“Wheelchair!” I exclaim as I get out of the car.
Mara rolls her eyes. “They made me take it. I don’t need it,” she says.
I put my arm under her shoulders and help her up. I see her wince as we move and a pain passes through my heart. The wheelchair seems like a good idea to me. Tim nods to me and jumps into the driver’s seat as I get in the back of the car with Mara.
She rests her head against my shoulder and her eyelids close. I watch her chest rise and fall, and my own chest squeezes when I see how small she is. She’s lost so much weight in the hospital, and her cheeks look almost sunken in. She looks so weak. My heart starts beating and I worry that it’s too soon – that we shouldn’t be moving her yet. It’s a long way to Lang Creek. We have a five hour flight and then a three hour drive before we get home. It’ll be a full day of travelling.
“Are you sure you’re okay?” I whisper to her.
“Shhh,” she says as she pats my leg. “I just want to go home.”
I watch her like a hawk until I’m laying her down in her bed at the back of the hotel. Mara’s face is worn and she looks at me through sleepy eyes.
“Don’t go,” she whispers to me. “I want to wake up with you here.”
I manage a smile and nod. I kick off my shoes and lay next to her, feeling her frail body drift off to sleep next to me. I hold her close, stroking her arm up and down until sleep takes me too.
The next few weeks are rough. Mara is weak, and I worry that she should be under someone’s care. She should have a nurse here, and she shouldn’t be moving as much as she is. I can see her stubbornness though, in the way that she swings her legs over the side of the bed every day, and forces herself to walk up and down Main Street until she looks exhausted. She grits her teeth and tries to hide her pain, but I see it when she thinks I’m not looking. I sleep next to her every night, and wake up next to her every morning.
On one chilly autumn afternoon, I load up the last of the headboards into my truck and drive over to the McCoy Hotel.
Mara is waiting for me outside, wearing a big grin on her face. She still has a boot on from the knee down, but she can walk almost normally. Her scars are fading, and she gives me a big wave as I pull up to the hotel.
“Congratulations, Mr. Clarke,” she calls out to me. “That’s the last of the furniture for the hotel! A few finishing touches and the renovations will be complete!”
“Better late than never,” I respond as I jump out of the cab and smile to her. She wraps her arms around my neck and plants a big kiss on my lips. I pull away and drag my fingers through her hair, inhaling her sweet perfume and getting lost in her eyes.
“You’re so beautiful, Mara.”
Her eyes crinkle as she smiles and she sticks her tongue out. “Even now?”
“Even now,” I reply with a grin. I rub my nose against hers and she laughs.
Tim appears behind her and he nods to me. “Looks great, Dominic. Thank you for your work.”
“No problem at all,” I reply, helping him unload the last headboard. We carry it upstairs as Mara follows us. I take a step back and sigh in satisfaction once it’s installed. Mara slips her hand around my waist and leans her head against my shoulder. I squeeze her against me and she smiles. She looks over to her dad.
“See, Dad, we don’t need Mom here. The hotel looks better than ever before. We’re already doing 15% better than we were last year at this point in the season!”
Tim smiles sadly. He puts his arm around his daughter and kisses her temple. “I’m just glad you’re okay,” he replies. I can see the pain in his eyes whenever Margaret is mentioned. Ever since she left, we haven’t heard a word from her. She disappeared with the insurance money, and she hasn’t been back since. She took all their savings, and I had to finish out the contract without being paid.
Sometimes, Tim stares out through a window and I know he’s thinking of her. It makes my chest ache for him. She took more than just money when she left. She took something from Tim, too.
Tim shakes his head and puts a smile on his face. Mara pulls away from her dad and nudges him. Tim smiles and pulls something out of his breast pocket. He hands it to me.
I frown, looking down at the paper. I unfold it and shake my head.
“For your work,” Tim says. “I know we couldn’t pay you, and I appreciate you finishing the job. You’re a good man, Dominic.”
“Tim, I can’t accept this,” I say, staring at the agreement for part ownership of the McCoy Hotel. “It’s way too much. You can pay me the rest when you have the money,” I answer, handing him the papers.
Mara smiles and shakes her head. “I told you he wouldn’t accept,” she answers with a laugh. “Come on, Dominic. It’ll be yours eventually anyways.”
I glance at her frown. “What are you talking about?”
She laughs. “When we get married and live happily ever after!” she says. I look from her to Tim and a smile spreads across my face.
“Are you proposing to me? In front of your dad?”
“I’d propose in front of the whole world,” she says, wrapping her arms around my waist. “You’re mine, and I’m yours. Everything I have is yours too – including this place. You’ve put enough work into it to own part of it.”
My throat tightens and my eyes start to prickle. I try to swallow as I pull her in tighter to me. Tim smiles at me and nods his head.
“Welcome to the family, Dominic. I never thought I’d say those words,” he adds with a chuckle.
“I never thought I’d hear them,” I answer. Mara lifts her chin up and wraps her arms around me a little bit tighter. I dip my lips down to hers and taste that sweet kiss one more time.
You’re mine, and I’m yours.
Mara’s voice rings in my ears. I never thought I’d hear those words, either, and I never thought they’d sound so good.

The End
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Knocked Up Series: Book I
Knocked Up by the CEO
A Secret Baby Holiday Office Romance
Lilian Monroe
Description
Harper
I can’t have kids. I’ve been poked and prodded, tested, re-tested, and ultimately heartbroken when one doctor after another shook their head and said that ugly word: infertile. It’s just a fact of life. I can’t have kids.
That’s what I’ve always believed, at least, until one wild night at the office Christmas party changes everything.
Zach Lockwood is my boss, the company’s CEO, and New York’s most eligible bachelor. He’s also… my baby’s daddy??
How will he react when old and new secrets start to unravel right in front of our eyes? Will one night of fun make me lose everything I’ve ever cared about?
Zach
I don’t know what it is about her, but I’ve never been able to keep my eyes off her. Tonight she’s mine. I’m claiming those luscious curves and soft pink lips as my own, right here in my corner office.
I’m about to get a lot more than I bargained for, and I’m not sure I’m ready for it. All I know is that there’s a lot more to Harper Anderson than I ever could have imagined.
Knocked Up by the CEO is a secret baby holiday office romance with high heat level and as always, no cheating and a happily ever after!
Chapter 1 - Harper
“Coming through!” I call out, balancing a tray of cookies in one hand and a jug of eggnog in the other. I can smell the boozy scent of rum coming off the eggnog and I know it’ll be a big hit this year. My coworkers move out of the way as I crouch down towards the table and slide the tray off my hand onto the table in a smooth motion. The tablecloth is covered the cartoonish drawings of snowmen and snow flakes, with tinsel strewn under the trays of food. The whole office looks like the inside of a Christmas store. I place the jug of eggnog beside the cookies and stand up, putting my hands on my hips and turning around.
“That should be it,” I breathe, pulling the hem of my sweater down. It’s the ugliest and most amazing sweater I’ve ever seen, a wooly red monstrosity with flashing LED lights all over the front in the shape of a Christmas tree. Perfect for the office Christmas party.
“Well done, Harper! The place looks amazing,” Rosie says as she walks up beside me. She’s wearing her regular work clothes. In fact, no one except me is dressed up, but I don’t mind. Rosie smiles and raises the plastic wine glass towards me. I grab a glass of my own from the dozens lined up on the table and lift it up it towards Rosie.
“I can finally start enjoying myself now,” I grin back. We clink our glasses and I take my first sip of wine of the evening. “It’s always so much work putting this party together.”
“But it’s always worth it,” Rosie replies. “Think of all the gossip that comes out of it every year!”
She grins mischievously and takes another sip of wine, scanning the room over the rim of her glass. I laugh and nod. She’s right, it’s usually fodder for at least a couple months of water cooler chat. I’ve been in charge of the office Christmas party for the last three years, and they’ve gotten wilder as time has gone on. I’m sure this year will be the same.
“Nice sweatshirt!”
I try not to cringe as the screechy voice reaches my ears. The back of my neck prickles with that same uncomfortable feeling I get every time I hear his voice. I already know it’s Greg from accounting. I turn around slowly and there he is, grinning at me with his toothy, slimy smile. I nod, trying not to stare at the stains on his tie or the greasy hair plastered to his forehead.
“Thanks,” I respond curtly.
“You like Christmas, hey?”
“No, not really, I just do this so I can drink at the office.”
He throws his head back and laughs before shuffling closer, his baggy pants and too-tight shirt sliding in beside me. I inch away as he gets closer. He smells like wet socks.
“Haven’t seen you around the accounts department lately,” he says to me. I try to avoid his stare and glance at Rosie. She’s got her nose buried in her glass of wine.
“I got promoted a year ago, Greg. I don’t work in accounts anymore.”
“Yeah, yeah, of course, but you know, I thought you’d still come around and say hello to me - to the team. I thought we meant something to you!”
He smiles at me and I resist the urge to shudder. I would rather come across as a cold-hearted snobby executive bitch than to willingly spend time with you, after all the torture you put me through! Greg glances at Rosie and his smile disappears immediately. He almost snarls at her and I grab her arm and point over to the other side of the room.
“Oh, look, it looks like those decorations need to be adjusted. Excuse me.”
“I’ll help!” Rosie says. The two of us speed away towards the huge tree I rented for the party.
“Is he still following you around? I thought you’d made a complaint.”
I sigh. “I did, he got a warning from HR and avoided me for a while but it looks like he’s plucked up the courage to talk to me again. Might be the booze.”
“Isn’t there anything you can do? He FOLLOWED you to your HOUSE! Multiple times!!!”
“Don’t remind me,” I say, glancing at her sideways. I push the thought away, not wanting to go back to those months last year when I was constantly looking over my shoulder. I didn’t even know it was Greg until weeks after the whole thing started. I spent weeks and weeks with that same prickly feeling at the back of my neck, feeling like I was being followed and thinking I was going insane.
The promotion to Commercial Director came with a healthy pay raise and the condition that my complaint about Greg would be satisfied when he got a warning. I never understood why the Human Resources department didn’t take me more seriously, but at the end of the day not many women make it to the Director-level at a top advertising firm at my age. I weighed my options and for the most part, it was worth it. I hardly have to see him anyways.
Rosie and I get to the Christmas tree and look at all 16 feet of it. The top of it grazes the ceiling.
“So what do you want us to adjust? I think Greg is still looking over here,” Rosie asks, looking at the massive tree. It was almost too big to fit in the door. I had to beg and plead to get approval for it, saying that it wasn’t a Christmas party without a tree. It’s impeccably decorated and I already know that nothing needs to be adjusted.
“Uh, let’s just lift this string of lights a bit. We can just move them around till he looks away.”
I point to the other side of the tree and Rosie nods. I turn to the lights and am about to grab them when she makes a noise between a gasp and a yelp and I look at her. Her eyes are staring behind me before she flicks them to my face. She lifts her eyebrows up and gives me a knowing nod.
It must be him. Immediately my heart starts beating faster and I hear the roar of every heartbeat pounding in my ears.
It’s our elusive, mysterious, unbelievably sexy CEO. Zachary Lockwood. I feel my cheeks burning as Rosie glances back at him. I turn my head slowly and see him near the entrance of the office, shaking hands with one of the employees. His suit is navy with little white pinstripes. His chocolate brown hair is slicked back perfectly, with a crisp part down the side. He’s tall and athletic, with a chiseled jaw and unbelievably deep brown eyes. Not that I’ve noticed, or anything.
I glance away quickly, trying to ignore the thumping of my heart. I’ve been admiring him from a distance ever since he took over and brought our firm back from the brink of bankruptcy. Rosie knows it, and constantly teases me whenever he makes an appearance at the office. Thankfully that doesn’t happen very often.
“He doesn’t have a hot blonde model with him this time, maybe this is your chance!” Rosie whispers loudly with a grin.
“Shut up,” I respond. “I’m sure he’s got a gaggle of girls waiting in the wings.”
Rosie nods and my heart sinks a little. I know it’s probably true. He’s one of the richest and sexiest men in New York, and definitely way, way out of my league. Plus, he’s my boss! Even if I had a chance with him, it would definitely be inappropriate to pursue it.
Suddenly I wish I wasn’t wearing a ridiculous light-up Christmas tree on my chest. I could be wearing anything else and it would be more flattering. Literally anything. A paper bag would look better than this thing.
It doesn’t matter, I tell myself. He’s my boss. Even if he is attractive, we work together and fantasising about him is inappropriate. I shake my head and try to ignore the nervous excitement at the pit of my stomach. I take another sip of wine and nod to Rosie and the string of lights. She grins but says nothing, and instead turns to the tree and follows my lead.
Chapter 2 - Zach
I’ve been trying not to stare at her ever since I walked in. Harper Anderson is my employee, after all. I can’t help it that there’s something about her that intrigues me. Maybe it’s the way she doesn’t seem to care who I am? Usually employees, especially women, are nervous and flustered when they see me. She’s all business, all the time. Nothing seems to phase her.
I glance over at her as she talks to another woman beside the massive fake Christmas tree that dominates the room. She marched into my office six weeks ago and insisted on ordering that huge tree, standing in front
of me with a graph she’d prepared that showed Christmas cheer increasing exponentially with every extra foot of tree that we ordered. Her face had been so serious, and she’d presented her carefully prepared graphs and figures as if it was the quarterly review.
I had no choice, I had to say yes. Harper had me totally off-balance and I hadn’t even been able to laugh at the ridiculousness and thoroughness of her proposal. But as soon as I said yes I’d seen a twinkle in her eye and I knew there was something different about her. It’s not often that people surprise me like that.
She’s good at what she does, and that’s what matters. It doesn’t matter that my cock starts to twitch whenever I think about her, or that I can’t seem to get her out of my head for days every time I visit the office.
“… the Jackson file will be ready for your signature by Monday morning, and.. Zach? Are you listening?”
I’m pulled from my thoughts and turn towards my Editor in Chief and best friend. I put a hand on his shoulder and look him in the eye.
“Mitch. It’s the Christmas party. No more work talk.”
“Alright, alright,” he says, throwing his hands up. “You want a drink?” he asks, motioning towards the snack table.
I nod as I glance at the full spread of food and drink on the table. Harper’s done a good job this year, once again. There’s every imaginable snack and appetiser and drink that anyone could ever want. The woman knows how to throw a party.
Mitch starts walking towards the drinks. “You got any plans this weekend?”
“I was thinking of checking out that new club downtown tomorrow night, you in? There’s a potential client there with a VIP booth.”
Swear to Me_A Second Chance Mountain Man Romance Page 17