Pulling the covers up, she turned toward Mark. “You know we are just going to sleep, right?”
He chuckled then kissed her. “This isn’t about sex, Julie.”
The flutters returned, but this time it was the good kind. An instant smile crossed her face, and there was no way she could wipe it off even if she tried. This man renting her mother’s house was something else. Perhaps another blizzard would hit, but this time they’d be stocked up with lots of condoms.
Chapter Ten
It was the next day, and it wasn’t going any better for Julie. Her phone had been ringing non-stop, and she had to be on several conference calls. It was like everyone forgot she was on vacation. If it wasn’t for her hoping her mom would call, she would most likely have buried the damn thing out in the snow.
She stepped out of the shower, letting her toes touch the cool tiled floor that actually felt nice after the hot and steamy shower. She wrapped her long hair up into a fluffy blue towel. Her mother’s ugly orange robe hung behind the door. Slipping it on but not tying it, she went to find something to wear in her suitcase. She paused in front of the full-length oval mirror. Turning to her side, she pulled her robe back. Her stomach had a slight pouch to it. Rubbing her hands along it and seeing the bulge made this all start to seem a little more real.
She recently read the baby was now the size of an apple. It definitely looked like she swallowed one whole.
Julie knew she was going to have to get some new jeans soon. Hers thankfully rode on her hips, so she wasn’t having a hard time buttoning them yet. But it wouldn’t be long. She read that one night her belly would suddenly just pop out, and then the growing would really begin.
Digging through her suitcase, she found some warm clothes to put on. Overnight, they’d gotten a few more inches of snow, just as she’d thought they would. What was another two inches after a blizzard? The sun was out again today at full blare, and things were slowly melting. But it couldn’t melt fast enough.
After she was dressed and had styled her hair, she put on a light layer of make-up. Seeing her hair slightly curled and wearing nice clothes lifted her confidence. And she needed it. The publishing house was urging her back to New York. She was able to buy a few more days of vacation, but that was it. Her gut told her that if she didn’t go back to New York, she would be out of a job, and that was the last thing she needed. At this point, she was the only one this little apple had.
Maybe a trip to town would lift her spirits some more. She’d wanted to try the little coffee shop, The Roasted Cup, she’d seen next to The Reading Corner bookstore. A little caffeine wouldn’t be bad, and she could use the jolt.
Collecting her purse, she snatched her blinking cell phone, not caring what messages awaited her, and tossed it in then took her keys out. She opened the front door and bumped right into a hard, muscular chest. Mark was home. She smiled.
“Where are you headed?” He took her hand in his.
“Coffee shop. It’s been a long day here.”
“Well, hop in the truck. I have a surprise for you. Then I’ll treat you to coffee.”
She hesitated.
“Oh, come on. You’re going to love it.” He gave her no choice as he pulled her outside, closing the door behind her.
She climbed into the passenger side and watched as he walked around to his side. It had been a long time since she’d been in a truck. It was different and really strange for someone besides a taxi driver to be driving her anywhere. She didn’t use her own car much.
“Where are we headed?” she asked.
“My lips are sealed.”
“Can I have a hint?”
He shook his head. She could tell his lips were shut, and he wasn’t telling her anything. She couldn’t help but be giddy that whatever he was doing, he had taken the time to put it together.
As they rolled through town, she noticed children had been out building snowmen. She couldn’t wait to come home to Brookfield with her little one to build them at Christmastime. It was always so fun rolling the balls and then finding things in the house to decorate it with. Her and her mom always used wacky things. Their snowmen always had a few kitchen utensils jammed in somewhere.
The truck’s blinker came on, and they pulled up to Brookfield Family Practice. What kind of surprise was this? Who the hell ever wanted to go to the doctor?
Mark hopped out of the truck, raced around to her side, and opened her door. Holding her hand, he helped her out. She bit her lip nervously, but Mark led her inside. She was happy to be out of the cold but not to be here. What was he up to?
A lady in the reception area greeted them and knew right away who they were. Julie gave Mark a confused expression. A nurse immediately came out and called them back to an exam room. Julie was asked to step on the scale. She shook her head. She didn’t want to be here. Who the hell did Mark think he suddenly was?
The nurse appeared confused but said it was okay and let them back to another room. She said Dr. Blossom would be right in.
Once she was gone, Julie let him have it. “What is going on, Mark? Why are we here?”
“What do you mean? I thought you would like this.”
“To go to the doctor? This isn’t your place. I’ll go when I’m ready. It isn’t like I wasn’t going to.”
“It’s past time to go. You should be going monthly right now. They need to do blood work. You have a glucose test soon.”
Her eyes were wide open. She couldn’t believe what she was hearing. “Okay, I get that. But I could do that all back in New York. I can do this.”
Mark didn’t say anything. He just looked hurt.
“This is just crazy,” she softly said.
“I just wanted to do something nice for you. So I set this up personally with Dr. Blossom. I didn’t realize it would upset you so much.”
Right as she was about to speak, an elderly lady in a long white jacket came. She assumed the woman was the doctor.
“Hi, I’m Dr. Blossom. You must be Julie Miller.” She offered her hand.
“I am.”
“It’s so nice to meet. Tell me, how far along are you?”
“Three months, I think.”
“Well, you’re in for a treat. How about you hop up on this chair and lay back, and we’ll have a peek.”
“A peek? At what?”
“The baby, silly.” Dr. Blossom chuckled.
She was going to get to see the baby. It felt like she was going in slow motion as she sat and followed the doctor’s order to lift her shirt and unbutton her pants. A clear, warm, goopy liquid was squirted on her belly. Dr. Blossom asked Mark to dim the light.
Julie didn’t know what to think. In fact, her mind was blank. Dr. Blossom picked up some crazy-looking contraption then turned on something that looked like a computer monitor. She started to rub the tip of the contraption across Julie’s belly, and suddenly there was a sound like a heartbeat coming from the monitor.
“Is that…” was all Julie was able to say.
“It is.” Dr. Blossom smiled. “And this is your baby.”
Julie was scared to look, but she did. And it looked like a baby, not an apple. It had a big head compared to its body. Good God, was it an alien? But it was cute, and it was moving some. That was her baby, and that was its heart beating.
“The baby looks very healthy.”
Julie grinned. That was good to know.
Dr. Blossom started taking measurements and talking about all kinds of different things, which went in one ear and out the other. All she could concentrate on was seeing her little baby. Julie’s eyes were moist, but she held back. She took a quick glance at Mark and saw the love on his face as he stared at the monitor. She reached over, took his hand, and mouthed
thank you
. This was a wonderful surprise.
She saw the emotion in his gaze, and she wondered how this was affecting him. Was he sad? Or was he falling in love with her child?
“Now, Julie, you’re not three months,” Dr. Blossom said.
“I’m not?”
“No, you’re in the middle of your fourth month. You’re about fifteen to sixteen weeks pregnant.”
“I am?”
“Yes. In a few weeks, you should come back for your ultrasound to determine the sex of the baby.”
Julie lit up. She would know what her little apple was soon.
Dr. Blossom printed out a few pictures then cleaned up Julie’s belly. She handed the photos to her. “Mark said you hadn’t been to the doctor’s yet, so I want to get you started on prenatal vitamins. It isn’t too late. Do you have your yearly exam regularly?”
Julie nodded.
“Good. I have a few booklets for you. Before you leave, if you would let the nurse get a little blood work, I can get that into your chart. And we’ll set you up an appointment for your eighteenth week to see the baby again. Does that sound good?”
“I might be back in New York then,” Julie said.
“No problem. Just call and cancel if you do, and we’ll forward your chart to your doctor there.”
Once the blood work was finished, and Julie had her goody bag from the doctor, she and Mark left. As she climbed up into the truck, she couldn’t believe she was four months pregnant and, in about two weeks, they could tell her if it was a boy or a girl. This was moving a lot faster than she’d imagined it would.
“Ready for that coffee now?” Mark asked as he started the truck.
Julie scooted over, thankful she hadn’t buckled yet, and cupped his face. Full of passion, she kissed him, not caring who could see them. She practically climbed into his lap, needing to be close to him. And he didn’t object. He gripped her ass, and all she wanted was to get back to the house with him so she could give him a proper thank you.
She titled her head to deepen the kiss. She rubbed her hands through his hair and wished they could continue but, if this went any further, who knew what kind of town gossip would start.
Pulling away, she got back in her seat and buckled. “Now I’m ready for coffee.”
Chapter Eleven
As soon as they were inside, Julie knew just what she wanted. Setting her half-empty coffee on the table, she crossed the room to Mark.
“Thank you,” she said.
He gazed at her as if he knew just what she was thinking. Perhaps her eyes, full of passion, were letting him know. She grabbed a handful of his shirt and yanked him to her, not even taking her time. Her lips forced their way to his, and her tongue instantly thrust into his mouth. She shoved his jacket off and heard the sound of it hitting the floor. Her hands started to tear at all of his clothes. She needed him naked and close to her.
Breaking the kiss, Mark said, “What’s the hurry?”
“I want you now. That’s the hurry.”
Taking advantage of not kissing him, she began to strip her own clothes off.
“I can do that.” Mark reached out for her.
“You’re not fast enough. I need this now, Mark. Right now.”
She didn’t really understand what had come over her, but she just needed the connection with him. Seeing the way he watched her now, she wasn’t sure he was at the same place as her, but he would be soon.
Unclasping her bra, she let it drop to the floor. His blue eyes now looked like liquid passion. He was there. Right as her hands touched the button of her pants, his hands gripped her waist and yanked her to him
“God, you’re something, Julie.” His lips smashed into her as his hands tore her jeans off.
She got back to getting him undressed, too. Pulling away, she took his shirt off and flung it across the room. This man had the most amazing chest and, each time she saw it, she just had to touch. Her fingers lightly caressed his pecks. They were both now fully naked and, even though it was cold as hell outside, she felt hot.
Gazing up at him, she said, “Take me to bed.”
He picked her up, and she wrapped her legs around his waist. As he carried her, she let her lips explore his neck. Once they made it to the bed, she was ready to take charge. She shoved him down and continued to explore his body in each and every place her lips could find. Once she finally made her way back to his lips, his eyes were blazing.
Mark was no longer gentle with her. Lifting her off of him, he tossed her onto the bed, dragging her to the edge. She braced herself for the sound of a wrapper, but instead a warm mouth met her core, and she was lost. Her eyes closed, and her mind was blank. The only sense she was experiencing right now was touch. And, oh, were those touches great.
Her breath quickened, and then she heard the familiar sound of something tear. Mark crawled back on the bed, pulling her with him. He looked into her eyes lovingly, and she gazed back, feeling her heart opening. She just might be in love with this man, and it was scary in the short amount of time she’d known him.
As he entered her, her eyes didn’t leave his. It was slow and, at the moment, it was about the love they were sharing. It scared the shit out of her. She gripped his backside and thrust up against him to break the slowness and get the hard passion back. Mark took her cue, and the urgency returned. It didn’t take long, and they were both crying out.