Claimed By Him: (Contemporary Romance Box Set)

by Alexis Winter

  “I’d say so. He didn’t even know who you were, and he still wanted to take you out,” Vesper adds on.

  I collapse into a chair with them sitting on either side of me. “You can relax now, Are. Your baby daddy is safe,” Vesper says with a smile.

  “Yeah, are you guys going to get married or what?” Amy asks.

  I laugh. “We haven’t even discussed marriage yet. But I wouldn’t say ‘no’ if he asked.”

  They both giggle as my mind drifts off, thinking about our wedding day, our future children, our home, and how our lives could be. My chest no longer feels heavy with fear. Now, it’s light and full of happiness, looking forward to starting our future together.

  It’s nearing two p.m. when we make it back home. Ethan is tired and sore, and traveling wasn’t easy on him. The medications made him sick to his stomach, and he spent the entire ride home vomiting up stomach acid.

  I help him into the house and to the bedroom to lie down. I sit on the edge of the bed, remove his shoes, and pull the blanket up around him.

  “Do you want me to make you some soup? Maybe some food in your stomach will help.”

  “That’d be great. Thank you.”

  I slip out of the bedroom and head to the kitchen to warm up some soup. By the time I’ve made up a tray of soup, crackers, water, and Jell-O, and am walking back into the room, he’s fast asleep. I set the tray on the bedside table and slip back out, wanting him to get some rest.

  I sit on the couch and watch TV while looking over all the papers Vesper gave me regarding the baby shower. I search on my phone for things to add, and make a list of things to get. After several hours, I go back to check on Ethan. He’s awake, sitting in the dark and eating his now-cold soup.

  “You want me to warm that up for you?”

  “It’s already gone,” he says, slurping up some Jell-O.

  I laugh and pick up the bottle of pain medication, handing over a pill.

  He pops it into his mouth and gives me his empty tray, relaxing back into the bed.

  “Want me to bring the living room TV in here for you?”

  He pats the bed and I slowly and carefully crawl up beside him. The second I’m in his arms, I relax. “I was so scared when that nurse came out and said you had a reaction to the medication. I thought I was going to lose you.”

  “You’ll never lose me, Are.” He squeezes me closer, and I can’t do anything but thank God everything worked out.

  “Promise?” I whisper.

  “I swear,” he says with a voice strong and sure.

  My eyes drift closed. I relax and breathe him in: his rich, deep scent that reminds me of chocolate and sunshine—my two favorite things.

  “Hey,” he breaks the silence.

  “Hmm?” I mumble, not bothering to open my eyes.

  “Will you do me a favor?”

  “What?” I lift my head to see him.

  “In the top drawer of the dresser, there’s an old wallet of mine. Will you get it for me?”

  “Okay.” I push myself up and open the top drawer. “Where is it? I don’t see it.”

  “It’s toward the back.”

  I dig around until I feel the smooth leather beneath my hand. Picking it up, I take it back to the bed and hold it out.

  “Open it.”

  I unfold the wallet, and even in the darkness, something sparkles. My breath catches in my throat.

  “Ethan, what is this?” I say with a gasp as I reach into the wallet and pull out a diamond ring.

  “It’s my promise that you’ll never lose me, that I’ll always be here for you, and that I’ll always love you. Will you marry me, Aria?”

  My eyes fill with tears, but I can’t answer him. I’ve lost all control of my body and I can’t find my voice.

  “I wanted to plan something special, but right now seemed like the perfect time.”

  “Are you sure?” I ask, surprise evident in my voice.

  He lets out a deep chuckle. “Of course I’m sure! I love you, Aria, and I want you by my side for the rest of my life as my wife.” He reaches up and takes the ring from my fingers. “Will you marry me?” he asks again.

  I fall to my knees beside the bed. “Yes! I’d love to marry you, Ethan.”

  He slides the princess-cut diamond ring onto my finger, and I have to remind myself not to hurt him as I leap toward him for a kiss.

  He grunts and laughs against my lips, but he kisses me back with so much passion and love, I can’t stop.

  I manage to take my place beside him once again without breaking the kiss. “I love you, Ethan.”

  “I love you too, Aria,” he whispers against my lips.

  Chapter 20

  Ethan

  “Do you want to know the sex of the baby?” the woman holding the sonogram instrument asks.

  Aria looks up at me. “What do you think?”

  I shrug. “It’s up to you.”

  “Can you write it down instead of telling us?”

  She smiles and nods. “Everything is looking just perfect. Right where you should be at twenty weeks along.” She uses a rag to wipe off the gel, then turns the light back up. “I’m going to step out and write down your little secret. You can get situated and pick up the envelope on the way out.” She opens the door and steps out, leaving us alone.

  Aria sits up and uses the towel to wipe off the remaining gel, then adjusts her clothing. “Do you want to know whether you’re having a daughter or a son?”

  I pull her against me for a kiss. “I don’t care either way, as long as I have you and this little baby, everything will be perfect.”

  We leave the room and stop at the front counter where we’re handed a sealed envelope. Aria takes it and studies it on our walk to the car. On the drive home, she moves it from hand to hand, like she can’t decide.

  “Okay, you look and tell me. I’m too nervous.” She’s practically bouncing in her seat.

  I take the envelope from her hand and rip it open. I peek inside and see a piece of paper along with a sonogram picture.

  “Are you sure you want to know?” I glance at her from the corner of my eye.

  “Yes!” She nods. “No!” She shakes her head. “But it would be nice to know what color to buy things in.” She takes a pause. “But that kind of ruins the surprise.”

  I laugh. “Think about it.”

  I drive home and throw away the paper, then hide the picture so she can’t snoop and find it in a moment of weakness. Then I call the bakery and order a single cupcake with frosting in the center. The color of the frosting will reveal the sex of the baby.

  “Go take a long hot bath, and I’ll pick up some dinner.” I give her a kiss before I turn around and leave again.

  I swing by the bakery and pick up her cupcake, then run by her favorite restaurant and pick up some Bourbon Street chicken and mashed potatoes with garlic butter—the only thing she’s been craving for the last two months.

  When I get back to the apartment, she’s just stepping out of the tub. I set the table and light some candles.

  “What’s all this?” she asks, walking into the living room in nothing but an oversized t-shirt and socks.

  “I wanted a special dinner.” I walk over to her and massage her shoulders as I lead her to the table. “Our lives are about to get crazy. Construction is beginning on the cabin tomorrow, and we’re going to be having a baby, and then moving. I just wanted to take every free second we have to be us—to enjoy each other and fall in love all over again.”

  “Aww, you’re such a sweetheart. Is that Bourbon Street chicken?”

  I laugh. “You know it is.”

  She sits and I scoot her chair up before sitting down across from her.

  I can’t keep a straight face when she takes her first bite of chicken. Her eyes close and a soft moan escapes her lips.

  “You’re getting a little too serious with that chicken,” I joke.

  She swats me on the arm. “Shhh, don’t interrupt.”

>   I laugh and shake my head before digging into my own.

  “So, do you have any names in mind?”

  “How can I pick a name if I don’t know the sex?”

  “Pick one of each, I guess.” I shrug.

  “How about I pick girl names and you pick boy names?”

  I nod. “Okay. How about James?”

  She smiles and thinks. “How about Jemma?”

  “I like Jemma. What about Charles?”

  She wrinkles her nose. “That sounds too grown-up. How about Stephanie?”

  “I like Stephanie too. What about Matt?”

  “I like Matt. It’s cute. We could call him Matty when he’s little, or Matthew, then Matt when he gets older. Although, I’d probably call him Matty for my entire life.” She laughs. “Okay, another girl name…” She thinks it over. “Oh, I got it! Danielle, after your middle name, Daniel, and Gray, my mom’s maiden name. So Danielle Gray Brighton. We can call her Dani.” She beams a wide smile.

  I nod. “I like it. And if it’s a boy…Grayson Daniel?”

  She giggles and claps her hands. “That’s it. Those are the names!”

  I hold up my glass of tea and we clink our glasses with a “cheers!” before taking a drink.

  After dinner, we both clear the table. That’s when she spies the cupcake box on the counter. “What’s this?” she asks, picking up the box.

  “It’s a little surprise I picked up for you.” I place the dishes in the sink and turn to face her. “You see, this box is like Pandora’s box, because what’s inside will tell you something you’ll never be able to forget. So only open that box if you’re ready for the information it holds.”

  She gives me a sidelong glance, but slowly lifts the lid. Her mouth drops open. “It’s a plain white cupcake.”

  “Take a bite,” I urge.

  She picks up the cupcake and sets the box down. Slowly, she bites into the cupcake. It tastes so good, her eyes close and she makes the same noise she did at dinner. Then her eyes open, landing on the colored frosting inside. They widen and she jumps up and down. “Grayson Daniel!” She tosses the cupcake into the box then runs up to me. “We’re having a boy!” She pulls me in for a big hug.

  “We’re going to have a son,” I whisper, tilting her head back and pressing a strong kiss to her lips.

  “I love you, Aria,” I tell her, picking her up and carrying her to the bedroom.

  “I love you more, Ethan Daniel,” she giggles, using my middle name that will soon belong to our son.

  I lay her gently on the bed and climb up her body, right between her thighs, pressing kisses along every inch. She’s nearly shaking and panting before I can even slide into her. But the second I do, she lets out a gasp that tells me I’m right where I should be. Home again. She’s my home. Our son is my home. And I’ll never be lost as long as I have them by my side.

  We spend the rest of the night wrapped up in each other, only stopping to catch our breath before losing ourselves all over again.

  In the morning, we both get dressed to meet the contractor at the cabin. I had plans to do all the work myself, however, after all the time I had to take off for my neck injury then surgery, I lost a lot of time. I knew I’d never get it done by our deadline, especially with going back to the station full-time and having a new baby.

  Aria hates that I’m now a full-time police officer, especially after the accident, but it’s something that’s ingrained deeply inside of me—something I can’t ignore. I’ve spent my life taking care of people and making sure they’re safe. I even tried running away from it. But now I know that it was all a test. It was training me for my future. Being a police officer is more than just a job that comes with a little bit of authority. It means upholding the law, helping people, keeping them safe, and stopping the bad guy: everything I seem to stand for no matter how much I wanted to run away from it.

  We get to the property and the contractor is already there with his crew. The men are busy taking measurements while Aria and I meet with our contractor, Mike, in the kitchen to go over the blueprints. We’re expanding the floor level, sectioning it off into a kitchen, living room, dining room, bathroom, and laundry room. Then we’re adding a whole second story where there will be three bedrooms, and two more bathrooms. Aria has even picked out the color scheme and tile samples.

  Mike shows us the landscaping plans as well. The backyard will include a patio with a massive yard for the kids to play in. There will be a rock fire pit and built-in grill for the warm summer months. The side of the house will be our garden, and the front will have bushes and flowers, along with a new sidewalk and wraparound porch. The plans are drawn up to look like a picture-perfect painting. Down the road sometime, we plan to add a pole barn garage.

  “What do you think?” I ask, pulling her to my side.

  “I think it’s going to be beautiful.” Her cheeks turn pink and her eyes shimmer with excitement. “How long will the work take?” she asks, looking at Mike.

  “Eight to ten months, roughly,” he replies.

  “That will give us plenty of time,” she says.

  “Time for what?” I ask.

  “Time to work on baby number two.” She looks up at me shyly and I can’t do anything but laugh.

  Finally, it feels like everything is coming together. I have my cabin, my perfect job, a beautiful fiancée, and a baby on the way. Life couldn’t get any better. I never thought I’d have my happily ever after—even when I thought all I wanted was to live on this mountain all alone. My life has brought me nothing but disappointment, that is, until I walked into that tractor dealership. I shake my head now thinking about how stupid I was to ever think I could resist her. And I thank God every day that I couldn’t. She’s given me more in these last few months than I’ve gotten out of my entire life: happiness and love.

  Chapter 21

  Aria

  Several months later…

  “I can’t wait to have everyone together,” I tell Ethan as he’s in the kitchen preparing all the snacks.

  “It will be nice to have everyone together one last time before our lives go crazy,” he says, walking into the living room with soda and cups.

  The couch has been pushed to the far back wall, and the coffee table has been pushed over to the side. The floor is covered in yoga mats, blankets, pillows, and bean bag chairs for our movie night. Every surface is covered in junk food: popcorn, chips and dip, finger sandwiches, candy, and drinks.

  Ves and Liam walk in, and Vesper is just as big and miserable as I am. “I love the idea of us all getting together, but when it came time to actually get up and come over here, it was a different story,” she says, giving me a hug.

  I laugh. “Tell me about it.”

  “Hey, Ethan. Aria, you’re looking beautiful as always,” Liam says, shaking Ethan’s hand and then giving me a quick hug.

  I laugh. “You’re being kind. I look like a beached whale.”

  Vesper bumps me with her elbow. “He’s working on his pregnancy manners. He’s finally getting the hint that telling pregnant women how big they’re getting isn’t nice.”

  My mouth drops open with my gasp as I turn to look at him.

  “I thought it was a compliment. You know, like ‘hey, your baby is growing beautifully,’” he tells Ethan.

  Ethan laughs and shakes his head.

  “Come on, Ves, all the snacks and pillows are in here.” I grab her elbow and pull her into the living room.

  We both sit on the floor with our big pregnant bellies between us, sharing a bowl of popcorn, when someone knocks on the door. A second later, I hear Amy and Tyler walk in. Amy runs into the living room and falls to the floor beside us.

  “I have big news!” she squeals.

  “What?” Vesper asks, sounding far from excited, but hey, we’re fat and it’s hard getting excited.

  “I can’t tell you yet.” She turns and yells at Tyler. “Come on, and bring Ethan and Liam with you!”

  All thre
e guys walk in and take their places beside their women—all of us looking at Amy and Tyler.

  “So? Are you going to tell us the big news?” I ask.

  “Did you two finally pick a date?” Ethan asks his sister.

  She rolls her eyes. “There is no rush to get married,” she tells him.

  “Well, technically, we did pick a date. It’s just that now, it’s getting postponed.”

  The four of us start yelling.

  “What do you mean postponed?” Vesper yells.

  “Make an honest woman out of her,” Liam says.

  “You better not be backing out, man!” Ethan joins in.

  “Guys!” Amy yells, silencing the room. “The wedding has been postponed because…” she looks at Tyler, then they both look at us. “We’re pregnant!” they both yell together.

  Everyone cheers.

  “That’s so amazing, Amy!” Vesper says with happy tears flowing. “All our kids are going to be so close. They’ll get to grow up together, just like we did.” She’s full-blown bawling now.

  Liam lets out a quiet laugh and shakes his head, then rubs her shoulders and whispers tenderly in her ear to calm her down.

  I reach over and take her hand. “I’m so happy for you, Amy.” I nudge Ethan with my elbow. “And you, Uncle Ethan.”

  He leans over and gives his sister a hug. “Congrats, sis!” He pulls away and smacks Tyler’s shoulder. “You better get married quickly, man.”

  “Ouch!” I cry, holding my belly.

  Everyone stops. “What? Are you okay? Is the baby okay?” Ethan asks in a rush.

  “I don’t know. I just had a really sharp pain.” I wince. “Ow!” I hold my stomach and lean forward a tad.

  “Oh my God! Are you in labor?” Vesper asks, grabbing my arm.

  “It’s too early. I still have two weeks until my due date.”

  “Lucky! I’m already three days past mine!” She stands. “Come on, Ethan. Let’s get her to the hospital.”

  “But our movie night!” I cry as Vesper grabs one arm and Ethan grabs the other to pull me up.