As Luck Would Have It (14 page)

Marcus wrapped his arms around her, pulled her toward him, and kissed her. “We can do or not do whatever you want.”

“Thank you. I love you.”

“I love you, too.”

Sydney rolled off Marcus and situated herself next to him. She placed her head on his chest, draping her leg over his, and fell asleep listening to his heartbeat.

CHAPTER
eighteen

“Wow, do you really live here?” Sam asked Marcus as Sydney drove the Yukon to the front of his house the next morning.

“Holy cow, this house is huge,” exclaimed Michaela.

“Are we really going to live here?” asked Dominick.

“Yes to everything,” Marcus said. “Syd, you can pull into the driveway.”

Sydney pulled into the driveway and up to the garages. Before she even stopped the truck, the kids were trying to get out. “Hold up, everyone, let’s help Marcus,” Sydney yelled out while walking around to the passenger side.  One of the garage doors opened, and Stewart opened the door that led into the house.

“I figured this would be easier than having Marcus walk to the front of the house,” Stewart explained, gesturing to the garage.

Sydney distractedly helped Marcus out of the car. She couldn’t wait to see the inside. Marcus could see that she was preoccupied with the house. “Babe, why don’t you go ahead in? Stewart can help me.”

Sydney kissed his cheek, “This house is so beautiful. It’s an interior decorator’s dream.” She ran toward the door.

“She’s so cute when she’s excited,” Marcus said to Stewart.

“Yeah, wait until she sees the inside. She’ll be blown away,” Stewart said. Both men laughed at the thought.

When they entered the kitchen, Sydney was standing there with wide eyes.

“She’s been like that since she turned the corner,” Stella informed them.

“Babe, it’s just a kitchen. Every house has one.” Marcus hobbled over to her. “You really should see the rest of the house.”

“I’ll show her around,” Stella offered. “You stay put and rest that leg.”

Stella directed Sydney toward the dining room with its simple details and antique oak floors. There was a fireplace in both the formal living room and family room. “Wow, he wasn’t kidding when he said the house was empty,” Sydney said while looking around.

“Come on, I’ll show you upstairs.” Stella led Sydney to the center staircase. “There are two bedrooms with a Jack and Jill bathroom and the master suite.”

The master suite was manly, just as she’d imagined. Marcus had a mahogany four poster bed with matching night stands on each side. It was loaded with leather and suede pillows in earth tones. The bathroom consisted of fine marble and even had a soaking tub.

They heard talking coming from the Jack and Jill bathroom and followed the noise. Sal and Sam were discussing which drawers would be his and which drawers would be hers.

“Hey, what’s going on in here?” Sydney asked.

“We’ve decided to take these two rooms, but we’re trying to divvy up the drawer space,” Sam said.

“I wouldn’t worry too much about that. You two will be at college in a few months,” she reminded them. “Let’s see where the others are.”

The four of them made their way up to the third floor. The top floor had an expansive bonus room with French doors that opened onto a rooftop deck with exquisite views of the skyline and three bedrooms.

Michaela and Dominick stood on the deck looking around. “Have you two picked rooms yet?” Sydney asked.

“Yeah. Isn’t it cool? It’s like having our own apartment up here,” Micky exclaimed

Sydney smiled. “Don’t forget that you’ll have family that lives in the rest of the house.”

“This house is so big that the only time we’ll see each other is when we’re in the kitchen,” Dom said.

“Speaking of the kitchen, let’s go see how the men are making out,” Stella said.

Marcus and Stewart were sitting at the kitchen counter. “So what do you think of the house?” Marcus asked.

Everyone started talking all at once. “It’s awesome,” Sal and Sam said together.

“Love the game room,” Dom admitted.

“That roof deck is way cool,” Micky confessed.

“
The entire house is beautiful, inside and out,” Sydney put her arms around Marcus’ neck and kissed his ear, “I can’t believe we’re all going to live here together.”

“So, do you think you’ll be able to make this house feel like a home?” Marcus asked Sydney.

“This house already feels like a home with all these kids around,” Stella said with a big grin. “It would be nice to actually have furnishings, though. I’m sure Sydney will do a lovely job decorating.”

Sydney smiled as she took in her new home. “I can’t wait to get started.”

By the end of the week, the kids’ rooms had all been packed and their bedroom sets loaded into the moving truck. Sydney decided to leave her bedroom set behind but she did order a few additional pieces for her bedroom with Marcus.

Her house had been on the market for only a week, and offers were already being made. Over the weekend the kids moved all their stuff into the new house. Sunday was spent unpacking and putting stuff away. Sydney organized her clothes in her new dresser and moved some of Marcus’ clothes into his new highboy. Marcus watched from the bed while Sydney went back and forth from the closet to the drawers. She was just about to relax with Marcus on the bed when she heard Stella calling them down for dinner.

When they reached the kitchen, all the kids had already taken their seats. Marcus sat at the head of the table, and Sydney sat next to him on his right.

Stella spent the entire dinner smiling, so happy to have a full table for dinner. The others talked and laughed as usual. After dinner, the girls helped Stella clear the table and the boys went to play in the game room. Stewart helped Marcus to the couch in the family room.

When clean-up was done, Stella and Sydney joined Marcus and Stewart in the family room. Sydney sat down next to Marcus. “Stella and I were discussing Thanksgiving. I’d like to invite my family here for the holiday.”

“Babe, whatever you want to do is fine with me. This is your house, too.” Marcus looked around at the room. “Although the house has furniture now, there still isn’t much on the walls,” Marcus commented.

“A little at a time,” she assured him. “It will be completely done by Thanksgiving. I have, like, four weeks.”

They spent the next few hours watching TV and talking with Stella and Stewart. “It’s getting late. Will you be spending the night in the office again?” Stewart asked Marcus. “Otherwise, I’ll help you up the stairs before we leave.”

Marcus looked meaningfully at Sydney. “I’d really love to be able to sleep in my own bed tonight.”

After saying goodnight to the kids, Sydney returned to the bedroom to find Marcus naked. “Wow, where are your pants?”

“Why? Do you want me to put them back on?” Marcus asked jokingly.

“Hell no, I haven’t seen you like that in too long. I could stand here just looking at you all night long,” she said, crossing her arms and leaning against the door frame. “I meant, how did you get your pants off?”

“Oh, I managed. Now, if you could manage to get your ass in bed and close the door so that everyone else in the house doesn’t see my shit, that would be wonderful,” he said with a smirk.

Sydney quickly closed the door behind her. She was so enthralled by Marcus’ body that she’d forgotten they weren’t alone in the house. “Give me a minute to freshen up,” she said, disappearing into the bathroom.

When Sydney returned, she was wearing the bubble gum pink lingerie they’d bought in Vegas. 

“Wow, the last time you had that on, I could only see the back of it. The front looks just as good.” Marcus had a silly grin on his face. “Come here so I can help you unlace that top.”

Sydney sat with her back facing Marcus. He made quick work of untying her top and slid his hands around to cup a breast in each palm. He placed soft kisses on her back. She leaned her head back on his shoulder as he began to rub her nipples between his fingers.

“You feel so good,” he whispered into her ear. He tried to scoot closer to her, but the immobilizer was making it very difficult to move. Sydney could feel him struggling. She turned onto her knees, letting the cami slip off her body and bringing her breasts level with his mouth. He engulfed one breast with his mouth and firmly rubbed the other. “You taste even better.”
              Sydney used her hips to push Marcus back onto the pillows. She was going to straddle him but he grabbed her hips and pushed his head between her legs, stretching his tongue out and tasting her hot juices. Sydney moaned.

As she was about to climax, she pushed herself back on to Marcus’ dick. The barbell rubbing against her clit only heightened her orgasm. Marcus began to buck his hips up and down, but with only one leg to use as leverage, it didn’t last long.

Sydney quickly took over, bucking back and forth. After a few minutes of riding him, she lifted up so just the tip of his shaft was inside her and then she’d rammed herself back down.  She did this several times until Marcus was ready to come. She felt Marcus tense beneath her as she rose up one last time and rammed hers hips down. Marcus held her tightly as he emptied his semen into her.

She collapsed on his chest. Marcus heard an “Umm.” come from Sydney, and then she went still. “Babe, you sleeping?” he asked, as he patted her ass softly.

“I’m exhausted. Just give me a few minutes, then I’ll get up and wash you,” she mumbled, falling back to sleep the moment the words left her mouth.

CHAPTER nineteen

Sydney spent the next four weeks shopping for just the right items to put in the house. Stella accompanied her on most of her outings. They had become very close. Stewart put up the pictures and art work she brought home and helped her spread out the oriental rugs she found to cover some of the hardwood floors.

She placed several flower arrangements throughout the house. Some of the walls were covered in baby pictures of the kids. Sydney managed to display every photograph that was taken at the wedding throughout the entire house. She even had each picture individually framed.

The weekend before Thanksgiving, Sydney finally felt like the house was complete. She had turned Marcus’ house into their home, and everyone had settled in just perfectly. Stella and Stewart joined them for dinner at least twice a week. Marcus had his stitches removed and was completing his last week of therapy. He was finally able to walk around without any assistance.

She had three days to get ready for Thanksgiving. Sydney’s parents would be staying with them for the long weekend. Her brothers and Natalie would stay at the old house. Sydney wanted to make sure that everything was clean for them so she and Stella spent an entire day at the old house cleaning and setting up beds for everyone. They spent another day food shopping. Sydney was so grateful to have Stella around.

The day before Thanksgiving, Sydney helped Stella prep the turkey and other trimmings. By dinner time, she was exhausted. She staggered up to bed as soon as she was done eating. Marcus entered the bedroom after finishing some work in his office to find Sydney lying on top of all the pillows still dressed. “Syd, babe, why didn’t you at least change your clothes?” Marcus asked, trying to shake her awake.

“I was too tired. Could you just help me pull off my jeans?” She rolled over so that Marcus could undo her button and zipper and pull off her jeans. As soon as he had her jeans off, she rolled back over and curled herself up around the pillows. He could barely see her face, so he kissed her bare ass and covered her with the comforter.

The next morning, Marcus woke up to a clanging noise in the kitchen. Sydney had tossed and turned all night, and Marcus did not want to disturb her. He threw on his jeans and ran downstairs to see what was going on. Stella was in the kitchen putting the turkey in the oven.

“Good Morning, I didn’t expect you to come down. I’m sorry if I made too much noise. If we don’t get the turkey in the oven now, we’ll never eat today.” Stella looked up at Marcus. “Is Sydney coming down?”

“She didn’t sleep well last night. Would it be alright if we let her sleep a little longer? It’s going to be a crazy weekend with her family here,” Marcus told Stella.

“She didn’t look so good yesterday when we were at the market. I hope she’s not coming down with something.”

“What time is it?” Sydney asked Marcus when he entered the bedroom.

“It’s still early. Go back to sleep, Stella can handle it on her own,” Marcus said, as he removed his jeans and got back into bed.

“I really don’t feel well. Just give me a couple minutes to get it together, and I’ll go down and help her.” Sydney laid her head back on Marcus’ chest.

An hour later, Sydney was showered, dressed, and up to her elbows in stuffing. There was still a lot that needed to get done before her family arrived. With Stella’s help, she knew everything would work itself out.

At exactly two o’clock, the front door bell rang. Sydney called up to the kids, “Guys, come down, Grandma and Grandpa are here.” If nothing else, her parents were punctual. As soon as she opened the door, her mother lunged forward to give her a hug and a kiss.

She extended her arms to have a closer look at Sydney, “What’s the matter. You don’t look well.”

“Oh, Lucy, leave her alone. She just remarried, moved five people into a new house, and is having thirteen additional people for the weekend. How do you expect her to look?” Sydney’s father pushed his way through the door with their luggage. “Hello, dear, you look fine,” he said, kissing her on the cheek.

The kids came barreling down the stairs to greet their grandparents. Arms flared all around as the group exchanged hugs.

“So, where’s my new son-in-law?” Lucy asked Sydney.

Sydney turned around to look for Marcus and spotted him standing halfway up the staircase. She motioned for him to come down. As soon as the foyer cleared out, Marcus made his way down the remaining stairs and stood next to Sydney.

“Wow, your sister was right, he is a looker,” Lucy whispered into Sydney’s ear loudly enough for everyone to hear.

“Lucy, don’t embarrass the boy, already. We just got here. I don’t want to have to turn around and drive back to Weehawken in the same day.” Antonio extended his hand out to Marcus. “Hi, son. I’m Antonio, nice to finally meet you.” Marcus started to return the greeting, but Sydney’s father had already retreated into the kitchen.

Sydney’s mother wasted no time. She threw her arms around Marcus and gave him a big kiss on his cheek. “Never mind him. He’s grouchy when he has to drive longer than an hour. He’ll loosen up after he’s had a glass of wine.” Interlocking her arm with his, Lucy made her way toward the kitchen. Marcus looked back at Sydney for some assistance, but all she could do was shrug and follow them.

Shortly after Sydney gave her mother the grand tour of the house, everyone else started to arrive. First, Michael and his wife with their two kids, and then Dominick showed up with Natalie. “He wouldn’t let me drive alone,” she said to Sydney, motioning to Dominick with her thumb. “Hey, where’s Mr. Hotness?”  Finally, Peter showed up with his wife and three kids.

Marcus made his way through the crowd of people gathered in the foyer. “Here I am,” he said, smiling as he made his way over to Natalie. He leaned down to give her a kiss hello, and she threw her arms around him and gave him a tight squeeze.

“Easy, sista,” Sydney said. “He’s still a little sore from the accident.”

“He looks good to me,” Natalie said. She noticed Claire, Michael’s wife, staring at Marcus. “Doesn’t he, Claire?”

Michael grabbed Claire before she could answer and pulled her toward the kitchen.

“Hey, why don’t the boys all go to the playroom and occupy yourselves while we get the rest of dinner ready?” Sydney suggested to Marcus and her brothers.

“Yeah, that’s a good idea.” Marcus led the men up the stairs to the bonus room, turning around to wink at Sydney.

When the turkey was finally ready, Sydney corralled everyone into the dining room. Her new dining room set sat twenty comfortably. It was the biggest table she could order. The kids were thrilled that they didn’t have to sit at a separate table this year.

There was so much food that they didn’t finish eating until it was dark. Marcus noticed that Sydney didn’t eat very much. He cornered her in the kitchen as she was clearing the table. “Babe, are you feeling okay? You didn’t eat very much.”

“I’m still not feeling one hundred percent. I must be getting a stomach virus ‘cause I just can’t shake this nauseated feeling.” She patted Marcus’ hand. “I’ll be fine. Don’t worry. I’m sure it will go away by tomorrow.”

Stewart and Stella were nice enough to drive back to Sydney’s old house to make sure that everyone knew where they were going. Antonio and Lucy turned in shortly after everyone left.

It wasn’t long before Marcus and Sydney turned in themselves. By the time Marcus washed up and gotten into bed, Sydney was already snoring. Two nights in a row that he didn’t even get a good night kiss. Something wasn’t right.

The next morning, Marcus woke up to Sydney puking in the bathroom. He wanted to make sure she was okay, but as soon as she heard him come into the bathroom, she warned him away. “I thought it might be a stomach virus. I’ll be fine. You go down and have breakfast with my parents. I think Stella’s here already.”

Marcus did as he was told and joined the others at breakfast. “I don’t think Sydney will be down for breakfast. She’s not feeling well this morning,” Marcus informed them. “It must be a stomach virus.”

Marcus joined the men at the table. Shortly after he was done with breakfast, Sydney showed up looking much better. “Feeling better already?” Marcus asked her.

“Yeah, actually, I am.” She leaned into Marcus to give him a kiss on his cheek. “Sorry about this morning and about falling asleep on you last night again. I’ve been really tired lately.”

After a weekend spent eating and laughing, their guests left right after breakfast Sunday morning.

Sydney’s parents were getting ready to leave when her mom pulled her aside and whispered into her ear, “I really don’t like the way you’ve looked the last few days. Please make sure you go and see someone. Maybe you’re pre-menopausal.”
              Sydney had never thought of that. Maybe she was. Either way, she agreed to see her doctor early in the week. Sydney hated to say goodbye to her mother. Usually, she was really strong and wouldn’t cry until she was out the door. That was not the case this time. The tears just started rolling down her cheeks.

“Sydney, it’s fine. We’ll see each other at Christmas. We talk almost every day.” Lucy hugged and kissed Sydney on the forehead. “Take good care of my baby,” she told Marcus.

Before Marcus could agree, Sydney’s father reprimanded her mother. “Would you stop telling that boy what to do, she’s not a baby, she’s a grown woman. Get in the car before we have to drive home in the dark.” He shook Marcus’ hand, kissed Sydney goodbye, grabbed the luggage, and walked out the door.

Sydney’s mother hugged Marcus. “I know you’ll take great care of her. It’s very obvious how much the two of you love each other.” She kissed Marcus on the cheek and turned to Sydney. “Please make sure you call me after you see a doctor.”

The rest of the day, Sydney and Marcus lounged on the couch. Sydney dozed off every once in a while, but her nausea went away. Throughout the day, the kids came down to make themselves something to eat. When Michaela came down and saw that Sydney had fallen asleep, she asked Marcus if he wanted anything. Marcus was so surprised that he got up and offered to make something for the both of them.

It was the first time he had actually had a conversation with Micky. By the time they were done with their sandwiches, Sydney had gotten up and made her way into the kitchen. “Hey, are you having a party without me?”

“Nah, just having a sandwich,” Micky answered while throwing her trash away. She made her way to her mother, kissed her cheek, and said, “He’s really a nice guy. Love you.” Then she disappeared back upstairs.

Marcus asked Sydney if she was hungry and offered to make her a sandwich. “Nah, I think I’m gonna go up to bed. Wanna come and cuddle with me?” she asked. “Just in case I do have a stomach virus, I don’t want you to get sick.”

“Yeah, let me clean up here, and I’ll be right up.”

Sydney made her way upstairs. She said her good nights and went into the bathroom to wash up. Once she was in her nightie, she crawled into bed and fell asleep. Marcus wasn’t surprised when he saw Sydney fast asleep in the bed. He knew she hadn’t felt well all day. He washed up and went to bed himself.

Just as she promised her mother, Sydney made an appointment with her doctor the next day. She asked Marcus to go along with her and he was more than happy to take her. Since it was just the two of them, Marcus took the Cadi.

“I’d like to draw some blood and run a few tests,” the doctor advised Sydney. “When was the first day of your last menstrual cycle?”

Sydney’s face went blank. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d had her period. She hadn’t had her period the entire time she was with Marcus. “I don’t remember, but I had my tubes tied thirteen years ago.”

“That’s fine. Let’s just draw some blood and run the tests,” the doctor said.

Sydney looked at Marcus, who just shrugged his shoulders. He didn’t really understand what was going on. When the doctor came back into the examining room, he had a very peculiar look on his face. “What is it, doc?” Marcus asked.

“It’s just as I suspected.” He turned to Sydney. “You’re not pre-menopausal. You’re pregnant, about seven weeks.” He noticed the concern on Sydney’s face. “I’d like for you to have a sonogram to make sure the pregnancy is progressing properly. You know, only two percent of women who have a tubal ligation are able to get pregnant again.”

“We weren’t trying to get pregnant,” Marcus told him.              Marcus stood next to Sydney as the technician gooped up her belly. As soon as she touched the instrument to Sydney’s belly, they could hear the faint heartbeat. Tears in his eyes, Marcus asked, “Does that mean the baby’s okay?”

“Actually, your babies sound great,” the technician said. Sydney looked at Marcus with fear in her eyes. She wasn’t sure how he would react.

“Oh my God, Sydney we’re having twins.” He grabbed her head and kissed her face all over.

She looked him straight in the eyes and said, “As luck would have it, you’re gonna be a father after all.” She paused as he smiled in reply, and then the realization struck her. “I can’t believe I’m doing this again.”