The next day all of our guests departed, including Brody and Lillian. He was getting a chance to spend a full week with her, uninterrupted. Jane was on cloud nine.
Jaxon and I spent a week in paradise. Just the two of us.
*****
Christmas morning our house was overrun with guests. Since it was Lillian’s first Christmas, Jaxon’s parents were staying with us. They wanted to be here when she opened her presents.
Drew, Barb, Drake, and Sierra were all here by eight a.m. Brody and Jane, however, arrived with Santa the night before. Since I went back to work, we all thought it would be a good idea for him to have a key and the code to the security system. Things really had changed.
A few months ago, Drew happened to stop by during the day while I was asleep and met Sierra. He was smitten and she didn’t want to give him the time of day, claiming her life was too chaotic with school and watching Lil.
Even though it was only supposed to be three days a week, Sierra was here more than not. She, Barb, and I had quickly become like the three musketeers. Sierra was so wonderful with the baby that when Jaxon and I needed a night out she would damn near fight Brody for the chance to keep the baby. Sierra loved my daughter and I loved her for that. This worked out well with Brody’s travel schedule, and I was grateful he was home more since Lillian was born.
As we exchanged presents, Doug was taking pictures like he was the paparazzi and Lillian was a Kardashian. She was still too young to understand, but loved the toys that made noise.
“Brody, those are all going to your house, man,” Jaxon threatened.
“Not a chance, that’s why I brought them for her to open here.” He laughed. It warmed my heart to see these two finally getting along.
“Lei.” Brody handed me a thick, white envelope.
“What did you do? We said no presents,” I fussed.
“Just open it.” He rolled his eyes.
The contents of the envelope left me astonished. The first set of documents was for a trust that Brody set up for Lil. Payable on her eighteenth, twenty-first, and twenty-fifth birthdays the sum of $100,000. On her thirtieth she would receive $500,000 and fortieth $1,000,000. The next set of legal papers was a college savings fund receipt for Lillian in the amount of $500,000.
Those all made sense. What did not make sense was the last document, his last will and testament. I glanced up at Brody, who was watching Lillian play with a bow that was stuck to the palm of her hand. He was leaving everything to Lillian, with the exception of the Parrot Cay beach house and $5,000,000, which were bequeathed to me. The Johns Island property and $5,000,000 would go to Jane. Lillian would inherit close to $50,000,000 as it currently stood.
“Brody, you can’t—” I started when he pulled me aside.
“Leila, you are the mother of my child. Regardless of who you married, I will make sure you are taken care of for the rest of your life. It makes sense that everything else would go to my only child,” he said matter-of-factly. “Now, let’s go finish watching our daughter open her presents.”
“Are you sick?” I could not wrap my head around why he was doing this now.
“No, I’m not.” He tilted his head back to where everyone else was.
“Then what prompted this? I feel like there is something you’re not saying, Brody.” I looked down at the papers again to see the date they were drawn up. December 12. The day his parents died. “You went on the anniversary?”
“It’s the day that reminds me every year that tomorrow is not promised.” With that, he turned and walked back up the hallway to the living room, leaving me stunned.
“Babe,” Jaxon called. “Come on, I’m gettin’ ready to open your present.”
I tried to shake off the overwhelming information inside the envelope, deciding to get back to enjoy our Christmas. But I hated the thought that Brody was planning for our future. A future without him.
Jaxon sat on the floor next to Lil as he unwrapped the box and lifted the lid.
“What is it, dear?” Ashley asked curiously, as everyone looked on.
“Uh, looks like a shirt that says be nice to me….” His eyes shot to me in disbelief. “Are you kidding?”
I just beamed. “Keep looking. Because this is how well I know you, my loving husband.”
He picked the shirt up and sitting in the bottom of the box was an EPT pregnancy test. He picked up the stick and immediately dropped everything and crossed the room in three massive strides. He scooped me up, spun me around, and kissed me like crazy.
“Well, what is it?” Jane asked, looking over at a knowing Barb.
Ashley reached over and picked up the shirt and read it out loud. “Be nice to me my wife is pregnant. Oh my goodness. We’re havin’ another baby.”
Jaxon finally set me down. “How far along?”
“About seven to eight weeks. Are you happy about this?” I started to tear up.
“Babe.” He gave me the look.
*****
Seven months later, we welcomed Logan Jaxon Coleman into the world. He was as handsome as his daddy and had the blond hair to match. I would have my hands full with this one.
The End
Jaxon and Leila finally got their happily ever after.
But what about Brody?
The next book in the Torn series is coming soon….
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
A.F. Crowell’s love of books did not start until her husband forced her to watch Twilight one weekend when they were snowed in. From there her love only grew. Contemporary romance, paranormal, YA, and dystopian are her preferred reads, but she also loves Patricia Cornwell novels. Pushed is her debut and the first book in the Torn Series. It will be followed by Pulled, book two, and Torn, book three.
Crowell lives in Charleston, SC, with her husband and also her two boys, who at seven and eleven share her love of reading. The family has two dogs, Diesel, a German Shepherd rescue, and Dez, a black Labrador Retriever.
For more information on release dates and upcoming work, please visit:
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