Chapter 37
Chapter Thirty-Seven
PATIENCE
Playtime should definitely be a part of our daily routine.
I giggled as the thought crossed my mind. Curled under the covers, sated and satisfied, I sighed at how well Jett and I meshed in bed. The way my body had responded when he was around for years, I’d had a feeling things would be good between us.
I’d been wrong.
They weren’t just good; they were fan-freaking-tastic.
Hearing the shower kick on, I couldn’t help but wonder why I hadn’t gotten up right away to join my husband as he cleaned himself off. I’d been so relaxed that I couldn’t get myself to move, but I was thinking that had been a mistake.
It’s not too late.
I was startled when my cell phone rang on the table next to the bed.
I rolled over—slightly, but pleasantly sore in all the right places—at the sound of Ruby’s ringtone.
We’d all come up with a song for each lady and had programmed it into our phones.
So, I was currently answering the call to the sound and lyrics of “Oh, Pretty Woman” by Roy Orbison.
My sister-in-law was more than just pretty; she was gorgeous and was still sought out for modeling gigs which she did from time to time.
I laughed as I grabbed the phone, thinking about us all going rounds about who got what song.
It had been fun, but anytime all the ladies got together, it usually was.
Accepting the FaceTime request, my son’s face filled the screen.
“Hi, Mom!” His smile shot warmth to my heart. “Wow, you’re in bed before me?”
I’d just been thinking of getting out and joining my guy in the shower, but that would have to wait for another time. Griffin would probably be hitting the hay soon, so we needed to say our goodnights.
“I was just resting, but I’ll probably go to sleep soon. Are you all ready for bed?”
He tried moving the phone down his body, but it was too close to him and wobbled all over the place. “Yup, already got my jammies on.”
“Which ones are you wearing tonight? I couldn’t see them.”
With the phone back on his face, he scrunched up his nose. “You need glasses,” he told me.
Autumn squeezed her head into the frame. “Hi, Auntie Patience.”
“Hey, sweetie. Are you and Griffin having fun hanging out?”
She was nodding her head vigorously. “Yes. I miss you guys. Can you all move back in with us, Jett too?”
Griffin started bouncing up and down, the phone moving with him, and I could barely see the kids. “Yes, let's move back in!” he shouted.
“Whoa.” Lyric’s deep voice came through the line, a chuckle following. “What are you all so excited about?”
I could hear them telling Lyric that we were moving back in. We’d been talking about it, but honestly, I wasn’t sure what was happening. I did love having the kids close.
“Is that so?” Lyric asked.
“Yup,” they both answered in unison.
Then Ruby’s voice came in from the background. “You two are silly. Say goodnight to your mom and your aunt so I can have a turn talking to her.”
The bouncing stopped, and Griffin and Autumn’s sweet faces once again filled the screen.
“Night,” Autumn said, and then she was gone.
All of a sudden, the joy from moments before shifted, and Griffin looked like he was about to cry. “When are you and Daddy coming home?”
My heart took a tumble at the sad note in his voice.
“By the end of the week. It won’t be long.”
He let out a small sigh. “Okay. Can I talk to my daddy?”
It wasn’t often that we’d hear mommy and daddy used anymore, mostly just when he was sad.
Lately it had changed to mom or dad when he called out or talked about us.
My little man was growing up, and being around the older kids, he tended to mimic what they did or said.
So, it was a blessing that all our friends had great children, and he was learning from them.
Unless he caught on to Embry’s swear jar. Me, I was careful and rarely said a bad word, so I got to keep my money, but the others would go broke—just as they did with Embry.
“He’s in the shower. I’ll have him call you first thing in the morning, okay?”
“Okay. Love you, here’s Auntie Ruby. Night, Mom.”
“Night, baby. Love you too.”
That got me another nose scrunch. “I’m not a baby, I’m a big boy.”
Holding the laugh inside so he didn’t see, I said, “Sorry. Of course you are a big boy.”
That must have satisfied him because the next thing I knew, Ruby was on the line, laughing into the phone. “He sure told you,” she teased.
“I guess so. He’s getting way too big.” My baby was growing up. “Why does time have to go so fast? It feels like just yesterday that I found out I was pregnant.”
Pregnant.
My heart began to race, and I bolted up in bed.
“What’s wrong?” Ruby asked. “You look like you're about to jump out of your skin.”
I got out of bed and started to pace, the phone in my hand as I stared at Ruby—Jett’s sister. What did I say to her?
“Patience, you’re freaking me out. Talk to me.”
She was Jett’s sister, but she was my friend and my sister-in-law. I could talk to her, right? I had to before I freaked the heck out more than I already was.
“I just realized I missed my period,” I blurted out.
Now Ruby was just staring at me. “Say something,” I told her. “You asked me to talk to you, so help.”
She shook her head before seeming to get control of her thoughts. Good thing one of us has it together.
“How far past your period are you?”
I had to think about it. “Almost two weeks. How could I have not known before now?”
“Honey, you’ve had a lot going on.”
“That’s true. Things have been so crazy with the attack, Dusty visiting, the custody battle, making love for the first time to the man I’d been waiting for forever, and the trip we decided to take.”
Ruby smiled. “I don’t want any details, but I guess the making love part is why you might be pregnant. But give yourself a break about not realizing it with everything that’s happening to you right now.”
“You don’t understand. We used a condom every time!” I practically screeched.
Good thing the shower is still on.
She just gave me a look. No words were necessary for me to know what she was thinking.
“How could this happen again?” I started backpedaling. “No, maybe it’s just the stress of everything and once I calm down, it will start.”
Again, Ruby just watched me, letting me work through this in my head for a minute.
“Crap. It happened again.” I’d stopped pacing, but now I was at it again. “I’m late, tired, my breasts are tender, and while I haven’t thrown up, I have been a bit queasy for the last couple of days.”
Ruby gave me a sympathetic look. “Hey, it’s going to be okay.”
“How do you know that?” I asked in a skeptical tone.
Now my stomach was really turning over, and I just might puke.
“Because my brother loves you, and he’ll be okay with this. Trust me.”
I stopped in my tracks and tried to calm my breathing before I passed out. Ruby sounded a lot more confident than I felt right now.
“Besides, you heard what Dusty said about how he wanted babies with you. Talk to him.”
Dusty had told me that. But… “A lot has happened since then. He could have changed his mind.”
God, I hoped he hadn’t, because I was pretty sure I was pregnant.
The shower turned off, and I rushed to finish my conversation.
“I gotta go. You can’t say a word. Promise me?”
“Patience…”
“Please.” I pleaded. “Jett has to get through this trip before I can add anything else to the emotional rollercoaster he is on. I have to keep this to myself, or between us, until after the trip.”
She bit her lower lip, looking torn, but then sighed. “Okay, I get it. I won’t say anything to anyone, but I’m here if you need me.”
My shoulders slumped, my body relaxing a fraction. “Thank you.”
“You don’t have to thank me. That’s what sisters are for. And for the record, once again, I think he will be over the moon to have a baby with you. I know I’m happy for you guys.”
“Thank—”
“Don’t say it,” she joked. “Love you. Call me if you want to talk later.”
I gave her a small smile. “Love you back.”
We said goodbye, and then she was gone. I set the phone down on the bedside table and brought a hand to my stomach.
A baby with my husband.
It was something I’d always dreamed of and never knew he’d thought of until Dusty told me. How was I going to act normal the rest of the trip when so many emotions were barreling through me?
Two faulty condoms? How did that even happen to the same person? It was just my luck.
But suddenly, I realized I was lucky. I had a beautiful boy whom I couldn’t imagine a life without. And now, I might have the chance to have a baby with the best man I knew.
No matter what, I was blessed.
The door to the bathroom opened, and I swiveled around to see Jett emerge in nothing, but a white hotel towel tied around his waist. My mouth went dry at the sight. All his muscles were on display, and the bits I couldn’t see, I needed to.
It didn’t matter that we’d just had sex; I wanted him again already.
That is exactly how this happened, I thought, my hand still resting on my stomach.
We couldn’t seem to keep our hands off each other.
“Please let the towel fall off.”
Jett’s eyes twinkled with mischief.
Shoot. I slapped my hand over my mouth and my eyes bulged out. Then dropping my hand I asked, like a total goober, “Did I just say that out loud?”
“Yup.”
I groaned, and he chuckled.
“So…” He stepped closer, one hand on his towel. “You want me to drop this?”
Biting my lip, I nodded.
Quick as a whip, he ripped off the towel and stalked toward me with a predatory gleam in his eyes.
Backing up with each move he made to reach me, I soon found my back against the wall. His toned arms moved to cage me in, both hands resting beside my head.
“I can’t get enough of you.”
His deep, gravelly voice shot straight to my core.
“I don’t want you to,” I whispered.
His mouth crashed down over mine as his hips surged forward, his erection pressing into my belly. My body caught fire, and I moaned into his mouth.
How was it possible to want someone so much?
Or to love a man beyond reason?
When I’d first met Jett, I’d thought, why couldn’t I have found him before I got mixed up with Chaz? But the answer was always simple, really. Because I was meant to have Griffin.
Jett’s mouth moved to the side of my neck. “I’m not doing my job if you’re thinking this much,” he said.
He didn’t wait for me to say anything. Jett ripped the T-shirt of his that I was wearing over my head before he began trailing kisses down my body, making his way between my breasts and moving to my stomach.
My belly fluttered at the thought of what was likely growing inside me and the fact that Jett didn’t know. At that moment, I struggled not to tell him, but I just couldn’t.
Jett fell to his knees, unaware of the turmoil rolling through me. My mind was full of worry, but my body was burning with desire. He hitched one of my trembling legs over his shoulder.
“Mine,” he growled.
Then he pressed a kiss to my silk-covered mound.
And suddenly, I wasn’t thinking at all.