Empty Net
Page 142
Lucas nodded as he kissed her again and said, “Me too.” They stayed wrapped up in each other’s arms for a long time. Fallon turned, hugging Lucas’ neck as he held her waist, leaning against each other for support. Her heart was pounding against her chest and she knew she needed to tell him about their baby. She couldn’t wait, even if it was the worst time in the world, she had to tell him. At any moment, everything could end. Audrey hadn’t gotten the chance to tell Tate and Fallon couldn’t chance fate. Just as she went to tell him, Lucas said, “Thank you for letting Tate go back there and sit with Audrey. I know it meant a lot to him.”
Fallon nodded, pulling away to look up into his beautiful grey eyes. The same grey eyes their son had, the same ones she hoped their unborn child would be blessed with. “Mom wouldn’t go without Dad, and I wouldn’t go without you. I couldn’t sit there and watch her try to heal without you. As much as all three of us want to be in there, we can’t. Plus, Tate needs this time with her. He is falling apart.”
“He is,” Lucas said sadly, “I’m really worried about him and you, but I promise you, baby, I can feel it in my gut, she going to make it. She’s going to wake up and crack a joke about something and then life will go back to normal. Everything is going to be okay.”
Fallon nodded again, her tears spilling over her cheeks as she said, “I pray to God, you’re right, Lucas. I want you to be right because I can’t imagine raising my baby without my sister and her baby.”
Lucas’ eyes widened as he held Fallon’s gaze, “What?”
“I’m pregnant Lucas, Audrey and I are a little under two weeks apart.”
“You are?” he asked a grin coming over his lips. She nodded as a grin of her own appeared. Even if it was for only a second, Fallon smiled as her husband, the love of her life, wrapped his arms around her and kissed her senseless. It had been almost a year since she had been blessed with his kisses back into her life and they still blew her away. Parting, he kissed her nose, before looking deep in her eyes. As much as she wanted to gush and talk about their child, Fallon felt that both of them knew it wasn’t the time to do that.
“There’s so much I want to say right now, and I will once Audrey is better but know, Fallon, you have made me the happiest man on earth,” he whispered against her lips.
Fallon nodded, tears still rushing down her face as she held the gaze of her husband and said, “Good, because you have been making me happy since the day I stopped being stupid and realized you were the only man for me. It’s about damn time for me to pay you back, I guess.”
Lucas smiled, kissing her again, “Everything is going to work out, baby, don’t you worry. Me, you, Tate and Audrey, will all celebrate our children’s births together as a big happy family. You just wait and see, everything is going to be okay.”
Fallon nodded, her heart wanting to believe him while her brain doubted him. She wanted nothing more than to grow huge with her sister, eating cupcakes whenever they wanted or floating with their big bellies in the pool while Tate and Lucas built something for their viewing pleasure. She wanted to laugh and cry about the joy of pregnancy with Audrey. She wanted to hold her baby sister’s hand when she had her baby, and then she wanted Audrey to hold hers when she pushed hers out. She wanted all these moments, and she had to believe she would have them, or she was going to drive herself bat shit crazy.
Looking up at Lucas, she smiled, and said, “I can’t wait. I love you, Lucas.”
Lucas gave her a sexy half grin before his hand moved to her midsection while his eyes shined with tears, “I love you too, baby girl.”
***
Tate hadn’t taken his eyes off Audrey for almost five hours.
He watched as nurses, and doctors came in to check on her until finally the gynecologist came in. He listened as the young doctor told him what she was about to do and then he watched as she put a long rod inside of Audrey. When she turned the screen to show him what looked like a little blob on the screen, she said, “That is your strong little baby. Its heart is beating at a normal speed, everything looks great.” Tate couldn’t control himself, and started crying all over again. He had stopped a while back and finally gotten himself together, but seeing that little blob wiggle on the screen did him in. He was right back to square one, crying and hoping for a dream only Audrey could give him.
Hour after hour passed and all Tate could do was watch Audrey, hoping for some kind of sign she was getting better. As he watched her, his mind started to wander.
“Tate,” she called from the island of her kitchen.
Tate looked up from the game he was playing and smiled, “Yeah?”
“Can you come try this?”
Tate laid the controller down and went to the kitchen, wrapping his arms around her waist from behind as she scooped up a spoon full of icing. “It’s my root bear icing, is it good?”
She reached over her shoulder, feeding it to him. Cleaning the spoon free of the icing, he waited as the favors exploded against his tongue. Swallowing he nodded, “Perfection.”
“Promise?”
Tate nodded, “Yes, very tasty, almost as tasty as you.”
Her giggles filled the room as he ate at her neck and tickled her sides. She turned in his arms, pressing her lips to his in a lusty, long kiss. When they parted, she gave him a mischievous grin and said, “Why don’t we take this bowl of icing upstairs and play?”
Fallon nodded, pulling away to look up into his beautiful grey eyes. The same grey eyes their son had, the same ones she hoped their unborn child would be blessed with. “Mom wouldn’t go without Dad, and I wouldn’t go without you. I couldn’t sit there and watch her try to heal without you. As much as all three of us want to be in there, we can’t. Plus, Tate needs this time with her. He is falling apart.”
“He is,” Lucas said sadly, “I’m really worried about him and you, but I promise you, baby, I can feel it in my gut, she going to make it. She’s going to wake up and crack a joke about something and then life will go back to normal. Everything is going to be okay.”
Fallon nodded again, her tears spilling over her cheeks as she said, “I pray to God, you’re right, Lucas. I want you to be right because I can’t imagine raising my baby without my sister and her baby.”
Lucas’ eyes widened as he held Fallon’s gaze, “What?”
“I’m pregnant Lucas, Audrey and I are a little under two weeks apart.”
“You are?” he asked a grin coming over his lips. She nodded as a grin of her own appeared. Even if it was for only a second, Fallon smiled as her husband, the love of her life, wrapped his arms around her and kissed her senseless. It had been almost a year since she had been blessed with his kisses back into her life and they still blew her away. Parting, he kissed her nose, before looking deep in her eyes. As much as she wanted to gush and talk about their child, Fallon felt that both of them knew it wasn’t the time to do that.
“There’s so much I want to say right now, and I will once Audrey is better but know, Fallon, you have made me the happiest man on earth,” he whispered against her lips.
Fallon nodded, tears still rushing down her face as she held the gaze of her husband and said, “Good, because you have been making me happy since the day I stopped being stupid and realized you were the only man for me. It’s about damn time for me to pay you back, I guess.”
Lucas smiled, kissing her again, “Everything is going to work out, baby, don’t you worry. Me, you, Tate and Audrey, will all celebrate our children’s births together as a big happy family. You just wait and see, everything is going to be okay.”
Fallon nodded, her heart wanting to believe him while her brain doubted him. She wanted nothing more than to grow huge with her sister, eating cupcakes whenever they wanted or floating with their big bellies in the pool while Tate and Lucas built something for their viewing pleasure. She wanted to laugh and cry about the joy of pregnancy with Audrey. She wanted to hold her baby sister’s hand when she had her baby, and then she wanted Audrey to hold hers when she pushed hers out. She wanted all these moments, and she had to believe she would have them, or she was going to drive herself bat shit crazy.
Looking up at Lucas, she smiled, and said, “I can’t wait. I love you, Lucas.”
Lucas gave her a sexy half grin before his hand moved to her midsection while his eyes shined with tears, “I love you too, baby girl.”
***
Tate hadn’t taken his eyes off Audrey for almost five hours.
He watched as nurses, and doctors came in to check on her until finally the gynecologist came in. He listened as the young doctor told him what she was about to do and then he watched as she put a long rod inside of Audrey. When she turned the screen to show him what looked like a little blob on the screen, she said, “That is your strong little baby. Its heart is beating at a normal speed, everything looks great.” Tate couldn’t control himself, and started crying all over again. He had stopped a while back and finally gotten himself together, but seeing that little blob wiggle on the screen did him in. He was right back to square one, crying and hoping for a dream only Audrey could give him.
Hour after hour passed and all Tate could do was watch Audrey, hoping for some kind of sign she was getting better. As he watched her, his mind started to wander.
“Tate,” she called from the island of her kitchen.
Tate looked up from the game he was playing and smiled, “Yeah?”
“Can you come try this?”
Tate laid the controller down and went to the kitchen, wrapping his arms around her waist from behind as she scooped up a spoon full of icing. “It’s my root bear icing, is it good?”
She reached over her shoulder, feeding it to him. Cleaning the spoon free of the icing, he waited as the favors exploded against his tongue. Swallowing he nodded, “Perfection.”
“Promise?”
Tate nodded, “Yes, very tasty, almost as tasty as you.”
Her giggles filled the room as he ate at her neck and tickled her sides. She turned in his arms, pressing her lips to his in a lusty, long kiss. When they parted, she gave him a mischievous grin and said, “Why don’t we take this bowl of icing upstairs and play?”
