by Laura Pavlov
“Go back to your meeting. It’s not important,” I said as he wrapped his arms around me and leaned down to kiss me.
“Anything you have to tell me is important to me. Speak.”
I chuckled against his mouth. “Melissa Labrith just offered me an exclusive. Her side of the story. I’m heading over there now.”
He lifted me off my feet and spun me around. “Everyone wants that story. But she knows you’re special. Good always recognizes good, baby. And this doesn’t have to be anonymous. It’ll be the first serious political piece that you publish.”
I squealed and he laughed. “Okay. Thank you. I need to go. I love you.”
His lips grazed my ear. “What I wouldn’t give to have you naked on the beach again.”
I fanned my face when I pulled away. “Oh my gosh. I need to go.” I turned back around and bit down on my bottom lip. “But you do paint a nice picture, Montgomery.”
“Be careful, Blue Jay. I love you.”
He said it all the time. I’d never been one for public affection, but I couldn’t help myself when it came to Jack.
“Love you, too.”
I grabbed my phone, stopped to let Ford and Dan know what was going on, and made my way to my car. My phone vibrated and I looked down to see a text.
Unknown Number ~ Do her justice. I’m counting on you.
I knew who it was. Joseph Capetti said he’d be in touch, but I’d never imagined it would be to get me an exclusive with his daughter.
I responded with a thumbs-up emoji, because what was the proper reply to a man suspected of organized crime who had also kind of kidnapped you? To my dismay, he sent back a winky face which made me laugh. I tucked my phone in my purse and drove to Governor Labrith’s home. I hoped I’d never have to come face-to-face with Joseph Capetti again, and I wasn’t happy about how he’d held me in his car to get the information he needed—but I understood it. He wanted to protect his daughter. My father would move heaven and earth to keep me safe.
When the gates opened and security led me in, I sucked in a long, slow breath. Just a week ago, my life had changed right on this very property.
But I was okay.
And I was getting the story of a lifetime.
Jack and I got a call to meet Ford in the conference room. We made our way there, and he pushed the paper across the table.
“This story is going to put you on the map, Monroe. I knew when I hired you that we were getting a talented reporter, but you have far surpassed all expectations with this. It’s raw and real and people are going to eat it up.”
“Thank you,” I said, feeling my face heat.
Jack wrapped his arms around me. “Proud of you, Little Bird.”
I chuckled, because he made everything a big deal, the big and the small. And I loved it.
“I’m glad you’re both pleased. Governor Labrith had a story to tell and I’m just honored that she trusted me to help her tell it,” I said.
“My phone has been blowing up all morning. Everyone is talking about it. You managed to turn this scandal in her favor. People weren’t sure if she would recover, but you made sure that she did.” Ford pushed to his feet and smiled. “Impressive shit, Buckley.”
“That’s because she is the shit,” my boyfriend said, reaching for the box of pastries on the table and biting into a cupcake.
I thanked Ford as he walked out the door before using my finger to swipe at the icing on Jack’s lip. I sucked it off my finger and smiled. “Thanks.”
“Don’t thank me for being proud of you. Governor Labrith opened up to you because she knew you wouldn’t twist her words. You fought to help her get back on track, and Ford’s right, that’s impressive shit.”
Melissa Labrith and I had spent four hours talking about her horrific marriage and her fear of losing the support of the fine people of San Francisco if she divorced him. Turns out, people love when politicians are real. And honest. And Melissa Labrith shared her story with the world and people appreciated it. Her words were heartfelt. She spoke about her father off the record, and it surprised me to learn that she truly loved him. They’d chosen different paths in life, but she didn’t love him any less for it. And she never doubted his love for her. She’d asked me to keep that part of the interview out of the story, and I’d respected her wishes.
But her husband was a different story. He’d emotionally blackmailed her for years, and she regretted that she’d allowed fear to keep her in an unhappy place for so long. She spoke of the verbal abuse she’d been subjected to, and her efforts to keep her son shielded from his father’s darkness. Her words were raw when she spoke of her love for her son, Lyle. She wanted to do good by our city, and she didn’t want evil to prevail. We never spoke of the fact that her husband was planning to set her up, but I was fairly certain her father had filled her in when he moved her to a hotel.
Jack and I made our way to the elevator.
“Let’s go home and check on Pussy. We just need to stop by my place to grab some clothes.”
He interlaced his fingers with mine and led me down the hallway. “When are you going to decide if you’ll move in with me? It’s stupid to keep going to two places.”
“How do you know you want to live with me?”
“I told you. I’m not an indecisive person. When I know, I know. I have zero doubts.” He came to stand in front of me and tipped my chin up. “Zero doubts, Little Bird.”
I nodded. “I have zero doubts too.”
“Yeah? You’ll make me and Pussy the happiest dudes around by moving in with us?”
“I’m all in, Montgomery.”
“Fan-fucking-tastic. Come on, let’s stop by the bakery. We need a box of cupcakes to celebrate with tonight.” He wrapped my hand in his and I realized in that moment that I wasn’t the same person I’d been when I first came to work here.
Jack Montgomery had healed all the broken parts of me. The gaping hole that had always been there, was no longer there. My fears and insecurities were replaced with confidence and hope.
Maybe that’s what it meant to truly love someone. To give yourself to them and open up enough to let them fill in all the missing pieces. To trust them enough to love you the way you deserve to be loved. To see yourself through their eyes, and blossom into the person that’s been hiding just beneath the shadows. To find your other half and finally become whole.
I’d found my other half.
And for the first time in my life—I was finally whole.
Epilogue
Jack
THREE YEARS LATER
“Uncle Jack, pick me up,” Everly said with her hands on her hips. The girl was wise beyond her three years and was a total girl-boss like her mother, and I fucking loved it.
I scooped the little brown-eyed munchkin up and turned to find Penelope watching me with a wide grin on her face. Her blue eyes sparkling as she blinked a couple times. She was the more reserved twin, and a bit standoffish with others, but she had a soft spot for me. Hey, what can I say? Most people had a soft spot for me. But seeing a smile spread across this little angel’s face was hard to beat.
“Come here, Princess P,” I said, scooping her up and propping her on my other hip.
Everly poked my cheek a couple dozen times with the tip of her finger, breaking out in a fit of giggles each time I gasped. Her dark brown ringlets bounced around wildly. Penelope rested her sweet cheek against my shoulder, her brown ponytail tickled my neck, and I kissed the top of her head. These two. They owned me.
“How did you get bigger in just three days?” Blue Jay asked as she sat on the couch at my mom’s house in Napa, cooing to the little bundle in her arms. He was the newest addition to the Montgomery family, Ford Jackson Montgomery the fifth. I was honored Harrison and Laney Mae had named their son after Ford and me, and I intended to teach that little boy all my tricks
when he got older. He was eight months old, and Monroe and I made it a priority to spend time with our nieces and nephew a couple times a week.
Seeing my wife hold a baby always did something to me. I couldn’t wait to have a couple dozen of our own little birds. We’d married one year ago on Christmas Day. Making Monroe Montgomery my wife was the best birthday gift I’d ever received. We’d had a large ceremony at the winery in Napa, and Ford, Harrison, and Miles stood beside me as I pledged my love to the woman who owned my heart.
After Monroe released the story about Governor Labrith, her career took off. She was offered several gigs at other papers to be their lead political journalist, but of course she stayed loyal to Montgomery Media. She still wrote her column for the younger population in San Francisco, because she’d gained quite a following and she was grateful for the doors it had opened. She worked with Dan Arbor now, and they were quite the power team. We’d agreed that we didn’t need to rush into starting a family until she was ready. But I was ready the day she came to interview at Montgomery Media, and she knew it.
“Baby, look at his eyes. They’re the same honey-colored eyes as yours,” Monroe said, stroking his blonde hair away from his face as his fat little fingers reached for a fist full of her blouse.
“I thought you said mine were whiskey brown?”
“He’s a baby. We’re calling them honey for now.” She smiled and Laney Mae’s head fell back in laughter.
“Of course, he got your eyes, Jack-ass. You couldn’t help but make your mark on our baby,” my sister-in-law said.
“Well, he’s got Har-bear’s dimples, your hair color, and Ford’s first name. I’d say this kid is destined for success.”
“I agree,” my wife cooed, raising him above her head and blowing on his belly, causing him to break out in a fit of giggles.
“Uncle Jack, tickle me,” Everly cheered, clapping her hands together.
“Oh, you want to get tickled, do you?”
“I do, I do,” she shouted.
Harley shook her head as she sat beside Monroe admiring baby Ford. “Girl, where do you get all that energy?”
“From my daddy.” She fist-pumped the sky.
“You sure did, baby girl,” Ford said as he dropped to sit beside his wife on the oversized sofa.
“How about you? Do you want to be tickled?” I asked Penelope and she shrugged, her little cherub cheeks turning pink.
I set her on the ground. “Stay put for just a minute, angel face.”
I dropped Everly on the large chair and tickled her on each side and the squeal that escaped was a high enough pitch to shatter glass. And then I turned around and found Penelope gazing at me with her hands clasped together like she just couldn’t wait to see what I would do. I reached for her and tossed her over my shoulder as I ran through the house.
“Is this better than tickling you?” I called out as her little body vibrated in laughter over my shoulder.
I settled her on the chair beside her sister. “You two are trouble.”
“Daddy says that you’re trouble.” Everly giggled.
“I don’t think you ah trouble, Uncle,” Penelope said just above a whisper, unable to say the word are just yet. I tweaked her nose and winked.
“Don’t go soft on me, P,” Ford said.
“I tend to side with Everly on this one,” Harrison called out.
I reached over and grabbed my nephew from Monroe and held the little stinker up to look me in the eyes. “And what do you think, Ford?”
He burped in response, which caused everyone to break out in a fit of laughter. “You’re just like your namesake. A man of few words. I like it.” I held him to my chest and walked into the kitchen to check on my mom.
“So, you ready to have everyone here tomorrow?” I asked, and she stopped chopping and turned to run her fingers through Ford Junior’s hair, before patting me on the cheek.
“I am. It’ll be nice to have everyone over.”
We would all meet here for brunch on Christmas Day, just like we always did. Laney’s parents, her brother and Gigi and their little girl would join us. Harley’s grandfather was coming, and I looked forward to my yearly chats with the wise older man.
“Monroe told me her father’s coming this year,” I said, watching as a pink hue spread across my mom’s neck and cheeks.
Ryan Buckley and my mom had been spending a lot of time together since we married last year. She claimed they were good friends, and she enjoyed his company. I had a feeling it was a bit more, and I was happy for her. Hell, I was happy for both of them. They’d both suffered tragic losses, and if they made one another happy, I was all for it. My wife had sniffed it out first a few months ago when she noticed them sitting close together at her birthday dinner. She swore she saw her father clasp my mother’s hand under the table.
“Yes, of course he’s coming. He wants to be with his daughter, and Miles, Sierra, and the baby will be here as well. Why wouldn’t he come?” She smirked.
“You’re suspect, Mother.” I pointed two fingers at her and laughed. “I think he wants to be here with you. Is that so hard for you to say? We all want you to be happy.”
She tilted her head to the side. “I am happy, Jackie boy. And yes, maybe he wants to be here to see me as well.”
“There you go. We all know there’s something there, and we’re all happy for you. You deserve only the best.”
She pushed up on her tiptoes and kissed my cheek. “Well, you three boys and your beautiful wives and these adorable grandbabies of mine are more than I could ever ask for. But yes, having a special friend whose company I enjoy is an added bonus.”
My head fell back in laughter. “A special friend? Damn, I love you, woman.”
“Uncle, I want you,” Penelope said from behind me and my heart exploded into a million pieces.
My mom’s face lit up, and she reached for baby Ford. “This little girl’s got it bad for you, Jackie boy. And she sure is special.”
“She sure is.” I scooped her up and walked toward the dining room as my mom called everyone for dinner. “I’m all yours, Princess P.”
She settled on my lap and we all sat around the table laughing and chatting like we always did. Monroe reached for my hand beneath the table and squeezed it.
And damn if it wasn’t the perfect way to spend Christmas Eve.
“Montgomery,” my wife called from somewhere in the apartment and I startled from a sound sleep.
“Where are you, Little Bird?” I asked, sitting up in bed to find Pussy curled up on the pillow beside me.
“Be careful when you stand up… follow the trail,” she said.
I stood up to see a line of cupcakes from my side of the bed to the door. “What the hell is this? Am I dreaming?”
Her laughter echoed from down the hall. I followed the colorful trail out of the room and out to the living room. Reds and greens and golds with glitter and sparkles on them were placed just a few inches apart, leading the way. When I got to the end of the trail, my wife sat beneath the tree in a white sheer nightie.
Sexy as hell.
“Is this a Christmas miracle?” I asked.
She smiled. “Come here.”
I dropped to sit across from her. “You want to open presents, baby?”
Her eyes welled with emotion. “I couldn’t wait any longer. I wanted to give you your gift.”
I studied her. “You all right?”
She reached behind her for one more cupcake and handed it to me. It was a cupcake with pink frosting on one side, and blue frosting on the other. “What is this?”
“You’re going to be a daddy,” she said, biting down on her bottom lip and looking up at me like I set the sun.
“Are you fucking with me?” I pushed to my feet and leaned over to catch my breath. I couldn’t fucking believe it. I reach
ed for her hands, pulling her in my arms.
“We’re having a baby,” she whispered.
“You did it. I’m so fucking proud of you. Our own little bird. I want him or her to be just like you. Smart and beautiful and talented.” I swiped at my eyes, and I’ll be damned if I wasn’t crying like a fool.
“I want him or her to be just like you,” she said, tears streaming down her beautiful face.
“Thank you, baby. This is the best gift ever.”
“I think you did most of the work.” She blushed before pulling up on my shoulders and wrapping her legs around my waist like the little spider monkey she was.
“Loving you is never work.” My mouth came over hers and I carried her back to the bedroom and dropped her on the bed.
“I love you, Jack Montgomery. Thanks for showing me what it means to be happy.”
“I love you, Mrs. Montgomery. Every glorious inch of you,” I said, dropping her on the bed and settling above her.
“We’ve got to get ready to go to your mom’s. The kids will want to open presents.” Her breaths came hard and fast, just like they always did when we were together. She tangled her fingers in my hair and urged me closer.
“They can wait. Right now, I need to show you how much I love you.”
“You show me every day,” she whispered.
“That’s the plan.” My mouth covered hers, and every time with this woman was like the first time.
Because she was all I needed.
All I’d ever need.
And I’d spend the rest of my life loving her.
The End
Acknowledgements:
Greg, Chase & Hannah, thank you for being my biggest supporters and always believing in me and encouraging me to chase my dreams! YOU are the reason that I work hard every day!! Even if you make fun of my endless social media posts…I love you to the moon and back!
Sissy, When I think of strong heroines, you are always the first person that comes to mind. Thanks for inspiring me to write characters that aren’t afraid to take risks, dream big, and go after what they want! I love you!
