Homecoming: A Secret Baby Romance (9 page)

I
t was
the perfect day for a swim. A blazing sun, clear blue skies with zephyr breezes that made your skin tingle. So swim we did, stopping only to sunbathe before jumping back in the sparkling ocean.

After we’d had our fill, Max and I spent most of the day walking along the boardwalk, enjoying all the sights and people.

Max had been right. I did need to get out of the house and get some fresh air, relieve some stress. But the thing I was most excited about was being out in public with him as a normal couple. No one knew who we were and we didn’t look any different than any other boyfriend and girlfriend walking along the beach.

Max, dressed in swimming trunks and nothing else, his chiseled body proudly on display, was getting quite a lot of stares from the girls around us. I wasn’t jealous, though, because he seemed to only have eyes for me.

As the day wore on, we enjoyed lunch at a hot dog stand and blue and pink slushie cones. Later that evening, we watched street performers perform their tricks and walked in a few bars. I kept Max from having too many shots, I didn’t want him to get sloppy drunk like I knew he was prone to do, and I avoided them all together.

Before departing, we stopped to walk on the beach one last time. It was now late into the night, the moon out and the stars twinkling overhead. A cool breeze swept through the beach, causing goosebumps to rise on my skin as the waves crashed gently onto the sandy shore.

“So I’ve been meaning to ask you something,” said Max as we walked, hand-in-hand.

I glanced at him, raising an eyebrow in question.

“What would you have done if I left anyway?”

I brushed a stray strand of hair out of my face. “I don’t know, I didn’t stop to think about that. I was just so desperate.”

Max stopped us right at the edge of the water where the sand became muddy. “You really wanted me to stay, huh?”

I nodded.

Max pulled me in close. “Well, I’m glad everything worked out the way it did. It’s forced me to admit how much I love you.”

A surge of emotions welled up from the pit of my stomach, making it hard for me to breath.

“And how I want to be together and be a good father to our child.”

Our child. I could hardly stand. Max was taking total responsibility for what I’d done, even though it could have ruined him. In that moment, I loved him more than I could’ve ever imagined. “Thank you,” I breathed. “I was so scared that you were going to hate me.”

Max frowned. “I could never hate you, Nikki. Ever.”

“Yeah, let’s see what you’re saying in a year from now when I don’t immediately lose all the baby weight.”

Max surprised me by kissing me on the lips. “It’ll still be the same as it is now.”

“We’ll see about that.”

“Wanna bet?”

“No. I’m broke.”

Max chuckled. “That’s what I thought.” He grew silent as the sounds of the waves crashing enveloped us. I gazed up at him, the moonlight seeming to shine directly on us, and he gazed back at me. Suddenly, I was aware of something hard pressing up against my thigh.

“Oh no,” I said immediately. “Not here.”

“Looking at you in the bikini has been making me hot all day.”

“So? We’re on the beach.”

“But we can’t go back home. You know what your mom said. Max held me firmly in his arms. “Where’s your adventurous side? There’s no one around.”

I looked around. He was right, but that didn’t mean no one would come walking up.

“I don’t know.”

Max grinned at me. “Let’s have a little fun.” Without warning, Max hefted me up into his arms, carried me several feet out into the waves and then tossed me into the ocean.

“Max!” I screamed in shock as the cold water hit me and I paddled to my feet. I was now almost waist deep in. “You bastard.”

He laughed. “That was just like old times, huh?”

“It’s not funny!” I shivered, wiping the water out of my eyes.

“What’s the matter?” Max taunted. “You cold?”

“Yeah, thanks to you.”

“Well, I know the perfect way to warm you up.” Without blinking an eye, Max dropped his swimming trunks, revealing his magnificent body and rock hard cock and waded out into the water to me.

“Max, what are you doing?” I chattered.

He moved in close and I was immediately enveloped by the heat of his body. It was a welcome sensation, feeling his hard body pressed up against me. Down below, I could feel his cock throbbing against my thigh.

“Warming you up,” he whispered, kissing my neck.

At the first touch of his lips, I let out a moan and melted in his arms, all resistance fleeing my body. I felt safe in his arms and was totally his. “What if someone comes?” I managed as his lips burned into my skin.

Max reached down into the water and cupped my ass in his powerful hands and then hoisted me onto his waste. Down below, his cock pressed against the material of my bathing suit, throbbing for entry.

“Then let em’ watch,” Max said, as he carried me back to our big blanket we had laid out on the sand.

* * *

M
ax
and I arrived back home in the wee hours in the morning, soaking wet and still in our swimwear, hot from our steamy session on the beach. Stealthily, we entered the house and went up to Max’s room.

As soon as Max shut the door, he was all over me, groping me and smothering me with ardent kisses. We fell back on the bed, kissing and exploring each other’s bodies, rolling all over.

“Wait,” I gasped, remembering where we were. “Remember our promise?”

“We’re just making out, that’s all.”

I stared at him, feeling his cock throb against me. In reality, I was turned on that he was wanting round two.

“I’m serious,” Max promised. He drew me into a deep kiss, one that left me dizzy when the door swung open.

I gasped and pushed Max away to see my mother standing in the doorway, her arms folded across her chest. “What are you two doing back this late?”

“Ever heard of knocking?” I had to ask, feeling anger. We were adults and what did it matter how late we were out.

Instead of exploding on me with anger, she ignored my smartass remark. “I’ll leave you two be, but remember what I said.” She turned and shut the door.

I looked at Max. “Isn’t that weird?”

Max stared at the door and then scratched his head in puzzlement. “Yeah. I don’t get it. She should’ve been pissed.”

“Why do you suppose she wasn’t?”

Max shook his head. “I don’t know, but I hope we find out.”

O
ver the next
couple of months Max and I tried to keep our relationship toned down out of respect for our parents until they got more accustomed to it, but each passing day it became harder. When the good news arrived that Max had found a job working for a contractor, I was ecstatic. We could finally move out on our own and be free to love one another without judgment.

So move out we did, into a beautiful one bedroom, one bath apartment with cream-colored carpets and a beautiful open floor plan — albeit small. I was overjoyed with our new place and never had been happier in my entire life.

Our parents preferred that we stay at home, but we wanted our privacy. To be honest, it wasn’t much different than being at home. My mother came by every day to check on me as the months went by and my pregnancy progressed.

Best of all, Max was happy with his new job and no longer mentioned anything about the military. I was really happy about that.

When it came time to discover the baby’s gender, Max and I opted to not be informed. We wanted it to be a surprise. As the day grew closer, I grew happier. Life alone with Max was better than I’d ever imagined it would be.

All in all, I couldn’t be more pleased.

* * *

A
bout a week
before my due date, I woke up in the middle of the night with a racing heart. Something was terribly wrong.

“Max,” I whispered, grabbing at the swollen sides of my giant belly and wincing in pain. It was like I was being kicked in the stomach. “Something isn’t right.”

Max’s snores greeted me in response. “Max!” I cried more urgently as a sharp pain shot up through my abdomen. “Wake up.”

Max’s snores abruptly ended as he rolled in the bed and turned on the night-light and then rolled around to peer at me with sleep-filled eyes. “Huh?” he asked stupidly.

“I think it’s time,” I gasped.

“Huh?” Max asked again just as dumbly.

“Max!” I screamed. “The baby!”

An expression of horrible comprehension crossed his face. “Oh!” He jumped up from the bed, revealing his naked muscular body and chiseled ass cheeks. He quickly pulled his jeans off the floor and began climbing in them, tumbling around the room.

“Ohh!” I groaned.

Max rushed to the nightstand and grabbed a set of keys. “I’ll go start the car,” he told me. He turned and ran towards the bedroom door.

“Max!” I yelled. He paused, turning around to stare at me. Even with the distress I was in, it was hard not to laugh at the expression on his face. I’d never seen him so scared in my entire life.

“Yeah?”

Suddenly, I felt a pop and water began to trickle down my legs, soaking the bed sheets.

“HURRY!”

* * *

“
L
ola Nicole
,” I said proudly, holding her out to Max as our parents looked on in the background.

Reverently, Max took her from my arms. His face lit up like a Christmas tree as he peered down at the bundle of joy. “She’s beautiful,” he muttered, his voice filled with awe. “Gorgeous, just like her mother.”

I beamed, trying not to wince at a sharp pain that shot up my side. “Thank you.”

Max smiled at me briefly before returning his gaze to his precious daughter. Cooing softly, he rocked her back and forth in his arms. I grew warm and fuzzy inside watching him, the hardened soldier, become a softy for his little girl. The image became so overwhelming that tears began flowing down my cheeks.

I wasn’t the only one crying, though. In the background, I could see the tears in my mother’s eyes as she stared at Max and our baby. Whether it was from sadness or happiness, I couldn’t tell.

Shortly after my labor began, my mom had arrived at the hospital and demanded she be let into my room to help me through it. I was shocked when she came in, thinking that she’d never want to be there to witness me having a baby out of wed-lock and by her stepson no less, but my mother, it seemed, wasn’t going to miss the birth of her grandbaby no matter the father.

It was kind of odd seeing both my mother and stepbrother in the same room while I was giving birth, but I’d been in too much discomfort, even with the epidural they’d given me, to pay much attention.

“Are we going to get to hold her sometime this century?” my mother asked somewhat impatiently.

Max stopped rocking Lola and looked slightly embarrassed. “Sorry, I forgot you guys were even here. I was in my own little world” He held her out to my mom. “Here.”

Tears in her eyes, she took the baby from his arms ever so gently. “Oh,” she murmured, a slight catch in her voice. “She’s absolutely beautiful.”

“Isn’t she, though?” Max said.

For the next ten minutes, Lola was tossed around almost like a volleyball as we all took turns cuddling her. Finally, I had to ask a question that had been weighing on my mind since the whole saga had begun.

“Mom?” I asked.

My mom was the one currently holding Lola, a distant smile on her face. “Hmm?” she asked without looking up.

“There’s one thing that I’ve been trying to understand since this whole thing has begun. Why have you guys been so supportive of us? I can’t imagine any other parents would have been as gracious as you guys were.”

She looked up from the baby and glanced over at Jerry, who was suddenly preoccupied with scratching his head. “Well,” my mother began slowly. “We knew that you guys were absolutely sure of what you wanted and that getting angry and trying to stop you would have only made things worse.”

Warmth flowed through my chest as I stared at my mother while she was holding my Lola. I couldn’t believe how lucky I was, to have such level-headed parents throughout the entire ordeal, especially when I’d expected much worse from them.

“Thank you, Mom,” I said simply. “Thank you so much for accepting our relationship and loving us no matter what.”

Jerry and mom exchanged glances again, this time, they both looked a little anxious.

“What is it?” I inquired. Their furtive glances were making me nervous. It made me feel like they were hiding something, waiting until the last minute to reveal their true feelings about the situation.

Suddenly, multiple scenarios flashed through my mind, one of which involved my mother running from the room with the baby and dropping it off on the steps of an orphanage. I knew such a scenario was unlikely and was made for the movies, but still it made me a little nervous.

Mother was clearly hesitant as she stared up at her husband. “Well . . .”

“Come on mom, spit it out!” My eyes on the baby, my whole body on edge. I glanced over at Max, hoping he would be ready to grab her should she try any sudden moves. He also looked tense, probably thinking the same thing I was.

“Just go on ahead and say it,” Jerry said. “It’s the best thing, given the circumstances.”

My mother let out a resigned sigh. “Oh alright.” Her eyes fell upon Lola and she began to gently stroke her face. “We’ve never told you this, but after your grandparents died before you were born, Jerry and I promised to keep our secret hidden from our children.”

I was on the edge of the bed with anticipation. “What?” I demanded. “What secret.”

My mother tore her eyes from Lola and looked Max and then me straight in the eye. “Jerry is my stepbrother.”