by Emma Tharp
Six months after Dean moved in, he proposed on our first trip to Monroe Cay together.
It was a beautiful evening with all of my family around us. He got down on one knee at sunset on the beach holding a stunning solitaire diamond ring. A year later we had a small ceremony with friends and family in Vermont. It was perfect.
"Uncle Dean!” Leah squeals and runs away from our sandcastle masterpiece.
Turning, I see Dean and Garrett shaking hands, and Leah runs to him. Dean lifts her in the air and twirls her around. "Hey, kiddo."
When Leah's feet hit the ground, she takes Dean's hand and leads him toward the sand. "Look at what we made," she says with pride.
"This is amazing!" he says. "Hello, everyone." Dean looks around my family members.
Everyone greets Dean.
I stand and wipe my sandy hands off on my legs. Even after all this time, the butterflies swarm in my belly when I'm close to Dean.
He eyes me up and down my bikini-clad body and his eyes darken before he pulls me in close for a hug. We keep it PG in front of our niece, but I can't wait to be wrapped up with him again. "I missed you, baby."
"I missed you, too. How about you come with me?" I step back and take his hand in mine, raising my eyebrows.
He leans in close to me and whispers in my ear, "Would that be rude? I just got here."
"No. Everyone understands." My cheeks heat up. "We can catch up with them in a couple of hours for dinner."
"You don't have to ask me twice." He swings his arm around my shoulders and I put my hand in his, loving the feel of him next to me.
We make our way inside and find Donovan sitting in the living room giving Rory a bottle.
Dean makes his way over to him and he and Donovan shake hands. "Good to see you, man. How's the baby?" Dean runs his fingertip along Rory's cheek.
"The little porker is starving. He just woke up from his nap. How was your flight in?" Donovan asks. My heart warms seeing my little brother all snuggled up with his precious son.
"Uneventful. Happy to be here."
"Glad to hear it." Donovan takes the empty bottle and sets it on the couch next to him before he positions the baby over his shoulder to burp him.
"We'll catch up at dinner. I'm exhausted. Giselle and I are going to lie down for a nap," Dean tells him.
"Sounds good,” Donovan says, patting Rory’s back.
Dean and I make our way upstairs to our room and close the door behind us.
He pulls me in his arms, holding me close before he presses his mouth to mine. He smells like his clean masculine body wash and all Dean. My mouth waters.
Pulling back, I rest my hands on his chest. "I've got something to tell you." My heart hammers in my chest.
His fingers come up to stroke my hair as he studies my face. "Is everything okay?"
"Yes. It's great. I didn't get my period this month, so I took six pregnancy tests. They were all positive."
"You are? You're not kidding?" he stammers.
I shake my head. "Nope. I have a doctor’s appointment as soon as we get back home."
He lifts me up off my feet and spins me around before gently setting me back down. His eyes are wide, nearly bulging out of his head. "I'm going to be a father? And you're going to be a mother? We’re going to be parents?"
"We are." All of a sudden, tears sting the back of my eyes.
"Are you happy?" He cups my chin in his hand.
"Yes. These are happy tears. Are you?"
"No. I'm ecstatic. This is the best news, Giselle. We're going to have a family." His lips brush against mine.
I'm so relieved. We didn't exactly plan this, but I've been off the pill for about a year now because the hormones were starting to bother me. Dean and I decided that we weren't going to use condoms, but rather see where fate took us. "Thank you, Dean. I've never felt this content or fulfilled. I didn't realize my life could be like this. I owe it all to you."
"I feel the same about you," he says, bending over and lifting me up. He carries me to the bed, gently lays me down, and presses a kiss to my stomach. “And our baby.”
My heart and my life are finally full and it all began in this man's arms.
The End
***
Thank you for reading Between Us. I hope you enjoyed the Monroe Family Series!
If you love steamy, hot summer romance books, you can read book one of the Summer Secrets Series titled, Falling For the Bad Boy.
Jenna has only one goal this summer—to lose her V card. Cam, the newest bad boy, lifeguard on the Cape, seems to fit the bill. He’s tall, tattooed and sexy. Too bad his goal is very different than hers. He’s looking for revenge.
Everyone warns Jenna to stay away, but she’s sick of being the good girl. This time she’s not going to be able to help herself.
Can the good girl tame the bad boy?
One click here.
“What a sensational new book from Emma Tharp filled with drama, secrets, witty banter, passion, revenge, a bad boy lifeguard, a sweet girl next door, and unexpected love.”~Readergrl90 Amazon Reviewer
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*Turn the page to read an excerpt from Falling For the Bad Boy.
Falling For the Bad Boy
Chapter One
Jenna
Memorial Day
"I’m telling you, if I do nothing else this summer, I’m going to get laid,” I say to my twin sister Hannah as I unpack my suitcase. “I refuse to go to college in the fall a virgin.”
Her jaw opens wide, distorting her beautiful face. "Did you just say what I think you said? My goody-two-shoes, bookworm sister wants to lose her V-card this summer?" Her tone is patronizing.
I don't know what I was expecting. Hannah lost her virginity when she was fifteen. Dating and socializing with guys has always come easy to her. Throwing a balled-up pair of socks at her, I say, "Close your mouth or you’re going to start letting flies in. You know how many bugs are around the Cape right now."
She stuffs her jean shorts in the middle drawer of her dresser and has to push it closed with her hip. "Sorry if I sound surprised, but I can't help it. I didn't realize that losing your virginity was so high on your priority list."
"Going to an all-girls high school didn't help the cause, and since I’ll be at Boston College this fall, I don't want to be the only girl on campus who's never had sex." It's not like I set out to remain abstinent through high school, it's just how things ended up. Hannah is right. I did spend the majority of my time with my close girlfriends studying. She went out with friends all the time and had more opportunities to meet guys. And now with college looming in the fall, this is something I want to check off my list.
"That's understandable. Who did you have in mind?" Hannah asks. She’s moved from unpacking to applying a coat of mascara in the mirror of her vanity. Her makeup application is always stellar, setting off her emerald-green eyes. This summer, I’m going to make an effort to step up my makeup game. Maybe I’ll ask her to help me. She and I are fraternal twins, but have many similarities. Same height, and nearly the same weight. Our eyes are different shades of green, but our bone structure is so similar there are times people think that we are identical twins.
"That's the thing. I don't know."
Every summer we come to The Cottages on Cape Cod. Everyone owns their little piece of beachfront so we end up seeing the same people year after year.
"What about Leanne's brother, Martin? He looked pretty good last summer."
I wrinkle my nose. "No. Leanne wouldn't be happy about that. The last thing I need is girl drama this summer."
Hannah jumps on her bed and lies back, scrolling through her phone. "What about Sterling Thomas?" She flashes me a picture of him from last summer.
"Um, no thanks. The mustache he was sporting creeps me out. It gives
him such a porn star vibe."
Hannah tilts her head back and laughs out loud. "Maybe a porn star is exactly what you need."
Reaching into my drawer, I pull out another pair of socks and throw them at her head. "No way. Who else is there?"
"Even though Charlie Stevens is hot, I wouldn’t recommend him. We made out last year and his tongue reminds me of a snake. It slithered around my mouth and there was saliva everywhere." She frowns and sticks out her tongue, moving it around in an S over and over again.
"Gross. I'm afraid there isn't anyone here that I'm interested in," I sigh, resigned to the fact that there's a good chance I'll be leaving on Labor Day without accomplishing my goal.
When I think of losing my virginity, there’s apprehension and fear of the unknown. Hannah told me that it does hurt the first time, which I’m not looking forward to. And my friend, Alice, said that her first time was so awkward, she couldn’t wait for it to be over with. So, I’d like to get the first painfully awkward moment over with so I can go off to college, looking forward to meeting someone that I can start a relationship with and have a second, hopefully more enjoyable go at it with.
"Don't worry. There's always the tourists," Hannah reminds me cheerfully.
"True. I should keep my options open.” I plop down on the bed beside her. “What about you? Do you have your eye on anyone special this summer?"
She presses her lips together and shakes her head. "No one in particular, but I do have one requirement. He has to be older. I'm tired of the immature boys I've been dating."
“Okay.” There’s sarcasm in my tone, primarily because I can only wish that I had a boy to be tired of. I’m not jealous, per se. Not of any of the guys she’s dated, just that she doesn’t need to worry about getting it over with.
"Girls." My mom sweeps into our room in her pink plaid J.Crew skort and white polo shirt, her blonde hair freshly blown out. "You know Daddy won't be here until the weekend, but I want to go out to dinner tonight. Where should we go?"
She tells us this like it's news to us. My dad is barely ever around during the week. He works his ass off—that's why the Hutchins Group and Holdings is so successful. And it's also why we’re able to live like we do, never wanting for anything.
Mom will spend her time this summer playing golf and tennis with friends, working out with her trainer, and lots of afternoons at the club sipping martinis with the other ladies of leisure—chatting about their hard working husbands and the latest Cape gossip.
"Let's go to The Crab Shell," I suggest. I think I remember that one of the servers was good-looking last summer.
"Does that sound good to you, Hannah?" Mom asks.
She shrugs her shoulders, still scrolling through her phone. "Sure."
Mom claps her hands together. "Perfect. Let's kick off this summer, girls. I have a feeling it's going to be a good one."
There's a little stirring in my belly. It's excitement and hope. I think I'm really going to pull this off. I don't want to leave this summer disappointed.
One-click here to get your copy of Falling For the Bad Boy!
Acknowledgments
The Monroe siblings…what can I say about them? I loved each of them—especially Donovan. Writing his character came easy to me. Giselle, on the other hand…well, she caused me the most problems. But now that the series is over, I’m going to miss them! I truly hope that you enjoyed their stories.
All my thanks to my wonderful family and supportive group of friends! I’ve got my own little cheer squad and I’m grateful for every single one of them.
And now, I couldn’t end a book without thanking the people who help make it better. To my editor, Theresa Schultz, my proofreader, Julie Deaton with Deaton Author Services, and my cover designer, Sarah Paige with Opium House Creatives, you are all an integral part of my creative process and I can’t thank you enough for all of your help. Hugs to all of you.
To my mentor, Nicole Andrews Moore, thank you for everything. One day, I’d like to grow up to be just like you. And to Lisa, my CP. You helped me so much with Giselle! For whatever reason, she gave me a run for my money. I appreciate you!
And last, but certainly not least, to my readers, you guys are simply the best. Three years ago, when I started this writing journey, I never would’ve dreamed that it could be this sweet. And it’s all because of you. I appreciate all of your reviews, your messages, and emails. It makes it all worth it. Thank you!
About the Author
Emma Tharp is the author of The Bluff Harbor Series, The Next Verse, The McLoughlin Brother Series, and The Summer Secrets Series. She was raised in upstate New York. Being an only child, she spent a great deal of time alone, dreaming up characters who would keep her company on long family road trips. Putting her writing on the back burner, she went to college and became a chiropractor. After spending twelve years healing patients, Emma decided—with the help of her amazingly supportive husband—to use the creative side of her brain and let her characters come to the page.
If she’s not writing, Emma can be found at the gym, one of her kids sporting events, Starbucks, or a live music event.
A perfect day for Emma would be spent at her lake house with her husband, two ginger-haired children, and Vizsla, reading a book and drinking a large cup of coffee (or wine) with music playing in the background.
Contact Emma Tharp at:
www.emmatharp.com
Sign up for her Newsletter: https://my.sendinblue.com/users/subscribe/js_id/300ul/id/1
Also by Emma Tharp
What About Her (Book One of the Bluff Harbor Series)
What About Us (Book Two of the Bluff Harbor Series)
The McLoughlin Brothers Series Boxed Set
Scoring Chance (Rules of the Game Book One)
Crashing Christmas
Winter Wonderland
Falling For the Bad Boy (Summer Secrets Book One)
