by Maddie Wade
Now the happy euphoria was gone. She moved to sit up, glancing at the clock and seeing it was already nine. She had a vague memory in her foggy brain of Jace kissing her cheek, and she knew he’d be coming in soon from his morning run.
Right on cue, the bedroom door opened and there he was in shorts and nothing else. She watched a droplet of sweat move down the glistening, sexy eight-pack towards his happy trail. He walked towards her with a large takeaway coffee cup in his hand.
“Morning, beautiful.” The sound of his voice, typically a balm to her ears, was too loud, and she winced and grabbed her head, resting her elbows on her knees.
He crouched down in front of her, and she chanced a glance at him. “Thank you,” she said, taking the coffee in a shaky hand.
“Feeling rough, huh?”
Lucy nodded slowly as he walked towards the bathroom, stripping his shorts as he did. She felt a tightening of interest in her womb but was too hungover to even consider anything that involved fast movement. “Why’d you let me drink so much?” she whined and heard the chuckle from the bathroom over the running water.
Jace poked his head out of the bathroom, a sexy grin on his face, his eyebrow quirked. “Like I can stop you doing anything you want to do. Anyway, you should be thanking me.”
“Why?” She stood and walked to the balcony to look out at the sea, her eyes adjusting to the harsh sunlight.
“You wanted to go paragliding with Jack and Liam. I talked you into a spa day with the girls instead.”
Yes, he had done that. It was all coming back to her now, and bless him, he’d talked her out of her idiocy. She tended to want to keep up with the boys. Like always, Jace knew what she needed even before she did, and knew paragliding today would’ve been a disaster.
God, she loved that man. The way he always put her first made her feel she was the centre of his world. He was one of a kind, and she’d get to call him husband in a few days. Something she’d given up hope of ever having. Her belly melted as she thought of their conversation the day before, of him saying how much he wanted her to have his baby. The idea of a little Jace made her warm inside.
She turned as he moved back into the room, the coffee already making her feel more human. “What time did we book it for?”
He dropped the towel, and her gaze hungrily ate up the sight of his gorgeous, hard body. He smirked as he slid swim shorts up his legs, hiding his semi-hard cock from her. “Eleven so you have time to get a shower and eat before you meet the girls.” He moved and took the now empty coffee cup from her and lifted her chin with his finger gently to look in her eyes. “Get showered, baby, and I’ll order us some breakfast.” He dropped a slow, deep kiss on her mouth that made her sway into him, drugged, before he pulled away.
“Okay,” she replied, not having it in her to argue.
Lucy moved to the shower and cautiously stepped under the lukewarm water, allowing it to wash away the cobwebs of her hangover. She knew her head would feel foggy for a while yet but her stomach would settle after some food. She’d feel much better in a few hours after a massage and spa with her friends.
She dressed in a simple pink triangle bikini, adding a sheer pink and orange palm leaf patterned cover-up that fell to mid-thigh. She towel-dried her hair and threw it into a bun on her head, not caring as she’d probably end up with massage oil in it anyway.
Making her way through the open plan living space of the suite, she saw Jace at the outside dining table with plates of food in front of him. She watched him for a few minutes as he gazed out to sea, his face in profile until he sensed her and turned, offering her a smile so big it seemed to block out the sun.
He smirked as she sat next to him and sipped the orange juice he’d poured for her. “You finished watching me like a stalker?”
“I wasn’t watching you like a stalker,” she said. “More like a woman who knows how lucky she is.”
“Luce.” His voice held a warning.
“What?”
“Don’t tempt me by being sweet or you’re going to be late meeting the girls.” His eyes were hooded with desire as he watched her.
“Is that so bad?” she asked, her voice husky.
“Yes, because I’ll have to deal with all the husbands bitching at me. Plus, I promised to help Drew take a jet ski out on the water.”
Lucy sobered. Drew seemed to have come to terms with losing his leg, but she and Jace knew he was struggling more than he wanted people to know. Going on a jet ski, something he would’ve done without thinking before the accident, would show Drew he was the same person and that losing his leg, though horrific and life-altering, was not the end of his life.
“Now who’s being sweet?” she asked as she poured herself more of the freshest orange juice she’d ever tasted. The table was loaded down with much food ranging from bacon and eggs, to exotic fresh fruit she was anxious to try.
They ate in silence, listening to the gentle sounds of voices from distance paddleboarders drifting on the air. The resort’s rooms were far enough apart that you couldn’t make out what people were saying but close enough to hear muffled sounds.
When she finished eating, she realised her hangover was almost gone, she just had the expected residual fogginess in her head. She followed Jace out their room and towards reception wearing flip flops and carrying her beach bag.
The sound of excited female voices hit her first, making her smile. Rounding the corner, she saw Lauren, Ava, Celeste, Skye, Lizzie, Roz, and Aubrey already waiting for her.
“Here she is,” Skye said, “the queen of the dance floor!”
Lucy vaguely remembered trying to teach the others how to floss and if she wasn’t mistaken, Jack had taken to it easier than the rest, prompting a whole host of innuendos about his hip action.
Lucy grinned. “How’re you all so chipper?”
Lauren looped an arm through hers and led her towards the seating area. Lucy accepted a tall glass of orange juice but as she took a sip, realised it was a mimosa.
“Because, my sweet, some of us know that getting up to kids in the middle of the night or at the ass crack of dawn isn’t possible when you have a hangover. So, we stop before it gets to that stage.”
“And on that note, I’ll love and leave you,” Jace said, bending to drop a kiss on Lucy’s upturned lips.
“Have fun on the jet ski.”
Jace waved and grinned as he walked away.
Lucy turned to the women around her. “So what do the other guys have planned?”
“Well, your brother, Daniel, Zack, and Nate are taking the kids to the beach armed with a chiller picnic and enough sunscreen to cover an elephant.”
“Is Mateo going with them?” Lucy asked her older sister Lizzie.
“Yeah, he and Noah are glued at the hip and they want Nate to teach them how to surf.”
“They do realise the sea is as calm as a pond, right?”
“I know, but he figures they can play and then go snorkelling.”
Lucy turned to Celeste. “And the big man?”
“He’s going paragliding with Jack, Liam, Will, and Smithy.”
“Cool, and the olds are going to the outdoor market in town, that I do remember. Is K taking the girls anywhere?” she asked, leaning towards Roz who was sipping a glass of champagne.
“He’s taking them to meet a few friends of ours from town and then meeting up with the rest of the alpha dad squad.”
“It’s good of Jace to go jet skiing with Drew,” Lauren said softly, causing Lucy to turn towards her.
“He wants to go anyway, and he and Drew get on so well.”
The girls sat drinking while they waited for spa staff to prepare for their booking.
“Has anyone seen Mustique, Astrid, or Bebe?” Lucy asked, looking around her for her friends.
“Last I saw they were headed into town with three guys from a sister hotel,” Roz answered.
“And Megan?” she asked of her other sister, who was also nowhere to be seen.
“I’m here, I’m here,” Megan said, rushing in looking flustered but with the healthy glow of a fresh orgasm on her face.
“Someone got lucky,” said Roz with her usual filter-less aplomb.
Megan gave her squinty eyes trying to be stern, which she couldn’t pull off, and blushed. “We were just doing some laundry while Paige and Zoey were playing with uncle Dane at the beach.” Her blush deepened as they all looked at her with raised eyebrows, not believing it for a second.
“Is that what we’re calling it now, ‘doing the washing’?” Celeste asked with a laugh.
“Oh shut up,” Megan hissed as she grabbed a mimosa and sank down beside Lizzie, making them all laugh, including herself.
The staff from the spa came over and led them towards treatments rooms that were located past the hot tub, rainforest shower, sauna, and foot spa. Thanks to Kanan, who knew the manager, they had the entire area booked for the day. Lucy knew they would take the opportunity to relax and be themselves, especially with the bar and snacks on offer in the indoor pool area.
A few hours later after being pampered at the spa, they ate a late lunch of fresh seafood, salads and fresh-cut fruit by the pool, drank more champagne, and laughed until they cried, enjoying the catch-up and time together more than they ever imagined. Mustique, Astrid, and Bebe had turned up an hour before lunch—all hungover, but not hungover enough to refuse the champagne. Now the ten of them were crammed into the hot tub except for Skye, who was sitting on the edge saying she was too hot to get in.
“So, you finally got your man? How does it feel knowing the only cock you’ll ever suck again belongs to Jace?” Bebe said.
Megan spluttered her bottled water at the words, but Lucy laughed, totally used to the women.
“Have you seen Jace?” Astrid asked Bebe, her eyes wide as she fanned her face with her hand.
“Can’t disagree, he is fine,” Skye agreed. Lucy looked at her friend and raised her eyebrows as she laughed. “What? I love my Nate and think he’s hotter than sin, but Luce, I’m not blind. Jace is hot, sweet, and adores the ground you walk on. Who wouldn’t find that sexy?”
Lucy had to agree. “And he agreed we can start trying for a baby when we get home,” she announced to the entire group without realising she was going to do so.
“He did?” Lizzie squealed, gripping Lucy’s arm.
“Yep, we talked. He said he’s been ready since we met and was just waiting for me to be ready.”
“See, total sweetheart.”
“So, our kids will be close in age,” Skye said from the tub’s edge.
Lucy saw the dreamy look on her face and understanding dawned. “Really?” Lucy asked, her eyes filling with happy tears for her friend.
Skye nodded in excitement as Lauren stepped out of the tub to hug her tightly. “When are you due?”
“December twenty-second.”
“So, you’re already…” Lauren frowned as she did the mental math, “…twenty weeks or so? How the hell are you hiding that?”
“Well, I’m starting to show but this wrap hides most of it,” Skye said, moving it aside to show her small baby bump.
Lizzie looked hurt. “I can’t believe you kept it from us.”
Lucy knew her sister was still feeling the effects of her kidnapping at the hands of that evil bitch, Rhea Winslow. As a result, Lizzie was always emotional, and Lucy knew she never felt sure of her place.
“Lizzie,” Skye said, going to her friend and sitting beside her on the edge of the hot tub, “we just wanted to keep it to ourselves for a while and decided to wait until after the second scan to tell people. Then we decided to wait until after the wedding. I just couldn’t hold it in any longer. I’ve wanted to tell you guys so badly.”
“I guessed. Well, not guessed but I knew.” Celeste ducked her head in embarrassment. She had visions, and apparently one had predicted this.
“And you never told me!” Roz said.
“It wasn’t my place to tell you.”
Roz huffed, and crossed her arms. “You suck.”
“Whatever, sulky draws,” Celeste said, flipping her hand at Roz.
Lucy smiled. Not many people had the balls to ‘whatever’ Roz, but then not many were dating Roz’s baby brother either.
Ava laughed and pointed at Skye. “I guess that explains you wanting to jump Jace.” The others stared at her in shock, and Lucy felt her lips twitch. “What? Everyone knows the second trimester makes you horny.”
With that, Lucy threw back her head and laughed with the others. She was relaxed, happy and excited to get married. Life couldn’t be better.
Chapter 5
The sun was hot as Dane rubbed more sunscreen onto his squirming children. He figured going with more rather than less was a safe option. The last thing he wanted was for them to burn. Now they looked like sand monsters as the little hellions had immediately rolled, laughing, in the sand after he’d coated them in cream.
They’d picked a spot near some palms which offered a small amount of shade from the strong sun. Zack had erected a small canopy tent which now housed Zoey and Ella, both naked apart from their nappies and cute sun hats on their heads. They slept soundly in the blow-up boat Daniel had lined with soft blankets. Zack was down at the water with Riley, Noah, and Mateo along with Daniel and Paige. They were knee-deep in the clear water throwing a blow-up ball about. Dane had been happy to stay and watch the babies and his kids so Zack and Daniel could spend some time with their older children.
Nate sat on the sand drying off after a long swim and was now building sandcastles with Aaron and Leah who were flicking more sand at him than in the bucket.
“So, when are you gonna tell everyone?’” Dane asked Nate.
Nate turned to him; his head cocked in question. “Sorry?”
“About the baby?”
He’d noticed Skye wasn’t drinking on the plane and again last night. While it wasn’t that unusual, the way Nate wouldn’t let her lift anything heavier than her sunglasses and the slight glow to her skin added up to her expecting.
“I wondered who would guess first,” Nate said, smiling.
“How come the secret?” Dane wasn’t upset with them keeping the news to themselves, but he was curious.
“Well, you know we thought it wouldn’t happen and then when it did, we just wanted to keep it to ourselves until we knew it was safe. Then we decided to wait a bit longer as we didn’t want to upstage the wedding. It can’t be much longer though because her bump is starting to show. She says she’s carrying differently this time, more into her back if that makes any sense to you?”
“Not a whit.”
“Yeah well, her bump is small but apparently normal, and she’s been able to hide it with frilly tops and handbags.”
“Well, the others won’t hear it from me but I’m ecstatic for you two.”
He really was. Aaron and Leah had taught him that being a father changed a person. Nothing on earth was more important to him than the two monsters who were right then eating the sand. Not even Lauren, and he loved her more than he thought it possible to love another person. But the love he had for her was different, and while he knew he would love her until his dying day, the love for his kids would always trump that.
Noah came running up the beach with Riley, Paige, and Mateo as Daniel and Zack sauntered behind. He threw himself onto the towel next to Nate. “We’re starving.”
The effortless manner between the two showed the obvious affection they shared. Nate adopting Noah this past Christmas had only strengthened that bond. Anyone daring to suggest to Nate that Noah wasn’t his real son would find themselves with a fist to the face and on their ass.
“Time to crack open the picnic, I think.” Nate started to unpack the chiller as Zack and Daniel joined them, both poking their heads in the tent to check on their sleeping beauties.
Daniel took a Caribbean jerked chicken wrap and handed Paige a ham and cheese sandwich. “Wow, this looks amazing. I�
�m starving.”
Dane gave the Mateo a tuna baguette and grabbed himself a jerked chicken wrap. Leah and Aaron seemed content to mash banana into their faces.
“So what time are we expecting the ladies to be finished at the spa?” Zack asked as he handed Riley another piece of watermelon.
Dane shrugged. “Not sure but I expect they’ll take the rest of the day. Neither Lauren nor Lucy had a hen party, so I guess this is the equivalent.”
Daniel nodded. “What are your plans this afternoon? I doubt we’ll stay here all day as the heat isn’t good for Zoey.”
Zack nodded. “I agree. We’ll probably head back about two. The kids club has a sand painting event on later which Riley will enjoy, and the kiddie pool has more shade so I can take Ella there.”
“We’ll probably do the same.” Dane looked at Nate. “Nate, what about you?”
“I promised Noah we’d go kayaking. Mateo, you can come with us if you want.”
Dane looked at his nephew, who was nodding eagerly. It was good to see Mateo excited about something after a rough eighteen months with his parents’ divorce, and Lizzie had been so different since she’d returned after being presumed dead. He’d started to see hints of the carefree child he’d known the past few months and Dane knew Lizzie would let him go kayaking if Nate was happy to take him. “You sure you don’t mind?’
“Not at all.”
The picnic finished and put away, Dane wiped sand off Leah and Aaron and holding one of their hands in each of his big ones, strolled towards the water. Zack and Daniel were now feeding their daughters milk from the cooler, and Nate was playing frisbee with Riley, Mateo, and Paige.
The water was bath warm as he walked in with the kids. Aaron promptly sat down in the shallow water and began splashing, and Leah followed him as she always did. He cherished seeing the closeness between his twins, wanting for them what he had with his siblings.
