The One: The Complete One Series Collection (23 page)

My eyes closed and I moaned in anticipation. William had many, many skills, but his oral pleasuring skills were off the charts. Everything that had happened earlier in the day vanished from my brain as William spread my legs. He needed no prompting or direction.

His lips were dry at first from all the kissing he had done, but the roughness felt wonderful as it grazed against my most sensitive area. The very tip of his tongue danced around my opening, then flitted in and out. Every nerve in my body hummed to life with William’s next move- a full on make out session. He kissed and licked my clitoris with a fierce passion. Then he suddenly stopped and languidly blew cool air, sending a delicious chill through my body.

When he pressed his lips against me again, they were moist and warm. This time, he used his fingers to stimulate even more pleasure, slipping two of them inside me. He stroked the inside wall of my vagina, finding the magic spot that pulsed in anticipation of his touch. He moved his fingers rapidly while his tongue moved in a circular motion. He was titillating me both inside and out. I could feel myself arriving, my muscles throbbing. William could feel it too and he lifted his head again, slipping his thumb over the area where his mouth had been

This time he did return to me, pressing his mouth hard against mine while his hand finished the job. He removed his mouth for just a second to say, “Come for me, baby.”

When his lips touched down again, I pushed my tongue inside and I could taste myself on his tongue. As I ground hard against his hand, my body climaxed in a sudden flurry of pulsing heat. He kept kissing me, even after the aftershocks had faded. It took me a minute or so to readjust as I came down from the high, but once the feeling had returned to my extremities, I began to return his extended intimacy.

For a long while, we lay on the bed making out like teenagers. We kissed long and slow and explored each other’s bodies. As much as I enjoyed heavy petting as a prelude to sex, it was just as good post-coital.

“You know, you’re not going to be able to do this from London,” I said during one of our breaks for air. We lay on our sides, facing each other. During our activity, I had managed to remove all of William’s clothes and now we were both naked. It was only fair.

“Not this way. But we’ll have other ways to achieve results.” William’s hand rested on my hip, skimming slowly over my skin.

I was busy drawing circles on his chest with the tips of my fingers, trying not to worry about our uncertain future.

“William, do you want to have kids?” I wasn’t sure why, but we had never really talked about starting a family. It hadn’t seemed that important just a couple of days ago.

William’s hand stopped moving and he didn’t answer right away. When he did answer, his tone was very serious. “Yes. I’m not sure I always wanted to have kids, but now I want them, with you. One day.”

Those were the words I needed to hear. Now I could check the results and either way, I knew we would be okay. “I’ll be right back,” I said, bolting upright.

“What’s wrong?” William was thrown by my sudden movement. He wrapped an arm around me. “Don’t leave me.”

“Nothing’s wrong.” I smiled, my newfound relief needing an outlet. “Don’t worry, I’m coming back to you. I’ll always come back to you.”

William smiled uncertainly, but he let me go. His phone rang and he reluctantly got out of bed, reaching for his discarded pants and digging into the back pocket. “Oh goodie. It’s my mother.”

“Tell her I send my love,” I joked, grabbing his wrinkled shirt from the floor and pulling it on. The house was a little too chilly to be running around in it naked. My purse was still on the entry table by the front door and I grabbed it, fumbling around for the stick.

“
Liv.”

I froze. William was standing at the end of the hall, cellphone still in hand. His face was a haunted combination of confusion and worry.

“William, what’s wrong?” I dropped my purse and hurried to his side.

“My father had a heart attack. He’s in the hospital.”

My mouth dropped open. “Oh, god. Is he going to be okay?”

“No one seems to know. He’s in cardiac intensive care.” William’s eyes were foggy, like he wasn’t seeing anything around him.

I threw my arms around his neck. “We’ll go to the hospital and see for ourselves.” I wanted to tell him that it was going to be okay, but I didn’t know if that was true.

“Yeah.” William was holding on to me with no intention of letting go. I could feel his heart pounding in his chest. “Just give me a minute, okay?”

“Take whatever time you need.”

I had never seen William cry. Rarely had I seen him upset. He was good at guarding his emotions and he was especially skilled at guarding any feelings he might have for, or about, his family. The Connor family was completely dysfunctional, but it had been proven to me on more than one occasion that underneath all of the layers of chaos, bickering, and unpleasantness, there was a solid foundation of love.

I had to keep this in mind when we met up with his family at the hospital. They were scattered around the cardiac waiting room, up to their usual antics. Mother Jean was complaining to a member of the hospital staff about the temperature of the room. Bob was trying to catch the news on the television mounted on the wall, but his kids were busy climbing all over him. Little sister, Tina, was furiously typing on her phone, headphones in place. The only member of the family missing was William’s older sister, Cessily. Cess was my second favorite Connor, after William.

“Oh, William. Thank goodness you’re here.” Jean marched across the room and dramatically threw her arms around her son. Her eyes darted in my direction. “Olivia.”

As was always the case with Jean, I was completely uncomfortable and had no idea what to say, so I just nodded.

“How is he?” William asked.

Jean sighed painfully and pulled away from him. “It doesn’t look good from what I can surmise. But I can’t get a straight answer from anyone.”

“Livy!” Callie looked up from torturing her father and squealed in delight. It helped to know that at least one member of the family wasn’t repulsed by my presence.

I left William with his mother and went over to relieve Bob from his assault. The kids were full of pent-up energy with no way to let it out. A stack of coloring books was buried under the magazines and after a brief hunt, I managed to find a carton of crayons. The three of us sat at the kiddie table and colored while William tracked down anyone that might have information about his father.

When he returned, the news was not good. Bill had suffered a heart attack and one of his arteries was 99% blocked. They tried to open the artery but had trouble, so now the best option was a more invasive surgery. Unfortunately, they were having trouble stabilizing him to the point where he would be able to undergo open heart surgery.

“So what does that mean?” Bob asked.

“We wait.”

William took a seat on one of the cheap vinyl chairs and put his elbows on his knees, head in hands. As someone that usually kept a good poker face, I could only assume that he was keeping further bad news away from his family.

“Keep coloring,” I told the kids.

William sat up when I took a seat next to him. His eyes were weary.

“You okay?” It wasn’t a very good question given the circumstance, but I was worried about him.

I wasn’t exactly surprised when he didn’t answer me, but he did put an arm around my shoulders and pull me close. I nestled my head into the crook of his neck and let him hold me. When my own parents had died, I remember feeling so alone. I had wished for someone in my life that I could lean on. I wanted to be that person for William.

“The doctor isn’t sure he’ll make it through the night,” William finally said, softly enough that no one else could overhear. “Mother won’t be able to handle losing him.”

While I agreed that Jean would be devastated over the loss of her husband, I thought that William was discounting how tough she could be. If anyone could be the rock for this family, it was Jean.

“Let’s not worry about that yet. Everything might end up okay.” I reached up and stroked his cheek, looking deep into his eyes.

His face softened slightly at my touch and he kissed my forehead. “Thanks for being here.”

I didn’t have a chance to respond because
Cessily had finally arrived. “What the hell, people?” she demanded as she stormed into the room.

“
Cessily!” Jean barked at her daughter. “Language.”

“Hi, Mother.”
Cess smirked in her direction. “Good to see you are focusing on the important things right now.”

Jean glowered at her. “Did you even look in the mirror before you left home?”

Cessily was known for her crazy hair and wild outfits, and this hospital trip was no exception. Her hair was bleached so intensely it was nearly white and it had streaks of purple throughout. Her black dress wasn’t terribly offensive, but the low cut in front bordered on inappropriate. I loved all of it.

We exchanged hugs and then she took a seat on the other side of William and he filled her in on their father’s situation. She was playing it cool, pretending not to be worried, but she couldn’t stop gnawing on a fingernail.

“Congrats, by the way.” She pointed to my adorned ring finger. “Have you set a date?”

I didn’t think it would be wise to say that the thought of setting a date made me want to vomit. “Not yet,” I said instead.

“You should elope,” she advised and I returned her smile.

“It’s under serious consideration,” I said. William’s cellphone vibrated for the tenth time since arriving at the hospital, but as with all previous times, he ignored it.

With no windows in the room, it was easy to lose track of time as we waited. When the doctor came in to give an update, Callie and Carter were curled up on their seats, dozing peacefully. I was nursing at least my third cup of coffee.

The Connors had a decision to make. Bill’s condition wasn’t improving and without surgery, he wouldn’t last another 24 hours. They had to choose whether to give it more time
and hope his vitals improved, or to move ahead with the operation and hope he would survive. The doctor left to let everyone discuss the options which turned into a typical Connor screaming match. The yelling woke up the kids, adding two more disgruntled Connors to the mix.

“Livy! I’m hungry.” Callie yanked hard on my arm.

Distracted by the activity around me, I sent her off to find my purse which I was pretty sure held a banana. It wasn’t much, but hopefully it would do for now.

“He needs the surgery. If we don’t proceed, he’ll die.” William was the only one speaking in a normal tone.

Bob disagreed emphatically. “He’s not strong enough. The surgery will kill him.”

“We don’t know that,”
Cessily argued.

Jean was protesting the loudest of all. “We need to say a prayer. The Lord will protect Billie.”

Watching them all was a bit like observing a tennis match, back and forth, back and forth.

“Livy!” Callie had returned, standing in the middle of the group, holding my purse in one hand. The item in her other hand was more concerning. “Can I use this pen?”

“Shit.” I snatched for it, but not before the rest of the family saw what she was holding. My hand closed around it, but the damage was done. “It’s not a pen, Callie.”

The room fell silent, so quickly it was almost like going deaf. Everyone was looking at me. My eyes flitted from face to face, skipping over only William. Jean looked horrified, Bob looked confused, Tina remained disinterested and
Cessily was on the verge of laughter.

“Surprise,” I said with no emotion. “I’m just
gonna step away for a minute.”

Rather than “stepping away,” I fled the room.

CHAPTER THREE

I didn’t stop in the hall, but rounded the corner and kept going. I was not sure where I was headed, but I was desperate to get away. Somehow I ended up on the baby floor, an unfortunate result. I finally stopped in front of a collage of baby pictures, all successful deliveries in the hospital. The pregnancy test was still clutched in my fist and my hand was shaking.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” William had managed to track me down. It’s possible he had been following me the entire time and I had just failed to notice.

“I don’t know.” I kept staring at the pudgy baby faces, unable to look at him.

William was undeterred and he moved closer. “Yes, you know why you didn’t tell me. You had a reason.”

“That’s not what I meant. I meant that I don’t know if I’m pregnant or not. I haven’t looked at the results.” I faced William. “I wasn’t going to say anything until I knew for sure.”

“You still could’ve said something. This is a big deal, Livy.”

“I wanted to tell you. But then you dropped the news about moving to London and I wasn’t sure what that meant for us. Life got a little crazy.” It was hard to believe how much had changed in the last day or two.

William frowned. “You still should have told me.”

“We both kept secrets from each other,” I reminded him.

“We’re done with that. No more secrets, no more lies.” William held out his hand. “We’ll face this together.”

Somehow, it was easier with William by my side. All of the worries I had been carrying felt a little lighter. I handed him the test.

“What are we looking for?” he asked, keeping the results portion covered with this thumb.

“A line means negative and a plus sign means baby.”

“Okay.” William put an arm around me. “Deep breath.”

His thumb moved a fraction of an inch and in that subtle movement, the world around us stopped moving.

“Huh,” I said. William hadn’t made any noise at all.

I glanced up at him, expecting to see shock or some other paralyzing emotion, but William was grinning, a big, spontaneous expression.

“We’re having a baby.”

I couldn’t take my eyes away from him, but he was still staring at the plus sign, awed.

“Yeah. You’re going to be a father,” I said, and somehow those words made everything okay. Thinking about becoming a mother was terrifying, but knowing that William was going to be the father of our baby made all the panic fade away.

William finally turned to me, his smile contagious. His arms went around me in a tight embrace. “We’re going to be a family, Livy.”

I hadn’t been part of a real family in so long, hadn’t felt this loved since losing my parents. Suddenly, I wanted this baby more than I had ever wanted anything in my life and I knew that William felt exactly the same way.

His family was less enthused when we officially told them the news. Jean glared at me and said nothing. Bob tried to congratulate us but was probably being more honest when he wished us luck, surveying his own children that were now coloring on the waiting room walls. Tina, as always, said nothing.
Cessily at least seemed happy for us, though that happiness stemmed more from how screwed she thought we were.

“You two have no idea what you’ve just signed up for,” she said, laughing. “This is going to be great.”

It didn’t matter what the Connor family thought about the situation. I had made up my mind that this baby was a blessing, and nothing was going to change that.

The family managed to agree that Bill should have the surgery which meant we had even more waiting to do. William split his time looking worried, then happy. I could tell from a glance at his face which thought was running through his mind. A smile meant he was thinking about the baby, a clenched jaw said his father was his primary thought.

Occasionally, I would feel William staring at me and those moments were harder to comprehend. He didn’t smile, but he also didn’t seem bothered. He was just studying me thoughtfully.

“What?” I finally asked after the fifth time catching him.

He smiled bashfully. “Nothing.”

“Liar.”

“I just can’t wrap my mind around the fact that our baby is growing inside you right now.” His head shook in disbelief. “It’s truly a miracle.”

“You really are the chick in this relationship.”

The surgery was nowhere close to finishing anytime soon and the kids were going crazy being cooped up for so long. I offered to take them home. A real meal and some solid sleep in their own beds was the only cure for their bad moods. Bob was grateful for the offer, and though I didn’t want to leave William, it was probably wise to give the adult Connors some time alone.

After filling their bellies, overseeing bath time, and reading bedtime stories, I found myself collapsing onto Bob’s couch, utterly exhausted. I kept my phone next to my head in case I fell asleep, but William didn’t call.

Instead, I felt someone shaking me lightly awake after I dozed off.

“
Liv, wake up.”

I bolted upright. “William! Why didn’t you call?”

William sank onto the couch next to me. “I was hoping you were catching up on some sleep. I didn’t want to wake you.”

“How’s Bill?”

“He’s out of surgery and in stable condition.” William leaned back and closed his eyes. “He’s not in the clear yet, but he has a good chance of recovering.”

“That’s great news, William.”

“I have a lot to be thankful for today.” He sat up, suddenly wide awake. “Let’s go home, Olivia.”

“Home,” I agreed.

I assumed William would be completely spent by the time we walked through the front door, ready for a hot shower and a long nap. But he went to his computer instead, firing off emails. It was only then that I remembered he was still in the middle of negotiations, and that he might be leaving for London soon. It wasn’t something to discuss with him right then though, with all the other things he was juggling. I planned to give it a few days before I approached him about his decision.

But William had other plans. His father pulled a miraculous recovery after a couple of days and William was able to concentrate on other matters. He came home from work three days after the baby news with a determined look on his face.

“I’m not selling the company,” he announced defiantly.

“No? But what about all those things you told me?” This was a complete reversal for William and I was thrown.

“It was clear that this wasn’t a good move- for me and for Gravity. So I came up with another plan.” William smiled proudly. “I’m keeping the company, but I’m stepping out of my role as CEO. I’ve found someone to handle the day-to-day responsibilities. Kent.”

“Kent is a wonderful choice.” I was impressed by William’s decision. It would allow him to spend less time running the company, and by appointing Kent to be in charge, Gravity would still be in good hands. “Good work, Connor.”

“I’m not done yet,” he said. “We’re going on a trip.”

“We are?” It seemed like odd timing for a surprise trip.

William handed me a ticket. “I’m going to make an honest woman of you, Olivia Harris.”

It took a minute, but I realized what William had planned. It was perfect.

A week later, we were on the beach in Florida. It was sunset and I was wearing a long, white dress. William had on a blue dress shirt and we were both barefoot, holding hands and facing each other. We had found a minister to marry us, and two members of hotel staff to act as witnesses. This was where William and I had met, exactly one year ago, that one night that was never supposed to last.

Now we were saying “I do” and promising to love each other forever. It was the moment I had always hoped to experience one day, but had begun to believe was never going to happen.

Later that night, William and I lay in bed, the same bed where we had spent our very first night together. His head was on my chest and he was rubbing my stomach, speaking softly to our unborn child. He was telling him or her the story about how we met, skipping over the more scandalous details.

“Your mother was breathtaking that night,” he said, his breath warm on my skin. “I had never seen a woman that beautiful, and for some crazy reason, she agreed to dance with me. It was the best night of my life.”

“Do you remember what I said to you on the roof when you proposed to me?” I asked.

“Of course.” William looked up at me.

“I’ve changed my mind about my best night. You were right.”

William smiled. “I was?”

“That first night was definitely our best night.”

“Why?” he asked, bringing his head level with mine.

“Because it was the night that we found each other.” I stroked William’s cheek, falling even more in love with him.

William kissed me and said, “And it was the night that led to all of our other nights, and all the ones yet to come.”

“Do you think we’ll ever be able to top that night?”

William’s hand was still on my stomach and I felt it press down, warm and firm. “I think maybe we will. One day.”

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