Chapter ten
Duke
Duke stopped at the bar before going up to his apartment. He had a quick shot of scotch while gripping the box in his other hand. It was early, but he needed it dammit. He'd never done anything like this before and he was glad he would never have to again. Taking a couple of deep breaths and reminding himself he wasn't a pussy, he made his way upstairs. Opening the door, he spotted Nicole sat on the couch, looking out of the window as if she was in a world of her own. She jumped when he shut the door. She seemed as on edge as him. Had she been crying? Her eyes seemed red and her whole body was rigid with tension. He sat next to her and pulled her onto his lap where she fit perfectly and placed his box next to him.
"Hi baby, you feeling ok? You're looking a bit pale. Have you had your tablets?" He couldn't help but worry over her, she meant everything to him.
"I'm fine. You're gonna make your hair fall out if you keep stressing." She stroked his arm and he felt her shaking. Fuck, she wasn't getting enough sleep. "Duke, I need to talk to you about something."
He couldn't think what that could be and he had bigger things filling his mind right now. "I've gotta talk to you too, baby. You go first." This would give him a couple more minutes to compose himself, or so he thought.
Nicole placed her hands on either side of his face, keeping his attention. "Duke..... I'm pregnant."
He must of misheard. She had spoken too softly and quickly that he must of mistaken what she said.
"Baby, you're gonna have to repeat that. I didn't hear you right."
He watched her swallow and she struggled trying to pull away from him, tears filled her eyes but he wasn't letting go. He tipped her chin up, forcing her eyes to meet his.
"We're going to have a baby, Duke."
Yep, he definitely heard her that time. His lungs seized and his grip on her tightened. Was it possible? Looking into her beautiful eyes he could see all her emotions. She was happy, wary, but mostly scared. He knew she was waiting for his reaction. It seemed to take him forever to process what she had said. He put his hand over her rounded stomach. His whole body jolted. Fuck, it was true, he was going to be a father. His kid was going to have this amazing woman as its mother. Joy, pure and simple, exploded inside him. She couldn't leave him now, they were tied together. Always. The words that seemed impossible to say earlier, now rolled off his tongue with ease.
"I love you, Nicole. Your mine, now and forever."
She gasped and more tears flooded her eyes as she said, "I love you too, Duke."
Nicole flung her arms around him and cried into his neck. He buried his face in her silky hair and held her as close as he could. Tension eased from his whole body. She loved him back. He knew he loved her on the very first night they'd spent apart, all those weeks ago. She was the other half of his soul and he'd keep her safe for the rest of their lives. It was a vow he had every intention of keeping. It was sacred. He lifted her head and smashed his mouth to hers. Pushing through her lips, they started to twist and turn their tongues together, always trying to get closer.
He became overwhelmed and consumed with a desperate need to be buried inside her. He spun her around and lowered her onto her back across the couch. Tearing his top off and then hers, he started to kiss down her neck and nip her collar bone. He peppered wet kisses over her breasts and stomach. Stroking her stomach with his hands, he sucked and teased her puckered nipples. A guttural groan from Nicole had him ripping her yoga pants down her shapely legs and tearing open the fly of his jeans. He didn't even manage to get his jeans fully off before he plunged himself into Nicole's perfect pink hole.
He set a frantic pace and moaned every time he drove into her. He was going to finish too quickly, it felt too good. He withdrew, sat up and pulled her onto his lap, sinking back into her and letting her set the pace. As they built to ecstasy, they clung to each other, whispering words of adoration and love. He put his hand between them and worked her clit, she arched her back driving him deeper still and instantly went over the edge. He followed straight away as her tight pussy pulsed around his cock with every ripple of her orgasm. Neither let the other go as they wound down. They sat like that for a while, just absorbing each other. Eventually, Nicole broke away and gifted him with a smile brighter than any before it. Her fingers played with the back of his hair.
"God, you're amazing. You're everything I've ever wanted for myself and more. I'm so relieved you're happy. We're gonna be a family. A real family." She was beaming.
"Baby, you're gonna be the best mama a baby could ask for." He thought about family and started to laugh. Nicole look confused. "Not laughing at you baby, just looking forward to telling Uncle Razor!" Nicole giggled with him. He loved that sound. He shifted his weight and his knee knocked into the box that was now pushed right into the corner of the couch. "Oh, I almost forgot. This is for you. It was what I was doing this morning."
Duke passed her the box and watched her tear into it. He was still nervous about her reaction. For him, this was huge. He'd never imagined doing this before meeting Nicole. He'd decided yesterday he couldn't put it off any more. He'd battled internally about this for weeks. He was worried. She had grown up around so much instability and ended up in bad situations due to her father, he wasn't confident she'd want to tie herself to the VP of a motorcycle club.
She froze when she saw the contents and slowly pulled it out. His heart paused in his chest, waiting for her reaction before it worked again. She unfolded the vest he'd had made for her. The back had the large Fallen MC patch and a bottom rocker with 'Property of Duke' clearly sown, declaring his ownership. She cradled the cut to her chest like it was the most precious gift she'd ever been given. He hoped that it was. Relief swept through him. She fell forward, face-planting into his chest. He pulled her up, bring their faces millimetres apart.
"You're my old lady now. No turning back," he said pressing a kiss to her lips. "Mine."
"Yours." Damn right she was.
Nicole
Pulling up at the clinic, Nicole was taking deep even breaths trying to calm her racing heart. She was a bundle of nervousness and excitement. Slam had driven them so that she and Duke could sit in the blacked out back seats of the SUV. They were still on alert as Riot had yet to make a move. All the brothers were certain that Wrath would of heard of her association with them by now. Duke helped her down from her seat and cradled her under his arm. She was glad the appointment was only an hour after their talk. She was sure, given more time, Duke would freak out. This way any anticipation would be gone quickly and they would know everything was fine. Then they'd start coming to terms with becoming parents. Or so she hoped.
The waiting room wasn't overly busy, just a few families and couples. They all at some point cast sidelong glances at them, taking in Duke's cut and heavily tattooed arms. She had wanted to wear her vest but decided to save it for the next barbecue, showing it off to her new family. The peace that had taken over her soul since Duke said he loved her put her in a constant state of euphoria. She had found her place in the world and the perfect man to share her life with.
"Miss Fletcher?" A young nurse called into the waiting room.
Duke quickly stood and keeping a firm grasp of her hand, led her to the room the nurse indicated. He paced as she gave a urine and blood sample. When she hissed at the needle entering her arm, Duke had growled loudly and the nurse had seemed far more skittish since. Changing into a gown and laying on the table she reached for Duke who was still pacing. He was starting to make her more nervous with every pass he made.
"Duke, come here.” She held her hand out to him. “I'm sure everything is fine. The doctor will be here any minute." Just as it left her lips, the door opened to a middle aged doctor who looked really friendly. He shot her and Duke a smile.
"Miss Fletcher, nice to meet you, I'm Dr Scance." Nicole introduced Duke and he shook hands with them, then sat next to her bed where the ultrasound machine was. "We'll get the results from your bloods in a couple of days but for now, the pregnancy test was positive so I'm going to give you an ultrasound to see how far along you are and check the baby."
He squirted a cold gel onto her stomach and moved around a wide probe, pressing into her bump. She was staring at the screen but couldn't tell what she was looking at. She'd seen scan pictures before but it looked totally different on a screen when things were moving around. Duke's hand was gripping hers so tightly her fingers were starting to ache.
"Well, well, well. Look what we have here." Nicole couldn't speak, if it wasn't for the smile on the doctors face she'd be having a heart attack. He pointed to the screen. All she could make out were funny shaped blobs. "Congratulations, everything looks perfect and you're gonna be the mother of not two but three babies." He pointed at each blob as the computer labelled them A, B and C.
Overwhelmed and not quite believing what she'd heard, tears started to flow down her face as she stared at the screen. Three babies! Shock must be making her hysterical as giggles bubbled up and she couldn't stop.
"Are you sure?" Duke's voice was so raspy she hardly recognised it. She pulled her eyes from the screen to look at him. He looked very pale and stood transfixed unblinking at the screen. Oh God. This could change everything. He'd been thrilled at having a baby but having three was a very different prospect. Hell, they'd be outnumbered!
"Yes, absolutely positive. Your going to be parents to three identical babies. They are very healthy, uniform in size and correct for fourteen weeks gestation. If you would like to find out the sex that will be at your next scan. Multiple births are always considered higher risk and although everything looks great, I'll be keeping a close eye. We’ll be seeing each other a fair few times over the next 26 weeks."
He handed them several photos from the scan and made them another appointment for two weeks time, after explaining everything she needed to do for her own and the babies' health. He then recommended some books and handed her some pamphlets that Duke immediately snatched from her and put in his pocket. As soon as the doctor left, Duke scooped her from the bed and held her tightly to his chest. She could feel him trembling.
"Three babies.... Three babies.... Fuck Nicole, we're having three babies!" He chanted into her ear.
He drew back slightly before smashing his lips to hers. His kiss was desperate, all consuming and she responded in kind. Her hand lay over his heart and felt it rapidly beating against her palm.
"Come on baby, we need to get out of here, fuck knows what germs and shit are all over this place." He glanced around the room as if expecting the germs to all of a sudden appear and attack her. "You heard the doc; plenty of rest, no stress and healthy eating. You need to lie down, you've already done too much." He all but carried her out of the clinic and into the SUV.
Nicole let out a long sigh as Duke laid his arm over her shoulders and drew her as near to him as he could without her being on his lap. His other hand threaded through hers and came to rest on her belly. She fell deeper in love with him at that moment and nuzzled her head onto his shoulder, she could feel tension rolling off him in waves, his muscles taught and his body stiff. When Slam immediately asked how things went, she had barely opened her mouth before Duke announced that everything was fine and that he wanted all the brothers gathered in the bar at eight o'clock that night.
He clearly wanted to make an announcement. She was fine with that and was looking forward to their reactions. She tried to let the knowledge of having three babies inside her settle into her mind, but it just hadn't sunk in yet. It felt unreal. She was staring at the little black and white photos and her heart warmed as she stroked her finger over each blob. The longer she looked, the more she could make out of their little bodies and she felt herself getting impatient to hold them already. It was going to be a very long pregnancy if she couldn't calm Duke down soon though. She knew just what to do.