by Mason, Dana
“No, I couldn’t.” He leans back a little to meet my eyes. “What was I supposed to say? I know how you feel? I couldn’t overshadow your feelings with my own. I wouldn’t dare throw out my own story to compete with yours. Especially at that moment. That wouldn’t have been right.”
He’s right. That definitely wasn’t the right time, and when he tried to tell me the first night he was here with me, I stopped him. Even when I told him I was pregnant, he tried, but I wouldn’t let him. “I wish I could start all over again. From that first meeting, in the hall outside my room after locking myself out.”
“I fell for you fast and hard, Emily. After one night with you, I knew I was a goner.”
“I’m sorry I was so stupid in Maui. I should never have made you stick to that rule.”
“None of that matters now.” Before I have time to react, I’m off my feet and in his arms. His lips are over mine and his possessive kiss shoots heat through me. He pushes me against the wall and grinds against me, his erection pressing firmly between my legs. “No more holding back, Emily,” he mutters to my lips. “No more stupid shit, okay?”
“Okay,” I breathe. “No more secrets.”
Carrying me into the bedroom, his intense eyes meet mine. “I want you, I want our baby. I want all of it.” His chest pumps in his effort to breathe through his emotions. “I want all of you, and I want to share this crazy, messy, and confusing life with you—every damn day.”
“I want that too, I really do,” I reply breathlessly.
He places me on my feet, and our eyes stay locked as we both undress. Once our clothes are out of the way, Drew’s hands wrap around me, his heat enveloping me, and I know this is where I want to be. In his arms. He slowly kisses his way down my body until he’s on his knees. When his lips rest on my stomach and his hands rest on my hips, I feel a sense of calm. I run my fingers through his thick, silky hair and I set the moment to memory. Our future holds a thousand moments and a thousand memories, but none of them will share the beauty of this one.
Drew kisses his way back up then he snatches me off my feet and lays me on the bed. He’s hovering above me and I know he’s hesitant, I know he’s worried, and with what he’s been through, I can’t pretend he doesn’t have reason, but with the two guardian angels up there looking out for us, how could this possibly go wrong?
“It’ll be okay, Drew.”
We’re nose to nose, our lips so close, I can feel the smile as it spreads across his face. A moment later, he’s inside me and as I gasp out his name, I hear him whisper, “I know it will be… It’ll be perfect.”
Epilogue
Emily
Eight months later
“Well, Miss Leia, what do you think of your new room?” I dance around the room with her in my arms and point to the family portrait over her changing table. “See that? There’s Daddy and Hannah and your big brother Kyle, and Mommy.”
Then I move toward the crib. “And the beautiful crib your daddy made for you. Isn’t it gorgeous? I just know you’re going to have many, many great sleeps in this room.”
It’s our first day home from the hospital, and I’m exhausted, but it’s the most exquisite exhaustion I’ve ever experienced. I’m trying to treasure every moment with Drew and the kids. I moved in a few months ago and it’s been an adjustment, but I really love all the activity and noise in the house. After living alone for so long, I didn’t realize how much I missed having people around. I didn’t think I was missing anything, but having Hannah and Kyle in my life every day has been amazing. They’re great reminders of what I want in life. I want love, and family, and moments to cherish—not just work. I want it all and I have a great deal more appreciation for everything.
When I hear a noise, I tilt toward the bedroom door. “Can I come out now?”
“No,” the trio of voices rings out from down the hall. And then Hannah’s sing-song voice says, “Just a few more minutes.”
“Okay, well, just a few more minutes. Leia, what should we do? How about a story?” I sit down in the rocker and begin. “Once upon a time, there was a sad and lonely girl. This sad and lonely girl thought she was happy. She had friends and a small family who loved her, even a pushy little brother who thought he knew everything. One day, that pushy brother forced the sad and lonely girl into spending a full week alone in paradise.” Leia coos at me, her wide eyes staring up in interest. She’s so seldom awake that when she is alert, I don’t want to put her down. “When the sad and lonely girl checked into her hotel, things weren’t going as planned, but then she met—”
Just as I start to tell Leia about her dad, I hear someone coming. I glance up to see Drew standing in the door frame. “The girl meets the guy and they fall in love while dancing in the rain,” he says and then he’s smiling from ear to ear. I’m reminded of just how much our little girl looks like him, only softer. I can already tell she’s going to have his dimples and her patch of dark hair is the exact same shade as his.
“Can we come out now?”
He swoops in and takes the baby from me with an expert hand. I cringe a little, but when I look up at his smiling face as he looks down at our daughter, I know it’s my turn to be paranoid. He was a complete wreck during my entire pregnancy, and I’ve been one since the moment she was born.
“She’s so small, how will I ever be able to protect her from everything?”
He grins down at me. “You can’t. You just have to guide them down the right path and pray they make good decisions.” He reaches down for my hand. “Are you ready for your surprise?”
“I’m more than ready! I was starting to think you guys were just trying to tease me and didn’t actually have a surprise.”
“Of course we do. It’s our first family dinner with Leia after all.”
“Well, I’ve been waiting, get on with it.”
He chuckles. “All right, follow me.”
I follow him down the hall and into the dining room. It’s lit with candles, and the table is set for four in our fine china. There’s a roast chicken in the center of the table and a bottle of sparkling cider bubbling next to it. “Ah! Wow, this is all for me? It’s so beautiful!”
Drew lays Leia down in her bassinet, which has been placed within reach of the table, then he gestures to a chair. “Please have a seat.”
Hannah leans over the bassinet at her sister and whispers her name. It was Kyle and Hannah who made the final decision on her name. The four of us created a list of favorites, and Leia was on the list because it’s a Hawaiian name that means “heavenly child”, which we both thought fitted her and our circumstances. It also turned out to be Hannah’s favorite too. I’m pretty sure Kyle agreed because it was easier than arguing with his sister. Besides that, he was counting on a baby brother instead of another sister.
“Maybe the next one will be a boy,” Drew told Kyle when Leia came out a girl. Maybe the next one? Believe it or not, he was serious about that too. I guess he’s no longer afraid of what could go wrong during childbirth. I can’t wait to see what our future holds for us.
I sit in the chair they reserved for me and take another good look around the glowing room. Kyle is pouring sparkling cider carefully into four champagne glasses. Hannah is whispering in Drew’s ear, and I realize it’s a complete set-up. “What’s happening here? Are we having dinner?”
The three of them approach with huge dimpled smiles and then Drew slowly drops to one knee and the twinkle in his eyes is contagious. They all look like they’re about to burst.
“Emily.” Drew looks from Kyle to Hannah and at the same time, the three of them say, “Will you marry us?” A second later, Drew opens a ring box and flashes a sparkling diamond ring. “We all picked it out together,” Kyle blurts.
“It was so hard to keep secret,” Hannah says and her voice chimes like a bell through her excitement.
I meet Drew’s eyes as thick, happy tears drip from mine.
“Well…” he prompts.
“I woul
d love to marry… all of you!”
Hannah and Kyle both whoop and start dancing around the room. Drew grabs my hand and tugs me to my feet. After placing the ring on my finger, we both look down at it. I’m so surprised and happy, it’s hard to talk, but I swallow around the lump in my throat and choke out the words I want to say. “I’m… wow, it’s so pretty, thank you.”
He ducks his head. “We decided an oval was best… it represents our family table, but we wanted to make sure it was large enough so we could add more chairs… you know, in case we continue to grow.”
“Continue to grow?” I quip, now laughing. “Maybe the diamond should have been a bigger house.”
“No worries, I’m working on that too.”
I press against him. I wouldn’t trade one minute of this for all the diamonds in the world. “As long as I have all of you, I don’t need anything else.”
* * *
If Accidental Lies got your heart pounding, your pulse racing, and left you wanting more, don’t miss the first book in Dana’s Accidental Love series. Find out what happened in Mac and Kelley’s story, where they both woke up with one hell of a hangover… And wedding bands on their fingers. Order it now!
Accidental Groom
Bad boy. Player. Commitment-phobe. Husband?
I’m Mac.
But you already know that, right?
You probably recognize my voice…
I’m the radio host with a f***-me-now baritone who sends a shiver down your spine when you sip your morning coffee – along with the rest of Sacramento’s female population.
If there’s one other thing you should know about me, it’s that I’m a lone wolf.
Hell yeah, I get my fair share of the ladies. Plural.
But I’ve never been a one-woman man.
Not since my last screwed-up relationship.
Not since the drama, all the guilt, that has haunted me ever since.
These days, there’s only so much hurt I’m willing to give or take.
On the outside, I might seem perfect: blue eyes, built, a brave, alpha attitude.
But every day is another battle with my demons. A struggle to stay afloat.
And yeah, that fight’s a whole lot safer on my own. For everyone.
But then I saw Kelley. She was alone, crying at the bus-stop.
From that moment, I knew she needed me.
I knew I needed her.
Full, sexy lips. Long chestnut hair. A dancer’s body.
She’s a work of art.
Next thing, our clothes are lying in a heap around us.
She’s moaning in my arms.
She’s screaming my name.
She’s shivering in pleasure.
Before I know it, we’re waking up naked. Except on my left-hand is a shiny, gold ring.
Kelley’s not just a hot-as-hell one-night stand.
She’s my wife.
I can’t deny that I’m glad she’s mine.
But knowing me, I’m not husband material.
Knowing my track-record, I’m bound to screw things up.
So how long is this thing going to last?
This is a full-length, standalone romance with some hot-under-the-collar action, no cheating and a guaranteed HEA. For fans of R.S. Grey, Whitney G. and Vi Keeland, Accidental Groom features a sexy AF alpha and a steamy will-they-wont-they love story that will have you completely hooked.
Get it here!
Hear more from Dana
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A Letter from Dana
I want to say a huge thank you for choosing to read Accidental Lies. As a reader, I understand how many options we have for great stories in today’s market, and that’s why I’m so glad you decided to choose mine. I can’t thank you enough for your support. If you enjoyed it, and want to keep up-to-date with all my latest releases, including the third installment of the Accidental Love series, just sign up here. I promise, I won’t fill your inbox, but I’ll keep you updated on what’s happening with my books. Your email address will never be shared, and you can unsubscribe at any time.
I hope you loved reading Accidental Lies as much as I enjoyed writing it and if you did, I’d be very grateful if you could write a review. Just a few words and a star rating go a long way toward helping new readers discover my books for the first time, and I can’t wait to hear what you think.
I love hearing from my readers and encourage you to connect with me on my Facebook page, through Twitter, Goodreads or my website.
Thanks,
Dana Mason
Books by Dana Mason
Accidental Groom
Accidental Lies
Available in audio
Accidental Groom (available in the UK and the US)
Acknowledgements
If it wasn’t for my amazing family, I wouldn’t be able to do this dream job. Thank you so much for all your understanding. Thank you for picking up the slack when I’m working on a deadline. Thank you for the rushed dinners and forgiving me when I’m not around as much as I should be.
To all of my extended family and friends, I’m sure it gets annoying when my promo posts keep popping up on your Facebook feeds, but you share them anyway. I appreciate you! Thank you for your constant support. Please keep sharing and spreading the word. I couldn’t do this without you.
To the ladies who read everything I send them. Katie, Nancy T, Paige, Nancy G and Linda, thank you so much for your valuable feedback and for answering my never-ending questions. I’m forever grateful for having you ladies in my life. Lisa, thank you for reading, suggesting, and commiserating! Also, thank you for always being available when I need someone to bounce ideas around with. You’re like an idea machine!
Valerie, thank you for the Hawaiian Hike! You always have such great ideas and I hope you always share them with me.
Christina Demosthenous, thanks for your hard work and for helping me clean this up. You’re so patient and I need that. Thank you for seeing Emily and Drew’s story through the mud.
Published by Bookouture in 2019
An imprint of StoryFire Ltd.
Carmelite House
50 Victoria Embankment
London EC4Y 0DZ
Uniter Kingdom
www.bookouture.com
Copyright © Dana Mason, 2019
Dana Mason has asserted her right to be identified as the author of this work.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in any retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publishers.
eBook ISBN: 978-1-78681-856-0
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, organizations, places and events other than those clearly in the public domain are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or locales is entirely coincidental.