BLAKEAston and I got to the hospital just in time to see my mother and father packing up. They had been staying in a suite at the hospital, calling it home so the doctors could check up on him regularly before they released him for good.“What’s going on here?” I asked, as we walked into the suite. Both of my parents had bags open on the bed and were talking to each other while packing their things.Dad looked up, a wide smile spreading across his face when he saw who it was. “Blake. Great news, boy. They’re finally letting me go home.”“I thought this was home for now,” I told him, looking around the mostly empty suite. When I was here before, my mom had decorated the place with all the creature comforts of home. She brought art, pillows and blankets, and even random mementos of trips they took together.None of those things were here anymore. “Did the doctors really give you the all clear?”Opening his arms to give me a back-slapping hug, he replied. “Yup. They told us this morning
BlakeA long minute passed before Aston answered me. She stared out the window, thinking through her response before I got to hear it. “I think it took a lot of courage and caring to keep you and Danny out of a long, possibly drawn out custody battle. I know it’s not what you want to hear and I know she could’ve gone about things differently, but in her own way, I think she put herself through hell to do her best to save you.”She was right. It wasn’t what I wanted to hear. It was exactly the explanation my mother had given, but the logic just didn’t sit right with me. “There are plenty of kids who went through the divorce of their parents. Their mothers didn’t walk away to save themselves the trouble of a custody battle.”“True,” Aston said. “But those kids go through a different kind of hell than the one you went through. I don’t think it’s necessarily easier that way at all. There’s the split, the battle in court with all the alienation, fighting and badmouthing that goes along wit
ASTONBlake’s father’s house was not what I was expecting at all. As a property magnate, I would’ve expected him to have a home the size of a hotel. Perhaps a glass and concrete monstrosity.While Wayne’s house wasn’t small, it definitely wasn’t the size of a hotel. It was a comfortable five bedroom family home. I didn’t know if this was where Blake grew up, I hadn’t asked. But it looked like it would’ve been a pretty nice place to grow up in if it was. It was cozy despite its size, and boasted big trees and a large backyard with a patio and a sparkling pool. I wondered if any of the family sized dining tables either inside or outside ever saw any action. Neither Blake nor Danny struck me as the type to pop in for family meals on Sundays.I’d finally come to learn that Blake’s mother’s name was Linda. She seemed to know her way around the house well enough and excused herself shortly after we arrived to unpack. I was left chopping salad in the farm style kitchen.There were beautiful
AstonSlowly but surely, my perception of the world and the people who lived in it was already changing. When Blake first told me about his mom, I thought what she did was terrible. I never thought I would be able to see her side of things.Having met her and trying to imagine giving up my own baby, even if it wasn’t here yet, I realized how excruciating the decision must have been for her. Walking away already seemed impossible to me.“You’ll see one day when you have children of your own. You only want what’s best for them. It doesn’t matter what it costs you, not just in money but in everything, you want to be able to give it to them.”“Hmm,” I agreed vaguely. It felt like I was lying to her by not telling her I was pregnant, but it wasn’t my place to have that conversation with her.Cluing her in would also mean that Blake’s father would find out, or I would put her in the position to have to lie to her husband. Given how new their rekindled romance was, it wouldn’t be right to as
BLAKEI woke up with Aston lying in my arms. I was on my side, lying with my arm draped over her stomach as she slept peacefully on her back. She was the best sight to wake up to.Her auburn air was spread out to the side of the pillow, dark strands contrasting sharply with the stark white bedding. Her long lashes curled up towards the roof as her chest rose and fell with deep breaths. Deciding not to risk waking her from her sound sleep, I burrowed into the bed and just watched her as I finally let my mind drift to the realities we were facing. It was still early. The sun was only just beginning to rise. The room was lit with soft early morning sunlight, almost like an orange glow. In a few short months, these peaceful mornings with her would most likely be a remnant of the past. By all accounts, mornings with babies around were not peaceful.My hand ventured to her lower abdomen, the spot where my baby was growing. Though I knew it was still too early to feel anything, I let my ha
BlakeWe had a clear path to the bathroom. I knew this suite like the back of my hand, so it was no problem to navigate our way as I walked us into the bathroom without breaking the kiss.Aston was so soft in my arms. She felt so damn good. Clinging to me, she twisted her fingers into my hair and tugged at the strands. It was a move I was a sucker for and she knew it.I groaned deeply, devouring her mouth with renewed vigor. When I finally set her down on the counter, her cheeks were flushed and she was breathing deeply. “Okay, you’ve convinced me. You can shower with me.”"“Gee,” I said with a grin, giving her a nip on the collarbone. “Thanks.” Aston laughed and hopped off the counter, turning her back to me as she pulled off her tank top and shimmied out of the shorts. Giving me a coy look over her shoulder, she crooked her finger at me and walked into the shower.A second later, I heard the water starting to run and her lacy panties were flung over the top metal rail of the stone
ASTON“Mommy! Look at that.” An excited toddler pointed to a picture of a newborn baby printed on a canvas in the doctor’s waiting room. “It’s a baby. Is that my little sister?”The mom smiled, ruffling his light blonde hair as she shook her head and pointed to her protruding belly. “No honey. Your sister is still inside Mommy’s tummy, do you remember? You saw her picture last week on the doctor’s machine.”His little face crumpled in thought. “How did she get into Mommy’s tummy again? I want to draw a picture for her. Can I draw Mommy? Now?”The women reached into a gigantic diaper bag open on the floor. With what looked like great effort, she managed to reach a coloring book and some crayons. Plopping down on the floor, the boy kept chatting as he took the book and the crayons from her and proceeded to scribble all over the page.Blake and I exchanged a glance. We were waiting for our appointment along with three other women, two of whom had very active toddlers with them. All of th
AstonA middle aged, greying man walked into the room, closing the door behind him with a soft click. He glanced down at the tablet he was carrying. “Aston Brier, it’s nice to meet you. I’m Doctor Evans.”He walked over to the side of the bed and smiled first at me, then at Blake who extended his hand to the doctor. “Blake McAllen.”“It’s nice to meet you too, Blake.” I liked how he immediately started using our first names. The interaction between that woman and the nurse out in the waiting room, as well as the way she had treated me during the preliminary tests, I got the distinct feeling that these people became like your family during the pregnancy.The ease with which the doctor was treating us was adding to that feeling. “Right, let’s get started. I have the results for the blood test you had earlier this morning. You’re definitely pregnant. Congratulations.”“Thanks,” I blushed. Blake’s grip on my hand tightened.The doctor started gently pushing on my abdomen, fixing me with a
AstonEverything further away than what could be reached in two or three hours by plane, he let Danny handle. Blake had been my rock, my constant. With him as the dad, I could see myself having a lot more children. He certainly seemed to be on board.A nurse came in to check on us, as they did every so often. This was one who must have just started her shift, since I hadn’t seen her around earlier. She was an older woman with bright red hair and a kind smile. “Is everything okay in here? I need to take the baby for observation, it won’t be more than a few minutes before she’s back.”Blake’s eyes widened comically. “You’re taking her away?”“Just for a few minutes, sir.” The nurse smiled sympathetically. “I won’t take my eyes off of her for a second, you have my word. I know it’s hard for you to let go of her right now.”“She has to go?” Blake asked, not looking like he was inclined to hand her over at all.The nurse nodded. “A few minutes, sir. She’ll be back before you know it.”Relu
ASTONOn a rainy Saturday morning, Blake and I welcomed baby Emma Rose McAllen into the world. She was a pink, healthy little angel that had both of us wrapped around her little finger the very first second we laid eyes on her.The hospital was busy. I could hear people milling around outside, some running to take care of patients and others here to visit friends and family, and to meet the new arrivals. Emma was only three hours old, but I was sure Blake’s family and Tiffany would get here soon.Both Tiffany and Blake’s mom had wanted to be in the waiting room when she was born, but I went into labor in the early hours of Saturday morning and in our rush to get to the hospital, we hadn’t wanted to disturb them in the middle of the night.For now it was just us and our little cherub in our bubble of the most perfect, serene happiness I’d ever known. With Emma’s tummy full for the first time, she was dozing in her daddy’s arms and the scene in front of me was as precious as I’d known i
BlakeTiffany led us into the smaller of the conference rooms at ground level, one where Aston and I had shared dinner not so long ago, yet it seemed like a different lifetime now. Aston walked over to the window, releasing a happy sigh to be looking out over the ocean. “It feels like I haven’t been here in forever.”“For you and me both, girl.” Tiffany sighed. “Welcome back.”“Thanks,” Aston replied softly. “You should come visit us in Florida sometime. We’ll be happy to have you.”“Once the baby is born, try keeping me away,” she said, reaching out to pat Aston’s belly again.The two friends shared a moment. I hung back, getting settled at the table. When they sat down, Aston joked, “Oh, you’ll only visit once the baby is born? That’s still months away.”“Good point,” Tiffany said. “Maybe I’ll come out there sooner. Is your nursery set up yet? I can come help with that.”“We’ve been settling into the house,” Aston told her. “We haven’t gotten to the nursery quite yet. It would be gr
BLAKEThree months after the last time Aston and I walked out of the hotel in California, we were back for a visit. It had been a long three months. We had meant to pop in for a visit weeks ago, but we never got around to it.As it was, we’d almost had to cancel again. Aston managed to dodge the bullets flying her way, with Danny’s help, and we’d hopped on the jet as soon as our meetings let out. We were like kids fleeing from school on the last day, excited to be getting away from the head office that took so much of our time.Our visit to California wasn’t a vacation though. Soon, I would whisk Aston away for a break before the baby was born, but for now, we were working.It didn’t make Aston any less excited to be headed back to her hometown. She missed her friends and had been looking forward to spending time with them, even if we would have to get some work done at the same time.Dressed in a soft, flowing red dress that clung to her newly rounded stomach, she looked more beautif
ASTONBefore I knew what was happening, Blake flipped us over and was rolling my pants down my legs. My panties followed quickly.He yanked both items over my bare feet and dropped them to the floor. Heat spread through me as his bright blue eyes drank in every inch of me.He sat between my legs, spread open so there would be space for him. Completely on display for him, I was surprised by how much it turned me on. The raw lust in his eyes told me he felt the same. “I was an ass. I’m sorry I didn’t see how much I was upsetting you, can I make it up to you?”“Please,” I breathed, reaching for his shirt.Catching my hands in one of his, he used the other to reach behind him in a fist and pulled it off in a smooth slide. As his body came into view, I wished he wasn’t sitting between them so I could clench my thighs together to ease the need building there. Seeing me squirm, his hands went for my bare legs, running up and down my thighs.“You’re gorgeous, Aston. And the best thing that ha
Blake“No buts. If that’s what you want, I’ll go. I understand that you need someone there and that logistically, it can’t be Aston. I can be a team player again and if that’s what this team needs, I’ll take one for the team and go.”Taking a deep breath, his eyes darted up to the ceiling like he was slightly embarrassed by what he had to say. “But if you’d consider keeping me on in Florida though, I could work under Aston.”Shocked, my eyes widened. “You’d be her subordinate?”“Yeah.” His eyes drifted to Dad before he nodded and looked back at me. “It’s not easy for me to face, but I know I brought this on myself. If I stay, I’ll work as her second. Help her, learn from her, whatever.”“You would do that?” To say I was surprised was an understatement. My brother, or at least the brother he’d become, lacked the astonishing maturity it took to come up with a plan like this. “You realize it wouldn’t be temporary.”“I do.” He held onto my gaze, sincere in what he was saying. “I’ve been a
BLAKEWalking out of Dad’s study, I bumped into my mom in the hall. For a guy who spent years seeing only one family member, two at most, once every couple of weeks, I was surrounded by them now. I didn’t know how much I liked it yet.“Have you seen Aston? I asked Mom, who smiled as she jerked her head in the direction of the front door.“She left in a cab a few minutes ago,” Mom told me. “I saw her out there from the kitchen window, but it looked like she could use a couple of minutes alone. Next thing I knew, there was a cab and she was getting into it.”My heart sank to my shoes. “What?”I knew Aston was upset by my offering her Danny’s job, but I never thought she would leave. Panic crept in and gripped my heart. She didn’t know anyone in Florida as far as I knew. I didn’t even know where to start looking for her.“Fuck,” I mumbled, ignoring my mom’s chastising look. It was a little fucking late for her to try have any say about my language. I was getting used to having her around
Aston“I’m against it because I don’t think it’s a good idea,” I exclaimed, rolling my eyes. “Danny’s position isn’t some random spot. It’s a very important position in the company.”“Exactly,” Blake snapped. “It’s not good enough to put some random person into that position, don’t you think I get that? That’s one of the reasons why I need you, Aston. You’re all I’ve got. I don’t have any other options that are good enough.”“I’m a last resort?” My head reared back like he’d slapped me. I didn’t know what was going on with me, but my emotions were all over the place. Maybe it was the pregnancy after all, but knowing he only wanted me because there was no one else was somehow more hurtful than people thinking he’d only put me into that spot because he was sleeping with me.Staring at me like I’d grown a unicorn horn or turned green, Blake shook his head. “You’re not a last resort. It’s not like that at all. Think about it this way, my dad supports me in this decision. About Danny going
ASTON“Excuse me.” I pushed my chair back from the kitchen counter and glanced at Blake’s family before letting my eyes come to rest on him. “Could I talk to you outside for a minute please?”“Sure.” Exchanging a look with his father who nodded encouragingly, Blake followed me outside. I didn’t stop walking when we hit the deck, heading over it and onto the expansive green lawn.The sparkling swimming pool was blue and inviting. I briefly considered stripping off my clothes and taking refuge in the silence of its depths, but I doubted very much that Blake’s father would appreciate a half-naked pregnant girl sitting at the bottom of his pool.When I hit a patch of trees at the back of the property, I paced in the shade beneath them. Without having to look, I knew Blake was standing there watching me. He let me blow off steam for a few more seconds before planting his hands on his hips. “Before you say anything, hear me out.”“I told you I didn’t want that spot, Blake.”Walking toward m