“You go right ahead,” Gavin called out. With his smile as wide as ever, he draped his arm over Emily’s shoulder. Grazing his nose against hers, he pulled her bottom lip between his teeth. “Do you know how happy I’m going to make you?”
Emily smiled as her body let go of the last bit of tension curling through it. “I’m not sure you can make me any happier than you already have.”
“Do you doubt my happy making skills?”
“I guess I just did,” Emily giggled.
After celebrating the news with their friends and family, Gavin followed Emily upstairs. She had a doctor’s appointment in the city tomorrow at four o’clock, and they planned on leaving relatively early to beat the holiday traffic. Before making the trip, Gavin planned on letting Dillon know not to bother showing up. He more than looked forward to making that call. Actually, he was pretty fucking sure he was going to record it. Still in shock he was no longer in purgatory, and feeling as if he were finally in heaven, Gavin couldn’t help the smile molding his face when Emily crawled into bed next to him. As she lay back against the pillows, he also couldn’t help but slide his body down the bed. He trailed kisses from her neck, down the graceful curve of her shoulder, and ultimately along the side of her stomach. Gavin slowly lifted her silk camisole, his smile widening as he settled his lips over the bare flesh of her belly holding his child. “Noah,” Gavin whispered, kissing just below her navel. “Noah Alexander Blake.”
Emily let out a satisfied sigh. “I like the way that sounds.”
“I do too.” Gavin kissed her stomach again and reached for her hand. Intertwining their fingers, he kissed each of hers, and looked at her. “Thank you.”
Emily buried her free hand in his hair, stroking it away from his forehead. The look in his eyes, gentle tone of his voice, and the smile on his face had her heart bursting with love. “Thank you,” she whispered, a single tear breaking loose. “Thank you so much.”
Gavin rested his cheek on top of her stomach, chuckling when a little wave rolled across it. “Arm?” he questioned, enjoying the way it felt.
“Possibly.” Smiling, Emily looked down at the movement. “Maybe his butt?”
Gavin shrugged, basking in the moment. “I wonder if he’ll suck at bottle caps like his mother.”
“I wonder if he’ll be a wiseass like his father.”
Gavin quirked a brow as he drew circles around her belly button. “A blue-eyed, sucky bottle cap playing wiseass. I like it.”
Emily giggled. “Me, too.”
Gavin kissed her stomach again, a devious smile tipping his lips. “I wonder if he’ll hate your Birds as much as I do.”
Emily groaned, tossing her head back onto the pillow. “I wonder if he’ll be a bigger wiseass than his father.”
“Lame comeback. You just used that one.”
“It’s fitting for the wiseass it was aimed at.”
“Can’t say I disagree.” Gavin rained a slew of slow kisses along every inch of Emily’s stomach, watching tiny goose bumps pop up over her flesh. “I wonder if he’ll know just how beautiful his mother is, inside and out.”
Emily touched Gavin’s cheek, her soul warmed by his words. “I wonder if he’ll be every bit of the man his father is.”
Eyes softening, Gavin slithered up Emily’s body, kissed the side of her ribs, the swell of her breast, and the slope of her collar bone. Hovering above her, he ran his hand through her silky hair. “I hope he falls in love with a selfless woman like his mother, who risks everything she has by taking a chance on his wiseass.”
With vibrant flares of colors from fireworks spilling through the window into the darkened room, Emily’s stared into Gavin’s eyes, her breath catching as she tangled her fingers in his hair. “I hope he’s as forgiving, gentle, and kind as his father is if that woman ever hurts him.”
Gavin settled his lips over Emily’s, whispering as he gently kissed her. “I wonder if he’ll know how much I’m going to love him and his mother until the day I take my last, dying breath.”
Although she wanted to, Gavin didn’t let Emily speak again. Not only did he continue to leave a trail of sweet word prints in her ears, he entered her lifeblood, caressing her soul in ways he never had before. Heart racing with promise, Emily felt him become one with her and their child, his love unyielding with every delicate touch and sweet embrace through the night.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
When Emily woke the next morning, the smell of bacon flared her senses as she climbed from the empty bed. Puffy clouds, gray as an old headstone, peppered the sky beyond the window. Clearly rain would haunt the day. With a lazy stretch and a yawn creeping up her throat, she scanned the bedroom. Poking her head from the door, she heard Gavin’s and his father’s voices coming from downstairs. She smiled at the way they joked and laughed. Deciding to get a quick shower before they left, Emily rummaged through her suitcase for a soft pair of capri pants and red tank top. Clothing in hand, she made her way into the bathroom and indulged in a long, hot shower. Once finished, she blew her hair dry, got dressed, and headed downstairs. Finding Chad alone in the kitchen, she glanced around, looking for Gavin.
“Good morning,” Emily said, pulling out a chair. “Where’s Gavin?”
Holding a spatula, Chad faced her. “Good morning to you too,” he replied with a smile. “We ran out of milk. He took a quick ride up to the store.” Chad poured her a tall glass of orange juice and slid it across the black granite counter. “Drink. It’s good for you and my grandson.”