“He wanted to know how I was doing and the baby. He apologized for the things that happened. He said he was sorry for not giving me a chance. For not being a better father and failing me when I needed him.”
“He said that?”
“Yep. Like you are now, I wasn’t expecting him to say any of those things.”
“He should have said that and more.”
“I let him see Jace.” I wait to see his reaction to this. He doesn’t show any so it’s safe to continue. He said he would support me if I wanted to see my family but sometimes he can be like a rattle snake with my family when it comes to me and Jace. You can’t be too certain what he’s going to do. “I was overwhelmed emotionally to see my father holding his grandchild. He told me he loved me, he asked if he could come by again to see me and Jace.”
“What did you say?”
“I said yes. If you’re not okay with it I won’t let him see Jace.”
“I’m okay with your father coming here, preferably when I’m not. I’m fine with it.”
Meaning my mother and Kate are not welcomed. I understand that completely. “It was weird, he wanted to hug me but it was like he needed my permission. It was never like that with us. He would give me the biggest hugs, no hesitations, and call me his baby girl. I missed him a lot, I didn’t realize until he showed up at the door.”
“Understandable, you were close.”
“He asked me if I was happy. I said yes. He said I deserved it.”
“You do.” He reaches across the table taking my hand, pulling me on his lap. “You can see your family if you want to. I can’t stop you. I don’t want Jace near your mother or sister. I don’t want you alone with them, but I can’t stop you. If you choose to see them be careful, don’t do it alone. I almost lost you once, I don’t want it to happen again.”
I kiss him and agree. This is good, I wasn’t sure what he was going to say when I told him my father was here. “Jace has an appointment tomorrow, do you think you’ll be able to come?”
“I’m going to be in court. Call me if anything happens. I’m sure he’ll be fine, he’s gained a lot of weight you wouldn’t know looking at him he was premature.”
“I know. He eats so much I think I’m overfeeding him. I’m not on the schedule I should be on.”
“Let him eat if he wants to. If he wants to eat, let him eat. Don’t starve my child.”
“That will not happen. He’s like his daddy, by the time he lets out the first shout you better have the bottle ready. He’s an undeniable sweet baby but you don’t want to get on his bad side.” I smile and he chuckles.
“Don’t forget it. That’s my son.”
Cat
Nick walks through the door and I practically jump in his arms, smiling up at him. He drops his bag with the mail scattering on the floor to get his arms around me, and prevent me from knocking him over.
“Hey! You’re excited to see me. What’s going on?”
“Not much. Can’t I be happy to see you?”
“Of course, I would love this excitement greeting me at the door every day,” he says, purposely kissing me on the cheek with a wet smack.
I scrunch up my nose and wipe my cheek with my shoulder playfully. “Yuck.”
“Seriously what’s going on?”
I tip my head back, looking up. “Jace’s appointment was excellent.”
“I knew it would be, he’s my boy after all. We Alexanders are nothing less than exceptional.”
“Anyway, his doctor said he’s right on track for where he should be. Don’t worry about the feeding too much he’s healthy and his weight is good. So I’m happy.”
“As am I. Is this why you’re extraordinarily happy?”
“Really, Nick? You’re acting like I’m always grumpy and less than happy to see you.”
“You know that’s not what I’m saying. Stop overreacting, drama queen.”
“The only thing that is saving you from seeing the real drama queen is your irresistible sexy smile.” I reach up on my toes and pull his head down, with his bottom lip between my teeth, I suck it into my mouth, gently rolling my tongue across.
“Cat, don’t start something we can’t finish properly.”
“Oh, we’re going to be able to finish properly.” I place a kiss under his chin by his neck where his pulse is beating. “I’m good to go.”
“Good to go for what?”
“I also had my checkup today. And I am cleared for all activities. In and out of bed,” I say, placing kisses along his collarbone. “Nick!” I screech, laughing as he swings me up in his arms headed to the bedroom.
“Quiet. Where’s Jace?” he says with all seriousness like a man on a mission.
“He’s sleeping in his room.”
“Shit, I was good to go before I walked in here to perform my manly duties, every time the wind blows I’m ready.”
I laugh and bury my face in his shirt.
He’s lying between my legs and I run my hands through his hair, closing my eyes as his lips lock around me. Oh, my God. This feels better than I remember. “Mmm…Nick,” I involuntarily moan his name when his tongue reaches deep, stroking me. I have to remember we’re not alone anymore. His tongue is rolling around inside me, making me move my hips with him as he swirls it around, making me scream his name when he glides out and sucks me in.
My back arches up, mouth wide open, my head sinking into the pillows. The suction from his mouth sends rushes of intense tingling pleasure through the nerve endings in my body. His soft lips cocooning all of me in his mouth, tongue laving against my clit warm and wet. Making the heat from his mouth radiate from between my thighs right through me. When I can’t take it anymore and I feel the spasms creeping up my body in little spirals of waves, he pulls away.
Leaving me panting his name, begging for more. Spreading my legs wide apart, my mouth falls open as his body sinks deep in me, making me gasp at his fullness. I grab his head, pulling it down to me, covering his lips with mine; our tongues move against each other dueling like our bodies.
He slams into me; moving my head to the side, I bite the side of his neck sinking my teeth into his flesh. His head goes back and he grits his teeth, grunting he slams me harder, I pull his head back, and he pins my hand against the pillows above my head with one arm, fingers clasped in mine. I swallow when he looks at me with a wicked smile, aquamarine eyes shining.
“Nick.” I pant as he slides out of me slowly.
“Yeah, imma give you what you want.”
He strokes his other hand over the side of my face, and over my swollen lips while my body squirms under him waiting for his assault. I don’t have to wait long. His hand roams down to my ass and he whispers in my ear,
“Hold still.”
He pulls back farther, slamming into me, pushing me up against the bed. I forget I need to be quiet and a scream escapes me, bursting out of my mouth. Pleasure rocks through me when he grinds against my body massaging my clit. He doesn’t stop, he keeps coming harder each time, grinding against me each time faster and harder until he slows down to a steady pace, when my body can’t take it anymore he pulls out of me.
Covering my sensitive flesh with his mouth again, he brings me to the edge with his soft stroking tongue. I find my release, and my eyes close…pure pleasure. He slides back in me with long smooth strokes until he explodes inside me, his head in the crook of my neck.
I run my fingers in his hair, not able to move with him still inside me while kissing my neck.
“I love you,” he says against my neck, reining kisses down on me.
I know he does completely. There is no denying that and so do I. When I needed him the most he dropped everything to be by my side, literally. If that is not truly loving me I don’t know what is. He would have given up his whole life to take care of me, giving me what I need. I’m going to do something I should have done months ago. Something I’m fully ready to do to make the three of us a complete package deal.
“Nick, yes, I’ll marry you.”
He stops what he’s doing, smirking, and his face almost touching mine. “I didn’t ask.”
“Yes, you did.” He better not play with me. He’s looking at me with an eyebrow raised, making me think he might not want to anymore. He better.
He clears his throat, shifting in me, sending little shivers through my body. “I’m glad you finally came to your senses. I knew you would, if you weren’t pregnant I could have fucked some sense into you months ago.”
My eyes and mouth are wide open. I snap my mouth shut unable to keep the amusement off my face and out of my voice. I tug the end of his hair. “Shut up, where’s my ring?”
“Don’t worry about it, I got you. You’re going to love it. It’s so us that you would accept my marriage proposal months after I ask while I’m still inside you.”
I gasp when he gently pushes up inside of me. My mouth opens and he kisses my lips softly. I put my arms around his neck, wincing a little, tender but ready to go again. He brushes his fingers through my hair and I hear Jace’s cries from the other room.
“Nick, Jace.”
“He’s fine, we’ll get him in a minute,” he says, kissing the side of my face.
“Nick!”
He moans and smiles a little. “My own son is cock-blocking. You stay, I’ll get him, if I can walk.”
I giggle, biting down on my lip as he pulls out. “He’ll be happy to know his mommy has finally agreed to marry his daddy and make me the luckiest undeserving bastard, by being my wife.”
“Yes, I’m going to make you the most wretchedly happy, undeserving bastard by making you my husband.” He kisses me and goes to slide back in. I put a hand on his chest scolding him. “Nick, go get our son.”
With a wry smile he says, “The wretched happiness begins.”
Yes it does.
Cat
He was right about the ring. I love it and the way he proposed again. He thought he should do it again properly because it was better than telling people I accepted his proposal while we were making love with him buried in me. Two days after I accepted his proposal, he surprised me by getting his mother to watch Jace and taking me out to dinner. Not to a fancy five-star restaurant but dinner by candlelight in the middle of a rose garden in the Brooklyn Botanic Garden. Apparently he knew someone, pulled some strings and we were in. I was happily surprised for once. Surrounded by the flowers and trees and a warm gentle breeze unusual for an October night, under the open sky and a luminous full moon, he got down on one knee, took my hand, and asked me to marry him. Slipping a sparkling three-carat princess cut diamond in a French cut diamond band on my finger, he said, “A princess for a princess.” With tears in my eyes I said, “Yes!”
I started planning the wedding immediately with Ava trying to strong-arm me into having the wedding of the year. Nick and I decided we wanted a small intimate wedding, close family and only friends that are like family to us. Gianna, Nick’s sister and Gage’s twin is going to be able to fly in for the wedding. We thought it would be befitting to get married where else but a beautiful garden, the BBG, no serpents allowed. My father was very happy and supportive, but he was disappointed when I decided to walk by myself. It felt right to give myself away to Nick, we were in this by ourselves from the beginning, and he already has me.
It took me three weeks to plan our wedding as Nick didn’t want to wait. He wanted to elope the night he put the ring on my finger but I talked him out of it. I may not want the big wedding but I want one with the people who are close to us. My dad was coming but I held off on the rest of my family. Vanessa was invited but she said Jay wasn’t coming and I was all right with that. My mother and Kate were a different story. I decided to start talking to them when I told my father I was engaged, and he said I should tell them. The first call to my mother was hard for me. I told her my news and she didn’t have one snide remark or comment. She told me she loved me and she would support whatever made me happy. I called Kate after my mother and that was even harder, there were a lot of tears from her. She wouldn’t stop apologizing, I had to tell her to stop because the more she apologized the angrier it made me. I don’t know why but it did. Our conversation was very heated, mostly from me. In my heart I know she didn’t mean to push me down those stairs but I’m angry. Talking to her made me see that I’m angry for everything from the beginning, not just what happened on the stairs. She asked me if I would go to a therapy session with her and then one with her and my mother to resolve some things. I said I would think about it because I had to talk to Nick first. He almost blew a hole in the roof when I told him.
Three days later, he said if I really wanted to go he was going with me. I told him that wouldn’t be a good idea so he agreed to let Chris go with me. He called me every fifteen minutes so I had to turn my phone off. I went to both sessions and I thought that was enough for me. I learned a few things about the issues Kate had and I got to vent. My mother wasn’t as cooperative as she should have been in the group session. She refused to do the exercises and kept answering the therapist’s questions with her own questions. She’s a work in progress and I think her and Kate need to keep seeing the therapist together. I’m done, I’ve decided to give them one last chance and the way to do that is to invite them to my wedding. Nick didn’t take this well at all. It took him two weeks and speaking to Kate’s therapist reassuring him she wasn’t a danger to me or Jace to finally convince him to agree to invite them.
So here I am now, the night before our wedding in the garage with Nick, his hands covering my eyes. “Nick, what are we doing down here?” I try to tug his hands down but he holds them firmly in place.
“I bought you an early wedding present. I couldn’t wait.” He kisses me on the back of my neck and takes his hands off my eyes. “Surprise, I bought you an Audi A3.”
Oh my God. I love it. “I love it!” I spin around jumping up and down, wrapping my arms around him before running over to the car excitedly, running my hand over the silver paint.
“I thought you were going to refuse.”
He walks up behind me and I sit on the hood, parting my legs putting my arms around his neck. “I’m done refusing. Life is short, I’m taking it all.” I smile and he bends his head, kissing me deeply. I can’t wait till my doctors tell me I’m clear to drive. “I didn’t get you anything. I didn’t know we were going to exchange gifts.”
He holds me tighter, staring into my eyes. “When you agreed to marry me and you gave me my son you gave me the most valuable gifts in this world. There is absolutely nothing you can give me that will compare.”
I swallow the lump in my throat and let out a breath. “I love you, Nicholas Alexander. I will always love you.”
“For what I’ve been through, you better.”
I laugh and he laughs with me, our foreheads pressed together, locking lips.
“Ava, what is going on with you? You’ve been giddier than I-don’t-know-what since you came to get me this morning.” She grabs my hand spinning me around in my wedding dress, giggling like an idiot. “Ava, please! I’m nervous enough as it is, you’re going to make me hurl all over my wedding dress.” She stops, holding me steady while my head stops spinning.
“Cat, we did it!”
“Did what?” I don’t know what she’s talking about.
“Chris and I did it! Did it!”
“You and Chris had sex?”
“Yes. And it was amazing.”
“How did that happen? I knew you guys have been friendlier but I didn’t know you were that friendly.”
“Since you and Nick decided you weren’t going to spend the night apart or do the whole bachelor and bachelorette thing we decided the best man and the maid of honor would do it for you, in your honor of course.”
“Of course,” I say dryly.
“Hey, we had to keep some tradition especially since you cheated me out of planning a raunchy bachelorette party.”
“Well, excuse me for not wanting
some sweaty oiled up muscle-bound man gyrating all over me with coconut oil ass fumes slapping me in the face. I have Nick for that now. He’s more than willing to oil up for me.”
“Ew.”
“Like I want to hear about you and my brother. Go on with the story and leave out the ew parts.”
“We went out for drinks and talked about when we were all kids. How it was blowing our minds you and Nick having a child and getting married and everything in between. We had a really good time dancing and playing darts. It was late and he drove me home. I asked him if he was ready for the night to end. He said no. I turned to him in the door and said, ‘it doesn’t have to.’ He told me he couldn’t promise me anything. I told him I’m not holding you to anything we do or don’t do. He pulled my shirt over my head and we fell into my room.”
“Stop there. You seem happy and fine,” I say, my forehead creasing with concern.
“I am. Don’t bring me down off my high, Cat.”
I don’t want to burst her bubble but Chris is going to be hard to take down as far as committed relationships go. Ava can deny it all she wants, I know she wants Chris to commit to more than a one-night stand. Ah hell. Why should I be the only one happy on my wedding day. “If you’re happy I’m happy. Now go out there and tell them I’m ready to marry my man.”
As she opens the door Isabelle and Chloe come tumbling in.
“Oh my God you-look-so-beautiful,” Isabelle says, fanning her eyes on the verge of tears.
“Isabelle, don’t you shed a tear in here and make me cry,” I say.
“I’m sorry, but, you’re, so...beautiful.” She bursts into tears.
“Oh, knock it off,” Chloe tells her moving her to the side. “You act like you’ve never seen a bride before. Cat, good luck. Go out there and knock ’em dead.” She turns her head to the side and wipes a finger under her eye.
“Chloe, is that a tear I see in your eye?”
“Don’t be ridiculous. It’s just-a little dust,” she says to me, her voice not as steady as before. “Oh shut up, and come here,” she says, making me smile, and grabs me into a bear hug that rivals my dad’s.
Imperfections Come To Light (The Imperfection Series Book 2) Page 31
