Elisa Read online

  22

  The next morning, Elisa went into the bathroom and vomited right away. I was starting to get worried. Perhaps there was an internal injury that we didn’t consider. When I asked her to go to the doctor, she insisted it was just a bug. I wasn’t so sure. I told her if it didn’t go away in a few days, she was going—whether she wanted to or not.

  For the next few days she acted odd. She wasn’t as talkative or animated as she normally was. It seemed like her mind was somewhere else. I asked if I did something wrong but she always insisted that she was just tired.

  When we were sitting at the table having lunch, she looked at me. “I’m going out to dinner with my brothers. I want you to come.”

  I looked at her. “You do?”

  “Of course I do, Jared. They want to meet you.”

  “You told them about me?”

  She smiled. “Yes.”

  That meant the world to me. She would never understand that. The fact that she asked me to move in was already indicative of her commitment to me, but this really made my heart squeeze. I wanted to be completely accepted into her family. It looked like I finally was.

  That evening, Sadie and Ethan stayed home with the kids while we walked to the restaurant. Elisa was scared to be out but she didn’t comment on it. I held her close to me as we walked down the street. I didn’t think she would ever move on from what happened. It was understandable. Her husband had passed away and she almost—I didn’t like to think about it.

  When we walked inside, I spotted her brothers immediately. They looked like Ethan.

  “Hello, I’m Jared,” I said as I extended my hand. The man took it. He was bigger than Ethan but with the same blue eyes.

  “Kyle,” he said with a nod.

  I turned to the second brother. “Hello.” I shook his hand.

  “Scott,” he answered.

  I pulled out Elisa’s chair and helped her sit down before I took my seat next to her. They both seemed to notice my actions because they slightly nodded their heads in approval. At least the night was starting well. I hoped they wouldn’t be as confrontational as Ethan was, or worse.

  Kyle looked at me. “Ethan said you’re a good guy.”

  “He did?” I blurted.

  He laughed. “Was he wrong?”

  “No,” I said quickly. “He’s just threatening me all the time so I can never be sure.”

  Scott rolled his eyes. “Ethan acts like a tough guy but he’s a big pussy who loves pussy.”

  “Is your sister going to marry him?” Kyle asked.

  “Yep,” I answered.

  “Tell her to get out while she can,” Scott said.

  I smiled. “Well, that makes me feel reassured,” I said sarcastically.

  Kyle laughed. “We’re just joking. Ethan’s not that bad.”

  “Another golden compliment,” I said.

  Scott took a drink of his water. “He used to be a disgusting pig but when he met Sadie, he changed. I didn’t believe it until I actually saw it. He’s being serious.”

  “I think so too,” I answered.

  Elisa placed her hand on my thigh. “Jared is a wonderful with the kids. They love him.”

  “Is that so?” Kyle said. “Good, because Ethan has been playing Mrs. Doubtfire for too long.”

  Scott laughed. “He actually started to grow breasts at one point.”

  “Stop teasing him,” Elisa said. “Ethan is a wonderful man and I’m so grateful to have him in my life.”

  Kyle nodded. “Ethan is a badass—don’t tell him I said that.”

  “What do you do for a living?” Scott asked.

  “I work on Wall Street with Ethan,” I answered.

  He nodded his head in approval. “How much money do you make?”

  “Scott!” Elisa yelled.

  “What? How am I supposed to know if he can take care of you if I don’t know how much dough he has?”

  “It’s okay,” I said quickly. “But if Ethan can take of Elisa and the kids, then logically I can as well.”

  Kyle nodded. “But what if you’re an intern or something? How do we know?”

  “I’m a certified financial analyst. I graduated from Harvard.”

  Kyle whistled. “Oh shit. Step back. He just dropped the Harvard card.”

  I laughed. “Well, I’m throwing all my chips in. I better win.”

  Elisa rolled her eyes. “Jared is one of the greatest men I’ve ever known and I want to spend the rest of my life with him.”

  I turned and looked at her, shocked by her public declaration. If she was ready to get married, I would propose right now. We were basically already married anyway.

  “Damn, don’t pull a Taylor Swift on me,” Kyle said. “I don’t want to listen to the mushy love shit.”

  She glared at him. “Maybe you should settle down.”

  “Nah,” Kyle said. “I’ve got too many cherries to pop.”

  “You’re so disgusting,” she said.

  Scott shrugged. “At least he’s honest about it.”

  We talked about everything from sports to literature while we ate our dinner. Her brothers were talkative and disruptive like Ethan but I liked them immensely. I could see myself hanging out with them at the courts, the gym, or the bars. Elisa was lucky that she had three men to care for her—four including me.

  Before we left the restaurant, they both shook my hand and gave me a nod of approval.

  “Thanks for putting up with my sister,” Kyle said. “She can be a drama queen.”

  “Super annoying,” Scott said.

  “I guess I’m immune,” I said.

  “Apparently,” Kyle said. They both turned around and walked up the street.

  I looked at Elisa. “I’m assuming they don’t know what happened?”

  “No.”

  “Are you going to tell them?”

  “No.”

  “Why?”

  “It’ll just hurt them.”

  I nodded. “Okay.” I could understand that.

  We walked back home and went inside. The kids were coloring at the table and Ethan and Sadie were wrapping presents in the living room. There were more presents than we could fit under the tree. Most of them were for the kids.

  Elisa sat at the table and watched them color then she took her own paper and started to doodle herself. She seemed to be lost in her work so I moved into the living room. She seemed sad and depressed. I knew the incident was weighing heavily on her mind. She seemed to be out of touch for the past few days. We didn’t make love nearly as often as we normally did. I wondered if she was in pain and refused to tell me. I was definitely taking her to the doctor the next day. She couldn’t argue with me this time.

  When it got late, everyone retired to bed. We put the kids to sleep then read to them before we turned off all the lights in the house, checked the locks, and went into the bedroom. Instead of just taking off her clothes like normal, she changed into pajamas and put on a robe. That shit wasn’t going to fly.

  “Ellie, tell me what’s wrong.”

  She looked startled. “What do you mean?”

  “I know you are upset. I can see it everywhere. Are you in pain? We’re going to the doctor tomorrow. You don’t get a choice in the manner.”

  “That’s unnecessary.”

  “Like I said, you don’t get a choice. We’re going—that’s final.”

  She ran her fingers through her hair then sat on the bed. “I need to tell you something.”

  I felt my heart race. This wasn’t going to be good. I could tell that this was going to break my heart. “Uh, okay.” I sat beside her on the bed and looked at her.

  Tears started to fall down her cheeks. “I don’t know how you’re going to react. You might be mad or disappointed. I really don’t know.”

  I took a deep breath. “No matter what it is, I’ll still love you as much as I do now, Ellie, so please tell me.”

  She averted her gaze then clutched her hands together. “Jared�
�I—I’m pregnant.”

  My heart burst from my chest like an explosion. I replayed her words in my mind over and over. I was shocked. She was on the pill. I wasn’t sure how this happened. It was completely unexpected. She just stared at me but said nothing, her hands still held together.

  “Are you sure?”

  She nodded. “I’ve checked many times.”

  I jumped up. “Yes! This is so amazing! I can’t believe this.”

  She almost fell over she was so surprised.

  “I’m gonna be a dad—for real!” I clapped my hands together. “This is perfect!”

  “What?”

  I walked out the door into the hallway. “I’m having a baby! I’m having a baby!”

  Ethan opened his bedroom door with his shirt off. “What are you yelling about?”

  “We’re having a baby. Elisa is pregnant!”

  He broke into a smile. “That’s awesome!” He hugged me. “Congratulations.”

  Sadie came to me next and jumped in my arms. “I’m so happy for you.”

  “I am too,” I said as I squeezed her. “So happy.” When I pulled away, Elisa was standing beside me. I grabbed her face and kissed her. “This is so wonderful.”

  She continued to cry. “You aren’t—mad?”

  “What? Why would I be mad? I don’t think I’ve ever been happier.”

  She smiled and wiped her tears away. “I’m so relieved.”

  I picked her up and held her to my chest. “I’m so glad that’s why you’ve been throwing up. I was so worried, Ellie.”

  “I’m sorry. I was just scared to tell you.”

  I set her down then pressed my forehead against hers. “How long until it gets here?”

  She smiled. “Eight months.”

  “Eight months? That’s forever.”

  “Didn’t you take a general biology class at Harvard?” my sister asked with a laugh.

  I rolled my eyes. “I just don’t want to wait that long. I want my baby now.”

  “I’m so glad you’re excited,” Elisa said.

  “Excited is an understatement,” I said. “Do you know the sex yet?”

  Elisa laughed. “No.”

  Sadie patted my shoulder. “Okay. Calm down. It’s still a long road ahead.”

  I groaned.

  Ethan pulled Sadie into the bedroom. “We’ll celebrate tomorrow. For now, we need to sleep.” He shut the door behind them.

  I picked up Elisa then carried her into the bedroom. I closed the door with my foot then laid her on the bed. I ripped off her clothes like a caveman then kissed her stomach, rubbing my hands across the surface. Her stomach was still flat so I couldn’t see any noticeable changes in her body. “Thank you for giving this to me.”

  “You’re so sweet, Jared.”

  I kissed her stomach again. “This is so hot.”

  “What?”

  “A part of me is growing inside you. Soon you’re going to gain a bunch of weight and you’ll have a hard time walking around. Your ass and tits will get bigger. I’ll be able to feel my baby kick inside you. I can talk to it. Everyone will know that you’re mine—that I’m the one who knocked you up.”

  “So you’re excited for me to be fat and bitchy?”

  “Yes—so excited.”

  She laughed. “Thank you for being supportive.”

  “You don’t need to thank me. But I feel like I’m more excited than you are.”

  “I’m very excited,” she said with a smile. “I was just scared.”

  “I love your kids like my own but I’m excited to have one with you—from start to finish.”

  “I am too.”

  “And I want another one.”

  “Let’s not get ahead of ourselves here,” she said with a laugh.

  I took off my clothes then climbed on top of her. My cock had never been harder. “I can’t wait to make love to you.”

  “I don’t look any different.”

  “It changes everything—believe me. And I can’t wait for you to get bigger.” I separated her legs then inserted myself within her. “I love you, Ellie.”

  “I love you too.”

  “Thanks for picking me. You’ve made me the happiest man in the world today.”

  “Oh, Jared.”

  I rocked into her gently. “It’s you and me forever, okay?”

  “Yes. That’s what I want.”

  “Good.”

  I pinned her legs back and moved further inside her. The knowledge that she was pregnant with my child was the hottest thing I’ve ever heard of. “I can’t last much longer.”

  “We just started,” she said as she gripped me.

  It was too late. I came inside her. “Oh—god.” I bucked inside her until I was completely done. “Sorry. I told you it changed everything.” I pulled out of her then moved my mouth down to her entrance. I started to kiss her gently and rub her clit with my tongue.

  She moaned for me and gripped my hair. I inserted my tongue within her and rubbed her clitoris with my thumb. Within a few seconds, she reached the edge and exploded.

  “Jared,” she said with a moan. “Jared.”

  I pulled away and wiped my lips. “I would never leave you hanging, baby.”

  I moved up the bed then crawled under the covers, pulling her into my arms. “I love you so much, Ellie. This is what I’ve always wanted.”

  “I love you too.”

  I held her while I closed my eyes. We sat together in the darkness. I started to feel my mind drift as the exhaustion took over. I imagined what my baby would look like as the darkness descended. I heard the heating system kick on in the background. The townhouse was old so it had some mechanical issues with it.

  “Jared?”

  “Hmm?”

  “Is the gun in the drawer?”

  “Yes.”

  “Is it loaded?”

  “Yes.”

  “Okay.”

  23

  A part of me was nervous that we were having a baby, but I was definitely excited more than anything else. The pregnancy wasn’t traditional. I’m not sure how it even happened because she was on birth control. Perhaps she stopped taking it for the days she was in the hospital and that was enough to make her fertile. There was no point in dwelling about it now. It was done. We were having a kid together.

  Elisa had recovered from the incident, but I still preferred it if she stayed in bed or on the couch. I was scared that something was going to happen to her or our baby. Since I hadn’t gone back to work yet, I took care of the house and the kids as much as possible. I didn’t want Elisa to stress about anything.

  When she was still asleep one morning, I went into the living room to see Ethan sitting at the table.

  “Hey,” he said as he read the paper.

  “Hi,” I said with a little more enthusiasm than I normally would.

  He laughed. “Still excited about the baby?”

  “I’m gonna be excited for the next eight months.” I grabbed some coffee and sat down across from him.

  “So, are you going to ask her?”

  I knew what he meant. “Yes.”

  He nodded. “Good.”

  The calm behavior was a miracle coming from Ethan. I expected him to hold a fist to my face and threaten to kill me if I didn’t propose. It seemed like the guy finally trusted me.

  “When?” he asked.

  “I haven’t decided.”

  “I think she’ll say yes.”

  “I know she will,” I said with a smile.

  “So, you aren’t getting cold feet about all of this?”

  “Of course not. Why would I? This is exactly what I wanted.”

  He shrugged. “It’s just a lot to handle. I love Sadie more than anything, but if she told me she was pregnant, I would be freaking out.”

  I laughed. “I guess I’m a little nervous, but since Elisa has already done this twice, I know she’ll know exactly what to do.”

  “Then you have to go back to work, ri
ght?”

  “Yeah, I will soon.”

  “Do you think you can get your job back?”

  “Yeah. I can come back whenever I want.”

  “That’s a relief.”

  “If not, I’ll just work somewhere else.”

  Ethan flipped the page of the newspaper and continued to read.

  Elisa walked into the room, lighting it up with her innate shine. I smiled and watched her pour herself a cup of hot water and grab a tea bag. She wasn’t far along, but she looked totally different to me. She was even more gorgeous than just a few days ago. I stood up and kissed her on the forehead. “Good morning.”

  She smiled then kissed me on the lips. “Morning.”

  I eyed the tea bag. “You shouldn’t have caffeine, Ellie.”

  “It’s decaf,” she said as she took a drink.

  “I guess that’s okay.”

  She rolled her eyes. “I got this, Jared.” She took a seat at the table.

  “Are you hungry?” I asked.

  “No. I always get morning sickness if I eat,” she said as she dabbed her tea bag. “I went through the same thing with the other two.”

  I sat across from her. “I made an appointment with an obstetrician. He’s the best in the city.”

  She looked at me. “Why?”

  “I thought you’ve done this before?”

  “I’ll be fine, Jared. I don’t need to see a doctor.”

  I narrowed my eyes at her. “Yes, you do. We are going. End of story.” My voice came out harsher than I meant it to, but it just slipped out. When it came to the health of her and the baby, I was a little crazy.

  Ethan looked uncomfortable. “I’m gonna go check on Sadie.” He left the newspaper and his coffee on the table.

  I looked at her. “So go get dressed.”

  “No.”

  “What did you say to me?”

  “Jared, calm down. I don’t need to go right now.”

  “We need a sonogram to make sure everything is okay. Plus, we need recommendations for prenatal vitamins.”

  She averted her gaze. “Jared, I don’t have health insurance.”

  “You don’t get it through Ethan?”

  “We have emergency coverage but I can’t afford preventative coverage.”