“A date, you say? Yeah, that could work.”
“Bro, you need to take things slow.”
“A date is slow, Toby. I’m not going to have sex with her. I’ll be a gentleman.”
Toby chuckles. “You, a gentleman? I’d like to see this?”
“I can be a gentleman,” I retort, lining up my shot and smashing the ball across the felt fabric of the table. I knock two balls into two separate pockets. “I can also be a lucky bastard.”
“Here-here.” James tops up my whiskey as someone walks into the room. It’s Stephanie, and she has a pained look upon her face.
“Hey, you okay?” I ask as she all but collapses into my arms.
“No. It hurts, Jake.”
“What hurts?” I pull her over to the couches that Simon has in the room and lower her to one. I lift her legs, so she’s laying down.
“The baby is stretching out inside me.”
I reach for her stomach. “Come on, baby, give your mumma a break. She loves you, but stop hurting her.
Instantly, her stomach moves, and Stephanie’s face relaxes. “Must like hearing your voice.” I don’t reply but lay there rubbing her belly until she’s ready to move.
Stephanie sits up before standing and wobbles into my arms.
“You might want to stop wearing high heels soon,” I suggest.
She nods. “I will. Thank you.” She leans up and kisses my cheek before walking away.
I can’t help but watch as she moves. The way her body curves with the pregnancy, she’s gorgeous.
Right then I decide that I’ll take her on the best romantic date ever. I’ll make sure she knows she’s special because that’s what she deserves. She needs to be treated like a queen after all the shit I put her through.
Stephanie
“Everything looks amazing with you, and your protein levels look great, so no worries there. Now, we just need to measure your belly and hear the heartbeat,” my midwife says.
I turn to glance at Jake. I’m grateful he’s here with me for this.
“Is it normal for everything to feel like it’s stretching? I had a bit of pain over the weekend, not labour pains, but I felt like I was stretching.”
“Very normal. It’s your body making way for the baby to grow. Of course, it probably doesn’t help when the baby is trying to lay flat, right?” My midwife laughs as I lay down on the bed.
“Yup.”
Jake comes over once I’m comfortable, and I reach my hand out. He slides his into mine, giving it a light squeeze. The midwife measures my belly and tells me that we measure exactly where we should be. She then gets out the cold jelly and squeezes it onto my stomach. Using the probe and monitor, she begins searching for the baby and heartbeat.
The loud noise fills the air, and Jake’s eyes fill with tears.
“You okay?” I ask.
“Yeah... That is just the most beautiful sound in the world.”
“Baby sounds perfect.” The midwife writes down the heart rate and then hands me a paper towel. I wipe myself down and straighten my clothes. “I have a few bits of paperwork for you today. Another blood test and the requisition to get the twenty-week scan done.”
“Awesome.” I smile gleefully at Jake.
This is the scan where we can find out the gender if we wish to. I have to talk to Jake about it first. We get the papers and exit the office. We won’t see the midwife again until I’m twenty-two weeks along.
“I can’t attend the next appointment. I’ll be on a training course,” Jake says as we get into the car.
“No worries. All the appointments go the same way so that you won’t miss anything, and I’ll tell you everything anyway.”
He smiles. “I appreciate it. Speaking of the scan, we need to decide if we are going to find out the gender or not. I know we have some time to talk about it, but I want to think about it seriously.”
“I think I want to find out. The pregnancy was a surprise enough, and I want to be prepared a little, you know? I also still have to find somewhere for the baby and me to live, so I say yes, let’s find out.” He doesn’t say anything. “Jake, have I said something wrong?”
He shakes his head. “No, it’s just I kind of hoped we might be able to work on things if you stayed living with us.”
“Jake, I don’t want to feel like I’m a burden to your family.”
“You’re not. They wouldn’t have offered you to move in otherwise.”
His stomach growls and mine mimics it. “Baby must be hungry, huh? What are you in the mood for?” he asks.
“McDonald’s. A Quarter Pounder burger.” My mouth waters with the idea of eating something salty and greasy.
“Alright, we’re almost there.” He pulls into a McDonald’s and orders for me. We’re sitting, waiting to pay and my tummy growls again. “Must be a boy if it’s craving meat.”
I laugh. “Could be a girl and she just takes after her daddy?”
He slides his hand onto my tummy. “So long as it’s healthy, happy and has a penis, I don’t care.”
“Wait. Has a penis? You want a boy?”
“Doesn’t every guy?” He chuckles. “We’ll wait for the scan.” We move forward and pay.
I get my burger and literally inhale it, wishing I’d asked for two.
Jake parks the car up the drive and shuts off the engine.
I turn to face him. “Thanks for coming today. It was great having you there and not doing it alone, but I know you won’t be able to make it to every appointment.”
He smiles. “Can I touch your belly some more?”
“I told you that you don’t need to ask.” I didn’t bother to tell him that he’d touched it just a few minutes ago without asking for permission. I rather enjoyed him taking liberties.
He leans forward and rubs my growing belly. The baby kicks back. He looks up at me. An urge of desire overwhelms me, and I lean forward pressing my lips to his. I slide my hands around his neck as he slides his free hand around mine.
Using his thumb, he pulls down on my chin, opening my mouth for him to deepen the kiss. It’s harsh, deep and demanding; as if with one kiss, he’s trying to tell me that I’m the only girl for him. I grip his shirt, trying to pull him closer.
The longer we kiss, the higher my blood pressure rises. I need him to come inside, take me upstairs and have his way with me.
He pulls back, leaving my lips swollen and throbbing.
“Steph, as much as I want to continue this, I have to go to work.”
I nod, trying not to cry at his rejection.
Stupid fucking hormones.
He tilts my head up. “Hey, I didn’t mean to make you cry. I just have to go to work. Know this. I’d like nothing more than to head upstairs to my room, my bed and spend the afternoon making love to you.”
“You don’t find my baby belly off-putting?”
“Nope. You’re sexy. So sexy. Now, be a good girl and head inside. I will see you tonight for dinner.”
“You’re coming for dinner?” I ask.
“I am.”
“Best I make some of your favourite chocolate brownies, then,” I reply giggling.