Forever His Baby

by Airicka Phoenix

  Forever His Baby

  By Morgana Phoenix

  Two brothers. One impossible choice.

  From the moment her suspicions are confirmed, Lily knows she’s screwed. What the hell is a nineteen year old with no future going to do with a baby? She can barely take care of herself. She needs help.

  In walks Sloan McClain, the only man Lily has ever truly wanted — and the brother of the boy whose baby she’s carrying. While Lily expects a great number of outcomes when she tells Sloan her news, him proposing marriage and asking her to keep the baby is not one of them, especially not when she has every intention of giving the baby a better future by giving it the home she can’t.

  Having spent the majority of his life protecting his brother from the bone-breaking fists of their father, Sloan is no stranger to hardship, loss and abandonment. He has learned long ago never to rely on anyone to take care of what was his, and that baby is his. He isn’t about to let Lily give away his family, nor can he allow that child to destroy the future he has built for Cole. His only option: marry the mother and claim the baby as his.

  But no secret ever stays hidden forever.

  Forever His Baby ©2014 by Airicka Phoenix

  www.AirickaPhoenix.com

  All rights reserved.

  This book or parts thereof may not be reproduced in any form, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical,

  photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without prior written permission of the copyright owner and/or the publisher of this book, except as provided by United States of America copyright law.

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are a product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is coincidental. Your insomnia awaits your submission.

  Editor: Kathy Eccleston

  Beta Readers: Jaime Radalyac & Krystal Marlein

  Illustrator: Airicka’s Mystical Creations

  Interior Design & Formatting: Airicka Phoenix

  ISBN-13: 978-1505682021

  ISBN-10: 1505682029

  Published by Airicka Phoenix

  Also available in eBook and paperback publication.

  As Airicka Phoenix

  Games of Fire

  Betraying Innocence

  TOUCH SAGA

  Touching Smoke

  Touching Fire

  Touching Eternity

  THE LOST GIRL SERIES

  Finding Kia

  Revealing Kia

  REGENERATION SERIES

  When Night Falls

  As Morgana Phoenix

  IN THE DARK SERIES

  My Soul For You

  Kissing Trouble

  SONS OF JUDGMENT SAGA

  Octavian’s Undoing

  Dedication

  For those who have loved.

  And those who are loved.

  Acknowledgement

  Wow. My last book of the year. There’s always something special about the beginning and end of every release year. Those two books, no matter how many more you put out throughout the year, those two will always be remembered because what happens in between one book and the next could be the turning point. For me, this year, was an impossible move that we’re still grappling to recover from. It was changing everything and trying like crazy to adjust. But in all that, I can tell you Touching Fire came out in the beginning of 2014 and Forever His Baby came out last and despite everything that happened in between, that is the one thing that hasn’t changed. I am still writing. I am still loving it. And I am still here.

  But every good author, good person will tell you that no matter how hard the road was, there is always people who have walked it with you, who held your hand and forced you to take the next step. For me, those people are not limited to the names on this list. They would need a whole book in their own. This is just the beginning.

  Amber, nope, I am definitely not simple. I am a royal pain. I am always changing my mind, always nitpicking, always pushing to do more, and you indulge me. You support every decision no matter how crazy. You work effortlessly be the friend and PA every girl needs.

  Kimmie, we haven’t talked in a while, but this acknowledgement wouldn’t be the same if I didn’t include just how much I miss you and love you. Please come back soon.

  Krystal & Jaime, I’m one lucky girl to have two such dedicated, thoughtful and beautiful beta readers. You ladies never fail to humble me with your awesomeness.

  My Street Team, there was a girl who had a dream. That dream was to write and put her books out to the world. That dream was made possible by an incredible few who stood by the girl and supported her through every rise and fall. I am thankful every day to be so fortunate to have you all in my life.

  My Readers, how does one express their gratitude for having readers who unfailingly stand by them through every moment of their journey? It hasn’t been easy. A lot has happened and yet, every time I need it most, there you are, eagerly welcoming me back into the loving folds of your friendship and support. Thank you for never giving up on me.

  Love you all!

  ~Airicka

  Chapter One ~ Lily

  There was something almost morbid about getting bad news on a bright, sunny afternoon. Something earth shattering and life changing deserved rolling thunderclouds and the occasional boom of thunder. Instead, Lily was forced to watch specks of dust twinkle like fairy dust floating through planks of buttery sunlight while her entire world crumbled around her.

  “Are you sure?”

  Across from her, small and wrinkled like all the liquid had been sucked out of him, Dr. Phillips glanced at his notes for the hundredth time and Lily knew, even before he adjusted his coke-bottle glasses and raised his watery eyes to her face, what he was going to say.

  “We can take another test, but … the results won’t change, Lily.”

  Of course it wouldn’t. Why would it when it hadn’t the last five times she’d made him redo it? It wasn’t his fault the test kept reading the same thing.

  “Do you want me to call someone?” he asked kindly.

  The knuckles on her fingers were bloodless, the bones jutting against the skin. She stared at her hands, resting small and helpless in her lap. She shook her head.

  “Thank you.”

  The paper on the examination table crackled as she slid to her trembling feet. Dr. Phillips stretched out a hand when she swayed. But Lily was pushing away, moving to the chair next to the door and her purse.

  “Lily?” Dr. Phillips observed her with those sympathetic eyes, the same eyes she had known her entire life. “There are … options, nowadays. I can—”

  “No!” She softened her tone. “It’s fine. I’ll be fine. Thank you.”

  The lie was to comfort him and the thin lines pulling around his mouth. There was no comfort for her.

  Georgia May Hadley smiled up at Lily from the reception’s desk. Her bright red lipstick an ugly gash against an otherwise flawless complexion. Her cascading mane of chestnut brown hair tumbled in shiny waves around her shoulders. She flung back a coil and the cluster of diamonds placed in the shape of an owl winked. Its emerald eyes stared over the desk at Lily, almost accusatory.

  “Lily!” she cooed, propping her elbows on the table and resting her chin on her laced fingers. “I didn’t know you had an appointment today. I hope everything’s all right?”

  Self-appointed town informant, Georgia May made it her business to know everyone else’s business. It was to no one’s surprise when she took the reception’s job at the doctor’s office.

  “Everything’s fine,” Lily muttered. “Thank you.”

 
She swung her purse strap over her shoulder and headed for the door just as Dr. Phillips appeared in the waiting area and handed Lily’s file to Georgia May. The two exchanged words and the file was set on top of a small pile of others. Dr. Phillips caught Lily watching and gave her a wave before ducking back into his office and shutting the door. Lily left before Georgia May could lure her into conversation.

  On the sidewalk, Lily dusted a hand over the light fabric of her summer dress. Her finger caught in the tiny hole in the seam just over her hip and Lily sighed. She had been meaning to mend it. It had been one of the things on her very long to-do list. But it didn’t seem as important anymore in the light of her much bigger problem—she had to tell Sloan she was expecting his brother’s baby.

  Cole’s baby.

  An overpowering wave of panic and dread rushed over her and she had to lock her kneecaps to keep from sinking to the stubbornly kept sidewalk. Waves of heat and cold surged and clashed throughout her thin frame, making her feel feverish and sick. The nausea she’d been fighting back the last few mornings pushed up her throat and unwanted tears sprung to her eyes. She squeezed them shut tight and prayed not to break down now, not in the middle of town where anyone could see. But a single tear still managed to escape and trace a wet trail down her cheek. She scrubbed it away with the back of one hand and straightened. She opened her eyes and stole a quick glance around, making sure no one had seen before adjusting her purse strap and setting a straight course to the second last place she wanted to be.

  McClain’s Pack N’ Go was a twenty minute walk to the very edge of town. It sat away from the dirt road, enclosed by miles of crusty, unplowed dirt where the fields hadn’t seen harvesting since the previous owners sold the place nearly six years ago. Now most of it went to waste, except for a small area around back where the four massive trucks in various sizes were parked.

  It never made sense to anyone why a person would buy farming property and then turn it into a moving company, but then, unlike her, most people didn’t know the McClain brothers and their demand for privacy. No better place to get that then to stay as far away from town as possible.

  The two story country style structure needed a fresh coat of paint. It was the one thing Lily had been unable to talk Sloan into doing. He claimed he didn’t have the time for it, and he didn’t trust Cole, or her, on a ladder. So the white was a dull, faded gray and the once blue shutters were a dismal dishwater color. The stone steps leading to the front door had once been green, but most of that had been chipped off by weather. Dry dirt mounds made little graves along the front of the house where no one had thought to plant anything that year. Most summers, it was Lily who dragged Cole to the hardware store and the flats of flowers she would make him haul home.

  Lily loved the place. Always had. There was something homey about the worn-downness of it. She loved how the roof was just a little too crooked and how none of the shutters ever closed and how nearly every floorboard in the place creaked. It was all the little imperfections that had always made her feel at home. Maybe that was why she had made the decision to go there first. She needed somewhere to think and the McClain house had always been her escape. But that was before Cole left. Now it was just another house. And she was a trespasser.

  A gnawing sensation started in the pit of her stomach that had nothing to do with disappointment at seeing the dead flowerbeds. It was cold and empty, like she had taken a sip of cold water on an empty stomach. She stared at the screen door and the dark interior on the other side, contemplating the wisdom of her decision.

  This was a bad idea. She should have gone home and hidden under her bed until it was over, as ridiculous as that sounded. For one, there was no hiding from this. For another, her mother would have forced her out with a broom. It didn't matter which way she looked at it, her one careless mistake would haunt her for the rest of her life. She would never live it down, and what exactly was she supposed to tell Sloan? Hey Sloan, I know we’ve never really gotten along in the past, but do you think you could give me a ride into the city? I need to tell your brother I’m pregnant with his kid. It sounded ridiculous and humiliating all in the same breath.

  Oh God, what am I going to do?

  Run! The rational voice decided.

  “Lily?”

  All thoughts of escape vanished in the blink of an eye and Lily was forced to face the figure rounding the side of the house and approaching her with slow, almost hesitant strides. Even from a distance, she could see the confusion and surprise knitting his brows together. He had the expression of someone not sure if they missed an important meeting, like he was trying to figure out why she was there, and Lily couldn’t blame him. She hadn’t darkened that doorstep since Cole had gone off to school.

  Sloan McClain stopped at the base of the stairs and squinted up at her. He must have been around back, because he was filthy and wearing his work uniform, a tattered pair of jeans and a wife beater. There was a smudge of grease across his right cheek and there was a fine sheen of sweat glistening across his brow. The hair he kept stubbornly short was damp and shone in the late afternoon, appearing much darker than it really was. And he looked exactly as he had the very last time she’d seen him standing in that very doorway, behind Cole as she had hugged his brother goodbye before his long journey. As per usual, Sloan had said nothing to her, not even a wave as she hurried down the steps and started home.

  No wonder he was confused.

  In all the years she had known the McClain brothers, there wasn’t a single memory of Sloan being clean. He was always fidgeting with something smeared in black oil. His hands were always smudged with grease to the forearms and more times than not, even after a shower, he came down smelling of motor oil, soap and metal. It was hot. The man was hot. He was rugged and dangerous with eyes that penetrated the very soul and a body made to be splayed across the glossy pages of a magazine. It didn’t help that he was tattooed from wrist to shoulders on both sides. The winding ink ran across his chest and back as well. Lily could never sum up the courage to get close enough to see what the crossing images were, but there had been countless summers when he would work on the trucks … topless, and she would try her damnedest not to drool, or stare. Like she was doing now.

  Sloan raised a filthy hand and cupped it over his blue eyes, shielding them from the late afternoon sun and he could peer more closely into her face. His free hand stuffed a bandana into his back pocket and then hooked onto his belt loop by a thumb.

  “What are you doing here?” he asked when she continued to ogle him mutely.

  The whole way to his house, Lily had had a sense of purpose propelling her, something that helped move her feet forward. But now that she was standing there, facing him, all forms of speech had abandoned her. She had no idea what to say, or how to say it. So she stood there, insides writhing like an angry hornet’s nest while the urge to burst into tears had her chewing desperately on her bottom lip, hoping the pain would redirect the prickling behind her eyes.

  Don’t break down! Don’t break down! But there didn’t seem to be any helping it. She was scared out of her damn mind and all she wanted was to tell someone and have them assure her it wasn’t really happening. That it was a mistake. But there was no such person and the only person she could ever confide in was miles away. She was completely alone.

  “Lily?” Sloan moved up a step, one hand going to the wrought iron railing. “What is it?”

  The taste of copper filled her mouth and she realized with a start that she’d been cutting a gash in her lip. She let it go and fought hard not to look him in the eye. But with him so close, it was impossible to look anywhere else.

  “I’m sorry.” The words burst out in a shaky tremor without any consent from her. “I shouldn’t have come.”

  She made to duck past him and run before she embarrassed herself beyond repair and was blocked. His movement so quick that she gasped in surprise to find herself eye level with his collarbone and the faint hint of ink peeking up f
rom the collar of his top, because even though he was still beneath her by two whole steps, he towered drastically over her.

  “But you did,” he countered smoothly. “Tell me what’s wrong.”

  Most people would have taken his question as signs of concern, or affection, but Lily had known him too long and knew perfectly well that Sloan couldn’t stand the sight of her. He was only asking because she was still Cole’s best friend and it was probably no more than grudging reluctance. Pity. And somehow that was more humiliating than the reason behind her being there.

  “Please…” she whispered, wishing he would just let her go.

  “Please what, Lily?” There was something dark and challenging behind the question, something that had her gaze darting up to his and getting caught in the stormy blue currents of his eyes.

  An unwarranted shiver passed through her. Her lips parted, but no words came out.

  His impressive frame shifted, pushed deeper into her personal space until she was caressed by his heat and the scent of motor oil, sweat and grass.

  “Tell me.” It wasn’t a request. He wasn’t giving her an option.

  “Please don’t,” she pleaded. “I can’t.”

  That was the wrong thing to say. It only made his eyes narrow and his chin lift an inch in defiance. His shoulders squared and she knew she had lost. Yet, oddly enough, it didn’t bother her. A part of her was relieved.

  “I’m not letting you go, Lil. Tell me, or I’ll carry you inside and make you.”

  The threat sent a hot spike of desire shooting through her. Her breath caught in her throat as waves of the dirtiest images flooded through her mind of all the things he could do to make her talk. It momentarily overshadowed the dread tearing up her insides.