His Unexpected Baby by Jamie Knight

Chapter One - Stephanie

No one noticed me hurrying my way out of the office.

During the entire time that I zipped down the hall and then onto the elevator, not a head popped up from behind the acres of cloth and metal that constituted the cubicle farm. (It had been cheaper, at the beginning, to get an ‘open concept’ space. Only the executives got windows or doors. Mine had a view of the bay.)

I reached the ground floor and hurried for my car. The garment bag already hung in the back, the protruding hook slung over the emergency bar right behind the driver’s seat, so it wouldn’t obstruct my vision while driving.

I still had fifteen minutes, and I knew I could make it. At least, I’d better make it; my little sister was getting married, and come hell or high water, I would be there to celebrate with her.

I arrived with plenty of time, snatched the garment bag out of the back, and rushed to the bathroom. It was somehow colder inside than outside, the gray cinder blocks doing a bang-up job of keeping all the warmth out there.

As far as park bathrooms went, it was one of the worst I’d ever seen, but to be fair, it was built in the 90s when efficiency was the thing, psychological welfare be damned. Then again, it was either use this dirty bathroom or strip down in front of my family and friends, and I knew which I preferred.

Decked out in my maid-of-honor finery, I hauled ass to the bridal tent, matching heels held in my hand for better movement on the soft grass.

When I stepped inside, the sight that met me took my breath away.

“Oh, wow!”

“Thanks,” Jonna gushed.

I’d gotten so used to her being my baby sister, I barely noticed that she’d grown up, but by golly, had she ever. She had a baby of her own now, and a very soon-to-be husband, and she looked radiant, glowing with the love she reflected.

Confident, but still holding my hand, Jonna went to meet her destiny.

“You got this,” I whispered.

She was shaking with excitement, and probably a bit of nerves. It was a big step, to be sure, but I had her back, and I knew she was ready.

The music started up, and I walked a few paces ahead of her, keeping well apace, until I was up at the altar. After a few more moments, along with some “oohs” and “aahs” from the crowd, she was safely beside her man. There was a pang in my chest.

We didn’t see each other every day or anything, but it was going to be even less after she was married. It was time for me to try and let go as well. That was just the way things were—

everyone had to grow up and find their own path.

And at least she was in good hands. Despite my initial misgivings, Seth turned out to be a wonderful guy. Definitely very unlike the majority of the heavy metal types he surrounded himself with, all long hair and attitude.

He had been in a band once too, of course, but had left that behind years ago. If anything, he was a businessman in his adulthood. Even our Mom and Dad approved of him, despite the age difference between him and Jonna.

I stuck to the sidelines during the reception. Mom and Dad were mingling, and I wanted to leave Jonna and Seth to themselves and little Casey. They really were a beautiful little family.

The raging monster of envy raised its ugly head inside me, only to be pounded back down again with the mighty hammer of maturity.

It was fine; I was used to being alone. My last relationship had been months before, and had ended in spectacular fashion. As much as my heart, as well as other parts, drew me to it, I was not looking for love.

I will never love a man, because love and pain go hand in hand.

I shook my head to excise the Laura Marling song lyrics from it, and drained a flute of champagne, looking for something to do.

I was wandering aimlessly, looking around, and wasn’t paying particular attention to where I was going. Which is why it was such a shock when I collided with something and fell flat on my ass.

It was a wall. Or very near one, anyway. I never knew backs could be so solid. Especially not ones that could fit into tuxedos so nicely.

“I’m sorry, are you alright?” asked the owner of the back I had just run into.

He certainly didn’t look like a metal type. Clean-shaven, short blond hair, sky blue eyes, and the physique of a god.

“I-I, um, yes, I think so.”

I nearly slapped myself. Yes, he was handsome, transcendently, divinely handsome, but that was no reason to make a fool of myself. I had a reputation to uphold.

“May I assist?”

He might as well have been a giant, offering down a helping hand from the clouds. I accepted without hesitation; the deity made flesh almost levitating me to my feet. His other hand touched my hip as he helped to steady me, which caused my panties to flood themselves with lust.

“Thank you,” I managed, without stammering.

“I doubt anyone would notice,” he said, his light foreign accent registering for the first time.

“Notice what?”

“If you took your shoes off. They seem to be causing you bother.”

Stealing a quick glance around, I slipped off the heels, letting the hem of the dress fall back around my ankles. He was right, no one would notice and so what if they did?

It was a spring wedding, after all. If anything, I was on theme. A slow grin spread over my face as my aching feet felt a wave of relief.

“Better?”

“Much, Mr.- I’m sorry; what is your name?”

“I am called Ragnar. Ragnar Karlssen.”

“That’s funny, I have a cousin named Ragnar,” I blurted.

“Are you Norwegian?”

“Swedish, originally, I mean. Third generation. I’m Stephanie, Stephanie Morris.”

“They call you Stephanie?”

He rose an eyebrow at me.

And I mean, understandably, Jonna’s name definitely reflected our heritage, so “Stephanie” did seem to sort of come out of nowhere.

“Well, technically it’s my middle name,” I admitted, making a face. “But I’ve always gone by it.”

“What’s your first name?” he asked curiously.

I grimaced. My first name wasn’t exactly common knowledge, but he seemed so genuine and interested that I decided to share.

“It’s actually Olga,” I admitted.

He smiled a little.

“I have to admit, you don’t exactly look like an Olga,” he says.

“Don’t feel like one, either,” I replied with a laugh. I’d always hated that name. “Hence why I go by my middle name! So, what does Ragnar mean?”

“Army council.”

“Are you a general?” I teased.

“In a manner of speaking. You could say I keep the troops marching in time.”

I turned his words over in my head, searching for an angle by which to better understand them. He was certainly cryptic, as well as tall and handsome. The only thing missing was dark, and he would be the stuff of fortune-telling predictions.

Some of his oddities could no doubt be chalked up to cultural difference. He didn’t seem fresh-off-the-boat but he also didn’t seem like he had arrived all that long ago.

Was he one of Seth’s relatives?

Or could he possibly be one of mine?

I didn’t think we had any Norwegian blood, but anything was possible.

“We aren’t related, are we?” I blurted out.

“No, I’ve seen the family tree, and there’s not a Morris on it.”

“My mother’s maiden name is Erikssen,” I offered.

“No, none of them either. Why do you ask?”

The heat migrated from my pussy to my cheeks as I blushed furiously.

Had I basically just told a stranger I wanted to jump his bones?

In a round-about way, maybe, though it still really wasn’t like me.

“Would you like to go for a drink?” he asked me.

“They have drinks here,” I replied, pretending I didn’t know what he meant, to try to make up for my bluntness just a moment ago.

“I mean, after, like a date,” he elaborated.

“Oh, sure, though I don’t really drink,” I confessed, still trying to maintain my composure.

Inside I was screaming, he asked me on a date! Hooray!

“Me neither,” Seth said. “Alcohol can be really poisonous to the body and mind and soul. It’s one of the many things I’ve learned from Seth. He’s a great guy.”

“Yeah, he is,” I agreed, glad once again that my sister had found such a wonderful husband.

“I’ve got something to do here, and then we can go wherever you like,” he said.

I was within an inch of blurting ‘my place!’ but I managed to restrain my stampeding hormones. I’d never been so horny, but that was supposedly what happened once one was approaching 30, wasn’t it?

“Okay,” is all I said.

“You can come and watch,” he offered.

My mind swirling with questions, I followed him to the bandstand, where some guests had already gathered. It looked to be set up for a concert, with acoustic guitars of various sorts and at least three different versions of portable drums, from a full-sized set of bongos to one of those percussion boxes drummers use for unplugged sets.

“Seth decided to do something a bit different for his big day,” Ragnar explained, no doubt noticing my expression.

I shouldn’t have been surprised, really. From what I knew of Seth, he was one to march to the beat of his own drummer.

Following Ragnar’s lead, I sat down on the grass, wishing I had a towel or blanket to put down first, let alone a chair. I was never really good with nature, one of the side effects of being a city kid who’d never gone camping.

My idea of roughing it was sleeping on a friend’s couch in a basement apartment. You never knew where bugs might be hiding.

The music wasn’t what I expected once it started up, considering Seth’s job. It was actually quite nice, very melodic. The musicians clearly knew what they were doing. After one band was done, another one got up and started playing something similarly soothing.

“We’re up next,” Ragnar said, getting to his feet, looking like a flag unfurling vertically.

“We?”

“The band.”

Those were two words that changed everything, as well as bringing them into perspective. Particularly when I witnessed Ragnar take up the percussion box and set it up behind his two bandmates.

I braced myself for what might be coming, the experience of the previous bands leaving me on edge for the next.

It was beautiful in a deep, primal way. Like a hymn from the earth, rather than one to it. The three vocalists, including Ragnar, were giving it their all, the lowest tones coming from him. Both in terms of the vocals and the beat he set, which the life-giving pound of my heart soon matched.

“What did you think?” he asked, sitting back down beside me.

“It was really beautiful,” I told him, afraid he’d think I was just saying that because I wanted to hook up with him.

But it was true— I had loved it.

“Where would you like to go?” he asked.

Without a second thought, I blurted out the thought I had had earlier.

“My place.”

“Alright then,” he said, grinning. “I’m down with that idea.”