Force of Nature

by Melissa Toppen

“I know I did.” He reaches out and cups my face, forcing my gaze upward. “And I promise, I’ll never hurt you again.”

  “I’m pregnant.” I don’t mean to say it. It just falls off my lips without a thought. In an instant I watch every bit of the color drain from his face.

  His hands drop and he takes a full step back, uncertainty lingering in his eyes.

  “You’re pregnant?” he questions like he hasn’t quite grasped the statement. His gaze holds mine for the longest moment before slowly dipping to my belly where my baby bump is evident if you care enough to look.

  “I... I don’t know what to say.” He shakes his head, his gaze coming back up to mine. “I didn’t realize you were seeing anyone. Chris said...”

  “I’m not seeing anyone,” I cut him off, realizing that he’s not understanding what I’m telling him. “The baby is yours.”

  “What?” He looks even more confused now, running a hand through his messy hair as he tries to digest the information I’m feeding him.

  “You’re the father. The night in the camper, you didn’t use protection.”

  “But I thought you were on birth control?”

  “I was. Guess it’s not as effective as I thought it was.” I shrug, not knowing what else to really say about the matter.

  “I... How long have you known?”

  “Since March.” I rest a hand on the top of my belly, not even realizing I’m doing it until Thad’s eyes follow the movement before coming back to my face.

  “But it’s May.” He shakes his head again. “The night you fainted on set.” He seems to be slowly putting it together. I hadn’t even realized he knew about that but I shouldn’t be surprised that someone told him. “But why... Why didn’t you tell me?” He takes another step back.

  “You know why I didn’t tell you,” I say, not sugar coating it for him.

  “Were you ever going to tell me?” he questions, the hurt evident on his face.

  “I just recently decided that I’m keeping her,” I say, watching his eyes widen further.

  “It’s a girl?” he croaks, his eyes glossing over with unshed tears. “You were going to get rid of my daughter?”

  “I was going to protect her.” I swipe at a tear that slides down my cheek. “I didn’t want you to have the chance to hurt her the way you hurt me.”

  “I would never,” he starts but stops himself. “So why tell me now?”

  “You say you want a chance to prove yourself, here it is. I can’t promise you anything or tell you that we’ll have a future together. It’s too early and the wounds are still too fresh. What I can tell you is that if you’re serious about moving here, if you truly mean it when you say you’ll stop running, then I want you to know your daughter. I want you to be a part of her life. But only if you want that too.”

  “Of course I do.”

  “Then move here. Get yourself a place. Find a job. Show me that you mean everything you say and I promise to never keep her from you ever again.”

  “I don’t just want her though. I want you too.” The tears swimming in his eyes make it damn near impossible to hold my composure. How easy it would be to give in. To collapse into his arms and trust that everything will be okay. But I can’t do that this time. I have to protect my heart, and more importantly, I have to protect my daughter.

  “I won’t lie and say I don’t still love you. I do. No matter how hard I’ve tried to stop I couldn’t. But that doesn’t mean all the pain and uncertainty just goes away because you’re here now. I need more than that.”

  “I can give you more.”

  “Then show me. I can’t just forgive you, Thad.”

  “I know.”

  “I want to believe everything you’re saying. Truly I do.”

  “But you need to see it in my actions,” he finishes my thought.

  “I do.”

  “Then I’ll show you. I swear to you, Laken. From now until the end of forever, I will spend every day showing you how much you mean to me. I will love you and our daughter with everything I have. I promise.” He pulls me close, his arms going around my shoulders as he secures my body to his. “Thank you,” he whispers into my hair.

  “Please don’t make me regret this,” I plead softly.

  “Never.” He pulls back, cupping my face once more. “I love you,” he says, laying a light kiss to my mouth before sinking to his knees in front of me. “And I love you,” he says, placing both hands on my stomach as he kisses right below my belly button.

  I can’t resist the urge to slide my fingers into his hair and hold him against me when his arms close around my waist. He trembles slightly and I realize he’s crying.

  The flood gates holding back my own tears open as they begin to fall in quick succession. I slide down to my knees in front of him, pulling him into my arms. He buries his face into my neck and holds me tightly and I know right there in that very moment that he won’t ever let me go again.

  Epilogue

  TWO YEARS LATER

  “You were incredible today.” Thad meets me just off set, our smiling eighteen month old daughter propped on his hip. “Wasn’t Mommy incredible today?” he asks Ivory who giggles when he bounces her up and down in quick succession.

  “Thank you.” I smile at Thad before leaning in to snuggle my baby girl.

  Blood Lust is now on its fourth season with no signs of slowing down and I couldn’t be more grateful. It has allowed me to continue to live my dream while still being able to provide my daughter with some stability.

  It hasn’t been an easy road. In fact, there have been so many potholes it’s a wonder my tires are still inflated, but at the end of the day I wouldn’t change one moment of it.

  Thad meant what he said that night in my kitchen. He moved to North Carolina the very next week, got a job, and has maintained his sobriety. It hasn’t always been easy on him but he’s proven over the last couple of years just how strong he really is. Stronger than he ever realized.

  We started slow. I agreed to a date. One date turned into two, two into three, and before you knew it we were in a better place than we had ever been. He moved in with me shortly before Ivory was born and we haven’t looked back since.

  He proposed in the hospital. It wasn’t the most romantic thing in the world considering they hadn’t even finished cleaning me up after delivery, but it was totally Thad. With Ivory in his arms and tears swimming in his eyes he looked down at me and asked me to be his wife. As if the day wasn’t already perfect, that was the cherry dropped right on top.

  Since our entire family was in town for the birth of our daughter, we threw together a small ceremony two weeks later and said our vows on the beach. With the waves lapping around our feet while our newborn daughter slept in Whitney’s arms, we exchanged our vows. Chris stood beside my new husband, but his eyes never left his own future bride.

  I think in the end everyone got the happy ending they were looking for. Or rather the happy beginning, as all of our stories are far from over.

  I look up and meet Ivory’s crisp blue eyes. Her daddy’s eyes. And then to my husband who has made me happier than I ever imagined possible.

  “You ready to go home?” He smiles, reaching for my hand.

  “I am.” I nod as he slips his fingers through mine and squeezes.

  Our life together has never been a fairy tale, but it’s always been real. Our love, like our past, is not without flaws but at the end of the day it’s not about how we’ve torn each other down, it’s how we’ve built each other back up that counts. I’m his home and he’s mine. And there isn’t a soul on this earth I’d rather share this crazy journey with.

  The End

  Force of Nature Playlist

  Water- Bishop Briggs

  Games- Demi Lovato

  Not Sorry- Eyes Set to Kill

  Force of Nature- Bea Miller

  If My Name Was Whiskey- Carly Pearce

  I Don’t Want to Know- Sigrid

  Boys Like You- Anna Cle
ndening

  Run to You- Lea Michelle

  Hi-Lo- Bishop Briggs

  Cry Pretty- Carrie Underwood

  Tornado- Lea Michelle

  Acknowledgments

  First I just want to say thank you. Thank you for taking the time to read Force of Nature. Thank you for allowing these characters and their story to be a part of your lives. Thank you for taking this journey with them. I hope it was worth it!

  As always I’d like to take a moment to thank a few people who helped me along the way.

  To my family- your unwavering support is such a blessing. I don’t know if I could do any of this without you standing behind me.

  Mavens—you ladies rock so hard! Thank you for everything you do.

  Angel- I love ya girl. What else can I say at this point? Thank you for being a constant and someone I know I can always count on.

  To my editor Rose- Thank you for everything. Your feedback and critiques always push me to be better.

  To my readers- Thank you for your continued support. I will continue writing stories as long as you continue to read them! From the bottom of my heart- Thank you.

  XOXO

  -Melissa

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  Tequila Haze

  Chapter One

  The lights pulse with the music – perfectly timed flashes that make the room dance with color. The heavy beat of the drum vibrates the floor beneath my feet as I move with the rhythm of the upbeat song.

  This isn’t my scene. Well, not usually. I’m more of a dinner and a movie kind of girl. I can count the number of times I’ve stepped into a club on one hand. But tonight is not about me. It’s about my best friend, Emma.

  “You only turn twenty-two once,” she had said to me earlier in the evening. I bit my tongue, choosing not to remind her that’s exactly what she says every year.

  Besides, what kind of friend would I be if I didn’t suck it up every once in a while and step outside of my comfort zone for my best friend of ten years?

  So here I am, smashed into a room with way too many people, in a dress that might as well have been painted on it’s so tight, throwing back cosmos like this is an everyday occurrence for me.

  When Emma goes out, she goes all out. And I mean that by she spends more money than she can afford on a new little black number and a minimum of two hours on her hair and makeup. Of course I’m expected to follow along.

  I’ve learned to roll with it, as I have most things with Emma, choosing the path of least resistance. Trust me when I say, she always gets her way in the end anyway.

  I have to admit, even when I don’t really want to do something, I usually end up enjoying myself just the same. Not that I would ever admit that out loud. Admitting Emma is right about something is a sure fire way to make sure you never live it down.

  As the song winds down and a slower one takes its place, I turn to see Emma a couple feet away, pressed firmly against a twenties something hipster with a dark man bun tied at the back of his head.

  Ignoring the way the man looks at me as I step up next to them, I immediately lean into my friend’s space.

  “I’m in need of another Cosmo. Stat,” I announce a little louder than necessary.

  Emma turns her head toward me, a small smile playing on the corners of her lips. Even red faced with sweat collecting at her brow, Emma is a complete and total knockout. Her skin the softest brown – a perfect combination of her father’s dark skin and her mother’s fair. Her long brown waves fall perfectly to the middle of her back and she has legs that go on for days. But what really puts her over the edge is her crisp green eyes which are so bright they stand out even in the dimness of rooms.

  We really are polar opposites. At least on the outside. I’m about as fair as they come – ghost white even in the dead of summer – despite the fact that I live in Florida which is pretty much sunny year round. My hair is light – a dirty blonde with natural highlights. Unlike Emma, I’m not tall or model skinny but short and curvy. No matter how hard I work out I’ve got a butt and thighs I simply cannot get rid of.

  Emma says that’s why guys fawn all over me. I’m not sure what planet she’s living on, but she’s the one that has the male sex eating out of the palm of her hand. Has as long as I’ve known her.

  “Order me one. I’ll be over soon,” she says, nodding her head ever so slightly to the guy whose hands I’m now noticing are resting comfortably on her ass.

  “You got it.” I flash her a knowing smile before quickly turning and maneuvering my way through the crowd of people that stand between me and the bar that resides along the far back wall.

  Snagging the only empty stool I can find, I lean forward on my elbows and let out a slow breath, feeling slightly overheated and a whole lot buzzed.

  “Two more?” My gaze lands on the muscled bartender that stops in front of me.

  “Please.” I bat my eyelashes in a way that makes me cringe internally, followed up by a wide smile.

  “Coming right up.” He winks, quickly turning.

  “You’ll have to tell me your secret.” A deep voice resonates next to me and I instantly turn toward the sound, sucking in a sharp breath when I meet a pair of deep brown eyes.

  “Huh?” It’s the only word I can manage, completely transfixed by the yellow speckles that pepper the brown eyes currently locked on mine.

  “Your secret.” The man smiles and my gaze immediately dips to his mouth. Full lips shadowed by a dusting of dark facial hair.

  “Secret?” I try to shake off the fog that seems to have settled around me and refocus.

  “Considering nearly everyone on this side of the bar has been standing here for ten minutes and muscles hasn’t even looked our way once.” He gestures toward the bartender.

  “I’d tell you, but then I’d have to kill you.” I find myself teasing, fueled by the alcohol and how damn attractive this man is.

  I’d guess him in his mid-twenties. He has two length dark brown hair – short underneath and longer on top – pushed back away from his face that’s sporting neatly trimmed facial hair. He’s hands down the hottest guy in here, and by the smirk on his face, I’d guess he’s perfectly aware of this fact.

  “I might be dying of thirst. I think I’ll take the risk,” he immediately counters, his smile growing. A deep dimple makes an appearance on his right cheek.

  My stomach instantly whooshes and it takes me a full ten seconds to gather my bearings enough to come up with a response.

  “Come here.” I hitch my finger, gesturing for him to come closer. “You can’t tell anyone.” I lower my voice when he gets close, moving to place my lips just shy of his ear.

  His scent invades my senses and I take a moment to appreciate how amazing he smells before finally finishing my sentence.

  “Boobs,” I whisper, giggling when he pulls back, deep laughter rumbling through him.

  I decide right there that his laugh is the best laugh I’ve ever heard. The kind I could close my eyes and listen to for hours. Just the sound of it makes my skin prickle.

  “Boobs?” he questions through his laughter. It’s only then that I pick up the slight drawl to his voice and I have to admit, I really like it.

  “That’s my secret.” Straightening my posture, I tuck my hand toward my chest. “I have boobs,” I mouth, biting my bottom lip to contain my laughter.

  “I’m Hudson,” he announces, as if my comment was enough to make him decide I was worth introducing himself to. “Hudson Demasi.”

  “Lennon Claire.” I take his hand when he stretches it between us.

  “Lennon?” He phrases m
y name like a question, clearly thinking what everyone does when they first learn my name. Wrapping his fingers gently around mine, he shakes my hand. “I take it your parents were big Beatles fans?”

  “My sister’s name is Starr, spelled with two R’s. What do you think?” I roll my eyes.

  “Wow.” He shakes his head, amused. “Well, would it make you feel better to know that I think Lennon is a kick ass name?”

  “Not really,” I joke, pulling my hand from his as the bartender reappears with my two cosmos, setting them on the bar in front of me.

  “Can I get a Bud Light and two shots of tequila too?” I quickly request, watching the bartender’s gaze shoot to Hudson and then back to me.

  Instead of lingering eyes and a flirty smile this time, he simply nods before walking away again.

  “I hope you like beer,” I offer, picking up one of the cosmos and taking a small sip. “I wouldn’t want you to die of thirst or anything.”

  “Beer is good with me.” He smiles, that dimple once again gracing his face. “Thank you.”

  “You’re more than welcome. Besides, now that we’re friends I feel like it’s my responsibility to make sure you’re taken care of.”

  “You always make friends so easily?” He arches a brow playfully.

  “Only when I find someone I feel like I can really open up to. I mean, I did tell you my secret after all,” I say playfully, watching his eyes dance with humor.

  “I guess that’s true. Now you’re stuck with me.” His gaze slides to the bartender who reappears with two shot glasses filled with clear liquid and a bottle of Bud Light.

  “Thirty-three dollars,” he says, setting the drinks on the bar in front of us.

  “On me.” Hudson immediately reaches for his wallet.

  “Not a chance,” I object, reaching into my bra to pull out a small roll of bills, dropping two twenties on the bar.

  Hudson pauses mid motion and watches me, a mixture of humor and disbelief washing over his incredibly handsome face.