After The One (The One Series Duet)

by Danielle Allen

  “You are the music that beats in my heart, that guides my steps, that makes me whole. You are the music that inspires me, that captivates me, that drives me. You are the music I’ve been looking for to go with the lyrics in my heart.”

  Julian broke eye contact for the first time as he slipped a stunning four-karat princess cut diamond onto the ring finger of my left hand.

  “I’ve been planning this for months and I asked your dad before I returned from tour. I was going to wait until New Year’s Eve, but I’m doing this right now because I don’t want you to ever think I’m asking you because you’re pregnant. I don’t want you to ever doubt that I’m doing this because it’s exactly what I want to do. Zoe, you are the love of my life and I want to marry you because it didn’t feel like my life started until you. I want to marry you because you make everything in my life make sense. And if you’ll have me, I’ll fill you with so much love that even on our bad days, you won’t ever regret this decision. So, Zoe Elise Jordan, will you marry me?”

  My stomach quivered. My heart fluttered before coming to a complete stop and then starting again erratically. I’d never felt anything so intense. With just his words, Julian Winters had rendered me speechless when all I wanted to do was shout from the rooftops.

  “Sorry for the delay. Your results—oh!” Dr. Nelson walked in, jerking me out of the single most epically romantic stunt Julian had ever pulled.

  I quickly turned my head to the surprised doctor, wiping my face dry. “Please, one more minute! Don’t tell us yet.” I turned back to Julian. “Yes. Absolutely, yes. You are the man I want to spend the rest of my life with. You are it for me. I love you so much. There is no scenario in which I wouldn’t accept.” My voice dissolved into a few heaving breaths. I bit my lip. “But your words… God, Julian. Your words go directly from your lips to my heart. You’re a poet and I’m all flustered and I’m trying really hard not to break down right now…”

  I swallowed the sob that was lodged in my throat. When my body started to shake, Julian stood up and captured my head in his hands. His glassy eyes searched mine as I continued. “There is no title I would want more than to be known as your wife. I love you. I love you for the man you are. I love you for the husband you will become.” I removed one of his hands from my face and relocated it to my lower belly. “And I love you for the father you will be.”

  Julian closed his eyes for a few seconds as his hands flexed against my belly. He let out a rough breath before he grabbed my face again, pressing his lips against mine softly. “I love you,” he uttered before kissing me again. “I love you so much,” he repeated.

  “Knock knock,” Dr. Nelson said, forcing us apart before I was ready. The doctor had his head peeking into the room.

  “Come in,” Julian and I said at the same time. We looked at each other and laughed together.

  It felt good to laugh.

  “So what did I walk into?” The doctor tried to play it cool, but it was painfully obvious that he knew.

  “My amazing, talented, handsome boyfriend is going to be my amazing, talented, handsome husband.” I bit my lip as I gazed at the bauble on my finger. Just saying that Julian was going to be my husband gave me butterflies.

  Julian looked at me. “What she means is she is about to make me the luckiest man on Earth by becoming my wife.”

  My lip slipped from between my teeth as I grinned at him.

  “I’m very happy for you two. Congratulations!” He shook Julian’s hand and then he shook mine before he pulled the stool to the center of the room. He gestured for us to sit and we did. “Now, your results. You said the test you used at home was expired, so that explains some of the confusion…”

  Chapter 3

  The weekend was a complete blur. The results of the pregnancy test did not fully hit me until I was sitting in the passenger seat of Julian’s car on the way home from seeing my gynecologist, Dr. Lynn Maxwell. Void of music and with the world’s smoothest engine, the car was absolutely silent for the majority of the ride home.

  I let out a deep breath as I said what I had been thinking all weekend, but especially since getting the ultrasound picture. “What do we do now?”

  I stared at his chiseled profile. The quiet question hung in the air as Julian maneuvered into the neighborhood, waving at security as they opened the gate.

  “What do you mean, Beautiful?”

  “This changes everything.” I swallowed, feeling pulled in so many different directions.

  “It does.” He slowed to a stop a few feet from the driveway and looked at me. “What are you thinking?”

  That our careers are over. Oh and—no, one thing at a time.

  Julian and I had spent all Friday night talking about our childhoods and everything we wanted to teach our future child. We discussed our hopes and dreams for the child we created. We knew we should wait until we met with Dr. Maxwell to get too wrapped up into the idea so we kept our baby talk to a minimum, but I’d spent all weekend silently stressing about how a baby would affect our careers.

  “Let’s talk in the house,” I answered as he pulled up to the gate.

  Julian gave me a look before typing in the gate code.

  I gripped the ultrasound picture in my hand.

  He parked his car next to mine and turned off the ignition. “I know you. I know something has been on your mind, but I’ve been taking your lead. Friday you wanted to talk about the idea of a baby so we talked. The rest of the weekend you didn’t want to focus on the baby at all. You just wanted to celebrate our engagement so we did.” He licked his lips and slipped his hand over my thigh, causing me to squirm. “All weekend long.”

  My body heated at memory of the different positions he’d had me in all weekend long. We’d had sex all over the house to make up for the time he’d been gone. I smiled languidly. “It was a really, really good weekend. Best sex of my life.”

  He smiled, sliding his hand and resting it at the apex of my thighs. “I would have to agree, and I think we should try to top it.” He paused. “But first, I need to know what’s going on in that head of yours.”

  “That I planned on talking to you once we got confirmation.” I looked down at the ultrasound photo and blew out a long, tired breath. “And now we have it.”

  “Look at me.”

  I met his gaze, my heart beating a tick faster than before.

  Julian searched my face and then unbuckled my seatbelt. Taking the picture out of my hand, he said, “Follow me.”

  He opened his door to get out of the car so I grabbed my paperwork, prenatal vitamins, and handbag then followed him into the house.

  I dropped everything on the marble island in the middle of the kitchen and eyed Julian as he found a magnet in a drawer to put the picture on the refrigerator.

  He turned toward me. Leaning against the counter next to the refrigerator, Julian pointed to the picture he’d just proudly hung. “We’re having a baby, Zoe. It’s here and it’s real and I know you’re scared…but I hope you’re not doubting me or us. I hope you know how happy I am to be with you, to be sharing this with you.”

  I flew across the room and into his arms. “Stop! Please stop.” I buried my head in his firm chest. “I don’t doubt you. I’m so sorry I made you feel that way, Julian.” I hugged him tighter as I felt his body relax a little from my words. “I love you.”

  He kissed the top of my head repeatedly. “I love you too.”

  I looked up at him. “I’ve been thinking about how this is going to change everything…career-wise.”

  Julian’s eyebrows came together as he gave me a perplexed look. “What do you mean?”

  Wordlessly, I unraveled my body from his and took his hand. I pulled him through the kitchen, down the hallway, to the den. From talking to watching a movie together, the huge television and state-of-the-art sound system made the den our favorite place to hang out.

  Well, besides the bedroom.

  Plopping down on the couch, I quickly threw my
legs over Julian’s lap and snuggled up close. He ran his hands over the side of my leg before settling on keeping one hand on my hip and the other wrapped around my calf.

  I smiled nervously at him as his grey eyes settled on me. “Things change, I know, but I can’t help but think that this is going to…” I struggled to find the right words.

  He clutched my hip. “Just say it.”

  “This may ruin our careers.”

  Julian looked at me for a second before he smirked. “Ruin our careers?”

  I covered my face with my hands and peeked at him between my fingers. “Does that make me a horrible person? Am I a horrible mother already?”

  Julian chuckled. “No, you’re not at all, but I don’t understand why you’d think it’d ruin anything. Change, yes. Ruin, no.”

  Was he not in the appointment with me today?

  “Because of my race and gender, I have to work harder than any of the other lawyers at Parker, Lee & Associates to be taken seriously.”

  “I know, Beautiful. I know.” He wrapped his arm around me and hoisted me into his lap. “If they think your gorgeous skin or the fact that you’re a woman creating life makes you less of a lawyer, you need a better firm.”

  I nodded in agreement. “When I first started, one of the paralegals went out on maternity leave and never came back. The official email that went out said she chose to stay home, but I overhead that she was forced out for wanting to spend a few extra weeks with her kid.”

  Julian shook his head. “That’s fucked up.”

  “Exactly.” I swallowed hard. “And I don’t think I’ve been there long enough to not receive the same treatment.”

  “If they do that to you, we’ll sue the shit out of them.”

  I smiled. “You sound like Mom.”

  Julian let out a little laugh and it made my insides quiver.

  My eyelashes fluttered as I cast my gaze downward before peeking at him. “I’m just worried about job security and advancement, that’s all. Most of the people I graduated with are not working—well, not working as lawyers anyway. I earned this opportunity and I don’t want to blow it.”

  “You don’t have anything to worry about. If that case they didn’t even expect you to win proves anything, it’s that you deserve to be there. If they don’t see that, you don’t need them.” He kissed my shoulder. “You’re a hard worker and an excellent lawyer and if they think a baby will change that, they are idiots.”

  I felt the warmth of his love as it blanketed me. “You are the sweetest.” I dropped a quick kiss on his lips. “But you’re wrong. It will change that. I won’t be working eighteen hour days to win a case when my body needs more rest. I won’t be eating sketchy food at random late-night gas stations while I’m carrying our child. I won’t physically be able to do any of the things I did over the last three months in order to discover the break that won the case.”

  Julian made a face as he realized I was right. He didn’t say anything for a long time, but I could almost hear the gears in his head turning. “We’ll figure something out. You will be fine though, Zoe. I don’t want you stressing over this.”

  With my arm around his neck, I lightly tugged at his earlobe. “It’s not just me I’m worried about,” I admitted gently, anxiety twisting in my gut.

  “What do you mean?”

  “You worked your ass off last year promoting your album. You just finished up opening for Super Casanova and you have your own tour coming up. You’re going to be on tour for three months next year, for almost the entire third trimester,” I pointed out, examining his face as the information hit him.

  He froze for a second as he seemed to remember the tour dates. He chewed his bottom lip as he thought and then he slowly shook his head. “I’ll cancel it.”

  My eyebrows flew up. “You’re just going to cancel your tour?”

  “Yes. You’re more important. You’re the most important thing in my life. No contest.”

  “And you’re the most important thing to me, but you can’t just opt out of your tour. It’s your tour. You put it together. You signed the contracts. It’s slated to sell out.”

  He shrugged as if to dismiss all that, but the look in his eyes broadcasted his uncertainty. “I’ll get my lawyers to figure something out. Done and done.”

  My heart skipped a beat and if it was at all possible to be more in love with him after his proposal, I was. We both knew it was highly unlikely for him to get out of the contracts without taking a huge financial hit, but the fact that he offered was more than I could’ve ever asked for.

  My heart was full and I knew he could see it all over my face. “I love you for that, I really do, but we both know…”

  Tangling his hand in my hair and bringing me closer, Julian brought my lips to his. The move was so sudden that I gasped.

  The want and the need that always existed between us flooded my system, causing my breathing to change.

  “We will make this work.” Julian spoke in a hushed tone that turned me on. “Even if worst case scenario happens, we will make this work. You’re my priority and you’re carrying our child. I don’t want you stressed about anything. I’m going to make sure you’re okay. For the rest of my life, I will make sure you’re okay. Do you understand me?”

  Holy. Shit.

  My lips parted, but no words came out. I nodded slowly.

  “I want to hear you say it. Do you understand?” he repeated. His voice was deeper, sexier.

  “Yes.” My voice came out hot and needy.

  He brushed his mouth against mine before capturing my bottom lip and sucking softly. He pulled away and I let out a soft whimper.

  “Now was that the only thing on your mind?” he questioned softly.

  Before I had a chance to respond, his mouth covered mine again. His hand eased up my leg and gripped my hip, causing a fire to burn throughout my body.

  My heart thudded in my chest as our kiss deepened. Each time his tongue grazed mine, the pull deep in my gut tightened. I rotated my hips, rocking against his hard dick beneath me. Shivers traveled up and down my spine. A rumbling groan escaped his lips and soaked my already wet panties.

  He pulled out of the kiss and stared into my eyes.

  My chest rose and fell as I felt slightly winded from the self-restraint it took for me to not rip his clothes off and mount him.

  “I’m sorry. I don’t remember the question.” I licked my lips. “I think another kiss will help jog my memory though.”

  The amusement in his voice was evident. “Oh we will be doing a lot more than kissing. But first, I want to make sure you’re good before I ask you what I want to ask you. I don’t want us to move on until we’re on the same page. So what was the other thing on your mind?”

  Either he’ll say yes or he’ll say no. If he says no, it’ll still be okay. I’ll deal with it.

  Thinking about what I wanted to ask him unnerved me for some reason. I shifted my eyes away from his momentarily before returning his gaze.

  His smile waned. There was a flash of doubt in his eyes and I knew I had to get it out.

  “Okay,” I conceded with a nod. The flutter in my chest revved up, causing a slight hesitation. “So…”

  “You’re nervous,” he noticed, touching my face gently.

  I nodded. “Only because of how it’s going to seem, but…” I shook my head. “I know I can tell you anything. It’s just…ahhh!” I wiggled my body trying to shake off the nerves.

  “You doing that move right there in my lap is how we got into this situation to begin with.”

  I let my head fall back as I laughed loudly and it wasn’t long before he joined in.

  Once our laughter died down, Julian brought me closer. “Should I be worried?”

  “About what?”

  “About what you’re scared to tell me. You aren’t scared to tell me anything, so the fact that you’re hesitating is making me a little worried.”

  “I want to get married before the baby com
es,” I declared in a rush.

  His eyebrows flew up in shock. “You do?”

  I nodded, unsure of what his response was going to be. “We’ve always talked about getting married before having children, but the real reason is…” I shrugged, unsure of how to even put it into words. “As insignificant as it sounds, I just want us to establish our family.” I put my hand on my belly. “Before…”

  I could feel Julian’s heart thumping against my side as he waited for me to continue. I lost myself in his eyes and couldn’t get the rest of my thoughts to formulate into words.

  “Why were you nervous to tell me that?” Julian asked carefully, his expression revealing nothing.

  “Because the last time I checked the calendar, it wasn’t the sixties. I know it’s not necessary, and regardless of what our families think, I know it doesn’t matter in the grand scheme of things. But, it’s something that I want. You are the man I plan to spend the rest of my life with and you’re the father of our child. I want him or her to come into the world as an addition to our already established family.”

  Julian gaped at me. “Do you want to know what my request was?”

  “What?” I said the word slowly, a chill running down my spine again.

  “For you to consider marrying me before the baby comes so you both will have my last name.”

  I cocked my head to the side and looked at him. “Really? You want to get married before the baby comes too?”

  “Yes. I want the world to know you’re mine and that we created a life together.”

  I squealed, sprinkling kisses all over him until he started laughing. When I wouldn’t stop with the smattering of kisses, he started tickling me, causing me to laugh hysterically. In an attempt to get away from him, I jumped up and ran out of the room.

  He didn’t waste any time chasing me so I made a beeline for the kitchen. Getting to one side of the island before he entered, I was able to create the necessary distance from my faster and more athletic fiancé.

  “Truce?” he offered, lifting his hands up in surrender.

  I stepped slowly around the island as he started to move. “If you were going to call a truce, why would you chase me?”