After a round of prenatal vitamins, I was good to go with only one suggestion from my doctor. Patience.
Something neither my husband nor I had.
"Lori?" I knocked on the hospital door, holding Alexander on my hip. His excitement every time he got to visit with his momma was heartwarming. It was honestly my favorite part of the day.
"Ready to bust out of this joint?" I laughed as I handed the boy over into her arms.
"Jenny, you don't even know. I am done with this place, but before I leave there was something I wanted to do."
My stomach flip-flopped because I knew exactly what she wanted to do. Something she hadn't had the strength to do during her hospital stay.
"Lori, that is between you and Jude. Here, let me watch Alexander." I held my arms out for the boy. His hand tangled in my hair and he tugged. What was with babies and hair pulling? It was like they were these tiny little kinky men in training. Jesus!
"We'll be here and if you need anything, Lori...I am here for you." It was the truth. One thing we made it a point not to talk about since the accident was Jude. She just wasn't ready and I wouldn't push. It was a sore subject since we were both women close to his heart in such different ways. I only wished I knew what had happened between them. But I was sure in time it would all come out into the open. When they were both ready to admit whatever was going on between them.
"Jenny. Thank you. For everything. None of this is your fault, know that." She paused at the door and turned again. "You aren't a boss to me, you are a friend. Something I am really short of these days. I hope you feel the same."
A friend. Yeah, I could work with that.
"No, Nora. I will be back within the hour." Nope, apparently no one could do anything without me anymore. She was going on about problems with another new hire.
"I say we can the bitch!" Nora shrieked into the other line.
"Nora! Jesus. Calm down. A bad blow job isn't the end of the fucking world! Mr. Thomaston barely has a dick that works, I highly doubt it was the blow job that was the problem." My life had become a series of subpar sexcapades I was not even a part of! I ended the call and turned to my husband.
Mathis wrapped his arm around me as we made our way down the hall from Lori's new penthouse to ours.
"You know, Jenny...I didn't want to tell you this, but Jude wouldn't let us pay for Lori's accommodations."
Not what I wanted to hear. My blood was already boiling from dealing with Nora and Becky's Bad Blow Job. Damn this day!
"Mathis. Not now." I cut him off. I felt bad. I didn't want to take my stress out on him, but he was the only one in sight.
"I have to head to the hotel site, but we will talk over dinner tonight, okay, love?" His mouth fell to mine and I took a moment to savor his lips on mine. I sighed against his mouth and parted my lips, slipping my tongue into his. This would never get old.
Mathis would be home from the hotel site in a little over an hour. I had enough time to run by the pharmacy, pick up a pregnancy test and get back to the penthouse. Hopefully, with enough time to take the test without him catching me. I was not trying to be sneaky. My period was due a couple of days earlier, but I didn't want to jump the gun and get him excited. I hated seeing disappointment on his face.
When I walked down the aisle labeled family planning I was confused as hell. Some of the tests had plus and minus signs. Some had actual digital displays that read pregnant or not pregnant because apparently there are people out there who are too stupid to comprehend that a minus sign would mean not pregnant. That right there is a clue you probably shouldn't be breeding to begin with. Just sayin.'
I grabbed a couple of the digital ones and checked out quickly. I tossed the bag on the passenger's seat of my new Fiat and made my way back across town.
I pushed through the door and kicked my heels off. I ran down the hallway with the bag in tow and prayed he hadn't beaten me home. Normally he would be relaxing in his study waiting for me, but the door was open and the light was out. Looking at the display on my phone, I had about a half an hour.
Enough time to pee and grab a quick shower.
I took the tests, carefully peeing on a couple of the sticks and tossed them on the counter. Then I stripped down for my shower. Turning the shower on, I was completely oblivious to the door slowly opening.
"What are you doing?" Mathis looked around the bathroom.
Shit! He scared the living crap out of me. I jumped at the sound of his voice, my gaze finding the tests all over the counter.
I was completely naked, there were pregnancy test boxes all over the counter, the instructions were crumpled on the counter and another box had fallen onto the floor.
"Um...taking a shower?" I looked at the tests and then back to my husband, who now had a smirk on his face. "Wanna join me?" My voice went high pitched like a little kid just caught nosing through dessert before dinner. Damn.
"Jenny?"
"Yes?"
"What is all this?" He looked at the counter again and his eyes ran over my body.
"Well, Mathis. My period was due about three days ago." I scrunched my face up and nervously chewed on my plump bottom lip.
"And is there something you want to tell me?" He slowly started walking across the bathroom, thrusting one hand into my hair and resting the other on my ass.
"No, I mean...I don't know. I haven't looked at them yet."
My stomach flip-flopped around, rolling back and forth. I was nervous as shit. I couldn't believe the extra effort I went to, to try and exclude him from this, just totally blew up in my face. The pressure was crazy. What if it was negative? What if there was something wrong with me? What if we couldn't make a baby?
"Relax, baby." He ran his lips down my neck and nipped at my collarbone. All reminding me that I was still naked.
"Why don't you look, Mathis?" The truth was, I didn't want to look, which was why I was just going to get in the damn shower.
He picked up the first test and smiled. Then picked up the second and compared it side-by-side to the first. His smile got bigger. By the third, I didn't even need to ask what they said.
"Baby?"
"Jenny..." He turned and before I could say anything he had me off the ground and was spinning me around the bathroom. I wrapped my legs around him and threw my arms around his neck.
"It's positive?"
He ignored my question and his lips met mine in an explosion of love and excitement.
"We're gonna have a baby!" When our eyes met, a tear streamed down his cheek.
"We're gonna have a baby."
I'm gonna have a baby.
We're gonna be parents.
We made a baby.
Oh shit.
Chapter Thirty
Better Than Him
Mathis
A baby. We were going to have a baby. I was so fucking excited, I couldn't control myself. The thought of a piece of me growing inside of Jennifer made me elated, sending a thrill through my body.
I released my grip from her and placed her back on her feet.
She looked up at me, her blue eyes full of questioning.
I quickly stripped my clothes off and was back on her before she knew what I was doing. The beautiful sound of her giggles filled the bathroom. God, I loved that sound.
Carrying her into the shower, I pushed her gently against the wall. Sex would have to be tender now, but I could figure out ways to show her just how passionate I was for her. But right now, I didn't want to take my time. I needed inside of her like never before, marking her from the inside out.
"Mathis," she breathed against my lips and rubbed her core over my hardened cock.
"You want me, love?" I husked, running the tip of my dick over her erect clit.
She shivered and moaned. "Make love to me."
She didn't have to ask me twice.
I thrust into her waiting heat hard and groaned before pulling out.
A hot tingle ran down my spine. "Fuck me, love."
She smiled. "Harder. I won't break."
I caressed her lower belly. "No, but you're carrying my baby. I don't want anything to happen because I fucked you too hard."
Her eyes glistened. "Make love to me how you want to then."
I licked between her lips, slowing my thrusts. As much as I wanted to pound the living shit out of her, it wasn't just her I had to worry about anymore.
"Show me how happy you are, my husband."
And I did. Over and over again.
The moment we found out Jennifer was pregnant I made plans to turn the spare bedroom into the baby's room. Although she was only a month or so pregnant, I knew everything would be fine. Most people would think it was too soon or that it was bad luck, but everything deep inside of me told me the baby would grow to be healthy and strong. I didn't know how I knew this, but I did.
As soon as I knew I wanted to spend the rest of my life with Jennifer, I made a promise to myself and our future children, that I would not treat them the way my father treated my brother and I. I wouldn't pit them against each other, comparing one to the other like it was the child's fault. So not cool, and although my father was dead and buried, I would never forgive him for that. Yan and I had lost so much of our brotherhood growing up in that type of environment. And for that, I hated my father even more. It was harsh to feel this way when our father was gone, but it was what it was. I couldn't help but wonder if he ever had a regret for the way he treated us. Did my mother regret allowing him to treat us that way? I didn't muse about my past much, but when I did it really messed with my head.