by Nicole Casey
“I’m here, too,” chirped Molly, taking a step to the side from behind Tia. “You going to invite us in or not?” Molly was here, too? I found it a little odd, especially considering the way she stormed out almost a week ago. Had she forgiven me? Forgiven us? What was this all about?
“I—Yes, please come in,” I rushed.
Tia was here. She really was here. She was in my apartment looking as lovely as ever. As she walked past me, I caught the scent of her shampoo off her hair –vanilla and cinnamon, a divine mix. Molly took her place next to Tia and placed an encouraging hand on her shoulder. Tia exchanged a worried glance with my sister before turning to me. She picked at her fingernails –a cute little tick of hers, I’d learned.
“Tia, what’s this–”
She raised her hand, cut me off. “Let me talk, okay?”
I nodded. I would’ve given anything to listen to her speak, to enjoy the melodic tones of her words. I happily obliged her.
“I’m pregnant, Alex,” she stated calmly.
I froze where I stood. I could see Molly’s mouth moving. She was talking to me, but I couldn’t register anything she was saying. Tia was pregnant?
“Is it…” I mumbled like an idiot. Because I was an idiot.
“Yours?” Tia almost smirked. “Yes. It’s yours.”
I was stunned. The news settled in my mind, slowly melting away the dullness that had been plaguing me these last couple of days. Tia was with child. My child. As shocking as this revelation was, I was filled with an overbearing sense of excitement. I stepped forward and carefully took Tia’s hands in my own. I brought her fingers to my lips and kissed them tenderly.
“This is wonderful!” I exclaimed, breathless.
“You’re taking this surprisingly well,” she replied dryly.
“Are you… Are you going to keep it?” I asked. “Because if you do, I promise to help you raise the baby. I’ll be there, one hundred percent.”
Tia blinked, a smile creeping onto her lips. “Are you being serious?”
“Dead serious.”
“But…” She paused. The smile disappeared and it brought nothing but pain to my chest. I wanted to see her smiling, wanted to hear her laughing again. “But what about my career? I’ve worked so hard to get here, and–”
“I know, baby,” I cooed. It felt good to call her my baby again. It felt right.
“A child would derail everything. All my plans. I’ve only just started working for your father’s firm. I can’t keep working there and take care of a baby at the same time. It’s too complicated.”
“Then why don’t we start our own firm?” I suggested, thoroughly adamant on keeping both Tia and my child happy and safe. The idea sprang into my head without my prompting, an opportunity waiting to be ceased.
“What?”
“We’ll start our own firm. We can work from home, make our own hours. Together, we can take turns looking after the child.”
“I can’t ask you to quit your father’s firm,” she protested.
“For you, I’d do anything, Tia. I’d be more than happy to take care of the baby.”
But Tia shook her head, unconvinced. “You barely go in to work as it is now. But you want to start a new business and raise a kid at the same time? I just… I don’t know.”
I pressed her fingers to my lips again, taking a step to close the remaining distance between us. I looked her in the eye, full of determination.
“I want this,” I told her. “You have no idea how badly I want this. Tia, for you, I’d give up everything. You make me want to work harder. I promise you, I’ll do everything in my power to make sure you and our child have a good life.”
I got down on one knee and fished out the ring box I had hidden away in my pocket. Even after our falling out, I’d kept it. I hadn’t given up on us. I opened the ring box to expose my grandmother’s diamond ring. Tia’s face practically lit up like the Fourth of July, a sight to behold that was exclusively for me. I took a deep breath. This felt right. I had no hesitations, no doubts. I wanted to ask Tia to marry me before, and a child in the picture didn’t change any of that. I had never been so sure about anything in my life before.
Down on one knee, I looked up at Tia. I studied the details of her face, her form. The way her shocked smile made me giddy deep down in my gut. People were probably going to think I was crazy, asking a girl I’d hardly known for more than a few weeks to marry me. But what did they know? They didn’t know how amazing Tia was like I did. They didn’t know how smart she was, or how determined she was, or how unbelievably fantastic and sweet she was. I wanted her all to myself, and I knew that if I didn’t at least ask, then I didn’t deserve her in the first place. She deserved the world, and I wanted to give it to her.
“Tia, I promise to take care of you and the baby. I promise to give you everything you’ll ever need. I’ll take things seriously. I’ll make things work. For you. Will you marry me, Tia?”
She started to cry, heavy tears streaking down her cheeks. She attempted to wipe them away, a combination of sobs and laughter bubbling from her lips.
“I don’t want you to marry me just because I’m pregnant, Alex,” she argued.
I frowned and shook my head. “To be honest, I’ve been carrying this thing around for weeks. I want to marry you because I love you, Tia. I was planning to propose to you after we told Molly a week ago, but…”
“That was my bad, sorry,” Molly piped up. I had almost forgotten that she was here. I would have been concerned that things had gotten a little too awkward, but I was so adamant on proposing to Tia that I no longer cared. Besides, if Molly was here, it must have meant she was okay with all of this. She had forgiven us, to some extent. And that was all the permission I needed.
I bit my tongue, waited for an answer. And then Tia began to laugh, bright and loud and glorious. It was a breath of fresh air that I so desperately needed.
“Okay,” she giggled. “Okay, yes. I’ll marry you.”
I stood up and slipped the ring on her finger. It fit perfectly. Tia leaned in to kiss me, slow and warm and utterly delightful. I had never been this happy in my entire life.
I was wrong before. This was the best Valentine’s Day ever.
Epilogue
Tia
“No, I understand Mister Parsons,” I said into the phone. “I appreciate that, Mister Parsons, we’ll meet you at the courthouse. Yes, I promise. Alex and I have every point of this case covered. We’ll see to it that you get back every single penny. Yes, okay. Talk to you soon.”
I hung up the phone, slipping the device into my pocket just in time to stop Timmy from pulling at my long hair. I had my curly brown locks tied up in a high ponytail for this exact reason, but I couldn’t exactly be mad. Timmy was just in his ‘grabby’ stage.
I turned to Alex, who was sitting next to Molly at the dining room table with piles upon piles of documents surrounding him. He had three different coffee mugs on before him, all empty. I walked over with the baby and leaned down, giving the back of his neck a quick squeeze as I kissed him on the top of his head. Molly was busy on the phone, scheduling appointments for us as our firm’s new secretarial assistant. She gave Timmy a little wave, who, in turn, stared at his aunt with big, wide doe eyes.
“Hey, baby,” Alex greeted me. He then looked at Timmy, holding out his finger for the child to grasp. “And hello, baby.”
“That was Mister Parsons on the phone,” I explained.
“Anything important?”
“He’s worried because we’re such a small law firm that we won’t be able to close this thing.”
Alex snorted, rolled his eyes. “We may be small, but we’re mighty. Isn’t that right, Timmy? Yes, it is.” Alex took a quick sniff, scrunching his face up comedically. “Oof, I think somebody made a stinky.” Alex chuckled as he took the child from my arms, standing from his seat.
“I can take care of it, honey,” I protested.
“It’s okay, darling, it�
�s my turn. Besides, it gives me an excuse to stretch my legs.”
I giggled, admiring the sight of Alex with the tiny boy in his arms. I watched as my two boys left for the bathroom, choosing to sit down in Alex’s spot. I sighed. Business had been really good as of the last few months. We were finally on an uphill swing, with consultations being booked around the clock. Business had been on the up and up, but just because we were busy with new clients, it didn’t mean that Timmy wasn’t the center of our world. I stretched my arms above my head, hearing my back pop and crack as I did so.
“How you feelin’, Mama?” asked Molly, a cheeky little grin on her face. She was finally off of the phone, quickly penning in another appointment for Alex next week.
“Oh, you know,” I sighed, rolling my neck to stretch it. “Working hard, as usual.”
“Man, I’m not going to lie, kids really change people,” she commented, a thoughtful look in her eye.
“How do you mean?”
Molly shrugged a shoulder as she gently nibbled on the cap of her blue pen. “I was just talking to my friend, Ryan. You know Ryan, right?”
I bit my lower lip in thought. “Ryan... He’s got a kid named Abby, right? The mom didn’t tell him about the kid until much later. Them?”
Molly clicked her tongue and winked. “That’s them. He’s changed so much after he became a father. Anyways, I guess with kids in the picture, people change. Lord knows it did wonders for my brother.”
I smiled fondly as I reflected on the past couple of months. Alex had changed, definitely for the better. He had been there, just like he said he would. He started waking up earlier and earlier to help me build our firm. He was there whenever the baby or I needed him. He had become reliable, transparent in his motivations. But most important of all, I had learned to trust him without a doubt in my being. I hummed softly, thoroughly content. Sometimes, I could hardly believe how far we had all come.
“Yeah, I guess they’re called little miracles for a reason.”
Molly rested her chin on her elbow, flipping through Alex’s work agenda. There was something thoughtful in the gloss of her eyes, something wishful and amused.
“Maybe I should settle down,” she mumbled.
I raised my eyebrows at her. “Yeah?”
“Can’t let my baby brother beat me at life yet again.”
“What about your vlog? That’s still going strong, isn’t it?”
Molly’s lips stretched from ear to ear, a mischievous glint in her eyes. “I actually met someone through one of my videos.”
“Oh?”
“Yeah. He’s a pretty famous videographer or whatever. He said he wanted to meet up for drinks sometime.”
I patted Molly on the shoulder. “Molly, that’s wonderful.”
“Yeah?”
“As long as you keep coming in to help us out when we’re swamped, I’m sure Alex wouldn’t mind giving you all the vacation time you’ll need to pursue your channel.”
Molly giggles, affectionate. “Thanks, honey. I appreciate that.”
My phone started to ring again. I quickly checked the caller ID, an unknown number.
“Who is it?” called Alex from the bathroom. His voice echoed down the long hall, along with the sweet and giddy little coos that Timmy made while lying on the changing table. Even while changing diapers, Alex’s mind was always concerned with work.
“I think it’s a client,” I answered. I brought the phone to my ear. “Hello? Ah, Angelica. Yes, no worries about rescheduling. What day works best for you? Tomorrow?”
Alex returned from the bathroom, Timmy’s bottom lightly powdered with a fresh diaper clinging to his hips. I gave Alex a knowing look. He looked damn good with a child in his strong arms. Fatherhood suited him very, very well.
“Oh, sorry, anything but tomorrow,” I said to the client over the phone. “Yeah. You see, I’m getting married tomorrow. But any other day would be great.”
Alex and I exchanged a smile. New firm, new family, new marriage.
Yes, we were definitely going to be too busy tomorrow.
- THE END -
Author’s Note
Dear reader, I want to take a moment to thank you for reading my book, and for all the support you’ve shown me. I hope you enjoyed the instant chemistry of Alex and Tia, and were happy that they found their own happily ever after.
Have you ever lived under the same roof with someone who’s as hot as Alex? Unfortunately for me, that was never the case, but I’d love to have that experience!
Just imagine how awesome it’d be… Every day when you wake up, there’s a man candy wearing close to nothing making you bacon, eggs, and pancakes, and then greet you by “Good morning, gorgeous.”
OMG! If all my days start like this, I think all my problems will go away immediately. LOL
Anyway, I gotta stop the crazy thoughts right now, but I do hope that this short but sweet romance made you smile on Valentine’s day.
If you’re looking for more fun reads like this one, you might enjoy my book, Can’t Get Over You. It’s a story that features a couple who hated each other, because Malcolm was a bad boy next door, and Blake was just a nerd. They were totally different. They loved to hate and hated to love each other, but the temptation became irresistible for both of them and things got very complicated from there…if you think you will enjoy a good enemies-to-lovers next door romance, go ahead and read Can’t Get Over You. It’s free with Kindle Unlimited, too.
If you enjoyed this Valentine’s day romance, please help me out by writing a short review for Roommate Material. Your support means SO MUCH! And if you haven’t already, Sign Up now to my newsletter to be the first one to know about my new releases. I will talk to you soon!
Take care, Nicole
Sneak Peek: Can’t Get Over You
Blurb
I hate him. I want him. I can't stop thinking about him.
The bad boy next door.
My number one sworn enemy.
Blake
Malcolm Laurier, aka the cockiest, most arrogant man-wh*re I’ve ever met.
He might be good looking, sexy and intense.
And I might secretly be attracted to his soul-searing eyes and sculpted abs…
But that doesn’t change the fact that I hate him, and that he is the worst kind of a**hole.
When my brother married his sister, I knew it was the start of a nightmare.
Until one day, he stops seeing me just as a nerd girl next door…
Malcolm
Blake Mavis, aka the most anti-social, stubborn, nerdy pain in the a** I’ve ever met.
But she’s also determined, intelligent, and kinda cute. I mean, really cute.
No matter how hard I try, I can’t stop thinking about her.
Truth be told … I can’t stop wanting her.
When my sister married her brother, I knew it was the start of something awful.
Now we are stuck with each other, and things only get worse from there.
We shared a kiss at my sister’s wedding.
I took her v*rginity before graduation.
But that’s supposed to be the end of the story.
It’s not until a few years later, when I become her new boss, and she wouldn’t let me meet her 6-year-old son, that everything finally starts to make sense…
Available for free in Kindle Unlimited!
Prologue
MAL
Seventeen Years Ago
Ella was gushing about something in her room as I walked by and I couldn’t help but stop in the hallway and listen.
I was a boy after all, and if I could get dirt on my only sibling, I would take it any way I could.
“He’s always looking at me, Bree. I think he’s going to ask me out soon!” my sixteen-year-old sibling cooed into the cordless phone. “He’s so good looking!”
I rolled my grey eyes upward in disgust. At thirteen, I’d just begun to notice girls but my sister had been dating for over a year. I knew
whomever she was talking about this time was just another in a long line of idiots who would be dropped like a hot potato when she got bored. Ella was nothing if not predictable.
“I know,” Ella continued, sighing dreamily to whomever was indulging her stupidity. “I think he’s the one.”
I couldn’t resist striding into her room, puckering my face into a kissing expression.
“Ella’s in love!” I crooned, dancing around as she looked at me, aghast that I had overheard her dumb conversation. “Ella and dumb ass, sitting in a tree—”
“MALCOM!” she screamed. “GET OUT!”
I ignored her, of course and continued to dance around in the irritating way only a young teenager could. I didn’t see the paperback book before it hit me squarely in the head. She had great aim, I’ll give her that.
“GET OUT! MOM! MOM!”
I grunted and spun to leave before my mother could come to investigate the ruckus but I was too late. She must have already been upstairs folding laundry or something because my foot wasn’t even in the hallway before my mom loomed before me, her hazel eyes flashing.
“Mal, what are you doing?” she growled, folding her arms over her chest firmly. It wasn’t hard to see where I’d gotten my height—she was Amazonian, truly and she seemed even bigger with the annoyance etched over her face. Mom never needed to raise her voice—just looking at her when she was bothered was enough to turn my bowels to water.
“Nothing!” I lied quickly. “I was just saying hi!”
Ella’s bedroom door slammed behind me with finality, reverberating the hallway so hard the family pictures on the walls shook. I was left to deal with my mother’s wrath.