Men. Honestly. That was one of the most adorable things I’d ever heard.
And thank God they’d made up, because Sammy loved his Uncle Andy, and I couldn’t not have my brother at my wedding. Andy had been the best man—and he’d definitely cried a little while Jace and I had exchanged our vows, no matter what he tried to say later.
“Uh-huh,” Jace said, listening to Andy over the phone as I finished the forms and handed them back to the nurse. “Right. Look, we’re about to go in so I need to call you back after—yeah. Thanks man. Great. Bye.” Jace hung up, looking rather like he’d been blasted in the face with a huge gust of wind. “Was he like that last time?”
“Yup. That’s why I had you talk to him.” I patted Jace cheek and he rolled his eyes at me fondly, a smile tugging up the corners of his mouth.
Another contraction hit, just a minor one, and Jace went from casually amused to concerned all over again. “Do you need anything? Should I get you something? Do you want—”
Thank God, the doctor had arrived. Dr. Sherwell had delivered me of Sammy, too, and I was super comfortable with her. “Jace, Leigh, so good to see you guys. Someone’s arriving a week early, it seems!”
“Sure seems that way,” I said, managing to smile.
“Well, let’s get you into a room and all settled, shall we?”
Jace was asking a million questions a minute as we got ourselves into the delivery room. Dr. Sherwell looked amused. I was sure she’d run into a lot of dads that were just like Jace in her decade of working at the hospital.
“Are you sure that we’ve covered everything?” Jace asked as I was settled into the bed. “What if her blood pressure spikes? What if the baby gets stuck? Are we prepared to do an emergency C-section?”
Dr. Sherwell smiled warmly at him. “Jace, trust me, I understand that you feel helpless right now. But you’ve been a very good husband and father and you’ve already asked me these questions along the way during our appointments. You’ve done this work already. Right now it’s your wife’s job to push this baby out, and she needs you to be there for her. Not wondering about everything that can go wrong. Nothing is going to go wrong, because we’ve talked about this and we’ve made sure that it won’t. You’ve done an excellent job of preparing yourself and your wife.”
She steered him over to me. “So the best thing you can do right now is hold her hand and encourage her. That’s what she’s going to need. You picked me as your doctor for my expertise, just like I would pick you to renovate my house because of your expertise. I’m sure you wouldn’t appreciate me bombarding you with questions while you tried to fix my front porch, so let’s just focus on helping your wife while I do the porch fixing, okay?”
Put it like that, Jace seemed to calm down a bit. He took my hand and looked down at me. “You all right?”
I nodded. “Yeah. A little nervous, but I’m going to be okay.” I’d done this before, after all, so I knew what I was in for. It just… wasn’t exactly a fun experience. As much as it was worth it afterwards for the joy I’d be feeling, the actual process of labor wasn’t going to be something I’d look back at fondly. I just wanted it to be over so that I could hold my new baby in my arms.
Or, rather, our new baby. Jace was here this time, worrying about me, fussing over things. Sure, some other spouses might find it annoying, but after his absence last time, I was just so happy he was here and caring so much this time around.
Jace kissed my forehead and squeezed my hand. “I’m going to be right here. I guess I’m just—I’m sorry I wasn’t there before. I want to help you out. I want to do my part. Make sure this all goes well.”
“And I love you for it,” I promised him. “You’re making sure it goes well just by holding my hand. I’m so glad that you’re here, Jace. I love you. I couldn’t be happier than I am right now.” I paused, considering that. “Actually I’ll be happier when this baby is out of me.”
Jace chuckled. “Squeeze my hand as hard as you want and feel free to curse at me. I deserve it.”
I smiled at him. He didn’t, really, but I knew what he meant. “Okay, if you say so.”
It did take a while—or at least, that’s what it felt like. Time got blurry the way it does when you’re in pain and exerting yourself a lot. But at last, we had our baby—a girl.
We hadn’t wanted to know the gender beforehand. The room that we’d decorated to be the nursery would work no matter what gender our baby ended up being. I’d done the mural up as an ocean scene, with dolphins and sunken treasure. We did have names picked out ready to go, but we wanted it to be a surprise to us. We both knew we were going to love our baby no matter what.
Jace’s face when Dr. Sherwell asked if he wanted to hold her made me wish I had a camera. I was so tired I could barely lift my head or my arms, but I would’ve found a way to record it anyway if I could have. Jace was so soft—but never more than he was right now, tenderly holding our little girl and smiling down at her like she was the only thing in the world that mattered.
“What do you think?” I whispered. “How does it feel?”
Of course Jace knew by now what it was like to be a father. He’d been a father to Sammy for a year now. And Sammy adored him. He’d accepted the transition to understanding Jace was his father pretty quickly. We’d explained the situation as best we could for Sammy to understand, and he’d been very sad to hear that his dad didn’t know he even existed, but he had been happy to accept Jace in his life. I’d worried, a bit, that Sammy would be jealous now that there was another person (and a soon-to-be sibling) to steal his mom’s attention, but Jace gave him just as much attention, so it was all working out.
So Jace knew what it was like—but it was different to hold a baby, your baby, in your arms for the first time.
Jace rocked our little girl gently, cradling her against his chest. “I… I wish I’d been there for Sammy. But I… she’s so precious. Look at her.” He sat on the edge of the bed and shifted so that the baby was near my face and I could coo at her. Her tiny little hand curled around Jace’s finger, and he made a noise like someone had broken his heart but in the best way possible.
I’d seen Jace in a lot of happy moods, but I had never seen him with this awed smile on his face before. I recognized it, even though I hadn’t seen him do it. It looked exactly the way that I felt right now, the same way I’d felt when I’d held Sammy in my arms for the first time.
“Thank you,” Jace whispered, looking up at me as he rocked our new darling baby. “Thank you for giving this to me. Leigh, you’re…” He leaned in and kissed me softly. “You’re the love of my life. Thank you for giving me this family.”
I reached out and stroked the downy hair on our baby’s head, my heart so full it felt like I couldn’t possibly hold it all. We were a family, together forever, and nothing was going to separate us ever again. I couldn’t wait to watch Jace be a father to this baby just like he was to Sammy and get to see all of the ‘firsts’ for the first time.
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Prologue: Greta
Forbidden fruit always tastes the sweetest.
That is what I had read, and looking at Isaac in that moment, I realized how completely true it was. His damp T-shirt was clinging to his chest and shoulders. His hair was wet and disheveled, as he had just come back from a run. Even though he was drenched in sweat, he had never looked better to me!
I was now used to seeing him this way, as he and my brother used to go for a run every day. Isaac had been my brother’s best friend since middle school, but I hadn’t paid much attention to him as a kid. He was untouchable because Garrett had ordered me to stay away when they wer
e hanging out at home. Garrett was only three years older than me, but he thought that I was too childish to play with the two of them.
Despite Garrett’s strict rules, Isaac had always been nice to me. But that was it. I did not get any other feelings from him toward me. However, in the last few weeks, I had noticed that his glances lingered longer than usual. It may have had something to do with the fact that I had finally filled out my bathing suit in all the right places. I was a late bloomer, so when my body finally matured, it was with a bang.
I was no longer the bony, little girl that he had been seeing since childhood. I was now in senior year of high school and had perfect curves. I also felt more comfortable in my own skin now, and I was ready to step out and do something I had never considered doing before.
I ran my fingers through my long blonde hair and lowered my gaze, as I didn’t want my brother to find out that I had been staring at Isaac. The two of them were so deep in conversation about their run that neither would notice me anyway.
Isaac turned away, his back to me, and I couldn’t help but notice his muscular back. I drew in a deep breath and tipped my head slightly sideways…I could ogle this guy for the rest of my life. He was perfect – I wasn’t being a stupid hormonal teenager for saying that. He really was perfect!
Thick dark brown hair, which never seemed out of place. Bright green eyes, which made my knees weak. He had broad shoulders, muscular arms, and a derriere that I was tempted to grab with both hands. But the thing I loved most about him was the two dimples on his lower back. Looking at the dimples made me dream of being pressed against his strong body, running my fingers along his spine, and gently caressing the grooves of those dimples with my fingertips.
A shiver ran down my spine and I could feel my face redden, making me feel hot at the mere thought of being so close to Isaac’s bare body.
Over by the refrigerator, Isaac and Garrett laughed about something and I grinned to myself, relishing the sound of Isaac’s laugh. It was deep and throaty, and I chanced a glance at him. Isaac turned toward me, removing his earphones that casually hung around his neck, and our eyes met for a second. A bright smile formed on his lips and I swear, I may have melted right there if it hadn’t been for my brother interrupting our little moment.
“What time does Taylor’s party start?” Garrett asked.
Isaac puckered his lips, putting his headphones into his rucksack. “I think she said eight.”
“You take the upstairs shower, and I’ll take the downstairs one,” Garrett suggested.
“Sure, because we all know how you like to hog the mirror,” Isaac chuckled and looked at me. “Right, Greta?”
“Yeah, I have a very narcissistic older brother,” I answered.
“Whatever,” Garrett muttered and pulled a face at me. “Let’s go.”
“Hey, Greta. You want to join us tonight?” Isaac asked me.
My jaw dropped and I shrugged my shoulders. I had never been asked to go to a party, especially not with them. It was against Garrett’s rules.
But when I opened my mouth to answer, Garrett interjected rudely. “I really don’t think it’ll be Greta’s scene. Plus, she’s going to be the underage one at a college party. My parents will flip out.”
Isaac frowned apologetically. “Sorry, Greta.”
“It’s okay,” I shrugged, my shoulders slumping down. “You tried.”
He winked at me in encouragement as he grabbed his rucksack and headed to the upstairs bathroom.
“Hey,” Garrett said looking at me, interrupting my thoughts as my eyes were following Isaac. I looked at my brother and he vehemently shook his head.
“No.”
“I didn’t say anything,” I defended.
“You didn’t need to,” he muttered, narrowing his eyes.
I threw my hands in the air and shook my head in exasperation. Luckily, he didn’t question me any further and simply stomped off to the other side of the house.
I drew in a deep breath and pursed my lips. I tried my best to put on a determined face. Quietly, I made my way to the stairs and waited till I could hear the water from the shower downstairs. Knowing my brother, he’d be in there for a very long time.
Isaac was right, Garrett took an insane amount of time to get ready, so I could use that to my advantage.
You see, I had a plan.
Knowing that Garrett and Isaac would be leaving for San Francisco tomorrow evening, to go back to college, I had only tonight to execute my master plan. I know that it sounds overly dramatic, but it was indeed my master plan. This was the only chance I had, and I was going to take it.
So, what was this master plan?
I was going to lose my virginity tonight, and it was going to be with Isaac.
Now, of course, this wasn’t a spur-of-the-moment decision. I had thought long and hard about my plan for almost a year, which is why I had never been so sure about anything else in my entire life. I had known Isaac for as long as Garrett had, though I wasn’t as close to him as my brother was. But he was the only boy I had known who was kind, decent, and made my heart race. No other boy had had that effect on me, so I knew that he was the perfect choice for my first time. Also, my brother trusted him completely, so that had to count for something.
I quietly walked up the stairs and toward the bathroom, pausing in front of the bathroom door. I glanced down at the steam escaping from underneath and took a deep breath. It was now or never.
Slowly, I pushed open the door and stepped inside the bathroom. I was glad that he didn’t hear me sneak in because when the two shower jets were on, the noise from the pipes was just way too loud. Taking a shower in this bathroom made you feel like living in a little bubble of your own, where no nosy parent or sibling could disturb you. This was another reason why now was the perfect time.
My heart was pounding in my chest as I locked the bathroom door behind me and took off all my clothes in haste. I paused at the sound of Isaac softly humming in the shower. It put a smile on my face and admittedly, put me a little more at ease. I felt the goosebumps on my hands recede as I mustered up the courage. If only Isaac knew what he did to me without even having to touch me!
Well, he was about to find out now.
I tiptoed over to the shower door, completely naked, and opened it.
“Holy shit, Greta!”
Quickly, I pushed the door open all the way. Isaac’s eye widened, but then he looked down at my naked body. He blinked a few times and shook his head, but continued staring at my body. After what seemed like many seconds, he finally looked me in the eyes.
“What are you doing?” he asked, lowering his hand to cover his groin.
“I thought you might want some company,” I answered, cocking my head to the side and putting my hand on my hip in a suggestive way. I wanted to sound and look very confident to pull this off.
I raised an eyebrow. His thick, dark eyebrows also went up, giving him a look of intrigue, and he bit his bottom lip. “Well, I….”
Before he could respond, I stepped into the shower and closed the door behind me. In the tight space, there was no room to stand apart. My body touched his damp body and all my nerves tingled. I grabbed the foamy loofah from his hand and started rubbing the soap on his chest. Isaac tried to step back but there was absolutely no space, so he pressed his back against the tiled wall. He shuddered slightly at the coldness of the tiles. I looked at him intently, with longing and desire.
With the loofah in my hand, for a moment, I looked down to admire his bare chest.
Isaac gently grabbed my wrists and I looked up at him. “You shouldn’t be doing this,” he told me, with a hint of concern in his voice. “You’re too young.”
“I’m eighteen,” I pointed out.
“You’re my best friend’s sister,” he continued. “And your brother, who is just downstairs, by the way, is going to kill us both!”
Words were coming out of his mouth, but my attention was elsewhere. As he spoke, my gaze shi
fted down his body and stopped to look at his cock. It was rock hard and erect against my belly.
I lowered my hand and touched it, which made Isaac jump slightly in surprise.
“You know, Garrett needs to mind his own damn business, even if it’s just this once,” I uttered and wrapped my fingers firmly around his cock.
Isaac groaned softly and I could see the desire in his green eyes as well. His kind eyes that were practically glowing in the steamy shower. “I completely agree with you, but….”
“But what?” I asked leaning closer to him, our lips inches apart.
“But he’s really going to kill us both if he finds out,” Isaac replied, his brow furrowed in worry.
I narrowed my eyes and smirked as seductively as I could at him. Raising my hands up, I wrapped them around his broad, muscular shoulders. “Then I guess we shouldn’t make a lot of noise.”
Tenderly, I craned my neck up and kissed him on the lips. His damp lips welcomed mine with eagerness, parting slightly to kiss me back. I felt my heart skip a beat as he wrapped his arms around my waist, pulling me closer to his body. We did not need the hot water to steam up the shower glass! The desire we had for each other’s bodies was very evident. Our damp bodies, the hardness of his cock, my nerves tingling throughout my body as we kissed with passion was making me feel pleasure that I had ever felt before.
Now, Isaac pressed me back up against the tiles, using his hands to explore my body. He squeezed my breasts with one hand and grabbed my buttocks with the other. A gasp escaped my throat as his hard cock pressed against the top of my clitoris and he stopped to glance at me, his eyes glowing even more. His hand ran down my sides and he started stroking the inner parts of my thighs.
Second Chance with Brother's Best Friend: A Single Mom Secret Baby Romance Page 18
