by Angel Marks
“Oh, baby, it is so good to see you,” he murmured as he caressed her back and backside simultaneously. “But I need to get in the shower before I touch you anymore. You don’t want to be with me like this. Let me take a shower and then we’ll be together, all right?”
Noelle nuzzled his neck and rubbed her body on him like a cat before letting go and tiptoeing back so he could see her completely. She stood before him naked, for his inspection.
“All right, sir.”
Will groaned. He was not going to be able to keep away from if she spoke to him like that and looked so damn provocative. He continued to stare at her, his gaze taking her in carefully, her glowing face, full breasts, rounded belly, and full bottom. She looked beautiful, and strikingly different than when they had parted.
“Noelle.”
“Yes?” She replied with a look of innocence but she was a terrible liar. She had never been able to successfully tell him a lie in their lives together. She would always start to smile and then burst into laughter. Now she looked a mixture of worry and shyness as she moved her gaze to the wall behind him, but slowly she moved her eyes over and they were caught by his.
It was so. She had in her own way, officially become his.
Their gaze held in silence. His eyes looked at her with a soft question of why didn’t you tell me and she broke the spell. “I couldn’t keep you from making your journey. Every night that we spoke I wanted to tell you so much, and I knew if I did, you would be back in New York the next day and you would never take this chance again. You deserve to live your dream, as much as you pushed me to live mine.”
Will walked over to her and looked down at her eyes, now carefully embracing her figure. A smile broke out and his eyes sparkled.
“I wish you had told me. This is more important than driving around the country on a motorcycle, which, incidentally, gets old after a of couple weeks.” He leaned down and gently kissed her forehead. “You’re right, dear, if you had told me, I would have headed home that night, but it would not be the loss of my dream, it would be because my dream is coming true.”
“You’re okay, then?” Noelle knew the answer before he said it.
“Yes. This is the best news of my life, our lives, together.”
Noelle sighed as she leaned into him. “I am so sorry that I didn’t tell you,” she whispered as she choked on pregnancy induced hormonal tears, and then she was bawling and they were suddenly sitting together on the bed, he holding her in his lap, she wrapped around him, heaving sighs of relief.
“I knew in my heart you would be okay with this. When I didn’t get my period, my first instinct was to call you up so you would come right home, but then I started to think about how once the baby is born everything will be different. You would never take an opportunity like this again, because I know you, Will Martin. I know the man you are, and I know that you are going to be the best father our child could ever have, and yet I worried about you out on the highways every day. I was terrified something could happen to you and you would have never known that you were going to be a dad and that if you had known, well, then maybe you wouldn’t have been there and maybe you would have been home safe with me and then our child would know you, and somehow I kept the biggest news of our lives from you every night on the phone. I tried not to think about it. I knew that when I saw you, I would, of course, come clean, and that by then, now, I guess, you would maybe not feel like I had taken you away from what you wanted.” She took a deep breath. “I knew from our talks every night that it was going to be okay, but then in my heart I wanted to tell you in person.”
Will shook his head at her in disbelief, but he knew every word she spoke was the truth. “Never keep anything from me, ever again, Noelle. Promise me.”
“Oh, I won’t, sir. You have no idea how hard this was for me. Every night before we spoke I made a point of counting the days until I could tell you like this, in person, after you had been to the Badlands, Yellowstone, Yosemite, and now, here, at the Grand Canyon.”
“Yeah, but now, I want to see all of these places with you, and”—Will placed his hand on Noelle’s stomach, where she was obviously showing—“our child.”
They kissed and Will looked at her questioningly. “Noelle, have you been to the doctor?”
“Yes, I’ve had a few appointments already. The baby is considered twelve weeks gestation now. They count from the day of my last period, but she was conceived obviously, the weekend I came home to you. Probably when we were on your motorcycle, remember? You didn’t pull out, and well, I wasn’t on any birth control, and you knew it, too.”
Will looked at her again a bit aggrieved. “I remember because I asked you if you had gotten your period in September because I didn’t pull out, and you lied to me. That’s not cool, Noelle. Don’t lie to me, ever. I wish I had known sooner. I would have taken you to your appointments, been there for you. How are you feeling?”
Will stood up and started to undress. Noelle stared at him longingly before she launched into all the gruesome details of daily morning sickness, constipation causing prenatal vitamins, and hormonal meltdowns before he stepped into a steaming hot shower.
His shower was long, as he had a lot on his mind. When he emerged clean, shaved, and glistening, Noelle presented him with clean clothes she had packed and brought with her.
“What’s this?” He had not anticipated that she would think of him like this.
“Clothes for you, dear—I went shopping. See?” She motioned over to her open suitcase stocked with his signature white T-shirts, boxer briefs, socks, a dressier shirt, chinos, and even Timberland shoes. He was packed for a vacation.
“What did your doctor say about sex?”
“Oh, yeah, it’s certain that I’ve had it.”
Will eyed her. Noelle lay on the bed propped up by the pillows, in a very unladylike position, still naked, her knees up and legs apart. “Actually, she said it’s safe to have sex and well, I really want you, Mr. Martin.”
That was all he needed to hear. He walked over to the bed to make good on his ten week absence, but instead of taking her by storm as he had planned the entire ride over, he took his time.
Will sat next to her, his legs out on the bed and pulled Noelle into his lap, gently caressing her body, exploring its new depth and fullness. “How does this feel?” he asked as he pressed on her nipple and she arched her back.
“They’re really sensitive,” she replied but she didn’t dare say no to him. She relished belonging to him and she trusted him completely. His love for her was that he wouldn’t hurt her ever, on purpose.
His hands cupped her full breasts and then slid down her curves, over her small bump, and fingered her completely shaven pussy. “That’s my baby,” he whispered in her ear as he felt her body gush for him.
He laid her down on the bed and, gently pressing her legs apart, he went down on her, licking her until she came, squirting in his mouth. He then got up on his knees and his cock was rock hard and sticking straight out. Noelle gasped with need as he entered her tight, dripping pussy. She accepted his cock as a part of her, or more as she was his.
He held himself up so there was no weight or pressure on her middle and she reached up and stroked his flexed forearms dropping her arms back over her head, relishing giving him complete power over her body, surrendering to his control and needs. She knew he held back as he stroked inside her, not daring to give her his full length, unsure how much he could have her without causing issue with the pregnancy.
Out of concern for her, he finished fast, letting himself build without control. She felt the power and need he had begin to overtake him and she moved her body with his, adjusting to better accept and take him at his leisure. He moved back and forth into her with an intensity and need that she had experienced many times before and their eyes locked. In this moment she cried out to him, begging him to own her, to make her his.
“You are mine, baby,” he whispered in her ear. “You’ve alway
s been mine. Marry me, Noelle.”
She cried with emotion and need for him as he erupted deep inside her pussy, causing her body to shake with a series of tremors. Will gave her multiple orgasms.
They lay together, side by side, for almost an hour asleep before stirring.
“Let’s get you something to eat,” Will said. They dressed and went down to the dining room of the resort. Noelle wore a black jersey cotton wrap sleeveless dress and sandals with an open grey cashmere cardigan. “You look great.” Will smiled and kissed her before taking her arm and escorting her to dinner. He was both prince and cowboy wrapped into one and Noelle was mesmerized.
They dined by a window view of the Grand Canyon at sunset. Over Tuscan chicken and salad, Noelle filled Will in on all the details of the pregnancy, the tests, the events of the first trimester, and her worries and excitements for what was to come. Then she pulled from her purse the picture, their baby’s first ultrasound. Will was speechless.
She pointed out the baby’s feet, toes, nose, and fingers. He held the picture for a long time, finally saying “Wow. Who do you think he looks like?”
“I think like you, but why he? It could be a she.”
“When will we know?”
“Well, the next ultrasound is in three weeks. The baby will be fifteen weeks gestation. There’s a chance we’ll be able to find out. I really want to know. Some people like to wait, you know, to have a big surprise on the day.”
“Noelle, I don’t want to wait, either. Let’s find out.”
Noelle grinned at him knowingly. They would know the gender of their baby before he or she was born.
After dinner they strolled outside to an observation point and were rendered speechless by the view. The peaks of the canyon glowed red in the setting autumn sun and they stood as one taken by the uncommon view. Finally, Will broke their silence.
“I’m glad we’re here to see this together, baby. When I was on the road, every place I visited was missing you, and now the rest of our family, too.”
Noelle smiled. “What are we going to do, Mr. Martin?”
“Well…” Will kissed the back of her hand before proceeding to get down on his knee. “Noelle, I love you. I have loved you from the start. We have gone through time apart, and had time to figure out who we are and what we want. I’ve known from the moment I met you how special you are. I have this overwhelming urge to take care of you. You’re fragile and strong, beautiful and intelligent. You make me laugh and you give my life joy, and now an even greater purpose. I am asking you, Noelle Snow, to be my wife. Will you marry me?”
“Yes,” Noelle blubbered, gazing down at him.
Will responded by slipping a ring on her finger. It was a flawless, round full karat diamond solitaire on a band of fourteen karat gold. He stood up, pulling her to him to cheers and applause. “Do you like it?”
“Yes, it’s beautiful!” She meant it.
“It belonged to my grandmother. I had it sized to fit you a year ago.”
“That long ago?”
“I knew you were the one for me, Noelle, the moment I met you.”
A small crowd had gathered to watch their private moment becoming an impromptu audience. Will seized her in his arms and they fell into a deep kiss, unbothered by the onlookers and basking in the setting sun. They did, however, allow a couple to take their photo, and that picture of the two of them embracing and glowing with the red of sunset surrounding them became a framed centerpiece on the mantel at the beach house in Maine.
Chapter Twenty-Six
It was at that moment when Will sealed his proposal with his grandmother’s wedding ring and they gazed into each other’s eyes that what really mattered to them became shockingly clear. No longer did Noelle care if Will had his bachelor’s degree, or if she had the latest fashion, or could make a big book deal. These were secondary if not last on the list of importance, as Will gazed at her with a steady assuredness and patient care.
What mattered was being together. Happiness was the day to day small events of their lives that could be cherished together in the country, by the sea, unclouded by a desire for fame, fortune, or relentless competition, a place they could safely raise their family with hikes, books, blueberries, sledding, surf, sailing, and spectacular sunsets. In that moment in the desert, it was Maine calling to them in their hearts.
“Remember Maine?”
“Every day.”
“Well, let’s live there.”
“All right.” And just like that, they had a path.
Fortunately, the Indian motorcycle was a popular mode of transport in the desert. Will listed and sold his bike the very next day for a fair price. A day later they drove into Vegas passing several places to elope along the way. As untraditional as they had been, they decided together that they would marry in the presence of their family, back East.
They flew into New York midweek and took the bus up to Brighton City where they announced their engagement and pending arrival to their expectant families at a dinner they invited everyone to at Leonardo’s, a family favorite Italian restaurant.
It was joyous news and well received all around, despite Noelle’s mother managing to get in a few snide remarks about how fortunate Noelle was that Will planned to marry her. She smiled and refused to allow her mother to break her happiness. Will squeezed her hand and responded, “I would have married your daughter a year ago, but she wasn’t ready, Mrs. Snow. I love her and respect her wishes.” Noelle’s mother merely stared and for once didn’t have a reply.
A small wedding was planned to be held at the indoor botanical garden and mansion in downtown Brighton two days after Christmas. Noelle’s mother hungrily took over the whirlwind planning with a meticulous touch and Noelle readily handed over the decision making to her, after all, she already had everything she could want. Still, her mother called her daily for her final say on every detail. She wanted the day to reflect her daughter’s wishes, and in turn their relationship strengthened.
After their initial decision to move to Maine, they talked it over endlessly together and then with Will’s family. With the baby coming and their pending nuptials, Noelle knew NYC wasn’t the right place for them, and, as much as she had enjoyed it, she knew in her heart her time there was coming to a happy ending. The convenience and sophistication of New York would be replaced by the wilderness of Maine’s rugged coast, and the beautiful, historic village of Bar Harbor.
Will stayed with Noelle in New York, moonlighting as a bartender at a pub just down the street from where she lived, until Thanksgiving when they returned to Brighton to split the holiday between their parents’ homes. He stayed in New York long enough to take her to her second ultrasound appointment and see their baby boy bouncing on the screen, and then to celebrate with Noelle the wonderful news that her company would allow her to work from a home office in Maine.
She looked forward to waking every morning with Will by her side, and raising their child together in the fresh sea air, county sunshine, and summers that didn’t smell like garbage. Instead summers would be spent picking endless amounts of Maine blueberries that she would freeze like a good housewife, for the long Maine winters spent snuggling by the fire as a family, reading together, and hopefully having time to read proposals while the baby was sleeping.
That her bosses had agreed to let her work from Maine beginning in January was beyond thrilling, and that she would be allowed to drop down to part time after she returned from maternity leave was her career dream come true as it kept her health insurance and gave her an excuse to escape the wilderness every four weeks, with her family in tow, to check in with the office for a monthly meeting.
After Thanksgiving Will traded his GTO in for an all-wheel drive Subaru, loaded up his schnoodle and cat, and took Noelle back to NYC before heading to Bar Harbor, Maine where they would live at his father’s beach house.
In the event of becoming a father, Will accepted his father’s generous offer in regard to his Maine inte
rests. Will would be the caretaker of the beach house estate in exchange for rent, and he would begin leasing a village building his father had inherited for the same exchange starting on December 1st. The building had served as a fabric and craft store with unused apartments for years, but the business had closed in September when the owners retired and moved to Florida. Joe had not sought to rent the space out since. Part of him hoped his son would see it as the opportunity he did.
Will converted much of the building into a boxing gym with a separate yoga/dance space for Noelle to teach in, but from an ornate side entrance, he envisioned an jewelry and artists’ shop featuring the work of a variety of artists he had come upon while traveling the Northwest, and local Maine artists as well.
He worked long days completing the renovations with a local childhood friend who had become a contractor, using up a great deal of his savings on the renovation and then to purchase start up equipment and furnishings. Ultimately, to avoid going broke, he took out a small business loan with his grandmother. She was happy to help him open his first business, and insisted she was an investor.
Bar Harbor would be their home. It was time for them to plant some roots.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
It was a warm August day in Maine, exactly two years after their first trip to Bar Harbor together, that Noelle stood at the altar of the little white church that looked out at the sea, holding their three-month-old son, Will Xavier Martin, Jr.
Today was Xavier’s christening. A sacrament they had decided could be ascertained at the church of Will’s baptism. Noelle gently handed over their beautiful, dimpled, and mischievous son to her sister, who would serve as godmother and Will’s brother, the godfather. She caught Will’s eye. He winked at her as Reverend Lin began to extrapolate on what Will had mentioned to him the week before. If god exists, then he’s all forgiving. A merciful god was the theme of their son’s baptism.
