Sophie Oak: Siren in the City

“Baby, are you all right? Do I need to call a doctor?”

Lucas looked in. He slapped Sam on the arm. “Dude, is she pregnant?”

Abby’s head came up. “No. No. I’m almost thirty-eight. I can’t be pregnant.”

Sally stood in the doorway. “I think Lucas is right. I had a friend. The smell of bacon made her puke when she was pregnant. It was funny. Not the puking part. Sorry. She was really psycho about taking her birth control pills, but then she was on antibiotics, and they cancelled out the pills. She was pissed.”

“Oh, my god,” Sam breathed. “We’re going to have a baby? I think I’m still a baby.”

Jack shot his brother a stare. “Lucas, go with Sally and ask Julian for a pregnancy test. I’m sure he has them.”

Lucas nodded and walked out with the blonde.

“I’m too old to be pregnant,” Abby said, glassy-eyed.

“I’m too young for her to be pregnant.” Sam looked equally shocked.

“Is Sally right about the antibiotics?” Jack ran a soothing hand along Abby’s back. She’d been on three different antibiotics trying to get rid of the infection in her lungs.

Abby nodded. “Sometimes antibiotics counteract birth control.” She seemed to search her brain. “It’s definitely possible. I’m a nurse. Why didn’t I think of it?”

Jack cleaned Abby up and waited for Lucas. Twenty minutes and one pregnancy test later, Jack stared at the plus sign. Sam looked over his shoulder.

“Damn, Jack, what are we going to do with a kid?”

“The normal things a family does with a kid.” Jack was surprised at his utter calm. Abby was pregnant. Abby was going to have a baby. He was going to be a dad. “Play baseball with him, teach him how to ride, stuff like that.”

“I have a twenty-one-year-old daughter,” Abby said, still in shock.

“She’ll make a good babysitter.” Jack felt a smile tug at his lips. He and Sam were going to be dads.

“He’s going to be a cute kid,” Sam said. Jack could tell he was calming down, too. “We gotta be careful. He’s going to be awfully good looking. He’ll probably have my hair and my build. I’m okay with him having Abby’s eyes. They’re really pretty.”

Jack snorted. He felt unaccountably light hearted. He didn’t care who actually fathered the baby, but couldn’t help playing. “What makes you think it was your sperm? My sperm is obviously the dominant sperm. My sperm told your sperm to get to the back of line. The boy will have black hair and green eyes.”

Sam shook his head. “I bet my sperm listens to your sperm just about as good as I listen to you. My sperm is also very impatient. It ran to that egg. Little Sam is gonna be a handful.”

Abby burst into laughter. “Holy shit. If this doesn’t get me on a talk show, nothing will. And this one is a girl. I just know it.” She put a hand over her stomach, and there were tears in her eyes that had nothing to do with sadness.

Jack put his hand over hers, and Sam’s fell on top, too.

“I don’t think I can handle a female me, Jack,” Sam said seriously.

Jack swallowed. He didn’t think he could handle it, either. After a moment, Jack got up. It was time to take his family home.

Jack looked down at the sleeping infant. His heart threatened to explode every time he saw that tiny little baby. It was far worse than anything he could have dreamed up. The baby didn’t look anything like him. Oh course, neither did the baby look like Sam.

“Is baby girl asleep?” Sam yawned. It was one in the morning, and Abby was exhausted. Jack was rapidly learning that infants were a lot of work.

Jack made sure their three-week-old baby girl’s swaddling was in place. Olivia Barnes-Fleetwood was a master of escape. Every time Jack made her into a little baby burrito, she wriggled until her arms wound their way out with a triumphant cry.

“God, she’s so pretty.” Sam’s blue eyes studied the daughter they shared.

She was beautiful, and that was the problem. She looked exactly like her mama. She had pretty red hair and alabaster skin. Jack had to pray she wouldn’t have her mama’s figure, but he didn’t hold out much hope. Jack was going to have to kill a bunch of teenage boys one day. Little Olivia wouldn’t be allowed to date until her father was dead.

“She’s beautiful,” Jack agreed, watching her breathe. He loved to watch her sleep. He adored all the little faces she made while she dreamed her baby dreams.

The last nine months had been a revelation for a man who thought he’d never have a family. Now, everywhere he looked his life was full of people he called family. His wife and Sam were always there, the cornerstones of his world. He’d watched his brother become the type of man he was proud of. He’d worked hard and earned his place on the ranch. Lucas was leaving soon. He was starting law school at the University of Texas in Austin a little earlier than they’d planned, but it was time. Jack was surprised at how much he knew he’d miss his brother.

Lexi had moved home for the summer to be with her mom. Now she was home for a few weeks to help with her little sister. Lexi was well on her way to becoming a lovely woman. She was open and kind. She’d also gotten awfully close to Lucas. She had a boyfriend. Jack was worried Lucas was getting in over his head. Aidan O’Malley was someone Jack liked despite his own misgivings. He didn’t see Lexi leaving him any time soon. Jack had his eye on that situation. Jack was surprised at how much he loved his stepdaughter. His heart was a huge thing, he’d found. It was capable of all sorts of love.

“Come to bed,” Sam urged, taking his hand. “She’s asleep. We have to take advantage. It’s the only time she’s not in charge.”

“Baby girl is always in charge, and I don’t want to wake up Abby.” His gorgeous wife was being supermom. It was tiring her out. Between their baby and the clinic she was about to open, Abby was one overworked mama.

Sam’s mouth lifted. “Abigail is not asleep. She’s awake, and she’s frisky. You need to talk to her. The doctor told her to take it easy for six weeks. She’s rubbing all over me, telling me she feels fine. She’s making me crazy, Jack. I haven’t been inside her for a month. I can’t stand the teasing.”

Jack bit back a laugh. His subs were misbehaving again. He pulled Sam into the hall. “Well, we have to fix that, don’t we?”

He opened the door to their bedroom. Abby was sitting on the bed pouting. She looked beautiful wearing nothing but one of his T-shirts. He knew she was worried about the baby weight, but Jack thought she’d never been more lovely. “Sam tells me you’re horny, baby.”

She giggled. “Sam is a tattletale.”

“No sex, Abby. The doctor said no intercourse for six weeks,” Jack reminded her. “But that doesn’t mean we can’t put on a show.”

Abby’s smile was brilliant. “My own personal porn stars.”

Sam was out of his pajama bottoms in a minute. It was a talent of his. Sam was on the bed, kissing their wife, asking her which scene she wanted to jump to. He looked up at Jack.

“Here you are, Jack, performing on command,” Sam noted with a smirk. “What does that make you?”

“Happy,” Jack replied. He jumped on the bed to Abby’s playful squeal. He jumped in the middle, and that was a good place to be.

THE END

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