Chapter 16-Out In The Open

                                    

                                          
Ryan's POV
                          
 I may have told Kori a small lie. My flight home was not cancelled. Truth was, I had not even booked a flight home. We were looking at a least a month of not going back to the race track and I was prepared to spend that entire time, or however long it took to get her back.
                          
I was blown away seeing the video of the ultrasound. It really was thoughtful of Kori to record that for me, and I felt so many emotions going through my mind. There was a chance I was going to be a father, and that terrified and thrilled me at the same time. If you would have asked me days ago if I had given any thought to having children, I would have laughed and said "hell no." Now it was happening, or possibly happening, and it felt way different than I ever expected. 
                          
Every fiber of my being wanted this baby to be mine, and I wanted it's mother to be mine even more. I had made a lot of mistakes with Kori, but falling in love with her was not one of them. So many times over the last day, I wanted to tell her how I felt, but it wasn't that easy. She seemed so resistant to me. I wanted to show her. She always said actions spoke louder than words, and I hoped that was true in this case. 
                          
She was feeling emotional and vulnerable, and the last thing I wanted to do was take advantage of that, but when she broke down in my arms, all I could think about was kissing her.  God, I had almost forgotten how sweet she was, how her small body felt in my arms. Even better, she was kissing me back. She deepened the kiss, and I felt the familiar twinge in my groin. As much as I wanted her, I knew the worst possible thing for us would be to take it that far. 
                          
Her hands slipped under my shirt and pulled it over my head, and I reveled in the feel of her hands on my body. The need to touch her was overpowering, and for just a moment, I let myself feel her soft skin beneath my palms. She was so warm, so inviting, I wanted more, but I knew I shouldn't. I just didn't know how to stop this without her thinking I was rejecting her.
                          
Reluctantly, I broke free of the kiss. She looked disappointed, so I rested my forehead against hers, allowing my hand to cup the side of her face, my fingertips grazing her jawline and tracing her lips that were swollen from our kiss. 
                          
"Probably not a good idea to get too carried away." She said softly, her beautiful green eyes looking deeply into mine. She no longer looked upset, and I breathed a sigh of relief.
                          
"Don't think for a second it's because I don't want you. Nothing could be farther from the truth." I admitted 
                          
"I don't. We have a lot of things unresolved, and throwing sex into the equation would only complicate thing further." She sighed. 
                          
"What are you thinking right now Kori? Please tell me. I need to know." I hated to put her on the spot, but I really needed to know where her head was at.
                          
"I have so many things going through my mind right now Ryan, I don't even know where to begin. Of course I'm thinking about the baby. I need to know how you feel. What if the baby is yours?" Now the pressure was on me. How did I feel? I was elated, but scared that it would all be torn away from me. I also knew now was the time for me to tell her how I felt about her as well. I thought actions would be enough, but now I knew she needed to hear it, I just didn't know how she would feel and I didn't know the words to say. "Please Ryan. Just be honest with me. Tell me how you feel about the baby." She pleaded.
                          
I took a deep breath. "I want this baby. I wasn't sure how I felt until I saw the ultrasound video, but now I'm certain, I want to be a dad." 
                          
Her face fell slightly. "What if it's not your baby Ry?"
                          
That was one thing I did not even want to think about. But did it change my feelings for her? Absolutely not. Did it really mean I couldn't be his or her father? Not really, that is if she really wanted me. Moment of truth time. I could not screw this up. 
                          
"Kori, as much as I want this baby to be mine, the fact that it's part of you makes me love it because I love you. I am in love with you. I don't want an annulment or a divorce or whatever. I want you and this baby. I want us to be husband and wife in every sense and raise this baby together, regardless of who the father is." I spoke all at once, then released the breath I didn't even realize I was holding. 
                          
"You...you love me?" She said, and tears filled her eyes. I prayed I was not about to get my heart broken. 
                          
"More than anything." I said. 
                          
"I love you too. I didn't know you felt the same. I've loved you since the beginning, and I want all of that too." She cried, flinging her arms around my neck.
                          
I held her tightly, her tears soaking my shoulder, and I gently wiped them away. 
                          
"We can make this work. I know we can." I said, as I placed a kiss on her forehead, and she snuggled closer to me. I felt like I had just climbed the highest mountain, I was sitting on top of the world. 
                          
"What are we going to tell everyone? We aren't exactly the most 'conventional' couple. I don't want to negatively impact your career or reputation." She said. 
                          
"It doesn't matter. I don't care about any of that. As long as I have you, nothing else matters." I knew Roger and my PR guy might think differently. My reputation might take a hit, but I really didn't care. I was too in love with my wife and unborn child to care. 
                          
"Okay." She said softly stroking my face as she leaned in to kiss me. Nothing else mattered. 
                          
******
                          
"You don't feel any different. Your stomach is still flat." I said, with just a trace of disappointment as my hand stroked her stomach.
                          
She giggled. "It's way too early for that. I think my boobs might be a little bigger though."
                          
I didn't have to be told twice, as I slipped my hand beneath her shirt to palm the creamy mounds. She winced slightly as I caressed them. 
                          
"Sore?" I asked, and she nodded. "They do feel a little heavier." I commented, and watched her shiver slightly as my thumb lightly rubbed across her nipple. 
                          
"They are very sensitive too." She laughed. I was already in awe of the slight changes to her body, and could not wait to see more in the upcoming months. I removed my hands from under her shirt, remembering my earlier resolve not to let things go to far, knowing we had plenty of time for that. We were making a fresh start. I could hold out. 
                          
I couldn't take my eyes off of her. So beautiful, and her eyes were filled with so much emotion. "I love you." She said, threading her fingers through the back of my hair and drawing me closer so she could press her lips to mine. If this was a dream, I hoped I would never wake up. 
                          
"I forgot something." I said, when we broke free of the kiss. I rummaged around in my duffle bag until I found what I was looking for. I took her left hand and slid the diamond wedding ring onto her fourth finger. "Korina Rose Martin Blaney, will you still be my wife?"

                          
A/N: Yes!!! They are back together!!! 🥰🥰🥰