by Vivi Holt
“Do you like the scruff?” he asked, rubbing his stubble.
She shrugged. “I like you either way. I’m still getting used to the fur.”
That made it even – she still insisted on calling him “sugar plum”. “Have I told you today how much I love you and how happy you make me?” he asked, pulling her to him. He kissed her again, then held her close, reveling in the feel of her, the scent of her, the way she curved and fit just perfectly against him.
She chuckled. “You have, but I’m happy to hear it again.”
“Well, it’s true,” he mumbled into her hair.
She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him again. Then her brow furrowed and she pulled away.
“What’s wrong?”
She shook her head. “Hold on, just a sec.” She took a long, slow breath. “Okay, I’m fine.”
He watched her, wondering if she was ill. She did look a little peaked, but otherwise healthy. “I’m glad to hear it. Now where were we?”
“You know, one of the perks of us working together is the amount of kissing we get to do each day,” she said with a smirk.
He threw his head back to laugh, then nuzzled the soft underside of her neck. “That is very true.”
She cupped his chin and lifted it until her eyes locked with his. “But there’s something I need to tell you. We’re, uh … we’re having a baby.”
His eyes widened and his heart skipped a beat. “What? You’re pregnant?”
She nodded, her eyes misting over. “Only about six weeks along, so we can’t tell anyone yet. But that’s why I’ve been eating so much – the morning sickness is really bad.”
He shouted, then kissed her, feeling a sudden urge to leap in the air, climb a mountain, conquer something. He settled for pacing the room.
“Are you all right?” she asked with a lopsided smile.
He nodded. “Yes – it’s just there’s so much to do, so many things to prepare, to think about. I never thought …” He stopped his wanderings to kiss her again. “I used to think I’d never be a dad, not after dealing with my own father. But now – I’m so happy.”
“I’m glad, honey – I’m happy too. And I think Scott’s going to be over the moon.”
He wrapped her in his arms and held her close, a smile splitting his face. “This is wonderful news.”
“Speaking of your dad, did you call him back yesterday? He called you three times while you were out.”
His face clouded over. “I did. He wants to come visit.”
Jessie played with the stubble on his chin. “That’s good … isn’t it?”
He shrugged. “Hard to say. He’s difficult to deal with – I don’t know how he’ll behave.”
“I can handle it,” she whispered with a smile. “And, if he comes in about a month, we can tell him about the baby while he’s here.”
Callum’s eyes rolled. He knew he had to keep forgiving his father for past wrongs and give him another chance, but it was hard. He drew in a slow breath. “Okay, I’ll talk to him about it.”
She grinned. “I think it’ll be good. For all of us.”
He forced a smile. “If you say so.”
“So are you ready to be a dad?” she asked, tickling the back of his neck.
He grinned. “I’m beyond ready. I’m pumped!”
“I can’t wait to tell Mom and Scott.”
He laughed. “I don’t think we should wait.”
“Really?”
“Yeah, it’ll be great.”
“We can email the client later. Come on, sugar plum – let’s go upstairs and spend the evening with our family.” She smiled and took him by the hand to lead him from the office.
Callum’s heart swelled as he followed her outside and they climbed the stairs together. He still had to pinch himself sometimes. She was his wife, he was a dad already to Scott and would soon be father to a newborn. He’d prayed for a family all those years when his own had let him down. Now he had one and it was more than he’d ever hoped for.
They entered the kitchen and he glanced at the stack of freshly-washed dishes – and the trail of crumbs leading away from the cookie jar on the counter. He grinned and squeezed her hand.
“Do you want a boy or a girl?” asked Jessie, rubbing her still-flat stomach.
He tipped his head to one side. “I don’t know. I bet Scott would like a little brother to play ball with. Honestly, I don’t care which it is.”
She smiled and grasped his hand in hers. “Me too.”
He took a deep breath, his heart overflowing with love. He was home.
MAKE-BELIEVE FIANCE
Haven’t read the rest of the series? Buy the first book, Make-Believe Fiancé.
READY FOR THE NEXT BOOK IN THE SERIES?
Read on for an excerpt from the next book in the series, Make-Believe Husband. Or buy it now.
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SERIES READING ORDER
Make-Believe Fiancé
Make-Believe Wedding
Make-Believe Honeymoon
Make-Believe Husband
REVIEW
If you enjoyed this book, please consider leaving a review where you bought it. Reviews help other readers discover my books, which in turn enables me to write another. Thank you! - Vivi Holt
Coming soon…
Releasing November 2018
THE BILLIONAIRE’S EMAIL ORDER DATE
A Christmas Romance
When a widowed billionaire email-orders a date to take home to his family for the holidays, he never expects to fall in love.
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Author’s Note
Dear reader,
Thank you for taking the time to read Make-Believe Honeymoon. I hope you had as much fun reading it as I had writing it.
When researching for this book, I stumbled across a website where cruise ship employees shared funny stories about patrons, and I just knew I had to include some of those stories.
So, the older couple on the cruise, Sam and Ethel Timms, have a storyline that is jam-packed full of incidents that actually happened on real cruise lines. Hard to believe, but true! Also, the Flowrider incident when Jessie loses her swimsuit is based on a true account by a cruise customer.
Jax Green gets his happily ever after in the next book, Make-Believe Husband, so keep an eye out for that.
Or better yet, sign up for my newsletter to find out when that book releases and get it for a special price. You’ll also get a free book as a thank you for joining my team.
Happy reading,
Excerpt: Make-Believe Husband
Chapter One
Jax Green’s breath fogged the crisp October air, his sandy blond hair spiked with sweat and his blue eyes gleamed as he ran.
“Keep those knees up!” Coach Jackson’s shout could be heard clear across the field, echoing in the air. Usually they’d be in the gym this time of the morning lifting weights, but Coach said he wanted to do something different today, and Jax was all for it. He loved getting outside and enjoying the sunshine.
A tire drill was next, and Jax stepped up the pace. He was happy with how his fitness had progressed since joining the Atlanta Falcons over a year ago. This was his second season on the team, and now that he was off the bench, it had been the best season of his life.
“Jax, come over here.” Coach’s eyebrows sloped over his narrowed eyes like hungry black caterpillars.
Jax jogged over, wiping the sweat from his brow with the back of his hand. “Yes, Coach?”
“Put a bit more hustle into it. I want to see you nailing those drills tomorrow.”
Jax couldn’t help grinning at hearing the words from the famous Tal Jackson’s lips. He remembered the exact moment he’d learned he’d been signed as an undrafted free agent by the Falcons, the team he’d rooted for since he was a kid. He’d been down ever since being cut by the
Buffalo Bills in his first training camp after college, unsure of whether he should keep pursuing his NFL goals. He’d served as a concierge for a cruise line for a while and enjoyed it, but no kid grew up dreaming of working on a cruise ship.
Then his agent called with the good news, and he’d worked his tail off in training camp and made the Falcons’ regular season roster. He’d returned punts for a while, then got into the starting lineup after a couple of other running backs were injured and made the most of it – 600 yards rushing, 200 receiving and five touchdowns in a half-season’s duty. He even got a third-place vote for Offensive Rookie of the Year. If he could keep up his productivity, he might be looking at a Pro Bowl berth this year.
Still, he felt as though he’d rushed from one crazy moment to the next, with no time to stop and take a breath. The past eighteen months had been a whirlwind. His dream of becoming a pro football star had finally come true. Now he needed to keep it. “Yes, sir.”
Coach scratched his chin and his brow creased, caterpillar eyebrows squirming in place. “I like what you’ve been doing, Jax. Keep it up and you’ll be my star running back for a long time.”
Jax walked away, still grinning. He was looking forward to next Sunday’s game against the Green Bay Packers, and had never felt fitter or stronger in his life.
“You’re on fire,” said Wallace Johnson beside him. Wallace was the second-string quarterback – he knew what it meant to train, sweat and hanker for game time but never get to play, and they’d commiserated a lot the previous year before Jax got into the starting lineup.
Jax nodded. “Thanks, Wallace. It’s hard to wait, but everyone has their moment. You will too.”
Wallace shook the sweat from his black hair, smiled and arched an eyebrow. “I hope so. Ready to do some catchin’?”
Jax grinned and began to run. He could never be satisfied with where he was – every week he trained harder, pushed farther, worked more than any of the other players on the team. He had every intention of staying on top for as long as he could.
By the time practice was over, he was tired but invigorated. After the first training session in Bills camp, he’d thought he might collapse – even a grueling four years with the University of Georgia Bulldogs hadn’t prepared him for that. But now he’d gained stamina, muscle mass and flexibility and it made all the difference.
“Jax!”
He wiped his face with a towel, the steam from the showers fogging the mirrors on the locker room wall so all he could see was shadows. “Hey, Wallace – be done in a minute.” He threw on his clothes, slung his duffel bag over his shoulder and heading outside.
He found Wallace talking to one of the trainers. Wallace saw Jax, excused himself and jogged to meet him. “Hey, you did great today. You have those routes down.”
Jax chuckled. “It went well. And the rest of the team’s on point. I think we’ve got a good shot at upsetting the Packers.”
Wallace grinned. “Good to hear. Oh, another thing – Sophie made me promise to ask you to come over for dinner tonight.” Wallace had married his high-school sweetheart, taken her with him to Alcorn State, and already had two children. He was well established as a family man when most players his age were still trying to pick up girls in bars.
“Thank Sophie for me, but your kids are gonna think I’m part of the family if you keep taking me in like a lost puppy.”
Wallace laughed and slapped Jax on the back. “You are part of the family. No pressure – I’m sure you have plenty of offers – but if you’re looking for a home-cooked meal, you’re always welcome.”
“Thanks, man, I appreciate it. I think I will come over. Billy has that new Nerf gun he’s been begging me to try out for weeks.”
The two men walked toward the parking lot. The musk of the locker room was replaced by the fresh scent of a brisk fall day, and the chatter of football players gave way to the hum of traffic and the buzz of a twin-engine plane overhead.
“I wish I could take a couple of days to fly back home for a visit.” It had been almost eight months since Jax had been back in Ardensville, North Carolina, and homesickness was wearing on him. He’d never missed home so much before, but there was a nagging feeling he should go see his family, spend time with them.
“Good luck with that in mid-season,” replied Wallace.
“I know. I should’ve gone before training camp, but I was distracted.”
“You were distracted by the trip to Hawaii with that girl … what was her name?”
Jax groaned. “Tiffany.”
“Yeah, Tiffany.”
“We were just friends.”
“Now you say that.” Wallace cocked his head. “Maybe after the Thanksgiving game, Coach will give us some time off.”
“Maybe.” Jax sighed. “It’s just that all of a sudden I feel like visiting home. Bad timing, but I can’t seem to shake the feeling.”
His pocket buzzed, and he pulled out his phone and put it to one ear, holding it in place with his shoulder while he pointed his key fob at his Range Rover to unlock it. “Hello?” There was quiet on the other end of the line. He grabbed the phone and looked at the screen – June. His sister must have butt-dialed him, since she wasn’t making a sound. He held it closer to his mouth and spoke louder. “June? Hello?”
There was a sob.
“June?” His voice softened. “What’s wrong?”
“Jax … it’s Daddy.”
He drew a quick breath, his head swimming. “What happened? June, what is it?”
Wallace watched him, brow furrowed in concern.
“He died, Jax. Heart attack. It was really sudden. He seemed okay this morning before he left for work. Beverly found him at the church office, but it was too late.”
Beverly Hampton, his father’s secretary, would have done everything she could, but maybe if he’d been there … Jax couldn’t process what his sister was saying. His father was young, fit, strong … this couldn’t be right. She must be mistaken. “Are you sure?”
She sobbed again. “Mom and I came to the hospital right away. We didn’t even get to say goodbye …” Her crying was muted, as though she’d put a handkerchief over her face.
Jax’s mouth was open, but he couldn’t speak. This wasn’t right – Dad should’ve had much more time. He wasn’t even a grandpa yet. And Jax hadn’t seen him in months … why hadn’t he visited home more in the offseason? He should’ve spent time there instead of goofing off with his team mates.
He became aware of Wallace’s hand on his arm. “Jax? Something wrong?”
He nodded. “My dad …” His throat tightened, then he spoke to June again. “I’m coming home, June, first chance I can get. I’ll call you from the airport to let you know what time I’m getting in.” She mumbled something unintelligible, and he told her he loved her before hanging up the phone and shoving it back in his pocket.
Jax stood still, staring at his SUV, his mind blank. He felt as though he’d stepped into another reality. Unreasoning anger ripped through him – someone should’ve done something to help. If only he’d been there.
“Can I do anything?” asked Wallace.
Jax shook his head, a lump in his throat. “No, thanks. I have to get home, call Tom and then pack.” Tom Dimitroff, the Falcons’ general manager, would hopefully put him on the inactive list for the week for “personal reasons.” Usually that was for a player going into drug rehab, but the death of a parent would qualify. The Falcons were good about things like that, better than a lot of teams. Right now he had to concentrate on getting back to Ardensville to face what had happened. Face his mother. The thought made his breath catch.
“Okay. Call me when you get there? Sophie and I will be praying for you.”
Jax nodded, climbed into his car and pressed the starter, his chest tight and his thoughts in a spin. Dad was his rock, the person he turned to whenever he needed to talk through a crisis, or wanted advice or prayer. Now what? God, help me through this, he prayed silently.
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br /> He turned the wheel and steered the vehicle out of the lot and toward his apartment. He was operating on autopilot, his mind elsewhere. When was the last time he’d seen Dad? What had they said to one another? It had been February – they’d watched college basketball together and talked casually. But had they discussed anything meaningful? What if his last words had been flippant, thoughtless?
Now Jax had so many things he wanted to say to his father, and it was too late.
Keep reading…
Also by Vivi Holt
CONTEMPORARY SERIES
Make-Believe
Make-Believe Fiancé
Make-Believe Wedding
Make-Believe Honeymoon
Make-Believe Husband
Cowboys & Debutantes
Dalton
Eamon
Parker
HISTORICAL SERIES
Cowboys & Debutantes (Historical)
Della
Hattie
Pearl
Paradise Valley
Of Peaks and Prairies
Winds of Paradise
Lost in Laredo
Cheyenne Reckoning
Forgotten Trails
Cutter’s Creek
The Strong One
The Betrothed
Cherished
Season of Love
Captivated
Beguiled
Orphan Brides Go West
Mail Order Bride: Christy
Mail Order Bride: Ramona
Mail Order Bride: Katie
Mail Order Bride: Holly
Visit my website at www.viviholt.com for an updated list of my books