by Rye Hart
Hollis looked almost proud of himself for being able to keep such a secret, but I’d never seen him happier.
I saw Hollis give his boyfriend a look from the aisle before he went and stood by Grant. Jane walked to her place on my side of the altar, and then I felt someone step up beside me. I looked up and into the face of the only man I could ever see walking me down the aisle.
And my father smiled back at me before he offered me his arm.
“You ready?” he asked.
I linked my arm with his and snuggled close.
“I’ve been ready for years, Daddy.”
The music began, and everyone rose from their seats. My father set the pace, and together we slowly proceeded down the aisle. The sand was smooth beneath my bare feet, and the crashing of the waves loomed in the background. The sun was hanging high in the sky, and as I looked over, I could see the oceanfront hotel room.
The room where Grant had professed his love to me.
My eyes connected with his, and I could see the fire in them. The way his eyes raked up and down my body as I neared the front of the crowd. But it wasn’t the way he licked his lips or the way he grinned, or even the way he looked in his linen pants and button-down shirt that got to me.
It was the way he offered his hand to me when my father and I reached the end of the aisle.
“You treat her right, Grant.”
“You have my word, Glen.”
My father embraced me in one last hug, and then I slipped my hand into the hand of the man that was about to become my husband.
As we stood in front of the crowd and recited our vows, I noticed something. Everyone had their happy ending. Jane had found Jim and was expecting a beautiful bundle of joy. Hollis had finally introduced us to a man who had swept him off his feet. And I was standing there with Grant. The boy I’d fallen in love with at fifteen and the man I was pledging myself to for the rest of my life. I gripped his hands, and we exchanged rings, and once the vows were over his hands flipped my veil off my face.
And sealed with a kiss that dipped me all the way to the sand, the crowd erupted in applause as I smiled into Grant’s lips.
I was officially Mrs. Grant Hooper.
We turned out toward the crowd before Grant scooped me up into his arms. My veil fell to the floor, and I threw my bouquet out into the crowd. He walked me down the aisle, over the soft sandy dunes and back to the building where we had gotten ready. He cradled me close against his broad chest, and I could feel the soothing rhythm of his heart. My arms wrapped around his neck, and the rings he’d purchased for me were glistening in the light of the beach sun.
But I still had one last surprise for him.
“Grant?”
“Hmm?” he asked as he walked me to his car.
“Are you excited for Jane and Jim?”
He reached down and opened the car door before he placed me in the passenger seat.
“I am,” he said. “I can tell they’re very excited about their next step.”
“Have you ever wondered if we’ll be parents?”
His eyes locked with mine as his fingers danced around my wedding rings.
“I can’t say I don’t think about it. But it isn’t something I want to push you into too soon,” he said.
“So, you do want kids?”
“Have I ever given you the impression that I don’t?”
I smiled at him as I took his hand, then I splayed his large grasp across my stomach.
“Then I suppose it’s about time I tell you.”
His eyes whipped up to mine as his brow furrowed.
“Really?” he asked.
“Really,” I said.
“You’re?”
“Yes,” I said.
“We’re?”
“Yes.”
His brow unfurled and a grin slowly slid across his cheeks.
His arms wrapped around me and pulled me to my feet from the car. His lips crashed down onto mine, and I threaded my arms around his massive form. The wind kicked up around us, tossing the fabric of my dress around and flapping the tail ends of his white linen pants. Our tongues danced together and my lips swelled against his, and he pressed my back into the car as the sun shone down upon us.
His hand fell to my stomach, cupping it lovingly as he pulled his lips back. Our foreheads fell together and our eyes connected, and for a split second, nothing else existed around us.
Just him, myself, and our unborn child.
“I’m going to be a father,” Grant said.
“And you’re going to be a great one.”
I could see the worry in his eyes, however, and I lifted my hands to cup his cheeks.
“You will be. Grant, our child will be so lucky to have you as their father.”
His hand cupped my cheek while his thumb traced my lower lip.
“And you’ll be an amazing mother, Theresa.”
I smiled and gripped his shirt, pulling his lips in for another kiss.
“Come on, you two! Let’s get a move on!”
I giggled into his lips as I heard Hollis yelling for us.
“A boyfriend,” Grant said with a murmur.
I threw my head back and laughed as I playfully slapped his chest.
“You have to admit, it was kind of odd that none of us had ever met any of Hollis’ ‘girlfriends.’”
“As long as he’s happy, I don’t give a shit,” he said.
“Honestly, neither do I. I’m happy he gets his fairytale ending too.”
Grant helped me into the car before he wrapped around to his side. I rolled down the window, allowing the beach breeze to flow through my hair. As we drove down the road to the cabana reception on the beach, I thought about our future. How my body would grow and change. How our lives would soon be sleepless nights and early morning feedings and dirty diapers. I rested my hand on my stomach before I felt Grant wrap his hand around mine, and it pulled my gaze over to him as we stopped at a red light.
“I love you,” he said.
The fierceness in his eyes and the strength of his grip were reassuring to me. They settled the nervousness kicking up and the swirling of my thoughts. I smiled softly at him and leaned over, laying my cheek against his shoulder.
“I love you too,” I said. “Forever.”
The End
It’s not over! I love my readers so much that I’ve included a brand new, never before published steamy romance: Accidental Daddy
Check it out on the next page…
Kara Boyer
Kara spends her days and nights caring for a drunk father. She dreams of breaking free but instead of living her dream she’s hurled into a nightmare when her father mysteriously disappears leaving his problems and the debt behind.
His problems become Kara’s and they literally come knocking on her door.
The Irish mafia can't find her father.
They’ll take her instead.
Declan O'Shea
Declan’s ex shows up unannounced and drops off a surprise baby at his door step.
He needs to care for his son and is forced to go to his brother for help.
The man wants to pull Declan back into the family drug ring he left long ago.
Declan dreadfully agrees to one job - little does he know the job requires kidnapping an innocent girl.
He has no desire to hurt her, and instead wants to help her. He needs to find a way to protect both Kara and his baby boy.
It will take a miracle – but he will walk through hell trying.
EXCLUSIVE:
ACCIDENTAL DADDY
CHAPTER ONE
DECLAN
“Bloody good fight man,” Seth said as he high-fived me.
“Bloody is right,” I said.
I grabbed a towel that sat on a stool nearby and wiped down my face. The white towel came back with dark crimson smears.
“Bastard almost got me,” I said.
“Almost,” Seth said. “But he didn't.”
Set
h was my best friend – or as close to a best friend as I'd ever had. He was also my manager, if you could call it that. Booking fights, getting my name out there, all that jazz – Seth took care of that end of things for me. He had a day job too, but we both kept working hard and hoping my fighting skills would eventually lead to a big paycheck for both of us one day.
“Nah, but he put up a good fight. Better than I thought he would,” I said.
I grabbed a bottle of water, yanked the top off and guzzled it down. I reveled in the cool refreshing feel of the water as it slid down my throat. I was going to need something a little stronger soon though. Something like a good whiskey, if for no other reason, then to numb the pain in my face.
As I lowered the bottle, my eyes fell on the big guy behind the bar. Tommy Jenkins was a big man with arms large and corded with enough muscle that he could probably bench press everyone there. But, he never stepped foot in the ring. Nah, he stayed behind the scenes, coordinating things and making money without having to take a beating to do it. Smart man. He was staring at the ring, along with everyone else in the bar, as two new fighters hopped in took my place.
“Come on,” Seth said. “Let's get paid, then let's get shitfaced.”
Tommy pulled out an envelope as we walked up and handed it over to Seth. My pseudo-manager counted it out on the bar. The bartender's eyes narrowed as my friend, who was barely a third of Tommy's size, finished his tally and shook his head.
“Nah, man, this ain't right,” Seth said. “The winner was supposed to get a grand, Tommy. This is only eight hundred bucks.”
“The purse to the winner is now eight hundred,” Tommy said. “Want more money? Fight more often.”
“You can't go changing the rules like that, man,” Seth said as he gathered up the bills and tucked them away in the envelope, pocketing it. “We agreed to a grand if my man, Declan, won. He won. You shorted us two hundred bucks, Tommy.”
“Rodrigo didn't show up. We need another fighter,” he said. “Take that fight, and I'll give you the two hundred I owe you – plus a thousand more.”
Seth side-eyed me. My nose was still bloody, my face hurt like hell, but I could see the question in his eyes – could I fight again? Probably, but that wasn't the point of all this. He turned away, maybe sensing my reluctance to climb into the ring for a second time that night.
“We agreed to a thousand, nothing about a second fight,” Seth said, his voice going lower.
“You can take the deal, or you leave it. I really don't give a fuck,” Tommy said.
He shrugged and turned his attention back to the two fighters in the ring.
“No. This is bullshit,” I snapped, deciding to step in and help my friend out, “The deal was for a thousand. One fight with my name on the ticket. You know I bring in the fans, Tommy. You know you make a shitload of money when I fight. Come on, man. You don't want to do this over two hundred bucks.”
I knew this whole episode wasn't really about the two hundred bucks. Tommy was testing us. If we settled for two hundred less this time, next time, it would be three hundred . If we let him serve us a shit sandwich now and ate it with a smile, he'd serve us a bigger helping next time. If we set the precedent that we could be pushed around now, we'd have no choice but to take it when it came up again.
Well, we weren't about to take it this time. That was bullshit. I wasn't about to do another fight. Not one I didn't agree to beforehand. That's not the way I operated.
“Eight hundred bucks. Take it or leave it,” Tommy said, motioning for two guys who were as big, if not bigger than him and said, “If you want to argue the issue further, I'll be in my office.”
Tommy didn't spare us another look as he took off toward the back room, the bouncers following behind, both of them keeping an eye on us. Seth snarled and lunged forward, but I grabbed his shirt and held him back.
“Hey, man,” I said. “Don't be stupid.”
“What do you mean – ” Seth stammered.
He bit off his words, his eyes growing wide as he stared at somebody behind me. I had no idea who was back there, but the look on his face said it all – whoever was behind me was a lot scarier than the three meatheads who'd just screwed us out of our rightfully earned money.
That sense of dread in me only deepened when he silently mouthed the words, “Oh shit.”
“Declan.”
The familiar voice that spoke up from behind me sent a cold shiver sliding up my spine. It was a soft, feminine voice, but one that caused me to cringe and the knots in my stomach to constrict, regardless. I turned and came face-to-face with Crystal – my ex-girlfriend. I quickly noticed that she wasn't alone either. In her arms, she carried a small bundle in a blanket.
A baby.
Her hair was now bleached an almost platinum blonde, that had a slight orange tinge to it. It was fried and frizzy, her face thinner, her body gaunt, and her eyes darker than I remembered. She didn't look good, not in the least. “Crystal, long time,” I said, gritting my teeth.
My eyes never left the bundle in her arms, and my heart raced as I did the math in my head, trying to work out whether or not my worst fear was about to come true.
“I didn't think I'd see you again,” I said.
“Yeah, me neither,” she said, adjusting the child, who couldn't be more than two months old. “But I can't do this anymore.”
“Do what?”
“Can we have a moment alone please?”
Her eyes flicked over to Seth and the scowl on her face deepened. Whatever she had to say to me was weighing on her, I could tell. But, at least she had the decency to not blurt our private business out for God and everyone to hear. “Sure,” Seth said, patting me hard on the back. “I'll be at the bar.”
Crystal waited until he was just out of hearing distance and then turned to me. It was only then it occurred to me – the bar was no place for a baby. How in the hell had she gotten in there with a baby? Though, figuring out the answer to that question was the least of my current concerns.
I motioned for her to follow me, and we walked toward the exit. I threw the door open and we stepped outside. The air outside was still mild, not too hot and not too cold. It was one of those perfect evenings that sat between winter and summer that Chicago rarely saw. I was grateful for that, since the baby had nothing but a light blue blanket wrapped around his little frame.
“What do you want, Crystal?” I asked, avoiding asking about the baby elephant in the room.
Crystal walked out on me in the middle of the night almost a year ago. No note. No text. No nothing. After she left, she never returned my calls or anything. She'd just ghosted my ass. It was like she'd disappeared without a trace.
After living together for four months, I thought she'd at least give me some reason for walking out like she had. Help me understand what it was I'd done – or not done. But, nope. She'd just up and packed her bags, took everything she owned – along with a few things that weren't hers – and she was gone. Just like that.
Now, like a zombie back from the grave, she stood before me – scowl on her face and a baby that may or may not be mine, in her arms. God help me, it wasn't mine – was it? A sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach told me I already knew the answer. “I can't do this anymore, Declan,” she said again, tears sliding down her cheeks. “I can't be a mother. I don't have it in me. That's never been my thing.”
“Oh yeah, I get that, Crystal. So, who's the father?” I asked, and my body stiffened as I waited for a response.
“You know the answer to that already, Declan,” she whispered, a small, sad smile playing at her lips. “I only ever slept with you.”
“And I would know that how? You didn’t exactly leave me with a very good reason to trust you, now did you?”
A dark look passed through her eyes and her face twisted up into a look of pain as she was assaulted by the memories of our shared history.
“I'm sorry, it's just – well, I left because I wasn't sure how you'd ha
ndle the pregnancy,” she said. “I didn't want to keep it. I'd actually planned on giving it up for adoption. And now, well, I realize the right thing to do is let you know about your son.”
A lump formed in my throat I had a hard time swallowing down. “My son?”
“Yes, his name is Jack,” Crystal said.
She pulled the blanket back, uncovering the small, soft, round face of the child. There was a tuft of red hair on his head, and when I saw it, I knew, he had to be mine.
“I have a son,” I said, speaking the words slowly and carefully, as if trying to convince myself it was true.
All my life, I never imagined myself ever having kids. Mainly because I wasn't sure I'd actually live long enough to experience such a thing. Being a fighter meant I put my body through so much, I just expected that one of these days, it would kill me. Every time I stepped into the ring, I was fully aware that it could be my last time.
“You do,” Crystal said.
She moved as if to hand him to me, and even though I wasn't ready, I took him into my arms. When I stepped back with the child in my arms, I marveled down at him. He was so small and so light, it was hard to believe there was anything wrapped inside that blanket at all. But, his eyes stared up at me, large and bright. I could hardly breathe as I looked at such a perfect, beautiful child. My child.
But then the cold reality of the moment – of my life – slapped me upside the head and brought me back to the here and now. As precious as the child was, I didn’t exactly live the kind of life that would be good for him. “I don't know what you want me to do, Crystal,” I said. I met her gaze again. “I can give you money. I mean, I don't make much and it's never certain – ”
“I don't want your money, Declan,” she snorted. “I want you to take him. I'm not cut out for motherhood. I can’t take care of him. I don’t want to.”
“Crystal, I can't – ”
For the first time, I noticed the track marks on her arms. When we were together, she'd been a recovering heroin addict. But she'd sworn to me that she was clean, and would be clean for good. Apparently, she was no longer in recovery.
