A Couple of Forevers (This Time Forever Book 2) (2 page)

“Joe,” she sighed breathlessly.  He continued licking her, taking
in all of her juices. 

“Mmmm, baby, you taste so good,” he said.  His erection was
beyond hard.  He moved back up so that he was lying on top of her.  She was
writhing her hips against him, still breathless and wanting from his oral
manipulation. 

“Ahhh, feels so good, baby,” he said as he entered her
slowly. 

Liza sucked in a sharp intake of air through her teeth and
said, “Joe, si, ohhhh, se siente tan bueno” 

He kept his sex deep inside of her as she writhed and
moaned, her walls gripping him so good and so tight, working each other into a
sweaty, slippery sweetness until they both came.

Once Liza and Joe returned from the world of ecstasy that
they had created, Liza looked at him and said, “Thank you, again.” 

He chuckled and said, “No, honey, I’m the one who should be
thanking you.  He kissed her softly and rolled onto his back. 

She got on top of him and he raised an eyebrow and said,
“Ready for more, already?” 

She laughed and said, “Settle down.  I just want to ask you
something.  Did Renee seem okay to you when we were talking about wedding plans? 
I mean, I know she really doesn’t want to waste any time, but I was just
thinking that they should have something really nice.  I know I can get a bit
excited about things, but I was just thinking they deserve something nicer than
just a judge’s chamber.  Something elegant, but not over-the-top” 

And this was another reason why Joe loved Liza so much.  She
had the ability to come across as a tough businesswoman, because she was, after
all, a tough businesswoman.  However, she was also a deeply caring person and
when she loved someone, she would do everything that she could to make sure
that person knew it.  He knew that she tried to keep her feelings to herself,
not letting others know when she felt hurt, but Joe knew how deeply Liza felt
things. 

“Well, she’s probably feeling a little overwhelmed about
everything.   She moved across the country, found out she’s pregnant, and now
getting married.  It’s a lot to deal with.” 

Liza nodded in agreement and Joe continued, “Maybe it’s best
to just let her think about it and see what she wants to do.” 

Liza sighed and said, “I know.  You’re right.  I’ll talk to
her tomorrow.  But I hope she’ll let me do this for her.  I’d take care of
everything” 

Joe said, “I know, and she and Elliott know it, too.  Just
see what she says and take it from there.  Don’t they have a doctor’s
appointment tomorrow?” 

Liza moved back to her side of the bed and said, “Yes, and they’re
very excited about it.  Oh.  I hope they didn’t hear us.  Joe, do you think
they know what we were doing in here?” 

He laughed and said, “I don’t think you have to worry about
that.  Besides, I’m pretty sure they’ve figured out that we’ve had sex a few
times.” 

She wouldn’t let it go.  “I mean, this is a big house, but
things can still be heard, you know?” 

Joe said, “Put it to you like this.  They either have the
creakiest bed in California, or something was going on to make the bed creak.” 

Liza asked, “How do you know?”  He told her that he heard them
when he went into the kitchen to get the bottled water. 

Liza teasingly said, “Leave them alone for two seconds and
their clothes just automatically fall off.” 

The irony of Liza’s statement made both of them laugh.  They
laughed and talked for a little while longer, until sleep finally overtook
them.

~~~~

Chapter
2

Renee was up the following morning at 6:30.  She tried to go
back to sleep, but she was too excited.  Elliott was still sound asleep beside
her, so she carefully got out of bed and went into the bathroom.  She took a
warm shower and put moisturizer on her still damp skin.  Since it was still
early, she decided to put on pajamas. 

Just as she was gathering her laptop, Elliott woke up and
said, “Good morning, baby.  Why’re you up so early?” 

She went back over to the bed and kissed his sleepy face and
said, “Good morning.  I tried to go back to sleep, but couldn’t.  Why don’t you
get some more sleep?  I’m going to the office, check some emails, and check on
things in New York.  I’ll be back in a bit.” 

He sat up and said, “Are E and Liza up?” 

She said “I don’t know, but I doubt it.”

He got out of bed and said, “Okay, I’m up, too.”  He pulled
her close and said, “You really should try to get some rest.” 

She smiled up at him and said, “I’m fine.  I’ll get some
rest later on, if I start getting tired.” 

He made her promise to at least take a nap later. 

As she was walking down the hallway, her cell rang.  It was
Genie.

“Hi.  I was just getting ready to call you,” Renee said as
she settled into herself into the chair. 

Genie said, “You’re up and sounding so chipper for so early
in the morning.  Isn’t it 7:00 there?  I thought I was going to leave you a
voice message.” 

Renee said, “I have some things to do this morning, so I’ve
been up for a few minutes.” 

They talked about how things were going in New York.  “So,
everything here is great.  I’m sure you’ve seen the reports.  We are a shining
success.”

Renee laughed and said, “Yes, I have been keeping up with
things and we certainly have a lot to be thankful for.” 

Renee listened as Genie told her about a man that she met at
a friend’s dinner party. 

Genie said, “I’m pretty sure it was a setup, but he’s very
nice and smart.  And handsome.” 

Renee teasingly said, “Will I be getting a wedding
invitation soon?” 

Genie scoffed at that and said, “Slow down, I ain’t ready
for all that right now.”

 Renee laughed and said, “I’m going to remember you said
that.” 

There was a slight pause and Renee said, “Genie, I was going
to wait to tell you this later, but I may as well go ahead and tell you now.”

Genie said, “Oh, boy, Renee.  Please don’t tell me you want
to bail out of business.  We can seriously do this even with you in California. 
We already talked about it before you left” 

Renee said, “Oh, no, nothing at all like that.  In fact, I’m
moving forward with getting our products sold online as well as looking at
opening salons here.  Everyone that I’ve talked to really wants to use our
products and to have a salon that takes care of unprocessed hair.”

Genie calmed down and said, “Oh, okay.  Don’t scare me like
that again, St. Claire.  So, what’s up?”

Renee said, “Well, you know how things were with me and
Elliott while he was in New York, before he came back to LA, right?  Well, long
story short, I’m pregnant, and Elliott and I are getting married.” 

Genie whooped into the phone, “I’m not the least bit
surprised, though.  Girl, congratulations!  See, this is way better news than
what I was thinking you were going to say.  I bet Elliott is beyond excited. 
Were you surprised or did you suspect that you’re pregnant?  When’s the wedding?”

Renee said, “Thanks, Genie.  I don’t want you thinking I’m
going to be a slacker.  I still intend to carry on as usual.  Elliott is
already in full protective mode.  He keeps telling me to take it easy.  We have
a doctor’s appointment today.  I wasn’t even thinking about being pregnant, so
when I went to the doctor for sinus headaches and came out with a pregnancy
diagnosis, I was surprised, to say the very least.  But I’m really happy about
it.  As far as the wedding, we were going to do it this weekend in a civil
ceremony.  Liza and Joe are here and you know how she is.  She wants us to have
something that has to be planned out.”

Genie laughed and said, “From sinus headaches to pregnancy. 
That is too funny.  Elliott is right, though.  Don’t try to so much all the
time.  Everything here is great, and it will fall into place out there.  You
just take care of you and the baby.”

Renee and Genie talked on for a while longer and ended their
conversation with Genie making Renee promise to keep her informed of
everything.

~~~~

By the time Renee finished with everything she needed to do
from the office, it was 9:00.  As she was walking back to the bedroom, she
heard Liza say, “Good morning.”

Renee turned around and said, “Good morning, sunshine.  Did
you sleep okay?” 

Liza’s mind did a quick replay of the prior evening and she
said, “Beyond okay.”  How about you?  Are you all rested up for your appointment?”

Renee said, “Yes.  I feel great.  Very well-rested.”  Do you
guys need anything?  The bathroom in the hallway has your favorite body and
hair products, and linens are in the closet right across from your bedroom.”

Liza squealed in delight, “Thank you, thank you, thank you. 
I was hoping I wouldn’t run out of my faves before we head back to New York.”

As they were settling themselves at the kitchen table, Liza
said, “Listen, I know I was talking a lot about putting on a wedding for you
two.  And we both know how I tend to go on and on when I’m excited about
something.  But if you really don’t want to do it, I’ll drop the whole thing. 
I just want you to be happy and not stressing over anything.”

Renee leaned over and gave Liza a hug and said, “I know,
girl.  I admit, I was feeling a bit overwhelmed by everything you were saying,
but . . . “

Liza gasped and her eyes widened in anticipation of what
Renee was getting ready to say.

“If you really want to plan something small and if you can
make it happen within the next two weeks, I could deal with that.” 

Liza squealed in delight and said, “Yes!  Renee, I promise,
you won’t be sorry, and you won’t have to do anything.  Well, you might have to
come with me when I find a chapel and we’ll have to find you a dress.  But
outside of that, I’ll take care of everything.  I just need to go get the list
that I already started.”

Renee laughed at Liza’s enthusiasm and said, “Remember,
Liza, small and within the next two weeks are the keywords here.” 

Liza was walking up the hallway, her house slippers making
sliding noises on the hardwood floor.   “Yeah, yeah, I got it,” she said while
waving her hand.

As she was going into the bedroom, Joe was coming out.  He
gave her a long kiss on the lips and she laughed and said, “No time for that
right now.  I got wedding plans to get started on.” 

Joe chuckled and stole a quick nip of her slender neck and
went into the kitchen where Renee was making tea.

“Good morning,” Renee said cheerily as Joe went to the
refrigerator to get himself a glass of orange juice. 

“Good morning, Renee,” Joe said.  “I see Liza is back on her
wedding planning mission.  Lemme guess.  She told you she would keep it small
and not over-the-top, and you believed her?”

“Renee laughed as she took a sip of her tea and said,
“Yeah.  But she’ll have to keep it small.  She only has two weeks.  I figure
she can’t get too over-the-top in that timeframe, but we’ll see.”

“She’s your girl, Renee,” Joe said.  “You know how she is.”

They were both still laughing when Elliott walked into the
kitchen.

“Good morning,” Elliott said to Joe.  He kissed Renee and
said “Why don’t you go back to bed for a while?  I’ll wake you up in a bit.”

She finished the rest of her tea and said, “Okay.  That
sounds good right about now.” 

As he sat across from Joe at the kitchen table, Elliott
said, “Did you two sleep okay last night?  Renee says that I keep the house a
little cool.” 

Joe, with a slight smile said, “Oh, everything was great. 
The temperature was fine, the bed was comfortable.  It was all good.” 

Elliott knew what Joe was talking about.  He chuckled a bit
and said, “Alright then.” 

He changed the subject.  “After we come back from the
appointment, it’ll probably be late afternoon.  I called Mom and Dad last night
to let them know you are here and they’d really like to come over.  We thought
we’d also tell them about the baby and the wedding.”

Joe said, “Sounds good to me.”

The rest of the morning went by very quickly and it was
getting close to the time for Elliott and Renee to leave for their appointment.

Renee was walking back into the kitchen.  She was wearing
black side zip slacks, a wine color drape neck sweater.  Her mid-height heels
clicked as she half-ran up the hallway. 

“Sorry it took me so long, but I’m ready when you are,” she
said to Elliott when she reached the kitchen. 

Elliott smiled approvingly at her and said, “Okay, let’s
go.  Are you sure you want to wear those shoes, though?”

Renee laughed and said, “Yes, I’m sure I want to wear these
shoes, that’s why I put them on.” 

Renee said over her shoulder to Joe, “You two know to make
yourselves at home.  Help yourselves to whatever you like. 

Joe said, “Will do.  We’ll be fine.  See you guys later.”

~~~~

On the short drive to Dr. Middleton’s office, Renee told
Elliott that she had given Liza the go-ahead with planning a small ceremony. 

 “She said she could plan something small and fantastic in
just under two weeks,” Renee said.

Elliott smiled and said, “Really, now?  You believe that? 
You believe she is going to keep it small?”

Renee took Elliott’s hand in hers and said, “No, I don’t
believe it.  She will pull it together in two weeks, and I suspect she will
keep it small, but I’m pretty sure she is going to add in some element of
surprise as only she knows how.  But she does understand that she has two weeks
because we’re not waiting any longer than that.  Oh, would Judge Nichols be
willing to perform the ceremony for us at a small venue?”

Elliott said, “I’ll talk to him tomorrow about it.  I’m
pretty sure he’ll do it, though.”

They pulled into the medical complex and after Elliott
parked the car, he leaned over and kissed Renee and said, “I love you so much.”

Renee looked into Elliott’s handsome face and said, “I love
you, too.”  She took a deep breath as they exited the car.  They walked
hand-in-hand into the doctor’s office.

Renee filled out the paperwork and after a short wait, she
was taken to an exam room by a nurse.  The nurse informed Elliott that she
would come and get him when it was time for the sonogram. 

After the nurse asked Renee some initial questions and took
her vital signs, there was another brief wait, and then the doctor came into
the exam room.

“Hi, Renee.  I’m Dr. Middleton.  How are you today?”

“Hello, Dr. Middleton.  I’m fine, thank you.”

After Dr. Middleton had finished examining Renee, he left
the exam room and sent in the nurse to take Renee to the sonogram room. 

The nurse said, “I’ll go and get your husband and then the
doctor will do your exam.”

Renee smiled and said, “Okay.”

A few minutes later Elliott was walking into the dimly lit
room where Renee was lying on the exam table.  A few minutes after that, Dr.
Middleton came in and introduced himself to Elliott and started the exam.

Dr. Middleton said, “Well, it looks like the date of your
last period and the sonogram are very close.  Your due date is July 15.” 

Renee and Elliott looked at each other and smiled, barely
able to contain themselves. 

The doctor finished wiping the gel from Renee’s stomach and
said, “After you get dressed, the nurse will show you both into my office.”

Once they were seated in Dr. Middleton’s office, he said, “I
just wanted to go over some things with the both of you.  As you know,
pregnancy after the age of 35 carries certain risks, particularly genetic risks. 
Renee, you are a perfectly healthy young woman, however, I want to follow your
pregnancy very closely.  I don’t anticipate any issues, but you did mention
that you had some spotting in the beginning.  I want you to let me know if you
have any further discharge, bloody or non-bloody, cramping, or anything that is
unusual.”

Renee said, “Yes, I know that sometimes complications can
happen, and I intend to do everything to make sure that this goes as smoothly
as possible.”

Elliott took this opportunity to ask the doctor if frequent
sex was okay, if Renee could still do yoga, should she eat more, what type of
shoes she should be wearing, and anything else that came to mind.

Dr. Middleton said, “You can have sex as frequently as you
like, no worries there.  As far as yoga, I actually encourage patients to
remain as active as possible during pregnancy, unless it becomes too tiresome
or uncomfortable, and trust me, Elliott, Renee will know for herself when high-heels
become too uncomfortable.  As I said, she is perfectly healthy and can pretty
much carry on as usual.  You both know, however, that as the pregnancy
progresses, more fatigue tends to set in.”

Renee and Elliott asked a few more questions and when they
were finished, Dr. Middleton said, “Okay, I need to see you back in six weeks
and we’ll do another sonogram.  If you need to see me before then, just call
the office.  They’ve already been instructed to work you in if you need to see
me before scheduled appointments.”

Renee and Elliott shook Dr. Middleton’s hand and left the
office.

~~~~

As they were pulling out of the parking lot, Renee said to
Elliott, “See, I told you that you worry too much.  Dr. Middleton said I’m
perfectly healthy.”

Elliott gave her a sideways glance and said, “He also said
he’s going to watch you very closely and that you need to call him if anything
strange happens.  I still want you to take it easy.”