Chapter Twenty-Five

 

 

 

 

 

Kelly

 

 

 

 

 

I walked out to the living room with Nick and accepted the light kiss he placed on my lips.

“Happy birthday, hot stuff,” he murmured quietly as he pushed some hair behind my ear. “I’m sorry I have to work today.”

I shook my head and leaned into his touch with a yawn. “It’s just another day, Nicky. Besides, I have to work, too, and I have that stupid physical today.”

“It makes me irrationally jealous to think that the doctor gets to touch you on your birthday and I don’t.” Nick trailed a hand down until he could grip my ass and pull me flush with him. I had to stifle a moan when I felt how turned on he was. “Come visit me at the station tonight after dinner?”

“I can probably manage that.”

He ducked his head and kissed me again, a kiss that turned into something much deeper and I was ready to strip him down right there in the living room. Simon clearing his throat had us pulling away from each other and I let out a sad whimper that caused everyone to laugh quietly. Nick kissed me one more time before putting some distance between us.

“I love you,” he told me in a low voice and I smiled as I leaned against the wall.

“I love you, too. Be safe.”

“Happy Birthday, Kelly,” Simon said as he wrapped me in a tight hug.

“Thanks, Si.” I hugged him back and moved to where my sister was when we parted. The two of us watched as the boys walked out the door. Once it was closed, I let out a long yawn and squeezed my sister’s hand before walking into the kitchen for coffee.

“How does it feel to be twenty-seven?” she asked, following me so she could pack her lunch. I wrinkled my nose as I dumped sugar in my mug.

“When did we get so old?”

Megan laughed and shrugged her shoulders. “I don’t think we’re old. Mom and Dad are going to meet us at the restaurant at six. Are you coming back here first?”

“No. I was going to bring a change of clothes to work.”

“Me, too.” Megan pressed a kiss to my temple and grabbed her lunch box. “Happy Birthday, Kel. I love you.”

“Love you, too, Gan. See you tonight.”

My whole morning was free of appointments to accommodate the physicals that were going on for the day. I hung around with my five co-workers as we had blood drawn, peed in cups, had basic vitals taken, and waited our turn for the doctor. I somehow ended up last out of all of us but was able to use the time to catch up on my notes. When it was finally my turn, I put down the charts I’d been working on and let out a long sigh as I walked into the exam room.

“Ms. Gold, good to see you again.”

I smiled at the older man who’d been conducting our work physicals for years. “You, too, Dr. Thomas.”

“So, how are you feeling?” he asked as I sat on the exam table and pulled my polo off so I was just in a sports bra. “Any fatigue or nausea?”

I shook my head and jumped slightly when his cold stethoscope touched my skin. “I feel fine.”

“Good, good.” He listened to my heart, instructed me to take deep breaths, and nodded in satisfaction before pulling out a light to look at my throat. “Stick out your tongue, my dear. How many weeks are you?”

“How many weeks for what?” I opened my mouth and stuck out my tongue as instructed and he raised his brows.

“Into your pregnancy?”

I inhaled a sharp breath, causing me to choke on my own saliva, and shook my head quickly while managing to croak, “I’m not pregnant.”

The doctor stared at me for a long moment before slowly nodding. “You are. We tested all urine samples for pregnancy just an hour ago.”

“I can’t be.” I let out a small, sarcastic laugh. “I’m on birth control and I take it religiously.”

“The only form of birth control that is absolutely effective is abstinence, Ms. Gold.” Dr. Thomas shook his head. “You have no idea how far along you are? Who’s your gynecologist?”

I felt like unmovable stone. “I don’t have one. I just see the family doctor for that stuff.”

“Okay.” Dr. Thomas nodded and shined a light in my eyes. “You’re my last one today so after this, you’re going to come next door with me. There’s an obstetrics office on my floor and I’m sure Dr. Alvarez will make room for you today.”

He kept talking but I didn’t hear his words. I was still stuck on just one- Pregnant. I’d only been married for a couple of months. We’d only just admitted we even had feelings for each other. How could I be pregnant? What would Nick say? What if he left? I felt like I was going to be sick.

The rest of the exam was a blur and I let Dr. Thomas lead me across the skywalk to his building when we were done. I briefly recalled him telling my boss that I needed one last exam that couldn’t be done without special equipment.

We went into a waiting room and he directed me into a chair as he spoke to the receptionist. After a few moments, another doctor appeared and she nodded at whatever he was saying before coming out a side door and standing in front of me.

“Hi, Kelly. I’m Dr. Gabrielle Alvarez. Why don’t you come on back?”

Dr. Thomas pat my back gently. “You’re clear to work on my end, Kelly, but you should tell your employer as soon as possible. Good luck, my dear.”

I mumbled my thanks to him before following Dr. Alvarez into the back hallway. She had someone take my weight, my blood pressure, and a bunch of different stuff that Dr. Thomas had done not even an hour before. The medical assistant grilled me on the dates of my last two periods, making me realize how irregular they’d been all summer, and finally put me in a room. At some point, I ended up on a table with my pants off and my feet up as the doctor performed an ultrasound.

Oh, and bonus? The freakin’ ultrasound is not done on my stomach but between my legs. Joy.

My eyes fixed to the small black and white screen and she didn’t even have to point it out. The outline of a head, complete with a protruding nose, sat on top of a body that had curled up legs and tiny arms sticking from it.

“That’s your baby, Kelly.”

“My baby?” I repeated, emotion clogging my throat. “I’m having a baby?”

She chuckled and nodded her head. “And here’s your baby’s heartbeat.”

A loud, quick thrumming noise took over the room and I closed my eyes as it washed over me. When I reopened them, the doctor was watching me with a smile.

“You said you had an allergic reaction in mid-July?” When I nodded, she continued. “I’m willing to bet you conceived around then. You probably missed a pill in the excitement or something they did in the emergency room interfered with your birth control. The baby is measuring about twelve weeks, near the end of your first trimester, and that’s consistent with a mid-July conception date and the dates of your last period at the end of June.”

“Twelve weeks? How the hell can I be twelve weeks pregnant? I’ve only been married for four months and I had a period like three weeks ago.” I gasped and shook my head as I looked at the doctor. “I’ve been taking my birth control this whole pregnancy. I had two glasses of wine with my sister just a couple of weeks ago.”

“Calm down, Kelly.” She squeezed my knee as she put the ultrasound wand away. “Neither of those likely hurt your baby. I want you to stop both immediately, though, and start taking prenatal vitamins. The bleeding you saw a few weeks ago was probably just routine pregnancy bleeding. We’re looking at a due date of April eighth.”

I ran a hand through my hair and shook my head. “Oh, god. Are we even ready for a baby?”

“You’re going to be fine,” Dr. Alvarez replied with a small smile. “I want to see you in mid-November to do another ultrasound.”

I nodded dumbly and thanked her when she left the room after loading me up on more information. I slowly pulled my clothes back on and tried to wrap my head around what I’d just found out. I was going to have a baby. Nick and I were going to have a baby and I had no idea how he was going to handle the news.

I went back to work and handled all of my afternoon appointments like nothing was different. I thought back to how I had absolutely no pregnancy symptoms. Well, that wasn’t true. I wasn’t sick but I was tired often. I’d attributed it to my very active sex life on top of my already-busy physical activity. When Nick had been gone, I’d noticed how tired I was then but I really had thought I was just worried. It all made sense now.

Happy Birthday, Kelly Gold. You get a baby!

After work was over, I went into the bathroom and changed into the black dress I’d brought to wear to dinner. It was one of my more modest dresses since we were going out with my parents but it still hugged my body perfectly. I ran a hand over my stomach as I looked in the mirror. It was still flat, completely hiding the fact that a baby was growing in there.

I met the family for dinner shortly after and I wanted to tell Megan so badly. It almost slipped past my lips a few times but I wanted to tell Nick first. This was his baby and he deserved to know before anyone else. So, I ate the delicious tofu dish I’d ordered, smiled at stories my parents told, and thanked them for the gorgeous pair of sapphire earrings they’d given me.

Megan handed me a small box with a grin and I unwrapped it quickly to reveal a pair of tickets. I gasped when I read them and her grin widened.

“I’m going with you, just so you know.”

I held up the Backstreet Boys tickets and nodded my head quickly. “I’m so excited! I was just thinking that we needed to see them while they were in Vegas.”

“They’re front row, too. We’ll be able to see Nick Carter’s sweat, Kel.”

“Don’t tell my Nick that,” I replied, causing the table to laugh, and I leaned over to hug my sister, refusing to think about how huge I’d be for the concert in February. “Thanks, Gan. They’re perfect.”

My family looked so happy throughout the whole meal, distracting me from my secret. We ate some cupcakes that my mom had baked and brought to the restaurant and she told me to take the rest to the fire station with me. I just smiled up at her and shrugged my shoulders.

“Who said I’m going to see Nick after this?”

My father chuckled and shook his head. “Don’t think you’ve been coy, missy. We can tell you’re texting under the table.”

Busted. I had been. I was making sure Nick wasn’t out on a call because I couldn’t wait to see him. I grinned at my parents and shrugged again.

“I’ll take the cupcakes with me.”

My family hugged me tight and Megan promised to see me back at the apartment later. It was getting dark when I pulled into the parking lot of the station but both bay doors were open, displaying the fact that all of the trucks were still in the garage. I walked in through one of them with the container under my arm and I looked around for any familiar faces but not a single firefighter could be found.

Voices filtered down from upstairs so I climbed the staircase and found the common room full as they finished a late dinner. Several people saw me at once, calling out my name as I hit the top stair, and Nick pushed away from the table quickly.

“Hey, hot stuff,” he said as he pressed a kiss to my lips and wrapped an arm around my waist. “You look beautiful. How was dinner?”

“It was good. I have leftover cupcakes.” I gestured to the container and Nick’s eyes lit up as he took it from me.

“You should have just taken this home. Now we have to share.”

“Happy Birthday, Kel,” Tori said as she stood and wrapped me in a hug. As others heard her, more voices rang out to wish me a happy birthday. Nick held up the container with a sigh.

“She even brought you fuckers the rest of her birthday cake. You’re lucky my wife is so awesome.” He directed me to a chair and Simon helped him pass out cupcakes.

“We saved some for you to take back home to Megs,” Simon said as he took a seat next to me. “Make sure you tell her it was my idea and score me some points, okay?”

I grinned and leaned into Nick, who’d taken the seat on my other side. He shared his cupcake with me while everyone chatted happily and I couldn’t have made my face stop smiling if I’d tried. I had a great life.

Once his cupcake was gone, Nick led me down the hall to the bunkroom that he’d been switched to after everything that had happened with Chad. As soon as we were in and the door was shut, he was kissing me. He tasted like chocolate icing and perfection when his tongue met mine and I pushed my hands up under his shirt so I could rub along the muscles there, loving the way they contracted. Nick’s hands pulled my dress up until it was bunched around my waist.

Like I weighed nothing, he lifted me in his arms and didn’t put me down until I was on the edge of the top bunk with my legs dangling over the side. He smiled at me as he tugged on the band of the red underwear I was wearing and shimmied them off my legs.

“You’re so beautiful, Kel. I’m such a lucky man.” He was tall enough that feathering kisses along my bare thighs was easy for him and he guided my legs so they were hitched over his shoulders. “I love you.”

“I love you, too.” I barely got it out before his mouth was between my thighs and I instantly grabbed a handful of his hair while stifling the moan that I wanted to release. Nick had always possessed amazing oral skills but they’d only gotten better as he’d become familiar with my body. He knew exactly what to do with his mouth and hands to have me falling apart like a house of cards.

When I reopened my eyes after chanting his name just minutes later, Nick was staring up at me while he trailed his lips down to my knee.

“Cake and Kelly. Delicious. You taste the best, though.”

I rarely blushed but I felt my cheeks warm at his words and shook my head quickly. “Shut up and take your clothes off, Nicky.”

“Yes, ma’am.” He pulled me from the top bunk and guided me to the bottom where he slept. He’d just straightened up to undo the button on his pants when a blue light flashed in the room and an alarm went off.

Nick let his head droop with a loud groan. “Seriously? That is some shitty timing.”

“I’m sorry, handsome,” I said as I stood from the bunk and pressed my lips to his. He grinned and deepened the kiss for a quick moment before pulling back.

“As long as I got to make you moan like I did, I’d say it was a successful birthday, right?”

I let out a small laugh as I pulled my dress down to make me look decent. “Right.”

Nick bent and grabbed the red underwear I’d been wearing. Holding my eyes with his, he stuffed them into his pocket and kissed me again.

“I’ve got to go. Walk me out?”

I took his hand and he led me out to common area. I stopped him and quickly grabbed a wet paper towel to wipe his mouth, causing a large grin to light up his face.

“I want another taste when I get home in the morning.”

I rolled my eyes and let him pull me down the stairs. “You’re a fiend.”

“A fiend for you.” He pressed his lips to mine and crushed me to his chest. “I love you. Happy Birthday, Kelly.”

When he released me, Simon wrapped me in a tight hug, his turnout gear already on. Multiple people yelled out goodbyes and happy birthdays to me as they climbed in their trucks and I just smiled before walking out to my car. My husband’s coworkers were awesome.

“That was quick,” Megan said when I pushed through the front door of our apartment, snapping her laptop shut. I smiled and let out a long, exaggerated sigh.

“They got called out.”

She grinned and shook her head as she followed me to the kitchen. “It never fails.” She paused and just kept grinning at me. “Nick’s taking you to dinner tomorrow, right?”

“Yeah,” I nodded and stuck my finger into the icing of one of the cupcakes. “Apparently someplace fancy.”

“What would you say to a birthday spa day tomorrow then? The boys will need to nap in the morning anyway.”

It would have been the perfect time to tell my sister she was going to be an aunt. I didn’t get a chance to tell Nick, though, so I just nodded my head.

“That sounds perfect.”

She and I shared a cupcake before she told me to go to bed so I could get some beauty sleep. I went back to my room and sent Nick a few text messages before the exhaustion I was becoming familiar with caught up to me.

I woke up in the morning as Nick had promised, with his face between my legs. He made love to me afterwards before curling his body around mine and we both went back to sleep, a smile on my face as we did.

I spent the morning and early afternoon with my sister, who seemed almost giddy. We received facials, pedicures, manicures, and got our hair done before heading back home. After that, she and Simon disappeared to have their own night.

Nick and I hung around the house for the rest of the afternoon and he seemed as amped up Megan had been. He was distracted by something, which was fine because I spent a good amount of time trying to decide exactly how to tell him about the baby. I thought about ways I could tell him at dinner while I pulled on the red dress I’d picked out for the night.

“Where are we going?” I asked Nick, smiling when I saw how happy his face was as he drove later that evening. He glanced over at me and shook his head.

“It’s a surprise.”

I dropped my hand to the back of his head and absentmindedly brought my other up to my flat stomach. Tonight was a good night to tell him. He was in such a fantastic mood that it was infectious and I found myself smiling, too.

We pulled up in front of the New Hope Country Club and I raised my brows as I turned to look at Nick.

“Really?”

He grinned and nodded as he leaned over to kiss me. “We’re going classy tonight, sweetheart.”

“Want to climb in the backseat before we go in?” I asked, my voice low as I held his face to mine. Nick let me give him a long, passionate kiss, and I thought I’d won but he pulled back with a groan.

“We have reservations, Kel, and the valets are giving us funny looks.” He adjusted his pants to try and hide his erection. “Tonight, you and are going to stay up all night. I promise.”

“Fine,” I conceded as I pushed open my door. Nick did the same and came over to grab my hand in his so he could lead me up the stairs. Someone held the door open for us and another person grinned in the reception area when they saw us.

“Mr. and Mrs. Christos, welcome. Please follow me.”

I loved when they referred to me as Christos rather than Gold. I’d thought about changing my name officially but hadn’t had the talk with Nick about it yet. I thought he’d be on board but I wanted to be sure first.

I leaned my head on Nick’s shoulder and we walked behind the happy man slowly. We didn’t speak as we were led in a dark room and I clutched onto Nick’s bicep so I wouldn’t lose him when the darkness engulfed us.

“What’s going on?”

I heard a noise and suddenly, a small flame lit up Nick’s face as he used a match to light a candle. I watched as he set it on the floor and lit another. I raised my brows and shook my head.

“Nick?”

He just grinned once both candles were lit and on either side of us on the floor. He stared at me in the dim light for a moment before kissing my lips lightly. Slowly, Nick sunk down until he was on one knee, holding one of my hands in his.

“Since the moment I laid eyes on you, Kelly Renee, I knew that I wanted you in my life. You made me smile with how carefree you looked and how easily you laughed. I want to hear that laugh for the rest of my life, Kel. You love and care so deeply that it’s almost overwhelming and I consider myself so lucky that you love and care for me. I want it all. I want your laughter, your kindness, your sass, and your love. I want you. Will you do me the honor of being my wife forever?”

I stared at him, my jaw dropped in awe as he spoke, and I felt a tear roll down my cheek. When he reached into his pocket and held up a gorgeous, vintage diamond ring that I recognized as my grandmother’s, I sucked in a sharp breath.

“I am your wife, Nicky,” I said quietly as a smile tugged on my lips and several more tears escaped my eyes. He shook his head and squeezed my hand in his.

“I did it wrong the first time. Humor me, okay?”

I laughed softly and studied his handsome face in the candlelight before nodding. “I want to be your wife forever.”

Nick let out a long breath, as if he thought I’d say something different, and he slipped the ring on the finger where my wedding band already was. Once it was on, he stood and wrapped me in his arms before pressing his lips to mine.

The sound of someone slowly clapping suddenly filled the area, causing me to jump. The clapping sped up as more people began to join in and several people cheered. I pulled my face from Nick’s as lights slowly turned on, going from dim to bright, and revealing that we weren’t alone at all.

I wasn’t sure how many people were in the area but there had to be at least fifty. They had all watched and listened as Nick had said the words and I felt a blush coloring my cheeks as I turned to look at him.

“You planned a reception for us?”

Nick grinned with a small shake of his head and pressed his lips to mine again. “Go get dressed, Kelly.”

“Go get dressed?” I repeated as shook my head. “What do you mean?”

Megan and Mom stepped forward from the crowd, both of them wearing dresses. Mom’s was a silver color and Megan’s navy blue. They both had their hair and make-up done perfectly with smiles on their faces. Megan stopped in front of me and held out her hand.

“Come on. I hope you like the dress I picked for you.”

I stared at her for a moment before I realized what was happening. I turned back to Nick and he wiped a tear from my cheek as he nodded at my unasked question.

“Not just a reception, Kel. We’re getting married again. Right now.”