by Violet Duke
The last of her walls came tumbling down. Taking a deep breath, she looked him straight in the eye and said, âIâll stay.â
His blue eyes crinkled at the corners. âYou wonât regret it, sweetheart,â he swore.
Then he swept her up in his arms and carried her back into their home.
*
GABRIEL SQUEEZED SUMMERâS HAND as they stood on the front porch of Strawberry Grove. Sheâd stayed. With him.
He still couldnât believe that particular blessing. It had been almost a week since he carried Summer back inside and made love to her, with promises for the future still fresh in their minds.
âYou can do this,â he whispered.
âI love you, angel.â
A grin kicked up the corners of his mouth.
The door swung open just as she raised her hand to knock.
A genuine smile lit her sisterâs face. âSummer!â Rose began to embrace her, but her husband appeared, holding Ivy, and Rose let her arms fall to her sides.
âHang on a minute.â He glared Summer. âState your business.â
âSasha, donât get in the middle of this,â Rose warned, but she stepped back anyway.
Alexander rolled his eyes. No one but Rose called the man Sasha. âNever mind. The townâs do-gooder is here. All is well with the world.â
Ivy wriggled out of his embrace. âMommy, I want to go play with her.â She pointed at Summer.
Everyone seemed to freeze and breathe at once, except for the little girl. She regarded Summer thoughtfully while Blackbeard rubbed against her legs.
âYouâre in a lot of pictures around here,â Ivy said.
Summer smiled, but her hand tightened around Gabrielâs. âThatâs because Iâm yourâ¦your Aunt Summer.â
âYouâre more than just my auntie.â Ivy held out her hand. âCome on. Iâll show you.â
Summerâs gaze flew to Rose and Alexander. âCan I?â
Rose bit her bottom lip and nodded, her pale blue eyes tearing. âOf course you can. Ivy knows who you are.â
âShe does?â Summer slipped her hand into Ivyâs, and a bittersweet expression bloomed on her face. âWhy?â
Alexander cupped Roseâs shoulders, his eyes kind for once. âBecause it was the right thing to do.â
âBecause youâre my sister, and I love you,â Rose said softly.
Gabriel looked away. He had to, knuckling his eyes as he did.
âOh my giddy aunt,â Alexander muttered. âEdwards is spouting like a watering pot.â
Summer tugged on his arm, and Gabriel looked at her. âComing?â
âI wouldnât miss it for the world.â
EPILOGUE
BELLA EDWARDS GAVE her brother a hug, and then took her carry-on from him.
âAre you sure this is what you want to do?â Gabriel asked, handing her a bottle of water. âWouldnât a phone call be just as good?â
âOh, Gabe,â she sighed. âDonât be a worry wart.â Though inside, she felt like a wart toad full of worry. âItâs not like Iâm going to a place where I donât know anyone. Daisyâs there, and I miss her.â
Gabrielâs gaze dropped to her stomach. âWhat aboutâ?â
âIf Iâm old enough to engage in risky behavior, then Iâm old enough to take the consequences like a woman,â she said cheerfully. Would he go already? As much as she loved her brother, she was ready to strangle him, and she was ready to stop being so dang cheerful all the time.
âYou have to move your truck, sir,â a security officer said.
The roar of a plane engine made her wince. âYou heard the officer. Now skedaddle. Your wife is waiting for you at home.â
He grinned at the mention of his wife. Gosh, she was so happy for him and Summer. After years of suffering and misunderstandings, theyâd finally had it right and gotten married. Now, only two months later, he was still giddy over his wife.
One day, she wanted a man to be giddy over her. But for now, she had to tell a man about a baby.
âIt is nine oâclock,â Gabriel mused. âBy the time I get home, sheâll be waiting in beââ
âGot it.â She gave her brother a playful push. âLove you. See you. Bye.â
Waving once, he got in his truck and drove away. She rolled her carry-on inside the airport and headed to security.
Her stomach, not her best friend these days, roiled even more than usual.
She could do this.
âWeâre now boarding Flight 458 to Edinburg.â
âOh God,â she croaked. âI canât do this.â She took a deep breath. âYou can do this.â
With one last look at the terminal, she squared her shoulders and marched straight for the ticket counter.
A billion hours, one layover, and a taxicab later, Bella stood at the entrance of a very fashionable townhouse.
Hand shaking, she knocked on the front door. A minute later, the door swung open and a man appeared.
âMay I help you?â
âIâm here to see Liam Stewart.â
âHis Grace is in his study and is expecting you. Right this way.â
She guessed it was a good thing she held on to his number. A text might have been a bit impersonal, but it was the only way she could track him down.
The butler stopped at a set of massive oak doors and lightly scratched on them before opening it.
She walked inside.
Liam stood at the fireplace, one hand braced on the mantle and the other nursing a drink. His hair was the same, black as night and cut close to his head. He wore a button-down shirt with cuff links at the end, and tailored trousers that did things for his butt that should have been illegal.
âHi, Liam,â she said as the door shut behind her.
He turned, his black eyes roaming her body. His sexy mouth kicked up at one corner. âBella, what brings you here? Your text was a bit vague.â
âYou.â
Pushing away from the fireplace, he crossed the small distance between them, tipped up her chin with one hand, and kissed her. He tasted good, so good that she wondered if he used a special mouthwash formulated to make women want to eat him up.
âStop,â she gasped.
He pulled away, his dark eyes amused. âI thought you were here for me.â
âNo. I mean, I am.â
His amused gaze gave way to confusion. âSorry?â
âThereâs just no other way to say this, Liam, but Iâm pregnant,â Bella said in a rush. âI had to tell you in person because over the phone was too impersonal, and there was no way Iâd tell you over email or text. So here I am. Pregnant.â
âWith your baby,â she added, just in case he had doubts.
His drink hit the wooden floor with a thunk, and then he laughed. âYouâre joking.â
âNo.â
He only laughed harder. âThis is too much. Oh God. Seriously, did Bastian put you up to this?â
At least he wasnât angry or saying it wasnât his. He just didnât believe she was pregnant at all.
She grabbed his hand and placed it against her stomach, where it had just started to round and firm up a bit.
âDoes this feel like Iâm joking?â she said.
His laughter died away, and his face turned serious. âIt feels like youâre the answer to my prayers.â
She was? Wait a minute. âBut you donât pray.â
He glanced down at his hand. âPerhaps I should start.â
OTHER TITLES BY MARQUITA
Holland Springs Series
Drive Me Crazy (FREE
)
Driving To You
Twice Tempted
Third Timeâs a Charm
His Christmas Wish
Just Desserts
Not Over You
Be Mine (coming July 10th)
Boys of the South Series
Live For You
Only For You
True For You
All For You
Wish For You
Burn For You
The Request Series
The Request (June 2014)
The Deception (July 2014)
The Confession (August 2014)
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
www.marquitavalentine.com
New York Times and USA Today Bestselling Author, Marquita Valentine, writes sexy heroes and sassy heroines that make you swoon and laugh. Sheâs the author of the bestselling contemporary romance series, Holland Springs, and the new adult romance series, Boys of the South. Marquita met her husband aka Hot Builder at Sonic when they were in high school. She suggests this location to all of her single friends in search of a good manâand if that doesn’t work, they can console themselves with cheesy tatertots. She lives in North Carolina in a very, very small town with Hot Builder and their two children.
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