Chapter 28

Lance

I came in from work the day before Jilly's second birthday to find Lauren sitting at the kitchen table with tears in her eyes and something in her hand. So many things began going through my mind. Was it her mom? Had she contacted her? Was it Jackson? Shit! Was it something with the paperwork? Was he going to be my boy in the courts eyes? Was it something with my family? What the hell had the love of my life in tears? Who's ass would I have to kick? The protective side of me took over, and I was on my knees in front of her in seconds. I swore I'd never give her a reason to cry. I said I'd do anything to keep her happy. I never wanted her to feel sad or unloved again.

“What is it, Baby?” I asked. “Are you okay?”

“I'm not sure,” she answered.

Shit!

“We'll figure it out, whatever it is,” I said. “I'm right here. You know that, right? I'll always be right here.”

My stomach felt so sick. I felt like I was losing control and didn't like it one bit. When I lifted her chin so I could see her eyes, I felt my heart breaking for her.

“What is it?” I asked her softly.

She reached up and handed me whatever it was that was in her hand. Then my eyes narrowed in on the word pregnant, and I gasped. I hurried off the floor and back onto my feet. Then I grabbed her hands and pulled her up with me.

“A baby?” I asked, and she nodded. “You're crying about a baby?”

More tears came. I pulled her close and wrapped my arms around her. I'd never felt such relief in my life.

“Lauren,” I said as I kissed her forehead. “Aren't you happy?”

She pulled back, and I held her face in my hands as I wiped away her tears.

“I'm just nervous. Will I be enough for both of them?” she asked.

“Of course you will, baby,” I said. “We're going to have a baby. I'm going to be right there every step of the way. You'll never be alone. We'll be more than enough for both of them. I love you so damn much. A baby! I can't believe it. You've just made me the happiest man alive.”

“Really?” she asked with worry in her voice.

“Yes,” I said. “You're having our baby. This is the greatest gift ever. I can't wait to tell everyone.”

“Wait a minute,” she said, as she put her hand on my chest.

“We'll see them all tomorrow at the party for Jilly. Even grandma will be there,” I said with excitement.

“Not tomorrow,” she said.

“Why not?” I asked.

Then I took a step back and looked into her eyes again.

“Lauren,” I growled out. “Are you embarrassed that you're having my baby?”

“Seriously, Lance,” she growled back with a shake of her head. “After everything I've been through with you, how could you ask me that? You've done a million things to embarrass me, and I still married your cocky, bossy ass. Having your baby could never embarrass me. Tomorrow is Jillian's day. You are not going to steal her thunder. Remember when you blamed Sammie for going into labor and stealing ours? You let Jillian have her day. We'll tell them later. You can even tell them the next morning, but you are not doing it on our precious niece's birthday.”

“So you want me to keep it from my dad?” I asked her. “You've been around long enough to know that would be a huge fucking mistake.”

“One day, Lance,” she said. “Don't be so dramatic. It's only one day.”

“Huge mistake,” I said. “When he loses his shit, I'm totally throwing your ass under the bus. I will not be part of it. No way!”

She shook her head and turned to walk away, but I reached out and turned her around before she could escape.

“Best news ever,” I said, as I brought my lips down on hers and kissed my woman hard. “You know what that means?”

“What?” she asked.

I reached forward, scooped her into my arms, and carried her down the hallway.

“Lance,” she snapped. “Put me down. I have to make dinner.”

“Is Jackson with my mom?” I asked.

“Yes,” she said. “Something about grandpa missing his boy.”

“We'll get dinner later,” I said. “I need to get all of this sexy body I can get before the baby gets here. Something about you having my baby in your belly turns me on more than ever.”

“How is that possible?” she asked, as I gently set her down on the bed.

“Oh, I'll show you,” I said, as I brought my lips down on hers again.

When I was done showing her just how turned on I was, her body relaxed against the sheets and her eyes closed.

“We need to eat,” I said, as I leaned up on my elbow next to her and rubbed her belly.

“Not hungry,” she said. “Let me sleep.”

“Not happening, Baby,” I said. “I need to feed you. Our baby is going to grow so big in there. I need to keep my little one fed. What would you like?”

She opened her eyes and smiled, and I shook my head.

“And you act like it's all me. You're the one that can't get enough of my cock,” I said. “I can't wait to see your belly round and feel this little one kick and roll. I love you so much.”

I leaned down and kissed her belly.

“I'm going to be the best daddy ever,” I said. “You have a big brother too and lots of crazy family. Not one second will ever go by that you won't feel loved. I love you, Little Bit.”

I got up off the bed, pulled on a pair of sweats, and looked down at my beautiful wife. If someone had told me a year ago where I would be, I never would have believed them. I'd turned down the one thing I'd worked my ass off for, I was married, I had a son, and I was going to be a dad again. To top it all off, the woman I married had been my enemy for years, the only person that could piss me off with just a simple message. Life had a funny way of working out, but I wouldn't have wanted it any other way.

“Get some sleep,” I said to my already sleeping wife. “I'll get dinner.”

She was mine to protect and care for, and I was going to do just that for the rest of my life.

Lauren got up long enough to eat and ride my cock before going back to sleep for the night.

When I got out of the car at my parents' house the next day, I hurried around to open her door. She looked up at me with a smile so wide, and I knew I'd do anything to keep that same smile there every second of every day. When I reached out, she took my hand and got out of the car. Then she leaned in and kissed my cheek.

“I won't break,” she said. “I think you learned that last night.”

When she moved to walk away, I reached out and pulled her back to me.

“Maybe you should refresh my memory,” I said, as I turned us so her back was to my car.

“Lance,” she said in more of a whimper.

“Are you sure about not telling them?” I asked, as I leaned in close to her ear and pushed my knee between her legs.

“I'm sure,” she said. “It's not a big deal.”

“Not telling him never ends well, Lauren,” I whispered, as I rubbed my knee against her.

“It's only one day,” she whispered back with a hitch in her breath. “I'm sure it'll be fine.”

“You have no clue,” I whispered, as I slid my hand beneath the waist of her jeans.

When my fingers slid through her wetness, my eyes widened.

“Are you wet for me, Baby?” I asked.

I thrust a finger into her, and she whimpered. Then I pulled it out, brought it to my mouth, and sucked it clean.

“Just remember that when you're acting like it's all me,” I said, as I grabbed her hand and pulled her along behind me. “You're a dirty girl.”

“Only for you,” she said from behind me.

I stopped frozen and she bumped into my back. Then I turned around, grabbed the back of her neck, and slammed my lips against hers. She gasped into my mouth, and my tongue dove in and took control. I kissed my woman hard. When I pulled back from our kiss, her eyes were wide and her fingers went to her lips.

“Damn right,” I said. “You're mine.”

Then I reached down to adjust my dick that was as hard as steel, grabbed her hand, and continued up the walk.

“Don't think he'll be any different with you than Sammie,” I said. “He's not such a tough guy when it comes to the women he loves being pregnant.”

“Of course he'll be different,” she said. “I'm not his daughter.”

“You have no idea,” I said, as I opened the door and motioned for her to go in first. “I'll remind you of that later. Remember, you're the one keeping it from him. Very bad idea.”

The second the door closed, Jackson came running straight at me from the other room. Was it bad that I was excited that I was the one he ran to?

“Daddy,” he yelled out.

I leaned down, scooped him up, and tossed him into the air like he weighed nothing at all.

“I missed you, Jackson,” I said.

“Missed you too,” he said.

He looked over at Lauren and smiled.

“Hi, Mommy,” he said.

“Hi, Baby,” she replied before looking over at me and narrowing her eyes.

“What?” I asked, as I put him back on his feet and he took off again. “I was at work when he got up yesterday. At least you got to see him.”

I pulled her in close with my arm around her and walked us into the living room. When I sat down, I pulled her onto my lap. Grandma looked at me with a huge smile on her face. I leaned over a bit.

“What's that smile for?” I asked.

“Nothing at all,” she said with a wink.

I looked around the room wondering what she knew that I didn't. She knew something, and I knew it wasn't about Lauren. We'd just found out the day before, and neither of us had said a word to anyone. My parents seemed fine. Carrie and Scott seemed fine. That only left Sammie and James. I watched them close but didn't notice anything strange.

The second Sammie announced it was time to eat, I was on my feet with Jackson at my side. I made his plate first. Then I went back for a plate for Lauren. When I got my plate, I sat down and heard grandma clear her throat from the seat next to me. Shit! That whole big smile was for me. How the hell did that woman know everything, I wondered? Then I saw her watching Sammie as James walked her plate to her. When my eyes went wide, grandma let out a laugh.

“What's so funny over there?” my dad asked.

“Nothing of your concern, Lance,” she answered with a smile.

“You're up to something,” he said defensively.

“Not everything is about you,” she replied.

He let out a huff, as he grabbed Jillian's hand and walked toward the kitchen with her. I looked over at grandma and whispered.

“No way.”

She nodded her head and smiled.

“I'd bet on that one,” she whispered back. “You happy?”

“Very,” I answered.

“Me too,” she said before turning back the second my dad walked back into the room.

“Knock it off over there,” he said sternly before smiling down at Jillian like a sucker.

Between my dad and me, that little girl would never want for anything. It was becoming some kind of competition between us. She had us both wrapped around her little finger. There was paper and toys everywhere when she was through opening her gifts.

I was on the couch with Lauren on my lap. Jackson was on the floor with Jilly. They were ripping the boxes open and going through everything, making a huge mess in the process. Baby James was in my dad's arms. He was looking down at him with so much love in his eyes.

“He used to look at you like that,” grandma whispered over to me.

“Really?” I asked.

“He's a good man. He loves hard, and he'd do anything for all of you,” she said.

Lauren was looking away from me, talking to Carrie and Scott about James. I'd heard her say that she hadn't heard from her mom and hoped that subject would drop. It wasn't something I wanted her worrying about. She had all the love she needed right where she was.

“She ready for your dad?” grandma asked, as she pointed toward Lauren.

“No,” I answered honestly. “Thinks it won't be the same for her.”

“She'll learn,” she said with a laugh.

Something got my attention out of the corner of my eye, and I looked toward James and Sammie. She was sitting on his lap. They were whispering to each other.

“I don't believe it,” I whispered to grandma. “The baby is only four months old.”

“I know my kids,” she whispered back. “Watch them.”

Then I watched James open his mouth and Sammie instantly put her hand over it to stop him. He pulled her hand away and shook his head. Then he gave her the look, the I'm not fucking playing look. He only pulled that shit out when he needed it, when she'd push him too far. She moved to pull her hand from his, but he didn't let her. Then she gave him her look, the don't you dare or you'll be on the fucking couch look. He shook his head and looked toward my dad. I watched the man take in a huge breath. The fucker was scared, scared of my dad. I let out a laugh, and he looked over at me.

“Pussy,” I mouthed.

He gave me a questioning look. Then he shrugged.

“James,” Sammie quietly pleaded with him.

He just shook his head and held her hands in his.

“We have something to tell you,” James said before Sammie could do anything to stop him.

My dad stopped the baby talk conversation he was having with the baby and quickly turned his head toward James and Sammie. My sister's bottom lip was sucked in between her teeth, and she had the most innocent look on her face.

“Oh shit!” my dad snapped before growling out. “James Reid.”

James closed his eyes, shook his head, and then looked my dad in the eyes.

“What could you possibly have to tell us?” my dad asked.

I felt Lauren's body tense on my lap. All eyes were on my dad, James, and Sammie.

“Well,” James said.

“I'm going to kick your ass,” my dad said, as he handed the baby over to Scott and stood up. “Can't the two of you give me one solid year of peace? Do you have any idea what I go through when she's pregnant?”

His hands went up and through his hair.

Lauren's hands both went up to cover her mouth.

“I told him not to,” Sammie began, but she stopped the second my dad's eyes landed on her.

“It's not my fault,” James said, as he stood to defend himself.

I couldn't blame him there, not after him and my dad had their moment when my dad found out about his little girl and the baseball player.

“Really?” my dad asked. “So you get my little girl pregnant just by looking at her now?”

Lauren looked back at me with a nervous look on her face.

“I can't help it that your daughter,” James began.

“Don't you dare finish that sentence,” my dad barked out.

“At least I told you,” James barked back. “You're little girl wanted to keep it from you.”

“Did she now,” my dad said, as he narrowed his eyes at Sammie before looking back at James. “I'm glad you're learning that keeping shit from me is a bad fucking idea. Now, if only I could get you to learn how to keep your hands off my daughter.”

“Shit!” Lauren whispered.

“I didn't touch her,” James said. “She”

“Enough,” my dad yelled before James could say another word.

I couldn't do it anymore. Between my dad and James going back and forth and Lauren moving her ass around in my lap like she was trying to disappear into me, making my dick hard in the process, I was done. I burst into laughter, and my dad spun around to glare at me.

“What the fuck do you think is so damn funny about this, Lance?” he growled from deep in his chest.

I felt Lauren shake in my lap. She turned around, looked me in the eyes, and silently begged me to keep my mouth shut.

“Oh shit!” Sammie blurted out. “She's pregnant too.”

I watched Sammie, my mom, and Carrie's hands all go to their mouths when they gasped.

“She's bringing you right down with her,” I whispered into Lauren's ear.

“Are you?” my dad asked her sternly, with the same rumble in his chest.

Lauren nodded nervously and pushed herself closer to my chest.

My mom was off her chair, with her arms around Lauren, in seconds.

“What about me?” Sammie asked.

“I'm used to you being pregnant,” my mom said with a laugh.

“These kids are driving me crazy, Firecracker,” my dad said from behind her.

“Settle down, Hotshot,” my mom said. “Just think, you'll have five kids for your team. A few more, and you'll be all set.”

That was when grandma and Carrie both burst into laughter. Poor Scott sat with the baby in his arms and a worried look on his face.

“What if they go into labor at the same time?” Carrie asked, as she wrapped her arms around Lauren and then hurried over to Sammie.

“Are you fucking kidding me?” my dad snapped. “You're all trying to kill me.”

My mom hugged Sammie before wrapping her arms around my dad's waist.

Lauren got up and walked over to Sammie. She wrapped her arms around her neck and hugged her tight.

“At least he's not my dad,” Lauren said with a laugh.

“The fuck I'm not,” my dad snapped, as he turned so fast that my mom went with him.

It was one of the first moments I saw James take on the protective brother role with Lauren. He stepped in front of her and looked my dad in the eye.

“That's my sister you just snapped at,” James said.

“Then you better tell your sister that her dad is going to be up her ass for the next nine months,” my dad said, stressing the word dad.

“You have no idea,” Sammie whispered into Lauren's ear. “Thank you.”

“For what?” Lauren whispered back.

“Taking some of the heat off me,” Sammie said with a laugh that had Lauren laughing too.

“You two are laughing,” my dad said. “We'll see who's laughing a few months from now.”

My dad walked out of the room. I pulled Lauren in and hugged her tight, as I looked down at Jilly and Jackson who were still playing and totally unaffected by the entire scene that had just taken place.

“You ready for this?” my mom asked, as she walked over to us.

“Of course,” Lauren said with a smile. “He can't be that bad.”

My dad came back into the room, just as the sentence slipped from her lips, with a notebook, calendar, and pen in his hand. He sat down and looked between Lauren and Sammie.

“Okay,” he said. “I need the two of you to plan your appointments at different time so I can make sure I'm there for all of them. I will be talking to your doctors and making sure you both have everything you could possibly need.”

Lauren looked up at Sammie who was smiling back at her.

“You know what would be even better,” my dad said. “You two should get the same doctor. That way you could make your appointments back to back. It would definitely save us some time.”

“What was that you said a few moments ago, Lauren?” my mom asked.

“Is he serious?” Lauren asked her with the most serious face I'd seen her have yet.

“Very,” my mom said. “I'll be over there with the kids.”

“Wait,” Lauren said, as she grabbed my mom's arm. “He's your husband. Can't you do something?”

My mom raised her eyebrows at Lauren.

“That's the funniest thing I've heard all day,” my mom said. “You're the one that let my boy touch you. Now you have to deal with grandpa.”

“I don't know why Lance wouldn't wait to tell him,” Lauren said.

“Oh, no way,” my mom said. “You were there at the hospital that day, right? That was a public place. Would you really have wanted to deal with all of that aimed at you? My boy knows. That would have been a huge mistake. Ask James what happens the first time you keep something from Lance's dad. He'll tell you. His ass ended up at the hospital.”

“Seriously?” Lauren asked.

My mom nodded.

“He loves all of his kids. You are no exception to that rule,” my mom said. “You should probably accept that. It will make things much easier on you.”

“Now Lauren,” my dad said from where he was sitting with his notebook and calendar. “I'll have my phone on and ready every second of the day. If you need something from the store, are just craving something, or aren't feeling well, you call me. I don't care what time it is. I'll also be by every day to check on you while Lance is at work.”

“You have enough to do taking care of Sammie,” Lauren said. “Lance will take care of me.”

“Don't give me that shit,” my dad said, as he waved off her words. “I'll be right there every single moment.”

Lauren hugged me tighter and tighter as he went on. I knew she could feel my chest shaking as I tried to hold back my laugh. Then her eyes connected with Sammie's, and I knew they were about to get a whole lot closer. If it wasn't from my dad forcing them together, it was going to be from them trying to work the system to get a few minutes of peace and quiet.

By the time we got Jackson ready and left, my dad had a color coded calendar ready for his two daughters, his words not mine. I knew he was going to drive Lauren crazy, and I wouldn't admit it to her, but I was so happy he'd be looking out for my girl when I wasn't there. I wasn't looking forward to being away from her and Jackson during the day, and my dad being there was going to put my mind at ease. I knew he'd do anything for them just like he'd always done for me. I was damn lucky to have him. We were going to come to blows from time to time over appointments and such, that I was sure of, but I'd deal with that when the time came. Until then, I was going to soak up every moment with my woman, our little boy, and our little bit. My hand was already on her belly every chance I got, and that was not going to change. I wasn't going to miss a second of my baby growing inside of her. I loved my little family more than I'd ever thought I could love anyone in my life. I was the luckiest man alive, and I knew I would never take that for granted.