Unworthy
Page 26
“That’s not it.”
Confused, I pulled back and gave him a questioning look. “I don’t understand what you mean.”
Trent shifted me a little and slid his hand in his pocket before he sat back and took my hand in his. Without saying a word, he slid a ring on my finger.
The moment it was positioned at the base of my finger, he looked up at me and kept two of his fingers positioned around the ring. “Ever since I was seventeen, I’ve wanted my ring there. Something that tells me and the rest of the world that you’re mine and always will be. Things didn’t go the way I originally planned—the way we planned—but we finally made it here, Delaney. I can’t wait to build a life with you. And there’s no place I’d rather do this than in this room with a view to our spot. Marry me.”
Tears spilled down my cheeks as I nodded.
Trent captured my mouth with his and kissed me. When we disconnected, I slid my arms around his shoulders and hugged him tightly. He did the same and we stayed like that a long time.
After silence stretched between us for a bit, he asked, “Why did you wait?”
“What do you mean?”
“I got home from work hours ago,” he started. “You should have told me the minute I walked through the door.”
Shaking my head, I explained, “I wanted us to celebrate.”
“We could have started that before dinner,” he reasoned.
“Not with Tate awake,” I maintained. “At least, not the way I was hoping to. I didn’t forget what you said to me the first night we were together. You told me you wanted to know I was no longer legally bound to someone else when you put your baby inside me.”
Surprise washed over him. “Are you ready for another one?”
I bit my lip and hesitated a moment. “Tate’s almost a year old, Trent. I want him to have a sibling, and I don’t want them too far apart in age.”
“Then we better get started now,” he declared as he reached out for Tate’s monitor, stood, and carried me upstairs.
Minutes later, when we were naked and he slid inside me, I called, “Trent?”
“Yeah?”
“There’s nothing between us anymore, baby.”
He grinned. “Never again, sweet cheeks.”
Three months later
The alarm went off and Delaney groaned beside me.
I reached out and shut off the alarm before curling my body around the back of hers. I allowed my fingers to trace over the skin at her hip. “Baby, we have to get up.”
“I know,” she groaned again. “Didn’t we just go to bed, though?”
I laughed. “No, but you had a full day yesterday preparing for Tate’s party. You also went to bed later than usual because of it.”
Just then, Tate started fussing in his room.
“I need just five more minutes,” Delaney declared.
I pressed a kiss to her shoulder and said, “Okay, take five more minutes. I’ll get Tate up and start breakfast.”
“Thank you.”
With that, I got up and left Delaney to have five more minutes. I had a feeling she was going to fall right back to sleep, and I’d be bringing breakfast up to her.
I pulled on a pair of sweats and a t-shirt before I turned off the monitor and walked out of our room into Tate’s bedroom. He was standing up in his crib, happy as a clam.
“Mom.”
Shaking my head, I said, “Sorry, kid. You’ve got me this morning. Mommy’s still sleeping.”
“Tent.”
I laughed. Tate’s vocabulary had grown by leaps and bounds, but he still struggled with certain letters. ‘R’ was one of them. Picking him up, I held him close and gave him a kiss on the head. “Yep, Trent today. Mommy was working late last night preparing for your party. Should we bring her breakfast in bed?”
Tate responded with a bunch of gibberish.
I put a fresh, dry diaper on him, stood him up in front of me, and said, “Happy birthday, boy.”
Fifteen minutes later, I was downstairs with Tate letting him play while I finished cooking breakfast. The food was ready, and the coffee was done brewing. I plated the food, poured two cups of coffee, and was about to take Delaney’s up to her when I saw her walk into the kitchen.
She looked exhausted and utterly adorable.
I carried the cup of coffee over to her. Before I could give it to her, she blurted, “I’m sorry.”
“For what?” I asked. “You were up late working on everything for today. It’s fine. Tate and I are good.”
She shook her head. “No, I’m saying sorry in advance. I’m probably going to be pretty useless.”
“Delaney,” I started. “He’s turning one, not getting married. It’s fine. I’ll help you with whatever you need today. Let’s sit down and have some breakfast first.”
I held the coffee out to her.
She put her hands up.
“No coffee.”
I cocked an eyebrow. “No coffee?”
Her eyes came to mine. “I’m pregnant.”
“What?”
“After you walked out of the room, I tried to fall back asleep, but I started feeling yucky. I sat up and the feeling got worse and I knew I was going to be sick. I made it to the bathroom just in time. Once I finished, I realized what was going on. I took one of the tests I had upstairs, and it came back positive.”
I set the coffee cup down, unsure I could keep my hands steady enough not to spill it. “We made a baby?” I asked.
“It seems that way.”
I slid my arms around her shoulders and pulled her body close to mine. Delaney pressed her cheek to my chest and put her hands on my hips.
The feelings that consumed me in that instant were something I couldn’t describe. I kissed the top of her head before resting my chin there.
“Mom!” Tate shouted, breaking our moment.
Delaney turned her head and looked down at him. “Yes, handsome?”
“Mum, mum.”
“Are you hungry?” she asked.
I bent down and picked him up. “You’re going to be a big brother, Tate. Did you hear that?” I asked him as I took him over to his seat.
After I set his food in front of him, I turned back to Delaney. She smiled brightly at me. I jerked my head to the table. “Have a seat, sweet cheeks. Let me feed you.”
We didn’t say any other words. We both already knew.
Hours later, well after dinner time, the last of the guests that had come for Tate’s party had gone home. I walked into the great room and found Delaney lying on the couch. Her eyes were closed, and she had Tate lying on her chest, sleeping.
He’d had a great day, but he was exhausted.
Delaney gave him a party like I’d never seen before. And watching her now, as she held our boy in her arms, I thanked my lucky stars for the gift I received that morning.
I moved to the couch, lifted Tate from her body, and saw her eyes open. “Stay there,” I insisted. “I’ll put him down and be right back.”
After taking care of Tate, I went back downstairs and lifted Delaney in my arms.
“I can walk,” she mumbled.
“Shh. I’ve got you.”
I carried her upstairs and set her down gently in bed. I stripped her out of her clothes until she was in nothing but her panties. While I’d grabbed one of my t-shirts to throw over her, I didn’t put it on her right away. I looked down at her beautiful body and placed my hand on her flat stomach. My emotions got the best of me as I imagined how her body would change over the next several months. I couldn’t wait.
Leaning down, I pressed a kiss to her belly and whispered, “I already love you more than my whole life, little one.”
I rested my head and hand there for a while before I slipped the shirt over Delaney’s head and tucked her body tight to mine. That night, I finally felt like my dreams had become reality.
Of course, I eventually realized that wasn’t entirely true.
Because they didn’t complete
ly come true until eight months later when Delaney gave me my baby girl, London Elizabeth Michaels.
If you haven’t had your fill of Trent, Delaney, Tate, and London just yet, I’ve written a bonus epilogue for you. Just tap here to get your FREE copy.
To my husband, Jeff: Your encouragement and support means everything. Thank you for stepping up to the plate to every single day that I needed to write so I could pour myself into this book. I love you.
To my boys, J&J: You exhaust me. But I love you both more than I could ever express with words.
To E.M.—I love your vision for baby Tate. Thank you for the introduction to N.B. That is the kind of love from an editor that all authors need.
To S.B.—I love that I never have to doubt how my books will look when they come your way. While it’s easy to feel worry about how my stories will be received after they’re released, it’s always comforting to know that I never need to worry how my books look.
To S.H.—With so little detail from me, you always manage to capture the vision perfectly. Thank you for another beautiful cover.
To my readers: It still blows my mind that you’re following me on this journey. Thank you, a million times over, for loving my characters as much as I do.
To my ARC Team: I’m forever grateful for your love and encouragement. You all are the rock stars.
To the bloggers: Too many to name, but never unappreciated. Thanks to all of you for sharing my releases. You’re a big part of the reason we can do this.
To stay connected with A.K. Evans and receive all the first looks at upcoming releases, latest news, or to simply follow along on her journey, be sure to add or follow her on social media. You can also get the scoop by signing up for the monthly newsletter, which includes a giveaway every month.
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The Everything Series
Everything I Need
Everything I Have
Everything I Want
Everything I Love
The Cunningham Security Series
Obsessed
Overcome
Desperate
Solitude
Burned
Unworthy
Surrender (Coming November 2019)
Betrayed (Coming February 2020)
Revived (Coming June 2020)
Road Trip Romance Series
Tip the Scales (Coming October 2019)
Play the Part (Coming December 2019)
A.K. Evans is a married mother of two boys residing in a small town in northeastern Pennsylvania. After graduating from Lafayette College in 2004 with two degrees (one in English and one in Economics & Business), she pursued a career in the insurance and financial services industry. Not long after, Evans realized the career was not for her. She went on to manage her husband’s performance automotive business and drive the shop race cars for the next thirteen years. While the business afforded her the freedom she wouldn’t necessarily have had in a typical 9-5 job, after eleven years she was no longer receiving personal fulfillment from her chosen career path. Following many discussions, lots of thought, and tons of encouragement, Andrea decided to pursue her dream of becoming a writer.
Between her day job, writing, and homeschooling her two boys, Evans is left with very little free time. When she finds scraps of spare time, Evans enjoys reading, doing yoga, watching NY Rangers hockey, dancing, and vacationing with her family. Andrea, her husband, and her children are currently working on taking road trips to visit all 50 states (though, Alaska and Hawaii might require flights).