Just One Reason

by Kirsten DeMuzio

  Just in time. I pulled my bike into Lana’s driveway right next to Lindsay’s car. She was already in the car, and she looked over at me through the window with surprised eyes. I pulled open the trunk of her car and tossed my bag inside. Then I moved to the drivers’ side and opened her door, pulling her out and against my chest.

  “What are you…” She stopped talking when I covered her mouth with mine, my lips moving urgently against hers, trying to convey everything I didn’t say before but should have.

  “Wow,” Lindsay breathed when I finally released her. She touched her fingers to her swollen lips. “I should go out of town more often.”

  I gripped her upper arms gently but firmly and looked into her eyes. “No, you shouldn’t. I’m sorry I didn’t say anything before…I was just shocked. That was the last thing I expected you to say.” Her eyes were wide, and I realized I still hadn’t told her how I felt about the baby. “After you bailed on me last night and then said you needed to talk…I was fully expecting you to say you weren’t coming back. But what you said was so much better…Are you sure?”

  I paused to push my hair back. Lindsay bit her lip and nodded. Then she reached into her purse and pulled out a pregnancy test. Holding it up I could see where it clearly said “Pregnant” right there on the screen. I grinned in disbelief and pure joy.

  “So, does this mean you’re okay with this?” Lindsay asked quietly, hesitantly. Obviously I wasn’t making myself clear. I picked her up around the waist and spun her around.

  “I’m more than okay with this, Linz. Nothing would make me happier than to have a baby with you.” Her arms around my neck squeezed tightly and she drew up her legs to wrap around my waist.

  Holding her like that, I carried her around to the passenger side of the car. Setting her down on her feet, I noticed Lana watching us from the porch. I yelled over, “We’re having a baby!” Lana smiled and gave me two thumbs up. I motioned for Lindsay to get in the car, but she didn’t move and frowned at me.

  “Get in. I’m driving,” I said.

  “No, Grady. This is not going to be a fun holiday with my parents there. And now I also have to tell them I’m pregnant. I don’t want you there for them to attack.”

  She didn’t get it. “Lindsay, if you think I’m going to let my pregnant girlfriend drive across the state by herself to tell her hostile parents about our baby and face that alone, then you’re fucking crazy. Now get in the damn car.”

  She put her hands on her hips and stared me down for a moment, and while I appreciated her attitude, this was one battle she wasn’t going to win. I think she knew that too, because the corner of her mouth twitched up and she got in the car.

  Neither of us could keep the stupid grins off our faces. I drove down the highway and listened to Lindsay replay the moment last night when she found out she was in fact pregnant. To find out she was pregnant after just beginning to come to terms with the fact that she couldn’t have children was almost too much. Her exuberance faded and Lindsay cautioned me, and herself, against getting too excited. She hadn’t been to the doctor yet, and she was nervous that something would go wrong. I did my best to reassure her, and eventually she dozed off. The last several weeks of her feeling tired and shitty made a lot more sense now.

  We were only about an hour outside the city when she woke up. I offered to stop for food, but Lindsay just wanted to get there. We would be staying with Taryn, so Lindsay didn’t actually have to face her parents until Thursday at Thanksgiving dinner.

  My dad had brought me to the city a couple of times when I was a kid, but that was a long time ago. Fortunately Lindsay’s car had a GPS system, because she was lousy at giving directions. When we reached Taryn’s building, Lindsay directed me to pull up alongside the curb right in front. She waved at the doorman, and he immediately motioned a valet over.

  “He’ll park the car in the garage,” Lindsay told me as we got out of the car and I grabbed our bags out of the back. The doorman offered to help with the bags, but I waved him off. There was no reason I couldn’t do it myself.

  Lindsay led me through the lobby to an elevator set apart from the main bank. When the doors closed behind us, she pressed a code into the keypad on the wall. Apparently this elevator only made one stop - the top floor.

  The elevator doors opened into a large foyer, and I could see floor to ceiling windows beyond that looked out over the city skyline. The view at night must be amazing. Taryn entered the foyer from a hallway to the left and pounced on Lindsay for a hug. Then she moved onto me.

  “Grady! I didn’t know you were coming.”

  I shrugged and met Lindsay’s eyes. “It was kind of a last minute decision.”

  She motioned for us to follow her and said, “Well, Wyatt will be glad. Dominic went home to visit his parents this week, and Wyatt is in serious friend withdrawal.” Wyatt met us in the hallway and rolled his eyes at Taryn while hugging Lindsay and offering me his hand to shake.

  “Don’t listen to her. But I am glad to have you here.”

  Taryn showed us to a guest room down the hall from their room and then gave me a tour of the apartment. Apartment was not the right word to describe this place. Mansion in the sky was more like it. Complete with four bedrooms, office, home gym, rooftop pool and terrace.

  “My parents get back tomorrow, so I was planning on having a girls’ night here tonight. But, since Grady’s here the four of us could go out somewhere for dinner,” Taryn suggested. I looked to Lindsay to answer for us. She had said she hadn’t slept well the night before, and the short nap in the car wasn’t enough in my opinion.

  “Dinner out sounds great, but I don’t want to be out too late. I’m exhausted,” Lindsay said.

  Taryn grabbed her hand and pulled her over to her side. “Okay! Let’s get ready together. Wyatt, get a beer for Grady while you wait,” Taryn said. I was no stranger to how long it took Lindsay to get ready.

  “Better make it two,” I told Wyatt.

  An hour later, Wyatt and I were engrossed in a football game on TV when the girls emerged from Taryn’s room. Honestly, they didn’t look much different than they did earlier. But, then again, Lindsay always looked beautiful to me. I’m sure Wyatt felt the same way about Taryn.

  A black SUV with tinted windows was waiting at the curb when we exited the building. There was a guy already in the driver’s seat and another guy opened the back door for us before climbing in the passenger seat.

  Taryn looked at me apologetically. “Sorry, Grady. This is what happens when you go out with me. Since Dominic’s gone and Wyatt is operating in fiancé capacity tonight, we have to bring these two guys along.” Even though it was so far from anything I was used to, it didn’t bother me.

  The restaurant Taryn chose was a sports pub with TVs on every wall and every kind of beer imaginable on the menu. It felt like we were back home instead of in the middle of Manhattan. I nodded my approval as we snagged a booth near the back. Taryn’s bodyguards sat at a table nearby. The game we had been watching was still on, and we didn’t miss much.

  When the waitress came for our drink orders, Wyatt and I ordered beer and Taryn chose white wine. Lindsay opted for ice water with lemon. Taryn looked at her curiously when she didn’t order alcohol. I rested my hand on Lindsay’s thigh and she covered it with her own. Looking to me for consent, Lindsay raised an eyebrow. I nodded once and removed my hand to put my arm around her shoulders.

  “We have some news,” Lindsay began. Taryn smiled and glanced at Wyatt. I was pretty sure she knew what Lindsay was going to say, but Wyatt looked clueless. Glad I wasn’t the only one without a sixth sense for pregnant women. “I’m pregnant.”

  Wyatt’s eyebrows shot up, and Taryn bounced up and down in her seat excitedly. “Congratulations! I’m so excited for you. When did you find out? How do you feel?” Taryn must have asked a million questions over dinner. Normally I would tune out the girl talk and talk football with Wyatt, but these questions were about Lindsay and the baby. I w
anted to know the answers to these questions more than anyone else.

  When Lindsay yawned during dessert I called an end to dinner. She needed more sleep than she had been getting lately. In the car on the way back, Wyatt pulled out his phone and said to Taryn, “I’m going to call your dad and let him know we’ll have one more at the game tomorrow.”

  Taryn nodded, “Oh, right. Good idea.”

  While Wyatt dialed, Taryn turned to me and explained, “My dad has a box for the Giants game tomorrow. It will be a lot of his friends…and Wyatt. You can go with them. We will be home cooking…or watching my mom and Anne cook.”

  Lindsay sat forward and said, “Will my dad be there? I don’t need him running into Grady without me as a buffer.”

  Taryn shook her head. “I don’t think so. My dad said something about him having a big case and how he’d be lucky to get away for dinner on Thursday.”

  Lindsay relaxed back against me. “Okay, good. Are you going to be okay without me?” She asked me.

  I laughed. “I’ll be fine. Watching the Giants from a private box sounds fucking awesome.” Although watching the game with the probable future President of the United States was somewhat intimidating. But Wyatt was obviously in his good graces, so he couldn’t be that bad.

  Back at the apartment we said goodnight to Wyatt and Taryn and retired to our room. There was an attached bathroom, so I turned on the shower and helped Lindsay undress.

  “I’m pregnant, not made of glass,” she joked.

  I turned her naked body toward the mirror and stood behind her. My hands moved over her shoulders to briefly cup her breasts. Holding their weight in my hands I could tell they were slightly bigger. Hmmm, I like these pregnancy changes. Lindsay’s head fell back against my chest and a soft moan escaped her lips. Her nipples hardened into tight peaks when I rolled them between my thumbs and forefingers.

  I bent my head to nip at her earlobe and whispered, “My plan was to run the shower for you and then tuck you into bed.”

  “Mmmm,” she murmured, tilting her head to provide me access to the smooth skin of her neck. “Don’t stop. You can tuck me in later. Just don’t stop.”

  I chuckled against her neck and splayed one hand across her stomach. There was no outward sign yet of our child growing inside, but I looked forward to seeing her stomach grow with our baby. Impatient as always, Lindsay grabbed my hand and pushed it down until my fingers moved through her damp folds. Satisfied that I was where she wanted me, she reached her arms up to grab my hair and hold my mouth to her neck.

  Lindsay’s breathing was rapid and she rocked her hips against my hand. Alternating between slipping two fingers inside her and rubbing her clit in a circular motion, Lindsay came apart in my hands. And I loved every second of it. Having her naked and open for me while I was still fully clothed was highly arousing, and I pressed my erection against her ass. She giggled and turned in my arms.

  “Is that a hint?” She asked, her hands going to my fly.

  “Not yet,” I said pulling her hands behind her back. “You’re going to take a nice hot relaxing shower, and then I’m going to tuck you into bed.” She pouted her bottom lip out, and I kissed it before turning her toward the shower and slapping her bare ass.

  Chapter Twenty Four

  Lindsay

  After my hot relaxing shower, I dressed in the pajamas Grady had set out for me, even if I didn’t plan on staying in them for very long. I dried my hair and brushed my teeth before going to find Grady already in bed watching ESPN.

  Leaning over the bed I took the remote from Grady’s hand and turned it off. He didn’t have time to protest before I pulled my shirt over my head and dropped my pants to the floor. Grady’s eyes took in every inch of my naked body as I crawled across the bed and threw my leg across his lap to straddle him. He was wearing his pajama pants, but that didn’t stop me from rocking my hips and pressing against him.

  “Lindsay,” he exhaled, dropping his head back against the headboard. That move gave me access to his neck, and I kissed my way up to his ear. His fingers gripped my hips when our lips met, and I angled my head to deepen the kiss. There was nothing better than kissing Grady and knowing he was mine.

  Grady’s arm circled my waist as he rolled me over and shucked off his pajama pants in one smooth move. I giggled against his mouth, “Very smooth. Have you been practicing that?”

  His chuckle turned to a groan when his cock slid through my damp flesh and rubbed against my clit. “Oh, God,” I whimpered, not giggling anymore. I gripped his ass and urged him inside me. He slid inside in one long thrust and then stilled for a minute. The muscles in his back and arms were tense, and he closed his eyes against the sensations that our joining always brought.

  I lifted my hips to pull him deeper and raked my nails over his shoulders. Grady’s ice blue eyes opened to gaze into mine. He started to move in a slow agonizing rhythm and leaned down to kiss me softly. I wrapped my legs around his waist to take all of him, and he groaned as he stopped holding back and took us both to the edge and over. When he could speak again, Grady brushed my hair back and cupped my face in his hand.

  “Nothing in the world is as beautiful as you are at this moment, Lindsay. I love you. I will love you forever.”

  Warm tears slid from the corners of my eyes onto the pillow. “Grady,” I breathed. I don’t know how, but this man made me fall more in love with him every day. There were no words to accurately describe how I felt, so I pulled him down for a kiss like no other.

  When he pulled back he smiled and said, “I know, Linz. I know.”

  ***

  Taryn and I were perched on barstools sipping coffee (decaf for me) and watching my aunt Rebecca and Wyatt’s mom, Anne roll out dough for pies. Both Wyatt’s and Taryn’s parents arrived in town this morning, and all the guys promptly left for the game. Grady didn’t seem intimidated by meeting Taryn’s dad. He took it all in stride.

  He shook hands with Uncle James and Wyatt’s dad, Robert, gave me a kiss and a wink, and followed them into the elevator. Taryn and I were still in our pajamas. Even though it was mid-morning, it was still early for Taryn on a day she didn’t have class. The girl could sleep until noon, take a two hour nap and still be ready for bed by 9:00pm. She leaned heavily on the breakfast bar and yawned into her coffee mug.

  Our assignment for the day was to keep Rebecca and Anne company. They knew better than to trust us with preparing any sort of food. Especially food that would actually be ingested by people…or animals…or any living thing.

  Rebecca wiped flour off her cheek with her sleeve. “So, Lindsay…tell us about Grady,” she said. I knew that Taryn had told her parents the truth about what happened five years ago, but I also knew that Rebecca wouldn’t get into that with Wyatt’s mom here. When I was silent too long, she prompted, “He’s awfully handsome. I always had a thing for the bad boy look.”

  That got Taryn’s sleepy eyes to snap wide open. “Mom!”

  Rebecca shrugged. “What? Your father may look clean cut and polished on the outside, but he has his bad boy moments.”

  Taryn clapped her hands over her ears. “Ewww, Mom! TMI!” The rest of us laughed at Taryn’s obvious discomfort. I decided to save her from hearing anymore.

  “Grady has been really great the last couple of months since we got back together. I feel very settled with him. Like I’m right where I’m supposed to be.”

  Rebecca and Anne shared a smile. “That’s great honey. Does that mean we won’t be seeing you around the city anymore?” There was a time when I had convinced myself that Manhattan had everything I could ever want. My family, my school, my father’s law firm, any store I could want within walking distance. But that all changed when I walked back into Grady’s life.

  I turned to Taryn, feeling suddenly sentimental. “Taryn, thank you for making me go to Penn Yan. If it wasn’t for you kicking my ass out of here, I’d still be moping on your couch.”

  “Awww, Linz. I didn’t even know what I
was doing at the time. I’m so glad it worked out for you.” We hugged awkwardly so neither of us fell off our stools.

  “Why don’t you girls go shower and get dressed. I think we have things under control here, don’t we Anne?” Rebecca joked. “I’ll call Roland and have him send two of his men to take you to lunch and do some shopping. You have to miss the shopping here, Lindsay.” Really, I didn’t miss anything except for Taryn and her parents. But some girl time with Taryn sounded wonderful. After all, the last time we were together I was recovering from surgery.

  ***

  Loaded down with at least six shopping bags each, Taryn and I collapsed against the elevator walls as we rode up to her apartment. We had spent all afternoon shopping and talking and laughing. There was probably just enough time to put away our purchases and freshen up before the boys came home. Taryn and Wyatt were going out to dinner with their parents, so Grady and I were on our own. I was planning to order take in and snuggle in front of the fireplace.

  The second the elevator doors opened my nerves were instantly on edge. The sound of my mother’s fake trilling laughter filtered down the hallway. I froze. She wasn’t supposed to be here until tomorrow. I thought I had another day to figure out what to say to my parents.

  Taryn ran right into my back when I stopped on the threshold of the elevator. “Lindsay!” Taryn said, shoving me forward. Then she heard it too, and she set her bags down to walk ahead of me. I stayed put until she came back into the foyer, her eyes full of sympathy.

  “Come on, Linz. Let’s put our bags in our rooms, and then we can go talk to her together.” I was grateful for Taryn’s unwavering support, but I really wished Grady was here. As much as I wanted to shield him from my mom’s venom, I needed him by my side even more.