His Hotcakes Baby (15 page)

“Chase, you …”

“No.   I want to make this clear
between us, you still don’t know me.  I have never had sex night after night,
not even during the times I went to the mainland.  I probably had sex twice
over a two month period with different woman.  I am not the damn Neanderthal
you always make me out to be!”

“Now just hold on one damn minute!  You
are right, I do not know the man you were before, because all I had to go on
was what I read in the tabloids and saw on television.  So get of your high
horse!  You set your own damn public profile, so don’t blame me for believing
it.  Up until this very moment, you never bothered to clarify anything!”

He startled and looked at her with a
frown.  He thought he did that day her aunt arrived, then remembered she did
not pay that much attention to his upset.  She was more concerned with Bree and
Zach.

“Why is that, Chase?  Why have you
never told me?”

“I guess I wanted you to figure it out
for yourself.”

“Well, I sort of did. I mean a real
gigolo is very self-centered and inconsiderate, which you are not.  As far as
other women are concerned … you don’t have much of a selection here.”

“That is just it!  I don’t need a
selection anymore, Mackenzie.  I’ve had more sex with you than I’ve had since I
lost my virginity at fifteen.  You … singular … one woman.   And guess what,
honey … I don’t want or need anyone else.  I never even think of other women. 
Even now, seven month’s pregnant I only have to think of you to get a hard-on. 
I can’t seem to get enough of you. In all honesty, I’m not sure another woman
would be able to get me up, even if she put me in her mouth!”

Mackenzie blushed, her heart beating a
mile a minute.

“What does that mean for us,
hotcakes?  We are going to be parents.  I know I want and need you.  I know you
make me feel things I have never felt before … possessiveness, jealousy … I
think I will probably kill any man that touches you.  Am I ready to give name
to some of the emotions I feel … hell no, I am not.  I don’t even know what
they are.  But I do know I want you in my life, to share my joys and successes
with me.  To bring our child up together and give him the best home any child
could ever wish for.”

He leaned closer and his lips captured
hers in a soft brush of lips.  He kissed her palms and smiled widely, his eyes
warm.

“That being said, hotcakes …
phepheeet!”

His shrill whistle echoed through the
trees and four five month old puppies came charging through the trees to
screech to a halt when Chase gave the instruction.  He was adamant they needed
puppies and because they argued about which two, he just bought all four.  Zachary
has been helping him to train them.

“Row!” 

They shuffled next to each other in a
straight line.  Their tongues lolled out of their mouths and the tails wagged
crazily.

“Sit.”

They plonked down on their bums and
yapped excitedly at Chase.  They all adored him, and eagerly waited for the
next instruction.

“Show.”

They scratched in the sand and each of
them bit down on a piece of wood, then sat back up, proudly ‘showing’ the
square pieces of wood. Her tingling laughter shot straight to his groin and then
Mackenzie’s breath caught in her throat.  Her hands covered her mouth and tears
trickled down her cheeks.  Her eyes lifted to Chase’s and his eyes worried into
hers. 

“You are such a sweet, sweet man!”

“Well?”

She looked back at the waggling tailed
puppies holding four signs up, the words, ‘
will you marry me’
, painted
on them.  She looked back at him, thinking back on the feelings he just shared
with her.  She loved this man, more than she could ever have thought possible
to love anyone.  His feelings … she had more hope now than ever.

She caressed his cheek and rose on her
knees in front of him.  She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him
with tenderness.

“Yes, Chase.  I will marry you, but
there is a condition.”

He froze, his hands clamping hard
around her waist.

“I am listening.”

“We both commit to a forever after and
we never hide our feelings from each other.  I cannot live a life where I
always have to wonder.  That being said.  You opened up to me and I have
something to tell you, which I hope won’t make you run to the hills.”

“Hotcakes … nothing would make me run
away from you.”

“I realized not so long ago that my
whole outlook to life has changed.  You played a large part in that.  I love
you, Chase Paxton.   More than I ever thought to love another human being.”

His eyes widened and his hands
tightened even more around her hips.  His voice was hoarse.

“You love me?”

She smiled blindingly and kissed his
lips with a flick of her tongue.

“Very much and it would be my honor to
marry you.”

He drew her into his arms and held her
close.  His eyes were wondrous and he stared at the puppies still holding the
signs in their mouths.

“You do know you just sealed your
fate, Mackenzie.”

“I did?”

“Yes … I will never let you go now. 
Never!”

He instructed the puppies to drop the
signs and they plopped down on the sand, watching them with their heads on
their paws. 

Chase took the bottle of sparkling
grape and Mackenzie held the glasses while he poured.  His smile was crooked.

“In honor of our little buddy boy, we
will pretend this is the real thing!  Once he is born, we will come back here
and have proper bubbly!  Hold on to those for me, honey.”

He leaned over and grabbed the three
red roses.  He took his glass from her and handed her the first red rose.

“This rose, little groupie, represents
the past … our past and what brought us to this point.”

She smiled, taking the rose and
breathing in the heady sweet smell.  They clinked their glasses and took a sip
of their ‘bubbly’.

“This rose, hotcakes, represents the
here and now, today where we commit to our future.”

She had to swallow the lump in her
throat when she took the rose and was glad for the sip she got to take from the
grape juice.

“This rose, my love, represents our
future, our lives together, and our forever after.”

Mackenzie’s eyes swam in tears then
she gasped when she took the rose and caught the flashing glitter of the ring
in the center of the large rose.  Her eyes rose to Chase in amazement.  He
smiled and removed the ring gently from the rose.

He took her hand and slowly pushed the
ring on her finger.  Chase could not decide which glittered the most, her dark
green eyes or the green, large, round shaped diamond ring surrounded by clear,
round, white diamonds.

“You … Chase this is beautiful!”

“I had it made specifically for you,
honey.”

“You had it made?”

“Yes, my love.  I love your beautiful
green eyes.  From the first day my first thought was that they glittered like a
green diamond, not emeralds as people usually compare green eyes to. The shape
will always remind me of your big beautiful round eyes.  I wanted to give you
something special, a reminder of how special you are and how you have changed
my life.”

Chase pulled her on his lap and held
her in his strong arms.  She could not stop looking at the ring on her
fingers.  She smiled, her heart overfilled with joy and love. 

This moment would have been perfect if
he had been able to put words to his feelings.  It did not matter though that
he has not said the words or even realized what they were.  All his actions and
thoughtfulness in what he did over the course of the day, spoke of his love for
her.  She will wait patiently.  She knew the day he admitted his love to her,
was not far in the future.

“Kiss!”

Mackenzie shrieked as the four puppies
stormed towards them and lapped at them with their lolling tongues.  Wherever
they could reach.  Chase chuckled, Mackenzie’s tingling laugh warmed his heart. 
Then his lips captured hers in an earthshattering sweet and tender kiss.

Mackenzie
stretched and arched her back.  She opened her eyes and realized she was alone
in bed.  A small smile hovered on her lips.  It was their wedding day.  Gaby
was adamant that Chase spend the night with them on Rudder Cay Island.  Chase
of course tried everything to get out of it, but in this everyone stood up for
tradition.

Chase’s family arrived the day before
to help with the final arrangements and of course will be staying until after
the wedding.  Aiden was on summer break and he and two of his friends were also
there.

A knock on the door drew her from her
pondering and she sat up, calling to enter.  Lauren shouldered her way into the
room, carrying a breakfast tray.

“Lauren, you shouldn’t have!”

“Well, of course, I didn’t, Essie
did!  I just carried it here!  Every bride should have breakfast in bed,
Macks!  Even a highly pregnant one!”

Lauren noticed a shadow flutter over
Mackenzie’s face.  She placed the tray on the bed and sat down across from her.

“Macks, what is wrong?  Don’t you want
to marry Chase?”

“Oh no!  Of course I want to, it’s
just … I’m fat!  All our wedding photos are going to be me in all my waggling
glory!”

Lauren laughed and pushed the tray
closer to Mackenzie.

“Nonsense!  Even at seven months you
look like a fairy compared to what I looked like when I was pregnant!  Besides,
I have never seen a man as proud of his pregnant wife as Chase is of you.  He
can’t keep his hands off you … and believe me darling, it is not because you
are pregnant!  Chase has never been as openly affectionate with anyone as he is
with you.  Not even Vivienne … you know, his first fiancé.  Oh, Lord!  I hope I
didn …”

“Don’t worry, Lauren.  I know about
her.”

“Oh thank the Lord!  Chase would never
forgive me if I spoiled your wedding day.  Stop worrying Mackenzie.  Even at
seven month pregnant, you are going to be a beautiful bride.”

“I just always had this picture of the
dress I was going to wear … you know … tight fitting to my hips, naked back,
alluring and sexy.”

“Ehm … darling, have you even seen
your dress?  Trust me, you are going to look alluring and sexy.”

“What do you mean?  I chose the dress,
it is beautiful, but anything but sexy!”

“Hmm, which is why I had them make you
another one.  Are you telling me you did not even open the bag to check?”

“No, it was perfect at the final
fitting, so I knew it would be fine.  You got me another dress?”

“Both of them are in there, in case
you do not like the one I chose.  No!  Finish your breakfast first, it is
probably already cold.”

Mackenzie could not contain her
excitement and finished her breakfast quickly.  Lauren just shook her head and
went to fetch the dresses from the cupboard.  She unzipped the bag and took out
the dress Mackenzie chose and then carefully the one she had them make.

Mackenzie’s breath caught in her
throat.  One would not even think this dress was made for a pregnant woman. 
Granted she did not carry very big in front, but her tummy still protruded
quite a bit.

The skirt of the dress was in the
softest chiffon and flowed from a high waist to the floor. The bodice was what
took her breath away.  Bikini look type cups that were made from pleated chiffon
that would mold her breasts perfectly with tiny beaded spaghetti straps over
the shoulders.  Below and in between the cups, there were the most beautiful
clear silver beaded lace for about a hand width before the bodice flowed down. 
It continued down the sides and around the back to form the top of the V-shape
at the waist were the chiffon was gathered in small pleats down to the end of
her butt where a long soft trail fell to the ground.  Leaving only four
spaghetti straps down her shoulder blades to connect to the bodice at the
waist.  Her back would be bare and the dress would mold around her hips at the
back.

“Lauren … this is absolutely
exquisite!  I don’t know what to say!”

“Say you will make my brother happy! 
Say that you are not just marrying him because of Carter.”

“I will make your brother happy and am
not marrying him because of Carter.  I love Chase, Lauren.  Very much.  One of
these days … he will admit his love to me as well.”

“Stupid man, but it is because of
Vivienne.  I’m not sure if he told you this, but he met her just after his
second book was published.  By then he already had a lot of followers, women
that chased him and she was one of the groupies.  She was beautiful and blew
him away.  He did not realize to her it was all about the fame, the glitz and
the glamor.  When they got engaged and she realized that most of her life would
be spent on an Island with just him, she walked away.  To this day I do not
believe he really loved her, but it taught him to be weary.  He understands and
knows all about lust and desire and can express himself very well, but deeper
emotions?  He stopped believing and trusting them.  I don’t think he knows what
it is he feels for you.  I am glad you realized it and is prepared to give him
time.”

Lauren and Gaby helped Mackenzie to
get dressed.  They were having such a good time, they did not keep an eye on
the time. They got the fright of their lives when there was an enormous
hammering on the door.

“If you changed your mind, woman, I’ll
have you know it is too late!  Either you open this damn door, or I break it
down!”

“Oh Lord!  It is already two thirty! 
You’re thirty minutes late!  No wonder he is in such a state!  You better talk
to him.”

Mackenzie rushed to the door, but
Lauren and Gaby nearly had fits when she reached for the lock.

“NO!  He can’t see you yet!”

“Mackenzie!”

“Hi Big boy.  You can relax, Babe.  We
only lost track of time.”

There was absolute silence on the
other side of the door.  Mackenzie could just imagine the expression on his
face.

“You … just lost track of time!  For
thirty damn minutes!”

“Are you fighting with me on our
wedding day, my love?”

Her sweet voice immediately calmed him
down.

“No hotcakes, but if you are not on
that beach in five minutes, I will come and whip your ass for making me worry
unnecessarily!”

“Yes Babe.”

“Five minutes, Mackenzie!”

The three women immediately scattered
to finish the loose curls that they tied back with a narrow clip to tumble
loosely down her back.  Within four minutes they were at the jetty where Aiden
waited for her to take her to the beach with the speedboat.  He was escorting
her down the aisle.  It was a small wedding with only Chase’s closest family
and key people from both their companies.

His publisher was also there.  He was
going to write the article of the wedding for the press and the news. 
Mackenzie was against it, but Chase was adamant that the world knew he got
married and they were expecting their first child.

“Wow, sis!  You are going to blow him
away!  You look absolutely gorgeous!”

Chase sighed with relief when his sister
and Bree arrived on the beach. A few minutes later Aiden brought the speedboat
to a stop a few yards from the beach. Billy had a temporary jetty set up
specifically for this occasion.  He could not take his eyes from the shiny
black head and when she stepped onto the jetty and turned to wait for Aiden, he
stopped breathing.  She looked absolutely exquisite.  The dress molded to her
hips from behind and her back was bared to her waist. She turned and he let his
breath out slowly.

How she managed to look so sexy and
desirable at seven months pregnant he would never know.  No one would convince
him that she would have looked more beautiful had they waited until after
Carter’s birth.

He took her hand Aiden handed to him
and immediately drew her into his arms.  His eyes bore witness to the beauty he
saw in front of him.

“You look absolutely exquisite and
took my breath away.  Worth every of the forty minutes you made me wait!”

He leaned down and kissed her tenderly
on the lips.

“Hey, Uncle Chase!  The pastor did not
say kiss the bride yet!”

Everybody laughed.  The couple, both
dressed in white, turned to the pastor and the beautiful, poignant ceremony had
most of the women in tears.

The reception was held at the patio
area and all around the pool.  The patio was enormous and there was more than
enough space to house the fifty or so guests and have space for dancing as
well.

The bridal couple danced slowly in
each other’s arms, even on the fast tunes.  They decided on an early wedding,
specifically because the guests still had to return home.  By eight all the
guests were gone and Mackenzie fell down on the couch in the den.  Gaby and
Lauren hustled all the family together and soon everyone had left, leaving the
bride and groom alone.

Chase picked Mackenzie up and carried
her to their room.  She looped her arms around his neck and rested her head
against his chest.

“Are you tired, honey?”

“Hmm.”

“So where do I take you, dear wife? 
To the bathroom or straight to bed?”

“Oh, a bath first please.  It was so
hot, I feel sticky!”

Chase put her down on the small chaise
against the one wall and she drew her legs beneath her, leaning on her arm,
watching him running her a bath.  She smiled at his tender consideration. 
Since he asked her to marry him, he has been treating her like a porcelain
doll.  She rose slowly and carefully removed her dress.  She draped it on the
chaise and stood looking at it with a dreamy expression on her face.

Chase wrapped his arms around her and
stroked her tummy.  He nuzzled her neck and she sighed.

“You looked so beautiful today, I
could hardly breathe when you walked towards me. I am very proud to be your
husband, Mackenzie Paxton.”

“As did you.  I can still not believe
that you want me to be your wife.  You have actresses, heiresses and every
gorgeous woman after you.  But at the same time, I am very happy that you did. 
I can’t imagine my life without you. I am proud to be your wife, Chase my
love.”

She slowly unbuttoned his white
shirt’s buttons and slipped it from his shoulders to drop on the floor.

“I believe I would like my husband to
share my bath tonight.  I am way too tired to wash myself!”

Chase did not need a second invitation
and soon they were settled in the large oval tub.  Mackenzie sat between
Chase’s legs and leaned her back against his chest.  She moaned with pleasure
as he gently caressed her nipples.

“At least one of my teenage wishes
have come true today.”  Mackenzie remembered softly.

“Hmm … and that is?”

“Well, at this point more than one.  I
always wanted to be married and have kids.  So there is two done, or rather one
is still in progress.  I wanted to be married on an island … and I wanted to be
married on16
^th
September.  I totally forgot about it until this
moment.”

“What is so special about this date?”

“It was my parent’s wedding day.  They
had the best marriage, they were so happy together.  They always loved and
treasured each other. Everything I always wanted for my own marriage.”

Chase tilted her head back and looked
deep into her eyes.

“And we will have all of those, my
lovely wife.”

His kiss promised everything he has
not put to words as yet and when he lifted and lowered her on his aroused
length, she sighed in pleasure.  No man would ever be able to bring her body
the pleasures he did.  He caressed her nipples and gently rubbed her clit until
she pleaded for release.  He thrust hard and fast then. Mackenzie held on to
his arms and her low scream echoed around them as she shattered in his arms,
her climax tightening her inner muscles around him so hard, he shouted as he
followed her with his own shattering release.

She leaned back on his chest, gasping
for breath.  She tired very easily lately.  Chase realized it and never
stretched their love making out.  She still had a very high need for sex, just
not the same amount of energy to indulge in it as strenuously as they usually
did.

Chase quickly washed her and then
himself and soon he lifted her on their bed.  He followed her down and covered
them with a sheet.  She turned on her side and he pulled her into him.  She
turned her face for their goodnight kiss and fell asleep before it even ended. 
Chase smiled and brushed her hair back.

He stroked her tummy and felt his son
kicking against his hand strongly.  He lifted on his elbow and leaned over to
kiss her tummy tenderly.

“Soon, my boy.  Soon!”

He laid back and pulled her tighter,
kissing her softly in her neck.  His heart beating warmly with emotions that
have tightened around his heart since the day he asked her to marry him.  But
today … today they nearly drowned him.  Emotions he never thought he would feel
again. Emotions he did not know that he wanted.