“So having sex won’t hurt the baby?”
“Logan!” Marie hissed, swatting at his arm.
Logan looked down at Marie who was lying on a hospital table with her stomach exposed then over at the doctor who was carting a machine over to them. “So can we have sex or not, Doc?”
Dr. Melissa Braden grinned at Logan as she began setting up the machine. “Don’t worry, Logan, you and Marie can have sex right up until the very end of her pregnancy.”
“You sure it won’t hurt the baby? I can’t give it a concussion or something, can I?” Logan inquired, completely ignoring Marie’s incessant swatting.
“No, Logan, you won’t give the baby a concussion. It’s impossible. Even the most well endowed man can get to where the baby’s growing,” Melissa assured him, unable to keep the laughter from her voice.
“Oh mah Gawd,” Marie muttered, covering her face with her hands to hide her flushed cheeks. “Ah can not believe Ah’m hearin’ this.”
Logan looked down at Marie in confusion. “What’s so weird about it? We like having sex and I just want to make sure that sex won’t hurt the baby?”
Marie peeked out between her fingers and attempted to glare at him. “Ah know we do, but did ya hafta be so blunt about it?”
Melissa grinned at the pair and picked up a tube from the cart the machine was on. “Don’t worry, Marie, I’m used to this. You’d be surprised how many of the father’s to be are curious about the fate of their sex life. Now try to stay still. I’m told this tickles.”
As Logan watched, Melissa began smearing a clear gel on Marie’s stomach. Judging from the way Marie was squirming, the stuff was at least a little uncomfortable. According to Melissa’s earlier explanation, the jelly would act as a lubricant for the camera that she claimed could take pictures of the baby while it was still inside of Marie. A sonarham or something like that. Logan hadn’t been paying much attention to the name. He was more curious about the fact that they would be able to see the baby before it was born.
“You mean to tell me that little thing is gonna take pictures of the baby?” Logan asked as Melissa picked up the small hand-held device that was attached to the rest of the machine by a thick cord.
Melissa nodded her head, turning the machine on with a flick of the wrist. “That it will. It will also be able to pick up the baby’s heartbeat.” Melissa moved the wand-like object around on Marie’s rounded stomach for a few moments before finally deciding on a final location. “And that would be your baby.”
Logan could make nothing of the mass of black and white images on the screen. He glanced down at Marie who seemed equally lost. Suddenly, the room was filled with a steady wooshing sound. All the beats took place a equal intervals and there was a distinct thumping aspect to them.
“Is that...?” Marie began, an awed expression taking over her features.
“That’s your baby,” Melissa confirmed. “It’s got a good, strong heartbeat.... Now this is the baby’s head and it’s back. Here are the arms and legs. Oh, I think someone is waving at us.”
“That’s our baby,” Logan mumbled, unable to believe what he was hearing and seeing. Now that Melissa had explained the odd shapes, he could clearly see the baby and the way it was lying in Marie’s stomach. His heart swelled to the bursting point at the sight of the baby moving within Marie’s stomach. Something that he had known about before was suddenly becoming very real.
“It’s so beautiful,” Marie whispered, tears filling her eyes as she stared at the image on the screen. “Ah can’t believe we created a bay together.”
Logan leaned down and pressed a kiss against Marie’s forehead, his eyes never leaving the black and white images of their baby. “Neither can I, darlin’.”
“So do you want to know whether it’s a boy or a girl?” Melissa asked the pair.
Marie shook her head immediately. “We’re gonna wait till the baby’s born t’ find out. We want it t’ be a surprise.”
“Since everything else seems to be all right with the baby, I think we can call it a day,” Melissa announced, turning off the machine. Melissa headed over to a nearby sink to wet a cloth before heading back over to the couple. “We’ll just clean off Marie’s stomach then we’ll head into my office and I can answer any other questions you have.”
Logan took the cloth from Melissa and lightly began to wipe the jelly off Marie’s stomach. It amazed him to no end that there was a child growing within her. A child that the two of them had created together. For the next six months, Marie’s stomach would continue to grow and then the baby would be born. In six months he would be a father. It was a scary thought for a man who had just over a year of memories.
“Hey! Logan! Mah stomach’s been clean fer about five minutes now,” Marie called, gaining his attention.
Logan flushed slightly and tossed the cloth across the room into the sink to cover his embarrassment. “Sorry, Marie, I got a little distracted.”
“So Ah see,” Marie mused, grinning up at him. “How ‘bout ya help me up now so we can get outta here. We still hafta pack, ya know.”
Logan moaned loudly and dropped his head down onto Marie’s stomach. “Do we really have to go? Is it completely necessary?”
“Logan, it’s mah brother’s weddin’! O’ course we hafta go!” Marie cried, smacking him on the shoulder.
“But your brother hates my guts and I don’t feel like having to listen to him whine,” Logan complained, straightening himself up and pulling her shirt back down over her stomach. “Can’t we just say that your doctor said it was a good idea if you didn’t travel since you’re pregnant and all?”
Marie rolled her eyes and pushed herself into a seated position with Logan’s help. “Ah know ya an’ Scooter don’t get along all that well, but it’ll only be fer a few days. Ah think ya can manage t’ get along fer that long.”
“Darlin’, your brother has a bug up his ass the size of an elephant. You can’t expect me to get along with that,” Logan griped, slipping an arm around Marie’s waist and easing her down off the table. “We’ll probably kill each other before the ceremony even starts.”
“Which is why we’re staying with Kurt an’ not Scooter,” Marie informed him. “Ya an’ Kurt got long great when they were here so Ah don’t hafta worry ‘bout the two o’ ya killin’ each other.”
“At least he won’t try and attack me for getting you pregnant,” Logan mumbled, already dreading the pansy ass reaction Marie’s oldest brother was gonna have.
“Please, Scooter’s all talk. He’ll just bitch an’ moan, but Ah’m sure Jeanie’ll distract him,” Marie assured him as they entered Melissa’s office. She grinned at the other woman and sat down in one of the chairs in front of her desk. “So, the baby’s all right?”
Melissa rose from her seat, picking up a video tape and an envelope before walking around to the front of the desk where Logan and Marie were sitting. “I reviewed the tape of the ultra sound and I can assure you that your baby is in perfect health. All the limbs are where they’re supposed to be, the baby’s a good size and it has a nice, steady heartbeat. All in all, you have a perfectly healthy baby. Nothing to worry about.”
Logan let out a relieved sigh and pressed a kiss against the side of Marie’s head. “Good to hear. And you’re sure I can’t give the kid a concussion?”
“Logan!” Marie shrieked, elbowing him in the side. “Wasn’t it bad enough that ya asked that once? Do ya really need t’ keep embarrasin’ me like this?”
It was impossible for Logan to keep the grin from his face at Marie’s mock outrage. He could tell that she was trying her best not to laugh. “Sorry, darlin’, I couldn’t help myself.... Can she travel by plane?”
“Right now she can and up until the end of her pregnancy there’s nothing wrong with her flying,” Melissa assured him. “Why, do you have a trip planned?”
“We hafta fly down t’ Mississippi fer mah brother’s weddin’,” Marie explained, fiddling with the envelope that Melissa had given her. “We’re gonna tell mah family ‘bout the baby when we’re there.”
“What does your family think about the baby?” Melissa asked Logan, turning her attention onto him.
Logan shrugged his shoulders, smiling sadly at the doctor. “Couldn’t tell ya. I don’t have a family that I know of.”
“I’m so sorry, Logan,” Melissa hurriedly apologized. “I should have just kept quiet.”
Logan was quick to wave it off, not wanting to upset her. “Don’t worry about it. I’ve got Marie so I’m more than content.”
That made both Marie and Melissa smile. While Marie leaned against Logan, wrapping her arm through his, Melissa returned to her desk and opened her appointment book. Logan and Marie made their next appointment then left the office.
“You sure I can’t talk you into not going to the wedding?” Logan asked as he opened the door of the jeep for Marie. “I really don’t think Scooter will mind that much.”
Marie rolled her eyes and hopped up into her seat. “Yer impossible, Logan. It really won’t be as bad as ya think it will. Scooter’ll be so wrapped up in the weddin’ that he won’t even pay any attention t’ us till the reception. An’ he’ll only be there fer a few hours ‘fore he an’ Jeanie leave on their honeymoon.”
After that, Logan was silent the rest of the ride home. There had been something on his mind since a few days after learning that Marie was pregnant. Something that he had wanted to talk to Marie about, but wasn’t too sure how to bring it up. They had been living together for about nine months and Logan wasn’t sure whether that was too soon to ask Marie to marry him. He knew that he wanted to spend the rest of his life with Marie-- he’d known that even before finding out that she was pregnant --but didn’t know whether there was a set time that they had to be together before he could ask her.
“Hey, Marie, do you mind if I take one of the pictures with me?” Logan asked as he and Marie entered the cabin.
“Aww, does the proud papa wanna show off pictures o’ his baby?” Marie teased, reaching into the envelope for one of the pictures.
“Yeah, what of it?” Logan asked, wrapping his arms around Marie’s waist from behind and peering over her shoulder at the pictures she was turning over in her hands. “How ‘bout that one?”
In the picture, it looked like the baby was waving at the camera. It was Logan’s favourite and planned on buying a frame for it on his way home. Even though Marie didn’t know it, it was going on the mantle until they had a picture of the baby after it was born.
Marie handed Logan the picture and tilted her head to place a kiss on his cheek. “There you go. Now behave yourself. No giving Ron a hard time today.”
“Ron deserves whatever he gets,” Logan said quickly, unable to keep the grin from his face.
Ron was one of Logan’s best friends. The two had hit it off almost immediately, arguing about sports and going out drinking together like they had known each other their entire lives. Now that Ron was helping Logan build the addition for the baby’s room, Ron was a regular sight at Logan and Marie’s house. He had declared himself Godfather and would have serious conversations with the child about the architecture of the room. Logan and Marie would merely roll their eyes and watch Ron’s antics with amusement.
“Then don’t come cryin’ t’ me when he starts fightin’ back,” Marie said, turning about in his arms to wrap her arms around Logan’s neck. “Now head off t’ work ‘fore yer late.”
Logan had already taken off time to attend Marie’s doctor appointment, not that it was a problem. Logan’s boss, a man named Cal, had all but ordered him to go to the appointment. Family was very important to Cal and he was going to make sure Logan was a hands on father if it killed him. Being the roughnecked car guy that he was, though, Cal had good-naturedly threatened to make life a living hell for Logan if he came back after eleven. So when Logan pulled into the auto shop at 10:58 it was amidst cheers and catcalls from the other men who worked at the shop.
“Cutting it pretty close, are ya?” Cal asked with an upturned eyebrow as Logan jump off his bike. “I’m thinking I should make your life hell just on principle.”
“You love me and you know it,” Logan teased, jogging towards the building.
Cal rolled his eyes and turned back to the ‘88 Chevy S10 they were working on. “Put up with you is more like it, kid. Now show us the sonogram we know you’re so dying to show us so that we can get back to work.”
Logan was well aware that Cal was only putting on a show. The older man had taken Logan under his wing in the months he had been working at the auto shop, attempting to be the father that Logan couldn’t remember having. Cal was one of the few people in town who knew of Logan’s amnesia. The older man hadn’t judged him based on what had happened to him. On the contrary, he had judged Logan as he was, helping him with things that he wasn’t too sure of.
So it was Cal that Logan went to with his latest problem.
“Do you think that it’s too soon for me to ask Marie to marry me?” Logan asked nervously as the two of them sat in Cal’s office later that afternoon.
Cal leaned back in his chair, taking the question in stride. “Do you love her?”
A wide grin appeared on Logan’s face at the question. “More than anything in the world.”
“Are you ready to spend the rest of your life with her, child or no?” Cal inquired, not taking his eyes off Logan.
“I was ready to stay with her forever after a month,” Logan told the other man, wondering what the point of the questions were. Logan was the one with the question, one that Cal hadn’t answered yet.
“Then I think you have your answer there,” Cal said, catching Logan off guard. “If you love her and are ready to spend the rest of your life with her then you’re ready to marry her.”
Logan chewed nervously on his bottom lip, eyeing the older man. “You sure about that? It’s not too soon?”
Cal chucked softly. “Certainly not. I asked my Wendy to marry me after two months. And we’ve been married for thirty-five years. I’ve seen you and Marie together, it’s obvious that you’re in love with each other. You two are already doing better than some couples I know. You’ll be fine.”
Bolstered by Cal’s assurances, Logan bought the ring that he’d been eyeing for several weeks. He’d seen it one day as he was walking down the street and knew right away that it was for Marie. It was a silver ring-- Marie hated gold --designed with intricate Celtic knotwork, the focus of which was a deep red ruby. The ring wasn’t overly lavish or large, something else Marie didn’t like. So after completing his conversation with Cal, Logan headed to the jeweler to buy the ring. He was going to propose to Marie that night. Logan wasn’t exactly sure how he was going to do it, only that he was going to ask Marie before they headed to Mississippi in two days.
By the time he got home, Logan had come up with a plan to propose to Marie. It wasn’t going to be some all out production, but something much more simple involving the two of them, the fireplace and a large mattress of blankets.
“I’ve been thinking about something,” Logan mumbled against Marie’s stomach later that night as they lay sprawled out before the fire.
Marie ran her fingers through Logan’s hair, giggling softly. “That so? And is this thing ya’ve been thinkin’ o’ another way t’ get us t’ stay home an’ not go t’ mah brother’s weddin’?”
Rolling onto his side, Logan reached towards small statue that Marie had beside the fireplace that he had hidden the ring behind. When he had it grasped firmly in his hand, Logan rolled and retook his position between Marie’s legs.
“Logan, what’s goin’ on?” Marie asked, staring at Logan in confusion.
Holding the ring in his thumb and index finger, Logan stared at the object for a moment before looking back at Marie. “Actually, I was thinking of asking you to spend the rest of your life with me.”
“Are ya askin’ me t’....” Marie gasped, unable to finish her thought.
“I’m asking you to marry me, Marie,” Logan said softly, unable to keep the grin from his face. “If you want to, that is?”
“O’ course Ah want t’!” Marie all but shouted, her wide grin mesmerizing. She shakily held up her left hand and whispered, “Will ya put it on me?”
Logan lunged upward suddenly, shifting so that he was sitting facing Marie. He then pulled Marie up so that she was straddling his waist, their bodies inches apart. With delicate care, Logan picked up Marie’s left hand and slid the silver band onto her ring finger. Once it was in place, Logan closed her fingers and brought her hand up to his lips, pressing a kiss where the ring rested.
“I love you,” Logan whispered, wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her flush against him.
Marie slid her fingers into his hair, pulling his face down towards hers so that she could capture his lips in a passionate kiss. When she pulled away a few minutes later, both of them were gasping, but Marie managed to get a single sentence out as she struggled to regain her breath. “Ah love ya too, Logan. So very much.”
With that, Marie wasted no time in pushing Logan onto his back. Maintaining her position on his lap, Marie ground herself against him until he was fully erect. Logan was a moaning mass of nerves by that point who could only cry out in pleasure as Marie thrust down on his swollen cock.
As Marie thrust down on him over and over again, it was all that Logan could do to keep a grip on her hips. Her inner muscles continuously clenched, squeezing him so that a tortured gasp escaped his lips. Logan watched Marie as she pleasured herself with his body, rocking above him. As she leaned over to brush his lips with hers, the two of them were trapped in a tent of her hair. Marie’s speed picked up then and she flung her head back, arching her spine as her climax overcame her. So entranced was he by her beauty, Logan was barely aware of his own orgasm a few moments later.
Both of them were breathing heavily as Marie collapsed onto his chest. Logan held her tenderly, one hand on her hip and the other cupping the back of her head. He went to pull out of her and roll onto his side, but Marie shook her head, murmuring for him to stop.
“Ah want t’ stay like this. Ah want ya inside me,” Marie murmured sleepily, pressing a kiss against his sweat damp chest. “Ah want t’ stay like this when Ah fall asleep.”
Unable to deny her anything, Logan merely drifted off to sleep cradling her in his arms as she cradled him in her body.