Where Does My Heart Beat Now- Chapter 19

*Author's Note: Gaelic phrases & meanings from this chapter... a mhuirnín: My dear (pronounce it like ah wer-neen); Tá grá agam duit: I love you (pronounce it like thaw graw ogum ditch); Póg mé: kiss me (pronounce it like pogue may)  

Chapter 19

Bright and early the next morning Gabriel and the other men hastily brought down the tents and folded them into neat, tightly-packed squares before storing them in the wooden crates along with the stakes. They wanted to be on the road as soon as possible so they would have time to enjoy the beautiful day when they arrived home and unpacked everything.

While Gabriel was putting the cots into the bed of the truck he noticed Kate lifting the heavy cross beams of their tent and called, “Oh, no you don’t, honey. Let one of the guys handle those. You don’t need to be lifting anything heavy while you’re pregnant.”

She dropped the beam, bringing her hands to her hips and glowered in defiance, “Gabriel, I am perfectly capable of-.”

“No, sweetheart. Don’t argue with me,” he laid Bo’s saddle onto the tent crate. “Now, why don’t you go and help the ladies load the dresses and blankets into Dad’s truck. I’m sure it’s going to take awhile considering how many there are. Afterwards, see if you can round up Charlie. Odds are he’s off hunting for a female.”

Why does he keep acting like I’m weak? Just because I’m pregnant doesn’t mean I can’t help out. Hello, I saved his life yesterday and this is my reward? Kate thought as she watched him closely for any sign of him giving in, but so far he remained serious and unbreakable. She’d need to find some way to get through his stubbornness just like she had when she tried to convince him about having a baby, “Gabriel, I want to do all that I can to help you out. Don’t let my pregnancy be a reason to keep me from doing my job as your wife. I’m plenty strong enough. Look, I know you want this pregnancy to go well, but you need to trust me on some things.”

His expression softened after thinking over what Kate has said. Of course, her pale eyes always won him over, or was it her smile? “Alright. I just don’t want you overexerting yourself. I want you to be comfortable, not stressed.”

“I’m fine, Gabriel. Trust me.”

“I do.”

   Right before they were getting ready to leave, Gabriel stepped over to where baby Roxanne lay on her blanket playing with her teething ring, and picked her up, “Come on, sweetie. Let’s get you buckled up,” he carried her on his hip to the truck where he gently set her in her carrier and fastened the harness over her. Afterward, Gabriel shut the back door and walked around to the passenger side, where he helped Kate into her seat. “Alright, I think we’re ready to hit the road.”

Once they had gotten out of the farmland and off the winding roads, they pulled onto the interstate right behind Rob and Mae. Following closely behind, maybe even a little too closely, was Sean and Ava.

“Does Sean always follow this close?” Kate questioned while glancing at the side view mirror.

“Yes,” he pulled out his cell phone and dialed his friend’s number. “Hey Sean, I know you like my truck, but get off my a*s! If I slam on my brakes, you’re going to be in my back seat, and that’s going to piss me off.”

Kate and her parents chuckled at the amusing conversation. They needed something to keep them entertained on the long drive back to Jefferson. Their daughter prayed the weather would be nice so that she could give them a tour of the town since they didn’t have to leave until the end of the week. It would also be a great opportunity to learn something about infant care, considering Corey specialized in babies.

“So,” Corey leaned forward with his elbows resting on the back of the seats. “Have you two thought of any names, yet? You know, for the baby?”

“Well, what do you think of ‘Shannon Cassandra’?” Kate replied.

“I think that’s a beautiful name, Kate… It’s great that you’re using your middle name.”

She smiled and laid her hand on Gabriel’s leg, “That was Gabriel’s idea, and I have to say, he’s got great taste in names. I didn’t think he’d want to use mine.”

“I love your name, Kate. It’s so beautiful,” Gabriel broke in. “Actually, your first name is Irish.”

“Really? Wow, I’m not even from Ireland, yet my parents gave me an Irish name. How strange is that?”

The sound of Roxanne starting to fuss caught their attention, causing Gabriel to glance up into the rearview mirror to see what was distressing the baby, “Aww, is someone getting mad?”

Corey unfastened the harness and lifted the baby out so that he could hold her, “She’s just hungry. It’s been awhile since she ate last,” he got a bottle out of the diaper bag and held it while she sucked from it contentedly. “Are you getting excited about seeing your baby, Gabriel?”

“You have no idea,” Gabriel turned off of the highway after going through a toll gate. “But I’m so nervous about the birth. Maybe it’s because of what happened to Susan.”

“Hey, most fathers are nervous during the birth of their first baby. Hell, you should have seen me when Kate was born, and she was our second child,” Corey shifted Roxanne to his shoulder after laying a towel over it so that he could burp her. “Believe me, having children is one of the greatest joys in life… and so are the little surprises, like Roxanne.”

 

An hour or so later the truck was pretty much silent except for the sound of the baby sucking on her pacifier. The long stretch of highway seemed endless as it faded into the horizon with the gentle hills rolling by as they continued south toward The Lone Star state. When Gabriel looked over at Kate he found her turned on her side facing the door, snoozing peacefully.

Leave her be. She might as well sleep since there’s nothing else to do, he thought, and then reached over to turn the radio on low so as not to disturb her. The song playing happened to be a sweet, Celtic ballad he had heard many times before and practically knew by heart.

All of a sudden Kate jolted forward, bringing her hands to her belly. The surprising movement caught the others’ attention and made them worry.

“Are you all right, honey?” Gabriel asked.

“Ooh, the baby just kicked me in the bladder. Not the greatest feeling in the world, especially when you already have to pee.”

Her husband smiled widely at the mention of the baby. If only he could experience the wonders of motherhood that was happening to Kate. It amazed him that something so small and so precious was growing inside his beloved wife’s womb and would have to make the long and stressful journey into their world. I am not going to leave her side for a moment during the birth. I’ll be there to help her through that difficult time no matter how long it takes, Gabriel tenderly laid his hand on her belly, wanting to feel his baby move in order to know that it was still safe and healthy, “Well, in a few months you won’t have to deal with that.”

“No, I like being pregnant, just not getting kicked in the bladder.”

Gabriel slid his hand to the front of her belly and looked at her after feeling something strange, “Are you starting to get an outie?”

She shyly covered the partial bump made by her belly button poking out, “Quit making fun of my belly button. Yours would do the same if you were pregnant.”

“It’ll go back to normal after the baby’s born, won’t it? I don’t remember Susan’s doing that.”

Her father started laughing at their conversation before replying, “Of course, Gabriel. Don’t worry; she’ll look the same as she did before she became pregnant.”

“God, why does pregnancy have to last so long?” Gabriel sighed.

Kate leaned over and kissed his cheek, “Just be patient, honey. Good things take time.”

 

When the sun was high in the sky they were rolling back through Paris right behind Rob’s silver truck. Kate was gazing out the window at the city flying by, but stared wide-eyed at a blue traffic sign in front of them, which had arrows pointing in all different directions.

“What the hell is with that sign?! It’s right there where you have to make a decision to turn,” she exclaimed.

Gabriel chuckled as he passed the crazy sign, heading east toward Mt. Pleasant, “It’s stupid, isn’t it? I can’t tell you how many times it’s caught me off guard,” he changed lanes to let a black Dodge pulling a horse trailer pass by, “Well; excuse me for going the speed limit, sweetheart. I’m sorry seventy-five is too slow for you.”

“Gabriel, that’s Sean,” Kate stated after getting a closer look at the truck.

“What?! Throw me my phone!” He touched the screen on the device and hurriedly tapped in his friend’s number, “Sean, you a*****e! I’m sure Hijinx just enjoys having his brains rattled around,” after hanging up, Gabriel glanced back at Kate’s parents, who were trying to hide their smirks of amusement. “Sorry, you have to know Sean to understand why we mess with each other. He always does things like this. Last year on the way to Shiloh, he tried to get me to drag race… while pulling a horse trailer. Now, how smart is that?”

“You gotta love the guy,” Kate commented. “Hello, he saved your life.”

“No, Kate. He saved your life. Get him pissed off enough and he turns into the spawn of Satan. Take my word for it, it’s not pretty.”

For what seemed like an unimaginable amount of time they followed the bumper in front of them until the truck turned off of the highway and drove toward the small town of Avenger, which meant that they were almost home, but the weather wasn’t at all what they were hoping for. Dark storm clouds hung low in the sky, making it look like night. It wasn’t long before they ran into rain. Well, it was more like a downpour. Gabriel turned on the windshield wipers in an attempt at being able to see, but it was useless.

“We gotta get home before it starts hailing. I really don’t want my baby dinged up,” he said.

Kate looked at him before replying, “Gabriel, it’s going to take more than hail to hurt me.”

“I was talking about the truck.”

“Oh.”

He wrapped his arm around her shoulders and quickly kissed her cheek, “My truck is my baby, but you are my honey.”

“Aww, there’s that sweet, Irish love. It makes me want to grab a fluffy blanket and snuggle up to you.”

“How about we get home first and then you can do all the snuggling you want, because there’s no way I’m going to be doing anything outside,” Gabriel changed the tone of his voice to sound more seductive. “I’ll make some hot chocolate for all of us and give you a soothing massage. How does that sound?”

“Absolutely wonderful.”

Once they arrived at the small farm, Gabriel immediately ran through the rain to the house so that he could unlock the door. Once it was open, he ran back to the truck where he unfastened Roxanne from her carrier and held her closely against his body with her blanket wrapped around her. He was relieved when the baby didn’t wake up through all of the jostling around.

“I’m going to lay her down on the couch, if that’s all right with you,” Gabriel replied before making his way back to the house. The living room was warm and quiet, the perfect place for Roxanne to sleep, at least for a while. He gently laid her down on the soft couch and placed a few pillows around her to form a barrier so that she wouldn’t roll off. When he was satisfied that she was secure, he covered her small body with her blanket. Soon, I’ll be doing the same thing with my little baby. I can’t wait to hold her in my arms. Oh, I hope we have a girl. The sound of the front door swinging open startled him from his thoughts, making him look up from the baby to see Mae carrying in the wooden tent crate, and right behind her was Kate, who had some wool blankets tucked under her arm.

“My gosh, the rain is really coming down out there. We’ll have to wait until it stops before we can bring in the rest of the stuff. Gabriel what do you-,” Kate replied, but was cut off when her husband took the blankets from her, and after setting them down on the arm of the couch, pulled her against him and softly kissed her lips, savoring the sweetness of it.

“Hey, you two lovebirds… You’re right in the middle of the walkway,” Corey commented as he pushed past with the tent poles.

Both Gabriel and Kate pulled apart long enough to see her father smiling at them, and then Kate picked up the blankets before heading toward the kitchen, “Well, I guess I better put these up so I can start putting everything else away. I’ve still got to figure out where the baby’s going to sleep and where we’re going to put the bassinet,” she inhaled deeply. “Oh, my! There’s so much we’ve got to do before it’s born. I never realized how much there was to being parents!”

All the while she was rambling on, her parents and Gabriel’s were watching her somewhat concerned, but relaxed when they noticed Gabriel moving toward her. When Kate turned back around she found herself against her husband’s body with his hand lightly holding onto hers. His aqua eyes gazed into hers; seeming warmer than they usually were, but they still had a calming effect over her.

“Hey… Slow down,” Gabriel ran his hand up her side, stopping on her shoulder. “You have so much time until then. Just slow down and breathe,” his words lingered in her ears, sinking in and making her realize how true they were.

“You’re right, Gabriel. I do need to slow down,” Kate rested her head against his chest, trying to keep herself from crying, but feeling Gabriel’s hand rubbing her back soothingly made her calm down and relax enough to listen to his heartbeat “Why am I acting like this?”

“Don’t feel bad, baby. It’s just part of your pregnancy and the different emotions that go along with it. I completely understand,” he could feel her grip his upper arms and press her hard belly against his as if she wanted to be closer to him. “But I want you to take it easy until our baby is born. I don’t want you under any stress. You’re so precious to me.”

Mae entered the living room and wrapped a fleece blanket around Kate before leading her away to the bedroom where she shut the door and quickly rubbed a towel over her body in an effort to dry her off.

“Look at you! You’re soaking wet. I can’t have you catching a cold,” the older woman fussed over her like a mother hen despite Kate’s protests. “Now, strip out of those wet clothes and put on some pajamas. I’ll have Gabriel make some hot chocolate to warm you up.”

“He was going to anyways,” I really want to spend time with Gabriel. Alone. Maybe I can get him to come in here and snuggle with me. We haven’t done that in a while. Kate looked up from unbuttoning her jeans to find Gabriel leaning against the door frame with his left leg crossed over his right, arms folded over his chest, and an amused grin on his face. He appeared to be enjoying himself from the way he watched her intently, “How long have you been standing there?”

His eyes slowly moved up her body until they fell on her soaking wet shirt, which appeared see-through, revealing her pink and green striped bra. He could see a bead of water roll down her cleavage from a strand of hair, leaving a wet streak on her chest. Somewhere inside of him a warm sensation was building, making his heart beat faster, “A while,” Gabriel moved over to her in what seemed like an instant after closing the door. He lightly brushed some moisture off of her arm, and then began unbuttoning her blouse without saying a word.

“What are you doing?” She asked while watching her husband’s fingers move with a purpose over each white button.

His eyes flashed up to meet hers, “Aren’t you changing?”

“Well, I-I suppose, but-.”

“Then, allow me to help you.”

There was silence in the room as he slipped loose the last button and pushed back the shirt over her shoulders until it fell to the floor in a wet heap. Once that she was free of her confinement he could see the silver Celtic knot resting on her chest, looking beautiful against her body. Gabriel assisted his wife in removing her jeans, and afterwards, pulled her against him so that he could feel her chest rise and fall with every breath she took.

My, gosh. She’s shivering. I hope she’s not getting sick. That wouldn’t be good for neither her, nor the baby, he thought as his hand rubbed up her back gently to warm her, but after a while he reached up and slyly unhooked her damp bra and slid it off.

Kate gasped when she realized what he was wanting, “Gabriel! Is this safe to be doing while I’m pregnant?”

“Yes,” he rested his hands on her belly and softly kissed her neck, eager to be close to her. A warm, prickly feeling arose in his stomach when he felt her breathing quicken, and she tilted her head away to expose more of her neck as if she wanted him to continue. “It will make the birth easier for you.”

“How-?” Kate tensed up when she felt herself bump into the side of the bed, making her bend her knees until she was sitting on the overly-soft mattress and duvet, which she thought needed a major makeover in the color scheme, but she’d deal with that later on. Maybe she’d surprise Gabriel for his birthday. Wait! When was his birthday? She didn’t recall any celebration before, so she was sure she hadn’t missed it. “Of all the things I know about you, there is something that I don’t know.”

“And what’s that, sweetheart?”

“When is your birthday?”

He chuckled warmly, “March seventeenth.”

It didn’t take her long to figure out what day that just happened to be, “But that’s St. Patrick’s Day! Wow! Can you be any more Irish? I mean, you’re half Irish; you’ve got that Irish brogue accent; you wear a Celtic knot necklace and a claddagh on your wedding band; you’re hair is green; and your birthday is on St. Patrick’s Day.”

“Don’t forget about my boxers,” Gabriel added.

“How could I forget your sexy shamrock boxers?”

The sound of Roxanne crying caught their attention, making them look toward the door, but Kate knew her father was already trying to soothe her, “She just wants some attention. Now…Where were we?”

Without a word, Gabriel reached behind his head and pulled out his ponytail, letting his long hair fall over his shoulders before leaning over and pressing his lips to her pregnant belly, kissing it sweetly. He absolutely adored seeing and touching her rounded belly, knowing that his baby was safe inside until that nerve-wracking day came about. Very lightly, Gabriel laid his hands on either side of the bump, waiting to feel the slightest nudge.

“Hello, little one. Daddy can’t wait to see you. Are you going to move for me?” As if answering his request, he felt a small amount of pressure against his fingers, making him smile.

“I think that’s her foot pressing there,” Kate replied as she lay on her back with her eyes closed.

Her husband looked up at her, “You’re convinced that our baby is a girl, aren’t you?”

“I want you to have a daughter after losing your first one. It means so much to me to see you so happy.”

 He gazed into her eyes after she opened hers, a passionate expression on his face, “The fact that you’re even pregnant makes me happy. It means I did something right.”

She immediately sat up, her hand covering his, “You’ve always done everything right. Remember, I couldn’t have gotten pregnant without your help.”

“Stupid hormones,” Gabriel gently stroked her cheek with the back of his fingers. “And now they’re acting up, again. It’s taking all of my strength to keep myself from laying you down right now and making love to you.”

“Then why don’t you?” She acted as if she wanted him to take her and release all of his love upon her. “I want you to.”

Her remark surprised him since he didn’t think she’d be up for doing something like that while carrying. She’s going to let me do this? “Kate, are you sure?”

“Yes, it makes me feel so close to you, and why not ‘do it’? She giggled. “After all, it does show how much we love each other.”

“Well yeah, but the others are in the living room, and that would be very awkward if they heard us. I don’t think you want to see me blush, again.”

“You mean like you are now?”

Gabriel’s eyes widened, “What?” He quickly reached up to touch his cheek, but she pulled his hand back.

“I’m kidding, honey,” she leaned forward and pressed her lips to his while playing with his hair by twisting a lock of it around in her fingers. “Well, you know that I’m ticklish, but what about you?”

“Huh?”

All of a sudden Kate tackled him with a flurry of tickles, causing him to wrench away in an attempt to cover his stomach from her attacks. He tried moving away from her, but ended up falling off of the bed with a loud thud.

“Hey! What’s going on in there? Never mind… I don’t think I want to know,” Corey’s voice called from the living room.

Both Kate and Gabriel started laughing until she climbed down from the bed and got on her hands and knees. She leaned over him, staring into his eyes. Her body trembled when he ran his hands down her sides and slid her pink, lacy panties off. She kicked them to the side so that they wouldn’t be in the way, and softly kissed his lips as he laid his hands on her thighs. He noticed that she winced when he touched her there, and moved his hand to see what had made her sore; a large, purple bruise was glaring out at him.

“It looks like you got hit by a cannon ball,” Gabriel gingerly touched the area around the bruise. “Great, now everyone’s going to think I beat you.”

“You know, we could always tell whoever asks that it was rough sex.”

“I like the way you think. Knowing me, they’d believe it.”

“Speaking of which,” Kate glanced down to see his damp jeans still on his body, and then she shifted her eyes back up to his face. “The jeans have got to go. It’s time to bring out the heavy artillery, Colonel.”

“I believe you’re right. Hmm, should we open up with a volley?”

“Huh?”

“You’d have to know military terms to understand what I’m talking about.”

“Whatever. Now, where were we?”

All joking around aside, Gabriel carefully laid his wife on their bed, feeling his heart beat faster as well as an increase of desire for her. He allowed her to help him remove his jeans before she pressed her body against his, noticing his temperature had risen. The feeling of being close to the one she loved sent a wave of comfort through her as he tenderly stroked her back and kissed her once more before pulling the blanket over them to conceal their nakedness. While she lay there staring up at his gorgeous face, Gabriel gently spread her legs apart, and then started massaging Kate’s sides lovingly.

“Maybe this will relax you,” he said as he moved his hands to her belly and rubbed it. “I wonder if the baby can feel this?”

“I bet it can,” Kate kept her eyes closed, imagining what it must be like for their baby growing in such a small space. You must be getting awfully cramped in there, sweetie. It won’t be much longer before you can come out and see the world. I know your daddy can’t wait to meet you. She opened her eyes to find Gabriel gazing down at her. Apparently he had stopped massaging her, because she couldn’t feel his hands moving anymore, “Gabriel?”

Her husband leaned closer, almost by her ear, and whispered, “Tá grá agam duit.”

“What’s that mean?”

“It means ‘I love you’,” he sweetly kissed the apple of her cheek. “It’s Irish Gaelic.”

“I should have known,” Kate’s eyes flashed to the side and back to his. “How do you say ‘kiss me’ in Gaelic?”

“Póg mé,” it didn’t take him long to figure out her hint before he pulled her into a deep and passionate kiss while she wrapped her arms around him.

 

Out in the living room, their parents sat around chatting animatedly about the town and how they got into Civil War reenacting. Kate’s parents were surprised to find out that Gabriel was the first one to get involved, and he got Rob and Mae into it.

“Actually, Gabriel met Sean at one of the reenactments, and they’ve been friends ever since,” Mae commented as she finished a row of the blanket she had been making. After tying off the row, she switched to a lighter yellow yarn.

Cherrie became interested in the crocheting, “What are you making, Mae?”

“It’s a blanket for the baby, but don’t tell Kate and Gabriel. They think I’m making it just for the heck of it.”

“So, do you have any more children? Gabriel seems like he’s been roughed up a bit, maybe from getting into tussles with an older brother?”

“Nope. He’s the only one we have, and we’ve been so blessed to have him,” she set down her crocheting. “Every time he’s come close to Nick it terrifies me. I’m always afraid that someone’s going to show up here to tell us that he’s been killed.”

The other woman hugged her tightly; her cheek pressed against Mae’s, “You have one amazing son. He’s so sweet and loving. Not to mention, very handsome.”

“Yeah, he is that.”

The sound of Roxanne sucking on her bottle made Mae smile warmly, her eyes glistening, “How old is she?”

“Almost a year,” Corey replied while holding onto the bottle. “And believe me, she is a handful at times,” he shifted the baby up to his shoulder after she had finished eating and started patting her back to burp her. “Has Gabriel had any prior experience with caring for babies, especially newborns?”

“Not that much. It was just babysitting one of our friend’s babies. I know he’s getting nervous about taking care of his own baby. His biggest fear is that he’s going to drop it.”

Corey completely understood how Gabriel felt, for he was the same way when his first daughter was born, “Don’t worry; his whole attitude will change once their baby is born. He’ll be more protective. I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s constantly around the baby and Kate.”

“Speaking of those two, where are they?” Rob chimed in.

“Probably in their room having ‘Private Time’. Lord knows I wouldn’t blame them. There’s no way you could do that at one of those reenactments. Not unless you wanted to get yelled at by the general,” Mae explained while working on the blanket.

“I thought Gabriel was the general?” Corey questioned.

“No, he’s a colonel.”

Outside a clap of thunder shook the windows, startling Roxanne, who started to cry. Her father bounced her gently and rocked her in an effort to dry her tears. When she calmed down, he looked up at the others watching. They seemed concerned, but relaxed when he spoke.

“She can’t stand thunder. Every time it storms she’s like this.”

“Poor baby,” Mae said.

Corey gently kissed his daughter’s temple while continuing to rock her, and hopefully to sleep since it was late and past her bedtime. He knew that she wouldn’t go to sleep unless he was there, so after she became sleepy he laid her down on the couch cushion with her blanket before slipping a pacifier into her mouth. It wasn’t long afterwards  that she was sound asleep, not even moving except for the soft rise and fall of her breathing.

“Should we move to another room so we don’t disturb her?”

He chuckled, “Nah, once she’s out she sleeps like a rock.”

 

Kate gasped loudly when Gabriel touched a pleasure point as he pushed himself into her and stroked her cheek. He was sure the others could hear the noise even with the door closed, but that didn’t matter at the moment. Right then he wanted to enjoy the time with his wife. While his thrusts were loving and gentle; his lips moved over hers hungrily like he longed for more. The experience was sensual and beautiful as their bodies moved as one, like that of two swans that dance across the surface of the water during their courtship every spring.

In the middle of an especially deep and purposeful thrust, Gabriel tensed up when he felt Kate touch the inside of his thigh, and he inhaled sharply. It seemed as if her hand was moving further up toward his-, Oh, God. Don’t touch me there. “Kate … I think your eyes are absolutely gorgeous tonight,” he relaxed after feeling her remove her hand. That was close. Not that it wouldn’t have felt extremely good, but I think we should wait until our anniversary before we get grabby.

The rain spattering the window made for a relaxing evening for the two. It kept up a steady rhythm the entire time, never letting up. Only one sound would disturb the soothing rain, and that was one of pure passion and ecstasy as their bodies heaved with heavy breathing. Gabriel rested lightly on her, careful not to put too much pressure on her belly; he had finished his job and was recovering from the intense pleasures diminishing within his body. After regaining his strength, he managed to pull out, leaving Kate to stretch out her legs.

“What were those words you said earlier? Oh, yeah,” Kate smiled sweetly at her husband. “Tá grá agam duit.”

Gabriel beamed with pride upon hearing the beautiful words, “You don’t need to tell me that, because I know you love me, a mhuirnín.”

Reviews

[Crimson Apples]

Póg mé arse this is good o.o

[Sympathy Heart]

I believe you mean pog mo thoin :)

[Crimson Apples]

Lol. Yas, though I'm more fluent in french anyway. *I'm not fluent, I'm MORE fluent*
Great chapter anyway xD