Chapter 14
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
MAREN
“ A re you sure about this, Mare?”
Lightweight hoodie and Fury colors in effect I nodded at her in the mirror in my- our -bedroom as I double checked my reflection. “Yep. Or at least, as ready as I can be.” My first football game in almost six years, and the waves of nauseousness were on par with my first trimester morning sickness. But, after today, my parents and Xavier would know who my baby daddy, and husband, was.
Garrett insisted on having a wedding after the baby was born, but I just laughed and said we already had one. But, he was stubborn, and refused to not have one where my family could see us exchange vows.
Xavier thought I was still living with Candyce, so we were heading to the Fury’s first game of the season together. Plus, her boss, Kellan Throne, asked her to assist him with a few clients on the team.
Win. Win. Or something.
“And after today, you won’t have an invisible roommate,” I joked. “Ooh,” I gasped as the little kicker in my belly gave my ribcage a shove. “Geez, kiddo, I know, lemonade. I’m sure daddy has us all set up in the suite,” I said, rubbing my belly where a little foot had to be. At almost eight months, I was over being pregnant. And peeing all the time.
“She’s a stinker, for sure. Probably wanting princess treatment and her tiramisu,” she crooned to my belly.
I rolled my eyes. “Let’s go before I change my mind. Just make sure you know where the bathrooms are. Because I think my bladder shrunk even more this morning,” I joked, a hand at my back as I waddled after her.
My breath caught as a sharp jab hit the side of my belly, but the noise was drowned out my the crowd screaming as new dad and Fury quarterback Sebastian Lockwood connected with his favorite target and bromance, Ty Simmons in the end zone with three minutes left on the play clock to bring the Fury ahead by a touchdown.
When they opted for two instead of one, the crowd noise surged to an almost unbearable level.
Candyce hopped up and down next to me, and I plastered a smile on my face, sure that this kid had to be a kicker and was pissed they weren’t just going for the extra point. She grabbed my hand as the center snapped the ball, but, suddenly, a sharp pain hit me, and I felt something wet.
Oh, no no no ! I was only 34 weeks along. My knees wobbled, and I felt another flash of pain lance through me.
“Candyce!”
She turned to me, and immediately, her face dropped. “Fuck, it’s too early!”
I gasped. “It’s not as bad as 32, but- oh god,” I moaned, clutching my stomach. “We need a hospital. Now. And Garrett.”
She nodded, and grabbed my hand, my purse and headed toward the door. My parents were sitting in the seats close to the end zone, where they always were for Xavier’s games. As we passed Kellan, she yelled in his ear over the roar of the crowd. He nodded and ran out of the suite, clearing the way for us.
“He’ll get Garrett, don’t worry. Let’s go, mom!”
The elevator ride took a year and by the time we made it to the garage level, Garrett was there waiting with his SUV, back door open. They helped me into the car, and Garrett barked, “I’ll drive, you keep her-”
“Got it Coach Daddy!” Candyce promised. Then she faced me, a huge smile on her face. “Let’s go have a baby!”
Six hours and one healthy late term preemie later…
“She’s so fucking beautiful, sweet girl.” Garrett stared down at me, a soft smile on my face. “Just like you.”
I licked my lips, a small smile sneaking out. “Told you we were having a girl. Mother’s intuition.”
My parents tried to get in, and Xavier paced outside in the waiting room, but I had refused to let anyone save Garrett in the room for the delivery of our baby.
“Maybe I wanted two sweet girls to spoil,” he whispered against my lips before kissing me.
In my arms, Mila Avery Forbes, nursed, while a prenatal nurse hovered nearby, ready to put in the incubator in the room they moved us to after she was born. And my baby girl didn’t waste a minute. She wanted out, and while the doctors said she was stable, they wanted to keep her on the NICU floor for at least a week.
After a few minutes, she fell asleep, still latched on. The nurse gently took her with a reassuring smile, and checked her vitals.
“Your family is still waiting in the waiting room,” she whispered. “And the big guy looks very agitated. I think he’s worried about you. Do you want me to tell them to come in, or wait and go home for the night?”
Another nurse came in with the doctor, and Garrett and I exchanged a look.
He nodded and I inhaled deeply, then it out. “They can come in, but tell them they have to behave.”
The nurse raised her eyebrows. “Okay. Fair enough.”
I tried to scoot into a sitting position, but the IV and heart monitor on my finger made me even more clumsy than usual. Garrett let out a soft chuckle and helped me up. He was still wearing his coach attire, as I liked to call it, and when he put on scrubs, I took a mental picture.
“Why are you smiling like that?” he asked, fluffing a pillow behind my back.
“You look so…daddy.” I said, and then winced from the soreness in my body. Candyce joked that all the sex we had had sped up the baby delivery date, and she wasn't wrong. Pregnancy, or maybe it was Garrett, made me horny up until this morning.
“Well, I like being daddy,” he murmured, and kissed me.
“I can’t promise I won’t kill him,” Xavier said, his voice carrying in from the hall.
“Sweetheart, you can’t kill your coach. Plus, the baby needs a father.” My mom admonished him, and Dad chimed in with a grunt.
“At least she’ll get his money if he’s dead.”
“And her brother will be in jail. The two of you are ridiculous. Promise me, you’ll behave in there, or I will kick you out with this nice nurse here. And don’t think we can’t. Maren is an adult, and she’s smart enough to not marry someone unless she loves him. So be nice to your brother-in-law, or I’ll make sure he benches you, too.”
“I think I know where you get your spunk, Wife.”
“Maybe,” I agreed just as they stepped into the room wearing scrubs over their clothes..
The nurse, eyes wide and a smile on her lips, ordered, “Voices low, no stress for mom or the baby. Understood? Because I have removed much bigger-”
“They’ll be fine, or they won't ever get to hold Mila.” I glared at everyone as Garrett gently held my free hand in his, but stood up. “Won’t you?”
Mom beamed and hugged me, then Garrett but Xavier and my dad just grunted. “Stop. Is this ideal? No. Is it still amazing because everyone is healthy and obviously happy? Yes.”
Garrett cleared his throat before speaking. He was closer to my dad in age, which almost made me cringe, but he was mine. And I was his. We were his.
“I know this is…awkward to say the least, but I hope you know that I loved your daughter from the first moment I laid eyes on her. From that second on, she was mine. But I knew she had to decide. We didn’t know she was your sister, Xavier,” he said to my brother, who glared in response. “And when we reconnected at your party, it was like the Universe gave me a second chance. Maren is my wife, and she’s everything to me. If you need to kick my ass and get it over with, Xavier, we can go downstairs-”
“No!”
“Ok!”
“Garrett!”
Voices raised in a cacophony, between all of us, except mom, exploding as we all hissed at each other.
“Noise level,” the nurse hissed from the incubator.
I shifted in the bed and shot a glare at all three men. “If any of you upsets me or Mila in the next few minutes, you will not see her until she is eighteen and can tell you to fuck off!” I whisper yelled.
“When did you get so assertive?” Xavier mumbled.
“College. Now, either accept the fact that your coach is your brother-in-law, or get out, Xavier. I am not kidding. He,” I said, grabbing Garrett’s hand again, “isn't going anywhere. He’s Mila’s dad. My husband. The only one who could leave right now, is you because I will make Candyce get Kellan Horne to trade your ass with all her feminine wiles and not blink. Understood.”
For the first time in my life, Xavier looked at a loss for words. “Fine.” He stepped forward, still glowering. “But don’t expect me to be nice right away. For you, and mom, and Mila,” his eyes softened as he glanced at his niece in the clear incubator, “I’ll try.”
My mom beamed. “Welcome to the family, Garrett.”