Love Undefeated (Unexpected #5) (38 page)

She raised her leg and I saw the gush of liquid flow out of her.

I dipped my finger inside and tasted her.

Always
so
good.

Her cheeks were flushed, and the afterglow of our lovemaking increased our awareness for each other.

I stood up, careful not to trip over my jeans that had only made it halfway down my legs before my cowgirl attacked me with so much vigor.

We had to refrain from sex for two months since she was spotting on and off.

Nalee thought it was just her period being weird, but when her period continued to be a no-show and when chunks of breakfast cereal came out of her mouth every morning, she’d taken a pregnancy test and
voila
, the plus sign meant that we were adding a new member to our family
.

We waited to break the news to our parents until after her doctor confirmed it.

Nalee’s parents were over the moon and mine were over the universe.

I swore my mom walked with an extra umph these days.

It was as if knowing that she was going to have a grandchild had given her an extra lease on life.

I grabbed Nalee’s swaying hips as we entered the bathroom and slowly turned her body to face me.

“You and little peanut okay?” I asked, her face glowed from within. She’d never looked more beautiful to me.

“Yeah, he’s been behaving,” she answered, the teasing in her eyes evident. “He hasn’t been causing me any problems.”

“You mean she’s been good.” In two weeks we’d know for sure. I was betting on my daughter to raise me a hundred bucks.

Nales was betting that our baby was a boy.

We could care less on the gender.

We just wanted to make it fun.

Some people had gender reveal cake parties.

To-may-toes,
to-mah-toes.

Benjamin Franklin was securely pinned on our refrigerator door; to the winner he will go.

“I’ve been feeling great. Just extra horny.” She shrugged her shoulders. “But that’s what husbands are for. To help relieve a pregnant woman’s aching loins.”

I burst out in laughter. “Loins!”

She snorted, “I saw your game on TV.”

It was televised, on a
Canadian
channel.

Lacrosse may never gain the popularity that football or baseball had in the U.S., but it was all good.

I loved to play for the sake of playing.

“It was a good game. We need to up the defense, but Coach thinks we’re more than ready for the game against Australia.”

Her eyes shimmered with love. “I’m proud of you, Xavier. I’m proud that you’re starting your own business while you’re helping out your dad.” Now that the board approved of the change-over, I was needed less which meant I had more time on my hands.

Starting a computer design business with emphasis on the design part, my goal was to help aspiring companies to get the attention they deserved so that they could propel themselves in the technology arena and make themselves known.

I wasn’t sure how it was going to turn out, but I’d already received more than a dozen calls since I officially opened up my office two blocks away from our house two weeks ago.

I lowered myself, my knees touching the smooth coffee-colored bathroom rug and pressed my head on her stomach.

“I love you, Nales. I love you, baby pea.”

I was excited and nervous and extremely happy that we were having a baby.

Nalee and I would let he or she know about our firstborn, our angel, who constantly watched over us.

I honestly believed that she was there the night I proposed to her mom and her mom said yes.

I felt her presence when Nalee and I got married in a small wedding ceremony overlooking the archipelago in Santa Cruz, one of the islands in Galapagos.

She was probably laughing right now, at Nalee and I, because she already knew what we’d been waiting for since the day we got back together.

What our child was going to be.

Our angel knew already if she was going to have a brother or a sister.

Way before everyone else did.

Because of that,
she
should get the Benjamin.

She’d walked in with her hair piled on top of her head, clutching the small brown bag that contained a bunch of what looked like white envelopes.

“Nalee, it’s nice to see you.” My arms opened to hug her, and the scent of the ocean breeze and a harmonious floral bouquet reached my nose.

She wasn’t tall like her best friends, Tanya and Sedona.

I’d met them first at her birthday party and then at her wedding.

She was petite, but her size couldn’t contain her personality.

Her hazel eyes twinkled in happiness.

It was her eyes, the eyes that always got to me.

A mixture of gentleness and mayhem.

Of astuteness and understanding.

“How’s it going?” Her pink running shoes stayed on the floor of my office, but her body hit the small couch I’d added when the board approved the recommendation from Xavier and his father. “Is everyone here being nice to you? If not, let me know and I will make my husband axe their positions.”

Husband.

Such an endearing term.

It drove a jagged wooden spike into my heart every time I heard it.

“Nah. I’ve only been here four months and you’re threatening a revolt already.” I laughed, my hands finding time with the black pen I’d been using to sign the stacks of paper on the desk. “Everyone’s been great. They’re really welcoming me here. Xavier’s been showing me the ropes. It’s all good, Nalee.”

“That’s good. I’m glad you’re feeling at home here, Devon.” She smiled and my heart tugged on its strings. “Xavier’s so happy that you’re here now. He knows that this is the right fit for you.”

There it was.

Xavier, my college frat buddy, was indeed a good man.

I remembered it like it was yesterday. He’d called me a week after Nalee’s birthday party, asking, “Hey
yo
! How do you like your job at Briles and Sons?”

I’d replied with, “I like it.”

Then he’d said, “What do you think of managing an international company that’s listed on Forbes’ 100 as one of the best companies to work for?

I choked on my coffee, my third for the day, and when I’d managed to swallow, I’d said, “Are you shitting me?”

“Nope. No shit. Just wondering. You got a business management degree with a minor in accounting and a major talent for recognizing asshats.” Xavier had laughed but I also detected that he was serious.

Quite serious indeed that a week after I’d made my decision to leave Briles and Sons, he’d introduced me to Lockheed and Associates’ board of directors.

He’d been his father’s shadow, and when it counted the most, even without a business degree, Xavier had kept the company thriving during its most critical times so Xavier held the company’s trust. And when he recommended me to take on his position, with the blessing of his father, it took a while for all the paperwork to be finalized, but here I was.

In my wildest dreams, I’d never thought I’d be heading a company this big, with tentacles reaching all over the globe and with several plans of expansion.

The glass door opened and Claire stepped in. “Sir, your one o’ clock is here.” Her gaze landing on the couch, her face breaking into a huge smile as she walked over to Nalee. “Hi, Nalee! I didn’t know that you’re here. I must have missed you when you came in.”

Nalee grinned, her hair bouncing on her shoulders. “You’re slacking, Claire. Just because Devon’s the boss man now doesn’t mean you can just go gallivanting around town.”

Claire put her hand over her mouth. “Oh my, you’re too much, Nalee. Come visit me once in a while, okay?”

Nalee reached for something in the brown bag. “I’d love to. But maybe in a few months, I won’t be able to.”

Claire’s eyes darkened with worry, “Oh…why not?’

Nalee’s eyes shifted from Claire to me, her smile grew bigger, and her left hand touched the stomach that was covered by her light pink workout jacket, and she said, “These are your baby shower invites. It’s not for another month, but I was hoping you guys would be able to attend.”

My face couldn’t contain my happiness, my steps reached her before Claire finished hugging her.

“I’m so happy for you and Xavier, Nalee. You deserve the best.”

He cheeks pinked with a joyous glow. “Thank you, Devon. We can’t wait to meet him.”

“You’re having a boy?” Claire screamed. Nalee and I both looked at her in surprise. Claire was very mild-mannered, and from what I’d heard from Xavier, always keel-tempered, never showing a huge range of emotions.

Nalee became teary-eyed and said, “Yes, we’re having a boy. We’re so excited. Xavier and I have been waiting for him for a long time.”

Once, I met this girl at a party.

I was drunk and I spilled my drink all over her clothes.

She didn’t make a peep, created no drama like I knew most women would. She’d merely smiled at me and she gave me a glimpse of those beautiful hazel eyes.

In my haziness, I’d thought, “One day I’ll marry this girl who didn’t make a fuss.”

As she talked to Claire about the details of the baby shower, I kept staring at her.

It was no wonder why my buddy Xavier would crawl the world on his knees for her.

She had effortless grace.

She didn’t possess the kind of beauty that left men breathless.

Instead, the more she was in your presence, the more you felt like you could breathe again and not worry about anything.

One day, I hoped to find it again, in another woman.

I’m not sure if I would because women like her were as rare as the diamonds that she was wearing on her left hand ring finger.

I could only hope to have it all.

Money, career, and…
love
.

That kind of love between Xavier and Nalee.

The one that made them breathe through everything in life.

The one that stood strong amid the strongest temptations and knee-bending challenges.

The
undefeated
kind.

One day.

I hoped…