Bittersweet Catastrophe (Second Chances #2.5) (4 page)

The entire drive home I couldn’t keep my eyes off of her. I was floating on cloud nine with the amount of pride surging through my veins, filling my heart with an immeasurable amount of love; love that I now not only shared for my wife, but for my two little blueberries growing inside of her as well…at least that’s what they looked like on the sonogram. God, I had to have been dreaming.
Two babies?
I shook my head in utter disbelief, the smile never once leaving my face…until I felt her slender fingers pinching my nipple through my shirt, causing me to slightly jerk the steering wheel.
What the…

“Oww! Damn, woman! What was that for? Are you trying to get us killed?”

“I know that look, Shayne.” She smirked, teasingly drawing her bottom lip between her teeth. “And no, you’re not dreaming.”

“You really had to go and twist my nipple to convince me of that?” I reached over, ready to retaliate, and her hands flew up to shield her breasts, but not before I caught a gentle shudder rock through her gorgeous body. I loved that her nipples had already become more sensitive, and I couldn’t wait to get her home so that I could drag my teeth over them and draw out the most delicious sounds from her sweet mouth.

“Well, it worked didn’t it?”

“Hmm, yes it did, but I think someone else needs some convincing.
Thorough convincing.
”

“And what exactly is it that
I
need to be convinced of?” Her brow perked up with curiosity.

“That you, my wife–” I slipped her hand into mine and rained kisses up the length of her arm, “–are the sexiest creature to have ever walked the earth, and no one holds a flame to just how beautiful you truly are. I swear, it’s enough to bring a man to his knees.”

“Awww, babe.” My gaze flickered over to her, only to find a tear already sparkling in the corner of her eye. Her demeanor quickly changed, though, regaining the playfulness of her previous tone, and her eyes darkened, aflame with desire. “You’re right. I absolutely need convincing. In fact, I might need you to convince me more than once...” Her voice trailed off, and she leaned over the console of the Jeep, pressing her lips to my neck. “In more than one room.” Her velvety tongue dipped out teasingly behind my ear just before she whispered, “On more than one surface.” She drew my earlobe between her teeth, swirling her tongue around the sensitive flesh, and had I not still been driving, my eyes would have fallen closed as I relished in the onslaught of sensations.
That was it. I was a goner.
She always knew just how to get to me, and that right there got to me in the very best way possible. Every. Damn. Time.

It took every ounce of self-control not to drag Liberty over the console the second we pulled into the driveway, but all thoughts of having my way with her diminished when I caught sight of Maddie’s car parked in front of our house. “Cock blocked again,” I growled under my breath, and Liberty appeared less than thrilled with my blatant reaction to her best friend showing up unexpectedly…
again.

“Oh, come on, Shayne. She’s lonely. Hunter won’t be back for another week, and she could use a little human interaction.” Her lips quickly brushed over mine before hopping out of the Jeep. Maddie’s husband, Hunter, was enrolled in Savannah State’s ROTC, and he’d been away for the last five weeks, attending a
Leadership Development and Assessment Course which determines your future as an officer. We all knew he had no intention of continuing on in the military after graduation, but since he received a stipend allowance for taking part in the training evaluation, he refused to pass on the opportunity. I couldn’t blame him, especially now that they had another mouth to feed.

I met Liberty on the other side and slipped my arm over her shoulder, pulling her close to my side. “Yeah, but isn’t that what her daughter is there for?”

“I’m sure she can only take so much baby babbling before she realizes it’s an entirely one-sided conversation.” Liberty laughed, the soft wisps of breath tickling my neck as she looked up at me. Her expression softened before she spoke again, and I noticed a hint of trepidation in her eyes. “Do you mind if we keep the pregnancy to ourselves, just until I get through the first trimester?”

My steps faltered.
Keep it to ourselves?
I wanted to shout from the rooftops that my wife was carrying my babies, and here she was, asking me to keep it under wraps. Had I misread the excitement I heard in her voice earlier? “Is there something wrong? Something you’re not telling me?”

“No, no, I’m fine. Everything’s fine. I just…” She looked down at her feet, burying her toes in the sand. “I want to wait until we’re in the clear. I’m not saying anything is going to happen, but I don’t want to get everyone’s hopes up and then have them come crashing back down.”

I tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear and smiled down at her as I cupped her cheek. “But you’re sure everything’s okay with you and the babies?”

“You were there too, Shayne. Dr. Staebler said everything was fine. I’m sure we have nothing to worry about. I’d just rather wait to tell everyone.”

Leaning down, I pressed my forehead to hers and breathed a sigh of relief. Thank God, because I swore if anything happened to her or the babies… Fuck, I couldn’t stand to think about that right now. “All right, sweetheart, if you think it’s best, we can wait.” I pulled back so that I could look into her beautiful brown eyes and smiled. “But the second you give me the green light, you better believe I’m gonna plaster that shit all over town. Flyers, billboards, you name it.”

“Baby, you can do whatever you want. You can hire a freakin’ marching band and parade around town, for all I care.” She giggled as I pulled her against my chest and held her tight.

“Now there’s an idea…” I tapped my chin and she swatted my hand away, crushing any possibility of that happening.

“I was kidding! Don’t you dare, Shayne Thompson, or so help me–” 

I threw my head back and laughed, because it was just too easy to get a rise out of her. I quickly swept her up and threw her over my shoulder, making a spectacle in front of the neighbors as I spanked her ass and carried her down to the beach. She pounded her fists against my back, spewing out names that only turned me on even more, and I knew she’d make me pay for that later.

Maddie and her eleven-month old daughter were busy playing in the sand, but it was Iris who noticed us coming up behind them first. I set Liberty down, and Iris reached out her tiny, chubby hands the moment she caught sight of her.

“There’s my favorite little princess!” Liberty extended her arms, waiting for Iris to crawl over to her, but to my surprise, as well as Liberty and Maddie’s, she bypassed her and came straight me.
Well, that’s a first.

“Up!” She latched onto my leg, unsteadily pulling herself up to a standing position. “Up!”

I looked over to Liberty and Maddie for help, and they both just sat there, biting back their laughter. I was glad they were finding this so funny. After all of the times Maddie had brought her daughter over to our house, not once did she ever show any inkling of wanting attention from me. Hell, I’d never even held her!

“Uh, I think she wants you to pick her up, Uncle Shayne,” Maddie smirked, nodding down toward my legs.

My gaze followed hers, and Iris had one hand in her mouth, covered in a steady stream of drool, the other gripping my pants. I reached down, carefully slipping my hands beneath her little arms as I lifted her up, and seated her on my hip. While she looked up at me, wide-eyed and grinning happily, I couldn’t stop the wave of calmness that washed over me. I smiled down at her, and just as I was picturing my own future children in my arms, Iris reached up and slapped me across the cheek with her drool-coated hand. She let out a tiny laugh and placed her hand back in her mouth as if nothing had happened. “I see where you get your sassy attitude, little lady.”

Liberty and Maddie laughed as I set Iris back down, and she crawled back into her mother’s lap. “See, Liberty? He’s a natural.”

I quirked an eyebrow in Maddie’s direction, and Liberty stepped back into my arms. “I have to admit, Shayne. You do look good with a baby in your arms.” Liberty’s cheeks were flushed, and I picked up on the meaning behind her words. I wasn’t the only one imagining our children in my arms. She saw it, too.

“Now, if you two would just get down to business and start popping out some kidlets, then little Iris here could have some playmates.” Maddie nuzzled her daughter’s cheeks, and Iris giggled playfully.

I couldn’t help the smile that proudly spread across my face, the good news just begging to pour out of me. “We’re working on it.” I shot Maddie a wink before capturing my wife’s lips in a searing kiss. Pulling back just slightly, I looked down at her glowing smile and slowly traced circles across her stomach. “I’m gonna grab a drink. Can I get you ladies anything?”

“Just water for me, babe,” Liberty breathed against my mouth, and I dipped down to place one last kiss on her perfect, pouty lips before disentangling her from my hold.

“Hey, lover boy, can you grab me a beer? I’m finally done breast-feeding this little munchkin, and I’d give my left tit for a nice, cold Corona.”

I bit back a laugh. I guess motherhood hadn’t cured Maddie of her smart mouth. “Sure thing. I think we still have some juice boxes in the fridge. You want me to bring one out for the sassy little lady?”

A knowing grin tugged at the corner of her mouth, and she turned her attention to Liberty. “What did I tell you? He’s got the fatherhood gene down pat.” Her appreciative smile trailed over to me as Iris climbed her like a jungle gym, and she mouthed “thank you”.

I trudged back up the beach and climbed the deck leading to the house. As soon as I slid the back door open, I was slammed with the delicious aroma of chicken and dumplings simmering in the crockpot. God, it smelled out of this world, and I couldn’t wait to sink my teeth into it later tonight. One thing was for sure; my woman wasn’t lacking in her culinary skills and ability to whip up a mouth-watering meal.
I definitely lucked out in that department.

Reaching into the fridge, I grabbed two bottles of water, a Corona for Maddie, and a juice box for Iris. Setting them on the counter beside the sink, my gaze averted to the window looking out over the beach, and the vision that struck me had me weak in the knees. I had to grab hold of the counter as my breath was stolen from me in one clean sweep.

Liberty was kneeling down in the sand and holding Iris above her, blowing raspberries against her bare tummy, and the smiles on both of their faces lit up the space around them brighter than a thousand suns. That wasn’t what had my heart thundering in my chest like Mike Tyson wailing on a speed bag, though. I had seen this exact scene before, experienced it firsthand. Flashes of my mother holding me in her arms in that very same spot came flooding back with a tidal wave of emotions. I could still see the wind blowing her hair around my face and feel the silky strands tickle my cheek. Memories like those were few and far between, and a rush of feelings I hadn’t felt in years caused a tightness to bear down on my chest.

Liberty’s big brown eyes flickered up toward the house, and that’s when recognition finally set in. On the windowsill above the sink sat a small, framed photo that my father had taken of my mother and I when I was only three-years old, just two years before my mother was diagnosed with breast cancer. I glanced back and forth between the yellowing photo and my beautiful wife, and the booming heart palpitations began to settle to a steady-paced beat.

I ran my fingers through my hair several times, tugging vigorously at the ends, and dragged my hands down my face in an effort to shake off those feelings and bring myself back to the present.
Fuck, had it really been twenty-one years since that photo was taken?
I was lucky enough to have shared six years with my mother, and even now, closing my eyes, I could still see her warm smile and smell her fragrant, honeysuckle perfume. Those memories that I would forever cherish had never left me, but I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t worried one day they would fade into nothingness. I prayed that seeing Liberty with our own children would keep those memories alive as we created new ones of our own.

Cautiously, I peeled my eyelids open, only to find Liberty’s expression had morphed, her brows drawn together with concern. I eased up on my white-knuckled grip of the counter, letting the tension flow free from my body, and returned her questioning stare with a playful grin that was for her eyes only. She knew exactly what that grin meant, and from the blush that stained her cheeks, she was in complete agreement on the matter. That ’practice’ I had mentioned earlier was still fresh on our minds, and pretty soon, I was going to have to send Maddie on her way so that we could… How did she so eloquently put it? Ah yes…
get down to business
.

With my eyes still locked on Liberty’s breathtaking smile, I hadn’t heard Maddie enter the kitchen. A light tap on my shoulder snapped my attention to the tiny blonde standing behind me, and I rubbed the back of my neck, feeling like I’d been caught stealing a cookie out of the cookie jar.

“Forget something, Thompson?” She smirked, nodding toward the bottles now beaded with condensation.

“Guess I got a little side-tracked. Sorry about that.” I passed her the bottle of beer and juice box and watched her eyes travel the window I had just been looking out. Her teasing smirk softened before turning back to me.

“I can see that.” She bumped her hip into my side, and I let out a full-bodied laugh. “I was serious about what I said out there. Despite what I might’ve thought years ago, when…” She paused and shook away the thought. “Anyways…I really do think you’d make a great dad.”

“Thanks, Maddie. That means a lot. I know it’ll happen when the time is right.” I shot her a wink, and she smiled. After everything she’d been through, it was nice to see her with a family of her own, and I couldn’t have been happier for her. “Have you and Hunter talked about having more kids?” I uncapped the water, taking a long sip from the bottle.