In the beginning, p.50
In The Beginning, page 50
She looks up at me, and her eyes are rimmed in red as tears continuously leak from them. “I-I’m h-having c-c-contractions.” Her moan breaks my heart and scares the shit out of me.
I scoop her up into my arms and carry her down the stairs. I set her down while I grab my keys and wallet, and her purse. On the way to the hospital, I call her OB’s answering service and ask them to inform the doctor that she’s heading to the hospital.
When we get there, the valet helps Del out and into a wheelchair. I hand him the keys, and then I wheel her to the information desk. They send us to their labor and delivery unit and put us in a room. After she changes into the hospital gown, she climbs onto the bed so the nurse can monitor the contractions. Before she leaves us, she tells Delilah that she’ll be watching from the monitors in the nurse’s station.
Delilah stares at the wall, looking so sad. I pull up the chair and sit down next to the bed, reaching out to take her hand in mine. She doesn’t squeeze it or hold on. It just sits limply in mine.
“Baby, please look at me.” She turns to me and her brown eyes that usually shine so bright are dull and vacant. “I’m sorry, baby. I hate this so much for you. I wish I would’ve sent her away the minute she showed up.”
A lone tear leaks from her eye. I reach for it and wipe it away with my thumb. A knock on the door sounds, and I turn my head to see Jack walk in. He takes one look at Delilah and opens his mouth, but I stop him. I get up and herd him out the door. “I want to see my daughter.”
“You will, but man, I’ve got to tell you she is not doing well.”
“What do you mean?”
“I think she witnessed everything that went down with her mom. That woman is a piece of work. She let me know that she fucked all of Del’s boyfriends because Del chose to remain a virgin. She grabbed my dick and fucking kissed me. The smell of her perfume is still stuck in my nose, I can still taste her in my mouth, and I’m fucking nauseous. She thought we could have a real good time together.”
Before I can say more, Jack grabs his phone out of his pocket, punches a few buttons, and holds it to his ear. “Just when I can’t think you can sink any lower, you surprise me. Fuck me, Rebecca!” Oh shit. “I know you hate me, but that’s our fucking daughter! Don’t ever contact her again, and you will never get another dime from me.” He hits a button and stuffs the phone into his pocket. “Take me to my girl.”
Back in the room, Delilah is holding her belly and moaning. “Are you having another one?” She nods, so at least she’s answering me now.
Her dad stands on the other side of the bed and grabs Delilah’s hand. “Hey, baby girl. Is my grandson giving you trouble already?” She nods. I look at the monitor and back at her; her eyes are closed now. Jack sits on the side of the bed. “Del, don’t let her get to you. She’s not a good person, and that doesn’t reflect on you. You are not her.”
Jack sighs, moving into a chair on his side, and we quietly watch some college football. After about an hour, the nurse comes in. “Delilah, the doctor wants me to check you, and as long as you’re not dilating, then you can go.”
Jack excuses himself, and I grab Del’s hand. The nurse slips on some gloves, squirts some gel on her fingers, and reaches between Del’s legs. “No change from when you got here, but your cervix is definitely softening.”
“Does that mean she can go into labor anytime? She still has a little over a month to go.” I bend down, kissing Delilah’s forehead.
“No, it can happen long before labor actually starts. What you felt today was called Braxton-Hicks contractions. Sometimes they can be simple tightening of your belly, sometimes they can feel like the real deal. If you feel them again, I want you to drink some water and lie on your left side. That’ll usually stop them or slow them down. Go ahead and get dressed, and I’ll get your discharge papers.”
The nurse steps out, and I help Delilah get dressed. Her dad comes back in with the nurse and watches quietly as I lift my girl off the bed and into the waiting wheelchair. An aide comes and pushes her down to the lobby while I run out and give the valet my ticket. The aide wheels her out when my car arrives, and I get her settled inside.
Jack says he’s following us to my place. She’s silent the whole drive back, and just staring out the window. “Are you hungry? We never ate dinner.”
She says nothing and continues to stare out the window until we arrive. After I help her inside, she goes upstairs, and I wait for her dad to pull in the driveway. I hold the door for him. “Did she go upstairs?”
“Yeah, I’m going to go check on her, and then I’ll start the grill. I’ve got some chicken and vegetables in the refrigerator.”
“I’ll start dinner—you just see if you can get my daughter down here to eat.” I slap him on the shoulder before heading upstairs. Taking the steps two at a time, I head up to my bedroom, but find it empty. I check the spare bedroom that her mom had slept in, but it’s empty too. I open the door to the nursery and the strong scent of paint hits me, but what else I find obliterates me.
Delilah is sitting in the middle of the floor with a teddy bear in her lap. I sit down behind her, fitting my chest to her back. I wrap my arms around her, and I feel her body start to shake and know she’s crying. I kiss her behind her ear. “I know. Fuck, I’m so sorry.”
She turns slightly between my legs and buries her face in my neck. I hold her until her tears finally stop.
“Food’s on,” I hear Jack yell up the stairs.
“Will you eat something for me?” I ask her.
She nods. “Y-Yeah. I’m hungry.”
Her voice is hoarse, and I’m sure she’s got to be thirsty. “Come on, let’s go eat dinner with your dad.”
I lead her downstairs and she walks right into her dad’s open arms. I give them a minute and walk into the kitchen to get plates and silverware out. They join me a few minutes later. Delilah is quiet during dinner, but she’s eating and that makes me happy.
After we eat, she kisses both her dad and me and heads up to bed.
“Walk me out,” Jack says, and I follow him. “Take tomorrow off. I don’t want her coming into the office. She’s too raw right now. It’s taking all of my willpower not to go after that crazy bitch for hurting our daughter like that. I should’ve taken Delilah and run. I hate that she had to be raised by that cunt.”
“You couldn’t know that she was going to turn out like that.”
“In the beginning I was blinded by pussy, and what I thought love was, but I knew nothing about love until they placed my daughter in my arms. Just wait—I know the love you have for Delilah is real, but as soon as you hold your son, you’ll wonder how you ever lived your life without him.”
I let Jack know that I’ll update him on how our girl is doing tomorrow. He gets in his truck and I watch him drive away.
Chapter Eighteen
Delilah
I’m finishing up some invoices when thoughts of this past week hit me. It’s hard to believe it’s been a week since my mom showed up and tried to wreak havoc, and maybe she did a little, but that night I came to the conclusion that I didn’t need her in my life anymore. I have my dad, Brandon, Elizabeth, and best of all, Reece.
Elizabeth called me the next day to check on me, after hearing about my mom, and when I started to cry she gave me the best pep talk. She told me that being a parent was the hardest, yet most rewarding job she’d ever had, and as sad as she found it, some women weren’t cut out for motherhood. She told me that she saw the love I have for my son every time I put my hand on my belly already, and she didn’t doubt for a second that I was going to be the best mother.
She promised to come see me next week, plus she wanted to see the nursery. Rachel is going to come with her too, which I’m super psyched for.
My dad’s looking forward to meeting them. It felt like everything was falling into place. I’ve gotten a couple of hang-up calls the past week, but the number was blocked. I’ve tried not to let it bother me and live in fear, but I still remember the way it felt when the man hit me in the stomach.
The guys are still working their asses off trying to find the person who hurt me, but they’re stumped and hitting dead end after dead end, which has pissed off the alpha brigade. They don’t like to lose.
When I told Brandon about what happened with my mom, he’d felt terrible for letting it slip that I had been sick. I assured him that she was bound to show up anyway, and at least I knew the truth, and that was she didn’t love me and didn’t love her grandson. The only thing she loved was herself, and maybe whatever guy she was fucking, but that was only until they served their purpose and she scraped them off.
It still hurts, and every day I wake up with a heavy heart, but then I remind myself of what I do have. I have a father who’d do anything for me and loves me unconditionally. I’ve got a group of men that is doing what they can to keep me protected. They think I don’t notice that someone’s always tailing me, but my father is Jack Mackenzie. They should know better. They’re always keeping watch.
Brandon is someone I can always count on and has been there for me always. Then there’s Reece, and everyone that comes with him. They’ve shown me love and compassion, and they barely know me.
I focus back on my task, double-checking my work before sending the bills out, and then I shut my computer off. I grab the gift bag from under my desk and carry it down to the surveillance room. I knock and wait for Egan to tell me to come in. Sometimes they’re working on stuff that I don’t need to see—that I shouldn’t see.
“Hey, Egan,” I greet him as I step inside, then sit down next to him.
“Hey sweetheart, how are you doing?” He leans over and gives me a quick hug.
“Good, just ready to meet this little booger. I was at the mall the other day and thought this would be cute for Leif.” I hand him the bag, and he pulls out the little green sleeper that says, “Baby Hacker.”
“This is fucking excellent. I can’t wait to put this on him. Carrie’s going to crack up.”
I haven’t been able to see Carrie and Leif because I’ve been sick, and then there was the stuff with my mom. “How are Carrie and Leif?”
“They’re great. He’s starting to hold his head up a little better. He’s still an adorable bobblehead, though.”
“I want to see them, but I’ve been trying to get caught up since I was sick. I’ve talked to her on the phone, but I know that’s not the same as a face-to-face visit. Plus I need baby snuggles.”
He gives me a smile. “I think she’d love that, and he already is quite the ladies man.”
“I’m sure he is,” I say with a laugh. “I’m finished for the day, so I’m going to get my stuff ready. Reece should be here soon to get me.”
I stand up, but he stops me with a hand on my arm. “I’m really happy for you and Reece. I know everyone was worried about you when we first found out, but I see good things in the future for you guys.”
“Thank you. I’ll see you later.”
I head back to my desk and find my man sitting in a chair across from it. “Hey, babe,” I say and then bend down, giving him a kiss. “I’ll be ready in just a second.”
“No rush. Are you almost caught up? You’ve been working too much this week.” He worries all the time about me.
“I’m about as caught up as I can be before this little boy comes.” Reece rubs my belly and then leans forward, placing his lips on it. Our son gives him a big kick, and then he wiggles his butt, or at least that’s what it feels like.
Reece leans closer. “Son, you quit kicking your mommy. You’re getting too big to be doing that.” He gives another kick, and we both smile. Reece looks up at me. “Get your stuff together, and when we get home I’ll rub your feet.”
That sounds heavenly because my ankles and feet are starting to swell a little bit. They’re pretty sore by the time I get home. My ballet flats are about the only shoes I can wear right now. I grab my bag, and Reece takes it from me while I put my cardigan on.
Hand in hand we walk out, and I tell Shayla that I’ll get ahold of her about doing lunch. That girl is full of secrets, and I’m looking forward to learning more about her. Hopefully she’ll feel comfortable enough to share them with me if she chooses to. All I know is that I really like her and can totally see us becoming great friends.
“I look forward to it,” she says and gives us a wave as we step onto the elevator.
When we reach the parking garage I scan it for his car, but I don’t see it anywhere. “Um…where’s the Shelby?”
“I put it in storage.”
I stop walking and look up at him. “In storage?”
“Yeah, it dawned on me the other day that we’re going to need something better to get a car seat in and out of. Also, something safer for when we’re driving around with him in the car, and I couldn’t do the minivan, so I got this…” He leads me to a sweet looking Toyota 4Runner. It’s black, of course. These men all have a thing for black rides. He holds his key fob up and unlocks the SUV.
He helps me inside, and the interior is sick. The smell of new leather mixed with new car smell hits my nose. The leather feels soft and the seat is comfortable as I get situated in it.
When he climbs in, he turns it on and what looks like a mini computer screen lights up. “You just need to pair your phone, and you’ll be able to use the hands-free. I’ll go over everything else with you later.”
“This is so sweet, but I don’t know if I’ll be able to handle driving something so big.” As soon as I say it, I notice the innuendo and my cheeks flare up.
Reece chuckles and I turn and slap his arm. “Oh, you’re pretty amazing at handling big stuff.”
“I can’t believe I said that.” I stare at the ceiling and notice the sunroof. “You’ll just have to help me learn how to manage something so big.” I give him what I hope is a saucy wink.
He gives me a grin that makes my heart race. Pulling me toward him, he kisses my lips hard. I open to him as our tongues dance, and I fill myself get wet. He barely touches me and my body lights up. The kiss ends all too soon, and Reece pulls back. “After this baby is born, we’re breaking in the SUV and I’m fucking you in the back.”
My nipples harden immediately. When I look down, I see a tiny wet spot on the front of my shirt. I knew this would happen, but still it’s pretty crazy that my body knows to start preparing for the baby’s arrival.
Reece looks down and notices too. “Is that what I think that is?”
I nod. “Yeah. I guess I better start using those pads that your mom got for me.”
When we reach the house, he pulls into the garage and I climb out. Reece carries my bag inside for me and sets it on the kitchen island. I head upstairs to change out of my work clothes and tie my hair up. I stop in the nursery and notice that Reece moved the furniture so it’s against the wall now that the paint’s dry.
I run my hand across the smooth wood of the crib and can already picture my boy snoozing away in here. Of course, for at least the first few weeks he’ll be in our room in his bassinet Reece’s parents bought. I look around the room and stop at the dresser. The picture of Reece and I is missing. I look in the top drawer and behind it, but it didn’t fall either way. Maybe Reece took it and was planning on replacing it.
I turn off the light and head back downstairs. Reece is out messing with the grill. I see burgers on the counter, so I get some potatoes out and slice them up for homemade fries. Those are his favorite. He comes in and wraps his arms around me. “Homemade fries?”
“Yep. I thought I’d make your favorite side dish. I’m going to steam some broccoli too.” He hates that I make him eat his vegetables, but I told him we needed to be good role models for the baby. Again, he pouted because our son won’t be eating solid foods for a long time. “You like broccoli, so quit bitching.”
After dinner I lie on the sofa with my feet in his lap and let him massage them for me. I swear his massages make me sound like I’m starring in my own porno. I situate myself so I’m kind of on my side, but with my feet still on him.
He’s watching some show on Netflix, and my eyes feel heavy. I don’t bother trying to fight it.
I wake up later as Reece gently shakes me. He helps me upstairs and I stagger into the bathroom to get ready for bed. Reece comes in and wraps his arms around me while I finish brushing my teeth. The smell of my toothpaste mixed with his manly, woodsy scent wrap around me. I quickly rinse and put my toothbrush away.
“Look how sexy you look.” He holds my gaze in the mirror but I turn away, shaking my head. “No? You don’t see what I do.” His hands grab the hem of my nightgown and pull it up my body. First, exposing my thighs that are a little shapelier than they were pre-baby, and my belly comes into view next. I’ve been lucky and haven’t gotten stretch marks on my belly, but there are some little ones on my hips.
“Look at that belly. You’re growing our child in there.” He pulls my nightgown the rest of the way off. “I’m not going to lie, but I fucking love your tits. They’re fuller and more sensitive now.”
To punctuate his statement, he drags his thumbs over my nipples, and I moan as he pinches them between his thumb and pointer finger. I feel the wetness between my legs, and my panties stick to my lips. I don’t even get embarrassed at how wet I get for him anymore. It’ll probably never stop being like that.
He presses his lips to my neck, still watching me watch him in the mirror. “Fucking gorgeous,” he whispers as he holds one breast, and the other hand slips inside my panties. My head rests on his shoulder as he zeroes in on my clit.
I hold onto the cool marble counter with one hand and wrap my other arm around the back of his neck. My lips part, and a moan slips out. “Delilah, look at yourself.” I do as he touches me. My skin is flushed looking, my eyes are bright, and my blonde hair is wild around my shoulders. “Pure fucking beauty.”
Two fingers enter me and his thumb strokes my clit. I begin to come hard. My mouth opens in a wordless cry as my pussy clamps down on his fingers. I turn my mouth up to his, and our tongues tangle as I ride the aftershocks of my orgasm.
