Unsteady in Love: Fairlane Series #3

by Layne, Harlow

  “Well,” he chuckled, “they should have waited until you called. It is our honeymoon.”

  “True, but every day is our honeymoon. Anyway, I wasn’t thinking when we made the plans. After this, it’s just you and me, and I can promise you I won’t let you out of bed for the next,” I swayed my head from side to side, “three months or so.”

  “I’d better take my vitamins then.” He laughed, smoothing his hand down my back.

  “Probably wise, Mr. Montgomery. Now, I really should go. They’re going to think you fucked me unconscious and will come storming through our door any minute now.”

  The girls—Alex, Gabi, and Taylor—had barely seen me since we had all landed in Bora Bora for our Christmas vacation/honeymoon. I was sure they’d been busy with their own husbands, but I couldn’t get enough of mine. Who knew getting pregnant increased your libido so much? I certainly didn’t, but Holden was gladly reaping the benefits. In fact, he liked it so much that I was pretty sure he was going to try to have me pregnant as much as possible.

  “They know I’d let you up for air and to eat. I can’t let you wither away on me. Let me say goodbye to peanut first, and then you can go.” He nuzzled my neck. Sliding down my body, Holden kissed my little bump. “Daddy loves you, peanut. We’ll talk more later.” With one last kiss, he sat up in all his naked glory.

  Even with the four orgasms of the morning, I was ready for more. Holden worked out religiously. So much so, instead of going to the gym, we now had one at our house. He kept his body strong. He always had, but now it was more important since it made his life so much easier. His body was insane. All I had to do was look at him, and I wanted to jump him and ride him until next week. He was a natural aphrodisiac.

  “Don’t look at me like you want to devour me,” he said shaking his head with a chuckle. “You have to go.”

  “I know.” I pouted. “What are you going to do while I’m gone?”

  He sat on the edge of the bed, slipping on his leg. “Luke’s having us all over to his bungalow to watch a soccer game. I’m sure there will be plenty of beer and yelling.”

  “Sounds like fun.” It didn’t, and Holden knew it. I pretty much disliked watching any sport but football. It must have been from watching him play so much in high school. Most of the time, when the guys got together to watch sports, the girls and I drank and talked. It was a win-win for everyone.

  I slipped on a light-yellow sheath dress along with a pair of flip-flops and pulled my hair up into a ponytail. I didn’t need to do much since I was meeting the girls for a spa day for mani-pedis, massages, and facials. All to get ready for our sunset vow renewal.

  Grabbing my phone and keycard, I made my way to Holden, stepping between his spread legs. His hands ran up the back of my thighs, squeezing my ass along the way before he wrapped his arms around me and hugged me to him.

  “Have fun with the girls. I’ll see you later. I’ll be the guy under the arch thing,” he murmured against me.

  I couldn’t help but laugh. I didn’t know what it was called either, but it was pretty and romantic, and I wanted it. “And I’ll be the girl in the white dress, holding the flowers.”

  “The prettiest girl on the beach.”

  Kissing the top of his head, I pulled back. “I’ll see you later. I love you.”

  “Later. I love you too.”

  Before he could say or do something to make me stay another second, I hightailed it to the door and slipped outside. When I got to the end of the wooden walkway that led to the beach, I found Alex, Gabi, and Taylor all sitting on a golf cart with drinks in their hands.

  Gabi looked down at her phone and shook her head. “Only forty minutes late. Not bad,” she cackled.

  “Don’t listen to her. We were all late and Gabi was the last to arrive.” Alex raised an eyebrow at Gabi.

  “Don’t worry. We all know how it is,” Taylor said smiling up at me. “But I guess you’re already married so you should be out of the honeymoon stage.”

  Gabi and Alex looked at each other and started laughing. Taylor complained a lot that she wasn’t getting it on the regular because her toddler still didn’t want to sleep through the night. I knew both Gabi and Alex were in the same boat as me, minus the hormones, and had sex with their men as much as possible. One look at their man, and they were all over him. We couldn’t help it that we were all married to extremely hot guys with bodies to rival any male model.

  “I personally hope we never leave the honeymoon stage,” Alex quipped, a large smile on her face letting us know she was thinking about getting down with her husband later.

  “You’re lucky he let me go at all. Holden even said he’d paint my nails so I didn’t have to leave.”

  They all oohed and aahed at the sweetness as I jumped into the golf cart beside Gabi. Alex was at the wheel and only ran us off the trail once from laughing as she drove us up to the main part of the resort.

  We were all lined up getting our nails done after our facials and massages. It had been a relaxing afternoon of being pampered along with a seafood lunch brought into a private lounge.

  “I can’t believe we have to leave tomorrow. I have to say this has been the best vacation I’ve ever been on,” Taylor said from beside me.

  “I have to agree,” Gabi watched as her toenails were painted a vibrant shade of pink.

  “Me too.” Alex’s eyes grew wide. “I have an idea. Why don’t we make this a tradition? Every year for Christmas, we can either come here or go somewhere else, but we go somewhere tropical to get away from Missouri’s freezing temperatures.”

  “Oh, I’m in.” Gabi smiled wide, her eyes filled with excitement. “I’m still not used to the cold. Luckily, I have Jax to keep me warm. He’s lucky I love him so much…”

  “Like you’d leave Fairlane,” Alex laughed at her.

  Gabi shook her head in annoyance, but she had a smile on her face. We all knew she would never leave.

  * * *

  Walking down the aisle of scattered pink rose petals on the beach, I caught sight of Holden. He was standing underneath the arch thing that was more a square, but no one cared. The legs and top were covered in ivy and white roses, calla lilies, and sweet peas. It was beautiful with the ocean as the backdrop. The flowers were no match for Holden who was tanned to golden perfection, wearing a linen shirt and pants. His hair was slicked back, keeping it out of his eyes. He’d let it grow out now that he could, and I loved running my fingers through it. His eyes were on me, never wavering as I walked toward the love of my life.

  By the time I reached him, tears stung my eyes, but I held them back. I didn’t want to miss a second of our day. When we’d gotten married by the judge, I’d been on autopilot and didn’t remember a bit of it. So, this time I was committing everything to memory. The contrast to then and now was like day and night.

  Taking my hand in his, Holden pulled me flush against him. His lips found mine in a searing kiss. The officiant cleared his throat as our friends laughed. “Although you’re already married, you’re supposed to wait until the end of the ceremony to kiss your bride.”

  Holden turned to the officiant with a devilish grin on his face. “I couldn’t help it. She’s absolutely beautiful. Don’t you agree?”

  “Yes, very lovely.” He gave us a small smile as he shifted in place.

  “Good,” Holden nodded. “If you could speed up the ceremony, I’d be most grateful.”

  “Holden,” I whispered. “It’s already short. Let the man do his job. After this…”

  He cut me off. “After this, I’m taking you back to our bungalow. Does anyone have any objections to that?”

  “Only if you let us see her before we leave tomorrow,” Alex shouted from her seat.

  “Deal,” he turned back to the minister. “Now, let’s get this show on the road. Wait.” He held his hand up. Pulling me close, Holden brought his mouth to the shell of my ear. His hot breath raked over me, sending shivers down my spine. “I just want you to know,
you look so beautiful; you’re glowing. Thank you for marrying me. Again.”

  “Holden,” my voice cracked, “you’re going to make me cry.” I hugged him, my head tilted up so only he could hear me. “Not a day has gone by when I regretted marrying you.”

  “Now you’re going to make me cry.” He laughed, wiping at his eyes. “Okay, now you can continue. I promise we won’t interrupt you again.”

  “Please join hands.”

  Holden’s hands engulfed my own, and he rubbed his thumbs over the tops in a soothing motion. I wasn’t sure who he was trying to soothe, though, him or me?

  “Holden, will you continue to have Prue as your wife and continue to live in this marriage?”

  “I do,” he vowed. And he had. From the moment, Holden had come back to Fairlane, he had been the best husband and lived in the now with me and Atticus. For all the worrying I’d done, it had been for nothing.

  “Do you reaffirm your love for her, and will you love, honor, and cherish her in sickness and in health, for richer or poorer, for better or worse, forsaking all others, and be faithful to her as long as you both shall live?”

  “I do.”

  I repeated after the officiant as I gazed into Holden’s eyes. They were filled with so much happiness and love, and I knew mine mirrored his. He had been my forever since I was fifteen-years-old and always would be. We’d already been through richer and poorer, better and worse, and sickness and health. I knew there would be more tough times ahead of us, but we’d already beaten the odds and would do it again and again.

  “You may now kiss your wife,” the officiant announced.

  Holden’s face morphed into pure happiness. Pulling me by the hands, I crashed against his muscular chest, looking up at him with my own beaming smile. Our lips pressed together in a kiss I felt down to my toes as they curled into the warm sand. Holden dipped me, deepening the kiss. Our friends cheered and clapped bringing us out of our passion.

  Then I felt something I’d never felt before. One of the best feelings in the entire world.

  Eyes wide, I smiled as I felt the baby kick for the first time.

  “Do you have any idea how beautiful you are when you smile?”

  My smile grew larger. I couldn’t wait for him to feel our baby.

  Cupping my face in his hands, Holden placed kisses all over my face while I laughed. Turning he looked out at our friends. “We’ll see you all later. I’ve got to go ravish my wife, and I suggest you all do the same to your wives.”

  All the guys hooted and hollered as they swung their wives over their shoulders and headed to their bungalows. It didn’t take long for us to follow.

  33

  HOLDEN

  Three Years Later

  “Daddy,” my daughter giggled from beside me, looking around the kitchen. Her sweet face was covered in flour, and her hair was sticking up every which way. “We made a mess.”

  Cooking with Violet was always an experience, but we really had outdone ourselves in trying to make Prue a Mother’s Day breakfast to beat all breakfasts. We tried, and may have failed, in making all her favorite breakfast foods. There were pancakes, scrambled eggs, French toast, hash browns, and ham. Most were either burned or undercooked, but it was made from love so hopefully, she’d forgive our lack of cooking skills.

  “We’ll clean it up before she sees. I promise she won’t know how disastrous the kitchen is.” I kissed Violet on the top of her strawberry scented head. At least I hoped Prue never knew. There was flour, oil, and eggs pretty much everywhere the eye could see. I wouldn’t be surprised if we found some on the ceiling. Luckily, Atticus had helped keep the floor relatively clean. He was better than any broom or mop.

  “Deal.” She scrunched her brows in all seriousness.

  “Holden,” Prue screamed from the bedroom. It wasn’t the scream of finding a huge mess in the kitchen or somewhere else in the house. She was in pain. She had sounded the exact same way when she’d gone into labor with Violet.

  I was instantly on alert. “Holy sh…shabooby,” I corrected myself for Violet’s delicate ears. Gripping Violet by the shoulders, I sat her out of the way and darted around the island.

  I ran as fast as I could to my wife to find her kneeling on the floor by our bed in a puddle of what had to have been amniotic fluid.

  “Shit, Prue, are you okay?” My hand trailed up and down her back.

  She looked up at me with fierce determination in her eyes, her teeth gritted together. “Get me to the fucking hospital now. I want drugs,” she seethed. Even the devil himself would have been afraid of the fire in her eyes.

  Prue had not received any drugs while in labor with Violet and had sworn she would never have another baby again. Obviously, she had changed her mind, but she was determined not to feel an ounce of pain this time around. It looked as if that ship had sailed, but I would try to remedy that as soon as possible.

  “Call Alex now and ask her to come get Vi and help me get off the damn ground.”

  I had a feeling baby number two was going to be our last. Prue didn’t forget a thing. She might forgive but certainly didn’t forget, and the prospect of having our own basketball team wasn’t looking good at the moment.

  “Now, Holden,” she growled out, her eyes slits as she peered up at me.

  Wrapping my arm around her waist, I hoisted her up and helped her lean against the bed as I snatched up my phone and punched in Luke’s number. It rang four times before he answered, sounding exhausted. “Hey man, I…”

  “I need Alex to come over to the house and watch Vi. She can take her back to your house. Whatever she wants, but I need her here now. Prue’s in labor.”

  “Holy shit!” Luke laughed, sounding more awake. “You’ve got to be kidding me. I’m at the hospital now with Alex. She’s in labor. It happened around two this morning.”

  “Who am I going to call? Prue said Alex.”

  “Holden get off the phone and grab my bag. Do I smell something burning?” she screeched almost blowing my eardrums.

  Shaking my head, I grabbed the bag she’d packed. “No, baby. Vi and I were making you breakfast for Mother’s Day. Now that I think about it, I might have left the stove on. I’ll be right back.”

  “Relax, dude, and call Gabi. She loves Violet and would be happy to watch her. Then get your ass to the hospital before Prue rips off your balls.” Little did Luke know his own balls could very well be in danger. Women turned into different creatures when they were in labor, but I’d let him find that out for himself.

  Heading back to the kitchen, I found Violet sitting on a stool eating a pancake and giving one to Atticus. He was her best friend. He always sat underneath her while she ate knowing he’d get a smorgasbord of food each and every day. He really was better than a broom or mop.

  But I couldn’t believe I’d left Violet in the room with the stove on. I scooped her into my arms, turned off the stove, and carried her back to the bedroom where Prue was waiting.

  “Mommy,” Violet cried out in happiness when she spotted her mom and reached her arms out for Prue to take her. “Happy Mother’s Day.”

  “Baby, I don’t know if Mommy can…”

  “Let me sit down,” Prue interrupted as she hoisted herself onto the bed and held her own arms out. “Come here, sweet girl.”

  Once Vi was sitting on her mom’s lap, Prue hugged her, nuzzling the top of her head.

  “I’ve got to call Gabi. You’ll never believe it, but Alex went into labor earlier,” I said already punching in Jax’s number.

  With wide eyes, Prue’s hand went to her stomach. “You need to tell her to hurry because this baby is coming fast,” she grunted. “I can’t believe Alex and I are going to have babies on the same day.”

  “Is my brother coming?” Vi clapped excitedly.

  “Yeah, baby, he’s coming.” Prue tried to smile through a contraction.

  “Hello,” Jax answered in his usual gruff voice.

  “Jax,” I let out a sigh, “I
need you and Gabi to come over and watch Violet for us. Prue’s in labor.”

  “No shit,” he said calmly then yelled, “Hey, baby, Prue’s in labor; we’ve got to get over there.” I heard Gabi yell, and then Jax laughed. “We’ll be there as fast as we can.”

  “Are they coming?” Prue asked desperately. I knew she was trying to hide how much pain she was in from Violet, but there was no hiding the tight set of her jaw.

  “Yeah, just breathe, baby. They should be here in less than ten minutes.”

  “Easy for you to say,” she snapped and instantly her face turned soft. “I’m sorry, Holden. It hurts like a son of a…you know. It’s going so much quicker than with Violet. Do you think the baby’s okay?”

  “I’m sure he’s fine. It’s supposed to go quicker with your second, and now that your water broke…”

  “Don’t remind me. What if I don’t get any drugs?” she asked with her lower lip trembling.

  I didn’t know what to say to appease her, so I said nothing. Instead, I sat down on the bed next to her and hugged my two girls.

  Prue gripped my hand as another contraction hit and the doorbell rang.

  “Violet, baby, can you go let Uncle Jax and Aunt Gabi in? They're going to stay here with you while I take your mom to the hospital so your brother can be born.”

  “But I want to go with you,” she pouted and slumped to the floor.

  “I know you do, but the hospital is not a fun place. You’ll have fun with your aunt and uncle, and then after your brother is born, they’ll bring you up, so you won’t miss any of the fun.”

  “Really?” She jumped up and ran out to answer the door.

  “You shouldn’t have done that,” Prue breathed, still clutching my hand.

  “I know, but I didn’t want them waiting, and I couldn’t leave you in the middle of a contraction. I’ll have a talk with her later about not opening the door. I promise.”

  Her green eyes, sparkling with tears, looked up at me. “Holden, I’m scared. This is all happening too quickly. Are you ready for this?”