Stirred (Twisted Fox Book 1)

by Charity Ferrell

  Cohen mentioned that she told him Joey shot her because she thought she was pregnant, but she took a test in the hospital, and it was negative.

  A month ago, Cohen and I sat Noah down and told him that we were dating.

  He didn’t say, Yucky yuck, like he had when Seth told him he used to be my boyfriend.

  It was the opposite reaction. He was as excited as he is now, bouncing on his tiptoes and then hugging me. The next day, he asked if I could become his new mom. I said I’d be there for him as much as any mom would.

  We waited until now to break the big brother news. Other than Archer—given he had seen the pregnancy tests, which is mortifying—and my parents, we haven’t broken the news to anyone else. As a doctor, I know things can happen early on in pregnancy, and I don’t want to get anyone’s hopes up. I also don’t want to deal with questions if anything does happen.

  “Do I get to pick the name?” he asks. “I bet I can come up with the best name ever.”

  Cohen laughs. “We’ll have to see about that.”

  My hand breaks away from Cohen’s hold when Noah plops down in the small space separating us and relaxes his head against my shoulder.

  “This is the best day ever,” he chirps.

  I smooth my hand over his hair before kissing the top of his head.

  Cohen asks Noah not to tell anyone yet and adds a bribe of three cupcakes if he doesn’t.

  Well, four cupcakes after negotiation.

  35

  Cohen

  “Gender reveal party time,” Georgia sings, strolling through my backyard with a giant-ass baby bottle-–shaped piñata in her arms. “Someone find out how and where I can hang this thing up, please and thank you.” She turns in a circle and points at Finn before shoving it into his arms. “You have been nominated as the official piñata boy!”

  “What the—?” Finn stops before dropping the F-bomb.

  Grace has been growing on him.

  I’d never heard of a gender reveal party until Georgia announced she was throwing us one. I still don’t get the concept of it, but Jamie was excited, so that’s all that matters. Georgia and Ashley planned the party, and my backyard is packed with our friends and family. My mother is here, sitting in the corner, and I’ve barely spoken a word to her. Georgia insisted I invite her and wants us to work on our relationship. According to my sister, my mom is clean and has been trying to right her wrongs.

  Jamie’s parents are here, both of them excited as fuck, which is awesome. Jamie loves them so much, and it would’ve crushed her if they hadn’t accepted our relationship,. At the moment, Noah is sitting on Regina’s lap as he shows off his iPad.

  Yes, iPad.

  Somehow, he talked Jamie into upgrading the iPod.

  “Lincoln, Lincoln, Lincoln,” Georgia says, walking over to the tall, dark-haired guy, plopping down on his lap and wrapping her arms around his neck. “When are you going to take me out on a date?”

  Lincoln is Archer’s brother who recently started working at the bar. His employment caused a few arguments between Archer and me. Lincoln is fresh out of prison, and the thought of a felon working in the bar put a bad taste in my mouth. What bothers me more is how often Georgia flirts with him.

  How he ended up at our gender reveal party is beyond me, but I’m sure it was Georgia’s doing.

  Lincoln wraps his arms around Georgia’s waist, glancing down at her. “Whenever you’re available, babe.”

  “Why did I agree to this shit?” Archer grumbles, his eyes cold. “I don’t do baby shower shit.”

  “First, it’s a gender reveal party,” Jamie corrects. “And second, you’re here because you love us.” She pats his chest while walking past us.

  I keep my eyes on Jamie, watching her practically waddle to her parents and talk to them. She looks breathtaking. Her hair is curled into loose waves, and my cock stirs as I eye her dress, her belly sticking out in the front. As soon as I saw her in it this morning, I tossed her onto the bed, peeled it off her body, and then made love to her.

  She put it back on to torture me.

  “What crawled up your ass?” I ask, turning back to Archer. “You were fine fifteen minutes ago.”

  He shrugs and scrubs a hand over his face. “Not trying to be a dick. I’m just stressed.”

  “Stressed about what? The bar?”

  “Nah, some personal shit.”

  “You know you can talk to me about whatever, right?”

  He nods.

  “You ready, guys?” Ashley yells, skipping into the yard with a black balloon in her hand. “Cohen! Jamie! It’s time!”

  I was as frustrated as Archer is now when Jamie informed me that the sex of our baby would be kept secret until this party.

  Until we popped a damn balloon.

  I wanted to know right then and there at our ultrasound appointment, and the anticipation has been killing me. Every day, I changed my mind on whether I thought we were having a boy or a girl. I backed off on my frustrations and agreed to wait because my pregnant girlfriend has me wrapped around her fingers.

  Jamie snags my hand in hers and leads us to where our guests are crowded around tables, all eyes on us. She’s nearly bursting at the seams when Ashley hands us both a pin and the balloon.

  This is it.

  Our hands wrap around the thin string of the balloon, and the crowd counts down. My hand tightens around hers, excitement pouring through me, and we stab our pins into the balloon as soon as they yell, “One!”

  Pink confetti rains down on us.

  “A girl!” Jamie yelps.

  “A girl,” I repeat, holding pieces of confetti and staring at them in my hand, still comprehending what it means. And then it dawns on me. “We’re having a baby girl!”

  The crowd erupts in cheers, some crying, others ready to run to us with congratulations.

  I can’t let that happen.

  Not yet.

  I turn around, skimming the yard for Georgia, and relief hits me when I see she’s running our way with another black balloon. She hands it to me and retreats back, and Jamie tilts her head to the side.

  Her hand covers her mouth, her eyes meeting Georgia’s. “Oh my God!” Her hand leaves her mouth to grab mine. “Are we … having twins?”

  Oh hell, this isn’t how I thought she’d react to this.

  I grip the balloon in one hand and give her a pin with the other. “Pop it.”

  There’s a hesitation before she does, and a frown covers her face at the lack of confetti.

  “Wait, what?” The sound of her whimpering tells me when she’s spotted it—the ring box falling to the ground at the same time I drop to one knee. “Holy shit,” she hisses.

  “Cuss word!” Noah yells at her.

  She laughs. Her face is splotchy from the tears of finding out we’re having a baby girl, and they’re streaming down her face now.

  “That … that isn’t confetti,” she whispers, staring down at me.

  I peer up at her, playing with the box in my hand before popping it open. “It’s definitely not confetti.”

  “Is it a thank you for having my baby ring?” she asks with an unsteady breath.

  I snatch the ring. “It’s more along the lines of a will you be my wife ring?”

  “Holy shit,” she gasps, her voice so low only I hear her. “Holy shit.”

  “Does holy shit mean yes or no?” Fear settles through me that she’s not ready for this yet.

  That I jumped the gun.

  She waves her hand next to her mouth as if she’s struggling to produce words, and they come out between breaths. “Holy shit definitely means yes.”

  I grab the ring from the box, and both our hands shake as I slide it onto her finger.

  “See how good I was at keeping a secret, Dad?” Noah says, running to us. “I didn’t tell anyone!”

  “You sure didn’t,” I say, rising to my feet. “I’m proud of you.”

  Noah, like the nosy kid he is, went through my drawers—
looking for a pair of my underwear to wear over his jeans with the outfit Georgia demanded she wasn’t going anywhere with him in—and found the ring.

  Thank fuck Jamie wasn’t there.

  That meant that not only did Noah learn my secret, but with the way he came into the living room, waving it, Georgia found out too. I learned my son is great at hiding secrets—not once did he let the cat out of the bag when we told him about the pregnancy, and Jamie seemed to have no idea about my proposing.

  The Georgia thing worked out because she helped me plan the perfect proposal.

  Jamie’s eyes meet mine, and she reaches out, running her hand along my cheek. “Are you going to cry, Cohen Fox?”

  I repeatedly shake my head, fighting back my emotions. “Nope. I got this.”

  “Let me go grab the cake,” Georgia says.

  She’s been hiding it from us. She wouldn’t let us open the fridge all day, in fear we’d peek.

  I’m pulling Jamie in for a kiss as Georgia disappears inside of the house. A crowd gathers around us, people inspecting the ring and offering their congratulations.

  “Is Georgia in there, eating all the cake by herself?” Ashley asks.

  I glance around the yard, now realizing she’s been gone for a hot minute. “Let me see if she needs help.”

  She’s not in the kitchen when I walk through the back door. I open the fridge, thinking she’s probably in the bathroom, and snatch the cake box from it.

  I set down the cake onto the counter and peel back the corner of the box at the same time I hear the sound of people arguing in Noah’s bedroom. I follow the noise and stand on the other side of the shut door.

  “Don’t bullshit me,” Archer says. “You’re flirting with him to fuck with my head.”

  “Screw you, Archer. Maybe I like your brother. Maybe I’ll go on a date with him, and I’ll kiss him. And you know what? I might even fuck him too!”

  I stiffen at my sister’s voice.

  “Don’t say that shit,” Archer grinds out.

  “Why? Do you think that because you fucked me, you can tell me what to do now? You lost that right a long damn time ago.”

  I swing the door open and take in the scene in front of me. “What the fuck?”

  36

  Jamie

  I hear, “What the fuck?” as soon as I hit the back door.

  Oh no.

  I was too slow.

  Blame it on the pregnancy waddle.

  Lola rushed over to me when she saw Cohen going inside to check on Georgia. She’d spotted Archer following her into the house with a pissed-off and determined look on his face, and she was positive they were about to argue.

  Arguing that, knowing them, would lead to screaming.

  I didn’t say anything to Cohen because fistfights at your gender reveal party were so 2019, but Archer’s anger had been pinned to Georgia, his nostrils flaring as she flirted with Lincoln earlier.

  Georgia’s secretive self still won’t tell me what happened between them.

  I turn down the hall to find Cohen standing in the doorway of Noah’s bedroom with clenched fists. I peek around him into the room. Archer looks as if he’s geared to block a punch to the face, and Georgia’s eyes are as big as her mouth.

  “She’s my fucking sister,” Cohen screams.

  I grab his arm. “Nuh-uh. This isn’t happening right now.”

  Make him think it’ll hurt my feelings.

  My pregnant, emotional feelings.

  “Oh, it’s happening,” Cohen snaps.

  Archer holds up his hands. “I’m out of here. You can rip me a new asshole tomorrow.”

  I take this opportunity to pull Cohen away. “Your very pregnant fiancée does not need the added stress of her fiancé fighting his best friend at their party.”

  Cohen’s jaw works, and Archer’s eyes stay on him as he leaves Noah’s bedroom.

  When I glance at Georgia, tears are in her eyes.

  “Nope.” She sniffles. “Today is about you two. Any dramatic conversations about my life will wait until later.”

  I snort.

  Georgia isn’t going to tell us shit.

  “You know what the hardest part of having a baby is?” I ask Cohen while sitting at the kitchen table, exhausted from the party.

  He scratches his head. “Uh … having it?”

  “Choosing a name.”

  He levels his eyes on me. “That’s harder than pushing a tiny human out of your vagina?”

  “You know what I mean. My list is fifty-seven names long. Be prepared for our child to have one long-ass name.” I gesture to my list in frustration but smile when my diamond ring glistens underneath the light.

  I love it.

  The halo diamond has a vintage look to it, and the pavé diamonds along the band add more sparkle to it. I can’t stop staring at it.

  “If all else fails, we’ll use Noah’s idea,” he suggests.

  “We are not naming her Pizza Roll Spider-Man Diva.”

  “I think it’s catchy.” He massages my shoulders. “Put the list down. We have plenty of time before we need to choose a name. It’ll come when we least expect it.”

  I frown. “Fine, but you’re on keep Jamie’s mind occupied duty then.”

  “Oh, I know how to keep you very occupied.” He takes the seat next to me, and his tone turns serious. “Thank you for this.”

  “For the list of names?”

  “No, for changing my life and sticking through the troubles with me even when I was an asshole. I never expected someone to come into our lives, and even though you were shoved into a messy-as-fuck situation, you stayed. You accept my son as much as you accept me. You love him as much as you love me. You stirred out emotions inside my heart that I never thought I was capable of having. Hell, you’ve stirred yourself perfectly into this family and made us whole.” He clears his throat. “My engagement speech was something along those lines, but I didn’t exactly get the chance to spit my game.”

  I rub my hand over his jaw before yawning. “I loved how it went down.” I crack a cocky smile. “Admit it, you knew our lives were going to change after Noah’s hospital visit.”

  He nods. “I was scared as hell and kept telling myself to stay away from you.”

  “Then you realized how amazing I am.”

  “I did.”

  “How sexy I am.” I scrape my finger along the slice of half-eaten cake in front of me, collecting frosting, and lick it off, swirling my tongue along the tip. “How good I am in bed.”

  “Jesus,” Cohen groans and grabs his dick before shutting my notebook and putting it to the side. “You need to get some rest.”

  I eye the erection forming underneath his jeans. “I actually need to get some dick.”

  “Dear God, pregnancy has made you extremely addicted to sex with me.”

  “Are you complaining?”

  “Can’t say that I am.” He rubs my stomach. “We’ll have this one, and then we can keep practicing for another.”

  “Wow, how many kids do you want running around here?”

  “As many as my wife will have.”

  “Can we wait on the wife thing until after I have the baby? Homegirl doesn’t want to miss out on champagne at her wedding.”

  “We can wait for whenever you’re ready.”

  He helps me up and guides me to our bedroom.

  Yes, our bedroom.

  Georgia and Grace are renting my townhouse, and I moved in with Cohen and Noah.

  I grin when he shuts the door behind us and wrap my arms around his neck, my eyes meeting his. “I can’t believe we’re having a baby.” I hold out my left hand in the air, admiring the ring again. “And we’re engaged. How did we get here?”

  He sits me down on the edge of the bed, and my arms rise. He pulls my dress over my head and tosses it to the side. This has become a regular thing for us—him helping me undress since it’s become harder for me to do with my belly.

  “Well,” he says, brushing
his lips against mine before helping me up the bed, “you became a pain in my ass while also making me a happier man.” He separates my thighs and splays his hand over my stomach, massaging my sensitive skin while staring at it in awe. “You made me fall in love with you, and now, I’m about to make you—my baby mama, the woman I love—my wife.”

  I smirk, running my finger along the seam of his lips. “I am pretty talented, huh?”

  “Gotta give credit where credit is due, though, babe. I made you fall in love with me too.” He dips his hand into my panties. “I also helped make this baby.”

  I roll my eyes. “The guy always loves to take the credit for shooting his sperm inside the woman.”

  He chuckles, and I raise my ass to help him drag my panties off.

  “You did not make that sound romantic whatsoever.”

  “I wasn’t trying to.”

  He laughs, and instead of him slipping his finger inside me, I ask for his cock.

  He gives it to me, and with each thrust, he lists the reasons he can’t wait for me to be his wife.

  I’m amazing.

  Beautiful.

  Will look beautiful in a wedding dress.

  Take cock so well.

  He loves me.

  I come, him doing the same minutes later.

  As we catch our breaths, I glance over at him. “You know what one of my favorite things you do is?”

  He raises a brow.

  “It’s weird, but the first night I came here, when Noah was sick, you told me good night in this sexy, heart-swooning voice. I almost fell for you right then. As I came around more, you kept doing it—even when we were nothing, fighting sexual tension, or hell, even breaking each other’s hearts. Very rarely did you not give me a, ‘Good night, Jamie.’”

  “Good night, Jamie,” he says in that rough, deep, but soft voice I love, and his lips meet mine. “I love you.”

  “Swoon,” I sing out before snuggling into his side.

  “I have no idea what that means, but I’ll take it.” He kisses the top of my head. “I love you.”