The Best Friend Problem

by Mariah Ankenman

  She couldn’t complain. Just look what her failed plans got her. Two perfect, adorable, healthy babies, a wonderful, sexy partner who would do anything to make her smile—and did, everyday—and as a bonus, she was now a proud pup mommy, too.

  During month six of her pregnancy, when they realized she was practically living full-time at Finn’s, she did a much more thorough rental search than her initial “win Finn back” list. After clearing it with Lilly and Mo—who’d given her a farewell party complete with plenty of tears, cheesecake, and a suspicious lack of gravy or jelly-related foods—she and Finn found a surprisingly affordable two-bedroom townhouse in the Cap Hill area of Denver. They planned on buying a house soon, but with the babies arriving, they didn’t want to add that stress to their plate. For now, they had the much-needed space and, bonus, a yard for Bruiser to run her little doggie legs off.

  “Good. I’m going to approve you for solid foods now, so feel free to place an order with the hospital kitchen, and they’ll send something up right away. But try to keep it light. Nothing too spicy for the time being.”

  Yes, food! She hadn’t eaten anything since she’d arrived at the hospital last night. She was starving. And thirsty. Ice chips were a joke, and she hated their stupid, frozen uselessness.

  “Thank you, doctor.”

  Doctor Richardson smiled. “Congratulations again, Mommy.” With that, she turned and left the room.

  The moment the doctor was gone, Pru reached for the binder on her bedside table containing all the hospital’s pertinent information, including the cafeteria menu. She winced as the movement caused the stitches in her abdomen to pull slightly.

  Gentle movements.

  She’d have to remember that for the next few weeks. Geesh, whoever said C-sections were the easy way out obviously never had one.

  She flipped through the book until she found the page she was looking for. Everything sounded delicious. Her stomach grumbled with hunger, or maybe it was her organs shifting back into place after releasing two six-pound babies. Didn’t matter. She could eat solid foods, hallelujah!

  After deciding on a turkey sandwich with a fruit bowl and chocolate chip cookies, she called in her order. The kind-sounding woman on the other end of the phone promised it would be up in the next fifteen minutes. Her mouth watered in anticipation. Had she ever been this hungry before? If so, she couldn’t remember.

  “Knock, knock?”

  She glanced up to the doorway to see two familiar and very welcome faces.

  “Lilly, Mo! It’s so good to see you both.”

  The women rushed inside, Lilly placing a vase with a lovely arrangement of flowers on her bedside table before reaching down to gently hug her. Mo, with two adorable stuffed puppies in her arms, her hair streaked with orange this month, glanced around the room.

  “Where are the babies?”

  “The nurse came to take them for their first bath. Finn went with.”

  “Such a sweet daddy.” Mo placed the stuffed animals next to the flowers and nudged Lilly out of the way to get her own hug.

  “So…” Lilly moved to her other side, placing a hand on her shoulder. “How are you feeling? Finn kept us updated on everything. An emergency c-section? That sounds scary.”

  It had been, but everyone had pulled through okay, thanks to the wonderful hospital staff. And Finn, of course, who was by her side every pain-filled, terror-inducing second. He’d been her rock, just like always. How she ever could have denied loving that man was beyond her.

  “Yeah, it was, but we’re all okay, and that’s the important thing.”

  “I can’t believe you’re awake.” Mo shook her head. “Aren’t you tired?”

  Exhausted, but she’d gotten a few hours of sleep in the recovery area, and honestly, she was still riding the high of seeing her sweet children’s faces. Children. She was a mommy. Her dream had come true and so much more because she got Finn along with it. Who knew her heart desired more?

  “We’re back, Mommy.”

  Pru tilted her head to see around Mo, a smile curving her lips as Finn and the nurse came in, wheeling two baby bassinets in front of them.

  “How’d they do?” She tried to get a look at her babies, but from the angle of her bed, it was hard to see down into the bassinets.

  “Sasha is a little fish.” Finn grinned, looking down at his daughter. “She loves the water. Simon, on the other hand, cried the entire time.”

  “Oh no.”

  “Don’t worry,” the nurse said with a kind smile. “I think he was just grumpy because his sister got to go first. You two are going to have your hands full with these sweet little bundles.”

  “They’ll be fine.” Mo winked. “They’ve got help.”

  They did have help—from her amazing friends and Finn’s awesome family. It filled her heart to bursting to know that so many people already loved her babies. They had a village surrounding them to love and care for them. A family of blood and heart.

  The nurse smiled, leaving them alone. Pru lifted her arms.

  “Gimme.” It’d only been about half an hour, but she already missed her babies. Man, she was going to smother these kiddos with love. They’d be sick of her by Tuesday.

  “Hold on.”

  Finn glanced at Mo and Lilly, the three of them sharing some strange unspoken conversation. Her friends smiled, stepping away from her side as they moved to the far end of the bed. Mo pulled her phone out of her pocket, trying to be discreet about it, but Pru saw the woman hold it up, camera facing Pru.

  What in the world was going on?

  “Finn?”

  “The babies have a present for their mommy.”

  She laughed. “They’re less than a day old and they already have a present for me? I think I’m going to like being a mom.”

  He said nothing, simply smiled, lifting the nearest baby into the cradle of his arms and carefully walking the few steps to the bed where she lay. When he placed the baby in her arms, she glanced down, immediately knowing she was holding Sasha. How? Call it a mother’s instinct or the distinct forehead freckle she’d noticed on her daughter right after they’d pulled her out and held the precious baby up for mommy to see.

  The white blanket with tiny footprints her daughter had been wrapped in before her bath was gone, replaced by a white playsuit that had the words our daddy? printed on it.

  “Huh?”

  They’d gotten a lot of silly baby clothes with jokes varying from dumb to hilarious over the past few months, but this one she didn’t get.

  Finn leaned over her, his smiled turning into a frown as he read the garment.

  “Shit! I mean, shoot. Sorry, babies. Daddy didn’t mean to say a bad word.”

  He was freaking adorable. “Pretty sure they can’t understand curse words yet, babe.”

  He pointed a finger at her, gently grabbing Sasha from her arms and placing a soft kiss to her lips in the process. He turned, placing their baby in her bassinet, and then reached over to grab Simon. Bringing the tiny boy to her with the same care he used with his sister, Finn grinned.

  “There. Simon was supposed to go first, but much like with the bath, I guess Sasha is always going to be one step ahead of our boy.”

  Growing up an only child, Pru had no experience with sibling rivalry. Good thing Finn had experience in spades.

  She glanced down to see that Simon had something written on his clothing as well. Words that, when paired with his sister’s, made Pru’s heart stop.

  Will you marry

  A choked sob sounded in the room, and it took a minute for Pru to realize it came from her. Suddenly another small weight filled her arms as Finn set Sasha next to Simon. The sweet twins nuzzled each other, grasping hands as they settled together as they had in her womb. Sasha gave a small yawn while Simon softly snored, and all Pru could do was read the message on their clothing over and over again.

  Will you marry our daddy?

  The writing became blurry as tears filled her eyes, a
nd she glanced up to see Finn’s smiling face, a slight hint of panic and worry behind his gaze. Oh please, like she’d ever say anything but—

  “Yes!”

  “Wahoo!”

  The shout came from Mo, she thought. She didn’t know, because the moment she uttered the acceptance, Finn leaned in to take her lips. A slightly awkward kiss, what with two sleeping babies between them and her in a hospital bed, but it was the most amazing kiss of her life. It signified a new beginning, a continuation, a confirmation that life moved of its own will regardless of her plans, and that was okay. She was coming to find she very much liked her plans getting mixed up.

  “I love you, Pru,” he whispered against her lips.

  “I love you, too.”

  “Oh my God!” Mo stopped filming and jumped up and down. “I just realized we get to plan your wedding. This is so exciting!”

  “We can certainly get you both a very good deal. Every vendor we know will do it for cost, I’m sure.” Lilly nodded.

  She didn’t care about weddings or costs or any of that stuff at the moment. The only things that mattered to her were here in this room. She’d gladly get married right now if there was a justice of the peace available. Sacrilege for a wedding planner to say? Maybe, but she knew it wasn’t the day that was important, but the life you built around it.

  So sure, they might have a big fancy wedding or a small intimate one. Honestly, whatever Finn wanted was fine with her because she had her friends, her babies, and the man she loved. What more did she need?

  “Hello?” A tall, skinny kid who looked no older than eighteen popped his head into the room, a large tray covered with a silver dome in his hand. “I have an order for Prudence Carlson?”

  Food. She needed food.

  “That’s me.”

  The kid placed the tray on the rolling table, moving it over to her bed. Lilly and Mo jumped at the opportunity to snatch up the twins, each woman cuddling and cooing to the babies as they both sat in the chairs opposite Pru’s bed.

  “What? No chili cheese fries?” Finn smirked as Pru lifted the lid off her dinner.

  “You can make me a whole plate of them later.” Somehow the man had learned to make killer chili cheese fries, a new talent she was incredibly thankful for.

  He leaned down to kiss her softly. “I’ll make you whatever you want when we all go home.”

  Home.

  So funny how less than a year ago that word meant something different. Now it was so much more. Not just a place she rested her head or kept all her stuff. She had her home with her friends, the office and their old apartment where she knew she’d be participating in girls’ nights at least once a month—as Finn insisted—and she had her home with Finn and now the twins. Not the house they rented, but the place in their hearts where their love for each other lived.

  Because no matter where life took them, no matter what messes their plans turned into, she knew they would always be there for each other, just like they always had been. Family was what you made it, and she’d made hers with Finn. It wasn’t what she set out to do, but she was so very glad it happened. And she couldn’t wait to see what new twists and turns life threw their way.

  She glanced down at the sad-looking turkey sandwich and questionable fruit dish. At least the cookies appeared edible. One touch, and she realized they were harder than a rock. She’d probably chip a tooth if she took one bite.

  Didn’t matter. Food was food right now. Finn grabbed the cookie from her fingertips, bringing the dessert to her lips. She smiled, taking a bite that wasn’t as bad as she feared. He stroked her cheek, a wealth of love in his eyes. Love for her. It still floored her, every time she saw it.

  She knew, right then, no matter what happened in the future, they could handle it. As long as they were always by each other’s side, they could handle anything.

  Even hospital food.

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  Acknowledgments

  I’d like to thank Dalton and Tessa for letting me ask a million questions about what life as a firefighter is like and what it’s like to love one. I’d also like to thank Sam for taking me through the crazy journey that is the life of a wedding planner. Any mistakes made portraying these professions are mine alone.

  A huge thanks to my agent Eva Scalzo and my editors Stacy Abrams and Judi Lauren for believing in me and working so hard on this book with me to make Pru and Finn’s story the best it could be. Also a big thank you to all the staff at Entangled Publishing for all their support and dedication on this book.

  Lastly I’d like to thank my wonderful family for all their love and support especially my Prince Charming who is always there with a cup of coffee, strong martini, or comforting hug. Whatever I need, you always provide. Thanks babe!

  About the Author

  Bestselling author Mariah Ankenman lives in the beautiful Rocky Mountains with her two rambunctious daughters and loving husband who provides ample inspiration for her heart-stopping heroes. Her books have been nominated for the prestigious RWA Golden Heart® and CRW Stiletto awards.

  Whether she’s writing hometown heroes or sexy supernaturals, Mariah loves to lose herself in a world of words. Her favorite thing about writing is when she can make someone’s day a little brighter with one of her books.

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