JAMES
Emmaline silently slid out of the SUV, quietly closing the door behind her. Drawing in a deep breath, I followed suit, following her into the house. Mrs. Judy frowned when we passed by her in the hallway, her aging, concerned eyes following Emmaline as she silently went straight up the stairs, not even bothering to speak to Mrs. Judy like she normally did.
I had never regretted speaking more in my entire life.
I just silently shook my head at Mrs. Judy and quickly followed Emmaline up the stairs. She was sitting cross-legged on the bed, staring down at her hands when I walked into our bedroom. I quietly closed our door behind me, running my eyes over her as I did so. She was tense, her face too pale. Her eyes were almost too big for her face, and they were bloodshot from no sleep and all of the crying she had done.
I had done this to her.
It made my stomach twist with nausea.
“Little one,” I softly called as I slowly moved towards her. She slowly raised her eyes to look up at me. I knelt in front of her, her eyes following my every move like a small bunny terrified that it was about to be attacked. I wanted to throw up. I hated that she was afraid of me. “I’m sorry I ever made you doubt me,” I sincerely apologized.
“You said you would never want kids,” she whispered.
I nodded in agreement as I gently grabbed her hands in mine. “Emmaline, I love you. I love you so goddamn much that my chest aches while I’m away from you for any period of time.” I released her right hand and placed my hand over her belly. Tears swam in her pretty, brown eyes. “This baby was created because of the love I have for you – because of the love we share, little one. I could never hate it – never could not want it.” I swallowed thickly. “Yes, it will take me time to come around to the fact that I’m going to be dad, but every bit of me is telling me that I will love this baby.”
“I can’t force this on you,” she whispered, her voice cracking on several words.
I shook my head. “You’re not forcing anything on me, baby,” I assured her. “I want this with you,” I promised. Tears glistened in her pretty eyes. “I’m so goddamn sorry that I ever made you doubt me – that I ever made you doubt my love for you and everything we create together.”
She was silent for a few moments as she ran her eyes over my face, looking for some kind of deceit, anything that may make her doubt me, but I meant every word I said to her.
“You really want this?” she finally asked, her voice a little stronger this time.
I nodded. “I want it all with you, Emmaline.”
She closed her eyes, tears running down her cheeks like rainfall. It hurt my soul so much to see her cry, but she was still such a beautiful sight to behold. “I’m sorry,” she croaked. “I should have come to you.”
Yes, she should have. She should have trusted me not only as her dom but also as her fiancé, but I understood her fears. I would never make her feel horrible for doing what she thought she had to do.
I sat beside her on the bed and drew her onto my lap, wrapping my arms around her. She sobbed, her hands coming up to grip my shirt. “Little one, you were scared,” I reminded her. “You felt trapped – like you had no other option.” I drew in a deep breath. “I could never hurt you, Emmaline. Even if I didn’t want this baby, I would never force you to have an abortion. I would learn to love this baby for you,” I stressed. “My love for you will make me do almost anything to keep you with me.”
With that, I slid my hand into her white-blonde hair and pulled her head back, covering her lips with mine. She moaned into the kiss, her hands coming up to cup my face as she kissed me back, her tongue sliding with mine so erotically that I actually moaned into the kiss as well, my kiss becoming a bit more savage – a bit more demanding.
She suddenly gagged and jumped off of my lap, making a mad dash for the bathroom. I quickly followed after her, dropping to my knees beside her in front of the toilet as she quickly threw up. “I’m here,” I soothed as I pulled her long hair out of her way.
“I hate getting sick.” She groaned once she was done. “It’s what alerted me that I may be pregnant in the first place.” She moaned in discomfort, her eyes sliding shut. “God, my stomach is churning so badly.” She gave me a sheepish smile. “Can I get a rain check on make-up sex?”
I laughed. Reaching forward, I flushed the toilet and then lifted her into my arms, being careful not to jostle her. “I’ll bring you some mouthwash,” I told her when she reached out to snag the bottle off of the bathroom counter. “Let me get you to bed.”
She rested her head on my shoulder. After I gently laid her on the bed, I walked into the bathroom, pouring her a little bit of mouthwash into a small, disposable cup. I handed it to her, throwing it away once she was finished rinsing her mouth out.
“Lay with me?” she asked me. “I really don’t feel good.”
“Of course, little one,” I assured her. I slid out of my clothes and got into bed behind her, gently pulling her into my arms. I pressed my lips to the top of her head. “Get some rest,” I gently commanded. “I’ll be here when you wake up,” I promised.
She covered one of my hands with hers as she allowed her eyes to slide closed. I brushed my lips to the shell of her ear. “I love you,” I whispered. I placed my hand over her still flat belly. “We’re in this together. I’ll take care of you just as I always have, and I’ll cherish our baby,” I promised.
“Thank you,” She whispered.
“Don’t thank me,” I told her, brushing my lips to the shell of her ear. “I love you. It’s as simple as that.”
~*~*~
And it was as simple as that.
Because a little over eight months later, I was holding Carter Lucas Jackson in my arms as my wife slept on the hospital bed. He was the spitting image of me with little blonde curls on his head and bright, blue eyes. He had his mother’s nose and lips, but everything else was all me.
And God, the moment he had screamed, my heart had been stolen.
This little boy would forever be the light of my life next to his beautiful mother.
Six months ago, I made Emmaline into a Jackson, forever making her my wife. And I had loved every minute of watching her body grow and change to accommodate our little boy. She had glowed her entire pregnancy.
Emmaline quietly groaned, her eyes fluttering open. She blinked a couple of moments before she turned her head, locking her eyes with mine. I smiled at her. “Evening, little one,” I greeted. “How are you feeling?”
“My body hurts.” She yawned. “I need to feed him,” she mumbled as she looked at the clock.
I stood up as she undid her hospital gown, revealing her breasts. They were swollen, and it looked painful as fuck. “Do they hurt?” I asked her, wincing at the sight of them.
She nodded. “It’s a very small price to pay, though.” She reached up and gently took Carter from me, placing him at her breast. It took a moment, but he latched on, his eyes sliding closed as he began to nurse.
Lucky fucker.