Chapter Fifteen – Lucy

We flew home the day after our first time in the forest. It was a day that I’d never forget for many reasons – the perfect first time. All the frustration in waiting so long and being so scared seemed to fade away as Max held me in his arms. It was hot and intense, but it was with Max. That made it the one of the best moments of my life.

We dozed on the plane as we held hands. I knew that we were going back to New York as different people now, and I leaned back in the comfortable seat, smiling.

I’d looked at the picture of us so many times that I lost count. It showed my happiness and his gorgeous smile. It looked like he found perfection in me at that moment and I thought that I could show that to the judge.

Case closed.

The plane landed as I was eating one of the cookies that they brought us, and I shoved the last piece into my mouth with a moan. “Those are so good,” I told Max as he chuckled at me.

“I only fly in first class. Don’t worry,” he assured me. I looked at him for a moment before leaning in to kiss him. Our lips molded together in perfect harmony as the wheels bumped to the ground and he held me close. I thought that we weren’t supposed to be doing this, but I didn’t pull away and nobody told me to.

We went to get Riley and she screamed when she saw us, running from her movie in the den to hug us. Max’s mother was a bit shocked when she found out about us, but I knew that she loved me like a daughter. In the beginning, that bothered me, but now I knew that we had a different connection. I laughed as he spun Riley around the room.

We took Riley to pizza for dinner and then ice cream before going home. We waved at the neighbors as we walked up, and I noticed all of their approving smiles. These women wanted me to have what they did. Some had lost their husbands, like Mrs. Hastings, but they still had the memories of true love.

Riley got a bath from Max that night. I went over to check on my apartment, realizing that I hadn’t been there much lately. I didn’t want to be, but we hadn’t discussed living together. I just slept there because I didn’t want to be away from him. Now, that feeling was stronger.

I tidied up and grabbed a backpack of fresh clothes. I went over to ask Max if I could do some laundry after I tucked Riley into bed. He agreed and I read her three books before her eyes closed.

I walked out to the living room and unloaded the suitcase that Max brought over without even asking me as I glanced at him on the couch. He was watching some sports scores. I smiled as I sorted out the clothes that I would wash at his place and the ones that I’d have to take to the dry cleaner. I was glad that there weren’t a lot of those as I looked at the two dresses that I’d picked up for the wedding weekend at a thrift store.

I took the ones I could handle into the laundry room by the kitchen and started the load, transferring Max’s clothes to the dryer. I asked if they were all okay with the heat. Max told me to go ahead and that he had separated everything else as I pushed the button to start the dryer. I glanced down at my ring and turned it slowly, thinking about the amazing past few weeks.

“Is everything okay?” Max asked. I jumped and turned around to look at him.

“Yeah. I was just daydreaming,” I replied. He stepped forward and pressed his hands against the dryer, locking me into place. He leaned in to kiss me and I pulled him closer as our lips met. Any question of what might happen between us fell away as he slipped his tongue against mine and pressed his body against mine.

We went to the bedroom in unspoken agreement and made love. It was soft and hard all at once as he maneuvered me on the large mattress and took me in different ways. I was going to learn with him. I dropped back against the pillows and took a deep breath. “You’re staying here every damn night. I can’t get enough of you.” Max said as he looked over at me, making me blush.

“Fine by me,” I told him as I laughed. “I like your daughter a lot.”

“Do you?” he demanded as he rolled over me, hovering there before stealing a kiss. My body was pulsing from everything that he’d already done, but I wanted more. We still weren’t using anything, but that was part of the deal, wasn’t it?

He slipped inside of me, bringing my feet against his chest as I held in my cries. It felt amazing.

I couldn’t believe how much time flew when my days were filled with Riley and Max. I took care of her part of the time and worked in the lab the other days, making advances in my research as I thought about opening my own lab again. The contract stated that I’d get my payment after we were married or expecting a baby, and we weren’t there yet. I knew that I’d love every moment until that day came. I was happy with our future no matter what happened.

It was a month later that I noticed I’d been sick for a solid week. The nausea lasted all day. I assumed it was the flu until I realized that my breasts were sore one night when he was sucking on my nipples.

I did some research online and went to buy a pregnancy test. I took it at my apartment in private, unsure of how to handle it. It was what he’d planned, but did he love me? Did he want me as well as the baby? There was still so much left unsaid between us.

The test was positive and I tucked it away into the trash. I guessed from my research that I was six to eight weeks along and reached for my phone to call my doctor.

I wouldn’t tell Max yet. The court date was in just over a week and I could see that Max was worried about it. He faked it well with Riley, but his parents and I saw the stress once she was out of the room. We all assured him that it would be fine, but his parents didn’t know about our arrangement. They didn’t know the lengths that he went to to keep their granddaughter in their lives. They didn’t know that I was pregnant with his second baby.

Nobody did but me.