The Unexpected Series (Unexpected #1-3) (17 page)

It slips out. I’m not one for nicknames but it just felt right. Being with Walker feels right.

His eyes light up at my term of endearment and a smile breaks out on my face. I’ve made him happy.

“Erin.” He takes the picture and carefully places it next to my purse on the counter. Taking the three steps needed to reach me, his hands grab my hips and he bends down onto both knees before me. He looks up to me, commanding, without words, not to dare look away. “Erin, you have no idea how happy these past couple of weeks has made me. I’ve dreamed about a little girl since the night you told me she was mine. She’ll have your big beautiful brown eyes, thick brown hair and me, completely wrapped around her finger. She will be as adored and protected as her mother and will never go without. I promise.”

“You’re amazing, Walker,” I interrupt. I needed to tell him. “I’m so lucky to have you in my life. We are lucky.”

“When I’m with you I feel amazing. You make my heart beat. You make my world turn and fill my lungs with air. I live and die by you, Erin Decker.” His grasp tightens. “I love our little girl so much and I love you, Erin. So damn much it hurts.”

My legs collapse beneath me bringing me to the ground with him. I gently place my palms over the top of his, still holding onto my hips. “I love you too, Walker. Not so much it hurts, because love shouldn’t hurt, but so much that I give myself to you. My love. My all. Everything. It’s yours.”

R
esolute in our newly declared love for one another and after leaving the OB office, I called my mother to let her know she would be having another granddaughter. After the high pitched screaming stopped and I was able to put the phone back to my ear, she asked what her name would be. Walker, overhearing my mom’s question, announced that he gets to name her. Since I am getting used to his quirks I didn’t push it further...we can compromise later.

On the way home I practically had to take a hold of the steering wheel so that he wouldn’t follow through on his threats of pulling into a Babies R Us and buying, according to Walker, “every damn baby item she deserves.” He was being cute, but I wanted to wait until the twenty week ultrasound to confirm it’s a girl.

Since that day, Walker has been taking every opportunity to express his love for me now that it’s out there in the open. If he isn’t telling me he loves me, he is expressing what he loves about me. Sometimes I feel like it’s all too good to be true. A twenty three year old man fresh out of college wanting to be completely tied down with someone he just recently got to know? I will admit we fit together perfectly, both mentally and physically. My body molds to his in such a way that you don’t know where one ends and the other begins. And our personalities? When I was with Robert, I felt old, but with Walker, I feel my age. We can cuddle on the couch to watch a movie, sneak inappropriate touches when others aren’t looking, and laugh so hard at how much he annoys Noelle, that I snort. Sexy, I know but I don’t have to feel like I need to be someone I’m not when I am around him. I didn’t realize I was doing that before.

“Erin, get your head out of Walker’s ass!” Noelle snaps her fingers in front of my face getting my attention. “You’re supposed to be spending time with me.”

It’s Sunday night and Noelle has been nagging me for a girl’s night. We’ve barely had any alone time and I’m excited for some female bonding. Walker has been banished from the house until after school tomorrow and even though I miss him, I know that Noelle and I need some bestie time.

“I’m sorry. Just have a lot on my mind. It’s been two days and Walker still won’t call his parents and tell them about the appointment, or that they will be having a granddaughter. I don’t want that for him or even this baby. They all deserve to be in each other’s lives. Since losing my dad, I feel even more strongly about it. I would give anything for him to be here for her, to hold her.” Sitting on the floor, with my back against the couch, I rub my abdomen as I try holding back the tears.

Noelle moves closer, wrapping her arm around my shoulder and pulling me into a comforting sideways hug. “I’m sorry, Erin. I know how much he meant to you, to me too. He always treated me like his own daughter. Just know that he is always looking down on you. In fact, after getting to know Walker a little bit more, I know your dad sent him to you. He would be Walker’s number one fan, you know that right? And he would be so proud of you.”

“I know. I just miss him so much.” Her arms squeeze me just a bit tighter.

“Okay.” She pats me on the head and turns her body to face me. “So speaking of, how are things going with Thunder Tongue?”

I roll my eyes at her nickname. She sees him here all the time, so she knows it’s pretty serious.

“I was just thinking about how it just seems too good to be true. He is so excited about the baby and any other normal twenty three year old would be running far away from such a huge responsibility.” I sigh and stand up plopping right back down on the sofa.

“Erin.” She jumps up walking to the kitchen to refill her glass of wine. “You should know by now that Walker is far from normal. Even though he gets on my last damn nerve with his gross feet all over my table, and I think he seriously moves things out of place in the fridge just to give me the shakes, I believe he truly wants to be there.”

Sighing, I throw my head back against the cushion. “You’re right. It just seems like the ball is going to drop. Like, the drama with his dad is just the tip of the iceberg on the Titanic of issues that are coming.”

“I know I am the last person to say this to you,” she says coming back from the kitchen, making me jealous of her wine glass full of beautiful Moscato. “But you shouldn’t worry about anything until there is something to worry about. Don’t think about all the bad things that could happen and focus on all the good. A month ago you were going to be a single parent and now you have the father of that beautiful niece of mine in both of your lives.”

She’s right. I hate when she is right. There is no need to worry about something that may or may not happen, and at this point I don’t see what could possibly go wrong.

“You have to give him props, Erin. I respect the fact that he is taking responsibility for both of your actions that night. Besides,” she continues. “From what I hear at night he must be really into you to put that much effort in to making you scream his name like that.”

My cheeks burn with redness as I throw a pillow at her legs, hoping she doesn’t spill on the carpet. I’d never hear the end of it.

What she says reinforces that I am not the only one seeing how amazing he is. Not that what others think matters, but the fact that she can see how he is stepping up and how much he actually wants all of this, warms me a little bit.

After a few minutes we pop in a DVD and veg out on all the fried food we can get our hands on. When I jump up to put in the second movie, my text message alert goes off. Noelle snatches my phone before I get a chance to.

“Holy shit, Erin! Why the hell are you here with me when you could be gliding your hands down that bad boy. Where does that V end?” Her eyes bulge out at the screen of my smart phone as I seize it back.

“You are the one that prohibited him from the house, Noelle,” I point out glancing down at my cell.

My jaw hits the floor when I see the picture Walker has sent me. He has a hat on that says “OBEY” and a white shirt pulled up gracing me with his amazing set of abs and a V that does indeed almost touch at the bottom. I have to squeeze my thighs together to keep my want at bay.

Walker: *IMAGE* Wish you were here

Me: So I can “obey”?

Walker: You’re mine to do what I please with, but if you were here, you would be begging to obey me, baby.

Me: Oh, really? How would you get me to beg?

I know this is dangerous. I’m supposed to be spending time with Noelle, but that picture did amazing things to my body and now I want to do dirty things to his.

Noelle announces she is heading for bed and leaving me to my “sexting” with no chance to protest. I fall back into the couch opening up my phone again when the ping alerts me to a new message.

Walker: I would strip you of your clothes and spread those gorgeous legs so wide to get a full view of what’s mine.

Me: Walker...

I warn him to stop. I don’t want to get worked up without him here to release me.

Walker: Then I’d nibble on your clit until your body bows off the bed and you are so close to coming.

Me: Oh my

Walker: Where’s Noelle?

Me: Bed

After fanning my heated body for ten minutes with no response, I decide to calm down and get myself ready for bed since tomorrow is a work day. My nightly routine does nothing to ease me and as I’m about to crawl under the covers a light tap hits my window making me jump. I slowly walk to the other side of the bed to see what the noise was and am met with ravenous green eyes.

Opening the window so Walker can slip in, I step back allowing him the room he needs to climb in like we are teenagers. He immediately wraps his arms around my waist, pushing me into his body and licks my lower lip. An involuntary moan escapes and I bite at his tongue just as he pulls it away.

“I missed you,” he whispers, gently placing small kisses along an invisible line straight to my ear.

My hands come up around his neck pulling on the hair at the nape. “I just saw you six hours ago.”

“I know.” His pelvis grounds into my stomach and his erection, large and throbbing, shows me just how much he missed me. “My heart hurt thinking about not sleeping with you in my arms, Erin. I’ve become accustomed to you next to me.”

I kiss him. Hard. All my anxieties from before have been forgotten. I love this amazing specimen.

Drawing back, I make sure our eyes meet. “I love you, Walker Prescott. So much.”

He freezes and my heart stops. I think I scared him, and the longer he is silent the longer time feels like it’s standing still. We’ve said it a million times this weekend, so I don’t understand why this one would scare him. As I start to push away he flashes his one sided dimple smile releasing the worry from my body.

He brushes a stray piece of hair off my face letting out a rush of air. “My God, Erin. Do you realize that is the first time you have said ‘I love you’ first? It sounds so beautiful coming from those lips.”

His touch makes its way to my swollen belly caressing it with his thumbs. “I love both of you so much. I’d die before I’d let anything hurt either of you.”

At the sound of those words my future flashes before me. Getting married, having children, growing old, sitting on the porch watching grandchildren. In each vision, I see Walker by my side with gray hair and still devastatingly handsome. I thought I knew what love was. I was wrong. This is love. I feel whole when I am with him and that doesn’t scare me. Not anymore.

The sting of Robert’s infidelity doesn’t hurt as much any longer. If that never happened I wouldn’t have met Walker and I wouldn’t have the kind of love that I’m starting to realize I deserve. The kind of love I never had in the five wasted years with Robert. Walker deserves this kind of love and trust. I know that he won’t hurt me, that no matter what, I am where I’m supposed to be right now; in his arms, pregnant with his child, about to fully commit myself, honestly and truly.

“I need to say something to you and I need you to understand how important it is that you just listen.” He nods and makes a zipping motion across his lips. “I’m serious, Walker.”

“Okay, baby.” His lips connect to mine and quickly break away. “I’m all ears.”

“I’m about to say words to you that I’ve never in my life been able to say and fully mean. They truly mean so much more than any ‘I love you’ that I could say to you or anyone else.”

I turn his body so his legs hit the bed and give a little shove so that he falls back. I lift one knee up onto the comforter and then the other to straddle his thighs and drape my arms around him. Looking deep into his eyes, I make sure he will beyond a doubt hear what I am going to say. “I trust you, Walker.”

A flash of confusion washes over his face. “I trust you too, Erin, but I don’t think I understand.”

Letting out a huff, I try to stand up but his iron grip around my body keeps me in place. How do I explain this to him?

Taking a deep breath I try.

“I know that you don’t like to hear about past relationships but just hear me out.” He nods. “With every boyfriend, and there hasn’t been many, I never fully trusted them. There was always something holding me back. I’m starting to realize that you cannot love someone and give your heart to them unless you can trust them with it, and I am giving my heart to you because I trust you. And I love you. Our little girl and I are so lucky to have you in our lives. I am so thankful for you.”

In a heartbeat I am turned and laid gently down onto my back on what is now my side of the bed. Walker grabs the top of the blanket, nudging me to lift up my behind and bring it down and over me. As he stands, I notice he is already graced with his usual gym shorts and t-shirt pajamas. Walking to the door, he turns to me giving me the sweetest smile I have ever seen and flips the lights off. A moment later the bed dips and his warmth envelops me, bringing me ever so close to his body. His soft breath tickles my ear and he whispers. “I trust you too, Erin, and I love you more than words can describe. I don’t feel worthy of a gift as amazing as you and our daughter, but every day I am going to prove my worth to you. You deserve an extraordinary life. With me.”