by Sandi Lynn
“I’m saying that I can’t, and I won’t let my fear stop me from living my best life. My best life is being with you, marrying you and starting a family. I let my parents and their issues define me and I’m not letting them do that anymore. They may have created me and given birth to me, but they aren’t me and I’m not them. And when we do have children one day and some signs appear that need addressing, I’ll get the help I need right away.”
“I’ve missed you so much,” I spoke as I placed my hands on each side of her face.
“I missed you too.”
I leaned in and brushed my lips against hers. Within seconds, our kiss deepened, and I never wanted to let her go. We both fell back on the blanket and laughed. We were making out in Central Park like a couple of teenagers. I broke our kiss and stared into her eyes as the light of the moon glistened on the lake.
“Can I you take you home? Back to our home?”
“Yes.” She smiled. “I want to come home.”
Chapter Thirty-Four
Six Months Later
Wes
I paced back and forth while I tried to calm my nerves. Today was our wedding day and I couldn’t help but have this feeling inside me. I needed to talk to Franco, so I found Francine and told her to get him for me and meet me outside the church.
“Wes, you wanted to see me?”
“Franco, how is she?”
“She’s simply gorgeous.” He grinned. “You’ll get to see for yourself in a bit.”
“I know she’s gorgeous. That’s not what I meant. I mean, how is she feeling?”
“She’s feeling fine.” His eye narrowed at me.
“Fine as in she’s sure about this?”
“I’m confused, Wes. What is going on here?”
“I need you to do me one favor and one favor only. Make. Sure. She. Gets. Down. That. Aisle.”
“Oh.” He chuckled. “That’s what you’re worried about. Please, Wes, she loves you to death. She’s walking down that aisle. Trust me.”
“Okay.” I nervously nodded.
“Now go back inside the church and take your place. We’ll see you in a few.” He winked.
Anna
“Is everything okay? Francine said Wes wanted to see you. Is he having second thoughts?” I asked in a panicked tone.
“Darling, relax. I honestly don’t know what is wrong with you two. Now turn and look at yourself one last time before you become Mrs. Westin Carter. We need to make sure everything is perfect.”
I stood in front of the full-length mirror while Franco placed the veil he made me on my head.
“I will say, I do believe I outdid myself even more this time around.”
“You did, Franco. Thank you for everything.”
“You’re welcome, love. Are you ready to become Mrs. Westin Carter?” He held out his arm.
“I am.” I grinned as I hooked my arm around his.
As soon as the music began to play, Franco and I started to slowly walk down the long aisle. I gulped as I stared at my future husband, who stood there with a smile on his face. Instantly, I stopped.
“Anna, what are you doing?” Franco asked in a whisper.
“I’m sorry, Franco,” I spoke as I kissed his cheek, handed him my bouquet and kicked off my shoes.
Picking up my dress, I ran down the aisle with a smile on my face and right into the arms of my handsome husband-to-be. He laughed as he picked me up and swung me around.
“I love you.” I smiled.
“I love you too, sweetheart.”
“Are you ready to marry me?” I asked.
“I’ve never been more ready for anything in my life. Let’s do this.”
“Brilliant, darling. This is why I love you,” Franco whispered as he handed me my shoes and bouquet.
Our ceremony was beautiful, and after taking several wedding pictures, we headed to our reception which was held at the Mandarin Oriental. We partied the night away with our friends and family and then headed up to our honeymoon suite for a night neither one of us would ever forget. In the morning, we’d leave for our honeymoon. Two weeks of just us. No business, no phones, nothing. Just us, Bora Bora, and Bali.
Chapter Thirty-Five
Six Months Later
Anna
“I’ll see you tomorrow, Francine,” I said as I grabbed my purse and walked out of the shop.
As I walked down the street to the drugstore, my belly started to flutter with nerves as I entered through the door and looked up at the signs that hung above each aisle. Found it. Aisle four. I stood in front of the shelf and looked at the vast amounts of pregnancy tests that were staring back at me. I was confused. It shouldn’t be this hard. My god, why were there so many different ones? This was ridiculous. I carefully looked at each one: digital results, rapid results, week indicator results, colored results, word results, smart countdown results. My head was spinning, for I knew nothing about pregnancy tests. I walked up to the front of the store and grabbed a small basket. Taking it back to aisle four, I grabbed a few different ones off the shelf and threw them in the basket. Then I hit the candy aisle and grabbed a couple Hershey bars, a bag of M&M’s for Wes, and a couple packs of Reese’s peanut butter cups for us to share.
As soon as I stepped into the penthouse, Wes came walking from his study.
“Did you get one?” he asked as he kissed me.
“It was overwhelming, so I got a few.” I opened the bag and showed him.
“Hmm. Do you really think you need that many?”
“I don’t know. Why not?” I smiled. “I’ll just pee on them all.”
He stuck his hand in the bag and pulled out his M&M’s.
“For me?”
“Of course. We’re going to need to snack while we wait.”
“Great idea. Shall we?” He held out his hand.
“We shall.” I placed my hand in his and we walked upstairs.
I dumped the bag on the bathroom counter. Wes and I began opening the boxes, and I carefully read the directions for each one.
“They’re all the same,” I spoke. “So just hand them to me one by one, I’ll pee on the stick and then you line them up in a row. Let your OCD shine.” I smirked.
“Do you have enough pee in you to do all these?”
“I’ve been holding it for a long time. Trust me, I have more than enough.”
I took down my pants and sat on the toilet.
“Are you ready?” he asked as he held the first stick in front of me.
“I’m ready.” I took in a deep breath.
We were like an assembly line. Stick, pee, return. Stick, pee, return. Stick. Pee. Return. When I was finished, I got up, washed my hands, grabbed my Hershey bar, and Wes and I walked out of the bathroom and took a seat on the edge of the bed.
“Three minutes for each of them. So let’s set the timer for five minutes because we have to give the last couple ones I did time to cook.” I grinned.
“Okay. Setting the timer for five minutes,” he spoke.
We sat there together. Wes shook some M&M’s in his hand and popped them into his mouth while I broke off three squares of chocolate and ate them.
“Want some?” he asked as he tilted the bag towards me.
“No. Thanks. Want some Hershey’s?” I asked as I tilted the candy bar to him.
“Nah. I’m good.”
Five minutes was nothing, but to us, it was the longest five minutes of our lives. If I was pregnant, it wasn’t planned. We talked about waiting a year or two after we were married to start trying. But we didn’t care. We were happy and prayed that the results were positive. The timer went off on his phone, and after he shut it off, he took hold of my hand and brought it up to his lips.
“If you’re not. It’s okay,” he softly spoke.
“I know. We still have plenty of time. It’s not like it was planned or anything.”
“I totally agree, sweetheart. Are you ready?”
“I am.” I took in a deep breath.
>
As he still was holding my hand, we both got up and slowly walked to the bathroom, both of us stopping in the doorway. We stood and stared at the line of sticks from afar for a moment before walking up to the counter and viewing the results.
“They’re all positive, Anna,” Wes said with excitement in his voice.
“I’m pregnant!” I grinned.
“Wait, what does this one mean? It says 3+.”
“That’s the week indicator one. I must be three weeks or more.”
We turned to each other and Wes placed his hands on each side of my face.
“We’re having a baby.” The corners of his mouth curved upwards.
“We’re having a baby.” I smiled brightly as our lips met and we shared a long passionate kiss.
“I have to tell Franco. Like, right now,” I said.
“Call him up and invite him over for dinner. I have a plan on how we can tell him.”
We walked out of the bathroom and I grabbed my phone and dialed his number.
“Hello, lovely.”
“Hi, Franco. Wes and I want you to come over for dinner tonight if you’re available.”
“Dinner? How fun. You’re lucky you caught me on a night that I’m not doing anything. Actually, even if I was, you know I’d cancel to spend the evening with the two of you. What time?”
“How about an hour?”
“Perfect. Tell Wes I just made a fresh cheesecake that I’ll bring.”
“You know, Franco. I’ve been thinking about this lately. You started making those cheesecakes for me and now you’re making them for Wes?”
“I’m sensing some juju jealousy coming from you, Anna Banana.”
“Just bring the cheesecake and get your ass over here. I’m hungry.”
“Did I hear he made me a cheesecake?” Wes grinned.
“Yes. He made you a cheesecake.” I rolled my eyes.
He wrapped his arm around me and we fell onto the bed.
“We have some time to celebrate privately.” He grinned.
“Then let’s celebrate.”
After we celebrated the news of my pregnancy with amazing sex, Wes and I got dressed and went down to the kitchen.
“There’s no time to cook,” I said. “We better just order in something.”
“Thai?” he asked.
“Sounds good. You already what Franco likes.”
“I’ll go place the order now.”
A few moments later, I heard a ding and Franco’s voice as he stepped off the elevator.
“Hello, Carter fam. I’ve arrived, and I brought some goodies.”
Wes and Franco walked into the kitchen together.
“Hello, sugar plum.” Franco smiled as he kissed my cheek.
“Hi.” I grinned. “I ran out of time to cook, so we’re ordering Thai.”
“Thai sounds fabulous.”
“Thanks again for the cheesecake, Franco.” Wes smiled as he held it up before putting it in the refrigerator.
“Anything for you, Mr. Carter.”
I narrowed my eye at both of them.
“Oh stop.” Franco patted my arm. “So when’s the food going to be here? This man is famished.”
“It should be here in about fifteen minutes. Can I get you a drink, Franco?” Wes asked.
“I’ll take a nice glass of Chardonnay.”
“Anna?” Wes asked as he winked at me.
“I’ll wait until the food gets here. Franco, is there any way you can fix my pants? The zipper broke today when I was zipping them up.”
“Of course. Let me look at them. Are they down here?”
“Actually, they’re in the master bathroom. Can you just run up and get them while I set the table?”
“Sure thing. I’ll be right back.”
If there was one thing I knew about Franco, it was his scream when he was overly excited. Wes stood next to me and placed his arm around my waist as we stood there and patiently waited for it. And there it was. Wes turned to me and we both smiled. Within seconds, he came flying down the stairs and stopped in the entrance of the kitchen.
“We’re having a baby!” he screamed as he jumped up and down and clapped his hands.
“YES! We’re having a baby!”
“Oh my god. I can’t believe it.”
He walked over and wrapped his arms around both of us, pulling us into a group hug.
“I’m so happy for the both of you,” he spoke.
Chapter Thirty-Six
Anna
Wes went with me to my first doctor’s appointment to confirm that I was indeed pregnant. Six weeks to be exact. We were both so over the moon with excitement, but there was a part of me that still harbored a fear, so I made an appointment with Dr. Stark.
“That’s wonderful news, Anna. Congratulations.”
“Thank you, Dr. Stark. Wes and I are so happy, but—”
“But you’re nervous about what’s going to happen after the pregnancy?”
“Yes.”
“Anna, you’re a young healthy woman and you’re glowing. Worrying about it isn’t going to help you or the baby. It’s only going to stress you both out. Here’s what I want you to start doing. I want you to take fifteen minutes every day and meditate. Clear your mind and your thoughts. I have some great meditation practices I can give you. Also, I want you to practice Kundalini yoga at least three times a week. You can take a class or hire a private instructor. I promise you that if you do those two things and you start now, you will have nothing to worry about.”
“Thanks, Dr. Stark. I will definitely start both of them immediately.”
Wes
The months went by and Anna was already six months pregnant. Her belly grew every day and she looked even more beautiful now than she did when I first laid eyes on her. When she had her ultrasound, we found out we were having a girl. To be honest, I didn’t care what sex the baby was as long as it was healthy. But when I heard those words “you’re having a girl,” I felt a tug in my heart. We started working on the nursery. Anna suggested we decorate in a Paris theme because that was where we met, and Paris would always hold a special meaning in our lives.
I climbed into bed next to Anna, who was reading What to Expect When You’re Expecting. I pulled the covers back that covered her, lifted up her nightshirt, and firmly placed my lips against her belly.
“Hello, baby girl. How was your day?”
“What are you doing?” Anna laughed.
“What’s that?” I placed my ear against her belly. “Your mommy ate the last piece of cheesecake?”
“Oh my god, stop it!” She ran her fingers through my hair.
I let out a chuckle as I pulled her nightshirt down and reached up and kissed her lips.
“I love us.” I smiled.
“I love us too.”
Anna
I was thirty-seven weeks pregnant and more than ready to have this kid. Everything was set and now all we needed was her to come into the world. About a month ago, Franco threw us the most amazing and elegant baby shower. Wes and I were blown away at the generosity of our family and friends.
As I was climbing out of bed, I stopped and placed my hand on my belly.
“Are you okay, Anna?” Wes asked as he stepped out from the bathroom.
“Yeah. Just those damn Braxton Hicks. I’m fine.”
“Maybe you should stay home and rest.”
“I’m fine, Wes. I have work to do at the shop.”
“Maybe you should stop working now until after the baby is born.”
“Maybe you shouldn’t have said such a silly thing.” I narrowed my eye at him.
“Right. Go to work, Anna. Just don’t work too hard.” He walked over and kissed my head.
“Thank you, and I won’t.”
As I was in the bathroom putting my makeup on, Wes walked up behind me and planted his hands on my belly.
“I have to go.” He softly kissed my neck.
“Have a good day.” I reached back and
placed my hand behind his head.
He turned me around, bent down, and kissed our baby goodbye.
“Now don’t give your mommy any trouble today. I can tell she’s tired because you were kicking her all night.”
“I swear this kid is going to be a kickboxer or something. She’s strong.”
“She’s like her mom.” He smiled as he stood up and kissed me goodbye.
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Anna
I waddled into the shop and the first thing I did was take a chocolate cupcake and eat it.
“Breakfast?” Francine smiled.
“Actually, I had oatmeal before I came in. So I’m considering this a mid-morning snack.”
I went into my office to look over some reports. The shop was doing phenomenal, and in our first year, we made a big profit. I knew this business would do well, and now Wes was regretting he didn’t invest himself. I finished up what I had to do and decided to go see if they needed any help up front. I was standing behind the counter, when the door opened. I looked up and my eyes met with the same eyes staring back at me. I froze and my heart started racing.
“Anna?” The woman’s soft voice spoke as she placed her hand over her mouth.
If I ran, I’d look like an idiot. Plus, I was thirty-seven weeks pregnant. Running wasn’t possible.
“Carla,” I spoke.
She was with a man I presumed was her husband. Panic started to soar through me, but I remembered my breathing and quickly tried to calm myself down. Her husband grasped her shoulders when he heard my name. God, what I wouldn’t give for Wes to be here.
“How are you?” she cautiously asked as she approached the counter.
“I’m great. I’m pregnant.” I placed my hands on my belly.
“I can see that.” She smiled. “You look like you’re due very soon.”
“In about two and a half weeks. What are you doing here in New York?” I asked.
