from Pain to Pleasure (Gainesville Book 1) (46 page)

* * *

When they pulled into his parents’ driveway, Nathan, Carol and the girls got out of a cab. All of Alex’s siblings would be at the party and planned to stay for the wedding. He glanced back and found Danielle still asleep. Quietly, he exited the car so as not to disturb her.

Nathan patted his brother on the back. “You look nervous. Relax.”

“She saw the doctor today.” Alex checked the backseat again. “They still want her on bed rest. So, we have to tone it down this weekend.”

Carol approached. Each of the twins held a hand. “We got you covered. You just play the devoted boyfriend, and we’ll take care of the rest.”

“Thanks.” Alex carefully opened the back door. “Let me get her out.”

Alex followed Nathan inside, Danielle in his arms. She had woken but then seemed to fall back to sleep. Once he set her on the recliner, she clutched his shirt.

“We’re here.” Alex brushed his lips over her forehead. “Go back to sleep.” She let him go and turned a bit. “Love you, babe.” He palmed her cheek and sighed.

Mary walked in from the main master bedroom. “Alex!” Then she saw Danielle. “Sorry. How’s she doing?”

“Same.” Alex stepped away from her. “Any way we can stay downstairs? She can’t do much, and the stairs are dangerous for her.” The house had a master bedroom in both wings. One was used for a guest room, but the kids used their own bedrooms.

With a small smile, Mary replied, “I already set it up for you.”

“Come on, li’l bro.” Nathan had stored all his family’s luggage already. “Let’s go empty your car.”

Before Alex returned, Danielle woke up and groaned. She shifted slightly to get comfortable again. It only took a bit of adjustment. Her eyes fluttered closed, but sleep didn’t come.

Mary touched her face. “How you feeling?”

“I’m fine,” Danielle replied and forced a smile.

She looked up at her soon to be mother-in-law. It was a lie. She felt awful but didn’t want to complain. The car ride was hard on her body. There were a lot of aches and pains, but the chair was much better than the back seat.

Mary smoothed Danielle’s hair back. “I know that’s not true. I’ve been there six times. Dinner will be ready soon. We’ll all eat in here so we can be with you.”

“Thanks.” Danielle was tired of meals in bed.

Soon Alex was back. He lifted her. “I wanna sit with you.” He brought her to the loveseat and gently set her down before he released the foot rest.

Carol walked in the room, closely followed by Nathan. Their girls were right behind them. Lily jumped up on Alex, which made him smile.

Then Liala sat between them and pulled up Danielle’s blouse. She laid her head on the belly she exposed. “Hi, baby Corey.” She rubbed the skin with her tiny hand. “Hurry up and come out. We wanna play.” Then she looked at Alex. “Uncle Alex, how do they get the baby out?”

Alex faltered, unsure how to answer. “Uh, bro.” He turned to Nathan. “Your daughter needs you. She wants to know how Corey’s getting out. That’s your department, not mine.”

“Dude, it’s your turn next, you know.” Nathan collected his daughter, laughed, and then walked outside with her.

Lily squirmed so she could get down. She kissed Danielle’s belly. “Grandpa? Why does the baby have your name?”

Corey Sr. approached the love seat. “Because, sweetie.” He took her in his arms. “Uncle Alex felt bad no one else named a son after me.” He winked at Alex.

“That’s not why,” Alex insisted. “Danielle loves the name, and she wanted to thank you for your support.”

With a huge grin, his father replied, “I didn’t need a reason, but thanks. It’ll fit him well.”

Danielle’s face screwed up. Corey kicked hard several times. She kept silent even when it felt like her ribs were being pummeled.

Alex saw the look on her face. “What’s wrong?”

Tears fell, as she responded, “He’s hurting me.”

“Change her position, Alex,” Carol told him.

He got up quickly and laid Danielle across the loveseat on her back. Suddenly, she could barely breathe. Weakly, she cried out, “Alex.”

“Get her up!” Carol shouted. “She can’t breathe on her back.”

He lifted Danielle up. “I don’t know what to do. I’m sorry, babe.”

She sighed because the pain finally stopped. “I’m OK now.”

“This is getting nerve-wracking, you know.” Alex took a deep breath. “These last two months are gonna be stressful, aren’t they?”

Nathan came back and put a hand on his brother’s shoulder. “It goes by fast. You’ll be OK.”

“Man, you have no idea,” Alex began as he put Danielle back on the loveseat. “We can’t have sex or do anything. She’s so bored.”

Nathan shook his head. “That is pretty bad. At least we could have sex. Carol was on bed rest, too, but only because we were having twins.”

“Nathan, stop telling him stuff like that.” Carol sounded annoyed. “At least not when I can hear you.”

* * *

After dinner, Danielle crashed again, this time on the loveseat. She woke up in need of the bathroom. Just as she got to her feet, she was swept up into Alex’s arms. It was a relief, though. The pressure was back again.

“Babe, please. You have to stay off your feet.” He was scared anything could bring on labor.

When they returned from the bathroom, the adults played a trivia game on the DVD player. Most of the children were already in bed. Laughter filled the room. Alex sat Danielle on the loveseat, and then sat next to her.

“Do you wanna play?” Alex smiled. The game was one he had played many times.

Danielle shook her head. “Maybe later.” She laid her head on his chest and closed her eyes. The ache in her back was normal.

Alex slid his hand down her back. “You’re hurting. Why can’t you just tell me, so I can help?”

“I don’t want to bother you. You do too much.” She spoke softly. A headache was also in the works. “Let me just stay here on you. It’ll feel better this way.” She hugged him and snuggled closer.

He rubbed her lower back. “Babe, tell me if it gets worse. Please. It could be a sign something’s wrong.” He again wondered if they should cancel the wedding.

“I’m OK.” She didn’t want him to freak out again. He needed to relax for once.

Danielle listened to them play, Alex included. It was nice to be among so many people. Seclusion was boring. With the semester over, she didn’t get many visitors. After a while, she turned to her left side. The pressure and pain suddenly eased up.

“You OK?” Alex threaded his fingers through her hair.

She nodded. “This is better.”

Alex smiled when he saw her belly shake. He placed a hand over the top half and reveled in Corey’s movements. He pushed and kicked several times. “My little football player.”

“He’s kicking?” Nathan rushed over. “Can I feel it?” He knelt in front of the couch. When Danielle nodded, he laid a hand on her abdomen. “Hey, little man.” He grinned widely. “That’s my nephew. Linebacker.”

One by one, the rest of the family wanted to feel Corey kick and push her belly out. He was so big by then, he couldn’t move too much, but he made himself known pretty often. Danielle took it in stride, amazed how much they loved him, and he wasn’t even born yet. His survival at that point was almost certain, so everyone was very excited about his arrival.

“OK, guys.” Alex untangled himself from Danielle. “Time for bed.” He had learned the signs that she was tired.

Danielle glanced up at him. “Yeah.”

In the guest suite, Alex drew a bath and held Danielle in his arms as they lounged in the warm water. He massaged her aching muscles. She was too quiet. “Something wrong?”

“Kinda nervous,” she admitted.

He rubbed her shoulders and kissed her temple. “About what?”

“The baby.” She shifted and laid her head on his shoulder. “What if he comes early?”

Alex smiled. “Then we deal with it. He’ll be OK.” A hand moved over her swollen belly. “He’s strong like his mom. Try not to worry.”

“How am I gonna walk down the aisle Sunday?” She tried not to get upset.

He grinned. “Worst comes to worst, Gary’ll carry you.”

In the morning, Danielle woke up to Alex behind her. He held her close. She ran a hand over his still naked body. She loved the way his skin felt. He sighed and moved his hips against her. When his shaft slipped between her thighs, she carefully turned over. Since sex was still a no-no, she didn’t want to tease him.

She touched his face. He looked so cute asleep. His head moved a little, and her hand slid over his hair. She ran her fingers through his hair and smiled. He let it grow out more. That made him look even more handsome.

Corey pushed his foot out and stretched her skin. Alex laughed softly. After a few minutes, he said, “Stop, Danielle.”

“Your son is poking you. Not me.”

Then he opened his eyes and looked at her. “I’ll never get tired of him doing that.” He caressed her cheek. “Do you feel any better today?”

“I guess so,” she replied. “Can you get up? I have to pee.”

He smiled. “Of course.”

Soon, they were in the shower. Alex washed her body while she did her hair, so she would have less time on her feet. Before they were done, she grabbed his hand, tightly.

“What’s wrong?” he asked, alarmed. “Babe, what hurts?”

She let out a whimper. “It’s not really pain. Just a lot of pressure.”

He got the soap off her, and then put her right back in bed, wrapped in a large towel. “Did that help?”

“Yes.” As soon as she was off her feet, the pressure had eased.

He kissed her lips and knelt next to her on the mattress. “I’m sorry. You’re gonna have to stay in here most of the day. We can’t take the chance. He needs a few more weeks to be able to breathe on his own. I don’t want you giving birth this soon.”

“OK. Anything for Corey. Right?”

“I’ll be back.”

He hurried through a shower. Then, in a towel, he dressed Danielle, while she attempted to help. She was obviously quite weak. That scared the shit out of him. Just as he pulled her pants up, there was a knock on the bedroom door. He opened it a bit and peeked out.

“Are you guys ready for breakfast?” Nathan asked.

Alex opened the door wider. “Danielle needs to stay in bed. Every time she stands up, the pressure’s too much.”

“I’ll get some for you guys,” Nathan replied. He felt Alex’s angst. “Sara’s just leaving her house, so they’ll be here in like an hour. Liz and Michael are getting here in a few hours, too. I can’t believe everyone’s coming today.” He smiled. “Sara said she has pictures to show you.”

Danielle’s face fell. She worried her troubles would ruin the party. “I’m not much fun. If she wants to hang out in here, it’s fine, but I can’t do anything.”

Nathan nodded, and then walked away. “OK. Let me make you guys a plate.”

Alex closed the door and got dressed as fast as possible. Then he helped Danielle sit up against some pillows. Nervously, he took out her prenatal vitamins, and then went to get a glass of juice. The kitchen was a whirlwind of activity. Everyone seemed to be awake. He waved and continued on his mission.

Alex and Carol walked into the bedroom together. He had a tray in his hands. After he had placed it on the night stand, he smiled at Danielle. Then he handed her a plate and fork.

Chocolate chip pancakes and sausage. Danielle knew it was his dad’s specialty and her favorite breakfast at their house.
He cooked on his birthday?

“Dad made those special for you.” Alex held out the vitamins, and then a glass of juice. “He hoped it’d help you forget you gotta be in bed so much.”

Carol put a book on the bed next to Danielle. “I read that when I was having the girls, and it helped a lot.”

“Thanks.” Danielle looked at the book. It was about babies from birth to two years old. She smiled. That would definitely help with the boredom.

She ate since she knew she needed the nutrition. However, her stomach felt a bit strange. She wasn’t able to get much down. Before she got too full, she took her vitamin.

Alex watched her put the plate down. She had barely made a dent. “Um, you’re full?” That was odd. She usually ate more than he did. “You want me to call Dr. Greene?”

“It’s just my stomach.” She didn’t want him to worry even more. “I don’t want to be sick.”

He frowned. “Oh. Didn’t realize you were nauseous.”

She waved at him. “I’m fine in here. Go be with your family.”

“You sure?” He felt guilty that he wanted to take her up on the offer.

She rolled her eyes. “Yes.” She lifted her phone from the night stand. “If I need you, I’ll call.”

“OK.” He kissed her lips softly. “I’ll be back to check on you later.”

Danielle spent the next few hours reading the book. The book explained a lot of things she had no clue about. It helped distract her from the weird way she felt. She barely noticed when multiple family members checked on her. The most interesting chapter was on breast-feeding. She was terrified of it. One of her few friends in high school tried it, and it hurt, so she stopped. Alex had promised to go along with however she wanted to feed their baby.

Sara walked into the bedroom. “The dresses are ready. I put them in Mom’s closet.” She froze when closer to the bed. “You look tired.”

“I’m kinda nauseous.”

She nodded. “Ah, OK. I got just the thing.” She hurried to the kitchen and brewed a cup of ginger tea. When she came back, she said, “This should help.”

Danielle grinned when she smelled the ginger. “Thanks.” She took a sip and sighed. “This usually does it.” It did help somewhat, but she still felt a bit odd. Something wasn’t right.

“I’ll be back again.” Sara wanted to talk to Alex.

Alex was in the kitchen. He hoped she liked orange chicken and rice. It was the healthiest light dish he could think of. When Sara leaned on the counter next to him, he turned. “She OK?”

“I don’t know.” Sara chewed on her bottom lip. She didn’t want him to panic. “She’s not herself.” She looked around as the party planner’s crew set up. “You sure she can handle this?” The party, and then the wedding and reception the next day, could be stressful.

He exhaled loudly. “I hope so. I’ll make sure she stays off her feet.”