The Love Series Complete Box Set (66 page)

Me:
Hmmmm—naked hopefully ;)

Maddy:
Guess you’ll have to wait and see—love you.

Me:
love you too. See you later.

Walking towards Dylan’s small corner office, a few of my co-workers congratulate me on my new full time position as a counselor here at The Bridge. Never in a million years did I think that things would work out like this for me. Dylan walking into my mom’s funeral turned out to be the opportunity of a lifetime for me.

After the fight with my father the day after the funeral, we talked for hours and hours. Learning about the Shane he knew was eye opening. I know I’ll never have Shane back in my life, but talking about him with Dylan, gave me back a piece of my brother.

Leaning against his office door, I take stock of the awards and certificates of appreciation that decorate his wall. He looks up from his computer screen. “Finally ready?” he asks jokingly.

“I said I would be five minutes. Quit your ball-busting.” I move to the side as he walks past me. Clapping his arm around my shoulder, he says, “Nope. That’s never going to happen. And now that you’re here fulltime, I get to bust your balls even more.” We share a laugh and take the elevator down to the main floor of the medium sized office building.

Stepping out onto the sidewalk in front of the building, the crisp spring air breezes across my face and the sun shines brightly in my eyes.

“Coopers sound okay?” Dylan asks as we start to walk. Coopers is a small sports bar that me and the guys from work go to a few times a month to catch a game and relax. “Yeah, perfect.”

Maddy has work until six tonight so a few hours out with the guys, especially now that I’ve texted her about it, sounds like the perfect way to unwind after a long week.

My eyes adjust to the dimly lit bar and my ears are jarred by the loud “Surprise” that rings out as I walk through the door. “What the . . .” My words trail off as Maddy walks up to me.

“Surprise, baby.” She kisses me sweetly on my still-shocked cheek.

“I’ll say. What is this, Maddy? I thought you were at work?” My eyes drift over her shoulder and take in the sight before me. Jack is walking up towards us, with Cammie in tow, of course.

Extending his hand to me, Maddy steps to my side. “Congratulations, man. You’re a suit now, huh?” Jack quips playfully as he eyes my attire.

“Thanks, Jack. What the hell are you doing here?” I really don’t understand what the hell the “surprise” is for.

Reaching for a glass set out at the table beside us, Maddy clangs against it with a spoon to get everyone’s attention. And by everyone, I mean everyone. Momma and Mel are here, as are Katie and Joe. I’m a bit surprised to see Evan, Joe’s brother, but from what Maddy tells me, Evan and Momma have grown quite fond of one another in recent months. Logan and Lia have also joined the group for, well, for whatever
this
is. Behind my friends and family, there are a small group people from the office and they raise their glasses to me. I guess I didn’t even notice that they had left before Dylan and I did.

When the group settles and they’re all quiet, Maddy clears her throat and says, “Thank you, guys, for coming here today.” She scans the small crowd and smiles cheerfully at them. Wrapping her arm around my waist, she tucks herself into my side and gently squeezes me. Out of pure instinct, my hand drifts down to her rounded belly, and rests there casually. She puts the glass down and places her hand over mine.

“It means so much to both Reid and I that you’re here to celebrate the completion of his internship and the start of his first real job!” She announces my accomplishments with such enthusiasm that it’s nearly impossible not to beam with pride.

“Would everyone please raise their glass?” When they do, she looks up at me, and even though her words are directed at the crowd, her eyes are glued to my face. “Reid, we are all so proud of everything you’ve achieved. We all love you very much and we know that this is just the start of a very long and successful career of helping those in need.” On her last words, everyone chimes in with “hear, hear.” Glasses clink and the volume of the room decreases back to that of a normal level.

Maddy stretches up on her toes and presses her lips against my ear. “I love you, baby. And I plan on showing you just how proud of you I am later.” Her tongue darts out and licks softly at my earlobe. Instantly, fire rages in my body as I am overcome with desire. Still close to me, voice still pitched low so that only I can hear her, she says one last thing into my ear. “Now, let’s enjoy your party and later you can enjoy me.”

Pulling her close to me, I lean into her ear. It’s only fair if I can repay the teasing. “I will most definitely enjoy you.” I reach down, squeeze her ass and pull her into the current evidence of my enjoyment. Her eyes widen in shock and maybe just a little bit of anticipation for later.

Maddy pulls away from me as Momma approaches us. She kisses me sweetly on the cheek “Congratulations, Reid. We’re all very proud of you. So, how does it feel to be a real working man now?” Her kind blue eyes are shining with pride. I now understand what Maddy means when she says that Momma makes her miss her own mother just a little bit less.

Maddy stays to my side, but her rounded belly covers up the erection that was just nudging into her side. No need for Momma to see that. “Weird. I mean, I’ve been there for four months, but I never expected to pull off the interview and actually land the job. I guess I’m a
real
grown-up now.” I laugh and wink down at Maddy.

Her eyes glimmer with amusement. “If you think you’re a grown-up, you just wait for this little bundle of joy to get here. Then you’ll see what it’s like—you’ll be one big, sleep deprived, working 9–5 grown-up, that’s for sure.” I know she means for her words to be a playful joke, but I’d be lying if I said they didn’t scare the shit out of me.

Momma throws her head back in a small fit of laughter when she sees my face contort into a knotted mixture of anxiety and apprehension.

Momma reaches out for Maddy’s belly. She hates when people touch her. Well, everyone except Momma, Mel and me, of course.

I’m pretty sure she’s a fan of when I touch her.

“Calm yourself down. You are both going to be amazing parents. I just know it. And I’ll only be a few blocks away.” I’ve never been more grateful for Maddy’s stubborn attitude about where we live. Right now, I’d move back into Maddy’s small bedroom at Momma’s if it meant not having to worry about taking care of the baby on our own.

After Momma leaves us to go find Evan, Maddy tells me to go hang out with the guys while she catches up with the girls. I know that “catching up” means more baby talk so I gladly make my way over to the bar where Dylan, Logan and Jack are enjoying their beers while the Mets game plays on the gigantic television mounted across from them. I know for sure that there will most definitely not be any baby talk on this side of the room.

It’s a rare occasion that the Mets are actually winning, so the guys and I spend the rest of the party talking stats and ERAs. They bust my balls about being all ‘wifed’ up and I bust theirs in return about being assholes. By the end of the night, we share one more beer, celebrating a rare Met’s victory and my new job. It feels good to be one of the guys again, even for a small chunk of time.

Sometime around nine, after most of the group has left, Maddy comes over to me and Dylan at the bar. “So did you have a good time tonight?” She wraps her arm around my waist and cuddles into my side.

Draping my arm over her shoulder, I say “I did, baby. Thank you for putting it all together. I was really surprised.” I kiss her head and she smiles again.

She playfully elbows Dylan in the side and winks at him. “I had a little help.” She smiles at me, as she echoes the words I’ve said to her so many times in regards to Mel. Don’t get me wrong, I love that Maddy and Dylan are close, but I have a feeling that this will not be the last time that they pull something over on me.

I shoot Dylan a wry look to which he responds, “Don’t blame me, dude. How am I supposed to say no to her? She’s relentless. I had no choice, really.” The exasperation in his voice conveys just how persistent Maddy was in this venture. He’s holding his hands up in front his chest as he laughs at Maddy and her “are you kidding me” face.

“Whatever, Dylan. Your arm didn’t need that much twisting.” Her eyebrows twist together in a stern yet playful way.

Dylan puts his hands down and reaches for his beer. Tipping his glass to me, he says, “No it didn’t. I’m really proud of you, Reid.” He chugs down his last mouthful of beer, and adds, “And I know that Shane would be proud of you too.” His words are a bit rough, laced with emotion. It’s clear that he still misses Shane.

Dylan clears his throat of the emotion that’s just settled there. “Alright, guys. I’m out of here. I’ll see you on Monday.” He shakes my hand and pulls me into a half-hug. After kissing Maddy on the cheek, he grabs his suit jacket from the back of his chair and walks away.

I swallow down the rest of my drink and place my glass on the bar. “Ready to go, baby?” Grabbing my suit jacket from the back of my chair, I pull it on and look down at her standing by my side.

Grabbing the lapels of my jacket in her hands, she whispers sweetly, “I’ve been ready to go since I saw you walk through those doors looking all sexy in this suit here.” She reaches up on her toes and kisses me slowly and seductively.

And with that, we’re out the door.

The twenty minute drive from Coopers to our home seems to take forever. We keep eyeing each other across the cabin of the Jeep. Our hands are in constant contact and I can see Reid’s desire growing—quite literally—by the minute.

Reid parks the Jeep in the spot next to my still-kicking, but old and beat up Honda Civic. Reid keeps bringing up the idea that I need a new car—well, that
he
needs to buy
me
a new car—but, I would rather save the money for the baby. He has a pretty difficult time coming up with any kind of response to that.

Thankfully, he chooses not to rekindle that argument as we walk past the car and towards our door. The second the lock clicks and the door closes behind us, his hands are on me. I can’t help the gasp that comes out as he lifts me off my feet. Sometimes I forget just how strong he is, but as he effortlessly hefts me and my five month
-
regnant belly, I’m in awe of him.

My awe quickly changes into desire and need as he carries me into our room and places me on my feet at the edge of our bed. Slowly and softly he undresses me, sure to touch and caress every inch of my exposed skin. Still fully clothed, he stands before me and unashamedly stares at my naked body. “God, you’re so fucking beautiful, Maddy.”

He moves to stand behind me and he sweeps my hair to the side. Moving my neck to give him better access, he begins torturing me with his talented tongue. He kisses and licks my neck and shoulder until my nipples are almost painfully erect. I arch my back and try to reach behind me to touch him.

“Oh no. This is all about you right now.” He coos into my ear as he ensnares both of my wrists in his big hand. My only response is a garbled groan of pleasure. I love when he takes charge like this. I love soft, sweet and romantic Reid, but hot, controlling and passionate Reid is pretty fucking amazing too.

His breath is hot and heavy in my ear. “Now, can I let you go? Are you going to be a good girl and listen?” Leaning my head back onto his shoulder, I manage an “uh huh” in response. I feel the chuckle rumble in his chest behind me. The vibrations from his laugh, in combination with the feel of his lips on my neck, makes my insides spasm in delight. “Good. Now wrap your arms up around my neck,” he commands. My compliance is instinctual. There’s no point in not doing what he says. He owns me—body and soul, I belong to him.

His fingers trace their way down my arms, prickling my flesh in their wake. When he pinches my nipples, my knees buckle and he actually has to hold me up to keep me from falling. “I love that I drive you this crazy, beautiful girl.”