The O'Conners: A Made for Love Novella (15 page)

“I
’
m with her,
”
says Hammy, giving Addie a squeeze.
“
We
’
ll let it slide this once. Have you told anyone else?
”

“Yeah, do mom and dad know?
”

“Not yet,
”
Sonny answers.
“
My little mama wanted you to know first.
”

I take a deep breath, willing myself not to cry. Grayson calls me by a lot of names. Sweetheart. Shorty. Gorgeous. Ave. His Bashful Bride. Mrs. O'Conner used to be my favorite, but this is the second time he's called me his Little Mama and the pride in his voice when he says it makes me want to pool into a puddle at his feet.

“
We, um, we're just now leaving the doctor's office,
”
I manage.

“
I feel so honored and spoiled right now. Babe,
”
Addie pauses and looks up at Hammy.
“
You're going to be an uncle.
”

“
Lucky kid,
”
he teases with a wink.

“
We probably won't call mom and dad tonight, so don't say anything in the meantime, okay?
”

“
Oh, goodness! You know I'm going to have to avoid mom's calls now, right? No way do I trust myself with this huge little secret. Tell them soon; then call me right after so you can tell me how they react to the news that they'll be grandparents.
”
She gasps and her eyes well up again.
“
Aww! Mom and dad are going to be
grandparents!
”

“
Okay.
I need my wife to stop crying for the rest of the night. That can't happen if you keep bursting into tears, Addie. We're going to say goodbye for now.
”

“
Sounds good,
”
Beckham replies with a chuckle, taking the phone from Addie.
“
Y'all have a good night. And congratulations!
”

“
Thanks, man. We'll talk about when you started saying
y'all
next time.
”

“
Shut up,
”
he laughs.

“
We love you!
”
Addie cries.

“
We love you, too,
”
I insist, blowing them a kiss. Then, they're gone. In spite of our goodbye and my regret that we couldn't tell them in person, it feels incredible having shared the news with them. I turn around and prop myself against Sonny's chest as I gaze up at him.
“
Thank you.
”

“
No thanks required,
”
he tells me, leaning down to grace me with a kiss.

“
I feel excited. Do you?
”
My cheeks grow rosy with guilt.
“
I mean, it's just that I've been so consumed with worry that any excitement that I
’
ve harbored was completely overshadowed by how scared I've been. But now
—”
I shake my head, my eyes drifting back to the sonogram in my hands.
“
Our little peanut has a heartbeat. I
…
I
…”

Grayson gently lifts my chin until my eyes are locked with his.
“
I know. I feel it, too.
”

I reach up to wrap my arms around his neck, needing him to be closer. He responds in kind and my chest grows tight with emotions I
’
m having the hardest time combating.
“
I love you,
”
I whisper.

“
I love you, too.
”

I breathe in deeply and blow out a sigh before offering him a smile.
“
Okay. I'm done crying for the night. I promise. Now, will you tell me what we're doing for our anniversary?
”
I watch as a smirk tugs at his mouth. He pulls away from me before his hand disappears into his pocket. I scowl at him when he pulls out a blindfold.
“
You're kidding me.
”

“
Nope.
”
He covers my eyes and ties a knot behind my head.
“
Deep down, you know you love it when I surprise you.
”

I bite the inside of my cheek, fighting a smile. He
’
s not wrong. His surprises are usually incredibly sweet and romantic. But the loss of vision part?
“
You know what? I'm going to blindfold
you
later. We'll see how much
you
like it.
”

I gasp when I feel his tongue trace between my lips, effectively demolishing my pout.
“
Do you
promise?
”
he murmurs, barley grazing his mouth against mine.

I squeeze my legs together in an attempt to get myself under control. It doesn't work. Just the feel of his breath against my lips makes my nipples harden in anticipation of his touch. Suddenly, I don't care if I'm without sight for the rest of the night, so long as he'll stimulate all my other senses.

“
Avery?
”

“
Yes?
”

“
Do you promise?
”

“
Promise what?
”

He chuckles and then kisses me hard.
“
Come on, little mama. Let's get out of here.
”

We have to make a couple stops on our way home in order for me to make this surprise just right. With my schedule, the budget we agreed to spend on the occasion
—
which was quite meager, after our trip back home last month
—
and the lack of appropriate venue, compromises had to be made. I
’
m hoping she
’
ll get the idea and love it anyway. She
’
s the grand gift giver in our marriage, having had years of practice with every birthday celebrated for the ones nearest and dearest to her heart.

My woman loves birthdays, something fierce.

I, on the other hand, grew up hating the unavoidable annual occasion. That said, I
’
ve come to appreciate what they mean to my wife. While I might not have as much practice in the gift department as she, and while I
’
m not always the most romantic guy in the world, I try; and if ever there was a reason to pull out all the stops, the anniversary of the best day of my life is one of them.

“Are we here? And where is here?
”
she asks as I park the car.

“Yes, we
’
re here.
”

“Can I take the blindfold off?
”
She reaches for it and I catch her hand, bringing it back to her lap.

“Come now. You know that
’
s my job. You wait here,
”
I instruct before pressing a quick kiss to her cheek.

“
Grayson,
”
she whines impatiently.

I stifle my chuckle.
Some things never change.
“
Hey,
”
I say, seeking her attention. She turns in the direction of my voice and I bring my lips to hers.
“
Wait here.
”

“Okay, fine.
”

I climb out of the car, reaching into the backseat for the sandwiches and the vase of flowers we just picked up. I hurry into our apartment to finish my preparations. I know she
’
s going crazy not knowing what I
’
m up to and I don
’
t want her to have to wait much longer. Once inside, I set aside my recent purchases and move our coffee table to the far corner of the room. Then, I grab the quilt draped over the back of the couch and spread it open on the area rug in front of the television. I place the flowers in the center and set our sandwiches across from each other. I head to the kitchen and grab a couple napkins and the card I bought her over the weekend. When I
’
ve finished my picnic set up, I shift my focus to the TV. I turn it on, tune in to Netflix, and cue the movie we
’
ll be watching. When I
’
m satisfied with my spread, I hurry back down to the car.

She gasps in surprise when I open up her door and I grin at her, even though she can
’
t see me.
“
Come
‘
ere, Mrs. O
’
Conner,
”
I say, scooping her into my arms and out of the car. She clings to me and I can feel her excitement.
She can deny it all she wants
—
but she loves my surprises. Hopefully this evening will affirm that truth.

“Are you going to tell me where we are?
”

“Oh, someplace familiar,
”
I tease as I carry her up the flight of stairs that lead to our door. Once I have her across the threshold, I set her on her feet then close and lock us in.
“
Are you ready?
”
I ask, placing my hands on her shoulders, encouraging her farther into the room.

“Are you
joking?
I
’
ve been without sight for an hour, Hottie. Show me, show me!
”

I kiss the top of her head and then wrap my arms around her waist, pulling her back to my front.
“
Do you remember the first time I told you I loved you?
”

She turns her face toward the sound of my voice and I watch as a smile plays at her lips.
“
Of course I do. How could I forget? It was my birthday date.
”
She sucks in a sharp breath.
“
That was the first time you ever blindfolded me!
”

“Mmhmm,
”
I hum, reaching up to untie the cloth from around her eyes.
“
Now, I know our living room isn
’
t exactly the back of Beck
’
s SUV and our TV isn
’
t as big as a drive-in movie screen, but I
’
m working with what I
’
ve got. Plus,
”
I tighten my grip around her.
“
If I remember correctly, we only made it through one movie that night before we got lost in each other. Back then, I could stop myself before we reached the point of indecent exposure. Now, that
’
s not a promise I can make.
”

She sighs, her shoulders slumping with her exhalation, and I find myself holding my breath. When she doesn
’
t speak after a few seconds, I
’
m afraid I
’
ve disappointed her. My heart sinks as my thoughts begin to race, trying to think of how I might salvage the evening. Then she turns around, lifting herself up onto her tiptoes as she wraps her arms around my neck. The sound of her sniffle does nothing to calm my nerves.

“Shorty?
”
I hesitantly ask.

“I
’
m sorry,
”
she whimpers.
“
I know I promised I wouldn
’
t cry anymore!
”