His Perfect BabyA Miracle Baby Romance

by B. B. Hamel

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  “Good.” She looks at me. “I hear you’ve been good to my girl.”

  “I have been. Or I’ve tried to be.”

  “Keep being good. Did you bring my money?”

  I nod. “It’s where you instructed me to put it.” As soon as I got here, I left the money in two briefcases in two different parts of the factory. It was a pain in the ass, but it was what they instructed me to do.

  “Good. So my men have it already.”

  “I assume so.”

  She checks her watch. “And now it’s time for the last piece of the puzzle. Is he normally punctual?” she asks.

  “Yes,” I say. “Normally, he’s early.”

  “Let’s see, then.” Lorraine joins us, and we stand in a line together, an old woman, Aria, and me. We must look like a strange little trio.

  We don’t have long to wait. True to form, Richard arrives on time, maybe even a little early. Two black SUVs pull into the lot and Richard climbs out of one followed by three large men, clearly his muscle. Three more men come from the other car, making six guys in total.

  Richard approaches with a huge grin on his face. The bastard probably thinks we’re outnumbered.

  He stares at Aria and I feel her stiffen beside me. His eyes drill into hers but she doesn’t look away, and for a second I’m proud of her.

  “Hello, daughter,” he says.

  She doesn’t respond. Just gazes back at him then spits onto the ground.

  Richard laughs then looks at me.

  “Well, Ethan,” he says, grinning at me. “You called this meeting. I assume you have a huge fucking bribe for me?”

  “Something like that,” I say.

  “Good. You’re in one shit position.” He looks at Lorraine and for a second, his grin falters. “And who is this old bat?” he asks.

  “I’d be more polite, young man,” Lorraine says.

  “Why? Are you going to hit me with your cane?”

  Lorraine sighs. “You never know what’s good for you, Richard.”

  He frowns at that. “Who are you?”

  “I’m here to give you something.” She steps forward, bringing out a manila envelope from under her cardigan. She hobbles slowly toward him, holding the envelope out.

  He eyes her strangely. “The fuck is this?” he asks. “Your recipe for pie?”

  “Something like that,” she murmurs. “Take it, please. And look inside.”

  He takes the envelope from her and she hobbles back toward us, a smile on her face. She winks at me as Richard takes the photographs from inside of the envelope.

  His face drops instantly and he shoves the pictures back into the envelope. One of the guys standing right behind him snickers and laughs a little.

  “What the fuck is this?” Richard shouts, anger bubbling up in him.

  Lorraine slowly turns back toward him. “Be polite, young man. Those are photographs.”

  “I saw that. Where the fuck did you get this? They’re fake.”

  Lorraine laughs. “They’re not fake. You know that. We have more where that came from, too. Video, if you like.”

  He’s speechless. I can feel Aria’s tension next to me, and I squeeze her hand. She looks up at me and forces herself to smile.

  “Fuck this,” Richard says. “I want my money, Ethan. Fuck this.”

  “We’re even now,” I say to him. “Do you get it? You’re going to sign the contract before last, the one that was a fair fucking deal. And then we’re done with this. You’ll leave Aria alone.”

  “Or what?” he says, anger bubbling over.

  “Calm down,” Lorraine says. “Or I’ll put a bullet in your head.”

  “Fuck you, old bitch!” he shouts.

  There’s a crack from behind us and a bullet smashes into the ground right in front of Richard. He shouts and jumps back, eyes wide. His goons all pull out weapons.

  “I wouldn’t fire those, if I were you,” Lorraine calls out. “This place is surrounded. Boys?”

  Suddenly, lights flash on all around us, probably twenty glowing beacons all told. The looks on the faces of Richard’s men are fucking priceless as they slowly put their guns on the ground.

  The flashlights turn off, and the men disappear again. I step toward Richard.

  “Like I said, you’ll sign that contract, and you’ll leave Aria alone. Understood?”

  He gapes at me, shocked. I walk toward him, a wicked grin on my face. I’m relishing this moment, savoring the look on his face. He’s defeated and he knows it, but I need more. I want him to grovel.

  “Ethan,” Lorraine warns me.

  I stop in front of Richard. His eyes are wide with anger, and I can tell he’s on the verge of doing something stupid.

  “I get everything,” I say. “I win and you lose. And I get your daughter.” I grin at him.

  He swings, just like I wanted. His fist lashed out, clumsy and wide. I duck it, elbow him in the gut, and then bring my other fist up and clock his chin.

  He staggers back and his men have to grab him to keep him standing.

  “Do as you’re told,” I say. “Or you’re finished.”

  Lorraine sighs. “Ethan, enough.”

  I nod and walk away, back to Aria. I take her hand and squeeze it and she laughs a little.

  “Asshole,” she whispers.

  Richard staggers to his feet, getting his balance again. “This isn’t over,” he calls out.

  “Yes, it is,” Lorraine says. “The Syndicate is done with you. Fuck up and we’ll destroy you. Do as you’re told, Richard. Don’t make me come out in the middle of the night again, please.”

  Richard is at a loss for words. He stares at the woman, finally comprehending who she is and what we’re doing here. He nods once.

  “Go to your car, go home, and be good.” Lorraine waves to him.

  Richard pauses then turns. The whole group of them gets back into their SUVs and we watch as they drive away.

  Lorraine sighs as they disappear around the bend. “Did you have to hit him?” she asks.

  “Yes,” I say.

  “Well, I can’t pretend like that wasn’t satisfying, but it’s late and I’m tired. Dear?”

  Aria steps toward her. “Yes?”

  “Do you want to stay with Mr. Locks here?”

  “Yes,” she says.

  “And Mr. Locks. Do you want Aria?”

  “Yes,” I say. “Absolutely.”

  “Good. Be nice to each other. Your contract with us is done, Aria. Good luck.”

  “Thank you.” She kisses Lorraine gently on the cheek.

  “I hope I never see you two ever again,” she says happily, then hobbles over to her car. She disappears into the back and then the car drives off.

  We stand there for a moment, Aria and I, alone in the lot. Lorraine’s men are gone too, I can sense them no longer staring at us. I step toward Aria, smiling.

  “What now?” I ask her.

  She shrugs. “I don’t know. We’re free.”

  “We are.”

  “No more money. No more Syndicate. Just the two of us.” She smiles at me, a little uncertain. “Are you sure about this?”

  I grab her hips, pull her against me, and kiss her hard.

  I’ve never been more sure of anything in my life. I melt into the kiss, hoping she understands that, and knowing she will eventually. I’m going to make a life with this woman. I’ll pay off her debts and make her my fucking wife one day, whether she knows it yet or not.

  That’s all that matters to me. It’ll be us two against the world. But hopefully not. Hopefully it’ll just be us two and nothing else, only joy.

  28

  Aria

  One Year Later

  I can hear the ocean just outside of the balcony doors. I stir in bed, taking a deep breath, and I smile.

  Ethan is already up and outside. I climb out of bed and push aside the curtains. The view is astounding and amazes me every morning just as much as it d
id the first time. The beachfront town spreads out around us, with the ocean barely a quarter mile away. Sea birds cry out and I blink at the sun.

  “Morning,” Ethan says. “My beautiful wife.”

  I laugh and smile at him. “Morning yourself. Why’d you let me sleep so late?”

  “You looked too content. Couldn’t wake you.”

  I smile and walk over to him. Ethan is sitting at a table eating a modest breakfast and wearing a white shirt open at the chest with white slacks.

  After everything with my father, we got married almost right away. Ethan said he didn’t want to wait, and I wasn’t going to argue. We eloped to France, and when I got pregnant four months later, we decided to stay. We left Jenkins behind, mostly because he hates me, and although I thought that might be tough for Ethan, he doesn’t seem to mind one bit. He’s so much more resourceful than I thought.

  Ethan works remotely now, and most of his duties have been taken over by his subordinates. He’s transitioning away from being the high-powered full-time CEO to being something else, something more domestic.

  I don’t have to worry about debt anymore. Ethan paid it off practically the night Lorraine destroyed my father. And my father never once bothered us, and even signed the contracts as he was told. Whatever was in that envelope scared him straight, and we never heard from him again.

  The Syndicate never bothered us again, either, though I wish I could see Lorraine. She was good to me when I was staying with them, and I even began to think of her as a friend.

  Now though, we live far away in the south of France, and I’m so pregnant I can barely walk around.

  Ethan stands up and kisses my pregnant belly then kisses my lips. “Another perfect day,” he observes.

  “It’s always perfect here, isn’t it?”

  He shrugs. “I guess so. If you get tired of it being too perfect, we can leave at any time.”

  I laugh, shaking my head. I’m still not used to having unlimited money and time and freedom. It’s hard to really understand just how easily we can move around and do whatever we want.

  I feel so content, so surpassingly content. I’ve never been this happy in my entire life. I still feel like that awful junky girl that I used to be, but I’m slowly getting away from it.

  All because of him. We’re a family now, and he treats me like a queen. He spoils me, and I’m still his pet. We’ve been exploring all the different ways he can tie me up, or at least we were until I got too pregnant.

  Once I have this baby, we’ll go back to it. And I can’t freaking wait.

  “What do you want to do today?” he asks me.

  “I don’t know. Isn’t that awful? We can do anything, and I never know what to do.”

  “Horrible problem to have.” He laughs and kisses me again.

  This is how life turned out for me. I don’t know how. Sometimes, it shocks me. But I’m Mrs. Locks, wife of the rich and handsome Ethan Locks, and still his little pet.

  And soon, we’ll be a bigger family. I’ll have my baby and maybe another, and maybe another. We’ll live wherever we want, do whatever we want, and I know it’ll be perfect. There are bad days ahead, of course. Nothing is ever perfect for long. But the good days will always outnumber the bad ones, because I’ll have Ethan with me.

  He’ll protect me. He’ll bring me through anything.

  I’m still that junky girl. But maybe soon, I won’t be anymore. All because of him.

  We’re a family. And I couldn’t be happier. I’ll keep following him forever, as long as he’ll have me, until I can’t follow him any more.

  Babymaker: A Best Friend’s Secret Baby Romance

  Prologue: Avery

  “You have to run.”

  I stare at him, my eyes wide, pleading. He just shakes his head and looks away from me, down toward the creek that winds its way through our neighborhood. I reach up and touch his cheek but he pulls back.

  “I can’t run,” he says. “Nowhere to run, you know that.”

  “We can go to Mexico together. Raise our baby.”

  He turns toward me and takes my hand. His grip is hard as he pulls me against his hard, muscular body. Luke’s piercing green eyes stare down at me and I feel that same thrill I always feel when he touches me.

  “No,” he says simply.

  I keep thinking about the night I got pregnant. My legs spread wide, hands pressed against the windows of his truck as he slides himself deep inside of me, lips against my neck, my mouth, my chest. He fucked me rough and deep, made the whole truck shake, the windows fog. I came twice that night before he finally filled me, leaving me panting and sweating on the seat beside him.

  It was one of the best nights of my life. He didn’t make me wait long for more. He almost never does. Truth is, every night with Luke is the best night of my life, because he never quits until I get my fill and then some. He always has more for me, always waiting to give me more.

  “That’s no life for you,” he says to me softly. “Not for you or for my baby. You have something here. Maybe I don’t agree with your family, and they fucking hate me, but at least they can take care of you.”

  “Luke,” I say, biting back tears.

  “We both know I didn’t do this, but they think I did. And they’re gonna get me for it, no matter what we do. If I try and fight, try and run, it’ll only be worse for you. Right now, you have a chance here. I can’t risk that for you.”

  “You can’t leave me,” I whisper to him. “You can’t leave your baby.”

  That last word hurts. I can see the pain in his eyes. I know he’s doing what he thinks is right, turning himself in for a crime he didn’t commit, all to protect me. But I can’t stomach it. I can’t live in a world without Luke, with a child that’ll remind me of him every single day. It’s going to tear me apart. But I know I can’t change his mind, not Luke Harper. When he’s set on something, he never stops. It’s part of what I love about him.

  “Just go home,” he says softly, letting my hand drop and turning away.

  “Please,” I say, trying to control myself.

  He looks over his shoulder at me, one last look as a free man, and he starts walking. I want to kiss him, taste his lips, but that might hurt more than help. I stand there as the tears come, hot and hard and choking, but I don’t look away. I’m going to let this moment burn in my brain for the rest of my life. I won’t forget him, Luke Harper, free man, one of the best I know.

  He doesn’t turn back, probably can’t let himself, but I’m not pretending like he isn’t walking into his own execution.

  1

  Luke

  I park my truck outside of the drab brick building and sit there with the engine running for a couple minutes, staring out the window.

  Everything’s familiar, but it’s different. Five years passed by in the blink of an eye and I feel like the whole world’s left me behind, especially this fucking town. I can’t say I missed it, but I can’t imagine going anywhere else.

  Not when I have this anger inside of me and no other place to put it.

  I kill the engine and climb out. I grab my bag from the passenger seat. It’s filled with my only possessions in this whole world: a beat up laptop, some extra clothes, and my father’s revolver.

  I walk slowly up the concrete stairs until I get to the front door. I swipe the pod on my keys and it buzzes, letting me inside. I head up another staircase, down an unfamiliar hallway, until I’m finally standing outside of my apartment.

  I take a deep breath and let it out. This is home sweet fucking home.

  I unlock the door and step inside. It’s about as bad as I figured it’d be. Clean enough, though drafty and musty. One bedroom, one tiny kitchen with a refrigerator that looks like it’s on its last legs, and a tiny living room. Not a stick of furniture in the whole damn place, not even a bed.

  Doesn’t matter. I’m used to some bad living conditions. I put my bag on the top of the counter and slide the laptop out. I plug it in, boot it up,
and look out the big window.

  Never thought I’d be back in Coldwyn. They told me I’d rot for at least twenty-five years, probably my whole fucking life. They told me I wouldn’t last a month behind bars.

  Five years later, they let me out. I don’t know how or why, but someone talked and admitted to hiding evidence. I got a new trial, and I was acquitted. I got an apology and a kick in the ass, and now here I am, back in Coldwyn, in the place that turned its back on me, called me a killer, and locked me up for a crime I didn’t commit.

  I log into Facebook and type in her name. Avery Seller’s profile shows up on my screen. I can’t see much about her, since it’s set to private, but I can see her picture. It’s Avery, the same Avery I remember, hugging a little boy close against her. I feel my heart flutter as I recognize his deep green eyes, his jaw, his nose. I stare at that picture for what feels like an eternity.

  My mouse hovers over the “Add Friend” button. I stare at it, dare myself to click it. I haven’t heard a word from her in five years, which doesn’t exactly surprise me, but it still hurts. She had my baby, my fucking son, and I didn’t hear a peep. She knew I was innocent. She was the only one who believed it.

  But when I told her to move the fuck on, I guess she actually listened. I guess she felt she couldn’t so much as write me a letter, see how I was doing.

  I would’ve told her this: I’m doing fucking fine. I’m surviving. I’m counting the days until I can get my revenge.

  And now that day’s here a little sooner than I thought it would be.

  I want to click that button. I want to get a phone and call her old number, see if she picks up just to hear her voice. I don’t want to see her, but I do. Avery was everything to me, the only girl I’ve ever loved, and she’s the mother of my child. I miss her lips, the way she laughs, her hands on my body. I miss the way we’d sit up talking after we fucked, bodies dripping sweat, but all we’d want to do was talk, talk, talk, unable to get enough of each other.