invited his wife to lie with him. She passed out as soon as her head hit the pillow, but that didn’t stop him from watching her sleep. “What a difference you’ve made in my life,” he whispered. “I wouldn’t have missed this for anything.” He stole a kiss from her brow. “Just don’t leave me, please.”
*
“Please take a seat, Mr. and Mrs. Beaumont, the doctor will be with you in just a few moments.”
Glory gave T a nervous smile. “I still can’t get used to that title, I keep looking around for someone important.”
“You are the most important person in the world to me, that’s all that matters.” He grasped her hand and pulled it into his lap. “Did you take your pills?”
“Yes.”
“Your vitamins?”
“Yes. Stop worrying.”
He just squeezed her hand. “When we finish here, we’ll go see Lily. I phoned her and told her we’d stop by.”
“Good,” Glory agreed, her eyes never leaving the door. This was no simple doctor’s visit, this was huge. This was her life. Her future. And not just hers. This was T’s future too. Glory bowed her head, realizing he would be affected by this as much as she would be. Squeezing her eyes shut, Glory wrestled with the choice she’d made. This perfect man could be hurt by her decision to invade his life. What right did she have to turn his world upside down? He’d begged her not to get involved, warned her of his limitations. And what did she do? She just barreled on in, pushing and burrowing into his life until she’d made herself a place.
God, she hoped it wasn’t all a mistake. She prayed this would work.
Glory wanted to live.
A noise at the door caused both of them to look up. A man stood there, a tall thin man with a shock of white hair. “Good morning. It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas, isn’t it?”
Christmas. T-Rex blinked, he hadn’t even thought about Christmas.
Glory frowned. This was South Louisiana. It had been cooler the week before, but today the weather was muggy and the humidity was high.
The doctor didn’t wait for an answer. “I love this time of year, you should see my house, my whole neighborhood decorates.” His eyes twinkled. “And I intend to win! I might blow a few transformers, but my winter wonderland is going to be lit to perfection.”
Glory hoped they could have a tree at T’s house.
Her house.
She smiled at the thought.
“Okay, let’s get down to business. You’re four months pregnant and you have PAH.”
The doctor’s comment slammed Glory back to reality. “Yes.”
“And you’re the father?” Dr. Degas directed his attention to T.
“Yes.”
His eyes roved over what Gl
ory assumed were her charts from Dr. Osbourne. She kept waiting for the chastisement, the accusations, the ‘you knew better than to do this’, and the ‘are you crazy?’ to come – but it didn’t.
“All right.” Dr. Degas gave her a big smile. “Let’s see what we can do about getting you and your baby through this ordeal of birth.”
T sat on the edge of the chair, his eyes moving from the confident countenance of the physician to the hopeful, expectant, angelic face of the woman he loved.
“Okay, let me tell you a little bit about how I work.” He glanced at the chart again. “You live over in Iberia Parish?”
“Yes, sir,” Glory answered. “Near Loreauville.”
“I’ll need to see you once a week, will that be a problem?” he murmured, still looking down.
“No, sir. It will not.” T was the one who answered.
“Good.” He laid the chart down and folded his hands. “Let me be honest. I think we have a good shot at pulling you through this. It’s all about timing. I’ll want you to wear a heart monitor for a while and record your activities in a journal. We’ll do this so I can study the way your respond to different things. The more I know about your heart, the better decision I can make. And early delivery is key. During the last two weeks of a pregnancy is when fluid can build up around the heart, and that’s the main reason so many PAH patients don’t survive childbirth. We’ll plan on delivering at 36 weeks, then we’ll keep you in ICU for three days.”
“Sounds good,” Glory didn’t know what else to say. She’d read a paper this doctor had written, one that said a high percentage of women with PAH died before day 10 after birth. But with his treatment, those numbers dramatically changed. “I’ll do anything you recommend.”
After the consultation, T-Rex waited while Glory was taken back and put through a battery of tests. He spent the time pacing back and forth across the waiting room. His thoughts ran the gamut from elation about planning a future with his family to despair, imagining planning a funeral for his wife. Dry-scrubbing his face, T muttered to himself, “You’ve got to get it together, buddy. Glory is counting on you.”
As for Glory, the attitude of Dr. Degas and his staff made all the difference in the world. While Ma Dyer’s predictions had given her hope, this physician and his forthright attitude gave her permission to make practical arrangements for the arrival of her baby. Yes, she’d enjoyed choosing colors and decorations for the nursery with Harper. But when Harper left to go home, Glory hadn’t followed through and made any purchases. She just hadn’t possessed the courage to be so bold as to assume everything was going to be all right. When everyone is telling you that you’ll die, it seems audacious to make concrete plans to live.
But as she joined T-Rex at the front of the clinic, that’s exactly what she felt.
Audacious.
“Hey.”
T whirled around to find Glory standing behind him. “There you are. Are you okay?”
“I am. I’m all wired up and ready to go.” She showed him the tiny heart monitor and how it was hooked to a few adhesive pads containing electrodes. “Now, we can have sex and the doctor can see how you rock my world.”
“Did he say we could have sex?”
“He did.” Glory nodded, giving him a saucy wink. “The only thing he nixed is doing it upside down in a sex swing.”
“Dang.” T acted disappointed.
“There’s always after the baby comes,” she waved her hand as if it all was no big deal.
Together they headed to the parking garage. “So, how do you feel?” T asked. “Do you think this was a good decision?”
Glory nodded. “I think we’re going to look back on this and say it was the best decision we could’ve made.”
*
“It sounds like Dr. Degas is the answer, Glory.” Lily set a cup of coffee in front of T-Rex. “I’m so glad it’s all going to work out. And I hope you two know you can stay with me every time you come to town.”
“My place isn’t as nice as Lily’s, but you’re always welcome,” Gene added.
At first, T-Rex hadn’t really known how to take Gene. He was just so flamboyant and…out there. “We appreciate you, Gene. And I never got to really thank you for helping me straighten out that mess with the police.”
Gene waved his well-manicured hand. “Well, when you mess with those Skull boys, there’s always problems. They’re just like one of those snapping turtles in the swamp, once they get their jaws clamped around you, they won’t let go until it thunders. And by thunder, I mean trouble, big trouble.”
“Thanks for the heads up, Gene. I’m hoping I don’t have to deal with them anymore.”
“I hope so too,” Gene said, but he didn’t look so sure.
“Lily, do you want to see my ring?” Glory held out her hand.
“Oh, how lovely!” Lily led her over to the window so they could see the diamond glinting in the afternoon sun. “I’m so happy for you.”
“Me too,” Gene joined in. “In fact, I bought you a small wedding gift.”
“You did?”
The joy on Glory’s face was so exquisite that T vowed to buy her a whole slew of presents, just to see that smile.
“Yes.” He presented her with a small box and Glory glanced at T, who nodded, telling her to open it to see what was inside.
When she did, Glory exclaimed, “How beautiful! Look, T-Rex, a Christmas ornament.”
T moved closer to see a delicate hand-painted glass ornament, depicting a bride and groom and it said, Our First Christmas.
“I love it! Thank you!” She gave Gene a hug.
“I have something for you too.” Lily moved behind a counter and came back with a large rectangle, wrapped in brown wrapping with a bronze-colored bow. “I hope you have somewhere to display this, T.”
“A painting?” Glory was askance. “For me?”
“Yes, I think you’ll like it.”
T-Rex stood close while Glory tore into it, and when she did, he was shocked to see a painting of a woman walking down a road, carrying her shoes, a bouquet in her hand. “Who did this?” The woman was depicted from the back and the colors were muted. No features were visible, but to T-Rex, the woman was Glory.
“Abraham Duvalier,” Lily said solemnly. “I just received it last week. This one eluded me for a long time. But the moment I saw it, I thought of you.”
“Oh, Lily,” Glory breathed solemnly. “I love it.”
“Who is Duvalier?” T-Rex wanted to know.
“He was a freed slave.” Lily leaned on the counter, her eyes twinkling. Obviously, this topic meant a lot to her. “He wasn’t related by blood to Charlotte Belmont, but we’ve recently learned that they shared a common relative.”
“Charlotte, the woman who used to own this shop?” T asked, remembering conversations he’d had with Glory and what Lily had told them both at Revel and Harper’s, the night he first met her.
“Yes, exactly,” Lily confirmed. “T-Rex, I believe you have met some of the Texas McCoys, the ones who are friends of Revel’s.”
“Yes, I have,” T answered.
“I didn’t know them, but I do know Joseph McCoy’s wife. She’s originally a New Orleans girl by the name of Cady Renaud. We went to school together.” Lily, paused, thinking of her friend. She knew Cady was an empath and a traiteur, it was highly possible she could heal Lily. But after learning how she took the patient’s disease into her own body, no matter for how short a time, Lily just couldn’t ask her friend to take the risk. “Cady is not only descended from Abraham, but also from Charlotte. She’s been by the shop several times, doing genealogical research for her family.” At T’s confused look, she laughed. “I won’t bore you with the details, but Charlotte’s son married Abraham’s daughter.”
“How were Charlotte and Abraham first connected?” Glory asked, totally intrigued.
“Abraham was raised with his first cousin, Jolie Dumas, their mothers were sisters. Jolie’s father was John Belmont, brot
her of Charlotte’s father, Felix Belmont. The Belmonts owned Oak Hill Plantation. When John Belmont and his placee, Jolie’s mother, were killed in a steamboat explosion, Jolie was brought to Oak Hill to live. Felix and Charlotte loved Jolie, but the rest of the family didn’t feel the same way. When Felix was killed in a duel, which some say was fought over Jolie, the young mulatto girl was sold into slavery. Charlotte and Abraham bonded over their attempts to find Jolie and bring her home.”
“Did they succeed?”
Lily laughed. “Well, they found her but she wouldn’t return with them. Jolie was happy. She’d fallen in love and married a Texas pioneer by the name of Austin McCoy. When Cady discovered a painting of Jolie and Austin in the attic of Tebow Ranch, she had no idea who Jolie was. When she discovered the connection, Cady was shocked to learn that she wasn’t the first of her family to marry a McCoy. History had repeated itself.”
“And this woman?” Glory asked, touching the painting reverently. “Is this Genevieve?”
“Yes, I think so,” Lily nodded. “We haven’t discovered a lot about Genevieve, but we’re still searching. Knowing how you use long walks to heal your spirit, I thought this painting should belong to you, Glory.”
“A perfect fit,” T-Rex agreed, reaching for his wife’s hand. He was eternally grateful she walked into his life.
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
After seeing the doctor and spending time with Lily and Gene, Glory had wanted to head on home. T almost gave in and granted her wish, but after seeing how tired she was, he insisted they spend one more night at The Green House Inn. “Better to start fresh in the morning,” he’d told her. Despite the doctor giving the green light for sex, she hadn’t initiated any intimacy, wanting only to cuddle and sleep. When he’d give her a lingering kiss, she apologized. “I’m sorry, T. Could you just hold me?”
“Absolutely.” He understood completely. “We’ll have a romantic night once we get home, in our own bed.”
