Chapter Thirty-Three

 

 

 

 

 

Kelly

 

 

 

 

 

I wrapped another picture frame in newspaper and sighed once it was placed in the box with the others. We only another week left before we closed on the house and I was starting to doubt we’d be able to get everything done before the baby’s due date in three weeks.

When our offer on the Golden Heights house had been accepted, I’d been ecstatic. After months of searching for the perfect home, it still felt too good to be true. The biggest downside to getting our amazing house?

Leaving Megan.

I knew it sounded stupid since I was a twenty-seven-year-old woman, but we’d been roommates for so long that the thought of living without her scared me. It was time, though. Our apartment was too small for two couples and a dog, and I knew that the baby would only cramp it up even more. So, I started emailing my sister listings for houses within a mile radius of the one we’d bought. If I couldn’t live with her, I could at least live near her, right?

My parents were happy we were moving into New Hope. Instead of being almost forty-five minutes away from them, we would now be fifteen to twenty. Mom had mentioned the possibility of watching the baby for us whenever I went back to work and I knew us living closer would help if she decided to do it.

Megan, Mom, Elma, and Delia had thrown a baby shower for us the week before and the bedroom was now full of packed boxes and tons of baby paraphernalia. The furniture was all still in boxes to be taken to the new house, except for the car seat and bassinet. Megan had encouraged us to get those ready, just in case the baby came before the move. She’d also helped me wash and fold a bunch of gender neutral baby clothes that were really tiny.

“Putting the whole place together in ten days is going to suck.”

Nick chuckled and placed one of the packed boxes in the corner with the rest. “It might not be perfect before Nick Junior comes but it will be livable. We’ll have plenty of time to perfect it after the baby is here.”

“We are not naming him Nick Junior, Nickolas.” I shot him an annoyed look that was completely fake and began to wrap another frame. “I’m just stressed out and cranky.”

“I know, sweetheart.” He moved to where I was and pulled the picture frame from my hand. After he’d placed it in the box, he gripped my waist and maneuvered us until he was sitting on the bed with me in his lap.

“I’m too big for you to carry around like that,” I mumbled with my face buried in his shirt. He just laughed and ran his hand down my back.

“Oh, yeah. That extra twenty pounds you’re carrying is back-breaking, hot stuff.”

My stomach cramped up as we sat there and I tensed when the subtle pain washed over my body. Nick noticed because his hand stopped and he tipped my head back so we were looking at each other.

“What’s wrong?”

“More Braxton Hicks.” I was so over the random contractions. They didn’t hurt too much but they were uncomfortable as hell and happened so sporadically that it was just enough to annoy me.

“No more packing for you.” Nick smacked a kiss onto my cheek and turned us until he could lay me on the bed. “I’m going to go get you some water and a snack and I want you to sit here and do nothing for a bit. Rest and relax, hot stuff.”

I wanted to refuse, to be the proud woman I was and keep going, but exhaustion won. Getting a good night’s sleep hadn’t happened in a couple of weeks thanks to the increasing temperature and my awkward body shape. The thought of sitting and doing nothing sounded amazing.

Nick disappeared from the bedroom and Megan appeared a few minutes later with her arms full.

“I brought so much junk food and Nick ran to get us the newest Fifty Shades movie from Redbox.” She plopped down onto the bed next to me. “Anything else you want him to pick up?”

Irrational tears pricked the back of my eyes and I shook my head. “You guys are so amazing, even when I’m being a total bitch.”

Megan laughed and cuddled up to my side. “You’ve been making a human for almost nine months, Kel. The end is in sight and you’re allowed to be overwhelmed.”

“Gan.” I ran my hands across my face, trying to get rid of the tears. “This isn’t overwhelmed. This is legit crazy.”

“You’ve always been kind of crazy so it’s not really a huge leap.” She pinched my arm and open a bag of chocolate covered pretzels. We were just getting settled in when Nick reappeared with the movie and he got it all set up for us before kissing me and disappearing into the living room.

About twenty minutes into the movie, I groaned quietly and grabbed my stomach. Megan paused right in the middle of a sex scene and turned to look at me with concern on her face.

“Contraction? How regular are they?”

I shook my head and blew out a deep breath. “They’re not. It’s once or twice an hour at the most.”

She ran her hand along my stomach as the pain subsided and we both laughed when the baby moved, causing my stomach to move, too. With her head on my shoulder, Megan pressed play and we watched the rest of the movie while eating some really crappy food.

It helped, though. By the time my sister evacuated the room and my husband had come back in, I was feeling a lot better. He grinned at me and took the spot Megan had just vacated.

“You look better.”

I grinned and cuddled up against his chest. “Naked Jamie Dornan and chocolate helps.”

“Naked Jamie Dornan, huh?” He ran his hand up my leg until it was at the hem of the shorts I was wearing. “You know, a lesser man might be intimidated by that.”

“Good thing you’re not a lesser man. Besides, Jamie has nothing on my Nicky.” I wrapped one of my hands around his neck and tugged until his lips were against mine. He kissed me hard and passionately while his hands roamed my body, landing on my breasts. He pinched my nipples through my shirt, causing me to gasp, and I could feel his lips turn up into a smile.

“You’re so fucking sexy, Kel.”

Nick never failed to use his words to try and bolster me. I never doubted the truth behind them, either. He proved the sincerity behind each of them when he made love to me, huge pregnant belly and all. In that moment, I could feel exactly how turned on he was with his erection pressed up against my thigh.

My tank top came off first, followed by my shorts and underwear, and he trailed kisses down my jaw, neck, breasts, and stomach, not stopping until he was between my thighs with his warm tongue diving inside of me.

“Nick.” My voice was a throaty moan and I clutched the sheets next to me while he drove me absolutely crazy. The hormones made everything so much more sensitive and the first orgasm hit almost too fast. He didn’t stop there, though. He kept my hips pinned to the bed and worked that delicious mouth until I’d fallen apart a second time. When he straightened up, he offered me a wicked smile and wiped his glistening mouth with the back of his hand.

“I never get tired of tasting you. I’d stay down there all day if I could.”

“Jesus,” I murmured, using my hands to squeeze my breasts. “You can’t say shit like that.”

Nick chuckled and pulled off the clothes he was still wearing. Once he was completely naked, he grabbed two pillows and shoved them under me to lift my hips. He moved towards me on his knees and angled my body so he could thrust into me without my stomach getting in the way.

Garbled speech escaped my lips but I had no idea what I was even trying to say. He was deep, so freakin’ deep inside of me that I wasn’t sure where he ended and I began. His hands gripped my hips, tweaked my nipples, cupped my cheeks, and his eyes blazed down on me like melted chocolate.

The third orgasm felt like it went on forever and Nick found his own just seconds later. His movements stopped and his head dropped until his forehead was pressed against my large belly. When he finally looked back up at me, his smile was warm and made my heart beat a bit quicker.

“I love you, Nicky.”

He leaned forward and kissed my lips gently. “Love you, too, Kelly.”

My limbs were useless and I didn’t bother trying to move when he pulled away. He disappeared into our bathroom, only to return with a warm washcloth so he could clean me up. I finally moved just enough to put my clothes back on and get ready for bed.

Relaxed and completely satiated, I cuddled close to my husband and closed my eyes.

Hours later, I realized that sleep was impossible. Every time I’d doze off, a contraction would hit me and pull me from it. They were about ten minutes apart, nothing to write home about, and I knew they’d taper off like they had earlier. Knowing that didn’t help me get any sleep in the moment, though.

Finally, I kicked off the sheet and managed to roll out of bed. Nick stirred beside me and his brown eyes opened almost instantly. He sat up and ran his gaze up and down my body, as if searching for something out of place.

“What’s wrong?”

I tugged my shirt down over my huge stomach and shook my head. “I’m just getting water, Nicky. Go back to sleep.”

“I can get it.” He started to uncover himself but I gripped his ankle and shook my head.

“I have to pee, too. Just go back to sleep.”

His head fell back to the pillow and I turned, feeling his eyes on me while I headed towards the bathroom.

“You’re so beautiful.”

“I’m the size of a house,” I muttered, hearing his chuckle behind me as I shut the bathroom door. Before I could make it to the toilet, another contraction hit me hard. I gripped the countertop to steady myself and attempted to breathe through it. They were past being annoying and now at the threshold of being painful.

After it passed, I used the bathroom and washed my hands. I started to reach for my water cup but then changed my mind and left the bathroom instead. Nick was snoring softly in the bed and I was careful not to disturb him as I opened the door to the living room. I pulled it shut behind me, not latching it all of the way, but just enough so I knew any light I turned on wouldn’t wake him.

I’d almost made it to the kitchen when another contraction hit, causing me to grab the back of the couch to keep from doubling over in pain. I focused on my breathing and watched the clock under the TV. I needed to time the next one because that definitely wasn’t ten minutes.

I waddled into the kitchen and turned on the small light over the stove. Reaching into the fridge, I found the cartoon of almond milk and put it down before looking for a glass in the cupboard. I’d just wrapped my fingers around one when another contraction hit, almost causing me to drop the tumbler I was holding.

“Shit,” I whispered to myself as pain coursed through me. The clock told me it had been less than two minutes since my last one. I put the milk back as soon as it was over and did the same with the cup. I needed to wake Nick. I was still three weeks early and we needed to get to the hospital.

I turned to step away from the fridge and suddenly, it felt like something popped between my legs. Liquid trickled down my thighs, not gushing but coming down at an alarming rate, and I stared down at my wet shorts in a daze.

My water had broken.

“Oh, god,” I hissed as another wave of pain hit me. I doubled over, almost falling to my knees as I clutched the stomach. Contractions sucked and I was getting an epidural. Fuck this natural bullshit. There was a time to admit defeat and this was it.

The contraction lasted about a minute and I sucked in a long breath when it was over. Straightening up, I took three steps and then froze for a reason that had nothing to do with contractions.

A woman stood, in my apartment, with a gun pointed at me. I forced my gaze away from the gun and looked to the woman, making out her features in the dark.

“Diana?”

She wasn’t put together like I was used to seeing her. Her long, dark hair was dirty and in complete disarray and her clothes were rumpled as if she’d been wearing them for days. Her eyes, which usually held so much warmth, were cold and devoid of emotion. I stared at her for a moment, trying to figure out what the hell was going on, and had to clench my teeth when another contraction hit me. I backed up, deeper into the small kitchen, and leaned against the counter behind me for support.

“What are you doing here?” My voice was pained, even to my ears, but Diana’s gaze remained unwavering. My contraction had almost passed before she finally spoke.

“You have everything. Why couldn’t you just give him up?”

“What?” I furrowed my brows and shook my head. “Who?”

She was trembling at that point, causing the gun to shake, too. “You have this perfect little life. Perfect friends, perfect job, perfect family… What did you need him for? You don’t deserve Nick.”

Terror washed over me. The overwhelming desire to protect my baby made my heart pound frantically.

“How do you even know my husband?” I asked, the last word a whimper when another contraction hit. Diana’s eyes narrowed and she took a small step forward.

“You should have paid attention to my warnings and left. I tried to tell you. I gave you an out. I didn’t even tell him about that patient of yours that you were kissing because I thought you’d make the right decision. And you haven’t, so there’s only one option left.”

“And what option is that?” I struggled to remain on my feet because the pain was so intense but I managed to keep my eyes on Diana the whole time.

Finally, she offered me a tiny, barely there smile and shrugged her shoulders.

“You die.”