Chapter 14
Chapter Fourteen
Lachlan
As soon as I’m through the front door, I kick off my shoes and pull my phone out of my pocket to video call Maggie.
“Hey, you,” she answers.
“Hi.” I sigh because it’s been a long-ass day. “How are you feeling? How’s our boy?” I make my way to the kitchen and pull open the fridge, looking for what I’m going to eat for dinner tonight.
“We’re both good. He’s really active tonight.”
“I can’t wait until I can feel him. That’s a good thing he’s been active, but I hope he’s taking it easy on you. Have you had dinner?” I ask.
“Yeah, I heated up a can of tomato soup and made a grilled cheese. What about you?”
“Just getting home. My last client changed his mind on his design, so I had to make some modifications before I could make the stencil, and we both decided to just stay late tonight and knock it all out so he doesn’t have to wait for it to heal and come back for the rest.”
“Long day,” she muses.
“Very long day.” I grab the left-over Chinese we had Sunday when she was here. That was three days ago. It’s still good, right? “This is still good, right?” I ask her what I’m thinking as I hold the box up so that she can see it.
“Yes, it’s fine, as long as it’s been in the refrigerator.”
“Perfect.” Propping the phone up on the paper towel holder, I pour the contents onto a plate and pop it into the microwave.
“How was the surgery today with the new doctor?” I ask her. She’s been nervous about the new surgeon starting. Some of them can be real pretentious assholes. Her words not mine.
“Good, actually. He was really nice.”
“Not too nice, I hope.”
Her laughter fills the air around me from the small speaker of my phone, and I’m half tempted to drive to her place just to see her in the flesh.
“Not too nice. Besides, what man is going to hit on a woman who’s big and pregnant?” She chuckles.
“First of all, you’re a fucking knockout, Mags. And you’re not big. You’re all belly. Isn’t that what Mom said? Hell, I was behind you the other day in the store and couldn’t even tell you were pregnant from the back.”
“Other than my waddle, you mean.” She smiles.
“You don’t waddle.”
“I’m sure that time is coming.”
I watch through my phone’s screen as she stares down at her belly affectionately while rubbing over where our son is growing.
“Worth it though,” she says, looking up and finding my gaze through the screen.
The microwave beeps, so I grab my phone, tuck my bottle of sweet tea under my arm, and retrieve it before sitting down at the dining room table, propping my phone up so I can still see her while I eat. “Do you want more kids?” I ask her, taking a bite.
“Yeah. As an only child, I always wanted at least two children, if not more. What about you? Do you plan on giving Sean a brother or sister someday?” she asks.
Not unless I do it with you. “Yeah, I could get behind that.” I finish off my meal, while Maggie tells me Grandma Doris called and is knitting Sean a blanket.
“That’s really sweet of her.”
“It is. I love that I’ll have something from her to hand down to him when he’s older, maybe when he has kids.”
“Hold up, woman. Don’t go making us grandparents just yet.”
“They say it flies by, Lachlan.”
“I’m sure it does, but we’re going to soak up every minute,” I tell her as she stands and moves around her house.
“You getting ready for bed?” I ask.
“No. Don’t judge me, but I want some peanut M&M’s. I’ve been craving them all day and trying to be good, but I need my fix.” She laughs.
“Me? Judge a sweet fix? Babe, did you forget who you’re talking to?” I tease.
“Damn, I’m out.” I hear bags crinkling. “I knew I forgot something at the store.” Her expression falls. “Oh, well, I didn’t need the extra calories anyway.” She closes the pantry door and moves back to the couch.
“I should go so I can grab a shower.”
“Sure. Get some rest.”
“I’ll call you before I go to bed,” I tell her.
“You don’t have to do that. You’ve had a long day.”
“I want to hear your voice before I go to sleep.”
She smiles. “Okay. Talk soon.” She waves at the camera and ends the call.
Rushing to my room, I pull out a duffel bag and toss in some clothes for tomorrow, as well as everything else I’ll need to shower at her place. Once I’ve locked up the house, I head to town. My first stop is the gas station. My girl needs her fix.
Twenty minutes later, I’m pulling into her driveway with two of the sharing size bags of peanut M&M’s. I don’t take my duffel in case she doesn’t invite me to stay. Instead, I leave it on the back seat and march up to her door with the treat I bought for her. I don’t want to knock and scare her since it’s getting late, so instead, I text her.
Me: Open your front door.
Maggie: What?
Me: I’m here. Can you let me in?
Maggie: I gave you a key.
Me: I know, but you didn’t know I was coming, and it’s not an emergency.
Maggie: Come in, Lachlan. I’m changing for bed. I’ll be right out.
Me: I’ll come help you.
Maggie: LOL. Be right there.
Shoving my hand into my pocket, I pull out my keys and unlock her door, just as she comes striding into the living room, wearing my shirt and what appears to be nothing else. My feet carry me to where she’s standing just behind the couch. I immediately caress her cheek. “You’re beautiful.” She blushes and tilts her head to the side against my hand.
“Is everything okay?” she asks, placing her hand over mine that’s still resting against her cheek.
“I brought you something.”
“At nine o’clock at night?”
I hold up the plastic bag from the gas station. “You were craving peanut M&M’s.”
“Lachlan.”
“Come sit with me.” Dropping my hand from her face, I lace our fingers together and lead her to the couch. I plop down and gently pull her onto my lap.
“What are you doing?”
“Holding you. Here.” I hand her the bag so that both of my arms are free to wrap around them. “Hey, buddy,” I greet my son. “Daddy loves you.”
“He’s moving,” she says. She adjusts my hand to where she feels him, but I feel nothing. “Soon,” she assures me.
“Soon,” I agree. “This was really sweet of you.” I turn so that I’m sitting sideways with my legs resting on the couch. “I hate that you came out so late just to buy these for me.”
“Maggie, there isn’t anything I wouldn’t do for you.”
“It feels like we’re shifting,” she tells me.
“Shifting how?”
“I don’t know. Like I’m more than just the one-night stand you got pregnant.”
“You’ve always been more.”
“More than just the mother of your child?”
“Definitely.”
“This is going to make me sound needy, but can you spell it out for me? What are we doing, Lachlan? Lines are blurred, and my heart’s starting to take notice.”
“Good. My heart took notice a long damn time ago. I’ve been waiting for you to catch up to where I am.”
“And where is that?”
“I think about you all the time. Not just because of the baby. I hate sleeping at night without you next to me. So much so, that I have to call you every night before I go to sleep just to hear your voice. Earlier, you asked me if I wanted more kids, and my first thought was only if it was with you. That’s where I’m at.”
I want to say more, but I know how her mind works. She needs to process my words and how she feels about them. That asshole she was with before would tell her things just to bend her to his will. I’m not like that. I know she doesn’t think that I am, but those scars are still there, so she needs time to sort out her feelings. And that’s fine, because I’m not going anywhere.
“You look exhausted.” She’s changing the subject, and that’s fine. I know that’s what she needs right now. We’ll get there. I know we will.
“I am.”
“You should stay here tonight,” she offers, just like I hoped that she would.
“Eat your snack so we can go to bed,” I answer with a smile.
She chuckles, tears open a bag of her sweet treat, and pops a few into her mouth. “Want one?” she asks, placing her hand over her mouth as she speaks.
“Do fish live in water? Yes, I want one.” I open my mouth, and she drops two in, and I chew.
“It’s impossible to eat just a couple.” She holds two more up to my lips, and I open for her.
“Agreed.” She shares a few more with me as we sit quietly, just enjoying the fact that we’re together, not needing to fill the silence with chatter.
“Okay, I can’t eat any more. He’s going to be bouncing around all night, and I won’t get any sleep, but it was worth it.”
“Let’s go to bed.”
She climbs off my lap, and goes around, turning off all the lights, and double-checks that the door is locked, and together, we make our way to her room.
She slides under the covers while I strip down to my underwear and take my spot next to her. She cuddles up to my side, and I wrap my arm around her, and within minutes, I’m drifting off to sleep.
“He takes after his uncle Lachlan,” I say as I stand with Roman, Forrest, and Maddox, watching Kane smash through his own personal little birthday cake. He’s shoveling it in by the handfuls.
“Looks like it.” Roman laughs. “Remember when Lilly turned one? She didn’t want to touch it, but once she did, it was game on. She had cake everywhere.”
“She did,” Forrest agrees. “I think Legend is wearing just as much of that cake as Kane is.” He chuckles.
We bullshit for a little longer, and eventually, Legend joins us. “I can’t believe he’s a year old already,” he says, smiling widely.
“Won’t be long, and Lachlan and I will be a part of the dad’s club.” Maddox grins.
“Best thing ever,” Forrest tells us.
“I’d have to agree,” Roman says.
“How are things with Maggie?” Legend asks.
“Good. Really fucking good. She’s been feeling the baby move. I can’t wait until I can feel him too.”
“It’s a rush,” Forrest says, running his fingers through his hair. “Unlike anything else.” Legend and Roman agree with nods.
“I want her to move in with me.”
“Does she know that?” Maddox asks me.
“No. Her ex tore her down, and I’ve been taking my time letting her see with not just my words but my actions that I want her.”
“I don’t think she’ll turn you down,” Roman says, nodding to where the ladies are sitting.
I turn to look to find all of them watching us. They smile and wave and turn back around. “How did five assholes who ink for a living get so fucking lucky?” I ask my best friends.
“Good question,” Maddox says. “I know I don’t ever want to know what life is like without them, so I say we just keep doing what we’re doing.”
“Amen to that.” Legend bumps his fists with each of us, almost as if we’re all in some kind of club and taking an oath.
“We’ve come a long way,” Forrest says. “From those five guys who just wanted to pave their own way, to husbands and fathers. I knew it would happen one day, but I never dreamed it would look like this. I’m glad our wives are as close as we are.”
“I’m working on it.” I laugh.
“Oh, you’re going to ask her?” Roman asks.
“Baby steps. I need to get her to agree to move in with me first. Then after that, all bets are off. Once I know she’s mine, I’ll pull out all the stops to get the three of us to share the same last name.”
“Do you guys want cake?” Monroe calls out.
“Is that a real question?” I call back to her, and she grins, waving us over.
The five of us move toward the kitchen where Monroe and Emerson are cutting the larger cake and passing them out.
“Take your wives a piece. The kids are already handled,” Emerson tells us.
Doing as I’m told, loving that they’re already referring to Maggie as mine, I carry two small plates of cake and ice cream to the living room, handing her one.
“Thank you. I could have gotten that.”
“I was already there,” I tell her, taking a seat on the floor in front of her, resting my back against her legs where she sits on the couch.
“Monroe’s passing out orders like a drill sergeant,” Maddox teases, handing Brogan her plate.
Once all the adults have their cake, everyone finds a place to sit in the living room. We laugh and talk and play with the kids, and it’s a great night. It’s not how we started. We were just five guys, doing our thing. Now we’re five guys who have found the loves of our lives, and we’re all fathers, or going to be soon. This ending is way better than any of us could have hoped for.
“Pick whatever,” I tell Maggie, handing her the remote. We came to my place after Kane’s birthday party to watch a movie and eat ice cream. Not that I’ll be paying attention to the movie. I usually spend more time watching her than I do the TV.
“What are you in the mood for?” she asks, pointing the remote at the TV, looking at our options.
“Do you want an honest answer?”
She stops and turns to look at me. “Always.”
“You.”
“W-What?” she asks.
“You heard me.”
She looks down at her belly, and I know what she’s thinking. She’s too big, she’s not sexy, but she’s wrong. I’ve never seen a more beautiful sight. When her eyes find mine again, they’re blazing with need.
I need to show her.
Standing, I take the remote and turn off the TV. “Let me show you. I know your mind is racing, and you think that there is no way I could want you, but you’re wrong, baby. You are so wrong. You’re sexy and beautiful, and I want to show you. I can tell you all day long, but I need to be able to show you for you to believe me.”
“Okay.”
“Okay.” My heart hammers inside my chest, and I’m relieved at her easy acceptance. She feels this, too—I know she does—but she’s not trusting my words. She needs to feel it in her heart, and against her skin.
She places her small hand in mine, and I lead her to the bedroom, turning on the small bedside lamp. There are so many things I want to do for her. So many ways I can show her how sexy she is. I move toward the bed and sit, pulling her between my spread thighs. My hands caress her belly.
“I know you think this baby bump isn’t sexy, but you’re wrong. Mags, this bump is a piece of us. There is a piece of me growing inside you, and that is the biggest turn-on.”
“Show me,” she breathes.
That’s all the permission I need. I stand, working quickly and efficiently to strip her bare, then doing the same to myself. “On the bed, beautiful.” She does as she’s told and lies on my bed. Her hair fans out over the pillow, and her nipples pebble, begging for my touch.
My cock weeps to feel her warmth, but I told her I would show her, and that’s what I plan to do. After climbing onto the bed, I pull the covers up over us. It’s November in Tennessee, so it’s cold, and I need her to be comfortable and relaxed.
She’s lying on her back. While I’m on my side with my body propped up on my elbow, I begin to explore her. “These are so much bigger,” I say, cupping one breast and then the other, testing their weight in the palm of my hand.
“Yeah,” she murmurs.
I trace over her nipples with the pad of my thumb. One, then the other, giving them equal amounts of attention.
“Lachlan.” My name on her lips in that breathy tone is like a warm embrace.
Bending my head, I suck one nipple into my mouth, nipping with my teeth, then soothing the ache with my tongue, before releasing her and moving on to the next. “Is this better?” I ask her.
“You’re teasing me.”
“I’m showing you,” I counter. My hand moves to roam over her belly, and I bend my head to kiss her there. “Hey, little man. Daddy loves you,” I whisper to my son. My hand continues its journey until I reach her pussy. She opens her legs for me and moans when I lightly graze over her without giving her what she needs.
“Please.”
“Please, what, Mags?”
“Touch me. Please.”
My hand flutters over her thighs. My touch is light, but the result is still the same. She shivers at the contact. “I am touching you.”
“Lachlan.” This time, there is a little bit of a warning, and a whole lot of need.
“Okay, touch you. How about here?” I ask, running my index finger through the wetness between her thighs. When I reach her clit, my thumb presses gently.
“Th—That works,” she says.
Her hand reaches out, and she fists my cock. “Fuck,” I rasp. She has no idea what it does to me to have her hands on me. “That’s how bad I want you,” I tell her once I’ve gained my composure. “I’m hard all the time just thinking about you.”
I kiss her while sliding my middle finger inside her. She bites down on my lip, and I thrust my hips into her hand. I’m so lost in the sensation, I don’t see her next move coming. She pushes at my chest, and I pull my hand from between her thighs. At first, I fear that I’ve hurt her, but then she straddles me, and all the blood in my body that wasn’t already there rushes to my cock.
She rests her palms flat on my chest as I grip her hips. “What are you doing, Mags?”
“You said anything. That you would give me anything.”
“I did.” My hands roam from her waist to her belly. One stays pressed there, connected to our unborn child, while the other tweaks her nipple.
“I want you inside me.”
“Lift this sexy ass,” I tell her, smacking her ass lightly. She giggles and lifts up on her knees. “Now guide me inside.” Reaching between us, she fists my cock and slowly lowers.
“Oh, damn,” she mutters. “Why haven’t we been doing this all along?”
“Good question,” I reply, gripping her hips. I lift her off me, almost all the way off, then help lower her again. She finds a rhythm and I let my hands explore. Her baby bump, her tits, my thumb in her mouth. There isn’t a single part of her body that I can reach that goes untouched by my hands.
“I’m close,” she tells me. “It’s so good. It’s been so long.”
“Take what you need, Maggie.” It’s as if my words set her off, and her moves grow faster, uncoordinated as she chases the high of her release. I feel it before she calls out my name. Her head is tilted back, her tits bouncing, and her pussy squeezes my cock like a vise, and I have no choice but to lose myself inside her.
Bracing her, I roll us to our sides, careful of our baby boy, and keep my cock nestled inside her. Her leg is tossed over mine, and I crush her to my chest in a fierce hug.
This woman is my everything.
Those three little words sit on my tongue, begging to be set free, but something still holds me back. I need to know what she’s feeling, where she’s at in her head about all of this before I go making it more complicated.
“You good, baby?”
She lifts her head. “I’ve never had sex without a condom. I don’t know if that’s what made it so good, or the fact that it’s been a while, or maybe it’s just us.”
“It’s us, Maggie. I’ve never, either, and I’m sorry. We should have talked about that first, but it’s never been like this for me with anyone else.”
“I’m already pregnant, and we’re both only sleeping with each other, right?”
“No one since we made this little guy, and a hell of a lot longer than that before that night.”
“Me too.”
“You still want a movie and ice cream? I have your favorite.”
“Too tired,” she mumbles.
“Okay.” I press my lips to her forehead before slowly pulling out and climbing out of bed. “I’ll be right back.” In the bathroom, I clean up, then wet a washcloth with warm water to do the same for her. When I turn, she’s standing there. “I was coming back to take care of you.”
She holds her hand out for the cloth. “I need to pee. Sean must be sitting on my bladder.”
I smile. “Okay. I’ll keep the bed warm for you.”
A few minutes later, she’s curled in my arms. Exactly where she’s meant to be.