Homecoming: A Secret Baby Romance

by Landish, Lauren

  A surge of emotions welled up from the pit of my stomach, making it hard for me to breath.

  “And how I want to be together and be a good father to our child.”

  Our child. I could hardly stand. Max was taking total responsibility for what I’d done, even though it could have ruined him. In that moment, I loved him more than I could’ve ever imagined. “Thank you,” I breathed. “I was so scared that you were going to hate me.”

  Max frowned. “I could never hate you, Nikki. Ever.”

  “Yeah, let’s see what you’re saying in a year from now when I don’t immediately lose all the baby weight.”

  Max surprised me by kissing me on the lips. “It’ll still be the same as it is now.”

  “We’ll see about that.”

  “Wanna bet?”

  “No. I’m broke.”

  Max chuckled. “That’s what I thought.” He grew silent as the sounds of the waves crashing enveloped us. I gazed up at him, the moonlight seeming to shine directly on us, and he gazed back at me. Suddenly, I was aware of something hard pressing up against my thigh.

  “Oh no,” I said immediately. “Not here.”

  “Looking at you in the bikini has been making me hot all day.”

  “So? We’re on the beach.”

  “But we can’t go back home. You know what your mom said. Max held me firmly in his arms. “Where’s your adventurous side? There’s no one around.”

  I looked around. He was right, but that didn’t mean no one would come walking up.

  “I don’t know.”

  Max grinned at me. “Let’s have a little fun.” Without warning, Max hefted me up into his arms, carried me several feet out into the waves and then tossed me into the ocean.

  “Max!” I screamed in shock as the cold water hit me and I paddled to my feet. I was now almost waist deep in. “You bastard.”

  He laughed. “That was just like old times, huh?”

  “It’s not funny!” I shivered, wiping the water out of my eyes.

  “What’s the matter?” Max taunted. “You cold?”

  “Yeah, thanks to you.”

  “Well, I know the perfect way to warm you up.” Without blinking an eye, Max dropped his swimming trunks, revealing his magnificent body and rock hard cock and waded out into the water to me.

  “Max, what are you doing?” I chattered.

  He moved in close and I was immediately enveloped by the heat of his body. It was a welcome sensation, feeling his hard body pressed up against me. Down below, I could feel his cock throbbing against my thigh.

  “Warming you up,” he whispered, kissing my neck.

  At the first touch of his lips, I let out a moan and melted in his arms, all resistance fleeing my body. I felt safe in his arms and was totally his. “What if someone comes?” I managed as his lips burned into my skin.

  Max reached down into the water and cupped my ass in his powerful hands and then hoisted me onto his waste. Down below, his cock pressed against the material of my bathing suit, throbbing for entry.

  “Then let em’ watch,” Max said, as he carried me back to our big blanket we had laid out on the sand.

  * * *

  Max and I arrived back home in the wee hours in the morning, soaking wet and still in our swimwear, hot from our steamy session on the beach. Stealthily, we entered the house and went up to Max’s room.

  As soon as Max shut the door, he was all over me, groping me and smothering me with ardent kisses. We fell back on the bed, kissing and exploring each other’s bodies, rolling all over.

  “Wait,” I gasped, remembering where we were. “Remember our promise?”

  “We’re just making out, that’s all.”

  I stared at him, feeling his cock throb against me. In reality, I was turned on that he was wanting round two.

  “I’m serious,” Max promised. He drew me into a deep kiss, one that left me dizzy when the door swung open.

  I gasped and pushed Max away to see my mother standing in the doorway, her arms folded across her chest. “What are you two doing back this late?”

  “Ever heard of knocking?” I had to ask, feeling anger. We were adults and what did it matter how late we were out.

  Instead of exploding on me with anger, she ignored my smartass remark. “I’ll leave you two be, but remember what I said.” She turned and shut the door.

  I looked at Max. “Isn’t that weird?”

  Max stared at the door and then scratched his head in puzzlement. “Yeah. I don’t get it. She should’ve been pissed.”

  “Why do you suppose she wasn’t?”

  Max shook his head. “I don’t know, but I hope we find out.”

  Epilogue

  Over the next couple of months Max and I tried to keep our relationship toned down out of respect for our parents until they got more accustomed to it, but each passing day it became harder. When the good news arrived that Max had found a job working for a contractor, I was ecstatic. We could finally move out on our own and be free to love one another without judgment.

  So move out we did, into a beautiful one bedroom, one bath apartment with cream-colored carpets and a beautiful open floor plan — albeit small. I was overjoyed with our new place and never had been happier in my entire life.

  Our parents preferred that we stay at home, but we wanted our privacy. To be honest, it wasn’t much different than being at home. My mother came by every day to check on me as the months went by and my pregnancy progressed.

  Best of all, Max was happy with his new job and no longer mentioned anything about the military. I was really happy about that.

  When it came time to discover the baby’s gender, Max and I opted to not be informed. We wanted it to be a surprise. As the day grew closer, I grew happier. Life alone with Max was better than I’d ever imagined it would be.

  All in all, I couldn’t be more pleased.

  * * *

  About a week before my due date, I woke up in the middle of the night with a racing heart. Something was terribly wrong.

  “Max,” I whispered, grabbing at the swollen sides of my giant belly and wincing in pain. It was like I was being kicked in the stomach. “Something isn’t right.”

  Max’s snores greeted me in response. “Max!” I cried more urgently as a sharp pain shot up through my abdomen. “Wake up.”

  Max’s snores abruptly ended as he rolled in the bed and turned on the night-light and then rolled around to peer at me with sleep-filled eyes. “Huh?” he asked stupidly.

  “I think it’s time,” I gasped.

  “Huh?” Max asked again just as dumbly.

  “Max!” I screamed. “The baby!”

  An expression of horrible comprehension crossed his face. “Oh!” He jumped up from the bed, revealing his naked muscular body and chiseled ass cheeks. He quickly pulled his jeans off the floor and began climbing in them, tumbling around the room.

  “Ohh!” I groaned.

  Max rushed to the nightstand and grabbed a set of keys. “I’ll go start the car,” he told me. He turned and ran towards the bedroom door.

  “Max!” I yelled. He paused, turning around to stare at me. Even with the distress I was in, it was hard not to laugh at the expression on his face. I’d never seen him so scared in my entire life.

  “Yeah?”

  Suddenly, I felt a pop and water began to trickle down my legs, soaking the bed sheets.

  “HURRY!”

  * * *

  “Lola Nicole,” I said proudly, holding her out to Max as our parents looked on in the background.

  Reverently, Max took her from my arms. His face lit up like a Christmas tree as he peered down at the bundle of joy. “She’s beautiful,” he muttered, his voice filled with awe. “Gorgeous, just like her mother.”

  I beamed, trying not to wince at a sharp pain that shot up my side. “Thank you.”

  Max smiled at me briefly before returning his gaze to his precious daughter. Cooing softly, he rocked her back and forth in his
arms. I grew warm and fuzzy inside watching him, the hardened soldier, become a softy for his little girl. The image became so overwhelming that tears began flowing down my cheeks.

  I wasn’t the only one crying, though. In the background, I could see the tears in my mother’s eyes as she stared at Max and our baby. Whether it was from sadness or happiness, I couldn’t tell.

  Shortly after my labor began, my mom had arrived at the hospital and demanded she be let into my room to help me through it. I was shocked when she came in, thinking that she’d never want to be there to witness me having a baby out of wed-lock and by her stepson no less, but my mother, it seemed, wasn’t going to miss the birth of her grandbaby no matter the father.

  It was kind of odd seeing both my mother and stepbrother in the same room while I was giving birth, but I’d been in too much discomfort, even with the epidural they’d given me, to pay much attention.

  “Are we going to get to hold her sometime this century?” my mother asked somewhat impatiently.

  Max stopped rocking Lola and looked slightly embarrassed. “Sorry, I forgot you guys were even here. I was in my own little world” He held her out to my mom. “Here.”

  Tears in her eyes, she took the baby from his arms ever so gently. “Oh,” she murmured, a slight catch in her voice. “She’s absolutely beautiful.”

  “Isn’t she, though?” Max said.

  For the next ten minutes, Lola was tossed around almost like a volleyball as we all took turns cuddling her. Finally, I had to ask a question that had been weighing on my mind since the whole saga had begun.

  “Mom?” I asked.

  My mom was the one currently holding Lola, a distant smile on her face. “Hmm?” she asked without looking up.

  “There’s one thing that I’ve been trying to understand since this whole thing has begun. Why have you guys been so supportive of us? I can’t imagine any other parents would have been as gracious as you guys were.”

  She looked up from the baby and glanced over at Jerry, who was suddenly preoccupied with scratching his head. “Well,” my mother began slowly. “We knew that you guys were absolutely sure of what you wanted and that getting angry and trying to stop you would have only made things worse.”

  Warmth flowed through my chest as I stared at my mother while she was holding my Lola. I couldn’t believe how lucky I was, to have such level-headed parents throughout the entire ordeal, especially when I’d expected much worse from them.

  “Thank you, Mom,” I said simply. “Thank you so much for accepting our relationship and loving us no matter what.”

  Jerry and mom exchanged glances again, this time, they both looked a little anxious.

  “What is it?” I inquired. Their furtive glances were making me nervous. It made me feel like they were hiding something, waiting until the last minute to reveal their true feelings about the situation.

  Suddenly, multiple scenarios flashed through my mind, one of which involved my mother running from the room with the baby and dropping it off on the steps of an orphanage. I knew such a scenario was unlikely and was made for the movies, but still it made me a little nervous.

  Mother was clearly hesitant as she stared up at her husband. “Well . . .”

  “Come on mom, spit it out!” My eyes on the baby, my whole body on edge. I glanced over at Max, hoping he would be ready to grab her should she try any sudden moves. He also looked tense, probably thinking the same thing I was.

  “Just go on ahead and say it,” Jerry said. “It’s the best thing, given the circumstances.”

  My mother let out a resigned sigh. “Oh alright.” Her eyes fell upon Lola and she began to gently stroke her face. “We’ve never told you this, but after your grandparents died before you were born, Jerry and I promised to keep our secret hidden from our children.”

  I was on the edge of the bed with anticipation. “What?” I demanded. “What secret.”

  My mother tore her eyes from Lola and looked Max and then me straight in the eye. “Jerry is my stepbrother.”

  The End.

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  PREVIEW: Relentless - A Bad Boy Romance

  by Lauren Landish

  Now Available! Full-length novel with an HEA. Only $0.99 or FREE on Kindle Unlimited. Normal price $3.99

  Relentless will be Book 1 in the Bertoli Family series. There will be 3 books in this series (all standalones featuring a different couple). The first 7 chapters are included here as a preview!

  Chapter 1

  Adriana

  “Hey honey, you wanna party with an APE?”

  I rolled my eyes at the idiot standing in front of me, a young guy who looked like he was maybe nineteen and wearing a fraternity t-shirt. He was obviously approaching me as part of some sort of frat thing, although at least he had some taste. After all, he did have his choice of women to choose from—I don't go to a tiny school. “Are you doing this as a rush or something?”

  The idiot's eyes wavered for a moment. He'd probably seen my paint-streaked clothes and mussed hair and correctly pegged me for an art student. Sadly enough, art students at my school have a bit of a reputation for being easy lays, and I guess he'd picked me out as an easy target. It took him a moment before he reassumed his false bravado.

  “Come on, baby, you know APE's got the best parties and the best time for your weekend! Besides, you look like you could use a real APE, if you know what I mean.”

  I crossed my arms over my chest and stared at him, raising an eyebrow. This idiot certainly didn't know who I was, nor what I'd been through these past six months. Still, his grin didn't waver, and I pulled out an old nugget I'd picked up somewhere when I first came to campus. “You do realize that the average male gorilla has a penis size of only one and a half inches, right? Trust me, if I needed some dick, an APE's the last place I'd go looking. Run along, monkey boy.”

  The frat pledge, looking defeated, turned and walked away, quickly reassuming his cocky persona to hit on the next girl who came by and caught his eye. Laughing a much needed laugh under my breath, I readjusted my bag over my shoulder and kept walking, leaving the campus library and heading toward my apartment. As I walked, I kept my eyes open for Vincent, hoping he'd gotten the message. After months of harassment, which had left me frazzled and at the end of my wits, I'd taken out a restraining order against him the week prior. I hoped it would end the creepiness I'd been through for most of the past five months, even if my family thought otherwise. Uncle Carlo wanted to send a message his way, but I'd convinced him to let the legal authorities take care of my former sculpture teacher.

  Uncle Carlo is old school Italian. Sicilian, in fact, and yes, that means exactly what you think it means. Carlo was in the family business, the Mafia, and worked his way up the ladder to become the Godfather of the Seattle-Tacoma area for the past fifteen years. After taking over for his murdered brother—my father—he'd quickly consolidated power, ruthlessly crushing his opposition and enacting revenge for his fallen sibling. Bloodthirsty, and certainly not a man to be trifled with. That was Uncle Carlo.

  At the same time, he was a kind and generous family man who'd taken my mother and me into his house as soon as he could, caring for us like we were his own wife and daughter. Cancer had taken his wife when I was in sixth grade, so for most of my life, Uncle Carlo had been the male authority figure and his sons had practically been my brothers. He and Mom were in no way romantic. In fact, she filled an important role in his organization as one of his prime lieutenants.

  Still, if anyone could talk Uncle Carlo out of a course of action, it was me, and he let me try it my way at first.

  I went to the cops after Vincent started harassing me, getting a restraining order and having it delivered to the school as well, which removed me from the class next door to his in order to conduct an 'internal investigation'. That hadn't stopped his communication issues, though, and I'd gotten
tired of his constant text messages, emails, and phone calls. Unfortunately, he knew my campus email, and that was one address I couldn't get changed.

  To say it was a bit disheartening was an understatement. You would think that a restraining order and evidence of sexual harassment would have done something more than just a change of classrooms and an 'internal investigation'.

  I was wondering what to do about it when I got back to my off-campus apartment that I shared with Angela. Angela—never Angie—had been roomies with me for two years, after she'd passed Uncle Carlo's discreet but thorough background check. Short, Asian, and alternatively perky and serious, she was the total opposite of me as a math major. However, for some reason, the two of us gelled, and for two years, we'd been the best of roommates.

  The first threads of worry started to work their way through me when I saw the open window to our apartment. Angela had terrible allergies and insisted on keeping the windows of our apartment shut, even in the dead of summer. With ionic air filters and other anti-allergen devices running almost constantly, we racked up quite an electricity bill on a monthly basis, but thankfully, Uncle Carlo had no problems with footing that cost, and the nearly sterile air did mean that when I painted at the apartment, I never had to worry about some stray cat hair or something screwing up a canvas. For Angela to leave the window open was just not possible.

  Hurrying to our door, I quickly unlocked the deadbolt, pushing the door open. “Angela? You home?”

  Leaden, oppressive silence greeted my words, and I waved my hand in front of my face. The apartment was hot, and a sour, metallic smell was coming from Angela's bedroom. Setting my bag down, I walked carefully toward the room, calling out the whole time. “Angela? Hey, Anj? You here? You would have laughed your ass off. I ran into a pledge from Alpha Rho—”

  The words dried in my throat as I entered Angela's bedroom and saw the carnage in front of me. Angela, dressed in her normal early semester apartment wear of a tank top and a pair of Seahawks shorts, was lying facedown on her bed, the back of her shirt ripped and torn, her shorts pulled down to expose her ass to the air. More important to me, though, was the spreading red pool underneath her and the drip of the blood from her bed and off her outflung arm. The wall next to her was splattered, red raindrops against the eggshell white drywall.