“Are you feeling good?” August asked. He’d been with me the first time, and I suspect he felt a bit left out this time, but he was managing it well. In fact, he hired our company to investigate a hacking a few months back. While he and Jude weren’t best buddies, they were getting along if only for me and Maya’s sake. Maybe over time that would change. I hoped so.
“Yes. Very ready to have this baby though.”
“Call when you can. I know Maya will be anxious to know if she has a brother or sister.”
“Will do.”
Jude and I opted not to know the gender of the baby. He in particular wanted to experience each new thing as it came.
In the hospital, a nurse took all my vitals and when the doctor arrived, she determined I was about four centimeters dilated. I was a little disappointed because that seemed a long way from ten centimeters which meant I still had a lot of labor ahead of me.
Fortunately, things actually went a little faster, although it was ten times more intense than with Maya. Fast and furious is what it felt like. Whereas I’d been in the hospital for sixteen hours with Maya, within five hours, I was pushing as the end was near.
“Okay April, I think this is it. One more big push and your baby should be here.” My doctor looked over at me. “You ready?”
Jude kissed my head. “You’re doing fantastic, babe.”
I inhaled a breath and geared up to push again. My belly contracted and I levered up, pushing with all the strength I had left.
“That’s it. The baby is coming,” my doctor said. “Keep pushing, April, almost there.”
“You’re doing it baby. You’re amazing.” Jude’s support was wonderful and yet, annoying at the same time. I kept telling myself that he was excited and experiencing all this for the first time. I turned my thoughts inward, and focused on getting this baby out.
I bore down, finding the last bit of strength, and the baby emerged from my body.
“Oh my God,” Jude gasped. “Jesus…it’s so…”
I looked up at him, seeing tears fill his eyes.
He smiled at me, overcome with emotion. “It’s a fucking miracle.”
“It’s so nice when baby’s first words heard include the f-word,” the doctor quipped with an amused smirk.
“Fuck…ah…crap…sorry.”
The nurse wrapped the baby up after the doctor cut the cord. “You have a beautiful baby boy,” she said, handing the baby to me.
“A boy.” I would have been happy with either, but I couldn’t deny wishing for a boy. I wanted one of each, at least. And I wanted to give Jude a boy. Not that he cared.
Jude moved in close to look down at our son. “He’s amazing. You’re amazing. God, April…”
I looked up at him. His gaze moved to mine and he leaned in to kiss me.
“Do you have a name yet?” the nurse asked.
“Maya, that’s our daughter,” Jude clarified. “She likes the name Albert.”
The nurse’s brows arched, but then as if she was catching herself, her expression morphed into simple curiosity. “That’s an interesting name.”
“It’s for Albert Einstein,” I explained. “He’s her favorite scientist.”
“She’s going to be a great scientist when she grows up. She’ll be awarded a Nobel Prize for sure,” Jude said with pride shining through for his daughter.
“She’s going to call him Bertie,” I said. I looked down at my son. “What do you think about that, huh? Bertie.”
An hour later, we’d been moved to a new room, and Bertie, now checked out and given a clean bill of health by the pediatrician, was back in my arms.
“Why don’t you hold him, Jude?”
Jude was fascinated by the baby, but so far hadn’t held him. “I don’t want to break him. He’s so tiny.”
“You won’t break him, honey.” I lifted the baby to him.
Jude looked uncertain, but he took the baby and cradled him close. I watched his face as awe and love filled it. His eyes watered.
He looked at me. “Thank you, April.” His voice was so low, almost like he was too overwhelmed to speak.
“For what?”
“For this. For Maya. For loving me. For giving me this incredible life.”
Now tears came to my eyes as his feelings wrapped around me, filled me with awe too.
“I love you,” I said.
He bent over and kissed me. “I love you, so much. So, so much.”
There was a knock on the door and August peeked in. “Can we come say hello?”
“Come in,” I called.
Maya bounded into the room, passing August. “Is the baby here?”
Jude sat down in the chair in the corner. “Come meet your brother.”
Maya stood next to him. She looked down at the bundle in Jude’s massive arms. “Hi baby.”
“His name is Albert,” I said to her.
“Really? Can I call him Bertie?”
“Yes.” Holding the baby in one arm, Jude maneuvered Maya so she could sit in his lap too. The sight of him holding both our children, made tears spring to my eyes.
“Aren’t they beautiful,” I said to August.
He nodded. “Yes.” He turned to me, taking my hand. “How are you? Do you need anything?”
“My life is perfect, August.” I squeezed his hand. I knew he still struggled some socially and at times was lonely. I wished for him to find my same happiness.
“Then my job is done,” he smiled.
He waited for a few more minutes, and then August took Maya back to his place, while Jude and I swooned over our new baby.
“I missed this with Maya,” Jude said quietly as he gave the baby back to me. I wasn’t surprised that he did. I knew he’d been taking in every aspect of my pregnancy with eagerness and at the same time some sadness that he’d missed it all with Maya.
I took his hand and kissed it. “I’m sorry for that.”
He nodded. “I am too. I would have been here, April, if I’d known.”
“I know. I hate that you didn’t know. I should have—”
“No more of the should haves and regrets, remember?” He squeezed my hand. “We’re together now. We’re a family now. Our dream came true.”
My heart filled to overflowing. “Our dream came true even better than we planned.” Sure, we had years apart filled with pain and misunderstanding, but now, our lives were better than I’d ever thought they’d be. It was a touch price to pay to get her, but it was hard not to say it was worth it when the most perfect man was standing by my side having given me another perfect child.
Jude smiled at me. “You know, the house has five bedrooms.”
I arched a brow. My parents had used the extra two rooms in the house as an office for my dad and craft room for my mom. I got the distinct feeling that Jude had other ideas.
“Oh?”
“We could fill them,” he said.
“Four kids?”
“Yes or more. Some can share a room.”
I laughed. “Can you give me a little time to recuperate before working on the next one?”
“I’m being a dope, aren’t I?” His cheeks blushed.
I pressed my palm to one. “No. You’re being a loving husband and father. I’m not adverse to filling the bedrooms, but I’d like a couple of years before we do this again.”
He nodded. “Right. We can practice though, right?”
“Six weeks.”
He arched a brow.
“In six weeks, I can have sex again.”
He swallowed and looked horrified. “Six weeks? My balls will fall off if I have to wait that long.”
“Poor baby. Well, if you’re nice to me, and helpful with Bertie, maybe I’ll have the energy to help out.”
He grinned. “You’re the perfect wife, you know that?”
“It’s only fitting since you’re the perfect husband. And we have a perfect family.”
He leaned over and kissed my temple. “Thank you for seducing
me all those years ago, April.”
“It was my pleasure, Jude.”
His blue gaze captured mine, and in his eyes I saw all the love I had for him reflected back at me. I hated that we’d missed so much time, but I knew, without a doubt, that he and I would make most of the life we had together now. Perhaps it was better that we’d spent time apart as we’d both been able to find our own ways, and we knew now the pain of being apart so that we’d never take each other for granted. Since we reconciled, we made each day count and we’d continue to love and cherish each other for the rest of our lives.
My dear readers,
If you’re falling in love with Jude and April, I can promise you’ll get to meet them again in the next book - Friends to Lovers. Friends to Lovers is Cyrus and Petal’s story and you can get your copy here.
Read on for a sneak peek.
Eight Long Years is a part of my bestselling Heart of Hope series, and for a very limited time, you can get the first four books as a part of this boxset.
Download the Heart of Hope Box Set Here. It’s FREE to read in Kindle Unlimited.
Excerpt: Friends to Lovers
Description
I knew this “friends with benefits” arrangement wouldn’t work.
How could it?
I’m madly in love with Cyrus!
I’ve been friends with him for a while.
Being in this situation is not ideal.
But that one Halloween night changed everything.
We couldn’t keep our hands off each other.
A relationship meant ruining our friendship.
So we chose the next best option.
We fell into bed together with zero expectations.
But then…
I started expecting.
Got pregnant.
And that’s when life got really crazy.
Cyrus was emotionally unavailable.
There was no point telling him the truth.
But it’s only a matter of time until he finds out for himself… right?
Prologue
Petal
I was so glad I went with sexy witch instead of Strawberry Shortcake or Little Orphan Annie to April and Jude’s Halloween party. As a short redhead, I normally went with the cuter costume options, but after spending a year lusting over a man who has become one of my best friends, I decided maybe it was time to broaden my dating opportunities. Cutesy children’s doll costumes didn’t scream dating material. For a minute, I considered Jessica Rabbit. I had the boobs and big ass, but my waist wasn’t quite narrow enough to pull off her type of voluptuousness, and I worried I’d look ridiculous. So sexy witch it was. But not the black outfit with the pointed hat. Mine was more like Sarah Sanderson’s dress from Hocus Pocus, except shorter and tighter along the hips. I wore my hair down in long curls like the blonde Sarah did instead of up in the strange doo that redheaded Winifred wore in the movie. I wanted to look sexy, after all.
The costume worked, as several men watched me, and few chatted with me.
“I had fun,” I said to Cyrus, my friend-zone date for the night as he took me home. He was dressed as Zorro and by all accounts was the sexiest man at the party. In fact, he was probably the sexiest man alive. I really should call People Magazine and let it know.
“Me too.”
His voice didn’t sound like he had fun. I looked over at him, his mask and hat were off, yet he still looked lethal as he walked me to the entrance of my building. I lived above my cupcake shop, Petal’s Cupcakes, and had an entrance to the apartment inside my shop as well as on the street.
“Did something happen?” I asked him as I unlocked the door to the building.
He grunted a response. Cyrus was a great guy. He could be funny and so generous. But it could be hard to find all that sweetness because of the wall he kept up. I wondered if it was his time as a Navy SEAL that made him so closed off.
“Do you want a drink?” I asked him. “Then Don Diego can tell me what’s got his mask all in a twist.”
He frowned, his eyes cruising down my face to my chest. Then, like someone had tossed water on him, his gaze jerked back up. “I’m Zorro.”
“Not with your mask off, buddy,” I said. I’d been drinking and felt fairly toasty. Too much so to drive, but since Cyrus and I had gone as friend-zone dates, he drove. I couldn’t imagine he’d ever drink enough to get drunk. At least not silly fun drunk. He was too in control for that. Pity, it would be fun to see.
I opened the door and started inside to the stairs. “You coming Zorro or not?”
He followed me, shutting the door behind him. I often had a secret fantasy that he’d come to my place, we’d talk, and then he’d ravish me. He often came to my place, but usually it was the shop for coffee and a cupcake. And he never ravished me. Hence, the attempt to attract another man.
Up the stairs, I opened my apartment door and let him in. Cyrus was huge and my apartment was small, so it always felt like he was everywhere the few times he’d been up to my place.
“Wine, beer or something stronger?” I asked him as he made his way to the couch.
“Beer is good.”
I got us both a beer, popped the tops and brought them to the couch. I sat next to him, taking the heels that were killing my toes, and tucking my feet under me. I clicked my bottle with his.
He pointed at me with his beer bottle. “What’s with the witch outfit? I thought you were going as a cartoon character or something?”
“I was but then decided on sexy witch.” I grinned. “I think I pulled it off. Do you?”
His jaw clenched as he sipped his beer. “It’s nice.”
I frowned and tried not to be hurt. I looked down at the cleavage of the girls. Sensual without being skanky, or so I thought.
“Lyle Simmons and Jacob Donner thought it was more than nice.”
His dark eyes cut to me. “Is that what you want? Those to fuckwits to be nice to you?”
My brows shot up. He wasn’t wrong about Lyle and Jacob. They weren’t at the top of the gene pool, and Lyle was a bit of a pervert, but they were nice. I wasn’t interested in them as dating material, but it was nice to be noticed.
“Careful Zorro, I might think you were jealous,” I teased, because come on. Cyrus was all beefcake and broody sexy man, with sweetness hidden deep inside. Guys like him choose women who were at least five inches taller and twenty pounds thinner than me.
He looked away and drank his beer.
“So, the witch is in session. What’s on Don Diego’s mind?” I asked knowing there was something going on with him.
He sighed and shrugged, then took another sip of his beer.
“Seriously Cyrus. You’ve been out of it all evening. Since you picked me up. Did something happen?”
He sat playing with his beer bottle. “Just some concerns about my mom.”
“Oh? Is something wrong?” A part of me thought he’d just said that to give me some excuse. But I went with it.
“I don't know. She just sounds off. Tired. Run down.”
“Maybe she’s working a lot.”
“Maybe.” He sipped his drink again glancing at me as he did. Cyrus was hard to read at the best of times, but now he was a true enigma.
He set his bottle down on the table next to the couch and laid his head back to rub his temples.
I frowned. “Maybe you should go visit her if you’re this worried?” Wanting to help, I rose on my knees next to him and reached my hands over to rub his temples.
He jerked slightly as he lifted his head. I leaned back slightly, but kept massaging his temples.
“Petal.”
“Yes?” I kept rubbing.
He made another one of those growls like he did earlier. I glanced down, and was about to get seriously annoyed at him when I realized my boobs were practically in his face. His eyes were dark as they looked at my chest and then up at me.
“Oh, sorry.” I started to pull away, but his arm banded around me.
> “The fuckwits weren’t the only ones who noticed your sexy witch outfit.” His voice was low and raw. It skittered along my skin making my hairs stand on end, in a good way.
“Oh?” My own voice sounds breathy and I could feel arousal, not just attraction, pool between my legs.
His hand gently rubbed my back just above my ass. It was all I could do to keep from moving my hips to guide his hand lower.
“Do you want to know why I’m so agitated?”
I swallowed hard. “I wouldn’t have asked otherwise.”
He stared up at me, his dark eyes intense. He took my hand and watched my face as he brought it to the front of his pants. He hesitated a moment, and then pressed my hand down.
Holy moly. He was so hard. And long. I bent my fingers along the length. And wide. I looked down and then quickly to his face. His expression was daring me to react.
“That must be uncomfortable,” I said even though my mouth had gone dry.
It probably wasn’t what he expected based on the light upward twitch of his lips. “Immensely.”
Did I offer to help him with it? My body fired hot even as I bit my lip wondering if he’d fit. I couldn’t quite bring myself to say the words, so I simply started stroking him through his black slacks.
He growled again. “Fuck Petal…you’re supposed to be repulsed.”
“Why?” That didn’t make sense. I squeezed wishing I could see him. Taking a chance, I pulled his belt from the buckle.
His hand covered mine. “Be sure, Petal. Be very, very sure.”
It sounded like a warning but for what? I mean, yes, we were only friends. Yes, we both were also friends of April and Jude, but they wouldn’t mind? Would they?
“If you put your hand on me, you’d know I was very sure,” I said.
He closed his eyes and groaned again. I thought he was going to leave, but instead in a lightning fast move, he’d gripped my hips, pushed me back on the couch, and was over me, looking down with his dark, dark eyes.
Eight Long Years: A Second Chance Secret Baby Romance (Heart of Hope Book 5) Page 18
