A Woman Gone Mad (23 page)

“No, I’m not pissed, I just—” He looks down at me, and a frown is pulling at his mouth. “Lil, I could have done that.”

“Yeah, but I did, so just drop it, okay? It’s done.” My hand comes out in a give-me motion. “Now let’s lay the drapes down and do this damn thing, sexy.” Winking at Nick while he hands me a drape, I open it up and hand the other end to him. “You ever play parachute in elementary school?”

He looks down at me, chuckling, “Yeah, why?”

“Let’s play it with the drape!” Excitement races through me and I bounce from one foot to the other.

“You really like doing this kind of stuff, don’t you? Look at you. You’re like a kid over there.”

I yank the drape up and Nick follows me. Then I race under it and meet him in the middle, sliding my fingers up his hard chest and around his shoulders. He picks me up. Wrapping my legs around his narrow hips, I lean down and touch my lips to his.

Our mouths meld together in a hot, wet kiss that has Nick groaning into me. “We aren’t going to get baby girl’s room painted if you keep distracting me.”

“I just needed to show you how happy I am, how much I love you, Nick.”

“Mmm.” His grumble reverberates trough me. “I love you, too.”

Nick and I work together like a well-oiled machine. We aren’t tripping over each other or getting in each other’s way. We work around each other perfectly. And before the sun sets, our daughter’s nursery is a light shade of lilac with a bold passionate color of purple in six inch vertical lines every eighteen inches.

Nick’s hands slide around my waist and settle over our daughter. “It looks great, babe!” Hearing the excitement and pride in his voice makes butterflies flutter in my belly.

“It does. We totally kick ass at painting!” My smile is beaming up at him. He leans down and softly kisses me.

“Wanna go hop in the shower? I’ll go pick us up a pizza. Sound good?”

“Sounds wonderful. I’m filthy, sweaty, and hungry.” I glance around the room before heading toward the bathroom when I feel Nick’s hand connect with my bottom. “Ouch!”

“Sorry, babe. It was just too juicy-looking to not slap…” He winks at me with a grin pulling on the corner of his mouth.

“Uh huh. You better not be insinuating that my ass is getting bigger, buddy.”

“Wha…? Lil, I’m wounded that you would ever think that.”

“Go get me some pizza, and make it snappy!” After kissing the air between us, I shut the bathroom door with a giggle.

By the end of July, I am almost eight months pregnant. Nick is getting all of his stuff for his upcoming semester in order, and I just kind of hang out—either with him, at the house, or in baby stores with Mom. The Jameses have a baby shower celebration planned at the country club next month that I’m just dying to go to—NOT!

I’m in bed rubbing my belly down with cocoa butter when Nick walks in the room. He has water dripping from the ends of his black hair onto his broad chest, running down his washboard abs and into the towel he has wrapped around his narrow waist. Meanwhile, my mouth becomes parched and another part of my anatomy becomes as wet as he is…

“What’s up, sexy?” I’m smirking at him, and his sky blue eyes shoot up from where he’s digging around in his top dresser drawer and land on mine.

“Need something, Lil?” His voice is so husky that it reminds me of sex.

“I do…” After setting the jar of cocoa butter on my nightstand table, I crawl on all fours over to the edge of the bed then sit back on my haunches and spread my legs. I’m wearing one of my favorite silk nighties. It’s comfortable and sexy enough to get my husband to growl, especially after he notices I decided to go to bed without panties again.

“Jesus Christ, you’re like little sexy pregnant goddess. I can’t take it.” He drops his towel and I’m on my back a split second later with Nick’s teeth grazing the skin along my collarbones and shoulders. My nipples are so sensitive, and when I feel his nails drag over them while he’s pulling my nightie down under my breasts, I gasp, “Nick, please, baby. Don’t make me wait…”

Nick doesn’t make me wait. He’s inside me to the hilt before I can finish begging him. God, I love this man. He is my everything.

It doesn’t take him long before he has stars flashing behind my eyelids and he’s spilling into me. I don’t think life can be happier than this, and if there is, I don’t know where to find it.

I’m drifting off into a peaceful, comfy sleep, and Nick’s fingertips are running through my hair while he watches Fox Sports when I hear him whisper, “Love you, Lil. Thank you for making me the happiest man alive.”

I should mention here that Lilly kind of went away during the first year of our marriage. I don’t know if it was because she was in wedded bliss or if she shut up because I didn’t need her to tell me everything was going to be okay anymore since I already knew it was.

At around 1:30 in the morning on September 14
^th
, I start having contractions. They aren’t painful, but they’re certainly not comfortable. I do what Teresa, Dr. Majors’s nurse, told me to do if I think I’m in false labor.

I take two Tylenol and go make a warm bath. I leave the light off and light a few candles because I don’t want to wake up Nick. I’ve only been in the bath for about five minutes when he comes into the bathroom yawning.

“Baby, what are you doing? It’s almost two in the morning.” His hair is standing on end and he’s rubbing his eyes.

“Nothing. Go back to bed. I’ll be there in a minute.”

I watch concern take over his facial features. “Are you and the baby okay?”

“Yeah, we’re fine—” I have to stop because another contraction comes and it’s one of the stronger ones too. “My back hurts a little bit but the bath is helping. I’ll come back to bed in a second.”

“Okay, baby. Can I get you anything? Ice Cream? Mexican?” What can I say? The man knows his pregnant wife.

I can’t help but laugh. “No, baby. Thank you though.” His lips brush my forehead before he goes back to bed.

Once my bath water cools, I get out. My contractions aren’t any worse, but they aren’t any better either. Slipping on my robe, I blow out the candles and go lie back down. I spend the rest of the night in and out of sleep, mostly out though because of the contractions.

Nick’s morning kisses wake me up once the sun is up. “Hey, how’s your back? Feeling any better?”

“No, not really. Last night was hell. I couldn’t get comfortable.” I pull the comforter over my head and groan in frustration.

“You want me to skip my morning classes?” As soon as Nick finishes his sentence, his mother’s voice floods my mind.
It will be her. She’ll be the reason you never graduate law school, Nicolas!

“No, baby. I’m fine now, really.” I give him my most convincing smile, looking up at him, and pray he believes me.

Relief sweeps over me when he smiles. “Okay, but I’m coming home during my break between classes. You think some Waffle House will make you happy? I can pick us up some on the way home.”

“Good God, I love you. Has anyone ever told you that you are the most perfect husband a woman could ask for?”

“You just did.” He whispers a kiss against my lips. “However, I’m only as good of a husband as you are a wife.” Then his kiss turns into one filled with passion and hunger, but I can’t really match it because another contraction is building. My breath stops, waiting for it to peak and go away.

Two hours later, I’m start to kicking my own ass for letting Nick leave. My contractions have tripled in pain and numbers.

And by the time he makes it home an hour later, I’m sprawled out on the living room floor, panting and breathing through the cripplingly painful contractions.

“Baby?” Nick drops the Waffle House food on the floor. “Baby? What the hell is going on? Do I need to call the doctor?”

“No…it’s…just…” Fuck, another contraction hits me like a Mack truck. My breaths are quickly dragging in and out, but I swear I’m still not getting enough air to my lungs. When the painful contraction eases, I am able to finish my thought. “Nick, get the bag. Look at me right now. Look at me and pay attention because I swear to God I don’t have long before another damn contraction hits.” His eyes are so dark they almost look black. Calmness seems to seep into me. “Hey.” I smile up at him.

“Hey?” Nicks face is the epitome of fear and anxiety.

“Okay, baby. I need you to go get the bag. But first help me up. I gotta take a damn shower and shave from armpits to ankles and I’m gonna need your help for around my who-ha.” His hands are immediately in mine and he helps me up off the floor.

“Lillian, we don’t have time for showers and shaving. The baby’s coming!” Sheer and absolute panic is in his voice and across his face.

“Bullshit! There is always time for showers and shaving. There are going to be who knows how many people looking at my who-ha while our daughter is coming into this world and I’ll be damned if my daughter is born in a bush!”

“Shit! Fine, okay, okay. Don’t understand you, woman, but come on.” He leads me to the bathroom and turns on the water. After getting it to the right temperature, he turns the shower on. “There. You start your shaving thing and I’ll go put the bag in the car. Then we’ll shave your who-ha? When I get back.” He walks out, muttering, “When in the hell did ‘who-ha’ become the name for my favorite place?”

I do well with the armpits. Legs are a little more difficult, and I can’t even see my va-jay-jay, so I make quick work of a good scrub and wash my hair before Nick comes in. “Here, baby. I’ll hold my belly up and you just try to make her look good.
And
watch the little girl in the boat. We don’t need her losing an arm or a clit.”

Horror takes over his face. “What? Oh my God! I can’t believe I’m doing this. Okay, so I’m going to try and pretend I’m just shaving my face.”

“Yeah, you do that, baby.” A few seconds after he starts, I glance down. Nick’s face is more serious than I have ever seen it. I can’t help it. As soon as I picture us as a fly on the wall, I burst out laughing.

A little while later, I’m all shaved and blow-drying my hair when my water breaks. I look up and my eyes meet Nick’s in the mirror. “That’s it. Get your ass in the car
now,
Lillian.” Well there goes Mr. Push-over-Nick…

“Okay.” Before I can get the whole word out, Nick has me scooped up, one arm behind my back and the other under my knees, carrying me to the car.

He is driving like a freaking maniac! Running red lights and stop signs. Halfway there, he decides to hit the hazard lights, which seems absolutely ridiculous to me, but the crippling contraction that hits me cuts off any complaint that was on the tip of my tongue. Fucking hell! Ever since my water broke, these contractions stopped messing around.

Nick parks at the ER entrance and finds a wheelchair from God knows where. When I open my eyes, coming off a contraction, I see him wheeling it toward the car. Once he has me tucked into the wheelchair, he hauls ass, wheeling me to the labor unit.

He bursts through the labor unit doors, and as soon as the nurses’ station comes into view, he starts loudly rambling, “My wife… The baby… It’s coming.”

A pretty blond nurse walks over from the nurses’ station. “What’s your name, sweetie?” She smiles at both of us but her gaze keeps landing on me, concerned.

Through my gritted teeth, I spit out, “Lillian James.”

“Okay.” She looks up to Nick. “Mr. James, do you have your wife’s insurance information and driver’s license?” Before she can even finish her sentence, I’ve ripped my wallet out of my purse and handed it to Nick.

Nick looks down to his hand. “Umm, yes, ma’am.”

“Take it down to admitting and then meet me back up here.” She turns around and looks towards the nurses’ station when another contraction hits. I faintly hear her saying, “Stacy, I’m gonna set her up in LDR 3. Print a chart and meet me in there.” She looks up at Nick. “I’m Denise and I’ll be with Lillian in LDR 3 when you come back. It’s down this hall.” She points. “Fifth door on your left.”

“’Kay. Please take care of her of her Ms. Denise.”

The nurse laughs at Nick’s fumbling self. “Son, that’s kinda what I do.” She starts wheeling me down the hall when Nick comes running towards us.