A Bundle of Joy 2: The Baby Proposal (BWWM Interracial Romance)

by Roxy Wilson

This is the one. This is the job I’m going to get.

  Selene picked up her phone and dialed. It rang one, two, three, four times. Her heart sank. She was about to hang up when a man answered.

  “Hello, my name is Selene and I was calling with regards to the ad in the paper?”

  “Let me write down some information about you and then we can discuss an interview.” He cleared his throat. “What kind of degree do you have?”

  Selene took a deep breath. This is where she’d lost most of the other jobs. “I have a B.A. in English and two years’ experience in editing.” She waited with bated breath to see if he would give her a chance.

  “What kind of editing experience?”

  She released her breath.

  So far, so good.

  “I was an assistant editor for a magazine.”

  “Have you done any current courses in digital editing?”

  No, no, no. Not again.

  Selene debated with herself whether she should tell a little white lie, or go with the truth. But then again, he would eventually want to see copies of her original certificates and diplomas. She might as well as speak the truth.

  “Umm, no.”

  “I’m sorry, ma’am. We’re a new digital publisher and we’re looking to hire someone who has more experience or failing that, a relevant course certificate. I’m very sorry. Have a nice day.” He hung up.

  Selene sat transfixed, staring at the phone.

  This wasn’t the first time that she wished that she could live her life over again. And next time, she would study marketing which would have put her in good stead to start her own business, or become a pharmacist, where there was much room for upward mobility.

  Selene put the phone down, buried her head in her arms and let the tears that she’d been containing for so long flow freely.

  She’d done all she could and nothing had worked out. She had no choice now but to abort her baby.

  And she would have to do it fast.

  Chapter Seven

  Triston slowed his SUV to cruising speed. He was on his way to Selene’s apartment when he spotted her trudging along the sidewalk. He wasn’t a hundred percent certain, but he thought he detected a slight bulge under her blouse. It had been one week since he last saw her, as he wanted her to simmer down after their last encounter, but it seemed as if the baby was finally making its presence known.

  He pressed the remote button to lower the glass. “Selene, we need to talk”

  She slowed down but didn’t stop.

  “Give me fifteen minutes. I promise I won’t take long.”

  “I’ve an appointment and have to catch the bus.”

  He kept his eyes on the road. “Come on, I’ll drive you.”

  “I don’t mind the walk.” She continued along the way.

  “Where are you going?”

  A pained expression flitted across her eyes. “To the car dealer.”

  Triston brought the vehicle to a complete stop, applied the handbrake and selected neutral. Then he all but leapt out of the SUV. It didn’t take too long for him to catch up with her. He clasped Selene’s hand in his and walked her back to his vehicle, with little resistance from her.

  He wanted to assist her into the SUV. He really did. He reached for the door handle and opened the door halfway, placed his hand lightly on the small of her back, and began to usher her into the vehicle. But he had no explanation for what happened next. He couldn’t tell if it was her nearness, or the flowery scent of her perfume. Perhaps, it was the way her lips parted when she licked them. Or it could possibly be the sight of the fullness of her buns. All he knew was that one minute he was the perfect gentleman and the next minute he had her jammed against the door, as he squeezed her ass. God. He was probably a bit too rough, but he had to get his hands on her. Needed to get a taste of her. Wanted to inhale her freshness. He pulled her to him and lowered his head for a hard, tongue-sucking kiss.

  Triston didn’t know how long they were like that, feverishly kissing, licking, sucking, nibbling each other’s lips, cheeks, necks in front of God and anybody who cared to look.

  Selene hummed against his lips. And Triston vowed that pretty soon he’d have her singing at the top of her lungs when he claimed her over and over on their wedding night.

  And many nights to come after that.

  But first he had to convince her that he was the marrying kind, and the right man to make her his wife.

  “Baby, you’re—”

  “—the baby’s fine.”

  God, he’d forgotten about the baby, and here he was hauling her against himself, silently demanding that she felt what she did to him, to his control, to his dick. He was about to tell her how fucking hot she was, but she thought he was referring to her unborn baby.

  The distant sound of a barking dog roused them from each other. Triston was pleased when he heard her mild protest before she composed herself.

  Good. At least he was getting to her, slowly but surely breaking down her barriers.

  He assisted her into the passenger side of the vehicle and then got behind the wheel.

  “So, where are we going?”

  “Huh?” Selene was still breathing rapidly.

  “You mentioned a car dealer, but you didn’t say which one.”

  Selene squirmed in her seat. “Yeah…I…um.”

  “Didn’t know kissing you would make you speechless.” Triston chuckled. “If I’d known, I would’ve kissed you every chance I got.”

  “Hardy-har-har.”

  Triston leaned over and whispered against her ear, “Bet you didn’t want me to stop.” He flicked his tongue along the grooves of her ear and nipped at her lobe.

  Selene lifted her chin, which exposed her slender neck. Whether the move was conscious or not, he was going to sample a bit of paradise.

  “God…Triston, what are you doing to me?” Selene placed her palms against his cheek and drew him closer.

  Maybe, another unconscious move.

  But he didn’t care.

  Not one damn bit.

  He came up for some air. “Just giving you what you want.”

  He twisted her head so that it was aligned with his, and then he went after her bee-stung lips, with vengeance.

  “Ahem.”

  Triston whipped his head around in time to see an elderly lady pointing an arthritic finger at them as she peered into the SUV from where she stood on the sidewalk. Her terrier cavorted about her legs in frenzy. Obviously her standing there, not minding her own business, was interrupting their walk.

  She glared at the dog. “Now, now, Bella. Don’t get frisky with me.”

  Then she cast her probing eyes at Triston, “You okay, young lady? Is the gentleman bothering you?”

  Triston was amused, and waited for Selene to extricate herself out of this jam.

  “I’m okay, Mrs. Duncan.”

  Triston tried to keep his chuckles at bay, but the frown Selene cast his way, meant that he’d failed.

  “You’re sure, dear?”

  Triston noticed the mischievous glint in Mrs. Duncan’s eyes.

  “Sure am, Mrs. Duncan. Triston and I were just talking.”

  “Oh my.” Mrs. Duncan pulled her glasses down and peered over the rims in mock disbelief. “I’m surprised you were able to keep your end of the conversation, when your mouth seemed occupied.” She tittered. “Didn’t look like you could get a word out of it.”

  “I was wondering the same thing.” Triston chuckled.

  Selene gave him a playful punch against his arm.

  “You look like a lovely couple. I’ve been married for 55 years to my Harvey, and those years have been mostly good. I wish the same for both of you, and many—”

  “—You don’t understand.”

  “—What Selene’s trying to say is that she wants the same for us, too.” Triston put his foot on the brake pedal and switched on the engine. “It was nice meeting you, Mrs. Duncan.” He shifted the SUV into drive, took his foot
off the brake pedal and pressed down on the acceleration pedal. With a glance at the rearview, he saw Mrs. Duncan trying to untangle the frolicsome Bella.

  “So, how is the pregnancy going? Is it a girl or a boy?”

  “The sonographer is pretty sure it’s a girl, but we’re going to have another ultrasound in four weeks,” she said.

  “Wow. You’re going to have a daughter.”

  Selene smiled. “Yep. A mini me.”

  It was the first genuine smile Triston had seen since coming back into Selene’s life.

  And having Selene sit so close to him brought back all the memories.

  Their first drive together in the car he was gifted by his parents.

  Their first date.

  The endless chatter that never stopped. They always had something to talk about.

  They took the final left turn and he parked the SUV in front of the lot she pointed at. Triston followed her inside. He didn’t want to leave her as yet, and they still didn’t have the discussion he’d wanted in the first place.

  A tall man, with a receding hairline, waited outside the office. “I’ve got the paperwork ready,” he said as soon as he saw Selene.

  Triston saw her gaze drift towards the white sedan that was parked near the entrance of the office.

  “I’ll sign it right now.” As she followed the man inside the office, Selene stopped at the door. “You don’t have to stay here. I’ll go back on my own.”

  “I’m staying,” Triston said.

  Perhaps not wishing to make a scene in front of the man, Selene didn’t say anything else. She went to the car dealer’s desk, picked up the folder of papers he pushed towards her, took a quick look, and signed them. He handed her a check which she shoved inside her purse and then marched out.

  What the hell is going on?

  Instead of going towards his vehicle, she went to the white sedan. Triston saw her lovingly run her hand over the bonnet. “Whose car is it?”

  She sniffed. “It was mine.”

  “Was?”

  “I just sold it to pay off one of the debts my dad left behind.”

  “You what?” As she whirled towards the exit, Triston followed. “You should’ve asked…” He stopped when she turned to face him with ire in her eyes.

  “That’s the car Dad bought me as a graduation gift,” she said. “You’d already left for basic training, that’s why you’ve never seen it before.” She took in a deep breath through her nose and then exhaled through her mouth. “It’s one of the last things he gave me before he passed.”

  Triston enveloped her in a hug. Selene didn’t succumb to tears often, but he knew right now she was at the brink. Since he’d learned she was pregnant, he started reading online articles about pregnancy, so he knew she was wrestling with hormonal changes. It didn’t help that she was going through some desperate times, lately. As he rested his chin on top of her head, he wished he could take away all her troubles. He finally released her, but not before he’d kissed her forehead. His heart welled with love.

  “Come on, let’s go.”

  “You’re taking me back home, right?”

  “Nope.” Triston helped her into his vehicle. “We’ll get something to eat.”

  “Okay.”

  He expected her to protest and was mildly surprised when she didn’t. As he drove off, he mentally prepared for what he was going to say to her.

  Twenty-five minutes later, he was following her inside the café. Not long after they were seated, the waiter arrived at their table with the menus.

  “See anything you like?”

  “I’m supposed to cut back on caffeine, but I don’t mind a decaf iced coffee.”

  Triston placed the order. Then, he added, “And also a fudge brownie.” It used to be Selene’s favorite. After the waiter left, he leaned forward. “I didn’t explain myself fully the last time we talked.”

  Selene toyed with the edge of the napkin on the table. “I think you did.”

  He normally didn’t talk about his feelings, as a rule, but he had lost her once by hiding things that were important. He wasn’t going to do it again.

  “No. I didn’t. You caught me off guard. I just said whatever came to my head…and I made a mess of it. I’m not offering you marriage because of a misguided sense of regret or charity.”

  “Hmmph.”

  Triston took in a deep breath and then expelled it slowly. “I love you, baby.” He reached across the table and clasped her hand in his. “Wish I could go back in time and make you stay. With me.”

  “I guess that’s what I wanted. For you to come after me.”

  “I should have, but I was young back then. And too proud to beg.” He dragged his hand through his hair. “But I’m man enough to beg now.”

  Selene gave his hand a gentle squeeze. “Tell me what it was like, after you left.”

  “Whether I was all alone in the barracks or in a foxhole waiting to be rescued, I thought about you. It was the memories of our time together that helped me hold on to my sanity. Sometimes life got tough, brutal.”

  “How bad did it get for you?”

  Triston released her hand and whipped out his wallet from his back pocket. He handed it to her.

  “Go ahead, open it,” he said when he saw her questioning look, and chuckled when her eyes widened.

  “How did you get these?”

  “Your mother knew I had a thing for her daughter from the beginning.”

  Selene flipped through his wallet, looking at the miniature photos. “You have pictures of me from since I was fourteen.”

  “Yep. Every birthday you snapped some photos. Your mother just made sure to slip me a few. I took those with me when I left.”

  “Seriously?”

  “And I would look at them every day, but especially whenever things got too out of control.”

  “You only tried to contact me once while you were gone.”

  “I know, but it was only because I began to believe that it would’ve been unfair of me to ask you to wait. Soldiers don’t have much time for family life. Transfers, frequent absences, duty that can get you killed…I didn’t want that for you. I figured I should man-up and let you move on with your life. But in all this time, I never stopped loving you.”

  Selene’s smile was tremulous, but he knew his girl wouldn’t break down in tears.

  “When I was stuck in a foxhole for a week with barely any food or water, not knowing if I was going to be rescued or if I was going to die right there in that ready-made grave, it was the thought of you that kept me going.”

  “God, Triston…”

  “In my head, I wanted you to move on…” Triston shook his head. “…but my heart hoped you didn’t. Bottom line is: I needed you to want back in my life.” He cleared his throat. “That first day I stopped by was to see how you were doing and to invite you to go out with me, but you sprung a surprise on me, instead.”

  Her lips tilted up in a genuine smile. “What makes you think we could just continue where we left off?”

  “I’ll be the first to admit that I’m not the same person anymore. Although my feelings for you haven’t changed, there are many ways that I have changed.” Hopeful was too mild a word for what Triston was feeling at the moment. It looked like he was getting through to her. Finally. “I’ve seen and done things over the years that I’ve come to regret. Things that I’ll never share with you. But I’m asking you to accept me as I am, to be my side, to be the rock that you always were.”

  “I don’t know…”

  The waiter brought their order. Triston waited until he left before he continued. “And I want to be the same for you. I promise I’ll be a good husband. And if you allow me, a good father, too. We can raise this baby together.”

  “What makes you so sure this would work?”

  “Because you’re crazy in love with me.”

  “Over-confidence has always been one of your greatest failings,” she shot back at him.

  If only
she knew how insecure he really was. He wanted her to say yes. “Think of it this way: If you marry me, you’ll have the rest of our lives to reform me. Say yes.”

  She pressed a hand to her eyes. “I’m not going to lie to you. I’ve already discarded abortion as an option, although I did consider it seriously a few weeks ago. I can’t get rid of this child.” She picked up the glass and took a few sips of the iced coffee as if bolstering her courage. “Now, I have to decide whether I want to give her up for adoption or raise her myself. So yes, that’s a part of why I feel I must consider your marriage proposal, but I don’t think it’s fair for you to be saddled with a pregnant woman. I’m a huge liability.”

  He pressed a kiss on her hand. “You’ll never be a liability. Never.”

  Selene stared into his eyes as if she wanted to analyze the truth behind his words. “We’ll have to figure out a lot of things …”

  “Marry me.”

  “I don’t know, Triston, if…”

  “Marry me, babe.”

  “My answer is…”

  “Come on, babe, you know you want to.”

  “Okay.”

  “Marry me, Selene.”

  “Yes, I will marry you.”

  It took him a second to realize that she’d said yes to his proposal. He didn’t need a mirror to see he was beaming with happiness. He took the ring he’d been carrying in his pocket and slipped it onto her finger. It was his grandmother’s ring. Triston let out a whoop that made everyone look at them.

  “She said yes!” Triston burst out in a happy grin. The patrons and the waiters applauded.

  It was one of the happiest days of his life.

  Chapter Eight

  Selene clutched the bouquet of white roses in her hand as she nervously waited for the music to start. She was still reeling by how quickly Triston’s parents were able to hire a reputable wedding planner to organize the wedding ceremony and reception. She’d almost forgotten how well-heeled the Walkers were. But they never flaunted their wealth. In fact, it was one of the things she loved about Triston, his unassuming nature.

  She was willing to settle for a civil ceremony, but Triston and his mother, Lisa, had insisted on a church wedding. Lisa wanted a traditional ceremony for her only child, and Triston wanted Selene to have the kind of wedding she’d dreamed of when they were dating and had made plans to marry one day. Although they didn’t invite a great number of people, her new friends, Heather and Tasha were there, as well as Jamie who’d come for the weekend to attend the wedding. The only three people whose presence she’d sorely missed were her parents and her brother, Dwight. She envisioned they were looking down at her, watching over the proceedings, and so she sent up a silent prayer.