My Surprise Secret Baby (Romance Box Set)
Page 62
I raised a finger, cutting him off.
“I’m doing the talking.”
He formed his mouth into a tight line, obeying me.
“You really did me dirty, buddy,” I said, cracking open my beer. “You went behind my back. You lied to me. You kept a secret from me.”
He stayed quiet.
“All this time I’d been trying to figure out why Natalie had been acting the way she had. And…I was scared. I was worried something had happened between the two of us, that we might never be the same again. But all this time it was because she was in love with you, and both of you were lying to me about it.”
I could tell he wanted to speak.
“Say your peace,” I said.
“I’m sorry. I’m so fucking sorry. I was crazy about her and she was about me and…we fucked up. I knew we should’ve told you but we were both scared of what might happen if you were to react badly.”
“So you lied.”
“It wasn’t intentional. We both knew we needed to tell you but we just kept putting it off and off and off, until finally we couldn’t wait any longer. We decided to get married and then break it to you, come what may.”
“It was the wrong thing to do. I’m the only family she’s got – I deserved to know.”
“You’re right,” he said. “And bud, if I need to spend the rest of my life making it up to you, that’s exactly what I’m going to do.”
“You are right,” I said. “That is exactly what you’re going to spend the rest of your life doing.”
“How?” he asked, not waiting a beat before speaking. “Tell me how and I’ll do it.”
“You’re going to be the best damn husband to my kid sister that you can be. You’re going to take care of her, to look out for her. And you’re going to need to be man enough to help her achieve whatever it is she wants to achieve. Natalie is brilliant and ambitious and kind – traits that are going to take her to the top. You’re going to need to be ready to go there with her.”
He nodded, determined. “It’ll be an honor. Whatever she needs, I’ll be there for her.”
Damon had lied to me before, but looking in his eyes at that moment I could tell there was nothing but the truth coming from him.
It was good enough for me.
“Then we’re not friends anymore,” I said.
“Huh?”
“We’re brothers.”
He smiled.
“Welcome to the family.
There was nothing else to be said. We pulled each other into a tight hug.
“Now,” I said. “Get your ass back in there with my sister. Me and Amber have something big to share.”
“What is it?” he asked.
“You’re going to have to wait to find out.”
He grinned, slapping me on the back.
It was done. We were friends again.
More than that.
We were brothers.
Together we went into the living room. Damon gave Natalie a warm smile, one that said without words that everything was OK between us.
I nodded to Amber.
“You ready to do this?” I asked.
She knew right away what I was talking about. Amber hopped out of her seat and came over to me. I wrapped my arm around her, pulling her close.
“Everyone,” I said. “We have a huge announcement…”
“Wrong,” said Amber. “We’ve got two huge announcements…”
Epilogue
AMBER
Four years later…
A big part of my life has been developing skills I never thought I’d have. I’d never imagined being a mother, but I learned quickly. A stripper? I had to do it, so I did it. Secretary? That particular career hadn’t lasted long at all, but I lied to think I’d done a pretty damn good job.
But chef? That was something else.
And the big surprise there was that I loved it – along with everything else that came with being a stay-at-home mom.
“How’re those cookies looking?” Nan was behind me in the huge kitchen in me and Nick’s new Hollywood home, the massive mansion we’d just finished moving into only a few weeks ago.
I gazed into the oven, the chocolate chip cookies smelling like total heaven, the dough brown and the chocolate chips bubbling.
“Perfect. Totally perfect.”
I took them out and set them on the stove. They weren’t the only baked goods I’d been whipping up that afternoon. Among them were muffins and cupcakes and all sorts of other treats.
And I had god reason to be so busy in the kitchen – it was Ben, my three-year-old boy’s, birthday.
We were pulling out all the stops.
Damon stepped into the kitchen, taking in the sight of all the treats on display. In his arm was Madchen, his and Natalie’s one-year-old girl.
“Wow, all for me?” he asked, a grin on his face. Then he looked over at Madchen. “I mean, all for us. Come on – let’s get while the getting’s good.”
He sauntered over to the cookies, and I watched with a smile as he placed his hand on one.
“Yeowch!” he cried out, yanking his hand back. “That thing’s like molten lead!”
Nan grinned. “That’s what you get for stealing cookies. They’re fresh out of the oven.”
“Then consider the lesson learned.”
Madchen looked up at me with her big blue eyes and giggled.
“Hey, cutie!” I said, leaning in for a kiss. “You ready to party?”
She smiled and laughed.
“I’m taking that as a ‘yes’,” said Damon. “And the rest of the kids are ready, too.”
“Well,” said Mom. “Were just about done over here, too.”
She was putting the finishing touches on dinosaur-themed ice cream cake. And it looked pretty darn good.
“O…K!” said Nan, applying one last little bit of décor on a Stegosaurus’s face. “We. Are. Ready!”
I was thrilled. There was nothing like celebrating one of our kid’s birthdays, and I was ready for the party to kick into high gear.
“Let’s do this team-effort style,” I said, stepping over to Nan and helping her with the cake.
“I’d pitch in,” said Damon with a smile. “But my hands are kind of full.” He lifted Madchen a bit, and she giggled in response.
“Hey,” said Mom. “She’s got two hands.” She winked before turning her attention back to the cake. Alright, on three- one, two…”
“Three!” I said.
Together we heaved the cake off the table and began our trek outside. Damon was alongside, guiding us through the massive halls of our home.
He and Natalie and their kids had been a regular fixture at our place. We’d moved into the area to be closer to them – only a few houses down, to be precise. And it’d been a great idea. Jamie and Ben and Madchen and Oliver – their oldest boy, were already wonderful friends. Nan had the pool house, and together we were one big, happy family.
We brought the cake out, the enormous back yard full of dozens and dozens of friends and family. I spotted Jamie right away, still in awe of how much of a little lady she’d become, only a year away from being a teenager. She was off chatting with some other boy her age, the two of them looking like they were getting quite close.
“Looks like you’re going to have to keep an eye on that little heartbreaker,” said Nan as we stepped out onto the back patio, the glittering surface of the pool catching the Saturday afternoon sun.
We set the cake down, the kids swarming as me and Nan and Damon, Natalie coming over to join us, kept order.
And then I spotted him – the love of my life.
Nick was speaking to a few of the guests, most likely members of Carlyle from London. The expansion had been a huge success, and there was already talk of moving into Berlin and Paris. Ben was in his hands, the little boy’s arms wrapped around his papa’s shoulders.
When he spotted me he smiled, breaking away from his co-workers and came over to us.
“There’s the man of the hour!” said Damon, mussing Ben’s hair.
Natalie arrived with Oliver, shaking her head. “This is got to be the party of the year for these kids,” she said. “But look sike everyone’s having fun.”
“Mom!” said Oliver, reaching out to me. “Cake time, right?”
“Right!” I said.
Nick set him down and he ran over and hugged my legs.
Nick stepped to my side and put his arm around my shoulders. Together, we looked out onto the party, LA spreading off in the distance.
“This is a hell of a life we’ve made for ourselves, huh?” he asked.
“It is. And I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
“I love you,” he said.
“And I love you.”
We kissed.
We were in love.
We were married.
Everything was perfect.
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Copyright © 2020 by Lexi Wilson
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