Free A Davenport Christmas: A Bad Boys Serial Novel (Always With You Book 1) by M. Leighton

CHAPTER ONE- OLIVIA

 
    Dec 23

 
    I slump against the back of the toilet as I eye the plastic
tube cradled in my palm.
    Negative.
    Again.
    I dread going out to tell Cash.   He’ll be wonderful and loving and
supportive, just like he’s been every time the test has been negative, but I
know he’ll be disappointed.   He
hides it well, of course, but he’s so animated when he talks about us having a
baby, I know it breaks his heart each time we aren’t successful.
    Each time I’m not
successful.
    I take a deep, cleansing breath before I stand and walk to
the door.   I swing it open and a
wedge of golden light pours out onto Cash where he’s propped up on a mountain
of pillows waiting for me.
    His shoulders look like they’re a mile wide where they hover
above his narrow waist.   I follow
the stair-step of his abs down to his equally trim hips.   Only one is visible at the moment, as
the other is hidden by the sheet draped diagonally across one
leg .   It gives him a
mouthwateringly sexy, rumpled look.   Under normal circumstances, I’d thoroughly explore all that is concealed
by the soft, yellow cotton.
    But not tonight.
    Tonight I have bad news.  
    I can see a bit of tension in his muscular chest and arms,
like he’s holding himself at the ready to fly from the bed and take me in his
arms to celebrate.   But it’s his
eyes that tell the story.   The
exotic black orbs are focused squarely on me and they’re still. Perfectly still.   Like when a hush falls across a room in anticipation, anticipation
of…something great.
    “Well?” he asks in his rich voice.   His lips are starting to curve. He
probably thinks I’m being dramatic so that I can surprise him.
    I feel my chin quiver as I hold up the tube for him to see.   “Negative.”
    He doesn’t even glance at what’s in my hand. He simply
crawls out of bed and takes me in his arms.   “I’m sorry, baby,” he croons, petting my
hair and raining kisses down the curve of my neck where his face is pressed.
    “ I’m the one who’s
sorry,” I tell him, a tremble in my voice.   I’m trying so hard not to cry.  
    Cash leans back, his brow furrowed.   “Why are you sorry?”
    I have to wait for a few seconds to answer him. I have to
collect myself so that I don’t start blubbering like a lunatic.   “Because there must be something wrong
with me.”
    “There’s nothing wrong with you. You’re perfect.   Maybe it’s me.”
    “It’s not you.   It’s me. I…I can feel it,” I confess miserably.   “A-and I know how much you want a b-baby.”
    Cash takes my face in his big hands and hunches down until
he’s looking directly into my eyes.   “Listen to me, Olivia Davenport. I love you.   Whatever our future holds, I’ll only
love you more every single day.   Baby or no baby.   And there’s always adoption if we
can’t…if it doesn’t happen for us. ”
    “But I know you want a child of our own.”
    He pauses. I know he wants to deny it, for my sake, but he
won’t lie to me.   “Yes, I do.   Of
course I do.   To be able to hold
a baby that we made together, a little girl who looks like her momma or a little
boy who will grow up to protect you when I’m gone, I’d love that. But,” he
says, his face going from soft as he spoke about our offspring to stern and
determined as he tries to impress something upon me, “ you will always be the love of my life.   I don’t need anything else to be
happy.   I’m complete as long as I
have you.   You’re perfect.   With or without a baby in your belly.”
    I can’t stop the tears this time.   This–his understanding, his
amazing love–just makes it even harder. It only makes me want to give him
this one thing even more.   “I want to give you a baby so bad,”
I cry pitifully.
    “And you will,” he whispers, brushing my mouth with
his.   “You just have to stop
stressing about it.   It’ll happen.   And don’t think for one second that I’m
not