Rebel Desire: A (Surprise) Single Dad Romantic Comedy (Rebel Love Book 3)

by LK Farlow

  Once his pile is complete, he moves on to Camilla’s. Oblivious to the fact that his baby sister is sound asleep in her daddy’s lap, he announces each gift and holds it up for her to see.

  I lock eyes with my husband and smile, knowing the best is yet to come.

  “Cruz, you want to help me give Daddy his big super special gift?”

  “Yeah!” He leaps up and does a little happy dance. “You’re gonna love it, Daddy!”

  I can’t help but laugh at his excitement because the kid is totally in the dark over what I have wrapped up beneath the tree. I point to a small rectangular package and Cruz darts over to it, tripping over the scooter Santa brought him, snatches up the gift, and drops it to the floor in front of Colton.

  “I thought we weren’t exchanging gifts,” Colton says, placing Camilla in my waiting arms.

  A giggle escapes me. “Right, like I don’t know you broke the rules, too, and have my gifts stashed behind the couch.”

  The look on his face is priceless. “How do you know?”

  I give him an oh, please sort of look. “Mr. Banks, I know you better than you know yourself.”

  “That you do, Ash.”

  “Now hush up and open my gift.”

  A million butterflies take flight in my belly as he cocks his head, studying me and then the gift.

  I hold my breath as he runs his index finger beneath the seam of the shiny paper. He tears it away and pries the lid off of the box it was covering, pulling from it a small silver frame.

  I struggle to swallow down the lump forming in my throat as he turns the frame over. He looks to me with tears in his gorgeous blue eyes.

  “Is this…”

  I’m nodding and smiling and crying and feeling every single emotion ever all at once. “Yes.”

  “You’re…”

  “We’re having a baby!”

  He leans over and kisses me hard on the lips. “Best Christmas ever,” he whispers, resting his forehead against mine. He laughs through his nose. “Oh my God, we’re having a baby.”

  Not one to be left out, Cruz worms his way between us. “I’m getting another baby?”

  “You are,” I whisper to him, happy tears dotting my lashes.

  Burying his head into my chest, he sniffles. “Is this baby gonna poop, too? Because Camilla stinks bad!”

  Once our laughter subsides, Colton turns to me. “Did you ever think this would be us?”

  Solemnly, I nod.

  “Really?”

  “Absolutely. I knew from the moment we met we’d end up together.”

  “Get real, Ash.”

  I grin up at my stubborn husband. “I mean it. I knew the second I laid eyes on you that you were my soulmate. Why do you think I never gave up?”

  “I thought you were crazy.” He laughs. “God, I was awful to you.”

  “You weren’t so bad.” I knock my shoulder against his. “Plus, look where we ended up. This life with you—it’s worth every single ounce of heartache. You are worth every lump, bump, and curve, Colton Banks.”

  “You really knew?”

  “Cross my heart,” I say, drawing an ‘X’.

  “Damn, Ash,” he murmurs, wrapping an arm around my waist, holding me close. “I’m…” he trails off.

  “I know, I know.” I crane my neck and press a kiss to his jaw. “You’re glad I had enough good sense and faith for both of us.”

  He growls playfully. “Cheeky woman.”

  “You love it.”

  “Damn right, I love you. Today, forever, and always.”

  THE END.

  Want to know more about my Bay Ridge Crew?

  Read on for a sneak peek at Natalie’s book, Best Laid Plans!

  Best Laid Plans

  Natalie

  The to-do list of my life definitely has “start a family” on it…somewhere way down near the bottom. You know, after things like college and getting married.

  I absolutely imagined myself out of freaking high school; yet here I am, two towns over, buying a pregnancy test. And to top it off, my potential baby daddy—who also happens to be my older brother’s best friend, and what feels like a lifelong crush—has no clue we even hooked up.

  Talk about mortifying.

  I’m pretty sure I’ve been in love with Alden Warner since the very first day I met him. Thanks to his mossy green eyes and lopsided smile, I was absolutely enamored with that boy…still am, if I’m being honest. And I finally thought he noticed me. I finally thought he saw me as more than Nate’s little pest of a sister. I was naive enough to think that growing boobs and losing my baby fat would make him suddenly realize he wanted me as much as I wanted him.

  And I guess, in a way, he did see me. Only, he had his beer goggles on. We fell into bed together with him apparently unaware of my identity, and me thinking he was nowhere near as intoxicated as he was.

  What was meant to be the most magical night of my life—what I thought was the turning point in our relationship, so to speak—turned out to be nothing special at all. Sure, I lost my V-card to the boy of my dreams, but what’s the point if he doesn’t even remember it? He literally woke up the next morning with no recollection of the fireworks we created beneath the sheets.

  The blank stare he gave me when he asked me why I was in the guest bedroom with him the next day will forever be etched into my mind as one of the top five most humiliating moments of my life.

  It was around six-thirty in the morning when the need to pee forced me out of Alden’s arms. I slipped on his shirt, along with my panties, before scurrying to the bathroom. I did my business, and attempted to sneak back into bed with him. The thought of us waking up together after our night of bliss was something I was eagerly awaiting.

  I could just see it so clearly in my mind: I would roll over to face him, and he’d lazily blink his eyes open and run his knuckles over my cheekbone, before drawing my lips up to his in a passionate kiss—morning breath be damned. Then he’d declare his love for me, and we would make the long-distance thing, and the age-gap thing, and the brother’s-best-friend thing work. Because, you know…love!

  Only that isn’t how it went down. Nope. Not by a long shot. I snuck back into the room, and he lazily blinked himself awake and promptly asked, “What’re you doing in here, Small Fry? Did Nate send you to wake me up? Lazy fucker couldn’t even do it himself.” He smiled a sleepy smile, his eyes roving over my body. “Hey, is that my shirt?”

  In that moment, my heart shattered. He truly had no clue.

  With my tears threatening to spill, I shook my head and dashed from the room, leaving him to his hungover ramblings.

  I shake off the memory of that painful morning, and snatch a two-pack box from the shelf and head to the front of the store. At the cash register, the clerk shoots me these knowing looks, and I want so badly to scream that these tests aren’t for me, but that will only reassure her that they most certainly are mine.

  As soon as she tells me the total, I slap down some cash, snatch my bag, and dash out of the store—leaving my change and receipt behind.

  All too soon, I’m home and pulling into my driveway. Luckily, I have the house to myself. My parents are at work, and Nate left with Alden the very same morning he unwittingly broke my heart, to head back to college to start his junior year.

  I debate calling Alyssa, my bestie, and asking her to come over for moral support, but I don’t. I think this is something I need to do on my own. After all, if I’m going to be a mother—a freaking teenage mother—then I need to be strong and independent.

  I rip open the box and remove the foil-wrapped stick, placing it on the countertop. After reading the pamphlet front and back, I take the test, cap it, and place it on the counter to wait.

  With three minutes to kill, I set a timer and scroll through social media. Bored with Facebook, I switch to Snapchat. The very first snap I see is from my brother. I open it, and immediately regret it. On my screen is a short video loop of Alden and some random coed g
rinding on each other at a party.

  My heart seizes painfully in my chest. And like a glutton for punishment, I switch back to Facebook and go to his profile. Right there, in bold, blue, soul-shattering letters, it says: In a relationship with Mia Collins. I stare at those six stupid words until my vision blurs with tears.

  Finally, the sound of my alarm chiming breaks the spell. I close out of the app and steel my resolve. Whatever that test says, it’s going to be okay.

  Maybe.

  I think.

  I inhale a deep breath and release it, dropping my eyes to the pregnancy test on the counter.

  Two pink lines.

  Fuck.

  1-CLICK this sexy and emotional brother’s best friend/secret baby romance today FREE with your Kindle Unlimited subscription today!

  https://mybook.to/blp

  About the Author

  LK Farlow (A.K.A Kate) is a small town girl with a love for words. She's been writing stories for as long she can remember. A Southern girl through and through, Kate resides in beautiful, sunny LA--that's Lower Alabama, y'all--with her amazing husband and four rambunctious children. When she's not writing, you can find her snuggled up on the couch watching car shows while she crochets or with her nose in a book.

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  www.authorlkfarlow.com

  Other Titles By Lk

  *All can be read as standalones and are available through Kindle Unlimited.

  Rebel Heart

  (https://amzn.to/2NiH1RE)

  Rebel Soul

  (https://amzn.to/3gxMaRT)

  Best Laid Plans

  (https://amzn.to/31U9aT6)

  Best of Intentions

  (https://amzn.to/31X8z33)

  Best of Me

  (https://amzn.to/39HHRzV)

  Coming Up Roses

  (https://amzn.to/2HiIFPq)

  An Uphill Battle

  (https://amzn.to/31Xcrkm)

  Weather the Storm

  (https://amzn.to/2ZjcOnR)

  Acknowledgments

  There are so many people who deserve my thanks, both personally and professionally. So many people I look up to, admire, and probably owe my first-born to (you know, if I didn’t already have four kids). So many people who have helped me along my journey as an author, who have offered guidance and kind words.

  Honestly, there’s too many to list.

  So, I’ll leave it at this:

  THANK YOU. YEAH, THAT’S RIGHT…YOU. FROM THE BOTTOM OF MY HEART, THANK YOU.

  Next up, I gotta thank the book world. Readers, bloggers, y’all rock. Every like, comment, share, tag, download, purchase, KU borrow, review, time you tell a friend to read me…it makes my heart beat a little faster in my chest. Y’all are the reason I’m able to give life to the characters in my head. I am thankful for each and every one of you.

  And last but not least, my family. Y’all are my everything and I’m incredibly grateful for the glorious chaos y’all bring.

  Want to read the book Ashley Read at the beach? Check out TAKE TWO by Heather M. Orgeron!

  Who says you can’t marry the same mistake twice?

  Certainly not Nya Perez...because that’s precisely what she’s done.

  Liam Watts is the bane of her existence.

  Her first love. Father of her child. And breaker of her heart.

  Oh, he’s also her ex-husband. Well, he was, anyway...right up til this morning, when she woke up beside him in a Vegas hotel room, sheathed in satin and tulle with a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach.

  If it were just between the two of them, an annulment would be the obvious solution. After all, they wouldn’t be the first to marry and divorce at the little white chapel in the span of twenty-four hours.

  But their daughter’s greatest wish has just been granted, and if there’s one heart Nya wants to protect more than her own, it’s Ellie’s.

  So, she promises to give it six months.

  There’s no way she’ll be swayed by his thick southern drawl, those well-defined abs, or that annoyingly delectable scruff lining his cheeks.

  Nope. She’s got it all under control. Six months of playing house, then everything can go back to the way it was before.

  But first she’ll have to muddle through marriage with Liam—take two.

  1-CLICK OR READ FREE WITH KINDLE UNLIMITED.