by DL Gallie
“Thought you might like a choccie milk and some cookies.”
“Thanks, Mommy,” she says.
“And we need to come up with a plan on how you are going to ask Preston to the dance.”
“But he’s not my daddy.”
“Daddy is just a name. You may not call Preston Daddy, but I’m pretty sure he loves you like a daddy does.”
“Really?”
“Yep. Now, let's come up with a plan.”
Over cookies and milk, Lexi and I devise a plan.
The slamming of a car door outside startles me but at the same time, I smile, knowing what’s about to happen. “Lexi, he’s here,” I shout from my spot on the sofa.
“I’m ready,” she yells back.
Preston knocks. “Avon calling,” he singsongs as he enters.
“You’re a dork,” I tell him.
“A dork who you love,” he says, as he leans over the back of the sofa and kisses me. “Where’s Lex?” he asks, looking around the room for her.
“She’s in her room, she has something to ask you.”
“Okay.” He nods and walks down the hallway.
Leaning over the edge of the sofa, I try to peek down but I can’t see or hear anything. The anticipation is killing me.
A few moments later, they both return. Lexi is in the outfit she picked, the princess dress Preston gave her a few months back, and she’s holding his hand. The sight is adorable and has my ovaries doing summersaults.
“Mommy, Preston is going to be my daddy.”
“That’s great, baby.”
“And you are going to be his queen.”
Scrunching my face up in confusion, I look between the two of them. Lexi nudges Preston and he steps over to me, he drops down to one knee and takes my hand in his. “Cress, you and Lexi both mean the world to me. I already think of her as my daughter, I have from the first time I met her. You stole my heart the night we met and I’m pretty sure, I stole yours too.” My eyes well with tears. “Lexi is right, I’m going to be her daddy because I want you to become my wife.” From his pocket, he pulls out Lexi’s plastic ruby princess ring. “Cressida Rachel Bayliss, will you marry me?”
Nodding my head, I blubber, “Yes, yes I’ll marry you.”
Gripping my cheeks in his hands, he presses his lips to mine and kisses me, cementing our engagement. He pulls back and I stare into his green eyes, they are shining brightly right now. “I love you, Preston.”
“I love you too, Cress.”
“I love my mommy and daddy,” Lexi says from beside us.
Looking over to her, I smile. “Did you know, Munchkin?”
She nods her head. “When I asked him to be my daddy, he asked me if I can be his daughter and you his queen.”
Looking to Preston, I smile. My heart is so full right now. I have my daughter and I have my prince. Falling for Dr. Knight was the best decision I ever made, right after saying yes to becoming Mrs. Preston Knight.
Epilogue
…two years later
“Preston, get me drugs. Get me every fucking drug there is. It hurts so much.”
“Cress, Love, I wish I could but you are too far along now,” he says, wiping my forehead with a wet cloth.
I’ve been in labor for forty-two hours now, I’m ready for this baby to be out but mini Preston wants to stay inside. He’s stubborn like his father. I don’t actually know if it's a boy or not, but he’s being an asshole right now…just like his father, who won’t get me the good drugs. “What’s the point in being married to a doctor if he won’t give me the good stuff when I’m in labor?”
“It’s nice to know you are only with me for my access to the good drugs.”
“Ohh shit!” I scream as another contraction hits. It passes quickly, I’m panting heavily. “Preston,” I cry, “I’m sorry I’m a bitch.”
“It’s fine, Love. You are doing great, we are so close to meeting our little princess.”
“Prince,” I say, as another contraction hits. “I need to push,” I shout.
Dr. Jenkins looks up from between my thighs, and nods. “Yes, Cressida, it's time.”
“It’s fucking Cress,” I growl at her, and I really shouldn’t because she’s doing me a favor delivering bub number two. The chief doesn’t usually deliver babies but I managed to sweet talk her into doing this for Preston and I. The next contraction hits. I push and scream squeezing Preston’s hand tightly in mine.
“I see the head. Cress, on the next one, I want you to push hard,” she says, her eyes focused between my thighs.
Nodding my head, I close my eyes and push and scream with everything I have. The room goes quiet and then baby Knight lets out a cry. It’s the most beautiful sound in the world.
“You did it, Cress,” Preston says, kissing me on the lips. “We have a baby—”
“—girl.”
“We have a Pepper,” I cry.
“Do you want to do the honors, Dad?” Dr. Jenkins asks.
Preston looks to me and I nod. Looking down I watch as he cuts the cord and then Dr. Jenkins hands me our daughter. Taking her into my arms, my eyes well with tears. “Hi, Pepper. I’m your mommy and this is your daddy. Your big sister, Lexi, cannot wait to meet you, and neither can your cousins, Marvin and Marshall.”
“And in nine months, she’ll have another cousin to play with.”
“Ave is pregnant?” I question.
Preston shakes his head. “No, Keet, Blair, and Faith are expecting.”
“Oh My God, that’s amazing. “Who’s the daddy?”
He shrugs. “Both of them, I guess.”
“That’s amazing. Babies all round.”
After I’m stitched back up, I’m wheeled back to my room. Mom and Lexi are waiting, Lexi’s face lights up when she sees me. “Where’s my sister?” she asks.
“How did you know it was a girl?”
“’Cause I asked Santa for a baby sister last year.”
The door opens, and Preston enters, pushing the bassinet with Pepper in it. Lexi races over and stares down at her.
“Why’s her head all squished?”
Mom, Preston, and I all laugh. “Lexi, your head was like that when you were born too,” Preston says, pulling her into his side as they stare down at Pepper.
“Really?”
“Yep, it's true.”
“Can I hold her?”
“Mom needs to feed her first, and then you can.”
Preston reaches in, lifts Pepper up, and holds her to his chest. Seeing him with our little girl fills my heart with so much joy. He steps to the bed and hands Pepper to me. “Hey, Munchkin,” I whisper, kissing her on the head before I start feeding her. It all comes back to me, as if it was just yesterday that I was doing this with Lexi for the first time.
Preston is standing with Lexi and Mom; he must feel me staring at him. He looks over his shoulder at me. Our eyes connect and that déjà vu moment hits me. I’m transported back to when Lexi was born. Dr. Jenkins came in for rounds and a doctor caught my eye. We had a moment, just like this one. It was intense. It was electric. It was perfect, his gaze penetrated deep into my soul; just like it does when Preston stares at me. And it hits me, Preston was that doctor. “It was you,” I say.
“Who was who?” Mom asks.
“It was Preston.”
“What was Preston?” Mom asks, as Preston says, “What did I do?”
“When I had Lexi, you were there. You were on rounds with Dr. Jenkins, we had a moment and then you left.”
Preston stares at me and I see the moment he remembers too. “Oh My God.”
He walks across the room and kisses me on the forehead. After all these years, I finally found my prince, and he happened to be the one I’d been dreaming about all these years. That explains why falling for Dr. Knight was so easy, our love story began before either of us knew it.
* * *
THE END!
She’s the twin you love to hate. Will Baylor get her HEA and redeem
herself?
Find out late 2020, preorder Falling for Agent Cox today.
* * *
There’s a fine line between love and hate.
A love fueled from hate is the strongest of them all.
* * *
BAYLOR
My life hasn’t gone as I planned, but it’s all my doing.
I’m given a second chance.
But I didn’t count on him—Agent Corey Cox.
He’s on the straight and narrow, abiding by the rules.
He calms my inner beast and makes me want to be a better person.
When my past reappears, that wildness inside sparks to life again.
Is his love enough to stop me turning my back on everything I’ve worked so hard for?
* * *
COREY
I live my life by the book.
Being an agent is everything to me.
The lines are never blurred.
Until her—Baylor Evans.
She’s wild, carefree, and marches to the beat of her own drum.
She brings out a side to me I never knew existed.
But it all implodes, when I’m faced with an impossible decision.
Either way I lose.
To see how Avery and Flynn got together, grab Falling for Dr. Kelly.
It’s available to buy now.
Every force has an equal and opposite attraction.
Love being the most volatile of them all.
* * *
AVERY
My life is anything but boring.
So what if I’m an introvert and prefer to focus on my career?
I was fine.
Until I met him—Flynn Kelly.
The doctor with the sexy Irish accent.
I thought we were unbreakable, until someone close hurts me in an unimaginable way.
Can two opposites fight the laws of attraction or will it end up tearing us apart?
* * *
FLYNN
I work hard, and play even harder.
When it came to women, I could have anyone I want.
Until I met her—Avery Evans.
She’s quiet, shy, and everything I’m not.
But we’re drawn together like magnets, sparking each other to life.
When the unthinkable happens, our differences really show.
Is our attraction about to sizzle and flame out? Only time will tell.
Playlist
Breakeven – The script
You Found Me – The Fray
Duck Tales – main theme – Geek Music
Let Her Go – Passenger
I Won’t Give Up – Jason Mraz
Forever and Always – Parachute
She Will Be Loved – Maroon 5
Not Over You – Gavin DeGraw
Closer – Nine Inch Nails
SexyBack (feat. Timberland) – Justin Timberlake
Pony – Ginuwine
Torn – Natalie Imbruglia
Walking Away – Craig David
My Little Pony theme song – Twilight Sparkle
Bleeding Love – Leona Lewis
I’m Yours – Jason Mraz
Someone Like You – Adele
Girls Like You – Maroon 5
What About Us – P!nk
Heathens – Twenty One Pilots
Let You Down – NF
Letters from the Sky – Civil Twilight
I Will Wait – Mumford & Sons
Touch Me (I Want your body) – Samantha Fox
All of Me – John Legend
How to Save a Life – The Fray
You And Me – Lifehouse
Shake it Off – Taylor Swift
Hands to Myself – Selena Gomez
For the First Time – The Script
Secrets – OneRepublic
Lips of an Angel – Hinder
All The Right Moves – OneRepublic
Cheap Thrills – Sia
You’re The One That I Want – Loving Caliber
* * *
This playlist can be found on Spotify.
Acknowledgments
To, my family; Troy, Piper and Kade. You three are my rocks, my loveable pains in the butt. You are my everything. Love you all to the moon and back XoXoX
Andi, thank you isn’t enough for all that you did. You helped me bring Preston to life and turn him into the suave sweet/dirty talking doctor that he is. Preston is one hundred percent yours.
My beta babes; Andi, Jenny, Stefanie and Tara; thank you ladies once again for reading my book baby and giving me your opinions and feedback. You gals helped make this book what it is.
My editor, Karen, from Barren Acres Editing; I’m running out of things to say. You’re not only my editor, but you’re also a great friend; why do you live so far away? Thank you, once again for helping me turn my book baby from a pile of crap into a beautiful book baby.
My cover designer, Kristie from Vanilla Lily Designs. As soon as I saw this cover, I knew it was Preston and Cress. Thank you once again for a gorgeous cover.
Thank you to Lana and Margaret for checking my I’s are dotted and my T’s are crossed. No matter how many times I read it, I always miss a few.
To the following authors; Chloe Renee, Stefanie Jenkins, Renee Linda, Tara Lee, Alley Ciz, Cass Fowler; thank you for your support, encouragement and writing sprints. Without you guys, I’d be a mess in the corner drinking wine from my coffee mug.
And finally you, my readers; thank you for the kind words that you message me with each release. 9 out of 10 times, these arrive just when I need a pick me up and they always do. From the bottom of my heart, thank you for supporting me and my books.
Cheers,
Dana Xo
PS. I cannot wait to get messages from you after reading Falling for Dr. Knight. I’m sure there will be messages of love and hate; I’m sorry for Creed but without him and his Dickwad ways, it would have been a super boring story.
Also by DL Gallie
STAND ALONES
Out of Nowhere
Antecedent
Seven Nights
Doc Steel
Summer Heat
* * *
The Rule Breaker anthology
In the Dark of Night anthology
Love is Contagious, a charity anthology
FALLING NOVELS
* * *
Falling for Dr. Kelly, a Falling novel
Falling for Dr. Knight, a Falling novel
Falling for Agent Cox, a Falling novel
THE CASTAWAY GROVE COLLECTION
Love has arrived in the Grove
* * *
Oasis
Unequivocal Love
Five Words
Broken Rules - late 2020
…and a few more as well.
THE LIQUOR CABINET SERIES
Liquor has never been so disturbingly saucy
* * *
Malt Me (Book 1)
Tequila Healing (Book 2)
Wine Not (Book 3)
The Final Shot (Book 4)
* * *
The Liquor Cabinet: Series boxset
THE UNEXPECTED SERIES
When it comes to love, expect the unexpected
* * *
The Unexpected Gift
The Unexpected Letter
The Unexpected Package
The Unexpected Connection
FACEBOOK ~ INSTAGRAM ~ BOOKBUB
* * *
GOODREADS ~ WEBSITE
* * *
[email protected]
* * *
Sign up to my newsletter
About the Author
DL Gallie is from Queensland, Australia, but she’s lived in many different places all over the world, including the UK and Canada. She currently resides in Central Queensland with her husband and two munchkins. She and her husband have been together since she was sixteen, and although they drive each other crazy at times, she couldn’t imagine her life without him.
* * *
> Shortly after her son was born, DL began reading again. With encouragement from her husband, she picked up the pen and started writing, and now the voices in her head won’t shut up.
* * *
DL enjoys listening to music, drinking white wine in the summer, red wine in the winter, and beer all year round. She’s also never been known to turn down a cocktail, especially a margarita.