by Score, Lucy
I nodded, tears squirting from my eyeballs. “Yeah. You’re going to be a daddy,” I whispered.
He grabbed me and picked me up off the lounger. I wrapped my legs around his waist and held on tight.
“You’re not mad?” I clarified, cupping his face in my hands.
“Mad? I’m floored. And terrified. And excited. And worried. And so fucking happy, Ally. We’re gonna have a family.”
A family.
Yep. Now I was audibly sobbing. These freaking hormones were turning me into a lunatic.
“Excuse me, ass. You were supposed to signal us so we could witness the proposal!”
Startled, I whipped off my sunglasses. “Faith? Christian?”
My best friend and her “see where things go” guy were standing at the foot of my abandoned lounger, looking annoyed.
“I didn’t propose yet,” Dominic growled.
“Propose?” I shrieked, trying to climb down my very handsome baby daddy.
“Oops,” Christian said, flashing his dimples.
“If you didn’t propose, what’s all this?” Faith demanded. And then her mouth formed a perfect O. “Holy shit. Are you pregnant?” she screamed.
I could only nod and cry some more.
“Oh my God!”
She reached for me, and I grabbed her arm. “I know!”
Dominic cleared his throat. “Ladies. I still have this little bit of business to take care of.”
Faith released me and snuggled into Christian’s side, making a zipped lips gesture. “By all means.”
“Thanks,” he said dryly. He sank down on the lounger, settling me in his lap.
“Ally Maleficent Morales, will you marry me?”
He reached past me and produced a velvet jewelers’ box.
I was nodding vigorously.
“Don’t you want to see the ring first?” he whispered, a smile playing on his lips.
I shook my head violently.
“But you’re saying yes?”
“Yes!” It burst free. “Yes. Yes. Yes.”
And then I was laughing because I felt his erection twitch under me.
“Not my fault. Usually we’re doing something else when you say that,” he whispered in my ear.
“I love you, Dom.”
“I love you, Ally. So fucking much.”
“We’re getting married,” I said.
“And having a baby,” he added.
We grinned at each other. His cock moved again.
“Can I hug them yet?” Faith asked Christian.
After a series of hugs and questions, a round of virgin mango margaritas, and a quickie in the villa’s kitchen, Dominic Russo finally slid a beautiful diamond ring on my finger.
“I’m going to need to start lifting weights on the right so I don’t bulk up on just one side,” I said, sighing dreamily as the very large solitaire caught the light.
Dominic’s hand was on my belly again. As he leaned back against the kitchen cabinets, I noticed a smile I’d never seen before on his lips. Contentment.
“Do you want to call your mom and Simone?” I asked.
His smile widened. “Of course.”
“Can we call my dad?” I asked. “I mean, he might not understand, but I really want him to be part of this,” I said.
“Of course. But first, there’s something you should see,” he said, reaching for his phone in his discarded swim trunks. “Your dad gave his blessing,” He opened a photo.
“Oh. Dom,” I breathed.
It was a selfie of Dominic and Dad. My dad was grinning and holding the open ring box.
“I went every day and asked him until it was a good day,” Dominic said softly.
And I was back to nodding and crying again.
“This hormone thing,” he said, gently wiping the tears from my face with his thumbs. “How long does it last?”
“I guess we’ll find out,” I sobbed.
Want more By a Thread
Not quite ready to let Dominic and Ally go? Yeah. Me neither. Get a glimpse of their happily ever after as busy parents in the bonus epilogue!
Click here for your free bonus scene.
**If you are having any trouble tapping on the extra scene please type lucyscore.net/batbonusepilogue into your phone or computer browser.**
WONDERING WHAT TO READ NEXT?:
Check out my blue-collar Brooklyn babe vs the Manhattan bachelor rich guy who have to work together to rescue a groom and save a wedding in The Worst Best Man.
Read it in Kindle, Audio, and Paperback
Author’s Note to the Reader
Dear Reader,
This book came from two places—me wondering what the heck an office romance would look like after the #MeToo movement got everyone talking about consent and positions of power AND my obsession with The Devil Wears Prada. (Side rant: Don’t get me started on how mad I get at Andy’s friends for being all grabby hands for her fancy fashion gifts and then acting like jerks about how hard she works.)
Setting my ire aside, I LOVE a grumpy hero who is trying to do the right thing and a sunshiny heroine who is convinced she doesn’t need any help. And I especially love it when they don’t like each other. I had SO MUCH fun writing this slow burn and their wicked banter.
I hope you loved Dominic and Ally (and Brownie) as much as I did. If you did, please feel free to leave a gushing review raving about my literary genius on Amazon or BookBub. Don’t want to miss a new book? Sign up for my rarely annoying, almost always entertaining newsletter on my website.
Thanks for reading! I think you’re wonderful!
Xoxo,
Lucy Score
About the Author
Lucy Score is a Wall Street Journal and #1 Amazon bestselling author. She grew up in a literary family who insisted that the dinner table was for reading and earned a degree in journalism. She writes full-time from the Pennsylvania home she and Mr. Lucy share with their obnoxious cat, Cleo. When not spending hours crafting heartbreaker heroes and kick-ass heroines, Lucy can be found on the couch, in the kitchen, or at the gym. She hopes to someday write from a sailboat, or oceanfront condo, or tropical island with reliable Wi-Fi.
Sign up for her newsletter and stay up on all the latest Lucy book news.
And follow her on:
Website: Lucyscore.com
Facebook at: lucyscorewrites
Instagram at: scorelucy
Twitter at: LucyScore1
Blog at: lucyscore.com/blog
Readers Group at: Lucy Score’s Binge Readers Anonymous
Acknowledgments
Without the following people (and things), I would not be able to deliver quality entertainment to you. Please rise and applaud the following:
Kari March Designs for BOTH amazing covers for this book.
Jessica Snyder, Amanda Eden, and Dawn Harer for their editorial eyeballs.
Binge Readers Anonymous for their refusal to accept any other title than Grumpy Grump Face.
Jelly Krimpets.
Everyone on Team Lucy for taking enough off my plate that I can continue to spend ridiculous amounts of time imagining up characters and writing their stories.
My secret street team for being the best cheerleaders ever.
Single-stream recycling.
Every single person who stepped up to keep our world spinning during the COVID-19 pandemic. You are our real-life heroes, and we applaud you.
Mr. Lucy for being my very own grumpy hero with a caretaking complex. I love you so much.
Lucy’s Titles
Standalone Titles
Undercover Love
Pretend You’re Mine
Finally Mine
Protecting What’s Mine
Mr. Fixer Upper
The Christmas Fix
Heart of Hope
The Worst Best Man
Rock Bottom Girl
The Price of Scandal
By a Thread
The Blue Moon Small Town Romance Series
<
br /> No More Secrets
Fall into Temptation
The Last Second Chance
Not Part of the Plan
Holding on to Chaos
The Fine Art of Faking It
Where It All Began
Bootleg Springs Series
Whiskey Chaser
Sidecar Crush
Moonshine Kiss
Bourbon Bliss
Gin Fling
Highball Rush
Sinner and Saint
Crossing the Line
Breaking the Rules