Love or Lust 3

by Rachael Brownell

  “Then he needs to come out. If he’s uncomfortable, maybe he’ll finally try to make his grand entrance,” she notes with an air of indifference.

  “You’re going to be the most beautiful pregnant woman,” Jace whispers in my ear, but not quietly enough.

  “What about me? Do I look that horrible?” Bella practically shrieks.

  “You’re stunning,” Lennon says, swooping in to save Jace from Bella’s wrath. He slides his arm under her legs, lifting her with ease and sitting her down on his lap in the spot he’s taken from her. His eyes go wide for a moment before he whispers in her ear, and she begins bawling.

  “What’s wrong?” I ask, jumping out of Jace’s lap and moving to her side.

  While we were on the show, I felt like Bella and I had grown close. It wasn’t until after the cameras stopped rolling I realized exactly how close we had become. We talked every day on the phone. She came to visit me in Miami to help me get settled. I returned the favor when she moved in with Lennon. She and Naomi helped me plan the wedding, the two of them becoming friends in the process.

  We’re basically an inseparable trio. Naomi moved to Miami after the wedding, Callen hot on her heels, and Bella used to visit at least once a month, flights only taking a few hours.

  “Nothing’s wrong,” Lennon answers for her. “Her water just broke.”

  “I’m not ready,” Bella cries.

  “We’re ready,” Lennon says, cradling her face in his hands, wiping away her tears with his thumbs. “We’ve been ready. It’s time to meet our son.”

  Bella’s smile is weak, and then she’s trying to jump off Lennon’s lap, which looks more like she’s falling forward, and she’s rattling off directions to anyone who’s listening. Lennon just grins as he watches her waddle into the kitchen, her cell phone up to her ear.

  “What can we do?” Jace asks, standing beside me.

  “The bag is in the nursery. I’ll get her in the car if you can grab that.”

  Jace slaps Lennon on the back before pulling him in for a man hug and saying, “Congrats, man. I’m happy for you guys.”

  And he is. There was a time when I wondered if they ever really could be friends. Outside the competition. After it was all said and done. Once all the footage was released and there were no secrets between the three of us.

  The simple answer is yes. They’ve become great friends. The more complicated answer is still yes. It took some clearing of the air, especially after Jace watched the clips from the final week, but they still managed to stay close.

  What brought them close in the beginning was their desire to get to know me. To win my affection. But the things they have in common are what strengthened their bond.

  Jace and I follow them to the hospital, take up residency in the waiting room, and start sending texts to the rest of our circle, the Love or Lust season one cast. Bella’s parents show up shortly after, her mom pacing the length of the room, praying in hushed tones. The crowd continues to grow as more family members, as well as Lennon’s parents and grandparents, show up to show their support.

  When Lennon finally comes back wearing blue scrubs, there’s a huge grin on his face.

  “It’s a boy,” he jokes.

  No one laughs as they anxiously await the reveal of the name of the newest addition to the family.

  It’s been quite the controversy according to Bella. Both sets of parents wanted to weigh in, and none of them agreed. Bella’s parents want a timeless or biblical name and Lennon’s want something unique and modern.

  “Eight pounds, six ounces, twenty-one inches long. Mom is doing great. They didn’t have time for an epidural, so she’s really sore right now, but you should have seen her face when they handed her our son. I don’t think she’s ever looked so happy in her life. Well, except when I proposed. That was a special moment.”

  “What!” My voice cuts through Lennon’s montage, and the room falls silent waiting for him to answer.

  “Oh, did we forget to mention we’re sort of engaged. Yeah. I asked her like two months ago, but the ring wouldn’t fit on her swollen finger, so she told me no. She wants me to ask her again when she’s not, and I quote, huge and pregnant.”

  Jace chuckles next to me. I mean, it’s funny she said no when we’re all very aware that she would marry him in a heartbeat. Still, she could have mentioned it to someone.

  Maybe her best friend? Me!

  “Stop stalling, damn it,” Lennon’s father says, his voice booming. “Your mother is cutting off the circulation in my fingers. Tell us his name.”

  Lennon’s smile widens as he says, “Remington Michael. We’re going to call him Remy for short.”

  I love it. And they found a way to please both sets of parents. At least I hope so.

  “Can we see him?” Bella’s mom asks.

  Lennon shows all the parents back to the nursery and then, one by one, the rest of the family. Once it’s finally our turn to see Remy, we’re surprised to find he’s taking us to a room instead of the nursery. And when we walk through the door, there’s Bella, with a tiny little bundle in her arms.

  Lennon kisses her on the forehead before caressing a sleeping Remy’s cheek with his finger.

  “He’s so perfect,” I say, moving closer to Bella’s side.

  “Oh my God. Make sure you take the drugs when they offer them,” is all she says as she hands him to me. “I’m never going to let that kid live down the pain I went through bringing him into this world.”

  We all laugh, including Bella, as I admire his perfect little nose and the tiny tuft of hair on his head.

  “I’m mad at you,” I whisper to Bella as I rock back and forth with Remy in my arms.

  “What the hell did I do?” she asks, gawking at me.

  “Did you or did you not turn down Lennon’s proposal?”

  Lennon quickly takes a step away from the bed, just out of Bella’s reach, as she swats at him. “You asshole. You weren’t supposed to tell her. You knew she would get mad at me. It was a secret.”

  “I’m surprised Jace didn’t already let it slip,” he says, looking over my shoulder.

  Lifting my eyebrow, I slowly turn to find Jace standing behind me with his hands raised in the air in surrender. “You’re holding a baby right now. No sudden movements.”

  “I know where you sleep,” I threaten in a sickly-sweet voice.

  “Damn it, Lennon. Why’d you have to drag me into this mess?”

  “I assumed you told her. You tell her everything.”

  “Not when I know things are going to piss her off. You’ll learn how to conveniently forget things when you get married too.”

  “If I marry him,” Bella announces.

  “Oh, you’re going to marry me. One day. And I don’t plan to ask until I know you’re going to say yes.” Lennon says as Bella holds her hand out to him, a peace offering, and he takes it, only to wince in pain. “Careful. I think you may have broken a knuckle.”

  “Isn’t that the hand you almost shattered?” Jace asks.

  “I made the mistake of letting her hold it when she was in labor. Pretty sure I need an X-ray.”

  Bella only shrugs and motions for me to bring Remy back to her. As soon as he’s in her arms, he begins to cry. She tries soothing him, but nothing works.

  “I think he’s hungry,” she notes, our cue to leave.

  Jace and I say our goodbyes and head to our hotel. The premiere of season three is already over. Our friends watched it without us while we waited to hear the news of Remy’s arrival. Not that my phone hasn’t been blowing up with texts giving me a play by play of who they think is going to hook up with who. Who will be voted off.

  Most importantly, their guesses as to who the insiders are this season.

  Because we all know there are going to be a few. It’s just a matter of figuring out who they are.

  “Did you get a text from Naomi?” Jace asks as we walk through the door to our room.

  “Yeah. She said this sea
son is already basically X-rated. Why?”

  “Callen text me. He asked if we wanted to meet them for a drink.”

  Six months into their relationship and Callen is still trying to use us as a buffer. Honestly, I think Naomi scares him a little. She’s passionate about everything she does. She puts her whole heart into life, including her relationships. It’s part of why the last guy didn’t stick around long. I’d worry about her pushing Callen away as well if he wasn’t head over heals in love with her. Once they move in together next month I think she’ll calm down a little.

  At least I hope so for Callen’s sake.

  “Where are they?” Toeing off my shoes, I kick them toward our open suitcase. Our flight leaves early in the morning and as ready as I am to get back home, neither of us have bothered to pack our shit.

  “The bar downstairs.”

  I can’t drink. He doesn’t know that, though. I’ve managed to be sly about it all weekend by drinking tonic water with lime. Going to a bar is going to blow my cover when I order water.

  “I’m kind of tired. Mind if we stay in?” I ask, plopping onto the king-sized bed in our suite. The silky sheets are cool against the exposed skin of my arms.

  “One drink. Then I have plans to seduce my wife the rest of the night. I’m pulling out all the stops. We’re gonna practice making a baby of our own.” Jace wiggles his eyebrows at me, walking toward me with purpose in each step.

  He’s been hinting at wanting to start trying the past few weeks. Which is good considering he’s an overachiever apparently. He didn’t even have to try and we’re pregnant.

  “How about, we go downstairs, you have a drink, and we come back up here and celebrate,” I say, pushing up on my elbows so I have a better view of his reaction when I break the news to him.

  “What exactly are we celebrating?” Standing between my legs as they hang off the end of the bed, Jace stares down at me in confusion. “Wait. It doesn’t matter. As long as it ends up with sex, I’m good with celebrating anything.”

  “Are you sure you’re ready to start a family?” I ask but don’t wait for him to reply. “You saw how crazy Bella was today. Happy then sad. Her emotions were all over the place. She could barely get off the couch without help. And now they have a tiny human they’re responsible for all the time. They’re never going to sleep again.”

  I spill all my fears and watch as Jace doesn’t even blink.

  “I want nothing more than a family with you, Presley. One, five, ten kids. The more, the better. And I’ll be right there by your side through it all. To help in any way I can. Whether it be helping you off the couch, getting up in the middle of the night, or watching all ten kids by myself while you spend a day at the spa. Nothing is more important than family. Our family. Me and you and however many kids we have.”

  A vision of Jace with kids hanging off his body like they’re climbing a jungle gym flashes through my mind, and I can’t help but laugh. He’s going to be an amazing dad.

  “How about we start with one,” I suggest, pushing off the bed and standing in front of him.

  “Does that mean we can start practicing making babies, baby?” he asks, pulling my body close to his and grinding against me.

  “No, that means you don’t need to practice. You already knocked me up, baby,“ I reply, drawing out the word.

  Jace opens his mouth, then closes it, his eyes widening in surprise. Taking a step back, he holds me at arm’s length, stares at my belly for a moment, before finally lifting his eyes to mine.

  “You mean . . . we’re already pregnant? I’m going to be a daddy?”

  All I can do is nod as tears begin to well in his eyes, a reflection of the ones in mine.

  “I love you, Presley. More than I did yesterday but not quite as much as I will tomorrow.” Jace seals his statement with a kiss as he walks me backward toward the bed.

  About the Author

  Rachael Brownell is an award-winning author of young-adult and new-adult romance. She resides in the midwest with her husband and son. To learn more about Rachael and her books, follow her on social media, join her reader group on Facebook, Brownell’s Book Lovers, or sign up for her monthly newsletter.

  For more information…

  www.AuthorRachaelBrownell.com

  rachael@authorrachaelbrownell.com

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