Chapter Thirty-Five

 

 

 

 

 

Kelly

 

 

 

 

 

“God, he’s beautiful,” I murmured as I ran my fingers along the mess of brown hair he had on his head. “The most beautiful baby I’ve ever seen.”

Nick chuckled and leaned in to kiss the side of my face. “He has the most beautiful mother so I’d expect nothing less.”

Six pounds, two ounces, and eighteen inches long. That’s what they told us when they’d taken him away to examine him. Despite being three weeks early, our son was in perfect health. They said that Nick had done a seamless delivery and that we’d be able to go home the next day.

He had a head full of dark brown hair and eyes that were more gray than blue. Despite being on the small side, he had some chubby cheeks that I couldn’t stop touching. I was completely head over heels in love with our son.

The police had stopped by to take our statements while they were cleaning up the baby. Diana, also known as Apolla, was arrested and apparently had a break down. The police said she kept screaming about how she and Nick were supposed to be together and that I’d ruined everything.

From what we’d been told, she’d blown off her last semester at the university once she had heard about Nick getting married. She had traveled to the United States and easily found a job at the hospital I worked at, intentionally worming her way into our lives. Everything that had happened- the underwear, the picture, the tire- it had all been orchestrated by Apolla. She didn’t do it alone, though. She’d had the help of a private investigator.

The police showed me a picture of the PI that they’d questioned and I recognized him immediately. It was the disturbing man from the gym, which meant he’d been watching me since the moment we’d come back from Vegas and Nick for even longer.

She’d been in contact with Argus for the first few months, funneling him information about our relationship as she watched and stalked both of us. He claimed that he told her it was done and over with after our wedding ceremony and that he hadn’t heard from her since. Nick didn’t believe his father and I knew that he felt incredibly betrayed by his actions. When I’d asked Nick about her using the name Diana, he’d explained that Diana was the Roman name for Artemis, a Greek goddess that happened to be the twin sister of Apollo. Even I’d admit that it was clever.

She’d also been very sly. When we thought that we’d seen Melody on the surveillance tapes going into Nick and Rowen’s room, it had actually been Apolla. They both looked similar from behind and she’d been wearing a NHFD cap so no one had thought to look twice. Nick’s bosses were currently pulling more surveillance to ensure she hadn’t been in the station house on any other occasions that they’d missed.

The gun she was using had been one she bought off the street and she’d come in through a window we’d forgotten to lock at some point. I wasn’t sure if she’d planned on confronting me while I was in bed with Nick or if she’d waited for the opportunity to get me alone, but I’d never forget the fear I felt when I’d turned and saw her.

Poor Simon. He had four stitches in his upper arm but he was in good spirits. He’d refused to come by ambulance and made Megan bring him instead. She’d also brought us the hospital bags I hadn’t quite finished packing.

I was just happy that we hadn’t moved yet. Another week and it would have just been Nick and me in our new house with the gun wielding maniac. Nick had told me that we were getting a dog as soon as we were moved and I agreed as long as we got a golden retriever.

“He’s doing it,” I whispered excitedly as I looked up at Nick. He grinned down at me and let out a content sigh.

“Enjoy those, little man. I’m making a huge sacrifice by letting you have them for a little while.”

I rolled my eyes and reached my free hand out to pinch Nick’s shoulder. “You know they’re my breasts, right?”

“The most amazing breasts I’ve ever seen.”

The two of us were silent as we watched our tiny child nurse. A feeling of total contentment filled my veins and I couldn’t stop the happy tears that slipped down my cheeks. Nick, being the wonderful man he was, didn’t comment on them but instead used his thumbs to wipe them away before kissing the top of my head.

“Can we come in?” Megan asked from the doorway a few minutes later and I offered her a watery smile.

“As long as you don’t mind Si potentially seeing some boob.”

She shook her head as she walked in, Simon right behind her. “He’s seen all of you now, Kel. There’re no secrets.”

“God, don’t remind me,” I replied as my face warmed in embarrassment. “Simon Owens was never supposed to see my vagina.”

He chuckled and settled behind my sister as she fawned over the baby. “I don’t even remember that part, baby sister. I remember seeing you in pain and I remember you being a total badass when you gave birth to my nephew at home. To prove your badassery, I have these.”

He held out his phone and pulled up his photos. From where he’d been sitting and holding my hand, Simon had taken photo after photo. They started as Nick completed the delivery, none of my vagina in them. The look of awe on Nick’s face as he stared down at our son for the first time, as he held him up for me to see… it was breathtaking. The look on my face as I took in my son for the first time showed how much I loved the little guy already. The ones of Megan and I together as we gazed down at him were amazing. The ones of Nick and I doing the same thing were perfect. I finally tore my eyes from the phone and looked up at Simon with tears in my eyes.

“Thank you, Si. These are… Thank you.”

He leaned down so I could give him the tightest one-armed hug ever.

“What’s his name?” Megan asked as she sat on the bed next to me, stroking her nephew’s feather-soft hair. I pulled him away from my breast since he was asleep and Nick helped me get covered up before kissing both of our heads.

“Tell them,” he urged with a grin and I smiled at my sister before placing my son into her open arms.

“Aunt Megan and Uncle Simon, meet Elias Owen Christos.”

Simon chuckled and shook his head quickly. “No shit?”

“You saved her,” Nick said, his voice serious as he looked at his best friend. “You saved him. I can never thank you enough, Owens.”

Megan dropped her head to my shoulder and I watched as she wiped a quick tear. “I love you so much.”

“I love you, too.” I let my head fall to hers and we watched the baby in her arms for a moment.

He was perfect.

People filtered in and out all day. Megan and Simon left and came back twice while my parents hung around for hours. Nick’s family came, too, although Argus looked surly the entire time. Elma fawned over her first grandchild and kissed me constantly. Delia and Helena loved on Elias while Miles and Stephen didn’t really care.

Eventually, it was late and the three of us were alone in our hospital room. We were both exhausted from being up since three that morning and having no opportunity to rest. Elias was asleep in his little hospital bed and Nick had crawled into mine so we were facing each other. He cupped my cheek with his hand and rubbed my bottom lip with his thumb.

“A year ago, I thought you were going to marry Dr. Devin the douche and I was going to marry crazy Apolla.”

I smiled and shifted so my face was pressed into his neck. “And here we are… Married to each other with a beautiful baby boy.”

“Exactly. Life changes fast.” I felt his lips press to the top of my head. “I never imagined loving anyone like I love you. “

I tipped my head so I could look at him. “I imagined it but never thought it was possible. I still remember the first time I met you.”

“At the chicken wing festival.” Nick grinned, shaking his head slightly. “You were wearing a pink tank top that showed your belly button and a pair of shorts that were so fucking short.”

I laughed softly and nodded. “The first words out of your mouth were a joke. When you helped me hide Gan and Si from Alex without question, I think you stole some of my heart then.”

“God, when you scrunched your nose up at the chicken wings Megan handed you, I wanted to kiss you right there. Most adorable thing ever.”

“And then the first time you kissed me,” I whispered, running my fingers along his cheek. Nick let out a small sigh. The first time he’d kissed me had been two weeks before my birthday celebration and the bathroom sex. We’d seen each other out at the club randomly and began dancing together. After three dances, he’d pulled me into his arms and kissed the hell out of me. It was so intense that it’d scared me and the look on his face when we parted had told me it had scared him, too. He shook his head once and turned to leave me on the dance floor. I hadn’t chased him because I knew what he did… Our connection was almost too much.

“When I kissed you while we were dancing… I knew I had to stay away from you because you were a game changer, Kelly.”

I gave him a smug smile. “Game. Changed.”

As if he was in on it, Elias made a quiet noise without stirring and Nick pressed his lips to mine for a moment.

“Game definitely changed.”

We slept like that until a nurse woke us up shortly after one in the morning and kicked him out of the bed so I could lie on my back. She pushed on my stomach, gave me some ibuprofen, and checked on Elias. There was some clipboard we had to write on every time he ate and had a dirty diaper. Apparently he was doing well because she nodded at it and left us alone again.

Nick didn’t waste any time getting back in my bed. He laid on his back and I cuddled against him, closer than we’d been in months without my pregnant belly in the way. He pulled the flimsy blanket up to cover us and I sighed against his chest.

“What a long day.”

He nodded and ran his fingers through my hair. “A weird day. It feels strange to be so happy when we started off with a gun pointed at you.”

“That’s what I was thinking,” I replied with a chuckle as I let my eyes close. “And now we get to do all of that moving with a newborn.”

“No different than with you pregnant. Instead of you not lifting heavy shit because you’re pregnant, you won’t be lifting heavy shit because you’re holding him. I’m more upset about the fact that we can’t break in the new house for a month.”

I swallowed as I remembered what Argus had said. Six weeks without sex was a long time for us and I wasn’t sure the last time Nick had gone more than two weeks.

“Where did you go, sweetheart?” Nick murmured as he used his hand to tilt my head. “I’m totally kidding.”

I stared up at him and inhaled a long breath. “Your dad said something at our wedding.”

Nick’s body went stiff and the hand in my hair stopped moving. “What?”

“He said that… Domestication wasn’t for you and that you wouldn’t be able to take it.” I felt stupid whispering the words out loud. “He told me that when I couldn’t give you what you needed, you’d go find it somewhere else.”

“Kelly, no.” He shifted until we were sitting up, our faces inches apart. “My dad is a fucking dick. Do I love having sex? With you, yeah. The thought of having sex with anyone else is not only completely unappealing, but it makes my stomach sick. You and I have an amazing sex life and I’m going to miss it for the next month or so, but I’m not going to die. I would never go to someone else because my wife, who just had my baby, couldn’t have sex with me.”

I attempted to speak but Nick placed his fingers over my lips and kept going. “Eli is going to change things, I recognize that. I know that we’re not going to be able to drop whatever movie we’re watching or sneak away from whatever dinner we’re at just to slip under the sheets. We have our son to take into account. If that’s not the best reason for a not-so-active sex life, then I don’t know what is. Besides, sex is just one piece of us that makes us so great. Holding you in my arms while we watch a movie, cooking with you in the kitchen, and even just laying in bed next to you while you chart all make me so incredibly happy. Don’t listen to my dad, hot stuff.”

I had no idea how that man had managed to take my insecurities and make them disappear completely. It wasn’t that I didn’t trust him because I did. Sometimes, though, I didn’t feel like I was enough. Nick had a way of making me feel like I was more than enough. And I believed him.

I swallowed around the lump in my throat but it didn’t do any good. Tears ran down my face and I swiped at them quickly. “Stupid hormones.”

“Hormones, huh?” He smiled and gently stroked my cheek. “I thought my words were just that amazing.”

“I love you, Nick.” I pressed my lips to his and he smiled against my lips.

“I love you, too, Kel.”