Hard To Believe

He turned to look at me. "Why are you laughing?"

"No reason." I walked over and hugged him. "I just love you."

He squeezed me in return, leaning down to kiss me. It felt good, but I had to take care of more important things. I pulled away and tugged on his arm. "Come on. Have some ice cream with me."

He laughed and joined me in the kitchen, taking a stool while I grabbed two pints from the freezer. "Guess what?" he asked after I handed him a spoon.

"What?"

His eyes were dancing as he bounced around. What in the world was he so giddy about? "You're never going to believe it."

"What? Tell me."

He started laughing again, and I scooped ice cream into my mouth, waiting for him to get the words out. He twirled his spoon through his fingers. "There are two pieces of good news actually. One, Hector held up his end of the bargain. He made the tape and signed the documents, just like I said he would." He wagged his eyebrows and grinned. "And two..." He broke off, laughing again. "I finalized things with Benson."

My eyes widened, waiting for him to expound on that point. I had known already Hector had taken Nicholas' bait. Nicholas had called in a favor from one of his buddies, the CEO of And Entertainment—otherwise known as the boss of Hector's boss—and his friend had been all too willing to help out.

Apparently, Hector had not been as impressive as advertised when he was hired. In fact, he was already on the verge of being fired before Nicholas' request. A certain number of his connections had been flagged, and he was being internally investigated for fraud.

So, Nicholas' friend was happy to play along and let Hector believe his cooperation with us would net him a promotion and money. In actuality, as soon as Hector delivered on his end, his time with AE would come to an end.

I was glad the drama with Hector was coming to an end. I hoped he moved back to San Rafael and I never had to see his creepy ass again.

Benson was a different story. Nicholas had gotten almost every detail out of him by threatening disbarment for breaking attorney-client privilege. Even though both of them knew it would be difficult for Nicholas to prove it happened—since Rosemary would never admit he'd told her anything—Benson still didn't want to risk his license.

"You mean you got something more from Benson? I thought you knew everything already?"

"Yeah, he spilled his guts. But during every conversation, I kept getting the feeling he was holding something back. That he wasn't telling me everything." He reached over and gave me a scoop of his icecream. "I was right."

My stomach fell as I swallowed. "He told Rosemary more than we already thought?"

He shook his head. "No, no. But he was holding back a trump card. Today, I pulled out the big guns and told him I would make sure he would never get another client in this city again. I told him he would be ruined, even if he still retained his license. He squirmed and perspired before offering up the nail in Rosemary's coffin."

"What did he give you?"

He pulled out a flash drive from his pocket, dangling it between his fingers with a huge grin on his face. "It seems Benson is not only slimy, but he's also quite the creepy pervert. He said he set it up because he didn't trust Rosemary, but he probably just recorded their meetings so he could get off on them later."

Recorded their meetings?

"But we already knew they met and he talked. I don't understand why you're so happy."

"Because, my dear, Simon and his slutty daughter would likely give anything to keep the tabloids from seeing her going to town on Benson's tiny dick."

I clapped my hand over my mouth when I realized what he was saying. "Oh, my God! He taped her and him... together?"

He nodded. "Yep." I shivered.

It was one thing to think about those two having sex, it was another thing to know there was video of it. That was horrifying. I felt bad for her, too. No matter how much I disliked her… This was a horrible thing to happen to anyone.

"So, the time has come. I already had enough before this to force Simon to leave us alone, but this is the cherry on top." He took my hand and rubbed his thumb over my skin. "I set up a meeting with him on Monday."

I nodded slowly, trying not to be nervous. It seemed like Nicholas had everything he needed to come out on top, but it still made me anxious. “You’re not going to use the tape, right?” I asked slowly.

He shook his head vehemently. “Of course not! But her father loves his reputation and money more than her. So, just the mention of it is enough. I am not that much of a scumbag.”

After Clara's harsh words to Rosemary at the charity function, Simon had laid into Jefferson. He screamed, threatened, and asked what in the hell was going on. Jefferson had taken it—at Nicholas' request—not letting on to the fact anything had changed. Simon was livid but backed off when Jefferson lied and said Clara was dealing with some medical issues and hadn't been feeling well that day.

I moved around the counter to stand between his legs and put my arms around his neck. "Your dad's going with you, right?"

"Yes." He kissed me and rubbed my belly. "This is all going to be over in a few days."

I couldn't wait.

.

We were up early the next morning for another doctor’s visit. Nicholas was like a kid on Christmas morning, hurrying me up and pulling me out to the car.

After getting through the routine tests, Dr. Whitney came in to do the ultrasound.

"Good morning, Mr. and Mrs. Rowe. So, today's the big day!" She sounded almost as excited as Nicholas.

We both greeted her in return, Nicholas fidgeting in his chair until I gave him a look. I was a little afraid he would rush the doctor if he had the chance.

I smiled when the sound of our baby's heartbeat echoed through the room and kept my eyes on Dr. Whitney's face as she watched the screen.

She turned and smiled at us. "Okay, are you ready?"

"Yes!" Nicholas' face was practically smashed to the screen while he gripped my hand.

"You're having a boy!" She started pointing out various parts.

I glanced from the screen over to Nicholas' face. He was literally beaming. "A boy," he said softly. He watched for another minute before leaning in to kiss me. "We're having a boy."

I brushed his cheek and smiled. His reactions were always the best part of these visits.

He turned back to the screen, his lips curving into a smirk. "He takes after me."

"That's an arm," Dr. Whitney corrected with a chuckle.

I covered my face with my hands, my cheeks burning flames while she pointed out everything to Nicholas again. He wasn't even phased, lapping up every word she offered.

Soon after, we were loaded up in the car again, armed with pictures and information about deciding our birth plan. I couldn't believe how time was flying by. It seemed like only yesterday we'd found out I was pregnant. Now, we had to decide how the delivery would take place.

Nicholas was quiet as John drove, watching the city outside the window, and I squeezed his hand. "Hey, are you okay?"

He faced me, bringing my hand up to his mouth for a kiss. "I'm just letting it all sink in. Sometimes it's hard for me to believe."

"What's hard to believe?"

"That you're here with me. That you married me and we're having a baby." He paused and placed our clasped hands over his heart. "Do you have any idea how happy you make me?"

I did know. He showed me every day, and I felt the same way about him. But it was different hearing the actual words come out of his mouth. It made me feel warm, kind of like after drinking a mug of hot chocolate.

He warmed the cockles of my heart.

I answered him with a kiss that lasted until we got home.

.

I was in bed, unable to sleep the next morning, thinking over the day before. Nicholas was curled around me, his chest pressing against my back with every rise and fall of it. I smothered the giggles bubbling up at him finding a way to fit himself on one of these pregnancy pillows with me.

He was right about taking the time to appreciate this whirlwind we had been through together. To really step back and take note of how lucky I was to have him in my life. He had given me everything I ever wanted, and today was the perfect day to be thankful for it.