by Kat Catesby
Teddy’s visits tend to coincide with working dinners more recently as work is busier than ever with our ever-growing list of clients…and Greyson Holt takes up more and more of our time with the approaching Olympic games.
The diving legend almost needs a team to himself to manage his affairs and image. He’s brilliant at what he does but his personal life is messy and the media is starting notice. His schedule would be insane with the upcoming games anyway but the growing fires that need extinguishing outside of his diving are quickly becoming draining.
I hear the front door close from my spot on the sofa and I don’t have the energy to even lift my head to greet my husband. I continue to stare out the window at the setting sun as I hear him taking off his work boots.
“I’m over here,” I call and immediately yawn.
“Should I be concerned that another man is exhausting my wife daily?” he teases, making his way over and kissing me gently.
“Yes. Because I’ll be too tired for life at this rate. Can you and Xan go around and sort him out somehow?”
“We’re certainly strong enough to take on an Olympian, but I don’t think it would go down well, what with some of the biggest games of his career just around the corner.”
“Ugh, don’t remind me. Teddy and I are going to draw straws to see who has to go to Japan with him,” I joke wryly. Truth is, we’ll more than likely both have to go as well as our assistant, Annette.
I’m sure it will be fun but I’m just too tired to see the bright side.
“Oh, before I forget, your parents called,” I say sleepily.
“Were they polite?” he asks warily.
Mason is taking longer than me to forgive them, but then, he had to live with their interference for longer.
Truth is, Pat and Nancy have been nothing but nice to me since our lunch in Las Vegas. They’ve gone out of their way to make amends for what they did to me and are so polite on the phone that it’s almost uncomfortable. I want to tell them they don’t need to try so hard with me, but until Mason truly and deeply forgives and begins to trust them again, they probably do need to keep making the effort.
“They are always polite to me. They’d like to visit soon and also asked if we planned to visit Aspen for Christmas. I told them they are welcome and that we would likely be in town over the holidays.”
“Do they have to stay here?” he asks a little grumpily.
“They are making a lot of effort with us, it’s only fair that you show a little in return so yes, they have to stay here. It’s not like we don’t have space,” I gesture to the massive house around us.
“Fine. I suppose I can live with that.”
“How gracious of you,” I tease. “They also told me that Helen had to leave town. After the house was sold, she didn’t have enough to start over in the type of place she wanted to live, so she’s moved to a town where the house prices aren’t so astronomical.”
“Good to know we won’t have to bump into her when we go back for Christmas.”
“Definitely,” I say, yawning again.
“Seriously, Kels. Are you okay? You’ve been exhausted for weeks now. Napping in the afternoon and distracted when awake.”
“I’m sure I’ll perk up after coffee,” I say and the hint isn’t lost on my husband, who heads to the kitchen to make me a cup.
He’s a keeper.
He returns a few minutes later and hands me a steaming mug of strong black coffee and when the scent hits my nose, my stomach turns.
“Kels? You’ve gone green,” he says a little alarmed.
I push his hand away.
Nope.
My stomach does not want coffee.
It does want to puke though.
I leap off the sofa and head for the downstairs restroom and throw up everything I’ve eaten since lunch. Mason holds my hair back until the tsunami of grossness passes.
When my stomach stops heaving, I notice he’s holding a pregnancy test in his hand.
“Why do you have that?” I ask. I mean, it’s not unreasonable as we’ve not been using protection and the man fills me with cum daily, but it’s a little odd that he went to the store and picked one up.
“Because you’ve been tired for weeks, your boobs look swollen and are more sensitive when I suck on them,” he grins mischievously, “now the smell of coffee makes you vomit, and you’ve missed your period.”
“What?” I do the math in my head and realize he’s right.
“I can’t believe that I’ve been so tired I didn’t notice I missed my period,” I say in disbelief.
“Well luckily for us both, you have a husband who pays attention to these things. Now, pee on the stick, Baby Girl.”
I do as instructed, pouting slightly at the fact Mason doesn’t give me much privacy to do it.
Deep in my gut, I already know the answer, peeing on a stick is a formality now that I think about it and consider everything Mason just pointed out. But I can see the cautious optimism in Mason’s eyes – he’s almost too scared to hope. He truly believes that he can’t get me pregnant but I think in a few short minutes he’ll finally realize that it wasn’t all on him that he couldn’t get Helen pregnant.
I’m not her. Our biology is different and it’s enough to make something miraculous.
Three torturous minutes later I let him look at the pregnancy test first. I already know the answer and I want him to confirm it. I think it’s important for him to see it with his own eyes first.
For a second, he doesn’t move. Frozen, wide-eyed.
“Well?” I ask, getting a little impatient.
“Um…wow. It’s. We’re. Holy fuck, Kels, we’re having a baby!” His face splits into the widest smile I’ve ever seen. It’s so endearing that I can’t help bursting into tears (I’ll blame the hormones later).
“Happy tears?” he asks.
“Of course! We’re having a baby,” I say excitedly.
The man who never thought he’d be able to have a biological child holds me tightly in his strong arms, crying gently into my hair and I have no doubt that he will love our baby as fiercely as he loves me.
The End.
Acknowledgment
Where to start? Mason and Kelsey began as two throwaway side characters whose sole existence was to drive the plot forward in Her Firefighter. It never even occurred to me that people would be interested in their story, but my awesome fans made their voices heard, loud and enthusiastically!
You guys asked, and now I’ve finally delivered. This couple was without a doubt, the hardest to write and they took six months longer than I anticipated to finish, but I hope they were worth the wait. So my first thank you is to my fans; Starting Over wouldn’t exist without your enthusiasm and support.
Next, as always, Mr. C, the mini C’s, and my amazing family and friends, whose ceaseless acceptance and endless love kept me going when Mason and Kelsey fought me every step of the way. There are too many of you to name, but you know who you are and how much I love you.
To Sandi and my advance team; you guys are amazing and I’m so grateful to have you all in my corner.
And lastly, to YOU. The reader who took a chance on my words and made it to the end. Thank you. I wouldn’t be a writer without awesome readers like you. I hope you stick with me as I have many sassy heroines and sexy heroes to share with you.
We first meet Mason and Kelsey in Her Firefighter, and you can download this story for free by clicking here.
About the Author
Kat Catesby is a lover of headstrong heroines with sass, sexiness, and formidable inner strength. You won’t get the better of these ladies! Strong, beautiful women in all shapes and sizes deserve alpha men who know how to handle themselves and their lady. These book boyfriends don’t shy away from what they desire and hunt down what they want with fierce determination and a lot of passion. Join them on their deliciously dirty journeys with steam so hot you’ll be panting for more.
Kat Catesby lives in Plym
outh, UK with Mr. Catesby, the Mini Catesby’s, and their assortment of tropical fish (they’re low maintenance, what can I say)!
When not writing sinfully hot contemporary romances, Kat Catesby can be found running around after the Mini Catesby’s with Mr. Catesby. When the Mini Catesby’s allow it, she spends her time binge reading her favourite authors, singing and dancing with her local theatre group, and dreaming of vacations, cocktails, and chocolate.
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Also by Kat Catesby
All For Her Series:
Her Firefighter (newsletter subscriber exclusive)
Her Cowboy
Her Boss
Her Lovers (Coming 2021)
Second Time Lucky Series:
Starting Over
Paranormal Romance:
Entwined
