by Heather Lyn
“You’ll be fine.”
“Mason, it’s so nice to see you today. Merry Christmas, sweetheart,” Anna says, sweeping over to give him a hug and kiss on the cheek.
“Thank you for having me, Mrs. Miller.”
She frowns. “Oh stop, it’s Anna. You call me Mrs. Miller and I’ll have to swat you.”
Mason chuckles, holding his hands up. “Yes, ma’am.”
Jace slips his arm around me, my head falling to his shoulder. “Like I said, best Christmas ever,” I whisper to him, watching my brother show off the cookies he made, clearly decorated by Jules.
“Best ever,” he mumbles against my head. I just smile, my heart unable to get any fuller than it is at the moment, my hands resting on my belly.
§
Hours later, when the presents have all been opened and the amazing food has been eaten, Anna asks me to join her for a moment, motioning me back into the living room. She hollers to the men to clean up and do the dishes or nobody will be getting cheesecake, and as we leave the room, I hear the scramble of the chairs.
“Those men, they only think with their stomachs, I swear.” Kneeling under the tree, she pulls out a rectangular gift hidden at the back, my name on the large white tag. “I wanted to give this to you separately, Stella. From one mom to another.” Her eyes are misty, and I give her a quick hug.
Sitting down on the couch, I open the gift and pull the top of the box off. Nestled inside are two yellow blankets with a shiny smooth side. There is a duck embroidered on the edges of both, and I tuck them into my chest.
“These were Jace’s baby blanket, but I made them into two for the girls.”
“Anna….”
“I never knew if I’d get to give them to Jace, and for a long time, I worried that he’d never find his own happiness. My boy has been hanging on to his guilt for so long, and I think it stopped him from moving forward. And as a mother, that breaks my heart. But now, sweet girl, he has you, and I’ve never seen him like this. He’s happy, and that’s because of you.”
“He makes me happy too,” I whisper. “This pregnancy has been such a shock, and the timing, with how little time we’d been together, scared me. We barely had time to find our way as a couple, and now we have to find our way as parents. But I believe in us.”
“I believe in you too. I just wish he could let go of that weight on his shoulders.”
“He will,” I assure her. “When the time’s right. Grief is a fickle bitch.”
Anna chuckles. “Yes, yes she is.”
“I hate seeing him struggle with it, Anna. And it’s even harder knowing there’s nothing I can do. Losing my parents was without a doubt the hardest thing I’ve ever been through. But it was out of my control, out of Mason’s control. I think the thing that made it easier for us was knowing we still had each other.” I swallow over the lump in my throat, and Anna reaches out for my hand and holds tight. “For Jace, he’s the lone survivor, driving the car that his best friends were killed in. For him, it doesn’t matter that it wasn’t his fault. He feels guilty for being alive.”
“You’re right, Stella. And I have no idea how he’ll ever change his thinking. I say a prayer every night that he’ll find a way, and I know with you by his side, he eventually will.”
“I hope so too.”
Both of us now crying, we hug each other hard, getting control of our emotions before one of our men come in and worry. Tucking the baby blankets back into the box, I set it with our other gifts, and together we walk back into the kitchen, Anna’s arm around my back.
Jace is wiping down the dining table. He catches my eyes, and I give him a watery smile.
“You okay?” he mouths, and I nod. With a jerk of his head, he goes back to cleaning the table, and when he’s done, he curls his finger at me. Snagging a cookie off a tray, I move around the table the best I can and step in front of him.
“Where’d you two go?”
“She had something for me. I’ll show you when we get home.”
“Okay. You looked teary when you came back in the room, so I wanted to check.”
“We both were. I love your mom, and what she gave me means a lot. You’ll love it too.”
Jace kisses my nose, and then I help him push all the chairs back in. His mom and dad start putting out dessert plates, and I hear her ask Mason and Drew to grab the goodies. Mason has had a permanent grin on his face all night, and I mentally high-five Jace for thinking to invite him. Like me, it’s been a long time since Mason had family to be around. Even though he was with Isabelle for a couple years, she’s not real close with her family, just her mom.
Mason always said that she’d fly in every couple months to see them, but it was usually a business-related visit, so seeing him in Anna’s kitchen, helping her set up silverware, laughing, and having a good time brings me so much joy. I want nothing more for my big brother than to find the kind of love I have. But he’s a stubborn fool, and he’ll always put Jules before him.
It’s why he’s such a good dad.
And I just know it’s the kind of father Jace will be.
§
“Jace, come on,” I groan, his cock moving slowly in and out, the feeling out of this world but not nearly enough. I need it hard. I need more.
“Just feel, Stell. There’s no rush.”
I’m lying on my side with Jace pressed behind me, his hips locked behind me. His face is buried in the crook of my neck, his lips attached to the sensitive skin just below my ear. His left hand is rocking me back and forth on him, the position comfortable but just not enough.
Ever since I hit my third trimester, Jace has begun handling me with kid gloves, and while I love him for it, sometimes a girl just needs her man to fuck her.
“Ugh, seriously? For the love of God,” I plead, smacking the mattress in frustration.
Jace slows his movements and leans up on his elbow to look down at me.
“What?” he asks, and I shake my head.
“I love how careful you’re trying to be, and I love how you take care of me. But, Jace Miller, if you don’t fuck me harder and make me come all over your cock, I will never go down on you again.” My eyes widen at my own words, and Jace starts laughing, pulling out and flipping me over to my back, carefully hovering over my much larger stomach.
“Damn, baby. That may have been the hottest thing I’ve ever heard you say,” he growls before bending over to suck one of my sensitive nipples into his mouth, causing me to throw my head back and moan loudly. “You really want me to fuck you?”
“God, yes,” I groan, grabbing one of his biceps, my nails digging into the hard muscle as he continues to nip at my breasts. Pulling away from me, he moves from our bed and helps me sit up, gently encouraging me to flip to all fours. Grabbing my hands, he puts them on top of the headboard and then climbs on the bed behind me, rubbing the head of his cock through my slit, making sure to press against my clit on each pass.
“Hold on tight, babe.” Then he slams inside me, my head falling forward on a hoarse cry. Jace begins a punishing rhythm, and he grunts with each deep thrust.
“Fuck,” I moan, and he bites down on my shoulder.
“This what you needed?”
“Yes. More, please.”
“Goddamn, you’re so wet.”
My head falls back on his shoulder, and his hot breath fans over my face. My knuckles turn white, and he runs a hand down my swollen belly, coming to rest just above my clit. He gives me a few more hard thrusts, his hips canting faster with each stroke. He uses his middle finger to flick my clit, and I squeeze my eyes shut at the sensation.
Light flashes behind my eyelids as I begin to climax, my body arching back against him as his other hand reaches up to finger my nipples. I chant his name, my whole body tingling, and I’m vaguely aware of him cursing into the back of my neck. I’m floating back to earth when his hand leaves my pussy and grips my hip, his thrusts becoming choppy and fast.
“Holy fuck,” he bites
out, and his grip on me tightens as he finds his own release, his body trembling against mine.
Blowing out a shaky breath, he brushes my hair from my face and carefully pulls out, helping me lie down. He gives me a short but passionate kiss and leaves the bed, coming back a minute later with a washcloth to clean me up. Reaching for my oversized shirt I left at the foot of the bed, I pull it over my head and roll over, not even bothering with finding my underwear.
Jace comes over to my side of the bed wearing just his boxer briefs, bending down to extract my underwear from the floor. He hands them to me, and I pull them back on. Getting into bed behind me, he curls his arm over my stomach, my own coming down to rest with his.
“I love you, baby.”
“Love you too, handsome.”
“Happy birthday, again.”
I laugh at his words, the memory of how he said it this morning making me clench my thighs together. Today is my thirty-third birthday, and I woke up to multiple orgasms, thanks to my boyfriend’s talented mouth, and then we spent the day at the local department store setting up a baby registry. Time is flying by, and before we know it, our girls will be here.
We’ve finally picked out names, and Anna is throwing us a baby shower in April. I’m due in only three months, and every day we both get more and more excited.
Life couldn’t be better, and I love every second of it.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
JACE
“Drew, hand me that wrench,” I say, giving him a nod of thanks when he sets it in my hand. Reaching up, I twist the valve shut and slide out from under the counter. We’ve been working all day on updating his master bathroom, and I just finished the new drain.
Drew was busy getting the new flooring carried up here, and I look around the room for the water I brought up. Finding it on the windowsill, I twist it open and down the rest.
“Break time?” I ask Drew, and he nods.
“Yeah, let’s order a pizza or something, I’m fucking starving.”
“Sounds good.”
I follow him downstairs to the kitchen, settling on a stool while I wait for him to order. Grabbing my cell from where I left it on the counter, I shoot a text to Stella, letting her know I’ll only be a bit longer. She’s spending the day washing and organizing all the baby clothes. The baby shower is a little over a month away, and I have no idea where we’re gonna put stuff. We already have so much. We installed the car seat bases in the back of my truck last week. Stella started crying, blaming it on her hormones, but I just kissed the hell out of her and wiped them away.
Thirty minutes later, Drew and I are quickly making our way through a large pepperoni and mushroom pizza when my cell phone starts ringing. Groaning, I wipe my mouth with a napkin and turn around to check the display. It’s an unknown number with a Knoxville zip code.
Hitting Silence, I set it down on the island, and Drew looks at me with his eyebrow raised. “Who was it?” he asks, and I shrug, taking another bite of pizza. When it beeps not much later, informing me of a new voicemail, I put it on speakerphone to listen to the message.
“Hello, this is James Klein calling for Jace Miller. Jace, I’m not sure if you remember who I am, but I need to speak with you about my client, Barret Jones.”
The rest of his message sounds garbled, like my head is underwater. Drew’s hand clamps down on my shoulder, his other hand pausing the message. Shaking my head, I look at him through clear eyes, and he asks if I’m okay.
Jerking my head up and down, I tell him to hit Play so I can get this over with.
“If you could please call me at your earliest convenience, it would be appreciated.” He rattles off his phone number, and the voicemail ends.
“Fuck, man. What do you think that’s all about?” Drew asks me.
“No idea. Last I knew he still had another eighteen months before he could apply for parole, so who fucking knows.” Just hearing that man’s name makes me want to plow my fist through the wall. I pull up James Klein’s number and call him back before I can think twice about it.
“Hello?”
“Mr. Klein? This is Jace Miller calling you back. Sorry, I was in the middle of dinner with my brother.”
“Not a problem.”
“So, what can I help you with? Please don’t take this the wrong way, but I have no desire to have a conversation about that man.”
“None taken, but about why I’m calling. Barret Jones passed away last night in his sleep.”
The entire room tilts, and I have to grip my phone tight so I don’t drop it to the floor. Bile climbs in my throat, and I have to swallow past it. Drew must notice something is wrong, because he presses down on my shoulder, his eyes locked on mine.
“What…? I mean, how?” I ask, my voice tight with pain.
“Heart attack, they believe. I know this is a lot to ask, but is there any way you can come down to my office? An item was left in his cell addressed to you.”
“What kind of item?”
“A letter.”
I clench my jaw, and Drew leans his forehead to mine, gripping the back of my head. Anger is coursing through my veins, and I want nothing more than to send my phone shattering against the wall, but I force myself to remain calm.
“Listen, no offense, but I’m not feeling too great about coming to get something left to me by the man who almost killed me and took two other people’s lives.”
“I understand, and if it would be easier, I could mail it to you, but that could take several days. I can meet you at my office at ten tomorrow morning.”
“Send me the info and I’ll be there.”
Curtly ending the call, I slam my phone down on the island.
“What the hell, Jace?”
“He’s dead. Barret Jones is dead,” I tell him before racing to the bathroom, everything I just ate coming up in seconds. When I’m done throwing up, I lift a shaky hand to flush the toilet, standing to rinse my mouth out and wipe it with the back of my hand.
Drew’s standing behind me, his expression filled with pain.
“You okay?”
“Fuck no, I’m not okay.”
He steps into the room to hug me, and I grip the back of his shirt. He releases me and lets out a deep sigh. “So what do you need to go to Knoxville for?”
“They found a letter in his cell addressed to me.”
“Goddammit,” he growls, and I nod, resting my hands on my hips. “Do you want me to call Stella?”
“Nah, I’m gonna head home. Are you busy tomorrow?” I ask.
“No. Need me to come with you?”
“I don’t want her sitting in a car for six hours this late in her pregnancy, so if you don’t mind, that’d be great.”
Drew shakes his head but then narrows his eyes. “You need to tell her.”
“I will. After I get this over with.” Brushing past him, I head for the kitchen where I left my cell, scooping up my keys as well.
“Jace, you can’t keep this from her. You need to go home and tell her what happened.”
“Leave it alone, man. I can’t have her worrying about me.”
“She deserves to know what we’re doing tomorrow. Don’t be a dick.”
My anger is steadily rising, and fast, so without another word, I march from his house, heading for my truck. It’s been a long-ass time since I felt this way, and I don’t like it. Not one fucking bit.
The drive back to our house doesn’t take long, and when I pull in the driveway, I kill the engine and just sit there for a minute, head down on the steering wheel. My phone alerts me to a new text, and when I look, I see it’s from Drew.
Drew: Should I call Mom?
Jace: Yeah. I can’t make that call right now.
Drew: I didn’t mean to piss you off, bro.
Jace: It’s fine. I’ll be at your place around 7 tomorrow.
Drew: Okay. Think about what I said, all right?
I don’t answer him, just lock my phone and climb from my truck, then stride insid
e. The house is quiet, and after kicking off my boots at the door, I shrug out of my coat and toss it on the couch. I go in search of Stella, not finding her in the kitchen. Going to the main hallway, I hear her voice and poke my head into our bedroom.
Not there.
There’s only one other place she’d be, so I quietly inch my way down the hallway, peering into the nursery. I find her sitting in the middle of the room with her back to me, surrounded by piles of baby clothes, the pink and purple hues standing out against the light carpet. I don’t announce I’m there, just listen to her talk softly.
“You girls are gonna be here so soon, and we are so excited. Just you wait till you meet your daddy. You’re gonna fall head over heels in love with him.” She reaches for a yellow onesie, folding it on top of her belly like it’s her own little folding table.
I smile at the sight, and she continues speaking before I can walk inside.
“He’s a police officer, so he goes out and protects people every day. He’s a hero, babies. I am so proud of him, plus he’s pretty easy on the eyes with his bright blue ones. He’s the best man I’ve ever known.”
My chest is tight with emotion, so I back up and go into our bedroom, dropping down onto the edge of the bed. Hanging my head into my hands, I groan, unsure of what tomorrow is going to bring me. But what I do know is Drew is right. I can’t lie about where we’re going or what happened. Falling back on the bed, I pick my feet up and rest them on the mattress, knees pointed up toward the ceiling.
“Jace, are you home?” Stella’s sweet voice filters from across the hall, and I clear my throat.
“Yeah, babe, just got in.”
I lie there in silence for a few minutes, sitting up as she comes into the room. My heart stops at how beautiful she is. Her long hair is in a messy-looking bun on top of her head, a few strands hanging loose in front of her face. She’s not wearing makeup, so her freckles are on full display. As she’s moved further into the third trimester, she’s been living in baggy T-shirts and leggings, loose-fitting dresses for work, but today she’s in a black tank top tight around her belly and a pair of gray sweatpants.