Chapter Two #3
Sawyer flipped off the bathroom light and strolled naked into their bedroom, anticipation propelling him forward, even though he wanted to pause and take in the sight of Royce stretched out on their bed and stroking himself.
Desire had pulsed between them as they’d shared a delicious dinner, completed pet chores, and showered together.
But it was more than expectation and excitement guiding Sawyer’s feet that night or any.
It was the delicious magnetic pull that Sawyer could never explain or cared to dissect.
Royce was his North Star, and that’s all he ever needed to know.
And probably his husband’s erect penis had something to do with his eagerness.
“I should’ve opened a bottle of the fancy wine you love so much,” Royce said when Sawyer stopped by the side of the bed. “I think this occasion more than calls for it.”
“Sex on a Wednesday night?”
Royce’s hand stilled, and he rolled onto his side to face Sawyer. “Anytime I get you naked is a cause for celebration, but you know what I meant.” He reached out and stroked his hand over Sawyer’s thigh.
“I do.” His words sounded as reverent as when Sawyer had spoken them at their wedding.
Royce’s gray eyes became a tempest of emotion. “Still?”
Sawyer cupped his jaw and bent forward to kiss Royce’s lips. “Always. No matter what life brings us.”
Royce grabbed Sawyer’s hips and pulled him onto the bed, rolling to pin him to the mattress.
“This,” Royce said, grinding his erection against Sawyer’s.
“We’re going to have a lot of this.” He reached into the headboard caddy and pulled out a small remote.
He pressed a button, and LED candles flickered on around the room.
A second remote turned off the overhead lights to create a romantic atmosphere.
Sawyer arched a brow. “What? No remote to turn on a sexy song?”
“Nope,” Royce said with a wink. “Alexa, play ‘Nice and Slow’ by Usher.”
The song played from a hidden speaker somewhere in the room. “This is new. When did you install bedroom speakers?”
“I set it up over the weekend and hid it until tonight.” Royce lowered his head and kissed Sawyer’s neck. “Do you want to ask more questions, or do you want to fuck?”
Sawyer gripped Royce’s ass with both hands and thrust against him. “Nice and slow.”
“You got it. Alexa, loop mode on.”
“Loop mode on,” came her robotic reply.
“Attagirl,” Royce said.
They kissed and touched to the music’s tempo, rolling their hips to the lazy rhythm as they joined their bodies together.
Sawyer’s breath hitched in his throat when Royce hovered above him and stared into his eyes, both of them knowing how the other felt.
Sawyer cupped the back of Royce’s neck and pulled him down for a kiss, and Royce moved inside him, nice and slow, building up his pleasure to the point of pain.
Sawyer didn’t need to ask for relief because Royce always knew what he needed.
Hitching Sawyer’s calves on his shoulders, Royce thrust deeper, finding the angle and pace that made him climax embarrassingly fast.
“Damn, you feel so good,” Royce growled as he found his own release. He collapsed on top of him and tucked his head under Sawyer’s chin.
“Playing ‘Feel So Good’ by Ashanti,” Alexa said.
Royce growled in frustration this time, and Sawyer burst into laughter. “It’s not funny.”
“No,” Sawyer agreed. “You’ve created a monster.”
“Created a monster is usually a term that expresses regret or blame for unintentionally causing a negative outcome,” Alexa informed them.
“Thank you, Alexa,” Royce said.
“Playing ‘thank u, next’ by Ariana Grande,” Alexa announced.
Royce spent the next few minutes trying to disable the device and ended up deactivating it. “We can’t have her kicking off at random times and waking up the baby,” Royce said as he flopped back down on the bed.
Sawyer rolled onto his side and rested his head on Royce’s chest. “We’re going to be dads.”
Royce slid his hand into Sawyer’s hair and massaged his scalp. “In a month or less.”
“Could be longer,” Sawyer said, though neither Kelsey nor they wanted that. “This pregnancy has felt like a time distortion. The first six months took forever, but the last two have passed in the blink of an eye.”
“And I’ve loved sharing every second of it with you,” Royce said.
“God, I can’t wait to meet our daughter.”
Royce swatted his ass. “Not much longer now. Let’s hop back in the shower and clean off. We can watch a few episodes of Animal Kingdom before bed.”
Sawyer didn’t make it through one episode before he crashed into a deep sleep, only to be woken by a ringing phone.
The digital numbers on his alarm clock said it was just after one in the morning, and he grabbed the phone off its charger before the call could go to voicemail.
The name on the caller ID made his heart stop.
“What’s going on? Who’s calling?” Royce asked groggily.
“It’s Kelsey,” Sawyer said, sounding way calmer than he felt. He accepted the call and put her on speaker. “Hey, Kels. What’s up?”
“Your daughter must be very excited to meet her daddies because she’s on her way.”
“Right now?” Royce shrieked.
“Yep,” Kelsey replied calmly. “I packed her off in a Lyft.”
Royce scrubbed his eyes with his fists. “This is a dream, right?”
Sawyer tossed back the covers and got out of bed. “I don’t think so.”
Andrew’s chuckle came through the connection. “Be nice. The guys are new to this.”
“But I was having fun at their expense while I still have a sense of humor,” Kelsey grumbled. “Things are about to get really painful for me.”
“Kelsey,” Andrew softly chided.
“Okay, fine. Lil Sketti Squash isn’t in a Lyft heading your way, but my water broke. Ella is still with Andrew’s mom, so we’re just going to mosey on over to the hospital.”
“We’ll be right behind you.” Sawyer calmly pulled clothes from the drawers for Royce and himself and tossed them on the bed.
Darla’s bags were packed and waiting in the hall by the garage door.
They simply needed to get dressed and brush their teeth.
He glanced at the bed, where Royce remained with a look of absolute shock on his face.
“Are you okay, Kels?” Sawyer asked. “Are you in pain?”
“Not yet,” she replied cheerily. “But you’ll be the first to know when that changes.”
Sawyer laughed. He’d expected to be a ball of nerves when this call came, but a sense of calm and rightness had washed over him. “Drive carefully. Love you.”
“Love you too,” Kelsey said before disconnecting the call.
Sawyer tossed his phone onto the bed and reached for his jeans. Royce still hadn’t moved by the time he’d pulled them on. Sawyer clapped his hands loudly and gave his best Cher impersonation when he said, “Snap out of it.”
Royce blinked and looked around the room for a second before his gaze landed on Sawyer again. His eyes were as wide as saucers when he whispered, “We’re having a baby.”
“Yes, we are,” Sawyer said as he tugged on his shirt.
“Today.”
“Probably, though these things can take a while,” Sawyer said. “Are you going to get dressed and go with me to meet our daughter, or are you going to stay here and wait for updates?”
Royce threw back the covers and bolted from the bed so fast that he stumbled and nearly fell. “Are we ready for this?”
It took everything Sawyer had not to laugh. “It’s a little late to question it now.”
Royce shook his head. “Not that. Do we have everything we need?”
“And then some,” Sawyer said as he handed Royce his jeans. “And if we’ve overlooked something, we’ll buy it.”
“You’re so calm right now.” It almost sounded like an accusation.
“I know, right? I think it’s a good look for me.” Sawyer framed his face with his hands.
“And I’m freaking out,” Royce said. “Why am I the one freaking out? It’s like a weird role reversal. I don’t think I like it.”
“I’m kind of digging it,” Sawyer said. “Do you need my help to get dressed?”
“What? No.” Royce shook his head and seemed to snap out of it long enough to put on his clothes. But then he went to the closet and came back carrying a pair of flip-flops. “I’m ready.”
Sawyer took the sandals from his hand and gave him a pair of socks. “Your shoes are by the garage door with all the baby stuff.”
Royce sat down on the bed and pulled on a sock. “I don’t think we packed enough stuff.”
“We’re taking enough for three babies.”
“We’re having three babies?” Royce asked. His pupils had dilated until only a tiny rim of his gray irises showed. Had he hit his head when he got out of bed?
“No, just one perfect baby girl.”
“Are you sure?”
Sawyer bent down and put the second sock on Royce’s foot before tugging him to an upright position. “We’ve had multiple ultrasounds, and I am confident we’re only having one baby.”
“Okay,” Royce said.
The urge to run right out to the garage and fire up the car was strong, but Sawyer didn’t want the hospital staff to think Royce was high. He sat his husband on an island stool while he filled a travel mug with strong coffee. “Drink your bean juice while I load the car.”
“Okay.”
But the travel mug sat in the same spot Sawyer had left it. “Ready?”
Royce bolted up from the stool. “Let’s go.” He dashed around the island and down the hall, stopping by the garage door to grab his keys off the hook.
Sawyer snatched them from his hands. “I don’t think so.”
“I’m fine to drive.”
“You haven’t blinked in ten minutes,” Sawyer countered. “I’ll drive.” He tugged Royce close and kissed him hard. His husband blinked once, closed his eyelids, and returned the kiss. Sawyer pulled back after a few moments and stared into his husband’s alert eyes. “There you are.”
Royce blinked a couple of times, and a blush crept up his cheeks. “Where’d I go?”
“I don’t know, and it doesn’t matter. You’re here now. Are you ready to meet our daughter?”
Laughter bubbled out of Royce. “God yes.”