Read Tease: A Stepbrother Romance Online
Authors: Veronica Daye
Tease: A Stepbrother Romance (16 page)
“Does this mean no more time outs?”
He grinned. “We’ll always have our time outs.”
He held my face with his hands and he kissed me deeply. I wrapped my arms around him and promised myself that this time, I would never let him go.
Part Three
Five Years Later
~ Seventeen ~
Sierra
Jagger and I spent the past couple of years trying to get pregnant. I had become a crazed woman reading and researching everything about fertility. Every morning, I took my temperature and tracked when I was ovulating. Unfortunately, it wasn’t happening.
This month, we started fertility testing to find out what the problem was, if anything. At twenty-eight, neither of us thought there could be anything wrong, but after trying for so long without results, we needed some answers.
I had been poked and prodded and had all sorts of tests done, but so far all we knew was that everything looked fine. We would get the results of all of our tests in a few weeks after everything was done, but in the meantime there was one more test and then a lot of waiting.
While I stressed and worried about everything, Jagger normally rolled with it. It was one of the reasons our relationship worked. Going through the testing was the first time I had seen Jagger look nervous, too.
I took the brown paper bag from the pharmacy and went upstairs. After carefully emptying the contents on the bathroom counter, I sat on the edge of the tub and reminisced.
Twenty years ago, I met Jagger Myka in third grade and I hated him. Fifteen years ago, he left San Diego and I counted myself lucky that I’d never have to see him again. Then ten years ago he came back into my life and changed everything I ever thought about him. It had been five years since our blind date when we got back together and got married six months later.
I never thought I’d be back in San Diego, but that’s where we decided to live. Jagger was still in the Navy, and I opened up a new restaurant downtown with Brayden’s help. Everything seemed perfect, but we felt there was one thing missing – a baby.
My phone rang and I saw Issy’s name lighting up the screen.
“Hey Issy,” I answered.
“I was just thinking about you. What are you up to?”
“I’m sitting here looking at this shot I’m supposed to give myself tonight.”
“Ick, the trigger shot you told me about?”
“Yeah, just another part of the testing to make sure everything is working correctly.”
“You sound frustrated.”
“I am. It’s not supposed to be this hard.”
“Have you tried doing it in the back seat of a car? I heard that’s how my cousin got pregnant.”
“We actually did try that. And in the back of a movie theater, at the restaurant, at my mom’s and Phil’s house.”
“Okay, okay, I really don't need all the details,” she said, laughing.
“I’m sure it’ll happen soon. You know you used to say that your bad luck charm came every five years. I think he’s proven to be good luck. Maybe it’ll happen now.”
“Maybe,” I said. “But I’m beginning to lose faith. I’ve been charting and peeing on so many sticks. I’m just tired of it. Anyway, enough about me. How’s Simon?”
“That’s actually what I’m calling you about. He proposed!”
“Well, it’s about time. I mean, congratulations!”
“I know, right? It’s only been ten years, but he wanted to finish medical school and everything.”
“I’m so happy for you. Just imagine if you never gave him a chance.”
“I could say the same to you.”
“True.” I laughed. “True. We’ll have to go out to dinner and celebrate. Are you planning anything big?”
“No, I want to do like you and Jagger did. Just run off somewhere and come back and let everyone know we’re married. Maybe we’ll have a little party like you did, too.”
“Well, you’re free to use the restaurant whenever you want.”
“Thanks! I’ll shut up now, I know you’re busy. Go shove that needle in. I want to be Aunt Issy.”
“I hate needles.” I sighed.
“You never hear anyone say they love needles.”
“There’s a reason for that. I’ll call you tomorrow.”
“Good luck!”
I picked up the instructions and read them. Sighing, I picked up the needle as my stomach fluttered, knowing it was the needle’s destination. I really did hate them.
“You okay in there?” Jagger said as he opened the door.
“Yeah, I’m fine. Just trying to muster up the courage to do this.”
“You know, I can do it for you.”
“No, I got this. It’s just a little needle.”
“Just a little prick. I know you’re used to big ones.” He grinned and put his hands on my hips and kissed my forehead. “I know we want to have a baby, but I’d be just as happy to spend the rest of my life alone with you.”
“I know, me too. That’s how much I hate you.”
“Now get that done so we can knock you up.”
“The doctor said to start trying again tomorrow.”
“Screw the whole doctor thing and the charts and everything. I just want to make love to you.”
I smiled and nodded. “You’re right. What the heck, we’ve done everything by the book until now. Let me take care of this and I’ll be right out.”
“Good, I’ll be waiting. I have some new toys for us to play with.”
As he walked out of the room, I giggled to myself. That prick, that asshole, that guy who tortured me for so long was the most amazing man I had ever met. And the sexiest.
I re-read the instructions one last time, with Jagger waiting for me at the back of my mind. Jagger had done much braver things in his life than I ever had. I could handle a little needle.
I looked at it for a moment and made sure it was primed, then stuck myself in my stomach. It didn’t hurt and just as quickly as I did it, I forgot about it. I didn’t want to think about the testing or the appointments or anything else. There was only one thing on my mind. I opened the door and ran into the bedroom where Jagger had lit candles and soft music played.
“Time out,” I said.
Nine Months Later
“Umm…Jagger?” I called out.
When he didn’t answer, I went downstairs and found him, my mom, and Phil sitting outside on the deck. My due date was in a couple of weeks, but the doctor was pretty sure I was going to be late. I thought he was wrong.
“Have you heard from your mom?” I asked. “She should have been here by now.”
Jagger’s mom decided to surprise us by calling us the night before, saying she had driven in from Tucson. She didn’t want to bother us so she stayed in a hotel and was planning to come over for lunch.
“She just called. She’s about five minutes away,” he said.
“Good, because we have to go to the hospital.”
“Really? Are you okay?”
He touched my stomach and the baby kicked. Mom and Phil stood with worried looks on their faces.
“I’m fine, she’s fine too, I think. It’s just that something’s not right, so I called the doctor and he said to go to the hospital and get checked.”
“Then let’s go,” he said.
Mom touched my arm gently and without her saying a word, I knew what she was asking.
“Might as well make this a family trip. Let’s all go to the hospital,” I said.
Jagger pulled the SUV with our car seat out of the garage just as his mother pulled up in front of the house.
“Oh, just look at you. I remember being pregnant with Jagger like it was just yesterday.” Mom and Phil waved to her from their car. “What’s going on?”
“We’re going to the hospital, Mom,” Jagger said. “Why don’t you ride with Dad and Rachel?”
“Did your water break?”
“No, I just don’t feel right.”
“Then let’s get there right away.”
~ Eighteen ~
Jagger
Sierra was resting with the baby in her arms. Our parents had left, happy to see the baby so soon after she was born, promising to be back in the morning. Now that we were alone, we had a very important task ahead of us – naming our child.
As the baby slept, Sierra touched the wisp of black hair that stuck out from the knit hat. Then she tore her eyes away from her and smiled at me. As she shifted over in the hospital bed, she patted the space beside her. I climbed in and pulled her close.
“She needs a name,” she said.
“We really should have talked about this sooner.”
“No, we had an extended time out. No thinking allowed. You know how worried I was. After it took us so long to get pregnant, I didn’t want to jinx anything.”
“Yeah, but even the doctor said there was nothing wrong with us.”
“Exactly, so it was that time out that did the job.” She grinned then pointed at the TV. “Put it on, it’s too quiet in here. Just not too loud.”
I turned on the television and flipped through some channels until a familiar face came on the screen. Woody Allen was telling Diane Keaton that love was too weak a word for how he felt, just like I had told Sierra so long ago.
Sierra rested her head on my shoulder, and I kissed the top of her head. She and I were so in tune with one another, I rarely had to say everything I was thinking.
“What do you think?” I asked.
She looked back at the baby and smiled. “I think it’s perfect. She looks like an Annie.”
I reached over and softly touched Annie’s hand. Her little fingers closed around my finger like a vise grip. I didn’t know how I could love anyone as much as I loved Sierra, but just her being born proved it to me. But I didn’t just love her or Sierra. Love was too weak a word.
The End
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About the Author
Veronica Daye can't imagine anything else she'd rather be doing than writing. Well except maybe reading, spending time with her son, dogs, and family, talking about herself in the third person, or...ooh look at the butterfly! Veronica used to day dream about becoming a writer and now because of your support, she is. She will always be grateful to you, the readers, for coming along with her on this journey.
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