In Name Only (A Pine Falls Novel Book 2)
Page 26
I peered into his watery eyes, my own filling up with tears. “Oh, Brock. I’m so sorry—”
“Shh.” He placed his finger on my lips. “You don’t owe me an apology. I’m the sorry one. When you lost the baby, I thought I would feel relieved, but I felt as if I had lost something beautiful. Something I didn’t deserve to mourn, but I did. Then I almost lost you.”
“But you didn’t.”
“No, I didn’t.” He ran the back of his hand down my wet cheek. “You don’t know how grateful I am for that gift. It gave me a new purpose for finishing the cradle. I began to see it as a second chance. A new beginning.” His hand found its way under my shirt to my bare abdomen. “When you’re ready, I want to add to our family.”
I slid my hands up his chest and neck until they reached his cheeks. I pulled him down for a stirring kiss, feeling more in love than I ever imagined I could. When my lips glided off his, I whispered, “I’m ready.”
Epilogue
Eight Months Later
“Baby, hurry up, we’re going to be late to the courthouse,” Brock called through the bathroom door. Today our little girl was going to finally become permanently ours. Our Gemma girl.
“Say ‘Hurry up, Mommy,’” Brock coached Gemma.
“Hurry up, Mommy,” her precious voice came through loud and clear.
I don’t think she would ever know until she had a child of her own how much I loved to hear her call me that. How much I loved being her mommy. She was the best thing that had ever happened to us. She’d filled our days with giggles and hugs, light and love.
Mommy wanted to hurry, but Mommy wasn’t feeling all that well, and Mommy had taken a pregnancy test and was waiting to see the results. “I’ll be right there,” I promised. I stared at the test that was sitting on the bathroom counter amid my cosmetics, hoping and praying two lines would appear. I wanted to give Gemma a sibling. And this was perfect timing. The state would have been reluctant to let us adopt if we were already pregnant.
What seemed like eons later but had only been seconds, a second line appeared. I cried and smiled. “Brock, I think you should come in here.”
He immediately opened the door, holding our girl. She looked adorable in her yellow sundress, her hair french braided and tied off with a white bow.
“Are you okay?” He sounded concerned.
“Uh-huh.” I held up the stick.
He rushed toward me and traded me our daughter for the pregnancy test.
I held Gemma to me while I watched my husband’s wide eyes fill with tears. “Does this mean what I think it means?”
“Yep. We’re pregnant.”
He threw his arms around me, sandwiching Gemma between us.
“Daddy,” she squealed. “You’re squishing me.”
“That’s because Daddy is so happy.”
“I’m happy too,” she responded, even though she had no idea why.
Brock leaned away and met my gaze. “Is Mommy happy too?”
“Yes,” I replied, joy bursting across my face. “Mommy is very happy.”
Coming Soon (ish)
Silent Partner
Book Three in the Pine Falls Series
He must remain silent to protect her.
She can no longer hide her love for him.
If you enjoyed In Name Only, here are some other books by Jennifer Peel that you may enjoy:
Return to Sender
My Not So Wicked Stepbrother
My Not So Wicked Ex-Fiancé
The Sidelined Wife
How to Get Over Your Ex in Ninety Days
Narcissistic Tendencies
Honeymoon for One - A Christmas at the Falls Romance
Trouble in Loveland
Paige’s Turn
Best of My Love
Facial Recognition
For a complete list of all her books, click here.
About the Author
Jennifer Peel is a USA Today bestselling author who didn’t grow up wanting to be a writer—she was aiming for something more realistic, like being the first female president. When that didn’t work out, she started writing just before her fortieth birthday. Now, after publishing several award-winning and best-selling novels, she’s addicted to typing and chocolate. When she’s not glued to her laptop and a bag of Dove dark chocolates, she loves spending time with her family, making daily Target runs, reading, and pretending she can do Zumba.
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