CHAPTER SIX
Declan met her family and spent Sundays there for dinner several times over the next few months. They all loved him and Mallory could see that Rayna really believed in them with every visit. Mary was over the moon with Declan and while she embarrassed him sometimes, it was very sweet.
She also met his grandparents and was immediately part of the family and just as in love with them within a couple of dinners.
Spring turned into Fall and he started to play rugby again, something that she could not get enough of as she watched him in action. The other coach seemed to be adjusting back to regular life and Declan breathed a sigh of relief as the games turned into victories and a positive feeling among the team members.
They planned their holidays around their families, joined at the hip at this point. They went to dinner on the first night of the break and celebrated by falling into bed right when they arrived back at his house. Mallory was on top of him as he reached into the drawer and came up empty. “Damn it. I’m out. Want me to go to the store? I need to fuck you.”
“No, I want you too badly. It’s just the once and I started pills a little bit ago. We’ll be fine.” Mallory assured him as she slipped over him and looked down to where they were joined. “God, nothing between us feels good.”
“Slick, hot, wet. You feel fucking incredible.” Declan told her as he thrust with her and stroked her nipple with his thumb. “Baby, harder. Ride my cock.” She did, her head thrown back as she took him hard and fast on the center of the mattress. He came first with a loud cry, releasing into her as she tightened around his cock and moaned his name. “I am so glad that we found each other. I love you.”
“I love you.” She smiled at him, so comfortable with who they were that he felt like he needed her again. He turned her onto her back as she grinned wickedly and spread her thighs apart for him to thrust inside of her hard and fast. They were both wet with come and their bodies slapped together almost violently as she reached around to pull him deeper. “Deck. Coming. So hard.” She cried out as she bucked wildly against him and closed her eyes tightly.
He knew that she was close and he thrust hard to join her as they came again neck to neck.
The night before Christmas Eve was the night that changed their lives. Coach Clint couldn’t handle the pain of the holidays without his family and shot himself in his father’s garage. Declan got the call and she had to hang up as he stared forward blankly. “Baby?”
“He’s gone. Clint ended things. He couldn’t take it.” Declan started to sob as she jumped into his arms on the couch to hold him close. Clint had been something like a father figure to Declan since he had such a lack of one in his life. “I can’t ever lose you, Mallory. I love you too much to ever be without you.”
“You won’t. I love you. I’m here.” Mallory promised him as tears slid down her cheeks to join his as they kissed softly. She was brought back to losing her parents all over again and they held each other as they cried before they gently made love again.
Condoms had never been purchased again since she was on birth control now. They couldn’t stand not feeling each other.
The holidays faded with the grief that he was feeling and that she was supporting him through. Mallory knew that she was feeling off but she blamed it on the stress and lack of peace in their lives. By the end of January, she was exhausted and struggling through early classes at school.
It killed her to see Declan coaching in Clint’s place for an undetermined amount of time now. The team was devastated and Coach Pete as well and they’d all gathered together at the service in a huddled group all in pain. She’d sat with Rayna and her parents as well as Declan’s grandparents as she watched him fall apart before her.
He was struggling but true to his players as she fed him the strength that he needed. She was informally living in the house now, something that had happened around the time of the suicide. He never wanted her to leave or be away from him. She didn’t want to be away from him either.
A week into February, Rayna was over and she looked closely at Mallory. “You don’t look so hot. It is still bad around here?”
“He’s better. He’s functioning and everything but I’m so damn tired all of the time.” Mallory replied as she tugged her messy hair into a ponytail. She stared at Rayna eating chocolate ice cream out of a pint sized container and slowly her mouth fell open. “Oh my god.”
“What?” Rayna murmured around her spoon as she glanced at her friend on the couch curiously.
“You’re on your period. You always eat ice cream on your period.” Mallory told her as Rayna shrugged. “Rayna, I’m not on mine.” They’d been like clockwork living together for so long and Mallory started to cry.
Rayna calmed her down and went to buy a few tests so they could flip out over something genuine if need be. There was still a damn good chance that it could be stress and just horrible timing all around. Mallory paced around the living room with a blanket wrapped around her shaking shoulders as she cried helplessly all alone. Declan was at a team meeting as they tried to figure out where to go from here and he wouldn’t be home for a while. She looked up as Rayna came back in carrying a bag from the local store and dropped to the floor.
“Bathroom. Come on. Don’t you freak out unless there’s a reason.” Mallory stood and followed her friend down the hall and into the guest bathroom slowly as Rayna lined up her choices on the counter. She also placed a giant chocolate bar there and Mallory laughed as she started to cry again. She was alone when she tested as Rayna waited on the couch for her with the candy and she took a deep breath as she walked down the hallway.
“Few minutes.” They broke open the candy bar as they waited together and stared forward.
The test was as positive as it could possibly be and Rayna collected Mallory into her arms as her friend cried and lamented that this was a horrible time and that she couldn’t do this to Declan now.
“Maybe it’s the best time. Maybe it’ll give him hope and love and he’ll want all of this despite what happened. You guys aren’t coach and that won’t happen to you.” Rayna told her as Mallory sniffled heavily. They both heard the garage door open and she stared at her friend. “I guess you’ll find out soon.”
“What’s going on?” Declan asked, his face lined with pain and worry as he stared at the girls. “Did something happen?” His hair was longer now and messy and he looked like he needed sleep.
“Stay or go?” Rayna whispered to Mallory as she held her.
“I think I can do this. I love you.” Mallory told her softly, holding tightly to Rayna for one more hug before she stood to leave. “Deck, I have something to tell you.”
“Okay.” He sat down beside her with a glance at the half-eaten candy bar before he pulled her against him.
“That night that we made love without anything the first time…do you remember it?” He nodded as he remembered it out loud before giving her a soft kiss. “We made a baby. I just tested and it’s positive. I don’t know if it’s the worst time humanly possible or if you even want this right now but it’s happening.”
“Pregnant? We’re going to have a baby?” He asked in shock as she nodded with a fresh round of tears on her cheeks.
“I love you and I love this baby so much. I don’t want to be scared.” All of the men had been protective of their families since everything had happened but the only person that had kids was the other coach. “It can’t happen to us.”
“No, it can’t.” Declan told her as he turned his face to kiss her hard. He pulled her close and held her tight as he kissed her over and over through their shared tears. “I love you. Will you marry me, Mal?”
“I will.” They kissed again before they moved together to celebrate the life inside of her and the hope for their future. They knew that it would be better than everything that they had been through.
****turn over to read part 2****