5The story of 'Return of an Angel' as told from Cait's point of view. What lies within the mind of an expecting mother.
Birth
Cait considered herself to be a calm individual, never freaking out or becoming panicked like her beloved foster brother had a tendency to do. Such outbursts from him were amusing and all but could get pretty annoying quickly. But she was still human and therefore had her limits. This would be one of them.
Her water just broke.
She crawled out of the bed and stumbled over to the dresser to reach her cell phone. Her legs felt like jello but she'd managed to get there with falling over herself, a feat in and amongst itself for the heavily pregnant woman. Quickly dialing for Riona she placed the phone against her ear as she waited for the doctor to pick up, staring into the mirror as she waited.
Cait had long ebony hair with red highlights streaking throughout it, and no, they were natural, not dyed. Amber eyes stared back at her while observing the sweat beads beginning to form on her brow. Most of her features could be described as delicate, giving her a girly appearance she detested. Anyone who knew her also knew that she was as far from 'girly' as most could get. She never thought she was attractive but apparently she used to have a good figure, until her pregnancy anyway. Her chest rose and fell rapidly as she began to pant heavily.
She still couldn't believe to this day what had lead to this. It was simply unbelievable, not that she regretted any of it. She had lost her virginity to the man she loved when he'd needed her most and was now carrying his child. It was just that she was here, now, alone, with absolutely no fucking idea on what to do now. What the hell was taking Riona so long to answer her damn phone?!
The ringing stopped before she heard a very tired voice through the receiver, "Hello?"
"Riona," she grimaced a bit as her first contraction began, "You need to get over here."
"What's wrong?" all traces of sleepiness immediately left her voice, going into full doctor mode.
Cait swallowed a bit, "My water just broke," she was amazed at the level of serenity in her voice, considering how she was freaking out on the inside.
"What?"
"My water broke, and I think I just had a contraction."
"Cait, listen to me. You need to stay calm, panicking might trigger your condition and you could have a stillborn."
The ebony-haired woman felt all her strength all her as her legs failed and she collapsed onto the ground, eyes wide in horror and hand over her mouth. She hadn't forgotten about the condition but a stillborn? The hand over her mouth slide down to her stomach, caressing it lightly. Cait had dreamed about the baby since the day she found out she was pregnant, frequently becoming caught up in fantasies of the future. What the baby would look like? If they would be a girl or boy? Would they have his eyes, his hair?
Cait couldn't lose the baby. She couldn't! She wouldn't let it happen! "Cait! CAIT!"
She was brought back into reality as she answered Riona, "Sorry... just spaced out a bit."
"I'm in my car right now and I'm coming over to the apartment. Don't move unless you have to, the less stress on your body the better. Remember; stay calm, take deep breaths and try not to act like Aiden. I'll be there as soon as I can."
The ebony-haired woman snickered, "You realize if he heard you he'd be raising hell."
Riona snorted, "Exactly why I said it, he didn't hear me. Want me to stay on?"
"... Yes, please?" god she hated sounding so desperate but the last thing she wanted now was to be alone.
She needed to talk to someone and Riona was the best option for something like this. The doctor had been a close friends with her mother before her untimely death and was the closest thing she had to an aunt, seeing as both her parents were only childs. Cait felt her chest constrict at the memory of her parents but quickly dismissed the pain with some deep breathing.
Even now, fifteen years after the event, it was still painful to think about her parents. They had both died in an arson fire, a fire which she had been caught in the same building for. She still couldn't help but feel some responsibility for their deaths, even after only god knows how many people tried to tell Cait that it wasn't her fault. There would always be that one part of her mind that keeps telling her that if she had done something differently that they'd still be here today, able to see the birth of their grandchild.
It was also part of the reason for her strong attachment to her unborn baby. The ebony-haired woman wanted to give her child all the experiences with her mother she'd be denied because of her death. But that didn't mean she wanted to raise the child alone, Cait wanted their father to be there as they grew up as well.
Problem was that the father-to-be had absolutely no idea that she was pregnant, and with his child nonetheless. It was one of those things which kept her up at night. What if he reacted badly to the news? What if he wanted nothing to do with the both of them? She could feel her heart rate increase and started to breath deeply in an attempt to calm herself down.
He wouldn't do that, and even if he tried Aiden would personally see that he didn't.
Cait snorted, such were the positives of having a professional martial artist as a foster brother. Not that she was defenseless, but the sad truth was that most people didn't take threats seriously when they were coming from someone with her 'delicate' features, so he had his uses. All it took was a couple of threats from him and most people would leave her alone, most people.
Devin sure hadn't known when to take a hint and hit the road. Heck you could have a neon sign on door saying 'do not enter' and he'd still go in... Scratch that, his head would get stuck in the door frame. But truth be told, she was relieved that he didn't now, otherwise she would have never of gotten pregnant in the first place. And now that it was almost over, she'd get to see her happy-go-lucky brother again, along with his wife Keira.
It still amazed her to this day that those two ended up together. Not that she was unhappy about the couple in the least, Aiden deserved to have someone after all the pain he'd gone through in his childhood. She couldn't and didn't want to imagine what it felt like to be tossed around from foster home to foster home every few months, being treated like some useless object instead of a person, not being able to get close to anyone.
But it was that they were complete opposites; she was quiet while you couldn't get him to shut up, she was meek while he was probably the most outgoing person you'd ever meet. Hell, even their appearances contrasted; the tall muscle man compared to the petite woman, blonde hair versus raven hair. Yet oddly enough you couldn't find a couple more perfect for each other.
Her grandmother took Cait in after her parent's death and adopted Aiden four years later. Apparently she'd 'needed a friend' and a dog wouldn't of cut it. At first she'd thought he was plain annoying and wanted nothing to do with the hyperactive knucklehead. Grandma had to lock both of them in a room together for her to actually give him a chance.
It was actually one of the best things that happened to her, not that she'd admit it. She'd had thought the kid that was supposed to be her brother was just some idiot that knew nothing of what real pain was like. Boy had she been wrong. They were actually more similar to each other then either would admit and both had come to an agreement to, grudgingly on her part, be friends.
God how she'd missed him. Cait regretted not being able to go their wedding but the circumstances had been out of her hands.
Due to her condition any type of stress could kill her baby. So she'd lived in the country, alone, for eight fucking months. With absolutely no way to contact the outside world. Only god knows how many hours she sat around bored with nothing to do but watch the clouds. Sure she'd been pissed at first but Riona agreed to act as a go between; she'd be able to find out what was happening with everyone while they wouldn't call missing persons.
But with her due date only days away Riona had brought her to live at her apartment earlier that day so it would be easier to get her to a hospital easily when she finally did go into labor. She had planned on calling both Aiden and her child's father but had practically passed out as soon as she laid down on the mattress.
And woke up to a wet bed. What a way to start your morning. Riona spoke again, "Can you what happened before your water broke?"
"Umm... I don't know, I was asleep when it happened."
"So you have no idea how long you've been in labor for?"
Cait swallowed a bit, "Basically."
The doctor sighed, she could almost picture the exasperated look on her face, "You're not helping me much."
She sighed, "Figured that out."
"How may contractions have you had?"
"One," she hissed as a sharp pain shot across her abdomen, "Make that two."
"Remember, deep breaths."
"I know damnit!"
"Cait," the doctor said in the tone she always used right before a lecture, "No getting mad or panicking. Do you want to have a stillborn?"
The ebony-haired woman froze as terror coursed through her veins, effectively stopping all chances of an outburst. But also succeeded in stopping her heart. Cait stopped to rub her enlarged stomach while practicing her deep breathing. She focused on his, the face of the father of her child, of her lover. She could feel her heart rate decrease and continued to follow that line of thinking. Random memories of him ran through her mind; the first time they met, those nights he'd stayed with her when she didn't want to sleep, that one incident which she still had yet to... properly Aiden for.
To summarize; Aiden is an idiot, she'd been standing too close, he pushed her into him, she fell on top on him and... They'd both received their first kiss and had promptly tried to kill the blonde, but he ran off screaming and neither were able to catch him.
Cait's free hand rose to her lips as their only night of intimacy flashed through her mind, her cheeks acquired a pink tinge. The turn of events had certainly been unexpected but she regretted none of it. He had always treated her kindly, by his standards anyway. The man of her affections was stoic and didn't express himself very easily, emotions wise, anything else he'd have no problem telling it as it was. He was more of a man of action rather then words.
Her cheeks turned bright red at the implications of that last statement. The ebony-haired woman hissed through her teeth as another contraction began, "Cait? Did you have another one?"
She nodded, "Yeah."
"And your last contraction was only a few minutes ago?"
"Sounds about right," she didn't like where this was going.
Cait heard a door slam in the background, "I'm in heading towards the lobby right now. Are all your things still in your bag?"
"Yeah, I passed out on the bed as soon as I got here."
"Have you moved at all?"
"No, you said to stay put."
"And you actually listened? First time for everything."
"Your faith in me is overwhelming."
"And well justified coming from the person who tried to climb a tree with a broken arm."
"I made to the top didn't I?"
"You also got stuck and needed someone to carry you down."
"... Shut it."
She heard the apartment door open and a few footsteps, "Cait," Riona called, "Where are you?"
"In the guest room!" She braced herself against the dresser as she tried get off the ground but ending up falling back down.
A tall blonde woman her hair tied back into two pony tails walked through the open door. Her green coat tightly hugged her voluptuous figure. Most men went gaga over her but as soon as they spent three minutes with her most were already running for the hills, the rest followed soon afterwards. Honey colored eyes looked over her with concern as the doctor ran up to her. She placed her hand on Cait's forehead and brushed some of her hair away,
"Cait, how are you doing?"
"For someone who'd just gone into labor and totally freaking out on the inside, alright. And you?"
Riona scowled, "You're fine," she grabbed the ebony-haired woman's arm
and helped her up, "God, you're heavy."
"It's an unavoidable part of getting pregnant."
The blonde woman looked over her skeptically, "Did you really need to explain that to a doctor?"
"No, but-" her legs collapsed as a sharp and intense pain shot through her stomach.
The doctor immediately started to assess her patient, "Shit," she went over and grabbed Cait's things before helping her up once more, "That was another contraction, they're coming faster then they're supposed to for someone only about half an hour into labor."
"Huh?" she really didn't like where this was going.
"At this rate you might end up giving birth in a few hours."
"WHAT?!" if she thought she was freaking out before then this was a full out panic-attack.
"Cait, deep breaths. And stop worrying so much, you'll be at the hospital in a few minutes and everything will be fine."
For some odd reason, that didn't make her feel any better.
If there was a God, then he was a fucking sadist with one fucked up sense of humor. And a sexist one at that.
Anyone behind the creation of that time of month was pure evil. Not to mention all the joys of pregnancy. Morning sickness, she hated morning sickness, especially when it lasted all fucking day. Then there was being chipper one second followed by wanting to shot someone then wanting bawl her eyes out the next. And probably the most obvious one, getting fat and carrying all the extra fucking weight around.
And then it all leads to this; child birth. This alone qualified God to be the sickest fuck in the history of the ever. It was pure, fucking torture. And hurt like hell.
Cait bit down on her lip so hard she thought it might bleed soon as another contraction wracked through her body. She had arrived at the hospital a couple of hours ago and was now laying down in one of the rooms in Labor and Delivery. Riona had been right, her labor was much shorter then most and she had entered the final stages only a few hours after it began. The doctor had stayed with her nearly the entire time but had left a minute ago to see who was in the lobby since they had called Aiden about half an hour ago.
When panicked he was much better then any kind of calling tree. Everyone would know soon enough where she was soon enough, even him. She had been reluctant to leave Cait but she said it was okay. Normally there would be at least one person with her but the hospital was short staffed tonight and there had been large accident and they couldn't afford to have anyone with her right now.
So here she was, alone, in a hospital room during the final stages of labor. On absolutely no kind of painkiller what so ever. All thanks to the condition which seemed to be fucking up her life a great deal recently.
The pain was nothing short of excruciating. It took all of her self-control to keep herself from showing the world just how much pain she was in. Crying was weakness and she was not weak. The ebony-haired woman had worked too hard to become strong and nothing was going to screw with that.
Not even nerve-shattering amounts of pain.
Though tears and gasps did occasionally escape through her defenses she remained strong for the most part. All she had to do to help dispel the pain was think of him and a great deal of her discomfort would vanish. Cait couldn't wait to have her lover here, it was really the only thing she wanted at this point. She just wanted to see him again, to hear his deep voice and feel his strong, calming presence. Normally the hospital didn't let fathers watch the birth of their children. But because of her excellent connections within the hospital he would be here with her when it finally happened.
And then they'd all be one big happy family. And yes, she's had quite a bit of time to think about this.
The door handle turned and she heard it click. Cait's head shot up and her eyes brightened, "Liam?"
Not even close. A tall man with with cropped black hair walked into the room, quietly closing the door behind him. He wore a navy blue shirt and a simple pair of jeans. He wasn't completely unattractive but the ebony-haired woman preferred to have nothing to do with him. Especially with him looking at her like that.
Malice, rage, disgust, the look of madness. And he walking straight towards her.
Oh shit. Cait knew she was in a shit load of trouble. She huddled a bit more
under the sheets of her bed to try and hide her enlarged stomach. It really didn't look like Devin was walking, more like stalking some helpless prey. And everything about him screamed extremely pissed. Not to mention she had a sinking feeling that she had dug her own grave. Accidently calling him 'Liam' was a big no-no, the two quite frankly hated each other.
Her lucky day. Cait gulped, "Devin..." doing her best to hide her discomfort.
His eyes narrowed, "Cait..."
There was a few tense moments before the ebony-haired woman decided to break the silence, "So, how you been?"
"Well enough," his eyes turned into black slights, "And you?"
"Pretty good, could have been better," not being stuck in the middle of nowhere for eights months would have been nice.
"Really..." he didn't sound too convinced.
"Yeah, nothing too exciting happened," excluding that she got pregnant.
If possible, his eyes seemed to darken even more. Suddenly, Devin was standing over her, hands braced on opposite sides of the bed. His face was contorted in an expression of pure rage, "What the hell happened?!"
She knew it! She always knew this guy had a screw loose! Why she was so happy about it she'd never know, "What are you talking about?"
"Stop toying with me! Why are you here?! In the birthing section?!"
Oh god, she was stuck in a room with a furious man who didn't have all his eggs accounted for. This was bad, especially for one with her experiences. Cait opened for mouth to answer but immediately clamped it shut when another contraction hit her. But a single cry of pain escaped her at its end, setting Devin off the edge.
There was a sharp pain in her cheek as her head turned to the side. Her eyes were wide as she rubbed her now red cheek. Had he just hit her? The ebony-haired woman's eyes narrowed dangerously as he panted a bit with his hand raised, "Shut up you stupid woman! Do you have any idea what I had to do to get here before the redhead and that bitch doctor! I had to sneak past tons of nurses and here you are crying for that… that freak!"
Her grip on the sheets tightened, not from pain but from anger. Where did he get the nerve to call him a freak when he had just struck a woman in labor?! Devin backed up to the footer of the bed, "Tell me Cait, where did you go after you disappeared from the bar?" she said nothing, only continuing to glare at him, "First you leave then the freak followed you a few seconds later. You went home with him, didn't you? You slept with slept with him, didn't you?! Yet you think you're too good for me you little whore!"
This guy really had some nerve. First he comes into her hospital room, hits her and then demands that she explain herself to him! And calling her a whore?!
Cait opened her mouth to start screaming at him when the door flew open. Devin was tackled to the ground in a flash of red. Her eyes widened slightly as she raised herself up a bit to see who it was, eyes becoming as big as plates when she did.
Liam, the father of her child and the man she loved, had her attacker pinned to the ground. He glanced over in her direction briefly but his jade eyes immediately locked onto her amber ones. A smile began to spread across her face but was halted when another contraction shot through her abdomen. But even that could not distract her from the sight that now lay before her. He was just as handsome as she remembered.
His short, fiery red hair had a tousled look to it which he made look incredibly good. Most of his features were purely masculine, excluding the high cheek bones but that gave him a noble appearance. A deep red t-shirt covered his muscular chest, topped by a black jacket and baggy cargo pants. But what really drew her in were his eyes, no one else had or could have anything like them. Ringed with black circles due to insomnia but making his beautiful jade eyes all the more noticeable.
And she was staring right into them. Cait never got tired of them, eyes that never showed more then their owner wanted them to. It gave him an air of mystery that drew a lot of people, mostly woman, in. But they left just as soon due to his cold and slightly hostile response to most strangers.
But Liam had never once acted that way towards her, she always thought that was weird but had written it off early on. Now she was praying that it meant that she meant something more to him then what she had believed only a short nine months ago, "Cait..." he whispered in that deep voice of his.
Her lover rose off of Devin and was immediately by her side, relishing in the feel of his hand caressing her own. The ebony-haired opened her mouth to try and speak to him but was cut off by another contraction. She stared deeply into his jade eyes to try and ignore the pain as his fingertips lightly traced her cheek, allowing her eyes to close when he did. God, she missed him more then she had realized.
Cait opened his eyes and looked into his jade seas as Riona decided to speak, "Mr. Adael, if you wish to stay then you'll have to wear standard doctor apparel."
Liam removed his gaze from her own long enough to nod. He let the doctor help him get dressed, during which she looked at Cait straight in the eye. It was the moment of truth, when he'd find out what their night of passion had lead to, why she was here now. She gave Riona a nod before she hissed in pain due to a contraction. She really hated this part, "Mr. Adael we usually don't let fathers watch the birth of their child but Cait was adamant you be here. Luckily, you got here before we had to stave off her labor so this should go relatively smoothly."
She saw Liam tense and he turned slowly to face her. His eyes were full of question and confusion. Cait felt her cheeks grew wet as she hiccuped. It had never really hit her until now, sure she had thought about it but this was real, not some preconceived scenario. The ebony-haired woman was absolutely terrified that he'd reject her. She had been told so many times that no one would want anything to do with her during the three months straight from hell. Even after all these years it had been impossible to completely rid herself of the thinking he had implanted in her.
But her lover would have none of that, he was by her side and kissing her cheek. It was like a two-ton wight had been lifted from her shoulders. She wouldn't have to do this alone. He'd always be by her side supporting both her and their child in some way. He didn't hate her for getting pregnant.
Another contraction ripped its way through her abdomen as Cait grabbed his hand and started to squeeze it, desperate for anything to take her mind off the pain of it all as she stared into his beautiful eyes once more. The nurses appearing in the room signified that Riona didn't think she had that much longer left.
The pain grew worse as her labor progressed but now Liam was here to ease her discomfort. Whenever it became too much he would kiss her forehead and whisper comfort to her in a lover's voice. The word she had finally been waiting for had come, push. She tried, she tried so hard but the baby just didn't want to come out.
It seemed like Cait had been trying to give birth for ages. The only thing her nerves could register now was pain, pain and the feel of Liam's hand in her own, the gentle rubbing of his thumb despite her bone crushing grip and his lips on her forehead occasionally. Accompanied by the wet tears which now freely flowed down her face. The only thing she could hear was her cries and his loving voice. She just wanted this to end already, sick of all this pain. The ebony-haired woman cried out as she pushed once last time before collapsing onto the bed.
Cait was absolutely drained, sweat dripped down her brow and she panted like a dog, eyes screwed shut. The only thing she wanted now was to sleep and have her lover hold her close. But that all changed when the soft cries of a baby resounding throughout the room. Her eyes shot open and she bolted out of the bed, scanning the room, all thoughts of rest had been abandoned.
She wanted her baby, wanted to hold and cuddle him, to love him.
She wanted it just as she knew how to breathe. Riona walked up to the new parents with a soft smile on her face and a bundle in her arms, "Congratulations, it's a boy."
"A boy?" god, her throat was so sore from the crying earlier, it kind of hurt to talk.
The doctor nodded and gently handed her the bundle. Cait took it eagerly and pulled her baby up against her chest, peeling back the part around his face so she could see him. His eyes were closed but as she began to softly coo for him their son looked up at her with big blue eyes, "Hey there little guy," she whispered before turning to her lover, who was watching the scene with wonder, "Liam... this is your son."
He didn't look like he was paying much attention, just staring into her eyes. Liam's gaze shifted downward for a moment, "Umm... Cait, I think he's hungry," he whispered softly.
The ebony-haired woman looked down to see their baby nuzzling her chest. Oh shit, she forgot about this part. Sure she had no problems with breast feeding her child, it was what she had planned to do when she'd been figuring all this stuff out in that fucking country house. It was doing it in front of other people which she wasn't willing to do, excluding Liam anyway. He'd already seen her so there was no problem there. The rest of the medical staff excused themselves from the room after a bit and when it was just the three of them she pulled her hospital gown open a bit.
Cait pressed the child's head against her breast and he seemed to understand what to do from there. Thank god, she'd gotten a smart kid. She could of sworn she heard a growl before Liam scooted closer to the both of them and wrapped an arm around her waist. She sighed and let her head fall on his chest, blinking her eyes a few times to try and stay awake.
But it was a useless effort. After the taxing child birth it was a miracle she'd been able to stay awake this long. The ebony-haired woman felt her lover nuzzle his head against hers before she finally found her peace. After all, when holding your newborn son and being held by the man you love, how could anyone not?
Cait woke up to feel of her lover's strong arms wrapped around her. She stirred a bit before hearing his deep chuckle and feeling a warm pair of lips on hers. Her eyes opened briefly before letting them slide shut, relishing in the way they moved against her own. Liam pulled back a bit, enough to look her in the eye, "Good morning," he whispered as a lover would.
"Morning," she half-whispered half-grumbled, cuddling against his chest.
The ebony-haired woman then remembered that her gown was still open and quickly pulled it closed. Had he been anyone else, then she would have surely punched him for the peeping she knew he had done when she was knocked out. Nothing was said between them after that, they were merely content with being so close to each other. But after awhile Liam broke the silence, "Why didn't you tell me you were pregnant?" voice sound as though he'd been hurt.
She sighed, time to come clean. Shifting a bit with their child still in her arms she faced him, "I meant to call you after my finals like I had said, the thought of getting pregnant had never crossed my mind. But right after the last one I got a call saying that my grandmother was really sick. I got the soonest plane I could get to Naples be with her, same flight Aiden was on. Only few days after I got there she died, her last words to both of us were, 'When you find you love more then life itself then never let them go,' " she sniffed, it was still a bit of a touchy subject, "Aiden left a week later but I stayed to get her affairs together."
"I ended up being there for a month and I'd started feeling sick all the time. At first I just thought I caught a cold or something until I realized I'd missed my period. After I came back to the city I went to see Riona immediately and she confirmed that I was pregnant," she cuddled even closer, wanting to feel the warmth his body radiated, and looked him straight in the eye, "I wanted to tell you, I wanted to tell you so badly but Riona said that wasn't a good idea."
His brows creased in anger, "Why did she say that?" voice teeming with barely contained fury.
Her lover might be a stoic man but when he did get angry he got very angry. She shook her head and continued, knowing that her explanation would calm him, "It wasn't you that she was worried about, it was me. I have a rare condition that makes pregnancy very difficult," she noticed his worried expression and shook her head again, "The danger was never to me, it was to the baby. I had to avoid any and all stressful situations or I'd lose him. Which meant I was stuck in the country for my pregnancy, Riona came every week or so to give me a check and see how I was doing. I couldn't get any messages out and it was probably for the better too. If certain people found out I was pregnant before the baby was born they'd try to convince me to use abortion… or force one on me."
Liam's expression darkened, she had a good idea what he was thinking about and was in total agreement with him. The moment she was able to see Devin again she'd take care of that sex drive of his, and some new dental work wouldn't hurt. But they were thoughts for another time, placing her hand on his cheek she turned his attention back to her. Cait leaned foreword to kiss him and he meet her halfway. A soft kiss, conveying all the feelings they had secretly harbored for the other. When her lover pulled back he turned his head away, as if ashamed of something, "I thought you regretted being with me… ashamed of what we had done," he said quietly.
If it was physically possible, then her mouth would have hit the floor. That's what he had thought?! Cait has punched people on multiple occasions for merely involving her in sexual innuendos! Someone had once grabbed her ass and... Well, thank god those assault charges were dropped. So how could it possibly have gotten into his head that she regretted what happened?! Sure she'd preferred it to be under different circumstances, him not being completely devastated by his siblings death would have been nice. But she wouldn't change one thing!
And she intended to show him just that.
Liam started to turn his head to face her when she smacked him across the face. Violence tends to get people's attention more then words, plus she was mad so it was a win-win situation. Her lover's eyes widened a bit as he began to rub his now red cheek. It looked like he was about to speak when she slapped him again, "Don't you ever think that!" she grabbed the collar of his shirt and pulled him down into a kiss.
The other kisses they had shared today didn't hold a candle to this one. It was deep and passionate, showing him exactly what she thought about what happened between them. The ebony-haired pulled back just as abruptly as she engaged in the kiss, "I've never wanted to be with another man and I haven't! You're my first and only and don't you ever think I'm ashamed about what happened!"
Liam's eyes turned into dinner plates, his cheeks tinged pink as he remembered their night of intimacy together, "I… I didn't realize… I thought that…" he groaned, placing his head on Cait's shoulder and started to murmur to her, "You were tight… God, you were so tight… but I didn't know you were a virgin. I would have been gentler if I had known. Why didn't you tell me?"
She started to stroke her lover's fiery hair, silently wondering just how he got it so soft. The ebony-haired woman felt his lips lightly kiss her neck and her heart nearly jumped out of her chest. But he wanted an answer,
"Because… you looked so broken. I could see your heart tearing itself apart through your eyes. I… wanted to comfort you, to take all the pain away. I wanted to comfort you any way I could… as friends, as lovers, whatever role you wanted me to be I was ready to fill. But I kinda hoped you'd chose the latter," the last part was an after thought, one which she prayed he didn't hear.
But, of course, he did. As was indicated by his head shooting up and Liam looked her straight in the eye, "What did you just say?"
God, she just wanted to die. Cait felt her cheeks turn bright pink, she knew she'd have to come clean eventually but because of her stay with that man, thoughts like 'no one will ever want you' and 'you're worthless' had been branded into her mind. The only person who knew about that time was Aiden but she knew that she would have told her lover about it even if their night of passion hadn't occurred. And she was obligated to tell him now, but those memories where going to stay buried for a bit longer. Now was the time to tell him about her feelings, not her past.
She looked away, "Ever since high school I've…kinda had this thing for you. Aiden knew about it and would tease me about it when we were alone. I had to threaten his life to keep him quiet about it. I never told you because I…" she gulped," I…was afraid. After me parents died haven't been able to tell anyone that I cared about them. It was only on my grandma's deathbed I was able to tell her for the first time since I was eight that I loved her," all thanks to the living incarnation of Lucifer.
She continued, "When you showed to the bar that night I was so happy. But when Devin started bragging about the supposed things he'd done with me I was horrified… and disgusted, but mostly horrified. I ran off because didn't want to face anyone… especially you. And after I started crying I really didn't want anyone finding me. When I found me I tried to act like it was nothing but you stayed and comforted me anyway.
"You were so kind to me and when you found out about your family, you looked like your heart had shattered. I wanted to be the one to help you pick up the pieces and put it back together. I was ready to be what ever you needed me to be, as long as you could look whole again I wouldn't mind. But I let what happened happen mostly because I… I…," this was it, the moment of truth, now or never. Cait took a deep breath to calm her nerves and looked him straight in the eye, "Because I love you."
Her lover pulled her into a tight embrace as soon as the words left her lips,
"Say it again."
"I love you," whispering a lover's whisper. So much easier to say it the second time around.
Liam's lips crashed onto hers in an almost frantic movement. She could feel him put his entire being into the kiss. All the passion, all the love, all in that one press of the lips. And she couldn't stop herself from responding in kind, not that she really wanted to try. It was better then any kiss they had shared previously, even those forbidden kisses from that special night. Her lover pulled back slowly and looked deep into her eyes, his own shining like the pair of jade jewels they were, "I love you too," he whispered softly.
Her heart effectively stopped all functions.
He had been wrong, that horrible man had been wrong.
She was loved. She had been loved for some time.
Liam's eyes turned away a bit, "And I'm so sorry you had to go through your pregnancy alone… I should have been there with you."
The ebony-haired woman just shook her head. He had just told her he loved her, what more could she ask for? "It's alright, he didn't give me a lot of problems. The strong, silent type… like his daddy."
Her lover chuckled and leaned down to kiss her again. Cait was more the happy the oblige but he stopped. She followed his line of vision to see their son with a scowl on his face and a bit of his father's shirt in his hand. Cait laughed, "Looks like he got something else from you."
Liam scowled but that caused her to laugh even harder. He had just proven her point! She held up the baby for him to see, "See! Perfect match!"
Her laughter continued for a bit but stopped when she noticed their son reaching out his arms to his father. She smirked, "Oh, you want daddy to hold you?"
Cait tried to hand the baby to Liam but he looked confused, "Umm… I don't know-"
She giggled, "Here… I'll show you."
Cait placed their son in his arms and moved one of his on back, the other behind his head, "You have to support the head and his back, otherwise it's supposed to be bad for him."
It didn't look like he heard her. Liam was more focused on the child in his arms, like he couldn't believe what he was holding was real, "Why are his eyes blue?"
She giggled, "Most babies are born with blue eyes, their natural eye color comes later," she cuddled against his chest, "I wonder if they'll be jade like his daddy, or amber like his mommy…"
Liam nuzzled her head, "I hope their amber like his mom…"
There was a few moments of silence before she sighed contentedly as a thought ran through her head, "I'm really glad we forgot to use protection."
He pulled back a bit and tucked a lock of hair behind her ear, "Yeah, me too."
Liam leaned forward to kiss her again when he stopped, again. She looked down to see their son scowling at his parent's display of affection. She giggled, "I don't think he likes it when we forget about him."
He kissed her lips lightly and looked down at their child, "We still have to give him a name."
Oh she knew, during her stay in the country she had decided on two names. Since the ebony-haired woman wanted it to be a surprise she'd prepared one for each gender. Resting her head at the base of his neck, she answered, "I know… and I have one in mind. How about Colm?"
He looked at her lovingly, "It's perfect…"
She cuddled up to his chest again and closed her eyes, "Thought you'd like it."
This she could easily get used to. Especially since Liam was a living pillow, radiating delicious heat and was very nice to sleep against. And she was still drained from childbirth and all those sleepless nights during the last part her pregnancy. Cait had problems sleeping for as long as she could remember, as long as she's know that man. But now that he was here, all the nightmares would leave her alone.
Right now, she just wanted to sleep, with her lover holding her close and with their son near. As she began to drift off she couldn't help but think back to the night that made this all possible.
Cait had been adding the finishing touches to a painting in her grandma's former house, which she'd shared with Aiden and his fiancé Keira. He'd asked her if she wanted to go to a bar, saying everyone would be there. She wasn't one for social gathering of any sort and was going to decline when the blonde mentioned that Liam would be there. Having not seen him or spoken to him for a while, she decided to go. And she had been having a very nice conversation with him, until Devin had come and ruined everything.
She should have recognized the way the bastard looked at her, it was the same look he used to give her. Devin then walked over to a table and soon begin to tell a few stories, stories drenched in innuendoes and suggestive statements. All about the things he'd done with her. She would have flipped out and punched him on site if it were not for one thing.
The way he looked at her.
Devin's eyes were cold and possessive, looking at her like she wasn't a person. Nothing but an mere object which belonged to him.
Cait felt her entire body break out in a cold sweat and tremble as bits and pieces of memories came flying back her at, of what he did to her on an almost daily basis She wasn't sure how long she'd just sat there looking like a deer caught in headlights. But without even thinking about it she got out of there as fast as she could.
The ebony-haired woman rubbed her forearms as she futilely tried to blink away the tears. When it was clear that she'd end up crying Cait went to Aiden's pick up truck and climbed in, falling into an all too familiar pattern. She pulled her legs up to her chest and held them tight, burying her face into her knees as tears escaped from her eyes.
Cait hated crying, crying was only for weak people and showing the world she was weak did not sit well with her. So she fought the impulse to cry as best she could but tears still came. She could only thank god that she was alone.
And as if on cue, someone's phone rang. Her head shot up to spot Liam standing a few feet from the car. She rubbed her eyes franticly to try and cover up the evidence that she'd been crying as he walked up and climbed into the truck, finishing up the call. The redhead quietly inquired what was wrong. Cait rubbed her eyes some more and tried to brush it off as nothing. Liam removed his coat and placed it around her shoulders, repeating his earlier question.
It was like a damn broke.
Cait swung her arms around his neck and crushed herself into his chest as sobs wracked her body. Every sorrow she'd ever denied a release was now given a chance to come forth. When her parents died, every thing that man had done to her, all the times kids had teased her growing up, calling her a freak, all that came forward. Liam said nothing to hamper her, wrapping an arm around her waist and cradling her head as he provided silent comfort.
The ebony-haired woman tried to talk but most of it came out as incoherent sobs. She tried to tell him that how humiliated she was and how she'd never be able to live it down if anyone had believed him. He seemed to understand what she was trying to say and told her he didn't believe a single thing the liar said. It made her feel worlds better.
After a good session of crying, she'd regained her ability to talk normally but she still couldn't get that picture out of her head. Liam seemed to pick up on this and started to talk about the past with her, everything from when they first met to high school. Throughout the entire conversation Cait remained in his arms, it made her feel safe. But it all came to an end when his phone rang again.
They disentangled themselves from the other and he took out his phone. The redhead looked annoyed and rolled his eyes as he answered it. Seconds later the phone fell out of his hand. Liam had the most shocked and devastated look she'd ever seen. The ebony-haired heard someone yelling on the other end and hesitantly reached for the device, muttering a quick but shaky hello.
Cait couldn't yelp but let out a gasp as she could fell tears return to her eyes. She quickly thanked Caine and promised to stay with the officer before she hung up and turned her attention to the broken redhead. His hands were on his knees with slightly shaking arms. His breathe was very labored and he looked like he was going to lose it at any second. She placed a had on his shoulder and turned him towards her. He didn't hesitate to respond.
Liam wrapped his arms around her and crushed her into his chest, holding her like she was not a person but a lifeline. She heard him sob and felt his tears fall into her hair. This was the first time she'd ever seen him cry and she was not about to waste it by doing nothing. Cait ran her hands through his hair as she clung unto him as tightly as she did her. He begged her not to leave him alone.
In the redhead's current state, she would never consider it. The ebony-haired woman promised she'd never leave him, that she'd always be there when he needed her.
She wasn't sure just how long he'd mourned but he was finished, Liam couldn't even form a coherent sentence. She'd figured the best thing to do at this point was take him home so she asked for his keys. Cait had dragged him over to his car and dropped him into the passenger seat before running around to the other side and getting in herself. Driving to his loft, she'd managed to drag into his home and tried to place him gently on a coach.
But he was heavy and she'd ended up dropping him instead. Cait panicked for a moment until the barely conscious redhead pulled her into his chest. She didn't move a muscle, running a had through his hair to comfort him. Liam had pulled away to place a soft kiss on her lips. She swore she'd nearly fainted when he did, kissing him back soon after.
But things had taken a turn neither could have predicted. He'd offered to stop multiple times but turned every one of them down. Cait wanted what happened to happen, sure she'd been scared out of her mind but she didn't regret it. Liam had been very gentle with her, or at least he'd tried. There were times he'd been rougher then she wanted but he'd apologized after every time. The experience certainly hadn't been what she'd expected, after every thing he did to her she'd never expected sex to be pleasant at all.
The next morning she'd woken up extremely late, by her standards anyway. It was almost ten o'clock and Cait had left his loft in a panic. Looking back it had been extremely stupid of her to go drinking the night before her finals. She'd been an art student at the time and her first exam was at ten fifteen. The ebony-haired woman had scribbled a quick not, saying she'd call him after her tests were done to her lover before taking off.
Cait had every intention of keeping her promise to him but just as she'd walked out of her last final, she received a phone call from her grandmother. She had been living in Naples before her parent's death and moved back there after both her and Aiden were old enough to take care of themselves, with their okay to go back. Her grandfather was buried there so she'd been eager to return. But this was a call far from pleasant.
Her grandmother had been getting sicker and sicker the older she got but now it didn't like she'd get better. Both Aiden and her got on the next flight to Italy after the call, she'd completely forgot about her promise to Liam. The old woman died a week later. Her foster brother had been eager to return to his fiancé and Cait had done nothing to impede him, saying she'd take care of everything.
Like she'd told her lover, she'd stayed there for a month before going back to the city. The first person she saw was Riona and the doctor had suspected something right off the bat. She'd convinced the ebony-haired woman to come to the hospital and let her examine her. Cait had thought she was being paranoid so she consented to get the whole thing over with.
Only to find out she was pregnant.
It had taken a few minutes for her to wrap her mind around it. She wasn't sure what she was supposed to feel. Happy, upset, confused, angry, nothing was clear. Cait had grabbed her cell phone to call Liam when the doctor stopped her. She'd flipped out and started screaming at Riona but the doctor said nothing until her tirade was done. It was then she found out about the condition threatening her baby. She'd almost fainted when she'd heard about it.
Riona said the best way to avoid her baby from dying was for her to live in a quiet place with as little contact with people as possible. The doctor said that she couldn't tell anyone or someone might try and take advantage of her condition and cause her to have a miscarriage or stillborn.
Cait couldn't even tell the would be father.
But with their baby's life at risk, she had little choice. The ebony-haired woman had moved out into a house in the country soon after. Riona had gathered her things and told everyone that she'd contracted a disease from her time in Italy and had to be quarantined until deemed safe to leave, with no outside contact. To be honest, she thought it was the dumbest excuse she'd ever heard but no one had really questioned it. She didn't know whether to be relieved or insulted.
And it was there she stayed until a few days ago. Cait was about to fall asleep when she heard some yelling in the background. She shifted a bit and rubbed her eyes tiredly, "What's that?"
Her hazy senses identified that it wasn't someone screaming from birth pain but it was still pretty loud. It took her a second to recognize what exactly it was and when she did, she resisted the urge to groan. For the life of her she couldn't understand why that idiot couldn't be quiet. Seconds later Aiden threw the door open, panting slightly.
He was a tall man with annoying bright blonde spiky hair. He wore a long sleeved orange shirt with a blue vest on top with a pair of deep blue jeans. Though most of his clothes covered it, he was very muscular. His sapphire eyes looked over the scene with shock before a devious look replaced it, "So that's what happened when you two disappeared," Cait felt her eye twitch but before she had a chance to yell at him the idiot blurted out with glee, "I'm an uncle!" Aiden ran over to her bed side, "Can I hold it?!
She smacked him over the head, "He's not an it!"
He rubbed the now red spot, "And I thought woman stopped being moody after they gave birth."
She hit him again, "I'm not moody!"
"Says you…"
She was about to hit him again when Colm started fussing around in his father's arms. All present looked down at the once sleeping child, Aiden looked at the redhead with a completely innocent expression, "Can I please hold him now?"
Cait rolled her eyes, "Of course you can, you're his uncle after all. And his name is Colm."
Liam handed the child over to his uncle, the blonde cradled him as he opened up his eyes. Aiden burst into laughter almost instantly, "Not even a day old and he's already glaring daggers at me! Like his dad!"
He scowled as Cait joined her brother in laughing, "See! I told you so!"
"Oi, what's so funny in here?"
All turned around to see Riona and Keira standing by the door. She had to do a double take once she did see Keira. Her once very gracious and petite figure was completely obscured by her plump belly. She was currently wearing a violet maternity shirt and black sweat pants. Long raven hair draped down her back and silver eyes looked over the scene with shocked and happiness.
She couldn't help but smiled, "Hey Keira, knucklehead over here has you're nephew if you want to see him."
The raven-haired woman smiled gently as she made her way to her husband's side. Sitting by him she observed her nephew before giggling, "He has his father's scowl."
Aiden and his sister burst into renewed laughter, bringing a tinge of pink to Liam's cheeks. Riona made her way over to the group before smacking the blonde, "For the umpteenth time, this is a hospital! When you're in the hallways you have to be quiet! Not run and yell like a maniac!"
Both Keira and Cait giggled as the blonde glared at the doctor. Liam placed a soft kiss on her lips, just like he'd done that night. She leaned against his chest in content. This is how it was meant to be, with everyone gathered around like one big happy family. Things couldn't be more perfect. She couldn't wait to get out of her and start a family of her own. With her lover, with Liam, by her side.
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