Chapter 88

(**Quinn**)

After leaving the police station we decided to stop and sit in a nearby park to just relax for a bit before heading to Annora’s appointment. I was hoping that what Dionne said to her wouldn’t rattle her. I was wrong.

It did.

Well, rattled is not quite correct. Annie is irritated and mad as hell. I haven’t seen her this mad since the day she told me about Grace, and I jumped to conclusions. I was shocked when she slapped me.

It wasn’t the first time a woman has slapped me across the face, but it was the first time Annie did. I can take it, but I don’t like it. Hopefully, I never piss her off like that again.

I decided not to tell her what Dionne said to me before I left the police station. We agreed not to talk about her anymore unless we had to. There is no need to tell her.

At least for now.

Once she was calm, we headed to Mercy General for her appointment. I admitted to her on the way there that I was nervous. We both want this baby so much. She already told me that it could have been stress that caused her cycle to be late.

I want to believe otherwise.

How can she not be pregnant? We have made love almost every night since she had her IUD removed. Heck sometimes we make love two or three times a day. Quick morning sex in the shower, sneaky coupling wherever we can hide while Grace is doing her homework, then long slow lovemaking at night.

We can’t seem to keep our hands off each other.

Of course, Annie said having a baby with me was worth the effort. She said it with a cheeky grin while breathing heavily after we had sex in the hot tub a few weeks ago. I agree with her.

However, I am nervous because this is totally unfamiliar to me. This baby may not be our first but for me, it will be my first experience. My first experience with pregnancy from conception to birth.

Watching Annie’s stomach grow as her pregnancy progresses. Stroking her belly. I can imagine myself pressing my ear to her belly to listen to our baby or just pressing my hand there to feel it kick. I can’t wait for the first time we get to hear the baby’s heartbeat.

Thinking about all of that fills me with nervous energy.

With Grace, it just came naturally and was a bit easer. She is almost a teenager. What will I be like with a baby to hold and comfort? Feedings, diaper changes and baths. There is so much to learn.

I don’t want to fail.

I never want to let my children or Annie down in any way.

I don’t want to be my father.

“Annora Winters,” the nurse calls out as she steps into the waiting room.

Annie leans over to kiss me then squeezes my hand as she stands up. “I will be back soon."

“I will be here."

I watch her walk away and as she does my nervousness returns. This is something we both want so why am I so nervous? Why am I doubting myself?

“First-time father?” A man says next to me.

I glance over at him. He is holding a toddler and there is a baby carrier on the seat next to him. The toddler is asleep in his arms and the baby is making gurgling noises as it plays with a toy. There is a tired look on the man’s face.

“No,” I hesitate briefly, “but yes," I tell him.

A look of confusion crosses his face then he chuckles. “Is it yes to being a first-time father, or no?”

I have never been comfortable with small talk but there is something about this man that makes me feel comfortable. What harm could it do to open up to a total stranger that I will never see again? With a laugh, I lean back in my seat and then look at him.

“We have a daughter already. I wasn’t present for the first part of her life due to my career choice.”

“Salesman?”

“Army.”

“Ah, that is a tough one. Retired now?” He asks.

“Reserves.”

“You look very nervous. How old is your daughter?”

“Almost twelve. I missed a lot.” I look down at my lap as I feel like he may judge me for that.

“So, these will be many firsts for you. The early years are …” He pauses and looks down at the sleeping toddler in his arm. “They are a blessing and a curse. This little angel here is approaching the terrible twos and she is not disappointing us in our expectations at all.”

I laugh softly because she looks so innocent and peaceful right now.

“You will do well. If you and your wife are a strong pair, it can seem like a breeze.”

For some reason that makes me feel a little better. I am still nervous about a new baby, but Annie and I are a great team. We can do it. Besides, with Grace as a big sister, any new child we have will be in good hands.

“Thank you for that.”

“No problem. I was a nervous wreck with our first too. He is in school right now. We were new to all of it. We made mistakes as all new parents will, but now we have most of it down pat. The little shits still throw us curveballs every now and then.”

I chuckle. I want that. Children running around that huge house we are going to build. Fights over toys or anything they choose to fight over. I am ready to make those mistakes and have Annie guide me through them.

I look at the door as it opens. Annie returns to the waiting room and walks over to me. Her face gives nothing away as she stops in front of me. I stand up, give the man a nod to say goodbye, then follow her out of the office. She slips her hand into mine as we walk to the car.

She seems tense and that worries me. I decide to not ask questions until we are in the car. If it is bad news, I would rather be sitting down when she gives it to me.

Once we are both seated in the car, she looks at me. I can tell by the shine of tears in her eyes that the news is not what we wanted. I lean across the armrest and wrap my arms around her.

“Dr. Moreno did a physical exam and said I am probably not pregnant. However, she wanted to run some tests, so she drew blood samples.” Annie tells me as she snuggles into me. “She told me that I am healthy, and I should have no problem getting pregnant.”

I pull out of the parking lot and head to our meeting with Andrea. We are meeting her at the site of our new home to discuss what we want to do with the existing house. How much of it do we want to try to save to build from or demolish it all and build from scratch?

Originally, Andrea and Daniel envisioned building from scratch. After seeing the property for the first time Daniel thought they could save the existing structure or use some of the materials in the building of our home.

"Let's get this next meeting over with then we can go home.”

Annie pulls away from me and then nods her head. The light that was in her eyes when we arrived at her doctor’s office is gone. The thought of being pregnant was exciting for us both. Now she may not be at all.

For now. We will keep trying. We will have another baby in the future.

The drive to our future home is long so I reach over to hold her hand as I drive. I run my thumb over her soft skin in what I hope is a reassuring way. I can feel her sadness and it makes me want to pull over to hold her.

An hour later I pull onto the long winding lane that will take us to the front gate of our house. Instead of continuing up the lane, I pull to the side and then put the car into park. Annie gives me a confused look as I unbuckle my seatbelt then hers.

She squeaks as I pull her onto my lap and wrap my arms around her. It is this action that causes her to let out a shuddering breath and then she starts to cry. I hold her while she sobs for the baby we both wanted.

 “I’m sorry … that I got … your hopes up.” She says through her tears.

“Annie, we have plenty of time to have a baby. There is no rush.”

“You are disappointed. I can … tell.”

I rub one hand up and down her back as I stroke her cheek.

“Yes, but not really. I want another baby with you but more than anything I just want you. If we have more children, we have more children. If not, we will still be a family. You, me, and Grace.”

“I want a little boy.” She sits up to look at me. “A miniature version of you.”

“I want another little girl.”

She smiles brightly as she moves to straddle my lap. “Oh really? You want to be surrounded by girls huh?”

“We made the happiest little girl. I think giving her a sister would be great.”

“I think you just want little girls so you won’t have to compete with a miniature version of you in my affections.”

That is a scary thought. However, she isn’t that far off. I am learning the saying ‘daddy’s girl and mamma’s boy’ has some merits in truth. I was a mamma’s boy after all.

“Annie, what are you doing?” I ask as she wiggles in my lap.

Instead of answering me, she grinds her hips over me as she stares into my eyes. That action reminds me that she is wearing a skirt today. I glance away to look in the review mirror. There is no traffic on the road behind us.

"Hold on to that thought for a minute. Let me pull up to the gate then you can have your way with me.”

She leans forward and then whispers in my ear. “I want you inside me right now. Fuck me fast. Right here. Right now.”

Holy fucking shit that made my cock hard.

“Annie …”

“We have twelve years of babymaking to catch up on. Get moving soldier,” she growls in my ear.

She fuses her mouth to mine before I can protest. I instantly forget why I was going to protest in the first place as her hands make quick work of my zipper while her tongue dances with mine. I know where this is coming from, and I am not going to stop her.

There is a wild, almost desperate air to her movements. I know what this is and I should stop it. I won’t but I should. We need this right here and right now.

Once she has my cock free from my pants, she pulls her panties to the side and then sinks down on my shaft. I suck in a deep breath as she takes control. She takes me hard and fast like a woman on a mission.

I am helpless to her desire.

But by golly, I absolutely love it. The little noises she makes each time she slams my cock deep inside her are driving me insane. The wild look in her eyes as she stares at me while bouncing on my shaft makes me want to give her everything she wants.

The way she throws her head back as her body writhes as she orgasms takes my breath away. Soon I follow her into that orgasmic bliss as her juicy pussy milks my cock. We are both breathing heavily as she flops forward onto my chest.

“I … really … love it when you … let me have full control … like that.” She says while gasping for breath.

“Goodness, Annie.”

She giggles like a teenager then lifts herself off my lap and moves back to her seat. I start the car and then drive the rest of the way up the lane. Once I reach the gate, I am relieved to see that Andrea isn't waiting for us.

Annie reaches into her purse and hands me a small travel package of wet wipes.

"Smooth." I take them and get out of the car. After cleaning up, I stuff myself back into my pants.

“You should probably keep some of those in the glove box.”

I grin as I walk over to her side of the car. Thoughts of having her spread out on the hood of my car fill my head. She has a satisfied smile on her face as I press her against the side of the car. I kiss her softly.

“We may need a car with more front seat space if we keep having sex in the car.”

“Tight spaces are better for car sex. You remember that shitty car we borrowed from Aaron that summer?"

“Wild woman.”

We are interrupted by the sound of a car approaching. Andrea’s red Mustang pulls up behind my car a few moments later. There goes any hope of a second round of hot car sex before our meeting.

Annora laughed like she had read my thoughts.

“You started it,” I whisper in her ear.

“I finished it too.”

“How is my favorite couple?” Andrea asks as she gets out of her car.

I chuckle softly then step away from Annie so we can greet Andrea. The next two hours are spent walking around the burnt shell of the old house. Andrea takes pictures of everything she thinks can be salvaged.

Annora liked the idea of using parts of the original house to build our dream home. Two really imposing stained-glass windows somehow survived the fire that decimated the house. The design in them looks personalized and it would be a shame to destroy them.

Andrea joked that they were on Daniel's list of things to save.

By the time we locked the gates on our way out she had a longer list of things to save than when she started. It makes me very eager to see the updated design they come up with. I can’t wait for the day when we are finally living in our dream home.

“Let’s go get Grace and stop for pizza on the way home,” Annora says as she gets into the car.

“Can you keep your hands to yourself on the way home or do we need to get it out of our systems before I try to drive?"

Annie laughs and shakes her head. “We can play more later. Right now, I am hungry and want to go home.”

“I am at your service anytime and anywhere you want me, my love.”

Her laughter is music to my ears as I start the car to head back to town. I am happy to have chased her sadness away for now. Tonight, I will hold her when it returns.

We will hold on to each other.