I’d won the championship right after we were married and had taken her on a monthlong honeymoon to Hawaii. I hesitated to fight another season, not wanting to be away from my wife. But Angelique wanted to travel with me, and since she’d never been anywhere besides Las Vegas (and now Hawaii), I was happy to give in to her request. As much as I enjoyed simply having her with me, it was incredible to watch her wonder and excitement at each new place we went.
When we found out Angelique was pregnant, we agreed that I would finish out the season and then retire for good. My wife then decided that we needed to have a huge party to celebrate my retirement and hopefully, another championship. I didn’t want her to overdo it, but she convinced me by assuring me that she would have help from Knox’s sisters, who ran the wedding chapel at the Lennox.
I took home my final belt with my sexy wife, round with our child, cheering me on from the first row. She’d been practically vibrating with excitement over the party, so here I was, about to wake her when I knew, at eight months pregnant, she was exhausted.
After tenderly kissing her lips, I pulled back to find gorgeous turquoise eyes beaming up at me sleepily. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to fall asleep.”
“You should have been resting all day instead of running around on your swollen feet,” I admonished her with a mild frown.
Angelique rolled her eyes, and her lips started to curve up, but then her mouth suddenly flattened for a moment, and she rubbed her belly. “Are you in pain?” I asked suspiciously.
She grunted and sat up on the couch. “Nope. It’s just getting hard to maneuver with your giant offspring inside me.” She laughed as she held out her hand so I could help her to her feet. When she saw my furrowed brow and narrowed eyes, she clucked her tongue at me like I was a naughty child. “Don’t be such a bear, Michael. I’m completely refreshed from my little catnap.”
Shaking my head, I sighed but lifted her to her feet. Before she could try to walk, though, I swept her into my arms and made my way out to our large backyard where everything was set up for a barbecue. I set her down on one of the overstuffed loungers and ordered her to stay put. The doorbell rang just as she was opening her mouth, no doubt to argue with me, and I pointed a warning finger at her before heading back inside.
When I opened the door, a wide smile split my face at the sight of the man and woman standing there. “Justice?”
Justice Kendall and I had been friends for a long time but rarely got to see each other because he lived in New York City. He’d also been my investment manager since he started his company with his brother, Thatcher. They’d flown out for my final championship fight, but I didn’t know Justice and Blair were still in town.
He grinned and shook my hand. “Your wife is very persuasive, and somehow, she convinced us to extend our trip to be here for your party.” It might not seem like it to some people, but this was a big deal for these two. They hated being away from their children for more than a few nights.
“Thank you for coming,” I said gruffly, trying not to sound like a pussy even though I was touched by their gesture. Blair went up on her tiptoes and kissed my cheek, ignoring Justice’s growl. I almost laughed except for the fact that I was just as possessive of my wife.
“We wouldn’t have missed it. Thatcher and Imogene aren’t far behind us.”
I nodded, again trying to repress the pussy I was apparently becoming. I showed them out to the backyard where they greeted my wife, who had been obedient for a change and stayed in her seat. Blair rubbed her large belly and smiled. “Not long now, huh?”
Angelique beamed and shook her head. “We can’t wait to meet the little guy.” Her face twisted in pain for half a second, but it was long enough for me to notice.
I rushed over and crouched down at her side. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing,” she assured me brightly. “He just likes to practice his boxing moves a little too enthusiastically sometimes.”
My eyes searched her face, looking for any sign that she was still in pain, but I didn’t find any. I slowly straightened up, and when the doorbell rang again, I reluctantly went to let in the next guests. By the time everyone arrived, the backyard was filled with people.
Angelique convinced me to let her mingle a little, but I watched her like a hawk until she scolded me for being rude and ignoring everyone else. I didn’t want to listen to her because every once in a while, I caught that same little hint of a grimace, and she would rub her tummy. However, she teared up, and I immediately went to talk with Justice, Thatcher, and Knox, just to get her to stop crying.
I finally relaxed a little when Blair and Knox’s wife, Addilyn, promised to keep an eye on Angelique. Not twenty minutes later, Addilyn sidled up to Knox and whispered something in his ear, making him frown. She glanced at me, making me narrow my eyes on her and look around for my wife. When I didn’t see her, my scowl swung back over to Knox and Addilyn.
“I’d be pissed as fuck if no one told me, baby. I’m not going to risk my pretty face by distracting a champion MMA fighter,” he said with a shake of his head. He flinched when she glared at him but turned to look at me. “Apparently, Angelique isn’t feeling well. Blair took her inside and instructed my wife to request that I distract you so you would enjoy the rest of the party.” Addilyn huffed, and Knox pulled her into his arms. By the way she melted into him, I assumed she’d already forgiven him.
Rolling my eyes, I sighed and mumbled my thanks before sprinting back to the house and into our bedroom. Angelique was sitting on the side of the bed, bent over, holding her stomach, while Blair rubbed her lower back.
My chest squeezed at the pain I saw in Angelique’s face. Since no one was around, she wasn’t bothering to try to hide it, and it struck fear into my heart. “What the fuck?” I almost shouted but lowered my voice at the last minute so I wouldn’t upset her even further. “What’s wrong?”
She tried to smile at me and panted, “Nothing, babe. Go back to the party. I’ll be down there in a few.” Blair rolled her eyes and silently shook her head.
I took a deep breath, trying to stay calm, and knelt in front of Angelique before I took her face between my palms. “Have you been feeling like this all day, angel eyes?” Her eyes began to widen with innocence, and I knew she was about to lie her pretty little ass off but was derailed by another grimace and groan of pain.
“Maybe a little,” she conceded when the pain seemed to let up. “But I didn’t want to spoil the party. Let’s go back out there. I’m fine.”
“Um, Angelique,” Blair murmured, “I’m pretty sure you’re in labor.”
My wife bent over with another wave of pain but managed to turn her head to the side and glare at her friend. “Traitor.”
“Let’s go,” I stated firmly as I got to my feet. She protested weakly as I swept her into my arms, and I scowled at her as I stormed from the room. “Not another word, angel eyes. You’ve already earned yourself a red ass for keeping this from me all day.”
Angelique gasped and smacked my chest. “You can’t spank a pregnant woman!”
I glanced down and despite my worry, I smirked at her. “I can wait until the doctor gives you the all clear.”