CHAPTER 37

"Maddy, why don't you sit down and put your feet up? You've been cooking and baking all day," said Matt. He came up behind me while I stood at the stove and wrapped his arms around the front of me.

"Tomorrow is Easter, Matt. There's a lot to do between now and then," I said. For the past several weeks, I had delved head first into getting ready for the baby's arrival. I had been prepping and freezing several meals for the first week after I got home from the hospital. I had washed all the newborn clothing and put them away neatly in the new dresser that Matt had built just for the baby. I had cleaned Finn's room from top to bottom and rearranged the furniture to accommodate the crib and the new dresser. The baby was due any day now and the nesting instinct was in high gear.

"I know, baby, but I don't want you to overdo it. You only have a few weeks left until the baby is due. Let me finish up whatever you're doing and go relax. I'll bring you in a cup of tea, okay?"

I turned off the burner on the stove and turned around to look at my husband. The familiarity of his face warmed that place in my heart that only he could. His was the face that I had loved since I was a teenager and looking into his blue green eyes always brought me back to center exactly when I needed it.

"What would I do without you, Captain?" I said, wrapping my arms around his shoulders and leaning in for a kiss on his perfect mouth. The kiss started out light and soft, but quickly changed into something more urgent. Matt's tongue pushed through my lips and I welcomed it. His hold on me tightened as he pulled me in close to him and continued to devour my mouth with his. I could feel my nipples stiffen under the thin cotton shirt I was wearing and the hardness of his erection was pressing firmly against my stomach. Soft moans escaped from me as he moved his lips to my neck. His hands cupped my breasts and he brushed his thumbs across their beaded peaks. It had been several weeks since we had touched like this and we both wanted and needed more.

"I'm sorry, baby," said Matt, abruptly pulling his lips from mine. "It's just been a while." I cupped his face and looked into his shimmering aquamarine eyes.

"Don't apologize, Matthew. I want you just as much," I whispered.

"You do?" He looked pleasantly surprised at my confession. I was almost as surprised as he was, but nothing about this pregnancy had been typical.

"Of course, silly...but Claire said no sex for the next few weeks. It's too risky." I said. A wave of tremendous guilt washed over me as I watched my husband's obvious disappointment cross his face. Our sex life had practically ceased to exist over the last month as my due date approached. "Come on, Captain...don't pout. Haven't I always taken care of my man's needs? Tonight will be no different."

A broad smile broke out across his face as soon as he figured out what I meant. He looked like a kid in a candy store that had just been given the go ahead to buy as much candy as he wanted. Just then, the baby kicked.

"I guess Wyatt doesn't approve of his father lusting after his mother," said Matt. "He just kicked me."

"I guarantee that I felt that more than you did."

He gave my neck a quick nuzzle, then sent me off to put my feet up with a slap on the ass. No sooner than I settled onto the deep soft cushion of my overstuffed chair and set my feet up on the ottoman, Matt came out of the kitchen with a steaming cup of chamomile tea and one of the madeleines I had made earlier in the day.

"You read my mind," I said. Matt bent down and kissed me on top of the head.

"Happy pregnant wife, happy life. I'll be right back. Going to peek in on Finn," he said. He retreated upstairs to check on Finn, who had been put to bed a couple of hours earlier. I sipped my tea and nibbled on the madeleine. I closed my eyes and leaned my head back against the couch, reveling in the silence of the moment.

"I think I'll call you Cookie…"

The sound of Jace's voice jolted me up and out of my chair in a panic. It had been six months since I had spoken to him or anyone in his family. My breathing was rapid and I was sweating like I had run a marathon. My heart was pounding hard in my chest. I made a sweep of the living room and dining room with my eyes. I knew in reality that he wasn't there, but I had to check to make sure. He had popped into our lives once before and I knew that he could do it again if he were so inclined. I had no way of knowing what his frame of mind was or how he was doing. I had heard nothing from him or Junior and it troubled me. It would be like him just to show up out of the blue and shake everything up again. I was still standing in the middle of the living room when Matt came back downstairs.

"You okay, baby? You look spooked."

"Yeah, I'm fine. How's Finn?"

"He's out for the count. I leaned down and kissed his head and he didn't even stir."

"That's good. He was so excited about the Easter Bunny coming tonight, I thought he'd never get to sleep."

"You look like you're ready for bed too, Maddy. Why don't you finish your tea while I finish up in the kitchen." I sat back down and picked up my tea cup. I finished both the cookie and tea by the time Matt came back into the living room.

"Come on, baby," he said, holding his arm out to me. I took his hand and we walked up the stairs together.

"Did you remember to hide Finn's Easter basket?" I asked, suddenly feeling panicked that Finn would be up early in the morning and looking for it.

"It's all taken care of and tomorrow, I want you to take the day off. I can manage the meal and if I need any help, I'll recruit Em or Kelly."

"But Matt, I…"

"No arguments, Maddy. That's an order from your Captain," he said.

"Yes, sir...even though you're out of your jurisdiction," I said, giving him a salute.

"You, my love, are my jurisdiction," he said, suddenly turning around to look at me. We stopped in the middle of our bedroom. He let go of my hand and snaked his arms around my waist. He pulled me in as close as my expanding tummy would allow, then kissed me softly on the mouth. He gently deepened the kiss, becoming more intense with each second. I held onto his back, feeling the muscles flex as he moved his arms upwards. He cupped my face in his hands, then pulled away to look at me.

"Sorry I'm such a cow," I said, referring to my large belly that was making it a little more difficult to kiss the way we normally would.

"You are not a cow. You are the most beautiful thing I have ever seen, Maddy...and I don't deserve you," he said. His voice was soft and tinged with emotion. His blue green eyes were glistening.

"We belong together, Matthew. We've both known that since we were sixteen years old. Nothing will ever change that," I said, feeling my own tears begin to well up in my eyes. I reached up to touch the side of his face. A tear escaped his left eye and I wiped it away with my thumb. I couldn't help thinking that I was the one that didn't deserve him.

"Come here," he said softly. He gently pulled me in closer, landing another perfect kiss on my mouth. As we were kissing, the baby moved again. I felt him shift downward, followed by a sudden gush of water between my legs. I abruptly pulled out of Matt's kiss and looked down at the floor at the puddle of fluid that was forming around my feet.

"My water just broke," I said, looking up at him again.

"But you're not due for another four weeks!"

"Tell that to the baby, would you!?" Matt rushed around like a chicken with its head cut off, grabbing his cell phone from his night stand and a towel from the bathroom. He kneeled down on the floor and wiped up the fluid that had puddled around my feet. He retreated to the bathroom, tossed the towel into the tub and came back into the bedroom.

"Let's go have a baby, baby!" he exclaimed.