Chapter 21

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"I still can't believe it." Caesarea said as she sat down staring at the sonogram picture in her hand. She was so overjoyed. "I'm going to have twin Grandbabies, oh Olivia!" She cried as she hugged her.

"I helped too…" Nick said, raising his hand. "Right here…" Olivia touched his face, lingering there for a moment as he looked at her with nothing but love but Manny, to say he was jealous was an understatement as he sat there smiling with the family but inwardly steaming!

She's really touching him like that with me sitting here? He seethed. He was so caught in his feelings, he didn't stop to think that regardless of how he felt, Olivia and Nick were together and they loved each other. He couldn't take their disgusting displays and decided to draw Olivia's attention right where he wanted it.

"...almost makes me wonder just what it would feel like to bring life into the world. To see the woman I love swollen with my child; it's just beautiful to think about." He said, no emotion on his face that Olivia could read and her mind drifted.

"Is this my baby?"

"What?" She was completely knocked over in spite of expecting that he would, but to actually hear it…

"You heard me. That baby you're carrying; is it mine?" He watched her as her eyes looked down a second before looking back up and she prepared her mouth to speak. "And before you lie, Nick told me that you were five weeks along 2 weeks ago, so that puts you at seven now. Seven weeks ago is exactly when we made love!"

"We didn't make love!"

"Is. this. My. Baby?" He asked and reached out to touch her stomach.

What the fuck is he trying to do?! She asked herself as she gently pulled at one of the tendrils that fell loose from her ponytail.

"You wanna tell us something tipo?" Nick laughed but Olivia was shaking inside.

"Look, it's time I confessed…" He said in all seriousness as Caesarea's eyes went wide wondering and silently praying that he was joking. She couldn't have Manny become a father; not now anyway. He's too irresponsible! But what if there was a baby; or babies…

"Oh god! Manny, please don't! Not in front of everyone...not in front of Zara! Olivia was genuinely terrified and she nervously looked back at him, sitting on the arm of the couch behind her, begging him with her eyes; praying to some god, any god that he wouldn't while Caesarea went off in Spanish on a litany, condemning the very thought as she walked the room, lecturing Manny.

"¿Me lo dices ahora? ¿Has perdido la cabeza?! Emmanuel, ¿cómo pudiste hacer esto, Manny cómo podría-"

"Mami, relax. I'm kidding!" He said as he nearly died from laughter and drew her into a hug, kissing her cheek. "I'm kidding." Caesarea let off a deep breath, holding her chest and praying thanks to the virgin.

"Don't do that Emmanuel! You want to see your mother have a heart attack?" She said while hitting him good across the arm. But Olivia, just sat there, unable to move and took Zara from Nick's lap, snuggling the child in her own and silently thanking whatever god it was that made Manny change his mind.

"Mommy are you really having two babies?" Zara asked Olivia as she sat on her lap but Olivia was so lost in her own head, she didn't hear her. "Mommy?"

"Yeah peanut?" She said snapping out of it.

"She absolutely is!" Nick covered, eyeballing Olivia. "and you know what that means?"

"What?"

"It means that you're gonna be a big sister, twice!"

"I am? Crap, I am!" Zara shouted happily, not realizing what she just said but the adults did, and after sitting with their mouths open, they quickly turned to her to express their distaste.

"Zara, de dónde has oído eso?" Caesarea said to the child as Nick and Olivia looked on, Nick trying not to laugh. He knew that for Olivia and his mom, he couldn't. Zara saw this and with a very small grin on her face quickly cast her eyes at Nick, then at Manny who thankfully came to her defense.

"So funny story…" He began.

"Manny, you teaching my daughter bad language now?" Nick asked, grinning.

"Nick, I can't believe you find this funny!" Olivia said, quickly drawn back to that night. She remembered how she felt when she entered the apartment and realized that it was Manny there instead of Nick and when she...

"What? It was an accident; hey man, Chutes & Ladders is rough." Manny said, turning to Zara to wink and eliciting a giggle from her as she covered her mouth.

"You two are impossible!" Caesarea groaned as Olivia sat calming herself. How could he do something like that?

While Caesarea and Nick were looking at Zara, Manny put his hand to the small of Olivia's back and lifted the hem of her shirt just slightly. He let his fingertips dance over the skin he found, feeling the silkiness of her back. Remembering that first morning in the shower when he lifted her and she slowly came down on his cock, it was like heaven! But the memory was short lived as Olivia immediately shot up, placing Zara on Caesarea's lap.

"Excuse me!" She announced suddenly and quite nervously as walked off with a hand to her stomach. She burst in through the kitchen door and immediately slumped against the counter and let out a deep breath as her tears burst. Is he fucking insane? She wondered as she nervously stood by the sink and she took another deep breath as she stood there thinking about that morning.

He had her. There on the floor he had her and he was fucking her so good! She was pinned beneath him, lying there on her stomach with her hands behind her back. He held them there as he fucked her, slow, deep. God so deep and so fucking wonderful! Every single hard and painful yet glorious thrust…

"I need to get out of here!" she said as she nervously tried to think of something, shit she was no good like this! Between being pissed off, agitated and now dripping her arousal into her panties, she was a mess.

She grabbed the water pitcher from the refrigerator and poured a glass, drinking a couple gulps that cooled her down a bit but she was wishing so badly that it was liquor. Just then, Nick walked into the kitchen.

"You're crying, what-?" He started, alarmed.

"I'm alright."

"Baby...?" He started as she lay her head against his chest and felt her tears to let go even more. "Honey, what's wrong?" He said as he held her in his arms. God if she could just stay there, forever. This was all she needed, him and her. Shut out the world.

"I'm fine."

"You sure?"

"Yeah. I'm just tired and I really need you to hold me."

"I can do that!"

"It's been a really emotional day, a lot to take in." She said as she pulled back.

"That it has. Listen, why don't we head out?" He said and wiped her eyes. "We'll go home, I'll run you a bath, light some candles..."

"I can't ask you to-"

"You're not." He told her with a kiss to her head. "you are my priority. We'll see mom and Manny another time."

"You're too good to me, you know that?" She said, feeling guilty not only about what she'd done with Manny, but that once again she'd allowed herself to want him despite the fact that he came so close to destroying everything.

"'cause you deserve it. Why don't you head to the bathroom and clean up? I'm gonna tell mom we're leaving."

From the moment she and Nick got in the SUV leaving Caesarea's house, Olivia's mind had been consumed by thoughts of Manny. And now, relaxing in the bathtub surrounded by bubbles and candlelight, she still couldn't stop thinking of him. What if he had went on to say what he had teased earlier? Every day this guy was becoming more trouble and she wondered now if it was worth it to somehow ask him for a sample for the paternity test.

"Hey, where'd you go" Nick said as he kissed her cheek and wrapped his arms around her.

"I'm sorry, my mind was just wandering. What were you saying?"

"It's nothing important. You okay?"

"Nick, I'm fine. Stop worrying."

"Easier said than done."

"Thank you for doing this for me baby!" She said with her eyes closed. "Even if I can't have the berries."

It was Nick's intention to feed her chocolate covered strawberries as they sipped sparkling cider from champagne flutes while they bathed but one look at the strawberries, her favorite but she couldn't even take a bite. They were making her sick just being near them!

"Don't worry about it, and thank Caesarea. If she hadn't volunteered to keep Zara…" He said with a kiss to her neck as he held her. "what's up with that, anyway."

"I don't know but I hope it's only temporary. I can't see myself going through this entire pregnancy with no strawberries." She said as she relaxed in his his arms. "God I love you, so much!" she smiled as she looked up to kiss him.

"You make me so unbelievably happy, every day." He said as she placed her hands on his and he kissed her again. "Let's go out tonight and celebrate!"

"We can celebrate right here!" She said as she kissed him again before turning around to face him. Putting her arms loosely around his neck. "I have been dying to get you alone!"

"Oh yeah?" He grinned then moaned as her hand found its way to his already very hard dick.

"Yeah. This pregnancy has me so on edge, you're gonna be exhausted by the time it's over."

"Fuck, that feels good!" He said, his eyes rolling back as she pleasured him with her hand. She smiled and kissed his lips as she continued, trailing her lips down his neck and chest.

"Tell me you love me!" She whispered as she continued to kiss his chest.

"You know I do!" He said as she kissed her way back to his neck.

"Tell me anyway!"

"Yo soy-" He started as she continued to rub his dick. "Holy shit baby!"

"You were saying?" She laughed and continued while he was going crazy! Her hand and fingers felt amazing. But he couldn't say much more, instead he pulled her in and devoured her mouth, sending suds and water all over the bathroom floor as they passionately kissed.

Later after making love, they lay in bed with the sheets thrown sloppily around their bodies and Olivia lying with her head on his stomach, both drifting off to sleep.

"I can't move."

"Is that good or bad?" She smiled.

"Definitely good." He laughed, his eyes half closed as he threaded his fingers lazily through her hair. "Man, just thinking, six or more weeks without this."

"What are you talking about?"

"When you give birth."

"Oh don't!"

"Don't?"

"I don't wanna think about doing that just yet."

"Why?"

"Because it's gonna hurt! Really, seriously and I don't do well with pain."

"Babe, you'll be fine."

"I won't." She said leaning on her arm to look at him. "Nick, promise me that you'll be there, through everything."

"Where else would I be? You'll be bringing our children into the world."

"Painfully. If I make it that far. Nick, what if I lose them?"

"Why would you say that?"

"History. I'm not so lucky with these things. Look at how long it took me to get pregnant. I had honestly given up years ago, to the point that when I found out I couldn't believe it and now we know there's two of them, I just keep thinking 'what if'?"

"Don't. Okay? You are not gonna lose them. We are gonna have these babies and they're gonna be beautiful!"

She smiled at him, then kissed his lips. She kissed them lightly at first then more passionately as he turned her and put her on her back just as his phone rang and they stopped cold.

"No!"

"Maybe it's Zara he said as he reached to the nightstand for the phone and quickly looked at it. "-or it could be my captain." He said with a bit of melancholy and dropped back on the bed with the phone to his chest. Sighing before he answered it. "Yeah captain?

"You know, one glass of wine won't hurt the babies." Casey said. Since Nick was called away, she and Olivia thought they'd go out for drinks

"Are you kidding? Case, I'm old!"

"Okay, you're not that old!"

"42 is old enough and I'm not doing anything that'll give these babies a chance at not developing properly."

"I can't believe you're having twins!"

"You and me both."

"I'm so sorry." Casey said, sipping her watermelon martini.

"For what?"

"For what? For making you sleep with that fucker in the first place!"

"Case, how long have you known me? Nobody can make me do anything. I wanted to sleep with him, he showed his goods and I took the bait."

"You don't blame me?"

"Come on. You were just being you. Truth is, I probably knew…. God, maybe Nick and I; maybe we shouldn't have gotten married. We were happy just living together. I knew that marriage would mess things up but Nick said I was being silly. Two years and no problems and then we get engaged and here comes Manny...how could I be so stupid? I don't know what I'm gonna do if these babies turn out to be his."

"So don't take the paternity test."

"I can't do that to Nick." She said stirring her orange juice. "If these babies; if they're Manny's then I have to tell him the truth. I can't let him raise another man's babies without knowing."

Just then, two men approached their booth.

"Hey, we were wondering-" One of the guys started, but Casey quickly cut him off.

"Not tonight."

"Come on" the other guy said. "You two are looking fine, in here all-"

"Buddy..." Olivia reiterated, annoyed. "not tonight!"

"Yeah, see I know that those nos are really yesses in disguise."

"Okay. You see these badges?" Casey said as she and Olivia pulled them out. "They mean that I'm an ADA, and she's a cop and you two have about five seconds to move on, or we're gonna arrest you for harassment. Does that clear up your confusion?"

The men didn't say anything, instead they just looked at each other and walked away with their tails between their legs. When they were gone, Olivia turned to Casey.

"I need a huge favor."

"Name it."

"I need you to get close to Manny."

"How close?"

"Close enough to get a DNA sample."

"Oh god Liv!"

"Casey, I can't ask him to do this, hell, I don't wanna go near him after this morning!"

"Liv."

"Casey, I know I'm asking a lot but you are the only person that I can trust. I'm at my wits end here."

"Jesus! I need another drink for this!"

TBC...