Raine

by J.C. Valentine

  “Do you want to cut the cord, Dad?” Dr. Sheridan held up a pair of weird-looking scissors. Without a second thought, Jarret took them and separated mother from child. He wasn’t sure how much time passed, but the next time he looked up, they were alone.

  Raine was staring at her new daughter with so much love in her eyes, the power of it made his chest feel tight. Then she lifted her eyes to his and Jarret’s whole world just… stopped.

  “Want to hold her…Dad?” Raine laughed, something he might have found funny too an hour ago. She sobered once she caught the look on his face. “What’s wrong?”

  “I love you.” The words were out before he could stop them, but that was okay, because Jarret didn’t intend to take them back. Raine’s open mouth suggested he had stunned her, so he figured he may as well lay it all out there.

  “I’m so damn crazy about you, Peach, and if you’ll have me, I want the chance to be that baby’s father because I’m crazy about her, too.”

  “But…” Raine looked down at the sleeping bundle in her arms. “I don’t know what to say, Jarret. This is an emotional time. How can I be sure you really mean it?”

  “Because I do.” Sitting on the side of the bed, Jarret tucked a few strands of hair that had escaped her ponytail behind her ear. “I’ve haven’t been able to take my eyes off you since the day I first saw you. You may have been my brother’s first, but you’ve always been mine. And I’m yours, Raine, mind, body, and soul. Everything I have, everything I am, belongs to you.”

  “What about her?”

  “I belong to her, too.” Jarret grinned.

  “Do you really love me?”

  The vulnerability in her eyes was something Jarret could relate to. He pressed a feather light kiss to her lips, needing the physical contact. “I love you something fierce, Raine Forester. Do you love me?”

  “I love you…” she grinned against his lips, “Jarret Moss.”

  “Then that’s all we need.” Fitting his mouth to hers, Jarret kissed Raine with his whole heart, pouring his love for her into that single act so she’d never question it again. When he drew back, she wore the look of a very satisfied woman.

  “So, what now?”

  Jarret eyed the bundle in her arms. “Now, I hold my little princess.” After Raine passed him the baby and showed him how to hold her so her head wouldn’t fall off, Jarret took his first real look at the person he’d been anticipating meeting for the better half of a year.

  “So, was it worth the wait?” Raine asked, as he peeled back the blanket and inspected her.

  He saw pale pink lips, fat, droopy cheeks, a stubborn chin, and a dusting of pale red hair. “Every second, Peach. Every second.”

  EPILOGUE

  “There, right there!” Jarret pointed at Scarlett’s dimpled face.

  “I don’t see anything.” Reaching across the table, Raine wiped the baby’s face clean of drool and cookie crumbs. “Just the cutest face in the world!”

  Baby talk always got Scarlett worked up. Legs kicking, arms flailing, the kid was a regular ball of sunshine. There wasn’t a happier baby on the planet, which always made Jarret puff up with pride. “She only does it when you’re not looking,” he muttered as he bit into his sub sandwich.

  “So stop telling me to look,” Raine offered helpfully.

  “Now why didn’t I think of that? You’re so smart.” Leaning over, Jarret met Raine halfway for a kiss that made his jeans too tight. “Hurry and eat,” he growled. “It’s almost naptime and Daddy needs some time alone with Mommy.”

  “Oh really? Well, if Daddy gets Mommy her favorite fudge sundae, I’m sure that can be arranged.”

  Tossing his napkin on the table, Jarret stood. “Keep an eye on Mommy, Scarlett.” Bending down, he grabbed Raine’s chin and tilted her face up. “I’m going to eat you up when we get home,” he promised, then kissed her hard and fast, nipping her bottom lip as he pulled away. He gave her the smile that never failed to excite, and headed back to the counter to place the order.

  “Hey, bro.”

  The voice wiped the smile clean off Jarret’s face, and he spun around. “Camron,” he said curtly. “What are you doing here?” His first instinct was to make sure Raine and the baby was okay. They were still sitting at the table, oblivious to his brother’s presence.

  Jarret intended to keep it that way.

  “Getting lunch, same as you.” He glanced over his shoulder, to their table. “So, that’s the kid?”

  “Yep, that’s the kid.” Jarret moved with the line. His body vibrated, he was so upset.

  “She’s cute.” Camron turned to look at the menu on the wall. “So, you two are together? It’s official?”

  “Got married last month,” Jarret clipped out, not that Camron needed to know that.

  The baby had just turned four months, making it an entire year since his and Raine’s lives had crashed together. That coupled with the news that she was pregnant with their second child made Jarret realize that it was time to put some paper to it. He’d done it the right way, and asked her father’s permission. Raine objected, but to both their surprise, Mr. Forester had been very agreeable. Together, Jarret and Raine were making progress with her parents, and they seemed happy that Raine had someone to take care of her and provide for her. Jarret didn’t have the heart to tell them that Raine was more than capable of taking care of herself, but it was a job he was proud to take on.

  “And was it worth it?”

  Jarret didn’t have to ask to know what Camron was referring to. Was it worth giving up his family, the money, the status? “Absolutely.” He never really felt like he had it anyway.

  “I should be mad that you moved in on her the way you did,” Camron commented. “Thanks to that stunt you two pulled, having me questioned like that, everyone knows the kid is mine. It doesn’t look right, two brothers hooking up with the same chick.”

  Jarret glared at his little brother, seeing nothing of the boy he remembered playing with as kids. Last he heard, Camron’s lawyer had worked his legal magic and he’d walked away clean as a newborn baby. He was in his second year at Kent State and had recruiters scouting him. Everything seemed to be going his way, just as Raine said it would, but just as Jarret hoped, Camron carried the stain of what he’d done around with him everywhere he went. Girls looked at him funny, people whispered, and his father had lost a few big accounts due to speculation. It just went to show that the rumor mill had a lot more power than people gave it credit for.

  The line moved up, but this time, Jarret didn’t follow. Turning to face him, he looked down into Camron’s icy blue eyes, the same as their mother’s, and the same as his own. “Listen close, because I’m only going to say this once. That little girl over there isn’t yours, she’s mine. You’re nothing but the sperm donor. As for Raine, I don’t give a flying fuck what people say about me or where I put my dick, but if I ever hear that you’re running your mouth off about her in anything less than a glowing light, I’ll knock your teeth so far down your throat you’ll be eating through a straw.

  “Good news is, as much as I feel like beating your ass right now, it’s not worth the risk of losing one second with those two people over there.”

  Lowering his head, Camron pinched his lips between his fingers and chuckled under his breath. “I gotta say, bro, I didn’t think you had it in you. At the risk of losing my teeth, it’s better you than me. There’s no way I’d give up everything I have now to spend my time wiping shitty asses and spending all my money on diapers and formula.”

  “That’s because I’m a better man than you.”

  “Can I help you?”

  Jarret smiled at the pretty young server, not missing the curious look she gave his brother over his shoulder, and ordered Raine’s sundae. To go. Turning back to Camron, he said, “Is there a reason you’re still hanging around?”

  Scratching the back of his neck, Camron sighed. “Family dinner. Mom wants you to call her sometime. Just to talk. She misse
s you.”

  “And Dad?” Camron looked away, and Jarret had his answer. “Thanks, but I’ll pass.” The girl handed him the sundae over the counter and Jarret passed off the cash to pay for it.

  “You need family, Jarret,” Camron rushed out as Jarret moved to go around him.

  Jarret continued walking. “I have all the family I need right here.” At the table, he handed Raine the cup of ice cream and pecked her on the lips. “What do you say we take off?”

  “Yeah, Scarlett is tired.” As she gathered her purse and the diaper bag, she glanced behind her, toward the front of the restaurant. “What did he want?”

  Jarret, in the middle of making silly faces at the baby, sighed. “I hoped you hadn’t seen him.”

  “Well, I did. So what did he want?”

  “Just to talk.”

  “And?”

  “And… we talked.” He shrugged. With a gentle push, Jarret guided Raine out the door.

  “Did you tell him?” Raine asked, biting her bottom lip.

  What a loaded question. Had he told Camron to fuck off? Had he told him about the marriage that he already knew about? Or was she asking if he’d told him about the baby? “Tell him what?”

  “I don’t know. About everything, I guess.”

  “I told him I was considering punching his teeth down his throat. He already knows we got married, and I didn’t tell him anything about the baby.” Reaching the SUV, he pulled open the door for her.

  “Why?” she asked, shielding her eyes from the sun as she frowned up at him.

  “Why didn’t I punch his teeth down his throat?” Jarret asked, as he leaned inside and secured the car seat in the back row. “Because jail cells are scary places and I’m too pretty to become some fat guy’s bitch. Plus, I didn’t think you’d appreciate having to bail me out.”

  “Who said I would bail you out?” she teased. “I meant, why didn’t you tell him about the baby?”

  Taking her by the hips, Jarret pulled Raine in close. “Do you really think he’d care? Besides, it’s none of his business. It’s none of any of their business,” he said, referring to his parents, too. “They had their chance to be a part of our lives, and they blew it. This,” he said, kissing the side of her neck, “is my family now. It’s the only family I need and the only one that matters.”

  Slapping her ass, Jarret pushed her into the cab. Once he was buckled in behind the wheel, he started the engine, flipped on the stereo, and waited for Raine’s reaction.

  “Peter Gabriel?” Hearing her favorite song, her brown eyes welled and Jarret smiled, wiping each one away as they fell down her cheeks. “You remembered.”

  “How could I forget? It brought you back to me.”

  “Don’t ever send me away again.” Raine sniffed, the tip of her nose turning red, and Jarret thought she’d never looked more beautiful.

  “Never, Peach.” And that was a promise.

  The End.

  Other Books Available by J.C. Valentine

  Night Calls Series

  Stranded

  That First Kiss

  Surrender to Love

  Trust

  Wayward Fighters Series

  Knockout

  Tapout

  About the Author

  J.C. Valentine

  USA Today Bestselling author J.C. Valentine is the alter-ego of Brandi Salazar, whose enjoyment of tales of romance spurred her to branch out and create her own.

  She lives in the Northwest with her husband, their wild children, and far too many pets. As a university student, she studies literature, which goes well with her dream of becoming an editor. Brandi entertains a number of hobbies including reading and photography, but her first love is writing fiction-in all its forms. Connect with JC on Facebook!