Taking Chances by Molly McAdams
Page 66
Author: Molly McAdams
“Right. And if he pisses me off again, I now have his address from the membership card. ” He smiled wickedly, “What time will you be home today?”
I caught Bree smiling at me from the corner of my eye, “I’m not sure, late this afternoon, you’ll probably make it home before I do, do you need me to pick something up or do something for you?”
“My mom offered to watch Liam for the night, she said she has enough things at her place that you wouldn’t need to get a bag for him. You can drop him off on your way home. ”
“Hmm…date night? We haven’t had one of those in a few weeks. ”
He leaned in close enough that his lips brushed against my ear, causing goose bumps to cover my body, “And it’s long overdue. ”
Oh I definitely agree. “Well then, I’ll get home as soon as I can. ”
“That’s my girl. ” He picked Liam up and handed me my sandwich.
Bree and I winked at each other, oh if Brandon only knew. Carrie, Bree and I had already planned out this day, including the date night. Only Bree knew what was really going on, but Carrie had been the one to suggest acting like it was her idea. The only reason Carrie had enough things at her house was because we had Liam’s bag already packed and ready for the night. We finished our food, and hung out with the guys for another few minutes before finally taking off. I’m not sure who was more anxious to leave, me or Breanna. But thankfully the guys picked up on our bouncing legs and shifting eyes towards the clock and practically pushed us out of the gym after hugs, kisses and a couple quick introductions to some of the regulars.
***
“Harper, are you already home?”
My stomach erupted into a million butterflies when I heard his husky voice down the hall. I couldn’t believe I was so nervous right now. Well not nervous, just really giddy. Okay, maybe a little nervous. I checked my outfit, or lack thereof, to make sure I looked okay. I was wearing black lace underwear and a blue silk spaghetti strap that I knew he loved. Fluffing my long hair that I’d loosely curled the bottoms of, I stood up straight at the end of the bed and waited. My palms started sweating and I was biting the crap out of my bottom lip when he walked in the bedroom door.
“God you’re gorgeous. ” He took two large steps toward me and picked me up in his arms, since me standing on my tiptoes wasn’t enough for him. “I didn’t think you’d be here yet. ” He nuzzled against my neck.
“I could always leave and come back later…?”
“Hell. No. I’ve been thinking about tonight all day, I’m not putting it off any longer than it takes for me to shower. ”
I smiled, this was exactly what I’d been planning on. “Well then hurry up,” I pressed my body closer to his, “like you said earlier, this is long overdue. ”
He trailed his fingers lightly over my chest and down my waist before setting me down, “Three minutes. ” Capturing my bottom lip with his teeth, he tugged softly, then ran his tongue over it as he pushed me down onto the bed and headed for the bathroom.
I scooted up the bed until I was sitting against the headboard, legs crossed Indian style, and tried not to bounce up and down while I waited. Every second that passed felt like an hour and I held my breath, trying to listen to what he was doing. The water turned on and my heart sunk. Had he not noticed? I put it right next to the basket of towels, and he always grabbed a towel to bring it closer to the shower before he got in. I wrung my hands together and forced my bottom lip out from my teeth, which in turn made me start biting on the inside of my cheek. A few minutes passed, and then he was there, a towel wrapped around his hips, water still falling down his toned body, with wide eyes, a dropped jaw and clutching something in his hand.
“Harper, what is this?”
I shakily forced a smile onto my face. I didn’t know how he would react, and unfortunately, I couldn’t tell exactly what he was thinking right now.
“Is this – Is this?” He ran a hand over his buzzed head and huffed a short laugh, “Is this what I think it is? Are you – sweetheart are we having a baby?”
I nodded and he practically flew at me with the biggest smile on his face. Capturing my face in his hands, he kissed me over and over, laughing in between each one.
“When did you find out?” He asked breathlessly and kissed me again.
I scrunched my nose and looked at him warily, “Two weeks ago?”
Thankfully he couldn’t stop smiling, I had been worried he would be upset about that part, “And you’re just now telling me?” He growled playfully and buried his face in my neck.
My breathing was getting ragged and I had to force myself to answer him, “Well I had my first appointment today, and I wanted to wait until I had that to tell you. ”
“Wait, today?” He sat back to look at me, “I thought you and Bree were doing wedding stuff. ”
“Yeah, we did all that yesterday. The appointment was all we had today. I was pretty positive I knew what the doctor was going to say, and I wanted to be alone with you when you found out, so I called your mom, asked her if she would watch Liam after we were done. ”
“So that was you? Not her?” He smiled and shook his head at me. “Wait, wait, wait. So Bree already knows?”
I laughed, “She was actually the one to make me take the test. I swear she has a built-in radar for pregnant women. I had no idea and she just showed up with a test one day and forced me into the bathroom. ”
“She would. Who else knows?”
“No one, and if Bree hadn’t been literally waiting outside the door that day, you would have been the first to know, I promise. ”
“I can’t blame you for Bree knowing, she’s kind of a force all her own. She gets her way with everything. ”
“Pretty much. ” I smiled and pulled his face back to mine.
Pulling away, he lifted up the bottom of my silk shirt and placed soft kisses on my barely-there-bump, skimming his nose across it he kissed it one last time and made his way up my body. “When are you due?” He asked against my chest.
“May twenty-sixth, I’m ten weeks. ” I said breathlessly.
“I love you so much Harper, and I can’t tell you how excited I am. ”
“Yeah?”
Brandon looked directly into my eyes, his brown eyes full of so much love, “Yeah. ”
Smiling, I kissed him once and let my head fall back onto the pillows while reaching for his towel, “I love you too. ”
20
“Well I hear a congratulations is in order, huh Kid?” Konrad kissed the top of my head as he pulled me in for a hug.
“Why thank you! Your turn next, yeah?” I mock glared at Bree when he released me, but smiled when her jaw dropped.
“I swear I wasn’t the one that told him!” She said with her hands raised, palms facing me.
“I told him. ” Brandon said as he walked up behind me, wrapping his arms around my waist, “It’s only fair if Bree knew, he got to know too. ”
“You guys didn’t tell Mom though, right?”
Konrad and Bree shook their heads and Bree said, “No, we know you’re telling everyone at Liam’s birthday party. I still can’t believe you’re going to have two kids before I even have one!”
“Hmm…guess you better get working on that then. ” I winked at her.
“No way, we’re going to have our hands full playing with yours. Just keep popping them out, and we’ll act like they’re ours. ”
“Um, no! I think two is more than enough for now, I won’t even be twenty-one and Brandon will be twenty-three when baby number two is born, if we have more I’m sure it can wait. ”
The doorbell rang and Brandon kissed my cheek before releasing me, “That’s probably Jeremy, he’s coming with a few cousins, so is it okay if we tone down the baby talk until they leave?”
“I thought you told Jeremy?”
“I did, because I know he won??
?t say anything. My cousins on the other hand, don’t know how to shut up. They’d probably call my mom before we could finish telling them. ” He chuckled and jogged off toward the door.
Bree leaned over the island in the middle of the kitchen and raised her brow, “So Jer knows too?”
“Yeah,” I grunted and tried to reach for the stack of bowls on the top shelf, “I don’t know why we’re making such a big deal about not telling the parents yet, we’ve told practically everyone else. I guess we just want them all here at once, so they can find out at the same time. ”
I had just climbed on top of the counter when Konrad reached over me and grabbed the bowls, smirking when I glared at him. He didn’t even have to go on the balls of his feet.
“Damn tall people. ” I muttered under my breath.
“Hey sis! Hey Bree,” Jeremy hugged her quick, and turned to do a “guy hug” with Konrad, “Konrad, what’s up man?” He stepped over to where I was still sitting on the counter and I frowned when I realized he was still taller than me even when I was up here, “Trying to reach the bowls again Harper?” He wrapped his arms around me and kissed me on the cheek before whispering, “Congrats sis. I’m really happy for you guys. ”
I hugged him tightly back, “Thanks Jer, and thanks for coming. ”
“I brought my girlfriend, is that okay?”
“Jeremy, you have a girlfriend?!” His face lit up and he had a huge grin, “Are you even old enough for one of those yet?” I laughed when he playfully punched my arm.
“I’m seventeen, not twelve. ”
I got all serious, “Oh yes, of course. How could I ever forget?” I looked around him, “Well where is she? I want to meet this girl who stole my brother-in-law’s heart. ”
“She’s with Laura and Kate, but she’s really shy, so Bree” he turned to look at her, “go easy on her, okay?”
Bree put a hand to her chest, “Who me? Shy people are my specialty. Just ask Harper. ”
Author: Molly McAdams
“Right. And if he pisses me off again, I now have his address from the membership card. ” He smiled wickedly, “What time will you be home today?”
I caught Bree smiling at me from the corner of my eye, “I’m not sure, late this afternoon, you’ll probably make it home before I do, do you need me to pick something up or do something for you?”
“My mom offered to watch Liam for the night, she said she has enough things at her place that you wouldn’t need to get a bag for him. You can drop him off on your way home. ”
“Hmm…date night? We haven’t had one of those in a few weeks. ”
He leaned in close enough that his lips brushed against my ear, causing goose bumps to cover my body, “And it’s long overdue. ”
Oh I definitely agree. “Well then, I’ll get home as soon as I can. ”
“That’s my girl. ” He picked Liam up and handed me my sandwich.
Bree and I winked at each other, oh if Brandon only knew. Carrie, Bree and I had already planned out this day, including the date night. Only Bree knew what was really going on, but Carrie had been the one to suggest acting like it was her idea. The only reason Carrie had enough things at her house was because we had Liam’s bag already packed and ready for the night. We finished our food, and hung out with the guys for another few minutes before finally taking off. I’m not sure who was more anxious to leave, me or Breanna. But thankfully the guys picked up on our bouncing legs and shifting eyes towards the clock and practically pushed us out of the gym after hugs, kisses and a couple quick introductions to some of the regulars.
***
“Harper, are you already home?”
My stomach erupted into a million butterflies when I heard his husky voice down the hall. I couldn’t believe I was so nervous right now. Well not nervous, just really giddy. Okay, maybe a little nervous. I checked my outfit, or lack thereof, to make sure I looked okay. I was wearing black lace underwear and a blue silk spaghetti strap that I knew he loved. Fluffing my long hair that I’d loosely curled the bottoms of, I stood up straight at the end of the bed and waited. My palms started sweating and I was biting the crap out of my bottom lip when he walked in the bedroom door.
“God you’re gorgeous. ” He took two large steps toward me and picked me up in his arms, since me standing on my tiptoes wasn’t enough for him. “I didn’t think you’d be here yet. ” He nuzzled against my neck.
“I could always leave and come back later…?”
“Hell. No. I’ve been thinking about tonight all day, I’m not putting it off any longer than it takes for me to shower. ”
I smiled, this was exactly what I’d been planning on. “Well then hurry up,” I pressed my body closer to his, “like you said earlier, this is long overdue. ”
He trailed his fingers lightly over my chest and down my waist before setting me down, “Three minutes. ” Capturing my bottom lip with his teeth, he tugged softly, then ran his tongue over it as he pushed me down onto the bed and headed for the bathroom.
I scooted up the bed until I was sitting against the headboard, legs crossed Indian style, and tried not to bounce up and down while I waited. Every second that passed felt like an hour and I held my breath, trying to listen to what he was doing. The water turned on and my heart sunk. Had he not noticed? I put it right next to the basket of towels, and he always grabbed a towel to bring it closer to the shower before he got in. I wrung my hands together and forced my bottom lip out from my teeth, which in turn made me start biting on the inside of my cheek. A few minutes passed, and then he was there, a towel wrapped around his hips, water still falling down his toned body, with wide eyes, a dropped jaw and clutching something in his hand.
“Harper, what is this?”
I shakily forced a smile onto my face. I didn’t know how he would react, and unfortunately, I couldn’t tell exactly what he was thinking right now.
“Is this – Is this?” He ran a hand over his buzzed head and huffed a short laugh, “Is this what I think it is? Are you – sweetheart are we having a baby?”
I nodded and he practically flew at me with the biggest smile on his face. Capturing my face in his hands, he kissed me over and over, laughing in between each one.
“When did you find out?” He asked breathlessly and kissed me again.
I scrunched my nose and looked at him warily, “Two weeks ago?”
Thankfully he couldn’t stop smiling, I had been worried he would be upset about that part, “And you’re just now telling me?” He growled playfully and buried his face in my neck.
My breathing was getting ragged and I had to force myself to answer him, “Well I had my first appointment today, and I wanted to wait until I had that to tell you. ”
“Wait, today?” He sat back to look at me, “I thought you and Bree were doing wedding stuff. ”
“Yeah, we did all that yesterday. The appointment was all we had today. I was pretty positive I knew what the doctor was going to say, and I wanted to be alone with you when you found out, so I called your mom, asked her if she would watch Liam after we were done. ”
“So that was you? Not her?” He smiled and shook his head at me. “Wait, wait, wait. So Bree already knows?”
I laughed, “She was actually the one to make me take the test. I swear she has a built-in radar for pregnant women. I had no idea and she just showed up with a test one day and forced me into the bathroom. ”
“She would. Who else knows?”
“No one, and if Bree hadn’t been literally waiting outside the door that day, you would have been the first to know, I promise. ”
“I can’t blame you for Bree knowing, she’s kind of a force all her own. She gets her way with everything. ”
“Pretty much. ” I smiled and pulled his face back to mine.
Pulling away, he lifted up the bottom of my silk shirt and placed soft kisses on my barely-there-bump, skimming his nose across it he kissed it one last time and made his way up my body. “When are you due?” He asked against my chest.
“May twenty-sixth, I’m ten weeks. ” I said breathlessly.
“I love you so much Harper, and I can’t tell you how excited I am. ”
“Yeah?”
Brandon looked directly into my eyes, his brown eyes full of so much love, “Yeah. ”
Smiling, I kissed him once and let my head fall back onto the pillows while reaching for his towel, “I love you too. ”
20
“Well I hear a congratulations is in order, huh Kid?” Konrad kissed the top of my head as he pulled me in for a hug.
“Why thank you! Your turn next, yeah?” I mock glared at Bree when he released me, but smiled when her jaw dropped.
“I swear I wasn’t the one that told him!” She said with her hands raised, palms facing me.
“I told him. ” Brandon said as he walked up behind me, wrapping his arms around my waist, “It’s only fair if Bree knew, he got to know too. ”
“You guys didn’t tell Mom though, right?”
Konrad and Bree shook their heads and Bree said, “No, we know you’re telling everyone at Liam’s birthday party. I still can’t believe you’re going to have two kids before I even have one!”
“Hmm…guess you better get working on that then. ” I winked at her.
“No way, we’re going to have our hands full playing with yours. Just keep popping them out, and we’ll act like they’re ours. ”
“Um, no! I think two is more than enough for now, I won’t even be twenty-one and Brandon will be twenty-three when baby number two is born, if we have more I’m sure it can wait. ”
The doorbell rang and Brandon kissed my cheek before releasing me, “That’s probably Jeremy, he’s coming with a few cousins, so is it okay if we tone down the baby talk until they leave?”
“I thought you told Jeremy?”
“I did, because I know he won??
Bree leaned over the island in the middle of the kitchen and raised her brow, “So Jer knows too?”
“Yeah,” I grunted and tried to reach for the stack of bowls on the top shelf, “I don’t know why we’re making such a big deal about not telling the parents yet, we’ve told practically everyone else. I guess we just want them all here at once, so they can find out at the same time. ”
I had just climbed on top of the counter when Konrad reached over me and grabbed the bowls, smirking when I glared at him. He didn’t even have to go on the balls of his feet.
“Damn tall people. ” I muttered under my breath.
“Hey sis! Hey Bree,” Jeremy hugged her quick, and turned to do a “guy hug” with Konrad, “Konrad, what’s up man?” He stepped over to where I was still sitting on the counter and I frowned when I realized he was still taller than me even when I was up here, “Trying to reach the bowls again Harper?” He wrapped his arms around me and kissed me on the cheek before whispering, “Congrats sis. I’m really happy for you guys. ”
I hugged him tightly back, “Thanks Jer, and thanks for coming. ”
“I brought my girlfriend, is that okay?”
“Jeremy, you have a girlfriend?!” His face lit up and he had a huge grin, “Are you even old enough for one of those yet?” I laughed when he playfully punched my arm.
“I’m seventeen, not twelve. ”
I got all serious, “Oh yes, of course. How could I ever forget?” I looked around him, “Well where is she? I want to meet this girl who stole my brother-in-law’s heart. ”
“She’s with Laura and Kate, but she’s really shy, so Bree” he turned to look at her, “go easy on her, okay?”
Bree put a hand to her chest, “Who me? Shy people are my specialty. Just ask Harper. ”