You know…your Mommy and I…we haven’t had an easy road to get to where we are now. There were lots of moments when I didn’t think we would make it. And almost from the very beginning, it was a crazy ride. Your mother has a dirty mouth, you know. It was one of the first things that attracted me. But I love that about her. I love everything about her—and about you. Anyway, I digress…got sidetracked thinking about your mom. I was telling you why I missed out on you being born. I wanted to plan something really special. I was out buying your Mommy a pretty diamond ring because I wanted to ask her to marry me before you got here. But I missed my chance because you came early. I had this elaborate plan of how I was gonna ask her. Did you know your Mommy wrote a book? I planned to surprise her with the first copy of it all nice and printed and then stick the ring inside as a double surprise. But I’m not sure that’s even good enough anymore…because look at what she did…she gave me you. I feel like I have to come up with the most amazing proposal ever now…something even bigger…even more spectacular than what I had in mind. What do you think? You think I can pull off the best proposal ever?”
I smiled and closed my eyes.
21
I think you just did, Rush.
“Come on, just humor me,” I said.
Gia shook her head. “There is no way I’m gonna fit into that thing.”
“It’s not gonna fit you the same, but that’s why I want to see it…with all these curves.” I held my hands together in begging position. “Please? It’s my birthday.”
“Your birthday is next week.”
I raised my brows. “Early birthday gift?”
My mission today was to get Gia to try on her old yellow bikini. I had such fond memories of that thing, particularly the time she taunted me in it back before we were together. The problem was…she was eight-months pregnant now and didn’t think she could fit into it. Details.
I kept flashing her my puppy dog eyes until she finally gave in.
Gia sighed. “Alright.”
I fist pumped and not so patiently waited on the bed while she took it out of the drawer and slipped it on. With a view of her back, I gawked at the tattooed wings I’d managed to permanently ink onto her lower back right after Angel’s birth, before she got pregnant again.
Yeah, I sort of knocked Gia up again two months after Angel was born.
It wasn’t even intentional, I swear. It was an accident, but one I didn’t regret because it gave me nine more months of enjoying her gorgeous, pregnant body, this time with the added pleasure of knowing that I was the one who made her that way. It doesn’t get any hotter than that for an incorrigible preggophile.
We were under the impression that it was harder to get pregnant while breastfeeding. Whoops! And even though it would have been ideal to have more space between kids, in some ways, it was kind of nice to be having them close together. Then we could take a nice long break from having more, if she even wanted that. I knew I did, but it was her body, and that would be her decision. I knew she wouldn’t be getting pregnant for a long while after this, though.
In one month, she was going to be giving birth to our son, Patrick. I was stoked. And that meant Patrick and Angel would be what are considered “Irish twins,” babies born less than a year apart.
She twirled around to model the bikini, the pieces of yellow material barely covering her parts.
“This thing used to belong to Riley, but I never gave it back because I loved it so much. Well, that was back when I could fit into it.” Gia stuck her ass out. “What do you think?”
I gestured down to my bulging crouch. “What does it look like I think?”
She bit her lip as she gazed at my package. “Do you realize that in the entire time you’ve known me, I’ve only not been pregnant for two months?”
“Damn. That’s kind of crazy when you put it that way.” I pulled her on top of me. “Come here.”
As pregnant as she was, Gia was helping support us. She’d gotten another book contract, and she would write during the day while helping me manage The Heights on the nights when Tony could watch Angel. Gia’s dad had taken an early retirement from the police force and moved out to the Hamptons to be closer to us. He got a part-time gig working security at the beach and was renting a small apartment not far from The Heights.
Gia and I still hadn’t gotten married. I kinda liked the idea of living in sin while she was knocked up. Even though she wore my ring on her finger, we agreed to do the whole wedding thing the right way with all the bells and whistles after our son was born.
Our son.
I loved the sound of that. See…I wasn’t that off base in feeling like I was having a boy. I felt that boy coming in my bones. He was just a little late, that’s all.
My sweet Angel baby was napping while Gia and I enjoyed this alone time. Thankfully, Elliott never violated any of the terms of the agreement we made when it came to our daughter. Lauren took him back, gave birth to their own baby girl, and as far as I knew, Lauren still didn’t know the truth about Angel.
I reached over to the bureau and grabbed the sunscreen, squeezing a large dollop into my hand.
Gia’s eyes widened. “What are you doing?”
“Lie on your back. I’m reminiscing about the first time I ever saw you in this bikini. Remember when you taunted me, asking me to rub this shit all over you when I was trying to resist you?”
She snickered. “Yes. That was fun.”
“I bet it was. I jerked off for three days straight after.”
“Except now there’s no way I could lie on my stomach, so you’ll have to take care of me from the front instead.” She teased. “Could you go a little lower?”
Just like the first time, my breathing was erratic, and my dick immediately stiffened as I rubbed my hands into her skin.
“Lower,” she said.
This was giving me major déjà vu.
She closed her eyes and was making the sexiest sounds as I began to remove her bikini bottom.
Just as things were starting to get good, Gia’s cell rang.
“Don’t get it,” I snapped.
She lifted her head to glance over at the phone. “It’s my dad. I should pick up.”
I groaned and rolled over onto my back.
“Hey, Dad.” After a while, she glanced over at me, looking almost concerned. “Uh…I guess.”
Blinking my eyes, I leaned up against the headboard and continued listening to what she was saying.
“How do you even know she’s interested?” Gia smiled at me and rolled her eyes. At least I knew it wasn’t anything serious.
“Alright. I’ll text it to you.” She paused. “Okay. Bye, Daddy.” She hung up and let out a breath of frustration.
I placed my hand on her stomach. “What was that all about?”
“It seems my father wants your mother’s number. He thinks it would be a good idea to call Melody and invite her out for—in his words—dinner and dancing.”
I snickered. “Uh-oh.”
My mom had broken up with her boyfriend about six months ago, so she was available. I always kind of suspected Tony liked her. During Angel’s christening, my mother and Gia’s father sat together the whole time and seemed to be really getting along.
Gia shook her head. “I don’t know about this.”
As weird as it might have been to imagine them together, I couldn’t think of a better guy I’d want dating my mother than Tony.
Shrugging my shoulders, I said, “I don’t know…I think it’d be kind of cool.”
“Isn’t our family dynamic unconventional enough already? I’d prefer it if I wasn’t inadvertently marrying my stepbrother!”
I bent my head back in laughter. “Didn’t you read a book like that once?”
“Yes! But it was fiction! Fiction, Rush.”
This was amusing me to no end. “Not sure you’re gonna have a choice in the matter.”
Gia cringed. “Don’t say that!”