“Wow, what’s all that?”
“How about breakfast in bed?”
“Mmm, it looks and smells so good.” She threw the covers back and climbed into the bed. As she spied the omelet, sausage and hash browns, her mouth watered in anticipation. “I’m suddenly starving.”
Laz set the tray across her lap, and after fluffing two pillows for his back, he positioned himself next to her on the bed.
“This is so thoughtful. Thank you,” Journey said, taking a big gulp of the juice.
“Anything for you, babe.”
Hungry, Journey cut a piece of the sausage patty and brought it to her mouth, but stopped. “Ugh,” she groaned, her stomach suddenly queasy at the smell of the meat. She covered her mouth with her hand and set the fork down, hoping the feeling would pass.
“What?” Laz asked, and quickly moved the tray from over her legs. “What is it?”
“The sausage…the smell.” So far, she hadn’t fallen prey to morning sickness, but she had noticed some smells made her nauseous. Apparently, sausage was one of them.
“No sausages. Check.”
Laz handed her the cup of tea, took the sausage patties off the plate, and put them into one of the napkins. The day before, they found out hot wings was another item she wouldn’t be having for a while.
“Anything else I should take away?”
Journey took several sips of the hot tea, slowly feeling better, and shook her head. She hoped he didn’t have to take anything else away because she really was hungry, and couldn’t wait to eat the hash browns.
Before repositioning the tray, Laz rubbed his large hand over her stomach in a soothing manner, and Journey’s heart fluttered. Sometimes his tenderness caught her off guard. Like now, when he placed a kiss where his hand had just been. She was so glad he was excited about the baby, and hadn’t been angry about her keeping the news from him.
“I love you so much,” he said, and a smile tugged on the corner of her lips.
“And I love you…more than I’ll ever be able to express.”
As he’d done at the start of every morning they’d been together, Laz pulled her close for a lingering kiss.
“You taste sweet,” Journey said, licking her lips.
He snapped his fingers. “Shoot. That reminds me. I forgot your waffles. Be right back.”
Journey dug into the meal. Laz had been catering to her every need and want, but tomorrow they’d have to go back to reality. She had taken some much-needed time off from the office, and Laz would be starting another assignment with Supreme Security. She was so glad he was no longer a cop, but knew that security work brought its own set of danger.
“Here you go.” He added the waffles to the limited space on the tray.
“If you keep this up, you’re going to spoil me.” She fed him some of the omelet and then gathered another forkful for herself, moaning her appreciation of how good it tasted. The man was not only fine, but he could cook, too.
“That’s the least I can do. I’m still working to get back into your good graces.”
“Laz, we already talked about this. Clean slate. I know it’s easier said than done, but I want us to start fresh. We have to try and forget about the mistakes we’ve made and the choices…” Her voice trailed off as she thought about how she had blackmailed Gabe, and the way she’d mishandled parts of the Monsuli case.
During that visit she’d had with Gabe in his hospital room, he had signed the document she had drawn up, agreeing to her terms regarding the charges against Laz. He had also given his resignation the day after being released from the hospital. So far, he had done everything she requested. He had even followed through and entered a drug treatment center in San Antonio.
“Hey,” Laz said, his hand massaging the back of her neck. “No regrets. We both have done what we felt we needed to do. Clean slate.”
Journey nodded and continued eating, feeding Laz in between bites.
The last few months had been like a dream in some ways and a nightmare in others. Since the kidnapping, she didn’t know if she would ever be able to be in a completely dark room again. Now that she knew she’d been left in an abandoned warehouse that had rodents, spiders, and God knew what else, she was glad she had slept through most of the ordeal.
She lifted her fork, loaded with hash browns. “Want some more?”
“Nah, I’m good.” Laz leaned back against the headboard, his penetrating gaze steady on her.
She ate a few more bites before moving the tray off to the side. “What are you thinking about?”
“How much I love you, and how that scares the hell out of me.”
She narrowed her eyes. “I love you too, honey, but it doesn’t scare me. Why does it scare you?”
He pulled her against his side and kissed the top of her head. “I can’t begin to explain the fear that tore through my body when we found you unresponsive. And then to find out you went through all of that carrying my baby…”
She didn’t remember much about those first few minutes after he found her, unsure if some parts were real or if she had still been half-asleep. What she did remember, though, was seeing Laz more vulnerable than she had ever seen him.
“I have been shot, shot at, and have witnessed some gruesome acts of violence. Shit you would never believe.”
Journey shivered against him, just thinking about what a cop’s job entailed.
“None of that…” He swallowed, wiping his hand over his mouth. “None of that prepared me for seeing your unmoving body and that needle. You are such a part of me, Journey, I felt as if…as if I was going to die.”
Laz had told her when he first saw the needle, it was as if he’d been reliving a nightmare. He insisted Journey’s kidnappers knew about Gwenn, and their intent to taunt Laz mentally and emotionally with the needle had hit its mark. He’d said that every time he closed his eyes, he saw both her and Gwenn with needles lying beside them.
“Were you serious about not going after Alonso Moreno and his people?”
Laz moved his arm from around her and banged his head against the headboard. “Journey, you’ve asked me that every day. I told you I’m done with all of that unless they do anything else to disrupt our lives. I know I still have to earn your trust, and from this day forward I will always keep my word to you.”
Journey trusted him…for the most part. She still wondered about his role in Gabe’s first beating, and then there was the knife. She might never know if he actually planted evidence, but…
She turned to her side to better look at Laz. “If I ask you a question, will you answer me honestly?”
He stared at her in that way he often did, as if looking deep into her soul.
“For now on, I will answer any and all of your questions honestly. But are you sure you can handle my answers? Journey, I’ve done some things recently and in my past that would probably have you running to another country. Don’t ask me anything unless you know you can handle the answer.”
Well, all righty then.
“Um…that’s all right. I guess I don’t need to know.” She was curious by nature, but might never know the answers to those particular questions. That was okay since she planned to never look back.
“Now, I have a question for you.”
She looked at him warily. “Ooo-kay.”
“Did you have anything to do with Hall dropping the charges against me, and then resigning and leaving town?”
Of all the questions he could’ve asked, that wasn’t one she was expecting.
“Well…ask me no questions, and I’ll tell you no lies.”
A slow smile spread across his enticing lips, and he burst out laughing.
“Well damn, counselor. I guess I’m not the only one in this relationship who plays hardball. Okay, you don’t have to answer, but let’s say that you did have something to do with how that all played out. I would have loved to hear that conversation. If you were as kickass as you usually are in court, Hall didn’t stand
a chance. You, my dear are definitely the queen of getting what you want.”
Journey smiled. “Yeah and I’m afraid that over the past few months, you might have rubbed off on me.”
“Good to know,” he said, smiling before he turned serious. “I can guarantee you this.”
“What’s that?”
She squealed when he flipped her onto her back and hovered above her. “Our relationship will never be boring.”
“Oh?” She traced his lips with her finger. “And how are you going to guarantee that?”
“Well, I can show you better than I can tell you.”
“In that case, show me, baby.”
He flashed that sexy grin that made her immediately wet and used his knees to spread her legs. “Oh, I plan to.”
When Laz lowered his head and his lips touched hers, heat soared to the center of Journey’s core. Her body always responded to him immediately; she would never tire of the way he turned her on with little or no effort. A kiss here. A touch there. Even the way he gazed into her eyes made her horny and wet.
But now, when he kissed her, caressing her lips with his, she could feel his love pouring from him. Never in a million years did she think she could feel like this, her heart so full of love for this man. She didn’t know what the future held for them. All she knew was that she would never take another day with him for granted.
When Laz covered her body with his, her eager response had her reaching for the snap on his jeans, but then he stopped moving.
“Damn it.” He lifted up and started to move from the bed, but Journey held on to his waistband.
“What’s wrong?”
“I need to go get something.”
“Now?” she shrieked, shocked that he was leaving the bed just as things were heating up. “Laz!”
He grinned and gave her a quick kiss. “Get naked. I’ll be right back.”
Journey hurried out of the T-shirt and her panties and tossed them on the floor next to the bed. She was pulling the sheet over herself when Laz returned.
“Out of your clothes, detective. I mean… Man, I’m going to have to find a new nickname for you.”
Laz laughed and climbed onto the bed without shedding his T-shirt and jeans.
Journey narrowed her eyes at him. “What are you up to? One minute you’re kissing and filling me up, the next—”
“Will you marry me?” he asked and seemed to pull a diamond ring out of thin air. Journey sat stunned, her mouth hanging open. “I know we haven’t talked about marriage in great detail, and I know you think marriage is a dirty word. But if I promise to love you unconditionally, and make sure your life with me is fun, exciting, and full of amazing sex, will you marry me?”
Journey’s eyes filled with tears and her hands covered her mouth as she stared at the man who had already made her life anything but boring.
There had been a time when she hadn’t planned on ever getting married, but since Laz came into her life, she found herself doing a lot of things she thought she’d never do.
“Well?” he questioned, suddenly looking a little unsure, which was not a look she usually saw on him. “Do you wanna be my wife?”
Journey laughed and then nodded. “Yeah. Yeah, I’d love to be your wife.”
Epilogue
Four months later…
“Who the hell ever heard of a gender reveal party?” Laz grumbled as they stood in front of a long table that was still loaded with food and drinks even after most of their guests had eaten. On the wall behind the table was a banner that read: Basketball or Ballet? Pink and blue balloons were attached to the ends of the food table, as well as the small dessert table next to it.
“Watch your language. You know Dom is good at popping up when you least expect,” Journey said, glancing around the first floor of her sister’s home where their guests were eating, talking and laughing. “As for the party, you weren’t complaining when you filled your second plate of food.”
Laz slid his arms around her growing waist and pulled her to his side, placing a kiss on her temple. “True, but I still don’t see the point of all of this. And what do the cupcakes have to do with anything?”
In the center of the small dessert table, there were tons of cupcakes decorated with pink and blue frosting.
“Those are the reveal cupcakes. We’ll know what we’re having once we bite into them. Pink filling means we’re having a girl. If the filling is blue, we’re having a boy.”
Laz shook his head still not seeing the point. They could’ve just allowed the doctor to tell them. During their last ultrasound, the obstetrician had asked if they wanted to know the sex of the baby. They both wanted to know, but Journey didn’t want to know at that moment. She explained that Dakota had suggested they do a gender reveal party, and Journey’s sister, Geneva, offered to host it. Supposedly, the only people who knew the gender of their baby were those at the bakery.
Laz turned Journey into his arms so she could face him. “Since your sister won’t let us eat the cupcakes yet, how about you and I go upstairs and pick a bedroom to hang out in.” He nuzzled her neck, enjoying the way she squirmed against him. “I have a few new moves that I’d love to show you.”
Journey laughed. “Mmhm, I bet you do.” She wrapped her arms around him, running her fingers through his hair. He loved the feel of her hands in his hair, but he loved it even more whenever she kissed him, the way she was doing now.
The last few months had been a whirlwind of activity and Laz couldn’t ever remember being this happy. He worked full-time for Supreme Security, and had he known the job would be so rewarding, Laz would’ve left Atlanta PD years ago. As for Journey, her work life went back to normal, except her work hours weren’t as long. Monsuli’s death had been officially ruled a suicide, and Laz was relieved when the judge vacated the conviction, and the case had been closed.
“All right, Mr. and Mrs. Dimas, keep the PDA to a minimum,” Geneva mumbled, shoving Laz in passing. He chuckled and lifted his head but didn’t pull away from Journey. He never hesitated to kiss her in public, and he did it even more now that he and his beautiful wife were married.
They hadn’t planned on eloping, but during a trip to Ocho Rios, Jamaica a couple of months ago, that’s what they ended up doing. Journey hadn’t wanted a large wedding, and Laz loved her so much, he would’ve married her anytime and anywhere. They were married three days into their Jamaica trip.
“Can we eat the cupcakes now?” Dominic asked from behind them.
Laz turned to him. “We need to see if it’s okay with—”
“Actually, I was just coming over to suggest we go ahead and find out the gender of Baby Dimas,” Geneva said. “All right everyone, gather around. It’s time.”
Dominic reached for a cupcake. “Wait, Dom,” Dakota said as she approached the table. “Let Aunt Jay and Uncle Laz go first.” He sighed loudly but stepped back.
“Okay, so is there some type of ritual or…what do we have to do?” Laz glanced at his sister-in-law and Dakota for instructions, but before they could respond, the doorbell rang.
“Wait. Don’t do anything. Let me see who that is.” Geneva hurried to the door and returned seconds later. “Laz, someone just dropped this off for you.”
He read the small card attached to the top of the box and smiled, then glanced at Journey. “This is from Wiz. We’re supposed to open it together.”
“Hold up. Were we supposed to bring gifts?” Kenton asked, and by the look on everyone’s face, they wondered the same thing.
“No, not at all. We just wanted to find out our baby’s gender with our friends and family around us,” Journey said.
“But when I throw them a baby shower, I expect you to bring a gift,” Geneva said.
Kenton shook his head and put his hands up. “I don’t do baby showers, but I’ll send a gift.” Several of the men in the room voiced their agreement.
Dakota put her hands on her hips and scowled. “Well, considering how you wimps ar
e grumbling, I guess we won’t be throwing a co-ed baby shower.”
“Here, come and sit down,” Laz said to Journey, pointing to an upholstered chair in the attached family room. After she was sitting, he sat on the arm of the chair and handed her the box. “You open it.”
“Does that mean you already know what it is?” she asked, ripping off the wrapping paper and finding a smaller box inside of the larger one.
“I have an idea, but I’m not positive.”
“Oh my, this is beautiful,” she said pulling out a platinum watch with small diamonds around the face. “I don’t understand. Why would Wiz send me a watch?”
“There’s probably a note,” Hamilton said. Everyone was standing around watching them.
Journey dug around inside the large box and found one. “It’s addressed to you,” she said to Laz.
He quickly read it and smiled.
“What does it say, Uncle Laz?” Dominic asked, sitting on the other side of Journey.
“It says: Laz, here’s a little something to help keep up with your woman, and when your daughter is old enough, we’ll outfit her with a bracelet.”
Journey frowned. “I don’t understand.”
“There’s a tracking device inside the watch. So, if any assho…” Laz started but stopped, and glanced at Dominic, who was grinning.
“You said a swear word again, but I know you can’t help it,” Dominic said seriously, causing those in the room to laugh.
“Anyway,” Laz continued, “If anything should happen to you, the GPS in there will help me find you, no matter where you are.”
“I’m not sure how I feel about you knowing my every move,” Journey said, but eventually smiled. “But I’ll be wearing this every day.”
Laz accepted the sweet kiss from her. He hadn’t known when Wiz would send the jewelry and had been concerned that Journey wouldn’t want to wear it.
“Wait a minute,” Journey said. “What makes him think we’re having a girl?”
“I was wondering the same thing,” Geneva and Dakota said, with Egypt standing next to them nodding. Everyone started talking at once, some saying they’d caught that, while others wanted to see the note.
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