Snatched (Coronado Series Book 2)

by Hart, Lea

  “I do, but it’s important to me.”

  “Let me think about it, and I will tell you in the morning.”

  He rolled on top of her and framed her face, “I love you.”

  “I love you too.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY THREE

  Max held her hair again as she lost everything in her stomach. This morning sickness was not a lot of fun. At least he knew what to expect and wasn’t as scared as she leaned over and heaved into the toilet. “Please let me throw up alone - I don’t want you to see this.”

  “Too late, I asked you to marry me and that includes me holding your hair as you throw up. We are in this together and that includes morning sickness.” He handed her the wet wash cloth, and she ran it over her face and handed it back to him, then he wiped her neck and handed her the bottle of water. When she was finally done, he helped her up and left her alone to wash her face and brush her teeth.

  She walked back into the room and laid down and adjusted the pillows. “I’m going to go for my run and swim while you take a nap. Do you want me to bring breakfast back up, or do you want to wait and order room service?”

  “I think I will just sleep for a while and wait for you to come back.”

  He kissed her head and placed her phone next to her. “I will have my phone with me, so call me if you need me.”

  She gave him a thumbs up, pulled the sheet up and closed her eyes. “Love you.”

  He stopped at the door and looked at her, “Love you more.”

  He made his way down to the beach and decided to only do a ten mile run. He wanted to get back before she woke up. As he made his way down the beach he started to work on a plan. He wanted to marry Rory before they left the state of Florida. He knew once they got home, she would find all sorts of reasons to put it off. He figured if they could have a private ceremony here then it would be easy to organize something at home. He hoped that she would agree to it, but he knew that he couldn’t push, because if he did then it would never happen. He never wanted to put himself in the same position he was in two weeks ago.

  As he made his way down the beach, an idea started to form, maybe they could apply for a marriage license tomorrow and then get married at the end of the week. They could go down to the Keys and get married on the beach. Maybe he could suggest they take the week off and relax. They hadn’t been able to do that since they’d met. Between the stalker and Jackson, he never let his guard down. As he started to get into the rhythm of the run, he began to feel relaxed for the first time since he’d met her. His mind started to turn over the last couple of days; he was going to be a father and the woman who had stolen his heart had agreed to marry him. This was one of those days that he would remember for the rest of his life, all of the things that he hoped for had come true. He continued down the beach and felt lighter than he had in a very long time.

  Rory started to wake up slowly, she smelled the salt air and felt the gentle breeze through the curtains. She stretched and relaxed and waited to see how her tummy was doing. She placed her hands over her stomach and said good morning to the baby. Somehow it seemed very unreal, but the doctor told her that was common. She figured when she heard the baby’s heartbeat for the first time then it would become very real. How in the world had Max put a baby in her? I guess this baby wanted to come regardless of what our plans were.

  Now she was engaged and pregnant, and he wanted to get married as soon as possible. Was this something that she could consider? If she agreed to marry him, then why shouldn’t she just marry him now… why wait? Because it was crazy to marry him right away. But she was pregnant, and they were going to be bound for the rest of their lives - anyway. This meant a lot to him, and she wanted him to be happy. What was holding her back? My family would go crazy if they were not here for the wedding. But it wasn’t their life, it was hers and Max’s and the baby. This was a new way of thinking about things. They were going to be a family, and she had to start putting them first. Ultimately her family would be happy for her, and they would forgive her after the baby was here. It might just work.

  The idea of a ceremony with just the two of them appealed to her - it would mark the beginning of their family. She liked the idea of focusing on their commitment and not the ceremony and party. Maybe if they started out this way they could hold on to it… their family would be at the center. They could have a baby moon and take the week off and get married.

  I guess I can officially say goodbye to my quiet life. “Ok Baby Boo, let’s get up and take a shower. How about you give Mama a break today, and let me eat a little food.” She sat up and drank the juice that Max had left for her and ate several crackers. She got up and felt a little dizzy, so she took it slowly and made her way into the shower.

  ***

  Max walked into the room and saw Rory sitting in the chaise lounge by the door. She was in a loose fitting dress and her hair was up, she smiled at him as she looked up. “How was it? Is it different running on the beach here?”

  It took him a moment to swallow the lump in his throat, he had never seen a more beautiful woman in his life. She is mine and she is going to give me a baby. “It was a good run, and I definitely enjoy my swim a lot more in warm water.” He leaned over and gave her a salty kiss, “Do you want to go downstairs for breakfast, or do you want to have room service?”

  “I would like to go downstairs, in fact I may go down now. I’m out of sour gummy bears.”

  “Give me ten minutes, and we can go down together.”

  “Ok.”

  “What are you working on?”

  “I downloaded ‘What to expect when you’re expecting.’ I’m making notes and I started a spread sheet. There are a lot of things to consider, and I don’t want to forget anything.”

  “Can you put it on my iPad as well, I’d better start educating myself.”

  “I think there is one for Dads, so I can download that one for you.”

  “I want both, I want to know everything.”

  “That’s what I’m afraid of, I think you’re going to become dangerous if you have too much information.”

  “I have no idea what you are talking about.”

  “Don’t play dumb with me, you know exactly what I’m talking about.”

  “I’m going to take my shower, I need to feed my fiancée.”

  “Run… run while you can.”

  ***

  They sat on the patio and looked out at the ocean as they enjoyed their brunch. “It sure is a pretty view. It reminds me of the breakfast we had at the Hotel Valencia.”

  “You were probably hours pregnant at the time, my super swimmers had made a successful trip and were settling in.”

  “We don’t know that’s when it happened.”

  “You’re right, but I like to think that’s when it happened.”

  “All right, let’s go with that. I think that makes a good story.”

  He squeezed her hand and smiled, he rubbed his finger over her ring and winked at her. “Do you want to go for a walk after breakfast?”

  “Sure, I could use the exercise.”

  “I don’t want you to overdo it.”

  “I’d better walk now while I can, the doctor said that moderate exercise would be good for me.”

  “That’s true, moving around will probably help you feel better. I would like to change the subject for a moment if you don’t mind.”

  ‘Of course not, what’s on your mind?”

  “I would like to take a week off and stay here and have a babymoon with you. We have not had the chance to relax since we met. Our lives are about to change, and I want to take a little time to unwind and enjoy one another.”

  “Well that sounds lovely. I will have to check with my boss and see if I can get the time off. Oh wait…. that’s you. I would like nothing more than to have a week off with you to rest and enjoy your company.”

  He moved his chair around so he was sitting next to her, he took her hand and looked her in the eye. “Have you thought
about getting married before we go home?”

  She looked down at their hands and looked back at him, “I have. I discussed it with the baby while you were on your run.”

  “What do the two of you think?”

  “I think this is important to you, and I want to make you happy. I like the idea of having a private ceremony with the two of us. Somehow it feels right to focus on our commitment and not a big party. This is so crazy that we are getting married after two months, and we are having a baby in seven months. I like the idea of it just being the two of us for now. I’m worried about my family being disappointed, but I think it will all work out. After all we are starting our own family, and that is going to become the priority.”

  He swallowed and tried to get the lump to go down in his throat. This was officially the best day of his life so far, and he had a feeling that this was just the beginning. “You never have to give me another present for as long as we live. You have just given me everything I’ve ever wanted.” He kissed her hard several times. “I’m glad the baby was on my side on this one.”

  “How are we going to do this?”

  “Tell me what you want, and I will make it happen.”

  “Do we have to get a license?”

  “Yes, we can apply tomorrow and probably have it by the next day. What do you think of going down to the Keys and getting married there? We can pick a small resort and get married on the beach at sunset.”

  “Perfect, I will go and get a dress tomorrow and a couple of things for our honey/babymoon and we can leave on Tuesday.”

  “Do you want to keep it a secret when we get home?”

  “Yes, I want to plan a ceremony for our family and friends for the spring. My Mama is going to go crazy if she thinks that she missed out on my wedding day. The only way that she is going to get over it, is when she meets her grandchild.”

  “I understand, this is just for us anyway.”

  “You know what I just thought of…. my initials are not going to change. I go from Basso to Bishop. That works out for me because I have a lot of monogrammed napkins and tablecloths.”

  “See we are meant to be. After all there are napkins that already have the right initial.”

  “Exactly.”

  ***

  “You are not coming with me.”

  “I’m not letting you go alone.”

  “Max Bishop, you need to back off. I’m going to the shopping center by myself. I don’t want to rush and I will if I think you’re waiting for me.”

  “What if I sit in a coffee shop and read. I will be happier if I’m close by. What if you need me?”

  “I’m going shopping, and there is nothing I will need. It’s my natural habitat. I don’t want you to wait.”

  “Do you realize that I sat in a cave for eight days waiting for a warlord to show up? We ate raw goat and had a gallon of water between us. Waiting is not a big deal to me. Hell, sitting in a coffee shop - reading is a vacation. You know I like to have eyes on you, I’ll feel better.”

  “You are not going to have eyes on me, I’m buying a wedding dress. You can’t see it.”

  “I will be in the area, I won’t actually be there.”

  “Fine.”

  “I know you don’t actually mean fine, but I’m going to take it.”

  “That would be wise. I don’t want to hear any complaining about how long I took.”

  “Is it going to take longer than eight days?”

  “No, of course not.”

  “Then it will be fine. I have a lot of reading to do. I noticed there were several books that you didn’t download on my iPad.” He heard her talking to herself in Italian and knew that she was talking about him. He stood up, took her hands and pulled her in, “I love you too and can’t live without you.” He held on and dropped his mouth to hers and kissed her with a lot of heat.

  “Consider yourself lucky that I’m still in a sex coma, otherwise this could turn into a real argument. Your amazing ability in bed is working in your favor. I can’t seem to stay mad at you, because my hormones are raging, and all I can think about is the next time we are going to be in bed.”

  He laughed hard and pulled her down on the bed, “I’d better get at you then, I want to make sure my baby Mama is satisfied.”

  She felt his hand slide up her dress along her thigh, he slipped his hand inside of her silk panties and felt her take a breath in. He ate at her mouth as he let his hand move inside of her slick folds. “Oh Max….” he slipped one blunt finger inside, and she felt herself start the sweet slide into oblivion. He quickly dropped his shorts and got rid of her panties and moved onto her. He pressed forward slowly as he tried to control his now ferocious desire. He gently slid all the way in, it was like entering wet silk. She closed around him tightly, and he felt her soft warm welcome. He pulled out slowly and pushed back, thrusting heavily…. and just like that she started coming. He heard her call his name as a red hot streak raced down his spine. He erupted into her just as she began contracting around him again. It was so intense and the pleasure so keen - it was almost painful. He felt her heavy breath against his cheek as he tried to get enough air in his lungs to breathe again. His face was planted in the pillow next to her head, and he felt her face turn and kiss him on the cheek. “I don’t mind if you come to the mall with me… now.”

  He huffed out a little laugh and kissed her cheek. “Ok, just as soon as I can get my muscles working again and the blood returns to my brain.” She patted his back and kissed his cheek again. “By the way, I’m only going to be your baby mama for another couple of days. Soon I will be your wife and I plan on enjoying all the benefits that come with it.”

  “Me too, baby…me too.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY FOUR

  Rory watched Max pull up in front of the hotel in the car he rented, apparently they were going to drive to the Keys in style. “Are you sure they didn’t have something bigger?”

  “I don’t like to be cramped - I like big cars. We are going to be driving for several hours, and I want to be comfortable.”

  “So, this is how we roll?”

  He looked over at the shiny black Escalade and realized she may have a point. “This was the only SUV they had available, and this is how we are rolling.”

  “Did you get the sour gummies?”

  “Yes, I got you a case. That should last us until we get home.”

  “I’m very happy that I decided to marry you.”

  “Me too. Let’s get going. We want to be there in time for the famous sunset. Do you have enough drinks?”

  “Yes, the hotel packed a cooler for me. I’m ready to go.”

  “Let’s go, we have a babymoon to get to.”

  ***

  They flew down the Overseas highway with the music playing and the ocean breeze flowing in through the windows. “I feel like I shouldn’t feel so relaxed. I’m marrying a man who I’ve only known for two months, and we are going to be welcoming a child in seven months.”

  “I have never felt better. I feel like I’m getting everything I want and more.”

  “I think I’m going to take a page from your book and lean in and enjoy it. I feel pretty good right now - I don’t know why I’m trying to borrow trouble.”

  “I think you’ve had a lot thrown at you in the last several months, so your reaction is fairly normal. Let’s take this week and enjoy ourselves as much as we can. When we go home next week, reality will be waiting for us - it’s not going anywhere. This week is just about us and our family.”

  “You’re right.” She leaned back against the seat and looked out the window at the ocean and felt the breeze against her skin. “I really like Florida - I forgot how much. I used to come down in the summers and play tennis at the Bolliterri Academy. I thought I was going to become some kind of Junior Tennis Star. But, all my girl parts came in, and it no longer seemed like a realistic goal.”

  “I had no idea you liked tennis so much.”

  ‘I think that’s going
to be the fun part of the next several years - we get to learn all about each other. We’re not going to one of those couples that sits at dinner with nothing to talk about.”

  “Tell me about your tennis career?”

  “I started playing when I was nine or ten, and I loved it. I thought that’s what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. My parents let me go to the Bolliterri Academy when I was twelve, and I thought I was in heaven. I played tennis all day and got to hang out with kids my age. I was a pretty good player and probably could have survived the junior circuit. Then I hit puberty, and my body started changing and didn’t quit for several years. I kept playing until I was about fifteen and then decided to give it up.”

  “Do you regret your decision?”

  “No, I think I was as good as I was ever going to get. Puberty did me a favor - I never harbored dreams about becoming a champion that were beyond my skill level. I played on the high school team and played with friends in college.”

  “I never really played tennis, maybe you can teach me.”

  She looked down at her stomach and then at him, “It may have to wait. I don’t think I’m going to be ready for quite some time.”

  “I guess you’re right. We may have a few things going on for the next year or so.”

  “So what’s your sports story?”

  “Football.”

  “That’s it?”

  “I played football from the time I was ten until I graduated college. Some people thought I would try and go pro, but that was never something I was interested in. I knew I was going into the military after I graduated. I never thought there was going to be another choice for me.”

  “How did you know?”

  “I was a hyper competitive kid, I think that’s why I always excelled at sports. I always pushed myself as hard as I could in every situation. That, combined with the stories that my Dad read to us when we were little about war and struggle. Those stories were filled with tales of individual hardship and adventure. The hero was always being tested in some deep and profound way. I think all of those stories planted ideas in my head, ideas that never left my head. I think I was born a warrior, it just took a couple of years to make the designation official. Sports always gave me the opportunity to build my self-confidence and sense of identity. I was always the kid who felt comfortable being in charge, and I was often chosen as the captain of any team I was on. Maybe it was because I was the oldest of four boys or it was my personality. I always wanted to be the lead guy. I was always the guy who wanted to push it as hard as I could - I always liked the test to see who had the most guts. That theme played out until I joined the Navy. The idea of seeking adventure, honor and glory always appealed to me. I always knew I was going to serve, I just had to find the right place to do it.”