Chapter 26

Derek

I stared at Amy, hardly comprehending her words. “What?”

“Pregnant. I am pregnant. As in, with a baby growing inside of me. Our baby. For real, this time.” She looked at the floor. “I was trying to remember, and I don’t think we used protection that very first night. I mean, we were pretty drunk. But I took the test and it came out positive.”

I couldn’t find a single word to say.

Amy shifted nervously. “Derek? Are you upset? I know, it’s not what we planned… I mean, we haven’t planned anything. We’re literally walking in the dark here. When I found out, I panicked. I didn’t know what to do. I wasn’t sure you would want anything to do with the baby. I’m still not—”

I stopped her words, her worries, by kissing her. I brought her into my arms, pressing my lips against hers with as much passion and love as I could express. She relaxed, melting into me, the kiss saying all that needed to be said.

“Amy,” I said, breaking away from her. “My beautiful Amy. That is the best news I’ve ever heard in my entire life.”

“We’re going to be parents.” Her voice squeaked and her eyes shone. I could tell how excited she was.

Looking at her, and seeing how overcome with joy she was… she took my breath away. The realization that I was going to spend the rest of my life with this woman hit me, and I was filled with ecstasy. It felt as if after years of searching—without even knowing what I was looking for—I had stumbled upon a priceless treasure. I felt… fulfilled.

I took Amy’s hands and pulled her into me, kissing her passionately. In response, Amy stood on her tiptoes and wrapped her arms around my neck, embracing me tightly.

There was something different between us, I could tell—but in the best possible way. We were already closer, more intimate… more certain. Now that our future was settled, we could savor each other and enjoy the moment we were in.

Breaking away from me, Amy took my hand and led me back to her bedroom, closing the door before she pushed me onto the bed and climbed on top of me. When she began to kiss me again, I could feel her hunger bubbling under the surface.

I ran my hands through her silky hair, inhaling. She smelled like citrus and tasted like oranges—sharp, tangy and sweet somehow. It was intoxicating. My hands travelled down her body, wanting to feel every inch of her. She felt volatile in my grasp, unpredictable and wild.

She began to grind against the hard bulge in my pants, which drove me absolutely mad. Unable to resist her, I flipped her over and climbed on top of her. I needed her… this minute.

I ripped off her clothes and threw them off to the side. My starving eyes grazed over her beautiful, nude body, exposed for just me. I felt like I was looking at her for the very first time, or, perhaps, seeing her through a different set of eyes. I was going to spend the rest of my life looking at her, I realized, and I knew I would never tire of it.

After removing my clothes, I climbed back on top of her. She reached up and grabbed me, pulling my lips to hers. She wrapped her legs around my waist, showing me how eager she was to get me inside of her.

My hands dropped to her soft, supple breasts, gently massaging them while my thumbs toyed with her hardened nipples. She bit my bottom lip in response, tugging playfully at it.

I pressed the tip of my hard cock against her slit, her slick wetness making my whole body tense in anticipation. Amy arched her back, lifting her hips off the bed, as if she couldn’t wait another second for me to enter her. I wasn’t in the mood to wait, either.

As I slowly slid my full length into Amy, our moans intertwined in the air. Her inner walls clenched tightly around my cock, making me wild with lust for her.

“Fuck me hard, baby,” Amy whispered in my ear, her voice dripping with enticement.

I obliged, immediately beginning to thrust in and out of her, harder and faster. I pulled out almost completely, teasing her, then slammed back into her, again and again. Underneath me, Amy squirmed and gasped, screaming in pleasure, unable to restrain herself.

“You feel so fucking good,” I managed to say, my voice husky. “Holy shit.”

This was pure ecstasy. We were completely lost to the world, and caught up in each other. Nothing was unspoken between us; no doubts, no worries, or even declarations of love. Everything was on the table, and there was nothing to hold us back. All that remained was her and I. And. fuck, we were amazing.

“I’m gonna cum,” she cried, her nails digging into my skin as her hands travelled up and down my arms and shoulders, pulling me into her.

“Cum with me, beautiful,” I groaned, not slowing down the pace for a moment. “I’m going to cum inside of you.”

She gasped, as her eyes closed and her head tilted back. She moaned, and her walls began to convulse around my cock.

Feeling her start to orgasm sent me over the edge, and I came hard. Groaning, I buried my cock into her, and held her as closely as I could. As our orgasms washed over us, I kissed her gently, overwhelmed by a deep sense of devotion to this woman.

Skin on skin, stripped bare, and out of breath, we looked at each other and smiled, because we had suddenly realized that we would never be lonely again.

Afterward, as I was holding Amy in bed, my phone rang. Kissing her cheek, I got up to answer it.

“Hello?”

“Hello, Mr. Derek Rittsman?” It was an unfamiliar woman’s voice on the other end.

“Yes.”

“Hello. This is Harriet, from Clark County Hospital. Your father, Walter Rittsman, was admitted about an hour ago.”

My stomach dropped. I’d all but forgotten about my father, but now, hearing that he was in the hospital made me sick. “I’ll be there as soon as I can. Thirty, forty minutes. Is he okay?”

“Yes. We believe it was an isolated incident caused by aggravation and stress, not by his illness. He is currently stable, and we’re running tests.”

I exhaled. “Thank you. I’ll be there soon.” I hung up the phone, and started to get dressed.

Amy sat up in bed. “What’s wrong?”

“My father is in the hospital,” I said, my mind spinning. “Shit, Amy. I yelled at him and said some nasty things. What if that’s the last thing that I… what if I never… Oh God, it’s all my fault that he’s there.”

“Hey.” Amy slid out of bed and walked over to me, taking my face in her hands and looking into my eyes. It was instantly calming. “We’ll go see him right now and straighten everything out. It’s going to be alright, Derek. He’ll be okay.”

I rested my forehead against hers, grateful to have her there. “Thank you.”

* * *

“I need to see my father,” I said, holding up my hands. The bodyguards looked me over and stood to the side, but Marshall Harrison lifted a thin eyebrow.

“The girl can’t go in,” he sneered, gesturing toward the guards. “I recall Mr. Rittsman being very clear on the matter. He never wanted to see her again.”

“And I was never supposed to see Derek again,” Amy spoke up. “Yet here I am. And look.” She lifted her left hand, pointing to her ring finger. “Well, there’s no ring yet—use your imagination. And since Walter will soon be my father-in-law, whether he likes it or not, I think you should get the fuck out of my way.”

Marshall looked between us incredulously. “Are you two serious? Another half-assed lie?”

I stepped forward. “You can’t stop me from seeing my father, and Amy is coming with me. Excuse us.”

With that, I grabbed Amy’s hand and led the way. For all his words, there wasn’t really anything Marshall could do. He just looked toward the bodyguards, but they shook their heads. They probably weren’t too fond of him either.

My father was sitting in a hospital bed, looking impatient, as usual. He looked up when he heard us come in.

“Derek,” he said immediately. “I’m so sorry. For everything. You have every right to be angry with me. I wasn’t a proper father to you.”

His words were so genuine, so filled with sorrow and regret. I swallowed hard, stepping toward him. “I shouldn’t have yelled at you. Or lied to you. It’s me who is sorry.”

“No, Derek. I heard what you said, and you were right. Everything you said was true, and I’ve been denying it to myself for a long, long time. You’ve always been a better person than I am, from the time you were a little boy. I’ve always been so afraid that you would make the mistakes that I did, that I pushed you away. It was the wrong thing to do, and I can’t ever make that up to you.”

“You don’t have to.” I sat on the edge of his bed, and Amy sat next to me. “I never wanted your apologies, Father.”

“I know. You’ve always been so compassionate and forgiving, like your mother.” My father shifted, sighing. “I want you to understand that I am proud of you, son. Impossibly proud of you, and everything you’ve accomplished. You are one of the best men I have ever known, and it is an honor to have you as my son. I don’t know how I got so lucky.”

I took his hands in mine, his words making my heart glow. “Thank you, Dad.”

He smiled slightly, then turned toward Amy. “I owe you an apology too, Amelia. I treated you with harshness and undeserved cruelty. You were simply trying to help my son and I reacted out of anger, and I regret that. I truly believe that you would be good for my son. I can tell how close you two are, even if you have met more recently than I thought. It is actually quite remarkable. You’re a good woman, and I am sorry for the terrible things I said, and for the way I allowed you to be treated in my home.”

Amy smiled, tears in her eyes. “You don’t have anything to be sorry for,” she said. “All I want is a chance to start again—no lies this time.”

“That sounds good, dear,” he said, as he patted her hand.

“So, uh, here goes,” she said, a crooked smile appearing on her lips.

“Hi, I’m Amy. I’m engaged to your son.”

My father gave a start. “What? Are you joking?”

I laughed. “No. The minute I left the mansion I went and found her and proposed. We’re getting married… and soon. We want to be sure you can be there.”

His jaw fell open.

“Also,” Amy said slowly. “As it turns out… I actually am… pregnant?”

My father looked back and forth between us, a range of expressions crossing his face. “No. Really?”

We nodded.

My father, my old, wrinkled father, leapt out of bed with such energy that I was scared he would fall. He let out the grandest whoop I’d ever heard him make. Grabbing Amy and I, he pulled us into a tight but gentle embrace.

“What a wonderful life this has turned out to be,” he said.

I agreed.