The Baby Bump

by Tara Wylde

  All things considered, he has every right to hate me.

  Garret shoots me a warm smile and takes a couple steps toward me. “I hear that I have you to thank for making me a free man.”

  The warmth in his voice goes a long way toward soothing my concerns that he now hates me. I offer him a tentative smile. “It wasn’t me so much as Eli. He’s the one who put two and two together and realized you’d been framed and that he’d accidently had a role in it.” I take a deep breath before rushing to finish the thought. “And it was Tracy who remembered that Dillion got a new job working for the IRS, which apparently makes him sort of a Federal agent who was given both a high-power job and a badge. Not a good choice.”

  “Dillion.” Garret says the name slowly. “That’s the name of the guy that the police said might have hacked my computer and done a number on my financial records?”

  “Yeah, he’s my—” I glance at Officer Jacobson, who offers me an encouraging smile. “A guy I met through internet dating. Online we hit it off, but in the real world, he didn’t do anything for me. Unfortunately, he refused to believe that, thought that if he kept hanging out on the periphery of my life, that eventually I’d fall in love with him.”

  “The cops showed me a picture of him,” Garret says, edging a little closer to me. “Asked if I knew him. It took me a minute to realize I did.”

  I blink. “Really?”

  Garret shrugs. “I guess ‘know’ isn’t quite the right word, but I have met him. It was that night we went to the food truck and ate those enchiladas. He approached me and asked a few questions about you and our relationship. Then he toddled away. I thought he was strange, but I wasn’t worried about him. He seemed harmless enough.”

  It sounds an awful lot like what I’ve said each time someone pointed out that Dillion was behaving like a stalker. Strange but not dangerous. Nothing to worry about.

  If I’d done things differently, filed a restraining order or pressed charges against him, Garret wouldn’t have spent a night in jail and Dillion might have already gotten the help he clearly needed.

  “Garret, I’m so sorry.” My voice breaks. “This is all my fault. If what happened makes things too weird for you, if you want to call it quits, I’ll … I promise I’ll understand.”

  “Call it quits?” Garret finishes crossing the distance between us. “Didn’t we have a conversation very similar to this one last night, before I was arrested? One where you tried to break up with me? I told you I was falling love with you.”

  “But that was before.”

  Garret places a light finger across my lips and stares deeply into my eyes. “Nothing has changed since then. I’m still falling for you.”

  He doesn’t give me a chance to respond but covers my mouth in a kiss that is better than any of the ones I’ve read about in my favorite romance novels.

  We’re both breathing heavily by the time our lips part.

  “Hey, Garret,” I whisper.

  “Yeah?”

  “I’m falling hard for you too!”

  Epilogue

  Erin

  “Can I take this stupid thing off yet?” I cling to Garret’s hand as he leads me across unfamiliar terrain.

  “Not yet,” he responds. “Just be patient. I’ll tell you when it can come off.”

  “You know, Tracy once asked me if I thought you were a serial killer.”

  “That sounds like something Tracy would say.” Garret gives my hand a light tug, taking me a little to the left. The gravel we’ve been walking on changes to grass.

  “I told her no, you aren’t, but I’m starting to wonder.” My words are a bluff. I’ve never met anyone who makes me feel safer than Garret. He’s the only person in the world I’d trust to take care of my body, soul, and heart.

  Garret chuckles. “One of these days, Tracy’s mouth and imagination are going to get her into some serious trouble.” He stops walking. “Okay, you can take it off now.”

  “Finally,” I grumble. I reach behind me and rip the strip of cloth he used as a blindfold off my head. The late afternoon sunlight burns my corneas, forcing me to squint. “Do you know how hot that damned thing …” My words dry up in my throat as my eyes adjust to the sudden brightness and I get my first good look at our location. “Wow.”

  “You like it?”

  “Yeah.” I nod. “What’s not to like?”

  I’m standing in the middle of a large front yard that’s attached to a gorgeous stick-built house. A large barn sits beside the house and mountains create the perfect backdrop.

  “Good,” Garret says sounding relieved. He wraps an arm around my shoulders and pulls me in close to his side. “I knew you would, but still, sometimes you surprise me.”

  Something in his tone has me tipping my head back and narrowing my eyes at him. “You went ahead and bought this place without consulting me, didn’t you?”

  Garret runs his left hand through his dark hair. The chain around his neck catches the sunlight. I can’t see the end of the chain, it’s tucked into his shirt, but I know it holds the heavy gold wedding ring his first wife gave him. A few weeks after his arrest, we finally admitted that we were dating. That was the same day that he moved the ring from his finger to the chain.

  Occasionally, I suddenly worry that he’s comparing me to Maddie, but more and more time is passing between those moments and Garret always does an excellent job assuaging my fears.

  “Yes, I bought it without talking to you, but I first learned about this place when you were at that advertising conference in Toronto. I was afraid if I waited until you got back, someone else would buy the property out from under me.” His fingers play with the ends of my hair. “If you hated it, I figured I’d just sell it.”

  For the six months following his arrest, Garret was careful with money. He had to be. Most of his accounts were frozen while the local police, IRS, and FBI tried to work their way through the mess Dillion had made of the files. Dillion finally confessed that, after seeing Garret and me kiss, he’d been so jealous he decided he needed to get Garret out of my life. He decided to put his skills and forensic accounting skills to use and make it look like Garret was breaking every financial law in the book. That was all that was needed for Garret to regain control of his financial assets, which had somehow grown even without him touching them.

  “Well, you’re off the hook. I don’t even have to see the inside to know that I love it.”

  “Well,” Garret drawls, “since you like the house so much, you’re really going to love your next surprise.”

  My brows shoot up. “Another surprise? In one day? How’d I get so lucky?”

  Garret reaches into the left pocket of his jeans as he smoothly drops down to one knee in the grass before me.

  “Erin Burkely.” He extends the hand holding a small ring box toward me. Inside, a gorgeous ring with a sapphire and diamond setting sparkles in the early evening sunlight. “Will you marry me?”

  Screaming nonsense, I fall onto the lawn, nearly knocking him over backwards as I cover every square inch of his face in quick kisses.

  He laughs and adds a few kisses of his own to my throat. “Is that a yes?”

  “Yes.” I twist my fingers into his hair, holding him in place while I place a proper kiss on his mouth, making sure to use lots of tongue. “Yes, a million times over.”

  “Great.” Garret stands, pulling me up with him. He sweeps me up into his arms, cradling me tightly against his chest. “How ‘bout we head inside where you’re free to use your body to tell me exactly how much you like the ring? The old owners left the curtains, so you don’t have to worry about the neighbors seeing how wild and sexy you really are.”

  His words send a warm glow that’s equal parts love and desire through me. It’s hard to believe that just a few short months ago, I’d never have believed that I’d fall head over heels in love with a tattooed, long haired, former mechanic who not only had the Midas touch when it came to money, but whose magic fingers mak
e me come harder and faster than any heroine in the romance novels I still read even imagined possible.

  It’s both strange and humbling to think that if just a few things had been different, this moment, this absolutely perfect, romance novel-worthy moment, wouldn’t be happening.

  Garret glances down at me. I don’t know what he sees in my expression, but his steps falter and his hold tightens. “What?”

  Stretching, I place a light kiss on the corner of his mouth. “I was just thinking how, that if it weren’t for fate, I’d still be lonely and desperately chasing every single man whose profile caught my eye and thinking I’m a complete sexual failure, and you’d be locked in your apartment with nothing but a three-legged cat for company, while you grieved for Maddie.”

  Garret adjusts his grip and bends to open the front door. “What do you mean?”

  “Things would have been so different if I hadn’t been looking at the No O website at practically the same time you were listening to one of my presentations. Or if you hadn’t moved into my building. Or if I hadn’t had the guts to call you after that first text you sent.”

  Garret kicks the front door closed sets me down on my feet. We’re standing in the middle of a stunning, Tucson-style kitchen with massive windows that provide a breathtaking view of the mountains. Garret’s hands settle on my hips. He pulls my body towards his and lowers his head until his mouth hovers above mine. “Or if I hadn’t been able to teach you how to come so hard that you see stars.”

  I grin. “Or that.”

  “Speaking of which.” Garret’s head drops lower and he steals a quick kiss that leaves me both breathless and aching for more. His grip on my hips tightens and he lifts me up, off my feet, and places me on the wide, granite countertop. “How ‘bout we see how many times I can make you come, right here, right now?”

  I throw back my head and laugh out loud as he steps between my legs and grinds himself against my already damp pussy.

  I loop my arms around his neck and nip his earlobe, all the while silently wondering how I’ve managed to get so lucky. “It’s the best suggestion I’ve heard all day.”

  That’s all, folks! I hope you enjoyed it!

  — Tara.

  Part III

  Wedding Crasher

  I just kissed a girl I've never met to save her from humiliation.

  There’s a reason I don’t often come back to my home town.

  A few actually. Hollywood’s bright lights didn’t help.

  But reason number one is Suzie freaking Collins.

  She was a cow at high school, and nothing’s changed.

  When I see her attacking some chick in a coffee shop, I step in.

  I kiss the girl, and in an instant I’m hard as a rock. I can’t hide it.

  This girl’s real, not some rake-thin movie starlet.

  But there’s a problem – she’s in love.

  Not with me, but her dead boyfriend.

  Her first love.

  How can I compete with that?

  All I know is I’m going to give Lucy a wedding.

  Whether she wants one or not…

  Lucy

  “Sorry,” Maxie repeats with a humorless laugh as she storms across her living room. “Well, I’m sorry too, but I’m afraid that your sorry just isn’t good enough. Not anymore. I’m tired of how things are between us. I deserve better.”

  “You’re right,” Dillion Prescott says mildly as his shoulders slump. “Letting you down has become a bad habit of mine. But I promise, I’ll change. Just give me a second chance. You won’t regret it.”

  Telling herself that his obvious misery isn’t her problem, Maxie savagely jerks her apartment door open. The edge of the wood bites into her palm as she holds it and points to the opening. “So you can take your sorry ass out of here and never come back. Just forget you ever met me and focus all your attention on saving the world.”

  “Fine.” Temper flashes in Dillion’s dark eyes as he storms across the room toward her and the open door. “I will.”

  Maxie swallows hard in a desperate attempt to hold back the tears burning her eyes.

  “But before I do…” Dillion skids to a stop in front of her. “I just want to make one thing perfectly clear.”

  In a blur of motion, he pulls the door from her grip and slams it shut before backing her up against a wall and covering her mouth with his in a kiss that curls her toes.

  “Maxie,” he whispers, “you’re the only one for me. You’ve gotten under my skin.”

  “Oh, Dillion,” Maxie moans as Dillion’s fantastic hands rove over her body. Even with the cherry red sweater between him, his touch sets her on fire.

  “Maxie,” he groans against her soft, yielding lips as his fingers hook in the neck band of her sweater, tugging it down to expose the generous curve of her breast. “You’re beautiful,” he exhales, the sincerity in his voice abolishing the last of Maxie’s doubts and insecurities, making her feel like the most stunning woman in the whole world.

  He trails a line of kisses along the curve of her throat, down to the gentle swell of heaving flesh he bares. His magic hands move lower, his fingers slipping between the waistband of her skirt and skin.

  Maxie’s heart hammers as her knees go boneless and she relaxes into his touch. Finally, after all the misunderstandings, the blown opportunities, the badly timed emergencies, IT was finally going to happen.

  She lifts her shaking hands and-

  Someone pounds on the door Dillion closed. She pushes against Dillion’s chest, the move startling him so much she actually manages to knock him back a step.

  The knock sounds again. “Dillion,” the same whiney female voice that often haunts Maxie’s worst dreams floats through the door.

  Maxie glares daggers at Dillion. “You told her you were coming to see me.”

  His eyes widen innocently and he holds his hands up, palms out. “Of course not. I don’t know how she found me. Honest!”

  “Yeah. Right. She just made a lucky guess.” Maxie runs a hand down her body, restoring order to her clothing. “That sounds like a likely story.”

  “It’s true,” Dillion argues as Maxie squares her shoulders and grabs the door knob. She rolls her eyes, twists the knob, and reveals the perky blonde on the other side.

  “Sue.” She forces the words out through tight lips. “What an … unpleasant surprise.”

  A familiar, snarky expression crosses Sue’s face and she opens her mouth.

  “Lucy Higgins! What the hell do you think you’re doing?”

  My name shrieked at top volume startles me from the sensual image I’ve been weaving in my head. Acting instinctively, I slam the lid of the laptop closed, nearly crushing a few of my fingertips in the process, before my startled gaze clashes with the furious blue eyes of Suzie Collins. The same Suzie I used for inspiration when I needed a villain to create trouble for Maxie and Dillion, the stars of the superhero romance novel I’m writing – or trying to write, at any rate.

  And my boss…

  “Suzie.” I barely get her name out before she waves the cell phone in her hand at me and starts venting.

  “Do you have any idea how long I’ve been trying to get a hold of you?” Suzie’s face flushes bright red, an early indicator that’s she’s starting to build up a full head of steam. “I’ve been calling you for hours. How dare you not pick up your phone?”

  “Suzie…” Despite the way my insides quake, I try to keep my voice placid. Long experience has taught me that showing even the faintest sign of a backbone only makes things worse, particularly when Suzie is in one of her moods, which in her case is a pretty much constant state of being. “Today’s my day off.”

  Either she doesn’t hear me, or she doesn’t understand my words. “There’s so much work that needs to be done. Work that you’re paid to do, and yet are you working? No! You’re sitting here loafing around, just like always.”

  In my mind’s eye, I see myself leaping to my feet and getting right i
n Suzie’s face and telling her that not only is it my day off – but that I’m not at her beck and call. And for that matter as far as I’m concerned, she can take her horrible bridezilla attitude and shove it where the sun don’t shine.

  That’s what my imaginary self does.

  The flesh and blood me stares at the table top instead, and takes long, deep, steadying breaths while I wait for Suzie to get to the point of her tirade.

  It’s been almost a year since Suzie blew into my life like a Category Five Hurricane. I quickly learned that the words “day off” and “not at your beck and call” were beyond her comprehension. Saying them only made things worse. My best course of action is sitting quietly until she finally winds down and tells me what she actually wants me to do. If I’m lucky, it’ll be something simple that’s quickly completed so that I can get back to Maxie and Dillion’s torrid affair.

  “There are a million and one things that need to be done before next weekend,” Suzie continues screeching, her voice rapidly approaching a glass-breaking decibel. “And they’re not going to resolve themselves now, are they? And instead of helping me, like you’re paid to do, you’re sitting here with your nose glued to a computer!”

  Suzie reaches out, extending her French tipped manicure toward my laptop. I quickly cover it with my forearms, wrapping my own fingers protectively around the edge. The one thing I will never do is let Suzie get her paws on my computer. If she ever saw exactly what I’m writing, a superhero romance novel … my life would be truly over.

  Suzie’s hand falls back to her side, but a sneer twists her lips. “Oh, like I can’t figure out why your nose is always glued to that damned screen all the time.”