My One and Only: A Bad Boy Secret Baby Second Chance Romance

by Weston Parker

  See, you really have grown. You’re even calling it a relationship now. I nearly snorted at the voice in my head as Gerry and Matt continued bantering.

  Matt had a finger up, waving it at Gerry as he pretended to be lecturing him the way Gerry so often used to do with us. “Listen to me, young man. Just because our album’s been at number one for the past two months doesn’t mean we forgot where we came from. We’re more than arrogant, cocky hotheads who do nothing but get into trouble, you know?”

  Gerry chuckled, shaking his head. “Not anymore, you’re not. But for a while there, you had me worried you were never going to pull your heads out of your leather-clad asses.”

  “For a while there, we didn’t know they were up there.” I chuckled.

  Matt and Nick pelted me with the gummy sweets they were eating while Dom protested loudly. “That’s because ours never were. It was just your head. Thank god this one came along and saved us from the Emperor.”

  He jerked his head toward Alicia as he rolled his eyes at my media-bestowed nickname. Caleb laughed, nodding so hard I thought he was going to get whiplash. “Thank you, Alicia.”

  Nick straightened his arms, lifted them above his head and brought them down in a worshiping motion. “We owe you for our sanity. Don’t know what we would’ve done with him if not for you.”

  I shook my head, pressing my lips together trying to look hurt even as I tried not to laugh. “You’re all dreaming. You’re all as stubborn and difficult as I am.”

  “You forgot to mention arrogant, impossible, entitled, spoiled, and damn near uncontrollable,” Alicia added, amusement dancing in her eyes.

  I pulled her onto my lap, tickling her as I laughed. “Oh yeah? Why do you love me then?”

  “I don’t know,” she squealed, struggling to free herself from my lap. I let her go, and she shot off the couch, sticking her tongue out at me playfully as she moved to the other side of Gerry’s bed. “It’s not my fault. I couldn’t help it. Maybe I have a thing for men who like to make my life difficult for me.”

  “You should talk to someone about that,” Caleb added, chuckling as he winked up at her. “Sounds like a serious problem.”

  Alicia nodded, suppressing a smile. “I’ll look into it.”

  “Just seek help on your own time. We still need you around for work,” Nick said, looking at Gerry. “Am I right, old man?”

  Gerry’s eyes were bright as he watched us fool around, like a proud parent or maybe just a supremely relieved manager. “Quit it with the old man jokes. I’m not old. I’m merely in recovery. But yes, as far as Alicia is concerned, we do need her around.”

  “Which is another reason I insisted you all come here today,” I interjected, swallowing a sudden bundle of nerves trying to creep up my throat when they quieted down, all looking at me wearing varied expressions of confusion.

  “I thought we were here to catch up with Gerry,” Matt said, his voice hesitant as his eyes flicked between Gerry’s and mine. Gerry shrugged, showing Matt he didn’t know what I was talking about either.

  Lights blinked on in Caleb’s and Dom’s eyes at about the same time, at just about the moment both of them caught my hand inching toward my pocket. Caleb’s lips broke into the widest smile I’d ever seen on him, and Dom nodded slowly, an approving grin on his face.

  “We are here to catch up with Gerry,” I told Matt, making my way around Gerry’s bed to where Alicia was standing. “But I also wanted to bring everyone together because I wanted you all to be a part of this.”

  “Part of what?” Nick asked.

  Caleb elbowed him, whispering, “Shut up, asshole. Let him talk.”

  My hand slid into my back pocket and closed around a small, circular object I’d been feeling there all day. I’d only picked it up this morning, but I’d been going back and forth with the shop for two months to get it perfect.

  Closing my fist around it, I pulled the ring out of my pocket and sank down onto one knee. Alicia’s eyes grew into cobalt-colored saucers, both of her hands flying to cover her mouth.

  Fuck. I hadn’t planned what to say because words always worked out better for me when I just let them flow naturally, but they got stuck in my throat now as my love for this woman I was staring up at nearly overwhelmed me.

  Taking a breath, I let the feeling flow through me. Allowed it to overwhelm me and then to craft what I needed to say for me, just like with my songs, only this time, my heart hung in the balance of the outcome.

  “I’ve never told you this, but the very first time I saw you, something stirred deep inside me. Like this instinctive, primal part of my soul that somehow knew you were our mate. I had no reason to think you were special or different then, but somehow, I knew it anyway, even if I wouldn’t admit it to myself or to anyone else. It took my brain a long time to catch up to what my heart and soul already knew. You were the light in the darkness I never knew I was stuck in, the rock I could lean on and anchor myself to when I was drifting. You’ve been that rock for Destitute since the beginning, but you’ve especially been it for me. I’ve said once that you’re my one and only, and I meant it. You’re the only woman I want, now and forever. Will you marry me?”

  No one said a word. No one breathed. I didn’t either. My throat was drier than a desert as I waited for Alicia to answer me.

  Slowly, she sank her knees in front of. Silent tears were streaming down her face as she nodded. Over and over and over again, she nodded. When she finally found her voice, it was when her arms were winding around my neck and her mouth was pressing kisses to mine.

  “Yes,” she whispered in between her fervent kisses. “Yes, I will. I will marry you, you crazy, beautiful, amazing man. Of course, I’ll marry you!”

  The End

  Author Note: Rock ON!! Make sure to enjoy some Office Romance novels I have for you next!

  Office Romance

  Ryan and Meg

  Chapter 1

  Ryan

  Much could be said about hating Mondays, but as I walked into my office for the last minute board meeting, my week was off to a rocky start.

  “Here’s your coffee, sir, and there will be donuts and fruit in the boardroom. Mr. Weaver is in your office.” I took Gina’s hand off of my coffee as she opened my door and then closed me and my best friend, Jason inside.

  “Hey, man. I hope you’re ready for a beating.” Jason lounged in front of my desk with a grin. If anyone understood my distaste for board meetings it was my friend of twenty years. We’d know each other since we were twelve years old and there wasn’t anyone on the planet who knew me better.

  “Yeah, thanks. That’s what I need for keeping you around all these years. Remind me why I do it?” I lowered myself into my leather chair and spun around to face my city view. It was much more appealing than Jason’s pretty-boy mug, and it reminded me that as CEO of Walker Industries there was an awful long way to fall.

  I’d inherited the view from my father, Douglas Walker, and after taking the company public, which meant gaining shareholders, he and the other seniors on the board had their balls in a twist.

  “You keep me around to have your back, which I will no matter what.” He glanced at his gold watch that matched his hair and grimaced. “Looks like you’re on in five. We better walk down.”

  “Dammit. You’d think being the boss I’d get to sit for ten minutes.” I grabbed my coffee, and the two of us headed out. Jason flashed Gina a wink, clicking his tongue in the process, which earned him a sideward glare from me.

  “Don’t mess with Gina. She’s a good girl and off limits. I’m putting a ban on all secretaries in my offices, so you’ll have to go find yourself a nurse or a stewardess; maybe a nice school teacher.”

  “I’d prefer a naughty librarian, or maybe a sexy lawyer.” He slapped a hand on my back. “You’re the one needing to get a life, man. What kind of woman are you looking for?”

  “I see plenty of women. As if I don’t have enough problems?” I stopped down the hall f
rom the boardroom and pushed my coffee cup at Jason so I could straighten my tie, collar, and cuffs. I couldn’t walk in looking like I’d slept in my suit from a night out partying, which is the perception that some of the men still had of me; the one’s who’d known me since I was a gangly kid hanging around my father’s office with my brother David.

  He had died eight years ago when I’d lost control of my car on the way home from a concert and ran off the road. The car had flipped, and a piece of glass had sliced through his carotid artery. He’d bled out before help arrived and died right beside me while I was pinned in, helpless to save him.

  I shoved the memory down to a dark place in my soul as I continued down the hall staring at the floor until the walls turned to windows. I glanced over and eyed the other men who had gathered around the table and cringed knowing they must have something important in mind to call for an emergency meeting.

  It wasn’t like they were blindsiding me, I knew they wanted to talk about the latest environmental reports that had been plastered all over the news, but what worried me wasn’t the why of it as much as what they intended to do about it. Any issue that went to a vote would most likely be in their favor over mine, and that was because of my father’s influence.

  I noticed him sitting right on the opposite end of the table from where I’d be, and as a matter of perspective, it would be hard to tell which one of us was actually at the head. He wasn’t fooling me. I knew he liked that way.

  Jason opened the door, and I strolled past him into the room where I was greeted by the others as I passed heading for the other end of the table. “Good to see you all so bright and early, gentleman.” Mrs. Cassian cleared her throat. “Madam, it’s good to see you as well.” I gave her a warm smile even though she looked as if her face would crack if she returned the expression and just as I suspected, she didn’t.

  “Good to see you, son,” said my father, his voice rising above all the others. “Mr. Donahue is going to give the reason for our little get together.”

  “That would be wonderful.” I turned my head to the gray-haired man who had always looked like a real-life version of the Monopoly man.

  Mr. Donahue had been with the company since the early days and was one of my father’s very first employees. He cleared his throat and held up a newspaper from the week before. “Our meeting today is in light of this article written last week. It seems Walker Industries is getting a lot of negative attention that is not only going to damage our reputation, but it’s going to cause us to lose our shareholders, which will be least of our worries once the government gets done with us.”

  “You didn’t ask us here for a recap, so what are you proposing?” I wanted to cut to the chase. Too much critique and my father was going to get wound up. Far be it from him to let anyone else ridicule when he could have the honor. He’d been hard on me my entire life and especially since David’s death.

  “There are many of us who believe it’s time to bring in our own environmentalist. Someone from the outside who cannot be seen as biased in any way.”

  “So you’re saying our own environmentalist, which we spend hundreds of thousands a year employing isn't enough?”

  My father cleared his throat and squared his shoulders. “We just think this particular situation calls for someone that the public can’t see having an agenda.”

  Jason spoke up. “Couldn’t this cause a bit of dissension with the team on staff? That’s no way to show confidence in an already difficult time.” He had a point and not only that, but I could end up losing important relationships and trust if things went wrong.

  “I’m not sure this is our best recourse. Why don’t I have our guys hire someone new” We could bring in a new face, someone who’s going to be fresh on the case but won’t squash any toes.”

  My father waved his hand dismissively. “Absolutely not. It wouldn’t do any good. I know you want to protect that one department, but a well-rounded businessman like me knows it’s much better to protect the reputation as a whole. People are claiming they’re being poisoned from their drinking water which is a serious issue. I’m sure those boys on your environment team will understand it’s just good business.”

  I clenched my jaw so hard I was surprised it didn’t snap, but then I took a slow deep breath so they wouldn’t notice I was rattled. My father never had any confidence in me, but this wasn’t the time to sort out family issues. I would also ignore the attempt to make seem heartless. As if I didn’t care about people and their drinking water? That’s why I’d hired an environmental team in the first place. “I don’t think it’s good business to go against the grain when there’s a less abrasive way to handle this.”

  My father waved his hand as if I were a fly he could shew away. “I say we take a vote. We could be here all morning going back and forth, and quite frankly I have a ten o’clock tee time I’m determined to make.” My father gave a smug chuckle and eased back in his seat.

  “Yes, let’s,” said Mr. Donahue, smiling at my father, his long-time buddy. I had no doubts that the two of them had this all orchestrated beforehand and I was prepared to lose to them. I usually did. My father’s influence was still powerful in the company even though I’m the one who had taken us to the billions.

  “All in favor?” Mr. Donahue spoke out across the table, taking note of the hands that already gave them the majority. “Opposed?” There were a few hands raised beside mine and Jason’s but like it or not. My father would get his way once again.

  “It’s a majority rule,” my father announced as if it weren’t painfully obvious. “We’ve already gone through a list of candidates, but one, in particular, we’re going to send over for you to meet. She comes highly recommended.”

  Great, just what I needed, some tree-hugging, ninny consultant getting into my business and pissing off the team. “Fine. If that’s everything?” I glanced around the table meeting the other’s eyes with a glare. As their eyes turned away from mine, my anger grew. But there was nothing I could do but deal with it. “Then the meeting is adjourned. Thank you and have a nice day.”

  I sat there as the room cleared; all but Jason and me. “Sorry, man. I saw that coming.”

  “Yeah, my father is a bit predictable. He would have never talked to David that way. He’s always trying to make me look small in front of his friends as if he’s not content enough to sit back and let me shine. Sure, I get it, it should have been David’s place, but I don’t know what to do to fix that, you know? What do I say? Sorry?” Jason shook his head. He’d always avoided saying too much when I brought up David as if knowing it was better to let me vent. But then again what did you say the guy responsible for killing his brother?

  I caught my breath and tried to calm down. “I can’t believe he found a woman. I bet she’s a real ball buster too.”

  “She might not be that bad. Maybe she’s a naughty environmentalist.” His eyes brightened as a grin spread his lips. “If that’s the case, I call dibs.”

  “I wouldn’t get too excited. I could never be so lucky.”

  Chapter 2

  Megan

  “So you’re saying that even though our drinking water is filtered and appears clear, there are still contaminates in it?” The girl crinkled her nose, and her friend giggled. It was hard to distinguish these college students from the high schoolers I’d toured last month, but at least the day was almost over.

  I slapped on a big grin and gave her a toothy answer. “That’s right, clear doesn’t mean clean. That’s what it’s so important to watch what we put back into our environment. Many of the chemicals that are present in our water do not affect the color or clarity. Are there any other questions?” My feet were killing me, and though I loved my job, I was ready for this college tour to be over.

  My employer, Easton Environmental had assigned me to lead a series of tours at the water treatment plant for some of the local colleges. There had been four total, and I’d been on my feet for hours. I made a mental note to wear b
etter shoes next time as I waited for the next question.

  Most of the students stood slouched with their hands in their pockets, and though they weren’t much younger than me, I felt years away from them. I’d finished college early and began working with Easton three years earlier, and even though I was a rookie compared to most when it came to years of experience, I was making a name for myself with my drive and determination. Though I’d always loved the environment, my true passion was people, and far too many I’d known had died from cancer. My grandfather had passed away from pancreatic and liver cancer, which were thought to have been caused by him living near the refineries for so many years. For me, the subject was life and passion, but as I looked out at the blank faces of the students, I wondered if they even knew what passion was.

  “If there aren’t any more questions then I’d like to thank you for coming today.” The group, along with the professor cleared out and I turned and ducked behind a stack of barrels. I pulled off my shoes and vowed to never listen to Jana again. She’d encouraged me to dress up for the occasion, which to her meant wearing flats. I was a sneaker kind of girl, and now that feet were aching I couldn’t believe I’d bought into my best friend’s logic of comfortable footwear.

  I decided she needed to hear my grievance first hand and so I pulled my phone out of my back pocket and found her smiling face in my contacts. I touched the screen and waited to hear her voice.

  “Jana James,” she said. She always answered the phone the same way, and never said hello like a normal person.

  “Yes, Ms. James, this is the complaint department of Easton Environmental, your flats are the most uncomfortable piece of footwear I’ve ever had the displeasure of wearing in front of a bunch of brain dead college students.”