“Okay, number three?” Laughed Jim.
“I need a trip to your office before you go to work,” she confessed, causing an arched brow and a smirk from Jim.
“Do you? Now?”
“Yes, now, because I am seriously horny.”
“Oh, baby, you will never convince me that this horniness is anything to do with pregnancy, but as I agreed to fulfill your wants and needs you should get your sexy, pregnant ass in there.”
Chapter 14
Seven months later
“What do you plan on doing today, baby?” Jim drained the coffee from his cup.
“I thought I might call Lucy and see if she fancies coming over with Skye. I can't believe Lucy and Ryan are parents.”
“Banking some last minute revision hours, honey?” he asked with an amused face until Tasha got to her feet and was obviously suffering some discomfort as she held her hand against the huge baby bump she was carrying. “Hey, you okay?”
“Mmm, just fat and uncomfortable.” She sighed at her own attempts to pull a carton of orange juice from the refrigerator, attempts that failed.
“Let me get that, Tasha.” Jim had already retrieved the juice as Sandra appeared.
“You okay?” she asked Tasha who was still shuffling around uncomfortably.
“Yes,” she snapped, becoming irritated with everybody. “I am fat, uncomfortable, and desperate for this child to vacate my womb, although I’m unsure if my body will ever recover,” she told them both, sounding tearful suddenly.
“Hey, baby,” soothed Jim, turning her to face him to hold her gently. “This child, our child will be here any day now and I know you're struggling, but you are beautiful, honey, and I love you.”
“You know you're only saying that because this is all your fault,” Tasha told him with a frown.
Laughing, Jim leaned down and placed a gentle, tender kiss on her nose. “Happy to oblige, Mrs Maybury. I have a meeting I can't really get out of, even on a Saturday as people have flown in from Europe and Australia, but I can be home this afternoon if you want me to be.”
“Depends. Can you guarantee you'll get this baby moving if you come home early?”
Laughing again, Jim replied, “Honey, we have tried everything to evict him, or her, the last shot being about an hour ago in the shower, but I am at your disposal if you want to try again, but for now I have to go. See you later.” He kissed Tasha gently on the lips while rubbing a hand across her bump that suddenly sprang into life at his father's touch. “Be good, both of you, and if you need anything call,” he told her, heading for the door with a glance in Sandra's direction.
“Am I the most miserable expectant mother you've ever met?” Tasha asked despondently as she cleared the breakfast things away.
“No. I think you're a typical mother to be at around nine months pregnant; fed up, tired and ready to be un-pregnant.”
“Mmm, I do want my baby, even it was a bit of a shock,” she replied, making Sandra laugh.
“A bit of a shock? I seem to remember you being in total denial for the first three months and Jim walking round like a dog with two tails.”
Tasha laughed and nodded as she reached into the fridge where she pulled out a large piece of cheese and a jar of chocolate spread. “Yes, well it was a shock. I thought I was sorted for three years with the contraceptive implant. How was I to know that my accident had broken it, damaged it, whatever the bloody hell it did? Add to that the fact I thought I had a bout of post honeymoon cystitis that turned out to be a six-week embryo, it was a shock.”
“I imagine it would be,” Sandra said with a nod.
“I don’t know that I’m any more ready now. This wasn’t in my immediate plans. We hadn’t even agreed that we’d have children, although I think we both knew we’d have our own family one day, eventually.”
“But maybe not quite so soon?” Sandra asked with a warm smile that suggested she already knew the answer to the question she’d asked.
“No. Everything is all out of sequence a little bit now. I was going to work for a while, get my face and my name out there whilst enjoying being married, a newly wed and here I am, unemployed, eight and a half months pregnant and happily married but not quite your average newly wed.”
Sandra seemed to be looking at Tasha carefully, carefully and a little warily as if she wasn’t sure whether to respond or not, but she did. “I can understand what you’re saying, Tasha, but everything happens for a reason so maybe this is how it’s meant to be.”
“Maybe,” Tasha agreed with a ready smile. Sandra was right, this was clearly how it was meant to be for her and Jim and their baby.
