Walking her backwards into the house, my hands stay cupped around her face. Her skin is warm, her cheeks flush and dewy. She’s breathing heavily into our kiss as her hands wrap my wrists and she pushes her chest into mine.
Grabbing her under her ass, I lift her onto the island counter in the center of her kitchen. Her legs spread, curling around my hips, and she moans as I push my erection against her pussy.
I devour her. I kiss and nibble on her neck, trying to chase away the fear I had of losing her moments before. She floods my senses until I feel like I’m losing control. I smell the lavender shampoo in her hair, her heartbeat flutters against my chest, and the heat coming from between her legs is searing. I dig my fingers into the waistband of her pants, I peel her leggings off in one fast swipe. Unbuckling my belt, Gil slides her hand inside and pulls my cock out. I’m so fucking hard, that initial touch is enough to make my entire body go up in flames.
And when she touches me, everything else disappears. The outside world melts away, and the only thing that matters is her. She’s the one, she’s the only one and there’s no denying it.
Wrapping herself tightly around my body, I slide my cock into her heat. Her pussy is soaking wet, and her walls clench around my shaft as I sink in deep. Her back arches as I grip her ass and pull her as close to my body as I can. I want her against me, I never want to let her go.
Thrusting in and out, I make love to her. I make love to the only woman to ever make my heart beat louder than my own thoughts.
I could never leave Gillian. Not for baseball, not for money, not for anyone else.
Because what we have is real, it’s true. . . And it can never be replaced by a game or fame.
She taught me that, she taught me that love is a better healer than anything else.
Epilogue
Gillian
Nine months later
Slowly, I sit in the chair and relax back, stretching out my legs. My ankles are swollen and my lower back has been killing me all day.
This kid is already trying to kill me.
Rubbing my belly, my very, very large belly, I feel a little thump against my palm. We didn’t plan this pregnancy, but it’s the best thing that has happened in our lives since finding each other.
I’m due any day, and to be honest, I can’t wait to see my feet again. I have no idea if the baby is a boy or a girl. Ryon and I decided we wanted to be surprised. Another kick causes me to arch my back and sit up straight.
That was definitely a straight shot to my kidney. Foul! Rubbing my lower back, I massage the area.
“Come on little one, settle down in there,” I say out loud as I draw wide circles across my stomach. “You’re killing me here.”
I hear women’s voices getting closer, and I look over my shoulder to see who’s coming by. Three women come into the box seats, laughing and chatting together. One woman, with short brown hair and a sleek blue dress, sees me and smiles.
“Look at you,” she says with a friendly tone. “You look like you’re about to pop.”
Laughing, I look down at my belly and cup it with both hands. “Any day now, and it can’t come soon enough.”
“I hear that,” she says with a chuckle. “I’m Kim.” Holding out her hand, I shake it.
“Gil,” I answer.
She sits beside me, setting her purse down. Looking out onto the field. Today is the first spring training day of the season, and Tigers trot out onto the field bursting with excitement. I recognize a few faces of my patients and feel pride that I played a part in helping get them out there. Even though it’s hard to get out of the house these days, I’m actually excited to see this game.
“So,” she says, leaning over closer to me so I can hear her over the crowd’s cheers, “which one is yours down there?”
“Hers is right here,” Ryon says as he grips my shoulder from behind. Handing me a water and a hot dog, he takes the empty seat beside me and smiles. “How are my wife and baby doing?” Rubbing my belly, he kisses my cheek.
“Oh, you’re not with one of the players?” she asks, genuinely surprised.
Another woman on the left of Kim laughs. “You don’t recognize them? That’s Gillian and Ryon Daniels. The best rehab team in the state. The same ones that saved your husband’s career.”
“Oh my God, I feel like such an idiot. I’m sorry, I didn’t recognize you.” She covers her eyes and looks up. “I had no idea.”
“No, don’t apologize. It’s fine. I think we met once, and I wasn’t nearly this big. Your husband is Roger Berstein, right?” I ask.
“Yeah. He’s been doing great since he started seeing you two, thank you for helping him.”
“That’s what we do,” Ryon says with a nod as he takes my hand and braids our fingers together. Kissing the back of my palm, he looks at me with nothing but love in his eyes. “This woman works miracles, and I’m one of them.”
Suddenly, a sharp pain zips across my lower belly and my muscles clench. It wraps around my back and claws up my spine.
“Ooh,” I say, cringing as I grab my stomach.
What the hell was that?
“What’s wrong? Are you all right? Is it the baby?” Ryon’s eyes pop open wide, his brows jumping up to his hair line.
“I. . . I don’t know. I just cramped up really bad. It could be Braxton Hicks, the doctor said that happens sometimes.”
Ryon starts to rub my back as I let out a deep breath. “You’re okay, though?”
The pain subsides and I’m able to relax again. “Yeah, I’m good, it’s passed.”
“Is this your first?” Kim asks, and we both nod at the same time. “When I had my daughter, I was in labor for twenty hours. It was horrid.”
The woman beside her slaps her arm. “Kim, you’re scaring her.”
Kim shoots her a look and shrugs a shoulder. “What? I’m just being honest.”
Giggling, I flail a loose hand. “It’s fine, I’m ready. Honestly, I’m very ready for this baby to come out; it’s been long enough. I want my body back.”
The women all laugh and as I laugh with them, another stabbing pain slices through my stomach.
“Ah,” I say, sucking in a quick breath and holding it in. “Jesus.” I exhale as I grip the arm of the chair and squeeze Ryon’s hand.
“Did it just happen again?” Ryon asks.
Nodding, I push myself up from the seat. “I think I want to walk around a little.” Standing up, I feel a warm wetness start to trickle down my thighs. “I think my water just broke,” I say, darting my eyes to Ryon.
“Your water broke?” Jumping from his seat, he steps toward me, then sits back down, then stands again. Running his hands down his face, he starts to look around nervously. “Okay, all right, so your water broke.” He paces back and forth, with no real direction.
“Ryon, now isn’t the time to panic. Everything is fine.”
“I’m not worried. Do I look worried?” He takes out his phone and starts to tap the screen.
“What are you doing now?”
“I’m searching for how to deliver a baby.”
“All right, come on now. This baby isn’t getting delivered by Google.” Kim looks over at the other ladies. “Beth, can you go grab some clean towels from the locker room? Shannon, can you go find the medics and see if they have the ambulance here too.” The women disappear, and Kim takes me by the elbow, leading me back to my seat.
“Thank you,” I say, slowly sitting down. “Ryon isn’t usually so. . .” Pausing, I look over at him as he studies the screen of his phone. Wiggling my fingers in his direction, I smile. “Like this.”
Kim giggles as she checks the time on her phone. “Hey, it’s the least I can do. Tell me when you feel a contraction so we can time them and see how far apart they are.”
“Sure, I can do that. I feel fine right—” Fire explodes in my gut, and my eyes snap shut as I groan. “Now, it’s happening now.”
She looks at the time again, then back up to me.
“Tell me when it stops. This way we can keep track of how long they’re lasting for too.”
My face crinkles as the cramping sensation renders me paralyzed. I can’t move, I can’t breathe, I can’t think. I can’t do anything but bear through this pain. I’ve never felt anything like it.
“Ryon, put down your phone and come help your wife.” Kim directs him, and to my surprise, he listens.
He needs this. He needs firm, concrete directions because he can’t think for himself right now. Setting his hand on my back, he massages me up and down in long strokes. It feels good, helping to settle the tension in my muscles.
“It’s fading.”
“Okay, good.” She glances at the door, then back to me. “Did you take any birthing classes?”
“Yeah, but what they explained and what I’m feeling are two different things. Another one is coming,” I say as I keel over, clutching my belly.
Kim’s eyes drop to her phone, timing my contraction. I groan as this one is more intense than the last. Each contraction feels like my entire body is being torn apart. It’s unlike anything I’ve ever felt before.
Letting out a long, slow breath, I drop my head into my chest. “Okay, it’s going away.
“Thirty seconds.” Kim smiles as she takes my hand and squeezes. “Looks like you two are having a baby today.”
“We’re having a baby,” Ryon repeats, and his face twists with panic. “Oh my God, Gil, we’re having a baby today.”
The other women return with the field medic and towels. The medic quickly takes over, wrapping my arm in a blood pressure cuff and asking questions.
Kim lets him know my contractions are three minutes apart and lasting about thirty seconds at a time. The medic asks me if I think I can walk down to the ambulance or if I want a stretcher.
“I can walk,” I say, standing up on shaky legs.
“All right, let’s get you to the hospital.” The medic and Ryon walk at my side, keeping my pace.
“Here comes another one,” I say, grabbing the rail on the stairs and squatting down as the contraction tears through me like a tractor trailer truck.
“You sure you don’t want a stretcher?” Ryon asks, dropping to my side and running his fingers through my hair.
“No, I’m fine, I can walk.” Reaching out my hand for him to take, he helps me to my feet. “Okay, I’m good. Let’s keep moving.”
The ambulance is parked right outside the exit, ready for me. Ryon and I climb inside and I lay on the stretcher. The medic climbs in with us. He hooks me up to a heart monitor and calls ahead to the hospital to let them know we are on our way.
Ryon looks terrified, so I reach out and take his hand. He tries to smile, and I know he wants to be strong, but I can see how scared he is.
We’re about to have a child, we’re bringing a baby into this world, and while the thought is exciting, it also fills me with such fear.
Will I be a good mother? Will we be able to balance life and this baby?
“We’re doing this,” Ryon says, tangling his fingers into mine and holding it with his other hand. “We’re really doing this.”
Nodding, tears start to fill my eyes. “I love you,” I say, my voice scratchy. “And I can’t wait to meet our baby.”
“Me too.”
The ambulance comes to a stop and the doors open. I’m quickly wheeled into the hospital and up to the maternity ward. The contractions are so frequent now it’s like one never ending cramp.
Everything is happening so fast. My legs are up, the nurses and the doctor are all yelling for me to push. Ryon is pale white, sweat is beading up across his forehead and his breathing is picking up.
He’s brushing my hair with his fingers and trying to keep calm. “You got this, babe. Come on, push,” he urges.
“I can’t.” I’m exhausted, I have no energy left. My entire body feels weak and frail as the contractions steal every bit of strength I have. “I can’t do this. I’m sorry,” I say through tears.
“Yes you can, you can do this. You’re the strongest person I know. Just a few more minutes and we’re going to meet our baby.” Something comes over Ryon, and all of a sudden I’m not looking at Ryon, the nervous expectant father, but Ryon, the hotshot pitching coach.
He takes off his shoes and hops up onto the bed, sitting behind me so I can lean against him. His chest is so solid. His hands are on my shoulders, kneading them. I’ve never felt such support, and all the fears I had a minute before that my body couldn’t do this, disappear. Because all I feel now is total safety and support.
I can do this! I’ve got this!
“I can see the head,” the doctor calls out loudly.
“Come on, Gillian, one more, give one more good push,” Ryon urges me.
I grasp onto the hospital bed’s railings and Ryon’s hands are holding my knees. Growling, my groan turns into a scream as I bear down and push as hard as I can. I don’t stop, I won’t stop. This is it. The pressure and pain are dizzying, but I concentrate on my goal, letting this be the final push, and I focus on the man behind me, who gives me the strength I need to do anything in this world. With him behind me, anything is possible.
And then, it happens. The pain subsides and the room is quiet. For a few beats I wonder what’s happened. I went from total frenzy to a sudden calm. A piecing cry breaks the spell.
Our baby.
I look up and the doctor is standing, my baby in his arms. “Congratulations,” he says. “It’s a boy.”
I’m sobbing, tears pouring from my eyes. Ryon has me wrapped in his arms and he keeps saying, “You did it, Gil. You did it. Our baby.” The doctor leans over and paces our screeching baby in my arms. The baby looks up at us, studying our faces, and his cries fall to little whimpers and then silence. It’s like he knows. He knows we’re his parents and he’s safe.
Ryon’s chin is resting on my shoulder, tears flowing from his eyes as he holds out his finger and our baby grips it. “Welcome to the world, Houston Ryon Daniels.”
And as we embrace our new life, everything else going on around us fades away.
There are no nurses, no doctor, no hands touching and cleaning.
It’s just us, and that’s all I’ll ever need.
Copyright © 2020 Penny Wylder
All rights reserved. Except as permitted under the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means without prior written permission of the author.
This is a work of fiction. Names, places, characters and incidents are either products of the author's imagination or used fictitiously and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or businesses, organizations, or locales, is completely coincidental.
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1
Carley
The flight attendant walks away after handing me my Diet Coke refill, and my eyes well with tears. No, I’m not going to cry again. I’m not. I refuse. It doesn’t matter that it’s absolutely clear that I’m a fucking mess or that the flight attendant clearly pities me, I’m not going to cry again.
I was crying when I got on the plane, and I haven’t been able to control myself two more times. Now, the plane is close to being on its final descent and I’m not going to cry. I need my face to be somewhat normal when I reach the ground so that I can meet my family with a shred of dignity.
Not that there’s really any chance of that, but a girl can dream.
But when my right hand once again finds the empty groove on my left finger, I almost give up. Twisting that ring has been a habit that I’ve had for years. Four years, to be exact, and the fact that it’s no longer there…
It’s devastating.
And it won’t be there ever again. I’m not the woman that lets a man walk all over her and then takes him back like it’s nothing. Because that’s exactly what Tyler has done.
Cheating bastard.
I can’t even count every time that he told me that he didn’t
even like Andi. That she was rude and bossy and made his life a living hell at work. All the while he’d been sleeping with her for almost the entire time that we’d been engaged. And still he’d made it sound like it wasn’t a big deal. Like he hadn’t just thrown a grenade into the middle of the life that we’d been planning.
And even after all that, I wish that the seat next to me wasn’t empty. I’d found out only three days before this trip. My bags were already half packed, and I’d half packed his too. That was before I told him that not only would he not be coming home with me to Tennessee but that I would be finding a new place to live when I got back.
I couldn’t stomach the thought of sharing a home with him for another day. In a way this trip came at the perfect time. Because the three nights I spent sleeping next to him while he seemed completely at peace were hell.
That’s what hurts the most. Not the fact that he cheated, but the fact that he didn’t seem to feel guilty, or even care. He thought it was fine. That it was a good situation for both of us.
He was wrong.
Andi Jennings. I don’t know what I will do if I see her in person. I’m generally not the violent type, but thinking about her makes me question that. The woman is everything that I’m not. I’d only met her a few times over the last few years at Tyler’s company Christmas party, and given that he constantly complained about her, I looked at her with a critical eye.
But even then, I’d marked the differences between us.
She’s tall and looks even taller in the gorgeous high heels she always seems to wear. I’m shorter than average. Along with her height, Andi is willowy and thin where I have generous curves, and her hair is the kind of dark hair you see in shampoo commercials. Perfectly straight and smooth and glossy while mine is blonde, curly, and wild. If I can wrangle it into a ponytail I consider that a victory.
Big Man’s Happily Ever After Page 33
