Page 107 of Heartstrings & Horizons
“I love you already,” he whispers, and now we’re both crying. In this moment, I have everything I’ve ever wanted — a home, a family I chose for myself, and more love than I know what to do with.
Cade
I’m not sure how long I stay like that, on my knees for my girl and the tiny human growing inside of her, but the gravel bites into my knees and I wince.
“You okay there, Cowboy?”
“Never better,” I say as I stand, pulling her into my arms to lay a kiss on her head.
I completely forget that Mags and Miles are here until they both rush over and wrap their arms around us from both sides. “Congratulations!” Mags says.
“Can’t believe you’re gonna be a daddy, man! Congrats.” Miles claps me on the shoulder as the crunching sound of tires on gravel echoes behind us.
“Oh shit, I didn’t realize they would be here so soon.” Paige’s face goes white and I look around, spotting the U-Haul parking behind my truck.
“Fuck.” Judging by her stuttered breaths, I already know Paige is nervous about her mom’s reaction. “It’ll be okay, baby. Can you take a few deep breaths with me?” Her therapy appointments have been helpful in teaching her how to self-soothe in healthy ways. Evelyn showed her some breathing exercises to help with her anxiety when it gets to be too much.
I squeeze both of her hands in mine and inhale a breath along with her. In for 4, out for 6. We do that several times, and she finally calms down enough to wrap her arms around me in a sweet embrace, just in time for Cecelia and Luca to approach us. I met them both on a trip to Northbrook a few monthsago, so it’s not our first interaction.
It went well, but it wasn’t without tension. Forgiveness isn’t a linear path, but we’re getting there.
We’re still navigating shaky waters with my mom, having gone mostly no contact except for family birthdays and holidays. I have no doubt that she’ll lose her mind when she finds out about the pregnancy, but I honestly couldn’t care less how she feels about it. We’re happy and that’s what truly matters.
“How was the trip down?” I ask Luca, offering my hand in welcome.
“Not bad,” he replies, but his eyes bug out as he tilts his head towards his mother. “Somewhat long, but we made it.” Paige doesn’t miss his insinuation either, and we laugh together.
“Hi honey,” Cecelia says, pulling Paige into a quick embrace. My wife’s posture is rigid, but she goes willingly. It’s then that I notice Mags out of the corner of my eye, moving in the direction of the steps where the offending pumpkin is sitting. She quickly turns it to face the opposite direction and scoots it towards her own pumpkin, hiding the ultrasound from view. I nod, sending her a silent thank you. As much as I can’t wait to tell the whole world about our news, I don’t think we’re quite ready to tread these particularly murky waters today.
The rest of the day is spent unloading the U-Haul. At some point, Paige pulled the little black and white photo out of its perch and placed it on her nightstand. Cecelia and Luca are staying at the Inn in town, so we say our goodbyes shortly after dinner before heading to bed where I intend to show my wife exactly how happy I am.
As I come up behind my girl, I wrap my arms around her waist, lifting the hem of her oversized tee to run my hands over her belly. I place a soft kiss on the spot between her neck and shoulder, and she shivers at the touch of my lips. “I love you,baby,” I whisper.
“Just to clarify, are you talking to me or the bean?” She laughs, and it’s still my favorite sound in the entire world.
“Both, actually. I love you both.”
She turns in my arms, her hand skating over my stubbled jaw before she pulls my face down to hers. Our lips meet in a languid kiss, as though we’re tasting each other for the first time. It’s been over a year since that first text message and while you could definitely accuse us of moving too quickly, I will never regret the path I set us on all those months ago.
Bending at my knees, I lift my wife and walk us further into the room. Laying her on her back in the middle of the bed, I slowly remove her leggings and panties in one swift motion, then part her thighs, taking one leg over my shoulder as I place a trail of kisses across her skin all the way to her core. She says my name in a breathy sigh as I lick her pussy in one smooth stroke.
“Fuuuuuuck, Cade.”
“You like that, my love?”
“God yes, more.”
I dive headfirst into her soaked cunt, devouring her like a man starved. Her fingers thread through my hair as she rocks her hips against me, and it’s not long before she’s coming undone on my face.
“You’re so fucking sexy,” I tell her. “I’ll never get enough of you.”
“Fuck me, Cade. I need you.”
I lift myself to standing, tossing my shirt to the floor before shucking my pants and boxers. I kneel between her thighs and place another trail of kisses along her belly before I notch myself at her entrance, slowly easing myself inside.
“I’m not fragile, Cowboy. I promise you won’t hurt me.”
“I’m worried about the baby.” I confess. I don’t know much about pregnancy. My sisters have kids, but I was never very involved in their pregnancies and I’m not sure what we can and can’t do in the bedroom.
