Misty Reigenborn Romance Boxed Set

by Misty Reigenborn

  “Honey, I know that. You’re defensive.”

  Sierra sighed. “I’m sorry. This is so hard Paul. I’m trying not to be a bitch to you, but it’s hard when you bug me about ridiculous things.”

  “It didn’t seem ridiculous to me. I’ll let you go. I love you Sierra.”

  “I love you too. But don’t call me again tonight unless it’s absolutely necessary. I have an appointment with Mr. Big.”

  “Mr. Big?”

  Sierra laughed. “I named my vibrator. Goodbye Paul. Give Nathan a kiss for me.”

  “Okay. I will. Bye Sierra.”

  Sierra hung up her phone. She shook her head at Paul’s silly question, but felt a little less depressed having talked to him. She took her glass of wine upstairs with her, took a hot bath and then went to bed.

  Paul

  Paul felt a little strange to hear Sierra say that she had an appointment with her vibrator. But it wasn’t as if he hadn’t been doing plenty self-pleasuring of his own since he had been without her. Since he’d had only two sexual partners in his life, he was very familiar with the concept of bringing himself to orgasm, but it didn’t mean that he enjoyed it or at least not in the sense that he would much rather be pleasuring his wife and having her pleasure him.

  It was especially hard after they made love, but the clock was ticking and the days were getting closer and closer to Kimber’s due date. He felt much more anxious about this birth than he had felt about the birth of his son and he had been plenty anxious when Sierra had given birth. He’d hated to see her in pain and worried that they would be terrible parents. Well, if he wanted to be completely honest with himself, he had always known that Sierra would be a wonderful mother, but he’d been scared to death that he would be a terrible father.

  She used dirty language more often than he liked, she was impulsive and often quick to anger, but she had endless patience when it came to their son and so many of the things that he had struggled so hard with like holding the baby correctly or changing a diaper, or making sure he always burped, seemed to come so naturally to Sierra. He was more than a little envious, but he knew that his bond with Nathan was strong too.

  He was still quite worried that he wouldn’t feel the same bond with Kimber’s child if it were his, but they worked out more details as time went on. He had agreed to let Kimber and Luke name the child, since they had reconciled. It made him sad that Luke could stand by Kimber when he might not be the father of her child and Sierra was still adamant that she couldn’t stand by him, but he knew that he couldn’t push her.

  He hoped that the baby was Luke’s. He’d always hoped that the baby was Luke’s, but it was so hard to look at Sierra and think that he would lose her forever if the DNA test named him as the father of Kimber’s child. He felt guilty for wishing with all his might that he wasn’t going to be a father again, but it seemed so wrong for him to be the father of Kimber’s child. He knew that no matter how much he loved the child, they would all be better off if Luke was the father.

  Sierra

  Sierra was tempted to mark the days until Kimber’s due date off on her calendar. Paul had told her that Luke and Kimber were living together again and that Luke was going to stand by his wife no matter who the father of the baby was. She knew that it hurt Paul to tell her because he hoped that she would feel the same way, but her feelings in regards to being his wife if he’d fathered Kimber’s baby did not change as the days passed.

  She missed him more and more every day and their bed felt so empty sometimes that she let Nathan sleep with her. She knew that it would bug the crap out of Paul since he seemed dead set against co sleeping but she saw no harm in it. Nathan slept peacefully and never rolled off or tried to crawl off of the bed. She woke up when he moved more than a little anyway. She figured that that particular habit really was better left unsaid and she only did it on rare occasions, on nights when she was especially lonely.

  She felt like a weirdo but she had convinced Paul to tell her the name of his new cologne and she’d put some on his pillow so that she could smell it and pretend that he still slept beside her. It was depressing and made her feel like she was truly pathetic but it was a strange comfort. She hated to think of what she’d do if they divorced though. The thought of being with another man even with as much as she liked sex sounded even worse to her than putting Paul’s cologne on the pillow that he no longer slept on.

  Sierra was honest with herself. She knew that she couldn’t be Paul’s wife if he was the father of Kimber’s child. But she also knew that there was no other man that she wanted the way she wanted Paul and she was afraid there never would be again.

  Luke

  Luke was glad to be home. He still had reservations now and then that he couldn’t be the man that Kimber needed him to be if the baby was Paul’s, but he talked about those reservations in therapy and it helped. He knew that he hurt her sometimes with his honesty, but he couldn’t take lies anymore and he knew deep down that the lies hurt her even more.

  Their therapy sessions went well and even Alexis started to look forward to them. She loved Arliss and had adopted the woman as a surrogate grandmother.

  Kimber’s pregnancy progressed well and the days ticked down towards her due date. She was bigger than she had been when she was pregnant with Alexis, though she had lost her pregnancy weight quickly after the birth of their daughter. Their sexual positions got interesting as the days went by, but it was still worth it to Luke to please her and she still turned him on.

  Her back ached so he gave her many massages. She took a lot of naps, but she seemed to be in much better spirits and the doctor assured them that everything was going well. Alexis was thrilled to have her Daddy back home. Luke loved his daughter so much and even more so because she was Kimber’s child that he thought he would naturally love her child whether it was his or not.

  Kimber

  Kimber was lying down and trying to take a nap when the first contraction hit. Her labor with Alexis had been relatively short, and she was still a couple weeks from her due date, so she got out of bed immediately. She used the restroom and washed her hands. She placed her hand over her belly.

  “You think it’s time to meet the world kiddo? Mama is hoping that your daddy is the only daddy there should have ever been a chance of it being, but she promises to love you either way okay?”

  Tears pricked her eyes as she thought of the pain it would cause Luke if her son wasn’t his. Another contraction hit her and she hurried to the stairs, or hurried as much as she could in her current very pregnant condition.

  Luke looked up at her. “I thought you were taking a nap babe.”

  “I’m in labor.”

  “Oh. Well, Alexis is with Juliana already so she can stay since that’s where we were going to be taking her anyway. I’ll call her and let her know and then I’ll get your bag and we’re outta here.”

  He jumped up and helped her the rest of the way down the stairs and led her to the couch. He placed a brief phone call to Juliana and then retrieved her bag from their bedroom closet. Another contraction hit her by the time he made it down the stairs. She was beginning to think that this labor was going to be short but intense.

  Luke gave her a brief careful embrace and a quick kiss, and then he helped her up from the couch. He looked happy and she tried to put the fact that the baby might not be his out of her mind yet again.

  They took her car since his mustang was definitely not as easy for her to get in and out of. The drive to the hospital was blessedly short and they had her back in a delivery room shortly after they arrived at the hospital.

  Labor was short. She dilated so quickly that they weren’t able to administer an epidural which she sometimes believed had been the only thing that had gotten her through the last part of her labor with Alexis with her sanity intact.

  Halden Elijah was delivered at 4:54 p.m. on July 15. He weighed 7 pounds five ounces and was 20 inches long. Kimber thought he was beautiful from across the room a
nd knew that he would be beautiful to her no matter who his father was, but she wanted to look into her son’s eyes.

  The nurse finished the after birth activities, diapered and dressed Halden, wrapped him snugly in a receiving blanket and handed him to Luke.

  Kimber watched her husband’s face closely as he studied the child. He held him for several minutes and then dropped a gentle kiss on Halden’s forehead.

  Tears stood in Luke’s eyes when he handed the baby to her. Kimber looked upon her son and saw his father’s eyes looking out at her. And those eyes were Luke’s eyes. She swallowed the lump that rose in her throat and kissed her son’s head.

  “Mama loves you baby.” He let out a whimper and she moved her hospital gown so that she could bring him to her breast. Once he had latched on, she smiled. “Better now huh baby boy?”

  Luke glanced at the nurse that was fiddling with the bassinet and leaned over and whispered into her ear. “I think that our lives might just have gotten a lot easier. I love you Kimber.”

  She smiled. “I love you too Luke. But I guess we should still wait for the confirmation from the test for everyone’s peace of mind huh?”

  Luke sighed and raised his voice a little when the nurse had left the room. “Yeah. Do you think that we should tell Paul now or wait? It’s not like if the baby had blue eyes it would have meant that he was Paul’s since you have blue eyes too, but those are my eyes, just like Alexis.”

  “Um, I guess it can wait a few days, especially since he was early. Or you can call him if you want.”

  Luke laughed. “Paul doesn’t like me much. I don’t try to hide the fact that I don’t care for the way he treats Sierra.”

  “I’m sure he treats Sierra just fine. Other than the fact that their sex life hasn’t always been the greatest. But I don’t want to argue with you about this. I know you love her, and I’ve accepted that fact. It doesn’t mean that I want to hear you tell me how wonderful she is though. There’s only so much a woman can take.”

  “I’m sorry babe. I know I should have been honest with you before we got married, but it didn’t seem like the right thing to bring up. Things moved so fast between us. We had our first date, and then we made love on our second date. Before we knew it, we were saying I love you, and then we were married and having Alexis. I promise you that I will not keep anything from you ever again and that there are no other lost loves in my past. And there is no woman in the world that I would rather be with than you. But I don’t think we can stand another affair from either end.”

  Kimber offered him a tired smile. “I don’t think we’ll have to worry about that or at least I hope not. You have always been an incredible lover and I’ve always felt comfortable talking to you about what did and didn’t feel good in the bedroom. I know that I’m not one of those model thin girls, but I’ve never felt like you weren’t attracted to me because I had some extra meat on my bones.”

  “Darlin’ your curves drive me out of my mind. Your body is divine. When the doctor clears everything after your checkup, the kids are going to stay with grandma and grandpa for the night, hell even for a whole weekend, because we have a lot of love to make.”

  Kimber smiled. “That’s my man.”

  She gently moved her pinky between Halden’s mouth and her breast so he would relax his grip and then moved him to her shoulder to burp him. Once he had burped she positioned him on her other breast since his mouth was still searching.

  “Watching you nurse is like looking at the perfect picture of what a mother should look like.”

  Kimber shook her head at him. “You’re silly.”

  “I’m not. You have endless patience, and the bond you have with our kids is something that will never be broken. I’m jealous sometimes.”

  Kimber laughed. “Babe, I was so jealous when I was working full time at the store and you were taking care of Alexis full time. She is a Daddy’s girl, through and through. It broke her heart when I made you leave. It was easier for her this time because she still got to see you, but it still hurt her. I don’t think that she could take really being away from you Luke.”

  Luke squeezed her hand. “The thought of being without the three of you makes me sick to my stomach babe. We had such a strong marriage and then I screwed everything up. When you told me that the baby could be Paul’s it was like I woke up in the middle of my worst nightmare. And looking at our son in your arms, it brings that back. It sucks, but it’s probably going to for a while.” He gave her a crooked grin. “Promise me that if we have another child, there will never be any question of who the father is.”

  Kimber gave him a mock dirty look. “Luke.”

  He kissed her. “Sorry baby. You’re the one that married me.”

  “Ha ha. I’m glad I married you. I thought marriage was the worst mistake a person could make until I met you. I have been so happy with you. I just want things to go back to the way they were before. I know that they never really can, but I know that you don’t have to worry about me cheating ever again. You are gorgeous, you’re smart, and you’re talented. You’re a wonderful husband and a fantastic father. I could never find another man like you even if I wanted to.”

  Luke grinned. “I am pretty awesome aren’t I?” Kimber rolled her eyes. “Kidding baby. I’ll sing your praises all day long if you want me to. If you ever forget how much I adore you, just ask me okay?”

  Kimber smiled. Halden was asleep so she detached him from her breast and handed him to Luke. Luke placed him gently in the bassinet. “I will be so glad when we can get out of here. I hate hospitals.”

  “I know. I remember when you cut your finger so bad that it needed stitches and you didn’t want to go to the hospital.”

  Luke grinned. “Yep. I’ll be right back babe. I’m gonna get a coffee. Do you want anything?”

  Kimber yawned. “Some sleep. Labor is exhausting.”

  “You can sleep all you want honey. I’ll wake you up if they need you for something or if the little man gets hungry.”

  “You are so good to me.”

  “It’s one of my many talents.” He kissed her forehead. “Try to get some sleep babe. Though I know it isn’t easy with all of the noise around here.”

  Kimber closed her eyes. “I love you Luke.”

  “I love you Kimber.”

  She heard his footsteps retreat out of the room.

  The rest of her time in the hospital seemed to drag even though it was only two days. Halden was doing great and he was taking right to her breast and seemed to be eating plenty. Luke helped her get dressed since she was still sore and then packed everything up and put Halden in the car seat.

  They left the hospital with Luke carrying the car seat. It reminded her so much of when Alexis had been born. She was positive that the DNA test would prove that Halden belonged to Luke. She’d been terrified that even if he stayed with her if the baby was Paul’s that he wouldn’t love the baby the way he loved Alexis. But he seemed like the devoted father that he had always been and for that Kimber was thankful.

  Luke

  When Luke looked at Halden and saw his eyes looking out at him from the baby’s tiny face, he wanted to cry. When he told Kimber he was getting a coffee, he did get a coffee but first he made a stop in the men’s restroom, locked himself in a stall and cried a little.

  If the baby had had blue eyes, they wouldn’t have known for sure that they came from Paul with Kimber’s blue eyes, but the fact that Halden’s eyes were hazel gave Luke even more hope that what he had hoped and prayed and wished for had indeed been true all along. His son was his son by blood.

  That fact was further accentuated by the fact that Halden had dark blonde hair, something that neither Kimber nor Paul had either. Luke knew that he couldn’t be 100% positive that Halden was his biological son without a DNA test, but the baby’s coloring and the fact that both Kimber and Paul had inherited their blue eyes and light blonde hair from both of their parents which was something that Paul had explained to Kimber
a few weeks before, further seemed to point to Luke as the baby’s father.

  He felt like the weight of the world had been lifted off of his shoulders. He was very much looking forward to when his wife and son would be released from the hospital.

  Time passed quickly and Halden was doing well. When they were released Luke carried the car seat like he thought a good proud Daddy should, feeling a little like he was walking on air. He knew Kimber was sore and wouldn’t have made her carry the car seat even if he had looked at the baby’s face and seen the picture of Paul and instantly known that he couldn’t love the child the way he loved his daughter either though, because that was not the kind of man that he was.

  They stopped to pick Alexis up from Juliana and Bunny’s house. Julian’s vivacious redheaded little girl answered the door.

  “Hi.”

  Luke smiled at her. “Hi Bunny. Where’s your mommy and Alexis?”

  Juliana appeared with his daughter in tow. “Bunny, I told you not to open the door.”

  “But I can reach Mommy.”

  Juliana shook her head. “That doesn’t mean that you need to open the door sweetheart.”

  “But it’s not a stranger. It’s Alexis’s Dad.”

  “I can see that honey.” Juliana gave her daughter an indulgent smile, and then handed Luke Alexis’s bag. “I washed her clothes. What she’s wearing now belongs to Bunny. You can return it whenever you get a chance. She has so many clothes I think I’m going to donate half of them to children that actually need them.”

  Luke chuckled. “Thank you. Kimber is half asleep and the baby is asleep so they stayed in the car. Do you want to take a peek?”

  “Of course.”

  Juliana took Bunny’s hand. Alexis put her hand in her father’s and they walked to the car together.

  Kimber opened her door and smiled at Juliana. “Thank you so much.”

  “Alexis is an angel. She’s welcome anytime.” Juliana peeked across the seat at Halden. “He is so beautiful. Another one that looks like Daddy. Does he have Luke’s eyes too?”