“I think it fits her,” I say, staring at the most beautiful baby I’ve ever seen.
My baby.
“Nova?” Persy asks.
“That’s new in Latin. It also means brightness,” Nyx mentions, looking at our baby with so much love she’s about to burst like a supernova.
“You’re calling her after Grandma?” Ford asks when he enters the room. He looks at the baby and smiles. “She’s adorable. I think Gladys would have adored her first great-grandchild.”
“I want one,” Persy tells him.
“We can try to grab one from the other rooms or wait until we make one. Your choice,” he answers and gets closer to the bed extending his arms. “May I? I just washed my hands. I swear.”
When he takes the baby in his arms, he looks at me and says, “You did good, kid. Little Nova is safe with her family.”
It’s around six when we’re finally alone, but a last visitor arrives.
“Hey, can I come in?” The female voice is a lot similar to Persy and Nyx’s but with a little squeak to it.
When I look up, I see Callie, Nyx’s baby sister. She’s been gone for almost a year. Ford and I have been keeping an eye on her. We visited Boston last November to convince her to attend Persy’s wedding. She refused, but we hoped that she’d visit when Nova arrived. Ford called her after I texted him. We had everything set up for the trip in case she agreed.
Nyx looks up and smiles. “Callie.”
“I heard you were having someone new to boss around and I thought, hmm, it’d be a good idea to warn her about you,” Callie answers and smiles. “You’re a mom.”
“Come on in,” I prompt her and get closer to her, showing her Nova. “Nova, meet your Aunt Callie.”
“She’s so tiny,” Callie whispers. “Beautiful, like her mom.”
“How are you?” Nyx asks.
“I’m fine,” she answers. “I’m sure you know since these guys happened to find me easily.”
“We just wanted to make sure that you’re okay,” I announce. “For your family’s sake. I know it’s hard to understand, but they worry about you.”
“It’s all good, I promise. I just have to do my thing,” she claims. “Don’t take it personally. Well, it was a little personal, but now that I’ve been doing things on my own, I understand that I needed to step away from you guys to appreciate you.”
“Mom and Dad would love to see you,” Nyx says, giving her a sad smile. “If you’re not ready, at least send them a text.”
Callie nods. “I promise that I’ll contact you guys more often. I’m staying for a couple of days. I’ll try to visit again before I leave if that’s okay with you.”
“Always,” she answers.
Once Callie is gone, Nyx thanks me.
“There’s nothing to thank me for,” I claim. “I only want to see you happy. Listen, I know you can make your own future and that you don’t need me to fix your life. But being here, making things happen for you, that is what makes me happy.”
I take a deep breath and say it because I have been swallowing the words for months. “I love you. I not just love you, but every night I fall in love with you even more. No matter if I’m next to you or if I’m on the other side of the phone, just talking with you reminds me how amazing you are and how I enjoy your presence. How I can’t live without you. These have been the best thirty-five weeks of my life.
I take her hand and trace the words we tattooed a few months ago and say, “I choose you to be my life. You and Nova. I promise to love the fuck out of you. To love you fully without conditions. I don’t know how tomorrow will look, what will happen in a week, or what the world is going to look like in ten years. All I know is that whatever happens, I can take it as long as you two are in my life.”
“Can I tell you a secret?” Nyx whispers.
I nod.
“Come closer,” she whispers again.
“What’s the secret?”
“I think I started falling in love with you since the first time we met,” she confesses. “But that’s not the real secret.”
“What is it?”
“You’ve been the one keeping me sane for the past thirty-some weeks. I felt as if some outside force kept picking me apart and destroying the life I had structured so carefully. While I mended myself into something different, there you were. I don’t know where I’d be without your voice, your heartbeat, and your hugs. I think that’s all I need to survive,” she says. “I am okay if we don’t know our destination as long as we’re holding hands along the way.”
She kisses Nova’s head and then me. “I didn’t expect you, but you guys are what I’ve been missing all along.”
It’s true what they say, the right life is never the one that we planned. My life is here—with my girls.
Epilogue
Nate
Nyx and the baby stay in the hospital for one day. Even though Nova has her nursery, when they come home, Nyx and the baby stay in the master bedroom. It’s big enough to fit a changing table, the bassinet, and a rocking chair. I’m staying in one of the other bedrooms temporarily. At least until we can get a few more hours of sleep and talk about our situation.
The Brassards stay in town for a month in the rental. Since having a newborn is overwhelming, her family limits their visits to only two people at a time. I had no idea how thoughtful they were until they came up with this plan. Octavio and Edna weren’t kidding when they said they’d retire as soon as the baby was born.
They did, and now they are free to travel again and come to visit Nova anytime they want to—when they aren’t doing research on their next book. That’s their new plan, writing books while visiting places they couldn’t while their children were young. Not that they limit themselves that much.
Once Nova is old enough, I want to start traveling with my girls. My girls. I can’t wait to adopt Nova, or for Nyx to be my wife. But I am waiting for just the right moment to propose. For now, we’re just focused on the baby who needs a lot of attention.
Nyx and I fall into a routine where I wake up at night to change Nova’s diaper, Nyx feeds her, and then I pat her back as I soothe her to sleep. That time I spend with my baby girl is precious.
Our baby is now seven weeks old. This little demon likes to wake up several times during the night and sleep throughout the day. We’re not surprised at all. While I’m rocking and singing to her, I notice Nyx watching me. She stands by the door holding a glass of water.
“Like what you see?”
“Love who I see,” she corrects me, setting the glass on top of the dresser. “Both of you.”
“We love you back,” I respond, looking down at the already sleeping baby. Praying that she stays like that for at least a couple of hours.
“I never thought I could love so much,” she continues. “I…I was afraid that you wouldn’t care for her and now… Looking at you two together makes me want to have more babies with you.”
“Marry me,” I ask.
“Still making those plans to propose, Mr. Chadwick?” She grins because I keep asking about her dream proposal.
I want to make it special. There’s a ring in the nightstand drawer waiting for her, but I can’t find just the right moment.
“Obviously,” I answer as I set our sleepy girl on her bassinet, ensuring that she’s safe.
“I think you’ve told me that you can’t plan the best moments of your life,” she argues, and fuck. She is right.
“Well, this time is different,” I say, reaching for the box that’s been tucked in for too long. Then I walk to where she stands.
“Different?” she asks as I bend on one knee and smile at her.
“Well, I decided to stop asking you because clearly you don’t have a preference. And the best moment won’t be while we’re in an air balloon or on top or the Eiffel tower. It’ll be when you say ‘yes.’ So, this time, I am not only asking you to marry me. I am handing you my heart, for always. This is a promise that I’ll love y
ou for eternity if you accept to be mine. I swear that I’ll hold you when things seem to be crumbling around you. I compromise on having sex only twice a day during weekdays. Weekends…well, that is a different story.”
She smiles. “God, you’re proposing, and we haven’t even…”
“That should tell you how much I love you, Nyx. I’m a patient man, also demanding,” I say and I’m not sure if it’s a promise, a warning, or just a fact. “We’ve done everything backwards, and it has worked for us. I would love for you to be my wife, but if you—”
“I love you more than you can imagine. Of course, I’d love to be your wife,” she agrees.
Standing up, I cup her delicate face between my hands and brush her lips with mine.
“I’m going to kiss you,” I warn her. “This time I’m not going to censor myself. This is going to be better than the first kiss we shared. But it’ll feel like the last we’ll ever have. It’ll feel as if I’m trying to fill my lungs with the oxygen your blood carries. As if I’m trying to fuse us.”
“Please,” she whispers.
As we kiss, I let our souls entwine. The gentleness of the kiss only lasts for a few beats before her wild side takes over. She’s a cyclone. She’s the most powerful storm.
This kiss is full of fire that spreads through us. I lift Nyx and carry her to the bed where I set her down. The night light we have for Nova’s routine lets me see her features. She’s breathtakingly gorgeous, and in this moment, I realize that I want more than just make her mine. I want to surrender myself to her.
I move closer, settling myself on top of her. Our eyes meet, our noses almost touch, and I can feel her warm breath against mine.
“I love you, Nate,” she whispers.
Instead of mirroring her words, I kiss her.
Slowly.
Tenderly.
Lovingly.
I want for us to savor every second of this first time. Like a slow dance under the moonlight. My mouth moves down to her neck as I strip her from the oversized t-shirt she’s wearing. I love that she wears my clothes when she goes to bed. I love that she’s about to be mine. Most of all, I love that she loves me back.
My hands slide under the waistband of her boxers and push the fabric down. This is finally it, and I’m not even sure where to start because there are so many things that I want to do to her. This is when everything that’s happened in my life before differs from this moment. Because all I can focus on is being inside her. Finally become one with her.
If I have any doubt about what I should do, Nyx erases it when she says, “I need you. No foreplay, no games. Just you.”
I quickly reach for the condoms I have in my nightstand, open one of them, and roll it on.
Placing my hands on each side of her face, we lock gazes. I want to see her as I slide my way inside her.
“Nate,” she whispers as I thrust slowly pushing myself deep, deep almost reaching her soul.
This, what we’re doing tonight, isn’t just sex. It’s loving all of her for the first time. Allowing ourselves to finally accept that we have become the beginning and the end of each other. Finally accepting that perhaps we hadn’t loved anyone fully because we were waiting for each other.
I don’t miss jumping from a plane or searching for my next fill of adrenaline. My life is finally fulfilled by this woman and our beautiful baby.
She might think that I was here for her, but since I met her, her wind blew me to a place where I could find peace, set the pieces of my heart back together, and discover who I belong to.
She is worth every sleepless night. Every tear, heartache, and scrape we endure together. Because after everything, I found my happiness, and I found them.
Fifteen months later…
“It’s hot as hell. I’m willingly wearing a suit. I swear, this better be good,” Eros complains.
“His weddings suck,” Ford mumbles. “During the last one, the bride said the wrong name.”
“Thank you for keeping this real, you useless assholes,” I grunt. “Now shut up and smile.”
I adore Nyx, but this wedding in Costa Rica, where it feels like a hundred degrees, wasn’t one of her best decisions. She wanted to celebrate the first milestone of Eros’ company too. Plus, this is one of her favorite places in the world. Was it necessary? Not really. We’ve been married for a year. After I proposed to her, we went down to Baker’s Creek so Pierce could marry us—Nyx’s family was there too. And I also filed for adoption so Nova could be officially mine.
This ceremony is to fulfill a wish that Nyx didn’t know she had until Persy’s wedding, and I’m happy to make it happen.
When the music starts, I look to the end of the aisle. Holding a small basket and dropping petals is Nova. More like she’s just holding the basket and smiling at me. Next to her is Brock. Of course, the one guiding them is Demetri, who holds Nova’s hand. Even though she’s been walking for a couple of months, she still needs a little help sometimes.
Demetri deserves some honorable mention. He does anything and everything for Nova. Like everyone who meets my little princess, she has him wrapped around her little finger. When Nyx was trying to figure out how to make this work, D volunteered to help.
As Nova approaches, I squat and open my arms. She comes waddling toward me.
“Daddy!”
“You did wonderful, sweetheart,” I assure her.
She hugs my neck and gives me a sloppy kiss. The music changes tempo and the maids of honor walk in a line. Then, I spot her, Nyx. She is walking with Octavio, laughing until she spots me, and her gaze is filled with love.
“Mama” Nova points at her.
“Let’s wait until she reaches us,” I tell her, and she nods and waits patiently.
When Nyx arrives, she hugs Nova and kisses me. “Go with Grandpa, baby.”
“Papa Tabo,” she says, going with my father-in-law.
“You look beautiful,” I whisper, kissing the back of her neck.
“You don’t look that bad, handsome,” she answers.
“Ready?”
“With you by my side, always,” she says, giving me a small kiss before the ceremony begins. “I love you, my wicked man.”
Excerpt
I hope you enjoyed Didn’t Expect You, keep reading for an extended excerpt of Nyx and Nate’s story, Wrong Text, Right Love.
Wrong Text, Right Love
Him
Saturday, April 4th
“I thought you were like the Beast, but you’re Peter Pan without the green leggings,” Martha yells, shoving my pants against my torso.
Ok, the Peter Pan reference I get it, but who the fuck is the Beast?
“Maybe I’m wrong and you’re Rapunzel, waiting for some innocent woman to rescue you from your Ivory tower,” she continues her rant, and I think I get it now. She’s trying to compare me to Disney princes—and even princesses. “Enough is enough. I’m done loving you. I tried and I tried, but you never gave anything back.”
Whoa, we’re throwing the L word?
Her next-door neighbor has the door open and is watching the show. I know what this looks like, and I’m pretty sure she’s thinking: The guy being thrown out of the house wearing boxer briefs with ‘I just fucked’ hair means he cheated. Not only that, she caught him.
Or, there’s a second possibility. He doesn’t want to take the next step.
Nosy neighbor nods and scrunches her nose, as she confirms her suspicions. This asshole has been stringing this poor woman along for years.
I could set things straight and put her mind at ease. There’s another side to the story. Martha and I met a few months ago at the grocery store. She was pretty and funny. We exchanged numbers, and after a few texts, we tried to give this friendship a go.
“We agreed this was just for fun,” I remind Martha.
“We had more than fun,” she claims.
For fuck’s sake, why did she believe this could be more? It is always the same. I’ve yet to find a woman wh
o says, “I’m having feelings, and I think we should stop seeing each other.” Throwing words like, “we should move in together,” in the middle of fucking is not the way to move forward.
Honestly, I just can’t seem to do things right. If I don’t tell them up front that we are only fuck buddies, I get shit when they want more. If I do, they ignore me—because they think they can be my exception.
A friend of mine says that my issue is due to the way they see me. A lonely, introverted bachelor. Women think they have just the right pussy to save me from my sad life—and change me for the better. First rule about choosing a partner, don’t expect people to change for you. You are only attracted to them and your hormones are wanting more of him—or her.
That doesn’t mean you are in love. It means you are passionate about them. You are physically attracted, but if you want the person to adapt to your needs and you won’t accept them as they are, that’s definitely not love.
Love is extremely complicated and should be handled with care. I choose not to deal with it.
Albert Einstein once said, “You can’t blame gravity for falling in love.”
I have nothing against relationships. In fact, I had a couple of those during my teens. Love is messy. Relationships are complicated. The logistics to hold onto an emotional partnership is too complex and dreary.
It requires more than dinner, sex, flowers, and chocolates. Both parties have to agree to more than just monogamy. They have to surrender to one another and walk blindly into a place where they only exist with each other. I can’t imagine the effort that is required to maintain something like that, and to what end?
Look, it’s not like I’ve been shying away from love. I tried being part of a couple. At fifteen, I dated Wendy Robins. She lived across the street from my home. She was cute. We got to second base, but her family moved when the school year was over. I never heard from her again. At sixteen it was Sandra Boyt, one of my brother’s friends. We had a good time, until I refused to go to prom, and she dumped me for some other dude—I can’t even remember his name.
Didn't Expect You (Against All Odds Book 2) Page 26