by Soraya Lane
ALSO BY SORAYA LANE
Letters to Love
Voyage of the Heart
The Devil Wears Spurs (A Texas Kings Novel)
Montana Christmas
Montana Homecoming
Montana Reunion
Her Best Friend’s Baby
The Returning Hero
Her Soldier Protector
The Billionaire in Disguise
Patchwork Family in the Outback
Mission: Soldier to Daddy
Rescued by the Rancher
The Soldier’s Sweetheart
The Navy Seal’s Promise
The Navy Seal’s Bride
Change
Back in the Soldier’s Arms
Soldier, Father, Husband?
Rodeo Daddy
The Army Ranger’s Return
Soldier on Her Doorstep
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, organizations, places, events, and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.
Text copyright © 2016 Soraya Lane
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without express written permission of the publisher.
Published by Lake Union Publishing, Seattle
www.apub.com
Amazon, the Amazon logo, and Lake Union Publishing are trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc., or its affiliates.
ISBN-13: 9781503948464
ISBN-10: 1503948463
Cover design by Lisa Horton
I am so fortunate to work with some amazingly talented women.
For Emilie Marneur, Sammia Hamer, Sophie Wilson & Laura Bradford—thank you!
CONTENTS
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
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10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.
21.
22.
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24.
25.
26.
27.
28.
29.
30.
31.
32.
33.
34.
EPILOGUE
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
1.
I’m not going to waste time making small talk, because I can tell you’re desperate to find out.”
Lisa squeezed her husband’s hand. Hard. She was staring at their OB/GYN without blinking. Was that a hint of a smile or was he just being polite? Her heart was racing, palms sweaty as she tried to keep her skin connected to her husband’s. She could feel that Matt was burning up, too, his hand hot in hers.
“You’re pregnant.”
What? Lisa’s other hand started to shake, the one her husband wasn’t pumping in the air, still linked to his. “Are you sure?” she gasped.
Matt let go of her hand and slung his arm over her shoulders instead, pulling her in tight and smacking a kiss to her cheek. “I don’t think he’s joking.” He laughed, jumping out of his seat and trying to yank her up with him. “You’re not joking are you, doc?”
“Mr. and Mrs. Collins, I can assure you that I’m not joking.” The doctor was smiling back at her, the bearer of news she’d been waiting so long to hear. “You’re only just pregnant, so it’s still early days, but as of right now you are most definitely having a baby. Congratulations.”
She was numb. Her body had frozen, her mind stuck on that one word that was playing over and over like she was incapable of thinking of anything else. Pregnant. It had been so long, two years of trying naturally before two grueling rounds of IVF, and now she was actually pregnant? She was actually going to be a mom? They were going to be parents?
“Lisa, say something.” Matt had a grin on his face so wide she was sure she could see all of his teeth. “Are you okay?”
“We’re pregnant,” she whispered.
He was laughing again, eyes bright as he sat back down. “I guess we’ll have to wait a while before we can pick the nursery colors, huh?”
Lisa let out a big breath. She really needed to get a grip. But she was pregnant! “So what are our chances of this working out? I mean, I don’t want to be negative, but I don’t want to shout it from the rooftops if there’s a chance we could lose this baby either.” She placed her hand protectively over her stomach, which was still flat like there wasn’t anything changing within her body, already stressing out that something bad was going to happen.
“There is a chance of miscarriage—there always is this early on—but we see no reason for you to be at any higher risk than any other patient.”
Lisa nodded, watching Matt’s face. He was always so easy to read. His face was bursting with happiness right now, one corner of his mouth permanently kicked up into a grin. Sometimes he was still such a boy. His puppyish enthusiasm hadn’t changed since she’d met him as a teenager.
“We’re havin’ a baby!” he muttered. “We’re having a baby!” Matt spoke louder the second time, not giving her any warning before jumping up and dragging her up with him, pulling her into his arms and twirling her around.
“Matt!” she protested, struggling to regain her balance. “Matt, put me down!”
He swung her around again before finally setting her on her feet. She should be used to his exuberance after almost ten years together, but he still managed to catch her by surprise.
“I’ll see you both again in another few weeks, but if you have any concerns at all, please don’t hesitate to contact me.” The doctor’s smile was kind. “Go about all your usual activities and don’t worry too much.”
Matt took her hand again, tucking her against him as they walked out.
“You know you’re my rock, right?” Lisa tilted her chin to look up at him, nestled under his arm, the top of her head reaching only to his shoulder. “I mean, you’re crazy, but I wouldn’t want to be doing this with anyone else.”
“You know it’s okay to get excited, right?” He asked her in return, giving her a wink.
Lisa sighed and held on tighter to his waist. “I just don’t want to believe it’s real and then be disappointed.”
“Me neither, but we won’t be,” he said, stopping so he could look at her, his body curved as he dipped down for a kiss, eyes trained on hers. “We’re having a baby, and if this doesn’t work, then we’ll just try again. Okay?”
Lisa shut her eyes for a beat, pushing the doubts away, forcing them from her mind. Worrying wasn’t going to do her any good. She loved Matt’s positive spin on life, but she didn’t want just any baby, she wanted this baby. “No baby clothes yet, and no telling anyone, okay?”
“It’ll be our secret until you’re ready. I promise.” Matt was grinning again. “But I am going to take you out for lunch to celebrate.”
“Okay. But no champagne,” she told him, finding it impossible not to share his excitement even if she was more cautious than he was. Butterflies were beating their wings in her belly, her skin flushing as she buzzed with happiness. “I’m pregnant, remember?”
He laughed and caught her up in his arms, swinging her around. “Baby, that’s not something I’ll ever forget.”
“Matt, you know I hate when you pick me up!” she protested, trying not to laugh because she knew it would only spur him on. “This is the second time in less than fifteen minutes!”
“You love it,” he said, still swinging her around.
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“Matt!”
“What?” he asked, voice husky as he set her on her feet and locked his hips against hers. “You gonna tell me off?”
“Yeah, as a matter of fact, I am,” she whispered, chin tilted as she looked up at him. “I’m the boss, and I say no more picking me up.”
“No, sweetheart, you just think you’re the boss.”
Lisa laughed when he grabbed her again, hating that she was light enough for him to manhandle.
“Matt . . .”
“If you weren’t pregnant, I wouldn’t be giving in this easily,” he growled, tucking her under his arm.
“Very funny,” she said. “Almost as funny as you thinking you’re the boss in this relationship.”
They both laughed and bumped together, grinning away like a pair of idiots. They were pregnant and her husband was crazy-silly sometimes, but she wouldn’t want it any other way.
Lisa walked through her shop, running her hands along the brightly colored fabrics, loving the soft textures against her fingertips. It had been her lifelong dream to design clothes and have a little store somewhere filled with her own creations, and she’d lived that dream for five years now, since just before they were married. Every day she jumped out of bed, excited to get dressed up in clothes she’d designed and made herself, happy to open the doors and walk into her store. She’d sit out back and design, or sometimes lean against the counter and sketch, always thinking about the next season, the next collection of pieces that would put smiles on the faces of her customers. It was her happy place, and she couldn’t imagine it not being a part of her life.
“What are you thinking about?”
Lisa turned and looked at Matt. It always cracked her up how out of place he looked in her pretty shop, dressed in his faded jeans, work boots and t-shirt. He was all man, and the shop was insanely feminine.
“I always thought I’d sell this place when we had kids. But now, I’m not so sure,” she told him.
Matt leaned against a rack of clothes and she cringed, expecting him to accidentally push it over. “So keep it. You can do both.”
Lisa laughed. “Easy for you to say.” But he was right, there was no reason she couldn’t be a great mom and still run her own business. If she wanted it that badly, she could make it work.
“The thought of not designing or seeing my customers anymore just kills me,” she said, looking around slowly, taking in every inch of the store. The soft pink-painted walls and the chandelier in the center of the space, the wall-to-wall racks full of dresses and skirts and cute tops, the dressing rooms hidden by thick, luxurious drapes. “I love this place, but I want to put everything into being a mom, too. I guess it’s the choice that all modern mothers face. I just haven’t had to confront it until now.”
“Lis, it’ll work itself out. Just see what happens,” Matt said, shrugging and acting like it wasn’t that big a deal.
Lisa sighed and walked to the counter. Standing behind it, she looked down the shop at Matt where he still stood. He was the kind of guy who just took life one day at a time, so relaxed it was a wonder he didn’t fall over half the time. They always joked that he’d be late to his own funeral. But she was a planner, liked to know what was happening and when, was used to running her own business and keeping her always-late husband in line. She’d grown so much since she opened for the first time, her collections becoming more mature as she moved closer to thirty, but featuring the same pretty, whimsical fabrics that had always appealed to her. She knew it would be impossible to walk away completely.
“Come on, let’s go,” Matt said, coming around the counter and scooping his arms around her, body hard to hers.
“Do you take anything seriously?” she muttered, laughing when he nibbled her ear.
Matt kissed her neck. “Sure do. Like how much I’d like to strip you naked on the counter, how much I’m looking forward to dinner at Kelly’s tonight because I’m so damn hungry . . .”
Lisa swatted at him, punched his arm and escaped. “You’re terrible.”
He winked. “I know.”
She loved that Matt wanted her, that he was so much fun, but she also would have liked to have a serious discussion about her work with him. Lisa sighed. “It’s such a first-world issue, I know, but all I’ve ever wanted is a family. And on the other hand, I have my dream career going on here, and that’s important to me, too. I just don’t know what to do. I don’t want to be caught between the two and end up doing nothing well.”
Matt planted his hands on her hips, smiling down at her. “If anyone can have it all, it’s you,” he whispered. “Trust me. And besides, you’ve got me. You kind of do have it all.”
Lisa stood on tiptoe, torso pressed to his as she kissed the smirk off his face, used to his teasing. “Oh yeah, I forgot.”
“You forgot the most important person in your life?”
Lisa pushed him back, hands flat to his chest, and looked down at her stomach. “Most important or second most important?” she teased. “Actually, I can’t forget the dog, so maybe you’re third most important.”
He grunted. “Hey, I’m most important until the day this baby is born.”
Lisa hugged him tight. “I can’t wait for the baby to come. It’s going to be the longest eight and a half months of my life.”
“By the time we paint the nursery, renovate some furniture, buy all the little clothes and fix up the house, the months will fly by in no time.”
“I’m scared that I want this too bad,” she whispered, listening to the steady beat of his heart against her ear.
His lips touched the top of her head. “Nothing’s going to happen. I promise.”
She knew it wasn’t a promise he could keep, but she was happy to take his word. Everything felt right, everything had happened in the right order. She could keep running her business to stop her going stir-crazy when she was up to her eyeballs in diapers, just as long as she could figure out how to balance the two, and she was married to an awesome guy who was going to be an amazing dad. Matt was right: everything was going to be okay. She needed to take a leaf out of his book and chill out, stop worrying so much.
“I love you,” she said, kissing him again before letting go. She walked out back and collected her things together: her design book, plus her favorite pen and pencil zipped into a little baby blue case.
She looked around, smiled at every pop of color, every garment hanging, every piece of jewelry on display. She was going to keep the shop. There was no way she could walk away.
“Let’s go,” Lisa said.
Matt held out his hand and she clasped it after flicking out the lights. It was time to go home.
“Surprise!”
Lisa burst out laughing as they walked into her big sister’s house. It was always chaotic at Kelly’s place, but today there were streamers and paper lanterns hanging from the ceiling, a huge sign covered in glitter that she’d bet anything her little nieces had made. And it was obviously all for her. She’d only found out she was pregnant a week ago, but obviously Matt hadn’t been so good at keeping their secret.
“Ohmygod,” she muttered, glancing at Matt.
His face was as surprised as hers, and she knew he’d never throw her a party without her knowing.
“Don’t look at me,” he muttered straight back.
“Surprise, Aunt Lisa!”
Lisa let go of Matt’s hand and dropped to her knees, wrapped her arms around her youngest niece, Eve, loving the feel of her skinny little arms hugging her back.
“Thanks, sweetheart,” she said, dropping a kiss into her hair before pulling away.
“Daddy says you’re gonna be real angry, but Mama wanted you to have a party.”
Lisa laughed. “First, I’m gonna blame Uncle Matt for telling her in the first place, and then I’m gonna kill your mom,” she replied, imitating her niece.
Eve burst out laughing and ran off giggling.
“Matt! What happened to keeping this quiet?” Lisa dem
anded.
He looked guilty as sin. “Okay, guilty as charged, but I didn’t think she’d throw you a party!”
“Guess this is what I deserve for marrying my sister’s best friend, huh?” Lisa teased, letting it go and grinning up at him as she looped her arms around his neck. He bent and kissed her on the mouth, making her sigh and forget all about telling him off. So what if her family knew? Maybe she needed to let go and not worry so much. What did she have to hide? She’d always counted on their support, so maybe it wasn’t so bad that they knew the news a little early. She bet Kelly had told their little sister, too, which meant she’d have Penny on the phone before the night was over.
“I know you hate surprise parties,” Matt whispered as he touched his lips to hers one last time, his touch so light he always left her craving more. “I would have told you if I’d known—I promise. No way I’d have kept this to myself.”
Lisa pulled back when a hand landed on her shoulder. She spun around, giving her sister a big hug, then her brother-in-law, Richard. It was only a family affair, and even though she wanted to kill Kelly for the surprise, it was kind of nice.
“We all wanted to celebrate,” Kelly said, holding her hand. “You’ve tried for so long, and when Matt told me, it was like finding out that I was pregnant. It means so much to us that you’re going to have a family.”
Lisa dropped her head to her sister’s shoulder for a minute, just wanting to savor the moment. “I’m scared of losing my little bump,” she confessed. “I don’t want anything to happen to him. Or her. That’s why I didn’t tell you straight away.”
“You’re not going to lose it,” Kelly replied, using her bossy big sister voice. “I promise.”
“You can’t make that promise,” Lisa whispered back, tears in her eyes. “Not you or Matt, even though he thinks that he can somehow pretend like he can.”
Big hands wrapped around her from behind them, followed by a warm, solid body pressed to her back. “I can,” Matt murmured. “I can promise you, because I’m not going to let anything happen to you or Bump. Okay?”
Lisa met her sister’s gaze, swapped smiles with her. She knew there was nothing Matt could do to protect her from a miscarriage, even if he actually wrapped her in cotton wool, but she loved that he cared so much, that he was so sure he could look after her and the baby.
