Single Dad's Surprise (Wilder Brothers #1)

by Lisa Levine

  When Poppy brought the wagon back up near the blanket and lifted Owen out of it, Annika and I made space on the picnic blanket for them to lay down.

  “I’m tired,” Poppy said.

  “Lie down here with us and take a nap,” I offered.

  Poppy still had her stuffed animal, which still went everywhere that she went. She grabbed Bear up by her face and lay down between us. Annika lifted Own up from the bottom of the blanket where Poppy had put him down and brought him up to lay down with us, too. Between the cool breeze and the warm sun, everyone was asleep within a matter of minutes. I never remembered a nap feeling so good in my life. We were a mess of tangled up limbs all strew across each other on the ground, but we were so cozy, and the kids were so snuggly that by the time I woke up and looked at the clock on my cell phone, a few hours had already passed. I went to reach for Annika to tap her awake, too, but her eyelids flickered open just before my fingers touched her. Owen was making those adorable deep-breathing baby noises that he made when he was fast asleep, and Poppy was so out that she was drooling on top of Bear’s shabby head.

  “I hate to wake them,” Annika whispered. “It’s not often that we get to take such a nice little nap outside in the park.”

  “Agreed,” I said. “But it is getting kind of late, and it looks like there’s a storm on the way.” I pointed up to the dark clouds gathering not too far off in the distance.

  I lifted Poppy and Bear while Annika picked up a still-slumbering Owen. After we had put them both into the car, Annika sat with them while I went to go and get the rest of the picnic stuff. When I got back to the car, Annika was smiling contently.

  “What’s up?” I asked as I started the engine and pulled out of the public parking spot to head home. I reached for her hand to hold and pulled it over onto my lap. “Why do you look so happy right now?”

  “Because that was just a wonderful afternoon.”

  “Yes, it truly was.”

  When we got back to the house, both of the children were starting to groggily wake up. It was almost five o’clock, so dinnertime would be right around the corner, and tonight, we were having guests. Lucie and her now-husband were coming over, and they said that they had exciting news to share. I was really hoping that the news didn’t have anything to do with Lucie being pregnant, because I just didn’t know what I would do at the studio if she weren’t there to manage things. If I lost Lucie, my company would surely suffer.

  I had mentioned my concern to Annika, and she had reminded me gently that everyone needed to find happiness in life and that if Lucie’s happiness led her somewhere else to do something else, that I could do nothing aside from be happy for her. Lucie had done too much for me not to support her in whatever it was that she needed or wanted to do. She was, of course, right, and it bothered me immensely. But I knew in my heart that I owed Lucie everything, even my happiness and life with Annika. If it hadn’t been for Lucie and that ad, Annika and I would have never met.

  When Lucie and her husband arrived, the kids were already playing on the carpet in the living room, so I poured drinks for everyone to come and sit down to chat for a bit before dinner. I wanted to see if Lucie would refuse the alcohol because that would have been a clear indication that she was pregnant. Sure enough, she gave me a polite “no, thank you,” which wasn’t like her at all, and my heart sank. I couldn’t even make it to the formal surprise announcement without her picking up on my disappointment.

  “Come,” she said as she put her arm in mine,” Let’s go for a walk.”

  We walked outside into one of the mansion’s many courtyards, while Annika and Lucie’s husband stayed inside with the kids.

  “I knew you would start to pout about this as soon as you found out,” Lucie teased.

  “Are you really pregnant?” I asked her.

  “Yep, two months as of tomorrow.”

  “Don’t get me wrong; I’m happy for you guys. It’s just that—”

  “No, you’re not,” she laughed. She was right. “You’re upset that I won’t be there to listen to you spill your restless thoughts every morning over coffee and to whip up the best elaborate excuses ever for having to reschedule a meeting, and probably most of all, for running interference for you with Maleah.”

  “And for finding me my wife when I was too stubborn to know what I needed,” I added.

  “Yeah, that too,” Lucie smiled.

  We sat down on one of the stone benches in the courtyard.

  “Lucie, what am I going to do without you?” I asked. “I can’t run my company alone.”

  “You’re not alone,” she said gently. “You are less alone than you have ever been in your whole life, Jake. You have a beautiful family who loves you and good friends and colleagues who have your back. You won’t have any problem getting by while I’m out on maternity leave.”

  “But you’ll be coming back, right?” I double-checked. “I mean, I’ll pay you on leave for as long as you need, but just please tell me that you’re coming back.”

  “Of course,” Lucie smiled. “I’ll always come back.”

  That, at least, made me feel a little bit better. At least if it were only temporary, I could figure out a way to get by. Maybe Annika could even help out a bit with it if Lucie showed her the basics of how things worked at the office.

  “Well, I’m going to miss you while you’re gone,” I said. “You’ve become as important a part of my company as I am.”

  “I’m going to miss you, too, and that means a lot to me to hear. I’ll expect you guys to come and visit me while I’m on leave, though!”

  “Of course we will,” I laughed. “Annika would never let me forget it if I didn’t come by to visit.”

  “How are things going with you guys?” Lucie asked.

  “Perfect.” I think that was the first time I’d ever been able to say that word.

  “It’s like I don’t even recognize my old life anymore; I don’t want to. Annika has given me a completely new beginning and a family that Poppy and I both needed more than we even knew.”

  “I’m really glad to hear that,” Lucie smiled. “And how’s the baby?”

  “Oh, he’s into everything,” I said. “I love him more than humanly possible, but he exhausts me.” I laughed as I remembered that even just before we went to the park this morning, Owen was somehow able to get himself wedged between the couch cushions and stuck. “He keeps Annika and me busy, that’s for sure. Fortunately, Poppy is a huge help with her little brother, and he already idolizes her.”

  “That’s good,” Lucie smiled. “Remember when I told you that you should consider getting a nanny?”

  I threw back my head and laughed so hard that my ribs hurt. “How in the world could I ever forget that? It was the single most valuable and sage piece of advice anyone has ever given me.”

  “Glad to know that you listen to me at least some of the time,” she winked. “Well, maybe I can give you one last sage piece of advice before I get too pregnant and need to start my leave of absence.

  “Shoot,” I said. “What’s the advice?”

  “Maybe you should consider getting a nanny.”

  “Huh? That’s your sage advice?”

  “Yep.”

  “Is it some kind of joke or riddle?” I asked.

  “Nope.”

  I hated it when Lucie thought she was being funny when she was being cryptic. I wasn’t very good at solving mental puzzles, and it frustrated me.

  “So, your sage piece of wisdom for me, again, is to get a nanny?”

  “Yes, it is.”

  “Why would I need a nanny anymore? I have a gorgeous wife and two beautiful children. I have a company that is finally running fairly smoothly, although I will need to find a temp, I suppose, while you are gone. But for once, overall, things aren’t overwhelming, and I don’t have the feeling that I am struggling to keep up. I actually think that I have a good handle on everything both at home and at the office for once.”

 
“That is all good to hear,” Lucie said as she stood up, and we started to walk back inside toward the others. “But trust me on this one, I think you might need an extra set of hands for a bit.”

  We walked back into the room with the others. Poppy and Owen were playing happily on the carpet while Annika and Lucie’s husband were chatting about the music industry and what the latest trending videos were on social media. I was confused by Lucie’s suggestion of needing a nanny again. Everything was perfect just the way it was. Annika and I balanced our careers and our children equally, and even though there wasn’t a single spare moment throughout the week, we were able to sort of tag-team everything and still fulfill our promise of intimacy at every waking hour and a nighttime moment alone. There simply was no need for a nanny, unless we were planning on adding more kids to the mix.

  For a split second, I had a nagging feeling to look over at Annika’s wine glass, but I realized how silly that would be since my brain was jumping to all sorts of assumptions that weren’t even there. But when I did look over, I saw that her glass was full, which was unusual for her. I went to take it off the table and hand it to her, thinking that maybe she had forgotten she had set it down there. But instead of taking it, she waved it off with her hand.

  “No, thank you,” she said. “I’m not going to be drinking any wine tonight.”

  “Why not?”

  As soon as the question had left my mouth, Annika pulled something out of her pocket. Something that had a very prominent pink plus sign on the front of it.

  I looked at her in awe and kissed her face as I held her with both hands. Then I looked over at Lucie and laughed.

  “Consider getting a nanny,” Lucie smiled.

  Also by Lisa Levine

  Hey lovelies! If you enjoyed the hot & steamy single Dad story between Jake and Annika, I’ve got more coming for you!

  Have you ever been best friends with a man who used to be your lover…and thought about giving him a second chance to put you on your knees? ;) Stay tuned for Best Friend’s Second Chance!

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