Come Home Bad Boy (10 page)

But this was different, I hadn't really told her about Silas yet. Since she moved for school, our lives had drifted some. She was busy with all her classes, and working at the hospital. We were supposed to go to together, it had been our plan.

Get into the same school, room together, become RN's. Unfortunately for me, she got accepted and I didn't. Instead, I've been taking a few classes at the community college, hoping I'll be able to transfer in the fall to my second choice.

How is she going to react?
I had no idea.

“Livie, I might be pregnant.” Gritting my teeth, lip curled up, I sat listening. Silence and the crackle of space filled the receiver.

“Wow, didn't see that coming.” Her voice fell softer, words humming against my ear. “You're not sure though?”

“Not yet. I think I'm late, threw up this morning, I feel nauseous. But I haven't taken a test yet.” Flopping to my ass, my legs spread out in front of me. A sense of relief started to ease over my shoulders. It felt good to tell someone, especially when that someone was my best friend.

“Did you tell Kyle? What's he think?” she asked. And I froze, drawing out in long silence. “Heidi, does he know you might be?”

“It's not his, we broke up a few weeks ago. Well, I should say he broke up with me.” Shaking my head, I twined the fabric of my carpet. The small braided strands curled together briefly before snapping back.

“Whose is it then? Rollin's”

“Ew, no!” I spat.

Rollin had been a guy I dated for about a month, and that was over two years ago. Honestly, the fact I even lasted a month with him boggled my mind to begin with. He was a quiet guy, with weird habits. When I caught him sniffing my socks, that was it. I ended it right then and there.

“Then who?”
Livie asked, the words stretching out over her tongue.

“This guy I met, Silas.” Saying his name sent a surge of electricity through my bones, hitting me in the core. The man did something to me that no one else ever had. He made me feel giddy, excited, and beautiful. Everything I've always wanted to feel.

“What are you going to do if you are?”

“I'm keeping it,” I said without hesitation. “There's no question about that.”

“Well, Heidi, as your best friend I need to say this...” Her voice trailed off, and I waited. Waited anxiously for her to wag a motherly finger at me, tell me I was irresponsible. “I'm pretty excited, if you are I'll be Auntie Livie!”

A relieved smile pulled across my face, the nerves morphing into fireworks of happiness. “Really?”

“Yes, really! Of course! You're a wonderful person, Heidi. If you are pregnant, then that's one lucky baby. You'd make a great mom, Faye taught you well.”

“Thank you, Livie. I need to call Silas, there's a test we need to take.”

“Good luck.” She said, hanging up.

The encouraging words warmed my belly, filling me with a calming sensation. If I was having a baby, I knew I'd give that child anything and everything I could.

That's what mattered, knowing that regardless of anything else that went on in my world, that baby would always come first.

Still smiling, I hit Silas' name. The ringing echoed through the speaker, each one seemed to get louder as I waited for him to answer.

“Hey, sexy! I was just going to call you.”

“Oh yeah?” I asked, grinning so wide it hurt my cheeks. Even his voice made me buzz all over. The tingles rode my spine, splitting off and shooting through every muscle.

“Yeah, what are you up to?”

“We have something to do today.” My voice perked, growing in volume.

“Oh do we, and what's that? You want another ride on my cock?” Laughing, he said, “It makes for a good breakfast.”

“Maybe after we take our test.”

“Test? What kind of test? You need help studying for school?”

“No, not for school. I'm late, Silas.” Pressing the phone harder to my ear, I tried to listen to his thoughts. I wanted to hear what was going through his head, know if he was grasping what I was saying.

“Late? You're late?”

“Yup, I'm pretty sure.”

“Are you saying you think you could be—”

I didn't let Silas finish, cutting him off, I said, “Yes.”

All my fear and uncertainty had melted away, none of that existed anymore. It all turned to excitement, and curiosity.

Am I?

Could I be?

We'll find out soon.

But I needed Silas there, this was something we needed to do together.

Silas

I
couldn't believe how fast my heart was hitting the inside of my chest.
She said she's late. Late, holy shit.

Heidi was going to meet me at the pharmacy, she wanted to do this together. And I wouldn't want it any other way. I wanted to be there for everything, from seeing the result, to watching the birth.

Everything.

I never thought in a million years I'd ever have a family, and here it was, right at my fingertips. I had been a hard shell, unbreakable to anything that came my way.

Heidi broke the crust, shattering the glass exterior. I knew, right from the start, I knew if I ever wanted a family, a baby, it had to be with her. No one else gave me the feelings she did.

She sent my cock into overdrive, made it hard for me to breathe. I couldn't even go five minutes without her crossing my mind. And I never wanted that to disappear, I had to have her.

All of her.

When I joined the Army, there was no question in my mind I was bred for it. I was a lone man in an unforgiving world, no one was going to miss me if I didn't come home.

But I needed to change that, needed a baby, a family. And I was going to find out soon if that desire had been met. Heidi had been my answer all along, the bright light at the end of the tunnel.

Turning into the parking lot, Heidi was standing out front, a small plastic bag tightly cupped in her hand.

Her lips opened wide, exposing a brightly lit smile. Waving wildly, she ran across the lot to me. “Hey, it's about time you got here. I've been brushing off prowlers for ten minutes now.” Laughing, she threw her arms around my neck.

Wrapping my arm around her waist, I pulled her in firmly. I didn't want to let her go, I could have sat there with her in my arms the entire day. “Did they offer you any money?”

“What?” She giggled, tugging on the bun resting on the top of her head.

“The prowlers, did they offer you money? Because if there is a baby in there...” Poking her belly, I said, “Every bit counts now.”

Heidi's lips tightened, turning razor thin. Smacking my chest with an open palm, she grimaced teasingly. “Hey, now! I'm not cheap you know. Those guys couldn't afford me.”

Holding my fist to my mouth, I chuckled. She was a breath of fresh air, someone I needed in my life. And nothing made me happier than knowing she was mine. “You ready?”

“Yeah, let's do this. I need to know.” Bending down, she stuffed the small package into my saddle bag. Climbing onto the seat, her fingers glided around front. “Onward, Hoke!”

Shooting her a sideways glance, I shook my head. “Sure thang, Miss Daisy.” Speaking with a southern accent, I tipped an invisible hat.

She was beaming with excitement, a giddy laugh filled her throat. Her face was a honey pink shade, like she had just been kissed by the sun. She looked beautiful, and with her untamed tousled strands blowing around, she looked perfect.

At my apartment, Heidi made a mad dash for the stairs. Her feet tangled in each other, reaching up quickly, she latched onto the banister. “That was close,” she huffed out, pulling herself straight.

“Be careful, you don't want to go giving our unborn child any injuries just yet.”

“
Possible
unborn child, nothing's set in stone yet. And even if I am, the baby is well protected.” Tilting her head, a thin smiled pulled up on her cheeks.

“God you look beautiful right now.” Pausing at the bottom of the steps, I looked up at her.

Smirking, she whipped her head around and continued up the stairs. “Come on, let's do this, I'm anxious.”

When we got inside, she pulled the small box from the bag, crumbling the plastic into a ball in her hand. Plopping down on the couch, she intensely read the back label.

“What's it say?”

“Well,” Arching an eyebrow, she said, “It doesn't seem like rocket science.”

“That's good, I haven't been to that training yet.” Sitting closely beside her, I ran my fingers over her ribs, gently cupping her belly. “So what do you have to do?”

“I pee on the stick, wait a few minutes, then if there's one line, I'm not pregnant, two lines I am. Seems fairly simple.” Holding the lavender box up, she pointed to the picture on the back.

“You ready?”

Inhaling a deep breath, she let the box fall to her lap. “I think so, you?”

“Fuck yeah, I need to know.”

“Silas?” she asked, fingers tightening around her knees.

“What?”

“If I am pregnant, what does that mean for us?” Her eyes fell soft, brows dipping down.

“It means we're having a baby, what else would it mean?” Confusion coated my face, wrinkles running across my forehead.

Heidi's head flicked down, face set on her lap. “You're a soldier, you move a lot. What does that mean for me and the baby? When you leave, what happens to us?”

“
If I leave.
I haven't been told of any transfer or deployment yet.”

“But it will happen, right?”

“Yeah, eventually.”

“So what do we do when you're gone?”

“You wait for me to come home.”

“And what if—”

Holding my hand up, I stopped her from saying it. “I will come home, I'll always come home to you, Heidi.”

Smiling, her grin felt false. A mix of wanting to believe me, and wishing it was true. We both knew nothing was definite. I couldn't honestly know for sure that if I got deployed, nothing bad would happen.

But right here, right now, that's where we needed to be. And I knew, no matter what, I would come to home to her. Even if it was in spirit, I would be here with her and our baby.

That was where I belonged.

“Come on, let's find out for sure, okay?” Squeezing her shoulders, I wrapped my arms over her neck.

Shaking her head yes, Heidi stood and headed for the bathroom. My legs started to shake, I couldn't sit still. Pacing in the living room, I repeatedly glanced at the door.

Wow, I'm nervous. I wasn't even this scared my first tour. Fuck, this is wild!

The one thing I was sure of, if Heidi was having a baby, I was going to be the best father I could to that child. There was absolutely no way I'd leave them fatherless.

No way in hell. My child was going to grow up with a family, and always know the love from both parents. That was one thing I didn't even need to question.

I was ready for this. More than I had even realized when I decided she was the one to have my baby.

My stomach was a whirlwind of crashing rocks, heavy boulders being launched by a damn catapult. I could feel the nerves exploding off each other, the intense blast of fire shooting down my veins.

A cold sweat started to pool in between my shoulder blades, the icy trickles chilling my spine as they crawled down.
This is insane! Why am I so nervous?
Anxiously, I ran my hands through my hair, tugging at the roots.

“Well? Anything yet?” I yelled through the door, placing my hand against the cracking wood.

Slowly, she cracked it open. “Well I peed on the stick, now we wait.” Stepping out, she looked back over her shoulder at the stick resting on the sink.

“Wait? How long?” My fingers gripped the hair on top of my head, holding it in place.

“The instructions say...” Holding the paper up, she flipped it around, eyes searching the writing. “Three minutes, at least three for a proper result.”

“Well this is going to be the longest three minutes of my life.”

“You're telling me,” she said, reaching her hand out, tugging the loop on my jeans.

And the two of us just stood there, fingers braided together, staring at the small white plastic strip on the sink. But we were ten feet away, not close enough to watch the small screen.

That little piece of plastic, looked huge against the sink. The lights shined down, and it seemed to emit a radiant hue. Like it was under a spotlight, an entire audience waiting to see the answer.

And for a brief moment, I felt like we weren't alone, a warm heat flooded my body, making me shiver. Goosebumps jumped off my skin, the hair on my neck stood up. When I looked at Heidi, I knew she felt the same thing.

Her arms were covered in the same prickles. Rubbing the front of her throat, she swallowed hard. I watched her chest rise, lifting her breasts to her chin. “Has it been three minutes?” Her voice crackled out, the words breaking in aired gasps.

“I'm not sure, maybe. It feels like it's been an hour already.” Opening my eyes wide, brows lifted, I said, “Let's just look, I'm sure it's been long enough.”

Nodding yes, we walked to the doorway. But neither of us stepped in, we stood in limbo. Hoovering between a step and being locked in place, neither one of us wanted to break that threshold.

Twisting her head, she gazed at me. Her lips parted softly, glistening as her tongue ran across the two pieces of flesh. “Silas, I want to tell you something.”

“Okay.” Uncertain of what to expect, not knowing what she was thinking or feeling, I squeezed her fingers.

“Even if it's not positive, I still want this. I still want a baby with you.”

My lip arched up, grazing her cheek with the back of my hand. “That's what I need, Heidi. You and our baby to make me complete.”

Cupping her cheek, I pulled her in, kissing her lips. A kiss that was more than just two mouths pressed together, this time it was different. My heart was racing, body tingling and warm, this time the kiss meant more.

I loved this woman.
That's what I was feeling, true love. Something I hid myself from, but found before it was too late.

Love.

Breaking our lock, Heidi took a deep breath. “Let's find out.” She took the first step, crossing the small strip of metal that held us at the frame.