The Promise: A Secret Baby Romance (North Woods Universtiy Book 5)

by J. L. Beck

  “My father taught me that a promise is your word, your bond, your pledge.

  “It is the fabric of who you are, the fabric of the person you wish others to see you as.

  “Without that fabric, you are not a person, a soul, or anything of substance.

  “You are simply an empty vessel moving through the world, taking up space.

  “You cannot be relied upon, trust cannot be built upon your shore, and faith cannot be invested in your achievements or goals.

  “My promise to you requires that I protect you and keep you safe from all things.

  “It means fighting for you and beside you for what is right.

  “It means building resources for your future.

  “And it means protecting you from harm caused by me.

  “It also means being a man you can respect so that you can join me under my shield.

  “I pledge my life to you this day. In service to your dreams, in devotion to your causes, in support of your power and independence, and in joy for the experiences we have ahead.

  “I ask you to accept me and my faults, knowing that all the days of my life, I will work to earn the right to call such a magnificent woman, my wife.”

  The final few words cause my voice to crack, but I don’t care. All that matters is that she heard them.

  “Jude, will you share your vows with Lex?”

  She nods and hands her bouquet to Lily before opening the slip of paper tucked in the small satin gloves that stop just short of her wrists.

  “Lex, my love. In such a short time, you have brought me joy and freedom and a sense of purpose and confidence in the world that I did not know I would ever be able to find. You have shown me what it means to be a woman. Dependent only on herself and her ideas and her imagination to find her joy.

  “I have now within me a life growing. But not just one. Two.

  “I have the one that we created together, that will bring us joys and sorrows and confusion, laughter and pains. For the first time in my life, I know what it means to be a human. It means having the freedom to choose. To have a thought and enjoy it for what it is but also have the choice to make it into something else. To pursue a dream or a goal simply for the pleasure of it.

  “I’m alive. You have saved my life. Literally and figuratively. I wake up every day wanting to be me now when before all I could want was to not exist. I had no idea that someone like you and this beautiful family could exist and welcome me into it. You, all of you, have shown me such love. You have made me feel worthy of having such an experience. I want nothing more than to reflect back to all of you some small measure of what you have given me. If I do that before the end of my days, I will have succeeded at living.

  “I am yours, from this day forward. Thank you for having a space in your life for me. I always hope to be worthy of it.”

  She wasn’t able to completely say her vows without breaking several times to wipe away tears, and I’m certain there is not a dry eye in the house after she read them.

  I pull her close for a small embrace, feeling so incredibly tender toward her and so proud.

  “That’s enough hanky-panky, kids, get on with the rings, there’s a wedding pie waiting!” It’s Pops, ever the comedic sidekick causing us all to break into laughter.

  “Yeah, yeah, yeah,” I say, “it’s always all about the pie.” More laughter ensues.

  “We have rings?” The officiant asks.

  Seb and Rem both step forward, holding a ring.

  The officiant receives the rings and then holds them high overhead.

  “Let these rings symbolize the faith each of these individuals hold in themselves and each other. May they represent their union. And may they signify the seal that is placed around their hearts, binding them together forever.”

  He hands one to each of us, and again, I go first.

  “With this ring, I thee wed.”

  Then Jude.

  “With this ring, I thee wed.”

  “Let no man or woman put asunder what occurred in front of this beloved fort. I now pronounce you, husband and independent wife!” We all chuckle merrily, knowing just how true that proclamation meant, and how good it was for Jude to hear. “You may now kiss the bride!”

  I step forward and cup Jude’s face with my palms tenderly and place my lips on hers, where they forge the first coupling of our union. Me, loving into her, and her loving into me.

  After a long few moments where the world slips away, and it is only Jude and I and all the life created within and between us, we begin hearing chants of Pie! Pie! Pie!

  They have no shame. I shake my head, laughing.

  I tuck Jude’s arm through mine and lead her up the aisle to the house as we hear clapping, hoots, and collecting smiles and pats on the back.

  We go inside, accept the hugs and well wishes, eat some wedding pie, and then, when the coast seems clear, I spirit Jude away for a few minutes of her time all for myself. The office is empty, and I know they won’t look for us in here.

  “How is my bride?” I pull her to me and nuzzle her neck.

  “She’s pregnant and hungry.” She laughs. “Feed me, husband!”

  “Oh, I’ll feed you all right.” My tone is low and suggestive as I reach for the zipper of my suit trousers.

  Her eyes go round since that is something we have yet to do.

  “You wouldn’t!”

  “Oh, honey, I so would.” I grin as I pull her hand toward my crotch for a quick rub. “I had to save something for the wedding night, didn’t I?” I laugh.

  “Mmhh, I have been thinking about it,” she admits, her cheeks turning crimson. “I just don’t know how to do it, so…”

  “We’ll go slow,” the words come out husky and raw, my cock already throbbing just thinking about her lips wrapped around my length. “Come on, baby.” I grab her hand and pull her to the couch.

  I sit down, expecting her to sit down next to me, but instead, she falls to her knees. Her hands go to my slacks, and she eagerly starts to unbutton them. I open my mouth to tell her she doesn’t have to do this if she doesn’t want to, but the pure excitement in her eyes and the impatient way she is trying to open my pants stops me dead in my tracks. She wants this, bad, probably as badly as I do.

  Helping her with the buttons, I unzip and shove the fabric down to my thighs, freeing my throbbing cock. Her pink tongue darts out of her bottom lip, and she looks as if she can’t wait to have a taste. Soon, baby, soon.

  I clench my hands into tight fists and rest them against the couch cushion. I want to touch her so badly, but I also want to give her a chance to explore, to taste. When her hand circles my length, a groan slips past my lips, rattling through my chest, and shaking me to the core.

  Leaning forward, that wet, warm mouth of hers opens, and she sucks the head of my cock between her plump lips. My eyes roll to the back of my head, and I swear I’ve died and gone to heaven.

  “Fuck!” I hiss through my teeth. Needing to see this, I force my hooded eyes open, and I stare down at my beautiful wife, who has my cock between her pink lips. “You look so fucking perfect like that. You were made for me,” I tell her, cradling her cheek. I watch with bated breath as she takes more and more of my length into her mouth.

  She starts to move, bobbing her head up and down, taking me deeper and faster into her mouth, making my balls ache, and the air in my lungs still with each stroke of her tongue. When I hit the back of her throat, she gags and pulls back, her eyes watering.

  “So good, baby girl, so fucking good,” I say, encouraging her, staring deeply into her eyes. Pleasure builds at the base of my spine, and she pulls back, sucking just the tip, her cheeks hollow out as she does.

  Groaning, I sink my fingers into her hair, threading through the blonde strands. “I’m going to blow, Jude.”

  “Mmm,” she moans in approval, and like a man possessed, I hold her head in place, driving her mouth down on my length as I explode into the back of her throat. She doesn�
�t make a sound as she swallows every drop of my release.

  Tugging her off my cock, I reach down and scoop her up into my arms. Bringing her to my chest, I wrap my arms around her and listen to the thundering beat of my heart as I try and catch my breath. Jude snuggles against my chest, and I inhale her deep into my lungs. She smells like sunshine and joy.

  “Did I do good?” she questions, peering up at me with glittering blue eyes.

  “Good is an understatement, baby, but I want you to know you didn’t have to do that, swallow, I mean.” I grin, feeling the pleasure she gave me deep in my bones.

  “I know I don’t have to do anything. You’ve made that clear to me many times, and I’m grateful you let me make my own choices, but, Lex, I wanted to do it.” She grins back, making my heart skip a beat. “And you know what I want to do now?”

  “What’s that?” I ask, cupping her cheek and bringing her lips to mine.

  “I want to go eat the biggest piece of cake I can fit on my plate.”

  “Yeah, and then what?” I whisper against her lips, ready to kiss her.

  She shrugs. “Live happily ever after?”

  “Oh, we’ll do that, baby, and so much more,” I say, pressing my lips firmly against hers, sealing the words with a kiss. The best thing to ever happen to me was Jude, and I’ll spend the rest of my life proving it to her.

  Epilogue

  JUDE

  One Year Later

  I shield my eyes from the sun, letting the salty wind whip my hair around. We’re on a family trip, and Lex is off with Seb and Rem, digging for clams. Jules and Lily and I sunbathe ourselves while we watch Maggie and Kayla make sandcastles. Lily’s newest, Bailey, is fast asleep on her chest, and mine is fast asleep in his carrier.

  It is a beautiful day to be outdoors, and I admire the blue sky that matches the blue of my swimsuit and the blue of the ocean.

  Lady Loo is sniffing and digging all along the grass line and occasionally takes running romps through the shallow water and foam. She looks free and happier than ever, and I realize my little family and our new nest is good for her. Her cracks are starting to fill in, and she’s beginning to trust and relax again.

  As am I.

  The warm sun beats down on me, and I feel lazy. I don’t even want to read my book. Vacations are meant to recharge and restore you, and I’m doing just that.

  “Whatcha thinking about, Jude?”

  I turn to Lily and smile, seeing her eyes still closed and blissful over motherhood.

  “I was marveling at how much I was against marriage and babies and even men a year ago, and now here I am, happily married with a baby. What a fool I was.”

  Jules shoves up on one elbow. “It’s not foolish, you know. Not given what you had been through as a child. How you survived with so much strength and grace astounds all of us. You single-handedly took down a power broker and the worst of all sorts of villains, simply by going out and getting laid. Running directly toward, that marriage, baby, and man that you resisted. That is the epitome of bravery and intuition.”

  “Yeah, babe,” Lily chimes in, “you earned every bit of the beautiful life you have.”

  “Awww, you girls are sweet! Lex makes it easy, trust me.”

  “A cuddly new baby doesn’t hurt.” Lily laughs, patting Bailey’s bottom.

  I laugh with them, feeling like the luckiest girl in the world. And that my husband and baby are the most perfect.

  After a bit, we head in to get the kids out of the sun and put them down for a nap.

  The men champion their hard-won clams and try to herald us with tales of glory and battle until we shush them and threaten to take away their beer if they wake the kids.

  I take Logan into our bedroom and carefully transfer him into the crib.

  Lex comes up behind me and circles my waist as we look down at our sweet little boy.

  “Is he not the most perfect child in the universe?”

  “That he is, little momma, that he is.” His voice has a rich timbre quality to it, and I feel his heart pressing around me, squeezing me tight and reminding me that I’m his.

  “You know what he needs, don’t you?”

  I look up at Lex and respond, “What is that?”

  “He needs brothers.”

  I chuckle. “Oh, does he now?”

  “Yep. And a new fort. And a future plan. And…and…and…”

  “Why don’t you take your ‘ands’ and spread them all over my body?” I suggest with a wink.

  “Oh, yeah? It’s like that, is it?”

  “It is if you hurry up and get started before the little man wakes up.”

  We chuckle as we kiss, and he guides me, walking us backward, to the bed.

  Bumping against the mattress, he turns me around, and the urgency flares up like flickering flames between us. We cannot seem to move fast enough, but we have to be quiet. Not just for Logan but because the walls might be thin, and everyone would hear.

  “Lex, I need you,” I whisper.

  He growls and strips off my clothes, not even bothering with his own.

  Suddenly his hands and mouth are everywhere.

  Touching me. Palming me. Trailing here and there. Pinching, pulling, kneading. His mouth finds places that ignite, and his hands find new places of surrender.

  My small moans fan his fires, and his hot breath starts mine.

  We are entrenched in the deepest end of our love pool, trying desperately to drown ourselves in its beauty and magic. We want to let go. We need to. We want to explore and know everything at once. To be and exist fully within one another.

  “I am yours, Lex, I’m so yours.”

  “I know, baby. I know.”

  THE END

  About the Authors

  J.L. Beck and C. Hallman are an international bestselling author duo who write contemporary and dark romance.

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  Also by the Authors

  CONTEMPORAY ROMANCE

  North Woods University

  The Bet

  The Dare

  The Secret

  The Vow

  The Promise

  The Jock

  Bayshore Rivals

  When Rivals Fall

  When Rivals Lose

  When Rivals Love

  Breaking the Rules

  Kissing & Telling

  Babies & Promises

  Roommates & Thieves

  ***

  DARK ROMANCE

  The Blackthorn Elite

  Hating You

  Breaking You

  Hurting You

  Regretting You

  The Obsession Duet

  Cruel Obsession

  Deadly Obsession

  The Rossi Crime Family

  Convict Me

  Protect Me

  Keep Me

  Guard Me

  Tame Me

  Remember Me

  ***

  EROTIC STANDALONES

  Their Captive

  Runaway Bride

  His Gift

  Preview of Cruel Obsession

  Chapter One

  Dove

  Paranoia skates down my spine as I walk a little bit faster down the sidewalk. The cold night air fills my lungs, and my heartbeat thuds loudly in my ears. All I can see and feel is that creeper from the party coming up to me and grabbing my wrist. His fingers biting into my flesh. The smell of alcohol on his breath as he spoke into my face.

  “Dance with me…” He didn’t ask, he demanded, and there was no way I was going anywhere with him, so I kicked him in the nuts and left the party. But now I can’t help but feel like he’s following me.

  Reaching the end of the sidewalk, I chance looking over my shoulder. My gaze falls on nothing but darkness. The light pole above my head does very little to illuminate the street, and when I look back again before crossing the street,
I find someone walking toward me.

  Panic bubbles up inside of me, and this time, I start running. The air rips through my hair, and my lungs burn as fear implants itself deep in my gut.

  Run. Don’t look back. Just keep running.

  Cutting down a side street, I hope to throw the guy off, but as I continue running, I can still hear his footfalls behind me. This has to be a nightmare, something I’ll wake up from any second now.

  Glancing over my shoulder, I realize it’s anything but a dream. My eyes catch on the plaid pattern of the man’s shirt. Instantly, I know this is the creep from the party. Shit. Instinct tells me to run, but deep in my gut, I know what I should do.

  My hands shake as I try and pull my phone out to dial 9-1-1, but my fingers slip over the sleek device, and I keep putting the wrong passcode in. Panting, I make it underneath an illuminating streetlamp and force shallow breaths into my lungs.

  A grunting sound meets my ears, and when I look over my shoulder again, the man is gone. Just gone, vanished like he wasn’t there at all.

  Dazed, I stare at the exact spot he was in, fearing he’ll reappear any second, but he doesn’t. A strange calmness washes over me. It makes zero sense, but I don’t dwell on it long enough to digest it. Instead, I shove my phone back into my pocket and run the rest of the way home.

  By the time I reach my apartment, the exertion is evident, I’m gasping, and a sheen of sweat has formed against my forehead. I fumble with my keys, almost dropping them before finally getting the damn door open. Once inside, I slam the door closed and lock it before turning and sagging against the door.