Surrender
Page 17
She smiled through her tears. “That’s too bad…” She kissed me softly and whispered against my mouth. “…because I’m not waiting. I’ve never done something so impulsive. Then again, I’ve never really dated the great Drew Amhurst.”
I laughed. “It changes you, doesn’t it?”
“Hey, the ego survived.”
“Always does.” I kissed her again. I couldn’t help it. “What are you doing that’s so impulsive?”
“Telling Drew Amhurst, on my fortieth birthday, that I want to marry him.” Her eyes locked onto mine with such intensity my chest hurt. “And that, you can’t really have a puppy without little kids.”
I went completely still. “Wh-what?” I gripped either side of her face. “Please, please don’t tease me. Don’t dangle something like that in front—”
“You should probably use some of those remaining orgasms and get me pregnant, Drew, and when I say probably, I mean right now.”
“On the park bench? They’ll arrest us.” I swung her around in a circle.
She laughed and threw her head back. “I figure you can pretty much afford to give me anything. You got me a ring, a puppy, you fixed my heart, and now, I want to give us both something…”
“A… baby.” I almost couldn’t say it.
“A baby,” she agreed with a huge smile. “At least we’ll try. I am pretty old—”
I cut her off with a kiss. “Don’t insult my sperm. They’re sensitive.”
“Nooooo!” Amelia suddenly appeared.
“Hey, Not-My-Daughter, remember when you asked where babies came from?”
“No.” She stared, her eyes darting back and forth between us, and then she ran right into our arms. “I followed Will’s car. I was worried.”
“Everything’s fine,” Bronte said.
I kissed the top of Amelia’s head and hugged them. My family. “Yeah, it really is.”
And then, “Braden’s gonna kill you,” Amelia said in a sing-song voice.
I gulped. “Yeah, not really looking forward to the Who’s your daddy? conversation.”
Amelia threw her head back and laughed. “Oh, it will be the best day. I’m gonna film it for a new TikTok challenge.”
“Ah, to be a teen again…” I sighed. “Shall we go home?”
It had slipped out, but it felt right on my tongue, calling her house home. Yeah, Braden really was going to kill me.
I’d promised him I was going to give Bronte a good time.
And he was going to come back to the house he had bought for her and find me moved in and literally trying to impregnate his mom.
Sounded about perfect to me.
EPILOGUE
Nine months and one week later…
Andrew
“I’m too old for this shit, you monster!” Bronte let out another ear-splitting scream while I clutched her left hand and held her ice-chip cup in the other — crushed it, actually, like she was crushing my bones. “Is she here yet?”
I gulped and stared at the doctor, ready to ask him to give her more drugs.
“Close!” the doc said in a way-too-chipper voice as if he had all the time in the world.
She squeezed my hand tighter.
“Hey…” I set down the cup and grazed her face with my fingertips. “…at least we know my sperm are powerful!”
“Really?” Her teeth clenched. “NOW is when you decide to have jokes?”
“Should I wait outside?” I winced.
Her glare said yes, her grip said no.
“All right, Bronte, one more big push. Can you do that?”
I lost all hand function as she squeezed again and let out a scream. Instant baby cries filled the air, and then I felt hot wet tears stream in succession down my cheeks as they placed our tiny girl directly on Bronte’s chest.
“God, she’s beautiful.” My hands shook as I reached out.
And then, “Bronte!” the doc snapped. “I need you to push again. Liz, grab the baby—”
My baby, where was she taking my girl? It was all I could process before more crying erupted.
The doctor chuckled. “You little rascal!”
“Rascal?” I was existing outside my body as I pointed. “Is that— Is that—”
“Twins!” The doctor laughed again. “He was hiding behind his sister. Typical lazy boy!”
Bronte’s expression was panicked, and then she burst into tears.
“Sweetheart, it’s good. It’s so good. We’re not old, despite what Amelia constantly writes on sticky notes and puts all over the house!”
“No…” She sobbed. “…I’m just so happy. I can’t believe it! Two!”
“Sperm king.” I should have fucking bowed, right? This was the moment I wanted to do a group text, but I refrained as the doctor handed our son to Bronte, and the nurse handed me our daughter.
She was pink and beautiful and so tiny I was instantly terrified I was going to do everything wrong. My little Rose Amhurst.
“We didn’t have a boy name…” Bronte smiled down at our son. “…but I know what I want to name him.”
“Anything.” I joined her on the bed, with my daughter tucked in my arms. “Whatever you want.”
Bronte’s green eyes filled with tears. “Not Ryan.”
I gasped. “How dare you mention that name during such a holy moment!”
She giggled. “Drew.”
“Yes?”
“No, I want to name him Drew because Drews are the best. They’re risk-takers. They’re wild, arrogant, but they’re talented. They’re loyal, they protect, and their capacity for love is boundless.”
I swallowed the lump in my throat. “I love you so much.”
“I love you too.”
We kissed, and both infants immediately started to cry.
“Well…” She pulled back. “…this should be fun… again.”
“Hey, teamwork.” I winked.
“Teamwork,” she agreed.
“I mean…” I shrugged. “…did you ever imagine that you’d be making babies with the great Drew Amhurst and—”
“Hey, husband?”
“Wife?”
“Shut up.”
I just laughed, and then laughed harder an hour later when Braden and Amelia visited, both of them shocked to learn they had twin siblings.
“Two.” Amelia’s face was pale. “Whoa, one is hard enough—”
“Have I ever mentioned how encouraging you are, daughter?”
She stuck her tongue out at me and then shrugged with a grin. “Hey, Dad,” She emphasized dad on purpose, which I claimed to hate but loved. “A few of us are going to stay at Cannon Beach for the weekend. Can I go?”
“That depends.” I narrowed my eyes. “Who’s going?”
She shuffled on her feet. “Um… Min, Brit…” A gulp. “…Body.”
“Nope!” I interrupted. “We already had this discussion. No Bodys.”
“But—”
“Listen to your father,” Bronte chimed in.
“Ugh, you guys are the worst!” She huffed, and then a small smile crept onto her face. “Fine, can I go shopping with Min?”
“Sure.” I handed her my credit card.
Bronte sighed. “That was way too easy.”
“Mom, you never gave me your credit card!” Braden complained.
“Bro…” I frowned. “…you’re worth like twenty mil. If you need your mom’s card to feel like it’s fair, there’s something very wrong with this picture.”
“It’s the principal of the matter,” he pointed out. “And actually, I just signed a new endorsement deal with Beats.”
“That went through?” I held up my free hand for a high-five. “Killer. Did Will negotiate?”
“Yup, got me an extra signing bonus.”
“Of course, he did.” And probably a nice percentage for himself, because that was what Will did; he was the best of the best at freaking everything.
And now our kids would grow up next door.
“Mom, Dad has the smile again.”
“He’s just happy.” Bronte laughed. “Right, Drew?”
“So damn happy,” I agreed.
“Swear jar,” Amelia sung.
“Girl, you got my credit card, or do you really want a crisp dollar bill instead?”
“I’m just gonna go.” Amelia held up the card. “I’ll check back in later. Remember, I get first shift, so you guys can sleep when you get back and Sarah flies in next week for her turn!”
The kids had outright refused to let us hire a nanny.
I kind of loved it.
Both kids took off, and the nurses came to grab the twins so we could nap for a bit, but all my body kept thinking about was how gorgeous Bronte looked, how strong and incredible she was.
“We can’t have sex yet,” she deadpanned.
“I just want to hold you,” I whispered, “and bask in your amazingness.”
“But I want you…” she whined.
“Patience.” I crawled into bed and pulled her into my arms. “Thanks for the seven days that turned into a lifetime…”
“Thanks for walking in my door and stalking me.”
“Anytime.” I kissed her forehead and fell asleep with a smile on my face. She was my song, and there would be many more verses to write.
WANT MORE SEASIDE?
Don’t miss the Seaside Pictures books.
Each standalone book features a different couple!
Capture (Lincoln & Dani’s story)
Keep (Zane & Fallon’s story)
Steal (Will & Angelica’s story)
All Stars Fall (Trevor & Penelope’s story)
Abandon (Ty & Abigail’s story)
Provoke (Braden & Piper’s story)
Surrender (Drew & Bronte’s story)
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Rachel Van Dyken is the #1 New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today bestselling author of over 90 books ranging from contemporary romance to paranormal. With over four million copies sold, she's been featured in Forbes, US Weekly, and USA Today. Her books have been translated in more than 15 countries. She was one of the first romance authors to have a Kindle in Motion book through Amazon publishing and continues to strive to be on the cutting edge of the reader experience. She keeps her home in the Pacific Northwest with her husband, adorable son, naked cat, and two dogs. For more information about her books and upcoming events, visit www.RachelVanDykenauthor.com.
ALSO BY RACHEL VAN DYKEN
Kathy Ireland & Rachel Van Dyken
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Elicit (Tex & Mo’s story)
Bang Bang (Axel & Amy’s story)
Enforce (Elite + from the boys POV)
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Elude (Sergio & Andi’s story)
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Cruel Summer Trilogy
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Summer Seduction (Marlon & Ray’s story)
Summer Nights (Marlon & Ray’s story)
Covet
Stealing Her (Bridge & Isobel’s story)
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Avoiding Temptation (Slater & Tatum’s story)
The Setup (Finn & Jillian’s story)
The Dark Ones Series
The Dark Ones (Ethan & Genesis’s story)
Untouchable Darkness (Cassius & Stephanie’s story)
Dark Surrender (Alex & Hope’s story)
Darkest Temptation (Mason & Serenity’s story)
Darkest Sinner (Timber & Kyra’s story)
Ruin Series
Ruin (Wes Michels & Kiersten’s story)
Toxic (Gabe Hyde & Saylor’s story)
Fearless (Wes Michels & Kiersten’s story)
Shame (Tristan & Lisa’s story)
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Tear (Alec, Demetri & Natalee’s story)
Pull (Demetri & Alyssa’s story)
Shatter (Alec & Natalee’s story)
Forever (Alex & Natalee’s story)
Fall (Jamie Jaymeson & Pricilla’s story)
Strung (Tear + from the boys POV)
Eternal (Demetri & Alyssa’s story)
Seaside Pictures
Capture (Lincoln & Dani’s story)
Keep (Zane & Fallon’s story)
Steal (Will & Angelica’s story)
All Stars Fall (Trevor & Penelope’s story)
Abandon (Ty & Abigail’s story)
Provoke (Braden & Piper’s story)
Surrender (Drew & Bronte’s story)
The Consequence Series
The Consequence of Loving Colton (Colton & Milo’s story)
The Consequence of Revenge (Max & Becca’s story)
The Consequence of Seduction (Reid & Jordan’s story)
The Consequence of Rejection (Jason & Maddy’s story)
Curious Liaisons
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Dangerous Exes (Jessie & Isla’s story)
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The Dare (Jace & Beth Lynn’s story)
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The Redemption of Lord Rawlings (Phillip & Abigail’s story)
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