It took a little time, but soon we were all on the beach. Carter was taking Tanner out to put his feed in the water.
“I can’t wait to teach him to surf,” Alex said sitting next to me.
My heart flipped in my chest because that sounded scary to me. There were sharks out there. Or Tanner could hit his head and drown.
“I take it you told Carter what needed to be said,” Alex said.
I nodded. “Yes.”
“Good.”
“I think he’s still a little distrustful, but I’ll prove to him that he can trust me.”
Alex smiled and put his hand on mine. “I know you will.”
“Jess?”
I turned to where Kellie put a towel and managed to sit down.
“I was hoping to pick your brain about labor and babies.”
I laughed. “Well, I can only speak to my own experience, but I’ll try to answer your questions.”
That night, as I lay in Carter’s arms again, after making love, I knew that I was on the cusp of having it all. I had Carter and Tanner, but also, everyone in Carter’s family. It was more than I deserved, but everything that Tanner needed and wanted.
“Do we have time for you to scream my name again in pleasure before we unlock the door and put on our pajamas?” Carter said.
“Yes,” I answered, pulling Carter into my arms.
He settled over me. “First, there are a few things we need to get straight.”
“Oh?” Was he really going to have a serious discussion with me like this?
“First, we’re a family. You, me, Tanner.”
I smiled as love and warmth flooded my body. “Yes.”
“That means you and him live here now. With me.”
I nodded, but then thought of Reggie and how my moving out would make things hard for her.
Carter frowned. “What?”
Afraid he thought I was withdrawing from him, I said, “I’m just thinking of Reggie. She relies on my part of the rent.”
“I can take care of that.”
I laughed. “Not everyone likes to be given a handout.”
He shook his head. “So, I’ve learned. We can help her find a new roommate then.”
“Yes. Of course, because Tanner and I live here now.”
His smile was radiant and I wanted to make sure I saw it every day for as long as I lived. I wrapped my legs around him, eager to feel him inside me.
“There’s more,” he said, preventing me from getting what I wanted.
“What?”
“If we’re a family, we should make it official.” His hand slid under the pillow and he pulled out a ring. “We should get married.”
I gasped. “Carter.” I couldn’t find the words to say more.
“Too soon?” he asked.
I shook my head, looking up at this man in wonder. “I thought it would be months, years even, before you’d trust me enough to want to marry me.”
His expression was shocked. “You thought about that?”
“Yes. Of course. I want this. I want a family with you, but I messed that up so badly.”
“I don’t need months or years, Jess. I need you and Tanner. That’s it.”
“Yes. Yes, Carter.”
He slipped the ring on my finger.
I looked up into his eyes. “Dreams do come true.”
He smiled. “Yes, they do.”
Epilogue: Jess - Six Months Later
I've come to terms with the saying about being careful what you wish for because sometimes what you wish for is exactly what you get and even more.
Six months ago, I had nearly ruined everything. I’d totally demolished my chance at a happily ever after. But today I was standing on the back deck of the home that I shared with my husband, Carter, and my son, Tanner, as the rest of the family enjoyed the barbecue we were hosting.
Carter was manning the grill doing his best to keep Hunter away. He once told me that Hunter was an expert when it came to running a restaurant, but he had no clue how to grill.
Alex was in the pool teaching Tanner how to swim, and I was pretty sure by the time they were done Tanner would have gills. He was taking to the water like a fish. Up on the pool deck, Margaret sat with Natalie watching Alex and Tanner in the water. Every now and then when Tanner would come up for air, Margaret would make some sort of comment about Tanner joining the business.
Over on the other side of the pool deck, Noah and Andi were squabbling about something. The way they were always bickering led me to think it was a kind of foreplay between them. But when I asked Carter about it, he shrugged, saying he didn't think there was anything going on. Noah had been a stickler for the rule about not fraternizing with employees. And the brothers notwithstanding, Andi was about the most important employee Margaret had.
Ryan and Kelly were sitting at the table oohing and ahhing over their three month old baby girl, also named Margaret after Gran, but who was affectionately called Maggie.
Yes, life was perfect, I thought as I drew my hand over my own belly.
"Hey beautiful, why don’t you come over here and help me fend off Hunter. The last thing we need is him burning the burgers," Carter called to me.
"He might ban me from his restaurant again," I said.
Hunter's cheeks flushed with red. "I apologized for that, didn’t I?"
"Yes, you did, and I appreciate it." Although he threatened to do it again if I ever hurt Carter.
I carried the bowls of fruit salad and potato chips and put them on the table.
"Chow is on," Carter called.
As soon as Carter and I were married, he'd commissioned a large outdoor table built so that we could all be together like this. We still spent many afternoons over at Alex's beach house, but our home was also a common spot for the family get together.
I watched with full gratitude at the family I now had around me. They all rushed over, taking a seat at the table. We had barely been seated when Margaret was asking Tanner about his math skills.
"Sorry mom. Tanner, is going to be a surfer," Alex said, putting his arm around Tanner and giving him a hug. Tanner endured it although it was a new thing for him to have so many grown-ups always kissing and loving on him.
The last six months had definitely been the happiest of my life. Carter didn't waste any time whisking me away to get married. And the day I produced the brand-new birth certificate that had Tanner's name as Tanner Carter Strong, the tears and love in his eyes told me everything I needed to know. We were going to have a long and happy life together; I just knew it.
As soon as all the food was served, the volume at the table dropped drastically, as our guests focused on eating. I took it as an opportunity and rose from my chair.
"Is everything all right, hon?" Carter said, his hand lifting to settle on my back. I loved the way he would touch me without even knowing it.
I shook my head as I took his hand. “No, I just had something I wanted to share with the family."
He gave me a quizzical look, but smiled.
"Announcement, announcement, announcement," Noah began to sing. "A terrible way to die, a terrible way to die, a terrible death to be talked to death, a terrible way to die."
"Shut up, Noah," Andi said, throwing a chip at him.
"You two behave," Margaret snapped from across the table.
"You better say whatever it is you have to say soon, before this devolves into a food fight," Carter said.
I laughed. "Being a part of this family can be a little overwhelming, between all the surprises and —"
"Hey, it was Carter's idea to have a surprise wedding, not ours. Good thing you were on board with it."
"Is that a pun, Noah?” Hunter asked because Carter and I had been married on a boat.
I waved my hand to take back control of the conversation. "Well, today is my day for surprises. First, I want to thank all of you for the way you've accepted me and Tanner into the family."
"You are family," Carter said, lo
oking up at me questioningly. I don't think he fully understood the difference between having my son be a Strong, and my being a Strong. Tanner was family by blood. But that wasn't important now.
"The point is, I love being a part of this family. I love all of you."
"Here, here," Noah said, holding up his beer.
"And we love you too," Alex said, also holding up his drink.
Before they could start toasting each other, I cleared my throat. "Well, having come from a small family, it's wonderful to be part of such a large, close-knit family. And I'm equally thankful that Carter decided to build such a large table." I put my hand on his shoulder and looked down at him. "Because the family is about to get a little bit bigger."
Other members of the family reacted quickly. Carter, thought, took a moment to realize what I was saying. But when he did realize it, he jumped out of his chair, knocking it back.
He wrapped his arms around me, swinging me in a circle. "Why didn't you tell me?" he whispered in my ear.
"I wanted to surprise you like you surprised me with our wedding."
He sat me down and he was grinning at me like he'd never been happier.
"Mommy what's going on?" Tanner asked from where he sat between Margaret and Alex.
"Your mom is going to have a baby," Natalie said to him.
Tanner's eyes widened. "Really?"
Carter held me close. "That's right, you're going to have a brother or sister."
Tanner thought about that for a minute. "I hope it's a brother."
The rest of the table laughed. Eventually things settled down and we all sat down to eat.
"I don't know why you're so surprised," I said to Carter. "It's not like we weren't planning this."
The truth was several weeks ago, we had left Tanner with Hunter and Natalie because Alex had decided it was their turn to have a child and felt babysitting could encourage that.
Carter took me out on the family yacht, where we spent a few days. We'd been married a couple months, but both agreed that we were ready to start filling the house, so the trip on the yacht was the beginning of growing our family.
"I know, but it was theoretical on my end. But now it's a reality.” His hand reached over and pressed against my belly. "We've made another person."
I always love the way Carter looked at life with such awe and wonder.
"You're not worried that this is going to cut into your freedom and travel."
He looked at me, his brows furrowed. "Have you been concerned that I felt like that?"
"You haven't done anything to make me worry about that, but I do know that travel is important to you." I left out the part that I had heard him say as much to Noah when we'd first been reunited.
Carter's hand came around me and up to my neck where his fingers gently caressed. "Don't you know, Jess, being with you is the greatest adventure of all."
If you loved Wrong to Love You, make sure you check out Andi and Noah’s story in Book 4 of the series.
Yep, I said Andi.
Didn’t expect this one coming, right?
Check out Hate to Love You, and fall in love with Noah, the hot playboy. (Hint: there’s a whole different side to him that you didn’t know about).
Noah might have roared into my life and destroyed it, but I won’t let that happen again.
No matter how much I struggle to maintain the distance between us.
This business trip will be the end of me.
I don’t have a choice but to be close to him.
I don’t have a choice but to let him hold my hand.
GRAB HERE
Excerpt: Hate to Love You
Description
My breathing literally picked up when I saw him looking irresistible on his motorcycle three years ago.
And my heart took notice.
But my brain? Apparently, that was asleep.
I’m way smarter now.
Noah might have roared into my life and destroyed it, but I won’t let that happen again.
No matter how much I struggle to maintain the distance between us.
This business trip will be the end of me.
I don’t have a choice but to be close to him.
I don’t have a choice but to let him hold my hand.
But this trip is also showing me another side of Noah.
He’s not just a hot playboy. He’s also shrewd.
Noah holds my heart in my palm again.
But this time, I’ve got to use my brain too.
My loyalties are being tested.
It’s battle between love and common sense.
I have to do what’s best for me, so will I be the one to shatter his heart this time around?
Prologue: Andi
I was sitting in a beautiful bar in a luxurious hotel in the exotic city of Hong Kong feeling dejected and angry about it. Who did Noah Strong think he was to treat me like that? And the fact that I felt rejected by him, only served to piss me off. I was a smart, independent woman. I didn't need a man in my life. It was part of the reason Noah’s grandmother, Margaret Strong, had hired me right from my internship. She hadn't been looking for a regular secretary, she'd been looking for someone who was dedicated to her career and could be a sound advisor for the decisions she was making. She trusted me so much that she had given me her game plan as she got ready to retire and urged me to help her prepare her grandsons for the roles they were taking as they moved up in the business and she made her exit.
All the Strong men were handsome, smart, and talented. Ryan was the smart, silent, straightlaced one as dedicated as I was to the company, although now he divided that dedication to his wife, Kellie and their newborn baby, Maggie. Hunter was driven with a side helping of horndog until he met his wife, Natalie. Carter was the gentle, kind traveler, who just embarked on his latest adventure marrying Jess and getting to know his son, Tanner. And then there was Noah.
Sure, Noah was smart especially when it came to technology, but he was immature and unreliable. He behaved like a petulant child, throwing little temper tantrums every time his grandmother or his brothers encouraged him to take his place in the family business. He didn't want to be here in Hong Kong doing the Strong business, even as a consultant. I suppose I needed to give him credit for at least caring enough about his grandmother to make this trip to figure out what was hurting the business.
I'd known that coming here with him as Margaret surrogate was a bad idea, but I had thought it was just because he was childish and irresponsible. I fully expected him to be spending his nights carousing and his day time sleeping it off. As it turned out, he was taking the work seriously, which was good. The bad part was that I discovered that all the negative energy between us wasn’t just irritation, it was also sexually charged. At least on my end, and that's what angered me.
I was a woman focused on my career. Over the last three years, I had no personal life by choice. I loved my work and my boss. The only time I did something that wasn't work related, I was still usually with the Strong family, either at Margaret’s son, Alex’s house at the beach, at one of her grandsons’ weddings, or at Carter and his new wife Jess's house. I wasn't just Margaret's dutiful assistant, but she also made me feel a part of the family.
A disgusting thought ran through my head. If I was like family, that would mean Noah was like my brother or my cousin or something. So how gross was it that he and I had kissed? Not a peck, but a full blown, hot, wet tongue tangle?
I downed the shot sitting on the bar and then waved at the bartender to give me another one. I wasn't working at the moment, so what would anyone care if I drank too much? It's not like Noah would notice. God. Why would he kiss me like that and then act as if nothing happened? And why did I care so much?
What I needed to do was take my mind off of Noah. I had to consider that the only reason I was thinking about him was because we were having to spend so much time together, and he did have a certain sex appeal to him. I was a strong woman, but I couldn't im
agine any woman out there that would be immune to him.
So, the answer was to distract myself. I thought of Marcus Chen, the distributor Strong Incorporated worked with here in Hong Kong. He was handsome and rich, just like Noah. But even better, he was showing an interest in me, I thought as I looked at the business card he’d given after we’d had drinks tonight.
I downed the next shot, disgusted at myself for pinning over Noah. I didn't even like him, so why was I so bent out of shape?
I waved over the bartender and this time, I ordered a mixed drink because I didn’t want to be so out of it that I couldn’t get myself back upstairs to the suite. As I waited, I noticed something on the television that involved people gathering in what looked like a protest. Another hotel employee went behind the bar and whispered something to the bartender, who immediately looked towards the lobby of the hotel as if he was worried about something.
When he bought me my drink, I asked, "What's going on?" I pointed to what was going on the television screen.
"There's some civil unrest, and out of an abundance of caution, the hotel is going to be going on lock down," he said in immaculate British-toned English.
"Are we in danger?"
He shook his head. "Not here at the hotel. It has nothing to do with us."
"How long will the left lockdown last?" I asked, thinking about Noah, who was in a meeting outside of the hotel. Would he be able to come back? He was with Phil, the man that ran the office here in Hong Kong, so I supposed Noah would be able to go with him if he couldn’t get back in the hotel.
"I don't know. I imagine it won't be for too long," the bartender said.
I took another sip of my drink, but then left it there, deciding I could access the mini bar in our suite. I left the bartender a tip and then made my way up to the suite.
Wrong to Love You: Strong Brothers Book 3 Page 20