by K. C. Crowne
“Now, hold on – I put you on birth control.”
“Yeah, and we had sex before it took effect. I’d missed a few days of pills, remember?”
He looked dumbly at me and then nodded. “Right.”
That was that. I took one more deep breath and went on.
“I know this is a surprise, and I know you’ve got a busy life and there doesn’t seem to be room for a kid in it. So, I came over to tell you that I don’t need your help. Not saying that in a, you know, bitchy way, but I’m just letting you know that if you don’t want to be a part of this, I’ve got it. I’ll sell you the house and get back to Denver and raise him or her without you. And there won’t be any hard feelings. I’ve got family there and they’ll help me out and-”
He didn’t let me finish. He leaned in and planted a kiss on my lips. After a few moments of his mouth on mine, he moved back and spoke the words I’d deep down been craving.
“I love you, Joann.” He smiled. “And you’re out of your fecking mind if you think I’m not going to be a part of this wean’s life.”
That was it. He’d said it. Tears formed in my eyes, and I kissed him hard right back.
“I love you too, Ronan.” We hugged. It was perfect.
“But there’s a ton else to discuss,” he said. “Like the little matter of you being an American and me being an Irishman.”
“Right. I don’t really want to go back to Denver. I want to live here.”
He cocked his head to the side, as if wanting to make sure he was hearing me right.
“You want to live here?”
“Well, not in your house necessarily. Unless you want that. I mean I want to stay in Ireland.” I shook my head, as if still processing it all. “Ever since I came here there’s been a pull, like this land has been calling me home, not wanting me to leave. And I’m ready to give in.”
“That’s the magic of the island,” he said with a warm smile. “No matter where you go, it’s in your blood. And it sounds like you’re ready to come home.”
The words were perfect.
“And I want to still sell you the house,” I said. “Grandma would’ve been overjoyed to know it would be a shelter. It’s right by the clinic and it’s perfect.”
“Then how about this – we get another house, one just like it. We get a beautiful little cottage in the Irish countryside and bring your Grandma’s things over there and start the story from another chapter.”
More tears formed in my eyes.
“It’s perfect.”
He smiled. “Then let’s get started.”
Chapter 42
RONAN
God, it was hard as hell to tear myself away from Joann that next morning. Waking up to see her sleeping in my bed felt all sorts of right. The way she slept on her side, her eyes closed and the white sheet draped over the curve of her hip – she was irresistible. Part of me wanted nothing more than to make love to her over and over again.
I knew I’d get the chance to do that soon enough. We were together, after all. Love had come for us hard and fast, and there was no doubt in my mind that it was for keeps.
“Good morning,” she said, opening her eyes sleepily.
“Good morning.”
I leaned in for a kiss, one that she returned. Taking my lips away was about the hardest damn thing I’d ever had to do, but there was work to be done – I had to get to the clinic and deal with the reality show all at once.
“You looking forward to the taping today?” she asked as if she could read my mind. She sat up and pulled the sheet over her perfect breasts.
“You know? I’m not so worried about it anymore. They’re almost done at the office, then we have a little break, then they move onto the house.”
We’d discussed the matter last night, deciding that we’d move over to her place during the rest of the filming. I didn’t want to waste any time getting our new home picked out, which meant that I’d be putting my place on the market as soon as possible. Five flights of stairs with a wee one wasn’t the smartest idea.
“Surprised to see you come around on this.”
“It’s all for a good cause,” I said as I sat up and put my feet on the floor. “If it’ll end up with women in need getting taken care of that much sooner, it’s the least I can do.”
She smiled, leaning over to kiss me. “You’re almost too good to be true, you know that?”
“Same to you, angel.”
Another kiss, this one just as hard to break apart.
“So,” I said as I pulled on a shirt and pair of pants, Joann getting dressed as well. “What’s the plan?”
“I need to get back to Jolene as soon as possible. Big stuff’s happening, and I don’t want to keep her out of the loop.”
“A little sister time,” I said. “Sounds about right. Hey, you should bring her some breakfast from the bakery down the block. They’ve got amazing breakfast pastries, savory and sweet. It’d be a nice thing to snack on while you tell her you’re moving across the world.”
She chuckled. “That’s a great idea. And what about you? Any plans after work?”
“Maybe dinner tonight? You me and your sister?”
“Perfect.”
One more kiss and we got on our way. Together, we stepped out into the bright, Irish morning and headed down to the bakery down the block. There, we picked up some savory meat pies along with some delicious-looking scones, a tray of fresh coffee to go along with it all.
When we were back in front of my place, we kissed once more before each getting in our cars and driving out of town toward the clinic. I spent the fifteen minutes it took to get out there thinking about Joann, thinking about our future, thinking about what our child was going to be like. Would it be a boy or girl? Would he have her dark eyes, or my green ones? Would she be tall like her father, or petite like her mother?
Either way, two things would be for certain – that baby would be Irish to the core and he or she’d be loved like nothing else.
We waved to each other as I pulled into my parking lot and she into her driveway. When I got out, she blew me a kiss before I turned toward the clinic.
I couldn’t help it. I leaned against my car and watch her walk toward the front door, a warm smile on my face, and no doubt in my heart that she was the woman I’d surely spend the rest of my life with.
My heart tightened and my gut sank when I saw someone stand up from where he’d been laying on the bench. At that distance I hadn’t been able to make out the slim figure of someone there. When he rose, I had no doubt who it was.
Connor stood up, shuffling his way toward Joann in a manner that made it clear he’d been drinking, or was still drunk from the night before. Connor ambled over toward Joann, raising an accusing finger at her, his voice loud enough to carry across the street. Joann stood still, the box of pastries in her hand.
They weren’t there for long. Connor barked out one more accusation or another, then swatted away the box pastries, which landed on the ground in a clatter.
It was all I needed to see.
I broke out into a run, checking the street before crossing over and onto Joann’s lawn. I barreled toward Connor like a runaway train, and when he looked up to see that I was coming, fear flashed on his face for a moment as I pulled my fist back and brought it against his jaw.
There was a dull thwack, and then he tumbled down. Joann let out a shriek, the front door opening and Jolene stepping out and making a scream of her own when she realized what was happening. I ran over to Connor and stood astride him. He moaned on the ground, a bit of blood trickling from his nose and the smell of stale whiskey drifting up to me.
“Oh my God,” Jolene said. “Where…”
“He must’ve been camping here all night,” I said. I glanced over at the bench where he’d been sleeping and, sure enough, there was an empty bottle of booze on the ground.
“You…you’re my damn sister,” Connor grumbled. “You owe me…”
“I don�
�t owe you a damn thing,” Joann said, her voice firm and fearless.
I heard a noise in the distance and looked up to see Aiden and Collin running over from the clinic, Sidney and his crew trying to film everything from a distance.
“What’s this mess?” Aiden asked as he came over. “Connor Murphy, huh?”
“I’ll call the guarda,” Collin said, pulling out his cell phone. “Get this riff-raff sorted out.”
We stood over Connor for the twenty minutes it took for the guarda to show up. Connor, thankfully, stayed groggily on the ground, only rousing when the guarda hoisted his sorry ass up and into the back of their car in cuffs. He barked some expletives about how we hadn’t seen the last of him.
“I think a few of these are still good,” Aiden announced, picking up the pastry box and sifting through it.
We all had a laugh, then then attention turned to Joann and me.
“Guys,” I said, wrapping my arm around Joann. “We’ve got a huge announcement…”
Epilogue
JOANN
It was a little ironic that the best Thanksgiving of my life was set to happen in a place that didn’t even celebrate the day, but I wouldn’t have it any other way.
Grandma Mary’s place was a madhouse as Georgie and Charlie ran here and there, little squeals sounding as they played in the backyard. The kitchen was insane, with Jolene and my mom and Ronan’s mom, Sawyer’s stepmother Janice, and even Brendan from the clinic all working together to get the feast prepared. Ronan and his brothers and Sawyer and Clive, Sawyer’s father, were in the study having a little whiskey.
“I hope you guys aren’t too comfy,” I said, popping my head into the room. “Because you’re all on clean-up duty.”
“Aye,” Aiden said. “Is that another one of these Thanksgiving rules?”
“Sure is,” Sawyer answered, a grin on his lips and a drink in his hand. “Ladies do the cooking; men do the dishes.”
“Share and share alike, you know?” I said with a smile. When I was done checking on the guys, I made my way into the dining room to make sure the long table was set for all the people who’d be dining there.
In that room I found a touch of peace and quiet. It dawned on me how surreal it all was, that my friends and family were all there, eager to wish Ronan and me well as we both started this new chapter of our lives together. Ronan putting together this Thanksgiving feast was a sign, his way of showing that, while we were bridging a gap between two different cultures, two different families, we were doing it together.
It promised to be perfect.
“Ah, Jesus, Mary, and Joseph!” Ronan’s mother’s voice carried in from the kitchen, and I had a laugh to myself before going back to join the rest of the group.
Together, we prepared a feast. There was turkey and stuffing and cranberry sauce and pie, along with pastries and all sorts of other good things brought by the Irish side of the family.
The house was filled with so much love. I was a touch heartbroken that we weren’t going to be living in the place for much longer – the building was set to begin in December, but there was no doubt in my mind that Grandma Mary was looking down on us, thrilled that we’d be seeing the place off with one final get together. And who knew? Maybe it would be the start of a family tradition, an Irish and American Thanksgiving like nothing else.
A pair of big, warm arms wrapped around me as I stood in the dining room. Right away I recognized Ronan’s scent.
“This was a grand idea,” he said.
“It was. Thanks for making it happen.”
“My pleasure, darling. And I talked to Sidney – he said he’d be in for a half-hour at most to get some footage for the show.”
“Works for me.”
“I love you like mad, you know?”
I grinned like the happiest woman in the world. “I love you, too.”
“You know,” he said. “We’d planned on waiting until dinner to tell the news, but I don’t know if I can wait that long.”
He was right. Only Jolene and his brothers knew about the baby to come.
“Yeah,” I said with a smile. “Let’s let ‘em know.”
Hand-in-hand, we made our way to the door between the study and the kitchen.
“Everyone!” Ronan called, his booming voice carrying through the house. “We’ve got something to announce!”
The chattering in both rooms stopped, all eyes on us. Even the girls were watching through the kitchen window.
Ronan and I shared one last look, both of us knowing we were in the last few seconds before our lives would change once more forever.
When I was ready, I took a deep breath and prepared to speak, but before I did, I caught a glimpse of something in Ronan’s hand. It was a small, black box. My eyes wide, I glanced down at it, and then up at him.
I knew what it was, and my heart seemed to stop beating with excitement.
A mischievous smile painted his face.
“You go first,” he said quietly. “Let’s give ‘em a Thanksgiving to remember.”
I had to take a deep breath to calm down. When I was ready, I opened my mouth and spoke.
The End
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Lastly, you can check out a sneak peek of an Amazon Top 25 Irish Doctor’s Secret Babies romance on the next page.
Irish Doctor's Secret Babies (Preview)
A tall beefy doctor walks into a bar. No, it's not the start of a joke.
It's how this ALL started.
For one wild night, an Irish Adonis made me feel beautiful...
S*xy.
Desired.
But a one-way ticket with his name promised I'd never see him again.
Until Today.
"Kenna?"
A man with a familiar Irish accent catches my attention.
I feel the hairs on the back of my neck rise up.
"Finn? What are you doing here!?"
My heartbeat races.
The gorgeous stranger from the past is now about to administer annual checkups on an adorable set of twins.
Twins that have HIS green eyes and dimpled chin.
Maybe NOW is a good time to tell him?!? FML!!!!
Prologue
“What are you doing?” she asked, taking her lips from mine for long enough to ask the question.
I answered it by lifting her out of her seat. She was surprised at first, but when she realized what I was doing, she let out a laugh, a broad smile spreading across her face.
Once I was standing straight again, she wrapped her legs around me, the kiss continuing as I carried her across the living room, over the threshold of the bedroom.
She peeled her boots off, and I stepped out of my dress shoes.
Then Kenna wiggled out of my grasp for long enough to put her feet on the ground.
“This is a bad fucking idea.”
“Wrong – it’s a good idea that involves fucking.”
Her expression hardened for a moment, as if she wanted to scold me for my lame joke. A tinge of red returned to her cheeks.
I loved how Kenna was so bold, so fearless, but still had a gorgeous softness, a vulnerability that I was able to bring out.
“You might be right about that.”
It was all I needed to hear. I stepped toward her, closing the distance between us. Out of the corner of my eye, the snowfall came down harder, nearly a total whiteout.
The perfect weather to get warm and toasty between the sheets.
I placed my hands on her hips, their roundness nearly causing my c ck to tear through my slacks. I needed her like I needed air.
But as I brought my lips to hers once more, she raised her finger and pressed it aga
inst my lips.
Her mouth curled into a sly, inviting smile.
I squeezed her hips through her jeans. My eyes locked onto hers, I let one hand slowly travel over her middle, down to her button. With a quick, deft motion, I opened the button and took down the zipper, exposing a triangle of lacy blue panties underneath.
Kenna closed her eyes, sighing as I hooked my thumbs under the opening of her jeans, pulling her pants down. Her panties were so sexy they gave me pause, made me wonder if she’d known in the back of her mind that this would happen tonight.
Once her jeans were down to her ankles, she kicked them off the rest of the way, and I placed my hands on her bare thighs. One palm moved to the small of her back, the other inched closer and closer to her mound.
Soon I could feel the heat between her thighs, and I put my lips on hers right at the moment I touched her through her panties.
She moaned through the kiss, grinding herself into my hand.
I focused on the sight before me, Kenna’s gorgeous hips squirming, total pleasure all over her stunning face.
And I felt her grow wetter and wetter by the second.
“You gonna come for me?” I asked, speaking low into her ear, following it with a pair of quick kisses along the nape of her neck.
“Keep touching me like that and…”
I cut her off by pulling her panties to the side, a pair of my fingers gliding into her soaking wet folds. She bucked into my touch, the wriggling of her hips faster and faster.
She felt so damn good, and as she clenched me hard with her velvet walls.
Kenna’s moaning became more intense, more insistent.
She clasped my hand with hers, silently demanding that I don’t move an inch.
“Come for me now, gorgeous,” I said. “Right now.”
