Hourglass Squared (16 page)

"We got this." I confirmed, using the line they'd fed me relentlessly.

"No doubt."

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

Savannah

M
Y HEART WAS
breaking all over again as I ended the call with Brooke and sat down on the couch in my living room. The only light in the room came from outside as it shined through the open windows. Devastated, I sat there alone, praying that my best friend would be spared from this cruel disease that had come into our lives like a crazy ex-girlfriend, hell bent on wreaking havoc.

I counted each tick of the clock as I waited there for Jake to get home. It ticked ninety-five times before my attention was drawn to the faint sound of the elevator bell.

The sound of keys jostling in the front door caught my attention, and I looked on as Jake stepped inside. His shoulders were slumped, and I could see the concern in his eyes as he crossed the room toward me.

He plopped onto the couch, right next to me, placing his hand on my leg, "How you holding up?"

Doing my best to fight back the impending tears, I just looked up at him and shrugged before lying down on his lap. Once situated, Jake's hand went straight for my belly, rubbing the bump that was getting bigger and bigger as each day passed. Jake lifted my shirt up to expose my full belly, and I instantly pulled it back down. "Babe, don't lift my shirt up. I'm as fat as a cow."

He gave me a look, as if telling me I'd lost my mind and then lifted my shirt up again. "You're perfect, Savannah, and so are these…" His body flinched beneath mine, and then he pressed harder on my belly. "Did you feel that?" he probed.

An embarrassed smile crept over my face. "Sorry, I think it's gas. These squatters have been worse than a bowl of beans lately."

A laugh flew out from deep within Jake. "I don't think that's gas. I think that was one of the babies kicking."

I quickly sat up and held my shirt up with my chin as I looked down, massaging my belly. "Alright, you two. I want to feel my squatters kick. Let's go. Get a move on it. I don't have all day to sit here and wait." I delicately shook my belly, hoping to get them to move around, but nothing. I sighed. "They hate me. They're punishing me because I didn't want them."

Jake snorted and then climbed off the couch and knelt in front of me. "Let the master show you how it's done." He winked up at me, fighting a heart-stopping smile, and then put both of his warm hands on my bare belly and began to coo at our babies like he was a professional. "How are my little babies? Daddy loves you so much and can't wait to meet you. Let's show Mommy how much we love her too."

He leaned in and kissed my skin, right between both of his hands, and instantly I felt a kick.

I shook my head in surprise. "Oh my goodness, Jake. They kicked!" I yelled, as I bounced around on the couch. "Make them do it again, please," I begged him, eager to feel my two little squatters from the inside.

Jake's gaze captivated my attention as he stared up at me, mesmerized as if I was the Mona Lisa, and he'd waited his entire life to see me.

Unable to stop myself in the moment, I took his face between the palms of my hands and began to lean in toward him, wanting to claim his mouth as my own, but the squatters had something else in mind. I began to laugh hysterically as I tried to lean in again with no luck. It was official: my big ole' belly had finally gotten in the way.

Jake's body collapsed back against the floor in laughter as I repositioned myself and placed my feet on the ground. I climbed off the couch, trying to control the hysterics that were escaping me and made my way over to Jake, straddling over him.

I began to kiss him in-between laughs, but each time my belly would press up against his perfectly sculpted abs, we would begin to laugh even harder. It finally got to the point that I climbed off him and lay down next to his giant frame until we could both begin to control ourselves.

Jake pressed himself up onto one arm and pulled me against him. His hand trailed over my belly. "I missed that laugh. Life has been so sad lately I almost forgot what it sounded like for you to have a good time."

A faint smile tugged at the corner of my mouth, and I lifted my hand to caress Jake's face. A spark ignited within as I ran my fingers against his scruffy facial hair, which made me want to rip the clothes right off him and take him on our living room floor.

I knew in the back of my mind that I shouldn't be enjoying life like that because it wasn't fair to Brooke. But, I also knew that it was one of the happiest times in my and Jake's lives, and, quite possibly, the last time I'd ever be pregnant, so I needed to learn how to balance the good with the bad.

I slipped my fingers across Jake's throat, memorizing the way his warm skin felt beneath my fingers, and then gripped the collar of his shit, tugging him down toward me and claiming his lips.

A cavernous moan escaped his mouth as I traced his faultless lips with my tongue. His body began to move closer, filling my space as he climbed over me, both of his arms trapping me underneath him, exactly where I wanted to be, and I watched as his eyes grew dark with lust.

Not allowing anything to spoil the moment, I dug my fingers into his back and forced his body against mine. "I want you so badly," I pleaded.

Jake didn't need anything further than the permission I'd just given him, and with one swift movement he was standing up, both legs straddled over my body. The look in his eyes told me everything I needed to know. He wanted me as desperately as I wanted him.

I watched as his huge frame leaned down over me. He gripped me under my arms and lifted my body straight off the floor as if I was as light as a feather.

He cradled my body against him, holding me tightly in his arms, and made his way down the hall and into our bedroom. Jake pulled back the comforter on the bed and gently laid me down onto the mattress, and I watched as he began to remove his clothes.

His arm muscles flexed as he reached for the hem of his shirt, gracefully pulling it over his head and tossing it on my face. I giggled and held it up to my nose as I inhaled the smell of his favorite cologne. Next, he undid the buckle of his belt and the button of his pants. My eyes settled on his fingers, jealous that his hands were doing all of the work and not mine. He unzipped his pants, and with one swift push, they slipped down his muscular legs, the sound of his belt buckle crashing onto the floor, just as he stepped out of them.

He started to climb into bed, but his boxers were still on, and I shook my head. "Lose the boxers. I don't want half of you. I want all of you."

Flames lit behind his eyes, and he was out of his underwear quicker than I'd made the request.

I stared at him, his entire body, admiring the fact that he was all mine whenever I wanted him. His skin tone was tanned a golden brown, and the hair on his face was trimmed to perfection. Each of his muscles were defined impeccably, as if they'd been painted on by Michelangelo, himself.

I stretched my arms out and motioned for him to get his butt in bed and help me out of my clothes.

There was no hesitation as Jake's hands delicately made their way to each article of clothing that remained on my body. He slowly took each piece off, one by one, admiring my body the same way I'd done to his, once he had me fully naked.

"You are so beautiful, Sav." He leaned down and kissed my lips, sucking them into his mouth and teasing me. His hands trailed down my body, massaging every piece of exposed skin along the way.

I moaned into his mouth. "I need you inside of me, please, Jake," I begged, wanting my husband more than ever.

And in one slow, passionate movement of his hips, my plea had been answered in the very best way possible.

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

Brooke

A
S
I
WALKED
across the marble floor to my office at Hourglass, I couldn't help but reflect back to my first day. I'd been so full of life and ambitious, driven and passionate. Now I trudged to my office, desperate to survive the battle and anxious to deliver this baby healthy. My lights flickered as they came on. After being dormant for two weeks, now they protested having to come to life.

I spun my chair around to face me and then sank into it, letting the leather caress me as I got comfortable. Reclining back, I hugged my growing belly. It felt so odd to be at work, and it was short-lived, since I was only here for a week before going on leave for my mastectomy. Dr. Rothchild had tried to get me in a bit earlier, but I'd wanted to come to work, wrap some things up, and just be for a little bit.

Lisa went strutting past my office, then suddenly froze in place as she must have realized my office light was on.

"Mrs. Worthington. Brooke. You're back." She quickly fluttered into my office, shifting the files in her arm.

"Yes, just for the week before I go on leave again. Thank you so much for handling things here while I was gone and communicating with me at home. It's been such a big help." I rocked in the chair as I caressed my belly. The baby was moving around a lot inside.

"Of course, it is my pleasure. I pray for you every day, Brooke, and have even added your name to my church's prayer list. How is the little one doing?"

I looked over at Lisa, remembering our first year together. Savannah and I had put the poor girl through the wringer with our spat over Lucas, and now I considered her a friend. "The baby is doing well. Dancing around in there like crazy." I chuckled as the baby gave a jarring kick.

"Well, I'm going to go drop these files in Monica's office. If you need anything just buzz me." With a nod, she backed out of my office and proceeded down the hall. I turned to my computer and pressed the power button to boot it up.

The light tap on my door caused me to look up again, and I saw my best friend filling out my doorway in her adorable maternity tunic and skinny jeans.

"Hey, stranger, how you feeling?"

I typed in my computer password real quick and then faced her. "I'm good. This baby is kicking me to death."

Savannah winced, and I cringed, the word carrying so much more weight now than it ever did before.

"How are my little nieces?"

"Nieces?" she asked, tilting her head to the side and looking at me in confusion.

"Well, yeah, you have twins, so I figured they were the two girls, and I got the boy." My stomach jolted beneath my blouse. "And with the way these kicks are coming, he is a soccer player or kickboxer."

"You bite your tongue. I already told these squatters that one better be a boy and the other a girl. I'm only doing this once so they better do as I ask."

We both began laughing, knowing full well Savannah really wasn't joking at all. I could picture her sitting there giving out orders to two little babies in her belly, telling them exactly how life would be.

"How is your nursery coming along? We need to go shopping again and start getting ready. These babies will be here before we know it."

"Ahh, you know, we've been a bit preoccupied. We have some time though. I'm only twenty-one weeks along." A smile lit her face as she rubbed her belly.

A genius idea struck me, and quickly I swiveled in my chair and typed out an email to Lisa, clicking send as Savannah watched me.

"You're up to something," she accused, knowing me all too well.

"I just realized something I'd forgotten to handle. I was emailing Lisa."

Right on cue, Lisa stepped up beside Savannah and smiled.

"I'm ready to work, Brooke. What do you need me to do?"

Savannah looked between us skeptically, crossing her arms over top of her belly and making it known she wasn't moving.

Nervous, I knew I needed to come up with something. I glanced down to my desk and saw the tab labeled Nike sitting there for me to review. "Lisa, it's the Nike campaign. We owe them three more runs, and I need you to get some ideas over to the graphic-design team."

Apparently placated with what she'd heard, Savannah waved her hand and waddled down to her office.

"Thank God, I thought she'd never leave. Get in here and shut the door."

Lisa quickly scooted in and closed the door behind her. Sitting there, she took diligent notes of every last detail I gave her, promising she'd make it all come to fruition and more by my last day.

The rest of the week flew by as I met with other design editors and went over my pending projects, each time having to spend ten minutes getting past the awkwardness of them wanting to tell me how sorry they were, but not knowing how. By Friday morning, I was almost relieved to be going on leave. Lisa popped in my office first thing in the morning.

"Last day, I'm sure going to miss you. It's been nice to have you back." She leaned against the door jam, tears pooling in her eyes.

"No crying. I forbid it." I smiled at her, trying to keep the day as happy as possible. "Is everything all set?"

"Of course. I'm running to the airport now and will be back just beforehand. Do you want me to pick up anything else on my way back?"

I shook my head no and waved Lisa off just as Savannah appeared in my doorway.