The Baby Plan: A Second Chance Romance

by Tia Siren

  "I haven't regretted it for a moment," I said back, smiling as I lifted his hand and kissed the back of it. I didn't know where he was going, but his words had a comforting effect. If anything, they just reminded me that Liam loved me, and nothing I said or did would change that,

  "Neither have I. And it's because of that, and because of everything really, that I have something I want to ask. It's something that I've been meaning to ask for a while now and, well, I was waiting for the right time. I kept putting it off and off. But then I realized that every time is the right time. Because every time I will be with you, and that is what makes it right. It's what makes it perfect. So, with that in mind. Kate will you—"

  "Wait!" I suddenly screamed. Like a bolt of lighting, it had just occurred to me what he was going to say. "Are you about to ask me to marry you?" I blurted, wishing the second I had that I'd asked the question with a little more tact.

  "Well, yeah, I am. And, despite the botched delivery, what do you say? Will you marry me?"

  I don't know why Liam's proposal came as such a shock to me. It really shouldn't have at all. We had been doing so well over the last few months that it was really the next logical step in our relationship. And, truth be told, if he had asked me even two weeks ago I wouldn't have hesitated. I would have leapt across the table and kissed him for all I was worth, all the while screaming yes, yes, always yes.

  But this wasn't two weeks ago. A lot had changed that Liam didn't know about. I still wanted to marry him. There was no doubt about that. But I didn't know if he would still want to marry me.

  "Liam," I began, preparing myself mentally for what I was about to say.

  "Yes?" he asked, looking at me hopefully.

  "There's something I need to tell you." I took a deep breath. "I'm pregnant."

  Yep, I was pregnant. I had begun to suspect that I might be only eight days prior. After buying the pregnancy test and doing it at home, I decided that I needed a second, more professional opinion. Hence my visit to Dr. Taylor's office earlier that day.

  Personally, I was over the moon about it. I had wanted a child for such a long time but had never had anyone that I would want one with. Well, I had that now. I had Liam. I couldn't imagine someone that I would rather raise a child with. The man that I loved. The man that I was going to spend the rest of my life with. Well, the man I had planned to anyway, until this.

  I just didn't know how Liam was going to react. We had never spoken about kids before. I had broached the topic once, barely, and he waved it off as a non-issue. As if the idea wasn't even worth contemplating. Or at least, that was how I read it.

  So, once I discovered that I was pregnant, I immediately began to worry about whether Liam would want the child, or worse, whether he would want me with the child. Yes, he had asked me to marry him, and to that, I would say yes one hundred times and one hundred times again. But would he still want to marry me now?

  I had been so deep in my own head, so worried about what I had to say, that I hadn't even noticed the reaction from Liam when I told him. Looking up at him and finally paying attention to him, the first thing I saw was a big, goofy smile. And, following that, actual tears formed in his eyes.

  He was literally crying with joy.

  "Are you serious?" he asked in a whisper. "How can you be sure? Are you sure?"

  "I went to see Dr. Taylor earlier today. It's official. I'm, well, we're pregnant." I choked back a smile of my own.

  "Kate that's fantastic." He was at a loss for words as he smiled at me. Rather than talking, he took my hand again and kissed the back of it. I had never seen him look so happy. "I can't believe it. I'm going to be a dad."

  "And better than that," I said, a big smile of my own. "You're going to be a husband, too."

  "Wait? So is that a yes?”

  "Yes, Liam. My answer is yes."

  Before I could blink, Liam was on his feet and at my side. He scooped me up from my chair, lifted me up, and pulled me into a hug. As he did, I could feel his body shaking, and I was certain that he was crying. I began to cry, too. We didn't speak. We just held each other as happiness poured from our bodies.

  After some time, he finally put me down. Liam held my hands and stared into my eyes. "I'm going to do this one more time. Properly." He then fell to one knee, still holding my hand. "Kate Monroe, the love of my life. The future mother of my child. The only woman I have ever loved and ever will love. Will you marry me?"

  "Of course, I will, Liam Morgan. I can't imagine anyone I would rather spend the rest of my life with."

  He was on his feet a second later, pulling me in for a kiss this time. And as he did, the waiters again surrounded us, singing us the same song as before. It was probably the most romantic and perfect moment of my life. The perfect way to begin the rest of my life as Kate Morgan.

  --

  We got married on Phi Phi island six months later. Both Liam and I decided that it was best to have the baby after we were married. The wedding was a lavish and beautiful affair, as a wedding on the tropical paradise that was Phi Phi Island should be. All our friends from home came to the wedding, of course, and it was a perfect day spent with perfect people.

  I had our first child three months after that, back in New York. We moved back there for the first year of marriage so that we could raise our first born amongst friends and in a cleaner, safer environment.

  It was a girl. Little Lilly Morgan. She had her father's deep eyes and smile, and my nose and brown hair. I just hoped that when she got older, she would take after me over her father. And he told me he hoped for the same thing.

  Back in New York, Liam didn't return to his job at the hospital. Instead, he took the year off to be with me and his daughter. The three of us spent every day together, growing as a family. It was never too much, and I never once felt overwhelmed. In fact, every single day was better than the last. Some days, I would wake up and smile all day, unable to believe how lucky I was.

  My romance with Liam had been a strange one. We had dated and then broken up. He had tricked me into dating him, fallen in love with me, and then we broke up. We then got back together for a week, before again, breaking up. And then finally, we ended up together. And there we stayed. It had been a roller coaster. But looking back on it, I had zero regrets as to how it all went down. It was only through everything that happened that I was able to end up where I was now. With a husband that loved me and a daughter to call my own.

  Liana was right when she said that love wasn't easy. But she was also right when she said that, if you do love someone enough, then, in the end, it will be worth it. True love was something that most people never found. I was just glad that I had found it with Liam. It was a love that I was happy to experience and would never get enough of.

  ***

  END OF THE FOURTH STORY

  Sneak Peak: Claiming Chastity

  I'm gonna save the girl in the chastity belt. Even if I have to marry her.

  I’m no dirty cop.

  Even undercover, I’ve always done things by the book.

  Until I see Nicole in that club.

  Up on stage, naked with a fucking chastity belt on, her innocence auctioned off.

  She looked so fragile and scared.

  The beauty didn’t belong in that place.

  My desire to save her is in overkill.

  Now, it’s time to play filthy.

  Those crooks have no idea how ruthless I can be.

  Chapter 1

  Allen

  It was time to shake things up from my usual routine.

  I raised my hand to the bartender who nodded with an easy smile. He brought me another beer, and I glanced at the baseball game on TV as I thanked him.

  On Thursday nights, I’d normally play poker with some of the cops I worked with, but tonight, I’d made other plans. I was around those guys enough. I wanted company of a different kind this evening.

  After working a lot of hours, I needed the release. I was a workaholic, so I
didn’t do it often. Besides, I took my job seriously which means I didn’t fuck around like some of my buddies did. I saw too many cases fall through the cracks due to quickie flings and bad choices. Being undercover all the time meant I was even more careful to see every case through to the end.

  But being a cop took its toll on my private life. My head was always in the game and I needed to keep my ass safe and catch the bad guys. I had no time for a relationship. That’d be dangerous both for me and for her. Being in love would make me vulnerable when I needed to be tough. And there’d always be the risk that the crooks would use her as leverage to get to me. No. That shit wasn’t for me. Even if I did sometimes feel lonely.

  It also meant I worked too goddamn hard and needed a break from time-to-time. I wasn’t made of steel. My current case just ended, so I had a small break until my next assignment. My captain would see to it that the break wasn’t for long since he appreciated my work ethic. I was one of the few officers he didn’t nag on a regular basis. Not that I could blame him. There was some crooked stuff going on in this city.

  I heard someone sit next to me and turned my head to see a pretty blonde seated on the barstool. She looked a few years younger than me but legal, and I grinned. I watched her as she glanced around the bar. Her eyes landed on me, appraising me eagerly as she blushed.

  “Evening. What are you drinking tonight?” I asked her confidently as she smiled.

  “I’d love a lemon drop. Thank you,” she told me.

  I ordered the lemon drop and another beer from the bartender. He verified the age on her driver’s license before setting the drinks in front of us. Old enough. I turned to her.

  “I’m Allen,” I offered as I extended my hand towards her with my most charming smile, knowing that this was in the bag as she looked at me with wide blue eyes through long lashes and sipped her drink. She was new to Vegas, no doubt, hoping that she could make it big here.

  “I’m Lily,” she told me as she shook my hand and smiled back.

  “What do you do?” I asked her, wanting to get right down to the fact that she was new to town.

  “I just arrived from Wisconsin. I have a girlfriend that offered her couch to me until I make it as a dancer here. I figure if I make it anywhere, it’ll be a place like this.” She had stars in her eyes as she spoke.

  While I appreciated her motivation, I also knew that dancers were a dime a dozen here. Most of them ended up stripping or doing obscure parts in the big casino shows, but I wouldn’t burst her bubble.

  “What do you do?” she asked.

  “I’m a security guard at a casino,” I offered vaguely. I felt bad about lying but, in my business, it was better that way.

  Her eyes widened and eyebrows raised slightly as she sipped her drink and leaned closer to me.

  “I think you’re gorgeous, Lily. A girl like you will definitely make it here in Sin City,” I continued.

  She giggled at the reference, and I stared at her full, pink lips as my cock hardened. It had been too fucking long for me. I knew she was twenty-one since the bartender had checked her license so I felt fine continuing with this.

  “Thank you. That’s so sweet.” Her cheeks turned rosy as she tilted her head down slightly, peering up at me through those long lashes. “I’ll bet this is an exciting place to be for you.”

  “That it is. There’s always something happening, from drunk guests to the occasional attempted robbery, sometimes more.” She leaned even closer, revealing a tempting view of pale cleavage as she asked for more.

  I knew about casinos, and that’s what I kept this conversation to. I wasn’t going to blow my undercover gig even if I was off-duty. So I acted like I was just a security guard as I described a funny robbery in which the person couldn’t start their car after getting the winnings from some clueless tourist. Then I told her a story about some college kids attempting to count cards who got caught within an hour of their scam. There was plenty more to tell her, but I kept it all clean, hinting at a little more without giving names and details.

  Vegas had a dark side to it. She’d need to be careful. I hoped she knew that. We kept drinking and talking, and, as the night went on, I found out more about Lily. She was fresh out of college and looking for some excitement in her life. I chuckled as I assured her she’d come to the right place. Talking to me seemed to get her amped up. She kept drinking and listening to me, licking her lips, and staring into my eyes. I’ve been told my total package of bright blue eyes, blond hair, muscles, and confidence have a certain effect on women.

  Since I lived just down the street, I had a few more beers than usual and felt a good buzz when I glanced at the TV to see one of the late-night shows beginning. By this time, she had moved closer so her hand could touch my arm and wander down to my thigh.

  “How would you like to join me for something to eat?” I asked, feeling around the situation.

  “That sounds great. I’m famished.” Her eyes told me she knew what I was asking as I took care of the tab. I stood and offered her my arm, noting that she only had a purse with her.

  “I’ve got something to fill your appetite,” I said, hoping she’d get the double meaning.

  “Actually, I have to be honest.” She glanced around and then leaned in to whisper in my ear. “My rate is $400 the night.”

  I could feel myself frowning but I kept my face concealed in her hair. How did I not see this coming? Was I feeling that lonely I didn’t see the signs?

  Out of all the filth in this town, prostitution got to my heart. Some girls were no angels but no one should ever have to sell their bodies to unknown men. Women were better than that, and Lily was a sweet girl.

  If I could, I would have kept all the girls off the streets and bust their pimps’ asses as hard as they could punch. But there were so many, so tonight I’d have to settle for keeping one nice girl out of harm’s way. It’s not like I was overloaded with extra cash, but I’d been doing amazingly well at poker lately.

  I’d take her home, but I wouldn’t touch her.

  I didn’t do hookers. And no matter how much I wanted to get off, I just wouldn’t do it with her. I pursed my lips thinking about the wasted opportunity and I felt my dick in my pants twisting with disappointment.

  “Deal,” I finally said to her.

  “Are you staying close by?” She smiled and placed her arm around my bicep, her eyes dazed with lust as she felt my solid muscles.

  “Just down the block. My roommate is at work, so I thought I’d get out of the apartment for a while. I’m glad I did,” she gazed at me as I pushed the door open and turned right to head to my house.

  It was in a nice neighborhood just a block away from the upscale sports bar. We chatted and walked together, my eyes scanning the area rapidly while we walked. There was no way that she was walking home later tonight, but I’d worry about that later. Lily snuggled into me, babbling about her home state as I listened, playing along. She clearly felt safe with me. I turned down the main street that would take us to my house.

  I unlocked the door and held it open, letting her walk in first.

  “This is nice,” Lily told me as she walked in and examined the spacious, sunken living room with a smile.

  I had a nice house, furnished well in neutral grays and black with white trim and pops of color. The realtor had hooked me up with a decorator who took care of the details. I wasn’t a fancy guy but I liked a clean, comfortable house. It was small with just the two bedrooms, but it was just me for the time being. No need for anything more, and I preferred the backyard to being inside anyway.

  I locked up before dropping my keys on the table just inside the door.

  “It’s home to me,” I said with a wicked smile as I pulled her hand to turn her towards me. “I’m not going to fuck you.”

  “What are you talking about?” she asked, her eyes searching for an answer in mine. She stepped towards me, wrapping her arms around my neck to meet my height. She tried to kiss me but I just stood
there, my lips closed shut.

  That last beer had made me a little dizzy, but I blamed exhaustion more than anything else as I fought with my desire to ram my hard cock into her. I knew how to make a woman wet for me, and I knew I had to stop this before it even started.

  “I want you,” Lily breathed against my mouth before she tried to kiss me again. Her hand went down to my throbbing package, eager to bring it out to play. “I can tell you want me.”

  I wanted to grip her curly hair and bend her over my bed and fuck the ever-loving hell out of her. But instead, I pulled her hand away and stepped back. “I’m not fucking you,” I repeated. “Don’t worry, you’ll get your money. But what you need is to be taken off the streets and have someone take care of you for a change.”

  She looked at me with wide eyes, trying to understand what I had just said to her. I fought with my resolve. Couldn’t I just fuck her good and hard until she cried my name? I wanted to come so deep inside of her pussy that my whole length was aching with desire.

  But no. I didn’t do hookers.

  “Don’t look so surprised,” I said, heading for the kitchen. “You said you were hungry and I’m going to make us something to eat and then we’re going to watch a movie.”

  Lily didn’t come on to me after that. She chatted to me like old high school friends. She threw off her shoes and we ate pizza on the sofa watching Lethal Weapon. It’s wasn’t the night I had expected, but it was fun.

  I got up to go to the John and, when I returned, Lily was passed out. I looked her over, curled up on the sofa. I didn’t have to worry about her walking home now. I caught up on some stuff on my phone, before setting the alarm and getting into bed for a few hours of sleep.

  Lily made quick work of taking a cab home the following morning, sober and grateful. I made coffee and headed into the station, going right to the captain’s office since he had sent me a text telling me he needed to see me right away. I tapped on his slightly ajar door as he barked at someone, and I smirked at the young cop who stumbled out at the orders to leave.