Breaking the Cycle (Rocking Racers Book 1) Page 22

  Chapter Forty-Three

  REED

  Today is my wedding day. It’s funny, I never thought I’d have one before I met Bria, but since she’s been in my life, it was never not an option.

  The lead-up to today has been pretty chilled. There were no bridezilla moments and everything was done with a minimum of fuss.

  It’s half an hour before the ceremony is due to start, and I’m going nuts. Grayson insisted on Bria staying at her parents’ last night, and as a result, I couldn’t sleep. I can count on two hands the nights we've spent apart since we met. I'm not a fan of it happening again anytime soon. I’m pacing and it’s driving Park nuts.

  “Would you stop that already?”

  “I can’t. I’m going crazy. I haven’t seen them in almost twenty hours. I can’t take it.”

  “Seriously, man?”

  “She’s carrying my child, Park. I know Emma didn’t let you be around while she was pregnant, but fuck, she’s got a piece of me growing inside her and I want to be with them all the time. We’ve hardly ever been apart.”

  “I always thought Mav would be the next to fall. He’s always been so much more serious than the rest of us.”

  “No rule saying he can’t be. Or you,” I add as an afterthought.

  Park shakes his head. “I just can’t see it.”

  “I couldn’t either, and look at me now, twenty-five minutes from being a husband, four months from being a father.”

  “You’ve done well, little brother.”

  “I know, and I’m gonna go check on my family before I wear a path in the Adams's guest room.”

  The door to Bria’s parents’ room is closed but I hear giggling come from behind it. I’m able to pick out Bria easily.

  “You better not be drinking champagne in there,” I say through the closed doors.

  “Reed.” I can hear her gasp.

  “You’re not supposed to be anywhere near here,” Grayson scolds.

  “I’m on the other side of closed doors. What’s the harm? I just wanna make sure my soon-to-be wife and son are okay, seeing that I wasn’t allowed to spend last night with them. So no champagne, right?”

  I can tell Bria’s rolling her eyes. “No, I’m not drinking champagne. It’s strictly lemonade for me.”

  “Lemonade? Are you feeling sick? Buddy, remember we talked about being good to your mama.”

  She laughs. “No, I’m not feeling sick, just felt like lemonade is all.”

  “Another craving?” I lean up against the door, my hand about level to where Bria’s belly would be.

  “I guess. It isn’t anything bad though.”

  That’s one thing I’m not liking about pregnancy: the daily change of food preferences. One day it’s lemonade, another it’s apple juice, the next it’s iced tea. The only constant is it’s never caramel milkshakes anymore. All sorts of things have come and gone from our pantry since we found out we’re pregnant.

  “That’s good. Did you guys sleep okay last night? You weren’t uncomfortable, were you?”

  Now that she’s showing, sleeping is a challenge. It’s most comfortable for her to rest on my chest so her belly can rest on my stomach.

  “Slept like a baby, thanks for asking,” Gray responds. I hear a quiet “Ow,” and I know Bria has hit her.

  “We slept okay. We missed you though,” she answers.

  “I missed you too. Are you almost ready? I’m dying from the wait.”

  “Yes, I’m ready. I’ve been ready for a little bit now.”

  “Grayson, are you ready?” I ask, starting to get ticked off.

  “Beauty takes time, Reed, and perfection can’t be rushed.”

  “So help me God, Grayson, if you’re the reason I can’t marry my wife right the fuck now.”

  “Technically she’s not your wife yet.”

  “Gray,” I warn.

  “Geez, lighten up,” she says.

  “Are you ready?”

  She starts to say something but is cut off. I imagine Bria has elbowed her. “Yes, I’m ready.”

  I punch the air. “Good, I’ll go down and tell everyone we’re ready. I’ll see you at the altar, angel.”

  “I’ll be the one in white,” she replies.

  “I love you two so much.”

  “Oh, thanks, honey,” Grayson butts in, “but I’m taken.”

  I hear another “Ow,” and then Bria says, “And we love you. Now go so we can get married.”

  I rush down the stairs and swing by the guest room to get Park.

  “Come on, she’s ready.”

  “Gotcha, let’s go.”

  Our families, Mike, and the guys from the team—including Cole—are milling around. Chris is running around and Pop is trying to make sure he doesn’t get dirty.

  They see Park and me and a cheer goes up.

  “We’re ready if you want to take a seat.”

  Because there’re only about twenty of us here there are no sides, just a group of chairs. We don’t have separate families; we’re just one now. I shake hands with Minister Hale; he’s the one who married Pop and Ma.

  Jax must get his cue and starts the music. Grayson comes out of the house and makes her way to us. The music changes, and Bria and Aaron walk out, and I swear my heart stops. She’s absolutely breathtaking. Her dress is kind of creamy coloured and her hair is down. Okay, so I suck at details, but in my defence, my brain is being deprived of oxygen because I’ve stopped breathing.

  Personally I don’t care what she’s wearing. She could walk to me in a hoodie and jeans and she’d still be the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen. Aaron shakes my hand and puts Bria’s hand in mine. I place my other hand on her belly over our son.

  “We are gathered here today to witness the marriage of Bria and Reed and to celebrate the commitment they make to each other,” Minister Hale begins.

  I can’t believe I’m finally marrying Bria, that in a few moments we’ll be husband and wife and bound together forever.

  “Reed Cooper Ryan, do you take Bria Marie Adams to be your lawfully wedded wife?” Minister Hale asks me.

  “Absolutely.”

  “Bria Marie Adams, do you take Reed Cooper Ryan to be your lawfully wedded husband?”

  “I do.”

  “I believe you have your own vows?”

  We nod, and I take a deep breath. “Bria, the moment you walked into the diner and we finally, officially met, I knew you were someone special. From that moment, you’ve been a part of our family, loving us, laughing with us, crying with us. We are so lucky to have you in our lives and I’m the luckiest guy on the planet because somehow, through everything, you love me. You have changed me so much, Bria. I never gave thought to the possibility of ever having a wife and a baby. To me, they were a pit of responsibility I never wanted to fall into, but with you, that all changed. Us, being here, was never not going to happen and our child in your belly,”—he starts kicking—“yes, you, buddy. I’m just marrying your mama so if you can behave that would be good.” Everyone chuckles. “Our child in your belly was an inevitability. You’re the girl of my dreams I never knew I had, the keeper of my heart and the mother of my children. I love you more than I thought was possible to love anyone, and I promise to always love you, protect you, and take care of you until the end of time.”

  There are tears streaming down her face and I reach up and wipe them away.

  “Bria?” Minister Hale asks.

  She clears her throat and throws back her shoulders. I smile; that’s my girl.

  “Reed, from the moment I met you my world changed. It’s opened up, and I’m so grateful. You and your family took to me immediately and with no questions asked. You accepted me as one of your own and showed me love and devotion I never knew existed. You have never doubted me or questioned me, you’ve let me take over your business and together we’re going to build it into a powerhouse, just as we’re going to grow this.” She places her hand over mine on her belly.

  “You
have loved me more than I thought was possible. You have cared for me, for us, helped my friends and shown me what acceptance and truly belonging mean. You are my best friend, my protector, my lover, and the father of my children. I promise to always be by your side, loving you, looking after you and helping to make your dreams come true until the end of time.”

  We exchange rings, and then Minister Hale pronounces us husband and wife.

  “You may kiss your bride now, Reed,” he tells me, even though I need no invitation.

  I draw Bria into my arms, one hand resting on her cheek, her eyes shining up at me with nothing but love.

  “My wife,” I whisper before I take her lips. The kiss is full of passion. I’d keep going, except there are more than a few throats being cleared.

  We break apart and I rest my forehead on hers. “I love you, Mrs Ryan.”

  “We love you, too.”

  “Come on, I want to show my wife off.”

  I’m true to my word and drag her round to everyone, asking if they’ve met my wife. It thrills the shit out of me every time I call her that.

  The reception is very relaxed, very casual, very us.

  We’re sitting down having a breather in between dances, my hands, as always, are on Bria’s belly. She’s twisting my wedding ring.

  “You like having me wear your ring?” I ask.

  She nods. “I do. It’s totally hot. Almost as much as I love wearing your rings.”

  “So was today everything you dreamed of?”

  “Better.”

  I beam. “Yeah?”

  She nods. “Uh–huh.” She leans down and kisses me.

  “So, you had enough, wife of mine? You’ve danced with every man here, which I thoroughly enjoyed watching, by the way.”

  “Is my husband jealous? Does he not remember the vows we said a couple of hours ago? The rings we exchanged?”

  I grab her tightly and tickle her. “You just called me your husband.”

  “Isn’t that what you are?”

  “Amongst other things, but that’s the first time you’ve referred to me as you husband. I like it, a lot.” I push my erection into her backside.

  She leans forward so she can whisper in my ear, “Is my husband ready to consummate our marriage?”

  “Wife, I’ve been ready since we said I do.”

  “So what are we waiting for?” she asks.

  In a flash, we’re out of the chair and hurrying to the car.

  “Going somewhere, newlyweds?” Jax asks.

  “Yeah, my wife’s tired. The pregnancy, you know,” I say. “So we’re gonna go.”

  “Uh-huh, sure,” Gray says, but I’m not listening. I’m rushing us away.

  “Eager?” Bria asks.

  I stop and adjust her in my arms. “To make love to my wife? Always, baby, always.”

  I get her situated in the car and rush around to the driver side. I turn to her before I start the car and grab her hand. “Thank you.”

  “For what, honey?”

  “For everything.”

  “I could say the same to you.”

  “We’re married, angel.”

  “I know, I was there.”

  “We’re a family.” I move our hands to her belly.

  “We’re a family.”

  “God, baby, is this even real? Did we really do all this?”

  “I hope so.” Her eyes glisten, reflecting the happiness I feel.

  “These months have been the best of my life.”

  “Mine too, and you know what? It’s only the beginning.”

  “Yeah, it is.”

  “So what do you say we get started?”

  Chapter Forty-Four

  REED

  My wife is miserable and there’s nothing I can do to make it better.

  She’s now officially five days overdue and she’s desperate for Avery to come out. We decided to name him Avery Casey after my ma and nan. Ma’s maiden name was Avery. Nan’s was Casey.

  Her back hurts, her feet are swollen, she has to pee every five minutes, and even lying on me at night isn’t comfortable for her to sleep. I hate it. I hate that there’s very little I can do to help ease her discomfort.

  I run baths and massage her feet, but these only make her feel better for a short amount of time.

  We’ve spent the day watching Chris run around with his friends for his birthday, and it’s got us both excited and exhausted. Mostly though, I think Bria just wants Avery to come out.

  It’s been hectic since the wedding; we had the Extreme Games two months ago, which were crazy. Jax and Mav were in high demand, thanks to the publicity whipped up by my incredible wife, and had a million appearances to make. Of course, I was worried about Bria’s workload. She was seven months pregnant after all, but it was only after she snapped at me for suggesting she monitor their media conferences via an earpiece and a live stream that I backed off. Okay, so the two weeks without sex may have been more convincing, but I still think I was right.

  In the end, it all worked out. Mav brought home the gold for Moto X speed and style, and Jax gold for BMX halfpipe, unseating the ten-time champion, and silver for BMX big air.

  “That’ll be us soon,” Bria says, referring to Chris’s party as I get her ready for bed, which nowadays, much to my delight, involves taking off all her clothes. She can’t stand to have anything clinging to her.

  “I know. I can’t wait.” I kiss her belly as I take off her pants.

  “How long do you want to wait for the next one?” she asks.

  “You haven’t even popped out this one and you’re already planning the next?” I ask, pulling her body to mine. “I like your thinking.”

  “It’s just something I think we should plan, don’t you?”

  “I do.” I lift off her shirt. “I don’t think I’d want too big a gap, but I also don’t want you to feel like you’re always pregnant. I think my parents timed it pretty well. There’s two years between Park and me, then me and Liam, then three years between Liam and Mav but only a year between Mav and Jax. I think anywhere between two and three years is good. What do you think?” I undo her bra and she moans in relief. My dick reacts to the sound.

  “I think two to three years is good.” She turns around to undress me.

  I make passionate love to her, hoping this’ll be the last time before Avery comes. I’m just as eager for his arrival as Bria. Obviously, I’m not looking forward to the six weeks I’ll have to go without sex, but I think the trade-off, the arrival of our son, will be more than worth the sacrifice.

  I swear I’ve only been asleep for ten minutes when Bria wakes me up.

  “Reed, honey, wake up,” she says, shaking me.

  “What is it?” I ask, jolting awake.

  “I went to the bathroom and my water broke. I’m in labour.”

  “You are?”

  She nods.

  “Have you had any contractions?”

  “One, about ten minutes ago.”

  “Okay, let’s go.” I get up.

  “Ah!” Bria says, grabbing her stomach.

  “Angel?” I rush to her side.

  “Contraction,” she pants out.

  “Okay, let’s get our stuff and go to the hospital. Looks like Avery is finally ready to have his birthday.” I throw on some clothes, grab a dress for Bria to put on, and get the bags we’ve had packed for three weeks. I get a glimpse at the clock and see it’s two in the morning.

  “You okay to walk to the car?” I ask my wife.

  She nods and I grab her elbow and escort her to my Mustang. I’m running around to the driver side when I hear her yell out again, another contraction.

  “All right, baby, we’ll be there soon.”

  I swear I break every speed limit on the drive to the hospital. Luckily, the town is asleep. Bria calls her parents in between contractions, now eight minutes apart, then rings Park. He’s the lightest sleeper and will get everyone else up. I pull into the hospital driveway as another contractio
n hits, and run inside yelling.

  Nurses come running and we get Bria into a wheelchair and up to the maternity ward.

  Once she's comfortable in a birthing room, they confirm her contractions have stayed at eight minutes apart and she’s three centimetres dilated. They hook her up to all sorts of machines and then we wait and wait.

  My family arrive, as well as Rome and Grayson. I’m assuming Park called them. A little while later, her parents turn up.

  “Did we miss it?” they ask as they rush in.

  “Nope,” I reply. “We seem to have stalled at the moment.”

  “How is she?” Lacey asks.

  “Beautiful. She’s four centimetres dilated, so almost halfway. They’ve given her some pain relief so she’s fine.”

  Everyone comes in to say a brief hello, and then at around 7:00 a.m. things happen quickly. Her doctor comes in to check her and tells us she’s fully dilated, and on the next contraction she can push. I grab one of her legs and pull it back towards her chest. She pushes and pants and screams and almost breaks my wrist, but after an hour, we hear cries.

  “You did it, angel,” I say and kiss her sweaty forehead.

  “Congratulations, it’s a girl,” the doc says.

  “A girl? We have a daughter?” I ask, tears in my eyes.

  “You certainly do,” the doc says. “Do you want to come and cut the cord, Dad?”

  I’m stunned and still can’t believe I have a daughter, that Avery is here.

  “Go get our girl, Daddy,” Bria says, a loving smile on her face. I bend to kiss her quickly and make my way to the end of the bed. I grab the scissors from a nurse and cut where they tell me, and get my first glimpse of my daughter.

  She’s perfect.

  The nurse takes her away to check her and clean her up. I go back to Bria and kiss her forehead again.

  “We have a daughter, angel,” I say.

  She nods and wipes her tears away.

  “Yep, a very healthy baby girl, three kilos exactly,” the doc says, and places her in Bria’s arms.

  She has blue eyes and a mop of brown hair. She has Bria’s cute button nose and my lips, the perfect mix.