Chapter 28 Jules
JULES
Being a member of a family that owned a theme park, I would’ve thought I’d be better prepared to handle the roller coaster of emotions I’d experienced since my eyes shot open in the middle of the night.
I wasn’t.
But I didn’t care. Because every single emotion had been warranted.
And the one thing I was experiencing was relief. Such immense relief. All I wanted, all I needed, was to sit here, wait for Beau to arrive, and have him hold me. The only thing that could bring me comfort after everything I’d just endured would be my husband’s warm embrace.
Like he knew I needed him, Beau stepped into the room not more than a minute later.
His eyes swept over me, taking in every visible inch before he doubled over and rested his hands just above his knees. “Oh, thank God.”
For every emotion I felt, it was only fair to assume that Beau had experienced just as many. Maybe more.
At least I’d known what was happening to me not long after I’d arrived, and the doctors had evaluated me. It hadn’t even dawned on me that they wouldn’t let him know what was happening, but judging by his reaction now, I was beginning to think that hadn’t been the case.
He kept one hand firmly planted on his knee, the other going to his chest. The sight of him appearing to be so overwhelmed brought tears to my eyes.
“Beau,” I called quietly.
One word.
One word was all it took for him to audibly sob.
And in a flash, he was at my side, tears spilling down his cheeks as he held my face in his hands. Warmth spread through me while he kissed me all over—my forehead, my cheeks, my lips—while stroking his thumbs along my face.
Beau released my face, sliding his arms around my body and hugging me tightly to him. “I love you, Jules. I love you so much, and I thought you… I thought you were going to leave me. It’s so good to see you here.”
I wrapped my arms around him, savoring the warmth and affection in his hold, and hoped I gave him the same in return.
The two of us stayed like that a long time, neither uttering a single word. While there was so much to say, there was also no need to speak. At least, not yet.
If what he’d experienced had been anything like I had—again, I suspected it was worse for him—then these few minutes weren’t about anything other than needing to decompress and come back to reality with the person we loved most in the world.
Finally, Beau dared to loosen his hold on me. Part of me believed it was only so he could take me in once more to be sure I was real.
“It’s okay,” I assured him, curling my fingers around his. “I’m okay now.”
“I was so scared. I’ve never been so terrified in all my life.”
I sent him an apologetic look. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know what I was feeling, and I just assumed the worst. That fear of losing this baby was so real in those moments, but I probably shouldn’t have said anything when I didn’t know what was actually happening.”
He squeezed my hand, lifted it to his lips, and kissed my knuckles. “I don’t need any apologies, angel. You didn’t do anything wrong. You did everything right. And I’m so, so proud of you for fighting to keep our baby safe.”
“Did they tell you what happened?”
Beau nodded. “They did. And from now on, I’m monitoring your water intake, because you never drink as much as you should, and I can’t go through this again. I can’t watch you go through this again.”
“You’re going to be the water police now?”
“Damn right. And I don’t want to hear a word about it from you.”
I rolled my eyes.
“How do you feel now?”
“Relieved. Like I don’t have all this pressure in my belly. But parts of me are tender. Regardless, a major improvement from this morning.”
He smiled at me. “Good. I heard you refused to answer any questions when you woke up in recovery.”
“Well, they made it so I felt like they’d delivered my baby. I swear, I was convinced I was no longer pregnant.”
A chuckle escaped, and he leaned forward to touch his lips to mine.
It seemed he’d only intended for it to be a chaste kiss, but after one soft peck, he decided he hadn’t gotten enough.
I didn’t mind, but I refused to allow him to sweep his tongue into my mouth.
When I wouldn’t let him, he pulled back and gave me an odd look. “What’s that about?”
“Did you forget I vomited this morning?” I pointed to the movable table in my room. “That cup is filled with flavored ice chips, which is basically like having a snow cone, but I’m not convinced that’s masking the vomit.”
“Jules, I thought a doctor was going to walk out and give me the worst news of my life today. I do not care if you think you have bad breath. Kiss me.”
When he put it like that while looking at me like I was the most beautiful thing in the world, I couldn’t deny him.
And after he’d gotten his fill, he reached for the cup and said, “You need to get to work on that. I’m monitoring your fluid intake starting now.”
I held up my hand and waved it around. “Beau, I’m attached to an IV. I won’t get dehydrated now.”
He narrowed his eyes on me. “I don’t care.”
Beau was serious. But I also realized this had been incredibly difficult for him. So, I used the spoon, scooped up some orange-flavored ice, and mumbled, “Grumpy old man.”
“Did you just call me old?”
I grinned. “You can’t get mad at me today. I had surgery.”
“Oh, I see that’s how we’re going to play this.”
“Better to play than fight, isn’t it?”
His eyes roamed over my face, and I swore it was like he was looking at me for the first time. “After a day like today, I’m not sure there’s anything you could do that would ever upset me to the point I’d fight with you. Nothing is that important.”
I held a spoonful of ice up to his lips. “I agree.”
Even though he took a bite, he said, “That’s for you.”
“Yeah, yeah. One or two bites isn’t a big deal.” I sighed and leaned back against the pillow. “I don’t want to worry them, but I think I should at least call my parents to let them know what happened.”
“Uh, about that—”
“Knock, knock. Can we come in?”
My eyes widened in shock at the sound of my mother’s voice followed by her entering the room ahead of my father. But it wasn’t just them. Wyatt, Cooper, Tate, Ava, Ivy, Marco, Liam, and Layla all strode into the room.
“What in the world?”
“Beau called us,” my dad said proudly. “Well, technically, he called Liam, who made sure the rest of us were called.”
This whole time, I’d assumed Beau was waiting for me all alone. He’d called my family. Despite how unwelcoming they’d been with him, he still called them to let them know I was here.
My eyes met his. “You did that?”
“They’re your family,” he replied, like it was just that simple.
“No, that’s not right, Beau,” Ivy said, a smile playing at her lips.
Beau’s lips twitched. “Right. My apologies. They’re our family.”
My gaze darted between them and the man I loved. “What? What happened?”
He rested his hand on my thigh and squeezed. “We had time to talk while we were waiting for news about you.”
“And?”
Wyatt answered, “And after the doctor led Beau out of the waiting room, so he could come to see you, Mom wanted to know when Beau’s birthday was.”
My bottom lip quivered, my chin trembling. If she’d asked that question, it meant she fully intended to throw a big celebration for him.
I couldn’t stop what happened next. The roller coaster was forcing me to experience far too many ups and downs, and it became too much to handle. So I burst into tears and wept with joy.
Although it took me a little while to pull myself together, when I did, my family—my whole family—spent the entire morning and afternoon visiting with me. We laughed and cried and told embarrassing stories. I had never been happier.
And best of all, my mom was thrilled to learn we only had a few months left until Beau’s January 6th birthday.
BEAU - SIX WEEKS LATER
It was a good thing I’d thought to lean against the doorjamb, or I might have fallen to my knees.
I hadn’t believed it was possible to find myself falling deeper and deeper in love with Jules, but it was happening.
And as I stood at the entrance to the bathroom, watching her, my chest expanded at what I saw.
From the very first day since I met her, I’d been captivated by just how beautiful she was.
I told her all the time. Never in my life did I think I’d find a pregnant woman attractive, but looking at Jules, I found my pants growing tighter across the groin.
She was standing in front of the mirror, wearing nothing more than a pair of panties and a bra, while she turned her body from side to side.
Her eyes focused on her growing belly. My eyes lingered there as well.
Then my gaze drifted down over her shapely legs and round ass before sliding up toward her fuller breasts.
But when I saw the look of disappointment and defeat on her face, my admiration came to a halt.
“What does that mean?”
Startled, Jules spun around with a gasp. “Oh, you scared me. I didn’t realize you were there.”
I smiled and shot her an expectant look.
“What does what mean?” she countered, recalling my question.
“The look on your face. You seem… upset?”
She let out a sigh and turned to face the mirror again, her hands landing on her stomach. “It’s nothing. It’s just that I still have eleven weeks to go.”
“Yes, you do. Is that a bad thing?” I asked, needing to gauge where the conversation was heading.
Jules stroked her hand over the baby bump and shared, “Obviously, I don’t want this baby coming out before he or she is ready, but we’re two weeks away from Thanksgiving, which means that Christmas is close.”
I squinted as I tried to determine what any of this had to do with the look I’d just seen on her face. I couldn’t come up with anything. “I’m afraid I’m not following you. What does that mean?”