Twenty.
Duke
I caress Maci’s bare back as she lays naked on top of me, sleeping soundly. It’s Christmas morning, and I know I need to wake her so we can get ready for brunch, but it’s so hard to wake her when she’s like this—beautiful, peaceful, all mine.
I kiss the top of her head, and glide my palms to her plump ass, grabbing a greedy handful.
“Stop it,” she mumbles.
“Merry Christmas, angel,” I rasp.
She yawns, nuzzling her face into my chest. “Merry Christmas, stud muffin.”
I chuckle, causing her to bounce on my chest. Gently, I slide her to the side, and her adorable—albeit offended—pout has me grinning like a fool. “Don’t look at me like that.” I laugh. “I’ve gotta get something,” I say, climbing out of bed.
She peeks over the covers, watching me leave the bedroom and come right back with a white envelope in hand that holds what I’m hoping was a good idea to get her for a Christmas present—back before I knew we’d be in a relationship.
Let’s hope it’s still good.
I sit on the edge of the bed and hand her the envelope. “Merry Christmas.”
Maci sits up, holding the blanket at her chest in one hand and my gift in the other. “But…” She frowns. “I didn’t get you anything.”
“Good. Now, come on, open it.”
Narrowing her eyes at me with a play of a smile, she opens the envelope. She takes the paper out and reads. And when her head snaps up to me with tears welling in her eyes, I know I did good.
“There’s more,” I say, signaling for her to flip to the other two pages. “It’s a few days after you hit twenty weeks, but Dr. Sanderson said that’s fine. You’ve got an appointment at Hey, Baby – 3D/4D Ultrasounds in Helena on Valentine’s Day. It falls on a Friday, so I booked you a hotel for the weekend, and a pregnancy-friendly massage that Saturday. Everything is paid for, and I already talked to Peggy and the resort, so you’re clear. I couldn’t make dinner reservations this far out, but I’ll make sure to call when the date gets closer.”
“Duke, you—” She whimpers, tears streaming down her face as she throws herself at me.
I catch her easily and hold her tight against me, letting her have a moment before I ask, “Do you like it?”
“You’re amazing,” she cries softly, squeezing me.
I chuckle. “I’m glad you like it.”
Pulling away, she wipes her eyes, glowing as she stares at the papers in her hand. “When did you do this? Is this why you went back into Dr. Sanderson’s office after my appointment?”
“Yeah,” I admit, rubbing the back of my neck. “I had Mandy help me find the ultrasound place. I didn’t know what the hell I was looking for.”
“The receptionist?”
My brow furrows. “Yeah, why?”
Maci shakes her head and laughs. “I thought you went back in there to hit on her.”
“Mandy?” I balk. “Fuck no. We grew up together; she’s like a sister to me. Although, I thought she was going to ruin the whole surprise with all that damn smiling she was doing.”
“You did all this…” she trails off with a sniffle. “Before we even…”
“Made it official,” I finish. “Yeah, I did. Hopefully, you’re not too disappointed with not getting any diamonds or jewelry.”
“Are you kidding me? This is the best present anyone has ever given me.”
I give myself a mental high-five.
“You’re coming with me, right?” she asks. “For the ultrasound and the weekend?”
My chest tightens. I want to go with her, but for her to want me to come with her—well, damn, she’s giving me a gift in itself. “If you want me to.” I force myself to play it cool.
“Of course, I do.” She starts bouncing in place. “Ah! We get to find out the baby’s gender on Valentine’s Day,” she squeals, jumping me and pinning me to the bed to shower me with kisses.
And in this moment with her, I don’t know if I’ve ever been happier.
Ever.
The last seven weeks with Maci have been nothing short of a dream. She’s everything I need, and everything I didn’t know I desired in a partner. I love her. I love her more than I’ve ever loved anyone—I just can’t bring myself to tell her.
There’s no doubt in my mind she feels the same way, and I don’t doubt she’s waiting for me to say it first because of my past. And I’m working on getting to the point of telling her, I’m just not there yet.
Because the last time I spoke those three words to a woman I loved…
It was the last thing I ever said to her.
And that realization alone is messing with my mind.
Maci guides my hand onto her five-month bump, laying it flat against her. My heart warms feeling the tiny push under my palm. That same heartwarming feeling I felt three weeks ago when we were in bed and she felt a kick for the first time.
The smiles, the laughs, the tears we shared.
Every second I spend with her is better than the last.
“They’re moving all over the place,” she says.
“Any final guesses?” I grin, rubbing her belly as I drive us to Helena for her ultrasound appointment and to enjoy a romantic weekend away—just us.
My family has welcomed Maci with open arms. We’ve gone to most of the Montgomery Sunday dinners when Maci is feeling well enough to go. And I refuse to go without her.
Butch and I are back on good terms ever since we made it official. He still has his concerns, but we’ve talked it out, and he understands I’m serious about this relationship—the baby included.
Maci places her hand over mine. “I’m sticking with a girl. What do you think? Cassidy keeps saying boy, but I think she’s just saying that because she swears she’s having a boy with how big she already is.”
I chuckle. “Cass better hope it’s a boy, I can’t see Butch having a daughter. The guy will lose his mind.”
“You think so?” She smiles. “I think it’d soften him up to have a girl.”
“He’ll be following her around like some lunatic by the teen years, guaranteed. And I’ll be right there with him. The little lady born into the Montgomery’s is going to have an escort for every dance, I’ll tell ya that right now.”
She laughs. “I can see it now.”
We arrive at Hey, Baby Ultrasounds a minute later. The technician calls us back and into a private room. The space is clean, quiet, and dark. Maci gets on the bed, and the tech pulls up a chair for me to sit next to her. “My name is Katie; I’ll be doing your ultrasound. Are we planning on finding out the gender today?”
Maci smiles. “Yes.”
Katie squirts gel onto Maci’s belly and presses against her with a white wand. “I’m going to start with a few measurements, then we’ll take a closer look,” she tells us, going through the necessary motions.
I glance over at Maci watching the screen with avid, rapt eyes. She takes my hand, and I squeeze hers in return. My nerves are shot, a jackhammer pounding in my chest. I haven’t been this anxious since… Shit, ever.
“All right,” Katie says. “Let’s see what we’re having…”
The wand twirls and shifts the view of the baby.
“It’s a…” the tech pauses, anticipation rising, “…girl,” she announces. “Congratulations.”
A girl.
My heart swells.
Maci gasps, covers her mouth, and starts to cry. Hot tears sting my eyes as she reaches for me. She wraps her arms around my neck and holds me tight. “It’s a girl,” she cries softly.
I hold her, blowing out a jagged breath. “A girl.” My voice strains with an overwhelming flood of emotion.
Maci leans away to look at me. Holding my face in her hands, she lays a tender kiss on my lips. “I love you, Duke,” she whispers.
Time stops when she tells me she loves me. And I kiss her—again, and again, and again. I love you, too, I want to shout, but I don’t. I…can’t. Instead, I kiss her a hundred times to the point she’s laughing tears of joy.
My whole life is right in front of me. “We’re having a girl.”
“Close your eyes,” Maci tells me, peeking out the bedroom door of the cabin.
I cross my arms over my chest and kick back on the couch where she told me to sit. “Why?”
She fakes a pout. “Please.”
Reluctantly, I close my eyes and wait a beat before attempting to discreetly open one eye.
“Duke,” she scolds me with a laugh.
I grin. She knows me too well. “All right, all right.” I close my eyes and listen to her light steps as she approaches. I have a hunch as to what she’s doing, but when I hear the rustle of paper, my brow furrows.
“Okay, you can open them now.”
I open my eyes to Maci standing before me holding a large poster of a candy red, 1970 Chevrolet Chevelle SS 454 with the signature double black stripes on the hood—my dream classic muscle car.
“This is the one, right?” she asks with a beautiful smile.
I’m confused. “Yeah, doll, but why do you—”
“Good,” she starts. “Because you’re going to need this for reference when you go with Butch next week to pick up yours.”
My mouth drops, my eyes widen, and I bolt to sit up straighter. “What? Are you—”
“It needs a lot of work,” she adds, gazing down at the poster. “I know you mentioned you’d love to buy one to restore yourself. The guy said it doesn’t run, and it might need a whole engine rebuild, but everything on it is original, including the red paint.”
I stare at her in amazement. “Maci.”
“Happy Birthday!”
“How?” I ask, completely dumbfounded.
“I’ve been looking for a while,” she says. “Long story short, I found this guy in Colorado… He wanted the car to go to someone who would restore it and keep it as original as possible. I told him about you, and your whole plan—well, what I remembered you telling me, anyway. So, yeah, I asked Butch if he would help, so he and your dad went out there a few weeks ago to check it out, and made a great deal for it. It was a little out of my price range, so your parents and all your brothers chipped in with me, and we got it. You go to pick it up on Monday. The guy said he can’t wait to meet you.”
I can’t believe she did this…for me? This has to be the best gift anyone has ever gotten me. She knows me better than anyone ever will.
“Angel.” I grin, reaching for her, but she takes a quick step back.
I frown as she giggles. “Hold on, there’s more,” she says, dropping the poster on the ground to reveal herself clad in a sexy-as-fuck, cherry red, see-through lace lingerie—glowing with her twenty-two-week bump.
I growl, leaping to my feet and snatching her by the waist. I hoist her into my arms by her ass and wrap her legs around me. “You’re perfect, baby, you know that?”
I love you.