Page 34 of Not Because You Loved Me

The sound of our skin slapping filled the house we were building together, and while it may not have been slow or soft, it felt like coming home. Like, that final barrier between us was gone.

Kat chanted my name, one of her hands coming off the island to reach behind her, curling her fingers into the nape of my hair and holding me close. She turned her face, offering a hungry kiss, while crying out as her orgasm ravaged her body, sending tremors through her small frame, and as she fluttered and squeezed me almost painfully tight, I came with her name on my lips. Our breathing was heavy as we came down from our frenzy.

Kat kept her head turned towards mine, as I pressed soft kisses to her jaw and the corner of her mouth, feeling so close to her.

We stumbled through getting our pants back up, though cleaning her up in a space that was not clean. But the whole time we smiled, kept reaching for each other.

Kat finished washing her hands in the kitchen sink, a cheeky look on her face when she said, “We should probably get back to work.”

I pulled her back into my arms, kissing her, then saying, “I love you!”

“I love you too! Now get back to work, Prescott…” Kat was cut off by the loud ring of my phone.

I pulled it from my back pocket, thankful it was in the other pocket, and checked the screen. Gideon.

"Hey, Gid," I answered, placing the phone to my ear. "What's up? We're just wrapping up the demo in the kitchen…"

Kat giggled, and my smile grew.

"Trent," Gideon cut in, his voice tight and breathless. "Mom’s water just broke."

“What? I thought the baby wasn’t in place yet and her doctor expected her to go for another two weeks."

"I know," Gideon said, the sound of a car door slamming in the background. "Dad's driving her to the hospital right now. Her blood pressure spiked after her water broke, so the doctor wants to admit her immediately and get the baby out. Dad's losing his mind."

"I just need to get cleaned up quickly and I'm on my way," I said instantly.

I hung up, my hands moving automatically to set my phone down as panic made my chest tighten.

Kat was already by my side, her hand resting firmly against my arm, grounding me. "Trent? What happened?"

"It's Mom," I said, looking at her, my pulse racing. "Her water broke. Dad is taking her to the hospital right now. Her blood pressure jumped, and they're prepping her for delivery."

"Go," Kat said immediately, without a single second of hesitation. She squeezed my arm gently, her voice completely calm and steady. "Go right now. I'll clean up the tools and lock up the house."

"Kat, you don't have to clean all this up…"

"Trent, go be with your family," she insisted softly, reaching up to press a quick, reassuring kiss to my jaw. "Go. You can shower at my place if you want; it’s closer. Text me as soon as you have an update, or let me know if you need me to bring anything to the hospital, okay?"

I looked down at her, at her calm strength, her total lack of hesitation, and the absolute support in her eyes.

"Thank you," I breathed, wrapping my arms around her for a tight, hard hug.

She squeezed me back before pulling away and slapping my ass, saying, "Now get going."

I grabbed my truck keys from the makeshift workbench, gave her one last look, and hurried towards the front door when she added, “Maybe have a nurse check out your butt, or get a tetanus shot.”

I couldn't hold back the laugh that escaped me. I rushed back to her, kissing her hard, before saying, “We are all caught up on our shots, trust me. I need them working with Gid”. Then I was out the front door into the fading evening light.

CHAPTER 20

Katerina

Mid-August

The summer passed in a blur of sweat, long days, and new rhythms. Way faster than either of us had anticipated. By mid-August, pre-season prep for the hockey team was in full swing at the arena, which meant my days were packed with physical evaluations, conditioning circuits, and player check-ins. Trent was slammed, too. With Davis taking his first full summer off, ever, to stay home with Cynthia and the baby, Trent had stepped up as head of the business, managing crew schedules and juggling active job sites all over the city. Which Gideon was fine with because he much preferred to be on-site with one of the crews.

Between our schedules, work on our house had moved steadily, but realistically. We weren't dry-walling or painting yet. Trent had squeezed in time to tear off the old shingles and install a new metal roof he claimed would outlast us before the summer storms hit, and together we’d finished the major structural work and demo. The rest of the big interior work, plumbing, electrical, and drywall, was planned for the winter months when his schedule would naturally slow down. And then, of course, there was the biggest addition to the summer: baby Leo Prescott.