by Nikki Ash
She opens it, then looks up at me with tears in her eyes. “It’s beautiful,” she says, referring to the charm bracelet. She told me once she loved the one her grandmother was given by her grandfather years ago. So, I had Bella find out who made it and had one made for her. It has a heart from RJ that reads Mom in the middle, and a dolphin to symbolize her love of marine animals. The third and last charm is of a heart with a key.
“You hold the key to my heart,” I told her when we said our vows on the beach in Venice in front of our friends and family. And I meant it. Until Micaela, I thought my heart was broken—that nature overpowered nurture, and even though I was raised in a loving home, I wasn’t capable of having what my parents had. But it turns out Laura was right. I just had to stop running and open my heart. I just didn’t know at the time, that Micaela was holding the key. And with one click of the lock, my heart was opened. She owns my heart and soul and everything in between.
“We need to get ready to leave for Georgia’s graduation,” she says. “And we still need to finish packing for our trip to the beach.”
She emphasizes the word beach, knowing it will get RJ’s attention. The kid is obsessed with the ocean, just like his mom. “Yay! Beach!” he squeals.
“I finished,” I tell her. “Luggage is in the back of the truck.” I don’t mention that I also booked us a hotel for tomorrow and Sunday night. Since Bella and Marco are in town for the next two weeks, and we’ll be staying at their beach house with them in Venice, I spoke to them. They’ll be keeping RJ with them for two nights, so Micaela and I can have a couple days to ourselves and they can spend some time with their grandson. It couldn’t have worked out better.
“You’re too good to me,” she says, handing me her empty plate. “I’m going to take a shower to help me wake up. Can you get RJ ready?”
“Of course.”
Micaela
I step out of the shower and wrap my towel around myself. My bracelet dangles from my wrist, and the charms clink against each other. It’s perfect. Ryan might’ve gotten the heart and key charm to symbolize his vows, but that heart means so much more to me than that. It symbolizes the way he took my heart and, with his love, put each fractured piece back together. Then, once it was whole again, he kept it and protected it. Cared for it. Nurtured it.
“I don’t know how it’s possible, but I swear just knowing you’re carrying my baby makes you even sexier,” Ryan says, startling me.
“I didn’t see you there.” I wrap my arms around his neck and kiss the corner of his jaw. “And I hope you feel that way when I’m sixty pounds heavier and look like a beached whale.”
“Mmm… I can’t wait.”
“Thank you,” I say, my throat clogging with unshed emotion.
“You’re welcome.” He kisses the tip of my nose. “I’m glad you like the bracelet.”
“Not for the bracelet,” I correct. “For showing me that there are different kinds of love. That no love is the same, and the amount of time you have with that love isn’t guaranteed. All we can do is love with everything we have and make sure the ones we love know just how loved they are.”
“That’s a whole lot of love,” he jokes, his mouth connecting with mine. We spend the next few minutes kissing, until we hear the doorbell ring.
“Are we expecting someone?” I ask.
“Nope, I better go get it.” He kisses me one last time before disappearing.
I drop my towel and throw on my clothes, and am about to head out to the living room to see who’s here, when Lexi enters my room. “Were we supposed to—” My words are cut off when she throws her arms around my neck and cries into my chest.
“Lexi, what’s going on?”
“I shouldn’t have run.” She sobs. “But I-I.” Her cries get louder, so I hold her tighter, letting her get it all out. She’s one of the strongest people I know—despite the shit she’s been through recently—so if she’s crying, something bad has happened.
“Can I stay here?” she asks softly. “Just until…” She chokes on another sob. “I didn’t know what to do. Where to go.”
“You can always come here,” I tell her, rubbing my hand up and down her back. “You know that, but what about your sister’s graduation today and your—”
“No,” she says, cutting me off. “I can’t be there… I just… I can’t.” I want to ask her what’s happened, but I know she’ll tell me when she’s ready.
When she’s all cried out, she takes a step back. Her eyes are red and her face is puffy. “There’s something I need to tell you. Something nobody knows. Not even Georgia.”
“Okay.”
“I’m pregnant.”
The End
Preorder the other books in the series now.
My Kind of Beautiful
My Kind of Perfect
Other books by Nikki Ash
The Fighting Series
Fighting for a Second Chance (Secret Baby)
Fighting with Faith (Secret Baby)
Fighting for Your Touch
Fighting for Your Love (Single Mom)
Fighting ‘round the Christmas Tree: A Fighting Series Novel
Fighting Love Series
Tapping Out (Secret Baby)
Clinched (Single Dad)
Takedown (Single Mom)
Finding Love Series
My Kind of Love
My Kind of Beautiful
My Kind of Perfect
Imperfect Love Series
The Pickup (Secret Baby)
Going Deep (Enemies to Lovers)
On the Surface (Second Chance, Single Dad)
Through His Eyes (Single Mom, Age Gap)
Stand-alone Novels
Bordello (Mob Romance)
Knocked Down (Single Dad)
Unbroken Promises (Friends to Lovers)
Clutch Player (Second Chance, Single Mom)
Fool Me Once (Secret Baby)
Before I Die (Contemporary Romance)
Co-written novels with K Webster
Heath (Modern Telling)
Hidden Truths (Romantic Suspense)
Stolen Lies (Romantic Suspense)
Torn Apart (Why choose romance)
Bound Together (Why choose romance)
About the Author
Reading is like breathing in, writing is like breathing out. – Pam Allyn
Nikki Ash resides in South Florida where she is an English teacher by day and a writer by night. When she’s not writing, you can find her with a book in her hand. From the Boxcar Children, to Wuthering Heights, to the latest single parent romance, she has lived and breathed every type of book. While reading and writing are her passions, her two children are her entire world. You can probably find them at a Disney park before you would find them at home on the weekends!
Connect with Nikki Ash
Website * Nikki Ash’s Reader Group
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