The Footballer's Designer Baby (A BWWM Pregnancy Romance) (6 page)

Delilah nodded and smiled at Cameron who was wisely standing back a few feet, waiting for the initial chaos to subside. He knew his mother and sister would be excited to meet Delilah and get to see the baby bump, and he knew the best thing to do would be to stay out of their way for the first few minutes of their visit.

“He’s amazing. He’s taking such good care of me. Spoiling me rotten.” Delilah answered Renee, and Renee looked over her shoulder and beamed proudly at her brother.

She saw the two women staring excitedly at her belly and she smiled and said,

“You can touch him, if you want to. He’s pretty active right now; he’s hungry, so he’s moving around a lot. After we eat, he’ll go to sleep and be still, but if you want to feel him, this is a good time to do it.”

Maryanne and Renee grew even more exited and before she knew it, Delilah’s belly was covered in hands and the women giggled in delight, feeling their little one move around. He gave his grandmother a solid jolt with his little foot and she looked up at Delilah and Cameron in surprise.

“You’ve got a good kicker there, you have!” she said as Cameron grinned happily.

They played a little and cooed over Delilah’s belly, and then the ladies looked around to see if there was anything they could do.

“Well, you’re all ready!” Maryanne said with a smile. “It looks wonderful! Cam, honey, hand me that package I brought in, please.”

Cameron handed his mother one of the bags she’d brought in.

“This is for you, dear,” she said sweetly, handing it to Delilah.

A surprised smile spread over her face, and Delilah took the bag and opened it. Inside she found a bouquet of flowers in a little angel vase, two boxes of tea, some honey sticks, mint foot cream, lavender lotion, and a cooling eye mask.

“That’s so sweet! Thank you so much!” Delilah was a little overwhelmed, and hugged Maryanne tightly. “You didn’t have to do that!”

Maryanne just smiled at her.

“Of course I did! Enjoy it, dear, hopefully it will help you feel better!”

They sat down to eat and Delilah couldn’t get over the close, warm feeling of being with family. She hadn’t really thought about what it would be like to be away from her own parents as long as she had been, but she had missed the intimacy of family gatherings.

Sitting there at the dinner table with Cameron beside her and his mom and sister talking and laughing with her, gave her a wonderful sense of inclusion and contentment. It was nice to feel the closeness that they shared that night.

Renee and Maryanne raved about how good dinner tasted and Cameron and Delilah were quite pleased with themselves over having collaborated on such a successful meal.

When they’d eaten, Cameron took the ladies back to the library and showed them the new office area he’d had put in for Delilah so she could do her school work. That launched Renee and Delilah into a deep conversation about school and studies. Renee wanted to transfer to Berkeley and had several questions which Delilah was able to answer for her, and she encouraged the transfer.

“Well, part of it is that I just should have been at Berkeley the whole time, and the other part is that I’ll need to be close to help Cam with the baby, especially when he’s at away games, so it just works out much better this way,” Renee said, and then she stopped and looked from Cameron to Delilah. “What are you doing when Cam is away? Who’s here taking care of you?”

Cameron touched his sister’s shoulder.

“I was actually going to ask you about that tonight.”

Renee looked at Delilah.

“Oh! I’d love to come and stay with you, if you want. I know it would be a big help to Cam if I was here; you know, peace of mind, and you’d have some company and a helping hand. Would it be alright? I can just spend the weekends here while he’s away.”

She looked very excited about the idea, and Delilah felt that warmth of family and friendship begin to spread through her again. She was so surprised by their thoughtfulness.

“Well, if you’re sure you want to, then yes, I’d really like that!” She smiled and Renee wrapped her in a tight hug and squealed.

“We’ll have such a great time! We can watch movies and walk on the beach, bake together and I’ll paint your toe nails for you if you want! We’ll start this coming weekend! Cam’s away, so I’ll come stay!” she said in a sing-song voice and squeezed her brother happily in her excitement.

They went back to the kitchen and the four of them had a great time making a mess with their beignets and powdered sugar, laughing and teasing one another. Renee was the first to observe the tradition of blowing powdered sugar off of the beignet onto someone else, and that someone else was Cameron.

Maryanne got Renee, and Cameron got Delilah, covering her in the sugary powder, but then Delilah and Renee got Cameron and Cameron got his mother, and before they were done, all of them were covered with powdered sugar from head to waist.

They were all laughing so much that they had tears in their eyes and they could hardly breathe. They cleaned everything up together and then wiped each other off carefully, and Maryanne told the baby in the belly that he’d be part of it too, just as soon as he was a little bigger.

By the time Maryanne and Renee left, everyone was worn out and completely happy. Cameron saw them to their car and then came back in and found Delilah in the kitchen making a cup of tea.

“Did you have fun?” he asked.

She couldn’t keep the grin from her face. “They’re so incredible. You’re a really lucky guy!”

“I hope my sister wasn’t too much for you. She’s just excited. She’ll be a big help for you while I’m gone. Thank you for letting her do that, and be here to help you. It means a lot to me to know you are alright and that you’re taken care of.”

Delilah shook her head. “No, not at all. She’s so fun. I know we’ll have a good time while you’re gone. I’ll be really glad to have her here.”

She sipped her tea and tried to stop the single tear that escaped from her eye and rolled down her cheek.

Cameron was at her side in a second, his hands on her shoulders, unsure what to do, but anxious to help her.

“What’s wrong?” he asked worriedly.

Delilah wiped the tear away and sniffed, looking away from Cameron and smiling.

“Oh, nothing. It’s stupid, really. I’m sorry. I’m just emotional right now. It’s the pregnancy.” 

Another tear fell, and she wiped it away quickly and said,

“It was just… really wonderful tonight…” as another tear rolled down her cheek.

Cameron searched her face with his eyes, looking for some clue as to what was wrong and what he could do about it.

“I just didn’t think about how it would be to be alone for so long; I haven’t seen my family since February, right before the procedure, and even though I talk to my parents on the phone, it’s just not the same.

“I didn’t realize how lonely I was until tonight, until I was here, and I felt like I was part of your family; they’re so sweet, they were just really nice, and they made me feel important, like I was part of all of you, and it’s just been so long since I’ve had that.”

Tears were streaming down her face as she let her emotions go, and Cameron finally understood and wrapped her in an enormous hug.

She wept on his chest and the slightly awkward feeling of being in his arms dissipated and was replaced by comfort as he held her close. She let her arms go around him and she cried for a little while, but he rubbed her back as he held her and she finally calmed down and lifted her face from his chest.

“Your shirt is all wet,” she sniffled and looked up at him.

“Your eyes are puffy and red.” He smiled down at her and reached his hand up to wipe the tears from her cheeks.

“I’m sorry about crying like that,” she said, stepping back from him.

“Don’t worry about it at all. I understand completely.” He smiled at her softly and rubbed her arms, then let her go.

“It’s all the hormones raging through me, I think. Little stinkers,” she said and smiled a little up at him.

“You okay?” he asked.

“Yeah, I’m alright. Thank you.”

“No problem.”

She picked up her tea and said goodnight to him, then headed to her room. Cameron rubbed his hands over his face and went outside to the fire pit to sit and watch the flames for a while.

He left for the weekend game and told Delilah that he’d call her, saying goodbye to both her and his sister as he headed out the door.

Renee and Delilah had a fun weekend, filled with everything Renee said they ought to do. She painted Delilah’s toe nails and they made popcorn, watched movies, had brunch out on the patio, and Renee took her shopping for maternity clothes.

Chapter Four

They ordered pizza on Sunday, and Maryanne came over to watch the game on TV with them. It was strange for Delilah to watch football; she didn’t usually do it, but now she not only had a team to root for, she had a friend on the field, and it was surreal to see his face featured so often on the screen in front of her.

She really got into the game, cheering and yelling right along with Renee and Maryanne, and again she felt as though she was part of something. They were inclusive with her, treating her almost like a sister in the family, and they took very good care of her.

Cameron called right after the game as his team was celebrating another consecutive win in the locker room, and he said he’d be straight back to the house as soon as he could. Delilah, Renee and Maryanne congratulated him on his latest win and all the new numbers he’d racked up in his stats, breaking another record at this game.

He was tired when he got back to the house, but he was really happy and he was glad to see that Delilah was doing well. She told him about the time spent with Renee and Maryanne, and he thought when he was watching her tell him all about it, that she almost glowed with joy, and it made him smile.

He was right back at practice the next day and Delilah was working away in her office when he got home and poked his head in the door to check on her.

“How are you feeling?” he asked, not coming into the library very far, so as not to interrupt her as much.

“I’m good! The little guy is doing really well today, too. He’s eating a lot and he’s been pretty active.”

“That’s good!” he said. “Hey, I picked up some ice cream on the way home, I thought you might like some. I wasn’t sure what flavor to get so I got a few. Well, I better get out of your hair so you can get to your work.” He smiled at her and left her alone.

Later that night, she wandered into the kitchen and opened the freezer. His offer of ice cream had tempted her out of bed. She was floored when she saw that he’d picked up six different flavors. As it turned out, she liked all but one of them and she rolled her eyes thinking how fat she might get, but she wasn’t so worried about it that she didn’t eat it.

Cameron began to leave so early in the morning that she didn’t see him at all, where she had been used to seeing him just in time to chat over coffee before he left. She missed seeing him in the morning. She thought it was a little weird, but she chalked it up to just being a little lonely and didn’t think too much of it at first.

He ate dinner with her at night, and would check on her during the day, either calling her or sending a text to make sure she was alright. She liked the frequent contact, and she began to hear from Renee and Maryanne as well, from time to time, just checking in on her to see if she needed anything, and to ask how she was doing. It was really nice and it touched her that they cared.

Delilah and Cameron were sitting at dinner one night and she brought up a subject she’d been wondering about but hadn’t discussed with him.

“Cameron, I have a baby appointment with the doctor in a couple of days, and I know you’re really busy with practice during the day, so I made it an evening appointment, in case you want to come along with me. You don’t have to, you shouldn’t feel obligated or anything, but I thought I’d offer, in case you’d like to go. They’ll be doing another sonogram.”

He looked at her with wide excited eyes, and she thought she might as well have told him that Santa was going to be having Christmas dinner with them. He was thrilled with the idea.

“Oh wow! Yes! Definitely! I’d love to come. Thank you so much for being thoughtful and scheduling that around my practice. That was really nice!”

She smiled at him.

“No problem. I was also going to say to you; you seem to enjoy touching him and feeling him move around and kick, but I kind of feel like you might be nervous to touch me… and I want you to know that I’m okay with you spending time with the belly whenever you want, if you want to talk to him, because he can hear you, or touch my stomach, don’t be afraid to do that. You’re not really invading my personal space.” She smiled at him encouragingly.

He sighed and looked at her as though she’d just lifted a mountain off of him.

“Thanks, Delilah, I really appreciate that. I’ve wanted to be around him more, but I did feel like I might be too close to you, and I didn’t want to say anything. I know we’re kind of making up the rules as we go here, but I wanted you to be comfortable and feel safe and happy, so I didn’t get too close.

“Thank you for sharing this experience with me. It’s really important to me, and I’m glad to have you here and take care of you, but it’s really nice of you to let me be part of his growth and development, too. I appreciate that.”

She patted his arm and smiled at him, and when her hand touched his skin, the closeness seemed to pull at him at little, like tight tether drawing him toward her. He smiled a little and pulled his arm away, finishing his meal and saying that he needed to take care of some things.

Though he checked in with her regularly, Delilah didn’t see him again until the evening of the baby doctor appointment when he came home a little early to go with her.

She had been a little lonely around the house, not seeing anyone, and she almost felt like she wanted to hug him when he walked in the door and smiled at her, his eyes lighting up at the sight of her, but she held back, and just waved with a big grin on her face.

“Hey! There you are! It’s nice to see you! It’s been quiet around here,” she said trying not to sound like she was complaining or scolding him.

He turned his gaze from her a little and laughed lightly. “Yeah, it’s been really busy with the team, and I’ve been pretty focused on them. Sorry about that. How are you doing? Are you feeling alright?” His eyes rose back up to meet hers, and their gazes held each other for a moment in silence, and then she took a deep breath and nodded her head.

“Yeah, I’ve been alright. This little guy is running out of room and I don’t think he likes it, but he’s good and I’m getting better. I’ll be anxious to get this cast off soon.”

She indicated her arm, still wrapped up. “I’m hoping to get it off before I go so I can get out into the sea and go swimming. I’d be sorry to miss an opportunity like that, especially because of a cast.” She shrugged and smiled and he looked at her as if he didn’t know what to say.

Cameron was at a loss for words. He’d begun to be used to her being there, used to having dinner with her at night and talking to her about their days and though he’d made an effort to be gone from the house more often to give himself some space away from her, he hadn’t really thought about what it would be like when she was gone, and the idea made him uneasy.

He had begun to stay away more because of the little string of connection that was building between them; the string of gravity that felt like it pulled him toward her whenever he was around her, and he was trying to get rid of it. Time away from her had not helped as much as he thought it would. He found himself wondering what she was doing and checking on her more often, which kind of defeated the purpose.

“Well, let’s get to that doctor appointment, shall we?” he asked, opening the door for her. She nodded and pulled on her sweater, walking out the door into the late afternoon sun. He helped her into the Murano and drove her to the obstetrician’s office.

The doctor had been used to seeing Delilah by herself, and though he knew that she was a surrogate mother pregnant from an in vitro procedure, he did not know who the father was, as that information had been kept private and only made available to the doctor who took Cameron’s specimen at the baby design facility.

When Cameron walked into the office with Delilah, the doctor was not only thrilled to see him, he was utterly shocked, and Delilah covered for him immediately.

“This is Cameron; he’s a friend of mine. He wanted to come along to offer some support for me, and he’s really curious about how all of this works. Is it okay if he comes in with us for the appointment?”

The doctor could not hide the ear to ear grin plastered across his face.

“Yes! Well, what an honor, Mr. Bellamy, I can’t tell you what a big fan I am! You’re doing so well this year! My fantasy football league has you down to be at the Super Bowl again. We’re really excited about all that you’ve been accomplishing!” The doctor would have gone on, but Cameron cleared his throat and put his arm around Delilah.

The doctor stopped short and smiled.

“Uh… yes. Sorry about that. Anyway, please come in and have a look! Pregnancy is a fascinating world. You won’t believe what you’re going to see.”

They both followed him into the examination room, and she laid down on the table and the doctor pulled her top up and smeared goop on her ever growing belly.

Cameron watched all of it with complete fascination, and he couldn’t hide his excitement. He reached over and held Delilah’s hand while the doctor turned the lights down and ran the wand over her skin.

The monitor before them flickered and in moments they could see the tiny form of the baby inside, curled up into a ball, moving a little, and then Cameron asked,

“What’s that sound?”

The doctor smiled and said,

“That’s the boy’s heartbeat. He’s got a good, strong heart. He’s a pretty big boy, too. He may be born before the due date at this rate. I’m guessing he takes after his father, whoever that may be. If you look closely here, and there,” he said,

clicking the monitor with his mouse and making marks on the images he froze,

“you’ll see his hands and feet, and that’s his head, there. It looks to me like he’s got some hair on his head, but that might be a shadow, I’ve been wrong before.”

Cameron was glued to the monitor, grinning widely and holding Delilah’s hand tightly. She smiled up at him, though he didn’t see her, and she was glad yet again that she had decided to do this for him and give him a son that made him so obviously happy.

The doctor switched on the lights and cleaned Delilah’s stomach for her.

“Now, I read about your car wreck,” he said, and his whole face seemed to frown, “and I want to make sure you’re doing alright. Is everything feeling like it should? You’re getting enough rest and eating right, and you’re not on any medication that I haven’t given you, are you?”

“No, I’m doing alright. I’m anxious to get this cast off, and my ribs are still really sore. The baby has a habit of kicking them and it hurts pretty bad when he does that, but otherwise, I’m getting better.”

“Yes, unfortunately, there’s nothing I can do about that. Ribs have to heal on their own. I could wrap them for you, but it wouldn’t do much good and I think you’re probably uncomfortable enough as it is.” He gave her a sympathetic smile and patted her shoulder.

She pulled her clothes back over her stomach and the doctor walked them out of the office, thanking them for coming in and shaking Cameron’s hand a few times before he let him get out the door.

Delilah just chuckled at him as he tried to make his escape. “Wow, the doctor was really impressed with you!” She winked at him and laughed.

“Yeah, I get that now and then. I guess it comes with the territory,” he said, helping her into the van. “That’s alright though. Nothing could bring me down from the cloud I’m on right now. That was amazing!

“Did you see him? He’s getting so big! He’s much bigger than the last ultra sound I got. I’m so excited that I got to be there this time, thank you so much for that, Delilah, I just loved being there. That was one of the most incredible things I’ve ever seen!”

She watched him going on and on about the experience and was very glad she’d asked him if he wanted to go. What a gift for him to be able to be there, and what a gift for her, to see the joy that she was bringing to this man.

He had dinner delivered to the house and they enjoyed it together, and he helped her clean up afterward, though there wasn’t much to take care of. She turned to look at him and said,

“I was thinking of going for a walk on the beach to watch the sunset, would you like to come with me? I could use the exercise.”