Finding His Forever (Finding His Love Book 1)

by Loni Ree

  Now, Henry’s brother and his new twenty-something wife live in Europe and don’t even communicate with Henry except to receive money from shares of the company. Henry’s mom was devastated that one of her sons was willing to abandon his child, but she helped Henry take care of Cole, and now, they both treat Cole like he is Henry’s biological son.

  After he finishes his story, I’m completely in love with Henry Grayson. He is such an incredible man and father. Little Charlie starts fussing, and Henry watches as I feed him. Once my little guy is fed and sound asleep again, Henry takes him and sits down to hold the baby.

  “He really is the cutest little man,” he whispers, and my heart melts watching the two together.

  “Thank you for everything.” Even as I speak, the stress of the day is pulling my eyes closed.

  “You don’t need to thank me. It’s my job now. Get some rest, and I’ll take care of our little man.” Henry smiles down at Charlie, and I lose my battle to stay awake.

  Henry

  When I walked in the door to find that sleazy motherfucker giving my girl a hard time, I wanted to rip his head off and throw it across the room. It took all my restraint to maintain my calm until I could toss his slimy ass out the door. After making sure he left the floor, I made arrangements to have Fiona and the baby protected so nothing like that happens again. Getting them moved to a room and listed as private was my first move, then I explained my whole situation to Fiona. After she was satisfied that I didn’t have a wife she was going to have to contend with, she fell asleep and I moved on to the rest of my duties.

  I was already in a horrible mood after spending the morning away from Fiona and Charlie, trying to deal with the strike situation at Gray Enterprises. Luckily, a deal was made fairly quickly, and Margo will bring the paperwork by the hospital for me to sign later.

  My lawyer, Dominic Fletcher, was my first call, and he is going to ensure that the two idiots and their lawyer know I won’t hesitate to take them down if they come after us. The second call was to have a top-of-the-line security system installed at Fiona’s home. Until I have them under my roof, I want to make sure she and Charlie are protected. I hired round the clock discreet security to watch over them at all times.

  Between my mother and Margo, Cole will be well taken care of while I take care of my two new loves. My mother suggested sitting down with Cole later tonight and explaining the situation to him before I start introducing him to a new step-mother and baby brother. I’m going to be torn between the two houses until Cole and Fiona are ready to blend our families. The sleazy lawyer and idiot squared situation has me on edge, and I hate the thought of being away from Fiona and Charlie.

  While she sleeps, I’m sitting here, holding the baby and falling deeper in love with both of them every second. As I lightly run my finger through his soft, downy peach fuzz, I glance over at Fiona and take in her lovely features. Her light, caramel brown hair is falling haphazardly around her gorgeous face. I have the urge to gather her into my arms, as well, but I don’t want to disturb her chance to rest. Along with Cole, these two are now my whole world. My life has changed drastically, and I’m impatient to get everything settled. The baby starts fussing, so I hold him close and whisper softly, but he continues to fuss and I know it’s time to wake his mother.

  After carefully shifting my little load, I walk over to the bed, and Fiona’s striking, green eyes pop open when the tiny wails reach her. She gingerly arranges herself then smiles as she reaches for Charlie. “Sounds like he’s starving.” She laughs, and the little cries turn to satisfied grunts as the baby latches on and starts nursing.

  Before I blink, days have passed and it’s time to take them home. My money talked, and I was able to arrange for the hospital to keep Fiona a couple of extra days, but even the money-hungry administration can no longer find a reason to keep them any longer. My talk with Cole went better than expected. The six-year-old is excited at the prospect of me dating his teacher. Evidently, Ms. Pierce is quite a catch around school, and Cole thinks I’m a lucky guy.

  My talk with Fiona didn’t go as well. I attempted to persuade her to stay at my house after they are discharged from the hospital, imparting my worry over the situation with the idiots squared, as I like to call them now. Fiona explained that she is going to need time to adjust to motherhood and the thought of starting a new relationship so soon after giving birth. After making it clear that there isn’t an option of us not having a relationship, I let her know we can take things slower. I dread not being able to watch over them and guarantee their safety at all times. For peace of mind, I’ve hired a security company to watch Fiona’s house and report to me frequently.

  “Are you sure I don’t need to stay tonight?” I run my hands through my hair and try to calm my racing heart. The closer the time comes to walk out the door, the more excuses I find for staying. I don’t know if I’ll have the strength to leave Fiona and Charlie alone tonight.

  Fiona looks up at me and smiles slightly. “You’ve been with us for three days. We should have come home two days ago, except you through a fit. Go home and see Cole. We’ll be here tomorrow when you get off of work.” She points at the front door, and my excuse are running low.

  “I’m going to have my mom stop by during the day to check on you, and tomorrow night, Cole and I will come for dinner. If I didn’t have all this catch-up to do at the office, I would take tomorrow off.” I go through the plans again, anything to stay a few more minutes.

  “Henry, I’ve got it. I have my phone.” She holds up the cell phone and shakes it. “I miss you already, but your son needs you, too. Now, go.”

  After kissing them both one more time, I walk out the door, stopping at the black truck parked across the street. “Make sure you don’t miss anything. Watch that fucking house all night long.”

  “We won’t let you down. No one will get in there.” The burly security guard assures me, and I leave, but my mind is still occupied with Fiona and Charlie.

  “Daddy, you’re home.” Cole runs up and grabs me around the legs as I bend down and run my hands through his hair.

  “Have you been good for Grams?” Before I finish asking, he’s nodding enthusiastically.

  My mom walks into the front hall to greet me and agrees. “You know he doesn’t know how to be bad. We just finished getting dinner ready. Come into the kitchen.”

  I follow her into the kitchen with Cole hanging onto me, and the delicious smell of Italian food hits me. Even though I ate with Fiona earlier, I can’t resist my mom’s lasagna. While Mom is plating the food, Cole and I set the table and wash our hands. Once we are eating, Mom looks over and wants to know, “How’s your girl doing?”

  I glance at Cole out of the corner of my eye, and he appears to be unconcerned with the dinner conversation. “She’s good. I hope the first night home isn’t too rough for her. Would you go by early tomorrow and check on them for me?” My worry is evident, and she leans over and pats my hand.

  “Of course. After I drop Cole off at school, I’ll head right to her house.”

  I check her security monitors for outside movement and call her one last time before bed. She sounds tired and assures me everything is fine. After contacting the undercover security team and ensuring the outside is normal, I finally crawl into bed and stare at the ceiling for seven hours. By five a.m., I realize this is not going to work for me. I drag myself through my shower and get ready then head downstairs. My mom’s in the kitchen when I walk into the kitchen. I need to ask her advice.

  Mom takes one look at me and gets me a cup of coffee ready. As she’s handing me the coffee, she shakes her head and sighs. “You look like you were the one up with a newborn all night long.”

  “I really fucking wish I was. I can’t go on like this. Do you think it would affect Cole if I moved Fiona and the baby in, if they had their own room? I can’t fucking stare at the goddamn ceiling every night.” She bites her lip and walks around the kitchen while she thinks about my probl
em.

  “Cole seems excited about all of this. It’s Fiona. Do you think she’s ready? She’s been treated badly by someone she trusted, and I don’t know if she is going to rush into another relationship. You may have to work at this, son. Let me feel things out today.” She hugs me when she finishes speaking and promises to call and update me about Fiona and Charlie.

  Chapter Three

  Fiona

  “I wish you would sleep like this at night.” Charlie’s sound asleep and doesn’t even twitch as I talk to him. Last night, he wanted to stay up and play all night long. I missed Henry the entire time we were awake. My head tells me to take this relationship slow, but my heart tells me to jump in with both feet. I know coming back home after leaving the hospital was the right thing to do, but that doesn’t help relieve the loneliness I feel.

  Charlie’s sweet little face wrinkles as he dreams, and I’m enjoying watching his expressions when the doorbell rings. After placing my sleeping son in the bassinet next to the sofa, I glance out the peephole and am relieved to see a lovely middle-aged woman who looks very similar to Henry standing on my front step.

  When I open the door, she smiles widely. “Oh, Fiona, you are even prettier than Henry described.” She steps in and envelops me in a warm, fragrant hug, and tears come to my eyes as I hold on to her tightly. With my parents across the country, I’ve felt so alone here. Now with Henry and his mother stepping in to take care of me, overwhelming relief staggers me.

  “Where’s that handsome little man? I need to get my hands on him, too.” I laugh and lead her to the living room to see Charlie.

  “Oh, you don’t have to wake him.” She frets when I lean over the bassinet and pick up the little bundle.

  “Believe me, he loves the attention, and if he plays with you, maybe he’ll sleep tonight,” I assure her as I hand the sleepy baby over. As she gazes down at the baby, I have to ask, “How are Henry and Cole?”

  When she looks up, the expression on her face turns serious, and my stomach drops. I try to prepare myself for her words. “Cole is great. He’s a very easy-going child. Henry is having a hard time though. That boy is used to being in charge and in control of everything, getting his way no matter what. I think it’ll be good for him if you make him work a little bit.”

  “I think you have the wrong idea. I’m not trying to make Henry work for anything. I have a baby to consider and two jerks throwing legal maneuvers out of nowhere every time I turn around. I just need time. Time to make sure of everything,” I explain and the exhaustion of the last few days catches up with me. My eyes droop, and I can hardly keep my eyes open.

  “Go get some rest. I’ll take care of this little guy. I see bottles on the counter in the kitchen. Is there formula?”

  “I’m giving him one or two formula bottles a day. He’s not crazy about it, but he takes them,” I let her know.

  “Well, I’m a pro at formula. I took care of Cole for Henry. You go get some rest. We’ll get you if we need something.” She makes a shooing motion with her hands, and I’m too thankful for the chance to rest to refuse.

  The next thing I know, gentle fingers are combing through my hair. “Hey, baby, time for dinner.”

  I sit up straight in the bed, and my gown falls open. When Henry growls, I look down and see my naked engorged breasts and hurry to cover up. “How did I sleep so long?”

  “My mom fed the little guy two formula bottles and let you sleep. She tried to wake you once, but you were dead out.” Henry leans over and kisses my forehead then stands at the side of the bed. “Come on out when you’re ready. I picked up dinner on the way over with Cole since Mom had the baby today. It’s all ready.”

  I push the blankets off and rush to get ready after he leaves the room. My breasts are so engorged; I have to pump before I can eat dinner. Guilt that I slept through my child’s needs hits me, but I’m also feeling greatly refreshed from the few hours of sleep.

  After we finish eating, Henry sets Cole up with a game in the living room so that we can talk. He and May want to discuss something with me. May decides to start. “Dear, I’m worried about you trying to do everything on your own. We talked about this, and if you agree, Henry is able to get Cole to school in the mornings for me so that I can spend the night with you and help out some here.” When I move to interrupt, May holds up her hand, and I wait until she finishes. “I’m too old to get up with the little guy during the night, but I stay up until ten o’clock anyway, so you could get an early night, and I always get up at five o’clock in the morning. I could get up with him and let you get a little sleep in the mornings.”

  Henry jumps in before I can speak. “You would have someone here in case of an emergency, too. My mom would be able to help you. Margo can help me get Cole to and from school until Charlie is a little older.”

  By the time they’re both finished, I’m completely overwhelmed by their thoughtfulness. Before I can control it, tears form in my eyes. I blink rapidly, but the tears start rolling furiously down my cheeks. When Henry envelops me in his strong arms, a stirring of desire hits me for the first time in several months. His masculine scent wraps around me while his large body cocoons my much smaller frame, making me feel safe.

  “I’m going to go home and pack my bag,” May interrupts our moment, and Henry looks over his shoulder without releasing me, nodding his agreement.

  After she leaves, he leans his forehead down to mine and whispers, “Please don’t cry anymore. That really kills me.”

  I give him a watery smile and try to stop the tears. With his arms still so tight around me, my large breasts rub against his hard chest muscles, and we both moan at the same time. My tears are forgotten as yearning streaks through my body. He runs his lips over mine, and I automatically open my mouth under his. As his tongue slips into my mouth, I dig my nails into his back to hold on tight. Our tongues duel, and his dick hardens against my tummy before he pulls away suddenly.

  “Fuck, baby. We need to go sit in the living room and play with the baby before I end up giving Cole a real-life birds and the bees lesson,” Henry jokes, and I smack him on the shoulder and try to bring myself under control.

  Things improve substantially after May begins staying with me. Now that Charlie is sleeping much better, May leaves early in the mornings to take Cole to school then comes back later in the afternoons to check on me. I really could manage on my own, but I’ve gotten used to having her motherly presence in my life and I’d hate to give her up. Henry and I sneak away to make out like teenagers as often as possible. My body is still recovering from delivering Charlie, so I can’t do more than mess around, but Henry never seems to mind.

  Last night, May took Cole to the movies, and things got a little heated but cooled off rapidly. We were making out on the sofa when Henry slipped his hand down the front of my sweatpants. As his finger touched my clit, electricity moved through my body. I tore my mouth away from his and cried out, accidentally waking up Charlie. Before we could go any further, Charlie began to scream. Henry groaned loudly as he dropped his forehead against my chest while we both tried to calm down. Poor Charlie was ballistic by the time I changed his diaper and started feeding him as Henry watched.

  I blink and Charlie is almost two months old. My maternity leave is down to one month remaining, and I dread when I’ll have to leave my little man with a caregiver while I return to work. Henry and Cole are with us most nights, and Cole is so sweet with Charlie. With his wild light brown hair and big blue eyes, Charlie actually looks surprisingly quite a bit like Henry and Cole. Now that my doctor has cleared me for sexual activity, I have the urge to jump Henry constantly. When are alone, the sexual tension in the room is unbelievable. Soon, I feel we might combust if we don’t do something about the situation, but with two kids and May, things are too crazy to get away. Henry seems to be taking things very slow with me.

  Once I graduated college, my parents slowly disappeared from my life. Besides the occasional card or present on holidays, I n
ever hear from them. Having someone care enough to stay and take care of me and Charlie is addicting. Every day, I fall more and more in love with Henry, Cole, and May.

  While Charlie is napping, I’m washing bottles when the doorbell rings. Without thinking, I open the door and find a man shoving papers into my hands. Another huge guy comes running up and grabs the first guy. He spins him around and demands to know why he’s at my door. The whole episode happens so quickly; I’m in complete shock.

  “You’ve been served, Ms. Pierce,” the guy announces then walks away, leaving me stunned on my front step. I hurry inside, forgetting about the other strange man standing outside my front door. After opening the manila envelope, I realize the papers are a subpoena for a child custody suit brought on by my ex.

  Chapter Four

  Henry

  My dick is going to sustain permanent damage from the constant hard-on since I met Fiona. I know she had her follow-up appointment with her doctor last week, so now I need to find a way to get her alone for the night. The make-out sessions are torturing my cock, and I’m not sure how much more I can take before I lose my mind. I came in my pants from the tiny touch of her clit, and thoughts of that afternoon kept me hard for two fucking days. How do you tell your mother, “If I don’t get laid soon, my cock will be permanently damaged, so can you babysit so I can take Fiona away for the night?” My phone rings and disturbs my internal debate.

  Fiona’s picture flashes across my phone, and I smile as I answer. “OH MY GOD!” My heart stops then beats erratically when I hear her screams through the phone.