One Hundred Forty-Nine

Allegra sighed contentedly as Richie closed the car door for her.  Pregnancy-wise, everything had been blessedly uneventful after she’d been released from the emergency room a week ago.   They were able to leave London on schedule and, while the rest of the band headed for their respective homes, she and Richie had embarked on a short Hawaiian vacation.  He confessed to feeling a little guilty about abandoning his original Hawaiian sunrise marriage proposal plans and wanted to make it up to her.

With that goal foremost in his mind, he made sure that each of their three days in Hawaii started at daybreak on the beach.  It didn’t matter that he was tired, on a very brief tour break and, as a general rule, hated mornings.  Richie made each sunrise memorable in a different way. 

The first morning was all about relaxing and reliving their first mornings together from back in February.  They sat on the beach, toes buried in the sand and talked as the sun crested atop the water.  Her head was nestled into his shoulder as they reminisced and tossed around possible wedding dates and baby names. 

That nestling morphed into a reenactment of her climbing on his chest and kissing him, but this time he didn’t offer up any protests.  Allegra was so tempted to just slip his shorts down and ride him into the sunrise, but she couldn’t bring herself to do it.  Technically, they were past the pelvic rest stage, but Allegra was apprehensive and wanted to err on the side of caution.  So she made do with making slow, sweet love to his mouth.

The second morning, Richie decided to recreate some more memories and brought his guitar along.  He sweetly serenaded her as the sun crept up in the sky, staring with some of his songs, and then moving on to cover tunes. 

Having recently run across a You Tube video of he and Jon doing a breathtaking version of “Bridge Over Troubled Water”, Allegra coerced him into doing a solo rendition.  He obliged her, soft, gentle lyrics swelling to bigger emotion-filled ones until she was in tears.  She couldn’t help it.  He was so genuine in the delivery, his whiskey voice tugged at her heart strings.  Allegra was completely enamored, and was hopeful that he could be convinced to sing it at their wedding.

Then there was the third and final morning.  It was unforgettable in an entirely different way. 

Richie arranged for a sunrise breakfast in a private cabana on the beach.  They nibbled contentedly on the continental fare of fruit and pastries as the sun slowly inched its way out of the Pacific Ocean.  That is, until Allegra got a tiny piece of Danish stuck to the corner of her mouth and Richie felt the need to remove it – with his own mouth. 

His tongue swept the crumb away before diving into her mouth, exploring each delectable crevice as his hands burrowed under her t-shirt.  “I want you so much,” he breathed heavily against her lips while pulling her pelvis against the rigid proof. “Please tell me it’s been long enough.”

She barely got out a hushed, “Yes,” before she was naked and spread before his lustful gaze. 

“Your breasts are getting bigger,” he remarked, testing their weight before capturing a turgid nipple in his mouth with a growl of contentment.  “Sweet nipples, but I want something a little juicier.” 

A brief kiss on her baby bump and he had parted her curls, feasting on the delicate pink skin they concealed.  He teased her with one… two long, lazy licks before seizing the dainty bud of desire between his teeth, nibbling gently and flicking with his tongue.  So primed was she, that Allegra barely had time to acknowledge the source of her pleasure before she erupted against his mouth.  His purr of appreciation sent added vibrations down into her already quivering thighs.   

“Inside me,” she panted.  “I need you to fill me.”

He didn’t have to be told twice.  Before the last spasms had faded, Richie had her knees hooked over his shoulders, sheathing himself in her heat with a loud groan.

“My God, you feel so good,” he rasped, all of his weight balancing on his arms as he pushed carefully deeper.

“You make me feel good,” she moaned, eyes rolling back as he ground against her already sensitive flesh.  Slow strokes drove them both to the edge of madness until Allegra begged him for more. 

Pants of exertion and impassioned cries filled the cabana as they writhed against one another in desperation.  They sought to be closer.  To crawl inside one another until it was unclear where one ended and the other began.  Their sweat-slick skin glided together over and over and over until, as the sun blazed its way upward, they melded into their own beautiful sunburst.

“Richie!” Her cry competed with the roar of his release.  Allegra’s hips lifted and she clenched her muscles, pulling him tight as she rode out the waves, his heat flooding her womb.

♥♥♥

“So how far is it to Uncle David’s house?”  Ava asked.

Allegra fanned herself as she rejoined the present.  Richie winked at her as he pulled her Toyota out of Jon’s gates and onto the main road.

After the blissful Hawaiian getaway, they had made a brief stop in LA to get Ava before heading back East to celebrate the Fourth of July with the band a few days early.  Today was only the first of July, but it was the only date that one of Lexi’s other guests was able to attend.  That technically made it a First of July party, Allegra supposed.

“Only about a half-hour,” Richie answered, watching the reflection of his daughter in the rear view mirror.  She nodded and tucked headphones into her ears, tapping her iPhone in search of suitable road trip music.

Ava had been genuinely happy to see both he and Allegra, crushing them both with huge hugs and congratulations while Heather had peeked out the living room window.  Presumably, she thought she was hidden from view, but Richie didn’t care if she was watching or not.  He was merely grateful that she was keeping her distance. 

She hadn’t spoken to him since finding out he was engaged, and he had a fleeting moment of concern, wondering what she might be up to.  Then he thought maybe she had finally gotten over her crazy spell and was being adult about the whole thing.  Time would only tell.

“Who all did Lemma say was going to be at this soiree?”  He threaded his fingers through Allegra’s, pleased to note that she seemed happy and relaxed.  He didn’t know what had been running through her mind a few minutes ago, but considering the pretty pink her cheeks bore, he bet he would like it.

“Mostly just band members and families, I think.  He did say she’d invited a special guest.  Someone she wanted to introduce me to.”

“No ideas, huh?”

“Not one.  Something else that was strange…  David wanted to know if we were bringing an SUV.  He sounded a little… not exactly worried, but concerned, when I told him we were bringing my car.”

A muffled quacking came from the floorboards, and Allegra reached for her purse, slanting Richie a suspicious look.

“Did you change my ringtone again?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”  His eyes were guileless, but the devilish dimple flickering in his left cheek gave him away.    

His new life’s mission had become changing the ringtone on her phone when she left it unattended for even a minute.  Yesterday had been an old car horn, and the day before had been a motorcycle.

She gave him a look that told him he was incorrigible as she slid her finger across the screen.

“Hello?”

“Could I speak with Allegra Castanelli, please?” a woman’s voice requested politely.  Allegra didn’t think she recognized the caller.

“Speaking.”

“Oh, good.  Allegra, this Amanda from Dr. Shively’s office and I’m calling about the results of your amniocentesis.”

“Oh.”  She clapped a hand on Richie’s forearm and squeezed.  “The test results are back?”

“Ms. Castanelli, I’m afraid I have some bad news.”  Amanda’s tone was comforting, but it made her words no less ominous.

Oh God, something’s wrong with the baby. 

Allegra forcibly swallowed the bile rising in her throat.  “Richie, pull over,” she murmured.  “She said she has bad news.  I need you.”

No sooner was the request out of her mouth than the car whipped over to the side of the road.  He shoved the gear shift in Park, and turned to face her, slipping his arm around her trembling shoulders.

“What’s going on?” Ava looked curiously between her father and Allegra from the back seat, one earbud dangling from her fingertips.

“Give us just a minute Ava.  Allegra has to take this call,” Richie replied without turning his attention away from his fiancée.

God, if I’m not the father of this baby, I don’t want to hear the results.

“I’m so very sorry Ms. Cas- Cast- Castanelli.”  Amanda stumbled awkwardly over her words.  “I’ve never had to make this kind of call before.”

“What…”  She clutched at Richie’s arm, her short nails making half-moon indentations in his wrist.  “What is it you’re sorry about, Amanda?”

The girl huffed, obviously flustered.  “That I made you think something that wasn’t true.  Or if it’s true I don’t know it.  Nobody does.  Oh dear, I’ve made a mess of this.”

“Amanda, I’ll be real honest here.  You’re scaring me to death.  Could you please tell me why you called?”

“Yes ma’am.”  She exhaled sharply before concisely relaying, “I’m very sorry, but the amniotic fluid sample from your test in London was compromised.  The lab wasn’t able to get any credible results.  Dr. Shively wants to schedule the procedure again, here in our office.  I have you down for Tuesday at three o’clock.”

“O-okay.”

What else was there to say?  Abso-freaking-lutely spectacular, can’t wait?

“Great!” Amanda was audibly relieved. “I’m sorry again for scaring you.  We’ll see you on Tuesday!”

The phone and Allegra’s eyes fell to her lap. 

All that for nothing. They didn’t know anything, and now she was going to have to go through the whole ordeal again.  The needle, the aftershocks, the waiting… 

“Sunshine? What did she say?”  Richie curled his fingers around her nape, massaging the tightly knotted muscles.

Doleful blue eyes lifted and blinked slowly.  She almost couldn’t bring herself to tell him, but he had to know – and she had to be neutral about it.  Ava was listening closely and there was no point in upsetting her. 

“The sample from the amnio got messed up somehow.  There are no test results.  They’ve got me scheduled to come in on Tuesday for another one.”

“No.  Absolutely not,” he was adamant. “Not only no, but hell no.”

“No?”  Honestly, it hadn’t occurred to her that she had the option to decline.  The slightly dingy Amanda had railroaded her into the repeat procedure so swiftly, Allegra hadn’t had a chance to think.

“You’re not going through that again,” he stated matter-of-factly.  “It was horrible, and there’s no reason to make us and the baby suffer it a second time.”

“Daddy?”  Ava wasn’t used to this steely voice coming from her normally amenable father, and she sounded a little frightened.

“We’ll talk about this later,” Allegra murmured before turning to the back seat.  “Everything’s okay, Ava.  There was a problem with some tests I had done in London, and the doctor wants to do them again.  That’s all.”

“That’s right, Baby Girl,” Richie agreed, still not letting Allegra’s eyes go.  “Nothing to worry about.  The lab screwed up, but that’s their problem.”

A small blonde head popped up between the two front seats curiously.  “What kind of tests?”

“Just routine tests to make sure the baby is okay.”  Allegra smiled at the girl.  “Nothing major.”

“And since we know the baby is okay, we’re not having the tests re-done.”  Richie gave his fiancée a meaningful sidelong glance before guiding the car back on the road.