by J. L. Beck
“When is dinner with your family?” I questioned, changing the subject, because I wasn’t ready to think about my little girl growing up and finding someone to replace me.
“Tonight at seven. I don’t want to go, but I think it’s the right thing to do. I want them to meet you and Emery and see for themselves how amazing you guys are.” Whitney’s eyes bled into mine. She believed in me, and us, so much. Enough that she told her family where to go and how fast to get there.
“Then we will go. If you’re okay with it, then we will go. I want you to be happy and I’m willing to meet your family if it's something that you want.” I licked my lips, the need to kiss her and assure her everything was going to be okay was astounding.
“There’s something else….” She bit her bottom lip in worry. Fuck, my cock was already hard.
“What?” I cleared my throat trying to cover up my arousal. Emery was still up after all, and I tried not to engage in sexual activities in front of her, even if Whitney tempted the beast beneath the surface at every turn.
She looked away and down at Emery before looking back up at me like she was contemplating something.
“Last week when we went to the store, I picked up a pregnancy test.” I perked right up, my body going rigid. I had waited for this day forever. I loved Emery as my own and that would never change, but there was nothing like having your own child and watching the woman you loved to carry it to birth.
“Don’t tease me like that, sweetheart. Tell me if I’ve done the job. Tell me I haven’t let you down.” Something in me snapped, and the man in me roared to the surface. It was my job to provide, protect, and give my girls whatever they needed. Whitney wanted a baby, and I had fucked her so many different times and ways that it should’ve been done by now.
“I don’t know yet.” She shook her head a small smile pulling at her lips. Clearly, she thought this was funny.
“You don’t know yet? Did you take the test or not?” I questioned, a bit more aggressive than needed. I couldn’t help myself, though. I wanted a baby inside of her just as badly as she wanted one.
“I’m waiting for Emery to nap so that we can take the test together. I didn’t want to do it alone.” She frowned. Did she think I would have her do all of this alone?
“We're in this together. I’m not going to make you do anything by yourself. Not ever.” I brought her lips to mine, coaxing her to open up to me. I wanted her taste to coat my tongue and her body beneath mine.
We kissed for a long moment before Emery took her hands and pushed our faces apart breaking the kiss before it even got good. I sucked in a deep breath, calming the fire that burned through my veins.
“You just cock blocked your daddy,” Whitney laughed, putting Emery back on the floor so that she could play with her toys. I didn’t find anything about it to be funny, in fact, it was way more uncomfortable than funny.
“Laugh it up, darling, but when I’m deep in that pussy later tonight you won’t be laughing so hard….” I warned. I was going to punish that slick vagina tonight, just like I did every single night, but first I was going to find out if I had succeeded in giving us both a baby.
Emery started to whine, her back arching as the tantrum from hell started to come out of her. I had to admit that ever since Whitney started staying with us Emery was nothing but an angel. She hardly cried, or fussed and that was something she almost always did before Whitney came along.
“Nap time, princess,” Whitney announced in a sing-song voice, getting Emery’s attention before she could start ravaging the house with her rage. We both went to her bedroom and laid her down, and then came out together.
“Shall we?” I asked, eagerly wanting to know so badly if I had done what I set out to do.
“I’m nervous,” she whispered under her breath, walking directly into the bathroom. A little package that said EPT on it was sitting on the counter.
“Nervous? Don’t be. Why? There is no rush, baby. None at all.” I assured her, wanting to wrap her up in my arms and do nothing but make love to her all day long. She owned me.
“I want to give you this baby and I’m going to be disappointed in myself if it says negative.” I hated that she was feeling so low about herself.
“Nope. I don’t want to hear any of that bullshit. It will happen when it does. In the meantime, we can just continue to practice.” I didn’t know if I had convinced her to let go of the pressure or not, but she grabbed the package and ripped it open revealing a white little stick. Moving past me she made her way to the toilet where she did her business while taking the stick and placing it between her legs before putting it back on the counter.
I, of course, grabbed the package examining it to figure out when we could look at the small little stick.
“Three whole minutes.” Patience wasn’t my strong suit. Whitney washed her hands and looked at me with more anxiety than needed. I couldn’t stand seeing her in such a way, so I pulled her into my chest and hoped like hell that my body could melt away the anxiety she was feeling.
The seconds seemed to tick by so slowly each one feeling like an entire year. By the time three minutes was up, I was sure I was going to have gray hair sprouting from my head.
“Are you ready?” I asked just above a whisper. This was the moment we had been waiting for. She held up her end of the bargain providing me with a mother for my daughter. It was my turn to give her, give us, a baby.
With her eyes squeezed shut she mumbled yes, and we broke away from each other to look at the test. My body shook and my hands felt clammy. There on the little stick, in the tiny window, laid the one word that made all of this worth the while.
PREGNANT
“Oh my God, Liam. We’re having a baby. A baby.” Whitney sounded like she couldn’t believe it, and had I not seen the test right in front of me, I wouldn’t have believed it either.
“Yes, we are, sweetheart. We’re having a baby. I’ve done what I set out to do,” I announced, relief flooding me. I didn’t want to let her down, not today, tomorrow, or ever for that matter.
“Yes!” Tiny tears slipped from her beautiful green eyes and I wiped them away with my thumb.
“This is what we both wanted. What we’ve waited for so don’t cry, baby. Don’t be upset.” I didn’t know how to handle all these emotions I was feeling. I was thrilled, excited, and nervous. Whitney and I had wanted this from the start, and though we didn’t expect it to happen so fast, I didn’t think either of us was upset about it.
“No. You’re right.” She placed her hands on my shoulders. “I want this. These aren’t sad tears but happy ones, because for the first time ever I’ve been given a gift that will be mine forever, ours forever, so thank you.” Her gratitude towards me and thankfulness was something I couldn’t even put into words. There was nothing I could say to her that I hadn’t already.
She made our family whole, and now I was going to do my part by making her whole again.
Chapter Nine
Whitney
Anxiety pricked at my skin like a bad rash. Liam and I were pregnant, and we were also going to reveal the news tonight to my family. Nausea clung to my insides. I was a mess, and my family would know that the moment I walked through the front door. Still, I wasn’t going to not show up and prove to them that I wasn’t ready for them to meet Liam or Emery.
“Ready?” I asked blowing out a breath. I had dressed casually while Emery was in a bright yellow dress and Liam looked like he was trying to impress someone. What he didn’t know was there wasn’t any impressing my family.
“Whenever you are, sweetheart.” We had just parked along side the street right outside the house I had grown up in my entire life. Every light was on inside, and I could see from the street that everyone was packed in the small dining room, obviously waiting for us to show up.
“Whatever happens, Liam, just know, that I love you and that nothing they say will change that.” I barely got the words out and the front door was being flung ope
n, my mother standing before us with a witchy look in her eyes.
She didn’t have to say it but I knew she disapproved of the entire thing, which probably only made me want to do it all the more.
“Mrs. Sky, it’s so nice to meet you.” Liam hustled to the door to greet my mother, who offered him a strained smile.
“It’s so very nice to meet you as well. I’m so happy you and Whitney could make it.” I couldn’t even stop my eyes from rolling if I tried. I knew fake when I saw it and my mother was playing the role very well today.
Ushering us through the front door, my anxiety only seemed to mount as my entire family stared at me with judgment in their eyes. I found Layla across the room, her eyes on the floor.
She had totally told them everything, even without me being able to stick up for myself. I knew I should be mad, livid even, but I wasn’t when it came to her. Not when I knew my parents would just force her to tell them.
“Hello, I’m Jack, Whitney’s father.” My dad’s deep voice rumbled through me, bringing me back to the present. He was eyeing up Liam with vengeance in his eyes, as if he had done something wrong already.
“I’m Liam, Whitney’s boyfriend, and this is my daughter, Emery.” Liam smiled, brushing off the fact that my entire family seemed to be throwing daggers at us. Emery cooed, and I swear I saw the heat in my father’s gaze melt away.
“Well, now that we have introductions down, let’s go eat. We’ve been waiting for about ten minutes for you to show up.” My mother made no attempt to hide her anger towards me and instead wrung her hands through her apron before scurrying off into the kitchen.
I stared at the entrance to the dining room where my sister, her husband, and my brother, and his wife with their three kids all stood.
“Liam this is my sister Layla and her husband, Link.” My sister looked at me with amazement and her husband looked at the ground, clearly bored by the entire thing.
“And this is Pete, my brother, and his wife Molly and their three kids, Heather, Matt, and Greg.” Pete glared at Liam and Molly gave a tight-lipped smile. Neither my sister or brother said hello, or it’s nice to meet you which only made me angrier. Liam and Emery were as much family as they were, in my eyes.
“Everyone, please have a seat,” my mother announced, bringing a tray with two large roasted chickens on it. I looked around the room, and at the people that I called my family. I looked at my mother and father, who didn’t seem to care or have a moment to spare to be happy for their daughter.
I looked at Layla, who couldn’t even meet my eyes because she was so guilty of what she had done that she didn’t want to look at me, and then there was my brother who hadn’t really said more than a handful of words to me since he graduated from high school and left the house.
I realized then that this wasn’t my family. I didn’t have to hide behind something that wasn’t real with Liam because it was all real. Every kiss, caress, and word. It was real.
“Actually…” My eyes darted to Liam’s and then to baby Emery’s. Did I want this kind of life for her? Or our unborn baby? “Liam and I just came to tell you all that were expecting a baby…. I know that none of you will approve and that’s fine because it’s not your life. It’s mine.” I kept my voice strong refusing to show even the slightest crack that my mom could bust through.
“You just came to tell us that you’re having a baby with a man that you hardly know. A man that obviously couldn’t keep that little girl’s mother around long enough to give her a stable life….” I clenched my fists at my sides at my mother’s snide comment.
“Mrs. Sky with all respect to your family I would appreciate it if you wouldn’t make false claims up. This little girl is adopted meaning both her parents decided to let the system have her, and me being a stand-up guy adopted her, without the need of a woman,” Liam’s voice rose as he continued to speak, the strength in his words giving me my own strength.
“Coming here was a bad idea, anyway. You knew nothing about Liam and were already judging him the second he walked in the door. Hell, you had all your own assumptions before we even got here,” I fumed. Maybe it was my hormones or maybe I was just done with all the bullshit. I deserved better, and even if my family didn’t support my choice of happiness, that didn’t mean I had to stand around and listen to them.
“If you leave, Whitney, we will never allow you to come back…” My father warned. The man that had taught me how to ride my first bike, the man that was to give me away on the day of my wedding, was threatening me.
I clenched my fists until I could feel the indentation of my nails into my palm. “I don’t need this family and I don’t need your hate or judgment, which is why we’re leaving. I won’t have to wake up every day and know that I shoved my daughter out of my life. That’ll be on you.” I pointed at my parents before turning on my heels and heading for the door. Everything about this house was suffocating me, and I just needed out. I could hear Liam speaking softly to my parents as I stepped out the front door, letting the cool breeze calm me.
What was I thinking? Had I wanted Liam to meet my family so badly that I pushed the fact that it would be this way from my mind? He didn’t deserve this.
“Even if they don’t support you, you know that I do. I care about you. I love you. I cherish you,” Liam whispered in my ear, one of his arms wrapping around me, tugging me into his side. Emery was still chilling on his arm, her big bright blue eyes filled with wonderment.
“I know that, and that’s the reason I came to this conclusion as I stood there staring at a room full of strangers. They were supposed to be my family but nothing other than the blood that ran through our veins showed it. DNA doesn’t make you family, and the blood you shared doesn’t make people love you,” I sobbed, letting the painful tears I had been holding back finally slip down my cheeks.
“Well, you’re family now, sweetheart, and nothing anyone says will ever change that. I knew when we came here tonight it wasn’t for me, but for you. I came because I wanted you to know that I cared enough about you to want to meet your family, even if I knew they would judge us right off the bat.” His confession only made me sob harder, and that in turn made me a bigger mess.
“I’m sorry, Liam,” I whispered against his chest, as I had him guide us back to our car. I had wasted both of our time by coming here.
“Don’t be sorry for the things that you cannot control. I’m grateful for everything you have done for Emery and me.” I felt butterflies flutter around deep inside my chest and with very step away from the house, the air in my lungs seemed to release easier. The tension left my bones, and by the time we were all in the car and leaving the house I grew up in but would never see again, I understood what I was feeling.
I was free and fearless. I didn’t have to worry about my parents judging me or wondering about the baby or my life.
All I had to worry about was Liam and the little girl in the back seat that I needed to be an example for. I vowed that from that day on, I would be nothing less than a stellar mom, promising never to abandon or judge her.
“I love you,” I said clasping onto Liam’s hand. He squeezed my fingers tightly, as he interlaced them before saying.
“I love you too.” And he did love me. He loved me without a care to what the future may hold. He loved me for me, the nanny he needed, the mother he needed for Emery and the woman that I was today, and in return, I got a baby and a family that was whole.
A family that boiled over the top with happiness, and love. A family that wanted me for me.
Chapter Ten
Liam
Six Months Later
I smiled down at Whitney, her swollen belly filled with my two little boys. She was nearly seven months pregnant and I knew based off what the doctors said that with twins the babies could be born any day.
Placing the breakfast tray on the bed next to her sleeping form I watched her suck in tiny little breaths and expel them. She was so fucking beautiful when pregnant, I wa
s pretty sure I would keep her this way for as long as I could.
“Did anyone ever tell you that it’s creepy to watch someone sleep?” Whitney’s sleepy voice met my ears, causing me to jump. My eyes collided with her open ones as she gave me a soft smile.
“It’s not creepy to watch someone you love sleep. I was admiring your beauty and the fact that you’re mine.” I grinned grabbing the tray and maneuvering it so that she could see the contents on it. I had made her breakfast in bed, but I also placed something else on the tray.
“This is so sweet of you, Liam.” She gushed sitting up gently, her swollen belly making it hard to bring the tray up to her. Once she was comfortable I moved it closer to her and took a seat on the other side of the bed. Seconds ticked by where nothing but our breathing could be heard.
“What is this?” She turned to me, tears in her eyes, as she clasped the black ring box in her hand. I knew I wanted to ask Whitney to marry me the day I met her I just knew it was too soon and way too much for her, but now that we were a family there was no way I could hold off on doing it. I needed to make her mine.
“It’s my love for you, and my promise to always be here for you. It’s a ring that I hope you wear on your finger to signify our relationship.” She popped the box open with her thumb, her hands shaking as she examined the two-carat diamond ring that was my great grandma’s wedding band.
“Oh my God.” Her voice was faint, but the look in her eyes said she loved it and I knew she fucking would.
“Will you do me the honor, Whitney Sky? Will you be my wife and the mother to my children? My partner?” I asked, cupping her the cheek, forcing her eyes to stay on mine. I needed this moment with her like I needed my next breath. When she nodded her head, yes, and the tears finally started to slip down her cheeks, I took the ring out of the box and placed it on her finger, admiring how perfectly it fit.
“I can’t believe you want to marry me…” She sniffled.
“Of course I want to marry you, Whitney. I love you.” I stroked her cheek softly with my thumb.
