The O'Conners: A Made for Love Novella (13 page)

“Happy anniversary, my gorgeous bride.
”

She lifts her head so that she can look into my eyes. Her lips graze mine before she replies,
“
Happy anniversary, my handsome groom.
”

Just then, the alarm clock sounds. We both groan, disappointed that our day must officially begin. When I roll us over so that I can stop the incessant buzzing, Ave giggles, wrapping her arms around me. Her voice is still coated in the haze of morning and the sexy sound of her joy goes straight to my dick. I can feel myself starting to get hard inside of her again.

“I
’
m not ready to let you go, yet,
”
I admit, pressing my forehead against hers.
“
I should have called out today.
”

“We talked about this, Hottie. You
’
re already taking the after
—”

“Yes, I know.
”

The news of her pregnancy has stirred up a whole lot of questions we aren
’
t even close to addressing; however, the issue of our finances is one we
’
ve already attempted to tackle. My job is most certainly a Godsend, but we can
’
t afford for me to take anymore time off for the foreseeable future. Avery insists that she should find a part-time gig to help pad our savings, but I
’
m not prepared for her to do that yet. It
’
s a discussion that has been shelved for the moment. I don
’
t want anything interfering with her music.

That being said
—
anniversary or not, it
’
s Monday morning and I have to go into work.
But  I don
’
t have to leave for another hour
…
and skipping breakfast in order to spend a few more minutes in the shower would be more than worth it.

I pull out of her and stand to my feet. I can see the look of disappointment she tries to hide and a smirk tugs at the corner of my mouth. She gasps when I scoop her into my arms, cradling her against my chest.
“
You
’
re coming with me.
”

An hour and five minutes later, I
’
m rushing out of the apartment with a toasted egg sandwich. Avery made it for me while I got dressed.

I love that woman.

Despite all that makes today significant, work feels a bit mundane. Time moves slower than molasses and I have to work twice as hard to maintain an appropriate amount of focus. It
’
s difficult not to let my mind wander to thoughts of Avery every other millisecond. It
’
s still sinking in that we
’
re about to start a family. Avery
’
s settling into our new reality a lot better than she was initially, but she
’
s always been my worry-wart. This has her so anxious. I know the pressure falls on me to assure her and
reassure
her that we can do this. I won
’
t lie, though. I
’
m scared, too.

I want to be good to this baby. I want to be the father that I never had. I want to be smart and prepared. I never want Avery or our children to ever want for anything. Not materially. Not physically. Not emotionally. I
’
m determined to do whatever it is that I need to in order to be the head of my household.
My household
.
God has trusted me with this family and I won
’
t let them down.

It
’
s one thing to be responsible for someone
’
s
heart
. It
’
s another thing entirely to be responsible for their entire
life
. I don
’
t know how anyone is ever prepared for that undertaking.

When three o
’
clock rolls around, I
’
m more than ready to head home and pick up Ave. I couldn
’
t force myself to concentrate on numbers for another minute even if I tried. Just as I
’
m getting ready to head out, I hear someone calling my name. When I turn and look behind me, I see Jared, my boss and the head of the accounting division, standing at the end of the hallway. He appears to be wrapping up a conversation with Kyle, one of the lead accountants in the department. He holds up a finger, signaling for me to wait, before he shakes Kyle
’
s hand and begins to make his way towards me.

“Where are you off to, Grayson?
”

“I
’
m on my way out, actually. I have the rest of the afternoon off.
”

“Oh, that
’
s right! Well, I just need a minute. Let me walk you to the elevators.
”

Jared
’
s probably the nicest guy I
’
ve ever worked for. He
’
s a no nonsense leader, straight forward with high demands; but he
’
s also an advocate for higher education opportunities and development. The entire reason this fellowship program exists is because of him.

“A couple of the guys on my staff have noticed a shift in your focus over the past couple of weeks. They thought it necessary to bring it to my attention.
”

My stomach drops and my pace slows as I reach my hand up to squeeze the back of my neck.
“
Um, about that
—
I
’
ve just got some things happening at home. I
—”

“Well, they must be good things,
”
he interrupts with a grin. I crease my forehead in confusion.
“
They say that you
’
ve upped your game, Gray. I
’
ve been told to keep my eye on you.
”

“Oh,
”
I mutter, releasing my neck. That one word is all I can manage, caught off guard by the direction this conversation is going.

“As you know, at the end of your fellowship, one or two from your class will be selected to stay on with the firm. You
’
ve proven to be quite the contender. Are you and Avery planning on staying in the Chicago area after you graduate?
”

“Honestly? I don
’
t know, sir.
”
My mind is racing. The prospect of a full-time position waiting for me right after graduation, at one of the most prestigious law firms in the area, is like an answer to a prayer I haven
’
t even found the words to pray yet. That being said, this is an incredible opportunity I can
’
t just snatch up without speaking with my wife. We
’
ve yet to decide whether or not we want to stay in Illinois after the spring. With this baby on the way
—

“Keep me up to speed on your plans, alright?
”
he says, clapping a hand against my back.
“
No matter what you decide, you
’
ll have my word to back you. You
’
re doing some great work here and it won
’
t be overlooked.
”

“Thank you, sir. Thank you very much.
”

“Tell that wife of yours I said hello. See you tomorrow.
”

He parts with a wave and I watch him go as I wait for an elevator to arrive. I can
’
t help but smile. Knowing that whether I go or stay I
’
ve got the support of Jared Ingerson, it
’
s a sign
—
a sign that everything really is going to be okay.

When I walk into the apartment thirty minutes later, Avery
’
s name is on my lips before I even close the door behind me.
“
Shorty, where are you?
”

“I
’
m in here,
”
she says with a laugh.
“
Our apartment really isn
’
t that big, my love.
”

She peeks her head out of the bedroom and my heart skips a beat. She
’
s curled her hair, the long locks left loose to hang down her chest and back. Her smile lights up her whole face and for a second, I just have to take in the fact that I made a baby with her. Moments like this one hit me like a freight train every time.

“Hottie? Are you going to get changed? We have to leave in a minute.
”

I stride towards her purposefully and she straightens, filling the doorway with all of her five-foot, two-inch glory. She
’
s wearing a red sundress and my mind fills with images of her skirt rumpled up around her waist as she straddles me. I can feel myself growing hard and I take a deep breath, pushing such thoughts aside as I cup my hands around her face and press a kiss against her lips. She leans into me, resting her hands against my chest. When I pull away, she offers me the sweetest smile.

“What was that for?
”

“I had a good day. Well
—
I had a good
end
of my day.
”

“Oh, yeah? Are you going to tell me about it?
”

“Mmhmm,
”
I hum, stealing another kiss.
“
Let me change really quick. We
’
ll talk about it on our drive to the doctor.
”

He holds my hand for the duration of our trip, absentmindedly fidgeting with my fingers as he drives. While we ride, we talk about what Mr. Ingerson said before Grayson left the office and all that his words imply. The question of where we wanted to go after graduation has felt up in the air since the moment we enrolled in our respective schools. We figured life would help us make that decision when the time came. I guess, in a way, it has. I just never imagined it feeling this way
—
this
grown up.
Our choice to stay in Chicago feels like a mature one, made for the sake of our child.

I
’
m in awe of the way this feels. Making big decisions not simply based around what
we
want, but what we think is best for our family. Furthermore, I
’
m surprised with how at peace I am with our decision. We
’
re so far away from my parents, from my sister and Beckham. I never would have thought we
’
d be raising a child away from them. The truth of the matter is, Grayson and I have a life here. We have jobs, dreams, and friends here. While that may have been easy to overlook before, the prospect of discovering more as we sought out adventure, just the two of us
…
it
’
s nearly impossible for me to imagine walking away from the foundation we
’
ve managed to build in the short time we
’
ve been here.

Now
—
now
our next great adventure is growing in my womb.

I breathe in deeply and exhale slowly as we come to a stop in the parking lot of the doctor
’
s office. The butterflies I felt upon waking return with a vengeance. I can
’
t help but squeeze Sonny
’
s fingers, needing to feel something else; something warm; something safe. He leans over and kisses my cheek before opening his car door to step out of the Mustang.