Waiting for Him (Waiting Series Book 3) (4 page)

Chapter Five

Shelby

     
I’m sitting in my car in front of my doctor’s office when Garrett pulls into the parking space next to mine. I wrap my knitted scarf tighter around my neck and tug my gloves on before getting out the driver’s side door. The temperature today has dropped down below freezing and the wind is strong. It feels as though I have a permanent chill down my back, and I can’t seem to get rid of it, no matter how many layers I’ve bundled myself into. I thought being pregnant raised your body temperature and kept you warm. It doesn’t seem to be working for me.

      Garrett meets me at the front of my car and takes my gloved hand in his bare one before wrapping it around his bicep.

      “Hold on tight. This sidewalk is an icy mess.”

      “Thanks,” Is all I can manage to say. I’m feeling overly emotional that he’s still being so kind to me and conducting himself like the gentleman I know he is.

      “I haven’t had a chance to thank you for asking me to come with you today.” He says as he holds open the front door of the office building my obstetrician is located in. He gestures for me to go first and as I walk by him my left arm brushes against his body sending more shivers down my spine.
Why does his touch still have to affect me so much?

      “It’s the least I could do. I’m sorry I’m so far along in my pregnancy that you’ve already missed the ultrasound.” He nods in acknowledgment of my reply but doesn’t say anything.

      As we walk down the well-lit hallway, I glance surreptitiously at him out of the corner of my eye. He looks nervous as we come to the door that leads to my doctor’s reception area. Once we’re inside and I’ve checked in, we take a seat and wait in silence until the nurse calls my name. Garrett looks at me questioningly as if he’s wondering if he should come with me. I nod my head and he follows me back to the examination room. Other than a quick hello to the nurse, he remains silent as my weight is checked and I give my urine sample.

      As I hop back up on the exam table, he glances at my stomach with the hint of a smile on his face. That handsome face of his is now covered with about a week’s worth of hair growth. It makes him look less perfect and more roughed up. It’s a nice change from his usual buttoned-up self. His hair is longer than I’ve ever seen it before. The back is brushing his collar and the top is messily tousled as if he’s been running his fingers through it repeatedly. I always loved the silken texture of his hair as it would slide between my fingers while we were passionately entangled.
Phew.
I’m getting hot flashes just from thinking about it. A couple sharp raps on the door snaps me out of my Garrett memory induced haze and back to reality.

      Dr. Hunter purposefully walks in with a small laptop in hand.

      “Hello, Shelby.” He looks up from the keyboard he’s been typing on and notices Garrett sitting there. His eyebrows furrow together as I’m sure he’s trying to figure out who he is since he’s seen Jeff at a few different appointments with me. I decide to put it all out there, lay all the cards on the table since he’s going to find out sooner or later.

      “Dr. Hunter, this is my friend Garrett. He could possibly be the baby’s father so he’ll be coming to some of my appointments with me.” To his credit, Dr. Hunter doesn’t react at all. I’m sure he’s heard worse a time or two, in his long career. At my last appointment, he mentioned that he had been delivering babies for thirty years now. He and Garrett exchange handshakes before he has me to lie down on the table. He takes some measurements and makes a note of them on the laptop.

      “You’ve only gained three pounds and you’re almost six months along. I’d like to see that number a little higher at this point. Are you eating enough?”

      “I think I am. I’ve always been thin, though. I never gain weight.” Dr. Hunter types on his keyboard some more and then he begins to check for the heartbeat. I keep my eyes glued to Garrett’s face because I can’t wait to see his reaction when he first hears it. At first, there’s a lot of whooshing background sounds, and then Garrett’s eyes light up with wonder when we hear it. It’s a fast-paced thump, thump, thump and the best sound in the world to me. He steps closer to me and takes my hand, squeezing it in his much larger one.

      “That’s his heartbeat?” He asks the wonder he’s feeling evident in his tone.

      “Yeah, that’s his heartbeat,” I say and squeeze his hand. I know exactly how he’s feeling right now. I felt the same way when I heard it for the first time too. It’s an emotionally overwhelming experience of the best sort.

      “Your urine sample was good, your blood pressure’s fine. You’re measuring at the appropriate size for your due date so the baby is growing at a normal rate. The only concern I have is with your lack of weight gain. I want you to make yourself eat three meals and two snacks every day. Do not skip meals.” He gives me a stern look to let me know he means business.

      “No problem Dr. Hunter.”

      “Garrett, do me a favor and make sure she eats a well-balanced dinner tonight.”

      “Sure, I can do that, doctor.”

      “Okay, I want to see you back here in four weeks, and your goal between now and then is to gain at least two more pounds.”

      “I’ll try Dr. Hunter.”

      As we walk out to the parking lot, the awkward silence stretches endlessly between us. He takes my arm as we negotiate our way along the icy sidewalk and he assists me in getting in my car. Once he’s closed the door, I start the car up and open up the window to see why he’s still standing there.

      “What’s up?” I ask, trying to keep my voice flat and emotionless.

      “You’re coming to my place now. I’m going to cook dinner for you while you rest and then you’re going to eat every single bite on your plate.” My eyebrows go up in surprise at the commanding tone he’s speaking to me with. I open my mouth to reply, but before I can, he cuts me off.

“Don’t even think of refusing. You heard what Dr. Hunter said about you needing to eat more. If you can’t do it yourself, then I’ll personally make sure you do.”

      “I’m perfectly capable of feeding myself, Garrett. I’ve been taking care of myself for years now.”

      “Well, now you have me to help you.” His voice gets softer. “Whether this baby is or isn’t mine, I already love him because he’s part of you and I want him to be healthy.” He stops for a moment and looks around at anything but me. “Let’s get going. You remember where I live.” He doesn’t say it like a question. Of course, I remember. A lifetime apart wouldn’t make me forget the wonderful months we were together, but those days are gone for good. 

      He unlocks his front door and waits for me to enter first. He holds out his hand for my coat as I’m still unbuttoning it. I slip it off my shoulders and down my arms before I hand it to him. I unwind my scarf from my neck and he takes that too.

     “Go sit down and make yourself comfortable. What would you like to drink? I have water, apple juice or orange juice.” I scrunch my nose up in distaste because none of them sound very appealing at this point. I’m a slave to my ever-changing taste buds. What I really want is some soda, but he probably doesn’t have any here.

      “Do you have any soda? I’d pretty much kill for a glass of it right now.”

      “Are you allowed to have soda?’ He asks as he opens the door to his refrigerator.

      “I can have some as long as it’s not diet, but I haven’t had any in months. I’m craving it right now though and usually, when I’m wanting something in particular, the craving won’t go away until I have it. If you don’t have any, I can grab a bottle on the way home.”

      “Is root beer okay?” He asks, holding up a can.

      “Yes, that’s great,” I smile to myself as I anticipate taking the first sip of the cold, bubbly beverage. He pours it into an ice-filled glass and brings it to me, where I’m sitting on his dark gray microfiber couch. As he hands me the glass, our fingers briefly connect causing a zing of awareness to shoot up my arm. I choose to ignore it, immediately taking a sip of my root beer. It’s so cold my jaw tenses before I can swallow it down. It tastes so much better than I remember.

      “Hmm, that’s so good.” I close my eyes and savor the lingering leftover taste.

      “What are you in the mood to eat? I can make you pasta, chicken, steak or tacos. Which one do you prefer?”

      “Ooh, I would love some tacos. I haven’t had those in ages.”

      “I remember you loving tacos, why haven’t you had them in ages?” He asks as he moves around his kitchen setting up the pans he needs to cook with.

      “Jeff doesn’t like them, so I never make them unless he’s out of town.” I notice his shoulders tense at the mention of Jeff’s name.

      “So where do things stand with the two of you now?” He asks as he cooks the hamburger in the skillet.

      “I’m not sure. We haven’t spoken at all since he moved out. I’ve been giving him space, but he said we were through. I suppose I’ll have to reach out to him sooner or later.”

      “I don’t like that he’s just washed his hands of you. What if you need help and you can’t contact him or he doesn’t answer? I want you to make sure you have my number in your phone. If you need anything you can call me.”

      “I’m sure I’ll be fine Garrett, but I appreciate the concern.” He turns around and looks at me before speaking.

“I wasn’t asking you. I want you to make sure my number is stored in your phone before you leave here tonight.”

      “Okay,” I answer knowing it’s easier to agree than make a big deal out of it. Especially, since he’s being sweet to me when he could be holding a grudge for what I’ve put him through.

      “You know we haven’t really had a chance to speak much over the past few months, and I was wondering how you like working at Bentley Academy. Are you happy there?” I take another sip of my drink, before placing it down on the same coaster I used to use when we were together.

      “I am happy there. I have a great bunch of kids and I’ve come to know a couple of the other teachers very well. Some are definitely nicer than others, but I mostly keep to myself so I haven’t really had a problem with anyone.”

      “That’s funny, I don’t remember you being much of a “keep to yourself” girl.”

      “Pfft, I’m not the same girl you used to know Garrett. She no longer exists and I say good riddance to her. She never should have taken a chance on you in the first place. We wouldn’t be in this mess if she hadn’t.” He shuts the burner off and turns away from the stove so he’s now facing where I’m sitting on the couch, across the room from him.

      “This mess?” He questions. You think of us having a baby as a mess, Shelby? Don’t you want this baby?”

      “Of course, I do Garrett. I just wish the circumstances were different.”

      “Yeah, you wish that Jeff was the father and that I wasn’t.” He grits his teeth as he says this so his words sound low and guttural.

      “He most likely is the father, Garrett. I had a lot more sex with Jeff than with you.”

      “That’s my baby. You and I both know it and sooner or later Jeff will too. I know that’s my child you’re carrying. I can feel it with an inexplicable intensity in my gut. Sooner or later you and I are going to have to figure out how to co-parent together. I’m not going to be an absentee father, Shelby.”

“And I don’t expect you to Garrett. Do we really need to hash all of this out right now? I’m hungry and exhausted. You promised to feed me and I’m ready to eat.” His lips quirk up slightly to the left side and he crooks his finger at me.

“Come on over and have a seat at the table.” I rise from the couch, bringing my glass with me. I head to the fridge and open it to find plenty more root beer waiting for me. I crack open a can and refill my glass as Garrett makes up the tacos and adds all of the fixings to bowls along the countertop.

“Here,” He says, handing me a plate. “Help yourself to as much as you want. I think you should try to force yourself to eat more than you normally would.” I take the plate from him with a nod of my head and I begin to load it up with tacos adding all the toppings I love until the shells look like they’ll explode. I’m sure as soon as I take the first bite, I’ll have a huge mess, and my mouth is watering at the thought.

      Dinner is filled with meaningless and stilted conversation. I try to help him clear the table, but he gives me the stink eye and orders me to go have a seat on the couch. Now that my belly is full, I’m feeling even more exhausted than I was before. I lay my head back on the pillow top back of the sofa and before I realize it, I’ve drifted off to sleep.

Chapter Six

Garrett

     
By the time I’ve finished cleaning up the kitchen and clearing off the table, Shelby is already asleep on my couch. Her head is tipped back behind her, exposing her long neck and arching her ample chest forward. I don’t know if I should wake her up or if I should just let her continue to sleep. I decide to try and wake her up and then she can go home. If she doesn’t, I’ll have her stay here. I rub her arm as I call her name.

      “Shelby, Shelby, wake up.” Nothing. She doesn’t even twitch. I’ll try one more time. I repeat the process, this time making my voice louder.

      “Shelby, Shelby, wake up.” She’s clearly in a deep sleep and dead to the world.

      I bend down and scoop up her petite frame, carrying her into my bedroom and laying her down on my white sheets.  I slip her boots off her feet and remove her socks as well. I remember that she couldn’t stand to sleep with socks on, even if her toes were icy cold. She would warm them up on my legs and I never minded. I smile to myself at the memory as I stand beside the bed staring down at her graceful sleeping form. If anything, pregnancy has made her appear even more beautiful to me. It’s softened some of the sharper angles of her face and given her a gentler, more approachable appearance. I cover her with the sheet and comforter before I get myself ready for bed.

      I climb in next to her with my boxer briefs and a tee shirt still on, even though I prefer to sleep without one. I don’t want her to freak out when she wakes in the morning and sees me next to her. While I was in the bathroom, brushing my teeth, she rolled over onto her left side and is now facing away from me. Her backside is an invitation I can’t refuse as I snuggle up to her and wrap my right arm around her slight frame. I cup my hand over the small bump that is our son and it makes my jaw clench from the love I’m feeling. If I let myself I could cry tears of joy over this moment, lying here with her in my arms. However, I know that when the sun rises, in all likelihood, I’ll never have another chance to be like this with her. I bury my face in her soft cloud of blonde hair and inhale her delicious vanilla scent as I close my eyes and drift off to sleep.

      Whenever I wake in the morning, I’m always a little disorientated and today is no exception. When you add the fact that I’m wrapped around a soft, warm female form, it’s really confusing. My eyelids slowly open and I take in the blonde head nestled on the pillow in front of me and I instantly remember the night before. Shelby’s still asleep, so I’m going to make the most of this moment and enjoy how wonderful being cuddled up against her is.
Hmm, I could get used
to this.
I used to love sharing a bed with her and I haven’t shared one with another woman since. The painful erection I’m experiencing right now tells me my dick is in total agreement with me.

      I wish we could undo some of our hurtful past and slip back into a relationship as if none of the years in between had happened. I made so many mistakes along the way. I handled things so poorly by trying to protect her and instead I irreparably hurt her. I do know that all of the decisions I made back then, whether they were right or wrong, were made out of love and concern for her well-being. My intentions were only the best, but that’s not much of a consolation when your whole future stretches out in front of you and you know that your dream woman is the one that got away.

      Shelby begins to stir and she presses her backside into me and it’s all I can do to contain the groan of pleasure I want to expel. She murmurs something so softly I can’t hear and she rolls her bottom against me one more time. I bite my lip and stay silent, praying that she’ll hold still so I don’t explode in my boxers like an inexperienced adolescent. She takes my hand, the one that’s cradling our son and slides it up under her shirt until it’s cupping her right lace wrapped breast. We both moan at the same time as my hand closes around it. I can feel her distended nipple against my palm as I gently squeeze. I know I need to stop this before it goes any further. I start to draw my hand back and Shelby grips my wrist, with her fingers.

      “No, don’t stop. Please.” She whispers and I can feel my resolve to stay away from her chipping away with every second that passes.

      “Shelby, what do you want from me?” I need to hear her say it. I’m not touching her again until she tells me what she wants. I won’t be the bad guy in this scenario.

      “I want you to touch me.” Her voice is shaky with need and I know what she wants, but I’m still going to make her say it.

      “Where do you want me to touch you, Shelby? I’m not laying another finger on you until you clearly state what you want.”

      “I want you to make me come, Garrett. Please touch me and make me come.” I roll her to her back and gaze down into her chocolate brown, need filled eyes and I know that I can’t deny this woman anything that she asks of me. I would give her the moon if she wanted it.

      “I’m going to make you come, Shelby and then I’m going to lick up all your juices and make you come again with my tongue.”

      “Oh yes, pleeeeease.” I grip the elastic waistband of her leggings and pull them, along with her panties off, casting them to the side. She raises up and pulls her shirt over her head, leaving her only in her lavender lace bra. She unclasps the front enclosure and slowly pulls it apart, revealing her gorgeous breasts. My mouth is watering as I gaze down at them perfect and pink tipped and I’d like nothing better than to feast on them for all eternity.

      “You’re so beautiful. You’re more perfect than I remembered.” My voice is deep and gravelly with desire as I tear my tee shirt over my head. I need to be skin to skin with her. I lower myself down until I’m pressed against her. I can feel the hard tips of her breasts raking against my chest with every breath she expels and it’s an excruciating pleasure. I rest myself on my elbows and cup both sides of her face with my palms.

      “Are you sure you want me to touch you?” I ask, looking deeply into her eyes. I need to see that she’s one hundred percent on board with what’s about to happen.

      “Yes.”

      “How far do you want this to go, Shelby? I need to know if you want me to stop or keep going until I’m buried so deep inside you; you’ll never forget what it feels like again.”

      “I’ve never forgotten, Garrett. I wish I could.” She blinks her big brown eyes up at me as she says this and there goes another piece of my heart. She has almost all of it anyway. What does one more sliver matter?

      “You didn’t answer me, Shelby. How far do you want this to go?” I press my boxer encased erection against her and she moans. “Am I touching you or am I fucking you?”

      “Tttouching me.” She stutters out.

      “Are you sure about that Shelby? You don’t sound convinced.” I press my cock up against her softness again and her breath catches.

      “Yyyes. Just touching. I don’t think we should have sex.” I can understand her hesitance.

      “Okay, I can deal with that. I’m going to make you feel so good you’ll be begging me for more though and I’m not going to give it to you. You’re not going to have this cock today, no matter how much you ask for it.” I strip my briefs off so she can see all of me. I want her to remember what she’s missing out on. I stroke my hand up and down a few times and I have to stop myself because being in this bed with her naked, already has me on the edge of an orgasm.

      I lower my mouth to her nipple and take it between my lips as my hand slides down to where I know she’s dying for it to be. She’s so wet, my middle finger slides through until it’s thrusting inside of her. I grind the heel of my hand down on her clit and add a second finger inside of her. Her hips are in motion now, rolling against my hand as her breathing comes in gasps and sighs. It’s only a minute before she’s shattering around my fingers and crying out in pleasure. Her face is flushed, sweat beading on her brow and I swear she’s never looked more enticing.

      “Did you like that?” She nods her head, her breaths still coming in shaky gasps.

“Now I’m going to make you come with my tongue. Are you ready?”

      “Yes,” She whispers. I back down the bed until I can put her legs over my shoulders and rest my chin on her mound as I ask her one final question.

      “Are you sure you want me to put my mouth on you?” I rub my chin back and forth over her clit and her breath catches from the pleasure.

      “Yes, please.”

***

      After I made Shelby come two more times, I cooked her some breakfast and made her sit at the table until every bit of her bacon and eggs were eaten. If I have to spend more time with her to make sure that our son is healthy, then that’s what I’ll do. It’s not like it’s a hardship to be around her. It’s only detrimental to my heart because she owns almost every piece of it already and I know that I’ll never get those parts back. At this point I’m pretty much resigned to the fact that I’ll probably spend the rest of my life alone, longing for what we used to have, but at least, we’ll have a son together. I’m not sure how I know with such certainty that the child she carries is mine, but I do. I know it with every single fiber of my being and it would be a really cruel trick for fate to take that away from me. If Jeff is the father of this baby, I’ll be completely distraught. I’ll probably find a job in another state as far away as possible...California could work. It’s all the way across the country and I’d never have to worry about seeing them together. If I had to look at the three of them and their happy little family, it would destroy me.

      Shelby left immediately after she finished eating. She didn’t have much to say over breakfast and the red flush on her cheeks told me that she was feeling embarrassed about what had happened between us. I loved what we did and I only wish that she had wanted more from me. It was all I could do to stave off my orgasm while my tongue was tasting her. I hope that’s not the last time I get to be with her sexually, but I’m not holding my breath that I’ll ever get another chance. I’m fairly certain that if and when Jeff comes crawling back to her, she’s going to let him move back in.