“Sure, baby, what’s up?” Elijah sent Punk one of his patented grins.
Punk shifted uncomfortably on his feet. “Can you come into the hall for a minute?” he murmured softly, glancing around at the various wrestlers changing around them.
“Alright.” Elijah followed Punk out into the hall. Punk led him around two corners, then, glancing around to verify that they were alone, he took a deep breath, and spoke.
“Elijah – remember a couple weeks back, when we hooked up?” he began.
“Yeah, I remember, baby.” Elijah grinned. “How could I forget those silky lips? You ready for an encore?” He took a step towards Punk, but Punk stepped back, leaning against the wall and sighing heavily.
“Remember how one of the condoms broke?” Punk inserted, closing his eyes and rubbing the bridge of his nose.
“Yeah. So? I’m clean,” Burke stated.
Punk opened his eyes, meeting Elijah’s gaze. “I’m pregnant, Elijah.”
“Oh.” Elijah licked his lips, struggling to look neutral. “And you, uh – are you keeping it?”
Punk sighed, wrapping an arm around his midsection. “I shouldn’t,” he whispered. “Everything’s wrong about this; wrong time, wrong place, wrong conception. I wasn’t gonna keep it, and honestly, I wasn’t going to tell you. But I…I couldn’t do it. I wanted to, but I couldn’t. So I guess we’re gonna have a baby.”
He didn’t expect to be pulled into Elijah’s arms and twirled around in the air, then returned to his feet & kissed breathless. Elijah was grinning from ear to ear when he drew back. “Baby, that’s fantastic news!” Elijah gushed, clasping Punk’s hands in his. “We’re gonna have a baby! I’m gonna be a daddy!”
Punk was staring at him, surprise evident in his dark eyes. “You’re happy?”
“Of course I’m happy!” Elijah chuckled. “I’ve always wanted a family.” He dropped to one knee, keeping hold of Punk’s hand. “CM, will you marry me?”
“What!” Punk gaped at the kneeling man. “We fucked a couple times, I hardly know you!”
“But we’re gonna be a family.” Elijah grinned at him. “Come on Punk, how ‘bout it?”
“No!” Punk yanked his hand out of Elijah’s grasp. “I didn’t think you’d want anything to do with the baby, much less propose!”
“That’s ‘cos you don’t know me real well, baby,” Elijah purred, standing and wrapping his arms around Punk’s neck. “Come on, CM,” he murmured, his face only inches from Punk’s. “I can be every bit as good to you in life as I am in bed.”
Punk’s heart was beating a mile a minute. As if being pregnant
wasn’t life changing enough, now the father wanted to marry him. He
swallowed hard, entranced by Elijah’s sincere gaze. “I’ll think about
it,” he whispered.
The wedding march began to play. Punk stood at the church’s lovely
outdoor band shell. Despite the warm April weather in Jacksonville, he
was sweating in his suit. His nerves were jittering as he watched
Elijah’s dad walk his son down the aisle. He couldn’t believe they were
doing this.
He had never fancied himself the marrying type, but Elijah had wanted it so badly that he had given in. He was carrying Elijah’s baby, and he did want to give the child a good home. Fortunately, he was barely showing, so it wasn’t yet obvious that he was pregnant. All their co-workers already knew, as Punk had to be immediately pulled from all shows, but they had decided not to tell anyone else yet.
Punk looked gorgeous, clad in a beautifully tailored black suit, his dark hair pulled back into a neat braid. Elijah, too, was looking his best, clad in a lovely white suit. He grinned broadly at his husband-to-be as he reached the pulpit. He took Punk’s hand in his, gazing at him adoringly as the service began.
Punk swallowed hard. This was it.
“You are the most beautiful husband in the world,” Elijah purred,
wrapping his arms around Punk’s waist as Punk unlocked the door to
their house. It was really Elijah’s house, but Punk was now officially
the co-owner. Punk had thought, as they signed the documents, that this
was true commitment. He had given up his apartment in Chicago to move
his life to Jacksonville, Florida, and he was now married with a house
and a baby on the way. He could never have predicted that his life
would take this turn.
Punk still wasn’t quite sure he wanted to be doing this, but the growing bulge in his middle reminded him that he didn’t have much choice. Elijah’s gentle hands on him did a lot of reassure him.
“I love you,” Elijah whispered in his ear, nipping at his earlobe as they stepped inside. “Wish I could take more than two weeks off, baby.”
Punk kicked the door closed, turning in Elijah’s arms and leaning in for a kiss. “No reason both of our careers should go on hold,” he murmured against his lover’s lips, “I’ll be fine. I’ll drive you to the airport tomorrow.”
“You sure you wanna get up that early, baby?” Elijah grinned, pulling Punk’s hips against him. “You’re gonna be real tired, after the night I’m gonna give you.”
“I may not be able to walk straight, but I can drive,” Punk murmured
in response. Elijah chuckled, pulling him in for a deep, passionate
kiss.
Punk lay in bed, idly watching the mid-morning sun inch across the
wall. He had grown accustomed to sleeping in until 9 or 10, largely
because he had nothing else to do. Life was rather dull when Elijah was
on the road. He sighed, letting his fingers splay across his rounded
belly.
“Don’t hate me for feeling this way, little one,” he whispered, stroking his stomach softly. “I’m going to love you with all my heart;” he paused, smiling absently, “I already do. That’s why you’re here. But – I can’t help wishing that I could’ve gotten rid of you. I know that’s horrible, and I’m sorry. But I never would’ve planned this. Who knows if I’ll be able to get my career back after this. I’ve worked so hard, and it’s all been taken away in a second. And I’ve gotten married – married to one man, who I’m supposed to spend the rest of my life with.” He sighed raggedly. “Not that I don’t want a life mate, but it’s so quick, so soon! I’m not ready!”
He closed his eyes, taking a deep breath. “He is good to me,” he
whispered. “The more I get to know him, the more amazing I think he is.
And the sex is fantastic.” He smiled a little, his hand stilling on his
belly. “If fate isn’t giving me a choice, at least she’s giving me a
good deal,” he whispered.
Elijah was whistling as he pulled his trunks out of his bag. One more
show, then in the morning he’d be flying home to see his man. He loved
heading home more than anything now that Punk was there to greet him.
He twirled his wedding ring around his finger, whistling a bright,
happy tune. He and Punk had been getting along famously, and in a few
more months, they were going to welcome their baby into the world. As
far as he was concerned, life couldn’t be better.
His cell rang, and he was happy to see Punk’s name displayed on the screen. He snatched it up, answering with a big smile on his face. “Hey sexy,” he cooed. “What’s up?” There was silence on the other end, and he glanced at the phone to make sure it was connected. “Baby?”
A deep sigh came through the line. “I have some bad news.”
Elijah’s stomach cramped, his pulse instantly racing. “What?” he asked with a choked throat.
It took a moment for the answer to come. “I’m sorry, Elijah,” Punk whispered. “I – I lost the baby.”
Elijah covered his face with his hand, his jaw quivering. He had to take several deep breaths before he could speak. “When?” he whispered.
“Yesterday. I miscarried it. I’m fine, but it’s gone.” Punk’s voice was laden with tears. “I’m sorry.”
“Not your fault, baby.” Elijah squeezed his eyes shut against the tears. “I’ll be home first thing tomorrow,” he whispered.
It was quiet again. “I was thinking I might start packing,” Punk finally said.
“Packing?” Elijah opened his eyes, blinking away the tears. “Why?”
“To go back to Chicago. It’s only been a couple months, maybe we can get everything annulled.”
Elijah looked devastated. “Baby, we’re still married!” he exclaimed.
“But we got married for the baby.” Punk sniffed. “I don’t wanna talk about this on the phone. I’ll meet you at the airport tomorrow.” He hung up abruptly, leaving Elijah gaping at his phone.
Kevin Thorn & Marcus Cor Von, who were both changing in the same room when Elijah received the call, exchanged concerned looks. Kevin approached Elijah, setting a hand on his shoulder. “You ok?” he asked softly.
Elijah shook his head, his body beginning to tremble as tears welled up in his eyes. “He lost the baby,” he whispered with a sob, covering his face with his hands. “And he’s talking about going back to Chicago!” He broke down, sobs erupting from his throat.
Kevin sat quickly beside him, pulling Elijah’s shaking form into his arms. Elijah clung to Kevin’s strong body, letting the tears flow. “I’m sorry,” Kevin said softly, rubbing Elijah’s back comfortingly. “He’s upset right now, he doesn’t mean it.”
Elijah buried his face in Kevin’s shoulder, taking deep breaths and
praying that Kevin was right.
“Baby, don’t!” Elijah caught Punk’s arm, pulling him away from the
dresser which he had been removing his clothes from. “Please, CM,” he
begged, wrapping his arms around Punk’s waist. “Don’t do this, baby. We
work! You and me, we click. I’m your husband, baby, that ain’t
pretend.”
“It is.” Punk looked down, his features defeated. “You married me for the baby.”
“I married you ‘cos I wanted to build a life with you,” Elijah asserted. He cupped Punk’s cheek, pressing a soft kiss to his lips. “I love you, CM. Don’t run away from me, baby. I know this happened fast, but I wouldn’t have married just any guy. I want to be with you. Haven’t we had a great time together these past few months?”
Punk was still looking down. He simply shrugged. He gasped softly in surprise when Elijah yanked him into a hot kiss. He licked his lips as they drew apart, finally looking his lover in the eye. “I don’t know about this Elijah,” he said softly. “I’m not ready for this. Maybe you didn’t say ‘I do’ for the baby, but I did.” He winced at the hurt evident on his lover’s face.
“So that’s it? No baby, no us?” Elijah stroked Punk’s cheek, his thumb wiping away the tear that had escaped from Punk’s eye. “Give us a chance, baby. Please.”
Punk sighed deeply, looking away again. “What if we don’t make it?” he whispered.
“Then we don’t.” Elijah shrugged. “But we can at least try! We’re in too deep to just give up, CM. I’ve fallen for you, head over heels.” He leaned in for a kiss, their lips meeting in a slow, passionate union. Punk moaned low in his throat, wrapping his arms around Elijah’s neck and continuing the kiss. They kissed for several minutes, Elijah’s hands running up and down Punk’s back caressingly.
Punk finally drew back, licking his lips as he gazed into Elijah’s eyes. “I’m scared,” he whispered softly. He struggled to maintain eye contact for the deeply personal admission. “I was scared to be having the baby, but it made me willing to dive into marriage with you, because it was…it was security. We had to stay together and make it work, for the baby. Now, it’s just you and me. What if we can’t love each other enough?”
“I love you with all my heart,” Elijah asserted. He swallowed hard. “Do you love me, CM?”
Punk was almost shaking as he gazed into Elijah’s eyes. He took a
moment to answer, emotions flickering across his face. Finally, his
whispered answer came. “Yes,” he whispered. “I love you.” He swooped in
quickly for a kiss, not wanting to meet his lover’s gaze when he was
feeling so vulnerable. Elijah kissed him passionately, making out with
him for a few minutes before picking him up and carrying him over to
the bed. Punk continued to kiss his lover, responding eagerly as they
began to make love. Elijah was right; they deserved a chance.
Epilogue
“Mmm, Elijah!” Punk savored the final kiss of their lovemaking. He opened his eyes, grinning at his husband. “Who would’ve thought marital sex could be this hot?” he purred.
“You could make anything hot,” Elijah murmured, stroking Punk’s bare back affectionately.
Punk sighed happily, hugging his husband adoringly. “I love you.”
“I love you too.” Elijah chuckled. “You know, the rest of the New Breed has informed me that we’re sickening.”
Punk beamed. “I bet they did.”
“Mmmhmm.” Elijah leaned in for another kiss, only pulling back when someone banged on the door.
“Our match is over!” Striker called through the door, “and we need to change, so you better be done screwing!”
Punk and Burke grinned at each other. “Coming,” Burke called, throwing Punk a pair of workout pants as he quickly stepped into his own. Once his lover was decent, he unlocked the door, admitting the other three members of the New Breed.
“Do you have to do this every time we leave?” Marcus complained, although his tone made it more of a tease than a legitimate complaint.
“Can I help it if my baby drives me wild?” Burke flopped down on the couch, pulling Punk into his lap.
Kevin just shook his head and smiled. He and the other two New Breeders headed for the showers, leaving the couple alone once more. “Elijah…” Punk turned in his lover’s arms, straddling Elijah’s thighs. He trailed a finger along Elijah’s jaw, glancing down momentarily, then meeting his lover’s gaze. “I didn’t want to talk about this for a while, after I lost the baby.” He paused momentarily. “But – I do want a baby.”
Elijah’s million dollar smile lit up his cheeks. “You still want a baby with me?” he purred.
“Yeah, I do.” Punk leaned down for a quick kiss. “I don’t want it tomorrow. A couple years, maybe. Before I’m 35.”
Elijah wound his arms around Punk’s waist, grinning so broadly his face could hardly contain his smile. “You make me so happy, baby,” he cooed. “And in a couple years, I’m gonna make love to you over and over and over, until I give you that baby. We’re gonna be great daddies.”
Punk captured his lips again, this time in a long, passionate kiss.
When they finally broke the kiss, he stayed close for a hug. Life had
handed him a lot of surprises, but Elijah Burke was, without a doubt,
the best.