Knocked Up By the Jerk by Loni Ree
Livie
I laymy head against the cool tile and groan. Leave it to the big jerk to excel at knocking me up. I’m barely a few weeks pregnant, and I’m already suffering. The doctor tried to assure me that morning sickness is a good sign of a healthy pregnancy, but I feel too awful to see the positive.
I lay my hand against my stomach and sigh. “Come on, little one. Please give me a small break from the puking.”
While brushing my teeth, I glance in the mirror and groan. I look like death warmed over. Ick. I manage to pull on a pair of sweatpants and a soft t-shirt before dragging myself to the living room. Luckily, I work for my father, and he understands my need to work from home while I fight the morning sickness. When I began throwing up at work, my parents worried there was something seriously wrong with me. My mother forced me to go to the doctor, and bam! I was blindsided by this development.
I had to stop my dad from flying to Florida to kill Mason. My mother and I convinced him that his grandchild would never forgive him for it. They made me promise to talk to Mason about the pregnancy, but I’m not prepared to deal with him yet. I keep promising myself I’ll bite the bullet once the nausea calms down.
My sister called us yesterday to inform us of her pregnancy, and I had to force myself not to tell her about mine. It kills me to keep something this important from her, but I know Fletcher would get involved with the situation. The thought of coming between two best friends kills me. Once I have the nerve to talk to Mason, I’ll tell my sister and her husband.
My stomach finally settles, and I drag myself to the kitchen for a few crackers and some Sprite. I’m sitting at my breakfast bar nibbling when there’s a pounding on my front door. I glance at the clock and see it’s only nine forty-five. Who in the hell could that be?
When I look through the peephole, my heart sputters in my chest before beginning to pound. Mason is staring back at me in all his manly glory. Fudge. If my parents let the cat out of the bag, I’m going to kill them. I take a deep breath and pull the door open. “Wha...”
Mason steps around me and pulls the door from my numb fingers. “We need to talk.” He glances down at my stomach, and I know without a doubt why he’s here. Shit.
He shuts the door and turns to walk into my living room. I need to get rid of him before I break down. After grabbing his arm, I give it a little tug and snap, “We don’t have anything to talk about.”
Mason glances over his shoulder. “I disagree. You’re carrying my child.” He turns and stares down at my stomach. “We have a ton to talk about.”
I guess I’ll have to face him. Hopefully, the baby will have mercy on me. Throwing up my crackers and Sprite in front of him would be the ultimate humiliation. I follow Mason into the living room and sit on the far side of the sofa. I run my hands up and down my yoga pants, trying to wipe away the sweat. Taking a deep breath, I turn to him. “Why are you here?”
He sits back and stares at me silently for a few moments, and I barely resist the urge to fidget. Mason blows out a breath and shrugs. “I’ve been miserable since the wedding. I should’ve come to find you a long time ago.” I watch him stand and begin to pace my small living room. “I’m a fucking moron.”
Several conflicting emotions hit me at once. Disbelief, anger, and a little bit of hope are the strongest. This man crushed me, and I’m terrified of giving him the opportunity to do it again. My stomach rolls and reminds me of what’s at stake. “You are,” I finally agree with him, and he glances at me and smiles.
My heart beats out of control when he walks over and drops down in front of me. “I know I screwed up everything up when I fucked you up against the bathroom wall.” Confused, I swallow and wait for him to continue. “You can’t imagine how sorry I am for the way I acted. When I should have treated you like a princess, I lost control like a sex-crazed maniac.”
“But, but…” I’m really not understanding where this is going. “You weren’t upset that you,” I point at him and then back to myself, “and I had sex?”
“Made love,” he corrects me and sits back on his heels. “I’d been dreaming of you for months. I wanted you so badly that I acted like an animal, and I’ll never forgive myself for what I did.” He rubs his hands up and down the tops of my legs. “Your first time should’ve been in my bed with candles, champagne, and rose petals to caress your gorgeous body. You deserved so much more. I should have taken my time and made it perfect for you.”
My mouth drops open when I realize I totally misunderstood his anger after our little bathroom tryst. “It was perfect. I loved every second of it,” I assure him. “I thought you were sorry you touched me at all.”
He blinks at me several times. “Holy shit.” Mason runs his hand through his thick blond hair and gives a little laugh. “All this hurt and time apart for nothing. We were both idiots.”
It’s too easy. A tiny part of me wonders if he’s saying all this because of the baby.
“I missed you so fucking much. I’ve been trying to come up with a reason to fly out here and force you to listen to me.” He takes my hand and begins to lightly rub his thumb over the back of my knuckles. “Yesterday, Fletcher came to my office ready to draw blood and gave me the excuse I’ve been looking for.”
I lay my head on the back of the sofa and stare at the ceiling. I want to jump for joy that he has feelings for me, but I’m terrified of getting hurt again. This man owns my heart, and he could crush it easily. “I’m scared to believe you,” I tell him honestly.
“Then give me a chance to prove it to you,” he begs. “You stole my heart the first day at the Palm Beach airport.” My pulse races as he sits next to me and places an arm across the back of my shoulders. He pulls me close to his warm, muscular body, and his masculine scent wraps around me. “We got off on the wrong foot, and I’ve made countless mistakes since we met, but I’m asking you for the chance to make it up to you.”