Looking up at me, she asked, “Did you mean that? That you don't care anymore about the money or having a baby?”
“Every word of it. I don't need that shit to get what I want, I already had what I wanted.” Slipping my thumb under her chin, I pulled her to my face. “I only need you, all the money in the world couldn't make me as happy as you do.”
Flickering her eyes between mine, lashes fluttering, I pressed my lips against hers. They were warm, soft velvet against my skin. Breaking the seal, she hovered her lips against my cheek. “So what are you really saying, Hegan?”
The words weren't hard to find, they had been sitting on my tongue all night. “I love you.”
“I love you too.” Her whisper sent chills across my body, a feeling I never experienced until then. “And just to let you know, I'm pregnant.”
If I hadn't been dizzy already from the blow to the head, I would have been when she said that. Grabbing her shoulders, I pulled her back. “Are you fucking with me?”
“No,” she said with a smile. “I took the test earlier today, and it came back positive.” Her fingers swirled across my chest, tugging gently on my shirt.
My heart started to race, even wilder than having the gun to my face. Noella was pregnant. She was having my baby. Wrapping my arms around her waist, I lifted her up, and spun her in a circle. I hadn't really thought about how I would've reacted; or what I would've thought if she had actually gotten pregnant.
But it was nothing short of elation. I'm going to be dad. Wow, a baby.
I couldn't believe it. I was going to be a father.
Life would never be the same. Everything about the world I knew, looked different. It changed in a split second.
And that was a welcomed feeling.
Epilogue
Noella
“You ready?” Hegan asked, slipping the shirt over his head. A soft smile lifted across his face, eyes beaming as he looked me over.
“Yeah, I'm ready.” Reaching for the nightstand, I attempted to sit myself up. Grunting, I rolled back onto the bed. “I think I need a little help.” Chuckling, my stomach hurt as it bounced up and down.
His laughter couldn't be contained, I watched his chest rapidly rise as he tried to inhale between breaths. “It's a good thing I'm here, otherwise you'd be stuck.” Stepping to the edge of the bed, he held his hands out.
Wrapping my fingers around his palms, I squeezed tightly. Hegan's muscles formed beneath the short sleeves of his shirt. Rolling into a firm ball, the other muscles followed, contracting in a wave as he pulled me to my feet.
Trailing a finger down the center of his chest, it rode the steps of his abs back to his shoulders. “Thanks,” I said, leaning in and kissing his cheek softly.
“Anything for you and my little guy in there.” His hands fell to the large basketball resting under my sundress.
I was eight months pregnant, and ready to pop. And that day couldn't come soon enough. It was hot as hell out; the middle of August was not an easy month for a pregnant woman.
The week before we had gone grocery shopping, and I swear the hot flash that hit me was like nothing I ever felt before. Instantly sweat beaded up on my neck, my face turned a cherry red, and I found myself sitting in a cooler with the frozen vegetables.
Resting my hand on the small of my back, I made the attempt to look down at my feet. They were there at one time, I remembered having feet.
And ankles, and a vagina. Yes, my vagina, a sight I have long forgotten what it looked like. I couldn't wait to have this baby and finally see all of me again.
“God, I'm a whale.” Palming my belly, I turned sideways in the mirror. Jolting slightly, I gripped the edge of the dresser.
“Are you alright?” His eyes filled with concern, placing a hand on my back, he wrapped the other around my stomach.
“Yeah, yeah I'm fine,” I said, trying to push the air back into my lungs. “Jackson just gave me one hell of a kick. Maybe he didn't like my whale comment?” Smiling, I straightened my back, tugging my shoulders towards each other to stretch.
“Well, he's right. You're not a whale, you're beautiful.” Spinning me around, he looked right into my eyes. “The most beautiful thing I have seen in my life.” His thumbs ran down the line of my jaw, cupping under my neck.
Tilting into his hands, I looked up under hooded lids. “Really? Because I feel like a human host. Like my body's not my own anymore, it's been taken over.”
“Stop it. You're carrying my baby, and that in itself makes you more beautiful than you can ever imagine.” Pressing his lips against mine, he kissed me with such passion. I could feel him in my nerves, in my soul.
Hegan had been sent here for me to find, or rather for him to find me. Everything we had been through was worth it, all for this moment. The love of my life, holding me in his arms; made me feel like the most special person in the world.