Hawke: Christmas in Paradise (Billionaire Boys Club)
Page 30
“Just planning our road trip back.” I show her the road trip planning app I’m using.
“Road trip?”
“Yeah, I figure we’ll drive back instead of fly. I know it makes you queasy.” The relief showing on her face tells me I made the right decision. “Please tell me you don’t get car sick?”
“I don’t.”
“Then it’s settled.”
We’re packed and on our way to Georgia in less than two hours. I have four angry brothers-in-law to placate.
There are two things I need to do before relocating to California, where I’ll begin my life with Quinn. First, there’s the issue of her brothers. Then there’s a difficult meeting with my mother that needs to occur.
Mother deserves to know Cherise is safe. That I’ll provide for my sister and make sure she lives a long and fulfilling life. And of course, Mother is dying. She may be cold-hearted, but I’m not.
I want one last chance to fix things between us. I need to know I did everything possible to make her last days as comfortable as possible. I also want her to know I love her because everyone deserves to be loved.
Quinn taught me something about forgiveness. She certainly forgave me easily enough for the pain and heartbreak I gave her. It’s one of the million things I love about my bride.
My bride.
I love those words more than life itself. I take it back. I love Quinn more than life itself. With her by my side, nothing will stand in our way. Separately, we’re pretty amazing people.
Together, we’re unstoppable, and we’re going to change the world.
Forty-One
Quinn
I lean on the kitchen counter while Mother rolls out the dough for biscuits. Hawke and Daddy talk in the study. The news of our elopement goes over better than I expected, like way better. There are hugs instead of shouts.
Mother isn’t surprised. Daddy isn’t either, but he’s grilling Hawke about his intentions while I’ve been politely excused from the conversation. It’s killing me not being in there, but if there’s one thing about Hawke, he can take care of himself.
“Your brothers will be here soon.” Mother dusts the dough with flour. “Are you ready to face them? You’re looking a little less green than earlier.” She never buys anything ready-made, insisting on baking from scratch.
“Thanks. I feel better now. I think it’s just nerves.” I rub my hands on my jeans and glance in the direction of the study. “Have you had a chance to talk them down?” Them, meaning the brothers.
“Well, your father went to Gideon’s last night and took his shotgun. Of course, Gideon wanted to come over and give your new husband a piece of his mind, but Hawke should be relatively safe. Your father seems to like him well enough, and he’s incredibly handsome.” Mother gives a wink while I blush.
“And what about you? Are you mad we eloped?”
“I’m still getting used to the idea, but if he makes you happy, I couldn’t be happier.”
Considering how our relationship crashed and burned on New Year’s Eve, plus Hawke’s subsequent engagement announcement, we spent a good deal of last night explaining to my parents what happened, why it happened, and how we managed to run off to Vegas to get hitched.
“He makes me very happy.”
“Well then, that’s all a mother can hope for. If you’re happy, I’m happy.”
“You just said that.”
“Because it’s true.” She gives me a long look, sweeping me in from the top of my head to the tip of my toes. “I see it in you. You glow when you look at him, and sweetie?”
“Yes?”
“The way that man looks at you is positively sinful.”
“Mother!”
“Oh come on, you’re a married woman. We don’t have to tiptoe around sex.”
“Thank you? But we don’t have to talk about it either.” I’d be far more comfortable having my parents think I’m a virgin than discuss my sex life.
“No need to be shy about sex, honey, especially with a man like that. You picked a looker.”
Time to switch topics.
“Um, I know you’re probably upset, but we’re going to have a real ceremony in six months.”
She gives me an odd look as she dusts the flour off her hands. Mother goes to the sink and washes her hands. “You may want to rethink that.”
“Why? Don’t you want to see me walk down the aisle?”
“Of course I do, but…” Her voice trails off as she heads to the kitchen desk and rummages around inside her purse. She pulls out a small, brown paper bag.
“But what?”
“You might want to take this first, before announcing any dates about a wedding.” She holds out the bag.
“What’s that?”
“Honey, how long have you been feeling sick?”
“It’s just nerves. My brothers are about to descend on this house with pitchforks and torches. I’m more than a little worried for Hawke’s safety.”
“You don’t need to worry about that man, honey. It’s clear in the way he looks at you that he’s completely in love. Your brothers will know the instant they see the two of you together. If they don’t, Hawke looks like he knows how to take care of himself. But I don’t think that’s why you’re feeling nauseous. You might want to open that.” A weird, feeling comes over me as I open the top of the crumpled bag. “Have you noticed anything else?”
“What do you mean?” I glance up, delaying opening the bag.
“Maybe an increased sensitivity of your breasts when you and Hawke…”
“Mother!” The last thing I want to talk to my mother about is Hawke and I having sex.
“Open the bag, hun.”
I unroll the top and peek inside. My eyes widen in shock.
“A pregnancy test?”
“Shh.” Mother makes a shushing gesture and glances over her shoulder.
“You think I’m pregnant?” I lower my voice to a whisper.
“As a woman who’s been pregnant five times, I have a sense about these things. You have morning sickness, and either you’ve switched to wearing push up bras, or your cleavage is more pronounced for another reason.” My gaze keeps bouncing between the bag and my mother. “What about your period? Are you late?”
“I’ve been under a good deal of stress. I haven’t had a regular period since before Christmas.”
“Before Christmas?” Her smile widens. “Oh honey, take the test. It takes just a couple of minutes…” She comes at me and spins me around. With a little encouragement, she pushes me toward the guest bathroom. “Go on. If you are, we need to make sure to get you on vitamins and make an appointment.”
“Why are you so excited?” I spin around, confused. We’re a southern family with traditional values, yet she’s saying nothing about whether I may or may not be pregnant? And if I work through the timing, I may be much further along than… Well, I’m not going to think about that. “Mother, we didn’t get married because I’m pregnant.”
“Oh, I know, sweetie. The expression on your face is clear as day. Call it mother’s intuition.”
“Are you disappointed?”
“Why would I be disappointed?”
“Baby before marriage?”
“Oh, please, I’m much more progressive than that. Never thought for a moment you weren’t sexually active. Although, protection is there for a reason.”
“We used protection. Hawke is beyond responsible.”
“Well, the only foolproof contraception is abstinence, and since we know…”
“I’m done talking about having sex with my boyfriend with my mother.”
“Well, he’s your husband now.”
“Argh!”
“Besides, you got married, not because you got pregnant, but because the two of you are deeply in love. That’s all I can ask for my daughter.”
“What’s that?”
“To be truly, head-over-heels in love with the man you marry. Now hurry up.” She glances over
her shoulder. “I want to know if I have a grandbaby on the way.”
“Shouldn’t I tell Hawke first?”
“Well, of course, you could, but you did deny me my only daughter’s wedding.” Her eyes get misty with tears. Happy tears. “Give me this.”
“You’re going to guilt me into telling you first, aren’t you?”
“Grandmother’s prerogative. Now—go.” She shoves me out of her kitchen.
My hands shake while I unwrap the package and read all the directions.
And I do read them.
All the directions.
I pour over the false positive results, false negative results, basically anything about the pregnancy test that could invalidate it. I rub my breasts, noticing they are more sensitive than normal. I thought Hawke and I were just having really good sex. Not that I’m going to tell my mother that.
I can’t delay any longer and pull the cap off the test. It’s supposed to take three full minutes to develop, but I watch the little mark on the test strip turn from a dash to a very prominent plus sign in less than a minute.
Well fuck.
I stare and stare, until there’s a knock on the door.
“Luv, are you okay? Feeling sick again?” Hawke’s deep voice is a soothing caress against my suddenly jangled nerves.
Holy shit. I’m pregnant.
“Um, I’m good.” I flush the toilet and wash my hands. I guess Hawke will be finding out first, after all, but when I exit the bathroom, Hawke’s concerned expression takes me in. Over his shoulder, my mother practically bounces up and down. Her eyes are wide, and her expression full of the most important question of all.
“You’re making me worried, luv.” He takes me into his arms and pulls me to his chest.
My arms wrap around him. My hand grips the pregnancy test.
Then I laugh. I laugh hard. Filled with overwhelming happiness, and more than a touch of fear, I wave to my mother. When she closes the distance, I pull back and lift on my toes to give Hawke a chaste kiss.
“I have something to tell you.”
Mother gives an excited screech as she pulls the test out of my hands. She looks at the big blue plus sign and practically faints. Daddy comes up behind her, catching her as she stumbles and begins hyperventilating.
“Tell me what?” Hawke releases me, looking on with concern over my mother’s near faint.
My father takes one look at the little white stick Mother holds and his eyes practically bug out of his head. My parents are overwhelmingly happy, which fills me with joy.
Hawke, however, remains confused. He cocks his head and jabs his thumb over his shoulder at my parents.
“What’s up with them?”
“They just found out they’re going to be grandparents.” I beam with joy.
It takes a moment. Half a breath as my words slowly sink in. The expression on his face goes from concern, to shock, to absolute elation in the span of a heartbeat.
“I’m going to be a dad?” More confusion fills his face.
“We’re going to be parents.”
Hawke sweeps me off my feet and spins me in a circle as his lips crash down on mine. I don’t care one bit that my parents are only a few feet away. I sink into the heat of Hawke’s kiss as it turns from chaste to something much more carnal.
“If you’ll excuse us, Mr. and Mrs. Hayes, but I need a moment alone with my wife.” Hawke switches his hold, cradling me in his arms as he unashamedly takes me to the guest room. The moment the door closes, the front door bangs open, and the boisterous sounds of my brothers fill the house.
“My brothers are here.” I’m more nervous now than before.
“Then I guess we’d better lock the door.” Hawke spins around, but with me in his arms, his hands are full, and he can’t lock the door.
“Hawke, we can’t. My brothers…”
“Will have to wait. I need to be inside of you. We’ll deal with them later.”
“But—we’re in my parent’s house.”
“And they now have irrefutable proof that I’ve fucked their daughter.” His low growl sends shivers down my spine. “You’d better lock that door, or your brothers are going to walk in while I’m buried balls deep inside of you.”
“You’re incorrigible.”
“And you’re…” He leans his forehead against mine. “Shit, Quinn, you’re everything I could’ve ever hoped for. You’ve given me so much.”
My brothers’ voices move to the kitchen where Mother and Daddy tell them to calm down.
“I think if we don’t go out there right now, my brothers will be knocking down this door. I promise to make it up to you.”
“You promise?” He puts me down with a sigh.
“I promise.” I cup his cheek and lift up on tiptoe. “Anything you want. Your wish is my command.”
“Oh, you’re going to regret saying that, because I want some very naughty things.” His low, throaty laughter makes me weak in the knees. Hawke Sterling is my kryptonite.
I take his hand in mine and open the door. With a deep breath, I take my husband, and the father of our baby, to face his four, overly protective brothers-in-law.
I’d take bets on who will come out on top, but I already know who that’ll be.
Hawke Sterling is a man who takes what he wants, and he wants to spend the rest of his life with me. He’s not letting anyone get in his way.
I lead my husband into the kitchen and settle in to watch what happens next. Mother wraps her arm around me as Hawke faces off against my four very irate brothers. He does it with a shit-eating grin as he holds his arms out wide.
“I’m going to be a daddy.”
All four of my brothers’ mouths gape. Anger turns to shock. Shock turns to joy.
“Welcome to the family.” Gideon reaches out to shake Hawke’s hand.
I tense, but there’s no reason to worry. The shake turns into a manly hug as Gideon pulls Hawke in close and slaps him on the back. Brett and Steven shake Hawke’s hand. They do the chest bump, back slap thing.
Ian shouts, “I’m going to be an uncle!”
Gideon comes to me. “You happy?”
“I couldn’t be more happy than I am right now.”
When I look around the kitchen all I see is love. Mother and Daddy hold each other tight. My brothers tease Hawke about becoming a father. Any hostility evaporated with the happy news of a baby on the way.
Gideon wraps his arm around me and holds me tight. I’m surrounded by love. But when Hawke comes to me, I realize I’ve found something far more valuable.
Hawke completes me.
He leans down and whispers in my ear. “Don’t forget—anything I want.” His low, lusty growl brings a flutter to my belly and a shiver shooting down my spine.
“Your wish is my command.” I place my hand on his chest, splaying my fingers out wide. From the molten glow of his golden eyes, I know he’s got something wicked and devious in mind.
***
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