16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

Laney

W hen I arrive at mama and da’s house, they’re all in the kitchen, eating breakfast. It’s pancakes and syrup with freshly squeezed orange juice. Mama gives me a big hug and Peg is at my legs, hugging them, and I feel like my heart could burst. “Did you sleep well?” I ask Peg, kneeling to her level.

“Aye. Your mama gave me one of your old teddy bears.” Peg nods.

“Well, you can have him, sweetheart. If he helped you sleep through the night.” I smile at her.

“Peg just loves Mrs. Quinn, Laney.” Da says. “Why don’t you leave Peg here with her when you and Caleb go to work?”

Mrs. Quinn is mama and da’s maid and cook. She’s been with them for over ten years, since their other maid went back to Scotland, to retire.

“That’s a great idea, mama. I’ll talk to Caleb and see what he thinks.”

We hear the beep for the security panel. “Oh, that must be Caleb.”

“We’re going to buy me a new bed!” Peg informs excitedly.

“That’s right, sweetheart!” I smile, as we both walk to the front door.

Caleb kisses me on the mouth quickly, and then he lifts Peg into his arms, exchanging a look with me. I answer his questioning glance with a secret nod, so he knows that I didn’t tell my parents yet that I’m pregnant. “Well, are you ready to go, lass?” He asks Peg.

“She’s just got to finish her breakfast.” I tell him.

“I’m finished.” Peg says. “I want to go now.”

“Okay, lass. Let’s just go say goodbye to Laney’s parents and say thank you for the sleepover. We must mind our manners.” He directs me to take her hand as he walks into the house, and shakes my da’s hand respectfully, and then he kisses mama on both cheeks in a gesture of equal respect.

“How are you, Caleb?” Da asks. “Have you got your house ready for the bairn?”

“Aye, sir, that’s what I’m working on, if I can get a word with you in private.” He winks at me. “Away from the bairn.”

I smile at him. He’s so cautious of Peg. I love him for it.

“Certainly. Come with me into the office.” Da says, clapping Caleb on the back.

We take Peg to the furniture store, where she picks out the cutest little princess bed and some bedding to match. Caleb even gets her a curtain that will drape over either side of the bed, so that it looks like she’s camping, princess style. A matching lamp and a holographic projector with images of various princesses and other regal themes is added to the mix, before we take Peg back to Caleb’s house, and his brothers Declan and Ethan pop over to lend a hand with the assembly, and to better acquaint themselves with Peg.

“I should get back to work.” I say to Caleb. “I got a doctor’s appointment for later this afternoon.”

“What time?”

“It’s at six. He squeezed me in and the receptionist already got me an appointment for a sonogram right after.”

“Can I take you? I can come pick you up at five-thirty, if that works.”

My stomach does a flip. I can’t hide the smile. “I was hoping that you’d say that.”

We’re careful to speak softly, so that his brothers and Peg can’t hear. We haven’t discussed when we’re going to make it official, but I’d like to at least make sure I’m one hundred percent pregnant before telling everyone.

He kisses my lips. “I love you. I’ll see you later.”

“I love you, too. Are you going to be able to head back to work later?”

“Aye. I’ll bring Peg into work with me after, and my mama’s dying to see her, so I’m thinking I’ll leave her with my parents while we go to the doctor’s.”

“That’s a great idea.”

The day literally speeds past me, and before I know it, it’s almost time to go. My phone rings and I see that it’s Brandy, so I pick up. “Hey.”

“How’s it going?”

“Good. I’m getting ready to go to the doctor with Caleb shortly.”

“Are you freaking out yet?”

I sigh. “No. I’m not sure that I will. This is actually a lot of fun. Peg is great. Everyone loves her. You should come over and meet her later.”

“Maybe I will. When do you think you’ll be home?”

“Oh, I think we’ll end up over at Caleb’s house. Why don’t you give me a call later?”

“Sure. Sounds good.”

My assistant is messaging me that Caleb is here. “Oh, I should go.”

“Okay. Talk to you later.”

“Bye.”

I grab my purse and walk out of the office, to questioning glances and sizing looks from all over, which I ignore. “Mandy, you can go home now, if you wish.”

“See you tomorrow.” She nods. Caleb rises from the guest chair in the lobby.

I say nothing but I smile at him, so glad to see him. He takes my hand in his and as we walk out the front door, he leans in and kisses me tenderly. “Man, I thought they were going to eat me alive in there.” He chuckles.

“Wait until they find out that you knocked me up.” I tease.

He winks. “Come on. Let’s go.”

“How did it go with Peg?”

“Great. She’s with my mama and da. She’s in good hands. That bairn has inherited two sets of grandparents overnight and is in her glory.”

We drive to the doctor and are seen right away. He arranges for bloodwork but does a pregnancy test, which confirms that I am, in fact, pregnant. At which time I gush with excitement. “I didn’t know you were trying to have kids.” Dr. Richardson says.

“I wasn’t. This is a complete surprise, but a welcome one.” I explain.

Caleb’s hand is in mine.

“Congratulations. Did you drink the water?”

“I started to. I’ve got some time, I think.”

“You’ve always had a small bladder, Laney. You’ll be fine with half the recommended water.” Dr. Richardson chuckles.

We go downstairs to get my bloodwork done and then head over to the radiography lab. Once again, I’m seen right away, and I don’t know who is more excited, me or Caleb, as the technician squirts the gel on my belly. “I’ve heard about this, Laney.” Caleb says, and then he addresses Rita, the technician. “Is it true that we can hear the baby’s heartbeat?”

She answers by turning the sound on, and there it is. The pulse practically makes the room shake it’s so strong. “Oh, that’s a Harris bairn for sure, Laney.”

“It’s half McAdams, I’ll remind you.”

Rita chimes in. “This baby is already quite large, Ms. McAdams. You’re about ten weeks along. Almost through the first trimester.”

“Wow. We must have made the bairn on the first try.” Caleb says, impressed. His hand is in mine, as we both stare at the sonogram screen. The bairn’s heart is as clear as day, beating away, as it moves with subtle twitches.

“Everything looks very good, Laney.” Rita states. “Very healthy. All the measurements look good. Did you get your bloodwork done?”

I nod. “Yes, we just came from the lab.”

“Would you two like a moment alone?” Rita offers with a reassuring smile.

Caleb nods, so proud. “Yes, lass. That would be nice.”

Rita gets up and leaves us, giving us a wink on the way out. “God, we’re celebrities, Caleb.”

“I think we are, lass. And this bairn is going to be so spoiled.” He kisses my hand. “But first, I want to spoil you.”

“You don’t have to do that, Caleb.”

He reaches into his pocket, grabbing his phone out, and he first records a snippet of the baby’s heartbeat, as it pitter patters away on the screen. Then, he sets the camera on and props the phone up, to record us together, as he grabs something else out of his pocket. “I know that this isn’t the most romantic way to do this, Laney. But I think this moment is so special, that I didn’t want to waste it.” He pulls the most beautiful diamond ring out of the inside of his palm, pinching it between his thumb and forefinger. “This ring belonged to my grandma, and my mama wanted me to have it, to give to you, with her blessing.” He looks at me, as the tears pool in my eyes. He swallows, and I can see the tears pooling in his eyes, too. “Now, I got your da’s blessing before we left, too, Laney. I want you to be my wife. Not because of my da’s orders, or just because of the bairns, but because of you. You are the only woman for me, Laney McAdams.”

His voice cracks as a tear falls down his face. “My heart is all yours, Laney. I love you with every breath I take. I’m yours forever.” He licks his lips, and then sniffles, as I gasp a breath, and I wipe the tears off my cheeks. “Will you be mine forever, Laney McAdams? Will you be my wife?”

I nod, and another gasp comes out, as I lean in and kiss his lips. He kisses me back tenderly, cupping my face in his hands, as he sets the ring on the tip of his thumb. “God, I love you so much.” He exhales.

“Yes, I’ll be your wife, Caleb.” I gasp, as tears continue to fall down my cheeks. He pulls back, both of our faces are wet with tears, and he places the ring on my finger. Miraculously, it fits perfectly, like it was made for me. And it’s almost like it seals the deal, like it was meant to be. We hug each other, and then we kiss again, as we hear a knock at the door.

“You two ready?” Rita asks, popping her head inside.

“Aye, come on in. I’m done proposing.” Caleb says, wiping his eyes.

Rita smiles. “I had a feeling. Do you know how many proposals we have in this place?”

“I’m not surprised.” I scoff, good-naturedly.

“Congratulations.”

“Thank you.” I say, wiping my face.

“I took the liberty of making some stills for you two. We do offer one of those three dimensional stills and videos, but you’re much too early for that.”

“That’s no problem.” Caleb says. “We’ll be in touch if we decide to go that route.”

“Sounds good. Good luck to you both.” Rita says, giving us the photos, and cleaning the gel off me.

“Thanks.”

We leave, hand-in-hand, so happy, we’re glowing. “We should go out for dinner to celebrate.” I suggest.

“I think this calls for a family dinner, so we can announce everything.” Caleb adds. “What do you think? We don’t have to go public with the bairn, but we should definitely do that with the engagement.”

His hand is in mine as we walk to the parking lot. We get inside the vehicle, and I look at him. “What do you think about having a quick, small wedding?”

Caleb frowns. “You don’t want a big wedding?”

“Do you?”

He gives me a look. “It doesn’t matter to me, Laney. I was just happy that you said yes, the rest is gravy to me.”

“I say we announce it to the families, and we have a small wedding in a couple of weeks. Before I start showing.”

“Where do you want to get married?”

“Somewhere quiet. Like my parent’s backyard. If we don’t do it fast and quiet, we’ll be bombarded, I'm sure. This is going to be a big deal. I mean, I'm stealing the most eligible bachelor and taking him off the list.”

He snorts a laugh. “God, you are too much, but that’s why I love you.” He raises my hand to kiss it. “What do you want to do? Call up the family now? Have a late, impromptu dinner with everyone? Do you think they’ll go for that?”

“Caleb, if your family is anything like mine, we can put together a dinner party in under an hour.”

“Yeah, that’s how it works at my house, too, Laney. We’ve had dinner parties with clients and family alike on a moment’s notice. Happens all the time.”

“Then let’s do it.” I confirm. “Let’s go pick up Peg and bring her to my parent’s place. You message your family and I'll do the same.”

“It helps that everyone is on American soil.” Caleb reminds.

“Exactly. Had this been a week ago, we might have had a problem.”

Caleb

I raise my glass, standing up next to Laney, who is holding Peg in her arms. “To family.”

“To family!” The whole lot of them roar, some of them louder than others.

“I knew you’d knock her up, Caleb! You dog!” Ethan heckles.

Mama nudges him. “Ethan, the bairn!” She chides.

“And you’re all invited, but just you, nobody else.” I add. “We just want a small wedding, only family.”

“Except for Brandy.” Laney adds.

“Well, she is family.” I say, winking, raising my glass to her.

“Can I be the flower girl?” Peg asks.

Laney kisses her cheek. “Tell you what. You can be the flower princess.”

Her eyes light up like a Christmas tree. God...damn, do I love her.

“I’ll take you out tomorrow and get you the perfect dress, lass.” Mama offers.

“I’ll come along, if you don’t mind.” Elspeth asks.

“That would be lovely.” Mama says, with a genuine smile. I think these two families together are going to be something. Da’s face is alight with pride. Even Ethan, the brother that I'm the least close to, looks happy for me, truly. It’s nice to see, and it’s also nice to not hear him roasting me like the family fucking pig, like he usually does.

The house is filled with love and celebration, as we eat a huge, catered meal, and converse amongst each other, on both business and personal matters. Peg plays with the family as if she’s always been here, and I couldn’t be happier. We head into the basement after dessert, to play some games, not realizing how late it is, until I find Peg sound asleep in Declan’s lap. All curled up in a ball, sleeping like a lamb. “Laney, we should get her home, to her new bed, bonnie.”

Laney looks over from talking to my mama, and smiles. “We should. She’s had a long day.”

“Aye. You two get the bairn home to rest.” Mama says. “We’ll make all the calls tomorrow for the wedding. Not to worry.”

“You’ll need to get your license and rings is all.” Da adds.

Elspeth nods her agreement.

“We’ll get that tomorrow, da.” I say, picking Peg up, draping her over my shoulder. She doesn’t even stir.

We say goodbye to the family and leave for my house, where Peg’s things are. I set her down on her new bed and we both kiss her goodnight. Not a move out of her, she’s so out of it. “You tired, baby?” I ask Laney.

“It’s late.” She says. “I’ll go get ready for bed.”

“I’ve got a few emails I need to answer in the meantime.”

“Sounds good.”

I kiss her lips and leave her, so she can go get ready for bed, and I check my phone, seeing an unknown email address show up. It’s nothing new, as I get a lot of them, given who I am, but this one stands out to me. Strange, it’s someone wanting to ask me some financial questions, but it didn’t go through my assistant. Opening my calendar, I see that I have an opening tomorrow, so I offer it to him. As I answer a few others, he responds, saying that he’ll see me then. After I go check on Peg, seeing that she’s as quiet as a church mouse, I join Laney in the bedroom.

She's already snuggled in the bed, so I quietly get undressed and brush my teeth. I suppose I ought to get used to her being exhausted. We haven’t even scratched the surface of this pregnancy yet. As I nestle myself into the bed, holding her tight, I realize that she’s completely naked under there. “My, my, my...are we without pyjamas for a reason, bonnie?”

“Well, I'm not completely naked. I've still got my engagement ring on.”

I chuckle, and then kiss her neck. “I stand corrected.”

Her hand finds its way to my cock, behind her, as I'm spooning her. “Do you now?”

I harden at her touch and push my pelvis into her hand. “Mmmm...I didn’t think you’d be in the mood. Figured you were tired.”

“I am tired, but we got engaged tonight, baby. That’s cause for celebration.”

My hand slides up her body, caressing her breast, as I kiss her neck. My free hand finds its way to her wetness, as I pull her leg up, and circle her clit. “I love it when you do that.” She breathes.

“That’s why I do it.” I whisper into her ear.

Her hand is still surrounding my cock, but I push it away with the hand that was on her breast and thrust into her deep. As I fuck her from behind, she wriggles and writhes at my touch, while my pelvis pushes in and out of her, and my finger circles her clit, getting her to the edge fast. While my fingers pinch her breasts, I feel her clench, and then she quivers from inside, groaning softly, trying to keep quiet, I'm assuming for Peg’s benefit. “She’s asleep, lass.” I say as she comes down.

“I know, but I don’t want to take a chance, she’s been through enough.” Laney answers breathlessly.

I swing her leg around and climb on top of her, still thrusting, but deeper, as I pull myself up. Her legs wrap around my waist as I pump her harder and faster, riding on her orgasm. She’s still tight from coming, and I revel in it, as I bend down and suck and lick her breasts, making her clench tighter, bringing me closer to the edge. I hit a spot inside her and her back arches, hungry for more. She clasps my hands and I pull them over her head as I stare into her eyes, feeling myself letting go. “I get to fuck you until the end of time, baby.” I say to her, and the dirty talk throws her over the edge. We come together, face to face, holding hands, while the headboard slaps lightly against the wall.

Laying my head on her shoulder, I feel her heart pumping against mine. “God, I love you, baby.”

“I love you, too.” She pants. “And I love it when you talk about fucking me when you’re fucking me.” A chuckle.

“I could tell.”

I kiss her lips and remove myself from her, snuggling in next to her. I start thinking about tomorrow, and getting our marriage licences, and the strange email I got earlier.

“What’s going on in there, Caleb?” She asks, looking at me, and I can tell that she can tell that I'm a million miles away.

“I’ve just...got a lot on my mind, bonnie. Nothing I can’t handle though.”

“Anything you want to talk about?”

“Na, it’s nothing, really. Just a strange email I got.”

Her neck cranes. “It’s funny you should say that. I got a strange email, too.”

“Yeah? What was yours?”

“Just someone requesting a meeting with me, but they didn’t go through Mandy. I’m not even sure how they bypassed and got directly to me, but I bet you Mandy’s seen it and responded.”

I'm surprised. “I got the same sort of thing, Laney. But I'm meeting this person tomorrow. What’s the name?”

“Some…Higgins? Not sure if that’s a first or a last name.”

I knit my brows together. “That’s the same name as the guy who reached out to me.”

“Maybe he’s bargain shopping.” She scoffs. “Got word of our union and wants to see who can give him a better deal.”

...only it’s not that. It’s something much, much worse.