Chapter 63: Our Baby

XAVIER

I growl inwardly as soon as Melody steps out of the room to talk to that fucker.

Without glancing at my watch for the time, I call Dan. He picks up after the third ring. “Is Mel okay? Are you at the hospital?” he asks immediately.

I clench my jaw. “No, we aren’t in the hospital. She’s fine.”

“Then why the fuck are you calling me at this hour?” he growls. One might think we still don’t like each other, and it’s true. We don’t. He still has to forgive me for what I had done.

But we get along just fine.

Moreover, we understand what Melody needs and ~who~ she needs.

“Is Matt invited to tomorrow’s celebration?”

He chuckles, fueling my anger. “Of course he is. He’s our friend.”

“Tell him to stay away from my wife,” I growl.

“You can tell him yourself tomorrow,” he replies.

“Oh, I will,” I hiss.

Dan sighs. “How is she? More dreams?” he asks softly.

“She is out talking to Matt.” I try to keep the anger out of my voice, but my frustration is starting to spill over.

“Ah, that explains why you’re so grumpy and jealous,” he chuckles.

“I’m not jealous, just mad at him. Especially when I personally invited him to our wedding. I know he’s important to Melody.”

I hiss in a whisper, “And he hasn’t talked to her for a whole year...I know they are friends and I don’t have any problem with that, but he needs to know she’s ~my~ wife.”

“Would you have gone to their wedding? If you were asked?” Dan challenges me.

“First off, that never happened. But if...if it had come to that, Melody wouldn’t want me there because of our past. On her special day, she wanted all her friends at our wedding.

“Melody told me that she and Matt promised to always keep their friendship first.” I sigh.

“I’m also angry because he only sent a fucking message for her birthday. You should have seen her face. She was sad. After seeing his message, she knew he wasn’t going to call her.”

“You’re right,” Dan sighs. “What about dreams?” he asks.

This pregnancy had triggered her buried pain. She had been dreaming about the day Owen said goodbye to this world. All night she would whimper his name and cry in her sleep.

“She pretends she’s okay, but she’s still dreaming.”

“Fuck!” Dan growls.

“Doc said it will go away after delivery.”

“I hope so,” Dan sighs.

“Me too,” I mutter and hang up. I wait, biding my time in the dark room. I’ve never been a patient man.

I’m even less so when it comes to Melody, but I know she wants to talk to Matt. Alone. Without me hovering around her. So I sit and wait.

She comes back in and slides back into bed. Scooting closer, she rests her head on my shoulder. I wrap my arm around her. “Want to talk?” I whisper.

“No, just hold me,” she whispers.

“You don’t have to ask twice.” I kiss her hair.

After a few minutes of silence, Melody clears her throat. “I was expecting his call today.”

“Today? Is there something special about today?” I frown. Did they have some sort of anniversary?

Finally, her eyes meet mine. “Mia said something to Matt about my feelings.”

I keep quiet.

“Aren’t you going to ask?” she asks.

I shrug. “I want to know everything about you, love, and I know if it is something I should know, you’ll tell me.”

Melody sighs. “Mia told him I was falling for him before we broke up.”

I tense up and don’t speak for a while.

“Xavier.” Her voice trembles as she looks into my eyes. “Say something, please.”

Closing my eyes, I take a deep breath to calm myself. “I’m not surprised.” I cup her face and stare deep into her eyes.

“If you can forgive me and love me again, then why not love a man who was with you when you needed him?”

I pull her closer and kiss her. “You have love for everyone, and I’m exceptionally lucky to have you as my partner.”

“Damn right you are,” she whispers.

I chuckle and slide my hand down her curves, grazing my palm against her tender milky tits. “So?”

She moans. “Don’t tease me, honey.”

“I would never,” I whispered, crushing my lips to hers. I kiss her, my lips moving slowly and gently around her, taking my time savoring her, and thanking fate for putting her in my path.

It’s been a year since we had met in Vegas, seven months since we got married, and since then every day has been blissful.

“Touch me, Xavier,” Melody whispers between kisses. I deepen the kiss and she moans.

My lips move down, kissing down her neck. “Where?” I ask.

She grabs my hand and places it over her tits. “Here.”

“You want me to touch you here, to lick and suck and bite your nipples,” I grin at her. She has been extra sensitive through this whole pregnancy.

I cup her tits through her camisole. She moans, arching them more firmly in my hands.

“You like this?” I say, plucking at her nipple through the fabric.

She gasps, “You know I love it.”

Without wasting any more time, I pull her top over her head. Her pretty dark-pink nipples taunt me. My mouth waters to suck and bite them until I make her cum.

“Fuck, I love your tits.” I grab them both in my hands, pulling them together as I nuzzle my face between them.

I roll her nipple with my thumb and she whimpers my name. She’s taken off her barbell and the other piercing that I’ve come to love. I suck her nipple into my mouth. My hand squeezes her other breast.

My wife moans as I suck on her. Her fingers dig into my hair as I release her nipple with a pop to give the other the same attention.

“Fuck!” she whimpers. I freeze. As much as I want to think it could be a sound of pleasure, it isn’t. It’s a sound of pain.

I pull back. “You okay?” I glance at her face then look at her hand. It’s on her swollen belly. I place my hand over hers and look into her eyes. “Baby? Tell me what’s going on.”

“It’s all right. Maybe it’s another Braxton Hicks,” she replies, her eyes closed.

“Are you sure? It’s close to the due date,” I remind her, staring at her face.

We stayed in each other’s arms, looking for signs of another contraction, but nothing happens.

I sigh in relief but am a little disappointed, too. I want to see my baby. I want to hold him or her.

We hadn't found out the gender because we wanted it to be a surprise, but I’m sure as fuck that we’re having a boy.

The only male I’ll allow to love Melody as much as I love her.

A giggle comes from her. “I guess Doc was right. But I can take care of you,” she says, gripping my aroused cock.

“Rest up,” I say, laying back down and pulling her close to me.

She’s due any day now. The doctor said sex was okay, but orgasms can trigger early labor.

As much as I want my baby in my arms, I want him to come when he’s ready. My gut feeling says I’ll have him in my arms very soon.

After a while, Melody’s breathing grows even. I know she’s fallen asleep but I stay awake, caressing her swollen belly.

It has been second nature to me since I learned my wife was pregnant with our baby. I can’t help but want to feel him and let him know his dad is always around.

My heart soars when I feel the movement of my baby. I had missed so much with Owen. Hell, even with Mila when she had been growing inside that bitch.

I had never felt her movement. I hadn’t known what her mother craved because I had hated her with everything I had.

Instead, I had given her everything she needed pragmatically: a maid, chef, caretaker, and even a doctor at home. But that had not been enough.

She would whine about how I was going out of my way to stay away from her.

My thoughts are interrupted when I feel another kick. I grin. “I know, champ. I know,” I whisper, placing a goodnight kiss on the spot where I felt the kick.

***

“Are you freaking kidding me?” Melody growls, staring at herself in the mirror.

“What’s wrong?” I glance at her admiringly. She has on a long floral print maxi dress that hugs her curves perfectly.

Seeing her like this makes me feel like all my dreams are coming true. I’d wished for everything with her: proposing, seeing her walk down the aisle to me, placing my ring on her finger.

Kissing her after our vows, and this...

I wrap my arm around her from behind, caressing her swollen belly. Seeing her pregnant had been the biggest of all dreams I had for us.

God, I love this woman!

She glares at me in the mirror.

“What’s wrong?” she asks mockingly, waving her hand up and down like she’s asking me to look at her.

I frown when I can’t find what’s made her upset.

My heart hammers and panic sets in as tears fill her eyes. Immediately, I move to her side.

“I look huge,” she sniffs.

I internally sigh in relief. Her mood swings have kept me on edge for months now. A few days ago, she cried over ice cream. Fucking ~ice cream~.

I cup her face. “You look pregnant.”

She closes her eyes and shakes her head. “I look like a beached whale.”

“Open your eyes,” I command.

“I wore this dress last week. I wasn’t this big,” she whispers.

“Open your eyes, Melody,” I repeat. Her tear-filled brown eyes meet mine and I stare directly into her eyes so she can see the truth when I speak.

“You look like a goddess.” My thumb caresses her jaw. “Beautiful, so damn beautiful.” Leaning forward, I kiss her slowly and gently, then I pull back and smirk.

“As soon as we have a baby and the doctor gives us the green light, I’m going to knock you up again.”

I chuckle at her shocked expression. She opens her mouth but nothing comes out. At last, she rolls her eyes but doesn’t deny it. I like to think that’s a yes. She wants more kids with me.

I smile and stretch my hand out. “Shall we?”

Smiling, she places her hand over mine. Lifting her hand, I kiss her knuckles. “I love you,” I whisper, looking at her.

“I love you more,” she smiles, her eyes shining with emotion.

“Not more than I love you,” I whisper to myself.

“I heard that,” she pinches my side, making me wince, but I only laugh and pull her closer.

We walk out to the back garden, where the party is already in full swing. Last month I had sold my old beach house because it had held so many bad memories I didn’t want Melody to recall.

And with the money from that, I had bought a new one, bigger than the last, where we could come and relax.

Everyone gathers around her: Mia, Jacob, Sandy, Rick, Jenny, and her husband. I’m okay till Mia drags my wife away from me.

Mila comes up running toward me and jumps up. I catch her, pulling her up to hug her. “How is my girl behaving? Are you being good for Nana?” I ask in a teasing voice.

Mom is beside me. She’s been staying with us since Melody could go into labor any time now. Everything is going well until someone catches my eye. ~Matt.~

He’s practically hiding behind the shadow of a tree on the other side of the garden. I follow his gaze, not surprised to see he’s watching Melody.

I slowly make my way toward him and stand behind him. “She looks beautiful, doesn’t she?” I whisper.

“Breathtaking,” he whispers in awe, still lost in his thoughts.

I clench my jaw. “Pregnancy does look good on her.”

He nods without taking his eyes off my wife. “It certainly does.”

“Then go and tell her.” At this, he turns his head sharply in my direction.

“You want me to tell her she looks beautiful?” He looks skeptical.

I shrug.

I’d go to the ends of the earth to make her happy. Her friends make my wife happy, and Matt is one of them. As much as I hate him for breaking up with her, I’m glad he did.

If not... I shake my head. I don’t want to think about what didn’t happen.

Like I had said to Melody on the first night we met, one man’s loss is another man’s gain.

Her ex-boyfriend had cheated on her, then we had met.

Matt had broken up with her, so I had gotten a second chance with her.

“Thank you,” I say, surprising him.

“For what?” He frowns, crossing his arms.

I smirk and walk away from him, heading directly toward my wife as she talks to Mia and Dan.

As I stand beside her, pulling her closer by the waist, I don’t miss the eye roll from both of her friends. “Can’t you leave her alone for one day?” Mia glares at me.

I shrug, smiling, looking down at my beautiful wife. “Not even for an hour.” I dip my head down, pressing our lips together. It was soft and delicate.

“You shouldn’t be standing for too long,” I whisper as I make her sit down in a chair.

I bend down for more kisses but stop as I can hear my name being called. I stand and look up, finding the person walking in our direction. I peck her on the forehead. “I’ll be back.”

I glance at Dan. “Don’t leave her alone,” I mutter before taking off. I don’t want to go, but this is a very important client.

After half an hour, I look around for Melody. I see everyone but her. I glance around again and see that one other person is missing. Matt.

I walk up to Dan. “Where is Melody?”

He frowns. “She was here, talking to Matt.”

Asher’s frown deepens. Jacob clears his throat, looking uncomfortable. I raise my eyebrows.

“We saw her go in with Matt,” Rick says, looking in the direction of the foyer that leads to our room.

I nod, my body tense. I can hear the voices as I reach our room. “Love?” I knock before entering.

Melody is sitting on the bed and Matt is on his knees in front of her. They look up, tears swimming in both their eyes.

“I’ll always love you, and I’m sorry,” he says, standing. He leans down to peck her on the forehead.

Melody starts to stand, but sits back on the bed, hugging her stomach. “Fuck, it hurts.”

I move in front of her, nudging Matt back. “Love?”

She meets my eyes. I can see the same fear in her eyes I’ve been seeing since we found out we were pregnant.

Knowing it’s time, I cup her face. “Everything is going to be fine. Okay?” I say fiercely.

“Did you hear me, Melody? We’re going to have a healthy baby. Soon we are going to be Mom and Dad.” I wrap my arms around her, pulling her close to my chest.

She hisses at another contraction. I step back and ask Matt to hold her. He looks at me warily, still not trusting me, but since he is the only other person in the room, I have no other choice.

Once Matt has his arm around Melody I run to our walk-in closet for our bag. After gathering everything, I pick Melody up in my arms.

“I can walk, honey,” she whispers.

“I know,” I mutter, glancing back at Matt. “You want to come?” I ask.

“You want me to come with you?” he asks.

~What the fuck is his problem? Why does he have to answer every question with another question?~

“If it makes Melody happy, you can come.” I don’t wait for his response.

“Thank you,” Melody whispers, looking in my eyes as if I’m some sort of angel.

“Baby, I would do anything for you. Don’t you get that by now?” I place a lingering kiss on her forehead and place her feet on the ground.

I open the passenger door for her. On our way, I call Dan and Mom, letting them know we are leaving for the hospital. I don’t admit it, but I’m scared too.

***

“You’re doing great, Mrs. Clark,” the nurse says, encouraging Melody. We’ve been in the labor room for over two hours.

“I’m tired,” Melody pants, shaking her head. I wipe her forehead with a napkin. “Baby?” I whisper, feeling helpless.

She glances at me. I don’t know what she sees, but she smiles. “I’m fine, just tired.”

“Aww...We are so used to hearing the baby’s mother threaten to castrate the baby’s father. This is new,” the nurse chimes in.

“Fuck no, I love his cock,” Melody declares, making everyone laugh. Another tortured fifteen minutes passes and then there is a cry...

“Congratulations! It’s a boy!” the doctor announces. I can’t stop the tears from falling.

I place another kiss on my wife’s forehead, whispering a thank-you for giving me the second-best gift of my life. Because she will always be my first.

Melody is also crying as the doctor places our baby on her chest. “Our baby.” She gazes at me, then at our son. He opens his eyes and I am in awe, seeing him.

He has Melody’s eyes and my hair. He’s beautiful, just like his mother.

I nod, caressing Melody’s hair. “Our son.” My heart is overflowing with emotion.

We hadn’t talked about names since we didn’t know the gender. Now that we know, I ask Melody if she has any names in mind.

She bites her lip and nods. “Cameron Owen Clark.”

I couldn’t be luckier, having a wife who knows what I want without me telling her. Cameron is my grandfather’s name. My mentor, the one I’ve followed since I was a kid. “I love you, wife.”

After a while, the doctor assures Melody that our baby is perfectly healthy and fine. They take him away for cleaning and move Melody to a private room.

As soon as I step into the waiting room with my son in my arms, everyone stands. “Meet our son, Cameron Owen Clark.”

“Give me my godson,” Dan says, racing toward me, followed by Mom and Dad.

“Excuse me, I’m his grandmother. I’ll hold him first,” Mom says as she takes him from my arms, cuddling Cameron to her chest.

Dan glances at me then takes me into a hug, surprising the hell out of me. I glance at Asher, who just smiles.

Dan pulls back, his eyes glassy as he stares at Cameron with Mom and Dad.

“I forgive you,” he whispers.

I nod. “Thank you.”

One by one, everyone holds him, then everyone goes to see Melody. Matt’s the last to hold him. “How is Mel?” he asks.

“Good but tired,” I reply, not attempting to take my son from him. I want him in our son’s life, too. “Want to see her?” I ask.

He looks shocked.

I sigh. “Matt, you’re a good guy and a friend of my wife’s. So don’t be surprised. I want you in our lives. I hope we can put everything behind us and move on for Melody’s sake.”

He’s quiet for a moment, glancing down at Cameron, whose eyes are closed. “You wouldn’t want me around if you knew why I broke up with her. I left her alone when she needed me.”

“I know.” I place my hand on his shoulder. “We’re humans and we all make mistakes. I made terrible mistakes and some bad decisions, too.”

I sigh again. “But we learn from them. Anyway, do you want to see her or not?”

He nods enthusiastically. When we enter, Melody is laughing with Dan, Jenny, and Mia. Her smile lights up everything.

She is free from every fear, the shine in her eyes is back, and despite being tired she is glowing.

She stops laughing as her eyes settle on Matt and our baby in his arms. She beams and stretches her arms out. Matt walks up slowly and places Cameron in her arms. “Congratulations.”

“Thank you,” she whispers, glancing at me. “Where is Mila?”

“Mommy!” Mila walks in with tears in her eyes. I glance at Lucia, her nanny. “Why is she crying?”

Before Lucia can answer, Mila starts crying more.

“I wanted a sister!”

Dan is trying not to laugh. Mia and Sandy snicker. Mom and Dad are standing in the corner, watching everything unfold.

Melody’s face falls. “Come here, sweetie.” She stretches one hand out. Mila climbs on the bed.

“Careful,” I say to Mila, who is still crying.

“I wanted a sister!” she squeaks. Cameron flinches.

“Sweetie, don’t you want to say hi to your baby brother?” Melody whispers.

“Hi, baby,” Mila whimpers. “But I wanted a sister. Brothers are bad!”

Now everyone in the room starts laughing.

“Oh, my love,” Melody pulls Mila close to her. “Cameron is going to be a good brother. He’ll play with you and your dolls.”

Mila looks hesitant. “Promise?”

Melody nods. “And now you are a big sister. Are you happy?”

Mila looks at me and then at Melody. “I’m happy, but I wanted a sister.” She’s about to cry again.

“Next time, we’ll give you a sister,” I jump in.

Mila’s head snaps in my direction, and she beams, looking very happy. “Pinky promise?”

I move forward and pick her up in my arms. “Pinky promise.”

“Yay!” she screams.

“Shhh...your baby brother is sleeping,” I say.

“Oh.” Her eyes are on her brother as she sees him in a new light. “He ~is~ cute.”

Everyone laughs again.

After visiting hours end, everyone leaves. I glance at my wife, who is nursing our son. “Should I be jealous?”

Melody laughs loudly, scaring our son.

“Xavier!” Melody whispers.

I watch as my son’s mouth latches onto a nipple. “Those used to be mine,” I pout.

She laughs and shakes her head. “You’re incorrigible.” She strokes his cheek.

After a while, they are both fast asleep, and I’m planning their welcome home. I know life is never easy, but with Melody beside me, I can tackle every obstacle.

Unable to sit back anymore, I climb on the bed and spoon her. “I was waiting for you to join me,” Melody mumbles.

“Yeah?” I nuzzle her neck.

“You said second-best gift,” she says. “What was your first?”

“You.” The word is hoarse in my throat. I kiss the column of her neck. “You have given yourself to me. That’s the best gift of my life.” I’ve told her time and time again that she alone owns my heart.

I bury my nose in her hair. “You are the love of my life, Melody Clark, and I look forward to spending many more years with you.”

“Me too,” she whispers, and we fall asleep in each other’s arms.

^The End^