“Baby,” he smiled softly at me, “nothing is supposed to fit. You’re pregnant,” he reached down and placed his palm on my stomach. “He’s gonna get bigger too.” His lips lifted on one side into a grin. “I’ve got super sperm, didn’t you know that?”
“He huh?” I rolled my eyes.
“Well, I thought it was better than calling him an ‘it’,” he chuckled.
“I have to talk to Sam tonight. I’ll tell her I can’t work late anymore,” I paused as I watched him narrow his eyes on me. “I’ll tell her about the baby too, ok?”
Jase nodded as his eyes scanned up and down my body, pausing at my chest, “I’ll drive you if you hurry up.”
I nodded before I tugged my Rusty Nail tee over my head. I knew I needed to cover up the goods or we wouldn’t be leaving soon, and I’d be late... again.
ooooooooo
When I arrived at The Rusty Nail, things were slightly chaotic. Mason and Dev were trying to help unload a delivery truck that had shown up late, Sam was on her phone, rushing around and barking orders at everyone. Lena was manning the bar and a few tables all on her own. My eyes went wide when I stepped through the door and took it all in. I was planning to talk to Sam, but apparently that was going to have to wait.
“What’s going on?” I looked over at Lena as I stuffed a bottle opener in my pocket and a bar towel through one of my belt loops.
“Truck was late, and Sam’s got some promoter who’s supposed to be coming in to talk to her tonight. Something about getting the word out before school’s back in session. She’s got some big plans to expand, I think.” Lena shrugged as she uncapped a bottle and slid it to the person in front of her.
“Expand?” My mouth dropped open.
“Yeah, the place next door is for sale,” she shrugged again. “She said something about adding a more appropriate dance floor and making the place a little more club like, whatever that’s supposed to mean.”
“Wow. I can’t believe she didn’t say anything.” I was surprised this was the first I was hearing about this.
“She’s been busy, and you’ve been dealing with your own set of issues,” Sam’s voice sounded from behind me causing me to spin and stare at her surprised.
“Sorry,” I mumbled. “It’s just with everything going on...” I trailed off as she smiled at me.
“I’m not mad, just busy.” She shoved her phone into her pocket. “I’m expecting someone who was supposed to be here an hour ago. I’m looking to hire her to help me take this place to the next level. She called to say she was running late, and will be here in an hour. The thing is, that’s exactly when we get our rush. It’s going to be busy.”
“If she’s used to doing this kinda thing, wouldn’t she know that that’s a bad time to show up?” I thinned my lips as Sam grumbled and shook her head.
“Thank god she said she’d just hang at the bar and get a drink until business slowed. I warned her it might take a while,” she sighed as she clicked on her phone and lifted it to her ear. “I gotta take this,” she huffed before turning to walk away.
“I need to talk to you later when you have time,” I called and she lifted her hand in a wave, letting me know she heard me.
“I’m gonna help out and man the door while Mason does the heavy lifting,” Jase called from the end of the bar, bringing my attention to him. I waved him off as I went to work. I needed to zone out and do what I did best here...my job.
The night stayed busy, but things seemed to level out as the sun set and evening approached. Lena and I worked in perfect sync as we served the ever growing crowd. Mason and Dev spent most of their time carrying cases of liquor and beer into the stock room. We saw very little of them except when they paused to catch their breath. Sam moved about the table area checking on customers and helping serve when she could. I’d yet to get to talk to her, but I made a vow that if we didn’t get to sit down, I’d at least say something before I walked out the door.
“Vodka cran,” a female’s voice called as she climbed onto a stool not too far down the bar. She looked like she’d had a rough day and needed a drink, badly. I smiled as I spun, grabbed a glass, and began filling it with ice.
“Long day?” I grinned as I lifted the vodka bottle. The clear liquid splashed against the ice, and the woman sighed in relief.
“You could say that. I hate the traffic here,” she grumbled.
“How long have you lived in the area?” I always tried to make small talk, and business was finally starting to lull a little.
The woman smiled as she looked at her watch. “About seventeen hours.”
“And you chose here for your first night out?” I teased.
“I’m working,” she slumped against the bar. Her blonde hair was coming loose from the hair tie she had pulled it back with, and she reached down and rubbed at her heeled foot.
“Must be nice to be able to drink on the job,” I mused as I handed her the drink.
“Don’t tell my boss,” she chuckled. “I’m waiting to meet with the owner. I told her I’d hang out until she had a minute,” she shrugged as she lifted the glass and took a dainty sip. “I’m Danielle, by the way,” she smiled as she glanced around.
“So you’re the one Sam is waiting on,” I nodded in understanding.
“Yeah, she contacted the firm I work for, and they sent me since I was moving here. I can be onsite a lot more and really give her my attention,” Danielle mused as she sipped her drink again.
“Well, let me know if you need anything. My name’s Tiff,” I waved as I walked away to help the next customer. As much as she seemed like she needed someone to talk to, it was busy, and I really couldn’t devote my evening to being her shoulder to lean on. When Sam happened to breeze by again, I pointed and the two of them disappeared into her office. I knew then whatever Danielle was dealing with would be fine.
ooooooooo
“So what did you want to talk to me about?” Sam placed her hand on my shoulder. It was near closing time now. Danielle was perched back on her stool staring off into the crowd as I washed and stacked glasses. Lena was manning the bar, and I was hoping to be able to talk to Sam before I left. Mason was at the door now, and Jase had stuck around, and was nursing his second beer at the bar.
“Well,” I stumbled over my words as they got caught in my throat. Jase saw me pause and he narrowed his eyes teasingly. He had threatened to tell them if I didn’t. I sighed, defeated, before closing my eyes and letting the words tumble out. “I’m pregnant,” I mumbled.
“What?” Sam’s eyes widened before her lips curled up into a smile.
“You dog,” Dev hooted from across the bar where he slapped Jase on the back. “Congratulations!”
“Thanks man,” Jase grinned as he stared at me. I could see the love in his eyes. He was happy, and it was a real happiness, not the faked or forced kind.
“When did you find out about this?” Sam whispered in my ear as she hugged me.
“Twelve weeks ago,” it came out as more of a question than a statement.
“And you kept it a secret for that long?” She giggled as I nodded.
“We didn’t want to tell anyone until we were sure it was really going to happen. So much can go wrong,” I shrugged and I watched understanding spread across Sam’s face.
“Tell her,” Dev grinned from his spot, and I knew then that things were going to be crazy around here in the next several months.
“Your baby will have a playmate,” she grinned as she touched her flat stomach. “I’m pregnant too, about ten weeks.” She bit her lip. “We had a hard time with this one, and I haven’t wanted to believe it was real,” she smiled at Dev and I could see the pride in his face as his shoulders straightened.
“We need to celebrate,” Jase chuckled as he ordered a round of shots from Lena.
“I can’t drink, you goof,” I scoffed as Lena placed the drinks in front of the guys and shook her head at us.
“I’ll drink yours for you,” Jas
e winked as he tossed one back.
“Same here,” Dev chuckled.
“You!” I teased as I stabbed my finger at him in the air.
“You know you love me,” Jase snickered as he stood and leaned over the bar to reach for me. He cupped my cheeks as he placed a kiss on my lips. I sighed as I leaned as far as I could toward him. The wood between us no match against the pull our hearts had on each other. “Damn bar,” Jase grumbled.
“Hmmm,” I giggled before breaking the kiss. I stepped back, grinned, and then rushed to the pass through as he laughed at me. When I rounded the wood and stopped by his stool, he chuckled before hopping down and wrapping me in his arms. “I love you,” I whispered as I brushed my lips against his.
“I love you too,” he murmured back. “Yesterday, today, and tomorrow. I’ll always love you,” he vowed before deepening the kiss and tightening his arms around me. Cat calls sounded from around us, but we ignored them as we finally gave into what had been coming all along... a future. It was ours and no one was going to take that away.
ooooooooo
Mason
Tonight was crazy busy to put it mildly. Business had picked up, but several people had called in sick, and Sam had all of us pitching in to help pick up the slack. I spent most of the night carrying boxes from the delivery trucks that were coming in to the storage closet. Dev helped for a while, but then Sam had pulled him away. Normally, I would be manning door on a night this busy, but since Jase still couldn’t lift heavy shit, he was doing my job. His no nonsense demeanor seemed to keep the customers in line, and the regulars knew he’d arrest them if they stepped out. I couldn’t help but laugh the few times I walked by and heard him teasing some of the younger crowd. He’d questioned the guy’s IDs, asking if they were fake. The girls would laugh and offer to let him keep theirs so he’d have their addresses for later. I was glad Tiff wasn’t around to hear that. She’d been kinda moody lately, and I didn’t really want to deal with that tonight.
After things went south with the two of us, we’ve tried to give each other space. I don’t really know what would have happened if Jase hadn’t come back into the picture. I knew those two were meant for each other, but I have to admit that I’ve always wondered what it would feel like to press myself against her naked. Her body was smoking, and the way she moved against me on the dance floor that night had my dick throbbing in remembrance.
I haven’t really found anyone to pursue in a while. There have been women, don’t get me wrong, but none I wanted to really get to know. They’re good for a fun night, but we haven’t really connected on a level that I’m looking for. They see the muscles bulging from my shirt and think I’m nothing but a nice body. They don’t know that I’ve actually got a brain, and they don’t seem to want to find out. After Brit broke things off, I haven’t really tried to find a good one, I guess. Besides, the good ones don’t seem to have the confidence to be with me.
I need a woman that wants me for me, not what I look like. One that can trust me enough to know that I’ll always come home to her. In my line of work, I get hit on more than I care to admit. Women want the attention, and I’m the first one they encounter when they come through the door. Jase saw it first-hand tonight. I need a woman that won’t let that come between us. I don’t want to be a bouncer for the rest of my life, but its good money, and it helps pay for school.
Cat calls from across the bar cause me to lift my head and leave my pity party for one as I look to see what the hell is going on. Jase has Tiff wrapped in his arms as he devours her mouth. “Guess he’s getting laid tonight,” I muttered to myself before shifting away from my perch at the door. We’re almost ready to close, and Sam gave me the go ahead a while ago to leave my spot.
As I shuffle toward the bar, I can hear them talking about babies and I shake my head. “Can you keep it down?” I teased as I smirked at Tiff. She rolled her eyes before pulling away from Jase and returning to her spot behind the bar.
“Sorry,” she grinned. “I’m happy.”
“Can I get a beer?” I placed both elbows on the bar accidently bumping into the person on the stool beside me. “Sorry,” I murmured before tipping my head in their direction. I figured the least I could do was look at them when I apologized. When I lifted my eyes, I blinked a few times. Startled blues ones belonging to a woman stared back at me.
“It’s ok,” she swallowed as she shifted uncomfortably on her stool. She twirled her glass between her hands as she looked down at it and away from me. Tiff slid a beer in front of me before walking off.
“I haven’t seen you around here before,” I turned my body so I faced her slightly. She was tall and thin and dressed in a navy business suit. She didn’t look like the normal crowd we attracted. Her hands played nervously with the straw in her glass as she chewed on her lower lip. Her golden hair was tied back, exposing a neck that was begging me to kiss it. I don’t know why I was reacting like this, but she seemed so out of place that I was dying to know more.
“Just moved here,” she whispered without looking at me.
“My name’s Mason,” I grinned at her, hoping to get her to look at me. She nodded as she sipped her drink, and when her lips sealed around the straw, I couldn’t help but imagine that it was me between her lips. What was it about this woman that made my mind go there? “And you are?” I prodded.
“Not interested,” she snapped as her head tipped up and her eyes narrowed on me.
I lifted my hands in surrender. “Sorry. Just thought you might like a friend. I’m good at being friends,” I tried again, but her glare told me I’d pissed her off.
“That’s not what I remember,” she muttered as she rolled her eyes before sipping her drink again.
“Remember?” I mumbled in confusion as I let the words tumble around in my head. Did I know this chick? Had I fucked her before? Had I met her somewhere and just didn’t remember it? No, she said she just moved here. I’ve been here for the past eight years. “Do I know you?” I asked as I swung my gaze back to her. Her glare was in full force as I rubbed my jaw.
“Yes Mase, you do,” she bit out as she finished her drink, slammed the glass on the bar, stood, and stormed out in a huff.
“What the fuck just happened here?” I swallowed as I watched her hips sway. When she got to the door, she yanked it open and disappeared onto the sidewalk leaving me sitting there in total confusion. Who was this chick, and why did I feel like I had just made a complete ass of myself?
The End
Coming Soon: Say You Remember- Mason and Dani’s story
Promise Me Tomorrow- Playlist
Stay- Rihanna
I Heard Goodbye- Dan + Shay
Until It’s Gone- Linkin Park
American Dream- MKTO
Forever Until Tomorrow- MKTO
Stuck On A Feelin’- Prince Royce, Snoop Dogg
Photograph- Ed Sheeran
What’dya Want From Me- Adam Lambert
Angel- Digital Daggers
Should’ve Been Us- Tori Kelly
Cheyenne- Jason Derulo
Give Your Heart a Break- Demi Lovato
Whatever It Takes- Lifehouse
The Reason- Hoobastank
What I’ve Done- Linkin Park
Meant To Live- Switchfoot
Wherever You Will Go- The Calling
Away From the Sun- Three Doors Down
Someday- Nickelback
Far Away- Nickelback
The Diary of Jane- Breaking Benjamin
Other Works by H. D’Agostino
The Second Chances Series
Unbreak Me- book 1
The Boy Next Door- book 2
The One That Got Away- book 3
Inside Out- book 3.5
Fallen From Grace- book 4
The Family Next Door- book 5
The Shattered Series
Destined (Shattered # 0.5)
Shattered (Shattered #1)
Restored (Shattered #2)
Renewed (S
hattered #3)
Fated (Shattered #4)
The Broken Series
Irreparably Broken (Broken #1)
Saving Us (Broken #2)
My Broken Angel (Broken #3)
Broken Piece (Broken #4)- Coming Soon
The Witness Series
Being Nobody- book 1
Becoming Somebody- book 2
Say You Remember- book 4- Coming Soon
The Cook Brothers
Walking Among the Cherry Trees- book 1
Beyond the Cherry Trees- book 2- Coming Soon
Standalones
Privileged
Acknowledgements
I don’t even know where to begin to thank everyone that has helped me along the way. I have a great team of individuals who come together every time I launch a new book, and never let me down. We laugh, commiserate, and support each other daily and I wouldn’t survive without them.
To the best betas I know, Angie and Melinda, I can’t put into words what your support does. Reading your feedback each day brings a smile to my face like no other. It makes me laugh when sometimes all I want to do is scream and cry. We have a connection that only book lovers can understand, and I’m proud of it.
Thank you JA Hensley for letting me pick your brain about police protocol on burials. I wanted Jase’s parent’s funeral to be as realistic as possible. You saved me.
To a kickass proofer, Tabitha, your shouty caps crack me up. Thank you for your keen eye in catching the small mistakes. I know I make you mad, but I also know that you secretly like it.
To Kellie and the rest of the Eye Candy Team, thank you for the support and daily tweets. I love being an Eye Candy Author and can’t wait until we can meet in person.
Thank you Tyler and Kelsey for bringing Jase to life. You two did a fabulous job, and I look forward to working with you in the future.
Thank you to all of Heather’s Hotties who posted, tweeted, and shared Jase’s book with the masses.
And... thank you readers. Without you guys, I wouldn’t be able to do what I love to do. To know that you love my characters as much as I do still amazes me. Jase was a very complex and multilayered character. It took a lot out of me to write him. I wanted his story to be meaningful, and touch each person who read it. I wanted you to feel his pain and anguish, and after reading the feedback I know that I accomplished my goal. I can’t wait until you meet Mason.
Promise Me Tomorrow: Book 3 in the Witness Series (Volume 3) Page 16
