Chapter 18
Chapter Eighteen
Bellamy
I love our new house. It’s huge—way too big for just the three of us—but Reid said he wants to make this our home, and to be sure we have plenty of bedrooms for all of our kids and family when they come to visit.
It’s the first week of December, and there’s a light dusting of snow on the ground, making it feel more like the holidays.
We have a massive Christmas tree in the foyer, and another in the living room, which isn’t quite as tall.
I love the holidays, and Reid has humored me in all the seasonal decorations I’ve been buying.
“I love bye weeks,” Reid says. We’re sitting on the couch, just having finished dinner. We’re both in sweats and sweatshirts, and just lounging. I took the day off from work to spend some time with him.
“What? Don’t let your coach hear you say that,” I tease.
“He’s not that scary,” Reid jokes.
My phone rings, and I reach for it, seeing Rowan’s name on the screen. “Hey, Rowan,” I greet her.
“Hey, it’s bye week!” She cheers, and I laugh.
“That it is.”
“We’re having everyone over tomorrow night. Low-key, comfy clothes, just the gang getting together.”
“What time?”
“Anytime, but probably around six-ish.”
“What do you need us to bring?”
“Just you—well, and that man of yours, too.” She laughs. “We’ll order in some food.”
“I have a new dip I’ve been wanting to try. I’ll make that.”
“Not necessary, but we’re not going to say no. You know my husband will eat anything.” She chuckles.
“Yeah, Reid’s not picky either.”
“Great. See you tomorrow.”
“Bye,” I say, dropping my phone to my lap. “That was Rowan. They invited us to their place tomorrow. I guess everyone’s going to be there.”
“I’m glad they didn’t say tonight,” he says.
“Why’s that?”
“It’s my night with you.” He pulls my legs onto his lap. “This is our day.”
“We’ve been hanging around the house all day.”
“I know, and it’s perfect. We’re in our new home, we’re settled, it’s the holidays, and I’ve had my girl all to myself all day long.”
“It’s been nice,” I admit.
“We need to look at furniture for our baby girl’s nursery. You feel like browsing online?” he asks.
“I’ve been looking. I have some to show you,” I say, reaching for my phone. We both adjust our position so that we’re sitting side by side so we can both see my phone, but then Reid decides that’s not good enough and lifts me onto his lap.
“Better,” he says, nuzzling my neck.
“I’m too heavy.”
“Woman, please. I don’t want to hear that come out of your mouth ever again. You’re a fucking goddess, and you’re growing our daughter.” He gives me a stern look, letting me know that he means business. “Show me.”
Pulling up the pictures I have saved on my phone, I hand it to him so that he can scroll through them. “I was thinking light pink and light gray walls, with white furniture.”
“It’s perfect. What about having an artist come in and do a mural of some sort on one of the walls?”
“Really?” I love this idea. “That’s not too much?”
“Bell, this is our daughter. Nothing will ever be too much.”
“She’s not going to be a spoiled brat,” I warn him.
“You’re right.” He nods. “She’s going to be a spoiled princess.”
“I’m in so much trouble, aren’t I?”
He laughs, cupping my cheek and turning my head to kiss me. “You know our family. You saw Camden’s birthday.”
“I guess at least we have a big-ass house for all the things,” I say, making him laugh.
“Let’s order this. I’ll call the painter and start looking for mural ideas.”
“She’s going to be here soon,” I say, resting my hands over my belly. I’m twenty-five weeks, so over halfway there. It feels close, yet so far away at the same time. Our little girl kicks my hand where it rests on my belly, and I wince. “Ouch.”
“What?”
“She kicked me.”
Reid immediately moves my hand and rests his exactly where mine was, trying to feel her. He’s never felt her move before. She lets out another hard kick, and his eyes light up. “Holy shit.”
“Told you. We have the next Rampage kicker on our hands, or a soccer player.”
“Come on, baby girl. Kick again for Daddy,” he says, talking to my belly. She does, and he laughs. It's gleeful, and it melts my heart. “Thank you. Now take it easy on your momma,” he tells our unborn daughter. “That’s incredible, Bell.”
“It is,” I agree, as tears form in my eyes. “I’m glad you finally got to feel her.”
“She’s always sleeping, and I’ve been away so much I didn’t think I’d ever get to feel her moving.” She kicks again, and he grins. “Best night ever,” he says, snuggling me closer. “Want to watch a movie?”
“Sure, I also need to shower and shave my legs,” I groan. He goes to lift the leg of my sweats, and I swat his hand away. “No,” I scold. “It’s bad, trust me.”
“Babe, I don’t care if your legs aren’t shaved.”
“Well, I do, and it’s getting harder and harder to make that happen with this belly.”
“Change of plans,” he says, lifting me into his arms and starting down the hall.
“Where are we going?” I ask, looping my arms around his neck to hold on.
“To shave your legs.”
“What? No. That’s not why I said that. I just meant that I wanted to do it sometime tonight before bed.”
“It’s tonight, and before bed.”
“I thought we were going to watch a movie?”
“We were, and we still can. After I take care of you.”
My heart melts. “Reid.” I sigh softly because I don’t know what to do with him sometimes. He’s so damn sweet, and not at all what I expected after I found out what he did for a living. I was such a bitch to push him away like I did.
“I’m gone all the time. I feel like I’m not supporting you as much as I should. Let me have this. Let me help you.”
“You’ve made every appointment. You call me multiple times a day when you’re on the road. You’re supporting me by thinking of me and our daughter. You might not be here, but I know that you want to be, Reid, and that makes all the difference. And I’m capable. It’s just harder these days,” I add.
“Then let me take that burden from you.”
“You’re going to shave my legs?”
“Bell, baby, don’t you know by now, there isn’t anything I wouldn’t do for you or our girl?”
There’s a huge part of me that wants to tell him that this is ridiculous, that I can manage—that I was just whining.
But there’s an even bigger part that wants to lean on him, because I know that I can.
I know in my soul that Reid will catch me if I fall.
And I have fallen. I’m irrevocably in love with him. He just doesn’t know it yet.
He carries me to the bathroom, sets me on the vanity, and then rearranges the space to make room. It’s a double with lots of space in between. I sit silently as I watch him turn the water on and let it run before coming back to me.
He grabs one of the decorative pillows from the bed and brings it to me, placing it beside me to lean against. “Comfortable?” he asks.
“As much as a six-month pregnant woman sitting on a bathroom vanity can be,” I tease.
He grins as he slides his hand under my sweatshirt to rest it on my baby bump.
He waits for our little girl to kick. When she does, his grin grows wider, and his eyes glow with happiness.
Moving his hands to the waistband of my sweats, he says, “Let’s get you out of these,” he says softly, tugging on my sweatpants.
I lift, allowing him to pull them down, off, and toss them to the floor.
He runs his hands up my calves to my thighs and hums his approval.
“So sexy,” he says, his lips finding mine.
His kiss is slow as his tongue lazily slides against mine.
By the time he pulls back, there’s steam coming from the sink, my panties are ruined, and from the bulge he’s sporting, he’s just as turned on as I am.
He plugs the sink, lets it fill with hot water, and reaches into a drawer, grabbing a new razor and a can of shaving gel. “Trust me?” he asks. There’s a glint of playfulness in his eyes, but there’s also concern, as if he’s worried I might say no.
“Yes.” I could say more, but I’m too turned on right now. And more words aren’t necessary. My simple yes is all he needs to hear.
Turning off the water, he squirts a dollop of gel into his palm.
He rubs his hands together before lathering my left leg.
Razor in hand, he places it against my skin and makes a long, slow swipe.
He’s laser-focused on his task, dipping the razor into the sink to rinse it off, before taking another pass.
With each stroke of the razor against my skin, my body grows hotter for him. My heart thunders inside my chest. It’s so loud, I’m sure he can hear it. He stays focused while I sit here in drenched panties, watching him care for me.
I never allowed myself to think about falling in love. I never wanted to go through what my mom did. I didn’t think about the man I would marry, or even about having kids. That was something I’d pushed to the back of my mind and locked away, clouded by my anger.
Now, I can’t imagine my life without Reid Montgomery. He’s easy-going, attentive, hot as hell, responsible, hardworking, and a million other things; there are too many to list. Every single day, he shows up for me, cares for me, and proves that I’m important to him.
I’m starting to see things more clearly—specifically, my past. My mom was right.
I was young, angry, and wanted to blame someone, so since Dad was the one who left, he became the easy target.
As I grew older, the anger persisted, and I became stubborn, unwilling to listen to what she had to say.
When I think about the cards and letters from my dad, I can’t help but soften toward him.
Maybe, just maybe, one day, we can get back what we lost.
“What’s on your mind, Dream Girl?” Reid asks, as he wets a cloth and wipes off my left leg, before helping me turn and get adjusted so he can start on the right.
“Meeting you changed my life.”
His gaze softens as he leans in for a kiss. “Mine too, baby.”
“I think—I think I need to reach out to my dad.”