Chapter Ten
Colton
I t's been a week since I found out Meadow is pregnant, and I'm still trying to wrap my head around everything. We were successfully able to sneak out of The Tavern before anyone interrupted the rest of our dinner, then went back to Meadow's, where River showed me her project and we watched a movie. I earned some major brownie points when I was able to recite several lines of The Princess Bride , thanks to my sisters.
I've spent every night since then with the Sterling girls, getting to know them better and learning how I can fit into their lives. What I've figured out is that they are both extremely self-sufficient and don't know how to handle my help very well. They aren't mean or rude about it, but it's almost like they forget I'm around and can be an active member of their team. It's frustrating as fuck at times, but I know we all need a little more time to get used to things.
While my evenings have been flying by, the days have been dragging.
It's finally Friday, which I’m grateful for. Not only do Meadow and I have the first appointment for the baby this afternoon, but I am also going to be shadowing Mr. Hart's class today. He's been trying to dodge me, but Ms. Sanchez made sure he couldn't get out of me sitting in on his AP physics class today.
Grabbing a notebook, pen, and my tablet, I make my way to the second floor, where all the science classes are held. It's slow going wading through the students that just let out of class, but I don't mind getting to interact with them on their turf.
I finally make it to the room and find a very hostile Mr. Hart ignoring me as I wait by the door for the rest of the students to file in, so I can figure out where he'd like me to sit.
"Hey, Mr. Harding."
"Hi, River. How's your day going?"
"Better now," she says with a glint of mischief in her eyes.
"I'd have to agree with you there."
"Are you going with my mom to the appointment this afternoon?"
"I wouldn't miss it." I smile, my excitement shining through.
River has been equally excited about the baby, which makes me relieved. It wouldn't be unreasonable for her to be upset about her mom having another child, especially with someone who works at her school, but she's been so supportive and involved. She really is unlike any teenager I've met.
"Are you going to be around tonight to hear how it goes?"
"Umm…" She bites her lips as her cheeks flush. "I don't think so. My friend, Brantley, is coming to visit tonight. I think we're going to go for a hike and to The Tavern for dinner."
"Brantley… Does he go to school here? "
"No, he lives about half an hour away. I met him at camp this summer."
"Is his last na—"
"Alright, class. Let's get settled down. As you can see, Mr. Harding is going to sit in on our class today. Apparently, he likes to take a hands-on approach at his job and is going to be observing us." The disdain dripping from his voice is apparent to everyone in the room, but I choose to ignore it.
"Hi, all. Don't mind me. I just like to get a feel of the classes and teachers, in case you all need help, so I can make sure I can assist you to the best of my ability. Just ignore me."
"You can sit back at one of the lab tables." Mr. Hart nods towards the back of the room.
I make my way there and settle in for the lecture. The AP classes are block scheduled, so they are the length of two regular classes, which gives me more time to observe Mr. Hart. The lecture starts out alright, but it's not long until I see what River means about Mr. Hart overcomplicating his lesson plans. I've only made it about an hour into the class, and I already know I've seen enough.
His teaching style is ineffective at best. It's no wonder his kids bomb his classes. I did some digging, like River had suggested, and found all of his prior test scores to be lacking, but then there was a huge difference after she’d shared her notes for the most recent test. Once I brought that information to Ms. Sanchez, it provided the push I needed for Mr. Hart to let me into his classroom.
Catching movement in the corner of my eye, I turn to see River looking at me. She widens her eyes before rolling them. Unfortunately, Mr. Hart catches our exchange .
"Miss Sterling, is there something you'd like to add?" I can tell Mr. Hart thinks he caught River messing around, but the gleam in her eyes before she turns back to Mr. Hart has me a bit terrified for him.
"On which point? That you're grossly overcomplicating entropy, or that your explanation is inaccurate?"
"I can assure you that it is not inaccurate." Hart glares at River, who smirks back at him.
I wish there was some way I could whip out my phone, and record this for Meadow and the girls to see. River is one of the most respectful kids I've ever met. She's also usually on the reserved side around people who aren't in her inner circle, but right now, there's a fire shining in her that is spectacular. Remembering I have my tablet, I prop it open and start recording, but make sure it's muted so Mr. Hart doesn't realize what I'm doing—not that he'd notice since he's too busy trying to intimidate River, which is starting to piss me off.
"Would you like me to not only simplify your lesson but also explain to you where you're incorrect? It would be my pleasure." River smiles sweetly, but it's anything but innocent.
"By all means. I'll be glad to show you the error of your ways when you're done."
Covering my own smile, I sit back and watch River school this tool-bag. As soon as Hart started his lesson, I could see that River called it right in that he's a pompous ass. I wasn't paying attention to the lecture before he caught her, but now that she pointed out his calculations are incorrect, I can see where he fucked it up.
River is now at the front of the class, giving a full-blown lecture. Her classmates are furiously taking notes as she beautifully explains entropy and shows step by step how to properly equate the entropy of a gas. You could hear a pin drop when she gets to the part where Hart miscalculated the equation, and River explains his mistake and why it's an easy one to make. When she's done, she hands the dry-erase marker back to him before heading back to her seat.
I shoot River a wink when she looks my way, feeling proud as fuck of her. Hart is standing at the front of the room, fuming as he looks over River's breakdown of his equation but unable to dispute that he fucked it up and she did it accurately.
Stopping my recording, I tuck my tablet away before Hart realizes I had it out and recorded the entire interaction.
The rest of the lecture is painful as fuck to endure. Hart is huffy and making even less sense than he was before River took him down a peg. He’s so distracted that he ends up giving the class the last half hour to start their homework while he works on grading papers for another class. I know everyone's human and makes mistakes, but I'm itching to get my hands on more of his lesson plans to see how else he's fucking up.
When class is over, I gather my things and make my way to the front of the room. "Thanks for letting me sit in. I think I'll be able to better assist your students moving forward."
"I'm sure you loved that, didn't you?"
"What do you mean?"
"Oh, come off it. Your little pet proving me wrong. It was a simple mistake that anyone could make."
Raising my hands, I look as innocent as possible. "No judgement from me, but I don't think talking about River—or any student—like that is acceptable. You fucked it up and called her out to prove you wrong. If you don't want her to put you in your place, don't challenge her. She's smarter than any of us could ever dream of being.
"Hell, if you were smart, you'd ask her for her input. Her mind is brilliant, and she has a knack for making the complicated seem simple. She could be an asset to you rather than the target you keep trying to paint her as. Leave her alone, Hart," I growl out as I take a step back, not realizing how close we got.
I've never been one to want to punch first and talk later, but I'd love nothing more than to knock this dickhead out. Feeling a tug on my sleeve, I turn to find an anxious River waiting a few steps behind me.
"Hey, Riv. Which way you heading?"
"Lunch." She's quiet, the anxiety of my confrontation with Hart weighing heavily on her.
"Care if I walk with you? I'm starving."
She shrugs, so I gesture for her to head down the hall and follow her.
"I'm sorry, Co— Mr. Harding. I didn't mean to cause any drama for you."
Stopping River, I turn her to face me. "River, you have nothing to apologize for. You were completely right about Mr. Hart. He's a pompous ass and should not be teaching. And you know you're not my 'pet', or anything dirty, like he implied. You're fucking brilliant, Riv."
River smirks at me swearing in school as she looks around to see if anyone is paying attention.
"Oh, and I got you schooling the asshat recorded on my tablet so you can show your mom and aunts. I have a feeling Wren is going to be extremely proud of you. "
"No way! Can you send it to me?"
"Sure, I'll email it to you after lunch."
"Thanks, Mr. Harding."
We've made it to the cafeteria and are about to head our separate ways when I remember her mentioning a Brantley earlier. "Hey, is Brantley's last name Cole?"
"Yes. How did you know?"
With a laugh, I run my hand through my hair. "Educated guess. He's my nephew."
"Seriously?!"
"As a heart attack. Can you do me a favor?"
"Sure."
"Don't mention I'm the baby's father. He's coming into town tomorrow, with his family, my other sister and her family, and my parents. Meadow was supposed to tell you tonight that we're all going to have dinner at The Tavern so I can tell them."
"Umm…" River bites her lip as she fidgets with her bracelet, just like her mama. "Well, I told him my mom was pregnant and that it was to someone who worked at my school, but I didn't tell him your name. But you know he's pretty smart, so I wouldn't be surprised if he figured it out and just didn't want to say anything until he saw me."
"It's fine, Riv. Just ask him to keep it quiet until tomorrow for me, and tell him his uncle owes him."
"Will do." She smiles then heads off to grab food while I grab a salad.
I meet with Principal Sanchez after lunch and go over how Hart's class went. I'm even more glad I recorded his fit with River when Sanchez asks to see it. She doesn't want to make any moves as of yet but states this will be helpful when the time is right. She’s pissed when I tell her about River being my "pet" and says that it will be addressed immediately.
Before I know it, It's time to leave to meet Meadow at her appointment. The drive to the doctor’s office feels like it takes forever, when it’s in fact only a few minutes. I pull in and sigh with relief when I see Meadow waiting for me by the stairs. I park my car, then jog across the parking lot to scoop Meadow up into my arms. The kiss I lay on her lips is indecent for public, but I can't resist her.
"Well, hello to you." She smiles, her voice still breathy from my kiss.
"Sorry, I just couldn't resist you. I love River, but there's no way I can kiss you like that in front of her."
"Ha ha," Meadow’s melodic laughter rings out. "I'm sure she appreciates that. You know, we can have alone time any time we want."
"I know, but I also love hanging out with her. It's only when I want my hands on you that I struggle, which is quite often if I'm being honest. You're irresistible, especially the more you show with our little nugget."
"Aww, you say the sweetest things to me, Colt. Come on. Let's go meet our baby."
We make our way into the office, where Meadow checks in. She's busy filling out paperwork while we wait for them to call her name. She leaves a good chunk blank because she's unsure when her last missed period was since her cycle is irregular. Being the nerd that I am, I researched pregnancy and any information on it I could get my hands on so that I could be prepared when the time for her appointments came.
"Meadow," the nurse calls her name, and we both follow her into a room in the back.
They get Meadow's weight and pass her a cup to pee in before directing her to the bathroom. I wait for her outside, then follow Meadow and the nurse to the room to wait for the doctor, who is running about fifteen minutes behind. The nurse advises Meadow to get undressed from the waist down before leaving us flushed and alone in the room.
"Do you want me to turn around, or…"
"It's nothing you haven't seen before." She smiles devilishly as she drops her skirt and slides her lace panties down her legs.
My cock instantly gets hard as my pulse races, and when my eyes find Meadow, the need in hers about sends me to my knees.
"Dow, quit looking at me like that, baby."
"I'm sorry. I can't help it. Did you know that a side effect of pregnancy can be horniness?"
"Meadow," I growl out a warning as she rubs her thighs together.
"Please, Colt. I need you."
"Fucking hell. You need to be quiet and this needs to be quick. Sit down and put your legs in the stirrups."
"Yes, sir," she sasses but does as I say.
Dropping to my knees, I spread her open with my thumbs and find her glistening and swollen. She wasn't kidding about needing me. Not wanting her to be aching, I lean forward and lick her up through her slit to her clit, then suck it into my mouth.
"Oh, shit." She moans too loudly .
"Quiet, Dow. Or I'll have to stop."
Nodding, she covers her mouth with her hands as I dive back in.
I don't take my time but rather dive in like I'm starving. I lap and suck her as my fingers thrust into her hot heat. Within minutes, Meadow's walls flutter and her hot center grips my fingers. She's dripping down my hand. With one final suck to her clit, Meadow tips over the edge. Her legs shake as her orgasm rips through her body. I slow my thrusts and sit back to watch the bliss spread across her face.
"Fucking hell, Meadow. I don't think I've ever seen anything so beautiful." Leaning closer, I lick every drop of her release. I can smell her on me, and I'm sure the room smells of sex, but I don't care as long as my girl's feeling better.
Sitting back on my knees, I push myself to stand, then make my way to the sink to wash my hands and face. I've just finished and made my way over to sit in the chair off to the side, by Meadow, when there's a knock at the door.
"Come in," Meadow calls, her face and chest still flushed from her release.
"Hi, I'm Dr. Avery, and I'll be one of your physicians for your pregnancy. There are two others who work out of our office that you'll meet throughout your pregnancy." Dr. Avery is a petite blonde in her mid-forties, with kind eyes and a nice smile.
"Hi, I'm Meadow, and this is Colt. It's nice to meet you."
"It's nice to meet you both. So, it says here you're unsure of how far along you are. Is that correct?"
"Umm, yes. I think I'm around four months, but my cycle has always been sporadic, so it's hard to pin down. "
"No worries. We can do an ultrasound today and take some measurements. Do you want to know the sex of the baby or are interested in any genetic testing?"
Meadow looks at me, her brows furrowed.
"I'm fine either way, Dow. You know my brain is analytical, and I love having any and all the information I can get, but if those aren't things you're interested in, then I'm okay not knowing."
"Do we have time to talk more about the tests?" she asks as she worries her lip.
"Of course. And if you have any concerns, I can talk you through those."
"Okay, great."
"So, I'm going to do an internal exam real quick. We'll grab the doppler to hear the heartbeat, and then I'll get you guys upstairs to get that ultrasound. Sound good?"
"Sounds great." I can't hide my excitement.
Meadow looks embarrassed as hell as Dr. Avery does her internal examination, but luckily for my girl, she's a professional and doesn't mention anything that’d give away what we got up to before she came in.
"Alright, Dad. You ready to hear the heartbeat?" Dr. Avery smiles at me as she squeezes blue goo onto Meadow's stomach.
There's some static, then the best sound I’ve ever heard in my life. Our baby's heart is strong as it beats fast and steadily. Tears flood my eyes as my hand grips Meadow's tighter. Looking down, I see tears rolling down her face too.
"That's our baby," I whisper as I lean down and lay my forehead on Meadow's .
"It sure is."
"And they sound as healthy as can be. Ready to go see them for the first time?" Dr. Avery smiles sweetly as we both nod in the affirmative.
Meadow gets dressed, then we head up to the ultrasound. The entire experience is surreal to me. We find out Meadow is eighteen weeks along and that we can find out the sex of the baby. We don't look but have the tech put it in an envelope, so that River can be the one to tell us if she decides she wants to find out, since Meadow and I are divided.
Heading back to Meadow's house, I’m excited for my family to come to town tomorrow. I know they are going to be shocked but even more excited to add another little one to our family.
River is out when we get to the house, so Meadow and I take full advantage of having some alone time. We order food and curl up on the couch to watch a show. When River gets home, she joins us.
It's almost midnight when I finally shut off the TV. I've got both of my girls on either side of me, and I've never felt more content in my life. I know tomorrow is going to be a big day, but it can only get better from here.