Everlasting (Family Justice Book 6) Page 46

  “Oh, my god,” he murmured with wonder.

  A strange quiet fell over him after that. She left him to finish and went onto their private balcony to enjoy the night air. When he joined her a few minutes later, she offered him one of his favorite cigars, but he declined.

  “Can we just go to bed, love? All I could think of once we were clear to leave was feeling you in my arms. We don’t need to do anything else if you’re uncomfortable. It’s not about sex. It’s you I need.”

  She sensed his vulnerability and reacted swiftly. “Take me to bed, husband. I need you too. And as for anything else? Let’s see what happens. We haven’t been told no, and there are still weeks to go.”

  He undressed her with trembling, worshipful hands. The appreciation and lust in his expression made her feel beautiful. And sexy.

  When she was naked, he walked around her, slowly leaving a trail of wet kisses across her shoulders and collarbone. He had to lift her hair, and for some reason, she found the action sexy.

  Something was spine-tinglingly erotic about him kissing, nipping, and licking her back. She could feel his growls against her skin. When he sank his teeth into her ass, where the Valleja-Marquez brand marked her as his, she cried out.

  His hand slipped between her thighs and gently caressed her mound. He hissed his delight and cupped her from behind.

  “You’re unbelievably sexy, my wife.”

  At the compliment, heat poured into her center. He chuckled because he undoubtedly felt it with his hand.

  She groaned when he removed his hand and circled round to her front. He swept his fingers across her chest, making her nipples harden. With the gentlest of caresses, he fondled her heavy breasts. She whimpered when he licked the sensitive nubs.

  His hands caressed her belly. Eventually, he abandoned her breasts and sank to his knees. He kissed their bump over and over. She carried high so when his face moved to the juncture of her thighs, he had plenty of room.

  “God, you smell so good.”

  It was a little disconcerting at first when he started playing with her pussy as she stood and he knelt. She felt exposed in some way. Leaning against the bed with her butt, she widened her stance. Her movement emboldened him, and he went straight to fingering her in a way that brought her to an orgasm in under a minute.

  “Oh, baby. That was beautiful.” He patted her mound and followed up with a kiss.

  He stood and kissed her with passionate urgency. “I read that lying on your back can be uncomfortable.” He leered at her. “I liked watching up close. We’ll be trying that again.”

  Not entirely sure how she remained standing when her head rolled back and her body exploded, she was too wobbly to do anything other than stand there. Lifting her carefully, he helped her to the bed and rolled her to her side. She brought up her knees by habit and curled into a ball.

  After turning out the lights, he joined her and pulled the covers up. They spooned and murmured words of love. He touched and fondled every inch of her body. She arched into him and wrapped her arm around his neck when he mauled her shoulder with his teeth and lips.

  His hard cock rested against her ass. From time to time, he would grind into her and groan. She started to pant and wiggled her ass against his groin. Things became heated and passionate very quickly. His long, thick shaft slid between her thighs.

  He was touching her everywhere. Heat rolled through her. She undulated on his big cock, wetting it with her desire.

  He shifted and lifted her leg. The fat sexy head of his cock pushed into her opening. She growled. Needing more, she pushed her ass back in silent demand.

  Slowly and carefully, he entered her. Not too deeply but enough to cause him to shudder and groan and her to get a little wild. He made shallow thrusts, and she undulated in a way that gave them mutual pleasure.

  It didn’t last long. They were both far too desperate for finesse. They both needed the same thing. This.

  She came after a moaning, desperate build-up. He followed immediately; the pulsing of his cock emptied inside her as she milked him with her body.

  They slid into blissful sleep not long after.

  29

  Everyone piled on at Alex and Meghan’s the next day. It was their anniversary, but that wasn’t the only thing they celebrated.

  They kept it just family although Calder and Stephanie begged off at the last minute. She was tiring easily, and her uncle didn’t want to push it.

  Uncle Matt and Aunt Wendy hung on Parker when he and Angie arrived. Sophie was a little shocked at the multi-hued bruises marking the side of his face.

  Carmen put on a huge spread—just like Thanksgiving—and they enjoyed a leisurely family get-together. It was all perfectly wonderful until her back started aching.

  “Are you okay, honey?” her mom asked. “You got quiet.”

  She shifted and tried to wiggle the kinks out. “I’m just uncomfortable.”

  “Well, don’t worry. We’re going to leave soon.”

  Angie’s audacious laughter rang out. It sounded familiar but with an extra edge of … something. She turned to study her little sister. As usual, she lit up like a Christmas tree every time Parker looked at or touched her. It was cute and not at all obnoxious.

  Her sister’s cheeks were pink, though, and when she looked closely, it seemed like her eyes were overly bright. Sophie’s shit-stirring radar fired up. Something was going on.

  Maybe if she thought about it, someday she’d figure out why she did it but at the moment she reacted, sense was in short supply.

  “You!” she barked from across the room. Everyone froze and stared at her. She pointed at Angie and Parker like an accuser at the witch trials. “What are you two hiding?”

  Her mom touched her arm and muttered Sophie’s name. She laughed. “Mom, Aunt Wendy. Look at them. It’s so obvious. They are up to something.”

  She saw Meghan’s head swivel in Angie’s direction. “What’s going on?”

  Parker sputtered like a teenage boy caught messing with the preacher’s daughter.

  “Son,” Uncle Matt barked. “Don’t bullshit a bullshitter. Is there something we should know?”

  Angie stood and crossed her arms. She glared at Sophie and cocked her hip like she used to as a kid. “You couldn’t have asked me later?”

  “Get real. Now stop being a brat. It’s just family, so what gives?”

  Alex started to laugh. Then her dad joined in. Pretty soon, Uncle Matt was also cackling with merriment. Parker remained stoic for thirty seconds, and then he got in on the laughter.

  With a stupid grin, the man she’d known her whole life, who used to sabotage her debate prep in school and who loved her sister with an undying passion, put an arm around Angie’s shoulders and proudly declared, “We’re pregnant.”

  All fucking hell broke loose. Sophie couldn’t remember ever screaming so loudly. Aunt Wendy shrieked as though a tarantula crawled on her face. Meghan whooped with shocked delight, and her mother started sobbing like a baby.

  For a while, the throbbing ache in her back wasn’t noticeable. She was too busy freaking out. It was unbelievably cool that all three siblings were at some stage of pregnancy at the same time. The welcome home celebration turned into a love fest. They got Calder and Stephanie on FaceTime and broke the news. Then her dad stepped away from the celebration to call Uncle Ed.

  Wrapping up the evening took forever because of the excitement, so she was relieved to get in the back of Dad’s car for the ride home. Maybe getting off her feet would help.

  At home, she changed into her nightie and climbed into bed, propping pillows at various angles until she was comfortable. A documentary on the Statue of Liberty came on. That was the last thing she remembered until hours later when she startled and woke up still sitting. Moving slowly, she tossed the pillows aside until her legs were hanging over the side of the bed. She gave a grunt and stood.

  Her feet refused to move. Grasping the bed covers, she steadied herself and
took some deep breaths. Straightening, she took a deep breath and stepped toward the bedroom door. That went okay, so she took another step. Then a horrible pain hit, and she bent over with a grunt. "Oh, my god."

  Mild panic seized her when she realized she was in labor. Somehow, it surprised her.

  Moving as quickly she could, Sophie went through the steps that she planned out weeks ago. She had a go bag ready that only needed her toiletries.

  A quick visit to the bathroom, a change of clothes, and two strong contractions later, she was ready to meet the future.

  Lugging her bag down the hallway, she stopped outside her parents’ bedroom door and mentally shook herself.

  "You can do this."

  She tapped lightly on the door and then stood quietly. After a minute, she heard rustling and then the door opened. Her father wiped sleep from his eyes and asked, "Are you okay?"

  "The baby is coming."

  Her dad laughed and grinned. "This is turning out to be a hell of a day. I'll wake Mom, and we’ll be right out."

  He reached for her and folded her into a great big hug. "So proud of you, honey, and I can't wait to meet my grandson."

  After that, it was a controlled dash to the car. It was three o'clock in the morning, and they were laughing like little kids.

  As soon as they pulled out of the driveway, she remembered that she needed to alert Jace. She reached for her phone and a contraction ripped through her.

  "Mom," she grunted. "I need you to make a call."

  Mom turned around quickly and grabbed the phone Sophie was waving in there.

  “Are you okay, honey?”

  She flapped her hand and breathed in and out like a choo-choo train until the contractions stopped.

  "I need you to call Jace. His number is in my contacts. Tell him I’m in labor."

  "Jace?" her mother asked. "You mean the guy who runs the stable?"

  "Yeah, yeah." She grunted. "He's a friend, Mom. I want him at the hospital."

  "Okay, sweetie, okay. Just sit back and relax. Cris, a little faster okay, honey?"

  Sophie sank back in the car seat and held her belly. The contractions were a lot stronger than she expected. It wasn't freaking her out, but she definitely recognized she had her limits.

  As they drove through the night, her dad started to sing. He’d crooned the song to her since she was a young child, and they’d performed it together many, many times.

  “Forever Young”

  His familiar soft voice surrounded Sophie. She felt his love and strength. Her dad was an amazing man. None better.

  The hospital check-in went about as you’d expect for the Marquez family. Like a scene written for maximum, panty-peeing laughs, they got separated, lost Sophie’s bag, had the wrong insurance information, and collectively drew a blank when asked for the doctor’s name. She was sure the intake staff thought they were up to something or nuts.

  Zippy, however, was over everybody’s shit and demanding freedom. At regular intervals.

  Eventually, they got her in a labor suite and the long, anxious, no-stopping-it-now final march to motherhood got serious. Her mom was amazing—the class and workshop they attended helped them work as a team. She wanted things natural and serene as much as possible.

  Serene was hard to come by, though, when measured against the agony of the building contractions.

  About two hours in, she asked if Jace was at the hospital.

  “He’s in the lounge. Looks a little ferklempt.”

  She half-chuckled at her mom’s tone and wording. “I wanna see him,” she insisted.

  “Is there something you want to tell me, Sophia,” her mom asked. “I don’t know this man from Adam, yet he’s pacing the waiting room like one of the expectant dads. What the hell, young lady?”

  “Oh god, Mom,” she groaned. “Only you would give me shit while I’m in labor.”

  “We’ve met before, right?” Ashleigh Marquez drawled. “You have some explaining to do.”

  “Go get him, Mom. Okay?”

  Mumbling and not happy about being shut down, she kissed Sophie’s forehead, looked at the monitor, and said she’d be right back.

  She was fine with her mom hearing what she wanted to say to Jace. More than fine, in fact. Nothing like a burst of truth and honesty to clear the air ‘cause this was how she rolled now.

  A contraction grabbed her and sent shockwaves through her body. She gripped the sides of the bed and panted until the pain subsided. Just as she started to relax, the door opened and her mother walked in with Jace right behind.

  He took in the whole room, and for one moment, he looked panicked. Then he looked at her, and she saw nothing but raw emotion. For her. For what she was going through.

  At her side, he held her hand. “Jesus, Beans. You look like shit.”

  She heard the teasing drawl and laughed. “Is this what you expected, Mr. Delacroix?” she asked in a burst of businesslike chatter.

  “Well, Señorita Camiña,” he replied, “as any simpleminded man would, I expected they’d give you drugs that would make you sweeter and leave you feeling like a fairy princess having a tummy ache. At the end, you’d sneeze and a magic flying bird would drop a baby swaddled in blue. The machines and monitors make it kind of real, huh?”

  Her mom chuckled from somewhere beyond the periphery of her awareness.

  “I’m glad you’re here,” she earnestly told him. “But if this isn’t what you signed on for, it’s okay. I get it.”

  He smiled and shook his head. “Sophia. I told you—I know what I’m doing.”

  Another contraction seized her—harder than before. She crushed his hand and grunted through the pain.

  “Okay, sweetie, breathe with me. Come on, Soph. Deep breaths. Do the visualization, honey.” Her mother’s encouragement, and the warm hand rubbing her back helped a lot.

  “Almost over, Sophie. You’re doing good. Keep breathing.”

  She felt the crest and welcomed the slow fall. Her body relaxed, and she lessened the death grip she had on Jace’s hand. He was looking at her mother in alarm. Guess this was nothing like the way things went down in the stable. Not a lot of human babies to deliver.

  When it was over, her mom wiped her face, and Jace sniggered. “Would now be a good time to say men are giant pussies?”

  The suite filled with laughter as a nurse came in to check on things. She gave Jace a once-over and asked, “And who might you be?”

  “Oh,” Sophie muttered. “Yeah, this is Jace Delacroix.”

  “I would be the boyfriend,” he interrupted with a big smile directed at the nurse.

  Her mom patted her hand and whispered, “Parent lesson. You learn a lot by being quiet.”

  Jace turned on the high beams. “I’d like to stay, if that’s all right.”

  Sophie rolled her eyes. He was hard to resist when he piled the charm on so thick.

  “It’s up to Mom,” the nurse replied laughingly. “If she wants a marching band on standby, we’re good.”

  “Excellent,” Mr. Suave and Debonair exclaimed. “So what do I need to know, ladies? Is there a system in place? What?”

  All three women gawked at him a second and then cracked up. The nurse took Sophie’s vitals and then patted her shoulder. “I’d keep him if I was you. And just so you know? That just became nurse station gold!”

  The morning rolled on. Jace and her mom tandem coached her to the end. When it was time, she had a decision to make. Did she want him at the birth?

  She didn’t think she asked the question out loud, so he must have picked up her vibe. “Your call, Sophie. Till the end if that’s what you need.”

  “Stay with me,” she whispered. “Where I can see you. Okay?”

  “You got it, Jelly Bean.” He kissed her cheek.

  She searched his face, and he just smiled. Then like a carnival barker with his jazz hands waving, he exclaimed, “It’s Zippy time!”

  Sophie caught her mother’s brow-raising expression.
She was getting quite an eyeful.

  A half an hour later, she was holding her son in her arms. He was so beautifully perfect that the tears came easily. Her mom cried too. Jace took care of them both as they welcomed the newest twig on the Valleja-Marquez family tree.

  There were pictures. The delivery teams seemed to expect it and made subtle suggestions for good angles that wouldn’t horrify Mom later.

  Sophie couldn’t take her eyes off her son. His little hands and face were so beautiful and tiny. A deluge of feelings overwhelmed her.

  Her mom stroked her hair and watched them with an expression filled with love.

  “Do you have a name?”

  She bit her lip and studied the face of her baby boy. She’d bandied a couple of names about in her head but none felt right.

  Family tradition dictated three names, so she had extra pressure.

  He deserved a strong name. Something that proclaimed his Spanish heritage. She kissed his little face. This child is a gift from God, she thought. In a flash, she saw it and spoke his formal name out loud.

  “Teo Joaquin Cristobal Valleja-Marquez. Welcome to the world, my son.”

  Jace took a picture, and she looked up at him with a smile. “Isn’t he beautiful?”

  “Teo is a good name. Decisive. I like it.”

  “The nurses need to take him now, sweetie. Don’t worry, though. I’ll go with and your dad is hovering at the newborn nursery. We’ll keep an eye on things.”

  Tears filled her eyes when they took Teo from her arms. She wanted to stare at him and hold him some more.

  “What time is it?” she asked.

  Jace checked his watch. “Almost ten. You have someplace to be?”

  “I’m exhausted.”

  “You should be,” he murmured from a stool at her head.

  He’d never ventured beyond the safe zone, and though he got a good look of the baby at delivery, she was certain he wasn’t also carrying some gruesome intimate images. That was a bridge too far for her.