Embracing Series Box Set #1-6

by Delisa Lynn

  I felt so bad, and that’s when I realized how much Brody loved me. What I had with Cam could never measure up to the time I had with Brody. I learned that Brody was my happily-ever-after. I broke things off with Cam, but of course it was too late.

  When I left, Brody resorted to screwing every whore at NYU. He was honest and told me about them. I decided I would do whatever it took to get my man back, and, though it took me a while, I won him back. After being back together for about a year, he moved to Ohio. Then he took me to Hawaii and proposed. It was super romantic.

  I had no clue he was going to propose. Hell, I thought we were just going to live together forever. When he moved to Ohio, I knew he was serious about us. He loves his family and being in New York was hard on him. Moving to Ohio was a huge step for him. He is working for a great law firm and is actually getting ready to start his own firm. I’m content teaching at OSU. I wouldn’t trade it for anything.

  ***

  “Nikki, this is the dress shop I was telling you about. It’s called Jewels. They have every designer from here to Paris. Anything you want, they have it. I’m so excited even though my belly is going to get in the way of me trying on anything.”

  “You can still try stuff on. I want your dress to be different than the other girls. Maybe yours will be purple and theirs yellow. Will that work?”

  “Sounds good to me. I don’t want to look like big bird.”

  “Oh hush, you would not look like big bird. You will have your figure back by that time anyway.”

  We look through all the dresses and I find the one I want. I knew, as soon as I saw it, it was for me. It’s white, trimmed in a soft lilac, and strapless with a short train. The front is gathered around the bust area and has very fine lilac pearls. The matching veil is trimmed in the same color. It’s so beautiful, I gasp when I take it off the rack.

  “Li, this is it. I have to try this on. Come help me.”

  “Oh, Nik. It’s beautiful. The girls will think their aunt is a princess. Which you are, my friend. I love it. Brody is going to cry when he sees you in it.”

  I try it on and model it for Lila. “I love it. Oh my God! I have to get it! What does it look like on me? Are my boobs too big for it?”

  “Not at all, sweets. You look amazing. Damn it, I’m sorry. These are happy tears, I promise.”

  “Why are you crying?”

  “You just look so happy and beautiful.”

  I lean in and give her a hug. She’s so sweet. Although she is going through so much, she still wants to help me with the wedding.

  We are getting married here, in California. There’s a vineyard that I’ve always been fond of and when Brody said he didn’t care which state we get married in, I knew it had be here. The vineyard sits on a mountain. It’s surrounded by acres of beautiful land and there’s a gazebo that the entire wedding party will be standing under. The reception will be at the vineyard as well.

  “I love you, Li,” I say as I kiss her cheek.

  “I love you more, bitch bag,” she snorts.

  “Now I need to find the perfect shoes and you need to try some dresses on. I saw the one I wanted for the bridal party too.”

  The wedding party is going to be small. Lila is my matron of honor, and my sisters, Casey and Carina, are my bridesmaids. Evan is the best man, and Zander and Mason will be Brody’s groomsmen. We aren’t sure how everything will play out with the whole Lila, Liam and Evan, Tatum situation, but they are our best friends. They have to behave on our special day.

  We plan to have our bachelor and bachelorette parties the night before the wedding. I hope Brody will be able to get Liam, Ashton, and Evan all together. Brody knows that Ashton was my first. He isn’t too thrilled with the idea of including him, but Ashton has changed and he and I are friends now.

  “Lila, this color looks great with your complexion. I can’t believe you are having another baby.” I can feel tears welling in my eyes.

  “Aww, what’s wrong? Why are you crying?”

  “Oh, it’s nothing. I’m just remembering seeing you in that hospital bed, not knowing if and when you would wake up. We are so lucky that you are here.”

  I’m so thankful for my friend. I don’t know what I would have done without her. I can’t let her know what’s going on with me, not now. I will tell her when the time is right. I don’t need her to get upset and ask questions that I have no answers for. Hell, I haven’t even told Brody all of it. I hope it turns out that nothing’s wrong and I won’t have to tell them at all.

  “Nicole Paige, there’s something going on with you. Are you pregnant? Why didn’t you tell me?”

  “Good God, no. I’m fine and I’m not pregnant. We’ve been trying but haven’t had any luck yet. We’ve both been tested and everything checked out fine for the both of us.”

  Lila will fucking kill me herself when she finds out I lied.

  “Oh. Well, you look kind of pale. I just thought, maybe because of the emotions and the paleness, you were…”

  “I do feel a little sick. I think it’s from the flight. Anyway, what do you think of these dresses for my sisters?” I ask, trying to change the subject.

  I do feel a little nauseous. I think it’s the meds the doctor put me on.

  “Those will look great on your sisters.” Lila laughs as she nudges me. “They’ll be the ones looking like bananas and big bird.”

  “Keep laughing and you will be in yellow too.”

  “Ugh…Fine, they will look great in that color. I love the lilac that we’ve chosen for me. Should I just get this in my normal size and then we can alter if need be?”

  “Yes, sounds good to me. I think I’m shopped out for the day.”

  “You and me both. I need to lay down. When do you want to get the massages?”

  “Now would be great. Do you think they can fit us in right now? My entire body needs it. They do pedicures too, right?”

  “I’ll call. I’m sure they can fit us in. Heck yes, they are the best in town.”

  While Lila calls the massage pallor, I call Brody and see how he’s doing. I miss him already. The case he’s been working on for months has been eating up our time.

  “Hey, baby. How are you?” I ask.

  “I’m good. Glad you made it safe. Look, Nik, there is something I wanted to ask before you left and didn’t get a chance to.”

  “Is everything okay, love?”

  “I’ve been offered a job in Alabama. Evan and Zander are starting a firm there and they want us to join them. What do you say?”

  “Uh, Alabama? Is this something you really want, Brody?” I ask, praying he’ll tell me the truth. I can always get a job there too.

  “It is, and I found the perfect place for us to build a house, but only if you want to.”

  “Well then, I guess we are moving to Alabama. Is it Birmingham?”

  “It’s about twenty miles from there. You will love it. You’ll be close to Tatum and Audrey. They’ll be happy to have you around.”

  “Sounds good. Will it be before the wedding or after?”

  “As soon as you’re ready, we can go. I know you said you had a couple doctor appointments you needed to attend, so how about we go in three months?”

  “That sounds wonderful. I’ll let you get back to work. I love you, Brody Lewis.”

  “I love you more, baby.”

  I can’t wait to tell Lila about this. I need to get the doctor’s appointments taken care of first and see if they have a specialist there just in case it’s cancer.

  Lila walks over to where I’m sitting. “Everything okay with Brody?”

  “Everything’s fine. We’re moving to Birmingham.”

  “What? Why? When?”

  “He just accepted a job with a new law firm there.”

  “Well, that sounds like a bunch of country fun. Is it something you want to do? Do you even know anyone there?”

  “I’m okay with it. There are several people there that we know,” I say, purposely leav
ing out Tatum and Audrey’s name.

  “Oh, that’s right! The Martins live there.” As soon as the words leave her mouth, she looks like she’s going to faint.

  “Are you okay, Li? Jesus, sit down woman.”

  “Ev-Evan and his girlfriend?”

  I sigh and pull Lila into a hug. “Yes, I’ll be living in the same town Evan and Tatum live in. Evan, Zander, and Brody are going into a practice together.”

  “Oh,” is all she says. Then she asks if I’m ready for the massages. I feel so bad. This is like a smack in the face to her. She’s trying to get away from Evan and I’m moving to the same town as him and his future wife.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Brody

  I was afraid that Nikki wouldn’t be okay with moving. It’s something that I really want to do. It will give us a chance to start a new chapter of our lives. I only moved to Ohio for her. I hate being in the same state as that bastard, Cam. Just knowing I might run into him on any given day stresses me out. He still wants my Nikki; I can tell by the way he looks at her. If we move, we can get as far away from him as possible. I’ve loved Nikki since that night I met her at The Pizza Shack. I looked into her eyes, saw the sparkle and knew she was the one.

  We’ve had a rough start, that’s for damn sure. She made some poor choices and so have I. Hell, when she left me, I was sticking my dick in every woman at NYU. None of them meant anything, though. I knew I would marry Nicole Lassiter someday. I just needed to give her time to make sure I was what she wanted. The night she brought that fucker to dinner, I knew she was fucking him, and, sure enough, she left a month after that night.

  I gave her the time I thought she needed and I made my move. I couldn’t stand the thought of him, or any fucking man, touching her. She is mine and only mine.

  I know there’s something going on with her, that she hasn’t told me everything. She’s been going to the doctor a lot lately. We’re trying to start a family and we’ve both been tested. She said everything came back normal, but I know her better than I know myself.

  Right now, she’s spending the weekend with Lila. When she comes back home, I’ll find out exactly what’s going on.

  Our wedding is in a little over four months. I’ve been waiting for this day for a long time. Seeing her in a beautiful dress, knowing she’s mine and will soon be carrying my last name…it’s a dream come true. I’ve been working on a pretty big murder case, so I haven’t been able to spend much time with her lately. Once we move and I start working with my buddies, that’ll change.

  Well, speaking of buddies, it looks like Evan is calling now.

  “Hey, man. How are things going with you and Tatum?”

  “Things can’t be better. We are going to have a baby in about six months or so. So, did you talk to Nikki yet?”

  “That’s great. You will make a wonderful father. I did talk to Nik. It looks like we will be moving there in about three months.”

  “Perfect timing. Do you still want to look at that land with me? I will only need about five or six acres of it. You can have the rest. Actually, Zander may want some of it. I’m not sure. It’s only about ten miles or so from where the practice will be.”

  “Yes, I haven’t run everything by Nikki yet. She is actually in California looking at wedding dresses. Her and Li—um, she will be home in a few days.”

  “Brody, you can say Lila’s name. Nikki called me looking for her earlier this week. How is she doing? I’m really glad she recovered well. She deserves to have a happy life with her family. You know how long I’ve loved Tatum. Don’t get me wrong, I was in love with Lila and I’ll always love her, but she broke me, dude. After I realized I couldn’t have her, I thought I needed her to heal. Then she just used me. She borrowed my heart and my fucking time. I loved being with her, but Ta is my forever and I understand now that all of this shit happened so I could be ready for Tatum.”

  “It’s just awkward, man. I know you love Ta and have for as long as I can remember. Hell, you would have been with her sooner if that bastard was never in the picture. Lila is doing well. This is the first time Nikki has visited Lila in months, so I’m not sure what’s going on.”

  “You’re right, I would have been with her sooner. Sometimes I just sit and think of all the times I saw Ta and all the times we talked. It makes me want to kill that motherfucker. She has told me so many terrible stories about the things he did to her. I can’t believe I didn’t put a stop to it when I went to Rochester that night. Sometimes I feel like it’s my fault for allowing her to go back to him.”

  “You can’t blame that shit on yourself, man. He had her scared to death. I’m glad she got out when she did and I’m even happier the two of you are together. Nikki really likes her. She said the other night that she wanted to see if Tatum wanted to help them plan the girly party they are having.”

  “I know. It’s just in the back of my mind that I should have done something about it. That’s great; Ta would love that. She likes Nikki, too. She was very excited when I told her y’all may be moving to Alabama with us. We are going to stay in the old house at the farm until ours is finished. Ta doesn’t know, but it will be done before the baby gets here.”

  “That’s fantastic. Let me know if you need me to help with anything or if you need me to fly out and look at the property with you. I better go. I have this case I need to finish up before the move. Give Ta Nikki’s number and have her call Nikki about that party.”

  “Will do. Thanks, brother. I’ll talk to you soon.”

  ***

  My girl is coming home today. I’ve missed her so damn much. She called me this morning and her voice made my dick twitch. I plan to take her to The Spaghetti Warehouse. She loves that place and the train caboose booth that she always sits in. The Spaghetti Warehouse is one of my favorite places as well.

  She’s been bugging me to see the new Channing Tatum movie with her. I guess I can take her. I’m not a fan of romantic movies, but whatever makes my lady happy.

  On my way to the airport, I stop and pick up flowers and Anthony-Thomas Chocolates. Those are also her favorites. Hell, I can eat half the damn box myself.

  Standing in the middle of the Port Columbus International Airport, waiting for Nikki, brings back so many memories of the first time I came to Columbus. I left here one pissed off man, but not today. Today I’m going home with the most beautiful and sweetest woman I know.

  She kisses me. “Hey, sweets. I missed you so much.”

  Damn, I missed her lips, her touch, and her scent.

  “Uh-huh, sure you missed me. You maxed out the credit cards. You couldn’t have missed me too much.” I wrap my arms around her.

  “Yeah, you’re right. I definitely maxed out the cards, but I did miss you. We got all the dresses. Oh, Tatum called me this morning.”

  “That’s great. Did you leave them in California with Lila? Yeah, Evan gave her your number. I hope that’s okay.”

  “They will ship them to Lila’s. I figured shipping the dresses to Lila would be easier than getting the dresses shipped here and having to carefully take them back to California with all our other luggage. I’m glad she called. I would really like to ask her to be in the wedding. You can ask your cousin, Milo, to be in it too.”

  “I’m glad you like her. You can ask her, but she is pregnant.”

  She looks at me with a surprised look. I hope Nikki’s not upset that Tatum is pregnant and she isn’t after how hard we’ve been trying.

  “You okay, Nik?”

  “Umm, yeah, I’m fine. Lila is pregnant too. It just took me by surprise. Must be something in the water,” she says with a shy smile.

  “Babe, we’ll be next. I know you are ready and so am I. Maybe, once we move, we will be able to focus more on getting pregnant. We can start tonight. I’m so ready to be in bed with you and have you wrapped around my—”

  “Okay, mister. I haven’t had you inside of me for over a week and I think I just came. Get me home so I can make sweet lo
ve to you all night.”

  “Sounds good, but we have dinner plans first. Then you can do as you please with me.”

  We go to dinner, as planned. I can tell something is bothering Nikki. She just isn’t saying what it is. The only way I’m going to find out is if I bluntly ask her.

  “Please be honest with me, baby. What’s the deal with all of the doctor appointments? I know it isn’t about getting pregnant. What is it?”

  I rest my hand on hers. Tears well up in her beautiful eyes.

  “Brody, I may have ovarian cancer. I’ve been trying to deal with it on my own, but I can’t anymore. I was afraid to say it out loud. The doctor thinks that radiation or maybe a full hysterectomy may help.”

  “Jesus, Nicole. When were you going to tell me about this? When did you find out and why am I just finding out? How could you keep this from me?”

  “I found out a couple months ago. I’m scheduled for more tests to possibly see if a hysterectomy would be the best option. I was going to tell you; I just didn’t want to worry you.”

  “If they do a hysterectomy, will that cure the cancer? I’m not sure I fully understand this. Do you have cancer?”

  “If they do the surgery, it will remove the cancer. So far they aren’t sure if I even have it, but if I do have cancer and get a hysterectomy, I will never be able to carry a child.”

  “Have the surgery. I would rather have a lifetime with you than children without you. We can adopt.”

  “Adoption isn’t always a good thing. What if you want a biological child of your own? Don’t you understand? If you stay with me, I can’t give that to you.”

  “I don’t care about children, Nicole! All I care about is you, us. You are my life. I cannot live without you, goddamn it.”

  I’m ready to go home with my wife. I want to slump down in my seat and cry like a two year old. She is my world, and to think this may kill her is killing me on the inside. I feel like someone has just knocked all of the air out of my body.