Homerun Daddy, page 13
part #1 of Timberwood Cove Series
I nodded. “He’s thrilled too. Shocked, but excited nonetheless.”
Dad looked at me sharply. “Have you told him…”
I sighed, shaking my head and leaning back on the couch. He got right to the point too, obviously realizing this was the real reason for my visit.
“Jaxon, you have to tell him.”
“I know that. I do, and I was going to, just yesterday. But…” I told my dad what happened with Bryce yesterday, including the part about the wolf Bryce saw at the scene of the accident.
My dad blew out a rough breath at that. He didn’t want to consider it could have been one of our shifters any more than I did. “Did he describe the wolf?”
“No, not really. I don’t even know if he got that good of a look at it. Regardless, I don’t think he’ll take this well.” I looked up at my dad, finally letting myself give in to some of the fear and darkness that had threatened all morning. “What do I do?”
What if he didn’t want to be with me once he found out, is what I really meant. And Dad seemed to know that instinctively.
“You tell him. As soon as possible.”
“But I’m worried about—”
“Jaxon.”
My father’s face turned stern. In alpha mode. “You can’t move him onto the homestead until you tell him. Full stop. You know this.”
Yeah. I did. I’d just hoped my dad would say something else. The thing was, I knew better. I nodded. “I know.”
“Look,” he said, a little softer now. “You love him. He loves you. He’s excited about this baby. From what you’ve told me about him, he doesn’t seem like the judgmental type. It will be a shock, no doubt—his whole worldview will have to shift, but if he loves you and sees you for the man you truly are—the strong, bold, caring man sitting in front of me right now—then you guys will work it out.”
The words sounded good, but I still felt a pit of fear in my belly. I had to tell Bryce, and with a shifter baby on the way, I had to tell him soon. My chest constricted as I thought about how he could react. How this could ruin everything before it barely got started.
I left a little while later, my dad’s parting words encouraging me to talk to Bryce.
I’d gotten the advice I was asking for. I would tell him. I just didn’t know how—or when.
14
Bryce
We rode with the windows down all the way to Timberwood Cove General Hospital, and I felt as bright as the early June sun shining down on us.
Every day of the last two months had been better than the last—the best of my life—and today would be even better. We were headed in for our first well-baby checkup.
Jaxon had insisted we use his family doctor, that she was the best in the town, and that he wouldn’t settle for anything less for his unborn child. It made me smile. He was so overprotective of me. Sometimes to an extreme, acting like I couldn’t do anything for myself, but it only endeared him to me more.
Some days I still couldn’t believe this was my life now. That I had this man who loved me so completely, who loved Liam and wanted us to be a family. We still hadn’t moved in with Jaxon, despite what he’d said that morning when Liam asked, but maybe my earlier resistance had made him shy away.
As for any hesitations on my part, they were gone now. I knew Jaxon truly cared for us, and he meant it when he said he loved me.
“Liam was so mad he couldn’t come,” Jaxon said with a half-smile. “I felt bad for the little guy.”
“He’ll be okay,” I replied. “I want this to be special. Just us. Besides, he’s having a sleepover with Cole later anyway. That will make him forget all about it.”
Jaxon chuckled, then rested his hand on my belly, like he did so often. Warmth filled me. I couldn’t wait until I could feel the baby moving inside me. Jaxon would take up permanent residence next to me to feel it too, I was certain.
At the hospital, Jaxon stopped at the entrance. “Do you want me to get you a wheelchair?”
I laughed “Are you serious right now? I can absolutely walk into the hospital of my own accord.”
He held his hands up in surrender, grinning. “Okay, okay. Can’t blame me for wanting to take care of my mate.”
There it was again. He said it from time to time. I mean, I felt like he was my soul mate too. I just found the expression a little odd.
“Well, at least get out here at the door so you don’t have to walk across the parking lot.”
I rolled my eyes, shaking my head. “Fine.”
I climbed from the car, taking a couple steps before Jaxon called after me.
“Don’t forget your cane!”
I turned back and grabbed it from where he was holding it out to me. “Thanks,” I murmured then turned back and walked toward the sliding doors. That was something else that was odd. I’d felt exponentially less pain in my hips, legs and back over the past month or so. At times, like now, I felt like I might not even need my cane to walk. I still had a limp, but the pain wasn’t nearly as severe. It barely impeded me on the best days.
The only thing I could think of was that being diligent with my physical therapy had paid off. I’d been told I’d suffer from the severe and sometimes debilitating pain for the rest of my life, even with the therapy. I mean, I was lucky to be walking at all, so I’d accepted that. Maybe I was just one of those exceptions, and that explained why I seemed to continue recovering better than expected. I probably shouldn’t question it.
Jaxon jogged up beside me and planted a kiss on my lips, then slung his arm around my waist and led me into the hospital. “You ready for this?”
I smiled up at him. “Seriously can’t wait.”
He gave me a wink then strolled up to the reception desk and signed us in. When he sat down beside me and slipped an arm around my shoulders, I turned to study him. He had a self-assured grin on his face, his chest puffed out. I laughed. He’d been getting cockier lately, like the idea I was pregnant with his kid made him feel proud. It was adorable. Especially when I knew I was the one who got to see the softer side of him.
I’d noticed more and more how different he was with me over the time we’d been together. He had this strength and confidence about him whenever we were in public, but at home with me, he was just a big old softy. I loved it.
“What?” he asked, arching a brow.
I shook my head. “Nothing. Just wondering how you’ll react to hearing the baby’s heartbeat.
His eyes lit up like a kid on Christmas morning.
I didn’t have to wait long to find out. A nurse ushered us back to a room, and then the doctor came in to see us in record time. Maybe having a friend of the family as our doctor wasn’t a bad idea at all.
“Hi, I’m Dr. Reed,” the woman said, introducing herself. “How are you feeling, Bryce?”
“Pretty good, actually,” I said. “Nice to meet you.”
“Maddie, how are you?” Jaxon asked, nodding at the doctor like they went way back.
She smiled. “How are you, is the question.”
“Ridiculously attentive,” I replied, giving Jaxon a pointed look. “He thought I needed a wheelchair just to come in here.”
Dr. Reed laughed, her eyes shining. “Sounds about right. Okay, so who wants to hear this baby’s heartbeat?”
She took a machine from beside the exam table and told me to lean back and pull up my shirt. After smearing my exposed skin with gel, she then pressed a gauge over my stomach. The next thing I knew, a racing beat was filling our ears. Strong and steady. And fast.
“Is it supposed to be that fast?” I asked, concern in my voice.
The doctor laughed. “Oh yes, that’s a good sign. This baby sounds like a strong one, actually.”
Jaxon smiled and laced his fingers through mine, and when I looked up at his face, I saw tears shining in his eyes. I squeezed his hand, tears saturating my own eyes. See, big old softy.
“That’s our baby,” I murmured to him, and when he looked at me, his gaze was full of wonder and love.
“Okay, let’s check a few other things and then you can ask me all the questions you want,” Dr. Reed said, interrupting our little moment. She got right through the exam seriously quickly, pronouncing at the end that dad and baby were both the picture of health. “Okay, what questions do you have?”
I reached into my pocket and pulled out a list. I was prepared. I had to be. After all, my disability could be a real issue. I had to be informed to make sure there wouldn’t be any problems with the pregnancy, or my ability to care for the baby.
“That’s what I’m here for,” Jaxon reassured me. I knew he was, but I still wanted to make sure things were okay.
After getting the all clear from Dr. Reed and she’d answered my questions more than thoroughly, assuring me that caring for the baby shouldn’t be any problem at all, we left the hospital.
Liam had spent the afternoon with a neighbor friend since we had the appointment, so we swung by to pick him up on the way home.
“Just grab your things and we’ll take you right out to Cole’s,” I told him when we pulled in the driveway.
The whole ride out to Cole’s house was full of questions from Liam, and we kept the windows down to enjoy the summer breeze. I looked out the window, realizing we were heading down the same road Jaxon had taken that day he’d shown me his house.
“I guess I didn’t realize Linc lived out here by you,” I commented. It made me realize just how little I actually knew about some parts of Jaxon’s life. I’d met his father and been out to the homestead only that one time.
“Yeah, we all live out here,” he said, and I thought I detected a hint of nervousness in his voice.
I wanted to press him for some answers, but not while Liam was in the car. After we dropped him off at Linc’s, I’d expected we would go back to Jaxon’s place since it was closer, but he just got back on the road heading back into town.
I turned to look at him, and saw tension in his shoulders, his jaw set firmly as he scanned the woods all around us. What was going on here? I wanted to ask, but the words died on my lips. My time with Jaxon since we’d found out about the baby had been nearly perfect, but there had been moments where my doubts crept in. This was one of them.
Jaxon said he wanted a relationship with me, but if that was the case, why wasn’t he pushing me to move in with him like he had before? I mean, it was going on three months. Our relationship had grown so much since then. I loved him more than anything, and I wanted that future he’d painted a picture of. We were practically living together as it was. Jaxon slept with me every single night, so what was stopping him?
Maybe he was having his own doubts. What if he was just staying with me because of the baby, because of Liam and the promise to make sure the adoption went through?
I felt a sinking pit in my stomach. The adoption was only three days away. After that was taken care of, would Jaxon change his mind about us? Or had he already done so and just didn’t want to come out and say it? Did he think I wasn’t good enough for him? For his family and friends who were out at the homestead? I didn’t know, and a million questions plagued my mind.
We rode in silence and I thought over the past couple months, trying to pinpoint if there was something I’d missed. In just about every scenario, Jaxon was absolutely perfect. Things just didn’t add up, making me even more confused. As I thought about it, I became more and more worried, wondering if there was something Jaxon wasn’t telling me.
There were also those random nights when Jaxon would just up and disappear for hours. He never said where he went, and he often waited until he thought I was asleep. What was that about?
Then there was the whole thing with his cock. How it would swell up so much when we had sex—to the point where it felt like we were stuck together. I didn’t mention it much. After all, it was hard to complain when every time it happened I came harder than ever. But what if there was something wrong with him, something he needed to see a doctor about, just in case. Still, every time I had brought it up, he’d just dismissed it and said it was nothing.
With Jaxon tense beside me, his eyes still scanning the trees, I found it really hard to push away my fears. I’d been ignoring this for too long. It was something we needed to talk about because I needed to know where we really stood, especially since I had a baby to think of now.
But as we left the forest behind and the town opened up before us on the road, I noticed Jaxon visibly relaxing, the tension draining from his shoulders. His jaw released, and a smile started to creep over his face.
“I’m really looking forward to having the house all to ourselves,” he murmured, glancing over at me, his grin widening.
I internally sighed, knowing I couldn’t bring up my questions now. He looked so happy about the prospect of us having a whole night alone, and I didn’t want to ruin it. Maybe that was weak of me, but I wanted to hang on to my hopes as long as possible, and I wanted this night with him as much as he apparently did.
By the time we got back to the house, the light in Jaxon’s eyes had turned a bit darker, full of desire. He led me wordlessly into the house and straight to the bedroom. Then he pulled me into his arms and lowered his forehead to mine.
“How are you feeling?” he asked.
Confused. Conflicted. However, the elation at hearing our baby’s heartbeat earlier made those emotions pale in significance. Plus there was the desire that sparked inside me every time Jaxon held me close and looked at me like I was the only man in the world. I let myself focus on that, wanting to forget everything else and just enjoy this moment with him.
“Hmm,” I replied. “Like we better take advantage of this empty house for as long as we have it.”
Jaxon chuckled, a glint in his eyes. “It’s like you read my mind.”
He lowered his lips to mine, backing me up until the backs of my thighs hit the bed. Taking his time, he kissed me with a barely restrained passion, exploring my mouth with his lips and my body with his hands.
I ran my hands up and over his chest, his shoulders, tangling my fingers in the ends of his hair while stroking the back of his neck with my thumbs. Jaxon arched his hips, grinding his cock against mine, already hard and throbbing and ready to go.
I groaned, my head falling back, and he trailed hot kisses down my jaw, my neck. Then he reached down and pulled my shirt up and over my head, tossing it aside. He kissed my chest, scraping his teeth across my nipples, and my body shivered in response.
“Jaxon.” I pressed my cock harder against his, needing the friction. My cock was hard and swollen and begging for attention. My slick pooled around my hole, and Jaxon groaned.
“Fuck, you smell so good.” He dropped to his knees in front of me and stripped me down until I was standing naked before him, my cock at full mast, bobbing in front of his face. He stuck his tongue out to gently lap at me, and my cock throbbed even harder.
“I’ll be right back,” he murmured, standing again and lowering me onto the bed.
For a moment, I worried he might just disappear again, but he was back less than a minute later, candles and a speaker in hand.
“I want tonight to be special,” he said softly, his gaze tender, and my heart melted.
How could I doubt the way he felt about me when he treated me like I was the most precious thing he’d ever seen?
He moved around the room placing the candles and lighting them, then drawing the curtains so the room was only filled with the soft glow of candlelight. Then he set the speaker on the dresser and turned on soft music. When he looked back at me, his eyes were dark with lust, but his emotions were clear on his face.
He reached over his head and gripped his shirt between his shoulder blades then pulled it off. I licked my lips in anticipation, my body humming at the sight of his chiseled abs. His hair fell over his brow as he gave me a look that told me in no uncertain terms what he was going to do to me. I started to move toward him, but he shook his head slightly.
“Tonight is all about you.”
My breath caught as he moved his hands to his belt, and I watched in growing eagerness as he stripped himself as bare as I was. Then he was climbing up on the bed, hovering over me.
He cupped my cheek with one hand, bracing himself with the other, and lowered his mouth to mine. His lips were soft, gentle, and he kissed me until my entire body was both completely relaxed and brimming with need.
He worked his way down my body, murmuring about how perfect I was. When he reached my belly, still mostly flat but showing the tiniest hints of a baby bump that would only be recognizable by the two of us, he caressed it softly before bestowing a sweet kiss. He whispered something to the baby—I didn’t catch his words, though—and my heart melted even more. He loved this baby as much as I did, there was no doubt about it.
So why was I having doubts?
I gave myself over to the moment, focusing on the pure pleasure that shot through me when Jaxon kissed me even lower. His mouth trailed a wet line from my hip to the base of my cock, then up the throbbing shaft until he reached the tip. He flicked his tongue, and I cried out, my hips bucking.
I propped myself up on my elbows to watch him, and he gave me a wink, like he knew exactly what he was doing to me.
“Please, Jaxon,” I begged when he trailed his fingers around my hip to squeeze my ass.
He continued licking and sucking my cock while he used his fingers to play with me, tracing circles around my hole, gathering my slick. My head fell back and I sucked in a sharp breath. Fuck, this felt so good. Like he was worshipping my body.
He took his time, working me up, building the sensations to a nearly unbearable height. When he finally sank his finger into my ass, I thought I might die of relief. Or come right then and there, since his mouth was now devouring my cock.
“Yes, Jaxon… Oh, god!” I cried out when he added another finger, thrusting deep inside my hole in slow, steady strokes. His head bobbed up and down on my cock, his eyes on mine the entire time. I felt my balls tighten and tried to warn him that I was about to come, but he seemed to sense it instinctively and pulled out.
