My Billionaire Fling by Maci Dillon
SOPHIA
Six Months Later
“Sit down and put your feet up, sweetheart.”
Ugh. My last day at the office couldn’t come quick enough. I’m exhausted, blown up like a balloon at the fair, and my feet are double the size when I can see them.
I’m a hot fucking mess and so ready to have this baby.
“How are you feeling about taking time off now you’re here?” Gabe asks. I’ve been struggling with taking time off, leaving my first child in the hands of others while I concentrate on motherhood and enjoy time with our baby.
“I’m okay, I think. The guilt will ease once I’m holding our bub in my hands, I’m sure. And I’m never far away, I can do most things from home and pop into the office with the baby whenever I feel the need.”
“Exactly, and I’ll be here, Sophia. Between us, she’ll be the luckiest little girl alive.”
Yeah, Gabe won the battle over finding out the sex early. I gave in once we started discussing the nursery décor.
“Ten days, Gabe. What if I can’t last until then?” I groan as my little girl stretches out and kicks me beneath the rib cage. “You little bugger,” I curse, repositioning myself so I can breathe.
“Then I guess we’ll be seeing our baby sooner which we’re absolutely, one hundred percent prepared for.”
I shake my head, “No, I want her out now because I’m worried I won’t survive another ten days.”
Gabe laughs at me, “Sweetheart, you’re perfectly capable.” He rubs my belly, and I realize that my stomach will be a flabby mess within a few weeks, and I’m going to miss the constant attention.
“Why don’t you take a shower and freshen up while I prepare dinner?”
Internally, I groan at the mention of having to move, but if I sit here for too long, I won’t be able to get up. Gabe offers me a hand as I roll to my side and shuffle off the sofa. Feeling sorry for myself, I waddle to our room, stopping by the nursery on my way.
It’s my favorite room in the suite—lots of natural light, the crib covered in designer baby bedding and pillows, and a mix of sweet pastel colors.
The chest of drawers is filled with the cutest baby outfits ranging from newborn to six months to get us through the changing seasons, and the closet is overflowing with toys and keepsakes that won’t see the light of day for at least a few months. The changing station is fully stocked and loaded with lotions, powders, nappies, and every self-care item any book I read ever mentioned.
We’re definitely prepared to bring our girl home.
My favorite part of the room is the lullaby night light and the nursing chair with a footrest. Most nights, when I can’t sleep, I find myself in here listening to the music, watching the twinkling stars on the ceiling, and imagining the books I’ll be reading to her over the years to come.
Gabe had a built-in bookshelf designed to hold all the books I kept from when we were young. Every week, I’ve added to the collection. If I don’t settle down, our baby girl will need a library room of her own before her first birthday.
The shower holds me hostage longer than intended, the hot water soothing my aches and pains. Instead of joining Gabe in the kitchen, where he’s preparing my favorite home-cooked meatballs, I relax into the bed.
On the verge of dozing off, I clutch at my bump as it spasms, and the dull pain in my hips increases. Sleep is a necessary evil. I can’t function without it, my body begs me to sleep twenty-four-seven, but I can’t sit or lay down for long without discomfort forcing me to move.
How have women been doing this for centuries? I have every kind of pillow there is—breastfeeding pillows, waist pillows, reading pillows—to help alleviate my discomfort, and still, I can’t sleep.
“Sweetheart,” Gabe says from the doorway. “Dinner is served.”
“Be right there, thank you.”
The pressure on my pelvis tonight is the worst it’s been, and while I’m starving, I fear there’s nowhere to fit the large number of meatballs I plan to devour.
I startle awake, pressure building in my stomach. The dull pain from earlier is back with a vengeance. As I roll out of bed with difficulty, I groan and check the time. It’s three in the morning. When I try to stand, I’m forced back to the edge of the bed as a ripple of pain shoots across my pelvis. Thankfully, it passes relatively quickly.
I make it to the bathroom and flick the light on.
“Gabe,” I shriek as a gush of fluid covers my feet and the floor. “Either I just peed myself or my water broke.” Panic sets in. It’s been months since I’ve had a panic attack, and my therapist has given me many ways to deal with them, none of which I can remember as I stand in the doorway of our bathroom.
“It’s okay, sweetheart,” Gabe whispers, sopping up the mess with a towel. “Are you in pain?” His look of horror mirrors my own.
“Only the dull pain I had last… argh.” I double over as the shooting pain returns.
“I take that as a yes. I’m calling the doctor.”
With the floor now dry, I fix myself up, and Gabe orders me to wait to shower until he returns.
The constant pain increases and the tightening across my abdomen becomes more regular. I’ve experienced a few Braxton Hicks over the past month but nothing like this. “Let’s get you showered and changed, then we’re off to the hospital, sweetheart. Doc said to monitor the time between the contractions. I need to call him when we get on the road.”
My shower is brief, my overnight bag has been prepared for weeks, and we’re out the door in less than fifteen minutes. Viktor meets us out front with a look of concern when I stop halfway to the car in pain. “Gabe, they’re coming closer together.”
We’re only fifteen minutes from the hospital at this time of the morning, but it feels like hours. “They’re about twenty seconds apart now. Okay, we will. Thanks, Doc.” Gabe ends the call and wraps his arm around me. His comfort does little to make me relax.
“Can you call Jarett and Roman, please?”
Gabe dials Jarett first and hits the speaker button. “J, it’s time,” I say when he answers in a less than happy manner. “What time?” he grumbles. Rolling my eyes, I hear Kassidy in the background. “Give me the phone, you plonker.”
“Sophia, is the baby coming?”
Thank God Jarett has a woman in his life. “On our way to the hospital now.”
“We’ll meet you there. Good luck. We love you.”
As I breathe through the next contraction like I’ve just run a marathon, Gabe calls Roman.
“Gabe?” he answers, a little more alert than Jarett was.
“Roman, we’re on our way to the hospital. Today’s the day, this baby is coming.”
It sounds like he’s getting out of bed. “We’ll be right there, Soph.”
“Thank you, can you call Max for me? We’re about to pull up.”
“I’m here, sweetie. See you soon.”
Maxine?
“Aahh,” I groan, unsure if it’s the contraction or hearing Maxine’s voice that surprises me more.
Gabe is about to end the call when I screech, “Wait.”
When the pain passes, I take the phone from him. “Max, it’s three-thirty in the morning. Are you sleeping with my brother… again?”
Max laughs, but it’s Roman who answers with a grunt. “You’re about to have a baby, Soph. How about you concentrate on that for now?”
My mouth falls open, annoyed I’m not going to get any gossip in my time of need. “Great advice. We’ll see you both soon.” Gabe ends the call and places a finger over my lips as I’m about to give him a piece of my mind.
“Ugh.” Men.
Exactly thirty-eight minutes after I’m wheeled through the hospital doors, I’m lovingly staring at our baby girl in my arms. Gabe sits with us on the edge of the bed, wrapping us both in his love.
“You did great, sweetheart.” He kisses my head and strokes our little princess.
Tears of joy stream down my face. I can’t stop staring at our red-faced bundle of joy.
“Your family is asking if they can see you,” the nurse says.
Grinning from ear to ear, no longer concerned with how exhausted I am, I tell her to let them in.
Baby balloons and flowers are paraded into our room by our over-the-top family who dote on our little bundle of joy, offering Gabe and me all the praise.
“Does my cute little niece have a name yet?” Roman asks, deliriously excited about his new uncle status.
“She does. Sienna Gabrielle Lugreno.” My mother’s middle name and the female version of Gabe’s birth name. I pass our little bundle of joy to her daddy and reposition myself, making sure all my bits are covered.
“She’s beautiful, guys,” Kassidy swoons.
“Look out, J. Kassidy here is getting all clucky.”
“So what if I am,” she defends with a cheery grin.
“Well…” Jarett says, wrapping his arms around her, “… you do only have a month until your contract is up, so…”
“What?” Kassidy laughs. “You want to knock me up so I can stay?”
Roman pipes up, “I think legally, you’d be required to marry her so she can get a visa.” There’s always one in the room obsessed with legalities.
I glance across at Gabe, who finally lifts his eyes away from the baby. “Or, you could take my offer of a full-time position and stay indefinitely, visa and all the legalities taken care of?”
“Oh my God, Gabe, are you serious?” Kassidy bounces and flings herself into Jarett’s arms.
“Fuck yes.” Jarett grins, shaking Gabe’s hand.
“Yes, yes, yes, I accept.” Kassidy kisses Gabe and plays with Sienna’s little fingers while cooing in a baby voice.
“Thank you,” I mouth to Gabe when his eyes meet mine. This day couldn’t possibly get any better.
Maxine shoves Roman, and sheepishly, he adds, “While we’re all in the celebrating mood, Maxine and I have something to share too.”
My chest beats rapidly with the excitement of what I assume is coming.
“Months ago, when I told you the news about me taking on the chef position at Maximum, I left out the most important and exciting part of the announcement.” He glances at Maxine who’s outrageously glowing.
“What I didn’t tell you is Maxine and I are dating.”
“I knew it. How could you hide this from us?” I whisper-yell. When I asked them both what was going on when we returned from our honeymoon, they denied everything.
“From all of us?” Jarett adds. “How long have you two been dating?”
“Since just after Sophia’s birthday,” Max announces, taking Roman’s hand.
I cry, overwhelmed with happiness. “When you know, you know,” I say, remembering the conversation we had the day I found out I was pregnant.
This is the longest they have ever stayed together. Between the on-again, off-again attempts at a relationship, there’s been plenty of nights over the years, but this makes my heart so happy.
“And you caught the bouquet,” I sob. Gabe is laughing at my emotional outburst.
“Yeah, we’re hoping to hold off until little Sienna is walking.” Max smiles. “We’d like her to be our flower girl.”
“Aww, you two, I love you so much. And yes, Sienna will make the perfect flower girl.
NEXT IN THE SERIES:
My Forever Fling
(London Nights Book 3)
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