My fiancée is beautiful. She’s even more beautiful on her hands and knees, her hips wide, plump ass shaking as I thrust into her. It’s one of the few positions where I can make love to her now that her due date is so close, and as much as I love it, I can’t wait until I can kiss her while I’m making love to her.
“Braxton,” she whines, and I know she’s close. Her already tight walls feel incredible against my dick.
I slide my hand from her hip to her center, pressing against her clit while I speed up my thrusts. “Get there,” I demand of her, because I’m so close.
Every time I sink inside Cara I could blow like a rocket, and the more she grows with our baby, mostly all in her breasts and stomach, the fiercer that need is.
There is nothing more insanely beautiful than watching the woman you love grow with your child inside of her.
“Please. Yes.” She pushes back against me, her legs and hands already shaking, and it’s that sign that tells me she’s almost there. She always goes wild right before she releases.
“Yes,” I groan, slamming into her at the same time my fingers manipulate her at the front.
And it doesn’t take much, because she throws her head back, her walls clamp around my dick, and I push inside her as deep as I can go, but not nearly deep enough because I’ll never be deep enough inside of Cara to be satisfied.
We tumble over the edge of our release together, and she collapses to her elbows. I stay inside of her until I can breathe at a reasonable pace, running my hand up and down her back.
“How are you feeling?”
“Like Pam’s idea of a lot of sex to get this baby coming was the best idea she’s ever had.”
We had her last regular appointment this morning where Pam gave us that idea, a cheeky grin on her face. As soon as we got back to the apartment, Cara attacked, all grouchy and demanding I follow her midwife’s orders to get this baby boy out of her immediately. I chuckle against her shoulder, bending over her to kiss her. She’s three days from her due date, her stomach as big as a watermelon, and she’s cranky.
Like crazy cranky. The fact she still has her sense of humor is miraculous at this point.
“He’ll come when he’s ready.”
“I hate it when you say that. What if he never wants to come?”
“He will. Soon.” I slowly slide out of her, helping her roll to her left side, and trail my lips down the side of her body, kissing everywhere I can reach down to the curve of her hips before I move off the bed. “Stay here. I’ll clean you up.”
She hums a satisfied sound and I move to the bathroom. After a quick cleanup of myself, I come back with a warm washcloth and clean Cara up before I climb into the bed behind her.
Her hand is on her stomach, and as she turns to me to kiss me, her lips are twisted in a slight grimace.
“You okay?”
“Yeah,” she says. But her features tighten. “That must have just brought on another contraction. My stomach is as hard as a ball.”
I feel it for myself, her entire stomach tight and hard. Another Braxton-Hicks. They’re driving us both insane. Every time she gets one I think it’s time to go and grab the bag. To which Cara slaps my hand and tells me to chill out.
“We have the Halloween party tonight with Dan and Jenna. Do you want to skip it?”
“No. I’ll be more miserable sitting around here doing nothing.”
Her call. These days she’s pretty miserable out and about just as much as she is at home. Luca got so tired of her snapping at customers he told her last week to start her maternity leave early and not return until she’s normal again.
It took everything I had not to laugh in her face when she demanded, “Can you believe he said that to me?”
“Whatever you want, honey.”
I kiss her cheek again and move to roll away from her but she grabs my arm and holds on tight. “Braxton?”
“Yeah?”
“You know I love you, right? Even when I’m losing my mind and being bitchy, you know I love you, don’t you?”
Her eyes hold a hint of fear, something I haven’t seen in her. Cara’s one of the strongest women I’ve ever met. It undoes me as much as it helps me.
It’s nice to know I’m not the only one losing my mind these days.
“Of course I do. And I love you just as much.”
“Good. I should shower.”
“Want help?” I’ve used the excuse it’s hard for her to bend over more than once to help her in the shower. Which usually leads to more pleasurable activities than washing her back.
She smiles at me, that soft, serene look in her eyes appearing that’s been there pretty much since we found out we’re having a boy. It was as if the reassurance on the ultrasound that the baby isn’t only real but is completely healthy transformed her into a woman completely at peace with her life.
“Yeah.”
I get her up, biting my lip as she groans as she stands, her hand clasped in mine and one hand holding up her belly, and then we head to the shower, where we go for a second round of our midwife’s helpful instructions.
I’m in the closet afterward, throwing on a thermal long-sleeved shirt, my hair still wet from the shower, when Cara walks in behind me.
“Braxton?”
Her tone catches me off guard and I turn to look at her, still naked from the shower, but her makeup is done and her hair is dried, hanging down and covering her breasts.
Her hands on her stomach, her face scrunched.
“What is it?” I’m already moving toward her.
“I don’t think we can go to the party anymore.”
“Why?” I cup her cheek. “Not feeling well?”
“No. But.” Her chin wobbles and I glance down at her stomach. “It’s more than that. I think my water just broke. “
Then she smiles. Broad and happy and a little bit dopey and she shrugs. “I think we’re having a baby.”
“Holy shit,” I murmur. I can’t peel my eyes off him.
So damn tiny, the weight of him in my arms so damn huge even if he’s only eight pounds and one ounce. Once Cara’s water broke, her contractions started quickly after. We called Pam, who met us at the hospital a mere six hours ago.
We were settled in a room, strapped up to a heart monitor, and once her contractions became more difficult, Cara was given an epidural.
Two hours later she was pushing, and four pushes later, James Irvin Henley was born.
Nothing has prepared me for the heavy sensation in my chest and gut and the weight of the world and responsibility on my shoulders while I hold my little guy in my arms for the first time.
Cara’s voice is tired but content as she brushes her finger over his hairline on his scrunched-up and wrinkly forehead. “He’s beautiful, isn’t he? I can’t stop staring at him.”
Neither of us has taken our eyes off him, except for when we lost ourselves, kissing each other like crazy as soon as he came out and Pam and the nurses were doing what they needed to do. But as soon as they placed him in my arms and I settled right next to Cara in the bed, we’ve only had eyes for our son.
“He’s perfect.”
A knock comes on our door and a nurse, Becky, peeks her head around the curtain. “You have visitors. Want me to send them back?”
“I’m not sure Jenna will stay away,” Cara says, smiling up at me. “We should let them in.”
“I don’t want to share him.” She laughs, and I know I’m pouting. Calling Dan and Jenna was a mistake. They then called Stella and Graham, and everyone met us at the hospital, which means they’ve been here for hours, hanging out in the waiting room. For a while I thought Jenna would shove me out of the room just so she could be here when our baby was born instead of me, she’s so damn excited for us.
“We’ll have him forever, you know,” Cara says, and her eyes are glistening with a happiness I can’t even describe, it’s simply otherworldly.
“We will,” I assure her. Because we have us. The three of us, and hopefully more, forever. “We’re getting married as soon as we can. I don’t care where or how, but you’re taking my name.”
She nods. We haven’t talked much about wedding planning mostly because Cara insisted she didn’t want wedding photos of her while she was pregnant. I haven’t pushed it, but I want us to all have the same name. My name. Our family’s name.
Reluctantly, I hand James back to Cara and kiss her slowly. “I’ll go get everyone. Do you want me to call anyone else?”
She presses her lips together and shakes her head. She hasn’t spoken to her parents for months. She made one phone call to them after they tried to force her into a marriage with Graham, letting them know they’d gone too far. That they’re welcome to be a part of her life when they can accept her for who she is, and want to know their grandchild, but since then we’ve heard nothing.
“Only Luca. He’ll want to know.”
“You sure?”
“I’m sure. James doesn’t need them until they can be decent.”
I hate that she still looks conflicted, something she tries to hide from me, but it’s her call. “Okay, honey. I’ll go get the rest of the family then.”
Our friends have become our family. Graham and Luca come over frequently for dinners. Graham has passed his bar exam and started working at his dad’s law firm and is currently single. Luca goes through men like water, and while there’s nothing between them other than friendship, they’ve become quite close. It’s helped Graham to be more comfortable after coming out to be introduced to Luca and many of his friends in the gay community, especially since his parents still refuse to believe him. Jenna and Dan have declared themselves our son’s aunt and uncle, as well as Stella and Robbie. The four of them are fighting for recognition as godparents, seeming to forget they’ll all help us with raising James.
It’s a mishmash of people and personalities and lifestyles, and it’s wild and crazy and more than a bit bonkers sometimes, but it’s also perfect.
Until today—which takes happiness to inexplicable heights—I’ve never been happier, and Cara isn’t shy in sharing the same.
She grins then, wide and soft, and kisses James’s forehead. “I’ll be here.”
“I will too.” I kiss her, then James, and smile back at Cara. “I will always be here.”
“I don’t doubt it for a moment, Braxton. It’s one of the many reasons why I love you so much.”
“I love you too. Forever.”
I head out to the waiting room, practically trampled by the rush of our friends to get to Cara and James, and while they all crowd into our room, me pushed to the side for a moment, I take another look around at the life we’ve created.
It’s perfect. It’s beautiful. And it will only continue to get better because we’re just getting started.