Blind Side Of Love (37 page)

After three long days, I didn’t think I had any more tears left inside of me. It hurt to breathe. Why did this have to happen? I rubbed my belly and the tears began to flow once again. All I could think of was raising this baby alone and how he, or she, would never know what a wonderful man their dad was. I couldn’t do this without him.

“Becca, are you ready?” Mason’s mother asked. I nodded and wiped away the tears. She took my hand as I stood up and I walked beside her in a straight line for what seemed like eternity before turning off. She guided me over to the chair and I sat down. “Okay, I’ll give you your privacy. Talk to him. He’s here. He can hear you.”

I reached down and felt around for his hand and wrapped my fingers around it. “Mason, there are so many things I need to tell you, but most of all; I love you. I fell in love with you all those years ago and you made me fall in love with you again. You and I, we’re that perfect full moon that shines among the stars. I will not let you leave me this time. You have too much to live for. We still have so many sunsets together, and I can only see them with you, through your eyes, with your heart. I leaned my head on his chest and listened to his heart beating. As I stood back up, I took his hand and placed it on my belly. “Do you see what I do, Mason? Can you see our unborn baby? I can see him so clearly. Call me crazy, but I just know it’s a boy.” I bit my bottom lip and smiled, wiping my tears with the back of my hand. “He has your boyish charm and good looks. He’s the most beautiful little boy in the world, Mason, and he needs you. He needs his Daddy. Don’t leave us. I’m begging you.” I gasped when I felt his hand move up my stomach. “Mason? Are you awake? Can you hear me?” I grabbed onto his hand and he gripped it tighter. Leaning over, I whispered in his ear. “We need you, Mason. Please wake up.” He grasped my hand tighter and I felt a smile rush across my face. “Wake up, Baby. Wake up.” I kissed him over and over again on the top of his head.

“Becca?” His voice sounded so weak.

“Yes?” I couldn’t wipe the teardrops quick enough as they spilled from my eyes.

“Who needs me?” he asked.

“I need you, and our baby needs you.”

I swept my hand across the scruff of his face. “Say it again, Becca.”

“Our baby, Mason; our beautiful little baby needs you.”

“I love you, Becca.”

“I love you, too. More than you will ever know.” I ran my hand through his hair and rested my lips on his forehead. He came back to me after six long years and now he had come back again after the three longest days of my life and I would never let him leave me again. He was here and he was mine—this time forever.

Mason

After two long weeks of being in the hospital, I was finally home. I knew that I wouldn’t have been doing as well if it weren’t for Becca. She gave me a reason to wake up that day. Having her love was enough, but knowing that she was going to have my baby only added to my reason to survive.

From what I had heard from Liz, Ashton was released from the hospital last week and was now facing a slew of charges. My mother and father had just gone back to Louisiana and I was climbing the walls to get back to work. I had made my decision and took the promotion and I knew now that it was the best decision ever. I had called Becca’s father earlier in the week and asked if I could meet with him. Since I was still unable to drive, he agreed to come into the city and meet me for a drink. I was surprised by his willingness to do so and was hoping he was as amiable to what I had to say. As I walked into the restaurant, I spotted him right away sitting at the mostly empty bar.

I took a deep breath as I approached him. “Dr. Keeton.”

He looked from his drink and stood up to shake my hand.

“How are you feeling?” he asked.

“Pretty good,” I responded.

He nodded as he looked me up and down the same way he always did when Becca and I were first together. “I—umm… I wanted to tell you thank you for saving her.” I could see the emotion building in his eyes.

“No need to thank me, Dr. Keeton. I love Becca with all my heart and I would have gladly died for her that day.”

He closed his eyes and nodded. “I’m not just talking about what happened a few weeks ago. I’m talking about six years ago, too.” I stared into his eyes and nodded. “I spoke with one of the agents on that case. When I found out how Barrett had intended to use my daughter, I swear to God I wanted to kill him and I realized if it weren’t for you, something much worse could have happened to Becca.”

“You never told her about the case or about me? Why?”

“Because I gave you my word that I wouldn’t and I did realize how much you truly did care for her.”

“She means everything to me and that’s the reason I asked you to meet me, sir. I want to ask her to marry me and I would like to have your blessing.” His eyes widened in surprise. “I know it may be a little old fashioned, but that’s the way I was raised.”

He stared straight ahead like he was deep in thought. “You weren’t lying when you told me that you really did love her all those years ago.”

“No, sir, I wasn’t. And I promise to be the best husband and father–” I stopped myself, knowing that I had just said too much. Becca and I hadn’t told anyone that news yet.

His eyes filled with emotion and I knew right away that he caught on to my slip up. “Becca’s pregnant?” I hesitantly nodded. He formed the slightest of smiles. “My little girl is going to have a baby? I’m going to be a grandpa?” His smile broadened.

“Becca is probably going to be really pissed at me for letting that slip because I’m sure she wanted to be the one to tell you, but yeah, she is.”

He shook his head and tapped his hand on the bar. “Bartender, get my future son-in-law a drink. He’s going to be a dad!” He looked into my eyes and extended his hand to me. “You have my blessing, Mason.”

Lilly and I took a walk to Becca’s office to pick her up from work, stopping along the way to pick her up some roses. Tomorrow was her birthday and I wanted to start celebrating tonight. She was deep in thought as she sat there listening to a recording. I stood in the doorway just smiling at her. She was glowing and just knowing that in seven months she would be having my baby made my grin grow even wider. Lilly began to whine, causing Becca to take out her earplugs. I walked over quietly to her and stuck the roses under her nose.

She smiled. “Roses!”

“But can you guess what color?”

“Hmm….I’m thinking red.”

“Nope.” She furrowed her eyebrows in confusion. “What’s your favorite color?”

“Oh…. pink!” She inhaled their fragrance once again and smiled.

“Early birthday present for the birthday girl.”

“Wow, beautiful roses!” Stephanie, Becca’s assistant, said as she walked in the door.

“Thank you. They’re a present from this guy here.” She giggled.

“Want me to get them in some water for you?” Stephanie asked.

“Yeah, that’d be great,” Becca replied. I waited for Stephanie to exit before bending down by the side of Becca’s desk, kissing her on the lips and then her belly.

“How are you feeling today?” I asked.

“Great, actually. Didn’t throw up once, so I’m hoping that the worst of it is over.”

“It is, Becca, and it will only get better going forward.” She placed her hands on my face and smiled, clearly knowing that I wasn’t just referring to her pregnancy.

“What about you? You haven’t been overdoing it today, have you?”

“Nope!”

“Mason, don’t lie. You know the doctor said he wants you taking it easy until you go back to see him for your follow up visit.”

How could I forget?
Taking it easy
meant no sex, and Becca wasn’t caving on bending the doctor’s orders. “Cross my heart. Lilly and I had an uneventful day.” She didn’t need to know that this afternoon consisted of meeting up with her Dad and picking up her ring from the jewelers.

“Here you go, Becca!” Stephanie said as she brought the vase full of roses back in and placed them on Becca’s desk.

“I’m going to leave them here. That way when I’m sitting at my desk, I can smell them and think of you.”

“Sounds good to me.”

She reached around for her bag on the floor and stood up. I took her arm in mine and we were on our way.

We went back to my place and ordered Chinese takeout. Becca had been staying with me since my parents left to go back home. She said that it was because she wanted to make sure I wasn’t doing anything that the doctor told me not to do, but I knew part of it was because she was freaked out about staying in her apartment after everything that happened. Ashton was being held in prison without bail, which put my mind at ease a little bit. And I was hoping with any luck that he would be staying there for a very long time. I hated the fact that Becca was going to have to be put through the stress of testifying and I hoped that wouldn’t happen until after she had the baby.

“I’m so excited that you are coming to my parents’ with me this weekend for my birthday!” Becca beamed. “Having you there and my brother, it’s just gonna be great!”

“Hey, I wanted to give you another early birthday present.”

“Mason, you’re spoiling me…..but I’ll allow it.” She laughed.

“Well, this is actually something old.” I grabbed her wrist and clasped the bracelet that I had given her all those years ago for her birthday.

She reached down with her other hand and felt around. “My bracelet,” she whispered. “You kept it all this time?”

“I did.”

She threw her arms around me and placed a gentle kiss on my cheek. “This means more to me than anything. Thank you so much.”

“Well,
you
mean more to me than anything, so
thank you
, Becca.” She placed her head on my shoulder and let out a deep breath. “What’s wrong?” I asked.

“I just never thought that I’d be this happy again. When I lost my sight, I thought my life was over. I never imagined that I would find someone to love me and actually have a baby some day. They were all dreams that I let fade away because I thought they were impossible. But you made those dreams a reality for me.”

“I never stopped loving you, Becca, and I’m just so happy that I found you again.”

“Me too!” She smiled and gave me a tight squeeze before rubbing her belly which wasn’t showing any signs of pregnancy yet. “But I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t a little scared.”

I moved her hair from her face and stared down at her. “Why are you scared?”

“Because I want to be the best mother that I can be and I’m just afraid that I won’t be able to without my vision.”

“Becca, Baby, you have so much love in your heart, and that’s the most important thing you can give to our baby.”

“I know, but what if –”

I placed my lips on hers to stop her from talking. “Becca, we’re in this together and I promise you our baby is going to have the best life ever and you are going to be the best mom ever.”

She let out a deep breath. “I can’t wait until
he
gets here.”

“Well, what makes you so sure it’s going to be a he? It could be a beautiful little girl, just like her mommy.”

“Nope, I have a strange feeling that
he’s
going to be all you.”