Ready to Wed

by J. L. Berg

  I would never tell her, but I was scared. Now that I had everything I’d ever wanted, I couldn’t lose it. I wouldn’t.

  “Hey, you’re awake,” Clare said groggily.

  I looked down on her sleepy face and smiled. “Yeah.”

  “What are you thinking about?” she asked.

  “How beautiful you are,” I lied.

  “Hmm…I sure hope that’s not what you were thinking about with that face. Try again.”

  This woman knew me inside and out. It was the reason she knew I was lying about leaving her the night I tried to walk away. She could see it in my eyes I didn’t want to leave, and kept calling me out on my bullshit.

  “You’re scared,” she said. It wasn’t a question.

  “Yes. A little,” I admitted.

  She lifted her head and rested her chin on my chest.

  “I would be a little surprised if you weren’t. Despite what Leah may think, you are not Superman.”

  “I know. I just want to be strong for you.”

  “And you are. You will be. But being scared of what might happen is normal, Logan.”

  I nodded and kissed her head.

  “So, what do we do now?” I asked.

  “We live our lives like we planned. We spend a week with our daughter.” The fact that she just called Maddie “our daughter” made me instantly grin.

  “We go home and we begin fighting. And we fight until we win. And we will win, Logan.”

  “And you’re ready?” I asked, knowing everything she’d already gone through.

  “I’m ready for anything, as long as you’re there beside me, holding my hand.”

  “Forever,” I vowed.

  “Good,” she grinned. “Well, Mr. Matthews, what do you want to do first?”

  I paused for a moment, looking down at my naked wife. A million ideas came to mind, but there was only one that screaming at me.

  “Honestly?” I asked.

  “Of course.”

  “I want to go find our daughter and start living our life. I’ve never had a family and I’d really like to enjoy my new one.”

  She smiled, and lifted her head to kiss me, before pulling back.

  “That is the best idea you’ve ever had. Let’s go start our lives, Mr. Matthews.”

  And we did.

  ~Leah~

  "This is all your fault, Hotshot." I whined, plopping into the plush green arm chair in our living room. My large, round stomach protruded out in front of me, which of course only angered me further.

  Forty weeks, my ass....

  "I'm sorry...exactly how is this my fault?" he asked, looking up from the script he'd been recently been sent. Having a few projects under his belt now, the executives in Hollywood were finally starting to take him seriously. It was about time someone realized what a genius he was behind the camera. He had always been an extraordinary actor, but as a director? He was unstoppable.

  Wait, I was mad at him.

  I pointed at my very pregnant stomach. "You did this to me. It's your child in there that refuses to come out. Forty-one weeks Declan. Forty-one fucking weeks," I emphasized. "It's time to send the eviction notice. I'm about to go insane."

  He gave me that lazy sexy grin he always did when he thought I was being cute. His eyebrow rose in amusement.

  "About to go insane?" he asked, doing his best to contain the laughter he was trying to keep in check. "Babe, you haven't exactly been playing with a full deck for the last few weeks."

  My eyes hardened and I gave him a look that could kill.

  "But I love you?" he amended.

  "She. Won't. Get. Out." I said, punctuating each word. "Don't you understand? I'm like a walking, talking bowling ball. Why doesn't she want to be born Declan? Why? Do you think she doesn't like me already?"

  The last question brought him to his feet and he immediately came to my side, dropping to his knees in front of me as I moped in my favorite armchair.

  "Leah, you are only a week overdue. The doctor said it's completely normal for a woman in their first pregnancy to go this long. I know the logical nursing side of you knows this. I know it's frustrating, but please, babe, don't think this is some sort of weird cosmic sign that our child doesn't love you. When she is born, she's going to love you. You know why?"

  I shook my head, wiping a tear from my eye. Stupid hormones.

  His brilliant, blue and green eyes sparkled and warmed. "Because I love you. She's half of me, isn't she? I can't imagine her not loving you as much as I do."

  "Oh," I answered, melting into his beautiful green blue eyes. I wiped another tear from my eye. "But we seriously need to figure out a way to get me into labor." I said, taking his large warm hand into mine. I smiled when my skin hit the cool metal of his wedding ring, and I remembered the day I'd placed it there. It had also been the day I'd told him the news about this new life growing inside me.

  His eyes had shimmered with unshed tears as he'd read the letter I'd written for him, a wedding gift I'd specifically told his best man, Logan, to give him right before I walked down the aisle. As our eyes had locked, and I saw the realization in his eyes, I'd never seen him so happy.

  "I'm going to be a?" he'd asked, and I'd answered "Yes," before he even got a chance to finish.

  That night, as he carried me over the threshold of our honeymoon suite, and carefully laid me down on the large bed, he'd looked down at me like I was his most precious possession on the planet.

  "You're caring my child," he said.

  "Yes," I answered.

  You're pregnant," he whispered in wonder.

  I smiled, loving the sound of pure joy in his tone. "Yes."

  "And you're my wife. Mrs. Leah James. Damn, I'm one lucky son of a bitch."

  I laughed. There was the man I knew.

  "You look very beautiful in this dress," he said, his voice changing from light and casual to something deeper. My body recognized the shift instantly and everything inside me suddenly clenched in anticipation.

  "Yes," he continued, "Very nice indeed. But I think it's time for it to go...on the floor."

  He slipped out of his suit jacket, turning to drape it on the back of the wingback chair next to the bed and undid the cuffs to his shirt as he came back around.

  I don't know why, but there was something very sexual about watching him do this. He set his cufflinks down on the nightstand, and slowly rolled up the sleeves of his shirt to his elbows. I rolled on my side and rested my head on my palm and continued to watch the show unfold.

  His hands went to the buttons of his shirt next, slowly unbuttoning one at a time. His eyes, now greener than before met mine and he smirked, knowing I was watching with rapt attention. The last button popped open, allowing his shirt to part open. The upper body I'd become addicted to, downright begun worshipping and thanking the heavens for appeared and yeah, I might have whimpered a little.

  The mini strip show came to an abrupt end as he stalked forward, still clad in tailored black pants and his crisp white shirt. It hung gloriously open, and my fingers twitched to touch every golden inch of skin.

  "I think that's enough attention on me for a while. After all, isn't the wedding day all about the bride?"

  I think I managed a "Mmmhhmm."

  All I saw was Declan, my hot as fuck husband standing before me, half naked and my brain was screaming, "Yay! Sexy, fun time!"

  He made quick work of my dress, which was impressive. Or it could have taken hours. I don't really remember. I was too busy touching him. He pulled me off the bed and as he undid buttons, I ran my hands up and down his chest. I grabbed his ass, wound my fingers in his hair as he slipped the dress from my body.

  "Holy fuck," he cursed, once my dress hit the floor.

  His eyes were glued to my body and he was literally frozen in place as he took it all in. It was my turn to smirk now. In my lust filled Declan haze, I'd forgotten about my little naughty surprise.

  Lingerie always managed to make men go damn near st
upid in mere seconds.

  My new husband was no exception.

  For bridal lingerie, I decided to throw tradition out the window and I'd gone sexy. Like, really sexy. No white virginal satin for Leah. Nope, I was in fuck me red. And judging by the way Declan was eyeing my nipples through my see-through teddy, I'd say the fuck me red was aptly named.

  I was on the bed in nanoseconds. The dental floss that passed as panties were ripped and gone seconds later.

  "We'll do slow and romantic later. Promise. I just need to fuck you. Hard."

  "Yes, god yes," I moaned.

  The rest of his clothes were shed and my eager hands collided with his body as he came crashing into me.

  "Yes!" I screamed, feeling him slam deep inside of me. His body pulled back and my insides tightened, waiting for him to drive back into me.

  But he didn't. He hovered above me and froze.

  My eyes found his and he looked panicked. The heat and sizzle in his eyes had been replaced with terror.

  "Declan, you looked scared to death. What is it?"

  "The baby," he said, completely stricken with fear. "What if I hurt the baby?"

  I tried to steady my face and not laugh.

  Seriously? Did all men go through this? My best friend said her husband Logan did the same thing--and he's a doctor. Did men really believe their dicks were that gigantic and pointy that they could reach the deepest depths of our womb and harm the child? If it was really a problem, do you think the world would be this overpopulated?

  I schooled my features, trying to remember how prideful men were about this...subject.

  My hands rubbed up and down his biceps in a supportive manner.

  "Babe, you're not going to hurt the baby. Believe me. I'm a nurse. Do you think I would do anything to hurt our child?"

  His eyes search mine and he nodded.

  "Right, you're right. Sorry, I'm being ridiculous."

  "No, you're just being a father. Now. Shut up and fuck me."

  He grinned and I felt him begin to harden again between my legs.

  "Yes, ma'am."

  "Leah, where'd you go?" Declan, asked, still leaning down in front of me. His worried expression told me I'd probably zoned out of a moment or two while I'd walked down memory lane.

  But that little trip had helped with one prevailing predicament.

  "Sex," I blurted out, spewing scatterbrained thoughts out of my mouth before taking the time to think them through. I was doing that lot since becoming pregnant. Declan had learned to interpret quite a few one-word sentences over the last several months, but I think this one was the ultimate cake-topper.

  "Um, yes?" he answered.

  "Sex. We need to have sex. It's what we tell patients at the hospital to do when they are past their due date."

  "So you want to use me--to induce labor?" he asked.

  "Yep. Sure do."

  He laughed, "I'm okay with that."

  "Good, because Connor is at baseball practice for the next hour. Let's get this show started."

  "That's the sexiest thing you've ever said to me. I think I just came a little," he joked, rising from his spot on the floor. He held out his hand and I took it, as he pulled my gigantic body from the chair.

  "Come on, Wife. Let's go have some totally hot, completely spontaneous sex."

  "Way to talk it up Hot Shot," I laughed, as we made our way up the stairs to our bedroom.

  God, how many stairs did we have?

  "Hey, who's using whom here? I think it should be you talking it up. Not me. It's my body and super sperm being used in this little adventure."

  I stopped in the middle of the hallway, doing an about face in front of our wedding photo that was hung just outside the door to our bedroom.

  "Super sperm?" I asked, my brow arched in amusement.

  "Yep. Managed to knock you up even though you were on the pill. I'd call that pretty super." His lips curved into that signature grin I'd come to love.

  "God, you're cocky."

  "Yep, I am. Which is why you love me," he answered, swooping down to pull me into his arms.

  "Declan! You're going to herniate a disk or something! Put me down!" I screamed, as he walked the remaining few feet into our bedroom.

  "You really think you look like a whale, don't you?"

  "No," I answered. "I've surpassed a whale. What's bigger than a whale? An elephant? Are elephants bigger than whales?"

  His eyebrows scrunched together as if he were actually considering it for a moment and then he shook his head.

  "Hell if I know, but you don't resemble either. Or any other large animal. You're beautiful babe," he said, gently laying me down on our fluffy teal blue duvet cover.

  "So, are you saying I resemble a small animal then? I really do look like a squirrel, don't I?"

  "Oh my God, do you want my penis or not?" he blurted out.

  A snort escaped, as I tried to not make a sound but as soon as that one sound echoed through our bedroom, the laughter came. And it came rolling out of me in droves.

  "Did you just say penis?"

  "That's it. No more fucking around. We're getting this baby out of you. I want my sane wife back," he said, as his shirt came up and over his head. I continued to laugh, pulling my legs up to my bouncing stomach. The baby moved and stirred from the activity and my hand came to my belly immediately loving the feel of her moving inside of me.

  "Come on, clothes off?" he demanded.

  "What?" I asked, still slightly chuckling.

  "You heard me. If you say sex will bring on labor, than that's what we're doing. Right now. Clothes. Off. Leah," he said, his voice dropping an octave as the last three words were said. His eyes narrowed and fixed on me and I suddenly didn't feel like laughing anymore.

  "Okay," I answered.

  Yay, sexy fun time.

  I thought pregnant sex would get awkward and awful the bigger I got, but I should have known better. When you're married to Declan James, sex can only get better, no matter the circumstances. I was convinced we'd be knocking bed posts and getting caught in janitor closets when we were living in a nursing home.

  I took my time removing my clothes, making sure he got a bit of a reward for all of the crap I'd put him through in the last few weeks. I'd always rolled my eyes when the crazy pregnant women came into the hospital, dragging their tired, strung out husbands behind them and swore I'd never be that woman. And yet, here I was.

  My poor husband needed to be taken care of.

  His eyes savored every second, as he watched my shirt move up and over my head. I let my fingers skim down my heavy, full breasts and over my round stomach. Slipping them under the waistband of my very unsexy maternity pants, I slid them down my legs, letting the material fall to the ground. My panties joined the pile a second later.

  "See, beautiful," he whispered.

  His clothes were shed and as he slipped behind me under the covers, I felt him heavy and full against me. Knowing how much he wanted me, even when I felt tired and swollen was empowering. I pushed back against him and heard him groan.

  Having a giant basketball permanently mounted to your stomach made intimate situations much trickier. Lovemaking over the last several months had become a fun, new game. How many positions could we think of?

  After much trial and error and lots of practicing, we'd found a few favorites. As Declan’s hand skimmed down my hips and dipped to the front juncture of my thigh, I moaned.

  His lips touched my shoulder, sprinkling kisses up and down my back and neck. Every touch was gentle and filled with purpose. Such a different tone from the joking man I'd laughed with seconds earlier. It was as if he was savoring each and every second.

  "Our lives are about to change," he said softly. "Any day now, we're going to be parents to a tiny baby girl and our life is going to explode into a wonderful blend of joy and chaos. Right now, let's lose ourselves in each other."

  And we did. Knowing I loved the feel of his strong body behind me, he spread
my legs slightly and slipped into me as we both laid on our sides. He kept his hand buried in my thighs as his fingers worked my clit. Slow and steady, his strokes hit deep and I cried out, loving the friction this position created.

  Shifting up on his elbow, I felt his warm breath tickle my ear. "I love you, Leah," he whispered.

  I turned my head, finding his heated gaze. "I love you Declan."

  He leaned over and claimed my lips, lifting my leg slightly so he could drive in harder. As his kiss deepened, our tongues entwining and moving together, his body slammed harder and faster into mine. I felt the orgasm coming seconds before it detonated, sending shockwaves through my entire body. My core clamped down, and I felt his movement become more frantic as he chased his own release.

  Knowing he was close, I pushed back, grinding myself into him as he worked in and out, until finally I heard his breath catch.

  "Fuck!" he cried, as his body tightened and spasm. He sagged against me, wrapping an arm around my belly. He tucked his head against my neck and he placed a quick kiss there.

  The baby kicked his hand and he jumped.

  "Why does she always get so active when we have sex? It freaks me out!" he said, jerking his head up to watch my stomach move under his hand.

  I laughed, placing my hand over his as I cuddled further into the bed and cherished the feel of our unborn child moving beneath our joined fingers.

  Come on baby girl...Mama wants to meet you now.

  ~Declan~

  My eyes flew open as I felt a hard jab to my side.

  "What the hell?" I cursed in confusion. It was dark. Like pitch black, middle of the night, why the fuck am I awake dark. I looked over at the alarm clock that stood on our small nightstand.

  Two thirty in the morning. Awesome.

  "Declan!" Leah hissed, hitting me again in the arm.

  "Ouch, seriously woman. Why are you abusing me in the middle of the night?"

  "I think my water just broke," she said.

  Well, that got my attention. I immediately sat up in bed, rubbing the sleep out of my eyes, as I threw the covers off of me.

  "Well, why are you still in bed?" I said, glancing over at my very still wife. Why wasn't she throwing the covers off and jumping out of bed? She did say "water" and "breaking" in the same sentence, right?