| |
August
Six Months Later
––––––––
Time. How do you measure time when every moment is new. How do you catalog every experience and document it so you never forget the look in her eyes?
Because that's what I've come to love and crave. The way her eyes smiled and laughed. The excitement as our baby grew and those new moments became ones we could share.
I could feel the baby in her stomach, I could watch as her belly would become a wave of movement. Every day Ella seemed to change and I changed along with her.
That's how I knew this was more than just a task, my goal had been smashed into bits and replaced by this wonderful angel who showed me that life was more than just waking up everyday and going to work.
Life was meant to be shared.
The past six months had come and gone, and it was hard to believe that the birth of our child was just around the corner. The spare room had become a nursery, decorated with yellow walls and friendly jungle animals.
It was something we had done together. I loved that room now and would find myself standing in the center just staring at what we had created together. No one else came in and did it for us. It was our gift to the baby, a room built from our own hands.
Waking up in bed, I rolled to my side and found I was alone. Ella's spot was cold to the touch, her pillow still indented where her head had been. Blinking a few times, I pushed myself up in bed and looked around.
The bathroom was open and empty, the house was quiet except for the very faint sound of music. It didn't sound like it was coming from inside. The melody was light, its sound traveling through the air as if it was being pushed through the small cracks in the building so I could hear them.
Scratching my head, I yawned and stretched as I climbed out of bed. Walking out into the living room, the music became louder. Tipping my head, I listened, noting that music sounded like it was coming from the roof.
What the hell is that?
Taking a second to look around, Ella wasn't in the kitchen or the baby's room, she wasn't laying out in a chair on the balcony drinking a coffee or cleaning some obscure place in the apartment, like the pantry.
Which I found out from doing some research was called nesting. She had been doing a lot of that lately, fixing things that didn't need to be fixed and cleaning things that were already clean.
Last week when I came home from work and caught Ella re-caulking the tub. She was huddled over the tub, her belly squished against the side as she tore the old caulk out with some metal tool. And I just let her. She felt she needed to do it, I wasn't going to argue.
Following the music, I took the stairs up to my rooftop terrace. The music was growing in volume, and I knew it was definitely coming from outside the building.
Opening the door, a cold breeze ruffled my hair and cascaded down my arms. Wrapping my arms around my chest, I went to search for the sounds.
The music was smooth and clear, floating through the air easily. Walking out to the edge, I looked to my right and was struck by the most gorgeous sight I had ever seen.
Ella was sitting in a chair, still wearing her nightgown. Her face was snuggled against the thin arm of her cello, her arm was moving the bow in long sweeping strokes as her other hand plucked and rode the strings.
Her eyes were closed and her belly was pushing against the back of the cello, while her legs cradled the edges. She looked like she was in a trance, mesmerized by the melody flowing out of her fingertips and seeping into the wood of her instrument, only to be pushed back out for the world to hear.
Wow, she's incredible.
Standing back, I just watched her. Every move she made, every note and stroke of her arm, there was so much passion behind it. I stood in awe, not really understanding why she had never played for me before.
I knew that she had been waiting for her chance to work at Julliard, and it just wasn't coming. She had substituted periodically throughout the pregnancy, but the past few weeks she had decided to focus on the baby and herself, choosing not to work as much.
Her ankles would swell if she was on her feet for too long, her back was a constant source of pain, her hips were aching, and she was getting migraines regularly. Dr. Hall told her she needed to just rest, and I was so happy she listened.
I loved that she still wanted to do what she loved. Ella wouldn't take any money from me, no matter how much I tried to give it to her. Even with her being pregnant, she insisted on making her own money and wanting me to just start an account for our child.
So I did, adding to it every week and setting some aside for Ella in the process. I wasn't sure what the future would look like for us, if we'd still be here, doing this, living together and enjoying all the little moments. Because I did enjoy those little moments.
The way she would look at me and smile when I walked in the door, the way she had to rearrange the sink in the bathroom every other day until it was just right. Her little habits made me feel full and warm. The way she would target a single hair on her head if she was just sitting doing nothing and repeatedly pull that one strand through her fingers until it broke off.
Ella was so engrossed in her music that she didn't even notice I was spying from the background. Walking up to her quietly, I did my best to not disturb her as she played.
Running my fingers across the top of her back, Ella looked up at me and smiled, her hands never stopping. I couldn't help myself, she was an addiction for me. I had to touch her, I couldn't be this close and not put my fingers on her.
Placing delicate kisses across her neck, I massaged her shoulders, digging my hands into her hair and massaging her scalp. My lips kept moving against her skin, kiss after kiss until I finally reached her mouth.
The music stopped, but I could still hear the sound of my heart beating inside my chest. I met this girl because I needed something, and right then, I knew that I could never go a day without her.
Swooping my hand down the front of her chest, I squeezed her swollen breasts, continuing to slide down until I was cupping her stomach. I loved her belly, I loved the way she looked pregnant.
There was something so sexy about that bump. It was my bump, it was my baby filling her belly and making her glow. There were no words to express what her pregnant body did me. It tore me to pieces, bringing me to my knees and making me weak.
Nothing was sexier than your woman carrying your child. Nothing.
Taking the cello from her hands, I set it against the wall and pulled her to her feet. “Ella Day, you are so damn beautiful, you know that?” Holding her face in my palms, I tipped her head back.
“I'm glad you think so, because I don't feel beautiful.” Her eyes danced around my face as she curled her fingers around my wrists. “I feel fat, I feel sweaty, I feel like I'm ready for this baby to come out.”
“Don't say that, you're so fucking sexy.” Giving her a kiss, I spoke against her lips. “That belly turns me on so much. I can't explain it, but I feel it in my chest, in my muscles, in every inch of my body. If I could inject you into my veins I would, so I'd never have to be without you.”
A sultry look fell over her face as her hands moved down my arms, coming to stop on my chest. “I can feel it too,” she said with a smirk as my hard cock poked her hip.
Sitting down on the chair, I pulled Ella onto my lap. “I can't help it, there's something about you that makes me come alive.” Pushing up the hem of Ella's nightgown, I ran my finger up and down her pussy.
“This all feels like a dream to me, August.” Rolling her hips, she dug her fingers into my shoulders. “Sometimes when I wake up, and I see my belly or feel the baby moving, I have to remind myself that it's real, that you're real.”
“I'm real, all of this is real, and this is just the beginning.”
Spreading her juice over her lips, Ella moaned, rolling her hips harder. Slipping a finger inside her pussy, I plunged it in and out, keeping a slow and steady pace. My goal wasn't to make her come on my hand, it was drive her just crazy enough that she'd devour my cock.
“If this is just the beginning, what does the future look like?” Riding my finger, Ella pushed her tits into my face.
Sliding a second finger inside, I fucked her harder, swirling my thumb across her clit and making her body shiver. Goosebumps jumped across her skin, filling the surface with pleasure peaks.
Pulling the front of my shorts down, my cock popped free. Holding her hips, I positioned her over my cock. The weight of her belly pressed against my stomach, her engorged tits were rising and falling as she took in deep breaths. Our eyes were locked on each other as I pressed her waist down and pushed my cock inside.
We both sat still for a second, allowing her pussy to adjust around my cock. Brushing my fingers across her face, I pushed a loose strand of hair behind her ear, making sure she could feel the love in my touch.
I hadn't told her I loved her, but I felt like it was one of those things I didn't need to say. I felt like she knew it, that even without the words Ella could feel it in her heart.
We were connected by blood now, there was nothing stronger than that. And as we made love on the roof of the building, under the morning sun, stripped of walls and completely vulnerable to the world around us, I made a silent promise to her.
I promised her forever.
A forever that we would build together.