Only One (Ward Sisters Book 2) (31 page)

Jenna touched his face. “You plan to tell me that every day?”

He kissed her. “As often as you need it. I don't want you to ever again wonder how I really feel about you. You're the only one who ever truly meant anything to me.”

“If I didn't come back to you, would you have stayed with Nina and fallen in love with her?”

“Maybe. There's a good chance, yes. But you did come back to me, and I'll be forever grateful. I don't think my heart would have been whole if it wasn't you by my side every night for the rest of my life. Something would have always been missing.”

“My heart is only whole because of you, too. I love you. We don't have to get married if you're still not ready.”

Liam smiled. “I'm ready. I want our baby to have my name.”

“He could still have your name.”

“I don't care, I want you to have my name, too. When we walk into the hospital to have this baby, I don't want anyone telling me I don't have a right to make decisions about you or our baby if it comes to that. I want you to be my wife, to spend the rest of my life with you. There's no point in waiting until later. So when do you want to get married?”

“You still have to ask. Do you want to get married here?”

Liam smiled. She wasn't going to let the formal proposal go. They talked about the logistics of getting married on Monday. It made sense, given that most everyone they wanted to be at their wedding would either already be in Maine or could easily travel here in a couple days. Finding an alternative officiant would be a requirement, since Nina was the one marrying Rob and Emily, but they'd iron out those details later.

Meanwhile, they took advantage of a little more alone time. After, Jenna lay beside him, caressed his face, ran her fingers over his scar. She traced it gently. “I missed you,” she sighed.

He smiled at her. “I am the biggest idiot in the world. I should have proposed to you the day I met you. You're perfect for me.”

“Don't you ever forget it again.”

“I never forgot. I just thought I lost you.” He ran his fingers through her hair. “I want to spend the rest of my life making love to you, holding your hand, talking all night long.” He rubbed her belly. “And watching our kids grow. Next time, I want to be there for every appointment. Did you already have an ultrasound?”

She nodded. “Do you want to see the pictures?”

“Really? You have them with you?” She nodded. It took her a little bit of creative movement to get off the bed, but she was obviously used to her belly. Removing something from her purse, she handed it to him, then sat next to him on the bed. They were glossy, black and white images.

“These ones are from the first ultrasound. That little blob is the baby. He was still pretty small then. I think that was around nine weeks. It was to confirm my due date, which is October 28
th
.”

“Six weeks away?” Jenna nodded. “You won't be able to travel again once we go back to L.A., will you?”

“As long as the doctor gives me the go-ahead, I can. Do you want to be at my next appointment?”

“Yes. Absolutely. I think we need to stay in L.A. so you can have the baby in California. You know your doctor, and you must have seen the hospital where you're planning to have the baby. Have you taken birthing classes?”

“Not yet. I'm registered for a Saturday class in two weeks. Do you want to take it with me? Maybe be my birthing coach and be there when the baby is born?”

Liam smiled. “I wouldn't miss it. I missed so much already...”

“I'm sorry. That's my fault. If you knew, you'd have been there. If I'd asked Rob to tell you I was pregnant, you would have known.”

“That the baby was mine? Yes. As soon as I saw your belly, I knew it was my baby.”

“I got that impression when you passed out.”

He chuckled. “Very manly, wasn't it?”

“I think I'd rather see you pass out than hear you tell me there was no way this was your baby.”

“I'd never have said that. I was there when the condom broke. When was the last time you slept with anyone but me?”

She looked down. “Five years ago? Give or take. Once I met you, I didn't want anyone else. I was waiting for you to figure out that you were in love with me and you couldn't live without me.”

“You waited all that time, even though I didn't admit I loved you before last winter?”

“I knew you loved me. That's why I was disappointed when you said it wouldn't be fair to make me wait. I was so in love with you that there was no question of that. My heart would never have let me choose to be with anyone but you. Not when I knew how you really felt. Even the first time, I knew it was more than sex.”

“It was. But how did you know?”

She smiled. “We were hot and heavy, and you could have taken me without another word, but you
asked
if I
wanted
you to fuck me. If I'd said I wanted you to make love to me, you'd have been gentle and slow, like when we made this baby.”

He nodded. It was true. He'd have done anything she asked of him. Hell, he solved a word problem to earn a date with her and he hated word problems. Because she never made ultimatums, he was afraid that she didn't feel the same as him. He'd let that dictate how he acted. She let him set the pace, even though it probably killed her to do it.

He kissed her. “You are the love of my life.”

He knew what he had to do and he jumped from the bed.

“Where are you going?”

“Hold on for a second,” he replied.

Running into the bathroom, he grabbed some dental floss from the medicine cabinet. When he returned to the bedroom, he held the floss behind his back.

Liam knelt in front of her on one knee, held her hand and said, “Jenna Ackerman, you are the smartest, most beautiful woman I have ever known, and you had my number from the moment you met me. If you will do me the honor of becoming my wife, I promise I will make up for my stupidity every single day until my dying breath. Will you marry me?”

Tears sprang to her eyes. She nodded vigorously. “Yes. Yes, I'll marry you.”

“Give me your finger.” He produced the floss from behind his back and tied a bow around her left ring finger. “I know it's not a real ring, but we'll go to the jeweler in the morning. Is that okay?”

Her grin was huge.

“Perfect. It's absolutely perfect.”

**********

Jenna cried as he held her and then he gently made love to her. It was the best orgasm of her life. After, he lay next to her, spooning her from behind and rubbing her belly as he nuzzled her neck. The baby kicked his hand.

“I think he's talking to me.”

“He's also hungry. I know because
I'm
hungry all the time. I think he likes that mommy and daddy are together.”

Jenna knew she did.

“I can't believe I'm going to be a daddy. It's crazy. Awesome, but crazy. I guess I'll get used to it eventually, right?”

That made her smile. She reached for the ultrasound pictures again.

“Amy told me that men don't get used to it until they hold their first child for the first time. It's easier for the mother because, once you can feel the baby move, it becomes real. These are from the 20-week ultrasound, when I found out he was a boy.”

He sat as she handed him the photos and as soon as he saw the baby, his eyes filled with tears.

“That's him?” She nodded. “Holy crap. He's really in there. He looks like a baby.”

“He looks even more like a baby now. See that? That's his little peepee.”

“Hey! Don't give him a complex.”

“Sorry. I have no idea if it's little. But it's obvious, right?” Liam nodded. “That's your son. Want to know what I'd like to name him?”

“You picked a name without me?” He seemed hurt.

She laced her fingers into his. “I have a suggestion. If you don't like it, we can talk about an alternative.”

“Okay. So, what do you suggest?”

“Robert Cameron. For Rob, for your father, and for both the great Bobby Orr and...”

A huge grin spread across his face. “Cam Neely. Did I tell you I love you?” He kissed her quickly. “Can we call him Cam?”

Jenna laughed. She knew he'd like the name and that he'd want to call the baby Cam. That was her thought behind it. “We can. Just let him choose which position he wants to play on his own. It's a big legacy to uphold.”

She could tell he loved that she didn't even question whether their son would play hockey. Of course
their
son would play hockey.

“I don't know if I'll ever deserve you.”

“I'll let you spend your life trying.” She suddenly started crying. Stupid hormones.

“Hey, what's wrong?”

“Nothing's wrong. I'm so happy. I had no idea what would happen when I came here today, if you'd want me anymore or if you still loved me. I was afraid you'd met someone else and that I'd spend my life watching you have a relationship with our son, and wishing that you were still mine. I dreamed this would be the result. That you'd still love me, you'd want me and our baby, and you'd marry me, make a life with us. I wish I'd told you sooner. We could have been sharing this experience together.”

“Next time, we'll practice hard to make the baby and we can do the test together. At least I didn't miss the most important part.”

“I knew I'd have to tell you soon. The wedding gave me a reason to come here in person. Otherwise, I'd have told you when you returned to L.A.”

They could hear the ruckus created by seven Deacon kids who had been on a plane and in a car for hours.

Liam said, “Sounds like the zoo has arrived. Let's head down there. I'm sure they're wondering if we're ever coming back.”

Chapter 27

Jenna left the floss ring on her finger. She was glowing more than she had been before and she looked exceptionally beautiful. They held hands as they walked down the main stairs straight into the throng of Deacons flowing through the doorway.

“Liam! There you are. Can you help Pat and the boys get all the luggage?” Anja asked as she kissed his cheek. Liam nodded and kissed Jenna before he went out the door. He heard Anja exclaim her congratulations to Jenna and knew there was much discussion to anticipate over the next couple days. He'd known the Deacon family forever, knew that Pat and Anja thought of him like another son, loved Jenna like a daughter, and so he knew that there would be a lot of talk.

He could only hope it wouldn't hurt Nina.

Emily had been correct that, with the whole Deacon clan in residence, the house became a chaotic mess in mere minutes. Nonetheless, Liam was relieved that Meg had declined to wait.

Liam and Jenna spent as much of the night as they could joined at the hip. Every time Jenna went to the bathroom – which happened often – Liam was accosted by someone. The women in Rob's family fawned over him, thrilled that he was finally settling down and even happier that it was with Jenna.

Kelly kissed his cheek. “I liked Nina. She's a nice girl. But I knew you still loved Jenna. I'm glad you're back together.” He smiled. When Jenna returned, Kelly cooed over her belly like everyone else.

Later, Reggie clinked beer bottles with him. “Must have been quite the reconciliation for you to propose,” she teased. Liam raised his brows. He still felt a little weird talking about Jenna with Reggie.

Then Christopher hugged him. “You take care of my Jenna, you hear me? She's been my best friend since we were in high school. Just because I like you, doesn't mean I won't kick your ass if you hurt her again. Capisce?” he warned.

Christopher grabbed his ass, he assumed to make sure that Liam knew he was at least partially joking. Shocked, Liam let it slide and just nodded.

“Can I steal him from you, Christopher?” Emily asked.

“For you, darling, anything,” Christopher replied.

Liam had been dreading Emily's disappointment that he'd hurt Nina. Em linked arms with him and leaned her head against his shoulder as they strolled down the lawn. They were quiet as they walked and that was actually worse. He'd hoped she'd yell at him and get done quickly. Finally, they arrived at the stairs and she sat on the bench they'd placed at the top landing. Liam sat next to her.

She sighed. “I want to be mad at you, Liam. Nina is hurting and I want to yell at you for it.”

“I'm sorry, Em. I never meant to hurt her. I really care about her and if Jenna didn't still love me, I know I couldn't have left Nina. But I love Jenna. I've always loved her.”

“I see that now. I didn't realize you felt so strongly about her. I thought you liked Reggie more.”

“Probably because you didn't get to see me with Jenna before that last night in L.A. That wasn't a one-time thing. We were always like that. I hadn't been able to see her in months. I missed her. That night, I told her I loved her. We'd been together for three years. Things were as intense between us at the beginning as they were with you and Rob. I should have made a commitment to her from the start. I was in love with her then. If I had known she still wanted me around, I'd never have even talked to Nina. She's a great girl, but I wouldn't have been unfaithful if I knew Jenna still wanted to be my girlfriend.”

“So she was really your girlfriend before?”

“Yeah. I was a jerk. I only wanted her, but I wasn't ready to get married, so I let her think that I'd be fine if she found someone else. I was afraid she'd never really want me if she could see the real me. She's been faithful to me for the past three and a half years and I was the one still sleeping around. Once we were an item, I was rarely with anyone else. I only wanted Jenna when that was an option. I should have made it possible more often, called, asked her to come to me. But I didn't. I'll live with that mistake for the rest of my life. I missed too much of her pregnancy, and I need to make that right, so when we head to L.A., I'll stay there until the baby can travel. Then the three of us will move here.”

“Does that mean you won't be my bodyguard anymore?”

“When we're in L.A., I'll still be your guard, but I won't travel back to Maine with you. Rick will guard you while I'm away. Did you hear that we're getting married on Monday?”

“Rob said that. He asked if I knew any other notaries. My mom is a notary, but we didn't ask her to marry us because we wanted the wedding to be a surprise for everyone, and Nina already knew about it. Mom may not agree, but I don't see why she'd say no.”

Emily was quiet for a minute. “Can I ask you a question?”

“Sure.”

“Why did you say that Nina was different? You gave me the impression that you had never been serious about anyone before.”

“She
was
different, Em.
I
was different. I acted like a mature adult with her. The only other time I was ever like that was when I first started dating Jenna. I knew from the beginning that I felt something for her, but I wasn't man enough to behave the way I should have when I left the first time. Jenna always deserved to know how much I loved her.”

“If you'd fallen in love with Nina, would you have left her for Jenna?”

“It wouldn't have gotten that far, Em. I'd have known about Jenna and the baby before then. Jenna would have told me about the baby and that she still loved me when we got to L.A. I'd have ended things with Nina regardless of when Jenna told me, but it wouldn't have been more than a few weeks from now. I care for Nina, very deeply, more than anyone but Jenna, but I wasn't in love with her. I've barely known her a month.”

“How long did it take you to fall in love with Jenna?”

“Seconds? Minutes? Hours? Something like that. Do you remember what it was like when you met Rob? How hard and fast you fell for him?”

“Yes. I couldn't stop thinking about him and I wanted to be with him all the time.”

“But you didn't say you loved him when he could hear you.” She shook her head. “That was how I felt about Jenna, but unlike Rob, she didn't constantly profess love. I'd been burned once, and I trusted my instincts in every way except when it came to love. She never told me she loved me because she was afraid to scare me. I told her I wasn't ready for marriage and to her, it meant I wasn't ready to commit. If she'd asked, I'd have committed to her.  I was a coward for three years before I finally told her that I loved her. If I'd been more of a man, I'd have called her so she knew I hadn't changed my mind.”

“She's the love of your life.”

“She is. She always was.”

“It's partly my fault, Liam.”

“No. If anyone is to blame, it's that bitch Rachel, not you.”

“But if I hadn't listened to her...”

“Stop. None of us can go back. We have to get past it, okay?”

Emily nodded. “I'm trying not to be mad at you, Liam. I know you didn't hurt Nina on purpose. Can you give me a little time?”

“As much time as you need. Are you okay with us getting married here Monday?”

“Yes. Knowing that I played a part in Nina's pain will be the hardest part.”

“Me too, Em. I wish Jenna and me being happy didn't have to mean Nina being sad. I can't help that it does.”

She hugged him. “I know.”

**********

Liam let Em walk back to the house without him. He wanted to call his parents and tell them the news, though he knew it would be the same basic conversation twice. Despite the fact that they'd been divorced since he graduated from high school, they were still of like minds on many things.

One in particular.

They reacted as he knew they would. First, shock that he was getting married. Then, admonition about marrying a girl because he'd gotten her pregnant, afraid he was duplicating their mistakes.

Liam reassured them both that he did love Jenna, that he'd been stupid in the past and should have asked her before he left L.A. three and a half years ago.

Excitement came next, because four of Liam's five sisters had begotten six children, but they were all girls. That Jenna would be giving them a grandson was something to celebrate. Naming the baby after his dad was icing on the cake.

Nonetheless, both his parents repeated their question as to if he was marrying for the right reasons. Then they promised to be at the wedding on Monday. His mother, of course, wasn't thrilled that Liam insisted his father could bring Peggy. But then, Bitsy was still in love with Bobby after all this time, despite the fact that he'd now been married to Peggy for fifteen years.

Liam sighed. The conversations had been exhausting.