by M. Malone
“I do. Ri? Where’s Ridley?” Raina looked back at Ridley, who was following her slow steps.
Ridley looked like she was struggling to contain her own emotions as she followed behind them. “I’m right here, Ray. I’ll be there with you the whole time,” she promised.
Suddenly Raina stopped. “Can someone call our father? He should know. I mean, I think he’d want to know.”
Matt stepped forward. “I can do it. What’s his name?”
“William Ranier-Ridley,” Nick responded.
“No problem. I’ll get his information from Sam.” He looked at Raina. “Don’t worry about anything. I can’t wait to meet the newest Alexander.”
Raina nodded shakily. She had to stop moving when another contraction hit. It was extremely hard to watch. It appeared to pain Nick as much as it did her, Penny observed. He paled while watching her struggle to catch her breath.
“It’s okay, Nick.” Raina started her slow steps forward again. “At our last appointment the doctor said everything looked great.”
“It’s too soon. We had a birth plan. We’re supposed to have a relaxing, natural birth with a midwife,” Nick babbled.
Raina cried out again and leaned heavily against her husband. She put a shaky hand on her belly and grabbed Nick with the other. “Screw the birth plan. We have to get to the hospital. This hurts!”
* * * * *
THE ENTIRE ALEXANDER family had taken over the waiting area in the maternity wing of New Haven General Hospital. Matt perched on the edge of a chair next to Penny.
Julia had gone into the delivery room along with Nick and Ridley. Everyone else passed the time talking and speculating on how Nick was doing.
After an hour Elliott arrived. “Hey, am I too late?”
Bennett moved over so Eli could sit down. “No news yet. Last we heard Raina wasn’t dilated enough yet, and Nick was driving the nurses crazy.”
They all chuckled. Half the group already had bets on how long Nick would last in the delivery room before passing out. The other half was betting on Raina cussing him out during a contraction and tossing him out. Matt was undecided.
Eli turned to Jackson. “I packed clothes for the boys and drove them to Miss Bessie’s house. They’re helping her make cupcakes.”
“Thank you.” Jackson looked relieved.
Over the next six hours, they entertained each other with stories about Raina’s pregnancy, Jackson left and came back with donuts, and Penny even fell asleep sitting on Matt’s lap. After what felt like an eternity, Matt looked up to see Nick standing at the edge of the group. He looked sweaty and exhausted. Julia stood at his elbow beaming.
“She’s here. Our baby girl is six pounds and nine ounces. They’re moving Raina to a private room while the baby’s getting her tests done,” Nick said.
Matt held out a hand to his friend. “Congratulations, man. I can’t believe you’re a father now.”
Nick looked dazed. “I can’t believe it, either. She’s absolutely perfect.”
Bennett pulled Nick into a hug while Jackson and Eli slapped him on the back.
“Do you guys want to see her?” Nick shook his head. “What am I saying? Stupid question. Let’s see if the nurses have finished their tests and put her in her crib yet.”
They followed Nick down a hallway to the long glass window of the nursery.
“There she is.” Nick’s pride was all over his face as he pointed through the glass.
A nurse waved at him and then came to stand next to the glass, holding the tiniest baby Matt had ever seen. She was pale-skinned with a shock of jet-black hair that seemed determined to escape the pink cap on her head. Although she was swaddled in a white blanket, one fist peeked out of the top like she was struggling to escape. She looked like she was going to be a handful.
“She’s so beautiful,” Penny said. She looked up at Matt with eyes full of longing.
“I agree.” They hadn’t talked about kids yet, but after this, he was willing to bet they would be. He glanced over at Trent and Mara. Mara had her face so close to the glass he wouldn’t be surprised if she left a noseprint. He had a feeling there would be a lot of baby talk for them both when they got home.
It was going to be an interesting night.
He turned to Nick. “She’s beautiful. She’s going to be a knockout. You’d better invest in some guns now.” They all laughed. Behind the glass the baby squirmed in the nurse’s arms as she set her down gently in her bassinet.
When Nick pulled back, he was beaming. “Her name is Jada. Since both our mothers’ names start with the letter J, we decided to keep that going. Her middle name is May since she didn’t wait for June and came early. So, she’s Jada May Alexander.”
“I like it. Sweet, simple, and strong,” Penny commented.
“Thanks. I need to go check on Raina.” They watched as Nick jogged back down the hall toward the patient rooms.
“He looks so happy,” Penny observed. “It’s all such an adventure. They’re going to raise her and watch her grow. I bet he’ll be a great dad, too.”
Matt reached in his pocket and pulled out the ring box he’d shoved in his pocket that morning. He’d been planning to propose to her after the party, once dark had fallen and he had a canopy of stars as a backdrop.
Nothing ever went according to plan, and he was perfectly okay with that.
“It is an adventure. I want that with you and everything else, too. I want Christmases and birthdays, fights and frustrations, joys and sorrows. I want to take that adventure with you.”
Penny’s eyes landed on the black box and she covered her mouth with her hand. “Matt? Oh my god.” Her eyes sparkled with tears. “Are you always going to surprise me?”
“I hope so. For the next fifty years at least. After that, things might get a little routine. I can’t make any promises. But it’s up to you. We can go on like we have been or you can take the leap with me.”
Penny shook her head. “You crazy man. Haven’t you learned by now?” She threw her arms around his neck and kissed him amid the catcalls of his friends. When they finally broke apart, she pushed his hair back from his forehead tenderly.
“I’ll always choose to leap with you.”
THE END
Author’s Note
If you’ve enjoyed this book, please consider leaving a review. It seems like such a simple thing but your reviews determine which books will be recommended and promoted by the vendors.
I'd like to send a heartfelt THANK YOU to all the awesomesauce readers who've reviewed the prior books. Each book has 100+ reviews which is amazing. I have the best fans ever!!
Christmas with The Alexanders is coming soon!
CLICK HERE
for the pre-order notification list
ONE MORE DAY - BOOK 1
Ridley Wells has no idea what to do with her life now that she’s graduated from college. But when a friend is murdered and her apartment is trashed, she runs to the only person she trusts, her twin sister. No one will think to look for her in the rinky-dink Virginia town of New Haven.
Of course, her luck lands her passed out in the grass in front of resident bad boy, music producer Jackson Alexander. Strike 1! Then she realizes Raina’s out of the country and she has nowhere else to go. Strike 2!
So when the handsome producer with the platinum smile mistakes her for her sister, she gets an idea.
Where better to hide than in plain sight?
**WARNING**
This book contains cloak-and-dagger intrigue, family drama, brothers fighting, supermodels with attitude, and hot sex between people who can’t keep their hands off each other. Just saying…
THE THINGS I DO FOR YOU - BOOK 2
A bargain. A baby. A billion things can go wrong.
Nicholas Alexander doesn’t mind being called a playboy. His charm serves him well in business and a beautiful woman is always on his arm. Except the one he’s in love with.
Raina Winters doesn’t believe in l
ove, so when she’s dumped right before her wedding, she’s more upset about losing what she really wants from marriage. A baby.
When Nick learns about Raina’s dilemma, his first reaction is to leave her hanging like she left him after their steamy one-night stand. But he finally has something Raina needs, so he offers her a deal. He’ll give her a baby if she gives him something he desires just as much. Just two little words.
I. Do.
**WARNING**
This book contains encounters with a drunken Elvis, pushy mamas, tabloid shenanigans, several occurrences of bad cooking, and hot sex between two people who aren’t even sure they like each other. Just saying…
ALL I NEED IS YOU - BOOK 4
Elliott Alexander & Kaylee Wilhelm
Look for Book 4 in early 2014!
Sign up for the pre-order notification
HERE
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
National Bestselling author M. Malone lives in the Washington, D.C. metro area with her three favorite guys: her husband and their two sons. She likes dramatic opera music, staid old men wearing suspenders, claw-foot bathtubs, and unexpected surprises.
The thing she likes best is getting to make up stuff for a living.
www.MMaloneBooks.com
Don't miss a thing!
Join the Mailing List
Join the Alexanders Readers Group
EBOOKS AVAILABLE
Teasing Trent
One More Day
The Things I Do for You
He’s the Man
Future Books
Christmas with The Alexanders ~11/2013
All I Need is You ~ 1/2014
Say You Will ~ 6/2014
PRINT BOOKS AVAILABLE
One More Day (includes Teasing Trent)
The Things I Do for You
He's the Man
Future Books
All I Need is You (includes Christmas with The Alexanders)
Say You Will
HE'S THE MAN
Copyright © August 2013 M. Malone
Editor: Anne Victory - Victory Editing
CrushStar Romance
An Imprint of CrushStar Multimedia LLC
This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the writer's imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locales or organizations is entirely coincidental. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any manner whatsoever without written permission from the publisher except in the case of brief quotation embodied in critical articles and reviews. For information address CrushStar Romance, 2885 Sanford Ave SW #16301, Grandville, MI 49418
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
ISBN-10: 1-938789-09-1
ISBN-13: 978-1-938789-09-0
Table of Contents
Acknowledgments
Back Cover
Author's Note
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
The Alexanders Series
About the Author
Printable Book List
Copyright
